USA > Iowa > A history of the Sixth Iowa infantry > Part 18
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No doubt but what there were isolated cases of crimi- nal injustice done and acts of personal violence inflicted upon the inhabitants, but such cases were very rare and they were never condoned or tolerated, when the guilty
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parties could be apprehended. Theft and criminal vio- lence practiced in the regiment was just as heinous and disgraceful in the eyes of the men as if done at home, or in time of peace in their own country.
On December 14th, the column marched 15 miles to the Hiawassee River. It crossed the river the next morning, passed through Charleston and camped at Cleveland, having marched a distance of 15 miles. The troops started at 9 a. m., on the 16th, marched 15 miles in a cold drenching rain; and, on the 17th, started at daylight, marched 13 miles and camped on Missionary Ridge, 4 miles from Chattanooga. The corps passed through Chattanooga, on the 18th, marched around Lookout Point and camped one mile from Whiteside Station. On De- cember 19th, the column marched at an early hour, passed through Shellmound, crossed the Tennessee River on a pontoon bridge at Bridgeport, Alabama, and camped in that vicinity. The distance marched in two days was 45 miles.
Thus practically ended a campaign which had called the 15th Army Corps from Vicksburg to the relief of the army at Chattanooga. In his exhaustive report of the campaign, General Sherman sums up the results as fol- lows:
In reviewing the fact I must do justice to my command for the patience, cheerfulness, and courage which officers and men have displayed throughout in battle, on the march, and in camp. For long periods, without regular rations or supplies of any kind, they have marched through mud and over rocks, some- times barefooted, without murmur. Without a moment's rest, after a march of over 400 miles, without sleep for three successive nights, we crossed the Tennessee, fought our part of the battle of Chattanooga, pursued the enemy out of Tennessee, then turned
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more than a 120 miles north and compelled General Longstreet to raise the siege of Knoxville, which gave so much anxiety to . the whole country. .
. I cannot speak of the Fifteenth Army Corps without a seeming vanity, but, as I am no longer its commander, I assert there is no better body of soldiers in Ameri- ca than it, or who have done more or better service. In General Howard throughout, I found a polished and Chris- tian gentleman exhibiting the highest and most chivalric traits of the soldier.
On December 20th, the troops received the months ac- cumulated mail, signed pay-rolls on the 21st, and re- ceived two months pay on the 22nd. The weather was in- tensely cold on the 23rd, the ground being frozen. The brigade started at an early hour, on the 24th, marched 10 milos and camped a mile below Stevenson in a dismal swamp, bordering on a creek running bankful of muddy water, caused by the heavy rains - with, here and there, a dead mule floating in it.
On Christmas day, December 25, 1863, in the camp of the Sixth Iowa and the rest of the Second Brigade, the sit- uation was about as cheerless and uninviting as can well be imagined; a damp foggy day, chill and cold; short ra- tions and no conveniences for preparing the scant supply. The day will ever be memorable in the mind of every man who spent that dreary Christmas in the midst of the dis- comforts of that Alabama swamp - with "mule soup" for dinner. He that had a hardtack, a piece of raw bacon, and a cup of hot coffee, supplemented with a plug of store tobacco, was possessed of rare luxuries, enjoyed by only a few.
The continuous marching, scouting, skirmishing, and participating in one of the great battles of the war, after leaving the camps at Vicksburg, had so decimated the
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ranks, that there were scarcely 200 men present for duty with any of the regiments in the division.
A change of misery is sometimes a relief. On the 26th, the command bade farewell to the Christmas camp in the swamp, passed through Stevenson, marched west on the track of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad and camped at Bellefonte. There was a steady downpour of rain during the entire 10 mile march. In a cold freez- ing rain, the command marched 7 miles to Scottsboro, Alabama, the next day, where it was announced the com- mand would halt and erect winter quarters. On the 29th, regular camps were laid out and the erection of quarters commenced. The weather continued rainy and cold, freezing ice on the streams thick enough to bear up gov- ernment teams, while the ground was frozen solidly.
While in Lookout Valley, Colonel Oliver with his mounted regiment, the 15th Michigan, was assigned to take charge of all stock, supply trains, camp equipage and surplus baggage, and proceed to the north side of the Tennessee River in North Alabama, and remain there until the return of the command. Colonel Oliver with his command, the trains, and baggage - what there was left of it -- rejoined the division at the Scottsboro camp. Rude shanties and log-huts were quickly built, so that all were housed and fairly comfortable, though the weather had set in cold and wintry. Full supplies in rations and clothing were issued, and everybody settled down to the routine duties of a winter camp.
