Adam Badeau, Military history of Ulysses S. Grant from April 1861 to April 1865. Volume 1

[337] heavy, the vines being too large. Cane was also used for wattling, the joints being crushed with wooden mallets, and the rest of the cane split, and interwoven between the stakes of the gabion. The cane made excellent fascines, and was frequently used in this way. At first, some difficulty was found in making sap-rollers, which should be impervious to Minie balls, and yet not too heavy for use on the rough ground over which the sap must run. Two barrels, however, were placed head to head, and the sap-roller was then built of cane fascines, wound around this hollow core. At one point, the enemy's salient was too high for the besiegers to be able to return the hand-grenades which were thrown into the trenches so freely. There were no Cohorn-mortars with the army, and wooden mortars were therefore made, by shrinking iron bands on cylinders of tough wood, and boring them out for six or twelve pound shells. These mortars stood firing well, and gave good results at a distance of one hundred or one hundred and fifty yards.

The labor in the trenches was performed either by men of the pioneer companies, by details from the line, or by negroes. Several of the pioneer companies had negroes attached to them, who had come within the national lines, and were paid according to law. These proved very efficient, when under good supervision. The labor performed by details from the line was light, in comparison with that done by the same number of pioneers or negroes; without the stimulus of danger, or pecuniary reward, troops of the line would not work so efficiently, especially at night, and after the novelty of the labor had worn off.

The lack of engineer officers gave the siege one