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 2
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The Yocna March.
On the 26th of November the army moved out of the city of Memphis, following Vance street. Our Division, the First, took the Pigeon Roost Road, the Tooth Indiana leading the 2d
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Brigade. We marched very hard until the column had crossed Nonconnah Creek, where we went into camp, having made our first day's real march of about fifteen miles. The men of the Tooth stood the fatigue of the march fully as well as the other troops, many of whom had been in the service a year or more. The men of that regiment were men of brain and brawn, being of that class who had not inconsiderately rushed into the army under the influence of excitement or sudden impulse, nor to that class who had re- mained at home until a large bounty was offered, or until their names were drawn from the wheel of chance in the draft; they belonged to that in- telligent, sober minded, brave, strong and in- trepid class who left substantial interests, home, kindred and friends, because upon mature de- liberation they had determined that their services were demanded of them by their country and they had yielded to that demand through patri- otism alone. As the mere pittance paid to the common soldiers of the Union army, many of whom were well-to-do, was no inducement to them to expose themselves to the dangers of death by disease or in battle.
On the 27th we moved early, on the same road to Byhalia, Mississippi, fourteen miles, and encamped in line of battle. Our division formed the center, Smith's the left and Lauman's the right. That was our first night in line of battle. A confederate force of 30,000 was in our front, but it "retired" during the night to a new "po- sition. "' Our forces numbered about 35,000.
On the third day we took a road leading from Byhalia to Chulahoma, marched twelve miles, crossed Pigeon Roost Creek and biv.
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ouacked in line of battle with Lauman's Division on our right and Smith's in the rear. On the 29th we marched into the town of Chulahoma, formed in line, with a division on each flank. During the 30th and the Ist of December we re- mained in camp.
On the 2d the rain, which had fallen inces- santly for two days, continued. The roads had become almost impassable; the men were liter- ally drenched; the weather was chilly; the ground covered with water; and many of the men had slept none for three nights. We moved from Chulahoma to a point near Wyatt, Mississippi, about twenty miles from Holly Springs, where we remained, on account of the condition of the roads, until the 5th, when we moved forward and to the left on the College Hill road. On the 9th, Major General James B. MePherson was as- signed to the command of our "First Division" by General Grant, by special field order No. 18 (Serial 17, p. 396), and General Sherman took leave of the Army and assumed command of a force which was to operate in conjunction with us against Vicksburg, by going down the Mis- sissippi River. Prior to this date Holly Springs, Oxford and Abbeville had fallen into our hands, as the Confederates "retired" when we ad- vanced. As we approached the Tallahatchie River, the Confederates made some resistance with artillery and infantry. This was our first experience of that kind, though we were not ac. tually engaged. By the 18th we had advanced to and were in position on the high ground on the Yocna Patufna Creek, or, as the soldiers called it, the "Yocna, ' by which this march and cam. paign was afterward known. We had about Soo
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rebel prisoners, taken in several minor engage- ments at or near Coffeeville, Mississippi. These were the first we had seen.
MePherson's troops were all in position about Otuckalofa and Water Valley. On the ISth, President Lincoln divided the forces in this department into four Army Corps, the 13th Gen- eral MeClernand, the 15th General Sherman, the 16th General Hurlbut, and the 17th General Mc- Pherson, so that Abraham Lincoln was the author of the famous 15th Army Corps, and De- cember 18, 1862, was its birthday and Mississippi its birthplace and General Sherman its first com- mander. (Serial 17, page 433.)
General Grant had made Holly Springs a supply depot, and all of the Commissary and Quartermaster's stores for the army, which had advanced bevond, were stored at that place. On the 20th the Confederate Generals, Van Dorn and Jackson, with about 6,000 cavalry, dashed in and destroyed all the supplies. We fell back to the Tallahatchie, and on the 23d encamped on the hills on the north side of that river.
We had little to eat except black beans, which were foraged from the plantations near by, and which were called by the soldiers "Nig- ger Beans." Very many of the men were sick at the time with rheumatism and other maladies, brought on by the use of bad water and constant exposure, and several died On the 26th the men present for duty were put on half rations of such supplies as we had. We remained in camp several days.
On the 4th of January, 1863, we marched to within a few miles of Holly Springs, and on the 5th we reached that place and encamped on
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the north side of the town, on a hill sloping to the south. During the few days that we re- mained there several of our men died, after a few hours illness, of what the physicians called spot- ted fever. All who were attacked died. On the Sth we marched to the town of Salem, Mis- sissipi, and encamped, the rooth Indiana occupy- ing the town, which was entirely deserted by the inhabitants. On the 9th, after a hard march along detestable roads, we reached Grand Junc- tion, Tennessee, and went into camp half a mile northwest of that place.
