The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-04-19
THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE: WASHINGTON D. c. THURSDAY APRIL 49, 1888
wAYNEsBoRo.
The asd Ill. In the Fight.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In reply to
the many conflicting statements in regard to
the fight at Waynesboro Ca, Dec. a, 1864, |
beg to submit the account of said engagement,
written soon after by Gen. Smith d. Atkins,
commander of the brigade which did the work:
" Early on Dec 4, 1864. the division moved
out to attack the rebel cavalry under Wheeler
and Wade Hampton, Atkinss Brigade in adj
vance. As the column came by the ODD H.
which was on picket duty and had been up all
night, without chance to cook cup of coffee
for breakfast, and they had no supper the night
previous-was ordered to advance on foot, and
forward it went. The 10th Ohio Cav were
leading the brigade, and soon found the enemy
and charged in column down the road and
close up to the enemys barricade, which was
erected around a house. and there the 10th
Ohio Cav. halted within pistol-shet of the
enemy; but the rebels had carefully selected
their ground and built strong lines of barri-
cades one back of another, and felt so certain
of repulsing our attack that they did not care
to punish as they might have done the 10th
Ohio Cav, and by direction of the rebel Gen.
Wheeler who could be seen and heard dis
tinctly by US, the rebels held their fire. The
92d was ordered to come forward on double
quick, but the weary men, who had not slept
the night previous and had not had either
supper or breakfast, were not in condition to
double-quick far Leut.-Col. Van Buskirk,
with the 92d, was ordered to move upon the
enemy's first barricade, directly in front, and
charge him out. The 18th Ohio Cav. was ordered
to move in column on the right flank and the
9th Ohio Cav, Col. William ID. Hamilton COM
manding-a gallant soldier, whose eagles
should have been stars-on the left flank in
column. The 92d came up and formed in line
within plain sight and easy range Of the rebel
barricade but the enemy did not fire. The
92d moved down to the fence in hollow in
/ front Of the enemy, and crossed IL again and
dressed in line and then coolly and deliber-
ately started over the open field and up the
hill IN front and within 10 rods of the barri-
caded rebels. Now the enemy had the 92d, as
they thought, at their mercy, and up the
enemy rose behind their breastworks of rails
and bazed their carbines into the faces Of the
92d men; bat the storm of bullets from the
repeating rifles of the 92d that went Kissing
back at them was too much for the gray coated
soldiers, and they sank back again behind
their barricade, while the 92d leaped forward
! with a shout, onto and over the rebel barri-
cade, and pumped their Spencers at the backs
! of the retreating rebel soldiers. Eighty
| prisoners were captured by the 92d behind the
/ barricade, from which they had driven the
! enemy. The 10th Ohio was pushed forward,
! and just behind the barricade taken by the
! 92d it was charged by the rebels and was
/ broken into confusion, but the 92d, with cool
! courage, moved forward in line and repealed
/ eades was found full of gray-coats, who, while
/ fighting hard, did not wait as long as the first
/ line had done, bat retreated before the god.
/ The artillery was brought up and commenced
/ Smelling the town of Waynesboro. The 9Th
4 Ohio was pressing in hard on the rebel left,
and the 9th Ohio had already passed the rebel
right flank, and the enemy was leaving his
4 third line of barbados; the 9th Mich. and
/ 10th Ohio was ready to charge in the center as
1 soon as Col. Hamilton, of the 9th Ohio, opened
the fight on the rebels beyond the creek and
near the town, when Fitzpatrick ordered q halt.
Twenty minutes more would probably have
/ given Us 500 prisoners. As il was, the rebel
cavalry under Wheeler and Hampton that had
! tried TO run over Fitzpatrick at Buckhead
! Creek on the 18th day of November, and had
been so handsomely repused, had here chosen
its own ground, erected three separate lines OF
| barricades, each back of the other, and had
hoped to repulse US; but the 92d alone had
routed them from their first and strongest bar
ricade, with great loss to the rebel cavalry, in
Guiding 81 prisoners; and a single brigade had
put the rebel cavalry commanded by Gems
! Wheeler and Hampton to fight"
The above think, viii explain my reason
for Directing to the statement that the Cpd
simply acted as skirmishers in the Waynesborc
fght.-E. A. YoNTZ, 92d III.