The National tribune., 1883-06-28
FIGHTING THEM OVER
WhO Recaptared the De Ores Battery
in the Battle Before Atlanta.

pois battery, on July p. 1864 A comrade from
independence, Kan, for instance states that the
Third brigade, First division, Fifteenth Army
Corps, fGen. c. L. Woods was in the charge that
recaptured the battery. General sherman, in
his Memoirs, just says what Colonel Carsaca-
don, of the Ninth lows, reported 20 him The
History Of Iowa Regiments, on page 2ll, says:
"The Fourth and Ninth Iowa recaptured De
Ores battery and turned them on the foe.
portion of the Sixteenth Corps now came up
and claimed share of the honor, but ii WIS
awarded By both General sherman and Woods
TO the Second brigade, First division, FifteeBth
Army Corps" Permit me TO say that Colonel
Carsacaaon is sadly mistaken. as IS also J.. Shad-
ley, IN his account of the occurrence. Comrade
A. Barney, OF Sac City, is about right, but lie
is mistaken in the men and the commanders
Now, the Fact is, we had the battery at least
five minutes before any Others troops came up.
As TO the statement that one gun burst While
in the hands Of the rebels, that is sad mis-
take. 1t burst while IN possession of compa-
mics G and *, Sixty-sixth Illinois Western
sharpsho0ters. I pulled out one of the spikes
with my own fingers, il being 20-penHy nail.
BY publishing the following account from
my Journal, of the battle OF Atlanta, July -,
1864, you viii get the true story Of the affair
DAYTON, OHIO. VETERAN.
WHAT THE DIARY SAYS.
Friday, July y, Iss4.-The weather very pleas
and il frcnt OF the Army Of the Tennessee. Dur
ing the night Of Jaly IL the rebels evacuated their
line and fell back 10 their inner lines. At
lanta The Army OF the Tennessee was reformed,
which threw oHt General Thomas W. Sweeny's
Second DIVISION Sixteenth array Corps, and Placed
1t In reserve. Iae Army oi The Tennessee was
formed IN t5e following order: The Seventeenth
Army Corps the extreme issft oil General ". r
Sherman : sTll Tire Fifteenth Army Corps the
right If the Seventeenth Array Corps and resting
the TweIfy-third Army Corps, near the How
ard Hoase- GA the Augusta Rl.1lroaG. In REFORM
ing the array. General i. ". Szeenys Second
division s1s General Jehn Failcr's Fourth civiS-
ion Sixteenth Army Corps except the Second brig
ade, Fourth ,sfyison, Sixteenth Army Corps Coo
mel j. W. SRTaSUe 81 Was Stationed OF Decatur,
Ga. TO guard tie Army Of the Tennessees supply
train i took walk to the front. At Terrys Nil
with II. T. SortmaE. Fred. W. Etof baaer, Henry
J. krincr and Aaron Hallenbeek of company q,
Sixty-sixth Illinois veteran volunteer infantry.
From the upper floor of the mil could see the
JohnHies Il work their line OF works around
Atlanta also had fne view of Atlanta aud could
see the rebel soldiers moving 10 the Lett OF our
liaes. The Iweaty-third Kentucky and One EGE.-
dred and Eleventh Ohio Of the Twenty third Army
Corps, Oh ihe skirmish line. commenced sharp
shooting, from TerTys Mil. Sugar Creek. about
a. IA. The skirrnishing lively in our 'front.'
and the rebels opened battery the mill, eonl-
peIIing 10 leave. The rebel citizens and slaves
were busy throwing up works whsle General J. 3
Hoods troops We're marching 70 battle. and NOV
lng 10 the southeast of Atlanta co4iid plainly
from tie top Of the mill. We fell back and
joined our regiment. IN the rear Of the Fifteenth
Army Corps skirnslshln= orr left and Fe&.r
General SweelIy Second division, Sixteenth Army
Corps, was ordered 10 march 10 Decatur, Ga, and
did 1t 70 a. The rattle Of Elusfzetry
very brisk, with an &C 1sional boom vi artillery,
increasing. as we moved on at double-slliek-
companies and G in advance OF the Second brig
ade. Second division Sixteenth Army Corps. We
could cavalry slirnlishing IN front in the
large open plain where the Army OF the Tennes-
sees supply train parked. The battle increas
1ng on tsle lett OF the Army Of the Tennessee,
doubieqHicked 10 the leif Of the Seventeenth Army
Corps ano cavalry. and. 10 fili up 81 gap
line, crossed the Augusta Railroad and marched
4 Dz-T DAD n on m
the rebel General j. b. Hoesa assaulted the Army
OF the Tennesse, marching 81 the right flank and
dee's corps. and the Sixty-siicth Illinois Mestern
eharpSho0ters 90 "a hsAif wheel and opened
lire on the rebel Inc, with their Henry rifles cheek
ing them long enough for Colonel august dersy,
of the Ninth Illinois. 10 form the old Second brig
nde-NintlL Twelfth and SlKty-sixth Illinois and
Efshty-rsd Chic. While engaged here an AID Of
General ). -. MCPHERSON General sweeny,
ordering hisn 10 doubie-qulek. for Gods sake 20
help the Seventeenth Army Corps the rebels
were IN the front. flank and rear. and were fight
tng ali sides of their works. that they could
mot hold their position h1af al hour longer The
sun was now very hot. and the rattle Of inusSetry
lncessant, making il still hotter. After the FIRST
check of the rebels In front the rested Cor
d little while the rattle OF nusketry ARd OF
artillery increasing 20 right and rear. and IN
the direction whence we Had come in tl1e Morn
ing. Ii was steady al shiloh, Tenn, That
ever memorable Sunday, april 6, lSde.
