USA > Iowa > History of the Fifteenth Regiment, Iowa Veteran Volunteer Infantry, from October, 1861, to August, 1865, when disbanded at the end of the war > Part 39
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The weather in February was mostly cold and wet, sometimes dry, and very cold, northern winds adding to the usual hardships of a winter campaign. Subsistence was procured by a number of foragers, with a commissioned officer, who was responsible for their conduct; they generally brought in enough of meat, not so much of breadstuffs. Several times, however, foragers were com- pelled to go far out into a poor country, and could not return till next day ; then they had to overtake the column, which had moved along. These were cases when "The Boys" showed their stoical firmness in still doing their duty full and nobly, under all emer- gencies.
The distance marched in February was 263 miles.
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On the 3d of March, the three divisions of the 17th Corps moved to Cheraw, Mower's Ist Division taking the advance, followed by the 4th Division. After an hour's fight, the place was taken early in the afternoon, the enemy being driven across the Great Pedee river, east of the town. Large amounts of rebel war mate- rial of every kind and shape fell into the hands of the Union troops. Three thousand small arms, twenty cannon of every size, and two finely finished Blakely guns of English make-captured by General Mower -- were the trophies of the victory ; subsequently that officer was permitted to man and attach the latter to his di- vision, and he brought them to Washington to the Grand Review .
On the 5th, the command crossed the Great Pedee on pontoons. On the 6th, Bennettsville was taken by the consolidated 4th Di- vision foragers and the escort cavalry, part of them having deployed as skirmishers before the infantry could come up.
March 8th, the command crossed the North Carolina line, and on that and all subsequent days for over a week, several swamps and streams were waded daily, the roads through the poor pine timber and the spongy ground becoming now one sinking mire and almost impracticable on account of the rain, which had poured down in torrents for several days past. At this juncture, however, it became important for the troops to move along as rapidly as possible, as the Union forces under Schofield were known to be advancing from the sea in the direction of Newbern and Goldsboro, where all the rebel forces, after the evacuation of Charleston and Wilmington, were concentrated under Bragg. Still the ammu- nition train, the supply train carrying the remainder of the most necessary articles of subsistence, the hospital train, etc., could not be well abandoned by the army; therefore the evident necessity arose to employ the infantry, during the march, to perform the duties of pioneers, as the regular pioneer corps of the several di- visions -- though greatly incressed by negro recruits during the progress of the Carolina campaign-were insufficient for the task .
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Fully two-thirds of the whole distance the roads were corduroyed every day, by which means the train could be brought into the camp however late at night. Whole brigades could be seen carry- ing rails from the plantations near and laying the same one by one close to each other so as to prevent the wagons from sinking in the bottomless mire. The officers and men of the regiment were on several occasions highly complimented for having done their part with good humor, even jokingly, notwithstanding the fact that for the latter it was quite a load to carry their arms and accoutre- ments, blankets and haversacks, in such weather and on such a ground. In no instance did the regiment arrive in camp, when it . was on detail as train guard, without bringing up the whole division train at the same time.
General Grant writes of Sherman's march north: "I must not neglect to state here the fact that I had no idea originally of having Sherman march from Savannah to Richmond, or even to North Carolina. The season was bad, the roads impassable for anything except such an army as he had, and I should not have thought of ordering such a move. I had, therefore, made preparations to collect transports to carry Sherman and his army around to the James River by water, and so informed him. On receiving this letter he went to work immediately to prepare for the move, but seeing that it would require a long time to collect the transports, he suggested the idea then of marching up north through the Carolinas. I was only too happy to approve this, for if successful, it promised every advantage. His march through Georgia had thoroughly de- stroyed all lines of transportation in that State, and had completely cut the enemy off from all sources of supply to the west of it. If North and South Carolina were rendered helpless so far as capacity for feeding Lee's army was concerned, the Confederate garrison at Richmond would be reduced in territory, from which to draw sup- plies, to very narrow limits in the State of Virginia, and although that section of the country was fertile, it was already well exhaust-
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ed of both forage and food. I approved Sherman's suggestion therefore at once."
