The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-09-21
BIG CHANGE MADE IN LIFE OF M'CALLUM
 IN F|FTY-0NE YEARS
Fifty-One Years Ago Yes terday He Was Battling at Chickamauga = Today
 He Protects Children

Fifty-one years in-the life of an ordinary man brings about vast changes. This was testified to yesterday by R. H. Mccall lum, Uncle Bob,' the oldest man on the Birmingham police force. It was 51 years ago yesterday morning that he was de- tailed to bury the dead of his battery after the battle of Chickamauga, the fifty first anniversary of which was yesterday and Saturday. Uncle Bob' was yester- day employed at his task of escorting brightly-clad little boys and little girls safely across the car tracks and in front of automobiles at Five Points at the ex- act hour he said that he started out at Chickamauga to carry out the commands to inter his dead friends.
 The battle of Chickamauga was fought beginning with the first skirmishing on Friday night, Sentsmber IS, 1863. The pre- liminary fighting led up to one of the bloodiest battles of the civil war and last ed through Saturday and Sunday 51 years ago. Uncle Bob' said yesterday that Friday and Saturday and Sunday were the same days of the week upon which the battle was fought.
 That was a battle" said Uncle Bob yesterday after he carefully conveyed a oevy of gaily clad kids across the perilous crossing and returned to the Highland drug store. q remember perfectly that after the fighting this day 51 years ago was sent in charge of detail to bury some comrades who fell in the battle. It ragged from Saturday night about o'clock until about o'clock. Of my battery, of which was the gunner. 20 were killed and 16 horses fell dead within the space of 1t minutes. The firing was close and the carnage was terrible.
 We fought almost constantly during Saturday and Sunday. There was 40,0O0 men killed, wounded and missing in that immortal combat before General Bragg, leading the Confederate forces. was able to see a victory. The Federal troops were commanded by General Rosecrans, one of the ablest of the Federal commanders This battle was followed by the battle of Chattanooga and Missionary Ridge, and after that we marched to Atlanta still victorious. After those battles we rested until well into october, which was greatly needed by the fatigued armies I was in the artillery and our company was com- manded by Capt. William Henry Fowler of Tuscaloosa where our battery was or ganized. He was afterward promoted for bravery and was succeeded by our first lieutenant
 '"rhe battle of Chickamauga was one that compares favorably with the reported battles in Europe just at this time. We hear reports of dead and wounded that almost stagger us. but no one can imagine what it Is to participate in battle which kills 10000 men, which Is about one-third the total population of this great city. The hot ot ,clxa wide one However, those who have vis- ited that historic place will recall a road that leads from the southern side oI the present Central of Georgia railroad tracks past Bloody Pond and through a gully toward Missionary Ridge We fought up and down that gully first one being driven out and then the other until the roadway literally ran blood. The pond which is even now located in a fruit orchard was very clear when the battle started, but when the struggle was over It was filled with human blood. Since that time until now the pond has been called Bloody Pond.
 There was farmer and his family liv- ing near the scene of that battle near the present winding tower, as it is called, to which visitors climb to obtain a view Of Lookout mountain and Missionary Ridge. That house was untouched so far as I know during the hall of bullets and shells of that battle.
 The difference in my activities of this morning and those of 51 years ago this morning brought back to me the scenes of that great battle. It is astonishing how quickly country gets over such ter rible devastating catastrophe a war. Then we had no improved guns, airships. automobile trucks, wireless or telephones, but am here to say that when the two opposing armies met the result was even worse than I have yet read of in the European struggle"
 MT. McCallum said yesterday that there were several veterans of the battle of Chickamauga and the defense of Atlanta living in Birmingham at this time