USA > Illinois > Military history and reminiscences of the Thirteenth regiment of Illinois volunteer infantry in the civil war in the United States,1861-65, pt 2 > Part 2
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The Fourth Division crossed first and our Division last. We hardly thought that this incident, that only seemed to happen so, would make so great a difference in the part we were to take in the coming strife. But it did determine whether we should be on the right with Sherman or on the left with Hooker, whether we should fight on the Missionary Ridge, or at Lookout and Ringgold.
On the 21st we came some six miles and camped near a great cave called the Nickajack. This is said to be seven- teen miles long. A lieutenant and four soldiers had gone in
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to explore it, and after four days had not returned. A relief party of soldiers and citizens had been sent to the rescue.
Sunday, Nov. 22d .- We find the road through this ravine very bad, and we are now being stripped for the fight. Blankets over the shoulders, one hundred rounds of ammuni- tion on our person, two days' bread in haversack and two in a single wagon to the regiment.
We came up to Whiteside station and met many of our old friends in the Seventy-fifth and Ninety-second Illinois Regi- ments. At midnight we were on the move after a little rest.
During the day General Osterhaus arrived to take com- mand of the division and passed through the regiment. Each company gave him "three cheers." He enjoyed it as an ex- pression of confidence, and the men were glad to see him. At daylight of the 23d we had reached the Valley that led down along Lookout Mountain and gave us a full view of the mount- ain. The scenery is grand, almost beyond description, and if it were not to be associated with such tragic events would have been enjoyable.
During the day our division marched down near the river, and close up to the mountain, and camped near to General Hooker's troops. We were for a few days to be identified with them, from necessity. The pontoon-bridge over which we were to have passed and have joined the other divisions of our corps under General Sherman on the extreme left, having been broken and there being not sufficient time to repair it be- fore the battle began.
All things are now ready for the great battle that is to de- termine who shall be the masters of this country for the future. Before giving an account of it, let me take in some pre- liminary information that may be of interest and of value in taking in the grand affair.
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CHAPTER XXVII.
WHIPPED THE REBS FROM LOOKOUT, THEN MISSION RIDGE AND RINGGOLD, WHERE BUSHNELL, BLANCHARD, RILEY . AND OTHER GOOD MEN FALL.
1 T IS said that from the top of Lookout Mount- ain on a clear day, seven of the States can be seen. It rises some two thousand three hun- dred feet from the level of the sea, and some eighteen hundred feet above the valleys that lay about it. It is a grand natural object ; Chatta- nooga that lies upon the Tennessee river near its base, is a strategic point not only in times of war, but as a commercial center. It was not an accident that General Bragg's army had possession of this place at one time, and that we now held it. Both armies wanted it. The Confeder- ates, that they might hold the country back of them, and the Union army that they might make it the gateway to what was yet unconquored in the southeast.
It will be well known by all readers of history of these times, that the " Army of the Cumberland " had flanked Gen- eral Bragg's army and compelled him to draw out of the place ; and that he had in turn so crippled our army at the terrible battle of Chickamauga on September 19th and 20th, 1863, that they had retreated to Chattanooga ; and that they were then so enveloped by General Bragg's army that they were practically held fast.
General Bragg makes this statement in his report of the condition of things just after the battle : "The enemy's most important road, and the shortest by half to his depot of sup-
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Position of Gen. Hooker's Corps
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ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY.
plies at Bridgeport, lay along the south bank of the Tennessee river. The holding of this all important route was confided to General Longstreet's command ; and its possession forced the enemy to a road double the length, over two ranges of mountains by wagon transportation. At the same time, our cavalry, in large force, was thrown across the river to operate on this long and difficult route. These dispositions faithfully sustained, insured the enemy's speedy evacuation of Chatta- nooga for want of food and forage. Possessed of the shortest road to this depot, and the one by which reinforcements must reach him, we held him at our mercy, and his destruction was . only a question of time."
That is the way it looked ; and yet the destruction did not come about. The case was certainly desperate ; could any- thing be done but to retreat ?
