Pentecostal Possibilities or "The Story of My Life"
by Milton Lorenzo (M. L.) Haney
CHAPTER 37
The Siege of Vicksburg
Coming into Vicksburg from Black River brought great consternation to the natives, and there was a rush for the hills of the Yazoo. The slaveholders forced their slaves to go with them, though many, when they got into the hills stole away and ran for protection to the Union army. There were clusters of slave cabins, and as they returned, bringing what little they could, they entered these cabins. The soldiers all expected a siege, and there was a scrambling for cooking utensils for camp. A black man was carrying a frying pan, and a mounted soldier ordered him to give it to him. The slave answered: "Lord, Massa, I borrowed it, and promised to take it back, sir." He cursed him, but the man ran with the pan and threw it into the door of the cabin where it belonged. The soldier followed quickly and ordered the woman to give it up. She pleaded it was all she had and she could not spare it, and closed the door. He deliberately got off his horse, put his musket through a crack in the cabin and fired it at her. She fell like a beef, and he went in and got the frying pan and walked away! Her left limb was broken above the knee, and the musket being so close the bone was badly shattered. Dr. Roller amputated the limb and cared for her till he was overtaxed with the sick and wounded, and begged me to take charge of her. I brought soup and other nourishment, and dressed her wound for thirty days. During that time I made use of every means I thought of to inspire courage and bring cheer to her soul, but in no case could I produce a smile. Her heart had died! She was a slave from infancy, had a child when fifteen years old, and her life had been a horror to her. When we came she, with all other slaves, recognized us as her city of refuge, and at the risk of her life ran into our arms for safety, to be shot down like a beast!
One morning I went in and saw there was gangrene in her wound, and promptly told her she must die. Her face lighted up as I told her, and for the first time in thirty days she smiled! It comforts me now to remember the care I took of that desolate soul. O, what wailing there will be at the judgment seat of Christ!
In the first assault we made upon the works, many were killed, and wounded, and it was a day of great sadness. The next morning I visited the hospital and found among many others, a beautiful boy, who looked young, and had such a sweet face I was at once impressed with him. He was lying on his back reading a well worn little New Testament. He was shot with a musket ball, which had passed through his body in the region of his stomach. I was sure he would die, and did not expect to see him again. I found he was rejoicing in God, had no fear of death, and was ready for the chariot. The next morning I came in and turned my eyes to that cot, expecting to see it empty, but he was still there, and, as before, reading his Testament. His mind was clear and he could yet talk, so I determined to know something of his past, and asked him, if able to tell me how he found the Lord. He said he was a little waif in the city of New York, and was playing in the dirt of the street one Sunday, when a nice looking young girl came to where he was, and said she was making up a class of boys and wanted him for one of them. He objected because he had no clothes to go to Sunday School, and was ragged. She said her class was to be made up of such. He then objected that he was too dirty and had no parents, but she was making up a class of just such boys, and he went with her and soon had good clothes, learned his letters and to read, and she had brought him to Christ. He said, after describing how he found Christ, and what a life of happiness had come out of it, "O, I would be so glad to know where she is now, that I might let her know how God has kept me, and now as I am dying for my country, how happy I am here, and it is all through her agency!" After a quiet season of prayer I left him with my heart all aglow, expecting to see him the next time, in eternity's morning. The third time I came and was surprised to see him still there. I spoke to him, but he did not answer. His Testament was snugly pressed against his left breast, and his eyes were wide open and looking upward. I asked the nurse how long he had been unconscious. He said since early in the morning. I then addressed him again, but he seemed not to notice me, and his eyes had not moved. I then carefully lifted his Testament from his breast and slowly passed it in range of his vision. The moment he caught sight of the Testament his eyes followed it, and then turned toward me. He motioned that he wanted to die with that against his breast. I replaced it, saying: "My boy, you love this holy book?" And he whispered: "Yes O, yes!" and his happy spirit slipped away! O, what millions could be saved if all Christians loved souls as did that little New York girl!
