Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1907-07-31
HISTORIC CHICKANlAUGA.
First Army Corps Moves from the
Rappa!annoclS to ChiclSamauga.

AS Chickamauga has long been q very
historic place, both for the untutored
red man as well as the civilized white
man, will say something in connection
with the battle fought in this beautiful
valley of the Chickamauga, on Sunday,
September 20. 1858. About tho let of
September Of that year, General Lee Or
dered the 1st Army Corps, commanded
by General Longstreet, who was at that
time camping on the banks Of the
Rappshannock, to move with all possible
haste to Chickamauga to reinforce Gen.
eral Bragg, who was being hard pressed
by the Federal army.
The 1st Army Corps oor sisted of
about 5000 men, true and tried on
many hard-fought field. 1t was not
until about the 10th of September that
the first train came to Orange court
house to start with it's first load of
troops. General Hoods division was
first shipped. There were only two
routes between Richmond and Augusta,
Ga.-one by the way of Wilmington and
the other via Charlotte, N. C.--and only
single track from Augusta to Chicka-
mauga. You see that the circuit was
obliged to be made through the Carolinas,
to Augusta, Ga, and up by the railroad
through Atlanta to Dalton and Ringgold.
This was the only route or transit left us.
Therefore, our artillery and about two
brigades of infantry did not arrive at
Chickamauga until the 25th of Septem-
ber, five days after the battle. Hoods
division and three other brigades landed
in time to take part in the battle of Sat
urday tho 10th. This battle was pro-
tracted ono. ct was fought on the 10th
and Goth of September, 1862
Two brigades of McLaw's division
Kershaw's South Carolina and Hum
phrey's Mississippi-came in on the 10th
and marched about dark across the
Chickamauga creek, and bivouaced the
remainder of the night on it's bloody
banks. But the truth of history, as we'll
as simple justice, requires it to be stated
here that no one officer or body of men
Of the same number could have con-
tributed moro to the triumph of the
Confederates than did General Long
street and the brave mon who followed
him from Virginia. They had travelled
in crowded box cars, upon platforms and
upon the tops of the cars, in rain, in dust
and sun and with but little food or sleep.
They had passed their homes without
stopping to embrace loved ones there
which some of them had not seen since
the commencement of the war-and they
had rushed to the scene of action without
rest, halting only long enough to clear
their eyes of the dust of travel and re-
plenish their cartridge boxes. The most
of the officers were without horses, and
the mon with no wagons to transport
what little they had. There was no time
to furnish either. The battle was about
to be joined. Arriving in front of the foe
these veterans were placed in the van and
led In every attack by the left wing,
where the day was really won. Their
praises were freely proclaimed by the
Army of Tennessee.
In my next 1 will give description of
this great battle, as saw it, on Sunday,
the 20th of September, and the location
of the battlefield of the beautiful Chicka-
mauga. j. Russell Wright.
Walhalla, S. G.