Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1885-07-18

almost as painful and demoralizlng as
the life in the bomb proofs. On account
of the constant sharpshooting by day |
and night. and the frequency OF the can
non shots. the reliefs were divided into
s;x hours on and six hours of. Now 1t
rained almost every day while the siege
was maintained, and the whole country
is marshy and swampy, water being
struck almost anywhere two feet below
the surface, 50 that the trenches always
had foot and half up to
=, TWO FEET OF WATER
in them. The troops were unprovided
with sufficient clothing for this work,
such heavy baggage as overcoats, extra
blankets, etc, having been left behind.
To stand thigh deep in water for SIX
hours, in the early spring, chilled 10 the
bone and afraid to move almost for lear
of getting bullet through the head, was
a very unpleasant experience; but IL was
a relief. at least, from the horrors OF the
bomb proof. If there is a place on earth
| more infested with owls, great white
owls, big horned owls, screech owls, and
all other kinds of owls, then it has never
been set down in the books. No sooner
had night fallen than they commenced
their "who-whoing" and blood-curdling
1 shrieking and laughing i'll and among
the tall jumpers which stood between
the opposing trenches, and oftentlmes
they would swoop at the heads of the
sentinels. brushing their faces with thell
wings as if glorying in the knowledge
that the disguised soldiers dare not fire
upon them. Oftentimes the devilisf
birds would create false alarm by some
execrable and unaccustomed noise, anC
then both sides would begin to load ant
fire at will, the batteries joining in, will
; all the
r NOISE AND FURY
of a regular battle. These owls caused
, greater waste ofammunitiOni in that sleg
than did the commands of officers. Blu
there was another feature of the sieg
which was particularly harrassing to tn
2 confederates. The army OF Johnston
a here first learned the power of the CUR
boats. The gunboat fleet lay in tn
York river, some two and half mile
below Yorktown. where the left batter
@ of the defence was planted, and wit
their fifteen inch Rodman cannon an
mortars they were enabled to plant shell
y at nearly any point of the line OF defenc'
r The gunboats kept up their fight nigt
" and day and occasionally did fearft
!, execution with their shells. No soldie
u is there who does not dread to underg
s a shelling, but when huge fifteen inc
shells are dropping around, seemingl
h from clouds, shaking the solid cart
with their explosion and filling the a
U with burning missiles, and no one know
g where the next will drop, the situatio
v begets a nervous apprehension that
: would take very little to extend to
panic and a general skedaddle to IL
u rear. All things come to an end, and :
It did this siege, and if ever a set of
MEN WERE OVERLOOKED
k @ get out of a place it was Johnston
o army when the line of march was take
up on the back track for Richmond. A
d amusing episode of this campaign al
IS historically valuable as showing ii
n methods of tina crafty general, OCCURS
: on the day when General Johnston b
came convinced that his opponent h:
N completed his measures for final assau
,e upon the defences. About noon orde
d were issued for three days rations and
% full supply of extra cartridges, and eve
man who was not in the trenches behiI
e the batteries. The generals came dow
rs to the lines and directed all, officers al
,s men alike, to work with energy, as
battle was expected on the morrow, ar
the issue might depend upon this interi
line. 1t goes without saying that di
was hustled with rapidity, for soldie
~ will always work with vim to set GOV
n for themselves from the enemy's she
n Towards shutdown an order came fro
I headquarters directing that work shou
cease, and that prayer meetings shou
be held in each regiment to supplica
e the Throne for the success of the cOmil
If fight
: AND FOR MERCY
S to those who might fall therein,
h recollect that General Longstreet can
down to the prayer meeting in I'll
! Seventeenth Virginia regiment, and
!, was truly solemn scene when Parse
Cranberry las good and as brave a ma
20 as ever served the church militan
offered up fervent and touching pray,
ID while officers and men Kneeled reveren
o ly around, for the success of our arms
5, the coming fight and for mercy to tho:
9 who should fall. The men were the
= ordered to lie in ranks on their arms
IL get good rest before being called
y arms at the dawn. Many a Bible W,
e brought forth and carefully read, al
, fervent prayers were said before ii
= tired men rolled themselves up in the
't blankets. About eleven o'clock tn,
e night the officers quietly awoke Il
o troops, and in half an hour the who
y army, bag and baggage, was swiftly &
the march toward Richmond. Many
laugh went round at the adroit mann,
e in which Johnston had fooled his arm
" and the spies. But the general was n,
rs much noted for craftiness at that tin
as he became afterward.
= WHAT A RABBIT DID.