The army had made a march of about one hundred and sixty miles, from Memphis to Water Valley and return to Grand Junction, covering a period of forty-five days, having accomplished but little and lost much in stores and supplies. The original plan of the campaign was to force the Rebel Army under General Price as far south as Vicksburg, and then, in conjunction with a force to be sent down the river, to invest the place. But the destruction of our supplies at Holly Springs forced us to make a retrograde movement to a line of communication in our rear.
By special field orders No. 18, the 100th and 12th Indiana, 6th Iowa. 40th Illinois and 46th Ohio composed the 2nd brigade, first divis- ion 13th Army Corps, Major General J. B. Mc- Pherson commanding right wing (Serial 17, p. 514).
On our arrival at Grand Junction we went into camp for the winter. During the time we remained at that place our duties were to picket the post and to perform the usual and ordi- nary post duties. Active operations for the year
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1862 closed with our arrival at that place. There was much fighting done during the year 1862. Beginning with the action at Port Royal, Coosa River, South Carolina, on the Ist of January, 1862, and ending with the battle of Stone River, January 2, 1863. There were fought during that year five hundred and sixty-four (564) engagements. Some of the more import- ant of which, with the losses sustained therein by the Federal and Confederate armies, respectively, were as follows, as nearly as will ever be known:
DATE,
FED.
CON.
1862.
ENGAGEMENT.
LOSS.
LOSS.
Jan. 19.
Mill Springs, Ky. . .
246
529
Feb. 8.
Roanoke Island, N. C.
26-
2,608
Feb. 14-16
Fort Donelson. Tenn.
2,832
15,829
March 6-8
Pea Ridge, Ark.
1,382
5,200
March 23
Kernstown, Va
590
718
March 14.
Newberne, N. C.
471
578
April 6-7
Shiloh, Tenn
13,047
10,694
May 5
Williamsburg, Va
2,239
1,560
May 23-25
Front Royal and Winchester,
2,019
214
May 31
Fair Oaks (Seven Pines).
5,03L
6,134
June 8
. Cross Keys, Va.
684
495
June 9
. Port Republic.
1,018
615
June 16.
. Secessionville, S. C.
683
204
June 25-July 1 .. Seven Days' Battle.
15,849
20,614
August 9.
Cedar Mountain, Va
2,381
1,314
August 30.
Richmond, Ky ..
5,353
451
Sept 11-20 ..
.Harper's Ferry
12,737
12,601
Sept. 16.
Mumfordville, Ky
4,148
714
Sept. 17
Antietam, Md.
12,410
25,899
Sept. 19
Iuka, Mississippi
790
693
Oct. 3-5
Corinth, Mississippi.
2,520
4,838
Oct. 8.
Chaplin Hills, Ky
4,211
3,396
Dec. 7
Hartsville, Tenn.
2,096
139
Dec. 7
Prairie Grove, Ark
1,251
981
Dec. 13.
Fredricksburg, Va.
12,653
5,315
Dec. 26-28
Chickasaw Bluffs, Mississippi.
.
1,776
187
Déc. 31. .
Stone River, killed and wounded.
8,778
9,000
Dec. 31.
Guerrilla Campaign in Missouri. .
580
2,866
Total Losses
118,041
132,486
The foregoing figures are compiled from various sources, but principally from the archives of the Union and Confederate armies published
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by the Government. The casualties in the en- gagements mentioned show a total on both sides of over a quarter of a million, and that the Con- federate loss was nearly fourteen thousand more than the Union.
The net results of the fighting done during the year 1862 were very much in favor of the Unionists. In addition to a greater loss in killed, wounded and missing, the Confederates lost a vast amount of territory as well as several forts and arsenals.
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The 100th Indiana.
Operations as Guards and Scouts During 1863.
In January, 1863, by order of General Grant, General McPherson stationed six regi- ments between Grand Junction and Memphis, Tennessee, to act as scouts and to guard the line of the Memphis and Charleston railroad between those places, one of which was the Tooth Indiana, then lying at Grand Junction. Nearly all other troops were sent down to Vicksburg to operate against that place.
We were encamped on low, wet ground at Grand Junction. The winter was severe on the men; we had some snow, but much more rain. Very many of the men fell sick and died of dis- case. On the 7th of March we received orders to move on the 9th, which we did, arriving on the roth at Collierville, twenty-four miles east of Memphis, and encamped in the town.
