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 3
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instance where either officer or man failed to stand by his gun day and night. Joseph Farden, Charles Munroe, John P. Armstrong and Oliver S. Davis were wounded, and William Avery, of Company "D," was killed. The officers and men of the rooth displayed courage and cool- ness." (Serial 37, p. 634.)
The Division had two officers and thirty-two men killed, fourteen officers and two hundred and fifteen men wounded, and three officers and twenty-five men missing; total casualties at Jack - son, 291. (Serial 37, p. 544,)
Loring's Rebel Division was on the Con- federate right and in our front, Walker's and French's in their center and Breckenridge on their left; about 32,000 in all. We took more than 1, 200 prisoners. The total Federal loss- killed, wounded and missing-was 1, 122. The Confederate was twice that number. (Serial 37, P. 550.)
A great many buildings were on fire when we entered and the citizens had nearly all left the city, which was occupied by the 15th Army Corps and other troops. A great many prison- ers were taken, of whom 1, 150 were paroled that afternoon. Many dwellings contained fine furniture, libraries and the clothing of the occu- pants who had fled. There was evidence on every hand of the terrible effect of our artillery on the buildings in the city.
The fruits of the victory were the expulsion of Johnston's army from the Mississippi River Val- ley, the entire destruction of about one hundred miles of railroad and two hundred railroad cars, four thousand bales of cotton, several pieces of artillery and an immense quantity of shot, shell
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and other munitions of war, besides about 1, 200 prisoners.
General Sherman turned over to a committee of citizens two hundred barrels of flour and one hundred barrels of mess pork, as they were en- tirely destitute of provisions. The condition of the country from Vicksburg to Jackson, Missis- sippi, was one of utter ruin and destruction ( Se- rial 37, p. 539). The railroad bridge over Pearl River was knocked down by firing 388 solid shot against the piers (Ib. p. 542).
On the 22d we again received orders to march, and at 3 o'clock A. M. we moved toward Vicksburg on the same road we came. We passed to the right of the town of Clinton, which was burning at the time, and encamped.
On the 23d we marched at 3 A. M., very hard. Weather very hot; roads very dusty; water very scarce. The men and animals suf- fered intensely. We went into camp on the Champion Ilill battle field.
On the 25th we marched at 3 A. M., crossed the Big Black River, marched about a mile and a half and went into camp on the ground, which was then named Camp Sherman, eighteen miles east of Vicksburg, where we remained until Sep- tember 28, 1863.
On the 27th we received our knapsacks and tents form Haine's Bluff, where we had left them in June. We had several heavy rain falls while in this camp.
The campaign to Jackson and return was made in twenty days; the distance marched, a little over one hundred miles. We frequently had religious services in Camp Sherman. There was considerable sickness among the men and several
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of the Tooth died. We drilled but little, but were reviewed several times. It was said that the 100th lost fewer men by death, in this camp, than any other Regiment. Our men were all well supplied. We got the newspapers daily. Dur- ing the month of August the mercury frequently registered 113 deg. Fahrenheit in the shade.
In September we were transferred from the 16th Corps to the 15th, then commanded by General F. P. Blair, becoming the 4th Division of the 15th Corps, Brigadier General Hugh Ew- ing commanding the Division. ( Cox, p. 95.)
On the 4th of July, 31, 270 Rebels had sur- rendered to us, or were killed or wounded here. On the same day was fought the battle of Get- tysburg, in which the Confederates lost 20,448 men, or 31,620 according to another authority, and were decidedly defeated. On the same day at Helena, Arkansas, the Confederate army un- der Price and Holmes was defeated by Prentiss, with a loss of 2,000 killed, wounded and prison- ers. Thus the Confederates lost essentially in a day 65,000 men, besides the seceded states were severed; valuable territory was lost; railroad and river commuincations wrenched from them, and a vast amount of stores and munitions of war fell into the hands of the Unionists.
