Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-05-15

the chaos caused by the bonn bardme0t, Me as
he believed he was the only feld-ofacer left for
duty In the regiments which had assaulted the
the Others RS having hay seen to be- ratb
cred In piles great number of muskets, many
OF which were curiously bent or contorted by
plosion. The bodies of many Confederate dead
were also being collected and placed In rows ior
burial. Near them we observed two stretcners,
on which lay persons clad in oihcers UNIFORM,
with gray caps pulled over their faces. mink
Ing that they were dead, one of US raised the
caps to sec what their faces were like, and, to
our confusion and surprise, found they were
very much alive. One of them said they were
Doth wounded in the legs, had been dressed,
tai, having their caps over their faces to keep
the sun from their eyes. Apologizing for our
apparent rudeness we passed on, being espe-
claily anxious to get an inside view OF the
covered way from which the hOwitzer had
played such havoc with the assaulting column.
1t ran deep under one of the greao earthen
mounds, was dark and damp, too low for q tall
man to stand upright in, six or eight feet wide,
ana supported and rooted with logs. 1t had
been used as bomb-prOof refuge for part OF the
garrison, and was in the filthy state i'm which
Such places always are when men are forced TO
remain In them for long periods under such cir
cumstances. The stencil was fearful. ana Inc
floor was literally covered with the dead bodies
OF soldiers, who must have been carried in
there wounded during the shell-fire, and there
died; q few poor fellows were still alive and
grooming, and our fatigue parties were just
about to clean the place out, and separate the
living from the dead. AT the outer end OF this
covered way stood the field-piece which had
done such execution. Its crew, in obtaining
ammunition and in retiring after firing the last
shot, must have passed over on the bodies OF
their comrades.
We did not care to look at the other bomb
proofs, which were probably in the same condi-
uon but passed on to have q nearer view of the
very heavy guns in the northeast angie. They
were as1Xty-eight-poundcr and an eightinch
bakeiey rlfied piece, and 1t was these two guns
Wn!ch had particularly fired at the ironcl;ds-
while the latter had returned the attention in
hanaaat distance OF about a thousand yards
part OF the tine. Their gunncrS had been sew
eral times killed off or driven away: but when
ever the 1ronciad fire was slackened or diverted
10 some other object, they invariably returned.
There is no doubt about it that the gunners
VINO served those pieces were brave fellows, to
ne able to fire SO long and persistently with
their ears.
Just before the assault took place one Of their
guns had its carriage disabled and slowed round,
making quite space on the gun platform on
one side Here we found II sergeant and some
men OF the Signal Corps quietly cooking their
dinner, close to the now harmless muzZle of
the great piece. The sides of the embrasure
were OF logs and pianks, and the shells had
Scared and scanned not only the gun-carriage,
put the pianks, and torn great holes in the
SAND, to be filled up by the next explo-
sion. In those holes lay some OF those who had
served the gun-a proper grave for an artl-
leflst-one eNcavated by the shell of the enemy
Out OF one OF these half-tiled craters projected
the delicate hand and wrist of what must have
been quite Il boy, which was covered with nice
dclicaLely-knitted glove-not a mitten.-C,st-
ened about the wrist by slken cord and tassel
OF l1ght blue. Was il Il sister, sweetheart,
VINO mad Knit that glove for their soidier-boy?
whether or no, he was dead, and probably
Killed 10y tie same shell which buried him. Of
all the things saw at Fort Fisher, think most
often OF that hand, with its homemade glove
pointing heavenward.
There was another CHASTITY but most curious
sight here. Against the blanks of the embra-
sure lay, literally 1tasteret, the remains of a
large. handsome man, in the prime of li1e with
the profile and his black mOustache standing
n itcf
OF Weathcr-staIncd plank. He had been {, very
handsome man, and looked like wax-worE
HOW can we account for such trightsui injury
10 one SIDE OF the body without uiSiigurcII,ci,t
TO the other? One would have thous lat that the
exploding shell would have most injured TIE
nearest side OF him, and yet his face mad not D
scratch OF discoloratiOn. But perhaps we have
had enough OF such horrors and may pass to
something else. - -
In Battery No. 4, as the painted board pro-
claimed it, We found u 15O-pounder Arn,strouy
gun, which we were curious about as we had
exchanged compliments freely and frequently
with IL also 1nIs piece bore the broad arrow -
showing IL had passed the English government
proof, and had Sir William Armstrong; name
upon the lfannlon. 1t was mounted on u
splendid carriage, and was said to have been a
Silt from some English admirers to the South
eri ConicdeTacy. Armstrong guns of less calibcr
about the Cape Fear. These forts were
all taken or occupied after abandonment in a
very lew days after Fort Fisher tell. In many
Instances nne guns were found spiked but in 30
instance was amy very serious damage done to
them. w hen the entrance was comple,eIy i'm
our possession the armed vessel Chicka,n;ttga,
which had already created great havoc among
our coasters and was then seeking an opport,
MY 10 put To sea again, Was run far up the
river by ner crew, and then sunk in a snail
creek. Our people kept up the night lights, set
To guide biockade-runners, and several came IN
at night anchored quietly, and then We're as
quletiy taken possession OF, with their car.ocs
Oh blankets, shoes, muskets. percussion caps,
ana other army supplies. On board one OF
them were found some English army officers,
VINO mad come over from Bermuda on "a lark, u
ana TO see the Coniederacy. When the vessel
was boarded they were found at supper. abont
70 celepfte with Cham payne their escape from
shots outside ami their safe arrival.
AT Irst they were disposed to be rather
AIRY, and talked about British subjects and
the British flag, but the boarding officer very
soon put "a stop To such nonsense. They were
sent TO New York by the first vessel going that
way, ana thence put on board packet bound
l1r bermuda. SO that they hardly set foot on
shore anywhere, and least OF alfin the Confed-
eracy. n
Ndcot Asyluna Phalaleiphia