Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-12-21

ONOEsn 11&Eo
Living Under the Gums nj Petersburg.
TAKING SHOT AND SHE'LL AS A NATTER OF
COURSE.
IN. Quad" of the Detroit Free Press, re-
lates his experience in front of Petersburg as
follows: While Yorktown was invested, Column
bia burned, and Fredericksburg bombar ded
the residents Of Petersburg were expected to
go on with the daily routine Of business with
balls and shells dropping down upon their
house-tops. When Grant first made q dash for
the city and was halted mile and a-half away,
there was great panic among the people, and
thousands OF them fec to Richmond. But
many returned after q short absence. Rich
mond was overcrowded, prices were enormous,
and want Of money obliged many to return and
face the greater dangers.
UNDER FIRE.
Every street and square in Petersburg was
exposed to the fire Of Grants artillery from the
first, and as he continued to push his lines q
portion Of the town was subjected to a cross
fire. The federal commander made no formal
demand for the surrender of the city, and there
fore gave no warning for the removal Of nom
combatants. Had he done SO. however 1t would
have made no great difference. Some few
families had relatives further SOUTH and very
few had enough wealth to warrant them in
DESERVING their homes. but the great majority
reasoned that they would suffer more by leaving
the doomed city than by remaining and taking
the chances. Thus it came about that women
and children endured and experienced the same
hardships and dangers as the soldiers quartered
in the town.
THE ONLY OUTLETS.
The only outlets were to the south. Batteries
Numbered to the north and west, and the coun-
try to the east was being continually fought for
Grant kept reaching out that terrible long arm
OF his after new positions, and Lee keptextend
ing his lines to checkmate, and during the last
months Of the siege of Petersburg the Peters
burg and Richmond railroad was really the only
safe outlet. How safe this was may be Judged
by the fact that its trains were under fire when
running in or out Of Petersburg. and at differ
ent times locomotives and cars were knocked to
pieces by federal shells.
"sCHOOL IS OUT"
After the first alarm and the return of the
fugitives the idea was to effect an air of uncon-
Germ and feel sorry that Gen. Grant should
waste so much ammunition for nothing. Stores
were opened, business went ahead, the schools
fourished, and when two Of the unterrifed met,
conversation would run about as follows:
''Hello! Been hit yet!'
mo; have yOu?'
mo. but the house next door had a chimney
Knocked off last night"
well, guess there's no danger"
ION. no, nO-Of course nOt-Of course not
merely mentioned the incident to show YOU how
reckless Grant is with his ammunition. Good
morning"
One day after the federal guns had got the
range solid shot ripped pathway through the
shingles on schOOl-hOuse, and it was then de-
clded to give the pupils holiday and let the
school teachers find other employment. Soon
after this the citizens of Petersburg had reasons
to dodge by daylight and sleep on the ragged
edge at night.
''THERE CONES POP"
did not find one single citizen who could not
remember and recount some ludicrous incident
connected with the long months in which every
day witnessed the advent of shot and she'll
Standing almost in the center of the CITY is a
brick house which was struck eight times in two
weeks, and citizen who has a stall at the
market wildly remembers the first ball which
came sailing over. He was young man then.
holding government position in Richmond.
and was in love with girl whose parents own
ed the house The mother regarded him with
favor. but the father, who was colonel and
stationed near the crater, had given him the
cold shoulder. One night the clerk went down
to Petersburg to see the fair maiden Her ia
ther was away, her mother good natured, and
everything was lovely for time They were
holding each others hands and speaking of
woOdbined cottage and so forth when z-z-z-z
came a cast iron ball from one of Grants
guns and knocked off a gable of the house
That's pop and he'll bounce you" shouted
the girl as she heard the crash. and the clerk
threw up window. leaped into the alley. ran
for life.
"Is THAT ALL!"
On another occasion bedroom in this same
house was occupied by a Baptist preacher. who
had seen plenty Of war; and was then on fur
Tough A thunderstorm came on in the night
and during the midst of it Grants guns threw
a doZen balls into the town. One of them
ripped Off six feet of cornice over the preachers
pea, ana ne sprang up, rushed out into the
nail, and there met one of the servants and
shouted:
Get water-struck by lightning-the house
is on fire!'
oh, no. it isn't" replied the woman, "it's
only one of dem cannon balls from de Union
army"
is that a-a-l," drawled the preacher with
sigh OF relief, and back he went to finish his
nap.
THE LURKING FEAR
Walking the streets by day or in his bed at
night. no citizen could shake off the fact that
the city was under the federal guns. and that
the next missile might claim him as it's victim
Men affected bravadO which they were far
from feeling. AS the days passed. and Grant
extended his lines and mounted heavier gnns
many houses were entirely deserted, and GER
tam streets were almost constantly under fire.
THE HORSE STARTED.
1t is remembered by a dozen residents that
one afternoon during the investment negros
morse and cart were stalled on the street
running up from the depot. The horse tugged
ana strained to no purpose, and the driver. in
stead of wearing himself out by using the whin
or straining his muscles by lift on the wheels.
walked across the street and sat down in the
shade
Cant you bulge him?" queried pedes-
trian.
II 'spects not
"And what are you going to do:'
Use gwine to wait. In de course oh de next
half hour dat ole boss am gwine to be scarf half
to death"
In about twenty minutes the sullen boom of a