USA > Indiana > History of the Seventy-fifth regiment of Indiana infantry voluteers. its organization, campaigns, and battles (1862-65.) > Part 19
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of Indiana Infantry Volunteers.
11. the signal guns were fired; and with the roar of the last gun, our four Divisions, embracing about 20,000 men, sprang to their feet and pushed out towards the Ridge.
In the order designated, the Regiments of our Brigade moved upon the assault for a mile without any opposition. The Second Minnesota owned several dogs during the great siege at Chattanooga, and as the Companies of the Regiment deployed, we could see these dogs running in front of the lines of skirmishers upon a hunt for game. As soon as our skirmish lines emerged from the clump of woods into the cleared field beyond, the Confederate skirmishers from behind their breastworks and their Batteries on the crest of Mission- ary Ridge opened fire, which made the dogs of the Minnesota boys scatter in every direction.
Our battle lines in the order of starting steadily and per- sistently pushed on in the direction of the Ridge, until the first line of Confederate rifle-pits was reached by the Second Minnesota, who put the occupants to flight, and captured fourteen prisoners. Like a prairie fire we swept over the rough and rolling ground in front of the Ridge. The ten- pest now broke upon us in all its fury. From base to crest Missionary Ridge appeared like a breathing, seething vol- cano, shooting out liquid fire and volumes of smoke. In a few minutes after the seizure of these rifle-pits by our skirm- ishers, the battle lines of the Brigade emerged from the copse of woods where we were concealed, and reformed for the assault of the Ridge, when all the lines seemingly merged into one.
As the four Divisions began to ascend the rugged side of the Ridge, as many as fifty Confederate cannon opened along the crest upon us-grape and canister, shot and shell, ploughed the ground with iron and crimsoned it with the blood of our lieroic dead and wounded. The great Federal siege guns in the forts of Chattanooga roared above the smaller Batteries and muskets in the valley, sending forth their lightning mes- sengers of death over the heads of our assaulting columns. There never was witnessed a sublimer spectacle.
I6
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History of the Seventy-fifth Regiment
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BAIRD'S DIVISION IN THE CHARGE AT MISSIONARY RIDGE, NOV. 25TH, 1863, [From a picture drawn at the time by a member of the Division.]
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of Indiana Infantry Volunteers.
This advance was so thrilling and inspiring to General Howard, who had recently come from the East, where he had often seen troops go into action, that he exclaimed to an offi- cer, as they both stood upon the parapet of Fort Wood, look- ing out upon the scene: "Why, this is magnificent! Is this the way you Western troops go into action ?"
The final charge that planted the Stars and Stripes upon the crest of Missionary Ridge on Wednesday evening, No- vember 25th, 1863, will always be unique and different from any other charge in history, in that it was made with- out orders by a brave soldiery, whose intelligence saw the opportunity and assumed the reponsibility, and to whom only the credit of success is due. After the two lines had ad- vanced to the rifle-pits at the foot of the Ridge, as ordered, they merged into one line by the soldiers themselves, a fight- ing line, disorganized and without orders, each man of both old lines doing the best he could, such a line as only could have gone up the Ridge to the top. At such a time, the main object was to get there, and stay there, and drive the Confederates from the top of the Ridge and take their cannon and many of themselves prisoners. This is what these Regi- ments of the four Divisions did, and where they went and stayed.
Van Horne's History of the Army of the Cumberland says : "Having executed their orders to the utmost requirement, holding the enemy's lowerdefenses, the four Divisions stood under his batteries, while the troops they had routed threw themselves behind the stronger intrenchments on the summit. General Bragg's right flank had not been turned as first pro- posed, and General Hooker's attack on liis left, though suc- cessful, was too remote to affect immediately the central contest. To stand still was death ; to fall back was not com- passed by orders, and was forbidden by every impulse of the brave men, who, with no stragglers to mar the symmetry of their line or make scarcely a single exception to universal gallantry, had moved so boldly and so successfully upon the
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History of the Seventy-fifth Regiment
foe. There are occasionally moments in battle when brave men do not need commanders, and this was one. The enemy held a position of wonderful strength several hundred feet above them. He had two lines in one behind eartlı- works, where nature had provided a fortress. These men, however, did not stop to consider the enemy's position or strength, but from a common impulse of patriotism and the inspiration of partial success, leaped forward and dashed up the hill. The color-bearers sprang to the front, and as one fell, another bore the flag aloft and onward, followed by their gallant comrades, not in line, but in such masses as enabled them to avail themselves of easier ascent or partial cover. They advanced without firing, though receiving a most de- structive fire of artillery and musketry, from base to summit. The officers of all grades caught the spirit of the men, and so eager were men and officers throughout the line, that the crest was reached and carried at six different points almost at the same time. The enemy was hurled from position with wonderful quickness ; his artillery was captured, and in some cases turned against him as he fled."
