The National tribune., 1906-01-18

duct was that he understood that he
was to wait for the engineers to indi-
cate the point Of attack. He had heen
opposed 90 the assault until the posi-
tion was more carefully reconnoitered,
and did not propose to go step be-
yond what his precise orders directed.
There Is q dispute as to the terms OF
these, but certainly everybody else in
the army understoods that he was 20
move forward before all the others, and
open the battle by direct attack upon
the Confederate intrenchments.
Hot with anger, Banks rode back to
his headquarters, and wrote out an or
der for his Chief-of- staff, Brig. Gen.
George L. Andrews, to. supersede Sher-
man In command OF the division. An
drews mounted and rode directly to the
division, accompanied by his Aid, Lieut..
Fiske. When he reached the division
he found 1T already deployed in mag
nificent array, with Sherman himself
mounted and surrounded by his whole
staff and escort In the center of his
brigade. It was a magnificent specta-
Gle. and Andrews, very properly, did
not deliver his order to Sherman, but
stayed with him to see the result Of
the attack.
The Blunder Of Old.FOgyism.
Here was illustrated again that vice
Of old-fogyism which cost. the Union
army countless lives and which brought
disaster on SO many fields. Brilliant
as Gen. Sherman had been as an artil-
lery officer, when he rose to the COM
mand OF division his mind reverted
to the lessons taught him in the books,
and he made his attack in the old
fashioned European. way, with solid
masses moving deliberately out into the
open. with himself as the most con-
spicuous figure in the array and his
iY1v isaov
trated fire OF the Confederate artillery
and musketry. It was precisely the
blunder the British had made at New
Orleans. and one which had been re-
peated on scores Of hattlefields with
almost invariable disaster as the re-
suit.
Nickerson was on the right with his
brigade deployed in column of regi-
ments. The 14th Me-, thrown out as
skirmishers, was in ADVANCE and be-
hind 1t came in suAgeHion the 24th
Ne. and 157th and s1fs1h N. Y. each fin
line Of battle. To-<ffie left was Neal
Dow's Brigade In similar formation, the
9Th Mich. in front, followed by the / 5th
y. H.. 26th Conn. and 12Sth N. Y Be-
tween the two brigades rode Gen. Sher-
man i'm military state, followed by his
cayalcade OF staff officers and escort.
His brigade and regimental officers fol-
lowed his example, and entered the bat
tie mounted and surrounded by their
staffs.
AS the line emerged from the woods
the Confederate works were crowned
with a baleful. volcanic blaze. Sher-
man and two Of his staff went down
under the storm of shrapnel and mus
kerry. Next Brig.-Gen. Neal Dow fell,
and was followed by the Colonels of the
128th and 165th N. Y. In spite Of this
the men pushed forward with enthu-
siastic courage through the cornf1eld
until they came to high, strong fence.
This had to be torn down or climbed
over under hurtling tempest of bull
lets, canister and shrapnel balls. Many
were shot on the fence In the act Of
climbing: many knocked down by a
shot or shell striking the rails and send
ing them whirling through a company
The excited men got over somehow,
and, led by their officers rushed
through the next cornfield to encounter
another fence with a similar experience
This passed, third was encountered,
and finally fourth. 1t is wonderful
to relate how many men passed all these
to be abreast their colors when the lat
ter reached the abatis in front Of the
rebel works. Many color-bearers had
fallen, but the flags were snatched up
and borne forward Col. Abel Smith,
165th N. Y. was mortaIly wounded
while sustaining the colors of his regi-
Of the same regiment, was severely
wounded.
The determination of the gallant men
was such that the impetus of the charge
carried them far into the entanglements
Of the abatis. and though the enemy
now had them at short range and were.
shooting them down without mercy,
they did not begin TO recoil until the
dry limbs Of the felled trees were set on
fire by the shells and began to burn
fiercely.
The fall Of Sherman and Neal Dow
had made Nickerson commander of the
division, but he was not aware of it,
and was too deep in the fight of his
brigade to be reached.
This .mattered little, for everyone
now saw clearly that the attack had
failed. No commander could do more
with the men than they had done with
themselves. With one consent they be-
gan to fall back from the blazing brush
heaps. Nickersons men retired a little
ways and lay down, while Dow's men,
singly and in groups, withdrew to the
woods whence they had emerged.
As soon as Andrews learned of the
fall of Sherman he took command of
the division by virtue OF, the orders he
carried, and began doing what he could
for 1T, and to get it in shape for any
further orders. No further orders came.
Augur's attack.
Col. Richard B. Irwin gives this ac-
count of Augur's attack in the center:
''As soon as Banks heard the rattle
Of the musketry on the left and saw
from the smoke Of -the Confederate
guns that Sherman wa6 engaged he or
dered Augur forward. .Augur, as has
been said. had been ready and waiting
all day. His arrangements were to make
the attack with Chapin's Brigade de-
ployed across the Plains Store road,
and to support 1t with Dudley's. held
in reserve under cover OF ono of the
high and thick hedges of the Usage
orange that crossed and divided the
fields OH the right of the road. chapin's
front was covered by the skirmishers
of the 2lst Me-; Immediately In their
rear were TO march the sterming col
unsn of 200 volunteers. under Lieut.
Col. O'Brien, OF the 48th Mass. The
stormers rested and waited for the word
in the point OF the wood On the left
OF the Plains Share road nearly oppo-
site the position of Battery 13. Half
their number carried cotronsbag and
fascines to filI The ditch. On the right
OF the road the i 18th y. K was de-
ployed: on It's left the 49th Mass close