The Greene County Republican. [volume] (Waynesburg, Pa.) 185?-1867, 1866-07-11

miniature shell about two inches and
half in diameter, filed with powder, ex.
pIodcd with fuse and thrown by hand
INTO the trenches or Judgements cfthe
enemy. The officer who was with me
informed me that the prevailing impress
sion that The morning Of ihe 4th of July
was to have been distinguished by gen.
eral assault, is Incorrect Nothing more
was contemplated for that day than
terrific shelling ofthe enemy's lines, and
preparations for a grand assault to be
made upon the 9Th.
lie was Adirtant General 10 one of
the divisions, and saw the order issued
by General Sherman to his troops. The
plan was as follows Ten soldiers from
each company were to be detailed to
run ahead, and with as many gunny bags
tightly packed with cotton, throw them
into the ditches and alongside the rams
parts, and thus form n compact footway
over which the assaulting columns were
to march, The plan was approved hy
all the General officers, and would, had
not the capitulation on the 18th rendered
it unnecessary, undoubtedly proven sue
ceSslul. | have already intimated that
The principal losses of tho United States
forces in the siege of Vicksburg were
occasioned by the two charges ordered
by General Grant. After the sappers
and miners began their work, the loss
was surprisingly small, The army was
then so many thousand moles approach
ing underground the strongholds OF the
enemy, Bat the loss in the two charges
must have been immense. I have visits
ed the cemetery INTO which has been
gathered the Federal slam, and observed
upon the mead board Of the number -
G37. There are acres of graves, and
yet many { + the bones of the fallen he
ioes have not been gathered up by those
appointed for that purpose. On one of
the old battle fields we observed in one
pile the skeletons OF seven men. The
bones had been washed or plowed up,
and were pi)edb an old stamp, as irrcv-
erently and indi4crimlnately as we have
seen boulders in n stony field. In one of
the skulls I observed the gold filing of
the dentist, as perfect as when first plac>
ed in the cavities. Here and there over
II large plowed field could be detected
human remains What q commentary
was here upon the glor;es of war =
Who were these fallen braves They
fought for their country's flag, put stars
upon their Generals shoulders, added
brilient chapters to American history,
won the the theoretical applause of their
country, anil, so tar as personality Is cons
cerned, have served no higher purpose
than to enrich a Mississippi cotton field
with their blood and muscle and reap>
pear in a rich growth otco,ton and corn.
II IS horrible to think Of the blood of our
Union soldiers being coined into gola-
but the next crop Of cotton, by the
transmutations of nature and commlng-
ling laws Of the vegetable and animal
world, will present some cf them to the
market in the hat ofthe great staple Of
the Southland they will be quoted III
the price currents of Liverpool by the
penny and those OF New York BY the
cent. hope the officers intrusted with
The work will, at least, take care of the
bones ef these heroes.
Inside the wasting Notifications of the
enemy, the Confederate dead are buried,
and their graves are in 70 better condl.
ton than those of the Fcderals. The
ladies' Of Vick-burg have, however,
adopted preliminary measures for the
reinterment of the Southern dead and
the decoration Of the places where they
sleep,
Avistor now to the battlefields around
Viclisburg will witness wasting ramparts
haIf,ti.led bitches, fragments OF shells,
scraps of accoutrenents and bleaching
bones-all destined soon to pass away,
and leaye no trace behind of the mighty
conflicts which made this locality furnish
one OF the most romantic and bloody vol
umes Of martial history. Where once
the bray of the trumpet, roll OF the
drum and shout of charging columns
the hmtiIg shell, the whistling ball,
roar ofartilery and the rattle of mnoket
ry was hearl-now alone can be detects
ed, the sounds of peaceful husbandry'
Upon one Of the fields we saw little
negro boy gathering bullets in tin pail,
which he informed us his mother took to
the city and sold as old lead.
There are tons upon tons o! IRON and
lead lying about The lines OF fortiIica'
tlons which environ Vlcksburg.