The 15th Army Corps was stationed at points on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, from Stevenson to Huntsville, Alabama, with the Fourth Division at Scotts- boro, guarding the line of the Tennessee River. The lo- cation of the camps at Scottsboro was uniformly pleas-
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ant and most picturesque, situated at the base of a tower- ing spur of the great Cumberland mountains, with a level plain thickly dotted with farms and large plantations, stretching south 7 to 10 miles to the Tennessee River. With the winter camp fully established, many of the squads and messes abounded with comforts and good cheer.
Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander J. Miller had assumed command of the regiment at Jackson and had remained in continuous command; without ostentation, but with a firm will and purpose to do his duty as a commander. He had enforced strict discipline and had led in the charge and heat of battle with skill and courage, eliciting the praise of his superiors and the admiration and respect of the men and officers alike, in the regiment.
Tested in the crucible of campaign and battle, Major Thomas J. Ennis was the ideal soldier, a gentleman in the highest sense, he was admired and cheerfully obeyed by all.
Dr. William S. Lambert, Surgeon in charge of the med- ical department of the regiment, had, by his faithful and skillful services, gained the confidence and respect of all who came under his care and protection. Dr. Lambert always found the wounded soldier where he fell and there applied the emergency remedies in the fury of battle.
The company commanders and subordinate officers had been equally conspicuous in battle and faithful in the dis- charge of every duty; but none were more faithful and gallant than Captain Robert Allison, who was killed at Missionary Ridge, and Captain Calvin Minton, severely wounded in the same engagement.
The noblest examples of devoted patriotism and faith- ful service, of honesty and loyalty to principle and duty,
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who were seldom recognized by personal praise and al- most without hope of future reward, were the private soldiers. The men who deserve the most gratitude are not the men of rank, but the men in the ranks.
The roster of the Sixth Iowa bore the names of several hundred heroes, who had earned that distinction by acts of personal daring and devotion to duty, while on the march, on picket, in the trenches, on scouts, in skirmishes, and in battle; neither privation, heat, cold, hunger, toil, danger, nor wounds could ever impair their constancy.
The paramount question agitated and discussed was the reenlistment of the regiment for the war. Captain John L. Bashore was designated as the enlisting officer for the veteran service. The exactions of the campaigns for the year had been so exhausting and trying, that many of the men hesitated about making new engagements and entering into extended obligations. But duty called loud, and as the arguments were presented, pro and con, a ma- jority of the men reenlisted for the war. The bounty of $300 offered and a thirty-day furlough at home were in- ducements that allured many to join the list of veteran volunteers. Grave changes in home affairs after enlist- ment caused some to believe it their duty to quit at the expiration of their term of enlistment; others had been severely wounded and were practically disabled for fur- ther service; and, still others declined to extend their term of service, believing they would have performed their whole duty when completing their three year en- listment, while a very small number said they had had enough of war.
On the 1st day of January, 1864, the Sixth Iowa had on its rolls 538 men, present and absent. The field re- turn of the Fourth Division for January showed 200
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officers and 3482 men present for duty, with an aggregate, present and absent, of 7038 men.
From the beginning of the war, the Union sentiment was strong in North Alabama among the non-slave hold- ing population, and especially in the mountain districts. General O. M. [?] Mitchell's division of General Buell's army had occupied the territory in the summer of 1862, when the Union sentiment was first developed. The ad- vent of General Sherman's column advancing to Chatta- nooga and the location of the winter camps for his army in the territory, gave the Union people great confidence. The First Alabama Union Cavalry had been mostly re- cruited from the counties lying north of the Tennessee River, so that their home relatives and friends were friendly to the Union occupation of the country. The manners and customs of the inhabitants were somewhat peculiar, but distinctive with them as a people.
The venturesome and restless spirits in the Sixth Iowa had not remained long in camp, until they had scouted over every mountain, explored every valley, cove, and neighborhood, within scouting range of the camp. A lively trade was established between the soldiers and citi- zens by the exchange of surplus rations for frugal meals of corn dodger and fresh pork.
