USA > Indiana > History of the Seventy-fifth regiment of Indiana infantry voluteers. its organization, campaigns, and battles (1862-65.) > Part 15
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Arriving at the Rossville road, the command was met by the corps com- mander in person, and I was directed to form line perpendicular to the
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History of the Seventy-fifth Regiment
Rossville road. This done, General Thomas pointed in the direction of Ross- ville and said, "There they are; clear them out."
The division was faced about and a charge ordered and executed in two lines at double-quick, through the rebel lines, dispersing them and capturing more than 200 prisoners under a fire of infantry in front and artillery in flank.
I understood that this movement was intended to open the way to Ross- ville for the army, and did not then know of any other road to that point. I, therefore, pressed right on in the charge, expecting the whole division to do the same until the rebel lines and batteries were cleared and the road opened, and found myself with only about 150 of the Third Brigade, under Colonel Lane, Eleventh Ohio, near the field hospital of the Fourteenth Corps.
The remainder of the division proceeded to the high ground on the left by order of General Thomas. The Third Brigade was reformed by Brigadier- General Turchin, who had his horse shot under him in the charge. The Second Brigade was reformed by Col. M. S. Robinson, who succeeded to the command of that brigade after the death of Col. E. A. King. The advanced party rejoined the division on the ridge to the west of the road, and the whole division marched to Rossville by the Valley road .- Reynolds.
Brig .- Gen. Liddell commanding the Confederate forces, and Lieutenant Shannon commanding the Confederate Battery (Swett's) in resisting the charge, say in their reports:
The enemy soon after this apparently left his works and pressed upon the rear of my left flank, while his batteries enfiladed me. Soon afterward a cloud of skirmishers suddenly emerged from the woods, encircling my front and right wing. From this combination of attacks my command was forced to withdraw to avoid being captured. A part of my skirmishers were, nevertheless, captured, together with Colonel Scales, Thirtieth Mississippi Regiment, Walthall's brigade. The Federals had left their works at this time in retreat from the field, and our whole line was moving upon them. After reforming my command I moved it to the position on the Chattanooga road near McDannel's house, where it bivouacked on the ground it was ordered to hold.
At 10 o'clock Sunday night my scouts reported that the enemy had en- tirely withdrawn from the field and disappeared toward Lookout Mountain. -Liddell.
I engaged the battery northwest of us, disabling at least two of its guns (which fact was ascertained the following morning), when it was ascertained that a line of Federal infantry, which was plainly in view, was moving at a double-quick on the left flank of the brigade, which, together with the fire of the five batteries mentioned, made the position untenable for either in- fantry or artillery. The infantry being thus compelled to give way,-I was ordered to retire with the battery, which was done as expeditiously as pos- sible, but on reaching the foot of the hill east of McDannel's house, a line
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of Indiana Infantry Volunteers.
of Federal skirmishers being within 30 yards of us, killed the off wheel- horse in the leading gun, thereby causing the piece to upset and breaking the pole. The rest of the battery passed the disabled piece before the enemy had time to reload. They, however, closed upon the disabled gun quickly, capturing Lieut. W. P. McDonald and several wounded men; also the gun- ner of the piece (Corpl. Joseph Ashton). I immediately called upon the in- fantry, which call was responded to by Capt. T. J. Fletcher, of the Thir- teenth Arkansas Regiment, who promptly seized the nearest stand of colors, and rallying a few men, gallantly charged the en- emy, driving them before him, securing the piece and also one lost by Cap- tain Fowler near the same spot, and recapturing our wounded. I had not only my own gun, but Captain Fowler's, promptly re- moved to the rear. The moment Captain Fletcher attracted the attention of the enemy, Corpl. Joseph Ashton gallantly fled from his captors and re- joined his command in time to render efficient aid in removing the guns. -Shannon.
It was in this charge, about 6 p. m., that Captain William McGinness of H Company was CAPT. WM. MCGINNESS, wounded in the right Co. H, wounded and taken prisoner at Chickamauga, Sept. 20th, 1863, and died in prison Aug. 31st, 1864. leg by the fragment of a shell, and taken prisoner, and Corporal Peter Mulrine of the same Company was killed.
