Year: 1862

sponse. Two transport steamers, crowded with
men, opposite the chute, are gazing at us here, on
the island, through their glasses, as we can dis
cover by our glasses. One of the transport steam
ers is the G. W. Graham; the other, lying outside
OF the Graham, does not offer her name. Both
boats are crowded with people in citizens dress,
mingled with officers, staring at our camp, the only
Infantry camp yet within reach of their Shells


4 O'CLOCK, P. M.-The enemy's shells are shoot
ing at US again through the chute First shell lops
off top of dead sycamore tree, 200 yards above
headquarters, and sinks in the cornfield without
exploding, though it makes funnel six feet deep,
and scatters the dirt hundred yards or so around
All light wood within half a mile having long ago
been gathered up, our boys scrambled eagerly for
fragments OF said sycamore, to cook their supper
with; while two curiosity hunters, with spades,
dig for the buried shell. the last smoke Of which
oozes esurely up through the dirt at the bottom of
the funnel. Interruption by another shell, whiz-
zing, bowling and exploding, only hundred yards
from where first shell fell, though further out in
the cornfeld. Antiquarians stop their digging,
and wood.gatherers their gathering, as that
mortar is evidently "sot" for the clump of log
cabins constituting Col. Kennedy's headquarters.
As the boys dodge for safety in all sorts of unsafe
A'~A
charge comes first, then the long, wavering howl,
tapering down into whirp- whirp-fz sort of sound
as it comes near, ending with shrill hiss and
deafening report as it explodeso they laugh and
make fun of these who run, as they get splattered
with the flying dirt. Long before the shell passes
over us (for only one has as yet exploded between
our camp and the riyer) we can tell by the whistle
which side it is going by, and all we haYeto dodge
yIyhfr ,f a.
after the explosion. Many of@our men, banished
to she tail OF the island for safety have stolen back
for there is exhilaration in watching the fash Of
the enemy's mortars and lodging the shells as
they come howling and popping along.s~ II


s o'cKock P. M.-The shells still explode over
and around our quarters, and cooks, scullops and
remaining. soldiers of all degrees have been or.
dered to the tail of the island for safety They are
slow to leave, considering this as good part Of
the island as any for safety. Many of them MUNICH
their early suppers as the shells fly over their
heads, saying they are willing to die but
don't want to go over Jordan with empty bellies.
Some OF our tents have, been lacerated by frap.
ments OF shell, and Topped off limbs of trees and
big holes in the ground are all around us. But
fortunately, though considerable number Of the
enemy's tremendous l3-inch shells fell and ex.
ploded in and around our camp this afternoon
nobody has received any severer wound than a
splatter of mud. My faithful and never-to. be.
partedwith assistant. Paddy Mclaughlin, (who is
pretty much to me was Mickey Free to Charles
O'Malley-fully as faithful, though not half so
rogush, but tinctured with his mothers share Of
Hibernian humor, witbal,) after taking survey of
the huge bomb.holes in the cornield around, said
Faith, its dggin' the graves for US they are with
the big shells, before they begin to kiilin, us off


with the little ones." We, however, are not the
only recipients of the enemy's polite attentions,
Whilst shelllng out to u.s. they have been trying to
coax fire from our batteries at the head of the
island But the shells sent there passed far over
before exploding, without harm to anybody. Our
artillerists generally are in bad humor, being
shelled at all day without favorable opportunity
ofreplying But they admire one thing in the en-
emy-not only the skill and accuracy with which
they fuse and shoot their tremendous shells, from
a distance of about two and half miles, but their
unceasing liberality in sending us the same


6 O'CLOCK P. M Glorious! something like
an engagement atlast. The enemy had stopped
his shells, and we went to supper fancying
he had done the same. An officer however


with his glass, detected large crowd OF
men on the lower side of the Missouri point,
landward of the chute, and a flash and bang
showed to us that the enemy had planted a battery
of one or more field pieces there. All that ground
was under water four days ago, and the very fact
that they could go to all that labor in the mud just
to find out the fire Of our island batteries, proved
how great is their faith in the subjugaton of the
South and their crusade.like determination to con-


quer if they can, by all means possible. The float


ing battery, Capt Averett, just under the bank OF


the island and in q direct line between our quart
ers and the enemy's boats through the chute, let
some of her big dogs loose, and was thus for the
first time in action. The shots from the enemy's
land battery all fell short of floating battery
whilst shell from their gunboats over the point
howled and popped in support-all passing over
the bank to our headquarters, ,*except one, which


plenlifully spread the water over the bows of the
floating battery. This battery fred nine beautiful
Shots and one of our island batteries fired three or


four regular wbisters, the whole causing the


enemy's land battery to simmer down speedily,
and the gunboats to dry up for the night-especi-


ally as it now began to grow dark There is no


describing the spirits of our boys who, having had


to dodge the enemy's shells most of the day, at
last heard the responsive music from own side.
l, myself had part of this weakness. Ever-faith.
full to nv friends in New Orleans and especially to
those who read the Crescent, had selected for my
point of observation and reportorial ottings, the
rear of square pile Of corn in sacks, directly on
the Missouri bank Of the island, about two hundred
yards above the floating battery. i ran to the


corn pile, to take notes, and was there just little
before the firing commenced. The first red flash


from the other side made me eringe behind the corn
ple-for, during the day, had acquired the rather
vulgar habit of waltzing with stout and able bodied


trees, right OF left the case might be, according


to the direction of the music liberay furnished
hy the enemy-the first red tiash,I say, made me
cringe A; but when saw the floating battery sunk
in the water, and saw all the men like iron-men
aronr d the guns and saw the flash andheard the


boom and whrr Of the first gun from Island No. 10


after our painful submission to the enemys shells


all day forgot all shelter, and found myself on an


old sycamore stump in front of the cornpile, yell


ing like an Indian at every shot our battery fired


utterly needless of the enemys shells that howled


overhead or his balls that skipped and fell short il


the water, It was no business of mine to get ex


cited or to expose myself unnecessarily. But il


was my first experience of that kind. Twill leave


it to any one of similar experience, if, after stand


ing and being shot at all day it doesn't afford somt
comfort and a little exhilaration to get chance