Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1863-12-12
NEW SERIES, VOL. 16, NO. 50.
ing the plan in the least, rather advanced
it and increased the chances OF success.
THE BATTLE OF TUNNEL HILL.

| 1t and increased the Chances oil success.
THE BATTLE OF TUNNEL HILL.
On reaching the summit of the semi-circu-
! lar-shaped hills which Gen. Sherman had
occupied on Tuesday afternoon, found he
had strengthened his position by strong
| rihe-pits, and had put four guns of the 1st
Missouri Artillery, Battery d, Lieutenant
Calender commanding, on the right of his
{ line on the hills, and section under Lieut.
/ Hood, 9th Wisconsin, on the other extreme
thus getting in an enflading fire on Fort
Buckner, / asked Lieutenant Callander the
distance from his position to Fort Buckner
and he, having been previously engaged
was enabled to calculate the distance by the
elevation given his guns. 1t was fraction
over nine hundred yards. A short time after
my arrival, this battery again became rather
seriously engaged with rebel Battery in
! Fort Buckner, which was kept up for half
an hour to the evident discomfort of the
rebels. With the exception OF the artillery,
the line was as quiet and composed as If in
camp, or rs were three of our high privates
whom | saw sitting i'll cluster to the left of
Lieutenant Callcnders battery making en-
tries in their diaries. Three private soldiers
under fire, entering in diaries, in plain, lcgi-
bic chirography, the events OF the day, is a
spectacle only seen in the army of the Union.
1t is one of the sights which causes one to
reflect, and which will long retain hold upon
/ his memory.
/ The operations of the day, on Gen. Shcr-
mans part began by an attack on his right
/ by Colonel LOOMS brigade of Ewings divi-
sion upon the enemy posted behind the rail
road bank at Glass Station. This attack
was made at ten O'Clock, and resulted in
repulsc of the brigade, after short fight.
so weakly made and SO early dropped that
imagine 1t was intended to develop the enc
my and his strength for the benefit of the
artillery on the hill, which began to pour
upon the enemy a very destructive fire of
shells, which exploded above them in hand
some style. Colonel Loomis recalled his
troops after they had fully drawn the fire of
the enemy, and awaited further develop
mcnts on the left
On going to the left of the ridge found
Generals Sherman, Blair. NJ. !. Smith. and
Lightburn, watching the reinforcement by
General Corsc'S command Of three regiments
of General l.ightburn's brigade, which had
! succeeded in cttccting a lodgmcnt on Tun-
mel Ill., and upon which the enemy was
still ut work on Fort Buckucr. Gen. Blair
pointed out the situation TO me, rcmarhing,
when we take one hill it looks Us if there
WAS another to be taken" But after II mo-
mcnts pause and silent observation of Tunnel
Hill, hc added, When we've got that we'll
DC done l don't know that General Blair
thought We should be rcpulsed but |
imagined he did when he made that last re-
mark.
General Corsc, with his command, mount
ed the hill in good style, and reached the
crest without any difficulty or opposition,
as Col. Jones had also succeeded in doing
for you must understand that Fort Buckncr
was not built Immediately on the edge of
the hill That is you reached the top and
the plateau before You got under the fire of
/ the fort; but the moment you began to
move over the plateau the fire of the enemy
WAS likely to open ON yon. General COrSC.
taking command. formed the whole force
under the crest of the hill, his own immcdi-
ate command on the right, with Col. Jones
three regiments the 37th and Both Ohio.
and part of the 4th N:rginia--on the left
1t was just eleven o'clock, when trclncn-
dous vollcy from the enemy revealed the
fact, patent only to good field glasses, that
Corse had marched over the crest. was on
the plateau, and was charging on Fort Buck
ner. The opening chorus was well worthy
To be the prologue To the days drama, for it
had all the merit of brcvity and briskncSs.
1t, lasted but ten minutes. The men fell
back under the crest of the hill, but they
left their dead anG wounded in the enemy's
rihc-pits. As they rctrcated Lieut.. Callcn-
der opened upon the pursuing enemy, who
appeared in heavy force. and covered the re-
treat so well that the enemy were unable TO
pursue to- the crest Of the hill.
This column had hardly fallen back to it,
position when. from the right, again appear
cd Col. LOOmis brigade, pushing steadily
and rapidly across some open fields in "A
persistent and stronger attack upon the rail-
road bank at this station. The enemy gave
him warm reception in front, but one OF
his regiments appearing their lett flank, and
Licutcnants Calender and Hood opening on
them from their right, they failed to stand
the assault, and hastily abandoned it, fed
up the hill To Fort Buckner Our men were
seen in permanent occupation of the bank,
and from il continued to fire on the retreat
ing rebels until the last one found safety
behind the mud walls of Fort Buckner,
While this had been gong ON Gen. Corsc
was reinforced by portion, perhaps all, of
Giles smiths brigade, and the position
vacated by hrm was then filled by the llth
Corps of General Howard, which about this
time double-quicked across the ridge, and
went in position on the left extreme Gems.
NoEet ana smith were now OrdcTch 10 make
Il second assault with their combined forces,
and General Lightbun, who had been anN-
iously watching the action, joined the por-
tion of his brigade on the hilh and assumed
ot the whole assaulting column. lie order
eel the movement To begin Immediately, and
more desperate and bloody assault than
the former was made, The combat had no
salient point To bo described, IL was simply
a steady and slow advance Of the whole line
10 within a few dozen yards OF the fort, oc-
cupying three-quarters of an hour, and then
rapid retreat In the former position at the
crest Of the hill, leaving the dead and
wounded ia the hands OF the enemy, and
between their their outer rine-pits and Fort
iuckncr, Generals Corse and Giles Smith,
seriously wounded, were carried into the
valley Ia the rear-thc one 10 lose his leg
and the other probably 10 die. The tall
slim boys of the 9th Iowa suffered severely !;
and, on going TO the hospital in the valley
below, | lind that the Germans of the 87th
Ohio have fought well and long Corse and
smith gore, the troops are reformed Ia a
new line OF battle by Lightburh Colonel
Walcot, az the iath Ohio, assumes command
oi CoTses brigade, aud, by orders, the line
lies down 10 rvst aud await the attack of
the enemy should he Nenlure 90 one. llo
as yet hetays nu signs OF weakness 0r of
/ suiirTlng Ills occasional shOuts reveal that