The National tribune., 1881-09-03

waved at Shiloh, glorifel at Stone River, rddled
at Chicamauga. Nobler than Caesars rent mantle
are they all! And up move the banners, now
fluttering like a wounded bird, ftlterng
now sinking out of sight. Three times the flag
of the Twenty-seventh Illinois goes down; and
YOU know why. Three dead cOlor-Sergeants lie
Just there; but the flag is immortal thank God!
and up it comes again, and the VS. move on. At
the left of Wood three regiments of Baird-Tur-
chin, the Russian thunderbolt, is there-hurl
themselves against bold point strong with
Rebel works: for a long quarter OF an hour three
flags are perched and mOtiOnless ON plateau
under the frown of the hill. Will they lin ger
forever? / give look at the sun behind me: 1T
is not more than hand's-breadth from the edge
of the mountain; its level rays bridge the valley
from Chattanooga to the Ridge with beams of
gold; it shines in the hostile faces it brings out
the Federal blue: it touches up the flags for
the voice that could bid that sun stand still |
turn to the battle again those three flags have
taken flight. They are upward bound. The
men of the Eighty-eghth Illinois were swept by
an enfilading fire; Colonel Chandler seized the -
colOrs: they steadied into rock and swept the
enemy before them with a broom of bayOnets;
it cost them fifty of the rank and file and two
ieutenants.
The of the flags is growing every moment
more terrible. There at the right. in Colonel
Shermans brigade, strange thing catches the
eye one of the inverted VS. is turning right side
up. The men struggling along the converging
lines to Overtake the flag have stanced it, and
there the cOlors are, sinking down in the centre
between the rising fanks. The line wavers like
a great bllOw, and up comes the banner again, as
if it heaved a surgeS shoulder. The iron
sledgcs beat Hearts, loyal and brave, are on
the anvil all the way from base to summit of
Mission Ridge: but those dreadful hammers never
intermit. Swar ms of bullets sweep the hill;
YOU can count twenty-eight balls in one little
tree. Things are growing desperate up alOft
the enemy tumble rocks upon the rising line;
they light the fuses and roll shells down the
steep; they load the guns with handtuls of car
tridg,s in their haste and lS if there were pow
der in the word, they shout "Chicamauga!"
down upon the mOuntaineers. But it would not
all do and just as the sun. weary o. the scene,
was sinking Our of sight, with magnificent bursts
all along the line, exactly as you have seen the
crested seas leap up at the breakwater, the adj
vance sUrged over the crest, and in a minute
those flags fluttered along the fringe where fifty
guns were kennelled.
GOD BLESS THE FLAG
What cOlOrs first upon the mountain bat
tlement | dare not try to say; bright HonOrs
self may be proud to bear-bear my proud
to ,folI0w the hindmost Foot by foot they had
fought up the steep slippery with much blood
let them go to glory together But this can
declare: The Seventy-ninth Indiana, of Woods
DIVISION fairly over the rile-pits, and left its
whole line in the rear, and its breathless color
bearer led the way. But few steps between
him and the summit. he grasped little tree that
bravely. clUng there, and away he went. hand
over hand like sailor up the shrOudS. and shook
his eXultant flag above the crest This | can
declare John Cheevers, of the Eighty-eighth Illi-
nOis, planted his flag by Bragg's headquarters,
and it kinded there in the setting SUM- at the very
heels OF the enemy. minute and they were all
there, uttering along the ridge from left to right
The routed hOrdes rolled off to the north rolled
off to the east, like the clouds of worn-out
storm. Bragg, ten minutes before was putting
men back into the rife-pits His gallant gray
was straining nerve for him now and the man
rode on horseback into Dixies bosom, who ar
rayed in some prophets discarded mantle fore
told, on Monday, that the Yankees would leave
Chattanooga III nNe days. Ihey lett Ii IN three,
and by the way of Mission Ridge, straight over
the mountains their forefathers went. As
Sheridan rode up to the guns, the heels of Breck-
enrdge's horse glittered in the last rays of sun
shine That crest was hardly well off with the
old love before it was on with the new"
But the scene on that narrow plateau can never
be painted. As the blue-cOats surged over its
edge, cheer cheer rang like bells through the
valley of the Chicamauga. Men flung them
selves exhausted upon the ground. They laughed
and wept shook hands, embraced turned round
and did all four again. 1t was as wild as a
carnival. The general was received with shout.
soldiers" he said you ought to be court
martiaed, every man of YOU | ordered you
to take the ritie-ptS, and YOU scaled the noun
tain." But it was not Marss horrid front exactly
with which he said it, for his cheeks were wet
with tears as honest as the blood that Redeemed
all the route. Wood uttered words that rang
like "Napoleons," and Sheridan, the rOwels at
his horses fianks. was ready for a dash down the
Ridge with view-haloO for foN-hunt.
But YOU must not think this all there was
of the on the crest for fight and frolic
were strangely mingled. Not gray-coat had
dreamed man of us all would live to reach the
summit. and when little wave of the Federal
cheer rolled up and broke over the crest they
detiantly cried. Hurrah and be id" The