The National tribune., 1886-09-09
ATLANTA.
And What the Fifteenth Corps Did There

To THE EDITOR: COmrade Wilson, Co. Il,
9th Iowa, in noticing some Of the errors Of
Maj Gen. Leggett in his account of the bat
tie of the 22d of July, 1864, says that be-
tween and o'clock of the afternoon of the
22d the rebels carried portion of the line of
the Second Division of the Fifteenth Corps,
capturing De Gresss battery, etc, etc. ; that as
soon as the rebels broke the line OF the Second
Division of the corps, the First Division was
promptly formed at right angles with the old
line, and charged the rebel troops which held
the line of the Second Division, and recaptured
the line and De Gress's battery. Now this
may be partly correct, but what want to know
is, What was the Second Division doing all this
time? Lying behind logs and trees watch
ing the First Division pulverizing the rebels,
/ suppose. 1t is true that We were driven q
short distance back by an overwhelming force
that struck Us on the left, near the railroad. We
fought them hand to hand and with dubbed
muskets at that point, but they swept over US
and through us. Thirteen of my company
were captured and five killed and wounded.
After escaping from O squad of Johnnies who
had me surrounded, by shooting one of their
number, breathess, coatless, hatless and left
arm sleeveless, fell in, if l remember rightly,
with the SD Ohio of the Sixteenth Corps. o!
how glad / was to see that noble regiment,
standing in perfect line of battle, bayOnets
fixed, lips compressed, and every eye ablaze
with the fierce determination to regain our lost
works or die trying. In few minutes my
regiment (the 54th Ohio formed on the left Of
the SD, then the 37th, 47th and 57th Ohio, and,
as far as | know, the whole of the Second Divis-
ion formed in line of battle. Soon Gen. John
A. Logan rode along our line, gave Us q short,
ringing speech, and closed in these words (:
|" Boys, Gen. Mcpherson is killed. 1 am placed
In command of the Army of the Tennessee.
We are going to retake our works. In going
fsvh or all
very top of his voice; make them believe the
whole Union army is coming if you can. When
within close range give them deadly volley
and then charge bayonet Give them the cold
steel. Let your battle-cry be MCPHERSON and
victory Forward-March !"
We obeyed the order TO the very letter. Such
yelling never heard before. You would have
thought that all the demons Of the internal re-
giOns had broken loose. Men were hoarse for
several days afterward. Between the woods
and the works from which We had been driven
was an open space filed with our dead and
wounded, which some Of the rebels were pill
laying, whilst others were pouring over the
breastworks. So intent were they in their
plumber that they paid but little heed to US. We
gave them whitening volley at close range,
and before they could rally were on them with
the bayonet. Then the tables were turned.
Then it struck me that the Second Division of
the Fifteenth Corps retook its own line, by the
way We "gobbled the Johnnies in out of the
wet" Muskets fell ringing on every side. and
the rebels were yelling out: Don't kill me,
Yank" ~; IN surrender, Yank!" For God 5
sake don't kill me, Yank!" Many of the boys
had more prisoners than they knew what to do
with. o, that was a proud moment for the
Second Division! l can't say who recaptured
De Gress's battery, but / do know that we
fought over and retOok the same works that we
had been driven from short time before.
There was the same spring had carried water
from in the forenoon. and the same brick house
! from the top of which had looked over into
the city of Atlanta. Query: Now, if the First
Division drove the rebels back retook the line
| lost by the Second Division, and did all the
| fighting generally, how comes it that we fought
over the same ground, retook the same works,
and had the fun of capturing so many John
ies?-EDwIS w. SMITH. Sergeant, Co. g, 54th
Ohio, Covert, Osborne Co., Kan.