The National tribune., 1897-10-28
n FIERCE HOUR 1T NEW HOPE.

HFIEReE HOUR 1T NEW HOPE.
Kentucky Mans Story of What His Regi-
mont Did.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: May 81,
1864, will long be remembered by those of
Gen. Woodss Division, Fourth Corps, Army
of the Cumberland, who fought that evening
at the battle of Pickett's Mills, also called
New Hope Church.
Soon it will be 33 years since our division
(Woods's) was hurled into that tslaughter-pen,
and our brigade (Hazen's) and the division
organization almost destroyed.
On the 25th we were marching from the
bridge where we had crossed the Etovah
River to make junction with Hooker's
Twentieth Corpa or close enough to him SO
that we would be at hand to reinforce him
in time if he should come across the enemy.
This he did, and we arrived ON time, New
tons Division being in advance.
1t was raining hard, and the road was
very muddy, but we struggled through it as
fast as we could, as we heard Hooker's can
non booming in our front, and we knew he
was having some severe work where he was.
We were too late to participate in the
fight that night. We camped where VIE
were, in the mud and slush, throwing out
skirmishers. The next morning, the Goth,
we advanced into the woods with our skir-
mishers in front, they and the Johnnss
having set-to occasionally. We arrived in
front of large open field, and on the other
side we could see the Johnnies had already
a strong line of earihworks. We set to
digging some for our own protection, and by
night lad strong works.
eyf MAJ ,n1, yva In nd
enjoying ourselves the best we knew how.
Between 10 and ~ o'clock Gen. Sherman
and staff arrived with Howard, Stanley, and
Woods, and used their glasses on the John
MES works and vicinity. 1t wasn't long be-
fore we were ordered to fall in, the Generals
dispensing. -
We started, moving off to our left, Will
lich's old brigade in our front Willich'5
old regiment was in that brigade, the SD
Ind, which always used the bugie to give
commands. The country we were passing
over was wild. The underbrush was very
thiah Nothing could be seen ahead. 1t
wab like cropping in the darkness, and the
old bugle sounded ahead, / suppose, in
tended to guide US, but we objected to it on
account of it attracting the Johnnes' shells
so often, for every now and then one would
burst over head, breaking the branches OF
the trees and causing scattering.
But we managed to pull through without
any jury to anyone, as far as | know, until
we were ordered to halt and come to front.
We had marched about four miles, when
the skirmishing commenced, our boys driv-
ing straight ahead then we moved forward
III line-ot-battle down through the woods.
The firing increased. Then came hur-
rah and away we went, the Johnnies skip
ping out, until we came to a rail fence down
~ hollow at the edge of clearing of about
- acres. We stopped there for q minute
or so then over the fence and into the
clearing we charged up slight rise into a
hollow, up the hill to the top.
We were now near the fence on the oppo-
site side of the field, where the Johnnies
had stopped and formed. We drove them
into the woods. There were crossbars in
the fence, and there good many Johnnies
stopped for good.
OFF to our left the Pumpkin Vine Creek
flowed and turned at bluff. The Johnnies
kept firing from that bluff at Us on our left,
and did great deal OF damage to our front
and our right. We ran out of ammunition,
and, no support coming, had to fall back,
as they had given way on our right and were
giving it to us on all sides.
We fell back to the edge of the clearing
and lay down. A lot of the boys were killed
and wounded in the clearing and close to
the fence. l got back safe enough until l
lay down behind the fence, when was shot
in the right thigh, and a 9th KY. boy was
shot in the head by the same bulaet and
killed, the bullet going clear through my
leg. / didn't know him, but his regiment
was consolidated with ours that day.
The boys skipped out and the Johnnies
came. lay in a sort of stupOr until l heard
the cheers Of the 18th and 10th Pa. as they
charged. Capt. Shiver, of my company,
came with them, and the Johnnies being re-
pulsed, he got me on his back, and meeting
Paddy White, of Co. A, they carried me
back to whore they thought it would be
| safe.
| But the Johnny rebs were in the woods
close by, and Paddy White had to put me
down. crawled that night to where there
had been made an hospital during the fight,
| aud lay there all night. Next morning l
| crawled through the woods until l came in
sight of where they were building some
bresstworks, and sn officer Il believe of the
| 10th or 18th U. S. came over the works and
helped me to the head of hollow, and
pointed out, below, = hospital.
| 1t was Johnson's Division / had reached,
and it had been intended for them to sup
| port us, but we got none from them, at least