USA > Indiana > History of the Seventy-fifth regiment of Indiana infantry voluteers. its organization, campaigns, and battles (1862-65.) > Part 9
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On the 3d, the balance of the First and Third Divisions forded the river at Jones', and Reynolds' Division returned to the burnt bridge, where the Pioneer Corps was at work all day repairing the bridge. On the morning of the 4th, Rey- nolds' entire Division movedacross the river upon the newly constructed bridge. Owing to the bad condition of the roads, we were nearly the whole day marching two and a half miles to Pennington's Cross-Roads.
We moved into camp here near the Widow Winford's house on the road leading from Decherd to Hillsborough. We named the ground on which we encamped, "Camp Winford."
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History of the Seventy-fifth Regiment
Here, on the 4th, Lieutenant John B. Frazer, of G Com- pany, died from the subtle effects of disease. He gave his life, however, as truly a heroic sacrifice for his country as if he had fallen by the stroke of the sword, the thud of the bullet, or the bursting of the shell.
Independence Day was formally observed in our camp by the firing of cannon.
It was the season of blackberries. Camp Winford will ever be remembered by the tired and hungry men of the Regi- ment on account of the abundance of this fruit. The bushes hung black and the ground was covered with these ripe and delicious berries. The whole Corps was turned into black- berry pickers. The soldiers, just at this time, when rations were scarce, and there was need of such a treat, mnade the most of a luxury which served them as both food and medi- cine. George M. Whitestine, of E Company, yielded his life here on the 21st, by disease, as a holocaust to his country's need.
On the very day of the charge of the Seventy-fifth Indiana Regiment into the town of Tullahoma, Tennessee, July Ist, the bloody battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania began. The battle, which was one of the severest of the war of the Re- bellion, lasted three days. It was fought between the Na- tional Army of the Potomac, under the command of Major- General George G. Meade, and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General Robert E. Lee. It was the only real battle of the war fought on northern soil. Part of the field has been made a National Cemetery. The National forces engaged were 80,200 effective men, and 327 pieces of artillery; and the Confederate forces numbered 71,- 400 effective men, and 206 pieces of artillery.
The Union army gained a very great and decisive victory over the Confederates, with a loss of 2,834 killed, 14,492 wounded and 5,435 missing. The Confederate loss was 3,- 498 killed, and 18,770 wounded and captured.
After sustaining a siege of more than two months, the
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Confederate General Pemberton, with an army of 27,000 men, 128 pieces of artillery, and 80 siege guns, was compelled to surrender at Vicksburg, Miss., July 4th, to General U. S. Grant.
These two great victories to the National arms, following closely upon the termination of the Tullahoma campaign, seem to have so absorbed all the visionary powers of the hon- orable Secretary of War, that he was thereby unable to see the achievements of our army over Bragg in Middle Tennessee, as this dispatch shows:
WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, July 7, 1863. MAJOR-GENERAL ROSECRANS, Tullahoma, Tenn .:
We have just received official information that Vicksburg surrendered to General Grant on the 4th of July. Lee's army overthrown; Grant victori- ous. You and your noble arıny now have the chance to give the finishing blow to the rebellion. Will you neglect the chance?
EDWIN M. STANTON. Secretary of War.
"Old Rosey," however, reminds the great War Secretary of what the Army of the Cumberland wrought, by these truthful words:
TULLAHOMA, July 7, 1863. HON. E. M. STANTON :
Just received your cheering dispatch announcing the fall of Vicksburg and confirming the defeat of Lee. You do not appear to observe the fact that this noble army has driven the rebels from Middle Tennessee, of which my dispatches advised you. I beg in behalf of this army that the War De- partment may not overlook so great an event because it is not written in letters of blood. I have now to repeat, that the rebel army has been forced from its strong intrenched positions at Shelbyville and Tullahoma, and driven over the Cumberland Mountains. My infantry advance is within 16 miles, and my cavalry advance within 8 miles of the Alabama line. No or- ganized rebel force within 25 miles of there, nor on this side of the Cumber- land Mountains.
W. S. ROSECRANS.
Gen. Thomas, in a communication to Gen. Rosecrans, July 7th, says:
But for the rains our success would have been as complete as Meade's or Grant's, but we have been eminently successful in driving the enemy from
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his two strongholds by a maneuver which cost us but a few men, while his loss is as great in number as if he had fought a grand battle, in addition to which his army is in a completely demoralized condition.
