USA > Indiana > The Eighty-sixth regiment, Indiana volunteer infantry : a narrative of its services in the civil war of 1861-1865 > Part 17
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the men that held our lines. A soldier or officer was wounded ; unless the wound was mortal or caused the fracture of a limb, they had the wound tied or bandaged as best they could, some tearing up their blouses for bandages, and again took their places in the lines beside their more fortunate comrades. Each man felt the terrible weight of responsibility that rested on him personally for the results that shall be achieved that day. It is this disregard of peril in the moment of greatest danger, this decision, this purpose and grand cour- age that comes only to the American citizen soldier, who vol- untarily and with unselfish patriotism stands in defense of principle and country, that make such soldiers as those who fought in those ranks that day. On through the afternoon until nightfall did that furious storm beat against and rage about that line.
If the storm of battle raged hotly around the position occupied by the Eighty-sixth Indiana and Dick's brigade, it was none the less fierce along the whole line. The entire movements of the army were from right to left. This was made necessary on the part of Rosecrans from the fact that General Bragg's plan of battle was to flank the left of the Union army and cut Rosecrans off from Chat- tanooga, and that he, Bragg, with his entire army on the flank of Rosecrans could drive him with the superior force under his command southward into the rough and mountain- ous country toward Mclemore's Cove, and thus be able to absolutely destroy Rosecrans and his army. During the afternoon of September 19, while the severe battle was rag- ing along the line of Dick's brigade and VanCleve's division, further to the right at the Viniard farm, the battle had been raging with all the might of the "furies."
Wilder's brigade of mounted infantry had sent all their horses to the rear, and during the entire forenoon this com- mand had firmly held its position against the repeated assaults of the foe. The noon hour of the 19th found the brigade at the same position which it had taken at early dawn after the fight of Friday night; they had received repeated charges, but each charging line was driven back leaving the field over
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INDIANA VOLUNTEERS.
which it had come strewn with thedead and dying. About noon of that day, Davis' division of McCook's corps had come from Crawfish Springs and reported to General Rosecrans at the Widow Glenn's, and were at once ordered eastward to the Viniard farm to aid in making that portion of the line more secure, and was formed in line of battle on Wilder's right. Barnes' brigade, of VanCleve division, was moved to the left from Lee & Gordon's Mills, and went into position on the right of Davis' division. Moving down over the Viniard farm they crossed the LaFayette road, moving east- ward. They had scarcely crossed the road when they at once became heavily engaged with the Confederate left. The tide of battle swayed backward and forward over the Viniard farm. At first the Union lines forced the enemy back to the eastand into the woods, and the enemy reforming and securing reinforcements in turn drove Union troops back to the west, capturing the Eighth Indiana battery, and pushed our troops westward beyond the LaFayette road until the high ground and the sheltering woods were reached, when the lines were re- formed, and a counter charge was made, and the enemy was again driven from the field and the guns of the Eighth Indiana were recaptured. Thus the storm of battle swayed back and forth until 4 o'clock in the afternoon. The loss on both sides was fearful. There were sufficient forces of the Confederates in reserve to refill the ranks, and in each charge they brought up their lines in as strong numbers as at first. This was not the case with the Union lines. The three hours of constant fighting, and fighting with desperation by both armies, was telling with fearful effect upon the men of Rosecrans' right. There were no fresh men with which to fill their rapidly decreasing numbers, and each charge that was made or met, found a less number to push the attack or stem the tide of battle. When 4 o'clock came their lines were well nigh exhausted by the fearful physical exertion, as well as in loss of men. At this hour, however, two brig- ades of Wood's division of the Twenty-first corps, came up on the double quick from Lee & Gordon's Mills, and placing one brigade on the right of Davis' line, and pushing the other
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behind the lines it went into action on the left of Wilder's line, and again the battle raged more fiercely. A little later Sheridan came up with his division, and from the south of the Viniard house to and in front of Dick's brigade on to the Brotherton house was one continuous line of battle, men fighting to the death until the sun went down on the bloody field.
The fighting by General Thomas' corps on the extreme left of the Union army, from the opening of the battle in the morn- ing at Jay's mill and extending from there until it reached the Twenty-first corps, was equally severe with that which has been told herein concerning the battle at the Viniard farm and on to Brotherton's. Thomas, with his corps, received from General Bragg the strongest blows that it was possible to give, in the hope that he might break the line and get the left of the Union army turned. But at the close of the day from the left of the Twenty-first corps to Thomas' right but little had been gained by General Bragg, and the Union lines were practically in the position of the opening of the battle. For awhile after nightfall there was comparative quiet, when suddenly from the front of the Brotherton house, in the Reed field, once more the din and rattle and roar of the bat- tle broke forth. This was an attack in the darkness on the part of the enemy to break through our lines at that point, and it was here that the gallant Colonel Bald- win was killed. The fighting for an hour was severe, but the enemy was finally repulsed. This outbreak having ceased quiet once more reigned, and the men wearied and worn with the day's work and excitement, lay down on the ground to get such rest as they might, not knowing at what time the storm might again burst upon them.
