The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-08-31
CAMP HARDEE HISTORY
BY ONE OF LONGS TREETs SCOUTS.
FORT SECOND GEORGIA

and musketry. Our devoted band raised
a shout and hope revived IN our breasts.
| Across the wide field, about half mile
distant, were at least 5000 federal infan-
try and many pieces of artillery. There
was nothing for them TO do but to walk
over us. but for some unexplained reason
they stood supinely by and let the brave
fellows in front bear all the brunt of the
fight.
We saw that. we must get rid of these
men nearest to us, and volunteers to
charge them were called for. Eleven of
us responded at once, all that were need
ed or could be spared. and Lieutenant
Hines of southwest Georgia called for
two of these to be the first with him to
mount the work and draw the enemy's
fire. John Lindsay of Columbus. Ca,
and another, whose name l forget
promptly responded to the call. The plan
was for those who were to remain In the
fort to load their guns and be ready to
shoot any blue coat who arose from the
cover to his feet: the three men we're to
draw the fire of the enemy and the other
eight of the charging party were to
mount the works and assail the enemy
who were lying in the brush. The plan
was carried out perfectly. 1t seems to
me I can now see Hines and Lindsay
both red-headed and both small, as they
leaped into the air from the works. Some
of the federals at once rose to their feet,
I and all who were loaded fired. but our
men shot down every man who had
arisen and the balance of the eleven vol
unteers at once leaped over the works,
| ! being one of the number. / never knew
what took place for the next few minutes
any more than II l had not been at the
scene of action. l had no knowledge of
what l did or what others did, until
found myself some time afterwards
about 100 to $50 yards from the fort. To
say that 1 was excited would convey a
very faint idea of the state of my mind.
l was entirely absorbed, delirious. 1t was
victory or death, and had the latter come
to me then l would not have known it
! should not have felt It, Our task was
not so hard as 1t would seem. When men
who compose a charging column once lay
| down, scattered behind convenient cover,
! it is almost impossible to get them to act
| In concert, and especially hard to get
them to rise up in the face of a whitening
| fire. The first who rise are shot down,
| the rest do not attempt 1t. Lying on the
| ground scattered. unable to load their
/ guns except slowly and with difficulty,
| they interposed little obstacle to the
madmen who rushed among them. The
first thing remember after leaving the
works. was about $50 yards from the
/
| log and the other on the ground. My
Enfield rifle was dubbed and raised high
| in the air. -Four living and some dead
| federals were behind the log and the
! victory was won, on that part of the line,
| and the fights were over for the time.
We captured 2S7 prisoners who were I'M
hurt, besides the wounded, and there
were many corpses on the ground, some
sadly mangled by Charles solid twelve
pound shot.
remember that ordered the four men
to the rear and made others go into the
| front, when. all at once, l thought of my
brother, and this, my first opportunity
for getting funds. At my feet. lying
prone on his face, was dead man. Cor
poral Charles solid shot had hit the
back of his head as he lay on the ground
and left only his face and the front Of his
skull. I turned him over, got out a new
pocketbook and a new red silk handker-
chief, then looked around for more. found
two other dead men and hastily relieved
them of their pocketbooks, and began to
look for more, when lol l found that my
confederates had been engaged in the
same work and there were no more bodies
to search. l gathered five muskets. took
them back to the little fort and loaded
them all for the patient gentlemen who
were standing at the far edge of the
They had stopped their cannonading
when we began to send prisoners into the
fort for fear of killing their own men.
then inspected my booty. Two of the
pocketbooks belonged to owners as poor
as /, for there was not a cent in them.
But the other. the first find, had In 1t
$40 in greenbacks and 96 cents In United
States postage stamps. l was rich
had found money to send to the prisoner
If l could only live through this battle
| also found a note in the pocketbook re-
questing some dear comrade of John W.
House to notify his mother and sister at
Wheeling, w. Va, of his death. l was
not comrade, but l wrote by flag of
truce, telling them that John died brave
~ in front of the enemy
This was the first, last and only time
I ever searched the pockets of dead
man. Before and after that time, whilst
| on scouts and in battle, l found much
| plumber. At one time a pearl-handled
| dagger, at another a wagon load of deli
| cacies, among them bottles of Otard
brandy and barrels of loaf sugar. at an
| other l took f1fty-two letters from girls
to one Asa Frear from the knapsack of
| the said Asa, and in the lull of the battle
the boys read them aloud much to their
| edifcation.
| After this we had rest for a time on our
| part of me line, but away off to the left
at Fort Gilmer on the same line, there
was warm work going on, and far in our
| rear we could hear the sounds of battle
where Kautz with his cavalry, was try
| ing to force the innermost defenses of the
city, and Pemberton, of Vicksburg fame
with department clerks and old men. was
pounding away with 100-pound shells at a
skirmish line.
Meanwhile some Texans and reserve
artillery had come to our assistance, and
as we had all the captured rifles loaded.
we felt anxious to try another bout with
our friends the enemy, who were still in
plain view in front and in great num-
| bers.
About o'clock In the evening we saw
a stir in their lines and gallant regi-
ment, the Forty-f1fth PENNSYLVANIA, I
/ think. marched to the front of their lines
and were apparently addressed by some
| officer, after which they directed their
| steps toward our little fort. The reei-
| ment appeared to number about $50 men.
and as we had about $50. besides artillery
and the advantage of good breastworks.
1t was clear case of suicide on their
| part, and more than one of our men ex
| pressed sorrow that these men were sent
! on such forlorn hope. Excepting the
artillery and ten rifemen, our force was
| ordered to reserve its fire until the enemy
/ reached a ditch about 200 yards in front
| They came on calamity, closing up the
| gaps made in their ranks by the shell
and bullets, and preserving their line as
If on parade, until they reached the ditch.
| when terrible fire was opened on them
| They made a rush forward, but the hail
| of bullets was too much for human M