Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 83, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 April 1913 — STORIES CAMP AND WAR [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

STORIES CAMP AND WAR

BRAGG AT MISSIONARY RIDGE Hard Fighting by Fifteenth Corp* Drew Heavy Force From Enemy’s Center —Loss Severe. I have seen a great deal in print about how the forces commanded by General Thomas broke the rebel center and drove Bragg's army from Missionary ridge, bat very little about the hard fighting of the Fifteenth corps on the north end of the ridge, which drew a heavy force from the enemy’s center, and made it possible for the Union forces to break through and drive the rebels from the ridge. The forces under General Thomas deserve great praise for doing their part so well. At 8 a. m., November 25,1 saw our line of battle was formed in the edge of some timber west of the north end of Missionary ridge, writer Joseph Wiftiam of the Twelfth Indiana, of Cherryvale, Kan., in the National Tribune. From there we could see across the cleared field in our front the enemy and his batteries on the ridge but little more than 100 rods away, while the timber hid us from their view. At 10 a. m. we emerged from the timber, climbed over a high fence and landed in the open field in plain view of the enemy. Here we were greeted with the heaviest storm of shells we ever experienced.

In a few minutes we were in line and ready to move. The order was given to charge, and we advanced on die run, forcing the enemy up the steep hillside. We halted 15 or 20 rods before we reached the foot of the ridge, and there we remained in the open field exposed to the shot and shell of the' enemy for five long hours. The brigade was composed of the Twenty-sixth and Ninetieth Illinois and the One Hundretdth and Twelfth Indiana. The last named regiment wasjm the extreme right As we crossed the open field the battle raged in all its fury. In beautiful and unbroken line the command pressed forward, with flags flying, bullets whizzing and shells shrieking and bursting overhead and among us. I saw a picture of the brigade in that battle when I was in Washington in 1865 at the time of our Grand Review, and it was so true in every particular that I think there was a photographer on the field of battle who took the picture there. At 11 a. m. we could see General Corse’s men lining up at the foot erf the extreme north end of Missionary ridge./■ Soon they began to ascend the ridge in line of battle, and when within about 30 steps of the enemy’s works they halted for nearly one minute, while the rain of iron and lead from the enemy was terrific. AH of a sudden the boys in blue went forward on the run, right on to the enemy’s works, as their loud cheers rang down the valley. We could clearly see our men clubbing the rebs with the butts of their guns and having a general mix-up. Away down on top of the ridge to oqr right a column of rebel infantry was coming from the center of Bragg’s line as a reinforcement At first we could only see their head bobbing up and down as they came. Soon they were near the end of the ridge, swinging into line of battle. They fifed a vedley at our men on the rebel works, who, being outnumbered, retreated to the foot of the ridge. Soon Corse’s men were reinforced, and again gained the summit as before, where another furious hand-to-hand conflict occurred. And again a force could be seen coming from Bragg’s center, and when they arrived our men were repulsed as before. Thus the furious battle raged, charge after charge, until 3 p. m., when we could heard the rattle of musketry far down the line to our right, as Thomas was charging the enemy's center- It was then that our bugle blew retreat, and we retreated under a galling fire from the enemy. Their loud cheers of victory rang down the valley. But our demonstrations on the enemy’s flank had secured Bis defeat by weakening his center, and the day was ours. Chaplain Gage, who was in this battle and wrote a history of the Twelfth Indiana, says: "The loss in the Fourth division was severe. In the First brigade nearly 500 men were killed and wounded.**