Thanks for the information....this is what is so confusing and I quess the reason for debate. If you read eyewitness reports from Gibson's brigade, they too encountered black troops. They were behind the stone fence across Franklin Pike (South Curtiswood) and the 19th LA must have been next to the 4th LA which apparently was next to the 18th Alabama of Holtzclaw's brigade (the 2 brigades tied in at the stone fence). Soldiers from Gibson's Brigade make remarks about insults made to the negro troops as they come on and held their fire. So it would appear that the attack came in where they were in a position to fire as well so the attack must have been lower on the hill than some maps depict.

What is confusing is if you read Wiley Sword's account, the 13th had 2 colors. On page 362 of "The Confederacy's Last Hurrah" he notes that the 13th lost their regimental color and the national was rescued by an officer. But he has no footnote for that statement. He then talks of a Lt. going over the fence (as reported by Gen. Clayton) to pick up the flag with the famous inscription. A captain in the 36th Alabama also reported what it said (per Eyewitness to Nashville) So the more I get into it, the more confused I get. But I think it must have been a beautiful flag for so many to comment on it and not just your ordinary gold inscritpion on the 7th and 9th stripe (if it truly was a national color)

Philip Duer