Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 December 1894 — IN FRONT OF KENESAW. [ARTICLE]

IN FRONT OF KENESAW.

An Incident of the Atlanta Campaign. Washington Letter to Globe-Democrat. “It Was while we were in front of Kenesaw mountain that T had my duel,” said General Fullerton. “When I entered the ~ army I was fresh from a law school, and was, therefore, supposed to know some law, which was a great mistake. General tJranger made me assistant judge advocate, and one of the earli-’ est cases that came before me was that of Colonel Bloodgood, from Wisconsin. Bloodgood, with a regiment, had been forced back from a block,house by a brigade of cavalry with four guns", which was very natural as I see now. But Granger had taken it into his head that a regitnent of infantry ought to be better than a brigade of cavalry and four guns. He sent Bloodgood before a court martial, and I wrongly conceived it to be my duty to prosecute instead of acting judicially. It was a great injustice, as I realized after--ward, but we convicted Bloodgood and he had to leave the army. That was long before the Atlanta campaign and I had not seen Bloodgood or lieai’tFof him. We were before Kenesaw one day when General Thomas came up to the breastworks and. begaiL.pee.ring through the logs at a distant part of the field. “ ‘What are those fellows, doing Over thebe? r he asked. ‘Building some new works, are they?’ “I looked around. The rest of the staff had slipped back. I was young then, and I didn’t know any better. So I spoke up: “ ‘l’ll go out and see what it means.’

“ ‘No,’ said Thomas. ‘lt is’nt necessary to expose yourself.’ “ ‘Oh, yes,’ I said; ‘l’ll go.’ “I started out in front of our line. Thte fellows would shout, ‘Come back.’ ‘Lie down.’ ‘You’ll get shot.’ But I kept moving from tree to tree, making a run of it from one shelter to another. I had out a note book and sketched the new works as rapidly as I could. I had got about all I wanted when a tall figure loomed up before me and made a profound bow. He was Colonel Bloodgood, as calm and as cool as if there wasn't a Confederate within a hundred miles, and all the time the bullets were going ‘zip,’ ‘ping,’ on all sides. I returned the greeting. I knew I was in for it. “ ‘Making some sketches,’ he suggested politely. “ ‘Yes,’ said I; ‘but I have about finished.’ “‘I think you could see better over this way,’ leading me out into the most exposed position possible. “He kept this up about fifteen minutes* under pretext of getting better views of the new works! I knew’ he was doing it to get me shot. I recognized his purpose perfectly. I stood it as long as I could and then I said: * “‘Colonel Bloodgood, you are the bravest man I ever saw. I’m scared to death. Good-bye,’and I made a run for our line. “Bloodgood, as I learned afterward, had got back into the army with a new command, Now, just to show how an injustice will follow a man, let me say that after the war Bloodgood got a commission in the regular army. One day he had some words with a young lieutenant. The latter taunted him with having been dismissed from the army for cowardice. Bloodgood got his fellow officer in a room and gave him a good licking, Both of them were dismissed from the army. The last I heard of Bloodgood he was a postal agent on a railroad.