The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1901-08-08
FIGHTING THEM OVER
What the Veterans Have to Say
About Their Campaigns.
CHAMPIONS HILL.
46th Ohio Veteran Replies 20 Confeder
ate's Statements.

Southern Blvouac, OF which have sew
eral volumes, | came across an article
headed The Key to Nicksburg," signed
Thos. Q. Hall, company and regiment not
given, but who, from what | can gather
from his writing, must have been a mem
Der of Loring's Division, which for eXag-
geration and error certainly takes the
cake" As Capt. Henry Alilburn, 18th
Ind, in his answer to odd Boy" 6Sth
Ohio, refers to the same subject, and as |
was thar or tharabouts," at that time,
and as the time seems very propitious, L
WILL with your consent, proceed to touch
up both. | will take up Thos. o. Halls
article at the battle of Champions Hill,
where he says: This caused an order to
issue from Gen. Pcmberton to all division
commanders to prepare general line of
defense for an engagement next day; so
the order was complied with on the night
of May 10, and the center of this line lay
directly across the billy land of an old
man named Champion.
Next morning about 8 o'clock the entire
army corps was awakened by new kind
of long ROLL and it proved to be shot
from 12-pOuuder fired by the Federals.
4 sadder shot probably was never fired
during the war. The residence of old man
Champion was penetrated by the iron
messenger, and two of his daughters and Il
Confederate Lieutenant were killed by IT,
while other occupants narrowly. escaped
with their lives. This shot was responded
to in a feeble way by our artillery, and
slowly but surely the cannonading in
creased as the batteries neared each other.
An hour later and the rattle of musketry
at distance could be heard, and as day
light dawned the hardest and most closely
contested battle fought iii the Department
of the Gulf during the war was i'll prog
reSs."
At the time he mentions, 8 o'clock on
the morning of May IL, 1863, the Federal
army, or that part of it that fought that
battle, was in camp and sound asleep, six
or eight miles from Champions Hill. Alvin
Z. HOvey's Twelfth Division, Thirteenth
Army Corps, the division that captured
and never relinquished The Key to Vicks-
burg, and made it 50 very interesting to
our friends Ill gray, occupying the ground
i'll our front, did not leave their camp until
between } and o'clock, and did not arrive
at the Champion plantation until about
8 o'clock. Cos. III and !, 10Th Ind, were
detailed for skirmishers that morning. My
company u was on the right flank, and as
the road seemed to trend to the left all
the way, it kept us on the jump to keep
ahead of the column, and the cuss words
used that morning by our boys weIe some
thing to make good old Chaplain RObb's
hair curl could he have heard them, and
everybody was included i'll these remarks,
from the private on the right flank up to
Gen. Grant.
Just at the time we struck the planta-
ton, Sergt. David Wilky, LIST Ind. Cav,
who with several men was riding in front,
came back and reported several batteries
of artillery with heavy infantry supports
in position on the hill a short distance
ahead. An immediate halt was ordered,
and line of battle formed. This line as
l remember it was about parallel to the
Champion house, which was used as
hospital during and after the battle. The
10th Ohio Battery was to the right of the
house i'll a field, with the skirmishers of
my company perhaps 100 yards i'll their
front. just before we got the word that
the enemy was at bay, we ran into and
took III out of the wet" 30 or 40 gray
backs. They said they had been in the
hospital at Jackson, and were going to
Nicksburg to join their regiments, but as
We were headed that way ourselves, and
met them, | could never get it figured out
TO suit me. After waiting here for half
or three-quarters of an hour the Skin
mishers were ordered to advance into the
woods about 200 yards in front. We had
barely gotten under cover when we ran
On to snag, and from that time until the
hnal advance was made at 12:15, we had
It hot and heavy"
Up to the time when we went into the |
woods there had not been shot fired
Or Shell fired by our artillery passed |
through the Champion house at the time |
mentioned, or at any other time during the !
battle, as their position was such as to |
preclude anything of the kind. The kill |
ng of two of Champions daughters and |
1 Confederate Lieutenant is simply |
myth. If anything of the kind had hap
1ened | would surely have heard of it. |
Dur division was on the ground until the |
18th, collecting the wounded and burying |
he dead, and L was at the hospital several |
lines talking to the boys, and no one men
Toned it, neither did | see any shot holes
n the house. | did hear that colored |
Joy, sent to the well by some of the of
lcers for a pitcher of water had his head |
aiken off by a rebel shell, but as L could |
ind no blood there, | set that down as an
,ther war story"
A little further along Mr.. Hall says:
There were nine remnants of divisions
which, with Il few outside cavalry and ar
lllery companies, made up Il respectable
iImy corps, or about 1900 men, and these
,hivalrOus brothers marched side by side
nto an unlimited army of the enemy. The
federals frequently brought up fresh
roOps to relieve those that had fought
preceding them, and this mode of assault
vas great advantage to them, but Lor-
ng, by good, clean work, rolled up relief
lvlslons on our side to remain long enough
cHdDic tHoSe IeIleNeu 10 clean guns ana
Prepare TO continue the struggle"
Now let us see something about this
unlimited army" that the 1900 ''chivaI-
Gus brothers had to buck against
iOVey's division, comprising nine regi-
nents of infantry and four batteries of
rtIllery, took into the fight 4,1S0 men,
nd as ours was, | think, about an aver
ge division in point of strength, this
would give $500 men for Hovey's and
-oSans divisions. This was the ''unlim-
ted army that the 1900 "chivalrous
rothers" Of Pemberton had to march into
t the beginning of the fight, and with
lot single company left behind us to
ay: Give 1t to 'em, boys, and we will
ack YOU
Later on Quinby's Division came up
nd was sent to our support, and never
vas support more anxiously looked for,
s we had fought, three or four times,
ack and forward, over the ground before
hey reached us, and for Il while it looked
S if they, too, would want supporting; .
ut Logan, swinging his men to the left, +
OF so close to Pemberton's line of retreat
hat the pressure in our front gave way
nd that settled the matter.
Estimating the strength of Ouinby's
Division as equal to that of Logan's or
ioyey's Division, we had 12,540 men, as /
gainst their 1900. ~ ~
The most desperate and protracted of i
he 4Gth's fighting was near and around :
% cabin and near where the guns were ,
aptured. Here the tide of battle ebbed /
nd flowed The guns were lost and won. I
ne FIRST Brigade would press forward |
lctors, only to be driven back to again ad- $
anCe III pursuit. Hero many tf tho raui- |