The National tribune., 1886-04-08
FIGHTING THEM OVER
What Our Veterans Have TO Say About
Their Old Campaigns.
KNOXVILLE.
Member OF the Signal Corps Relates How the
Siege Ended.

Member or the Signal Corps Relates How the
Siege Ended.
To THE EDITOR: With your permission l
will throw my log on the campfire by relating
my experience during the siege Of Knoxville
by Longstreet in November, 1863 The move
ments that resulted III our being cooped up IN
Knoxville extended over couple of months
We had been chasing up the rebs and they
chasing Us alternately day about in the neigh
borhood of LoudOn, about 80 miles below Knox
Vile. since the middle of October We had num-
erOnS sl!rmshCS with them, notably at Lenoirs
Station and CaBphells Station. on the East Ten
neSsee a Virginia Railroad. and while we in
variahiy beat them in the fighting, yet we just
as invariably fell back during the night toward
Knoxville, so that we reached our last ditch in
that direction about the 18th of November. 1t
was during the last fight just outside OF Knox
vile thar the gallant Gen. Sanders was killed.
On the morning of the 18th j was ordered to
duty in a large fort on the right Of the King
ston roa,, then without a name, but III day
or SO afteTward named Fort Sanders after the
brave soldier killed in front OF it, and occupied
By Buckleys ID Z. /. battery and Lieut.. Ben
jamin's battery, 2d Regulars supported by the
79th \. \. There may have been some more
infantry. but if so, have forgotten it. When
we took possession of the fort it was only par
tally finished. The center Of the incoSure was
higher than the parapet, the hombproof was
only about half done, and the side nearest the
town was entirely OPEN We soon set to work
to remedy this. and for several nights we had
between 800 and 400 negroes digging aud
shoveling. 1t was hard work to keep them at
If, for the TebS kept up pretty lively shelllng,
and at the first alarm they would all lie down
or run and hide. / recolect very clearly seeing
one of them hiding behind an empty flour bar
rel, and have been sorry a hundred times that
j did not hit that barrel with a lump OF dirt.
Z. lr.s,,
ened we also were attending to the outside.
We had with our detachment several miles of
insulated telegraph wire, which was intended
to be used in putting up a portable telegraph
line, but had never yet been taken of the reel.
This wire we wound around the stumps of the
trees on the slope of the hill in front OF rs IN
two lines, about 100 yards apart, forming a
fence that was almost invisible, but. as 1t
proved a very serious obstacle to an advancing
column. About this time Gen. Ferrero, COM
manding the First Division, Ninth Corps, made
his headquarters in the fort. We still kept on
strengthening the fort where it was thought
necessary. and the rebs, with the most COM
mcndable patience waited till we had every
thing in the very best order and then tried to
do what they should have done at the start, be-
fore we had time to fortify-namely, carry the
place by assault The attack was made Just
about daybreak on Sunday morning, Nov. %.
They came up the hill in close column, and,
though they received a terrific fire, never
halted or even wavered until they came to our
first wire fence, which many of them fell over,
throwing their line into confusion. They had
hardly got Strengthened out again before they
reached the second fence, which again disor-
ganized their ranks. and they could not re-
cover themselves. They advanced to the foot
of the parapet, fired few shots, stood irresO-
lutte a few moments, and then fled down the
hill again. Some few of them managed to get
up on the fort. among them color bearer of a
Georgia regiment, think. He planted his flag
in the earth and called on US to surrender, but
fell backward into the ditch pierced by dozen
bullets, leaving his flag standing, which was
soon dragged into the fort. 1t was terrible
slaughter l went ont over the field during
the day and saw more than 100 dead scattered
on the hill, to say nothing of the wounded. A
truce was declared from about 9 till D o'clock TO
carry of the wounded, though many of them
must have frozen to death, for ii was intensely
cold and they were very thinly clad. On the
evening of Dec the rebs left for good, and SO
ended the siege of Knoxville.
have said nothing so far about our suffer
ings during the siege, but if it Were not for
making my story too long, l could tell you
about the corncob-and-Sawdust bread, and the
cattle that were so nearly starved that they
had to be killed lying down; of the killing Of
all the extra horses and mules so as to have
more feed for those that were left; of the fight
with butcher knives in the dark between
some of our boys and the rebs over the carcass
Of COW accidentally shot between the lines
of how anxiously we used to listen during the
night for the guns of Sherman, who, it was ru-
mored, was coming to our relief-JoHN II.
MaEEI-R- Signal (ornE II < 4 phila1aInhia