USA > Illinois > History of the 112th Regiment of Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in the great war of the rebellion, 1862-1865 > Part 9
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102
HISTORY OF THE 112TH ILLINOIS.
The Union command marched all night, reached Sweetwa- ter the next morning (27th) at 5 o'clock, and thense fell back fo Philadelphia, arriving there at noon, where a halt was call- ed and preparations made for a fight. The 112th Illinois formed in line of battle at the front, and remained in position, in readiness to repel an attack, all night.
The rebel advance attacked the Union pickets at noon, on the 28th, but were repulsed ; and a detachment of cavalry and Law's battery drove them back upon their main force. They again advanced, and information having been received that they were pressing forward on another road, towards Loudon, on the Tennessee River, the Union command fell back to that point, and the 112th again lay in line of battle all night. Here reinforcements were met, including Gen. White's division of infantry and the Union force was now strong enough to cope with the rebel cavalry On the 29th the 112th obtained some fresh horses, to replace those worn out and broken down. Companies A and F, of the 112th, scouted towards Philadel- phia, but saw nothing of the enemy
In the afternoon scouting parties reported the rebel forces falling back. But in fact, as it was afterwards known, after driving the Union advance back to London, Forrest, with a force of twelve thousand cavalry crossed the Tennessee River into the Sequatchie Valley, in rear of Rosecrans' army, for the purpose of destroying his line of communications.
At 7 o'clock on the morning of the 30th, Byrd's brigade marched from London, the 112th, in command of Col. Hender- son, in advance, left in front, followed by Wolford's brigade, and moved on a double-quick to Philadelphia-trotting their horses the whole distance -and there formed in line of battle. The roads were dry and very dusty, and the men were nearly suffocated. The main force of rebels was on the road east and nearly parallel with the railroad. Lieut. Col. Adams was at Sweetwater, with the 1st Kentucky Cavalry. and was in great danger of being cut off and captured. Lieut. Thompson, of Co. B, 112th Illinois, was ordered to take twenty-five men, with the best horses, and proceed as rapidly as possible to Sweetwater, twelve miles, with verbal orders from Col. Wol- ford to Lieuf. Col. Adams. He was instructed not to spare
103
TOWARD ATHENS.
horse-flesh, and if fired into by the rebels to pay no attention to them, but keep going, and not halt, even if some of his men were wounded or killed. They made the trip successfully, - receiving a few stray shots from a squad of rebels on their left, in a corn-field, as they galloped down the road,-and returned in the evening with Lieut. Col. Adams and his command.
Early the next morning (Oct. 1st) the whole force moved toward Athens-companies E, G and B, of the 112th Illinois rear guard,-and marched in a pouring rain, to Mouse Creek, four miles below Sweetwater, and bivouacked; and the next day (Oct. 2nd) marehed to Athens, -the 112th in advance -- arriving there at noon-where the regiment occupied its old camping ground on Forest Hill.
Let us now go back to the Hiawassee River, on the 26th of September. When the 112th Illinois fell back from the river to the timber where the horses were left, Capt. Otman and George W Nicholas, of Co. E, found that their horses, fright- ened by the exploding shells, had broken away and were out of sight. While searching for them the regiment had mounted and was moving up the valley, and the enemy coming up rap- idly, there was no alternative for the two dismounted men but to take a ridge of timber that ran parallel with the road tow- ard Athens, and conceal themselves from the enemy as best they could. In the hurry of mounting and getting out of the timber-the enemy's shells hastening their movements-neith- er the men of Co. E, nor of the regiment, had been informed of the predicament which Capt. Otman and Nicholas were in, and when they were afterwards missed it was supposed they had been captured-perhaps wounded or killed.
They followed up the ridge all that day, in sight of the rebel force in the road, less than a mile from them. The two men were determined, if possible, to make their way to Athens, where they knew Col. Wolford lay with a brigade of cavalry, and where they supposed a stand would be made by the Union troops.
About 10 o'clock that night they saw a light on a cross road, in the valley below them. Atter carefully reconnoitering, they found it to be a cabin, with no occupants but a woman ; and be- ing pressed with hunger (having had nothing to eat since four
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HISTORY OF THE 112TH ILLINOIS.
o'clock that morning) they determined to enter and get some- thing to eat. They went in and made their wants known, when the woman stated that she was very sorry she had noth- ing for them, as all she had in the house was some pumpkins she was stewing in a kettle, in a rude fire place, and a small piece of bacon ; that all the rest of her provisions had been taken by a party of rebels early in the evening. Some of the bacon was fried, and, with the stewed pumpkin, a supper was made that was keenly relished.
