The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-05-29
REvICTUALLING vICKsBURG
The Outcome Of a Great Scheme to Shoot
Hard Tack Into the Besieged City.
From the Buffalo Express. J


Major Thomas G. Farquhar of An
niston. Ala, on visit to Buffalo re
Gently told an Express reporter hu
morous story of the war. During the
siege of Vicksburg he was in command
of Confederate regiment outside OF
Gen. Grants lines. I'VE had plenty
of food" he said 1T was fertile
territory that We had TO draw from,
and there was no difficulty in getting
enough to eat. We Intercepted a poor
iy guarded supply train of the Yanks
and had enough to feed a regiment for
month stored right in our little
camp. In spite of Yankee vigilance
spies would now and then steal out of
the city and we saw and talked with
several Of them. Each had pitiful
story to tell of bow the inhabitants
of Nicksburg suffered for food and we
ransacking our brains to devise some
means of sending them portion of
our plenty.
An old negro who was acting ae
gunner under me was the one to sug.
gest what looked at first like feas-
ibie pldR. His idea ives to load sup
Plies into the four cannons which we
had and fire them boldly over the
heads OF the Yankees into the city it.
self. 1t was a great idea and after
some study we decided that it was
worth while making the experiment
The supplies which We had captured
consisted of hard tack in tins that
would go into the guns like grapeshot
and we calculated that by giving them
plenty of elevation we could send the
food directly into the city where even
such morsels would be welcome. II
was in command of the detachment,
and gave my consent to what an older
and more experienced officer would
probably have frowned upon as being
contrary to all rules of war
Next morning at sunrise we loaded
the guns, We put plentiful charge
of powder in each, and then rammed |
home as many cans Of hard tack as
would equal in weight an ordinary can.
non ball, and that was not great |
many, l assure you. In one of the |
guns We put four cans of tomatoes. !
This we considered an experiment,
as We had little hope that such fluid |
stun would survive the impact of fall
ing In the city, but ii was worth try.
ing. We pointed the guns, and Just
before the lanyard of the first was
pulled the old negro gunner ran few
rods down the hill, where he would be
below the line of smoke and able to see
here our novel shot struck.
The first gun to be fired happened
10 be the one we had loaded with to-
natoes. The gunner pulled the Ian
'ard, there was roar and a puff of
'moke that obscured our sight for an
nstant, then it blew away and we saw
uEning up the hill toward us, our old
legro, covered from head to foot with
'hat looked like blood, while he waved .
rs arms wildly and shrieked, I'm
llled! I'm killed. Oh Lord have
lasy on my souln We were alarmed
nd ran down toward him. He still
and shrieked and fell down
n faint as he saw us. We rushed I'D
him, and then every man of burst
nto laugh that would have walked
ne dead. 1t reused old Tom, who
pened his eyes and shrieked the loud.
When he saw our apparently inhuman
WHY AS soon as we were able TO
peak or move, We picked the old negro
?, stood him on his feet, to assure
I'm that be was still alive, and then
..uereu him to scrape the tomatoes off
inseif. lie was the most thoroughly
edaubed specimen l ever saw. You
'e, the heat of the discharge of the
innon melted the solder in the tomato
ans, and they had simply dropped to
leces on leaving the gun, while th.Ir
'ntents had been propelled just far
longh down the hill to spatter all over
lie old negro" The major paused and
luckled again.
How did the bareback work."
lked the reporter. v