Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-06-09

the simple obstacle, breach the line of bat
tie, takea city and decided campaign here
was focusing of elements for sensation,
even at the front in war time. 1t was al
Fort Sanders, on Sunday morning, Nov.
20, 1853, when Longstreet besieged Burn
sides army at Knoxville, Tenn. Long
street staked all on one hazard, as Lee
had done in Pickett's charge at Gettys-
burg.
Many an incidental fight took place for
the control of Knoxville, the key to east
Tennessee, and it fell to Longstreet whose
corps of invincibles had been sent west
after Gettysburg to try and wrest it once
more from the Union grasp. Burnside had
but recently jumped into the tracks OF a
retreating Confederate army and hadn't
reached a firm foothold He commanded
l2000 men. Longstreet brought 10000
against him.
The opposing armies first came into col
lision few miles south of the city, for
Burnside was pushing on TO Chattanooga,
leaving Knoxville behind him. at the same
time that Longstreet was leaving Chatta-
nooga behind him to surprise and carry
Knoxville. Little had been done by Burn
side toward intrenching the place, because
no one was expected to dispute his occupa-
tion. The field of fighting had apparently
moved south for good.
In the midst of hasty efforts to build de-
fensive works around the city the Confed
crates appeared in force about a mile be-
You'd the outer fortiflcations, on the south,
on Nov. IL, bent on going straight into
Knoxville. There was really little in the
way of their doing so on that route, except
about 700 Union cavalry led by Gen. w p
Sanders in person. Sanders commanded
full cavalry division, but he remained at
the point OF danger to see il out. The hand
fnl of men with him were to act as a foil
while their infantry comrades were getting
things in trim behind them With the
enemy closing in and the breastworks and
batteries unfinished Burnsides engineers
asked for days grace at their labors. The
general referred the matter to Sanders,
who said yes, without of course consulting
Longstreet as TO his intentions. The day )
grace was to be up at midnight of the 18th
During the night Of the nth Sanders men
built a breastwork out of fence rails, sent
their horses 70 the rear and awaited the
issue with the other party.
II so happened that Longstreet was anx-
ious for a speedy attack, and his leading
soldiers ran into Sanders rail pile early on
the 18th and drew back with countless
broken shins. Then artillery was brought
into play, the rails were knocked into
splinters. and a Confederate column charg-
ed upon and overwhelmed the brave cav
alrymen Sanders was MORALLY wounded
while he stood erect, head and shoulders
above the iiimsy breastwork. over which
bullets swept like driving hail. His cour-
age stimulated his followers and they buf-
feted the enemy until darkness drew on,
and by that time the breastworks and re-
doubts around the city were nearly com
pleted
Directly in rearof the spot where Sanders
fell, and at the most salient point south OF
the town. there was an old Confederate
fort which the Union engineers were busy
remodeling during Sanders plucky fight
on the outposts. As soon as news of his
heroic death was carried back the work
was named in his honor
The ruling spirit IN Fort Sanders was
Lieut.. samuel n Benjamin, Battery L,
Second United States artillery. Benjamin
commanded the artillery in the fort, ten or
twelve ordinary field pieces. About 300
rihemen belonging to the Seventy ninth |
New York Highlanders, the One Hun
dredth Pennsylvania Roundheads, and the !
Twentieth Michigan were distributed !
about the fort which was an irregular |
quadrilatersil averaging 100 yards length |
on a side. The work was located at the |
angle where the lines of defense on the |
north and west met, and its capture by |
the Confederates would carry down the |
adjacent Union lines running east and |
south from IT, II was faulty placed and |
poorly constructed, but such as it was the |
defenders had to make the best of it.
The Confederates found out that Fort |
Sanders was the key TO Knoxville end |
devoted ten days appropriations for attack |
upon it. Thirty eannons belonging TO
Alexander's crack artillery corps were |
placed in battery to fire upon the work at
short range. -Four pieces were elevated |
upon skids so as TO rain down shells verti- |
cally inside the parapet, at Fort Sanders, |
and four long range guns were placed ON a |
hill a mile and a half away, having a
range TO rake lengthwise the trenches adj /
lacent to the fort on the south. Ordinance |
enough, it would seem. TO make dust out
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