. Battle fields and camp fires. A narrative of the principle military operations of the civil war from the removal of McClellan to the accession of Grant. (1862-1863) . nder scattering themselves all around. September came. The work of pushing forward the approachesto Fort Wagner was slow and tedious. The ground was low andsandy. The trenches could hardly be sunk two feet without fillingwith water. At times the tide washed over the whole of the Union■works. From the fort the Confederates kept up a continual harassingfusillade. Gillmore saw that the spirits of his men were drooping, anddetermin
. Battle fields and camp fires. A narrative of the principle military operations of the civil war from the removal of McClellan to the accession of Grant. (1862-1863) . nder scattering themselves all around. September came. The work of pushing forward the approachesto Fort Wagner was slow and tedious. The ground was low andsandy. The trenches could hardly be sunk two feet without fillingwith water. At times the tide washed over the whole of the Union■works. From the fort the Confederates kept up a continual harassingfusillade. Gillmore saw that the spirits of his men were drooping, anddetermined to take steps to hasten the end of the siege. Accordingly, on the 5th of the month, a furious cannonade wasdirected upon the Confederate works. From the Union lines seven-teen siege and Coehorn mortars threw shells incessantly into theenemys quarters. Fourteen heavy Parrott guns hurled their missilesagainst the bomb-proofs. Ten light siege guns sought out every nookand cranny of the fort with their projectiles. During the day theNew Ironsides steamed close to the fort and added her eight gunsto the formidable force of artillery that was pounding away at the. MORTAR BATTERY IN ACTION. BATTLE FIELDS AND CAMP FIRES. 349 Confederate stronghold. But the shore batteries were silent neitherby night or day. When darkness came on calcium lights with power-ful reflectors threw their beams toward Fort Wagner, dazzling theeyes of its defenders and making it a prominent and easy target forthe Union artillerists. For forty hours this cannonade was continuedwithout cessation. The Confederates soon abandoned all efforts to respond to thisfierce attack and sought shelter in their bomb-proofs. The fort stoodgrim and silent, an unresisting target. The Union sappers and miners,relieved from all annoyance from the enemys fire, pushed their workahead with great rapidity and soon had carried the approaches upto the parapet of the wall. All was then ready for the final assault,and the order was i
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