The National tribune., 1902-08-21

best they could Aehind logs and rocks.
Some OF the 18th and 111th ILL.,. of Gen.
Giles a. Smiths Brigade. fell fs on and IN IN,
right. pressed ion Through a swamp
where officers =, and men sank to their
knecs-and n Iery dense .thicket but on
account Of an entlpding fire was unable
to get nearer than 100 yards of the or
thard and works beyond. He: however.
by coming suddenly out of the thIckct
and swamp. killed. ,and wounded quite Il
number of the enemy and captured two
officers and ST. men.
Col. BarnhiIE cgp,mandng the 40th ILL.,.
of Col. Walcutt s Brigade. and Capt. Au-
gustin. 55th IT,, were killed on the hill
near the enemy's, works; Col. Rice. 9th
Ohio, also wounded on the hill Qes am
putated): Col. Spooncr. SD Ind, farther
to the right of the hill. was wounded
(arm amputated ut the shoulder: Col.
Parry. 4Tth Ohio. severely, i'll the leg.
Col. Walcutt, commanding the bri-
gade from Gen. Harrow's division. moved
forward promptly toward the gorge. en-
countered the encmy's ritie-pits. captured
pectly impassable on account OF the rocky
and precipitous entrance. He then turned
his attention to the right of the noun
| tain. from which he was receiving flank
fire, and left of the hill; some of his bri-
gnde met their fate mt the breastworks.
Officers and men on the side-hill were
completely covered by the second line and
sharpshooters and the artillery OF Gems.
Osterhaus.s and HarrOw'S Divisions. SO
that | am satisfied not one prisoner was
taken by the enemy. a good line of rife
pits was made in front of Gen. q. a.
Smiths and Col. Walcutt's Brigades in
one hour. within 100 yards of the hill in
some places
| Col. John G.. Mitchell. commanding the
Second Brigade, Second Division, Four
tecnth Corps, in reporting upon the ac-
ton of his brigade, says:
"The ground over which the assaulting
! column was to pass was hilly, with thick
belts of trees interspersed, while the val
| leys were low and marshy. The distance
| to he passed was little less than half Il
mile. The 34th Ill. was deplOyed as skir-
mishers. and ordered to advance to the
enemy's main works. The aSsaultnS
force was formed in column of regiments,
| the 18th Ohio in advance. my brigade
on the right of Col. McCook's and the ex-
treme right of the line. The signal was
given ard the line sprang from the
! trenches ut $50 a. m. The enemy's skir-
mishers were all. killed or captured, the
| first line of rife-pits taken, and the col
umn passed to the last thin belt of trees
separating us from the main works. AS
the column reached this pOint-the fire
which had before been very heavy now
became terrifc--it was subjected to an
eTfiladiHg fire of artillery and musketry.
| Still the column moved on, the summit
of the hill was gained, the works were
reached. but We could not pass them. A
few of my mem did get through the dense
abats. succeeded in scaling the works.
| and are now held as prisoners, but no
| continuous lineo c0nld have done 81. We
| fell back until covered by the crest of
| the hill, and with bayOnets and tin cups
threw up n line of works within 40 PAGES
of the enemy."s+7
Gen. Giles A:ismith, in his report, says:
.The groilnH:' was wooded with heavy
underbrush i" "mdhS places and held by
the enemy's skhmishers. Nothing fur
ther of the gr%ihdaawas known, and very
little of the eIfmyH position, except what
could be seen from a high point in our
| lines over thell tops of the trees. The
movement commented Mt 8 O'Clock. The
enemys skirmishers were steadily driven
back leaving Npfnc, dead and wounded OIL
the field. Tho gtound over which my
line Of battle afvattced proved even worse
| than was anticipated. A part Of the way
was low, swafnpy ground, and so densely
covered with lihdetbrush as to compel the
men to crawl Utmost OH their hands and
knees through the tangled vines. These
difficulties wefv finally overcome, and the
open ground I'm front OF the enemy's
works g;iined.J Tle hill was steep and
rugged, covered With fallen trees, pre-
advance in line or battle utterly impOssi-
Bile. The works a little below the crest
of the hill were very Formidable and filled
with men, completely commanding the
whole slope Of the hill, and, from the na
ture OF the ground. being enabled in
many places to pour in n cross-fire that
no troops could withstand. My command
mn, x-al rall fIty thn .ir,r
their way independently as best they
could over all distractions, some nearly
gaining the works. but only to be shot
down as they arrived"
Gen. Walcutt in. his report upon the
action OF his brigade says:
"A column never charged more gal
antly or with greater determination. The
enemy opened upon me at once with ar
tillcry from the mountain and heavy
musketry fire from their skirmishers, who
were strongly intrenched. The latter,
however, were nearly all killed, wounded
or captured. The main works OF the en-
emy were found to be in u very fOrmid
able position on the crest Of a gorge hav-
ing II steep ascent covered by heavy
abatis. After repeated attempts to reach
the enemy's works had been made and
failed, it being impossible to force our
way through the tangled brush under so
terrific fire. the line was withdrawn
and intrenched on the crest Of the gorge
opposite the one occupied by the enemy.
In this assault the officers and men be-
haved most .gallantly; many nearly
reached the enemys works. but it was
useless. A line never struggled harder
to succeeded, bnt it was not in human
power"
1t will be seen from the concurrent
statements Of these officers that it was
not tpOssible to carry the works of Kenesaw
and Little Kenesaw Mountains by direct
assault. These statements are fully cor
robOrated by Gen. Lightburn. who was
compelled to withdraw his brigade from
strength of the rebel works, the deadly
fire from their line and the difficulties Of
the ground over which he had to pass,
and also by Col. Allen l.. Fahnesbock,
S6th ILL.,: Capt. w. II. SnOdgrass. 22d
Ind; Capt. James II. Griffith, S5th ILL.,;
Mai James r. Holmes, sd Ohio; Capt.
Theodore +. Browne, 51st ILL.,; Capt John
s. Windsor. 10th ILL.,; Capt Charles
Schryver. 127th ILL.,: Lieut. Col. Van Deu-
sen. 9th Mo-; l.ieutCol. George III. Hildt,
30th Ohio. and other officers engaged in
the assault. and who made reports upon
the same. that it was not possible to carry
the works of Kenesaw and Little Kene-
saw Mountains by direct assault.
Gen. Howard. in his report upon the
assault, makesothi statement:
MY eXperiefce in that a line of works
thoroughly constructed. with the front
well covered With fabatis and other en-
tanglements, weilo manned with infantry,
whether with our own or that Of the en-
emy, cannot be carried by direct assault