We soon made an attractive parade ground and a clean and very pretty camping ground. There we did duty as guards, and soon had erected a fort and lines of entrenchments. Some of our companies occupied stockades on the rail- road to the east of Collierville. If space would permit, enough ludicrous and amusing incidents
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of our camp life at these places could be related to fill a volume.
We foraged pretty liberally "on the country"' at times while performing this service, captured a good many Rebels and Guerrillas, and a great many fine mules and horses, which were turned over to the quartermaster. These were very valuable to the government as train mules. Although the health of the men was much better at Collierville than at Grand Junction, vet a good many died of disease there also.
On the 9th of May, in obedience to orders, we started on a scout at sundown, marched northwardly all night, crossed Wolf River at 2 A. M. on fallen trees. Lieut. Boyd, Co. "C," fell into the river but was rescued. We rested until three hours after day light, then moved against a body of Rebels, in our front. They fled on our approach, leaving their camp fires burning, and some arms. We captured some prisoners, and breaking up into squads, we captured and brought in about seventy horses. The writer made an important capture of a Rebel officer and a fine horse, in the presence of Capt. (now Colonel) Johnson, and under his direction .
Major Parrott and his detail and Charlie Pearce and others of Company "E," as well as quite a number of squads from other companies, which I cannot now name, all made captures and brought everything safely into camp, having made a march of sixty miles without sleep.
On the 20th of May the rooth Indiana started at 2 A. M. on a scout southward, across Coldwater River into Mississippi. We drove the Confederates away from Quinn's Mills and
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secured a great many good horses and mules for the trains. We returned to our camp through Nonconnah, Mississippi, and while mounting guard that evening were attacked by the Rebels. We repulsed the enemy, who had followed us from the Coldwater River close in our rear. We lay in line all night. Our casualties were two killed and ten missing: Capt. O. J. Fast was wounded.
The following is an extract from the official report of Col. Loomis:
"Collierville, May 21, 1863.
"The attack of yesterday evening was made * directly in our front in three columns, by different roads and of larger force than I sup- posed last night. My loss was one killed and nine missing. * * The pickets fought well and held their posts until they were sur- rounded and unable to retire. * * Citizens who saw the fight * * speak in praise of the conduct of the men."
The following is the Rebel official report of this affair:
"Senatobia, Miss., May 21, 1863.
"General Chalmers: The enemy advanced yesterday from Collierville, 1,000 strong, to Coldwater, returned in the evening, followed by Captains White and Cousins and Lieut. Jennings, who killed two and captured ten Federal prison- ers." (S. 34, p. 425.)
On the 31st of January, 1863, the army was reorganized and after that date our Brigade em- braced the 40th Illinois, 12th and 100th Indiana, 6th Iowa, 15th Michigan and 46th Ohio, Ist Brigade, Ist Division, 16th Army Corps, Genl.
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General Grant. (From a war times photograph.)
,
Denver, commanded the Division and Col. Wal- cutt, the Brigade (Ser. 28, p. 24).
On the 30th of April the Brigade was com- posed of the 26th and goth Illinois, 12th and Tooth Indiana. Col. Loomis commanded the Brigade and W. S. Smith the Division. (Serial 28, p. 253.)
From the oth of January until the 7th of June, 1863, the rooth Indiana did active service every day. There was much to do to guard our line of communication and to hold off and drive out the many detachments of Rebel cavalry, as well as large bodies of Confederates who sought to sever our lines of communication and to recover the country.
On the 30th of May the troops stationed be- tween Memphis and Corinth, which numbered about fifteen thousand, began to move to Mem- phis, having been ordered to reenforce Grant's army at Vicksburg.
1164969
The Siege of Vicksburg.
On the evening of the 3d of June, 1863, the rooth Indiana received orders to be ready to march at any moment. We at once began to make ready. During the night of the 4th a se- vere storm of wind and rain came up and we were literally soaked with torrents of rain and almost blown away.
On the 7th we left our old camp at break of day. The weather was intensely hot. We marched twenty-two miles and went into camp about two miles cast of Memphis. During the
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night the rain fell again in torrents. On the 8th we marched to the steamboat landing and went on board the steamer "Adams." It rained very hard all night.