The piece of shell which wounded Captain McGinness, tore an ugly hole in his knee and injured the ligaments of his leg behind the knee. He was left on the field and cap- tured, taken to Libby prison at Richmond, Va., from thence to Andersonville, and finally to Savannah, Ga., where, under
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History of the Seventy-fifth Regiment
the effects of his wound, and the treatment he received as a prisoner, he died August 31st, 1864. The brave and good Captain McGinness now peacefully sleeps in the beautiful cemetery at Savannah, Ga., near the broad Atlantic, whose wild majestic waves sing his requiem, as they beat up against the sandy shore. He was cheerful and gallant, and his death was sincerely and deeply deplored by all the members of the Regiment. A braver soldier never buckled on a sword nor handled a musket. Three of his sons were in the war for the Union-two of them be- longing to the Forty-fourth and the other to the One- hundred and thirty-seventh Indiana Regiments. To per- petuate the memory of Cap- tain McGinness, the G. A. R. Post of Roanoke, Hun- tington county, Indiana, has assumed his name.
Peter Mulrine, who was one of the original Corporals of H Company, had his leg shot off by a cannon ball in CORPORAL PETER MULRINE, Co. H, killed at Chickamauga, Sept. 20th, 1863. the charge above referred to. It was shortly after his Cap- tain fell. He lived only a few hours after he was shot, and his deatlı occurred under the following sad circumstances: As soon as Captain McGinness fell, Lieutenant Wilkerson of H Company called for a volunteer to go to his assistance. The Regiment was in the midst of a charge, and there was no time for delay. In response to the call, a lad of twenty, fair and effeminate in manners, with the most beautiful eyes, gray, large and dreaming, stepped out of ranks. It was the brave Corporal Peter Mulrine. The following graphic de- scription of his affecting death is from the pen of Captain
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of Indiana Infantry Volunteers.
McGinness, in a letter to his wife, while a prisoner of war. Through the kindness of Mrs. McGinness, the writer is able to insert this part of the letter in this history. The Captain says: "I saw Mulrine coming; I motioned with my hand, and shouted for him to go back, but he paid no attention. He caught me under the arms, and was walking backward, dragging mne on the ground, trying to reach a partly ex- cavated ditch, when a cannon-ball struck Mulrine on the knee-the force of the ball throwing both of us quite a dis- tance. The next that I knew, Mulrine was sitting on the ground holding the stump of his leg, and the blood jetting out two or three feet. Mulrine said: 'Captain, I must die.' I said: 'Peter, I am afraid you will.' I suppose I then fainted. The next I knew, Mulrine was dead, lying across my body."
Of Corporal Mulrine it may be truthfully said, that he never shirked any responsible duty, nor faltered in the hour of danger. No purer type of young American manhood-no more patriotic heart ever beat beneath a blue uniform-ever was sacrificed in the service of our country.
Sergeant Jeremiah Lynch of D Company was wounded on this charge. A cannon-ball came sweeping down the ravine which we charged across, tore up the ground fearfully, struck a tree, and in its rebound rolled up Lynch's back. Blood ran out of his nose, eyes and ears, but he did not let the enemy catch him.
Before our Division mnade the charge to the rear to open the road for the withdrawal of the left wing of our army, Brannan's Division with parts of Wood's, Negley's and Palmer's Divisions were resisting the furious assaults of Longstreet's Confederates at Snodgrass Hill. About 4 p. m. Brig .- Gen. Steedman with two Brigades of his Division- Whitaker's and Mitchell's-came from the Reserve Corps. It was the first sniff these gallant heroes had of the smoke at Chickamauga. As soon as Steedman put his men in, the roar of musketry increased in volume, and the conflict seemed to grow fiercer than at any previous hour of the battle. The
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History of the Seventy-fifth Regiment
continuous volumes of musketry seemed to mingle in the grand roar of a great cataract, whilst the louder and deeper discharge of Artillery bounded forth over the hills and down the Valley of the Chickamauga with a force that seemed to shake the earth.
After our Division had made the charge to open the road to Rossville, and while we were in position at Brock's house to the left of Snodgrass Hill, General Thomas, about dusk, sent the Sixty-eighth and One-hundred and first Indiana Regiments of our Brigade to the assistance of the troops under Brannan at Snodgrass Hill. These Regiments arrived too late on Snodgrass Hill to do any fighting there; but, being the only troops there at the time with any ammu- nition, they were given the honor of covering Brannan's re- treat, and are entitled to the distinction of being the last Federal troops tliat left the gory battle-field-the Sixty- eighth was the last Regiment to leave it. These Regiments returned to the Brigade about midnight at Rossville. Though our Division opened the way for the withdrawal, we were the last troops to leave the field. Those who participated in this conflict on Snodgrass Hill, or Horseshoe Ridge, helped to form one of the sublimest scenes that the fierce grandeur and awful reality of war ever portrayed.
