Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, October 28, 1963, Image 7

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Medford mail tribune., October 28, 1963, Image 7

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Newspaper Page TextMONDAY. OCTOBER 28, 13 CIVIL WAR NO MONEY DOWN ON CREDIT AT WARDS-JUST SAY "CHARGE IT!" !J& WAS TiiE SAVE AT WARDS! MKUFOKD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD, OREGON (MM L l i-" 'J TROOPS SUFFER FAMINE The Union Army penned up at Chattanooga, Tenn., in October, 1863, after losing the battle of Chickamauga, was not eating well in fact teamsters had to guard their mules because soldiers stole the corn from the animals' nosebags. The reason for the famine was the fact that the besieging Confederate Army controlled the Tennessee River below Chattanooga and Gen. U. S. Grant could not get supplies into the city. Grant, using a plan worked out before his arrival on the scene, broke the blockade and let supplies flow to his army again. This drawing, from the Library of Congress collection, shows Gen eral Hooker's men crossing the river at Brown's Ferry to break the blockade. (UPI) Soldiers' Hunger Sparks Battle By MERTON T. AKERS United Press International A Civil War soldier who lugged a heavy musket, from 40 to60rounds of ammunition, half a pup tent, a blanket, a can teen and assorted cooking uten sils worried less about the weight than about food. If a soldier "liberated" chick ens, turkeys and ham from plan tations, he soon began grum bling because he had no bacon and hardtack. The Union army penned up in Chattanooga, Tenn., in Octo ber 1863 after losing the battle of Chickamauga, was not eating well in fact, teamsters had to guard their mules because the soldiers stole the corn from the animals' nosebags. They had lit tle bacon, less hardtack and no trimmings. "The men had been on half ra tions for a considerable time," Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, who had just assumed command of the army, wrote. "The beef was so poor that the soldiers were in the habit of say ing that they were living on 'half rations of hard bread and dried beef on the hoof.' It looked, indeed, as if but two courses were open; the one to starve, the other to surrender." The reason for the famine was the fact that the besieging Con federate army controlled the Tenrtessee River below Chatta nooga and that was the only way Grant could bring in pro visions in large enough quanti ties to feed his army and its animals. Grant was not a general to sit and wait for an event to happen. He preferred to do something about it. Blockade Broken Using a plan worked out be fore he arrived who conceived the plan is a matter of dispute Grant broke the Confederate blockade of the river and sup plies flowed again. Part of the Union army was at Bridgeport, Ala., about 25 miles southwest of Chatta nooga, under the command of Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker who had brought two corps of rein forcements from the Army of the Potomac in Virginia. Hooker's men marched to ward Chattanooga early on Oct. 27, 1863. He was not in fa vor of the move. "It is a very hazardous opera tion and almost sure to procure us a defeat" he was quoted. His men marched 15 miles that day. Confederate p i c k ets along the way fell back. The next day Hooker march ed along the valley with Look out Mountain swarming with Confederates, on his right. He could see their signal stations wigwagging messages to the headquarters of Gen. Braxton Bragg, Confederate commander. Touch and Go To Hooker it was touch and go as he approached the Tennessee River below Chattanooga where it looped back north. The Confederates kept up rifle and artillery fire from the top of Lookout Mountain but did lit tle damage. Any moment Hook er expected Confederate col umns to attack his extended force from the foothills of Look out. At the most exposed point on a crossroads Hooker sat on his horse as his men marched by to Brown's Ferry, five miles west of Chattanooga and assured them there was no danger of a Confederate attack in force. At least he hoped so. Another three miles and his men reached Brown's Ferry. There they met a Union force from Chattanooga which had seized a bridgehead on the river the day before and had thrown up a pontoon bridge with little resistance. "Hurrah, hurrah, vou have opened our bread line," they shouted as Hooker's men arrived. Grant's "cracker line" was open. Now supplies could come up the Tennessee River to Brown's Ferry and easily be hauled across the neck of land the five miles to Chattanooea out of sight and range of the reoeis on LooKout. The forces from Chattanooea which had seized the Brown's Ferry bridgehead had paddled meir pontoons on tne Tennessee River from