The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1905-10-26
A JUNE EVENING BEFORE AT
IANTA.
COthran's Battery and knipe's Brigad
Repulses StevensOn's Division.

uary. 1852, Cothran's Battery, of which
j was a member, was part of the First
Division OF the Second Corps and later
the First Division of the Twelfth Corps
then the Twentieth Corps. The same men
marched together and fought together
to the close of the war. About June
20. 1864, the Twentieth Corps was in
motion going south, around the west
end of kenesaw, which was yet in pos
session of Johnston.
We We're halted to let some regi-
ments pass us. A Sergeant with a small
bag on his shoulder stopped and said
to me:
Il have carried this bag to-day about
as far as care to. 1t is bag of mus
ket-balls. VIII you put it into one of
your guns for my benefit?'
/ went to the rear chest of my Gals
son, raised the lid, and he dropped the
bag in. We moved on a few miles and
halted on long ridge, which we at
once began to fortify, facing the works
To the east toward Marietta. This ridge
ran parallel with the Chattanooga a.
Atlanta Railroad, and about two mics
from 1T.
By midnight we had everything in
good shape for defense. We moved
south two miles on June 81. The Fourth
Corps occupied the works as we moved
out. After our removal we seemed to
rad as good a line of works as those
we had vacated. The right or First
Division was in heavy timber, while a
beautiful valley was east of us reach
ing north Of Kenesaw.
This part of the valley was Culp's
farm. l saw no house; only we'll
fenced fields and an old cotton-gin
with large press to the right of il.
This stood we'll to the other side of
the open ground.
On the morning of June % Gen.
Knipe sent line of skirmishers Che
125th y. " into the timber halt
mile away on the other side of the
farm. The battery section l belonged
10 followed after. We came to ridge.
When about halfway Gen. knipe said
we had better take position there, which
we did. and he went over into the tim
Der with his men to ascertain if any of
the enemy were lurking in that vicin-
1ty.
He certainly found some for the fir
ing soon became brisk. He came back
and SEM 200 men 10 reinforce his skir-
mishers. He told us to use one of our
guns to put a shot through a designat-
ed tree-top, and TO continue, at inter
walls of about five minutes. firing about
three feet lower each time, until he
gave US a signal. when we were to use
both guns He disappeared for a short
time in the woods, and after our third
d
handkerchief.
We delivered about 10 rounds from
each gun. Our men did some lively
shooting and some lusty cheering and
advanced into the woods. A rebel bat
terry in our front opened up and gave
us few shots. Knipe soon came rum
ming back TO us and said:
I'VE have driven them back. They
are trying to build breastworks. They
left one poor devil over there with his
leg shot off. / am going to fortify this
ridge for an outpost
His brigade came, and after lining
up behind the caissons, stacked arms
and went to the front to get all the
rails in the vicinity. The four remain
ing guns of our battery came down and
stopped beyond the stacked rifles. Rails
at a "right-shoulder shift were COM
ing by the thousands from the front,
left and right, and were being laid in
line. The skirmishing became Animal
ed for a time. Then followed a lull
Since the campaign opened Hoods
Corps hid been AT the right of the rebel
lines, blu. it was reported that Hood
was ambitious to try tilt with Hook
er's soft bread Potomac boys" After
ward it was said he had requested and
secured from Johnston permission to
cross his corps over and try a round
with Hooker.
About tne. time we began to fortify
were massing back of the timber. The
ridge we occupied sloped down gently
for about II rods, then dropped rather
abruptly for another 10 yards, then a
space of level ground, and beyond an
upslope to the woods. The cotton-gin
stood at the foot Of the upgrade.
We had begun using our picks and
shoyels, when i noticed that for about
two miles toward Kenesaw our main
line OF works was covered with Yam
KEGS. who seemed to be looking at us.
They could see the enemy getting in
readiness to pounce upon us. as we
could not. The skirmish lasted only
for a short time. Then came the Zip.
zip, zip" Of missiles from the muskets
of the men in gray. and new act was
ON. Some OF our men dropped their
rails. others put them In place, and
within five minutes the men of the bril-
sade had recovered their arms and
lined up with us behind the rails
Our skirmiShers now came swarm
ing out of the woods at thrice-quick
time. not even looking back. They had
no occasion to, for not more than Is
rods behind them came a long line of
battle, four ranks deep. at double-quick.
The other four guns took position on
our right and left and we poured into
the advancing rebel ranks a rapid and
destructive fire; but a second. then
third line came at 80 PAGES interval
and opened fire on us.
For 80 minutes the scrap was ami
mating ard everybody kept busy
did not see a Yankee who was not do
ing his very best. The rebel line was
much longer than ours; they overlapped
our left. but the batteries i'm the main
line opened on them and they We're
forced back to our left front. and soon
a similar movement was tried on our
right. with the same result
Their whole force then moved for
ward under cover of the hill and the
firing slackened. We distinctly heard
the order. Fix bayonets," and we were
expecting them to try rush upon us.
From the beginning of our service we
had never been budged from the place
we tried to hold, and we had no
thoughts of being driven then. The
4sth Pa. occupied the space between
the sections. The old cotton-gin was
about 40 rods to the front and some
what TO the right, a twO-story building
about % TO 40 feet in size. The left half
of the first story was open and occu-
pied by a large horsepower engine.
We had fair view of the west end OF
the building; a stovepipe hole was WIS.,
ible a few feet below the peak.
i was at the right of my gun when
Il ball crashed through the top of the
head Of the man standing at arms