The loss of some Divisions in the battle of Chickamauga is reported as high as 44 per cent. It is stated that the per- centage in the loss of some Divisions exceeded ours. This statement is correct, if we include, as we should, the "miss- ing," which, however, is often misleading. In our Division very few were missing, as compared with the killed and wounded-176 were missing, whilst 778 were killed and wounded. Some of those Divisions, whose aggregated losses ran up to 30 and 40 per cent., show very high figures in the column of the "missing." They were caught in the rout, on the afternoon of the second day, when hundreds were cap- tured. In one instance, three entire Regiments, with their banners and side arms, were thus "missing." But when we
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compare the losses in these Divisions with the casualties of others, whose men were actually killed and disabled by shot and shell, the disparity of losses will not begin to appear so great. However, if the casualties in the other two Brigades of our Division had been as great as those in our Brigade, the percentage for the Division would run much higher; for the loss in our Brigade was greater by 16 than the combined loss in the other two Brigades of the Division.
There were 36 Federal Brigades engaged in the battle. The aggregated loss of 15 of them was greater than ours; but the percentage of the "missing" with the majority of tliese 15 was far greater than that of ours. Only 10 Brigades out of the 36 actually counted more killed and wounded than ours. Besides, the numerical strength of several of these was greater than ours-three of them had five and one had six Regiments. From some of these Brigades, more officers and inen were counted among thie "missing " than were killed and wounded. Only 71 officers and men were missing in our Brigade, whilst in some others were more than 500. Hence, we affirm that the percentage of the aggregated loss, by shot and shell, in our Brigade was about as great as any Brigade in the battle.
Comparing the casualties of the Brigades in our Division, the First Brigade, composed of five Regiments of Mounted Infantry and a Battery of Artillery, lost 125 officers and men, which was 13 less than the loss in the Seventy-fifth Indiana Regiment alone of our Brigade. The Third Brigade, com- posed of four Regiments and a Battery, lost 343 officers and men, which was less by 141 than the loss in our Brigade of the same number of Regiments and a Battery. The Second Brigade (ours) lost 484, of whom 413 were killed and wounded. Among the killed was Colonel King, the Brigade commander, Lieutenant Robert J. Price, of the Sixty-eighth Indiana, and Captain Spaulding, of the One-hundred and fifthı Ohio; and among the wounded were Lieut .- Col. Wmn. O'Brien, Captains William McGinness and David L. Elliott, and Lieut. John Chamness, of the Seventy-fifth Indiana,
I3
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History of the Seventy-fifth Regiment
Lieut .- Col. Espy, the commander of the Sixty-eighth In- diana, Major Geo. T. Perkins, the commander of the One- hundred and fifth Ohio, and Captain Harris, who commanded the Nineteenth Indiana Battery. Lieutenant Richard H. Busick, of the One-hundred and first Indiana, was mortally wounded, dying October 16th, 1863. Lieut. W. P. Bain- bridge and Sergeant Daniel Bush, of the One-hundred and first Indiana, belonging to Division headquarters, were wounded, the latter mortally.
The reports of the effective force of the Regiments of our Brigade at Chickamauga are not found among the Official Records of the War. Captain J. H. Mauzy informs the writer that the Sixty-eighth Indiana had 356 officers and men in the battle. Major Geo. T. Perkins says the effective force of his Regiment was 400. The writer is unable to obtain the strength of the other Regiments and Battery. At the present date, there is no way of ascertaining the exact numer- ical strength of the Seventy-fifth Indiana Regiment on enter- ing the battle ; but, judging from the strength of many other Regiments that entered the service at the time we did, and were in the same campaigns with us, the numerical strength of the Seventy-fifth Indiana at the opening of the battle was between 350 and 400. Both the Sixty-eighth and Seventy- fifth Indiana Regiments lost more than one-third of their nu- merical strength. Doubtless the losses of the other Regiments and Battery of the Brigade were proportionally as great.
Of the Regimental casualties in our Brigade, the Seventy- fifth Indiana lost 138, which is not only the highest number of the four Regiments comprising the Brigade, but also the highest of any of the thirteen Regiments in the Division. The Sixty-eighth Indiana lost 137; the One-hundred and first Indiana lost 119; the One-hundred and fifth Ohio lost 70; and the Nineteenth Indiana Battery lost 20.
