The National tribune., 1897-07-15
HELD UP HOODS ARMY.
A Few Yankees Proved a Stumbling Block
to the Rebel Chieftain.

| n 4 oW 18nA0eb ETOVcu u
to the Rebel Chieftain.
| EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: / wonde
how many veterans remember the fight owe
the 10y house at the bridge on the w. A. r
r. near Tunnel Hill, Ga, Oct 49, 1864? A
the time 1 was a member of the I'd Mo.
guarding the next bridge below, towarG
Dalton, over Mill Creek, and was taken 6
prisoner by Hoods men in the morning, and
was with Hood on the hill when battery
tried hard to demolish the structure, but
failed. The battery could not get a good
position on the hill, and the house was
built to stay. In this engagement several
| flags of truce were shot down, owing to the
fact that the boys in the stockade or log
house could not recognize them through the
| smoke in the house, caused by firing.
When Gen. Hood saw that the place could
not be taken 80 easily, he determined to
make a charge, as he was bound to destroy
the bridge, which he could not do without
first taking the log house. Late in the even
ing columns Of men were drawn up and sur
rounded the place, and were ready for the
word.
An officer on Hoods staff asked the
writer if he knew the commander of the
log house, and if he thought the Captain
would surrender if he were made acquainted
with the true situation. thought he
might, and volunteered to take the flag
of truce to the commander in the log house.
Hood sent message that he and his whole
army were before the Union commander, on
their way north, and that he had repeatedly
sent flags of truce, which he failed to recog-
nize. Hoods proposition was that he would
give the Yankee commander just Is min
utes in which to surrender, if he expected to
be treated as . prisoner of war. If not he
would take the place and burn it up, and no
one should escape and no prisoners be taken.
This must have been about or o'clock
in the evening The writer, with his flag of
truce and a Confederate escort, followed the
railway embankment toward the bridge.
When near the latter he was hailed.
The orders were made known to the officer,
who at the time could scarcely believe that
they had SO bravely held the log house all
afternoon against such force, and seemed
to be under the impression that some raider
of the Wheeler pattern was before them.
The command was surrendered. When
the last Federal was out of the house, it
was promptly set afre. We were joined by
the 44th U. S. G. T. They had been sta
toned at Dalton, commanded by Col. L.
johnson, who surrendered without showing
any fight, probably out of respect to the
Fort Pillow massacre. The colored soldiers
were taken on south, but we were taken to
Villanow, Ga, and paroled. But when we
arrived at Chattanooga, Gen. Steedman-
would not recognize our paroles, and the
most Of us were transferred to the 18th No.,
and took part at Spring Hill, Franklin and
Nashville, where we saw many Johnny in
our hands in whose possession we had been
but a few weeks before.
After these engagements the writer went
with his command to Texas, where he was
out of service on the 25th day of
December, 1865, at Victoria.
think the men in the log house belonged
to an Illinois regiment. The writer no
doubt must be we'll remembered by Hoods
men, as he was the first prisoner taken early
in the afternoon near Dalton in company
with Hebrew who limped in one leg.
was only Is years old, and rode yellow
mule while with Hoods staff at the time
J. B. SCHNEIDER Co. E, I'd Mo-, 1856 Penn
street, st. Louis, Mo.