FORTS AND ARSENALS. 



317 



very destructive of property. An intelligent 

 eye- witness of the scene immediately afterwards, 

 described it by stating that, upon entering, "the 

 e\c tails upon the battered walls of the arch- 

 way, with openings in some places large enough 

 for windows. In other places may be seen the 

 hanging splinters of the rafters, large pieces of 

 ceiling seemingly about to drop, while the holes 

 in the roof throw a clear light over the scene 

 of destruction. All of the officers' quarters 

 were battered with seven, eight, or ten balls, 

 which penetrated the whole depth of the build- 

 ing. The western wall on the upper balcony 

 was entirely shot away. The barracks were 

 almost entirely destroyed. The furnace for 

 heating hot shot was struck four times ; the 

 flag of the Confederate States received three 

 shots and the Palmetto flag four. The merlons 

 of sand-bags, &c., remain unbroken. On the out- 

 side walls over one hundred shots were counted. 

 Even the beds and bedding in the officers' quar- 

 ters and the men's barracks were cut and torn. 

 Had it not been for the bomb-proof shelter the 

 loss of life would no doubt have been appall- 

 ing." Nearly twenty houses in the neighbor- 

 hood of the fort, were injured by the fire from 

 Sumter. 



Fort PulasJcL This fort is erected on Cock- 

 spur Island, at the mouth of the Savannah River 

 in Georgia. It was named in honor of Count 

 Pulaski, the distinguished Polish general who 

 espoused the cause of American freedom in the 

 Revolution. It effectually guards the main en- 

 trance to the river. All vessels of any size 

 have to pass under its guns. Cockspur Island 

 is separated from Tybee Island by a narrow 

 curve of the sea. It is an irregular pentagon, 

 with the base line or curtain face inland, and 

 the other faces casemated and bearing upon the 

 approaches. The curtain, which is simply 

 crenellated, is covered by a redan, surrounded 

 by a deep ditch, inside the parapet of which 

 are granite platforms ready for the reception 

 of guns. The parapet is thick, and the coun- 

 terscarp is faced with solid masonry. Sand- 

 bag traverses guard the magazine door, and 

 every thing is in as good trim. The walls 

 are exceedingly solid, and well-built of hard 

 gray brick, upwards of six feet in thickness, 

 the casemates and bombproofs being lofty and 

 capacious. A full garrison of the fort is 650 

 men. The work is intended for 128 guns. 

 They are long 32's, with a few 42's and col- 

 umbiads. The 10-inch columbiads are en bar- 

 bette. There are three furnaces for heating 

 red-hot shot. 



This fort was seized by order of Governor 

 Brown on the 3d of January. At the time, this 

 was stated to have been done to prevent its 

 seizure by a spontaneous uprising of the peo- 

 ple. Subsequently, however, the apprehensions 

 which led to this seizure proved to be ground- 

 less. They were excited by fabulous telegraphic 

 despatches sent from the city of Washington. 

 At the time of its seizure there were sixty guns 

 mounted. It cost the Government $988,859. 



Previously it had been in the ewe of two men, 

 who were employed in keeping the grassed sur- 

 faces free from weeds and in taking care of the 

 property. 



fort Jackson was seized by order of Gov- 

 ernor Brown, together with Fort Pulaski. Its 

 cost of construction was $182,000. It is so 

 situated as to serve as one of the defences of 

 Savannah River. At the time of its seizure, it 

 was under the charge of a fort -keeper em- 

 ployed to keep the grassed surfaces free from 

 weeds and to take care of the public property. 

 Fort Clinch, situated on Amelia Island, Flor- 

 ida, was in process of construction until the 

 time of its seizure by the Confederates in Jan- 

 uary. There had been expended then upwards 

 of $170,000. The north bastion was about 

 completed, the curtain connecting it with the 

 northwest bastion completed, and the other 

 bastions and curtains connecting were in a very 

 forward state. Amelia Island is on the north- 

 east of Florida. The town of Fernandina is 

 situated upon it. The harbor is one of the best 

 below Chesapeake Bay. 



Fort Marion was erected by the Spaniards 

 more than one hundred years ago, for the de- 

 fence of the town of St. Augustine, and was 

 formerly called the Castle of St. Mark. This 

 fort and also the arsenal were seized by troops 

 of St. Augustine on the 7th of January, under 

 an order from the Governor of the State. This 

 was some days before information of the seces- 

 sion of the State was received. The troops 

 immediately commenced to mount the 32's and 

 the 8-inch howitzers. The United States had 

 expended over $51,000 upon the works. 



Fort JBarancas, situated in Pensacola harbor 

 opposite its entrance, was built by the Span- 

 iards and captured from them by General Jack- 

 son. It is a circular work and remained in a 

 desolate condition many years. Subsequently 

 it was put in repairs by the United States, and 

 seized by Confederate troops on the 12th of 

 January, who immediately mounted upon it 

 three 8-inch Paixhans, two 8-inch columbiads, 

 eleven 32's, eight 24's, four 18's, and ten 12 

 pounders. A full complement of the fort is 

 forty-nine guns. 



Fort McRae, one of the defences of Pensa- 

 cola harbor, was seized on the 12th of Janu- 

 ary. This fort is built on a low sand spit of 

 the mainland, and appears at a distance to rise 

 out of the water. It is further seaward than 

 Fort Pickens, situated on the opposite side of 

 the channel. A detachment, of about twenty 

 men took possession of it without opposition. 

 It cost the United States $444,426. 



Fort, Morgan is at the entrance of Mobile 

 harbor, which it effectually guards. It was 

 seized on the 4th of January by Alabama troops, 

 and garrisoned by them, under orders from the 

 Governor of the State. Preparation had been 

 made to repair the wharf at the fort, and the 

 work had been commenced. This structure 

 had cost the United States $1,242,552. 



Fort Gaines is on Dauphin Island, up the en- 



