The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-11-22
FORT SANDERS.
A Graphic Description Of the Confederate ASSAULT
on the Works

nave q lew WOFUS 70 say about the attack and
repuise OF Fort Sanders at Knoxville, Tenn /
haveneve even ia Official reports of that attack
seen what considered i true account of that af-
fair or credit given to those who We're really de-
serving OF it. In ali the accounts have read
of the assault it is stated that the garrison was
composed of battery +, ID U. S. artillery, %
pound PARROTS, Lieutenant Benjamin cora-
handing; part of battery ID, 1St Rhode Island.
captain Buckley commanding. and parts of the
18th New York and I'd Michigan regiments.
NOW, 1t IS all right to give credit to those who
composed the garrison before and after the
assault, but do think that the command T
had the honor TO serve in is entitled TO a share
IN the honor by reason of the part they took IN
the repulSe. My reasons for so believing ara
as follows: served in company A, Tooth rezi-
ment, Z. V. v, or ROundheads. commanded by
Colonel Daniel Lasure. On the night Of No
yember 2S, 1863 the colonel received orders to
send one company into the fort To assist in
holding it. Our regiment at this time was
stationed on the left of abe fort right resting
on it. Company A being on the right Of the
regiment, was about II o'clock, ordered into the
fort. We marched in. and were stationed in
the corner where the assault was made.
could not sec twenty men besides company
A; they may have been there but / did not
see them 1 did see, after being wounded and
fallingaeross hole leading 20 a bomb-proof. than
1t was full OF men; but who they were could
not say, nor TO what regiment they belonged
THE ASSAULT.
Perhaps some of company were there. When
we got into the fort we stationed some of COM
F.ny A on the parSpet 70 keep a lookout forthe
reb5, for the piekets had been driven in or cap
tured in front of the fort. The rest of US had TO
keep moving around TO keep warm for it was
very cold. had no oveTcoat, but had my hlan-
ket drawn around me, and when the attack
came, threw it of, and that was the last ever
saw of it 1t was about 6.3G a. m. when the boys
gave the alarm and shouted They are COM
ing!" l sprang to the parapet. had TO get
on top for cotton bales had been placed on
end on the outer edge of the parapet. so as to
protect Us as much as possible. There was a
space IN the extreme corner which did not
have any cotton bales but instead had branches
OF trees stuck in the outer dge for screen. but
they were no protection, as it was there that
two OF company A we're kilIed-Aarou Temple
ton and Isaac r. W. Garrison. When looked
over the cotton bale saw those brave men-for
they were brave even II they were the enemy
marching up there as If nothing would stop
them; but they made mistake that time. for
when they came TO the wire cntangIements the
first line commenced falling. while we were
giving them the best We had. That kind OF
demoralIZed them, but did not stOD them. for
they came on, filing the ditch in front Of fort
and climbing up on each others shoulders. 7
saw there what l consider as daring an act
as any performed during the war By two
rebels, by which both lost their Hves-one
climbing TO the top of the paEapet and plant
ing their colors there and urging the BOYS
to come on, the fort is ours!" He was shos
by members of company A. The other was
that Of captain who attempted to come in
at the embTasure, demanding OF Us TO "sur-
render"
THE THICK OF THE FIGHT.
Just as he made this demand. and was
partly through the embrasure. the cannon,
double-shOtted with grape and canister, was
let OF. That was the last I saw Of him was
then standing on the parapet, on the left OF that
gun and one Of the 18th New York boys, who
was between me and the embTasure. was killed,
and fell against me, and then down near or
under the cannon. About that time my gun
was so damaged By shot which struck the
barrel that l could not use t. | g0t down and
got his gun; fred about five rounds from that,
when ! had 10 retire 10 hospital. It IS twenty
years since this occurred, and our memories are
not as bright as then bat there were some
things we remember IS well now as then.
especially when We carry reminder with US
all the time. know that have felt ever since
that time that company A was in that fort and
helped repei the attack, and is deserving Of a
share in the hOnoTs. / do not suppose for a
moment that General Ferrero would inteu-
tlonaliy take any hOnOTS from those Justly
entitled TO them. if he knew il; still I think il
Is matter which shOuld have been corrected
years ago. ] know it was mistake liable 70
be made under the circumstances, for we-that
Is, company A-was ordered into the fort about
II o'clock the night Of November %: then
after Fepulse, sent back 20 our place on the
right OF the regiment, so that when the orders
were made out the garrison was composed Of
the forces above named. In the report our
losses are put at four killed and eleven wounded,
INSTANCES OF PERSONAL BRAVERY.
Of that number company A had two killed
and three wounded. As have given instances
OF bravery on the other side, perhaps il would
be as web, before closing, 70 give some on our
side, and l know some of the boys viii re-
member them When the alarm was given,
Lieutenant s. II. Benjamin made his appear
ance. as he always did when there was any
fighting to be done, but as his guns could not
be used at so short range, he called TO one Of his
sergeants- 'Keefe, understood him to say-to
" bring me some of those 20-pOuud shells" He
cut the fuse short, and lit it with brand
taken FROM 3 fire We had been trying to keep
warm at near the paFapet. Some Of the boys
say he lit it with a cigar; he was smoking at
the time. As he threw them over among the
rebs, heard him say, Look out over there,
or some of you viii get hurt"
While the attack was raging, the cot
ton bales eaught FIRE, and Captain BurkIey
got on top and put it out. expected to see
him killed, but he was not.
The off sial returns of losses by the enemy in
the assault, as reported by themselves OF off,
GERS and enlisted men, was one hundred and
twenty-nine killed, four hundred and lifty-
eight wounded, two hundred and twenty-six
taken prisoners, three battle flags, and about
five hundred stands OF arms.
Before closing. / wish to say a few words II
regard to Tations received while az Knoxville.
1t seems to have been the opinion Of some than
we did not suffer at all for the want of prOvis-
ions, and that we did not live on paFched corn
for several days. There are some of the boys
living yet who can testify as to the truth OF
that.
no TURKEY FOR THE BOYS
I have the two volumes Of Memoirs by
General W. t. Sherman I read, on page 367,
VOL /, the following: Approaching from the
south and west, we crossed the HOst0n on
pontOOn bridge, and in a large pen on the
Knoxville side 1 saw fine lot of cattle, which
did not look much like starvation" Again,
on next page: @Returning to Burnside's quar-
tiers, we all sat down to a good dinner, embrace
ing roast turkey. There was a regular dining
table, with clean table-eloth, dishes knives
forks, spoons, &c, &c. / had seen nothing Of
this kind in my field experience, and could not
help exclaiming that l thought they were
starving" &c. Now, il was a surprise to me.
when | read the above, that "Old Tecumseh"
would think that because Burnside bad tur-
key IN honor of the OCCASION of his dining with
him that we private soldiers also had turkey.
More than likely, if he had gone among tho