The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-04-14
WAITED FOR THE BATTLE.
uo OF THE OGLETHoRPEs AT
he" GARNETT's FARM.

,rounded at Manassas nc no"
-, His Discharge But Re-
=, On Home-When Magruder
demonstration Against
,,rx He Joined the Ranks
ID Fell with Bullet IN nus
ant and His Discharge Papers
in His Pocket.
NJ zettler, formerly Of this city,
MI - Atlanta, writes to the con
ous .- -.@ veteran" Nashville. for March
ieDs.'i ,rcident which illustrates the spirit
o. sa,tbern soldiers in the Confederate
war 1obr u Krenson.
Ine "1lo,,9ba- of the Oglethorpe Light
was company B, Eighth georgia me
miami members of that command VIII
surVl'Ln Ne urtIe figure. He was SON OF
recalI ~ rcd Krenson, and the famlly Is
the IIaSr-slv represented in this CITY 1onn
sun .ot-erepv wounded in the nrst battle
was sronassas. and had not quite reGoNsLeo
OF Mn - ravvs of the invasion or virginia |
when lne .tbern army under Mcclellan, |
by inc s 70 he coors all who were able
Tecae1 rousket He fell mortaliy
to ca at the Battle of Garnett's Farm
WounI zettler's tribute to his brave COM
ana NJ -,n fnd a respone in the hearts
If all who knew MINI, .,...a,,a, hravarv
o. ,%tanv instances of indivlduai bravery
M MAJ nv private soldiers in our
anu .,,orn army deserve the tribute OF pun
Sou'Ae++i' and those who were witnesses
~ a,ch deeds are not dong JUSTICE "
% Ia companions living or dead' IN Keep
siIent concerning them. Let an VINO
lus illnesses of individual acts OF nero
n11T
Ism anu 800, on record for the benetlt OF
piace .,t- end as a Just tribute to merit
pos' 18th One such l furnish the vet
anu o,,,reesing regret that had not
r 900 secured its publication.
4ol5 +hreA weeks those two masters
- If war. Lee and Mcclellan, had
III ~ facine each other like two skllieo
oeen ~ a game of chess. The Con-
PiSs+o army under Joe Johnston had
- PRESSED back until 1t was at tue
Nv gates of Richmond, and with eager
s-ss NcClellan's soldiers from the north
"a If the Chickahominy gazed at the
.brrcb steeples in the Confeoeracys cap
t.ol citv. only six miles away.
ia .., vi''i 90 was now in command Of the
+bat stood between them and the
a 1anated prize, and the impression had
ont that not another foot of ground
ero,ld he Welded without a battle.
THE seacoast and gulf cities mad peen
...,nned of every regiment that could
~oesiblv be spared, and the newspapers
mere appealing to all who were absent
80, tbsir commands on furlough TO re-
+rrn and save our beloved capital from
the invader. r
among such absentees was John
Krenson, of Company B, Eighth Georgia
Regiment. one of Bartow's Beardless
L Iud
yerelv wounded in the memorable pine
earIing, tbicket at Manassas, and had
never completely recovered from his
wound It was said in fact, that his sur
coon had pronounced him permanently
disabled and unfit for further service in
the field But when the news came that
NcClellans army was in sight of Rich
mond he could stay away no longer ana
set out to rejon his company. lie came
TO US. l think about the time we took
mn our position at Prices farm, five miles
from Richmond. and a short distance
north of Nine Mile road The enemy's
pickets were then less than 300 yards IN
cur front, and each succeeding morning
they appeared in new position and still
nearer to US. AS each day drew to its
close, those of US on the picket line felt
that the battle must certainly begin on
strength Krenson had found that the
surgeons were right. He could not stand
active service and a final discharge had
been given to him. But he fingered IN
camp. and to each surprised inquirer as
to why he did not go home he would re-
ply with the question, DO you think the
battle will begin soon?' and to the in
variable answer, Yes he would add,
Then I cannot leave now And so dur
ing two weeks he waited, thinking each
day that the battle would occur ere the
setting Of another sun.
Finally, on June 26. upon our extreme
left at Mechanicsville, the battle was on.
Friday, the 9th, it ragged furiously far
ther down on McClelan's right flank,
and in the Afternoon at Ellisons and
Gaines Mills and Cold Harbor McClel-
lan's right wing was doubled back at
right angles to his original main line, and
what that cautious leaders next move
would be not even the astute Lee was
able to guess.
Saturday came, and with it an order
to Col Magruder, holding our center
across the Nine Mile road, to make DEM
onstraton against the enemy's lines in his
front 'Tige' Anderson's and Bennig's
Georgia Brigades were ordered forward.
Compaies A and B, of the Eighth Geor-
eio, were OIuereu out as SklIiIlSHerS "
cover the front of the advancing column
and drive in the enemy's pickets and
sharpshooters. Krenson was In his place
IN the skirmisn line The running fight
was at short range, and almost at every
step some one went down; and among
the nrst to fall, sacrifice to that attempt
10 feel the enemy was brave, proud
John Krenson An honorable discharge in
MS pocket a sharpshooter bullet in his
neart, the brave, young soldier boy was
off duty forever