Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1912-09-13
A|b WAR,
HREaRa1NlseNS{ss.
STORY OF DECATUR BATTLE
interesting Account is nesa. 600
Time at That important stro"s
hold in Alabama.

Time at That Important oUo"s
hold in Alabama.
In the National Tribune OF May
roroeont Ashley ". Newton. GO. ~
Cd Mich. in "Colored Troops d. 80
tur." saws that at Nashville MS i@e
ment got a rush order to proceeu W
Decatur to reinforce General Mliroy'
who was being closely presseu W =.
rest. General Milroy was not
Decatur: neither was Forrest, writes
Will A. McTeer, adjutanf' gu u.s.
Cav. and asting assistant auJu.a
general, First Brigade, fourth I've
sion. Cavalry Corps, Maryviile, Ienn.r
in the National Tribune. Gen. hopere
S. Granger was in command 'n0
military district OF north Aiapanias
with headquarters OF Decatur anu
Huntsville. Col. c. c. Doolittle, Oh the
18th Mich, was In command OF tne
post at Decatur.
Comrade Newton says: I'VE founo
the bridge burnea, but Genera mii
roy had provided for our coming "
erecting a pontooa bridge.
Our Cavalry Brigade reported 10
General Granger for duty, arriving at
Decatur July 10, 1864, and the DRUGS
was destroyed before that time, anu
the pontoon was erected then, ana ap-
peared as If 1t had been there loI
months before. 1t appears that IL was
placed there, by General sherman
when on his way from Memphis 10
Chattanooga"
Further, Comrade Newton SAYS
"The Confederates seeing us, empha-
sized their objection by rushing SIX
piece battery down to the bank OF inc
river within easy range OF the Drloee'
and they would have mixed things up
very seriously for the 30 Mich. Dut
for the timely intervention of two
companies Of colored troops that were
sent by General Milroy to distract
their attention in another direction"
1 was acting assistant adjutant
general of the Cavalry Brigade ana
on the line Of battle. Hood (not For
rest) attacked us, October 26, 1864.
In General Changers report to
General Thomas he fixes his whole
force at Decatur at 1850, and with
the goth Mich. added, which had just
arrived, and $50 absent on patrol
duty, there were only 1000 men to de-
fend Decatur. Every available man
was placed out on the line, and then
We could not reach around more than
half way In front Of our works. The
only reason that the first days fight
ing was not one Of the greatest bat
ties of the war was because there
were not men enough to make it so.
There were no colored troops there
that day, but in the night we were re-
inforced by the 14th u. S. Colored
Inf, commanded by Col. afterwards
GeneraD J. T. Morgan.
The Sd and 10Th Mich. reinforced
us while engaged in the hottest part
on the first afternoon. remember
distinctly their coming, and as they
went out OH the line the appearance
Of the bright, new uniforms was in
decided contrast to our own worn and
dingy clothing
The Confederates were using a bat
terry at lively rate with deadly ef-.
feet, but it was nearly mile from
the river and not in range Of the,
bridge at all. On the 9th the enemy
threw UP some pits on the bank Of the
river, about a mile above Decatur and
nearly half mile from where the bat
terry was first used by them on the,
first day. On the morning Of the 28th
n a nj he
102d Ohio according to my journal
At mem made their way down the
river, succeeded in thanking the Con-
federate rife pits, made a gallant
charge from their rear, in which a
number Of men were killed and
wounded, and brought in 12o prison
ers.
l stood on the upper porch OF the,
Decatur hotel when Colonel Morgan
came in front with the 18th regiment
of colored troops (not two COM
panies), and they piled their knap-
sacks, leaving one man to the com
pany as guards. I noticed Colonel Nor
gan holding in his hand small
Ratchet, and also that a number or
the officers had hatchets. They start
ed out in the open field, marching i'm
excellent order to within rife RANGE.
of the Confederates, when thew fired
a volley, then raised yell and cbarp-
ed.
The affair did not last much more
than 20 minutes, but the work was
bloody. They drove the Confederates
from their support with the bavonet
The guns We're spiked, and the COL
ored boys had to fall down along the
waters edge under the bank of tbe
river, while the enemy ran along
ABOVE them and shot down on them
In his report Of. this cbarpe Cen
eral Granger says: 1--WE lost 40 killer
and wounded" and up to that time
our loss amounted to 80.
In the forenoon of October 90 The
enemy began to withdraw, and was
az the place where th.s battery ba6
stood, and It was place of b,ooG
without doubt. Prior to this charge
Capt. Albert F. Beach, Battery A 1st
Ienn.s had taken two ae,t;o. - -.