News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1901-12-11

stampede in the enemy's ranks, and
Grants men swarmed about the flag
pole, tents and cannon like bees around
an upturned hive. 1t was their first
fight, their first victory and first seizure
of the spoils of war. officers and sol
diers alike jumped upon the gun car
riages and platform and delivered
flowery speeches to their comrades,
who cheered themselves hoarse, and
The battle, as Grant himself declared,
was soon turned into a Fourth of July
orgy of bubbling eloquence.
But the Confederates had not aban-
doned the Missouri bank-only dropped
down under the bluff out of range.
No one demanded their surrender, for
the victOrs seemed to think that the
position, the armament and the camp
were the sole objective of the cam
paign. When the guns at Columbus at
tempted to fire upon the invading mob
at Belmont, the shots passed over, to-
the merriment of Grants men. They
changed their tune, however, the mo-
ment their enemies under the river
bank began to climb tall trees and send
bullets into the captured camp.
About that time several steamers
t loaded with C~onfederates were seen in
the river steering for the shore above
Belmont. between Grants column and
the landing. Then began a general re-
treat, and from that time on until the
TRANSPORTS were reached the march was
one continuous brush fight. The Con-
federates were at home on the ground.
Grants soldiers were nearly exhaust.
ed by the excitement of the day and
the Iabors of the march, but they gal
Iantly fought their way to the landing.
1t was there that Grants horse per-
formed the difficult feat of trotting
aboard over a single plank twelve or
fifteen feet long.
With the exception of the Iowans
Grants force consisted of Illinois
troops. the Twenty-second, Twenty
seventh, Thirtieth and T~hirty-frst in
fantry; Taylor's Chicago battery, and
Dollin's and Delano's cavalry. ]. A.
McClernand and John A. Logan were
among the colonies.
Probably the first case on record in
the civil war of a soldier killed in bat
tie retaining in death a lifelike atti-
tude was at Belmont. 1t was reported
by DR.. Brinton, Grants medical di-
rector, who examined the body. 1t vas
that of a Federal, shot through the
head while kneeling to fire from behind
a tree. His head fell forward against
the trunk, but his upright body rested
on one foot and knee, and he held his
pusket in firm grasp and remained in
tyosition until removed.
Dupont's task at Port Royal was
the dangerous one of attacking land
Notifications with ships, and his feet
was all wooden vessels except four lit
ue~gunboats of the NINETY day" type.
In his flagship, the steam frigate Wa
bash, Commodore Dupont led the at
tack, paying no attentio~a~ to three
wooden ships commanded by his old
messmate, Commodore Tatnall. The
forts encountered lay on opposite sides
of the entrance to the harbor about two
nautical miles apart. The armament
Of the works, named respectively Fort
Beauregard and Fort Walker, consisted
of fOrty-three guns about evenly dis
tributed.
Dupont's plan of attack was to sail
rapidly between the forts, deliver lis
fire on both while passing; then, after
going two miles in, return and take
Fort Walker on its land side, whieh
was the weakest. AS the feet adva1A
ed Tatnall's ships met them in the eV
trance, and the pennant of the Con-
federate flagship was CALAMITY dipped
three times to the Wabash for the sake
of auld lang syne. Then the firing be-
gan. Tatnall was forced to retreat
before the ~broadsides of his old FRIEND
And there were ties closer than thosS
of friendship to be strained that day
Yankee steamer POcahontas was TIL
brother of General Thomas F. Dray
ton. commander of the Confederate
garrisnns in Walker and Be~auregard.
Steaming at the rate of six miles al
hour the ships passed the forts, deliver
ing broadsides which, combined will
the enemy's fire, made a oar distinct
ly heard at F%ernandina, Fla, 70 mill
away. After Dupont's ships sailedx
to the harbor and made their turn
Confederates believed them to
treating. While this was going
of Dupont's ships remained outsidS
enfiladed the forts.
A second time the feet steamed i
going within 600 yards of BeauregarV
nearer than on the first trip. This wal
so close that the Confederate shots few
harmlessly over the feet. One shell
passed between Commodore Dupon
and the captain of the ship, who stooC
with him on the bridge, yet did no
touch the vessel. But the ships fir,
created havoc in the forts, sending NJ
dust in perpendicular columns till TIN
effect was like that of a grove o
spreading trees. General Drayton wa
amazed that his fire did no damage t.
the vessels. while their broadsides dis
Mounted his heavy guns, ruined thei
carriages and filed the interior witt
dead.
After standing 1t three hours tn
troops in Fort Walker fed. and Du
pont sent some marines ashore to hois