The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1884-09-17
FoR TIE CLARIox.l
The Death Grapple at Petersburg
Last Days of Harris' Mis- iss ppi Brigade.

The The Death Grapple at Petersbur
tai
ITS Last Days Of Hsrris' Mis- iss' ppi Brigaa
hi -
ow ventured into the northern limit
er- ths city of Petersburg, then being to
AMI racked to pieces by the enemy
shells. The streets we're deserted al
". presented desolate appearance. Hea
OF debris numbered the passage, al
shells were constantly striking arouI
or exploding high in the heavens. Dr.
pit inquiry put me into the safest route
I'd reach the lines near Appomattox rive
Id and | soon got inside the lines ther
re Showed my pass to prevent too muc
he talking, and looked around to see th
IS sights. In the redoubt | was in, la
| piled up great heaps of hand grenade
10 ready for work. The opposing line
" here were so close as to render thes
}: doubtful weapons of some avail at in
it tervals they would be thrown over th
n lines into that Of the enemy, where "peI
y haps they exploded and perhaps they di,
r not" 1t takes knack to throw then
Y just right. I tried them once, but i
n did not burst. Shortcut fuse shells lay
: abundantly near; these they would ligh
ri with port fires, and roll them over tht
j works in case of an attack. Loaded
t rifles leaned against the bank, while
7 over-charged cannon stood gaping fol
| deaths repast. The embrasures of the
: redoubt were filled with sand bags to
: stop rife balls, while the cannon was
/ pulled just little to one side to prevent
r a cannon shot, from the enemy which
, might enter the embrasure, from dis
abling the piece. Curiosity getting the
/, better of prudence, | popped my head
up to see the otker side. Bullets by the
bucketful attested as to the watchful-
ness of the enemy; and then cannon
shot came crashing against the redoubt
and tore off some of the wicker work.
| realized that if wanted TO survive the
war | had better let love of the curious
alone. Muttered curses and hints that
| ''greenies" had better stay in the in
fantry followed me as l sneaked up the
lines on my way "home."
Crossing ahollow, I came across the pas
sage of the fight. The ground was yet
| dotted with the slain, nearly all blacks,
swollen by the hot sun to an enormous
size, and rotted with corruption
Most of the whites of both armies had
been planted" as we called the rude
burial generally accorded to soldiers.
Judging from what we saw, many of the
negroes had sought our rear, but no
quarter had been shown. Some lay as
far back as our original line of battle,
showing probably that the first line of
our troops had passed them, and they
fled to the rear, where quiet stab of a
bayonet finished the work. Death had |
overtaken them in groups as well as
singly in of-way places, and the orders |
were obeyed to letter to ''lose them"
What the bullet. failed to do the triple |
edge of the bayonet accomplished, and |
many corpse bore that little triangular |
mark which isso fatal when given. One
poor fellow lay weltering in his gore
while swarms of flies hovered and /
buzzed around him, filling him with
their larvae. With twitehings and con-
vulsive efforts he was tearing at his
wound, and moaning piteously. Our
promptings of humanity were strong
enough to give him some water, which
rallied him little. Some one asked
him "where he was hurt@' pointing to
his breast he said, "rite hyar in de hart;
de reb he stuck me dar." Several
hours had elapsed since he was stuck in
ode hart;" and l was glad to see signs
of dissolution approaching which would
end his career as a soldier. Another
mortally wounded negro was seen by
some that had lived at my own home in
Mississippi. His master was Gen. B. G..
Humphreys, afterwards Governor of
Mississippi. He inquired feelingly for
"Marse Ben," while his walls of agony
were sad to hear. They felt an interest
in him, for scenes of home came into
their thoughts; and from happy but
humble cabin, he had fled his masters
protection and care, and fell cruelty
upon defeated field of battle. The
chances of war are terrible at the best; I
and what chance a negro soldier had
for honor or profit will never be known.
Buffetted about by all; made subser-
Went to every wish or thought; lacking
every quality that made a soldier; he ;
could not succeed, and the facts of his
tory to-day are adverse to the claim '
that "colored soldiers fought nobly."
At this battle he was sent in to take the
storm of missiles that would certainly
concentrate on the first onslaught; and {
when they did 90 in they were held
until almost the last one was killed.
Ineited by their officers they came cry
ing mo quarter" and cruelty bayonetted
the unfortunate wounded found in their !
path, and met the very fate they ac-
corded to their victims.
1t may not be out Of place, right here I
to speak of the Southern idea to-day Of
those white men who led negro soldiers. '
6 No words of scorn can express their
feelings; no amount of contact can
bridge the social chasm; and they stand {
utterly repudiated and ostracised, where
it is known" When the idea of creating I
the negro into soldier was broached to {
the army of Northern Virginia, it was j
derided and denounced, utterly and
totally rejected. Nothing could or would
persuade that body of men to accept I
him as a co-patriot or a factor in the I
field. They knew his stability, if he I
had any, too well for any guarantee for I
fitness; and they would see the Confed- {
eracy tumble to pieces, before they '
would make it a success by his efforts
To return. The battlefield presented q
the usual aspect, except the corpses were {
black. The usual fulness of deaths q
repast' was there terribly shown. The q
crater, huge rent in the ground, was /
then being filled in, gangs were coming Q
and going, bringing in bodies which q
we're tossed over into the hole; other 7
gangs were shoveling dirt; while over
aIl, as cloud, swarmed myriads of t
flies; and a terrible stencil was permea-
ting the air, and rendering the scene i
0ne of additional horror to any we had I
ever seen, and showed the effects of f
wrath wreaked out to bloody satisfac-
lion. o
Sickened by these sights, and sur $
beited by these stern realities of wars e
vindictiyeness, we wended our way to- a
wards camp, passing many fostering t
bodies of men whom the detail party i
had not given any attention to. Pass n
ing up the line crouching low to keep c
out Of the range of sharpshooters, we y
passed through the lines of Gen. Gracie's c
Alabamians. It was treat to see them. h
How well they were fixed up-teuts, !
amp kettles, spiders, ETC.; while their '
slean clothes showed full well that they v
had not seen a great deal of hard ser a
rice. The Federal markstnen were daily r
picking. them off; and believe Gen. i
Oracle was himself killed here by 4 | t
hell. The crack Of the rife was ad- 1
them, as it did us, of the 2
uncertainty Of a soldiers life. Many 5
would fall, not as they would wish, ii J
he whirl and tumult Of q glorious t
;hargeg but By the sly aim Of con-
sealed foe. There was no glory II such q
/ death; no paper told of deeds Of dar- .
Ing: the simple fact alone was sent 6
home KILLED in the trenches. When )
camp was reached we felta If home !
vas indeed reached, so narrowing and d
raried had been the scenes witnessed j
~ rs IN i tour Of about five miles, which =
{ took TO accomplish with some degree n
i ssfety, when the scene Of action lay b