The Washington herald., 1914-07-22

winch Dodge had been marching when
the Confederate attack came. Apparently
the way ahead was open. and accompa-
MED by an orderly. Gen. Mcpherson made
his way along the narrow cart path. He
1 had gone scarcely Ice yards when he ran
full into the advance Of Gen. Pat" Gle
4 bUrEe's Confederates, who had penetrated
the gap in the Federal lines and were
marching to attack BIair's corps in the
rear.
! Mcpherson turned to escape. The Con-
[ fCderates fired a yolley and he fell from
his horse. mortally wounded by a bail
near the heart His orderly also was
| wounded and captured. The first intlna-
ton Of the loss OF their leade1 was re-
/ ceived by the FederaIs when McPAersOn's
horse covered with blood and foam,
dashed into the lines
! By fortunate chance a gallant Federal
soldier. Private George ]. Reynolds, Com
pany D, Fifteenth Iowa Infantry. who
: had been far out on the sxirmish line,
and who. seriously wounded himself. was
seeking to escape capture, came upon
1 Mcpherson shortly after he fell. Forget
ting his own pain and suffering. Reynolds
clung to his chief. administering to his
wants. He quenChed McPherson's dying
thirst. did what mortal could TO make his
last moments less painful, and remained
with him until the end came amid the
roar OF battle and storm OF bullets.
After MCPherson's death Reynolds
made his way to the rear. found two Of
. the generals stan, and. securing an am
bulance. returned with them and brought
of the body. He was weak and dizzy
from loss Of blood, but did not stop 10
care for himself until McPhersn's remains
were brought to Gen. Sherman's head
quarters, whence they were sent North
and buried with hOnors in the little fam
lily cemetery in Clyde. Ohio, close by his
mothers house. Reynolds was awarded
a gold medal Of honor.
Heavy Confederate Loss
Meanwhile Dodge's division had re-
pulsed the early assaults against it. but
the men Of Pat" Cleburne's division had
rushed into the opening and swept down
upon the rear of Blair's intrenChments.
At the same time another Confederate
division struck the extreme flank Of the
Federal line.
/ The form Of Blair's line at the flank
enabled his men TO repulse the first at
tack. but they had hardly done so be-
/ fore Cleburne and other Confederate
troops came down directly in their rear
Z Whereupon the Federals leaped over
their intrenchments and fought for sew
eral hours behind the shelter of their
outer face. their backs toward Atlanta.
/ Before o'clock a reserve brigade
=
! had been ordered up by Mcpherson be
. fore his death. came TO Blair's assist
/ ance. With this aid a new line was
formed. facing south, at right angles TO
the old line
I Again ard again the Confederates as
saulted Blair's corps in its new position.
| each time being sent reeling back to the
' shelter of the dense thickets that COW
! cred the knobs and EuIlies in that sec
I ton Of the field. Only the rattle Of mus
kerry. the diapason OF the heavy guys
and the rising clouds of smoke showed
/ the general position Of the line Of battlr.
! At the west Of the battlefield. near the
) Federal defenses facing Atlanta, the
country was more open, and there Gen
I Hood. behind his own lines. could note
4 the progress of the battle. II" saw that
/ the Federals had been pressed back
, from their original position by Hardee's
attack, and shortly after ) o'clock gave
an order that caused an equally impetu-
Gus assault on another part OF the Union
! line
| Hardee's heaviest attacks were ended
when Cheatham's men. who had been
holding the defenses Of the city near
the railroad sailed from their works and
attacked Logan'S corps and Cen. Leg
! -ctt's division Of BlaiT'S. The men of
the latter. who had just repellcd an at
tack of Hardee's from the reverse of
their works. now clambered over them
and met the direct assault from Atlanta.
For hours the fighting ragged. Logan's
corps was pressed back and great gap
created in the Federal lines north of the
railroad. Cheatham threw his men into
IT, capturing the guns of De GresS' bat
terry, after killing every horse, and turn
ing them upon the Union troops.
Gen. Sherman sent an urgent call to
Gen. Schohcld fer assistance, and the
III -
tillery, twenty guns,s and turned its fire
upon the Confederate fanks. A stimuli
taneous advance by the Federal infantry
reCaptured De GresS' guns, drove back
Cheatham's men. filed the gaps. and. at
dark. brought the days slaughter to a
close.
The losses tell the story Of the day.
The Federals lost 3521 killed. wounded
and missing. and ten pieces of artillery
in the first attack Of Hardee's corps upon
Gen. BlaIr's rear.
The Confederates lost probably not
less than 10000 men killed. wounded and
captured. CThey made no report on their
Ioss.) Fully loo dead were delivered to
them under flag Of truce in front OF one
division of Blair. 100 were buried in
front of Dodge's corps, about 700 in front
Of Logan's corps. and nearly 1000 in
front of the Second division of Blair,
making their dead alone approximately
400. Gen. w. II. T. Walker was killed
and his division so dCcimated that il
was split up among the other three of
Hardees corps The Federals took
abouts 200 prisoners, Of whom nearly
half were wounded.
Gen. HSod afterward attributed the
blame for the disaster upon Gen. Hardee.
claiming that he did not attack at the
point ordered. That was not a fact.
Military authorities have declared Gen.
Hardee's flank march to be one of, the
finest examples OF brilliant tactics in the
war.
Tomorrow-FederaIs DigSa Mine mt
Petersburg.
(Oopvrtsht nal