March 10th, the command after wading through five streams on the day before, and four streams on this day, arrived at the Big Rockfish Creek, where the bridge was half burned by the retreat- ing chivalry, and the rest saved by our closely pursuing cavalry . After two hours work by all hands, the bridge seemed to be repair- ed sufficiently to allow the infantry to cross the river thereon, the division crossed the bridge, wading through the overflowing timber, the water being two and a half feet deep for nearly half a mile, and went into bivouac on an elevated ground, 13 miles from Fayetteville, to await the full repair of the bridge and the arrival of the train. The enemy, being known to be at Fayetteville, the 14th Corps, marching on a parallel road on the left of the 17th Corps, was expected to take the place, agreeably to orders published in the evening.
March 11th, the 4th Division being in the lead of the 17th Corps, started at 6 A. M., General Giles A. Smith, commanding division, having consolidated all the mounted foragers of the division under their own commissioned officers and his escort cavalry, they were ordered to take the advance. While the infantry was somewhat delayed at the crossing of the Little Rockfish Creek, waiting for the rear regiments to close up, the cavalry thus organized was in their usual foraging manner pushing along towards Fayetteville.
About 10 A. M., evident signs of an engagement going on were heard in the direction of Fayetteville, which brought the infantry to move on rapidly to the front, General Potts' 1st Brigade in the lead, followed closely by General Belknap's 3d Brigade.
The cavalry having engaged the enemy, fought him through the streets of the town, supported by the 1st and 3d Brigades. After an hour's sharp fight, the enemy was driven from the town and across the bridge over Cape Fear river, east of the place. Soon the infantry raised the Union flag on the court house of the place,
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the brass band playing its best martial strain, and the detail for provost marshal and provost guard having been made and the latter having stacked their arms in front of the court house. When the troops of the 14th Corps arrived at the north part of the town, their skirmishes became every moment more surprised at there be- ing no enemy in town to engage them. Their columns having ar- rived, the troops of the 4th Division were ordered to vacate the town, and were assigned camp a mile west of the same, where they commenced the fighting 2 hours before.
The capture of Fayetteville by the foragers of the 4th Division (common parlance would insist on calling them "bummers") gave them quite a "raise in the market ." In fact it was a matter of pru- dence on the part of regimental commanders to select and appoint for foragers men who were known to be thorough, practical soldiers, and well fitted to be sent out, sometimes ten or more miles on foraging expeditions where they were exposed to a sudden at- tack at any moment from the enemy's cavalry .
While in camp at Fayetteville a dispatch boat, accompanied by two steamers, arrived from Wilmington, on the Cape Fear river, thus establishing communication with Schofield's army at New Bern and with Terry's army at Wilmington. Up to this day all intelligence in regard to the sea coast was principally through the many rebel papers captured and brought in by the ubiquitous foragers of the command. This intelligence was meagre, however, and more especially confined to the movements of the various por- tions of the rebel armies under Bragg, Hardee, Beauregard and Johnston, and they contained the many appeals and proclamations to the inhabitants to lay aside all other considerations and join their army to check the progress of Sherman's vandals, thus to redeem their name and honor, &c. As experience every day proved, the inhabitants did not 'care much for their "name and honor," and be- took themselves invariably out of the way. The many prisoners taken through the Carolinas agreed in their statements that their
35
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soldiers could not be brought to stand a fight, that it was beyond all conception to what degree their people were terror stricken. March 13th, the command crossed Cape Fear river, and took a southeasterly direction, which next day was changed to nearly east.
On the 15th it moved on by-roads, over similar sinking, miry ground, arriving at night at the crossing of South river. On the 16th it crossed Big Swamp, (the whole country being almost one swamp) and towards evening the Little Cohera. Meanwhile, Kilpatrick's cavalry, supported by part of the 20th Corps on the extreme left, met the enemy on the 15th near Averysboro in heavy force, which stopped the progress of the extreme left column. Next day (16th) the rest of the Georgia (Cumberland formerly ) Army having been brought up a fight eusued, lasting all day-the enemy at night giving up their fortified postions and retiring north- northeast.
