Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1901-10-07

The close cabs OF the old confederates
are worth S year. not mentioning the
other features OF great news interest in
your paper.
About Mr.. James G. Ramsy's 'Retak-
ing the works with Billie Malone" he's
cR a little. BILLIE was there. but not alone
BY a long sight. Wright was there. and
~. @. Evans old South Carolina brigade
what was left after the explosion) was
there in the charge from the waterwoFlzs,
IN line with the rest OF course. we were
Few. The Seventeenth South Carolina was
nearly extinct. having been blown 70
atoms. lieutenant Colonel Means. OF the
Seventeenth south -CarolIna. has never
been heard from since.
AS 10 mining advantages. the Yankees
had Il on Us. The hin from our front line
70 theirs vas very abrupt; 10 yards Is the
marx between the two lines. have been
on the grounds since the war. and could
set the positions with more accuracy than
] could while the enemy occupied their
lines
Where Grant began his mine was at the
base Of this mountainous blum. and just
IN the rear Of his front earthworks
large stream flowed parallel with his
worics. called River creek. that ernptied
into the Appomattox river. in Yankee
lines. thus an their diggings fioated away
a. brought out
Evans. cid south Carolina brigade was.
at the time Of the explosion. commanded
by Colonel Elliott. OF Fort Sumter fame.
18th of June the worst place on the line.
for Grant thought that was the key TO
PETERSBURG We never turned the key
over 20 Elm. however.
Had Il not been for the stubSornness OF
Eiiiott's brigade that morning. the whole
army Of Burnsidss' negroes and white
soldiers would have heen in Petersburg
BIZ 10 a. m. and ready 10. receive Billie
Malone when he came across the bridge.
BeaursgRrd-s miners had been at work
IN our fort a month before we were blown
up. Trey worked night and day. Every
time a miner came up he had a thousand
questions 20 answer. and they told US
anything 70 get rid Of ms.
This muchI did learn. they all told OF
hearing the sound Of picks. but couldn't
locale them When IL was all analysed,
the Yankee miners were ten feet below
them
BeaureEard had mortar battery OF Is
pieces placed in our rear IN a small "a
vine. One Of the gunners az the battery
came up one night n Say one night. Il was
on the night Of the 18th OF July. ISeD. and
asked rs n we were going 70 mutiny.
Fer" said he. I'VE have all our mOrtars
elevated on this fort. and not 20 be chang
Cd without general orders"
Was that scfence2 Yes: II we had known
that two-thlrds Of us would be leo yards
ND m the air Ike winding blades by next
morning at daybreak. there would not
have been a soul there 10 demoralize those
Burnside negroes.
loved Beauregard. have had the man
Hesitation q his kind and feeling heart so
often attended his funeral in New Or
leans. ! did not envy him his feelings on
the nights Of July 18th and 9th. 1854. Re
saved Petersburg. however.
We found out very soon what those
n0rtars were placed and trained on our
fort for. After and during the explosion
our soldiers didn't think OF war: most OF
them thought judgment day had dawned.
Yankees were not In our thoughts. but we
we're soon brought TO realize that Grant
had more 70 do with II tnan the Lord.
Grants 100 cannon Jet ny az the instant
the explosion took place. The first thing
vie noticed was n black and blue line
coming over the hill; then Il looked like
a blue fence with a white chalk mark
drawn near the head OF the pickets 10 des-
ignate the top
some % US who were left began to
scream out. "Siegers. niggers. boysr'
Some didn't have guns. but many dead
men did have guns that they couldn't
use. and Il was soon so hot for those ne
groes hat they concluded 20 20 back.
A0A &%AAAA-A4E@ At-4 hAA MAAAAE men NAlA
there four deep. and they actually fired
into the negroes. History says not. but 7
saw &. Rut then. what Is an eyewitness
aFninsf Pollard. sitting in Richmond get
tirg grnrevine telesrams2'
10 BeaureEa CARDS mining was fruitless
bis mortar battery was not
The NEGROES couldn't 80 back. 50 they
found their only haven-6hey made far the
hole Grant had made IN our works. II was
thirty feet deep. thirty feet wide and SIX
Is feet long. and every Niger that
Brrnzides had tried 20 get into II.
.Th1ts when BPauregard's' mortars got
~ .hgi- work. The negroes rushed in on
TOP q zach other. Tor ~ that time our
PArratt guns were making Il about even
With tht Yankee 100 guns that they wanted
10 scare Us 10 death with
The negroes were MASKING the life out
Of one another In the crater hole, while
some e our men were sitting up there
shooting them as deliberately as though
tEcy had been tlackbirds
Ahostt O'Clock courier whom had
scen with General StonewaIl jackson,
came around End ordered all the works
IL that vicinity cleared Of Confederate
trncrs. the troops 20 get 10 the water
work. fce house as best they could. We
were not hfty yards away when felt the
earth culver again under my feet. Beau
regards mortar battery had opened. Its
prey was IN hand. Ny brother and evad-
81 the others and retreated few hun