Story of Allatoona Pass printed in the Journal, Lincoln, Nebr.

 

            Three veterans of Lincoln held an audience spellbound Saturday night at G.A.R. Hall with stories of the battle of Allatoona Pass. Chief Henry V. Hoagland, Capt. A. M. Trimble and Judge J. B. Strode, all members of Illinois regiments and all participants in that memorable defense of a vast quantity of provisions, told the story of the battle as they saw it. General Sherman's answer to an appeal for reinforcements "Hold the fort", which called forth the famous song, was in incident of this battle.

            The importance of the struggle was great as defeat for the Union men might have prevented Sherman's march to the sea, and would have supplied the rebel army with rations enough to have justified a long resistance.

            Captain Trimble related an incident showing the desperation of the rebels. He said rebel details were made from time to time to burn the great warehouses which were being defended by the Union men. Desperate and brave men in grey dashed to the very doors of the buildings and threw firebrands into the structures.

            The best marksmen on the Union side were placed close by and they shot down the rebels without mercy. One big Texan succeeded in dashing open a door and raised his arm to throw a brand. A negro inside armed with an axe split his head from top to chin. This was only one of many incidents in the dreadful hand to hand conflicts that took place. Henry rifles, containing sixteen cartridges, then the only magazine gun on the market, were used with terrible effect by one Illinois regiment in resisting the repeated assaults of the rebels.

            Chief Hoagland's account follows on next page.

 

            Poem written by Sergeant Flint.

 

"Winds that sweep the southern mountain,

            And the leafy river shore,

Bear ye not a prouder burden

            Than ye ever learned before?

                        And the hot blood fills

                        The hear till it thrills

At the story of the terror and the glory

                        of the battle

                        Of the Allatoona Hills.

 

"Echo from the purple mountains,

            To the dull surrounding shore;

'Tis as sad and proud a burden

            As ye ever learned before.

                        How they fell like grass

                        When the mowers pass,

And the dying, when the foe was flying,

                        swelled the cheering

                        Of the heroes of the Pass.

 

"Sweep it o'er the hills of Georgia,

            To the mountains of the north;

Teach the coward and the doubter

            What the blood of man is worth.

                        Hail the flag you pass:

                        Let its stained and tattered mass,

Tell the story of the terror and the glory

                        of the battle

                        Of the Allatoona Pass." /

 

Allatoona Pass

Written by Henry V. Hoagland.

 

            The story of Allatoona Pass is a story of tragedy, of sacrifice, of human endurance and of valor on the part of the contending forces and of glorious victory for one and ignominious defeat for the other. It has furnished inspiration to the poet and has given the world a sacred song the fame of which is as wide as Christendom, "Hold the Fort for I am Coming".

            Yes, we held the fort, as Comrade Trimble has told you. The sacrifice was great and the cost in human life could never have been estimated, had that little band weakened and failed, and Sherman's March to the Sea, the beginning of the end of the great Civil War, been indefinitely postponed or abandoned in consequence thereof.

            The losses in this battle on both sides, considering the number engaged, was as proportionately great and possibly greater than that of any battle during the war. The Rebels lost more men either killed or wounded than were engaged on the Union side when that "unnecessary effusion" as General French called it, commenced. Confederate Colonel Young, commander of one of the assauting brigades, estimated the Confederate loss at 2000 and that estimate was at the time thought to be very nearly correct. Three Confederate flags and 800 muskets fell into our hands. Their dead and wounded were scattered over the hills and ravines and gulches for more than a mile, many bodies were found and buried from day to day until the 22^nd of October, covering a period of 17 days.

            The total loss sustained by us was 713 officers and men, more than 35% of the whole number engaged. Nearly every commanding officer was either killed or wounded. Colonel Redfield, commanding the 39^th Iowa was killed, General Corse, Colonel Rowett of the 7^th Ill. then commanding the Brigade sent from Rome and who succeeded General Corse, was wounded and won a star for his shoulder straps, while occupying that position. Colonel Tourtellotte commanding the 4^th Minn., Major Hanna in command of the 50^th Ill. and others were severely wounded. Eleven line officers were killed and 13 wounded, 7 taken prisoner. Captains came into command of regiments, sergeants commanded companies and yet the defense never weakened. With the words of General Sherman "Hold the Fort" ringing in their ears, and conscious themselves of the importance of fulfilling that command, each officer and soldier exerted himself to the utmost and exhibited on that occasion the desperate valor, the noble heroism, the determination that characterizes the intelligent American soldier everywhere, on every field, in every age.

