The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1866-03-31

the heart viii cling to the smallest hope
Though atery joy should cease to zlissr "a the ina
Leave oh, laaTs ths lishs q hope bohiaz
This monotoRy sometimes varied. roz
On the ed Of june q desperats artiIIssy
fight began with the early dawn and con.
tinued for several hours svFitflorsts any appar-
ent cause, during which time the largo iron
bolts shot from their siege pieces played sad
havoc with. our works. Again On the morn
ing Of the 25th of May, about 10 o'clock,
another effort was made to carry eng works,
but with signal failure. After this attack,
which resulted in great loss to the Federals,
about o'clock p N, 4 white flag was dis
played along the line, and an armistice
agreed to, that they might bestow the sol
emn rites of burial upon their 'sunreturn-
ing brave" Did cali it 5aliSal9 Wen
call it so, if the word viii sanctify the wretch
ed ceremony of intermert administered to
those deluded beings. Torn from home and
friends, blinded by false stories and strange
illusions of patriotism, bigotted IN false
political belief, they were led far away to
invade the quietude of neighbor's rights
and deseOrate the sanctity and safety Of his
home. "Tbey have their reward Pan
dering to tyrants nod, they reioieed in the
enoFmity of their crimes Selling their
own birthright for mess Of pottage, they
attempted to rob their kindred of life and
liberty, and dying before the Sebastopol
walls Of Fieksburg, found no kind hand to
pay tribute to their remains. Hundreds
who fell here were left upon the field for
days at time and finally dragged of as
brutes, to be thrown into shallow bitches,
and in many cases even that little clay for
charity was denied the bravest soldier in
the Federal ranks, those whom none others
were found daring enough to scale the Reb
el fortifcations. One of these brave men
coIor-bearer, who was captured with his
colors planted just outside the works, face
ciously remarked, when called over the
bitches, ''I vas ordered to bring this flag
into Vicksburg and I have done it. even
though as a prisoner That man deserved
a monument for his courage, but had he fall
len none would have bestowed upon him o
soldiers grave. Time passed slowly on,
with no change Of programme or position,
save now and then weak demonstration on
some point of the lines. Not unfrequently
some explosion of their mines would send
quaking thrill to our hearts and be forgot
ten. Plans and schemes of every 'descrip-
ton were evoked-suspence watching. anx-
iety, unrequited hopes and unihteFfup pied
vigilence began to tell their effects on. the
haggard appearance Of our men who labor
ed daily in the trenches. At this time our
ratiOns were much reduced, the troops re-
ceiving only about or Of -four per day,
and 6 o. of inferior meat Onothe fortieth
day of the siege our hopes frightened From
certain developments it-seemed sure that re-
lief was at hand. But not so, Rurhors
only rose to deceive, and deeeiving fed.
Every flash of tightening, every peal Of dis
tant thunder were eagerly. metamorphosed
into Johnston's artillery, and the time noted
and distance calculated, to discover his prob
able whereabouts. 4 Alas, no succor came.
No rumor even to cheer as At that season
of the year the human system is naturally
relaxed and weak. 1t Graves. a vegetable
dietand a change of ordinary food With
the inferior army rations given them, it may
well be imagined what the condition of
great many became, To satisfy this pro /
pensity of appetite, many of the soldiers
gathered the wild herbs and tender weeds
and young shoots of the cane that abound
in this region, to be boiled for salad seem
ing indeed to relish the dish with true cpl
curean taste. About this time also began
our culinary experiments with horse and
mule flesh, the suggestion having been first
made in the hospitals, for whose inmates it
was essential that other meats than the sal
line pork furnished by the Government,
should be used The mule meat gener1
ally SO called, was discovered to be very pal
atable,, and SO laying aside the arbitrary
prejudices Of other days, we devoured it as
a rare delieacy. zs.ealg~ %" tl5 4
This, and much more, was endurable for
our countrYs5 cause-if necessary-and to
save Yieksburg1 RatiOns daily grew smaller,
the enemy stronger and hopes darker The
garrison, wearied with incessant vigilence,
making midnight sorttes and repelling at
taoks, grew more doubtful of their ability
to hold out much longer and cur only hope
seemed to be in the special interference Of
an overr9lirg Providence Thus progressed
affairs a few weeks longer The opposing
forces were now striving for mastery with
the spade and pick Mines and counter
mines, and frequent explosions had become
the spirit Of the hour. Still the garrison
held firm their advantage. Finally hopes Of
relief began to yield to the continual pres-
sure Of circumstances and a settled eonvic-
ton over the most sanguine, that the city
must soon capitulate., On the morning of
the Sd Of July, awhile flag proceeded out
-6n the Jackson road, and hostiIities ceased
Suddenly, as If by apparitioh, thousands Of
/" blue coats sprung up IN our front giving
our jaded and weafied troops to know what
vastly superior numbers menaeed them. The
crest Of every HILL and che valleys beneath
seemed literally covered with them, and ap-