On the morning of the 9th we left for Vicks- burg. On the night of the roth we lay up at Lake Providence, Louisiana. In the middle of the night a hurricane came up, which crushed nearly all the glass in the windows and doors of our boat and almost capsized us; a season of storms seemed to have overtaken us. On the rith we came in sight of Vicksburg. We ran down to and beyond "Young's Point, " where- upon the Rebel batteries in Vicksburg began to throw shells at us. We at once steamed up the Yazoo River to Haine's Bluff, where we disem- barked about twelve miles above Vicksburg.
The Yazoo River was blockaded at this point with timbers, torpedoes and other obstruc- tions. Nearly all the reinforcements for the Vicksburg army were landed at this point, as well as arms and army stores.
For several days after our arrival we, to- gether with a very large force, were engaged in strengthening the fortifications at this point. The weather was extremely hot and almost every night we had a terrific rain. The water was very bad and a great many men suffered with camp diarrhea and other complaints. On the 19th we were employed, in common with many other reg- iments, in making roads leading to the rear of Vicksburg.
On the 21st we were engaged in mounting cannons of large caliber on the heights, where we had made additional works. On this day, the 9th Army Corps, consisting of about 8, 000
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men, landed at Haines' Bluff and moved out about twelve miles towards Pearl River and the rear of Vicksburg, General Parke commanding. We marched from midnight on the 22d until morning, got breakfast after sunrise, and then, with three days' rations, marched to Oak Ridge, on the east of Vicksburg, having passed the 9th Army Corps during the day and night. We occupied here a position directly between Vicks- burg and a Confederate army of 40,000 infantry and 4,000 cavalry under General Joseph E. John- ston, who were on . Black River endeavoring to aid the garrison of Vicksburg, if an opportunity offered. The object in placing us in this position was to prevent Johnston's army from in any man- ner aiding Pemberton's, which was shut up in Vicksburg, and to prevent the latter from escap- ing from the besieged city. The Rebels were, at this date, reported to be tearing down houses and building boats in Vicksburg to escape by the Mississippi River. We were liable also to be at- tacked at any moment by General Johnston. Generals Dennis, Herron, Logan, McPherson and Admiral Porter were so notified in orders by General Grant, and the entire command was ready to do battle at a moment's notice. ( No. 38, p. 427.)
All the roads between Black River and Vicksburg were blocked. Deserters from the latter place reported that the Rebels were eating mule meat and parched corn, and that at Port Hudson the principal ration was parched corn. We, the Tooth, captured some Rebel officers on this date, and killed some beeves which were so poor we could hardly skin them. (No. 38, P. 435.)
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On the 24th there was heavy firing at Vieks burg all day- We received orders to march at 4. A. M. on the 25th. At that hour the 1ooth was ordered to perform the special service of feeling to the east for Johnston's line of battle. We passed our outer pieket line, destroyed the bridge over Black Creek, moved nearly to Black River, ascertained definitely that Johnston's army was not west of the Big Black, then returned to camp at II P. M., with nothing to eat. The men were tired and mad. We all went to sleep very hungry and very tired. We took some Rebel deserters who said that they had no bread in Vicksburg except what was made of rice and flour mixed, and that corn was worth forty dollars a bushel, Confederate money ( Serial 38, p. 439). On the 26th we got some rations. On the 27th we all slept under arms.
The 29th of June was intensely hot. There was but little firing on the lines. On the 30th we were paid and a large amount of money was expressed home by the men, as money was of little use in the intrenchments. On the 3d we learned early that negotiations were pending for the sur- render of Vicksburg, and we were all happy. On the 4th the news came along the lines early that the garrison of Vicksburg would march out and stack arms and then march back again as prisoners of war.
All the Generals, great and small, were ex- changing congratulations and letters, and new orders were being issued. The whole army en- joyed that 4th of July, and even General Sher- man was delighted at the shouts of his old com- mand and said he would punish no soldier for get- ting "uncohappy" on that day (Serial 38, p.
38
472). By this surrender we took 31.000 prison- ers and a vast amount of arms and military stores. We had now cut the Confederacy in twain, sep- arated Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas from the states east of the Mississippi and had secured the navigation of that stream and many of its tribu- taries. The blow to the Confederacy was irre- parable. Rations were issued to the Confederate prisoners by order of General Grant, which was a great treat to them, indeed. The military ad- vantages gained by the surrender of Vicksburg were very great, and each officer and soldier of the sooth Indiana is entitled to take to himself a full share of the honor which attached to that achievement.
Siege of Jackson, Mississippi, and Return to Camp Sherman.
