The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1902-02-05

to prevent the artillerymcn from firing
On our line Of battle as it advanced to
the attack. We performed this duty
successfully, for they did not fire on
our advancing line of battle until after
it had passed over US. Then OF course
We had to cease sharp shooting when
our own men were between us and the
enemy.
They had their great guns ready
loaded with grape and canister, and
when our line of battle cane within
about seventy-five yards Of the fort
they let every cannon go at once. At
the same time their infantry placed
their rifles on top of the works, firing
on our men without exposing any part
Of their own bodies except their fin
gers. for they had previously taken
the precaution to so level or slant the
top Of the wall Of the fort that when
their rifles were laid on it they would
point exactly to our advancing column.
They probably did more damage in
this way than if the enemy had stood
up in the ordinary way and nervously
fired at us. But if they had known
it, our men had unloadcd guns. They
meant to take the fort, if they took it
at all with cold ctool
Notwithstanding the murdcrous FIRE
SO suddenly let loose on them, our men
continued to advance until they came
TO the walls of the fort. Not quite to
the walls, either, for they found a
deep and wide canal all along in front
of the fort that could not be crossed.
They fingered at the edge of the canal
helplessly few moments and retired
in haste out of the trap of death, leav-
ing many of their brave comrades lying
dead and wounded between our line of
rifle pits and the fort, without having
fred gun. Nor had they anything
to shoot at if their guns had been
loaded, except the bare walls of the
great fort.
General Burnside at once offered a
truce which was accepted, and the
enemy came out of the fort in great
numbers, and assisted with great kind
ness in caring for our wounded.
They did not claim the wounded as
their prisoners. Neither side could
claim the battle ground, fer nc still
held our rife pits, and they the fort,
and the wounded on the battle ground
we're between us. If they had at
tempted to rush over us, two of our
batteries, one to the right and the
other on the left, would have severely
punished them.
When the truce was proclaimed and
they showed their numbers, we found
they had two defending the fort to our
one attacking it. The battle was
fought about sunrise, maybe little
before; it only lasted two or three
minutes, and there was no more firing
all that day. We could have easily
taken any other part Of their works,
but we could not have held them
while they held fort Saunders.
Longstreet had Burnside AM his
army shut up in Knoxville; also old
parson Brownlow. The Confederates
particularly wanted to get Brownlow.
The plan was to starve them into sub.
mission, and we would doubtless have
succeeded if the genius of General
Grant had not broken up our arrange
ments. When he got things ready, he
not only broke our connection or COM
munication with General Bragg army
to pieces and started force to the re-
lief of Burnside at Knoxville. This
force was coming up behind us, on the
same route we went to Knoxville. IF
Burnside would surrender before this
new force would arrive, then we could
hold our ground against it; but if we
would remain there waiting on Burn
side to surrender until this relief force
would arrive, then we would be be-
tween the two armies and would have
to surrender ourselves. This relief
force would arrive before Burnside
would have time to starve; and Long
street was probably ashamed to hasten
away without doing something. He
probably thought that Burnside's men,