Year: 1863

4 change 'front.' to- the rear, 50 as to bring US
along the turnpike, facing the west--lately
occupied by our right wing.


This was the great position of the day, and
it was here the day was saved, and defeat
/ turned into victory. II this lire had given
way believe-and we all believe--that ALL
would have gone in utter rout. It was the
most critical moment of the day. We had
hardly got into position behind the turnpike,
when at least FIVE thousand men, should
nk--the remains of the broken division Of
the right and center, came rolling back in
confusion across the open field, which extend
ed for some 2 or hundred yards between US
and the woods occupied now by the enemy.
They went over US as we lay on the ground
in line, and kept on to the rear, where sup
pose they were rallied and formed, though
many of them doubtless Joined the throug Of
stragglers belonging to regiments which had
given way earlier on the day, and swelled the
Idisgraceful stampede towards Nashville, in
which too.many 'unitedff g1JiLsT,


In this critical juncture, I am glad to say
the old 26th stood right up to the mark-or
indeed 1 should say of the whole of Haskelrs
brigade, and Woods fdivision--ii fact, the


whole left wing, though nothing, of course


was under my own observation bht our own
regiment, and those Immediately round us


Some of its single regiments were forced


back, it is true as on the right and center,
but I think It is conceded that the LETT wing
saved the day Woods division, I understood,
received the highest encomiums ifrom5 Gen


Rosecrans; while our regiment was cOmpi-


mented highly by those who saw it The


Colonel Of regiment on our left told his men


10 stand their ground as long as they saw the


26th Ohio held theirs; that if it gavs aUay


they might give 1t up Gen. Van Cleve, and
u Col. Anderson, of the 9th Ohio, whom Col
Fyfe met on bis way down, both spoke TO


him in the highest terms Of our regiment.
Col. Anderson's regiment the Guthrie Grays
laid right in front Of our regiment; Col A.


lying right III front of our company. Some


of my men, in firing, did not rise up enough
Qhey loaded lying DOWN and shot so close


over the 9th Ohio men, as to wound one Of


them slightly, and Col. A, earnestly requested


us 10 guard against such accipents again


which we, of course, did. One of my neil


was wounded slightly in the same way, by


regiment behind US. -


Right in the mdsbzof the action, heard
some one call out in front, Halo, Captain


how are you, and looking up the line saw


Lieutenant MontsgnieFz of the 9Th, lying a
short distance of. He was for a long time on
1 Generel Hasltalfsi staff, and knew Us all very


we'll, and had not seen US for month or two,


when he met US in this way on the battle field
| I returned the salutation, bat that is as near
as we got to each other, and have not seen
him since, though hear that he got through


safely.


Our line was hardly formed in this new po-
sition when the rebels made two or three


most determined attacks on different parts Of


it, thinking to break it, as they had broken


others before during the morning, but they


could not do it. Forming in the edge Of the


woods, they advanced boldly about half across


the. open field, but the FIRE was too much for
!. them, and they fell back. to repeat the at
tempt on some other part with no better sue


cess. The brunt of the attack fell ratF er on


our left wing, and on the regiments to our left,


not extending so far to the right as our COM


psny. What we were engaged with, was the


enemy firing from the woods across the open


field in front Of Us. --- ,. III ~ q.
While we were firing here, a cry was rails


ed in the ranks that we were firing on our


own men; that another line was in front of
US, and we were firing into their rear. This
created great doubt and hesitation for time
and partly suspended our fire. Many of our


men confidently declared, that they were our


men, that they could see them firing in the
same direction we did Determined to ascer-


tain the truth of the matter if it could be as
certained, I went down to ask the Major, leav-
ling Foster, IN command of the company. The
Major-who sent the sdjutant to General


HaSkall for information--said that the Gener-
al knew of no forces of ours there; and if they
were our men they had no business to be
there, and his answer to me was, to pour it


into them. And it proved that they were


none of our men there The doubt which


our men felt had been increased by seeing sew
eral Of our wounded, struggling back from the
]; woods in front, where the rebels were. One
of these, however, reputed the story, that
they were our men. But the most eonvinc-
ing arguments on the subject, were the bull
lets which kept coming from that quarter,
proving that there were, undoubtedly, rebels
there, whoever else might be. Colonel Nick
Anderson, who laid right before me, also
secuted the idea of their being our men, and
showed we a rebel flag which had not seen


and which was hardly distinguishable, in the
edge of the woods Their colours, hear,
were plainly seen.


When I came back to the company, from
seeing the Major, I found Foster with his
hand on his leg, STOPPING over: Well Cap
tain, guess am gone up" said he. Find
S ing that he could walk, I told him to make
E the best of his ygay to the rear, and would
see him when the fight was oVer-wbicn I
= did not for four days His wound, though
: severe and painful one, is not dangerous. The
bullet struck through the top Of his boot below
Ii ! i