Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1893-08-12

known as Fort "Damnation," when
the shot twenty-nine years before had
been cred, 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 peeped over the ramparts of
Fort HELL just opposite Fort Dam
nation" They were the tents of the
federal officers. He knew that from a
deserter who had informed him, also
that the officers of the whole COM
mand 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 artil-
lery, and he conceived the idea of
scoring point on the fedcrals by fir
ing on the tents just a. the time of the
daily consultation. He selected the
best gunner in his command 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 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 We're to be fired
1t was noon the next day when the
horses of the fedeI al 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 the interest of those
in Fort "Damnation" 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 gale of wind.
The success of the shots was the sig
nal for cheering on the part of the
confedcrates. Gen. Malone compli-
mented the accuracy of the artillery
men, and it was then that the captain
stepped to the gunner and expressed
his appreciation in much the same way
that he used to the one that made the
good shot n. Morgan City. But
there had always been tingc of dis
satisfaction about that shot at the fed
eral tents, and that was that he had
never asccrtained whether anyone had
been hurt in the tents, and for the
twenty-nine intervening years that one
thought had pervaded the whole Incl
dent
With these thoughts in his mind Col
Richardson turned away from the gum
ner at Morgan City, and at that mo-
ment one of Morgan City's prominent
citizens, Mr.. Gray, stepped to the
colonels side and said:
isn't this Col Richardson"
"Yes."
"Well, i have been wanting to meet
you for many years, ever since heard
that 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 Help"
"In July, 1864; in fact, just twenty
nine years ago to-day" answered Mr..
Gray.
The colonel instantly thought of
those two shots, and wondered If his
curiosity was to be satisfied. do you
remember day while you were oppo-
site me at Fort He'll, when the tents
of the officers were taken down by two
shots which were almost tsimultaneousp"
The stranger did not reply for 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, feel
ingly: Hang youl shall never for
get 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 evil
dent, but moment later he said: