Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-01-20

1 quietly SHOCKING under his ny laying
upon his face when the Yank fred with
pretty good aim. striking the lieutenants
/ coat about the small Of the back, cutting
the waistband OF his pants. going through
| his shirt and out at his coat collar, leav-
! ing A red streak up his back as though
| Scared with hot i'm. The first intima-
/ ton any OF us had OF the circumstances
/ was the ''whack' OF the bullet when IL
/ struck: the next when we heard Bill eX-
| claim, "G-!!." the full realization came
when we observed him raise himself up
l on his hands and feet. very much like
| sleepy cat in a snug corner. when made
Il TO get up. With this last movement, he
/ lifted the ridge on which supported the
Il fiy down II came, and rolling out came
/ Bill For about ten minutes we had a
circus equal to anything John Robinson
I or p. T. Barnum ever put under canvas.
/ Many OF the boys were already boiling
around in rear Of the trench, the eXclam-
/ alton OF Bill and his subsequent movement
/ brought out the remainder, each trying 10
4 surmise and find out the amount of dam
! age to our lieutenant. Bill relieved us and
/ himself as soon as he could roll and tum-
bic into the trench. Cit back, i-n-t-o
these d-i-t-c-h-e-s you BANKED fools
don't You see where them blankety
BANKED Yankees have shot me? CIT
/ back I tell your He kept up this for
/ some time IN the meantime shedding his
clothes as he talked, TO find out the extent
i OF his damage. Finding II so slight he
gave a sigh OF relief and with ''Well,
| boys, they came pretty near getting me.
1 he ouieted down. A short time after, the
same sharpshooter killed a member Of my
company. William Clarke. Three or four
F., OF US asked PERMISSION TO go up the river
/ and run him out. Keeping well under
cover till opposite the mill. the party dis
posed themselves to await developments.
Soon his gun was pushed out of the hole
/ 10 fire, but before he did so, a gun from
/ our party cracked, firing at his probable
/ position. His gun did not fire. and after
waiting for ten or fifteen minutes we
concluded the chance shot may have kill
/ ed him or he intended shifting hts posi-
/ ton. and was keeping quiet. CHANGING to
look away beyond the mill. I saw Yam
! kse running up the slope toward his
lines, his right arm hanging limp by his
side He was not nearer than a thousand
yards perhaps further; taking good aim,
/ at the report of my gun his heels few
/ up and down he went. He was without
i doubt the same fellow who had shot at
( Richardson, killed Clarke and had made
US all do some ducking, but as we we're
/ troubled no more from that quarter, he
I must have been the guilty man. During
/ the period covered by what has been
written. Grant had been by no means
| idle. crossing columns above and below
Il
the bridge above. met a partial success,
but was finally repulsed: below us Long
/ streets corps under r. II. Anderson had
| repulsed and driven on his crossing party.
! On May 26th the brigade moved more to
the left. and with Harris Mississippi
brigade on our left. took up a strong de-
i fensive position perpendicular to the river,
and facing north. Company Of our bat
talon were sent south to the picket line.
I and pretty soon developed a considerable
federal force. who had by some means.
crossed the river below the bridge and
were doing some lively scrapping with
the boys OF Company B.
This company had In the previous year
at Gettysburg lost every officer and was
commanded by a detail of officers from
/ other commands, on this occasion by
/ Lieutenant @. ]. Peacock, Of company A,
a gallant and most capable officer. Pret-
/ ~ soon a messenger came back with the
L report that the company was being forced
back. and requesting orders or reinforce
ments. Our company was ordered out to
! give them the necessary help. Passing
through thick woods we descended down
L into a deep ravine. and as the guns were
4 popping lively over the opposite face and
| approaching us. IL became necessary to
Il deploy in order to give the required sue
| cor to the line falling back upon u.s.
| There was some delay in accomplishing
this, and by the time our line was ready
to advance company B was upon US, re-
porting the enemy in power just behind
| them and the loss TO themselves of sew
eral men, among them l. B. English and
George Keith. Having Joined forces and
no enemy Immediately appearing we were
ordered forward, in some places a difficult
thing to do, as the face of the ravine was
i in many places almost perpendicular, but
/ by dint of perseverance we were finally
I a
/ the plateau above. Advancing some hun
bred yards further we were halted to
/ await the enemy, now momentarily ex-
/ pected- BY some circumstance myself
and Josh FINLEY, Of my company, were on
the extreme right of the company, de-
tached by some accident of the ground
from connection. with the balance of the
company by perhaps fifty yards. The
! ground in front, to the left and right of
us was thickly set with second growth
i pines. too thick to see an object in any d.
rection more than sixty or eighty feet.
/ Lieutenant Richardson came up to the
/ line, cautioned US to keep close watch
for the enemy and to hold our ground If
i attacked He had left US but a few min
utes when a noise like the coming Of
\ cyclone or the advance Of a drove of Tex
as steers reached our ears Peering in
the direction of the noise we could see
nothing. but closer came the sound, which
now had the buzzing of voices, indicating
/ not wind or steers, but people were the
occasion Of it. FINLEY and myself each
had a good tree for protection, and with
4 guns ready were determined to "hold our
/ ground" The noise coming nearer, but
| evidently passing across our front, we
squatted down and readily distinguished
i the left files Of three columns passing our
/ front. Discharging our guns into the
/ tanks Of the first line, loading and firing
/ as fast as we could, we were not des-
| tined to have it all to ourselves. The fire
was returned with interest, the bark fly
ing as the bullets struck the trees. but
neither of US was touched. Josh thought
l IL about time TO vamoose, but reminding
/ him of our orders 70 hold our ground"
we remained. Luckily for us the blue
| coats went on, evidently intent upon larger
i game than two lonesome rebs. In a few
i minutes Lieutenant Richardson came up
/ the line TO where we were, directing me
Il TO go back TO brigade headquarters and
/ ask that stronger force be sent out, as
4 we were too weak to hold our position.
/ Asking what force 4 should report as OPP
posing US, he said, Tell 'em Grants whole
blanked army is in front. and to come
i quick" Crossing the ravine started to-
| wards the main line, some half mile back,
4 overtaking an officer who, wounded, was
/ going TO the rear. From him II learned
/ the force was only about brigade; that
/ they had gone down into the ravine high
er up evidently. from their actions, think