The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1884-09-10
FoR THE cLARIoS-I
The Death Grapple at Petersburg
Las. Days Of Harris Mississippi brigade.

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july and August we're d1y and suItrl
water was scarce, and hard 20 get .
The picket post suffered the most th
way. until We sank several wells in on
trenches, and then We had pretty fai
y water. On out post duty we we're nC
allowed the little shelter tents so CON
/ mon to both armies; as when erecte
s they might impede our efforts to resis
: a surprise of the post. So we had
e sweat it out the best We could. On
/ day commotion amongst our neighboF
/ in blue across the way attracted our al
e tention; and we saw a Federal soldie
7 speeding across the fields toward For
5 Sedgewiek with a number of canteen
on. He was after water, aud brayeC
our shots for the precious liquid. Fir,
was opened on him, more on the impuls,
OF the moment than anything else, and
my messmate upset him he made seyera
attempts to rise, but could not, and
finally fell back, and lay quiet. A few
minutes afterwards we noticed stretch
er, such as used to carry off the wounded
raised from behind pit; we knew thai
they wanted to go out and bring in the
wounded man. We yelled to 'go ahead,
we won't shoot" and taking US at our
word, four of them made their way out
and carried the man into the pine tim
Der around Sedgewiek. While this was
going on, both picket lines watched the
act of humanity; and neither attempted
fire upon the other, though both were
greatly exposed.
Life on the picket line was the same
every day, varied by such incidents as
these. Life in the trenches proper was
burdensome; none were allowed to be
idle for a long time. Huge trayerses
forty feet high, twelve feet thick, and
one hundred feet long, were reared to
destroy the enflade fire of the enemy's
batteries. Day and night we labored
until the huge crib of earth was COM
pleted and then feeling safe we became
carcless and idle. The rear of our
works were dugout and widened. Three
steps or platforms carried you up to the
level of the works when necessary. In
this wide trench we lived; our little
shelters were erected; they being so
much lower than the breastworks, we
felt less danger than common. Before
the traverses were finished, we were
greatly disturbed by a RodmaR gun
which had an enflade fire upon us. The
gun was about one mile distant and the
gunners were wonderfully accurate in
their shots. We called it the "greased
lightning gum" because the ball would |
come whistling by before We heard the |
sound. That gun has often made US
scatter pell-mell as its shell came bound |
ing in amongst our tents, camp kettles |
and trunks of trees. 1t would strike a |
stump, glance off at right and left angles
fora piece; strike something else, and go
the contrary course, causing everything
to get out of its way. Yells, whoops,
catcalls, dog-barks and cheers, greeted
the erratic course of these contrivances
Of death. 1t would force a hasty exit
of some lazy, slumbering soldier from
its path, which in itself caused merri-
ment. One round shot came bounding
down the line scattering everything; it
was richocheting with consummate
freaks of waywardness and meant busi-
ness. As it struck in the 18th regiment /
they sounded the alarm, and we cleared
the way. A German of our regiment
remained in its path to look after a pot
of coffee; and in attempting to dodge it
ran plump against it; and his leg was
taken off for his foolishness. The ball
stopped near US, and spun around until
it was as bright as dollar. One Mike
Hart put out his foot, to see if if it still
had much strength or deYilment in it;
and found out to his sorrow that it did, T,
for it had force enough to snap his
wooden leg. Such was life those days
Il - Il IL L.. 4
was frequently happening. "Chuek-
your-lCck" was INDUCED in while bombs
were bursting in the air, and the minnie
would brush your hair as it whizzed by.
Five years of active service had care
hardened the men; and for time they
were indifferent to aught else but
comforts. Heavy details finally /
the works. and we felt then
well nigh impregnable. We never left
the lines, only for a market trip to
Provisions were too high
for us to buy; but it did seem good to /
zee them, even if we could not buy. A
common meal cost ten dollars. Wei
fought for eleven dollars. One months {
hard fighting for a mess of potatoes, and !
rancid meat made into stew, and
covered with swarms of flies. Our [
wells furnished plenty of water, sweeps !
lrew it out; an ammunition box made (
,he bucket; strap on sapling made
,he rope; thus, we managed. We
washed our clothes in the trenches; "
Tried them there; ironed them there, by i
clubbing them around smoth pole; and 8
got our fuel from the slashings in front J
If the works, with which to boil the /
clothes, to kill the yermin, and then q
when boiled enough the kettle would be /
,insed out. And beef-poor, stringy and )
onion favored-would be boiled for
.ations. One vessel answered for many q
purposes. We rested secure. The works e
ind trayerses warded off the bullets and 1
ihells to some extent Utter erindiference i
itole over us; and we awaited the storm :
# battle to burst upon Us. In time all 8
'uel about us was consumed; and {
hen details were made who hauled /
wood some five miles to US. 1t was Il
lllowaneed out to squads. We dug a 1t
counter mine toward Fort SedgeWick; | i
1ut soon abandoned it; too much work d
or nothing, so we thought. Shells flew ]
overhead pretty thick, and afforded a Is
jource Of revenue to the poor Confeder-
tie soldier, which in those hard times
vas indeed a GOd-send; and that was i
gathering of iron fragments of bursted e
Ihells and the leaden balls that fell 3
behind our lines in vast quantities, and '
elling them to the junk dealers at {
Petersburg, who bought them up for the /
:. S. Government 1t was no unwont- !
d sight to see dozens Of ragged Com t
'ederates digging. gouging and gather /
NO TO themselves the precious fragments T
n heaps from the fields to our rear 6
Thousands of pounds of each were thus i
rotten and disposed of at good figures 4
md the iron showers that bursted over I
read proved a blessing in this respect 1
ind brought sustenance to man. where
{ Was intended to Wreak destruction. !
rhe government had it worked over into I
hell and bullets which would be sent !
o US; and thus it returned to our foe to lo
make death or be lost in the pines. {
The soldiers finally became 50 reckless
hat frequently orders had to be issued 1
sorbidding the men to gather the iron. ]
[ have seen dozens of soldiers racing | I
sfter huge mortar shell; they knew :
,bout where It would drop, and reck- J
essIY exposed themselves to secure the II
hell or its pieces. These shells would
not burst, and this. was q ]
prize eagerly striyen for, IS i realized !
lb0ut thirty dollars. 2
Between our lines and Petersburg was !
pond in which we had some delightful I
1aths; but the mortar guns got the /
range. and .bfoke mp the fun. None {
.ared about being struck while in baIh. Z
II as he would drown before helpl !
would reach him. 1t was enjoyable 70 {
,ee dozens Of the b0ya hnrFying out 0f
.he water. as the duh explosion told the 4
garninp to lo8k ont for shelIs and they
would hakfen themselves naked to the
ground to escape the shell. !
The ingenuity Of many ef the soldiers {