While they were eating, a man, clothed in the gray rebel uniform, opened the door without knocking, and entered the cabin. Both sprang from the table, at the same time pulling their revolvers, when the intruder threw up his hands, said he was unarmed, and that was his home, and that he had desert- ed from the Confederate army, and was then hiding from the rebel forces. After supper he guided them in the direction of Athens, and left them about 11 o'clock, when the moon was up so they could see their way. They continued on their way until about two o'clock, when they came to a field in which was a stack of sheaves of corn blades, in which they made a bed and slept until the sun was high in the heavens the next morning. They continued on towards Athens during the day, avoiding houses and roads, until near sunset, when they met a negro woman on horseback whom the Captain halted and inquired the direction and distance to Athens. The woman threw up her hands and exclaimed, "Good Lord, massa, don't ' you know the country is full of rebels ?" She informed them that they were within two miles of Athens, and that Forrest's cavalry were in camp right ahead of them, not more than half a mile away. She pointed out the house of a Union family in the distance and rode away, very much frightened for fear some of Forrest's men would see her talking with them.
They then left the road and crossed a small field, in the center of which was a stack of straw, and entered a strip of timber. In passing through the timber the rebel camp was in sight, and the house in which Gen. Forrest made his head- quarters was not more than a quarter of a mile away. They then struck off to the lett in the timber, and came upon about twenty negroes, men, women and children, hiding from the re-
105
HID IN A STRAW STACK.
bels, with several fine horses belonging to their master, who lived at tle house where Forrest was stopping. Capt. Otman and Nicholas were very hungry, and prevailed on an old ne- gro to get them something to eat. He returned about ten o'clock that night with warm biscuit, fried ham and two quarts of new milk, on which the hungry men teasted. With many thanks, they bade "Uncle George" (the old negro) good night, and started for the straw-stack in the little field, and, with the aid of a pole, climbed to the top and made a bed in which they lay down, pulling a slight covering of straw over them. In a few minutes after a reserve picket post of rebels was es- tablished in the road a few rods away, and some of the soldiers came to the stack and got straw to lie on. In the morning they could see the pickets and hear their conversation, and they passed two days listening to them and watching their movements. After dark one night, they left their hiding place, went cautiously to the timber, followed the ridge, and went to tlie house pointed out to them by the negro woman as being occupied by a Union family ; but failed to get in, or arouse the family, all being dark and apparently deserted. They returned, and on their way back found a persimmon tree and got half a dozen ripe persimmons, which constituted their only meal on that day, and crawled carefully into the straw- pile for another night.
During the next day the pickets were withdrawn, and they knew the Confederate forces were moving, but in what direc- tion it was impossible to tell. After dark they lett their place ot concealment and proceeded again to the house of the Union family, where there was a bright light in the rooms. but the windows being covered with curtains they could see no one in- side. They went to the front door and knocked, but could get no answer. They then called several times, without any re- ply. After persistently calling for some time, and informing those inside wlio they were, and that they were nearly famisli- ed with hunger, a woman's voice replied that they could not deceive her, that they were Forrest's men, and that some of his men liad already been there and robbed her of nearly every- thing she liad. She was finally persuaded to open the door, and when she saw the blue uniform hesitated not to invite them
106
HISTORY OF THE 112TH ILLINOIS.
in. She informed them that Forrest had moved south with his main force ; but that two hundred cavalry had passed on that road, going out twelve miles to some iron works, and had not yet returned. Her husband was a soldier in Col. Stoke's regiment- 3d Tennessee. After a conversation of an hour, which seemed to the hungry men an age, a negro woman an- nounced supper, and they sat down to a meal which seemed to them the best they had ever eaten. After supper they return- ed to the straw-stack, in which they passed the night. The next morning it was raining, which continued all day, and they moved their quarters to a barn on the place where Forrest had made his headquarters, and again applied to "Uncle George" for subsistence, which was willingly supplied. The next morn- ing the sun came out clear and bright, and they made their way through the timber in the direction of Athens.
