The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1866-04-26
The Last Day Around Petersburg.

The Last Day Around Petersburg.
Few Of our readers who were at nome
st that time, have ever. seen an account
Of the desperate fighting which cnsued
ON the lines saround Petersburg, just
before the evacuation. From an inter-
esting account of the last fighting at that
nlace written for the Field and Fsres1de
by Confederate oficerwho was engaged
in it, we extract the following description
of the defense and fall of Fort Gregg, the
last important position defended by the
brave men who bore the conquered ban
ner through that memorable siege. In
describing the breach made onour works
after various bloody repulses upon Gen.
-Gordop's lines, he concludes;
Just in the rear, some two Oh three
hundred yards, on many parts of our line,
Heavy forts had been erected to guard
AGAINST Just such results as. had ensued.
I1,rear of the line of works captured by
the Federals were batteries Malone and
Gregg. but neither had guns mounted or
men assigned them Malone was uii-
finished, and was simply an embrasured
battery of three guns. Gregg was, large
fort, with. deep ditch in front, and its
sally-ports protected in rear, and was
em6rasured for six guns. These two
forts were all that now prevented the
enemy from completely cutting the Con-
federate lines in two to the Appomatox,
and dividing A.'P. Hil's and bongstrcet's
forces on the right from the main body
of the army.
AS soon as the line of works were cap
tnred. tlissmen from allthe brigadesiwhich
had been forced to retire were hurried
into these works. The guns, saved from
capture on the entertainments were put
in battery Malone with a few men, and
three alsoin Fort Gregg, with about 300
Infantry, mostly Mississirpians. After
reforming and getting in order, the Fed
eYalssmoved on these works---on Malone
first-and they took it with u rush, al
though the gunners stood to their guns
to the very last, and fired their last shot
while the Federal troops were on the
ramparts.
Il was standing where 1 could vicw the
whole encounter The Confederate line
to the left of the run WAS not attacked.
The crock divided us, and the struggle
was going on on one hiii while we were
on the opposite, about half mile apart
anxious and breathless witnesses.
As; soon as Mahone tell, the Fedcrals,
In three lines. moved ON Fort Gregg @ath
cheers. In the Immediate vicinity all
else was silent How confidently aud in
what beautiful lines they advance. AS
they ncar.the fort their line curves INTO a
circle. They are within fifty yards, and
rot the fash of single rife yet defies
them. My God have the boys .surren-
dered without a struggle? We look to
see if the sign Of . white flag can be seen
At this instant it seems to CLEAN in the
sunlight, and sends pang to our hearts,
But no ! it is the white smoke from their.
guns, which, from cannonecrs and lntan-
try simultaneously fire on the confident
assanlters, who stagger-reel under: the
death-dealing yolley-and in moment
the Federal lines are broken and they re-
treat in masses under cover. A loud and
wild cheer succeeds the breathless still
ness that prevailed amongst us, and is an
swered eXultingly by the heroic little
garrison in Fort Gregg.
but reisiforcements have come to the
help of the assauItcrs. l can sec their
long serpentine lines as they wend their
way through the cleared fields in the dis
tance,s and over the captured works. L
turned and looked to our rear, but no re-
inforcements can be seen coming to the
auccor r, of the garrison. Every man is
needed at his post, and no reserves are at
hand.se The repalsed assailants, animated
by the sight Of reinforcements, reform
snd as their comrades come up in battle
array. march forth again in unbrolzen
ranks, AS they gain the hilltop, two
hundred yards iom the fort, the artillery
within the fort belches forth from the en- IN
brazures,, and the effect of its canister
can be plainly seen in the heaps OF dead
and dying that strewa the ground. But
the check is only moraentary. AS the
navt line advances they move forward in
ssrried ranks, and soon the tort is !a sano-
I;ed in smoke we can see the artillery
rs s. sfires in rapid succession, and the
smalf arms pop and crack in q ccaseless
rattle: The conflict elsewhere ceases, and
both sides are silent and anxious wit
nesses of the struggle at the fort. Thus n,
thefight continues for an half hour. The
Federals have reached the ditch. They
climb up the sides of the works, and as
the. foremost reach the top, we, can see
them reel and fall headlong on their com
rades below. Once, twice and three
have they reached the top only to be re
pulsed. and yet they persevere, and thf
artillery in the embrazure continue to hr'
But 5at last, all is hushed! The az
t;llery once moro and for the last time