The free South. [volume], September 19, 1863, Image 3

About The free South. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1863-1864

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VOL.1
*e?? _ ~ : ?
Wanle of Ammunition.
The following is extracted from a recently
published book of campaign
sketches in Virginia and Maryland, by
Captain George F. Noyes :
The great disproportion of our battles
between the number of ball cartridges
discharged and the number of killed and
wounded was due mainly to the want of
presence of mind in our raw troops ; but
the very limited investigation I have been
enabled to make lias convinced me that
our troops take much better aim, and
consequently waste far less ammunition
than is usual in European warfare. _
.L/urcng me wars 01 tue Ifeneii Eevolntion
and of the Empire? Napoleon's
wars?according to Gassendi, a French
general of artillery, the infantry fired
3,000 cartridges for every enemy killed or
wounded. Piobert admits the same thing.
I>ecker, a Prussian general, and one of
the best military writers in Germany,
estimated that not less than 10,000 cartridges
are burned for every enemy killed
* or wounded.
At the battle of Victoria the English
are supposed to have killed or wounded
.-one of the enemy for every 800 balls fired.
. An English officer states that at the battle
'if jPfcerubusco the Americans killed or
wounded a Mexican for every 125 balls
fired.
The heroic Rosecrans, in his accouut of
the bloodily contested battle ol Murfreesboro',
declines, " Of 14,560 rebels struck
by our missiles it is estimated that 20,000
rounds of artillery hit 728 men, and 200, 100
rounds of musketry hit 13,833 men,
Averaging 27 cannon shots to hit one
man, and 145 musket shot to hit one man.
In the battle of Gainesville there could
not have been expended more than 100,t)00
cartridges, and the enemy admit a
loss of more than 1,000 men, thus averaging
100 musket shots to each of the
rebel killed or wounded. Of course all
such statements only approximate the
actual ratio, but it is sufficiently clear that,
, fjreat as is the waste of ammunition by
oar army, it is not only equalled, but ex
celled by those of Europe.
One trouble is that our men, in going
nto battle, are weighed down, overloaded
with ammunition, having to stuff their
pockets as well as their cartridge boxes,
with the sixty or eighty rounds ordered.
iOf course very much of this is thrown
away and wasted ; but this is only a striding
evil compared with the encouragement
thus given to the too prevalent idea
. among the men that ho who fires the
greatest number of rounds in battle is the
best soldier. I have heard men boasting
of their achievements in this regard, and
the result of such an idea is a hurried
loading and discharge without anyjregard
:io aim ; a wasting upon trees and foliage
-of-?immunition which, if used at all, should
be used so as to defeat the enemy. I was
struck with a remark made by a rebel
prisoner to his captors, "We never carry
-more than forty rounds into action, and
usually expend about ten."
There is altogether too much of this
wild, reckless firing, the meu discharging
their pieces before bringing them fairly
.Jown to a level, and utterly regardless of
faking aim. Of course^tliere are periods
-when heavy, rapid and continuous volleys
.are necessary ; still it would be well if
every man could be drilled as a sharpshooter,
taught to shoot slowly, aud
always take aim, either at the enemy or
his supposed locality.
" In the five battles of the late Italian
campaign ^ was estimated that about 8
ser cent, of the French and Sardinians,
and 10,1.? per cent, of their enemies, the
Anstrians, were either killed or wounded.
In the battles spoken of in these sketches
oar loss was not far from 10 per cent, ol
the whole numbers engaged, while certain
divisions and brigades lost one third
of their number; and in the fearfully
bloody fight at Gainesville two of oui
regiments lost more than one third oJ
their number engaged, as also did the
? Fourth brigade.
" The proportion between the killec
. and wounded is about as 1 to 5, and o:
fc the wounded about 1 in 10 never recov
era. If this be even approximate to tin
truth, it certainly robs war of some of iti
^ presumed futility. As I have before re
F marked, the escape of so large a majority
B if the men, amid such storms of ballet;
sweeping and yelling around their ears
B has Always been the great mystery o
jH war."
f Teacher : "What part of speech is tii
'word egg?" Boy: "Noun, sir." "Wha
j& its gender?" "Cant tell, sir." " Is i
_ masculine, feminine or neuter ?" Can1
aay, sir, till it's hatched." " Well, thee
mj lad, you cant tell me the case." "Oi
jes; the shell, sir."
