The National tribune., 1901-03-14
SOUTHERN BArTLefIELDs.
An Ohio Comrade Visits Historic Places of
Georgia and Tennessee.

EDITOR NATIONAL IR1BuSE. nave recently
made Il trip TO some Of the bdttlehelds III
Georgia ana Tennesseeso Thinking some of the
old so.diers might be interested IN an account
of what | saw, and espscl;gilY those belonging
permission 1 will undertake 10 give descrlp-
tiOn of the trip. l hfye lived here for the
past 30 years, and forosearl have had il in
my mind to make this trip.1aLeaying PaiatSa
went the direct road To-, Macon, Ga. Ali
along the line of this road are to be seen signs
OF OF I'll thrift e, and enterptiseJ many tnrpentine
Many ex-Confederate Soldiers were on the
,rain, and as always wear'my G. A. X. button
when away from home, | quickly became sc-
qnainted. AT Macon / found well-buiIt city,
with progressive men at the head. The mud
cOlored Ucmuigee River flows natural rs
ever. From Macon to Atlanta, less than loo
miles, is through very coed section of coun-
try. Atlanta is a hustliDg city Of nearly 1O0,-
200. and is a fast-growing center. Many ex.
Union soldiers located there after the war ana
became wealthy. The old Ieyden House, on
each Tree street, looks the same as when
Gen. Sherman occupied 1t for his headquar-
ters.
The first battlefield visited was that of
Peach Tree Creek. The 29th Ohio and some
other troops, and Bundy's y. Y. Battery, OF
four guns, had the honor of opening that bat
tie, led by Gen. Geary. They got In
hornets nest, bur, after getting In shape,
made gallant and successful fight. My regt-
ment lost several in killed and prisoners, and
the gallant Capt. Elliott, Chief Of Gen.
Geary's STAFF, was killed. l wandered over
this ground. In the wooded part the breast
works and rile-pits are as plain as when built.
l secured piece of shell. 1t was very IN
teresting place, and one can spend hours and
become entranced on such historic spots. /
met an ex-Confederate there, who lives near,
and who was in that fight. He showed me
where he was, and where lie camped the night
of the battle. We had pleasant chat.
Later went back to the city, and while
looking at the crowds, man came up and
pointing at my &. A. Il. button. He gave the
grip o. H.. He gave me his card. He is a
lawyer and belongs to Mitchell Post, of At
lanta.
The next day / went up to Marietta to see
the National Cemetery. 1t is n most beauti-
full place, and is cared for by Comrade John
A. Commerford. Everything was neat and
clean. COmrade Commerford was very Oblg-
ing. giving me access to the record books and
assisting in locating the graves of the 10Th
Ohio. About 40 of the 29th are buried there.
of my old messmates OF Co. Il Of the 7th
Ohio. only three are buried there. j stood at
the graves of those / had known so well in
life, and my thoughts were of the time when
last saw them. The feeling that steals over
one is anything but cheerful.
Old Kenesaw Mountain looms up some
three miles away. | had a good talk with
some ex-Confederates, who said the works
thrown up during that battle are the same as
then. and, it is likely, never will be dis
turbed.
Later I went TO Chattanooga. The first
thing one sees there is grand old Lookout
Mountain, just as majestic as ever. That is
where my old brigade under Gen. Geary
climbed up and the Confederates climbed
down. 1t is a very rough spot, and it does not
look possible for soldiers to successfully as
sault such n position. From its summit the
view Is grand. There are two incline rail-
ways there, and one trip will generally be
enough, as one nearly hangs in the air, and
should the cable snap, lightning could not
catch 1t; but so far there has been no accl-
dent
visited Missionary Ridge. The Ridge from
a distance looks like succession Of broken
slopes, not hard to climb. hut soon realized
that 1t Is quite little mountain / reached
the top and went along the boulevard the
Government has built. found the place where
Gen. Breckenridge had his corps strung along
in attenuated lines three miles long, and read
Inscriptions on many tablets erected by the
Government, Indicating the, locations of diff
ferent troops and the point reached by them
in the charge. ALI this was extremely inter-
esting. l strolled along, carefully aoting
everything, and came to the place where Cen
Bragg had his headquarters during the fight
Monuments are there, showing what Union
troops camped there that night. The Govern
ment has erected marble shaft, also an iron
tower, where one can go up by easy steps,
and get view of Chattanooga and the valley
on both sides, the winding Tennessee River
In the plain below. 1t is simply grand to
look down on that plain, where the Union
soldiers charged and carried the first line Of
Confederate works, at the foot Of the Ridge;
theE on and captured the second line, aud,
finally, without orders, carried the Ridge. 1t
looks like an utter impossibility, but it was
well done. Gen. Bragg barely getting of safe
y Cobb's Battery, Of four guns, are there,
same dS uUTlIlS Tue USnt. l0e GttldF Lrtt,
where Briggs headquarters were, has been
well whitfield of its limbs for 10 or II feet.