The expeditions to the country were highly spiced with the element of danger, on account of several local bands of Confederate rangers, who patroled in all the neighbor- hoods. The Tennessee River being the recognized line dividing the hostile forces, forays were of frequent oc- currence by both parties, on either side of the river. All were soon familiar with the names of Captain Smith, Buck May, Peter Whitecotton, Peter Dollard, and Cap- tain Mead, noted partisan leaders in that vicinity. Gen-
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eral Joseph Wheeler guarded the south bank of the river with General Philip D. Roddey in immediate command of the cavalry troops picketing the river.
During the first two weeks of January, 1864, the weath- er was extremely cold, with rain, snow, and hard freez- ing. On January 12th, seven companies of the Sixth Iowa started out on a foraging trip, with 40 wagons, and crossed the mountain to Fowler's Cove on Paint Rock Creek, a distance of 20 miles. Here a gay time was had by the men attending pleasant parties and dances, gotten up by the citizens of the neighborhood. The next day the troops crossed Larkin's Creek, secured 40 wagon loads of grain and fodder, recrossed Paint Rock and camped on the mountain, having traveled 10 miles. The festivities of the night before were renewed, and on the 14th, the expedition returned to camp at sundown, the distance marched being 21 miles.
Sunday inspections were had in quarters, which were the only ceremonies attempted, on account of the incle- ment weather. Each regiment in the brigade took its turn in doing picket guard duty for 24 hours, which was usually made disagreeable, on account of rain and snow.
On January 22nd, the other three companies of the regiment were sent on a foraging expedition, with a large train of wagons, to the Henry plantation on the Tennessee River, 20 miles away, where the wagons were loaded and the command returned to camp next day.
The buglers sounded the assembly at 11 a. m., January 29th, and the veterans marched to division headquarters where they were sworn into service for three years or during the war.
On February 1st, the regiment went to Larkin's Land- ing on the Tennessee as escort for a large train of wag-
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ons, but the pontoon bridge was out of repair and the whole expedition returned to camp the same day. The regiment started again the next day, with the same train of seventy-five wagons, and proceeded down the Tennes- see River to the vicinity of Claysville [?] where forage was procured and the return march made to camp, on the 5th.
On February Sth, Brigadier-General Hugh Ewing, com- manding the Fourth Division, was transferred to the command of the post at Louisville, Kentucky, and Briga- dier-General William Harrow, from the Army of the Po- tomac was assigned to the command of the division. An expedition of fourteen regiments from the 15th Army Corps, commanded by Brigadier-General C. L. Matthies, returned to Chattanooga.
On February 22nd, a national salute was fired at the headquarters in honor of Washington's birthday, and on the 26th, the non-veterans in camp were paid two months pay. The withdrawal of so many troops for expeditions had so reduced the force along the line of the railroad, that those remaining were required to perform double the former duty on guard and outpost duty - serving almost constantly. Doing outpost duty on cold wintry nights, in drenching rains and chilling snowstorms, with- out shelter, laid the sure foundation for the almost uni- versal affliction of rheumatism among the survivors of the war.
The three years prosecution of the war for the Union had developed the necessity of a General to be in supreme command of all the armies, equal to the emergency, who could fight and win battles without regard to obsolete theories in the old books of military science as practiced in old time wars. The operations of the Union armies
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had been divided into separate departments, each acting independently, "like a balky team, no two ever pulling together". Everyone confidently believed that the pend- ing campaign would be fought with the courage of des- peration and that its result would decide the victor.
The Act of Congress reviving the grade of Lieutenant- General in the army and President Lincoln's appoint- ment of General U. S. Grant to the position, with author- ity to direct all military operations, was hailed in the army and by all supporters of the government, with great satisfaction. The organization and preparation of the forces in every department and army had already com- menced; officers were being selected and assigned to bri- gades, divisions, and army corps, who had developed a capacity as capable leaders in former campaigns.
The enemy was equally energetic in the concentration of every man at the fighting point, and the accumulation of every remaining resource to meet the forces gathering for the gigantic conflict that was inevitably pending. The two main Confederate armies were commanded by General Robert E. Lee in Virginia and General Joseph E. Johnston in Georgia. The combined Union armies in the Potomac department were designated to go against the Confederate army of Northern Virginia, in the vicin- ity of Richmond; while the Army of the Cumberland, the Army of the Ohio, and the Army of the Tennessee, under the command of General William T. Sherman, would as- sail the Confederate Army of Tennessee commanded by General Johnston, and posted in the rugged mountain fastnesses of North Georgia.
