Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1863-11-27
(Army Correspondence of the Delaware Gazette }
THE BATTLE OF TEEwAUHAToHIE.
HEAD QoARrEEs s2ND Ono VoIs.

rs EDIToR GAZETTE On the morning of t
q 9th Of October, the 1lth Corps followed
D. Gesry's Division Of the 18th, commenced
rs march up the left bank of the Tenuesse
J. towards Chattanooga. Thus was inauguratl
" as the sequel has proved, one Of the bodies
L most successful and important movements
the war. The brave army of the Cumbe
, land was starving. New communication
s must be opened for it, or within five day
, time it must be brought to the paiaful nsce
d sity Of disastrous retreat. Upon the vete
ans of the Potomac devolved the vast respon
2 ibility Of seizing by one bold, sudden strok
the mountain bulwarks that range along th
south bank Of the Tennessee river, of maxim
= that beautiful stream highway for Unio
navigation and Of rendering Chattanooga th
Eagles nest"-the impreguable strong hol
: of freedom. !. ~ S5e s-92a moi
Tie first days march was aceomPlishe1
without special incident and we encamped a
night among the mountain defles, resting on
weary limbs beside a swift little stream de
nominated Running Water Next morn
ing we had Hiung knapsacks and were agail
pursuing our march before old Sol had be
slowed his morning kiss upon the grey, erag
60 brow Of the Lookout Mountain. Signs o
the desOlatiOn Of war began to present them
a selFes in deserted homes, burned railroad
4 bridges and Weedy, untitled fields. From
struggling citizens we learned that small
/ rebel force had 'picketed the road the night
before and had leisurely retired before the ad-
vance guard, yet there were no emphatic signs
of resistance until about ten O'Clock A. n.
when we began to hear the ohhinoUs thunder
of artillery far in advance. Some incredu-
lous ones said it was accidental humping on
a drum but more practised and veteran ears
detected its real meaning as easily as the
schooled hunter interpreta the distant lrumb-
ling made by a galloping heard of bisons..-
The rebels were shelling our passing columns
from Point Lookout. This towering mount
ain spur is the abrupt termination of the
bookb ut range, and lifts its rocky crest
.24O0 feet above sea level, directly in front Of,
and only four miles digtant from Chattano oga
Near the top it is permeated by huge STRAIT
um of rock, so feet in thickness. the faces of
which are perpendicular, thus rendering a d.
heca- assankt next to impossible Upon the
EeEy pinnacle o, this crag+ the rebels have
managed ,tofTplAnt a battery OF light guns
The road along which We we're compelled
10 pasS, led % under IRE of this baftety for
about one mile. There was no chance Of re-
plying, and our nerve and grit was fairly
tested by the merciless nuggets Of iron that
came shrieking down upon as like howling
demons, We marched at quick time, and
most of the men kept their places we'll
though the jagged pieces Of exploded shells
tore up the ground and ratified among trees,
houses and fences like iron hail. o But why
should the heroes of Gettysburg and Chan
ceIIorsviIIe shrink at this Had they not
faced a hundred times worse, on dozens OF
immortal fields Rapidly but firmly moved
the column almost entirely unshaken, though |
row and then a blood-be-spattered artillery
horse or ragged indentation in the soil point
ed out the danger they were passing. -ld
f- Very few casualties occurred in passing |
this rebel blockade Emerging from the |
thick woods that skirted the road into the
open fields we saw standing upon the sum
mits of series of nights en- our right, groups
of darkly clad men, whom we knew to be
soldiers, but were they rebels. No for there
in the clear air of evening, was the glorious
old flag of the Union waving us welcome.-
TheG came such volleys of shouts as made the
welkin ring and the mountains echo. Shouts
such as came, come only from the throats of
freeman. Then the bands struck up "Hail
Columbia" and other airs that must have
brought sad "reminiscences to many rebel
heart The army of the PotomRc had greet
ed the army of the, Cumberland. a-.,- -1ssH
There are episodes in the life OF soldier
which are worth a century's enjoyment Of lux
urious pleasure. Such was the one I have
just described. ijl@a tf sa- SAD
We now encampsd for the night, bat just
as our minds were beginning to sOothe tired
nature with fancy pictures Of heme and dream
land we were aroused by heavy and eontin-
nous volleys of musketry in the direction from
which We had come. LOngstreet's rebels
we're trying to pouncs upon our trains and
ntercept Geary. Our men fell shivering in
10 line for the night was bitter cold and the
moon shone too brightly and the stas twink-
led too merrily for such scene. Tyndale's
brigade, of the Sd division, 11th corps, was :
ordered to the front on the double quick
The enemy bad occupied series of precipi-
ous wooded heights on our left, and were
completely ambushed by the dark shadows Of
he timber. They saw our columns passing
n the moonlight, and fred on us. The bullets
attied, whizzed and spattered in their old fa- '
niliar way, some going too high, some too !
oW and others here and there striking a sol =
ier. -s--s------
Arriving 0at the base Of the wooded heig hts ]
wO companies of 1.-The s2nd, By personal d. :
ection Of General Hooker, were ordered to y
them, lDDeploying as sskirpishers, !,
Te began to advance cautiously. We could n
ear,lhe rebels, FAR above us and expected .
arm work. But they fed hastily before US
OF even firing until at safe distance. Oar. IA
EirTaishers ad7anced to She crest Of r. the G
lountaih, the rebels giving way before us, n
through the bushes like frightened y
abbits' We remained in our position until a
ay break, looking down on rebel camps and
stening 70 the rebel conversation and COM
lands 50 l-Jrl5 1F -Eai Yo8 za- L
While these things were going on in i
churz's division, Steinwehr's had made sew q
-al successive assaults upon annother height =,
d our left, and, after repeated and most brill =,
mt charges, had carried it. In this gallant /,
fair, regret to- say that Capt. Buckwater, e
le of the most brave and patriotic hearts {,
lat beat and ceased to beat upon the field of {,
le Wauhatchie, was mortally wounded, but p
is life's sun has set in the eGulgence of an
nmortal glory, which viii forever crown the n,
sathrof those, who, in. this war, have given q q
p their lives to sustain the cause Of justice d
id republican freedom. -.4t -
Won Steinwehr had no sooner won these -;
esh laurels for his brave division than Gea- @' u,
had put to rout greatly superior numbers 90
I'd established his communication with u.s. 20 20
ur victory was thus complete, the commu- ua
a',1 .I,S,saI .oIJ;a-s ~ the on