USA > Indiana > Marion County > Cumberland > History of the 11th Indiana battery : connected with an outline history of the army of the Cumberland during the War of the Rebellion, 1861-65 > Part 6
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By July 25th, the railroad was repaired and trains were running to Thomas' camps; Col. Wright having rebuilt the bridge over the Chattahoochee river in six days. On the 27th, the movements from the extreme left of the army to the extreme right by the army of the Tennessee com menced by successive corps, making Schofield for the time being the left wing. On the same day the cavalry from both wings were ordered on an expedition to destroy the Macon railroad. On the morning of the 28th, the last corps. of the army of the Tennessee was in its position at Ezra church began intrenching as soon as in position. Being made cautious during the reign of Hood, Sherman ordered. a division of 14th corps somewhat in the rear of the extreme right of Blair.
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Hood suffered so severely from his last attacks on Sherman, that his troops lost the relish for attacking Sherman's intrenchments. Hood selected for this assault General S. D, Lee's corps with two divisions of Stewart's corps in reserve. The enemy advanced with his usual bravery, but were repulsed; they were reformed and another advance made, but with no better results. Then Stewart moved his reserves to the assistance of Lee, and the general officers being determined on success, that to encourage their troops, they exposed themselves so much that Stewart, Loring, Brown and Johnson were all wounded and disabled (on the 22d, the rebels in their fight had al- ready lost their General Walker). In the last attacks part of the enemy refused to advance against the union troops any more, and by night the enemy acknowledged themselves beaten and retreated. The carnage was awful in front of the union lines; it was estimated at over 5000.
Several days afterward some of our pickets asked the rebel picket, "Well, Johnny, how many of you are left?" The Johnny replied, "O, about enough for another killing."
Even Jefferson Davis was appalled at the results of these attacks and wrote Hood a letter on the 5th of August, "the loss consequent upon attacking Sherman in his in- trenchments requires you to avoid that if possible." All Hood's assaults were failures, and Johnston's policy of war- fare was quickly vindicated.
On the 23d the battery was put in position as stated be- fore. In the evening we commenced firing into Atlanta, about two miles distant, every five minutes we threw in a shell; near midnight a fire broke out in Atlanta, caused by our shells. The 24th we continued our firing during the whole day and night. Of course we were not to fire with- out any opposition, and the enemy answered our fire with cannon and the sharpshooters were alert in our front as elsewhere. On this day Corporal Clossen was wounded by a spent ball in the breast, and a wheel horse of No. I gun had its leg broken by a cannon ball, which ball rolled into
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our cook department and carried havoc among the dishes. During the whole night heavy cannonading was going on and many shells bursted in our neighborhood without doing any damage to us. We kept up our firing into Atlanta with occasional changes against some rebel works in our front.
On the 25th George Rank was wounded by a piece of flange from a shell, which struck his hand and smashed the bones of the lower arm, so that his arm had to be amputat- ed at the elbow. A little to the left of our front the rebels had a fort; one of the guns in there had molested us a good deal and this day we succeeded in stopping its molestation. One of our guns got the range of that gun and was ready to fire as soon as the embrasure for that gun in the fort would open. The embrasure opening our gun was fired and struck the muzzle of the gun in the fort. That was the last of the gun annoying us; the embrasure was walled up with sand bags immediately.
On the 30th the pickets in front of our battery surprised the rebel pickets opposite and captured 104 of them, and established themselves in their breastworks; the rebels opened with cannister on them, but they held the line. Our men had about fifty wounded and a few killed. Very live- ly artillery fire was kept up from both sides the rest of the day.
The cavalry on its expedition toward Macon had destroy- ed a great deal of railroad, but were not as successful as it might have been, and General Sherman rated the usefulness of his cavalry rather low.
The movement of the army of the Tennessee to the right was followed by the army of the Ohio, which moved to the right of the former on the Ist of August, and on the 2d intrenched his army on Utoy creek, and the refused wing of the army of the Tennessee was moved forward into line. Our line continually being moved toward the railroad, our men on the 6th discovered the well intrenched lines of the rebels and intrenched also. Our extreme right had been
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extended to Willis' mill, on the southern fork of Utoy creek. The 4th and 20th corps had advanced their skirmish lines, and the whole union army was about as close to the rebel fortifications as safely could be done, and Sherman de- termined to try the effect of heavier ordnance against the main fortifications and the city.
