A Perilous Ride by Annie Wittenmyer

Name: A Perilous Ride
Author: Annie Wittenmyer

Annie Wittenmyer recounts a dangerous journey to a hospital near Vicksburg, where wounded Union soldiers lay exposed to the continual fire of both armies. While men digging a ship canal suffer heavily from enemy guns, including the long-range cannon called “Whistling Dick,” Wittenmyer supplies the isolated hospital and agrees to visit its patients at the surgeon’s request. General Cyrus Bussey and Mrs. Bussey accompany her, though Mrs. Bussey remains behind when the canal crossing proves far more hazardous than expected. Wittenmyer and General Bussey ride their horses through deep, swift canal water and then gallop along an embankment amid screaming shells, mortar fire, and batteries on both sides of the river. At the hospital, Wittenmyer finds suffering men exhausted by wounds, homesickness, loneliness, and the unceasing thunder of battle. Though drenched from the crossing, she goes from cot to cot offering comfort, and is moved by their tearful gratitude. She promises to try to get them away from the danger. After returning safely to camp, she reports their condition to General Grant. He immediately orders their removal, and that night the wounded soldiers are taken under cover of darkness to hospitals at Milliken’s Bend, far from the batteries.

By Annie Wittenmyer · First published 1895 · Genre: Civil War Memoir, War Memoir, American Civil War Literature · 1,493 words

First lines

In digging the ship canal across the point opposite Vicksburg, hundreds of men were killed or wounded in the great trench. By long practice the gunners on the bluffs of Vicksburg acquired the ability to drop a shell into the great ditch, causing terrible slaughter. The heavy guns of the Union forces answered the enemy's batteries, but failed to silence them. "Whistling Dick," as we all soon learned to call one great cannon used by the enemy, kept the music going night and day. The loud, clear, musical whistle which accompanied every discharge won for that gun the attention of all. "Whistling Dick" was a gun of long range, and was effective in execution, especially along the canal. But one day, after a loud, sharp whistle, there was an explosion, and "Whistling Dick" was heard no more. The work of death went on, however; for there were other effective guns, and the most determined resistance to the project of the Union troops was shown.

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A Perilous Ride is listed on Textopian as a historical account by Annie Wittenmyer, dated 1895 CE.

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Work type: Historical account
Author: Annie Wittenmyer
Date: 1895 CE
Language: English
Genres: Civil War Memoir, War Memoir, American Civil War Literature, Historical Nonfiction, Military History
Length: 1,493 words
Structure: 1 section, 9 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

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Genres

Civil War Memoir — A firsthand retrospective account by Annie Wittenmyer describing her wartime service, experiences, and observations during the Union siege operations around Vicksburg.
War Memoir — The narrative centers on battlefield danger, artillery fire, wounded soldiers, military hospitals, commanders, and the immediate human consequences of war.
American Civil War Literature — Its setting, historical figures, military conflict, and Union Sanitary Commission-related relief work place it firmly within literature about the United States Civil War.
Historical Nonfiction — The work recounts real events, places, military operations, and people, including Vicksburg, General Grant, General Bussey, and Union medical arrangements.