It was a night of pinching cold, and with but little sleep from the ill comfort of the situation, the men were illy pre- pared for the renewed tax that was to, be made upon them for the day that would soon dawn. The morning of the 20th came all too soon, but as it was Sunday the men questioned one another as to the probabilities of a battle on that day.
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INDIANA VOLUNTEERS.
It was not strange, however, that the question was asked. Never in their own homes was their a more quiet Sab- bath morning than the Sabbath morning which dawned upon the armies that lay upon the bloody battle-field of Chick- amauga. If there had been a faint hope that the army would rest on its arms throughout that bright Sabbath morning and through the hours of the day, it was of short duration, for soon the orders came for a forward movement, and when the orders were given there were no laggards found. Soldiers never obeyed more promptly, nor with more ready spirit than were the orders obeyed that were given on Sunday morning, September 20, 1863, at Chickamauga. The soldiers that moved out that morning, and they who stood in lines that were not to be changed, realized to the fullest extent that when the battle would open that the contest would at least equal the bloody work of the previous day. They knew the foe that confronted them. They had grappled in the deadly struggle on other fields, they had met in the charge and counter charge, and each had learned the courage and stubbornness of the other.
While our portion of the army had rested through Sat- urday night, this was not true as to other portions of the army. There had been busy work going on during the hours of the night. Rosecrans had been rearranging his lines, and by every means at hand had sought to strengthen the weaker portions, and so adjust other parts that they would be the better able to withstand the fierce assaults that he well knew would certainly be made as soon as General Bragg could put his army in motion on Sunday morning. In the battle of Saturday, with the exception of two brigades, every avail- able man that General Rosecrans had, was engaged. There were only these two brigades, and in addition thereto Gen- eral Granger's Reserve corps, then back at Rossville, that could by any possibility be brought in, and it was a doubtful proposition as to whether these could be brought up. One of these brigades, the First of the First division of the Twentieth corps, had been left with the trains at Lookout Mountain, near Stevens' Gap. This brigade, on Sunday the
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20th, reached Crawfish Springs, but was cut off from its corps and unable to reach the front, and from Crawfish Springs under orders moved to Chattanooga. The other brigade was that of Brigadier General William H. Lytle, First brigade, Third division, Twentieth corps. This brig- ade had been left at Lee & Gordon's Mills on Saturday, when the portion of the Twenty-first corps that was then there was moved to the left to Viniard's. This brigade had been placed in position to guard the crossing of the Chickamauga, and there remained until Sunday morning, when it was brought forward as far as General Rosecrans' headquarters at the Widow Glenn's. The reserve corps of Granger came up during the afternoon of Sunday. Thus it appears that for the battle in the forenoon on Sunday, Rosecrans had only one fresh brigade that he could put into the battle to rein- force the men who had fought so gallantly during the whole of the day before.
On the other side it is now definitely known that, al- though General Bragg had greatly outnumbered General Rosecrans on Saturday, yet on Sunday morning had ready to to put into the already unequal contest in point of numbers, Hindman's, Breckenridge's and Kershaw's di- visions, and Gracie's, Kelley's and Gist's brigades. These reinforcements of fresh troops of Bragg were superior in numbers to more than any corps of General Rose- crans' army. If the Union army had on Saturday waged an unequal warfare, it was much more unequal on Sunday. Not only this, although Lieutenant General Longstreet's troops got into the battle on Saturday afternoon, he himself did not come up until after the fighting had closed on Saturday night, and his presence with his troops of the Army of Northern Virginia gave additional power and effect to that portion of Bragg's army, if it did not also materially add to the confidence of all the remainder of the Confederate forces. Thus having noted the comparative numerical strength of the two armies for the renewal of the struggle on Sunday, September 20, let us take a glance at the position of our lines before the battle again opens.
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INDIANA VOLUNTEERS.
The LaFayette road was to be the line of contention on this day as well as of Saturday. The forces of General Rosecrans were formed on Sunday morning thus: The troops at the Viniard farm were moved west to the range of hills near the Widow Glenn's, and to these were added Lytle's brigade which had been brought up from Lee & Gordon's Mills. The line extended to the northeast and joined the lines at the rear of the Brotherton field; from this the line continued to the northeast reaching and crossing to the east side of the LaFayette road between the Poe house and Kel- ly's fields; from this it ran east on a line a little south of the Kelly field and then turned north and a little east on the east side of the Kelly field and after passing the north line of the Kelly field ran westward until it reached and covered about half of the distance to the La- Fayette road. In the arrangement of his divisions General Rosecrans had placed Sheridan's division, of the Twentieth corps, on the right and in front of the Widow Glenn's, and Wilder's brigade with two regiments on the right and two regiments of Wilder's and the Thirty-ninth Indiana, also a mounted infantry regiment, on the left of Sheridan, on the highest ground at Widow Glenn's house, their line extending north and south and facing east. Negley's division then came next and was in line west of Brotherton's. Brannan's division next along the western side of the Poe field and ex- tending to the LaFayette road, while on the east side of the Lafayette road were Reynolds', Palmer's, Johnson's and Baird's divisions, in the order named. The three divisions of Davis, Wood and VanCleve were in the rear of the center awaiting orders, and ready to take position wherever the exigencies of the occasion might demand. The division of Wood was soon placed in the line on the right of Brannon, while Davis' division was put into position on the right of Wood, and toward 10 o'clock VanCleve was sent to the sup- port of Thomas.