March 17th, the regiment being in the lead of the brigade, di- vision and corps, marched all day, according to the programme published the night before, on the road to Clinton, a point 15 miles south of Goldsboro, on the Wilmington Railroad. In the after- noon, a heavy cannonading was plainly heard to the left, some six or eight miles distant, this being the first clear, warm day in sev- eral weeks. When the column arrived to within 5 miles of Clin- ton, the order was countermanded, the direction being at once changed from due east, to northwest, and afterwards to due north. At night, after a lively march, the command arrived at Beman's Cross Roads.
The object of changing the direction was known to be to coun- teract the movement of Hardee pressing the 14th Corps, that being the extreme left column of the army. The 15th Corps, marching on the next parallel road, on the left of the 17th, was therefore, ordered at noon to turn at once north, instead of marching to Beman's Cross Roads. So the 17th Corps was ordered, later in
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the afternoon, to turn north to Beman's Cross Roads instead of marching to Clinton.
March 18th, Mower's 1st Division of the Corps was ordered to follow the road east to Everittsville, a point 5 miles south of Goldsboro, while the 3d and 4th Divisions were to follow a par- allel road, bearing toward Mount Olive, a point 10 miles south of Goldsboro, on the Wilmington Railroad. Though the weather was clear and bright, this march was a slow and laborious one, the same sinking, miry ground having put all hands to corduroying over two-thirds of the 15 miles made. During the day the Big Black Swamp was waded through. The same hard work con- tinued on the 19th, the regiment having been detailed as rear guard in rear of the whole division train, it arrived in camp with the train after 11 o'clock at night, forming in line for its camp, facing to the rear, and sending its own pickets further back on the road. Foragers, arriving at midnight, reported Mount Olive, 6 miles distant, clear of the enemy, and that it was currently stated by the inhabitants of the place that Goldsboro had been evacuated by Bragg early in the morning of that day, and that he was mov- ing towards Raleigh.
On the 20th, at half past 1 o'clock in the morning, orders were received to be ready to move at 2 o'clock, to join the brigade, and the division to move at a quarter to 3 o'clock with 3 days rations, to be at once issued to the men, with a full supply of ammunition.
This order, at the hour of midnight, and with it the sound of the many bugles of the several commands near by, were indications enough for the men of the regiment, who had scarcely gone to rest an hour before " that something was up " as they used to term it, and near at hand. Preparations were rapidly made, ammunition issued at once, the road leading to the brigade corduroyed for the teams to pass while the regiment moved on at the same time, and while the brigade stopped for a few moments to take its proper place in the already marching column; the rations were hurriedly
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divided among the men. At a quarter to 3 A. M., sharp, the 4th Division led followed by the 3d Division, moving in a northerly and northwesterly direction. It waded five creeks (each over knee deep) and arrived at 6 o'clock A. M. at Fall Creek, waded same, being waist deep and over a quarter of a mile wide, and on the other side, at Fall Creek Church, the division went into tem- porary bivouac, the troops building fires to dry their clothes and prepare breakfast. About 8 A. M., in the far distance to the left and front, occasional heavy cannonading was going on, the nature of which was known from the fact that on the 19th, while the 20th Corps was moving on the extreme left in light marching order (without any train or teams) in the direction of Cox's bridge, on the Neuse river, it fell upon the strongly fortified position of Johnston's whole force near Bentonsville, about 10 miles due west of that bridge, which force obstinately contested a further progress on that road. After a lively engagement all the afternoon, How- ard's Army of the Tennessee, the 15th and 17th Corps, then march- ing as the right wing columns, were ordered at night to be brought up at once; part of the 15th Corps being already in position on the right of the Georgia Army, and the rest of the Tennessee Army (six divisions ) to take position on its right as soon as they arrived. All started a few hours after midnight. At 9 o'clock the march was resumed, the 4th Division in advance, the 3d brigade leading, all teams and ambulances being left at the creek. Soon the skirmishers struck the enemy, (10 o'clock ) and a lively fire was kept up, driving them along the road, on the edge of wide, open fields, until noon, when the advance was brought to a halt, the enemy in front-General Butler's rebel cavalry division-having evidently been re-enforced, as their line assumed length on both their flanks, and the artillery was coming to mingle in the fight. The Union skirmish line, however, being also re-enforced, the enemy's line again yielded their ground, being now slowly but steadily forced back until 3 P. M., when a more regular and well -.
