The high tides raised by the storm | only available shelter. To this end, aforesaid partially filled our works, all the light mortars were brought washing down parapets and impeding our operations as well as destroying our approaches; yet a fourth parallel was soon established," barely 300 yards from Wagner, and only 100 from a sheltering ridge in its front, from behind which Rebel sharp-shooters had seriously impeded our working parties and defied efforts to expel them by infantry, as they afterward did" to dislodge them by mortarfiring. But Gen. Terry was now directed to take it with the bayonet, and did so whereupon our fifth parallel was established behind it, only 240 yards from Wagner. Here, the dry part of the island is but 25 yards wide and barely two feet high: high tides sweeping across in rough weather to the marsh behind it. Henceforward, the ground was filled with torpedo mines; in spite of which, a rude trench had been pushed forward, by daybreak of the 27th, to within 100 yards of the fort.

Yet here the progress of the besiegers was checked. The fire of Wagner, concentring from its extended front on this narrow sand-spit at close range, was necessarily most effective; that of the James island batteries was steadily increasing in volume and accuracy; to push the sap by day was death to all engaged in it; while a bright harvest-moon rendered it all but equally hazardous by night. It became necessary to silence the fort utterly by an overpowering curved fire from siege and Coehorn mortars, at the same time attempting to breach the bomb-proof by a fire of rifled guns at close range; thus expelling the garrison from its 62 Night of Aug. 21. 63 Aug. 26.

to the front, and placed in battery; the capacity of the fifth parallel and advanced trenches for sharp-shooters was greatly enlarged and improved; the rifled guns in the left breaching batteries were trained upon the fort; and powerful calcium lights prepared to assist the operations of our cannoniers and sharp-shooters, while blinding those of the enemy. The New Ironsides, Capt. Rowan, also moved up and set to work, during the daylight, on the obstinate fortress. All being ready, our batteries reopened “* in full chorus: the New Ironsides pouring in an eight-gun broadside of 11-inch shells against the parapet, whence they dropped nearly vertically, exploding within or over the fort; while calcium lights turned night into day, blinding the garrison, and rendering visible to the besiegers every thing connected with the fort. This proved too much for the besieged, who were compelled to seek and abide in the shelter of their bomb-proof, leaving our sappers free to push forward their work until they were so close to the fort that the fire of the James island batteries, which had become their chief annoyance, could only be rendered effective at the peril of friends and foes alike. And now the sap was pushed with vigor, and in entire disregard of the enemy: the workers off duty mounting the parapets of their works to take a survey of the ground; until, a little after dark," the sap was pushed by the south face of the fort, leaving it on their left, crowning the crest of the counterscarp near the flank of the east or sea front, comSept. 6.

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Sept. 5, at daybreak.

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DAHLGREN'S LUCKLESS ATTACK ON SUMTER.

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assault.

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pletely masking all the guns in the | to the parapet; but found the slope work, save those on this flank, and far steeper and its ascent more diffiremoving a row of long pikes which cult than they appeared when viewed had been planted at the foot of the from a distance through a field-glass. counterscarp as an impediment to The garrison, under Maj. S. Elliot, proved exceedingly wide awake, and at once commenced firing and throwing hand-grenades; while, at a signal given by them, the Rebel batteries on every side but the offing opened a terrific fire, whereby our three boats were soon torn to pieces, and those they had borne to the fortsome 200 in number-either killed, wounded, or compelled to surrender. The killed and wounded were about 80; while 121 were taken prisoners. The residue of the expedition drew off unhurt. No life was lost on the side of the defense.

Gen. Gillmore directed Gen. Terry to assault in three columns at 9 A. M.; that being the hour of ebb tide, which gave the broadest beach whereon to advance the assaulting columns; but, by midnight, it was discovered that the garrison were escaping; and with such celerity did they move that we took but 70 prisoners. They left 18 guns in Wagner and 7 in Battery Gregg.

