From: Reminiscences of a boys service with the 76th Ohio, in the Fifteenth Army Corps under General Sherman, during the Civil War, by that boy at three score. By:Charles A. Willison https://openlibrary.org/books/OL6560824M/Reminiscences_of_a_boy%27s_service_with_the_76th_Ohio_in_the_Fifteenth_Army_Corps During the siege I fired at least one thousand rounds. As before stated, sharpshooting was kept up constantly and systematically. I spotted a certain point across the way where a road ran dovvn the slope toward us intersecting the rifle pits of the enemy. Here, in passing back and forth in their works, ex- posure was more common and quite risky. I made it my business to cover this, though it was a full thous- and yards distant. My rifle was sighted for one thous- and yards and practice enabled me to get accurate range of the spot so I could see the dust fly just where I wanted to hit. At this place I hit the only man I was sure of during the war. I could tell by the throwing up of his hands and a stretcher being immediately rushed to the spot. Through a little piece of carelessness just before the siege ended I spoiled the rifle that had done me such good service. I had been in the practice at night of plugging up the muzzle with a tompion, or wooden stopper, to keep out dampness. Getting out one morn- mg early into the pits I blazed away and noticed a peculiar humming sound accompanying the report. Going about to reload I discovered the end of the bar- rel near the muzzle bulged out so that I could not put my bayonet on it. I had forgotten the tompion and could thank my stars the gun hadnt burst. This gun, by the way, while we were on the march a few days later toward Jackson I contrived to swap for a good one. A lot of us were filling our canteens at a spring, standing our guns together against an embankment while doing so. As I left, having filled my canteen, I selected a good Springfield out of the lot and got safely away with it. Doubtless the fellow that got mine passed it along likewise till it got into the boneyard of disabled rifles
Posted on: Fri, 19 Dec 2014 19:54:11 +0000
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