The whole North was convulsed with rejoic- ing, while a corresponding depression was felt all over the South. In the midst of this period of rejoicing, General Rosecrans attempted to de- molish Bragg's army at Chicamauga, which had been reinforced with Longstreet's Corps from Virginia without Rosecrans' knowledge. One of the fiercest battles of the war was fought on the field of Chicamauga, both sides displayed the
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most surprising valor and many deeds of bravery and daring were done. Rosecrans was outnum- bered and possibly outgeneraled, but he had an army of brave and heroic men, who, under the General who never lost a battle, George II. Thomas, saved the army. The battle was stub- born, the Federals lost heavily and retired to Chattanooga. The Confederates pursned the Union Army to the valley of the Tennessee at Chattanooga; and occupied Lookout Mountain and the heights of Missionary Ridge. They were so badly punished that they could do no more than this. No particular military advantages were gained or lost by either side as a result of that battle beyond the losses sus- tained. It is true that Bragg's army ocenpied the heights around Chattanooga, but when he massed his army in front of Sherman at Mission Ridge, on the 25th of November, the same army that fought him at Chicamauga broke through his weakened center and routed his forces. The news of the battle of Chicamanga came to us at Vicksburg on the 23d of September. Two days after that we had marching orders.
The March From Vicksburg to Chattanooga.
On the 27th the Tooth Indiana left Camp Sherman and marched to Vicksburg, where many river crafts were lying, to be used in transport- ing us back to Memphis, which place we had left but little more than three months before, but these had been eventful months to the men of the Tooth, who boarded a transport on the 28th and
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started to Memphis, 425 miles distant, at low water.
The passage was slow and tedious. We ran aground every day. No incident worthy of note occured to break the monotony of the tiresome journey. On the 9th of October the 100th ar- rived again at Memphis. A good many of our men fell sick during the trip and were left in hospitals at that place.
On the 11th General Sherman and staff and some other officers were going east in a special train, on the M. & C. R. R. They ran into Collierville just as General Chalmers, with a Confederate cavalry force of 3,000 men and eight pieces of artillery were making an assault on the place, which was garrisoned by the 66th Indiana, Col. Anthony. That Regiment occupied the same works which the 100th Indiana had built about three months prior.
Demand was made by Chalmers for the surrender of the post; this was refused and the attack began. At this time we were about four- teen miles away, at Germantown, only eight or ten miles east of Memphis. General Sherman got a message to us at Germantown, before the wires were eut by the Rebels at Collierville, and we double quicked nearly all the way from the former place to Collierville. As we approached the place the Confederates retreated to the south. They had cut the wires and torn up the railroad both east and west of the town. A detachment of the 13th regulars and the officers and men on the train all joined in the defense, and the old works built by the Tooth probably on that day prevented the capture of General Sherman and his staff.
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On the next day the damage to the railroad was repaired and we moved on. Our Division was the only one of the 15th Corps that marched through from Memphis to the Tennessee River. Osterhau's and Morgan L. Smith's Divisions went by rail and on their way to Stevenson fol- lowed the line of the M. & C. railroad south of the Tennessee River. We crossed that stream at East Port about the 27th and marched thence to Florence. Our 4th Division bore to the northeast and struck the Nashville and Chattanooga rail- road at Decherd, and then crossed the mountains by way of Cowan to Stevenson, Alabama, where we arrived on the 14th of November.
On the 15th we marched to within one mile of Bridgeport and encamped. On the next day we drew some clothing and three days' rations and on the morning of the 17th we left our tents and all our baggage, crossed the Tennessee River on pontoons, just below the railroad bridge, at Bridgeport, Alabama, and marched beyond Nicka Jack cave, turned to the right and encamped on the side of Sand Mountain in the timber. The mountain road was very rocky and very steep. On the 18th we marched only eight miles. We drew the artillery up some steep places on the mountain side by hand. On the roth we marched to Wincher's Gap, in the Sand Mountains, about fifteen miles southwest of Chat- tanooga. The tooth Indiana went forward to picket the Gap. We were relieved at noon the next day and moved down the mountain at six feet apart, with colors flying, which of course could be seen by the Confederates from the top of Lookout, the object being to deceive them as to our real strength. We went into camp three
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--
Col. John Mason Loomis.
Commanding Ist Brigade, ath Division, 15th Army Corps, and who led the Assault on Missionary Ridge.
miles south of Trenton, Walker County, Georgia. On the 20th we marched in a southwesterly direction three and one-half miles and went into camp. Rain fell most of the day. We captured twenty- five hogheads of wheat at this place and a mill near by was running in which we ground it. We knew nothing of the whereabouts of our train.
