The National tribune., 1891-05-07

settles and the road is clear Of everything as
when FIRST looked down il, and there was no
more firing la that direction. What does il
mran2 Have they all been taken pIisoncrs2
/ have no note OF time, and the section was
stil in the same position, when an Orderly
galloped past on the main road toward the
Sixteenth Corps, aud shouts " Mcpherson is
killed.
A company Of infantry had played some sort
Of thisticdown business. / bad intended not
10 mention IL, but my CAPTAIN bad promised me
infantry supports, and should i keep entirely
silent II would load 10 a wrong construction OF
the abilities aud capacities of our Captain, HI.
IT, Gliiliths. Sometime after he loft rs up came
a Captain at infantry. ] was sitting on my
horse watching this timber road saluted the
Captain and The salute was not returned. /
said Captain please let me ask question"
j received $40 answer 60 this but Let rs pass"
/ did SO. That Captain aud his company went
out from six To L. rods turned 20 the left, and
disappeared. | cook his measure, and knew
he would lie no help 60 MS. and continued
watching forgetting all about him. ] don't
remember tut think ] never mentioned him
10 Gen. MCihrrson Had that Captain Of IN
lautry done his duty, Mcpherson need never
have rode out tLat road.
Soon after the firing on Mcpherson and
escort, while the dust was yet hiding the road,
out came this Cautau. i gave him the road,
and on lac went through the interval between
/ our guns. j thought he would take position In
rear OF our guns; but no marched on out Of
sight ] did not care, for should business open
be would be out Of our way, anyhow. Having
noticed that one of our boys spoke 10 him, /
called ont, What did you find out2" lie re-
piled, Nothing lie was afraid TO give his
regiment, which was all ] asked" / thought
the Captain had been ordered out 10 support
my section, aud finding a Sergeant in COM
maHd, he would not serve under a Sergeant.
j. that Captain did not know that no was AZ
that very moment supreme in command, why.
then, he knew uuthinEu
Gen. Mcpherson was not lost for he knew
/ exactly just where he was. He was on no
wrong road; he knew ID ; so DO ] to-day. Gen.
Mcpherson expected 10 fud The Seventeenth
Corps lhis own, a corps that had never failed
him, where he found that little section of artl-
lery. On that north and south road word
should have been sent when. from any cause,
his corps could not he where be expected il.
The bravery Of the soldier Ovcrcamc the eau
ton OF the General, and although courteous
and gentle 10 me, could see the fire Of battle
in his eye, aud 20 he would. ] thought then,
do get no Que hut Gen. Sherman could then
have stopped him.
As First Sergeant Acting Chief Of Secion)
ID Is not my business TO speak Of the work of
the battcry-that belongs TO ADLER hands. ]
can only speak Of the battery from nay stand
point. ID undoubtedly had any number Of
I equals, and IL might have had supcriors, bat ]
never SAW any. j do not know OF one instance
where 10 failed 10 come to time, and everywhere
II dad what was required or expected OF il. /
never heard the command Stick 10 your
guns; back 10 your p0stsi" This also covers
the action Of July p. too.
Now, not one word ! have said about the
Sixteenth and Seventeenth Corps ought 10 he
miscOustued. Our Naa0lc0ns had witnessed
4hp IA linn ltaply gFF Gfr-Fap ltn
formation Of a new line, aud holding il. The
enemys batteries advanced, but not i'm very
good view. They were either in the edge Of
the timber or in some timber between as. Ny
mon wanted 70 try shot or two. but for the
reason that 0urshUts were 20 be signal shots +"
We did not FIRE. but we agreed that should our
batteries Of the Sixteenth Corps show any sign
OF weakening, why then we would have TO FIRE.
But instead the Sixteenth Corps advanced again
and was All right. Our NapOleons also witnessed
formation Oi the last line Of battle Of the Seven
teenth Corps. j was witness OF the superb,
the magnificent formal on. under "A terrible
singing fire, Of a line of battle along that main
road, our AapolCUus constituting the extreme
left flank Of the line. / am not able TO fully
describe this last movement, but the Seven
tcenth Corps had found true position" aud
could not be forced another inch. They had
been swept from false positions time and again.
One or two more such false positions would
have swept il out past the left flank of the Fiji
tecnth Corps uid then what2 The ordering Of
that last movement was a grand conception,
eXcelcd only by its execution. lt required
aud, be 10 borne in mind under heavy fire
not only movement by flank. but also a
change IA trout from southeast 20 SOUTH and
Tor the purpose Of covering the flank aud rear
oil the left hank Of the fifteenth COrps along
that east aud west main road. Ammunition.
chests were exploded guns, carriages aud
caIssOus were disabled aud teams were Grip
pied. don't know now many awful moments
this movement took 10 accomplish; but felt
relieved and all right and knew they would
stay. The FIRST assault had been rcpul5cd, aud
during a luil Of the battle a Captain, acting
ChIci 81 Artillery Of the Seventeenth Corps,
relieved our section with section from his
corps Our section pulled out n charge Of one
OF the Scrgcants FOR our battery, which had
changed position, aud was now on a hall IN
rear Of The Seventeenth Corps ] remained,
/ intending 70 stay few minutes, as j had "a
I good horse aud could Overtake the section I
felt that said Captain had taken advantage Of
me, AS did not wish 10 be relieved, aud had
told him so, aud j wanted 10 take a good look
at has section, which had not arrived. This
Captain wanted my section 10 remain tin his
would arrive, but 10 this ] would not accede
/ for il our section had % give up that position
% became necessary 10 do II at once, in order 10
/ get back to our battery Ia time forth expected
attack, so as % have music by the full baud.
While j was yet waiting my Captain, who was
/ Acting Chief % Artillery 0ithe Fourth Division,
i Fifteenth Corps, rode up from the Sixteenth
4 Corps, where, ] think, be bad boon 10 See how
! Gen. Dodge, commander 81 the corps, was get
/ ting on Both Dodge aud Griiliths had started
! in together with the 9TH Iowa, the former AS
/ Colonel, and the latter as Captain OF co. T.
1 The Captain said: Sergeant. have you lost
/ your guusf" Heavens! FOR second curious
/ sensation passes through me, and bad 10 en-
4 isA my Captains remark: And 1 left 10 tel
/ Of ID. but, Captain, IL Is not that bad )" aud ]
i pointed 10 lhg section coming out OF a rayiue
on good round trOt and j then explained the
situation. The second assault was also re-
/ pulsed aud the Seventeenth CORDS took "a large
. number ~ prisoners amongst them "A CAPTAIN
/ Of infantry, o brythcr-in law Of J. Rutherford
4 driver 81 no 3 gan detachment As the
/ prisoners were marched past our flank Ruthcr-
4 lord started Tor The Captain, artillery Whip ia
/ hand. AS soon Hs ! became aware Of what WIS
/ happening, galiUpcd over iu time 10 inter
I lere but tAal Drothcr-ln-iaw proved 20 be such
/ a slutilug, staggering bragRari, that almost
] felt persuaded o. Zee. sorry that ] njcriered.
4 feel glad 20 lC able 20 say that this WAS the
/ 0uly time j over saw even au attempted i'll
1 usage 81 prisoners. 10 more assaults on the
/ Seventeenth Corps enemy has found out its
true position too
Our TWO Aapoleons were with the battery ;
eight guns nov a.l u action; witnessed breach
iu The Fifteenth Corps line in the afternoon. aud
their ACCOMPLISHMENTS aud the sEu-ot II that
cycIlgl day saW al three corps intact, and the
/ A.. ~ fH..H ID