316 



FOKTS AND ARSENALS. 



Meanwhile, although strengthening his own 

 position, he urged forward the completion of 

 Fort Sumter, and the mounting its heavy ord- 

 nance. When it was done he resolved to aban- 

 don Moultrie and occupy Sumter to leave the 

 weaker and hold the stronger position. 



The evacuation took place on the night of 

 the 26th of December, commencing about eight 

 o'clock. The men were ordered to hold them- 

 selves in readiness, with knapsacks packed, but 

 op to the moment of their leaving had no idea 

 of abandoning the post. They were reviewed 

 on parade, and were then ordered to two 

 schooners, lying in the vicinity, where they em- 

 barked, taking with them all the necessaries, 

 stores, &c., requisite in their evacuation. Sev- 

 eral trips were made, and a great part of the 

 provisions and camp furniture were transported 

 under cover of night. By daylight the entire 

 force was within the walls of Sumter except 

 Captain Foster and eight men. Before evacu- 

 ating the fort, the guns were spiked, the gun 

 carriages on the front, looking towards Fort 

 Sumter, burnt, and the flag staff cut down. The 

 instructions under which Major Anderson acted 

 were the following : 



" Memorandum of Verbal Instructions to Major 



Anderson, First Artillery, Commanding Fort 



Moultrie, S. C. 



u You are aware of the great anxiety of the 

 Secretary of War that a collision of the troops 

 with the people of the State shall be avoided, 

 and of his studied determination to pursue a 

 course with reference to the military force and 

 forts in this harbor which shall guard against 

 such a collision. He has, therefore, carefully 

 abstained from increasing the force at this 

 point, or taking any measures which might add 

 to the present excited state of the public mind, 

 or which would throw any doubt on the con- 

 fidence he feels that South Carolina will not 

 attempt by violence to obtain possession of the 

 public works, or interfere with their occupancy. 



" But as the counsel and acts of rash and im- 

 pulsive persons may possibly disappoint these 

 expectations of the Government, he deems it 

 proper that you should be prepared with in- 

 structions to meet so unhappy a contingency. 

 He has, therefore, directed me, verbally, to 

 give you such instructions : 



" You are carefully to avoid every act which 

 would needlessly tend to provoke aggression, 

 and for that reason, you are not, without neces- 

 sity, to take up any position which could be 

 construed into the assumption of a hostile atti- 

 tude; but you are to hold possession of the 

 forts in the harbor, and if attacked, you are to 

 defend yourself to the last extremity. The 

 smallness of your force will not permit you, 

 perliaps, to occupy more than one of the three 

 forts, but an attack on, or an attempt to take 

 possession of either of them, will be regarded 

 as an act of hostility, and you may then put 

 your command into either of them which you 

 may deem most proper to increase its power of 



resistance. You are also authorized to take 

 similar steps wherever you have tangible evi- 

 dence of a design to proceed to a hostile 

 act. D. P. BUTLER, 



" Asst. Adjutant-General. 

 "Four MOULTRIE, S. C., Dec, 11, 1860." 



" This is in conformity to my instructions to 

 Major Buell. 



" JOHN B. FLOYD, Secretary of War." 



The fort was soon taken possession of by 

 South Carolina troops. The manner in which 

 it was done is thus described by an eye-wit- 

 ness : 



" About seven o'clock the tramp of detach- 

 ments from the artillery regiments was heard, 

 and the Washington Artillery, the German Ar- 

 tillery, the Lafayette Artillery, and the Marion 

 Artillery, making a total of two hundred and 

 twenty -five men, rank and file, under command 

 of Colonel Wilmot G. DeSaussure, were soon 

 embarked on board the Nina and General 

 Clinch, and steamed away down the harbor 

 towards Sullivan's Island. Among those on 

 board were Colonel Charles Alston, Aid to the 

 Governor, and Captain Humphreys, of the 

 arsenal. On reaching the island these two last- 

 named gentlemen approached the gate, and the 

 sentinel, in accordance, it is said, with orders, 

 surrendered on demand. The troops then 

 quietly took possession, and the Palmetto flag 

 was soon waving over the time-honored fortifi- 

 cations. Three rockets (the signal agreed upon) 

 were then sent up, to notify the people in the 

 city that the fort was in the hands of the State, 

 and the newly-installed garrison betook them- 

 selves, as best they might, to devising the ways 

 and means of comfort and protection." 



The labor of placing the fort in a condition 

 for an attack on Sumter was soon commenced. 



Under the direction of Major Eipley, with a 

 black brigade of picks and shovels, breastworks 

 were thrown up, and heavy guns mounted, to 

 such an extent that the whole appearance of 

 the fort was changed, and almost attained its 

 utmost state of efficiency. Huge heaps of sand- 

 bags surmounted the ramparts, faced with pal- 

 metto logs and covered with hides, from the 

 embrasures of which the grim dogs of war pro- 

 truded their muzzles, nine of them levelled direct 

 at Fort Sumter. What is conceived to be the 

 weakest point in the granite mass had been 

 selected as the mark at which all these cannon 

 were pointed. The interior of the fort also 

 presented a most warlike aspect. The oven for 

 hot shot was in readiness, like a steam fire- 

 engine, for firing up at any moment, and all the 

 equipments for carnage piled up around the 

 gun carriages. The magazine was buried in a 

 cavern of sand bags, and was believed to be be- 

 yond the reach of shot or shell. Every arrange- 

 ment was made not only for the protection of 

 the men, but for receiving the balls of Sumter 

 with the least possible damage. 



When the attack was made upon Fort Sum- 

 ter, her raking fire against Fort Moultrie was 



