After crossing the river we moved on throgh a low range of hills with small farms scatered throgh them. At noon we halted for dinner, and to wait for the road to be cleared ahead of us. While we were resting, and preparing for our meal, some of the boys were on the lookout for a porker, and while doing so stumbled on to some lumber that was half covered with leavs, under which they found a hole in the ground, in which they found taned hides, mixed with corn in the ear. They took out more than a wagon load of the hides, but did not reach the bottom. Just how this deposit came there was a puzzeler. There was no sign that a wheled vehickle had ever been there, and we could not determine how long since the deposit been made. Just as the interest had reached a fever heat, a fierce canonading broke loose in the front some miles away, and evry man was called into line at once. The volumn of sound clearly indicated that a fierce battle was being fought. We onley marched about two miles, when we found that the road was blocked with wagons, and we could do nothing but stand in line, and wait. Heavy clouds obscured the heavens, and darkness came on earley, and with it a downpore of rain which continued all night. We could do nothing but stand or squat in our places and take the rain. The darkness was apauling, and exceeded anything that any of us had ever witnessed. When daylight came we were a pitiful looking set of men. When the wagons got out of our way, we took up the line of march and soon came to "Pumpkinvine creek" from which the battle took its name in history. We did not march but a few miles till we came in sight of the battlefield, and got sight of the dead and wounded of which there were several hundred. Hooker had run into an ambush of masked batterys, which mowed his men down before he could get a position to return the fire. The dead and wounded laying prone on the ground, drenched by a terable downpore of the night before presented a gastly spectacle, from which we were glad to escape. In that country the wooded is almost an impenitratable tangle of underbrush, of which we had a very practical illustration. The previous battle had been fought on open farmland; on the east of which we formed our marching line, facing the tangle of brush. As soon as our lines (2) was formed we were ordered foward, into which we at once commenced to fight our way. For hours we struggled on, tearing clothing, and lacerating our bodies, but there was no turning aside, or going around. When a line of battle is formed it must be preserved. After four or five hours of hard work we succeeded in reaching open woods, where we halted to get a bite to eat, but soon resumed our march, and finaly came out into a farming country. We had no idea where we were, or what or what part of the battle line our corps was situated, in fact we had been practically lost in the woods, but were not lost to our commanding officers. We moved on slowly till about 5 oclock, when we were halted on the crest of a ridge, where we were oderd to rest in places, and await orders. Up to this time we had not met an enimy, or hear a gun fire in our immediate front. We did not have to wait long for orders. The engineers passed along in our front, and staked out for a line of works, and of course we got busy at once, and when night set we had a respectable line of defense, made of rails, and logs. Shermans army was now vetterans, and fully undestood the importance of some protection, when in the immediate presence of a corageous, and persistant foe. For ten days we remained behind our works, fighting more or less evry day with our skirmish lines, wihout very much loss except from the enimies sharp shooters, but there was some very hard fighting on other portion of our line of defense, which was about 15 miles long. History records fighting at "Pumpkin vine"; Dallas; "Newhope Church". I never knew just where Dallas, or Newhope Church was located, but know that they were all in our immediate vicinity. My disability incured at Cartersville continued, and grew worse, till I had to go {to} the field hospital during the seige, but onley remained about two days, till I went back to the command. On a sunday morning, (I do not recall the exact date but I think that it was after the fifth of june, we received mail from the north, for the first time since leaving Madisonville, and it was being distributed from our company. Some of {the boys} had received as much as a half dozzen letters, and of course were greatly interested in them. There had been no firing on either side, and an ideal sabath was present evrywhere. Instainusly a terific explosion occure just over, and about six feet above us. My whole company, and a part of company G were more or less stuned. A peirsing scream from Tan Moore caused me to look up, to see whether it was in fun. He had just been telling what his little daughter had writen to him, and was of course in a splendid good humor, which was his natural trait of character. When I saw the expression of his face I saw that there was no fun in him now. The facts were that he was mortaly hurt. A piece of shell had crushed the bones of his leg to the hip joint. Some others in co{mpany} G had been wounded, and two killed outright. Moore was taken to the hospital, where his leg was taken off, but he died that night, and he now sleeps in an unknown grave. There was no