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 4
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Bragg's Official Report.
For the purpose of showing the Confederate side of this battle, the following is extracted from General Bragg's report to the Rebel Secretary of War: "On Tuesday, the 24th, they threw a heavy force over the river at the mouth of Chica-
manga. I visited our right and made disposi- tions to meet the new development in that direc- tion. Ireturned to the left and found heavy cannonading going on on the slope of Lookont Mountain. A heavy force soon advanced. Walthall's Brigade made a desperate resistance but was forced to vield.
"On the 25th I visited the extreme right, commanded by General Hardee. A heavy force in line of battle confronted our left and center. The enemy formed their lines with great deliberation, just out of range of our guns and in plain view. Though we were outnumbered, such was the strength of our position that no doubt was entertained of our ability to hold it." (Serial 55, p. 665.)
"Several attempts on our extreme right had been handsomely repulsed. About 3:30 the Federals in front of our left and center advanced in their lines. Our batteries opened upon them. In a short time the roar of musketry became very heavy and it soon became apparent that they were repulsed. While riding along the crest, congratulating the troups, , intelligence reached me that our line was broken on the right and that the enemy had crowned the ridge. As- sistance was dispatched. General Bates found the disaster so great that his small force could not repair it. About this time the extreme left gave way and my position was almost sur-
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rounded. Cheatham formed and checked the enemy." (Serial 55, p. 665).
"All to the left was entirely routed and in rapid flight, nearly all the artillery having been shamefully abandoned by its infantry sup- port. * A panic, such as I never before witnessed, seemed to have seized upon officers and men, and each seemed to be struggling for his personal safety, regardless of his duty or his character. % * In this distressing and alarm- ing state of affairs, orders were sent to Hardee and Breckinridge to retire upon the depot at Chicamauga, * which they did in good or-
der, * the routed left made its way back in great disorder."
(Serial 55, p. 665. )
"No satisfactory excuse can possibly be given for the shameful conduct of our troops. * The position was one which ought to have been held by a line of skirmishers against any assault- ing column." (Official Report Braxton Bragg, Serial 55, p. 666).
The abuse of the Confederate soldiers by General Bragg, contained in the above extracts from his official report, was probably made to draw the attention of his government away from the fatal mistakes he had made in sending his cavalry away, detaching Longstreet's Corps of 23,000 men, and in massing his whole army in front of the 4th Division of the 15th Army Corps, thus weakening his centre so that it was no match for the veterans of the 4th and 14th Army Corps, who broke through the lines at that point and routed his army.
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The March From Chattanooga to Knoxville.
On the 20th of November, 1863, we received orders to march to Knoxville, Tennessee, distant about 125 miles, to relieve the army commanded by General Burnside, it having been officially re- ported that Longstreet's Corps of the Confeder- ate army had laid siege to that place on its re- turn from the field of Chicamauga to Virginia, and that the garrison was in a starving condition and could hold out but a few days longer.
Accordingly, on the morning of the 29th, two Divisions of the 15th Army Corps, under General Blair, marched from our camp, near Graysville, Georgia, by way of Julien's Gap and Oltewa to Cleveland, Tennessee, a distance of thirty miles. The 4th Army Corps, under Gen- Howard, and General Davis' Division of the 14th Army Corps made substantially the same march, and we all encamped at Cleveland that night, which was cold and frosty. We halted where rails were plenty, and suffered but little from the cold.
On the next day we destroyed railroad ties and iron until II A. M., at which time we marched toward Knoxville until we had crossed the Hia . wassee River and encamped near Charleston, Ten- nessee, on the East Tennessee and Virginia rail- road.
On the Ist of December we marched from Charleston to Athens, Tennessee, about sixteen miles; the whole army moved early on the 2d. The Tooth Indiana passed the entire army and took a position in advance, marched all day and until midnight, when we made some coffee and rested until break of day, when we again took
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the advance as far as the Holston River at Morgan- town. There was some cannonading at Lowdon that day, some miles below. The Rebels had burned the ferry at Morgantown, the current was swift, the water from two to five or six feet deep and perhaps 500 feet wide. We tore down some houses in the town, and a large force began to build a bridge across the river.
The men worked all night, and at 2 P. M., on the 4th, the icoth Indiana had crossed over cn the bridge and bivouacked on the high hill above the village. Batteries, teams and troops were passing over the bridge nearly all night. By morning the 15th Corps was over, and on the 5th we marched early, the tooth Indiana in advance. We marched at a lively pace. Never saw a Rebel during the day, although we passed their burning camp fires.
