Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1863-12-17
The 18th Ohio in the Battles
at Chattanooga.
LET TER FROM CAPT. DANFoRD.
CHATTANOOGA, Nov. 9th, 1868.

tion Of the universe, when the stars sang
together, and all the sons Of God shouted
for joy" has there been so suprsmely glori-
Gus time anywhere in the aforesaid uni
verse as there has been right here in this
army within the last three days. Pent up
within the forti6cstiops Of Chattanooga on
last Monday morning, our army seemed a.
most at the mercy of the insolenti foe thst
hung around our camps. Now we can hard
ly realize the fact that the foe 10 gone
whipped, routed, captured, kicked from our
presence gone. hope, to the devil gen
orally. That last s1pression mean to sp-
ply to the temporal affairs Of our Southern
brethren, Of course. sm not malisious
enough to wish that poor old Satan should
have his kingdom overrun just at this time
by the whole Of the cursed pack that have
left our neighborhood SO uncsremoniously
within the last three days.
do not propose to give you any account
OF the battle, although l was in a position
to aud did zee the whole of the glorious per-
formsnce. was crippled on Sunday by q
wagon running over my ankle, so that was
not able to take part 10 the action; and
from our position at Fort Wood l was en-
a5lsd to soc almost everything that took place.
yst an ssts6ed that before this reaches
you you will b furnished with more full and
accurate accounts than can give.
On Monday our corps-ths 4th-moved
out and took position one mile in the froat
of our line Of the morning, and there en-
trenched and remained. Several hundred
prisoners we're taken, and batteries placed
in position on the line Of the ensmy's outer
works. On Tuesday Hooker and the 18th
corps assaulted the enemy and drove him
from Lookout. capturing two thousand pris-
onsrs, and by Wednesday morning the enc
my had abandoned the whole Of the valley
between Lookout and Missionary Ridge. =
Sherman Was on our left, and had crosssd
the river by Wednesday morning. The pRr
e Of the battle seemed to be to turn the ems
my's right flank !; aud this Was sttsmpte,
!. on Wednesday, but the progress was SLOW
p and at o'clock it wasdoubttul whether tn
:, plan would be successful or not.
~ Our corps was directly in front Of tn
!, Ridge, and had not moved since Monds
" evening The rebels were in force on tn
summit Of the Ridge, with . force at tn
|. base-beins intrenched in both positions
1t became apparent that something must b
done to assist Sherman, ss the enemy ha
j. massed their heaviest forces against him
= and the 4th corps was ordered to move fol
p q ward and occupy the enemy's works at tn
!. base of Missionary Ridge. This was the ez
!, test Of the work assigned them. This
Of was thought, would create diversion ia ia
!: vor of our hard pressed left The sigma
was given, and forward as one man spran
the whole corps. Then was witnessed
sight grand and thrilling beyond description
4 1t was one mile from the position occupic
by our troops to the base Of the Ridge, an
one half mile of rugged mountain from tn
" base to the summit. 1t seemed like mad
ness to attempt to scale the mountain, bt
the blood of the noble boys WAS up, an
down upon the works at the base OF th
Ridge they swept. The rebels occupyin
them fed without much resistance, an
: broke for the summit. The batteries upo
{. the ridge opened out The whole summ
seemed lined with them but all their sh'
snd she'll we're UNDECIDED On the men rusl
in u ed, and soon reached the base but thel
was no halt there, and up the mountain sd
they clambered. The rebel infantry on tf
summit opened out. but the men pushs
:" on, sheltering themselves by every ravin
4 stump, log, and stone upon the mountai
|: side. The batteries 6ouId not reach the
" there, and slowly they crawled up! up! NJ
the glorious Stars and Stripes above then
u" On on every cover blazed with the FIRE
a"' their riAes and finally, after almost one ho
81 Of toilng and fighting, they reached the wor
lay ubot the summit, and with the enthusias
Inv, Of madmen, almost, tho works were scai'
law and the victory won. So confident we're Il
- rebels of holding their position there th
no arrangement had been made for getting
-" their artillery, and it almost all fell into o
iay' hands, with great numbers of prisoners.
s''' When the men reached The summit Of d
s. Ridge the rebels fed in utteroonfusion, ru
ming psll nell every way, 7rep ..r..,i
.. The men say that their triumph on reas
: :, ing the mountain top repaid them for
DO their long night-watohss and suffering
..id dd twenty seven months. ! have had the soc
unto 'Ss; describedto me by adoscns Of them, and
X agree that the soens there was rich beyo
sl description. The work was done and
defeat Of the rebels utter and terrible; .
then the boys had good hearty old-fa
iened shout Of great triumph. Men me-
10. felt bstter.p And let me say, If there ID
father in all the North who had q San
y that charge upon Missionary Ridge Z
who does not thank God for il, be ought
s-l hsye no sons1 il there H. sirl 10 the No
who will marry one ofsthose rppor Gus
ns who arc at home waiting forf the draft
:. - hv;rs than into the falA until the last /