War Day Memories from Coffeyville, Kansas • 15

WAR DAY MEMORIES AS TOLD BY THE RANK AND FILE. 15 part of the geneial or bis The persons whose business it was to look after the dead took care of the body. Lieutenant- because the sentiment was so his report to till up, as the 75th strong against the Union in Illinois was still lighting for the Louisville at that time that it Union when the battle was over, was not safe to try to organize This story of Wharton's is just a regiment in that city. Most like the claim made by the 2nd of the boys that composed this Arkansas. They boasted of regiment ran away from home having wiped the 22nd Indiana and joined it over in cam) Rous off the face of the earth.

I guess seau. Hragg claimed to have not. The whole state of Arkan-captured of our men on the sas couldn't do that. Hardee 31st but on roll call of our regi- claims that he whipped us every ments there were only DOTH time that we did not have more missing. Kosecraus in his re- than two to his one.

McCown port says that we captured 30'JJ claims in his report that our of the enemv. which accords right wing was totally dcmoral-very nearly with Bragg' re- ized. Admitting that to be so port of his loss. Our Joss in what, would we have done to the entire battle was 17D0 kill- them if we had not been demor-ed and 70 18 wounded. The al ized, as he says we were.

Confederate loss according to The 10th Tennessee C. S. A. their own report was liJ'JH killed went into the charge at the and 8 107 wounded. We lost 28 Round Forest with 402 men and cannon and captured six pieces, came out with 195.

The 8th Our great loss in cannon was Tennessee C. A. went into abandoned it. The cause of this was the crippled condition of his battery teams About this time the gallant Col. Shoemaker with his 13tti Michigan charged the enemy and retook Bradley's guns and took them off the field safely.

General Bragg in his report to the Confederate War Department says: "We captured hosts of craven prisoners begging for their lives which they had forfeited by their acts of brutality and atrocity." Comrades, don't that you? Our reputation was certainly ruined at the rebel war department. If this report is true, comrades, you certainly were a bad lot. Some of our generals made as untruthful reports as those made by the rebels. While Hazen and his men were as good fighters as ever faced the foe and never backed Colonel Garcsehe's body lies in Arlington cemetery, Washington, 1). where it was sent soon after he was killed.

Captain T. J. McKibbcn of the 25th now of Independence. Kansas, was lying with his regiment under the muzzle's of the heavy guns massed by Rosecrans on the i 1st along the railroad and pike, and was badly wounded by concussion from the rapid dis-charge ot so many cannon at once. The blood was running out of his hose, mouth and ears.

He is almost deaf from the ef fects of it. On the night of a ry 1 two Tennessee regiments, one Union and one rebel, of the same but, although separated into regiments and squads, they fought the enemy every foot of the way back to the Nashville turn pike. McCown's men paid dearly for their audacity, as evidenced, by caused largely by the battery the same charge with 125 men from any rebe column, no mat ter how great the numbers, yet Hazcn's report on the light in horses being shot down and the and came out with 119. men beinvr unable to haul the To show you why I think the guns away by hand. Some of official reports of many of the the guns were so badly disabled, officers are unreliable, allow me the Round Forest certainly is so badly warped, no matter which end of the line you read it from, mostly by bent or broken axles, to quote from Donelson's report that they could not be moved, of the charge on the Round For- it seems badly out of line with Battery 1st Ohio, while in po est to his superior officer, Gen.

sition along the railroad in the Folk. When General Chal- the truth. At the time that Hazen whines about the General in command failing to give him proper support he was hemmed Round Forest, not far from mer's brigade was driven back where the llazen brigade inonu with terrible slaughter 1 was or-ment is located, lost a limber uered by you to his support with blown up by a shell from the my brigade, which order I im- in between Wagoner on the left and Ilascall and Grose on the enemy's battery and also one or mediately obeyed Advancing two of their guns had bent axles on the enemy we carried every right with ample number of troops in reserve supporting so that they could not be taken thing before us as we went until from the Held. The rebels I we reached their main works, him. It would seem from his suppose claimed them as cap- and deeming their position too report that he was in hysterics because he was not properly supported, and yet the writer the dead and wounded Confederates that lie in their line of retreat.

