USA > Illinois > History of the 112th Regiment of Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in the great war of the rebellion, 1862-1865 > Part 23
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The enemy made several determined assaults upon the Un- ion works after dark, and the battle continued with unabated fury until ten o'clock in the evening. A fire broke out in the village about eleven o'clock, lighting up the town and the Un- ion lines so they could be plainly seen by the enemy, and any movements of the troops discovered ; but at twelve o'clock, the fire having been extinguished, and the front being quiet, Gen. Schofield ordered the withdrawal of the troops to the noit's side of the river.
Kimball's division, on the right, marched by the rear to the wagon bridge, followed by Opdycke's brigade ; and Ruger's di- vision passed behind the lines to the railroad bridge. Reilly's division was the last to cross. A strong line of skirmishers, under command of Major T. T. Dow, Division Inspector Gen-
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HISTORY OF THE 112TH ILLINOIS.
eral, remained in the trenches until all the troops had crossed and removed the plank from the wagon bridge, when the skirm- ishers followed, and crossed by the railroad bridge.
Our dead and many of the wounded were left on the battle- field. The Union killed, and those who were mortally wound- ed and left upon the field and died in the hands of the enemy, were buried by the rebels, in trenches, three or four deep. After the war their remains were removed, and interred in the United States National Cemetery at Madison, near Nashville. Very few of them could be identified, and consequently their graves are marked "unknown." All of the 112th are among the unknown, except Edward R. Petrie, of Co. C, who was car- ried off the field by his brother, Lieut. A. P Petrie, and his remains sent home.
Wood's division on the north side covered the crossings, and when all were over, brought up the rear. The command moy- ed back to Brentwood Hills and halted for breakfast, and then proceeded to Nashville, arriving there at noon on the first day of December, and immediately went into position.
The losses on the Union side were two thousand three hun- dred and twenty-six, of which nearly one-half were in Wag- ner's two brigades, which were out in front. The losses of the 112th Illinois were seven killed and mortally wounded, twenty wounded, and two captured.
The Confederate losses were about seven thousand, of which about seven hundred were prisoners-captured when they broke the line in the center.
Among the killed were twelve generals and a long list of colonels and field officers, many of whom were killed within a few yards of the Union line. In one brigade every general and field officer was either killed or severely wounded, and the bri- gade went out of the fight in command of a captain,
It was one of the most desperate and savage battles of the war. Reilly's division captured and carried off twenty-two battle flags, and Opdycke's brigade ten, as trophies of the ter- rible conflict. The loss of the three Indiana regiments in Hen- derson's brigade was five commissioned officers-among whom was Major Braser-and nine men killed, forty-six wounded and twenty missing.
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LIST OF KILLED AND WOUNDED.
The casualties in the 112th Illinois were as follows:
Killed and mortally wounded -- Co. A, James Caughey (mor- tally wounded, died Dec. 3d), Patrick Kenney (mortally wound- ed, died in the hands of the enemy Dec. 6th), Milton Barton and Frederick A. Woodruff.
Co. F-John W Curfman (mortally wounded-left on the field, and died in rebel hospital Dec. 10).
Co. C-Edward R. Petrie.
Co. B-Elias Miller.
Wounded-Lieut. Col. E. S. Bond, and Adjutant B. F Thompson, both slightly.
Co. A-Lieut. Leander U Browning, severely ; First Serg. Jesse Goble, slightly ; Jerome T. Kepler, severely ; and William Patten, John Willett and Stephen L. Blankenship, all slightly.
Co. F-Henry S. Stone, severely.
Co. D-Capt. A. A. Dunn, severely ; Serg. John S. Farn- ham, severely, (by being thrown off the bridge) ; Edward Woolever, severely.
Co. I-Jacob Barnhart, severely.
Co. C-Capt. J B. Mitchell, James E. Ayers and Benjamin P Scoville, all slightly.
Co. H-Lieut. Jesse Newman, severely, and Serg. John L. Jennings.
Co. K-John Adams and Joseph Clough.
Captured-Thomas E. Mathews and Alonzo Rockefeller of Co. A.
Killed and mortally wounded-seven; wounded-twenty ; captured-two; total-twenty-nine.
Milton Barton and Frederick A. Woodruff, of Co. A, were at the time reported "missing", but it was afterwards learned that both had been killed. By special direction of Gen. Cox, Co. D, in command of Capt. Dunn, was detailed as the provost guard, and assigned to duty in the town; and it was while performing this duty that Capt. Dunn was wounded. It was a dangerous and delicate duty, and the selection of Capt. Dunn and his company, by the commanding general, for its performance, was a high and deserved compliment to both.
