Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1907-08-10
THE FIELD OF BATTLE
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES OF
THE WAR.
The Veterans of the Rebellion Tell Of
Whistling Bullets, Bright Bayonetn,
Bursting Bombs, Bloody Battles,
Camp Fire, Festive Bulge, Etc, Kte.


latoona Pass. Besides giving interest
ing points on that contest he has some
thing interesting to say about the IA
nous Hold the fort" dispatch sent
ron kenesaM to General Corse. Like
everyone have ever heard speak of 1t.
Mr.. Ambrose is strongly opposed TO
SCATTERING that particular IDOL and yet
he says that Hold the fort, for l am
coming" We're not the exact words
used by General Sherman. He says
THE exact words were Hold Allatoona
and l will assist you This has sub
stantially the same meaning as Hold
the fort, for l am coming though II Is
not as poetical, not as tuneful. AS
stated by Colonel Watrous, the dis
patch was not signaled early in the
morning; 1t came through the smoke
and fame that enveloped the hill be
tween ! and o'clock, about the time
that'General Corse was wounded. Not
long after its receipt, as If TO repeat
General Sherman's order, Corse, who
was Frustrated by his wounds, every
now and then would lift his head,
stained with blood, and cry out, fran
tically: Hold Allatoona Hold ALA
toona"" That reminds me of the
story recently told in the Times Her
aid, In which General Bragg, while
wounded on the field, rose on his elbow
as his Brigade commander came along
nd in Al
They are Ranking the brigade and
charging the battery !" For some time
after he was wounded General Corse
was so stunned that he seemed to be
out of his mind 1t was while In this
condition that he frequently lifted his
head and cried out, Hold Allatoona
Hold Allatoona." Though half crazed
by his hurts he remembered his oBiers
and realized the disaster defeat
meant
Mr.. Ambrose says that the Commu-
nicatiOn which General Sherman had
with AllatOona Pass early in the morn
ing had no connection whatever with
the famous Hold the fort, for | am
coming" dispatch. THE signal which
General Sherman received from ALA
toona the morning of the 4th, and of
which he spoke when he said to his
staff officers: Gentlemen, we are all
right Corse has reached there and the
rebels are unable TO take the place,
was received before the battle com
menced. before General Sherman knew
that 5000 of the enemy We're to storm
that there would be terrible battle,
but he was confident that the outcome
would be favorable. He knew Gen
eral Corse and the troops under his
command-knew the men of Iowa, Min
nesota, Illinois and Wisconsin. He
knew that our regiment, the Seventh
Illinois, had armed themselves at their
own expense, with slxteen-shooters.
Knowing Corse and the men under him
and about the sixteen shooters enabled
him to say, Gentlemen, we are all
right The Rebels are unable to take
the pass
1T was in the midst Of the great bat
tie" says Ambrose, when lead, shot
shell and canister were pouring In upon
us as If driven by a mighty tornado
that Sherlnan's other dispatch came
Hold AllatOona and | vii. assist you
or, as the genius with pen said, and
world, Hold the fort for / am coming.
Without the promised assistance. with
out Sherman's coming, Allatoona was
held and a great victory was won
1900 men, nearly half of whose mum
Der had been killed or wounded held
at bay 5000 picked veterans of the
South. General Sherman, in speaking
OF the battle. said For the number
of troops engaged the battle of Ala
toOna Pass was the most holly contest
ed ever fought on the American CONT
nent.'"
W. G. Whitefeld, first sergeant Of
Company d, Thirty fifth Alabama,
SCOTS brigade, Loring's division, Stew
arts corps, Of the army of the Tennes
see, c. s. A., writing from Paducah,
KY, talks on the same subject His
regiment was between Keuesaw Noun
tain and Allatoona Pass, and there was
with that part Of the Confederate army
q signal officer who had discovered the
key to the union signals and read the
dispatches that were sent from Ain
toona to Kenesaw and from Kenesaw
to AllatOona. Between 10 and II the
Confederates saw the message from Al
latoona 10 General Sherman. we hold
out. General Corse here Tourtelotte
lieutenant colonel commanding" Later
another dispatch was sent We still |
hold out. General Corse is wounded"
One Of the dispatches sent from Kene-
saw to AllatOona Pass was: Tell Al |
latoona TO hold on; General sherman is
working hard for you" whItcheld !
agrees with Lieutenant Ambrose as 10 |
the language Of the dispatch General
Sherman sent to General Corse which
was converted into Hold the fort, for
am coming" IL the language Of Cen !