Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1893-09-21
CLEVER SHOOTING.
RESULT OF TWO SHOTS LEARNED
AFTER TWENTY-NlNE YEARS.


An Incident In the Practice Work of a
Southern Field Day-How Colonel Rich
ardson Came to Know That He Had Done
Some Damage to His Enemies.
When the Washington artillery was
at Morgan City, there were many strik-
ing incidents that sprang out of the GER
emonies of dedicating Fort Star and of
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
thoughtful retrospection, in which the
recalling of battles was not with bitter
ness, but with an impartial sadness.
Among the happenings of the day none
was more singular and noteworthy than
one which occurred to Colonel Richard
son, the commander of the battalion.
1t was during the time when the bat
teries were firing shell at the two tar
gets, which looked like tiny handker-
chiefs on the water, they were so far
away. A good shot was fired, and the
spectators were applauding the excellent
craftsmanship, and the colonel stepped
up to the gun to commend the gunner,
when without cause or without knowing
why the memory of a similar shot which
had been fired 90 years ago almost to the
very day flashed into his mind when he
had stepped up to a gunner and compG-
mented him in much the same style.
1t was when he was at Fort Malone at
the siege of Petersburg, which was
known as Fort "Damnation," when the
shot 80 years before had been fired, and
the Fourth of July was almost the ami
versary of the very day. Instead of
white targets for a mark it had been the
tops of two Sibley tents which peeped
over the ramparts of Fort He'll" Just
opposite Fort "Damnation. They were
the tents of the 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.
Colonel Richardson was then cap
tain in the Washington artillery, and he
conceived the idea of scoring a point on
the Federals by firing on the tents just
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
the guns for special shot which he was
going to direct them to make the ensu-
ing day. The young captain was sure
that he had gunners he could depend up
on, and to make his triumph complete
he asked General Malone to be present
when the shots were to be fired.
1t was noon the next day when the
horses of the Federal officers We're 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 the interest Of those
in Fort "Damnation" for that day, for
the word was passed around that the de-
struction of the officers tents was to be
attempted.
After a deal of preliminary arrange
ments the two shots were fired, and the
tops of the two Sibley tents disappeared
like cardhouses in gale of wind. The
success of the shots was the signal for
cheering on the part of the Confederates.
General Malone complimented the &C
curacy of the artillerymen, and it was
then that the captain stepped to the gun
ner and expressed his appreciation in
much the same way that he used to the
one that had made the good shot at Nor
gan City. But there had always been a
tinge of dissatisfaction about that shot |
at the Federal tents, and that was that |
he had never ascertained whether any
one had been hurt in the tents, and for
the 90 intervening years that one thought |
had pervaded the whole incident.
With these thoughts in his mind Colo
mel Richardson turned away from the
gunner at Morgan City, and at that mo-
ment one of Morgan City's prominent |
citizens, Mr.. Gray, stepped to the colo
nel's side and said:
"Isn't this Colonel Richardson"
"Yes."
well, have been wanting to meet |
you for many years, ever since l heard |
you had been in Fort 'Damnation' at |
the same time that was in Fort He'll"
"Yes?" said the colonel, "and when
were you in Fort 'Hell?"
"In July, 1854. In fact, just 90 years |
ago today" answered Mr.. 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 almost Simultaneous
The stranger did not reply for a full |
minute. A 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 feelingly: |
Oh 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 off. and five others were killed. And |
did you fire that shot?"
The deep feeling of the man was evi-
dent. but moment later he said, "Well, |
colonel, you are now teaching your young
soldiers to serve the flag for which my
officers laid down their lives. New |
Orleans Times-Democrat
Locusts Devouring Eocusts.
In the summer of 1888, in which the
excessive heat and drought had brought |
about the nearly entire disappearance of
vegetation in good part of the country
and more particularly in the broken |