The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1882-08-17

tiers. had procured another horse,
| and again was with the column"
How did the Michiganders behave
when you moved outP"
s.Cool as ice. AS rule, in such ca
ses, there is a sputtering of musketry
long enough before any one can be hit,
but those fellows waited. l didn't hear
bullet until we were within pistol-shot.
We went for 'em on the yell, and this
time a hundred of US crowded our
horses right against the breastwork. l
tried twice to leap it, and when |
couldn't sat there and fired three shots
al captain without touching him. A
Yank then fired at me over the brush,
and while l was not hit the powder in
his gun signed my whiskers and the bull
let made a hole in the man behind me
as large as a hens egg. l thought we
were getting the best of il, but present.
ly the buoles blew and back we went
licked again. Think of it, sir-400 men
licked l, 200 as coolly as if they had al
ways fought that way! 1t made us hop
ping mad, and you ought to have heard
Wheeler take on. He's little bit of
| foxy looking chap, you know, but all
vim and fight and he'd never struck
snag like that before. He was so mad
that his stirrups wouldn't hold him."
TRYING AGAIN.
fnnes was as cool as January Aman
who has his back to wall can fight
three men in front, but yet there is
limit to the endurance of men in the
best positions. He had beaten Wheeler
back twice, and he could beat him
again, but if Wheeler welded the ham
mer long enough he must shatter the
target. When Lee could raise no more
men he knew to week when the eli
max would come. He could figure to
certainty when five men would be able
to overpower one. Innes had strong
position. but Wheeler could lose two
men to his one and beat him in the end.
Therefore, when he saw that it was to
be succession of assaults he sent for
reinforcements and made ready for the
next grapple. He passed along every
foot of his lines, suggesting changes
here and there and encouraging the
men, and as he saw the Confederates
move out for third assault he said to
his veterans:
''Fire low and don't waste bullet!
Drive them back this time and we'll
have reinforcements before they can
come again!'
81 did not take part in that third as
sault,' continued my informant, ''but l
watched it closely. We had from twelve
to fifteen hundred men. and they were
all fighting mad. 1t was the same as
before with your men. They held their
fire until every bullet would hit. There
was crash-a cloud of smoke-cheers
and yells, and then lost sight of the
fight for five minutes. Some of our men
got over the breastwork this time, but
were killed there, and it wasn't ten min
utes before the bugles rang out and back
the lines came. By this time the ground
was covered with dead and wounded
along Innes' front, and with my spy.
glass I saw some of his men rolling
dead horses against the breastwork to
make it stronger. It's a dead-shame
the way we were rolled back by that
little crowd of Yanks. but it's no use
denying what actually happened. The
road beyond Lavergne was blocked full
of Federal wagons, but we couldn't get
at 'em for these paltry 400 blue-coats,
and they were tree-cutters and bridge,
builders at that! That ere scrimmage
has always made me ashamed, and l
guess Wheeler will always feel sore
over it.
THE FOURTH.
Between the third and fourth as
saults Wheeler waited to see if the
Wolverines would not run up the white
flag. His mission that day was to COB
Bile Federal trains and secure plunder,
and he did not relish this obstruction.
He did not want his men killed off, and
yet that Federal force was menace
which he dared not pass unheeded. 1t
would be no glory to whip them, being
he was six to one, and as for prisoners
Hardee was capturing Federals by the
hundred on the right at Stone River
After that third repulse. Wheeler would
have abandoned the game as not worth
the powder, only that he found himself
in a bad situation. To pass Layergne
he must whip Innes. To fall back
would be a disgrace. Therefore he
prepared for a fourth assault. A good
part of the force was dismounted to act
as infantry, the artillery advanced until
the spent bullets of the Federals drop
ped before the guns, and when all was
ready the lines advanced.
Meanwhile Innes had backed some
wagons into his breastwork to strength
en- 1t, and as many as dozen dead
horses were rolled over to help strength
en- it. When Wheeler opened with his
cannon two laughable incidents ecur-
red to put the Federals in good humor.
A shell struck one of the dead horses
and exploded inside the beast The re-
suit was that score of men were COW
cred with the pulpy mass, and cap
tain was knocked down by large
"hunk" Of meat and rendered uncon-
sclous for full five minutes. His first
words on regaining consciousness were:
boys, are we in Heaven. or have we
given the rebs fits againn''
One OF the wagons contained clothing
and rations. A she'll passed through the
endhoard, burst with deafening sound,
and pieces of oyercoats and blankets
kept company with hard-tack as they
sailed over the encampment. A outton
from demolished eTercoat struck a
Federal On the ear and fell to the ground,
and as he picked it up with one hand
and held his bleeding ear with the other
be yelled out:
Doys, We got 'em licked for sure.
They're out of bullets and are shooting
buttons at usr'
That fourth assault was cool and des-
pefate, but 1t was met in the same man.
ner. Not a dozen Federal muskets
were fired until the rush was made
Then such fire was poured in thatth
center was checked, and as the wings
reached the breastwork, friend and foa
fired deliberately at each other from
disc, nee of ten feet
Il was with that fourth assaulting
column. said the Confederate narrator,
''and again reached the breastwork.-
This time | was on foot. We got hold |
of wagon to pull it out and 1 had |
three men hit in the legs by the fire un-
der the brush. saw over hundred
Federals through and over the breast |
work, and could hear every order given |
by the officers. A man near me, who |