The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-09-13

no whittier when laid out for burial than
fhev were that morning. in short time
they got the line started out so we could do
something. We soon found out that john
ston was in our front with a large part OF
his army, and instead of capturing Atlanta
SO easily we stood pretty good show OF
going TO Andersonyille.
In q few minutes
LOGAN GOT TO WORK
On our right, and for the next two OF three
hours we gave Johnny all he wanted. we
gradually forced them back over the NH
into their inuenehmerts We then COM
menced throwing mp works, and by night
we had line sufficiently strong to resist
any force they might bring against It.
ON The afternoon of the next day they
concluded TO try US again, just for luck l
presume. for it proved to be an Old-fashioned
killing. The attack covered the Fifteenth
and a part of the Sixteenth Corps, and
proved 10 be one of the gTandest charges
made BY the Confederates during the At
lanta campaign.
A few minutes after the repulse John a.
Logan came riding down the line, with hls
hat in his hand, looking like the very god
Of war. No one can describe how Logan
looked in battle any more than he could de-
scribe the raging sea- / am satisfied that
the biggest coward In The world would
stand on his head on top Of the bTeastworks
il Logan was present and told him to do so.
Johnston may have been a good General,
but we failed 10 see where he displayed any
very great amount Of ability on that cam
paign. He usually waited for rs to take up
our position on his front and build works,
when the killing would commence. 1T was
by such gcneralship on their part and supe-
ri0r geueralship on ours that we succeeded
in destroying an army Of 81 600 men In eight
months.
The next morning after the attack on our
works our brigade was relieved and sent
back about a mile to rest and to get some
sleep It being Sunday, we had emptied
our E1napsacks TO air their contents, and had
neglected to pack them before going to bed
That night at IL o'clock they again at
tackled the works with red0ubled fury. We
were
ORDERED TO FALL IN
and march to the front Immediately. While
trying to pack our knapsacks we found that
q twO-bushel sack wouldn't hold their con-
tents.
NV pen is 100 feeble to describe the scene
that night 1T was simply terrifying. The
woods were full Of stTagglers going to the
rear, while the balls going through the
leaves overhead sounded like heavy rain
falling When we got down where we could
see the works it was the gTandest pyrotech-
mic display have ever seen.
The musketry-fire looked like innumer-
able candles set along on top Of the works
while the artillery was throwing fire 1OC
yards from the guns illuminating the
heavens until you could see the men IN the
works.
1t reminded me Of a picture 1 had seen
when a boy, where there was lot Of lit
lie devils carrying wood for the big devil
and piling ii around a b1d man who had
starved his mother. The movement Of The
men In and out Of the smoke looked ike
they were helping the old man with his
fires.
Tt began TO dawn upon rs that we were IN 9
tight place and that we would have trouble
to get out To do so we had TO build several
lines Of works IN our rear. leading off toward
Big shantv. Itwas terrible sight in from
Of the works next morning. Everything
that was standing within 100 yards of the
line was moved down as clean as q stubble
field. It was unsafe TO show head above
the works while we stayed there, so w'
never knew how many were killed tha-
night.
To Withdraw an army in the presence o
a superior force requires a certain amount o
generalship, but
LOGAN WAS EQUAL TO THE EMERGENCY
He commenced running empty wagons dowl
to the works in sight Of the enemy, Will
they and the troops were brought bsci
through a ravine leading to the rear, takinl
q position IN the new works Within Il
minutes after we moved out the Johnnie
took possession, cheering as Justify as if theI
had captured the entire Yankee army. w
moved by easy stages 10 Big Shanty, tn
enemy all the while keeping at q respectful
distance
Our flank movement was successful, bu
it might have been different with an able
man In Johnston's place. think that
Uncle Billy" had had command Of III
rebels at Ailat0ona that he would have capt
ured the Army Of the Tennessee at Dallas.