The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1893-12-07

troops crossed Lookout Creek. The house is
unchanged. and Capt. Collins. of the 18th
N. Y. pointed out the spot whore the Surgeons
| had their tables
"Just inside OF the door here" he said I" as
/ was brought back wounded. saw the body OF
Maj Gilbert NJ. Elliott, of the 102d N. Y.
| There was something very sad in his death.
| The division was formed in the road In front
of the house. and Elliott was laughing and
chatting by that big tree there as indifferent to
| the danger before he would have been had
be been going to dinner. / assure you that We
were all surprised TO see him so light hearted.
Few, If any, shared his feelings. for we all
| realized the work that had been laid out for US
to do. and there were not many who believed
the charge would be a success
The entire party then went to the top Of
Lookout Mountain. The mist and smoke of
the morning had been dissolved by the fresh
northwest wind that threw its weight along the
Valley Of the Tennessee and cleared the air,
bringing into view the whole field of operations
OF the two great armies. The city OF Cbatts-
nooga lay within caunon-sh0t. Moccasin Point
was at the foot; Missionary Ridge of to the
north. The towers erected by the Federal
Commissioners the site Of Bragg's Head
quarters, and where Baird made his charge,
were i'll full view. OF to the eastward the
battlefield Of Chickamauga was easily recog-
| nized by the Federal towers on Snodgrass Hill,
where Pap" Thomas made his historical
| stand, and further TO the right where Bragg as
sembied his army preparatory TO hurting it
upon Rosecrans's right. Of to the left the
| field of Wauhacthie was in easy view.
| At the loot of Lookout, across the railway
| tracks, were the two mills which were held by
| TyndaIe and Orlaud Smith, of the Eleventh
| Corps. The old Parker House. where Hooker
| made his Headquarters could be seen through
| the glass. To-day the house appears as it did
| during the campaign. The only change made
has been by Parker himself, who has taken 8
fn-f
| he is. During the campaign the Parker House
! had no windows. It has none to-day. As .
| matter of fact, it never enjoyed the luxury OF
| a pane OF glass. Its proprietor was overwhelmed
| when Gen. Butter6eld, Gen. Reynolds, Gen.
| Oliver, and Gen. Fullerton drove up. "You
| are the first Union Generals who have called
on me-" he said. "snce the war closed" The
huts that Rockers staff occupied during the
/ Winter have long since gone the way of tran
| STORY things The most luxurious Of them all
| was built for the Geaeral commanding. who
refused to take it, Turning to Gen. Reynolds.
Fighting Joe" said. "iIere, Reynolds. you
live here. This old house is good enough for
| me-; and he remained in one of the most
| uncomfortable houses of them all.
| From where the party stood on Lookout
Mountain, the exact place was designated when
| the famous Long Tom" Confederate gun fired
| its salutatory Good morning" with its accom-
| paDying tweive-pounder she'll, over into the
| Twelfth Corps camp every day. "There was
| no fun in this business" said one of the party,
but after a while we became accustomed to it
and managed to get out Of its way" 10 was
| a shot from this gun that disturbed the cogita-
| tious of Gems. Hooker and Gesry at the old
| log house near the Kelly's Ford road.
| The next morning one-haf of the party,
| under the general charge of Gen. Boynton,
went to Missionary Ridge; the other half,
under Gen. Fullerton, to the Chieksmauga
battlefield.
The work on these great battleaelds is just
| beginning. Millions of people in this country
to-day do not realize the beauty of the land
| scape wherein the battles wore fought, the
| strategy of the Union movements the great
| generaIship displayed by Gen. Rosecrans, the
almost inaccessible nights which the Union
troops scaled and captured, the hardships and
sufferings endured by officers and men. and
/ millions in the years to come will visit these
| spots with a reverence softened by time and
| patriotism hallowed by the achievements Of
their forefathers Already commissions
have been appointed by nine Northern and
| eight Southern States-by Massachusetts,, New
York, New Jersey, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois. Wis
| consin, Nich gan, and Minnesota on the part of
| the North, and by Missouri, K entucky. Ten
| nessee, Alabama. Georgia. Mississippi, North
| Carolina and Texas The commissions from
! Missouri, Kentucky. and Tennessee contain
both Union and Confederate officers The fol-
| lowing commissions have already visited the
| Of the positions Of their troops: New York,
Ohio Indiana, Wisconsin. Michigan, Minnesota,
| Kentucky. Tennessee, and Texas.
| The State of Ohio has appropriated S95 900
| for So monuments to her organ izatoDs that
| fought on the Chickamauga field alone. Al
| ready designs have been selected, and during
| the next few months contracts will be awarded.
| The State Of Minnesota has appropriated $4,000
| for five monuments By Congressional en-
aetmeut, seven monuments have been put
| I'm position on the left of our line at Chick
amauga. Eight general officers were killed
in this battle, four either side. The
| spots where they fell-inclnding that for
the brave Brig. -Gea. w. Fl. Lytle, whose 81 am
dying Egypt, dying" will live Al long as the
English iangusge-wili be marked by trisngu-
lar piles of eight-inch shells. nine feet at the
base and seven feet in hight. The Federal
Commission, which has been doing heroic work
| under the eaer gstic directions Of Gems. Fuller
ton and Boynton. is also preparing historical
tablets, four feet by three, Of iron. These
now In the hands Of the founder, covering
army corps and division tablets for both armies
for both days Of the battle.
But what IS equally important is the work the
Commission is doing on the roads. In their
way these thoroughfares are models. In short
time tho best road outside the State of New
Jersey will run from Chattanooga along the crest
| of Missionary Ridge TO R0ssville, thence along
theiine held by Gordon Changers (Fourth)
Corps to Thomas's left and front, taking in the
Kelly farm, where the most desperate fighting
of the both of September occurred; thence on
to the Widow Glenn's, which was Rosecrans's
Headquarters up to the time Gen. Wood made
the disastrous gap in our line which led to the
crushing defeat on our right.
All the State Boards are cooperating with
the National Commission, and whenever .
State Commission proceeds to the fields the
| National Commission and its historian on
hand to meet it. By traversing the fields to
gether both manage, by free interchange of
views to absorb details which have never been
printed.
just what recommendations the New York
Commission will make cannot be determined
until q meeting 10 held. Mr.. Clinton Beck
with, the third member of the Commission,
was unable to go because of illness in his family.
1t is barely possible that stone markers will be
placed along the brigade lines and that hand
some monuments will be erected at the spots
where the New York troops performed their
most heroic work, either by making q charge
or by holding their ground. The next Legis-
lsture will be asked to make an appropriation
when the Commission files its report, bill to
that end going in with the report. The amount
is variously placed at from $50 600 to SIS 900,
q sum by no means too much. when the heroic
services the New York soldiers rendered to
their country are remembered. In the Ma
tional Cemetery at Chattanooga Maj. Bristol
counted the graves of ~ known members Of