Baltic, 17th April
At Sea, 1861
Dr Blair,
As I have no writing materials and wish to save tomorrow's
mail I use a pencil.
Monday at 6 P.M. of the 8th we dropped down to Sandy Hook
and anchored for the night, being too late for the tide. One of my tugs went to
sea Sunday night, another one followed the Baltic, and the 3d I left in the
hands of Russell Sturgis, to send on if he could charter her, the owner, like
many others, being shaky at the last moment. At 8 A.M. of the 9th inst. we
discharged the pilot and had constant steady bad weather and heavy sea. At 3
A.M. of the 12th reached the rendezvous 10 miles east of Charleston light — found
only the H. Lane. At 6 A.M. saw the Pawnee coming in; boarded her and intimated
to her Comdr that I was going in to offer to land provisions, asked him to
stand in with me. He said his orders were to remain 10 miles east of the light
and await the Powhatan. I took the H. Lane as an escort, and as we drew in saw
that the forts had all opened fire upon Sumpter and that Major Anderson was
replying gallantly. Seeing a stm'r off the bar, supposed to be the Isabel, I
notified Capt. Faunce of the H. Lane and he started after her. It proved to be
the Nashville from N. York.
I stood out in the Baltic to let Capt. Rowan of the Pawnee
know that firing had commenced. I met him, however, coming in. Though he had
expressed himself very averse to doing anything to commence the war, he now
seemed willing to go in with his vessel if we had a pilot. I advised both
vessels to go close in to the swash channel and anchor, which was done, and as
the heavy sea and wind had moderated a little, I thought we had better attempt
a couple of boats of provisions this night, the 12th, but as the Powhatan and
Pocahontas had not arrived and the Pawnee and Lane were both short of hands and
we had but one gun launch, the Pawnee's, I was overruled and consented upon the
gallant promise of the officers that they would escort me in after daylight in
the morning, defying their batteries. This was their proposition. The vessels
of war remained at anchor at the Swash whilst I stood out to the rendezvous for
the night in hopes of meeting the Powhatan and Pocahontas. It blew very heavy
all night with a great swell and towards morning a thick fog. As Capt. Fletcher
of the Baltic returned towards the anchorage, near daylight, he ran onto the
Rattlesnake Shoal, but soon got off. The waves run so high that we were obliged
to anchor some four miles outside of the war vessels, and having this sea it
was impossible to load the boats. I took a boat at 8 A.M. 13th inst., and with
the senior army officer Lt. Hudson, we pulled in to the Pawnee. As we drew near
I saw, with horror, black volumes of smoke issuing from Sumpter. The
barbarians, to their everlasting disgrace be it said, redoubled their fire, and
through the flames and smoke the noble band of true men continued their
response. The severe weather during the forenoon having prevented us using
boats, Capt. Rowan captured an ice schooner and offered it to me to carry in
the provisions and men. I accepted it and the night of the 13th I should
certainly have gone in, and as certainly been knocked to pcs. My tug boats I
knew could not have reached Charleston in the weather we had experienced since
leaving N. York, and the Powhatan, I now learned, by a note from Capt. Mercer
to Capt. Rowan, dated the 7th (I left the 8th, Rowan left the 9th,
Gillis the 10th) that the Powhatan was “detached from duty off Charleston.” As
she had the 300 sailors I asked for, and the howitzers and fighting launches,
and the other ships of war were simply ordered to await her arrival 10 miles
off, you will see that some one determined to utterly extinguish the
expedition. I do not think I have deserved this treatment, and at present will
not speak as I have felt, and now feel. At about 2 P.M. the Pocahontas arrived,
just in time to witness the surrender of Fort Sumpter. I immediately suggested
a flag of truce to be sent to offer a passage to Major A. and his command,
which was done. Had the Powhatan arrived the 12th we should have had the men
and provisions into Fort Sumpter, as I had everything ready, boats, muffled
oars, small packages of provisions, in fact everything but the 300 sailors
promised to me by the dept. A tug would have accomplished it, but with more
risk alongside of the Fort. Capt. Foster the Eng. of Fort Sumpter says we would
have got in and so does Hartstein of their navy. You know military people all
told the Prest we could not get in, but if we did, the Fort was impregnable. In
both instances were they wrong. Sumpter's fire had dispersed their naval
preparations and they trusted entirely to their batteries and those light boats
to illuminate the channel. What can be said of the builders of the fort? The
burning of the officers' quarters has almost ruined the gorge wall, so that a
few days more fire would have tumbled it all to pcs. One shot from Cummings
point (where Cullum said it never could be breached) went entirely through the
wall of the gorge. Another shot passed through an inside wall and struck below
the door of the magazine, shattering the wall, so as to prevent the opening of
the door, at the same time the flames nearly reached this door. In fact they
all expected to be blown up. The coupe next to Cummings point is very severely
handled and would soon have been a breach. So that this impregnable fort, with
33 guns and 17 mortars, playing upon it for only 34 hours, is injured $400,000
worth and actually burned as much as battered. I think these facts will make a
stir, for not one was ever presented in all the discussion we had. The officers
and men from the Major down have covered themselves with glory. A fort of 60
fighting men, surrounded by 9000 men, and a circle of fortifications kept up
the first day gun for gun with them and on the 2 replied, though from 8 A.M.
until 2 P.M. the fort was a mass of smoke through which, and in which, they
fought.
I told the Major how anxious the Prest was that they (S.C.)
should stand before the civilized world as having fired upon bread, yet they
had made the case much worse for themselves as they knew the Major would leave
the 15th at noon for want of provisions (see his correspondence), yet they
opened upon 60 men and continued it whilst the fort was burning. The
"World" (N. Y.) correspondent came down in the H. Lane and is now
with us, and as he is the only reporter on board and is continually with the
officers I imagine he will have a faithful account. As several ships brigs and
schooners and one N. Y. stmr were detained at the bar by the conflict, it was
believed to be a whole fleet for the relief of Sumpter with 9000 men on board.
Whereas there was the Pawnee and H. Lane with one 12 lb. launch gun and
on board the Baltic 200 RECRUITS only two or three of whom ever saw a gun, sent
by the Gen1 in Chief, and the flag ship with her power and efficiency sent away
without any intimation conveyed to the other vessels, all of which sailed subsequently
to this change. Sunday the Major delivered up the fort after saluting his
flag with 50 guns, which he intended to be 100, but a premature explosion
killed two men and wounded three others, the only casualties of the whole
battle. Monday, at noon, he and his command, and the flag (I enclose a pce)
came off in the Isabel stmr and were transferred to this vessel when we sailed,
all the vessels saluting. Excepting from the time of the surrender to the
transfer, we have had a gale of wind just now abating (midnight).
The men in the fort, though on Pork and Rice, never flinched
or grumbled, even when fire was added. I think the Prest will keenly approve
the Major's course. As for our expedition, somebody's influence has made it
ridiculous.
Very truly
G. V. FOX.
SOURCE: Robert Means Thompson & Richard Wainwright,
Editors, Publications of the Naval Historical Society, Volume 9: Confidential
Correspondence of Gustavus Vasa Fox, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, 1861-1865,
Volume 1, p. 31-5
