USA > Illinois > History of Fourteenth Illinois cavalry and the brigades to which it belonged > Part 8
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October 26th. Reveille at daylight. In camp; same fare; weather cool.
October 27th. Reveille at daylight : Cold and raining. At 5 p. m. the second battalion, with detachment from the first and the third battalions of the 14th, under Major Quigg, march on double quick to Kingsport, 25 miles from Jonesboro, and halt within half a mile of rebel camp at that place, where are camped two rebel regiments. Our detachment number 150 men. We returned 12 miles, halt and feed at 4 a. m. of October 28th, having marched 40 miles. Breakfasted, then marched back 7 miles; establish pickets; remain until 10 a. m., then march to Greeneville and Jonesboro road 18 miles ; then to Greeneville, 20 miles, where we arrived at 10 p. m., having marched since morning 45 miles, and since 5 p. m. of yesterday 85 miles. The main command remained in camp until II p. m. of the 27th, then formed line. The enemy reported approaching on three important roads. Remained in line on the Blountville road till morning. Marched 4 miles.
October 28th. March at 9 a. m. toward Greeneville Camped at 10 p. m. March 21 miles.
October 29th. Reveille at daylight. Major Quigg's command came in last night. Moved camp half a mile to a pleasant grove. Usual fare.
October 30th. Reveille at daylight. Hard wind.
October 3Ist. Reveille at 3 p. m. Mustered for pay. Religious service; sermon by Chaplain Chase. Inspec- tion of arms and clothing. Page 607, serial 56, General Sam Jones' reports, October 30th : "My cavalry is on the Watauga and Holston (rivers) from Carter station to Kingsport. Infantry moving to the same lines." On page 613 he reports his effective strength for October : Cavalry, 3,026; infantry and artillery, 4,950 ; total, 7,976. November 2d. Reveille at daylight. Weather pleas-
ant. Captain Dent, with a party, was sent out after horses. In camp until an hour before sundown, when the effective force of the brigade marched southeast of Greeneville to capture a force of the enemy. They found the supposed enemy to be a newly recruited union com- mand which had not yet drawn government clothing. Marched 8 miles through wilderness country and re-
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turned, reaching camp at 10 p. m., having marched 16 miles. Send far for forage. Our fare for some days has been flour without meat or salt, or anything else but water. We have had no sugar, coffee or tea for weeks. Flour and water for breakfast, changed to water and flour for supper ; dinner we had none, because we could not ring in a change in the above rotation. The Alleghany, here called the Smoky range, is in sight. It appears to be near, though many miles distant. On this range is the state line between Tennessee and North Carolina.
November 3d. Reveille at daylight. Captain Dent returned with a few horses and was again sent out for more. We are under orders to move at daylight to- morrow.
November 4th. Reveille at 3 a. m. At sunrise move up the road toward Rheatown. At 10 a. m. we were thrown into battle line dismounted. A force of infantry and cavalry pass toward Greeneville. Colonel Graham reports rebel troops, two brigades of cavalry and one of infantry, with four days' rations, moving toward Taze- well (see serial 56, page 63). We now marched to within half a mile of Rheatown and camped. Forage and rations scarce. Day's march, 9 miles.
November 5th. Reveille at daylight. Remain in camp till 4 p. m., when "boots and saddles" and "to horse" are sounded. Formed column and marched at sundown to- ward Greeneville, passed through and bivouacked with- out unsaddling. We are four miles southwest of town; weather cold ; marched 16 miles.
November 6th. Night cold and disagreeable. March at daylight. Passed through "Bull's Gap," where was camped a force of infantry, a part of General Wilcox's command. About 8 a. m., while on the march, we heard heavy cannonading in the direction of Rogersville, which lasted several hours. This proved to be an attack of the two rebel brigades of cavalry and one of infantry which Colonel Graham had reported as marching toward Taze- well. They had . surprised Colonel Israel Garrard's brigade at Rogersville, composed of the 7th Ohio Cavalry, 2d Tennessee Cavalry and Phillips' battery. The brigade was badly cut to pieces, our estimated loss 500 old troops
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and 150 new recruits, four pieces of artillery and 36 wagons, the 7th Ohio lost 100 men, the battery 40 men ; the remainder were Tennesseans. It was a most disgraceful surprise and rout. Horses lost, 600. (See serial 56, page 127.) On page 670 is Sam Jones' report. He says : "On the 6th our cavalry captured at Rogersville, Tennessee, 850 prisoners, 4 pieces of artillery, 2 stands of colors, 60 wagons and 1,000 animals." We camped at Morristown (a few miles above). Marched 30 miles.