The foregoing comparisons are made with no invidious de- signs, but to give all the facts attainable. It is to be re- gretted that the writer has not data sufficient to speak more definitely of the other Regiments and Battery.
.
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of Indiana Infantry Volunteers.
The following is the official return of the casualties in the Fourth Division of the Fourteenth Army Corps for the battle of Chickamauga:
Killed.
Wounded.
Captured or missing.
Command.
Officers.
Enlisted men.
Officers.
Enlisted men.
Officers.
Enlisted men.
Aggregate.
FOURTH DIVISION.
Maj .- Gen. JOSEPH J. REYNOLDS. Staff .
First Brigade.
Col. JOHN T. WILDER.
92d Illinois.
2
2
20
2
26
98th Illinois .
2
2.
29
2
35
123d Illinois .
I
2
II
I
9
24
17th Indiana.
4
2
8
2
16
72d Indiana.
3
I
15
2
21
Indiana Light Artillery, 18th Battery
I
.
2
3
Total First Brigade. . Second Brigade.
Col. EDWARD A. KING .* Col. MILTON S. ROBINSON.
68th Indiana.
2
15
5
103
I
II
I37
75th Indiana.
17
4
104
2
II
138
IOIst Indiana.
II
5
85
I
17
I19
105th Ohio
3
4
37
2
24
70
Indiana Light Artillery, 19th Battery
2
I
15
2
20
Total Second Brigade . Third Brigade.
2
48
19
344
6
65
484
Brig .- Gen. JOHN B. TURCHIN.
18th Kentucky.
7
8
38
4
29
86
IIth Ohio
5
I
35
2
20
63
36th Ohio
I
II
3
62
14
91
92d Ohio
6
6
62
17
9I
Indiana Light Artillery, 21st Battery.
12
12
Total Third Brigade .
I
29
18
209
6
80
343
Total Fourth Division
3
90
47
638
14
162
954
.
·
I
.
I
.
.
2
9
85
I
I7
I25
* Killed September 20.
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History of the Seventy-fifth Regiment
During these two days of as wild, blinding and bitter storm of battle as ever swept over this beautiful land of America, were hurled to their death nineteen of the brave boys of the Seventy-fifth Indiana Regiment, who fell with their faces to the foe. The above statistics give seventeen, but there were really nineteen. Their names were Corporal Henry James, of A Company; Joseph Boon, of D Company; Columbus A. Bennett and Levi S. Saylor, of E Company; Corporal James Stewart, Timothy F. Fait, and Geo. H. Kinsey, of F Com- pany; John A. Hancher, William Mathes, John W. Nelson, and Jackson Needham, of G Company; Corporal Geo. W. Iler, Corporal Peter Mulrine, Thomas J. Fullum, and Andrew Hatfield, of H Company; Henry Wildunner and Riley Woods, of I Company, and Andrew J. Harter and David Twible, of K Company. The mortally wounded were seventeen in number: Sergeant David Park, Edward Hutzell, and Levi Engart, of A Company; Stanley Cooper, of B Company; James B. Whistler, of C Company; David F. Johnson, of D Company; James Jellison, Matthew H. Milner, George Nevins, and Theodore Smith, of E Company; Elias T. Baird, of F Company; James M. Miner, John Robbins, and John D. McKee, of G Company; Captain William McGinness and Valentine Knee, of H Company, and Elijah Moore, of I Com- pany. The fourteen captured were: Captains William Mc- Ginness, Christopher S. Arthur (Surgeon); William A. and James M. Lawson, of A Company; Heyden H. Reyborn, James B. Whistler, and Albert B. Beneway, of C Company; Edmond H. Brown, of E Company; James M. Miner, John Robbins, John D. McKee, and Jolin Newton Wilson, of G Company; Byron Kurtz, of I Company, and Sergeant John Ryan, of K Company. The four officers wounded were: Lieut. - Col. William O'Brien, Captains William McGinness and David L. Elliott, and Lieutenant John W. Chamness. Among the one hundred and four enlisted men more or less severely wounded the following can be recalled: Silas More- head, of A Company; Christopher B. Bowlin, Henry B. Sny-
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of Indiana Infantry Volunteers.
