USA > Indiana > History of the Seventy-fifth regiment of Indiana infantry voluteers. its organization, campaigns, and battles (1862-65.) > Part 12
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History of the Seventy-fifth Regiment
stantly and witlı terrible effect upon that wing until my right pressed within less than 50 paces of it, when it was rapidly removed to prevent capture. Another revealed its hydra head immediately in rear of this, supported by a second line, hurling its death-dealing missiles more destructively, if pos- sible, upon our still advancing but already thinned ranks. Having driven the first line back upon its support, a fresh battery and infantry were brought to play upon my right, which, by its advanced position had become subject to an enfilade fire, and gave way, but not until Major Caswell, Colonel Smith, and Colonel Rudler, the three officers commanding, respec- tively, the three right battalions, were wounded, and at least 25 per cent. of their numbers killed and wounded.
In his official report Clayton says, as follows:
I again moved forward about 4 o'clock, the brigades of Generals Brown and Bate having successively advanced and engaged the enemy. Passing Bate's brigade, then in front, my line continued steadily forward with promptness and spirit, accompanied nearly to the Chattanooga road by the Fifty eighth Alabama Regiment, Col. Bushrod Jones (which attracted my attention by the excellent order in which it moved), and a small portion of another regiment which I did not recognize, both of Bate's brigade.
The enemy continued to retreat to and beyond the Chattanooga road, near which my brigade captured two pieces of artillery, which were brought off in the manner stated by my regimental commanders, whose reports ac- company this. My brigade continued the pursuit of the enemy one-half mile beyond the road, when a staff officer reporting the enemy advancing in strong force from the right, and it also having been reported to me, through my assistant adjutant-general, by a staff officer whom he did not recognize, that the enemy's cavalry had been seen in force upon the left as if preparing to advance, my brigade fell back across the road at leisure, where I halted and reformed it in connection with the portion of General Bate's brigade already referred to.
I take pleasure in mentioning that Captains Crenshaw and Lee, with their companies from the Fifty-eighth Alabama Regiment, of Bate's brigade, ac- companied mine beyond the road. They are gallant officers.
In this charge my brigade captured 50 or 60 prisoners besides the two pieces of artillery, and I have reason to believe that the loss in killed and wounded inflicted upon the enemy to some extent compensated for our own in the earlier engagement.
This engagement between the hours of 3 and 4 p. m., in which the Federal Divisions of Reynolds and Palmer fought Stewart's Division near the centre at Poe's, was the forma- tion of the second group of battles for the day.
During the retirement of the Regiment with the Brigade
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of Indiana Infantry Volunteers.
before the fearful charge of Stewart's Division between 3 and 4 o'clock in the afternoon of the first day, several mem- bers, besides those previously mentioned, were killed and wounded and taken prisoners. Corporal George W. Iler of H Company, and Columbus A. Bennett of E Company, were instantly killed. The former received his death wound just after we had crossed the Chattanooga road, when a part of the Regiment had leaped a fence and entered a lane. He was in this lane with the writer and others, when he was shot through the body with a minie-ball. Corporal Iler served faithfully in liis Company, and fell as pure a patriot as any man in the Regiment. The latter was killed also by a minie-ball passing through his head. His death was greatly deplored, on account of his worth. Martin Jackson of G Company and George Nevins of E Company were mortally wounded; the former in the breast and the latter in the hip. Both were made prisoners of war and were exchanged, dying in our hospital at Chattanooga in the following October-the one on the 4th and the other on the 29th. John Robbins, John D. McKee and James Miner of G Company were mor- tally wounded and captured. Robbins' leg was lacerated, and he died from the effects of it, October 15tl1; McKee was wounded in the back of the head and died the same day. The Adjutant-General's report of "missing" in his case is incorrect. Miner was wounded in the groin, and died the third day after receiving his wound. All three died in the hands of the enemy. Sergeant Joel W. McMahan, of G Company, was severely wounded by a minie-ball, which penetrated his head behind the ear and came out of the centre of his cheek. Silas Morehead of A Company, Sergeant Marion W. Essington, Corporal John R. Leonard, David F. Johnson, Jonathan Kelley, Salathiel Lamb, Henry Rey- nolds, Evan Stewart, Earl S. Stone of D Company, were more or less wounded. Johnson died of his wounds in Chattanooga, October 22d. Jonas Coffman of E Company was wounded by a minie-ball in the left hip; Adam Foust
