The National tribune., 1902-09-18
1--WE cLAMBERED SAFELY UP THE nANK ON THE REBEL sIDE

piece Of timber when, "boomr' went a
rebel cannon in front of us beyond the tim
ber. Immediately we commenced firing
into the woods that concealed the rebels,
and at the same time perfect thunder
Of artillery opened from our own guns in
ambush on the north bank of the river.
The Johnnies had not seen u.s. Their
first intimation of the proximity of a
Union force was, evidently, when our
armed pontoons shot out from the creek,
across the river from their little fort.
When whistling minie-balls and shrieking
shell came raining on them SO suddenly
from front and rear flank, they hurriedly
abandoned their cannon and fed as fast
as legs and horses could carry them. Mean
time, Col. Easement was leading our 1O3d
Ohio across the ford, and soon a pontoon
bridge was laid, and before morning the
entire Third Division had crossed upon it
and intrenched along the hills south of
the river. The next morning the remain
der of the corps crossed.
Thereupon the rebel General made haste
to abandon his impregnable line north of
the river and to cross his entire army at
the bridge few miles down stream, and
fall back to his outer line of defenses
around Atlanta.
Thus was overcome the most serious
natural defense of the Confederates
against Sherman's advance upon Atlanta,
and great victory won without the loss
of a man.
Immediately thereafter Gen. Joe John
ston was superseded in command of the
rebel army by Gen. Hood, greatly to the
advantage Of the Union cause.
Gen. Sherman, in his Memoirs, speaks
of this crossing as one Of the greatest
military achievements in the annals of
modern warfare. In this estimate he has
reference, of course, to all of the ele-
ments that contributed to its success; as,
for example, to the selection of a place
for the crossing where the river might
be forded, and where the pontoons might
be set up and manned unobserved by the
enemy, and to the secrecy and celerity
with which all the operations were con-
Quoted, resulting in a complete surprise to
the enemy. Credit was, of course, due
chiefly to the officers who planned and di-
rected the movement; namely, Gems Sher-
man, Schoield, Cox and Casement-the
latter then Colonel of the 103d Ohio.
The only entry find in my company
morning report book for July 8, 1864, is
this: Marched up the river and forded
it below Phillips Ferry"
l am glad to have enjoyed the good
fortune of being the first officer Of Sher-
mans grand army to cross the Chatta-
was supposed to be the forlorn hope of
that important advance. l am also very
glad that the forlornness was eliminated
from the hope.
Two strong-limbed fellows reached the
south bank a step or two before ne
CorpI Tom Branigan, Of my own COM
pany, and stalwart Sergeant of the oath
KY, whose name / am unable to recall.
The inconvenience Of dripping clothes
after our wade through the river that aft
ernoon must have seemed slight; for l
have no recollection Of how the wet gar
ments felt, although l well remember the
boys picking blackberries Just after they
scrambled up out of the river, and while
deploying as skirmishers.
That night my detachment held the ex-
treme left flank of our skirmish line. The
| next morning, as soon as l could see mot
far from 3 o'clock, l began to examine
our situation. ] found our skirmish line
lay just in front of tolerably well-de-
| fined road through open timber, run
ming along a little south of the top
of the river hills. Going along this
road, l discovered only few rods
to the left of our outermost picket
post in that direction, another road run
ming at right angles with the river road.
Both sides of the latter road, looking
southwark, were fanked by dense woods,
| except for one or two acres about a de-
serted log house right in our front. l
went along the river road some distance
and then came back to my outpost, and
was just directing the tall Sergeant of the
oath Ky. to extend the picket line across
| the north-and-south road, statiOning one
man in the road, when heard a thunder
ing noise up that road. knew it must hs