The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1916-06-01
NCS IA

] F'Nlff NtA' 0 W. NV - 'iAlAa'A"'sf ~ ''f'
ed on a new barbctte carriage which
worked heavily ald rccoi,cd only about
HAIR the length OF the carriage at each
discharge. This gave me the adyan.
tagc OF rapid firing.
A Close Place.
II was give and take. nip and tuck.
as To who should hold the fort. Cap.
tain Jamison OF the Fourth Louisiana
battalion, who had been ordered TO
help mount Capt. F. y. Bouucau's
runs, reached the fort after the fight
was on. asked how many men he
brought, and he said TOO, | told him
that with his help We could hold the
fort, When the main body Of F"d"rals
rut within TOO yards Of our fort. three
Held officers were ~gallopiug toward
Ia" center OF their line. urging their
men forward. waited IA moment IN.
I'll they met. then fired a double load
Of proj"ctlos and swept them from
IN" told That broke the charge. and
"a" infantry withdrew.
Big Guns Bark,
Then We were under a terrific fire
Of shot and shell from Rockwell and
Strahau's light batteries covering
stevens retreat, While the fight was
on noticed q number OF sharpshOOt.
crs sccrcting themselves in the under
growth on the edge OF the marsh and
killing our men. | detailed a sergeant
and a small detachment OF men and.
placing them on the extreme right OF
the battery, | instructed them to clean
out that hcdgerow. This they soon
did.
The assaulting force was probably
1000, while We had, all told, about
500 men, After the battle was over
We had killed 100 men trying TO scale
u breastwork and we buried 500
more on our front. | don't know the
number ot their wounded, Our loss
was "a officers and men killed and l44
wounded.
After the battle | went into the
bomhprouf and told Colonel Lamar OF
Cap'ain Rcid's death, ! knew he con.
sidcrcd hin. one OF the best officers.
soon after the battle the ews of vic.
tory was hcralded throughout the
C~onfcdcraCy. General Pemberton. who
was in command of the Confederate
forces, made mention. by special or.
der, OF the heroic defense OF the fort
by Colonel l.amar's command and 9th.
or troops engaged. And We were the
recipients OF many congratulations. II
was hard 10 fight over the dead bodies
Of our comrades, but the occasion dc.
manded II.
Dan Kelly. the Orangeburg lrishman,
with W. II. Amaker. J. w. Gibson,
Henry Hoover, John Jones, julius
Shulcr and other members Of Company
! died as heroes at their post. The
battle OF Socessionville was one OF the
most decisive Of the war General
Stevens, advancing on the fort with
six regiments and two light batteries
with General Wright on Stone 10 pro.
tect his flank and then to fail, They
were evidently badly defeated and
never made a second attack. Secession.
Vile was the key TO cha lesion, and II
II had been taken Charleston would
probably have fallen.
After the battle Capt. +. y. Bonneau
came 70 my battery and said to me.
Lieutenant, your gun deserves to be
mounted on a golden pivot"
We were relieved from duty and or.
dercd back TO Fort Johnson. After a
few days Captain Kcitt, who was
physically unable to do duty az a sol.
der, resigned honorably and was pro
UnnfaI a. gnpInin f'ppntapr G...l
regiment, South Carolina artillery
The lower officers were respectively
promoted.