We marched at 6:30 A. M. on the 21st in a heavy rain and very deep mud in the direction of Chattanooga. We halted at Trenton, during which time the court house was burned. We marched very late, the night was very dark and the rain fell in torrents. We could see the fires of the Confederate army above us on our right, all along Lookout Mountain, as we traversed the valley below. On the 22d we moved early, down Trenton valley, to the junction of the Trenton and M. & C. railroad. We halted under the Rebel guns on Lookout, in plain sight of the Rebel army. The roads were almost impassable. Ilere we drew a few rations and 100 rounds of ammunition to each man, then we marched again late and hard, in the dark, wading in the mud, crossed the Tennessee River below Point Look- out on a pontoon bridge, which parted just as the rear of the rooth had cleared the river and left our train and part of our Division on the other side and we had nothing to eat. We were wet, muddy, tired, sleepy and hungry but every man was full of grit and energy, and few, if any, com- plaints were heard. When we were within a mile or two of Chattanooga on the north side of the Tennessee River we all lay down on the cold, muddy ground, hungry and without a ration, and without shelter of any kind. And this ended the
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long and tedious march from Vicksburg to Chat- tanooga, more than 700 miles by the route our Division followed.
The Battle of Missionary Ridge, November 25, 1863.
On the 24th of November we were aroused at 2 o'clock A. M. At that hour the rooth In- diana drew a few rations, and four hours later the entire command moved eastwardly over the hills, on the north side of the Tennessee River, to a point at its north bank, opposite the mouth of South Chicamagna River, where we crossed the Tennessee on the steamboat "Dunbar."
Giles A. and John E. Smith's divisions of our 15th Corps had crossed over in advance of us and captured the entire line of Rebel pickets, seventy-three in number, without firing a gun, and had erected earthworks some distance out from the south bank of the Tennessee River.
Shortly after noon our fourth division, com- manded by General Hugh Ewing, having crossed the river, formed in line of battle. The Second Division, General Giles A. Smith, formed the left of our line, General John E. Smith's 3d Division the center, and the 4th, General Ilugh Ewing, the right. General Osterhau's First Division having been sent to the assistance of Hooker in taking Lookout Mountain. We moved forward in echelon over low swampy ground until we reached the western base of the hills forming the north base of Missionary Ridge, a distance of about a mile and half from the south bank of the
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Tennessee river, or, perhaps, more properly, the southeastern bank.
The western side of the first hill of Mission Ridge, in our front, was stony and steep near its summit, but we ascended with such rapidity that at about 4 P. M., and before the Confederates were aware of it, we occupied the summit of the first hill and were fortifyng. The Tooth Indiana ascended and occupied the summit of the second hill north and northwest of the railroad tunnel.
The Confederates had a battery on the first hill, to the north of the tunnel. Thus the rooth was the extreme right of that part of Sherman's army, which occupied the summit of Missionary Ridge, and was the first regimental organization that reached the summit of the ridge, and was nearer the Rebel line on the 24th than any other command.
We hastily constructed some trenches on the very summit of the hill spoken of, and although there was more stone than earth on the top of the hill, yet we threw up some works, by hard work, sufficiently high to protect a battery, and then drew our cannons up the hill by hand and placed them in the works we had built. There was some skirmishing during the time. The night, though cool, was nevertheless a very beautiful one. About II P. M. an eclipse of the moon oc- curred, which some of the men, who were still erecting works, said was an ill omen, but it was not, for just at that hour we learned that the Rebels had been driven from Lookout Mountain. The morning of the 25th of November was frosty on the hills and smoky and foggy in the valley be- low us. We moved from the top of the hill, which we occupied, next to Bragg's right battery, early
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in the morning, to the level plain below, and formed in line of battle, our left, the goth Illinois, facing toward the railroad tunnel and the western slopes of Mission Ridge. This was about 8:30 . or 9 A. M. It was still foggy on the low land, where we were formed, but it was clear and the sun shone brightly on the top of Missionary Ridge so that the Confederates could not look down into the fog and see us, but we could look up through it and see one long column of Rebels after another moving from the Confederate cen- ter to their right and being massed directly in our front, as if it required the whole Rebel army to prevent the four Regiments of our brigade from scaling the heights in front. We looked up through the fog and saw the thousands of bright gun barrels of the Rebel soldiers flashing in the sunshine as they moved in column after column from their center to their right. The polished brass cannons were seen by us glistening in the sunshine as they moved along the top of the ridge and also took position in our front, and so long did this continue that it seemed as if their entire force was being placed in position on the top and sides of the ridge in our front. About 9 or 9:30 A. M. we sent forward across the level ground to the west of the tunnel, a strong skirmish line. The Confederates being above us were com. pelled to fire downward upon us at an angle of 20 to 40 degrees, and we fired upward at them at the same angle.
