General Ripley took me in his boat to Morris Island. We passed Fort
Sumter on our left, and got aground for five minutes in its immediate
neighbourhood; then bearing off towards the right, we passed Fort Cummins
Point, and (after entering a narrow creek) Fort Wagner on our left. The latter
is a powerful, well-constructed field-work, mounting nine heavy guns, and it
completely cuts across Morris Island at the end nearest to Fort Sumter. General
Ripley pointed at Fort Wagner with some pride.
We landed near the house of the colonel who commanded the troops in
Morris Island,* and borrowed his horses to ride to the further extremity of the
island. We passed the wreck of the Keokuk, whose turret was just visible above
the water, at a distance from the shore of about 1500 yards. On this beach I
also inspected the remains of the so-called “Yankee Devil,” a curious
construction, which on the day of the attack had been pushed into the harbour
by one of the Monitors. This vessel, with her appendage, happened to be the first
to receive the fire of Fort Sumter, and after a quarter of an hour Monitor and
Devil got foul of one another, when both came to grief, and the latter floated
harmlessly ashore. It seems to have been composed of double twenty-inch beams,
forming a sort of platform or stage fifty feet long by twenty broad, from which
depended chains with grappling irons to rake up hostile torpedoes. The machine
was also provided with a gigantic torpedo of its own, which was to blow up
piles or other obstacles.
Morris Island is a miserable, low, sandy desert, and at its further
extremity there is a range of low sandhills, which form admirable natural
parapets. About ten guns and mortars were placed behind them, and two companies
of regular artillery were stationed at this point under the command of Captain
Mitchell (the “patriot's” son), to whom I was introduced. He seemed a quiet,
unassuming man, and was spoken of by General Ripley as an excellent officer. He
told me he expected to be able to open fire in a day or two upon the Yankees in
Folly Island and Little Folly; and he expressed a hope that a few shell might
drive them out from Little Folly, which is only distant 600 yards from his
guns. The enemy's large batteries are on Folly Island, 3400 yards off, but
within range of Captain Mitchell's rifled artillery, one of which was a twelve-pounder,
Whitworth.
A blockade-runner, named the Ruby, deceived by some lights on Folly
Island, ran ashore at one o'clock this morning in the narrow inlet between
Morris Island and Little Folly. The Yankees immediately opened fire on her, and
her crew, despairing of getting her off, set her on fire — a foolish measure,
as she was right under Captain Mitchell's guns — and whenever a group of
Yankees approached the wreck, a shell was placed in their midst, which
effectually checked their curiosity. The Ruby was therefore burning in peace.
Her crew had escaped, all except one man, who was drowned in trying to save a
valuable trunk.
After having conversed some time with Captain Mitchell and his brother
officers, we took leave of them; and General Ripley, pursuing his tour of
inspection, took me up some of the numerous creeks which intersect the low
marshy land of James Island. In one of these I saw the shattered remains of the
sham Keokuk, which was a wooden imitation of its equally short-lived original,
and had been used as a floating target by the different forts.
In passing Fort Sumter, I observed that the eastern face, from which
the guns (except those en barbette) had been removed, was being
further strengthened by a facing of twelve feet of sand, supported by logs of
wood. There can be no doubt that Sumter could be destroyed if a vessel could be
found impervious enough to lie pretty close in and batter it for five hours;
but with its heavy armament and plunging fire, this catastrophe was not deemed
probable. General Ripley told me that, in his opinion, the proper manner to
attack Charleston, was to land on Morris Island, take Forts Wagner and Cummins
Point, and then turn their guns on Fort Sumter. He does not think much of the
15inch guns. The enemy does not dare use more than 35 lb. of powder to propel
425 lb. of iron; the velocity consequently is very trifling. He knows and
admires the British 68-pounder, weighing 95 cwt., but he does not think it
heavy enough effectually to destroy ironclads. He considers the 11-inch gun,
throwing a shot of 170 lb., as the most efficient for that purpose.
In returning from Morris Island, we passed two steamers, which had
successfully run the blockade last night, besides the luckless Ruby, which had
also passed the blockading squadron before she came to grief. The names of the other
two are the Anaconda and Racoon, both fine-looking vessels.
I dined at Mr Robertson's, at the corner of Rutledge Street, and met
Captain Tucker of the navy there. He is a very good fellow, and a perfect
gentleman. He commands the Chicora gunboat, and it was he who, with his own and
another gunboat (Palmetto State), crossed the bar last February, and raised the
blockade for a few hours. He told me that several Yankee blockaders
surrendered, but could not be taken possession of, and the others bolted at
such a pace as to render pursuit hopeless, for these little gunboats are very
slow. They made the attack at daylight, and though much fired at were never
struck. They seem to have taken the Yankees by surprise, and to have created
great alarm; but at that time the blockading squadron consisted entirely of
improvised men-of-war. Since this exploit, the frigate Ironsides, and the sloop
of war Powhattan, have been added to its strength.
It poured with rain during the evening, and we had a violent
thunderstorm. General Beauregard returned to Charleston this afternoon.
_______________
* This must have been about the spot from whence Fort Sumter was
afterwards bombarded. I cannot help thinking that the Confederates made a great
mistake in not fortifying the further end of Morris Island and keeping a larger
garrison there, for when the Federals landed, they met with no fortification
until they reached Fort Wagner.
SOURCE: Sir Arthur James Lyon Fremantle, Three Months in the
Southern States: April-June, 1863, p. 188-93