The first halt worthy of note was at Mary- ville, Blunt county, 17 miles from Morgantown and 13 miles from Knoxville. Here we learned that Longstreet had suffered a disastrous defeat and had raised the siege and fled toward East Tennessee and Virginia, from whence he came.
No account of the siege of Knoxville can be given here for lack of space, except an extract from the official report of General Burnside, de- scribing the assault on Fort Sanders.
The besieged army numbered about 12,000, the besiegers about 23,000. On the 24th of No- vember, 1863, Longstreet crossed his forces to the south side of the Holston River. On the 28th he was active on both sides of that stream. At IO A. M. he drove in the Union pickets and es- lished his line within eighty yards of Fort San- ders.
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"On the 29th, at about 6:30 A. M., the enemy opened a furious fire on the fort. Our batteries remained silent and the men quietly awaited the attack. * * In twenty minutes the cannonading ceased and a fire of musketry was opened by the enemy. * A heavy column charged on the bastions at a run. Great numbers of them fell in passing over the entangle- ments. * In two or three minutes they had reached the ditch and attempted to scale the parapet. Our guns opened on the men in the ditch with tripple rounds of canister, and our in- fantry shot or knocked back all those whose heads appeared above the parapet. * *
The first column was reinforced by a second, which pushed up to the fort as desperately as the first, but were driven back with great slaughter; most of those who reached the ditch were killed or mortally wounded. * * The ground between the fort and the crest was strewed with the dead and the wounded, who were crying for help. After the repulse was fully established, I ten- dered to the enemy a flag of truce for the pur- pose of burying the dead and caring for the wounded. His loss was certainly a thousand. Ours but thirteen." A. E. Burnside. (Serial 54, p. 277.)
The March From Knoxville, to Alabama via Chattanooga.
At this date the Tooth Indiana and many other Regiments in the 15th Army Corps had drawn little or no rations since the 23d of No-
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vember. On the 7th we received orders to march, which we did early, making twelve miles by noon, on the same road back to Morgantown, at which time we halted for dinner, and ate up all the provisions we had; every haversack was empty.
After this rest we sent out some foraging parties and marched on to Morgantown, five miles and bivouacked for the night on the north side of the Holston. The foragers brought in some chickens, some beans and meal. On the Sth we crossed the river on our bridge, as the soldiers called it. We then bore to the left to- ward the Chiliko and strawberry plains. The men of the Tooth said they owned some farms over in that country which they had not seen for a long time and were going over there to collect the rent of some Johnnies they had rented to. It rained very hard during that day, but the men secured some flour and other provisions, so that each company had something to eat. On the 9th we moved slowly, encamped four miles north of Madisonville, Tennessee. Our foragers went east toward the Smoky Mountains, which were in plain view, and secured flour and corn meal and some fine pigs, and then we did have a feast. Although we did not have enough to satisfy the men, yet any quantity under the circumstances would have been a feast. On the roth we came to a farm which had apparently escaped the rav- ages of the Confederate cavalry. We drove away all the sheep and cattle the Rebel (he was a Reb. ) had, and Col. Johnson detailed Company "A" to drive the stock. Before leaving the place the men of that Company loaded them- selves with chickens and turkeys. The other
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Regiments in the Brigade got no forage and an order was made that our forage should be divided with them, under the supervision of the provost marshall, who ordered Company "A" to turn in their load of poultry. About a mile from camp we halted and every soldier of Company "A" picked all the feathers off and cleaned his poultry, rolled it up in his poncho, slung this over his shoulder and marched in. On our ar- rival at camp no poultry was visible and that Company and not the provost marshall ate those chickens and turkeys that night and the next day. We marched sixteen miles that day and went into camp at Athens, Tennessee. On the 11th we remained in camp. We looked the country over for forage but it was barren of everything, and we were again short of rations. During the day Sergeant James L. Drake, of Company "E," died. On the 12th the men were all hungry. We remained in camp. The cold rain poured down incessantly. We tore down some houses and made long sheds to keep the rain off.
We obtained some wheat bran at a mill and this was divided up among some of the com- panies-a tin cup full to each man. We boiled this in tin cans and ate it. On the 13th we still remained in camp. The foragers brought in some flour and pork. The cold rain fell all day. On the morning of the 14th, at 8 A. M., we marched to Charleston, Tennessee, on the Hiawassee River. The foragers got some corn meal which helped us greatly. On the 15th we marched one mile west of Cleveland and went into camp. It rained hard all day; the men were all cold, wet and hungry. On the 16th we marched through Oltewa and went into camp.
