The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-10-15
ON CHICKAMAUGA'S FIELD.
Gen. Hunter Tells of the Part Taken by
the Eighty-SecOnd Indiana.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.

Special TO the Indianapolis Journal.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind, Oct. 1.-THE COM
missioners sent out under the guidance OF
Gen. H. V. Boynton, and appointed by the
Governor of Indiana to locate the exact po-
sition of the Indiana aroops on the Chicka-
manga battlefield, where such valiant
work was done by the Hoosier. boys in
blue, have commpleted their work, and
report is now being prepared for the Off
cial records. Gen. Morton c. Hunter was
the chairman of the commission, and has
just returned from the pleasant duty, for
such 1t was to him, as the Eighty-second
Indiana, of which he was the colonel, made
a record which is part Of the history OF
the country in that battle. There were
nine commissioners, and all were present
with the exception of one, who was UNI
avoidably detained. Almost a week was
spent in inspecting the battlefield from all
positions and locations. The first meeting
was held on Monday at the Port Hotel,
which is at the edge of the six thousand
acres comprising the field of Chickamauga.
The work was proceeded with at once. and
All the regiments. excepting the IT, ThirT1e ,,
tieth, 1t will be necessary to get another
survey, which will be done at an early
date. 1t is General Hunters idea to mark
the lines with some token In keeping with
the gallant Indiana soldiery that made such
glorious record in the famous battle.
AS stated above, the E1Snty-SecOnu IN
diana, of which General Hunter was in
command, made a record in tie battle of
Chickamauga that is historical. The Cen
eral was asked to give the details or the
conflict, when he said:
1.-The part taken by my own regiment was
the one thing uppermost In my mind, as
would be natural, and l will give you in
brief what the Eighty-Second did. L was
stationed first down in the bottom, and
about half mile from Snodgrass hill.
We were on the right of the army, where
her ic Ioh xxyhi
street came upon the field, and where the
attempt was made by Longstreet to sue
and Thirty-first Ohio withstoOd the shock
for a few moments, but had to give way.
and they came back over me. L raised my
regiment. attacked the enemy and drove
them away from my front, and regained
the breastworks from which the Seven
teenth and Thirty-first had been driven. l
looked about to see what support / had,
and found, to my surprise, that my left
wing had entirely given way, and was
left alone and had then to take care of my
self The conflict was terrible; the rebels
were coming through the gap about one
hundred yards to my right. l Immediately
ordered my lieutenant colonel TO throw
% SaeK the that r Mas Done ordered them to
treat, and to wheel and fire every fifty or
sixty yards. The enemy was much the
stronger, and we retreated In slow run. l
did not know where to go, but, knowing the
road to Chattanooga, l kept on in that di-
rection. A brigade of rebels followed in
close pursuit and kept a hot fire into my
men, the balls and bullets passing through
the ranks like falling hail; but, strange to
say, all escaped except Captain McAllster.
Our flag STAFF was shot all to splinters, and
the banner fell to the ground, but Colonel
Davis, of Bedford, picked up the tattered
flag and carried 1T with him. We retreated
until we came to certain hill, which
proved to be, as | thought at the time, the
| key to the position. Going up the hill
| met few men, and 1 stopped and put my
regiment in order. 1 saw at once We were
in rNlan To GOh he n for
was desperate, and / knew that to go down
the hill and let the rebels get above us
meant annihilation L comrnanded my men
| to defend themselves, telling them to throw
| logs, or chunks, or anything they could find
| in front of them and prepare for an at
| tack In about fifteen minutes the rebels
| made an attack, which we repulsed In a
| few minutes they renewed the attack with
| increasing vigor, but we held our position
| In less than half an hour they made third
attack with increasing forces. but we held
| our ground. Meanwhile an officer rode up
| the hill and told him our danger, but that
we must have some ammunition, as we
were almost cleaned out. In short time
| the ammunition came and soon after the
| Ninth Ohio came up and took position to
my right In few minutes the rebels
made another attack, and IT was the mos!
| furious and persistent that j experienced
| during my four years service The fight
ing kept up until dark and 1t was bloody
encounter, demanding courage and bravery
that could not be excelled in the annals OF
war, but my men held their position and
did not move an inch from the enemy. But
the rebels, largely superior In numbers
were about to flank us, and it looked as il
the struggle was to be lost when | noticed
General M gd9g fb uR; 1 and by
| gallant Eighty-seccnd was the first req.
ment on the hill. The remainder of the
| known to ALL So. from what 1 have said
you can see that my return to Chickamauga
| battlefield was one of great personal inter
est as we'll as to do a service for the sol
fnr ~