The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-02-22

Dor they cost Near the crater there was
a front line with broad ditch for fight
ing. In the rear of this another line for
bringing in relief, provisions, and carry
ing out the dead and wounded. Then
there were numerous cross bitches anu
banks of earth called traverses, perpen-
dieular to the main line to prevent en-
filade fire. Although not required of me,
for over month took part in defense OF
this line. | would be reused up take a
gun and fire every minute or two in the
darkness toward the enemy about 1O'I
yards distant, this TO prevent them form
ing line for attack. AT the end of two
hours / would wake up the next man, lie
down in the ditch, and my relief would
often stand with one foot on each side OF
my head and fire in the same way till
the turn of the next man came. This sort
of firing did not prevent us from sleeping
soundly. but when they played sky-baii
with loo FOUNDER mortar shells we were
wide awake at once Undertaking to
dodge one sleek black shell that appeared
to be dropping directly on us from the
sky one day, my chin came In contact
with Prince Anderson's head, and both
of us were knocked down just as the shell
exploded burying piece weighing at
least twenty pounds in the hard clay
within a foot of us. Each of US believed
the she'll One of these shells fell among
some Virginia artillerymen engaged In
game of poker within few yards of us
and killed nine. / do not like fighting III
breastworks, but in the open where one
can look his enemy in the eye as l have
done at less than two PAGES, one can feel
that his manhood is worth something.
A. b. Vandegrift of this city tells some-
thing unique in the way of fighting At
| n. fo aorftt1 art Oh
the top of a perpendicular ledge over
| hanging a steep hill covered with large
| trees His command rolled many huge
rocks to the edge of the precipice. and
| when the advancing enemy had got about
/ two-thirds the way up the mountain an
avalanche of great boulders was dis
! charged over the ledge to go bounding,
crashing and laundering among the as
tonished federals. Oak trees two feet In
| diameter were cut down as if they We're
grass The discounted foe fled with all
haste and for an hour from the valley be-
! low could be heard their curses, the bur-
| den of which was: oh you, that is no
| fair way to fight
One morning before day. six of us went
| out and lay In the ditch of an old set OF
works on the Darbytown road, where
Kautz's cavalry picketed during the day.
| withdrawing at night. We knew that
twenty-four cavalrymen armed with
Sharps carbines and pistols came to that
point every morning leaving three of the
number as videttes. But on this particu-
lar morning II was horribly cold, and the
! officer in charge must have been good
| sort of fellow as he let the men scatter
| to their various posts. and only three
| came directly to us, and they were In a
sort of Indian file The first stopped with
| his horses head within six feet of us as
| we Law in the ditch. Being In charge,
sprang up with the others, and with lev
| elled guns ordered him to surrender. He
| said. by Cd, I'll do it and came to
the ground at once. The others turned and
paIloped OFF In the firing that ensued,
| one of them was shot through and died
| that day in his camp. We went there to
meet four to one, not expecting the onicer
In command to allow his men to scatter
which had never been done before with
in our knowledge. The cavalry were very
hitter about it, and stuck notices on the
trees that they would not spare the scouts
If they caught us, and II We took prison
orc they always made It a burden of com
plaint Whilst we regretted shooting TN
man as he fled, and that there We're only
three insted of twenty-four l can no.
see how one could be surprised at tn'
event.
The cavalry horses were very intein
gent. They could discover ones approach
at night long before their masters. On.
night John Lindsay and / crawiee
through an open field, the thin ice break
ing under us, to capture vfdette station
ed near a cedar. Against the dim star
lit sky we could see the dark outline OF
the horse and rider. the latter with thf