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Most of the men were in the rain all night. On the 17th we marched in the deep mud down to the bridge near the mouth of Chicamauga Creek. Several trains of army wagons were waiting to cross. A great many teams were mired down. We moved over and encamped near the place where we formed in line to make the assault on Missionary Ridge, across the open plains, on the 25th of November. Along the line occupied by the Tooth Indiana, near the railroad track, be- tween the old water tanks and the goth Illinois on our left, there were spots of coagulated blood all along in the short grass on the ground, mak- ing the line very plainly visible all along. Shells and shot were lying over the ground, and many holes were in the surface, where the plunging shells of the Confederates had entered the ground and exploded, leaving great holes. Besides there were many other evidences of the dreadful struggle which took place on that bloody field. On that evening we drew half rations for three days; the first regular issue of rations we had had for twenty-three days. On the 18th, at 9 A. M., we marched through Chattanooga, passed under Point Lookout, followed the line of the M. & C. railroad to Whiteside tunnel and encamped there. That evening Christian Cramer, of Com- pany "A" by permission dropped out of the ranks and was never afterwards heard of. On the 19th we marched to Bridgeport, Alabama, and drew some clothing, which the men needed very badly. We also received our mail, the first for more than a month, drew our pay, and on the 24th we marched to Stevenson and on the 26th to Scottsboro, Alabama, and went into camp.
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REFERENCES :
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. & Water tanke
The tooth Indiana and 95th Illinois, the left of Col. Loomis' brigade, moving to the assault on Missionary Ridge over the open field. Col. Walcutt's brigade is shown assaulting the heighths on the left. November 25, 1863.
The 26th Illinois and the Tooth Indiana were on the left, and the goth Illinois and 12th Indiana on the right. One week later the Tooth moved to Bellefont Station, Alabama. This closed a march of more than 350 miles since the battle of Missionary Ridge, on half rations or less all the time, in cold or rainy weather, in a country stripped of all kinds of products, and upon roads which with any other army or any other com- mander would have been deemed impossible.
By an order of the General commanding, the Tooth Indiana was directed to place "Knoxville" on its flag, because the regiment marched to the relief of the besieged garrison.
Recapitulation, 1863.
Beginning with the engagement on January Ist, at Galveston, Texas, and ending with the four engagements of Greenville, North Caro- lina, St. Augustine, Fla., Waldron, Arkansas, and Matagorda Bay, Texas, on December 30, 1863. There were fought during that year six hundred and twenty-seven (627) battles and skirmishes, the more important of which, to- gether with the losses on each side are as follows:
LOSS
LOSS
NAMES OF BATTLES.
FED.
CON.
Stone River, Dec. 31, '62, to Jan. 2d.
13,249
10,270
Arkansas Post, Jan. 11, 1863.
1,060
5,500
Port Gibson, Miss., May 1, 1863
875
1,650
Chancellorsville, May Ist to 4th, K. & W
11,368
12,764
Champion Hill, Miss., May 16, 1863.
2,441
4,300
Vicksburg, Miss,, May 18th to July 4th.
4,536
31,227
Port Hudson. Miss., May 27th to July 10th.
3,000
7,208
Gettysburg, Pa., July 1st to 3d.
23,186
31,521
Chicamauga, Ga., Sept. 19th to 20th.
15,851
17,804
Mission Ridge and Lookout Mt., Nov. 23-25
5,382
8,684
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The following Regiments of the 15th Army Corps sustained the greatest loss in the Battle of Missionary Ridge. The First Brigade, Col. John Mason Loomis, of the 26th Illinois, com- manding, as follows:
KLD.
WND.
MISS.
TOTL.
Tooth Indiana .
20
115
2
137
90th Illinois
IO
94
13
II7
26th Illinois
IO
82
I
93
12th Indiana .
IO
50
2
62
Totals.
50
341
IS
409
Second Brigade, 4th Division, 15th A. C., Gen- eral Corse.
KLD.
WND.
MISS
TOTL .
103d Illinois.
15
75
O
90
40th Illinois
7
4.3
I
51
46th Ohio
4
3.5
I
40
6th Iowa.
8
57
O
65
Totals.
