The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1905-12-07

would be overlooked from the next
point gained.
Capt. Hickenlooper's indefatigable
miners, under the command of Lieut..
Russell, were greatly elated by the
complete success of their part of the
work in the destruction of the fort, and
with renewed energy set about digging
mine under the new fort which had
loomed up across the path of Logan's
Division.
While so engaged the engineers and
working parties were busy along the
whole IL miles of line of investment in
pushing forward the preparations for
a general assault. Wherever ground
could be gained by digging to make
standing room for massed men ii was
cone, and the approaches were every
where widened so as to admit the rush.
ing forward of columns of fOurs at the
supreme moment. The crater of Fort
Hill was armed with heavy siege guns
to fire directly into the breach which
would be made by the explosion of the
projected mine, and the artillery was
reinforced by a number OF wooden
COehorn mortars.
Wooden Mortnrs.
As the siege progressed the Union
soldiers became very expert in the
science of engineering and the manu-
facture of siege materials. Capt. Fred
l. the SHieI Engineer Oh
the Army, pays deserved tribute to
the ingenuity and resourcefulness of
the men Of the army, saying in his re-
port:
The want of officers of Engineers
has already been referred to. there be-
ing at no N.ne more than three on
engineer dU. Over line so extended
and ground sS rough as that which sur
rounds Vicksburg. only a general su-
pervision was possible, and this gave
to the siege one Of its peculiar charac-
teristics; namely, that many times, at
different places, the work that should
be done. and the way ii should be done,
depended on officers. or even on men,
without either theoretical or practical
knowledge of siege operations, and who
had TO rely upon their native good sense
and ingenuity Whether a battery was
To- be constructed by men who had
never built one before, sap-roller
made by those who had never heard the
rGme, or a ships gun-carriage to be
built, it was done, and, after a few
trials. was we'll done. But while stat
lliG the power of adaptation TO circum-
stances and fertility of resources which
our men possess in SO high degree. IL
must be recollected that these powers
were shown at the expense of time, and
while relieving force was gathering
In our rear. Officers and men had to
learn to be engineers while the siege
was going on
The Ingenuity of the men was par.
ucularly illustrated i'm the matter OF
hand grenades. The rebels occupying
higher ground had all the time a de.
cided advantage in the use of this spe.
cies OF weapons, since all that was nee.
e::Sary for them to do was to light sia
and 12-pound shells and start then
rolling down the bank. The distance
vas too great for the Union soldiers tc
throw them back by hand, and the,
were compelled to other devices. One
OF these Was springboard. Ions
plank would be weighted at one enc
and arranged SO that it could be re.
leased by trigger when lighted shell
was placed on the other end and tos,
this up just high enough to fall dowr
behind the enemy's works. Some oi
these springs were made with twisted
ropes and hickory saplings- In SONS
instances hickory sap'ings were used
with a basket Of wi.aios on the end Il
hold the shsi
The happy thought OF some of ths
men Of making q little cavity In a blocs
Of wood I'm which to hold two or ta-es
musket cartridges and give force enec2t