The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-06-18
DARING UNION OFFICERS.
Confederate Camp to Witnoss
Battery Firing.

leuGeuNUG, WcTt III u LuuItuL uatsely J
situated near the old Blanford cemetery
his brother being in charge. Their
principal duty was to fire at the Federal
batteries and draw theft FIRE;
when the Confederates made demon.
stration they had bombproofs to run into,
of course, but at the same time, and, as
might be supposed, they became more
familiar with pyrotechnic displays than
they cared for. There was one Union
battery in particular that always gave
them trouble whenever they fred at it.
1t was known as the "railroad.iron" bat.
terry, and was very heavily armed. More,
over, the gunners therein had the exact
range of the Blanford battery, which
was twice too large, and it rarely re.
quired more than ten minutes to run the
Confederates into their bombproof. 1t
was in this Blanford battery that one Of
the most curious and, at the time, myste.
rious events of the war occurred.
"One night" says Sergeant Eggleston,
"we we're working there in the battery
firing away in different directions, but
taking care to keep our hands off the
railroad iron battery, and watching the
shells as they flew around, occasionally
jumping into the bombproof when one
would light in our place, when two fine
looking men, whom we all took for gen.
eral officers, suddenly walked into the
works. We could not tell their exact
rank, because they wore white waistcoats
and coats, but they looked as though
they were rank officers. They walked up
to George, addressed him as Lieutenant,
as though they knew him, and said that
they had come out to see some mortar
firing, and he hoped that he would ac'
commodate them if it was not inconye'
nient. George replied that he would be
happy to show them anything in that
line, and turning to me, said, Touch up
the railroad iron battery, Joe.'
"Well, / wished these chaps had stayed
In the tents, but Thought that it would
not be very long before they would be
glad to get into the bombproof, and that
the rest of us could go in also. So ]
commenced to touch up that railroad
iron place. In less than three minutes
we had walked up the hornets nest, and
they were raining shells into us at 8 ter
rife rate.
"Those fellows over there seemed to
know that the occasion was an unusual
one, and they were determined to give
US all that we could ask for. The shells
we're dropped into our battery like hail
stones, bursting all around us, and roll.
ing around like footballs, but there stood
thote two officers and George, leaning up
against piece of timber and talking as
coolly as if they were leaning on fence
thousand miles away from piece of
artillery. A shell came along and cut
that piece of timber in two and scattered
splinters all oysr the place but oil that
they did was to lean against fresh place
and go on talking. l don't believe that
either one of the three even winked. l
came to the conclusion that they liked
that thing better than I did; end / told
one of the gunners to shift his gun
around and play on something else, and
pretty soon I shifted another, and the
fire gradually died down. I knew that
George would stand there and be shot at
till the crack of doom before he would
suggest anything about bombproofs, and
the other chaps didn't want to say any.
thing unless be did. Well, they talked
on for ten or fifteen minutes after the fire
had died down, and then said they would
like to go on to the skirmish line, and see
what was going on there, ifhe would show
them the way. He told them to 90 out
of the battery on o certain side and fol-.
low the path, they could not miss the
skirmish line. They left, after express.
ing their thanks for our kindness, but they
did not say what their names were, and
George was too polite to ask them.
"Now the funny part of it comes in.
The next day George tried to find out
who they were, but none of our officers
had been out there. The fact is, don't
believe that any of our officers had any
white clothes to wear, and if George had
thought minute he might have known
that none of them would be roaming about
at night to see mortar firing. They could
stay in camp and get enough of that.
But he could not find out who those men
we're, though every effort was made, as
the thing began to get mysterious.
"About two years ago or longer George
was on an Ohio river steamboat talking
to O man in tho saloon when a gentleman
came up and said, ARE you not the lieu
tenant who was in command of mortar
battery near Blanford cemetery at Peters
burg? yes he answered. Aud don't
you remember two officers coming to
your battery one night and saying that
they had come out to see some mortar
6ring?' Yes, and I have been looking
for them ever since.' We'll, I am one
of them, and my companion was General
-, also of the Union army Il am
very glad to meet you,' said Lieutenant
Eggleston, but if had known who you
were at that time you would not be talk.
ing to me now.' so I knew then,' was
the reply. 'We did start out to see NOR
tar firing, just as told you; and we also
intended to 60 on to the skirmish line
But we got into the wrong battery. You
remember that our skirmish line ran up
to what was marsh when we first got to
Petersburg, and that it really pointed
behind your line. Well, we got to the
end Of our line at the marsh, but it had
dried up, and after we had wandered
round there for awhile, confused by the
shells flying in different directions, we
suddenly found ourselves at your battery
We sat there in the ditch for almost two
hours, wondering what we could do
We could hear every word that your men
said. Had we been in uniform we should
have went right in and surrendered; but
we knew that our white clothes would be
taken as disguiscs, and that we would
have been arrested as spies 'Undoubt'
edly,' said Lieutenant L. SO we con.
cluded to go in and pretend that we were
all right, but without our names. After
we got out of your battery we went back
to our lines easily enough. While we
were standing there talking to you we
were getting our bearings 80 as to gel
back '"-New York Telegram.
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