April 8, 1863. |
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shots.
Dupont, seeing the Keokuk nearly destroyed, half his other vessels injured,1 his flag-ship placed in peril, and Fort Sumter apparently but slightly injured, he was satisfied that further efforts to reduce that work by the navy alone would be futile, so at five o'clock he signaled the squadron to retire.
The attack on Sumter was a failure, but did not involve disaster.
Dupont lost but few men,2 and only one vessel (the Keokuk), the remainder of his squadron being in a condition to be easily repaired.
He was blamed by the inexpert and zealous for not longer continuing the fight, or renewing it the next day, but subsequent events vindicated the soundness of his judgment.
His withdrawal gave the Confederates great joy, and “the happy issue,” Beauregard said in a general order, “inspired confidence in the country that the ultimate success of the Confederates would be complete.”
3 Had a sufficient supporting land force been employed in vigorously attacking the Confederates on Morris Island, and keeping the garrisons of Battery Gregg and Fort Wagner engaged while the squadron was attacking Fort Sumter, the result might have been different.
But only about four thousand of Hunter's troops had aught to do with the expedition directly.
These, under General Truman Seymour, Hunter's chief of artillery, were posted behind a thicket of palm-trees, on Folly Island, at Light-House inlet, with pontoons and cannon, ready to dash across to Morris Island and attack the Confederates there when the squadron should reduce Fort Sumter and silence the guns of Fort Wagner and Battery Gregg; but they were not permitted to co-operate in that work.
The squadron failed, and the land troops had nothing to do. “A mere spectator,” General Hunter wrote to Admiral Dupont the next day
from the transport Ben Deford, “I could do nothing but pray for you, which, believe me, I did most heartily.”
1 The Nahant received thirty wounds, one of which was produced by a heavy rifled-shot which struck her pilot-house, and dislodged several bolts, by which Edward Cobb, quartermaster, was fatally hurt, and the captain and pilot were injured. The Passaic received as many wounds. One of the shot which struck the top of her turret broke all of the eleven one-inch plates of iron that composed it, and injured the pilot-house. The port of the Nantucket was firmly closed by a shot that damaged it. The New Ironsides had one of her port shutters carried away by a shot, and her wooden bows were penetrated by shells; and the deck-plating of the Catskill was torn up by a shell.
2 Only one man died of injuries received, and about twenty-five were wounded, principally on board the Keokuk and Nahant.
3 All the trophies of victory secured by the Confederates were “two 11-inch Dahlgren guns, two United States flags, two pennants, and three signal flags.” The guns were immediately put into the Confederate service--“substantial trophies of the affair,” Beauregard said.
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