The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1891-02-26
KENESAw MOUNTAIN.
Another Account or the Charge by an Ohio Com
Tade.

! huuANfT ACCOUNT " Atf ANhfgb W IN VNlN Noth"
TRde.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: / am a con-
slant reader Of your highly valued paper. In
fact, have read il so many years that have
come 90 think Of il ms one Of the family, and
cannot let il go. And the " Fighting Them
Over" column ! read with such interest, for IL
! is written for the most part by those who faced
grim death in all It's agonies The soldier
hating papers would perhaps term il music
TO the ear" Well, il may have been TO those
/ who were far in the rear, or q thousand miles
away from the field Of carnage; but to the
men who stood at the front and barred their
breasts to the leaden hail il was anything but
music
Comrades, ] am looking ahead TO Kenesaw
/ Mountain, the 9th Of June, 1864 i have read
many short sketches Of that battle, and Of the
part taken 10y different comrades down 10 that
1 Of Capt r. c. Rice Of the I25th Ohio, and later
/ OF IT. l.. Heighbor, Of the sgd Ohio. The latter,
! by the way, is disposed 10 be very lenient with
all the boys who have written on this memo
Table battle. each from his own standpoint lis
/ II any wonder at this late day that the boys in
4 writing their war "reminiscences clothe them
each in r different gaIb, although writing
about the same battle, engaged the same
day, and perchance on the same part OF
/ the field, and almost side by sideH Com
rades, you must remember that as you
charged that day those rebel breRstworks,
your nerves. IL you had any, were strained to
/ the highest pitch, and your imaRintiOns-
now come on, Mr. Soldier hster, for have writ
ten a word that perhaps j should not-fOr
those formidable breastwOrks with their huge
/ head-lOgs in front. as has been said, with
shRrpened brush, stakes and posts, all point
i ing toward the Union soldier, which were 10
retard his onward progress; and still stronger
/ fortified in rear by thousands Of rebel soldiers
/ with guns in hand, shooting through under that
headlOg" at you; and still more strongly
fortified with numerous large cannon, dealing
destruction and death 70 all who came in their
way. j say in the face of all this for these
were real obstacles not imaginary, is il any
wonder our nerves begin 10 rise when we talk
or write about our old by-gOnes? / verify
believe some Of these high-strung nerves have
never yet gotten down steady and normal or IL
they have they are so sensitive that whenever
we do talk about the war they bob up and con-
front US, and we are led 20 say some unwise
things perhaps, but nevertheless true.
Capt. Rice gave the l2jth Ohio a good chow
ing IN his letter Of a few weeks ago about the
part taken in the battle OF Kenesaw Mountain.
Why shouldn't hep lie is about the first man
from the regiment who hhs sentured his say
on this matter around the campfire, aud am
disposed, with Comrade Ncighbor, 70 bring my
cruise Of oil and spread il upon the turbid
waters. He (Comrade n does not say that
Capt. Rice has lied or that lie has injured any
other cOmrade but that he writes las though
the l25th did it all, and therefore writes erro-
neOusly.
Well Comrade ". use the oil Of peace plentI-
fully, and il Capt. Rice has committed an error
] think he stands ready 10 be corrected; and
no doubt, az some future campfire, he may
make amends for any wrong he may have DONE
and thus still the ruhed waters 10 calm.
On the morning Of the 9th Of June, 1854
-
custom, for his mail matter before leaving the
front with outgoing mail-for i was the Post
master Of the Third Brigade Second Division,
Fourth Corps % which brigade the General
was In command, and 10 which the l25th Ohio
/ belonged. Al that time ] had 20 ride back 10
hckworth or Allstoons some 20 miles or more
our nearest railroad point, with outgoing mail,
and got the mail for the troops AZ the froLt
! The General seemed 8 little depressed in
spirits, aud had 70 wait a little for him 10 fn-
ish up and seal his last letter home land il
| proved 10 be hls LAST. he said TO me rs was
starting that be was ordered 20 take has brigade
| 10 the right rear, as ] understood him. or in
front Of the Fourteenth Corps. and charge the
rebel breastworks. So COmrade Neighbor is
probably right about his brigade, Of the Four
! tecnth Corps, joining Harker's Brigade on the
right in tho charge. ] said 20 the General
that was sorry, for ] knew there had been
trouble on that part Of the line just day or 30
before, and that expected when / returned 10
/ find himself and half The brigade killed. lie
remarked, +" ] hope not"
could distinctly hear the csnnonading and
musketry during the charge, aud knew the
battle was on. i frequently thought Of the
Generals remark, and wondered as 10 the re-
suit OF the battle When ] returned or reached
the trout IL was after dark. / distributed the
mail 20 the regiments aud having already
learned that Gen. Barker was killed j went
Immediately 10 the field hospital. On enter.
ing the fret tent, for there was q long row o
them, the first body on the left was the dead
/ General, aud the second was my own Captain
l.. Moses, Of Co. b. 10th Ohio. lie WAS wounded
through the thigh. On the right, opposite Ia,
Captain, was Lieut.. Thos. NJ Durham, Of the
same company, MORALLY wounded, having fv,
rebel bullets through bis body, and all on ht
right side from the shoulder 10 the foot.
never saw him again, for be died in a shor
time aud his body was sent home 10 Ohio, and
on each Memorial Day Post $50 strew his grave
and those Of all other soldiers in our cemetery
with flowers.
In passing through this long line Of hospita
tents j saw a number Of my own company ant
regiment, and also from the brigade, whom
knew. The dead were brought of the fielS
under cover Of darkness ] saw seVera
wounded soldiers. who were unconscious bu
stall breathing. They were fast turning black
and soon died.
Comrades, this was one Of the terrible battle
Of the late war and one In which many goo,
soldier gave Up bic life. The men aud officer
engaged IN il did their duty nobly; but TIA
rebel stronghold was too much for. flesh an,
blood 10 capture by storm, and little STRATEGY
res0rted 10 atterwaTd sent the Southern Con
iederacy flying 10 the rear, and Sherman
! army marched into Marietta without mUc
, trouble
; Right here, wonder IL any Of the old com
, rHdes who marched into Marietta remembe
seeing broad board posted up on the corne
: Of the square in the town, with the picture Of
Yankee soldier skctChed on H., and also a rcbs
, soldier a. 8 charge bayonot with the point q
Z the bayOuet entering the seat Of the YRHk
: trousers, with this inscription written unde
II: Gen. Sherman fleeing TO the rearl" w
| laughed some over this; but boys, the 81 flea
2 was on the other fellows log i also remembt
e that ~ soon as we were Ia the town we ma
p boys went for the p0st0fice 10 take posscssio
z OF 10. We found lctters-sweet missiVes frol
: the misses 10 their Johnny b0ys-and the morn
= ing papers telling AL about tile battle
e COmrados write on come often 10 the Cam
2 FIRE, and II we do disagree a little ia our d,
G scIIptiOn Of what we saw aud did, let US Civ
each man, officer, brigade aud division IA
, credit, aud remember that there were 0thel
j. beside ourselves engaged in the same battl
and that there is God Of battles" over l
y who rules our dostiuics, aud that sooner
u later de Will call ne al home, where we sha
q meet our old comrades who parted from us q
many battlehold.-LYNAE RoOT, Co. j, l2Jt
d Ohio, Kiusman, o.
g Read Better than a Pension on page g.
q