Continued from above...
Dear Readers,
I will try and convey the events and actions I have witnessed over the past several days, as in as much as my poor powers of observation can tell such a tale of mayhem, destruction, victory and bitter defeat.
I managed to find my way to Federal Headquarters on Friday, September 28, 1864, at 3:30 o'clock in the afternoon. I introduced myself to the staff I found there and was issued a 3-day pass by the Provost Marshal, authorizing me to move about camp and to follow the staff into battle so that I could make timely reports on the actions to come.
I was then free to set up my own tent near the Federal staff, a location that permitted me to observe the planning of the upcoming battles and to hear the instructions given to battalion and company commanders by the staff. After my tent was in place and my belongings comfortably arranged, I took it upon myself to observe activities in camp and to view the ground that was to be the scene of so much desperate fighting.
I am certain that most of you, dear readers, recall that my initial assignment was to track and record the progress of my grandson, Corey, after he enlisted in the Union army. Although this is still my primary goal, the actions that I witnessed over the next few days deserve a telling all by themselves.
It was at this place I had the chance to view the battlefield in great detail, long before any action was taken. My first sight that attracted my attention on this hot, Friday afternoon, was my view of Fort Harrison, still in Confederate hands. As I viewed it through my field glasses, it looked formadible, it's large, slopping, earthen walls rising up many feet, with a deep ditch all around it. High above the fort, on a very long pole, flew a Confederate flag, proclaiming to all who occupied the fort and signaled a strong intent to hold that place. I further observed two openings for cannon, but saw only one gun in place.
Beyond this, further down the road from the fort, I saw a strong line of dug entrenchments, fortified with head logs with many openings for muskets to fire through. There was no cover by way of brush or trees to give any attacking force aid, only a few depressions in the ground here and there. It would be deadly work indeed for any force that wished to charges these works in an attempt to capture them.
More to follow...