USA > Illinois > History of the 112th Regiment of Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in the great war of the rebellion, 1862-1865 > Part 11
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The 112th was ordered to be ready to move at 10 o'clock on the 29th. Saddled up and moved out on the road, where the regiment waited until 2 o'clock for orders, and was then direct- ed to return to camp.
On the 30th, Capt. Sroufe, with fifty men of the 112th, and fifty men of the 8th Michigan, was sent up the river to recon- noiter and ascertain the movements of the enemy in the vicin- ity of a certain ford. He found the 27th Kentucky mounted in- fantry was on the opposite bank of the river, hard pressed by a superior force of the enemy, and in great danger of being captured, on account of the difficulty of crossing the river un- der fire-the ford being a dangerous one even under the most favorable circumstances. Capt. Sroufe moved his men down to the water's edge, dismounted and opened fire upon the en- emy, holding them at bay while the 27th crossed. He remain- ed there until after dark, and did not reach camp until eleven o'clock. He lost no men. The 27th Kentucky lost two killed and seven wounded.
October 31st, the regiment mustered for pay, and before the muster was completed received orders to saddle up and be ready to move at a moment's notice. The order was. soon countermanded and the regiment remained in camp.
On Sunday, Nov. 1st, the sutler of the 20thı Michigan regi- ment opened his stock, and was well patronized by the boys,
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who had been so long at the front without opportunities to purchase luxuries or even necessaries. His prices were high, but not exorbitant, considering the distance he had hauled his goods over the mountains. In fact, old soldiers could not be imposed upon by sutlers. If a sutler charged an exorbitant price for his wares, he was requested to "come down"-and no one of them was ever known to refuse a second time. The sol- diers were at all times generous, but they would not be swin- dled. One instance will illustrate : A sutler drove into camp with a large wagon heavily loaded with goods. He was im- mediately surrounded by an eager throng of would be purchas- ers. He displayed his goods and named his prices. The boys quickly discovered that he intended to swindle them, that his prices were three times the value of his goods. They com- menced quietly helping themselves, and before he was aware of their intention, but one article was remaining in the wagon -a caddy of tobacco on which he was sitting. He stood up to protest against being "robbed," and in a moment the tobac- co was gone. He took the hint. He returned with another load, drove into the same camp, offered his goods at reason- able prices, and sold them rapidly at a fair profit This he re- peated many times ; and he said he would not hesitate to leave his wagon, or tent, in that camp, at any time, day or night, unguarded.
November 2nd, the 9th Corps commenced building "winter quarters," after the fashion of McClellan's army in the East. They afterwards learned, however, that the armies in the West never indulged in such luxuries ; and even they were not per- mitted to inhabit their cosy cabins.
November 3d, a general inspection of all the mounted troops was had, and the 112th "passed muster" and was favorably reported.
On the 4th, Lieut. Milchrist with Co. G, and Lieut. Thomp- son with Co. B, were ordered to go to Kingston as guards to a battery which was being sent there to aid in the defense of that post. They met two companies of the 1st Tennessee regiment twelve miles from Lenoir, and turned the battery over to them and returned to camp.
Capt. Colcord was sent out on a reconnoissance, with his
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company (K), and scouted along the river until dark and then returned to camp, with valuable information as to the move- ments of the enemy.
On the 6th, drew clothing, and were required to report the number of men and horses fit for active duty. At ten o'clock in the evening the brigade was ordered to saddle up and pre- pare to move at once. After everything was in readiness to march the order was countermanded, only to be repeated at three o'clock the next morning.
Many horses of the mounted regiments were broken down and unfit for service ; and a considerable number of the men were worn out by constant duty, night and day, in the rainy season, always on short rations, and many days without any ; and when, on the morning of November 7th, the order was given to move out at once, with only the best horses and strong- est men, leaving all others behind, a large proportion of every regiment was left in camp. Capt. Sroufe was detailed to re- main in command of the 112th men. Moved at six o'clock, marched twelve miles towards Knoxville, and encamped on the farm of the Dr. Baker who was shot by the Tennessee Un- ion soldiers on the Saunders raid, in the preceding June, where there was an abundance of corn and forage for the hungry horses.