In his report Grant says of the charge:
"Thomas was accordingly directed to move forward his troops, constitut- ing our center, Baird's division (Fourteenth Corps), Wood's and Sheridan's divisions (Fourth Corps), and Johnson's division (Fourteenth Corps), with a double line of skirmishers thrown out, followed in easy supporting distance by the whole force, and carry the rifle-pits at the foot of Missionary Ridge, and when carried to reform its lines on the rifle-pits with a view to carrying the top of the ridge. These troops moved forward, drove the enemy from the rifle-pits at the base of the ridge like bees from a hive-stopped but a moment until the whole were in line-and commenced the ascent of the mountain front right to left almost simultaneously, following closely the re- treating enemy, without further orders. They encountered a fearful volley of grape and canister from near thirty pieces of artillery and musketry from still well-filled rifle-pits on the summit of the ridge. Not a waver, however, was seen in all that long line of brave men. Their progress was steadily on- ward until the summit was in their possesson. In this charge the casualties were remarkably few for the fire encountered. I can account for this only on the theory that the enemy's surprise at the audacity of such a charge caused confusion and purposeless aiming of their pieces. The nearness of
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of Indiana Infantry Volunteers.
night, and the enemy still resisting the advance of Thomas' left, prevented a general pursuit that night, but Sheridan pushed forward to Mission Mills."
The commander of an army ought to know his own orders, especially one like Grant; but the great commander is either in error when he says his orders were when the rifle-pits were carried, " to form our lines with a view to carrying the top of the Ridge," or his orders did not reach his troops. All the commanders of the assaulting columns, Corps, Divi- sions and Brigades, say they received no such orders. Every officer from a Major-General to a Colonel in the charge, who has written or expressed his views upon this point, declares that such orders were not given. Grant ordered us to pro- ceed to the foot of the Ridge, and was himself surprised at what was being done after that by the brave men of the as- saulting columns. Lieutenant-Colonel J. S. Fullerton, Gen- eral Granger's Chief of Staff, in the Century Magazine, May, 1887, says, that when we had arrived at the foot of the Ridge, "The order of the commanding general had now been fully and most successfully carried out. But it did not go far enough to satisfy these brave men, who thought the time liad come to finish the battle of Chickamauga. There was a halt of but a few minutes to take breath and to reform lines; then, with a sudden impulse, all started up the side of the Ridge. Not a commanding officer had given the order to advance. The men who carried the muskets had taken the matter into their own hands, had moved of their own accord. Officers, catching their spirit, first followed, then led. There was no thought of protecting flanks, though the enemy's line could be seen stretching beyond on either side; there was no thought of support or reserves. As soon as this movement was seen from Orchard Knob, Grant quickly turned to Thomas, who stood by his side, and I heard him angrily say: ' Thomas, who ordered those men up the Ridge?' Thomas replied, in his usual slow, quiet manner: 'I don't know; I did not.' Then addressing General Gordon Granger, he said: 'Did you order them up, Granger?' ' No,' said
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History of the Seventy-fifth Regiment
Granger; 'they started up without orders. When those fel- lows get started, all hell can't stop them.' General Grant said something to the effect that somebody would suffer if it did not turn out well, and then turning around, stoically watched the Ridge. He gave no further orders."
At places where the Seventy-fifth Indiana Regiment as- cended, deep gullies were encountered and the slope was very steep. Many brush, rocks, fallen trees, decaying logs, and small undergrowth, formed such a net-work of entangle- ment that it was at times exceedingly difficult to make ad- vances; especially so, when we were confronted by a fearful fire of musketry and artillery from the top of the Ridge.