Capt. Dunn was struck in the forehead by a piece of shell, -18
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HISTORY OF THE 112TH ILLINOIS.
and the outer rim of the skull was literally broken and crush- ed in. He was carried off the field apparently dead, and after he returned to consciousness was supposed to be mortally wounded : but his wonderful recuperative powers carried him through, and in a few months he was back to the regiment and reported himself "present for duty " He never fully re- covered from the wound, however, and died at Chicago, Illinois, on the third day of March, 1869, by reason of it. He was a brave and efficient officer ; strict in discipline, but kind and attentive to the wants of his men ; and as generous and noble- hearted as he was brave and determined.
Lieut. Col. Bond's wound proved to be more serious than was at first anticipated, and he was compelled to resign the command of the regiment to Capt. S. F Ctman, the senior captain. Capt. Otman commanded the regiment during the rest of the engagement at Franklin, and on the retreat to Nashville, and on the two days battle of Nashville, in Decem- ber, and in the pursuit of Hood. Lieut. Col. Bond rejoined the regiment at Clifton, on the Tennessee River, on the 14th of January, 1865, but did not resume command until the regi- ment reached Cincinnati a few days later.
Thomas E. Mathews and Alonzo Rockefeller, who were cap- tured, had pushed forward so near the enemy's line that they could not get out, and they climbed over the rebel works and surrendered. They were sent back to Columbia on the 3d of December, and there joined those who had been captured on the river at Columbia-Lieut. Sherbondy and his squad. They were sent south, and after being moved from place to place, finally landed in Andersonville on the 17th of February, 1865. From Andersonville Mathews and Rockefeller, with some others, were sent to Jacksonville, Florida, where they were paroled on the 28th of April, 1865, and sent, by way of Annapolis, Md., to the parole camp at St. Louis, Mo., where they were discharged, without having been exchanged-the collapse of the Southern Confederacy rendering an exchange unnecessary.
Since writing the foregoing the author has received a copy of the Southern Birouac, containing an interesting article on the Battle of Franklin from a Confederate stand-point, written
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FROM THE "SOUTHERN BIVOUAC "
by Major D. W Sanders, A. A. G. of French s division, Stew- art's corps, of Hood's army, from which he takes the following extract :
"General Hood resolved of his own volition to fight the bat tle of Franklin, and made his disposition for battle with a con- fidence which evinced his belief in the intrepidity of his troops. With undaunted reliance he massed his forces and delivered the most gallantly contested and sanguinary battle of the war, when the number of troops engaged and the duration of the conflict are considered.
"The field of Franklin on the afternoon of November 30, 1864, presented the most imposing martial display that occur- red during the war. Eighteen brigades of infantry with cor- responding cavalry supports (though deficient in complement of artillery), in full view of their commanding generals, and of each other, and also in full view of the enemy occupying an intrenched line, which he is resolved to hold to the last ex- tremity, deliberately surveyed the impressive situation. Not a cloud obscured the autumn sun, which shone upon the beautiful plain with its gentle slopes, over which they must pass to engage in mortal strife in the supreme effort to carry a strongly fortified line by a most reckless and daring assault.
"At four o'clock General Hood ordered his troops to the as- sault. The right, under cover of Guibor's artillery, moved for- ward in gallant style. The troops moved on converging lines and charged the works, with Brown s di- vision on the right of the Columbia turnpike, with French's, Walthall's and Loring's divisions constituting the right of the advancing line .. The assault was made with the characteris- tic elan of veteran troops. Brown and Cleburne overwhelmed Lane's and Conrad's brigades in their front, while French, Walthall and Loring, although suffering severely from the ter- rible fire on the left of the intrenched line and the eight-gun battery on the north side of the Harpeth, enveloped their left flank, enabling Brown and Cleburne to hurl them in a disor- ganized and routed mass on and over the center of their works, breaking through three hundred vards of Ruger's and two hundred yards of Reilly's intrenched line. Quick to perceive the advantage thus won, they pressed the pursuit over and
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HISTORY OF THE 112TH ILLINOIS.
