FORT WAGNER, a work constructed by the Confederates near the north end of Morris Island, a low, narrow, sandy strip of land, about three and a half miles in length, on the south side of Charleston Harbor. It was 2,600 yards directly south of Fort Sumter, to which it was an outpost, and was constructed to hold and control all that portion of the island upon which effective breaching-batteries against Fort Sum ter could be established. On the northern end of the island was Fort Gregg, and the southern end was held by a small force of infantry and artillery. Preparatory to a combined naval and land attack on Fort Sumter and Charleston, it was determined to reduce Fort Wagner and take possession of the entire length of Morris Island, and General Gillmore, an engineer of ficer of skill, was selected to command the land forces. On 10 July 1863, Gillmore, who had concentrated 6,500 men and secretly placed 47 siege guns and field guns in position on the ex treme northern end of Folly Island, attacked the Confederate position on the south end of Morris Island, effected a landing, carried the Confederate batteries of 11 guns and by 9 A.M. occupied three-fourths of the island and pushed his skirmishers to within 600 yards of Fort Wagner. The navy assisted with four ironclads. At daylight of the 11th an attempt was made to carry the fort by assault, which failed, with a Union loss of 172 killed and wounded, and 119 taken prisoners, of whom 40 were wounded. The Confederate loss was 12 killed and wounded. After this failure counter batteries were established against the for; and it was determined to attempt, with the aid of the ironclads, to dismount its guns, and either drive the Confederates from it, or open the way to a successful assault. The navy kept up an almost incessant fire upon it, and the land bat teries were established at distances ranging from 1,330 to 1,920 yards of it. Soon after midday of the 18th the navy and 41 light guns and siege mortars opened a furious fire upon the fort, which was continued until nearly all its guns were silenced and its defenders driven into bomb-proofs, when about sunset, after 900 shot and shell had been discharged, Gen. G. C. Strong's brigade of six small regiments, sup-. ported by Col. H. S. Putnam's brigade of four
regiments, made an assault. As the head of the column left the trenches the guns of forts Wag ner, Gregg and Sumter opened on it, and as it neared Fort Wagner the Confederates mounted the parapet and poured in such a destructive fire of musketry that the leading brigade was repulsed; but the supporting brigade gained a foothold, which it kept for over an hour, when it was driven back. The Union loss in this sec ond assault was 1,128 killed and wounded, and 389 missing; among the killed or mortally wounded being General Strong and Colonel Putname, John L. Chatfield, and Robert G. Shaw (q.v.). The Confederate loss was 56 killed and 133 wounded.
Gillmore now turned his attention to Fort Sumter (q.v.), which, with the aid of the navy, was, by 23 August, reduced to a shapeless mass with almost every gun dismounted or silenced. Meanwhile regular approaches were made against Fort Wagner, thousands of heavy shells were thrown against and into it, and by 26 August the trenches were within 250 yards of it, the intervening space being a flat ridge of sand, scarcely 25 yards wide, and for a great part planted with torpedoes. The Confederates were driven from position behind this flat ridge and the approaches continued, until within a few yards of the fort, when the heavy guns of the army and navy opened on it. Final operations were inaugurated 5 September at daylight, and in 42 consecutive hours 17 siege guns dis charged 1,411 shells at the work, 1,247 of which struck it, the ironclad New Ironsides joined in the attack, the fort was silenced, over 100 of the garrison killed and wounded, and an assault was ordered for the 7th. When morning came the fort had been abandoned and its garrison, with that of Fort Gregg, had escaped, leaving the entire island with the 25 guns of the two works in Union possession. The Union loss on Morris Island (10 July-7 September) was 381 killed, 1,372 wounded and 565 missing, an aggregate of 2,318; the Confederate loss was 157 killed, 674 wounded and 238 missing, an aggregate of 1,069. Consult 'Official Records' (Vol. XXVIII); Gillmore, 'Engineer and Artillery Operations Against Charleston, 1863' ; The Century Com pany's 'Battles and Leaders of the Civil War> (Vol. IV).