The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1901-08-08

! Geary his orders and were waiting TO see
| the movement begin. 1t struck me- as
entered Geary's tent, that | had seldom
looked upon more silent, solemn party,
| but Geary broke the silence by saying:
Colonel, | have sent for you; / have or
| derS to make a demonstration upon Look
out Mountain. l wish TO know where and
how | am to cross that creek with my
command"
| 1t is not probable that Gen. Geary, in
the presence of the staff officers who had
brought him his orders, would have men
toned to me his having orders to make a
demonstration On Lookout Mountain, if
those orders were that he should assault
and capture it; but Gen. Geary then add
ed to what he had already said as to what
his orders were that he intended to show
the world what his ideas of a demonstra-
ton meant.
So think that Gen. Geary then, upon
his own responsibility, resolved that he
would make the most of his orders, and
push demonstration to the utmost linn
its that a construction of that phrase
would admit of, showing that in his own
mind he had already turned a demonstra-
ton INTO an assault and was going to
make reality of it. That resolve OF
Gen. Geary, and the subsequent success
of the reserve pickets in building a foot
bridge across that creek, were very i'm
pOlldDS idtIOTS IN one OIL IUe most sue
cessful and brilliant assaults upon what
was regarded as an impregnable position
that the annals of war make mention Of
And anyone today, standing upon Look
out point, and surveying the surrounding
scenes, would say that an average body
OF soldiers could defend it against all Of
the soldiers that could be made to climb
up against it. But the accidents and in
cdents of the moment turned in favor of
GpnFy and against tho EopfoIaratac
these sometimes have as much to do in
determining the results of warfare as do
Valor and endurance, as victory is not al
ways TO the strong, or the race TO the
swift"
Gen. Geary's inquiry of me as to where
he could cross Lookout Creek caused the
situation at the dam to fash across my
mind, and / described 1t to him. and
stated to him that l thought | could lash
rails, boards, etc, TO those knees and
make good fOot-bridge. Geary accepted
the proposition at once, told me to return
to my picket line, take the reserve pickets
and build that bridge, and by that time
he would be at the little mill Just back
of that point with his division, and would
cross over upon Lookout Mountain.
BUILDING OF THE BRIDGE.
/ withdrew at once, mounted my horse
and was soon moving with my pickets to
carry out the orders. When / reached
the open space at the dam the moon was
SHINING, making it quite light. but soon
thereafter clouds of mist settled down
upon the mountain side, and it grew quite
dark.
l halted the pickets at the site of the
proposed bridge and told the men what
the orders were. / said that il was prob
able that as soon as we began building
the bridge the Confederates would begin
hrlng upon us, as we then could hear the
enemy moving in the underbrush beyond
! said that / wanted half of NV force 70
cross the creek by climbing from knee to
knee and when over 10 form a half circle
for the protection of the bridge builders
who necessarily would be unarmed and
defenseless, and that the men who should
go over would draw the fire Of the enemy
upon themselves and return such fire as
effectively as possible, and thus | posted
the men at work
/ called for volunteers to cross the
creek; there was a complete silence for
n time, when q soldier stated he wouId
20, then another, and il was evident thar
the whole command would go, so | d.
ylded my command rs nearly equal as TO
numbers as | could and directed the right
TO sling their guns across their shoulders
and climb across the bridge upon their
hands and knees. This was done. and
soon part of my force was on the en-
emy's side of the stream, being the first
Union soldiers 10 reach there. Then 7
placed n soldier on each knee and directed
the others on our side of the stream to
get rails, boards, etc, and pieces of rome
from the mill. These were handed out 10
the soldiers on the knees. and there tied
securely, and soon we had a good solid
foot bridge upon which men in single rank
could move safely and rapidly. This
bridge was made without hammer, nails
or or saw, simply by flashing the timbers TO
the knees, and as the boards had been