The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1866-03-31
"reminiscences Of the siege Of vioks-
burg.
BKAN BYE WITNESS. }. D.
/ ICONTINUED.

II
it is hoped wiz be redeemed at this writing
80 On the night Of the 3Ist of May, a small
detachment of go men, under a gallant Off
I GER, proceeded IN small skiffs slowly and
cautiously up the river to the wreck of the
gun boat Cincinnati, which they set on Ere,
and quickly returned to their moorings to
watch the effect. The wreck burned singu-
larry. during the night to the waters edge,
but much combustible material continued
to.smeke and ignite during the next day.
At the hour of midnight the following
night great fire broke out in the city, and
the wind being high this fearful confagra-
ton threatened to engulf the whole of it
The moon, in all erqueenly spIendor, 'with
all her virgin stars around her. rode grand
ly through the heavens, Illuminating the
scene, which grew more beautiful as the
liquid flames rolled on, with that inspiring
grandeur so peculiar to Southern scenery,
On the opposite side of the river, which lay
in silent majesty and strength before us, the
Federal mortar boats belched forth their
thunders, whose deep echo reverberated
through the stiffness like "the voice Of many
waters" Nothing could be more magnif-
Gently beautiful. The burning wreek-the
city in fames-the belching mortars-all IL
Illuminating the river, while the gentle moon,
inspiring all nature, looked down in queen
" pity upon a scene where serried men and
glittering bayonets bespoke of dark designs
and bloody deeds. Turning from object to
object as the panorama moved before the
.beholder-new to the city, this world-re-
nowned, heroic city-enVironed by its enc
mics, who had sworn its destruction, the
past and future fitted before our magma
ton bu1dened with hope and despair. Then
as the fiery flames licked high in air, and
leaped in hurried fury from roof to roof, the
foreboding fear came that some malicious
wretch-some secret spy had discovered the
commissariats stores, and touched to them
the ineendiary brand, hoping thus by de-
stroying our scanty provisions, to force a
surrender by starvation that they could not
effect by arms Again our attention was di-
rected to the burning gunboat, which ever
and aEon was lit up by faint CLEAN as
though some new combustible had caught
then go out again in smoke One of their
strongest ironclads but yesterday roamed a
monarch of this /" mighty deep" now expir-
ing in the last throes Of death, it seemed a.
thing of life that must, but would not die.
Alas for it, it had proved too true
THE stormy land
A stormy before her. .5f..2
But Oh to strong human hand
q The waters gathered Ger her"
Then that deep, unearthly roar across the
water, called back our attention to the bonn
bardment The stars which are the poetry
of heaven lit up the armament, but stream
ing mid their silent courses, meteor-lke,
dashed onward and upward in their hyper
bola track, those brilliant corruscations of
Light made by. the burning bombs, which
chased each other through the air as ifsih
childish play. Now. yonder bold and daring
one which seems to leap an hundred feet In
neither air at a bound slowly APPROACHES the
vortex of its fiery cone pauSes q moment as
If ia disappointed strength 30 climb still
higher, then downward, downward down
ward fall with awful crash, reminding one
of that PEesumptuous angel of light who
sought the highest place in heaven, but fell
to rise no more-fell, as Milton says seven
days and nights down to the bottomle6s pit
M ~ Hurled headong flaming from tha sshsriaI sky
,-.- With hedOus ruin and combustion down t.ra
To bQttomlesS PerditiOn - .
Sometimes, as If in anger, these bombs
would burst high in mid air, ''preferring rath-
er to be destroyed in 81 airing high, than take
the fearfulleap from their aspirings. Oh,
what glorious CLEANS of thought viii break
on our meditations, gazing on such a scene.
To watch that giant river, winding its ser
pentine course through shade and moon-
'shine,- rolling in conscious majesty along,
and bearing lightly. on its bosom absolutely
the weight Of empires, while beneath its sill
yer waves are duplicated the likeness Of
things IN the heavens above. Such serene
beauty would wake the burning. thoughts Of
genius, and inspire the hopes Of RlphaeL
While standing here distracted in thought,
again our attention is called to our own
huge guns, which impatient of this mid
night disturbance broke forth their solemn
mutterings as if to command silence by
their heavy voices. And then again. would
come a sharp sudden crack of canpon from
beyond the works in, the ireariof the city, fol-
lowed by a fiery, kissing wall that seemed
to cut the air in its flight, and remind Us of
the situationof. eimmortal "Six hundred,
with :" Cannon to the rightof them and can
non to the left Of them" Then came tbe
sound of the distant random gun" and
the slow rattle of musketry which disturbed
the night watches on the bitches. Placing
our ears close to the ground along the ditch
es and listening quietly We could distinctly
hear the working party of the enemy, and
the rapid strokes Of the spade, and the click
click of their picks told how busily the enc
my were entrenehing Next day could be
seen little mound, freshly risen beyond
our works, which soon Is grown into full
maturity. These gopher warriors know how
to work, and slowly but surely their paral.
leIs approached orr fortifcations Parallel
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