The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-11-28
At THE BATTLES CLOSE.
a TRUE STORY OF HERoIsM AT cHlcAmAuaA.
By MAJOR ALFRED R. CALHOUN.

BY MAJOR ALFRED r. CALHOUN. /
Copyright, 1897, S. S. Mcclure Coz
This is satanic!''
George Burton was studying for the
ministry when the war broke out He
intended to return to the theological
seminary, if he lived to get back, so
Captain Gates of the Third rifles, did
not regard his first lieutenant's excla-
nation as at all .profane. Shifting the
sulphurous battle odor, drifting up
from Chicamauga creek, the captain
responded:
We'll, old fellow it certainly smells
like it. How are you off for water?'
Haven't even a canteen. Lost it in
our countercharge- Look out, cap! Here
she comes!" and the lieutenant pulled
the captain closer to the earth on which
both lay.
Hug your mother, boys' This from
the men to the right and left. Behind a
hastily constructed breaStwork at the
base of Snodgrass hill, the ragged rem
nant of the Third rifles fattened them
selves face down, as shell from Bragg
whisked to the earth so yards outside
and burst with a molten glare and
spIintering roar. The dust of four weeks
turned the uniforms to rusty tan. The
faces were SO brown as to give the
light eyed men a wild. uncanny look.
For go hours the men had had no sleep.
In the past As hours ammunition had
been served six times and rations-not
at all. Three times this Sabbath
afternoon of Sept. 20, 1863, Longstreets
| veterans, with their hats slouched over
their faces, like men facing a cutting
! ind ~ f1an Of II 90 crln
had rushed against the hill, and each
time Thomas remaining artillery
reared defiance from the slopes, held
by six shattered brigades of the army
of the Cumberland.
| AS each charge had been preceded by
/ a fierce cannonading of the Union po-
/ Sition. the increasing roar put the rifles
! on the alert.
/ Let 'em come again, hang en-
/ Think we're recruits, eh?''
1--WE amt to be dru,-I''
Not much. When we're ready to
I leave they won't be in no humor to fol-
l0wl"
Wish they'd hurry up and have it
over
PLAYED CARDS WHILE THE BAT
TIE RACED.
There were other and more forceful
tween the logs, through which protrud-
ed the muzzles of their rifles. Two
young men, lying on their faces, to the
right of the lieutenant, varied the mo-
notony of lodging shells playinS with q
pack of disreputably dirty cards Ir
lieu of money they used buttons cut
from the coats of dead men in blue anc
dead men in gray. Each player haG
buttons of one kind, and as they were
evenly matched in skill, they forgot il
their mimic contest, the deadly strug
gle going on to the right, and laughed
as if in the barn at home.
Don't go to sleep, boys; they'll bt
here soonI' The captains warning wa:
called out by the gradual cessation O
the artillery fire from over the river
Meanwhile the guns on Snodgrass hill
were so silent as to lead some of tn,
men to fear the ammunition was ex
hausted.
up, and you'll see Pop Thomas amt tn
} man to keep guns to the front unles
he's got powder fodder to feed EN-,
| said a griny sergeant beside the tw
card players who were now BLOWN!
the dust from the hand sights of thei
rifles. After an anxious wait and
! sigh of relief at the failure of the en-