USA > Illinois > History of the Ninety-sixth Regiment, Illinois volunteer Infantry, Vol. I > Part 23
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This is variously called Waldon's, Waldron's and Wallen's Ridge, but there seems to be the best authority for the last.
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HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I.
Lookont Mountain. its shape bearing some resemblance to an. Indian moccasin, the toe being thrust between Lookout and Chattanooga, and the heel lying down toward Brown's Ferry .. Judging from the size of the foot, and the length of stride which must have gone with it, the next impression of that gigantic moccasin must be searched for in some loop of the. Chattahoochee many miles toward the south. The side of the point which lies next to the mountain is low and fertile, and. prior to our occupancy had been covered with a fine crop of corn and beans which. fortunately for us, had been some- what carelessly harvested. Our camp was situated several hundred yards from the river, nearly opposite the northern base of the mountain, and a little distance behind the camp rose a considerable ridge-the instep of the moccasined foot- on which was posted the 1Sth Ohio Battery. This loud- mouthed neighbor occasioned us a good deal of anxiety during our stay on the point. As soon as it was securely sheltered by strong works it began to talk to the mountain in a very emphatic way, and Lookout wrinkled his rocky brows and began to talk back. These occasional dialogues would not have troubled us in the least if the principal parties had kept the conversation exclusively to themselves, but the Boanerges who held forth from behind Pulpit Rock on the crest of Look- out had an inconvenient way at times of talking at large to. the whole camp. At such times he had many listeners, who paid very close attention to his remarks, but who fervently wished that he would bring his fire-and-brimstone preaching to a speedy close. The northeast side of a tree was the favorite point for listening, and a puff of smoke on the point of the mountain was the signal that a monosyllabic remark. in the shape of a shell, would. in a few seconds, utter itself somewhere on the point, and the question was-where! The 9th Ohio and 10th Indiana Batteries were sent to assist the Isth Ohio, and all were bomb-proofed by the infantry, -the NINETY-SIXTH on one occasion working an entire night with picks and shovels. But the artillery on Lookout. beyond its disquieting effect, did us very little injury. The distance was considerable. the elevation of the guns above the river was
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FREQUENT ARTILLERY DUELS.
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great, the marksmanship was not good, and to this should be added not only the saving fact that owing to poverty the Rebels were sparing in their use of ammunition, except in hours of close conflict, but the farther fact that our artillery was superior to theirs and responded very promptly to each salutation. Indeed, the second shot from the point took down their signal flag, and the admirable practice occasionally indulged in by our artillerists was doubtless the means of putting the enemy on their good behavior. After showing us a few times that they could throw shells into our camp, the battery on Lookout let us alone, and, with the exception of the skirmish fire along the river, our camp was as peaceful as though there had been no enemy in our vicinity. We maintained a strong skirmish line along the bank of the river. and at first many sharp shots were exchanged with the rebel skirmishers, sheltered by rocks on the side of the mountain ; but as the river is several hundred yards wide, their fire did us little bodily harm, and served only to develop watchfulness and caution. After a few days these two lines fell into the regular routine of picket duty ; and. by that mutual under- standing which soon arises between opposing pickets, they seldom exchanged shots except when an unusually tempting opportunity offered itself. Occasionally, however, the severe artillery duels were renewed. and more than once the soldiers sought their bomb-proofs and the officers vacated the log building occupied as a Regimental headquarters. Once a bullet passed between the logs of the building where the chinking was out and spoiled an inkstand upon the Adjutant's desk. In riding between the camp and Brigade headquarters one day, the Adjutant found himself the target for Rebel sharpshooters, but escaped injury, although the horse ridden by him was disabled by a bullet.
Gen. Bragg had decided to force Gen. Roscerans out of Chattanooga by the gradual process of cutting off his supplies. maintaining in the meantime as close a siege as possible, with the expectation that we must soon abandon the place to avoid starvation. Gen. Longstreet favored a flank movement, as bolder, speedier and more likely to lead to success ; but the
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HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I.
Southern army had suffered so severely in the battle of Chicka- manga that his more cautious chief preferred the slower but less hazardous methods of a siege.