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History of the Seventy-fifth Regiment
of E Company in the face; Joseph J. Johnson of E Company in the left thigli; George F. Smith and Henry Trout of E Company in the leg; and Kilbourne F. Way, a Corporal in the same Company, was wounded in the foot. Sergeant John W. Chamness of G Company, who subsequently was promoted to the first lieutenancy of the Company, received a flesh wound in the right arm between the elbow and shoulder, and Lewis Moler of the same Company received a flesh wound in the thigh. James Douglass, in the left arm, Lewis R. Fitch, through both ankles, and Peter Fulhart, in the liead, and Joshua C. Joseph in the breast and leg-all of H Com- pany. Michael Dennis and Valentine Knee of H Company were also wounded, the former severely and the latter mor- tally, dying of his wounds at Stevenson, Alabama, October 19th. Isaac N. Kinnan, of H Company, was very severely wounded in the left arm, from the effects of which he was discharged April 6th, 1864. Hiram Slain, of H Company, also was wounded, on account of which he was discharged June 29tl1, 1864. John G. Thompson, Matthew Waters and Leroy Welchi, of H Company, were slightly wounded. The Lawson brothers of A Company-William A. and James M .- were captured while they were trying to get possession of the body of Silas Morehead, their brother-in-law, wlio was wounded, but supposed killed. William died in prison at Andersonville, Ga., August 14tl1, 1864, and James, who was sick when captured, was transferred from Richmond to Dan- ville, Va., where he died a prisoner on Christmas Day, 1863.
Timothy F. Fait and George H. Kinsey of F Company, and David Twible of K Company, were killed on this day's battle. It is a matter of regret that the writer is unable to obtain any of the particulars of their death. Right nobly did they figlit, however, standing up to the work and dying un- flinchingly. Their lives went out in the line of duty. To their valor, good service, true manhood and soldierly quali- ties, the writer can testify.
In falling back to the worm fence to be reformed, the inter-
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of Indiana Infantry Volunteers.
ior of the gun barrel of the writer had become so dirty from frequent discharges, that the ball would no longer descend by the regulation movements of the rammer. The writer is left- handed. He laid his left hand heavily upon the top of the raminer two-thirds of the way down the barrel in the act of loading, the pressure of which forced the thread end of the rammer into the palm of his hand, from which sufficient blood spurted to attract the attention of Captain Floyd, liis brother, who called to him: "David, are you hurt?" The wound, to which the Surgeon of the Regiment applied a piece of adhesive plaster, did not disable the writer from the performance of his duties in the battle, but did leave a scar in his hand for life.
Others of the Regiment were wounded and captured at this time, whose names cannot be recalled now.
From 2 until 4 p. 111., a fierce battle raged on our right in the locality of Vineyard's farm, between the Federal Divis- ions of Van Cleve and Davis, and a Brigade of Sheridan's Division, and the Confederate Divisions of Hood, Bushrod Johnson, and Preston. It was caused by the forward move- ment of the Confederate left in the direction of Lee and Gordon's Mills. It was a desperate conflict-some hand-to- hand encounters having taken place. The Federals at last were driven from their position, but reformed along a fence in rear of the Vineyard buildings, which they held. This composed the third group of battles for the day.
Wilder's Mounted Brigade of our Division, which had been sent from the extremne left, Negley's Division of our Corps, and Wood's Division of Crittenden's Corps, were also more or less engaged on the right after 5 p. m.
Although the firing had ceased on our immediate front by the setting of the sun, Cleburne's Division of Hill's Con- federate Corps furiously attacked Baird's and Johnson's Di- visions on the left of our line, as they were withdrawing by order of Gen. Thomas, to a position at Kelley's farm, after darkness had set in. Thus the conflict ended for the day.
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"It gave one the cold shivers. The wild yells echoing in the woods, the deafening musketry ominously advancing, the lines of fire lighting up the darkness, were a brilliant finale to the day's conflict."
The mixing up of the Divisions and Brigades, by pushing forward the troops most accessible to the positions seriously threatened by the Confederates, destroyed the unity of our Army Corps, as they formed the line of battle along the Chattanooga and Lafayette road. In the following order, from left to right by Divisions and Corps, the lines ran : Brannan's and Baird's of the Fourteenth Corps, Johnson's of the Twentieth and Palmer's of the Twenty-first, Reynolds' of the Fourteenth, Van Cleve's and Wood's of the Twenty- first, Davis' and Sheridan's of the Twentieth, and Negley's of the Fourteenth.
