The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1902-12-26
A FORTIETH
ANNIVERSARY
WAR STORY
December 81, 1862

December 81, 1862

was swept away, Sheridan's undaunt-
ed but i'll starred division among the
rest. Behind the retreating Federala
lay a wide canebrake ana along the
edges of the thicket stood the center
corps of Thomas. Thomas was to be
the rock of the battle and stand firm
whichever way the fighting went on
his right or left. The old hero formed
his line in the woods with gaps for the
retreating regiments and batteries to
pass through.
Several attempts were made by the
pursuing Confederates to charge in
masses upon Thomas and break
through. Failing in that, they began
to steal into the cedars individually
and intercept the retreating men. 1t
would have been folly for Thomas sol
diers to fire into the woods to check
the new maneuver, for they would
shoot down friend and foe alike. In
this crisis Thomas called up the leader
of the regulars In his command and,
/ pointing to the cedars, said, Colonel,
take your brigade in there and stop the
enemy%
The brigade marched in and formed
single line across the forest behind
which McCook's men rallied. AS soon
as the front of one battalion of ress,
lars was cleared Of McCool's men tha
muskets began to play upon the ad-
vancing enemy. Beginning on the left,
the fire, which was by files-that Is,
two shots at a time-gradually rolled
along until 1t ended in one continual
roar, which hearers In the distance, al
ready accustomed to battle din. de-
clared appalling. The first line of Con-
federates was scattered like chaff; the
second advanced few PAGES, halted
and stoically received the fire; third
line took up the bayonet, but the regu-
lars stood firm in their tracks, although
valor meant for them in the end GER
tain humiliation.
Meanwhile Thomas had formed his
reserves into line of battle on a
ridge in the rear and now recalled the
regulars from the jungle of death. 1t
was in nick of time, for fully half of
those in the cedars had been shot
down, and half of those who fell were
killed. And it was all done In twenty
minutes.
One of the Confederate heroes of the
day at Stone River was the brilliant
Irish fighter, General Pat Cleburne, aft
erward known as 'the Stonewall of
the West" Cleburne originally led out
the Fifth Tennessee regiment of Irish
men and, being promoted first to the
head of brigade. then of division,
took his gallant Hibernians along. At
Stone River he commanded division
which Joined the battle after the Fed
erals had begun to rally and fight back.
The Fifth fought the regulars In the
canebreak and also captured two guns
of one of Sheridan's batteries by
bayonet charge made on the run in a
hail of canister.
1t was a point Of battle discipline
with these Irishmen never to "holler"
when wounded. In the charge upon
the battery one of them had his leg
shattered by a bullet. He bore the
pain SO cheerfully that prisoner who
was looking on offered to carry him to
surgeon In the rear. AS he was borne
away on the back of the stawart Fed
eral his comrades going to the front
heard him whistling "The Girl l Left
Behind Me-
At 2 o'clock there was lull In the
fighting. McCook's corps was gone,
but Thomas In the center, supported by
some of Crittenden's brigade, was i'm
movable. Victory lay in the balance.
Bragg called upon Breckenridge to fall
upon the Federal left along the river
and thus weaken the resistance in the
Federal center, but Breckenridge had
seen the Federal division which crossed
the river in the morning to attack his
flank moving forward and did not
know of its recall after the battle
opened in front of the Federal right.
He failed to send help where it might
have turned the fortunes of the day.
While Hardees corps had been at
work smashing the Federal right the
Confederate center had rested, waiting
for the fight to roll down to the front
of Thomas. at last the order came to
these troops, up and at them" The
soldiers had lain in their rifle pits
without fires for two days. With a
wild rush they broke through the First
brigade in Thomas line. Hazen's bri-
gade faced in two directions to meet
the terrific onslaught.
The Confederates supposed that Ha-
zen's brigade held the extreme left of
Rosecrans' line and attacked it front
and flank. For some hours this point
was the pivot upon which the fighting
line swayed forward and back. Ha-
zen's horse was shot under him. To
one regiment which was out of ammu-
milton Hazen shouted Fix bayonets
and hold your ground" To another
command, which had no bayonets, he
said. Use your muskets as clubs. but
hold the ground" Shell and solid shot
tore through the ranks, yet the gaps
We're closed up. and, although the fir
Ing line swayed now this way and then
that, the Federal center was not bro
ken. Thomas and Crittenden had
massed their batteries, over fifty guns
in all, on high ground behind the angle
in the line.
Three times the Confederatcs charged
5000 strong. The Federal guns played
upon them in open field. At first they
staggered forward, then wavered and
finally fell back to their old lines ra-