The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1890-03-13


nsnevai Hood brought an army Of ~
06o men before Nashville after lir bhWlr
ef,i.aulIin. lie detached fOrrehlh cav
KIN and one diyial0n ~ Infantry nhE
~ MirfreeshnrO, aud destroy NC fAll'
road hrldaes on tho Chattanooga rillfehl'
phis cavalry could not he recalled ll lllue
for the battle of the 18Th ann lnlll on ~
eemher, when 10 abhence was nnlluNi
loss 10 him, lie must nave ulh,pNplGu
about the time he invested pul llnpe W, w
front o the city, thhl no wv ei,uu,f'5sig und 5ir,
0ulte a large contract Ihe lUi Anu Ii,N
1orns. after their retreat frnm ffNnkll'l
were loined tho day of their arrival Nv
kashyille. Dec, iHto by the lnlh pulpAi
numbering 200 men, b,pn or uNpl lhpl
under gteedman, composed oi fNllInNu
garrlsons. among which was hrlHhlp %.
fwo III eoiored troops, and by 4 bplF ul
dIs,nounted cavalry, iinAldeh lhr WnnpH
above mentioned ana Wilson's lpNl ul,le
Ions of cavalry there were ului NlN v'''i-
OF other organizations, hllpH,'',,I I,,,,I N, !.
ing the army under lhunen W '.''' 49,, 49,, WV,
Olb ment hut many of lhrUi were npW
men or troops that we're unused lo ehiii'
naigning. and during tie hhVle q large
bodv al Them were Kept ln the interior
ilnes M defense, aud did uoi participate
iu the engagement at all, The battle wac
fongbt on the Union side by the avn, sifl
ami igtb earns, Steedmnn's troops anu
WIisonis cavalry, The Confederate army
was eompnhed OF Stewart ana Chthlhhlh
oorpa, which had fought hl fWi WV
a, ID, Lee'H corps, but hnlhl pHl, "'
which got up Ia time i9i llhl nH"N 'H"
body oil cavalry under Chalmers 49,.
An Interview with the oldest lnhabllan'
al Nashville ln Dec, 1854, would nave eh'
tablIsl cd the fact that the eoldenl wehlhpf
knoWn Tor many years was ehptflthceu
I'M tbe forepnrt of that month"; llehN
ralns Were succeeded by snow ana Ifete'
ing ,ventber. and the hills about tue clN
remnlned covered with q sheet OF lce lur
over "A week, ao that military movements
on large scale would nave noou ~
tremely dillicult Thomas, rhlhnF hlpW
as was thought, but sure, was WalUnH W
moint hls cavalry, many OF the new nu'
ditions belng Without horses, and in spite
of the urging Of Grant, whose own
army was lying IDLE all winter
before Petersburg, ana the secretary
of War. as lao was ON the ground hnu
knew heat. lao would not move uhtl ready,
and tho weather had become more ihNur
allie. The men suffered greatly, unpre'
pared na they we're for such severe Wehlh'
or, and occupying the exposed poniuonh
which many OF them did a. We were
near our base Of supplies rn'ionh were ~,
sued In good quantities., the in9noiony s ol
hard tack and pork bong here broken, Tor
the only tlmo within our knowledge, by hg
oeenslonnl issue Of anuor krhut ana
onions During this cold weather, We
aank IA hole in one end Of our pup tents
Tor "A fire place, over which are huili q
chimney out of the flag stones lying about,
which ntlcd greatly 10 our comfort A
new regiment Of Missouri troops on our
ioft who were froal from home, and VINO,
therefore, did not know how TO make we
best Of circumstances, hullorcu, gIoaUg'
and must have thought their initiation IN
10 this "crucl war; u severe ones Ihcy
had lust lalncd ua at Columbia, ana, IN
tbo march from that place ana Fran Kun,
thcy carried such q large supply OF cloul'
ING, la addition 10 their arms ana hinuhl.
lion that the proyo'gunrda were ordered
10 cut the straps OF thoir knapaaclA ~ or.
der that they could keep mp nnu hvulu
capture, so that now many OF thcm Wcro
without blankets, tents aud oycrcohh.
Tho enemy must have felt the ELECTS. OF
tho weather much moro Than we, ha thcy
were for the most part without ioih, poor
ly clad and acanuly ied' Ihoir nnou,
which we're In Wow most places about q
mile away aud running within ono hhlt
mile OF the front of the part OF The lino
our regiment occupied, on place called
Montgomory'a Hili, were marked byn long
line OF smoke which appeared 70 arise ou1
OF the earth, and, 20 protect themselves
against the weather aud the firing OF our
artillery and pickota, they had 10 stay un-
dorground almost altogether,
So close together were ours ana tho
enemies plckcts, In The rifle pits between
the main lines IN our 'front.' thot lno p'VN'
cts. as was often the the case during the
Atlanta Campaign, had 10 be- relieved nt
night only, the last relief going on duty
iugt before day and remaining until
tho following night, Conversation
wna held at times across the IN
teryoning spaco with tho rebel pickcw,
but na ours finally received orders 70 kcop
n steady fire toward them, and ~ muskct
firing nt one another, although from riHo
pits, nt nfty rods distance, was not calcu-
lated TO promote social intercourse, u
soon became very neutrality-suspicious.
Montgomery Hill, held by the rebels,
and In front OF which we pickotod, was
sirmountod by what was once fine brick
rosidcncc, which might have bcon In hap.
nior dnys the abode OF luxury and roilnc-
mont. nnd Of the good, old style Of SOUTH
ern bospitnlity. II had now became a
target for battery near us until lts walls
crumbied from the power OF shot ana
shell, strong line OF the onomioa ON.
trenchments crossed the front yard, and
the fine slope In front was torn up with
their rifle pits.
Tho i5th Of December opened with u
heavy fog following the warm rain OF the
day before, which bad melted tho Ice and
Il was now aueceoded by mud. The pres
ent writer, on that day, being on picket
duty In rife pit In front Of Montgomery
Inli. Heavy firing, about 10 o'clock boz
pnn 10 be heard far on the right.
THE rumble and roar,
That tells that tho battle 10 on ouce more
Thomas was about to move there short.
ly appeared TO be o stir Of some kind
within the rebel lines In front Soon one
OF their officers appeared suddenly In