Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 February 1884 — Siege of Vicksburg Incidents. [ARTICLE]

Siege of Vicksburg Incidents.

During the siege of Vicksburg many amusing incidents occurred. A few will be recounted: 4 One of our soldiers, an Irishman, was on guard one night in the front trenches. These advanced trenches ran so near the enemy’s line that the picket guards could at night, when it was still, talk across from their riflepits. Pat was easily annoyed, which the rebel guards discovering, commenced blackguarding him. After plaguing him about other matters they began to tease him about the worthlessness of the shells fired from the Union mortars on the gunboats. As a rule it must be admitted that these shells did no great damage. Among other things the rebels told Pat that “the only harm the shells have yet done is to kill two mules and lame one old woman. ” Just then through some strange accident a shell happened to come from the river dropping and bursting among Pat’s tormentors, injuring two or three and causing the balance to scamper for dear life. Ere the sound of the bursting shell had died away the shrill voice ot Pat was heard crying: “There, ye infernal cusses, put that in yer haversack and chaw it, will ye, ye blathering blackguards.” Another about the mortar shells is this: When Gen. Bowen, the Confederate officer, first came out under a flag of truce, on the 3d of July, to treat for terms of surrender, he suggested that hostilities cease during the negotiations. The Union officers readily acquiesced, but mentioned the difficulty of gettihg orders to the gunboats in time. “Oh, well,” he replied, “that is of no consequence ; never mind the gunboats; they never harm us any. ” One day, toward the end of the siege, one of the Confederates cried out to our soldiers, saying, “We are going to have a new General.” “Ah, indeed,” was the reply, “and who is he ?” “General Starvation,” coolly replied the comical Confederate soldier. To appreciate this it should be remembered that the rebel soldier was at the time almost starved; with him it was an empty-stomach joke. —“ Army Life ,” by A. 0. Marshall.