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 5
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at my disposal. I was informed by General Bragg that orders to that effect were given. Major-General Martin, whose Division of cavalry coming from East Tennessee, had been halted on the Etowah to recruit its horses, was ordered with it to observe the Oostenaula from Resaca to Rome. Brigadier-General Kelley was ordered with his command from the neighborhood of Re- saca to report to Major-General Wheeler. The
effective artillery and infantry of the Army of Tennessee, after the arrival of Mercer's Brigade, amounted to 40,900; the effective cavalry to about 4,600. Major-General Sherman's army was composed of that of the Missionary Ridge, then So, ooo, increased by several thousand re- cruits; 5,000 men under Hovey; the Twenty- third Corps (Schofield's ) from Knoxville, and two Divisions of the Sixteenth from North Ala- bama. Major-General Wheeler estimated the cavalry of that army at 15,000.
"On the 5th of May this army was in line between Ringgold and Tunnel Hill, and after skirmishing on that and the following day, on 7th pressed back our advance troops to Mill Creek Gap. On the same day Brigadier-General Cantey reached Resaca with his Brigade and was halted there." (Official report of General Joseph E. Johnston, Serial 74, page 615.)
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The 100th Indiana in the Atlanta Campaign, 1864- 120 Days Constant Fighting.
On the morning of May Ist the Tooth In- diana left its beautiful camp at Bellefonte and on
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the 2d joined the 26th and goth Illinois and the 12th Indiana, composing the First Brigade, Col. Reub Williams, 4th Division, General Harrow, 15th Army Corps, General John A. Logan, des- tined for the front. The Tooth had at that time 450 men. The Brigade marched through Ste- venson, Alabama, on the 2d and encamped at noon on Crow Creek. At this point Col. John Mason Loomis, who had commanded us for about a year and a half, and who had been with us so long under such trying conditions, that we had all learned to love him, took a final leave of us and Col. Reuben Williams took command of the Brigade. On the 3d we had reveille at 3 A. M., marched at 4, crossed the Tennessee River and encamped. On the 4th we marched at 7 A. M. to Whiteside, over a rough, mountain- ous road and encamped at 2 P. M. On the 5th
our Brigade brought up the rear. We marched on the railroad under Point Lookout, then we bore to the right, passing between Mission Ridge and Lookout Mountain and encamped near Ross- ville, Georgia. Here we sent our tents and baggage to the rear. On the 6th we marched over roads, which were fairly good from Ross- ville, directly to Crawfish Springs. On the 7th the rooth Indiana took the advance. We crossed the South Chicamauga at Glass' Mill, at 10 o'clock. and at 11:30 A. M. we went into camp, and the 2d Division and other troops passed to the front, where an engagement was then going on.
On the 8th the 100th remained in camp un- til noon, to allow the trains to pass. We then covered the rear, crossed Taylor's Ridge at 6 o'clock that evening and encamped in Chestnut
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Valley. During the day the 4th Corps engaged the Rebels under Reynolds and Granberry, on the heights of Buzzard Roost and Rocky Face Ridge and a portion of the 15th Corps drove the Rebel cavalry out of Snake Creek Gap. ( Serial 72, p. 63.)
The battle of Dalton was fought on the oth. On that day we made no move, but the 23d Corps drove the Confederates nearly to Dalton and the 4th and 14th Corps pressed them very hard on Rocky Face Ridge. The whole country is very rough and the Confederates were occupying the passes, gaps and fastnesses, some of which were so strongly fortified as to be almost impregnable.
On the roth the rooth Indiana marched to Sugar Valley and on the next day took a posi- tion assigned us, on the front and fortified all night and until daylight on the 12th, when we found that we were in front of the enemy's line of heavy works, in Snake Creek Gap, to the northwest of Resaca.
The 100th Indiana in the Battle of Resaca.
On information that the Rebels were evacu- ating their front several miles to the north and massing in our front, at 5 A. M. on the 13th, we moved against him to a cross-road in his front and near Resaca. The 2d Brigade was placed on the advanced line and our Brigade on a line in its support; but the rooth Indiana was quickly ordered to take a position in line of battle with the first Division. Some firing was then going
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on in our front. The movement was performed by the Tooth with alacrity. Company "B," about fifty men, were then sent forward as a strong skirmish line, under Captain Fast, and joined in with the Brigade skirmish line, under Major Johnson of the rooth Indiana, who had command of the entire Brigade skirmish line at that time. (74, p. 278.)
