The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-01-10

As soon as the 56th ILL., emptied their
cartridge boxes they commenced using ouI
ordnance. Their guns had gotten dirty by
this time, and they could not load except by
| stripping the paper off the cartridge, and in
that way the firing Stacked so much that the
rebs soon took advantage, and nearly sue
ceeded in driving MS out, but just in the
| nick of time the 45th Ill. came in on the
double-quick and relieved the Seth.
here want it distinctly understood that
cast no reflection on the men of the 56th,
for they were in no way to blame.
After the arrival of the 45th Ill. matters
took turn for the better, and We went on
getting ready for the sappers and miners to
go in under Fort Hill again, SO that Com
rade Weisman is slightly mistaken when he
says that it was failure and that was the
end of the blowing up. We were making
ready TO blow them up again when the
white flags were displayed on the ramparts
of the fated citadel. Comrade Weisman is
in error as to the time we were called out,
which was after we had finished crib to
hold back the dirt, so that the sappers and
miners could get in under the fort again.
We finished about $3.50 p. m. of June q,
and that is when the troops were taken out.
But while the troops were kept in there the
there, and perhaps other regiments also, SO
that Comrade Weisman is correct about
that.
If I remember rightly, 531 men were
killed and wounded in that place during
the 25 hours we were there. The pioneers
were in there from the time we first
rushed into the breach till the troops were
withdrawn. Comrade Weisman is correct
when he speaks about the shells being cut
at five seconds and thrown by hand, for
several men got their bands either blown off
or terribly lacerated by the shells explOd-
ing before they had time to throw them.
About 2 p. m. of the 27th the rebs rolled
shell, that had been thrown from our gun
boats and failed to explode, over where we
were working. Just as it came past five of
us moving log it exploded, severely
wounded man from Co. G, 18th Ohio, VIM.
Swank, and stunned the rest of US. Swank
when he was struck started to run, when
Maj. Hickenlooper, of McPherson's staff,
called for him to stop and help the rest OF
us out. He turned and said to the Major:
If you were shot you would run too"
Poor Swank go. well of this wound only to
fall on that awful 22d of July east of At
lanta.
The hand grenades the rebels used were
as big as ostrich eggs, with stick and
feather in one end. They would always
light right end down. The Johnnies also
threw IL, "a, and 10-pound shells over by
hand, with the fuse cut very short. They
were not pleasant thing to look at, sput-
tering and splitting fire within few feet Of
you; you would be afraid to touch it, for
about the time you would be ready to catch
it, it might catch you in way you did not
care about
/ agree with Comrade WeIsman about
Notifications at Champion Hills. 1 saw
none, and was all over the battlefield. The
only place where / saw the men had any
protection was the rebs in front of Hovey's
Division. The rebs were stationed in
washed gully at the foot of hill, and in
that way had partial protection; but as
soon as Hovey's men got them started up
that hill the Johnnies had to suffer for their
stay.
The only earthworks I saw on the whole
Vicksburg campaign were at Grand Gulf,
Jackson, Black River Bridge, and Vicks-
burg. The first works we ran against
were at Jackson, May II, just after that
terrible rain had ceased that had fallen all
night and till about 10 q. m. that morning,
when we charged up through that thicket
of underbrush where the timber had been
cut off for pearlash.
did not see it quite as Comrades Bor-
ing or Weisman saw it. Maybe 81 years
have dimmed all our memories. -WILLIAM
c. FRASER, Pioneer Corps, Third Division,
Corps, Wilsonville, o.