The National tribune., 1909-04-08

gade, who floated down the river, land
ed and captured all but one of the rebel
pickets We Immediately commenced
crossing and throwing up intrenchments
10 protect the landing. At daylight
was ordered out on the skirmish line
with my company. We advanced slowly
to give time for the bridge to be built
and the remainder of the troops to
gross. The day was foggy and drizzly,
and we could see but a short distance,
tho all day long We could hear the
thunder Of the battle which Hooker
was fighting miles away above the
clouds" Near sundown. possibly about
D. m, we reached the Atlanta Rail-
road. which runs close around the point
Of the. ridge. Here we halted to cor
rect our lines, and few minutes later
! saw a column of troops approaching.
which halted, and the commanding Off
Ter. Lieut-Col. Won Blessingh, OF the
B7th Ohio, rode up and told me that he
had been ordered to carry the ridge,
and asked If / would go ahead with
my company as skirrnishers. We had
net seen any rebels, and therefore felt
very brave. and / replied that / thought
we could. I gave the order, and up we
went on the run. We reached the sum
NIT just in time to meet a rebel line of
Ekirmfshers, who were advancing from
the other direction. A few shots were
exchanged. and they then fell back and
we took possession The troops moved
up and We worked all night, part of the
time by the feeble light of the eclipsed
moon, throwing up earthworks! which
were occupied by Woods Battery.
The Morning OF Nov. 25.
This is the first ground of our claim,
for we found no other Union troops On
the summit when We reached it. But
this was not all When the morning
of the 25th dawned we found that the
hill we had taken was not the main
ridge, but a large isolated knob, sepa-
rated from the main ridge by a deep
and narrow rayine thru which ran
wagon track. Soon after daylight Gen.
Sherman came up on the knob, and a
few minutes later an order came to me
and Capt. Warner, of Co. +, TO take
our companies and carry the point Of
the main ridge, where the rebels had a
line of rife pits. The men were still
digging when the order came, and they
threw down their shoyels, picked up
their guns, formed their line and start
ed. It was the understanding that they
were 10 advance firing, then halt behind
trees, load and advance again; but once
started this was forgotten, and they
went on a dead run down one side of
the ravine, across the valley and up the
other side, driving before them or cap
turing a few skirmishers in the valley,
and in less than five minutes they had
driven the rebels out OF their rifle pits
with tie 5ayonEt. One man was killed
and one wounded on the charge. A
Johnny raised his gun to shoot Capt.
Warner. who yelled out, Who the -
are you shooting at2" Either the fell
low was a raw recruit or the Captains
Voice had a peculiarly persuasive inau-
ence over him, for he Immediately
dropped his gun and surrendered. Here
we rest our claim that we were the first
to set foot on the main ridge. tho Co.
] must share this honor with Co. Z, as
II was impossible TO tell which reached
the summit first Neither company ever
received any credit for it, as you know
that in reports of battles ii is only the
Brigadier-GeneraIs and Colonels thai
ever did anything.
Gaining the Ridge.
now moved my company forward
in skirmishing order about 20 rods. and
Law down to await further orders. ThJ
ridge was very narrow at the point. but
widened rapidly and rose with consd-
cradle rapidjty toward the south. The
timber was thin and scattering so tina,
we could plainly see the entertainment,
which our friends. the enemy, were pre-
pairing for us. About 40 rods or less
from where we lay they had thrown ur
a line of log breastworks clear across
the ridge, and behind it lay part of Gen
Pat Cleburne's Texas and Arkansas
troops, as stubborn fighters as the rebel
army contained, and we could count the
muzzies of IL pieces of artillery. While
We lay there we could see regiment after
reg1ment coming down the slope at
double-quick and forming behind the
rad Siy