Show r rI I r PEACH TREE CREEK BATTLE Sergeant Newberry Tells Interesting Story of Fight He Witnessed From Ravine On July 19 the Fourth corps and Fourteenth corps and the First and Second divisions of the Twentieth corps crossed Peach Tree creek to the eastern side and formed lines while the Third division of the Twentieth corps remained in camp some six miles mUes or more from the battlefield On the morning of ot th the I waS waS' ordered to take 15 men and a corporal and follow fol low law the line Une of march of the division and the batteries and ammunition wagons and gather up and bring forward all who might fall Sall out of ran ranks ks It was a avery very hot day and nd as theline the theUne theline line Une of march was through woods the shade was some protection We Ve had advanced several miles mUes and the toe batteries batteries bat bat- teries and ammunition teams could follow the divisions division's line of march no farther because of obstructions and had bad to move off to the left and did didot not ot Join the division until the battle was over and the victory won I concluded my orders required meto me meto meto to follow the line of march of the division di vision and I did so We had gathered gather ed oed about 60 who had fa fatten fallen len out on acCount account account ac count of ot the heat and came to the creek about 11 a. a m. m We Ve crossed and the valley vaHey beyond was from to yards wide and was covered with growing corn We Ve found a spring and anda a shady place and halted for dinner din ner writes Joseph B. B Newburg sergeant sergeant ser geant Company I. I Seventy-ninth Seventy Ohio now residing in Montana In the National National Na No I Honal Tribune After eating I 1 went up on a hill near the right flank of ot the Fourth corps and looking down I Ithe the valley vaHey caught sight of our headquarters headquarters head bead quarters flag I gathered my men and we got there as quickly as we could It was now about 3 p. p m. m and there was a rapid skirmish on the ridge on the east side and our division in line Une of battle at its base I sent the men that I had gathered to their commands and then as bullets bullets bul lets were flying around us T. T was ordered ordered or dered to take a few prisoners that had been captured back across the creek and out of range I 1 got my men and with the prisoners started toward a big cottonwood log that lay Jay across the channel of the creek As 1 l neared the log a soldier passed me with his gup gun and all of his equip ments He had but a few steps to go gor r 1 iT ro rr I Im 1 1 a Pitched Forward on His Face Dead to reach the log when he pitched forward for ward on his face dead After getting up on the ridge on the western side I sent my men with the corporal and prisoners a way up the creek Into a w c ed ravine ravine ra vine where they would be entirely out of ot danger from the bullets I then took my position where I could seethe see seethe seethe the whole line of our division as it charged up the ridge and the battle roar began at about 4 o'clock p p. p m. m A short time afterward a fine young soldier of Company C C. C for whose father fa fa- father ther I 1 had built a a. water sawmill In Clinton county Ohio In 1848 came near to mo me without either gun gun or equipments and turned to look at the Before Defore he had fight stood there a minute a bullet struck him on the right thigh and he ho died six days aft aft- At about 7 p p. p m. m the rattle of the ri rifle Q fire slacked and the shouts of victory came loud across the valley Early In the morning I 1 went to where the dead were gathered for forI I burial and counted dead of our division and of the Confederates that our men had gathered The Tho cause of such a difference In loss Joss was that Gen Hood sent his lines three or four tour lines deep In the ch charge rge and six companies companies com com- panics o of the One Ono Hundred and Fifth Illinois were armed with the Henry rifles Company K Ie used the Spencer I I lne ifie One of the captains I had as prisoner told me that they learned of tho g gap In our lines on tho mornIng morn morn- Ing of of tho tha and thought they would c out through It and swing and either a few Acorns the badge of ot the Fourteenth corps but when I j they camo came to the gap they saw in in- I stead the Stars badge of the tho Twentieth II i I corp I I |