The National tribune., 1904-09-29

l saw shell fired from it coming directly
toward the right of my regiment, and said
to man near me, recruit, who apparent
ly had seen it and was ducking his head
and bending his body rather suspiciously,
Don't duck. 1t won't hurt anybody"
While the words were still on my lips
the shell struck in front of us, ricochetted
over our heads, went screaming down to
the rear, and we heard it bang of some
where among the limber-chests and guns
OF battery down the road behind u.s.
johnson and both kept a watch on this
gun, because it seemed probable that the
center of our regiment would strike the
fort about where it was, and that the
right would overlap the angle of the fort
and swing around upon it's north face,
which was what afterwards happened.
FORT HARRISON.
The fort, may here say, was in shape
three sides of a rectangle, its long side
fronting nearly east, the north and south
faces running back and connecting with
the lines of rifle pits stretching nOrthwari
toward the New Market road and south
ward to the James River. 1t, like our
column, resembled letter f, and one of
which the center arm was the largest part,
for it was cut in two by huge traverse
rising far above the crest of the parapet
and preventing any one inside one part of
the fort, and not upon the top of the
parapet itself, from seeing what was going
on in the other. The parapet was 1S feet
thick. the ditch wide and deep. suppose
nowhere less than eight feet deep, and in
others, perhaps, 10 or IL.
We lost a good many men in crossing
this open space, but l could see no hesita-
ton on the part of the column, certainly
not on the part Of the regiment forming
the front OF the Third or guiding brigade.
The rebel skirmishers entered the works,
and our skirmishers fell back on the divi-
sion When we reached a point perhaps
hundred yards from the fort we halted,
by order Of Col. Roberts, to get breath and
to close up the gaps in the line before max
ing rush, being, in a measure. pro-
tected from the fire of the fort itself by
the steepness OF the ground. / may say
here that | was the senior officer on duty
with the regiment, and therefore in COM
mand.
When Col Roberts halted lis we Law
down for moment, and, looking to the
right, Johnson and l saw what appeared
to be brigade of troops few hundred
yards away moving into the works by
fOurs, their column stretching further to
the rear than did ours.
Hello" said johnson, "who are those
fellows coming up there? That must be
the Tenth Corps: They are trying to get
in ahead of u.s."
1.-The Tenth grandmother" said /; "they
are the rebs, and they will be i'm the pits
before We get in there, too, if We don't
lookout"
Just beyond them was a small projec-
| tiOn in the works, with one or two EN-.
brasures visible. IF they had a couple
| of guns there. couldn't they rake us? said
Johnson, and almost as he spoke a couple
of pufs of smoke rolling from the lunet
answered his suggestion, and canister-shot
sung all around us.
"By Jove! I've got it now," he said,
| clapping his hand to his arm, through
which canister-shot had gone below the
elbow.
/ mot bad, hope," said I.
NO" he replied, and grasped his pistol
| with his left hand.
| At that moment Col. Roberts came up
to US, his 0ld-fashioned black stock twisted
| around until the big bow was on the back
OF his neck. grasping his revolver by the
muzzle AS sort of war club The had been
sick with violent bilious collie when we
were ordered to march, but nothing would
| keep him on his hack when his command
was to be in action), and said, waving his
pistol, Now, men, just two minutes ia
take that fort! Just two minutes, men ~
| We sprang to our feet, dressed our line
in an instant: Forward" rang out from
the officers, and away we went. Looking
along the line to our left saw Capt.
Bakely. 90. B. spring out before his