USA > Indiana > Memorabilia of the marches and battles in which the One Hundredth Regiment of Indiana Infantry Volunteers took an active part : War of the Rebellion, 1861-5 > Part 10
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Fort McAllister.
December 13th. The following is from General Hazen's official report of the assault on Fort McAllister:
"At daybreak on the 13th of December, the troops were put in motion, reaching the vicin- ity of McAllister at about II A. M. About one mile from the Fort a picket was captured, reveal- ing the whereabouts of a line of torpedoes across the road. Some time was lost in safely remov- ing them, when leaving eight Regiments at that point, nine were carried forward to about 600 yards from the Fort, and deployed with a line of skirmishers sufficiently near the Fort to keep the gunners from working their guns with any effect, those firing in the rear being in Barbette. The grounds to the right of the Fort being mostly cut through by deep streams, rendered the deploy- ment of that part of the line slow and difficult. and was not completely effected till 4:45 P. M., at which time every officer and man of the nine
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Regiments being instructed what to do, the bugle sounded the forward, and at precisely 5 o'clock the Fort was carried. The troops were deployed in one line as thin as possible, the result being that no man was struck in the assault till they came to close quarters.
Here the fighting became desperate and deadly. Just outside the works a line of torpedoes had been placed, many of which were exploded by the head of the troops, blowing many men to atoms, but the line moved on without checking, over under and through abatis, ditches, palisading and parapet, fighting the garrison through the Fort to their bomb proofs, from which they still fought, and only succumbed as each man was overpowered, individually." ( 92-Hazen, IIO. )
Notes of the Battle.
The Union loss was 24 killed and 1IO wounded. Captain John II. Grace, of the 30th Ohio, who led the first assault on Vicksburg, was killed. Colonel Wells S. Jones, 53rd Ohio, Commanding Brigade, was severely wounded. The Regiments most conspicuous for gallantry were the 70th, 47th and 30th Ohio Infantry. The captures were, including killed, 250 officers and men, 24 pieces of Artillery, 40 tons of am- munition and a large amount of public and pri- vate property. (92-Ilazen, ILI. )
The capture of McAllister was announced to to the army in Field Order No. 131.
The garrison of Fort McAllister was com - manded by Major George W. Anderson. It
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consisted of the Emmett Rifles, Clinch's Light Battery, Companies "D" and "E," and the Ist Regiment of Georgia Reserves. The following are the Confederate casualties: Captain N. B. Clinch, of Clinch's Light Battery, HI wounds: Captain Morrison, shot through both legs; the total of killed and wounded 48, 16 of whom were killed. (See Jones' Siege of Savannah, 127.)
The fall of this fort put us in communication with our fleet. We had had no communication with the outer world since November 15th. There was great anxiety for our safety in the North. But little had been heard of us for thirty days and we were denominated "The Lost Army." General Sherman, at 11:30 P. M., on the 13th, dispatched the Secretary of War that we had reached the coast in safety and had established ourselves on salt water as a basis, and that the whole army was in excellent condition. (92 Sherman, 101.)
The Union troops all along our lines tight- ened their grip on Savannah. Only one road around the city was not in our possession. On the night of the 16th a sergeant and fifteen men of Brooks' Rebei Battalion, being part of Mer- cer's command, forced their pickets on the cause- way and deserted in a body to the Union side, with their arms and accoutrements. ( Jones' Siege of Savannah, 137.)
By the 17th we had drawn our lines so tightly around the city that the General felt as if a demand for its surrender should be made. Ile therefore sent a flag of truce in on the Augusta Road, demanding of General Hardee the sur- render of the city.
After due consideration, General Hardee
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sent his answer to General Sherman's demand for a surrender, in which the demand was re- fused.
