The National tribune., 1888-08-09

during the day. That night we put In row
of cotton bales and threw dirt up against them
and the danger was past.
We called the fort in our immediate front
Fort Greene. / am not certain that this was
the correct or rebel name for it, but that was
the name we gave it. When the siege first be-
gan the enemy had several guns aud flag
staff with rebel flag on it-perhaps one of
those the President wanted to return by his
recent order
1t was only few days before we compelled
them to take their cannon out Of sight. Then
one day while vas or duty IN The trenches
we concluded that flag had been up long
enough, as the men said they could cut it down
with their rifles. / at once sent detail for
1000 rounds of ammunition, and when it ar
rived aud was distributed to the men they
were told to so in. II w8s not half an hour
after the firing commenced until the fag came
down and cheer went up from the men. The
rebels tried To raise il again, but the IRE was
too much for them TO stand and they gave il
up so that dag Came down never again to be
raised. At the time the firing at the nag COM
menced Georgia regiment was eamped in
hollow beyond the fort, n a place where
tIey supposed themselves to be secure,
but which happened to be in range
Of cur guns. After the surrender we were told
that 10 of the regiment had been killed or
wounded on the morning the flag was shot
down IN the fort before they could get cut Of
range of oar guns. This incident, more clearly
than any other that / have cited, illustrates
how thoroughly and constantly those inside the
city were annoyed by our fire.
An UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE.
When Grants original army reached its lines
in front of Vicksburg many of the officers had
not been mustered as of the date and rank of
their commissions. This was especially true of
our regiment. Soon an order was issued for all
officers who had not been thus mustered to re-
port themselves to Headquarters for muster.
One bright morning Capt. DeHart Capt. Sis
ton and myself repaired to headquarters and
were mustered into the service of Uncle Sam
with the rank Of the commissions we then held.
Going 10 headquarters we thought that the
proper thing 10 do was to wear our uniforms,
coats, pants, caps, belt, swords and ali, and ge
did So Cur shoes were also polished. We
thought we looked quite presentahle. We got
10 headquarters and we're mustered without
any incident worthy Of mention. We started
on our return 20 camp, and thought we would
return by . shorter route and avoid the deep
cuts through the hills, which were hot and
dusty. Imagine cur surprise when entering ra-
vine 6e found ourselves face to face with 6gun
rebel battery about 500 OF 600 yards in our
front. Indeed the first intimation Of our prox-
Unity 70 II was the put of smoke from one the
guns firing AT as. The shell csme on and pass
ed uncOmtortably close to US over our heads.
exploding about 30 or 90 feet behind US, doing
no harm, however This Was followed in an in
oredibly short time by another shell, which
exploded about 100 yards in front of rs. The
pieces Of iron from the shell fell ST around US
but We escaped; then another she'll came like
the nrst, aud exploded behind Us. By the time
this last shot was fred We had reached ra-
vine, into which we went, where spur of . hill
sheltered us; but the rebel artillery continued
70 drop shells IN the ravine We had entered.
We halted as soon as behind cover and allowed
them 70 precede Us with their shells When
We got up 70 Gen. Siaek's headquarters one Of
his mules had been killed by one OF these shells,
and he was swearing Worse than the army in
Flanders ever did.
Our camp life after Gen. Grant had things
fixed to suit him and had established the Black
River line in our rear was not SO hard as people
at home thought it to be. AS / have said we
were camped ia a ravine well protected from
tne enenys FIRE, well shaded with q fine
growth Of willows from the suns rays,
with plenty Of good water issuing from those
hills, and plenty of blackberries and plums on
the hills in our rear. The berries and plums
were gathered By our cooks and "roustabouts,"
and made into pies, cObblers aud other good
ts1s1s eat. lhsss B6a sbuadsub -
tlozs ne4 - By tbe GefaHlsz1ry, kept gE
I 6all suppiied with provisions and save ns *.
possible room to complain 81 al.
eTEALEsa . Rox OF GOOD THEes.
sasaefiaass things would happen that sxas-
1an beyond measggs zad 4 be vas
-. sEeese ssssiy pioas affssssa s. s,--azsle
t lnp = al Ieceive5 tnaF we're much
saee fas14b1s taan p6Hes. g6Iie engaged ia
sade 80 hgana z3Ras up = bor q
@ ~ ssyeEai Bottles % yctg
s aEs members - I3y eJsn-
saa gat 5so7iS ehleg AZ
whiie We were toiIIng aud fighting for the
Gibraltar Of rebeldOm. I received letters tell
- arrua k.- . L. ! L. a
be divided; who had contributed TO the con-
tents Of tie box, etc. / directed our brigade
teamster to look after the box when he was up
to the landing As he went there once or
oftener each day, he inquired at the proper
place for that box, bat could get no inforaa-
tioD but one day while he Was there and pry-
ing around the heade aarters OF the Sanitary or
Christian COmmission-I am not sure which
but believe the Sanitary Commiss0n-he found
the lid Of the box plainly addressed to me- In
word, the gang around the headquarters of
whichever place he found the lid had stolen
the contents Of the box That lid was all Of
the box or its contents we ever received. IL
the sick and wounded got the contents Of the
! box, all right; / am glad l never got it. But
/ IL the loafers and camp-foll0wers and dead
! beats that were always around those headqnar-
ters got that box, / hope it killed them The
meanest thing on earth is the loafer that is
usually called a camp-fOlloWer, especially those
/ who infested the headquarters of the Sanitary
and Christian Commissions About army
headquarters they were usually some relative
Of the General or his wife About the Sani-
tary OF Christian Commission it was usually
some fellow who had the cheek 10 force him
self on these good associations, and because Of
/ his persistence get q place in which he could
/ disgrace and bring shame 10 the faces of the
! 6od-ieaFing and Union-loving people who had
/ these two institutions under their control and
had the good Of the service at heart.
GETTING READY FOR THE FINAL CONFLICT.
About the lst Of July we had our treDcbes
! up % within less than 100 feet Of the fort ia
our front, and were getting closer as rapidly as
! the nature Of the ground would permit. Then
/ IL began 70 be whispered around that unless
! Gen. PembertOn surrendered before the Ash Of
/ July, Gen. Grant would order an assault.
/ Things about our camp looked very mach like
/ this story had got out by authority" Large
numbers Of bags were made and filed with
cotton, packed as tight as possible: these were
/ to be used drst to shield aud protect the men
/ while they reached the ditch, as they had moth
/ ing but the ride-bulets TO guard against. as we
+ had fully demonstrated that they could not fire
a cannon on our line; and then when the ditch
I Was reached in front Of the enemy's works
these cottOHb bags could be used 10 fiIl it up and
/ make q bridge instantly on which the charging
/ column could cross. The men also wrote let
I ters home aud made all possible preparations to
J ftr afCry final Trsa a.