Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1903-12-02
THE FIELD OF BATTLE
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES Of
THE WAR.
The Veterans of the Rebellion Tell of
whistliuG Bullets, Bright Bayonets,
Bursting Bombs, Bloody Battles
Camp Fire. Festive Bugs, ETC., Etc.

"As to that Man on Horseback at
Kenesaw." said Major George Green.
he could not have come from Mitch
ellis brigade. l was at that time a
field officer in the Seventy Eighth
Illinois Infantry in Mitchelfs brigade,
and | am certain that none of the
mounted officers left their horses in
the rear and went into the eng, cement
on foot.
"Furtherlnore it would have been
impossible for any of the mounted
officers in McCooks or Mitchelrs bri
gade to have taken their horses over
the Union intrenchmentS for the as
sault. The lines of 10th brlgades were
formed be hind our own breastwOrks
which were six or sen N feet high
and it required great effort on the
part of the soldiers to get over them.
After we were over we Strengthened
our lines and went forward. Who
the man on horseback was and how
he came to be in front is certainly a
mystery. The matter is not o. great
Importance. but it is very interesting -
1T certainly is" said Coiarade
William Stewart, of Pittwood, Ill.
when the battle of Kenesaw was
fought was a member of company c..
Fifty-First Illinois infantry. | saw
General Ha -ker when he fell from his
horse and | cannot agree with the
officer who says Il rier rode white
horse My recollection is that he rode
d bay horse. and | was close enough
TO see clearly He was shot not far
from the bel works and within few
minutes after we reached the brush
in front of the works.
Il was with the front line, and
while we waited for the main line
to come up ! stood behind big tree
and turned my back toward Il to load.
Looking back. | saw Iiarker on a
bay horse waving his men forward.
Then the bugle sounded and the rush
began, and Harker was shot. / was
close to the rebel works, and on Ne
Cooks left Harker fell to my right
about fifty feet and not more than
one hundred feet TO the rear. This
does not agree with the stories told
by some of our boys, but it brings
Harker within range of the position
held by Major Eakin."
And yet" said the Captain. Com
rade Stewart does not locate General
Harker where Major Eakin placed the
officer on a dark chestnut sorrel in
McCook's right. Stewart places the
spot where Harker fell close TO Me
Cooks left. and this corresponds with
the recollection of Rilea, who saw Har-
ker pass from right to left through
McCook's brigade.
"Harker was we'll known to the
men of his own brigade. He always
was well to the front in battle. He
had two horses shot under him at
Chiekamauga, and two horses killed
at Missionary ridge, and still another
at Resaca He was a regular army
officer and came into the volunteer
service as Colonel of John Sherman
Sixty-Fifth Ohio regiment. Some man
ran to him when he was mortally
wounded at Kenesaw and others as
sisted in conveying the body to the
rcar.
These are the men to settle the
controversy as to where Harker fell.
There was great confusion on that
single official report. regimental,
brigade. or division makes more than
general reference to Harker's death.
General o. o. Howard, in an article
OH the battle, quotes Sherman as say
ing that if Harber and McCook had
men of those brgades would have
broken through the rebel lines. But
no one says where Harker was kill
ed"
"tn the journal kept by Colonel
Joseph s Fullerton said the Major,
"there is a definite statement as to
where General Harker fell. Fullerton
was Adlutant General at headquart-
ers of the Fourth Army Corps and he
kept a running record of events as
they occurred giving hour and day.
Under date of $3.50 a. M. June -. 1864,
he says: Colonel Bradley, in com
mand of Harker's brigade, sends word
by Colonel Opdyke that General
Harker has been mortaiIy wounded:
shot from his horse while he was within
fifteen PAGES of the enemys works
In a general way this corresponds
with what Stewart says
James Lavery, of Steubenvflle
Ohio. who was in the Ninety Eighth
Ohio, Mitchelfs brigade at Kenesaw.
writes that he saw no officer of his
brigade on horseback at Kenesa W.
This corresponds with the statement
Of Major Green, and leaves open the
question of whether the officer seen
by Major Eakin was not the stan
officer mentioned in the hearing of
Colonel Holmes by members of the
Fifty-Second Ohio. This staff officer
appeared close TO McCOok's right, and
rallied the men for the second assault.
1t is clear that Harker was at that
time close 10 McCook's left. and 1t
follows that the question, who was
the man on chestnut horse seen by
Major FAX in on the right of McC0ok' 3
brigade|' is still unanswered Chicago
Inter Ocean.
Never Fired a Gun.
There were some queer cases in
the army" said Sergeant Grimshaw.