48 



AEMY OPEEATIOXS. 



good their passage down to Fort Pulaski. 

 They returned at low water and escaped unin- 

 jured. The objects of the reconnoissance be- 

 ing now attained the forces returned to Hilton 

 Head. The gunboats in Wright river did not 

 go down as far as the entrance to the Savannah, 

 as they would be in reach of the guns of Fort 

 Pulaski, and Oapt. Kodgers feared that they 

 might get aground. This withdrawal of the 

 boats from Wall's Cut was regarded by the 

 Confederate commander as an abandonment of 

 the purpose to enter the Savannah by that 

 route. Confidence was thus restored in the 

 minds of the citizens of Savannah, and the 

 wisest hoped that the fort, which was the key 

 of the city, might be enabled to detain their 

 enemy for an indefinite length of time. The 

 greatest consternation therefore prevailed in 

 Savannah when the fort was ultimately cap- 

 tured. 



Gen. Sherman now commenced a series of 

 measures by which to cut off all communication 

 between the city and the fort. This consisted 

 in the planting of batteries on the river. The 

 most important one was at Venus Point on the 

 river side of Jones Island. A road was made 

 with almost herculean labor across its marshy 

 surface from Wall's Cut, by the 48th New York 

 regiment. Over this road the cannon were 

 brought and placed in the battery. An attack 

 was made on this battery by the Confederate 

 gunboats on the 14th of March. After an en- 

 gagement of an hour they were driven off. 

 Another battery was placed on the extremity 

 of Long Island, which was on the other side of 

 the channel of the river, and still another was 

 placed on floats at the mouth of Mud river. 

 Some weeks were passed before this work was 

 done and the communication entirely cut off'. 

 Preparations were next commenced for the re- 

 duction of the fort. This was to be done by 

 batteries established on Tybee Island adjacent to 

 Cockspur Island, on which the fort is located. 

 These were not completed until the 9th of 

 April, when the following order for the bom- 

 bardment of the fort was issued : 



General Orders No. 17. 



HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES FOP.CES, } 

 TYBEE ISLAND, GA., April 9, 1862. ) 



The batteries established against Fort Pulaski will 

 be manned and ready for service at break of day to- 

 morrow. 



The signal to begin the action will be one gnn from 

 the right mortar of Battery Halleck (2,400 yards from 

 the work), fired under the direction of Lieutenant Hor- 

 ace Porter, chief of ordnance ; charge of mortar 11 

 Ibs., charge of shell 11 Ibs., elevation 55, and length 

 of fuse 24". 



This battery (two 13-inch mortars) will continue 

 firing at the rate of fifteen minutes to each mortar al- 

 ternately, varying the charge of mortars and length of 

 fuse, so that the shells wilfdrop over the arches of the 

 north and northeast faces of the work, and explode 

 immediately after striking, but not before. 



The other batteries will open as follows, viz : 



Battery Stanton (three 13-inch mortars, 3,400 yards 

 distant), immediately after the signal, at the rate of 

 fifteen minutes for each piece, alternately from the 

 right ; charge of mortar 14 Ibs., charge of shell 7 Ibs., 



elevation 45, and length of fuse 23", varying the 

 charge of mortar and length of fuse as may be re- 

 quired. The shells should drop over the arches of the 

 south face of the work, and explode immediately after 

 striking, but not before. 



Battery Grant (three 13-inch mortars, 3,200 yards 

 distant), immediately after the ranges for Battery 

 Stanton have been determined, at the rate of fifteen 

 minutes for each piece, alternately from the right; 

 charge of shell 7 Ibs., elevation 45 , charge of mortar 

 and length of fuse to be varied to suit the range, as 

 determined from Battery Stanton. The shells should 

 drop over the arches of the south face of the work, and 

 explode immediately after striking, but not before. 



Battery Lyon (three 10-inch columbiads, 3,100 yards 

 from the work), with a curved fire, immediately after 

 the signal, allowing ten minutes between the dis- 

 charges for each piece, alternating from the right; 

 charge of guns 17 IDS., charge of shell 3 Ibs., elevation 

 20% and length of fuse 20" ; the charge and length of 

 fuse to vary as required. The shell should pass over 

 the parapet and into the work, taking the gorge and 

 north face in reverse, and exploding at the moment of 

 striking, or immediately after. 



Battery Lincoln (three 8-inch columbiads, 3,045 

 yards from the work), with a curved fire, immediately 

 after the signal, allowing six minutes between dis- 

 charges for each piece, alternating from the right ; 

 charge for gun 10 Ibs., charge of shell Is Ibs., eleva- 

 tion '20, and length of fuse 20", directed the same as 

 Battery Lyon, upon the north face and gorge in re- 

 verse, varying the charge and length of fuse accord- 

 ingly- 



Battery Burnside (one 13-inch mortar, 2,750 yards 

 from the work), firing every ten minutes, from the 

 range as obtained for Battery Sherman ; charge of 

 shell 7 Ibs. ; elevation 45 ; charge of mortar and 

 length of fuse varying as required from those obtained 

 for Battery Sherman. The shells should drop on the 

 arches of the north and northeast faces, and explode 

 immediately after striking, but not before. 



Battery Sherman (three 10 inch-mortars, 2,650 yards 

 from the work), commencing immediately after the 

 ranges for Battery Grant Tiave been determined, 

 and firing at the rate of fifteen minutes for each piece, 

 alternating from the right; charge of shell 7 Ibs.; ele- 

 vation 45; charge of mortar and length of fuse to be 

 fixed to suit the range as determined from Battery 

 Grant. The shells should drop over the arches of the 

 north and northeast faces. 



Battery Scott (three 10-inch and one 8-inch colum- 

 biads, 1,677 yards from the work), firing solid shot and 

 commencing immediately after the barbette fire of the 

 works has ceased. Charge of 10-inch columbiads 20 

 Ibs., elevation 4i ; charge of 8-inch columbiad 10 Ibs., 

 elevation 5. This battery should breach the pan- 

 coupe between the south and southeast faces, and the 

 embrasure next to it in the southeast face : the ele- 

 vation to be varied accordingly, the charge to remain 

 the same. Until the elevation is accurately deter- 

 mined each gun should fire once in ten minutes ; after 

 that, every six or eight minutes. 



Batterv Sigel (five 30-pounder Parrotts and one 24- 

 pounder" James', 1,620 yards from the work), to open 

 with 4|" fuse on the barbette guns of the fort at the i 

 second discharge from Battery Sherman. Charge for 

 30-pounders, 3y Ibs. ; charge for 24-pounder, 5 Ibs. ; 

 elevation, 40 for both calibers. 



As soon as the barbette fire of the work has been 

 silenced, this battery will be directed, with percussion 

 shells, upon the walls, to breach the pancoupe between 

 the south and southeast face, and the embrasure next 

 to it in the southeast face, the elevation to be varied 

 accordingly, the charge to remain the same. Until 

 the elevation is accurately determined, each gun 

 should fire once in six or eight minutes ; after that, 

 every four or five minutes. 



Battery McClellan (two 42 and two 32-pounder 

 James', 1,620 yards from the work) opens fire imme- 

 diately after Battery Scott. Charges for 42-pounder, 

 8 Ibs. ; charge for 32-pounder, 6 Ibs. ; elevation of 42- 



