War Day Memories from Coffeyville, Kansas • 14

14 WAR DAY MEMORIES AS TOLD BY THE RANK AND FILE. non went oil" right over our heads, can you guess what happened to us? 1 am sure 1 was From Nashville to Murfreesboro, And the Battle of Stone's River standing on my feet, yet the earth seemed to bo bumping me in the face all the while. The earth hobbled up and down and shook so violently that it seem Our Defeat and Our Victory Over the Emancipation Proclamation ed as though it was trying to ii i s. jwoom loosen the grip that we had on the Jonnies- and was in sympathy with the rebellion, as was the other Copperheads. As soon as our artillery ceased lir- it out before it exploded.

There were no takers, for all were too anxious to have him put it out. lie jerked out the fuse and saved the shell from being blown to pieces. I am at all times ready to say "bully for old Kaintuck." On the night of the 3rd we moved back across Stone's River and went into camp in a cluster of trees near the railroad. Before morning we learned that Bragg had evacuated Murfrccs-borough. We felt better, for wo were glad to let him go without any farther scrapoing with him.

On the 1th we were engaged in burying the Confederate dead that they had left on the Held of battle. This was as you must know, a very unpleasant task. I remember that we dug a trench about 300 feet long near the railroad just in front of the Round Forest near where en's brigade monument was af ing, we went across the river on the double quick and at the Jon nies where over wo could find them. In the oak forest in which wo halted them, the ground was covered with the Confederate dead and wounded. We captured several cannon and some prisoners and one battle Mag.

This was an awful slaughter of men, but it is just what happens when a general undertakes to do the impossible. Bragg wanted to try us again The Confederates marched down the valley of Stone's river, making a grand display of perfect military diciplinc, a beautiful pageantry of war. an almost irresistible lighting machine. As soon as Breckinridge reached our position Van Clove's troops began to fall back and some of his men that behaved badly on the 31st, mistaking the order to fall back for on order to run and did not wait for the second command to do that stunt, but commenced to fly at once. No Confederate sprintster.

much less a Confederate bullet, could uvcr keep pace with that get away. When Van Clove's men opened tire on the Confederates, they with a whoop and yell went for Van Clove's men in grand shape and had things their own way for a brief space of time, but there comes an end to all things, in time. Breckinridge ran plump into the trap that 1 have (Continued from Just Month) On January 1st 1803 General Kosccrans moved General Van Clove's division across Stone's River at tho ford near our left flank, and also, I believe, two brigades of General Palmer's division, to aid General Van Clove in covering our left flank and also to prevent Hardee from turning it and getting our rear. General Van Clove's orders were to push as close up to liar-dee's position as lie dared to without bringing on an engagement, and if lie was attacked to fall back slowly but resist with sufficient force, so as to lead the Confederate commander to believe that ho was having things all his own way. All the lore-noon the 2nd day of January both armies seemed to be very restless and at the least provocation popped away at each other.

Staff officers could be seen scurrying hither and thither carrying orders to various commanders of troops, and troops hitherto discovered to the reader, before he knew it and when our batteries on the hill opened fire, his army was swTept away like chaff before the wind. This once Vice President of the United States found it dangerous to be safe in the most innocent looking place. Breckinridge's loft flank was filly exposed to our artillery lire as well as infantry fire which swept his entire line. The slaughter was awful. Our batteries spoke in thundering tones and with no uncertain sound as to what was meant by all this racket.

In less time than it could be plainly "seen marching and counter-marching from one point to another, to strengthen weak points in their lines. Rosecrans' Chief of artillery was busily engaged in massing all his available batteries on an eminence on our extreme left, along the bank of Stone's River, concealing from the view of the enemy by a dense cedar brake. It was reported that there were sixty guns, thus massed. These guns were supported by several brigades of infantry, and should the enemy attempt to cross at this place, a warm reception was waiting them. No army that terwards erected, which we filled with dead Confederate soldiers.

It was a gruesome task to pick up dead men so awfully shot to pieces and place the different parts of the same man in his blanket and roll him into the trencli. We may not always have gotten all the same man in his own blanket or we may have gotten parts of 'two men in the same blanket. AVe covered them up as best we could to sleep on until the Judge of all men shall call the dead to judgement As we stroll over the battlefield after the bloody day of the 31st we pick up many incidents that we had not already given to the reader. It was not by the superior fighting qualities of the Confederate soldiers that our army was routed on the morning of the 31st, although the Confederate Generals boasted that they could whip us with three to their one, but boasting docs not win battles. The surprise of Johnson's division was complete.

After Johnson's division was routed, instead of swinging around in the lear of Davis they moved too far to the right leaving a wide gap in our lines through which the enemy poured in great numbers. Willich being captured and being badly wounded at the very commencement of the tight, -this left these two brigades without commanders for some time and in this condition the regiments became badly scattered and was easily Hanked and driven back. Each regiment fought as bravely as and I suppose that he thought that he saw an easy spot over on this part of our line. He had tried us in the Round Forest, and ought to have known that wo were not an easy going people. He took the hint that we were not disposed to be friendly with him and sauntered off in the woods towards Tullahoma.

After the battle was over Rosecrans moved a heavy column of troops over on the east side of the river, so as to make our position doubly sure. It was dark by the time that we had gotten into position. A cold Southern rain set in, making it almost impossible for men to lie do'vn to sloe). Thus we spent a very unpleasant night. The writer was more fortunate than his comrades, ho roosted on a fence rail which got most disagreeably sharp before morning, but after all, it was far superior to lying "in the mud.

Breckinridge admits in his report that in this charge he lost men, killed and wounded. Our loss was light. This story told of a soldier in the 'Jnd Kentucky Regiment in the frontline, just on our right: A fuse shell tossed over to us by the enemy, lighted just in front of a man in that regiment and stuck in the ground, with its fuse still blowirg smoke furiously, as much as to say 'look out, boy, I am after This man from the state of copper distilled red liquor, gathered up a double handful of mud and offered to bet five to one that he could put takes to tell it, more than one half of Breckinridge's men were lying hors do combat. To make it sure that the Confederates should receive full measure of what they came for. the writer's regiment, with others, were moved down along the river's brink, right under the muzzles was ever marshalled in battle array could go against that bunch of guns and live.

Hardee was just vain enough to undertake a job like this. Brecken-ridgc was selected to command this unreasonable assault. With 5000 picked troops, the flower of the Confederate army, at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, in full view of our position, Breckinridge, commenced, the advance that was expected to tum our left flank and do us up Mc-Cown did on the Hist of.Deccmbcr. (of our batteries and near the ford of the river, so as to be in readiness to go into the tight where most needed. My, this awiui crasn or artillery was worse than being in a Kansas cyclone.

When those sixty can.