Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1878-10-24
From the Jacksonville (Ala.) Rep.
A Terrible Story.

In your issue of the 17th INST, mo-
tice an article, the FIRST sentence of
which asks the question, "Can per-
sons hair turn white within a short
time ?" Having seen such an instance,
sad one that can be authenticated be-
yond all cavil, by persons now living.
I will give you and your readers the
circumstances as they occurred, when,
where and whom they are.
When Grant sprang the "mine," or
''blow-up," as many call Il, in front of
Petersburg. Virginia, at twilight on the
morning of the 3Oth of July, 1864, the
point Immediately over il was occupied
by Virginia battery. The bitches on
the right, Immediately next to the bat
terry, were occupied by the Twenty
second South Carolina volunteers, Col.
Fleming. On ihe left Of the battery
the ditches were occupied by the Eigh-
teenth South Carolina, Col. w. III. Wal
lace (now Judge Wallace, of South Car
olina,) Of which regiment | was sur
geon. All along our lines our soldiers
had dug out small bomb proofs, as they
called them. These bomb proofs were
generally about four feet broad, three
feet high and seven feet long-large
enough for two or three men 10 crawl
into and sleep with comparative COM
fort and safety, which they did when
off duty, during that never-to-be-torgot-
ten siege by every man who participa-
ted therein.
In one of the bomb-proofs on the ex-
treme right OF the Eighteenth South
Carolina volunteers, and Just to the left
Of the mine, Lieut.. Willard Hill, Com
pany Z. and Sergeant Greer, Company A.
Eighteenth South Carolina volunteers,
having been relieved from duty an hour
before, were sleeping. The first they
realized of it was the shock, then deep
darkness, and then consciousness that
the mine had been sprung, and that they
had been buried, how deep they could
not imagine. The first impulse was a
deep Indescribable despair-heart-sick-
ening, heart-rending hopelessness, that
LEFT them almost powerless for time.
But what could they 'dos They bad
nothing to dig out with but bayonet
that Sergesnt Greer had in bis belt. and
there was but a canteen of water in the
cell. But what was going on above
thems Grant had consummated that
most diabolical Of ell deeds Of terrible
war.
I was within $50 yards Of II on my
morning visit to my regiment, ard il
was Just at that time Of day-twiIight-
that even trees can look like ghosts.
and that added to the weird scene Of
death. Simultaneous with the deep.
dead sound, aud quiver Of the earth,
there arose in the air-a cloud of dust
and smoke and timbers, men and musk
cts, and all manner Of shapes and frag-
ments were flying in every direction
and then for q moment a stillness-and
il seemed as If every cannon in the
whole Federal line was turned loose
upon cur lines. Shells shrIeked through
the air--musket balls and fragments OF
shell fell in every direction, plowing up
the earth and cutting off limbs from the
few trees that the relentless hand of
war had spared. Then came the charge.
Negro troops in front with spleadid ca
parisoned troops Of the Federal army
behind, driving them, as Il were, to the
front, Ike sheep 10 slaughter, with the
battle cry Of Remember Fort Pillow" /"
and the few-tIe very few-that sur
vIsed, no doubt remembered the crater
Of Grant full rs well.
High above all the confusion aud
smoke and dust and groans OF the
wounded, could be heard the battle-crv
of the Federals. and the words or en-
couragement OF gallant ntofficers-she few
that are lett ofthe Eighteenth and Twen-
ty-second South Carolina volunteers,
and of those brave Virginians whose
battery was buried in common grave
with nearly every soldier who manned
Il. But the Confederate lines were
broken in twain. Federsls and me-
gr0es had made breastworks Of the
bowlders that were blown up by the |
explosion. But they were not 10 stay