The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-11-19

small DIVISION OF only two br.gades. Tbs
rihe pits connecting the redoubts along the
land front of the defenses OF Vieksburs
had been hurriedly thrown up by the troops
occupying them with such tools as we're al
! tneir disposal subsequent to the com.
| mencement of the,ktege and occupied In
| many places an exposed and faulty loca-
| tion. and they were manned throughout by
| an attenuated line. which subsequently
held them continuously without relief for
forty two days and nights and under an
| almost constant and searching ffe. In rear
of the left OF Lees brigade and in valley
or ravine which ran parallel TO the works
4; was posted as reserve an infantry de
! tachment from Waul's Texas Legion, somc
| 500 strong. 'sSlch had been the situation
4 from the inception of the siege on the 18th
| of May. 1858. and it so stood on the morn
| ing of the 22d, during which period an in
termittent but harassing artillery and In
fantry fire had been directed by the Fed
| erals against the Confederate works, 10
which 1t was impossible to make an ade-
quate reply by reason of the extreme short
! age of percussion caps under which the
| Confederates labored.
On the morning of May %, 1863 about
40 o'clock, without any premonition, q
signal gun was fired from the FEDERAL
lines, and Immediately a. furious and p!o-
tracted cannonade was opened tom every
available gun therein, which, after steady
continuance ceased as suddenly as IL had
begun, and was succeeded by a simultane-
Gus advance of numerous columns of in
/ fantry, which. emerging frSm cover
charged at every point along the Conted-
/, crate line where the rough and broken
nature of the ground permitted. My OBJ
servance of the affair was principally Ill
rected to that part of the line held by Lees
brigade, with which served as Lieutenant
and acting department commander TO the
general commanding and my remarks are,
I of course, confined thereto While the
artillery fire was at its height, General
Lee stationed himself little to the rear
of the left center of his brigade, and when
4 it ceased and the infantry movement he
4 gan he continued TO observe 1t COSBY
through his field glasses from the same
position. 1t seemed but momen, from
the cessation of the cannonade until the
4 entire landscape in our front was covered
by charging infantry on which the Con-
{, federate lines at once opened with sach
telling effect that in many places the blue
masses seemed literally to disappear from
view, but there were several instances in
which the advance was vigorously pres ell,
and there was in particular a resolute IN
determined movement of a considerable
force which converged toward the reioubt
on the left of Lees brigade line. This
force seemed to mass, in spite OF the az
) structive flank fire it was eneounter.ng IN
front of the work in question around a
stand of colors which now went forward
with rush and at last found lodgmt I
, under cover in the outer ditch OF the WORK
, from which many of It's defenders were
: row falling back to the cover OF species
of traverse in its immediate rear
/ While General Lee continued his OBJ
I Of ha in s,
an artillery officer in command of gun
nearby. which was being most effectively
| served fell disabled, and his place was
; Immediately taken by General Lee as
: sistant adiutant general, Captain William
Elliot. brother of Colonel Elliott OIL
Fort Sumter fame, himself an artillery
: officer OF General Hampton's South caro-,
lima legion and since the war oliteu
A States CONGRESSMAN from South Caroiha
4 who sprang forward took command OF
, 4he howitzer and it continued to be rui
A ,lp by hand and fired against the enemy
- and while my attention was thus attracted
4 alike by the service OF the gun ana tHt
- coolness and imperturbability with whicf
~ General Lee regarded the Ito mel serious
surroundings. He ordered me, stu WIZ
:, the glass to his eyes. TO go to Genera
J. Waul and request him TO move MS com,
, mapd rapidly to the railroad ana FORM
}, II in rear of the works. where further
u orders would await him. turned al
" once and started down the ravlne, out II
/" my hurry | stumbled. fell and rolled le
70 the bottom of the declivity, and was SUI
= out of breath when | reached Genera
u Waul. whom found at the head OF ms
&, men He moved his command instantly
~ and / accompanied him, relating as wei
!, as | could, for the deafenlne rattie y
IS musketry that prevailed. the events ina
= had transpired until our advancing iorc'
began to come in range OF the leader
hail that protected the Federal attack
and passing over their heads greeted In
! approach of the column towards the cres
8 of the ridge. which was crowned by th
'e disputed redoubt. General Lee had py
a this time reached the scene ana was II
mt consultation with Colonel Pettus, who
" was in immediate command OF me w W.
t. and they were Joined by General wan
and arranged to enforce the capture OF u
ed enemy. first by throwing hand grenade
sy among them. and finally by charging
err them in the ditch where they surrendefe
a several officers. about a hundred men Al
/ a stand of colors OF, think WiNohS'
Il regiment I remember very wen th
throwing by hand Of the she'll TO Wnic
Id Mr. Smalley alludes. They we're shiap
st mel belonging to Napoleon gun .nat ~,
IN been placed in the work and were tshe
from an ammunition chest which ma
Ibeen removed from the timber and place
upon the ground, and sergeant o. ~
battery of Wither's Mississippi li2al ~
ltillery regiment, to which the GIN "
0. longed, furnished the fuse cutter tnat =.
ar used. Colonel Pcttus insisted on cnarsif
~ into the ditch at the head OF the Iexan
= who effected the capture OF the enem
= They found them so closely massed IN
ie that they could not use their arms
as were encountered with many wounae
l. AT the time Of which ] speak hao ~
:, lcently been in Europe and was iaihiii
~ With the handsome and precise uniiori
ID there worn, and Colonel Pettues' appea
as ance made lasting impression upon y
ms He had been prominent lawyer Ia a,
bama WIS lieutenant colonel OF
'e Twentieth Alabama regiment, 10 the Coz
OF mand OF which he succeeded few ia
later. on Colonel CARROTS death Ia 4
O. trenches. and Is nov United States Sc
y ator from Alabama. He was known
IS enc OF the bravest and most determin
ne officers in the ar'nv. was worry swarm
in an inveterate chewer of tobacco, wo
O. uniform coat OF Crenshaw gray. DO
as sides II which were buttoned back
n their own row OF bottoms. tall bla
.s. stovepipe hat, which showed decided e
g. dence OF wear in bivouac and trench, a
ne wore no sword.
y thought at the time. and am still OF