The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-05-05

ETESI[. ; as though thls Datl4e
XIX 49, ~ was considered such q
!. ]. J.
EzE%# III small affair compared 10
9&issa LIS the great events in the
Fzss lRs-Slf9 drama Of war that
ss<TN s5a occurred before and after
NlS u - I/..1IS]b it, that it WIS COM
II EAS[<1tHk3 rletely oyershadowed
~ .s5.tliirJLfg so that in all these y
ct - TA years since have never
.E<48 ~ -Is5Is W. seen any account OF the
- D47sza-e2 ~ battle IN print, until /
saw the above-men-
o<zMN<~SSAzs Although as to num-
bers engaged on the Union Size, it was small
affair compared with the battle OF Atlanta,
which was orrht two days later still il was OF
sufficient Importance for the time being 10
occupy all tie leisure moments OF those VINO
were in it, and TO retain place IN the MEM
orics Of The survivors during ala the after years
of their lives. Comrade Clarl's description
corresponds Eery accurately with my recoilec-
tions. The battle-ground, the valley or raVlne
In front. the rise, the timber to the right ana
rear, ;be fight over the guns, the banklng on
our right ard rear, are all brought before me
again. Notwithstanding this WAS so many
years ago, l seem TO have a better recollection
Of the aeings Of that afternoon than OF other
afternoons since then.
The battery mentioned was Capt. Bandy'S
18th \. y. Independent /. A. The full battery
Of SIX gaps WIS present. Some OF the lnianry
preceded the battery IN locating line OF battle
and putting up slight breastworks, IN case
Hood should take the offensive.
After crossing Peach Tree Creek in the
morning, we were waiting in column 81! the
forenoon. An cminous silence reigned. About
noon an Orderly came dashing up 10 the Cap
tain. and gave him directions 10 go into battery
Oh the iine-of- battle OH distant hill, and TO
move with all haste.
Immediately comes the order: attention
Drivers. msRnt, Csnnoneers mount! Forward,
march ,-Trot = Gallop!"
Then the drivers yell and lash their horses.
and they break into full run; the wheels
bound along over bitches. logs stumps and
stones that would tear a farm-Hagon all 10
pieces. The canaoneers are bounding up SIX
inches from :beir seats, and hanging for
dear life; f0- fall under the wheels would be
worse than 3 rebel bullet. Up the long hill we
20, down another one. across a ravine, then
mp again q another elevation, the horses never
Stacking their speed until we arrive at the
ground where we are 10 go into bsttery-seem-
ingiy in after confusion, but we are on the
ground in five minutes after starting. In one
minute more The guns are unlimbered and
run lug,sa:d. sas limbers turned round, the
guns loaded and run into the em5rasures,
each gun. each Timber, and each caisson in its
proper place. L. FIVE minutes more our picket5
ere driven in and the battle is on.
/ was caHnoneer of the left gun OF the left
section. The section was commanded by Lieut..
NcGurrin. The guns that were captured and
recaptured were the right section Tho guns
that turned the cross FIRE on the rebs were
the middle section. Our gunner, Corp'l Lynch,
was killed az the start, and Lieut. McGurrin
took his place. All the appearances indicated
that had business Oh our hands In fact,
We had been warmed for two or three days that
Hood had superseded Johnston, and to look
out fer hlfB, as he was likely TO strike hard al
some unexpected point, and ii so happened
that the Second Division of the Twentieth
Corps MAS the place selected to make the as
saait.
They farked rs on the right: they killed of
our men and captured two OF our guns; but il
was repetition Of The experiment of the fel-
low " ho bit Of more than lie could chew. They
did not hola the ground nor the guns.
After the action commenced my personal OBJ
seryation extended but little beyond our own
gun. The smoke enveloped US SO that we Could
neither see 20 the right nor TO the left. Be
aides. we were pretty busily occupied with
"our own knitting" without taking obserSa-
tons. Tie fire OF our section was TO the front,
and If anybody escaped the stream of fire from
the guns / think they would be scared 10 death
by the noise we made. My own ears ached as
if they would burst from the continual roar Of
the guns. They drowned every other sound.
q
were firing rapidly like ourselves. We fired
our guns just as .apidly as FIVE men. drilled TO
move a. machinery, and Commanded by an eX-
pert, cen j do Il. Three shots minute from each
gun, rolling ont in one continuous roar, which
made the ground shake and trerable and this
without any cessation for two hours. The
mango WAS point blank, and We kept the guns
eli the time depressed, firing alternately
double canister and short-fase shell. The can
iSfEr y-0fta SYroe.l t,o
through the advancing columns like tornado
OF fire. The shell would cut down trees take
on bark and iiIi5s, then burst in front of the
rebel ranks, hurting death and destruction
around. We would occasionally fire solid shot
which would cut down trees, ricochet over the
heads Of one line and plow through the ground,
throwing dirt over the next line, then bound
and roll along, diminishing in velocity, until
il would xii tIo Or three soldiers mile TO
the rear. when its force was almost spent. And
what il most remarkable. that in all this two
hours storm Of musketry and artillery some
escaped Biiscsthed.
1t was hot afternoon, being the Doth Of
July, 1861, and after the battle was OYER our
psntsioons and shirts were dripping with per-
fpiration, and our faces were 50 srneared srith
powder and sweat that We resemhled darkies
more than white people, and we were SO ex-
ba1sted that we could hardly stand up
We lost that day Is men in killed and
wounded, about half the that were 1T
the guns. Ones life was in danger anywhere
IN that neck OF woods that afternoon man
was safe at the froat as in the rear. One of
our wounded men was killed when being taken
to the rear.
was sent to the rear for water to swab the
gun. When ] arrived at a certain point |
thought ] could see depression in the ground
that might contain water. / asked some in
3antryIBcn who were lying on their faces Il
suppose guarding our right rear IL there was
Rny water out there. They replied Don't
20 OFT there. man was killed going across
there only moment ago" / remarked that
killing was the order OF business Just then and
must have some water, so ] ducked nv head
and started. The bullets commenced whistling
past my ears, but they miscalculated. | did
not stand IN one place great length of lime
in fact. if ] had been timed, IL would have
been shown that l made splendid record Of
speed. ] found some muddy water, scooped nm
some, and the bullets clipped " past Iny head
again rs ! returned.
All earthly things have an end, and this
battle did also. 1t seemed to NE that we were
loading and firing for two hours just as fast as
we could work the guns; perhaps il was not SO
long. After we had ceased firing, and the
smoke had cleared away from our gun, GROUP
Of US stood resting on the left wheel. wreath
OF smoke rose from a tree about 200 yards TO
our right front, and bullet came from a
sharnshooters gun, crashed into the hub Of the
wheel We had hold Of, and three buckshot