Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1863-10-08
TIE BATTLE OF CHICKsMAUGa
Account Of Sundays Contest.

Tie 1lHe was 50 lar WtnQTaWn tnaL II rested
along cross road running northeast ant
southwest, and connecting the Rossville will
the Lafayette road. By this arrangement on
extreme right was made TO rest on Mission
Ridge, as it should probably have done in The
first place. The lew line that formed was
mile shorter than that Of the day before
Gen. Rosecrans' headquarters were removed
| from the house belongingto the widow Glenn
near the right of the line, to point some
what nearer the Lafayette road, and in view
OF the center, and every precaution was made
that genius, science and patriotism coulC
make, to beat back the avalanches of the
! enemy, should they venture upon an attach
| the next day.
The changes in the order of the different
! divisions made the new line stand thus One
| brigade of Negley's division was near the
extreme right, then came johnson, then Baird
then Palmer, then Reynolds, then Brannan
then NegIey's other brigades, then Van CIeye
then Wood, and then Sheridan Wilder and
Mlnty, with their mounted force, held the
extreme right. | have given only the general
order OF our line, Brannan and Van CIeye
were really held somewhat in reserve The
other divisions had reserves detailed from
their own regiments or brigades
Ii any one wishes to get general but at
the same time a clear idea Of the nature Of
the battlefield Of Sunday, let him imagine
two roads, the RossYillc and LAFAYETTE, grad
ualy approaching each other as they run
northWard, the average distance between
them over the space where the battle was
| fought being about two miles. As we look
| southwark the low wooded range of hills
| called Mission Ridge, is upon our right and
away to the left flows the Chickamauga Be-
| ty-4l =
| between the two roads, the country is mostly
level, and is covered with dense forests of
oak and pine, interspersed here and there
with small rornfelds. This is the general
idea Of a battlefield destined to be immortal
in the records Of the historian.
That was indeed a night of awful suspense
| which settled around Us after the last gun had
! been fired on Saturday. 1t was very chilly
and cold, and much suffering amongst the
wounded was occasioned thereby. Those who
| were still alive and well, although they too
were exposed to the numbing cold, thought
| but little of their physical condition. True,
| no warm fires kept the influence of the frost
from their limbs, for fires were strictly for
hidden. No blazing light helped to cheer
their minds and dispel gloomy images there
from.
| The morrow came. No sound of cracking
muskctry or roaring cannon, or bursting shell
disturbed the pGacefumess Of that Sabbath
morning The Sabbath yes, it was the
| blessed day of rest-rest given in mercy by
| kind heaven to ungratcful man. Will the
battle be renewed to-day? If so it will be
| by the action of the enemy, for Cen Rose
Grams does not willingly fight on the Sabbath.
The first hour after sunrise passed. Sure
~, SAID our officers and soldiers, there will
be no fight; for if the enemy had intended
to attack us he would, following his usual
tactics, have fallen upon us at daybreak"
Two hours more had gone by, and some
dropping musllctry began to be heard along
the various parts Of our line Finally. at
! about ten o'clock, there were several fierce
vOllcys, and the loud booming of half dozen
pieces of artillery announced that the enemy
had again as on the day before, assaulted
our lett.
And now that the battle has begun, let us
glance one moment at the contending forces.
On one side is our old army which fought at
Stone River, reinforced by twr divisions
(Brannan'5 and ReynOldSD of Thomas corps,
and Starkweather's brigade Of Baird's dlyis-
ion. But counterbalancing these t. some ex-
tent, Posts brigade of Davis division and
Wagner's of Woods were both absent We
might or might not also rely for assistance
upon Steadman's division Of Gen Changers
corps
Opposed to these was the old Army of the
Tennessee, which Bragg had so long COM
mandcd; Longstreets formidable corps from
Virginia one half of Johnston's army from
Mississippi; Buckner's division from East
Tennessee; Dobncy Maurys division from
Mobile; gadicrGeneral Lees command
from Atlanta, and from twelve to fifteen
thousand fresh troops in the service of the
State OF Georgia in all amounting to at
least Sevcnty-fve thousand men. The Union
army confronting them was certainly not
more than fifty-fve thousand strong.
The firing which had begun upon our left,
swelled almost Immediately into a dreadful
roar, which filled even the souls of the BRAY
| est with awe. Nothing that l have yet lis
tened to since the breaking out of the war
exceeded it in continuity and volume of
sound, 1t was not tumult which now RACES
and now subsidies; but one which for two
| long hours, rolled necessarily all along the
lines of Thomas seemingly devoted corps
SO loud was the crash of muskctry, that the
| repeated discharges of cannon following each
other III quick succession, could with difficult
| ty be distinguished, and seemed only like
more emphatic passages in the grand diapason
of thunderOus harmony which burst from the
vast clouds of smoke and dust enveloping the
contending hosts.
The fight upon the extreme left commenced
! by desperate assault of the enemy upon
: Cen John Beatty's Brigade of NegIeys di-
vision. The brigade, as well as its famous
leader, stood their ground nobly; but being
somewhat isolated from the remainder of the
line, finally retired. 1t will be remembered
that the other brigadcs of Neglcy's division
were posted much farther to the right. 4
desire to reunte the two portions of bis COM
mand, induced Gen Rosecrans to send Gen.
Wood to take Gen. Negley's place in line I'M
til the latter should effect the reunion of his
brigades Wood proceeded immediately to
execute the order, filIingup the gap as Negley
retired. The rebels understanding this move
ment of Negley's to be a retreat, immediately
advanced their skirmishers, not only here.
but all along the left, and the fighting at once
became terrific, as l have described. The
rebels, however, soon ceased to attack Gen.
Woods front, and for a time appeared to de-
vote their entire attention to Gen. Thomas.
I went down to the extreme left of Gen.
| Woods position about this time, and looking
thence into some corn fields, could see the
| desperate efforts of the enemy to break the
lines of Brannan and REYNOLDS The soldiers
of these two noble divisions were lying be-
hind rude breastworks of logs and rails, con
Structed the night before their artillery in
the rear fired over their heads; and it really
seemed as if that long line of defenses was
some immense serpent, instinct with hideous
life, and breathing continually from his huge
rough sides volumes of smoke and flame
Col. Nanderveer, 35th Ohio, of Brannan's
division, was fighting here with a brigade
second TO but few in the service. The Colo
mel himself is true hero, and the command
ana commander are worthy of each other