Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-04-23

fort. He chung to the ditch and bastion
until dark, when he and his command
were captured by a sortie Of the enemy.
When Colonel Stone was wounded,
be went back and reported his men in
side the fort, as they were. He said also
that he had seen the Confederates aban-
don their rife pits on the TANKS Of the
fort. He also saw the Eleventh Wiscon-
sin of Lawler's brigade advance against
another fort and the enemy leave it. He
sent word to his division commander
that with support he could hold all the
works. The colors Of other regiments
were planted ON the works and remain
ed floating there all day. Among these
were those Of the Seventy seventh Hi
nois of Landrum's brigade, placed on
the parapet alongside of the flag Of the
Twenty second Iowa.
All these facts are stated in the
official documents, and more to the
same purport. For instance, General
Grant reported that the position where
he stood during the assault gave him
better opportunity of seeing what was
going on ia front of the Thirteenth
army corps than it was possible for the
commander of that corps to have. On
the other hand, Captain Mason Of Nc
Clernand's staIf reported that MeCler-
nand was throughout the attack at a
point 600 yards distant and where he
could see nearly all his line engaged.
This was mile and half from where
Grant stood Captain Mason was the
aid referred to who went to verify the
report that the fort had been entered by
MoClernand's troops. He said that
Colonel Landrum, whom he saw at the
front, told him that was the case and
gave him Colonel Graham IS note writ
ten inside the fort" The captain went
back to McClernand fully convinced
that the report was true.
! Furthermore, McClernand put into
1 his defense dispatch ON the field, dat
/ ed at 1910, III which Colonel Lawler of
| the attacking column asked for re-en-
| forcements because the enemy was
massing in front Of him and one from
! Colonel Landrum, dated at 2 40 p. m,
| TO the effect that his men were holding
| the tanks of tho Confederate fort in
front under heavy cross fire and show
ers Of hand grenades. Captain A. A.
! Blount of the Seventeenth Ohio battery
reported that he saw Union flags planted
upon Confederate fort and Union sol
diers occupying one side of the fort
! This referred to the one entered by the
Iowans. He saw the flags of other regi-
ments upon another fort and elsewhere
flags planted upon the crests of the en-
emy's parapets, where they remained
for hours.
Fortunately there are Confederate re-
ports with which to compare these
strong claims The fort attacked by
LAWYERS Iowans was in the line of Gen
eral S. ID. Lees brigade, Stevenson S
division. The work is described as near
the railroad and having ditch 10 feet
wide, 6 feet deep and "a wall 20 feet
high. Stevenson says, agreeing with
Union reports, that McClernand' s artil-
lery preached the angle of one of his
redoubts before the assault. General Lee
says that the assailants carried the an
gle and planted two colors ON the para
pet, which remained there for hours.
He also says that the angle was finally
retaken by a daring counter assault of
Waul's Texas legion. Colonel Waul is
more specific and says that the Union
stormers, the Iowans, crossed the ditch
and planted two flags on the parapet ;
then, entering breach made by artil-
lery, drove the garrison from the fort.
He says that his men in the counter as