Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-05-05


full part in the defense-and lost
some, though u few, valuable mem-
bers. They were not there when the
place was abandoned to the enemy.
ON JAMES ISLAND.
Their periods of rest were spent i'm
bivouac on James Island. They
We're without shelter, and the heat
of the day, alternating with the cold
rains of the nights made the situa-
tions very trying. Added to this was
constant picket duty, and labor on
the works ON James Island, and in
moving and mounting heavy guns
in which they were found too expert
for their comfort.
Battery Wagner was abandoned
late in August, and in about fort
night the Guards were ordered to
Sullivan's Island, on the other side
of the harbor, to occupy Battery Ma
rion. This was nothing more than q
parapet of about 400 yards in length,
connecting Battery Bee with Fort
Moultrie, with chambers for guns,
and magazines, and bomb-proofs here
and there. The guns were 10-inch
cOlumbiads and mortars of the same
calibre. The battalion not only man
ned the guns, but furnished their
own infantry support. Here it re-
manned until the following May, but
not by any means in idleness. A
constant fire was maintained by both
sides nearly every day and night,
and sometimes all day and all night,
particularly from the mortar batter
les and the troops may be said to
have lived under fire during that pes
riod of eight months.
ORDERED TO VIRGINIA.
Suddenly, in May, 1864, there
came an order for the corps TO
go to Virginia to join the army
of Gen. Lee. 1t was received
with rapturous cheers-the men were
tired of the monotony of garrison
life. Arriving in Virginia, the corps
was stationed for time at Mattoax,
where the Richmond and Danville
Railroad crosses the Appomattox
river upon pretty high bridge.
Another bridge, of almost equal inn
portance crossed a tributary of the
AppomattoX couple of miles from
MattoaX. The destruction of either
of these bridges would have been a
great disaster-some cavalry raids of
the enemy had approached very near
them-and the Guards were sent to
aid in guarding them.
A battalion of Virginia reserves
were sent to join them, and an en-
gineer officer to throw up earthwOrk
for artillery, which soon arrived.
The Virginians were raw and mex
perienced, and wholly undrilleds
and the officers, non-commissioned
officers and even some of the pri-
Yates, were all set hard at work i'm
structing them in the rudiments of
duty. In this sort of duty, but with
out by any means neglecting their
own drill, the corps remained at
MattoaX until October.
JOINED LEES ARMY.
IL was then ordered to the general
| line of the army, and posted in the
trenches on the north side of the
! James river, near Chatiin's Bluff.
Indeed there was but one battalion
between the Guards and the river.
1t so happened that just at this part
! of the line there were six battalions
| connecting with each other. These
| six battaliOns were put together in a
small brigade by themselves-the
battaliOns being distributed into
| pairs, each pair commanded byT q
| field officer-and Col. Crutchfield
placed in command of the whole-an
arrangement altogether unique, but
found very convenient. This brigade
was commanded by Gen. @. w. @.
| Lee.
Major Basinger commanded the
pair of battalions composed of the
| Guards and Major Robt. Stiles Chat
fins Bluff battaliOn-Capt. Rice taxi
| ing immediate command in the dis
ability Of Capt. Stiles, who was sick.
The corps had now its first expert
ence of winter campaign in a high
er latitude than they had been accus-
toned to. 1t will be remembered that
| that winter 1S64-5l was unusually
severe The men had no shelter
worth the name-the most fortunate
having nothing more than the rag
| ged remains of old tents. Fuel, too,
was scarce, and prOcurable only at
| considerable distance from the lines
| The ratiOns then issued consisted
| only of a pound Of corn meal and q
third of a pound of bacon per diem.
The picket duty was extremely Sc
we're; bomb-proofs were ordered to be
built and details of the troops were
made for this purpose; it was abso-
lutely necessary to keep up an interi-
or guard.
HARD LIFE IN CAMP.
With one thing and another officers
and men were on hard duty forty
eight hours out Of every seventy-two.
Added to this, the opposing forces
were so very near each other that ex-
traordinary vigilance and alertness
were imperatively required, and the
entire Confederate line was under
arms, with every command at its
post prepared for action at least an
hour before day every morning
through that trying season. And
when the weather was at its worst,
there was the greatest need for these
precautions. The spirit Of the corps,
however, was so high that il could
have endured even more than these
| things. But fears for the result Of
the war began TO creep into the
minds of even the most sanguine--
the Confederacy appeared to be los
ing ground day by day-Grants inn