Christmas Shelling- Update

. . . an update to the post, Christmas Shelling.

The siege of Charleston.

--The Charleston Courier, of Thursday last, has the following:

One of the Yankee gunboats in Stono shelled John's Island for a short time on Tuesday. They succeeded in carrying off the two howitzers left behind by our troops last Friday, and incorrectly reported by passengers as having been recovered. One of the Timbers was left behind.

The enemy are again busy at Gregg. On Wednesday morning the embrasure for the 10-inch Columbiad bearing on Fort Sumter was reopened. It is believed that the old fort will soon be treated to another storm of shells.

Since Tuesday afternoon the enemy, with two barges, have been dragging the channel off Morris's Island, opposite Battery Wagner, with the supposed object of raising the sunken Weehawken. --Miss Plane, the lady reported as injured from a shell on Christmas morning, died on Wednesday from the effects of the injuries received.

-The Daily Dispatch (Richmond, Va.) January 4, 1864.



So, Miss Plane didn't make it.

The Hiring Season

 Local Matters.

The hiring season

is at hand, when families must employ servants for the incoming year, and farmers and others needing labor must prepare to procure it. As most of the "hiring out" in this city is done by agents, prices will not become fixed till after new year's day, consequently many families will be deprived of assistants during the holidays. Servants rarely ever desire to retain the same home more than one year, and for that reason the annoyance to hirers is greatly increased. Despite the exorbitant prices of food and clothing, hiring will advance from 20 to 50 per cent., thus putting it out of the power of many families to obtain help for 1864.

-The Daily Dispatch (Richmond, Va.) December 23, 1863.

The Hiring Season commences next Friday, will be attended with unusual annoyances. The great demand for labor, the high prices of all the necessaries of life, and the depreciated currency, all combine against the hirer, who, before the end of the year, may find a new and more valuable currency in circulation, and money much harder to get at. Regardless of these facts, families must secure their servants at once. Entirely without assistants for the Christmas week — for the hiring period universally ends with Christmas eve, when slaves are all free — with household matters deranged, and everything to put to rights for the beginning of a new year, cooks and chambermaids must be had, and those who can afford it will agree to almost any terms to secure what they need. Negro women will command from $150 to $300, and men will proceed by the $300, that being then as they wish. As the Governor to lead and clothe and pay the tax on each servant hired, he will find that each man will cost him from $1,000 to $1,200 per year, provided the necessaries of life maintain their present prices.

-The Daily Dispatch (Richmond, Va.) December 30, 1863.

Another Christmas Siege

Our Wilmington correspondence.

The irregularity of the mails has detained our Wilmington letters so long that they have lost much of their freshness, though they still retain a good deal of interest. We give them as they come to hand:

Wilmington, December 25--8 P. M.

We live in wonderful times. This is the Sabbath day; and yet our, enemies neither keep it holy themselves nor allow us to do so. It is Christmas day--the anniversary of the day when "the heavenly host" made proclamation of "peace on earth" and "good will toward men" and yet these same enemies give us war instead of peace, and a fearful fire of shot and shell instead of good will. We are not even permitted to drink our egg-nog in quiet, nor to fill the bags of the little ones with the gifts of thoughtful Santa Claus, nor to repair to the house of God, except with the accompaniment of 15-inch shells and rattling window panes.

The Federal fleet which had been lying off this port for some days, and which consisted, it was supposed, chiefly of transports, was found to be composed of over fifty ships of war, including two monitors, several armored vessels, and a large proportion of heavily-armed frigates and sloops. This formidable fleet stood in at 11 o'clock yesterday morning, and at twenty minutes to one, it opened a furious fire upon Fort Fisher, the principal work at the mouth of the Cape Fear. An English naval officer who was with Sir Charles Napier in the Baltic, and at Sebastopol, says the fire exceeded anything he had ever seen. It was maintained with unabated vigor until half-past 5, when the fleet drew off. The enemy's shot averaged thirty to the minute, being nine thousand for the five hours he engaged the fort. The space above the fort was filled with white puffs of smoke from bursting shells, many of which were of frightful size. Some of these monster projectiles passed entirely over the fort and fell in the river beyond.--And this, too, notwithstanding the fleet, with the exception of the iron-clads, stood off at long range.

The fort replied slowly and deliberately; but with what effect is not known, though Colonel Lamb, commandant of the work, telegraphs that he is confident the enemy suffered more than he did.--There were twenty-three men wounded on our part; one mortally, three severely and nineteen slightly. Two guns were dismounted, not by the fire of the enemy, but by unskillful management on our part. No other damage worth naming was sustained.

