Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1864-02-18
The Field of ChickamauRa.

a day or two since, visited the old bat
tiie;held OF Chickamauga. call it DID, al
though the storms of q single winter have
not yet all blown over it. But at this time,
when each new month has some wonderful
event OF It's own, and our attention is con-
tinually diverted from the past to the pres
ent or the future, a march, a siege or bat
tie, seems old, although but little while
has interyened since its occurrence. ,,a
L do not design presenting the reflections
to which ramble over this battle ground
gave rise, but to mention briefly one or two
things which saw there. -,
1t was a bright beautiful day upon whieh
the visit was made, aud ] was in company
with some who had borne their full share 10
the tolls and danger of the great battle.
No one who has not heard the awful tu-
mutt aroused by the meeting of two hostile
armies, and has not afterward stood upon
the same field where they fought, can form,
any idea Of the deep, deep silence which to
him who has experienced all this, settlsI
down upon the place forerermore. To ms
whose ears had been stunned, for three lspg
days, with the roar Of artillery. the crash Of
hundred thousand muskets, and the hid
eous shouts of charging multitudes. upon
the same field Of Chickamauga, the silence
which oycrsplsid it, when visited it few
days ago was absolutely painful. 1t was
profound, dense, palpabe;- and felt OPP
pressed by its weight; so much so that it was
a real, relief when my Imagination carried
me back 10 that memorable Sunday, the
Goth of last September, and as in fancy I
saw the field covered with struggling squad :,
rons, seemed also to hear ths thunder &
the battle.
Yet instead of serried ranks of living ss,-
dires, now there were only rows Of graves.
Instead Of stalwsrt men rushing forward'to
grapple with the foe, now there were only
Trostrate forms, scarce covered by the little
earth thrown over them, and here and
there hideous skeleton. Instead ofthe loud
shout of onset, there could now be heard
only piteous murmur Of the wind creep
ing through the pines, as though it moan
ed for the dead thousands lying there.
In many places our dead have not yet
been buried IN any proper sense OF that
term. Merely few spades-full of dirt have
been thrown over them where they fell This
was particularly the case in cotton field,
! just to the left of the Lafayette road as you
4 travel Southwark. Over this one of our
routed divisions was driven in confusion
and the men were shot down by scores IS
they fed before thrice their numbers. No
attempt had been made to bury properly
any of these. As have said, little dir.
was thrown over them where they lay, and
am now uncertain whether even tina, was
done by the rebels or by parties sent out
from our own army, subsequent to the bat
! tie of chattanooga. Be that as it may,
! tne rains have washed away the greater
portion of these poor soldiers scanty GOV.
ering, and now, in almost every instance,
some portion Of the body or skeleton ltor
all have not decayed alike). is exposed -
! Here protrudes an arm, there foot ID
one place the earth has fallen away and the
ribs can be seen ; in another the entire skull
shows itself 81 Chattanooga Cor. Gin. Gas