The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1891-08-27

anu lRIlOlAAA " lat i AAA bCAAAs 81 > .
Of my company, returned MORALLY wounded,
having ruu onto one Of the cnemys sklrmish-
ers and was shot through at short range. AS
soon as We returned the regiment was ordered
20 fire In lert-ubliquc direction. This We con-
tiuucd 10 do for some time, although there was
not rebel in sight. Then hdj't-Gen. hins-
man passci along the line giving the command
70 each company March out by the right
flank the enemy are in the rear
Ii is generally thought that a fash Of light
ming from "a clear sky rs a legitimate subject Tor
a little surprise, but any number Of flashes from
skies as clear and cloudlcss rs CALIFORNIA; IN
Summer time might have fallen then aud there
without causing bali the surprise that followed
this order We had been thanking the rebs out
Of their brcastworks All summer and thought
IL grand sport, hut when il came our turn 10
take some of the same medicine we found u
bitter indeed. We had been so h0astiul we would
welcome them .the rcbs) with shot and shell,
and, If need be, with our bay0nets, and here we
were giving up our works without struggle
without sight Of the foe; but the order had
come from the right of the regiment, which was
already in motion. SO we followed along up the
line little past the right Of where Co. a had
been. Here we went over the breastworks on
the southwest and formed line in an open
field, facing southeast. Soon after Gen. smith,
our division commander, rode ur aud SAID that
some descrters had come in and reported there
was nothing but skirmish-linc IN our aban-
doned camp, and ordered company TO recon
hotter. ] wonder where those deserters came
from? They aid not follow us and there were
none in sight Our whole regiment could have
told Gen. Smith that there was not even skir-
mish-luc down there; but a company must so
out to rCeonuOter aud so our company was
sent. Three or four from the head OF the COM
pany, including myself went over the breast
works and down on the inside or north side, oil
4 b. 4 10. RW.rtH WH IL
ployed on the other side We went down to
our abandoned camp. Not reb in sight; all
Just rs we had left IL half hour ago. sud
denly a shower of bullets ratified around US,
coming from the woods on the north, where the
18th and 18th Iowa had been camped. The
other boys all jumped over on the south side Of
the bTeastwOIks for shelter.
I / started back FOR the regiment, still
4 keeping on the north side There was not
living person IN sight either blue or gray.
but perfect hail OF lead was falling all around
me. j suppose they were concealed by the
timber, aud j, hcing in open ground. was
target for them. j ran along the brCastworks
4 10 the point where we came over, aud, jump
I ing over on the southwest side, where ] had
. left the regiment, imagine my surprise 10 ind
4 they had moved, and there was not q man OF
! them in sight: 10 Gen. Smith and stan 20 whom
4 we could report the result Of our expedition.
I Two OF my company had got back that far, aud
were lying close IN Rn angle Of the brcastw0rks
. TO protect them from the bullets that were now
1 coming out of the woods on the south from an
4 invisible foe. on 10 tie west a quarter Of a
milo a rebel regiment was coming up out OF
I the woods from the south with flags flying and
a line Of blue coats were opening fire on them
both in open ground. The breastworlls here
ran to the northwest, nearly north, TO little
higher point covered with timber, then sluped
/ abruptly down to the McD0nOugh road, then
up 10 Forces Hill
Surprising my regiment was Just over the
4 first slope, ] jumped over the brcastworks and
started north. One Of my company. Bill Hum
mel, told me afterward In AndersonYillo that
/ be saw me 20 over, and wanted 10 follow me-
but the bullets were coming SO thick that he
didn't like 10 try ii, and was captured there a
4 few minutes after left j didn't 90 more than
30 yards till was greeted with a shower Of balls
coming from the timber on tho north. ] hcsita-
4 ted q moment, not knowing which way TO 90;
/ but seeing a stump about three feet high and Is
inches in diameter, BOugbtits shcitera mOmcnt
/ aud here ] iscOycred Silas Jackson, OF 20 II.
lie got down next 10 the stump and behind
him, when bali struck him, killing him almost
instantly VIII ich convinced me that this was
not a healthy location for a lonely chap like
me. j struck out again, going northwest
! jumped over the breastwoIls again. aud found
myself with tho BED Ohio and other troops Of
Lcggctts Division in the timber on the north
/ side OF the hill aud south Of the McDOnough
road. Tho rcbs soon charged up 10 the breast
works on the cast side while we were on the
/ west but not man dare show his head on
/ either side, as il was Instant death. Their
flags came 50 near that ] could almost run my
bayOnot through them. Afiera while we made
a rush up the hin nearly TO the crest still keep
. ing on the west side OF the breastwoTlIs, which
here ran due north aud south. ] don't think
F.s- feF.Ia lg.rtff
Der now Ol seeing any commissioned officer any
where along there. During this advance one
Of the Ohio boys fell by my side. am not sure
but he was the tooI-Jcarcr, or one Of the color
guard. 10 had q brother near by who became
almost frantic with grief lie cried: "Thcy
have killed my brother. I'll not take a prs-
Onor This afternoon! III shoot every one Of
them" Then taking an advanced position,
where his head was exposed above the fatal
line. he soon received q shot and rolled back
dead, near the lllelcss form Of has brother.
a member q my brigade also exposed bis
head al nearly the same time aud was shot. lie
called his Eumg-Whch j have forgotten-Co
a. 10th Iowa, and may God have mercy on
my soul, )" crossed himself like q devout Catho
bic, aud rolled over by me, dead. About p. m.
or later, an officer came crawling up the lines
aud told us % fall back TO a new line which
had been formed. We moved silently alonJ
down the bib till we came 20 the road running
into Atlanta, called the McDonough road"
went through TO the cast side Of the breast
/ works and was following the road going east
Or nOrtheast--Iad gone 20 or 30 yards-whcn
was hailed by Gen. Smith, who told me 4
Fall in MP there" pointing 10 the breast
, works which j had just crossed. j suppos
G now that lac meant Tor me 10 follow along th
b brcastw0Il.s TO tie top Of Forces Hill, where
q line had been formed, but then / understood
p him 10 mean for me individually aud alon,
for there was no one else near me, TO fall in q
t the BTcastw0Iks near the road and Tepel th
y charge which Was mOmcntarily expected.
4 j went up 10 the breastwOrks aud found tw
d or three 81 IcRgetts men and few WOundc
e rebels. We didn't have 10 wait long for th
+, music; the Teueis soon appeared on the hi
a above Us, which We had Just vacated, comm
7. down on the west side; fred few shots az U
Il then they brought up some artillery and Talne
II grape and canister on as, striking some Of the
r wounded; 80 that one Of the boys said, The
are killing their own men," The bTCastWOrl
D. here ran ln a general direction north al
2 south, but zig Jagged like a rai!-ience, and
1. one Of these cross sections we lay; but I'll
Il rebels artillery was up 30 high above us th;
.e we had 10 hug close to the north face Of a
d calthwoIks 10 gain any protection. The
'c Gkirmlahcrs came about hallway down I'll
ie north slope Of the nil and We opened fire q
ID them ] fired 30 fast that the barrel Of m
&c gun got hot, aud ] picked up one that son
ID fallen comTade had dropped, aud used tina
a We made 10 30 bot FOR the skrinish-llne thu
"a they took shelter behind the trees and 0pcns
d. on Us.
sr The comrado on my right was struck by
r. / ball on tho center of the ton Of Bls head.