USA > Indiana > Historical sketch of the Sixty-eighth Regiment, Indiana Volunteers : with personal recollections by members of Company D, and short biographies of brigade, division, and corps commanders > Part 2
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It was well the veil was not lifted for us to gaze upon the horrible scenes of suffering in those dark and gloomy woods during the next few days after the battle. There were three hundred and fifty-six officers and enlisted men of the 6Sth in the battle, and over one- third of them were killed or wounded. The loss of the regiment was one hundred and thirty-five. Lieu- tenant Robert J. Price, formerly editor of the Rush- ville Jacksonian, was among the number killed. Com- pany D had thirty-seven men in the battle, under the command of ist Lieutenant William Beale. (Captain J. H. Mauzy was in the battle as Brigade Inspector on the staff of Colonel King.) Of these, one was killed; one wounded, missing, never heard from; and twenty wounded, thirteen of whom fell into rebel hands. Several other companies had equal losses.
During the night of the 21st our army withdrew into Chattanooga. Our regiment and brigade, marching in the rear to cover the retreat, repelled all attacks by the enemy while we were withdrawing from Rossville.
Cist's History of the Army of the Cumberland thus sums up this battle: "All things considered, the battle of Chicamauga, for the forces engaged, was the
14
OUTLINE HISTORY OF THE
hardest fought and bloodiest battle of the rebellion. Hindman, who fought our right at Horseshoe Ridge, says in his official report that he had 'never known Federal troops to fight so well,' and that he ' never saw Confederate soldiers fight better.' The largest number of troops Rosecrans had, of all arms, on the field during the two days' fighting, was 55,000 effective men. Rose- crans' losses were: Killed, 1,6S7; wounded, 9,394; missing, 5,255 -total loss, 16,336. Bragg had about 70,000 effective troops in line. His losses, in part esti- mated, were 2,673 killed, 16,274 wounded, and 2,003 missing -a total of 20,950. A full report of the rebel losses was never made."
In Chattanooga the work of strengthening our position was carried on night and day, until we felt secure from any assault. An entire brigade was sent on duty from our division each day. Until October 4 we had conversation and interchange of papers with the enemy's pickets on our front. the two picket lines being about one hundred yards apart. After that date orders forbade any communication. Almost every day the rebels would cause a stir in our lines by throwing in large shot and shell from their artillery on Lookout Mountain. On the tith of October our brigade was broken up, and the 6Sth Indiana was assigned to the Ist Brigade, General Willich: 3d Division, General Woods: 4th Army Corps, General Gordon Granger, commander. The brigade was made up of the 15th Wisconsin, Sth Kansas, 25th. 35th and Soth Illinois. 32d and GSth Indiana, 15th and 49th Ohio-all infantry
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68TH REGIMENT INDIANA INFANTRY.
regiments. After this we moved over and camped with our new brigade, on the east side of the city, near Ft. Wood. Often our pickets and those of the rebels would get mixed up together in the dense fogs, when going on duty, but each treated the other courteously, and tried to point out their proper places. About the the Ist of November our rations ran to the lowest point, and mule meat became a luxury -the pangs of hunger were felt by many as never before, and our prospects seemed very gloomy. About the middle of November the short line of communication with Stevenson, Ala., was opened up by reinforcements from other armies, and preparations were rapidly made to break out of the pen in which we were confined. There was only one way out - by crossing the river to the North.
Almost every day our troops would drill in front of the line of fortifications, and when we went out on the 23d, the rebels were somewhat surprised to see us march steadily forward, drive in their pickets, and never halt until we had possession of their rifle-pits. Our brigade was in the advance, on the left, and half our regiment on the skirmish line that night. The forward movement was characterized in the official reports as having been done "in the most gallant style." That night we slept in line of battle. On the 24th we remained quietly in our places, and from our position could see both sides in the great battle near the top of Lookout Mountain-"Hooker's fight above the clouds." It was a beautiful sight. The sublimity and grandeur
3
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- OUTLINE HISTORY OF THE
of that living panorama will always be a memory of joy, for it was a "famous victory." About 10 a. m. on the 25th, our picket lines were ordered forward again, and it was a sight long to be remembered by those engaged, to see how the "Johnnies" went over their line of breastworks at the foot of Mission Ridge, like a drove of sheep on a stampede, and how disappointed we were when orders came for us to fall back and reform our lines. No mention of this part of the fight is given by General Grant or Van Horne in their histories, although it was certainly an important move. At 3:30 p. m., by the firing of six cannons in rapid succession on Orchard Knob, near us, an advance was ordered of our corps. We were in the center. Steadily we again drove them back to their line of works at the foot of the Ridge, and the storm of leaden hail, of shot and shell and grape, that came down upon and about us, thinned and disordered our ranks very much as we pressed on up the Ridge to the summit, about dark; and then on our front many fought to the death rather than surrender. Our regiment lost many brave men. Five officers and seventy-seven enlisted men were killed and wounded. Ist Lieutenant John Reese, of Company C, and Samuel S. Bodine, of Company D. were killed in the charge. Both were great favorites. Our division ( Wood's) was the first to reach the top of the Ridge, losing one hundred and fifty killed and eight hundred and fifty-one wounded; total 1,001. Van Horne, in his History of the Army of the Cumber- land, says:
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68TH REGIMENT INDIANA INFANTRY.
