At early morning on the 17th August, General Gillmore opened all his batteries on Fort Sumter, firing directly over Fort Wagner. Admiral Dahlgren, during the same time, was making good use of the five iron-clads, Ironsides, Weehawken, Nahant, Montauk and Catskill; he brought these vessels abreast of Fort Wagner, and effectually silenced that troublesome work for the remainder of the day. About two thousand yards from Fort Sumter, the Passaic and Patapsco had taken up position, and cooperated with the batteries on shore in the attack upon it. No material injury was done to any of the vessels, but the service lost a valuable officer in the person of General Dahlgren’s chief-of-staff, Captain George W. Rodgers. Captain Rodgers was in the pilot house when he met his death by a flying piece of fractured plating, which killed him instantly. Paymaster Woodbury was also killed at the same time. Within the city of Charleston, during this long siege, much fear and dread troubled the hearts of the inhabitants. The future loomed up dark and terrible before their affrighted minds, although the chroniclers of the time declared that there was no panic, nor any prospect of one. Business of all kinds was, however, almost entirely suspended; and the cannonading without Fort Sumter, the storm of shot and shell continually hurled against its walls, brought anxiety to every mind, and a deathlike pallor to very many cheeks. At about 2 o’clock in the afternoon all the fleet had retired, with the exception of the Weehawken and the Nahant, which remained to keep Fort Wagner silent, and to prevent the remounting of her guns. During the whole afternoon and night the shore batteries continued firing upon Fort Sumter with such effect that the shore damage done to it was visible to the Union men without the aid of a glass. The enemy had erected a false wall outside of Sumter, which was completely battered and crushed to pieces; the inner wall was perforated in many places; and the northwest corner hacked and cracked down almost to the edge of the water. Upon the next morning the batteries were all briskly at work at an early hour, the siege guns hurling shell at Sumter at the rate of five shells to the minute. The masonry of the fort was gradually but surely crumbling to pieces; but still the rebel flag floated above it, although it had been twice shot away. Often as it was riddled and torn, a fresh one was run up, while the determined band within seemed little inclined to surrender. Since the previous day a severe storm was raging with a high wind, which prevented the monitors from being of any marked assistance; but during its utmost violence the land batteries continued to pour in a deliberate and destructive fire, doing great damage to the gorge wall, which had been strengthened in every possible way. Before the close of the day the parapet was utterly demolished, and great breaches were to be seen in the main wall, through which the projectiles hurled against