Marched at 7 o'clock on the morning of the 8th, and arrived at Knoxville and went into camp, a mile south of town, about noon of the same day ; and remained there, performing vari- ous duties, watching the enemy below, reconnoitering, and kept in readiness to move at a moments notice at any time, day or night, until the 14th of November. Part of Co. E and part of Co. H were still on picket on the Holston River ; and Major Dow directed Lieut. Brown, who was in command of the remnant of Co. E with the regiment, to relieve Lieut. Newman and his men; and the latter rejoined the regiment with fat horses and well-fed men, as they had found excellent foraging on the river.
On the 13th, Capt. Mitchell with his Co. (C) was directed to go out and meet a United States Paymaster, who was coming over the mountains from Kentucky with a large amount of money, and guard the treasure into Knoxville. Capt. Mitchell
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successfully performed the perilous duty, and brought the pay- master and the money safely into the city.
On the same day, (the 13th), Lieut. Thompson returned to Lenoir, with instructions to Capt. Sroufe to turn over all the unserviceable horses and move his men to Knoxville. He ar- rived at Lenoir late in the evening. The next morning"a di- vision of the 23d Corps was engaged with the enemy in the vi- cinity of Loudon, and the 9th Corps was moving down to its assistance. Longstreet was pushing his division across the river, and the armies were on the eve of an important battle ; consequently the order to turn over the horses could not be carried out.
In the afternoon Hon. Charles A. Dana, then Assistant Sec- retary of War, Hon. Horace Maynard, a Union member of the United States Congress from East Tennessee, and Col. Bab- cock, of Gen. Grant's staff, arrived at Lenoir from Knoxville, where they had been in consultation with Gen. Burnside, and desired to proceed at once to Chattanooga. As Longstreet oc- cupied the country through which lay the direct route, they were compelled to go by way of Kingston, and thence down on the west side of the Tennessee. Gen. Potter, commanding the 9th Corps, directed Capt. Stroufe to take a lieutenant, and thirty-five men having the best horses, and one ambulnace, and go with them as a guard as far as Kingston. Capt. Sroufe directed Lieut. Thompson to accompany him, and, selecting men and horses, they started at once, and arrived safely at Kingston about 8 o'clock in the evening. After feeding horses they started to return, but had not proceeded far when they were informed by a Union citizen that part of Longstreet's ar- my had crossed the river at Hough's Ferry, and was in posses- sion of the road to Lenoir, and the road to Campbell's Station above Lenoir, and that the detachment was completely cut off. A careful reconnoissance proved the truth of the man's state- ment. To proceed further in that direction would result in certain capture. The Union citizen volunteered his services as a guide ; and returning a few miles, the detachment took another road, leading around Longstreet'a forces. It was a rough, mountainous road, at many places almost impassable, over steep hills and through narrow defiles ; and they march-
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ed all night and all the next day (Sunday the 15th), to reach Campbell's Station, a few miles above Lenoir. Having had nothing whatever to eat since leaving Kingston, they marched three miles further to Concord, on the railroad, where rations could be obtained, and remained there over night.
At one o'clock in the afternoon of November 14tli, the 112th Illinois, with the other mounted regiments at Knoxville, marcli- ed for Lenoir. It had rained hard all the preceding night and afternoon, and the roads were very muddy, and for artillery almost impassable. The command marched but ten miles and halted for the night. Reveille at 3:30, and moved at daylight, on the 15th, and reached Lenoir at four o'clock in the after- noon. Here all was excitement and confusion. Longstreet had succeeded in crossing the river and the two armies were already engaged in severe fighting. The roads were blockad- ed with 9th Corps trains ; quartermasters were cursing, team- sters swearing and mules braying ; while the roar of artillery and the rattle of musketry, warned them that time was pre- cious and danger near. Longstreet was slowly but surely ad- vancing his lines and the Union troops were doggedly and slowly falling back.
Campbell's Station is not a railroad station, but a village of that name-an old stage station-about three miles west of Concord on the railroad. It is situated on the highway between Kingston and Knoxville-the Lenoir and Kingston roads unit- ing at the "forks" about a mile below the village.
