Stories About the Civil War

Stories About the Civil WarThe Calhoun Monitor 1902
Magnet Ark. July 30
Editor Monitor –

Another one of Bill Arps days at our house. I am 60 years old today and I have been ruminating about what took place in the history of these United States and the then Confederate States just thirty eight years ago.

It was very early in the morning Saturday July 30th 1864, when we were aroused from our slumbers by a loud rumbling noise down on the south side of the Appomattox river in front of Petersburg. (We were on the north side of the James river in front of Richmond.) The order was soon passed around to be ready to move at a moments warning. After waiting two or three hours on suspense as it were the command “fall in” was heard all along the line and we were soon on the march in the direction of Richmond and the word was soon promiscuously scattered that apart of our fortifications in front of Petersburg had been blown up by Grant’s forces and a great battle was on for the possession of the remains. We soon filed to the left across the James river and into the Richmond and Petersburg “pike” road and were soon briskly “hoofing” it in the direction of the later place the terrible cannonading ahead serving only to remind us that a big battle was in progress only a few miles in our front. Early candle light found us crossing the Appomattox river into the city of Petersburg to find after blowing up one of our batteries and killing a number of troops the enemy had succeeded in taking a small portion of our line of works and that the Confederate forces had after a hand to hand fight succeeded in recapturing the line with a goodly number of prisoners mostly of African descent. By this time all was comparatively quiet. Of course some firing could be heard and like the after clap of all other battles the cries of the wounded and dying could be heard. Ten or eleven o’clock found us in the same position in the fortifications that we had left less than three days before.

The next day (Sunday) was spent by us in sight seeing. Some of the boys going to see the negro prisoners among whom was one white officer with a wooden leg and it shot in too. As for myself, I visited a friend in a Georgia regiment that participated in the previous days battles and to hear him relate his experience and to tell of things that took place only strengthened my joy because I was not in fighting distance. Now as to whether or not all the booming of cannon and other fuss made on that eventful day was to celebrate my birth which took place just twenty two years before. I will leave it for all other persons to form their own opinions for I have long since come to an unalterable opinion about it.
Yours Truly, W. H. Bachman