Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-01-09
on SN0DGRASS HILL.
NOW vIRGINTANS, xENTUCIxIANs
AND CAROLtNIANs TOOK 1T.
| GRAPHIC STORY OF TIE CHARGE.
Colonel y. VI. French, of the Sixty
Third Virginia Regiment. De-
scribcs the splendid Assault and
How the Heights Were Held.

How inc htAAhAs were hetu.
The endorsement by Lee and Pickett
camps % Confederate Veterans, OF this
city, OF the plan OF Colonel J. NJ French.
OF tse sixty-th.rd Virginia Infantry. to
erect suitable monuments upon the Chick
amrra battlefield 20 mark the part
tse troops from Virginia, North Carolina.
and kentucky bore in that great battle
r.s caused renewed interest in the sub
se-~
Colonel French says that in his opinion
ua.e troops. though history has never
made Che fact prominent did a great deal
tos.rs the day at Chickamauga. by driving
le Ttlarais from Snodgrass Hill, where
.E.g were stationed 10 protect the re-
.sat OF Rosecrans.
The monuments on the Chickamauga
l..l mark the positions Of all the troops
except these. and Colonel French says
u.y actually give the Federals the credit
OF having held Snodgrass Hill when they
were driven from il.
COLONEL FRENCH'S STORY.
Following is the graphic story Of the
Iau the Virginians. Kentuckians, and
C4ulnians bore In the battle, as related
ly colonel French:
-y resin enL with the Fifth Kentucky
and taa fnty-eighth and Sixtieth North
Carolina. constituted brigade, COM
uarled ly Colonel Kelly, of Kentucky,
General Preston. also OF Kentucky. COM
handing the division 20 which we were
attached. We We're stationed on the right
centre oi our line Of battle and continued
Oh. about haif-past o'clock in the after /
l9.n when the enemy gave way in our /
roa- and We moved by the left flank /
Until in front Of SnOdgrass Hill, where we +
We're halted. The command 10 Close up? .
was then given. quickly followed by that
r,her order which. when given on the
ielQ OF battle is never forgotten by those
Who receive t-hX bayonets
-y regiment occupied the left centre,
'.e Fiitl Kentucky the left. with the
Carolina regiments on our right. Colonel
Ae.y then ordered that the first regi-
melt 900 the rght advance at quick step.
end when it had reached a distance OF
ially PAGES the next 70 follow, and 50
on until the four were in motion towards
i-e i.ltilcat.Ors on the hill. The orders
were 90 give the enemy taste Of cold
s.i aeiore hiring gun, and we did
PROUD OF HIS VIRGINIANS.
"Iol should have seen the Virglnians
That day. 1 tell you. my boy, il makes
me proud yet 10 think how my men lined
ll under that terrible fire from the Union
artillery, as cool, apparently. as If on
dress parade for the entertainment Of a
crowd OF ladies'. And may be the veil
With which the boys started for the
ueastworks doesn't really ring In my
ears 90 this day, but It sometimes seems
ls j it did.
colonel Kelly, our brigade commander.
went ln with the Carolina regiments on ;
me right and these were repulsed with
terrible loss, but the Nirginians and Ken /
-Atk.ans went right up that hill and into
-e works my regiment leading, by, may
De- q minute. We had 10 use the steel.
]. Do not for long. and when the enemy
poke and started down the hill we gave ,
.--A d most murderOus yolley, the first
"e had fired. II seemed to me that I saw
nearly nat Of them go down. l gave the
command 20 Aim low D
40 once changed the front of my
.iI-r right companies ia order 10 face the y
enemy which the CarOlinians had failed L
% drive out on the right. and which were c
+i-ns a deadly fire into us At the 3
Doe time the enemy did the same thing, q
--l j looked as though I would have 10 $
'ilaolaw or lose the three companies. z
a HOT TWENTY MINUTES. 4
Colonel Kelly galloped up to me. and :.
shouted
IN YOU can hold your position twenty
minutes I VIII have you reinforcedr
We VIII Try / replied, and the men
-il me who had heard us. cried
"eA hold 10. We're here 10 stay
10 mis- moment Colonel Kelly's horse ~
sno- under him. and he hurried away /
p 1901 10 order up endorsements. Just
'A noticed two lines forming in my
'.it and / went over 10 my left to get
-- Aeltucklans 20 close up. my having
mango the front Of two OF my COM -.
'-'ea leaving a gap. Major DCsha, who ~
'Hiaanded the regiment. had been shot
o-sl his left shoulder and was very
'.-y but he refused 90 leave the field,
-- brought his Bluegrass boys 10 nay
IMPORT ia the most gallant manner.
"IIH5TOOD THREE ASSAULTS.
we soon heard the Yankee hurrah. W.
-- Knew they were charging us. or vi
.e- The men not TO fire until the enemy wi
-'e within thirty yards and then 10 aim o4
" ana ict them have 10. After that they
10 give them the bayonet. which had Iei
'- peen removed from their guns The we
,Hy came forward al quick step. and on
-,- within thirty yards they received =.
r me- they kept on. however. but had 10 ~
way before getting in the works an
wee was this repeated. but we held the saJ
though AZ an awful price a :
.'onei Robert Trige. Of Montgomery
-N'}. that day commanded a brigade
imposed Of the Finy-fourth Virginia ~,
20 some Alabama regiments. They had -
yea the enemy 20 give way on our left an
-eH We had broken their lines BY taking Pill
ltiass HILL Colonel Trigg pressed do,
en- hafd for some distance and when c.
seemed 10 be ia full retreat IN his on
'Dl he wheeled 20 the right and came Ito
.h tne rear Of the force that was fight / O
.s These regiments. or what Was PIC
. OF them, finding themselves entrap-
p slHendered. and SnOdgrass I'M was Dce
is beyond dispute. am
THE ENORMOUS LOSS. Dor
AZ Was now nearly n.ehtfall. the PRISON. my
were sent 10 the rear, ard after adj -
N'Alering as best we could TO the ny
-noed and dying. with which the 70
'DNo was covered. the men fell down DE
austed. sleeping with their guns under a
r heads until morning The loss Of ~
fhiy-fourth Virginia Regiment that 81
"1a 50 40 per cent. In other words 8
Iy IMAM one third Of the men that IstI
mo battle never came out. -
,. ROBBED OF THEIR GLORY. ~
~ MA glorious day, but now iet