The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-06

25TH AT CHATTANOOGA
After the successes Of the two days. q decisiv
battle seemed inevitable, and orders were givel
that night for q vigorous attack the next morn
ing. 1 was up carly. sending my first despatch
to Mr.. Stanton at half past z in tho morning
About O o'clock the battle was commenced b.
Sherman on our loft. and ragged f%uriously al
that forenoon both east of Missionary Ridg'
and along Its crest, tho enemy making vigorouI
efforts to crush Sherman and dislodR'
n.a from his position on the ridge
While this battle was going on. I was or
Orchard Knob. whore Grant. Thomas, Granger
and several other officers were observing the
operations. The enemy kept firing shells at us
] remember. from the ridge opposite. They had
got the range 30 woll that the shells burst pretty
near the top Of the elevation where we were,
and when we saw them coming we would duck,
that is, everybody did except Grant and Thomas
and Gordon and Granger. 1t was notaccording to
their dignity to 20 down on their marrow bones.
while VIC were there Granger got q eun-a can
non-how he got 1t 1 do not know-and he would
load it with the help of one soldier. and fire It
himself over at the ridge. Irecollect that Raw
Inns was very much disguised at the guerrilla
operations Of Granger, and induced Grant to
order him to join his troops elsewhere.
As we thought we perceived. soon inter noon.
that the enemy had sent q great massof their
| troops to crush Sherman, Grant gave orders at
2 o'clock for an assault upon the left OF their
lines; but owing to the fault of Granger. who
was boyishly intent upon firing his gun instead
Of commanding his corps, Grants order was
not transmitted to the division commanders
| until he repeated 1t an hour later.
1t wat fully 4 o'clock before the line moved
out to the attack. 1t was q bright. sunny after
noon. and as the forces marched across tho val
ley In front of us. as regularly as IL on parade. 1t
was q great spectacle. They took with ease the
first rifle pits ut the foot Of the ridge. as they
had been ordered, and then. to the amazement
OF all of us who watched on Orchard Knob. they
moved out and up the steep ahead Of them. and
before we realized it they wero at the top Of
Missionary Ridge. 1t was just half past 4 when
I wired Mr.. Stanton:
Glory to God! the day is decisively ours. Missionary
Ridge has Just been carried by the magnificent charge
of Thonas's troops. and the rebels routed.
As soon as Grant saw the ridge was ours he
started for the front. AS he rode the length of
the lines the men. who were frantic with joy
and enthusiasm over the victory, received him
with tumultuous shouts. The forming of the
ridge by our troops was one of the greatest
miracles in military history. No man who
climbs the ascent by any of the roads that wind
along its front can believe that $4,000 men
were moved in tolerably good order up its
broken and crumbline face unless it was his
fortune to witness the decd. 1t seemed as awful
as a visible interposition of God. Neither Grant
nor Thomas intended it. Their orders wore
to carry the rife pits along the base Of the ridge
and capture their occupants; but when this
was accomplished. the unaccountable spirit of
the troops bore them bodily up those impracti.
cable sleeps. over the ~bristling rife pits on the
crest and the numerous cannon enflading every
gully. The order to storm appears to have been
given simultaneously by Gems. Sheridan and
Wood, because the men were not to be held
back. dangerous as tho attempt appeared to
military prudence. Besides. the Generals had
caught the inspiration of tho men, and were
ready themselves to undertake impossibilities.
The first time I saw Sheridan after the battle
1 said to him., why did you go up there ."
when / saw the men were going up" he re-
piled, II had no idea of stopping them; tho rebel
rifle pits had been taken and nobody had been
hurt. and after they had started I ordered them
to go on. AS l was going up I looked up at the
head Of the ridge, and there I saw q Confederate
General on horseback. I had q silver whiskey
flask in my pocket, and when I saw this man on
the top of the hill 1 took 1t out and waved my
hand toward him, holding up the shining. gilt
tering flask, and then I took q drink. He waved
back to me. and then tho whole division went
up"
All the evening Of the 25th the excitement of
the battle continued. Bragg had reiterated up
the Chickamauga Valley, and was burning
what he could not carry away. so that the east
was lit by his fires. while Sheridan continued
his fight beyond the east slope of Missionary
Ridge until 8 o'clock in the evening. 1t was a
bright moonlight night, and we could see most
Of the operations as plain as day. BY the next
morning Bragg was in full retreat. I went to
Missionary Ridge in the morning. and from
there I could see for ten miles up Chickamauga
Valley the fires of the depots and bridges he
was burning as he fed.
At intervals throughout the day I sent de.
~apatches to Washington, where they were eager.
Iy read, as the following telegram sent me on
the 9th shows:
WAR DEPARTMENT.
WASHINGTON CITY. Nov. ~. 1882
non I. a Dand' CHATTANOOGA Tenn;
u aeoIe.s'y u war II absent ana the freSidentis
~ '. y. e..Ney our uesps'cnes regularly and
49,. ~. - - 'ney ae fe'
aranh,c n,c,urss ., ,hs s,,rrsnn , .n. - !"
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