Today in History:

187 Series I Volume XXVIII-I Serial 46 - Ft. Sumter - Ft. Wagner Part I

Page 187 Chapter XI. GENERAL REPORTS.

The following is a summary of the shots fired by us in the last twenty-four hours: Moultrie, 24; Bee, 17; Brooke gun battery, 22; Rutledge, 10; Cheves, 28; and Simkins, 34.

General Hagood reports that there is no change in the enemy's vessels in the Stono, and that they are throwing up a heavy work on the end of Long Island, opposite Secessionville.

Captain [McMillan] King and 41 men of Company D, First South Carolina Artillery, last night relieved Captain Gaillard and 35 men of Company K, same regiment, who were on duty in Sumter.

December 29, 1863.-About dark last evening, four large parties, supposed to be regiments of the enemy, were observed proceeding from Battery Wagner toward Cumming's Point. It is thought the object of this movement was to repair the damages done to their works by the recent storm. General Ripley determined to interrupt their operations, and directed the batteries on Sullivan's Island to open heavily, which they did at about 9 p.m. The commanding officer at Fort Johnson having been notified, the batteries adjacent to that work also joined in the action. About 45 mortar and 50 direct shells were thrown in half on hour, but the enemy did not reply. Our practice is said to have been fair, the chief defect being the often-repeated one of fuses.

At 2 a.m. the enemy at Cumming's Point opened with two guns, and, after firing 10 shells into the city, closed at 2.36. Eight of the shells which fell within the city failed to explode.

As usual, Batteries Cheves, Simkins, Marion, and Rutledge responded to the fire of the enemy, and closed shortly after the enemy ceased firing. Battery Gregg, however, soon opened upon the Battery Simkins, and several shots were exchanged between those works until 3 a.m., when both batteries ceased.

During the morning, some little firing was going on at the batteries in the vicinity of Secessionville, in reply to the enemy's works on Black Island.

At 6.10 p.m. the enemy again opened on the city from Cumming's Point, and fired 6 shells, 2 only of which failed to explode.

It is reported that the work at the end of Long Island, near Secessionville, appears to be completed, but no guns are yet to be seen.

About 8.30 this morning, the gunboats shelled the neighborhood and in front of the batteries in the Stono for half an hour, after which they landed from a flat about 200 men at the Lady's Island battery. They came up Deep Creek, which touches immediately in rear of the batteries. The enemy have thrown forward their pickets to the creek heading toward the village, and in advance of the batteries. They appeared to be working at the guns left on the 25th instant. Major Jenkins had sent yesterday to General Wise for sling-carts, to attempt their removal and recovery, but they did not reach him in time to make the trial last night, and to-day three gunboats were lying as near the battery as they could get, while the Pawnee went up Kiawah, and took a position opposite an open field across the peninsula, to command all approaches and prevent our advance. After shelling for some time, she was relieved by another vessel taking position near the batteries. It will be impossible to recover the guns. The enemy occupy batteries with stronger force than we can bring against them, with pickets between, and covered by intervening embankments and protected by four gunboats.

The three gunboats left Lady's Island, but the atmosphere was too thick to tell whether troops were on board.


Page 187 Chapter XI. GENERAL REPORTS.