Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1878-06-14

vanced aud distinctly charaetered-whe
the life Of the people had became adopted
TO II, and when the full consequences OF
such abnormal influences were developed.
have spoken OF the element Of danger.
The Federals fought the garrison In part,
but the city mainly. Even the hre on the
lines was not confined tn them In its OF.
iects, for hardly any part Of the city was
outside the range OF the enemy's artillery
from any direction, except the south
Shot from opposite quarters might have
o0lllded above the city. But the city was
target In itself, and was hit every time.
just across the Mississippi, q few days
after the liaes were closed, 7, II and 10
inch mOrtars were put In position aud
trained directly on the homes Of the peO.
pie; and If any one OF them was silent
from that time till the white flag was
raised, any longer than was necessary to
cool and load, fail TO recall the Oc.
casiOn. Twenty-iour hours Of each day
these preachers OF the Union made their
touching remarks to the town. All night
long their deadly hail of iron dropped
through roofs and tore up the deserted
and denuded streets. II was feature Of
their practice that early In the night their
iavOrs would be addressed to one part of
the city, and aiterward changed SO as to
reach the cases OF persons In other parts
who had gone 70 bed in fancied security.
Those who could forget the deadly design
and properties Of these missiles might
admire every night the trial which they
made across the western heavGns-Tising
steadily and shiningly IN their & G It para.
bOlic curves, descending with eVer.in.
creAsing BWiftness, and failing with deaf.
ening shrek and explosion, hurting in
many a radius their pOnderous fragments.
II 10 be leVed by the expert that a mortar
she'll is the must demOrallZing agency Of
war. Throughout the war the COnieder-
ates had the same horror OF them which
the other side ielt for masked batteries
and black horse cavalry. For forty days
and nights, without interval, the women
and children OF ViCksburg took calmly and
bravely the iron storm which, In less
volume and In few minutes, turned back
the victorious column Of BeRuTegard
from Pittsburg Landing. They wreak.
ed their worst aud utmost on the tow l.,
bringing out the most vicious Of all wars
aspects. That the ordinary atmosphere
OF lie, the course OF conversation, the
thread Of every human existence, took In
for nearly two months the mOmently con.
tingenOy Of these messengers Of thunder
and murder, is past ordinary cOmprehen.
sion. How many Oithem came ana bust
nobody can have the least idea. An &C.
count says that on June - lJI,00U shells
fell inside OF the city; but this was proba.
bly, an eXaggeratiOn. Tney became al last
such an ordinary occurrence OF daily life
thatl have seen ladies walk quietly along
the streets while the shells burst alb
them, their heads protected meanwhile by
| a barasOl held between them and the sun
Nothing was spared by the shells. The
churches Jared especially severely, and
the reverend clergy had narrow escapes
The libraries Of the Rev. DR.. Lord, OF the
| Episcopalian. and Rev. DR.. Rutherford, Oi
the Presbyt. riau Church, were both invad
ed and ba y wOrsled. One Baptist hurcf
had been r. ldered useless for purposes OF
worship by previous shelling. But what
mattered churches, or any sacred place
or sacred exercise at such timer There
was nothing more striking about the lnte'
rior OF the siege than the breaking dowI
Of the ordinary partition between the
days Of the week, as well as tue
walls which make safe and saved domestic
life. Daring those long weeks there wa
no sound or summon OF bell to pgaJ er
There was no song Of praise. Tne NOR
lars had no almanac, and the mOrtals Kept
At home a perpetual service OF fast an
humi iation.