USA > Indiana > History of the Seventy-fifth regiment of Indiana infantry voluteers. its organization, campaigns, and battles (1862-65.) > Part 18
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Prior to his departure from the army, the plan proposed by General Rosecrans for placing two Brigades of troops at Brown's Ferry, on the left bank of the river, as the prelim- inary movement in opening the river, and producing thereby a shorter road to Bridgeport, was approved by Gen- eral Grant on his arrival, and he ordered its execution at once ; preparations for which had already been made. Brown's Ferry is a crossing of the Tennessee River at the narrowest part of Moccasin Point, opposite Chattanooga. It opens the road through a narrow gorge into Lookout Valley. All along here the Confederates were in possession, and could interrupt transportation of supplies by both the river
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History of the Seventy-fifth Regiment
and railroad running along the south side of the river. Sup- plies for the army from the north side of the river had to be transported many miles over rough roads beset with the enemy. It was a desperate necessity that the enemy should be driven from this point.
General Hooker was commanded by General Thomas to leave a Division of one of his Corps to guard the railroad from Murfreesborough to Bridgeport, and with the rest of his troops to concentrate at Bridgeport to be in readiness to cross the river and to move upon Rankin's and Brown's Ferries. He was thus to co-operate with the movement of the two Brigades from Chattanooga. Palmer, with troops from his (Fourteenth) Corps, was also directed to advance on the north side of the Tennessee River and co-operate with the troops at Brown's Ferry.
The two Brigades selected for this expedition to Brown's Ferry from Chattanooga were Hazen's Brigade of Wood's Division of the Fourth Corps, and Turchin's Brigade of our (Baird's) Division of the Fourteenth Corps. They were to be under the special supervision of Brig .- Gen. William F. Smith, Chief Engineer of the Army of the Cumberland. Accordingly during the early morning of October the 27th- before the break of day-Hazen floated noiselessly down the river in pontoon boats, and Turchin crossed the river on a pontoon bridge opposite the valley, bivouacking near Brown's Ferry in the woods. It was moonlight, but a mist hung like a silvery curtain along the river, which made the movement imperceptible to the Confederates. They could be heard and seen by us, however, on the opposite bank. When both Bri- gades landed at the Ferry they had a brisk fight, but drove the enemy away, and took firm hold of the hills in the im- mediate vicinity, where they constructed breastworks and abatis. The perilous expedition was a complete success, and reflected great credit upon the two Brigades engaged in it. Our forces lost 38 in killed, wounded and missing. The enemy probably lost more. The two Brigades captured
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twenty beeves and two thousand bushels of corn. "These supplies, of hardly appreciable value to a large army under ordinary circumstances, were of considerable moment at a time when soldiers gladly gathered the fragments of crack- ers and grains of corn which fell to the ground in transfer." (Van Horne's History.) This lodgment of troops at Brown's Ferry, part of whom was one of the Brigades of our Division, was of the utmost importance. The Hon. C. A. Dana wrote to the Secretary of War, Stanton, from Chattanooga at the time of the occurrence, that "its brilliancy cannot be over- estimated." It opened the river within a couple of miles of Chattanooga, which meant an opening of a "cracker line" by a shorter route.
Hooker advanced his troops at once from the vicinity of Bridgeport to Whitesides, and thence to Wauhatchie, in Lookout Valley. Here he encountered Longstreet's Confed- erate Corps. A fearful encounter occurred at Wauhatchie during the night of the 28th, between Hooker and Long- street. The former lost 416 in killed, wounded and missing. Brig .- Gen. Geo. S. Greene, commanding a Brigade in the Twelfth Corps, was severely wounded in the mouth. Long- street probably lost more, as 150 of his dead were buried by our troops and more than 100 were captured.
Our boats, laden with rations for the army, which had been kept back so long by the Batteries of the enemy on Lookout Mountain, could now pass around the nose of the mountain into Chattanooga. The wagon roads were now repaired from Chattanooga to Brown's and Kelly's Ferries, and the railroad from Bridgeport was put in order. Grant raised the siege of Chattanooga.
CHAPTER IX.
BATTLES AROUND CHATTANOOGA-LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN- MISSIONARY RIDGE.
(NOVEMBER 23D, 24TH, 25TH, 1863.)
THE Seventy-fifth Indiana Regiment was now under the command of General Ulysses S. Grant, the great Captain of the War of the Rebellion, the great leader of leaders. The Regiment helped to fight and win a battle under Grant, who, before the close of the war, commanded more men, fought more battles, and won more victories, than any other warrior of modern times. His practical military genius, stubborn qualities and tireless energy, won for him the enthusiastic homage of the Nation.
