The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1885-10-29


| knowledge of some 5000 rounds of Greek-fire
| shot unoaded from a vessel in the bay on the
| Sth Maury did not stay for the Greek-fire
matinee" but decamped during the night OF
the Sth, in the heat of furious cannonade
| from our batteries and gunboats, and returned.
with portion of his force, TO Mobile.
During the siege, our losses from shells from
the rebel works aud gunboats were consider
able. Early on the morning of the 30th
| NeatChs Division, of the Thirteenth Corps
blundered into the rebel lines, and were sup
| posed by the enemy to be the head of an as
saulting column. They opened fire upon and
charged them furiously, driving them back
with some loss; but the enemy pursued too
far. aud were driven back in turn, leaving
many killed and wouaaed behind them. The
artillery upon both sides opened fire imme-
! diately; the duel continuing until daylight.
! We built an earthwork and mounted some
! siege-pieces within less than 900 yards OF
/ Spanish Fort.
During the night of April g. the rebels threw
| up a new parapet on the left front of the zig
gag in which the writer, with his company,
was doing picket-duty. The night was dark
| and the pickets could not see the work pro-
| crossing. But the next morning we found
! that the work was there They opened very
| annoying fire upon us. We endeavored to
| silence them with our rifles, but failed Word
was sent back TO the Captain of the New York
! which was soon seen careering, at gallop, Oft
| to our left. In few minutes more the guns
had taken favorable position to entilade the
new work. Two raking shots did the business
for that new work. 1t was sienced, and we
had 10 more annoyance from that point
In the work of reducing Spanish Fort we had
the effective cooperation of powerful fleet
of gunboats, commanded by Rear-Admiral
Thatcher. The fleet gave Gen. Candy all the
assistance possible, considering the shallowness
of the water in the bay. The fleet moved up
the bay, parallel with our line of march, in
tending to aid in the reduction of the fort.
Notwithstanding the shallownesS of the water,
the vessel got near enough to shore to deliver
destructive fire, which cut off the fort from
communication with the city. During these
manuyers the Metacomet aud Osage were blown
up and destroyed by torpedoes. The water was
so shallow that the crews were saved. The
vessels would remain and fire during the day,
and drop down the bay to Point Clear and
anchor for the night.
The siege progressed after the manner of
siegeS generally, until the night of April s,
when it terminated by most terrific cannon
ade, which shook the earth for many miles
around. AT nightfall, at given signal, a tre-
mendous concentric fire Was opened from siege
pieces, feld-guns in battery, and from the gun
boats in the bay
UPON THE DOOMED FORT.
The enemy's artillery replied feebly for a
time, while our sharPshooters crept up TO favor
able positions and picked Off the rebel can
noneers, or drove them from their guns. This
awful fire continued until midnight. AT 2
o'clock a. II. Gen. Bartram, with brigade, en-
tered the fort without opposition. Over 600
prisoners and 30 heavy guns were captured.
The most of the garrison had escaped under
the cover of darkness. The guns captured,
with those of the Octorora, were turned upon
Forts Tracy and Huger, located near the mouth
of the Tensas. The rebels quickly abandoned
these, after spiking their guns
In the meantime our fleet, after raising a
number OF torpedoes, ran up almost within
Smelling distance of the city. On the 9th we
were ordered up to Fort Blakeley. to assist
Gen. Steele, if necessary, in its reduction. We
started in the afternoon. 1t was Sunday, and
as we marched through the pine woods a cou-
rier rode along the line of march and an
nouneed the surrender of Lee to the invincible
Grant, at AppomattoX.
That was the day on which the surrender
was made. but We could not understand how we
had received the intelligence so quickly. We
feared 1t was premature yet gave vent to un
feisned rejoicngs. The army was wild with
joy. The pine woods were set on fire by the
soldiers; the whole forest along the line of
march was soon silame, and We marched the
remainder of the distance to Fort Blakeley be-
tween huge bOnfires on either side of the road.
The heat became so intense that il was thought
unsafe for the caissons and limbcrs of the arti-
lery to pass through. They got through, how
ever, without mishap.
We had understood on the way up that Gen.
Steele had ordered a general assault against
Fort Blakely to begin at 3 o'clock p. IN. of that
day. We sincerely hoped that the charge would
have been precipItated and the fort carried be-
fore we arrived We had no particular ambi-
tion, that we were aware of, to assist in that
work. We had done quite a good deal of ii at
Chickasaw Bayou and at Vcksburg and we
felt entirely willing that Gen. Steele's soldiers
should enjoy the glory of assauting and cap
turing Fort Blakeley. We arrived and stacked
arms in the rear of Steeles lines at the stroke
OF ,, Just as Steele's men sprang from their
trenches and coverts, and with wild yell
dashed through the fallen timber and abatis,
and over unnumbered torpedoes, upon the de-
voted fort. We had good post of observation,
and with what intense and thrilling interest
we watched the issue Of that assault, knowing
full well we had been sent there 10 support
Steele, and if he should be repulsed, we should
be ordered forward. But
HE WAS NOT REPULsED.
The men swept the intervening and OBJ
structed ground and on into the fort like
cyclone Men seized the palisades and ahatis
aud tossed them aside as child would toss a
plaything shout passed along the line,
exploded, and on swept the victorious column
like storm. The rebels resisted the onset with
mimic ball, shells, grape and canister, and
shrapnel at short range, inflicting heavy pun
ishnlent upon the storning column.
/ was especially struck by the conduct of
Gen. Hawkins's division OF coiored troops.
They came down like black thundercloud
upon the right face of the fort. They met a
terrific fire from the Mississippians manning it,
but they blenched not. They pressed right on,
uumindfnl Of the storm of bullets and grape
and canister raining around them shouting the
battle cry, " Remember Fort Pillow" They
went over the rebel parapet, hurling all back
before them. 1t required the prompt exercise
of authority the part of their officers to pre-
vent them from making il a veritabie Fort
Pillow" Gen. Steele captured, with Blakeley,
5000 prisoners, % guns, 1000 snall-arms, 16
flags, and large quantity Of ammunition. We
lost 1000 killed and wounded, while the Con-
federates, well protected, lost 800.
Gen. Maury evacuated Mobile on the 10th
and llth Of April and with 5000 men fled up
the Alabama. He sunk the rams Huntsville
and Tuscaloosa before leaving. He left 5000
prisoners in our hands We lost in the reduc-
tion Of Mobile and its defenses 900 men and
two ironclad and two tinclad gunboats, and one
transport sunk by terpedoes. We captured
$50 cannon. We made our trinmphal entrance
into the city on April y. Here we expected 10
remain until the war closed, perhaps until dis
charged from the service, and enjoy the fruits
of our laborS in this gay Gulf City. But our
disappoIntments were not yetover. Our bri-
gado had scarcely time to rest after stacking
arms uDou arrival in c:lpu near the city. when