The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1886-09-30
FIGHTING THEM OVER.
What Our Veterans Have 10 Say About
Their Old Campaigns
"HOLD THE FORT"
Credible Testimony Concerning the Famous Dis
patch al AllatOOna.

TO AllatO0na from kenesaw Mountain That
has since become famous IN song and story
The article In question states that said nag Is
in the possession OF q son OF MAJ. Sherry, and
that the Major used it IN sending message
from Gen Sherman 10 the commanding officer
at Alatooua TO Hold the fort" This is all
mOonshue Lieut.. Sherry was not on the
mountain until the 5th Of October and no such
message was sent directly by Sherman.
The facts are these: Lieut.. Connolly and the
writer were the only signal officers ON kene-
saw Mountain during the battle at Allatoona.
ON Monday, Oct 8 Lieut. Connolly went to
Marietta aud did not return until Tuesday, the
4th leaving me there alone, and work accumu-
latIng rapidly. Early In the morning of the
So discovered large camp of mixed troops
near Lost Mountain. put man at the glass
10 watch them, and try to make out IL they
We're our troops or rebels. j at once notified
Marietta OF what had seen, and asked for in
formation as 10 whether any OF our troops We're
in that vicinity. In reply j received the news
that the wires were down in the direction OF
Atlanta, consequently could not communicate
with sherman headquarters. at once placed
Il man IN position with slX-foOt flag 10 call
Atlanta. Twenty-siX miles interviewed and
between Bs and them flowed the ChattahoOchec
River, with It's almost constant fog There WAS
also much smoke from camps in and about
Atlanta. winch rendered signaling quite diff
cut.
After while our flag was seen and answered.
j notified Sherman of my discovery, and the
additional fact that said troops were on the
march towards AlatoOna. de replied they
were a part Of Hoods army, and i should
watch them closely and report frequently Of
Neutrality-suspicious.. AT night this force camped
in our lines OF works at Big Shanty, and i could
plainly see they were Johnnies. At z p m.
Sherman sent the following message;
Commanding Officer Alatoons Kingston and
Rome: Enemy moving on Allatoona' thence 10
Rome.
A dense fog had settled about the mountain,
and il WAS ia vain that i eDdeavored 10 repeat
the message. Only at times could i read
Marietta, distant but three miles. The message
was repeated on the morning of the 4th AS
early as possible for the fog At $3.50 a. m. on
the Attn i received the following:
What do you observe this morningP Have you
(slgned GEE. yASDEvER
AT 1890 a. m. replied as follows:
A large force of enemy hard at work destroy
ing the railroad both sides Big Shanty.
Arp. m. Gen. Vandeyer sent this message;
Commanding Officer, Allatooua: Sherman IL
moving M force Hold out.
Kandever then asked if AllatOona had com
mnnication by wire north. aud learned IL had
At 5:25 p. m. 4 said TO Nandeyer that the rear
guard of the rebel cavalry was moving of on the
Ackworth road. AT $50 p IN. received and
repeated the following:
Commanding Officer, Allatoona: Gen. Sherman
says hold Iast--we are coming.
tsignedl w. NAKDEvER. Brig. Gen.
Sherman was then at Kandever's headquar-
tiers, at Marietta, and quite early IN the morn
ing of the 9th he came up on the mountain aud
stayed ali DAY. Again dense fog enveloped
MS, and completely hid AllatoOnR aud every
other place from view. Sherman was very
anxious 10 obtain news from there, and became
impatient because we could not penetrate the
FOG and give him the required information lie
had photographed Gen. COTse at Rome TO proceed
at once with his division TO Allatoona feel
ing assured that was the object of Hoods raid
In his rear but the wires were soon down, and,
he got no reply from Cor5e. he did not know
whether his order had gone through all right
OF not
As there was only small brigade at ALA
toona, under Col. TouTtelotte, of the 4th Mimi,
and there were a million Of rations stored there
Sherman was anxious 10 know If Corse had
arrived. j called and called but got no reply
until 1880, when this came:
We hold out Gen. Corse here.
could go on and give the messages received
aud sent by our station, but have given sufi-
Gent TO prove the fact that Gen. Sherman never
sent the message To Hold the fort for / am
coming" or attributed TO him by some writers
bat that Gen. Nandeyer did send as above given
j wish ID distinctly understood that Connolly
and myself were the only signal officers on
kencsaw at that time and that il was not until
four days afterwards that Sherry and Bachtell
came TO our assistance, and on the 9Th Lieut.
Werlich came up and relieved Connolly. ]
want IL further understood that the flag used
IA sending those messages from NandeVer 10
Allatooha belonged TO my outfit, aud WAS
waved by James H. Sloan, Of my squad, who
now resides at Fort Wayne, Ind, anu can be
written to to substantive all j have written.
Lieut.. Sherry a brave and efficient officer,
ana ls entitled 10 his full measure of the glory
achieved BY the Signal Corps, but he must not
take unto himself that which belongs tOanOther
Anu can hardly believe he is the author OF the
article referred 10.
la June, lss5, had some correspondence
with Gen Sherman on the work performed by
the Signal Corps on KencSaw Mountain; for /
WAS aware that several claimed the honor Of
sending and receiving the messages referred TO-
aud was DESTROYS OF obtaining the testimony of
him who was credited with sending said mes
sage. His clerk, Dir. Barnett, answered NV
hrst letter, stating that the General could not
act as Judge between men. ] did not like the
answer, 40 ii implied that sherman had forgot
ten such trifIng things rs the battle of Ala
toona. ] wrote the General again, and gave
him lengthy description of what transpired
Oh kenesaw, and received the following over
has own signature, all written by his own hand
and money cannot purchase the letter:
9l2 GARRISON AVENUE,
81 LoUIs, Mo, June I3 1885
CHAE. III, FIsH, Headquarters Department Of Iowa
G.A.R., Newton, Iowa.
Ms DEAR SIR: Your long and interesting letter of
June 10 BE- received, and am luy satisfied that YOU
were GA kenesaw Mountain at the time Ia Ocio-
Der, lsbS when events were eliminating towards a
conclusion. The little incidents you describe with
vivid accuracy are all lost 10 my memory because
Ht That moment nay thoughts far away. Spite
OF all could do tie rebels made "A lodRInent on Tie
Tailroad nom 1873 shaDiy to AliatOona and divided
our forces. To communicate WAS only possible by
signals aud fortunately did 30 communicate
anu Sen. Meyer, the organizer and originator OF
Tie signal Corps, never Jailed ia his lifetime 10
claim that incident the best illustration 81 Inc
need OF Signal Corps IN the army For some
days, ar you describe KeneaRw Mountain became
as II were, a watch towcr" from which direct ed
my columns Each officer. each fagInan and each
torclman believed lac was the individual who trans
United the message 10 Gen. Corse and his answer.
At you describe. there hundreds Of messa p,.s
smoke and distance admitted. Similar disputes
have arisen 10 the person WHO first brought me
news 81 Mcl'heTsons death, and Of messengers
who carried special orders, none Of which can
undertake 10 settle and am glad that the many
young aud patriotic men were on the spot 10 do the
work ne u arose with Intelligence aud skill and Il
al OF whom feel debt of gratitude get hun.
dreds and thousands Of similar letters each sui
posing hrs own act critical aud conclusive aud
generally answer Ia person, but sometimes ntusi
aeHoiNe the labor on Mr.. Barnett who IL my clerk
cnys, am, sincerely, your friend
W. T SHERMAN.
This did not fully satisfy me- but il was the