USA > Illinois > History of the Thirty-fourth regiment of Illinois volunteer infantry. September 7 1861. July 12, 1965 > Part 13
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145
IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.
the right. The Twenty-Third Corps marched a considerable distance to the right, and dispositions were made to be ready for attack or defence. The movement caused a good deal of skir- mish firing, and the roar of artillery was more frequent than for some days previous. The lines, after being established well to the right, were gradually pressed to the front, and some thirty- pounder guns were brought up from Chattanooga and a fire from all the guns within reach was directed on Atlanta.
On the 25th, a general movement of the army was begun. . The Twentieth Corps withdrew to the Chattahoochie river and utilized some strong fortifications made by the Confederates at the railroad bridge. The Fourth Corps moved to the right and closed up to the Fourteenth Corps near Utoy creek. The cav- alry, dismounted, occupied the trenches vacated by the infantry, thus keeping up the appearance of strong lines of occupation, while the army was moving to a new base of operations.
On the night of the 26th, the Fifteenth and Seventeenth Corps vacated their lines of trenches and passed in the rear of the lines of the Fourth and Fourteenth Corps, joined the right of the latter Corps, remaining in position over the'following day. On the 28th, Gens. Thomas' and Howard's commands closed forward, touching Eastpoint, Red Oak and Fairburn, and on the 29th, destroyed the West Point railroad very thoroughly. The rails were torn loose from the cross-ties, which were piled up with rails in layers between. When the ties were burned, the rails were easily bent around trees and telegraph poles, and so thoroughly damaged that they could only be repaired in a rolling mill.
Gen. Sherman says (vol. 2, page 105): "Meantime, Scho- field, with the Twenty-Third Corps, presented a bold front toward Eastpoint, daring and inviting the enemy to sally out to attack him in position. His first movement was on the 30th, to Mount Gilead church, then to Morrow's Mills, facing Rough and Ready. Thomas was on his right, within easy support, moving by cross-roads from Red Oak to the Fayetteville road, extending from Couch's to Renfrew's, and Howard was aiming for Jones- boro." Page 106: "I was with Gen. Thomas that day, which
146
THE 34TH ILLINOIS INFANTRY
was hot, but otherwise very pleasant." Page 107: "That night we reached Renfrew's, and had reports from left to right (from Gen. Schofield, about Morrow's Mills, to Gen. Howard, within a couple of miles of Jonesboro). The next morning (August 3 ist), all moved straight to the railroad. Schofield reached it near Rough and Ready, and Thomas at two points between there and Jonesboro. Howard found an intrenched foe (Hardee's Corps) covering Jonesboro, and his men began at once to dig their accustomed rifle-pits. Orders were sent to Gens. Thomas and Schofield to turn straight for Jonesboro, tearing up the rail- road track as they advanced. About 3 p. m., the enemy sallied from Jonesboro against the Fifteenth Corps, but was easily repulsed and driven back within his lines. All hands were kept busy tearing up the railroad, and it was not until toward evening of the first day of September that the Fourteenth Corps (Davis) closed down on the north of Jonesboro, connecting on his right with Howard and his left reaching the railroad, along which Gen. Stanley was moving, followed by Schofield. Gen. Davis formed his Divisions in line about four p. m., swept forward over some old cotton-fields, in full view, and went over the rebel par- apet handsomely, capturing the whole of Govan's brigade, with two field batteries of ten guns. Being on the spot, I checked Davis' movement and ordered Gen. Howard to send the two Divisions of the Seventeenth Corps (Blair) around by his right to get below Jonesboro, and to reach the railroad so as to cut off retreat in that direction."
As a matter of course it was not done. It was one of those cases with an "if." Gen. Sherman sent two of his staff officers in succession, and finally Gen Thomas, to urge forward the Fourth Corps (Gen. Stanley), but he delayed in order to deploy a line of battle to drive a skirmish line, and darkness per- mitted Gen. Hardee to escape. The movement of the 31st of August was one grand military parade. The Fourteenth, Fifteenth (including two Divisions of the Sixteenth) and Seven- teenth Corps were put in motion, with the head of columns . towards the railroad, and all moved harmoniously forward within easy supporting distance, and could have formed line in a few
147
IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.
minutes covering miles of front, ready to receive any attack from the enemy. The men in the ranks were aware of the nature of the movement and were proud to be a part of it. They knew that all lines previously held were abandoned, and that the army was engaged in an independent movement, with fifteen days' supplies on' wagons, which were kept well under the protection of the moving column.
