The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1905-11-02

clcrcticr and hcys on, they sustained
co.nps.. ative.y little dt....dtsss, losing only
a few wounded. The noise was terrific,
and the bursting of the shells all over
the doomed city was demoraliZing.
| Gen. Grant had established his head
quarters upon the highest point of
ground in the country, where an eleva
ton of about 800 feet was attained.
This was on the right of the general
line. In the rear of Sherman's Corps
and to the northeast of Vicksburg. He
left the headquarters under the charge
of sAdj't-Gen. John A. Rawlins, and was
much of the time with Sherman within
200 yards of the most advanced posi-
ton. This was Grants habit of keep
ing himself where he had his finger
directly upon the pulse of battle.
| Sherman's Attack.
| Brighten. Hugh Ewing, Sherman's
| brother-in-law, commanding the Third
| Brigade of the Second Division of the
Fifteenth Corps, had been given the
honor of leading the attack and had
placed at the head of his brigade a
storming party of so volunteers from
each brigade, under the command of
Capt. John H. Groce, assisted by Lieut..
ONeal. Private Trogden-Sth Mo-
who had borne himself so gallantly on
| the 10Th, carried Ewing's headquarters
| colors. They were instructed that if
the forlorn hope could not bridge the
, Itch they were to hear to the left and
cross the broastworks. The Goth Ohio,
Ewing's own regiment, followed imme-
diately after the storming party.
Promptly at 10 o'clock the forlorn hope
and the stOrming party dashed down
the deep, narrow road for the bastiOn.
They succeeded in getting across the
1 ditch and in climbing halfway up the
exterior slope. where the brave color
| bearer planted the flag and unfurled 1T.
m a(1
| by such a whitening fire that it's lead
| ing company melted away before 1t, and
the bodies of the dead and wounded
| clogged the road. The next company
charged over the first to meet a like
| fate, and the third forced it's way over
the bodies of it's predecessors only to
sink down as they had done. The 9th
Ohio rushed up after the Goth and met
| a staggering fire. 1t was seen at once
| that to push more men in would be to
simply increase the slaughter, and as
| the rest of the troops came up Ewing
formed them on the brow of the hill
| about 10 yards from the intrenchments,
where their fire kept the enemy down
and protected the advanced men and
wounded. Capt GrOce and Lieut.. O'Neal
were wounded on the parapet and Coils.
Parry. of the Attn Ohio. and Dayton,
of the 4th w. Va; Lieut.-Col. Won Bles-
singh, 9th Ohio, and Hildt, goth Ohio;
Maj. Hipp, of the 37th Ohio. and Col.
| Rice. of the 51th Ohio. We're all severe
! ly wounded. 1t being impossible to ad-
vance by the road, Col Giles A. Smith
was directed TO attempt some other
| route and assault wherever he could
/ find an opportunity, with Col. Thomas
/ Kilby Smiths Brigade following up and
supporting. Col. Giles A. Smith found
| a ravine on the left, and pushing for
| ward through the SeVerest obstacles
reached a ridge about 100 yards from
the Entertainments. and there gave some
help to the terribly-beaten head of col
umn. At that point Gen. Giles a. Smith
came into communication with Ran
SONS Brigade of McPherson's Corps,
and they worked forward a little nearer
| the enemy's works.
! Gen. Sherman, standing an ex-
posed bluff where he could see every
thing. realized that the attack had
| failed on his front, and Gen. Grant
agreed with him.
Gen. McPherson's Attack.
OF McPherson's Corps Ransoms
| Brigade was the only representative Of
McArthur'S Division. 1t was on the ex-
treme right. as has been noted. in the
| ravine south of the Graveyard road,
but it was opposite re-entrant angle
of the works, where to advance would
| expose it to a deadly cross-fire. The
same was true of Quinby's Division on
the left between the Jackson and the
Baldwin's Ferry roads. Therefore, the
| burden of the assault had to be by LO-
gan's Division, which was opposite a
salient, with ]. f. Smiths Brigade on
the Jackson road, Stevenson's a little
TO his left and Leggett i'm reserve. At
| the exact moment Smiths Brigade
rushed up the road and Stevenson's up
! the slope south of it straight for the
main fort just north of the road. The
terrific fire speedily checked Smiths
| troops, but Stevenson's pressed on. This
fort was known as Fort HILL and the
name has occasioned much confusion
in the accounts of the siege. There
were two forts of this name. The one
which Sherman had first attacked. May
| IS. was on the left of the rebel line and
on a spot where the Spaniards had
erected a fort against the Indians. The
other was i'm front of Mcpherson, near
the Jackson road. ]. E. Smiths as
sault was led by the 23d Ind. and goth
| III. with fixed bayonets and orders not
to fire until they reached the enemys
works. After charging some distance
they came upon deep ravine filled
with heavy abatis. which they could
not cross. Meanwhile they were ex-
posed to CALLING fire which they could
not return. and took shelter I'm such in
CAPABILITIES of the ground as offered Gen
Stevenson. having been furnished with
| scaling-ladders, divided his command
i'm two separate columns. The left col
umn consisted Of the Sth Ill. and 32d
Ohio. and the right of the 7th Mo-, S1st
! Ill. and 18th Ill. They deployed on the
crest Of the hill as near the enemy's
works as possible. and the scaling-lad-
ders were distributed between the two
columns. The right column led by
Capt Buchanan, 7th Mo, reached the
ditch. The left column, led by Lieut.
Col. Sturgcss. of the Sth ILL.,, came for
ward gallantly, and was made reserve
to support the right column. The eth
Mo. and the 81st Ill. deployed into line
In the handsomest manner under a ter
rife fire from the fort, and then lay
down until the batteries behind could
beat down the fire of the enemy Then
they rose and charged the fort, the
parapets of which at once swarmed with
infantry. and the batteries opened with
canister. The 7th Mo. got into the
ditch. 1t was found that the scaling
ladders were of no use. The 7th MO
planted its colors In the ditch and re-
manned there for some time. The S1st
Ill. pressed forward to the ditch, but
Its Colonel (Dollins), many officers and
numbers OF the men were instantly shot
down and the regiment could go no
farther. The assault was clearly hope
less, and Gen. Stevenson began retir-
Ing his men as fast as possible The
7th Mo. had lost six color-bearers killed