"The peculiar features of the field revealed to the enemy the transcendent array of the National troops. The battle had opened with the splendid charge of Wood's division, and Lookout Mountain had been wrested from his hands in such a way as to change the martial tone of each army. Those assaulting Mission Ridge had Chicamauga to avenge and Lookout Moun- tain to surpass. The dashing, yet firm and resolute sweep of the assaulting column, for more than a mile, expressed in advance the resistless character of the attack. The loss of more than twenty per cent. in Sheridan's and Wood's divisions, in a contest of less than an hour, shows that the enemy did not yield his position without a struggle."
All our movements could be seen by them. When the top was gained, it took a little while to get together around our old flags. Notwithstanding our terrible losses, we cheered and sang and embraced one another for joy, while the tears filled our eyes for comrades slain. The scene was intensified by the rebels burning such stores and property as they could not get away with, so that the heavens were illuminated. We felt the prestige of victory again. The memory of Chicamauga was a sad one, and we all felt that it was nearly a defeat-a drawn battle. But this was a glorious victory, giving us renewed hope, and we marched on ever after in full confidence of a final victory. The rebels had the strongest position, and fought heroically to hold it, dying in heaps by their guns.
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OUTLINE HISTORY OF THE
In the night our corps received orders to get ready and move at once to the relief of Burnside, at Knox- ville, over one hundred miles away. He was there besieged by Longstreet with a large army. We went in the lightest marching order, carrying our rations in our haversacks, with one blanket for bedding, and one rubber poncho to each man for tent and protection against the winter weather. We marched all day and sometimes nearly all night, through rain and mud, resting by the roadside wherever the column was halted. Parched corn was a luxury, and was chiefly our diet for days together. The rebels, learning of our ap- proach, made a most desperate assault on Fort Saun- ders, November 29, 1863, before we could get there. They were repulsed with terrible slaughter, and re- treated. Our brigade marched beyond, to near Straw- berry Plain, and went into camp in the woods among the rocks. Here we got a much-needed chance to wash and clean up, for we had worn and slept in our clothes for two weeks.
The "cold New Year's day" (January 1, 1864,) found us working on a high bridge over the Holston River, with short rations and sleeping in the pine thickets among the rocks. Often the snows and cold, chilly rains would make us think of better comforts. The exposure sent hundreds to hospitals with diseases. When the foraging parties returned, well loaded, there was much good cheer in camp. December 27, 1863, General Wheeler attacked a train of wagons under escort of Laibolt's brigade, at Calhoun, Tenn., but was
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68TH REGIMENT INDIANA INFANTRY.
routed with great loss. Ist Sergeant James A. Smith, " the tall Orderly of Company D," (68th Indiana ) was wounded while assisting in repelling the assault. On the 15th of January our division advanced and drove the rebels out of Dandridge, Tenn. But the enemy persisted in trying to bring on a general engagement, by massing a large force, and skirmishing was kept up for two days. On the evening of the ISth a brisk fight took place, and during the night our forces retreated, after a council of war, at which Generals Granger, Sheridan, Wood, Willich, Hazen, Beatty and others, were present. Next day we burned the bridge which we had undergone such hardships to build, and after a few days fell back to Marysville. Military jealousy between some of our prominent Generals was the cause of much trouble in the Department of the Ohio at this time, as they did not work harmoniously together.
