The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-16
LOGAN'S GREATEST DAY
HOW HE PREPARED THE WAY FOR
THE CAPTURE OF ATLANTA IN 1854.
why Mrs. Logan Has Selected July Y
as the Date for the dwelling of
the Statue of Her Husband.
New York Times.

New York Times.
Mrs. John A. Logan has selected July p
as the date for the unwilling of St. eau
dens's bronze equestrian statue of Gen. Lo-
gan in Lake Front Park Chicago Every
survivor of the Fifteenth Corps viii under
stand, as soon as he sees the date, why
Mrs, logan has selected July %. 1t is be-
cause General Logan on that date in 1864,
saved General Shermans left wing from
terrible thrashing. and perhaps eventually
gave Atlanta to the federal troops.
The writer was sergeant in the Second
division of the Fifteenth Corps. Gen. Nor
gan l.. Smith commanding. The division
was an old organization, being at Pittsburg
Landing or Shiloh with Gen. sherman when
he had only one star on his shoulder, IN
1862. There had been comparatively few
changes. Gen. NJ. L. Smith had advanced
from colonel of the Eighth Missouri to the
command of brigade and finally of the
division. He was West Pointer" We
had been under Gen. Grant from Pittsburg
Misunderstanding the Corinth. Memphis,
and Vicksburg campaigns-with Gen. Sher-
man as corps commander.
After Vcksburg fell Gen. Grant became
the commander Of the departments of the
armies of the Tennessee and Cumberland
thus giving Gen. Sherman the Tennessee
and Gen. Thomas the Cumberland. Gen.
Grant left the Mississippi river and cstab-
lisEed headquarters at Chattanooga whence
he ordered Gen. Sherman to reinforce, him
with the Fifteenth Corps. From Vicksburg
to Memphis the army went by water, and
then marched to Chattanooga. We thus
helped to fight the battle of Missionary
Ridge, Immediately after which we march,
ed to the relief of General Burnside at
Knoxville. Our approach to The latter place
becoming known to the Confederate Ger
eral Longstreet, he withdrew and we
marched back to Chattanooga, and thence
to Huntsville, Larkinsville, etc, along the
Memphis & Charleston Railroad, and set
tied down for the winter. General Logan
was assigned to our corps in November,
1863, but he did not assume personal COM
mand until we had settled on the railroad,
about the holidays.
A POPULAR COMMANDER.
TO say that we were pleased with having
BLACK Jack" as our commander does not
express the full meaning, yet we knew also
that there was hard work before us, be-
cause we had been close to him at Cham
pion Hills and Vicksburg. He commanded
the division at the latter place that sprung
the mine and charged into the crater May
2, 1864, we moved out of our camps to do
our part of the Atlanta campaign, and i'm
mediately started in, as General Sherman
said, to act as 1.-The snapper to the whip
with which he purposed to punish the
enemy.
On May u we fought the battle of Re-
SAGA, and General Logan, seeing that Cen
eneral Joe Johnston was about to make a
desperate assault on u.s. adopted his usual
woodcut pictures represent generals
with hat in one hand and sword in the
other, horse standing on hind legs, nostrils
distended and name and tail flying as
though tornado had struck him, but
earnestly cheering the boys and telling
them to stand fast, The excitement adding
to the color of his face, making him a lit
tie darker than usual. The result was that
we reserved our fire until the enemy were
within sixty yards, when we ''let co. They
stopped, fell back, reformed and got the
dose again. and then we went for them,
driving them till dark Next morning they
had started south and the field was ours.
The whip was Swapping to the right
on the succeeding movement, and on May q
we went into position near Dallas. Gems.
Thomas and Schofield, it appears had not
advanced quite as far as we had, and Gen.
Johnston pushed General Hardee against
us. Very little artillery was used, but the
rattle of musketry was terrific, and that is
what kills They even tried three times,
and all this time General Logan knowing
the circumstances, rode back and forth and
close up to the line, too, much closer than
some division commanders, swinging his
hat and cheering the boys. Dallas was the
third attack of the Confederates, and we
got two of them. AS at Resaca, we had to
bury their dead and care for many of their
wounded.
After Dallas. until June q, we had no Sc
we're battle, although by the 9th we were
on the extreme left of the army, doing the
snapper" all the time Now came the big
Sherman tried to whip General Johnston by
one grand swoop, but we failed, and lost
heavily, many prominent officers being
among the killed. The Fifteenth, after over
an hour, cleared two lines of abatis, one
line of earthworkS, and stopped at an insur-
mountable array of cliffs, the average
height being thirty feet. The Confederates
abandoned the mountain, and on July the
snapper" was on the extreme right.
ON TO THE GATE CITY.
This volunteer" army had many ways of
getting news, and we heard that Jeff
Davis and General Johnston held different
ideas in regard to holding Atlanta, the lat
ter contendng that Atlanta had better be
surrendered. We had a view of the church
spires from the mountains, and by July Is
had crossed the Chattahoochee river. Again
we were on the left of the army, and by
the 10th we were pretty well lined up
against the Gate City. Late in the after
noon we heard unusual firing soon becom-
ing very heavy. Naturally we were on the
alert, but it did not last long, and COM
paratve quiet soon reigned. That night we
learned that General Hood had succeeded
General Johnston, and that General Sher-
man had made the statement that General
Hood would fight; that he and General
Hood had been classmates, and therefore
he had a good idea of what he would do.
July Il was consumed in various minor
moves, putting our works in better condl-
ton and at the same time doing some Skin
mishing, which was as regular rationS
since May 2. On the morning of the I'D
it was unusually quiet, and early the pick
cts reported no enemy in front. Soon aft
erward we advanced, and finally reached
the abandoned works held by the enemy
the day before. We simply halted dropped
down without the least concern, feeling
that Atlanta was evacuated, and that our
campaign was over. No attempt was made
to change the works to face the other way,
neither was the artillery placed in position.
But in a few moments what a change
About noon we heard few scattering
shots in our rear and to the left, 1t in
creased. Men arose, grabbed their tried
rifles, and actually stood still There did
not appear to be a general or aid-de-camp
in sight. The firing grew heavier, accom-
panied by artillery. Whence that Confed-
crate force came and how il got so close
without our knowledge was a mystery. but
we only realized that we were caught in
the air" and, to tell the truth, the old
corps was ION the run" But where to
run? The firing originally was on the left
rear. Now we were getting IL from both
ends and front. Our artillery was all aban-
dOned but we chung to the SpringtieldS.
out last line of works, and here was Cen
eral Logan. He had no hat to swing, but
he just rode up and down the line calling
to the boys" to stop The writer only
heard what he said once: stop here. boys.
We can whip Hood if he comes this far!
He and some of his staff kept at 1t, and the