The ground was held. On October 16th, 1863, the War Department relieved General Rosecrans and put General George H. Thomas in command of the Army of the Cumber- land. At the same time. the military division of the Missis- sippi was constituted and General Grant put at its head. But before these events reinforcements had been ordered to the relief of the army. The Fifteenth Corps from Vicksburg and the Eleventh and Twelfth Corps from the Potomac. The transfer of these last troops, some twelve thousand in num- ber, may be regarded as a fact unequaled in military move- ments. In ten days they and all their transportation and artillery were moved one thousand miles and put near enough to help the beleaguered force at Chattanooga. General Grant was on the ground in person on October 23d. At a glance he saw the truth of General Bragg's statement, that if the shorter road to the base of our supplies could be held, it would only be a short time before the army must disastrously retreat or sur- render. Already ten thousand animals had perished in draw- ing half rations to the army. They could not be supplied another week in that way.
At once he determined to make an effort to get possession of the south side of the river to Bridgeport. General Hooker
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368 HISTORY OF THE THIRTEENTH REGIMENT
was sent up the valley by way of Shell Mound and Whiteside. On the night of October 27th, a body of men were put in pontoons and floated down the river to Brown's Ferry below Lookout, and landed, taking possession of the hills covering the ferry, and by 10 a. m. the next day, they had a good pon- toon laid. At this time, Hooker with the Eleventh Corps and part of the Twelfth, came into the valley driving off the enemy on guard there, and then our army was in possession of the river and the shorter line.
The enemy seeing the advantage they had lost, on the next night made a desperate night attack upon General Garey's Division. The attack failed and the enemy were then driven back still further, by General Howard's corps, and our lines were firmly established.
The next thing in our favor, or what would prove to be, when the battle came off, was the sending of General Long- street's corps to attack General Burnside at Knoxville.
On November 15th General Sherman arrived, and was in Chattanooga with General Grant. On the 16th the grounds were looked over and the plans laid. General Sherman was to make a demonstration on Trenton, a place in the valley south of Lookout Mountain, but his real work was to be done on the other extreme at Missionary Ridge, which he was expected to "take, hold and fortify." .General Sherman then says : " My command had marched from Memphis (a distance of over 300 miles) and I had pushed them as fast as the roads and distance would permit ; but I saw enough of the condition of the men and animals in Chattanooga to inspire me with renewed energy.
I immediately ordered my leading division (Ewing's) to march via Shell Mound to Trenton, and demonstrate against Lookout Ridge, but to be prepared to turn quickly and follow me to Chattanooga. In person I returned to Bridgeport, row- ing a boat down the river from Kelley's Ferry on the night of the 18th, and immediately on arrival, put in motion my divis- ions in the order they had arrived.
The bridge of boats at Bridgeport was frail and though
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used day and night, our passage was slow. I reached Gen- eral Hooker's headquarters four miles from Chattanooga dur- ing a rain in the afternoon of the 20th, and met General Grant's orders for the general attack on the next day. It was simply impossible for me to fill my part in time. Only one division, General J. E. Smith's, was in position, General Ewing's at Trenton, and the other two toiling along the ter- rible road between Shell Mound and Chattanooga. No troops ever were or could be in better condition than mine ; or who had labored harder to fulfill their part ? On a proper presen- tation General Grant postponed the attack. On the 21st I got the Second Division over the Brown's Ferry bridge, and Gen- eral Ewing got up, but the bridge broke repeatedly and delays occurred that no human sagacity could prevent. All labored day and night and on the 23d I got Ewing's Division over, but my rear Division (General Osterhaus) was cut off by the broken bridge. I offered to go into action with my three Divisions, leaving one of my best Divisions to act with Gen- eral Hooker."
