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2 Maj.-Gen. P. R. Cleburne. A Biography, BY MAJOR CALHOUN BENHAM. CHAPTER XV. Affair of the 17th of June. The next day, rifle-pits having been constructed from the Marietta road extending northerly with epaulments for batteries, the enemy opened upon our part of the line with artillery, particularly upon our main battery near the road. He made no deter mined advance of infantry. THE CANNONADE WAS VERY HEAVY for upwards of an hour. We had some casualties —I have not the data to show how many. One officer how ever I shall well remember. His name was Lieut. Isaac Lightner, com manding Barrett’s St. Louis battery. He had lost both feet by a cannon-ball. He was being borne by the infirmary corps to the rear. Cleburne happen ing to pass near him, he called the general to him. Making the litter bearers set him down, he said : “ Ah! my General! we gave it to them — we are giving it to them yet, but they have finished me. I am gone. I have always done my duty, General, and you must put me in your report —put me in your report.” The Gen eral told him he hoped he would live, and promised he would mention him. He was borne away. He died; and the General never had an opportunity to make that report. As well as I can Ido it for him. The officer’s comrades will know his name. I think he be longed to Govan’s Brigade. He was hurt just to the left of the Marietta road. Later —at 5 o’clock p. m., Gen. Lucius J. Polk, our ranking brigadier, was wounded also. A cannon ball carried away the calf of his left leg, and the smaller bone was shattered — a re-section of three inches was made. His special exploits have been too frequently recorded to require words of encomium here. He is a soldier. Lieut.-Gen. Polk was his uncle. He was never fit for service again. He survives the war. During the night and next day, the 18th, our part of the line was thrown some miles farther back. We moved in column by the roads, which were very heavy, with a difficult crossing over a stream much swollen by a freshet. On the 19th we established A NEW LINE OF WORKS, connecting still with the westerly end of Kennesaw Mountain. The enemy advanced early in the day. There was heavy skirmishing. Our left was exposed by the cavalry under Gen. Ferguson falling back. The enemy did not press his advantage. Hardee seemed much concerned about the left. Vaughn’s Brigade of Cheatham’s Divi sion was placed in support of it; Polk’s Brigade also. On the 20th heavy cavalry-supports were also thrown upon the left. On the 21st and 22nd nothing worthy of note transpired. During these days the artillery-practice of the enemy was constant, and skirmishing was heavy and continual. On the 23rd we encountered THE SEVEREST SHELLING OF THE CAM PAIGN. There were few casualties however. Cleburne lost to-day a favorite horse. He got loose and deserted to the enemy. He had called him Stonewall. This horse was a veteran of many battles. Cleburne regretted him very much. The general suffered another loss, however, —in a favorite orderly. His death was a strange incident showing HOW PRECARIOUS IS LIFE. He was at the division headquarters. This was the securest point in our line. Having been driven from a^ house on the road by an artillery-practice which constantly struck it, much pains had been taken to find this refuge. It did great credit to the engineering abilities of its discoverer. It was a sloping hollow in dense woods, with a fine spring, two or three hundred yards behind the line —perfectly screened from every missile but a bursting shell. The orderly was standing at the foot of a tree in the hollow when a minnie ball struck one of its branches fifty feet from the ground, and, glancing straight down, struck him in the side —cutting the bowel. He died. He was an Austrian —from Velkeer — I spell the word phonetically. His name was I. A. Sap. I record it for the sake of his distant family. He was an old soldier. He had been through the Crimean war and Napo leon’s Solferino campaign. June 24th and 25th nothing of note occurred. June 26th, very little firing —a lull before the storm. GREAT BATTLE OF KENNESAW MOUN TAIN. June 27th. Here is the storm. The enemy advances with great enterprise in several lines upon our works —a general assault —it has come at last. The skirmishers drawn in—the custom always before a heavy line of battle — every man encased in the armor of the trenches awaits the moment when the enemy shall be embarrassed in the tangle. He reaches it, —commences to stumble through it, his feet hindered, his garments catching fast —he is a few hundred yards away, fire opens, a level line of lead. Each shot is low, aim careful and deliberate. “They have got us with our Jogs now; ” it is our time. Along a narrow riband of ground six or seven miles long in extent BLAZES THE FIRE OF DEATH. It is no combat. In the tangle the enemy’s lines are in the main swept away ; the more fortunate brave, who pass it, fall in the abatis; the rare hero who reaches our parapet, has the more honor to die upon it. The Con federates are not hurt. It is a butch ery, not a battle. On parts of the line, perhaps on all, repeated charges are essayed. It is of no use; there are somethings even heroism cannot do. Take those lines the enemy can not. HE ABANDONS THE ATTEMPT. The enemy’s loss was very great, and in proportion to the time the engagement lasted, extraordinary. Our division was engaged not more than thirty minutes, exclusive of inti missions, and only Polk’s and Lowrey’s left at that, and it killed and wounded upwards of a thousand men. Cheat ham, more than we, and on the right the execution was equally great. In our army the estimate was that the enemy lost upwards of seven thousand —killed and wounded —amongst them were Gen. Harker and manly other officers of high rank and distinction. THIS DAY THREW A LIGHT ON WAR IN A FOREST COUNTRY. It confirmed the lesson that well traced intrenchments properly constructed, on ground lying favorably, with thick parapet head-log, abatis, and sapling tangle, cannot be carried in front against artillery and the long range rifle, unless at a cost not to be paid where there is any approximation to equality of