As soon as Hardee's refusal to surrender was received, orders were issued to all commanders and the lines were tightened, and the Union sol- diers increased their fire on the Confederate lines of works, and preparations for an assault were be- gun. These facts being observed by General Hardee, preparations for an evacuation of the city by the Rebel army was begun, and General Beauregard dispatched Genera! Hardee that:
* Whenever you shall have to se- lect between the safety of your forces and that of Savannah, sacrifice the latter and form a junction with General Jones." And on the 9th the order was repeated in substance. ( Jones' Siege of Sa- vannah, 109.) And on the 15th Beauregard had dispatched Hardee that: "Under no circumstan- ces must he be cut off from joining with General Jones." (Serial 92-967. )
On the 18th Jefferson Davis dispatched General R. E. Lee to send two Divisions from his army to Hardee in Savannah, to resist our ap- proach. General Lee answered Mr. Davis that he could not do it without imperiling Richmond. (92 Davis, 966.) Hardee seeing therefore that Lee could give him no assistance, on the 19th sent out to his Generals a "confidential circular," giving all the details of and instructions for, the evacuation of the city, in substance as follows:
The light batteries were to cross the Savan- nah River first, then the troops at Whitemarsh, Fort Jackson and Bartow, next the troops at Rosedew. Beaulieu, etc., then at 8 P. M. Wright's was to begin crossing on the pontoons. MeLaw's
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Division to follow at HI P. M., General Smith's Division at 12 midnight. Wright's skirmish line to leave their works at 10:30 and Smith's at 2 A. M. Pontoons to be destroyed, heavy artil- lery spiked, Ammunition thrown into the river and all guns on inner defenses to be spiked. (Jones' Siege of Savannah, 155. ) (Serial 92-967.)
Before the time for General Hardee's army to evacuate a fog arose, which became so dense that no movements of any kind could be made. The pontoons were laid across the river at the foot of Broad street. On account of this delay Hardee issued a second confidential circular on the morning of the 20th, ordering that the evacu- ation take place on the night of that date and the pontoons were thickly covered with rice straw to deaden all sounds. The evacuation took place, so that by 3 o'clock A. M. on the 21st his army was safely on the east side of the Savannah River. (Serial 92-972.)
On the 22nd, General Sherman moved his headquarters into the city of Savannah, and the different Corps of the Army were located in and about the city. Thirty-one thousand bales of cotton and 350 cannon fell into our hands; also railroad cars, engines, steamboats and immense quantities of rice and public and private property. Everything was quiet in the city, a good provost guard was placed on duty, and quiet and order reigned everywhere. General Sherman sent the following message to President Lincoln;
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"Savannah, December 22, 1864.
"To His Excellency, President Lincoln.
"Washington, D. C.
"I beg to present you, as a Christmas gift, the city of Savannah, with one hundred and fifty heavy guns and plenty of ammunition; also, about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton.
"W. T. Sherman, "Major-General." (92-783)
This message was received by the President the evening before Christmas, and was published throughout the North, in the morning papers of that day, and is said to have greatly added to the joy and festivities of the occasion throughout the country.
Hardee's Army was moved to Charleston and other points. The General on the morning of the 19th, sent two Divisions from Savannah to destroy the Gulf railroad as far Southwest as the Altamaha river. The Tooth Indiana, with 150 wagons, went in the same direction for forage The first day 20 miles were made, the second the expedition passed through Hinesville and en- camped at Walthourville; on the 21st passed on toward the Altamaha bridge, loaded 150 wagons of the 15 A. C. train with corn and other forage, gathered up 100 head of beef cattle, and returned to Savannah on the 23rd, and encamped on the Ogeechee road, near to and on the west side of the city.
The following is a correct list of casualties
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since we left Atlanta the 12th day of November, 1864:
Killed. Off. Men.
Wounded. Off. Men.
Missing. Aggregate
Off. Men.
Off. Men
15th and 17th
5 35
11 172
00
19
16 226
14th and 20th
2
23
6 112
1
258
9 393
Cav. Div
3
35
17 120
00
000
10 155
10
93
24 404
1 277 35
774
Confederate prisoners captured:
Off.
Men.
