Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-09-25
Incidents Of vicksburu surrender.

tnCiocntS OF siCkSDuFg ouFTCuuSFs
| July was one long to be remember
7 ed by some of us who were in the
siege of Vieksburg Like the most of
our days there, this one was hot and
sultry. We boys in the rifle-pits were
doing various things. In my pit three
or four of the fellows were blazing
away at the line of works over across;
as many more were using the bottom
of the pit as a card table; two or three
were going into the depths of their
haversaeks after bits of bareback with
which to stay their stomachs until
time to return to camp in the ravine a
little ways back; one or two tired fell
lows had fallen asleep, and were, in
their dreams, l suspect, off at home
with mother or Mary or Alice; Just at
one end of the pit one of the boys was
lying on his back reading the home
county paper his father had sent to
him; while another, with his open
PORTFOLIO ON his knees, was telling his
mother about the siege, his health
giving his opinion how much longer
the war would last. and trying to say
1how much he would give TO see his lit
tie brothers and sisters that day
/ Suddenly Henry Marston cried
out
Joe. conc here with your gun,
quick! quick mine isn't loaded!
Look at that Johnny right on top of the
works What does he mean by get
ting up there in that way! There's
lanother, and another,-why the whole
rebel army is coming up! What in
+, the name of General Grants going to
happen now"
Henry's excited explanations of
Isurprise brought every man to his
/ feet, gun in hand, and sure enough the
whole line over across was swarming
with men in gray, who just then seem
ed to have nothing to do but stand
there and gaze at us.
! Soldiers are laxative, and soop
loud dialogue began, something ike
this:
Say, Johnnies, what's up"
Nothing as we'uns know of,
| Yanks.''
What are you a-standing up there
for?"
Just cause youns are"
How's the thermometer over
there?"
/ Clear up and still a-risin'. Say,
Yanks, got any coffee to trade for to-
bacco?"
Lots of it; come over"
Come over yourselves and see how
you like it"
20 you're too close shut up; 'fraid
we'd smother
| While such talk was going on some
of the men had begun to pick the
, blackberries that hung all about in
the most tempting profusion. Inside
the lines we had picked them clean,
and they had given an agreeable vari-
ETY. to our bill OF fare. We had not
dared go outside our rifle pits after
/ them in the daytime, and at night we
got more shratches than berries; so
ithere they had hung day after day
just out of our reach compelling the
/ practice of self-denial 1t had been
| just the same over across, and the con
federates were taking their opportun-
ity to get their first taste OF the fruit.
In their half-starved condition they
were getting a most delicious meal.
But none of us understood why we
were doing as we were.
A harum-scarum sort of fellow OF
! the 18th Wisconsin, who had little
sense OF fear, was visiting us that day,
and as he saw the boys of the other
side picking berries down the side of
the deep ravine between us and them
he said:
I'm going down there and meet
them" And down he went on the
run.
We all watched him, wondering
what kind of reception he would find
He jumped the little brock at the bot
tom of the ravine, and then the fell
lows over beyond saw him. One
started down to meet him. We saw
them come together and shake hands,
then go to picking. berries off the
Same bush. Then we all rushed down
and they came to meet us There we
were all together, shaking hands,
picking berries. talking about the
siege. telling one another when the
other side had made particularly good
shots. discussing the war the slavery
question. etc, etc.,-all chummy to-
gether. we who had only ten minutes
before been firing at one another-to
Lit
They asked us how we stood the
southern climate whether our men
could keep their health and be active
IN that hot weather, and whether or
not we had enough to eat. We told
them that we stood the climate we'll,
that in general our health was excel
lent, and that we had more rations
than we could eat; all of which was
true. They said they had got down to
mule-meat,-had it that morning for
breakfast, We discussed the probable
outcome OF the siege. We assured
tnein that we were in condition to
keep the thing going as long as neces-
sary. They said General Penlberton
would hold out as long as possible
Some praised him for this determine
ton, while others cursed. One poor