The National tribune., 1904-02-04
HOODS SAD BLUNDER.

avalanche crumbled and broke, was fool
hardy and reckless. After our line was
reestablished it was as steady as Il granite
wall; it was next to impossible to break
It, and the enemy could only get over our
parapet as prisoners or by being killed lii
the attempt The brave soldiers of the
South felt it, too, for their after charges
although started with Il yell, were silent
as they reached our furious sheets OF
tame, and as they We're forced in their
heads were bent, their hats pulled down,
and their arms shielding from sight the
almost certain death that awaited them.
1t was the writer's pleasure, few
years since, While on Il pilgrimage to the
old battletields. to meet at Nashville the
late Gen. Cheatham, a very comfortable
man to approach, with a makeup about
equally divided between a well-to-do
Southern farmer and Prussian Field
Marshal, having ruddy, full face and
snow-white mustache. He greeted me
most cordially, clasping NE in his arms,
and said: We'll, / heard you were here,
and I've been looking all over for You.
Welcome to Tennessee; any man who
was i'll the battle of Franklin, no mat
ter which side, is my friend Then we
had Il good chat about old times Refer
ring 10 the two brigades out IN front:
All" he said. IF it hadn't been for the
mistake your side made there, you would
have killed every man i'll our army. and
God knows you killed enough of them.
1t is undoubtedly fact that If the brl-
sades had been called i'm at the right time,
no part of our line would have been brok-
en-: and if all our brigades had needed
the precaution to place head-logs on our
works. and abatised our front, as Case
ments did, the loss all along the lines
would have been as light as his. which
was comparatively insignificant. The Off
GERS of Easements Brigade had their men
take timbers from the cotton-gin house at
the right of the line, also cut trees from
the grove, and carried the logs in 20 be
placed on the top of the parapet. .They
rested on cross-tes followed out to- re-
ceive them, leaving a three-inch space
through which 10 fire.
HENDERsoNs BRIGADE.
on our extreme left, reached to the rail
road track, and the works were built in
the grounds of a large mansion. which
were bordered by a splendid osage-orange
hedge.
The line was located about 30 feet from
this hedge, 50 that by cutting off the tree
about four feet above the ground it lief
an impenetrable obstruction, and at TIL
same time open enough through which T.
fire. The tops were scattered along ii
front of Easements Brigade. making .on
of the most deceptive rows of abatis Eve:
formed: it was light, but an occasional!
crotched stick held it in place.
Walthalfs men stopped when it .Has
reached; they were bewildered they
couldn't get over it; they undertools t.
pull it away, but the sharp thorns pierced
their hands, and they gave that up; tliei.
right in the smoke of our guns they ffced
tla r;,sltt nd iiaIf hrnnUi a
by wild charging horse. All this time
death was pouring into them sheets OF
flame and lead from the three-lnch gaI
under the head-logs One company of the
G5th Ind. had repeating Spencer rifles, aIh:
at that short range their execution ntls'
have been terrible.
Capt. Baldwin's battery was stationed
Mt this point 15 on map, where the dead
were piled up like snowdrifts i'll Writer
time. and here it was that the obstrslc-
tionS caused them TO mass so many deep.
The brave Captain quickly took nd
vantage of the situation, and to NOW down
this dense forest OF humanity he loaGel
his guns to the muZZles with triple rounds
of canister and dummies made with
stockings which the gunners took from
their feet, and filled with bullets from .he
infantry ammunition boxes. To use .he
Captains words. AT every discharge of
my gun there were two distinct sounds
first the explosion, and then the bones.
What fearful carnage. where at shor,
range. such loads of iron and lead were
driven through the living wall of men,
that the crnnching of the bones could be
distinguished 1t was the same battery
that was saved while marching out :0f
Spring Hill by the GOODNESS of one of the
norf-commissiOned officers. Orders had
been given TO try to push through on the
Franklin pike, with instructions to aban-
don and destroy the guns, and to save
themselves and horses by breaking off
into the fields on the left, if attacked aad
hard-pressed
They were halted by rebel picket re-
serve. posted q short distance from the
road. and the demand came out from the
darkness: What battery is you-uns! 2"
The commander was about TO reply by
Numbering and turning his guns upon
them. when the quick thought struck otc
Of his CorpOrals to say. i'll careless
voice. Tenth Alabam. What regiment
j yOu-uns: Fourteenth MisSpp,' was
the reply, and, apparently satisfied. the
drowsy sentinel settled down in the fence
corner 10 sleep. They pushed Oh. and
were not again molested until nearly dav-
light. when they were attacked by Hoods
cavalry. Battery by the left flank; Fire
10 the rear" was the Captains prompt or
der. \ half-dozen rounds of 12-poulpd
solid shot scattered the cavalry and saved
the trains of two corps.
a CHASTITY FIELD.
After dark. when it was safe to lock
over the works. it was a CHASTITY sight to
zee tie nIangled dead. All along in front
of Easements line the bodies reminded
one Of rail fence toppled over and cross.
ed many deep; or as if grim death hail
built "a new abatis of thickIy-tanglcl
bouglS. The ditch at Fort Sanders
Knoxville. just one year before. where tie
pick of Longstreet's army lay writing
thick as the sea-lions on the cliff rocks
near Tie Golden Gate was bad enough to
look at. but this was horrible.
The groans and meanings were pitiablc
from the poor fellows who were SO badly
wounded that they could not move away
The figures that follow refer to posi-
fions indicated on the map.j
dl Here is where Gen. John Adams
plunged through the abatis. cleared the
ditch. and fell across the crest and head
log, the rider fell outside the line. with
from 30 to 40 wounds. He WAS gently
handled. and placed upon The ground i'll
side the lines.
JACK EASEMENTS GREAT SPEECH
~ This is where Jack Easement stood
when he made his great speech.
When the approaching enemy was near