Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1862-11-15
The CannOnade.

Wbiz, whiz, whiz! Whir, whir, whir
Hiss, hiss, hiss! Bang, bang, bang
Roar, roar! Crash, smash! The rebel
batteries opened upon US together The
windows ratified, the house shook to its
foundations. Heaven and earth seemed
collapsing The roar rolling back to the
mountains died amid the deeper roar burst
ing from their SUBMITS. One of our bat.
teries on Camp Hill was directly in the
rear of this house, behind the garden fence.
The rebel batteries on Loudon faced u.s.
Thus this loyal little domicile was under
the heaviest fire. intended to finish eat.
ing piece Of pie dancing on plate be.
fore me, but the shock of the tremendous
cannon behind the house sent me off my
chair in defiance of my aspiration after
sublime courage. l am not . hero; l
very much wish to be one, but am not 1t
is exceedingly Notifying amid stupsn-
dous occasion to find yourself unequal to
its sublimity. With profound humility,
oh Ecening Post, l confess, that to escape
the earthquake above went down into
the cellar. conclu led, as a woman can
not command battery, she should have
the privilege Of trying to save her head,
though Of no material use to any one but
herself.
We all went into the cellar. On box
sat . matron. On an old willow basket
fair young maiden. en,renched myself
in an empty piano box, my amusement
being the frequent opportunity which |
enjoyed OF jumping out Of it, as shell
Kissed or struck near the outside wall
There sat grey haired old men and sick
young man, the most frightened of all
Poor fellow, how he lodged about! Thus
in all the cellars Of the street above US
covered old age, innocent childhood, bel lp
less womanhood.
am afraid of boomshells. am far
more afraid of them than was before
heard or felt their sui phurous current hiss.
ing very near my head. If there is
sound purely deviish this side Of the re-.
gion of the damned, it is the scream and
shrek of bom5shell. No matter how
thckly they tear the air, each fend of
she'll persists in disbolical individuality
of its own, aud never Kisses or screams
precisely like any one Of its myraid
neighbors.
The cannonading continued terrific, un.
remitting The bombshels poured into
the garden beside US, struck the pavement
before US, tore the earth up on the cellar
door, threw the "sacred soil into up stair
windows, stunned US, but did no, hit US
Oh, futlle rebel shells, wha: rare, restrain
ing angel withheld yoar force and dead
ened your gunpowder beneath the very
caves of our Intel? Was it the talisman
of distant mothers prayers which held
the spot charmed, holy, invio!able, beneath
that hellish hail?
Two hours and half in the cellar, and
we grew strangely accustomed to this un.
wonted thunder that We came up to shake
under it in the sunlight Faint, then
nearer, nearer drew the thunder of battle
beyond the hills. Itis Sigel He is com
ing to help us. All, if we can hold out
two hours Sigel, Mcclellan, some one will
come to our rescue.
They know our condition at Washing
ton. they must know it. They will never
leave US to the disgrace of a surrender
Thus we consoled and supported each
other. Thus we watched and listened and
prayed for the approaching saviour. Alas,
he came Euening Post