Total·
15th and 17th A. C's.
34
632
666
14th and 20th A. C's
30
409
439
Cav. Div.
13
220
233
77
1,261
1,338
-
The total loss in making the march was 10 officers killed, 24 wounded and i missing; total, 35 officers, 93 men killed, 404 wounded, 277 missing; total 774 men; total, men and officers, Sog. The prisoners captured numbered 77 offi- cers and 1, 261 men; total, 1, 338. The loss of the enemy in killed and wounded will probably never be known, but must have been 4,000, as nearly or quite one-half of that number were killed and wounded at Griswoldville alone. (Serial 92-15.)
The rooth Indiana sustained the severest loss of any Regiment on the march to the sea. At Griswoldville it had temporary works. The enemy were in the open field in its front, but the fire of the Regiment was so withering and terri- bly destructive that the Confederates were not able to deliver their fire with any effect. Had it not been for these three conditions, the Tooth Indi- ana would certainly have been almost annihilated. More than one-half of the Confederate dead and wounded at Griswoldville were in its front. In
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that engagement the 327 enlisted men of the rooth Indiana, killed and wounded, upon a fair estimate, a thousand men, or more than three to the man.
So that in truth, and without egotism, it may be said that the 100th Indiana occupies, with respect to the march to the sea, the highest place of honor.
The Union Cavalry, on the march to the Sea, numbered 5,000. The Confederates had more than twice that number. General Wheeler alone having ten or twelve thousand, besides there were other smaller commands. In every encounter the Union Cavalry were the victors on the march to the Sea. It had 38 killed, 127 wounded, and 233 captured; total loss 398. (Serial 92, p. 15.)
On receipt of General Kilpatrick's Official Report of the operations of the Cavalry on the march to the Sea, General Sherman sent that officer a very flattering letter in acknowledgment of the very efficient manner in which his com- mand was handled on the march to the sea. (92-368.)
General Lee issued the following general orders to the Confederate Generals, after which no reliable reports of their losses were ever made:
Headquarters Army of Northern Virginia. General Orders No. 63.
May 14th, 1863.
The practice which prevails in the army, of including in the list of casualties, those cases of slight injuries, is calculated to mislead our friends and encourage our enemies, by giving false impressions as to the extent of our losses,
180
It is therefore ordered, that in the future, the reports of the wounded shall only include those whose injuries in the opinion of the medical officers render them unfit for duty. It has also been observed, that the published reports of cas- ualties are in some instances accompanied by a statement of the number of men taken into ac- tion. The commanding General deems it un- necessary to do more than to direct the atten- tion of the officers to the impropriety of thus furnishing the enemy with the means of com- puting our strength. In order to insure the im- mediate suppression of this pernicious and useless custom.
By command of General Lee.
W. H. Taylor, Assistant Adjutant General.
(Cox Regimental losses, 559.)
Beginning with the engagement at Five Points, Virginia, January I, and ending with the engagement at Point Spring, Alabama, on December 29, 1864, there were fought during that year, seven hundred and seventy-nine battles and skirmishes. The most important of these en- gagements and such as the losses on one side or the other amounted to five hundred or more, to- gether with the losses on each side respectively, are given below, to wit:
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Date. Engagement.
Federal Confed.
Loss.
Loss.
February 20-Olustee, Fla.
1,828
965
April 8-Sabine Cross Roads, La
2,900
1,500
April 9-Pleasant Hill, La
1,100
2,000
April 12-Fort Pillow, Tenn
574
80
April 17-20-Plymouth, N. C.
1,600
500
April 30-Jenkins' Ferry, Ark
1,155
1,100
May 5-7-Wilderness, Va .
37,737
11,409
May 5 9 Rocky Face to Dalton
837
600
May 8-18-Spottsylvania to the Nye.
26,461
9,000
May 9-10-Swift Creek, Va
490
500
May 9-10-New River and Cloyd's Mountain.
745
900
May 12-16-Drury's Bluff, Va.
