The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1908-10-08
Our HOOSier Budget.
Portland, Ind, Oct. 5, 1908

we will write some Of our remi-
niscences of the march from
Chattanooga to the sea, and un-
til the close of the Civil war. If
in using the pronoun l, you will
excuse me, as no two men see a
battle and see the same things.
l will touch on the pathetic
scenes and some of the amusing
things that occurred on the
march, and battles from Chatta-
nooga to June 5, 1865. On May
5, 1864, we left Graysville, Ca,
and the 7th found us engaged at
Tunnel Hill and Buzzard Roost
to get hold of Snake Creek gap,
through the Rocky face ridge of
mountains. We did not take the
gap, but held our ground until
the army could flank the Confed-
crate forces after Johnston fell
back, formed his army with CEN
ter at Resacca. Our forces, the
Army of the Cumberland, faced
the enemy and made a charge on
the 18th of May. We were re-
pulsed in the charge and out of
275 men in the Oath O. V. l. 81
fell killed and wounded in one
minute. Our color-bearer was
badly wounded, the colors fell,
and big William Arbigast picked
them up, also the wounded sar-
gent, and took them to the rear
under a calling fire. Sargent
Gates, full of pain from a broken
thigh, was placed in an ambu-
lance with a Confederate prison
err. There was still fight in our
noble Gates and he charged the
prisoner and a rough and tumble
fight occurred. The prisoner
came out second best. The Sar-
gent had to have a guard to keep
him from killing the poor wound
ed Johnny on their way to the
field hospital. On the 18th of
May the Confederate army fell
back to Dallas, Ga, where we
found them on the 25th of May,
1864, and pounded away on them
for nine days, while our fanks
were reaching around them. Our
next move was on KennesaW
Mountain, and there the battle
ragged from June 9 to the Both.
We met severe losses and pun
ished the Confeds. to a great eX-
tent. Our next move was on
Marietta. But at Kennesaw, on
the 21st of June, your correspon-
dent lost his right ear and good
coffee pot. A Johnny shot a hole
through it, to my great sorrow,
which caused me to break one of
the commandments: "Thou shalt
not steal" d" Could I have stolen
an ear should not be writing
this today for the loss of that
ear has impaired the usefulness
of one of your comrades. John
Vantilburg, that day, had good
supple knee wounded, which took
him away from us. Through
Marietta we marched with Old
Glory floating to the breeze on
the 4th of July, and continued
our march to the west bank Of
the Chattanooga river, nine
miles west of Atlanta, Ca, on
July 6. Stayed there four days,
thence to Peach Tree Creek.
While there, one morning about
8 o'clock, Confederate cavalry
made a dash on our flank, but
the Oath was there. When the
cavalry began to fire their car
bines one man in our regiment
got stage fright and started to
run, but his captain had him halt
ed, and to hear his pitiful plea
from his battle fright was laugh
able, indeed. He said to his cap
tain, my God, Cap, I can't
stand it." But he did, after a
few saddles were emptied. On
July % we met the enemy again.
Of that day let history tell the
story, when our noble McPher-
son fell, with thousands of killed
and wounded on both sides, and
that day G. H. Thomas, our good
general, complimented the Gath
o. V. l. for good conduct, while
his chief of staff said every man
of the 94th would make a good
general. But some on that day