The plan of attack proposed by Gillmore was: First, to effect a lodgment on the south side of Morris Island, which it was known that the enemy was then strongly fortifying. Second, to besiege and reduce Fort Wagner, by which all the works on Cummings's Point would necessarily fall. Third, from the positions thus gained, to reduce Fort Sumter. Fourth, the vessels of war to remove the obstructions at the entrance of the harbor and reach the city by running by the works on Sullivan's Island. The first point was effected by a diversion made on the Stono, which drew off half the enemy's forces from Morris Island, and rendered its capture by surprise comparatively bloodless. This was done July 10th, as appears by the following dispatch : "HEAD-QUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH } "Major-General H. W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief: "SIR:-I have the honor to report that at five o'clock on the morning of the 10th instant I made an attack upon the enemy's fortified position on the south end of Morris Island, and, after an engagement of three hours and a quarter, captured all his strongholds upon that part of the island, and pushed forward my infantry to within six hundred yards of Fort Wagner. "We now hold a'l the island except about one mile on the north end, which includes Fort Wagner and a battery on Cummings's Point, mounting at the present time fourteen or fifteen heavy guns in the aggregate. "The assaulting column was gallantly led by Brigadier-General Strong. It landed in small boats under cover of my batteries on Folly Island and four monitors led by Rear-Admiral Dahlgren, which entered the main channel abreast of Morris Island soon after our batteries opened. The monitors continued their fire during the day, mostly on Fort Wagner. "On the morning of the 11th instant, at daybreak, an effort was made to carry Fort Wagner by assault. The parapet was gained, but the supports recoiled under the fire to which they were exposed, and could not be got up. Our loss in both actions will not vary much from one hundred and fifty in killed, wounded, and prisoners. We have taken eleven pieces of heavy ordnance and a large quantity of camp equipage. "The enemy's loss in killed, wounded, and missing, will not fall short of two hundred. "Q. A. GILLMORE, Brigadier-General Commanding." The failure of two assaults on Fort Wagner led to a modification of the plan. As Fort Sumter kept up an annoying fire across Fort Wagner upon Gillmore's trenches, some heavy guns were placed in battery, and at a distance of from two to two and a half miles succeeded in silencing the fire. Having effected this important object, the approaches and other works against Fort Wagner were more easily pushed forward. Armed with seventeen heavy guns, well flanked with a wet ditch, a bomb-proof for its garrison that resisted the heaviest shells, approachable only in front over the sand ridge which narrows down to twenty-five yards in width just in front of the work, guarded on the east by the sea and on the west by Vincent's Creek and the marsh from surprise, seen in reverse by Battery Gregg and thirty guns on Sullivan's Island, in flank by the batteries on James's Island, while all the ground in advance of it was swept at one point or another by all its guns, a more difficult problem had seldom, if ever, been presented for the solution of the engineer than its reduction. The first parallel and the batteries in it it were ready on July 18th, and fire was opened at one thousand three hundred and fifty yards, several hours prior to the assault on that day. It was commenced at noon by General Gillmore's batteries and the frigate Ironsides; five monitors, two mortar schooners, and three wooden gunboats soon joined in. The enemy replied briskly from Fort Wagner, Battery Bee, beyond Cummings's Point, and the guns on the southwestern face of Fort Sumter. The fire was chiefly directed against the vessels, and occasionally a shell was thrown at the batteries. Soon after four o'clock the fire of Fort Wagner ceased. It was known that one gun had been dismounted, and another was supposed to have exploded. Under the impression that the works were evacuated, another attempt to occupy them was determined upon. For this purpose two brigades, consisting of the Seventh Connecticut Regiment, the Third New Hampshire, the Ninth Maine, the Seventy-sixth Pennsylvania, and the Forty-eighth New York, under Brigadier-General Strong, and the Seventh New Hampshire, Sixth Connecticut, Sixty-second Ohio, One Hundredth New York, and Fiftyfourth Massachusetts (colored), under Colonel Putnam, were ordered forward from behind the sand-hills. The brigades were formed in line on the beach, with the regiments disposed in columns, the colored regiment being in advance. This movement was observed at Fort Sumter, and a fire was opened on the troops, but without effect. At dark the order was given for both brigades to advance, General Strong's leading, and Colonel Putnam's within supporting distance. The troops went forward at quick time and in silence, until the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts, led by Colonel Shaw, was within two hundred yards of the work, when the men gave a fierce yell and rushed up the glacis, closely followed by the other regiments of the brigade. The enemy, hitherto silent, opened upon them furiously with grape, canister, and a continuous fusilade of small-arms. The negroes, however, plunged on, and many of them crossed the