USA > Iowa > A history of the Sixth Iowa infantry > Part 15
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Just as the sun was setting all the rest of the com- panies of the Sixth Iowa were deployed as skirmishers, connecting with the two companies already on the line and covering the entire front of the division, with Colonel Corse in command. The whole line was moved forward rapidly down in the direction of the city, at right angles with the Jackson and Canton Railroad. The enemy made resistance at the woods, intervening between the asylum and the city, when the line charged with a yell and rapid fire, driving the entire force of the enemy through the sheltering woods and into their main line of fortifica- tions. After dark the enemy fired several dwellings and outhouses situated between the hostile lines which illumi- nated all the surrounding country and prevented the fur- ther advance of the skirmishers on their works.
The line was held by the regiment during the night and on the next morning a charge was made with ringing yells and rapid firing, driving the enemy from a ditch they had held with great persistence. The ground gained was held, and after forty hours of the most ard- uous service the regiment was relieved. Sergeant Wil- liam H. Sutherland, Company I, was killed in the action;
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Private Charles Jericho, of the same company, was mor- tally wounded and died, July 21st; and Stephen T. Brad- ley, of the same company, was severely wounded.
For the next three days the regiment occupied a posi- tion in the reserve line, camped in a beautiful native woods park on the premises of General William Barks- dale, who had been killed on July 3rd, while leading his brigade of Mississippians in Pickett's charge at Gettys- burg.
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XIV THE JACKSON CAMPAIGN
The operations on the front lines were prosecuted with great vigor and spirited engagements occurred each day attended with heavy cannonading on both sides. The weather continued to be very hot and much inconven- ience was had and great suffering caused on account of a general scarcity of water for drinking. Every well and cistern in the vicinity was exhausted and a drink of good cool water was a rare luxury. During the afternoon of the 14th there was an armistice for four hours, during which all hostile demonstrations ceased so that both sides might bury their dead lying between the contending lines, where they had been for three days. The task was a very trying one, and very sickening as well as exasper- ating. There was much bitter and acrimonious discus- sion concerning the war, by those who were engaged in the sad painful duty of collecting the dead bodies from the field where they had fallen.
On July 15th, the regiment again occupied the front lines and took up the work of building the rifle-pits and trenches which had been in process of construction ever since the siege began. At evening, all, except the men detailed for pickets during the night in the pits, fell back to the guard reserves and slept comfortably until the next morning. At daylight the next morning all were moved forward again to the trenches, where a continuous skir- mish firing was kept up by both sides, accompanied by spirited artillery practice.
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At the hour of 11 a. m. by order of General Parke, the skirmishers advanced and felt the enemy's line at every point in front of the 9th Army Corps for the purpose of ascertaining their strength, positions, and the locations of their batteries. The Sixth Iowa occupied the right of the line, stretching across and parallel to the Jackson and Canton Railroad, with the right of the regimental line resting on the Jackson and Vicksburg Railroad. The 97th Indiana occupied the left of the line. Being de- ployed as skirmishers along the Livingston road, their line formed a right angle with the line on the Jackson and Canton Railroad, reaching to the Canton wagon road. The right of the line was supported by the 48th Illinois, the left by the 40th Illinois, and the center by the 46th Ohio.
Colonel John M. Corse had command of the skirmish- ers covering the whole front and at the designated signal by him, the men dashed forward with loud shouts, routed and captured the enemy's advance posts and pickets. Clearing the strip of intervening timber, they rushed out into the open cotton fields, crossed the railroad track, climbed over the fence, ascended a gentle slope, scudded across the wide crest, and then down in close proximity to the enemy's works.
The batteries of the enemy opened a terrific fire with canister shot and shell, whereupon the bugle sounded the "lie down". A converging fire from several batteries and forts, with heavy guns on the right and left enfilading the line as it lay in the cotton rows, and a galling fire of musketry from the main line of earthworks and forts, aided by the fire of a section of howitzer guns in the im- mediate front, was decided to be more than the slender skirmish line would be able to overcome, so the "rise up"
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and "retreat" were sounded in quick succession by the bugler, John R. Simpson, in notes which were trembling but clear and distinct. The line fell into some disorder and confusion while recrossing the open fields, under the terrific fire opened from small arms and artillery, but on reaching the cover of the timber and the dry creek bed, which had been occupied by the enemy at the beginning of the engagement, the line was reformed and a brisk fire opened upon the advancing lines of the enemy. Many of the men, who had so gallantly advanced close up to and onto the works in the main line of fortifications, were compelled to surrender to the enemy, when the order was given to fall back. The line was reestablished in the rifle-pits, where the regiment was relieved during the afternoon by the 46th Ohio.
