The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1878-10-12


less, w"nld preach him more, and
themselves less, they would know
mO,e of His will.
A Terrible Story.
HOW TWO CONFEDERATE WERE BURIED
ALIVE, AND THE HAIR OF ONE OF THEM
TURND FROM JET BLACK TO WHITE
IN A SINGLE DAY.
Correspondence Jacksonville (Ala.) Re-
.pu5lican.]
In your issue of the 18th inst, I
notice an article, the first sentence of
which asks the question, "Cau a per.
sons hair turn white within. a short
time ?" Having seen sucI, an instance,
and one that can be authenticated be-
yond all cavil by persons now living,
| will give you aud your reader the
circumstances as they occurred, when,
where, and whom they are.
When Grant sprang the "mine," or
"blow-up," az many call it, in front Of
Petersburg, Va, at twilight on the
morning of the Both of Jn'y, 1864,
the point Immediately over it was oc-
cupied by Virginia battery. The
bitches on the right Immediately next
t" the battery were occupied by tho
Twenty second South Carolina VOL
unteers, Col. Fleming. On the left
of the battery the bitches were occu-
pied by the Eighteenth South Carroll
ma. Col. w. H. Wallace (n"w Judge
Wallace of South Carolina), Of which
regiment was surgeon. All along
onr lines our soldiers had dug out
small bomb proofs, as they called
them. These bomb-proof were gen.
orally about four feet broad, three
high, and seven feet loDg-large
enough for two or three men to crawl
into add sleep with comparative com
fort and safety, which they did when
eff duty, during that never-to. be for
gotten siege, 10y every man who par
ticipated therein.
IN one of the bomb proofs on the
extreme right of the Eighteenth South
Carolina Volunteers, and inst to the
left of the mine, Lient. Willard Hill,
Company E, and Sergt. Greer, Com
pany A. Eighteen 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 consciousness that the mine
had been sprung aud that they had
been buried, how deep they could not
imagine. Their frat impulse was d
deep, indescribahle despair-heart'
sickening. heat rendiug hopelessness
that left them almost po~erless for 4
time. Rnt what conld they d" : The,
! had nothing to dig out with but
, bay"uet that Sergt. Greer had il
. his belt, and there was but Il canteel
y of water in the cell. But what wal
! going on ab"ve them I? Grant hac
, contaminated that most diabolical o
all the deeds ia terrible war. wa
> within 1870 yards Of it on my morning
visit to my regiment, aud it was ~
, at that time vt day-twilight- thu
. even treps can Look like ghosts, ant
. that added to the weird scene "
>, death. Simultaneous with the deep
! dead sound, and Qniver "t the earth
- there arose in the air cloud ut dus
and smoke, aud timbers, men an
>, muSk-ts, and all manner of shape
and fragments were flying i" ever
!. direction-and then for a moment
" stillnpss-and it seemed as if ever
. cannon on the whole federal line VA
y turned loose upon our lines. Shell
: shriekrd thr"nSh the air, m1ske
\ balls and fragments Of shell fell i
" every direction, plo"ghing up til
~, ear,i, and cutting "tf limbs from tn
20 few trees that the relentless hand I
. war had spared. Then came til
d. charge. Negr" troops in front, wit
Il, splendidly c"mpariso"ed troops {
y the federal army behind, drlvln
-, ~ them, AS it we've, to the front |'k
~ sheep to the slaughter, with the bait
~ ~ cry of" Remember Fort Pillow" Al
~ ~ the few, the very few, that survive
: no doubt remember the crater U
u, Grant full as we'll.
-, ~ High above all the confusion AZ
"f smoke and dust aud g'oaus Of Il
~ =" wounded, could he Neutrality-suspicious.
;. of the federal, and the words Of q
~ enlargement Of gallant officers . Il
~ ). few that are left of the Eighteen
- - and Twenty second South Caro'i'
y" ~ volunteers, and of those brave vie
10 mans whose battery was buried in
10 common grave with nearly owe
10 soldier who manned it. But t
=" confederate lines were broken
Nv twain. Federals and negroes NJ