Though 122,300 pounds of metal had been hurled at it at short range from breaching guns-none of them less than a 100-pounder-within the last two days, the bomb-proof of the former was found substantially intact, and capable of sheltering 1,500 men. Sand was fully proved to possess a power of protracted resistance to the power of heavy ordnance far surpassing that of brick or stone.

Gen. Gillmore's 'Swamp Angel' had rather alarmed than injured the Charlestonians-no person having been harmed by its fire, though several shells had reached and exploded in the lower part of their city, and one had entered a warehouse, and, exploding there, done considerable damage to its walls and contents. The 'Swamp Angel,' being fired at a considerable elevation, with a charge of 16 pounds of powder, impelling a projectile weighing 150 pounds, burst at its 36th discharge. But now Fort Wagner and Battery Gregg were transformed and strengthened, while other works were erected on that end of the island, armed with mortars and heavy rifled guns, a full mile nearer to Charleston than the 'Marsh Battery,' and of course far more effective for the bombardment of that city, a full half of which was henceforth under fire, and 6 Sept. 7.

During the night of the 8th, a flotilla of 25 to 30 row-boats, from Admiral Dahlgren's fleet, led by Com'r Stephens of the Patapsco, attempted to carry Fort Sumter by assault, whereof no notice was given to, and of course no cöoperation invited from, Gen. Gillmore. The boats, having been towed nearly to the fort, were cast off and made their way to the ragged walls of the old, inveterate obstacle to our progress, whereon the crews of three of them, led by Com'r Williams, Lt. Remey, and Ensign Porter, debarked, and attempted to clamber up the ruins

VOL. II.-31

was, after some casualties, abandoned | been inconsiderately left open-complete the record of notable events in this department for the year 1863.

by most of its inhabitants, who either moved farther up, or left altogether: while many of the buildings, including some of the most substantial and costly edifices, suffered severely. Blockade-running-which had long been a source of activity, importance, and profit to 'the cradle of Secession,' in spite of all the gunboats, ironclads, &c., that could lie off her bar, rëenforced by the 'stone fleet'-succumbed to and was broken up by the terrible missiles of Gillmore, though sped by guns mounted fully four miles from her wharves.

Meantime, Sumter, though still a volcano, was a volcano asleep-her guns mainly dismantled, her garrison hidden in her inmost recesses. At length, upon advices that the enemy was remounting some guns on her south-east face, Gillmore reopened" on that face from his heavy rifled guns in Wagner and Gregg, crumbling it speedily into ruins, which sloped from the summit of the breach to the level of the surrounding water. Thereafter, a slow and irregular fire from Cumming's Point was maintained for weeks, or till nearly the close of the year; when, all prospect of a penetration of the harbor by the iron-clads being over, and no object seeming to justify a continuance of the fire, it was suspended, or thenceforth mainly directed against Charleston alone.

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In North Carolina, little of moment occurred in 1863. Gen. D. H. Hill attempted to retake Newbern on the first anniversary" of its recovery to the Union: attacking, with 20 guns, an unfinished earthwork north of the Neuse: but that work was firmly held by the 92d New York until rëenforced; when its assailants drew off with little loss.

Hill next demonstrated" against Washington, N. C.: erecting batteries at Rodman's and Hill's Points, below the town, which commanded the navigation of Pamlico river and isolated the place. But Gen. Foster had meantime arrived: finding a garrison of 1,200 men, with two gunboats and an armed transport under Com'r R. Renshaw; while the defenses were well placed and in good condition. Hill had here his corps, estimated by Foster at 20,000 strong, with 50 guns. But he paused three days before assaulting; which precious time was well improved by the garrison in strengthening and perfecting their works-Foster peremptorily refusing to allow any espionage of his doings under the pretense of summoning him to surrender. Those days being ended, it was understood on our side that an order to assault was given, but not obeyed-our works being deemed too strong to justify the risk. menced a siege in due form; mounting guns on the several ridges commanding the town, with one on Rodman's Point, across the river; our small force posted there being easily 60 Dec. 6.