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sustained firing of the musketry and artillery, and an obstinate re- sistance of the enemy, seemed at once to indicate that Cheatham's fortified position on the extreme left of the rebel main line had been reached near Bentonville.
Soon the 15th Corps took position along the road, its general line facing northwest, the 17th Corps forming on its right and taking position facing west. The 4th Division of the 17th Corps (Gen. G. A. Smith's) occupied the left of the corps, 3d Division the centre, and the 1st division deploying on the extreme right. Dur- ing the formation of the line, as well as in the evening and late into the night, the musketry fire on the skirmish line was vigor- ously kept up, intermingled with heavy cannonading from both lines, which often reminded us of the the old times before Atlanta. At night two charges of the rebels were repulsed, and one made by the 4th Division, 15th Corps met with a repulse. Prisoners captured agreed in stating that part of Longstreet's Virginia Army was also in front of the Army of the Tennessee.
March 21st, at daybreak, the brigade and division were in line of battle, and soon after the skirmish line was advanced, when a furious fire broke out from both lines. After an hour's contest the rebel skirmish line commenced giving way and by 9 o'clock it was forced back over half a mile across a deep ravine running north and south, with a swampy ground in its wide basin and thick underbrush and young timber covering its whole surface.
The skirmish line of the brigade and division having been estab- lished along this ravine, and connected on both flanks with that of the next divisions on their right and left, the lines of the several brigades and divisions were forming and fortifying temporarily their front on the elevated ground next in rear of and some 150 yards from the skirmish line; the latter being some 500 yards from the main rebel fortifications. (The line of the 3d Brigade was established in the following order: 11th Iowa on the left, 13th Iowa in the centre, 15th Iowa on the right, two companies of the
-
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latter being refused somewhat to the rear. During the evening, however, the 32d Illinois occupied the right of the 15th Iowa, four heavy companies of the latter being on the skirmish line. )
At 2 o'clock P. M. General Mower's Ist Division, on the extreme right, having been attacked, and the attack having been repulsed, the enemy was thrown back upon his own line, and after some fight the rebel outer line was taken and a request made for sup- port.
A general advance was ordered along the lines, and the skir- mishers of the 4th Division, being at once re-enforced, were soon advancing, under a shower of musket balls, grape and canister, to within 300 yards of the main rebel fortifications.
The line, however, not being supported on their left, and more- over, the order to move the lines of battle of the whole division having been countermanded just at the moment when the skir- mishers in front were already started, they had to fall back, first to the position previously held by the rebel skirmishers, then to their own lines.
Company A, 15th Iowa, under Lieutenant Mitchell, Company I, Lieutenant Williams, Company C, Lieutenant Rynearson, and Company G, Captain Bye, having been the foremost in the advance and the last on the retreat when their line became entirely unsupported on their left, were highly complimented for gallantry and able conduct by General Giles A. Smith, commanding 4th Di- vision, and present at the advance of the skirmish line. The regi- ment lost in the advance five wounded, two mortally.
During the evening a constant, lively fire of musketry and artillery was kept up on both sides; during the dark night follow- ing, several times, at the least sign, real or imaginary, of an ad- vance or charge, the firing broke out in a perfect fury, sending a storm of bullets, balls and shells into the opposite lines and as often bringing everyone in the front to his position in the line of battle. Meanwhile, the consolidated rebel force in front, under Hardee,
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Beauregard, Bragg and Johnston, with all their fortifications and heavy works, while trying to stop the progress of Sherman's army, found themselves flanked on their extreme right and sud- denly exposed to being cut off from their only line of escape . During the night they rapidly retreated across the Nense river, burning the bridge after them, the last firings by the rebel skir- mishers opposite the position of the 4th Divison were given at 4 o'clock A. M. of the 22d. At daybreak Lieutenant H. C. Mc- Arthur, (of H Company ), Aide-de-Camp, and Lieutenant W. H. Goodrell, (of F Company ), Brigade Picket officer, both on the staff of General Belknap, commanding 3d Brigade, climbed over the rebel works and were the first Yankees to do so; Mac finding a hatchet that the rebels had only partially buried, signifying that hostilities had ceased for a while, a la Injun, and with the same token rode rapidly to General Belknap, commanding brigade, with the news of the retirement of the enemy and with the compli- ments of General B. to General Giles A. Smith, commanding 4th Division, and with the compliments of the latter to General W. T. Sherman, with first information that the rebels had gone.
