The National tribune., 1901-03-21
SCALlNG-LADDERS AT vICKSBURG.
Exciting Incidents of Trying Hour-Undel
Pire From Friends.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Comrade
.O'Neil says the 7th No. and S1st Ill.
charged Fort Hill, on the Jackson road,
May 22, 1865. He is mistaken, as his
ladders were made, but very few were
carried, as Gen. Logan expressed himself
plainly about them.
Now, as to the charge on Fort Hill (now
known as Fort Held. On the evening of
May y, Gen. Logan came to my company,
in the advance pits, and called for my
Captain, Harry Almon, saying:
Capt. AlmOn, at sunrise tomorrow
take Il non-commissioned officer and a de-
tail Of privates over that hill into the
rayine and look out Il place for n brigade
to form line of battle TO charge the
works. See that you do this"
Capt. Almon asked me to take charge of
the squad, il 1 would. L told him | was
not fiinching from orders, but l must pick
my men.
On the morning of May 90 our little
squad crawied along the hog-back road
and over it we went. | can yet hear the
sounds that greeted us, and imagine yet
see the dirt fly. We got over IN safety,
and looked. for a place for the troops to
forml. 1t was a hot place to hide in, but
we were there for purpose.
At the appointed hour there came the
23d Ind, 10th ILL.,, think, and we showed
them their places. By some mistake the
124th Ill. did not come over the ridge, but
remained on the other side and commenced
firing at the works; but, alas, many OF
their shots fell short and wounded some OF
our own men, several of the 23d Ind. being
shot i'll the back. Iieut.-Col. Davis tried
to stop the firing in the rear, but not Il man
would risk it. He then appealed to Capt.
AlmOn to send man, but he refused to
order any man to cross that hill again, say
ing: I'VE have done our work for to-day
Three men of the 23d fell while the talk
was going on.
| finally said | would try to go, but my
Captain said no man could cross that field
L started and got about half way, when
the .JOhnnies got good range of me, cut
my clothes and Knocked my hat off. AT
that stage of the game | fell in a hole and
a great cheer went up, but this Gank was
not dead. l waited for my breath to catch
up with me, got il, and made another home
run. | found myself up against Col
Sloan, of the 124th H., who cried:
Halt, you coward"
Coward, nothing. Stop your firing
You are killing men in the 23d Ind"
He replied: Gen. Logan told US to open
fire."
Yes, but not into our own men,"
l found Logan near the White House.
and began to explain matters to him.
Why didn't you stop him."
81 did, General" l explained that the
ravine was u road, and the rebs were then
bringing out gun drawn by six white
| mules, and they would rake our boys in
the rayine. fr
Where is your Captain?'
'Down in that hole"
"You go back and tell him l want him. u
mot by - sight, General. l am
not on your Staff."
"Will your sharpshooters obey you!"
Yes, to a man."
"Well, then, want you to see that that
battery does not open on our boys. What
do you wantf"
'One thousand cartridges, General, al
once"
That battery and mules were soon laid
out, and then we paid our compliments to
the guns in Fort Hill. The so-calied charge
was failure. Some one blundered.
| l served through the siege, was in the
| down by piece of shell and wounded in
the neck by a revolver shot; went to the
rear, but marched into Vicksburg on the
4th with my company. July . Gen. Logan
| wrote on the back of my furlough, Never
| missed march or a battle"
| Five years ago | visited the old fort, and
| l pointed out to Johnnie my famous run
| saying: Over there was about the place
where L fell into the hole" The hole was
still there and a cedar tree on the bank. A
darky was plowing up on the sides of the
old fort.
There was glory enough for all the sol
| diers of the Army of the Tennessee who
served at Ficksburg. Over 10000 of ouI
comrades sleep along the bluffs. Nc
wonder some of the boys forget; it is q
| long time since 1863. We are growing old
I-THoMAs G. MURPHY, NJ. d., Co. l, 3lss
] Ind, Enterprise, Miss.