The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1913-09-19

of north Georgia This road was the dead line
in the battle of Chickamauga. If its dust, its
rocks and its trees could be animated and en-
dowed with the power of speech the story they
could tell would turn into sickly romance the best
pages of heroic history The struggle for pos
session of this now historic highway no less
heroic and deadly than the numerous assaults and
repuses at Snodgrass Hill. The flame of battle
swept the forest each side of the road with
fury that no pen describe.
Practically all of the first day of the battle OF
Chickamauga contest for the possession OF
Lafayette road. The sun went down and dark
ness enveloped the field, leaving the mighty hosts
still contending for the highway The Confed-
crates had been driving west all day In an effort
to break the Union lines and Lafayette road be-
came the bloody lane" of Chickamauga.
The blood of the two armies still flowed when
night threw its shadows over the field. Neither
had been victorious. No more indescribaby OPP
pressive spectacle can we'll be imagined than
night brought to the two armies. They were so
close together than the groans of the wounded
and dying of both armies could be plainly heard
The field was strewn with the unburied dead.
BY the close of the first days fighting the Con-
federates had become the aggressors. Their pur-
pose plainly apparent, to break across La
fayette road and pierce the Union lines. cutting
the army in two sections, hopelessly dividing 1t,
and annihiatng each section in detail.
Not until church bells in Chattanooga were
calling the people to divine worship did the roar
of battle again resound throughout the plain
which had swept through the forest on Saturday.
The Union forces steadily driven back from
Lafayette road, but doggedly held their position
In Dyer and Kelley fields against every assault.
int1icting heavy damage on the Confederate col
umns Through jumbling OF field orders, the
Kelley field line Of the Union forces was weak
ened and Longstreet drove three divisions
against the weakened point It was the opportu-
nifty that had been the hope Of the Confederates
all day Rosecrans, Crttenden and McCook were
caught In the break, separated from Thomas
wing and retired to Chattanooga
1t is not surprising that the break in the lines
and departure of Rosecrans for Chattanooga dis
heartened the Union forces and inspired the Con-
federates. However, the Confederates had a
great commander to contend with in the person
of Gen George H. Thomas, now the Rock OF
Chickamauga." AS the roar Of battle swept
through Kelley field 1t seemed that the Union
forces were doomed. Snodgrass Hill rises some
three hundred feet high tmmediasAy west OF KEEL
ley field. Its eastern side Is preeipitous and In
some places rough
General Thomas rallied his men Snodgrass
Hill and here occurred the heaviest fighting of
the entire engagement
The best regiments of the southern armies
were sent against Thomas at Snodgrass HILL to
be shot to pieces on the very breastworks Of the
enemy Some of the Confederate regiments lost
as high as 70 per cent. of their men In their at
tempts to dislodge Thomas while the Union
regiments suffered almost as heavily. The shouts
of the living, mingled with the groans of the
dying and walls of the wounded, made Snodgrass
Hill veritable inferno Of death
Not long ago l stood on horseshoe summit, the
crater of Snodgrass Hill AS far as the eye
could reach along the crest of the ridge l saw
handsome monuments of marble and bronze
tributes of grateful people to the valor OF their
sons. But these memorials, emblazoned with the
deeds of the living and the dead carved into
them by the chisel of artist did not impress
me SO profoundly as what saw through the gray
mists of fifty years allowed my mind to &c
back and l saw heroic display OF human
courage as the world ever Witnessed The roal