Battle of Stone River

“Battle of Stone River, Tenn. Decisive charge and capture of Byrne’s Confederate battery by the Seventy-eighth Pennsylvania and Twnety-first Ohio Volunteers, Friday evening, January 2nd, 1863. Our correspondent’s report: ‘The capture of Byrne’s Confederate battery was a most gallant achievement, and worthy of the finest troops in the world. This battery consisted of two 12-pound Napoleons, two howitzers and one 6-pound rifled cannon. These were admirably served, and did considerable execution. Over it flaunted the colors of the Twenty-sixth Tennessee and the standard of the Fourth Florida Regiment. It was situated on a rising ground in a cornfield, while a forest at the back afforded an excellent retreat. After our troops, under Negley and others, had succeeded in crossing Stone River on Friday afternoon and driven the enemy before them, a general rush was made to storm this battery, which still maintained its fire. The first regiments to reach this were the Seventy-eighth Pennsylvania and Twenty-first Ohio Volunteers, under lead of Colonel Miller, who, though wounded, still kept the field, and acted throughout with a valor worthy the days of Washington. Up went our brave boys, bayonet in hand, to the very muzzles of the guns, which still belched death to the advancing line. The guns once reached, the gunners were driven from them by our men, and the battery was our own. The colors of the Twenty-sixth Tennessee Regiment were captured after a desperate resistance, the Confederate color bearer fighting for them till a bayonet thrust through his arm compelled him to drop them.’"— Frank Leslie, 1896

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