USA > Illinois > History of the Thirty-fourth regiment of Illinois volunteer infantry. September 7 1861. July 12, 1965 > Part 11
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firing ceased, the first line of the enemy's rifle-pits were filled by the boys in blue, and the late occupants in gray were in other rifle-pits farther south. A large number of their skirmishers remained quietly in their rifle-pits and surrendered without resis- tance. Four hundred and twenty-five of them came in to Gen. Dodge's headquarters.
Our Division advanced about one mile, later in the day, driving the skirmishers back on the main line. A few surren- dered and came in to our lines; four of them brought back 'one of our wounded skirmishers, and a few halted with our skirmish line and helped to make rifle-pits. No general engagement occurred in our Division, but several were hit by stray shots. Sergt. Stewart, of Company E, one of the best men in the regi- ment, was killed, and five others in the regiment were wounded. The bullet that killed Sergt. Stewart killed a lieutenant on the staff of Col. Mitchell, our brigade commander, and wounded another man. We heard that Gen. (Bishop) Leonidas Polk was killed the previous day, and the rumor was confirmed later. Eight hundred deserters were reported to have come into our lines during the day. A furious attack was made on our Div- ision picket line about nine o'clock at night, which was repulsed.
The 16th and 17th, we remained in the position occupied on the 15th, which was well up against the lines of the enemy. Heavy firing from our batteries was kept up a large portion of the day on the 16th, and another fruitless night attack was made on our Division picket line. Clothing supplies having, for the first time since the campaign began, been brought within reach, we drew such as our needs required. We were usually supplied with three days' rations at a time, and the rain made a curious compound of the remnant in haversacks after about one day.
We moved towards the front in the afternoon of the 18th, and found the enemy had kindly withdrawn to their strong lines of works on Kenesaw mountain, which is two miles in length, extending nearly east and west, with lines of intrenchments ex- tending back at right angles from each end of the mountain. The defenses were, in their form, similar to the shape of a horse-shoe, with the open end at Marietta, the "toe-calk" being
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a little to our left, on the top of the mountain. Much rain fell in the forenoon, and there was a good deal of maneuvering for position in the afternoon, calling out heavy artillery firing from both sides. We got word that the whole army was drawing in towards the lines of the enemy, and that the concentration of the opposing armies was more complete than at any previous time of the campaign. The Confederate lines were continuous, nearly fifteen miles in length, in form of a horse-shoe as already stated. Our lines were drawn to correspond with those of the enemy, and as close as the nature of the ground would permit.
On the 19th, we pressed forward towards the foot of Ken- esaw mountain, advancing altogether about one and a half miles. Heavy rains and the usual accompaniment of artillery and musketry, filled out the day. The brigade moved up under cover of the trees and underbrush and made rifle-pits at the foot of Kenesaw mountain, within easy musket range of the enemy. There were heavy field works exactly in our front, at the top of the mountain, in which embrasures for their guns were plainly visible. We felt quite secure from any damage by the battery, being so close to the foot of the mountain and so far beneath the guns they could not be depressed to bring us within range. The mountain is about two miles long, lying nearly east and west, and is about 1,000 feet high, surrounded by a plain on all sides. The picket lines of our brigade were about half way up the side of the mountain in our front, and the picket firing was quite constant.
The artillery firing from our lines was considerably increased in the afternoon of the 20th, there being about thirty pieces en- gaged for two hours, without any visible results except damage to the lines of rifle-pits and lunettes on the mountain. They worked all night and the following day, repairing and strength- ening their works. In the afternoon, the crew of one of the guns brought their piece out from behind their breastworks into open ground, and left it there while making repairs. It was a cool and deliberate proceeding, and so close to us that we could plainly see the "prolong" as they dragged the piece into view. The regiment furnished a detail for the picket line, and remained
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until relieved at three o'clock a. m. by the One Hundred and Twenty-Fifth Illinois, in the Third brigade.