The pretense of a siege was little more than a farce ; but the question of how to obtain a sufficiency of supplies in the face of a watchful enemy who held.our direct line of commu- nication. soon became serious enough. Our base of supplies was at Bridgeport and Stevenson, close at hand by rail, and easily reached by steamer ; but the possession of Lookont and Raccoon Mountains gave the enemy full control of this short and easy line, leaving us only the route over Wallen's Ridge on the north side of the river, over a road so bad that trans- portation was extremely difficult, and so long that it could not be effectually guarded against cavalry raids. The difficulty of supplying our army over this route was soon demonstrated. On October first, Gen. Wheeler, with a large force of cavalry. started on a raid toward our rear, with the intention of inter- rupting. and, if possible, of destroying our communications. On the second he captured a large wagon train in Sequatchie Valley. coming from Bridgeport, laden with supplies. Being closely pressed by Gen. Crook, with a force of cavalry, and threatened by an infantry command under Gen. McCook. he burned several hundred wagons, with their contents, and took with him a large number of mules. Our cavalry gained some advantages over him, recapturing eight hundred mules ; but he carried his raid as far north as Murfreesboro. doing an immense amount of damage before he recrossed the Tennessee. in a badly demoralized condition, on the eighth. The effect of this raid and other efforts of a similar nature soon began to appear in our camps. The animals showed the effects first. It is calenlated that ten thousand horses and mules died of starvation and of hard usage on the terrible roads. Forage in the neighborhood of Chattanooga was soon exhausted, and the watchful Robel cavalry were ever lurking on our fanks. seeking to capture or destroy trains sent to a distance to obtain corn or fodder. So many draft animals died that the task of supplying the army became more and more difficult.
Hon. HI. W. Blodgett, of Lake county, on learning that
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THE CAVALRY RAIDS THE REAR.
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the Regiment had suffered very heavily in the recent battle, started at once for the front, and, on arriving at Bridgeport, took a horse and followed after the wagon train which was burned by Gen. Wheeler. overtaking it and being near its head when the Rebel cavalry made their attack. He had an exciting experience. but escaped, as did most of the train guard. Mr. Blodgett reached the Regiment in safety, and spent several days in the camp and hospitals. On the oeca- sion of one of these cavalry raids, Hamilton D. Crane, of Company K, while driving a team, was fatally shot. being taken to MeMinnville, where he died from his wounds October 10. At one time a number of men from the Brigade were eap- tured, but all were paroled within an hour or two, being first stripped of everything possessed by them which their eaptors either needed or fancied.
During the early part of this period trains passed along the river road, but at great peril, several men being wounded and the mules killed, so that a blockade was created. On one oceasion First Assistant Surgeon Moses Evans, of the NINETY-SIXTH, accompanied an ambulance train of wounded. While passing "The Narrows," he was wounded by a bullet, which cut his ankle, but was not seriously injured.
The daily ration issued to the men was reduced, not to the point of starvation, but to such a degree that we hung on the edge of hunger for a number of weeks, and sometimes we dropped over the edge, and found great difficulty in climbing back again. The field of corn on the point delayed this result in our camp for a time. a large ear of corn being about equal to the daily ration then issued to us ; but soon the vast Jninger of the mules stripped the fields so bare that one might search for hours and be rewarded with only a few poor "nub- bins." Corn near the bank of the river was worth its weight in Rebel lead. One man of Company D can testify that he drew the Rebel picket fire four times one forenoon while gleaning a few handfuls of corn.
The members of the Regiment usually alluded to this camp as "Starvation Point" in after months. At no other time during onr entire period of service were the rations as
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HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1.
low as here. On one occasion soap, candles. pepper and vinegar comprised the bill of fare. The comments made upon this occasion would be entertaining could they be repro- duced. Later, corn alone was issued on a few occasions, and the men would ask the officer issuing it. in a semi-serious way. how they could be expected to eat corn without any soap or candles, or if they would not prefer to keep the corn and give them some pepper and vinegar. But notwithstanding the short rations, the lack of blankets and clothing, the continuons exposure, the constant danger, and the anxiety, felt if not expressed, lest retreat should become necessary, and disaster to the army and the cause result, the men were cheerful and uttered few complaints. They were by no means discouraged, but each had an abiding faith that help would come from some source, and that the army would succeed in driving from the strongholds in their front the then exultant enemy.
