The National tribune., 1896-06-04
PICKET SHOTS.
I'd
From Alert Comrades All Along the
Line.

He. Wilkins, Co. H, LIST Ind. Fl. A., Evan
geline, La, writes: u wish to take excep-
tions to an article on Port Hudson, from an
old comrade of Nims's Battery, recorded in
Dec. 10 issue. Nims's Battery and my regi-
ment were closely connected during our term
of service.
"The comrade fails to mention that the
siege lasted from May 81 until July 8, 1868.
The statement may be correct that our sec
ton of Nims's Battery did some good work
on the opposite side of the river from the fort,
but the last shot OF the siege was not fired
from that point by any part of said battery,
to my own personal knowledge.
ITO refresh Comrade Maxwell's memory,
let me relate the following will not at
tempt to 90 into detail or report the part
taken by self: While we were situated near
the river, at the lower side of the fort, in
what we chose to call the 17-gun battery,
| only $50 yards distant from the rebel works,
having dismounted all the guns in reach,
my Captain Connolly called upon Gen.
Banks and asked permission to take his two
30-pounder PARROTS across the river, where
he hoped to find target practice.
Banks replied that every man and every
mule would be killed in few minutes. The
next day the Captain renewed the request,
| assuring the General that he wanted to go
| where he could do some good. Banks re-
| piled, as near as / can rem ember, in these
words:
"'Capt Connolly, if every man you have
will volunteer to 90, you can have my per-
mission, but not my order The result was
every man went Under cover OF darkness
we hauled our guns down the river to q
landing out of range of the fort, and were
ferried over, not as soon, however, as we
hoped, for it was 8 o'clock a. m. July 1. We
went into battery, using the old leyee as a
breastwork, embrasures and platforms hav-
ing feen arranged previously.
After clearing away the teams and load
| ing our guns, the rebel batteries opened upon
US IL heavy guns to two. Imagine, if you
| please, the sensation of being buried alive in
| the sand; that was our condition after few
minutes work of those guns. But we up
and at 'em ut every little cessation.
About the second day we had gun dis
abled, which was remounted the following
night. This was our only casualty. We
continued firing solid shot and dismount-
ing guns until the 7th inst, when all
their guns were siienced, and all down
but two. They were Withdrawn and brush
placed in the embrasures. / can fur
nish proof from both sides of the house as to
the correctness OF this story. j. n. jerome,
who will be we'll remembered by old COM
rades of the Gulf Department as the best
gunner in the army, was 10 blame for most
OF those guns falling down"
An Interesting Trip.
s. W. Storm, Co. A, 57th Pa, Norfolk,
Neb., writes that seeing Comrade Shav's
letter of May in regard to Fredericksburg,
recalls his visit to that section in 1892. He
went around with a Mr.. Heyden, an ex-
Confederate, in buggy. Says the comrade:
Mr.. Heyden took me up the Sunken road
to Mayrcs flights Cemetery; showed me
the grave of Capt. Z. J. Rice, Co. Z, 57th
Pa, killed ut Charlottesville, May g. 1868.
1t will be remembered the 57th Pa. was in
First Brigade, First Division, Third Corps,
Gen. Sckles We were nearly surrounded at
Hazel Grove on Sunday, May 3, 1863. was
wounded in the left shoulder that morning
in charge, when Rice was killed. / did not
wonder that Burnside was defeated on that
awful December day at Marye's Nights to
see that our brave boys charged on, as
| had often heard them try to describe il to
me, as was not there, but in n hospital, sick,
in New York. Mr.. Heyden showed me where
the Sixth Corps came up, and went as far
as Salem Church. He showed me the Brick
Church. with holes through the gable end
yet, and the rife-pit just along by the end
of the Church.
ave took the Plank road two miles
south of Salem Church, where the road
turnpike, as he called it in 1921 forked, one
road going via the old forge east of Chancel-
lorsyille and Hazel Grove. At the forks of
the two Gems. Lee and Jackson separated,
Jackson going around our right and Lee on
the LETT. That is why the rebs Ietreated
and were driven so easily from Fredericks-
burg on Sunday night, May 3, to Salem
Church / visited Charlottesville, Jack
sons monument, and Hazel Grove. In the
evening, on my return, Mr.. Heyden showed
me the cemetery of the Confederate soldiers
and the unfinished monument"
At Appomattox.
J. B. Neal, Lieutenant, Co. A, 10th Conn,
Richmond, Va, refers to the recent publica-
tiOn of casualties at Appomattox. He says
the 10th Conn. marched the night before
the surrender until midnight. They lay in
q field, but later moved near the railroad
track and, advancing in battle-line found
the cavalry falling back. Custer they saw
near fence that divided the woods from
the cleared fields. He waved his hand and
cried:
"Boys, this is your last fight. There is
nothing but battery over there. When
you take that, the war will be over"
The men gave a yell, and over the fence
they went. There was gradual ascent for
some distance. As soon as they got we'll
clear of the wood, the rebels opened a battery
OH the right, giving a cross-fre.
"As we neared the brow of the HILL"
says Neal, "we received another volley right
in our teeth, which caused us all to drop.
II found that we had become detached
from the rest of the line-ofbattle; the 18th
Me- and two companies "a and HI of the
10th Conn.,, were all that were in that lOca-
ton"
The comrade did not retire with the rest
for fear of sweeping volley; but he went
it alone" and got captured. So did another
comrade just behind him. He wants to
correct the recent figures by saying that the
10th Conn. had two men taken prisoners at
AppOmattOx.
"Tamarac."
A number of letters have been received
by THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE inquiring for
the address of Tamarac," whose interesting
story, "A Lost History" recently appeared
in our columns. Tamarac" is William Z.
Huntington, real estate and insurance
agent of Redwood Falls, Mimi.
Information Wanted.