Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1913-09-12
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Of battle swept through Kelley field Then there
came one of those mysterious and unexpected
lus in the storm but it was merely gathering
force for the climax of hurricane that nad
ragged in the forest along Chickamauga creek Tor
two days. It was soon to break again, ana us
lightnings were next to flash around horseshoe
summit where l standing l saw the al
vancing Confederate legions sweeping all before
them across the open plain in my front Long
street had driven his brigades through the Union
lines and swept the right wing of Rosecrans
army from the field in wild disorder. Wheeling
his forces he started for Thomas in command OF
the left wing. If Thomas could be routed, VIC
tory for Confederate arms was assured that
would shake the nation to its foundations Next
| beheld the brave General Brannan rallying the
remnants of half dozen brigades on Snodgrass
Hill General Thomas marshalling his shat
tered forces for a resistance that placed his name
high in the esteem of the nation.
Before could grasp the meaning of the whirl
and the rush Of the regiments, Snodgrass Hill
had been converted into citadel of defense from
which the thunderbolts Of iron could be hurled
against the advancing foe. / looked again and
saw Longstreet's Confederates scaling the side
of the hill with majestic tread Then I saw
sheet of flame burst from the Union lines on the
crest of the HILL full in the faces Of the advancing
Confederates. No troops could stand in that
storm of lead They halted, dazed and deadened
by the awful carnage Their lines gave way.
only to be reformed at the foot of the ridge for
another charge. | the flags of Mississippi,
Alabama and Georgia, South Carolina and V1r-
ginia, and the lone star OF Texas flashing de-
fance at the foe on the summit of the hill. An
other charge into the face of a deadly volley and
another retreat to the foot of the ridge! VIII
they never desist in their mad attempt to scale
the ridge? Now, saw some of the Confederate
standards on the crest of the hill, and in
hand-tohand combat They piled the dead in
the trenches and fought over their bodies But,
again saw Gordon, Granger and Steedman come
to the relief of the Union defenders with fresh
troops and the Confederates were hurled, MAIN
ed and shattered, from the vantage point they
had gained by superhuman effort and undaunted
courage The side of the ridge was strewn with
the dead and wounded Bursting shells had ig-
nited the dry leaves of the forest and bodies were
scorched and blackened by flame and smoke.
At last, the was sinking behind Lookout
Mountain throwing dark and spectral shadows
across the plain upon which one of the greatest
tragedies of modern ancient warfare had just
been enacted, General Thomas withdrew his
forces under orders from Snodgrass Hill, leaving
the bloody field of Chickamauga in possession Of
the battered but shouting Confederate legions
after two days of fighting that has never been
excelled in the history of The Confeder-
ates were the vctors at Chickamauga, but Rose
Grams andeThomas got their army to Chattanooga
in safety a fact that has seemed to make honors
even.
What followed the carnage at Snodgrass Hli
he lost. Every commander of division under
him on that fateful field expected to hear every
minute an order to follow Thomas and clinch the
victory; but the order never came Thomas
reached Chattanooga in safety and soon after
succeeded Rosecrans in command. The long
siege of Chattanooga followed, with which read
ers of war history are familiar.
Chickamauga was the bloodiest two-days bat
tie of history The forces were about equal in
numbers. Much controversy has from time to
time arisen over Chickamauga statistics, but from
the best obtanable information the total strength
of each army a little to the rise Of $4,000
men, making the number actually engaged some
thing more than 100000. The casualties were
about as follows:
Confederate: Killed 2268; wounded 1858:
missing 1890: aggregate, 1921.
Union: Killed, 1856; wounded, S749; missing
Alta; aggregate, 1919.
These deadly figures show that the aggregate
slaughter at ChickamaUga was 1880, includ!aa
dead, wounded and missing in both armies