When the hungry quadrupeds were fed, the teamsters had to mount guard over the feed-troughs; for if they did not. hungry bipeds clad in blue, who were ever on the watch for ways and means to eke out their scanty rations, would filch corn from the very mouths of the mules, regardless of the silent glances of reproach east after them by those much- abused partners in adversity.
The corn, when obtained either by fair means or foul, was first parched. then ground in a coffee-mill, or grated upon the perforated sides of a tin canteen, and when made into mush and fried in pork fat it was a dish fit for a king .- that is a very hungry king.
The following episode took place at the hungriest point of the quarter-ration period. Two members of Company D were on guard in the woods some distance north of our camp. They were very hungry, and had not between them so much as a grain of parched corn. Inspired by hunger, their imag- inations made out endless bills of fare, and their memories recalled the many appetizing things which they had eaten before leaving home. When by these mental exercises they had whetted their appetites to a keenness which was almost unbearable, they saw, to their great joy, a quadruped ap
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A PORCINE PRIZE.
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proaching through the bushes. It was one of those long. lean, hound-like Southern hogs, which were known among the soldiers as "wissers." It looked like the genius of starva- tion, wearing a swine-like form. Indeed, if it had been the sole survivor of that Gadarene herd into which the devils entered, and had eaten nothing during the intervening eentu- ries, it could not have been much leaner. A whole herd of such swine could hardly have cast one respectable shadow.
It is probable, however, that this particular "wusser" had been born and bred on Moccasin Point, and had been eaten out of house and home by Uncle Sam's men and mules. In the struggle for existence then going on around Chattanooga. his fitness to survive had been for some time a constantly decreasing quantity. and it had almost reached the vanishing point. But he still lived ; and hunger being uncritical, he seemed to those two soldiers a prize worthy of a vigorous campaign.
But how to secure such shadowy game was a difficult question. As well attempt to catch a grayhound by direct chase ; and a bullet, though aimed with the greatest skill, might easily miss an object which was so thin that you had to look twice before you could see it,-except the head, which, owing to its bony structure, stood out distinctly in all the unlovely angularity of its osseous outlines. But something must be done, and done quickly : and so one of the soldiers shot at the shadow and hit it, -in the head of course, for it was nearly all head .- at the junction of the jaws, for it was mostly jaw ;- and then began a chase which, for vigor and speed and the urgent nature of the interests involved, has rarely been equaled. The lower jaw of the pig dropped square down, but otherwise it held its forces well together ; and with a continuous squeal issuing from its throat, it started through the bushes at a high rate of speed, followed by the comrades in hard pursuit. An epic poem might be written on the chase, if a bard could be found worthy of the theme. It might be entitled, " Hunger in Pursuit of Famine's Master- piece."
**. Long time in even scale the contest hung ; "
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HISTORY OF THE 9CTH REGIMENT, ILI. V. I.
but at last one of the pursners seized a large iron bolt had fortunately been dropped by some passing wagon .nd threw it with such strength and skill that the porcine ize soon lay at their feet.
Panting and triumphant, they bore it to the picket ; st ; skinned it, roasted it bit by bit at their fire, and ate it .. . at one meal. But then they were very hungry, and it was very lean. If the proverb, "The nearer the bone the sweeter the meat" is true, that was the sweetest meat, as it averaged, ever eaten by man.
But soon after this gastronomic episode reached such a happy termination, our direct line of communication was opened up, and the reign of hunger came to a close. The way in which this was done deserves special mention, not merely because the NINETY SIXTH helped to bring it about. but also because it was executed with a skill and boldness which took the enemy by surprise, and at once put an end to the fiction that Chattanooga was in a state of siege.
Early in October Gen. Hooker, from the Army of the Potomac, arrived in Nashville, bringing with him the Eleventh and Twelfth Corps. He did not at once march to our relief. for, having come the entire distance by rail, he had no wagon train ; but he effectually protected our line of communication from Nashville to Bridgeport, and we lived in daily hope that some bold movement would soon enable us once more to assume aggressive operations.
