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Johnston could justly console him
self with the knowledge that the posi
tion was wrested from him not by as
sault, nor s » much by pure strategy as
by “two to one:” but, with the cov
eted prize in his grasp, Sherman could
well afford to feel independent of the
criticism which minified the glory of
the achievement.
Just here is probably the best place
to interject a short reference to a sub
sequent occurrence which has linked
the name of Allatoona with one of the
most stirring gospel lyrics of the Eng
lish tongue.
After the fall of Atlanta, when
Hood was making his famous move
ment toward and into Tennessee, in
Sherman’s rear, he sent General
French, with his division, to seize Al
latoona, where General Sherman had
stored over a million rations of bread.
Learning of this movement, Generaf
Sherman signalled from Macßae’s Hill,
at Vining’s Station, on the Western &
Atlantic Railroad, to the signal sta
tion on the .crest of Kennesaw Moun
tain, and thence in turn the message
was transmitted over the heads of the
Confederates, “ through the sky,” to
the forts on Allatoona heights, for
General John M. Corse, at Rome, Ga.,
to be notified that he must at once
hasten to Allatoona with re-enforce
ments for the garrison at that import
ant station.
Corse, with the least possible delav,
started from Rome at 8 P. M , < Ictober
4, 1864, and arrived at Allatoona at 1
A. M., October sth. He brought
1,054 men to re-inforce Colonel Tour
tellotte’s garrison of 890, thus making
a total, for the defence, of 1,944.
He found the outposts already en
gaged, and, as soon as daylight came,
he drew back the men from the village
to the ridge on which the two forts
were built.
These, by the way, were connected
by a bridge which spanned the deep
railroad cut.
Soon thereafter a lively bombard
ment was opened from a Confederate
battery on a high hill a few hundred
yards to the south ; and, at about 8
A. M., the assault began, coming from
front, Hank and rear.
Genera] Sherman says .
These redoubts had been located
* * * at the time of our advance
on Kennesaw, the previous June.
Each redoubt overlooked the store
houses close by the railroad, and each
could aid the other defensively by
catching in Hank the attacking force
of the other. Our troops at first en
deavored to hold some ground outside
the redoubts, but were soon driven in
side, when the enemy made repeated
assaults, but were always driven back.
About 11 A. M., Colonel Redfield, of
the Thirty-ninth lowa, was kdled, and
Colonel Rowett was wounded, but
never ceased to fight and encourage
his men. Colonel Tourtellotte was
shot through the hips, but continued
to command. General Corse was at 1
P. M.,shot across the face, the ball
cutting his ear, which stunned him,
but he continued to encourage his men
and to give orders. The enemy (about
1.30 P. M.) made a last and desperate
effort to carry one of the redoubts, but
was badly cut to pieces by the artillery
and infantry file from the other, when
THE GREAT KENNESAW ROUTE GAZETTE.
he began to draw off, leaving his dead
and wounded on the ground. —(Me-
moirs, Vol. I, page 149.)
General French’s assaulting force in
this battle was about 2,000 men.
The federal loss, officially reported,
was 70/ men. General French’s of
ficial report shows that his total loss
was 799 men. He also states that the
attack failed because his ammunition
nave out. as Hood was not aware that
Allatoona was fortified, and ordered
him there to fill up the railroad cut.
The above figures, however, show how
desperate were both the attack and de
fense. The deep cut through which
the railroad runs was strown with dead
and wounded men on that fatal day.
The Confederate retreat was hast
ened by the information received dur
inn the battle, that General Cox’s di
vision was rapidly approaching from
Kennesaw Mountain, to the relief of •
the garrison, and was close at hand.
Early in the day, General Sherman,
who was on the top of Kennesaw I
Mountain, succeeded in exchanging
4
~~~ 'Mxs. i '
J xs! ’
The Soldier’s Grave.
On the Western and Atlantic Railroad, in Allatoona Pass.
messages with the signal station on
Allatoona heights. He received intel
ligence that Corse had arrived; and
signalled back, “ Hold the fort; for I
am coming.”
From this message, and the attend
ant thrilling circumstances, have come
the gospel hymn, which is now sung
wherever the English language is
being used for evangelizing the world:
Ho ! my comrades see the signal
Waving in the sky !
Re enforcements now appearing,
Victory is nigii!
“Hold the fort; fori am coming,”
Jesus signals still,
Wave the answer back to heaven,
“By Thy grace we will.”
See the glorious banner waving,
Hear the bugle blow,
In our Leader’s name we’ll triumph
Over every foe.
“ Hold the fort,” etc.
