The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-05-28
AHOLOCAUsr OF WAR.
Wounded Soldiers Burned Alive i
Chickamauga.

Wounded Soldiers Burned Alive in
Chickamauga.
StanAope Sans in atlanta Journal
The battle of Chlckamauga was altogether
the most horrible tragedy in the most tragic
strife of modern times
The real history of that fight cannot be
told in the marble sculpture of some mag
nificent memorial Of victory. 1t was written
once, and best written, upon the hearts of
thousands who saw the death struggle, in
the shreks of wounded men, dying in de-
serted heaps between the lines of battle, or
perIshiug hopele ssly and miseraoly in the
flames kindled by the torch or b. fiery shot
The dead were not those alone who had
been mortally wounded. Want of surgical
attention, want of water, and the Il mes
that swept over the parched field in an
onset which no soldiers could withstand,
swelled tue fatal list.
AS pictured to me by soldiers who had
fought h OughOut those two terrible DAYS,
the scenes must have been horribly pa
thetic.
My regiment was in the first charge Of
Ector and Wilson'S brig de-" SAID an old
soldier to me: II fell in the front line, at
the farthesu point we pushed to in the as
sault, and ~hel e brigade fell back be-
fore Baird's charge, was LEFT between the
lines. Other wounded soldiers had fallen
close to me- and | could hear their low
means between the Kissing shot. Bal
lets hurled above US and raked
the earth about US on all sides. Branches
cut from the trees by shot and shell fell like
hail stones. Nov the federals would charge
over us, to bs driven back by the coufed-
crates but always we lay there in the path
of the bullets, and one by one died slowly.
On the second day the flames cracking in
- l. 4. Il
though they did not reach me, b fore the
rebel yep on that Sunday evening told me
that we had won. l was picked up that
evening, after lying wounded two days be-
tween the lines"
This would seem to be bad enough: but
it was not the worst. The woods were as
dry as powder. and they were in some way
set 81 fire during the fight on Sunday The
Widow Glenn's house Rosecrans' head
quarters, was burael down. All through
the woods that sldrted the right side of the
Dry Valley road, here had been terrific
tiEhtn and heavy slaughter. The dead
and wounded encumberad the ground
Through this corpse-iaien grove swept the
long line Of lire. II leapod from tNig to
twig, from leaf 10 leaf aud from CORPSE TO
corfse. Neither blue uor gray was spared
by this barbarian spollc" Nor did the
dead only COZ tiIute this enormous fuueral
pyre, the wounded soldiers, stricken down
by shot, wri.hed and groaned amid the
flames.
II saw where diving men lay il tho track
of the fire. said confederate sollier, but
/ could DO nothing. | was weIgel in ne
ii 4 on wild rush at the enemy.
There was only one way TO go-straignt
ahead. When | came b OK tho ground had
been swept by the flames and tle wounded
had cea ei their Groaai.E.n
"Ol Sunday moTiug,n said the same
soldier. our division vas being hurried
forward % support tae &C tor, ] noucci a
lttlo hut IN the woo1s ia which were
crowded at cast ifty, ? ssibly one hundred,
wounded meu.
"No surgeon was with them. Trey had
no watcr, no food, no ono % offer coAsola.
t.oa. They we're absolutely Glone-aWait-
ing death. Late that e.e.i K I returned
tar ugA the same wood TIA flames haa
sHopt away tie hut. / know not how
inauy had perishod, but J could see charled
flesh and u mes in asLes.'
Poor Lyte WAS dYlIs 10 Ch1ttan0oya.
morally wounded ~ tuat gHgsty nzh..
But lie BAD friends aud psac. ar0u q him.
"lhe path - So iau b rr1rs' was lighted
for these wretcnls by tbs flames Of their
oHn funeral pyre.