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 28
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And so matters seem to have continued, gradually improving now in the matter of rations, and nothing occurring of special inter- est until Nov. 23d. Deserters came in occasionally. On the 15th, the regiment had a visit from the paymaster, and lots of peddlers, who were after the boys' money.
Before going into the movement on Mission Ridge, we will pick up a few matters which we have passed over.
After the battle of Chickamauga, of course there were great numbers of wounded to be cared for. Many were left in the hands of the enemy, but by an arrangement with the rebel authorities,
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those severely wounded were sent into our lines as soon as they could be moved. Our county sent a delegation, consisting of Dr. Bowen, of Wilmington, and Elder Crews, of Joliet, to look after our own boys. They did not go as idlers or lookers-on. On arriving at Stephenson, and finding no conveyance, they cut them each a good stick, and charged over the mountain on foot, a dis- tance of forty miles. On arriving at the camp of the 100th, they repaired to the hospital, took off their coats, and went to work, dressing the wounded, and doing everything in their power to help the boys who were suffering in our behalf. On account of the critical situation, and of the great scarcity of supplies, the wounded who could bear the journey were sent to the rear as fast as pos- sible. This was a great undertaking, and entailed much suffering upon the poor wounded men. The transportation had to be by ambulances over the worst of all possible roads to Stephenson, over 50 miles, and no rations were issued to them except a limited supply of hardtack. Still, they were patient and uncomplaining.
The Christian and Sanitary Commissions had their nurses speedily at work, and their supplies were forwarded as fast as the means of transportation would allow.
Dr. Bowen, writing from Bridgeport, Oct. 6th, says :
" Our wounded in Sunday's fight were left on the field in the enemy's hands, and not brought in until Saturday. We left with them for Nashville on Sunday (all that could be moved) in 200 ambulances. They will join the railroad at Stephenson, where we expect to meet them."
At this time Hooker had arrived at Bridgeport with his army of reinforcements from the Potomac, and the army at Chattanooga no longer feared Gen. Bragg-but Gen. Hunger was still threat- ening them severely.
On October 19th, Rosecrans was relieved by Gen. Geo. H. Thomas, the man who had earned the soubriquet of the " Rock of Chickamauga," from the manner in which he had held the rebel army in check on the 20th, and saved our army from utter defeat. General Grant had also been put in command of the divis- ion of the Mississippi, and he telegraphed Thomas to hold Chatta- nooga if he starved. Thomas replied that he would, and he did,
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although as we have seen, starvation for some days stared our brave boys in the face.
An incident is said to have occurred here while our boys were shut up in Chattanooga which relieved the tedium of the time, and which may relieve the tedium of our narrative. As a historian I do not vouch for it. I give it as a tradition. Indeed, I should not venture to record it at all, if I had not received it from so re- liable a source.
I believe I have somewhere spoken of the innumerable kinds of insects and reptiles which our boys encountered in the sunny south. There was another kind of greyback, which gave them a great deal of trouble, besides the kind that carried muskets. They were very plenty, and infested their blankets and clothing, and it became a regular exercise to skirmish for them before getting into their blankets at night. Besides these, there was a great variety of bugs, ticks, scorpions and other insects, some of which were not only annoying, but dangerous. In our history of Barnett's bat- tery, we give an account of a death of a Will county man, from the bite of a scorpion. But the " varmint" most dreaded was the rattle snake. Snakes abounded everywhere, and the boys were obliged to use great precautions against them. They had an ugly way of getting into the tents and houses, without a pass, and coil- ing themselves up in odd corners, and even creeping into beds.