The Confederate General Bragg, who seemed confident of his ability to cope with the National forces in and around Chattanooga with only a part of his army, detached General Longstreet with 20,000 Confederates of his own and a part of Buckner's Corps to move against our army at Knoxville un- der General Burnside. In obedience to Gen. Grant's orders, Sherman was hurried forward from Memphis to reinforce Burnside; but the latter fortified Knoxville and held Long- street at bay, until Grant, with parts of three armies, under Thomas, Hooker and Sherman, struck such sledge-hammer blows upon Bragg around Chattanooga, that he forever crip- pled the Confederate power in that region. General Bragg evidently misapprehended the situation of things. If he knew that Hooker had reinforced us with two Corps from the East, and our "cracker line " had been opened by the lodg- ment of troops at Brown's Ferry, it does seem to us that he would not have sent away into East Tennessee nearly half of his army, under his ablest Lieutenant. Whether he under-
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stood the situation or not, Bragg made a great mistake, of which he was often capable.
When Grant became aware of the movements of Long- street, he became exceedingly anxious for Gen. Thomas to begin an attack upon Missionary Ridge, so as to recall, if possible, Longstreet, and retain in front of Chattanooga the balance of Bragg's forces ; for Burnside's position was ex- tremely critical. The Army of the Cumberland, however, was not in a condition at that time to assume the offensive. After consultation with General Thomas and others, Grant was satisfied to await the arrival of Sherman with his Corps.
Grant had now parts of three armies in and around Chatta- nooga ; the Army of the Cumberland in the command of General Thomas, the Eleventh and Twelfth Corps under General Hooker, and the Fifteenth and part of the Seven- teenth Corps under General Sherman. Hooker's and Sher- man's troops concentrated about Chattanooga to reinforce the Army of the Cumberland, and to assist in driving Bragg from his elevated position around the town, and to give relief to Burnside at Knoxville, all of which was accomplished. While we were busy getting into shape for an aggressive campaign against our old enemy, Grant was maturing a plan for the movement.
For the accomplishment of raising the siege of Chatta- nooga, and of hurling Bragg from his lofty battlements on Lookout Mountain, Grant's plan was to divide his troops into two wings with a centre. He threw the forces under Sher- man, on the left wing, across the South Chickamauga Creek, to take the northern extremity of Missionary Ridge as far as the railroad tunnel and hold it. This movement would threaten Bragg's rear from his right flank and endanger his base of supplies at Chickamauga station. Bragg would thereby be compelled to weaken his battle line in our front, or leave his base unprotected. The two Corps under Hooker formed the right wing. They were to scale Lookout Moun- tain from Lookout Valley and descend into Chattanooga
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Valley, mnove rapidly to Rossville at the southern extremity of Missionary Ridge, form line of battle across the southern end of the Ridge, with their front facing towards the north. Bragg's rear would thereby be threatened from his left flank. The Army of the Cumberland under Thomas formed the centre line fronting the rocky face of Missionary Ridge, the left resting on Citico Creek and the right on Chattanooga Creek, with Chattanooga town a mile in the rear. Whilst Sherman and Hooker were pushing their troops against the flanks of Bragg, thus compelling him to weaken his line confronting the Army of the Cumberland, Thomas with the latter army was to assault the Ridge from the centre. Owing to many contingencies, which are unnecessary to mention here, this plan in its entirety was not brought into execution ; but the main features of it were carried out.
The report now came to General Grant from deserters that Buckner's Corps of Bragg's army was evacuating the Ridge in front of Thomas, and being sent as a reinforcement to Longstreet, who had previously gone to attack Burnside. To clearly ascertain the truth or falsity of this report, Grant ordered Thomas on the 23d of November to make a demon- stration in his front, to feel the strength and develop the lines of the enemy. This was a very important move. A Di- vision of Confederates under Buckner, except Reynolds' Brigade, had gone to Longstreet, and but for this movement of Thomas, other troops of Bragg's army doubtless would have gone; and Burnside, for whose safety much anxiety was manifested at the seat of Government, might have been de- feated.