The enemy opened fire with three batteries on the top of the mountain, about seven o'clock on the morning of the 22d, directed at the Second and Third Divisions of our Corps and the right of the Sixteenth Corps. The distribution of hardware was without partiality. A few men were hit in every regiment in the brigade; even our lines in the advance pits were not exempt. Pieces of shell passed through some of the tents close to the line of trenches, in which the men were quite content to seek shel- ter. It was much in our favor that no rain fell during the day.
Our regiment was relieved from the front line by the One Hundred and Thirteenth Ohio, and we withdrew to a position a. short distance in the rear. It being a moonlight evening, the exchange of regiments on the front line was observed by the enemy, who opened with artillery, doing some damage in the ranks of the One Hundred and Thirteenth. We afterwards learned that the artillerymen in our front made a "shear," and swung a piece of artillery in it by chains around the "trun- nions," so that it could be depressed sufficiently to reach our front line of trenches without any damage from the recoil.
Two of the surgeons of our brigade were dressing the wounds of a man who had been brought back from the picket line, one of them for the instant being at his head and the other at his feet. The lantern they were using attracted the attention of the artillerymen and they fired at the light. The shot struck the wounded man and cut his body in two pieces.
The regiment began making a line of rifle-pits on the morn- ing of the 23d, our position being within range of stray bullets from the skirmish line. The- batteries on the mountain also gave some attention to anything within range. Our batteries
replied briskly, and for a time silenced the enemy. We learned afterwards that a shell from one of our guns entered exactly into the muzzle of one of their guns and burst it into splinters.
The 24th was nearer a day of quiet and rest than any for two or three weeks. Our position was concealed by the dense tree-tops, under which we rested and spent a day of real leisure.
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Four of the younger class of the "Vets" wandered away twenty or thirty rods beyond the left of the regiment, found a hind run- ning gear of an old wagon, upon which they mounted a fallen limb of a tree, and running it out into an open space in sight of the enemy's batteries, turned it towards them and went through the motions of loading a piece of artillery. The "other fellers" fired first, and their exploding shell gave the jokers a surprise, and close call for their lives, but the fact of having fooled the johnnies was sufficient fun to compensate for all the risks taken.
The regiment remained in the same position during the 25th, being subjected to the necessity of guessing whether or not the next shot from the batteries would be directed our way. No casualties occurred. About 4 o'clock p. m., we received orders to be ready to march, and at midnight the Division moved to the right around the western end of Kenesaw, and then south- erly, in rear of the investing lines, to a point four miles from the former position. We remained in this place over the 26th, which was Sunday.
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MAP OF THE ASSAULT UPON KENESAW MOUNTAIN GA. IUNE 27th, 1864.
A MITCHELL'S GRIG.
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CHAPTER VII.
There is something in the date, "June 27th, 1864," that causes an agitated beating of the pulse in those who were in the front lines around Kenesaw mountain that day. Time will never obliterate the memory of the furious but fruitless charge upon ten miles of the enemy's intrenchments, known in history as the "Charge upon Kenesaw Mountain."
The brigade was in line about seven o'clock on the morning of the 27th, and regimental commanders were ordered to report to the brigade commander. Presently the company command- ers were called for, to report for orders, and these in turn com- municated the orders to their respective companies. A general assault was to be made on the lines of the enemy at nine o'clock. The Second brigade was to constitute the extreme right of the entire army. Companies A and B, of our regiment, were to deploy as skirmishers in one line, without bayonets, covering the front of the other regiments, in column of regiments. Com- panies F and I were to follow A and B at five paces, in a sec- ond skirmish line, with fixed bayonets, the brigade, in column of regiments following, the six companies of our regiment in the rear of the brigade.
