The National tribune., 1909-07-29
STONE RIVER.
Desperate Fighting Done by the Twen-
ty-first Corps in Stemming the Turn
ing Movement.


ing Movement. -.
Editor National Tribune: 1 notice
an article in The National Tribune of
March s, headed Were not whipped. :"
| and signed j. "A. Duncan, Sd Ohio. He
claims that Gen. Thomas,s Corps was
not whipped I~have no objection to
that statement 50 far as the claim that
Gen. Thomas was not whipped, but do
take exceptions to fiie latter part of the
article i quote. Now. Capt. Barnes,
how does it come, that Crittendeu
stemmed the tide when lie was on tlie
extreme left of the army According
to Greeley, Critfeuden was not en-
gagged in the first days battle. This is
so at variance with the truth and his
tory cannot pass 1t. by. 1t is true the
Twenty-first Corps. Crittendens was
the left of the army. Gen. John NJ
Palmer's Fourth Division was tie right
of the Twenty-first Corps. Gen Cruft's
Brigade. composed of the 1st and I'd
KY, 31st Ind. and goth Ohio was on
the right of the Fourth Division. The
I'd Ky. and :Ist Ind. were in the front
line, and the other two regiments
formed the second line with Capt
Stannard's battery between the lines.
Rosecrans's plan was to cross Stone
River, making right half wheel, roll
up and crush Bragg's right aud drive
him thru Murfreesboro. At the proper
time Thomas's left was to join on TO
the right of the Twenty-first Corps and
continue the turning movement. The
plan was all right and would no loubt
have worked all right IL the rebs
had acted on the defensive. Let us fol-
low them for moment Bragg'S plan
was to mass heavily in our right against
McCook's Twentieth Corps, strike its
flank, roll it up and continue on against
Thomas's Corps, driving the whole line
inn
Nashville Pike. our line of retreat.
Bragg struck first and came very near
accomplishing his purpose. He rolled
up the right and center corps and drove
them back to and over the Nashville
Pike. There Rosecrans had massed So
pieces of artillery and brought over
Van Cleve's Division from the extreme
left of our corps, and with thousands
of those who stood by their colors made
stand. Bragg rallied his men and
added Cheatham's First Division and
made three desperate charges. but was
hurled back with fearful slaughter. II
was here that the Regulars of Rous-
seau's Division lost over half of their
number
Let us see what the Fourth Division
was doing at this time. The rebs in
their turning movement struck our Cii-
vision, our brigade being on the right,
about $3.50 a. m We were lying along
rail fence and they had to advance
over an open cottonfieId. We drove
them back, leaving the ground COW
cred in some places with dead and
wounded. Twice they rallied and fresh
troops were added. but they suffered
| fearful losses. Our regiment and the
| 31st Ind. had been hotly engaged for
nearly two hours, and our 60 rounds of
cartridges We're exhausted. We were
| relieved by the goth Ohio. and the 1st
Let nd 4Ln
| was ordered on a battery located near
! the Cowan burnt house. The 1st KY
swept out over the field, drove every
thing before it, took the battery, killed
all the mules. but, having only 1926 men,
could not hold it. The 90th Ohio, be-
ing a new regiment and never before
under fire, got mixed up, lost heavily,
and did not accomplish anything. on
our left Gen. Hazen's Brigade occu-
| pied what was known as the Round
| Forest, and better or more stubborn
| fighting was not done during the war
There stands a beautiful monument on
the ground they fought on, and the
names of every one killed belonging to
the four regiments composing this bri-
gade are inscribed on that monument
| Our brigade was ordered to fall back
thru the cedars and form line facing
almost south, instead of west. We re-
| ceived heavy fire from our right
! iiaIlk, anu the writer was WOunueu
and captured. This, of course, ended
my share in the fight. AS a matter of
fact. the Twenty-frst Corps was the
only troops that were not driven back
and our brigade, the right of the corps.
was swung around to conform to the
new line. The company that belonged
to went into the fight with 3S muskets.
We lost four killed, nine wounded and
three captured. The fighting up to IL
O'Clock, Dec. 81, 1862, was as desper-
ate as the world ever saw. i believe
If any of the comrades of the old Twen-
ty-first Corps sees this they will in
dorse every word of ii and then some.
It seems a little tough that after Al
years have passed any one could make
a statement such as I quoted. The old
Twenty first Corps did its share of the
fighting that day on that bloody field.
A large per cent are sleeping their
last sleep among the cedars OH the
banks of Stone River. Peace to their
ashes,-John v. Hunt First Sergeant.
I'd KY, Cincinnati. Ohio.