November 7th. In camp. Rations more plenty.
Sunday, November 8th. Reveille at daylight. Captain Dent again sent out for horses. From this time until the 17th of November, in camp, with nothing of im- portance. Had brigade inspection; drew a small lot of clothing, not a tithe of what was needed. Weather cold, but have plenty of wood. This ends our railroad patrol- ing, which for over two months has kept us busy, march- ing and fighting, sometimes day and night. We suffered much privation, marched nearly 1,000 miles, and fought many engagements, six of importance. Our principal route marched : From Loudon, 30 miles south of Knox- ville, to Bristol, 60 miles northwest, or 90 miles of rail- road patroled.
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CHAPTER V.
RECORDS NEARLY ONE MONTH OF SEVERE EXPOSURE, PRI- VATION AND PERIL, INCLUDING A SEVERE ENGAGE- MENT AGAINST OVERWHELMING ODDS.
Our brigade was now commanded by Colonel Felix Graham. Colonel John W. Foster commanded our divi- sion, composed of our brigade and Colonel Garrard's brigade, which was not with us in the opera- tions recorded in this chapter. General Bragg, having defeated General Rosecrans at Chattanooga, de- termined now to capture General Burnside's army, or drive it from East Tennessee. For this purpose he sent one of his very best commanders, Lieutenant General James Longstreet, with his veteran corps, to Knoxville. His army was composed of Hood's division, 4 brigades of 20 regiments; McLaw's division, 4 brigades of 20 regiments ; Benning's brigade of 4 regiments ; Buckner's division; 2 brigades of 9 regiments; Vaughn's brigade of 3 regiments; total infantry, 56 regiments. Estimat- ing 400 men to the regiment (not an overestimate, when we remember that, unlike our practice, the enemy em- bodied all new recruits in the old organizations ), they have 22,400 men. His cavalry was Wheeler's, soon after com- manded by Major General William T. Martin ; Martin's division ; Morgan's brigade of 5 regiments; Morrison's brigade of 6 regiments; and Armstrong's division, Hume's brigade of 4 regiments; Tyler's brigade of 4 regiments ; and Wharton's division, Harrison's brigade of 4 regiments, in all, 23 cavalry regiments, which by the same estimate would be 9,200 men. His artillery was Alexander's 6 batteries, and Leydon's 3 batteries, and at- tached to his cavalry, 3 batteries. His army proper being thus estimated, infantry, 22,400, added to cavalry, 9,200, makes a total of 31,600, with 12 batteries. See Long- street's report of campaign, beginning page 455 of serial 54, in which report we find that he asked for and re-
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ceived the aid of General Ransom's army, of General Sam Jones' command; Corse's brigade, 3 regiments; Wharton's brigade (sharpshooters), 3 regiments ; Jack- son's brigade, 2 regiments of infantry ; and of cavalry, Giltner's brigade, and Jones' brigade (called also Jones' division), and Jenkins' brigade, 3 regiments, with 6 batteries of artillery (see serial 54, pages 451 to 454. The report of Ransom's division for November, 1863 (see serial 56, page 770) was: Total for duty, 10,25I, of which Jones' division of cavalry, officers and men, was 3,668 (leaving 6,583 as infantry). Adding Ransom's division to Longstreet's, we have 101 regiments, embrac- ing infantry, 38,183, and cavalry, 12,868; grand total, 41,851, and 18 batteries.
Burnside's report shows present for duty at this time, of 23d A. C., 6,947 ; of 9th A. C. (lately arrived), 4,347. Wilcox's command at Tazewell, infantry, 2,752 (mostly six-months men). The cavalry force was 8,245. Burn- sides' whole infantry force (exclusive of force at Cum- berland Gap, 1,998), was 13,292, added to cavalry, made total, 21,537. Burnsides' forces were scattered in upper East Tennessee. Longstreet, with his command proper, was met at Loudon, on the Tennessee river, November 14th, by Burnsides' 9th army corps, and the passage of the river disputed, only with the expectation of delay- ing Longstreet's movements. Again, at Lenoir and at Campbell stations, Longstreet was resisted. With the expectation of being besieged in Knoxville, General Burn- side ordered General Wilcox to take command of all outside forces and concentrate at some point between Knoxville and Cumberland Gap, and keep open a way of escape by that route for Burnside's forces in Knoxville, in case that move became necessary and practicable. The cutting of telegraphic communication to the Gap was to be the signal to Wilcox of his authority to act inde- pendent. Wilcox (on page 403, serial 54) says : "Night of November 16th telegraphic communication ceased." Wilcox concentrated his forces. He says (page 404) : "Garrard's brigade was ordered to Evans' ford, Big Springs and Bean Station, to watch Ransom's forces, and Graham's brigade to Walker's ford. November 17th Longstreet's forces invested Knoxville, where Burnside,
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with 8,000 or 9,000 men, many of them convalescents; was penned up.
