At Spotsylvania

An occasion for expending ammunition profitably occurred later on during the Union advance toard Spotsylvania. The Po river had to be forded and the engineers were making preparations to cross while occasional exchanges of artillery fire broke the monotony of the day. The artillery fire was not really effective, but a Rebel signal post was spotted some 1,500 yards off, observing the Union lines. Federal guns opened fire on the observation point, a clump of trees from the upper branches of which wig-wag flag signals could be seen, but the range was too great for canister, and shell was wholly ineffective.

Some men of Company F watched the proceedings, and then tried their hand at long range work. They were reasonably skilled at up to 1,000 yards, although under 400 yards was considered a reasonable maximum range for individual targets. But the rifles were not sighted to elevate for this range. “They therefore cut and fitted sticks to increase the elevation of their sights and a few selected men were directed to open fire, while a staff officer with his field glass watched the result. It was apparent from the way the men in the distant tree top looked down when the Sharps bullets began to whistle near them that the men were shooting under still, so more and longer sticks were fitted to still further elevate the sights; now the Rebels began to look upward, and the inference was at once drawn that the bullets were passing over them. Another adjustment of the sticks, and the rebels began to dodge, first to one side and then to another, and it was announced that the range was found. Screened as they were by the foliage of the trees in which they were perched, it was not possible to see the persons of the men with the naked eye; their position could only be determined by the tell-tale flags; but when all the rifles had been properly sighted and the whole twenty-three opened, the surprised rebels evacuated that signal station with great alacrity.” .