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148
THE 34TH ILLINOIS INFANTRY
By the middle of the afternoon of September Ist, 1864, the Second Division arrived at the lines of Gen. Howard's intrench- ments, which were well up to the Confederate. lines, which ran in a southwesterly direction near the railroad, about two miles north of Jonesboro, at the south side of an old corn-field, for a distance of about one-half mile. Gen. Howard's lines, at the point where we came to them, ran in an easterly. direction towards the line of the Confederates first mentioned above, and then southerly, parallel with the Confederate lines.
The Thirty-Fourth was in advance of the brigade, and as soon as we came out in front of Howard's lines in view of the Confederate battery, it opened on us with shell fire. Never did the warning cry of a mother quail disperse her brood more quickly than did the regiment seek cover from the exploding shells. A derisive laugh arose from the men in the rifle-pits, and Col. VanTassell sat quietly on his horse and gave orders for the regiment to re-form ranks. He also made other remarks not quotable, and in a very few minutes every man was in his place, taking a few "times" and making a few motions of the manual of arms, and were brought to an "order" as steady as so many pieces of statuary. Those whose laughter had burned into some of our fellows like acid, after hearing the explanation that the regiment had been kept on the skirmish line nearly the entire campaign, and had been accustomed to self-protection, and they, now seeing the absolute steadiness of the line, admitted that they had laughed too soon.
A Michigan four-gun battery had occupied redoubts on the flank of Howard's troops, in line to enfilade the rifle-pits of the enemy, but had not been allowed to fire until we arrived and had been fired on by the enemy. The permission to engage being given, the lieutenant in command of the battery ordered all of the guns outside of the works, and they began ticking off the time with the regularity of a clock. The guns were served with the precision and dexterity of a first-class automatic machine, and the shells were dropped where they would do (us) the most good.
149
IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.
The lieutenant was mounted, and rode amidst and in front of his guns in the most reckless manner, enthusing his men by his example and clear cut, energetic commands. We were reminded of the skill of the gunners in the trenches in our front at Resaca, and enjoyed it twice as much as we did then. We were told afterwards, by Confederates that one of the shells killed and wounded 17 men in their trenches.
As soon as our Division was well closed up, our brigade moved off in a northeasterly direction, obliquely from the lines of Howard and of the Confederates. After gaining about a half mile, we turned towards the east a short distance, behind a hill out of sight of the enemy, and then bore away towards the southeast, and, passing up the hill, came out into the open corn- field at the north side of it, and saw the trenches of the enemy at the south side of the corn-field, three-eighths of a mile away. The brigade was formed in line of battle and moved forward through the old corn-field down to a ravine, in front of which was an elevation on which was our skirmish line, and a little beyond that was the Confederate trenches, well manned, with artillery in position. Our brigade halted in the ravine until other troops of the Division should be in line with us. The sharpshooters of the enemy were keeping up a scattering fire on our skirmish line, and their bullets passed over and did some damage in our lines in the ravine.
The battle line of the Fourteenth Corps was formed in pro- longation of the line occupied by our brigade, and the advance on the intrenched position of the enemy began. A very few minutes brought the whole line in range of artillery and small arms, all of which were brought to bear on the steadily advanc- ing line of blue. Kenesaw was now two months old, and quite forgotten. There was a saucy foe in front and a sure chance for a fight, with a fairly good chance of giving him a threshing. It was hot work, and the sooner done the better. The lines by common impulse took the "double-quick," and rushed the works, going over them in great style, capturing about 2,000 prisoners and eight pieces of artillery. The enemy withdrew to
---
150
THE 34TH ILLINOIS INFANTRY
Lovejoy Station, south of Jonesboro, and the victors held the field and on the following day buried the dead. Ninety-three of the enemy were buried at one place in the trenches of their rifle-pits where they fell.
The field hospital of the Second Division was established about two miles in the rear, and the wounded were cared for under the "fly" of the hospital tents. There were forty-nine cases of amputations at the hospital, this writer contributing a right arm to the general assortment of such dissevered append- ages. It was an enrichment of Southern soil which would gladly have been avoided could there have been a choice of results in the day's proceedings, but it nearly always occurred, in the hard- fought battles of the civil war, that some one got hurt. Modern wars have greatly improved such conditions, but they have not been entirely free from accidents. It is greatly to be desired that improved methods will obviate the shedding of blood in future wars.
The enemy was followed to Lovejoy Station by the Fourth Corps and other troops, but he escaped, and the army returned to Jonesboro and vicinity, remaining until the 6th, and then a general movement towards Atlanta began, and continued leis- urely, going into camp near Atlanta on the 8th, the Fourteenth Corps being located near White Hall.