The lifnbs of the cedars came nearly to the ground, makng it very difficult for men to pass through, much less artillery. It was frequent that regiments became scattered when attempting to pass through them. This is one of the rea sons why so many of our men were captured. It was not by superior lighting as they claimed, by no means. A-member of the Louisville Legion(5th Kentucky) told the writer this story.

As the Legion was lighting the enemy and retreating in turn when Hanked, they came across a cannon that had just been abandoned by Cotters battery and while the icbels were thick around it Colonel Berry hitched his Legion to it and milled it away with them. tured artillery, but however strong to assault with the force they did not dare to come near at my command I withdrew my It lit 1 I Mill i them. a plain iiougntaiing, brigade and tell uacif to our Battery 1st Illinois, who was main line of works In this was there all this time and did not know that the "old man" was in such a predicament. lighting near Negley's position, charge I captured 11 cannon and Surely it was the occasion of my life had I only known it. The lost three of his guns by having one thousand Abolitionist pris all of his horses shot down, the oners." The assault this boast other half of his battery having er is speaking of was on the po been sent away to replenish sition that the writer hereof their ammunition.

Some took some humble part in pump Houghtaling's men after that ing lead into the hides of the fought with the Chicago Hoard men he led to the slaughter, of Trade battery and some found Donelson never captured a man These Kentuckians stuck to iruns and fought as infantry nor a cannon in this charge. their gun and turned it over to through the battle. When Col. Folk, as an excuse for not carry Sedgwick of Palmer's division ing our position in the Round saw Houghtaling's guns aban- Forest, says in his report to Kosce ran's Chief of artillery beyond the Nasiiville turn pike. When CoItincJ ,1 Jerry found a doned he right faced his 2nd Gen.

Hragg that Donelson lost Kentucky and on the double more than half of his men in at quick recaptured them and eon- tempting it. occasion that gets Hazen all worked up over his supports is when Adams and Jackson made their famous charge on the left of the railroad and when the 15th and 57th Indiana charged and captured more, than 200 of Adams men and the 26th Ohio and 3rd Kentucky and the 58th Indiana so handsomely made Jackson's men "skedaddle." Hazen says, "one volley from my men drove the enemy back." About the noon hour while Gen. Rosecrans and his staff were riding through the Round Forest inspecting the lines a shell or a shot from a gun over across the river, apparently intended for that bunch of officers, took off the head of Lieu. -Col. Garesche, chief of staff to Gen.

Rosecrans, while riding by his side. This casualty did not cause a moment's hesitation on the veyed them to a place of sahty. Gen. Rosccrans' orders to us, Kosecrans had 24 brigades com personally delivered, was that posed of 90 regiments and the. we must hold it if it cost us ev confederates had 2 4 brigades ery man we had.

The 6th Ohio also, composed of lo2 regiments, battery, under Captain Bradley good position in which to make a stand, he would rally. his men around his gun and light as long as he could and when the enemy thought they had his gun, his men would grab the prolong and run away with it, just like a cat playing with a live mouse. The Louisville-: Legion were dandies. Many the- men of this regiment lived in Louis ville. The Louisville Legion was rgan i zed i 'Jo ff rson i 1 1 Indiana by Lovel H.

Rousseau The 20th Texas regiment was was with Harker's brigade of completely wiped out. General Wood's division and was sent to Wharton commanding a part of the extreme right early in the the Confederate cavalry reports morning with that brigade. that the 1st Confederate cavalry Capt. Bradley had the misfor captured the 75th Illinois, but I tune to lose two of his guns, one suppose that he only put this in of which he spiked before he.