The Portland daily press., 1896-09-03
THE LOYAL LEGION.
A Chaplins Recollections Of Vicksburg
Siege.

Those Who Were Present at the Banquet.
The first stated meeting Of the Maine
Commandery of the Loyal Legion for the
season. occurred at the Falmouth last
evening. The following were elected to
the first GLASS: Victor Wells Macfarlane,
Of Greenville, Me-, formerly major 18th
New York and Edwin Ilsley, of Lime
rick, lieutenant colonel of 9th and 18th
Maine.
At the banquet, which followed tine
meeting, the following were presents 8.
H. Allen, E. B. Mallet, Jr., Charles W
Ford, Charles H. Boyd, Sidney W.
Thaxter. George W. Verrill. Charles
W. Roberts, William H. Green. Thos. ].
Little. Chas. O. Hunt. M. A. Cochran.
VIM. H. Anderson, VIM. Hemstreet,
New York Commandery, Selden Con-
nor, Geo. L. Beal, r. L. Howard, Henry
s. Burrage, George +. French, Hebron
Mayhem, W. ". Whitmarsh, A. L. Tur-
ner, g. G. Graham, Fl. S. Meloher, Ira
Berry, j. o. johnson, Hillman Smith.
a. B. Sawyer, George d. Bisbce, Horace
H. Burbank, John D. Anderson, Ihos.
P. Bsals, @. P. Mattock, Edward D.
Noyes, Waldo Pettengill, Seth C. Cor
don.
At the conclusion of the dinner, accord
ing to custom, Lieut.. George F. French
led off singing Marching Through
Georgia"
The paper of the evening was 1.-THE
Vicksburg Campaign, Including the
Siege and Surrender, by Chaplain r.
L. Howard now of Limerick. Chaplain
Howard began bysdescribing the military
situation before the siege, and the geo.
graphical location Of tine city. The speak
or belonged to the bath Illiuois Infan-
try. and crossed the Mississippi below
Vicksburg on the gunbaat "Mound
City," camping on high, dry land, below
Grand Gulf. This was after Grant had
had the gunboats and transports run
the batteries of Vicksburg, and had
marched his troops below Vioksburg,
via the West shore of the Mississippi.
After the preliminary battles on the
East side of the river, the city was in
vestad, the Union army extending fifteen
miles. The unsuccessful assault on May
20, showed that seige must be made.
This was an heIculean task. BY the
close of the first week the firing had be-
come incessant from the breastworks.
1t was a very uncomfortable time. The
besioging hosts had no shelter but their
pouches or mud huts. Drinking water
was obtained from holes in the gullies.
At night the soldiers greatly enjoyed
the sight of shells sent from the naval
mortars, in long curves of fire, into the
doomed city Pandemonum seemed let
loose all the time, heaven and earth
seeming to crash together. At first the
soldiers enjoyed this; but finally it be-
came almost indispensable. Sharpshoot-
ers were firing all the time, and no head
was safe. The zip of bullets WAS con-
stantly heard.
July confederate fort WAS blown up
successfully. Most Of the defenders were
buried under it; but negro was hurled
alive into Logan's line. Chaplain Howard
6hW anu CchvOlbOA WAun uhic hCBios
The speaker described how later by a
day or two dirty rags that had once been
white, were seen displayed on short
sticks along the Confederate lines. Then
half hat, and then whole hat ap-
peared. Then would be heard, Chow
are you Yank?" "How are you john
nie?" Then came ths inevitable COM
meroe in hard tack, coffee and tobacco.
Grant and Pemberto were soon seen
in conference beneath a willow oak.
When night came unusual quiet reigned
along the lines.
On the morning of July 4, about
O'Clock came the order to black boots
and prepare for inspection. There was
no fatigue duty, no details. How
stranger Then suddenly we heard the
strains of the Star Spangled Banner
from our brigade band. Then. under
the national flag, and to the strains of
our music, the besiegsd moved out of
their works, and piling their arms, re-
treated to the works which they had SO
long defended.
! The speaker described the miserable,
pallid appearance Of the hungry and de-
| feated Confederates. He was with
Logan's corps, and am ong the first to
march into the city.
The paper was loudly spplauded at
the close.
Companion H. s. Burrage. who was
| in one of the two divisions of the Ninth
Corps, which had been ordered to Vicks-
burg from Tennessee. described how his
division, the First, moved down from
Cairo, under escort of two gunboats. AT
one place they were fred on by guerrillas
from the shore. On June IL their steam
els landed them in the Yazoo river,
| whence they moved to Haines Landing
and took their place in the lines of in
vestment. The heat was SO severe that
the ground cracked. They had never
seen anything like it. The water was
such rs could be found trucking down
in the ravines. The sound of the cannon
and mimic balls was such as he hoard