Following Chickamauga there was a reorganization of the army in and around Chattanooga. In this reorganization the troops of the old Reserve Corps were scattered through the various commands. Of the Brigades which had fought at Chickamauga, Col. Mitchell's became the Second, and Col. McCook's the Third Brigade of the Second Division of the Fourteenth Corps. Gen. Whittaker's Brigade, to which the NINETY-SIXTH was still attached, became the Second Brigade of the First Division of the Fourth Corps. Besides the NINETY-SIXTH, there was the 115th Illinois, 40th Ohio, and S4th Indiana, - these Regiments having comprised the old Brigade, -and the 51st Ohio, 99th Ohio, 35th Indiana, and
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AMYY ALEXANDER H. THAIN. MPIT UASON V. YOUNG.
GEORGE E. SMITH, JR. Capt. THEODORE F. CLARKSON. First Lieut. J. H LINKLATER.
RICHARD S. THAIN ROBERT J. DOUGLAS.
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GENERAL GRANT ARRIVES.
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Sth Kentucky, these last Regiments having been formerly the Third Brigade of the Third Division of the Twenty-first Corps. All of these Regiments had lost heavily at Chickamauga, and the eight had for duty but about two thousand men. The Twentieth and Twenty-first Corps were for the time being discontinued, the Fourth and Fourteenth Corps absorbing all of the troops that had been actively engaged in the battle.
October 18, by an order of President Lincoln, the Military Division of the Mississippi was created, and Gen. Grant was placed in command. Pending the arrival of Gen. Grant. Gen. Thomas assumed command of the army at Chattanooga ; and Gen. Rosecrans withdrew from his position as leader so quietly, that for some days it was not generally known that he had been relieved from command. He was favorably re- garded by his men ; but the smoke of Chickamauga had clouded his reputation as a commanding General, and, justly or unjustly, he went to the rear.
Gen. Grant arrived at Chattanooga October 23, and with characteristic promptitude and vigor he addressed himself to the task of changing the military situation. But with justice to others, it should be said that before his arrival a bold and promising measure for our relief was nearly ready for execu- tion. For some time Gen. Smith had been building pontoon boats, with a view of establishing a bridge at Brown's Ferry. a few miles north of our camp at Moccasin Point, thus open- ing a way into Lookont Valley, preparatory to the advance of Gen. Hooker on the direct road from Bridgeport.
On the morning of the 27th, at three o'clock, a fleet of pontoon boats left Chattanooga, loaded with a force of 1,300 picked men under command of Gen. Hazen. Their intention was to float down the river under cover of the darkness, glide past the enemy's pickets unseen, capture their post at Brown's Ferry, and transform the fleet of boats into a bridge before the enemy could rally a force strong enough to resist the movement.
The distance from Chattanooga to Brown's Ferry by the river is nine miles, but across the neck of the point it is only four miles. For some distance below the city the force on
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HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I.
the pontoons had nothing to fear, for both banks of the river lay within our lines; but where the river turns northward along the base of the mountain, they knew that a line of Rebel pickets extended along the left bank of the stream for miles, and past these they must glide unseen and unheard. Closely hugging the right bank of the river, and under the shelter of a friendly fog, the movement was executed so suc- cessfully that the first boat reached the appointed place at dawn. captured or dispersed the Rebel force stationed at the Ferry, and by ten o'clock the bridge was stretched from bank to bank.
This brilliant movement was not accomplished without opposition. Our guns on Moccasin Point and the Rebel guns on Lookout had a violent quarrel about the new bridge. The guns on Lookont sent their protests down the river in the shape of shells ; but a line of boats miles away, and rising only a foot or two above the water, is hard to hit. so Lookout protested in vain.
On the twenty-seventh we left our camp and passed the night near the eastern end of the bridge, and on the twenty- eighth we crossed over to form a junction with Hooker's column, which was advancing toward Lookout Valley from the west. The enemy resisted Hooker's advance with great vigor at first. A heavy fire from Lookout assailed the head of the column as it pressed into the valley on the twenty- eighth, and at one o'clock A. M. on the twenty-ninth a fierce assault was made on Geary's Division of the Twelfth Corps. at Wanhatchie. This desperate night attack seemed to cali for our presence on the scene of action, and at sunrise we began to advance toward the western base of Lookout ; but it soon became evident that "Fighting Jo," as Hooker wa- popularly termed, would be able to take care of himself. and our reinforcing column sought shelter behind a range of hills from the annoying artillery fire which from the crest of Look- out had disputed our advance.
