The National tribune., 1903-06-18
Corps.


about Oct. q, except the First Division OF
the Twelfth Corps, which was detached
and remained for some time at Tullahoma.
Bridgeport consisted of one log house, and
the mud was so deep as to put Virginia
mud into the background We could
sing with great unction the old refrain
learned on the Peninsula in 1862:
'sNow lay me down to sleep,
In mud and water six feet deep;
If I'm not here when you awake,
Just hunt for me with an oyster rake
LOOKOUT VALLEY.
On Oct. 27 Hooker crossed the river at
Bridgeport on pontoon bridge, en- route
Whitesides, Howard in the lead and Geary
following On the afternoon of the 18th
he entered Lookout Valley. Howard pro-
ceeded to near Browns Ferry, where he
Joined on to Hazen and w. f. Smiths S
forces, who had crossed in boats from
Chattanooga on the 9th and made a lodg-
ment. Geary halted at Wauhatchie, leav-
ing gap Of about three miles between
himself and Howard.
Bragg and Longstreet were on the top
of Lookout Mountain, and witnessed the
whole movement, and determined to crush
it; for they realized that with Lookout
Valley in our possession their long
cherished purpose of starving Gen.
Thomas out of Chattanooga would be de-
feated.
LoNGsTREET's NIGHT ATTACK.
In order to carry out his plan, Long
street selected some Of his best troops, the
very elite of the rebel army, Jenkinss
South Carolina Division. His idea was TO
fall upon Geary and defeat him before
Howard could come to his relief, and then
concentrate his forces upon Howard and
defeat him. He divided his force in
two parts and one of them fell upon Geary
at about IL o'clock at night. But Geary
was on the alert; his men, sleeping on their
arms, were ready, and were not, as Long
street had hoped, surprised. When the
battle commenced Hooker at once ordered
Howard up from Browns Ferry to assist
Geary. Howard had three miles to march
to reach Geary, and on his way he was
In turn fired upon by the other part Of
Longstreet's force from q foothill to the
left of the road on which he was march
ing, and from which the road Yas COM
manded. Howard turned, charged up the
hill and captured it before the enemy
had time to intrench, taking many prison.
ers. Our force was led by Col. (now Brig
GEM Oriand Smith, and the place Of at
tack is now called Smiths Hill.
Leaving sufficient force to hold the hill,
Howard pushed on to reinforce Geary,
who had been fighting three hours against
a vastly superior force. The enemy was
repulsed with heavy loss, leaving over $50
dead for us to bury and over 100 prison
ers. Our loss in killed, wounded and miss
ing was 416. Among the killed was Lieut..
Geary, son Of the General, promising
young artillery officer, and among the
wounded was Col. Underwood, Of the 33d
Mass.
Longstreet has been severely criticised
oh 10 ~H fnr ptvhf
attacks are always hazardous. 1t was his
only chance, and he took 1t. His failure
to reinforce Oates at Browns Ferry and
thus prevent the lodgment Of HaZen and
w. f. Smith on that side Of the river, left
him no alternative but to try and defeat
Hooker. 1t was a desperate stake he
played for and he lost.
Says Col. Stegman: "His belief was
that n the darkness such a splendid force
as Jenkins's South Carolinians, then COM
manded by Bratton, could in one rush
overcome and demoralize any resisting
force. Commonly this might have been
the case. To green troops, to weak
troops, such an attack might have proved
fatal. But the men whom Bratton met
were the veterans Of some Of the seyeres,
battles of the East, whose regiments had
been decimated under the deadliest fire OF
modern warfare, and they were the same
men who, for eight hours Of the hardest
fighting at Gettysburg. had hurled bach
charge after charge Of Stonewall Jack
sons magnificent Southrons in their dead
iy and furious onsets at Cups Hill OF
the night of July 2, 1868, only a few
months before; and the vivid lightning
flashes of musketry in the dusk and din
moonlight had no terror for them. The
past experience of Geary's men in nigh
battle and the want Of 1t in Longstreet's
troops saved the field for the Union ani
led to results far beyond the ken Of any
soldier who carried sword or muske
there"
CHARGE OF THE MULE TRAIN.
A very amusing and ludicrous inciden
In the night attack was the voluntar.
charge of the mule brigade" Hooker
teamsters. becoming frightened. aban
stampeded in q body through the rebe
lines, running right over Pender's regi
ment, putting it "hors de combat" (ol
rather mule de combat'D. South Caro-
linians could die like gallant soldiers i
battle, but TO be run over by a Yanke
mule train was more than they had bar
gained for. This charge was so effectiv
IN its results, and with very much les
fatality to the attacking force than tn
charge of the 600 at Balaklaya; but q
yet no poet laureate has sung the praise
of these long-eared heroes in immorta
verse, and not one OF them has ever ar
piled for a pension. They have gon
down to history ''unwept unhonored an
Nnsung."
This fight was our introduction to th
Army Of the Cumberland, and althoug
they said we wore paper collars and mus
have beans twice week, We convince
them that whether we stood on the bank
OF the Potomac or the Tennessee we wer
engaged with them in ths same cause, an
they gave up a cordial welcome.
Without going into details, it is enoug
30 say that in the subsequent battle
shout Chattanooga, resulting in Bragg
defeat and the relief of Knoxville. the ol
Veterans from the Army Of the Potoma