During the day Granger's Reserve Corps on the left near Rossville was watching the Confederate Cavalry under For- rest; Crook's and Ed. McCook's Cavalry on our extreme right kept an eye on Wheeler's Confederate Calvary on the opposite side of the river near Glass' Mill; and Minty's Cav- alry Brigade covered and protected our wagon trains in the rear of the Widow Glenn's house. Our field hospitals were established at Cloud's house on the left, and at Crawfish Springs on the right. The wounded of our Regiment were cared for at the latter.
In the battle of the 19th, all our troops were engaged, ex- cept the Reserve Corps and two Brigades of Sheridan's Di- vision. Negley's Division, however, was only slightly under fire. Bragg had eleven Brigades unemployed in the battle of the 19th. The Divisions of Breckinridge and Hindman lay quietly nearly all day on the other side of the river. Two Brigades of Longstreet's Corps and Gist's Brigade of Walker's Corps did not arrive on the battle-field until after midnight of this day. Longstreet himself was not on the field during the first day. Two of Preston's Brigades ex- perienced very little of the first day's conflict. Thus Bragg
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had almost twice as many fresh troops to enter the battle of the 20th, as Rosecrans had.
" The battle of September 19th was one of the fiercest and deadliest of the war. It was a rough-and-tumble, all day long fight, without intrenchments; a series of surprises, of al- ternating successes, of charges and countercharges, a deatlı grapple of irregular lines in thickets and woods. There was no time for tactics or manœuvring, or counter preparation. Overshadowed by the dramatic features of the next day's battle, one can now scarcely realize and recall the enduring heroism of this struggle. The war furnished no better test of the fighting metal of the American soldier." (Lieut. Col. G. P. Thruston, A. A. G. 20th A. C.) "It was not simple skirmishing, but a battle; a mad, irregular battle, very much resembling guerrilla warfare on a vast scale, in which one army was bushwhacking the other, and wherein all the science and the art of war went for nothing." (Turchin's History of the Battle of Chickamauga.)
The bivouac of both armies was on the field which they respectively occupied and held, when the darkness of the night overshadowed them. Who can ever forget that cold, cheerless Saturday night of the 19th of September, 1863, on the field of Chickamauga? The light of the moon, as it shone through the trees of the forest, cast a sombre shadow over the dead and dying, as they lay as thick as leaves in Vallombrosa. The silence of the night was in striking con- trast to the day's rattle of musketry and boom of cannon. The night's stillness was broken only by mangled and dying men, who lay moaning in physical agony, intermingling their groans with prayers and imprecations. The wretched spec- tacle of these men, as they lay cold and stark in the moon- light from the day's battle; and the wearied, haggard, jaded and hungry heroes, with smoke-begrimed faces, who had inarched the entire previous night and fought the livelong day, as they lay asleep in the midst of the dead and dying, where they had fought, impressed the sombre coloring of a picture upon the writer's memory, that will never be effaced.
CHAPTER VII.
CHICKAMAUGA-BATTLE OF SEPTEMBER 20TH, 1863.
DURING the night of the 19th, General Rosecrans sum- moned his Corps commanders to his headquarters, at the Widow Glenn's house, for consultation and instruction for the great conflict of the 20th. With the instinct of a com- mander, Rosecrans perceived that Bragg's main attack for the day would be on our left. He, therefore, divided the National Army into two wings, placing General Thomas in command of the left, and General McCook of the right.
Thomas was directed to post his wing in line of battle, in a good position, around Kelley's farm, and McCook received instructions to refuse his wing to the right and rear of Thomas', and hold it in readiness for the latter's assistance. To effect this, McCook was ordered to withdraw two Divis- ions of his Corps-Davis' and Sheridan's-from the line which they were then occupying, and form a new line stretching from Thomas' right to the Widow Glenn's house. Crittenden was instructed to post two Divisions of his Corps -Wood's and Van Cleve's-to the rear and in proximity of the junction formed by Thomas' right and McCook's left, so as to support both.
These changes, made before daylight, and immediately after the pickets of McCook's wing had been driven in by the Confederates, united two Divisions of McCook's Corps and two of Crittenden's; but it would have been fatal to re- move Johnson's Division of McCook's Corps, and Palmer's Division of Crittenden's Corps from their respective positions in line between the Divisions of Baird and Reynolds of the Fourteenth Corps, where they had fought on the first day.
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of Indiana Infantry Volunteers.