within the main works, and Gordon, penetrating with a part of his brigade within the intrenched line beyond the Carter house, was ultimately captured. Gist's brigade, notwithstand- ing the locust abatis in the front, reached the intrenched line and held it. Polk s, Govan s and Granberry's brigades car- ried the intrenched line at and to the right of the Columbia Pike, including the angle near the gin-house, routing the 100th and 104th Ohio regiments. Two tour-gun batteries. loaded, were captured in this assault, turned on the enemy and serv- ed as long as the limited ammunition lasted. (This is a mis- take. The guns were not fired.) French s division, in front of the gin-house, assaulted with indomitable bravery, and car- ried a portion of Reilly's defensive works. Sears brigade was torn and mutilated in the assault, and gallant Colonel Wither- spoon of the 36th Mississippi. lay dead on the immediate right
of the captured artillery Cockrell, with two severe wounds. was prostrated on the field, and Colonel Gates assumed com- mand-when immediately he lost one of his arms, and was severely wounded in the other. Thus disabled, with his arms hanging limp, this iron soldier sat on his horse and followed the movements of the historic Missouri brigade over a field swept by a storm of shot, shell and musketry
"Walthall and Loring, in the meantime, charged heroically the intrenched line protected by an osage- range abutis. In Walthall's front Casement's celebrated brigade was posted, armed with improved repeating rifles. This portion of the in- trenched line, in addition to the formidable osage-orange abat- is, was provided with artillery supported by the heavy guns of Fort Granger and an eight-gun battery on the north side of Harpetli River, which delivered an effective cross and enfilad- ing fire into the assaulting lines of both Walthall and Loring. Notwithstanding the right flank of Casement was left uncover- ed by reason of the successful assault at the center and gin- house, that command stood firm, and concentrated its terrible fire on Walthall's advancing division. In truth the fire of this line was a continuing fringe of flame because of the extraordi- nary rapidity with which their improved arms facilitated its delivery, which wrought fearful and devastating effect on the advancing force. Quarles fell tearfully wounded, with all
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FROM THE "SOUTHERN BIVOUAC."
of liis staff dead around him, his field officers killed or wound- ed, and a captain, as ranking officer, assumed command of his brigade.
"The decimated brigades of Reynolds, Shelley and Quarles succeeded in reaching the osage-orange abatis, and were in a manner impaled in its fatal meshes in their gallant though hopeless struggle to penetrate it. Shelley, however, with a few officers and men, succeeded in reaching the ditch in front of the works, but the impetus of the grand charge was check- ed, and the mutilated division recoiled under a fire whichi neither heroism nor gallantry could overcome. Walthall had two horses killed under him, but was furnished remounts by the casualties in his staff, which enabled him to retire his command in good order, an extraordinary achievement, con- sidering the fact, that in the fearful conflict between him and Casement, never before in the history of war did a command of the approximate strength of Casement's in as short a period of time kill and wound as many men.
"Loring, with Featherstone's, Adams' and Scott's brigades, simultaneously with Walthall, vigorously assaulted Henderson in liis strongly intrenched position, also protected by an osage- orange abatis, which was defended with great courage.
"Scott was disabled by a shell early in the charge, when Colonel Snodgrass succeeded to his command. Adams, in re- serve, leading the charge of his brigade to the left of Feather- stone, where the space was open for a short distance, not pro- tected by abatis, was killed, horse and rider falling over the works.
"Featherstone, on the extreme right, leading his brigade through a destructive fire of artillery and musketry, reached the abatis, but exhausted by heavy losses, was unable to main- tain his position, and sullenly retired, leaving many gallant officers and men in front of the works, among whom was the lieroic Col. Dyer, 3d Mississippi.
"The divisions on the right, thus repulsed, with unimpaired morale retired in good order. To preserve morale after a severe repulse is difficult in every instance, but in this particular in- stance, after sustaining unprecedented loss, and under such continuous fire, with a cross and enfilading fire from heavy ar-
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HISTORY OF THE 112TH ILLINOIS.
tillery supports, the movement was of infinite hazard and dif- ficulty
"When the line of defense had been broken by the assaulting force, and the center captured, concurring at the time of French, Walthall and Loring's grand charge, Opdycke's bri- gade, in reserve in rear of Ruger's left near the Carter house, and the 12th and 16th Kentucky and 8th Tennessee regiments, in reserve in rear of Reilly's right, and near the gin-house, at once rushed to the captured line, and in a fierce and bloody combat, heroically regained the retrenched line at the Colum- bia Pike, the angle and left to the gin-house, and held it. Cox and Stanley promptly rallied Strickland's, Lane s and Con- rad's brigades. brought them to the support of the reserves, engaged in a hand to hand combat, on the works at the cen- ter, when Major General Cleburne, in the meridian splendor of liis martial fame, leading the charge of his superb division, which had just planted their battle colors on the captured works, was killed, in front of the 16th Kentucky, at the Co- lumbia Pike, about thirty paces from the intrenched line.
