USA > Illinois > Will County > Fifteen years ago; or, The patriotism of Will County, designed to preserve the names and memory of Will County soldiers, both officers and privates - both living and dead: to tell something of what they did, and of what they suffered, in the great struggle to preserve our nationality > Part 12
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It was while this mortar was doing its work that R. W. Water- man, of Wilmington, made the boys a visit, and wanting to see as much as he could, went to the front to see the big guns. While going around with Lieut. Branch, one of the shells came over and buried itself in the ground within about twenty feet of them. Branch, being used to the thing, dropped to the ground at once, and told Waterman to do so; but he was so paralyzed with sur- prise that he forgot to drop. Happily, the shell had buried itself deep in the ground before it exploded, which gave an upward direction to fragments, and they were not hit. On being asked why he did not drop, Waterman said he was so busy praying that he forgot it. Branch asked him what prayer he made, and he replied, "Now I lay me down to sleep;" not an inappropriate prayer under the circumstances. Whether he used it on account
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of its applicability to the situation, or because it was the only one he knew, the author is not informed-ask him.
After a while, our side got the range of the gun and silenced it.
The rebel sharpshooters, though they did not make as much noise as their artillery, were perhaps more to be feared. Their balls were flying all the time, and everywhere; no one could safely appear from behind their works. Branch says in one of his letters : " While I was writing this last sentence, a bullet from a rebel sharpshooter cut off this leaf, which fell upon my paper, and I send it to you. We make light of such things here, but, at the bottom, we don't like it."
The 20th took part in the memorable assault of the 20th, 21st and 22d days of May, which was unsuccessful, and, as many thought, ill-advised. The 20th assaulted Fort Hill, in which it lost 30 men. They succeeded in planting their flag on the rebel works, but as the general movement failed, they were compelled to retire the next day.
The 20th was in the centre of Logan's division, on the Jackson road, and after the assault on Fort Hill, was occupied in digging and sharpshooting. They dug up to within twenty feet of the enemy's works, and so closely were they besieged, that they had not fired a shot in some time. In this charge of the 22d of May, Lieuts. King and Wadsworth, of our county, were both wounded. The regiment went into the assault with 164 men, of which number it lost 30.
On the night of the 3d of June, the boys of the 20th conceived the idea that they had as good a right to the rebel fort in their front as the rebels had, even though they were on the outside of it. Accordingly, they dug a ditch from the bottom of the earthwork to the top, five feet deep and three feet wide, and when they reached the top, they extended the trench each way, and in the morn- ing the rebels were surprised to see, from the top of their works, the " Enfields " of the " damned yanks" pointing right at them. This was good as an exploit to pass the time, but was of no great advantage, as another fort commanded it.
July 4th, the 20th shared in the triumph of the surrender, and was the second regiment to enter the city, where it remained on provost duty for several months.
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Surgeon Goodbrake, writing from Vicksburg, July 16th, says : " The 20th has been engaged in all the battles since Gen. Grant crossed the river, up to and including the charge of May 22d, in which Col. Richards, Capt. Stevens, Lieut. Sears, and sixteen pri- vates were killed. Up to the surrender of Vicksburg, the regiment had 21 killed and 102 wounded ; had been in nine battles, with honor every time, and had gained the soubriquet of the "Little Fighting Regiment."
Lieut. Branch, of Co. F, writes from Vicksburg, August 17th, that of the 103 boys of that company who left Joliet, only 16 remained with the regiment, and that of these, only seven reported for duty that day. Twenty-nine were absent, eight on detached duty, twenty-one sick or wounded, and of the balance, many "sleep the sleep that knows no waking." "We have left," says he, "the slaughtered at Fredericktown, Donaldson, Shiloh, Jackson, Brit- ton's Lane, Raymond, Champion Hills, and Vicksburg. We have buried our dead at Birds Point, Cape Girardeau, Memphis, and Mound City." Of the original commissioned officers, they had but one left, J. B. Bailey, and of the non-commissioned officers, not one. " One thing," he says, "distresses the few who remain more than all else, the cry for a dishonorable peace."
After the surrender, the men were nearly all sick. The excite- ment being over, they seemed to collapse. Some incidents which occurred after the surrender, we record.
One sabbath, in the Episcopal church, when the prayer for the president was being read, nine young ladies of the "upper ten," rose and went out, to manifest their rebellious spirit and contempt for the president of the United States. Next day they received orders to leave the city, or take the alternative of going to the common jail.