Reaching a high point near and overlooking the town, where they could see any movements made by troops, they halted to take observations. About noon they saw a mounted force emerge from a pine grove, on the opposite side of town, and move toward the town, but the distance was too great to tell whether they were Union or rebel troops. Presently they heard familiar strains of music, which they at once recognized as a favorite piece often played by the 112th band. They lis- tened. That music was by the 112th band, sure, and that mounted regiment in advance was the good old 112th. With a bound and a cheer they ran down the hill, throwing their hats in the air and shouting like two glad school-boys ; and entering town met Col. Henderson and other officers of the regiment, who were as greatly surprised at meeting them as they would liave been had Forrest and his staff suddenly ap- peared before them. The 112th was just entering Athens on the return from Loudon.
Co. I, in command of Capt. J E. Wilkins, was station- ed in rear of the Union line at Calhoun, on the 26th of Sep- tember, acting as Provost Guarls. Early in the day Capt. Wilkins was ordered to proceed with his company to Cotton- wood, down the river, to watch the movements of the enemy in that direction, and report any attempt of the rebels to flank the Union force. He proceeded rapidly, but before he had reach-
107
THE CAPTURED AT ATHENS.
ed the ford the Union troops had fallen back from Charleston, and he was directed to rejoin his regiment, as soon as possi- ble, at or near Athens. He at once turned back and proceed- ed by a rough, unfrequented road toward Riceville. In de- scending a steep hill, Sergt. C. B. Hunt's horse stumbled and fell, and he was thrown to the ground with such force that his left shoulder was dislocated and the elbow fractured. He was picked up by George B. Ramsey, Alanson D. Thomas and Jo- seph Mitchell, and calling Sergt. Fones, who had had some experience as a physician, they reduced the dislocation and fracture as well as possible, bound up his wound, and started to overtake the company. They had not proceeded far when they found themselves completely surrounded by rebels, front, rear and both flanks, and uncomfortably near to them ; but they were so thickly covered with dust as to conceal the color of their uniforms, and managed to hide themselves in the thick underbrush without it being discovered that they were Union soldiers. After the rebel troops had passed they proceeded by a circuitous route to Athens, where they arrived in advance of the rebel force, and Serg. Hunt was taken to the hospital and the others rejoined the regiment.
When the Union troops retired from Athens Dr. C. De Hay- en Jones, First Assistant Surgeon of the 112th, remained in charge of the hospital : and on the morning of the 27th all the sick were made prisoners of war, and rebel soldiers placed on guard, and a Confederate surgeon superceded Dr. Jones.
Among the prisoners were the following members of the 112th Illinois : William Benson, Lewis Stagner and Henry J. Mc- Gath, of Co. A : Serg. Cephas B. Hunt, Henry M. Phillips and Daniel R. Riggs, of Co. I: Serg. Carey G. Colburn, Corp. William W McMillan* and Whitfield Evans,* of Co. E; and Peter J. Olson", of Co. K ; and John Shattuck, of Co. I, who was with Capt. Wilkins and had been severely wounded and taken to the hospital.
Serg. Edwin Butler, of Co. F, who had been detailed for du- ty in the printing office, was also captured ; and Daniel Kane, of Co. B, who had been reported "missing," when the com-
*Died in rebel prison.
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HISTORY OF THE 112TH ILLINOIS.
mand fell back from Calhoun, it was afterward learned had been captured.
The rebel surgeon examined Serg. Hunt's injuries, and gravely informed him that the arm must be amputated in or- der to save his life. Hunt knew better, and protested against the barbarous designs of the Confederate butcher ; but the lat- ter protested that it was necessary, and commenced preparing for the amputation. Hunt appealed to Dr. Jones, and the two surgeons were soon engaged in a lively quarrel ; but Jones tri- umphed and the arm was saved.
The rebel surgeons were quick to amputate an arm or leg of Union prisoners upon the slightest pretext ; and many a poor boy lost a limb for no earthly reason but to kill or cripple him, so he could perform no further service in the Union army. If that failed they were sent to Andersonville to be starved to death. Dr. Jones saved Hunt's arm, and he also saved him from a worse fate, as we shall presently see.
The sick men were kept there several days, with nothing to eat except what the loyal, kind-hearted women of Athens brought to them ; and then all who were able to move were or- dered to prepare to start south. Stagner of A, and Riggs and Phillips of I, were excused; but though Hunt was unfit to be moved, the rebel surgeon was determined that he should go. He was marched out with the others, but managed to get back into the hospital unobserved, and concealed himself in a pile of blankets. The inen moved off, many weeping like children, and were sent south-many of them to die. One of them, however, William Benson of Co. A, escaped and rejoined his company at Athens on the 5th of October.