Behind this line of skirmishers the move- ment ordered was successfully made. About noon an order came to move forward in line of battle. This was done in a perfect manner, through a wooded thicket, to an open field di- rectly in front of the first line of Confederate works. The rooth, in common with the general line of battle, formed in the edge of the wood, at the edge of the field, right at the crest of the hill. The skirmish line under Major Johnson, in the mean time, kept driving the enemy's line of skirmishers before them.
During all this time the enemy kept up a furious canonade with both shot and shell, not only on General Osterhaus' line, but the entire length of the 100th Regiment. But notwith- standing that, our line of skirmishers continued to advance and finally drove the Rebels from their outer line of works without the line of battle pro- per becoming engaged. Seeing this, the Brig- ade commander ordered the line of skirmishers of the 100th, which was Company "B," to be reinforced. Companies "C" and "D" deployed and the three Companies advanced, and the Regiment followed, in line of Battle, across the open field, drove the Rebels from the wood cov- ered hill, on the right of the works we had just taken, and took a position some distance to the
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left and facing the enemy's works, which was quickly accomplished and was held until about 6 P. M., when the Tooth was relieved and ordered to face back, having successfully performed every duty required of it throughout the day and under a severe artillery fire. The officers and soldiers bore themselves bravely during the time. We went into camp, in the field we drove the enemy from, and at 7 A. M. on the 14th we moved to the right to support the 2d Division, if need be, where we remained in line during the night of the 14th and 15th. The Rebels had about 70,000 men engaged in this battle. The 4th, 14th and 20th Corps, and the 15th, 16th and 23d Corps were all more or less engaged, and there was some severe fighting. The Confed- erates retreated during the night of the 15th across the Oostenaula River.
Captain Fast was the first one who entered the enemy's works. All of the officers of the Regiment conducted themselves gallantly and dis- charged their whole duty. The following is a list of "casualties" in the regiment before Re- saca, Ga .:
MAY 13, 1864.
Hammond Frees, , "A," wounded in thigh; severe. John D. Vanlear, - . "A," wounded in arm; slight. Benjamin F. Bolinger, - "A," wounded in leg; slight. Henry M. Scott, Corporal, "B," wounded in arm; severe. George French, Private, "B," wounded in leg; severe. William Davis, Private, "B," wounded in hand; slight. Isaac Myers, Private, "D," wounded in arm; severe. Samuel Gerrard, Private, "G," wounded in hand; slight. Con. Bowen, Corporal, "G," wounded hip; slight. James Hillis, Private, "I," wounded in back; slight. John Murphy, Private "I," wounded in hip; shght.
Noah T. Catterlin, 1st Lt .. "I," wounded in breast; slight. David N. Pugh, Private, "K," wounded in shoulder; slight. Zachariah Pollard, Corporal, "K," wounded in wrist; slight.
On the morning of the 16th we moved with
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the army in pursuit. During this engagement, the rooth had 14 men and one officer wounded. In this engagement the Confederates lost 3,000 men. The fighting in front of the 4th Corps was very determined. Our loss was 2,600. The Confederates fought mainly from behind breastworks. The Tooth Indiana marched in pursuit at II A. M., and went into camp at S p. M., on Oostenaula Creek. The strength of the Confederate Army at the battle of Resaca, was as follows:
Confederate Army, as at Dalton .. 52,990 Additions to Hardee's and Hood's Corps .. 5,000 Arrival of Mercer's Brigade, May 2d. . 2, 800 Arrival of Loring's Division, May 12th .. 5,145
Arrival of Cantey's Division, May 8th. . 5,300
Total 71,235
We had now driven the Rebels out of the gaps and passes and from the hills and mountain tops, which they had been fortifying for half a year and which they deemed impregnable.
On the 17th the 100th guarded the wagon train, and went into camp at midnight, having marched twelve miles.
On the 18th it joined the Brigade early in the morning, marched fourteen miles and en- camped on the Burnley plantation at 7 P. M. The men were all very tired; sun very hot.
On the 19th we marched with the column nine miles and encamped at Kingston, where we remained in camp, on the 20th, 21st and 22d, during which time the 20th A. C. engaged the Confederates at Cassville, Georgia, and on that day they retreated across the Etowah River.
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On the 23d we broke camp early and marched in the direction of Dallas, about twenty miles. The weather was very hot, but the men were healthy. On the 24th we continued in the same direction about eight miles and encamped in the mountains.