At the very beginning of the pursuit up the acclivity of the Ridge, our Regiment was exposed to a galling enfilade fire from one of the Confederate Batteries on our left. Colonel Robinson ordered the Regiment by an oblique movement to the left, where there was a ravine through which we as- cended by the flank; but for this wise movement the loss of life in the Regiment might have been great. The Regiment gained the crest in ample time to participate in the final battle, which fiercely raged there between our Division and the Confederate Division under Cheatham. We learn now from Bragg's report, that at the time the Ridge was scaled by our front line, the Confederate General Hardee was with Cleburne's and Walker's Divisions on Bragg's extreme right, opposing Sherman. As Hardee heard the heavy firing to his left, he put Cleburne in command of the force in front of Sherman, and hurried himself forward in the direction of the sound of the firing. When he reached the position occupied by the Division commanded by Patton Anderson, which had opposed the front of Baird's Division, he found Anderson's troops had been driven away and the crest of the Ridge was occupied by our Division, which was moving in line of battle along the crest towards the tunnel. At once, Hardee ordered Cheatham's Division from its position at the tunnel, and de- ployed it in line directly across the crest of the Ridge, front-
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ing south, so as to resist the progress of our Division. From Bragg's official report the following quotation is of interest to us, who made the assault on the Ridge and fought Cheathamn and Anderson:
About this time I learned that our extreme lett liad also given way, and that my position was almost surrounded. Bate was immediately directed to form a second line in the rear, where, by the efforts of my staff, a nucleus of stragglers had been formed upon which to rally. Lieutenant-General Hardee, leaving Major-General Cleburne in command on the extreme right, moved toward the left when he heard the heavy firing in that direction. He reached the right of Anderson's division just in time to find it had nearly all fallen back, commencing on its left, where the enemy had first crowned the ridge. By a prompt and judicious movement he threw a portion of Cheat- ham's division directly across the ridge facing the enemy, who was now moving a strong force immediately on his left flank. By a decided stand here the enemy was entirely checked, and that portion of our force to the right remained intact.
All to the left, however, except a portion of Bate's division, was entirely routed and in rapid flight, nearly all the artillery having been shamefully abandoned by its infantry support. Every effort which could be made by myself and staff and by many other mounted officers availed but little. A panic which I had never before witnessed seemed to have seized upon offi- cers and men, and each seemed to be struggling for his personal safety, re- gardless of his duty or his character. In this distressing and alarming state of affairs, General Bate was ordered to hold his position, covering the road for the retreat of Breckinridge's command, and orders were immediately sent to Generals Hardee and Breckinridge to retire their forces upon the depot at Chickamauga.
It was in this struggle of our Division with Cheatham's Division that Col. E. H. Phelps, the heroic commander of the Third Brigade of our Division, was killed. He was the only commander above a Regiment that lost his life in the taking of Missionary Ridge by the Army of the Cumberland.
Cheatham's Confederates were trying to remove from our front a piece of Artillery to which two wounded horses-one of them a gray-were attached. Some of our boys were struggling to capture it. The line of battle of the rear Regi- ments at this moment, in our Brigade, was in a recumbent position. On witnessing Cheathamn's men and ours grap- pling for this piece of Artillery, Colonel Robinson ordered his
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History of the Seventy-fifth Regiment
Regiment to arise, fix bayonets, form line of battle facing north, with the right wing of the Regiment extending down the east slope of the Ridge, and to charge along the slope of the Ridge in the direction of this piece of Artillery. The command was very promptly obeyed, and in its execution, the writer of this history very distinctly remembers passing over the Ninth Ohio Regiment lying upon the ground in our front. We took the cannon and the Confederates were brushed away. In his official report of this action, Col. Rob- inson says: "After advancing near the artillery it was aband- oned, and the force contesting my advance made a hasty re- treat. I claim for my Regiment the honor of having cap- tured this piece of artillery, while resting with my line near to it, and after the fighting had ceased. Some officer claim- ing to have authority took it away."
Our Brigade captured six pieces of Artillery, the Thirty- fifth Ohio captured three, the Second Minnesota, two, and the Seventy-fifth Indiana, one. Bragg's Chief of Artillery reports' the loss of forty pieces. Some of the cannon cap- tured by our Division and Brigade were of Captain Scott's Tennessee Battery, belonging to Cheatham's Division.
