Polk County news-gazette. (Benton, Tenn.) 190?-191?, 1913-09-11

of north Georgia This road the dead line
in the battle of Chickamauga. II 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 was no less
heroic and deadly than the numerous assaults and
repulses at Snodgrass Hill. The hame OF battle
swept the forest on each side OK the road With a
fury that pen can describe.
Practically all of the first day OF the battle OF
Chickamauga was contest for the possession OF
Lafayette road The 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 it's shadows over the field Neither
had been victorious. No more indescribably 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 lighting the Con-
federates had become the aggressors. Their pur-
pose was plainly apparent, to break across La
fayette road and pierce the Union lines cutting
the army in two sections, hopelessly dividing II,
and annihilating 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
But 1t came with a more deadly roar than any
which had swept through the forest on Saturday
The Union forces were steadily driven back from
Lafayette road, but doggedy held their position
in Dyer and Kelley fields against every assault,
inhcting heavy damage the Confederate COZ
umns Through a jumbling of field orders. the
Kelley field line of the Union forces was weak
ened and Longstreet drove three divisions
against the weakened point. 1t was the opportu
|.aFf tAN CON nAn q nQ
all day. Rosecrans, Crittenden and McCook were
caught in the break separated from Thomas
wing and retired to Chattanooga.
It 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 Immediately west of Kel-
ley field It's eastern side Is preclpltous ana IN
some places rough.
General Thomas rallied his men on 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 the very breastworks OF the
enemy. Some of the Confederate regiments lost
as high as 20 per cent. of their men in their at
tempts to dslodge Thomas while the Union
regiments suffered almost 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 stood horseshoe summit. the
crater OF Snodgrass Hill. As far the eye
could reach along the crest OF the ridge saw
handsome monuments of marble aud 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 an artist did not impress
me so profoundly as what saw through the gray
mists of Atty years. / allowed my mind TO 30
back and | saw as heroic display OF human
courage as the world ever witnessed The roar