The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1878-11-15


them These bomb-proofs, we're
generally about four feet broad, three
feet high and seven feet 1ong-large
enough for two or three men to crawl
into and sleep with comparative com.
fort and safety, which they did when
Off duty during the never-tO- be-fOr.
gotten siege, by every man who par
ticipated therein. -. ..,.l..I,.ltr
In one of the bomb-proofs on the
extreme right of the. Eighteenth
South Carolina volunteers, and just
to the left of the mine, Lieut.. Willard
Hill, Go. d, and Sergt. Greer, Go.
teers, having been relieved from duty
an hour before, were sleeping. The
first they realized of it was the shock,
then q deep. darkness, and then q
consciousness that the mine had boon
sprung, and that they had been
buried, how deep they could not
imagine. Their first impulse was q
deep, Understandable despair-heart-
sickening, heart.rending hopeless
ness, that left them almost powerless
for q time. But what could they do 2
They had nothing to dig out with
but bayOnet that Sergt. Greer
had in his belt, and there was but O
canteen of water in the cell. But
what was going on above them {?
Grant had contaminated that most
diabolical of all the deeds of Il terrible
war. I was within $50 yards of it on
my morning visit to my regiment,
and it was just at that time Of day
twilight-that even trees can look
like ghosts, and that added to the
weird scene of death. Simultane-
ously with the deep dead sound and
culver of the earth there arose in the
air q cloud of dust and smoke and
smoke, and timbers, men and mus
kets, and all manner of shapes and
fragments were flying in every direc-.
tion-and then for Il moment still
ness-and it seemed as if every can
non OH the whole Federal limo was
turned loose upon our lines. Shells
shrieked through tho air, musl>et
balls and fragments of shells in every
direction, blowing up the earth and
cutting Off limbs from tho few trees
that the relentless hand of war had
spared. Then came the charge.
Negro troops in front, with splendid
ly caparisOned troops of the Federal
army behind, driving them, as it
were, to tho battle cry of tslsemem-
Der Fort Pillow" and the few, the
very few, that survived, no doubt
remember tho crater of Grant full
as we'll.
High above all the confusion and
smoke and dust and groans OF the
wounded could he heard the battle
cry of the Federal, and the words of
encouragement of gallant officers
the few that are left of the Eighteenth
and Twenty second South Carolina
volunteers, and of those brave Vir-
ginians whose battery was buried in
Il common rrO with Il "
soldier who manned it. But the Con-
Tolerate lines were broken in twain.
Federals and negroes had made
breastworks of the powders that
were blown mp by tho explosion.
But they were not to stay there. |
Soon came Gen. Malone with REIN |
forcements; and, after one of the1
most gallant fights of all the war,
he carried the works, and the crater
turned to grave for it's captors. I
had heard of pools of blood-it was
there I saw them. Then silence
reigned, that painful silence which
always follows ON the battle.fieldl
after death has held has held high
carnival. '''...''' 72l7E
Then came the sad duty of count
ing up the cost. My brigade had
suffered severely--the Twenty. second
south Carolina had lost it's gallant
Col. Fleming and many q brave sol,
dler. My regiment had lost 163 men.
Two whole companies, A. ana Q,
Eighteenth South Carolina, had not
q man left, who was on duty, to ten
the tale. One hundred and one Of
my men, including Capts. Mcconnell,
and Birdgis, We're dead-intleed in
the crater or scattered along the
Works-and sixty-two missing. s''
Among the missing arc Lieut.. Hill
and Sergt. Greer. We left them in
their almost living grave; Greer
digging with his bayonet while Hill
passed back the dirt with all the
desperation of despair. They hear
not, heed not the battle that is raging
above them, but toll on. Often hope