The National tribune., 1910-09-29
MORE ABOUT VHKsBTRG.
Some More sketches Of the Charge at
Fort Hill and Incidents of the Long
Siege i'm Front of Vicksburg.I

Here follows anotber instaIment of
the operations at and around Xicksburg,
particularly that bloody encounter at
Fort Hill:
The Charge al Fort Hiu.
Joe Browning Sergeant CO. H, 11th
Mo. Detroit, Mich. writes: -,
II was a Sergeant in, Co. H. 18th Mo,
from July p, 1861, to Jan. Is. 1866,
four years and half of the best part
of my life. After the little brush at
Raymond we went on to Jackson and
helped to take it from the Johnnies. and
when they had to abandon the place
they burned enough old-fashioned Or
leans sugar to have lasted the army
during the war. il seemed to me, and
left their clothing, supplies, knapsacks,
etc, thinking we couldn't use them, but
/ took one of their box knapsacks and
used it the balance of my term of serv
ice. as L liked it better than the one
| had.
We liberated the prisoners from the
penitentiary, and few of those fell
lows enlisted in our army. From there
we went to Eicksburg. We camped at
Black River bridge a few days, and
then marched to the outer posts We
were in the siege. and, of course. did
our part of picketing. etc, until the
memorable 22d day of May, when the
assault was to be made. Our regiment
with our beloved Col. Mower (after-
ward MajOr-GeneraD in the lead. start
ed and went into the charge at right
shoulder shift, double-quick, in column
of regiment. with enemy pouring an
enfilading fire both right and left of the
fort, and the larger siege guns pouring
grape and canister into us at short
range. We never faltcred. on to the
fort we went, and into the deadly ditch,
where we found that there was nothing
for us to do but try to keep the enemy
from Taking us with small artillery un-
til darkness should make il so we could
get out of that death trap. Many of
the boys were killed and wounded
there.
Jack Warner was in charge of our
Flag, and did the brave act of climb
! up the fort and planting the col
prs on the parapet. The conclusion
rom the firing of that big grn nearly
ruined the Flag. How the boys lived
this day. We charged in plain view
of the enemy. and went thru that cross
fire from a strong line of infantry be-
hind breastworks on both sides of that
fort, and with the grape and canister
pouring into us.
We lay there until dark and then
the question was to get out with the
wounded. Comrade Bradford. Co. A.
50th H., calls that fort a stockade fort.
lying north of what We called Fort
Hill about 600 yards. 1t certainly was
good one, and the men in il were
put there to defend il. and they did
too. In Il few days we went up to
Haines's Fluff on the YaZoo River, took
boat, and went over to Youngs Point,
and from there took a siege gun one
night down in front of the city and
planted il with many smaller guns.
With that gun we certainly did annoy
the teamsters driving, alongd the river
front They had a devil of n gun they
called 'Whistling Dick which kept us
pretty close in our rifle pits during the
day Our Major, A. J. Weber, was kill
ed hy that gun. .I
1t was very interesting Of nights to
lay there and watch our mortar fleet
throw shells over our heads into the
city. Someone has said that the big
gun on the hill north of the, city and
commanding the river above was
Whisling Dick but 'WhistIing Dick
was in their water battery, south of
the main street, running back from
the river to the Court House Well
do | remember the old watchman that
had charge of that big gun. n wanted
TO kill him. .n
The 47th III. was not in the charge
at all. Movers brigade consisted of
the 11th Mo, Sth Wis, 5th MINI. and
18th Ill. If any of the 11th Mo. boys
see this would like to hear from them.
We also took an active part in the
battle of CoriHth. and at where we
fought the 11th Mo. of the Confeder-
ate army We took some of them pris-
oners in the dark while we lay in wait
for them. We were in the charge at
Nashville. when Hood thought he would
treat his men to some of the good things
in the city. He might have done ii,
but he slept on his rights while we
were getting ready to receive him."
Tie Vicksburg Campaign.
A. Bunker, Co. Z, 10th Iowa, Topeka,
Kan. writes:
The Nicksburg campaign stands
unique in the annals of military war
fare. No commander before had had
the audacity to cut loose from his base
and hurl an inferior force between two
armies of the enemy. Had the enemy
shown an equal genius the invading
force must have been ground to pow
der, as il were, twixt the upper and
neither millstone. | belonged to Co. f,
10th Iowa. Logans and Crocker's Divi-
sion, Seventeenth Corps. We commenced
the march from Millikens Bend, La.
April 25, 1863, crossed the river at
on the giInboat Tyler, which
had run the batteries at Ficksburg on
the night we felt the earth tTemble.
My brigade, the 5th and 10th Iowa,
26th No. and 93d ILL.,, was engaged at
Jackson and Champions Hill, at the
latter place severely. The battle prop |
cr was fought on our side by Hovey's
Division of the Thirteenth Corps ana |
Logans and CrOcker's Divisions of the |
Seventh Corps. Gen. Grant says that |
after the battle was over, which lasted !!
four hours, he rode around to give |
orders to Osterhause and Carr. and the |
atter's shirmishers were Just coming |
in. II was nearly o'clock when / re-
,eived the gunshot wound that caused |
The loss of my right arm, and / shortly |
after left the field. In a little while l |
heard great shouting The enemy had |
broken from bayonet charge by the |
10th Mo. and 18th Iowa. Logan says |
that Champions Hill was a very impor- |
tant battle. To have lost it would have |
brought untold trouble to our cause"
On Wrong Side OF the Works.
4. d. Hickok. Captain, Sth Wis, Nor |
nan, Okla, writes:
Il noticed in The National Tribune |
that the 18th Mo, led by Col. Mower |
was the only regiment in the Fifteenth |
Corps that placed its colors on the rebel !
works at Vicksburg in the charge made
IN May %, 1863. Gen. Mower COM
handed the whole brigade, not the 18th
No. l do not know the order in which
he regiments made the charge, for the
ground was very rough and broken, but
do know that the Sth Wis. went i'm on
| double-quick by the flank on wagon
'oad that ran straight to the rebel
works. When the head of the regiment
cached the works the crowd of men
)ucked up with the rest, close to the
'ebel works, for that was the safest