Now, no one had a greater horror of the snake family than the senior surgeon of the 100th, (now acting as brigade surgeon). He was always on the lookout for them, and I believe he dreaded them even more than he did rebel shells. To prevent their getting into his bed, he had a way of tucking in the covers all around, and when he went to bed, he used to open the top, leaving the sides and foot undisturbed, and by a kind of corkscrew movement worm himself down into the bed, thus feeling secure against his dreaded foes. Now there was at Chattanooga, the surgeon of an Indiana regiment of the name of Glick, and the two being thrown very much together in the hospitals, became great friends, and oc- cupied the same room in one of the old houses at Chattanooga. Glick,-who, by the way, was a practical joker,-seeing our doc- tor's dread of snakes, and his manner of heading them off, thought he would have a little fun at his friend's expense. So in the doc-
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tor's absence one day, he stuck together a couple of spermaceti candles with which the officers were supplied, and opening the foot of our surgeon's bed, laid it in just about where his feet would hit it when he got well into bed, tucking it all up snug again. He told some of the other officers what he had done and asked them to be around when the doctor went to bed and see the fun. Well, our surgeon came in at the usual hour of night, and being very tired, commenced at once to prepare for bed. Glick telegraphed in some way to the boys outside and they gathered round peeking into the cracks and windows to see the fun. Having disrobed and donned his night cap, our surgeon began in his usual way to worm him self down into bed ; and just as he got well in and was stretch- ing himself out with a grunt of satisfaction, his feet struck the extemporized snake! With a bound that would do credit to a first-class acrobat, our doctor leaped from the bed, exclaiming "a snake ! a snake! oh mine foote, Glick, a snake ! a snake! kill him ! kill him ! Oh mine foote ! Glick, kill him! kill him !" Glick sprang to his assistance as earnestly as if he believed that it was a snake, and his co-conspirators outside rushed in eager to assist. The doctor caught his sword, and some one held the light, while Glick, the most courageous, carefully turned down the clothes, and presently, the harmless candle was laid bare. Our doctor saw the "sell" in a moment, and the reaction was almost too much for his nerves, and altogether too much for his English. "Ah Glick, Glick ! fun ish fun, and I likes fun, but ah ! Glick, Glick, this ish is too d-n bad !" It was a scene worthy of the burin of Nast ! It is said that the doctor trembles at the sight of a snake, even to this day, while the glimpse of a candle throws him into fits of bad English !
There is another story on the surgeon that I have studied long upon, in order to devise some way in which to tell it, and not vio- late vested rights, but ' I have not been able to effect it, I will therefore only allude to it as the time when the doctor got bom- barded. This is all that need be said, to raise a grin on the face of every survivor of the 100th. If the reader has any curiosity to hear the story, let him ask Deacon Williams who has copy-righted it and knows how to tell it, and he will do it if you get him in the right kind of a crowd. Or, you might ask the doctor yourself, but you had better do it some time when he is in his slippers.
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Major Bowen writes under date of Oct. 25th :
" Our regiment moved out and occupied the front. Consid- erable activity seemed to be in other parts of the army. On the 27th the noise of an engagement could be heard down the river, and it was rumored that Hooker was fighting south of Bridgeport, and that our forces had taken prisoners, the force of the enemy that had been holding the river at the suck, 1,000 in number, and that the river is now open within six miles of town. Cannonading is also heard down about the base of the mountain and beyond. Every five minutes there is to be seen a spiteful puff of smoke from Moccasin Point, and presently another is visible between us and Lookout Mountain. The first is the smoke from one of our guns, and the second from the shell which it drops among scatter- ing parties of the enemy as they show themselves on the moun- tain's side. And now comes into our camp four companies of the 31st Indiana, that have been to Stephenson to guard a supply train, and it has taken 20 days to make the trip, a distance of 60 miles as they have to go. With such difficulties has the army to be supplied with rations. As a result of this arrival, an orderly makes his appearance and asks : " Is this the headquarters of the 100th Ills ?" To which the reply is quickly made : "It is, sir." " I am ordered to report to you with two days' rations for 312 men." " Very good, sir, Orderly, call Q. M. Serg't Garnsey." Then the hungry tigers of the 100th set up a shout long and hearty, for although there has been no grumbling, it has been pretty hard to satisfy a soldier's appetite on half a cracker and corn foraged from the poor mules."
"On the 28th, there has been cannonading all day upon and be- yond Lookout mountain. At one time the rebels had a battery upon the very top and were firing upon our troops in the valley toward Shell Mound. Our guns on Moccasin Point threw their shells on to the top of the mountain nine or ten hundred feet high, and silenced one of the enemy's guns. About one o'clock to-day (28th) we hear the reports of musketry and artillery, and know that there is hard fighting going on in a portion of our army, perhaps the battle that is to settle the question whether or not we hold Chatta- nooga. Next day we learn that the fight was brought on by one
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of our regiments reconnoitering running into the enemy's lines, and who would not fall back, but stood their ground, were rein- forced, and drove a division of the enemy from their breastworks and scattered them over the mountain, taking a battery and some prisoners of Longstreet's corps. (This secured to us possession of Kelly's Ferry and Lookout Valley, and was an important success.)
