USA > Illinois > History of the Thirty-fourth regiment of Illinois volunteer infantry. September 7 1861. July 12, 1965 > Part 8
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27
Palmer's Division, on the 28th of October, moved down the river and crossed over at a point opposite Whiteside, Grose's brigade being sent to that place and the other brigade to Shell Mound and Bridgeport. Grose's brigade was moved from its station to Lookout valley on the 23d of November. At daylight on the morning of the 24th, this brigade was ordered by Hooker to drive the enemy from the position of a destroyed bridge on Lookout creek, near the railroad crossing, and near to the base of Lookout mountain. Serious opposition being met at this point, the brigade was ordered to proceed up the creek, where a bridge was being put in. The Seventy-Fifth and Eighty- Fourth Illinois crossed over and were followed by the rest of the brigade, which was deployed in two lines. Troops from Oster- haus's and Geary's Divisions prolonged the line to the right, and the forward movement began, culminating in the capture of Lookout mountain.
84
THE 34TH ILLINOIS INFANTRY
LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN AND BATTLEFIELD.
This view of Lookout mountain, taken from near the right of Gen. Hooker's camp in Lookout valley, shows nearly the whole of the battlefield of Nov. 24, 1863. The movement of the Union forces was from the right of the view towards the left, swinging around to the left to about the horizon line of the view, where the battle closed at dark. An idea of the magni- tude of the mountain 'may be obtained by comparing the dim view of the parapet at the top of the mountain with the same par- apet upon which the man is standing in the other view.
85
IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.
LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN AND MOCCASIN POINT.
The river, as seen in the second view, runs from the small section visible at the right, around the southern end of Moccasin Point, which is the body of land shown between the two points of the river to the north of Lookout mountain. The Thirty- Fourth was camped on Moccasin Point, opposite, or to the left in the view, of the small portion of the river seen at the right. The regimental picket line occupied the bank of the river on that point during the battle of Lookout Mountain. Reference to the map of Chattanooga and vicinity will aid a proper understanding of the situation.
L
86
THE 34TH ILLINOIS INFANTRY
The Thirty-Fourth Illinois was on the picket line around the southern end of Moccasin Point, now a useless occupation, but we were not relieved until the following day. We were per- mitted from the picket line, but more perfectly from camp, to see that stirring, absorbing and bewildering panorama which each moment presented some new phase, and took on features of added interest.
The assaulting troops moved by a left oblique, which brought the lines forward towards the enemy and upwards on the western slope of the mountain, with the effect of clearing the way in their front, leisurely, but. with certainty and safety fromn flank movements or sudden charges. The enemy under- took to make lines of rifle-pits to stay the steady advance of our troops, but the persistent upward climbing of the lines could not be stayed.
The side of the mountain is quite abrupt, and covered with stumps, boulders and irregular jutting blocks of stone, affording much better protection to those who were on the lower side of the opposing lines than to those who, on the higher ground, were resisting their approach. At times the firing was fierce and rapid, and the enemy would recede to a new position, and there would be an interval of comparative quiet for a short time. The battery on Moccasin Point, near our camp, watched the oppor- tunities for dropping a few shells into the ranks of the enemy, when it appeared safe to do so without risk to our men. A working party of the enemy attempted to make a line of defence in the rear of their advance lines, and the battery got the range and began firing. After firing a very few shots, a cloud floated across the mountain quite a little lower down than where the party was at work. The gunners, having the range, continued firing for some little time without being able to see their human target. Suddenly the cloud floated away, and the working party was not to be seen, but in their place was "little boy (in) blue," and "Old Glory" was still crawling upward and forward, and . the glorious panorama had shifted to a new and thrilling scene.
87
IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.
The northern end of Lookout mountain is somewhat in the form of an oval, with the apex towards the north, or like the half of an egg laid down on the flat side.
