The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-02-25
MEMOIRS OF A SOLDIER IN
WAR BETWEEN THE STATES
Defeat Of the Mighty H SITS Of the Southland at
Missionary Hill and Lookout Mcuntaii- Some
siielights on These Bloody Afr, V,

! "''"' an" nave no fccoilcCtlon of .e-
| ing one Federal soldier, dead ., alive
IN ragged uniform. ana the only burc.
| loot Fcdcrais saw wsre The dead
= whose shoes had been "apuiupriutcd'
| py the Confederate living AbDGt the
| middle az October a young lieutenant
! ana four men OF an ohio or Indiana
| Slincnt while recommending Il ut,l4
700 i"r IN th"ir front, were captured
! " our piek"ts. had tiIem in charge
10 send TO the rear al prisoners of war
/ ! conTersed at length with the inteiii-
| gent young oificer treated him with
an courtesy. and he. OF course. disclosed
| nothinS 10 me Of conditions within their
lines. bat these men were well clad ana
mad no appearance Of starving or ev N
| hungry men.
~ Chattanooga.
| October 20 following General Grant
! reached Chattanooga with reinforce
/. ments and bountiful supplies OF food.
| clothing and ammunition. satd "a
tho Young officer: lieutenant. why ara
you mere with an invading army. with
sword and cannon, to Kin Southern n,.,,
| on southern soil. around their own
! ho'neaf is u fcE the purpose OF ahvl
ishins slavery, NJ freeing the a.gro
{ slaves OF the SOUTH" 80 sir" ha
replied damn the negroes Of the
! south II were this moment no, a
prisoner. aud ware l armed and u;
I cduul advantage with Yourself 50 help
! me God, since your kind and courteous
, ,.,,..il, to me and my comrades, /,
, would not shoot YOU down to free
I every negro in Dixis:' Then why?'
! asked
Pointing to our bat;icnass planted
along our car;hworks IN front, he sad
! Tut In place OF that nag The star.
and Siripes. and pledge you my word
| there nre thousands OF men within tn
/ ~
| Fought you at Chickan,anga, and who
! VII! again soon nght you, who would
| throw down their arms as would
! nave shcathed my sword. ana refused
| TO fire on you or advance agn!n-; YOU"
Lieutenant Doyle. OF Company i. For
| y-sevcnth Georgia, being present,
! fairly Kissed out In his Irish broguc:
ITO ben with Jour shnottet and
shiriped nag; We will thread ON Il
/ again and again as We did at Chicka-
| manga, and had nay way would
| burn livery bloody flag and shoe, livery
damned prisoner captured think
That would aid In putting an IND to
| the whole damn "a bloody business e
| ! quickly Interrupted with: 'I.icuten-
an, Doyle. YOU are a brave man. but
Remember you arc speaking to An ON =
( Ger OF equal rank with yourself. but
! who ss Captiva ana powcriess Let us
| hold our temper and fire until We NEE;
! MS comrades who are not prisoners on
The field. Right. sir said Doyle.
am anxious for the meeting. would
not Insult prisoner: | only advocat C
a black flag, with no quarter asked OF
given. so long as they invade our soil
| and desecrote our homes" ! regretted
TO sec the gallant young fellow. but
! llttie Older than myself go to III. rear
| on leaving he extended his hand In
parting he in blue ana IN gray. ana
crashed IT warmly. in sympathy and
! well wishing az would have srasped
day before or the day after on the field
Lookout Mountain.
| or lie skirmish on Lookout Mountain
I historians write: The far-fnmed battle
/ above the clouds. In truth, our line
on Lookout Mountain WAS little more
| chan picket line. Major General
stevenson. commanding a part of said
line. spok> in his official report Of the
serious weakness of the force, there
parts Of The line" This thin line. up
/ and down the mountain s!des, could
/ only fire and fall back AT the APP
! preaching, Overwhelming Federal
! forces. or remain and be captured. In
/ ans firing they We're guided by tho
I ire Of the approaching Federal lines,
! as the mountain was at the time an
I
one hour from about 1880 10 1880 A.
| NJ. during the day. or our three bril-
| Sades extended, drawn out and in ac-
! tion hsrc--Moore's. Walthall's and
Pcttus's-the casualties were: Killed
! Nn"rc's Brigade. { Walthall's s: Pet
| tus's. ., This does not include the
wounded and missing. but shows the
! IMMENSELY ard sanguinencss II tn.
| far-faned battle above the clouds"
| Also in some of our school histories
I which have come under my notice there
are accounts of the battle of Missionary
| Ridge. In which 1t appears that the cap
{ tnre Of that position from Bragg's de-
! pleted army by Grant. who was then in
command of the largely reinforced Fed
eral force. was II kind of frolic or picnic
! for the l'ederals. That the Federal
! forces mustered as If for review, and
| then just came on AMI on, smoothly
ana beautifully. almost without hind
| rance. until they possessed themselves
easily of our works and guns and many
Of our troops.
I In truth, when I-ongstreets corps and
other Of Our forces were sent on to
Knoxville In November, and our re-
naming force stretched out and cX-
tended Into such thin line that there
was not ono man for yards OH some
| parts Of the line" the able Generals
Grant. sherman and others. pent up in
Chattanooga. saw their opportunity and
thought, evidently. with their army of
! $4,000 men our weakened line could be
easily swept away at any and every
point. aud they did move to the assault
! hercely, coolly and apparently very
confidently. Their force that struck
orr right consisted Of the divisions OF
Major General Jeff C. Davis, three divi-
sions OF the army brought by Sherman
from Nicksburg, and Towards (1Ith)
| Corps OF the Army OF the Potomac, oil
| under command OF General Sherman.