Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1886-05-27

that We're held by couple of thousand Yam
KEGS We had lost Johnston. in whom we
had unbounded confidence. Hood. whom we
did not consider safe soldier, was in COM
mand We feared that some of the belief as
70 the fighting capacity of northern men held
by the Shareholders before the war fingered
in his mind We privates had promptly dis
covered that the Yankees were as efficient
fighters as we for two days, and our superiors
if the battle lasted three four or five DAYS.
We had a saying which was founded on fact.
1t was: Yankees must be whipped in two
DAYS, or they cannot be beaten at all
We marched north, SOUTH east, west, in
any direction Hood saw fit to lead US and
Sherman traiied after Us. At Gaylesburg
he tired of the pleasures of the chase, and
al andoned us We camped for a few days,
then crossed the Tennessee river a few miles
above Florence. and marched rapidly toward
Columbia. Here we had our first hard fight
ing in forcing the passage Of Duck river.
We pushed the Federals from the river, and
then made 4 furious march, fighting as we
went, so As TO intercept the retreat of Scho-
fields army. We outmarched them, and
slept mar s Saring Hill When we bivouacked
we knew that we had Schofield in a trap, and
that be was ours.
Thomas cea=ed talking. He looked gloom
i1v into the fire for an instant, and then said,
fegretfuIly:
YES We outmarchel Schofeld, and then
we slept and while We slept Schofield marched
by-Iuarched within half a mile of our
camp fires. / have never seen more intense
rage and profound disgust than was ex-
pressed by the weary, footsOre, battle-torn
Confederate soldiers when they discovered
that their officers had allowed their prey to
escape. Sullenly We fell into column
and resumed the chase We pushed
Schofield closely. H struck the Har-
peth river at Franklin, where the stream
makes a right angle We were so close to
Schofied that he didn't dare to- attempt to
cross the river for fear of losing, not only
his trains but his army. The Yankees
formed a battle line across the neck of land
formed by the winding river. Their flanks
rested on the water. Their center was on a
low hill, where a couple Of batteries stood in
action. We were on the ground early in the
morning The Yankees had Just begun to
break earth for an intrenchment. We could
see their entire line and judge correctly of
Iuelf uuulBefS- W e OuJnu'H' rel JueIl over
two to one. The Confede~ ~ates. though tired
and hungry, were keen 10 be led to the
assault. We one and all prepared to fight at
once rather than to wait for an hour or two
and be fed. After our bloody experience
at Allatoona we drealed to attack
earthworks manned by veteran Yam
kee infantry Now we had Scho-
fields army ooopel. They could not re-
treat The river was behind them We
knew that if we attacked at once we
could kill them, or capture hem, Or drive
them into the river But we also knew that
if Hood allowed them to throw up an earth
work, it mattered not how slight, that they
would most tenaciously hold that defense.
They were desperate men. Their only chance
was to fight, and figh-, and still fight In
the open we could have crushed them in an
hour Once covered we knew that they
could not be crushed, and we privates, who
had fought these men for three years, knew
they would fight to the last man, almost,
once they ware warmed to their work.
''As we stood in column waiting for our
orders, l saw the corps AMI division COM
manders crowd around Hood who had rid
den onto the field. l dropped out of the
ranks anu drew near TO Une group. They
were inspecting the Yankee line I heard
Cleburne, approved and fearless fighter, urge
Hood to order the assault at once l heard