3,012
2,500
May 13- 16-Resaca, Georgia
2,600
2,800
May 15 -- Newmarket, Va.
920
405
May 16-30-Bermuda Hundred
1,200
3,000
May 23-27-Battle on North Anna River
1,973
2,000
May 25 to June 4- Dallas, Georgia
2,400
3,000
June 12-Cold Harbor, Va
14,931
1,700
June 5-Piedmont, Va .. .
780
2,970
June 9-30-Battles about Kenesaw, Georgia
8,670
4,600
June 10-Guntown, Mississippi.
2,240
606
June 11-12-Trevillian Station. Va
735
370
July 6-10-Chattahoochee River, Georgia
730
600
July 9-Monocacy, Md ..
1,959
405
July 13-15-Tupelo, Mississippi.
648
700
July 20-Peach Tree Creek.
1,710
4,796
July 22-Atlanta, First Sortie.
3,641
8,499
July 28 -- Ezra Chapel, Ga., 15th Army Corps
584
4,645
July 30 Petersburg Mine Explosion
4,008
1,205
August 14-18-Strawberry Plains, Va
3,550
1,109
August 18-21-Six Mile House
4,543
4,000
August 25-Ream's Station.
2,442
1,500
August 31-Jonesboro, Georgia
1,149
2,000
Sept. 1 to Oct. 30-Trenches before Petersburg .. .
1,804
1,000
September 28-30-New Market Heights, Va.
2,429
2,060
October 5-Allatoona, Georgia.
700
1,942
October 19-Cedar Creek, Va.
5,905
4,200
October 27- Hatcher's Run. .
1,902
1,000
November 22-Griswoldville, Ga., March to Sea. .
84
1,600
November 30- Franklin, Tennessee.
2,326
6,252
December 15-Nashville, Tennessee
2,140
15,000
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At Savannah and Beaufort, January, 1865. ITINERARY
Of the march of the Federal army under Gen- eral Sherman through the Carolinas in the year 1865, written at the time the events occurred, by Captain Eli J. Sherlock, of the 100th Regiment of Indiana Infantry, to which is added excerpts and extracts from the official reports and corres- pondence, Federal and Confederate, of that cam- paign, published by the Government in 1895-6, in Serials 98, 99 and 100. The events recorded relate principally to such operations as were participated in by the 100th Indiana.
On the 2nd of January an "extremely con- fidential" order was issued by General Sherman, directing that the right wing should move to Beaufort by transports, and that the left wing and Cavalry should work across the causeway to Hardeeville, and by a rapid movement secure Sis- ter's Ferry and the Augusta Railroad to Roberts- ville, and the troops, guns, shot, shell, provisions and wagons to be ready about Pocotaligo "for another swath," all to move in the direction of Columbia about the 15th, and all necessary prep- arations for this purpose were at once begun, al- though the weather was very unfavorable. (99-8.)
January 7, 1865, preparations for the move. ment into the Carolinas progressed rapidly. The landing of the 17th Corps at Beaufort threatened Charleston, while the left wing passed up the
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river to Sister's Ferry, so as to threaten Augus- ta. (99-2.)
On the 8th, the 15th Army Corps received orders to march, and on the 9th it began to move to Thunderbolt Bay under General Woods' Special Orders No. 6 at 7 A. M.
On the 18th, at 8 A. M., we embarked on a transport at Thunderbolt and landed at Beaufort, South Carolina, and went into camp before night, near the old city, which had a dilapidated ap- pearance and was very full of negroes.