Longstreet was advancing with the main portion of his ar- my on the Lenoir road, while the detachment that had crossed the river at Hough's Ferry was advancing on the Kingston road. At the same time he had sent a heavy force up the Holston River on the Loudon and Concord road, to flank Gen. Burnside's position at Lenoir and gain possession of the road above the forks of the Lenoir and Kingston roads, and thus completely cut off Burnside's line of retreat to Knoxville. If either wing of his army could gain possession of the road above the junction of the two roads, while he held the Union army at Lenoir with his center, his object would be accomplished. But the trains of the Union army, containing stores which had
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HISTORY OF THE 112TH ILLINOIS.
been hauled hundreds of miles over the mountains, were too valuable to be abandoned ; and although Longstreet's army greatly outnumbered the Union army, Gen. Burnside determ- ined to save both his army and his trains. The Union army fell back to Lenoir, and there, on the 15th, Longstreet made a furious assault on the 9th Corps, but was repulsed with con- siderable loss.
Immediately upon the arrival of the mounted troops at Le- noir, they were ordered to return to Campbell's Station to watch the movements of the rebels in that direction, and pre- vent them from getting possession of the road. The command moved at once and arrived at Campbell's Station at daylight the next morning. Early on the morning of the 16th the ball opened. The Union infantry fell back from Lenoir, slowly, in good order, but closely followed by Longstreet, fighting every inch of the ground. Capt. Dunn, with Co. D of the 112th Ill- inois, in command of Lieut. Griffin, and four companies of the 6th Indiana cavalry, was directed to advance on the Kingston road until he met the enemy, and to hold the rebel force on that road in check as long as possible : and Major Dow with the remainder of the regiment-except Co's E, I and G, and the detachment with Capt. Sroufe-was directed to support Capt. Dunn : while Lieut. Col. Bond held the rest of the bri- gade in readiness to strike a blow wherever and whenever re- quired.
The country between the two roads below the forks was heavily timbered, so that the movements of troops on one road could not be seen from the other. Capt. Dunn movel down the road with his command, and was soon engaged in a sharp skirmish with the enemy It was just at this time that Capt. Sroufe arrived upon the ground from Concord, with the detach- ment that had been to Kingston. Leaving their horses with the others, he and his men joined the regiment. The firing on the Lenoir road indicated that the Union army was falling back, and would soon be above the forks of the road. Major Dow directed Lieut. Thompson, as he came up, to return to the horses and move them as quickly as possible above the junction of the two roads. The horses were moved at once, but before they reached the road the rear guard of the 9th
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AN ENGAGEMENT.
Corps had fallen back beyond that point-fighting on the re- treat, preserving as good order and as correct time as if on a review.
The horses were in great danger, but just then the Union artillery opened a heavy fire on the advancing rebel lines and gave an opportunity to remove the horses out of danger, and they were taken to a position to the right and rear of the Un- ion lines.
In a few moments Longstreet's infantry had advanced above the forks of the road, and the 112th and four companies of the 6th Indiana cavalry were below, on the Kingston road, com- pletely cut off from the Union army. It was thought they had been captured, and the horse-holders were lamenting the fate of their officers and comrades, when troops were seen emerg- ing from the woods far to the Union right, which proved to be Major Dow with his command, who had made a circuitous movement through the timber around the rebel flank, and es- caped from their clutches. During the battle which ensued the 112th occupied a position in reserve. Co. I, in command of Lieut. Lawrence, acting Provost Marshal of the brigade, was on duty as provost guards, arresting stragglers from the whole army, and performing such other duties as usually de- volved upon provost guards.
Early on the morning of the 15th. Lieut. Milchrist, in com- mand of Co. G, had been ordered to march rapidly to Lenoir with his company and report for duty to Gen. Potter, com- manding the 9th Corps. He proceeded to Lenoir and reported at once to Gen. Potter, who directed him to keep his men well in hand and await orders. During the night the 9th Corps retreated toward Campbell's Station, without informing Lieut. Milchrist of the movement, and on the morning of the 16th the company was still at Lenoir, awaiting orders-the only Union troops remaining there, all' the others having fallen back. About daylight they were discovered by the rebels, who made a sudden and furious attack upon them, with the evident intention of cap uring the whole company. Taking in the sit- nation at a glance, Lieut. Milchrist and his men beat a hasty retreat toward Campbell's Station, and overtook the rear guard near there, about 9 o'clock. The loss of the company was
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John W. McMillan, mortally wounded (died Jan. 8) ; William W Starboard, wounded and captured; and Ransom D. Fos- ter and Andrew P Folk captured, both of whom died in rebel prison. Michael Nugent's horse was killed, but he succeeded in getting away ; walked to Concord and thence to Campbell's Station, and two days later was killed in front of Knoxville.