34
2IO
2
246
The greatest battles of the year 1863 were: Stone River, Chancellorsville, Vicksburg, Port Hudson, Gettysburg, Chicamauga and Mission- ary Ridge. In these seven engagements the Confederates lost a total of 119, 578 men. The losses sustained in the same engagements by the Federal army were 78, 572, a difference of 41, 006 in favor of the latter. The Confederates lost at Arkansas Post, 5,500; the Federal loss in that engagement was 1, 060.
This single item equals the number of Federal prisoners captured at Chancellorsville. Many other sanguinary con- fiets took place between the contending armies, in which military advantages were lost and won.
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In many of these the Confederates were the vic- tors, but upon the whole they lost severely in strength and position. As to the latter, when they were driven from one fortress they could easily retreat to another, but when they lost in strength, the loss was irreparable, for nearly all the men of the South, who were liable to military duty, were in their armies already. A vast amount of territory was wrenched from the Con- federates during the year 1863, but the loss of territory was not so serious to them as the loss of men. There was little or no hope for the Con- federate cause after Vicksburg and Gettysburg. The result of the latter was the forerunner of ul- timate defeat.
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Winter Quarters, 1863=4, at Bellefonte, Alabama.
During the time we were in camp at Belle- fonte, Alabama, perhaps no Regiment in the United States service led a more strictly military life. The duties we had to perform were to pa- trol the M. & C. R. R. half way to Scottsboro and Stevenson respectively, and to keep a gen- eral lookout for predatory bodies of the enemy.
We had large, beautiful parade grounds, kept perfectly clean and covered with fine cedar trees, in regular rows; had good water, plenty to eat, mails and newspapers regularly; quarters artistically arranged and kept scrupulously clean. Revielle at 5:15 A. M., which in the winter time was long before daylight. At this hour every company came to the color line on the double quick and in the darkness. The Regiment was then put through battalion drill for one hour by Col. R. M. Johnson, who was a consumate drill master.
The Regiment became so proficient that it could perform every field evolution in the tactics in the dark better than any Regiment in the United States service and was probably second to none, in a daylight drill. These evolutions were performed on the double quick, in answer to the commands of Col. Johnson, given from
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Maj. Gen'I W. T. Sherman. ( From a war times photograph.)
any part of the field, whether the Regiment was in sight or not.
It must be admitted that such a camp life was rather heroic and exacting upon the men, yet it was eminently proper; the exercise kept the men in health-we had no sick. It greatly increased the efficiency of the Regiment and was for the good of the service.
Nothing creates a disposition in a soldier not to move any quicker than idleness and inac- tion. The efficiency of all the Federal armies were greatly increased during the winter and the Confederates put forth the utmost exertions to to increase their armies in number and discipline, for the struggle which was sure to come during the summer of 1864.
Strength and Position of the Federal Army, May 1, 1864.
As the great struggle for supremacy was to take place during the summer of 1864, the reader ought to possess some information relating to the location and position of the two armies and their respective strength to enable him to form correct conclusions as to the military results, of the bat- tles fought during that year, to understand the strategy pursued beyond, or the tactics within the reach of each others guns by the command- ers respectively, and to judge of the merits of any officer or the troops under his command; and of the advantages which the field gave to the one and the difficulties to be overcome by the other, it is deemed proper for this purpose to in- sert in this place an extract from the official re-
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port of General Sherman wherein these matters are fully set forth ( Serial 72, p. 63), also an ex- tract from the official report of General Joseph E. Johnston, C. S. A., for the same purpose (Serial 74, p. 615), the former being as follows: "During the month of April I received from Lieutenant-General Grant a map, with a letter of instructions. Subsequently I received from him notice that he would move from his camp about Culpepper, Virginia, on the 5th of May, and he wanted me to do the same from Chatta- nooga. My troops were still dispersed and the cavalry, so necessary to our success, was yet collecting horses at Nicholasville, Kentucky, and Columbia, Tennessee.
"On the 27th of April I put all the troops in motion towards Chattanooga, and on the next day went there in person. My aim and purpose was to make the army of the Cumberland 50,000 men, that of the Tennessee 35,000, and that of the Ohio 15,000. These figures were approxi- mated but never reached, and the Army of the Tennessee failed to receive certain Divisions that were still kept on the Mississippi River, resulting from the unfavorable issue of the Red River ex- pedition. But on the Ist of May the effective strength of the several armies for offensive pur- poses was about as follows:
"Army of the Cumberland-Major-General Thomas, commanding. Infantry, 54,568; ar- tillery, 2,377; cavalry, 3,828. Total, 60,773; guns, 130.
