The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1901-01-03
FIGHTING THEM OVER.
l0i3Irsi
What the Veterans Have to Say
About Their Campaigns.
TAKING CHATTANOOGA.
e2d Ill. Comradei Supplements Veteran
Qutnn,s 'Lightnin6 Brigade" Story.

periences of an old soldier who served his
country in the dark days of war are al.
! ways in order in your extremely loyal pa
per. As an old soldier who was in the
| Union army little over three years from
| the date of enlistment to the time of re
ceivinS the last pay for military service.
am always glad to read the letters and
| articles of the old comrades, especially
those of my old regiment, the ODD H.,
which served part of the time in that ia
nous brigade known In the Army of the
Cumberland as "Wilder's Brigade"
have been well pleased with Comrade
Jerome Il. Quinn's articles, but would like
to call his attention TO a few omissions
OF Importance in giving his running de-
| scrlption of events. Or course, our com
rade does not Intentionally leave out in
his statements anything that would add to
| the ulster and good name of any other reg
| lment in the afore-namcd famous com
mand He simply writes of that which
he knows the most about, as the comrades
| generally do. His regiment, the 123d ILL.,
Mtd Inf, was one of the gallant and eff
| fectiye regiments that went out from
illinois to battle against treason and rebel
lion. No one can truthfully say that the
| Lightning Brigade" of Gen. Wilder ever
| failed to do its duty, even when the great
est odds were against it.
| L will now notice some of Comrade
! Quinn S omissions in his articles. He fails
to mention the Cpd ILL., as being a part of
| Wllders Brigade. He gives the other reg
iments correctly, but fails to remember
that about eight weeks after the 123d III.
was assigned to Wilder the 92d Ill. was
| also added, making in all FIVE regiments
the 18th and 39th Ind, and the 9Sth 123d
| and the 92d Ill.
In the Summer of 1863 we were pursrl-
ing the retreating army under Bragg. and
when we came to Duck River in Tenne-
| see, we found it a perfect flood at high
water mark, and not to be crossed The
Confederates had destroyed the bridge,
but the abutments and piers were still
standing. Wilder came TO the river. and.
desiring to cross, was prevented by this
| condition of things. He consulted with
Col. Atkins, of our regiment, and was told
by our Colonel that the 92d ILL., would put
| in new bridge. The order to fall in line
was sounded, and in response TO the cues
ton Of how many carpenters were in the
| regiment over half of the command re-
| sponded. In less than 48 hours Gen.
| Wilders command crossed on the new
| bridge. The heavy timbers were hewn
| from the trees in the forests near by, and
| the planking' was taken from planta-
ton buildings. We were in a few days
ordered to report to Gen. Wilder. and we
drew our Spencer rifles, turning over TO
Uncle Sam our Enfields. We we're mount
| ed on good horses, and from that time un.
til about April /, 1864, we were part
of Wilder's Brigade, and doing duty I'M
der the direction Of Gen. Wilder.
We moved. as Comrade Quinn says, in
the Oct. a issue, from Decherd, Tenn,
over the Cumberland Mountains to the
east side of Waldpon's Ridge, opposite
Chattanooga, with only the Tennessee
River between us and the city and rebel
army. The capture of the II rebels and
the 90 mules on the north side of the river
is true, although had never before heard
the definite number before reading it in
the article of our comrade.
He also says: wilder took the bri-
gade, accompanied by Liily's Battery and
went into camp on the hills opposite Chat
tanooga. We were there but short time
before Lilly threw shell and balls oyer
into the heart of the city and drove the
rebels to hiding places. The brigade pa
trolled the river for miles, watching the
movements Of the enemy, and occasionally
skirmishing with Them
Now, the above is all 'as straight rs n
shingle;" but why should our Comrade
Quinn leave out the important fact con-
nected with the other good work of the
brigade; that the 92d III. was ordered
back again over the mountains and crossed
the Tennessee River at Caperton's Fer
ry and took Chattanooga, after q hard
skirmish around the point of lookout
Mountain and even down across the val
ley into the city itself? The fact that the
92d Ill. was the first Union command that
entered Chattanooga has been sometimes
disputed, but it remains to be proved 9th
erwiSe.
On the day previous. Sept. g. nv COM
pany, under Lieut.-Col. Van Buskirk, of
the sd, made reconnaissance from near
Trenton to within a few miles of Chat
tanoOga on the top Of Lookout Mountain
We crept up the mountain side, following
what seemed to be a "bridle- path" lead
ing our horses up the steep incline, and
when almost to the top the rebels opened
fire on us. 1t was only the work of a
them off of the mountain,
As we approached the east side of the
mountain overlooking Chattanooga and
Rossville, with the Missionary Ridge and
the Chickamauga in the background, ]
thought it was one of the grandest sights
| had ever seen. 1t seemed very much
like the first view we had of the historic
valley Of the Sequatchie that we had SC
, recently passed through, only this before
us was grander. In the direction of Ross
. ville Tunnel Hill and Lafayette we could
, see great clouds of dust and moving col
umns, with an occasional glitter of sabeI
and bayonet. All seemed to Indicate that
Bragg's army was on the retreat, still far
Their on. We FASTENED to report the fact
, to Gen. Rosecrans, and the next morning
+ early the 92d ILL., took the road from Tren
! ton to Chattanooga, fighting around The
, point of Lookout Mountain and enterinl
! Chattanooga, as above stated. The col
Ors of the regiment We're planted on tn,
: Crutchfield House, while the princpa
. roads and streets in the city and leading
y out into the country were strongly guard
ed by whole companies. Two companie.
! pursued the retreating rebels to Mission
airy Ridge. There was not a single Yam
+ kee soldier in the city when We first ar
Q rived / will here insert a. verbatim re-
Q port of Col. Smith d. Atkins to Maj Lev
e ering Gen. Atkins win pardon this piec'
s of fOraging): y. TOO
) mountain, but we now hold Chattanooga
G My stand of colors was. the. first to floa
1 over the town; complete, evacuation; col
umns Of dust showed them going south
t Two companies of my regiment are press
j ing after them, and l will likely take m.
command up the river! 20, gpbble u LITTLE
. squad said to be there" .vgd 49,. g.
!. Thus it will be seen thatIt the objective
r point of Gen. RosecraBs's, military plan:
i was to secure Chattanooga as a base fol
:, future operations, and when the flag wa!
J. unfurled over the city 1t was there to stay
r forever Never since then has there beer
S any other than the Stars and Stripes. Ou
e regimental flag was taken with us wher
a we left to follow the:.retreating foe. bu
g "Old Glory" has ever fOated over Chat
e tanooga since that Sept o, 1868, and WI
, | -; hot II will no thprp throuph nj