The National tribune., 1910-07-28
INCIDENTS OF THE EvER-INTER-
ESTING ATLANTA CAMPAIGN.

ESIlNG ALBANIA AGCAMpAlGN.
Many New and Hitherto Unpublished
Stories of the Great Struggle in
Northern Georgia.
This batch of characteristic sketches
will awaken many memories of those
fierce days of struggle around the
stronghold of northern Georgia during
the sweltering days of the Summer of
1864.
After Assault at Kenesaw.
Henry c. Pratt, Sergeant, Co.4G, 34th
H.. Virginia, ILL.,, writes:
The 34th III. led the advance for
the Second Brigade, Second Division,
) Fourteenth Corps, with Cos. A and b
in advance, followed closely by Cos. F
and G., deployed as skirmishers, at close
order, to cover the brigade front OF
two regiments. AS l remember them,
the 18th and 9Sth Ohio, with the 18th
} Ill. and 121st Ohio in support, the 1OSth
lOhio having been detached a few days
before The orders as read to the skir-
lmiSh companies to take our places in
the works of the troops occupying the
trenches in front of the point to be
Iassaulted; at a given signal to leap the
works and dash for the enemy's picket
line. This was promptly done. l do
not think many of the rebels were
lcaptured and none were killed, for we
were ordered to reserve our fire for
the main line of works, to protect our
selves as best we could-an order al
ways obeyed by veteran troops-and
annoy the enemy as much as possible
while the main lines advanced. We
found the space between their pick ct
line and main line of works perhaps
so yards The underbrush was tied
together in such a manner that it was
impossible to double-quick. About 25
yards from the works an abatis of the
boughs of large trees, trimmed and
pointed and staked to the ground as
securely as wooden stakes could make
| them. Between this and the main line
was their principal abatis, consisting of
well-made scheve de freeze, which a
farmer boy described that day as "a
stalk-rake with teeth both ways All
of which many of the men passed, and
gave up their lives in an effort to ac-
complish the impossible.
1T is not my place to say why the
| assault failed. All the commanding
officers have given their reports. Let
| their verdict stand. / have never seen
history that does justice to what was
| accomplished after the assault. The
main line of assault, as soon as re-
pnlsed, began to fortify their positions.
| The skirmishers and some from the
main line remaining between the lines
| maintained as destructive a fire as pos
sible until the former had crude works
affording considerable protection, and
| then left their positions as best they
could, some to give up their lives in
the effort, while others remained till
darkness made retreat less hazardous
THE SID Ohio and 22d Ind. of the
| Third Brigade, Col. Daniel McCook's
actually built their works but 27 yards
in front of the rebel works, which were
/ n Il. IL
world ever saw. The left of the 9Sth
| Ohio, which we relieved on the 30th,
was 35 yards from the enemy, and we
maintained picket post in our front
only 20 yards from the rebel line. 1
remember no armistice to care for the
wounded. They remained until night.
On the 29th there was an armistice to
bury the dead, whose putrid bodies
were injecting the atmosphere"
Wounding Young Lady,
w. w. Ewing, Co. A, S5th5 Ind,
Pierre, S. D., writes:
in The National Tribune of April 7
Comrade Petit, of the 147th Pa gave
an account of the wounding of a young
lady at the battle of Peach Tree Creek.
Now, that young lady was fine-fea-
tured young man, and while he may
have been his mothers pet he was by
no means a Sissy as the position on
the IlHe he occupied WNen
would indicate.
While we would not disparage the
gallantry of the grand old Second Di-
vision, yet history truly states that At
lanta surrendered to the Third Division
of the Twentieth Corps. The Third Di-
vision had the credit of being the first
into Savannah. They started to cross
the Savannah River on New Years
Day, 1865, and the Second Brigade was
landed on the South Carolina side the
next day on the boat that had been
run out of Charleston Harbor by five
colored men. The historian says Sher-
mans army remained in Savannah
about month, and the credit goes with
the right wing for the occupation of
South Carolina by Sherman's army"
\ Lucky Move.
Ira s. Owens. Union, Montgomery
County. o.. writes:
while lying before Atlanta in 1864
had a peculiar experience. The rifle
pits were in such close proximity to
the rebels that we had to go on picket
after dark. Aug. 20 ] had to remain
in the rife pits all night and all the
next day. About o'clock / became
very tired, and crawled out of the pits
to stretch my limbs in the shade of
tree, it being very hot, and while there
the thought struck me that perhaps l
was too much exposed to the rebel
sharpshooters. so i got down into the
pit again. i had no sooner gotten
down when a bullet went into the
ground exactly where had been lying.
Had i remained there a second longer
would have been shot"
At Peach Tree Creek.
Joseph B. Newbury, Sergeant, Co. ],
18th Ohio. White Sulphur Springs.
Mont, writes:
"On July 19 the Fourth Corps and
Fourteenth Corps and the First and
Second Divisions of the Twentieth
Corps crossed Peach Tree Creek to the
eastern side and formed lines, while
the Third Division of the Twentieth
Corps remained in camp some six miles
or more from the battlefield On the
morning of the goth / was ordered to
take Is men and Corporal and fol-
low the line of march of the division
and the batteries and ammunition wag-
ons, and gather up and bring forward
all who might fall out of ranks.
1T was a very hot day, and as the |
line of march was thru woods the
shade was some protection. We had
advanced several miles, and the bat
teries and ammunition teams could fol- |
low the divisions line of march no |
farther because of distractions and |
had to move off to the left, and did not |
join the division until the battle was |
over and the victory won.
II concluded my orders required me |
to follow the line of march of the divi- |
sion, and / did so. We had gathered |
about so who had fallen out on ac-
count of the heat, and came to the |
creek about IL a. m. We crossed, and |