Men with less propriety than ambition often try to fill the measure of their ambitious designs at the expense of the glory of others. Some parties have been laboring hard for twenty- five years to make it appear that the famous charge of the Army of the Cumberland up the face of Missionary Ridge was made alone by the Divisions of Sheridan and Wood of the Fourth Corps, and that these two Divisions captured all the cannon and prisoners. Baird's entire Division and two Brigades of Johnson's Division of the Fourteenth Corps, who were in the assault and captured their share of the prisoners and cannon, are overshadowed by these parties. The Fourth Corps did not constitute the Army of the Cumberland, by any means. Even officers of high rank-like Sheridan and Hazen of the Fourth Corps-got into a wrangle over the cap- ture of these cannon. One accuses the other with misappro-
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priation of these field-pieces, and hauling them off, when they did not capture them. Certain it is, on the part of cer- tain officers, that some very shameful and dirty work was done in this regard, as these accompanying reports of our Brigade and Division commanders will show. In his official report Col. Van Derveer says:
"As my men sprang over the works the enemy's cannoneers were caught in the act of loading and were bayoneted or driven off before they could fire their pieces. Five guns were found here in position and captured by the Brigade, two by the Second Minnesota and three by the Thirty-fifth Ohio. The larger part of the enemy retired along the Ridge toward the left, vigor- ously.pursued, and driven near half a mile. For thirty minutes a very de- termined resistance was made by the enemy. Many of the troops of my command, having in the charge up the Ridge lost their Regimental organ- izations, were in some disorder for a short time, but all pressed toward the enemy. The Ninth Ohio and Seventy-fifth Indiana came up in good order, and were placed in line perpendicular to the Ridge and fronting the rebels.
Darkness coming on firing ceased upon both sides, and my Brigade bivouacked on the crest of Missionary Ridge. After the action one other piece of artillery, abandoned by the enemy, was found by the Seventy-fiftlı Indiana and taken charge of. The guns that were captured by my com- mand were left where found, while our mien pursued the enemy along the Ridge toward Tunnel Hill. While they were thus absent the pieces were hauled off to our rear by men said to belong to Brigadier-General Wood's Division, which was upon the right. I saw these guns being taken toward the ground occupied by that Division, and upon inquiry I was informed that they were being taken to a position where they could be used against the enemy. My Brigade at the same time captured one caisson with six horses attached, and a limber with one pair of horses: These too were taken to the rear with the guns. No other troops were near this Battery when taken. The enemy were driven from it by my own men, and we thus lost posses- sion while gallantly engaging the retreating rebel force."
General Turchin, commanding the First Brigade of our Division, in his report, says:
" After leaving the ridge, I do not know what became of the cannon cap- tured by my Brigade, but as Beatty's Brigade, Wood's Division, occupied the hill which we stormed and most of the ground to the left of it, I presume the guns were taken by the regiments of General Beatty's command, and perhaps some by the Second Brigade of our Division.
"The fact was that, reaching the top of the hill, we had more serious work to perform than to count and guard cannon. The enemy was in strong
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History of the Seventy-fifth Regiment
force on our left, and, until the Second and Third Brigades climed the hills assigned to them, all our energies were directed to fighting the enemy, and not to grouping and displaying systematically the captured cannon."
Gen. Baird, the commander of the Division, says in his re- port:
"In this movement from the point where my right gained the top to the extreme left, ten or twelve pieces of artillery were captured. My men found them in the possession of the enemy, some with strong infantry supports. They drove him from them and passed over them in the pursuit. One of these batteries was recaptured by a rally of the enemy, but again taken by us. The credit of capturing seven of these guns is claimed by the First Bri- gade, and the Second claims to have taken five. It is not impossible that · two are the same in the claim of each of the parties, for the men got much mingled together at the end of the assault, yet they may be distinct. Cer- tain it is that the men of the division took ten guns out of the hands of the enemy, and that they never returned to hin1.
"While thus engaged upon the extreme left, the guns which we had cap- tured, and which we had left in the positions where we had found them, were carried off to the rear, and we have since been unable to identify them, individually, so as to claim them. I learn that all the guns turned over to the chief of artillery have been claimed by those presenting them as their capture, leaving none for this Division. I regret for the sake of the brave men who so fearlessly risked their lives in taking them that this is so, but I felt at the time that we had a higher duty to perform, as long as there was an enemy to be encountered, than that of stopping to secure trophies for ex- hibition after the battle. Indeed, I was not quite sure that without strenu- ous exertion we would be able to retain what we had already gained. In considering the evidence of these captures which I submit in behalf of my command, I trust that the general commanding will remember that the guns of the enemy being widely scattered along the ridge, very few in one spot, a Brigade or Division to have captured an unusual number must not only have taken possession of the works in its own front, but must have passed widely to the right and left along the crest before the arrival of other troops. The prisoners whom we captured, most of them, like the guns, were sent to the rear to be taken care of by others less occupied; out of more than 300 taken we have receipts for less than 200."
