The Maine bugle ... campaign; 1-5 Jan. 1894-Oct. 1898 - Maine.gov

42 THE MAINE BUGLE.
York the left, in the direction of the sailors, who were then
forming on the sea-front. The distance from the left of this
line to the face of the fort was much greater than on the right
and far more exposed; the right being sheltered somewhat by
a sand ridge to within a few rods of the stockade, which ran
from the left half bastion to the river. There was an opening
in the stockade through which the road from Wilmington passed.
A bridge was here thrown across a low, and almost impassable
marshy strip, and extended for some distance beyond the fort,
and in front of the position held by the One Hundred and Sev-
enteenth. This bridge and gate-way that proved so disastrous
to the fort was protected by a single Napoleon gun. A company
of the Thirteenth Indiana, from the Third Brigade, armed
with Spencer rifles, and fifty volunteers of Curtis' brigade, all
under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Lent, and accompanied
by Captain Albert G. Lawrence, acting aide-de-camp, represent-
ino- the division staff, and provided with shovels, now volun-
teered to go forward in advance of Curtis' line as skirmishers to
pick off men who might appear on the fort, and also to cut
holes through the palisading with axes, with which they vvere
provided. A number of these men were directly in front of
the "-ate-way, which has been called a sally-port. They ren-
dered most important service, and in the charge that soon followed,
aided by Curtis' men, shot down the artillerists who
attempted to use the Napoleon gun. Over the bridge the
stockade was reached, through which the pioneers cut holes
near the bastion. It was along this river road, over this bridge,
and through this opening around the west bastion that so many
of our men afterwards gained the interior of the fort.
The movement of putting Curtis' brigade into position was
plainly seen by the garrison, and the parapet was manned at
once, the enemy opening with musketry and artillery regardless
of the pitiless storm of shot and shell which belched from every
gun of the navy on the fort. The Napoleon guns in the redoubt
at the centre sally-port fired on our men at this time with grape
and canister. The garrison had to leave the gun-chambers and
stand on the parapet to fire on our men, who on their part