The National tribune., 1904-09-01

Hardee's Corps that struck Blair's 'front.'
that is his front that was towards Atlanta.
but that is not SO. Clebprne's Division
was the left division Of Hardee's Corps
There We're three other divisions. Maney's
e hea thams old dvision,. Bates and
Walkers. Walker was the next to Gle
bnrnes and attacked Fuller. Bate and
Nancy struck Sweeney. cleburne's Division
was in front of Blair after Ceburne had
driven back his left and he had refused il
from Leggett'S Hill towards my right.
What saved Blair was that Chea than. who
commanded Hoods old Corps. whose or
ders were TO attack Blair's front at the
same time Hardee struck his rear. in ac-
cordance with the plans of both Hood and
liardee. did not attack. because Hardee
struck me. which was a surprise TO them
as we'll as to me. and when Cheatham got
ready to attack RlairS front. hitting Leg
gett's Division and on down the Fifteenth
Corps. two divisions. Bates and Walkers,
had been whipped. and were virtually out
of the fight. because after the third attack
upon ME. and my breaking up of one of
their columns so badly. they did not come
road on the ridge. just south of and parallel
TO my line. forget the name of the road,
but it was the one that led off to Decatur,
and there they intrenched. and when l
pushed forward my skirmishers l found
them in force. Between 3 and o'clock
around TO help Cleburne
There have also been many statements
that in the first attack two Divisions of
Hardee's Corps struck the Sixteenth Corps
and two the Seventeenth (Blair's). This
is not correct. Three divisions struck nv
Blair's Corps. and caught his left and rear,
but after the third attack on my front
Maney's Division was sent around to join
tIeburne. and joined i'll the fiercest attack
of the day about 4 p. m. upon Leggett's
and Smiths Divisions after their line had
been refused and formed almost at right
angles at Leggett's Hill. and reaching out to-
wards me. with Wangelin's Brigade on their
left. From all accounts this attack was
fearful one, Maney's men reaching and
holding the outside of the intrenchments
that were occupied by Blair's men. This
line faced almost due south. and both forces
fought there off and on until about p. m,
some of the enemy remaining in the outside
intrencbments until MERGERS Brigade of the
Sixteenth Corps went in at near midnight
to support that line.
BLAIR NOT FORCED BACK.
Again, many records have il that Blair
was forced back early in the battle. This
is q mistake, as his Fourth Division, COM
manded by Gen. Giles A. Smith, which was
on the extreme left. held most of his
original intrenched line until between 3
IA
ham from the Atlanta side forced them to
take a new position to keep them from be-
ing crushed by Cleburne in the rear and
Cheatham's attack from the Atlanta front
There is another thing that does not seem
to be fully understood, and that is that
when Blair got his left refused SO as to
face Nancy and Cleburne in his front they
We're unable to gain any Roadway on him
in their attacks. In fact, they suffered
great loss, and they only damaged Blair
when they got in behind his left. Blair
had three regiments there refused at right
angles to his front. and it was portion
Of two of these regiments that Cleburne
picked up. Blair lost nearly all his prison
ers from Giles 4. Smiths Division, when
C1eburne swept down through the gap and
got right in behind them before they knew
anybody was on them. In fact, Blair's men
had to turn around and fight towards their
rear. and. as | have stated, Cleburne got
past Fuler's right and commenced shooting
into his flank. just after Walker was
killed there was a lull. and Fuller turned
two regiments right into Cleburne's main
line. and. as Capt. Allen, of the Signal
Corps. says. and my records show. cap
tnred that skirmish line that killed Nc
Pherson and brought it in.
To show McPherson's feeling about
Blair's left flank, | sent Fuller's command
TO that flank the night before on a request
from Mcpherson. who felt anxious about
Blair's position. that flank being in the air.
but Blair camped Fuller near where he
opened the battle in the rear of the Seven
tenth Corps instead Of connecting his left
a mile to his rear and a little back from
his extreme left. Blair no doubt. thought
that would protect him. as well as put
them in line. but he took one of my bat
teres (Murray's) and put it in his front
line. Now this battery was on the way
To-, How,
just as Mcpherson was going up the road.
and the same skirmish line that killed Nc
Phersion killed the horses of that battery
and captured portion of the men. ana
Mcpherson really almost fell upon the
timber of one of the guns. This was Muir
rays United States Battery of four pieces
do not know as l have seen this men
toned in any of the reports, unless it is in
mine. but these are the facts of the matter.
That is the way battery of my corps was
reported lost or captured by the enemy. 1t
was passing from Blair to myself. and not
captured in line of battle or fighting. as a
great many have stated and supposed to be
the case.
DE GRESSS BATTERY.
In your article you speak of Logan TAX
ing a part of the Sixteenth Corps and lead
ing it. as though it was right on my front,
and then speak of him as leading portion
Of the Fifteenth Corps that had been broken
through on the Decatur road back into posi-
ton. The facts are that it was about 4
o'clock in the afternoon when Logan came
to me and asked me to send any force l
had free to help retake the line that Gen.
John G.. Browns Division had broken
through the Fifteenth Corps. I sent Mer-
GERS Brigade of the Second Division, and
with it sent Capt. Jonas, of my staff (See
his statement. copied in my address.
Logan followed with the command, and it
double-quicked the whole distance without
stopping. AS soon as it got there it found
Lightburn's Division drifted back. but hold
ing behind the trees their line. the enemy
in possession of DeGress'S Battery. and as
MERGERS Brigade went in on the front
Williamsons Brigade of Woods Division.
which Sherman had directed to make a
flank charge, was moving. and they both
reached the works together. The men of
MERGERS Brigade got hold of DeGress's
guns (see report Of 81st ILL., and turned
them on the enemy. There has always been
a contest between these two brigades as to
which got there first. but that does not
matter, for they got in together and re-
took the line. Gen. J. {. Brown, who
commanded the Confederate division, was
with me afterwards for many years on the
Texas 4 Pacific Railway, and has given
me full account of his attack, and the
fury with which he was forced out by this
movement from the flank by Wood and the
direct assault by Mercer. Mercer i'm going
in had hir hnrSa killed ,,pdnr him