The Union and Confederate armies, as organized at that time, were composed of the best veteran soldiers in the world. The people of all nations and civilized coun-
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fries were interested observers of the gigantic struggle in the great American Republic, and it was well under- stood by all that it would be a clash at arms such as had not been witnessed in modern wars. All hope of peace- able settlement had been abandoned and the gage of battle must decide the issue.
The guard and picket duty continued to be irksome and attended with severe exposure. The 26th Illinois re- turned from veteran furlough on March 4th, and, on the 5th, the expedition under General Matthies to Chattanoo- ga returned and resumed their old quarters. On March Sth, the 46th Ohio departed for their homes on veteran furlough. Under the inspiration of a few days of pleas- ant weather, company and battalion drills were indulged in by all the regiments at the station. Sunday inspection was had, on the 13th, and the next day, the reënlisted men received veteran pay, each receiving from $175 to $200. Company and battalion drills were practiced during the forenoon of the 15th, with grand maneuvers by the whole division in the afternoon - General Harrow in command.
The orders for the veterans to start home on furlough were read on parade the evening of the 17th, and the next day at noon they boarded the cars at the station and were off for Nashville, where the train arrived the next day at dark. The men camped in the Zollicoffer Build- ing over night, embarked on board the steamer "Louis- ville" the next day, and at 4 p. m., March 20th, steamed down the Cumberland River, passed Cairo and arrived at St. Louis, where the city newspapers announced the arrival of "350 officers and 45 privates of the Sixth Iowa Veteran Infantry Volunteers en route home on veteran furlough". On arrival at the city of Keokuk, the com- panies separated and each individual soldier departed by
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the most convenient route for home, there to spend 30 days among kindred and friends. The non-veterans maintained the camp at Scottsboro, pending the return of the veterans.
Only those who participated in the festivities of the occasion can ever know the enjoyment and good cheer had during those 30 days. The veterans reassembled at Davenport and departed for Chicago, on April 28th, thence by railroad to Indianapolis, Louisville, and Nash- ville. They arrived at Chattanooga, May 5th, late in the day, marched out and camped near Rossville Gap, on Missionary Ridge, where the non-veterans and the trains with the camp equipage had just arrived from Scotts- boro, along with all of the 15th Army Corps. The bat- talion of non-veterans had continued to perform the ard- uous duties at the Scottsboro camp, in the never ceasing rain and chilling wind, until they marched to Chatta- nooga to join the veterans.
XVII THE BATTLE OF RESACA
Major-General William T. Sherman had succeeded Gen- eral Grant in the command of the Military Division of the Mississippi, embracing the departments and armies of the Cumberland, Ohio, and Tennessee. He had put his whole soul and titan energy into the labor of organizing and equipping the forces he was to lead through the cen- ter and heart of the Confederacy. The military problem before him was to dislodge and destroy the Confederate army concentrated at Dalton, Georgia, and commanded by General Joseph E. Johnston. To carry out that pur- pose he had stripped the posts and stations in his terri- tory of all veteran troops and had them assembled in the vicinity of Chattanooga.
The great battles of Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, and Missionary Ridge indicated the character of cam- paigning and fighting that might be expected in the pend- ing conflict. Both armies were in the best condition possible as to organization and equipment. The military skill, intelligence, and high personal character of the men composing the rank and file of both armies were a devel- opment of the highest type of American volunteer sold- iers - the best fighters in the world.
On May 1, 1864, the effective strength of the Union army, in round numbers embracing all arms, was 98,797 men and 254 pieces of artillery. It was composed of three armies as follows: Army of the Cumberland, Gen- eral George H. Thomas commanding: infantry, 54,568;
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artillery, 2377; cavalry, 3828; total, 60,773 men, and 130 guns; Army of the Tennessee, General James B. McPher- son commanding: infantry, 22,437; artillery, 1404; cav- alry, 624; total, 24,465 men, and 96 guns; Army of the Ohio, General John M. Schofield commanding: infantry, 11,183; artillery, 679; cavalry, 1697; total, 13,559 men, and 28 guns. Grand aggregate: troops, 98,797; guns, 254.19
The three army commanders - Thomas, McPherson, and Schofield - were educated military officers, and men of high character, and wide experience and knowledge, making them in every way admirably qualified for the important commands to which they were assigned.