The instructions to the skirmish line were to charge the rebel pickets out of their rifle-pits and press on to the main line in front until the lines of battle passed over the skir- mish line; then the skirmishers should form in company order with the regiment. The First brigade, of our Division, was in rifle-pits in front of us about eighty rods, when we got these orders, with a battery well fortified at the extreme right of the line, which was the extreme right of Gen. Sherman's army. A fow wagons and a battery were "parked" in the rear of this posi- tion, behind a rise of ground, out of sight of the enemy. In
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moving out to the front, we passed near these wagons and bat- tery, and the enemy, a mile or so to our right front, opened with artillery, firing a half dozen shots in our direction. One shot struck the saddle on an artillery horse and tore it from his back, without further damage. Other shots fell sufficiently near to make us mindful of the serious work before us. Several men in our regiment had the mysterious presentiment that is manifested so frequently under such conditions. Bets were made by the brigade staff officers that our skirmish line would, or would not, capture the picket line, a proceeding that caused a strong feeling of resentment in the minds of the men. It seemed too much like gambling on their lives-as though it was an insignificant , affair whether any of us came out alive or not, so that we drove the pickets from their trenches, and those who placed their bets on the negative side knew we would try, and that some would not come out of it alive.
The brigade moved forward to position steadily and in good order, the Thirty-Fourth skirmish lines in front. We passed through the lines of the First brigade, which was well protected behind their rifle-pits, and taking position outside, deployed our skirmish line steadily and deliberately, sufficiently to the front to allow the other lines to deploy in our rear. Having gained position, we had from twenty to thirty minutes to look out the situation in front, before the signal gun should send us on the perilous charge against the most strongly fortified position we had ever seen, either our own or the enemy's.
Our skirmish line halted on the brow of a hill which imme- diately sloped towards the east and the lines of the enemy, through scattering timber on the right and a small wheat field on the left, ending in a shallow ravine and rising to higher ground beyond, upon which were the rifle-pits of the enemy, and in front, varying from 100 to 250 feet, were the pits of the picket line. The main line of the eneiny was about 300 yards from our position, and our skirmish line was in plain view of the enemy and of his picket line, but we were not molested. Not a shot was fired. The silence became painful, and foreboded
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preparation to meet the attack. The men on the skirmish line were alert and attentive, intense and determined, but very quiet.
Between 8:30 and 9 o'clock, the expected signal came, clear and sharp. from our left rear, and the double skirmish line sprang away like a trained racer, directly for the picket line in front. In less than sixty seconds every man of the picket line was off his post, and all except perhaps a half dozen were in our lines as prisoners. The picket posts were separate pits, sufficient to accommodate four men, and the line did not run parallel with the main line of works, those in front of our right being farther from the main line than those on the left. The skirmish line pushed forward beyond the skirmish pits, out into open ground immediately in front of the main line of the enemy, with- out waiting for support. Nearly all of the casualties in the line occurred outside of the point to which proper orders for a skir- mish line under such conditions would have taken it.
The brigade lines of battle were deployed behind the breast- works of the First brigade, and, upon getting the signal, started promptly and steadily by double quick into the gates of death, which were instantly opened in front from thousands of muskets and from batteries to the right and batteries to the left. Down the brow of the hill, through the little wheat field, across the ravine and up the higher ground beyond, up to the pits of the picket line to the point where the remaining space of 150 to 300 feet to the "head-logs" of the breastworks could all be seen at a glance, and the impossibility of reaching the enemy with a bay- onet point was a certainty in the mind of every one. The lines halted voluntarily, and the efforts of the officers to urge the men forward were unavailing. The trail of the charging column was crimson with the blood of those who fell at every step of the way, and to attempt farther would only double the size of the "butcher's bill" without results. A good many men in detached and unsupported order advanced up to within a few feet of the intrenchments of the enemy, but almost immediately fell back to the main lines, which were in great disorder.
The ground in front of the lines of rifle-pits for two or three hundred feet had been cleared of every bush, but a dangerous,
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sharp-pointed stub was left where every bush and shrub had stood. Trees from four to ten inches in diameter had been felled, with the tops outward, the limbs trimmed off so as to leave as many sharp points as possible, and the limbs fixed rigidly in place by stakes driven in the ground. The trunks of trees ten inches in diameter were pierced with two-inch holes at right angles alter- nately every ten or twelve inches, and stakes six feet long driven through and sharpened at each end. These logs were fastened together at the ends with chains, securely bolted, and set up a few feet outside the rifle-pits. These lines of " cheval du frise" were the most perfect and impassable of any we had ever seen or ever saw afterwards. In addition, there was a complete line of"" head-logs" on the parapet, leaving two and a half inches through which to thrust the muzzles of their guns, and was the only vulnerable point at which we could direct our fire.