Accordingly, Thomas ordered Wood's Division of the Fourth Corps, supported by Sheridan's Division of the same Corps, and our Division (Baird's) of the Fourteenth Corps, to advance immediately in front of Fort Wood. This advance, which occurred about 2 p. 111. on Monday, 23d, was a mag- nificent pageant in view of both armies. The Confederates watched the movement from their picket lines, rifle-pits on
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the side, and from the summit of Missionary Ridge, five hundred feet above, and actually imagined it to be a review, so openly, so deliberately and with such precise order was it done. But when they saw the blue columns of Federal troops rapidly and steadily and defiantly pushing towards them under cover of the twenty-two pieces of Artillery in Fort Wood-a fortified elevation to the east of Chattanooga -they awoke to the reality of a battle. Nearly half way be- tween Fort Wood and Missionary Ridge are two hills at the base of which runs Citico Creek. The larger of these hills is called Orchard Knob, a redoubt at that time heavily manned by the Confederates; and upon its crest and along its base a Confederate advance line of rifle-pits was extended. Our columns drove these pickets before them, then their reserves and guards stationed in these rifle-pits, and captured over 200 prisoners, before the enemy came to a realization of what we were doing, so as to send reinforcements against us. In this dash, Wood's Division, which was in the advance, lost 125 men in killed and wounded. The supporting Divisions lost none. The position, being a good one, was extensively fortified, and Captain Bridges' Illinois Battery was placed in position on the Knob during the night. This was the com- pletion of the first act in the drama of the battle. It ended the fighting for the first day.
On the same date-23d-General Sherman, with two Divis- ions of the Fifteenth Corps under General Blair, and the Second Division of the Seventeenth Corps under General J. E. Smith, and the Second Division of the Fourteenth Corps under General Davis, and the Eleventh Corps under General Howard, was lying behind the hills on the north shore of the Tennessee River opposite the mouth of Chickamauga Creek. In the morning of the 24th, he transported 8000 of his men across to the south side of the river on pontoons and by steamboat, where he fortified his position, and by noon of the same day his whole force was over. He was to assault and carry the northern extremity of Missionary Ridge on that
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day, as far as the railroad tunnel, but it was not done. He took by assault what he supposed to be the northern end of the Ridge, but it was not as far as the tunnel. It was neces- sary for Grant to await until Sherman could carry out his part of the great plan, before the cooperative movement of Thomas with Sherman and Hooker could be accomplished. Hence Thomas had nothing to do but to await on Sherman and Hooker. These two latter Generals on the right and left were to carry out their orders, so that all might be prepared for the great blow to be given Bragg's centre on Missionary Ridge.
By 4 o'clock on Tuesday morning, 24th, Hooker's column was astir. He had under him the Twelfth Corps, General Slocum commanding, the First Division of the Fourth Corps, General Cruft in command, First Brigade, First Division of the Fourteenth Corps, General Carlin in command, and the First Division of the Fifteenth Corps under General Osterhaus. Hooker's orders were to engage the Confederates holding Lookout Mountain, and if the opportunity came, to take it. By 2 p. m. he moved his columns up the steep acclivity of the mountain as far as the white (Craven's) house on the road leading down the mountain into Chattanooga Valley. He continued to advance with heavy skirmishing, until he reached the top of the mountain about 10 o'clock in the night of the same day. It was a wonderful achievement, and won for "Fighting Joe Hooker," and the men under him, eternal fame by this audacious assault on Lookout Mountain, known in history and song as "the Battle above the Clouds." Before the dawn of the morning of the 25th, Hooker sent a small detachment of soldiers to unfurl the Stars and Stripes upon the top of the mountain. This squad was from the Eighth Kentucky Regiment, in command of Captain Wilson. On the morning of the 25th, as those of us lying in the valley watched the long irregular roll of bunting rising by irregular jerks, as it appeared far above the mist hovering at the base of the mountain, we knew Hooker had completed his victory.
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Half way up the tall staff a vigorous shake was given the flag by means of the halyards, and then it was slowly hoisted. Instantly the brisk breeze of the mountain caught and un- folded the heavy breadths of the flag, wet with the fog and inist of the night before, to the gaze of thousands of soldiers below. The effect was inspiring. Cheer after cheer from the throats of 20,000 men went up the mountain side from those in the valley. The impressions of this sight are hid . away in the inner chamber of the writer's soul, never to be forgotten. The night also of the 24th of November will ever be memorable to the troops of the Army of the Cumber- land, as they saw from the valley the long lines of fires of Hooker on the right and Sherman on the left.
On the 25th Hooker crossed the Chattanooga Valley to Rossville, in pursuit of the fleeing Confederates. It was appar- ent that their left flank was turned, and their forces, which had occupied Lookout Mountain and Chattanooga Valley, were withdrawn to Missionary Ridge. Hooker was now at the southern end of the Ridge, having performed his part of the programme of the battle.