"The confict raged with intense fury, as every moment in- creased the strength of the enemy and diminished that of the assaulting force. The struggle for the possession of the works was maintained with great stubbornness and tenacity. and the combatants, in the fury of the bloody strife, fought with bayon- ets and clubbed muskets.
"These reserves saved the day to Schofieldl, and rescued the broken and captured center of his line with a gallantry and heroism reflecting honor on the uniform they wore and the flag under which they fought.
"Brown's division held the line captured from Strickland's brigade of Rager's division at the locust abutis, and the strug- gle for the recovery of the works was most bloody and pro- longed. Gist s and Gordon's brigades, with undaunted cour- age. held the works they captured.
"Gist was killed, Gordon captured, and Brown, with heroic resolution, threw into the vortex of battle hisreserves, compos- eil of Strahl's and Carter's brigades. Fierce, bloody, and con- tinuous was the fight. Brown continued to hold the works, when the assaulting forces on his right were repulsed with ap-
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FROM THE "SOUTHERN BIVOUAC."
palling loss. His right, althoughi in possession of the captur- ed line, was subjected to a cross fire from the angle in the in- trenched line immediately west of the gin-house. Bates had not connected on his left, and his lett flank was threatened, and likewise subjected to a cross fire. Brown maintained his lodgement in the works, with both flanks uncovered, exposed to a cross fire, with obstinate endurance.
"Bate's division, with Jackson's brigade on the right, Smith's brigade on the left, Finley's brigade commanded by Colonel Bullock, in support, near the Bostick house, encountered the enemy's skirmishers, drove them on the main works, and as- saulted Ruger's right and Kimball's lett.
"Kimball's line, immediately to the right of the Carter Creek Pike, bent back to the river, and as soon as Bate discor- ered its direction, he moved Bullock to the left of his advanc- ing line across the pike. * Chalmers did not connect with Bate's left, and his flank was exposed to Kim- ball's fire.
"Bate assaulted the main works exposed to the heavy fire of both artillery and infantry.
"Kimball held his line intact, and poured a destructive fire into Bullock's flank, and also that of Smith and Jackson.
"The battery of artillery with Bate engaged the artillery lo- cated on Kimball's line. Bullock and Smith were repulsed, but Jackson reached the works and maintained his position.
"Cheatham's and Stewart's corps, although having sustain- ed great losses. vet preserved their morale, promptly reform- ed and renewed the assault. The assaulting division concen- trated their attack on the center and gin-house, and stormed the works.
"The Federal troops received the second charge of the as- saulting forces with steadiness and courage, and delivered their fire with a rapidity and destructiveness unparalleled in the history of modern warfare.
"The fire of small arms and artillery was so incessant as to cause great clouds of smoke to obscure the field and complete- ly veil the movements of the assaulting lines, except when litted into ritts by the flashes of musketry and artillery, could be seen, and only for the moment, battle flags waving and the
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HISTORY OF THE 112TH ILLINOIS.
men in the charging lines reeling and falling to the ground fa- tally stricken, as the dense smoke settled to be lifted again and again by rapidly successive flashes. In this second grand assault, Granberry, Govan and Polk stormed the intrenched line at the pike, and attempted to capture the angle. Gran- berry was killed in this desperate charge, and the three bri- gades repulsed with great slaughter.
"French stormed the works at the gin-house, with Seals' and Cockrell's brigades, and was repulsed, losing in these as- saults sixty-five per cent. of his command, almost annihilat- ing his division.
"Walthall assaulted the works with his division, and Rey- nold's, Shelley's and Quarles' brigades were likewise repulsed and almost destroyed.
"Loring assaulted the works with his division, and Feather- stone's, Scott's and Adams' brigades were repulsed with heavy loss, leaving the brilliant young Colonel Ferrell, of the 15th Mississippi, and many others, immediately under the works, mortally wounded.
"Brown still held the works in Ruger's line, and notwith- standing the repeated efforts of the enemy, could not be dis- lodged. Ruger constructed a hasty barricade in front of Brown; Strickland occupied the line behind it, and engaged Brown at close range. Strickland was reinforced from Hen- derson's brigade on the left, and yet Brown could not be driv- en from the captured line.
"Darkness ended the great conflict. The Confederate troops, repulsed in their repeated assaults, had retired, but Brown's division held the works captured by it in the first grand as- sault. Brown was wounded, Gist and Strahl killed, Carter mortally wounded, and Gordon captured within the intrench- ed line.
"Immediately after dark General Hood ordered Johnson's division of Lee's corps, which arrived during the action, to assault the works to the left of the Columbia Pike. This fine division, without support, in dense darkness, moved gallantly over the field, thickly strewn with the dead and wounded, and charged the works held by Ruger's division.
