The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-08-23
A CRITICAL MOMENT.
An Incident in Which q Lieutenant Figure
Heroicaily.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Before
leaving the subject of the battle of Nashville
l wish to mention an incident peculiarly
| characteristic of the American volunteer,
| where the man in the ranks was, as q gen.
eral rule, the equal in intelligence of his
commanding officer and therefore as good
| in an emergency rs 10 professional or
machine-soldiers of the old world.
1t is about 4 o'clock in the afternoon Of
Dec. Is, 1864. Place. front of Nashville,
where the armies under Thomas and Hood
have been graphing in the conflict since 8
o'clock in the forenoon of the previous day,
| with only an intermiSSion during the bleak
| Winter night, with an ice-coated ground
beneath the cOmbatants, and no shelter from
the freezing north wind that swept that
| field.
Gen A. J. Smith, with Wilson's cavalry
on his right, has been steadily advancing
and closing in around the enemy's left flank
by left-wheel since early morning, until
he has left Gen. Schofelds army Twenty
third Corps, with his own Third Division
Sixteenth Corps as support, entirely in his
rear, and completely covered from any posi-
bility of attack from the enemy, whose posi-
ton he has about / o'clock this afternoon
developed in an environment of the Brent
wood Hills, and has now almost completely
enveloped Hoods left flank in its apparently
impregnable position.
Still SchOfield remains in his defensive
position, where he was ordered by Thomas
the day before, and intrenched for the night,
facing nearly east, now perpendicular to and
in rear of Smiths First and Second Divis-
ions, which are charging upon the enemy's
fortified position upon the Brentwood Hills,
while he remains on the defensive and
listens to the roar of the battle away to his
front and left, evidently expecting an over
whelming attack from the enemy in air."
Gen. Smiths position is now beyond the
left flank of Gen. Hoods army, and in a
position of "about face" from that occupied
by him in the line of defense in front of
Nashville two days previous. He has brought
all the batteries of his First and Second
Divisions to bear upon the enemy's fortified
position. Gen. Macarthur in command of
the First Division, on the right, has received
no answer to his request for permission to
make an assault upon the enemy's strong
position in the Brentwood Hills, as Gen.
Thomas wishes to hear from Gen. Sch0feld,
whom he suppOses to be operating on his
extreme right flank, before ordering an
assault. So Gen. Macarthur takes silence for
consent, and fearing the Strengthening of
the enemy in his front by reinforcements,
has ordered the assault to be made by his
First Brigade, supported by the Second and
Third.
The assaulting column has now advanced
in the face of a terrible artillery and infantry
fire from the enemy, and with the thunder
of their own artillery in their rear and their
shot and shell passing over their heads,
until they have overcome the innumerable
and apparently insurmountable obstacles of
the rough and hilly approaches to the
enemy's position. The rugged surface over
which they have charged is strewn with
their dead and wounded officers and COM
rades, and the mixed and disordered rem
nants have fallen to the ground, exhausted
but not repulsed TO regain their breath for
the final struggle immediately in front of
and protected by the enemy's works.
1t is rather mixed and unorganized line
that now rests beneath the sheltering face of
those rebel parapets. So many officers have
been killed or disabled in the advance
through that terrible cyclone of lead and
iron that it is guestiop'who is left in rank
ing command of some of the regiments. The
deafening din Of battle and the crash and
roar of the enemys artillery and infantry
fire, constantly belching just above them,
renders the most powerful human voice in
audible in command, and in fact, there APP
pears to be no officers to direct the further
movements of the awaiting line.
This is the critical situation and uncertain
position of that line of assaulting Union vet
Grams when Sherman Ellsworth, Lieutenant
in command of Co. II, 9Th Wis, being man
of herculean build and strength, and deem
ing it time to act if anything is to be done,
snatches the regimental flag from the hands
of the colOr-bearer beside him, and, as sound
of human voice cannot be heard in the din
of battle, waving his sword aloft, he scales
the parapet in his front and dashes over the
enemy's works, followed by mixed mass of
men from the different companies of the left
wing of the regiment and by the whole
assaulting line from right to left, which only
required leader for concert of action in
this emergency, when there appeared to be
no officer left in command of the regiment.
1t is doubtful to what extent this little in
cident really affected the final result of the
great battle, but it was the right move at the
right time, and undoubtedly fastened the
routing of the enemy and the triumph of
the Union Causes. G. MILES, Co. L, Sth
Wis StetgOnyille Wis