He attempted to escape at Dalton, but was unsuccessful. But, about 3 o'clock the next morning after the train had left Dalton, going south, he jumped from the cars, while the train was moving, and although severely injured, crawled into the brush and concealed himself. The train was stopped, but the guards failed to find him. As they returned to the train, he heard them say they would put the dogs on his track in the morning, He crawled into the mountains and then started north. He met a man in the woods, hiding from the rebels, who gave him some corn bread and directed him on his way.
109
SERG. HUNT AND THE SURGEONS.'
He finally reached the Hiawassee River, and weary, hungry and feeble-suffering from his injuries-lay down under a tree to die. Here he was found by a citizen, a Mr. Packer, and carried to his house, and concealed in the attic. A division of Forrest's cavalry camped around the place the next day, and some of the officers made the house their headquarters, and remained there four or five days. He could see them from his hiding place, and hear their conversation, but was careful to keep himself in the background. He was furnished with food and taken care of, during this time, by Mrs. Packer, who managed to go to the attic for that purpose, unobserved. Af- ter the rebel cavalry moved away, and he had partially recov- ered his strength, Benson started for Athens, and reached that place just as the 112th was moving out to return to Loudon, on the 5th of October. He never fully recovered from the in- jury received when lie jumped from the car, although he re- mained with his company, most of the time, and performed some duty, until in May, 1865, when he was discharged. He now resides in Oregon, and still suffers from his injury; but his jump probably saved him from a worse fate-slow starva- tion in Andersonville.
A stormy scene ensued when Serg. Hunt was discovered; but he pretended to be very sick-said he had tried to go, but failed-and the rebel surgeon left, promising to send his pri- vate ambulance for him in half an hour. With the assistance of Dr. Jones and a Union citizen -- a very old man whom the rebels did not trouble-who furnished him with some citi- zen's clothing, Hunt escaped from the hospital and went to the house of a Union lady in town, where he was concealed in the attic. Dr. Jones sent Lewis Stagner up there, and the two remained concealed, in the care of the Union people and Dr. Jones, who visited them at night, until the regiment re- turned to Athens.
The rebel guards searched diligently for them, and visited the house where they were concealed, but failed to find them. The lady of the house gravely informed them that she was not in the business of concealing Yankee prisoners, which satisfied them and they continued their search elsewhere.
Serg. Hunt was sent to Knoxville, and on the 9th of Novem-
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HISTORY OF THE 112TH ILLINOIS.
ber reported "for duty," and served with his company until the close of the war: which is satisfactory proof that there was no necessity for amputating his arm, and that the object of the rebel surgeon, as in thousands of other similar cases, was to disable him for further duty as a soldier.
Whitfield Evans, of Co. E, having been captured and pa- roled, in Kentucky, the previous summer, and then returned to duty, by order of the department commander, without hav- ing been exchanged-the paroles not being recognized-was fearful that he might be charged with breaking his parole, so assumed the name of John Robinson, and was known by the rebels by that name. He died in prison at Danville, Va., in March, 1864, and was buried in grave number 646, by the name of John Robinson.
When the rebels retreated from Athens, all the sick then in hospital, of their own as well as Union soldiers, were lett be- hind, and the Union surgeons again took charge of the hospital.
Martin F Knapper and Albert J Remour, of Co. H, were also captured near Athens, on the 27th, and were first taken to Atlanta and thence to Richmond, then to Danville, and finally to Andersonville. Knapper escaped from the hospital at the latter place, but was run down by blood hounds, and recaptur- ed and confined in the stocks for punishment. He was parol- ed near Vicksburg, about the 8th of April, 1865, and rejoined, and was discharged with, his company, at Chicago, on the 6th of July, 1865. Remour died at Andersonville in June, 1864.
