The National tribune., 1906-07-05
HARRISON AT PEACH TREE CREEK.
SPLENDID GALLANTRY OF A FUTURE PRESIDENT IN A
SANGUINARY MELEE.
The Twentieth Gops Officers and Men-Brian Deeds Many
Feds-Resacas Glorious Day-The Storm Of Battle Bursts
Full Force Before Atlanta.
Rv G. H. BLAKEsLEE, 10th Iii.

OF Gen. sherman's combined armies
of $4,000 men who started upon the
Atlanta campaign of 1864 none were
exalted more by their grand heroism'
splendid fighting and terrible losses
than the noble Army of the Cumper-
land, under the lead of Gen. George h
Thomas, the Rock of Chickamauga.
OF this army, judged in all its lights
and shadows, what corps can compare
with that incompatible Twentieth
Corps. marshaled by that ideal leader,
Maj.-Gen. Joseph Hooker?
Subordinate to him were a brilliant
trio of division commanders, to each of
whom the fame of the Twentieth Corps
and Fighting Joe was very dear, and
to which they were ever proud to be
unit.
To speak of Williams. commanding
the First Division, was only to remind
US of the mighty Thomas as something
eminently solid and immovable, and
wherever the battle was on the division
headquarters flag, with its flaming red
star, was well to the front, and from
which it never fell back.
So, too, was John w. Geary, of the
Second or White Star Division, who
had won imperishable laurels in all
campaigns of the Potomac Army up to
the Fall of 1868, when, transferred to
the West, it fought that meteoric night
battle of Wauhatchie, Oct. %. followed
a month later by the most thrilling bat
tie episode of all modern history, Look
out Mountain.
The Third Division was an aggrega-
ton of veterans from both the East
and West, in which the West had the
largest representation.
These men had fought under Buell.
in Kentucky, with Rosecrans in Ten
nessee, were with Granger in Reserve
Corps. and had finally. after Mission
Ridge, drifted into the Eleventh Corps
with Howard.
When the Eleventh and Twelfth
Corps were consolidated they formed
the new Twentieth Corps. and q now
star appeared on the horizon and which
rose higher and shone brighter as the
days went by until the pages of battle
history are respendent with the glory
OF the Blue Star Division
To command of this division Gen.
Hooker sent his most trusted Chief of
Staff, the brilliant and knightly But
terfeld-he who at Fair Oaks and
Gaines's Mill had won the Congressional
Medal of Honor, so grudgingly 'bestow
ed in the old war days, and which but
few received.
To these Western men Butterfield
was comparatively stranger, but his
name, coupled with that of Hooker,
sent thrill through their breasts,
which gave them faith he would lead
them where the fighting fun was TO
be found. and so were content He
nil c., -lai, fa.t
The First Brigade.
His three brigades were commanded
as follows: The First Brigade, by Gen.
VIM. T. Ward; the Second, by Col. John
Coburn; the Third. by Col. Wood.
These brigades were composed of five
regiments each, but as our story will
have to do more particularly with only
the First Brigade, and who were all
Western men, we give the regiments
composing its formation: 18th Ohio,
Col. Kennett; 10th Ind, Col. Benz. Har-
rison; 1920 H., Col F. c. Smith; 105th
ILL.,, Col. Dan Dustin; 129th ILL.,, Col.
Henry Case.
This brigade moved from lis Winter
cantonment in Lookout Valley on May
2, 1864, was first under fire on the 7th,
also OF the 18th and 14:n of May, and
on the 18th it moved from the center
of our lines, which were then wrap
J1nR around the enemy at fleSacd 10
near the extreme left and astride the
Dalton pike.
On the 14th of May two separate as
saults from other corps had been made
by division upon rebel fort known to
the Confederates as Fort Cobb. This
was at the angle of their lines of works
on the northwest and Immediately
above the Dalton pike. where it entered
the Confederate lines at Red Knob Gap.
Both assaults had proven costly fail
ures.
go On Sunday, May Is, Butterfield was
ordered to see what he could do. So
putting his First Brigade in motion as
the assaulting column, the Second 10
support and the Third Brigade in re-
serve, the drive was made and the bat
terry captured with a loss to the divi-
SION in 20 minutes of 963 officers and
men, but We gained the key TO the rebel
position with Corputs Cherokee artil-
lery), four brass 12-pounder Napo.
Icons, the only dogs that had the muz-