Fierce and long the battle rages,
But our help is near;
Onward comes our Great Commander,
Cheer, my comrades, cheer!
“ Hold the fort,” etc.
The most characteristic memorial of
this oloody and famous struggle, which
now salutes the eye of the tourist, as
th ? train darts through the deep, fern
lined pass, is a lone grave at its north
western end, immediately by the track,
on the west side. This is the resting
place of a Confederate soldier, who was
buried on the spot where he fell.
For years past the track-hands of
the Western & Atlantic Railroad have
held this grave under their sp cial
charge, and made attention to it a sa
cred duty. Whenever their periodic
rounds bring them hither, they see
that it is kept clear of rubbish, and
that the head and foot stones are firm.
A neat marble head-stone has been
placed here, on which is the following
inscription :
An
UNKNOWN HERO,
He died for the cause
he thought was rigid.
The Marietta Journal thus touching
ly refers to this’memorial:
He was some mother’s darling, and
perhaps when the cruel war was over,
she wiped her tear-bedimmed eyes and
through her spectacles watched for the
coming of her soldier boy, but he came
not. Still she prayed and gazed down
the road and scanned the face of every
passer-by; every foot-step that sounded
on the walk her eager ears caught up
with expectancy ; her heart beat faster
and thrilled with hope; her eyes kind
led with joy ; her wrinkled face lighted
up with a smile, and her old arms, no
doubt, involuntarily went out to clasp
to her bosom her darling boy ; but she
was doomed to disappointment; it was
her neighbor’s boy who had returned,
and not her’s; and sadly she turned
back to her old arm chair by the win
dow, she choked down the heart sobs
and cleared away the unbidden tears,
and wondered why her boy did not
come. No tidings came of his where
abouts. She did not know that the
boy whom she saw proudly leave home
in his new suit of gray, iu response to
his country’s call, at that moment
filled an unknown grave. Perhaps,
after many years of waiting, she too
has gone over the river of death, and,
with her boy, will be a shadowy wit
ness of the erection of the headstone
to the memory of “An Unknown
Hero.”
We add hereto the touching little
poem which was written of this lonely
soldier’s grave by one who did not
know whether it was that of a Confed
erate or a Federal soldier. There is a
touch of human nature in it which we
believe all will appreciate.
'• In the railroad ent there’s a lonely grave
Which the track-men hold sacred to care;
They have piled ’round it stones, and tor it
thev save
Every Hower, when their task calls them
there.
Away from the home of his love,
Awav from his sweetheart or wife,
Away from his mother, whose pray
ers went above,
He gave for his country his life.
We know not if, wearing the blue, became
’Neath the “bright starry banner’ ar
rayed,
And, dying, that it o’er the mountain of
fame
Might forever in triumph wave, prayed.
Or we know not if, ’neath the red cross Hag
He rush’d forth, his country’s deiender,
Valiant, smote those who her cause down
would drag,
And only to death did surrender.
That, God only knows; and so in His hand
Let the secret unfathomed e’er rest;
But this we know that he died tor his land.
And the banner bethought was the best.
Heav’n pity the dear ones who pray’d his
return,
Heav’n bless them, and shield them from,
woes, . ... .
Heav’n grant o’er his grave to melt anger
stern,
And make brothers of those who were
foes!”
The ‘•Signal Tree ” on Allatoona
Mountain.
On the crest of the highest peak of
the Allatoona Mountains, north of Al
latoona ami nearly one mile east of the
Western and Atlantic railroad, was
the signal station which was estab
lished by General Sherman, during
the Atlanta campaign.
There was a large pine tree, about
sixty feet high, on the imme
diate summit of the mountain. All
the limbs except a few at the top were
trimmed off, and a platform about
six feet square was fastened thereon.
This platform was occupied by the
men who sent signals to the other sta
tions. These signals consisted in the
waving of Hags in a peculiar manner,
or, rather, somewhat after the manner
of telegraphic signals —the various
methods of waving constituting a sys
tem of spelling words.
From the ground to the top of the
tree, large cleats were nailed to its
trunk, so as to enable the men to easi
ly climb to the platform on the top.
The tree towered above the others on
the mountain, and from its peculiar
appearance after being trimmed up it
could be easily pointed out for miles
around as the “ signal tree.”
On the afternoon before the battle
of Allatoona, which is described in
other columns of this issue, signals
were exchanged from that station with
the one on the summit of Kennesaw
Mountain, some fifteen miles distant,
and thence these signals were repeated
to the garrison of the forts at Alla
toona Pass, about a mile or two south
of this mountain, and between it and
Kennesaw.