Signal-Copiahan. (Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1886-09-30
AT PETERSBURG.
Harris NissIssipplsns at Fort Gregg
NO EPIsODE MORE GLORIOUS III
THs, ARMS.
EiIroR CHKosIcLs.:

EdITOk CHk0SiCLB:
In reading several histories Of the
war between tie North and South, |
do not rcinrinbe.. having seen any ar-
count VI the unpsrrricd heroism dis
PLAYED by the men Of Harris Mss 81
ppi brigade In their defense OF Fort
Gregg ut the time when Grants mas
sive columns advanced and broke Grn.
Lee s lines At Petersburg, on the md
Of April, 1865.
In the"Risc aud Fall OF the Con-
federate Government ] hnd DULY
the following in reference thereto:
Battery Gregg made an obstinate
defense aud with garrison OF about
$50 men, held corps in check for II
large part Of the day.
Possibly, In absence OF particulars,
or for fear Of doing injustice to other
deserving men, history So far as my
knowledge extends, has failed to men
ton what troops defended this inpOr-
tant point, to cover Lees retreat.
Early ON the morning Of the second Of
April, Harris Mississippi brigade,
composed Of the. lNh, 10th, 18th, and
2lst regiments, of MshOne's division,
were put in action OF the right Of Pc
tersburg, constituting 3 portion Of the
last hope to save Lees army. II was
q long thin diminishing line ut this
point and the surgiDg masses of Grants
army pushed them steadily back until
they reached III. vicinity Of Fort Gregg
which was simply II round carthwork
thrown up for the security of u bat
terry during the siege Of Petersburg,
and was situated probably three
fourths Of \ mile back Of the cntrench-
ments held by Gen. Lee previous to
the breaking Of his line. There was
Y ditch. perhaps ten feet wide and
some eight feet deep Nil around the
outside OF the fort. There was u
plank bridge across this ditch and Il
gateway leading into the fort. There
are various accounts as To the number
OF men who took refuge In this earth
work, but the most rcIidblS inforna-
ton I have been able to obtain was
from some Of the survivors themselves
whom ! personally know, who claim
that there were not more than one
hundred and twenty five. Falling
back upon q line with the fort these
MiSsissippians went into II with the
understanding that IL was Lees order
that "Battcry Gregg must he held at
all hazzards, ~ to cover his retreat and
save his army. They had had u spir-
tied conflict, cOntcsting every inch of
ground with obstinate determination
from the time they went into action in
tie early morning up to the time they
served this portion Of their line to
Concentrate in Fort Gregg. They had
Witnessed. too, the cOwardly killing
Of t!.cir beloved Lieut.. Gen. A. j.
Hill by a squad Of Federal infantry,
who lad surrendered to him, and ~
he turned to ride away, clutclcd their
arms ssain and shot him dead upon
the field.
Their comrades were still retreat.
ing, leaving them shut up in Fort
Greg: at the mercy OF the enemy, and,
with them. IL was surrender or mar
tyr,loin to save their illustrio,Is chief
tain. As far rs eye could reach To the
front, the right and to the left. over
the undulating blood stained plains,
came rushing onward the Ovcrwhrlm-
Ing columns Of infantry and diving
artillery. now aud then Numbering
aud pouring their deadly contents into
the rauks OF their still fearless, but re-
treating 0Ieiny. In thc. iittle, esrtkz
work, "Battery Gregg, letiys ~ "
live in history until the resurrc lr;,s'
emblazOncd rs the spot which z 81
the scene Of u heroisin unparall ~
tho annals OF war--stood remnant OF
Brigadicr General Nathaniel !unrfis :
Mississippians. Cool, sclf-pos scssctl
must / say brave2 They were EN-
ured to the thunder OF cannon,
the rattle Of mliskctry and the charge
Of lcgions. MUST | say they had fought
\ hundred battles when they had gone
through all the great conflicts Of the
two armies In Virginia and fighting
was their daily avocation for the last
nine months around Petersburg?
Calmly they surveyed tho scene before
them until Gibbons corps Of ten
thousand men surgcd up and around
the little earth work where they stood.
With deadly aim and repeating VOL
leys, Gibbons mon fell thick and fast
and were driven pcll-mell back almost
beyond the range OF their guns before
they could be rallied. On they came
again, surgiug up and around the
fort in confused masses, amid the
sheet OF flame and sitting smoke
poured into their faces from the guns
Of the resOlute Mississippians.
All the men that Gibbon could pos
sibly bring into action were rushed up
around. Fort Gregg. but from within
its circle walls death and destruction
flew with awful effect. Far away ov-
en- yOn,lcr on the breast works and re-
doubts, where our sinen had fought
these last nine months, now occupied
by the enemy, the Federal cannonccls
ceased firing and gazed with wonder
ment upon this mighty struggle Of u
hundred aud twenty-five Mississippi-
ans, engaged with Gibbons ten thous-
and men. Again Gibbon went back
and again rallied to the onset. The
attention OF tifty thousand men was
centcrcd OH '}attcry Gregg" II was
the nucleus cncir,ling 4 band OF the
most heroic patriots the sun ever
sh0nc upon aud they stood in BREATH
less awe watching Its grandeur. For
three mortal hours back and forth the
bleeding columns OF Gibbon surgcd.
At length they reached the ditch
around the fort aud rushed in and
crowded it with all the men it could
we'll contain but the brave defenders
within were supplied with shells and
hand grenades, which they lighted and
rolled over tho works Into the ditch
among the crowded masses ana tore
them into Fragments, but into tho
ditch others poured to all their places.
They saw that nothing but storining
with ovcrpowcitng numbers could
reduce the fort ,,bpt In attempting to