Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1888-04-16
An ex Confederate's Account of the
Siege of Fort Jackson.

before the Federals fred their first
attacking gun, writes an ex-Confed-
crate in the Detroit Free Press. To
us on the Confederate side the posi-
tion seemed absolutely impregnable.
Forts Jackson and Phillip were al
most opposite each other, with the
/ river so obstructed as to prevent any
vessel passing up and to hold fleet
under fire, and the only fear that we
had was that Farragut would not
send vessel near enough to try our
cannon. Above the raft and forts
lay Confederate fleet of l6 or l8
vessels, including a ram and floating
battery, and it was the general talk
among the sold ers that we had over
done the business and scared the
Yankees away before a shot was fired.
We had, all told, 10 guns, nine of
them of the heaviest caliber, and in
case of feet coming up we should
have them at almost pistol range.
About the 18th of the month our
scouts reported that large Federal
feet had come up and anchored in
the bend below, which was shut from
our view by a heavy forest. The feet
had not only come up, but the Yam
KEGS were towing mortar schooners
to position, and it was evident that
they were going to give us a display
of fireworks. The first mortar was
fired at us on the morning of the
10th. / was on sentry duty at that
time, and l plainly saw the bomb as
it came. 1t fell upon the parade
ground, and went down 5 or feet
into the soft soil, and the explosion
threw out dozen wagon-loads of
wet dirt. / was spattered from head
to foot with the muck, and piece
of the shell struck my bayonet, bent
it double and flung the gun 20 feet
away. 1t was scarcely known what
had happened when the second bomb
came. This fell into ditch, and the
explosion scattered mud for 300 feet.
We were now called to the guns to
return the fire, and our heaviest ord
nance was soon directed at the ene-
my. Outside of his mortars he had
some III inch guns, which sent their
shells at the fort, but these we had
little care for. The shells struck the
walls of the fort and did little or no
damage. 1t was the monster bomb
that 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 a shell |
was dropping upon us every two SC
onds. The air was alive with their
kissing and groaning and sputtering, |
and the explosions came SO fast that |
the ear could detect no interval be-
tween them. No man in the fort had |
ever been under a bomb fire before |
There would have been no fiinching
from the fire or batteries or gunboats,
but the rain of bombs had not con-
tinued a quarter of an hour when the
men were thoroughly demoralized.
In this short space of time | saw 20
Or 80 men killed, and the destruction
to property was great. We were or
iered to the bomb-proofs, and all
those not working the guns were soon
hidden away from the shells.
just imagine a monster shell fall
ng every two seconds, to explode
and scatter its fire and fragments for
20 yards around-to fling up wagon
Dad of earth with each eXplosion-to
start fire where there was anything
,ombustible-to deafen the ears and
almost deaden the body by the con-
and you will realize some
hing of our situation. Such men as
we're not wanted at the guns were
obliged to act as a fire brigade be-
ore noon, and the buildings in the
ear of the citadel were fired and the
lanes extinguished dozen times up
o five O'Clock in the afternoon, when
burned to the ground.
During the day l had several narrow
scapes, as did all the others. 1t was
10 use looking for bombs in hopes to
lodge them. They were falling too
hick for that. One came down with
q feet of where / stood, buried IT
elf 5 or feet in the soft soil, and
yhen the explosion came three of us
7ere lifted up and flung distance of
0 feet. One man had leg broken,
ut the other two of us were hardly
ruised. / saw a bomb descend !
quare upon the head of Corporal
'ho was crossing the parade ground. +,
was looking full at him, but could !,
ever realize just what occurred. He
eemed to disappear in a cloud of !,
noke, and the only remnant ever
)und of him was a shattered hand.
From the 10th to the oath, without
q hours intermission, we were sub >
.cted to this terrible fire, and during =
le last two days the men were near
revolt than l ever saw them after y
ard in the Confederate service. o
hree or four times our magazines il
ere in imminent danger, and were e,
we'd only by a great risk and hard
ork, and a great share of our pro- d
sions were destroyed after the first I'll
~. The shells cut the levee in
ont of the works, and the water III
me in from the river to add to our e,
scomforts, and the men shut up in I'll
e bomb-proofs soon learned that
ey were out of danger. But for 10