The morning of the 25th of November, 1863, was clear and bright, and so it continued all day. Sherman began the bat- tle of this day early in the morning by an independent dash. Corse's Brigade of Ewing's Division of the Fifteenth Corps led the assault. Sherman assaulted again and again Bragg's position on our left, but it was evident that the latter General determined to hold his right flank at all hazards. He sent Cheatham's and Stevenson's Divisions, which had been driven from Lookout Mountain by Hooker, to reinforce his right flank. Sherman pounded away on this flank of the enemy until noon, first by Corse's Brigade, then by the Divi- sion of John E. Smith, then by Howard's Corps, without securing his contemplated position on the hill at the railroad tunnel. Generals Grant and Thomas, from their position for observation on Orchard Knob, where the movements of both opposing armies were visible, discovered General Sherman's
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advance and repulse. Grant thereupon ordered Thomas to reinforce Sherman with a Division from the Army of the Cumberland. Our Division (Baird's) was lying in line of battle to the right of Orchard Knob, forming at that time the extreme right of the Army of the Cumberland. We were near Chattanooga Creek. Ours was probably the nearest Division at hand. General Thomas selected our Division for the performance of this duty. We moved out of line, as ordered, about 1012 a. in., and swept across the plateau of the Valley, like a whirlwind, to go to Sherman, who was hotly fighting on the extreme left in the vicinity of the tunnel. To reach the position expected of us, we had to march a dis- tance of several miles along the south bank of the Tennessee River, in plain view of the enemy. It was another grand military pageantry to the eyes of all who witnessed it. We had scarcely reached the nearest of Sherman's troops, how- ever, until we received orders to return in the direction of the centre and take position on the extreme left of the battle line forming the centre-the left-centre of Grant's battle line. We reached our new position here about 2:30 o'clock in the afternoon. We were ordered here to partially fill the gap that existed between Granger's Corps and Sherman's troops. This movement of our Division from the right-centre to the left-centre, in open view of the enemy, induced Bragg to mass his troops in that direction. Staff-officers and orderlies were plainly seen coming to and going from Bragg's head- quarters, and long lines of troops in gray uniform were no- ticed moving northward along the crest of Missionary Ridge.
Lookout had fallen to Hooker's troops, and his columns having swept over Chattanooga Valley, were upon the south- ern extremity of the Ridge, dealing blows right and left. The report of the casualties in Hooker's command, including the battles of Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge and Ring- gold, gives 159 killed, 877 wounded and 48 missing, making a total of 1084.
Sherman had carried out his part of the great plan for the
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battles, except the capture of the hill at the railroad tunnel, for which he unsuccessfully battled like a giant. He esti- mated his casualties at 275 killed, 1422 wounded and 292 missing, making a total loss of 1989. In this estimate Gen- eral Sherman includes the loss in the Division of Osterhaus of the Fifteenth Corps, which General Hooker also gives in his report. This would reduce Sherman's total loss to 1493. Among the killed of Sherman's troops were three Colonels, a Lieutenant-Colonel and a Major. Among the wounded were Brig .- Gens. Giles A. Smith, John M. Corse, and Charles A. Matthies, commanding Brigades.
The hour and opportunity had now come for the Army of the Cumberland to perform its part of the work. The sun was rapidly sinking behind the hills, and the Confederates still defiantly occupied the slopes and crest of the Ridge. If we were to have a hand in this great game of war on the Ridge, we must begin it soon.
Cruft's Division of the Fourth Corps was yet with Hooker, and Davis' Division of the Fourteenth Corps was yet with Sherman. Sheridan's and Wood's Divisions of the Fourth Corps, and Johnson's and Baird's Divisions of the Fourteenth Corps, except Starkweather's Brigade of Johnson's Division, constituted Grant's centre, in command of Thomas. General Granger was in command of the two Divisions of the Fourth, and General Palmer of the two of the Fourteenth Corps.
The centre line as now formed from left to right by Divi- sions was in the following order: Baird's, Wood's, Sheridan's and Johnson's. The Brigades of these Divisions ran from left to right in the following order : Phelps', Van Derveer's and Turchin's, of Baird's ; Beatty's, Willich's and Hazen's, of Wood's; Wagner's, Harker's and Sherman's, of Sheri- dan's; and Stoughton's and Carlin's, of Johnson's. Our Division, forming, as it did, the left centre of the army under Grant, occupied the space between the troops of Sherman on the left and Wood's, of the Fourth Corps, on the right. There was considerable space, however, unoccupied between
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MAP OF THE
FRIARS ISOS
BATTLEFIELD OF CHATTANOOGA.