There was a special reason why the Fifteenth Corps was as- signed to the position on the extreme left. It was the plan to do the fighting there, that might be most severe ; it was the post of honor. By permission I copy from an account of Capt. Phil. McCahill of the Twenty-sixth Iowa, an ordnance officer for General Osterhaus's Division at that time, and later, he says : "Comte de Paris, Vol. IV., p. 225, in treating of the north end of Missionary Ridge as defended by Bragg, which consti- tuted his right wing and Grant his left, says, 'Grant could not move out of Chattanooga under the eyes of the Confederate Army the troops intended for the accomplishment of this dash. It was necessary to bring them secretly on the bank of the Tennessee opposite to the mouth of South Chickamauga, make sure of their crossing by secretly preparing a pontoon- bridge, and then hurl them on the point that it was necessary to occupy, ere the enemy could offer any serious opposition. In order to accomplish this brilliant and difficult task, there were needed numerous and tried troops, inured to rapid
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marches, because they might have upon them for a few hours the entire army of the enemy. Grant reserved this task for the Fifteenth Corps. *
In this grand operation which was to collect on one battle- field sixty thousand men, some of which had been fighting for the past three months in the mountains of Georgia, while others had just left the banks of the Mississippi or the hills of Virginia, Grant, as one can see, had reserved the first part for the troops that had fought under his orders, and whose leaders had his entire confidence."
General Grant says, "A deserter from the rebel army who came into our lines on the 22d of November, reported Bragg falling back. The following letter from Bragg, received by flag of truce on the 20th tended to confirm this report.
Major-General GRANT, Commanding Forces, Chattanooga.
GENERAL : As there may be still some non-combatants in Chat- tanooga, I deem it proper to notify you that prudence would dictate their early withdrawal.
I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant. BRAXTON BRAGG.
"Not willing that he should get his army off in good order, Thomas was directed early on the morning of the 23rd to ascertain the truth or falsity of this report, by driving in his pickets and make him develop his lines. This he did with the troops stationed at Chattanooga and Howard's Corps, in the most gallant style, driving the enemy from his first line and securing to us what is known as Indian Hill or Orchard Knob, and the low range of hills south of it. The points were fortified during the night, and artillery put on them. The report of this deserter was evidently not intended to deceive, but he had inistaken Bragg's movements. It was afterwards ascertained that one of the divisions of Buckner's Corps, had gone to join Longstreet, and a second division of the same corps had started but was brought back in conse- quence of our attack. By daylight of the 24th, eight thousand of Sherman's men were on the south side of the
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ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY.
Tennessee and fortified in rifle trenches. By half-past 3, p. m., the whole of the northern extremity of Missionary Ridge to near the railroad tunnel was in Sherman's posses- sion. By 3 o'clock of the same day, Colonel Long with a brigade of cavalry of Thomas's army, crossed to the south side of the Tennessee and of South Chickamauga Creek and made a raid on the enemy's communications. He burned Tyner Station with many stores, cut the railroad at Cleveland, captured nearly a hundred wagons and over two hundred prisoners. Hooker carried out the part assigned to him for the day, equal to the most sanguine expectations. Thus on the night of the 24th our forces maintain an unbroken line with open communications from the north end of Lookout Mountain through Chattanooga Valley to the north end of Missionary Ridge."
General Hooker, under whom we were to serve says, " On the morning of November 24th, my command consisted of Osterhaus's Division, Fifteenth Corps, Cruft's of the Fourth Corps, Garey's of the Twelth Corps, except such as were re- quired to protect our communications with Bridgeport, mak- ing an aggregate force of ninety-six hundred and eighty-one. We were all strangers, no one of the divisions ever having seen either of the others.
Garey's Division supported by Whittaker's brigade of Cruft's Division, was ordered to proceed up the valley, cross the creek near Wauhatchie, and march down sweeping the rebels from it. The other brigade of the Fourth Corps was to advance, seize the bridge just below. the. railroad and repair it. Osterhaus's Division was to march up from Brown's Ferry under cover of the hills to the place of crossing. Also to fur- nish support for the batteries. The Fourth Ohio Battery was to take a position on the Bald Hill, and the New York Bat- tery on the hill directly in the rear. The disposition of the forces was ordered to be made as soon after daylight as possi- ble. At this time the enemy's picket formed a continuous line along the right bank of Lookout Creek with the reserves in the valley, while the main force was encamped in a hollow
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HISTORY OF THE THIRTEENTH REGIMENT
half-way up the mountain. The summit was held by three brigades of Stevenson's Divisions, and these were comparatively safe, as the only means of access from the West for a distance of twenty miles up the valley, was by two or three trails, ad- mitting of the passage of but one man at a time and these trails were held by rebel pickets.
