Letter from Orlando L. French to Lydia French

manner of conducting this battle has been disapproved by almost every one who saw it - to attack our enemy in front where the men are in an open field and the enemy under cover of a dense thicket and to charge up a ravine exposed to an enfilading fire and from both flanks would not been to indicate good Generalship when flank movements were practicable and promised the same results with little or no loss We were placed in position supporting the first line but did not discharge a gun; the fight lasted for upwards of three hours and our loss was severe - over five hundred killed + wounded - the last hour of the battle I lost for I laid down on the ground and with th music of eight pieces of artillery (five or ours having arrived and joined in the engagement ) and four thousand Infantry I fell asleep and when I awoke the enemy had gone and quiet was restored Eighteen months ago I should have considered it poor music to sleep to but overtasked nature and a constant presence with danger changes a man wonderfully The Rebels left here a large quantity of corn which was fed to loyal stack during our stay at this place- the town was entirely deserted except some cripples and a few women + children some of which followed us on our return

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At four oclock on the day of the battle this Brigade was sent out in the direction the 7 baty took on this retreat + I gathered the objects of the movement before we started which were to capture a train of wagons that had become delayed but we were to late and we found the enemy in considerable force and it was thought advisable to keep out of the scrape but remained occupying the position we had taken until after dark we then built fires as if going to camp and with drew

We remained at Ringold until the afternoon of Nov 30th in the meantime the railroad track had been torn up + the rails bent or destroyed by fire and every bridge Railroad or wagon in the vicinity had been burnt and this afternoon [ (30th) ?]we moved out in the direction of the Chicamauga battle ground + camped for the night in that vicinity and the following morning assisted at the interment of the unburied gallant dead that fell on this memorable field:- a greater piece of inhumanity was never perpe-trated than by Bragg in his treatment of those who fell at the battle of Chicamauga - The sight was a fearful, a ghastly one - our men by the hundreds lie scattered over the field all stripped of their shoes and many of their clothing- Some they pretended to bury but all they did was to throw a little dirt over them as they lay on top of the ground and the sight is now more hideous

then if they had remained untouched for the rains have washed the dirt away and leaves an arm a leg a skull and often half the body exposed I conversed with some woman who lived near by who said they wanted to buy them but Bragg threatened to shoot every man he caught performing such a deed I will here relate what is well vouched for but I saw no evidences of it The citizens assert as a positive fact that after the battle of Chicamauga that the ladies from Ringold and some from the neighborhood held a Pick Nick on the battle ground and that they severed the heads from some of the dead union soldiers + carried them round on poles others they fasten to the trees + stumps Brig Gen Cruft at that time commanding our Division states this as a fact + I cannot doubt it for it was corroberated by many of the citizens This mournful task accomplished we took up the line of march for Chattanooga and camped near that place for the night and Dec 2d reached our present camp our starting point for the battle I fear that my account of this campaign can afford you but little satisfaction other than as a record of my thoughts and feelings I have had to write it amid a pressure of business and a little at a time and I know it is poorly composed but you will understand the reasons + I shall send it without an erasure I will write to you all soon in the meantime write to your P.S. send this to Ephraim for the folks at home as I will not have time to copy it { Ever loving O L