Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-09-09
Grant and COlfaX.

Messrs. Lee d6 Shepard, of Boston, issued
some weeks since neat volume, entitled
Life and Public Services of General Ulys-
ses ). Grant, from his boyhood to the present
time and a Biographical Sketch of Hon.
SCHUYLER Colfax The author of this work
Is Charles A. Phelps. formerly presiding Off
Ger of both branches of the Massachusetts,
legislature, and a gentleman of recognized
ability as a political speaker and writer.
The author has aimed in this work to give
rather biography of Gen. Grant as man.
The battles Of the war are graphically des-
crIbed We give below an account of the
BATTLE OF MISSIONARY RIDGE.
Grant was not general who issued orders
fo- A battle of two or three days continuance,
and then looked on to see it carried out, and
was Disconnected and defeated if the pro-
s-rammc was interfered with He fought the
battle. and issued orders as the battle devel-
orcd He f,uUht his b~ttIoo by military
II but he applied the rules as the exigcn-
'.7c. chaaEed C tie field. No two battles are
oIiKe: and his staff said it was not his habit
rn discuss tho details and muse over the evo-
lrtinns Of celebrated bat ties. and speculate on
what might have been if this had been so,
and that had been otherwise.
" hen the board was ready and the pieces
placed, he played to win, as his own position
and that Of the enemy appeared to require
When the sun rose on the morning Of the
25th the whole scene was spread out like
map. Vt the extreme right, on the lofty
summit of Lookout Mountain, the national
hag was seen flying. having been raised by the
Eighth Kentucky Volunteers. In front was
Missionary Ridge, four hundred feet high,
seven miles lont. where the rebel hosts, num-
bcrIug forty five thousand men, were now
united In the centre, Bragg headquarters
We're plainly seen far off on the left, Sher
man : drums were heard on the crests he had
won the afternoon before Trees, houses,
fences, had all been removed; and the field
was clear for the days great work
Grant. with Thomas and some OF his divis
ion generals, was on Orchard Knoll, the
highest point Of observation along the Union
lines Hooker had descended from Lookout
Mountain, crossed the valley, and was at the
south end Of Missionary Ridge.
Grants plan was to attack the enemy on
both hlnks until he was compelled to weaken
his centre to support them; when the centre
was to he broken, and the ridge carried
The eminence which Sherman had carried
was not continuous with the whole ridge
but ravines and gorges intervened, and each
was strongly fortified and defended those
behind rising above those in front, and afford
ing a chance for the rebel artillery TO play
upon our advancing columns with great ef-
feet Sherman had been in his saddle since
daylight. 1t was now sunrise. The men
were quiet some of them were writing little
notes in their diaries, and replacing them in
their pockets, thinking, perhaps, they would,
before night, be read by other eyes than theirs
The bugles sound the advance and Gen.
C0rse. Gen. Morgan l.. Smith, and Col.
Smith. with their brgades, move on. The
Forticth Illinois, and the Twentieth and For
tv-sixth Ohio. march down the slope, and up
t. within eighty yards OF the rebel Intrench-
1nents The fighting is very severe; hand to
hand it il maintained, now advancing, and
now reccding little. The fire of the rebel
artillery i murderous with grape and CAMS
ter the blood flows in torrents; our soldiers
charged up to within pistOl-shOt OF the rebel
works but. in the main, each party held It's
position But Sherman attack threatens
i3ragg's rear and must be repulsed, or all Is
lost lie orders first one column and then
another from his centre to repel Sherman
bat Sherman Is not to be driven off, il he can
not advance against great odds. Still more
troops move off 10 the left of Bragg.
Grant saw all this with eagle eye as he
watched the movements Of the enemy. Thorn
ass four divisions, who We're with him in
the centre, had been impatiently waiting all
day for orders to :. 20 in = and now the
moment had come
Sheridan (then fighting for the first time un-
der Grants cye). johnson, Baird, and Wood
were ordered to advance to the encmy's rifle
pits. clear them, then reform, and ascend
the ridge. 1t was about nine hundred yards
to the rebel rihe-pits; and there was not an
inch # the ground that was not .wept by the
artillery from the ridge.
But the men moved steadily without firing
a gun. then dashed on at the double-quick
ami the rihe-pits were carried. Some Of the
rebels threw themselves down and surrendered
as the line approached others fled up the
hill. Sheridan said he - happened to be in
advance " and as he looked back at the
twenty thousand cleaning bayonets, be was
impressed by the sight Of their terrible power
The rebels could not resist the effect on their
Imagination; and many surrendered at once
\ thousand prisoners were captured, and
hurried to the rear The men could not now
be halted to reform had been agreed but
along the whole line the loud shouts of tri-
umph rang out, and on they pressed up the
hill crowned with cannon and crowded with
rifles The rebels loaded their guns with
canister and grape. But our troops cung to
the hill, sometimes lying on their faces to let
The storm drive over them, and swarmed up
the nil. The flags constantly advancing,
hrst one and then another, up they went
through th"t -+r--" "f death
The whole ridge seems heavIng WIN
canic fires
=
Leaps the live thunder"
Baird, Wood, Granger, johnson, are every
where active and cool. Color bearers fall :;
but on 90 the flags The men press steadily
through the sheet Of flame. Bullets are as
thick as sn0w-hakes in winter storm. The
rebels light fuses, and roll shells down the
hill they hurl rocks even, and load their
guns with handfuls of cartridges in their hur-
~. But nothing breaks the line of blue
coats ; they swarm up; the flags still ascend
There is a long, loud cheer from thousands
of victorious the ridge is won
For Il few minutes, the bloody struggle
continues between the masses of infuriated
troops. Artillerists are bayoneted at their
guns. and the guns turned on the retreating
tue. W hole regiments surrender; others
fling themselves down the mountain-side fol-
lowed by clouds of rifle bullets The rebel
centre Is broken the wings are doubling up
III confusion; the victory is complete. 1t
had only been march of ffty-fve minutes !;
but in those minutes thousands of heroic men
had taken their last, long march to the realms
of death
ON Fame's eternal camping ground
Their silent tents spread:
And Glory guards with solemn round
The bivOuac of the dead
Gen Grant, who had been under fire all
day, was now recognized ON the hill and the
men greeted him with loud cheers wherever
he moved.
Bragg, powerless to resist, was retiring,
probably in the spirit Of his note to Grant,
that - prudence required non-combatants
TO leave" He was astonished. 1t was a
POSITION he said, (which line of skir-
Inishers oupht 10 hayee maintained AGAINST