The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-03-12
RAIN OF B0MBSHELLS.
A SPOT WHERE PHYSICAL COURAGE
WAS At A DISCOUNT.
An Ex-Confederate's Experience at Fort
jackson. Below New Orlean.-Under
Fire from the Federal Mortar Boats.
Destrnctivenes. of Bursting shells.

va " D@lNRNA+f NR%NF
New Orleans, about three weeks before
the Federals fired their first attacking
gun. To us on the Confederate side the
position seemed absolutely i~mpreenable.
Forts Jackson and Philip were almost
opposite each other, with the river so ob-
structed as 10 prevent any vessel passing
up aud to hold a fleet under fire. and the
only fear that we had was that Farragut
would not send ii vessel near enough 70
try our cannon. Above the raft and forts
lay ii Confederate feet of sixteen or eight
cen vessels, including Il ram and a foat-
ing battery. and it was the general talk
among the soldiers that we had overdone
the business and scared the Yankees
away before a shot was fired. | heard
good engineers and good military officers
declare that the whole world hadn't fleet
enough TO make tine passage Of the river
at that point. We had. all told. 10 guns.
nine of them of the heaviest c~aliDer, aud
in case Of n fleet coming mp we should
nave them at almost pistol range
About the 18th OF April n scouts re-
ported that a large Federal fleet had come
up and anchored in the pend below, which
was shut off from ouT view by a heavy
forest. The fleet had not only come mp,
but the Yankees We're towing mortar
%schOOners to positions, and 10 was evident
that they were going 10 give us a display
of fireworks. | don't think there was "a
man in our fort, officer or private, who
| suspected we should even be annoyed by
the bombshess. The distance was great,
and a bomDardment could mean nothing
but Il bluff. The first mortar was fred az
US on the morning Of the 10Th. ! was on
sentry duty at the time. and ! plainly saw
the bomb as il came. 1t fell upon the
parade ground. went down five or six feet
into the soft soil. and the explosion threw
out a dozen wagon loads of wet dirt. |
was spattered from head 10 foot with the
muck. and Il piece Of the shell struck my
bayonet. bent it double and flung the gun
twenty feet away. II was scarcely known
what had happened when the second
bomb came. This fell into the ditch, and
the explosion scattered mud for 300 feet
around.
We were now called TO the guns 10 re-
turn the fire. and orr heaviest ordnance
was soon directed at the enemy. Outside
OF his mortars be had some eleven inch
guns, which sent their shells at the fort,
bnt these we had little care for. The
shells struck the walls of the fort and did
little or no damage. IL WAS the monster
bombs which filled Us with dismay. From
the time the fourth or fifth one dropped
and the Federals found they had the
range. the fire increased until q shell was
dropping upon US every two seconds. The
air was alive with their Kissing and
grooming and suffering, and the eXplO-
sions came 50 fast that the ear could de-
tect no interval between them. No man
in that fort had ever been under a bomb
fire before. There would have been no
finching from the fire OF batteries or gun
boats. but the rain u bombs had not con
tinued aquarter Of an hour when the men
were thoroughly demoralized. In this
short space OF time / saw twenty or thirty
men killed, and the destruction TO property
was great. We were ordered 10 the bomb
proofs, and all those not working the guns
were soon hidden away from the shells.
Just imagine q monster she'll falling
every two seconds. 10 explode and scatter
its fire and fragments for twenty yards
around-to fling up a wagon load Of
earth with each eXplOsion-tO start a fire
wherever there was anything cOmJustible
to deafen the ears and almost deadCn
the body by the conclusions, and you viii
realize something Of our situation. Such
men as We're not wanted at the ms were
Obliged 10 act Is q fire brigade before
noon. and the buildings in the rear Of the
cita1el were hred and the flames eXtin-
guished a dozen times over MP 10 ; O'Clock
in the afternoon, when everything burned
to the ground. During the day / had
several narrow escapes, AS did all the
Others. IL was no use looking for bombs
in hopes ododge them. They were fall
ing too thick for hat one came down
within i've feet Of where / stood, buried
itself five or SIX feet IN the soft soil, and
when the explosion came three Of rs We're
lifted up and flung Il distance Of twenty
feet. one man had a leg broken, hut the
other two Of us were hardly bruised. ]
saw q bomb descend square upon the
head Of q corporal who was crossing the
parade ground. l was looking full at
him, but could never realize just what oc-
Cured lie seemed 10 disappear in a
cloud OF smoke, and the only remnant
ever found OF him was a shattered haHd
From the 10Th 10 the 2fth, without an
EDuI : lLLtTull5SlDuf we NtIt -AIIc[AIt ~
this terrible tire, and during the last two
days the men were nearer revolt than ]
ever saw them afterward IN the COnteder-
ate service. Three or fOur times u
magazine was in imminent danger, and
was saved only at great risk and by hard
work, aud a great share OF our provisions
WAS destroyed after the first day. The
shells cut the leyee in front OF the works,
and the water came in from the river TO
add 10 our discotnforts, and the men shut
up in the bomb proof soon learned that
they were not out Of danger. But for our
heaping on fresh sand bags not one Of the
proofs would have stood the fire. During
the passage of Farragut's feet every ma
in the fort was called 10 the guns, and
then we not only had the fire Of the vessels
but the rain OF bombs as well. When the
fort surrendered the Federal officers
seemed disappointed al finding any Of US
alive. Indeed, it was a wonder to Us that
enough men were left TO man a gun. From
10, 600 to ? 1000 bombs, each one ben on
killing nj least one rebel, had alighted in
the works, and we had received from 1000
10 5000 missiles u other sorts, and yet
the garrison had not lost a fourth Of its
number. saw Porter himself as hecame
to arrange for the surrender, and / heard
him express his amaZemeut 10 Col Hig-
gins that 80 many OF us were left alive.
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