The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1903-09-15
WAR HEROES HOHORED
Federal Government S Work In
Restoring Battle Fields.
SCENES TRUE TO OUR HISTORY.

( hN@eSuk TRANSFORMATION OF Chick
manga Battle Field Described by
william Il. CurtIs-simiiar work
Being Done at shiloh and viclSs-
burg-curious Experience In Lo-
eating Sites of engagements.
Under the authority Of congress the
federal government has purchased
1000 acres Of land covering the battle
field Of Chickamauga and has restored
1t as nearly as possible to the condition
in which it was at the opening Of the
Eight on Sept. 10 and 20, 1868. between
the Union forces under General Rose
Grams and the Confederates under Cen
eral Bragg, says William f. Curtis, the
Chicago Record Heraid's correspond
emit writing from Chattanooga, Tenn.
The government has also purchased
strip Of land running the entire
length Of Missionary ridge, including
the site Of the intrenchments which
were captured by assault by the Onion
troops on the 25th of November follow
ing Eighty miles Of roads have been
constructed from Chattanooga through
these parks and other battle fields in
the nelghborhood of the city, and the
landscape has been beautifed as much.
as could be done without effaeing land
marks that existed before the battles
and altering the topography The
movements Of both armies have been
traced with great skill and fidelity
throughout the entire series Of engage
ments, and the locations Of important
struggles and other episodes have been
marked by monuments and iron tab
let's containing historical notes and sta
tistics. More than S1,750,000 has thus
been expended for the purpose Of pre-
serving the scene Of one De the most
desperate and heroic conflicts in hui
man history and perpetuadng the evil
dences Of bravery and devotion fla both
armies
In q similar manner the government
is now laying out the battle fields Of
Shiloh and Ylcksburg, ana interesting
dedicatory ceremonies were held at the
former few days ago
The old roads Of the battle field have
been reopened, the underbrush has
been cleared from $500 acres upon
which the lighting took place, five steel
observation towers, each seventy feet
high, have been erected In order that
visitors may get a birdseye view Of
the field; 6f3 historical tablets of iron
containing explanatory inscriptions
have been erected to mark the move
ments Of corps, divisions, brigades and
regiments Of both the armies, and 36S
| distance and locality tablets have beer
placed as guides for those who desire
to follow them as they moved forward
and back in their assaults and retreats
The old lines of earthworks and fort
tications have been. restored exactly as
they were at the close of the battle
The position Of each battery Of artil
lery that participated has been marked
with guns of the same pattern and cal
lber Of those actually used Forty
three Union batteries are represented
by 107 guns and 40 Confederate bat
teries by 90 guns. Some Of the guns
were actually engaged in the battle.
Nine monuments in the form of pyra-
mids Of shells mark where Eve Union
and four Confederate brigade com
manders fell, and similar pyramids
mark the positions occupied BIZ the
I fourteen army and corps commanders.
The location of these spots has been a
work of great interest as well as pains
taking labor. and there have been some
curious experiences. For example,
some years ago Colonel Bishop Of the
/ Second Minnesota, with one of his SER
geants, came down to. assist. General
Boynton In determining the position
occupied by that regiment, which had
an important part in the engagement.
They knew that it was intrenched at
the top of a hill and that it repealed
several assaults by the enemy. The
Confederates charged again and again
to drive the Second Minnesota from
this commanding position and capture
a battery which was doing terrible ex-
ecution under its support. Colonel
Bishop picked out the hill without diff
! QCQllys uub new trees AAu rHLuA6 uPs
the surface was covered with UNDER
! brush. and the exact position of the
regiment was difficult to determine.
Finally the sergeant said:
4 remember that lay on my belly
in the grass at the end Of a little ra-
vine, and / think this is the ravine.
Our ammunition was almost exhaust
ed, and we crept around to gather up
! whatever we could find on the bodies
/ Of the dead and wounded that lay
around us. / got my pockets full and
crawled back to my place. / put the
cartridges on the grass on one side Of
me and the caps on the other and fired
away until the enemy withdrew. ] re-
4 member leaving the unused cartridges