The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-04-04

fired, showing his oblique position to the
| direction the General was running.-E. II.
| MATTHEWS, Lieutenant, 9th Tenn, Athens
| Tenn.
ROUTING THE JOHNNIES.
| Graphic Account of the Scenes at MONDAY
| Church.
| EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: I was
much pleased to find in your issue of March
IA the article from the pen of Capt. M. d.
Elliot, of the 9Th Mich. battery, in regard to
the MONDAY Church affair of June 20, 1864
/ was pleased, for two reasons; namely, to
learn that the gallant Captain is still camp
| ing on this sphere, and that he has come for
ward to testify to the truth in this much
disputed affair.
1t seems strange that Gen. Minty does not
remember the assistance given his cavalry
by our battery and infantry that day. He
must have been aware of it at the time, but
it seems that the lapse of 80 years has erased
it from his memory.
was at that time q member Of the 10th
Wis., attached to the First Brigade, Third
Division, Seventeenth Corps. For some
days we had been holding the left of our
| line on Brush Mountain, almost within
musket-range Of Kenesaw, and early on the
morning of June 90 the 31st ILL.,, of our bri-
| gade, and our regiment were ordered to fall
in, without knapsacks, for accommodating
| duty.
| Having marched down the Southern slope
of Brush Mountain we were Joined on
road running along its base by the COM
mander OF our corps, Maj.-Gen. Frank 2.
Blair, and staff; the commander of our d.
vision, Mai. Gen. NJ. D. Leggett and staff !;
the commander of our brigade, Brig. Gen. M.
F. Force, and staff, and by Capt. Elliot with
his battery of saucy looking ROdmans The
array of General and staff officers made us
open our eyes wide, and we began guessing,
as usual, what it could be all about
1t was beautiful June morning; nature
had donned her loveliest dress; the air was
clear and bracing, and officers and men
were in excellent spirits. The scenes of
that day are as fresh in my memory as
though they TRANSFERRED but yesterday.
Without unnecessary delay, the 31st Ill.
taking the lead, we started as Capt. Elliot
says, in an easterly direction, and marching
four or five miles through dense woodland,
we reached clearing, at the edge of which
the 3lst was deployed as skirmishers, and
our regiment formed 1ine-of-battle in its
rear.
Entering the clearing our lines wheeled
to the right, so as to face south, and were
soon halted, the skirmishers at the northern
foot of high hill. The side of the hill next
to uS was clear, as was also the top the
timber commencing agai n on the southern
brow. There had been some skirmishing,
but now the only warlike sound to be heard
was the distant cannonading at Kenesaw.
Having halted his skirmishers, Col. Nc
Cook, comma Ting the 31st, rode alone to
the top of the hill to reconDoter. At the
same time the three generals and their stats
passed to the front of our regiment, and
grouped in the rear Of the skirmish-line,
seemingly in consultation.
A few minutes elapsed, when a squad of
rebels that had hidden behind q fence at the
edge of the timber on the southern brow of
the hill, and but few rods from where Col.
McCook sat on his horse lesurely taking in
the fine view, fired a vOlley at him. 1t was
like clap of thunder from clear sky, and
startled both commanders and men.
The rebels were poor marksmen, and the
fiery McCook, untouched by their bullets,
wheeled his horse, and came tearing down
the hill, drawing his sword as he did so, and
shouting:
Forward, skirmishers Double-quick-
march !"
His boys started up the hill on the run,
while the Generals and stats made haste to
get out of the way Of our regiment, which
followed the skirmishers to the top of the
hill and as far as the fence, where we were
halted. The skirmishers chased the rebs
through the timber, while the battery came
to the top of the hill, where it unlimbered,
and began Smelling the country in our
front.
But soon sharp firing was heard about a
mile away to our left, and the battery linn |
bered up and trotted back down the hill,
followed by our regiment, still in line-of- |
battle. Reaching the foot of the hill we
made right-wheel that brought us to a |
position facing the east, and we then |
marched up another hill, the top of which |
was Undiscovered. On the top of this hill |
we found our battery in position, and lay |
down in its rear. |
At the further side of large clearing, to |
the east Of our position, dense bodies of |
rebel cavalry were debouching from the TIM
Der and forcing back small force of ours.
Our battery Immediately opened fire, and
for more than 20 minutes dropped shells into
the ranks of the enemy with the regularity
Of the ticks of a timepiece. 1t was the first
time that our regiment had had a good
chance to observe the work of this battery
in action, and / remember that our boys
complimented its work on that occasion
very highly.
Soon after the battery commenced firing
long line of Union cavalry "a brigade or
more, we Judged, many of them mounted
on white horses came out of the timber at
our left rear, and formed in line-of-battle on
our left. When the line was ready their
bugles sounded, and the line started for
ward, first at walk, then at a trot; and
then, as they neared the enemy, the charge
sounded hundreds of sabers flashed in the
bright sunlight, and with a yell the whole
line swept down on the foe in most mag
nificent charge disappearing from our view
in cloud of smoke and, dust The enemy,
who had been badly shaken up by our bat
terry, could not stand the shock of our charg-
ing squadrons, and was soon flying for dear
life. 4E sol
Our battery ceased firing when the charge
sounded, and having listened to the receding
conflict until it died away in the distance,
the battery and our infantry regiments
marched back to Brush Mountain.
If that was Gen. Minty's command that
we saw charge that day, it was one to be
proud of; and considering the force OPP
posed to it, it need not be ashamed to ac-
knowledge our assstance.-D. E. MCGIN-
LEY, Co. G, 10th Wis, Cedarburg, Wis.
A.