The assault began on the west side, and was pushed around over the highest point towards the east, the opposing forces at dark resting in parallel lines from the palisade at the top to a point near the bottom. These two lines were each more than a half mile in length. Pickets were thrown out and skirmish firing was kept up until late into the night. The positions of these two lines were such that the flash of the guns from both sides was plainly visible from our camp. It was a unique and roman- tic sight, even to those who would, have had no thought of the grandeur of it had they been on the firing line. Our whole camp remained outside of quarters long into the night, thrilled with the awful glory of the spectacle. The Thirteenth and Seventy- Fifth Illinois and Thirtieth Indiana and Seventy-Seventh Penn- sylvania actively or less engaged in this glorious achievement of the day.
The quiet of the latter part of the night was but the calm before the storm. The morning of the 25th opened cool, clear and pleasant. Some degree of activity along the crest of Mis- sionary Ridge was observable at early dawn. Gen. Bragg's headquarters appeared to be a point of interest and activity. Mounted officers and orderlies were coming and going with great frequency. Gen. Sherman, who had taken an advanced posi- tion on the day before on the extreme left, began an advance movement early in the day and captured the extreme point of the enemy's works, and broke the line of communication from Chickamauga station, cutting off the base of supplies from this portion of the position of the enemy. A furious resistance was made, and very severe fighting ensued.
About forty pieces of artillery had been placed on the bluffs of the west bank of the river, and occasional shots were fired at the enemy when exposed to view on the crest of Missionary Ridge, nearly two miles away. Captain-now Major-C. S. Cotter, well known to us in Camp Nevin and Camp Wood in the winter of 1861-2, was in command of this artillery and
1
--
-
SS
THE 34TH ILLINOIS INFANTRY
directed the firing. Cheney's Battery F, First Illinois L. A., was one of the batteries in position and did its share of practice, but it was impossible to determine whether or not any damage was done. The enemy marched back and forth along the north- ern end of Missionary Ridge, sometimes out of sight on the east- ern side, and again appearing in large force on the top of the ridge. Maj. Cotter, in his usually exuberant manner, exclaimed: "Look at them ! They have their knapsacks on, ready to get out of this country."
About three o'clock in the afternoon, two brigades of Gen. Sherman's troops advanced up towards the western slope of the ridge, and one of these brigades, commanded by Gen. Mathias, pressed forward to within very short distance of the enemy's rifle-pits, and sought such shelter as could be found and made a stubborn fight until compelled to retreat by a force of the enemy which, passing through the railroad tunnel, fell upon the right flank of Mathias' brigade, threatening capture of the whole com- mand.
One of the regiments in this brigade was the Ninety-Third Illinois infantry, one company of which was organized in White- side county, and in that company was a younger brother of this writer, who was killed within fifty feet of the rifle-pits of the enemy. The regiment lost heavily, and the trees and under- brush gave evidence of the fierceness of the fighting.
On the right of our lines there were no active operations until, late in the day, Gen. Hooker was assigned to the right and ordered to take position to attack the left of the enemy's lines, and other movements were held in check until he should be in position to strike. The enemy, in falling back from Look- out mountain, destroyed the bridge over Chattanooga creek, which delayed Gen. Hooker about four hours in crossing and arriving at the point designated. The fighting having been con- fined to the locality near the northern end of Missionary Ridge, made it possible for the enemy to mass large forces at that point.
As the afternoon was wearing away, Gen. Grant ordered .Gen. Thomas, who commanded the center, to advance his lines
89
IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.
and take the first positions of the enemy near the foot of the ridge. Gens. Sheridan's and Wood's Divisions were put in motion and in short order were in the first lines of the rifle-pits.
It has become a matter of well-known history that Mis- sionary Ridge was captured without orders; at least that these two Divisions took the initiative, and passed the first line of works and on up the steep western slope of the ridge, without orders from their commanding generals. The enthusiasm of the charging lines carried them on and up, over fallen trees, rocks, stumps and every obstacle. Other commands were ordered for- ward, and the ridge for miles was ablaze with musketry and the flash of artillery and bursting shells. Siege guns on Orchard Knob joined the chorus, and their deep bellowings caused a rat- tling and clattering of dishes on shelves in houses forty miles away.
