The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-04-12
sHARpsHoo1ING.

SHARPSHOO1ING.
The Experience of Confederate Soldier
In the War.
In passing in and out of the lines as a
scout, writes an ex. Confederate soldier in
the Detroit Free Press, I saw more or less
of the sharpshooters of both armies, and
was twice wounded from Federal rifle
pits, but the closest and best shooting OF
the sort ever saw was around Peters
burg.
At points around Petersburg, where
the lines of earthworks were only pistol
shot apart, the sharpshooters piled his
rifle night and day and they became
living terror to both sides. I was for two
weeks in the Confederate works, opposite
Grants Fort He'll, and although tons
upon tons of Federal shot and she'll we're
hurled at us, we lost more men by the
bullet of the sharpshooters than by all
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 ST.
fenced for two days by Federal sharp
shooter who ensconced himself only
stope's throw away. 1 do not know that
the one man held the place for two nights
and two days, but we judged SO from the
style. of firing, and because when we
finally got rid Of him no one else took his
place. He crept out from the Federal
line in dark rainy night, dug rifle
pit, banked up the dirt around it and
killed two of our men between daylight
and sunrise. He had si1teen-shooter
rife, and he gave all his attention to one
embrasure in the fort, and before noon
the piece of artillery at that embrasure
was silenced.
A dozen Confederate sharpshooters
were detailed to kill the fellow of,
but he would not be killed. The dirt was
knocked about his ears in perfect clouds
by bullets, and now and then piece OF
fred artillery senta shell plowing over
him, but he was there to stay. When
night came ne intended to creep out and
kill or make him prisoner, but 10 q
whole company was brought up and
stationed in 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 nan and
wounded a second before 8 o'clock.
Three pieces of light Artillery played on
his pit until the guns had fred dozen
shells each, but he was unhsrmed. 1t
was plain that he had dug his pit sodeep
and narrow that everything from our side
must pass over it, and it was certain that
we must try some other plan. dao ne
been without close support three or four
men could have solved the problem pref
ty quick, but there were sharpshooters by
the hundred in his rear, and that rear so
close that a hat could not show above our
works without being made the target OF a
dozen bullets.
By noon of the second day we had had
four men killed and five wounded by the
one Yankee sharpshooter, and the
Colonel commanding had offered a
500 gold piece to anyone who would finish
him of. He might have made $4,000
for all we could do, as everybody had
cudgeled his brains in vain for plan.
It was about o'clock in the afternoon
that corporal belonging to some field
artillery stationed mile or so above us
on the lines came down to see relative
ofu and when the situation had been
explained to him and he had looked over
the ground he said:
"Give me an hours time and Ill have
him out and win that gold piece"
He returned to his command and Sc
cured half q dozen small fuse shells be-
longing to a mountain hoWitzer which
was then in park as of no account.
When they we're brought up he made q
sling from the leather ofa bootleg and
two stout cords and then gathered doz'
en- small stones to practice with. While
he flung these stones one of the men
timed their fall, and in this way he knew
how to cut the fuses. The fifth rock,
flung high in the air on curve, as a
mortar would throw it, fell so close to the
sharpshooter's pit that the corporal was
satisfied, He then cut his fuses and be.
gan throwing lighted shells. The weight
of them was about thirteen ounces, and
while they did not fly as high as the
rocks, the curve was The same. We were
all satisfied as to what the result would
be. The fourth shell dropped square in.
to 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
fred from the pit, nor did any Federal
dare occupy it again.
A Peculiar Phenomenon.