Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1889-08-23
MAGNIFICENT FIGHTING.
General Boyton's Description OF southsri
ya1or Mt ChIckaftaura.


every step, become more and moro inn
pressed with tho magniflcence of tho
Confederate fighting. Since the .lrst
assertion that Chipkamauga was for both
sides the bloodiest battle of the war, In
proportion 10 numbers and tho time OF
the engagement, and that IL far out
ranked In the percentage of killed and
wounded any OF tho battles of modern
Europe, there has been an industrioun
searching Of records, both of our own
war and of recent famous foreign cam
paigns, to test the accuracy OF tho
claims made for Chickamauga. But the
further the investigation has proceeded,
and is now sufficiently completed to all
low general results to be stated with
certainty, the more clearly the truth OF
the first assertion has boon made to ap-
pear. II Is not strange, therefore, that
the discussions of the past year, which
has served to dispel so many of the mis-
approximations which clouded the public
mind IN regard TO this battle, and
dwarfed IL in tho history of the country
should have created such widespread In
tercst in its real history, and raised 1t at
once 10 the very front rank of the most
notable engagements of our war.
The marvel Of German fighting in the
great battles of Mars la Tour was per-
lOllltu NY Nlit hNobIllldllhl itE
ment. 1t suffered the heaviest loss in
tho German army during the Franco
Prussian war. 1t went into the battle
5000 strong, and its loss was 49.4 per
cent. There was nothing in the cam
paigns of which this formed part which
exceeded these figures, and they became
famous throughout the German army.
And yet in our war there were over six
ty regiments whose losses exceeded this,
Seventeen of them lost above 90 per
cent, and quite number ranged from
20 to 80. There were over a score of
regiments ON each side at Chickamauga
whose loss exceeded that OF the West
phaliah regiment.
But the object of this letter is more
particularly to set forth the character
of tho splendid fighting performed by
every portion of Bragg's army on this
noted field in Georgia,
The battle of Saturday opened in front
OF General Brannan, on the extreme
Confederate right, and here brigade of
Forests cavalry, dismounted, assisted
almost Immediately by Confederate in
fantry, assaulted the Union lines. AS
they were driven back by an overwhelm
ing fire they were continuously rein
forced for nearly four hours. The bat
tie was continuous and constantly Mt
short range. In fact, it was II distin-
guished feature of the whole two days
battle that most of the fighting was at
close range, much of 1t hand to hand,
with the bayonct and clubbed muskets.
Forests men in front of Brannan as
saultcd time and again, marching up
into tho very faces of the Union in
fantry, and in their final effort came on
four lines deep, With their hats drawn
tntt-h ntpr thnir fnrnG and hnnIinrr for
ward against the storm of lead as men
face the elements. The rapid fire of
long and well-traincd infantry seemed
to have no effect upon these veter-
ans, and it was not until they had
marched up into the line of fire of bat
teries, which, with double-shotted can
lister, enflladed their ranks at murder-
GUS range, that their advance was check
ed. Even here they stood and fought
with desperation. Ector and Wilson, of
Walkers division, and Walthall and
Govan, of LiddelPs, all marching to the
assistance of those contending in this
hell of battle, became, in turn, as hotly
engaged themselves in front of Baird,
and for hours on this portion of the field
the scene just described on the extreme
Confederate right was repeated for all of
these brigades. At the first onset
Walthall and Govan drove their lines
over the flank of the regular brigade
and captured it's battery, only to be
themselves pushed back again almost at
the point of the bayonet, and so shat
tered from their own courageous ex-
posure at short range as to be practi
cally put out of the fight for several
hours. Nothing could exceed the valor
of these troops There was nothing in
the way of desperate fighting either of
infantry or artillery which they were
not called upon to face. And they did
face it with courage seldom equaled,
and which it was impossible to sur
pass.
Thus the lines OF the two armies,
marching toward the sound of this furi-
Gus battle, closed in toward the positions
of Brannan and Forrest, each striking
the other, as they came into position
and within reach, with as ponderous and
murderous blows as are everdelivered in
war. Cheatham, moving to the support
of Walker, turned on johnson with ire
sistible force and drove him we'll back
ward toward the Lafayette road, when
Palmer arriving on Johnson's right,
these two divisions, acting in concert,
drove Cheatham back mile, and badly
shattered his entire command. Next
came Hood with Law and Bushrod
Johnson's divisions and one brigade of
Preston's, and these grappled with Davis
and Wood and Sheridan along lines of
battle that at times were scarcely two
musket lengths apart, and thus till sun
down this contest ragged in the thick
woods between the Lafayette road and
the Chickamauga, each line bending
backward as the other delivered It's
heaviest blows, and as If gathering
cd, lao ran,i1 IN al,
instance, rushing forward again to sway
the opposite side backward in turn.
There was no general stampede on
either side at any point of the first days
battle, but weight of lines and weight of
metal and the momentum of blows Wig
orously delivered controlled the result
ut every point.
Late in the evening OF Saturday when
the fighting on the fianks had well nigh
ceased, came Stewards division of Bates
and Clayton's and Browns brigades,
pounding it's way past the fanks of two
Union divisions, and, doubling back the
flank of third, they penetrated be-
yond the Lafayette road. Before its
brave career was checked 1T had we'll
nigh divided the Union line. 1t Is easy
to see that over all this extended area
Of bitter and continuous fighting the
loss 1nusu nave Detu lerTlHC. L ne lB-
urcs to be presented below will make
the character OF this fighting, to which
reference has thus been made in most
inadequate terms, more clearly under
stood. But stubborn and terrific and
deadly as was the Confederate fighting
of Saturday, it became but ordinary per-
formance when compared with the mar
velous exhibition of courage and endur-
ance which were exhibited in that army
on Sunday before the Union breast
works about the Kelley farm, and upon
the slopes of Snodgrass Hill and the
Horseshoe Ridge. .-.
The Union line about the Kelley farm
was established on the crest of low
ridge sheltered by heavy woods, and the
troops were protected in their position
by low breastwork OF logs and rails
varying from two to four feet in height,
Time and again from ten O'clock till
two, the whole right wing of the Confed-
crate army rolled its lines in on the
slight works in continual breakers, only
to be shattered and driven back as the
yvavaa of tho Oppnn pO To nipcag on tho