Our regiment was, for some unexplainable cause, not relieved from picket until in the evening, after the battle was over, and from the top of Moccasin Point, a few rods from our camp, we had a clear and distinct view of the battle lines for about three miles. It was a scene never to be forgotten. The declining sun behind us, as we looked across the valley, brought out with great distinctness the advancing lines, the gleaming gun barrels and the colors of the different regiments, all making a living, rapidly-moving panorama to stir the blood into a wild tumult.
At some points the enemy stood their ground bravely, and their artillery seemed to flash in the faces of the charging troops, but before another charge could be rammed down, the guns had changed service and position, and were hurling missiles in the other direction. A great shout arose along the line as the crest of the ridge was reached, and we who were looking on added our voices to the chorus. The day was finished gloriously; the victorious army, wild with the completeness of their success, so suddenly achieved after the real beginning of the general engage- ment, could rejoice with a great rejoicing, for more than one substantial reason. The enemy had been defeated on his own
90
THE 34TH ILLINOIS INFANTRY
ground, and had made a hasty and disastrous retreat, losing great numbers of prisoners and vast quantities of arms and muni- tions of war.
Our own army had been actually in a state of siege for more than two months, and in the meantime living on less than half rations, with a long, weary road to our base of sup- plies at Stevenson; our teams exhausted and the surviving ani- mals reduced to the point of starvation, thousands having died; the army nearly devoid of clothing and shoes; insufficient hos- pital supplies for the sick and wounded; the humiliation of being nearly surrounded by our enemy, with no railroad communica- tion to our lines, and the fact that the railroads were in close connection with the lines of the enemy; all conspired to make our stay in Chattanooga, through the latter part of the month of September and the months of October and November, 1863, an exceedingly unsatisfactory residence.
Now, in the closing hours of this 25th day of November, all had been changed. Our enemy was on the retreat; the river was opened to navigation, and in a few days the cars will be here, bringing the long-needed supplies. Then cheer, my lads; cheer until your throats ache. The nightmare is gone, and with each other we join to shout out upon the evening air our glad- ness that it has been so well done. Is it unalloyed gladness ? Who interrupts it with a half-suppressed groan ? Why are some so busy late into the night, hurrying here and there with lan- terns or torches ? Why do these men have to be brought in upon stretchers? Why do these other men lie so still, and take no notice of anything that is passing around them? It was a great victory, but the thousands of dead and mangled are the price of it; a price that is remembered to this day with an ach- ing at the heart and a vacancy in the family circle that has never been closed up, and never can be, so long as any live who knew and loved those who laid down their lives for the land they loved.
Late in the night, orders came for the regiment to join our brigade near the railroad tunnel, on the east side of the river, about three miles north of Chattanooga. This was the first time
91
IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.
we had been outside of camp with our new brigade, and we nat- urally felt some degree of strangeness in the association with regiments of which we had scarcely any knowledge. We reached the brigade bivouac and laid down on the leaves, already covered with frost, and remained until about an hour before dawn, and then led out on the road around the northern end of Missionary ridge.
The morning was chilly and very dark, and our advance was made slowly and with great caution, not knowing whether the enemy had left a guard for observation, with which we might come in conflict at any moment. Daylight found us well over on the eastern side of the ridge, and we were soon down in the valley, advancing on Chickamauga station, where supplies of forage and rations and some siege guns had been abandoned by the enemy. A few long range shots were fired at our advance column, but the enemy was not in position to linger in our front. Our whole army was on the move and following hard after. About dusk, when we had advanced near to Graysville, and all seemed to be clear in front, we were surprised by the crack of a gun and by the singing of a shell which came crashing through the tops of the pine underbrush, quite close to our left flank. Wecame out on the open and formed line to the left of the road, and firing towards the front was begun by some of the men in our ranks, but Gen. J. W. Beatty, our brigade commander, rode along the front at a gallop and gave the order to cease firing, resorting to the use of his riding whip to enforce the order, at the same time telling the men that other troops were in front of of us, at the foot of the hill. Our regiment was ordered to the front double-quick, and passed down the hill and on to a line of rail fence and a. log house, where a few shots were fired, but there soon being no response, we remained a short time in posi- tion while a battery on the hill in our rear fired a few long range shots. We then returned to the top of the hill and bivouacked for the night. No one in the regiment was hurt. It was the first time we had fired a hostile gun for five months, Liberty Gap, June 25th, being our last previous engagement.
