Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-11-17

ate Veterans association to urge and ala
in the erection OF enduring monuments
to our leaders as we'll as heroic soldiers
with suitable inscription Of their valorous
deeds. where found. such has been car
ried out I'm hundreds Of cities, paying triD-
ute TO the Confederate dead.
Battle tablets and bronze cannon on bat
tleflelds mark the spot where regiments
and batteries went down In bloody con-
fiict. What can be more impressiveE
Before I close shall endeavor to show
that many instances where such has been
done are not accurate, in some instances,
and very misleading. Humanity moves
slowly and the world is ready to receive
the luminous truth The world never be-
fore so hungered for truth and receive so
little. History is being traduced, state
ments garbled and intoxicated with mis-
leading facts. II is best 20 be candid and
look urageOusly every problem squarely
IN the face Let the grain discard the
chaff. The ostrich who hides his head
I'm the sand does not escape the hand OF
the pursuer; the march of progress VIII
overtake the wrongdoer. While so much
has been written about the gigantic strug-
gle OF three days at Gettysburg, how
strangely, but how truly has any refer
ence been made Of the artillery branch OF
the service, and viii here mention our
battalion I'm this fight. not forgetting to
mention the infantry which we charged
with on the second day of the battle.
Patriotism ana endurance We're charac-
teristic of the Confederate soldier, but
there was a limit 70 the endurance, even
OF these Hon-hearted fellows. We had
been marching continuously for 30 days
after we left the Rapidan. and to be rush
ed into this fight footsore and tired. and
the brilliant achievement. surely such
men are worthy of note. Now, will give
an outline of our action. When the order
was given for Hoods and McLaws' d.
visions to storm the impregnable heights
OF Round Top mountain, the fearful I'M
dertaKing of dislodging the enemy from
hts stronghold position, these oaken-
hearted soldiers went forward under
baptism of fire from the frowning bat
teries of $50 cannon over the meadow and
up the cannon crowned hills, these le-
gions moved with martial tread, shell and
shot plOughing through their sturdy ad-
vance, making hideous gaps, and the
steady command close up. Such We're
the scenes in this whirlpool of this high
tide battle, a brilliant chapter wrote in
letters of blood. This wonderful battle
full of action and full of interest to the
many thousands who participated in this
grand panorama of desolation; men cheer
ing. fighting. falling, the senses almost
benumbed from the smoke-thundering
cannon.
No word can tell the story of their
splendid heroism in the second charge, re-
quiring a degree of patriotism rarely wit
messed in the annals of war.
While this charge was not entirely made
with infantry, two batteries from this,
haskeIls battalion, were ordered to
charge with the infantry, Gardens and
Reily's six gun batteries, something not
often done, and very seldom brought into
execution. On this occasion we moved for
ward to this charge under a heavy fire
from the enemy's batteries. We charged
as far as we could, being impeded at Dew
IFS Den. by a morass, and the steep ascent
beyond made this move impracticable
The infantry in lhe meantime had swept
forward, driving line upon line and over
ran three rifle cannon. Just under the
ledge Of Round Top. these cannon were
pulled down the steep ascent by hand
and General Hood ordered our major,
John c. Haskell, TO bring up some horses
and carry them to the rear. Did any 9TH
er troops save any captured artillery at
Gettysburg? General Hood was severely
wounded in the arm by an exploded
she'll
General Alexander. being questioned as
to the artillery advance, remarked that
the infantry had been sent into the mouth
Of he'll. and II was the duty of the artil-
larry to 60 in with them. We did go in,
is guns had expended 1900 rounds of am
munition in the fight. and the third day
preceding Pickett's charge. the four bat
teries commanded respectively by Captain
Kelley. Captain Bachman, Captain Gar
den and Captain Latham. These batteries
had discharged their duty when nightfan
came, and the day to approach the finale
seemed ominous with some evil forebod-
ing. The stiffness foretold the storm on the
Gle al IL. ar-. q
bugle call and another day of carnage.
The earth trembled with the horrible dis
charge of 400 guns. laundering from every
hilltop. Now, preceding Pickett's charge,
every gun was brought into action, so as
10 have a neutralizing effect in this for
lOrn disastrous. attack, many officers
agreeing that il was an unguided af-
fair, and as some others have said. there
was utter absence Of accord in movements
some confusion and resulted disastrously
to our grand army at Gettysburg.
Now, during this bombardment an order
had been issued for the artillery to ad-
vance. and before carried into general ex-
ecution was abandoned, but amid the roar,
din and confusion of battle Lieutenant
Alex Mcqueen. OF the Palmetto battery,
had ordered, Timber up. cannoneers.
mount. action, frontI' No more than a
and went down in bloody strife. The move
was obliquely to the left, down through
the orchard and ascent. two other guns
following in the wake. placing down right
and left, in the rear, leaving this gun in
the apex OF the triangle. There were no
skulkers there. These men were at their
post and for duty and the business end of
that rified piece, and went down fighting
under a baptism of shot and shell. The
engines Of war were laundering from ev-
cry hilltop, sending death-dealing mes
sages upon it's wings. In few minutes
six horses lay dead, piled up in harness,
a solid shot cleaning up one side of gun,
killing Robert Small and Tom Mcintosh,
two noble boys. and every man was more
or less wounded or stunned around this
piece. This gun was many yards In ad-
vance OF the firing line Of las pieces in
action. and shows the nearest approach
Of all the artillery in the greatest artillery
duel the world ever witnessed. Now the
monument that marks the heroic struggle
OF Gardens Palmetto battery is erected
on the eastern slope o. the avenue, with
two Napoleon guns fastened to an iron
carriage. will last for ages. A tablet set to
iron post nearly a yard square tells the
rest. and fails TO name the gallant and
xnightly John c. Haskell, who had lost
an arm at Seven Pines, had commanded
this battalion I'm twenty pitched battles in
historic Virginia. Let us render unto
Caesar the things belonging to Caesar.
These unwritten records will soon be
hushed so far as actual participants are
concerned. While the park commission
has done wonderful work with its avail