A few hours after the surrender of Vicks- burg we received orders to march, which we did at 5 P. M., toward Black River and Johnston's army. Our course took us over high hills and through the woods and cane brakes. The night was very dark. We crossed Black Creek (or Bear Creek) and went into camp on a high hill at sunrise, having marched all night and made about ten miles. We remained here all day and until 8 p. M. of the 5th, when we again marched, in Egyptian darkness, all night and only made about ten miles, to a point near Birdsong's Ferry on the Big Black River.
We crossed that stream on the 6th in the evening on a small boat. The weather was
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very hot and the roads dusty. We could trace the route of the retreating Rebel cavalry by the columns of dust seen at a distance across the valley. We went into camp on the east bank of the river. On the 7th we marched about eight miles in the night time, during which a terrific rain and wind storm came upon us. The mud was deep, the men wet and teams mired down in the sand.
On the Sth we marched about ten miles, passed the farm of Joseph Davis, a brother of Jefferson Davis. We were unable to obtain any water to use, except such as we took from the ponds and wagon ruts along the road. There were no wells or cisterns and no springs. The Confederate army retreated in our front toward Jackson and we went into camp in line of battle. On the oth we marched about eight miles, all the way in the woods; the weather was very hot. We lay on our guns all night, and on the toth we moved to the left of our line and to the north side of Jackson, and encamped in line of battle, on the plantation of the Rebel General, R. Griffith. The goth Illinois had a brisk skirmish with the enemy, for which it received a compli- ment by the Brigade Commander. ( Serial 37,p. 629. )
On the LIth we moved by the left flank as far as the railroad running north. About IO o'clock we moved to the insane asylum north of the city and from there, in line of battle, directly toward the Rebel batteries in our front. J. P. Farden of Company "G" was wounded. There was sharp firing all day around Jackson. On the 12th we remained under our batteries, the Tooth directly in front of a 12-gun Confederate
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battery. Our skirmishers fired continually into the embrasures of the Confederate works and thus prevented the gunners from using their guns.
During the night of the rith the rooth In- diana planted a sunk battery within short range of the Confederate fort in our front, and at about 7 A. M. on the 12th four batteries of the First Division opened fire on the enemy with twenty- four guns. The rooth Indiana lay in line directly in front of these batteries, and every shot, in- eluding such replies as the enemy were able to make, passed only a few feet directly over their heads.
The screech of those elongated shot and shell in such close proximity to our heads was simply indescribable. Fragments of shot and shell fell all around us. Charles Munroe, Com- pany "E," and John P. Armstrong, of Company "K," were wounded. On the 12th and 13th heavy details were made to fortify, and on those two days our batteries threw three thousand rounds into the city, mostly from ten and twenty pounder Parrotts and twelve pound Napoleons. The Rebels were seen to fly in all directions to escape the shot and shell from our batteries. (Serial 37, p. 629.) The enemy replied sharply and shelled us all day.
On the evening of the 14th the 1ooth In- diana went on the skirmish line and advanced the right 150 yards, so close that we could hear the Rebels talking. From this position we fired upon the Rebel cannons continually and kept them silenced, while our own batteries were being planted.
William Avery, of Company " .D. " was killed.
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We were relieved on the morning of the 16th by the 97th Indiana Regiment which took the same position we occupied and suffered a loss of five killed and twenty-eight wounded, by an attempt to advance the line. (See serial 38, p. 641.) Corporal O. S. Davis, of Company "A," was wounded. During the time we were in this critical and dangerous position every officer and man of the rooth displayed coolness and courage, and cheerfully bore the hardships of the severe test of heat and Rebel shot and shell. "It is suf- ficient praise to the officers and men of my com- mand to say, that when pelted with shot, shell, canister and bullets, I have never seen either officer or man falter or quail." ( Official report Genl. W. S. Smith, commanding Ist Division 16th A. C., Serial 37, p. 630.)
During all the night of the 16th we could hear the rumbling of wagons and other ominous sounds, which indicated that the Rebels were evacuating, and at daylight on the morning of the 17th we entered the capital city of Mississippi. At this time we were in the First Brigade, First Division, Sixteenth Corps, composed of the 12th and Tooth Indiana, and the 26th and 90th Illinois. (Serial 37, P. 544.) The following is an extract from the official report of Lieut. Col. Albert Heath: "The Tooth Regiment was equidistant from our own and the Rebel batter- ies." "Pieces of lead from our own rifle shells and solid shot from the enemy fell continually around us. * During the three days we lay in line not less than fifty shells exploded around my men. * The solid shot would strike the ground and ricochet over the men, covering them with earth. * * I know of no
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