The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-06-28
rHE BATrLp oF cHIcKAMAuGA.
GeneraI Gracie's BriGade---The Ala- g bama Legion, Etc.

I -
 General Gracie's Brisade--The Ala. E 2 bama Legion, Etc.
 Is Messrs Editors--The battle of Chick
 amauga in its magnitude and results Is second in importance to none that has loccurred during this war, It has de- lirnonstrated that the superiority of liNorthwestern men on the battle neid ito their Eastern comrades is purely IIimaginary and that with an approxima- Iltion to equality of numbers. the Con- lfederates can beat them as badly as ltthey do the vainglorions army of the h Potomac. No less important are its lieffects upon public sentiment at home. This splendid victory has silenced, in
 a great measure. the murmurs of the discontented; 1t has restored the con- ! fidence of the timid in cur ultimate
 success and given to the winds the hopes of the cowardly and contempti-
 ble faction of Reconstructionists. which was creeping about in unfrequented
 places, whispering treason and calling Fit peace, The effect upon Yankeedom was unmistakable. As soon as the news of Rosecran's defeat reached New
 York, gold appreciated, and 1t is prob.
 able the same intelligence will have
 a decided influence on public sentiment
 in foreign countries. Glorious as has been the achievement of our arms. it has not been accomp- lished without great exertion, and courage and fortitude. Never did troops bear more cheerfully the pri- vations of the march. or behave more galiantly than ours on the field. The
 generous rivalry between the soldiers
 of the Army of Virginia and those of
 the Army of Tennessee was attended { by happy consequences. The men of
 each army strove to surpass those of the other in dashing charges and in Eunfinching frmness This display of soldierly qualities e1icited mutual ad- miration and confidence. which will re- dound hereafter to our common bene- fit.
 In so general an engagement no one | can know all the daring deeds per- formed by different corps. He can on- i iy observe some of those done in his | own command. I hope. therafore. may not be suspected of injustice to 1 others if I should say something of
 General oraGAe'sf Brigade. and the part | 1t bore in the conflict on the memorable l goth of September The Brigade Is
 composed of the 63rd Tennessee RegI- | ment, the Alabama Legion. (consist- ! ing of four battaliops) and the 4Srd- l Regiment Alabama Volunteers. These
 corps were "a Franged in line of battle l from right to left. in the order in | which they afe mentioned. (This Is a
 mistake the s52rd. Alabama was in the I centre per it's, conel Moody's Report.I 1 On the 18th 'uito. the brigade. although | under fire Of the enemy's artillery was | held in reserve. About o'clock p. nl., | the next day. it began to advance, and | a little after { o'clock. 1t Gin army | phraseN was put in" under the most l furiouse storm of shell and grape and I r1iusketry that swept the fields during RI AL na .A R.- 1 Chickamauga. Cannon to the right l of it-cannon to the left of it--cannon
 in front of it. vollied and thundered" ! but nothing could impede the pro gress 1 of the brigade. Steadily 1t pushed the l enemy from one line of breastworks
 to another and took possession of the l hill, fortified and held by him when the l brigade joined battle. For more than I two hours our line was swept by a con | suming fire: but no man shrunk from | the terrible ordeal to which his pat 1 riotism was subjected. The fortttude | of cur gallant men eIicted the com
 mendation of General Buck ner, who
 said. he had not witnessed so hot q fire
 since the battle of Molina del Rey. At | twilight the enemy having ceased fire
 and the brigade being relieved by Gen.
 eral Robinson's command we retired. l With the flight of Gracie's brigade the
 battle of Chicamauga may be said to have terminated. Afterwards on our 1 right and left a little firing was heard and a few prisoners were captured. The Yanukees soon began their re- treat and are now safe behind their l entrenchments at ChattanooRa. It
 would not be just to laud the conduct
 of one regiment or battalion more than
 that of another. All did their duty
 faithfully and well. The drill and dis.
 cipline of the Legion were fully mani- Tested on that occasion. The spirit of
 the men was worthy of the highest
 commendation. and their lighting was
 worthy of the Confederacy; 1t was he.
 roic. Their deeds on the banks of the
 chickamauga should silence the carp-
 ing and harsh criticism of those unpa-
 triotic exempts, who have amused
 themselves and disgusted good men by
 their brainless and ill-natured rom
 ments on the Legion. I have said the
 battalion and regiments behaved edual-
 ly well. This was not a matter of sur.
 prise to any one who knew their dash
 ing brigadier. Gen. A. Oracle. Jr., is
 a graduate of West Point and enlisted
 in our cause. Commanding a com.
 pany of volunteers from Mobile, he
 seized the arsenal at Mt. Vernon so
 soon as Alabama seeded, and thus se-
 cured arms and ammunition which
 were of great benefit to the Confeder-
 acy. Subsequently he entered (if I am
 not mistaken) the 3rd Regiment of Alabama volunteers and marched to
 Virginia in April. 1861. He was soon promoted to a major and remained in
 the Army of the Potomac for more than twelve months. He then returned
 to Alabama and became the Colonel of
 the 53rd Alabama Regiment. and after
 Bragg's Kentucky campaign" was made a brigadier general His zeal, his
 long service and his superior qualifi-
 cations for the place justly entitled
 him to promotion. He has since. in
 camp. on the march and in battle, fully
 vindicated the propriety Of the appoint ment. To great frmness he adds mili-
 tary skill and a kniRhtly courage, which rank him with the foremost gem
 erals of our gallant army. Courteous in his intercourse and rigid In discip- line, generous in his impulses but just