An order was issued from headquarters, forbidding any person wearing U. S. clothing (blue) that did not belong to the army, and authorizing the provost guard to strip any such persons of all such clothing. The 20th was at this time doing provost duty. The boys used to go for such persons lively. One day, walking down the main street, they saw a gent coming, with a lady on each arm. He had on one of our blue blouses and a military vest. The boys asked the officer in charge what they should do. " Obey
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orders, of course." So they ordered the gent to strip, but he showed fight, inspired by the presence of the ladies. The boys knocked him down, and stripped him of his coat and vest, and left him to escort his ladies in his shirt sleeves.
On another occasion, they stripped a man of his pants also, leaving him in a still more unpresentable condition.
I am afraid the boys were hardly actuated by the golden rule in these proceedings. But the southern gentry were so insulting in their treatment of our men that it is hardly to be wondered at that they sometimes exceeded the limits of christian forbearance.
During their stay at Vicksburg, Lieut. Branch was called upon to play the part of a detective. A widow, whose husband, being a Union man, had been hung by the rebels, had been robbed of a large lot of jewelry, to the value of $3,000, by one Geo. W. Paine. The thief was said to be still living in the vicinity of Vicksburg. Branch was commissioned to investigate the case. He accordingly disguised himself in " butternuts," and went out alone beyond our lines, into a secesh neighborhood, where he found his man, quietly enjoying the fruits of his steal, at his own house, with a female quadroon. He had a full description of the stolen property, and identified the man by a large diamond pin and ring which he wore, and a diamond brooch, which was glistening on the bosom of his inamorata.
The lieutenant, who was a bitter secesh for the occasion, ingra- tiated himself into the good graces of the lovely pair, and took dinner with them, and then returned to the city. The next morn- ing at daylight, while the gentleman was still sleeping in the arms of his dulcinea, Lieut. Branch, with four men, well armed, made another call upon him, not now in butternuts, but with Uncle Sam's uniform, and one of Uncle Sam's muskets. Having secured the gentleman's weapons, he made known to him the nature of his visit, and called upon him to disgorge. This he did in part, and while two of the party kept watch of the pair, the rest searched the premises and found some more. But a large part of the plunder was still missing, and Mr. Paine refused to reveal its hiding place. Thereupon Lieut. Branch took a bed cord from one of the beds, and ordered the boys to take the gentleman out into the yard, adjusted a hangman's noose around his neck, threw the end over
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a branch of the tree, and told the boys to " pull away." This brought the gentleman to terms, and he gladly accepted the alter- native of revealing the hiding place of his plunder, which, being secured, the lieutenant let him go, a sadder, but probably not much better man. The lieutenant and his men returned to the city, and had the pleasure of restoring the plunder to the widow.
The 20th remained, as has been said about four months in the city of Vicksburg, and sometime in the fall of 1863 moved out to the Big Black River, where it remained until the raid on Me- ridian.
In the fight at the Big Black in May, a rebel captain of a Georgia regiment had been killed who was the owner of a fine large dog. The dog refused to leave his master's body until it was buried, and then remained upon the grave uttering the most dismal howls. Some of the men tried to coax the dog to go with them when they left, but he could not be induced to desert his vigil. Now, eight months after, when the regiment was again encamped in the same vicinity, the dog was still there every night, uttering the most dismal howls over the grave. No coax- ing could swerve him from his fidelity to the memory of his dead master. The brute was better, more faithful than the man, for he had forgotten his allegiance to Uncle Sam. Although the dog's howlings made night hideous, the boys could not find it in their hearts to shoot him.
In the celebrated Meridian raid of General Sherman's, the 20th bore a part, an account of which I have condensed with slight alterations from a description given by Lt. Branch, of Co. F to his old captain, T. Q. Hilderbrant. His letter was written March 9th, 1864, just after the return of his expedition.
He says : "Our brigade consisting of the 20th, 31st, 40th and 124th Ill. Infantry, with a battery of twenty pound parrots, and Co. D, Captain Felters, of Dickey's 4th cavalry, have been encamped on the Big Black, 15 miles east from Vicksburg, for the last four months. On the 2nd of February, Sherman's troops consisting of the 16th army corps, and Gens. Stephen's, Hurl- but's, Leggett's and Crocker's divisions of the 17th army corps, under General McPherson, marched from Vicksburg to this place, where our brigade joined them, and on the 3d crossed the
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Big Black on pontoons, and started out for the purpose of break- ing up the extensive R. R. communications of the rebels, by which they have been enabled to concentrate their forces in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, at any point in Mississippi in forty-eight hours.
