The National tribune., 1904-09-01

Knowing Gen. Mcpherson was some two
miles away, L sent a staff officer to Gen.
Giles A. Smith, requesting him to refuse his
left and protect the gap between the Seven
word he would do. Later, as the battle
progressed, and / saw no movement on the
part of Gen. Smith, l sent another officer
TO inform him that the enemy were passing
my right flank, which was nearly opposite
his center. and requested him to refuse his
left Immediately, or he would be cut off.
This officer U.ieut. ID. Shelly. who be-
longed to the Signal Corps, and acted as
my Aid only for the time being), found, on
reaching Smith, that he was just becoming
engaged; that he had received orders to
hold his line. with a promise that other
troops would be thrown into the gap.
McPHERsoN's DEATH.
My second messenger, Lieut. Shelly, re-
turning over the road upon which McPher-
son was few minutes later shot dead, met
the General on the road with a very few
attendants, turned TO warn him of his dam
gerous position, assuring him that the
enemy held the woods and were advanc
ing. The General, paying no heed
TO his warning and moving on my
Aid turned and followed him. They had
proceeded but short distance into the
woods when a sharp command, Halt !"
was heard from the skrmish line of the
rebels. Without needing the command, Gen.
Mcpherson and his party wheeled their
horses, and at that moment heavy volley
was poured in, killing Mcpherson and SO
frightening the horses that they became
unmanageable and plunged into the under
brush IN different directions. My Aid be-
came separated from the General and the
rest OF the party, and was knocked from his
horse by coming In contact with tree, and
lay Tor some time IN an unconscious condi-
tlon on the ground. AS soon as he was
sufficiently recovered he returned on foot
TO me, having lost his horse and equip
ments. OF Gen. Mcpherson he saw nothing
after his fall. His watch, crushed by con-
tact with the tree, was stopped at two
minutes past o'clock, which fixed the
| time of Gen. McPherson's death.
Gen. Mcpherson could not have left his
point of observation more than a few min
utes when | detected the enemy's advance
| in the woods some distance to my right,
and between that flank and Gen Blair's
rear. Fuller quickly changed front with a
portion of his brigade TO confront them,
and pushing promptly TO the attack cap
tured their skrmish line and drove back
| their main forces. Upon the persons of
some of these prisoners we found McPher-
sons papers, field glass. etc, which con-
veyed to me the first knowledge l had of
his death, or, rather, as | then supposed,
of his capture by the enemy, and seeing
| that the papers were important | sent
them by my Chief of Staff with all haste
4 10 zen. sherman.
Gen. Mcpherson, it seems. had just wit
messed the decisive grapple of the Sixteenth
Corps with the charging columns of the
enemy, and, as probably conveying his own
| reflections at that moment, | quote the
language of Gen. Strong. the only staff Off
Ger present with him at that critical Eao-
ment.
"Thc General ard myself" said Strong,
accompanied only by our ci,icrlcs rode
ON and took pos;ticEs on the right of
Dodges line, and witnessed the desperate
assaults Of Hoods army.
/ THE divisions of Gems. Fuller and
Sweeney were formed in single line OF
battle in the open fields. without cover of
any kind (Fuller's Division on the right
and were warmly engaged. The enemy,
maSsed in columns three or four lines deep.
moved out of the dense timber several hun
dred yards from Gen. Dodge's position, and
after gaining fairly the open fields halted
and opened rapid fire upon the Sixteenth
Corps. They. however, seemed surprised
to find our infantry in line of battle pre-
pared for attack, and after facing for a
few minutes the destructive fire from the
divisions of Gems. Fuller and Sweeney. fell
back in disorder to the cover of the woods
Here, however, their lines were quickly
reformed. and they again advaced, evidently
determined to carry the position.
A GRAND AND IMPRESSIVE SIGHT.
'The scene at this time was grand and
impressive. 1t seemed to us that every
mounted officer of the attacking column was
riding at the front of, or on the right or
left of. the first line of battle. The regi-