Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 22.djvu/79

 Ihe Bond of JI<r<.<in. 67

THE BOND OF HEROISM.

Blending of the Blue and Gray.

The Chicago Tribune of July 14, 1894, republishes the following from the St. Louis Globe- Democrat :

At General H. V. Boynton's talk about the Chattanooga campaign, before the Army and Navy Club, two good war stories were told. The audience embraced distinguished ex-Confederates as well as ex-Union officers, together with many officers of the regular army. General Roger Q. Mills, of Texas, was one of the ex-Confederates present. His brigade was one of the three or four which Cleburne marched to the northern end of Missionary Ridge and successfully pitted against Sherman in the hard fighting for possession of Tunnel Hill.

When General Boynton had concluded his talk General Mills showed on the map where his brigade had fought.

"There was an incident," he said, "connected with that battle which I recollect very distinctly. I am not able to tell it all, and perhaps some one here can complete the story with the name of the officer. Down below where we lay on Tunnel Hill was a large open field. Beyond that was some woods. A Federal brigade came through the woods and out into the open field. There the troops reformed their lines. The officer in command was perfectly cool. He took his time, and the troops formed as if they were on dress parade. They were within easy range and we fired into them. They broke and went back into the woods. In a few minutes they came back and formed again in the same deliberate way. When the officer in command had got them formed to suit him, he made them lie down, while he rode up and down the front as if waiting for or- ders. General Hardee came up to my brigade while we were firing on them, and said:

" ' Stop shooting at those men. It's murder.'

" We stopped. Some time afterward I talked with McDowell about Hardee's order, and asked him what he thought of the situation. He said: ' It was not murder; it was war.'

" Hardee was an officer of the regular army; he had fought under the flag, and I suppose he couldn't stand seeing it fired on when