The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-11-23

II panies on garrison duty, the regiment went by steamer to Fort Gaines April 5tt and was assigned to guns. We remained II here a month, enjoying plenty of fisk
 and oysters. The garrison also had a
 vegetable garden of ten acres. but our regiment left too soon to be benefited by this.
 At Fort Gaines the regiment handled its last artillery. it's history henceforth be- ing blended with that of the Army of Ten
 nessee.
 Regiment Joins Gen. Joseph E. John
 ston's Army Retreating
 on Atlanta.
 About May 1st the regiment left Fort Gaines for the Army of Tennessee the- retreating before sherman In North Geor- days at. Pollard Aia. While here Com pany was detailed for duty on Dog Riv-
 CT. Company K at Halls Landing. and Company C at Greenvills Ala. The rest
 of the regiment left Pollard May 18th
 and joined the Army of Tennessee at New Hope Church, Ga. May 18th and was as
 signed to Cantey's Brigade (Dut week later was transferred to Quarles's bri-
 gade) Walthalrs Division, Folks Corps.
 The regiments position was north and | near the church, in a new ground and ir front of branch: fifty yards in our open front was a dense undergrowth Of | bushes and sarlings held by the enemy pickets. Heavy skir nishing was going
 on as we took our places in line On May
 18th the Fsderais made a general attacl
 on our position. Three times they charged
 us from the copse in front. hut were re pulsed with heavy loss before they coule | cross the intervening branch twenty yards | from our line. Assaults were made also | on the 18th and 27th. but not in such
 force. Companies I and c arrived In time
 to take part in the battle: Company K
 reached us later. on the 18th.
 About D. m., June End. the army began
 its retreat to Lost Mountain, distance of six miles, and a march the most memor-
 able in the long service of the regiment | Our road led across range of high and | steep red hills intersected with frequent 1 streams which, normally insignificant
 had been swollen by the recent heavy rains into roaring torrents The soft. slip ] pery clay on the tops and side of the hiils l except occasional stretches of boulders
 the interstices of which were cut up into deer holes of slush. had been worked iuto solid pulp a foot or more deep by our | heavy army wagons A chilly rain wac | falling in intermittent showers. the night | was so intensely dark that the hand could not be seen an inch before the eyes while l the angry peals of thunder leaping from cliff to cliff along the mountain crests i blended into one prolonged. continuous
 sullen roar. All nature seemed up in arms against us. Men as they struggled along the road, each for himself, and | with no respect for military order, sank | to their knees in mud from which with difficulty they extricated themselves; or 1 confiding too much to the smooth. slip | pery, treacherous surface of a projecting boulder, were hurled headlong. baggage l ;t,tA ,t.d NA md teams all along were stuck fast. Streams, sometimes reaching up to our shoulders, l were waded as we came to them. It was nearly daylight when we reached our po- sition on Lost Mountain. and the morning sun soon revealed an army of men liter ally covered with red mud.
 The Federal's advance came up about l noon and a heavy skirmish ensued at the | foot of the mountain, That night our plckets entrenched in rids-pits on the side of the mountain, the enemy, short dis l tance below them. We occupied this po- l sition about week, ne enemy not at | tempting to advance in our front. But heavy firing, generally on our left, was in progress every day. On the night of June 1lth we fell back to Pine Mountain. where the regiment again occupied strong positi Jn, and was never attacked in force. While on this line our Lieut. ,n- ant-General Polk was killed by a frag- l ment of shell. His death was deeply la- l mented by the whole army, but especially
 by his corps. June 18th the regiment re- | treated to Kenesaw Mountain. our posi- ton being on the highest ridge. Here as at Lost and Pine Mountains. the enemy made several dashes up the sides of the mountains upon our rifle pits, but were repulsed. Sherman's main attacks were upon the Hanks of the army. and es our | corps occupied the center. we had little | fighting From UT heights on Kenesaw | we witnessed several hard battles on the | flank. Also there were heavy rains al- | most daily since we left New Hope Church
 July 2nd we fell back to a position two miles below Marietta. The rear of our position here was an old field; the front, recently a forest whose timber had been felled for 100 yards as an obstruction to the enemy. We found here a ditch ready for our occupancy. July 3rd the Fed erals advanced in force to the edge Of the timber in front, planted battery on our right and about D. m. made fierce attack from their positions, but did not charge. Heavy sharp-shooting was kept up about all night. and we slept on our arms. July 4th the enemy fired national salutes with loaded shot and shell at us, their brass bands along the lines struck up national airs with loud huzzahs. To us II lOOheu iihc IL UlB Sdid udy oHouS the Yankees. They were drinking wh's- key and in high glee. About ? ?. m three double lines advanced aboit 70 yards over the brush, halted about 75 yards from us, and the men stringing out under a big oak log and picking 1t up limbs and all. would swing 1t around rar- allel to our reas.works, forming pretty good defense for themselves. They did this in Is minutes, under murderous fire from our hres. Nobody but set of drunken fools would have attempted such a thing From this till night the firing was heavy. pr. Madding, our assistant surgeon. and loved by every member or the regiment, was killed.
 That night 1t fell to the lot of our bri- gade to cover the retreat of Johnston army. The men began filing silently to the rear by 9 D. m. and by Il p. m the dItches were empty, and Quarles's bri- gsde alone fronted Sherman's army. It was two hours later before we left. and t%ey were ho ITS of anxiety. We knew that the enemy had but to advance to capture us and all those indications of advance so well known to Confederates, were In strong evidence. About a. m the command File Right. March" was whispered along the line. We moved out noiselessly and stopping to conceal our movements. had gone but few yards when Lieutenant Knight was wounded by a bullet piercing his thigh and crushing the bone. He fell. but such was his pluck and presence Of mind that not groan escaped him, and without wori being spoken he was picked up by the