The National tribune., 1900-06-14
TAKING FORT McALLISTER.
Comrade Explains Why He Disagrees with
Comrade Martins Description.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: I saw
in your issue of Feb. 1, statement Of
Comrade John d. Martin, 25th Ind, Third
Division, Seventeenth Corps. He says the
Fourth Division took Fort McAllister, Ga,
and that his division was held in reserve.
He says the boys went at it like bees and
took it. He says it was one of the neatest
and quickest pieces of work he ever saw.
hunted up my old diary, that made
while in the army, and find the following
account for Dec. 13, 1864:
Heavy frost last night. Started the
move at a. m. Crossed the Ogechee
River. Moved around near Fort Nc
Allister, near the mouth of the Ogechee
River. Orders came from Gen. w. b.
HaZen, commanding the Second Division
OF the Fifteenth Corps, for the first three
regiments in each brigade to strip for action.
Those regiments-First Brigade, the 116th
ILL.,, Both Ohio and 9th Mo. commanded by
Col. Theo. Jones, of the Both Ohio; Second
Brigade, 111th ILL.,, 47th Ohio and 54th
Ohio, commanded by Col. Perry, 47th Ohio;
Third Brigade, 4Sth and Doth I'll. and
10th Ohio, commanded by Col. Oliver, OF
the 18th Mich.
1--WE, the 116th ILL.,, being in advance that
day, took the lead, going south and east,
then north through the cane that grew very
thick around there, and then when our
right rested on the river, east of the fort,
we commenced to work our way towards
the fort, crawling under and over the trees
that were felled with their tops pointing
out from the fort; then at Is minutes
(my own time) past the bugle sounded
the advance. Then it seemed as by magic
every man sprang over the fallen timber
and made quick trip to the base of the
fort, where there was a wide ditch about 10
feet deep, and in the bottom a row of che
vauX-de-frise aboutfour feet high butt was
soon torn to pieces so we could pass through
it.
"Then came the most difficult part of the
work-to climb up the side of the fort, which
was loose earth; but we soon gained the top,
where the white flag was up by the time we
We're. One poor, foolish fellow, Sergeant
of artillery, shot the color-bearer of the
4sth Ill. after the white flag was up, and
then threw himself down on the bottom
of the fort, but was killed by our men, |
think he must have gotten 10 or 20 bulletsin
him; that was the report at the time"
have in my diary that from the time that
the bugle sounded the advance and the
time it took to make the run to the top of
the fort was seven minutes, and then
Old Glory was floating over the once-Strong
rebel post. Our loss was estimated about
12O killed and wounded, mostly wounded.
-, Now this is from my diary. Now for
the corroborating evidence. In Gen. W.
L. Sherman'S Memoirs, on pages 40 and
All, he says that the bridge known as King
bIluBe Idu Deen DuT1U Dy lile reDeiS Dut III
was rebuilt by the 5Sth Ind, and on the
18th of December the Second Division of the
Fifteenth Corps, under command of Gen.
w. Il. HaZen, crossed the bridge to the
west bank of the Ogechee and marched
down, with orders to carry BY assault Fort
McAllister, strong inclosed redoubt,
manned by about 200 men and mounting
% guns in barbette and one mortar; that
Gen. Hazen reached the vicinity of the
fort about o'clock, deployed his division
about the place, with both fianks resting
on the river, and about ) p. M. (his time
assaulted the place with nine regiments at
three different points, all Of which assaults
were successful. Gen. Sherman says:
81 witnessed the assault from a rice mill
on the opposite bank of the river, and can
bear testimony to the handsome manner
in which it was accomplished"
Now, comrades, who is rightin this battle
of words, comrade Martin or myself?
don't think ] am mistaken, and think the
Fifteenth and Seventeenth Corps, except
comrade Martin, will agree with me; and
when ] have such comrade on my side as
Gen. Sherman / know | can't be wrong.
All / ask Of Comrade Martin is that he shall
get down off Of his high perch and crawl
into his pup-tent and stay there until he
can remember it all clearly, and then say
through THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE that
it was "all a dream"
If it had been dispute about who got
the most sweet potatoes or chickens would
have kept still.-Z. c.. BURDICK, Sergeant. |
Co. G., 10th H., First Brigade, Second
Division, Fifteenth Corps, Marshalltown,
Iowa.