The National tribune., 1908-10-29
PART OF THE BATTERY BEARING SPANISH FORT.

embarked and marched out six or eight
miles to Chalmette, which is south of
New Orleans and known in history as
the Jackson battlefield. Now my COM
rades, l want you to go with me to
Chaimette The trip from Eastport to
New Orleans, 1,5eo miles on board a
river transport, with only the hard deck
Tor bed, and space of about Is
inches by seven feet, for each soldier.
and no accommodation for cooking was
bad enough, but our condition at Chal-
mette was simply terrible 1t rained
\eyery day. and our camp for two weeks
\Tas a regular quagmiTe. A good paper
eouid be written on the trials and trib-
rf1tions- of a soldier at Chalmette. We
Remained in ChaInfettr until, ,aaapclr s
or 6, when we were ordered to move.
We marched thru the city to the shell
road, which runs along inc bank of
the canal to Lake Pontchartrain, dis
fance of four miles.
Good Times On Dauphin Island.
We embarked on ocean steamers for
Fort Gaines, located on Dauphin Island.
arrived at the island March 10 and dis
embarked. The island is composed en-
tirely Of sand. Quite change from
1oy, wet camping place to one of white
dry sand / think without doubt we
enjoyed ourselves, and had as good a
time from March 10 to the goth fishing
1or> oysters and fishing and bathing
We could go out on the sand beach for
half mile when the tide was out Just
picture to yourself 1900 of the boys
of 81 and '65 running ahead of the
incoming tide. / honestly believe that
was the best time we ever had. and
think John Coon will agree with me,
as well as many others.
1t would take at least IS pages to
tell Of the good time we had on the
island March 20 We were ordered to
embark on transports for the main
land, proceeded up The bay, entered
Fish River, a very deep and narrow.
as well az very crooked stream. De-
barked at q place called Donnellys
Mills. Many of you remember the large
eagle nests in the trees. some as large
as a cart wheel and the great number
of eagles, and colored people by the
hundreds, and ali glad to see the Yam
kee soldiers.
We then marched short distance.
and went into camp for two or three
days and fortified our position. March
% took up ne of march, went into
camp for the>night at a place called
Deer Park, q most beautiful spot
A War Correspondents Story.
Instead of giving my own version Of
the Spanish Fort siege, VIII read an
interesting narrative by Mr. BENJAMIN
c. Truman, the able correspondent Of
the New York Times:
Or the 25th of March the Thirteenth
Corps marched up the Belle Rose road
on the left and the Sixteenth Corps
Inoyed up the Blahely road on the right,
proceeded about eight miles and went
into camp.
On the next day both corps again
started, and fetched up before noon.
after a little slzirmishing, the Thirteenth
in front of Spanish Fort and the Six
teenth about four miles from the works
of BlakeIy The next morning, Mon
l day March 81, Gen. Candy discovered
that Il would be advisable, il not abso-
futeIy necessafy, to reduce Spanish
Fort before turning on Blakely, and
ordered Macarthur and Carr's Division
OF the Sixteenth Corps TO retrograde
four miles, and take up a position in
front of Spanish Fort on the right,
leaving Garrard's Division to keep a
bold front upon the Blakely road un-
tii Gen. Steele should arrive. Before
10 O'Clock Spanish Fort was completely
invested on the land side, Carr's Divi-
sion of the Sixteenth Corps on the right
resting IT'S extreme on Bayou Minnette,
and Renton's Division of the Thirteenth
Corps on the left, its extreme touching
at Belle Rose.
After few hours skirmishing de-
veioped the fact that Spanish Fort and
neighboring work called Fort Alexis
were hard nuts to crack. Before dark
Al istFinC cdh4osloNiHS "slS SoiiE ot
on both sides. which was kept up al
night, the enemy's gunboats and two
forts in the bay participating. From
this time until the fall of Spanish Fort
~ incessant canaonading and musl1ctry
was kept up by both sides Dur.
3 the two weeks engagement new
pms OF a heavy caliber were mounted
NY day. until at last some 16 mortars
70 siege guns and eight batteries
artillery We're bearing upon the
nstronghold. Our men Were
hottest fire for awhile
kfronn the fact that
place less than
lie from the rebel
Hssy shot and