In their words: The Assault on Fort Sanders Knoxville November 29, 1863

One of the articles cited above by @ucvrelics is partially printed here. It appeared in Confederate Magzine v. 2, no. 1 (Jan. 1894)
and was written by J. A. H. GRANBERKY, SERGEANT MAJOR 20TH GA. REGT:


"...Before sunrise the assault upon the fort was made by troops from both divisions of the army. I estimate three brigades. The heavy picket line kept up a constant fire upon the walls of the fort, though not a Federal was seen above the rifle pits. Neither was a cannon or a small arm fired upon the advancing column. But no provision was made for crossing the ditch around the fort, six or eight feet wide and of equal depth. The charging columns could go no farther. Hand grenades were then thrown over the walls of the fort into the ranks of our men, their explosion causing a panic and a retreat. Then the enemy appeared above the walls of the fort and fired one volley into the fleeing columns, and there was one discharge of the artillery. There was no other firing done by the enemy. If a head appeared above the walls of the fort, it was at once fired on from the heavy picket line.
It was not long before a flag of truce was displayed from the fort. The Federals swarmed out of the fort, and our men met and mingled with them between the fort and our picket line, where the dead and wounded lay. The Federals claimed the wounded ; but those who could walk paid no attention to the order, but returned to our lines. Our dead were collected and we buried them, ninety-seven in number, in one grave. A few were mortally wounded. Among these was a Colonel Ruff, of Wofford's Brigade of Georgians, probably the only field officer killed in the assault. Captains Moore, of the 8th Georgia Regiment, and Robert Wellburn, of the 9th Georgia, Anderson's Brigade, were also killed. Private Moon, of my regiment, was killed. He left our regiment and went with the attacking troops as they passed by and was shot in the retreat. Private Seaburn Shepherd, of the 8th Georgia, managed to get across the ditch and reached the flagstaff on the fort ; but, receiving a scalp woumd, he fell back to his regiment. The shot came from beyond the fort. At last accounts he was still living. Private Robert Thompson, of the 9th Georgia Regiment, seized a hand grenade that seemed to have a long fuse and threw it back into the fort, where it exploded.
The weather was clear and cold. It was Sunday morning and inspection day with the Federals. With their clean linen and polished shoes they presented quite a contrast in appearance to the Confederates just from their long march and from around thtir camp fires. The flag of truce went down after our dead were buried. The enemy went in the fort and we to our rifle pits. The sentinel was permitted to walk the walls of the fort the remainder of the day, though our boys were strongly tempted to make him seek cover."
Thanks for posting very moving account
 
Fort Sanders showing Confederate advance lib Cong copy.jpeg

Fort Sanders showing the Confederate positions.
The angle of the artillery bastions allowed for a brutal crossfire on attackers stalled in the stump & wire obstruction.


Fort Sanders photo Lib Cong copy.jpeg

Northwest Bastion of Fort Sanders showing the ditch & the stumps that had telegraph wire strung between them.
Defenders poured water onto the face of the bastion where it froze, making it all but impossible to climb.
The embrasure, camera left, is one of the two that provided a cross fire across the face of the wall & ditch.
Once trapped in the ditch, attackers were in an untenable position.
The sentry gives scale to the image.

Engineers Orlando Poe & Orville Babcock northwest bastion Fort Sanders.jpeg

Northwest Bastion Fort Sanders
Engineers Orlando Poe & Orville Babcock who designed & built the fort.
Notice the sentry standing in the same position as the image above.
The depth of the stump & wire obstruction that stalled the attackers is evident in this image.
Defenders could only fire about three rounds a minute.
The time it took to pass the obstruction multiplied the effectiveness defender's fire exponentially.

Images Library of Congress​
 
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One of the articles cited above by @ucvrelics is partially printed here. It appeared in Confederate Magzine v. 2, no. 1 (Jan. 1894)
and was written by J. A. H. GRANBERKY, SERGEANT MAJOR 20TH GA. REGT:


"...Before sunrise the assault upon the fort was made by troops from both divisions of the army. I estimate three brigades. The heavy picket line kept up a constant fire upon the walls of the fort, though not a Federal was seen above the rifle pits. Neither was a cannon or a small arm fired upon the advancing column. But no provision was made for crossing the ditch around the fort, six or eight feet wide and of equal depth. The charging columns could go no farther. Hand grenades were then thrown over the walls of the fort into the ranks of our men, their explosion causing a panic and a retreat. Then the enemy appeared above the walls of the fort and fired one volley into the fleeing columns, and there was one discharge of the artillery. There was no other firing done by the enemy. If a head appeared above the walls of the fort, it was at once fired on from the heavy picket line.
It was not long before a flag of truce was displayed from the fort. The Federals swarmed out of the fort, and our men met and mingled with them between the fort and our picket line, where the dead and wounded lay. The Federals claimed the wounded ; but those who could walk paid no attention to the order, but returned to our lines. Our dead were collected and we buried them, ninety-seven in number, in one grave. A few were mortally wounded. Among these was a Colonel Ruff, of Wofford's Brigade of Georgians, probably the only field officer killed in the assault. Captains Moore, of the 8th Georgia Regiment, and Robert Wellburn, of the 9th Georgia, Anderson's Brigade, were also killed. Private Moon, of my regiment, was killed. He left our regiment and went with the attacking troops as they passed by and was shot in the retreat. Private Seaburn Shepherd, of the 8th Georgia, managed to get across the ditch and reached the flagstaff on the fort ; but, receiving a scalp woumd, he fell back to his regiment. The shot came from beyond the fort. At last accounts he was still living. Private Robert Thompson, of the 9th Georgia Regiment, seized a hand grenade that seemed to have a long fuse and threw it back into the fort, where it exploded.
The weather was clear and cold. It was Sunday morning and inspection day with the Federals. With their clean linen and polished shoes they presented quite a contrast in appearance to the Confederates just from their long march and from around thtir camp fires. The flag of truce went down after our dead were buried. The enemy went in the fort and we to our rifle pits. The sentinel was permitted to walk the walls of the fort the remainder of the day, though our boys were strongly tempted to make him seek cover."
See the sentry on the bastion in the photos I posted here.
 
Ideally an assault on a bastioned fort was aimed a bastion face (the longer wall leading to the salient (point) of the bastion where once in the ditch the troops could only be fired on from the opposite bastion. The worst place to go was to the curtain, the wall between bastions. Troops in the ditch along the curtain were in a crossfire from bastions on either side. Of course sometimes assaults were so large as to go at a curtain and two bastions.

In any event an assault on a bastioned fort before establishing artillery dominance over the defenders and breaching the wall was reckless in the extreme.
 
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At Badajoz Wellington put three breaches in a section of wall that was assaulted by an entire division and the French stopped the British cold until taken in the rear by troops who'd carried the works in other places. The British losses were very heavy.

Breach #1 on the map is in a bastion face, #2 in a curtain and #3 in a bastion flank. Note the retrenchments--the fortifications thrown up behind the breaches.

ADD102A2-F9DB-4A9F-9634-F1C2FBA541E0.jpeg
 
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