The National tribune., 1883-10-11
1T WAS A BATTLE.
kn Illinois Soldiers Opinion of the Fight at
AilatGOna.

L w EaAO "a LA l. -A4'
En Illinois Soldiers Opinion OF the Fight at
AIatGOna.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
have often felt indignant, in looking over
the various histories of the late war; at not see
ing any account that makes the battle OF Ala
toona anything more than a lively little skir
mish at best. have beep in quite number
of what have been called battles, such as Cor
inth, Snake Creek Gap, Resaca, Dalton, and
Others, and l consider the above-naIned battles
decidedly tame Affairs IN comparison with the
skirmish at Allatoona, and, with your permis
sion, should like to give you a short outline
OF the affair as remember it after nearly nine
teen years.
L belonged to the Third brigade Fourth di-
vision. Fifteenth Army Corps. Our division
was on detached service at Rome, Ca, and at
about :" an hour by sun on October 18th, we re-
ceived orders to report at the depot In an hour
with seven days rations IN our hayersacks and
forty rounds Of ammunition IN our cartridge
boxes. Our brigade consisted of the Seventh,
Fiftieth snd Fifty-seyenth Illinois, and the
Thirty-ninth Iowa. A number of the Twelfth
Illinois went with US, though not attached to
our brigade. Our command numbered l500,
rank and file. We arrived at the depot in Al
latOona about midnight, or possibly 1880, and
there found between $50 and 400 men-I have
forgotten of what regiment-as garrison and
600 ratlons We learned that the next station
south, towards Atlanta, was in the hands of the
rebels and that We might expect to be attack
ed ut any moment. We lay down in line of
battle and some few of US were soon asleep. We
had lain there but very short time when the
first gun was fired that proclaimed the battle
Of AilatooBa. Almost simultaneously with the
first shot there was a volley of from six to ten
guns, followed by as many more; and from
that until sunrise there was continual firing
along the pcf1et-lines Just after daybreak our
regiment fell in line of battle on the east side
of the pass, facing to the North. and General
John II. Corse, our commander, received de-
mand from General French, commanding the
/ COnfederates, TO surrender imnlediately-aS he
had Aliatoona entirely surrounded prevent
any needless loss of life. Corse's reply was for
him 10 come on, as he was prepared to meet any
/ losses that might happen. BY this time we
were ali in line of battle and expecting a
/ charge, nor were we kept long in suspense as
the rebels almost immediately opened on US
/ with battery. planted on an eminence to the
south OF rs, and at nearly the same time they
charged from the north, east, and west, in
1 heavy columns six deep, no doubt calculating
/ TO crush Us at the first charge. But the Su-
preme Commander of battles willed otherwise
At the first volley fred by the Johnnies, Cor
poral Henry Ritchy, who stood next TO me in
! the ranks was killed instantly, with bali in
| his forehead; he was the first man to lay down
his life IN the defense of Allatoona.
A PERILoUs MOVE.
We held our fire until the Johnnies were
within less than 100 yards of us, when we let
/ them have il. and We gave them a little more
/ than they had counted ON. At first they wa
vered, then stopped and finally retreated back,
/ pell-meli, into the timber About this time
our colonel, VIM. Hannah received orders to
cross the pass and support the fort oH the west
| side. In order TO do this we had to pass over
the crest Of the mountain and go down the
/ south side 70 the foot, there cross the railroad
/ and 90 back north to the top Of the mountain
on the west side of the pass. We did this un-
der a continual shower of shell from the rebel
| battery on the mountain, about one and half
miles distant; their shells fell in front and Just
behind Us as fast as they could pour them into
{ us, but TO the best Of my knowledge they did
not kill or seriously wound a single man in
making the descent and ascent of the noun
tain, although We were covered with dirt and
/ gravel from the shells many times, and when
we finally reached the summit the west
side. we were only just in time to meet the
next charge Of the rebels. As we came up we
could see that the little halffnished rife-pits
outside the fort Were full TO overfoWing with
the enemy, as was also the little fort. Our
/ colonel, seeing the heavy lines of the rebels
charging up from the north and west, waved
his sword over his head and gave the following
command: Take TO cover; break ranks; take
care Of yourselves, and give them -.
Which we did, and again repulsed them
with terrible loss 10 them. Our command
were blessed with about four hundred Win
chester tor l6-shooters) rifles, and from $50
a. n. on, there was continual rattle of mus
kerry at very short range; and there was no
time from $50 q. II. until $50 p. m. that man
would have 10 wait one minute of time to find
Johnny for target, at from 80 TO $50 yards
distance. About 10 o'clock General COrse gave
orders for the men armed with the 16-shooters to
hold their fire las the ammunition for the same
was getting short until the rebels charged,
and then to give them -. During this
7 time the rebels charged in four, six, and eight
I rank columns, not less than eight or ten times
and were each time calamity repulsed by our
little handful Of bareback guards. You must
remember that with the old garrison of ALA
toona and our 1,500 re-enforcements, we only
numbered ], $50 or 1900 rank and fle while
we were assailed by French's corps of 10000
men, and they claimed to be the flower of the
Eastern Confederate army, and had two full
batteries Of artillery with plenty Of ammuni-
tion, while we had only four small guns and
but very little ammunition for them, so little
that we did not pretend to use them except
when the rebs made charge, and then only
! al short range, with grape and canister. The
. only thing IN the world that ever saved us was
! the bull-aogatiyeness of our private soldiers,
, who nobly did their duty. do not think
that there were fifty men in our command that
escaped without bullet either in their per-
l sons, aecouterments or clothing. For my own
? part / received seven bullets, only one of
which drew blood however, and that just clip
J ped the bottom of my left ear and has not left
4 me even a scar To show to-day; another
spent ball, going through nearly two feet of
loose dirt Just thrown out of the rife-pit.
struck me full in the left temple as was bend
ing over to load my gun. 1t tumbled me over,
and / had just sense enough left TO know that
it was fatal wound if the ball went into my
head there. After what seemed TO me hours
+. but what probably, was not more than five or
D six minutes-I came to myself enough TO want
l to investigate how big hole / had in my
head and accordingly with great difficulty got
e my left hand up TO my forehead and felt and
| felt, bat could find no hole.
After the tenth charge and rs many repulses
70 the 1reat side nnco and ..c La