The Army of the Cumberland, at this time, stretched from McMinnville on the left to within a few miles of the Alabama line on the right. The Twenty-first Corps was at McMinn- ville; the Twentieth at Winchester; and the Fourteenth at the environments of Decherd. The Reserve Corps occupied the rear, embracing the territory north of the Duck River, with detachments stationed at Nashville, Gallatin, Mur- freesboro, Fort Donelson, Carthage, Clarksville, Shelbyville and Wartrace. Bragg's main (Confederate) force was at Chattanooga, with an extension of Hardee's Corps towards our front as far as Shellmound.
The Government authorities, as usual, began to grow rest- less and impatient over the delay of Gen. Rosecrans in the movement of his army. General-in-Chief Halleck persist- ently sent telegram after telegram, urging Rosecrans to move his army at once over the mountains south of the Tennessee River against Bragg. But there were insuperable difficulties in the way of an immediate advance, which Gen- eral Halleck could have readily seen for himself, if he had occupied a position at the seat of war instead of a seat in his office at Washington, a thousand miles away. The Army of the Cumberland was now two hundred and sixty-four miles from Louisville, its base of supplies, and eiglity-three miles from Nashville, its principal depot. To get to the river, the army must traverse a barren, rugged mountain, upon difficult roads, extending over a country for seventy miles. To con- front Bragg, it must cross a deep river, a thousand yards wide, every ford and bridge of which was guarded by strong detachments of Confederate soldiers. The railroad to the river was in need of repairs to haul supplies; tlie growing corn in the fields of Tennessee was not yet matured for for- age; and after the arduous campaign through which they re- cently passed, the soldiers were in need of rest and recupera-
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tion. These were some of the obstacles which the Army of the Cumberland had to face in an immediate advance move- ment. It was absolutely necessary to "make haste slowly."
We remained at Camp Winford until the 25th of July, when the Seventy-fifth Regiment with the Brigade moved within a short distance of Decherd Station, on the Nashville and Chattanooga railroad, and encamped at a beautiful place called "Blue Springs," where there was an abundance of water. Here, on the 29th, Eli Stephenson, of D Company, gave up his life by disease as a martyr to the cause of the Union.
The same day, by order of Gen. Thomas, our Brigade moved up the steep acclivity of a mountainous hill to the University Place. We were followed to this " Place" by the Third Brigade. The location here for an encampment was magnificent-beautiful in itself, and commanding diversified and attractive scenery far and wide of vale and hills. "Uni- versity Place" was so named, because it was the proposed site for the erection of a contemplated Southern University at a cost of millions of dollars. For some reason the "Uni- versity" never appeared at the "Place." Here was found a most beautiful specimen of the light-gray marble, mottled with shades of pinkish red, for which Tennessee is famous. From here Brig. Gen. George Crook was ordered to take tlie command of a Cavalry Brigade, and Brig. Gen. John B. Turchin, who had command of a Cavalry Brigade in the Army of the Cumberland, was assigned to his place as com- mander of the Third Brigade of our Division. August 2d, a new commander was assigned to our Brigade, in room of Col. Robinson, in the person of Colonel Edward A. King, of the Sixty-eighth Indiana. For a couple weeks we did camp, picket and drill duty here. We were placed in training for the battles before us, like a prize-fighter is trained for a "set- to" in the prize ring .. . We passed through the ordeal of a vigorous drill and personal inspection every few days by our new and gallant commander. When the blow of the battle
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of Chickamauga came, our Brigade was, therefore, thoroughly equipped for it.
During our encampment at the University Place, a sad and deplorable accident happened to the Twenty-first Indiana Battery, attached to the Third Brigade of our Division. By reason of the continuous rains prior to our removal here, the powder of the Battery had gotten wet, and the Captain had ordered it spread out to dry upon tarpaulins laid on the ground. One of the members of the Battery, in the act of passing a revolver to another member, let the weapon fall from his hand, which struck the cap of a percussion shell. The shell burst and ignited the powder, spread upon the ground. The flame like a flashı leaped to the caissons and limbers filled with ammunition. It caused a mnost terrific explosion-wounding half a dozen batterymen, four of whom died of their injuries.
John W. Lednum, of I Company, died here of disease, August 13th. He was worthy of a better fate.
Organization of the troops composing the Fourth Division, Fourteenth Army Corps, Department of the Cumberland, August 31st, 1863:
FOURTH DIVISION.
Maj. Gen. JOSEPH J. REYNOLDS.
First Brigade .* Col. JOHN T. WILDER.
