Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-10-03
A FORTTETH ANNIVERSARY WAR STORY

port the morning of the 2Sfh and marched rapidly along the valley, two divisions bivouacktng two miles from Browns Ferry, the third, Geary's, haltfng at Wauhatchte, two miles back, as rear guard When the Army of the Cumberland saw Hooksr's men coming in from cracker headquarters they greeted them with shouts from the hill tops, bands played and banners waved Meanwhile Longstreet, from Lookout mountain, had seen Rockers march and determined to take a hand in the fate of the Yankee cracker line. He dispatched Jenkins division to move by stealth and fail upon Geary from the rear while his men lay sleeping in their bivouac Laws brigade, which had been driven from the ferry by HaEen and lay at hand in the noun tains. marched in the darkness to hill lying In the interval between Geary and the other divisions.
 AS often occurs in night attacks the assalants failed in the programme of two simultaneous separate assaults. Midnight passed and no signal was given that Jenkins had struck GearY. Longstreet stood upon the mountain ready to order other troops in, but as no sign came he rode away, thinking the whole plan had miscaTried.
 Jenkins South Carolina brigade un- der Colonel Bratton took up the fight alone and rushed upon Gerry bivouac. The veteran General Greene, father of the present New York police commfB- rSw Sw%xv nP age turned out his brigade and han dled Bratton roughly. But the Confed- crates were determined to smash Geary and rallied a second time to the charge. Just then orders came from Jenkins to Bratton to retreat, for the command was in danger of being cut off by column which came running up from the ferry to the help of Geary.
 The sound of fighting on Geary's line reached the ears of General Howard at HookeTs camp, two miles away, about o'clock in the morning. He quickly put the brigade of Colonel Orland Smith on the road to Wau- hatchie at double quick. The Seventy third Ohio had the advance, followed by the Thirty third Massachusetts. These troops knew that there had been an interval left the day before between Geary and the rest of their division and were taken by complete surprise at receiving a scattering volley of bull lets in their faces. These were fired by Laws skirmishers.
 Colonel Smith halted his line and sent out skirnhshers, who located the enemy on one of two contiguous hills. Facing this hill the Ohio and Massachusetts men moved up in the darkness, and the bold advance was met by another out burst of firing, this time from the other hill. The bullets raked the line length wise. Colonel Smith wheeled his com mand to face the new enemy and charged up the hill. The hillside was steep and rugged, being covered with timber and underbrush.
 Fortunately for the assai1ants, the Confederate fire passed over their heads as they climbed the hill When within forty paces of the summit the ground was open a. io moonlight revealed the line to t.' waiting foe. The Confederetes had slashad the young forest trees to block the way for the assat1ants and while the line toiIed through the obstruction poured in murderouS fire. Replying to the fire as they advanced, the Ohio men moved up until the left of the regiment was within two rods of the Confederate line of battle. Suddenly a terrible volley from the Confederate left swept down the line, and 1t was forced to fall back or be annihilated.
 On the left voices were shouting: Don't fire into your own menT' 'ACease firfngv' "You are killing your own friends!" Tn climbing the hfTl the Massachusetts men had drffted away to the left and broken connection with their Ohio comrades. Some of the bul- lets aimed at the Ohio men passed over their heads and struck the Massachu- sets men, who supposed from the di- reGtfon whence they came that they were fired by their own people. In the confusion the Thtrty-third Massachu- Betts fell back down the hill.
 After a brief delay Colonel Smith brought his regiments in touch again, and the whole line charged gallantTy, driving Laws men from the hill. This feat Of arms, ended with the bayonet , cost the assailants 120 men and opened the Cracker line for good. When the sound of Colonel Sn1itfrs firing was heard on the summit of the hill Gen eral Jenkins feared that Bratton's line in its fight with Geary would be cut off from retreat. He ordered Bratton to save himself. and when Law noticed that the fight at that end, Of the field had ceased he knew that his own col urnn was in danger of capture by Gea- ry's men. Thus Longgtreet was driven out of Lookout valley. and it served as a route for hauIing rattons to the Fed eraas in Chattanooga until Bragg was driven from Missionary e4dge.
 GEORGE l.. KILMER. When Mother Cams.
 traveied to the village Nell aSrd saw your mother, deart
 Her arms were stained with jam and
 juice, her sleeves rolled up to here
 The COOkstDYe roared like # UaR mad thA