The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1901-10-10

back in a hurry to rejoin the regiment and
met it advancing in line into the open field
to meet the shock that soon must come.
Gen. Kirk at the first alarm given by the
picket placed himself at the head of our
regiment and gave the command For
ward" He performed brave but very
rash act in so doing, and paid the penalty
with his life, for here he received the
wound that afterward proved fatal. The
mistake was evident to me when I saw
800 men marching into an open field to
meet 10000.
Our regiment had advanced about 100
yards into the field when our pickets fired
into the approaching columns of the en-
envy. Our weak challenge was answered
with a volley from one of the advancing
regiments directly in front of us, and n
moment later a succession of volleys
spread to the right and left until the en-
tire Confederate line was directing its
fire into the ranks of our regiment, as we
alone were visible to them.
AT the first discharge we threw our
selves fiat in the grass and emptied $50
muskets into the ranks of the foe. At the
same time our battery of six cannon
opened n vigorous fire, throwing shells
close over our heads into the enemy,
whose batteries also opened on us with
shells and grape and canister Under
such fire our only salvation was to lie
as fiat as possible on the ground. for the
air fairly seethed with the zip" of but
lets and grapeshOt over our heads. 1t re-
minded me of the passage of a swarm of
bees.
All the bullets did not pass overhead
Many plOwed little burrows around us,
throwing up tufts Of grass and handouts
of soil into our faces or over our bodies,
and others struck with a dull 'thud" into
some poor, unfortunate soldier, opening a
gaping wound through which might per-
haps flow his lifeblood
We endured this ordeal scarcely 10 min
utes until q were killed and 100 wounded,
or more than One-third of our number.
BY this time the Confederates were al
most upon us, and nothing remained for us
but capture or retreat. We adopted the
latter alternative, but all did not succeed,
Tor 64 of our number were captured, after
leaving the field, by the eremy's cavalry.
which had ridden around in our rear.
When j passed our battery of six brass
cannon their muzzles were still pointing
to the foe, but they were silent and de-
serted save by the dead and dying horses.
Before l reached the battery / saw the
last artilleryman cut the traces of the
last available horse and gallon madly TO
the rear as his comrades had already done
before him.
In our retreat we hoped to find n
refuge with organized troops belonging
to other divisions of our Right Wing, but
in this we were disappointed. We en-
countered nothing but confusion until we
reached the Nashville Turnpike. This
charge of the enemy, or rather a success
sion of charges, had driven back one bri-
gade after another until the Right Wing
rested against the Center like a bird with
outstretched wings folds one to its body.
The Confederates, elated with their sue
cess in driving back our Right Wing. now
made a vigorous attack upon the Center
and if this, too, had given way the de,
struction of our army would have been
complete; but the troops of the Center had
time for preparation, and their lines were
in order to receive the attack, being
strengthened also by the fragments of the
Right Wing which found q refuge there.
The victorious columns that had driven
us back now found an obstruction they
could not move, and they recoiled from
each charge with heavy losses. Their COM
mander Gen. Bragg was forced to aban-
don the attempt to break our Center and
transferred the attack to our Left Wing,
where he had a large part Of his army
confronting that portion of our army, and
where neither side had been seriously en-
gagged during the attack on our Right
Wing.
Our commander (Gep. Rosecrans) find
ing ali his own plans Of battle demol-