The National tribune., 1908-01-02

of foclishness 1 ever heard ~. And,
like the darky who got pretty badly
strangled while being baptized,
thought some gentleman would get his
death at this blamed foolishness yet
The General said, Il will have the levee
fixed and platforms laid tonight" He
told the Captain where to report on
the river with his command on the fol-
lowing night. This was done, and we
moved up into position the same night.
Across the River.
When morning came a heavy fog ris-
ing off the river kept US from seeing
just where We We're or what we had to
encounter, but about half past the fog
had lifted sufficiently for us to see some
of the not very pleasant sights to
man that wasn't tired of living yet
Four large black guns that looked like
they could take our poor little guns in
their big mouths and swallow them
bodily lay almost opposite us, not a
mile away, while away up the river
three or four miles lay several more
big black fellows, glistening in the
morning sun. We soon perceived the
Johnnies had discovered us by the stir
they were making. First, they sent a
shower of musket balls, which, luckily.
did no harm, for a wonder, for we
were all standing on the top of Il levee;
but we didn't require a second invita-
ton to get down. We simply got down
and stayed down for two mortal hours,
for every gun in Port Hudson that
could be brought 10 bear on us was
worked for all there was in it. Scarcely
a second of time in those two hours
but what a shell was bursting over our
heads or solid shot slabbing great
chunks of packed sand off the levee
and piling it over on us. Finally, one
by one, they ceased firing, except two
large rif1ed cannon almost squarely
across the river from us, the upper one
paying its respects to No. l gun, which
was about 40 feet up the river from No.
2, the other keeping us busy lodging
shot and shell. We had a lookout who,
the moment he saw the smoke from
their gun, would cry out, Here she
comes," when every man would spring
for the levee and fall fat The next
moment whiZ would go the shot thru
our embrasure, almost touching our
gun. | was doing the same for him,
barely missing, but just a fraction too
high. ] had made six shots, had the
gun in battery and was sighting it, when
the lookout cried, Here she comes"
We left our places and sprang for the
levee just in time, for a second after
the big solid shot struck our gun about
two feet from the muzzle on the under
side. and cut groove as nicely as could
have been done in wood with a groove
plane, clear back to the steel band that
is around the breech of all Parrott
guns. This turned the shot down thru
the trail, and on down thru the two
inch live-oak platform into the ground
Splintering the trail almost to pieces
and tearing up our platform and throw
ing dirt and sand all over u.s. but, luck
lily again, no one hurt.
We rushed back to where our gun
was (some 30 feet), and saw that the
gun was not hurt, and by being careful
we rolled 1t back into battery again.
sighted it, while the Jonnnies were
swinging their hats and cheering, sup
posing they had knocked us out and
gave command, "Fire," standing to one
side with field glasses to my eyes. /
saw the big gun sliding backward off
its carriage to the ground, leaving the
muzzie pointing up. j had hit it exact
ly as i had the Lady Davis. with
precisely the same result This was
the seventh shot, ana the last one. 7
fired that day, as the carriage was too
wabbly to risk firing
We received a new trail that night.
and by morning We're ready for busi-
ness again. i then turned No. 2 on the
gun that had been firing on No. /, and
before night had put it to sleep in its
little bed. After this we had things all
in our own way. They rarely ever re-
piled TO us. Instead they would pile
brush and bags of sand in their en-
brasures to hide their guns. But a few
percussion shells would clear the rub
bish away. exposing their guns Then
few solid shot would soon do the rest,
SO that the two next were added to the
credit of NO. 2, making four from the
west side of the river and two on the
east. No more guns being in reach, we