In February, 1864, our command was again moved up to Morristown, and was kept busy with raids from the enemy and consolidating of regiments. The time of enlistment of many of the older regiments having expired, only the recruits of many remained. Com- pany D had men assigned to it for muster from every regiment in the brigade, February 29. In April our command returned to Cleveland, Tenn., and at the consolidation for the Atlanta campaign, our regiment was one of eight selected to garrison Chattanooga. The responsibilities of the duty made us think very highly of the honor, it being the key position and con- taining more stores and valuable property than any
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OUTLINE HISTORY OF THE
other post. The regiment reported to General James B. Steedman, at Chattanooga, April 28, 1864, and was assigned a place on the south front of that city. When Sherman's army advanced on the Atlanta campaign, General Steedman's command from Stevenson, Ala., was placed at the front, and called "The District of the Etowah." The duties required of us were of the most varied character. Besides picket, camp and gar- rison duty there were details to guard trains, to take bounty jumpers, cattle and supplies to the army at the front, and to Knoxville, and the taking of prisoners back and forth. Often all the regiment that was in camp would be ordered to march at once to repel an attack somewhere on our long line of railroad, and we would not get back for days. Details were made to take prisoners to Nashville, for provost duty, and to guard and help boats through the "Suck," a narrow place in the Tennessee River, a few miles below the city. Some of the men who had trades were put to work in the repair shops.
On the night of August 14, 1864, we were called to go to Dalton at once, where Wheeler's cavalry had driven our garrison into their fortifications and taken the town. At daylight General Steedman, in command of our force, ordered a charge to be made into the town, and, with a rush, swept the enemy from the place. Here Captain Charles C. Wheeler, of Company B, re- ceived a mortal wound, from which he died in a few days. All felt very sad for the loss of so brave an officer. Five enlisted men were wounded in the charge
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68TH REGIMENT INDIANA INFANTRY.
of our regiment. Returning to Chattanooga on the ISth, the regiment was ordered to Athens, Tenn., but the rebels had left, and we returned on the 20th, very weary of marching so rapidly. September I the regi- ment went to Tullahoma, but returned in a few days, and in the same manner every few days to some point on the different roads threatened by Hood's advance cav- alry, on their way to the North.
After Sherman left Atlanta for the sea, the regi- ment arrived back from one of these expeditions on the 26th, and before daylight on the 27th they were off for Decatur, Ala., where the regiment assisted in repelling the attack of Hood's army. Our regiment supported the 14th U. S. Colored Infantry, who made such a gallant charge on the 2Sth of October, 1864. The colored regiment lost forty men killed and woun- ded, among the number three officers killed. Our regimental loss was five wounded. After campaigning about the country for some time, we returned to Chat- tanooga, November 10. On the 12th our regiment re- ceived orders to go to Resacca, Ga., where it remained several days, guarding men tearing up the railroad tracks. November 29 the regiment went on picket duty at Chattanooga, in the morning, but was relieved, and left on the cars for Decatur, Ala. From then and until after the battle of Nashville, December 15 and 16, IS64, and until the pursuit of Hood's army had been abandoned near Tuscumbia, Ala., the regiment was with General Steedman's command, on the march all the time, receiving great credit with the other troops
?
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OUTLINE HISTORY OF THE
of his in the battle at Nashville-the regiment losing one killed and five wounded. When the pursuit ceased many of our men were shoeless and ragged, being out forty-three days without any change of clothing. Many were without blankets and overcoats, fighting and marching through the cold rains and mud, and sometimes over frozen ground. At one time they were five days and nights on the cars-box cars - from fifty to sixty men in a car, without fire, and so closely packed they could not lie down without crowding one another. December 27 they waded a bayou, near Decatur, Ala., before daylight, which was hip deep.
The regiment returned to their camp at Chatta- nooga, January 11, 1865, and from that time until the close of the war, there was only enough vitality left in Hood's army to make a guerrilla warfare on our lines of communication, or on places that had few troops. January 29 the regiment went to Athens, Tenn., to repel a raid there, but the rebels left on our approach. February 4 we moved our camp over the river, at the end of the bridge, and were assigned to provost duty. The great floods which nearly submerged our camp and the boating experiences will long be remembered as something very unusual. The water ran through the streets and for miles over the valley.
April 10 the news of Lee's surrender was made the occasion of a wonderful demonstration. Every bell was rung. every whistle blew, the cannons roared, and men cheered until they were hoarse. The country people
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68TH REGIMENT INDIANA INFANTRY.
came into the city or hid away in alarm at such a bedlam reaching through the mountains.