March 23d, the brigade with division and corps started, and on the 24th arrived at Goldsboro, which place was occupied by Scho - field's army, arriving from New Bern, while the Georgia and Ten- nessee armies were rapidly concentrating against Johnston's whole rebel force in his fortified position near Bentonsville.
Arriving at Goldsboro, the 4th Division in lead of the corps, and the 15th Iowa leading the division, the command was marched into town in order of review by company front, passing before General Sherman, attended by Generals Schofield and Terry of the Eastern army, the men at the same time displaying all the sin- gular curiosities and reminiscences, peculiar to the late Carolina campaign, in the shape of remnants of captured hams and sides sticking on some bayonets, of chickens, turkeys and bacon hanging from the shoulders of many a soldier, the men themselves invar-
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iably in worn out and very ragged clothing, with all kinds of anti- regulation hats, caps and several of them without any, and quite a number entirely shoeless; while all showed the average high water mark through the Corolinas to be near their shoulders, at the same time, however, all looking well and in the best of spirits at the prospect of ending the long and arduous campaign.
The regiment with its brigade and division went into camp north of the town, between the Richmond and New Bern railroads.
Next day General Sherman's congratulatory order was pub- lished, announcing the close of the campaign and promising rest to the troops, and all that the rich stores, magazines and granaries of our magnificent country could furnish them.
The ever memorable winter campaign of 1865, through the Carolinas having thus ended, the men were permitted to take a short rest of two weeks, proud with a consciousness of having faithfully contributed their share towards accomplishing the grand object of the severe campaign.
The master genius who originated and executed the brilliant plan, is one of the immortal few who were not born to die; his name and fame will live in the military annals of this country, as well as of all civilized nations of the world, forever.
To the men of his army the credit is justly due, of having suc- cessfully carried out the laborious and in some instances seemingly impossible details of the great work. Hundreds of miles of rail- road communications, and several railroad centres, each not less im- portant than that of Atlanta, were destroyed beyond hope of re- pair; thus separating the arteries of life, the channels of subsistence of the rebel army, isolating their troops from each other and sepa- rating them from their cities, arsenals, magazines and factories, all of which, with immense amounts of war material, fell into the hands of the victorious army. The sea coast, with all its impor- tant cities and massive fortifications, was evacuated as if at the imperious bidding of the conquerors of Columbia.
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The day, the ever defiant capital of South Carolina was entered by the victorious army, Charleston, the birthplace and cradle of rebellion, was evacuated by Hardee, hurrying away and out of the way, before the expected raid on the only railroad open to him would make his escape impossible. And, finally, after. a rapid march through a continuous course of swamps, and hundreds of streams and morasses waded across on foot, the men toiling day and night, corduroying the roads fully two-thirds of the distance made from day to day for many weeks, while ragged and shoeless, and frequently unfed, extricating trains and artillery from the ever- lasting bottomless mire; felling forests and building bridges for the trains to pass, themselves invariably fording the streams. When the separate colums came up at Bentonsville, with the forces of Hardee late from Savannah and Charleston, of Bragg from Wilmington, of Beauregard from the interior of the Carolinas, of Cheatham from Hood's consolidated army-all under the generalship of John- ston, their new commander-in-chief,-the whole rebel army was beaten "on their own chosen ground," naturally strong and well for- tified, and was compelled to retreat, leaving their dead and wounded in the hands of the victors, and to burn the bridges on their retreat.
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