The National tribune., 1905-10-26
WARS MIGHTY COST.


On the evening OF the 23d Bragg
from bis perch on Mission Ridge had
looked down to the river and seen moth
ing but o handful Of pickets I'm brown
overcoats The morning Of the Gath he
looked again and beheld. not his pick
cts. but an army in blue. bridge was
soon down. and all Shermans forces
| were across. i did not get my horses
over; indeed. I never saw them again.
Fighting for the Foothills.
Most of that foggy. nasty day Sher-
| mans Division fought for the foothills
| in front Of Mission Ridge We advanced
in three divisions; my own, under John
r. Smith. being in tho center. My reg
iment suffered little. Half the time the
enemy could not see us for the mist
| That day, too. in the fog. Hooker, At
Grants far-off right. fought his battle
above the clouds and took Lookout
| Mountain.
| When the night came again a part
| of my regiment was put at the front
on picket. We were in a cold, damp
piece OF woods. | had to tramp about
all night to keep from freezing. hum
dred yards away the enemy's pickets
| in the same cold woods were doing the
same thing. All night we could see the
rockets of the enemy on one side of
| Lookout signal over our heads TO their
friends on Mission Ridge. Far TO our
right on the side Of Lookout shone
] thousand camplres. IT was great
sight. What was to happen in the
morning.?
The 25th dawned in splendor IT
was to be a day for American history.
My division and regiment lay quite still
that forenoon, hidden in little wood.
| At our immediate left the battle was
going on fiercely. Before noon Gen.
| Ewing with an order from Sherman
dashed up to us and told US to storm
straight against the Ridge. There was
an open valley, or field, before U.s. As
We left the little wood we were in full
view of the enemy, and mighty thun-
der of cannon opened on us. All the
morning we had seen them maSsing
these same cannon on the Ridge In
front. With our own eyes We had seen
column after column Of infantry rush
ing to that part of the Ridge. They
were looking for this assault
| Assault ON Tunnel Hill.
In one long, blue line We entered the
1 field and moved on without firing Soon
We were going for the Ridge on the run
1t was half mile to its foot, and that
half mile was like an entrance into hell.
The roar of the hundred cannon in
front of us became awful. Behind US
our own 50 cannon at the river were
laundering over our heads.
The officers all yelled to their utmost.
from firing. No cyclone could have
been sweeping across there with more
awful portent to the rebels. And yet
only our rapid change of place by ad-
vancing saved us all from being plowed
down by the tornado of shells that met
us; that and the fact that they were fir
ing too high.
Officers and all were in the ranks in
that charge. Swords dangled at our
sides useless. but every officer had his
revolver in his hand. We expected a
hand-to-hand struggle the moment we
. would reach the Ridge.
AS to any individual thinking or feel
ing or fearing there was nothing Of it.;
nothing beyond a mad desire to get
across the open. Wounds that didn't
kill were not noticed. l have been
in bad runaways, and my thoughts were
much the same-that is to say, no
thoughts at all. If railway train is
coming straight on to a man, he don't
meditate-there is only q mad strug-
gle Of body to get out of the way, or
else throw the train from the track.
We were trying to throw it from the
track.
When we got across that burning
open field and came under the
terrific fire of the enemy's rifles We
stopped stockstill. We could think a
little now. We could see the enemy,
and We're firing ourselves We all
from behind trees and logs and rifle pits
was sweeping everything. The Colonel
? and myself happened to be on our
knees close to the flag. / thought to
myself how brave the color bearer is to
; hold that flag up under the storm of
bullets / never saw that banner again
, until after the war. Shortly the rebels
!, above us threw stones at us and rolled
rocks down. We were SO close they
could do this and not expose them
selves.
We made no advance now; we sim
ply knelt there and fired. The strain was
lawful. Few spoke, and those who did
cursed the commanders for sending us
into such place without support
was church member, myself, but /
called to the Colonel "Why in - are
they not fighting at the center! Where
are Grant and Sherman? Are they let
ting US all be killed for nothing?"
God only knows" said the Colonel.
They're not firing shot anywheres
to help u.s.
We tried to hear cannon at the right
or center. Not shot was being fired.
Our Generals were simply standing up
on top of Orchard Knob and watching
us be destroyed.
Damn such generalship." came
from more than one powder begrimed
: and blood-slreaked soldier. 1t looked
as if there could not a man of US es-
cape When all seemed at the worst
some one cried: I'VE are being
fianked." Sure enough, hundreds of
the enemy We're getting behind us at
the right of my regiment
| l was told to run over there. L did,
but in three minutes that part of my
regiment was gone. In it's place were
wounded men and dead lying on the
grass. \ line of graycoats was pur-
suing my comrades into the open below
me. Lieut.. Miller, Of my regiment, lay
on the gress, shot through the hips.
; Mathjes, my brigade commander. COW
cred with blood and apparently dying.
sat against Il tree. l lay down by Mil
ler's side, hoping the enemy might be
driven back and be overlooked as one
of the dead or wounded. The spot was
covered with wounded and dying-men
grooming, crying. That part of it had
no more effect upon me than the quack-
$ ing of geese Would l pretty soon be
KILLED myself? was all that was in my
r mind, and / went on swearing at the
Generals.
a Lying there among the dead. doing
nothing, l again had time to think. |
5 tried to make Miller stop his grooming,
5 so the enemy would not see US. He
could not help it, he was too badly hurt,