Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-12-23

among rocks, stumbling over the dead Strun-
CLING with the living, facing the steady fire
OF eight thousand infantry poured down upon
their heads as if ii the old historic
curse from heaven, they wrest!e with the
Ridge Ten, fifteen, twenty minutes 20 By
like reluctant century. The batteries roll
like drum between the second and last
lines of rebel works is the torrid zone of the
battle; the hill >ways up like wall before US at
an angle of torty-tye degrees, but our brave
mountaineers are cIambering steadily on
up--upmard still You NAV think it strange.
but | ould not have recalled them if / could
They would have lifted Tou, as they did me,
in full view of the region of hei oic grandeur;
they seemed to be spurning the dull earth
under their feet and going up to do IIOmeric
battle with the greater gods
And what do those men follow If YOU
look you shall see that the thirteen thous-
and are not 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, mighty lettering on the
hills broad side. At the angles of those
VS. Is something that glitters like a wing
our heart gives a great bound when YOU
think what it is-tte regnlegstn 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
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 tag 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 thundeTbolt is there-hurl themselves
against Il bold point strong with rebel works
-.
perched and motionless on plateau under
the frown of the hill. VIII they lHger for
ever? | give look at the sun behind me;
ii 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 il 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
fight, They are upward bound. The men
of the 8Sth Illinois were swept by an enflad-
ing fire Col. Chandler seized the colors :;
they steadied into rock and swept the rebels
before them with a broom of bayonets it
cost them fifty Of the rank and file and two
Lieutcnants.
The race of the flags is growing every mo
meut more terrible. There at the right in
Colonel Sherman's brigade, a strange thing
catches the eye; enc Of the inverted vs. IS
turning right side up! The men struggling
along the convergIn@ lines to oyertake the
flag have GjSta1ced it, and there the cOlors
are, sinking down III the center between the
rising flanks. The line waivers like a great
billow and up comes the banner again as if
heaved on Il surge's shoider! The iron sledg-
es 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 intermit. Swauns of bullets sweep the
hill you can count twenty-eight 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
handtuls Of cartridges in their haste and as
If there were powder in the word, thev shout
" Chickamauga down upon the mountain
GERS. But it would not all do, and Just as the
sun, weary of the scene, was sinking cut of
sight, with magnificent bursts all along the
line, exactly as YOU have seen the crested
seas leap up at the brcakWater, the advance
surged over the crest, and in minute those
flags huttered along the fringe where fifty
rebel guns were lenneled Con bless the
flag! Con save the Union!
What colors were first upon the mountain
battlement / dare not try to say bright
Hon0rs self may be proud to bcar-bcar -
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 l en- declare the 79th IN
diana of Woods division, fairly ran over the
rebel rihe-pits, and left its whole line in the
rear, and its breathiess color bearer led the
way. But a few steps between him and the
summit, he grasped a little tree that brayeIv
chung there, and away ne went, hand over
hand, like a sailor up the shrouds, and shook
his exuitant flag above the crest This | cal
declare: John Cheeyers, OF the SSth Illinois,
planted his flag by Bragg's headquarters, and
it kin lied there III the setting sun al the very
heels Of the enemy 4 minute and they were
Ill there, huttering along the Ridge from left
to right The rebel hordcs rolled off to the
north rolled off to the east, like the clouds
OF worn out storm. Bragg, ten minutes be-
# Z, WAS putting men back in the life-pits
II, gallant gray was strainiug a nerve for him
no}. and the man rode on horseback into
Dix bosom, who, arrayeG III some prophets
discarded mantle, foretold on Monday that
the Yankees would leave Chattanooga i'm five
days They lsft it in three and by the way
OF Mission Ridge, straight over the mountains
as their toretathers went.
But the scene on that narrow plateau can
never Uc 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-
braced; turned round and did all four over
again, 1t was as wild as a carnival
But yOu must not think this was all there
was OF the scene on the crest, for f ght and
trolic were strangely mingled Not a rebel
had dreamed man 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 dehantly cried hurrah and /
be damned - the next minute the 65th Ohio !
followed the voice, the rebels delivered their !
FIRE, and tumbled down in the rite-pits, their /
faces distorted with fear. No sooner had the |
soldiers scrambled to the Ridge and straight
ened tin msclyes, than up muskets and away |
they biazed. One OF them. fairly beside him !
self between laughing and crying, seemed /
puzzled 1T which end Of his piece he should I
load, and so abandoning the gun and the |
problem toge ther he made catapult of him /
self and fell to hurting stones after the enemy |
And he said rs he threw-well, cur army /
YOU know, "swore terribly in Flanders" /
BayOncts glintcd and muskets ratified: Gene /
raj Sheridan's horse was killed under him /
Richard was not in his role, and so he Ieaped 4
upon rebel gun for want Of another. Rebel |
artIllersts are driven from their batteries at /
the edge OF the sword and the point of the /
bayonet; TWO rebel guns are swung around /
upon their old masters. But there IS nobody
TO load them. Light and heavy artillery do /
not belong TO the winged kingdom. Two in |
tautVy men claiming to be OLE art:}Iarfsts 4