The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-03-02
AN HISTORIC SPOT.
Old Fort mcAllister the Roasting Place
for Cranes and Guils.


for Cranes and Guils.
81 should like to pay a visit to old
Fort McAllister," said the major one
day during our stay in Savannah. ~
lad company in the attack, you know"
How to each 1t was the burning
question of the next two or three days.
Il Law, we estimated, some 20 miles
southwest OF the city, having been
nlaced at the mouth of the Ogeeehee to
preyent an armed force ascending ana
attacking Savannah in the rear. A
drive through the heavy sandy roads
was not to be thought OF. Fishermen
and commanders OF the Ogeechee rice
Schooners shook their heads in perpleX-
ity wnen questioned; they had never
heard of it. AT length we learned from
the collector that the old earth-Work
had been dlsmantled and abandoned.
and that the best way of reaching its
site was by train to the Ogeechee, thence
by boat down the river.
Rice plantations line the river nearly
To the tort, and at one Of these we easily
procured u dalky and dug-Out for the
trip. mo IoIJ dar now" The dug-out
man remarks as we move Oft. mo
sogers, no guns, no flag; jes' roostin'-
Ii
enough, as our boats keel CRATES on the
sand at the spot fixed by the major as
the scene of Hazen's famous assault,
we see on y shapeless heaps
of sand, from which crane
takes It's flight. From the summit of
the mounds the eye takes in peculiar,
not to say mournful, scene. Landward
are the fiat marshes and rice-fields of
the Ogeechee, relieved at intervals by a
gaunt, long rooted rice mil or cluster OF
plantation buildings. Seward we see
the river HoWing GOWN to OssabaW
sound, the black smoke of the Florida
steamer floating over the sea islands.
and white sails OF Goa ting craft, thread
ing the narrow channels Ofthe marshes,
Seating ourselves on one of the crum-
bled bombproofs, the major began a
story of "reminiscences naturally sup-
gested by tho time and place. "A sand
work." he began, "with parapet, deem
fosse and abaltis, mounting Il heavy
guns, IL was a fortress more iormida-
Bile than would be now supposed. Its
capture by HaZen's division of the 18th
corps have always thought one of the
most stirring and brilliant episodes of
the war.
SHERMAN was never greeted with a
heartier cheer than when, that morn
ing, riding along the dusty ranks of the
fifteenth corps, he remarked, with
flirt OF his thumb toward McAllister.
'B0ys, don't think there are over 400 in
that fort, out there it is, and think we
might AS well have it, and there was
never moro disguised set Of men than
those That got LEFT when one division
only was detailed for the capture. I'M
agine us, then, at p. M, in the thick
woods yonder awaiting the signal of az
10. 81.
generals are i'll the old rice mill wonder.
overlooking the scene. By-and-bv, near
him signal flag waves the message:
Garry the fort tonight by assault, if
possible Well, almost before the
flag drops our front rank men burst
into the clearing Drums beating the
double quick, standards to the fore,
huzzas shaking the wood, thunder and
fame from the fort, shot and shell in
our ranks; there we are, soldiers, en-
gineers, bombs, grenades, palisades,
upward breaking torp does, in one
mass. Next we have cut or broke away
the aba.tis, climbed the parapets,
rushed for The Flagstaff, dubbed and
thrust and parted about the guns XII
every enemy is down, and then comes "A
cheer, mounting from earth to sky,
flying on to sea, speeding up the penin-
sula, to tell the main army that Meal
lister is ours, and the grand march to
the sea accompli he'd.
Pomp, our bOatman, has been an adj
miring auditor of the majors eloquence.
"Gor a. mighty, Kurnel," he observes,
"dat am de bestest pictur' OBJ de fight [
eber heard. | seed it all. You see Mars
Kulnel Anderson, he was done gone
mad with confidence at Obenin', dat YOU
uns didn't mean to storm do fort. Dem
h. j yankees seq he, 'ul nebber dare
tack desc ERE 'trenchments,' p'intin' to
his big guns, and tOrpedoes sunk in do
path, am de ditch, an sharpened stakes.
LORI how pale he TUX he sees You uns
jump 0nlen do woods. Den dey skirm-
ished round lively an teched Off dem
guns. Bang, pop, screech, whizz, ST n
n-g; daps dc way deRhs'er cum to do
fort. Den dat scrimmage in de ditch,
seberal times | fou't doy'd buried you
uns, but you ri2 up ebbery time, an, on
sido oh dc tort, Dress do Lord"
We spent some hours on the old ruin,
and then rowed away into the silence,
striving vainly TO realize that 20 short
years before IL had beon tho theatre of
such stirring events.-[ Florida Core
spoudence.