November 17th our brigade, encamped three miles above Morristown, under command of Colonel Felix W. Graham, received orders to join General Wilcox at Taze- well.
November 18th. Reveille at 3 a. m. March at sun- rise. Crossed the Holston at 9 a. m. River high and ford rocky. Some of the horses stumbled, plunging horse and rider into the water. Marched to Bean Station, 12 miles. Camped in a field, a half mile southwest at 2 p. m.
November 19th. Reveille at 4 a. m. At noon the brigade, except the 65th, marched toward Knoxville. The trains, packhorses and ailing men, under Lieutenant Colonel D. P. Jenkins, with the 65th as train guards, crossed Clinch mountain to Tazewell. Our brigade marched down Richland Valley 12 miles to Rutledge, about 3 p. m., where we heard distinctly the siege guns at Knoxville, 30 miles off, signaling to us the uncertainty of the fate of the brave command there, as well as the uncertain fate of glorious East Tennessee. We marched to within one mile of Blain's cross roads and bivouacked, supperless, around fires, as it was cold. Marched 12 miles. A detachment from the 14th and the 5th, under Lieutenant Rowcliff, of Company "M," was sent toward Knoxville to reconnoiter the enemy's lines. They pro- ceeded to within five miles of Knoxville, where they cap- tured a vidette and learned that the city was completely invested.
November 20th. At daylight "to horse" was sounded. Formed line, but remained till 9 a. m., then marched to- ward Bean Station, 10 miles; crossed Clinch mountain at Powder Spring Gap, and camped near Clinch river. Marched 20 miles. Rations plenty. Heavy rains in the night thoroughly drenched the men and raised the river.
November 21st. Reveille at daylight. Crossed the river at 10 a. m., marched without breakfast to Taze- well, 10 miles, and camped in a wood one mile north of town at 3 p. m. Forage and rations scarce. We found our trains all right.
Sunday, November 22d. Reveille at 4 a. m. Hear nothing from Burnside. The road to the gap is lined
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with citizens going north. The Union people are alarmed at the prospect of again coming under rebel rule. The prospect to citizens and soldiers is gloomy. Transporta- tion supplies cut off, local supplies in the country ex- hausted, with our main army cooped up in Knoxville by a superior force. We doubt if Valley Forge, with all its historic gloominess, exceeded in any respects, either in privations or despondency, the gloom that hung over beautiful East Tennesse from November 17th to De- cember 2d, 1863. We were ordered to provide four days' rations, but where were they to come from, and whither were we bound? Dame Rumor said: "Across the mountains into Kentucky."
November 24th. Reveille at 4 a. m. Night clear and cold; ground frozen. Brigade marched . at 6 a. m. Crossed Powell river. Camped on a heavily timbered hill a half mile beyond and five miles southeast of Cum- berland Gap. The 5th today burned one of their dis- abled ambulances. Marched 9 miles.
November 25th. Reveille at 4 a. m. Very cold last night, and the poorly clad soldiers suffered severely. Foragers go five miles and get little. Rations scarce. Details of recruiting officers made from the regiment to- day to go to Illinois to get recruits to fill our depleted ranks.
November 26th. Reveille 4 a. m. Night very cold. Draw small amount of clothing, not one-tenth of what was needed. Some of the men so destitute that they are com- pelled to sit up all night to keep fires going so they shall not freeze. We hear nothing from Burnside. Rations of men and horses reduced to one-fourth.
November 27th. Reveille at 4 a. m. Night very cold. We now begin an important movement. We give the re- port of our brigade commander, Graham, to our division commander, Foster. Beginning on page 426, serial 54, he says : "Sir-I have the honor to report that in accord- ance with orders I marched from camp near the bridge over Powell river, on main Cumberland Gap road, on 27th of November, 1863. My brigade consisted of the 14th Illinois Cavalry, Colonel Capron commanding ; 5th Indiana Cavalry, Lieutenant Colonel Butler commanding ; 65th Indiana Mounted Infantry, Captain Hodge com-
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manding ; Colvin's (Illinois) Battery, Captain Colvin commanding. Besides the four guns of Colvin's battery, there were four mountain howitzers attached to 14th Illi- nois Cavalry and two 8-inch rifled guns attached to 5th Indiana cavalry. My entire force numbered 10 field and staff officers, 47 company officers, and 1,031 non-commis- sioned officers and enlisted men, making an aggregate of I,088. I moved by way of Tazewell, taking the straight creek road at that point to within four miles of Walker's ford, where I encamped for the night. On the morn- ing of the 28th I crossed Clinch river and bivouacked at Brock's ford, four miles from Walker's ford, where my command fed. Toward night moved down the right hand road, recrossed Clinch river at Headham's ford and camped for the night near Headham's mill. On the morning of the 29th I moved down Clinch river to Ons- ley's ford, where I crossed and took the direct road to Maynardsville, where I camped for the night."
