Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-05-23
"REMINISCENCES 0F.THR ARMY
H. s OF TENNESSEE.
BY COUSIN NoURMA.

| The battle had ragged during the
three preceding days with variable
success, and though the Confederate
losses had been very great, yet the
remnant of the army was elated
with their constant advance and
general victorious results. Thus
buoyant and confident of final vic
tory, on the evening of Septem-
Der 20, 1863, the right of the Con-
tederate line was aligned at the base
OF the range of hills on which the
enemy held strong and formidable
position.
On Snodgrass Hill, a central bat
terry OF fourteen guns was made the
strong point on which the safety of
the federal army depended, wheth-
or for battle or retreat. Three hun.
dred yards below this line was
ranged the Kentucky brigade, COM
manded by Gen. Preston. Between
this line and the battery were two
strong lines of federal infantry
The first was placed behind a bar
rier, which had been hastily con
structed of rails and stones. The
second line was much stronger and
lodged behind a thicker and stron ..
er defense, and a large part of the
force was hidden in the thieket of
an intervening peach orchard.
Snodgrass's house, strong log
cabin, was the headquarters of
federal general, and from its posi-
ton, was comparatively secure from
the shot of the Confederate rifles.
Before this house a small red flag
Tapped idly in the sultry autumn
evening air. On the top Of the hill,
to the federal right of these quar-
sers, was stationed the battery re
ferred to, and from it continuous |
sheet of flame ceaselessly flashed, |
and the bowling Of broken shells |
and the seething, whistling whisp- |
ers of shot came constantly tearing |
through the Confederate ranks.
The sun was just setting behind
the broken range Of hills that make
a peculiarly strange framework to
the picturesque scene thereabouts.
Through the thin, blue, black and
sutfocating clouds of smoke, the sun
seemed like a huge ball of red and |
baleful fire. A dull, sickening, vel
low light streamed through the
Trees, and the long, weird shadows
IN the forest were as ghostly as the
lreariest dreams that Dante eyer |
Jaw in his vision of hell. II
On all sides, the crash and roar
IF cannon, guns, musketry, missiles |
Ind falling branches of broken
rees, were mingled with the groans I
md shouts of torn, bleeding and | i
'ictorious soldiers. The terrible |
ain of rafting shot thinned the :
anks of the Kentuckians with ter 4
ible effect, not only on our own i
trength, but also in the democrat {
ling influence attending the COM {
'arative inaetion of the line. This ! G
'eeame so uncomfortable at last,
hat We we'll remember one indi- In
'idual, who was in the non-com- | c
'ative department, east wistful /
yes at certain deep well, which r
) at the foot Of the hill, and from {
IS comparatively sheltered position f
n the left of the Kentuckians' line, | q
ad been chosen as hospital ground. n
However, it was not wholly safe, d
8 the innumerable scars of shot | 4
nd shells on the trees whereabouts Il
llicate. But ] conceive that in O.
le depths of that well there was Ii
lfety, and the fact that we found | "
live Yankee soldier in it after the Y
attic was over, is good and con- h
incing evidence of the fact. III,
The line kept up desultory yet | n
lpid fire at the federal lines on the | Il
ope of the line, but the effect was O.
OF at all fiattering, or sufficiently e,
xciting to distract attention from g,
Ie fearful effects of the enemy's 81
rape at US from Snoodgrass Hill. al
nxiously the soldiers waited for hi
ragg's bugle sound of charge, ri
I'D more than q thousand brave | a.
carts were silently interpreting in in
eir hearts the battle verse of al