Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-06-24
A DEADLY ASSAULT.
The Attack Upon Fort Stsadman on
Friday, March %, 1855.
DESCRIBED BY An EYEWITNESS.
A Bloody Episode During the Closing
Scenes OF the Siege Of Petersburg-inci-
dents Of Great Dramatic Interest.


to furnish you my recollections OF the
assault on Fort Steadman on the morn
ing OF Friday, March 25. 1855. VIII state
that, being at that time a British subject
resident In Petersburg, I was not re-
quired by the Confederate authorities 10
enroll myself among the soldiers or the
South. and this gave me an opportunity
as an on-looker to witness from civil
iian's point OF view the varying fortunes
Of the war as they affected the people OF
Petersburg. But feel little reluctant
to give you for publication this scribbiing
of a mere looker-on to take Its place
among the narratives of so many OF the
"dramatis personae' of the great war
drama, men who on many field wit
messed the falling of
''The red rain that makes the harvest
grow
~ was stIu dark on the morning of the
18th of March, 1S65, when the loud and
continuous sound of battle from the lines
on the east of Petersburg proclaimed 10
the inhabitants OF the beleaguered city
| that some event of Importance was nap
pening. was aroused from sleep by the
| clarnor of battle. but waited until dawn
before leaving my lodging-room. on Syca-
| more street opposite the West-Hiil ware
house, near which In the mean time seVe-
raj stray shells from the Federal bat
| teries had exploded.
WITH EQUANIMITY.
| Most of the citizens Of Petersburg had
| left that part of the city where resided
| as above described. and, on Sycamore
| street. its main thoroughfare, only rev
scattered groups were visible. From these
/ learned that an attack upon General
| Grants works near Fort Steadman, under
! the immediate leadership Of General Cor
! don. had been made early that morning;
| and 1 was further informed that the
| roads leading to the point OF attack had
been crowded with the soldiers OF Pick
| ett's Division, ready to take advantage
| of any success that might be achieved Dy
! the assaulting columns These citizens
| with whom l talked and from whom
| gathered this information discussed II, II
| seemed TO me, with strange indifference
| 10 the probable issue of the battle then IN
| progress, ana it was apparent that IN the
presence of 1.-THE ills they had these peo-
nle had come to regard with equanimty
Whatever fate the future had In store Tor
! them.
The sound Of battle. instead OF dimin-
! isbine seemed to swell louder ana
/ louder, and excited In me great desire
| to witness the fight, which l felt sure
| could be done from some point on the
heights. which extended for some distance
along the north bank OF the river, and
command fine view of the city and
surrounding territory. So / determined
to crafty this desire. The purpose FORM
ed, l started to put 1t into execution.
! Quickly, however, as l walked along
I ef. Tlhh
and Sycamore / encountered a horseman.
| galloping at full speed. "bloody with spur
ring, fiery-red with haste" who, halting
! near me, demanded in tones harsh and
imperious, direC tons for reaching Cor
! don's headquarters. L surmised-and cor
rectly, as It turned out-that my I'M
.ssrious friend was one OF the Generafs =
aides bearing TO Mrs. Gordon tidings or
the fight 1t needed but a glance at the
face OF the messenger TO guess their
import.
Yea; this mans brow did. like title
page,
1roretell the nature of tragic volume"
l gave the information desired, where's
upon the rider put spurs to his morse and
disappeared round the next street corner.
IMPRESSIVE ROAR.
Having obtained from the provost mar
shall permission TO cross the AppomattoX,
after q long walk 1 reached the desired
point Of observation on the north DanK'
The white walls of the old Roslin man
sion cleaned through the trees to the
West as / wended my way towards them.
In more tranquil time, in my walks. L
had often paused at this point to admire
the quiet beauty of the hills and neldS
on the South side of the river. Now,
over there in Prince George, change
had come, compared with which the most
startling transformation scene ever de-
vised by pantomist ''paied its inerec-
tual fires" The green slopes, which
remembered so well were covered by a
cloud OF gray smoke, from out OF wnich
came an impressive roar-the sound OF
modern battle when many thousand mus
kets and scores of pieces OF artillery are
blending their reports. The shrek OF ths
Jagged iron from the exploding shells
was the only sound that rose above the
general uproar. Sometimes. as l looked
across the scene OF deadly conflict, the
fayoring wind would watt the smoke
aside, and then / caught view OK the
grim earthworks of besiegerS and be-
sieged stretching away from the river
southwark, in many a serpentlne Ioid'
Nearest to my point or oDserVatlon
(Which / should have stated was aDou'
10 yards TO the southeast or the Roshn
Uouse) / could distinguish the bulk oil
the Union redoubt Fort Mcllvery, loom
ing UP near the river with It's red
artillery" flashing fast and furious from
its embrasures The hurley-burley was
tremendous. "Villianous saltpetre' wa
holding high carnival.
J ONY ONE MAN.
But where was the food for all this
powder? Within 900 yards or where i
stood probably not less than from 4o'cv.
| to 5000 men, from every "coign or van
tage," piled ride cannon, and mortar
and yet during the period OF my watch
some 80 minutes in duration-I saw only
one man, and TO me he Will always be a
mystery. Through the smoke on the Fed
eraI breastworks. near the river. appear
ed this single man, moving along the
parapets. For forty or fifty yards, as well
as / could Judge, he thus made his way,
and then seemed TO jump down behind
the embankment out OF my sight. why
he appeared where / saw him-why some
Confederate rifle did not cut short his
career oe what seemed reckless daring
, have never understood.
ADVERSE RESULTS.
At this stage OF the fight the Confede-
rates abandoned the offensive. They had
taken Fort Steadman, but the guns OF
Fort Haskell-the nearest Union fort on
the southland OF the fort above the
City-Point road-the nearest Union fort
on the north-were turned upon these
assailants, and from the furious fire OF
these they were now seeking protection,
and a little later were fleeing TO their
own breastworks. across the narrow ridge
lying between these and Fort Steadman.
Had tarried longer at my place OF OBJ
servation ! might have seen the late as
sailants now in retreat torn by the
grape and canister from the Union bat
teries, but being satisfied that there was
a failure of the assault, and now knowiEe
how this might effect the status Of things
IN the city. deemed 1t best to turn back
and did so. to find. when 1 got to the
office OF the provost marshal. that the
adverse result of the move was there
known.
ALWAYS Be MEMORABLE.
Happening as did this assault upon Fort
! Steadman on that Friday morning. du.
ring the closing scenes of the siege OF
Petersburg, 1t has not attracted the at
tention 1t would have otherwise had. but
! this bloody episode Of the civil war viii
always be memorable as the last offensive
movement OF the Army Of Northern Viz
ginia, and its details will ever attrac
; the general reader abounding as they dt
with Incidents OF great dramatic interest
I will state that on the Sunday aftel
. the evacuation Of the city visited For
Steadman. and went over the battlefield
One thing that particularly struck M
was the number OF grape-shot lying abou
-. ~. rtdca hat uoen the fort and IN,