Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-05-26
SOLDIERS STORIES.
ENTERTAINING "REMINISCENCES
OF THE WAR.
Graphic Account of Stirring Scenes
Witnessed on the Battlefield and in
Camp-Veterans of the Rebellion Re-

There are several men in Chicago"
said the Captain" who had personal
| acquaintance with the Swamp Angel
in front of Charleston in the summer
Of 1863 When General Gillmore's
division. $4,000 strong, effected lodg
ment on Morris island, and, after an
assault on Fort Wagner, began the
believed that General Gilmore and
| Colonel f. w. Serrell. his chief engi-
neer (who died in New York a few
| days ago., sat up nights to find some
thing for them to do At all events,
the General and his STAFF seemed very
busy in making plans that gave the
men lots of work.
They knew when Gilmore sent
Lieutenant Peter $ Niche, of the
United States engineers to examine the
marsh or swamp. They heard good
| deal about what he said of placing
| batteries in that swamp but they did
not believe that any batteries could
be placed there They knew when
| Colonel Serrell and Lieutenant Nathan
/ NJ Edwards started across the swamp
on a prospecting expedition, aud they
rejoiced greatly at the mishapS of
! the two busybodies, as they called
! them Serrell and Edwards carried
/ with them a fourteen foot plank, and
when the mud or ooze in the swamp
would not bear Them they sat on the
| plank and pushed il forward between
! their legs. Then. where the ground
was more solid they picked up the
muddy plank and carried it until they
! began to go down in the ooze again.
They went down good many
| times but all the time they kept going
| forward All their maneuvers We're
observable by both armies and our
own men hooted and cheered and
laughed over the mishaps and adyen-
lures Of the two plucky men. They
were as dirty Il looking couple when
/ they returned to solid ground rs any
of us had ever seen, but they reported
that they had found what they We're
sent out to find, and that was site
for a battery
ct became noiSed about that Col
onel Serrell had found one spot in
the marsh where mud was not more
than fifteen or twenty feet deep and
that he had reported to General Gill
more that he could build battery at
that point from which shot and shell
could be hurled into Charleston. His
first plan involved the construction of
d trestle work road and the employ
ment of 1900 men to carry to the point
| In one night sand bags enough to make
an island on which could be placed II
heavy siege gun which was to be
dragged across causeWay after the
manner of Napoleon. The boys took
the whole question under Amusement.
The idea of 300 men carry sand bags
all night they regarded as great
joke. In fact, they looked upon the
whole scheme as a joke.
AT one camp fire a requisition on
Colonel Serrell was made out for
twenty men, eighteen feet long, to do
duty in fifteen feet of mud. IL the
gossip about the camp fires meant any
thing ut all, 1t meant that the men of
General GIlmore's army thought the
General and his chief engineer were
crazy. But when it was made clear
TO them that the point was chosen to
| throw shot and shell into Charleston
| itself, they were eager to proceed with
the work as the General and his stan.
THE site was chosen about the mid
die of July. About the first of August
/ the plan was matured, and work was
/ begun OH the trestle road. This was
two and one-half mile long. and was
completed in about a week. Then l3,
coo sand bags, containing over 800 tons
Of sand. were carried by those devoted
men to the point fixed upon for the
swamp battery ON the 18th Of Au
gust the island. or battery, was ready
for the gun, and 300 pound PARROT
/ gun was put into position,
"All these operations. it must be re-
/ membered. were observable by the en-
envy. and several of the rebel forts
turned all their guns on what they
supposed was the real swamp battery.
/ hut which. in fact was a structure put
( up TO draw their fire Meantime, The
men kept at work behind the sand
! bags on the real battery. ana at ] -
a. m. August -, the big Parrott gun
opened fire on Charleston. putting six
I teen shells constructed under the direct
personal supervision Of Colonel Par
/ rott himself. into Charleston. The next
day. August %. twenty shells were
/ thrown into the city, but at the thirty
sixth discharge of the Swamp Angel
/ The breech Of the gun blew out Of its
Jacket and the gun itself was thrown
/ forward on the parapet.
For days and days the rebel artil
/ Iprists. believing the gun was thrown