" We marched four miles and encamped without tents. Feb. 4th we marched at 7 a. m., and after proceeding four miles had a lively skirmish with the enemy in front, on the old battle field of "Champion Hills," in which we had whipped the rebels in the advance on Vicksburg last May. The cavalry were now driven back upon the infantry line. But in this infantry the rebels found a snag, from which their cavalry rebounded, and we passed on. From thence to Baker's Creek, nine miles, was a con- tinued skirmish, in which our side lost five killed and eighteen wounded, mostly of the 12th Wisconsin. We encamped at dark on the creek.
" Feb. 5th, marched at daylight, and as the rebels were known to be in force on the opposite side of the creek, the 1st brigade was put in advance, and as usual on such occasions, the 20th was in advance of the brigade. The passage of the creek was obsti- nately disputed, but to no purpose. We routed them in one-half an hour, and advanced across a large plantation, firing as we went, and occasionally passing a dead grayback in the road.
" That day we reached 17 miles and skirmished on every hill. We drove them through Clinton. And here was one of the finest sights I have ever seen during the war. Clinton is situated on a high hill, while to the west and south is a level plain a mile or more in width. Hurlbut came in from the southwest, and Mc- Pherson from the northwest. We were fighting and driving Lee's cavalry, while Hurlbut was driving Jackson's cavalry, and both drove the rebels out of the woods at the same time. We were on the skirmish line and could see the whole thing.
" The rebels came out in confusion and close on our and Hurl- but's skirmishers in splendid lines, while our batteries took posi- tion on the hills in the rear, and sent shell and canister over our heads. Down the hill, across the bottom, and up the hill, and through the town, pell-mell went the rebs. and close after them the blue jackets, yelling and firing like devils until ordered to
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halt, a mile behind town. While resting, our cavalry passed us to the front to follow up the chase, but in the course of twenty minutes they came back fleeing and chased in turn. Then the order, " First brigade fall in," came, and we advanced through the woods to the edge of the large plantation, where we found the ene- my strongly posted on the opposite side in the woods.
" We formed our line, then threw out our skirmishers, and lay down for orders. Meanwhile our artillery opened and was replied to by six pieces of rebel cannon well served. Their first shot knocked two of our artillerists hors du combat, and the next killed two of the 124th Ill. The third was aimed at Gen. Force, our brigade commander, which ricocheting in front, passed close over his head. We occupied some time here in order to let a body of troops pass to the right and left, to flank them. When the proper time came we opened on them with ten guns, which soon made them change their position, and while doing so came the command, " Attention, 20th Ill .! forward, double quick," and away we went. But the rebs. always could out run us. We fol- lowed them for about a mile, when we came in view of their whole force, drawn up in an open field, apparently with the design of charging on us. A few rounds from our parrots, however, made them change their minds, and show us their horses tails. We moved on in line of battle until dark, when Gen. Leggett, com- manding the division, came to us and said that we were two miles from Jackson, and as we had driven the rebels twenty miles that day, and had worked well and hard, he would not order us to march any farther. But it was believed that the rebels were evacuating Jackson, and if there was a brigade that would volun- teer to go to Jackson and hold the place for the night; he would feel much obliged to them. Of course that meant us. Up jumped our boys, tired as they were, with the ready reply, " We will go sir," and we went; and as we entered the rebel works from the west, the enemy went out on the east side, firing a few parting shots at our advance.
" The night was spent in laying a pontoon bridge across the Pearl river ; our artillery in the meantime shelling the Pearl river swamps to protect the working parties. We encamped on
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the Canton road, north of the city, and inside the rebel works where we lay waiting for the bridge to be finished, all the next day (6th.)
On the 7th we crossed Pearl river, and after marching two miles halted for Crocker's division to pass. We found the South- ern R. R. repaired to Pearl river, with a new turn table on the bank, which we burned, also the bridges and trestle work. We tore up the track making piles of the ties, setting them on fire and laying the rails across, so that when heated they bent in such away as to render them useless. In this way we used up the railroad as far as we went.
