The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1886-11-18
sHARPsHooTsRs AT PETERSBURG.


An Ex-Confederate Tells OF Some Exc
riences While in the Trenches.
"The narrowest escape ever had" said
well-known lieutenant Of police in Bal
timore awas in front of Petersburg"
"NIy regiment was in Pickett's division
of Longstreet's corps. and another fellow
and were in trench together. We were
at the front of the line. The other fellows
name was Dick. The trench WIS about
six feet deep and there was . grooTe cut
in the top Of the front, through which we
did our shooting at the Yankees. When
we wanted to pop away we'd lay the gun
barrel along that groove, get quick sight
on the enemy, pull the trigger, ana then
Jump down. Dick was pig headed sort
of chap I told him dozen times ne
didn't have sense enough to hold his head
on his shoulders.
There was lot of Yankee sharpshoot-
ers in front of us, and cautioned Dick to
look out how he exposed himself tell
YOU it was dangerous for even so much as
man ear to get in sight of those fellows.
heard the bullets whistling lively over
our trench, and I knew by tne
sound that they were torceu
balls. A forced ball, you know Is
O. bullet from bree ch-loader. IL is
little bigger than the diameter OF the gun
barrel, and consequntly 1t goes OUT WIN
greater force than the ball from muI-
zle-loader. The way we could distinguish
between the two kinds Of guns was, that II
It was a breech-loader the bullet got to
YOU before the report; but If it was
muzzle-loader the report got to you De-
fore the ball Most all of the Yanks used
the breech-loader, and you can Just bet
YOUR boots we were mighty careful now
we got in their way.
aAs I was saying, the bullets were
whistling pretty lively over our trench. l
was loaded, and was about 10 put nay gun
in tie groove and pick off blue-coat
Dick was standing in front of the groove
putting in q charge. He had his eye at
the breech of his gun examining 1t, ana
the side of his head was turned toward
the groove. While lie was standing there
1T was not more than half minute al
together-one of the forced balls came
singing through the groove and bored
hole clear through his head as big as
walnut. He fell dead. I stepped across
to him, and in doing so passed IN front Oh
the groove. Just as I got on the other
side of the trench another bullet passed
through the groove and buried itself in
the rear wall of the trench. Two o:her
balls followed it, and buried themselves
in the identical hole made by the first
bullet The sharp-shooter who did that
neat Job was half-mile away.
"Pretty good shooting" suggested one
of the listeners.
II should say so," said the lieutenant,
with Nh expressive shrug of the shoulders
"Some of those Yankee sharpshooters
were marvellous. They had little tele-
scopes on their rifles that would fetch
man up close until he seemed to be about
only 100 yards away from the mu1zIe.
I've seen them pick u man off who was Il
mile away. They could hit so far you
couldn't hear the report of the gun. You
wouldn't have any idea that anybody was
in sight of you, and all Of sudden, with
everything as silent as the grave and loC
sound of gun, here would come SKIP.
ping along one of those forced balls and
cut hole clear through you.
"How we used to lay for these sharp
shooters, though" he said, chuckllnG at
the remembrance. "We'd keep Il lookout
for every little puff of smoke. The sharp
shooters, you know, mostly climbed trees
and hid themselves in the bran ches So,
every time they'd shoot there'd be tell
tale puff of smoke come out of the tree.
Juse as soon as we'd see one of those little
puifs of smoke The entire battery would
rain shot and shell into that tree, and
we'd make it 50 hot for the sharpShooter
that he'd either tumble or crawl out
d cad or alive. The best shooters were in
the Union army. Most Of them came
from the west and many Of them had
been scouts in the Indian country. They
rarely missed man at the distance of
mile. Indeed, thoy could hit any object
as big as pie plate that far away."-Chl-
cago Ledger.