Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-09-11
EVANS AT FORT FISHER.
Rear Admiral's Characteristic Description
of Fight in Which He Was Wounded

VA a Sht Al w MIN AAC w do WOuuQGu.
Admiral Evans description of the at
tack on Fort Fisher during the Civil
war runs as follows: "At this moment
l saw Col. Lamb, the Confederate COM
mander, CALAMITY standing out on the
parapet and calling ON his men to get
up and shoot the Yankees. l considered
him within easy range of revolver, so
took deliberate shot at him. As
fired a bullet ripped through the front
OF my coat across my breast, turning
me completely around. | felt a burning
sensation. like a hot iron, over my heart,
and saw something red coming out of
hole in my coat which l took for blood.
1 knew. of course, that if a bullet had
gone through this portion of my body
| was done for, but that was no place
TO stop, so went on at the head of my
company. As we approached the re-
mains of the stockade | was aware that
one particular sharpshooter was shoot
ing at me and when we were a hundred
yards away he hit me in the left leg,
about inches below the knee. The
force of the blow was so great that
landed on my face in the sand. l got
SILK handkerchief out of my pocket and,
with the kind assistance of my class
mate. Hoban Sands. soon stopped the
blood and went again to the front as
fast as | could.
About this time the men were STUN
bling over wires which they cut with
their kniyes-they proved to be wires to
the torpedoes over which we had
charged. but they failed to explode My
left leg seemed asleep, but L was able
TO use. 1t. The stockade, or what re-
manned of it, was very near, and | de-
termined to lead my company by a
flank through a break in it, and then
charge over the angle of the fort, which
now looked very difficult to climb. |
managed to get through the stockade,
with seven others, when my sharpshOot-
er friend sent a bullet through my right
knee and l realized that my chance Of
going was settled. | tried to stand up
but 1T was no use; my legs would not
hold me, and, besides this, | was bleed
ing dreadfully and | knew that was
matter which had to be looked to-
When | received the wound in my
right knee | began at once to try to stop
the flow of blood. | used for the pur-
pose one of the half dozen silk handker-
chiefs with which l had provided my
self. but L was so tired and weak from
loss of blood that | was some time doing
the trick. In the meantime my sharp
shooter friend, about thirty-iye yards
away, continued to shoot at me, at the
same time addressing me in very for
chile but uncomplimentary language. AT
again, taking off the end of one Of my
toes, tearing off the sole of my shoe
and wrenching my ankle dreadfuy. l
thought the bullet had gone through my
ankle, the pain was so intense.
For some reason, l don't know why,
this shot made me unreasonably angry
and, rolling over in the sand so as TO
face my antagonist, l addressed a few
brief remarks to him; and Then, just as
some one handed him a freshly loaded
musket. | fired, aiming at his breast. /
knew all the time that l should XII
him if | shot at him, but had not IN
tended to do so until he shot me in the
toe. Ny bullet went a little high, strlk-
ing the poor chap in the throat and pass
ing out of the back of his neck, lie
staggered around after dropping his gun;
and finally pitched over the parapet ana
rolled down near me, where he lay dead;
could see his feet as they projectetd
over a pile of sand and from their P2si,
ton knew that he had fought his ias'
fight "