Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-04-12
AN OFFICER AT APPOMATTOX
in Ncrx York Even
GO. Nnrh Morton. in New

IT may be Of some interest to know
with what feelings the rank and file
met the momentous events OF April
ana April Q. 1856. After the battle OF
rare Hiii. or Fort Steadman. VIC were
not permitted leave OF absence from
the trenches for a whole week BEFORE
ms ohcers. at least in the artillery
when not on duty, were free to visit
Petersburg almost at will
me week that followed was one q,
quiet--no artillery ducls. very little If
any infantry firing. When the rcstric
'o"s on icaNe OF absence were removed
VIII 10 the city. When / returned
nv mes ! stepped At my first bat
..lE ana talked with the corporal of
me guard. Cowardin. whose fnthor wa.
me proprietor OF the Richmond Dis
pa'ch. II was about II o'clock II was
deathly still va"
Forwarding" I said 81 hoIioyo 49,
going to have 4 fight"
w" talked on for a while
wake UP tho guard" said
, non the guard had turned out told
nm, 10 order the mortars TO be loaded
49, ."e iahEards to be fixed. lust then
d SiSnai gun was heard away around on
the Richmond side Then ono n..ro
non shot crashed over our heads
ana on went the signals toward Tho
ieit. soon. as IL by one command mo
entire line burst forth into flame rror,
cannon and small arms. The heavens
were abiaze with burning fuses You
,ou.u trace tho different kind OF guns
by the trajectory OF their rnissilcs-tbo
mortar shells high up in the air rtno
shots nearly straight and the nara.
ooiic curve of tho shells from tho
smooth bores. Ny shots met tho enc
inFs IN midair. For about an hour
therc was the finest pyrotechnic display
ever saw. After this a dead SIM
ness settled down on both sides
went on To my tent. a little lower
down stream for ! slept in a fly ten,
with Captain Taylor Martin protect,
ed from direct fire by "A slight blum on
the river bank, while the men silent i'm
bombproofs.
AS we arose tho next morning VIC
had a repetition OF the midnight OK
perienccs. We were sure now tina,
something serious was going on
FIRING in our front was intermittcnt
out heavy hghting was going on away
around on our left. really at our backs.
for' facing the encmy's works as We
looked down the AppomattoS, we could
about-face and look directly up
stream and over Petersburg and sec
the smoke of battle
During the day, news came to us OF
what was happening. The line had
=. L.
killed, the Yankees had reached tho
river on tho other side of Petersburg
That night ! received orders to de-
| Stroy my mortars ana their ammuni-
! ton. and rcioin my battery with my
men, Inc horses and Eun-Carriagcs
| were brought In from camp, and we
moved out through Petersburg TO the
turnpike bridge across the Appomat-
toX. Many OF our young men came
from the city. They were given leave
| to visit their folk and join the bat
terry on the other side of the river
TO their credit be it said that at roll
call not one was missing. l paid few
snort visits to some OF my friends.
When ! told them good by, said
Cheer up; Lee only wishes to get Grant
in the open. away from these democrat
izing brcastworks. and he is sure to
defeat him." How much they believed
me i do not know. but 1t was "a ter
rible ordeal to leave them. l had been
the recipient OF their warm hospital
ity for ten long months OF trial when
shells often shrickcd over their heads
one of these shells had passed
through Tabb Street Presbyterian
Church and through the house OF it's
pastor. DIR. William j. Hoge. one time
co-pastor with DR. Spring. of the Brick
Church. in New York DR.. Hoge was
confined TO his bed at this time; to GeH
him out of this danger Lieutenant Pull
made a saddle with our hands and took
| him downstairs and placed him in an
ambulance, which carried him to a
friends house outside of the city,
where lie soon passed away.
1t was late when took leave of the
Osbornes, one of whom afterwards be-
| came Mrs. Gordon McCabc. Such res
ignation and such courage as these
noble people displayed! They had
calmly run tho hazard OF cannon shot.
| They now calmly awaited the thrush
| OF the invading hosts and of unknown
| evils.
AS the hoofs of my horse. now urged
| to full speed. clattcred over the pave
| ments Of what seemed a deserted city.
! I kept down the grief Of parting by
| thinking Of the coming conflict.
l crossed the bridge to the north OF
| the river and joined my battery just
| as it turned off the turnpike 10 take up
| its westward march. We moved slow
| ly the rest OF the night and all tie
| next day. What happened on the 4th.
| 5th and 9th is a blank to me. | know
we were marching with a considerable
amount of artillery, Some said eighty
| pieces. on a road parallel to Lees main
| army, with bearings cavalry as an es-
cort, and that late on that night OF
| tho 9TH we halted. Before l could get
fully to sleep was aroused by the
battalion Quartermaster, who asked me
| IL would not take charge OF II mount
| ed detail and endeaVor to get some
horses for tho service from the country
through which we were passing. con-
! sented to do so and started off i'm
| mediatcly. We rode through n wooded
| country, and saw not even house I'M
I'll we reached Appomattox Court
house. There we found few horses,
l and on leaving tina plaaa wa hand the