Dahlgren’s Night Attack of September 1st/2nd, 1863

Crewmembers aboard USS Lehigh (likely on the James River in 1864-1865) exercise a 12-Pounder Dahlgren Boat Howitzer on the monitor’s deck. Dents received from hits sustained off of Charleston are visible on the turret. Naval History and Heritage Command Photo: https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-59000/NH-59436.html

"An attack will be made tonight upon Fort Sumter. The monitors will assemble about the Ironsides at 9:30pm, punctually. The monitors will move together up the channel to a position near Fort Sumter, following the Weehawken in close order, and anchor in such order across the channel as may be found best for engaging Sumter, the flagship being on the extreme left. The utmost care will be taken to avoid approaching so near the obstructions as to endanger the vessels becoming entangled in them. Whenever the fire of the monitors can be advantageously diverted from Fort Sumter to the floating obstructions that may appear in the channel, it will be done. The XI-inch guns will be loaded alternatively with shot and shell... It is expected that the attack will not be continued longer than the duration of the ebb tide. I would prefer that all the monitors should precede me in withdrawing from the action. Any vessel becoming disabled is at liberty to withdraw from action. The Ironsides will assist as far as she possibly can by firing on Moultrie, Gregg, or Wagner." Orders of Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren to the ironclads of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, September 1st, 1863.

(All citations in this post are from Official Records - Navies. Ser. 1 Vol. 14.)

While the US Army's long range fire from Morris Island on Fort Sumter continued to reduce the Fort, Admiral Dahlgren wanted to again bring the heavy cannon of his monitors to bear on the eastern faces of the fort which the Army's guns struggled to hit. Dahlgren wanted to be able to push his ironclads past Sumter into the harbor, but that objective would be easier if Sumter could be completely silenced and the obstructions in the channel between Sumter and Sullivan's Island destroyed: thus the instruction to fire on any obstructions that could be seen.

Though the monitors USS Weehawken (flag), USS Passaic, USS Nahant, USS Patapsco, USS Lehigh, and USS Montauk began their approach at slack tide, they did not get into position to fire until nearly midnight owing to their slow speed. Dahlgren states, as seen below, that Weehawken reached a point around 500 yards off the eastern side of Fort Sumter which would have placed the monitor at least 1,200 yards from Fort Moultrie. The monitors kept a very slow but steady fire on the fort. Passaic seems to have done best firing 20 rounds from her 15-Inch Dahlgren and 26 rounds from her 150-Pounder (8-Inch) Rifle (pg. 560). Lehigh on the other hand fired 8 15-Inch and one 150-Pounder round during the five hour engagement. The 150-Pounder seems to have been disabled by its own recoil upon firing (pg. 565).

The moon was bright that night, and the batteries of Fort Moultrie and the surrounding earthworks maintained a steady fire on the monitors. The Confederate reports of the action are confident that many of their 291 shots fired told. The reports of the action do not give accounts of how many or what type of cannons at Moultrie and the surrounding batteries were in action. No casualties were reported ashore (pg. 570). Dahlgren reports that the ironclads were hit 71 times - though the individual logs recorded relatively few damaging hits. The only casualty afloat seems to have been Flag Captain Oscar Badger.

It seems that attacking at night offered the fleet two advantages:

1. As previously noted, the monitors got incredibly hot in the South Carolina summer sun. Night may have made conditions aboard slightly more tolerable.

2. The looming bulk of Fort Sumter was relatively easy to see even at night. The monitors could be a tougher target for the gunners ashore. However this does not seem to have been the case on this night with its bright moon.

Dahlgren wrote of the attack:

“The nearest approach was about 500 yards with the monitors, my flag being in the Weehawken, but so great was the force of the tide that it was half past 11 o'clock before the first shot was fired by the Weehawken. We lay right off the angle of the northeast and south- east fronts. Being much occupied in the movements of the vessels, I did not perceive that Sumter fired; but Flag-Lieutenant Preston saw distinctly two shots fired from a gun on the eastern angle. The firing was steadily maintained from all the monitors, which were well handled. The Ironsides was brought up to a good range and joined in the action. Meanwhile, Moultrie opened a rapid and sustained fire from its extended lines which told with effect; the obscurity of the night, however, interfered with their accuracy of aim at objects so small as the turrets. Our fire was also directed to the floating obstructions that had been reported from day to day. I should have wished to remain after daylight, so as to have had a good view of the scene of operation, but the flood tide set in before daylight, which would have exposed the monitors unnecessarily, so I withdrew, leaving it to another morning to prosecute the matter. The vessels were engaged for five hours, and in that time fired 245 shots and received, in all, 71 hits; of these the Ironsides fired 50 and received 7. The enemy fired some shot of wedge shape, samples of which were picked up on the decks of the Lehigh-an absurd practice originating in the brain of some wild inventor. A round shot struck the base of the Weehawken's (flag) turret and drove in a fragment of iron, which struck Fleet Captain Badger on the leg and broke it short, so that I have lost three flag captains in the short space of two months, which has embarrassed me beyond measure in the transaction of public business; Captain Taylor went home sick, Captain Rodgers was killed in action, and now Captain Badger is badly wounded. I shall feel greatly the loss of Captain Badger's services at this time." (Pg. 532)

The monitors had thundered at Fort Sumter - firing some of the largest guns in the world at the now largely ruined fort. The batteries on Sullivan's Island had replied. Again the monitors retired. Dahlgren held out the prospect that soon the fleet would be able to push into the harbor, but that time had not yet come. Nor would it.

Conrad Wise Chapman’s painting of Battery Rutledge - an earthworks battery beside Fort Moultrie which would have been engaged the night of September 1st / 2nd, 1863. Via Wikimedia

Illustration of USS Patapsco engaging the Confederate Batteries on Sullivan’s Island. This pencil sketch notes that Patapsco’s funnel was painted red at the top. Naval History and Heritage Command photo: https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-95000/NH-95087.html

Two 10-Inch Confederate Columbiads are mounted on pedastals as gate guards outside of Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island. The nearer Columbiad was cast at Bellona in 1862 and may have been present on Sullivan’s Island during the battles of 1863. The far Columbiad was cast at Tredegar in 1864 (number 2005). Read more about the Collumbiads at Fort Moultrie.

Fort Sumter in June of 2025

Captain Oscar C. Badger, USN

Photo: Oscar C. Badger circa 1863. Naval History and Heritage Command Photo.

Captain Oscar Badger, United States Navy, was wounded beside Admiral Dahlgren during the September 1st-2nd, 1863 attack on Fort Sumter. A shot struck the base of USS Weehawken's turret. A fragment of iron broke off the inside of the turret and struck Captain Badger, breaking his led. He would be sent north for medical care.

Captain Badger would spend the rest of the Civil War serving ashore at the Philadelphia Navy Yard and then as an ordnance inspector at Fort Pitt Foundry. He seems to have been a subordinate inspector. As far as I can the only surviving US Navy cannon with his inspector's mark "OCB" is an 1866-cast 32-Pounder of 4,500 pounds which the registry lists as being at Mare Island. (If anyone is in the Mare Island / Vallejo area and would like to spend a day hunting for and photographing cannon, I would like to talk to you!)

Captain Badger's last seagoing service came in 1878-1879 when he commanded USS Constitution as the old frigate caried exhibits to the Paris Exposition of 1878. This would be the last voyage the Old Ironsides would make to European waters.