The National tribune., 1897-08-26
ANDERSONVILLE.
CONTINUED from first page

every one OF them yelllng ike SO nahy
Sioux Indians. The line seemed to be
massed six or eight ranks deep, followed
closely by the second line, and that by
the third, each, if possible, yelling
louder and appearing more desperately
reckless than the one ahead. AT their
first appearance We opened on fhem'
and so did the bully old 24-pounders,
with canister.
"On they came: the first line stag
yered and wavered back onto the second,
which was coming on the double quick.
Such raking as we did give them. Oh,
Lordv, how we did wish that we had the
breech-loading Spencers or Winchesters.
But we had the old reliable Springtields,
and we poured it in hot and heavy. BY
the time the charging column got down
the opposite slope, and were struggling
through the thicket of underground in
the ravine, they were one confused mass
of officers and men, the three lines now
forming one solid column, which made
several desperate efforts to rush up to
the top of the hill where We were pun
ishing them so.
"One of their first surges came
mighty near going right over the left OF
our regiment as they were lying down
behind their little rail piles. But the
bows dubbed their guns and the officers
used their revolvers and swords and
drove them back down the hill.
"The 18th and Doth Ohio, our right
and left bowers, who had been brlgaded
with us ever since Shiloh, were into 1t
as hot and heavy as we had been, and
had lost numbers of their officers and
men, but were hanging on to their little
rail piles when the fight was over. At
one time the rebs were right in on top
of the 18th. One big reb grabbed their
colors, and tried to pull them out of the
hands of the color-bearer. But old
Capt. Orr, little, short, dried-up fellow,
about so years old, struck him with his
sword across the back of the neck, and
killed him deader than a mackerel,
right in his tracks.
at was now getting dark, and the
Johnnies concluded that they had taken
a bigger contract in trying to drive us off
that hill in one day than they had counted
on, SO they quit charging on us, but
drew back under cover of the woods
and along the old line of works that we
had left, and kept up pecking away
and sharpshooting at us all night long.
They opened fire on us from number
of pieces of artillery from the front,
from the left, and from some heavy guns
away over to the right of us, in the
main works around Atlanta.
1--WE did not fool away much time
that night, either We got our shovels
and picks, and while part of us were
sharpshooting and trying to keep tie
rebels from working up too close to us.
the rest of the boys were putting up
some good solid caIthworks right whele
our rail piles had been, and by morning
We were in splendid shape to have re-
ceived cur friends, no matter which way
they had conc at us, Tor they kept up
such an ALFRED sileliing of US from SO
many different directions that the BOYS
had built traverses aud bomb-proofs
at all sorts OF augles and in all direc-
tons.
There was one point off to our right,
q few rods up along our old line of works,
where there Was a crowd of rebel sharp
shooters that annoyed US more than all
the rest, by their constant firing at us
through the night. They killed one of
Co. HIS boys, and wounded several
Others. Finally Captain Williams, Co.
ID, came along and said he wanted a
couple of good shots out of our COMPANY
to 90 with him, so | went for one. He
took about 10 Of us, and We crawled
down into the ravine in front of where
We were building the works and got be-
hind a large fallen tree, and we laid
there and could just fire right up into
the rear of those fellows as they Law in
behind traverse extending back from
our old line OF works 1t was so dark
We could only see where TO fire by the
fash OF guns, but every time they would
Shoot, some OF US would let them have
one. They staid there until almost dav-
light, when they concluded, as things
looked, since IRE were going to stay hey
had better be going.
1t was an awful night Down in
the rayine below us lay hundreds of
killed and wounded rebels, grooming and
crying aloud for water and for help.
We did do what we could for those
right around us-but it was so dark.
and SO many shell bursting and bullets
flying around that fellow could not
get about much. | tell you it was
pretty tough next morning to 90 along
to the different companies of our regi-
ment and hear who were among the
killed and wounded, and to see the long
row Of graves that were being dug to
bury our comrades and our officers.
There was the Captain of Co. f,
Nelson Skeeles, of Fulton County. O..
one Of the brapest and best officers in
the regiment. BY his side lay First
Serg't Lesnit, and next were two great.
powerful Shepherds -cousins-but more
like brothers One II seems was killed