The Republican., 1892-10-27
Comrade Benjamin Harrison.

forth the part which President
Harrison played in those hundred
days under fire. 1t IS no wonder
the veterans take pride in him. At
the opening of the Atlanta cam
palgn he was in command of his
famous regiment, the Seventieth
Indiana Volunteers. During the
battle of Resaca he succee led to
the command of the brigade in
which he was serving, and led it
from June 80 throughout the cam
paign to Atlanta, the march to the
sea, the movement through the
Carolinas, and "the vlctors' parade
of 1862 in Washington. Day af-
ter day his was brilliant record.
The week after the campaign opened
Gen. W. L. Ward, commanding
the Third Division of the Twepti-
eth Corps, thus refers to his first
assault on Resaca.
81 was then ordered to change
my command; moved forward in
fine order through the thick woods.
After moving forward about 200
yards the columns debauched into
an open field. | Immediately gave
the order, double quick 1t was
obeyed promptly; the men moving
steadily, rapidly carried a lunette
beyond the field in a dense woods
on a commanding position, and
four pieces of artillery Qight 1889,
which we carried next day into
Resaca and turned into the depot
ordinance officer. The regiment
that led the assault and captured
the guns was Col. Harrison's." "
The report of this brilliant as
sault, as found in his own report,
is as follows:
"ln our new position we were
Informed that our brigade, sup
ported by the other brlgades of
our DIVISION, was expected to as
sault the enemy's rfe-plts, and
without delay our brigade was
formed in column of battalions in
order of rank. My regiment, lead
ing. passed from the crest of an
lntrenchcd ridge, occupied by
our forces across an open field
in the valley and up.a steep. and
thickly wooded hill to the assault
of the enemy's breastworks, whose
strength, and even exact location,
was only revealed by the line Of fire,
which, with fearful destructiyeness
was belched upon our advancing
column. | moved my men at the
double-quick, and, with loud
cheer, across the open space in the
valley in order sooner TO escape the
enfilading fire from the enemy's
rifle pits on our right and to gain
the cover of the woods. with which
the side of the hill against which
our assault was directed was thickly
covered. The men moved on with
perfect steadiness and without any
sign of faltering, up the hillside
and to the very muzzles of the
enemy's artillery, which continued
to belch their deadly charges of
grape and canister, until the gun.
ners were struck down at their guns.
Having gained the outer face of the
embrasures, in which the enemy
had four twelve-pounder Napoleon
guns, my line halted for moment
10 take breath. Seeing that the
infantry supports had deserted the
artillery, l cheered the men for.
ward, and, with wild yell, they
entered the embrasure, striking
down and bayonetlng the rebel
gunners, many of whom defiantly
stood by their guns till struck
down."
The line thus captured was found
10 be commanded by second line,
heavily manned, and the Union
forces were driven to the outside of
the works they had taken. Here,
however, they renamed till night,
when men from Col. Harrison's
regiments and the Others IN the
again thronged into the
fort and carried off its guns.
A little later Gen. Ward, in bis
reports, gives this account of Col.
Harrison:
"While remaining in the road |
was ordered to throw my skirmishers
forward to ascertain the numbers
and position of the enemy. They
returned, reporting them IN full
force behind strong breastworks
500 or 900 yards in advance of us.
This information was transmitted
to Gen. Butterfield. He ordered
me to attack the enemy vigorously
and drive him from his works, saw
ing that there was nothing but a
line Of skirmishers behind the
works; that the main body had re-
treated. The last order was given
near dusk. In obedience, ordered
my brigade forward. They moved
rapidly and in perfect order. The
rebel skirn,iahera opannd upon no