The Confederate army under Gen. Hood, having withdrawn to the southward of Atlanta, remained in the vicinity of Love- joy Station until the 21st of September, when he began that movement which culminated in his disastrous defeat in the bat- tles of Franklin and Nashville. - The strength of Gen. Sher- man's army, as officially reported during the campaign, was as follows: June Ist, 112, 819; July Ist, 106,070; August Ist, 91,- 675; September Ist, 81,758.
The casualties in our army during the months of May to September 20th, inclusive, were as follows:
151
IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.
Fourth Corps, killed and missing, 1460 wounded, 4300- 5760
Fourteenth Corps I261
5014- 6275
Twentieth Corps 66 1505 5912- 7417
Total, Army of the Cumberland, 19452
Fifteenth Corps, killed and m's'g 1034 wounded, 2538- 3572
Sixteenth Corps 475
1525- 2000
Seventeenth Corps
1510 1674- 3184
Total, Army of the Tennessee, 8756
Twenty-Third Corps, k'l'd, m's'g 572
1565- 2137
Cavalry 1048
294- 1342
3497
Grand Total, 8865
22822-31687
The above casualties separated into a different classifica- tion, give results as follows:
Killed .... 4423 Wounded .... 22822 Missing. . .. 4442-31687
The losses in the Second brigade for the same time were as follows:
KILLED
WOUNDED
MISSING
TOTAL CASUAL. TIES
Officers
Men
Total
Officers
Men
Total
CAfcers
Men
Total
121ST ORIO
3
23
26
8
180
18S
214
113TH OHIO
4
31
35
7
132
139
7
181
108TH OHIO
1
6
1-
1
25
26
7
77
40
98TH OHIO
2
20
22
1
54
58
2
2
S2
78TH ILL
2
24
26
7
169
176
3
3
205
34TH ILL
1
18
19
4
96
100
6
6
125
TOTALS
13
122
135
31
656
687
25
25
847
The Confederate losses officially reported were: Killed, 3044; wounded, 18952; total killed and wounded, 21996 The number of prisoners and deserters officially reported, 12983
Total Confederate loss to September 20, 1864, 34979
Of the prisoners and deserters from the enemy, the various armies reported as follows: Army of the Cumberland, 8. 588; Army of the Tennessee, 3,305; Army of the Ohio, 1,090- 12,983.
152.
THE 34TH ILLINOIS INFANTRY
REPORT OF LIEUT. COL. OSCAR VAN TASSELL, THIRTY-FOURTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY.
HEADQUARTERS THIRTY-FOURTH ILLINOIS VET. VOLUNTEERS.
JONESBORO, GA., Sept. 5, 1864.
CAPTAIN :- In compliance with orders received, I have the honor to transmit the following report of the part taken by my regiment in the recent campaign:
After breaking camp at Rossville, Ga., we marched with the brigade to Tunnel Hill, and on the Sth day of May were ordered to support the skirmish line, whose duty it was to clear the hill in front of Rocky Face Ridge of Confederate sharp- shooters. Arrived on the top of the hill, I was directed to send a company as skirmishers to clear the knob on the right of the railroad, commanding the entrance to Kenyon's Gap, of the enemy. Company A, under command of Capt. Peter Ege, was deployed and sent forward for this purpose; the men, plunging waist deep into a creek, crossed the railroad and charged up the hill on the double-quick, drove off the sharpshooters, afterward repulsing two lines of skirmishers who advanced to re-take the position, and holding their ground until relieved. The enemy having dammed the creek running through this gap, it had over- flowed the low ground between the knob spoken of, and I was called on by Col. Mitchell to furnish a party to see whether the dam could be cut. Sergt. Elhannon C. Winters and Privates John Crichton, Henry Coryell and George Garwick, of Com- pany A, volunteered to perform the work. Moving cautiously down the railroad to within a few yards of the enemy's pickets, Sergt. Winters concealed his men and went forward to see how the land laid. Gaining a position within twenty feet of the sen- tinel, he discovered a strong picket reserve close to the sentinel, and seeing the impossibility of going farther with the force at his command, he cautiously withdrew his men and went back to report progress, and was excused from further duty at the time.
153
IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.