To resist this formidable force, General Johnston had assembled in the vicinity of Dalton, 30 miles south of Chattanooga, the Confederate Army of Tennessee, num- bering about 80,000 men and 188 pieces of artillery. It was composed of four army corps, as follows: First Corps, Lieutenant-General W. J. Hardee commanding : present for duty, 25,782 men, and 48 guns; Second Corps, Lieutenant-General John B. Hood commanding: present for duty, 24,379 men, and 36 guns; Third Corps, Lieu- tenant-General L. Polk commanding: present for duty, 18,660 men, and 50 guns; Cavalry Corps, Lieutenant- General Joseph Wheeler commanding: present for duty, 16,535 men, and 18 guns; Artillery Reserve: 1225 men, and 36 guns. Grand aggregate: 86,581 troops, and 188 guns.20
19 The returns for April 30, 1864, give the following: Army of the Cumberland, 61,561 infantry, 8826 cavalry, 2551 artillery; Army of the Tennessee, 22,308 infantry, 678 cavalry, 1394 artillery; Army of the Ohio, 9262 infantry, 2951 cavalry, 592 artillery; aggregate 110,113 men. - War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. XXXVIII, Pt. 1, p. 115.
20 The official Confederate returns for June 10, 1864, give the strength
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General Johnston was an educated soldier and a skill- ful commander, second only to General Robert E. Lee in the Confederate service. His corps commanders were all three educated soldiers, and commanders of great skill and reputation.
The troops present and composing the Army of the Tennessee at the beginning of the campaign, were desig- nated as follows: 15th Army Corps, General J. A. Lo- gan -- First Division, General P. J. Osterhaus, Second Division, General M. L. Smith, Fourth Division, General W. Harrow, and the Third Division, General John E. Smith guarding the railroad in North Alabama; 16th Army Corps, General G. M. Dodge commanding, with two divisions present.
The Fourth Division, 15th Army Corps, was composed of three brigades as follows: First Brigade, Colonel R. Williams -26th and 90th Illinois, 12th and 100th In- diana; Second Brigade, Colonel C. C. Walcutt - 46th Ohio, 103rd Illinois, 97th Indiana, and 6th Iowa; Third Brigade, Colonel J. M. Oliver -- 48th Illinois, 99th In- diana, 53rd and 70th Ohio, and 15th Michigan; First Iowa Battery, Captain H. H. Griffiths, and Battery F, 1st Illi- nois, Captain J. H. Burton.
On May 1st, the 15th Corps broke winter camps in Alabama and marched to Chattanooga, arriving on May 5th. The Sixth Iowa detachment of 80 non-veterans and recruits had reported to Major Giesy of the 46th Ohio, and marched with that command to Chattanooga. All
of General Johnston's army as follows: Hardee's Corps, aggregate present, 26,644 men and 47 guns; Hood's Corps, 20,647 men and 36 guns; Polk's Corps, 18,600 men and 50 guns; Cavalry Corps, 16,535 men and 18 guns; Artillery Reserve, 1225 men and 36 guns; total 82,413 men and 187 guns. - War of the Rebellion: Official Records, Series I, Vol. XXXVIII, Pt. 3, p. 677.
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surplus baggage, camp and garrison equipment and trans- portation were turned over and stored in camps estab- lished near Chattanooga -- stripping the troops for a fight.
The campaign was formally and actively inaugurated on May 6, 1864, by all the armies moving against the fortified positions of the enemy in and about Dalton, General McPherson leading the turning column and aim- ing for Resaca. The Second Brigade marched at 10 a. m., the 97th Indiana taking its place in the brigade col- umn for the first time; crossed Missionary Ridge through Rossville Gap; passed over the Chickamauga battlefield, on the La Fayette road; and camped at Crawfish Springs, on Chickamauga Creek, a distance of 12 miles from the starting point. The heavy cannonading during the day, indicated that General Thomas had assailed the strong positions of the enemy, at "Rocky-face" and "Buzzard Roost".
The Sixth Iowa camped the first night with 400 men present for duty. It started at 9 a. m., May 7th; crossed Chickamauga Creek at Lee and Gordon's Mills, on a pon- toon bridge; halted for the 16th Corps to pass to the front; and camped at midnight, a distance of 10 miles having been marched.
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