The National tribune., 1895-07-25

ment Of our brigade acted with distinguished
bravery, and every regiment was entitled to
its full share of the honor.
The scene from the housetops and hilltops
of Chattanooga must have been grand, and
to those privileged, to witness it the suspense
must have been terrible; but our success
was overwhelming, and Old Glory" never
waved more tTiumphantly than on the sum-
NIT of Missionary Ridge that evening.
Individual casesshOuld scarcely be noticed
in an article so general in character as
this but cannot refrain from mentioning
a few. I recall the splendid appearance of
Capt Tinney, our Assistant Adiutant-Gen-
eral, as he rode his horse along the lines
apparently utterly unmoved by the terrible
fire we were under, and l remember envied
him his GOODNESS.
One of the boys of Co. B, 18th Ind, had a
narrow escape from being struck by q shell,
and glancng at the hole made by the explo-
sion, he dryly remarked:
"That would have soured on my stomach
if it had hit me-"
Fred Bernhard, the regimental bugler of
the 10Th, tried to sound o call, but it would
not come. and on examination discovered
the fact that a bullet had pierced his bugle
and forever silenced it.
1t was glorious ending to the long siege
we had endured, and while the battle was at
its fiercest the sound of steamers whistle
was heard, showing that the cracker line"
was again open and our days of starvation
were over.
War is harsh, even in its softest moods,
and, to use the language of Gen. Sherman,
"you cannot refine it.n This seemed to be
fully exemplfied in our case, for immedi-
ately after the battle, with scarcely time to
succor the wounded or bury the dead, our
corps was ordered to Knoxville, 40 miles
distant, to the relief of Gen. Burnside.
Other troops were sent also, the whole under
conf and of Gen. Sherman, in whom Grant
had the utmost confidence.
The weather was cold, we were without
tents the men thinly clad many of them
without shoes, the roads very bad, and our
march was any thing but holiday excursion.
With but limited supply of rations, we
were forced TO subsist on the country, and l
fear that many poor people suffered. For
the most part however, they were Unionists,
and freely gave to the cause represented by
the flag carried.
Lopgstreet, the Confederate commander
who was besIegng Knoxville, hearing of our
approach attacked Burnside's forces,w was re-
pulsed with great loss, and hastily raising
the siege retreated towards the Virginia
line.
Thus East Tennessee was freed from rebel
occupancy, and the Stars and Stripes every
where triumphed, never again in that sec
ton to be replaced by the Stars and Bars.
Our assault of Missionary Ridge, so success
full in all its features, resulted in the capt
ure Of 40 pieces of artillery, many prisoners,
and a vast quantity of small-arms, NUM-
tons of war, and miscellaneous baggage.
1t was purely battle of the private sol
diers, who, without orders, stormed and car
ried the Ridge supposed by Confederate and
Union officers to be impregnable, and who
in doing this demonstrated to the world |
that no better soldiers ever existed than the
volunteers of the Union army.
Missionary Ridge now smiles in peace, and |
its sides are devoted to the cultivation Of |
that soil which once drank SO much patriot |
blood, and little there is to remind one of !
that November day, which saw the standard |
of rebellion 60 down in gloom before the |
ayenging wrath of {, the soldiers of the
Union.
The flag of our country floats at half |
mast over the NATIONAL Cemetery located ON
Orchard Knob and my comrades who fell in t
the battle sleep their eternal sleep under its
protecting folds. Little Phil and thou
sands of his comrades have since then en-
tered into camps ofirest," but their memo
ries are green in our heats, and are sacred
reminders of the cause we loved so we'll
EDWIN NICAR, 10Th Ind, South Bend, Ind.