Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-01-07

II ENEHAL bRA(IAI CnOuSnl he 0aO
n won decisive victory by smash
ing Rosecrans' right wing at
Stone River, Tennessee, Dec. 81,
1862. Both armies passed New Years
day in reforming lines and concentrat
ing strength. On Jan. 2 Bragg expect
ed to find the enemy in full retreat, but
his staff brought startling news to
headquarters after their morning tour
Of the lines. They had discovered a
whole division of Federals, with batter
les In position on the heights east Of
the river, where they could rake length
wise the Confederate right wing on the
west bank. Either that menacing force
must be destroyed at once or Bragg
must retreat from the ground he had
captured by desperate fighting two
days before. Bragg chose to fight at
once and sent General Breckinridge
with three Kentucky brigades which
he held on the west bank to dash across
and attack the Federals. On the way
he was to pick up Hanson's Kentucky
brigade, which had not fought on the
31st and was therefore the freshest
took the post of honor in the charge,
being on the left Of the line, nearest the
river and in danger if the attack should
succeed Of coming under the fire Of the
Federal guns on the west side of the
stream.
The site Of the new battle-ground was
an elevated plateau lying between
Stone river and a small contributary
on the east and was about mile in
| extent each way. The crown Of the
hill was cleared ground, but fringe
Of timber inclosed it on all sides. At
the outset the Confederate assailants
We're masked by the trees. Hanson's
men knew they We're to strike the Fed
eral batteries on their march and fixed
bayonets, with orders to fire one shot,
then use cold steel. The ground where
they charged was so uneven that the
brigades could not march in touch with
one another, so Hanson rushed alone
upon the foremost Federal brigades,
which happened to be Colonel Prices,
on the extreme right of the line and
close to the river. One Of Prices regi-
ments was the Eighth Kentucky. 1t
received the attack Of the Sixth Ken
lucky and stood ground until the flag
Of the Sixth was lowered four times
by the fall of the color bearers.
Prices brigade was compelled to give
way before the fierce rush Of the Ken
tuckians. Colonel Fyffe's Federal bri-
gade shared the same fortune. and
these two broken columns fell back
upon the reserve brigade Of Colonel
Order. Hanson's line marched with
its flank close to the river and passed
along the right of Crider. which caused
him to retreat, thus destroying the en-
tire division which had imperiled
Bragg's line.
Throughout this stage Of the assault
everything went down before Hanson's
kentuckians. Having the lead at the
river, they seemed about to reap the
glory Of an immortal victory, for the
entire Federal division hastily retreat
ed across the river, followed to the
bank by Hanson's men. Suddenly in
the midst of triumph the tide turned.
On the way out in the charge the Ken
tuckians had been exposed to scatter.
ing fire from Federal guns and infantry
on the west bank Of the stream. but In
the excitement of their successful dash
had ignored it,
The Federal regiments and batteries
on the plateau when the Confederates
sprung the attack and also a heavy
artillery reserve, with supporting regi
ments on the west bank, having range
across the stream, were under COM
mand of General Thomas L. Critten-
den, noted Kentucky fighter, whom
Breckinridge's troops had often met in
battle When Crittenden saw the lines
on the east bank giving way before
Hanson's onslaught and the enemy's
eager soldiers rushing pellmell in pur-
suit down the sloping bluff, he pointed
out the thrilling scene to his chief of
artillery and exclaimed, Major, you
must cover my men with your guns!'
Instantly f1fty-eight cannon, six Of
which had already been across the
river and driven back. wheeled into po-
sition and opened fire. The guns were
about 100 yards from the river, and,
after carefully testing the range which
would clear the retreating Federals,
poured 100 shots a minute into the
swarming mass Of pursuers on the op-
posite slope Huge branches of trees
which stood in the pathway Of the
shells were cut off and, dropping down,
pinioned many a brave Kentuckian to
the earth. The effect of the cannonad-
ing on the forest was like that of a tor
nado.
Twenty minutes of the terrible work
decided the fight. Hanson was killed
at the head of his line in the second
stage of the charge-the march down
the slope under the fire Of Crittenden's
guns. General Breckenridge, on vel
coming the shattered ranks back to the
bivouac, learning Of the death of the
leader, called the Kentuckians the
'Orphan brigade" The men were
doubly orphaned by the loss of Han
son, who was the father of the COM
mand, and by having been expatriated
from the mother state when they took
up arms in the southern cause. The
name was happy one, too good to die,
and cling tn tho Koy,tnoEjons ,,r+il- ~, -