As soon as the hopelessness of the situation was apparent, orders were given to withdraw far enough to secure protection by lying down. The Third brigade, just on our left, being fav- ored by an abrupt descent from the lines of the enemy, occupied the ground within a few feet of where it halted, and, by lying close, made a substantial line of rifle-pits with bayonet and fry- ing-pan, just thirty-five yards, at one point, from the "head- logs" of the Confederate lines. Afterwards, another line was made, six paces nearer. The left of the Second brigade joined the right of the Third, and a continuous line of rifle-pits were made during the day and night, and two other lines were made a few paces in the rear. Our four companies withdrew from the skirmish line and rejoined the regiment, which returned about eighty rods to the rear and went into bivouac.
The withdrawal of the regiment was in orderly disorder. .To have. moved in compact ranks would have been to invite the fire of the enemy, so a few returned at a time and in discon- nected order. About the last of any to return was Col. Van Tassell. George H. Phipps, color sergeant, was wounded, and the regimental colors were left in the colonel's hands, and he came out alone with the staff over his left shoulder and the colors carelessly thrown over his right shoulder, unconsciously making
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a picture that, reproduced on canvas, would forever establish the name of the artist whose skill was capable of it. (See Ap- pendix. )
The reports from the various companies gave a loss in the regiment of 37 killed and wounded, a good many of whom were between the lines, where they could not be reached by the am- bulance corps. The day was very hot, and nothing could be done to relieve the fearful condition of the wounded. Their piteous calls for help had to be disregarded, as the enemy kept up a straggling fire to prevent the making of rifle-pits so close to their lines, and it is quite probable some of the wounded were accidentally killed. A relief party was sent out from the regi- ment at night to look after the wounded and get them away if possible. It was a dangerous and grewsome undertaking. It was necessary to use the utmost silence, and to creep close to the ground amongst the dead to find any that were living.
The case of Maj. Yeager, of the One Hundred and Twenty- First Ohio, was peculiarly sad. He was wounded so close to the enemy that he could not be rescued. He called to the Con- federates and asked them to come out and take him into their lines, giving his name, rank and regiment. He died during the night without relief from any source.
The officers and men of the regiments occupying the advance line of our brigade, as well as those of our regiment, did heroic work in rescuing the wounded. They were sought out and all living were brought away before morning. The dead lay singly, in groups, and in heaps, all over the intervening space between the lines.
Those who risked their own lives to help their wounded comrades met some of the horrors of war that night. One of them was Lieut. J. M. Branum, of the Ninety-Eighth Ohio, who was killed in the battle of Bentonville, N. C., March 19. 1865. Extracts from his letters were published in the National Tribune, in 1900. He wrote: "The dead were lying around four or five in a cluster, mostly of the One Hundred and Thir- teenth Ohio, which had been compelled to fall back and leave them. The first wounded man I came to was lying between
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two dead men, whose bodies were terribly swollen. This poor fellow had both legs broken, and was helpless. He begged to be carried off. My conversation attracted others, and they were calling in every direction now. *
* I went clear to the edge of the woods to see a boy, who seemed quite cheerful. He had five balls in his legs, but hope made him more cheerful than any others I saw. He told me the rebs were near, and had been collecting guns from the wounded. * *
* The boys had lain in the hot sun all day, with their wounds open, and they were too sore to be carried except on a stretcher. We worked until two o'clock, bringing them back and giving them water. It was a dark night's work as we groped our way among the bushes, guided by calls of the wounded and occasional flashes of lightning .. By three o'clock the wounded were all taken back, under a severe fire from the enemy. The left wing of our regiment is only seventy-five yards from the rebel line."
