The National tribune., 1904-08-18
ON MISSION RIDGE,
The Way wilnch's Iy,ssas Charged Up the
sloBe:

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In yonY
issue Dec. 81, a comrade asked where the
guns, Lady RreckinridEe and Lady Bnckner
were YER located. Il :e@ms to Ny memory
that from about 50 rods. East or North
east. of Brags's headquarters was point
of the ridge that diverged to North. As
in my mind, l see Mission Ridge, it lay
Northeast: that would make this point
nearly North or little Northeast that
was where the guns were-South, might be
little East, from the point of the Ridge
which sloped or curved back to the Eas,
of South. In the Ridge was depression
or gulch that went almost to the rebel
works at foot of Ridge. This was little
to the frOnt-a little to right of Orchard
Knob.
| Orchard Knob was taken by the Sth kans
ct our brigade. Its skrmishers took it
The first move we made it took a full regi
| ment-Colonel, flag and all OF the officers
Willichs Brigade charged up at tha,
point. The brigade was the -S9th ILL.,, sd
Ind; 49th Ohio, 10th Ohio, Sth Hans, 18th
Wis. Both ILL.,, and 10Th Iii. The right
at that point of the Ridge. The 35th and
10Th Ill. went up in front of the fort, left
of Orchard Knob. From our lines to the
lower lines OF the rebels was probably a
little over half a mile; from the foot OF
the Ridge to the top would be two and
lances that thought they were when
| fighting the ground. 1T is said that six
guns was to be the signal for advance, but
before we marched three-quarters of an
hour. Which came to the brigade lines
and told us that we were to move and take
that order), made charge and was re-
pulsed. A little after that the brigade
buglar sounded Attention, brigade" Be
fore the buglar got through with 'atten
tion.' the skirmishers jumped to their feet
and commenced the advance. While the
and Third Division jumped on top of their
works and advanced. by. the time the
brigade bugler sounded Forward" these
two divisions advanced az though they
were on dress parade. with that long
swinging step of the Western troops. In one
lines Of the rebel works with bound. ant
started up the Ridge. We, Of the Thirt
Division, were 200 yards mp the Ridge
when l looked to the right and the Secont
Division was yet on the rebel works. l fell
easy, and looked again: they were on the
double-qnick to catch the Third Division
On the left of our brigade the ground was
more even, leading to the fort on top ol
the Ridge At the time the brigade got
| twO-thirds of the way up the Ridge, Chuck
Davis looked toward the fort and said
Boys. look the S5th is on the fort" A
little after that some one cried BOYS, the
3Eth is getting hurt! They can't take the
fort! See, their colors 60 down! Again
they drop. Let us hurry and burst that
center while they keep them from firing a,
us. ~
Each mans hand was at his belt. cinch
| ing up for hot work, and hot work it was
We commenced to drive the rebels in
haste when Chuck said again: Look
their flags down again" We looked; up
| il went. and down it went when some one
ordered: Forward, doublequick, charge!
and away the line went as fast as they
could go. BY that time. in our front. the
Ridge became less broken, and We went IN
a hurry. BY the time we got to the works
we had got up with the rebels and captured
good many before we took the works
and that did not take as long as it does to
tell it. as every mans gun was loaded when
he jumped on top Of the works:
Away went that broken rebel line III
fragments. and we after it in hot haste.
The Third Division captured ~ p.eces o.
artillery. Second Division "a: in all. ~
with 4S caissons and so limbers.-JoHN IL
CAMPBELL