The National tribune., 1907-07-11
HIGH-WATER MARK OF THE CAM
PAIGN.
The Fierce Struggle for the Four-GHH
Battery at Hesaca.


Editor National Tribune: 1t is uni
versally recognized that every old SOL
dier who fights his battles over again
with his mouth belonged TO the regi-
ment which put down the rebellion.
We did But did you ever think that
this much-ridicued bonbast has sub
stantial basis in fact? Nearly every
regiment with ordinary length of ser
vice came to crises in their careers IN
which they were enabled to render their
country such supreme SacrificeS that
had they failed in duty, the history OF
the war would have been greatly modl-
fed or possibly reversed. The expert
ences of the 22d Wis. are so bound up
with those of its brigade, which has the
almost unique record of existing thru
its entire three years of service without
change of organization except for the
short time that the goth Conn. was with
u.s. that its history can hardly be sepa-
rated from that of the brigade. Within
that brigade, however, and bearing its
full share in whatever strenuous work
Coburns or Dustin's men were called
upon to undertake, there were several
supreme moments in which we may
confidently claim to have been first.
3, Our baptism of blood" came at
Thompson's Station. that stubbornly-
fought field that calls for nine pages OF
close description and eulogy in the
Comte de Paris's History of the civil
War in America (VoE III, pages 236-
PAD. The respect which its conduct
inspired in its foes may also be Cleaned
from the official reports of Gems. van
Dorm, Forrest, Jackson. Martin, Whit
field and Cosby, whose four brigades
We're opposed to our one. At Resaca
members of the 22d advanced closer to
the rebel lines than any other command.
The bodies of two young boys from
Racine were found by the burial party
nearer the fatal rife pits than any other
Union soldiers that they buried At
Peach Tree Creek the 22d. as sllirmish
line. received the first onslaught OF
Hoods Iegions Their action is thus
described in the official report of Gen.
W. T. Ward, commanding Third Divi-
sion, Twentieth Corps: The skirrlish
line under command of Lieut.-Col
Bloodgood ->of the 22d Wis. behaved
most gallantly. refusing to fall back un-
til sorely pressed by the rebel line of
battle, and then only they retreated
slowly reluctantly yielding ground, dis
putting every foot they gave up.
The success of that battle, where more
rebel prisoners were taken than at any
other on the Atlanta campaign, was un-
questionably due more to Gen. John Co
burn and his brigade than to any other
agency AT Atlanta Col. Coburn and
detachments of his brigade were the
first to enter the city. At Averasboro
the gallant conduct of his brigade won
for Col. Dan Dustin his star as Briga-
dier-General
I have said that members of the 22d
fell closer to the enemy's breastworks
than any others who participated in
the desperate charge and capture OF
the four-gun battery at ReSaca, and in
evidence of that statement l want to
present the story of Comrade William
J. Emerson, of Co. A, as told to me by
himself a few years ago. Billy carried
rebel bullet from that bloody field
and as a result spent the rest of his
army service in a hospital, SO / never
had an opportunity of hearing him tell
what happened behind the captured
lunet until met him again in Iowa, 81
years after the war. / cannot give the
story in exactly his own graphic Ian
guage, but will tell 1t as near as can,
prefacing il with n general account of
the engagement CLEANED from official re-
ports and from 40 published letters of
participants preserved in my scrap
books.
At Resacn.
On that 18th of May, 1864, the bri-
gade was formed. little before noon,
In a ravine behind a hill which shelter
ed them completely from the rebel fire.
Gen. Wards First Brigade was to lead
In the charge, and was formed in col
umn OF regiments, 1Ol- ben ;
10th Ind. leading. Our (Coburn'S) Sec
cnd Brigade was ordered to form in two
lines on the right and rear of the First
Brigade, but as troops of the Fourth
Corps occupied that ground the forma-
ton was made directly in the rear, and,
there being five regiments then in the
brigade, three lines were formed In
stead of two. The first was SJth Ind,
on the right. 18th Mich. on its left;
second line, Goth Conn. right 22d Wis.
left and the 33d Ind. formed a third
line in rear of the 22d Wis.
The column of assault was to be di-
rected against rebel outwork contain
ing four guns. II was sort of rude
lunet the guns occupying a natural de-
preston in the earth so close to the
brow of hill that slight excavations in
front of each muZZle served as embra-
sures. The main rebel line of works
ran about so yards in the rear of this
outwork and commanded it. In its
front the hill sloped gently over a clear
ed valley thru which ran the Dalton
wagon road. The ridge on the Union
side of this valley was heavily wooded
with trees and underbrush, making itS
passage difficult for troops in line: in
deed, it was practically impossible that
they could keep true alignment or avoid
confusion that impaired their effective.
ness
The massed column of the First Brl
gade moved promptly as ordered. Or
debouching into the cleared valley :
was met by d storm Of canister from tn,
lunet in front and shells from anothel
rebel battery TO its right. as well as b,
hail of musketry from the rifle pit
manned by Gen. Carter l.. Stevenson
Division of Gen. Hoods Corps. (Gen
Jno. c. Browns Brigade Of six Tennessee
regiments, Gen. Alex w. Reynoldss Bri
gade OF two North Carolina and tw,
Virginia regiments and two regiment
of Gen. Alfred Cummings Georgia Bri
gade. The battery captured was Capt
Max Van Den Corput's Cherokee (Ga
Artillery, and the battery on the righ
was Capt. Chas. +, Fenner's Louisian
Battery) This and the struggle thr
the hill tangle of underbrush cause
some disorder in the ranks, but tn
brave boys from Indiana and Illinoi
kept steadily on, in breathless rush
until the battery was reached and tn
gunners struck down or driven to tn
shelter of their intrenchments in tn
rear Here human. endurance failed; tn
interior of the outwork was swept
a hail of bullets: our boys could onl
lie down in the shelter of the hill an
hold the captured guns by rifle fire fror
their sides as the rebels were holdin
them from the rear.
Coburn's Brigade Comes In.
And here is where Coburn's Brigad
in hair in 4