Bursting of a Shell Behind my Carriage
A shell bursts behind the narrator’s carriage near Vicksburg, narrowly missing its occupants while tearing up the road, knocking down the horses, and terrifying George, the soldier-driver. Though he asks to return to his regiment, the narrator urges him to reconsider; by morning, he recovers his resolve and continues driving her until Vicksburg is taken.
By Annie Wittenmyer · First published 1895 · Genre: Civil War Memoir, War Literature, Historical Nonfiction · 599 words
First lines
The line of battle was so closely drawn around Vicksburg that every camp, and hospital, and wagon-train with provisions and ammunition, was under fire.
Every worker of the Christian and Sanitary Commissions, who ventured out to labor with the sick and the dying, knew that the Confederate sharpshooters at many points were within easy range, and that the flying shot and shell, that at times almost darkened the sky, were liable to drop in the pathway of the worker, and blot him or her out of existence.
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Genres
- Civil War Memoir — A first-person recollection of perilous relief work during the Siege of Vicksburg, rooted in the author's direct wartime experience.
- War Literature — The narrative centers on combat conditions, artillery fire, military logistics, fear, and survival in an active battlefield zone.
- Historical Nonfiction — It documents real Civil War events, locations, military circumstances, and humanitarian operations in factual prose.
- Personal Narrative — The episode is told through the narrator's personal observations, actions, dangers, and conversation with her driver.
Tags
American Civil War · Siege of Vicksburg · Vicksburg, Mississippi · 1863 · wartime memoir · first-person narration · women in war · Civil War nursing · humanitarian relief work · Christian Commission · United States Sanitary Commission · battlefield danger
What this Textopian page supports
Bursting of a Shell Behind my Carriage is listed on Textopian as a historical account by Annie Wittenmyer, dated 1895 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Historical account
- Author: Annie Wittenmyer
- Date: 1895 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Civil War Memoir, War Literature, Historical Nonfiction, Personal Narrative, Military History
- Length: 599 words
- Structure: 1 section, 13 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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- Work identity for Bursting of a Shell Behind my Carriage by Annie Wittenmyer
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