On the 14th, when the news of the assassination of Lincoln was received, the reaction was so great that men wept, and all wondered what would happen next. But the news of the capture of Jeff. Davis, the same day, caused our spirits to revive. On the ISth Cerro Gordo Williams and a large number of troops came in and surrendered. As they were flush with gold and silver from the Treasury of the Confederacy, which they were escorting out of danger, and which they paid out freely to the sutlers for luxuries they had not tasted for years, their money soon got into circulation, and we enjoyed the getting of a little hard cash very much, until the novelty wore off. And so until the end of our service there were events of thrilling interest, daily, because it was our side that was victorious. No one who has never experienced the despondency of defeat, can ever feel the full measure of joy in victory.
On the 17th of June General Steedman made us a farewell speech, in which he complimented us highly on our services to the country. We then left for Nash- ville, arriving there next day. On the 20th of June, IS65, we were mustered out of the service of the United States at that place. The recruits in our regiment were transferred to the 44th Indiana Infantry, with which they served until discharged, September 14, IS65.
We arrived at Indianapolis on the 22d of June, were furloughed for eight days, and took part in a public reception given at the Tabernacle to the returned
. ..
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OUTLINE HISTORY OF THE
troops, which was addressed by Lieutenant-Governor Conrad Baker. After being paid off we at once re- sumed our places as citizens, each going his way in the pursuit of happiness, and to such duties as should fall to his lot in the ever changing cares of life. .
Nearly a quarter of a century has passed since we first assembled together at Camp Logan, but I leave it to the comrades to reflect over the events which have occurred since then. How stranger than fiction have been the destinies of many ; our hearts are now saddened when we think of those comrades slain, or who died in hospitals, or in those saddest of all places, the rebel prisons. Let us think of these things, and resolve to do all we can to honor their memory and for the , country they died to save.
Our first service was in the Department of the Ohio. The Department of the Cumberland was ordered by the War Department, October 24, IS62, and was afterward organized with the 14th, 20th and 21st Army Corps, commanded in the order named by Major-Gen- erals George H. Thomas, McCook and Crittenden. There were four divisions in the 14th Corps until after the battle of Chicamauga, viz .: Ist division, Baird's; 2d, Negley's; 3d, Brannan's; 4th, Reynold's. The 4th division was composed of the following brigades: Ist brigade, Wilder's; 2d, Ed. A. King's; 3d, Turchin's.
A reorganization of the entire army was made after the battle of Chicamauga, under the name of the Mili-
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68TH REGIMENT INDIANA INFANTRY.
tary Division of the Mississippi, and commanded by General U. S. Grant. Under the new arrangement the Army of the Cumberland was composed of the 4th, 11th, 12th and 14th Corps, Major-General George H. Thomas commanding. The 4th Corps was made by consolidating the 20th and 21st, under Major-Gen- eral Gordon Granger. The 11th was commanded by Major-General O. O. Howard, and the 12th by Major- General Slocum-the last two corps being under Major- General Hooker. The 14th was commanded by Major- General George H. Thomas, who was next in rank to General Grant, until the arrival of Major-General W. T. Sherman, with reinforcements, in November.
There were three divisions in the 14th, Corps: Ist division, Major-General Palmer; 2d, Major-General Phil. H. Sheridan; 3d, Major-General Thomas J. Wood; and three brigades in Wood's division-Ist Brigade, Brigadier-General August Willich; 2d, Brigadier-Gen- eral W. B. Hazen; 3d, Brigadier-General Samuel Beatty.
After the battle of Chattanooga, on the march to Knoxville, General W. T. Sherman was in command of all the forces going to the relief of Burnside. After getting there, the enemy having retreated, all his com- mand returned, except the 4th Corps, Major-General Gordon Granger, which remained, and while there was in the Department of the Ohio, Major-General J. G. Foster commanding, until the reorganization in April, 1864, for the Atlanta campaign, when we were as- signed to the garrison of Chattanooga, Major-General
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INDIANA IN THE WAR.
James B. Steedman, commanding. It was composed as follows: Ist Separate Brigade - Sth Kentucky In- fantry, 15th, 29th, 44th, 5Ist and 6Sth Indiana Infantry, 3d and 24th Ohio Infantry. Engineer Brigade- ISth Ohio Infantry, 13th, 21st and 22d Michigan Infantry. Pioneer Brigade-58th Indiana Infantry, Ist and 2d Pontoon Battalion. In addition there was a large number of batteries of U. S. and other artillery.
INDIANA IN THE WAR.
From the Adjutant-General's Reports of Indiana, we have the following figures in regard to the num - ber of troops furnished by Indiana:
30 Days.
60 3 Days. Months
100 Days.
6 Mo.
Year.
3 Years.
Totals.
