The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-01-27

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GgsaMs% SIR
1.-THE ENEMY AROSE AND OPENED A
TERRIFIC FIRE"
spair his eloquent voice would be heard Civ
ing cheer, restoring confidence, and infusing
new life into them.
Our regiment did over ten thousand miles
of weary marching through the Southern
States, and were engaged in AZ battles and
skirrnishes during the war.
/ will endeavor to give a description of the
charge at Pickett's Mills, Georgia.
The troops mostly engaged were Of the
Third Brigade, Third Division, Fourth Corps.
The brigade was commanded by Gen. Tom
Wood
According TO my memorandum, this charge
occurred in the afternoon of the 9th day of
May, 1864 1t was on the day that Sherman
moved his army from the enemy's front at
Dallas towards Marietta, on the railroad.
The charge was not a general engagement of
the army, bat one of the most fatal to the
troops engaged of any in the Georgia cam
paign.
During the day we were marching and halt
gullies heavily timbered. Late in the after
noon our division was halted for some time
and many of the boys took nap. When
they awo,ze to march, some said that they had
presentlments of a calamity before us. But
our column had orders to march, and soldiers
under marching orders cannot stop for pre-
sentiments.
In our front was q high ridge covered with
timber. We assembled this, then marched
down the other side into deep gully, some
50 rods from the top. As we were descend
ing rebel battery just to our right poured
grape and canister, shot and shell into the
right flank of our brigade, dealing out de-
struction.
At the top of the other ridge we had to as
cend were two lines of rebel breastworks,
hastily thrown up, one just on the summit
and the other one nearer us down the slope,
so the second line was the most exposed and
they could not reinforce the first line after
the heavy firing from our musketry began.
AS we advanced / heard our boys say they
saw white flags waving; that our men had
the works. '.,Let us go on they said, and
we did, over rocks and other distractions that
required all our courage and strength to over
come.
When the battle-line got within few feet
opened q terrific fire of musketry into our
ranks. Our men replied with great fury, and
for an hour at least death and destruction
reigned supreme. Those of US who lived
through that struggle cannot forget what sur
rounded Us.
The regiments of our brigade, like most all
others, had been greatly reduced in numbers,
yet our loss in the division was 1000 men.
Our egiment went into the charge with Ala,
and it came out with POT men. Fifty per
cent. of our men were thus numbered among
the killed, wounded and missing.
After the charge we held our line near the
enemy's works that we failed to take, and
kept up continuous firing, so that the rebels
had to keep closely behind their works 1t
| was during the first half hour of fighting that
so many OF the boys lost their lives.
When darkness came over that bloody scene
firing ceased, and our soldiers lay in line-of-
battle, with one load left in our guns, and with
fixed bayonet5, waiting for orders. Finally
a faint whistle was sounded all along the line
for us to fall back. We were in too danger
ous place to have retreat sounded from the
bugle We fell back into the hollow. and
marched up the slope northward, where the
Fourteenth Corps had built heavy works.
Gen. Woods Brigade, or what was left of it,
was marched to the rear for rest
1t was afterwards ascertained that 10 of
my company were dead Those soldiers who
survived that conflict fired about one hundred
cartridges each. Our gun-barrels were hot
all the time, SO that we were compelled to
hold the stock while loading and firing at the
enemy. We had 60 rounds of ammunition
| each to start with, and many of the officers
emptied the cartridge-boxes Of the wounded
and dead to distribute among the fighters
Lieut. Stewart, afterwards Captain, gave me
| four boxes full OF cartridges, and | fired all
but one charge. My tongue became thickly
| swollen from biting off the ends of cartridges
| for loading purposes, and l could hardly talk
| for several days afterwards. When our men
were leaving the slaughter-pen in the dark
| ness, those of our comrades who were severely
wounded raised dismal cries, and appealed to
| us to take them along to the rear, but we
could not, for we were nearly helpless our
selves. The rebels soon charged over the
ground after us, and our dear comrades fell
into their cruel hands.
| A few days afterwards the enemy were
| forced to leave our front. Then we went in
| search of the missing ones, but those brave
| fellows who fell on that fatal evening have
never been heard from again. They had been
buried in large bitches, like tens of thousands
of other soldiers, and few inches of earth
is all that hid those dead heroes from view
w. S. FRANKLIN, Co. II, 49th Ohio Platte
vile, Iowa.