El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-11-13
SIEGE OF VICKSBURG
Niuht Pictures Drawn By the Hand
OF q Confederate Veteran-the
Strategy Of the Yankees-a Shot
At the Gudrds-Tro ding Sugar
and Tobacco For Mh1Skey.

and Tobacco For Wh1Skey.
After the enemy had learned that It
was impossible to seize the works in
front .of Vicksburg by storm they
resorted to strategy. They hac by
this time brought down the big guns
which the confederstes had left at
Snider's Bluff, on the Yazoo river,
guns had been taken there by fourteen
yoke of oxen to the single piece for
defense at that point. They turned
them on US and We got some idea OF
theirfo-ce. Those guns carried some
thing like round nail key.
Their so calledlsharp shooters dug q
place to lie in and they took the range
of our works and after . little practice
became such experts that If confed-
fully plugged.
By some chicanery the Yankees alone
areproficient in they obtained rail-
road Hat car, loaded it with bales of
hay and placed guards on 1t, to pro-
tect their fatigue party while they
worked and rolled their car on toward
us on the Jackson public road. This
we found was for the purpose of bring
ing them up near by SO as to cut
suddenly sIa rise up and enter,
the much coveted place, but Col. Pres
ton Brent. commanding the 3Sth Mis-
sissippi regiment informed the little
Frenchman, General Herbert, Called
Hebare).of the hay car system of
strategy. He came out at night, 1t be-
ing the only way of safe travel to the
place we were located. and after few
moments of consultation the two COM
msnders hit upon plan to fire the
hay. They did it by taking out the
wax plug from a few mimic balls ard
putting in spirits of turpentine. then
replacing q part of the wax. On send
ing these Missiles of destruction into
the hay it soon ignited and was
burned.
But the enemy knew more ways of
killing dog than choking him With
butter. They placed three guards
with their laboring party to protect
them at work and once came up to with
in about ten feet of our line of works.
Then they set to work on parallel
line.
Often sat and listened to the strokes
of their picks and shovels. At one
time 1 very carefully looked over and
saw the guards were looking down at
the earth that was being thrown out.
Silently I went to one OF our men,
took his gun, drew the charge and
put down three charges of powder
and three charges of buckshot and
ball, q more deadly missile that the
common mimic ball. Then l went to
the place l had looked over and care
fully put my piece in position. As their
desire was gore 1 felt the came i'm
pulse, suddenly reared up, saw my aim
was good and pulled the trigger. By
the back action of the extra charge l
came down much faster than 1 went up
and perhaps was worse hurt than any
Yankee at the works. 1 had sense
enough to know that 1 dare not look
to see if 1 had slain my thousands.
The jaw of an ass, as it were, was pref
ty sore for q few days.
However, all Is we'll that ends well,
and may say right here that we, foes
to each other, had become partly rec
onciled and had really begun to ban
ter one another to 'come. over and
treat" so finally q number OF SOC allied
rebels went over at night and exchang-
ed sugar and tobacco for whisky.
This was kept up night after night I'M
til the commanders put a stop to 1t, as
the chances were too good for spies to
enter our lines. AS L have said that
our boys gave sugar and tobacco in eX-
change for whisky,I may add that very
few bottles of the latter had been seen
by the confederstes for about two
years, but, il bacon and bread we're
scarce we mad plenty of sugar and to-
bacco.
By this time privation. hardships,
sufferings of most all kinds. besides
the. continual lodging of the enemy's
whistling bullets, the almost con-
tinual roar from their cannon and the
explosion of shell, had all gotten to be
as common to US as pig tracks to
farmer and the regular routine seemed
to be killing. The enemy's sharp
shooters. had such exact range of our
works that they could scalp the era
mum of a confederate at night the
same as in daylight and it was found to
be more safe to walk at night on top of
the works to post sentinels than 10
pass along the bitches.
Our trenches were manned about one
to every four feet of space, so that it
was necessary to mount and relieve
guard regularly through the night,
that the men might sit down and sleep,
holding their position while sleeping
the same as when awake. Retiring to
sleep was unknown. The short ration
was prepared by details for that pur-
O'Clock at night. All WAS hurry for
few minutes, that one might receive
his pro rata and take his place in the
ranks again. I saw at one time three
of our bravest boys. (boys they were,
for they were yet In their teens) sitting
down side by side waiting their turn
when a passing parrot shell (this is a
shell about twelve inches long fred
from what is known as a parrot gum
cleft their heads off almost the same
as it might have been done by the
swirl of a cane knife.
Later 1 will report the use of the
hand grenade, deadly missile of
four seconds duration, cast by hand by
both contending armies; also will
explain the great thunder barrel.
This brings US to about the 18th of
June, 1868.
A CITIZEN.