Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1863-12-24


der; it is GoD for US all Under tree-trunks,
among rocks, stumbling over the dead, strug-
Cling with the living, facing the steady ire
of eight thousand infantry poured down upon
their heads as if it were the old historic
curse from heaven, they wrestle with the
Ridge Ten, fifteen, twenty minutes go by
like reluctant century. The batteries roll
like drum; between the second and last
lines of rebel works is the t0Srid zone of the
BATTLE the hill sways up like wall before Us at
an angle of forty-fve degrees, but our brave
mountaineers are clambering steadily on
up-upward still You may think it strange,
but | ould not have recalled them if could
They would have lifted you, as they did me,
in full view of the reg on OF heroic grandeur;
they seemed to be spurning the dull earth
under their feet, and going up to do Homerlc
battle with the greater gods.
And what do those men follow? If you
look you shall see that the thirteen thous-
and are not d rushing herd of human crea-
lures; that along the Gothic roof Of the
Ridge row Of inverted VS. is slowly moving
up almost in line, a mighty lettering on the
hills broad side. At the angles Of those
VS. is something that glitters like wing
Your heart gives a great bound when you
think what it is-t}te regine,,io1 Faq-and
glancing along the front count fifteen of those
colors that were borne at Pea Ridge, waved
at Shiloh, glorifed at Stone River, riddled at
Chickamauga. Nobler than Caesars rent
mantle are they all And up move the ban
ners, now futtering like wounded bird, now
faltering, now sinking out of sight. Three
times the flag of the 9th Illinois goes down.
And you know why. Three dead color-ser-
geants lie just there, but the flag is immortal
thank God and up it comes again, and
; the VS. move on. At the left of Wood,
three regiments of Baird-Turchin, the Rus
sian thunderbolt is there-hurl themselves
against bold point strong with rebel works
for long quarter of an hour three flags are
perched and motionless on d plateau under
the frown of the hill. Will they lnger for
ever? l give look at the sun behind me;
it is not more than hands breadth from the
edge Of the mountain its level rays bridge
the valley from Chattanooga to the Ridge
with beams Of gold it shines in the rebel
faces; it brings out the Federal blue it
touches up the flags. Oh, for the voice that
could bid that sun stand still | turn to the
battle again those three flags have taken
flight! They are upward bound. The men
OF the 86th Illinois were swept by an enflad-
ing fire Col. Chandler seized the colors
they steaded into rock and swept the rebels
before them with broom of bayonets it
cost them fifty of the rank and file and two
Lieutcnants.
The race of the flags is growing every mo-
ment more terrible. There at the right, in
Colonel Sherman's brigade, strange thing
catches the eye; one of the inverted VS. is
) turning right side up! The men struggling
along the converging lines to overtake the
flag have diStd1tced it, and there the colors
are, sinking down III the center between the
rising TANKS The line waivers like a great
billow and up comes the banner again, as if
hcaved on Il surge's sholder! The iron sledg-
cs beat on. Hearts, loyal and brave, are on
the anvil, all the way from base to summit OF
Mission Ridge, but those dreadful hammers
never intcrmit. Swarms of bullets sweep the
hill; you can count twcnty-cight balls in one
little tree. Things are growing desperate up
aloft; the rebels tumble rocks upon the
rising line; they light the fuses and roll shells
down the steep; they load the guns with
handfus of cartridges in their haste and as
if there were powder in the word, they shout
Chickamauga! down upon the mountain
GERS. But it would not all do, and just as the
sun, weary Of the scene, was sinking out of
| sight, with magnificent bursts all along the
line, exactly as you have seen the crested
seas leap up at the breakwater, the advance
surged over the crest, and in a minute those
flags futtered along the fringe where fifty
rebel guns were kennelcd. G0D bless the
flag! Con save the Union!
What cOl0rs were first upon the mountain
battlement ! dare not try to say bright
Honors self may be proud to bear-bear =
nay proud to follow the hindmost. Foot by
foot they had fought up the steep slippery
with much blood let them go to glory to-
gether. But this | declare: the 18th In
diana, of Woods division, fairly ran over the
rebel rifie-pits, and left its whole line III the
rear, and its brcathless color bearer led the
way. But a few steps between him and the
summit, he grasped little tree that bravely
clung there, and away he went, hand over
hand, like a sailor up the shrouds, and shook
his exutant flag above the crest This | cu1s
declare John Cheevers, Of the SSth Illinois,
planted his flag by Braggs headquarters, and
it kindled there III the setting sun at the very
heels of the enemy. 4 minute and they were
al there, Huttering along the Ridge from left
to right. The rebel hordes rolled off to the
| north, rolled Oft to the east, like the clouds
o. 4 worn out storm. Bragg, ten minutes be-
f, {, was putting men back in the rifie-pits
H. gallant gray was straining a nerve for him
now and the man rode on horseback into
| Dixie's Losom, who, arrayed in some prophets
discarded mantle, foretold on Monday that
| the Yankees would leave Chattanooga IL five
days. They I2ft it i'll three and by the way
Of Mission Ridge, straight over the mountains
as their torefathers went.
But tlIe scene on that narrow plateau can
never be painted. As the blue coats surged
over its edge, cheer on cheer range like bells
! through the valley of the Chickamauga. Men
flung themselves exhausted upon the ground.
| They laughed and wept, shook hands, en-
braceG; turned round and did all four over
again. 1t was as wild as carnival.
But You must not think this was all there
| was OF Tie scene on the crest, for fight and
| frolic were strangely mingled Not a rebel
| had dreamed a of US all would live to
| reach the summit, and when a little wave of
the Federal cheer rolled up and broke over
the crest, they defantly cried hurrah and
| be damned :" the next minute the 9th Ohio
| followed the voice, the rebels delivered their
| fire. and tumbled down in the rifle pits, their
faces distorted with fear No sooner had the
soldiers scrambled to the Ridge and straight
| ened themselves, than up muskets and away
they blaz,d. One of them, fairly beside HIM
self between laughing and crying, seemed
puzzled at which end Of his piece he should
| load, and so abandoning the gun and the
problem together he made a catapult of HIM
! self and fell to hurting stones after the enemy.
And he said, us he tfrew-well, "our army"
YOU know "swore terribly in Flanders"
| Bavoncts 5iinted and muskets ratified: Gene
| raj Sheridan's horse was killed under him :;
| Richard WAS not in his role, and so he leaped
| upon rebel gun for want of another Rebel
| artilierists are driven from their batteries at
the edge Of the sword and the point of the
| bayonet; two rebel guns swung around
upon their old masters. But there is nobody
70 load them. Light and heavy artillery do
not belong to the winged kingdom. Two in