Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Indiana) 1864-1865, 1865-01-13


when we were ordered TO the front
It seems strange that the rebels did
not have this better fortified, they
only had one hill fortified very strong.
They had commenced TO make fort
on this hill, 1.-THE country around
here is very hlly.) and if they had
got it done, it never could haN c been
taken as it was. This bill was com
manded ny eight heavy guns; another
hill a little south OF this was com
manded by five guns. About nine
o clock, \. NJ. our forces commenc- /
eel on them, and OF all the cannona- T
ding | ever heard. this beat it ALL
Batteries fired in volleys. The cav
airy done most of the fighting; they
charged this hill, which had eight
guns on it. They were ordered to
dismount, and the skirmishers adj
Vanced with their sixteen shooters;
they would slip from one tree 10 ap-
other, and every time they fired X
shot they would slip another in; ana
in this way they cot pretty near the
fort; they then advanced, with loud
shouts, shooting all the time. they
ran up to the works and jumped over,
killing men, and capturing all their
guns, and turned their guns on the
rctreating rebs They next turned
and took the other mill in the same
way This made thirteen pieces OF
artillery we captured on these two
hills. We came up, Is | said before,
about three o clock, and took our
position on the last hill and unlim-
bered and opened out; we fired about
two hundred rounds, and then pulled
down the hill into the valley, ana
opened again. The battle ragged ter
ribly from right to left. Our forces
were driving them from every posi-
ton they could take; Mt last night
closed in. 80 ended the first days
. fight, except q few shells We fired
after oil else was still. 1t was a
grand sight to witness We would
fire shot and then stand and watch
il; it would 90 screaming through
the air till it reached its place o.
destination. leaving long trail be
hind it; then YOU could see the flash
and hear the report.
At seven o'clock we were ordered
to cease firing and Get our suppers:
having had no dinner. Of course We
felt like having supper. But the
great trouble with me was, Thomas
Cadwallader had my rations, and he
was back in the rear; but rs luck
would have it, pressed in some sau-
sage meat during the day. and this
being rather Il rarity, had no troub-
lie in exchanging some of it for hard
tack. After supper was over we
laid down and had just got to sleep
when the Captain came round, and
ordered all the cannoneers up to
throw up works on hill which our
forces had taken that evening. We
went to work, and by next morning
we had pretty good works for bat
terry: about four o'clock the same
t morning we pulled the pieces up to
: the works. About sun-up the sharp
shooters commenced popping away
at us; we opened on them and pretty
nearly stopped them, but once in a
n while they would send bullet over
: to- see how we were getting along.
They were not more than five hun
dred wards from us. We shelled
/ their works until about two or three
o clock when the infantry came out.
The cavalry had tianked them and
were banging away. To the right
i there was one brigade of infantry,
! consisting Of the Forty fourth Hi
nois, the Ninety-third Indiana and
4 Tenth Tennessee; they drew Up in
e line to the left of our battery, to
C charge the hill in front of Us, which
/ we had been shelling all the fore part
of the day. We had no ammunition
except percussion shells; we had
II sent back to the rear about four
c hours before, and it had not vet come
up: but thank God the wagons came
r. in sight. About fifty of us ran and
. met them, and about one hundred OF
the Nincty-ninth Ohio. who were
: supporting Our battery; the old Colo
d mel came too. We jumped into the
:. wagons, tore the covers OF and the
}. hind gates out quicker than thought:
!, every other man taking a box, Sc
that we could relieve each other; the
} old Colonel himself took a box, and
we started back to the battery, rs
It fast as we could run; when we got
) back, we broke them open in half the
time it takes to tell YOU. and then VIC
were ready for the charge All the
: batteries along the whole line opened
e out; the infantry advanced with loud
Il cheers. which were caught by us and
i re- echoed back. Oh how it made
the patriotism burn in our bosoms tc
see those brave fellows charging tc
II the very muzzles of the enemy
C guns. The rebs could not stand
it such patriot band, and so gave way
# Our men leaped the breastworks
like deer, waving hats and their flags
and cheering. The battle now ragged
IL most fearfullv or our right. volley
e after volley of musketry. and cheer
J. after cheer, made the whole eartl
shake for miles around. The rebs