Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1892-10-12

enemy coming on charger The muzzles
of the cannOns may be pointed so as 10
sweep the entire front and leave no path
way unscathed by missiles. Behind their
guns the artillCrymen may stand and hurl
large shot or pour canister into the ranks
Of the assailants almost at will. The on
posing artillery is unable TO fire upon a
battery while a party is charging il for
fear of hurting friends, and at the supreme
moment it comes to tussle between cam
non and rifles or bayonets. The slashing
shells one would suppose could outdo bull
let's, the showers Of canister overmatch
the bayonets. Sometimes it turns out so,
but not always.
The first time that saw an array of our
cannon ON the battlefield l said to COM
rade, How can we help winningg" With
more experience than |, he exclaimed, IT'S
all right if they'll stand" meaning the
artillerymen. We were infantry, and |
said cheerfully, "Of course they'll stand IL
we stand by them" ! soon found out
that ! would prefer the other horn of the
dilemma, to charge the enemy's guns
rather than to stand by our own guns
while repelling charge, if that charge
was worthy the name. The bloodiest ex-
perience Of this kind during the civil war
v,
in the little fight at Iuka, Miss, Sept 10,
1862 1t was an accidental battle and that
partly accounts for the extraordinary ex-
posture of the artillery.
Toward the close of the day Sanborn's
brigade Of Rosecraps' army was marching
along a high road leading to the town.
feeling the way in anticipation Of striking
a Confederate outpost. The route Law
fhrpnfrh ~ Vi ~ hot
two wide clearinGs held by the enemy,
and upon entering the pass Sanborns
column drew a heavy fire from Confed.
crate riaemen and artillery. The place
would have proven an ambush had San
born pushed ahead, but he halted his line
and the enemy quickly attempted to crush
it before it could prepare for battle There
was no time to lose and the nearest bat
terry, which happened to be the Eleventh
Ohio, was placed on a slight elevation at
the edge Of the wood, where it could sweep
the roadway and also the nearest edges Of
the clearings on both sides of it. The DO
sition Of the guns was an ideal one, a wide
range TO the right and left oblique and a
slope along the whole front. Regiments
Of infantry We're placed on each flank of
the battery and in rear and as far as It
went the line of battle was perfect.
Looking at the plan on paper, most men
Of experience would choose place behind
those six cannon if they had to be in it a.
all The troops took their stations under
a heavy fire Of shell and bullets, and were
no sooner settled down to business than
the Confederates charged three columns
deep upon the crest where the battery
stood. The Ohioans opened their guns with
canister and the infantry on each side gave
the assailants volley after volley of bullets.
The charge was repulsed, and no doubt the
men who had hand in the work thought
they could easily repel "A second and even
third. The battery was still intact, its
fighting force Of 81 officers and men quite
unframed, and enough ammunition on
hand to double load the guns for the nexu
encounter.
There were other Union guns in position
on the field, but the Confederates were
bent upon silencing those Of the Eleventh
Ohio first. They reformed and dashed in
again with vigorous yells. A dense thicket
screened them at the start, then they fell
below the bank Of ravine, finally emerg-
ing into full view at the distance of 100
yards from SanbOrn's line. The Ohioans
let go their double charges of canister,
the infantry keeping company for time
with well aimed bullets But while the