Memoirs of the war of secession

	10-in. Columbiad	9-in. Dahlgren	7-in. Brooke	8-in. Columbiad	42 Dr. Rifled	32 Dr. Smooth	32 Dr. Rifled	10-in. Mortar
Fort Sumter	4	2	2	8	7	13	1	7
Fort Moultrie				9		5	5	2
Battery Bee	5			1
Beauregard				1			1
Wagner							1
Gregg	1	1
	10	3	2	19	7	18	8	9	Total 76

CONSOLIDATED RETURN OF AMMUNITION EXPENDED.

Round Shot	1,539
Round Shell	98
Shot, Rifle	359
Shot Bolts	233
Friction tubes	2,856
Cannon Powder	21,093 lbs.

Resuming operations against Charleston, General Gilmore, on
the 10th July, assaulted and carried the south end of Morris
Island. His infantry moved in a flotilla of small boats from the
north end of Folley Island under cover of a heavy fire from
batteries on the latter constructed without attracting serious
attention from the Confederates. The movement was well
planned and executed with considerable dash. Co-operative with
it was the attempt to cut the Charleston and Savannah Railroad

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at Jacksonboro, the failure of which has already been mentioned
in speaking of events in the Second Military District, and a
demonstration in force from Stono on James Island.

Upon reporting on the evening of the 10th July at General
Beauregard's headquarters in pursuance of the dispatch received
at Barnwell, General Hagood was sent to James Island to take
command of that sub-district. All day from Blackville down,
whenever the cars stopped, the booming of the guns from Morris
Island could be heard. Captain Moloney, Assistant Adjutant
General, was with General Hagood, and Mr. William Izard Bull,
acting as volunteer aide to General Beauregard, was by order of
the latter directed to report to him for temporary duty. General
Hagood arrived on the island about 12 o'clock at night, and
learned from Colonel Simonton, in command, the condition of
affairs. The enemy were in force on the Stono shore of the
island, with gunboats and transports in the river. Our defensive
works were the same as at the close of the Secessionville campaign;
nothing had been done to them save at Secessionville,
which had been much strengthened. These works looked only
to an advance from the Stono front; and the enemy, now
holding Folley and the south end of Morris Island with their
transports in Light House Inlet, were in rear of their left flank
with an uninterrupted water approach of from one and a half
to two miles available for light-draft steamers, and the landings
not even picketed. Had a flotilla of boats with two thousand
men and a light battery landed that night at Legare's Landing,
it is probable that Fort Johnson, unentrenched to the rear, would
have fallen before day; and, within the limits of possibility, that
before the following night the whole of James Island except the
garrison of Secessionville and Fort Pemberton, which would have
been cut off and isolated, would have been in their possession. A
vigorous co-operative march of General Terry's force on the
Stono side of the island, against the center of our line by way
of Royall's house, would have made it almost a certain thing;
and then the northern shore of James Island held by four thousand
men would have been safe against any force at Beauregard's
command for several days. Gilmore could have re-enforced
afterward as fast as Beauregard, had the James instead of the

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Morris Island route to Charleston been taken. This was at that
time and for a day or two the promising plan.

The Confederate force on James Island consisted of the regiment
of Frederick (late Lamar's), the battalions of White and
Lucas, three companies of Rhett's—all heavy artillery; the siege
train, consisting of four companies under Major Manigault, some
cavalry as couriers, and one regiment of infantry, the Twenty-fifth
South Carolina, under Colonel Simonton. This last was
the only force available for movement. The heavy artillerists
were barely enough to garrison the three forts in which they
were stationed and to man the few guns in position on the lines.
Major Manigault was with all dispatch moved that night from
his camp near Wappoo to Legare's Landing, where he arrived
at daylight and immediately proceeded to erect epaulements for
his siege guns. This was the beginning of Battery Haskell and
the series of works on the eastern shore of the island. The enemy
on the Stono under General Terry remained quiet, advancing
their pickets without opposition some short distance. General
Beauregard rapidly pushed re-enforcements over to James Island
as they arrived. Large working parties of negroes were, together
with the troops, kept steadily at work, and in a few days the
opportunity of doing anything by surprise or assault on James
Island had passed away.

