The National tribune., 1911-02-23

The CARTER HOUS
about 100 yards north of the Carter
House log stable, which stood in the
edge of the locust grove. We made
fires and got dinner. After dinner We
heard firing to the south; it came
nearer. and bullets began to sing over
head. -
Our brigade faced the works. A
stream of men came running down the
pike from the works, and we moved
forward. Capt. Lalsin, Opdycke's Adju-
tant, rode up to Maj. Motherspaw, COM
handing the I'D Ill, and said: Where
are you going, Major; there are no
Major replied: Il can't stop them"
Many men from other regiments of the
brigade went with the I'D Ill. to the
works. Gen. Opdycke came up and
moved some of the brigade across the
pike and in front of the Carter House.
The I'D I'll. at the Front.
The I'D Ill. occupied the works from
the Carter House to the log stable in
the north end of the locust grove. Be-
fore we got to the works the. men in
the works broke and ran to the rear.
thrown into a panic by Wagner's men
coming in from the front. When we
got TO the works Wagncr's men We're
still coming in on the run; the leading
rebels had caught UP with them and
were coming over with them; it was a
trying situation. We bavoneted or club
bed the leading rebels into surrender
ing. BY the time Wagner's men were
all in the solid columns of the enemy
We're very close. We gave them a vol
ley that caused them to halt, and by
the time they advanced again we We're
ready with another that sent them back
10 reform. From the. left of the Sd
III. at the brick smoke-house to the
pike the works We're deserted by our
men, and the enemy took possession,
capturing an abandoned battery.
Just after the 73d Ill. had repulsed
the first heavy attack in the Carter
House yard, we heard loud cheering to
our left, and looking that way we saw
rebels running south thru the Carter
House garden toward the works they
had just captured, closely pursued by
our men. This cheering was from
Opdycke's men, who were charging
with the rest of the brigade from across
the pike
Opdycke drove the rebels out of the
captured works, taking many prisoners
and 10 or IL battlefiags. The enemy
soon reformed and renewed the attack
several times, but were always re-
pulsed. Many of Wagner's men, and
also the Twenty-third Corps men. who
abandoned the works. came up later
and assisted in repelling the attacks.
maze Use OF tSdtIert-
In the line occupied by the 73d ILL.,
was a section of battery that was
deserted when the Twenty-third CORPS
men left the works. Adj't Wilmer and
Capt. Patten, of the 73d H.. got men to
assist in bringing up ammunition and
in firing these guns; and they were of
great service in repelling the assaults.
Just after dark Adj't Wilmer was shot
dead while assisting in firing the can
Moi ut NlF~ Ilxr
wounded just after we reached the
works. After dark the most of the
assaults came from the vicinity of the
locust grove. About O'Clock firing
began to quiet down, and soon ceased.
Toward midnight our brigade was
drawn out of the line, and we were
soon on the road to Nashville.
In 1892 ] attended the Reunion of
the Army of the Cumberland at Chat
1anooga. / stopped at Nashville to
visit the battlefields. and went 10
Franklin. / called AT the Carter House
and found DIR. Carter "a son of the DIR
Carter Of war times) He said that he
was in the house at the time of the
battle. and that the family went into
the cellar. ] asked about the Garter
son who was said to have been killed
in the yard. He informed me that his
brother was shot on the home farm
about 60 rods from the house, near the
After our army withdrew his COM
rades carried him home. and he died
the next day. DIR. Carter also informed
me that some of Hoods Tennessee vet
Grams were at his house, and he assisted
them in stalking off the old battle lines
DIR. Carter took me along the lines
and showed me where Cleburne and
Adams and other Generals fell. From
the cotton gin our works ran in a
straight line to the Carter brick smoke
house. Hood formed his columns on
both sides and advanced along the pike
When Stewart Struck Us.
When Stewards column struck our
works at the cotton gin, Cheatham's
line was 20 rods from our line, between
the smoke-house and the stable As
Stewart advanced, his column became
exposed to a flank fire. and his men
were soon swept from the triangle be-
tween our works and the pike
Gen. C!eburne's Division was with
Cheatham's Corps He was killed
across the pike IN front of Stewards
Corps. When Cheatham's right reached
the deserted works, (from the pike
thru the Carter garden,) it was terribly
cut up by the flank fire from across the
pike. His line crossed the deserted
works and went TO the Carter front
yard and halted to reform.
Hood made the greatest charge made
by the Confederates during the war.
He had not less than $4,000 men in
line-Inany more than Pickett had at
Gettysburg. Hoods losses were greater
shan Pickett,s. Lee. with double Hoods