The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1864-03-02
gortage Go. gellofrat,
.s. RANENNA,u OHIO. .ys
Wednesday.-....... March 2. 1864
LETTER FRom THE ARMY.

LETTER FROM THE ARMY.
Commu nicated for the Democrat.
R. Baxter Fem, in the 106th at Knoxville,
gives his father the following account of
Longstreet's attack on Fort Saunders:
6 The heaviest part of the fighting here
was on Sunday morning, when the rebels
made an att ok on Fort Saunders, which is
about mile from town, on the west side of
it, Knoxville being on the north side of the
Holston. - TtS
go The rebels had planted powerful battery,
and had been firing at the fort from 11ao5'clock
Saturday night. About six in the morning
they made their last charge, but were utterly
routed.
g They picked men from one entire iivis-
ion for the assault, and having massed them,
charged againstthe fort, and were beaten back.
Again thsy chargea and again they were re-
pulsed. Five successive times did they charge,
and five times, in succession, were they sig
nally defeated.
They succeeded in planting three flags
uponthe fort. the .bearers1o which were in
stantly destroyed. One Of them had barely
got the word surrender out of his mouth,
ere he was shot dead. A rebel lieutenant
reached the top Of the fort, when lieuten-
ant of the battery, inside, smashed bis face il.
with an ak The commander of the assault
reached the top of the fort, also, and with
drawn sword demanded a surrender when
the C,ptain of the battery, drawing his re
volver, said,Ff Hand over that Sword which
he did, and was himself taken in. -
4 Fort Saunders has, on its outer side, very
deep ditch, theslope to which from the top is
so steep, that man s0ithoaa accouterments OF
! arms, cam scarcely descend On the edge OF
this was fastened network of telegraphie
wires, against which the rebels, tripping, were
pitched sheadlong over each other and into the
ditch in a confused mass, and then they took it
for our boys cut the fuses of shell, and light
/ ing them by hand. tossed them over tht
4 breastworks into the raging mass below
where the earnagewas awful the rebels think
ing the Shells came from their own guns
J They threw down their arms, whilst our mel
q ran out and made prisonersof some300s ON
I thousand or more were killed and .wounded
4 Longstreet. himself, it is said, came about hal
way, and it was reported that he was wound
s .si9sA3 ,a7I 7a,sss .s.ssasea ,-szs sa.ltaa5 !.
In another lettershe says saee.esss sss -
/ am in good health, as the most OF u
are, and tough. fl were not, should hav
rough time Of it, indeed; for the Govern
ment seems almost to have rgotten us, S
:. far as anything to eat or wear is concerned.
4 we had not been paid off just before leavin
, Knoxpills, e don't see what in the world W
..d should have done----we should have been COLI
y naked, and stareeass We have bought clothe
81 of cavalry regiments and artillery, who al
( ways have more clothing taanSwe, not havin
to carry it themselves; SO thatwe are tolerabl
! well clothed, and now. are drawing clothes t
!. some extent, in the usual way. z@ a..
$ AS for food, by dint of hard travel, niue
: raasaGkang ofscountry, urgent persuasion, an
II qreenbacks literally shoaon, we, that have tn
: : perseverance, and pluck, have a plenty usual.
= For instance, two Of US, having proeuredpas:
es, started fromecamp about half past eight
y the morning, walked rapidlysover Is miles
u frozen ground covered with snow. obtained
y one place a dinner, at another Is pounds !
b -four, pound or so of butter, half a doze
'e eggs, and canteen of sorghum nolasses;;
8 IA third place, IS pounds, Of -four, pound az
threesguarters of salt, and at, the last pla
:. we called, twenty Ave pounds Of fat smok,
q bacon sides, and supper of corn pones al
milk; cold; and then found ourselves fourte,
'' miles from camp, after shutdown, and with Il
Holston river to cross, Well we had prey
eusly determined to get something eatable,