The National tribune., 1910-02-24
PRENIoNITIoNs THAT CAME TRUE.
Some Memories of the Awful Battle OF
ChicSamauga.


Editor National Tribune: On Sept. IS,
1868. we, the Second Division in Gen.
iMcCook's Corps, came down from the
south end of Lookout Mountain into the
Valley of Death. That night the regi-
ment. the 29th Ind, was ordered to go
on picket. Perry Shumaker, from La
porte, Ind. and | were ColOr-SerSeants.
| had the banner and he the battle flag.
We left the ColorS at the ColOnefs tent
and went out on picket line, and then L
overheard the following conversation.
John Cutler was Captain of my COM
Ipany and y. 2. Dunn was Captain of
Co. F. from Logansport, Ind: IF / get
out of this battle alive tomorrow, l Will
never go into another one" said Cutler
to Dunn. Capt. Dunn answered: L
! have about the same feeling. We have
| a gigantic struggle on our hands to-
morrow, and 1 feel about like you,
John"
| The next morning, Sept. 10, 1863. we
moved at daylight and marched for
about 10 miles. Then Johnson's Divi-
sion in McCook's Corps was detached to
| go to the left wing and assist Gen.
Thomas to repel the rebel forces. We
obeyed orders, and went north, and
| right now | don't want to delineate any
thing about the battle of Chickamauga,
but when about 2 O'Clock we got into
| line of battle the S0th Ind, on our
right: the nth Pa, on our left, and the
18th H., close by. orders were given to
make a charge on Pat Cleburne'S DlVi-
! sion, and the charge was made. We re-
pulsed them for the time being. But
now comes the question: Did Capt. Cut
| Ter and Capt. Dunn lose their lives in
that battle? And the answer is, Yes"
they We're both killed in the charge.
Perry Shumaker, who had the battle
flag. got shot thru his left hand and
i II tNslT
and Capt. Dunn picked up the flag, and
in a moment he had rebel bullet thru
his heart. and two comrades took him
to the rear, where he died in about 10
minutes Our Capt Cutler Str0lled off
with the SD Ind. under Gen. Which,
in the same charge, and they got him
in front of a reserve rebel battery, and
he received a grape or canister ball
thru his heart. and so ended the lives
of two noble, brilliant men for the per-
petuation of the Union.
That same night / was captured by
the Johnnies, and | would have died in
Andersonville, where so many OF my
best comrades died who were captured
that same day. What happened on
Sept. 30 is another story. | only re-
member that we were on the Kelly
Field. trying to repulse the rebel forces.
and in the evening about o'clock l
made the remark, in hearing distance
of a number of comrades and Col.
Brickens: Il wish that Gen. Grant was
here or the day was ended" In later
years | have said at Reunions: The
battle of Chickamauga lasted about SO
hours, but to man up a tree, especial
ly when it was his position to carry the
flag and not disgrace the noble State of
Indiana and its War Governor, O. p.
Morton, the feeling was like that of
Wellington at Waterloo when he wished
for night>or Blucker."
What happened on the second day,
Sept. 20, is history. l will only here
repeat it. At the battle of Chickamauga
it was Gordon Granger and Gen. Stead
man who helped Gen. Thomas and res
cued the Army of the Cumberland,
which landed two days afterwards in
the keypoint of the Southern Confeder-
acy, Chattanooga, Tenn. But don't for
get that we were all glad at that time
that Bragg and Longstreet captured us
all in a bunch at Chickamauga.
Comrade McElroy, l only met you
once personally in my lifetime, and that
was in September, 1891, in Cleveland,
20. Right here / want to say there is
no opposition to you for Commander-in-
Chief of the G. 4. r. What 1 kick
about is that you didn't get that honor
able and high position long ago, but it's
better late than never. And now. Com
rade McElroy, as Brownlow, editor of
the Knoxville Wing, said at the time:
Every dog has his day, and SO had
John Morgan" 1 was in Chattanooga
at the time it happened, and read the
next day what the old parson, Brow
low, had to say about John Morgan.
The American language is inadequate
to reproduce the epithets he used
Christian Seller, Bremen, Ind.