Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-09-25
TWENTY-ONE YEARS AGO.

leSSOt'S|sOt1S ~ altS LedtlG " DttJNdiuaak "a
Yesterday was the twenty ami
versary of the battle of Chieamauga,
and Mr.. ia mes G. Doane, who wa~ in
the two days 6ght, and wounded five
times, tells of the part the Eighth Kan
sas took in the memorable engage. nents
in the following graphic manner:
o rWenty-One years ago, on the nine.
teerth and twentieth of September,
1868, was fought the terrible battle of
Oh 'Camauga. 1t is remarked in the
annals Of our &" civil war. as the most
desperately cOnte ted field Of The rebel
Ii n. AS there were more ca-ualtieS in
,,rOpOrti To the numbers engaged,
than any battle fOug Int on American
s,il. 1t i memorable to the people %
Kansas for in it persisted some OF her
braVeSt sons.
The Eighth Kansas Volunteer Infant
ry, commanded by Col John A. Mar
tin, was he only regiment that repre-
scented the ma tiai spirit Of the slate Of
Kansas, in the great Army OF the Cum
berland.'' and belonged TO Jeff Z. Da-
vis' division
We went into the fight with four hun
drsd and six officers and men, and when
the battle closed, our killed and wound
ed numbered two hundred and fOrR-
three, or sixty per cent OF all engaged
such u loss is remarkable and hardly
ever occurs. Let Us examine history
for the cause. On page 1856, cam aigus
of the Civil war, army OI the { lumber
land, - we read bragg thea ordered
up CheAthem division which had b en-
in reserve, reinforcing WeIteF: with
these twp commands united the rebel
..resspd forward with loud vel =, deter
mined on he destruction of our left.
As these two commands advanced n gap
was made in our line, into which BFagg
threw Stewards division. As hey en-
our line these trOnps moved forward
Striking johnson first they drove him
in disorder, then Palmers was compelled
tn retreat, when Van CleVe. coming tn
hiss support, was also beaten back.
ReYnOld then in turn was over Covered,
aud the rebels seemed To be sweeping
every thing before them, as at Stones
river.
By this time JEFF c. Davis had report
ed with hi division, aud moving a. once
to The oat, checked the rebel advance
when Wood coming I'd his assistance.
our lines were reformed, q CheAth-
ANS, Stewsrt's and Walkers troops
were driven in rapid retreat back TO
their original line. As our d vision ad
vancpd in line battle tn strip the Gn
coming of the victorious troops Of Long
street, omen who elaimed they never
were stopped, and had come from Vir-
ginia to reinforce Bragg. They came
with a rush. and a yell. There was nu
organization, b"t the indiscriminate
confusion 'f charging masses of men
There came a crash. Our division fired
at close range We charge and drive
them. We charge again aud they cOEn-
ter charge, and then the mad dance Of
death goes on. l. is a sad day tor Kan
Sas when this end; mothers and wives
will weep in their lonely log cabins for
brave ones cold in death. I'he EespOn-
sibility Of our regiment was gTeass alone
ia that greet army, il was expected to
keep stainless it, honor, and add lu-ter
20 the fame of Kansas; it was equal TO
the occasion, but at a terrible cost.
Our part the field resembled a slaugh
3er pen. The boys are getting down 70
the work, the fire in our front is slack
ing, our colonel Is everywhere. "Bully
for Martini shouts his men, ''clOse aP
on the color company" Is the order
The fire Is getting hotter; our flag falls;
it Is up again and down and up and
down il gnes again. II is down f'.r the
seventh lime. II seems as If the color
guard would be annihilated. As the
seventh cOlOrbearer fell and the old
flag lay on the ground, and its defenders
railing by the dozen, our colonel (the
youngest in The Cumberland army rode
up and said, -'tiive me the cOlOrs. -
He certainly will be killed. Ferd. Win
del. his orderly, Is shot through ard
through. This Is the 'tgilt-edge hell'
we read about. Our ammunition IS
about exhausted; We retreat 70 a small
field and receive q fresh supply,
and at IL We 60 again.
Darkness closed the battle Of ths nine
ttenth. Brave hearts are sad, brOnZed
cheeks are pale, men are locking fer
comrades. Where IS Wilson. 2 eOmrade
asks meP Dead. Have you seen Rose?
Yes. dead: Then, / ask, have you seen
nv bunk, Tom GsnsardIP No. yes, he
is wounded and 8 prisoner. Poor boy
only seventeen. the hGndsOmest boy in
REGIMENT. with Is es like LeaYenWOrth
GIRL. He died in AndsFsOnvilIe. Is the
Colonel hurt Is asked by q dozen voices
at onceP No, thank God, omen are
rsysrent on such oecasiOns.) Oar
brigade commander Col. Hegg, Of the
III Wisconsin, Is KILLED, and Col. Mar
tin viii cOmElaad the brigade and Col,
AberaalhV the regiment. With sad
hearts We laY as down on the cold
ground. TO await the ..truggIe OF the
morrow the morrow came, and 3 ter
rfbIe daV IL was. have only dim
recollection VI charging columns 81
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