der, Calvin Patton, Charles L. Baldwin, Corporal John P. Wagoman, James Barnett, and Daniel Herron, of B Company; Corporal Hayden H. Reyborn, Loren G. King, James R. Quinn, James B. Whistler, James E. Kidden, and Samuel B. Weaver, of C Company; Sergeant Marion W. Essington, Corporal John R. Leonard, Jonathan Kelley, Salathiel Lamb, Sergeant Jeremiah Lynch, Henry Reynolds, Evan Stewart, and Earl S. Stone, of D Company; Jonas Coffman, Elihu Crandall, David Eubank, Adam Foust, Joseph J. Johnson, George F. Smith, Henry Trout, Corporal Kilbourne F. Way, of E Company; Perry Odell, of F Company; Sergeants Wil- liam J. Hillegoss and Joel W. McMahan, and Solomon C. Call, Lewis Moler, of G Company; Clark Dewitt, James Douglass, Michael Dennis, Lewis R. Fitch, Peter Fulhart, Joshua C. Joseph, Isaac N. Kinnan, Uriah J. Loop, Samuel W. Pearson, Jacob Swain, Hiram Slain, Charles Settlemyer, John G. Thompson, Matthew Waters, and Deroy Welch, of H Company; Corporal Joseph Criswell, Byron Kurtz, Henry McKinsey, Randolph Blessing, Charles F. Mayberry, Abra- ham Passwater, Michael J. Castetter, Washington Avery, and William Evans, of I Company; Sergeant John Ryan, Cor- poral William B. Miller, Alexander Anderson, John Elzy, Isaac Fields, and John McGeath, of K Company. James Dearinger, of C Company, caught a spent ball in his mouth.
Our Brigade fought Bate's and Clayton's Brigades of Stew- art's Division, Buckner's Corps, on the 19th, and Brown's Brigade of Stewart's Division, Buckner's Corps, and Wood's Brigade, Cleburne's Division, Hill's Corps, on the 20th.
These troops were mostly veterans, who had seen hard ser- vice. They were equal to the soldiers of any command in the Confederate Army. None ever fought better.
The following is the organization of Wood's Brigade (Cleburne's Division) and the three Brigades of Stewart's Division :
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History of the Seventy-fifth Regiment
STEWART'S DIVISION.
Maj. - Gen. ALEXANDER P. STEWART.
Brown's Brigade.
Brig .- Gen. JOHN C. BROWN.
Col. EDMUND C. COOK. 18th Tennessee :
Col. Joseph B. Palmer. Lieut .- Col. William R. Butler. Capt. Gideon H. Lowe. 26th Tennessee :
Col. John M. Lillard. Maj. Richard M. Saffell.
32d Tennessee :
Col. Edmund C. Cook. Capt. Calaway G. Tucker.
45th Tennessee, Col. Anderson Searcy. 23d Tennessee Battalion : Maj. Tazewell W. Newman. Capt. W. P. Simpson.
Clayton's Brigade.
Brig .- Gen. HENRY D. CLAYTON. 18th Alabama :
Col. J. T. Holtzclaw. Lieut .- Col. R. F. Inge.
Maj. P. F. Hunley. 36th Alabama, Col. Lewis T. Wood- ruff. 38th Alabama, Lieut .- Col. A. R. Lankford.
Bate's Brigade.
Brig .- Gen1. WILLIAM B. BATE. 58th Alabama, Col. Bushrod Jones .. 37th Georgia :
Col. A. F. Rudler. Lieut .- Col. Joseph T. Smith.
4th Georgia Battalion Sharpshooters: Maj. T. D. Caswell. Capt. B. M. Turner. Lieut. Joel Towers.
Col. R. C. Tyler, Lieut. Col. R.
15th Tennessee
37th Tennessee
Dudley Frayser, and Capt. R. M. Tankesley.
20th Tennessee : Col. Thomas B. Smith. Maj. W. M. Shy.
Artillery.
Maj. J. WESLEY ELDRIDGE.
Ist Arkansas Battery, Capt. John T. Humphreys.
T. H. Dawson's (Georgia) Battery, Lieut. R. W. Anderson.
Eufaula Artillery (Alabama Battery), Capt. McDonald Oliver.
Company E, 9th Georgia Artillery Battalion (Billington W. York's Battery), Lieut. William S. Everett.
Wood's Brigade. (Cleburne's Division.)
