Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1901-04-20
WAR CHARGES.
THE ASSAULTS A GETTYssuRG AND
KENEsAW MOUNTAIN.

Aveteran's Opinion OF the Two Rrii-g
liant and Daring Dashes-A Lieu-
tenants Report ON Tired Mules
with Rnvenous Appetites. }%R #- ssss
Shortly after the battle Of Chicka-
mauga," said Captain Fitch, II was APP
pointed chief quartermaster of the sig
nal corps of the department Of the
Cumberland, stationed at Chattanooga
On taking account Of the quartermas-
ter's stores 1 found that I was in need
Of some light wagons to be used in the
mountainous country, and the only
way to get them was to go to Nash
vile and have them made, so l went to.
Nashville and had five light wagons
made by the quartermaster's depart
ment. When I got back to Chattanoo-
ga with the wagons, I put a citizen
teamster in charge of the wagons and
mules. -. -" - i
"The teamster, being a green hand,
did not know that mules would eat
anything within their reach and inno-
Gently tied them to the wheels Of the
wagons. Not long after that I got an
order to be ready to march, and ongo-
ing out to inspect my outfit I found
that the mules had eaten the spokes, of
the wheels nearly off, so that thessWag-:
ons were ready to fall down of their
I had no recourse but to drop them
from my returns, and, being obligedt to
assign a reason for so dropping them, I.
gave the true one-viz, Eaten by
mules
"Shortly afterward l got a letter
from the quartermaster general sarcas-
tically inquiring If Lieutenant Fitch
had observed whether the mules had
eaten the tires or not. I replied that I
presumed they had, as they seemed to
be thoroughly tired the next day. The
quartermaster general wrote back,
ANY further trifing with this depart
ment on the part Of Lieutenant Fitch
will probably result in his being retired
to private life.' Thereupon l dropped
the subject, but my first report was
correct" Il, I, $ .& = !.
"At Chickamauga," said the major,
"Longstreet's men ran over our head
quarters teams. Every mule in oneAtof
the teams went down.. and the wagon
stood IN obstruction in the 55road. Five
minutes later every mule vas on Its
feet, and a wounded teamster yelled at
them to pull out. They started without
more ado. swept along the road after
our broken regiments and, turning at
just the right point, came into our new.
lines and stopped where the headuuar-.
tiers flag had been stuck in the. ground.
The driver reported later and drove In
to Chattanooga. ~ s<&S2:'' - r. H&
Zone of these mules the night before:
bad pulled the blanket of our division
commander; had run over the lines of
soldiers sleeping in close battle order,
had raided the Confederate pickets and
had returned to u biyouac under q
furious fire. The men Of the brigade
took a solemn vow to shoot tie mis-
chievous mule at daylight, but when
daylight came they had other things to
shoot at, and the mule was forgotten
until he came In at the head @ofsthe
team attached to the headquarters
wagon Then the boys. who had swit-
messed the charge ndthe1 escapesof the
driyerless team counted.the mules dew
iltry as nothing :. III
@."That charge Of Longstreet, by the
way" said the colonel, was mi OF the
great charges Of the war, and it was as
successful as any as a. sbrreakero of lines.
OF course we think of Pickett's charge
at Gettysburg in a class to itself, but ]
have often wondered whether the
Union assault on the Confederate posi-
ton at KenesaW mountain June ~,
1854, should not be put in the list with
the Confederate charge at Gettysburg
Picketts charge was of course The
more spectacular, and the assaultine
force was compact, but while Il
broke the Union line at one point Il
was driven back in disastrous retreat.
1.-THE direct assault. on the fortified
line on Kenesaw was made by three
brigades, no better troops than Pick
ett's 'Virginians, but it.must be remem
bered that while they failed TO pierce
the Confederate line they held their pao
, sitions and did not retreat. Their los.
was correspondingly as heavy as Pick
ett's at GETTYSBURG. Sherman's idea wa
to show his own army as well as til.
Confederate army that be could, make
o frontal attack. IL the assault hat
> been made and the assaulting column
t had retired, as did Pickett's columns
Gettysburg, the effect Oh the arm.
would not have been as 1t was whel
the regiments that led the assault clunl
to their position not more than 30 pace
from the Confederate parapets.
seThe attack failed except In that ]
was an illustration OF the spirit OF TIL
Onion troops III assault. Lees purpos
at Gettysburg was undoubtedly Il
! drive Pickett's 5000 men like q wedg
through the Union lines The failur
Of the attempt Ied.to the retreat OF th
whole Confederate army. Sherman,
purpose at Kenesaw wa TO eaptur
the Confederate f~ortifcations. The al
= tack let to the retreat not OF Sherman
army. but of the Confederate arIny
and Il have always held that the groun