6 
city, and lies about half way from each extremity of the penin¬ 
sula. Opposite is the coast battery, with a stone parapet. This 
battery can receive fifty pieces of cannon. There will be no 
further disbursements for the maintenance of this fort, since new 
works, after plans of General Bernard, are to be placed at the en¬ 
trance of the passage, to guard against too close a blockade of the 
bay, so that the ancient and more retired posts will be deprived 
of all their importance. Between the city and Sullivan’s Island, 
on a point of land to the left, stands a defensive work called 
Castle Pinckney, resembling Castle Garden in New York, on the 
right is situated Castle Johnson. Sullivan’s Island is exceedingly 
sandy, nothing but cabbage trees grow upon it, so that I seemed 
transported to India. Outside the fort there are a number of slight 
built wooden houses, which, during the heats of summer, and es¬ 
pecially when the yellow fever prevails in Charleston, are occu¬ 
pied by the inhabitants of that city, for the peninsula has the re¬ 
putation of being healthier, and much more temperate in climate. 
The trunk of the cabbage-tree affords a good porous timber, which 
is peculiarly valuable for building in salt water, since it is not in¬ 
jured by it. It is highly recommended for entrenchments, as the 
balls of the enemy cannot splinter it. On the same spot where 
Fort Moultrie now stands, a fortress of the same name stood in 
the revolutionary war, which was built in great haste from trunks 
of the cabbage-tree, and maintained itself with great glory. We 
had a boat, attached to the artillery, prepared for our passage, 
which was manned by the artillerists. These are exercised 
as oarsmen in all posts situated on the water, and this is certainly 
a good arrangement, if the officers do not abuse the privilege. 
Our boat’s crew had unfortunately made too spirituous a break¬ 
fast, the oars of course moved as Providence guided them, and the 
colonel was so irritated, that he dispatched the whole six on land¬ 
ing to the black hole. I remained during the parade of the two ar¬ 
tillery companies in garrison. A company of this description is 
with matrosses and cannoneers, fifty-five strong; from these are 
subtracted, the sentinels, sick, and those under arrest, so that 
both corps had scarcely sixty men under arms. The privates had 
fire-arms and cartridge boxes, and the matrosses and corporals 
alone carried side-arms. The haversack consisted of a wooden 
box, covered with black waxed linen. They wore grey panta¬ 
loons, and boots, as our artillery; the officers alone had white 
cloth pantaloons. The coats were not well made, and did not fit; 
all the men had large shirt collars, which had a bad effect, and 
gloves of a different pattern, because each individual bought for 
himself. While the colonel was going through the inspection, I 
took a walk on the ramparts with Major Massias, and visited the 
