University of Virginia Library

NOTE H.

Incidents of Service at Wagner.

First Sergeant Tines, of Captain John A. Gary's company, Lucas's battalion,
a plain man from one of the mountain districts of South Carolina,
but a true patriot and good soldier, was mortally wounded at his gun. To
Gary's expression of sympathy he replied: "I am glad it is I and not you,
captain; the country can better spare me." General Beauregard, on being
informed of this incident, ordered one of the best of his new James Island
batteries to be called "Battery Tines" in honor of the noble fellow.

Gary himself was killed a few days afterwards. He was a younger
brother of Captain M. W. Gary, a generous and spirited officer, and much
beloved by his comrades.[61]

On the 24th of August, Captain Robert Pringle, of the same battalion,
was commanding a gun replying to the fire of a monitor. Three shells
fired at a low elevation would richochet twice upon the water, the last time
close to the beach and then explode just over the parapet of the fort. The
practice was extremely accurate; and, although bright daylight, the huge
projectiles coming straight for the spectator could be seen from the time
they left the gun—presenting the appearance of a rapidly enlarging disk as
they approached. One of these shells struck a school of mullet at its last
rebound on the water and knocked one of the fish at least 100 yards into
the gun chamber. Pringle picked it up and gaily remarked that he "had
made his dinner." At the next fire from the monitor he was killed. The
writer had been a good deal thrown with this young officer, and had been
much pleased with his fine social traits and soldierly qualities. He was a
descendant of the Mrs. Motte of Revolutionary fame.

Extracts from the diary of Lieutenant-Colonel Pressley, Twenty-fifth
South Carolina:

"1st September. Ordered to Wagner. . . . Embarked from Fort Johnson
all of the regiment except Company A, in a light draft steamer. Company
A went in a rowboat. The steamer stopped near Sumter; harbor very
rough. I got in the only boat the steamer had for debarking us, with
about fifty officers and men. When we had got half way from the steamer
to Cummings Point, a bombardment of Sumter by monitors commenced and
the steamer returned to Fort Johnson with the balance of the regiment.
At Cummings Point I found Company A, making with the men I brought,
eighty or ninety men of my command, and no prospect of getting the others
till next night. Reported to General Colquitt, in command, and was
ordered to the sand hills in rear of Wagner. So we spent the balance of
the night in what the soldiers called "private bomb-proofs"—holes in the
sand. Not finding these comfortable, I myself spread my blanket between
two sand hillocks. Fort Wagner and the enemy exchanged shots slowly all
night.

"2nd September. Went into Wagner at daylight. Found the enemy's
sap within about 120 yards of the salient; enemy working industriously.
Garrison busy repairing damages and keeping up a slow fire. My
command detailed as a working party for Battery Gregg. Enemy shelling
Wagner, Gregg and Sumter all day. Transferred to Wagner at night, and
by 11 p. m. the balance of my regiment arrived and reported to me. My
companies, as they arrived, were stationed around the parapet, relieving
the North Carolina regiment.

"We occupied from the extreme left along the sea face around the left
salient and part of the land force; the Twenty-fifth Georgia the rest. These
two regiments, with the artillerists, occupied the fort; another regiment, the
Twenty-seventh Georgia, was in the sand hills in the rear. Enemy fired
very little tonight. I was up most of the night posting and visiting my
men; towards morning I took a nap in the left salient, resting my head
against the parapet.

"3rd September. One or two of our guns and one mortar keep up a fire
against the enemy's approaching sap.

"My command in high spirits,—a great many building loopholes with
sand bags for sharpshooting. This has become very dangerous work; as
soon as a hole is darkened on either side, a shot from the opposite sharpshooter
follows, and with frequent success. Not much artillery fire by
or at Wagner, but the enemy are hard at work and approaching. Our
James Island batteries are firing briskly on the enemy's trenches. During
the day from one-third to one-fourth the garrison are kept at the parapet,
the rest in the bomb-proof—at night all are turned out. The Yankees are
so near they can hear when we turn out, and quicken their fire. The garrison
is heavily worked repairing damages.

"Colonel Keitt, Twentieth South Carolina, relieved General Colquitt last
night in command of Morris Island. I was up nearly all night, slept a
little before day in the same salient as last night.

"4th September. Quite a lively bombardment from the enemy today, number
of the sand bag covers for sharpshooters knocked away. Sharpshooting
still very brisk, however. . . . Batteries on James Island do good shooting,
particularly Battery Simkins. Major Warley, chief of artillery, wounded;
Captain Hugenin replaces him. Our parties very hard at work repairing
damages. A corporal of Company A and several men wounded in my
regiment. Several killed and a good many wounded in the balance of
garrison. The enemy's fire slacked after dark. They display a calcium
light tonight upon Vincent's creek. Towards day I tried to get a little
sleep in my old place in the left salient. The shells from Fort Moultrie
were passing immediately over it. A fragment from one of our own mortar
shells came back into the fort and nearly struck me. This has been happening
for some time, the enemy were so close. . . .

"5th September. The fleet early this morning opened upon the fort, the
land batteries also cannonading with great fury—200 and 100-pound Parrotts,
8 and 10-inch mortar shells and 15-inch shell from the navy pouring
into us. The shells are exploding so fast they cannot be counted. All our
guns are silenced. Working them under such a fire is out of the question.
The men are being wounded and killed in every direction. I have been
around amongst my men a good many times and am covered with sand when
I return. The three-fourths of the garrison are still kept in the bomb-proofs.
The suffering of these from the heat and want of water is intolerable.
The supply of water brought from the city is very inadequate; that from
the shallow wells dug in the sand in and adjacent to the fort is horrible.
Famishing thirst alone enables the men to drink it. . . . I have seen some
horrible sights—men mangled in almost every manner. I saw a sharpshooter
knocked from the parapet to the middle of the parade, some forty
or fifty feet, and going fully twenty feet in the air. This was Rawlinson,
of Company G, and the brave fellow clutched his rifle to the last. Of course,
he lived but a short time. Lieutenant Montgomery, of Company C, was
killed this morning—his head taken off by a shell.

"An attack upon Battery Gregg is expected tonight; a detachment of my

regiment, under Captain Sellars, and of the Twenty-eighth Georgia, under
Captain Hayne, are to be sent to re-enforce it. As they march out Captain
Hayne enquires of Lieutenant Blum for Captain Sellars; a shell kills
both. . . . It is apparent that our force manning the parapet tonight must
be as small as possible. . . . In making our arrangements for the night
there are many casualties in our detachment, commanded by Lieutenant
Ramsey, Company Twenty-fifth. In a short time after it was posted every
man but one was killed or wounded. The fleet has withdrawn and the land
batteries slacked their fire, save the mortars, which are as active as ever.
I have seen four shells start from the same battery at the same time. . . .

"There was an alarm of an assault tonight. It was felt to be a relief—
the prospect of changing this passive endurance of artillery into the hot
blood of an infantry fight. The enemy's calcium light illuminated the
whole fort, and the sharpshooters, contrary to custom, were at work all
night. The enemy attacked Gregg and were repulsed. . . . Wells dug in the
bomb-proofs give some relief in better water, but not enough. . . ."

Lieutenant-Colonel Pressley served until the evacuation; but the foregoing
extracts from his diary are sufficient to give a picture of life in
Wagner.