During the night, however, Col. Mitchell sent for Sergt: Win- ters, and giving him another detail of about twenty men, directed him to cut the dam if possible. On the approach of this party. the sentinel and reserve withdrew, moving up the hillside and around in rear of the party, evidently with the intention of cap- turing them. Seeing his danger, Sergt. Winters sent a man back to report. Col. Mitchell then sent a stronger force in charge of a commissioned officer, and the whole number moved forward to perform their task, which the enemy perceiving, they advanced upon the party, firing rapidly. As it had now become so light that every movement was easily seen by the enemy, the officer in charge of the party ordered a retreat, which was effected without loss. I have been thus particular in giving an account of this adventure because I wished to do justice to a gallant young non-commissioned officer in one of his numerous deeds of coolness in danger since he has been under my com- mand. In the afternoon of the next day I received orders to support a skirmish line which was ordered to dislodge the sharp- shooters of the enemy from Rocky Face Ridge, but on arriving at the position indicated in the order, I was informed by the officer in charge of the skirmishers that his men were out of ammunition, and unless they were relieved he would be obliged to abandon the line. Accordingly, I sent forward Companies D and I as skirmishers, who held the line until after dark, when the whole regiment was relieved. The loss in my regiment in this action was 9 'men wounded, some of whom. have since died.
On the 14th of May, while on the left of the first line of battle of the second brigade, in front of Resaca, the line was ordered forward to cross a field commanded by a Confederate bat- tery, advantageously posted and supported by a strong line of infantry in rifle-pits. Alone, my command advanced into the open field opposite to the enemy; a withering storm of shell, grape and cannister was fired full at my regiment. The only safety being to advance, I ordered the men forward on the double- quick, gaining a wooded knob in front and a little to the left of the line of march. Companies A, F, D, and part of Company
154
THE 34TH ILLINOIS INFANTRY
I, took position in a ditch near where the first fire of the enemy reached us, and seriously annoyed the enemy's artillerists. The balance of the regiment gained the knob mentioned, from where they were able to do serious damage to the enemy, remaining in that position until night, firing every cartridge from a position where every' shot might be made fatal. A little after dark we rejoined the brigade, having lost 3 commissioned officers wounded, I (Capt. John A. Parrott) mortally; 6 enlisted men killed and 21 wounded; aggregate, 31 killed and wounded. May 16, our Div- ision took up the line of march toward Rome, Ga., going into camp about twelve miles from that place. My regiment having the advance, the next day Company A was sent forward as advance guard, meeting the videttes of the enemy six miles north of Rome. From this point this company, under Capt. Peter Ege, skirmished constantly with the enemy, being supported by Com- pany F, under Lieut. Slaughter, and driving the enemy within their works at Rome. Here Company F was deployed, taking position on the left of Company A, Capt. Ege assuming com- mand of both. About this time, Capt. Ege was struck and severely hurt by a partially spent ball, but he refused to leave the field until the whole line was relieved. Learning that a force of cavalry was moving around the right of my line, Com- pany D was sent out to watch the exposed flank, with Company C in reserve, while Company I was sent to the left to guard against a like danger. Having received orders from Col. Mitch- ell, I directed the skirmish line to fall back, contesting the ground as they retreated, as soon as the enemy should appear in force, which they soon did, advancing upon my line rapidly, but receiving several damaging volleys as they came up. The skir- mish line joined the reserve, and, acting upon the instructions spoken of, the whole line was ordered back slowly, when the Third brigade filed in between my line and that of the enemy, taking the fight off our hands. My loss, I commissioned officer bruised, 3 men wounded, and I taken prisoner. From Rome the Division marched to Dallas, Ga., rejoining the main army May 27. The next day, in obedience to orders from Col. Mitch- ell, I started with my regiment to open communication between
155
IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.
the left of Gen. Davis and the right of Gen. Butterfield's Div- ision of the Twentieth Army Corps. The guard sent by Gen. Davis to pilot me through the woods, being little acquainted with the locality, led me near the enemy's line, and judging by the firing that we were going too far to the right, I sent out skir- mishers, who soon developed the Fifty-Seventh Alabama infan- try in our front. A hurried movement to the left and rear was the only means of avoiding capture; as it was, two men who fell out on the march were captured by the enemy. We then moved around to near the hospital of the Twentieth Army Corps, from where I reported to Gen. Hooker, who ordered me to go into camp for the night. On reporting to him in the morning for instructions, he sent a staff officer to show me to the right of Gen. Butterfield's line.
