The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-05-17


Indiana volunteers, was selected for
his bravery and good judgment and
placed in charge of the picket line.
Jones, in the West Virginia campai gn,
was shot, the ball entering in front
near the waist-beltj and passing out a
few inches from his back bone. i. How
he escaped death isSa mystery, but he
soon recovered and joined his com
mand in the field and served honorably,
faithfully and bravely to the end Of
the war. During the night the troops
were not permitted to make fires, but
to create the impression that we were
massing on the enemy's left, Rosecrans
had great many fires made away off
to our right. This kind Of strategy
might have been successful with an
Ignorant, unenterprisin2 enemy, but
Bragg knew as many ''tricks Of the
tr;lde' as Rosecrans.
Knowing then at once where we
were the weakest, Bragg proceeded to
make himself the strongest. Accord
ingly leaving breckenridge division
to hold his works in our front, he
massed the balance of his army, in
Guiding artillery, on our right. Lieut..
Col. Jones satisfying himself of the
true state OF the case, reported the
facts to Gen. johnson, who sent
staff officer to McCook's headquarters
to notify him of what was going ON in
his front. McCook, who was always
prompt to act when duty required it,
either went, or sent, 4 staff officer to
report the facts to Rosecrans.
This report reached Rosecrans about
twelve O'Clock at night and instead of
changing his entire line at once, or at
least reinforcing the right by Thomas
command, he did nothing but quietly
await the coming of the morning and
the dreadful onslaught Bragg had in
store for our right flank.
At a few moments before O'Clock
the attack was made against Johnson's
two brigades. What could they do
against such heavy odds! Bravely
did these men fight, but by force of
numbers they were compelled to fall
back, exposed to deadly fire which
caused many gallant men to bite the
dust.
This was the time for our left to
have gone into Murfreesboro, but the
battle on our right had been so heavy
that Rosecrans probably thought it un-
wise to attempt to carry out his pre-
vious orders. The broken right fell
back and reformed near the Nashville
pike and halted the onward rush of
the rebels. Bragg at this stage of the
battle reinforced his right, intending to
attack Crittenden.
Every one at all acquainted with the
operations of this army will remem-
the great achievement of Rosecrans in
the fire of his entire ar
tillery upon Bragg's reinforced right.
The history of this terrible artillery
fire is simply this :-Crittenden from
an eminence observed the rebel right
and when it came within
range, he turned to his chief
of artillery, Capt. John Mendenhall Of
the regular army, and said, by
heavens, Mendenhall, here is a good
place for your artillery" Quick as
thought the gallant Mendenhall was
off and within a few moments he had
his brazen-throated dogs of war belch.
ing forth fire, shot and shell upon
Bragg's advancing columns. This was
one of the most terrific artillery fires
of the war, and the press Of the coun-
try gave Rosecrans great credit for it,
but it is due to the truthfulness of his
tory to state that it was conceived by
Crittenden and carried into effect by
both as modest as they
are brave, and each too modest to ever
claim the credit to which they were
entitled.
On the 4th of january Bragg evac-
uated Murfreesboro and the Union
army took possession. 1t was in this
battle that the army of the Cumber-
land first baptized it's name in blood.
Who that was there during that strug-
gle shall ever forget it We were in |
the midst of q population more hostile |
and unrelenting than that which sur
rounded Xenophon in his famed march
from the disastrous plains Of Cunaxa.
or the Swedish Charles, when his
invincible legions were shat
tered by the Muscovite at Pultowa.
We fought a skillful and determined
enemy upon the field of his own choice
and, after a desperate struggle, defeat
ed him, whilst he was yet flushed with
the excitement Of his supposed sue
cess and wrenched the garlands of vic.
tory, as it appeared, almost from the
very hands of fate itself. Who shall
ever tell the secrets of those cedar
Businesses, or unveil the tender threads
upon which the fortunes of that des-
perate field revolved?
What is that merging from the
Cedars 1t is 4 piece of artillery
drawn by hand. The horses have been
lost and Col. W. w. Berry, Capt. Hus-
ton and 4 few others, unwilling that it
should fall into the hands of the