The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1878-11-15

IN single Day
DR.. Hugh Toland writes the follow
ing TO the Jacksoariiie( Ala } Republican:
In your issue OF the 18th inst no
tice an article, the first sentence Of
which asks the question: Scan per-
sons hair turn white in short time 2"
Having seen sucl an instance and one
that can bc authenticated beyond all
cayil, by persons now living, will give
you and your readers the circumstances
as they occurred, when, where, and
who they are.
When Grant sprang the "mine," or
"blow-up," as many call il, in front Of
Petersburg, Va, at twilight on the
morning oI the 30th of July, 1854, 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-sec-
ond South Carolina Volunteers, Colonel
Fleming. On the left Of the battery,
the bitches were occupied By the Eight
eenth South Carolina, Col. w. III. Wal
lace (now Judge Wallace, of South
Carolina), Of which regiment | was
Surgeon. All along our lines our soldiers
had dug out small bomb-proofs, As they
called them. These bonlb-proofs were
generally about feet broad, 3 feet
high and feet long--large enough for ?
or men to crawl into and sleep with
comparative comfort and safety, which
they did when OH duty, during that
never-to- be.forgotten siege by every
man who participated therein.
In one OF the bomb proofs on the ex-
IRENE right Of the Eighteenth South
Carolina Volunteers, and just to the left
OF the mine, Lieutenant Willard Hill,
Company d, and Sergeant Greer, Com
pany A, Eighteenth South Carolina Vol
unteers, having been relieved from duty
an hour before, were sleeping. The first
they realized of it was the shock, then
a deep darkness, and then conscious
ness that the mine had been sprung, and
they had been buried, how deep they
could not imagine. Their first impulse
was deep, Undesirable desp air--heart-
sickening, heart-rcnding hopclessness,
that left them almost powerless for
time. But what could they do? They
had nothing to dig out with but bayo-
net that Sergeant Greer had in his belt,
and there was but canteen OF water in
the cell. But what was going on above
them? Grant had consummated that
most diabolcal of all the deeds Of q ter
rible war. was within $50 yards of il
on my morning visit to nay regiment,
and 1t was just at that time of day--twi-
light-that even trees can look like
ghosts, and that added TO the weird
scene of death. Simultaneously with
The deep, dead sound, and culver OF the
earth, there arose in the air cloud of
lust and smoke, and timbers, men and !
nuskets, and AL manner Of shapes and
fragments were flying in every direction
and then for moment "A Stiffness
md 1t seemed a if every cannon on the
whole Federal line was turned loose
lpon our lines. Shells shrieked through \
he air--musket-bals and fragments Of \
'hell fell in every direction, blowing up
he earth and cutting of limbs from the
ew trees that the relentless hand Of
var had spared. Then came the charge.
Negro troops in front with splendidly
'aparsoned troops Of the Federal army
'ehind, driving them, as it were, TO the
ront, like sheep to slaughter, with the
'attle cry Of Remember Fort Pillow
nd the few--the very few--that sur
lived no doubt remember the crater OF
irant full AS well.
High above all the confusion and
moke and dust and groans OF the
rounded, could be heard the battle crv
1 the Federal, and the words Of en-
engagement Of gallant officers-thc few
nat are left of the Eighteenth and
'wenty-second South Carolina yolun-
GERS, and Of those brave Virginians
those battery was buried in common
rave with nearly every soldier who
manned 1t. But the Confederate lines
Tere broken in twain. Federals and
egroes had made breastworks of the
owlders that were blown up by the ex-
losion. But they were not to stay
here. Soon came General Malone
18th reinforcements; and, after one of
40 most gallant fights Of all the war,
Q carried the works, and the crater !
lrned to a grave for its captors. | had
card Of pools Of blood-it was there
lat saw them. Then silence reigned, !
lat painful silence which always follows ;
= the battlefield after death has held /
Ugh carnival.
Then came the sad duty OF counting
P the cost. My brigade had suffered
'verely-the Twenty-second South Ca
Dina had lost its gallant Colonel \
leming and many brave soldier. NV .
'giment had lost 16G men. Two whole
,mpanies, A and G, Eighteenth South !
arolina, had not man left, who was
y duty, to tell the tale. One hundred
al one Of my men, including Captains
lcComich and Birdgis. were dead 9
nricd in the crater or scattered along :
g works-and 60 missing.
Among the missing are Lieutenant
al aud Sergeant Greer. We left them
their almost living grave; Greer
gging with his bayonet, while Hill :,