On the 19th, we had reveille at 5, marched at 8 A. M. about 4 miles out on the Pocotaligo road and went into camp. On the 20th, rain fell all day. We spent the night without shelter. During the day our tents and baggage arrived from Savannah. A detachment of the 17th Corps made a reconnoisance from Pocotali- go to the Salkehatchie river, and had an encounter with a Confederate force of General Wright's Division. (99-70. )
On the 26th, we were located about 50 miles from Savannah in the direction of Charles- ton. The left wing occupied the country about 40 miles above Savannah. The distance between the two being about 30 miles, the former threat- ening Charleston and the latter Augusta. The Confederate Generals were in a quandary as to which place we would go. A military commis- sion composed of Hardee, G. W. Smith, and Beauregard was held, to consider what it was best to do. This body announced officially that it was impossible for an army to move through North and South Carolina in mid-winter. It was not the plan to move against either of those
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The tooth Indiana embarking on a transport for Beauford, South Carolina, January 18. 1864. This cut shows the exact spot (Thunderbolt Inlet) where Sherman's army reached the sea, the tooth being the last regiment of the army to embark. [ From photo by Sherlock. ]
places, but to do just what this commission de- cided we could not do.
On the 27th, we had heavy and continuous rains, making the roads simply impassable. We took up our line of march on this date in the di- rection of Gardner's Corners, marched out about 4 miles without a halt, and found some ground high enough to keep us out of the water. (99-137.) The Confederate Generals were at sea as to what our intentions were and did little else than to exchange dispatches informing cach other where they were and communicating such facts as they observed in regard to our move- ments. (See these dispatches in 99-1011, et seq. )
We waited all day in the rain on the 28th, and until 8 A. M. on the 29th, expecting every hour to move. We marched 21 miles out from Gardner's Corners over a low wet country which was the picture of desolation; not an animal or citizen was to be seen. We encamped 25 miles out from Beaufort the way the road leads.
On the 30th, we marched at 7 A. M., through mud, water, sand and pine woods. The sun shone very warm that day. We marched about ten miles, to MePhersonville, South Carolina, and encamped among the tall pines; there were no houses to be seen in the part of the town em- braced in our camp. The 17th Corps was on our right and had been firing on the enemy all day. A skirmish also took place at Lawtonville (98-2 ) between Wheeler's Cavalry and a detach- ment of the 20th Corps. We came to several places where the Confederates had felled a great many large trees across the road wherever it crossed a swamp or stream.
On the 31st, we remained in camp all day,
187
in the timber; other troops were moving to the front, the wind blew fiercely all day; the noise created by moving of the trains was drowned by the noise of the wind in the timber. We were now out about thirty-five or forty miles from Beaufort.
The March Through the Carolinas.
MEMORABILIA BY CAPTAIN ELF J. SHERLOCK.
The movements of the Army in the vicinity of Beaufort and Savannah, after the surrender of the latter place, were all preliminary to a cam- paign through South and North Carolina. On the first of February, the initial movements were complete and the army was in position and pre- pared for an aggressive forward movement, and on that date, at 7 A. M., we marched out to Hickory Hill, South Carolina, about 25 miles from Pocotaligo and about 104 miles from Sav- annah, by one route, and 65 miles west of Char- leston, where we bivouacked with the 17th Corps between us (the 15th ) and the west bank of the Salkehatchie river. The whole army moved forward simultaneously, on different roads, lead- ing in the same general direction.
On the 2nd, we marched at 7 A. M .; the roads were fair. We got some forage for the animals; we saw a great many carcasses of cat- tle, which the enemy had killed on the planta- tions and rendered unfit for use by our army. We male twelve miles and encamped at Loper's Cross Roads, about 62 miles from Beaufort. During that day we had six encounters with the
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Rebels: One at Lawtonville; one at Bar- ker's Mill; one at Duck Creek, near Loper's Cross Roads; one at River's Bridge, Broxton's Bridge, and one at the Salkehatchie river; the enemy retired in each of these skirmishes. ( 98-2)
On the next day we advanced to within a mile of Buford's Bridge on the Salkehatchic. The enemy were intrenched on the north
side of the river. The approach to the bridge was along a narrow causeway, across a swamp about So rods wide. We were within plain sight
of the enemy. We left our baggage in our camp and moved up the river, and formed in line of battle in front of the enemy as if we were pre- paring to assault him in position. It was already late. We remained in line until dark and then quietly returned to our camp; the object being to attract the enemy's attention in front while a force was being thrown across the river above and below his position. We only marched two miles. Total, 64 miles from Beaufort. We had two skirmishes with the enemy. (98-194.)