Negley's Division of the Fourteenth Corps at Brotherton's, which was ordered to join Thomas on the left of Baird, was not relieved in time to obey the order, except John Beatty's Brigade, which, together with Dodge's Brigade of Johnson's Division, formed in line on Baird's left. The other two Brigades of Negley's Division did not move towards the left until the fighting began.
Hence the involution of Divisions and Brigades, which, by the emergency of the hour, had occurred on the first day, for the same reasons had to remain so during the battle of the second.
The commander of the Cavalry-Gen. Mitchell-was di- rected to join his command to the right wing and report to McCook, its commander, from whom he would receive or- ders. The Reserve Corps, under Gen. Granger, was ordered to remain near Rossville at McAffee's Church. Wilder's Brigade of Mounted Infantry, of our Division, was to act with the Cavalry.
It was past midnight, when Rosecrans' generals left his headquarters with their orders for the battle of the 20th.
From the camp-fire of his headquarters near Tedford's ford, on the opposite side of the river, Gen. Bragg issued his specific orders for the movements of his army in the forthcoming conflict. He divided his army also into two wings, and placed Lieutenant-General James Longstreet, (who had just arrived on the battle-field and at Bragg's headquarters) in command of the left wing, and Lieutenant-General Polk in command of the right wing. Longstreet's wing comprised Buckner's and Longstreet's Corps, and Hindman's Division of Polk's Corps, and Polk's wing was composed of Hill's and Walker's Corps and Cheatham's Division of Polk's Corps. The involution of Divisions occurred also in Bragg's army, disturbing thereby the unity of his Corps. Wheeler's Cavalry was placed on the left, and Forrest's Cavalry on the right.
The Confederates, as on the day previous, were the aggres- sors. Bragg's plan of battle was simple. His orders were, II
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History of the Seventy-fifth Regiment
that the assault should begin at daylight on the extreme right of his right wing; and that each Division in rapid succession should take up the attack to the left. The left wing should await the attack of the right, when the same plan of advance by Divisions successively to the left was to be adopted. After this the whole line was to be pushed vigorously and per- sistently against our entire front.
The anxiety of both armies for the result of the second day was great. Each had suffered terribly on the first day. An unusually large percentage of Confederate officers had fallen. Neither army felt it liad actually won a victory; but the odds were in favor of our side. But both sides felt it would re- quire the clash of arms of another day to settle it. Conse- quently the tired troops in their blue and gray uniforms went to sleep for the night upon the gory field, with the expecta- tion of the work of death to be continued by the coming of the new day. It came at last, red and sultry, with a dense fog and smoke, hanging over the dead and dying of the previous day's battle, like the drapery of a mighty pall.
Thomas' wing ran by Divisions from left to right in the following order, viz: Baird on the extreme left, then Johnson, Palmer, Reynolds and Brannan; the last Division, (Bran- nan's) being held in reserve. The line of Thomas bent back- wards, like a bow, around Kelley's farın, both ends touching the Lafayette and Chattanooga road, the right end extending beyond the road, and the centre bulging out towards the Confederates. The line was strengthened by a barricade of logs and rails, which each Division built in its immediate front during Saturday night and Sunday morning. The breastworks in front of our Regiment were of the simplest construction. They consisted merely of a few old rails, de- caying logs and stumps, collected by us and piled up in front of the position we occupied. We built them on Sunday morning, after the battle on the left had fairly opened. If Bragg's ear caught the sounds of axes in constructing Federal works on Saturday night, as he asserts in his report,
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of Indiana Infantry Volunteers.
the sound was not inade with axes wielded by the men of our Regiment. It was during the construction of these works, that Lieut. Col. O'Brien was wounded in the right forearm by a buckshot.
McCook's wing, trending from left to right in a south- westerly direction, was formed of the Divisions of Negley, Davis, and Sheridan and Wilder's Brigade (mounted) of our Division in line of battle. Van Cleve's and Wood's Divisions were in reserve. This wing was without barricades.
Our entire line of battle was short enough to enable Bragg to mass his troops and confront us with five Divisions in his front line and six in the reserve. His right wing comprised the Divisions of Breckinridge and Cleburne in the front line, with Gist's and Liddell's Divisions in reserve. This wing confronted our left as far as Palmer's Division. His left wing consisted of the Divisions of Stewart, Bushrod Johnson, and Hindman in the front line, with the Divisions of Cheatham, Hood (Law), McLaws (Kershaw) and Preston in reserve. This wing confronted our entire right wing and over-lapped Reynolds and Brannan-two Divisions of our left wing.