At this point occurred the only disaster of the day in our entire command. A shell exploded near a tree behind which a number of men were standing, mortally wounding a member
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OPENING THE CRACKER LINE.
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of the 101 st Illinois, severely wounding George Shaw, of Com- pany D, NINETY-SixTH Illinois, and intlieting slight wounds on Henry J. Ring, Walter Crapo, and D. G. Stewart. of the same Company. That unlucky sheil spoiled George Shaw's marching step, and has ornamented him with an honorable limp ever since.
On the thirtieth we recrossed the river and returned to our camp on Moccasin Point.
This dash into Lookout Valley will be remembered by our men, personally, as being remarkable chiefly for two things- corn and shells. To our hungry men it seemed almost like an entrance into paradise to find corn : not poor, occasional cars such as we had lately gleaned after long search or at the risk of our lives, but large. golden ears, stored away in cribs. We began to draw rations of corn with a celerity which soon emptied the cribs and filled our haversacks. Corn was King all along the line. Ears were passed from hand to hand as gifts worthy of being tests of true comradeship. Corn was eaten from the cob with apparent satisfaction, and parched corn was regarded as a luxury.
But with an over-generosity which we did not at the time appreciate, the Rebel artillerists on Lookout offered to shell our corn ; at any rate they shelled us with great vigor, and much to our discomfort. A fragment of a shell actually made it- way into Henry Ring's haversack, in search of corn, -- a kindness which called forth anything but thanks from the Antioch soldier.
But this movement, crowned with such entire success, brought speedy relief to our entire army. With the exception of a short detour to avoid the guns on Lookout our direct line to Bridgeport was once more open ; and abundant supplies came to us by wagon train, and up the river by steamboat. demonstrating the fact that Bragg's attempt to reduce Chatta- hooga by siege was a failure. But the reign of plenty did not come to us on Moccasin Point. On October 31st, at an early hour, we bade good by to that memorable camp, and moved in the direction of Bridgeport. We did not, as was usual when starting on a march, draw three days' rations, but
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HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I.
each man received three small squares of hardtack. The "cracker line" was open, but very little had come over it as yet. But we began the march with hearts as light as our haversacks ; for he is a poor soldier who cannot provide for the partial supply of his wants when on the march, and hunger had taught us that there is mnuch virtue in an car of corn. Corn continued to be King until we arrived at Shell Mound. on the afternoon of the second day, but there he was ignomini- ously dethroned, for again we drew full rations for the first time in many a day.
The principal natural curiosities at Shell Mound are a large mound of shells on the bank of the Tennessee, and Nickajack Cave, which furnished nitre for a powder factory until the advance of our army put a stop to operations. This cave has a splendid entrance hall, some three hundred feet wide, four or five hundred feet long, and thirty or forty feet high. Beyond this noble hall the cave turns to the left, becomes narrower, and extends into the mountain for a great distance.
According to an Indian tradition, one of their braves made a wager that he would ride through the cave on his pony, and find an exit at a distant point. He entered the cave full of bravery and bad whisky, and after a considerable length of time he and his pony came out on the other side of Raccoon Mountain, sixteen miles away. It may be ; but that pony must have been web footed, for a stream runs through the cave, and, in exploring it, much of the distance has to be made by water.
To the left of this cave Niekajack Cove cleaves its way into the mountains in a southerly direction. It is of consid- erable width at its entrance, but narrows as it advances, and ends abruptly against the side of a mountain about three miles from the entrance.
About half way up this sheltering cove, on an easy slope of the left hand mountain, we went into winter quarters, with wood and water right at our doors. Only the NINETY-SixTHE and the 40th Ohio occupied this cove, the other Regiments of the Brigade being camped near Shell Mound. For a week or more after the camp was laid out, an epidemie of architecture
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AN EPIDEMIC OF ARCHITECTURE.
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raged in the cove, with most astonishing results. If the four winds of the earth had brought strange structures from all quar- ters and had set them down on the hill side, there might have been greater variety in materials, but hardly greater variety in styles. No particular order of architecture was followed. for the reason that each man was an original architect and did not wish to cramp his individual genius by conforming slavishly to conventional styles. So each man did what was well pleasing in his own eyes ; and the result was a picturesque combination of all known orders of architecture, with a strong dash of dis-order.
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