It was now determined that Fort Sumter and Charleston should be taken by combined land and naval attacks, the land attack being by the way of Morris Island, the capture of the batteries there and the establishment of bat teries to reduce Fort Sumter. For this pur pose General Gillmore was selected. He landed on Morris Island 10 July, made two unsuccess ful assaults on Fort Wagner, 11 and 18 July, and then concluded to attempt the destruction of Sumter from ground already in his posses sion, so that the fleet could enter the harbor and command Charleston. (See FORT WAGNER). A sufficient number of breaching-guns were in readiness 16 August; fire was opened on the 17th, and on the 24th Gillmore reported the practical demolition of the fort. From 18 guns he had thrown 5,009 projectiles, weighing 552, 683 pounds, of which 4,147 struck the fort. Before daylight 23 August five monitors ap proached to within about 800 yards of the fort and opened fire, which was kept up until 6 A.M. Confederate officers now held a council, and the proposition was offered to abandon the fort, but as a matter of sentiment it was re solved to hold i:. On 30 August Gillmore re sumed fire, dismounting the remaining barbette guns and leaving but one casemate gun serv iceable. As a means of defense against the fleet the fort was entirely useless, and it was held merely as an infantry outpost. On 2 Sep tember six monitors opened fire on it, but it remained silent, not a single gun being in work ing order to reply. Early on the morning of 7 September, after the abandonment of Fort Wagner, Admiral Dahlgren demanded the sur render of Fort Sumter, which was refused. Meantime the Confederates were removing the guns from the fort and placing them in other parts of the harbor. During the night of 8 September a naval force of about 400 men, under Commander F. H. Stevens, attempted
to carry the fort by assault. It was then de fended by about 450 men, under command of Maj. Stephen Elliott, Jr. Stevens' men were in boats, and when towed within 800 yards of the fort the boats were cut loose and rowed for the fort, .on approaching which they were met with a fire of musketry; as the men landed, hand-grenades and shells were thrown upon them; and simultaneously, at a signal from the fort, all the Confederate batteries on James and Sullivan Islands, with one of their gun boats, opened fire, and the attack was repulsed, all who had landed being killed or taken pris-, oners. The reported loss was 4 killed, 19 wounded and 102 captured. On 26 October Gillmore again opened fire with his heavy guns from forts Wagner and Gregg, aided by the cross-fire of 150-pound rifles on board the fleet, which completed the ruin of the fort, and all aggressive operations for the season against Charleston ended, although a desultory fire was kept up against Sumter during November and December to prevent the remounting of the guns. The casualties in the fort from 12 Aug. to 11 Dec. 1863 were 43 killed and 165 wounded. From a tabular statement prepared by an officer in the fort it appears that from 12 Aug. to 31 Dec. 1863, 26,867 shot were fired at it, 19,808 falling against or into it. On the approach of Sherman's army the fort was evacuated 17 Feb. 1865, and 14 April following the same flag that Anderson lowered in 1861 was raised over it with imposing ceremonies. Consult 'Official Records> (Vols. I, XXVIII) Doubleday, 'Reminiscences of Forts Sumter and Moultrie' ; Crawford, 'Genesis of the Civil War> ; Gillmore, (Engineer and Military Opera tions Against Charleston in 1863'; The Cen tury Company's 'Battles and Leaders of the Civil War> (Vols. I and IV); War Records> (Vol. XIV).