The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-07-16
A COOL TRIO.
UNDER FIRE FROM A FEDERAL "RAlL-
ROAD IRON" BATTERY.
An Ex-Confederate Tells a Story OF His
Experience in the Artillery Service
"A Couple Of Visitors in
White Clothes.
['sw. G. E." in Chicago Tribune.I

Last February, while In Virginia, met
Withva gentleman who was in the artillery
service during almost the whole of the
war. being at first in field service and then
shut up in mortar batteries at different
places. When Petersburg was invested
he q sergeant, and his brother, Ieuten-
ant. were in mortar battery situated
near old BIandford cemetery, his brother
being in charge Their principal duty
was to fire at the Federal batteries and
draw their fire. When the Confederates
made a demonstration they had bomb
proofs to run into of course; but one can
not stay In bomb proof and fire NOR
tar 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 fired at it. IL was
known as the railroad iron" battery, and
was very heavily armed. Moreover, the
gunners therein had the exact range of
the Blandford battery, which was twice
too large, and it rarely required more than
ten minutes to run the COnfederates into
their bomb-p proof
zone night" says Sergt Eggleston,
Eve were 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
jumping into the bomb-proof when
one would light in our place, when
two fine-looking men, whom we
all took for general officers, sud-
denly 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,
fbof fbou bod 0OTna ont To Coo
some mortar-firing, and hoped that he
would accommodate them. if it was not
inconvenient George replied that he
would be happy to show them any thing
in that line, and turning to me, said
Touch up the railroad iron battery, joe
Well, l wished that these chaps had
stayed in their tents; but thought that it
would not be very long before they would
be glad to get into the bomb proof, and
that the rest of us could go in then also.
So / commenced to touch up that rail
road-iron place.
'"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 were
dropped into our battery like hoilstones,
bursting all around US, and rolling around
like footballs; but there stood those two
officers and George. leaning up against
piece of timber and talking as coolIy as if
they were leaning on fence l 1000 miles
away from piece of artillery. A shell
came along and cut that piece of timber in
two, and scattered splinters all over the
place; but all that they did was to lean
against fresh place to go on talking.
came to the conclusion that they
liked that thing better than [ did,
shift his gun around and play on some
thing else. and pretty soon I shifted an
other, and the FIRE gradually died down.
/ knew that George would stand there and
be shot at till the crack of doom before
he would suggest anything about bomb
proofs, and the other chaps didn't want
to say anything unless he did Well,
after the fire died down, and then said
that they would like to go on to the
skirmish line and see what was going on
there, if he would show them the way.
He told them to go out of the battery on a
certain side and follow the path; they
could not miss the skirmish line They
left after expressing 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
only thought minute he might have
known that none of them would be roam
ing around 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 were, though every effort was
made, as the thing began to get mysteri-
GUS
About two years ago. or longer,
George was on an Ohio river steamboat
talking to man in the saloon, when a
gentleman came up and said: Are you
not the lieutenant who was in command
cemetery at PetersburgT Yes he
answered And don't you remem-
Der two officers comm to your
battery one night and saying that
they had come out to see some mortar
fringY Yes; and 1 have been looking
for them ever since.
Well, l am one of them; 1 am Gen.
:. of the | MON army at that time. and
my companion was Gen. -. also of the
Union army 1 am very glad to meet
you, said Lieut. Eggleston, but if l had
known who you were at that time you
would not be talking to me now so / |
knew, then was the reply. We did
start out to see mortar firing, just as l |
told you; and we also intended to go on |
10 the SKlrmlSn line. But we got into the |
wrong battery. You remember that our |
skirmfsh line ran up to what was a 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 around there for while, con |
fused by the shells flying in different di- |
we suddenly found our !
selves right at your battery. |
We sat there in the ditch for |
we could do; we could hear every word |
that your men said Had we been in uni
form we should have gone right in and
but we knew that our white
clothes would be taken as DISCUSSES, and
that we would have been arrested as spies.
Undoubtedly said Lieut. E. so we