The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-07-23
PICKET SHOTS
From Alert Comrades All Along the
Line.
Signaling I'm the Clouds.

Ger on Kenesaw was not j. b. Foraker. lie
was Lieutenant, not Signal Sergeant.
Lieut.. Foraker had a brother, Burch Foraker,
who had been a signal officer for some 20
months, while J. +. had been recently de-
tailed from the .S9th Ohio. At this time
Lieut.. j. b. Foraker was assisting Capt A.
). Cole in running the station at Winnings
| Hill. From the forthcoming history OF the
Corps venture to make the following quo
| tatiOn:
"' During Oct and Sherman's army
had been in motion. The Army OF the Cum
berIand crossed the Chattahoochee over the
railroad bridge on the Sd, and concentrated
at Smyrna Campground- Sherman's cavalry,
available at this point was weak, consisting
of but two small divisions under Gen.
Elliott. These, finding Stewards Corps en-
| gagged in the destruction of the railroad near
Big Shanty, reported the fact to Sherman,
who naturally concluded that the whole of
Hoods army was there. He therefore pushed
the head of his column straight through
Marietta to Kenesaw Mountain, hoping TO
inclose him in a cul-de-sac between the
mountains and the Etowah River. In order
to make this plan a success it was necessary
that Allatoona Pass should be held at all
| hazards even had it not been for the euor-
nous stores there collected. From Winnings
| Station via Kenesaw Mountain, Gen. Sher-
man signaled to COrse over the heads OF the
| enemy to go Mt once to the relief of ALA
| toona.
ION the afternoon of that day 1.-THE 4th)
| dense fog prevented the usual observations
| until late in the morning. As soon as the
condition of the atmosphere permitted a
message was signaled from Gen. Sherman
| to AllaiO coma directing the communicate TO
hold out and notifying HIM that the army
was moving to his rescue. Gen. Corse
reached Allatoona with achievements,
says Gen. Cox, in the very nick of time
Gen. Corse states that his entire force was
less than !, 500 effective men, while that OF
Gen. French, who led the assault with his
division of Hoods army, numbered between
six and seven Thousand. Gen. Corses casu-
alties we're 705 in killed and wounded, and
Gen. French claims to have taken 200
prisoners.
During the battle Gen. Sherman re-
manned in the station on Kenesaw. In ad-
dition to the lines working to AIIatoons,
Atlanta and Marietta, there was established
on the day of battle direct communication
with the Headquarters of Gems. Sherman,
Howard, Stanley and Cox, and also with
Winnings Hill. The signaling at AllatoOna
was dune by Private j. W. Mckenzie, of
Lieut.. Aliens detachment, and Frank A.
West, of the Army of the Cumberland"
Acting Rear-Guard.
John Fl. Morse, Co. F, 105th Ohio, South
Kirkland, o., writes: In recent issue One
of MeCook's Boys says no doubt some
other comrade will dispute his claim that
the SD Ohio was the rear-guard not only
from Richmond to Lexington, but from the
latter place to Louisville. 1 propose to do
so.
AFTER getting arms and equipments at
Covlngton, the 105th Ohio went by railroad
to Lexington, where we were in camp four
days. On Aug. 80 at shutdown we started
from Richmond, KY. After marching II
miles we lay down by the side of the road
to rest About daylight we were aroused
and marched two miles farther. We filed
right into a cornfield on the south side of
one of the narrow crossroads, common in
that country. This road had high staked
and capped fences on both sides, and the
corners next the corn were full of weeds and
brush to where it was plowed. The weeds
were as high as the top of the fence.
ave were ordered to lie down in the corn
and not disturb the weeds, as rebel cavalry
might come through the road in an attempt
10 cut off some of the troops who were re-
treating on the pike, and the weeds would
hide them until they were in the trap. 1t
looks to me that ii might have been trap |
for the other fellows had they come through |
there, placing us between their cavalry and |
infantry. Some time in the afternoon We |
started back toward Lexington.
"Soon after dark the next night the 105th. |
marched through Lexington, passing in the |
edge of the town q small battalion of cav
airy, who were to act as the cavalry rear
guard. Some time in the night the cavalry
missed the road and followe ed another dIvis-
ion Of the wagOn-train, leaving the l05' b the
rear guard on the road on which we marched
through Versailles to Frankfort. There
were certainly no troops between Us and the
rebel cavalry who were following u.s. We /
many times formed into hne-nf-battle, some
times on one side of the road and some times
ON the other, and would check them"
Fighting at BentonyilIe.
Robert Russell, Sergeant-Major, 64th ILL.,,
Rapid City, s. D., tells about the Yates's
at Bentonville He says:
" Being in the Seventeenth Corps we did not
reach Bentonvile until the second after
noon. We were Immediately deployed and
sent into thick woods with underbrush,
coming out through swamp. We were on
the extreme right. A body of rebel cavalry
charged u.s. The timber being scattering
and no underbrnsh, it was almost as good as
open field for them. just as we reached the
swamp the reserve of our brigade opened
on them, and such falling out of saddles
never saw. We lost two Orderly -Sergeants
and several others, among which were some
of our old vets who had been in all our
battles from when we started out, in 1861.
/ felt so sorry for them.
at being then almost dark, we lay on our
arms Until next morning, and at daylight
advanced. We saw breastwOrks that must
have been thrown up in the early part of the
evening, for they had no instructions in
front and could have been easily charged.
We approached them very carefully, but
soon found they were empty. When we
entered them we found one Johnny and he
was fast asleep. He did not know when
they went off and left but he said he was
glad of it. We then knew they were on the
retreat, and we advanced as fast as we could,
and soon came to the town of Bentonville."
Scattering.
In recent issue was published a state
ment that the Editor held letter for Capt.
Henry Minnich. Because the Captain could
not I've located the letter was returned to the
sender. A communication has been received
from Capt. III. N. Minnigh, Port Matilda,
Pa, who says he believes the letter was for