The National tribune., 1883-06-28

August MeTsy, OF the Ninth Illinois, while on tie
charge, was wounded ia the leg, and his horse was
killed under hin while jumping rail fence. lie
seen NEriniyiDg his hands and cxclaiang: Oh,
mine Billy horse! Oh mine Billy horse is killed: the
TANNED rebels have Killed mine Billy horsel Oh
mine Got mine Colt, syhat is left of mine little
Mines, AS he wont TO call the Ninth Illinois.
In TINS battle and charge the old Second brigade
also recaptured some men OF she Thirty-seventh
and EorTy-scventh Ohio regiments, who were be-
ing taken by The rebels to the rear. All hail the
Ninth, Twelfth and Sixty sixth Illinois and Eighty
first 0blol
OTHER VERSIONS.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
dislike 20 spoil good stories bat IT is sometimes
necessary, iva order TO get At the truth, and give
credit where IT IS due. In your issue OF JUNE 18th,
SomTGde L. Slsallcy. writing from independence,
KAN to who s-est:Jtred DE Ores battery tie
22d Of July. says: Eye Witness Is very mach mis-
taken when he SAYS Colonel MeFSy's Second bri-
gade, Second division ofthe Sixteenth Corps retook
the battery, and refers to General Shernan's Me-
noirs to prove his assertion. / do not know what
General sherman says in regard TO il, and do not
know but what General c. X Woods division of
the Fifteenth Corps took part IN the charge. But
DO know that on that memorable morning. July
I'd, we We're ordered TO Tall IN, and we marched
way TO the left, hating about 10 O'clock and
hay there about hours when some firing to our
front attracted our attention and we were ordered
cp 10 rail fence that had been converted into a
breastworl, and took position, and detached
four companies and sent them down in rslvne in
front skiFzlislIes; bat they had hardly got de-
ployed before the .Iohnnics were seen coming out
Of the woods the opposite hill in heavy columns,
ana our companies were ordered back into line and
we prepared 10 receive the rebels. The Fourteenth
Ohio battery numbered behind on the hill and
went at them with q will and / tell You our
sexteen shooters did talk. The detail that buried
the dead afterwards reported that they buried over
five hundred in front of regiment. After they
were repGised line fell back about quarter of
EIile and formed line. Shortly after, cur
brigade-which WAS the Second brigade, Second
division of the Sixteenth Corps. commanded by
Colonel Mersy-lzas ordered overto heIpretake the
works LOST by the Second division of the Fifteenth
Corps. When we had formed for the charge,
Colonel Mercy horse. crossing fence was shot
ander him. and he laSnented nos little Tor his poor
BLY, We went up the hill with the usual Yam
kee yell, and when we got IN sight of the Jolnnies
they very suddenly fo,ind out that they had urgent
business in Atlanta, and did not stand the order
OF going, but went ~ once. When we reached The
works We found battery OF 2o-pourd PARROTS bat
spiked. our boys. always in some devilnent got
10 Inonkeying around the pieces, and soon had the
spikes ont and the guns reloaded and gave the
rebels our parting compliments Up to this time
there was no hnrsed gun in this battery but with
no rebs IN sight some suggested the idea of
throwing a shot into Atlanta, and TO do so ii WAS
deemed necessary 10 put IN a double charge OF
powder, which WAS done, a ball rilsnzned home
the piece elevated as high as it would go, and all
being now ready the word was giving to fre-and
she went or AIeia fairly reined around there for
awhile, and by the debris concluded the gun
had bursted! We anticipated blessing when the
battery boys came up, bat instead they seemed
thankful as they informed us they had cracked
that piece some time before and had been afraid of
II; bu.. Notwithstanding there quite a crowd
around the gun w:aen il burst not man was hurt
and though the shot LATED
thankful for that. The One Hundred and Third
Ohio relieved Our regiment thai night. Comrade
a Barney, OF company d. Is little OF IN his letter,
as II was not until alter we took Atlanta that
were made the Fourth division of the Fifteenth
Corps And, TO Colonel Burke, OF regiment
peace to his ashes - he received his death
wounds AZ Rome Crossroads the 10Th day of
May, when in command of our brigadel and died
e few days later. And now, CoTnrade Shsdley, if
yCu were in this eilaTge-and TO doubt you
at some point the line-perhaps You remember
seeing boys around those Parrots about this
time. You would know them 10y the guns they
carried They bought them themselves. The Febs
used TO say we loaded them Sunday and shot
al the week. However, we were there, and per-
haps Woods division was also in the charge Our
brigade all there from division, and
were enough General Dodge thought he could
depoy the sharpshooters and hold anything the
Johnnies could throw against IT. and the refs used
70 tell Us TO just hold up the butts Of guns
they could see who we were and they would go
without waiting for us to FIRE as go they had to,
or die, anyway. j. b. HEEDENAN.
DUEKIRK, OHIO. Co. Ii, Goth III. w. 8. s.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
J. Shadley. in the last TRIBUNE. attempts TO cor
rect statement of former writer to who re-
captured the DE Ores battery in front of Atlanta
July I'D 1865. The facts in the were these:
The lett wing Of TIE Sixteenth Corps under Gen
erGi q. NJ Dodge, formed at noon on July % ON
the ieft Of the Eleventh Corps, leaving gap be-
tween Their right and the LEFT OF the Seventeenth,
IL which General Mcpherson was killed and there
the boys Of the old Sixteenth fought alI the after
neon against fearful odds-S part OF tie time hand
To l,and-5asipe their part of fl,e field and cloein
.
TIE action about p. After the battle closed
the left, the Second brigade, Second division SIX
teenth Army Corps under command of Colonel
Mersy, ordered 10 aouble-qgIiclE TO the right
10 assist the Fifteenth Army Corps who had lost
! portion OF their line just north Of the Augusta
( railroad Where we crossed the railroad Colonel
Aersy's famous horse Billy" was killed and
4 the colonel slightly wounded. Across the rail-
road we went our regiment, usual, left in
front, and charging with the rest Of the brigade
through the chaparral, retook the section Of the
Inc. capturing ali the Johnnics IN the works
pany and company G, of Eighty first Ohio vol,In-
teer Infantry. coming on TO the works right De
Ores battery and assisting in It's reeaotare Cap
tain De Ores was himself with Us. No other mem
Der Of his lteTy being there just then he formed
| some Of companies and G., Eighty-frst Ohio
volunteer Infantry, into squad TO man his guns,
| OF which squad was member. We put the
! guns into use, but by awkwardness and the of
an Imperfect shell, managed to burst the inuzzle off
Of the gun spoken OF At ten at night re-
lieyed hy the Fifteenth Army Corps, and marched
back 10 position in the of the Seventeenth
| Army Corps. These facts / know are true, Sher-
! mans Memoirs and Cornrade L. Shadleys state
nlcnt 20 the contrary notwithstanding. said brig
ade was AT that time Second brigade, Second dvis-
ion, Sixteenth Army Corps. After the fall of At
lanta il WAS transferred, and became Fourth brig
ade, Fourth division, Fifteenth Army Corps 1t
! was composed Of the Ninth Twelfth and Sixty
SKIN Illinois, and tie lsIghfylrst Ohio volunteer
| infantry. j. vi. MAYOR,
Corporal, Co. /, 6lst o. v. I.
| To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
Comrade A. Barney, company D. Sixty-sfxt.,
Illinois, says IN The TRIBUNE OF the 18th inst that
i was not Aersy's but Bnrkes brigade that made
The charge July - 1864 If he will think moment
he VIII remember that Burke was killed at Rome
Cross roads. long before the battle of Atlanta
also, that we were not put in the Fifteenth Army