numbers. The flanking operation alone is ad missible under such conditions; none other is practicible. This is the point THE KENNESAW GAZETTE. of the lesson. A lay soldier could not miss it. I venture to assert that Gen. Sher man will admit that he learned the fact that bloody day in June. Cer tainly, he never repeated the experi ment of assault in front under similar conditions in the Atlanta campaign. On the next day, the 28th, A TRUCE WAS ALLOWED that the enemy might bury their dead. Although forbidden, there was much reprehensible intercourse by our sol diers with the enemy. The 29th of June passed without any incident, except a very heavy musketry-fire on our division-front at midnight, which carried the general and his staff, galloping through the dark in a heavy fire to the works. We could not ascertain the cause of it —some alarm, possibly, of the enemy, or an experiment on his part to find whether we were still in our position, or retreating. Such a fire should not be returned; the actual advance should be awaited in silence; otherwise the enemy can always discover at night whether the main force has retreated or not. On the 30th of June all was quiet. On the Ist of July there was severe shelling in the afternoon. On the 2nd of July we made ANOTHER NIGHT MARCH IN RETREAT, the enemy’s movements having again endangered our flanks. This move ment was conducted with the consum mate skill always exhibited by Gen. Johnston. Each division having its own roads, and all lighted by little fires, hidden by the forest from the enemy, to prevent commands from going astray. THIS RETREAT GAVE UP MARIETTA, a beautiful town of some importance, not strategical, however, eighteen or twenty miles north of Atlanta, and twelve miles north of the Chattahoo chee river. [2b be continued.'] From the Front. Field near Ruff’s Station, I July 4th, 1864. ) In order to counteract a flank movement made in force by the enemy on our left, the army commenced to withdraw from the neighborhood of Marietta night before last. The movement was conducted in a successful manner, characteristic of Gen. Johnston. Gen. Hardee’s Corps, though in some places not more than forty or fifty yards from the enemy’s lines, did not begin to move until just before daylight yesterday, and was conduct ed so quietly the enemy was aware of it until the evacuation was completed. Not a gun was fired along the line during the night, ex cept from the Kennesaw Mountain. About sunrise the enemy hoisted a flag on Kennesaw Mountain. An hour or two later, they advanced, passing to the rear of the Military Institute, when our cavalry commenc ed skirmishing with them. A brigade of the enemy this morn ing attacked a small force of one hun dred dismounted cavalry, and were compelled to retire. We captured thirty Henry rifles, a few prisoners and horses. The enemy have been feeling for our position to-day. Considerable skirmishing was made along the line, principally on French’s front. — Atlanta Intelligencer, July 6th, 1864. As you go over the W. & A. ask the conductor to show you the great “horse-shoe bend.” Sberman’s Army—Talk Among The Troops—A Strange Scene At The Front—Burying The Dead—Whisky Drinking, Etc. We copy the following from a Yan kee newspaper which has been sent to us by a friend from the front: I witnessed a strange scene yester day, in front of Davis’ division during the burial of the dead, who were kill ed in the terrific and disastrous charge of the 27th. Grouped together in seemingly fraternal unity were officers and men of both contending armies, who but five minutes ago were engag ed in the work of slaughter and death. There were Generals Cleburne, Cheat ham, Hindman and Maney in busy conversation with, as I subsequently learned, the officers of the 14th Michi gan infantry, who, it seemed were well acquainted with the families of many of the Tennessee officers and soldiers in Cheatham’s division. Cheatham looked rugged and healthy, though seemingly sad and despondent. He wore his fatigue dress, a blue flannel shirt, black neck-tie, grey home-spun pantaloons, and a slouch black hat. At first he was not dis posed to be either inquisitive or com municative, but after putting himself outside a few heavy jorums of commis sary whiskey from the bottle of one of our officers, he “was himself again,” and made many inquiries about Nash villians and the Rock City. General Maney was less reserved. He was elegantly dressed, as were also lieute nant-Colonel House, Captains McLean and Atkinson. Captain Lee, from Columbus, being introduced to Cap- Dixon, of the 14th, Michigan, asked: “Do you belong to Mizien’s regi ment, for some time stationed at Frankfort and Columbia?” “Yes, sir, I do.” “Then you are the man who was Provost Marshal ?” “Yes, sir.” “It is well for you,” said the cox combish Captain Lee, “that we didn’t get possession of that place and you — I would have hung you.” “No you wouldn’t,” interposed a red haired, red eyed Major Hawkins, (formerly deputy sheriff of Nashville) “for the boys say. their folks were bet ter treated by these Michigan men than by any troops ever stationed there.” “That’s so,” said Major Vaulse, o'i Cheatham’s staff,; “boys, that’s better whiskey than we’ve got.” (reaching for the ardent.) Col. House was in charge of the burying party, and was courteous ami affable, putting on his most insinuating smiles. Being reminded of the antagonistic attitude of himself and brother, (Sam, of Franklin,) who was reported as making “reconstruction speeches,” and being a loyal man, he remarked: “Well Sam was always a conservative man, but I don’t think he is very loyal.” Captain Cook, from Franklin, Tenn., who was wounded a few days since, died yesterday. Colonel Clancy, of the 52d Ohio, in talking to Gener als Maney and Hindman, remarked that it was a sad state of affairs to witness human beings of a common origin and nationality, dig two hours every day to bury the dead of twenty minutes fighting. “Yes, sir, indeed,” said one : “But if the settlement of this thing was left to our armies, there would be peace and good fellowship established in two hours.” “General,” said a Federal officer, addressing long-haired Hindman, “what do you think if the result of