Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-01-29

must be taken Tn nank. Iner0 IS ridge just beyond the right heel of the horseshoe. :" It has been abandoned by the Unionists. No one seems to know why. Climb up, Confederates; seize this ridge. It commands the Union right Once firmly lodged there you can ham, mer them unmercifully.
 And the gray coats do climb the ridge and drag artillery with them.
 The Union commander sees them and at glance discerns that without force to drive them from it his army is lost. There is no such force. Every man is engaged and needed where he is. The generals brow is knit, and his square mouth sets even more firmly than before.
 ''There is cloud of dust rising over there to the north, general, and men marching under it, said an aid. ''I wonder who they are.
 It makes a great difference to the bounded general whether they are friends or enemies. He looks anxiously in the direction pointed out by his aid and orders him to reconnoiter tho un- certain column. The officer rides for ward to point where he can get good Nl6Ms uEaMS O1SLuOhhtSt An4 ing a fence brings fieldglass to bear on the advancing troops. They are far from him. They are covered with dust, and their flags are furled, so that he cannot tell whether they are blue or gray. If they are gray, that means de- struction for the troops defending them selves in the horseshoe. If they are blue, they may serve as forlorn hope on the ridge commanding the Union right
 The aid not only sees these troops, but the troops see the aid. They, too, wonder if he is blue or gray. Neither can tell, but from his position they sus- pect him to wear blue. At any rate, they assume that he does.
 Suddenly every flag is unfurled, dis playing the stars and stripes.
 Enough. Mounting his horse, the aid rides over the ground between him and the head of the advancing column.
 "Who are these troops?"
 "The first division of the reserve ,orps'
 Posted at the opening of the struggle Co guard bridge across the Chickamau- ga on the extreme north of the battle field, with orders to hold it at all haz- ards, this division had for two days listened to the sounds of fighting with out firing a shot, The Confederates had made a crossing without using the bridge watched, and the division was a | useless guard. On Sunday morning its commander, chafing at inaction. yet dreading the consequences that might occur, the blame attending disobedi- ence of orders, determined to burn the bridge and march to the relief of com rades whom he divined were being hard pressed. Gathering his principal officers | in a church near by, he announced to them what he proposed to do. The little l church, unused at that hour of that holy day to anything more vigorous than q minister pounding the pulpit or the strains of "Old Hundred, v rang with the assenting acclamations of soldiers. Marching through fields of yellow corn, guided only by a distant but con tinuous roar, the division each moment lessened the distance between it and the army whose fate hung on its quick com ing. The direction taken led them to- ward the north side of the horseshoe and the rear of the Confederates. First small body of Confederate cavalry, guarding hospital, were met. These were easily scattered, and the column moved on. Striking the Chattanooga road, the division marched on down it. There were heights to the east, and on these were guns. It was plain to the gunners that the advancing column was a rescuing column. They opened fire to delay it. The Union troops did not heed | them There was. a moro important enemy-a more important work farther on.
 But they were marching directly in rear of the Confederate line. Filing to the right, through an orchard and open fields beyond. they came to a point where the dim outline of the troops engaged could be seen through tho overhanging clouds of smoke. The reserve halted in field between tho two bent Hanks
 the two heels of the horseshoe.