On the 25th the Brigade acted as train guards. We marched all night, over very bad roads and went into camp on Pumpkinvine Creek at 3 A. M., having marched only ten miles.
On the 26th the Tooth guarded the train during the day and marched all night; only made five miles. We halted within one mile of Dallas, Georgia, where we arrived at 4 A. M. on the 27th, and at - A. M. we were ordered to take a position on the advance line of battle, directly in front of the enemy. We moved out promptly for that purpose and took the position assigned us. We were placed on the right of, and refused to a horizontal line, with the 6th Iowa and Com- panies " A," "I" and "F" were deployed as skirmishers in front of the Regiment
The 100th Indiana in the Battle of Dallas, Georgia.
At noon there were indications of an assault on our line by the enemy. The Regiment was without any works, for which reason the skir- mish line was reinforced by Companies "B" and "C." At one o'clock the Confederates sent for- ward and attacked us with a heavy skirmish line. This was repulsed by the above named companies on the skirmish line, during which we had seven men and one officer wounded.
After this assault the Regiment fortified it- self strongly, and on the 28th the skirmish line was made still stronger. About half past 3 P. M. the enemy raised a yell on his front and charged our line of skirmishers with a heavy line of bat- tle, and steadily pressed them back until they had reached our main line, which they then attacked with great spirit and charged upon us with deaf- ening yells. The men of the rooth fought gal- lantly in this action and repulsed the Rebels with
great loss. Being protected by works, we only lost three killed and fourteen wounded. The Confederates carried away most of their dead and a great many of their severely wounded, but we hastily buried a large number in our front.
The attack lasted half an hour. This is what we usually call the Battle of Dallas. The Confederates met with a bloody repulse in the engagement. The brunt of this battle was borne by the Tooth Indiana, as it occupied the only ground over which a charge could be made by the enemy.
On the 29th of May there were some indi- cations that the enemy were about to evacuate the works in our front. To settle this question in the minds of the officers, the Tooth Indiana was directed by the General to advance its line far enough to ascertain whether the enemy remained in his fortifications in force or not. This we did, the enemy showing a strong line in his works. We received the praise of the General, but lost three men in the attempt, and on the 30th we repeated the experiment and lost two more men. On the 31st we remained in camp.
On June Ist, at 4 A. M., the Tooth aban.
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doned its line and moved about seven miles to the left, to a point near New Hope Church, entered the front line and relieved a Regiment of the 20th Corps. We lost two men in doing this. The bullets flew thick and fast over this ground. From May 25th to June 4th, there was severe and constant fighting at New Hope Church, burned Hickory and on Pumpkin Vine Creek by the 4th, the 14th and 20th Corps and by the 23d, 15th and 1 7th Corps, some of which was very sanguinary. On the 2d we were in reserve. On the 3d we were ordered to advance on the main line sixty yards. This movement was neatly and successfully performed with the loss of one man, and resulted in forcing the Rebel army to evacuate all of the Altoona pass, without fighting them at that place.
On the 4th we remained in camp, in the works, and as the Rebel army was very strongly fortified at New Hope Church-too strongly for us to assault-we just marched away and left them in their works, and moved around to their right, and during the night the Confederates, being forced to do so, abandoned their position and retreated further south. At midnight on the 5th the army moved rapidly to the left again and rested until daylight on the 6th, when we again moved six miles and went into camp near Ac- worth, Georgia, where we remained during the 7th, 8th and 9th of June. Altoona Pass was, on the 6th, adopted as a base of supplies.
On the roth of June we marched six miles to Big Shanty, a station on the railroad north- west of Kenesaw. The 100th took a position fronting Kenesaw and fortified during the entire night. On the morning of the rith our lines were close up to the enemy, and during the 12th,
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13th and 14th we remained quiet, except con- tinual skirmishing. A severe engagement was fought at Pine Mountain during the day. There was sharp canonading in front of General How- ard and Hooker's line, and a canon shot from Captain Simonson's Indiana Battery killed Lieu- tenant-General Polk of the Confederate army, then standing in an exposed place on Pine Moun- tain. Johnson, Hardee and Polk were standing together at the time. Loring succeeded to the command of Polk's Corps. Our Signal Corps had the key to the Rebel signals and it was known at once in our army that General Polk was killed.