92d Illinois, Col. Smith D Atkins. 98th Illinois, Col. John J. Funkhouser. 123d Illinois, Col. James Monroe. 17th Indiana, Lieut .- Col. Henry Jor- dan.
72d Indiana, Col. Abram O. Miller.
Second Brigade. Col. EDWARD A. KING.
68th Indiana, Capt. Harvey J. Espy. 75th Indiana, Lieut. Col. William O'Brien. IOIst Indiana, Lieut. Col. Thomas Doan. 1 105th Ohio, Maj. George T. Perkins.
Third Brigade. Brig .- Gen. JOHN B. TURCHIN.
18th Kentucky, Lieut .- Col. Hubbard K. Milward.
IIth Ohio, Col. Philander P. Lane.
36th Ohio. Col. William G. Jones.
89th Ohio, Col. Caleb H. Carlton.
92d Ohio, Col. Benjamin D. Fearing.
* Detached from the Division and serving as Mounted Infantry.
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Artillery.
Indiana Light, 18th Battery (Ist Brigade), Capt. Eli Lilly. Indiana Light, 19th Battery (2d Brigade), Capt. Samuel J. Harris. Indiana Light, 21st Battery (3d Brigade), Capt. William W. Andrew.
The movement of our army over the Cumberland moun- tains began August 16th, Crittenden's Corps leading. The First, Second and Third Divisions of the Twenty-first Corps (Crittenden's) moved out early in the morning by the most practicable routes from Hillsborough, Manchester and Mc- Minnville to Therman, Dunlap, and Pikesville, in the Sequatchie Valley. Minty's Cavalry and Wilder's Mounted Brigade, the former deflecting towards Sparta, so as to cover the left flank of Crittenden's Corps, and the latter via Harri- son Trace road, proceeded also to Pikesville. When Crit- tenden arrived in the Sequatchie Valley he immediately sent a reconnoitering party, consisting of Wilder's Mounted Brigade, supported by a Brigade or two of Infantry, in the direction of Harrison's Landing from the north, thereby making a feint upon Chattanooga from that direction.
It was on this reconnaissance, August 21st, Friday, which was a day of fasting and prayer with the Confederates, that, while the citizens of Chattanooga were at worship in a church, Captain Lilly of the Eighteenth Indiana Battery of Wilder's Brigade of our Division, threw a shell near the church and demoralized the congregation. The Confederate Gen. D. H. Hill, who was in Chattanooga at the time, and perhaps among the worshippers, speaks thus in the Century Magazine, (April 1887) of the event:
"On Fast Day, August 21st, while religious services were being held in town, the enemy appeared on the opposite side of the river, and began throwing sliells into the houses. Rev. B. M. Palmer, D. D., of New Orleans, was in the act of prayer, when a shell came hissing near the church. He went on calmly with his petition to the Great Being, 'who rules in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of earth ;' but at its close the preacher, opening his eyes, noticed a perceptible diminution of his congre -. gation. Some women and children were killed and wounded by this act."
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Crittenden's Corps, advancing far north of Chattanooga into the valley, concealed the real design of the movements of the other Corps to the south. His bold advance left Bragg under the impression that Rosecrans was advancing upon Chattanooga from the north, when in fact the movement was being made from the south.
In the advance of the Twentieth Corps, Johnson's Division moved via Salem and Larkin's Fork to Bellefonte and Caper- ton's Ferry, and Davis' Division via Crow Creek to Steven- son, where he joined the Division of Sheridan. Three Brigades of Cavalry marchied by way of Fayetteville and Athens to Stevenson.
General Thomas sent two Divisions-Baird's and Negley's -of the Fourteenth Corps, by way of Tantallon to a point between Anderson and Stevenson, in the immediate proximity of the junction of the Nashville and Chattanooga and Mem- phis and Charleston railroads. He sent his two other Divi- sions-Reynolds' and Brannan's-the former in the lead, by way of the Battle Creek road to a point where that stream emptied into the Tennessee River.
