Today in History:

247 Series I Volume XXXV-I Serial 65 - Olustee Part I

Page 247 Chapter XLVII. OPERATIONS IN CHARLESTON HARBOR, ETC.

filling of commissary casemate is continued regularly every day by the garrison detail. A very good supply of materials by barges. Day firing: Parrott, 264, in which 19 missed; mortar, 86, in which 33 missed. Night firing: Parrott, 35, in which 15 missed; mortar, 58, in which 25 missed. Total, 443, in which 92 missed. One enlisted man and 5 negroes wounded.

Tuesday, July 26 (twentieth day).- Heavy firing to-day upon the southeast angle, with sometimes the 300-pounder Parrott. The parapet entirely carried away, and position of howitzer quite plowed up. I hope to restore the latter to-night, but for a parapet, as long as the bombardment continues, we shall now have to depend on heavy blocks and sand-bags, placed after dark and taken in before day. For five successive days they have swept away by noon the work it took all the previous night to reconstruct. The heavy fire to-day also told on the little second tier (bomb-proof), formed by blindage logs inside of mess-rooms. The wall was penetrated near the upper end of logs, and through a breach not visible to enemy the sand had been running so as to nearly fill up the empty quarters. I shall do nothing but the debris fill up the cavity, which is only of triangular section, about 8 feet height and base and 20 feet length. The ceiling of south magazines stood the fire to-day without any more signs of straining. Day firing: Parrott, 261, of which 23 missed; mortar, 96, of which 35 missed; total, 330, of which 58 missed.

The enemy's small new battery, on his right of Battery Gregg, has been connected with it by a covered way. Except one 30-pounder, which fire from it tree days ago, there have been no developments of its armament. Lieutenant Izard, after remaining two days, returned to the city on sick leave. Mr. Mathews is supplying his place. Mr. Devereaux, one of my superintendents, is sick and gone to hospital in city. The carpenters have begun the cribwork on exterior of southwest angle, and have revetted solidly the commissary casemate in same vicinity.

I remain, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JNO. JOHNSON,

Captain, Engineer in Charge.

Major W. H. ECHOLS,

Chief Engineer, South Carolina.


Numbers 38. Reports of Colonel Alfred Rhett, First South Carolina Artillery, commanding Fifth Military District, &c., of operations June 2-September 20.

[For number of shots fired at the city of Charleston by the batteries on Morris Island from November 16, 1863, to March 4, 1864, see Vol. XXVIII, Part I, p. 686.]


HEADQUARTERS,
Sullivan's Island, June 10, 1864.

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to report that nothing of any importance occurred in this command during the past ten days, with the


Page 247 Chapter XLVII. OPERATIONS IN CHARLESTON HARBOR, ETC.