The Bad Lands cow boy. [volume] (Little Missouri, Dakota [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-1886, 1886-07-22

Shiloh, IL was with US at vicksburc, and
at Mission Ridge. was in battery opposite
Howell's guns. This day I stood By The
right section, talking to Lieut.. Smyth
and thought we had repulsed the
massed attack. We had, but it was
only the first line. The powder and
smoke was 80 dense and as was stopping
to LOOK under the cloud when tho second
line OF confeds poured over our works
and through the cut, gaining our rear. Our
battery horses were being shot down, Lieut..
Dutch took in the situation at glance, /
Those OF his men who heard his order and
followed him, escaped. can't saw precise
" how did get of but one thing 1 do re-.
member-that it occurred to me il I bur.
ried I should probably go to Atlanta, SO +
Just sorter sauntered oil, disregarding calls
Tor surrender. surrender got into q ra-
vine by the caissons and rallied some OF
our boys, got them to shooting; then picked
up another squad so that by the time I
heard old Col. Mercey's Dutch profanity, I
had perhaps couple OF hundred OF our boys
busy and Morgan L. and Lightburn and the
other officers were doing the same. The
scene shown in the panorama describes
what happened Immediately after, better
than |, can tell it. Tome it is simply won.
derful and ! feel every old soldier of the
Army OF the Tennessee and his friends,
il they knew what they would
see. would gladly travel hundreds OF miles
to visit the panorama. Sergeant Sweenie
says that one OF his 'gunners threw himself
across Lieut.. Robb's dead body, feigned
death and lnid there until we drove the
Johnnies out OF the works. Then he
jumped up and got q gun. The Rev. Sam.
Jones and Sam. Small came in the other
day" said Col. Hettalling. "They were both
too young to remember the scenes OF TWEEN
ty years ago altho' they instantly recog-
nizod every point in the distant landscape
and commented on it's truthfulness, but
the moment they were told what houses
now stand on the ground near by us here,
they added roads and houses so rapidly
that was surprised to see how thorough
~ they knew the ground which is now the
little town OF Edgewood. and yet the battle
field and its Scenes which are so familiar
to us veterans quite unintelligible to them,
nltho' natives to the manner born. You
would be surprised could you listen as I
do to the never ending stories and incl
dents thnt are provoked and told con-
corning the ground before US.
That cloud OF dust which fills the air and
partly veils Stone Mountain has a clear
significa nee to most old soldiers. Nothing
but a wagon train or heavy bodies OF cav.
airy create thatcloud OF DUST. The whole
army train was in that vicinity. Mors
vile to guard which one small brigade had
been placed at Decatur. It was q brigade
| OF veterans; Jersey men, Wisconsin men,
Ohio and Illinois were in that brigade Oh
Col. Spragues. The attack delivered upon
it by Wheeler's cavalry corps was vigorous
and we'll sustained. Wheeler, in his report
states that he could not, with his cavalry,
dislodge the division OF infantry Tin fact
there were not q thousand muskets. But
Sprague was there and got his well-earned
star that day. Coddecks Jersey men would
not down nor fall back until Sprague with
to tears straining down his cheeks, begged
them Tor Gods sake to do 80. Sprague
knew OF a cross roads and should he lose
this regiment as he Inevitably must if they
did not fall back, there was every proba-
bility OF the ultimate destruction OF his
command. But Lieut.. COL Jerry Rusk
was battling back charge and assault and
held the ground until his Wisconsin boys
were Joined by the Jersey men. Every man
in Sprague's brigade was hero that day.
They held the cracker line which that night
was safe behind the solid front OF the armies
OF the Cumberland and the Tennessee"
Such panorama as ATLANTA" must be
seen many times in order to appreciate it's
wealth in historical fact. tits proposed to
make it permanent attraction OF Mime
apolfs.