The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1882-10-05


and comrades, turned out an indepen.
dent sharpshooter. 1t was daylight.
Being without All officer voted myself
com,missary, aud knowing that the stores
would soon be in the hands of the enemy
went and drew as many days rations
rs could conveniently carry. In fifteen
or twenty minutes the enemy were in
possession of building and contents.
now followed the scattered hands of
men and we wended our weary way to.
wards Petersburg, when staff. officer
rode up and said we must rendezvous at
Battery For!y-tive. In doing SO i, was
necessary to pass the HaifMoon Fort,
ana while doing SO saw men crowding
into 1t. | asked to be allowed to enter.
but was denied. afterwards found out
that it was Forlorn Hope
THE IA!F.MooN FORT.
The organized bands that entered were
Misslsslppians, | think, though many
volunteers accompanied them. Over
the entrance might well have been writ.
ten, who enters here leaves hope be.
hind" | hurried Oh to Battery Forty
hve, where wc were organized for defence,
but the attention Of the enemy seemed
to be directed 10 the Half Noon Fort.
Ills place 'Tas new completely isolated.
and from the parapet of Battery Forty.
five l saw the bodies of troops mano,u.
Vering and concentrating before the de-
voted Hal, Moon Fort.
all was now still and cxpcctant; an
occasional shot from the skirmish lines
to the left could bo heard. but all else
was still. From my position could see
the movements of the Federals prepar.
ing 10 advance and the quiet waiting OF
our troops in the Fort.
WAS IT A. p. HILL?
Just at this junction an officer on
horseback was seen to charge down upon
the encmy's picket lines, pistol in hand,
and as he rode by the men he discharged
his weapon i'll their very faces, until
finally he was unhorsed himself, and it
was passed from lip to lip that's A. p.
Hill" Whether it was the General or
not cannot say, but that an officer
boldly rode to his death when he found
his cause lost, that saw from my point
of observation.
But the first line for the charge on the
Fort was formed and slowly advanced to
q sunken road through the field where
they stopped for a few moments, then
with cheer on they rushed but were
met by deadly fire; they were stag.
gered and scattered, the colors went
down and were picked up to fall again
and again, and with heads down as
though battling with hail storm, they
at last reached the moat around the Fort
and jumped in, aid here they were un-
exposed TO tho scathing fire. Another
line followed and yet another to share
the same fate as the first. The ground
in front Of the Fort was literally black
with dead and dying. From the sunken
road l saw another and last line emerge,
and they were met by CALLING fire from
the Fort.
CHECK TO THE sTORMERS.
They stopped like men dazed and
staggered back to the road. Then by q
desperate sally they too reached the lnoat
which by this time was packed with men,
and they commenced the process Of seal.
ing the embankment upon each others
shoulders, auG soon dark half-moon of
men were seen firing down upon the de-
voted few who were in this detached for
tification. Long and continuous was the
fusilade, and felt that not man would
issue from the fortress alive. l saw many
Of the assaiants fall back into the moat
which told too plainly that "last ditch
men" composed that garrison. After the
firing ceased, not more than twenty un-
harmed men came out. 1t is strange
that have seen no mention of this gal
liant defence by the Forlorn Hope of
Lees army near Petersburg. The forti-
hcation may be known in history by some
other name, but be that ss it may, the
herOism of these men should be handed
down to posterity with the name of their
The carnage in this short,
sharp fight was terrible, and gave the nd.
hosts OF Grant check, and al
lowed us time to organize for our retreat
which terminated at Appomattox Court.
house.
THE RETREAT-"oLD ROCK"
On the retreat from Petersburg, after
some miles, I stepped aside in
&c the woods to cook hasty meal: and
while engaged in doing 80 rough look
ing soldier in an officers uniform came
over to where was and asked if I could
provide for two. My answer was in the
affirmative, and while I prepared the
food, (of which 1 had an abundance,
we talked over the events have recited.
The troops were lying on each side of
the road resting or waiting rather until
other troops ahead could fall into the
line Of march. Before we had finished
our repast staff officer approached and
said: General ! orders for the brigade
to move" My guest courtcously thanked
me for my account of the fight and the
meal, and bade me good day. hastened
to the road and asked "who's brigade is
tAis q and the answer was, "Old Rock"
l then knew that Georgia's
famous fighter was my guest.
On the road | fell in with my own
again and ceased to be slrag.
gler, and the independent soldier was
again under orders. The retreat from
Petersburg TO Appomattox has been re.
peatedly written, but think there are
q few incidents of unwritten history yet
to be recorded. l will try TO think of
some of them. All night We marched
until just before day when we would
stop and build hasty entertainments, and
lie in them through the day after throw
ing out pickets on both sides Of the road.
The enemy was pushing us very closely
and strange order was issued on that
celebrated march. 1t was: LOAD your
guns, fix your bayonets and be ready to
shoot in any direction" The enemy was
on all sides of US and would occasionally
make dasbes at our lines; we may say
we fought every foot of the road to It's
at the Courthouse. All
along the road we encountered burning
wagons, disbanded caissons and Timber
chests broken down horSes and mules
&C., &C., but no decentralization among
the troops. The men kept up their
spirits, and the prevailing idea in the