tered ramparts, and grapple with the foe, which
yields and falls back to the rear of the fort. Our men swarm
over the walls, bayoneting the desperate rebel cannoneers.
Hurrah! the fort is ours!

"But now came another blinding blast from concealed guns in
the rear of the fort, and our men went down by scores. Now
the rebels rally, and, re-enforced by thousands of the
chivalry, who have landed on the beach under cover of
darkness, unmolested by the guns of the fleet. They hurl
themselves with fury upon the remnant of our brave band. The
struggle is terrific. Our supports hurry up to the aid of
their comrades, but as they reach the ramparts they fire a
volley which strikes down many of our men. Fatal mistake!
Our men rally once more; but, in spite of an heroic
resistance, they are forced back again to the edge of the
ditch. Here the brave Shaw, with scores of his black
warriors went down, fighting desperately. Here Putnam met
his death wound, while cheering and urging on the
overpowered Phalanx men.

"What fighting, and what fearful carnage! Hand to hand,
breast to breast! Here, on this little strip of land, scarce
bigger than the human hand, dense masses of men struggled
with fury in the darkness; and so fierce was the contest
that the sands were reddened and soaked with human gore.

"But resistance was vain. The assailants were forced back
again to the beach, and the rebels trained their recovered
cannon anew upon the retreating survivors.

"What a fearful night was that, as we gathered up our
wounded heroes, and bore them to a place of shelter! And
what a mournful morning, as the sun rose with his clear
beams, and revealed our terrible losses! What a rich harvest
Death had gathered to himself during the short struggle!
Nearly two thousand of our men had fallen. More than six
hundred of our brave boys lay dead on the ramparts of the
fatal fort, in its broad ditch, and along the beach at its
base. A flag of truce party went out to bury our dead, but
General Beauregard they found had already buried them, where
they fell, in broad, deep trenches."

Colonel Shaw, the young and gallant commander of the 54th Regiment, was
formerly a member of the famous 7th N. Y. Regiment. He was of high,
social and influential standing, and in his death