The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-07-26
EVACUATION OF VICkSBURG
TRAGIC EVENT OF CIVIL. WAR

! brighter general. both in the Missouri
! state Guard and the Confederate ser
! vice on june % the first mine was
| exploded BY the enemy. Our regiment
| was some 900 Yards in the rear OF the
! works. each man employed as he chose.
I The Hill shook az If riven by an earth
/ quake. We made all haste TO the scene
/ of action. When we arrived at the
/ works, the Third Louisiana was at
/ dca III -Srapplc with the enemy. Weide-
! movers company was sent further to
the right 10 support the Seventh Mis-
] sissippt battalion. En- route | Was
! struck on the foot by half musket
/ ball from she'll bursting overhead.
our position here was bonn bardcd with
solid shot, Milling our clothes with dirt.
but doing us little damage otherwise.
soon VIC We're ordered to n parapet de-
void OF cannon. which should have been
there. but lost AT Black Bridge The
| Yankee sharp shooters had been al
I lowed 10 find Judgment here. were
! fortified and placed their guns s..
as 10 command our works. They had
US at great DISADVANTAGE
y man rose TO shoot, but before he
could secure cover the shnrpshooter's
bullet reached his brain. his hair flew
up. and the Yankee cried: TAKE that
man Off" Another rose 10 shoot. the
Yankee hrinc at the same time. and his
! bullet pierced the Confcderates arm
struck the stock Of his gun and ran
/ down the stock and pierced the heel
OF a sergeant who was suuatting down.
and entirely out OF the Yankees sight.
one soldier, Francis Marion Ma
gruder by name, held his own with the
sharpshooters. notwithstanding the adj
vantage OF their position. and declared
II he had his old double barrel from
home he could clean out the whole
ditch.
When recalled to the regiment We
found Colonel Irwin had been killed.
not in leading his regiment in charge.
as Miss Johnston states, but had
mounted the works TO reconnoitre the
I position of the enemy. Our loss other
/ wise had been great. Lieutenant Lums-
den had been Killed and Lieutenant
Burr wounded. both OF Company A.
. some Yankees attempted to rol! up a
piece OF timber as moving breast
work. but ball from the. only cannon
| sc had at the place struck II and
demolished the scheme and a good
many OF the enemy at the same time
! This night battle was decidedly the
'everest in which our regiment was
/ Engaged during the siege. The battle
| through the night. Our Enhelds be-
| ,amc so heated by the rapid firing that
! :he hand could not he laid upon them
( Besides. a gas was generated which
/ pushed the ball back as you loaded.
| and finally YOU had to IRE your piece
with the ball within foot OF the
nuzzlc We had no hand srenades.
cut six pound shells were used instead.
/ .:c fuse being clipped close as pos
| 'ible, fire applied and then thrown
'ver the works into the ranks of the
4 -nemy. You could hear them cry:
/ t>ok out, boys" when they saw the
! tuzc ablaze. staiwart soldier named
Muir threw most of the shells from our
! position.
| During the last week of the siege
| the Yankees rugged up mortar for
siNpound ball. They bound very
| tough maple with iron and threw these
/ balls ove~ our works which annoyed
/ us very much. The worst of il was
that you did not know where 20 ex =
pcct them.
| Matters were approaching crisis. I
/ must confess that this thing OF sending
you into the air from below was very
demoralizing. By applying your ear
TO the ground you could hear the
! strokes OF the pick. General Cockrell
informs me that he had men at work
to counter mine. On July the final
crash occurred. The right of our regi-
mcnt was on guard-the left to which
belonged, in supporting distance but
off duty. WAS sitting in the shade Of
q tall snas, reading, when heard the
explosion, and saw the ciods ascending
instinct taught me to escape the de-
sccEding shower. which | did by max
ing several leaps down the hill. heard
General Cockrell cry. Rally" before
the clods had ceased OF fall. pro-
cecdcd to the works as soon as I could
! find my gun. My only remaining mess
mate requested me to assist him to
scratch out men who were not deeply
buried but who must have persisted il
not assisted. Our first lieutenant
4 eli nd
of H., were smothered. Lieutenant
| Prathcr was carried up by the exnlo-
! sion. but not fatally injured.
| Some of his friends asked him:
'Prather how high did you go?" High
enough to see Johnston in the rear"
That phrase had become q by-word with
us. The explosion caused n very large
crater. | did not think it as deep
As has been represented. The injury to
the works was not great, though the
| Federal general. Mcpherson. says 1000
pounds of powder were used. have
| always thought Grant committed an
error in failing to order a charge but
charging our works had become mo-
notonous. Vicksburg surrendered on
July 4. I think there were not more
| than $4,000 effectives The wounded
from Port Gibson and Bakers Creek
swellcd the number OF prisoners. Gen
eral Cockrell made us n short address.
icici IiHS 10 the ucdlH VI oui CoioHci,
and conferred upon us the honor of
marching out first. When the cam
paign commenced our company cor
sisted of seventy or more. Fifteen were
able TO stack arms. General Grant
behaved with great deal of mag
namtnity on this occasion. The Fed
cral troops were not under arms, and
were not allowed to approach nearer
than 200 yards from the scene of sur
render. In fact. from the demeanor OF
the men VINO afterwards entered the
place. you would have thought them
the vanquished. and us tho victors.
Miss Mary ought nv all rpeoDe IN hoya