ditch, although it contained four feet of water, gaining the parapet. They were dislodged, however, in a few minutes, with hand-grenades, and retired, leaving more than one-half of their number, including their colonel, dead upon the field. The Sixth Connecticut Regiment, under LieutenantColonel Rodman, was next in support of the Fifty-fourth, and they also suffered terribly, being compelled to retire after a stubborn contest. The Ninth Maine, which was next in line, was broken up by the passage of the remnant of the repulsed colored regiment through its lines, and retired in confusion, excepting three companies which stood their ground. It now devolved upon the Third New Hampshire Regiment to push forward, and, led by General Strong and Colonel Jackson in person, they dashed up against the fort. Three companies gained the ditch, and wading through the water, found shelter against the embankment. Here was the critical point of the assault, and the Second Brigade, which should have been up and ready to support their comrades of the First, were unaccountably delayed. Strong then gave the order to fall back and lie down on the glacis, which was obeyed, without confusion. While waiting here, exposed to the heavy fire, Strong was wounded. Finding that the supports did not come, he gave the order for his brigade to retire, and the men left the field in perfect order. Soon afterwards the other brigades came on, and made up for their tardiness by their valor. Rushing impetuously up the glacis, undeterred by the fury of the enemy, whose fire was not intermitted, several of the regiments succeeded in crossing the ditch, scaling the parapet, and descending into the fort. Here a hand-to-hand conflict ensued. The troops fought with desperation, and were able to drive the enemy from one side of the work to seek shelter between the traverses, while they held possession for something over an hour. This piece of gallantry was unfortunately of no advantage. The enemy rallied, and, having received re-enforcements, made a charge upon them and expelled them from their position by the force of numbers. One of the regiments engaged in this brilliant dash was the Forty-eighth New York, Colonel Barton, and it came out almost decimated. The Fortyeighth was among the first to enter the fort, and was fired upon by a regiment that gained the parapet some minutes later, under the supposition that it was the enemy. About midnight the order was given to retire, and the troops fell back to the rifle-pits outside of their own works. The loss in killed, wounded, and missing was fifteen hundred and thirty. The second parallel was opened by the flying sap on the 23d July, at seven hundred and fifty yards from the fort. The third parallel, at four hundred and fifty yards, on August 9th; and beyond this point the trenches were sometimes pushed forward by the flying sap, sometimes by the full sap, as opportunity demanded. The fourth parallel, at about three hundred yards, was made on the 22d and 23d August. The fifth parallel at two hundred yards, and a ridge wrested from the enemy, August 26th. Beyond this point the approaches were simply zigzags, making very acute angles with each other, as there was not front enough for a parallel. The bombardment of Fort Sumter had been irregularly opened on the 18th of August, and was continued until August 24th, when Gillmore reported it a shapeless mass of ruins, and that it was no longer necessary to continue the bombardment. Batteries were established within effective range of Charleston, and notice was given to General Beauregard to evacuate Fort Sumter, and that Charleston would be shelled. Beauregard protested, and threatened retaliation. The bombardment was commenced, with very little effect, however, on military events. Gillmore now moved to the front all his light mortars, enlarged the positions for his sharpshooters, obtained the co-operation of the Ironsides by day, used powerful calcium lights to blind the enemy by night, and opened fire with as many heavy guns to his rear as he could without danger to his men in the trenches, thus essaying to keep the garrison confined to their bomb-proof, and to breach this through a breach in the work. These measures were inaugurated on the morning of September 5th, and for forty-two hours the fort was silent. The garrison were immured in their bomb-proof, and the work went on in safety except from the batteries on James's Island. The men moved about in the trenches, even sat on their parapets, and hunted torpedoes, at which they had become as skilful as rat-catchers at scenting out rat-holes. The counterscarp of the work was crowned on the night of September 6th, and some formidable obstructions in the ditch removed. All being now ready for an assault, the order for it was given; but seeing the hopelessness of their position, the enemy evacuated just in time to avoid the result. The evacuation was thus reported by Gillmore : "DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH, HEAD-QUARTERS IN THE FIELD, September 7, 1863. "Major-General H. W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief: } "GENERAL:-I have the honor to report that Fort Wagner and Battery Gregg are ours. Last night our sappers mined the counterscarp of Fort Wagner on its sea point, unmasking all its guns, and an order was issued to carry the place by assault at nine o'clock this morning, that being the hour of low tide. "About ten o'clock last night the enemy commenced evacuating the island, and all