In his report of the engagement, Colonel Corse said, "I cannot speak in too extravagant terms of the officers and men of the Sixth Iowa on this occasion". On the same evening, General William Sooy Smith, commanding the division, sent to Colonel Corse the following communica- tion, congratulating him and his command for the gallant charge made on the enemy's works:
The valor of your noble regiment has been conspicuous, even amidst the universal good conduct that has marked the oper- ations of all the troops of the First Division during our ad- vance upon Jackson, and since our arrival here.
I cannot too highly commend the gallantry you have dis- played in two successful charges you have made. The true heart swells with emotion of pride in contemplating the heroism of those who, in their country's cause, charge forward under the iron hail of half a dozen rebel batteries, and exposed to a mur- derous fire of musketry from behind strong intrenchments, cap- ture prisoners under their very guns.
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Such has been the glorious conduct of the Sixth Iowa this morning, and those who shared your dangers and emulate your valor will join me in tendering to you and the brave men under your command, my warmest thanks and most hearty congratula- tions.
The next morning at daylight, the discovery was made that the enemy had abandoned the fortifications and eva- cuated the city, so the army at once marched in and oc- cupied the demoralized and wrecked capital city. The Sixth Iowa stacked arms in the grounds of the State ex- ecutive mansion, which the Governor of the State had so recently abandoned.
Wholesale destruction of valuable property in the city was caused by the enemy in their efforts to prevent the large accumulation of army supplies from falling into the hands of the victors. The position was found to be well fortified and had been defended by 30,000 seasoned troops. Had a general assault been made upon the works by the investing army, while so defended, it would most certainly have proved disastrous and would have caused the loss of hundreds of precious lives. After remaining in the city four hours the command returned to the camps at the Barksdale place.
General Parke commanding the 9th Army Corps, re- ferred to the operations, thus:
On the 16th, an advance of my whole line was ordered, with the view of ascertaining the strength of the enemy and the po- sition and number of the batteries. This advance was made in gallant style, but with severe loss, particularly in General Smith's division. It developed the enemy in force behind his intrench- ments, with formidable batteries, which made free use of shrap- nel, canister, and shell.
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General Johnston's field return of Confederate forces present for duty at Jackson, on June 25, 1863, aggregated 36,315 men. The evacuation and the forced march of his army east to the vicinity of Meridian, Mississippi, during the intense heat of a July sun, through a country almost destitute of drinking water, had scattered and demoral- ized his army so effectually that it was determined by the Union commanders to abandon the pursuit and let him go for the time.
Orders were issued by army commanders and the troops soon set about destroying all the remaining war material in and about the city and making more complete and perfect the destruction of the railroads leading into the city. During the progress of the siege the enemy had burned several handsome dwellings, just outside of and near his line of fortifications, to light up the surround- ings and prevent night attacks. The once beautiful city - the pride of the State - was one mass of charred ruins.
The destitute condition of the remaining inhabitants, whose homes had been ruined by war, and whose supply of provisions had been totally exhausted by the acts of two armies, was deplorable and distressing to behold. Army supplies were generously shared with the destitute population, and 200 barrels of flour and 100 barrels of pork were placed in the hands of a committee of respect- able gentlemen, to be issued by them to the most needy and deserving citizens. Only those who were actual wit- nesses can ever have an adequate conception of the utter ruin and devastation that had befallen the unfortunate inhabitants of the city. Their condition appealed to the humane sympathy of all and the sight witnessed of high- ly cultured and lovely young women, who had been reared in homes of wealth and luxury, but had by the cruel acts
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of war, been deprived of the common necessaries and subsistences to sustain life, was distressing beyond ex- pression.