Only two brigades of our Second Division, Fourteenth Corps, were engaged in the assault, viz., our Second brigade and the Third, commanded by Col. Dan McCook, who was captain and assistant adjutant general to his brother, Gen. A. McD. McCook, in Camp Nevin, Ky., in the fall of 1861. The "Vets" in our regiment knew him well, and although not always associated in the same command, retained a very friendly inter- est in him. He was' mortally wounded and carried from the field, one of the Thirty-Fourth "Vets," Erasmus Hanson, Com- pany A, offering his assistance to relieve the bearers, which was accepted.
Two additional lines of rifle-pits were made in rear of the first one, all of which were kept fully manned. These lines were, in our brigade, regimental length, or about 500 feet, the lines of the Third brigade joining our left and covering about the same length.
The losses in the two brigades occurred while advancing, halting and falling back the short distance necessary to secure protection. The entire movement was made on ground not to exceed 1,000 feet square, and occupied little more than thirty
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minutes, but it was sufficient time in which to lose 903 men, killed and wounded, in the two brigades of our Division. The Third brigade lost 451 killed and wounded, by regiments as fol- lows: Eighty-Fifth Illinois, 80; Eighty-Sixth Illinois, 102; One Hundred and Twenty-Fifth Illinois, 117; Twenty-Second Indi- ana, 47; Fifty-Second Ohio, 105. In addition, there was reported as missing in the brigade one officer and 28 enlisted men.
The losses, killed and wounded, in the Second brigade were as follows: One Hundred and Twenty-First Ohio, 164; One Hundred and Thirteenth Ohio, 153; Ninety-Eighth Ohio, 33; Seventy-Eighth Illinois, 64; Thirty-Fourth Illinois, 38; total, 452; total in the two brigades of the Division, 903. The One Hundred and Eighth Ohio was not in the battle, being detached as train guard. The loss in the Seventy-Eighth Illinois is based upon a known loss in killed of 11 men. The proportion of killed to wounded on an average during the war was I to 4 8, making the wounded 53, and total 64.
Col. Mitchell, our brigade commander, in his official report said:
"The ground over which the assaulting column was to pass was hilly, with thick belts of trees interspersed, while the val- leys were low and marshy. The distance to be passed was little less than half a mile. The Thirty-Fourth Illinois was deployed as skirmishers, and ordered to advance to the enemy's main works. The assaulting force was formed in column of regi- ments, the One Hundred and Thirteenth Ohio in advance, iny brigade on the right of Col. McCook's and the extremne right of the line. The signal was given and the line sprang from the trenches at 8:30 a. m. The enemy's skirmishers were all killed or captured, the first line of rifle-pits taken, and the column passed to the last thin belt of trees separating us from the main works. As the column reached this point-the fire, which had before been very heavy, now became terrific-it was subjected to an enfilading fire of artillery and musketry. Still the column moved on, the summit of the hill was gained, the works were reached, but we could not pass them. A few of my men did get through
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the dense abattis, succeeded in scaling the works, and are now held as prisoners, but no continuous line could have done so. We fell back until covered by the crest of the hill, and with bayonets and tin cups threw up a line of works within forty paces of the enemy."
The Thirty-Fourth remained in bivouac until the evening of the 30th, and then went out and relieved the Ninety-Eighth Ohio on the right front line. The right of the lines of rifle-pits occupied by our brigade were "in the air," and unprotected, there being no troops on our right. At night on the 29th, Com- panies A, F and B, under command of Capt. Ege, were sent out to make a line of rifle-pits, slightly advanced and at right angle from the right of the lines previously made, in order to protect that flank. The enemy crept out in considerable force and attacked the working party at close quarters, about two o'clock, and at the same time the batteries and lines behind the breastworks opened a lively fire, which was promptly responded to from our batteries and lines. The uproar was furious for a few minutes, and then gradually subsided. Not more than half of the working party took their guns with them, consequently speed counted for something as a means of safety. They fell back about 200 feet and halted at a little round knoll in the rear, not being followed after the first dash. The sudden and unexpected attack was looked upon as a ludicrous episode, when it was ascertained that no one was killed and only two wounded.
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