But fearful as the bombardment was yesterday, it was but the prelude to the infernal fire of to-day. The attack was renewed at 10 o'clock, and raged with tremendous violence until six this evening. Such a rain of shot and shell never before fell upon any spot of earth since gunpowder was invented. But the Confederates stood to their work in most gallant style. Many of them had never been under fire before; and yet they received the devouring blast from the fleet like men who knew not what fear was. We have no report of the casualties to-day, communication with the fort by telegraph having been interrupted; but there is reason to fear that they have been heavier than they were yesterday. Unofficial telegrams received during the afternoon, however, before the wires were broken, stated that all was well, and that the garrison had replied to the enemy's fire less frequently than on yesterday.

But the most serious part of the fight, to-day remains to be told. A portion of the fleet, moving up the beach two and a half miles above Fort Fisher, swept the shore with grape and canister for an hour, at the end of which the boats were lowered, and a force, estimated to be three brigades, was landed. This force was immediately engaged by Kirkland's brigade; but, at half-past 5 o'clock, the enemy still maintained his footing on the beach, after two hours fighting. It is not improbable that other troops will be landed to-night, and possibly some artillery.

The enemy is now between Wilmington and Fort Fisher, and has cut off communication by land with the latter. If he is not dislodged soon, Fisher must fall as Fort Morgan did, and with its fall the port of Wilmington will be sealed. Once firmly established on the narrow spit of sand, upon the outer end of which Fisher stands, the closing of the river above will be only a matter of time; and then, away go Fisher, Caswell and all the other works by which the harbor and town are defended.

There has been gross dereliction of duty between here and Richmond; but whether the military or railway authorities are responsible for it, remains to be seen. But more of this hereafter.

General Whiting is in command below. His report of the operations to-day has not been received as I close.--General Bragg is doing all he can with the handful of men present to hold the place.

I omitted to mention that one of the Federal blockaders got aground on Friday night, while chasing the Little Hattie, and was abandoned and blown up. The Little Hattie got in safe.

- The Daily Dispatch (Richmond, Va.) January 4, 1865

Christmas in the Camp- 1863

From General Lee's army.

[Special Correspondence of the Richmond Dispatch.]

Army of Northern Virginia., December 26th, 1863.

Christmas has passed away marked by few events of interest in the lines of this army. On Christmas eve at night a party of soldiers, about one hundred in number, entered Orange C. H. and made a descent upon the sutlers' tents, destroying and carrying off everything valuable contained in those situated near the depot, including, it is said, some $20,000 in Confederate money, $500 in gold, and some eight or ten gold and sliver watches.--The guard captured some five or six of those thus engaged, and they will be held for trial before a Court-Martial.

Divine service was held Christmas day at Orange C. H., Rev. P. Slaughter officiating. After preaching, the solemn and impressive sacrament of the Lord's Supper was administered to a large and attentive congregation, among whom was no less a personage than the Commander-in-Chief of this army.

-The Daily Dispatch (Richmond, Va.) December 29, 1863.

Christmas Revels- Richmond 1863

Accidentally shot.

--At an early hour last Friday morning, a party of boys assembled at the east end of the city, to fire Christmas guns and otherwise celebrate the day. They had been together but a short time when one of them fired a horseman's pistol loaded with powder, the load from which struck Peter Kenny, a lad, on the left shoulder, inflicting an ugly and painful wound. As the wounded boy pronounced his injuries to be the result of accident, the police made no effort to arrest any of the party.

Drowned.

--On Saturday last, a lad named Andrew Allen, was drowned in the Dock. With two other boys young Allen was at play on the ice, which was very rotten, when the party broke through and disappeared. Two of the lads soon arose at the opening through which they fell, and succeeded in getting out, but Allen went under the ice, and drowned before any assistance could be rendered him.

The Mayor

--on Saturday had a good sized army of white men before him, all with violating the rules of decency, he laws of the State by getting drunk on Christmas beverages, annoying sober people, fighting each' other, kicking doors, breaking windows, and crying fire.

A party of young men, after imbibing freely, made Broad street hideous with their yells — alarmed the residents by kicking at doors — and crying fire at the top of their voices. After a few potations of the distilled damnation now served to the worshippers of Bacchus, it is not to be wondered at that they forgot all sense of propriety and became turbulent and disorderly. The Mayor held them to bail to keep the peace.

A soldier, after seeing the elephant, ran his head through a window, breaking the glass and cutting his face in several places. When he came into Court he was well marked with blood and bruises, the fruits of his charge on the old king's fortifications, which have never yet been carried by storm. He was sent to the Provost.

A white woman, for wearing men's apparel in the streets, and a white man for accompanying her, were held to bail; and two women, for hair-pulling and cat-scratching, were put in limbo.

Two men, for interfering with the police, were locked up to answer hereafter, and scores of negroes, for minor offences, were punished with stripes.

-The Daily Dispatch (Richmond, Va.) December 28, 1863

Christmas Shelling

THE SIEGE- ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-SECOND DAY.