" On the 30th, Lieut. Gano, of our regiment, started out on a foraging expedition over the river. We have a pontoon bridge across the river on the bend opposite the town, which opens up to our army a rich valley from which to forage, and also opens up communication with Bridgeport.
"Nov. 5th. Provisions are beginning to arrive freely, and the pressure is letting up. The enemy still hold Lookout, but there are indications of an attack upon the extreme right by Grant's and Hooker's forces.
" Nov. 11th. Have been back in town some days from the front, in our old quarters. The paymaster is here. Boats are running regularly between Kelly's Ferry (seven miles below) and Bridgeport, and rations are now coming in freely. Our commu- nications are complete with Hooker's army and we have the inside track of Mr. Bragg. Brisk firing is going on between Moccasin Point and Lookout. The news from the elections and from the sanitary fair at Chicago, has greatly encouraged the boys."
By Nov. 23d, Grant had completed his dispositions, and all was ready for the great movement which was to avenge the failure of Chickamauga, and to settle the question of our possession of this key to the South. Bragg had requested Grant to remove all non-combatants from Chattanooga, as he was about to bombard it. But on the morning of the 25th he is somewhat astonished to find Sherman with his western boys on his right, Hooker with his vet- erans from the Potomac on his left, and Thomas, the rock of Chickamauga, on whom he had hurled his legions the 20th of Sept. last, only to be beaten back, now posted in his front again. But he still trusts in what he deems the impregnable and inaccess- able sides of Mission Ridge. Hooker had made his successful de- monstration on Lookout, and the news of his victory inspired the whole army.
On the morning of the 23d, an unusual movement being ob-
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served in the rebel camps, orders were given for a division of the 4th corps to make a reconnoissance in the direction of Orchard Knob. Wood's division was selected to be supported by Sheri- dan's. (The 100th is now in Sheridan's division). Wood formed his men on the slope outside the fortifications, and advanced rap- idly. His reconnoissance was quickly turned into a storming party, and we carry the Knob, and the works about it at the point of the bayonet. This success rendered the enemy's interior line of works untenable.
A strong and important position was secured, and a regiment of rebels (the 28th Ala.) and its colors were captured. General Wood was ordered to hold the position. Reversing the intrench- ments of the rebels he made our position impregnable.
" Nov. 25th. The morning was clear and cold. Gen. Wag- ner came round with the cheering intelligence that Hooker had taken Lookout. As our boys were hardly ready to credit the good news, Wagner says: " You miserable Suckers, don't you think the Yanks can fight as well as you ?" About 3 p. m. there is a signal of six guns. Before the echoes have died away in the surrounding hills, our corps advance. Mission Ridge is an eleva- ted ridge, some six or eight hundred feet high, lying about four miles (in front) from Chattanooga, and about one mile from Or- chard Knob, with a wooded valley between us and the enemy's intrenchments at the base of the ridge. The ridge itself is crowned with formidable works, bristling with from 50 to 60 cannon, and behind the breastworks are the veteran regiments or the rebel army. As soon as our advance commenced, the rebels opened on us a terrific fire. Had it been a veritable volcano, a burning mountain, it could hardly have surpassed the grandeur of the ter- ribleness of the display it now made. But the advance of our brave boys was hardly checked. On they go, driving the rebels from their rifle-pits at the foot of the mountain. This was the point to which they had been ordered, the principal object of the movement being to make a diversion in favor of Sherman, who was assaulting another portion of the enemy's lines. But the brave men of the army of the Cumberland forgot to stop. They were just mad enough to disappoint the expectations of Mr. Bragg and to go on up the mountain's side, through the storm of fire,
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and gaining point after point, pressed upward, hardly stopping to rest, or even to shoot. It must have been a moment of anxious suspense to the commanding generals, Grant and Thomas, who were watching the movement from Orchard Knob with their glasses. But the suspense was not long. From the foot of the ridge to the top, it was at least three-fourths of a mile, and very steep. Our men fell back once for a little while under the deadly fire, but soon go on again and stopped but twice to take a little breath in making the ascent, moving rather deliberately until they got within about a hundred yards of the enemy, when they rushed forward with a yell, and the cry of "revenge for Chickamauga," and capturing everything in the rebel works; the rebels not hav- ing time to spike the guns, which were immediately turned upon them. Chickamauga was avenged, and the anxious watchers be- low saw the stars and stripes floating over the rebel works. This achievement is justly regarded as one of the most brilliant of the war, or indeed of any war.