CHAPTER V.
On the morning of the 27th, our Division, with McCook's brigade in the advance, moved on after the retreating enemy, we appearing to be under the command of Gen. W. T. Sher- man, who was personally with the column. Our line of march took us into Graysville, which is just over the line in the state of Georgia. Many of the comrades will remember the huge stone monument near the road, which marked the line between the States of Tennessee and Georgia.
At Graysville we were halted nearly two hours to allow Gen. Howard's command, Eleventh and Twelfth Corps, to pass our front. There was severe firing down in front during this time, and the indications seemed to be that the enemy was mak- ing a stand and might give battle. It proved to be a rear-guard . acion, maintained by the indomitable Confederate General Cle- burne, with his fighting Division, than which there was not a better or more stubborn set of fighters in the Confederate army. He had taken strong position at Ringgold Gap, and was attacked by Osterhaus's Division, a body of veteran troops worthy of their foemen. The fighting lasted four hours, and losses were severe on both sides. The Thirteenth Illinois suffered severely in this contest, and maintained its reputation as a gallant, hard-fighting regiment. Its major, Douglas R. Bushnell, formerly of Sterling, Ill., was killed in this engagement.
The day was spent in apparently aimless maneuvering and marching, halting at noon in an open piece of country where we were treated to a splendid specimen of prairie fire, which broke out in the tall grass and ran its course with as much freedom as if it were on an Illinois or Iowa prairie. Squads of prisoners were frequently met, going to the rear, some of them not appar- ently depressed or down-hearted at the fortunes of war which took them out of a service many admitted was fast becoming hopeless.
1
93
IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.
On the morning of the 28th, we started to march at an early hour, and proceeded northward as if there was a definite objective point, and it soon became evident that Chattanooga was not that point. The weather was cold, and a good deal of discomfort was experienced on account of scarcity of clothing.' The ground was frozen at night, but thawed some during the day, which did not much improve matters, as many of the men were wearing shoes that sadly needed replacing with new ones.
Our line of march led towards Cleaveland, Tenn., and con- jecture was rife as to our destination. If the present course continues, there is only one probable objective, and that is Knoxville, where Gen. Burnside is reported to be besieged. The two following days dispel any doubt or question as to our desti- nation, and we learned that Gen. Howard, with the Eleventh and Twelfth Corps, was on the same line of march as our Div- ision. It is a hard campaign, and rations a minus quantity. We have no tents or shelter of any kind, and no overcoats, and the nights are freezing cold. The people along the line of march are quite generally Unionists, but are unable to furnish anything substantial for the feeding of an army. The men endure patiently real hardships, and are eager to strike a blow that will shorten the contest, already prolonged.
On the 4th of December we reached Loudon, on the Tenn- essee river, and passed on beyond and halted near the west end of the destroyed railroad bridge, about thirty miles from Knox- ville. Rations were entirely exhausted, and he was a lucky man who could find an ear of corn by hunting through the fields. For four days there was less than one good ear of corn per day to a man, or the equivalent of it in any other supplies. Parched corn as a steady diet became tiresome, and our regiment was in great luck in being sent to a mill to grind for the Division. The Division teams scoured the country for long distances, and brought in such supplies of grain as could be found, and we, fairly or otherwise, managed to get full toll for our services as millers.
:
.
94
THE 34TH ILLINOIS INFANTRY
We were at Johnson's mill a few days and then went to Scarbery's where we remained a week or ten days. This mill was not far from Chilhowee mountain. The family living near the mill went into ecstasies over our regimental colors, which the colonel kept floating so long as we remained. The people of the community were loyal and kind-hearted, but they had been overrun with both armies passing through the country, and were more or less destitute. About two miles from the mill was an unfinished church, to which our chaplain, Decker, was invited to hold services on Sunday.
