Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1906-10-19

write you an account of that brilliant
and magnificent charge which | led
at Missionary Ridge.
l have waited over forty-five years
for history to lay before an admiring
world a true account of the important
affair, yet she remains as dumb as an
oyster OIL the subject, and the great
task devOlveS on me OF enlightening
the world upon the question, and
handing down to posteilty one OF the
most brilliant episodes that ever oc-
Cured in the annals of war. All. as
distinctly as if it had been yesterday,
do 1 remember that beautiful Novem-
Der evening; the sun shiI ing with such
gorgeous splendor, the SIX 50 high and
blue, the f%aintest tinge OF Indian sum
mer mantling the distant peaks of
Point Lookout and the surrounding
hills and mountains; wl.ilr away on
the right, about Tunnel Hill, since
morning there had been n continual
boom of cannon and rattle of muSketry.
1 lay on the ridge Il short distance to
the right of Bragg's headquarters
watching those long lines Of blue. per
haps a mile distant, taking their posi-
lions for a desperate charge: while the
many pieces of artillery scattered along
the top of he ridge We're now Keeping
up a pretty constant roar. About three
o'clock the Yankee lines emerged o
the woods on the opposite side OF the
valley. "They are coming lheE are
coming" uttered almost e!ery man III
a low distinct voice, speaking appAr-
emily to himself. instead Of address
ing some one else, Every piece OF ar
tillery along that ridge now became Il
living volcano, dischargins missiles OF
death with the creates: rapldlty.
With what fascination | watched those
lines of blue advance, e. extending as
far up and down the valley as the posi-
ton which l occupied would allow the
range of vision to extend. Occasion
ally gaps were made in those lines, but
on, on they came-they crossed our
old breastworks in the valley. | heard
the gunners call for the canister shot.
Oh! how l pitied those blue devils.
l knew many of them would never go
back across that valley, nor come to
the top of that ridge. At length they
reached the base of the ridg> on which
we were lying.
Our artillery ceased firing, the hill
being too steep. Our infantry were or
dered to rise and fire. Although we
had but one slender line Of battle along
that portion of the ridge, yet those
blue coats never came to TIL, top, nor
half way up, while we stayed there;
but in a very short timely the time
I could load and fire twelve shots, they
were going back through that valley III
the widest confusion. l saw a Yankee
general riding a white horse trying to
rally his scattered troops at our old
breastworks in the valley. l raised
the sights of my gun to four ia
yards and fired four shot at him, but
l missed, I suppose, every time. TANKS
informed after that "FightlnS Joe
Hooker was the man who rode the
white horse and rallied the flying Fed
erals at the old breastworks III the
valley, but their Information might
have been incorrect.
This was the first battle l ever wit
messed. l felt elated, l felt JuDilaht'
T felt ecstatic. I felt l could have
charged right up to the mouths OF a
hundred pieces of artillery n captur-
ed every gun. l continued to feel TINS
way as long as my side dld all the
shooting and the other side did all the
getting hurt. About this time GenefaI
Bragg and staff came galloping along.
Cheer after cheer went up. l was
thinking about asking him for twelve
or fourteen men with which to go over
| and capture Chattanooga and bring
hack the commander of the Yankee
army a prisoner, when we were oruereu
to the right at a double-quick, leaving
no infantry whatever along that por-
ton of the line. 1t seemed such an
| easy matter to repulse and drive BACK
in confusion those heavy lines OF In
fantry that We're hurled against us,
that the most distant idea a not en-
tered nv mind thai the ridge had been
carried anywhere.
AS I was double-quicking L heard
something saying: "Whee, whee, vince!
Zip. zip, Zip" and, looking up, heavens.
what did it all mean, anyhow? On a
rise or ridge, twenty rods ahead, run
ming back toward rear, were hun
dreds of Yankee. l could hardly be-
lieve my eyes, but the awful reality
thrust itself upon me-, for the bullets
| were flying as thick as hail, and men
were falling on every side. The artil-
| lery ceased laundering along the ridge;
! some one said: The Yanks are COM
ing up the hill againI" No infantry
there this time to drive them back. l
saw the artillerymen leaving their
guns. In a few moments the enemy
would be in possession of our artil-
lery. We were trying to change posi-
ton so as to face those who had first
carried the ridge. Our men were fall
ing fast, the little regiment was be-
coming confused, and in a moment we
would be assailed in rear and flank as
veil as in front.
All was apparently lost.
In supreme moments like this. when
overwhelming catastrophe is suddenly
and unexpectedly bursting over Jul
heads, common minds become confused
and give up everything as lost Great
minds grasp the situation, and with
the rapidly of thought evolve success
out of disaster. Such was the case on
this occasion. In q moment, IN the
i Au;.11;r, ac ~, nt-n u-o1 cnizn1 with