1 woman is like tar?melt her, and sh
will take any form you please.
THE FREE SOUTH, SATUB
LETTER FROM MORRIS ISLAND.
Morris Island, Sept. 12, 18G3.
Now that Wagner, the Sebastapol, erected
for the defence of Charleston has fallen,
it may be proper to pause a moment,
and review the history of the seige. The
country was more than satisfied?it was
electrified with the strategy, the celerity
of movement, and the bravery that gave
us the undisputed mastery of the southern
half, or most of Morris Island. The
Charleston press considered our advance
a calamity to the confederacy, to be classed
with the fall of Vicksburg, Port Hudson,
and the repulse of Lee at Gettysburg.
Our first repulse at Wagner did
liffln fn /lomnon flia inva nf tin* no.
j UUl UIW6 Mr '"""1" " ? *? ??
tion, in the midst of so many snccesses.
Our second repulse was a different thing.
Too many excellent officers, too many
brave men were lost?too many widows
and orphans were made by that dark and
bloody night's work to allow of its being
immediately forgotten. The feeling of
sadness was intensified, because it was so
unexpected, and so far contrary to expectation.
It was as a bitter dreg thrown
into a cup brimming with joy.
It is not strange that ignorant correspondents
of the press have censured Gen.
Gillmore for making that assault.
Without wishing to appologize or engage
in any special pleading, it may be
j proper, whilst all minds are directed to the
seige and fall of Wagner, to have "the
facts in this case brought before the pnbi
lie, giving to each one his share of responsibility
in the unfortunate assault of the
18th of July. After the first repulse,
i Gen. Gillmore concluded that the proper,
if not the only way to take Wagner, was
by regular seige. His plan was instautly
| formed and all the force at his command,
were disposed of and set to work accordingly.
The seige was pressed with the
utmost vigor till the day of attack. At
that time our land batteries were capable
of making sad havoc with the walls of
Wagner, and during that day the fort
was scarcely allowed the respite of a moment.
The Ironsides, that glorious battery,
took part in the bombardment with
its usual fury and efficiency, and the officers
engaged at the front supposed that
Wagners guns were dismounted. Gens.
Seymour and Strong went to head-quarters
and represented to Gen. Gillmore
what they believed to be the facts in the
case, and gave it as their opinion, that
the slow and tedious process of a seige
i beneath a torrid sun might be avoided,
; and the place carried by storm without
; serious loss. Gen. Gillmore demurred.
| He was fearful the fort was not seriously
crippled. The*e officers had enjoyed superior
advantages for making observations
and were confident they could not
, be mistaken. They gave cogent reasons
i for believing the enemy's guns were all
! disabled. Gen. Gillmore finally consent|
ed, but against his own judgment, that
the assault might be made. When we
I pass iudcment upon him, the facts re
[ quire us to consider that lie yielded liis
opinion to his equals in office and rank,
^ and some of them his seniors in the serr
vice, and that their united and urgent
" counsel was that the assault should be
made. Gen Gillmore's fault was in having
an opinion of his own judgment so
I modest, that it allowed him to act upon
f the united judgment of others. The re[
suit proved that they were mistaken, and
5 that his judgment was in the right.
The repulse of the 18th, was one of those
r unfortunate affairs which occur not un3
frequently in every war, and which it
? seems no sagacity can foresee or avoid.
Now that Wagner is ours, and we can go
into it, and over it, and around it, the
e causes are quite apparent to the eye of
t nnv observer, but still more so to that ol
? ,
an engineer, why the assaults failed oi
( success. I have passed over the grounc
h about the fort and in it, but I cannot sa^
a word as an engineer, nor even as a mili
e tary man or a soldier. But when I lool
at the ground over which our men passet
:DAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1863
alter leaving their trenches, before reaching
the works of the enemy, and recollect
that small arms and howitzers as well as
some heavy pieces of artillery, could be
brought to bear upon them, and that such
was the case, the wonder is that a regiment
could be led into such a murderous
fire at all, or that one in ten could be
made to get to the fort. After reaching
the parapet, they found spears?doublefauged,
one hooked the other straight, set
in the ground at an angle, ready to thrust
and tear to pieces any one that might approach
them. Sharp spikes were driven
through planks for our men to step on,
to fasten in their shoes and feet, to trip
them so they would fall on these spears ;
j and no doubt the garrison was amply
I supplied with, and used these horrible
looking instruments of death. The inj
tericr of Wagner was unknown even to
! our engineers till after it was taken. Maj.
