Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-11-28
copyright. 1868. by G. L. Kilmer.l

AVN. ~. ACOO, " dS LuOSl uIA-
matte war event and one to
deeply impress the imagina-
ton. Chattanooga's peculiar location,
q valley with encircling heights, was a
scene adapted to spectacular display.
Confederates on the heights and Fed
erals in the valley and on opposing
hills could witness every movement of
friend and foe. The fortified ridge
suggested terrors if it did not hold
not lacking. Neither was the daring to
face the dangers lacking in the boys in
blue. who had the uphill end of it.
Phil Sheridan was the stage hero Of
Mission ridge. looking at it OF it's the
atrical side. or course it was 10 opera
DOuffe occasion. There were the Con-
federate heights crowned with real
wide awake battalions and real loaded
guns to be taken by the fellows down
in the valley. Grant had given orders
to Thomas and his generals to lead
their men through shot and shell to the
base Of the mountain and await fur
Their commands. When the soldiers
reached the base they halted for
breath, but painted for the glory or the
satisfaction Of going to the very crest.
They went to the crest. much to the
surprise and the annoyance as we'll Of
the general in chief. without full au-
thority.
Now, in battle crisis soldiers can't
No sticklers for red tape routine. They
ITO their immediate superiors for
Imts. and under some impulse never
yet explained the men of T. ]. Woods
division led off in concert and began to
climb the hillside. Soldiers often come
to the state of not knowing when to
stop. even though going ahead means
death. But Woods soldiers do not adj
NIT Of impulse alone as the inspiration
for their unauthorized charge to the
summit Of Mission ridge. They re-
ceived tacit orders. and the credit is
given to Wood of having said some
thing to set the fun a-going.
Sheridan's division joined that Of
Wood ON the right flank. His men
came to n dead halt at the base of the
ridge, as ordered to do by Grant and
Thomas. and one brigade even began to
retreat from the base under the CALLING
fire poured ON them from above. Lit
tie Phil was acting as officer of the day
of the army and appeared on the field
dressed in full uniform. Every sol
der knows the contrast between a gen.
erals dress uniform and the plain garb
worn in camp and ON the field ordinari
~. Sheridan rode down the line to
bring his weakening brigades into shape
and as he did so dropped few words
for the ears Of the soldiers passed on
the way The men understood the
spirit of their leader.
Two out Of three of Sheridan's bril-
.gades acted upon the hints Of their COM
mander and followed the example set
by Woods soldiers. They went up the
hill. leaving Sheridan in the rear look
ing after the laggards. AS soon as this
rush of Federals began the Confeder-
ates upon the crest set to work in ear
nest and fired or hurled or rolled ev-
erything heavy and hurtful which they
could lay their hands on down the
slope. Sheridan found the foot of the
slope hot place to tarry, so he rode
for the crest, making for the headquar
tiers of the Confederate commander
He posed rs Il conspicuous target, and
when he leaped his charger. Rienzi,
over the parapet one Of his colonies.
who had been up there some time with
his troops, FASTENED to the general and
begged him to dismount. Sheridan did
so and saved his life, for the bullets
flow thick tn mics horcn-
back.
Before the charge began Sheridan
had waved a pocket flask in full view
+ of some Confederate officers near
Bragg's headquarters, saying merrily,
Here's to your The response to this
toast had been a couple Of shells aimed
at Little Phil from two guns known as
the Lady Breckenridge and the Lady
Buckner. There was sharp battle
over these guns between brigade of
Ohioans and their defenders. The One
Hundred and Twenty-ffth and the Six
ty-tifth Ohio together cleared the bat
terry. Each of these regiments claimed
to have placed the first flag on the
works. However that was, they had
done the more important part of the
bust ness so thoroughly that when Sher-
idan rode to the spot the few Confeder-
ates remaining undisarmed turned the
butts of their muskets toward him in
token Of complete surrender.
Thomas troops rushed up the sides
of Mission ridge and over the enemy's
works with an enthusiasm rarely seen
In modern armies. One strong incen-
tive had been given in the failure
shortly before this magnificent charge
of an attempt by Sherman's army to
capture Tunnel hill, detached part of
the ridge. General Thomas declared
that he saw six regimental flags of his
army planted simultaneously on the
Confederate parapets. More followed
quickly, for there was an exciting race
between the regiments to get their ban
ners to the top first.
One of Sheridan's soldiers who was
present that day in the ranks of the