162 Norro Carorina Troops, 1861-65. Fort Sumpter 2,780 yards. Wagner was an enclosed. earth- work measuring within the interior slope from east to west six hundred and thirty (630) feet, and from north to south in extreme width two hundred and seventy-five (275) feet. The sea face measuring along the interior crest two hundred and ten (210) feet, contained a bomb-proof magazine, twenty by twenty feet, forming a heavy traverse to protect the three guns north of it from the land fire. Behind the sea face was the bomb-proof, thirty by one hundred and thirty, within which could not be accommodated more than 900. men, standing elbow to elbow and face to back (not 1,500 to 1,600 men, as General Gilmore said), and this capacity was further reduced by cutting off more than one-third for hospital pur- pose. The Confederate foree which had been doing such ardu- ous service, were now relieved by the Fifty-first North Caro- lina Regiment, 687 men under Colonel H. McKethan ; detach- ments from Captains Buckner’s and Dixon’s companies of the Georgia artillery; Captains Tatem’s and Adams’ companies of First South Carolina artillery; one section of howitzers, DeSaussure Artillery, Captain DePass; one section Blake Artillery, Lieutenant Waties; Charleston Battalion, Lieuten- ant-Colonel P. C. Gaillard, and Thirty-first Regiment North Carolina Troops; Brigadier-General William Taliaferro in command of the whole. ASSAULT OF 18 JULY, 1863. About daylight on 18 July, the Federal mortars com- menced their practice which they kept up at intervals until noon. The new Jronsides, the monitors Montauk, Catskill, Nantucket, Weehawken and Patapsco, the gunboats Paul Jones, Ottawa, Seneca, Chippewa and Wissahickon steamed in and took position abreast of Wagner. At 12 o'clock M., all the land and naval batteries opened a “feu d’ enfer”’ upon the devoted work. For eight long hours it was as a continued reverberation of thunder, peal followed peal in rapid succes- sion. Nine thousand shells were hurled against Wagner —twenty each minute. It ceased only when darkness came on, as its further continuance would have involved the DEFENCE OF Fort WAGNER. 163 slaughter of the assaulting column of the enemy, now mass- ing in column in front of the fort. It now became evident that the assault would be made at dark, so all the guns were loaded with double charges of grape and canister, trained so as to sweep the beach about 500 to 600 yards in front. Thus the guns on the fort being prepared for the attack which was soon to come, paid no attention to the fleet, preferring to save their ammunition and their range for the more deadly con- flict soon to be enacted. Battery Gregg and Fort Sumpter were made ready to fire over Wagner on the advancing column, and the batteries on James Island to enfilade its face. General Hagood was ordcred to be in readiness to sup- port or relieve General Taliaferro and proceeded to reinforce the garrison with the Thirty-second Georgia Regiment, Colo- nel Harrison. On the part of the Federals Brigadier-General Strong’s Brigade was to lead the assault. It was composed of the Fif- ty-fourth Massachusetts Regiment, Colonel Shaw; the Sixth Connecticut Regiment, Colonel J. L. Chatfield; a battalion of the Seventh Connecticut Regiment, Colonel Barton; the Third New Hampshire; the Forty-eighth New York Regi- ment, Colonel Jackson; the Ninth Maine Regiment, Colonel Emery ; and the Seventy-sixth Pennsylvania Regiment, Col- onel Strawbridge, and was to be supported by Colonel Put- man’s Brigade, composing his own Regiment (the Seventh New Hampshire), Lieutenant-Colonel Abbott ; the One Hun- dredth New York Regiment, Colonel Dandy; the Sixty-sec- ond Ohio Regiment, Colonel Pond; and the Sixty-seventh Ohio Regiment, Colonel Voris. Brigadier-General T. Sey- mour was to command the assaulting column and to arrange the details for attack. Some time before sunset these regiments were formed on the beach in rear of their batteries, in columns of eight com- panies, closed at half distance. The Sixth Connecticut Reg- iment was to lead and attack the southeast salient angle of Wagner. The Forty-eighth New York was to pass along the sea front and facing inward, to attack there; the other regi- ments of the brigade to charge the south front, extending in- ward toward the marshes, on the left; the Fifty-fourth Massa-