The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-06-06
Life in a Rifle Pit
From the London Times. May H.

"CAMP BEFORE ~SEBAsToPoL, April 81
" | have no news for you, but | write
a few Ines to tell you that 1 am in good
health and spirits. It is no use telling
you anything about the siege, for you
see that in all the papers:
Within tie last week I have been
twice in the trenches, both times 10 the
advanced trench and the rife-pits in
front of it. aud for the FIRST time, 1 tried
the new Enfield rifle Ia snaller bore
than the MIME They carry beauti-
fully while clean, for about twenty
rounds, but then they begin to lead and
do not carry SO we'll. When I first saw
our men firing Qast Saturday the 2Ist,)
from the rife-pits, they had no idea of
range or distance. Two of them was
firing at the same place, one with his
sight up for 700, the other for 600 yards.
l told them it was too much, and with
the sight up for 400 1 put two shots III
succession through the l9Ppho:e that the
Russians we're firing ut them from.
As l sat about q quarter of an hour
afterwards, half asleep in the pit, they
called to me and said tat three men
were coming down from the batteries
towards the town. 1 told them to ele-
vate for 900 yards They made them
dodge from house to house. But when
they got into the street thought they
were out of our range, and ceolly wax
ed arm -in-arm down the middle of the
street. 1 could not quietly stand that /;
L took the best rife, put up the sight
for, 900, and calculating the distance to
be about 1000 yards, I fred high
The man on the right dropped Ike q
house. He lay there for some time
They afterwards managed to get him in-
to a house. This shows what rifles will
do when properly laid on.
After wards l saw two carts ladened
with powder boxes going from the town
to the batteries, at which, guessed to be
LOO yards. l took a rifle, and soon
caused the drivers to run for the batter
les, aud leave the carts to come as they
could. Our men said [ knocked over
five or six, but I only feel certain about
one. l was sent out to the rife pits
again IN Tuesday (the 24th), but the
Russians were very shy that day, and
gave very few chances. 1 had a regular
duel with a Russian in the nearest rife
pit to US, ESQ yards) In about half
an hour he gave up firing, and, as 1 had
put about four shots out of seven through
his,loopbole, l thought l must have hit
him. left a namesake of mine in my
company to watch him. Very 500 the
Russian, (who, by-the-by, was a splendid
shot, fred again, aud put the ball right
through prsyate@'s cap, because he
did not bob his head when he saw the
smoke.
They began to fire 6s-pounders at US
in the rife pits, from the great gun in
the Redan, 600 yards from the pit 1
was in, and, with two men loading the
guns for I had q very sharp corporal
watching the gunners with my telescope
and directly they appeared l fred into
the embrasure. As soon as / saw the
gun vas leadedI made the men to lie
down close under the parapet until they
fred. The shot came close over our
heads, but did no harm. We lost Nc
men that day, but on Saturday | had
three men killed and one wounded OF
M party by round shot. Two were on
ly a few yards from me, aud were cut
right in two by q 2~4-pound shot. L nave
told you afew incidents of my experience
IN the trenches, aud now | take no no.
tice of shot OF she'll, except to take the
necessary precautions to get out of the
way"