The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-01-27
COULD NOT HAVE BEEN DRIVEN.
A Knap's Batteryman Explains About Peach
Tree Creek

A Knap's Batteryman Explains About Peacf
Tree Creek.
| EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Dr. Cannon
says that at Peach Tree Creek orders were
given his command to charge bayonets, but
that the timber was so heavy, and the trees
had been felled, Tapped and crossed until
they presented an almost impossible barrier
but, he says, they finally made their way
through, after which they were halted and
formed into line with orders to fix bayonets
and go forward.
He says again, three-gun battery was in
their front, and the enemy was massed IN
the ditch, and it seemed like a foriorn hope
to attempt to dislodge Them but after rest
ing short time he says they made the third
charge and drove the Union soldiers from
the works capturing the cannon and the
flag of the 33d y. j., and planted the rebel
colors on the breastworks He said that if
they had been properly supported on the
right the rebels could have driven our men
across Peach Tree Creek
Now, there was one obstacle in the way
that he failed to take into consideration.
They happened to be. confronted on this
occasion by two batteries supported by troops
that never yielded to an enemy; namely,
Knap's Pennsylvania battery, and battery
NJ, 18th \. Y, and the 2Sth, 147th l11th,
29th Pa, with the 33d y. j. and 9Th and
18th and 46th Ohio Those are the men who
kept US from being driven into Peach Tree
Creek
Ny recollection of the fight is that on July
90 we pushed the slsirmish-lne through the
woods and across the creek in the forenoon;
the piclets crawling and rolling logs ahead
of them to protect themselves from the sharp
shooters 4 section of artillery followed
until we gained the knoll on the opposite side
of the creek, where we hastily formed line
with the sd \. j., on picket in our front.
We began to cut and fell the timber IN our
fro2t to get range for our guns The 18th
n y, on our right, did the same. We had
not been TINS engaged more than an hour
when we were driven in by the rebs charging
u.s. We just had time to man our guns when
they drove in our pickets, following so closely
that we could not wait for the pickets to get
in, but were compelled to open fire with grape
and canister, killing some of our own men.
This was about o'clock in the afternoon.
The fighting lasted until four There was
rayine to the right of the 18th n. Y.
battery, on our right, where the lines, for
some reason, did not meet Seeing this, the
rebs came pouring through the gap. But
Maj. Reynolds Chief of Artillery, as brave
an officer as the world ever saw, detected it
just in the nick of time. He sprang to the
front, and it seems to me | can see him yet,
and hear his voice above the roar of muSketry
and the almost deaieniDg boom OF the
artillery, saying: Men, are you going to see
them take those guns?" All who were
within hearing Of his voice rallied about
him, charged the now confident rebs, and
drove them out Of the gap
The guns were manned and double shotted
with mimic balls taken from the infantry
ammunition boxes, that We're carried and
thrown down near the guns. They were
hastily broken open, and the men would tear
of, some a leg of their drawers and others a
leg of their pants, while others would tear
off shirt sleeve, and after tearing the car
fridge from the bali, fill these up with balls,
load them i'll the guns and hurl them at
the advancing foe. Does it look reasonable
that owing to the limited time that we had
from the time that we skirmishcd across the
creek and got to work telling trees in our
front that we had constructed very formid-
able works, let alone digging bitches p
DANIEL SIMS, Knap's Battery, California,
Pa