THE SECOND REINFORCEMENT
OF FORT PICKENS.
WE publish on
page 328, from
sketches sent us from
Fort Pickens, a picture of the
SECOND
REINFORCEMENT of that work on 16th ult., and herewith a view of the INTERIOR OF
THE FORT, showing the troops drawn up to hear the account of the evacuation of
Fort Sumter by
Major Anderson.
The second reinforcement was thus
described by the purser of the Atlantic;
On Tuesday, the 16th, at 6 1/4
p.m., we anchored off
Santa Rosa Island (Fort Pickens being on its
western extremity), four miles from shore, close by the frigate
Sabine, the flag-ship of the squadron, Com.
Adams. After communicating with the commander and the naval captains present, we
took in tow the boats of the fleet, some twenty in number, and after dark
weighed anchor and stood in shore, all lights being extinguished, and came to
anchor with-in a mile of Fort Pickens, and in direct range of the guns of Fort
M'Rae and the water-batteries, and three-quarters of a mile from the beach, in
four fathoms of water. At 9 1/4 the first boat pushed off for the beach, with
Colonel Brown and Captain Meigs, who were the first to meet and surprise the
intrepid
Slemmer and his command. During the embarkation
of the troops in the boats the signal from Fort Pickens for an apprehended
attack was made by the sending up of rockets. This signal was repeated, and
hastened the operations. Captain Vogdes and other officers in the fort were
astonished at the rapidity of the reinforcement. Before midnight the majority of
officers and soldiers were safely in the fort.
Early in the morning of the 11th
the remaining troops were landed, excepting the artillery men of Captain Barry's
Company, who remained to land with their horses. At 8 A.M. we again weighed
anchor and stood to the eastward, and anchored about 3 1/2 miles from Fort
Pickens, and half a mile from the beach. This point was selected as the best
place for landing the horses. This difficult work was commenced in the
afternoon, continued during the night, and finished on the morning of the 18th.
The Illinois, with
reinforcements, arrived at midnight on Friday the 19th, and her troops were
landed the next morning.
Seven of the horses were
lost—four died on the passage ; one was drowned alongside ; one had his neck
broken in the surf, and one died from exhaustion on reaching the shore. The
forage and light artillery were landed simultaneously with the horses. On the
18th the landing of the general cargo of heavy and light ordnance, ammunition,
provisions, etc., etc., was fairly commenced, and continued, with but partial
interruption, until the forenoon of Tuesday 23d, when she was finally
discharged, to the great gratification of all concerned.
The position of the Powhatan and
Brooklyn was such that their guns could sweep
Santa Rosa Island and prevent a landing from the main land, and at the same time
shielded the hull of the
Atlantic.
Our regular correspondent in the
Fort thus writes us concerning the second picture :
FORT PICKENS, FLORIDA, May 2,
1861.
On the evening of April 30 the
command was drawn up in the manner represented in the engraving, and the first
authentic news of Major Anderson's defense was read out to them in the form of
an order, which at the same time exhorted us to " emulate the example of our
gallant comrades at Sumter." In publishing this order to his command, Colonel
Brown instilled, if possible, a new enthusiasm—at least the loud cheering that
heralded it was the indication of a feeling that days and nights of toil could
not obliterate. Events, since the landing on the 13th of April of the first
reinforcement, have succeeded each other too rapidly to give now a connected and
detailed account of them. The men have worked hard and cheerfully. No
despondency, no feeling like lead creeps over them; no idea that the Government
is going to pieces ; and nothing but a steady, firm reliance on the beautiful
flag that for years they have fought under sustains them. Sometimes, it is true,
the sad feeling creeps over one that there are dear ones at home whose
heart-strings are strained at the perhaps-to-be long separation; but then comes
the thought that the harder we work the quicker will end this sad struggle
between brothers.
The parade-ground is littered up
with little shelters made of staves inclined against guns, blankets stretched on
poles, sides of pent-houses broken off and held up by sticks. All of these
little huts are so small that the men just creep into them, and have not room to
sit up. It does look more like a miniature Babel, with the little huts, big guns
and mortars, and prancing horses, officers, soldiers, marines, and sailors,
citizen carpenters, negroes, camp-women and children; and when the clear bugle
rings out at tattoo how suddenly this wild confusion all ceases !
We have been permitted to print
the following graphic account of the first reinforcement of Pickens which we
illustrated last week:
HOW IT WAS DONE.
The immediate cause of the
reinforcement was this: You know of that obstinate fellow, Lieutenant Slemmer,
who would not be persuaded that he had been posted in this part of Florida by
the Government for any other purpose than to preserve to the nation the property
committed to his honorable care. This gallant Slemmer, with a handful of men to
garrison an extensive fortification, having for some time suspected that the
enemy was tampering with his men, intercepted a couple of letters which had been
smuggled into Pickens and addressed to a sergeant. The writer offered this man a
sum of two thousand dollars, a commission, which would make him the companion of
the gentlemen of the South who are in arms; and, as an inducement to the
faithful fellows who for so long have held these stone walls against thousands,
five hundred dollars were promised for every private who at that price would
become a traitor to the United States, The men, true soldiers as they are,
remained steadfast to their colors—those glorious
Stripes and Stars, that carry the hope of
freedom to the oppressed of every land ! The sergeant was forthwith sent a
prisoner, to the commander of the naval force lying off the harbor, and by him
was transferred to a steam frigate, where he remains in durance. This foul play,
bad enough in time of actual war, and unpardonable during a truce, would perhaps
have stimulated the naval commander to reinforce the fortress ; and had he
decided to do so it would have been a happy idea, for that very day arrived a
messenger from Washington, bringing a verbal order making the reinforcement
imperative. This messenger had been captured, but had destroyed his dispatches,
the contents of which luckily he knew. Well, the order was passed to throw into
Pickens all the artillery, soldiers, and marines in the squadron. Ninety
artillerymen, and a hundred and ten marines, led by men who never—well, I won't
say how they were led, for you know what sort of men your husbands, and
brothers, and sons are, and what they will do when the time comes for them to
act. Every preparation was made. We awaited night—I say we, for I was one of
them. I had no notion of going until an hour or two before our party left the
ship. I need not have gone; for the usage of the service required me, the only
medical officer of the ship, to remain with the majority of our men, and none
but our marines were to go. While I was sitting at the mess-table, leaning on my
elbows, and while I looked at the little lieutenant who was to land our party, I
unconsciously began repeating the lines, " How sleep the brave who sink to
rest." Suddenly I thought of the marines! Poor fellows ! if that ugly Fort
M'Crae opens on the boats, or on the men as they stand upon the beach, there
will be lots of bloody noses and broken legs, and a cry of " Where's the docther?"
Well, I determined to go, if my Captain would let me. So I said to the young
hero who was buckling on his revolver as pleasantly as if he were going to make
an evening call on his sweet-heart, " George," said I, "how would you like me to
keep you company ?" "First rate," said he. "Well," said I, "ask the Captain, and
if he consents I'll get ready ; it won't take me long." George saw the Captain,
and soon returned, saying, "The Captain says you may go If you want to." It did
not occur to me at the time, but it struck me when I was in the boat, that if I
got a shot intended for a combatant, Maud might have whistled for a pension, for
I had (Next Page)