Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-01-27

nois) went out with Colonel Dan Nc
Cooks brigade on the evening of Sept.
49, 1868, TO destroy Reeds bridge
across the Chickamauga Companies
! | and OF the Eighty-sixth Illinois
Were on picket on the right of the
Lafayette road. company r, under
Captain Worrell. on my left, and
twenty men of the Fifty second Ohio
on my right, the much talked of spring
lying to the left of Captain Worrelrs
company.
Lieutenant Groinger of the Eighty
sixth and myself took charge of our
post that night, as l was short of
/ men. | told Private Jacob Petty of
my company that evening that there
would be fight the next morning, and
| said to him that ii he shot Johnny
l would buy him plug of tobacco,
The next morning at break of day 4
Confederate cavalryman rode TO our
front Petty saw him and asked
| Lieutenant A. A. Lee if he should
shoot. Lee said yes. Petty fred and
[
1 opened the battle of Chickamauga.
soon after Petty's shot firing be
gan on the left of company Il, at the
| spring. Captain Swift, of Colonel Dan
! McCook's staff had ordered me to the
| top of the hill to fight the enemy back
TO the brigade and Barnetts battery
| We carried out instructions 10 the
letter, but when we had driven the
enemy to where the brigade had been
| posted there was no brigade there II
had been ordered back, as the enemy
had crossed Chickamauga Creek above
and below and now pressed my small
force OH both sides
"About this time General Thomas,
on my right or south Of Reeds bridge.
struck the enemy, and the fighting
became general | claim that our bri
gade should have the credit of open
ing the battle of Chickamauga. and
contend that we closed it on the night
of the Goth at Cloud Springs. to my
mind the key TO the Union position.
Petty. who fired the first shot on the
morning of the 18th, claimed his re.
ward that evening. Lieutenant Lee
notified me that Petty had got his
man and wanted his plug of tobacco,
fobacco was scarce at that time, but
found plug, paid 81 for It. and sent
il to Petty. The United States is in,
debted TO me for that amount. plus
the interest for forty two years"
Il know something of that night be-
fore the battle of Chickamauga,' said
the High Private. The night was cold
and the morning of the 10th of Sep.
TENDER foggy Some of the boys OF
the Fifty-second Ohio were astir as
early as 3 o'clock on the morning Of
the 18th, hunting for water. They
found ii at Jays sawmll. and the
rebs found the same spring about the
same time
Corporal McCue, OF company G
mingled with some of the rebs, as i'm
the darkness and fog it was almost
impossible to distinguish friend from
enemy. McCue. as he filled his can.
teen, said socially TO the man who
was filling his canteen on his right
that things looked squally in front.
or that they would look squally as
soon as day broke The canteen filler
OH McCue's right agreed but said.
comfortably, We all left General Lee
to help you all, and I reckon we all
know how, because we hnd some pow
crful squalls with the Yanks no in
Virginia this summer.
In answer 10 what corps he be
longed to the reb replied. Long
streets. Thereupon the corporal clos
al up like a clam and liked back TO
his company. He told the story to his
captain, who sent him to Major j. r.
Holmes to report. Holmes sent Nc
cue to Colonel Dan McCook. com
handing the brigade, and McCook
sent Captain Swift. of his staff. to
withdraw the pickets under Fahnes-
tock- The pickets, being hotly en-
gagged at the time, the order was not
delivered, and Fahnestock extricated
his men from perious position.
Speaking Of perilous positions re-
minds me that Jerry Ryan. still living
in Chicago, did some extrlcating at n
critical juncture worth remembering
When General John r. 1urchin made
his famous charge on the afternoon Of
Sept Goth at Chickamauga the Tween
ty-frst Indiana battery was left at
the angle where the right of Turchin's
line had rested. Ryan. with the as
sistance Of a corporal and driver.
limbered up two guns and retired
diagonally back across the Lafayette
road, swinging slantwise to Clouds
hill, and. reaching Colonel Dan Me
Cooks right, reported to that officer.
Soon General Turchn swung round
to the left, driving the rebels from the
Union rear, and brought up on Clouds
bill with McCOok's men. That charge