Seven Months in the Rebel States During the North American War, 1863

II. The Army and the War Situation in 1863

28 SEVEN MONTHS IN THE REBEL STATES to have someone who was a match for the snarling captain, and we felt our way westward until sandbars seemed to be everywhere about us, whereupon we cast anchor to wait for morning. Nobody closed his eyes. The moon rose at 4 :30 o'clock, but fog obscured all vision. At 5 :30 o'clock the sun revealed nothing but grey upon grey until a colossus at our side gradually became visible through the mist. A ship?- No. Thank heavens, it was Fort Moultrie, at the entrance to the harbor, to which providence had graciously guided us. We hailed with fiery jubilation the Confederate flag, which likewise waved from our stern, and with a certain satisfaction we greeted the signal shot that resounded toward us from Fort Sumter. We had landed in Charleston! But we did not go ashore without having previously enjoyed a humorous postlude to the gloomy ~ight. In order to show the audience standing on the bulwark a~ the scornful crew on the ship who was really running the steamer, the captain, exhausted by the night and still not completely sober, stood in the wheelhouse and gave commands in a stentorian voice. But when he was near an old, unrigged Spanish brig that was lying at anchor, he confused the commands "starboard" and "larboard" and ground against the stern of the old vessel, so that he crushed four boats, wreaked violence on the wheelhouse, and .completely smashed a rowboat that was· floating calmly in the harbor. The humor lay in the contrast and had a striking effect. It was March 15. I took only enough time to dress quickly and was with General [P. G. T.] Beauregard by 9 :00 o'clock in the morning to offer him my services and to request his permission to look around in the fortress. He received me with great friendliness as a volunteer on his staff and entrusted the arrangements for my tour to his adjutant, Mr. [Lieut.-Col. A. R.] Chisolm, a likable gentleman who performed this service with great readiness by placing rowboats, passes, and his own horse at my disposal, OUTWARD BOUND 29 so that I was able to reconnoiter thoroughly the full circumference of the stronghold.l Naturally, I was never permitted to copy the good maps in the office, but the exact location of the lines was of little influence in the following siege, for the defense consisted almost entirely of detached batteries and forts. Since I had copied a map of the harbor from a·good navigation chart on the journey over, and had entered on it the positions of the batteries with my good pocket compass, I was for the moment sufficiently provided with material to be able to follow the siege. I also carefully probed the approaches and thoroughly inspected Fort Sumter and Fort Wagner, where I observed every detail that could have any influence on the defense. I may say in advance that I did not find much that was new or instructive with respect to artillery, but I came upon much in the way of fortifications that aroused great interest . The skillful layout of the artillery earthworks especially aroused my high admiration. The City of Charleston, which had a population of 40,000 in time of peace and was one of the most active trade centers of the South, was now only sparsely inhabited, with its richer part to the southeast, next to the harbor, occupied almost exclusively by homeowners and a few Negroes. The beautiful houses, therefore, which were picturesquely surrounded by verandas and enclosed in well-kept gardens, were standing lifeless and lonely on the streets, while only the older gentlemen of the civil population assembled in the hotel-the younger men were serving in the. army-to discuss politics and the war. These gentlemen in their black, formal suits and white, old-fashioned high collars, in their good-natured conversation and somewhat ceremonious manner, reminded me vividly of Old England's cavaliers, and not without reason, as I later learned, for here the ancient classical literature, 1 War of the Rebellion . .. (Washington, 1880-1901), 1 series, I, 59 (hereinafter cited as ORA). 30 SEVEN MONTHS IN THE REBEL STATES Shakespeare, Milton, and others were particularly cherished and abundantly fostered. I also became acquainted with fellow countrymen, since the local German society invited me for an evening of entertainment...