Captain Dent, with Company "C," was sent on the 27th on through Hogskin Valley and Gap, to a cross- roads within three miles of Maynardsville, to scout and picket the road. The brigade got corn at the mill, but no rations. March 17 miles.
November 29th. Reveille at daylight. Very cold; freezing hard; the road a glare of ice. Camp one mile northeast of Maynardsville. March 14 miles. Captain Sanford, with his company "K," is sent with dispatches to General Granger, reported to be at Kingston with re- inforcements for General Burnside. Captain Dent joined us here last evening. His vidette had been attacked, but the enemy were driven off. Heavy cannonading was heard at Knoxville.
November 30th. Very cold. A call was made for vol- unteers to cut their way through the rebel lines to Knoxville. All were eager to go, but on inspection few horses were found in condition for such service, some smooth shod, not able to go on the ice, many not shod at all. Resume Graham's report :
"November 30th I marched with all of my available force on the main road leading from Maynardsville to Knox- ville. Sent a detachment of the 5th Indiana in advance to go to the enemy's picket and report back as soon as
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it was found. Proceeded 15 miles, when a courier re- ported a small rebel party on the road about four miles in our advance. I halted my command at this point and remained some time, awaiting further information. On learning that there was a force of rebels at Blain's Cross- roads, I moved back to Maynardsville and camped, first throwing out a strong picket force and small patrol parties on all roads on the front and left."
Our record says: Within 16 miles of Knoxville we discovered a very large force of the enemy, said to be General William E. Jones' cavalry division of General Ransom's army. Having completed our reconnoisance, we returned to camp at Maynardsville, having marched 28 miles.
December Ist. Reveille at 4 a. m. Pickets at the gap, four miles below Maynardsville, on the Knoxville road, are attacked. Graham says: "They were speedily rein- forced from the brigade. Two of the howitzers of the 14th, under Lieutenant H. C. Connelly, of Company "L" (14th), were also sent. More or less fighting took place during the day, both parties holding their ground. Scouting parties were sent out in considerable numbers." Our record says : About I p. m. Private Chase, of Company "D," 14th, returned from scout and reported a large force of the enemy's cavalry advancing from Blain's Crossroads. A scouting party of 40 men, under Captain Dent, was sent out, but they were driven back. About this time the picket on the Old Scott road, commanded by Lieutenant Horace Capron, of 14th, was advanced four or five miles. Sergeant Agnew, with 16 men, was sent to reconnoiter. They encountered a party of rebel troopers and charged upon them, routing them. and pursued them about a mile, and came upon the camp of the rebel General Jones' division of cavalry, when our boys "reversed motion." The enemy now advanced upon Lieutenant Capron, who fell back a short distance to a pass in the hills, where he held the enemy in check until reinforced as stated. They then fell back a short dis- tance to a position more favorable for the use of artil- lery. Lieutenants Capron and Connelly rode forward to reconnoiter, when a sharp volley compelled them to re- tire. Skirmishing now became sharp until sundown. The
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enemy made several attempts to charge the post, but each time the skillful use of the two guns compelled them to retire. Graham says: "During the afternoon I had information as led me to believe that a considerable cav- alry force of the enemy was approaching, and by 9 p. m. I became convinced that an attempt would be made to surround and capture my command." About dark Colo- nel Capron sent out Major Davidson, with several com- panies of the 14th, to find Captain Dent and his party, whose delay in returning caused uneasiness. He pro- ceeded on the road to Blain's Crossroads, found Captain Dent and his command, then together they continued toward Blain's Crossroads, until they discovered a picket of the rebel General Armstrong. They returned to camp on another road, reaching camp at II p. m. We after- ward learned through citizens that the enemy were con- fident that they had us in a pen from which we could not escape. So thoroughly did our scouts scour every road that every move of the enemy was known to us. Graham says: "I decided at once to move, but several of my scouting parties being several miles out, I could not get my force concentrated till near midnight, when, all being in, I moved quietly on the road to Walker's ford, leaving Company "M," of the 5th Indiana cavalry, at the point where the road from Blain's Crossroads comes in, with instructions for a part of it to patrol the road back to Maynardsville. Proceeding on to Brocks, I halted, that the men and horses might be fed. This was about 5 a. m. of December 2d. Rations were being issued as daylight appeared, and my picket in the rear, Lieutenant Miller and his company (of 14th) were vigorously at- tacked." The enemy's plan to capture our brigade was good. Armstrong's command was hurried to Blain's Crossroads, from which point a road led into the Walker's ford road in the rear of our camp at Maynardsville. This force was to and did reach the intersection of these roads just before day, when it was planned that General Jones' division and Morgan's division should come up from toward Knoxville and catch us in a fine trap. But for the effective manner in which Graham's scouts from the 14th and the 5th had thoroughly ascertained the plans and movements of the enemy, they would doubt-