A luckless attempt to blow up by a torpedo boat the new Ironsides, as she lay off Morris island, and the foundering" of the Weehawken, carrying down 30 of her crew, while at anchor in the outer harbor during a gale owing to her hatches having 08 Oct. 5.

67 Oct. 26.

TO March 14.

Hill now com

71 March 30.

FOSTER REPELS D. H. HILL AT WASHINGTON, N. C. 483

expelled. As this position enabled | chinery was so shielded by pressed the enemy to shell the town and our hay-bales that the gunboat was not vessels lying before it, Foster at disabled. tempted to recover it by an assault, but failed; and a second attempt, aided by the gunboat Ceres, which had just come up, running the Rebel batteries, was defeated by the untimely grounding of that vessel.

At length, the steamboat Escort, Capt. Hall, having on board the 5th Rhode Island, with a supply of ammunition, ran the blockade by night," and arrived safely at the wharf, giv- Gen. Foster was soon ordered" to. ing matters a very different aspect; Fortress Monroe-his command beso Foster returned in her by day- ing enlarged to embrace that section light" to Newbern; she receiving, on of Virginia—but no important moveher way down the river, 47 shots, ment occurred till he was relieved" by which killed her pilot and killed or Gen. Butler, and ordered to succeed wounded 7 of her crew; but her ma- Gen. Burnside in East Tennessee. 72 April 12. April 14. 7 April 17. 76 May 21. July 3. 77 July 13. 78 Oct. 28.

XXI.

THE POLITICAL OR CIVIL HISTORY OF 1863.

UNQUESTIONABLY, the darkest hours | visit he had paid to New York di

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rectly after our State Election of 1862, wherein Horatio Seymour was chosen Governor and an average majority of over 10,000 returned for the Democratic tickets: he reasonably claiming that vote, with the corresponding results of elections in other loyal States, as a popular verdict against the further prosecution of the War for the Union. While discouraging any present proffer of European mediation, as calculated to discredit and embarrass the Conservatives,' and to inspirit and inflame the 'Radicals,' who were still intent on subjugating the South, and would hear nothing of conceded Disunion or of foreign intervention, Lord Lyons gives the following comprehensive and evidently dispassion

of the National cause were those which separated Burnside's and Sherman's bloody repulses, at Fredericksburg and Vicksburg respectively from the triumphs of Meade at Get tysburg, Grant in the fall of Vicksburg,* and Banks in the surrender of Port Hudson. Our intermediate and subordinate reverses at Galveston," and at Chancellorsville,' also tended strongly to sicken the hearts of Unionists and strengthen into confidence the hopes of the Rebels and those who, whether in the loyal States or in foreign lands, were in sympathy, if not also in act, their virtual allies. No one in Europe but those who ardently desired our success spoke of disunion otherwise than as an accomplished fact, which only pur-ate view of the current aspects of our blind obstinacy and the invincible lust of power constrained us for a time to ignore. Hence, when the French Emperor made, during the dark Winter of 1862-3, a formal, diplomatic proffer of his good offices as a mediator between the American belligerents, he was regarded and treated on all hands as proposing to arrange the terms of a just, satisfactory, and conclusive separation between the North and the South. Even before this, and before the repulse of Burnside at Fredericksburg, Lord Lyons, British Embassador at Washington, had sent a confidential dispatch to his Government, narrating the incidents of a

domestic politics, as they were presented to his keenly observant vision:

"WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 1862.

"In his dispatches of the 17th and of the 24th ultimo, and of the 7th instant, Mr. Stuthe elections for members of Congress and art reported to your lordship the result of State officers, which have recently taken place in several of the most important States of the Union. Without repeating the details, it will be sufficient for me to observe that the success of the Democratic, or (as it now styles itself) the Conservative party,

has been so great as to manifest a change in public feeling, among the most rapid and the most complete that has ever been witnessed, even in this country.

"On my arrival at New York on the 8th instant, I found the Conservative leaders exulting in the crowning success achieved by the party in that State. They appeared to rejoice, above all, in the conviction that perBy dispatch of M.

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May 3-5, 1863.
Drouyn de l'Huys, Jan. 9, 1863.