Brooks of General Gillmore's Staff, and
second only to him as an engineer, has
thoroughly examined the fort, and in his
judgment, it was one of the strongest and
best defended works that was ever built.
He concedes that Beauregard, or whoever
was the designer, displayed very high
qualities as an engineer. Gen. Gillmore
has ordered that a faithful drawing be
made of the fort, and lithographed for
the inspection of engineers.
But why, then, did not the fort hold
out indefinitely. 1. On the night of the
5th, the Engineers and Capt. Apthorp
with his 2d S. C. darkies, opened our
trenches upon the ditch in front of
Wagner, giving us a covered access to the
place.
2. The cannonading of the 5th and 6tli
had disabled nearly all the heavy guns
and mortars in the fort.
3. Our seige works were so close to
them, concentrating such an immense
! fire npou the fort, that, only devils, ma;
ture and hardened, could live in it, and
i after enduring this fire two days the garI
i
I liauu. cvtK uaicu.
4. They had every reason to believe the
place would be assaulted again, and our
heavy cannonading had so marred the
surface of the fort, destroying all, their
little nice arrangements, that they were
unprepared for the attack.
5. The stencli of their unburied and
half buried dead was enough of itself to
cause the evacuation.
But what are the results of the fall of j
Wagner ? They are as terrible to the '
confederacy as grand to us. It was stern
truth which compelled the rebels to admit
that Morris Island was the key to
Charleston. Beauregard was so impressed
with this fact, that more than a year
ago he advised that South Carolina turn
out some two thousand slaves, and levt 1
the sand hills along the beach, that cavalry
and light artillery might be used upon
the island for defence. As that could not
be done, he has, besides building Wagner
and Gregg, planted a battery on most of
the prominent hill tops on the island.
These guns are ours and make not less
Hmn forty captured on the island, and
some of them are excellent parrot rifles.
With Wagner, Gregg fell into our hands,
a position which may be made the
basis of most important future operations.
James and Sullivan's Islands are
within easy range of Wagner ahd Gregg,
considering the quality of our guns. The
most of the labor of the rebels in building
these forts will insure to our benefit, '
in the future prosecution of the seige.
The location of Morris Island is like a
gun mounted on a pivot. While in rebel
hands it was turned against as, and for a
' long time kept us at bay, but it can with
i equal effect be turned upon the enemy.
?>0 lar as ine past is cuuveracu wc ww
f now say good bye to Wagner and Gregg,
f trusting that their future career will be as
L glorious as their past has been infamous.
r I have seen further evidence of the
- mighty prowess of our iron clads. After
i the fall of Wagner, the Admiral sent a
1 flag of truce to Beauregard or somebody
NO. 37.
else, demanding the surrender of Sumter!
and threatening that if it was not done
to bombard it. Of course Beauregard
would refuse, that we might throw away
some ten thousand dollar j worth of ammunition
upon that useless pile of rubbish,
if for no other reason. Just before
night a negative answer was received, and
a day?the day just after a victory?was
lost. But just before sunset the ironclads
moved in and engaged Moultrie and
the Sulivan island batteries. One of the
Monitors got aground and the rebels concentrated
all their guns upon it To
shield and save this Monitor the Admiral
did his best. The naval fight which ensued
was the grandest I ever witnessed.
It lasted till after dark and apparently
the rebel guns were silenced. But there
lay the Monitor Wehairken high and dry
upon the sand as morning dawned. The
rebels made another attempt to destroy
her, but she was too strong, too plucky
and invulnerable to admit of any such
an idea. The cannonading of the morning
o! the 8th, was as rapid and fierce,
tuougn not quite so neavy as any we nave
had. We could feel the ground shake for
some three miles away. The We/nacks*
played her part well It was her gun that
exploded a magizine in Moultrie, blew up
a part of the fort and killed fourteen rebels.