Viewed from whatever point, Lookout Mountain, with its high and palisaded crest, and its steep, rugged, rocky and deeply furrowed slopes, presented an imposing barrier to our advance ; and when to the natural obstacles were added almost interminable, well planned, and well constructed de- fenses, held by Americans, the assault became an enterprise worthy of the ambition and the renown of the troops to whom it was intrusted.
Garey commenced his movement as instructed, crossed the creek at 8 a. m., captured the entire picket of forty-two mien posted to defend it, marched directly up the mountain until his right rested on the palisade, and headed down the valley.
At the same time Grose's brigade advanced resolutely, with brisk skirmishing, drove the enemy from the bridge and at once proceeded to put it in repair.
The firing at this point alarmed the rebels, and immedi- ately their columns were seen filing down the mountain from their camps and moving into the rifle-pits and breastworks ; at the same time numbers established themselves behind the railroad embankments, which enabled them, without expos- ure to themselves, to sweep with a fire of musketry, the field over which our troops would be compelled to pass for a dis- tance of three or four hundred yards.
Our division (General Ostershaus) was assigned to the left of the line along Lookout Creek. Here two batteries and a section of twenty-pounder Parrott guns were placed, so as to reach the enemy's works and camp on the mountain side. These batteries were hauled into their position by hand. The Thirteenth Illinois and Fourth Iowa, old and tried friends, were thrown together in support of the Fourth Ohio,
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ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY.
and the Twenty-fifth Iowa was in support of the New York battery.
These were special details on the part of General Oster- haus, the Hoffman, or Fourth Ohio, always wanted the Thir- teenth to support it if possible ; at 7:30 a. m. the division was reported all ready for duty. Our brigade was commanded by Gen. Charles R. Woods. He was soon ordered with all the brigade except our regiment to move to the right, and we did not get together again till the next day.
At II a. m. General Garey had commenced to move along the mountain side toward the point. Then all of our guns were opened ; and our skirmishes moved down the creek. The enemy were driven from the railroad embankment, most of the pickets near the creek laid down in their pits ready to surrender, as soon as our lines had gotten fairly to their rear. Just after the artillery had opened General Osterhaus rode up to the rear of our regiment on his bay bobtail horse, with the cape of his coat thrown back over his shoulders revealing a scarlet lining. One of the rebel pickets who saw him said, "Say, Yank, is that old U. S. sitting on that horse yonder ? " The nearest picket told him that he was right. It had been an understanding between the men who picketed on opposite sides of the creek, not three rods wide yet deep, that they were not to fire at each other unless there was a battle on. When the battle opened, it was so one-sided at this point that the pickets were all captured before they got in a shot.
Just to the right of where our regiment was stationed, sup- porting a battery, the wagon road ran along the creek for some rods, then crossed the creek and thence up the side of the mountain on the way to Chattanooga. Companies A and B of the regiment were pushed still closer toward the point where the road crossed the creek. This was in full sight of the rebel lines, but they were now so taken up with Generals Garey and Woods on their flank, that they turned to them and did not fire at us at all, though we expected to receive their best respects in the shape of lead. We then moved down to the bridge that had broken down, and under the direction
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of Major D. R. Bushnell of our regiment, set to work to con- struct a floating bridge out of the timbers. As soon as this was done, the prisoners in large numbers were brought over under charge of the Ninth Iowa, that had been detailed for that purpose.
