The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1882-11-09
Resaca After Eighteen Years.
philadelphia Times. J


Resaca After Eighteen Years.
Philadelphia Tinses.I
Veteran Joe Johnston, worn with the Tubs of
war and marked under the harness of many
| political heats must end his campaigning soon
in surrender to the grim fellow with the scythe,
| but the cover that he built for his army at this
place bids fair to stick the century out III per-
feet form. When StOrckeeper Brown, who be-
came my guide, shut up shop and led me few
hundred PAGES westward to the southern end of
| the rebel line of works, was surprised to see
! how we'll the Notifications are preserved. We
were near the OOstanaula river, and it was our
| purpose to walk along the works more than
three miles to the Connasauga. At the time of
the battle JohnstOn's army was in the elbow
| made by the two rivers, which unite above
Resaca, and Sherman was stretched across the
country to the northwest. On some battle-felds
it is hard to understand the positions of the Op-
posing forces, but at this place the scratches
upon old Mother Earth are too plain to let the
visitor lose the trail The reason for the good
condition of the works may be found in the
popularity of the soil, which is of yellowish
slate. Bits of slate cover the sides of the mound,
which runs waist-high on an average wherever
it passes through timber.
A WALK on THE BREAsTWoRKs.
At the point where we struck this remark
able relic we went upa hill, climbing constantly
over banks of upturned sub-soiI. Passing out
| of these remnants of artillery Notifications we
followed path that wound along the top of the
embankment for infantry. At short intervals
we came upon transverse sections where there
were double lines, and down the slope we saw
many rife-pits. As it seemed to me the line
was more complete even than Hancocks line
which remains undisturbed along the Brock
road in the Wilderness. l was interested to
learn that the planters use the trenches as cut
lets for water, nor was it less curious to hear
that the banks left by Johnston serve in the
place of fences here and there over the battle
field
MANY SIGNS OF GALLANT WORK.
Along strobe the guide, and after him plod-
ded the sight-seer. Now, on the right we saw
a stretch of lowland. with a few darkies pick
ing cotton, and again, looking through trees
far to the west, We caught sight of the range of
hills beyond Camp creek, on the crest of which
had been the Federal line. 1t seemed that we
had walked more than three miles, never losing
trace of JOhnston's line, when the guide, halt
ng significantly, said: "This is the place of
Hookers big fight; look at the trees!" The
trees are always the tell-taes on battlefield
Here where hundreds of large oaks and poplars,
now fallen and half-wasted away, bore their
innumerable marks, the Twentieth corps had
breasted a bloody tide. Every foot of earth
roundabout had been trodden by the quick heel
of advance. The stream of spring water now
tricklng at the foot of the slight slope had
caught red drops that belonged of right to the
hearts of boys in the Adirondacks and of
fellows who still should be chopping for bread
in the Northern Tier. Good Asa Churchill
once sat on this hill pressing his death-wound
as he sent his Bible and his love to his wife in
Bradford.
In this way Guide Brown showed me the
whole line of defense until we came to the
thick timber on the western bank of the Con-
nasauga where the works end Having seen
this line and having visited several points occu-
pied by the Union troops, we found ourselves
almost at the end of our ResaCa rope. 4
ruined house or so, with chimneys standing in
the midst of rank weeds, particularly fine
patches of Egyptian clover, to which now
chung romantic interest and few forgotten
graves in the woods served to make the rest of
the ramble interesting Nor were these popu-
lous acres found at every place of combat left
unvisited The Federal dead of Resaca were
moved to Marietta, but the Southeruer who fell
remains on the field. Many Georgians, Ala
bamians Tennesseeans and men from 3Iissis-
sippi rest in a cemetery near the village. Some
of the graves have white headboarIs while
others are marked by iron plates shaped like
scrolls. A marble monument is to be seen in
one corner of the enclosure, while in the centre
is granite cross topped with cannon balls