ul as if they were preparing for a
4th of July celebration. Our kind-hearted Chief of Artillery was with us
all day, coat off, hard at work, often with shovel in hand, displaying
at once a sympathetic heart and skill as a military officer. He left us
late in the evening with instructions to do the best we could, he would
be with us right away if he heard firing. My number is 6, to deal out
ammunition.

We have heard nothing from the fight. General Corse is commanding at
Allatoona, having reached there about midnight last evening with the 7th
and 27th Illinois and 38th Indiana as reinforcements; more to come from
Rome, Georgia. Another train with three regiments steamed carefully into
the pass at 7 P. M., leaving them in their supposed rear near the
woodshed. Played an interesting game of four-handed chess by candle
light before retiring.

Etowah Bridge, Thursday, Oct. 6. Reveille sounded at 4 A. M. but nothing
unusual transpired. Couriers from Allatoona report the enemy whipped and
retreating. Pioneer corps came up early to work, but the rain fell in
such torrents that they left their tools and went to camp.

[Sidenote: 1864 A Hard Fight]

This afternoon Captain Zickerick returned from Allatoona, bringing us
authentic reports of the yesterday's battle. The enemy was about 5,000
strong, being French's Division of Lee's Corps. Our force, all told,
1,500. So confident of success were they that a flag of truce was sent
in in the morning demanding our surrender in five minutes to prevent the
unnecessary spilling of blood. But the gritty little general, who was
bored by rebel bullets at Mission Ridge last winter, couldn't see it. He
replied that he was prepared to commence "the unnecessary spilling of
blood" at once. And the ball opened. Three distinct times did they
charge the works where the 12th Wisconsin Battery was stationed, but in
vain. Every time they were forced back with terrible loss. One time
they forced the 93rd Illinois from a small work, but the 12th Battery
turned their guns on them, double shotted with canister, obliging them
to abandon it at a terrible loss. They opened on us with eight pieces of
artillery, doing no damage, when our guns played on them so close that
the cannoneers had to be kept at their post with fixed bayonets. They
made desperate efforts to take the large amount of commissary stores
kept there. Many of them pinched with hunger, brought the boxes of
hard-tack to fill their haversacks