The National tribune., 1883-05-24
The Twenty-frst Corps at Chickamauga.


have been n constant reader of THE TRIBUNE
for nearly two years, and have greatly enjoyed the
letters from the boys giving their experiences and
views of the different engagements in which thew
participated In your issue of April Goth find an
article which interests me very much The writer
gives the history of the part taken by Harker's
brigade at Chlckamauga and asks others of the
Twentieth and Twenty-first Corps to step forward
and give their own experience at that battle. was
a member of Dicks brigade, Wan Cleves division,
IWeDty-lrst Army Corps and remember that dur
ing the battle on Saturday we kept shifting from
the right to the left he division entered the battle
leit-n-front). We fought in the thick woods most
OF the time, sometimes driving the enemy and
sometimes giving ground We lay in line Satur-
day night Immediately in rear of where we fought
with a heavy sklrmlsh line in front. Early Sunday
morning we moved TO our left and front and lay
In support of battery during the heavy artillery
duel. think 1t was about o'clock when General
Van Cleye rode up and ordered us to move rapidly
10 the lett when we did on the run for perhaps
half a mile, passing ground strewn with the
dead and wounded of both our own and the rebel
armies, ana then went into action, relieving some
troops that We're holly engaged. We drove the
enemy from our immediate front, and then were
moved farther to tine left to meet q charge of the
enemy, which, however we were unable to check.
The colonels horse was shot under him and great
many of our men were killed. wounded, or taken
prisoners We then retreated from the thick woods
INTO an open field and on to ridge and faced the
enemy again just to the left of an old log cabin,
and were there attached to Harker's brigade of
WOOD DIVISION AS to the part taken there by these
troops, / will quote from Van Horns History
Vol /, p. 352: There was scarcely time for the
execution of these movements before the left wing
OF the Confederate army fell upon Wood and Bran
non. 1t Is impossible to compute with accuracy
the number of troops with these generals. Por-
tons OF their respective divisions had been pre-
Viousiy severed and lost and there were troops
with them representing at least two divisions.
General Beatty's brigade of Negley's division
acting as a raglnentary force, and large portion
OF SANKEY'S brigade, Colonel Stoughton COM
manding-Stanley having been wounded) the
Iwenty-t ONO, from Sirwelfs brigade of the
same division, the Seventeenth Kentuckyi Colonel
Stout and the Fortyfourth Indiana, (Lieutenant-
Colonel Aldreh,) from Van Cleves division; but
TINS isolated line, composed of fragments of brig
AIDES and regiments about four thousand men in
all repeatedly repulsed the most furious attacks of
Longstreets massive lines" That does not sound
much as If all of the Twentieth and Twenty first
corps nad He'd In confusion. will quote also from
the of1clal report of Iieutenant-C Colonel Aldrich
commanding the Forty fourth Indiana volunteers
we held the enemy in check for some time but
on their breaking around our left / ordered "a re-
,eat, ana IN good order went In search of our
brigade On our march to the rear we heard to
our then left quite heavy firing and directed our
march TO that point. We found it to be General
wood command contesting the holding of hill
very important point. We arrived very oppor-
timely and took position with Colonel Harker's
brigade, placing our flag on the brow of the hill
Our men nobly rallied and fought like veterans
ana assisted In repulsing the enemy three times
anu ehectuaily, the enemy abandoning the ground
Here Captains Gunsenhouser and Wilson fell /
must say never saw troops handled better or
night more desperately than did Colonel Harker's
brigade. We remained here until after dark some
time after the firing ceaseds until the army fell
back, when we proceeded to the rear" &c. The
IMPRESSION gwen TO the country Mt the time that
the Iweitleth and Iwenty-tirst Corps had ADAM
doned the field in disgrace was SANDER on the
men who IN reality the very last to leave the
HELD, and who proved, themselves heroes in that
pattie ana IN many others before and after. true
writcn OF ohekananga has in fact never been
FRESNO CITY, CAL. Late Co e, 44th Ind. WI.