Fort Willcox or Battery XVI
Jacob Roemer, Reminiscences of the War of The Rebellion, 1897.
FORT WILLCOX or BATTERY XVI.
"The Battery remained in position near the Hare House until June 30th, when it returned to near its former position nearly south of Cemetery Hill, and occupied works thrown up by Capt. Durell's Battery D, Penn. Artillery. Gen. Willcox inspected the works and asked me how I liked them. I replied that I did not like them at all; they were too low and we could not fire over the infantry with safety to them ; furthermore, the place was too hot and my men had no shelter. "I would like,'' I continued, "to build a fort on the hill just on our left ". "Well, Captain," he responded, "what have you again in your head? However, if you will build a fort there, I will say, go ahead.' "I will," I said, "if I can get the materials." "What materials do you want?" he asked. "General," I replied, "before I begin this work, I want to have 6,000 feet of timber cut and brought up." "Ah!" said he, "I see you have already calculated upon building this work." "My plans are ready," I returned, " and I only want the materials to begin the work forthwith." Gen. Willcox turned to Capt. Brackett, his aide, and said, "Give Capt. Roemer an order to obtain whatever he wants and let him start at once." They then rode away. I then made out a requisition for twenty wagons, twenty axemen, and thirty men to handle the timber, load it on the wagons, and carry it to the south side of the hill. By the 2d of July all the timber desired was ready at the place selected, near the site of the proposed fort to which it was to be carried by hand as needed, and, at eight o'clock the same evening the work was begun and continued all night. Fifteen hundred men worked in reliefs of five hundred men each two hours at a time and by daylight, we had a ditch five hundred feet long, six feet wide, and six deep. The enemy had not as yet had any suspicion of our intentions, and during the day, the men had shelter enough to continue the work regardless of rebel bullets. During the night of July 3d, 2,500 men were engaged in making the log revetment and building the traverses, and by morning the breastwork was four and one-half feet high, and was pronounced safe for infantry. That same night, four of the Battery's guns were safely brought in and put in position, though I did not think we would have any occasion to use them at that time." (pages 223-224) "During these days [ca. July 23-24, 1864] the men were busily engaged, when not working the guns, in building a new magazine in the fort and strengthening the parapets and bomb-proofs, that the latter might afford better protection to both officers and men, when not engaged with the guns. The bomb-proofs were underneath the traverses. For the benefit of those who may not clearly understand the matter, I will say, that traverses are works or embankments erected between the guns at right angles to the parapets or ramparts, to protect the cannoneers from any cross or flank fire of the enemy. In Fort Willcox, they were from ten to fifteen feet long, eight to ten feet thick, and about seven feet high. The bomb- proofs were under these and below the level of the ground of the fort, and, were, in fact, small rooms with very stout walls and roofs supported by logs. I always considered substantial traverses to be the most important parts of a fort, and, therefore, had them constructed in every fort we ever held for any length of time. Furthermore, a very strong parapet or rampart was constructed directly in rear of the fort. This was seven feet high and six feet thick, and behind it were constructed sleeping apartments for the men not on guard at night, who' were thus well protected from the enemy's solid shot or shell." (pp 235-236) |
Image said to be Jacob Roemer posted on Find-a-Grave 2016.
Jacob Roemer was born in Germany in 1818 and died in Flushing, New York, in 1897. Having experience as an artillerist in the German army in the 1830s, he would become Gen. Orlando Willcox's chief of artillery at Petersburg.
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