The National tribune., 1885-04-23

rifle-pits. We fought them here. There was
battery on the ridge only 400 yards distant,
somewhat to the right of my front. 1t fired
necessarily into my line
PLUNGING FIRE.
The rebels in the rifle pit nearest US fled
ND the slope. Just then / glanced along the
Union line to my left II seemed to be two
miles in length, and without crook or curve
in IL Every man seemed to have the same step.
The national flag of each regiment was futter-
ing in the breeze and bathed in the sunlight.
Every man seemed under the same ennobling
impulse, as each with quick, nervous step
strobe forward and upward, as If each were
striving to be the first at the summit OF the
ridge and yet not breaking the line OF battle
Nv brigade ascendCd with the line. lt was TINS
grand aud imposing array of brave men In line
that struck the enemy with terror. 10 every
man on Missionary Ridge in Bragg's army the
whole army of the Cumberland was visible at
one glance of the eye. We reached the summit
The lines were somewhat dIsordered by the
rayines and ridges, rihe-pits and feiled trees
encountered in ascending Stopping for awhile
70 readjust the lines the 3Sth Ala. tContederate)
came running up the ridge till they were di-
rectly in my front, aud not ten PAGES from IT.
They had been running TO escape from HOOKER
troops and thus ran into mine. we gathered
them all in, and Willie Forbes, Of the I'd OHIO,
one of INV Orderiies, was laden with IL OIL
GERS swords and a number OF revolvers taken
from the officers of the regiment. As speci-
mon of soldicrly spirit in this regiment cap
tured | mention this incident: / noticed one
Young man, who halted when his officers were
being taken prisoners, and came to order arms.
rode up TO him and asked him If be had sur
rendered "Nc i have not, was his reply. L
i'm, have surrendered,
and the best thing you can do is to surrender
immediately for you may be shot down II you
don't" He looked around and in front to see
if l had told him the truth, and being CON
Vinced he surrendered his gun aud himself
Advancing two or three hundred yards, the last
view had of the rebels was that OF mounted
officer. apparently a general officer, with two or
three mounted men galioping of TO their rear.
Hookers command soon came up the ridge on
nv right.
The demonstration to relieve Sherman re-
suited in the magnificent assault on MISSIONARY
Ridge, its capture, and the
DISPERSION OF THE CONFEDERATE ARMY
that held it. This assault was made without
orders from Grant, Thomas or any of the corps
commanders. / started up the ridge because l
saw the troops ON my left going up but who
gave tie original impulse it would be harI to
ascertain. 1t was the inspiration of genius and
courage, and also of plain common-SenSe. Ii
we had at The base OF the rid &c exchanged shots
with the enemy, as was too often the custom
in our battles, our losses would have been tar
greater ana our success prOblematical. The
courage that takes troops directly up TO the
line OF the enemy without halt is the best
strategy The Army of the Cumberland GER
tanly convinced Gen. Grant and ali others at
Chattanooga that they had recovered all the
spirit supposed to have been lost at Chcka-
mauga. This was. however, a very serious
error of Gen. Grant in supposing that the Army
of the Cumberland had been demoralized at
Chickamauga. 1t was falling back TO Chatta-
nooga that depressed its spirit for time. 1t
was the superb display on Lookout Mountain
on the oath OF November, when Hookers troops
came bursting through the clouds in pursuit of
Longstreets troops, that gave the first great
stimulus TO the Army of the Cumberland.
That scene raised the spirits OF the entire army.
Another incident to the victory above the
clouds, was a steamboat gliding majestically
past Moccasin Point and the nose of Lookout
Mountain on her way to Chattanooga. That
was significant fact 10 every soldier. 1t meant
that we were no longer in a state OF siege; that
we were again in communication with our base
of supplies and with our friends at home
The sun having set, we could not pursue the
enemy that night, and went into bivouac on
the ridge we had taken from the enemy.
The battle of Chattanooga. as those conflicts
referred to under the designations Of Lookout
Mountain and Missionary Ridge came to be
called for the purpose, it is supposed of con-
centrating all the glory on the commander of
the entire force added, of course. enormously
to the fame of Grant. This is inevitahie aud
Just in war, but it illustrates remarkable
phase of the good fortune that always attended
Grant during this war. fhe Government never
failed TO give him more troops than he needed
for his every undertaking. He had many more
troops at Chattanooga than Rosecrans had at
Chickamauga, and the enemy had many thou
sands less at Chattanooga than al Chickamauga.
Longstreet's Corps and other troops that re-
enforced Bragg at ChickamaUga had left him
before Grants attack at Chattanooga.
To be continued