The regiment was engaged in destroying the railroad track on the 19th and went swimming in the Pearl River in the evening. On the 22nd, the regiment marched north 10 miles as an escort for 50 wagons. These were loaded with corn and the command returned safely to camp at 9 p. m. Marching orders for the next morning were re- ceived and companies D and F reported at the field hos- pital, where arrangements were made for carrying the severely wounded men along with the marching column.
On July 23rd, the division marched at daylight and camped for the night at Clinton. The two companies detailed to carry the wounded men started from the hos- pital at 2 a. m., but owing to the intense heat and scarcity of suitable drinking water, great suffering was exper- ienced by the wounded and those who were laboring so hard for their comfort and well being. Several cases of sunstroke occurred during the day, the victims being abandoned at the roadside where they remained until restored sufficiently by the cooling breeze of the evening to press forward to the camps made for the night. The march caused much suffering on the part of the wounded. To be severely wounded in battle and then carried on a rustic litter on the shoulders of men, exposed to a burn- ing July sun, is an ordeal of suffering that can only be realized by those who have endured it.
The orders withdrawing the army from Jackson had scattered the commands to other fields almost as quickly as they were assembled for the expedition. The two di- visions of the 9th Army Corps, General Parke command- ing, rejoined the army in East Tennessee, and the 13th
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Army Corps, General Ord commanding, went down the river to New Orleans and Texas. The 15th Army Corps, General Sherman commanding, to which command Gen- eral William Sooy Smith's division was reassigned - re- storing it to its original position in the corps and the Sixth Iowa to the Second Brigade - established camps on the west side of the Big Black River. It was an- nounced that the command would remain here for an in- definite period in observation toward the interior and to recuperate. On the return march from Jackson the com- wand passed through the plantation of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy.
The division and regimental wagon trains were at once started back to Snyder's Bluff on the Yazoo River for the tents, camp and garrison equipage, and personal bag- gage of the officers and men, which had been left there at the beginning of the campaign.
At night, when the 15,000 men of the 15th Army Corps were all stretched on the ground in deep slumber, a prowling mule became entangled with a squad of sleep- ing soldiers. This caused a disturbance and furor that was taken up by the suddenly awakened troops and ex- tended along the line of the bivouacs, going from regiment to regiment and brigade to brigade, gaining in force and tumult as it proceeded, until the whole army was up and yelling as loudly as they could and shaking their blankets in the pitchy darkness at the supposed herd of stam- peded cattle. It was the most stupendous scare and ri- diculous stampede that ever occurred in the army; but it was perfectly natural for one suddenly awakened, with the thought of two or three hundred stampeded cattle trampling him down, to give vent to his lungs and make every manner of attempt to climb a tree.
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On July 27th, the knapsacks and other personal bag- gage arrived, and on the 29th the tents and all the camp equipage were received, when the tents were pitched and the camps established in regular order. Frequent and severe rainstorms occurred, accompanied by pealing thunder and vivid flashes of lightning, at which times the men enjoyed baths in the refreshing rain. The camps and parade grounds were soon cleared and policed, giv- ing an appearance of rest and comfort to the whole sur- rounding.
In the list of casualties at Jackson were embraced the following :
Killed: Charles H. Griggs, Company B; James A. Hickcox and Henry L. Tucker, Company E; William H. Sutherland, Company I; total 4.
Died of Wounds: Daniel J. Boyles and Harrison Craig, Company C; Francis B. Hunnell, Company D; Charles Jericho, Company I; total, 4; aggregate killed and died of wounds, 8 men.
Wounded: William M. Harbeson, Robert G. Murphy, and Charles Ovington, Company A; William L. Brown and James C. Lucas, Company B; Henry P. Cutting, William S. Linn, Milton H. Ross, and William H. Oviatt, Company C; John Diehl, Abraham Ford, Elam Ford, Thomas P. Gray, Francis M. Kyte, George W. Lamb, Cap- tain Calvin Minton, Isaac N. McClaskey, Abraham C. Rarick, Henry C. Stewart, and Joseph Wry, Company F; Robert W. Elliott and Levi Talbot, Company G; Samuel H. Davis and Willard B. Van Vleet, Company H; Stephen T. Bradley, Alexander B. Boyd, and Thomas Conroy, Company I; James H. Hobbs, Company K; total 28 men.
