Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-07-11

lNdusom curing Inc assault Oh lhe SS1 OF
May, 1868, saw his brigade dash against
hose hattlrments, to he hurled back because
The time was not yet ripe, and then arkcd
him rs the Kind ut whom heroes were
made
After the capture of VlcksIurg Rlusom
was switched OIL To Louisiana and Texas,
carrying with him the dash, courage and
enthusiasm which marked every action OF
his life. In the Banks expedition up Red
River carly in 1864, he commanded two
divisions of tue 18Th Corps, and at SaDIn
Cross Roads, April g. on the skirniish line
he was again wounded for the fourth Time,
so severely that he was sent to the rear aud
had 10 return to Chicago for treatment
but 50 impatient was he to do his full share
of work that he applied for duty ard was
ordered to report to me in Georgia. This |
was on the third day of August, in nj sum
mer OF 1864, when we were pushing |
operations with vinuictve earnesInrss
against the city Of Atlanta. | hailed his |
coming rs of II kindred spirit 10 assist us IN
the work yet to be done; assigned him to |
duty with the Army of the Tennessee, wi h |
which he had rmerly been connected, ana
he fell To the command of the fth division ut
The l6th Corps, then commanded byGcn. q. vi.
DDdge. Shortly ait,rward, namely, on the
20lh of August, Gen. Dodge himself received
Leave, and the command Of that corps dc
VOWED on the youthful G,r. Ransom,
Who commanded it at the battle Of
JonesbOro, and at the capture of the city OF
Atlanta
Here occurred a pause in our operations,
aud began the changes occidental to the
last and final campaign OF the war. There
were only two divisions of the 10Th corps
with us at Atlanta, and determined to cis-
tribute these two divisions to the other COPS
of the Army of the Tcnesce, the 18th and
the l7lh. BY this Rinsom's division became
the first of the I'm corps, and ms Gen. Blair
also took leave of absence, the command
OF the 11h corps devOlved upon Gen.
Ransom. We were then lying in Atlanta,
seemingly passive, but really waiting for the
enemy to lake the initiative after the, to
him, disastrous campaign of that year.
Later, in September, Hood began his move
ment. On tue 1st Of October Gen. Ransom,
though uuwell, personally conducted "A re-
Clnnalssance toward FairDuru to observe the
movemt nj of Our antagonist, and discover
ed that HOous whole army hal crossed The
ChaltahOOChee westward; conclusive of his
| intention TO attack our line Of communlCa-
| ton, which compelled us to C untorNOlk.
| Leaving one corps in Atlanta, with the other
| four | turned back and rapidly morchcd to
Marietta, Keuncsaw, Altoona, Kingston,
| Rome and Resacn, over the very ground
| which we had fought FIR the previous sum-
| mer, and did not pause TIL Hoods whole
army had carromed off to the West, towards
| Docaur and Florence. 1t was day and
night work; we had no tents nor the or
binary comforts of even camp life Generals
and private soldiers alike slept on tue bare
| grOuud and shared the same food. This
was no place for sick man bat it WAS the
crisis Of the war, and human life was
counted but little in comparison with the
mighty issues at stake. Pausng for few
days at GiylcsviIlc | leaned that Geu.
RlusOn was very ok, aud accompanied by
| my Chief Surgeon, John Moolc OF the It gu
lar army, one Of the most kindly, genial,
intelligent, and skilful If phy slclans, | roiC
to the camp of the 17th corps and found
| Gen. Ransom in negro cabin. He lay on
Il rude, improvlsod bunk, tried to be cheer
full, and insisted that he was "all right" or
| would be in a day or So, but noticed that
bis hand was dry aud feverish, his forehead
cola and clammy, and Lis eyes with pupils
distLnd,d, just us had noticed in my own
son Willie few days before his death. Dr..
| Moore asked few questions of his attend
| ants, and gave some general directions when
we left, Outside the cabin ! asked tie doc
tor what he thought. He said little, but
read in his fnce that Ransom's time n earth
was short. Time was then so important tne
movements already ordered must 90 on
a part Of that army was already ordercd to
Chattanooga and Nashville, and part TO
Atlanta and Savannah. The 18th corps
fDlmed an essential quota of the latter COL
umn, and as Gen Ransom could not mount
his horse, he was carried towards Rome.
the neaits st point for railroad, in litter.
| dc was attended BY his PERSONAL Stall the
litter was carried by four men at II time,
aud these four were relieved every hour by IA
fresh set. his was on the 2Sth of October,
1864, an! | started from GiylcsVlIle for
| Rome the next day aad overlook the cOrtcge
on the road the men hal constructed sort
OF canopy to screen his face from The sun,
and as my party approached they SGT the
litter down in the road. DIR. Moore and
lalighted and again examined Ransom there
was little change since our previous
visit. lie certainly had Il perfect memory,
and full consciousness of all That mas pass
ing.
remember to have joked him at travel
Ing in style OF Oriental luxury in his naian
quiz, whilst we had to jog along On tired
hUrs, She smiled and made some pleasant
reply. We remOunted and rode on. The
next morning the party reached Rome,
carrying the dead body of Gen. Ransom,
reporting that he had died shortly after W,
had passed hun IN the afternoon Of the 20 /
/, day Of October, 1864. Observing fnta
symptoms his kind attendants carried nln tt
Il farmhouse by the roadside, and there lying
| on bed he said: las soldier | have
| tried to do my duty. do not claim that al
| have done was owing to patriC tism alone
though | believe have as mucu OF that as
| most men. Patriotism and inclination have
; led me the same way, to do all IN my power
for my country
Yes, Ransom! though you had not ye
reached your Both birthday, you hac
done a mans full share of work on thi'
earth. You might have reached your three
/ score years and ten" and have done N
more | wish you could have gone on witt
us to Savannah to GodsbDro aud Washing
ton city; still more, that you could have
been with us at your many social meetings
at Chicago, Cincinnati and s.. Louis, fo
, whch you are 50 brilliantly qualified; hu
] it was otherwise decreed that you, Dan
McCook, ilarker, Mcpherson, Joe Mower
and "a host of other young aud gallant tel
lows should 20 ahead to prepare he way iu
us who may lag few years supeltluous OF
J the stage of life, but when we do meet thu
l interval will seem as but Il short day.
= From Rome, Ga, we sent the DO ~ o
, Gen. Ransom to his home in Chicago, whert
, 1t is now buried. The Society Of the Army
of the Tennessee, rich in noble intentions
but poor in purse, has decreed monument
but fear thai 10 marble marks the spo
where his body lies For this | care not
better let the dust return to dust and leav,
. us who are living witnesses to testify, 81
that the young aud rising generation ma,
drink the inspiration of patriotism from TN
/ fountain of pure sacrifice OF such life as
have endeavOIed to portray.
e The Civil War, its alarms tolls, abns
a battles and sacrifices, are fast passing out o
the memories of the living; it is to lh'
1 interest of some that they should be- huIle'
, to oblivion forever, and 1t may be wise tina
{ in public we should r,legalc the past to th'
c province of history; but among ourscvc