Evening star., 1914-12-20

that period We were continually ON
the move, the loss of Grants stores at
Hoiiey Springs deprived us of sup
plies. the country had been stripped of
food, shelter there was none, the whole
country was watersoaked. the rains
continuing as if they never intended TO
stop. Hungry. dispirlted, forloril, we
yet hung grimly to our task of chas-
ing back guerriIlas. who were threaten
ing river transportation. Actual starva-
tion threatened US for weeks and
months at a time.
I'm the succeeding year the Army of
the Ohio, to which my command was
attached, was sent to help Burnside IN
east Tennessee. Bragg had detached
Longstreet to capture burnside AZ
Knoxville. and Grant had us employed
i'm keeping Longstreet busy to prevent
him either accomplishing his purpose
or returning to Bragg, while Grant de-
feated Brasg and drove him away
"For long all we could do was to
hold the enemy. live on what we could
forage. helped out b! som small sup
plies that wagons would bring over the
mountains from Lexington, KY. and live
in the mud and rain. ! recall distinctly
with what rage we of WillcoAs division
would move through the downpour
against Longstreet, shake our lists.
figuratively. at him, and then under
orders sullenly retire, ragged. starved
and raging. 7 have heard such military
authorities as Gen. Cox say that 1t Is
highly improbable that the contlnen.
tai army at Valley Forge suffered
greater hardships than did the Union
army in east Tennessee during thal
prolonged campaign.
For the most part we were Dareloot-
ed. When We were fortunate enousn
to pick up COW. after eating al the
- nf
"Finally, November 20. "A and 20.
Grant delivered his blow and captured
Lookout mountain and uroTe brtss
away from Missionary ridge: NoVem-
ber 2s Lonestreet attempted o.ap.i" PEI. ~.
" to take Knoxville. but was badly DE
feated in his attack on For SANDERS.
There, by the way. wire entangle-
meints were first used in warfare. III
preparing the defenses OF fo.s 9a 'eis
the trees were cut away on the siacls.
Some bright mind suggested stfheihs
telegraph wire among the stumps anu
this was done. AS Longstreets men
wire and fell fat. A gunner in Fort
Sanders later told Inc OF his surprise
and delight when. after he had hred nus
piece and the smoke cleared away. ne
saw the steep strewn with Iailsn oon
federates. He thought for the moment
he had done all the damage with his
one shot
so close came the Confederates that
Col. Benjamin. then a captain Oh @rtii-
lery, stood with a lighted cigar while
his men brought shells TO him. the
fuses of which he would light from the
cigar and then the shell would be toss
ed by hand into the faces OF the
enemy.
With the defeat OF Bragg 1T Mis-
sionary ridge and the failure OF Long,
street to capture Burnside. Grant open
ed the way for supplies to come up to
Knoxville. We drove the Confederates
out of east Tennessee, but the country
by that time had been eaten out by
both armies. And even the supplies
coming UP to Knoxville were not suffi-
cient. Consequently raid was project
ed to reduce Powells valley. extending
from Cumberland Gap into Virginia.
rich region still in rebel hands-to
our possession and secure its most
needed stores.
"a battalion of my regiment, about
32o strong, was sent on the errand OF
opening up the valley for our forag-