"Army of the Tennessee-Major-General McPherson, commanding. Infantry, 22,437; ar- tillery, 1,404; cavalry, 624. Total, 24,465; guns, 96.
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"Army of the Ohio-Major-General Scho- field, commanding. Infantry, 11, 183; artillery,
679; cavalry, 1,697. Total, 13,359; guns, 28. "Grand aggregate-Troops, 98,797; guns 254. About these figures have been maintained during the campaign, the number of men joining from furlough and hospitals about compensating for the loss in battle and from sickness.
"These armies were grouped on the morn- ing of May 6, 1864, as follows: That of the Cumberland at and near Ringgold; that of the Tennessee at Gordon's Mills on the Chicamauga, and that of the Ohio near Red Clay, on the Georgia line, north of Dalton. The enemy lay near and in Dalton, superior to me in cavalry, and with three corps of infantry and artillery, viz: Hardee's, Hood's and Polk's and the whole commanded by General Joe Johnson of the Con- ferate army. I estimated the cavalry under Wheeler at about 10,000 and the infantry and artillery about 50,000 men. To strike Dalton in front was impracticable, as it was covered by an inaccessible ridge, known as the Rocky Face, through which was a pass between Tunnel Hill and Dalton, known as the Buzzard Roost, through which lay the railroad and wagon road. It was narrow, well obstructed by abatis and flooded by water, caused by dams across Mill Creek. Batteries also commanded it in its whole length, from the spurs on either side, and more especially from the ridge at the farther side, like a traverse directly across its debouche. It was, therefore, necessary to turn it. On its north front the enemy had a strong line of works behind Mill Creek, so that my attention was at once di- rected to the south. In that direction I found
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Snake Creek Gap affording me a good practica- ble way to reach Resaca, a point on the enemy's railroad line of communication, eighteen miles below Dalton. Accordingly I ordered General MePherson to move rapidly from his position at Gordon's Mills, via Ship's Gap, Villanow and Snake Creek Gap, directly on Resaca, or the railroad at any point below Dalton, and to make a bold attack. After breaking the railroad well, he was ordered to fall back to a strong defensive position near Snake Creek, and stand ready to fall on the enemy's flank when he retreated, as I judged he would. During the movement Gen- eral Thomas was to make a strong feint of attack in front, while General Schofield pressed down from the north." (General Sherman's Report; Serial 72, p. 63.)
Strength and Position of the Confederate Army, May 1, 1864.
On December 18, 1863, less than one month after the defeat of the Confederate army by us at Mission Ridge, General Bragg left it and Gen- eral Joseph E. Johnson took command, and the following is an extract from his official report, from that time until we moved against him about May Ist to 7th, 1864, showing the position and strength of the Rebel army made to General S. Cooper, Richmond, Va., the Confederate Seere- tary of War, as follows:
"I have the honor to make the following re- port of the operations of the Army of the Ten- nessee while it was under my command. Want
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of the reports of the Lieutenant-Generals, for which I have waited until now, prevents me from being circumstantial. In obedience to the orders of the President, received by telegraph at Clin- ton, Mississippi, December 18, 1863, I assumed command of the Army of the Tennessee at Dal- ton on the 27th of that month. Letters from the President and Secretary of War, dated, re- spectively, December 23d and 20th, impressed upon me the importance of soon commencing ac- tive operations against the enemy. The relative forces, including the moral effect of the affair at Missionary Ridge, condition of the artillery horses and most of those of the cavalry, and want of field transportation, made it impracticable to effect the wishes of the Executive.
"On December 31st, the effective total of the infantry and artillery of the army, including two Brigades belonging to the Department of the Mississippi, was 36,826. The effective total of the cavalry, including Rodney's command at Tuscumbia, was 5,613.
The Federal force in our front, inclusive of cavalry and the Ninth and Twenty-third Corps at Knoxville, was esti- mated at So, 000. The winter was mainly em- ploved in improving the discipline and equipment of the army and bringing back absentees to the ranks. At the end of April more than 5,000 had rejoined their Regiments.
"On the ist of May I reported the enemy about to advance. On the 2d Brigadier-General Mercer's command arrived-about 1,400 effect- ive infantry. On the 4th I expressed myself sat- isfied that the enemy was about to attack with his united forces, and again urged that a part of Lieutenant-General Polk's troops should be put .
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