The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-11-06
A HOT DAY.
"reminiscences Of the Battle of Peach Tree Greek
Before Atlanta.

DttOrt Auhutds
To THE EDITOR: How vividly the events of
the Goth of July a score of years ago are
before my eyes at this time After a whole
series of battles, charges. skirmishings, etc, we
arrived on the evening Of the 10Th of July,
1864, on the bank of Peach Tree Creek, and
occupied some old breastworks (rebel breast
works, think. To the right of our (Newton's,
the old Sheridan) division camped the Twenti-
eth Corps Hooker in command Of it. On the
morning Of the 20tk we were aroused by artil-
lery firing on our left. / saw whole lot of
soldiers Standing on the breastwork and ran
up, too, to see what was up. A battery would
like to know what battery it was) amused
themselves by Smelling the rebel picket pits
We could plainly see how the rebels ran back
into the woods as soon as shell had struck
one Of TIE pits. AtsMst, two pieces of that bat
in tIfebel picket Bine, limbered off right and
lefsshnd shelled the pits. 1 thought that was
q great piece of bravery. In the afternoon the
bugles in the Twentieth Corps sounded fall
in" and short while after we saw the corps
advancing in line of battie-skirmishers in
front, artillery in the rear-in grand style. A
short while after our buges did the same. We
crossed the bridge, formed line OF battle, and
advanced until we got in line with the Twenti-
eth Corps. Our division was more in the tim
Der, while Hooker's Corps was in open field.
Soon our skirmishers, who had advanced
through the woods, discovered Hoods army
massed ready for a grand attack. Skirmishing
commenced, and we went to work in hurry
to build a kind OF barricade. We did not need
to wait long. Our skrmishers ran back and
the rebel column right after them. We re-
ceived them in good shape. On came the ene-
my again and again, and could not help ad-
miring their bravery, but it was all in vain.
They had to retreat with terrible loss. Two
days after they Were more successful on our
left wing and had it not been for John A. Lo-
gan the Atlanta campaign might have had
far different ending. We thought the fun was
over, when, all of a sudden, o tremendous noise
broke loose in our rear to the left. Our Bril-
gade Adjutant came and ordered us back on
our left flank, which was only covered by
skirmlsh-line till clear back to the bridge, and
here the rebels were determined to break
through, cut US off from the bridge and our
army, and give US fits. We double quicked
back through a regular hail of shot and shell
aud REINFORCED that thin line behind fence.
On the road behind us ambulances wagons and
straggers hurried to the rear.
We put in the best we had, but believe the
rebels would have broke through if it had not
been for brass battery, which came On in
gallon, posted itself right behind us upon the
road, and the boys, throwing off their jackets,
rolled up their sleeves and labored with will,
firing over our heads. We repulsed every
onslaught until the rest of our corps put in
their appearance, and the danger was over and
the battle ended. l simply write this to draw
out mere correspondence about that battle, be-
cause l never saw much in print about that
affair.-MoRITz TsCHoEPE, Co. c, oath Wis,
Fort Madison Ia