The National tribune., 1909-06-17
BATTERY F, 1st ILL. L. A.
It was Very Much in It July %, 1861

ft was Very Much in It July %, 1864.
Editor National Tribune: I have
been very much interested in ''The At
Ianta Campaign" and could scarcely
find a fault with the same until you
began to describe the battle of Atlanta
occurring on the ED of July. was
q young boy at that time serving as
private in Battery f. 1st Ill. l.. A, and
/ know my. Battery was in Harrow's
and we were on the left side of the
railroad when the charge was made by
Cheatham's Division, and we were just
north of Leggett's Hill, on the railroad,
part of my Battery guns on the south
and part on the north side of the rail-
to Decatur.
I am very much disappointed that
you did not mention my Battery, and
the singular part of It Is, in copying
from Maj. Landgrabber's report, you
speak twice of Battery T, I'd Mo. Art.
I know that Battery F. 1st Ill. L. A.
was present, and a portion of Cheat
hams Division came in thru the rail-
road cut upon our rear, and captured
all the caissons of our Battery, togeth-
er with our Battery forge and Bat
terry wagons, and for several weeks
thereafter myself and my companions
slept upon the ground. The rebels also
hlliSo 1iSut. IhObp aio SdPtoiS GU i@iSoS'
.Rissley. and also wounded and killed
between % and 80 men IN my Battery.
Your plan of the battle seems very
familiar to me, and from an actual
view of the ground twice within the
last five years, 1 believe 1t to be cor
rect; but 1 do not know the exact To-
cation of De Gress's Battery. You say
that Battery F, I'd Mo-. had 12-pound
Parrot Napoleon guns. I never heard
of such a thing in the army. My
Battery had 12-pound smoothbore
Napoleon guns, shot very large ball
and large cans of canister, and there
must be a mistake in calling them
q Parrot Napoleon gun. As I always
understood, a Parrott gun shot rifle
ball; but, of course, I am very much
confused over a positive recollection Of
such matters of SO long ago.
saw McPherson's body brought in
from the bottom of Leggett's Hill and
taken over to the Howard House in
an ambulance. I knew Gen. Logan by
sight very well-he came from near
my old home in Illinois-and when our
line had become broken by Cheat
hams charge. and while we were
running back to the old works
passed "Old Black Jack" as we
affectionately called Gen. Logan, and
he asked me what company 1 belong
ed to and where was my Battery.
As 1 always understood it, Maj.
Cheeney-who was formerly Captain Of
my Battery, which was frequently CALI
ed Cheeney's Battery, but on the At
1anta campaign was commanded by
Capt. Burton-was Chief Of Artil-
1ery of my division. or of my
brigade, and he was present at the
battle OF the 22d. I heard he was CEN
cured for not having q gun, or battery.
down upon the railroad track, instead
Of having the guns on each side Of the
railroad track upon the banks of the
hill which the railroad ran thru, run
ming from Decatur into Atlanta; but
certainly Battery F, 1st Ill L. A, did
some hard and distinguished work
with her 12-pound Napoleon smoothbore
guns on the 22d of July. not only
against the charge made by Cheatham
in the railroad cut, but also on Leggett's
Hill to the south of the railroad cut
where the hardest part of the battle
took place-L G. Burr Lincoln, Neb.