Infantry ..
1,874
587
6,308
7,415
539
21,331
133,640
175,776
Cavalry ... Artillery.
203
104
21,298
21,605
...
....
207
10,779
10,886
Totals.
1,874
587
6,308
7,415
742
21,642
165,617
208,367
These forces were organized into one hundred and twenty-nine regiments of infantry, thirteen regiments of . cavalry, one regiment of heavy artillery, and twenty- six batteries of light artillery, besides independent companies. .
MISCELLANY.
The 1st, 2d and 3d Indiana Infantry were raised under the administration of Governor Whitcomb, in 1846, to serve in Mexico; and in 1847 the 4th and 5th were raised for the same service. To avoid historical confusion, when the Rebellion came on the new regi- ments were numbered, commencing with the 6th, Col- onel T. T. Crittenden, which went to West Virginia, and on the 3d of June, IS61, took part in the first battle of the war, at Philippi. So, also, did the 7th Regi; ment, Colonel Ebenezer Dumont, and the 9th Regi- ment, Colonel R. H. Milroy. There were six regi- ments of three months' troops raised in Indiana under the President's first call for 75,000 volunteers, and the IIth, Colonel Lewis Wallace, was the last. So great was the enthusiasm that after filling the quota, enough more troops remained for five regiments, which were organized into the service of the State, May 11, with a surplus of six companies in camp. The 16th, Colonel P. A. Hackleman, was one of these regiments, and it was the first to march through Baltimore after the firing on the 6th Massachussetts Regiment, in April. It served to the end of their one year's enlistment, in
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INDIANA TROOPS.
the Army of the Potomac. The regiment was then reorganized and mustered into the three years' service, August 19, 1862. The 37th Indiana Infantry was mustered in September IS, IS61, for three years; the 54th Indiana Infantry, in October, IS62, for one year; the 6Sth Indiana Infantry, August 19, 1862, for three years; the 123d Indiana Infantry, March 9, 1864, for three years; the 134th Indiana, May 25, IS64, for one hundred days; the 19th Indiana Battery, August 5, 1862, for three years; and the 22d Indiana Battery, December 15, 1862, for three years.
THE LOSSES IN THE WAR.
The following extract from a speech delivered at Chattanooga, by General Joseph E. Wheeler, will serve to show the magnitude of the war of the Rebellion:
It takes but a few figures to show that it was one of the greatest and most momentous wars ever waged among civilized people. Official returns show that about 2,900,000 soldiers enlisted during the war, Re- ports show that the Northern and Southern armies met in over 2,000 skirmishes and battles. In 14S of these conflicts, the loss on the Federal side was over 500 men, and in at least ten battles over 10,000 men were reported lost on each side. The killed, wounded and missing on both sides, reported at Shiloh, numbered 24,000; Antietam, 38,000; Stone River, 37,000; Chan- cellorsville, 28,000; Gettysburg, 54,000; Chicamauga, 33,000.
Official statistics show that of all the men enlisted,
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THE LOSSES IN THE WAR.
there were killed in battle, during the war, 44,238; died of wounds, 49,205; died of disease, 186,216; died of unknown causes, 24, 184-total 303,843. To this num- ber should be added, first, 26,000 men who are known to have died while in the hands of the enemy, as prisoners of war, and many others in the same manner, whose deaths are unrecorded, and thousands who died at home on furlough, and were buried in private cemeteries.
The Nation's dead are buried in seventy-three Na- tional cemeteries, of which only twelve are in the North - ern States. Among the principal ones in the North are Cypress Hill, with its 3,786 dead; Finn's Point, N. J., which contains the remains of 2,644 unknown dead; Gettysburg, Pa., with its 1,967 known and 1,60S unknown dead; Mound City, Ill., with 2,505 known and 2,721 unknown graves. In the South, near the scenes of terrible conflicts, are located the largest de- positories of the Nation's heroic dead, viz .: Chatta- nooga, Tenn., (seventy-five acres), 12,843, from 655 regiments and twenty-three States, of which 5, 167 are unknown; Nashville, Tenn., 16,526, of which 4,700 are unknown; Stone River, Tenn., 6,121, of which 2,474 are unknown; seven cemeteries in Tennessee, (over 233 acres) in which are buried 56,S17 soldiers. In all, the remains of three hundred thousand men, who fought for the stars and stripes, find guarded graves in our Na- tional cemeteries. Two cemeteries are mainly devoted to brave men who perished in the loathsome prisons of the same name-Andersonville, Ga., which contains
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