Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1890-01-16
CHICK AMATGA

dut, WIFI Il StClIOu VI lHc ElSuIetuLl
Ohio Battery, were ordered forward OF
the Ringgold road, and about four mile.
out. As We were marching in fou
: ranks the head of the column wa:
fired into by the rebel skirmishers. Ont
man of the Ninety-siXth Illinois was
, killed, as it was in the advance. The
, adjutant of our regiment came running
back and ordered our company to the
front and to deploy as skirmishers. ]
remember very well that our guns were
not loaded, and we loaded as we double
quicked to the front. We deployed and
drove in their skirmish line, they falling
back through an old field which had
grown up with tall weeds. 1t becoming
dark, we ceased firing and all became
quiet, except occasionally the "rebs''
would let loose with their artillery; but
we lay close to the ground, unharmed.
About o'clock in the morning we
were ordered to fall back quietly, which
we did. We fell back about a mile,
made our coffee and waited for further
orders. 1t was about noon when we
were ordered to the front again. This
time the rebels seemed to apprehend our
coming, as they had got range on us with
their artillery, and their shells would
burst near and all around us; but we
succeeded in reaching an old fence,
where we stopped and commenced pour
ing it into their line, as they were in this
old field about midway. l think they
had lain down and were awaiting us.
Presently we noticed that their bullets
were coming lengthwise down the fence
Forests calvary was flanking us, and
because of their great numbers we fell
back again to the position we had occu-
pied the day before. Our loss was about
fifty killed and wounded. That night
our brigade lay on their arms, without
blankets, and were not permitted to make
| fires; and as the night was cold, with
quite frost, the men suffered consider
ably. On the morning of the Goth we
expected to renew the fight, but as the
sun came up everything in our front
was quiet. To understand this quiet it
will be necessary to glance for moment
at what had happened in our front and
right on the 18th.
The surgeon of the Fortieth Ohio says,
in his Hi t)ry of the Battle of Chick
amauga," that on the 18th our army was
at CrawfiSh Springs, the left being at
Lees Mills. On the 18th, it being evil
dent that the enemy would attempt
crossing lower down, our army was ex-
tended to the left. Up to the 18th we
still held the crossing of the Chickamauga
on the roads leading back to Rossville,
but on the night OF the 18th the infantry
of the enemy effected a crossing at
Reid's Bridge; but after single brigade
had crossed Col. Dan McCook, with a
brigade of our corps, succeeded in burn
ing the bridge. During the night three
fourths of the rebel army had crossed to
the west bank of the Chickamauga, a
fact entirely unknown to Gen. Thomas.
On the morning of the 18th Col. McCook,
supposing the brigade which had crossed
at Reid's Bridge was isolated, suggested
movement for its capture, a suggestion
which Gen. Thomas followed by sending
Gen. Brannam with two brigades to re-
connoiter the road to the burnt bridge,
and if practicable to capture the brigade
supposed to be separated from any sup
port by the Chickamauga. This move
ment brought on the battle of the 18th.
Instead of single brigade the whole
rebel army was found on the west bank
of the Chickamauga.
The heaviest fighting on the 10Th was |
on our center and left, and the result of |
our days work was favorable to US, but |
not decisive. During the night Gen.
Thomas, in anticipation of an attack
from largely superior force the next |
morning, drew back and shortened his
line; the same movement was made by |
Gen. Bragg with his right, shortening
that part of his line and massing his
forces for determined attack on Gen.
Thomas's left on Sunday morning. This
condition of affairs explains the quietude
in our front on Sunday morning, the
Doth. But away in the right we could |
hear the roar of battle, and about II A. NJ
we had orders from Gen. Gordon Granger
to move to the right, marching through
the woods guided by the sound of cannon.
Near Clouds Springs we found the road
in possession of Forests calvary, which
we brushed away. At this point was a
sad sight. The grounds about the
springs has been the site of our hospitals
on Saturday and Sunday forenoon. The
place had been run over by the enemy,
and hundreds of wounded were lying
there without attention. Our brigade
out of the woods into this old
field. AT this critical time Gen.
Whitaker formed our brigade into a
square, marching so as to repel any
charge from the enemy on either side.
We found that our line was in the
shape of horseshoe, and the rebels had
a battery on our left and one on our
right which had cross-fire on us. AS
we marched through that field l thought
it was one of the grandest sights l had
ever seen in the movement of troops.
There was fine military tactics used.
At this critical moment, when all hope
of re-enforcements with which to beat
back the new danger must have fled,
Gen. Thomas saw body of troops ap-
from the north through the
fields. The clouds of dust so obscured
the column that it was impossible to
whether it was friend or foe.
staff officer to meet it, with
instructions to wave his hat if it was re-
endorsements, he waited in suspense
until the signal was given that help was
when he rode down the hill
from the Snodgrass House to meet Gen.
Granger, and hastily explaining to him
the situation, he sent him to the point
of danger, not 300 yards distant. Our
brigade led by Gen. Steedman, charged
the advancing foe. There it was that
Gen. Steedman took the colors of the
115th Illinois and dashed forward, and
in twenty minutes the rebel host had
melted away and both gorge and hill
were held by our brigade.
This brigade consisted of the follow
ing regiments: Fortieth Ohio, Eighty
fourth Indiana, Ninety sixth and 1l5th
Illinois. The rebel troops we charged :
were the division of Gen. Hindman; as :
he declared afterward he never saw
"Federals fight so well and that he never
saw Confederate troops fight better"
In conclusion, will say that in all the
hictnr apA aannnptc OP tho dreadful