The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1909-10-28
Holding AIIatoona Pass.

be that this hobby was shot and tram
pied into him forty years ago, and for
further reason that very little history
of the War of the Rebellion has been
written by private soldiers We are
cure of one TO whom this effort brings
satisfaction. So. what of it, if we
stop on this fOrtieth anniversary TO
dwell refectingly upon this great lit
tie event in our nations life.
Do you know that forty years ago
yesterday the eyes of the nation were
upon AllatOona Pass, Georgia, garri-
soned for the Union cause by less than
2,C0O young men? Perhaps the destiny
of a nation of 6OOO0,00O people depend
ed on the courage, integrity, patriotism
and fidelity of those boys.
There is a feeling that the old sol
diers will tell any old yarn when they
talk war stories, but this Oct. 9Th an
niyersary is too serious to suggest any
thing that is not true. In the pres
ence OF the great little event which
suggested the song. 'Ho, Ny Com
rades. See the Signal Waving in the
Sky" in the presence of dead and
dying comrades, we can afford to tell
the truth only
Oct. :. 1864. suggests thoughts for
memory and for tears.
1t was during Abraham Lincoln's
second campaign. The great problem
whether 60.0OO,090 of people could gov
ern themselves was on trial. The
Union army under Sherman had cap
tured Atlanta. The march to the sea
had been planned. Sherman's army
was at Kenesaw Mountain, near At
lanta. Allatoona Pass is eighteen
miles north of Kenesaw. Here 1000
Union soldiers guarded 100000 ra-
tons for Sherman's army, about all
that army had for the march from At
lanta to the sea- Six thousand Con-
federates. infantry and artillery, un-
der General French, got in the rear
of ShermaR's main army and sur
rounded the Allatoona garrison. I'm
der the flag of truce, French sent a
message to General Corse in command
of the Union forces, saying that he
would give the garrison five minutes
In which to surrender Ito save the
necessary effusion of blood" Corse
sent back word that the garrison was
ready for that efrusion as soon as his
asSailant chose TO begin ii. Then fol-
lowed the greatest little battle of the
century
Afr eight hours of the most des-
perate musketry and artillery duel on
record. the rebels retreated. The boys
in blue held the fort. The 2,000,0 900
rations and several thousand beef cat
tie were saved for Sherrnap's army.
The battle was over, and the march
to the sea could be made. For little
while quiet reigned; then a shou Of
triumph went up from the Allatoona
hills. The wounded joined in the re-
joicing. The dying looked up at the
rent and riddled flag of the Union. still
proudly floating over the fort, and
thanked God that they had been able
to keep II there.
The Union forces of less than 1000
lost 713 men before the enemy was
repulsed. over one-third of the num-
Der engaged. 1t was a dearly bought
battle, but maybe it paid
History tells us that the Ccnfeder-
ates lost $500 killed and wounded,
and they left 500 guns on the field.
All the field officers of the Union
forces except four were either killed or
wounded. Rank neither gave nor
sought immunity from the burden of
battle
For hours not a command was heard.
All that met our eyes was the rocky
ridges that spoke with tongues of
fame 1T was one of the sublimest
tragedies in history. The sun went
down on an awful scene, Mutterings
of thunder rolled through the valleys
and gorges, and lightning flashed
around the mountain. 1t was a fc-
ting afterpiece to the tragedy of III
day. Then Natures tear drops fell in
torrents as IL to wash the red stain
away
The blood disappeared, but the scars
remained. though most of them have
long since been hidden under a friend
ly sod in the land they helped to
make free. 1t was an awful night.
Flashes of lightning cast lurid light
upon many scenes of horror, And so
the long dreary night wore away.
The wounded received as much care
as II was possible to give them. The
dead were buried.
Gathered together by companies and
regiments, wrapped in blankets, they
lay side by side near the long shallow
grave in the breast of the mountain.
The roar of the battle had been ex-
changed for silence. Men whose
voices had shouted in defiance to the
enemy; now spoke in whispers, or
stood silent. Hearts that had stood
unmoyed through all that storm could
not withstand the power of that scene
of blood and suffering and death.
Throbbing. they yielded and melted to
tears.
1t was dearly bought victory; but
It was great stake. Shermans army
of 5000 men, or more, had struggled,
marched and fought, day and night,
for five months, and had achieved a
victory in the capture of Atlanta, of
immense value to the Union cause. The
enemy now sought to convert that vic
tory into defeat In single day. The
loss of Allatoona to the Union forces
would have been a terrible disaster.
The boys who bore the old flag to
victory that day had the backbone to
remain loyal to their trust. They were
boys who would take a message to
Garcia" They sent a message back
to the Union that cheered freedoms
cause throughout the world.
OF the boys who held Allatoona Pass
there are only a few left to tell the
story of the days work on Oct. D,
1QeA ruhich sl1ooeefad the pnsnel