the north in secrecy. The longer route was necessary because the Confederates on Lookout Mountain which stands like a sentinel across the river from Chattanooga, could see every move of the Federals. To have started a pontoon train west toward Brown's Ferry woum nave tipped ott Confed erate pickets that something was up and enabled Bragg to pile in more troops. Confederates Surprised Seizure of Brown's Ferry sur prised the Confederates but they made a fight to pinch off Hooker's force that night. Soon after midnight they at tacked a Union division c o m manded by Maj. Gen. John W. Geary at Wauhatchie, Tenn., just south of Chattanooga and west of Lookout. This was one of the few night attacks of the Civil War- and was f o u g h t in the moonlight with only an occasional cloud darkening the sky. Hearing the firing. Hooker or dered troops from Brown's Fer ry back to aid Geary. They were slow, owing partly to stopping to clear away Confed erate Hankers and did not reach Geary's division until 5 a.m. By that time the battle was over. The fighting was confused. The Confederates about 2,100 in the main force and 1,800 in a flanking maneuver attacked Geary repeatedly but every time they were thrown back. By 4 a.m. the fight was over and the Confederates commanded by Brig. Gen. Evander M. Law fell back to their Lookout Mountain stronghold. The Federals counted 437 cas ualties, the Confederates 460. Birth of a Myth Out of the moonlit battle came one of the best myths of the Civil War. The story goes that during the fighting the mules of Geary's wagon train stampeded toward the Confederate lines. Thinking they were being charged by Federal cavalry, the Rebels cut and ran before the mule bri gade. The story isn't true but Grant repeated it in his memoirs. The myth was topped off with the alleged remark of some wag that in honor of their charge the mules should have been breveted as horses. While the maneuvering around Lookout assured the Federals of sufficient food, forage and am munition, the beseiging Corn federates fared less well. Bragg's commissary was fail ing, according to Pvt. J. B. Pol- ley of the 4th Texas. Hungry for Pork "Appetite comes with eating. it is said," he wrote in a letter, "but to the Texans in Bragg's army it comes with fa tting. "Blue beef and musty corn meal have become monotonous. Anyhow, my comrade, Jim Som erville and I decided to 'vari gate our eatin',' and we en gaged in a search for a quad raped of porcine persuasion . . . we tound ourselves m a se cluded glade and in near prox imity of a couple of fair-sized and well-fed hogs . . ." Somerville's musket m i s s ed fire but eventually they killed and skinned one of the hogs. As they toted away the car cass they ran afoul of provost guards. Taken before the provost mar shal, Polley and Somerville con tended they had paid for the hog. The officer was skeptical but let them take the carcass on the promise they could prove their purchase the next day. That night their comrades ponied up $100 as they ate the hog and the next day Polley paid off a farmer who claimed to own the hog. Polley wrote that they were "heartily congratulated on t h e hunger - satisfying issue of our adventure. Gunmen Hold Up Portland Loan Firm PORTLAND (UPI) - FBI agents today were looking for two gunmen who took $29,020 m a holdup at the Hawthorne Of fice of the Benjamin Franklin Federal Savings and Loan Asso ciation here Saturday afternoon. Both men wore false Hallo ween noses. Two women clerks and two customers were in the office at the time of the holdup and were forced to lie face down on the floor. The men apparently escaped in a car which was stolen from a parking lot near the office about the time the holdup oc curred. Two other offices of the com pany were held up earlier this year. Kennedy, Children End Weekend Rest WASHINGTON (UPD-Presi-dent Kennedy and his family spent a leisurely weekend at their plush, new country home in nearby northern Virginia. The President returned to the White House this morning. Both children, Caroline and John Jr., accompanied him on the 20 minute helicopter flight from the home on Rattlesnake Moun tain to the White House lawn. Mrs. Kennedy stayed behind at the home she helped design IF YOU CAN REPAY $53.89 MONTHLY YOU CAN QUALIFY FOR A $1,000 BETTER LIVING LOAN FROM US! CASH TOU I J4 KONIHIT IICIIV1 P4TMINTS $ 300 $17.71 500 2S.I6 iOO 44.13 1,000 33.8 UOO 63.31 1,300 I 777 mONI K)t tMOUKTl NOT SHOWN OPEN THE DOOR to a better life throuph our family financing services. Knjoy new home con veniences, have more leisure time for family fun by using your ?ood credit wisely. URGE LOANS WITH SMALL PAYMENTS are the right answer to most money problems. Why not brinjr yours to us, too! 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