The National tribune., 1885-12-31
FIGHTING THEM OVER
What Our Veterans Have to Say About
Their Old Campaigns
LAST SIEGE OF THE WAR.
Msll.,oId incidents of the Capture Of Mobile.

To THE EDITOR: At one of our Campfres
last wear Comrade Boutc!le Member OF Congress
from Maine, gave an exceedingly interesting
account of portion of the naval operations LOT
the final capture of the defenses and CITY OF
Mobile. Ala, in 1865, and more especially of the
part taken by himself and the vessel under his
command. NV purpose this evening Is to give,
from the point of view of a private soldier,
martial account of the military operations dl-
rectcd against Mobile at the same time.
The regiment to which / belonged (the 33d
Iowal was portion of the force conveyed by
the Gulf route from New Orleans to Navy Cove,
Ala, in February of 1865. Navy Cove is-or
at any rale then was-merely a landing-pace
at the bay terminus of the little railroad used
TO convey supplies to Fort Morgan. ms tort,
which had been captured and was now held by
Union troops, is located upon the extreme west
ern end of Mobile Point; and Mobile Point is
a very low, narrow and sandy strip OF land pro-
iecting from the mainland of Alabama in a
westerly direction for several miles, separating
the Gulf of Mexico from Mobile Bay.
While we were camped near Navy Cove, on
one of the barest and sandiest of all the bare
and sandy places on this bare and sandy neck
of land dog-tentS were issued 10 US Tor the nTs1
time; and dOg-gOned poor style OF tent we
thought them, too, until experience taught US
to appreciate them better. Soon after we got
them there came pouring rain, and we just
doubled ourselves up in our dog-tents ana
merely existed in a sort of apathetic sullen-
ness. like so many animals. Our Chaplain, poor
fellow, had not been so long III the service as
the rest of us, and had not learned how to make
the best of things He had pitched his little
doc-tcnt in a hollow of the sand, and the tor
rents of rain made almost floating island OF
him. He got an old cracker-box, put 1t under
his tent. bumped himself up on 1t, on his Knees
with his gum blanket over him, and sat there
with a look of sanity resignation on ms lace
that would have shamcd martyr. And every
few minutes some of the boys would wade up
to his tent. stick in their heads and bark like
dogs. Oh, there was sympathy among US
soldiers.
On the morning of March II we set out upon
the march up the Point and thence up the east
ern coast of the bay TO Spanish Fort, whlch,
according to my recollection, was the southern
terminus of the rebel line of defense extend
ing from the northern end of Mobile Bay up
northwardly along the Tensas River TO Blakely,
q little town a few miles northeast from Mobile.
One of the incidents of this march was the
wading across a shallow arm OF the bay.
Another was our camping over night IN tur-
pentine orchard, and getting ourselves alto
gether too uncomfortaby warm by setting the
trees on fire. And third was the crossing of
Fish River when by order from the General
commanding every band in our division struck
I'D Amt You Glad You OHt OF the Wider
ness" as its regiment crossed upon the pontoon
bridge. Near this crossing our corps the Ihlr-
teenth) Joined the Sixteenth Corps, which had
come up by another route and arrived there be-
fore u.s. We subordinates expected that we
would stop here and rest while, and our camp
was laid out with great care and regularity (;
wells were dug, sinks prepared, and arrange
ments made as if for stay of at least month ;
but in less than two days we were on the move
again. There was much uncertainty about life
in the army.
On Sunday night, March 26, we camped
within two miles of Spanish Fort, and sunrise
next morning saw us again in arms and making
ready to move forward. Our command was
finally formed in column by battalion, and at
$50 the advance began. There were frequent
stops. mysterious runnings to and fro OF officers
and Orderlies, changes of position by sklrmlsh-
ers and artillery, and all the usual indications
of premeditated battle. AT 1920 occasional
artillery firing was heard and at 11:15 came
the first rattle of musketry on our left. The
siege was begun. When we were finally moved
forward that evening to our position IN
the main line of attack our regiment was at
the extreme right of the Thirteenth Corps, and
the Sixteenth Corps extended its left around
to join US.
In the first day of the siege there was much
reckless and objectionable risking of life. Some
regiments, for no apparent reason but the
drunken bravado of general officers, were held
for hours in the most exposed positions, in close
eld-pieces in our main line kept up occasional
firing till some time after dark, but the rebels
did not make much reply. This seemed some
what like weakness on their part then, but we
afterward learned that they had their guns
double-shotted with grape and canister in
readiness for the charge which they expected
us to make. and from which but few OF US could
have returned.
During the early part of the siege a number
of men were unnecessarily wounded, because
the heavy details on the skirmish-line were
relieved in the daytime; but soon the details
refused to be relieved except at night. Our
skirmishers watched the embrasures of the
rebel fort so closely, and fired with such pre-
cison, that the big guns in the embrasures
could not be served with any very accurate
aim, but the rebel shells would burst among
us with exceedingly promiscuous variety oi
direction.
The duty of our main lines of infantry was
simply to stay and protect themselves and
furnish the tremendous details. Not only must
the regiments be protected by breastworks but
every headquarters from brigade up must have
heavy line of earthworks in front of it. And
there was good cause. The rebels were not
particularly stingy with their ammunition dur
ing any great portion of the time. One of ouI
brigade commanders had occasion to pass along a
part of our main line one day, and he hugged the
breastworks so closely and doubled down SO low
that an irrcverent soldier called out to him
"Hello, Colonel; why don't you straighten
up?" And the Colonel answered, "Dere ish
not rhoom."
The country around Spanish Fort seemed to
have been specially designed by nature for US
TO lay the siege Deep gullies, separated, Of
course by ridges or knolls of earth, formed 8
rough likeness TO concentric circles which
connected by the heavy breastworks of logs
and dirt so rapidly constructed, formed our par.
allel lines of approach and defense; and a CO.
pious brook ran at a convenient distance fol
az, and good springs gushed from the little
wooded hills.
As the siege progressed, and our Notifications
became more complete, the details became
smaller One night our Lieutenant Colonel
was sent out with detail of 300 men, and next
morning Corporal came out with his squad
and relieved him. Our skrmish-lines, how.
preached so near to the enemy that frequent
conversations took place between the two lines
and miniature commerce in coffee and to-
bacco was, at least, much talked of, if not car
ried into actual operation.
The firing grew all the time heavier. Or
the evening of the sth of April the gunboats
In the bay, which had been taking part but
occasionally in the contest, began to lanch
their tremendous bolts in solid earnest. Az
darkness came on, the scene became sublime
The bay was hidden from us by the wooded
hills, but the shells from the gunboats could be
distinctly seen, as with majestic slowness they
described their brilliant arcs and fell in the
rebel fort almost at the instant of explosion
csa ton rryh1 bod haarr oil