The National tribune., 1910-08-25
The Sixteenth Corps Did II.

James McDevitt, 4213 Lake avenue,
Chicago, H., writes:
II have read of late with some inter-
! est two or three articles in The Ma
tional Tribune in regard to what corps
captured Spanish Fort on Mobile Bay.
April s. 1865. ] shall tell your readers
my experience. My regiment. the 95th
ILL.,, occupied the works and rifle pits all
of the time that we were at the siege,
about 13 days, / think. On March 81,
about noon, my company was thrown
out as skirmishers, and took active part
in driving the rebels back into their rife
pits and Notifications. The artillery
opened fiercely and the battle ragged fu-
riously all along the line. After fighting
in our works for IL days, on the after
noon of April s, we heard very heavy
firing on our right, the meaning of
which we did not know. But about 4
p. m. my regiment was ordered to fall
in, and we were sent to the right of our
position, as we We're to reinforce that
part of our line. We were there as a
reserve until about % p. m, when we
were ordered back, we thought, to
our trenches We kept moving until
we arrived in our rife pits. There the
regiment formed line of battle, and as
soon as it was formed we were ordered
to charge. We got on top of the pits.
and commenced to move the timber and
chevaux de frisc in our front. A great
many of the tree limbs had been sharp
ened and lay very thick, so it was n
very difficult matter to get thru them.
when we first started there was
some sharp firing. bat as we neared
their works we did not notice so much.
1t was our part to charge the big red
and white sand fort, which had a very
deep ditch in front of it, After a hard
climb we got on top, and had just
dropped inside of the works when a
battery of the Thirteenth Corps opened
on us. One shot just SKINNED the top
of the works. and gave my comrade and
me close call and big shower of
sand. Then one of my comrades shout
ed at the top of his voice: You son of a
gun, who are you firing att? That was
how the Thirteenth Corps helped us to
take that part of the fort. Our own
gunbOats and mortars kept throwing
shell at us. 1t was said at the time that
no one knew anything about the charge
but the Sixteenth Corps.
After getting inside Of the rebels
works we went around to their bomb
proof quarters. and the men that did
not run we captured in their quarters
After some time we signaled the fleet
that the fort was captured. When we
had accomplished all we could we re-
turned to our works and lay down for
rest. 1t was late next morning when
went over into the captured fort,
where | charged with my regiment, and
what was my surprise IL see all the
guns In the big fort tagged with big
card, Captured by Gen. Gordon Grang-
er's Thirteenth Corps, right where /
was fired on by that same corps bat
terry. 1T was reported at the time that
when Gen. A. J. Smith saw those cards
he ordered a detail from the sd Wis.
90 go and take them off. saving: II
there is any credit for this, the Six
taenth oh hau
John NJ. Brown, Goth Ind, Dayton.
o., writes:
II saw a statement in The National
Tribune in regard to the capture of
Spanish Fort and Fort BIakely. ! was
in the Thirteenth Corps from Novem-
Der, 1862, TO the close of the war, and
was mustered out at Mobile, Ala, July
3, 1865. ] was in Gen. G. c. Andrews's
Division at Fort Blakely, and the Thir-
teenth Corps captured that line of forts
and breastworks Fort Blakely formed
the left of the rebel works. Defending
Mobile were Instructions of every sort
also a double line of torpedoes. The
loss was great, but no obstacle him
dered, no degree of carnage daunted
the men. They carried the works. Our
loss was 1000 killed and wounded. A
few minutes after the surrender the
colorbearer of the 9th H., with the
nag, hdu IL nara tline IN SettiHS tnTu
the Instructions with the coIors, and
was the last one of his regiment TO come
over the breastworks. He planted his
flag IN front of the regiment and line
of the enemy standing in front of him,
with grounded arms. The minute the
flag was planted rebel Lieut.. G. S.
Moore picked up gun and shot the
colOrbearcr dead. Moore was shot at
the same time. l saw them fall. The
inscription on the monument erected to
Moore at Blakely is: Lieut. G. s. Moore.
who fell at Blakely on April 9, 1865.
He fired the last gun in defense of Mo-
bile. He fought for the cause from its
birth, and, refusing to surrender, gave
his life to die with it Col Vifquain
commanded the 9th III. They were in
our brigade and on our left in the
charge"
Rcvisits Scenes at Mobile.
It. J. Vernon, Co. C, 11th ILL.,, Nash
vile. Ill, writes:
Being member of a good-natured