The following inclosure is found in General Palmer's re- port, the commander of the Fourteenth Corps:
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of Indiana Infantry Volunteers.
[Inclosure No. 2.]
Killed, Wounded and Missing in Third Division, Fourteenth Army Corps.
COMMAND.
Killed.
Wounded.
Missing.
Total.
First Brigade .
57
222
4 283
Second Brigade .
22
139
2
163
Third Brigade
IS
100
I
119
Total
97
461
7
565
Captures.
I regimental and I battle flag and 10 pieces of Artillery. About 200 small arms in good condition.
Report of the Effective Force of the Second Brigade, Third Division, Four- teenth Army Corps, engaged in the Assault on Missionary Ridge on the 25th ultimo
REGIMENT.
Commissioned
Officers.
Enlisted Men.
Total.
35th Ohio .
12
209
22I
2d Minnesota .
I5
170
185
9th Ohio .
18
321
339
87th Indiana
IO
148
158
105th Ohio .
15
225
240
IoIst Indiana
14
210
224
75th Indiana.
18
294
312
Aggregate
IO2
1,577
1,679
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History of the Seventy-fifth Regiment
Killed. Wounded.
Captured. or inissing.
RETURN OF CASUALTIES.
Second Brigade.
COL. FERDINAND VAN DERVEER.
Officers.
Enlisted Men.
Officers.
Enlisted Men.
Officers.
Enlisted Men.
Aggregate.
75th Indiana .
4
I 14
19
S7th Indiana
2
2
II
I5
IOIst Indiana .
I
I
4
29
35
2d Minnesota
I
4
3
31
39
9th Ohio
2
I2
14
35th Ohio
6
3
19
2
30
105th Ohio .
I
IO
II
Total Second Brigade .
2 I-8
15
I26
2
163
The above official list of casualties exhibits four killed from our Regiment, when it should really have been seven, as three others were mortally wounded, and died in a few days after the battle-one living only two days, and another seven days thereafter. All the men of the Seventy-fifth Indiana Regi- ment, who were killed and wounded in the battle, met their death and received their wounds upon the summit of the Ridge, in the severe contest with Clieathamn's Division. Four men of the Regiment were instantly killed. Their names were James Bird of C Company; Thomas Deaver of E Company; Richard Loyd of F Company; and Jacob Peters of G Company. These were gallant, faithful soldiers in the ranks, who, like others, deserved a better fate. Bird received a musket ball through the head in the thickest of the fight, in advance of our line. Deaver was also killed by a inusket ball piercing his breast. Peters was perhaps the oldest mnan in the Regiment at the time he inet his death. He was 56 years old, and was shot through the bowels. The mortally wounded were Francis M. Bryant, Captain of C Company; John Arick of H Company; and Abram J. Helms of I Com- pany. Arick lived only two days after he received his deatlı
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wound, dying Nov. 27th; Capt. Bryant lived seven days, dying Dec. 2d; and Helms lived nine days, dying Dec. 4th. The more or less severely wounded were Samuel Liggett, Peter Fulhart, and Willianı H. Lengel of H Company; John J. Riggs of E Company; William H. Souders of I Company; Samuel S. McMahan of G Company; James L. Shinn of K Company; Elisha Gallimore of B Company. Fulhart was wounded in the mouth, the ball tearing away a part of his jaw-bone; and McMahan had a finger shot off. The writer is unable to obtain the names of the other four members of the Regiment who were wounded.
Captain Frank M. Bryant was mortally wounded by a minie ball passing through his body whilst leading his Company in the charge for the capture of the cannon. Personally he was a power- fully built man-every inch a soldier. He was handsome, had an eagle eye, was some- CAPT. FRANCIS M. BRYANT, Co. C., Mortally wounded at Missionary Ridge, Nov. 25th, 1863, dying Dec. 2d. what martial in manner, was full of magnetism when his figliting spirit was aroused, was brusque at times, but within · had a heart that was as tender as a woman's, and a nature that found its highest satisfaction in matters of refinement, delicacy and personal loyalty. His was a manly type of manhood. In him was united fearless courage with tender sensibility. In his official report of the battle, Col. Robinson says of him: "Capt. Francis M. Bryant of Company C, a brave, gallant, able and efficient officer, was mortally wounded."
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