The Christmas of 1863 will long be remembered by those who passed the day in the City of Charleston. for hours before the eastern sky was streaked with the first grey tints of morning, the cold night air was rent by other sounds than the joyous peals from the belfry and the exploding crackers of exhilirated boys.

At one o'clock, a.m., the enmey opened fire upon the city. Fast and furiously were the shells rained upon the city from five guns- three at Battery Gregg, one at Cummings' Point and one at the Mortar Battery. The shelling was more severe than upon any former occsion, the enemy generally throwing from three to five shells almost simulaneously. Our batteries promptly and vigoursly replied to the fire, but wtihout their usual effect in checking the bombardment, which was steadily maintained by the Yankees during the remainder of the night and all the following morning, until about half-past twelve o'clock. Up to that hour no less than 134 shells had been hurled against the city.- There was no more firing until about five o'clock in the afternoon, when one more shell was fired. On Sunday morning about three o'cock, four shells were thrown in quick succession. There had been no further firing up to a late hour last night.

The damage, we are glad to say bore no proportion to the severity of the bombardment. Several houses were struck, but in most instances the tremendous missles buried thmselves harmlessly in the earth. There were but tweo casualties: Mr. WM. MCKNIGHTON, aged 83, while sitting by his fireside, had his right leg taken off by a shell, another fragment of which crashed the foot of his sister-in-law, MISS PLANE. Up to last evening both sufferers were doing well.

At Fort Sumter all has been quiet since our last report. An old shell exploded on Christmas day, wounded Privates THEODORE ICAULT and JOSEPH LEE, of company K, 1st S.C.A.

Our batteries kept up a steady fire Sunday afternoon on a Yankee working party at the extremity of Cummings' Point. The enemy have closed the embrasure at Gregg, formerly occupied by our 10-inch Columbiad. They have now at Gregg, but one gun (a heavy Parrott) bearing upon Fort Sumter, but they have constructed the embrasure of this piece with a view to giving it a very wide field of fire. On Saturday evening our lookouts noticed that at the signal of a steam whistle a large Yankee flag was run up at their middle battery. In their first attempt to hoist it the "old flag" went up union down, a mshap which evidently caused much confusion amongst the crowd present.

On Friday morning, about daylight, in the midst of the shelling, our citizens were startled by the report of heavy and rapid artillery firing in the direction of Stono. Many conjectures were made and varoious rumors circulated. The facts, however as we have learned them, are as follows: An artillery and infantry force was ordered up thrusday evening to proceed to John's Island for the prupose of reconnoitering the enmey's position at Legarville, and, if possible, to drive away or sink the gunboats genrally lying in Stono near that place, and also, if deemed feasible, to capture the garrison and post at Leagrville.

Accordingly, every preparation for the expedition having been made, the batteries were got in readiness and everything in position by daylight Friday morning. At the hour fixed, our batteries opened with spirit upon the Yankee gunboat Marblehead, lying about three hundred yards from the wharf of the village landing. the Yankee garrison at Lagare's was found to be strongly posted on a little island, with narrow defile leading to the village; Col. PAGE, of the Virginia brigade, resolved to make an attack on the enemy's position with the field artillery and the infantry, and awaited the driving away or sinking of the Marblehead by our siege guns from the wharf. The gunboat received our fire in silence for about twenty minutes, and then opened with full braodsides. Our batteries continued the engagement about an hour, but failed to drive her away.

The Pawnee and a mortar boat , during the action, ran up the Kiawah River, opening a heavy fire on the flank and rear of our lower batteries, and compelled our troops to fall back a short distance. The loss on our side was Private W. H. ANCRUM, of the Palmetto Guard, killed on the field, and five others severly wounded, two of them mortally, and since dead. The last words of the gallant young Ancrum were an exhortation to his comrades to press on and save their pieces, regardless of himself. Eight artillery horses and one ambulance mule were killed. No casaulties occured among the infantry.

In consequence of the loss of our horses, two howitzers were left behind, which were afterwards brought in, at a later hour in the evening. The expedition was well planned, but partly miscarried from unavoidable contingencies. Our troops, however, have been stimulated by the trial, and will yet show what they are able to accomplish whenever they are called upon for action.

-The Charleston Mercury (Charleston, S.C.) Dec 28, 1863

Sounds of the Season

That Christmas shooting? It's older than you think.

We have quite a merry Christmas in the family; and a compact that no unpleasant word shall be uttered and no scramble for anything. The family were baking cakes and pies until late last night, and to day we shall have full rations. I have found enough celery in the little garden for dinner.
 Last night and this morning the boys have been firing Christmas guns incessantly- no doubt pilfering from their fathers cartridge boxes. There is much jollity and some drunkenness in the streets, notwithstanding the enemy's pickets are within an hour's march of the city

- From A Rebel War Clerk's Diary at the Confederate States Capital, John Beauchamp Jones, 1866