Scale of Miles.
2
RIVER
CILES SMIN
5741.0M
CALDWELL
CHICKAMAUGA
ALEXANDER Y
TO
LOOMLE
TREA
DAVIS
THESE POSITION
R
ASSAULTING
G.L.INITH
SITION-
GRUTHEMLO
ONIM3
NNEL
BUSHBESK
NOV.
WESTERN" & ATLANTIC R.A.3
CHATTANDODA & CLEVELAND
BAIRD
NEM
8751
WILLIAM'S
ON
IRD
JOHNSON
LN1,0d
CHATTANOOGA
FREEK
VIOUTL &
CONML
Ros
OWN
VALLEY
LOOKOUT
NASHVILLE
GEN. GRAVE ROUTE
LOOKOUT
CHATTANDOCA
Magnitve Meridian
UNITED STATES FORCES CONFEDERATE
ĐỐIVH LOOKOUT- VALLEY
140
MOCCASIN
Mi
'2"*POSITI
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of Indiana Infantry Volunteers.
us and Sherman. Our Brigade (Van Derveer's) formed the centre of our Division. The whole line of the Army of the Cumberland was to advance with a double line of skirmishers covering the battle front. The Second Minnesota Regiment of our Brigade was deployed as skirmishers in front of the Brigade. This Regiment was formed into two skirmish lines-the first, composed of two Companies, was in command of Captain Uline, and the second, consisting of the remain- der of the Regiment, following closely, was commanded by Lieutenant-Col. Bishop. The Brigade also advanced in two lines of battle. The Eighty-seventh Indiana was on the right and the One-hundred and first Indiana was on the left, while the Thirty-fifth Ohio was in the centre of the first line. The Seventy-fifth Indiana formed the right flank, the Ninth Ohio the centre, and the One-hundred and fifth Ohio the left flank of the second line. The order in which our Brigade advanced in the charge may be represented in this way :
DIAGRAM.
Skirmish Lines.
Ist line. Left.
Two Companies 2d Minn. under Capt. Uline.
Right.
2d line.
Eight Companies 2d Minn. under Lt.Col. Bishop.
Battle Lines.
Ist line. Left.
.
IOIst Ind.
35th Ohio.
87th Ind.
Right.
2d line.
105th Ohio.
9th Ohio.
75th Ind.
The first skirmish line of our Brigade was placed about one hundred and fifty yards in advance of the second, and the double lines of battle of the six Regiments-three from In- diana and three from Ohio-were put about three hundred yards in rear of the skirmishers.
The ground, over which our Brigade was to advance before reaching the enemy's rifle-pits, was undulating-forming a gradual succession of elevations and depressions to the foot of
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Missionary Ridge, which was a distance of about one mile and a half from our point of starting. About a mile in our front was a clump of woods, partly concealing from the enemy our lines of battle. Beyond this woods was a cleared field, which gradually descended to a little stream, and then as- cended until it formed a crest of a ridge, running parallel to Missionary Ridge. This ridge was about a quarter of a mile from the base of Missionary Ridge. A barricade of logs formed the first line of intrenchments along the crest of this little ridge, behind which lay in concealment the Confederate skirmish line. The ground from this point to the base of Missionary Ridge descended for a considerable distance, when, with an increasing abruptness, it arose to a height of several hundred feet to its crest. Upon this ground the Con- federates had an encampment. They had cut down some of the trees of the woods, out of which they constructed their huts and breastworks. Stretching along the crest of Mis- sionary Ridge was a second line of intrenchments, built of logs, behind which the main body of Bragg's army, on the Ridge, lay. Artillery, strongly supported by Infantry, was planted all along the crest in sections of two guns each on the prominent knolls, about one hundred and fifty yards apart. The Batteries occupied such positions as to command a full sweep of a direct and enfilade fire upon the ground over which our Brigade was ordered to advance.
The Confederates in the immediate front of the four Divi- sions of the Army of the Cumberland were Hindman's Divi- sion of Breckinridge's Corps, commanded by Brig .- Gen. Patton Anderson, and Breckinridge's Division, commanded by Brig .- Gen. W. B. Bate. The troops of Patton Anderson confronted our Division in scaling the Ridge, and Cheatham's Division, of Hardee's Corps, fought our Division on the summit.
Our Batteries from Orchard Knob gave us the signal for the assault by the firing of six cannon shots in rapid succes- sion. When all were in readiness and eager to go, at 3.30 p.
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