The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1892-07-28


darkness, hayonet In hand, to Chamber over
the simple obstacle, breach the line Of bat
tie. take city and decide campaign-here
was focusing Of elements for sensation,
even at the front in war time. IL WAS at
Fort Sanders, on Sunday morning, Nov
90 1863, when l,Ongstreet 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 Z l. place for
the control Of Knoxville, I. = Key to east
Tennessee, and lcfell to I.ongstreet, whose
corps Of invincibleH6 'ad been sent west
after Gettysburg to try and wrest II once
more from the Union grasp. Burnside had
but recently jumped into the tracks Of u
retrrating Confederate army and hadn't
reached firm foothold. lie commanded
1900 men, IOngstreet brought 5000
against him.
The opposing armies first came into col
llsiOn a few miles south Of the city, for
Burnside was pushing on TO Chattanooga,
leaving Knoxville behind him, at the same
time that LOngStreet VIA leaving Chatt,l-
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 hRSty efforts TO build de-
fensive works around the city the Confetl.
crates appeared in force about n mile be.
yond the outer Notifications, on the south,
on Nov. u, bent on going straight into
Knoxville. There was rally little In the
way OF their doing NO on that route, except
about 100 Union cavalry led by Gen. w. r.
Sanders In person. Sanders commanded q
full cavalry division, but he remained at
the point Of danger TO zee It out. The hand
full Of men with him were to act IN n foil
while their infantry comrades were getting
things in trim behind them. With tho
enemy closing In and the breaStworks and
batteries unfinished, Burnside's engineers
asked for days grace at their labors. The
general referred the matter to Sanders,
who said yes, without Of courSe consulting
I.ongstrett IA TO his Intentions The days
grace WAS to lie up n midnight Of the 18th.
During the night Of the 18th Sanders men
built breast work out Of fence rails, sent
their horses to the rear and awaited tho
issue with the other party.
II no happened that lyongStreet was anx.
ious for u speedy attack, and his leading
soldiers ran into Sanders rail pile early on
the 18th and drew back with countless
broken Ehins. Then artillery WIS brought
into play, the rails were knocked into
SplintPrS. and Confederate column charg-
ed upon and Overw helmCd the brave cav
alrymen. Sanders was MORALLY wounded
while he stood erect, head and shoulders
above the flinsy brPastwork, 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 rear Of 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
remOdelng during Sanders plucky fight
on the outpOsts. As soon az 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 Z,
Second United States artillery. Benjamin
commanded the artillery In the fort, ten or
twelve ordinary Geld pieces. About 800
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
quadrilaterHl averaging 100 yards length
on a side. The work ives located at the
angle where the lines Of defense on the
north and west met, and its capture by
the ConfederateH would carry down the
adjacent Union lines running east and
south from II. 1t was faultily placed and
poorly constructed, but such az II was the
defenders had to make the best Of It.
b The Confederates found out that Fort
Sanders was the key to Knoxville and
devoted ten days to preparations for attack
upon It. Thirty cannons belonging to
AlexRnder's crack artillery corps were
placed In battery, TO fire upon the work at
short range. Four pieces were elevated
upon Skids 70 M TO rain down shells veFtl
cally inside the parapet, at Fort Sanders,
and four long range guns were placed on a
bill n mile and a half away, having a
range TO rake leugthwise the trenches I'D.
jacent 10 the fort on the south. Ordinance
enough, It would seem, TO make dust out