A squad of six or eight men went with him as a precaution against mischief from a band of guerrillas which had for a long time infested the country. The church building was only en- closed, and not finished or seated. The citizens occupied a long bench on the left side of the speaker, and the guards, with guns in hand, occupied a bench on the opposite side of the house. It is questionable whether the chaplain or the two rows of audi- ence received the most attention from each other. The house was about twenty-six feet wide, but after the "plug" had been passed down the row on the citizens' side, there was a fine dem- onstration of the power to "squirt" the amber-colored juice by both male and female, old and young. A crack in the floor near the center seemed to be a fair limit for the more expert, and from that down to shorter range for those of less propelling power.
.
One of the champions was a handsome, finely-dressed bru- nette, about 20 years old, named McCleary, a daughter of Charles McCleary, one of the most prominent planters in the community. He was a slave-owner, and a staunch and uncom- promising Unionist, who had been conscripted into the Confed- erate service, but was discharged for persistent worthlessness as a soldier and had returned home. The neighborhood guerrillas made life very uncomfortable for him. He had staid out in the woods at .. night for many months, except when some of our troops were temporarily in the neighborhood and furnished a guard for his house. This writer spent one night at his house in charge of a guard, and remembers with the greatest satisfac-
95
IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.
tion the bountiful supper of hot biscuits, corn bread, sweet pota- toes, fried ham and various fruit jams and sauces, of which we were filled to repletion. McCleary would not consent to station- ing guards outside of the house, but sent us up-stairs to beds, and some of the squad actually had the gall to sleep in a bed with sheets and pillows.
The siege of Knoxville having been raised, and the Confed- erate forces under Gen. Longstreet having withdrawn, appar- ently to winter quarters, our Division started on the return march to Chattanooga. The troops composing this expedition left Chattanooga November 26th, without tents, overcoats or a change of underwear, and having been so long shut up in Chat- tanooga, without the possibility of being supplied with clothing or shoes, the men were in a pitiable condition. Many were ab- solutely without any sort of shoes, and tried to make some sub- stitute by cutting up a part of a blanket and wrapping the feet. The ground was frozen nearly all the time, and the roads were rough and gravelly. Sometimes we marched on the railroad track, which was no better than the roads. It was a very com- mon thing to see bloodstains on the road and the railroad ties, from the bare and lacerated feet of the men of our regiment, as well as of many others.
Supplies were scarce and hunger the fixed condition. The nights were bitter cold, and there were none too good facilities for getting fuel. Every expedient was resorted to to make wind- brakes and to find such minus degree of discomfort as would allow a little sleep.
We reached Chattanooga in the evening of December 18th, a windy, raw and exceedingly disagreeable afternoon. Our camp was across the river, and the swinging ferry could transfer only one company at a time, and other troops arriving before us were being transported across, and plenty more were waiting, so the regiment was compelled to remain in the streets until the next morning, and passed one of the most uncomfortable nights experienced in the whole term of service. A few were in such a frenzy of discomfort that they broke into the guard-house, for protection from the biting cold, and remained until morning.
96
THE 34TH ILLINOIS INFANTRY
The return to camp on Moccasin Point afforded an oppor- tunity to secure a degree of comfort to which we had been strangers for nearly a month. Our quarters were the best we ever occupied, and rations and clothing were more abundant than when we left camp, although not in full supply. Our duties were such, only as were required in camp, such as procur- ing a supply of fuel, policing, roll-calls, and preventing our stick chimneys from burning down. Our cabins were built in rows, company length, the front of each facing the rear of the next. which made it convenient for each company to give warning to the inmates of the next row of the impending danger by fires, which frequently occurred.
The Act of Congress authorizing re-enlistments for an addi- tional three years of those who had served two years or more, began to attract attention and discussion. Some were at once enthusiastic advocates of continuing in the service until peace should be an accomplished fact. Others required more time for. consideration. All phases of the situation and conditions were discussed, not omitting the thirty days' furlough at home and the $400 bounty in addition to the $100 due on the first enlist- ment. The financial features, viz , $100 old bounty, $2.00 pre- mium, $60 advance on new bounty, two months' back pay and one month's pay in advance, and, in most cases, $100 county bounty at home, seemed to be about the right amount to suit the requirements for spending money while on furlough for thirty days, and all combined produced a strong argument in favor of a re-enlistment, but not the only one, nor the one having the greatest weight.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.