eir giant
artillery with the general mass of surrounding sand hills,
annihilate its garrison or drive them into the relentless
ocean, or else consign them to the misery of hostile
prisons.

"The day broke beautifully, a gentle breeze slightly
agitated the balmy atmosphere, and with rippling dimples
beautified the bosom of the placid sea. All nature was
serene and the profoundest peace held dominion over all the
elements. The sun, rising with the early splendors of his
midsummer glory, burnished with golden tints the awakening
ocean, and flashed his reflected light back from the spires
of the beleaguered city into the eyes of those who stood
pausing to gather strength to spring upon her, and of those
who stood at bay to battle for her safety. Yet the profound
repose was undisturbed; the early hours of that fair morning
hoisted a flag of truce between the combatants which was
respected by both. But the tempest of fire which was
destined to break the charm of nature, with human thunders
then unsurpassed in war, was gathering in the south. At
about half-past 7 o'clock the ships of war moved from their
moorings, the iron leviathan the Ironsides, an Agamemnon
among ships, leading and directing their movements, then
monitor after monitor, and then wooden flagships. Steadily
and majestically they marched; marched as columns of men
would march, obedient to commands, independent of waves and
winds, mobilized by steam and science to turn on a pivot and
manoeuvre as the directing mind required them; they halted
in front of the fort; they did not anchor as Sir Peter
Parker's ships had done near a hundred years before in front
of Moultrie, which was hard by and frowning still at her
ancient enemies of the ocean. They halted and waited for
word of command to belch their consuming lightnings out upon
the foe. On the land, engineering skill was satisfied and
the deadly exposure for details for labor was ended; the
time for retaliation had arrived when the defiant shots of
the rebel batteries would be answered; the batteries were
unmasked; the cordon of fire was complete by land and by
sea; the doomed fort was encircled by guns.

"The Confederates watched from the ramparts the approach of
the fleet and the unmasking of the guns, and the