From the place where Loomis' Brigade formed in line of battle that morning to the rail- . road track leading along the base of the hill to the tunnel is about one-third of a mile, almost perfectly level, with nothing whatever to protect
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our line from the plunging shot and shell of the Confederates, delivered at short range by several batteries and lines of infantry. As we moved in line of battle across the level land we lost a great many men in killed and wounded from the fire of the Confederates, who literally swarmed on summit and slopes of the hills.
The goth Illinois, Colonel O'Meara, the Irish Legion, was on the left, nearest to the tun- nel, then the Tooth Indiana the left center, the 12th Indiana, and the 26th Illinois on the right of the Brigade. During the battle, which raged nearly all day, the goth Illinois lost 117 men and the 12th Indiana 62, the 26th Illinois lost 95 and the Tooth Indiana 137.
Only three Regiments in the entire Federal army lost as many men as the tooth on that day. Those were the 97th Ohio 149, the 40th Indiana 158 and the 15th Indiana 199, all three of which were in Sheridan's Division of the 4th Army Corps. These figures show, that as far as hard fighting and heavy losses are concerned, the In- diana soldiers stand at the head of the Roll of Honor, the 100th Regiment occupying the pin- nacle of fame in that behalf, having lost a larger proportion of the number engaged than any of the others. It took into action 320 men, an aver. age of 32 men to each company. The killed and wounded numbered 135; only two were missing. This shows a loss of 43 per cent, which is 7 per cent more than the loss sustained by the cele- brated Six Hundred in the charge made by it at Balaklava.
The Advance of the Fifteenth A. C.
On the 24th the Second Division crossed the Tennessee River first and moved forward, follow - ing the main line of the Chicamagua River east- wardly and was the column of direction. The Third Division, General John E. Smith, formed the center, and the Fourth Division, General Hugh Ewing, the right, in which was the 1ooth. A heavy line of skirmishers were thrown forward, and the three Divisions, which were formed in echelon, moved forward in that manner, almost directly east, toward the group of hills which form the north end of Missionary Ridge, which we occupied as stated. On the 25th while we were moving forward across the level ground in our front, and when we had reached a point within short range of the Confederate masses on the slopes above us, we were exposed to a heavy cross-fire of infantry and artillery, the enemy be- ing on our left and front. About 10:30 A. M., General Corse commanding the 2d Brigade of the 4th Division, charged the Rebel batteries and line of battle occupying the fort and entrench- ments on the summit of the first hill west of the railroad tunnel, advancing right up to the Rebel works. Being unable to take the works, the Brigade took a position on the hill side and held it firmly until nightfall, having driven the enemy from his outer works and taken posses- sion. (Serial 55, p. 631.)
As to what the tooth did during the battle, General Ewing says, in his official report, that "Loomis moved his Brigade in line of battle across the open fields under a trying artillery and infantry fire, drove the enemy up the tunnel road and hill south and took and maintained the po-
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sition assigned him, threatening and opening the way to the tunnel from the flank and rear. The steadiness with which this movement was made, and the tenacity with which the postion was held, is deserving of high commendation, the at- tempts of the enemy to dislodge us being sig- nally repulsed." (Serial 55, p. 632.)
The First Brigade, the Tooth and the 12th Indiana and the 26th and goth Illinois were rein- forced by Bushbeck's Brigade of the 11th Army Corps. This Brigade did good fighting; its com- mander, Col. Taft, was killed. Later on the Brigades of Loomis and Bushbeck were rein- forced by the Brigades of Matthies and Raum from John E. Smith's Division. The Rebels re- treated during the night and at daybreak on the 26th the 15th Army Corps pursued them to- wards Graysville. (No. 55, p. 632.)
