The National tribune., 1910-04-14
THE AFFAIR AT FORT HILL.


This Fort I'm the Line Around vicks-
burg Was Very Hot Place for Sew
eral Regiments. "a
Since Comrade Flory, Sth H. Gin The
National Tribune of Oct. 14), and Com
rade Copeland have given their views
of the fight at Fort Hill other comrades
come to the front to disprove certain
parts of their versions and to add bits
of information to that Interesting event.
H. NJ Kenderdine, Major. 18th Iowa,
Elwood, Kan, writes: Most anything
the soldiers of the civil war write goes
But when Comrade A. ]. Florey, Ser
geant, Co. A, Sth ILL.,. makes corrections
on the affair at Fort Hill the night of
June 25, 1863, and gets as far out of
line as he did it becomes necessary to
make a correct statement 1 don't know
anything about the two brigades that
he speaks of, from the fact that / had
all | could do to look out for myself
and the command to which / belonged.
But ! do know that two regiments be-
longing to the Second Brigade, Third
Division, Seventeenth Corps, were or
dered to report at Fort Hill at o'clock
June 25. These two regiments were the
18th Iowa and the seth ILL., and were
a
of the first-named regiment. After get
ting into position in the rear of the fort
about o'clock, the seth Ill was or
dered to occupy the gap made in the
fort by the explosion of three tons of
powder. With the Seth III. was a large
detail from the 45th ILL.,, and later the
31st Ill. was ordered in. These regi-
ments held their own, but could not
reach the top of the fort At 10 o'clock
the 18th Iowa was ordered to relieve
the 31st and seth Ill. The 18th Iowa
was divided into three reliefs, and oc-
cupied the advance for three hours
During that time the enemy threw six
pound shells, fuses cut Short which eX-
ploded with deadly effect. Finding it
impossible to reach the top of the fort,
and the dead and wounded now having
reached nearly 1000, the troops we're
ordered out and the assault abandoned
Had we been successful in taking Fort
Hill, Vicksburg would have fallen that
night, as it was the key to the position
in both directions. All the commands
lost heavily. The 18th Iowa had less
than 200, as many were sick with the
camp fever caused by impure water.
The loss in killed and wounded was AZ.
Comrade Florey, to show how warm it
was there, says: The enemy shot off
both the stars from Col. Maltby's shoul-
der straps That was fine marksman-
ship, but when did a Coloners shoulder
straps have stars on them
Logan's Division at Vicksburg.
NJ p. Loop, 6sth Ohio. Geneseo. Kan.
writes:
The recent articles from Comrades
Florey and Copeland make me warm
around the collar. as there seems to be
a desire on their part, hardly inten-
tional. to rob other commands of their
hard-earned honor
"Comrade Copeland is in error when
he says that during the siege of Vicks-
burg the 30th Ill. was in the First Bri-
gade of Logan's Third Division. He is
also in error when he says that there
were only two brigades of Logan's Di-
vision in the trenches confronting the
enemy.
Referring to my diary of events of
those days, which has been preserved
these many years. / find on the after
noon of May 19 the Second Brigade of
Logan's Division, consisting of the goth.
6Sth, 18th Ohio and 30th Ill, took posi-
ton directly in front of the enemy's
works. A short distance away, vomit-
ing death and destruction, was the enc
my's Fort Hill. but in reality II was the
Third Louisiana Redan. Fort Hill was
some distance back of the enemys main
line. and on the high bluffs overlooking
the Mississippi.
Directly behind the Second Brigade
was Degolyer's Battery of the same bri-
gade, which hurled a terrific storm of
old iron over our heads. which we i'm
agined caused the unfriendly heads
and shooting at us to jump
back into their rife pits
The Second Brigade remained in the
front line along with the First and
Third Brigades until the morning of
May 2S. when it was taken out of the
line investing Vicksburg. and, with 9TH
er commands, was hurried off in the
direction of Yazoo City. where it was
reported Johnston, c. S. A. had assem-
bled force to attack Gen. Grants rear
May 80 the Second Brigade was at
Haynes Bluff, where it remained until
June 3, when, being relieved by a COM
mand that had come down from the
North, the brigade started for the
trenches of Vicksburg, which was
reached the afternoon of June 4, and
were again assigned to duty in front
Here the Second Brigade remained
until the morning of June "a. on the
above date the Second Brigade and
many other commands belonging to
Gen. Grants thrashing machine were
taken out of the works at Vicksburg.
and were assigned to the army of OBJ
servation on the Big Black, where we
remained until after the surrender of
Meantime the First Brigade, consist
ing of the goth, 31st. 45th and 124th
Ill. and 23d Ind, and the Third Bri-
sade, consisting of the Sth and s1st Ill.
eth Mo. and 32d Ohio. remained in the
trenches at Vicksburg. Soon after the
capitulation of Vicksburg the 32d Ohio
was assigned to the Second Brigade,
making the above an Ohio brigade, and
the goth Ill. was put in its place"
3fst Ill. at Fort Hill.
J. w. Stockton, 31st H.. Corsicana,
Eek, writes: Il belonged to the 31st
H., and we saw too much hard service
around Fort Hill and other places to
not get any of the glory. I see so much
about who did the fighting in the Crater
at Fort Hill. 1 remember Fort Hill
we'll. The 31st stood within so feet of
he fort, and when it was blown up we
vent in before the dirt had stopped fall
ng. and we remained there until the
16th Ill. relieved US. Their guns would
not fire for some cause or other, and
We went back into the Crater again.
Two brothers from Co. c, 31st ILL.,. did
he undermining of the fort They
rolled bales of cotton in front and on
each side of them until they got to the
tort, and one day they let one bale roll
1ut of reach, and they called for n vol
lnteer to get it. I was out there with
my company at the time. and volun-
.eered to roll 1t back. Just as / was
.urning the bale over the rebels fired