The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-02

and overpowered by much larger force OF
the enemy. Ride on and warn Stanley
| at once" said Rosecrans. An acre on fire
and swept with bullets lay between them
| and the menaced regiment; Ducat glanced
at it, and said: General, I have wife
and children"
"You knew that when you came here ?"
said Rosecrans, coolly.
I'm go, SIR" said Ducat, moving his
horse forward after his momentary hesita-
ton.
Stay moment. We must make sure
of this" said Rosecrans. He thought a
thousand lives of more value than four,
So hastily writing some dispatches on the
pommel of his saddle, he gave Que to
each of the three orderlies, and set them
off, at intervals of about sixty yards, over
the bullet-swept field. Then he looked at
Ducat, who had seen every one of them
fall lifeless, or desperate wounded.
Without word Ducat plunged into the
fire, and, wonderful to tell, he ran the
gauntlet in safety, and with his clothes
torn by Mimic balls and his horse Keeling
from mortal wound, he got to Stanley,
and saved the regiment. The orderlies
found their graves in that acre of fire.
Usually victories are gained by large
masses OF men properly posted and skill
fully handled by some general out of the
range of fire and looking on at the conflict
in absolute safety. But often great battles
are won by some fearless commander, who
plunges into the thickest of the fight and,
while seeing the whole, is ever at the en-
dangered points, inspiring his men by his
heroic example. 1t was so with General
Rosecrans himself all whose victories were
won by his personal heroism, and Chicka-
ma his 14l 1T
cause he could not be everywhere at once
over billy and wooded field of battle,
more than five miles in extent. 1t
was so at Iuka and again at Co.
rinth, where, with less than 10000
men, he met Price and Van Doren with
10000. There, when Davis division was
broken and the Confederates had well
nigh clutched success, he rushed into the
thlckest OF the fight and solely by his per-
sonal bravery turned defeat into victory.
During the terrible two days fight at
Stone River he was everywhere at the crit
lcal moment and time and again he saved
the day: He rode up to Sheridan when
ne was holding back Cleburne from an at
tempt to turn his flank and 1000 of his
men lay dead or dying around him and
said, You are doing bravely, general"
pointing to his decimated division.
Sheridan answered, Here are all that
are left;
WeH, Iepned Rosecrans, this point
must be held-hold it to the last man. -
Riding on again he came to a brigade econ com
mander, who, with two-thirds of his men
lying disabled on the ground, was holding
another important position. He was
mounting horse when Rosecrans ac
costed him with, How goes it, colonel?n
The answer was, you see, general.
only one-thlrd OF my men can stand up
right, and this is the third horse that I am
mounting"
."Well," said Rosecrans. "we must all
ole, and we might as we'll die to-day as to-
colonel"
And so it was during the whole of those
TWO terrible days-he was continually pres
GU at all the important contested positions
OF the great fight.
Io fully realize the awful nature of a
battle wherein 100000 or 100000 men are
engaged one needs to go over the field
Whlie the ground still bears traces of the
desperate struggle. 1t was thus that
plotted by one of Rosecrans aids, who was
constantly with him during the fioht T
went over the battlefield of Stone River
Inc different positions were pointed out TO
me, and | got some idea of the herculean
character of Rosecrans' achievement.
among others was shown point where
Two Two kentucky regiments, each about
IOoV strong, and recruited from the
si o Eion, met N one OF the most fear
lul CONNECTS of the entire two days. 1t was
q small patch of wooded ground, and the
desperate struggle there had given it the
Significant name OF ''Hell's Half Aacre."
Inc trees, mostly oak and poplar, were tall
and slender, branching out high above the
ground and standing from five to ten feet
apart. There was no underground, SO l
could ride freely over the spot. I did SO,
and, inspecting these trees, did not dis
cover upon any one of them, in front or
rear, twelve inches of square space that
was not marked by MIME ball or a
rifle bullet. Standing on the two sides
OF that small grove of trees, in one
snort half hour, more than thousand |
men were either killed or wounded and |
for fully half that time Rosecrans. accom- |
panied by his senior aid. Major Frank s. |
Bond, sat his horse within short bullet |
range of the shower of fire from those des- |
perate combatants, who fought with a |