Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1891-04-24

We had about 5000 rounds of cart
ridges, as our slaughtered comrades had
eif three quarters of their store behind
me ten port holes on that side and keen
up steady fire on the plateau. 1t was
aTlng at random in the darkness, and we
DOUBTLESS knocked some of them over. and
quite certainly delay ed the work. When
morning came We could see they had clear
ed the ground and begun to throw up a
small fort to hold tie guns Our fire had
driven them of. During the day thew
made bullet-holes screens OF bouchs and
mats and paid US out little attention.
hen night fell they set up their screens
and worked behind them, and though our
hre might have inflicted some slight loss.
IL dld not prevent them from getting two
guns IN position. They had an earthwork
SIX teet high to protect the gunners, and,
as the sergeant looked out and saw what
had been done, he grimly said:
live"
While we were at breakfast the guns
opened fire with solid shot. They were
only forty rods away, and yet the gunnery
was so poor that the first nine shots were
tbro VIZ away. When they began
~tNiA0- AC"Nftl. VIC IGgtliLSu tIkc Gdudge
they might infict The stones were but
little harder than sand stone, and while
too heavy to be hurled down, they faxed
and crumbled under the impact. We
manned the portfolios and fired at the en-
brasures, and in this way we checked.
though we could not silence the fire. They
got the guns trained on one particular
spot, and before night came we knew that
that they coald breach us, in two DAYS
more. As darkness closed in their FIRE
was suspended. They could see the pro-
greSs they had made and there was no need
of hurry.
We had with US native born Yankee,
who had fought under almost every flag
and taken the oath of allegiance to four or
i've governments, and early in the even
ing we noticed him overhauling the pile
of poles we had dragged in for frewood.
He at length selected out four or FIVE,
which had all the spring of American
hickory, and then untoided his idea to the
sergeant. 1t was simple enough, but no
one bat Yankee would have ever thought
of it. We first laid five poles on the
ground and pinned them fast. Then.
three feet in rear of them, we elevated
i've other short poles about two feet from
the ground on crotches. When the end
OF long pole was put over one of these
and rested against the one on the ground.
we had what would have been a spring
board if ere had been any board about
it. We tlen nailed box covers to the
other ends of the POLES, made
ropes fast to bend 'em down, and we had
principle made use of in war l 500 years
ago.
Now, then, pull down the end of the
pole, place stone on the pan and let go,
and the spring sends the stone flying sky
high, to come down with crash on some.
bodys head. In an hour we had the five
ready and playing away, there being plenty
of broken stone In the fort for ammuni-
ton. There was spring enough to the
poles to throw a five pound stone sixty
rods, and we heard sounds to prove that
we drove the enemy from a dozen differ
ent positions during the might.
The guns opened on US early in the morn
ing, and then funny thing took place.
1t may seem almost absurd to you, but
I'm giving you only what was officially re-
ported when say that with our five spring
guns, as you might call EN-, we actually
drove the gunners out of that re-
doubt and silenced their fire. After a lit
tie practice we could get
just the right spring to send the stone
soaring away like a boom, to fall upon
their uncovered heads. A jagged stone,
weigh glng from one to five pounds, and
falling from one to fifty feet, is not to be
desplsed. They tried 70 to get a shelter
over them, but with our muSketry fire at
the embrasure, and our rocks dropping
from above, they had to desert the redoubt.
Wherever we found body of the enemy
sheltered by rock or thicket to fire on us.
we trained our Yankee inventions on them
and they had to withdraw
After the failure of the artilley to breach
the walls the Afghans sat down to
starve us out. The idea was to wear us
out as well, and fire of musketrv was
maintained day and night. They probab-
iy dldn' t expect to do any great harm by
this fire. but they knew it would keep us
on the alert and annoy and irritate. 1t did
have that effect, and they harassed US fur
ther 10y threats of assault. We, on onr
part kept them dodging with our missiles,
and | have no doubt we wounded a great
many of them in that way. Tney could
not make ont what sort of guns we had
which fled without noise and threw rocks
instead of iron or lead and this puzze was
what prevented them from carrying out
walls by assault.
For thirty-six long days and nights we
were cooped up in that fort not suffering
for food and drink, but as prey for con-
slant anxiety, and then the second main
column came up from the coast and sent
US relief. In the fight in the pass below
the fort over 800 natives were killed. and
of the dozen captured alive every man of
them expressed a desire to see our spring
guns before being disposed of as prisoners
were. They were brought inside and
permitted to inspect them, and their cur
iosity was unbounded Poor devils! They
were backed against the wall, not twenty
feet away, and shot to death, even as their
faces still expressed wonder and astonish-
ment