New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-01-23
The Explosion of the Magazinc-rorf
CasweiI Blown Up--Efebel Memoranda.

u
Sssm Our Special Correspondent.
FoRT FIsnER, Monday, Jan. 10. 1865.
This morning about o'clock, as i had just
uttered and walking lesurely through For: Fisher
Studying the record OF horror before me- traverse
b. traverse dsmoupted gun y gun, ehasty corpse by
eorpse. death and destruction all arourc-I may say
hreakfasng upon horrors, that might know of what
night speak was suddenly startled by terrific ox'
pi,sion and tie sight of immense column of debfs
going high into the air Following the instincts OF
tire and the example OF those around me- and wildly
remembering City Point. they say, Of Fort Pillow
and having ACQUIRED something Of habit Of lodging
Go day before put myself order the best within
resch which confess very unsatisfactory under
Tie circumstances and waited long, rery long half
minnie for the impending shower 70 come down think
ng Of City Point all the time. We happened to be IN
the outer edge Of the shower and very little injury
comparatively was sustained in that quarter.
The secret Of the catastrophe the explosion o.
Ne magazine Of the fort. This magazine consisted
ysincipally Of immense mound of earth, situated
Immediately back Of the center of the main or sea-wal
Of the fort. Some of our boys had been ruulnagng
sround In the boub-procfs, including the magazine,
striking lights and behaving in careless manner gen
orally and supposed that in this way tie accident
occurred In fact it is said that officer demonstrated
Win tOIu1er III 'uc mus
azne but receiving al iu5oeDt reply left him to his
fkte and that afler the magazine went up. The
explosion instead OF the mound left crater in the
ease before Petersburg burying everything andcvery
body near the place from to ten feet deep in the
letris. The 4th New Hampshire and the llJth end
leesh New York Regiments (al but one regiment II
Col AIdens brigade had been detailed TO occupy hc
fort and at the time Of the explosion were b'cuaehng
with their stacked, eTel space near the mag
asine. Almost the whole three regiments were buried
alive to greater less depth by the falling debris O.
earth shot, she'll tmbers. &C., &c. II "a estimated
that the ll5h New York lost 10 in killed and wounded
the l69th NewYork. 30 killed and - wolndedi and the
eth New. Hampshire 80 killed and woanded.-in all'
about PCS for the three regiments besides many DO;
belonging 10 these regiments.
The survivors Of the three regiments and anrre Iun-
Aer OF other volunteer wcrkmen have been engaged
large part Of the day digging up bodies. with pros
peot of not getting thoroughly through before night
There were great many persons IN the Fort at the tine
Of the explosion besides the three regiments on duty
drawn there by curiosity and every foot Of the debfis
q all sides Of the crater will have be dug over before
ne work can be properly relinquisAed.
Among the CASUALTIES in .he l6sth New York By the
explosion were the following:
Col Aonzo Alden commanding the brigade, boh legs bro
keD-woands considered mortal
Capt Ferguson killed
Lieut.. McGTego: killed.
Lieut.. Van sanford wounded
Capt. Chss d. Merrill, badly wounded.
Lieut.. Faulkner slightly.
OF party Of officers who ashore from the war
steamer Gettysburg out Of curiosity, and were stand
Eng on the parape Of the fort nearly opposite tie mag
asine at tho time of the explosion, Acting Ensign
6sowen S. leighton and Paynaster Gillette were
KILLED and nearly buried by the falling debris. Near
these lay a handsome young man. named Ralph C.
Huse Surgeon Of the Sd NowYork Regiment, with one
Veg broken and the other parazed by blow from some
heavy missile. One of his comrades was standing by
hin and they waiting for stretchcr TO be brought
% carry the Doctor away. This was but short time
after the explosion and some one who tnought lie had
discovered trip wires started the report that all
ether explosion coming off immediately, ond in
shis way created general panic and stampede, ex.
tending 10 the comrade Of the wounded surgeon The
Doctor thinking that lie about TO be left TO the ten
Der mercies Of another explosion cried out piteously.
10 the panic-strcken fugitiyes, Don't leave me :"
Feeling peculiarly affected toward the gentle and ul
fortunate young man, and being rather skepcal about
che Rebs having left so many magazines TO blow up
and having something OF panics, knet down in
tho sand by his side and assured him that the report Of
asother explosion coming off was ell filse alarm, and
chat he need be in the least account Of it,
This theory proved true and soon the flgityes re-
rned to the parapet when the doctor in exclamation
q his ALARM said to his conrade You shouldn't leave
ne that way Ny poor mother will die i'll die lam AZ
right now, but can't stand another explosion like taat
Why don't those fellows come ilong with that
stretcherf His comrade commenced halOOing Justify
Tor the strecher which arrived and the doctor
va carried away to camp. without having to the
perils Of another explosion.
The dead OF yesterdays battle are strcwn over the
fort in every conceivable attitude Of agony and horror
Some have been parayzed by death in the act Of holding
aad sighting their rides, their pieces having aerward
fallen from their relaxed hands, Others lie with their
skulls shattered and the brain exposed 10 full view
Some wear q calm and pleasant expression on their
faces while other countenanees stamped in most ex
srucating agony. At the foot OF the interior slope Of
Che seawa there many large guns which have been
disDounted and tumbled down Among these are en-.
sAngled Rebel dead in almost every shape and position
some standing their feet and others on their heads
Al glaring and grinnng ghasty alike upon the passer
By.
In the clear blue eye OF North Carolina gunner who
lay dead behind casemate, ianccd that could al
ost read his sad history Of love- dome5ticy, aud i'm.
psessment Lis dying message ofloye and regret 10 lis