Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1912-05-17


pecially against the little force Bragg
had reduced himself to! You see this,
do you not?
Now that is just ex actly what hap
pencd. Bragg could spare only 5000
men or SO to defend that huge Look
to Mo untain. Grants army, when it
attacked. had grown to 100, 900 men or
more. He first fanked, by large
colrmn, our little force off from
Lookout and gained it. There
was little fighting, little opportunity
or occasion, and few casualties. They
gained our rear easily, as we'll as
attacking in front, and our little force
had to leave to escape capture (many,
indeed were captnred).
The Battle in the Clouds" North
ern historians call it, causes a smile
to all VINO know the facts. Our men
fought until they saw fighting ment
being surrounded and captured. The
enemy behaved we'll, showed them
selves soldiers, in doing what they
did; but, as to fighting, il wasn't the
thing to do. The thing to do was to
hold our men engaged in front, while
their thanking force gained their real
and edged them off the mountain,
which they did.
Grant used the same tactics as to
Missionary Ridge and our main army
then placed thereon. Here, too, the
distances TO be defended were even
greater, viz: just as long as the ridge
itself, to where there is "pass" or
gap" through which was afforded
an opportunity to turn" or flank"
our position. This distance is four to
six miles possibly. The fridge" at
the far right las you stand on it
and face Chattanooga. breaks up
into steep hills, almost mountains,
and furnished chances, for ''hank-
ing" Now this whole long distance
had to be covered by what was left of
our army.
| Consider, then, the picture present
ed on the second and decisive day.
The two armies faced each other; one
tours) on Missionary Ridge, Grants
in the valley or foreground, mile or
so outside of Chattanooga 1.-THE bulk
of it, that isl in a line curving around
our left up on top of Lookout Mount
ain, and ''entilading" our left; and
stretching at the other end topposite
our right far beyond our right and
threatening to turn that flank also
They had 100, 900 men or over; we haG
about 25, 900 or 26. 600 enfeebled men,
thinned out ito cover that long dis.
tance) to such attenuation that there
was but one rank of US, and in plac .
this single rank was made up of mes
FIVE to seven or eigt feet apart. Such
was the picture the morning of the
second day, November 2s, 1868.
Grant attacked. And his move was
move on both TANKS, our left anG
our right flour to six miles apart pro
bably) On our left he sent Genera
Hooker, with fanking column o.
macy thousands 10000 was the talk
among us after the battle) right
through that wide valley between
Lookout Mountain and Missionary
Ridge. We had not skirmish line
there even to oppose him! We did
not have any men to put there. Hook
er did not fire a shot probably, for
he did not meet any men to fire at
(saYe a straggler or two). He simply
walked through that valley, then turn
ed around upon the rear of our let
and centre, and awaited orders. Those
orders came in the afternoon, when,
by preconcerted signal, he and the
army along The front of our left and
centre were TO charge at one and the
same time, and coop up our entrap-
ped and helpless men there in GER
tain destruction CIR capture.
And that charge took place. It was
we'll planned and gallantly executed.
But was there any lighting" worthy
of the name? Not at all. Our men
saw the trap they were in; saw cyan
KEGS" close in on them, on front flank
and on rear. They fought and fought
we'll, until that fact was plainly reveal
led to them; and then they broke and
ran out OF the strap" That charge
on our left and centre front flank and
rear) was made about P. M. Up
to that time no lighting worth
speaking of occurred in that section
of the field at all. Moore's Alabama
and Bates Tennessee Brigades with
some of our batteries nevertheless
made splendid resistance in the "cen-
tre." And even after the charge was
developed" there was little actual
fighting" For our men saw the trap
and refused TO stay in it. / do not
blame them. To realize how literally
true this is, Dana, Lincolin's Attor-
ney General, who was back near Chat
tanooga watching events, says in his
book that the frontal attack began al
lap. M. and took just thirty minutes
| Thy his watch held open in his hand
TO gain the crest! They met with nc
resistance. Our men were preparing
to leave that trap. That frontal At
, tack would never have gained tht
, crest, except that our men xnew thai
. force nearly, If not quite, twice theil
number Was already in their rear.
Il These facts explode the commonly
accepted ides that Missionary Ridge
battle was . magnificent illustration
Of "Yapkee heroism . Beyond los
ing their breath in going up the steer
, | ri dge several hundred feet high, thu
chargers suffered little incollsenieEce
!, ] The slight casualties reported lsligh