Starting from this point, I deployed the whole line, connect- ing the two forces by a sparse skirmish or picket line, holding this position, with a short intermission, until the morning of June 1, when a regiment (Twelfth Illinois infantry) of Gen. Dodge's command relieved mine. From this time until June 15 we did nothing beyond the ordinary duty of troops on a cam- paign, the whole line being gradually shifted toward the railroad. In the afternoon of June 15, a portion of my regiment, then on the picket line, was sent forward as skirmishers at the time the whole line was advanced, the remainder of the regiment being held in reserve. The outposts of the enemy were driven about three-quarters of a mile in our front, the pickets established on the new line, those of my regiment relieved, and the whole returned to camp. The enemy having fallen back to Kenesaw. on the 18th, the whole line was advanced, my regiment taking a position in range of a battery on the mountain. We threw up temporary fortifications in the afternoon of the 19th, as it was apparent that the enemy were preparing to shell our camp. The next day they opened on us, shelling our camp furiously nearly all the forenoon, but without damage to my command. Moved with the brigade to a position about three miles southwest of the camp mentioned above. June 27, four companies (A, F, I and B) were deployed as skirmishers, with the balance of the regi-
£
156
THE 34TH ILLINOIS INFANTRY
ment in reserve, under orders to drive in the Confederate pick- ets and to proceed as far as possible toward the enemy's main line, to prepare the way for an assaulting column. Advancing on the double-quick, my skirmishers drove in the outposts of the enemy, capturing several prisoners during the charge, some of my men pursuing the retreating foe so far as to die within twenty feet of the rebel works. Corporal George Phipps, of Company A, carrying the colors, pressed forward with the intention of planting the Stars and Stripes on the enemy's works, but was wounded before he could accomplish his design. Wounded as he was, he brought off the colors, when the skirmishers were ordered back, until a second shot , compelled him to drop them, when Lieut. Teeter carried them from the field. The skirmish- ers fell back, by order of Col. Mitchell, to re-form behind the works. My loss was 6 men killed, 28 wounded and I missing. On the 29th of June, Companies A, F, I and B were sent out in charge of Capt. Ege to construct a line of rifle-pits during the night. The work progressed steadily until about one o'clock in the morning, when a party of the enemy crept out of their works and poured in a heavy fire from a position not more than twenty yards away, but firing too high to do much damage. Seeing the impossibility of maintaining his ground, Capt. Ege ordered a retreat, which was accomplished with some confusion, losing two men seriously wounded. June 30, I was ordered to relieve the Ninety-Eighth Ohio, then on the front line, remaining under fire in the position left by them until the morning of July 3, when we marched with the brigade in pursuit of the retreating enemy, who had abandoned his works the night before. My regiment was actively employed from this time forward on duty such as would be expected of any troops under similar circum- stances, particularly in the action of Peach Tree Creek, July 19, where I had four men wounded; taking an honorable part in the siege of Atlanta, in which we lost Capt. Amos W. Hostetter, an officer than whom a braver or more trustworthy never drew a sword in the defense of the right, who was never absent from his command or duty for more than forty-eight hours at a time during all his term of service, leaving a record behind him of
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THE 34TH ILLINOIS INFANTRY
which any officer might be proud. It was ours also to take part in the movement which has resulted in the capture of Jonesboro and Atlanta, and the defeat and disgrace of the hitherto uncon- quered Division of Cleburne, of the Confederate army. It is my pride to point out the last act of our Division in this campaign and the part 'taken by the gallant regiment I have the honor to command, in which they have strived to do their duty, and have consciousness and proof of success.
In the afternoon of September I, I received orders to move out on the right of the One Hundred and Twenty-First Ohio, then on the second line of battle. Halting in a ravine after reaching the point designated, I was directed to send the rear ranks of my regiment a short distance to the rear to construct ritle-pits, which left about eighty-five men, rank and file on the line. Following the first line of battle until it entered the tim- ber. I moved my regiment to the right flank to the assistance of the Seventy-Eighth Illinois, which had captured a battery, and which Lieut. Col. Vernon was apprehensive they would be una- ble to hold. Forming a line at right angle with the enemy's works, my men poured a destructive fire into their line. Soon after getting into position, the enemy were observed moving a body of troops across our front, apparently with the intention of reinforcing their line in the works, but the fire of my men and those of other regiments who joined them, forced an abandon- ment of the plan. Here fell First Sergt. Patrick McCarty, of Company E, one of the bravest of the brave, nobly urging his company to the last to deeds at once the pride and glory of the American soldier. Such of my men as were in action remained under fire until dark, when they were relieved by the One Hun- dred and Thirteenth Ohio. About fifty of the men were sent to throw up a line of breastworks on the line we now occupied. My loss in this engagement was 5 enlisted men killed and 14 wounded, Lieut. M. A. Fuller, of Company I, among the latter number.
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