The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-05-12
"REMINISCENCES OF
AN OLD MAN.
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battle, if Sherman accepted it, john
son gave him a drubbing. Follow
him after he had been recalled to
the command of the army, after be-
ing set aside by the government,
and see him bring order out of
chaos. See him reform his shat
tered columns, see him inspire con-
fdence in the hearts of his torn and
weary men. He was a master in
retreat-some one has said of him
that he could move his army when
sorely pressed, without the loss of
an army mule, a shovel, or a wheel
barrow. Some day students of his
tory will place him alongside of Lee,
Grant, and Americas greatest gen.
erals.
A fatal mistake was made when
he was superseded by Hood. Not
but that Hood was a fghter-no
man was Drawer. While a fine Briga-
der, he could not command an ar
nv. When he made his drive for
Tennessee, Sherman, instead of fol-
lowing him, (as Hood expected) al
lowed him to go, knowing full well
that there were enough troops there
to attend to him. This brought on
the battle of Franklin, Tenn. Some
body blundered most terribly in
that fight. In my opinion, this was
the bloodiest, and hardest fought
battle of the war, for the number of
troops engaged. The South had
more generals killed than in any
other battle. Gen. Adams was
killed just as his horse leaped as
tride of the breastworks. Gen.
Adams had been shot in the Shout
der before the fatal charge, and was
urged to 60 to the rear. He replied
that he would see his men through.
He rode in the last charge with his
bride rein in his teeth, and when
his horse jumped on top the works,
the horse fell dead, and Gen. Adams
fell with nine bullets in his body
in a few minutes. Time after time
did the Southern soldiers throw
themselves against the Notifications
of the enemy, only to be hurled back
torn and bleeding. Nine successive
charges were made, on, up, up to
the belching mouths of the cannon,
like surging waves against the beach,
line after line vanished, as the an
CRY rifles of the enemy spat their
fire, and hungry cannon belched
their flame. Years after the war,
Gen. Schofield visited Germany, and
reviewed with Emperor Wilhelm the
army of the German Empire. AS
the last soldier in that splendid ar
my passed in review, the Emperor
said, General, is this not the grand
est army you ever saw" No, EN-
porer, Gen. Schofeld said, it is not.
Where did you ever see a grander
army, was the quick r~ejoinder. Gen.
Schofeld replied, "at the battle of
Franklin, Tenn, in 1864, between
the United States troops, and the
C~onfederates. I saw men in rags
and t~atters, barefooted and hungry,
charge the works, behind which my
command was entrenched. They
came on and on, nothing could stop
their impetuous charge. Great gaps
made by our guns, were closed up.
1t seemed that whole battalions were
being swept away by guns, but
still onward they came, until 1
moved my men out of the trenches
to stay the slaughter. That, Emp
orer, was the grandest army I ever
saw" What a compliment was
this, coming from an enemy! Could
a friend pay any higher tribute than
this? Brave men, pitiless slaugh-
ter, incompetent general.
The retreat from Franklin was
hard on the men who had lost conf
dence in their commander. They
felt like they had been led like lambs
to the slaughter. But like true
Southern soldiers, every time the
enemy pressed too close, they turn
ed at hav and showed thair tooth