Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-09-11
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GENERAL bSE(RANS.

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4 Story Of Chickamauga by One Who
Was With Him.
GREAT GENERALS UNDER FIRE.
STIRRING SCENES PARTICIPATED
IN BY THE LEADING GENERALS
OF. BOTH ARMIES DURING THE
n -~.AR IN THE WEsT-AT CHAT
rANOoGA. MISSIONARY RIDGE
AND LOOKOUT MoUNTAIN-PER-
SoNAL "REMINISCENCES OF GEN
ERAL INTEREST.
William H. Polk, well known citi-
zen Of Lexington, who served under
the late General Rosecrans, was recent
ly asked to give some of his recollec-
tionS Of the dead commander. AS MI
Polk was an orderly on General jeff C..
Davis staff at the famous battle of
Chickamauga and carried messages be-
tween him and General Rosecrans, he
was in a position to tell of some of the
inside workings of that great conflict.
4AAA Yin tolhCo as 1OilSfWo-
Eyes, I served under Rosecrans in
Tennessee MY regiment, the Twenty
first Illinois-Grant's old regiment
first served in Missouri and Northern
Arkansas. 1t then went to Shiloh as
a part of the division Of General JEFF
G. Davis 1t was with him in the adj
vance on Corinth and one OF the adj
vance regiments in pursuit OF Beaure-
gard when he retreated southwark.
And when General Halleck, then COM
handing the United States army, or
dered Buell. to advance on Chattanoo-
ga with his corps, Davis division
formed a part of the force. This
transferred us from the western army,
and we continued as part of the ar
my of the Ohio and Cumberland. sue
seccively. We were with Buell. in the
long march to Louisville and his sub
sequent advance on Perryviile.
you know that Buell. was relieved
OF command after the battle of Per-
ryviile, which was fought October 8,
1862. A bitter fight had been going on
against him for some time, promoted
principally by the governors of Hi
nois and Indiana-Cg esby and Nor
ton especially because Buell. had pun
ished a good many of their States
troops for pillaging. l recollect that
in advancing from Louisville to Perry
vile a good many of the new troops
from Indiana and Illinois pillaged
great deal and Buell. was very severe
on them, holding that they were in
juring Union men as well as Southern
sympathizers. Then, after the battle
Of Perryville, 1t was claimed that Buell.
made botch of the affair, and his en-
emies secured the removed of that
grand soldier and strategist.
'tAfter the battle Bragg retreated
out of Kentucky through Mount Yer
non and Cumberland Gap, into East
Tennessee. Halleck and Stanton,
Secretary of War, wanted Buell. to fol-
low him Through the Kentucky noun
tains, but Buell. insisted that it was
best to push his army to Nashville.
ION October "a Halleck relieved
Buell. and placed Rosecrans in COM
mand of the army. The army soon
learned to like their new general, dub
bling him Old Rosy Halleck and
Stanton also urged Rosecrans to adj
vance into East Tennessee, but he ig-
nored their advice and marched on to
Nashville, as Buell. had suggested.
The advance of Rosecrans' army on
Murfreesboro commenced on December
&c, 1862, our division passing through
Knob Cap when our brigade, Carlin's,
charged and took two guns. Bragg
waited for us with his main army III
front OF Murfreesboro. On the 30tn
our division went into line of battle Oh
the right wing, with Johnsons divis-
inr rio This
IRENE right. In taking position our
brigade, Carlin's, had a hot fight, our
regiment losing heavily in charging.
After Grants promotion in Missouri,
Lieutenant Colonel j. w. S. Alexander
was made colonel of the regiment. In
going into position he saw two of the
enemy's guns and ordered charge
They uncovered four more masked
guns in front and whole six gun bat
terry to the rignt oblique, ana l tell you
they made it hot for us.
Next day Bragg hurled heavy masses
against our riglt, crushing Johnson 5
division and taking our division-Da-
vis-in flank. We had a desperate
struggle and were finally driven clear
back across the Wilkinson pike to the
Nashville road. Everything was appar-
cAtiy lOoC W Us, DuI the CculIG anu I6LJ
of the army stood firm Rosecrans
hurried troops to our support and
stayed the tide of disaster.
Il was captured during this rout on
our right and saw Bragg stop at the
GrissOm house. which was used as
hospital He looked as cold and i'm
passive as a cake OF ice. General Pat
Cleburne joined him and l took a great
20 to u,
AT this time our troops had retreated
beyond the Wilkinson pike and were
making a desperate stand in the cedars
and rocks between the pike and rail-
road. This was on the 31st, the last
day of the year, and | thought it