Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1882-08-19
BEFORE AN ABATIS.
A Thrilling Sketch of the Battle of
kenncsaw Mountain.

All along the front against which
Howard was to advance, says NJ. Quad.
writing of the battle of Kennesaw, the
Confederate works were protected by
abatis. An abatis is a deathtrap to
add to the horrors of war. In some
cases it is a slashing. Trees are fallen
criss-cross, the smaller branches
trimmed out, and he who approaches
must have the activity of panther to
wiggIe through and climb over. An
abatis Of this sort cannot be passed by
hunter left free TO make his way with
out detention of ten to fifteen min
utes. What, then, must such an OBJ
struction Ice to column of assault, the
men loaded down with accoutrements
and murderous fire being poured into
their faces at range of 100 feet. In
other cases the abatis is formed of
sharpened sticks and rails and limbs,
one end made fast in the earth Just in
front of the works, the other sharpened
and pointed to such an angle as would
strike a mans breast. To reach the
works behind, the assaulters must pass
this obstruction or tear it away, and
they must work under the deadly aim
of the men defending the works. 1t
was only in rare instances during the
war that an abbatis was carried. Cor
don carried the one before Fort Stead
man at Petersburg, but he had armed
300 men with axes to chop it away, and
his assault was made under cover of
darkness and fell like thunderbolt.
HOward's column advanced with great
enthusiasm, driving in the Confederate
skirmishers and pickets all along the
front, but when they dashed at the real
Confederate line they found an abatis
in their front. Then, for ten minutes.
war became slaughter. The blue-coats
would not retreat-they could not adj
vance,
What happens when these assaulting
columns find themselves halted by an
abatis and are held under fire =? asked
Confederate soldier who was on How
ards front, and he replied:
''lt is the worst position in which you
can put man. His pride and bravery
hold him there to be deliberately shot
down. We knew they were coming.
and we were ready. l had sixty rounds
of cartridges, and had them IN heap
on the ground beside me. On nv part
of the line We had log on the crest of
the breastworks. This was raised about
four inches, and our guns were thrust
between the log and the earth. This
not only protected our heads, but gave
us dead rest and sure aim. One of
the heads of an assaulting column
struck the abatis just opposite nae.
Some Of the men threw down their
guns and began to tear at the limbs,
while others opened fire. You can
Judge what sort of place it was when I
tell you that l fired seventeen shots as
cooIiy as hunter would fire at a SOUR
rel, and hit a man every time. There
was boy Is years old alongside of me
with shotgun, and believe he killed
and wounded twenty men. / was glad
to see the column retreat. 1t looked
too much like cold blooded murder to
kneel there and take dead aim on
man so near that you could see the color
of his eyes and hair
"And what was the loss on your
side 2"
"Only three or four men killed along
regimental front, and those by bullets
accideDtly flying under the logs. But
you ought to have seen the logs above
our heads. Some of them were peeled
down to the white by Federal bullets. :"
And what OF the artillery posted be-
hinc an alb ats like that? Shot and
shell pillow through the tangled mass
with terrific crash, and the explosion of
she'll sends cloud of leaves, branches
and dirt into the faces of the men. A
solid shot striking into the head of the
column tears its way down through the
living lines until it strikes a tree or
stone or knoll aud defects. A shell
sent into the column wipes out four.
six, ten or dozen men, and the IRON
splinters wbirr among the trees with
sound to curdle the blood.