Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-14
WAR MEMORIES.
A u 800 Meal That Was Spoiled by
an IncOnsiderate Missile.
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"A S1,8OO Meal "a8 SpO1Ie0 Dy
an IncOnsiderate Missile.
From the Detroit Free Press.
Connected with the Tobacco Exchange at
Richmond Is a gentleman who was living
under the hill'' in Petersburg cur.n.
perilous days. After several shot and shell
had passed over his house, his family left
it for safer quarters, but one evening de-
cided to return. Everything was quiet for
an hour, and then a shot came booming
over. This was enough for wife and chill
dren. but the husband got mad and de-
clared he would stay there that night If
every gun in he federal intrenchments
was turned loose upon him. Half an hour
went by, and he was patting himself on
the back over his grit, when the federals
suddenly opened five or six heavy guns at
the hill. Shot and shell roared and Kissed
and screamed, and the mans hair began to
crawl. He stuck there, however, until
boom! bish! crash! came a cannon ball as
big as his head plump through one side of
the house and out at the other. and then
he flew out doors and struck gait just a
little faster than creased lightning. Singu-
larry enough, that was the only shot which
ever hit the house. though dozens fell
around it.
After Grant had his guns in position. and
more especially after he began reaching
out for the Weldon railroad, he could have
knocked Petersburg to pieces in twenty
Tour hours. He would probably have done
SO had there been any excuse for it, but
there was none. The confederate lines were
mile and a half away, and Petersburg
was held only by non-combatants. Never
theless, Grant did not propose that any one
IN reach of his guns should sleep soundly
or forget his presence. Occasionally shots
were, therefore. pitched into the city to
check any enthusiasm, and if anybody got
over an hours sleep at time 1t was con-
sidered something to boast of. One night
during heavy firing to the left of the craft
er, the federal guns were for a time SO ele-
waited that every missile cleared the con-
federate lines, howled over Petersburg and
fell among the houses under the hill. One
shell entered the window of house and
exploded In the parlor. A part Of the front
OF the house was blown out, one side de-
molished, the chamber floors driven through
the roof and the whole building weakened.
The people had moved out, but left all their
goods and dog to watch them. No one
could say just where the dog was when the
explosion took place, but he was not killed.
after a family had taken up their quarters
In q bomb-proof Of the back yard, shell
drove in the front door, penetrated the moor
snd exploded under the house. There were
five rooms below and four above, and the
explosion shook OFF every bit of plaster and
knocked down every partition in the lower
part. The family well was at the back of
the house, and so much debris was driven
into 1t that no water could be got for days.
In the winter Of 1854 a citizen who had
Unexpectedly received 5000 in confederate
currency on an old debt, determined to have
good square dinner. and company to help
to eat it. Rye coffee, bacon meal rice and
molasses were about the only provisions in
market; but at a cost Of 81 800 the citizen
scraped together enough to justify him in
inviting company of six friends. The
guests were in the parlor, the table set, and
the cook was over the stove, when a shell
entered the dining room through the side
of the house. The explosion SO wrecked
the room that no one could enter it. The
table, pieces Of which I saw. could not have
been demolished any better with an ak,
and the plaster in two or three rooms was
shaken down.