On the 9th of August, Lieutenant Otto was ordered to take three 41/2 inch Rodman rifle guns, which had just ar- rived from Nashville, in charge and move with them to the left of the 4th corps, about two miles east of the present position of the battery, behind breastworks which were in construction, lay platforms and get ready with them to fire into Atlanta. By noon of the next day the fourth of these guns arrived and we had our first battery again with which we started out on our first, on the Shiloh campaign, in 1862. These guns were manned by the first, second and fifth gun squads, the other squads attending to the Parrott guns in their old position. In the afternoon, ammunition having arrived, we got ready to commence our fire in the evening. The fourth of these guns, as we had only three embrasures built, was put in a battery a little to the right of our Parrott guns. During the night we fired out of these three guns, one round every five minutes, 260 rounds. About 9 p. m., these shells exploding, caused another big fire in the city, and as soon as this was noticed the infantry started a hurrah all along the line. During the night of the 11th we fired 24I rounds, and till noon of the 12th another 217 rounds, all the ammunition we had, except twenty-four rounds, which we kept for an emergency.
During the night of the 12th, two of our Parrott guns bursted on account of incessant firing.
We, having no ammunition, rested that night. Toward evening we received another supply and commenced firing again and sent 185 rounds into the city. During that night, all the artillery around Atlanta directed their fire into the city and by midnight another conflagation started in the doomed city. On the 14th we expended 238 rounds and on the
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15th, 316 rounds. There was a little fort in our front, about one mile distance from our position, and in this work the rebels had a light six pounder with which they fired once in a while toward our line but could not reach us, On this day I told Corporal Keller of No. I squad to silence that gun; the second shot went right through the embrasure, struck the limber chest and exploding it killed and wounded three of the rebels. Immediately after this embrasure was also walled up with sand bags. From the 16th and 17th we ex- pended 216 rounds, Early on the 17th I received an order to expend all ammunition on hand and be ready to move the next morning at 3 o'clock. About 4 a. m., on the 18th, the rebels opened with their cannon at our line; we had only four rounds left, which we sent into the fort. In the afternoon we received another supply and went to work to play quids. Until 7 a. m., on the 19th, we had another 188 rounds expended. The next night we expended 226 rounds. By this time our guns were in such a condition that they were unsafe for further use. During the day we received two new 20 pound Parrott guns, and at 10 p. m. 294 rounds of ammunition for them. Till noon on the 21st we expend- ed all the 41/2 inch ammunition on hand, 338 rounds. On the 22d we began firing out of the new Parrott guns, and sent, till next morning, 252 rounds into the rebel lines. During the 23d the other two 20 pounders were sent to our position and the 41/2 inch guns returned. On the 24 we ex- pended yet 24 rounds, all the ammunition we had. After this I was ordered to take invoice and turn the four Parrott guns over to Battery K, 5th United States Artillery, which was complied with at 8 o'clock p. m.
In our position here, from the 10th to the 24th of August, we had expended, with three gun squads, 3,010 rounds of ammunition in twelve days and nights. As during all this time we had had not much rest, a cessation of work was very thankfully received.
On the 25th, in the morning, Lieutenant Otto, with the camp and the Rodman guns were ordered into the old posi-
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tion across the Chattahoochee river. Captain S. went with the section of howitzers along with the army to Jonesboro. This actually ended the Atlanta campaign.
How much ammunition our battery had expended during the late campaign, from Turner Hill to Atlanta I am unable to state, as I had no recourse to the campaign returns, and all I have stated is taken from my diary in closer connec- tion with my section of the battery.
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CHAPTER XVII.
ENERAL SHERMAN kept extending G his right till it covered Camp creek, southwest of Eastpoint, at which place the railroads forked. Up to this point the Atlanta and Westpoint, and Macon and Western railroads, run on a single track from Atlanta; Sherman's lines at Camp creek were within a mile of the Atlanta and West- point railroad, On the same day that Camp creek was reached, August 18th, General Kilpatrick, the great cavalry leader, was sent with a large division of cavalry to make a last break in the railroad from Atlanta south, crossing both roads, one at Fairburn and the other at Jonesboro, and do- ing considerably damage to both; but Hood sent Jackson after him who spoiled Kilpatrick's fun. He went clear around Atlanta and done some splendid fighting, but no permanent break in the railroads were make. From the 18th demonstrations were made all along the line, and on the right were pushed, on the 21st, close to the forts in front of Eastpoint.