The losses in the First Brigade, as reported by the regimental commanders, were as follows: The 26th Illinois had to men killed, 6 officers and 76 men wounded and one missing; total 93. The goth Illinois had one officer and 9 men killed, and 6 officers and SS men wounded. and 13 missing; total 117. The 12th Indiana one officer and 9 men killed, and 7 officers and 43 men wounded and 2 missing; total 62. The Tooth Indigna had one officer and 19 men killed, and S officers and 107 men wounded and 2 miss-
ing; total 137. The above figures are from the report of Col. Loomis, as to the 26th, goth and 12th, but none are counted in the estimates above given except such as were disabled; those Regi- ments all had more casualties than as above given. The report as to the tooth is correct, but does not embrace such wounds as were
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slight and caused the soldiers no inconvenience. Total loss in the Brigade, 409. The loss in the Tooth, as given by General Ewing, is manifestly wrong, as the killed and wounded have been counted name by name by the author and found to be 137, excluding those who were only very slightly wounded. General Ewing's report was made the second day after the battle, before the extent of our losses were known. Some of those reported missing, in all the Regiments, are now known to have been killed.
We remained on the field until about 4:30 P. M. when we were withdrawn by Col. Loomis, by order of General Ewing, having been engaged in battle about eight hours.
"During the night large parties were kept on the field to bring off the dead and wounded; all of the latter were removed before morning." Col. Loomis, after giving the movements of the Brigade in detail, closes his report by saying:
"I have the honor to mention for gallant conduct a few of the many who deserve it: Capt. Joseph W. Gillespie, Co. 'B,' and Capt. Charles W. Brouse, Co. 'K,' 100th Indiana Infantry * on the line of battle the gallantry of the officers was beyond praise. I particularly desire to mention my regimental commanders, for spir- ited and splendid performance of duty. * Also Lieut. Henry G. Collis, 100th Indiana, A. A. A . G. on my staff. *
* Every color bearer in my Brigade was shot down and four-sevenths of the entire color guard; but men were thick to raise up and bear to the front the flags of their Regiments. For my gallant dead and wounded I have no language to do them justice." (Serial 55, p. 635.)
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The 100th Indiana in the Battle .- Names of the Killed and Mortally Wounded.
Inasmuch as I have contradicted the official reports as to the number killed and mortally wounded, I will state their names:
Company "A" had sixteen men wounded during the engagement, but not a man was killed, although on that day it was the right color company in the line and had one-half of the number it took into the battle wounded. That none were killed is simply inexplicable.
Company "B" suffered severely in wounded but like Company "A," providentially none were killed, though a large proportion were severely wounded.
Company "C"-Edward Whitney killed.
Company "D"-Oaks, Rapp and Leedy killed or mortally wounded.
Company "E"-Wm. Calkins, George Hines and Lucius H. Knapp killed or mortally wounded.
Company "F" - William F. Kearnes, Boyer, Pitman and James Samuels killed or mortally wounded.
Company "G" - George Doty, Abram Hight, William D. Little and Nathan Snyder killed or mortally wounded.
Company "H"-John Fluding and James Walker killed or mortally wounded.
Company "I"'-Captain James Harland killed.
Company "K"-John Nerhood, David Tucker and Columbus Duke killed or mortally wounded.
(Official report Major R. M. Johnson, Com- manding Regiment.)
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Col. Heath was wounded severely early in the engagement and Major Johnson took com- mand of the Regiment and achieved an enviable reputation for himself by his bravery and efficient conduct in the face of the enemy. The conduct of the brave officers and men of the 1ooth In- diana and its brave commander in taking and holding their position in the face of the enemy's batteries and lines of battle was observed and highly commended by many officers of high rank, who saw the resistless impetuosity with which the Regiment rushed upon the Rebel lines and drove them up the hills, over and to the right of the tunnel, while the main portion of Bragg's army was massed in their front and batteries sup- ported by long columns of infantry fired on the men from the sides and tops of the hills above them. Their conduet under a murderous and plunging fire from the enemy above their heads was an example of courage unsurpassed and pro- bably unequalled by the conduct of any troops during the Civil War or those of any other time. The Regiment established a reputation on that day which commanded the respect and admira- tion of the whole army, and of which every man who belonged to it ought to be proud.
On the 26th we pursued the retreating Rebel army toward Graysville. The roads were strewn with broken wagons, caisons, dead horses and mules, guns and accoutrements, knap- sacks, cast off clothing, pots, skillets, ovens, camp kettles, piles of corn and corn meal and many other things, all indicating that their re- treat must have been one of indescribable confu- sion.
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