William Asbury Parks
Chaplain of the 52nd Georgia Infantry
The Seige and Fall of Vicksburg
How Grant Succeeded and Pemberton Failed.
Rev. W.A. Parks
Webmasters note: While this article is titled "The Seige and Fall of Vicksburg", it actually describes the fighting at the battle of Baker's Creek (Champion Hill).
The 52nd Georgia, commanded by Col. Charles Phillips of Marietta, Ga. was in the thickest of the fight, and most of his men were killed or captured. Colonel Phillips himself was captured - this writer remembering well with what sadness he led the Colonel's horse back to Vicksburg, for a man's horse is most intimately associated with the soldier. Capt. "Gus" Boyd of Dahlonega fell in this battle while gallantly leading his company. The commander of the 43rd Georgia, Col. "Skid" Harris, and the gallant General Lloyd Tilghman, both fell in this engagement.
By a mishap not necessary to be explained, the writer found himself on the deserted battle-field after the Confederates had all fled. The Blue-coats were advancing in line but a short distance away. The only chance of escape was along a lane parallel with the advancing line. Rapid flight was the only hope. A new pair of spurs was brought into vigorous requisition. At least a dozen dead battery horses had to be leaped in that lane. Suddenly the lane turned at left-angles, and stretched a half-mile down towards Baker's Creek. Down this lane with race-horse speed the rider flew, while minnie-balls whizzed around too close to the ear to be musical, and raising the dust on the ground before the rider. But thanks to good fortune both rider and horse escaped.
From The Atlanta Journal, describing the Battle of Atlanta
Rev. W.A. Parks
July 22,1864: Chaplain of Stovall's Brigade, W. A. Parks writes about The Battle of Atlanta, on Feb. 9, 1901:
General Sherman was flanking Gen. J. B. Hood's Army of Tennessee on the west of Atlanta. Hood's Confederate was parallel with the railroad from Atlanta to East Point, and about a mile from the road, on the west. Along the railroad between West End and the barracks were located Hood's field hospital, cook, and ordinance camps; also the camps of the relief committees from different portion of middle and southern Georgia. As chaplain in Stovall's Brigade I preached one night at the cook camp, next night at the ordinance camp, next the relief camp; or some other minister would preach. The next night out on the army line, a mile west of the present barracks; and having obtained a fresh supply of the Army and Navy Herald, a religious paper, a religious paper published in Macon, Georgia by Rev. R. J. Harpe, with some religious tracts and a few small testaments…a whole armful in all, I started out to the army line to distribute the papers and preach to the boys at night. Coming in sight of the soldiers and fortifications, I dismounted tied my horse securely by a fence in the woods until returning after preaching. Crossing a little branch I was in full view of Stovall's Brigade; and with the line of breastworks west of me. Winding around over the hill, and crossing the branch, I turned to the right going north along a path through a small field to begin distributing the papers on the extreme right of the brigade. As the two army lines were close together, The Federal pickets could see me waling up the path a distance of 200 yards. The armful of white papers doubtless attracted the attention of the Federal pickets, and about a dozen or more open fire on me; with their mini balls passing over Stovall's Brigade. The Confederate soldiers seeing me running, and hearing the minis passing over them, and falling all around me, began to cry out to me…waving their hats, "Run Parson! Hurrah for the Parson! Go it Parson! Run Parson or they'll get you.' A hundred or more men were cheering on the parson, who was holding on to his papers in his right arm, and making all possible speed; and running some 200 yards along the path through the field; with mini balls hitting all around. Finally reaching Stovall's Brigade, and out of sight of the Federal pickets, a crowd of Confederates gathered around the parson, with many congratulations…all seemed to rejoice that their chaplain had run the gauntlet unhurt! 'Parson, give me one of those papers, I'll read every word in it. You risked your life to bring us the papers.' Dozens of men gathered around the parson begging for papers, as the parson passed along the fortifications distributing his literature; and was greeted by all for his escape, and he said to the men, 'Boy's I'll preach tonight about the middle of the line, on that little hill.' The general commanding the brigade sent the following message to the chaplain, 'Tell Chaplain Parks, the Yankee pickets are close to us, and he must have no light preaching, nor speak loud.' That night some 200 soldiers were seated in the dark, in the trenches, and on the embankments; and as he advanced in his talk to the boys he forgot all about the general's request and raised his voice too high! This heard by the Federal pickets… they fired a volley in the direction of the sound; and fortunately their aim was too high, with the balls whizzing over the heads of the crowd. The chaplain and the congregation scattered in all directions; with the chaplain to his horse and the men of Stovall's Brigade to their guns. That sermon cut short by Federal mini balls was never finished!
(William Asbury Park was Chaplain of the Georgia legislature which meets in Atlanta. He was Chaplain about the time he was writing this in 1901. The location he described is less than 10 miles from where the legislature meets.)
My sincere thanks to Gordon Parks (glparks@frontiernet.net), for providing the above articles.