Sherman being convinced now that with small expedi- tions to the south of Atlanta he could not interrupt the communications of Hood permanently, he concluded to re- sume his plan of a week ago; to intrench the 20th corps at the Chattahoocheeridge and swing all the rest of his army to the south of Atlanta.
Since the 14th the greater part of the rebel cavalry under Wheeler were operating on the railroad north of the Chat- tahoochee, but he was eventually driven off by General Steedman from Chattanooga, whence he marched into East Tennessee.
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As we have seen before, Sherman began his movement on the 25th. In the evening of the 27th, all the army, except the 20th corps, was between Atlanta and Sandtown. Hood, through his cavalry, watched the movements of our army very closely, and he jumped at the conclusion, that Wheeler's expedition had been successful and that Sher- man was retreating across the Chattahoochee, short of rations. To this conviction he adhered until it was too late to make new combinations to keep Sherman off from the railroad. On the 29th a great deal of the railroad was thoroughly destroyed, the ties burned, the rails twisted so that they could not be used again. On the 30th the whole
army was between the railroads. The 23d corps had some skirmishes with the rebel cavalry, but no serious fighting took place. As Hood's illusion of the flying enemy was dispelled, he ordered Hardee's and Lee's corps to Jonesboro to attack the union forces next day. About 3 p. m., on the 3Ist, Hardee moved against the army of the Tennessee. The attack was fierce, but had no weight nor persistency compared with former attacks; the rebels were repulsed in all their attacks and retired, leaving over 400 dead on the field. At Rough and Ready station, on the Macon railroad, Stanley's and Schofield's corps discovered an intrenched line of the enemy; this was carried by a charge and a number of prisoners taken. A train of cars at this instance, coming from Atlanta, hearing the noise of battle, moved back to Atlanta and brought the news there that Sherman's infantry were moving northward, which re- port carried consternation all over the city. On the 31st of August Sherman held the railroad from Rough and Ready to near Jonesboro, with Hardee and Lee in posses- sion there; he knew also that in a short time he would have the whole rebel army before him. He therefore sent orders to Slocum directing him to be active in front of his position at the Chattahoochee and to enter Atlanta if possible. In the afternoon of this day, Sherman meeting Howard near Rough and Ready, was informed of the disappearance of
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Lee's corps and that Hardee alone was in front. . He at once ordered the concentration of the army of the Cumber- land, to capture, if possible, the isolated corps of Hardee. General Govan, on the right of Hardee, with nearly his whole brigade and two batteries, were captured, but dark- ness set in and put an end to further operations on Hardee that night. Over 300 of the enemy's dead were left on the field, and 865, with General Govan, surrendered, and the next day nearly a thousand, including wounded, left in the hospital by Hardee, were added to the list of captured.
Hood in ordering Lee's corps back to Atlanta from Jones- boro had found out his mistake; now it was too late to save anything which had not been removed, and large trains of ordnance stores and other stores, numbering over eighty cars and six locomotives were destroyed by fire. The ordnance contained a large amount of loaded shells, the explosion of which could easily be heard at the Chattahoochee, and in the early morning of the 2d our troops took possession of the city, and the mayor of the city surrendered it to Colonel Coburn, who commanded the 2d brigade of 3d division, 20th corps.
During that night Hardee, in front of Jonesboro, also evacuated his lines, and on September 2d Hood assembled his army at Lovejoy station, about eight miles south of Jonesboro; Sherman following Hood's army developed it there by sharp skirmishing.
As Atlanta was now definitely ours, Sherman ordered the withdrawal of the army from Lovejoy station to the vicini- ty of Atlanta; the army of the Cumberland occupying the city, the army of the Tennessee encamped at Eastpoint, and the army of the Ohio at Decatur. The cavalry covered the flanks and rear.
In this position, the armies remained for a short time for rest and for the preparation of a new campaign.
On the 5th of September, Captain Sutermeister, with the 3d section of the battery, arrived at Atlanta and went into camp in the city; on the 10th the other part of the battery,
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which had been left at the Chattahoochee river in charge of Lieutenant Otto, were ordered to report to Captain S., at Atlanta, and the battery was once more united after an in- termission of just one month. From now till September 26th, we rested on our laurels in the camp at Atlanta; Gen- eral Sherman preparing for and laying out his "March to the Sea."