Gen. Thomas, in a circular which he issued after the battle, said to Granger commanding the corps, " Please accept my con- gratulations on the success of your troops, and convey to them my cordial thanks for the brilliant style in which they carried the en- emy's works. Their conduct cannot be too highly appreciated." Gen. Granger says, " In announcing this distinguished recognition of your signal gallantry in carrying, through a terrible storm of iron, a mountain crowned with batteries and encircled with rifle- pits, I am constrained to express my own admiration of your no- ble conduct, and I am proud to tell you that the veteran gen- erals from other fields, who witnessed your heroic bearing, place your assault and triumph among the most brilliant achievements of the war."
In this battle the 100th was in Sheridan's division, and charged the ridge directly in front of Orchard Knob, where the enemy first gave way, and were entitled to the credit of capturing some of the enemy's guns, but instead of stopping to hand them over and get credit for the act, they pursued the rebels all night. The officers and the men behaved splendidly and with great de- liberation. " Revenge for Chickamauga," was the battle cry.
We insert here some lines written by Colonel Bartleson in
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Libby Prison, on hearing of these successes-his heart and thoughts were with his brave boys, although prevented from lead- ing them in person :
* " Loudly the bugles are merrily blowing, Exulting, the guns beat a gay reveille- To-day must the mountain yield to our prowess, The traitor flag bow to the flag of the free.
In the valley where Lookout, grim sentinel, watches, Brave hearts in battalions are marshaled, and form ; True, and tried in fierce battle, they shun not the combat, Discerning the tempest, they heed not the storm.
The bones of our brothers, by dastards dishonored, By dark Chickamauga, lie bleaching and cold, By their unburied corses so shamefully treated- By the love that we bear to their hallowed mold-
By the bones of these brothers in Freedom's fight fallen,- By the blood of these comrades in Freedom's fight shed,- We swear that our valor to-day shall avenge them ; The deeds of the living, right the wrongs of the dead.
Nor ambush, nor thicket, shall avail the base foeman, Nor mountain, nor valley, nor rampart, nor glen ; We fight to break slavery's vile shackles, Accursed of God-and detested of men.
And louder the bugles are merrily blowing, Through valley to mountain their hoarse warblings play, Shrill shriek the fifes-the echoes awaking, Grim roll the drums, down the lines, far away.
And proudly the banners are floating and soaring : Proud may they be, though all tattered and torn, And they flutter and struggle as if to be free- And kiss in their rapture, the breeze of the morn.
Forward and onward, the pageant is moving- . To glory and death-to fame and the grave- They falter-they shrink not; their bosoms are swelling,- For heaven is nerving the hearts of the brave.
The tumult is ended. The full moon is shining,- On the mountain side bristling our bayonets gleam ; Nor thicket, nor glen hath availed the base foeman, Nor mountain, nor rampart, nor covert, nor stream.
* Taken by permission from his diary in Libby prison.
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All hail to our chieftain ! Entwine him his chaplet ! And murmur his praises, far-famed Tennessee ! Freedom has triumphed in the carnage of battle, On the grim mountain top floats the flag of the Free!
The 100th took part in the pursuit of the rebels as far as Chickamauga creek, and then returned, and going back over the ridge, saw the long lines of dead rebels for whom our men were digging trenches, and going down the ridge, came across a number of our own dead who had been collected for burial. The regiment then returned to camp.
In these operations before Chattanooga, and on Mission Ridge, which resulted so successfully for our cause, and placed Grant at the head of our army, the 100th was in front and lost heavily from its already thinned ranks. Only one man was however killed, Henry Doncaster, of Co. H, from Wilton.
