170 NortH Carotina Troops, 1861-65. CHICAMAUGA. 171

was written out, of each regiment in action, giving its halting
places, line of march, places where engaged, and where finally ing home, enabled us to fix the position of the Sixth and
located at the end of the battle. Twenty-ninth, accurately, and to the satisfaction of all pres-
This preparation showed four phases of the battle of Chic- ent.
amauga especially worth our attention, not only as attended 2. The famous break through the Federal centre about
with the most important results to both armies, but as show- noon on Sunday. Here it was, according to the report of
ing most conspicuously the gallant conduct of the soldiery of _ Colonel David Coleman, Thirty-ninth North Carolina, who
North Carolina. We may perhaps be pardoned for saying towards the close of the day took command of his brigade in
that, since this great struggle has of late been given its true consequence of General McNair having been disabled, that
place in the history of the war, as the most critical of any in the brigade, under Coleman’s command, charged across an
the West, and will surely take its position in the history of open field in face of the heavy fire, and captured nine cannons
the world as one of the few decisive battles of the century, it which had been playing upon it from the eminence. Colonel
becomes more and more necessary to put in enduring form Coleman, with the modesty of the soldier, contents himself
the record of North Carolina’s achievements there, thus with the simple statement, and says no more,
grown to be of even more than national importance. We The commander of another brigade also claims the honor
noted down and each of these’subjects was fully and patiently of the capture, fortifying his statement by certificates from
discussed between the National Commission and ourselves the various subordinates. The division commander refers to
night before we went over the ground. both reports, but does not decide between them. He inti-
1. The attempt of General Bragg to turn the Federal left, mates, however, that out of the abundance of captured can-
and thus secure control of the contested State road leading nons, both brigades may have taken the number claimed.

from LaFayette to Chattanooga. The attack was opened by This made it necessary for us to collect all available evi-
Forrest’s horsemen. Davidson’s Brigade, in which was the dence, and subject it to the United States Commissioners the

their recollection, aided by information collected before leay-

 

 

Sixty-fifth North Carolina (Sixth Cavalry) took part in the
movement, and we had already secured evidence of the Sixth’s
honorable position on the right of the line. Some Ex-Confed-
erates, who had served under Forrest here, and who visited
the field a few days before our arrival, had so located the
positions as to corroborate in every way our views.

Forrest was soon reinforced by Ector’s infantry brigade,
containing the Twenty-ninth North Carolina, who formed,
advanced and fought over substantially the same ground as
the cavalry.

As neither the reports of the brigade or regimental com-
manders of either the cavalry or infantry detachments have
been found or printed, we had to rely upon other evidence as
to the locations. General H. V. Boynton, of the United
States Commission, had commanded a regiment, and one of
our Commission had been a staff officer, in the brigade which
successively met the assaults of Forrest, and Ector, so that

night before our actual inspection of the ground. Reports,
maps and other printed matter were thoroughly examined
and discussed, and we were assured that should the morning
survey confirm the conclusion arrived at, we could regard our
contention as successful.

The next day, after establishing the point where the guns
were massed, we walked up the long slope of Dyer’s field,
over which ten or twelve divisions had fought, and a second
comparison of all the evidence ayailable, made on the very
spot of the conflict, so plainly showed the justice of Colonel
Coleman’s claim, that we were directed to drive down a stake
marked with the regiment’s name, the date and fact of the
exploit, at the location contended for.

3. The attack by Breckinridge on the Federal left, Sunday
afternoon, and the desperate fighting for the State road in
Kelley’s field. We had no member of the Sixtieth North Car-
olina with us, their regiment having participated in the bat-