The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-01-01

wv. A. NICHOLS.
Assistant Adjutant-General."
Go be continued)
SAVING LOGAN'S RIGHT.
Splendid Fighting Done By the First Fri
gade. Third Division. Seventeenth Corps.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: I read
with great pleasure the donss of our
Western Army, so graphically written by
Gen. Raum, and printed in The National
Tribune. In his account of the battle of
Ezra Chapel on the. 2Sth Of July, 1864,
there are several omissions that do injus-
tice to q gallant brigade Of the Seven
teenth Corps. This is the First Brigade
of the Third Division OF the Seventeenth
Corps. The brigade was composed of the
18th and 18th Wis, both large regiments,
that had been strengthened by the enlist
ment of recruits while on veteran fur
Tough, just before we started Oh the At
lanta Campaign, and three small Illinois
regiments.
On July 81, the brigade was command
cd by Brig. Gen. NJ. T. Force, and it was
this brigade, the 18th and 18th Wis. in
the front line, that charged and drove
Gen. Pat. Cleburne's troops out Of their
breastworks on Bald Ueggett's) Hill on
the morning of July 81, 1864.
Gen. Raum intimates that the rebels
were surprised and made little resistance.
The fact that the 18th Wis. alone lost
159 in killed, wounded and missing that
day proves that there was considerable re-
sistance. The 18th Wis. were on that
battle of the 22d, when we fought from
both sides Of the breastworks not less
| than six times that afternoon and far
into the night. My company lost two
| thirds of its men in the two days battle.
July % Gen. Force and Capt. Walker,
his Adjutant-General, were shot down
| while standing near my company, and Col.
Geo. e. Bryant, of the 18th Wis, took
command of the brigade during the heat
Of the battle, and nobly he acquitted him
self, his brigade never losing q rod of
| charges. AS my company was on the top
of Leggett's Hill, we could see the con-
tending hosts in our rear, to the east OF
the Fourth Division to the south and the
Fifteenth Corps to the north. In the in
tervals Of our changing front to repel
Cheatham's rebels as they came from At
lanta, or back again to fight Hardee' 8
Corps coming up on our left flank. we
could see the desperate fighting all around
us. So much for this brigade on the 21st
and 22d of July, 1864.
ants Brigade as having been in the battle
Of Ezra Chapel on the 2Sth of July. On
the afternoon Of the 9th. as we were adj
vancing to take our places in the new line
to the right OF the Sixteenth Corps. the
18th Wis, commanded by Maj.
Proud6t, was In the advance. and my
company was thrown out as skirmishers
to cover the front Of our column. We
drove back the rebel skirmishers, they re-
treating over an open field and making a
stand in the edge of thick woods. with
a high wooded ridge to their rear. where
they had a battery, which was sheIling
our line as it advanced.
The order was given for our skirmishers
to charge to the timber, the line Of battle
to follow close behind. This we did, and
the rebels retreated. 1t was now dark
and raining hard. The whole line was
halted at the edge of the woods and the
skirmishers a short distance in the timber.
My men were relieved by the pickets late
in the evening. and we fell back to our line
and had cold supper without coffee. as
we were lot allowed to make fire. The
morning of the 18th dawned bright and
cleared hot. We were ready for battle at
daybreak, but the enemy had fed.
As Col. Bryant's Brigade had been in
advance the 9th, we were in reserve the
2Sth, and marched near the front, halted.
and stripped for a rest. Our rest was of
short duration. Hoods attack on the Fiji
teenth Corps began about noon, and the
rebel line extended beyond Logan's right
and was driving our men back. An order
came for Col. Bryant's Brigade to REIN
force Logan's right, which was more than
mile from where We were lying. In
stantly the 18th Wis. was in line stripped
for a run and for battle. We ran. as fast
as possible, and several of our men were
wounded while we were passing in the
rear of the Fifteenth Corps. The pace
was so fast that in the heat Of the noon
day sun many Of our men were falling
behind, and it was only by the greatest
determination that kept at the head of
my company. We could hear rapid firing
in the woods ahead of us, and we attempt
ed to form line Of battle as we ran. This
brought my company on the left Of the
line. We soon met our defeated troops,
and following closely was the rebel line,
but it was somewhat scattered. Our men
gave a great cheer and charged the rebels.
and they retreated to a cornfeld beyond
the edge of the woods. Our men killed
rebel cOlor-bearer and captured the fag in
the edge Of this eornfield. The rebels re-
formed in the cornfield, and Kept up a
fire on our line; rebel battery
was also firing on us from a ridge beyond
the reDel line. "A part OF our Ilne mad ad-
too far to the front to high rail
fence. In falling back to straighten the
line every fifth man carried the guns and
the other four carried rails to form a new
breastwork; the only instance known of
troops falling back and carrying their
breastworks with them. We claim that
our brigade saved Logan's right that
day by its prompt movement and gallant
fighting, and was worthy Of mention by |
Gen. Raum in his account of the battle |
of Ezra Chapel on the 2Sth of July. 1864. |
CHESTER G. HIGBEE, Captain, Co. B,
18th Wis, st. Paul, MINI.