The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-08-27
AFTER TwENTx-NINE YEARS.
A Confederate Commander Strangely


A Confederate Commander Strangely
Learns the Result of Clever Shot.
| From the New Orleans Times Democrat.
| When the Washington Artillery was at
| Morgan City on the Fourth of July, there
| We're many striking incidents that sprung
| out Of the ceremonies Of dedicating Fort
| Star and practicing with the solid shot.
! The whole day the war and its memories
were kept before the people, but it was
| not reawakening in which the bloody
| shirt had any play, but more of a thought
| full retrOspection, in which the recalling
of battles was not with bitterness, but
with an impartial sadness
Among all the happenings of the day
none were more singular and noteworthy
than one which occurred to Colonel Rich
| ardsOn, the commander of the battalion
| il was during the time when the bat
| teries were firing shell at the two targets,
which looked like tiny handkerchiefs on
the water, they were so far away. A
good shot was fred, and the spectators
were applauding the excellent marks
manship, and the colonel stepped up to
| the gun to command the gunner, when,
without cause or without knowing why,
| the memory of a similar shot, which had
| been fired twenty-nine years ago, almost
to the very day, flashed into his mind
when he had stepped up to a gunner and
complimented him in much the same
style.
1t was when he was in Fort Malone a
! the siege of Petersburg, which was
| known as Fort Domination" when the
Shot twenty-nine years before had been
| fired, and the Fourth of July was almost
the anniversary of the very day Instead
of white targets for mark it had been
| the tops of two Sibley tents, which peep
| ed over the ramparts of Fort "Hell y Just
] 20 L NJ ~ ~
| the tents of federal officers He knew
that from deserter, who had informed
| him also that the officers Of the whole
| command held daily consultation there
and that he could tell the time from the
| fact that they hitched their horses around
the tents. Col. Richardson was then
! captain in the Washington Artillery, and
| he conceived the idea of scoring a point
| on the federals by firing on the tents lust
| at the time of the daily consultation.
| He selected the best gunner in his com
mand and told him what he wanted him
| to do, and that was to load and prepare
| his guns for a special shot which he was
| going to direct them to make the ensuing
| day. The young captain was sure that he
! had gunners he could depend upon, and
| to make his triumph complete he asked
| Gen. Malone to be present when the shots
were to be fired
1t was noon next day when the horses
| of the federal officers were seen collected
around the two tents. The gunners were
| told to train their guns upon them, and
to be certain to make their shots tell
| Those two shots were made the center of
interest of those in Fort "Damna-
| ton for that day for the word was
passed around that the destruction of
| the officers tents was to be attempted
| After deal of preliminary arrange
ments the two shots were fired and the
| tops of the two Sibley tents disappeared
| like card houses in a gale of wind. The
| success of the shots was the signal for
cheering on the part of the Confederates
Gen. Malone complimented the accuracy
| of the artillerymen, and it was then that
| the captain stepped to the gunner and ex-
pressed his appreciation in much the same
way that he used to the one that had
made the good shot at Morgan City. But
there had always been a tinge of dissatis-
| faction about that shot at the federal
| tents, and that was that he had never as
| certained whether any one had been hurt
in the tents, and for the twenty-nine in
| tervening years that one thought had
perVaded the whole incident.
With these thoughts in his mind Col
Richardson turned away from the gun
ner at Morgan City, and at that moment
| one of Morgan CitY's prominent citizens,
MIR Gray, stepped TO the colonel's side
isn't this Col. Richardson2"
eyes "
"Well, I have been wanting to meet you
for many years, ever since l heard that
| you had been in Fort 'Dlmnation' at the
same time | was in Fort 'Hell'"
yes" said the colonel, and when
were you in Fort HellHn
''In July, 1864; in fact, Just twenty-nine
years ago to-day answered MIR Gray
The colonel instantly thought of those
| two shots, and wondered if his curiosity
| was to be satisfied. Do you remember a
! day while you were opposite me in Fort
! He'll when the tents of the officers were
| taken down by two shots which were al
| most simultaneous
The stranger did not reply for a full
| minute. The shadow seemed to fall over
| him, his eyes grew dark, and he stepped
| back and surveyed the colonel from head
| to foot. Then he broke out feelngly: ON
| you. | shall never forget those shots
! They swept away the flower of my corps
| My first lieutenant was killed, and the
| leg of my second lieutenant was shot of
| and five others were killed And did YOU
| fire that shot}
The deep feeling of the man was evil
| dent, but moment later hf said: well,
| colonel, you are now teaching your Young
! soldiers to serve the flag for which my OF
! ticers laid down their lives. 1t is Kismet.
| Ell ms take a drink ~