General Thomas, with the army of the Cumberland, was ordered back to Chattanooga to take care of Hood, while Sherman with the other troops was to take the route to the "Sea" by way of Savannah. On the 27th we embarked our battery on the train enroute for Chattanooga, and arrived there on the morning of the 29th. Here we moved our bat- tery into Fort Milotzky, south of Cameron hill, a position that commanded the Tennessee river and Chattanooga val- ley. The day before we left Atlanta we were paid off for eight months, and not thinking it judicious, to be bothered with "so much money," we sent Lieutenant Jacobs to the rear, to Louisville, with our surplus money to send from there to our families and friends at home.
All our duty during the whole month of October consist- ed of a little gun drill, guard mounting, inspection and cleaning and repairing the harness, getting ready to turn everything over in good shape, when the time should come: and-bumming. On November Ist we turned over our bat- tery (guns and implements and ammunition) to a company of heavy artillery, who had just arrived from the north. One little incident may find record here which shows the "importance" which new troops assume. We had our head- quarters in a roomy house within the fort (the former resi- dence of the owner, a Mr. Milotzky) and our successor, after having taken charge of the fort, demanded the quar- ters also. As we had no tents or anything else for shelter at that time, we refused to comply with his demand point blank, until he would produce orders from headquarters. The young captain got quite provoked at our refusal, buckled on his sword and went straight to headquarters and
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complained about our impudence in not complying with his request. Gen. Brannon, the chief of artillery, asked the young captain whether he had any tents, and answering in the affirmative, the General told him to use them and not mind our quarters; that we had camped out without tents for six long months, and the quarters were ours till ordered to vacate them. The young captain after this did not bother us any more about our quarters, but he felt very much hurt.
We expected our orders for "discharge" during Novem- ber, but when they came it was two days too late. We re- ceived them on the 29th of November, and on the 28th Hood had cut the railroad track at Tullahoma. When would our release come now ?
IITH INDIANA BATTERY.
S7
CHAPTER XVIII.
HE Rebel General, Hood, after getting relieved of Atlanta, and getting whipped at Jonesboro, after gathering up what was left of his army, had a plan too. He would cut our communications north of Atlanta, and if followed by Sherman to draw him on to the Tennessee river and thus transfer the seat of war again into Tennesse. On October 3d the main body of his forces were at Lost Moun- tain, north of Marietta, and Stewart's corps was sent to de- stroy and capture . Alatoona and the bridge over Etowah river. Stewart captured the small posts at Ackworth and Big Shanty, and sent French's division, with twelve pieces of artillery, against the rocky gorges of Alatoona. The garrison of Alatoona was a very small one, and with the re- inforcements brought in just the nick of time, by General Corse, from Rome, amounted to almost 2000 men. The fight was a fierce one, but he failed in his purpose. As Sherman's army was following Hood up, these assaults had to be made quick and if not successful at once had to be given up.
Hood in part succeeded in his plan, but his success was very small; a few small garrisons captured and a few small bridges destroyed, which were rebuilt again in a day. But Sherman was not foolish enough in following Hood to vacate Atlanta. He left for the protection of the captured city and the bridgehead at the Chattahoocheeiver, one of his corps, Sherman following up Hood to near Chattanooga, where Hood turned southward again, on the 16th, on to
1
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Gadsden, Ala. Here he met General Beauregard, and with him he planned future operations.
Sherman's army went back to Atlanta where he finished his preparations for the "March to the Sea."
Hood's and Beauregard's plan was to attack with their combined forces Thomas' forces at Murfreesboro and Nash- ville, and if possible annihilate his army, but at any rate drive him out of Tennessee. As we have seen before, he cut Thomas' communication with Chattanooga at Tulla- homa on the 28th. For the next few days all available troops from Chattanooga were ordered to concentrate at Murfreesboro and Nashville, which was very strongly forti- fied. The union front stretched from Murfreesboro to Triune and Franklin. It took General Thomas some time to gather forces enough together to fight a successful bat- tle. The rebel forces attacked Franklin and Triune in the forepart of December and crowded the union forces from there on to Nashville. On the 18th, 19th and 20th of De- cember, General Thomas attacked and whipped the rebel army in front of Nashville and drove them back over the Duck river again. The losses in this fight to the rebel army were enormous, and Hood never revived again from the shock.
