Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-10-13

SSt AioueSlN anu uluueilce lnal
write you an account of that brilliant
and magnificent charge which 1 led
at Missionary Ridge.
have waited over forty-tive years
for history to lay before an admiring
world a true account of the important
affair yet she remains as dumb as an
oyster on the subject, and the great
task deyolyes on me of enlightenng
the world upon the question. and
handing down to poSterity one Of the
most brilliant episodes that ever oc-
CURED In the annals Of war. All, as
distinctly as if 1t had been yesterday
do | remember that beautiful Novem-
Der evening; the sun shining with such
gorgeous splendor. the sky so high and
blue, the faintest tinge of Indian sum
mer manting the distant peaks of
Point Lookout and the surrounding
hills and mountains; while away on
the right about Tunnel Hill, since
morning there had been continual
boom of cannon and rattle of musSetry.
lay on the ridge short distance to
the right Of Bragg's headquarters
watching those long lines of blue, per-
| hapS mile distant, taking their posi-
| tons for desperate charge; while the
many pieces of artillery scattered along
the top of the ridge were now keeping
| UP a pretty constant roar, About three
| o'clock the Yankee lines emerged from
| the woods on the opposite side Of the
| valley. They are coming, They are
| coming!" uttered almost every man in
| a low distinct voice, speaking appar-
| emily to himself. instead of address
! ing some one else. Every piece of ar
| tiIlery along that ridge now became Il
| living volcano discharging missiles Of
| death with the greatest rapidly.
| With what fascination | watched those
! lines of blue advance, extending "a
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-~thcy crossed our
old breaStworks IN the valley. | heard
| the gunners call for the canister shot.
Oh. how I ptied those blue devils
| | knew many of them would never go
| back across that valley, nor come 10
the top of that ridge. At length they
reached the base of the ridge 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 the top, nor
| half way up, while we stayed there {;
| but in q very short timely the time
| could load and fire twelve shots, they
were going back through that valley in
| the widest confusion. | saw a Yankee
general riding a white horse trying to
! rally his scattered troops at our old
| breastworks in the valley. / raised
the sights of my gun to four hundred
wards and fired four shots Mt him. but
| | missed. l suppose. every time. Yanks
Informed after that Fighting Joe
| Hooker" was the man who rode the
white horse and rallied the flying Fed
erals at the old breastWorks in the
valley, but their Information might
have been incorrect.
This was the first battle ! ever wit
messed. / felt clltcd, / felt juhilant
I felt ecStatic. felt could have
charged right up to the mouths Of a
hundred pieces of artillery and captur-
cd every gun. | continued to feel tins
way as long a. my side did all the
| shooting and the other side did all th"
getting hurt About this time General
Bragg and staff came gallopin2 along.
| Cheer after cheer went up was
thinking about asking him for twelve
or fourteen men with which TO 20 over
and capture Chattanooga and bring
! back the commander Of the Yankee
army prisoner, when We were ordered
TO the right at q doublc-quick, leaving
no infantry whatever along that por-
ton of the line. 1t seemed surn AN
easy matter to repulsc ana drive back
in confusion those heavr lines ot lh-
fantry that were hurled against as,
mat the most distant idea had not en-
tered my mind that the ridge had been
carried anywhere.
As l WAS doublc-qulck.ng heard
something saying Vince vince, vince
zip, zip. zip :" and, looking mp, heavens