The National tribune., 1890-02-13
CHICKA MAUGA.
Light Batteries 10 the Front,

Light Batteries 10 the Front!
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: ] understand
that your paper freely offers space in which the
Artillery branch of the service can be heard
And now let each battery blow its bugle.
To begin with, ] will make the statement
that Battery NJ, 1st III. l.. A., tknown also as
Millor's Chicago Battery and Spencers Battery
saved the life of the Nation, and call on each
and all TO disprovc it, if it can possibly he done
or let the battery wear the laurel.
To prove the above claim, ! will write only
! from official records, Union and Confederate
and draw conclusions which challenge any
and all 10 refute.
! In the forenoon Of Sunday. Sept 90, 1863, on
| the ground now known as the battlefield Of
! Chickamauga, the COnfederates drove the right
! Hank oil the Union army, under Sheridan and
Davis, accompanied by the Commander of the
army-Gcn. Rosccrans-pell- nell from the
! field, while they had quite dem0ralzed the left
Hank. leaving only portion of Thomas's COM
mand, in the center, on the field. and This also
! had been driven back and had formed front in
| various directions until Brannan had made
| lodgment on what is now known rs SnOdgrass
| Ridge. Brannau with his remnants of various
| bfigades and regiments occupying the east end
of the ridge. Negley had taken the west end
OF the ridge, aud had promised Brannan that he
would hold it; but finally concluded that it was
healthier at RosSville or Chattanooga, whittier
Sheridan and others had gone, than on the
ridge, aud, not wishing to discOmposo Gen
Branuan, very quietly withdrew with all the
troops he could induce 10 follow him, not saying
. word TO Brannan about il, thus leaving nearly
three fourths of the ridge over half n mile
with not n human being on il, and no one any
where else in that direction.
Gen. Longstrect, after having driven Sher-
dan and others off the field conceived the idea
of forming line along our whole supposed
right flank, extending from near the Snodgrnss
House TO the Nidito House, aud by max ing
grand right wheel his various brgadcs con.
sisting, as formed, of Deas on the cxtromc left
Mt Nldito's then Manigault, b. X. Johnson,
Gregg and Anderson on the rightall TO touch
To the right and dress on the left sweep around
and double up Thomas aud at The Que blow end
the battle.
The movement had fairly begun aud Deass
men had reached the summit of the west end
OF SnodgrasS Ridge above the Yidto House
which ut that point turns to the south. form.
lng almost horizontal plateau OF from 400 to
300 feet wide, aud extending south about 500
feet from the east aud west crest of the ridge
ut which south end IL is about 200 feet, pcrpcn.
diculariy above the Nidlo House
They had reached this plateau. and were
swinging around along the summit. aud had
advanced about 300 feet on IL. when Battery
VI. belonging TO Mitchel's Brigade, of Granger
Reserve Corps, took position at the west end OF
the east aud west crest OF Snodgrass Ridge aud
began pouring canister into them. Take no.
tice, Battery VI never used any grape"
Hers was either corn ketchup." "applcjack."
peach brandy or whisky straight Please omit
grape from small hud.g
Battery NJ did not have an infantrymln's
support on its right. Seven times that after
noon the cnomx Bongstrcet's best men men
who had nevcrrharged n battery before with.
out taking IL men who had driven our lie.
loved Sheridan men so rapidly from the field
pt H-txsr hat sftfrsa .t,lN T.
Shcridan's coat-tlIs; these men of Dsas aud
ManiEault: OF MCN1ir aud johnson charged (
To take battery VI. or drive II from its position [
to complete the thanking and doubling up.
According to ono Confederate officers official
report Deass and part OF IMMIGRANTS Brigade +
were able to stand up under that fire only % I
minutes when they fell back down 10 the foot I
Of the hill around Yii.tos. lying on the ground !
aud getting behind trees, and could not again /
be coa&ed or driven into action that LAY: aud
then 1t was that McNair came in with his men
to meet the same reception of canister aud .
shrapnei aud spherical case. Over 800 rounds +
we gave them. doubie.charging with canister i
when they would come nearest All the trees /
along that plateau still bsar witness 70 what I
we did
Battery VI held its ground until dusk when Ii I
fell back lcisurely to Rossvilc, with the other
troops. Had Battery NJ been captured or fallen /
back nothing could have prevented the CON.
pIeti0n Of Longstrcets right wheel aud Thomas
would have been captured or driven from the
field in utter rout.
With Thomas captured or routed. nothing
could possibly have saved the balance OF The
army. VIC Who were at Chattaaooga know fn!l I
well how little would have caused panic and
destruction oftlIai army AZ any time within four
days after tic battle. Had Rosecraus been able
10 cross the Tennessee lac could not possibly have
taken his army back even TO the Cumberland
Mountains, nor could he have Joined Burnside
with any considerable force SO his army would /
have been practically destroyed had Battery VI
mol held Us ground OH the west end OF Snod.
grass Ridge.
II Rosccranss army had been DESTROYED, who
VIII question but what England and France
would both have recognized the C0nfcleraey
aud with such recognition, who will claim that
the Union would have been preserved
NOW have the official documentary eyi. /
dence for everything asserted herein on which
base the claim that Battery NJ list H. l.. A..
saved the Union, and call on everyone. OK.
Union or ex-Ionicderatc soldier. or anyone
else To disproye 1t and if IL shall be finally
conceded that the claim is Just, ! call on every
veteran, Union or Confederate, 10 see that lust.
ice IS done Battery NJ that when Chicka.
manga shall be q National Park and monu
ments are placed on the battlefield, ms proposcd
mat Tor battery N shall state on IL that il saved
the Nation. 4 blackjack tree 10 inches In
diameter. standing four feet west of "A white.
oak OF similar size is branded with "A survey.
or's marking-tool II. Of Bat. NJ" aud the
monument should be placed Just % feet due
southeast from the marked black oak tree. rs
that would make IL at the middle of the four
guns Nos. o. ., aud 3, naming from the right
which held that position. mos. / and ) were
placed near the left Of Gen. Mitchell, farther
TO the east, on the RIDGE
Conc now veterans Of the blue aud the gray.
disproye tho claim or see justice done Thisis
only the first blast from Battery Ms bupIe.
There are many more stored up. ] have some.
thlhg nice Tor everyone who fought on snod-
grass Ridge, from Harkera left 10 Mitebcll,s
right.-G. e. DoLToS, 81. Louis, No.
Testimony from eth Mass. Nan.