Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1911-06-21
THE SIMPLE LIFE
| OF A COMMONER
Continued from page u.


goth, 1864, in which was briefly
noted few of the stirring events
which rapidly followed each other at
that period.
MY dear M
/ have not until now had an OPP
portunity for writing you. Since my
last letter we left Chattanooga and
proceeded southwark, arriving at
Snake Creek Gap about ten days
ago. We have a large army, COM
manded by General Sherman. 1t is
divided into several columns, one
under General Schofeld, operating
on our extreme left; one under Cen
eral Thomas, in the center; one UNI
der Hooker; one acting independents
ly, and our own, composed of the
Fifteenth and Sixteenth Corps under
Mcpherson. AIT Snake Creek Gap
we began skirmishing with the en-
-emy. We advanced slowly, driving
him back until we arrived at Resac-
ca, where he made stand; at this
place our army unitei and prepared
for battle. The Rebel army under
General Johnston numbered, as near
as we could find out, $4,000 men.
We skirmished and fought with him
for four days, though no general en-
gagement took place.; the Rebels
would not fight. Scarcely more than
a brigade would be engaged at a
time. On the morning of Sunday,
the fifteenth, they evacuated. and
are now skedadling toward Atlanta,
where we are following them as fast
as possible. Our loss at Resacca will
probably be about five thousand. The
Rebel loss, think, will be much
greater. The Second Iowa did not
lose man, killed or wounded,
though we were in one or two rath-
err hard places. Johnston is report
ed to have made speech to his
troops just before the battle, telling
them that our army was composed
of niggers and hundred day men,
and that if they would make one
good charge we would all run. King,
ston is about, sixty miles from Allan
( Ia and fifteen miles from Rome. We
arrived at this place last night. The
Rebels left it in the morning, so you
see our advance is close after them.
4 They had not time to destroy the
railroad bridges, and this morning
we were surprised to see a train OF
cars coming into Kingston; we keep
the road open as we advance. The
I Twenty-sixth Iowa lest about thirty
killed and wounded at Resacca. Ser
geant Watson was slightly wounded.
We have been marching day and
night since the battle, scarcely get
ting more than an hour or two OF
sleep out of twenty-four. ! don't
know whether they will make a
stand at Atlanta or not, but | am in
cHned to think they will and if they
do we will no doubt have desperate
fight"
At Rome Cross Roads the regi-
ment was again under fire, but met
with no serious loss, the enemy fail
ing to make a decided stand on our
| front.
My last important action in the
service Of Uncle Sam was rendered
at Lays Ferry on the Oustonaula
river, where was given command of
body of troops which were order
ed out TO protect Captain Reese,
chief engineer of the army of the
! Tennessee, who with party of
bridge builders were laying pom
toon bridge across the river. Two
or three were wounded before the
bridge was completed, but dom
remember that any fatalities occur
red. 1t was, however, an awkward
situation for the men at work to be
placed in as they had no opportunity
to return the fire of the enemy which
was delivered mostly by sharp shoot
ers from behind trees and stumps,
and by distant artillery.
Soon after this time all that was
left OF the regiment was strength
ened by a remnant of the Third
Iowa, which was consolidated with
it and so the two regiments as one
remained until the close of the war.
II has always seemed to me to be a
pity that so noble a body of men as
those who composed the Third Iowa
Infantry should lose their regimen
tai identity, as one writer has said:
1T was fortunate the members re-
naming were assigned to so fine
regiment as the Second, but after
all II would have been better and
more just, to have allowed the com,
mand to retain its identity and its
name"
Toward the end of the month
was sen< back TO Pulaski with sew
eral other officers, whose terms OF
oo,.x,ioa had avpirad IN was hard to