The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-12-05
WHERE MCPHERSON FELL.
The General Killed "On the Road That
Went Down Through the Timber"

the I'D OF July In front of Atlanta, when
Gen. Mcpherson was killed, / thought some
one would like to read my observation oil
| that fight.
| know my regiment was the extreme
| lett when the fight commenced. We were
in the left wing, Sixteenth Corps, Maj. Gen.
@. NJ. Dodge commanding. Gen. Fuller
commanded the brigade we were in. TIE
rebels had been firing with cannon all morn
ing IN front OF u.s. but all shots fell short. We
| had thrown up works in our front, and the
left of our works ended where wood road
went down through the timber. j am now
almost positive this is the road Gen. Nc
| Pherson was on when killed
| About II o'clock q. m. we heard shots to
our left-rear, and soon after had orders to
fall in. Just then one of Gen. Fuller's Or
derlies came to our Col. John Morrill, and
told him Gen. Fuller was not well, and
wanted him to take charge of the brigade.
How the other part of the brigade moved
| do not know but do know that we moved
by the rear leit-hank, and was soon in an
open field. We could see the rebels over to
our left with their heads bent and coming
at trail arms for battery that stood on a
| little hill. Then l saw regiment that had
been lying down rise and at them. This
|
| We had not then got into action.
Just at that minute the rebels in our
| front came out of the woods and charged
| into US, and from the dead and wounded of
our regiment you may know it was terrible
for a few minutes. We could see the rebels
| on our right and left, and we knew if we
did not fall back we would all be captured.
! We did fail back, and in quick time, but did
not get demoralized, as Gen. Fuller, as
| have since heard, was on the ground and
rallied the men, Col Morrill, had been
wounded, and / helped carry him from the
| field. | was gone but a few minutes. The
| regiment had moved to the right, and l was
on the ground alone
The rebels had fallen back to the timber,
and when they saw me commenced firing at
me. / went to the right, where / met the
reaiment, and some of the boys who had
been convalescent and had been camped
little in rear of our morning camp, had been
taken prisoners l found the regiment
there, and some of the boys had Gen. Nc
Fherson's feldglass and some greenbacks,
taken from rebel prisoners, but they did not
know until nearly dark that they had be-
ionged to Mcpherson or that he had been
killed.
We lay on the same ground and acted as
picket for three days after the fight, and
know there was no troops on our lett before
or after the fight, for / was over the liue
every day making details.
When we moved by the left flank at the
commencement of the fight we certainly left
the gap where Mcpherson rode to his death.
Our men captured the rebels who robbed
him. can't see where Sweeny can complain
OF Fullers Brigade, for it certainly has q
great fighting record.--RoBERT RUSSELL,
Setgeant-Major, 64th III. Gates Sharp
shooters), Rapid City, S. ID.
GEN. McPHERSON'S DEATH.
A 3Oth Ill. Man Tells What lie Knows About
It.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: I have
read several articles as 10 how Gen McPher-
son was killed and who killed him. In a
recent issue Gen. o. o. Howard says: "Mc-
Pherson, with single Orderly, just then
thinking the main attack would be ON Blair's
left, hurried away down the road that led
in that direction. He was passing through
that as yet unoccupied interval when the
Confederate advance OF Cleburne's Division
came upon HIM. He lifted his hand as if to
salute, and then tur3ed his horse to ride
away, when, under n volley, he was imme
diately shot and fell from his horse. His
Orderly was wounded and became q pris-
onern
1t appears to me that all who have writ
ten about this affair do not know the real
facts. l was very near to the spot at the
time. After the Sixteenth Corps had formed
on the ridge in rear of the Seventeenth Corps
Hood's line advanced on them from the rear.
While skirmishiDg was going on between
the Sixteenth Corps and Hoods line Gen.
Mcpherson and his Orderly passed through
piece of timber lying just in rear of the
Seventeenth Corps, going in the direction of
our extreme left, and a short distance in the
rear of the brigade to which belonged.
As | had done no duty in the company
since February previous, on account of being
crippled in my right hand, and was at lib
erty to do anything / chose, about IL o'clock
on the 22d i went out through this timber
into the open field, ON the extreme left of the
Seventeenth Corps, to pick some blackber-
ries. There were no rebels or signs of any |
when | was there. When Hood commenced
skirmishing with the Sixteenth Corps l |
started TO go back through the timber AS |
Hoods men were in q deep ravine and the |
Sixteenth Corps on high ridge, Hoods men |
had to elevate their guns, the spent balls |
falling in this timber where Mcpherson was |
/ met Gen. Mcpherson and his Orderly. |
Just as they passed me by | stopped to pick |
more berries. In very short time after
ward the Orderly came back on run and
squirting his horse pretty lively. He was
not gone long before lie returned with an
and one officer in with the driver.
The ambulance did not go more than six or
eight rods past me, then stopped. In short
time it turned around and drove back the
way it had come. As the ambulance passed
me by the wind blew up the side curtain
and / saw Gen. Mcpherson lying in the am-
bulance dead. The Orderly rode his own
horse and led the Generals horse behind the
am bulance.
/ thought at the time, and think so yet
that Gen Mcpherson was killed by one of
those spent balls from Hoods army in rear
of the Sixteenth Corps, for there were no
rebels in that timber at that time.-W. T..
BRowN, Co. A, Both ILL.,, Aledo III.
At Kenesaw Mountain.
H. Skinner, Battery /, ID III. l.. A., Spring
view Neb., writes Il" During the battle of
Kenesaw Mountain, in the Summer of 1864,
our battery had moved up from Big Shanty
during the night tothe:base of the mount