During the night the Rebel army retreated from the mountain tops again to the southward, and on the morning of the 15th of June Pine Mountain was found abandoned by the enemy, and at HI A. M. the rooth Indiana moved rapidly to the left and supported the 2d Brigade in an encounter with the rear of the fleeing Rebel army. We attacked them savagely and killed, wounded and captured a great many of them. General Logan says that on the 15th he moved General Harrow's command to the extreme left. Walcott, Williams and Oliver's Brigades charged gallantly against the enemy, killing and wound- ing many and capturing 350 prisoners, twenty. two of whom were commissioned officers. Our loss was forty-five killed and wounded. ( Logan's Official Report. )
Early on the 16th the 14th and 23d Corps advanced and fought the Confederate army, which was again strongly entrenched along the rugged hills, between Kenesaw and Lost Moun- tain. At the same time we advanced and gained
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some good positions. The 20th Corps had a bloody engagement at Golgotha, and a portion of the 16th Corps defeated a Rebel force at Rome Cross Roads.
June 17th, 1864.
On the 17th, the enemy abandoned Lost Mountain and the long line of admirable breast- works connecting it with Kenesaw. We con- tinued to press at all points, skirmishing in dense forests of timber and across deep ravines, until we found him again, strongly posted and intrenched, with Kenesaw as his salient, his right wing thrown back, so as to cover Marietta, and his left behind Noyes Creek, covering his rail- road back to the Chattahoochee. This enabled him to contract his lines and strengthen them ac- cordingly. From Kenesaw he could look down on our camps and observe every movement and his batteries thundered away, but did us but little harm, on account of their extreme height, the shot and shell passing harmlessly over our heads, as we lay up close against his mountain town. During our operations about Kenesaw, the weather was villainously bad, the rain fell almost continually for three weeks, rendering our narrow wooded roads mere mud gullies, so that a general movement was impossible, but our men daily worked closer and closer to our entrenched foe and kept up an incessant picket firing, galling to him. Every opportunity was taken to ad- vance our general lines closer and closer to the enemy, General McPherson watching the enemy
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on Kenesaw and working his left forward, Gen- eral Thomas swinging as it were on a grand left wheel, his left on Kenesaw, connecting with Gen- eral McPherson and General Schofield all the while, working to the south and east along the Sandtown road." (Sherman's Report).
On the 19th, the Rebel Army abandoned their very strong line of works and took up a new line, about two miles to the rear. The right of Hood's Corps was on the Marietta and Canton road, Loring's Corps was on Kenesaw Mountain and Hardee's Corps on Lost Mountain, with its left across the Marietta and Lost Mountain road. We closed up on their lines rapidly and intrenched at the base of the mountain and kept up an inces- sant skirmish fire, by which a great many of the enemy were killed and wounded, while at Pine Knob the contest was a veritable battle.
On the 20th the enemy were sorely pressed by the constant firing of our men and at Powder Springs, by the 20th Corps and the Cavalry. From the 20th till the 25th we continued to push forward our skirmishers up the side of the moun- tain, driving those of the enemy before us who occupied rifle pits on the slope. On the 24th we attempted to gain the summit by a double line of skirmishers, but the enemy was found in very strong works and the effort failed.
On the 22d Hood's Corps attacked the lines of Generals Hooker and Schofield at a place now known as Kolb's House, but was repulsed with dreadful slaughter, leaving a vast number of dead and wounded on the field.
On the 24th General Sherman made an or- der to assault the enemy on Kenesaw Mountain.
On the 25th the Tooth Indiana moved two
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miles to the right, with the Brigade, and re- lieved a Division of the 14th Corps on the line of battle, and on the 26th the other two Divisions of the 15th (our Corps) moved over and took posi- tion with us. They began the movement at 8 P. M., and though it was only three miles, it was not completed until daylight on the 27th. This placed us all in line directly under the enemy's guns on Little Kenesaw.
The 100th Indiana in the Assault on Kenesaw, June 27, 1864.
