The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-10-10

ana Nne ottn lnulanai OOl ~. 0IeaSOn,
in the rear of the 35ih
Hardly had the regiments taken their
places before the skirmishers were driven
in by an advance of the enemy in heavy
force. But the Sd brigade never moved;
not soldier bat steadily faced the gall
ing fire, and though the dead were in
creasing at a fearful rate, and the vail of
the wounded was drowning the noise of
the fight, 4 constant stream Of fire poured
from that devote band into the ranks of
the foe, while from the battery in the
rear a terrible storm of heavier metal
went crashing through the underbFush
and into the rebel ranks.
Field officers rode up and down those
ranks, waving their hats, cheering their
men, aud shouting defiance to the foe.
Ltuts Smith aud Rodney worked their
guns ooolly, but with the utmost precis-
ion and rapidity, while Col Vandeveer
and his staff seemed omnipotent, and,
with one exception. rode unscathed
through that storm of shot and shell.
Such fighting brought its appropriate
reward. Those veterans from Virginia
went back dismayed, and the prisoners
that come in one after another, in nearly
every case made this remark: We
never turned our backs on Yankees be-
fore"
And this thought was doubtless work.
ing on the minds of their comrades who
had withdrawn, for so soon as their
shattered columns could be put in attack
ing order, on they came with increased
fury, dete mined if possible, to wrest
victory from defeat
But the dead that lay along our ranks
were stern monitors, and as our men
glanced from them TO the approaching
Toe, the tate OF the latter was sealed.
Very terrible was the conflict, shame and
fury urging on those Virginia troops, who
had boasted that they would show BraPg's
men how TO fight Bat our men had
buried them back once by the same
means they proposed to do it the second
| time. And so the roar of the battle
wsxed hot, and the earth was plo we'd
with burrows and watered with blood,
and crossed with new heaps Of dead,
while the trees were riddled with the
crashing discharges, and went down
as if an army Of giants were reaping
| there
And through all these' scenes, officers
whose names will live, rode along the
lines and held them steady The 9th
Ohio had returned from charge and
poured in their FIRE, and the second bri-
gsde had Joined us on the right, where
Croxton had fought-successfully and
well-and in few moments the field was
all our own again.
The lines of the two brigades were
once more arranged, the 87th Indiana
relieved the 35th, when another advance
was attempted by the enemy, but this
was speedily repulsed.
Then come the gnal act. The regular
brigade, from the right and front, came
back across our lines in confusion. Every
effort to rally them was in vain. Field
officers, company officers, and men OF
Brannan's division, with a portion of
their own officers, tried in vain to check
them, Private Savage of Smiths battery
struck one of their officers with his gum
swab, and cursed them for marching over
his battery.
Gen Brannan with part of his staff
Col VandeVeer with all of his, joined in
the general cry to these flying officers TO
halt, but all TO no purpose, and the rebel
folo CO that had driven them, Joined
to those who were in Brannan's front,
came on with seeming irresistible force.
Bat Brannan's men had that day, for the
first time in all the war, been baptized
in blood aud born into the life of the vet
eran soldier.
six guns were so disposed as to rake
their Il Ink for even while the Regulars
were dAshipg through their ranks and
guns the 35Jh had changed it's front, and
the battery had wheeled, and wither-
ing fire in front and flank checked tha I
advance, which but a moment before
seemed like the oncoming of doom A
sharp advance, a tremendous cheer, aud
the rifles of the 81 brigade ceased 10
pour out death, and the cannon rOared no
longer.
Then came silence profound, awful,
and painful in the extreme
The dead and wounded were gathered
mp, and the troops, after some two hours
rest, marched to their positions for the
next days fight, and rested for the night.
Twenty -four hours of unprecedented
toll, without rest or time TO eat, and
with little water, had well nigh exhaus-
ted all, yet we bivouAcked in an open
field, where no fires could be kindled,
and no blankets could be obtained. Bat
the grand chorus Of victory was swelling
through the camp, and hunger and thirst
frost aud fatigue were in great me tsure
forgotten, and exultatiOn over our success
was only clouded by the m smOry OF our
fallen comrades. Ole-tourth were dead
or wounded, This price we paid for vic.
tory,
An that could be asked of a soldier
General Brannan performed while Coils
Vandtveer and Oroxton fought as meT
seldom fight on any field.
AT the opening OF tho battle on Sun
day morning, tho troops were disposed
as follows: McOook, with DAVIS anC
SheridAn's divisions, Onttenden will
Wood's add Van Oleve's, occupied thC
right; the divisions then succeeded eaot
other toward the left in the following
order: N,gley, BrannAn and Reynolds, o
Thomas oJrps; johnson, OF McOOok's
: Baird, Of Thomas; while Palmer, fIou
Oritteuden's, occupied the extreme lef
= of the line; Gordon Granger, with Stead
mans division of the Reserve Corps wa
! at Rossville, some four miles in the real
, The battle began by an attack on ou
extreme left, between nine aud 10
1 O'Clock, and repeated messages arrive
, from Gen. Palmer, infIrming Gen. Thorn
as tn It the enemy was IN oVer~hglmin
I force, aud that without assistance b
, feared for tho result. hegley was imme
4 diatoly ordered u Palm0rs support, bu