WOUNDED :
Captain Rodney S. Bowen, Co. A, severely in flesh of leg; Privates, Co. A-George Strathdee, fracture of left arm ; Norman Kahler, fracture of left leg ; Roger Brennan, fracture of left leg ; John Althouse, severely in leg and face ; Daniel Davis, slightly in hand; Henry Kellogg, slightly in arm; Sergeant, Co. B-Major E. Searles, flesh of arm; Privates-F. W. Mather, flesh in shoulder ; George Morrison, slightly in neck. Co. C-Privates- John F. Dickman, slightly in knee; Michael Murphy, slightly in shoulder ; Plumer Adams, slightly. Co. D-Privates-George Kines, fracture of left leg ; Samuel Shutt, slightly in left knee. Co. E-Private-Wm. Kennedy slightly. Captain Co. F, R. S. McClaughry, slightly in hip and foot; Pri- vates-John Bertie, severely in body, (died Nov. 27th); Michael Calahan, slightly in knee; Co. G-Privates-James Ricker, flesh in arm ; Edmund Goodenow, slightly ; Ira Chapman, flesh in arm ; Joseph Therrin, slightly ; Lieutenant Co. H, Samuel G. Nelson, severely in thigh ; Privates-Henry Benson, severely in bowels, (died, Nov. 27th); James Burr, flesh in leg ; Henry H. Clark, slightly in hand. Capt. Co. I, Hezeziah Gardner, right leg amputated above knee-Privates-Charles Cooper, flesh wound in thigh; James Kinney, flesh in shoulder. Lieutenant Co. K, John A. Kelly, slightly in foot- Privates-Alonzo Rudd, flesh in leg ; Charles Hudson, severely in left shoulder. Total-one killed; wounded, officers six, privates twenty- seven.
Major Hammond was in command, and Captain Bowen acting as Major. Bowen was wounded while gloriously discharging his duty, and Major Hammond had his horse shot from under him, and was knocked insensible by a fragment of a shell, but recovered in a few moments.
Perhaps some of my readers may remember to have seen in
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our city papers last winter, an item to the effect that the gentle- manly clerk of the post office, Major Searles, had submitted to the amputation of one of his fingers. Well, it was the same man re- ported wounded in the above list. I will say that he was sergeant. by military rank, and Major by name, although he had been pro- moted lieutenant at the time, but had not received his commission. He was wounded in the wrist and disabled, but fortunately recov- ered without the loss of his hand, but with one finger badly de- moralized. This finger he had been trying to keep these ten years or more since that memorable fight, but at last got disgusted with it, and got the doctor to cut it off, and hence it has become my painful duty to write this obituary notice of the departed- finger. It was a good finger in its day, and had served the coun- try well at Stone River, Chickamauga and Mission Ridge, and should be gratefully remembered. Requiescat in pace !
" Nov. 27th, late at night the regiment received orders to be ready to march in the morning at seven, with three days' rations, and forty rounds of cartridge. What is up now? It is not for soldiers to inquire, and so Saturday, Nov. 28th, a cold and rainy day finds us ready to go where the powers that be direct. But we do not march until afternoon, then we fall in and march along up the river, and on through mud and water long after dark, when we come to the Chickamauga, where we stop and build fires, try to dry our feet, eat supper and go to sleep.
" Nov. 29th, called up at 4, and march ten miles before break- fast ! Stop and make our coffee, and after a short rest go on at a rapid rate. The roads get better and the country appears to be a fine one.
"Nov. 30th, go over Pigeon Ridge, and come into a beautiful valley, and now we get an order which tells us that Burnside is invested at Knoxville, and we are marching to his relief. We are also told that as we are going through a country where the people are Union, we must not straggle or pillage. About noon we go through a small place called Georgetown, where the Union flag is flying, and soon come to the Hiawasse River. Here we stop and build fires. The rails have to do it, for although the men are said to be loyal, soldiers must have their fire wood. We get some cornstalks and make a bed, but do not lie down more than ten
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minutes before the bugle sounds and we start on again, and cross the river on flat boats and barges, and go up the bank, stack arms, and break for the rails again. Here we find a steamboat, which has come up from Chattanooga with rations for us, which we draw and go into camp.
" Dec. 1st. Lay in camp till 2 p. m., and then march. We go through a fine country about 11 miles and camp again. Dec. 2d, we go through Decatur, a pretty little place. After going on a while we come to a large house, the owner of which is a bitter rebel. We take his mules and horses from his stables, go into his pasture and drive up his sheep and take them along. Then the boys go into the house and take his provisions. We load on two loads of pork and take it along. We go into camp after a 20- mile march and have a good supper.
" Dec. 3d. March at 6 ; pass Philadelphia, a pretty town, mostly sesesh, and take the road to Morgan and go into camp within about three miles of the place.
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