The Seventy-fifth Regiment with its Brigade took up the line of march from the University Place, on August 17th, in the morning, to cross the mountains, accompanied by the Division headquarters. The Third Brigade preceded ours. The movement was made with as little publicity as possible, so as to arrive at our destination without the discovery of our intentions by the enemy. We marched for miles along the back-bone of a spur of the chain of mountains, on one of the dryest and hottest days which we experienced during the war. No water could be obtained, and as we approached Sweeden's Cove, ten miles distant from our camp, the rays of the blazing sun had a depressing effect upon the men, some of whom were overcome by the heat and thirst. Chaplain Lyle, of the Third Brigade, gave a vivid pen-picture of this day's march, as he saw it, which is herewith inserted:
"Let me tell you how the picture was seen. It was in this wise : The
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column had been marching from early morn along dusty roads and literally in a dry and thirsty land, where there was 110 water. It was now a little past the hour of noon, and the blazing sun shone out fiercely in a cloudless sky. Many a strong-hearted soldier had fainted by the way-side, for his canteen was empty, his lips were dry and parched, and he was footsore and weary. 'Water, water,' was the great cry. 'Water, anything for water and some shady place in which to rest.' More and more intensely did the sun shine out from the brazen sky, while the earth seemed to glow like a furnace. The dry, hot dust flung up by thousands of feet irritated the throat and lungs, at the same time increasing the intolerable thirst under which all were suffering. Onward and still onward pressed the men, drearily and in pain, while the dust, increasing in heat and quantity, threat- ened to suffocate them at every step. Not a breath of air seemed to be stirring. The very leaves on the low shrubs and the grass by the wayside seemed to partake of the general depression and suffering, and looked drooping and dying. Thus mile after mile of the weary way was traversed, and hour succeeded hour as if each one was an age, and impressions of suffering and utter exhaustion were made so deeply on the minds of all that time will never efface them. Suddenly we entered a narrow defile through which the road wound, and, as if by magic or like the creations of some fairy tale, a cool and fragrant breeze began to fan our cheeks."
We arrived at the head of Sweeden's Cove by evening. On the morning of the 18th, our Brigade, with Division head- quarters, passing the Third Brigade in the Cove, marched over very bad and hilly roads to Battle Creek by 4 p. m., en- camping on the east side of the creek within five miles of Jasper.
From our signal station, railroad trains could be seen run- ning into Chattanooga from a point near the mouth of Battle Creek on the opposite side of the Tennessee River. To pre- vent the running of these trains in the interests of the Con- federacy, Gen. Reynolds was ordered to reconnoitre the river opposite Shellmound, and if it were practicable, to establish a Battery supported by Infantry on our side of the river, by which we would be able to command the railroad at that point. He was also directed to cover the mouth of Battle Creek with his Division, so as to make it a crossing point, if desired. He was farther instructed to make efforts to capture from the Confederates, flat-boats and the little steamer "Paint Rock," plying the Tennessee below Chattanooga.
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History of the Seventy-fifth Regiment
Gen. Reynolds selected the Seventy-fifth Regiment and a section of the Nineteenth Indiana Battery of the Second Brigade of his Division to make the reconnaissance and care- fully guard the river. Companies D and I were sent in advance on the morning of the 21st, by way of Jasper, the balance of the Regiment following in the evening. Early on the morning of the 22d, the Seventy-fifth, with the balance of the force selected for this duty, pushed forward very rapidly from Jasper in the direction of the river, arriving on its banks in the afternoon. The sight of the rolling waters of the Tennessee was inspiring. Colonel King had personal com- mand of the movement of the expedition. Harris' Battery was at once unlimbered and placed in position at the ferry, opposite Shellmound, the Regiment was put in proper sup- porting position, and we soon had full command of the rail- road on the opposite side. By the shells from the Battery and the bullets from the Regiment, the Confederates were driven away.
By order of Gen. Thomas, a squad of soldiers from the Seventy-fifth Regiment, on the night of the 23d, under an officer-Lieutenant Anthony M. Conklin, of D Company- was sent across the river to burn the Nickajack (railroad) bridge near Shellmound. The General afterwards recalled the order for its destruction, because he thought it of no ad- vantage to us to destroy it; but his recall-order was too late; the party had gone. It was a bold movement. While our party was in the act of firing the one end of the bridge, the Confederate pickets, who were not more than eighty feet away, were endeavoring to fire the other end, which shows the Confederates deemed its destruction as much of an ad- vantage to them, as we at the time thought it would be to us.
The river at this point was deep and wide. The Confed- erates on the opposite side were almost constantly seen. With them we exchanged many (to us) harmless shots. Many deserters from the enemy crossed the river on rafts and surrendered to us. The One-hundred and first Indiana
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moved to the river and joined us on the 26th. At different times Col. King sent reconnoitering parties on flat-boats across the river.
