The National tribune., 1891-06-18
BATTLE OF ADAIRsvILLE.
A Bigger Fight as Seen from Rebel Standpoint
than from Oars.


EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: I recently
saw Confederate account of little engage
ment Gt the famous 0ctagOn House, one mile
north of Adairsville, Ga, which occurred on
the Atlanta campaign.
1t is written with all the spread eagle COM
mon in Confederate war narratives. lie tells
how braveIy the LIST and 9Th Tenn, consoli-
dated, held the Octagon House against the as
saults Of the infantry and the Smelling Of 100
batteries Of artillery at close range.
/ have a little account Of that skirmisb,
which | wrote at the time. Besides have
some very good reasons for remembering 1t.
That day the rebels had been pretty near "a
hard 10 drive rs herd Of swine. They were
very unruly, and some OF the time did not act
as though they wished TO be driven ut all.
Early in the afternoon, when they were thus
contrary, lot Of them having gotten in and
around a log house about mile north OF the
Octagon House, two guns of Battery VI, lst III.
l.. A, were planted on the skirmish-line,
and fired at the house. One OF the shells
passed through il, and about two feet above
bed on which was lying woman who had
only few minutes before given birth 20 child.
There were two other women in tho house.
The rebels soon fell back, leaving seyeTa! dead
around the house.
Their next stand was in tho woods at a creek
Immediately north of the Octagon House. Our
skirmish-line, followed by thin line Of bat
tle had advanced into the woods. The main
column of the infantry was in the road run
ming almost due north and south, and on a
straight line with the OctagOn House. Ny bat
terry M, lst ILL., was in grass field in column
OF sections, Just east Of the road, and was sit
ting on a squared log in a yard in front Of a
house just west of the road, talking with our
Chief Of Artillery, Long range" when the
rebels opened from a battery near the OctagOn
House the first she'll sailing along the road but
4 few feet above the heads Of the infantry,
and striking the ground in the rear well be-
yond the curve in the road. The she'll had
scarcely passed when Long-range sprang 70 his
feet and saddle, and dashed TO the rear as rap
idly as his horse would take him, simply re-
marking / must gO!" We were soon ordered
by the brigade commander 10 open fire on the
men in the woods. We told him that those
were our men. He insisted that they were
not, and again ordered Us 20 fire on them.
This we positively declined TO DO, when he or
dered another battery. which took position i'm
medately on our right 1--WE having gone into
! battery Just south of the field Immediately south
Of the house, to fire on them, which they did,
and we learned beyond any doubt Immediately
that they were our men.
Considerable was said that evening and next
morning about the battery firing into our own
men, and it WAS charged that it was Battery M
that did IL. But Battery VI fred only at the
around it. Early next morning / went over
the field to see what damage, If any, the bat
terry had done. There / found n portion Of the
remains Of a soldier. One Of the shells fred
| from Union battery had struck him about
the middle Of the back, and exploded in him.
His chest was thrown forward over log, be-
hind which he was lying, his musket-baFrel
being driven through him, and projecting al
the back of his neck. His limbs and trunk
were torn into very fine fragments and scat
tered for over a rod at either side. ! found a
piece Of the she'll by the log, and il was a
| spherical shell. This proved that il was not
| fred by Battery NJ, we having nothing but
/ rihed guns.
Whether the other battery fred on the Octa-
/ gon House or not do not know. Battery NJ
did fire at il, and this leaves, according 20 the
rebels account, 30 other batteries TO be heard
/ from, and wish every other battery that fired
on that house would make the fact known
| This Johnny says that the she'll would make a
| hole large enough through the walls for hogs
\ heads 20 be thrown through, and the cannOnad
| ing made the earth tremble around the house
as with an earthquake. Certainly AdairsvillC
should occupy q more conspicuous position in
history than il has as yet.-GEO. L. DOLTON
| Is North Main St., ST. Louis, BIO.