NAVY, U. S., OPERATIONS OF. 



673 



by Admiral Dupontfrom his flag-ship, the New 

 Ironsides, for the vessels to weigh anchor. Ac- 

 cording to the plan of attack the vessels were 

 to form hi the following order ahead, at inter- 

 vals of one cable's length : 1. Weehawken, 

 3apt. John Eogers; 2. Passaic, Capt. Percival 

 )rayton ; 3. Montauk, Commander John L. 

 forden ; 4, Patapsco, Commander Daniel Am- 

 len; 5. New Ironsides, Commodore Thomas 

 Turner; 6. Catskill, Commander George W. 

 iodgers; 7. Nantucket, Commander Donald 

 fcN. Fairfax; 8. Nahant, Commander John 

 )ownes ; 9. Keokuk, Lieut. Commander Alex- 

 ider C. Ehind. The squadron was then to 

 pass up the main ship channel without return- 

 ig the fire of the batteries on Morris Island, 

 mless signalized to do so, and was to take up a 

 jsition to the northward and westward of 

 Tort Sumter, and engage its northwest face at a 

 listance of from 1,000 to 800 yards. A squadron 

 af reserve, consisting of the Oanandaigua, Una- 

 lilla, Housatonic, Wissahickon, and Huron, un- 

 ler the command of Capt. Joseph H. Green, of 

 Canandaigua, was ordered to remain out- 

 side the bar, and be in readiness to support the 

 ronclads, when they should attack the batteries 

 m Morris Island, which would bo subsequent 

 the reduction of Fort Sumter. 

 The chief works erected by the enemy for the 

 sfence of Charleston may be thus briefly de- 

 Bribed : On the upper or north end of Sul- 

 livan's Island a powerful sand battery guarding 

 "laffit's Channel; another large sand battery, 

 jailed Fort Beauregard, between this and the 

 [oultrie House ; Fort Moultrie, which had 

 )een greatly strengthened since the commence- 

 lent of the war ; Fort Sumter, built upon an 

 rtificial island in the middle of the channel, 

 lear the entrance of the inner harbor, and about 

 L| miles west of Fort Moultrie ; Battery Bee, ad- 

 jining Fort Moultrie, on the western extremity 

 Sullivan's Island ; the Mount Pleasant bat- 

 ery on the mainland between Sullivan's Isl- 

 ind and Cooper river ; Castle Pinckney, built 

 >n an island about a mile distant from Charles- 

 5n; all, with the exception of Sumter, being 

 the right or northerly side of the harbor, 

 the other side of the harbor, in the imme- 

 iiate vicinity of the city, was the Wappoo bat- 

 sry on James Island, commanding the em- 

 bouchure of Ashley river ; next to which was 

 Tort Johnson, and between it and Castle Pinck- 

 ley, Fort Ripley, a work erected on an artifi- 

 cial island in what is known as the " Middle 

 Jround." On Cumming's Point, Morris Isl- 

 id, opposite Fort Moultrie, was Battery Gregg, 

 and a mile south of this Fort "Wagner, an ex- 

 ensive sand battery of the most powerful con- 

 traction. Finally, at Light House Inlet, which 

 livides Morris Island from Folly Island, was 

 lother fortification covering the landing at 

 lat place. Within a few days of the attack 

 enemy also erected a new sand work be- 

 tween the two last mentioned. The number of 

 guns mounted on these works was estimated 

 several hundred, comprising the heaviest 

 VOL. in. 43 A 



smooth-bore ordnance, and many rifled pieces 

 of English manufacture ; and as an additional 

 means of protection, the channel between Fort 

 Sumter and Sullivan's Island was obstructed by 

 rows of floating casks supporting torpedoes and 

 other submarine obstacles, and in that between 

 Sumter and Cumming's Point were no less thau 

 four rows of piles extending nearly up to 

 Charleston. 



At half past twelve the fleet began to move, 

 the Weehawken, the leading ship, having a 

 pioneer raft attached to her bows for the pur- 

 pose of exploding torpedoes and clearing away 

 obstructions. Almost immediately her raft be- 

 came deranged, and nearly an hour was con- 

 sumed in putting it in position. At half past 

 one the vessels were again under way and 

 moved slowly up toward Fort Sumter, passing 

 the works on Morris Island, which held an 

 ominous silence. They then steered toward the 

 entrance of the inner harbor, intending to pass 

 between Fort Sumter and Sullivan's Island, and 

 shortly before 3 o'clock came within effective 

 range of these positions. At 2.50 P.M. the guns 

 of Fort Moultrie opened upon the Weehawlgen, 

 followed shortly after by all the batteries on 

 Sullivan's Island and Morris Island, and by Fort 

 Sumter. The remainder of the squadron fol- 

 lowed steadily in the wake of the leading ship, 

 which, however, upon reaching the entrance 

 of the channel between Sumter and Sullivan's 

 Island, encountered obstructions of so formi- 

 dable a nature, that Capt. Rodgers considered 

 it impossible to pass through them. He accord- 

 ingly turned his ship to gain a better position 

 for attack, and his movements being followed 

 by the vessels immediately behind him, the 

 line, in consequence of the narrowness of the 

 channel, and the force T)f the tide, was thrown 

 into some confusion. The New Ironsides, in 

 attempting to turn, was caught in the tideway, 

 refused to obey her rudder, and became in a 

 degree unmanageable; while, to add to the 

 complication, the Catskill and Nantucket, 

 which kept in her wake, fell foul of her, and 

 for fifteen minutes the three vessels were in a 

 dead lock. On this occasion, and once subse- 

 quently, the Ironsides was obliged to come to 

 anchor to avoid drifting ashore, in which case 

 she would inevitably have been lost. 



Nothing now remained but for the admiral to 

 make signal to the fleet to disregard the move- 

 ments of the flag-ship, and take up such po- 

 sitions as might seem most available. This was 

 at once done, and shortly before 4 o'clock the 

 remaining eight vessels were ranged opposite 

 the northeast front of Sumter, at distances vary- 

 ing from 550 to 800 yards. The enemy during 

 this time had not been idle, and from Forts 

 Beauregard, Moultrie, and Sumter, Battery Bee 

 and Fort Wagner, the concentrated fire of 300 

 guns was poured upon the devoted fleet, ex- 

 ceeding probably in rapidity and power any 

 cannonade previously known in warfare. To 

 this the eight ironclads could oppose but 16 

 guns. During the climax of the fire 160 shots 



