The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-09-02

 enemy. expecting their attack. poured i mated their ranks, killing and wound ing nearly every field officer in the brigade. The men rushing forward, Il breasting a storm of lead and iron, fail- ed to oblique far enough to the right to recapture the whole line, but gain- ed the line occupied by and contigous to the line already captured by We.sig- CT, commanding Mahone's Brigade. Ma T hone's Brigadeand and Wrights Bril- II gade had captured forty-two officers. ! three hundred and ninety men and 4 twenty-nine negroes.
 :, It was now about 10 a. m- General Grant made no effort to reinforce his line or to disiodge Wright and Malone from the positions they held. A cour- ', fer dashed up to General J. c. c. Sam ders, commanding Wilcox's Brigade, informing him that his brigade was wanted. The men were expecting this courier. as they were next in line. and they distinctly heard the shouts of Ma hones and Wrights men, followed by the heavy artillery firing. while the word had passed down the line that the salient had not been recaptured. Gen l eral Sanders moved his brigade, con- sisting of the Eighth, Ninth. Tenth, Eleventh and Fourteenth Alabama Reg t iments, to the left and occupied the
 
 in this ravine, while the men were ex- posed nearly four hours to a scorch- ing sun. The heat was almost beyond human endurance. strong men fainted | and were carried to the rear. T The waves of hot air at times were af- most suffocating For the first and only time the men were told what was | expected of them. General Sanders ex- | plained the situation to the officers of l the regiments. Each captain spoke to | his men, urging them to retake the I salient, or Petersburg and Richmond I must be evacuated. The men were or I dered to fix their bayonets securely, to trail arms--not to fire, not to yell, but | to move quietly up the side of the ra- I vine, and then, every man run for his | life to the breastworks. They were l told that Generals Lee, Beanregard Hill. Malone, Hoke and every general officer of the army would watch them as they moved forward.
 | Charge of the AIabnmians.
 I At 1:30 p. m, the firing had almost ceased and the Federals, overcome with I heat, did not expect an attack. san ders formed his brigade and moved quietly up the side of the ravine. Hard l ly a word was spoken, for the Ala bamians expected to die or rethke that salient The eye of General Lee was fixed on them. When they caught sight of the works their old feelings came back to them and yell they must. With the fury of whirlwind they I rushed upon the line they had been ordered to take. The movement was So unexpected and SO quickly executed that only one shell was thrown into the brigade The works gained, they l found the enemy on the other side. It was stated that Lee, speaking to Beauregard said-''SplendidW Beaure- l gard spoke with enthusiasm of the brilliant charge.
 In an instant the Federal army was I aroused, and batteries opened fire with a continuous roar. Only breast work divided wilcox's Brigade from the Federals. A moment was required for Sanders to reform, and his brigade mounted the inner line and forced the enemy backwards to the outer line, and the crater was full of white and black soldiers. The Confederates, surround ing 1t on every side, poured voiley af- ter volley into this pent-up mass of terrified negroes and their brave ofil- cers The negroes ran in every direc- ton and were shot down without thought Bayonets, swords and the butts of muskets were used. The deaf aning roar of artillery and musketry. the yells and imprecatlons of the com- batants, drowned the commands of off, cers. A negro in the crater attempted to raise a white f1ae. and it was in- stantiy pulled down by Federal offi- cer The Federal coIors were planted in huge lump of dirt and waved un- til Sergeant Wallace, of the Eleventh Alabama. followed by others. seized them and tore them from, the staff. Instantly whites flag was raised, and the living, who were not many. sur rendered. The crater was won.
 Sights At the Crater.
 ''The ground around" says Pollard, twas dotted with the fallen, while the sides and bottom of the crater were lit- orally lined with dead, the bodies lying in every conceivable position. Some had evidently been killed with the butts of muskets ,as their crushed skulls and badly smashed faces indicaA- ed" Within this crater-this hole for ty by eighty feet-were lyting one hun dred and thirty-six dead soldiers, be- sides the wounded. The soil was liter ally saturated with blood. General Bartlett was here, with his steel leg broken. He did not look as though he had been at ca diamond wedding" but was present at a dance of death" A covered way for artillery was so full of dead that details were made to throw them out, that artillery might be brought in. The dead bodies formed a heap on each side. The Alabamians captured thirtyLfour officers, five hum dred and thirty-six white and one hun dred and thirty-one colored soldiers The three brigades had seventeen stands of colors, held by seventeen as brave sweaty, dirty. powder-stained fellows as ever wore the gray. who knew that, when presenting their col ors to division headquarters, to each a furlough of thirty days would be grant ed.
 Suffering of the Wounded.
 | The crater was filled with wounded. to whom our men gave water Adjut- ant Morgan Cleveland of the Eighth Alabama Regiment, assisted a Federal captain who was mortally wounded and suffering intensely. Near him lay a burly, wounded negro. The officer said } he would die. The negro, raising him. self on his elbow, cried out: Thank God You killed my brother when we charged, because he was afraid and ran. Now the rebels have killed you" Death soon ended the suffering of one . and the hatred of the other. A dark ness came down on the battlefield and the victors began to repair the salient The crater was cleared of the dead ! and wounded. Men were found buried ten feet under the dirt. Twenty-two ] of the artillery company were missing. Four hundred and nInety-eight dead } and wounded Confederates were bur led or sent to the hospitals. Be- tween the lines lay hundreds of wound ed Federals, who vainly' called for wa ter. These men had been without wa l ter since early morning. Some calling . louder than others, their voices were 5 recognized, and as their cries grew fainter, we knew their lives were eb- ' bing away. Our men, risking their lives carried water to some.