THE FTGHT Al BALD HILL.
While the regiment was resting here, sxismish-
ing commences again an front Said LieuteEi-
ant =. y. Ellis 10 the boys: They are shooting
POEkers." l told him ! guessed they were two
legged ones At the same time MAYOR A. X
Campbell gave orders for companies A. X and q,
Sixtysixtk lliinois-or Cox's brigade a. the boys
called tese three eoI advance at double
quick. NeWeni about half mile through the plain,
and the let Of Bald Bill v here The grass WAS
about three feet high The rebels opened
panies A and q, when company X came up and
the rattle Of the Henry repeating rifle could be
heard above the rattle of the mimic or Enfield
rife We were commanded by Captain w :
rarFa r-O A fInr
cf sklrmlaheHs on the right. n IN the center and q
OIL the LEFT. We charged the rebel si1irnsaers
and drove tlleia into the woods but before Colonel
A. h Campbell could oePioy the regiment the
rebel General Walkers division charged IN
seven lines deep, and, OH, AgsrsLt sight that
this beautiful csyt!le rebel line in fun view and
advancing ii Figisf shoulder sst arms their guas
elIstenlng tie ssTni They came with yell and
& hurIsltl, sEoh as only Johnny &eb could give but
they were met by Just stubborn Billy AaniSs
and the bGts-e iJeeaIne general IN front OF General
SWeenys elglssOa- Before had time 70 erect
b2tTicades sbey charged again. gaining lines
and forcing IL back The Army 81 the Tennessee
supply train, parked between Decatur and our
rear, WAS the object OF the attack. General VIM
11ssrdees troops had been lying II sight Of The
large supply tram since morning when he might
have captured the whole train but his hopes IN
tnat diTeeaioa were vain Tor General J. B.
AcPhersOa, with his usual foresight, had dis
patched General G. H. Dodge, with iae second di-
vision 10 t5e len, which arrived just in time fol-
1as.Zees o=tscations AMI the tram OF so wagons
was sz1ged iy Colonel Aersy Second brigade. On
night ANA the Of artillery and the rat
Tic 81 tnusetzy terrific. AEI3e boys We're
engaging te rebels the right we could see Cen
eTal Bates division Of rebels. nlassed solid col
uInns O els.t deep, coming up through the ragine
and IN less than no time General Lewis Kentucky
brigade cil-Eed our regiment and the Second Iowa
1Q iJF Fii.ls 4 looked ike victory the Johnny
Relss. The Ninth Kentucky igebei) planted their
coioEs on company C's kapaol1s and Eiiile Capt
Boyd icolapany ~ was turning them up with The
sixteen shooters, or men We're their knees fr-
aisg roslia AMER round until IRE began 10 tell
on the rebel Iiae. ana men fell by the hundreds.
no eolsl3E1d. indeed could stand the whitening
fire 81 the lelIry and Spencer rife. orderly Ser
Rcaili " lil. linITows OF company g. shouted For
God sze, iflza DO not let the rebels capture our
cOlors. 1t ttlcs.l, and give them - " and the
men q the .saa Twelfth and Szty-sixth Illinois
Second and Seventh Iowa. si1-sisth Indiana ..lld
4.lShty-iilSb Gllio with q shout jumped up and
charged the rssel line retaki8g their Eznapsaes
which they ls.4 used breast works driving t3ae
rebels doHB the rayine in . solid mass We lei
them have III lad OF our sixteen shooters Al
the same f.ne the Florida brigade and Second and
Iifsh Kentucky, 6. g. a.. charged tie Second and
Seventh Iowa. Ssxty-sixih Indiana E,sEiIiy -rsi
Sh1o Iwel.th aud Fllg-sce0aS Illinois. Then
Gen Merrill brigade of the Fourth division SIX
teenth Army Corps; gwenty-seveuth and Thirty
ninth Ohio Eighteenth Missouri and sixty-fotIrlf
lsrsi Missouri, battery II, and Fourteenth Ohio
battery raining shot aud shell into lie rebel ranks
SD drove tlull back into the woods Ia confusion
A coUsTER-cHARGE~
There the rebels reformed and in tE.rn charged
our LINES with desperate fury. For a while lie
concerning lI.les Of battle sHaved 10 and frC
Ike the waves u the ocean. Il was grand sight
such - men don't very oftca. Battery II Firz
Missouri, fred six hundred shot and shell into thC
rebel ranks, and - last the enemy lgas forced K
retire. We emerged the rebels as they fen back
t6iEi9g greet Enlslly pflsOacrs Tor they s4rrt-n