The best account of this assault is given in the official report of General Logan, found on page 99, serial 74, a part of which is in the words following :
"In pursuance of special field orders No. 51, * * I organized the Division of Brigadier. General M. L. Smith, consisting of Brigadier- General Lightburn's and Brigadier-General Giles A. Smith's Brigades and Col. C. C. Walcott's Brigade of the 4th Division, General Harrow, commanding, into an assaulting column, under command of General M. L. Smith, with orders to be ready at 8 o'clock precisely on the morn- ing of the 27th, to assault the enemy's works on the south and west slope of Little Kenesaw Mountain. The column for assault being formed, I directed it at S o'clock precisely to move for- ward. Immediately after uncovering themselves they became engaged. The advance was con- tinued in two lines steadily, in the face of a de- structive fire from three batteries of about twelve
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pieces, throwing shot and shell, and from a mus- ketry fire, from the sharp-shooters of the enemy, situated below the first line of the enemy's rifle pits, and also from the rifle pits. After a most stubborn and destructive resistance, my attacking column succeeded in taking and holding two lines of the enemy's rifle pits, and advanced to- ward the succeeding works of the enemy, situ- ated just below the crest of the mountain. It soon became evident that the (Rebel) works could not be taken on account of a steep declivity, from twenty to twenty-five feet in height, of perpendicular rocks. * * After vainly attempting to take the works, % * I ordered them to retire to the last line of works captured, and these were held and forti-
fied. * * Seven commanding officers of Regi- ments were killed or disabled. Our loss was So killed, 506 wounded, 17 missing; aggregate, 603. We took 83 prisoners."
This assault was a great disaster to the Fed- eral army, about 2, 500 men were uselessly sac- rificed. The enemy lost, about Soo. Our men pressed the enemy closely around Kenesaw during the 28th, 29th and 30th of June. Gen- eral Sherman determined to dislodge the enemy from Kenesaw, by other means than by direct assault; accordingly on the Ist of July, he or- dered General McPherson to move the 15th Army Corps to the right and on the 2nd the movement was begun, in the night time, the 100th Indiana having the advance. We marched all night, over rocks and through thick - ets, that seemed impregnable, under the guid- ance of a staff officer, all the time in sight of the Rebel lights on the top and sides of Kenesaw.
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We were followed by the whole of the 15th and 17th Corps, the Confederates were greatly surprised by this move and retreated hastily, from the highest mountain top in Georgia and the strongest military position in the South, halting at Smyrna Church about five miles southwest of Marrieta, where they were found strongly posted behind very formidable works. If this move- ment by the right flank had been made instead of the fatal mistake of assaulting the Mountain on the 27th a loss of 2.500 good soldiers would have been saved to us.
We followed the Rebel army on the 3rd and encamped near Marrieta.
On the 4th we made a forced march of 12 miles further to the right, on the 5th at II A. M. we overtook and engaged the enemy near the Chattahoochee River about 8 miles north of At- lanta. We had orders to press the enemy in our entire front, while the 14 Army Corps had orders to move to the right and cross the river at Sand- town west of Atlanta.
During the day the Union Army was en- gaged with the enemy at Nickajack Creek, Smyrna Camp ground and at Vinings, in all of which the Confederates were routed. On the 6th there was severe skirmishing along the Chat- tahoochee and on the 7th the 14th Corps crossed at Sandtown and captured a gun and some Rebels and took a strong position on the east side of the River. On the same day Garrard's Cav- alry destroyed the factories at Rosswell, which had been making clothing for the Rebel Army. The man who pretended to be the owner of the factory, run up a French flag and asked protec- tion as a Frenchman, but he had been making
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T-W ENG.CO.K.C.
The tooth Indiana in the assault on Kenesaw Mountain, June 27th, 1864, from a photo taken at the time.
lots of cloth for the Rebels and down came his flag and his factory. During the night of the 7th one-half of the Tooth skirmished with the en- emy, and the other half fortified all night and occupied the works as rapidly as they were built. During the 8th and 9th, the ford at Ross- well's was secured by the Cavalry and Power's Ferry two miles below Rosswell, was taken; so we had by the 9th secured three good fords on the Chattahoochee and the enemy had again retreat- ed, this time across the Chattahoochee and the Union Army, was in possession of all the strong holds between Chattanooga and the Chattahoo- chee and was within eight miles of Atlanta and three Corps, were about all across the river.
On the roth the 100th Indiana was tempo- rarily relieved from active duty on the front, in which it had been engaged for about ninety days without intermission, having done more than its share of the hard fighting; it was ordered to report at Marietta, Georgia, where we arrived on the LIth and went into camp on the ground where is located the national cemetery, at that place, on the eastern edge of the town.
The Confederate Army on the 11th occupied the high ground on the south of Peach Tree Creek and along the southeast bank of the Chat- tahoochee, below the mouth of the former.
On the 13th the Brigade marched through Marietta. On the 14th it crossed over the Chat- tahoochee River and took a position about a mile out from the river and fortified, where it remained until the morning of the 17th, when it moved to the left, in the direction of Decatur, engaged the enemy formed in line of battle and fortified.
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