The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-02-11

VIEW OF THE UNION POSITI
located in front of the cump OF trees In the left bac
Andrew Goslin, who, acting Officer of
the Day, remained in little log cabin
outside the line. Standing outside of it
he was conspicuous mark, but as it
rained he had no fear. He was warned,
but answered, "The bullet for me is not
yet made" A sharpshooter was seen to
draw a bead on him; twice the cap
snapped, but the third time it did not and
Lieut.. Gaglin was a corpse.
LIFE OF DEADLY ACTIVITY.
We tried hard to avenge him and surely
we made the rebel line in the bend just be-
low a hot place for them. They could not
cook their meals even. One big, burly
fellow of our regiment dug pit upon the
top Of a small knoll in front of Fort
Haskell, and for a day kept firing through
two loopho.es. as far apart as possible,
and all the sharp practices Of the rebel
sharpshooters could not dislodge him.
Every evening about 4 o'clock an artillery
duel would begin and last until way into
the night. One long-range gun from OPP
posite- Fort McGilyery, on the Appomat-
tox, mile away, had fine range on our
fort, and would regularly send a long per-
cussiOn shell into the tree, near the en-
trance under which l had my tent. Two
mortars, one throwing a heavy and the
other lighter shell, always sent some Of
them right in front of my tent, and be-
tween it and the long bombproof that d.
vided the fort into halves lengthwise.
Their explosion would shake the earth
and gradually deepened a hole in this
company street; but as we shifted when
the duel began, no one was ever hurt. For
long time during this Winter was
clarE af pooritnaufa1 Hoo do,,o rfarc Jur;p ~
which time l began history of the regi-
meRt in which our Leutenant-C Colonel, now
Gen. George NJ. Randall, encouraged me;
but during the struggle of March %, when
the fort was surprised and for few
hours in the hands of the enemy, that his
tory disappeared.
We had gOod-natured man, but care.
less. He would draw pictures Of soldiers
being discharged and going home. One day
he pulled big wad Of Undergraduates
from his pocket with other things, and
they fell upon the ground. / warned him
not to be so careless and he handed the
wad to me to take care Of, for II will
surely lose it," he said. A few weeks after
occurred the sortie of the Confederates
upon our fort and he was taken prisoner
had his money $50 and not wishing to
carry it around or possibly lose it, sent
it to his mother, stating that Peter Scheib,
my charge. It arrived one day after
he did-he and the dozen Of the company
who were taken prisoner We're paroled on
March Sd and sent home. So the money
came to him just in time.
SURPRISE OF FORT sTEDMAN.
We now come to the surprise Of Fort
Stedman and Batteries 10, IL and IL,
and the unsuccessful attempt of the rebels
to take Fort Haskell. The First Division,
Gen. Wilcox, to which we now belonged.
was stationed in front, with the Third on
our left, and about 100 batteries 400
guns) of several batteries-the 34th N. Y.
in our fort-while 800 more guns were
three quarters OF mile to our rear, in re-
serve. The Second Division, Gen. Hart
ranft, lay in various positions in our rear
for support-three new Pennsylvania regi-
ments OF one year men, lay just in rear Of
Fort Stedman. Companies A and e
were inside the fort, Companies ID, +, G.
and II in the batteries and in bombproofs
in hollow in right rear, as also Head
quarters and officers quarters back of this;
eastward was another very gentle knoll,
from which you could see along the whole
rear reserve line and Gen. Wilcox's head
quarters. The only true sketch I saw Of
this fight was in Harper's Weekly at that
time, and the artist had a position near
.WilcOx's headquarters. So many deser-
tiers kept coming in nightly that our boys
got careless, or else this sortie would have
had even less success. As it was, it was
rebel failure, and lost them 1900 pris-
Fort Haskell, think. Around the fort q
f0-foot ditch ran, with the gate, bridge
OF round saplings, in right rear. The shell
bombproof was on the right (northwest)
corner, near large tree, and just outside.
On the nerthside was an open shaft 35 to
40 feet deep, a safety-valve i'm case Of q
blow-up. The fort was in q good position
for mining.
HOW IT WAS LEARNED.
On the morning of the 25th of March,
1865, about o'clock, several rebels an
peared in front of our pickets, saying:
Boys, we want to come in: don't shoot"
OF course the boys were willing to have
them come, but as it was chilly, wet
and somewhat foggy night, they did not
see until too late that they kept their
muskets, and came six to our three. Thus
they surrounded the pickets of line 400
to 500 feet long, saying: Don't make any
noise; lay down your guns, you are pris-
oners" About this time l was, as Lord
| Turk lay sleeping in his tent" but being
nearly day, sleep was not sound and |
heard n fine, round voice shout: Forward
men; forwarde It was Gen. Gordon
with 1900 axmen and sharpshooters.
awoke at once, jumped from my cot, and
out. calling in a loud voice: Fall in, Co
A.. At the same moment Orderly Sergeant
Sol. Yerden leaped out of the bombprooi
and did likewise. The word "men," and
the unusual hour for such an order con.
firmed at once that the rebs were up to
some trick. Our officers always called us
'boys." The next minute there was q
rush, and thousandfold stroke OF axes
and our abatis was down. Our boys went
10 the front where two guns OF the 34ti
the southwest angle, and ono in the south