The National tribune., 1909-08-05
THE BATTLE OF ATLANTA.
4 Vivid Remembrance of that StOrmful
and StressfuI July ID, 1864.

THE BATTLE. OF ATLANTA.
A Vivid Remembrance of that Stormful
and StressfuI July %, 1864.
Editor Notional Tribune: am greatly
l interested in your account of Sherman's
I Atlanta campaign, in which the 18th Ind.
Of which l was Chaplain, participated. I'M
der command of Col. Reub. Williams. who
was brigade commander daring the last
year of our service Your graphic descrip
ton of the several battles of that campaign
! has been so accurate, both in their gen
ersl features and III every detail, that
| find no occasion for criticism. This is
especially the case in your description Of
! Hoods second assault upon our lines in
! front of Atlanta, July 22, 1864, and of
Gen. James Il. McPherson's death III the
afternoon OF that memorable day.
| 1t was my sDecial duty and privilege TO
care for the sick and wounded comrades Of
| the 18th Ind, and at the time of Hoods
fierce assault upon the Fifteenth Corps,
under command of that peerless leader.
Gen. John \. Logan, was at the hospital
1 in our rear when our left flank was at
tackled by the enemy and our lines were
| giving way, while our front was also
| forced back. south of the Augusta Rail-
road, and DE Gress's Battery fell into the
enemyis hands. An order came from Sher-
mans headquI rters TO remove the hospital
packed in an adjacent open field. might
! likewise be overwhelmed by the advancing
C0nfederates.
| In an Incredibly brief time-not more
| than IL minutes-the entire outfit was
ready for removal to the rear, and never
was there witnessed more densely
crowded mass of ammunition, luggage.
supply and hospital wagons, ambulance,
I etc. than at thar moment struggled for
positions in the line of retreat. As /
mounted my horse to rejoin my regiment.
not knowing that the entire division had
Hoods troops had vacated during the
night and bad been recovered by us in the
morning, | saw Gen. McPherson's rider
less horse rush from the woods at the
south, and into the open field occupied by
our trains. Seeing that the well-knOwn
horse of our beloved commander was
| bleeding from a gunshot wound in his
| right hip. l cried aloud in my sorrow ::
Gen. MCPHERSON is killed" / was there
| fore the first man, except the two orderlies
who saw our hero fall. TO lament his fate
as the one ORDERLY who escaped had not
| then reached Sherman's headquarters
Soon after I reached our lines my report
of the Generals death was confirmed by
an order placing Gen. Logan in command
of the Army Of the Tennessee. No loss
| ever sustained by our army was more
| sincerely anl deeply lamented than that
| of Sberman's most trusted and popular
| subordinate
Your account of his death perfectly ac-
cords with the facts which soon became
| widely known. and which produced such
J profound impression upon our troops
! that when Sherman and Logan appeared
on the field of action. after the battle end
| ed. there was n Solemn silence. attended
with military salutes and barred heads by
our victorious forces. who had tl,en reoc-
cupied the works from which they had
| been forced TO retire.
i had barely reached our line from the
| hospital and reported that Gen. McPher-
son bad been killed at the front and left,
when Sherman's order came to assault the
enemy and reoccupy our works at all
hazards The entire division of Gen.
| Harrow at once advanced in line of battle.
| But the enemy in our front had been
driven out by an enfilading fire from the
batterF and infantry ON Leggett's Hill. af-
| ter Hoods assault, had been repelled By
| the right OF Blair's Seyenteentli Corps.
The fighting at that point was earally
severe with thar of the '.Rloodv Angle at
| Shiloh. or at the "Devil's-Den" a. Gettys-
| burg: for the two lines fought hand-to-
| hand, and actually exchanged position on
opposite sides of the fiercely contested
| works.
One important fact bearing upon the
| temporary success of Hoods forces in
| front of IIarrow's Division of the FIJI
teenfli Corps has not been made suiii-
GENTLY prominent. either in the ofticia! re-
ports of that sanguinary engagement or
/ in more recent accounts of the battle OF
| Atlanta. ! refer to the tardiness of action
on the part oe an Illinois regiment. the
number of which do not recall When
il WIS ordered to cover the deep cut thyIi
which the Augusta Railroad passes. south
of the Howard house. Col. Reub. Williams,
who commanded Cur brigade. saw the I'M
pending peril and urged haste in reachiDg:
| the defeuseleSs position. But his appeal
was disregarded, and consequently. n
column of the enemy succeeded in rushing
! thru the open cut. The result was tha.
our lines were forced back by flank
attack on our right, south of the cut. and
swung around like a great gate on its
hinges, until they reoccupied the works
! from which they had advanced at daylight
of that eventful morning.
Three of my comrades and most init
mate friends perished in the assault. which
| came so near being disastrous to our
armies. Lieut.. James II. Weaver. of Co
l Harvey f. Scott. of Co. d. and Law
brother of Adi't Marsh II. Parks, of tn
| 10Th Ind, with other brave men whom
buried upon that field of conflict. gave up
their lives at the same hour in which our
noble Commander. Gen. James Il. Mci'her-
son, of Ohio. while arranging reinforce
| ments for defense against Hoods assault
upon our left flank.
The battle of Atlanta holds a place in
our Western camDaigns similar to that
at Vicksburg. in the Southwest, and thai
of Gettysburg. in the Northeast. one year
previous Like these two great triumph
of Grant and his heroic troops. that of
Sherman on July 22, 1864. was a culmi
nation of previous and successive achieve
ments such as history has nowhere elsc
recorded. and al who now survive to re
call their PARTICIPATION in either event may
well rejoice in their honOr.-M. ID. Gage
Chaplain, 10Th Ind, San Bernaidna, Cal.