On reaching the command, Lieut. Milchrist learned, for the first time, that Gen. Burnside had requested Gen. Potter to send to him (Gen. Burnside) a mounted company to act as escort during the expected battle, and Lieut. Milchrist had been ordered to report to Gen. Potter for that purpose : but the latter, instead of informing him at once, directed Milchrist to await orders, and then moved off and left the company in the enemy's lines ; and as the consequence of his neglect the company lost four good men. On learning this, Lieut. Mil- christ at once reported directly to Gen. Burnside, and the com- pany was assigned to duty as escort. During the battle, and the succeeding night, many of the men were employed in car- rying dispatches, a perilous duty, but they performed it faith- fully, and to the satisfaction of the commanding general. The company was relieved, and rejoined the regiment near Knox- ville, on the morning of the 17th of November.
CHAPTER XII.
THE BATTLE OF CAMPBELL'S STATION. RETREAT TO KNOXVILLE. SEVERE FIGHTING IN FRONT OF KNOXVILLE. ONE-THIRD OF THE 112TH ILLINOIS KILLED, WOUNDED AND MISSING.
It was Gen. Burnside's intenion to retreat to Knoxville, but Longstreet was pushing forward with such vigor and determi- nation that the Union general was compelled to turn upon his pursuer and check the rebel advance in order to save his trains and supplies. The Union line had barely passed the junction of the two roads when the enemy opened a vigorous fire, fol- lowed by a furious assault upon the whole line. The Union troops repulsed them, but fell back to a new line of defense, some distance in rear of the first position, and there prepared to receive the enemy's attack. They had not long to wait. The heavy, gray columns moved steadily forward-but they came to a sudden halt. From the line of the Union batteries on the hill, shot and shell and grape and canister were hurled into their ranks, mowing wide swaths in their lines. The re- bel batteries were wheeled into position, and for nearly two hours the cannonading was terrific. The infantry, on either side, watched the artillery duel with eager interest, knowing full well that when that ceased then would come the tug of war between the infantry forces.
It was an open-field fight. The movements of each army could be distinctly seen ; and soon the Union troops knew the rebel column was preparing for a charge. On they came, with
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HISTORY OF THE 112TH ILLINOIS.
fixed bayonets, shouting and yelling like demons ; but they met such a withering fire from the Union lines that they halt- ed, hesitated, and were driven back, dismayed at their tail- ure. To halt, to hesitate, to waver, is certain death to an assaulting column. To succeed it must be kep; moving, mov- ing forward. It cannot stand still, in an open field, and when it ceases to move forward it must move backward. The rebel column tell back, reformed, and again charged upon the Union lines, and again it was repulsed. Every attempt to dislodge the Union troops proved unavailing. It required courage, merre, to withstand these repeated furious assaults, but the Union soldiers were equal to the occasion, and met every charge made by the enemy's assaulting column with a cool- ness and deliberation and a firmness that was truly heroic.
Longstreet attempted to flank the position of the Union ar- my by sending a column around its left through the woods, but the batteries opened fire into them at left oblique, and the movement was abandoned. All that long day the Union army held its position, and at dark again commenred its retreat to- ward Knoxville ; and the 112th Illinois was designated by Gen. Burnside as the rear guard. The regiment remained in posi- tion, and after all the other troops had moved to the rear, built hundreds of camp-fires on the hills and in the valleys to deceive the enemy and make him believe the Union army had gone into camp. Who of the 112th can ever forget that long, wearisome, toilsome November night ?
In the afternoon, when the rebels attempted to flank the U'n- ion army, Capt. Dunn, with Co. D, in command of Lient. Grif- fin, and Co. F, in command of Lieut. J. G. Armstrong, of the 112th, was ordered to move to the left of the Union position and develop the movements of the rebel column in that di- rection. Capt. Dunn moved down through the woods, and soon came upon detachments of rebels moving around be- tween Campbell's Station and Concord. He dismounted and deployed his men, and remained there, watching and report- ing the enemy's movements, and.engaged in a sharp skirmish, until the Union army fell back from Campbell's Station, when the rebels advanced with such force lie was compelled to fall back to the main road. He there met Gen. Potter, who di-
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STAND AT CAMPBELL'S STATION
rected him to occupy a hill on the Concord road and hold it until further orders. The Union army continued to march toward Knoxville, and Capt. Dunn and his command were for- gotten. Neither Lieut. Col. Bond nor Major Dow knew where they were, and so could not relieve them.
