Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-10-28
THE MULE BRIGADE,s CHARGE.
Story of the Operations Around
Chattanooga.
Fvoul De s.. Louis Repu6Iican

TToN me ". L0HtS RepGOt}cdp
ST. LOUIS, Oct. 20.-"Do you recoilect
that charge of Geary's mules in the night
time at Wauhatchie, when you fellows
got tangled in a swamp ana came out
almost too late 10 save us from Long,
streetw asked member OF Geary's divl-
sion of me at the last national Grand
Army OF the Republic encampment at
San Francisco. The question recalled to
my mind one of the most peculiar and
Tor us-tortunate incidents Of the war.
The Army of the Cumberland was al
most starving at Chattanooga in the fall
OF 1868 when the Eleventh and Twelfth
corps, which had been detached from the
Army OF tue Potomac. arrived at Bridge
port on the Tennessee river. This was
the base OF supplies for the Union army,
and from here ali provisions, clothing,
ammunition and forage had to be hauled
distance OF sixty miles around all the
Wlndings of the river, over the most mis-
cradle roads and exposed to constant
RAIDS OF Confederate cavalry. In a direct
line 1t IS only little more than twenty
miles across to Lookout mountain, over
looking Chattanooga, and Gen. Grant
immediately
STARTED OUR TWO CORPS
to open this direct line to the army.
Singular to say, we met with almost no
opposition except some lively Diminishing
as we entered the Wauhatchie valley.
Gen. SchurZ's division OF the Eleventh
corps was IL advance, and, after making
connection with a division of the Fourth
corps That had been sent across the river
from Chattanooga about dark IN pom
toOns, encamped within "a couple of miles
of Browns ferry under Lookout noun
u n.xrSu ta5n IS -
Twelfth corps encamped about two miles
in our rear. r.. .-r
We had congratulated ourselves on the
easy time we had had in opening this
new line OF communication, and all but
those on guard had retired to rest, when
suddenly. about l o'clock III the night,
our mbers were broken by yOlley of
musketrS succeeded by continuous firing
i'll the direction of Geary. All was &C
tlvity at once, and a staff officer of Gen.
Hooker rode up with the order to double
quick to Geary's support.
We mad barely marched a mile, when
we ran into LoDgstreets men, who
GAVE US voLLEY
from the mountain side, which threw us
into some confusion. After rallyIng, the
enemy was soon driven back, but Geary's
command would have Jared badly In the
meantime had it not been tor a most for
tunate circumstance. LOngstreet had a
little after midnight made very sudden
vicious attack upon Geary. almost sweep
ing things before him, when just as the
Confederates thought they had everything
their own way, CONSERVATION seized upon
them as they heard the clatter of number
less hOots, evidently coming toward
them. On and on they came in the OBJ
security, seemingly rushing over every
thing and badly breaking the
Confederate line. This gave
Geary chance to rally until
we came up, otherwise the affair at
Wauhatchie might have had very dire
results for US. And who composed this
improvised cavalry? Why, only the
mules of Geary's teams, some 800 or 600,
which had been turned out to Craze, and
being frightened by the enemy's sudden
firing, had fortunately stampeded in the
right direction. Such was the charge OF
the mule brigade.