Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-31
A GREAT EXPLOSION
That Shocked City Point and Wrecked
Grants Headquarters.
TOLD BY AN EYEWITNESS.
Some Facts In Regard to That Terrible Dis
sstsr That Were Never Before Made Pub
He Sergeant Fritz and His Cargo Of
"xixsd" Ammunition-F1ying Missiles.
Written for Ths Evening Star.

mer Of 1864. the Army Of the Potomac, under
the command of Gen. Grant, took up position
In front Of Petersburg and facing the army Of
Gen. Lee. The lines extended on the right
from point between Harrison's Landing and
Deep Bottom, on the James river, to the Wei
don railroad, on the left, distance Of nearly
forty miles, and on this lire was erected by
both armies probably the most formidable ar
ray Of breastworks ever known to modern or
ancient warfare. Hundreds of cannon, some OF
them Of immense caliber, were mounted at va
rious points along the lines by both armies, and
twas no unusual thing for US to be luied to sleep
by the terrific roar Of general cannonade,
which would often last the betOr part Of the
night and quite as often again resume opera
tions in the early hours of the morning and
continue the better part Of the day. These
were terrible days for both north and south
and the ''grim monster" death was busy. Dur
ing July, August and September the weather
was very dry and almost intolerably hot. The
Dust which was omnipresent. became atomized
and the slightest breeze, the tramp OF the boys
in blue or the army mule and wagon would
cause it to rise and envelope US like a London
fog. and it was not an unusual thing to hear the
most irreverent exclaim as did the psalmist,
How long, oh, Lord, how long"
THE BASE OF SUPPLIES AT CITY POINT
The base Of supplies for Grants army was at
City Point on the James River, about sixty miles
above Fortress Monroe. nine miles from Peters
burg and sixty-five miles from and below Rich
mOnd- Here was gathered probably the most
unique. motley and often woebegone array of
army transports ever seen in any war and
probably the like of it will never be seen again.
The patient and long-suffering ''canaler" with
his unsightly barge or canal boat was here,
anchored on the shoals so that his boat and
cargo only foated at high tide. / recollect the
caOtalu1 OF these harQQs q being tho M
contented Of oil the men of the vast army.
This apparently arose from the fact that under
their charters from the government they were
earning more greenbacks than at any other
period in their whole nautical experience. with
nothing to do but wait for the order to dis
charge cargos and be towed back to one of the
many depots of supplies for a fresh one. At
night we could often hear the fiddle giving of
in q crude way the airs Of ''Old Zip Coon" or
the Arkansas Traveller" from the decks of
these same greasy old hunks, and at times a
womsn's voice could be heard wailing some
plaintive ditty, as i. was not an unusual thing
Tor .canaler" to be accompanied by his wife
and often children.
AVERY VARIED FLEET.
As before remarked this fleet was remark
able for its variety, often numbering 800 ves-
sells Of all descriptions and but very few Of
them OF the same pattern. The Jersey City
and Brooklyn ferry boats were not infrequent
visitors. The Long Island sound excursion
steamers were also to be found here, AS also side
wheelers well known in their day as the Daniel
Brooks, Daniel Drew, Grey Hound, Pocahontas
and great number of ships, brigs, tugs, brig
antines, barques. schooners, men-of-war of the
old wooden type and the new iron-clad mont
tor, at that period the pride Of our navy, aris-
ing largely from little bit Of history which
she had but recently made quite early one
morning In Hampton Roads at about the hour
when the average Virginian is wont to take his
quinine and whisky to ward OFF the ''chills."
THE VILLAGE on THE BLUFF.
For a distance Of nearly half q mile strong
government wharves and immense government
warehouses fringed the border of the river i'm
mediately in front of the village. These ware
houses were Immediately ad accent to the wharfs
and just back of them ran the railway which
connected the point with the army and for
merly with Petersburg. Immediately along the
tracks were a long row Of board houses which
were used for various purposes, the first being
the harbor masters Office, the suffers stores
cormissary Office. &c. just back of these was
a bluff some seventy-five to a hundred feet high
and OF very abrupt rise, upon which the village
OF City Point is built This bluff at that time
was scaled by broad stairway and was the
fashionable thoroughfare of the point, as the
headquarters Of Gen. Grant and his staff, as
also the chief and depot quartermasters. chief
and depot commissaries and all other Offices
necessary to the supply and control of o large
army were located on the plateau back of the
brow OF the bluff.
Bermuda Hundreds, about three miles above
City Point on the same side of the river is
separated by the Appomattox river, which joins
the James at this point About mile and a
half from the mouth and up the Appomattox
was small cluster of old-fashioned houses and
q landing called Powhatan, noted as being the
place at which Pocahontas saved the life of
John Smith In fact the identical tree was
pointed to by ancient Africans as being the
one under which this worldwide drama was
enacted.
QUITE LARGE POPULATION.
The base hospital was located on the banks
Of the APPROXIMATION, between this landing and
City Point. From the foregoing it will be in
ferred that the region in and around CITY
Point was at this period il the great war rather
densely populated. Besides the sick and
wounded a considerable force on guard duty
and the inevitable military prison, or as it was
termed Bull Pen, there were many thousand
eontrabands of all ages and sexes, many of the
males being employed in the quartermasters'
and commissary departments and quite a num-
Der Of the females as cooks and the laundressss
of the several hospitals and headquarters az
the post The total number of souls within
the picket hines Of the post at the date Of which
am writing could not have fallen far short o
$1,000 consisting as has been before indicated. of
one lieutenant general, officers of all grades,
soldiers and civilians Of nearly all conditions
and avocatons down TO the contraband of tender
years just from the adjoining plantations.
u
These details are dwelt upon at some length
In order that the reader may have fair con-
eeption Of the wild panic, disorder and dis
may which like a cyclone, but without the
usual warning given by one, smote US hip and
thigh on the 18th day Of August at IL As a. m.
The evening previous had been notified by
Gen p. p Pitkin, CHIEF depot auartermaster.
under whose orders was then serving, that il
would be my duty to prepare a correct list OF
all the vessels in the harbor, showing class OF
vessel, date of arrival and the character OF
cargo and lay it before him for signature in
time for transmission to Gen. Rufus ingalls,
chief quartermaster Of the army, who desired
90 transmit it to the Secretary Of War by
the steamer Daniel BROOKS, then plying
between the headquarters and Washington
as mail and passenger transport.
As she was to leave her wharf at 1890 a. m.
and as the list would cover about fifteen closely
written pages Of foolscap, it was necessary 70:
me to get an extremely cary start as the fee,
was anchored along the river reaching from
Wilson's Point below to Bermuda Hundreds
above, a distance OF about fivs miles
Owing partly to q want Of clerical force and
partly 10 the fact that Gen. ing-iis had been
absent about ten days, this report had beer
permitted TO fall into what in these days might
be termed '1nnocuous desuetude. or. in othei
words, IT was a daily report with Ingalls, at his
once, but non est during his absence. A,
many changes had occurred in the personnel Of
the neet during the time in which we had per.
mitted the report TO lie dormant il became
necessary to make . personal visit to esci
vessel