Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-12-12
The Twenty-Third Army COrps-Ad-

-
A. S. Strickland, delivered before the
Twenty-Thir Army Corps Association,
at Cincinnati, on the sOth ult. We APP
pend that part of the address relating
particularly to the Twenty-Third Corps,
which will be found of great interest
Doubtless, without being justly charged
with making invidious distinctions, we
may be here permitted TO review the
special achievements Of our own corps.
Formed of the most heterogeneous mater
ial, and without a definite date of organi-
cation, we may, perhaps, most justly place
our efficient origin as an army corps at
Knoxville, under the command of Man
son, Foster, and subsequently the father
of the corps, Major General John M.Scho-
field. At Knoxville our gallant corps
won its first laurels in the defeat Of Long
street and his veterans, fresh from their
victory at Chicat1augs, and gave high
hopes, by their pluck and endurance, of
the first class reputation, which they won
on future fields. From these labors we
were hurried forward to the Atlanta cam
paign.
This campaign must ever rank as one of
the grandest In history. Now follow days,
weeks, nay, months Of consecutive battle,
the most persistent that ever tried the
nerve or endurance of the soldier; through
which were arrayed an ever receding
series of unyielding and unbroken lines of
Federal and rebel troops, continually
belching forth death-dealing missiles from
every ahgle of roughly %improvised works,
and at every hour of the day and night.
All that q soldier could do to advance,
was done by Sherman, while every mill
tary art was exhausted by johnson to re-
tard our progress Our determined eff
forts to advance brought daily conflicts,
and the survivors of our corps may well
be said to be the heroes of a hundred bat
ties. We remember too wildly our own
struggles at Resaca,a at Dallas, at Kenesaw,at
Culp's House on the right of the Twenti-
eth Corps, in the flank movement causing
the evacuation of Kenesaw mountain, the
crossing of the Chatahoochie, the capture
of Decatur, and finally our fight on the
right and left of Atlanta, in every one of
which we triumphed over our veteran
foes and won laurels which might well
have been envied by the proudest corps of
the army. But still greater were our
achievements with the Fourth Army
| Corps, when at Columbia, (having been
lanked by the enemy,) you made your
celebrated march to Spring Hill, and cut
ting your way through Cheatham's rebel
corps, reached Franklin in advance of the
foe.
1t will be well to glance at the views
and grand tactics of the rebels. johnson
had declared Atlanta indefensible, and
proposed to continue his Fabian policy,
and to fall back to Augusta. To this pol
icy there was fierce opposition from high
quarters, including that of Hood and JEFF.
Davis himself. After full consultation it
was resolved to place Hood in command
of Johnson's army, and relying upon their
vain boast that Southern troops were SUI
perior soldiers to the Northern, man to
man, they determined to pass Sherman
and "carry the war into Africa" With
this conception of their powers they more
than once vainly put it to test, and finally
ruined Hoods splendid army, and "broke
the backbone Of the rebellion by their
mad attempts.
First Hood charged the Federals before
Atlanta, commanded by the lamented Nc
Pherson, and was hurled back with ruin
Gus slaughter and defeat. Again, within
three days, he hurled his columns upon the
same troops, now moved to the right wing
of the army, and under command of the
gallant Howard, where, if possible, he met
with more signal disaster than on the left.
Then, after repeated maneuvers and disap-
p~ointments, he presented himself before
Franklin, and prepared togive a third and
final trial so his sanguine theory of supe-
rior soldiership. Here, if ever, the enemy
might well hope to exemplify their boast
full and self-complacent conception. With
a force fully three to our one, Hood must
either overwhelm us, or his darling theory
was reversed.
On the afternoon of the 5oth day of No
vember, 1854, the whole force of Hood
was hurled, as never before were hurled
in battle masses OF living human beings,
who game ON. facing and courting death,
WIththat terrific yell and impetuosity, and
with certain confidence that with a single
rush we were to be swept from off the
battlefield, or captured crossing, as strag-
glers, the little Harpeth river. But when
at convenient distance, an opening fire Of
shell and musketry from our lines caused
the rebel hordes to halt outside the hastily
thrown up intrenchments, and amidst the
thickly strewn heaps of their dead and
dying, pause, before making another at
tack. In less than half an hour, another,
and still another, to the number Of eight
distinct, most vigorous and determined
assaults, were made along the whole line,
Until at / o'clock at night the last feeble
effort had been made. The stubbornness
and t~enacity with which our troops held
the line intact, gave us the welcome as
sdrahce, that success was in our grasp, and
the enemy much farther from his purpose
than when he commenced.
Language cannot convey to the mind
the faintest idea of that terrible conflict
nor e 4 the most vivid Imagination pic
ture a more terrible struggle, than occur
red during those few hours, when the
chivalry of the veteran troops of the South
attempted to annihilate q command
weak in numbers but irresistible in
purpose. Who now alive, then a par
in the battle of Franklin,
with its mighty surging to and fro of fierce
ly contending elements, with the deafen-
ing clash of musketry, and the still louder
roar of ~cannonading thunder-will not re-
member with what hopes and fears alter
at each successive charge of the
enemy, he watched for sign of success or
defeat. Yet the darkness of the night of
Tered no obstacle to the continuation of
he battle. There was an incentive in the
rebel ranks to carry on the fight for posi-
ion as long as there was courage to fight,
md this was met on the Federal side BY a
ipirit of bravery, rising to inspiration, to
oppose as long as there was hope in resist
nee. In truth it may be said, that in no
,attle during the late wal were there
more determined and persistent charges,
n such rapid succession, as were
made by the rebels on our lines
It the battle of Franklin. As an evidence
# that terrific conflict, the report of the
nemy shows owe twelve general officers
Tiled, wounded or captured, and a loss of
men the most disastrous to Hoods COM
nand. This was undoubtedly the greatest
nd severest punishment ever received by
he rebels in a single battle.
On this glorious field our corps achieved
immortal honor, while our gallant leaders,
Cox and Stanly, nobly won their
spurs, and added new laurels to
heir already illustrious brows. The only
orrow which can dim the eye, in looking
'ack to our glorious triumphs on this and
ther well fought fields, is the sad recollec-
ion that thousands of our brave comrades
AVE rendered up their lives a sacrifice to
heir devotion to our country. And while
heir genial faces are now missed from +.
MON, ne 4ho,r ho.o,o1 lo,o. - l. I