There is now a heavy iron mesh around 1t as
a protection against relic c-hunters, but / man
aged to club OF piece of a dead limb secur-
ing 1t as q memento. 1t was at this fight, If
am not mistaken, that the gallant Col.
ing 7th Ohio, lost their lives. They were
Cleveland (0hio) men. These two officers
were idOllzed by the regiment; brave, coura-
geous, and always looking to the welfare of
ha mn u n ryil m IN
anything required, the records of the gal
liant 9TH Ohio will show.
AS this battle was fought before my regi-
ment was sent South from the Army of the
Potomac, i was not familiar with the grounds;
but as the Government has marked very much
of Ii in very plain manner, one has no diff
Guilty In finding everything interesting. The
cars take one to within one mile of the Snod-
grass house and hill. That Is where the final
stand was taken by the Union troops and the
position were In at dark The Snodgrass
house is an oak hewed-log house, one room, Is
feet square: some old stables down in front,
and a number of pieces Of artillery posted
there. In front Of the house is u gOOd-sized
cedar tree, and lady, who was young girl
during the war, and who lived there, but had
to leave on impending danger, told me she
came back and found everything in the house
taken on except small shawl, and under, or
near this cedar tree was "A Union soldier,
wounded, and asking for water. She brought
water, and then bent the small cedar down
and placed the shawl over 1t to keep the sun
OFF the soldier. Now, who was that wounded
soldier, and does he read THE NATIONAL
TRIBUNE? / would like to hear from him.
Just back of the house Is a granite slab with
a pyramid Of hundreds of cannon balls This
Is where Gen. Thomas had his field headquar-
ters.
Leaving the house j went ON about half a
| mile, to where the Government has erected q
| fine shaft and tower, similar to that on Mis-
si0nary Ridge. All along on that broken hill
| are small monuments, Indicating positions of
both sides. This Is where the Union troops
| made their last stand, and cannon are now
placed same as they were in position that
evening. This was on our right. and / fol
lowed the line to our extreme right. Artillery
of both sides are there, almost In line, and
guns pointed In directions of the enemy OF
either side. Along on this spot Is sign nailed
| to tree, saying: "On this spot was captured
the 11th Michigan and two Ohio regiments,
| who failed to receive the order at dark to re-
| tire" 1t Is an extremely interesting spot.
Near here is a pyramid of cannon balls
| marking the place where Gen. Gordon
Granger had his headquarters. After seeing
| all there I went on nearly half mile,
| judge and found where 10 sx-gun batteries
| had been posted to sweep crossways of a large
field: Further along on this ridge were posted
20 pieces of artillery, waiting for LOngstreet's
men to come out of a woods, some half a mile
| In the front. A tablet says: 1.-The Major
| directing these guns gave orders not to fire
! until the enemy came out of the wOods,'' the
| intervening space being old, cleared land and
| l think cornfeid on a portion of 1t. Soon
| the Confederates came out and made for the
| Of infantry lying down d short distance In
| front to protect the guns. The batteries
opened and made great havoc among the Con
| federates, but on they CAME, and were soon In
far enough to get the enfilade of the two six
gun batteries first mentioned. Soon the Con