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INSIDE SUMTER IN '61.
Colonel Joseph A. Yates, who was a lieutenant in on her shield, with railroad iron laid on it—two coursesthe attack on Fort Sumter, says in a letter acoom- of rails turned inward and outward, so avS to form apauying the plan on the next page: “I send a rough pretty smooth surface. The bags of sand representedsketch of the floating battery which I commanded; it is on the deck were to counterweigh the guns, whichrough, but from my recollection it is very like her. The were 32 and 42-pounders. She was struck many times,battery was substantially built, flat, heavily timbered several shot going entirely through the shield.”
promptly at 4:30 a. m. a flash as of distant lightning in the direction of MountPleasant, followed by the dull roar of a mortar, told us that the bombardmenthad begun. The eyes of the watchers easily detected and followed the burningfuse which marked the course of the shell as it mounted among the stars, andthen descended with ever-increasing velocity, until it landed inside the fortand burst. It was a capital shot. Then the batteries opened on all sides,and shot and shell went screaming over Sumter as if an army of devils wereswooping around it. As a rule the guns were aimed too high, but all themortar practice was good. In a few minutes the novelty disappeared in arealizing sense of danger, and the watchers retired to the bomb-proofs,where they discussed probabilities until reveille.
Habits of discipline are strong among old soldiers. If it had not been fororders to the contrary, the men would have formed for roll-call on the openparade, as it was their custom to do, although mortar-shells were burstingthere at the lively rate of about one a minute. But they were formed underthe bomb-proofs, and the roll was called as if nothing unusual was going on.They were then directed to get breakfast, and be ready to fall in when“ assembly ” was beaten. The breakfast part of the order was considered agrim joke, as the fare was reduced to the solitary item of fat pork, veryrusty indeed. But most of the men worried down a little of it, and were“ ready ” when the drum called them to their work.