After viewing the current thread, I was reminded of a picture my uncle (a retired Army Colonel) had in his den: it showed in the background a pile of about one hundred soldiers who were shooting and stabbing, punching and kicking, gouging and biting, hand grenading and bayoneting each other in a big ball of all-out warfare. In the foreground is a rather dignified officer, dressed in the uniform of a Revolutionary soldier (complete with wig and tri-corner hat), who is bending over to light the fuse of a small cannon which is aimed right at the pile of brawling soldiers. The caption below it reads: "Artillery leads dignity to what would otherwise be a vulgar brawl!" I know it is meant to jokingly lift the importance of the artillery over the infantry, but sometimes I wonder who the joke is really on?

I did want to follow up to the Fort Pillow discussion by quoting an eyewitness to the Battle of the Crater in Petersburg in July, 1864. He doesn't label or editorialize it, but merely observes that after the mine was exploded, the Alabama Brigade of Gen. Saunders was brought up to help recapture the position. As they formed in line to attack, he noted, "Just at this moment a Brigade of Negroes came over the hill throwing their hats into the air and crying out: 'Fort Pillow...no quarter.' ...Our boys...delivered one of those vollies that has sent so many yankees to kingdom come...(the) Negroes about faced and fled...We captured 250 Negroes, all of whom were wounded in some way...all would have been killed had it not been for Gen. (William) Mahone, who would beg our men to spare them. One fellow in our brigade killed several. The Gen. told him for God's sake stop..."

John