"The storm of battle was again renewed. Kimball and Rug.
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FROM THE "SOUTHERN BIVOUAC."
er delivered a deadly fire into Johnson, and Managault fell severely wounded, and his brigade, with Sharpe's, Brantley's and Dea's brigades, suffered heavily, and were repulsed. Af- ter this, heavy firing continued, with occasional volleys, until ten o'clock. Stovall 's brigade, of Clayton's division, Lee's corps, was moved forward on the Columbia Pike, and occu- pied the line in front of the center from which Lane and Con- rad had been driven in the commencement of the action.
"Notwithstanding the repulse at Franklin, attended as it was with fearful loss of life, Hood, undismayed, resolved to renew the attack the following morning; and to that end is- sued orders to his corps commanders to hold their troops in hand, and take position in front of his artillery and at a given signal to assault the works at the point of the bayonet. Scho- field, however, evacuated Franklin at midnight and retreated on Nashville. When the first information from his works was received, the artillery opened on Franklin with a heavy can- nonade. There being no response, it was then evident that Schofield had successfully withdrawn his forces and retreated to Nashville."
The Carter house, around which the battle raged so fiercely, was occupied by an old gentleman and his two daughters. When the battle commenced, it broke upon them so suddenly that they could not leave the house and took refuge in the cellar.
At early dawn the following day they were engaged in min- istering to the wounded of both sides, carrying water to those on the field, when as they climbed the parapet in the rear of the house, where Brown's division had so stubbornly held the works, they found their own brother (the Carter mentioned by Major Sanders) mortally wounded. lying where he had fallen the day before while bravely leading his brigade to the grand charge-but a few yards from his father's door.
CHAPTER XXIII.
THE BATTLE OF NASHVILLE-A GREAT UNION VICTORY.
HOOD S ARMY DEFEATED, ROUTED AND DESTROYED.
THE PURSUIT-THE 2BD CORPS MARCHES TO CLIFTON, ON THE TENNESSEE RIVER.
At Nashville Gen. Thomas placed his army on the heights surrounding the city and awaited Hood s approach.
Cen. A. J Smith had arrived on the first day of December with three divisions of the 16th Corps, numbering about twelve thousan I men, and these were placed on the right of the line ; the 4th Corps was placed in the center, and the 23d Corps on the left.
On the 2nd of December the 112th Illinois and the 175th Ohio, a new regiment, were moved into Fort Negley, near the left of the line. and ( ol. Henderson placed in command of the fort. The three other regiments of the brigade were held in reserve in rear of the fort : and Col. Henderson was instruct- ed to prepare for action, and hold his command well in hand to meet any emergency that might arise. The 112th remain- ed in Fort Negley until the 15th of December.
On the 3d Hood approached the city and placed his army in position and fortified it on a range of hills within sight of our lines, with Lee's corps in the center, across the Franklin Pike, Cheatham s on the right. and Stewart's corps on the left. Forrest's cavalry corps extended from Stewart's left to the Cumberland River below Nashville. Hood's army. with the addition of Forrest's cavalry, now numbered about forty- five thousand men of all arms ; but he was endeavoring by ev-
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RELATIVE STRENGTH OF THE ARMIES.
ery means possible to increase its numbers, by soliciting vol- unteers and by a vigorous enforcement of the Confederate con- scription laws. For the latter purpose, the pretended govern- or of the State, Isham G. Harris, was with Hood's army, a willing tool of the Confederate general in forcing the Tennesse- ans into his ranks, and compelling them, whether willing or mwilling, to fight against the National Government.
Thomas' army now exceeded Hood's in numbers, but many of them were new, just arrived at the front, and not to be de- pended upon in an encounter with the veterans of Hood's army. The terms of enlistment of nearly fifteen thousand of the veterans left behind by Sherman had expired, and these had been replaced by twelve thousand new troops and a few thousand employes of the quartermaster's department at Nash- ville. Smith's three divisions reported eleven thousand three hundred and forty-five men "present for duty" on the 10th of December. The 4th Corps reported fourteen thousand one hundred and fifteen, and the 23 Corps nine thousand seven hundred and eighty-one "present for duty" on the same day, making a total of thirty-five thousand five hundred and thirty- one of these three corps. Thomas' cavalry force numbered about six thousand mounted men, while Hood's numbered twelve thousand, in command of the ablest cavalry leader of the South. Thomas concentrated fragmentary detachments from the District of Tennessee and elsewhere, many of them veteran troops but new to the command and to each other.
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