" The city of Jackson, the capital of Mississippi, was, before the visit of Grant last May, one of the most beautiful in all the south. But the rebels had inaugurated the policy of burning all buildings which contained commissary stores, an example which our side was not slow to follow, and now this was the third visit which the yanks had made this city, and from its appearance I think one visit more would make a finish, for the State House is about the only building left of any importance, standing in melan- choly grandeur amid a forest of chimney stacks, and ruined brick walls, among them those of the penitentiary. They had fortified the place so that they regarded it as almost impregnable. But Grant walked into it after one bayonet charge, an hour after he had formed his lines.
" We marched thirteen miles this (7th) day, passing through Brandon, a very pretty site for a town, but as the 4th corps passed through it, they set fire to everything that would burn, and all we could see was smouldering ruins. We were obliged to go around it to avoid the heat, destroying the railroad as we went. The first few miles after leaving Jackson, we passed alternately through pine swamps, and over pine hills, sand ankle deep, a miserable looking conntry, but good for raising cotton. We know when we are coming to a large plantation, by the smoke of burning cot- ton, cotton gins and negro quarters. We encamped in the pine woods, one mile east of Brandon. Here we had full rations, plenty of fresh beef, pork, mutton and poultry of all kinds, for now we make the rebs feed us as we go.
" Monday, the 8th, we marched at 9 o'clock, Crocker's division
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in advance, we then crossed the railroad a mile from camp, set- ting all the ties, trestle work, bridges, etc., on fire as far as we can see before and behind us, besides houses, barns, cotton gins, and cotton sheds and warehouses filled with the bodsted staple, (no longer king,) fences and woods all on fire in all directions. We march in a cloud of smoke by day, and the light of the burn- ing fires by night, like the Israelites of old. But unlike them our pillar of cloud by day, and pillar of fire by night, were not supplied by the miraculous interposition of God, but by the cruel torch of desolating war.
" We marched sixteen miles and encamped in a heavy pine forest. We are driving a rebel brigade steadily before us, besides a large cavalry force who skirmish with us continually.
" A sad accident occurred to-day while on the march. The rebel cavalry made a stand on every hill, and fired upon our advance, and then run. In one instance, they formed in a yard in. front of a house, in which a family were living, and fired on our troops without giving any notice to the inmates. On their firing, he lady of the house came to the front door to see what was the occasion of it, and was hit in the neck by our return fire, and instantly killed. She left six small children alone, her husband being in the rebel army. It was a heart-rending sight, over which many a soldier, albeit unused to weeping, dropped a tear.
"Tuesday, 9th, marched at 9 a. m. We went into Morton, con- trary to expectation, without a fight. The enemy had 18,000 troops here, and boasted that this was to be the end of Sherman's expedition. They formed in line of battle, threw up earthworks, dug rifle pits, and seemed to have made every preparation to con- test our advance, and then skedaddled. We were glad they did so, for they had a splendid position, with an open field and swamp in front, and it would have been a hard job to take or turn it.
" Morton, its depot, warehouses, &c., shared the fate of the other places through which we passed. We remained here all day, and here the 16th army corps passed us, Gen. Hurlbut claiming the privilege of driving the rebs part of the way.
" Wednesday, 10th, left Morton at 9 a. m., and made fourteen miles. We marched through what had been the town of Hillsboro, but when we came up, the boys christened it "Chimney Town."
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The 16th had been obliged to fight its way through the town, and applied the torch to everything combustible, and chimney stacks were about all that was left. We went into camp at 11 o'clock p. m., two miles east of Hillsboro. To-day I had charge of 54 rebel prisoners, and marched in the rear of the regiment. Two of these prisoners belonged to the 2d Florida infantry, of which an uncle of mine (on the mother's side) is colonel. We lay in camp until 4 p. m.
" At ten this morning, a rebel lieutenant and seven men made a dash at our rear pickets, Co. D, 4th Ill. cav. (Captain Felter's.) Oscar T. Randall (of Channahon) waited until the rebs had got into close range, then fired, ank killed the lieutenant on the spot, and the rest left. We marched again at 4 p. m., and marched all night, going through the worst piece of swamp I ever saw. We made six miles, and went into camp at 4 in the morning, tired out, sleepy, foot-sore, and hungry.
" Friday, 12th, marched at 8 a. m., and made eighteen miles. We were twenty out of the twenty-four hours on the move, and encamped at Decatur. The night was dark, and the march would have been very dreary, but for the light of burning plantations. Decatur shared the fate of the other towns on the march, and we could say of it as of ancient Troy-it was !
