Montgomery County sentinel., 1888-04-06
Shooting a Sharpshooter.

At points around Petersburg. where
tho lines of earthworks were only pistol
shot apart. the sharpshooter piled his
murderous rife night and day, and they
became living terror to both sides. I
was for two weeks in the Confederate
works. opposite Grants Fort Hell, and
although tons upon tons Of Federal shot
and shell were hurled at us, we lost more
men by the bullets of the sharpshooters
than by all the cannonading In the
Confederate works, just above the fort
which Butler blew up and which has
since been known as the Crater, the most
effective cannon was silcnced for two
days by Federal sharpshootcr who en-
sconced himself only a stones throw
away. l do not know that the one man
held the place for two nights aud two
days, but we judged so from the style
Of firing, and because when we wero
finally rid of him no one else took his
place. He crept out from tho Federal
line in n dark und rniny night, duga
rifle pit, banked up the dirt around it,
and killed two Of our men between day
light and sunrise. Lie had a sixteen
shooter rife, aud he gave all his atten-
ton to one embrasure in the fort and be-
fore noon the piece of artillery at that
embrasure was silenced a.b.r,I
A round dozen Confederate sharp
shooters were detailed to kill the fellow
off, but be would not be killed. The dirt
was knocked about his cars in perfect
clouds by bullets, and now and then a
piece Of field artillery sent u shell plow-
ing along over him; but he was there
to stay. When night came we intended
to creep out and kill or make him pris-
oner, but 10 a whole company was
brought up and stationed il the ravine
Just behind him, where their fire would
sweep the field around his pit, and We
had to turn to some other plan. He was
there in the morning, and he killed one
man and wounded n second before 8
O'clock. Three pieces Of light artillery
played on his pit until theguus had fired
dozen ellsseach, but he was unharm-
ed 1t was plain. that he had dug his
pit so doep and narrow that everything
from our side must pass over it, and it
was certain that we must try some other
plan. Had he been without close sup.
port three or four men could have solved
the problem pretty quick, but there
were sharpshooters by the hundreds in
his rear, and that rear so close that not
. hat could show above our works With
out being made the target of dozen
bullets.
BY noon Of the second day we Ind
four men killed and five wounded by
one Yankee sharpshooter, and the colo
mel commanding had offered a 800 gold
piece to any one who would finish him
off He might have made it $20 900
for all we could do, as everybody had
cudgelcd his brains in vain for plan.
1t was about S o'clock in the aftern bon
that corporal belonging to some field
artillery stationed mile or so above us
on the lines came down to see a relative
of his, and when the situation had been
explained to him and he had looked over
the ground he said;
"Give me an hours time aud I'llhave
him out and win that gold piece
lie returned to his command and &C.
cured half dozen small fuse shells be-
longing to mountain howitzer which
was then in park as of no account. -
When they were brought up be made u
sling from the leather Of a boot leg and
two stout cords and then gathered doz-
en- stones to practice with. While he
flung these stones one Of tho men timed
their fall, and in this way he knew how
to cut the fuses. The fifth rock, flung
high in the air on curvo as mortar
would throw it, fell so close to the sharp
shooters pit that the corporal was salts
fed. lie then cut his fuses and began
throwing lighted she'll The weight of
them was about thirteen ounces, and
while they did not fly as high as the
rocks, we were all satisfied as to what
the result would be- The fourth shell
dropped square into the pit and exploded
as it struck, and in the cloud Of dirt
blown out was the sharpshooter's cap, the
stock Of his rife and his canteen. Not
another shot was fired from the pit, nor
did any Federal dare occupy il again. -
Detroit Free Press.