The second assault on the works at Vicksburg was made in columns by divisions, and not in battle line, as before. In the long line of rebel breastworks there was a fort here and there, perhaps a mile apart. Our attack was now made upon each of these forts, and each division had to have a scaling party to precede it and prepare the way by removing any barriers which might be found when they got there. These were not coerced, but so many from each regiment were allowed to volunteer. It was known to be a very hazardous undertaking, and meant death to a large proportion of those who volunteered. The 55th Ills. was drawn into line, and the statement made that so many men were wanted, and the first who stepped out would be taken. More than the number stepped out, and my brother's son was among the first. There were about sixty to each division. We had two ridges to pass before reaching the part which exposed the men to the fire of the enemy. The scaling party was to go right through to the fort, and the column was to follow and support them. The fire was heavy when they reached the second ridge, but the scaling party passed and hastened forward to the fort; but the head of the column, on reaching the ridge, lay down! This left the sixty boys alone, with nothing but the breastworks between them and the enemy, and brought on a hand to hand fight. At first the rebels undertook to put their muskets over the works with nothing but their hands visible, and our boys would shoot their hands. Then they threw hand grenades, which were little fuse shells. They cut the fuse so they would explode immediately, and tossed them over among the boys. Their only chance was to catch them like a ball, and throw them back before the explosion, and have them kill rebels instead of themselves. This they did in many cases. My regiment was half way back in the column, and the 8th Missouri at the head. The latter sent word back that if the 55th Illinois could come forward, and support them, they would go over the works. So the 55th was brought forward in line of battle, and provision was made that when they came to the first ridge, the artillery would open fire over their heads to prevent their receiving the fire of the whole rebel line before them. I started with them, but both officers and men insisted I must not go, so I got at the root of a tree, where I could see them through. They came to the ridge, and the artillery was a few seconds late, and the whole rebel volley was poured into them. They reeled and fell to the ground, and to me it looked as though they were nearly all slaughtered. That was the supreme moment of my whole life. It seemed unbearable! Then came instantly the fire of our artillery, which made every rebel hide his head, and my braves sprang to their feet and dashed beyond the ridge, very few of them being hurt at all! They were veterans, and knew how to dodge even musket balls, and I thought they were killed!
When they reached the front, even the 8th Missouri would not undertake the fearful task of scaling the works. One of our men, an Irishman, was shot through the brain, on the heights, before the regiment started, and was writhing, and liable to roll down a hill. One of the wounded boys at the ridge was brought out with a broken leg, and I followed him, with a new doctor, till I saw the Irishman above described, and stopped to adjust his body, and then hastened on to help with that broken leg, supposing the doctor had stopped a few rods away, but he descended an immense hill over several big logs, with that boy's leg dangling, and when I reached them had wrapped a rag about the wound, which was all he did. The poor fellow had to be carried right back up the same hill, over those logs, because of the doctor's cowardice. He was carried, in unspeakable agony, nearly a quarter of a mile beyond where there were any bullets, or exposure, except by any glancing bullets which might possibly have come that way, that a rag might be wrapped about his wound and he be sent back again. I was wild with the outrage, and said to the doctor: "If you ever treat one of my boys like this again I will kick you while I see you!" Confession is good for the soul!
All this time that scaling party was in a hand to hand conflict with a host of Confederate soldiers, and no support behind them. They could not get away without utter slaughter, so they fought with death till the darkness of the night furnished a way of escape to those who yet survived. My brother's son fought desperately till nearly sunset, when a hand grenade exploded before it reached him and he was instantly killed. He was a namesake of his uncle Dick, loved me as I have rarely been loved, and his death was, to me, as the burial of a child.
During this siege there came much sickness to the new recruits. The 127th Ills. was the finest looking body of young men I saw come into the service, but they had been painfully exposed, and their chaplain had left them. They were kept in an unhealthy ravine till nearly all of them were diseased. They got to dying till every man who became sick expected to die. Their surgeon was a good man, but some way they got set against him. I was so moved at this condition that I had to take them on my soul in addition to my own regiment, and the hospital. They seemed to have lost all heart, and death was in sight of them all. The attempt to rally them was among the most difficult undertakings of my life. I made fun, told witty stories, laughed, sang, ridiculed, prayed and shouted! The final record may show that above one hundred lives were thus rescued, but it nearly cost my own!