Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1863-07-09
Letter from "a vermontcr before Por,
Hudson.

pe'ore rort Hudson, June 10, 1868.
EDITOR HERALD;-After leaving AL.
eXandra, the place from where | wrote
you iast,we moved to Shreveport a distance
oil ninety miles, in about three DAYS and
embarked there on transports for Bayou
Sara We landed in the midst of an aw-
tul ram and marched tue next day to
within five miles of Port Hudson when we
received news that the rebels were coming
out to attack us. We formed in line of
battle IN a large field. Our batteries
were splendidly musked and they would
have got something they did not bargain
Tor, but they did not meet us. Then we
moved again but could not go far with the
batteries, as there had got to be road
cut througha dense wood mile in length.
The infantry consisting of the DIST N. Y,
LIST Louisiana, and l3lst N. Y, advanced
into the woods which was full of rebels
They drove them half a mile when a
masked battery opened upon them of four
guns and literally moved them down. moth
ing daunted, however, they kept on and
finally drove them, but not till number
of their men had been killed and greater
number of them wounded. All of that
day they were fighting hard, but we came
out victorious, although the odds were
against us. The next day we had it aw-
fully. About seven o'clock a. M, we COM
menced to assault the works, the LIST Maine
Battery had the advance, Co. A, U. S.
Artillery next, 9th Mass. next, and then
Battery f, U. S. Artillery. As we ad-
vanced out of the woods the rebels before
had been driven into their works they
sent us their compliments in the shape of
a shower of shot and shell. 1t cut the
cannoniers down like rain, but they moved
on through the midst of it all. Battery
A then came in. They suffered terribly,
twenty being killed and wounded, and
over thirty horses were killed. We turned
off in another direction thus bringing a
cross fire on them, and for two hours
we peppered it into them as fast as we
could load. Our pieces got so hot that we
annlI rnf Load ,fhnr, W.
four pieces for them, one 42-pounder, one
24-pounder, one 2O-pound rife, and one
l2-pound howitzer. Our shells did awful
execution, and we were under terrible
fire, but not man in our company was
hit, but we lost some twenty horses. The
Captain had his horse killed under him by
a 32-pound solid shot. Our flag bearer,
one lieutenant and an orderly had their
horses killed under them. On the 14th
another hard battle was fought. Thanks to
a kind Providence we are still alive and
unharmed An assault was made on the
rebel WORKS by the troops under command
of Gen. Paine, but our brave boys were
not able to carry them, as they were not
properly supported, they of course were
driven back. Gen. PANE was badly
though not fatally wounded, while trying
to rally his men. We are now throwing
up breast works of sand bags and cotton
bales, and are pretty well secured
against all that the rebels can do towards
us. The rain impeded us great deal,
but our shelter tents and rubber blankets
afford us good shelter. We are expecting
daily to assault the place again and when
we do, it will have to come, DIG. B.
Co. F. LIST U. S. Artillery.