The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-10-14
ssHsEs. ssE }VoI X.-N1. 30 Wnonp No 1873.

| .bV y0u KNOW al. lllilS ot thelr strellgth!"
heDext inquired.
Not eertainly,n- I replied But in addi-
| ton to Bragg's old army, IDngstreeps corps
from Virginia, and at least twenty thousand
men from Johnston's army are in front of
| u.s."
mo mattsr,o said he " we shall beat them.
Men fighting in a cause ike ours must CON
| quer in the ends
Just then Gen. Baird canTe riding by with
some members Of his excellent s:aff l rec
ognized them by the light of one of the fires
General" said - shall we go to Chat
,tanooga to-night?'
"tNoa, he replied We shall 60 a mile
or two further, take position upon the left,
and await the enemy"
Then,s' said !, turning to Van Pelt, "a
battle tomorrow is inevitable.''
I" Very well,' he remarked, ".cc shall all
haze an opportunity to saoa0 again or devotion
4 to our co,tntry-'
At last the weary march came to an erd.
the artillery was wheeled into position, and
the marching columns facing to the right
stood in order of battle looking toward tie
east.
SATURDAY MORNING.
The shifting of Thomas corps during the
night of Friday placed it on the left of the
extreme left, Baird next, and Reynolds next.
Negiey was assisting Wood to hold the pas
sage of Owens Ford and the position of Cor
! don's Mill, which had now become our ex-
treme right. One division of McCook's corps
(Johnson's) having come up to the new line
sooner than the rest, reported to Thomas for
orders, and was assigned to new position
upon the left between Baird and Reynolds.
Two divisions of Crittenden's corps held the
center of the line, Palmer on the right of
REYNOLDS. and Van Cleve next to Palmer
When the battle began, Davis and Sheridan,
lof McCook's corps, were rapidly marching
toward the left, to complete the line and take
position on the right of Van Cleve Gener-
ally, the line took the direction of the Chick
anauga, withdrawn upon the left so as to
follow for considerable distance the course of
the Lafayette road, which runs directly north
and south. The entire distance over which
the line extended was little short of three
and half miles.
THE BATTLE.
1t was between ten and eleven when Cron-
toms brigade, of Brannan'st division, going
down to ford over the creek, encountered
the enemy, who was advancing in force, and,
after gallant combat, was driven back. Re
Inducements Immediately coming up from
IL
els were driven pell-mell toward the ford
: Another terrible chargeby largely increased
farce of the eIiemy, pushed back thewhole OF
Brannans division, involving Gen. Baird,
who at once became furiously engaged. The
Regulars, out1anked, after the withdrawal OF
;, Brannan's men, fought like tigers, but were
rolled back and over Scribner's brigade-the
S right of which being rather too far advanced
n was crumpled up, and the brigade literally
: surrounded, until by unparalleled gallantry
S it cut its way through. The storm, rollIns
|, from left to right, fell next upon Johnston
v and almost simultaneously upon Reynolds
: who both fought with desperate valor, wa
d vering at times, but again advancing unit
$ the troops of Brannan and Baird, rallied By
their able leaders, and by the personal sxer
tions of Thomas himself, whose courage wa
as conspicuous as his coolness, came up one,
: = more to the work.
IL Then the order was issued for the entir
= line to advance, and nothing in history ex
'e ceeds in grandeur the charge of that powerful
= corps. Lon9street's men from Virginia wer
L directly opposed to the troops of Thorn };
u and although they fought with stubborn de
5 termination, they could not for an instan
"a check the slow and stately march of our bat
1e talious. In vain they rallied and re-rallied
!, in vain they formed double lines. which fire
a simultaneously in vain they wheeled. thei
: cannon sinto score of new positions HON
~ as moved resistlessly on. Muchof eur artil
~ lery lost in the morning was recaptured. Sew
e en- pieces were taken from the enemy. The
q had been pushed already three-quarters of
g mile, and Longstreet was threatened wit
h- actual annihilation, when new danger cans
= ed Thomas to halt
While our left was so remorselessIy drivin
PC the rebels, Polk and Hill, collecting the
nc chosen legions, threw them with great impe
:, !. uosity u; on Palmer and Van Cleve, IN ord
~ to effect a diversion in favor Of Longstreet-
ne An obstinate contest ensued but the oyerpov
n ering numbers of the enemy speedily broi
Oh to pieces large portions of our two division
;" especially Van Cleve's In fact, the rout
'e' this part of our line was becoming as con
- plete as that of the eneny's right, when d.
ne Wis, who had been marching up as rapidly
III possible to intersect with Van Cleve's lei
arrived upon the ground, went in most ga
lantly, and, for a time, restoredin that local
he ty the fortunes of the day. But tie enem
n's knowing that all depended upon his effectil
,ad diversion in favor of the defeated Lon
lid street. massed nearly the whole of his ava
mt able force, hurled it upou Van Cleye and d
or Wis drove the former to the left and the latt
lp- te the right, aud entered boldly the openi
us thus made. 1t was Just at this juncture th
Thomas troops whose attention had be
sn- called to the extreme danger of our cent
of began to return. Reynolds Immediately Sc
lad the heroic Wilder to the assistance of Dav
ga) and the celebrated brigade of mounted infaI
md ry at first scattered the enemy in terror befe
his them.
eb- But the persevering rebels rallying aga
ION and charging in fresh numbers, even Wild
ace began to fall slowly back. Gen. Sherid;
me who had been following after Davis, NJ
zen came up, and led Col. Bradley's brigade il
md the fight It held its own nobly, until
the rebels, in large force, getting possession oi
the piece of timber near its flank, opened upou
in an enfilading fire. which compelled it to gi
In way.
But now new actors appeared upon
Did ~ e 81 af flv,a
en- Ford, assaults intended as afeint to conc
on the design of the rebels against our left,) ca
ne up to the rescue. Their troops went to We
% %Ihs with will The progress of the enel
nee nee against Davis, Van Cleve and Sheridan, '
me speedily checked. Reynolds, returning fr,
the pursuit of Longstreet. assisted in.rally
the broken battalions of almer. Thousal
is is of our scattered troops recognized almost
eak their own accord Baird. Brannan and Jol
With ston resumed their places. A consuming
re- swept all along our front. The rebels reti
cells everywhere before it, and before sunset
,nly line was again in battle array upon almost
red, cisely the ground held that morning
/! just before dusk the enemy, as if in 81
the for his unsuccessful efforts, opened heavy
ich- of artillery and musketry upon these So
ton troops, and continued it until after night