The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1907-06-06
THE CAPTURE OF THE STH IND
BATTERY.
,'he Dreadful Confusion Following the
breaking Of the Right Mt Chicknmauga.

breaking of the Right Mt Chicknmauga.
Editor National Tribune: The his
tory Of the Army of the Cumberland
which has been published in The Ma
tional Tribune is very dear to me. and
especially the battle of Chickamauga. /
was participant in this battle and re-
member many things that happened.
| Our division. commanded by Gen. ]. T.
Wood left Chattanooga and camped
near Rossvilie, on Mission Ridge. on
| the first night, then went to Lee &
Gordon's Mill. Some of the boys start
| ed up the mill and ground meal while
| we were in camp there. In a day or so
our battery was posted by sections on
the highest ground below the mill over
looking Chickamauga stream. On Sept
| 10 we were moved to the left and took
a position on a ridge in the door yard
of a double log house. Here we I'M
limbeTed our guns and commenced to
| fire on the enemy. A rebel battery
soon had good range of us and the
second shell they threw burst near the
| horses that drew the gun that | was on,
| killing five. AT this moment a charge
was made, the cannoniers running to
the rear with the gun down 4 long slope
into {, ditch, where they left it. The
| battery reached the woods and began
! firing on the rebels as they were coming
down the long slope from the log house.
Soon our infantry charged from the
woods and drove the rebels back and
recaptured our timber chest. and We
lay down at the edge of the woods
some time near midnight. Later we
were marched to the left something
like 4 mile or two ana waited until
morning. About 1900 or 500 O'Clock
the next morning. which was foggy, we
were ordered to the front. After going
through thin woods down a slope, We
came to a line of temporary breast
works Of small logs and fence rails
Here we numbered our guns tn the
front behind this breastwork. Some
diminishing was going on in front The
Tooth Ill. was on our immediate right
The men had stacked arms and piled
their knapsacks at the root of a tree.
and, as this was Sunday, the boys ex-
pected that there would be no fighting
that day. The fog soon lifted and the
sun came out, and by the time our cais-
sons and ammunition wagons came up
to issue ammunition, il was noticed
that the enemy's line of skirmishers
were running from tree to tree and
shooting at our men on the skirmish
line. Our battery was then limbcred
to the rear and started up the slope,
but before we had gone very far the
rebels began charge with trench
dous yell. Our guns commenced firing
canister and while the rebels were COM
ing up the slope our battery poured a
most destructive fire of double shOtted
canister in their ranks; but the enemy
came on. Our drivers soon began to
Gu: looses from the timber chest and
while the enemy was at the left hand
gun or first section the right hand gun
was pouring canister into their ranks.
We left five of our six guns here Capt.
Bradley says the Sth Ind battery was
captured before they had fired shot.
After the capture of the battery the
men scattered down the Dry Valley
road. Here we met thousands of men,
some with guns and some, like our
selves, with none. The battery boys
started up the hill, and the enemy was
shooting our men down as they were
going up the hill on the opposite side
We soon ran into line of our men
trying to stop every man who had a
gun. AS We had no guns We were al
lowed to pass. Just as 1 passed this
line, 8; man with gun, who belonged
to some infantry regiment. was halted,
but he was so badly scared that he
paid no attention to the command to
halt. At this time Gen. McCooa came
riding thru the woods trying to stop
the men who had guns. Gen. McCook
on his horse, sword in hand, rushed on
this man and cut him down. We hur-
ried On thru the woods and later in the
evening came to Lookout Valley 1t
was then dark and on going down the
valley we came to straw stack, and,
there being but five of us, crawled into
the straw stack and knew nothing about
the fate of our battery. When day
light came we held a council of war
and decided to go to Chattanooga. In
going down the valley we saw lots of
soldiers and heard all the bad news
We arrived at Chattanooga about 10
O'Clock and hunted up the Sth Ind. Bat
terry. or what was left of it, and found
Lieut.. VOris with one gun and about l2
metn. and a few horses. eating their
first meal since Sunday morning.
L. Hubbard, 8th Ind. L. B., Cloverdale,
Ind.