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Report of Captain J. Gadsden King, commanding Marion Artillery
SIR: In accordance with your order I beg to report that the Trapper battery on Morris Island, which was manned by the Marion Artillery, under my command, open fire on Fort Sumter at 4 a. m. of Friday, the 12th instant, and continued firing in its turn, at the rate of one shell from each mortar, or three from the battery, every thirty-two minutes, until about 2 o'clock p. m., when the order was given to slack the fire and to fire at double the intervals, or at in interval of four minutes between each mortar in the harbor, which was obeyed until dark, or 7 o'clock, when the firing was reduced to a shell every twenty minutes until 4 1/2 a. m. of Saturday, the 13th instant, when the fire was resumed at the rate of a shell every four minutes until the fort was set on fire by a shell fired form the mortar Numbers 3 of the battery worked by my command, upon which the fire was quickened by order of Colonel Wigfall, an aid of General Beauregard, until the fort was in flames, at which time I was ordered to slacken the fire and to fire at the rate of one shell every four minutes as before, until it was seen that the west and south buildings of the for alone were going to burn, upon which your ordered me to increase my fire and to drop my shell upon the eastern buildings of the fort, in order to set them on fire. This I tire dot do, and at the fifth discharge from my mortars the mortar Numbers 2 of my battery dropped a shell through the roof of the eastern quarters, as I had ordered, and so set them on fire, thus burning the quarters.
On Friday I twice thought that shells from my battery set the fort on fire, but I am not sure. During the burning of the fort I had the fuse of my shells cut to its full length, so as to allow the shells to fall and explode in the interior of the fort. The fire was kept up until the flag of Fort Sumter was either burned or shot down, when it was stopped by your order.
The total number of shell fired by the Marion Artillery was one hundred and seventy, of which I feel sure that at least three-fourths either burst on the ramparts or in the fort itself.
Where all behaved so well it is impossible to discriminate between any of them, but I deem it my duty to mention the names of my officers, Lieuts. W. D. H. Kirkwood, J. P. Strohecker, A. M. Huger, and E. L. Parker; Lieutenant Kirkwood and Parker having had immediate charge of the mortars. I also deem it my duty to mention the names of my three gunners, Corporal McMillan King and Privates J. S. and Robert Murdock, who aimed every mortar that was fired from the battery from the beginning of the firing until its close, a period of thirty-four hours, day and night. My thanks are due to the detachment of fifteen men from the Sumter Guards, Captain John Russell, for services rendered during the last three hours of the bombardment.
My warmest thanks and greatest approbation are due to my whole command for the prompt and cheerful manner in which they obeyed every order.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
J. GADSDEN KING,
Captain First Artillery, S.C.M., Commanding Marion Artillery.
Lieutenant Co. W.D. DE SAUSSURE,
Commandant of Batteries.
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