Brig .- Gen. S. A. M. WOOD. 16th Alabama :
Maj. John H. McGaughy. Capt. Frederick A. Ashford. 33d Alabama, Col. Samuel Adams. 45th Alabama, Col. E. B. Breedlove.
18th Alabama Battalion : Maj. John H. Gibson. Col. Samuel Adams .*
32d Mississippi 45th Mississippi Col. M. P. Lowrey. 15th Mississippi Battalion Sharp- shooters : Maj. A. T. Hawkins. Capt. Daniel Coleman.
*33d Alabama.
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of Indiana Infantry Volunteers.
The total loss and percentage in the three Brigades of Stewart's Division during Saturday and Sunday, were as fol- lows:
In action.
Command.
Officers.
Men.
Killed.
Wounded.
Missing.
Total.
Per cent.
Brown's.
I20
1,320
50
426
4
480
33.3
Bate's
I32
1,085
66
516
II
593
48.7
Clayton's
94
1,352
86
535
I3
634
42.4
Dawson's Battery
3
62
I
6
7
Eufaula Battery
3
103
I
I3
14
Humphreys' Battery.
3
86
I
2
3
Escort Company. .
3
32
·
I
I
2
Total .
35S
4,040
205
1,499
29
1,733
The percentage of losses in Stewart's Division at Chica- mauga, as exhibited by the above table, is a fair index of the fearful struggle through which the troops composing the Division had to pass. In his official report for Sunday, the 20th of September, Stewart said that his Division was sub- jected to the "most terrible fire it had ever been his fortune to witness." The above percentage of his losses prove the truth of this assertion. It proves too how well the Regiments and Batteries of Reynolds' Division directed their aim and defended their positions in the battle.
Return of casualties in Stewart's Division, Sept. 19th and 20th, 1863, is as follows:
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History of the Seventy-fifth Regiment
Killed.
Wounded.
Missing.
Command.
Officers.
Men.
Officers.
Men.
Officers.
Men.
Aggregate.
BROWN'S BRIGADE.
18th Tennessee .
2
18
I6
98
I
26th Tennessee
2
IO
5
74
I
92
32d Tennessee
9
4
108
2
123
45th Tennessee
I
12
6
79
98
Newman's Battalion
3
2
27
32
Total.
5
52
33
386
4
480
BATE'S BRIGADE.
Staff. .
I
58th Alabama
aI
20
20
108
I49
37th Georgia
br
18
8
I60
7
194
4th Georgia Battalion
2
2
34
38
15th and 37th Tennessee .
C3
12
I4
88
4
I2I
20th Tennessee .
d2
6
14
66
88
Total
7
58
59
456
II
591
CLAYTON'S BRIGADE.
Staff . .
2
. .
. .
.
2
18th Alabama
3
34
20
230
8
295
36th Alabama
2
14
9
I2.4
3
152
38th Alabama .
3
34
13
130
5
193
Total
8
82
44
484
I6
642
ARTILLERY.
Darden's Battery
I
.
2
3
Dawson's Battery
I
I
5
7
Eufaula Battery .
I
I3
14
Humphrey's Battery.
I
2
3
Total.
I
3
I
22
27
a Lieut. W. H. Rader killed.
b Lieut. Francis Power killed.
c Captain Jarnagin and Lieutenants Grayson and Kent killed. d Lieut. J. W. Peyton killed.
In addition, there were about 100 officers, non-commissioned officers and privates who were slightly wounded, but have not been so reported, as they were not disabled. In this number are embraced Brig. Gen. J. C. Brown and Brig. Gen. H. D. Clayton.
I35
I
·
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of Indiana Infantry Volunteers.
Chickamauga was the greatest battle of the West. In pro- portion to the length of time required to fight it, and to the number of men engaged in it, the percentage of the killed and wounded was perhaps greater than that of any other battle of the war for the Union. Out of one hundred thou- sand men engaged for two days at Chickamauga, thirty-five thousand of them were placed hors de combat. In most great battles, victory to one side or the other is decisive, and the victors have a reserve strength to continue the struggle, if need be. But at Chickamauga, the vitality-the fighting force-of both armies was spent at the close of the second day. However, the battle was a grand victory for the Union, if we consider the object for which the campaign, inaugurated at Tullahoma and completed at Chickamauga, was made. It was not to fight a battle, but to possess a town-Chattanooga -to open up the gateway to the South. We gained the end, even if it was at the cost of much blood and treasure.
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