Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 39.djvu/27

 "Missionary Ridge." 15

months afterward were marked by blunder after blunder. Far better would it have been had he evacuated Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain without any fight at all.

While our left and center were thus defeated, what was our "right wing" doing?

We come now to the only creditable part of the battle of Missionary Ridge — the conduct of the "right wing." The "right wing" was held by Hardee's Corps, and the most of it, about 8,000 men, was commanded by Major-General Pat R. Cleburne in person. This force formed the extreme right of the "right wing" (and of the whole army), and held the crucial position, for it covered our communications. This position the enemv did its best to "turn." General W. T. Sherman com- manded them in person, and had 25,000 men. (See his own book.) He hurled these thousands against us in charge after charge all day long, but they were routed every time, with heavy loss. In some places they got to our lines (for instance, in front of the "Second Arkansas" of our Govan's Brigade), but our men. out of ammunition, fought them back with stones and clubbed muskets, and ran them down the hill. Some 2.000 prisoners were in our hands on the "right wing" when the day closed. I give "camp talk" after the battle. I saw several hundred myself. Their canteens and those of the dead and wounded were filled with whiskey, except what they' had drunk. This may explain their recklessness. When night came we on "the right" were rejoicing over our "great victory," not knowing what had befallen our "center and left." About 10 o'clock that night we were told that we must fall back and form the rear guard of the rest of our army, which had been defeated! The enemy was between us and them, and w^e had to make a great detour and march all night to reach our retreating army. We did so. saving them thereby, and most of our wagon train. The enemy followed, but timidly. On the early morning of the 28th (I think) they grew bolder, and at Ringgold, Ga., we gave them a bad and bloody beating. We had just forded, waist deep, the Chickamauga River, and the battle afforded us