"I declare!" said the Colonel, "that's—that's a valuable piece! Excuse me, I must go back."
Rifle-trenches were immediately dug on the ridges of ground nearest the enemy's works, and in them were stationed sharp-shooters, who kept up a constant fire, night and day, which answered as a cover for our fatigue parties engaged in digging approaches to his works, and also prevented him from doing much execution with his artillery. Our artillery was not idle but kept up a fire from some part of the line at all hours of the day and night.
A few days after the siege was fairly in operation, General Logan asked me to go out, at night, to an elevated spot of ground between our rifle-trenches and the enemy's, on which stood a large stump, and dig myself a pit behind the stump and see if I could pick off some of the rebel sharp-shooters.
As soon as it was dark, I took a spade and a canteen of water and went over. The spot was not more than fifty yards from the enemy's trenches. During the night, I dug myself a pit large enough so that I could squat down in it. When daylight came, I found that I had an excellent view of the enemy's trenches, without being seen myself. I worked out a little hole underneath one of the roots of the stump, and through that I did my shooting. Toward the middle of the day the sun shone down excessively hot, and I had nothing to shade me from its burning rays. My pit was not large enough for comfort, and, besides, I had neglected to take any rations with me. My supply of water also gave out, and by noon my position seemed almost unbearable. To leave it in daylight would be certain death. I bore my situation as well as I could, and improved it to the best advantage. During the day I had several fair shots, which I improved, and did good execution.
About 2 o'clock in the afternoon, a rebel sharp-shooter (whom, from his dress, I took to be a Carolinian) undertook to crawl up to the top of their earth-works, behind a stump that hid him from the view of our sharp-shooters, that he might be enabled to get a shot at them. He crawled along, with his gun in his right hand, till near the spot, and then took off his big-brimmed hat and turned his head up sideways to look around the side of the stump at our sharp-shooters. My position to him was such that I could see every movement that he made. He evidently did not know where I was. While his head was turned up my gun cracked, and his feet flew straight behind him.
A comrade of his then undertook to crawl up and drag him away. When he was about ready to grasp the dead man by the legs, my gun again cracked, and he rolled over on his back near his comrade. Both of them remained there until dark, without any attempt being made to remove them.
As soon as it was dark I made my way back to my quarters, well satisfied with my experience in an advanced rifle-pit.
Not many days after the foregoing incident, I was passing along the intrenchments, when I found a squad of sixteen men, part of them of the 23d Indiana Regiment, and the rest from the 45th Illinois, engaged in sharp-shooting. They saw me passing with my rifle, and, having heard of its long range and accuracy, called me, and expressed a desire to have me try it on a fellow that they had been shooting at for about two hours, but without success.
The fellow that they had been shooting at was engaged in digging a rifle-pit in advance of the enemy's intrenchments, and while digging he was exposed to full view.
I asked the boys what distance they had been shooting, and they informed me that they had been trying him at a range of nine hundred yards, and had succeeded in hitting the dirt about him. I raised the sight of my rifle to nine hundred yards, and then requested the squad to cease firing for a few minutes, and let the smoke clear away, and then to watch where my ball struck. As soon as the atmosphere was clear of smoke, and every thing quiet, I leveled my piece and fired.