The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-05-12
BATTLE or STONE RIVER.

BATTLE or STONE RIVER.
It's Bearing Upon the Termination Of the
War-participation and Losses Of the 6lst
Ohio There.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE. The turn
ing point Of the war has been disputed
question ever since its close. l have con-
tended and still contend that the battle Of
Stone River was the battle that sealed the
fate of the rebellion. In proof of this con-
clusion l offer these reasons:
The rebellion was organized mainly
through the influence of the general idea
ern man could whip five Yankees and the
success of the rebel cause during the early
part of the war indicated that there were
at least some grounds for that idea.
The battle of Stone River was fought
in the open field; without barrcades or
armies, of equal numbers, equally equip
ped and equally we'll manuvered; the losses
were comparatively equal; for "a hours
after the battle had closed neither Com
handing General knew whether he had
gained victory or suffered defeat.
Since the battle of Stone River 1 have
never heard an intelligent man, North or
South, contend that the Southern soldier
was superior to the Northern soldier in
any respect.
With the exception of Fort Donelson
and Shiloh, the Union cause never won
an important victory prior to the battle
of Stone River; and with the exception
of Charlottesville the rebels never won
an important battle after that.
President Lincoln's Proclamation of
Emancipation was issued 80 days before
the battle of Stone River, and was to take
effect Jan. 1, 1863. The battle of Stone
River opened at daybreak on the morning
of the Goth day of that proclamation; and
the earnestness with which each army
fought proved that the prime issue of the
war was fairly understood.
PREPARING FOR THE BATTLE.
For five weeks prior to the battle of
Stone River the Army of the Cumberland
had been in camp three miles south of
camped near Murfreesboro, Tenn. During
September, October and part of November
these two armies had been marching over
States of Kentucky and Tennessee in hope
that strategy would decide the question as
to which army should occupy Middle Ten
nessee. Finally each Commanding Cen
eral seemed to concede that nothing but a
decisive battle would win the prize, accord
ingly the respective armies were quietly
camped as stated. Each commander was
seemingly anxious that his adversary
should make the attack. Gen. Don Carlos
Buell. had recently been removed from COM
mand Of the Cumberland, Gen. w. S. Rose
Grams superseding him, while the famous
BraxtOn Bragg was still in command of
the rebels. Each of these armies was COM
posed of $4,000 men,
Dec. 20, 1867, was a merry Christmas
in the Army of the Cumberland. Our
freight department had been taxed to it's
utmost in handling the boxes, filled with
Christmas gifts, sent to us by our friends
at home. Our Uhrchsvlle company re-
ceived 1O-bushel box carefully filled with
useful articles. l remember very we'll that
many of the cakes and pies were
terribly broken by the rough handling the
box suffered, but we managed to gather up
the fragments and nothing was wasted.
At o'clock p m, Christmas, We received
orders to be ready to move at daybreak the
soon discovered that our march was to be
stubbornly resisted.
1t took us five days to drive the enemy
% miles to his chosen field of battle
Soon after dark. Dec. 80, our division
Van Cleve's-was placed in a cornfield, near
Stone River, on the extreme left of the
Army of the Cumberland. Our orders
the best We could, but there is absolutely
no rest when the soldier is certain that q
battle is pending.
Near the hour of midnight my bunkmate
John A. Taggart, and l cut an armful of
cornstalks, which We placed between two
cOrnrows, fixed down our blankets, and
with our arms by our sides went to bed
together for the last time. An hour be-
fore daybreak we were quietly called into
line, where we stood under arms, waiting
and watching for daybreak-and the
enemy.
1t would have been we'll for the Army of
the Cumberland if its right wing had been
as vigilant as was its left wing on that
last morning of the year 1862 1t was
had planned to attack the right wing of his
adversary-at almost exactly the same
time-that morning. breakfast at day
light and attack at Z o'clock" were Rose
crans's orders. breakfast in the dark and
attack at daybreak," was Bragg's COM
mand to the rebels.
There was, perhaps, 80 minutes differ
ence in the time that these two orders were
to be executed, and the sequel shows that
Bragg's success on the morning Of the first
days battle of Stone River was due to
that important 30 minutes.
OPENING THE ENGAGEMENT.
Soon after daybreak our division crossed
the river to make the attack on the rebel
right. We formed our line on the OPP
posite side of the river, and moved some
distance, when we heard the rattle of
muSRetfy on the extreme right or our line
The battle had commenced. We halted I'M
til our other brigades that We're quietly
crossing the river could form and move
with us. One of McCoOks staff officers
rode hurriedly to the commander and told
him that the right wing was hard-pressed
aud needed assistance. Rosecrans merely
sent word to McCOok to hold on to the last.
In a few minutes another messenger ar
rived, telling the commander that the
whole right wing was in retreat Van
Cleve and Wood were ordered to move back
on double-quick.
Our brigade moved back and took posi-
ton near the one we held the night before
and there stood under arms all day. await
ing orders to go into action. No order
came, and we stood the suspense all day.
This is the hardest part of soldiers duty,
and can not be described. When battle
seems certain and a line is ordered into ac
ton. the mind becomes occupied with the
duties of the struggle. and the terrible sus-
pense is gone. | have always remembered
that as the longest day of my life. Ours
was the only brigade in the Army of the
Cumberland that was not engaged in the
first days battle of Stone River. As night
came on the rafting of musketry and the
roaring of the artillery ceased: and thus
ended the last day of President Lncoln's
immortal proclamation.
We kept our position during the night,
recrossed the river early the next morning,
Co. r,.rl l,nJf 4.