On December 31st the first train left Chattanooga for Nashville, and on the 3Ist we left there for home. We were "shipped" in box cars without any stoves in them, and as the weather was very cold we suffered greatly till we ar- rived at Nashville. We were detained a great deal on the road so that we did not arrive at Nashville till the after- noon on the Ist of January, 1865. On the 2d, 4 p. m., we succeeded in getting on a train for Louisville, arriving there on the 3d, in the afternoon. At 9 o'clock in the evening. we stepped on Indiana soil again, which event was celebrat- ed by three rousing cheers.
The next morning, at 4 a. m., found us at Indianapolis, where we reported to the Adjutant General of the State, turned over our camp utensils, etc., made out our mustering
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out rolls, and on the 7th of January were discharged and resumed civil life again. On the 9th the men were paid off and all left for home, sweet home. But not all the boys that went out with us came home with us again; a number of them were laid down to rest in the southern soil, crown- ed with the undying laurels of loyalty to their country and the flag. Another number, the veterns who re-enlisted, and those who enlisted in '62, '63 and '64, were transferred to the 7th and 18th Indiana batteries. To the 7th, 22 non- commissioned officers and privates; to the 18th, 65 non- commissioned officers and privates, who were discharged at the end of the war, in July, 1865.
Comrades of the IIth Indiana Battery, I have come to the end. Is it worth while to preserve the accounts of our organization and deliver them to our children ? Have we done our duty in maintaining the country and its flag against destruction ? I say emphatically "yes."
STATISTICS OF THE BATTERY.
Enlisted and mustered December 17th, 1861, .. 70
during 1862, 106
1863 and 1864. . 58 Died from sickness and wounds and killed in battle 3I
Deserted 3
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REMINISCENCES OF
OHN McINTOSH, No. 3 gun, 2d section, IIth Indiana Battery, enlisted Febru- ary 28th, 1862, at Fort Wayne, Indiana, with the following named persons :
Hiram Congleton, L. J. Riley, Peter Gressley, Louis Gardner, James McNal- ly, Samuel Daugherty and Val. Seits, by Lieutenant Greene, and were mus- tered in at Indianapolis, March 3d, 1862, left Indianapolis for Jeffersonville on the 3d, and arrived there on the 4th and crossed over to Louisville, Ky. Here we were put un- der guard for the first time in our lives. On the 5th we left Louisville for Nashville per boat down the Ohio and up the Cumberland rivers, and arrived at Nashville on the 8th, in the evening, and found the battery encamped at the Charlotte Pike, where the boys gave us a grand reception. The next day we drew our uniforms and donned the "blue," and were ready to obey our officers. As Lieutenant Otto has given our history the balance of the time * I want to add a few things of my own recollection.
On the March to Shiloh, Christian Ouk had one of his feet smashed by one of the ammunition wagons; I was de- tailed to take him back to the hospital, and arriving there we took each other by the hand and I started back to camp. I was young and had been in service but a short time, and of course every object I saw on the way back was a rebel; it was getting late and I was in a hurry. Look-
#Referring to the historical sketch of the battery read by Lieu- tenant Otto at the first reunion, at Fort Wayne, Ind., October 4, 1883.
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ing ahcad I saw two men in the road, and of course I thought they must be rebels; I had to pass them, and I got ready for them, revolver in hand; but when I came close to them I recognized Bob McKee and Eph. Goodwill, loaded with "Bob," you know what this was. This was the first time I got ready to fight rebels, but not the last. As we passed through Columbia, Tenn., I shall ever remember the words of an old darkey, who stood in the street patting his hands together and crying out: "Bress the Lord, bress the Lord, the Yanks am hea; bress the Lord, youns all look like weens do." All you comrades remember, that while being on this march, we had some very hard times. After crossing Indian creek one of our guns got mired and we could not extract it that night. It had been raining hard in the afternoon and evening, and to make a dry resting place, Sam Daugherty and I went to a fence and laid rails down on the ground and covered them with our blankets, then laid rails from the top of the fence down to the ground for a roof with our oilcloths as a cover-so we had a very good bed to sleep considering the circumstances. During the latter part of the night I woke up and found Sam in the act of setting fire to our bed. I don't know where he got the fire from, but he had it. I spoke to him and found him asleep-what could have happened if I had not woke up I do not pretend to figure out.
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