The National tribune., 1902-08-07
PICKET SHOTS
From Alert Comrades Along the Whole
Line.
DEATH OF MCPHERSON.

DEATH OF M'PHERsoN.
j. L. Wiesman, of McAlisters Battery,
list Ill. l.. A., 1892 l. ST., Lincoln, Neb.,
writes: When l read Comrade Reeds
communication correcting e. ID. Mcneil,
L. ). A, could not resist the temptation
to reply. COmrade Reed is mistaken in
many things. 1t is well known that Gen.
Mcl'herson was killed about 4 quarter Of
a mile due east of Leggett's Hill. Leg
getts Hill is one and a half miles due
south of the Howard House. and one and
one-fourth miles south of the extreme end
Of the left wing of the Army of the Ohio,
where Comrade Reed was stationed on
that memorable day. The line of battle
of the Army of the Tennessee faced west,
with the left of the Seventeenth Corps
clrcllng around to the eastward. At no
time on that day was the Army of the
tennessee defeated, with the exception of
the slight break i'll the line of the Fifteenth
Corps along the Georgia Railroad, where
DoGress's Battery was captured by Sto-
wallis Brigade This battery was yery soon
retaken, Gen. Logan leading the charge.
Over on Leggett's Hill the enemy charg-
ed seven times and was as MANY times
repulsed. When the enemy reached the
rear of the Seventeenth Corps, passing
unobserved through dense piece of
woods, there was some confusion, but t
was Of short duration. Lines were some
what changed to meet the attack from
both front and rear When Gen. McPber-
son left Gen. Sherman's headquarters the
battle had not started. When he rode
one mile or more and arrived at Leggett's
Hill the fight had not started. When he
rode into that strip of timber, where he
expected to find Fuller's Ohio Brigade,
which unfortunately had been moved.
there was no general fighting, nor was
there more than skirmishing when the
body was recovered and brought to Leg
getts Hill in an ambulance. At Leggetts
Hill the body was viewed by many of the
Generals command, and thence it was
taken to Sherman's headquarters, about
one and half miles due north Of Leg
getts Hill. The battle began in earnest
about the time the body was being taken
to Sherman's headquarters. Gen. McPher-
son on his fatal journey from Sherman's
headquarters passed along the rear of the
left wing of the Twenty-third Corps.
thence due south just in the rear of the
Fifteenth Corps. At no time did he have
occasion to pass over our line of breast
works en- route to Leggett's Hill, as there
was Travelled military road from the
headquarters to the hill. 1 have no doubt
that COmrade Reed saw Gen. Mcpherson
when he started on his last trip, but hn
is mistaken as to the direction taken and
the time when the dead body was brought
back to the Howard House. COmrade
Reed says the time was five minutes from
the time Gen. Mcpherson started until
his body was brought in by an ambulance.
Gen. Sherman in his Memoirs says an
hour. Sherman also says the body was
in the possession of the enemy and that
he was fearful lest a letter he had writ
ten him the day before regarding tt" plan
of the campaign might fall into the hands
Of rebel officers; that McPherson's pocket
book. which contained this letter, was
missing: that during the battle prisoner
was captured, upon whose person this let
ter was found. If Csmrade Reed should
happen to be in the vicinity of Atlanta,
and go to the spot where his battery
stood, and then to the spot in rear of
Leggett's Hill where Gen. Mcpherson fell,
as indicated by a monument, placed there
by the Army of the Tennessee, he would
be very much surprised. l believe that
the account given by Comrade McNeill is
nearly correct"
JONEsBoRO.
Geo. S. Myers, Co. F, 101st Ohio, River
side, Cal, writes: "In the latter part of
August, 1864, Gen. Sherman tired of be-
sieging Atlanta, and decided to flank the
whole shooting matchi' The Twentieth
Corps was ordered to occupy the old
works at the ChattahoOchie River, while
the Army of the Cumberland and the
Army of the Tennessee marched by the
right flank to a point south of Atlanta.
incidentally turning up many miles OF
railroad while on the way, burning the
ties and twisting the rails. During the
afternoon of Sept. l, while engaged in the
latter work, orders came to discontinue
the manufacture of hairpins from rail
way iron, and to hasten southwark to-
Iitt1a 11tar
ran up against Hardee's Corps and other
troops, who had slipped past us during
the previous night. As we moved down
the wagon road which here ran parallel /
to the railway, the right of my
regiment was exposed to the fire
from the rebel rifle pits, which |
crossed the roads at right angles. |
very slowly. on account of the dense for
est of slashed timber. Comrade Swear
niger and the writer attempted to form
a temporary barricade and had almost
succeeded in placing one tie on the top T
of another, when shower of mimic balls
came down, one of them striking my
comrade in the face. causing him to drop
the tie. Our brigade commander, that
noble man and ideal officer, Gen. l. M.
Kirby, who now resides at Upper San
dusky. Ohio, saw our exposed position
and Obliqued the line to the left, thus
giving us the shelter of the woods. l may
say at this juncture that COmrade William
Swearinger died from the effect of his
wound n few years ago, at Wharton,
Ohio. As we moved forward an Indiana
soldier joined us, he having strag-
gled from his command to house in the
rear, where he filed his canteen with
sorghum. He simply struck the firing
line at the nearest point, which was my
regiment, and proceeded to go in with us.
When informed by a nearby soldier that
there was bullet hole through his cam
teen, he looked down where the sweet
ness had coursed its way over his hip, !
down his pants and into his shoe, and
remarked: Wall, they-spilt
A VETERAN OF TWO ARMIES.
Fl. G. Shive. of Independence. Kan.
served both in the Confederate and Union