The National tribune., 1895-02-28
"GOT UP AND GOT"
Comrade Pond Tells More About the Phila
deInhia Fight.

delphia Fight.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: / see in
the issue of Feb. the article of ID. W. Ed
monston, Aid-de-Camp, Second Division,
Twenty third Corps, giving his account of
Wolfo,d's fight at Philadelphia, Tenn, Oct.
90, 1863
The comrade calls some of my statements
in question. ] may have been in error in
some particulars, but trust the comrade will
bear with me if point out some errors in his
account that are decidedly misleading.
Our line-of-battle was about due north
and south in an open field, should judge
about a ha!-mile east of the village. We,
as well as the enemy, were on open ground.
We occupied The higher ground. There was
nothing to Obs'ruct the view to any who
were in the " bull pen," and l have to say
if there was any successful charging done
to break the enemy's line across the Loudon
road | failed TO see it, but On the contrary
the enemy made us get ont of there pell-
NELL and they made frantic efforts to head
us off, keeping between rs and the Loudon
road (mind you) clear over TO the river road.
1t is NY recollection that we went due north
to reach this road
When we discovered the enemy coming up
from below-southves of the viIlage-we
COmmeuCcu I'd ldll Uath foi Jul nolScs.
George w. Lauman, one of the best boys
in our company, was severely wounded. l
could not bear the thought of leaving him
behind, SO picked him up, thinking to get
him on his horse, and take him along. /
could see the horses were on the move to
where the Surgeons had collected the am
balances, on low ground, near the boggy
creek. ! was obliged to leave poor George
at The ambulances. He died at the enemys
hospital at Gainesville, Ga.
At that time i was riding large, heavy
mare, good as farm beast, but no good for
such race hence, by the time had plunged
throsgh the creek / was in the extreme rear.
Soon at, er the passage of the creek, and / had
gone behind piece of timber on my right,
/ observed one OF the enemy short distance
to my right, who had been evidently trying
to head me off. He gave up the chase,
jumped out of the saddle, put his gun across
a stump, and firing at me hit my mare be-
hind the saddle. She kept on, however,
for some little distance, when she went
down.
grabbed my saddle-bags chad picked
them up while on the Morgan chase), and
jumped the fence, plunged through the
brush, ran into the timber, and sOon col
Iected some IL or 15 of our boys, who were
dismounted.
AS was Sergeant assumed command,
and at once formed them into line, directed
them to load their guns with care. and adj
monished them to keep cool, and if the
enemy came in sight, take good, steady
aim, and let them have it, then jump for
cover and load as quickly as possible.
told the boys we would strike out due
north keep in the timber as much as posi-
,oI hnr tx gould
follow it up to Loudon. This was nearly
shutdown.
There was lively firing away ahead and
to the right of US, but whether there
was any charging done to drive off the
enemy was never informed.
Without any mishap was proud to lead
my little band up the hill near the fort at
Loudon the next morning little after sun
up. / found our command just leading
into line. AS there were enough loose
horses to give us a remount, We were soon
in our places in our respective companies.
The command went right back to where
we had our little picnic the day before at
Philadelphia. ! distinctly remember we
had no difficulty in finding the enemy there,
and it was then that we "got up and got"
and made them "git," and away they went,
pellmell, southwark, pursued by all, not
some, of Woliord's forces. well toward
Sweetwater. ~ al
But believe they remained long enough
in Philadelphia TO pull Laws guns out of
the mud, and they neglected to leave them
behind. Furthermore, they took along all
our camp equipage, bag and baggage, and
left only the ground, neither did they neg
lect to take along our ambulances and the
most of our wounded.
As stated in my former article, WOlford's
command at that time was quite small,
consisting of the 1st, 18th and 10Th KY.
Cav and the 45th Ohio MID Inf. and
Laws battery.-S d. POND, Co. G, 45th
Dhio C,orhau, Kan