Our Division-Reynolds'-was posted about the centre of the Federal line, with Palmer on the left and Brannan on the right. No material change of position from the previous day was made in our Division, except the union of the two Infantry Brigades. Turchin's lay east of the Chattanooga road, joining Palmer's right, and ours (King's) lay west of this road, joining Brannan's left. Our Brigade was posted slightly to the rear of the line on the left, in order to secure a good position-facing the road. The position of the Seventy- fifth Indiana Regiment was on the front line, on the right flank of our Brigade and Division, resting on the corner of Poe's field. The right of the Regiment rested near the south- west corner of the field, in which some corn-stalks were yet standing. In this field also stood an old stump, and, during the succession of charges which the Confederates made, their flag had fallen several times by the death of the color-bearers,
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and they placed the staff of the flag in this stump, around which they tried to rally their inen. The Seventy-fourth Indiana, of Croxton's Brigade of Brannan's Division, the left Regiment of that Division, when it moved to the front from the reserve, where it had been placed, took position on the immediate riglit of our Regiment. The fact that the Seventy-fourth and Seventy-fifth Indiana Regiments, be- longing to different Divisions, should be thus joined to- gether, was noticeable, and left an impression upon some of us. In the official report of his Regiment, Lieut .- Col. Myron Baker of the Seventy-fourth Indiana thus incidentally re- fers to this coincidence: "About 8 a. m., the Seventy-fourth Indiana, with the Tenth Indiana on its immediate right, moved to the left and joined on the Seventy-fifth Indiana, the right Regiment of Reynolds' Division." The Nine- teenth Indiana Battery, under Lieutenant Lackey, (Captain Harris, having been wounded the day before, was absent) was in position on the immediate left of our Regiment. The One-hundred and first Indiana Regiment was posted on the immediate left of the Battery, and the Sixty-eighth Indiana Regiment was on the left of the One-hundred and first, while the One-hundred and fifth Ohio Regiment was posted to the right and rear of the Brigade, being held in reserve. In other words, King's Brigade was formed in line as follows:
Left.
Right.
68th Ind.
IOIst Ind. 19th Ind. Batt'y.
75th Ind.
Reserve 105th Ohio.
Instead of beginning the assault at daylight, as Bragg had ordered, the sound of Polk's guns did not disturb the silence until 9.30 a. m., when our anxiety was relieved by an awful cannonade and musketry fire, opened by the Confederates, under Breckinridge, on our extreme left, which rolled all along the front of our left wing, from Baird to Palmer, by the successive advances of the Divisions of Breckinridge and Cleburne, supported by Gist's and Liddell's Divisions
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of Walker's Corps. This delay-from daylight to 9. 30 a. 111. -contrary to orders on the part of Polk's wing to attack- was favorable to the Federal Army. It gave Rosecrans ample time to adjust his lines properly, build barricades, and be in readiness for the attack. Breckinridge assailed Baird most furiously in front and on the left flank. Two of his Brigades charged around Baird's left, until they reached the Chattanooga road, when they wheeled to the left and swept up the road in the rear of Baird and Johnson. Here they were met and repulsed by the Reserve Brigades of the Divis- ions of Palmer, Johnson, Brannan and Negley. The Divis- ion of Breckinridge was fearfully shattered, sustaining a very heavy loss. It was disabled for farther participation in the fight, being relieved by the two Divisions of Walker's Corps in reserve. In this attack, the commander of one of Breckinridge's Brigades-Brig .- Gen. Benj. Hardin Helm- was slain, and that of another Brigade of his-Brig .- Gen. Daniel W. Adams-was badly wounded.
Cleburne's Division was the next in succession to attack. Cleburne began his advance about 9:45 a. m., supported by Cheatham on the right and Stewart on the left. This as- sault proved to be a most sanguinary fight with the Federal Divisions of Johnson, Palmer and Reynolds. It involved our Brigade at Poe's field with Wood's Confederate Brigade of Cleburne's Division. Our battle line from Baird to Bran- nan (left wing) was so short, that when the Confederate line advanced upon our front, the left and right flanks of Cle- burne's and Stewart's Divisions came into collision. Desh- ler's Brigade of Cleburne's Division on the left was crowded out of line altogether, and had to pass to the rear of Stewart's Division. Polk's Brigade of Cleburne's Division on the right crowded Wood's Brigade of the same Division so closely in its advance, that Wood's Brigade deflected to the left, and, passing over Bate's Brigade of Stewart's Division, pursued the track of its reckless cliarge across Poe's field, which was in front of the position of our Brigade and especially of our
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