On the night of August 28th, by direction of Gen. Rey- nolds, four Companies of the Seventy-fifth Regiment under Lt. Col. O'Brien with a couple hundred men from the One- hundred and first Indiana under Lt. Col. Doan, and nine mounted men under Capt. Harris of the Nineteenth Indiana Battery crossed the river at Shellmound and moved towards Chattanooga to feel the strength and position of the enemy. Col. King was in command of the expedition. Two of the Companies of the Seventy-fifth Regiment were stationed at the Narrows below Running Water, to cover the retreat in case a superior force was encountered. The other two Com- panies of the Regiment with the rest of the force proceeded up the Narrows about six miles, when a Confederate Cavalry picket fired on them. To avoid as little alarm in their camp as possible, our force, without returning the fire, charged the Confederates and drove them pell-mell into their camp. The enemy's force consisted of the Third Confederate Cavalry under Captain Edmondson. It was dark, and many of the enemy scattering through the bushes and trees eluded cap- ture. We secured, however, six prisoners, eleven horses, seven saddles, twelve rifles, a bugle and a surgeon's kit- Among the prisoners was a notorious conscripting officer, who was also a member of the (Confederate) Tennessee legis- lature. His name was James Matt. Carroll.
From the 18th to the 29th, the various Corps of the Army were more or less making preparations for the crossing of the river. Pontoons were conveyed forward from the rear, and trestle-work was begun for the construction of bridges at different points. All this was being done in full view by the enemy ; for the mountain on the south side of the river, which the Confederates occupied, arose precipitously to a height of a thousand feet, from the top of which they could overlook the entire valley.
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The Army began crossing the Tennessee River on the 29th. Seven days were consumed before the entire force was over. Gen. Granger was directed to occupy our old position with the Reserve Corps. The Divisions of Johnson and Davis of McCook's Corps with the Cavalry crossed far south of Chattanooga at Caperton's Ferry ; from thence they marched over the rough and impracticable roads of Sand Mountain to Valley Head at the foot of Lookout Mountain. Sheridan's Division of the same Corps marched across the river on the newly constructed bridge at Bridgeport, north of Caperton's Ferry ; the three Divisions of the Corps joining each other at Winston's Gap, which they seized and held. The Divisions of Crittenden's Corps marched down the Sequatchie Valley from the points which they occupied there, and crossed the river at Shellmound, Bridgeport and Caperton's Ferry, and moved up the river to position at Wauhatchie. Each of the four Divisions of Thomas' Corps, which was in the advance, crossed respectively at Caperton's Ferry, Bridgeport, Battle Creek and Shellmound. From the river they proceeded at once across Sand Mountain upon different roads, which converged into one at Trenton in Look- out Valley. The Corps here seized and held Cooper's and Steven's Gaps in Lookout Mountain-these being the lead- ing passes through the mountains into McLemore's Cove.
The Fourth Division (ours) crossed the river at Shell- mound, upon the flat boats which we had constructed and captured. We had eight of these boats, and our Brigade be- gan crossing on the evening of the 30th, conveying to the opposite side four hundred men per hour. The Third Bri- gade followed ours, crossing September 2d.
The day following our movement across the river, the Second Brigade went upon an expedition with the Second Tennessee (Federal) Cavalry towards Chattanooga to Run- ning Water Creek, over which the Confederates had burned a large railroad bridge. On this expedition we captured a Commissary of Subsistence, who had on his person over
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$2000 in National and Confederate money. The journal of operations of the Fourteenthi Army Corps for September Ist, 1863, contains this paragraph:
" Colonel King, under date of Shellmound, August 31, reports reconnais- sance with 375 men, Second Tennessee Cavalry, in addition to his own bri- gade (Second Brigade, Fourth Division), in direction of Chattanooga, which was pushed within view of a five-gun battery at Lookout Mountain. Cap- tured R. L. Hawkins, a rebel commissary of subsistence, with $2,736.50 in rebel currency and greenbacks; returned to Shellmound at 2 p. m. Road toward Chattanooga quite bad in many places."
Before and after our passage of the river, we daily per- formed our ablutions in the "placid waters of the rolling Tennessee." The mnost expert among the many good swim- mers in the Brigade and Regiment could swim across to the opposite shore and return without touching the bank. On September Ist, among the hundreds of swimmers whose heads appeared like living buoys bobbing up and down in the water, was Robert B. Commons, of I Company, of the Seventy-fifth Regiment. He suddenly took the cramps and sank out of sight, never to arise alive again. His body was recovered the following day and duly buried by his com- rades with the lionors of war, beside the majestic stream whose rolling waves had clasped him in death.
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