The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1904-05-06
THE DUCK RIVER R1FEEMEp.
AN HISTORICAL SKETCH BY
JUDGE FRANK H. SMITH.

i heartl 10 take his furlOugh and stop
he went on with the command.
= Sergt. Jasper w. Dillehay. Georg,
: W. HardisOn and Martin v. Hardisol
were so badly wounded that they ha,
to be left at home on Hoods retreat.
This was the third time that Martin
V. HardisOn had been wounded il
battle, yet he is still living.
1t. Col. Sam +. Shannon wa.
wounded in the neck. and the next
morning at three O'Clock was carried
by some of the Rifiemen to his sister S
in Franklin.
in the shoulder, and the Twenty fonrth
Regiment was commanded by a
Second Lieutenant. all the higher
officers being killed or wounded.
Even an outline of this unique bat
tie would require a separate article,
but some idea of the useless butch
cry las Gen. Joe Johnston called it'll
may be formed from few facts:
The Confederate deploying and adj
vance was over a large open plain,
where every movement was easily seen,
until the smoke of battle and the even
ing haze soon settled like a pail over
the field.
| Almost the whole of this advance was
subject to the fire from the breastworks,
as well as Fort Roper
The Confederates had only three bat
teries of artillery, and these could be
used but sparingly, on account of the
town being in the rear of the Federal
lines.
The Fourth Army Corps (Federal)
used one hundred wagon loads of am
munition in this short battle.
BloodiesC Battle of the War.
In proportion to the forces engaged, |
and the short duration of the fight, it
was the bloodiest battle in the Civil
War; Hood admits loss of 'about
A. 800, but Thomas makes the total
q, 252; the Federal loss was not nearly
SO great, being protected by the forti-l
tications.
The proportionate loss of the Com
missioned Officers in the attacking
lines was probably never equalled, not
even at bunker Hill Generals Gle
burne, Gist, Adams, Strahl and Gran
berry were killed; Generals Brown,
Carter, Manigault, Quarles, Cockrell
and Scott were wounded; and Gen.
Gordon was captured
Granbery's Brigade consisted of these
regiments: 9Th and 9th Texas; 9Th
Jonfederathe Regulars; 18th Texas
9th Texas; 35th Tennessee; 18th and
18th Texas Cavalry; oath and 25th
Texas Cavalry; besides Nuts Louis
ana Cavalry Company. At the close
# the fight the Brigade was com
randed by Captain.
In Quarles Brigade of Walthall s
)avision every staff officer was killed,
nd fhn nh off Z |
vas Captain. This Brigade had only
egimental flags, the color bearers
aving been killed or wounded within
he Federal interior line.
Col. Ellison Capers of the 9th South
'arolina, (now the Episcopal Bishop
f S. o., was wounded for the third =
lme in the same leg. A year ago he m
listed his son here, Kew. W. b. q
apers, Rector of ST. Peters Church, w
nd together they went over the battle a,
cid. He reports that every staff h,
tficer OF Gen. Gist was killed except th
ne, and that this Brigade was also he
by Captain. w
Capt. Robert ID. Smith who was BIZ
rdnance Officer on Gen. Walthall's m
taft, had every Ordnance Officer under re
i'm killed on the field O.
The Twenty fourth Tennessee Regi- GA
ent, of when the Duck River Rine- re-
EN- formed part, had the Colonel, tn
lieutenant Colonel, Major, Adjutant, of
Id every Captain and First Lleuten he
1t, killed or wounded, the ranking W.
ficer being Second Lieutenant. X
The third day after the fight l went faI
er the battlefield, and the impression
ade on my boylsh memory by the sh
lndreds upon hundreds OF dead men 8
every conceivable position. still re- Oh
aiming unburled upon the field, have tie
veT been etfaced. tn,
Baiaklava Outdone. ba
are
"The charge of the Light Brigade" ins
the Crlmean War In 1854 is noted
being one OF the most celebrated in n'
story Poets have sung it, and
lnters have pictured it In the most
)wing colors; the British govern
mt granted pensions to the survivors t tre
d heaped honors on those who fell. ,ne
Id what hosts OF school boys on llo'
'ublic Fridays for nearly fifty 1ar
ars have rec1ted Iennyson s stirring re-
EN- of Tue
Half league, half league, anl
lIdll a. iOdSuO OlNdlu Gar
All in the valley of Death Ri
Rode the Six Hundred. - dre
As matter of fact, there were 673 Me-
rsemen in this Charge, but poetic 1
ense reduced the number to 600. DE
t in this Death Charge at Balak the
a, as our British Cousins like to rou
it, the total casualties were only bet
OR some writers place them at $50 and
and some, of these were very slightly il
unded) which included the IL otfl-
$ killed and IL wounded.
low does this compare with the
ord of this local command which
over MALT its number in killed and
lnded at Shiloh, and at Franklin Chs
only three men unhurt out of
nty EIGHT.
is tar cry from England's Poet
lreate and the CrImean War, to the T,
camp rhymster in our own cha
te npleasantness, but as the ola II :,
&c says there 1T IS but one step from -
suDiIm to the ridiculous, here is H.
nipple verse OF camp song that soon NJ