Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1903-05-27
A Wartime Incident


Several months ago. when Depart.
ment Commander Weber Of the Grand
Army was in Chattanooga looking
after a site for the Ohio monument TO
her soldiers who fought at Mission
Ridge, he met Capt. Smart. Incident.
ally, in The conversation. Commander
Weber spoke Of the charge Of the
Union forces up the ridge, and Of
Confederate battery which tried to
escape, but snagged one Of its guns
on a stump. He spoke also OF one Of
the boys OF his company who dropped
a red cap near one OF the batterymen.
Capt Smart gave him the address Of
Capt, Dent, who commanded the bat
terry, and the commander wrote to him
receiving the following interesting re.
ply:
commanded what was known as
Dents battery at the battles Of Chick.
amauga and Mission Ridge. My bat.
terry was on the ridge and not far to
the left OF that part of the Confeder-
ate line which was opposite Orchard
Knob. My battery was divided when
the assault was made on the ridge.
had two guns at the left Of a public
road, and four to the right Of said
road. ! think the road was the Shall.
low Fork road, but am not sure. |
had six brass. 12-pounder Napoleon
guns, and lost Ave Of them in this
battle.
II feel satisfied from your descrip-
don Of the battle that II was my bat.
terry that fired on your flank. or at
least a part Of 1t. AS soon as the as
saulting column got under the hill so
We could not reach them by'front fire.
we turned our guns so as to inflade
the assaultlng column as much as pos
sible. One Of my guns, the one near
est the road, got away. When found
the fire so heavy that | could not
hope to escape that way, tried to
take the guns over through the under.
brush.
In going down ! remember the axle
of one of my guns caught against a
stump. tried to have II lifted over
the stump, as the ground there was
quite steep, and got the front axle
over, but before We could get the hind
axle over your people got very close
and opened Are, killing. as ! now re.
member, one man. and wounding sew
eral others. | was with this gun, and
a bullet went through my coat sleeve.
The gun. Of course, was abandoned
there.
THE red cap which your people
found there belonged. think. to the
man killed there-hls name was
Schaub. When say he was killed.
know he was shot through the neck
and fell, and Judging from the way the
blood spurted | saw no chance for
him, and we left without ceremony.
MY impression is that the officer
who rode the white horse In that bat.
tie was Gen. Patton Anderson. Gen.
Anderson was afterward very badly
wounded in the battle of Jonesboro.
He died a few years ago in Memphis.
Tenn, but went into the army from
Florida.
MY battery was reorganlzed but
with only four guns, and was in all
the battles from Dalton to Atlanta,
and was wounded july 20, 1864, In the
battle Of Atlanta-the day Gen. Nc.
Pherson was killed-and later was
wounded In the battle Of Nashville |
was also in the battle OF Pittsburg
Landing, as some Of your people call It
and was wounded there.
THE war is over. have a son In
the navy who took part in the Span.
ish.American wai few years ago-so
you see he fought for the flag in that
war, II did follow the stars and bars
in the war OF 1S6l-65.
IS. d. Dent. Euiaula, Ala"
In a postscript the captain says Of
the battle Of Mission Ridge;
zone incident Of the battle you may
recall, AS your column advanced up
the hill just opposite where one sec
ton OF my battery was posted. which
was to the Confederate left Of this
road, In firing on the column with the
lnflladlng fire, We cut down the only
tree, as remember. left standing
The tree fell right on the advancing
column, and, as II rolled down the
steep hill, It carried with It one man,
who had evidently been caught In the
limbs Of the tree. The picture Of that
man 90 he was carried down by the
tree is very vivid in my Mad
Think Railroad Rate Too High.
There is a good deal Of comment in
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