Evening journal., 1902-09-22
GREAT CHARGES
OFCIVIL WAR
Veteran Gives 3DiDiOn 0! As
SanItS al Gettysburg aud
KOReSaW Mountain

'SDOfDy alicF tnc DAilie OF tnlcku-
mauga," said Captain Fitch, 81 was APP
pointed chief quartermaster Of the siS-
nal corps Of the department Of the
Cumberland. stationed at Chattanooga.
On taking account OF the quarternas-
ter's stores / found that | was in need
Of some light wagons to be used in the
mountainous country, and the only
way to get them was to go TO Nash
vile and have them made, so I went TO
Nashville ans had fve light wagons
made by the quartermasters depart
ment When l got back to Chattanoo-
ca with the wagons. / put a citizen
teamster in charge Of the wagons and
mules.
"The tehmster, being n green hand,
dld not know that mules would cat
anything within their reach and inno-
Gently tied them to the wheels Of the
wagons. Not long after that | got an
order TO be ready to march. and on go
ing out to inspect my outfit ! found
That the mules had eaten the spokes OF
the wheels nearly of. so that the wag-
ons were ready tosfall down of their
own accord. AS / could not use them
had no recourse but to drop them
from my returns. and. being obliged to
assign a reason for so dropping them,
gave the true one-viz, Eaten by
mules
shortly afterward ] got n letter
from the quartermaster general sarcas-
tically inquiring II Lieutenant Fitch
had observed whether the mules had
eaten the tires or not. / replied that
presumed they had, as they seemed TO
be thoroughly tired the next day. The
quartermaster general wrote back
ANY further tri1ing with this depart
ment on the part Of Lieutenant Fitch
will probably result in his being retired
to private life.' Thcreupon l dropped
the subject, but my first report was
correct"
AT Chickamauga, said the major,
"Longstreets men ran over our head
quarters teams. Every mule I'm one Of
the teams went down, and the wagon
stood an obstruction IN the road. Five
minutes later every mule was on its
! feet. and a wounded teamster yelled at
, them to pull out They started without
more ado. swept along the road after
, our broken regiments and, turning at
, Just the right point, came into our new
/ lines and stopped where the headquar-
1 ters flag had been stuck In the ground.
r The driver reported later and drove In
to Chattanooga.
= zone of these mules the night before
r had pulled the blanket Of our division
0 commander, had run over the lines OF
) soldiers sleeping in close battle order
= had raided the Confederate pickets and
t had returned to our blvouac under O
D furious fire. The men Of the brigade
g took a solemn vow TO shoot the mis-
q chievous mule at daylight, but when
/ daylight camo they had other things tC
shoot at, and the mule was forgotten
] until he came In at the head of the
-? team attached to the headquarters
? wagon. Then the boys who had wit
. messed the chprge and the escape Of the
@ drlverless team counted the mules dev
iltry as nothing"
+ "Thnt charge OF Longstreet, by th'
D way" said the colonel. "was one of the
l. great charges OF the war. and It was a.
+ successful as any as a breaker of lines
e OF course we think of Pickett's charge
at Gettysburg I'm class to itself, but
/, have often wondered whether th'
Union assault on the Confederate posi-
e ton at Kenesawl mountain June 27
4 1864. should not be put IN the list witt
4 the Confederate charge at Gettysburg
d Plckett's charge was Of course TN
d more spectacular. and the assaultinl
!. force was more compact. but while I
10 broke the Union line at one point {
Ie was driven back in disastrous retreat
ID ''The direct assault on the fortihel
80 line on Kcnosaw was made by tire
brlgadcs no better troops than Pick
etts yirginIans. but It must be remem
bered that while they failed TO pierc
e. the Confederate line they held their pS
n sitlon and did not retreat. Their los
le was correspondlngly as heavy MS Picl
IL ett's at Gettsburg. Sherman's idea wa
De- to show his own army as well as IN
ar Confederate army that he could max
o. frontal attack. IL the assault In
e. been made and the assaulting colum
10 had retired. as did picketts column d
x Gettysburg, the effect on the arm
Q. would not have been ms Il was whe
,e the regiments that led the assault clun
+ to their position not more than so pace
from the Confederate parapets.
as 'The attack failed except IN that
N was an Illustration of the spirit OF IN
40 Union troops 10 assault Lees purpos
a- at Gettysburg was undoubtedly {
drive Picketts lG0O0 men like a weda
through the Union lines The falluI
Of the attempt led to the retreat OF II
Mt whole Confederate army. sherman
he purpose at Kenesaw was to captui
ht the Confederate Notifications. The n
IL tack let to the retreat not of Sherman
lis army. but Of the Confederate arm
I'd and have always held that the grouu
he over which the Union regiments
Id that DAY swept forward ought to be ;
le- precious to the men of McCook's. Ia
ne ker's and Mitchelrs brlgades rs Is Il
1 ground at Gettysburg 10 the men
ng Pickett's brigadcs." - Chicago Int
II Ocean.
E|