While Major Bushnell was standing on the elevated road- side, an Irish lieutenant among the prisoners sang out "How d' ye do Major Bushnell ; " after a sharp glance the Major rec- ognized the man and in turn said, "Why Pat, what are you doing here ? " The quick reply was, " Be jabers, I am fight- ing with the waker party." The Major further asked " Where is your brother John? " The answer was " You fellows killed him down at Vicksburg."
Major Bushnell had been the surveyor in laying out the Northwestern railroad in Whiteside county, Illinois, and the two Irish brothers had had the contract for grading the depot grounds at Sterling, Illinois. When the war broke out, it found them in like occupation down in Mississippi. Being wide-awake fellows they made the most of the situation by accepting commissions in the Confederate army, perhaps caring little on which side they took arms, maybe having enough of the chivalrous in them to prefer to fight, if at all, "with the weaker party."
Pat went off to the rear and may be alive at this date for aught I know, while the gallant Major met his death just three days later. I have heard it said that the Major was not at all well at this time, and that he wrote a letter home speaking of this and that nothing but the sternest sense of duty and pride could lead him to go on through the battle. He was a brave and true soldier.
Later our regiment and the Fourth Iowa were ordered across the creek and up the wagon road over the mountain. General Garey had gotten possession of the point of the mountain at what is known as "Craven House." He then came down and led our two regiments up the mountain as reinforcements. He was a fine man, and walked up the mount. ain at our head gauging our strength by his own.
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As we got up to the nose of the mountain it was almost dark, the mountain was in a dense fog, and to them in the valley seemed like clouds. The battle has since been desig- nated as " Hooker's battle above the clouds." It has been surrounded with something of sentiment and prominence that a prosy and truthful man is not fully prepared to in- dorse.
We soon passed through the works that the enemy had erected and past the two guns that had been captured. I saw one of our men standing on one knee as if about to shoot. That is probably what he had been in the act of doing, when he was struck dead instantly and all his muscles had become rigid and he remained in that position.
Our regiment moved into line as a support of the front line. We lost no men, though the missiles flew thick, and the dan- ger was great. I saw one of our musicians, I think from Company D, struck on the side of the head by a ball that had first struck a rock, and go down as if he were dead, but he was only stunned and had the tip of his ear cut off, and was on his feet again. The thermometer began to go down and soon the weather was near the freezing point. As all of the men were wet, it made it hard to bear. The men made small fires behind some of the big rocks scattered over the mountain side, and sought small comfort. As the enemy still had pos- session of the top of the mountain and could look down upon our lines, some few of the men were wounded near the fires by sharp-shooters, in the earlier part of the night.
Lieutenant Cuniffe, of Company I, of our regiment, had been back from the regiment to one of these fires. He was absent-minded and on his way back to the lines of the regi- ment missed his way and walked over into the enemy's lines. It is said he looked up and seeing a lot of the rebels about a fire, he said " What are you fellows doing here without being guarded ?" they replied, " We will do the guarding," and they took possession of the young man. It is certain we never saw him with the regiment again.
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A GRAND SIGHT.
We, who had just come from the West, had never yet seen Chattanooga, and of course did not have much idea of the location of things. As it grew cold, the fog blew away and we were able to see where Chattanooga was and the surround- ing. After a close study, the whole thing fell into shape and it was a grand sight. Across the valley between Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge was a dark line. This was the space between the two army lines. As the night was very cold, this space was fringed by two lines of small picket- fires. Further back of these on either side, were many larger fires, that pointed out the two main lines of defense. As we afterward learned, the enemy were vacating their lines across the valley, but keeping up the fires as a show. Vonder on the hill in the town was our signal station, and on it was seen the ceaseless waving and dipping of the lights as messages were being conveyed to the different corps. The same thing was going on within the enemy's lines from the top of Mis- sionary Ridge. There was but little sleep. The generals were wide-awake on both sides, preparing for the great deadly struggle on the morrow. Some of the troops were moving from left to right and from right to left, and the others were kept awake either from the cold or because they were on the picket-line. At least one hundred and twenty thousand men were in these camps and with the morrow the two contending armies would certainly grapple with each other, dead and the mangled would be counted only by the thousands.
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