"Saturday, 13th, at 11 a. m., left Decatur, marched a mile, and halted for the train to close up. While resting, the rebels made a dash at our train. The 20th was ordered back to repulse them. But the rear guard, the 45th, had done the job before we got there. Some few rebs killed, was the result. Marched thirteen miles, and encamped on a small creek at 11 p. m., receiving orders to cook rations to-night, as we were to go on a separate expedi- tion to-morrow.
"Sunday, Feb. 14th, St. Valentine's day, the first brigade marched alone at nine o'clock, on a road running south, with orders to proceed to "Chunkey Station," on Chunkey river, and destroy the railroad bridge, burn the town, warehouses, depot, &c. We were told that there were two companies of rebel cavalry guarding the bridge, and having two stockades. We marched light, taking nothing but haversacks and canteens. The 20th, as usual on such occasions, had the advance. When within one mile
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of the bridge, we ascertained that there were 2,000 of Jackson's cavalry there. We were less than 1,000 strong ; but, as we had ยท never yet met our match among the greybacks, we determined to sail in, well knowing that nothing but a bold front would save us. We advanced thirty of the 4th Ill. cavalry-all we had-to find out their position. We soon came upon their picket fires, still burning. The order was passed down the line to load as we went, and by the time we had loaded, the cavalry opened on them from the top of a hill. Colonel Bradley sang out, "Forward, double- quick," and up the hill we went on a run. Then, " On the right by file into line," and the regiment swung into line lively. Com- panies A and F were deployed as skirmishers, Captain Wadsworth on the right, Bailey on the left, and Co. B had command of the centre of the skirmish line. We soon came up with and passed our cavalry, and came in sight of the enemy. They had a fine line of skirmishers, but we soon turned it into a running rabble, We were on the left of the railroad, and two companies of the 45th on the right. We had a good cover of brush, while they were exposed in an open field, so for their benefit we gave an infernal yell, which drew the enemy's fire from them to us. We advanced to the river bank, and, as we broke cover, were greeted with a shower of balls, which made us take to the trees and fight shy. We had found that we were fighting with their main line across a narrow river, at a distance of five to eight rods. We told the boys, (in a voice loud enough for the rebels to hear), to take it cool, as the artiltery would soon come up, and that we were flanking them. These words, addressed to our own men, but meant for the rebels-a little yankee strategy-gave the enemy a scare, and they broke and run. Thus two companies, A and F, of the 20th, and two companies of the 45th, fought and whipped 2,000 of Jackson's cavalry in an hour. The regiments came up, and we burned the bridge, warehouse, mills, and 300 bales of cotton, and marched back, making eighteen miles in eight hours. Our loss was three men of the 45th, wounded ; none hurt in the 20th. We sent the d-l sixteen valentines in the shape of dead rebels, one of them a colonel, wounding thirty-five more.
" An amusing incident occurred during this skirmish. In order to preserve the line intact, it became necessary to pass through the
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door-yard of a house in which there was a family living. While doing so the boys happened to see a well filled hen coop. The temptation to improve their rations was too strong to be resisted, and as they passed along, each took a chicken, and, wringing its neck, clapped it into their empty haversacks, and John W. Coombs knocked down an old gobbler with his gun, and slung him over his shoulder. All this brought the lady of the house to the door in a great rage, and crying and wringing her hands, she blurted out to the boys : "Oh, you nasty thieves ! the secesh came along here and stole my old hoss, and now you are stealing all my chick- ens, but you'll catch h-ll when you get down there to the bridge." The boys cheered her, and passed on well satisfied with their part of the joke. We encamped with the trains of our division that night.
" Monday, 15th, started for Meridian. We marched ten miles and encamped five miles from Meridian. Here we heard that the place was evacuated by the enemy and occupied by our advance. "Tuesday, 16th, marched at seven, reached Meridian, and encamped. We found it a place covering a great deal of ground, as the houses were scattered. It is the headquarters of this part of the "confederacy " for the manufacture and repair of arms. We found a large arsenal, armory, foundry, machine shops, &c. In the arsenal were 5,000 rifles and shot-guns, and shot, shell, grape, canister, &c. Here, too, are-or rather were-large grist mills, saw mills, barracks, hospitals, two large hotels, and a great many new houses, built by refugees from the territory which had come into the possession of the Union army. All of this made a splendid fire before we left. Meridian, too, is among the things that were.
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