Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1879-09-18

getteTi ioF every uay Woaken8 US and
strengthens our opponents"
1t was these two conferences that led to
the desperate and almost hopeless attack ]
made on tho 25th of March on Grants line
at Fort Steadman and Haro's Hill, in front
of Petersburg.
After giving the details of the last des-
perate and partially successful assault on
Grants lines, which ended iu tho with
drawal of the half starved viotors from
the captured works, General Gordon con
tinues:
Aud then the death struggle began.
Grant hurled his masses upon our starved
and broken down veterans. Ills main
attack was made upon our left, A. P. Hills
corps. Grants object was to turn our
fianks, get between us ond North Carolina.
The fighting was fearful aud continuous.
1t was miracle that we hold our lines for
a single day. With barely 5000 men
was holding six miles Of line. l had Just
1000 mon to the mile or about one to every
two yards. Hill and Iongstroct were in not
much better trim and some part of this
thin limo was being forced continually
Tho main fight was on my line and Hills,
as Gen. Longstreet was nearer Richmond.
our line and we would have to rally our
forces at certuin point to meet tho attack.
BY tho time VIC would rcpel it VIC would
fiud another point attacked and would hurry
to dcfond that. OF course, withdrawing
men from one part Of the line would leave
it exposed and tho enemy would rush in
Then wo would drive them out and rc-cs
tablsh our line. Thus the battle ragged day
aftor day. Our line would bend and twist
and swell and break and oloso again, only
to be battered against once more. Our
people performed prodigi,s of va!or How
they endured through those terrible, hope
less, bloody days, do not know. They
fought desperately and heroically, although
they were SO weakened through hunger and
work that they could scarcely stand upon
their feet and tottcr from one point to
another. But they never con- planned.
They fought stcrnly, grinly-as ncn who
had made up their minds to die. And We
held our lines. Somehow or other-God
only knows how--we managed day by day
| to wrest from the Fcderalo tho last inch Of
our lines. Then the mon, dropping
in the trenches, would eat their scanty
rations, try to forget their hunger and
snatch an hour Or two of sleep.
THE EVACUATION OF PETERSBURG.
Our picket lines wero attacked sume
where every night. This thing went on
till the morning of the I'd of April. Early
that doy it became evident that tho supreme
moment had come. The enemy attacked
in unusually heavy force, and along the
line of mine and Hills corps. 1t be' ame
absolutely necessary 10 concentrate men at q
few points along my limo, il order to make
q determined resistance. This left great
gaps in my line of breastworks unprotected
by anything save vidette or two. Of
course. the Fcdorals broke through these
undefcnded passes, and established them
selves in my breastworks at length,
having rcpulsed the forces attacking the
points [, defeuded, began establishing
my line. My men fought with valor and
o desperate courage that has hesn rarely
cqualled, in my opinion, 10 military annals.
We reoaptured position after position, and
by O'Clock in the afternoon l had re-es--
tablished my whole line except at one point.
This was very strongly defended, but
preferred to assault it. notified General
Lee of my purpose und Of the situation,
when he sent me message, telling me that
HIPS line had been broken snd that Gen.
Hill himself had been killed. He ordered,
therefore, that I should make no further
fight, but prepare for the evacuation, which
ho had determined to make that night
That night we left Petersburg Hills
Corps, terribly shattered aud without its
commander, crossed the river first, aud I
followed, having orders from Gen. Leo to
cover the retreat. We spent the night in
marching, and early the next morning the
enemy rushed upon us. We had to turn
and beat them back Then began the most
heroic and desperate struggle ever sustained
by troops-a worn and exhausted force OF
hardly 1000, men, with vast and victo-
rious army, fresh und strong, pressing upon
our heels! Wo turned upon every hill top
to meet thom aud give our wagon trains
and artillery timo to get ahead Instantly
they would strike US. We invariably
repulscd them. They mover broke through
my dauntless heroes, but after we had
fought for on hour or two we would find
huge masses of men pressing down our
Aanks, aud to keep from being surrounded
[ would have to withdraw my mon. We
always retreatcd in good order, though
always under fire., AS we retreated We
would whoel and fire, or repel rush, and
stogger on to the next hill top or vantage
ground, where now fight would be made,
and 80 Oh through the entire day. Al
night my mon had no rest. We marched
through tho night in order to get a little
respite from fighting. All night long |
would see my poor fellows hobbliog along
pryiog wagons or artillery out of the mud
and supplomentiug tho work Of our broken
down horsoo. At dawn, though, they
would bo in limo ready for battle, and they