Subsequently General W. B. Taliaferro was assigned to the
command of James Island, and Generals Hagood and A. H. Colquitt
commanded the eastern and western divisions of the lines
respectively under him. Secessionville was the dividing point in
these sub-commands. These general officers served with others
on the detail of commanders on Morris Island during the operations
in that quarter, and when not on duty there resumed their
positions on James Island.

General Hagood's tours of duty on Morris Island were: From
the 18th to 22nd July, from the 6th to 10th August, from the 21st
to 25th August; arriving and leaving generally on the nights of
these respective dates. His next tour of duty would have commenced
on the 7th September. The island was evacuated on the
previous night. Of his staff, Captain Moloney, acting adjutant-general,
and his aides, Ben Martin and Tracy, with his orderly,
S. N. Bellinger, always accompanied him. Majors Hay and

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Lartigue and Captain Hayne, commissary quartermaster and
ordnance officer, were with him on the first tour; afterwards these
offices on the island were made post offices and others filled them.
Lieutenant-Colonel Del. Kemper served the first tour with him
as chief of artillery. This officer had distinguished himself in
Virginia at First Manassas, and subsequently an unclosed wound
in his shoulder unfitted him for field duty and he was sent to this
department, where he served the rest of the war. He was in
person very like General Beauregard, of high mental and social
culture, and an officer of much dash and merit. General Hagood
was thrown much with him and formed a warm regard for him.
Lieutenant-Colonel Welsman Brown served the second tour as
chief of artillery, and Major F. F. Warley the third. These
officers all discharged their duties with credit to themselves and
to the entire satisfaction of their chief. Captain Moloney
especially was invaluable, cool, intelligent and indefatigable. He
relieved the command of half its burthen.

The period of active operations against Charleston, looking to
its direct capture, was from 10th July to 10th September.
Afterward the siege was marked only by the bombardment of
Sumter and the city, with comparatively harmless cannonading
of each other by the opposing batteries and some skirmishes.
This continued until the spring of 1864, when Gilmore and Beauregard
were both, with the bulk of their troops, transferred to
the theatre of war in Virginia, where the conflict was then culminating,
and Charleston was left with a skeleton garrison to
hold its own against a force adequate to little more than protect
from assault the long-range guns which continued day and night
to hurl their crashing and exploding missiles into the ruins of
the devoted city. For twelve months longer this continued,
while the contest upon which depended alike the fate of Charleston
and the Confederacy was elsewhere prosecuted to the bitter
end. At length in the spring of '65, when all that was left of the
Confederacy was concentrated for the last desperate hazard, the
garrison of Charleston, her artillerists converted into infantry,
silently and sadly, and bearing with them their warworn banners,
marched to strengthen the hands of Johnston in North Carolina.
There, upon the fields of Averysboro and Bentonville, in two
field fights, they lost nearly as many men in killed and wounded

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as in all their service under Gilmore's guns and before his assailing
columns. So much for the art of the engineer.

In arranging the material of this memoir of the siege, General
Beauregard's report embracing the time from his assumption
of command until the evacuation of Morris Island is taken; then
General Ripley's report continues the narrative till the 10th of
September; and from that time till the departure of General
Hagood for Virginia in May, '64, his recollection is relied upon.
In notes to these official papers, the writer has embodied such
comments as appeared to him proper.

Of events in and around Charleston, subsequent to April, '64,
in the absence of personal knowledge or official reports, no
attempt will be made to give an account.

University of Virginia Library

RETURN OF CASUALTIES.

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CONSOLIDATED RETURN OF AMMUNITION EXPENDED.