The rebels were moving upon the detachment in front and on both flanks, and the prospect of a trip south at the expense of the Confederacy was extremely good. Capt. Dunn was urg- ed to move his command out of there, while he could, but he refused to leave his post without orders. Lieut. Armstrong finally sent Benjamin W Todd, of his company, to inform Gen. Potter of the situation and ask for instructions what to do. Todd returned in a remarkably short time and reported that as soon as he had informed Gen. Potter that the detach- ment had not been relieved, the general ordered him to return as quickly as possible and direct Capt. Dunn to fall back at once and rejoin his regiment. No one, except, perhaps, Capt. Dunn, suspected that Todd had seen Gen. Potter, but he cer- tainly saved the detachment from capture.
It was now long after dark. A rebel force of infantry was on their right and another in rear, and cavalry in front ; while a regiment of cavalry was in position to charge upon them if they attempted to move out to the road. They were in a tight place but the darkness saved them. They tore down fences, crossed the fields, eluded the rebel cavalry, reached the road above and rejoined the regiment. The rebels opened fire upon them when they discovered the movement, but fortunately no one was hit. The two companies, in command of Capt. Dunn, acted as rear guard of the regiment on the march to Knoxville.
Wheeler's cavalry corps, at this time in command of Gen. Martin, infested the country around Knoxville, and made sev- eral unsuccessful attempts to capture the city, which was de- fended by a force under Gen. Saunders.
During the battle at Campbell's Station Gen. Burnside sent a telegraph operator, with a strong guard, to tap the wires near Concord and send an important dispatch to Gen. Saunders at Knoxville. After several ineffectual attempts to reach the line, Gen. Burnside called upon Lieut. Milchrist for a brave, reso- lute man of his company, with a good horse, to carry the dis-
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patch to Knoxville. John Crowe immediately rode forward and volunteered to take the message safely into Knoxville. Gen. Burnside informed him that it was a perilous undertak- ing, that it might result in his capture or death, but that the dispatch was an important one, and whatever became of him, it must not, under any circumstances, fall into the hands of the enemy Crowe took the dispatch, and after a hard ride and several narrow escapes, delivered it safely to Gen. Saun- ders. During the siege of Knoxville Gen. Burnside sent for Crowe to come to his headquarters, but he was away on duty at the time and did not receive the message until his return. He then reported to Gen. Burnside's headquarters, but the general had resigned the command of the Army of the Ohio and left the department. He, however, lett a letter for Crowe, in his own handwriting, thanking him for the faithful pertorm- ance of the trust committed to him on the 16th of November, and enclosing fifty dollars which he begged Crowe to accept as a personal gift from himself in reward for his brave conduct on that occasion.
On the retreat trom Campbell's Station to Knoxville, Gen. Burnside came upon an abandoned army wagon, which block- ed the road and prevented the passage of artillery, and other wagons in the rear. Immediately dismounting, he requested his escort to assist him in turning the wagon over out of the road. Several Co. G men hastened to the wagon, and one of them, John Humphrey, who boasted of his strength, took hold of the hind wheel with the general. The general gave the word, and Humphrey lifted with all his strengtlı, but Burnside "turned the wheel on him," and he was compelled to admit. with considerable chagrin, that the general was "a better man" than himself.
These incidents are mentioned as apt illustrations of Burn- side's thoughtfulness of the "common soldier," and his readi- ness to share with him the perils and hardships of war-char- acteristics which endeared him to the whole army.
Capt. Otman was at Low's Ferry, when the firing of artillery at Campbell's Station warned him that a battle was in pro- gress, and that the position of the rebel army endangered his picket posts. He immediately started down the river to relieve
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TAPPING TELEGRAPH WIRES.
thiem ; but on reaching Serg. Gharrett's post, foun'l the reb- els were in force between there and Serg. Dixon's post, and that there was no escape for Dixon and his men unless they could cross the river and move up on the east side. The en- emy's troops were advancing, and Gharrett's post was with- drawn barely in time to escape capture, as they were fired up- on by rebel cavalry as they moved out of the bend of the river.
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