The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1903-11-12
SOLDIERS AT HOME.
THEY TELL SOME INTERESTING
ANECDOTES OF THE WAR.
How the Boys of Both Armies Whilcd
Away Life in Camp-Foraging Ex-
periences, Tiresome Marches-Thril-
ling Scenes on the Battlefield.

/
| ling Scenes on the Battlefield.
Some time ago." said the colonel,
| ''there was a story told of an officer
who rode his horse up the slope of the
rebel breastworks at the bloody angle
at Spottslyyania. No one knew who
he was or what became of him. Now
| l have a story of an officer who rode
his horse straight against the dead
angle of the rebel breastwOrks at Kene-
saw mountain, June -, 1861, and it
came TO me in a strange way. Last
| September, the survivors of Colonel
Dan McCooks brigade, which led the
! assault on that day, held a reunion
! on the ground they fought over in
1864.
Previous to that members Of the
brigade had purchased the ground
about the dead angle, and at the meet
ing last year those present decided
| to erect monument at the angle in
, memory of Colonel Dan McCook and
! others of the brigade who fell there.
They invited, through the Nashville
and Atlanta newspapers. the Confed-
crates who Were in their immediate
front June q, 1864, to mark with
monuments the positions occupied by
the men who defended the works and
to give any incidents of the battle
seen from their side which would shed
light en- the engagement. In answer
to this invitation several Confederate
officers wrote. and to one Of them.
Spencer Eakin of the Twenty-seventh
Tennessee, was sent the proceedings
of the reunion Of Colonel Dan Nc
Cooks brigade at Chicago in 1900.
After reading the recollections of
the men on the Union side and study
ing the maps made by Union officers.
marking positions and the spot where
McCook fell, Major Eakin wrote, re-
ca ling many things that the men OF
McCook's brigade had forgotten.
Among these was the story of an Off
Ger on horseback who rode dark
chestnut horse to within ten fteps OF
the lSbel breastworks, where his horse
was shot. Major Eakin and his men
watched this officer cl3seiy as he raj
lied his men after the first repulse and
led them In a second charge, and
have always believed that he was Col
onel Dan McCook.
Noticing, however, that Colonel Nc
Cook was shot at a different point In
the line and that not one of the brigade
at the reunion in 1900 mentioned such
an officer, Major Eakin asks, if the
gallant fellow was not Colonel Nc
Cook, who was he? All the boys of
the Fifty-Second Ohio know that Col
onel Dan McCOok was on foot during
the charge. and that he was shot at
the top of the rebel breastworks. 1t is
certain that the officer was not Nc
Cook, and no one of our regiment
seems to have seen any officer at the
point where Major Eakin saw his
man.
Major Eakins letter. however. set
the boys to thinking, and S. w. Rilea
of the Eighty-SiXth Illinois remem-
bers that after our brigade had fallen
back twenty-seven steps an officer on
horseback passed from the right to the
left just in the rear of our position.
The men were busy throwing up rifle
breastworks, and few noticed him. In
few minutes man came from the
left and rear with buckskin gaunt-
let, on the cuff Of which was written
in ink the name of Col1nel CHARLES G.
Harker, who, he reported, had been
killed. The question is. Was the Off
Ger Rilea saw the officer referred to
by Major Eakin. and was he Colonel
Harker, commanding the brigade on
McCook's left?
This question remains to be answer
cd. 1t is desirable that some Of Hark-
er's brigade mark the exact spot where
their commander fell. This may an
swer the question. but Major Eakins |
description of the officer reminded |
Colonel ]. L. Holmes, of the Fifty
Second Ohio, that he had heard q num-
ber Of his men in discussing the bat
tie between June % and July 9, 1864, |
refer frequently to mounted staff |
officer who appeared in the thick of the |
fight near three large trees which stood |
to the right of the dead angle. He |
rode between these trees and the right |
of McCOok's brigade as it advanced. |
and while he spoke to no one he was |
as cool as man could be. He disap- |
peared when the assault failed. No /!
one recognized him. and Colonel |
Holmes supposed he was staff off, |
Ger acting under orders from Sherman |
or Thomas. But who was he?
Colonel Allen L. Fahnestock. who |
commanded the Eighty-Sixth Illinois at
henesaw, is positive that there were
no mounted officers In McCook's bri. !
gade at the time of the charge. He
suggests that Major Eakin may have
seen some officer of Colonel J. G, Nit
chelfs brigade. Mitchell had better
ground to charge over than McCook's
brigade, and many of his officers were
mounted. Much depends on Major
Eakin's position and its relations to
MltchelIs position, who was to the
right of McCook. If the officer seen
by Major Eakin belonged TO Mitchelrs
brigade the question is sill, Who was
he?
"W. ]. Whitthorn, of the First Ten
nessee regiment, QIaney's bridage.
Cheatham's divisioD says his regiment
held the Confederate breastworks at
the dead angle against the assault
from beginning to finish. In letter
testifying 10 the desperate bravery OF
those who made the charge, he states
that two Union flags We're planted on
the Confederate breastworks, one in
front of his company. and that both
were captured. three men being killed
in the struggle to seize the flags. Major
Eakin also speaks of Union flag
PLANTED On the breastworks to his right.
Now the only flag that 1 saw on the
rebel works that day was that of the
Fifty-SecOnd Ohio, and that was not
captured. Who carried the flags that
Mr.. Whitthorn says We're captured in