Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-10-17
BALDERDASH!
The Story Of an Alleged
"Spur and Ride"
General Beatty Reviews the Facts in
T9,S
And Shows That at Best It Was Out
side the Danger Line.
Heroes Who Would Have No Chance
Of Appointment Under Foraker.

''And it happened again, when Cen
eral Joe Johnston gathered the Confed-
crate armies for last struggle, and fell
upon Sherman's left wing in North Car
olna, and General Slocum needed help
after the bloody struggle at Averysboro,
that Captain Foraker was sent in the
night on the best horse to be found,
with orders not to spare him, but to give
him the spur and ride to Sherman to tell
him how serious was the struggle, of
which he was advised by the muttering
of the artillery and the dull roar of the
distant musketry during the evening.
A long swift gallop in the night, through
obscure and gloomy roads, brought the
young Captain, with his momentous
message, into the presence of the COM
manding General, who called for John
Logan" who ordered Hazen's division
to the rescue, and Foraker piloted the
column. In squirting his thor
oughbred in hot haste to headquarters
from the wing of the army that had been
hit hard and was fighting heavily des-
perate enemy delivering his. last de-
spairing stroke in the last battle of the
Var, Captain Foraker displayed the same
heroic temper and gallant qualities, that
distinguished him as Governor Of Ohio,
and Called forth from General Sherman
last week such extraordinary and com
handing compliments. ."-Commercial
Gazette.
Slccum did not need or call for any
help at Averysboro and neither Captain
Foraker nor any one else was sent for
any. What the writer of the foregoing
extravagant balderdash was probably
thinking of, but evidently knew moth
ing about, was the battle of Bentonville,
il which four divisions of Sherman's
left wing ran afoul of Joe Jehnston's
entire force, thirty or forty thousand
Strong, which Sherman and Slocum both
supposed to be cavalry detachment.
At that time the four divisions above
mentioned two of the Fourteenth corps
Under Davis and two of the Twentieth
under Williams) had been separated by
detour from the rest of the army, which
was moving towards Goldsboro. The
distance between Slocum's column Qeft
wing) and Howard's lright) was from s
to Is miles. Both columns were passing
as Johnston knew. through swampy
country full Of bogs and quicksands
where movements were necessarily slow
and difficult. Between them was no
enemy. Johnston had gathered up every
man he could muster for last des-
perate effort, and he went at Williams
and Davis with the fury of a tiger. Slo-
cum very soon found out that he had
something besides cavalry to deal with.
The battle lasted all afternoon. At
first the Union line was driven back,
but it rallied, threw back one assault
after another, and at pight-fall, when
the battle closed, it held the greater
part of the field. No reinforcements
We're received that day-not single
man. When reinforcements did come,
thS battle of Benton7ille was practically
over. What took place afterwards was
chiefly fianking movement by General
Logan's Fifteenth corps and Mowers
division Of the Seventeenth. There
was some fighting in connection with
these movements, but it was light in
comparison with what had been done
tho first day. The battle took place on
the 10Th Of March; during the night Of
the S1st johnson retreated.
Officially describing the battle Gen
eral Sherman says:
''I had gone from General Slecum
& about six miles, when 1 heard artillery
3 in his direction, but was soon made easy
BY one of his staff officers overtaking
ME, explaining that his division Gar
lin'sl had encountered 2 division Of rebel
cavalry (Dibbrell's) which he was driv-
iIg easily. But soon after other staff
6f8cers (not one only came up, reporting
That he had developed near Bentonville
The whole rebel army, under General
Johnston himself"
General Sherman then proceeds to
narrate what steps he took for Slocum's
reinforcement.