but seventy-five of them made their escape from Cummings's Point in small boats. "Captured dispatches show that Fort Wagner was commanded by Colonel Keitt, of South Carolina, and garrisoned by one thousand four hundred effective men, and Battery Gregg by between one hundred and two hundred men. "Fort Wagner is a work of the most formidable kind. Its bomb-proof shelter, capable of containing one thousand eight hundred men, remains intact after the most terrific bombardment to which any work was ever subjected. "We have captured nineteen pieces of artillery and a large supply of excellent ammunition. "The city and harbor of Charleston are now completely covered by my guns. "I have the honor to be, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, "Q. A. GILLMORE, Brigadier-General Commanding." The captured forts on Morris Island were enlarged and new batteries erected by General Gillmore, which effectually commanded Fort Sumter, and could aid any naval attack on Charleston. But little further progress, however, was made in the siege during the remainder of the year. The forts of the enemy were occasionally bombarded severely, and the shelling of Charleston at intervals, during day and night, was continued. The portion of the city within the reach of the shells was greatly injured, and entirely abandoned by its inhabitants. An attempt was made by the enemy to blow up the frigate Ironsides, with a torpedo, on the night of October 5th. It failed of success, and did no serious damage to the vessels. CHAPTER XLIX. Advance on Richmond. -Crossing of the Rapidan. Routes of Corps. -The Enemy Attempts a Flanking Movement. -Meade's Attack. -Repulse of Griffin.-Hancock Arrives. Concentration of the Army.-Burnside ordered Forward.-New Dispositions. -Advance of Hancock on the 6th.-Arrival of Longstreet. -Fall of Wadsworth Longstreet Wounded.-Attack on the Union Right.-Results of the Two Days' Fighting. THE advance of the Army of the Potomac against Richmond commenced on the evening of Tuesday, May 3d, when the men, provided with six days' rations, broke up camp, and marched for the Rapidan. The Second Corps crossed at Ely's Ford, and the Fifth and Sixth at Germania Ford, the Fifth Corps being four hours in advance of the Sixth. A plankroad, as our readers will remember, runs from Fredericksburg west, past Chancellorsville, the former head-quarters of Hooker, and Old Wilderness Tavern, and across Mine Run to Orange Court-House. Hancock, with the Second Corps, advanced from Ely's Ford to Chancellorsville, the Fifth Corps from Germania Ford to Old Wilderness Tavern, and the Sixth held the road from the ford to the tavern. The Lieutenent-General and General Meade had head-quarters at Germania Ford on Wednesday night, the 4th. At early dawn on Thursday, Hancock was to move by the Pamunkey road in a southwesterly direction to Shady Grove Church; Warren was to move five miles west, to Parker's Store, twenty miles distant from Orange CourtHouse, and the Sixth Corps was to follow on the Germania Ford plankroad. Sheridan's Cavalry was to scour the country on the left of Hancock. This disposition, if carried out, would have straightened the army in a line facing southwest, with Hancock on the left. These operations were intended to be preserved until the trains could cross the river, when a general advance was to be made towards Orange Court-House, the presumed base of the enemy. These dispositions were, however, not suffered to be completed. The enemy, from his signal station on Clark's Mountain, had observed the whole movement, devised its intent, and made preparations to defeat it. His movement began on Wednesday night, while the Second Corps was at Chancellorsville. The corps of Ewell moved along the turnpike from Old Verdierville, on Mine Run, to take the Sixth Corps in flank, while marching along the Germania Ford plankroad, while A. P. Hill moved over the Orange Court-House plankroad, which runs for some distance parallel to the turnpike, and up which Warren was advancing. Thus, as we have said, Grant's army was in a line running northwest and southeast; Sedgwick at the right in front of Ewell, Warren in the centre in front of Hill, but not yet in line, and Hancock marching to take position on the left. The enemy's design being ascertained, Sedgwick and Warren were hastily formed in line of battle on the Germania plankroad, and Hancock was ordered to diverge upon the Brock road, which would bring him upon the Orange Court-House road in the rear of Warren. The danger was that Hill would force his way down this road and get possession of it before Hancock could effect a junction, and thus cut the army in two. To guard against this, the Second Division, Getty, of the Sixth Corps, was detached to support Warren's left. Meantime, the enemy pressed heavily in front, and the Fifth New York Cavalry was driven in with considerable loss. It was supposed that Lee intended by a fierce attack upon the right centre to destroy the army; and to frustrate that attempt, Warren was ordered to assume the offensive. About noon, Griffin (who had reported the enemy in his neighborhood, and as having driven in his advance, consisting of the Eighteenth Massachusetts, with the Eighty-third Pennsylvania, under Colonel Hayes, of the former) was ordered to push his (First) Division of the Fifth Corps out to the right and left of the turnpike, to feel the enemy. Accordingly, he moved Bartlett's Second Brigade to the left of the road, and Ayres's Third Brigade of regulars |