Let us now go back to Capt. Wilkins and the men with him. He proceeded as rapidly as possible toward Riceville, and on reaching the main road near the town, struck a rebel ambulance train with a light guard. The Union troops had passed through Riceville toward Athens, but this the captain did not know ; so he captured the train and guards-two or three times his own number of men- and took them into Riceville. He soon learn- ed that he was in rear of the main rebel column, and was informed that he and his men were prisoners of war. He sur- rendered his prize, and accepted the situation with as good grace as possible. It was a sore disappointment, but he was compelled to bear it. One of his men, John Shattuck, was shot in the mouth, and lett lying where he fell, supposed to
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IN SOUTHERN PRISONS.
be dead ; but he was afterwards sent to the hospital at Athens, and recaptured by the Union troops. The following are the names of the men who were captured with Capt. Wilkins :
Sergt. John Liken .*
Corporals -David Vader, George W Hatton, * Cyrus B. Lord* and Charles F Barber .*
Judson M. Atwood, George Bunnell, Peter Coyle,* Lewis R. Colby, * Thomas H. Daring,* James W Dowd,* John Doyle,* Watson R. Ford,* Charles T. Goss, Frank Gurstung, * James Hart,* Edward D. Hunt,* Wesley Neiswender, John B. Peter- son," Robert O. Serene,* August H. Schrader, Jefferson S. Snyder* and Llewellyn Worthly.
*Died in rebel prison.
Capt. Wilkins was sent to Libby prison at Richmond ; his men to Andersonville-two-thirds of them never to return to home and friends.
In reply to a request of the author for information concerning his prison life, Capt. Wilkins writes as follows :
"Our rations consisted of about six ounces of solid food per day, that is, if bread made of unbolted corn meal, ground cob and all, can be called 'solid food' As for meat we had next to none ; and you may well conclude we did not increase in weight while prisoners. Add to this the almost total lack of proper clothing and blankets to protect us from the inclem- ency of the winter weather, and it is no wonder that men died ; it is surprising that any lived to tell the horrid tale of their sufferings. On the night of Feb. 9th, 1864, one hundred and ten prisoners, myself among the number, escap- ed from Libby, through a tunnel excavated under a street. We did not go out in a body, but by ones, twos, and threes. Af- ter tramping around in the Chickahominy swamps six days and nights, I was recaptured and taken back to Libby, and placed in the dungeon. While confined in this dungeon, I must confess I felt that I had been forsaken by friends, coun- try and God. However, in six or eight weeks after, it pleased the old arch devil, Jeff Davis, to order our removal to Macon, Georgia. This afforded another opportunity for escape ; and one dark night four of us cut a hole through the side of the *Died in rebel prisons.
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HISTORY OF THE 112TH ILLINOIS.
car in which we were being transported southward, and just as the train was moving out from a station, jumped from the car, and again took French leave of the Southern Confedera- cy. Lieut. Griffin, of Co. D, of the 112th Illinois, was in the car, but too lame and weak to make the venture. As I took his hand, and bade him 'good-bye,' as I verily believed for the last time, the tears filled my eyes in spite of all I could do. We made a leap in the dark as the train was moving out, and fortunately struck the ground without injury. We marched by night, and concealed ourselves in the brush by day-the north star our only guide, and the poor oppressed negro our on- ly friend and commissary. We avoided cities, villages and farm houses, waded bogs and swamps, swam rivers, and trav- ersed hills and mountains, and finally, after many a weary night's march, entered the Union lines at Dalton, Georgia, barely able to draw our weary bodies along, but happier than we had been for many long months. I immediately went to the telegraph office and sent the following message to a little woman up in God's country :
"DALTON, GA., JUNE, 5, 1864. "To MRS. CLARA WILKINS, "GENESEO, ILL. "Give me joy, I am a free man. Will write you more fully. J. E. WILKINS."
"We went by rail to Knoxville, where I became so weak I was taken to the hospital. There I found one of my own men, Louis Deem, who informed me that our regiment was with Sherman on the Atlanta campaign. The Post Surgeon di- rected Louis to take me home to die ; but Louis did not inform me of this until six months later. The only thing I knew was, that the next day I found Louis and myself on a train bound for the North, and when we changed cars lie carried me from one to the other. I arrived at home at last, and thanks to the care of that little woman, was able to rejoin the 112th, in front of Atlanta, on the 5th of August, 1864."
Charles T. Goss, of Co. I, who was captured with Capt. Wilkins, made several unsuccessful attempts to escape, and twice succeeded in getting away from his captors, but was re- captured and taken back to prison. In the summer of 1864
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THE CYPHER DISPATCH.
he made a final, and successful, effort to escape from Anderson- ville ; and after many narrow escapes, and suffering great hardships, entered the I'nion lines at Rome, Ga., on the 4th of July, 1864.
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