On the 4th, we moved our camp half a mile up the river to some higher ground; our brigade then formed again, in front of the bridge. The weather was foggy and the forces sent above and below effected a crossing and skirmished with the enemy. A detachment of the Tooth Indiana was sent forward on the causeway, which soon discovered that the enemy had destroyed the bridge and evacuated his works, which were quite formidable. We repaired the bridge, crossed the river and encamped in the enemy's works. We had two encounters with the enemy. (98-194.)
On Sunday, February 5, 1865, we encamped
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about 8 miles north of Buford's Bridge. Most of the 15th Corps crossed over during that day. We saw some Confederates; they said that the Confederate Army had gone beyond the Edisto river. Hlad very high winds all day. We marched about 10 miles. Citizens said that we were about ten miles from the South Carolina railroad. Total miles marched, 74.
We had two encounters with the enemy. The advance of the 15th Corps found him in some force at Duncansville, but soon dislodged him and then rebuilt a bridge over the Little Salkehatchie 100 feet long, which he had des- troved. (98-195.)
Camp on Little Salkehatchie river Feb- ruary 6, 1865. On Buford's Bridge road we moved cautiously as if expecting an attack. We had flankers out on both sides. The Confederates had cut down a great many trees in the swamps to impede our march. There was no forage. Marched six miles-total about So miles. We had four little fights during the dav. (98-89-83.)
On the 7th we moved early. We were ex- pecting to fight. Hardee believed that we were moving on Charleston, by our threatening along the line of the Combahee on our right and the demonstrations of the left wing and the cavalry towards Augusta led the enemy to believe that the latter place might be our objective. We struck the line of the South Carolina railroad at Bamberg, where we encamped, having marched five miles, total 85 miles.
We had three encounters with the enemy's cavalry. The 3rd Cavalry Division met and drove them out of Blackville toward Augusta.
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The rith Iowa encountered the enemy at the bridge over the Edisto and drove them out of a strong position there. (98 Belknap, 417 .)
Bamberg, South Carolina, on the South Carolina railroad, Feb. 8, 1865: We destroyed railroad all day from Bamberg to Graham's Turn Out, mostly in the rain and in the usual manner of destroying, by burning the ties and heating, bending and twisting the rails. The men were all wet, mad and tired.
On the Sth the army met the enemy in four encounters. The 3rd Cavalry Brigade, Colonel Spencer, the Ist Alabama in advance, encount- ered the enemy five miles from Blackville and drove them through the town into a strong posi- tion near White Pond, where our cavalry at- tacked them with great impetuosity. General Spencer says that there "commenced one of the most thorough and complete routs I ever wit. nessed. The ground was strewn with guns, haversacks, etc. Five battle flags were taken, also the brigade and four regimental flags and a large number of horses and prisoners." (98
Spencer, 892.)
Bamberg, South Carolina, Feb. 9th: We had orders to move towards Graham's Turn Out. Bad, foggy and damp weather rendered the roads almost impassable, yet we obeyed the order promptly.
On the 9th our forces had two encounters with the enemy, one of which was at Binnaker's bridge across the South Edisto river. The Ist Brigade, Ist Division 17th Corps, engaged the enemy in front while they crossed a force below, which waded through the water for nearly a mile waist deep, in the night time; the water was
191
freezing cold. The men held their guns and am- munition above their heads. The Rebels at- tacked them just as they reached high ground, but the Union soldiers dispersed them after a spirited engagement. (98 Mower, 390. ) The 55th Illinois and 57th Ohio skirmished with the enemy a greater part of the afternoon, at Hol- man's bridge on the South Edisto. The enemy evacuated during the night. (98 Jones, 287.)
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