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less have succeeded. They too soon boasted of "taking the flying brigade (as they called us) in out of the wet. But as well try to catch a weasel asleep as to try to catch Colonel Graham napping, or the men and officers of the 14th and the 5th, either. The trains were hurried back to Walker's ford in charge of that skillful officer, Cap- tain Dent, of the 14th. Lieutenant Miller, in command of rear picket posted at the intersection of the roads, found Armstrong's force on time, and skirmishing began as soon as the outlines of a foe was visible. As expected, our small picket force was compelled slowly to retire, before the enemy, Armstrong's force, falling into the Walker's ford road and pursuing. Company "B," of the 5th, and Company "A," of the 65th, the latter armed with the celebrated Henry rifle (16-shooters), were sent forward to reinforce Lieutenant Miller. They withstood the enemy until by sheer weight of the enemy's overwhelming num- bers they were forced slowly back. General Jones' division now also came up, and Colonel Graham soon became aware that a strong force was being thrown around his left flank, by way of a road parallel to the Blain's Crossroads route. We resume Graham's report : "Although my command was tired, the men sleepy and hungry and the natural condition after a night's march somewhat ir- regular, yet all were under arms and in shape to repel the attack in the very shortest possible time." Graham be- came aware of an attempt to flank his command on his left. He says: "I immediately sent the 14th Illinois cavalry, under Colonel Capron, to the river, and down the road leading from Walker's ford to Rutledge, feeling confident that I could, with the rest of my command, keep the enemy in check and make good my retreat to and across the river. Two guns of Colvin's battery were sent to Walker's ford, with orders to cross and take position on the bank of the river, so as to command all the approaches to the ford. By half past seven my pickets had fallen back to Brock's house. The enemy advanced in such numbers as to compel them to give way at this time. My main force was in position, the 65th Indiana on the left of the line, a portion of the second and the third battalions of the 5th Indiana in the center, and one company of the 65th and one company
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of the 5th Indiana Cavalry on the right. The guns of the 5th were put in position in the rear of the center, on a rise of ground from which they did good service in keeping the enemy in check. Three companies of the 5th, under Major Wooley, and one section of Colvin's battery, under Captain Colvin, were placed in reserve. The firing had now become somewhat brisk, and the enemy not only showed his force, but made attempts to flank my position. I could only prevent his doing so by gradu- ally falling back, which I did, to the point near Yeadon's house, where I brought my command into close order under cover of a fence and log house and barn. The enemy here made a charge in column, which was splen- didly met by a portion of each regiment, and which proved decidedly disastrous to the enemy." The Henry rifles handled by picked marksmen, with which one com- pany was armed, dealt death showers of well-directed lead into the charging column, at long range and at short range. Sixteen well-directed shots from each gun, as rapidly as the lever could be worked, and then reloaded for sixteen more shots in less than half the time required to load a muzzle-loader. Their comrades also did good execution. Riding over the field next day showed the carcasses of horses so thickly strewn over the valley as to indicate that their loss in men here must have been great, as we were not warring especially against horses.
Graham continues: "My artillery had now been re- tired, the formation of the ground on which it had to pass being unsuited to its use. The enemy, exasperated at this repulse, pushed on furiously, but the gallant officers and men of my command were not to be driven back so easily. On the contrary, they manfully contested every foot of ground, falling back slowly to a point about one mile from the river, where they were reinforced by the 116th and 118th Indiana Infantry regiments, under Colo- nel Jackson, commanding brigade. These regiments be- ing in position, and my command being out of ammuni- tion, I retired my force across the river, thus ending the fight, as far as the 5th Indiana and 65th Indiana Mounted Infantry were concerned."
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