Missing in Action : Edward R. Godfrey and James M.
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Loughlin, Company B; Jolm Dourty, Leonard Garn, James Johnson, James R. Linn, and George W. Owen, Company C; Fred. B. Johnson, Abner W. Sharp, and James C. Wilson, Company F; Alexander B. Boyd and David Wagoner, Company I; total, 12 men.
The aggregate casualties were: 4 killed, 4 died of wounds, 28 wounded, 12 taken prisoner. 15
Officers and men were allowed to visit the city, on passes granted by division commanders, which afforded all an opportunity to view the vast fortifications and frowning batteries, see the battle-scarred city, and pur- chase many necessary supplies and delicacies, not found in the camps.
When the Confederates marched out of Vicksburg the roadside and fortifications were crowded with Union soldiers to take a farewell glance at the troops, who had fought them so stubbornly and desperately. Not a word of exultation or outburst of feeling was uttered by a Union soldier, for, honoring the heroic men for their bravery, they would not add to the humiliation of their surrender, by a single taunt. Thus was completed a siege, unparalleled in any land, for valiant assault and heroic defense.
The Sixth Iowa, having arrived with the reënforce- ments for General Grant's army, during the siege oper- ations, did not participate in the fighting around the city, but was utilized to guard against the threatened danger in the rear by General Johnston's relieving army, and
15 This return of casualties in the siege of Jackson lists two men killed, two officers and fifteen men wounded, and eight men missing, a total of twenty-seven. This list covers only the period from July 10 to July 16, 1863. - War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. XXIV, Pt. 2, p. 544.
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was - so-to-speak - "holding a leg while the rest skinned". The immediate defeat and dispersing of Gen- eral Johnston's army - larger than the army surrend- ered - was a part of the great campaign for the recovery and possession of the Mississippi Valley, in which the regiment bore its full share of the burdens and battles, and accepts the honors so fairly won.
No other important campaign during the war was so entirely the conception of one man's mind, none was fraught with more discouraging perplexities, and none was executed with such signal boldness and fidelity to duty, as were the operations for the possession of Vicks- burg. It has ever been an absorbing theme for discussion and criticism by military officers and students of history. Many years after the war when a party of distin- guished officers of both armies were assembled at dinner, the Vicksburg campaign was the friendly theme of dis- cussion. The trend of the criticisms was that it was wrong in strategy, and contrary to the books and mili- tary science, in execution. General Beauregard was a silent listener until all had spoken, when he was asked for his opinion and he said: "Gentlemen, it had the merit of success".
It not only had the merit of subduing armed resistance to the government, but effectually silenced the wholly unjust and merciless criticism of General Grant by his enemies and by politicians, both in and out of the army, by the press of the country, and by all who were unfriend- ly to the administration at Washington and the prosecu- tion of the war. General Grant was the idol and hope of the Union cause.
New clothing was issued to the regiment, together with an abundance of rations and all necessary supplies for
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the comfort and health of the men. On August 7th, the regiment marched 10 miles and established a new camp at Oak Ridge.
Furloughs were granted to a limited number of offic- ers and men to visit their homes in Iowa for a period of thirty days. Pursuant to orders issued by General Grant large quantities of army provisions were issued to the destitute inhabitants in the neighborhood of the camps, whose subsistence had been entirely exhausted by the demands of both armies. The monotony of camp life soon became irksome and the long August days wore wearily away without particular incident. The daily duties imposed consisted of light camp and picket guard duty, with occasional company and battalion drills, Sun- day inspections, evening parades, and grand reviews for the commanding generals.
In recognition of his gallant services at Jackson, Colo- nel John M. Corse was promoted to the rank of Brigad- ier-General of Volunteers, and assigned to the command of the Second Brigade.
On September 3rd, the regiment was paid two months pay and marched a mile and a half in the direction of Camp Sherman the same evening and camped for the night; resumed the march the next morning and reoccu- pied the old position in the corps at Camp Sherman be- fore noon. The whole division was reviewed in the af- ternoon by General Sherman, the 6000 marching troops making a grand and imposing sight. The same ceremony was performed the next day, followed by a brigade drill by the Second Brigade with General Corse commanding. The large cotton plantations, lying in the valley of the Big Black River, adjacent to the camps, were appro-
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priated for drills, reviews, and all military ceremonies and maneuvers performed by large commands.