Another magazine near one of the shore *
batteries was a'so exploded, buildings in
Moultrieville were fired, aud the fight
raged furiously all the forenoon. As soon
however, as the Wehnicken was afloat, the
fleet retired and has not fired a gun since.
These engagements have confirmed my
belief in two things, one of which is, that
our iron fleet is equal, yes, superior to all
the rebel batteries, and might bid them
defiance.
The following is a list of casualties from
Sept. 6th to Sept. 12th.
Simad 6. Wolfe, Co. F, 13th lad.. ehorlder; W.
Whelman, Co. I), foot slightly; Joseph Parkerson. Co,
D. 67th Ohio, killed; Fraud* GresMU, Co. F, 67ih Ohm,
killed.
Sept 7th. MVmi&m Scott, Co. C, 7th X. H. thigh; I're
Spencer, Co. C, 7th Ct, toes ; Elias Ucvall, Co. F, V?th
renu.. leg fractured by torpedo; Oeorge W. Crawford,
Co. H, 75th Ohio, foot slightly.
Sept. Sth.; \\\ Kich, Co. F, 4th X. If., left ankle, bytorpedo.
Sept. Sth. Oorge Wagner. D, X. Y. Ind. Battery,
right leg; Thomas Mack, Sergt, 4th K. I., A, si ghtly.
Sept. loth. Peter Kiley, 5th It. I. Art, M, right leg
and knee; David H. Onnkle. Co. C, 97th Pa., killed.
Sept. lvth. I. If. Fordyce, Co. ICttth III., thigh amputa?
ted; Zacbariah Clancy, Co. B, Ohio, right knee;
Alonzo Smith. Co. E. Oth Maine, killed; John Krau,
Co, F, 117th N. Y., killed.
Yours, M.
The richest man on earth is but a pauper
fed and clothed by the bounty of
Heaven.
LUt of Letters remaining: in the Peat
OFFICE at Beaufort, S. C., on the week ending
Sept. 17th, 1W3.
Brown, Miss Libby McMann, Lt. John
Bacon, Edward B. McQueen, Win.
Caz, MaL Norton, Mr. Fred. H.
Cothburn. Miss E. Pereira, Mrs. Kate
I)err, William Robertson, Miss Eve
Fields, Mrs. CUia Rivers. Miss Susannah
Gaillaird, Mrs. Samuel Richard, Mrs. Sylvia
Gile, Daniel Stewart, Mrs. Dorcas
Gabriel. Brass Stewart, Mr. (Methodist
Garrett, Mrs. Phil is Preacher.)
Godfrey, John A. Snowden, William
Harrison, John J. Tobin, John
Hill, Mrs. Sarah i Van Drops, Sancho
Holmes, Mary A. Webster, John E.
Hancock, Horatio B. Williams, kri. Sarah
Kavlor, Charles M ales. Richard P.
l emon, Mrs. Clarinda Weaver, George B.
I o msherr, Eugene Young, Miss El i ada
McFarlan,'.\bram L
Persons inquiring for any of the above will art hp
ADVEKTISBb LETTERS. P. M.
ffiatfc.
September Gth. Private Frederick Breck, Co. K, lOOtfa
35. V. Vols.
September Uth. Private Herbert Bond, Co. F, IndL
Battalion.
September 4th. Private William E. Bowen, Co. G,
80th Penn. Vols.
September 4tb. Private Albert S. Dow, Co. D, 24th
Mass.
September 11th, Private Elias Derail, Co. F, KCl
Penn, Vols,
September 14th. Private Isaac Cards, Co. G. 3d U.
8. Colored Infantry.
September 12th. Hayward TrcadwelL, Co. G, 61st.
35. C. Vols., Rebel.
September Sth. Private John Shunchet* Co. H, 106th
N. Y. Vols,
September 7th. Private Jefferson Swito, Co. G, 61st
N P Rohol.
^September lbth. Private Allen James, Co. P, 81
S. C, Vols.
September 13tb. Private Sanford Jackaon, Co. A*
54th Mass.
September 3d. Private Alonzo H. Hopkins, Co. K*
67th Ohio Vols.
September 3d. Private James Gilbert, Co. 4, WW*:
Y. Vols.