The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1904-09-08

picketS and picket reserves all around
the semicircle. The Seventh Illinois,
2G7 strong, and the Thirty-ninth Iowa.
numbering $50, formed a line of battle
on Il spur of the west ridge in the pits
and redoubts covering the main fort
French planted twelve pieces of ar
tillery on the south of the cut TO sweep
its whole length and lombard the ridge
as well. \ brigade of MiSsourianS UNI
der Colonel COckerell and one of North
Carolinians and Texans under General
Young climbed the steep ACTIVITY of
the west ridge to storm the main fort,
and General Sears MisSissippians
marched squarely around the pass to
the north and destroyed the railroad
and telegraph, so as to isolate the gar
risOn completely. That done, French
summoned CorSe to surrender in order
to save needless effusion of blood" al
lowing five minutes Tor elaboration
COrse replied at once that he was pre-
pared for the needless effuSion' of
blood whenever it was agreeable" to
General French. He told his men to
prepare for the worst The moment
the saucy reply of the garrison com
mander reached French he gave the
signal for an assault all along the line
Emerging from the woods on the
west ridge and threading the tangled
abatiS and felled timber. COckerell's
MissOurians and YOung's Texans dash
ed forward, their lines swept by the
fire from the pits and the fort. The
Thirty-ninth Iowa and the Seventh IL
linois bore the brunt Of the first at
tack. Two companies of Iowans were
far to the front diminishing. three com
panies were posted in observation on
a knoll outside the works and three
companies lay in the trenches French's
lines overlapped the defenders, and the
Iowa skirmishers, with their supports,
were driven back on a tangent Colo
mel Redtield and four lieutenants We're
killed, scores Of men We're killed and
wounded and a few survivors got back
to the main fort.
Out of six Iowa officers shot down
five were killed, and out Of eighty-siX
men hit thirty-fve lay dead on the
field. Colonel Redfield was shot four
times. The Seventh Illinois, fighting
beside the Iowans, suffered equal
slaughter and lost siXty-seven wound
ed and thirty-fNe killed outright The
bloody work ON the west ridge lasted
over two hours. In the heat of it Corse
sent an aid across the cut to the east
fort for help, and the Fiftieth Illinois
reached the west fort just as the hard
pressed fragments Of the Seventh and
Thirty-ninth got back to the shelter of
its walls. Before the assailants of the
west fort could recover from the stag
gering blows delivered by the Iowans
and Illinoisans and form for regu-
lar assault the parapets and trenches
of the works We're lined with fresh
men. Even the rough ground, the
rocks, stumps and logs outside the fort
sheltered marksmen waiting coOlly for
the onset. When it came it was ter
rible. The fire poured in on the north,
south and west faces of the work.
sweeping the bitches and parapets.
The valor of the assailants was sub
lime. The colonel of the Forty-siX
Mississippi, w. II. Clark, leading the
advance with the battlefag in his
hands, fell dead on the brink of the
ditch. Behind the Missssippians fol
lowed the TWenty-ninth North Caro-
lima, the flag far in advance in the
hands of Color Sergeant Rich Come
on, boys" he shouted, waving the flag
in front of them, and went down Sc
verely wounded. The nearest comrade.
Lieutenant E. b. Alexander, grasped
the standard, echoed the sergeants
cry, Come on, bOys"' and immediate
ly fell dead. Sergeant Parker next
took the colors and bore them across
the ditch to the parapet, where he held
them until he was blinded by wound
in the face
The defenders, not to be outdone in
valor, boldly exposed themselves above
the parapet-the officers setting the
eXample-and fell in scores. There
We're six commissioned officers killed
and twenty wounded on the west ridge
The Twelfth Illinois lost tifty-six killed
and wounded, twenty-four of the num-
Der being commissioned and noncom-
miSsioned officers. COrse was hit in
the face and stunned during the height
of the assault. He came to Just as the
cry was going around Cease firing.'
His soldiers thought the case was
hopeless and We're contemplating sur
render to avoid humiliation. The ar
tillery ammunition was all used up and
the cannon silent. Some brave fell
low whose name has not been record
err, hearing COrse's appeal to go on
with the fight, volunteered to steal out
Of the fort, cross the fire swept cut
and bring ammunition from the chests
in the east fort. The fight had last
ed over six hours For an hour lon
ger it ragged fitfully, and the Con-
federates at last abandoned the field.
leaving their dead and wounded lying
as they fell. The cavalry advance of
Sherman was rapidly gnlloping to the
rescue from the south.
General COrse magnanimously at
fibuted TO the extraordinary vaior'
Of the officers and men of the Thirty
ninth Iowa. and the Seventh Illinois
the salvation Of Allatoona pass. His
tory declares that Corsp p1avnJ e, ,,ro,t