Despite the intense heat during the daytime, General Corse kept up the brigade drills and grand reviews, which proved to be very trying on the troops and tested their endurance to the limit, many of the men falling from exhaustion, while in ranks. On September 11th, the whole division, consisting of three brigades, infantry and artillery, appeared on grand review with about 6000 men in line, and, after the ceremony, the whole command was drilled in battle maneuvers by General Sherman.
September 18th and 25th were made special field days, when the division was exercised in battle maneuvers by General Sherman, displaying improved proficiency on the part of the officers and men.
An epidemic of sickness prevailed in the camps and the deaths were so frequent that orders were issued dispens- ing with music at the funerals and the firing of salutes over the graves. The volleys had become so frequent and regular, that the sound had the appearance of an en- gagement. The solemn roll of the muffled drums and the reports of the volleys fired in such rapid succession were very annoying and discouraging to those who were sick in the hospitals.
Deaths occurred in the Sixth Iowa while at Camp Sher- man as follows: Private Wm. H. Muchmore [Munch- more ?], Company B, July 28, 1863 - chronic diarrhoea; Private Thomas P. Gray, Company F, September 22, 1863 - typhoid fever; First-Sergeant William H. Bolton, Company G, August 3, 1863 - acute dysentery; Private Thomas Lewis, Company K, August 13, 1863- yellow fever; and Private [ Corporal ?] Jonathan L. Haggerty,
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Company F, July 4, 1863 - intermittent fever, while at Snyder's Bluff in convalescent camp; total, 5.
At the evening parade, September 25th, marching or- ders were read, which were understood to mean that a movement to reënforce the army at Chattanooga was to be inaugurated.
The drill practice, had on such a grand scale at Camp Sherman, was of invaluable benefit as a school of instruc- tion to officers and men, and General Corse received the full meed of praise for inaugurating and successfully commanding the maneuvers.
XV CHATTANOOGA
The substantial victories won by the Union armies at Vicksburg, Port Hudson, Helena, and Jackson, resulting in the complete repossession of the Mississippi Valley and the free navigation of the great river to the Gulf of Mexico, had released the veteran troops of General Grant's army, so that they were available to operate in other fields. The situation at Chattanooga, following the battle of Chickamauga was critical, which caused large reinforcements to be ordered to that point for the relief of General William S. Rosecrans, commanding the Army of the Cumberland.
The 15th Army Corps had been encamped on the Big Black River for two months, with General Sherman in command. The marching orders received were hailed with joy and rightly interpreted to mean that the army was destined for service in the Department of the Cum- berland, at Chattanooga.
On September 26th, the tents were struck and sent, to- gether with knapsacks and other camp and personal bag- gage, by railroad transportation to Vicksburg. The troops remained idle at the camp all the next day, and, on the 28th, marched 10 miles and camped on a small creek near the city of Vicksburg. The weather was hot and the roads very dusty. At 4 a. m., on the 29th, the regiment broke camp and marched to Vicksburg, where 8 com- panies embarked on the steamer "Luminary" and the
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other two, together with a battery of artillery, embarked on a small steamer.
On September 30th, both boats started up the river with the fleet of boats carrying the whole army corps. The steamer "Luminary", with the 8 companies, ar- rived at the city of Memphis, on October 5th. They camp- ed in the east part of the city, where the other two com- panies joined the regiment, on the 9th. The passage up the river was without particular incident, except the usual discomforts on account of the limited facilities for pre- paring and cooking the rations and the exposed decks of the steamer for sleeping purposes. The nights were chilly and the thick fog gathered on the river made the situation most uncomfortable, so that all were glad to pitch their camps on the land.
The pleasant friends and scenes of a year before - in and about the city - were visited by officers and men, without much restriction. Trade and commerce were active in the city, giving it a lively and business-like ap- pearance ; the stores and shops were filled with goods and general merchandise to suit the trade, which were sold at reasonable prices ; the circus and the theatres were in the height of prosperity.
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