other firing after the explossion of the shell, and we could never account for that. Our neighbors did no firing that or the next day, not withstanding we frequently proded them with shot and shell. The rebel works remained as silent as if they had been entirely dezerted. That the enimy was trying to induce us to charge their lines, was fully demonstrated when, about five oclock, he turned about 150 pieces of artillary lose upon our lines, first with solid shot, then with shell and grape. The firing lasted about 30 minuts but did little damge. We were too well protected. The greater part of the damage occured in the rear, among the teams, and camp followers. Two shells passed throgh Gen Cox's tent (our divission commander) which was located at what we called the depot. Our cooks (officers) were stationed here, and as soon as the fire slackened, I went back to look after ours. I will onley say that I found our provission, and our cooking outfit, but no cook, nor did I ever see him afterwards. The firing was too much for him, but he was kind enough to leave our grub, and pay for a moinths service where we could get the former and keep the latter. I did not blame the negro for running away. If he had been wounded there was no place for him, nor no one to take care of him. About this time the dysentery set in on me, besids I had a bad cough, which prevented me from sleeping at night, or resting in the daytime, and I was again ordered to the field hospital, and from there to Alitoona pass, where I grew worse. The hospital here was so badly crowded that an old woodshed had to be used for a hospital, where the sick were simply laid out on the ground in the dust and klitter. There was not enough attendants to afford necesary sanitary relief. Tents were finaly provided, and the sick removed to them. The wounded were continualy coming in from the front, some of them having died on the way. I remember that one rainy morning I lay in my tent, and looked out to where two soldiers lay under a blanket, with the rain poring down upon them. I could have known that there was life there. It was ten oclock before any attention was paid to them, when a burrial squod came and removed the covering, when it was all plaine enough. That blanket covered two dead soldiers. Soldiers who went out to fight for their country, and return to enjoy its glory, and its prosperity ans the grand privilege of being an american. Thus passed away thousands, who to day are regarded as having simply been unfortunate, or that they ought to have better luck, but the unanswed fact remains that great wars cannot be fought without some body dying, either of wounds, or of disease, largely the latter. Here the sick and wounded were examined with a view of sending all of the worst cases to the rear. When the surgeon reached me he had no trouble in disposing of my case, and I was ordered to the officers hospital on Lookout mountain, to which I was transported in a box car. No one but sick, or wounded soldier can appriciate the torture, and hardships incident to transportation of this charactor. We all arrived at Chattanooga, in a very exausted condition, late at night, where we were put into a hospital, and the next morning removed to Lookout mountain. There were about six hundred officers here, ranging from lieut's to Dol's. Here I became very much worse, and ofr several weeks was unable to get out of my room. In fact the attending surgeon dispared of my recovery for several days, and if I had folowed his treatment I surely should have died, but I was fortunate in the steward of my ward, who had been an attendant in a hospital in Lowel mass, and had learned much about diseases. He disregarded the treadment of the doctor, by thowing the doses into the fireplace, and using simple remedies of his own. But the doctor never knew, and when I was finaly able to get out, he came into my room, and congratulated me on my recovery, and complementing himself for the treatment he had given me; saying that he expected at one time that I would be carried out feet foremost. I have no doubt but that many a brave soldiers life was sacrificed by ignorant physicians, who simply would not let nature do her perfect work in building up a worn down physical organism. This doctor provided me with two tonics, which were very strong, with orders to take them alternately evry hour. I believe that if I had taken either of these tonics as directed, I would not have the privilege of writitng these notes. Besids a bad cough, I had a bad case of dysentery, but more painful than all of these was a burn on my chest from a double application of fly plasr{t}er, that semed to have burned me to the very ribs. For days I sat and held my clothing away from my breast. Lookout mountain is so well known in war history, that anything that I might say would not be new. Forty seven years afterwards I had the privelege of looking upon its rugged highths, but it semed to be the same. The palisades were there, just as they were when I first beheld those majestic highths. Instead of traveling five miles to get to the summit in the ambulance one may board an incline car, and be there in a few minuts. I stood and watched many people going up and down, but I felt that the condition of my nerves would not justify me in making the trip by motor car. to be continued next week. 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