            If every officer in that command had fallen, the battle would have been fought to the end just as it was. Officers and privates alike loaded and fired muskets and cannon. Rank neither gave nor sought immunity from the burden and heat of the battle.

            I cannot refrain from giving a few facts concerning my own regiment, the 7^th Ill. Infantry, in connection with this memorable event, not that I wish to give the impression that our record was better or that we deserve any greater credit than any other regiment for the record of others was just as good and each regiment faithfully performed their part, but because I am more familiar with the experiences and facts connected with my own regiment than with any other.

            We went into battle with 291 men, 190 of whom were armed with Henry 16-shooting Rifles. Some may think that the 7^th had a pull with the government because of their better equipment, but the pull was from their own pockets, each man paid $52.00 from the small pittance allowed him as a salary, for his gun. The government furnished the ammunition. From these repeating rifles alone were fired 31,000 cartridges, 163 to each man. The regiment, out of its 291 men, lost 42 enlisted men and 4 commissioned officers killed and 67 enlisted men wounded, and 37 prisoners making a total loss of 150 men, more than half of the regiment. Our colors received 217 bullet holes through them one staff was cut entirely in two, the other showing the marks of eleven bullets. My own company had 27 men present for duty on the morning of the battle and but 13 answered at roll call after the battle was over. 14 of them lay on the field either killed or / wounded, we lost none as prisoners.

            Early in the fight a rebel regiment of stalwart men, which looked as though they were strong enough in numbers to whip our whole force, marched up from the south, headed directly for the warehouse containing the immense stores of rations and Army supplies. Captain John A. Smith then a mere boy 23 years old, commanding a company composed of 52 men, the largest company in the regiment, was asked by Colonel Rowett if he could take care of that regiment. "I can, Sir" promptly replied the Captain and turning to his men this command rang out in his clear high tenor voice, "Forward double quick March".

            The company moved forward rapidly, detaching itself from the rest of the command out into the open field, secured a position in line with the left flank of the rebel regiment and then to the utter amazement of the rebels those 52 heroic men commenced to pump out of their Henry rifles such a torrent of fire and bullets that the rebel regiment broke and ran scattered in every direction. That rebel regiment was taken care of in just about 10 minutes by Company E. 16 men of the company however were killed in that movement. The company's loss altogether in the battle was 37 killed or wounded and 4 prisoners, a total loss of 41, over two thirds of the company.

            The loss of each command in detail was as follows—

                        7^th Illinois———150

                        50^th      "————78

                        93^rd      "————89

                        12^th      "————58

                        57^th 2 companies—13

                        39^th Iowa———170

                        18^th Wisconsin—98

                        4^th Minnesota——44

                        12^th Wisc. Battery—21

                        5^th Ohio Cavalry—1

                                    Total 713.

            The night following the battle was almost as terrible as the battle itself. The sun sank behind the western hills, enveloped in dark ominous looking clouds. The moon shown out brightly at first, but that too soon hid its face behind the black veil, then mutterings of thunder came rolling through valleys and gorges and lightning flashed around the tops of the hills. Black darkness, such as could almost be felt, save when relieved by the vivid flashes of lightning, hung like a heavy pall over the scene of the battle of the day.

            Nature's teardrops fell in torrents, as if to wash away the stains of blood from those hills, all night long the downpour of rain continued and the loud roar of heaven's artillery succeeded only partially in drowning the cries and shrieks of the wounded. It was a fearful night, a fitting afterpiece to the tragedy of the day.

            The frequent flashes of lightning cast a lurid light upon many scenes of indescribable horror. But the long, weird and dreary night at last yielded to the break of day. The rain ceased and the clouds rolled away. The blood had all disappeared, but the scars remained and many of them remain to this day, though most of them have long since been hidden under a friendly sod in the land they helped to make free.

            The wounded received as much care as it was possible to give them and the dead were buried. That burial scene can never be forgotten. The roar of battle was exchanged for silence that was oppressive. Gathered together by companies and regiments, wrapped in their blankets, side by side as they fought the day before, they were laid in the long shallow grave at the foot of the mountain. Men whose voices had shouted defiance to the enemy now spoke in low whispers or remained silent. Hearts that had stood unmoved through all that terrible storm could not withstand the power of that scene of blood and suffering and death. Brave men shed tears and with woman's tenderness paid their last tribute of respect to their dead comrades.

            Of the boys who held Allatoona Pass, there are but few left to tell the story, but they sing the song "Hold the Fort for I am Coming" with an interest and emotion known only to them, and the veterans of the 7^th recite the poem composed and written by Sergeant Flint of that regiment on the evening after the battle.

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