The rebel line overlapped the Union lines both on the right and left and was formed as follows: Beginning on his right was Forest's cavalry, two divisions, extending beyond
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the Union left and east of it; Breckenridge, Cleburne and Stewart with their commands were on the east and south lines of the Kelly field, and along the east line of the Poe field; Walker with two divisions was supporting Brecken- ridge, and Cheatham, with five brigades, was in reserve behind Cleburne; General Bushrod Johnson, in line, was east of the Brotherton house with the two divisions of Law and Kershaw immediately in his rear in column of divisions; then on the left of Bushrod Johnson was Hindman and yet on his left was Preston on the east and south of the Viniard farm. A glance at the forces as thus placed in battle array shows the immense superiority of numbers under Bragg's command over those of General Rosecrans, and it is to be further considered as an advantage in favor of Bragg's army that it had the inner arch of the circle, the shorter line, and consequently easier for the handling and disposition of troops. Along almost the entire front of Rosecrans it is seen they had their divisions in columns, while Rosecrans had only a single line.
Sunday at Chickamauga was marked for General Bragg with another blunder by somebody, and furnished another escape or deliverance for the left of the Union army. Bragg had issued his orders for an assault at daylight upon the ex- treme left of Rosecrans lines, and this assault was to be followed successively from his left to right. Bragg had divided his army into wings, the right and left. General Polk was as- signed to the command of the right wing and General Long- street to the command of the left wing. The orders for the attack at daylight were to General Polk, and under the orders given General Longstreet was to govern his conduct and movements by those of Polk. General Bragg at daybreak took his position near the center of his army and waited ex- pectantly and anxiously for the sound of Polk's guns. Day- light came, but the battle did not begin. An hour passed and yet no sound of battle, another hour and the silence was yet unbroken. The patience of General Bragg was by this time entirely exhausted and he rode in haste to ascertain the cause of the delay, and found to his astonishment that General Polk
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INDIANA VOLUNTEERS.
was not even on the field, nor had any preparations been made by him for the opening of a battle that had in it so much of moment for the cause of the Confederacy.
General Bragg, in person, then commenced as earnestly and as rapidly as possible to push forward the preparations for the attack which should have been completed by his subordinate before day dawned. While making these prep- arations he found that the left of the Union army did not ex- tend sufficiently to protect the LaFayette road. Here was his opportunity for which he had watched and waited and fought for from the opening of the battle, and it did seem as if the much coveted possession of that road between Rose- crans and Chattanooga was now within his grasp. In this, however, he was doomed to disappointment, and many lives were to go out before the desired road would be secured, all because of the disobedience of orders by General Polk, and the failure to attack at daylight. During Saturday night General Rosecrans had held a council of war with his Gen- erals, and the disposition of the forces was fully agreed upon. Thomas knew full well that of all things it was important that his left should be secure beyond all peradventure. Baird's division, then on the extreme left, had thrown up barricades and constructed such defenses as were possible dur- ing the night, but these unsupported on the left would be of little use against a repetition of the fierce assaults of the preceding day. General Thomas in his report says:
"After my return from Department headquarters, about 2 a. m., on the 20th, I received a report from General Baird that the left of his division did not rest on the Reed's bridge road, as I had intended, and that he could not reach it without weakening his line too much. I im- mediately addressed a note to the General commanding, requesting that General Negley be sent me to take position on Baird's left and rear, and thus secure our left from assault."
General Rosecrans at once notified General Thomas that General Negley would be sent in accordance with the re- quest. At 7 a. m. on that morning, Negley had not reported, and General Thomas sent a staff officer to learn the cause and to hasten him forward. General Negley was prevented from going to the position on the left because of the massing of
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THIE EIGHTY-SIXTH REGIMENT,
the enemy in his front, therefore instead of General Negley, with his division, General John Beatty, with his brigade, was sent, and hurrying with all speed he had just succeeded in getting into position when the assault, under General Bragg's direction, began. Had General Bragg's orders been obeyed, and the attack made at daylight, then our left would have been destroyed, Bragg would have secured the road, and the result of the Chattanooga campaign would doubtless have been different. As it was General John Beatty succeeded in holding the position until later, when additional troops ar- rived and thus our left escaped destruction and Chattanooga was saved. The attack on our left was as indicated in Gen- eral Bragg's orders to Polk and Longstreet, the signal for the attack to sweep down and along the entire line of Rose- crans from flank to flank, and so when the assault was made upon Baird's troops on our left the struggle of Saturday was renewed along the whole line. The difference in the open- ing of the battle on Sunday morning differed from the open- ing on Saturday only in the fact that it was fiercer at the outset and that it was almost instantaneous along the whole line. On Saturday both armies had been compelled in the opening hours of the battle to feel their way; they were in ignorance of the positions of each other, and both were for the first time on that field going into position, but when they did come together, brigade with brigade, or division with di- vision; they came with the fury of the tornado. On Sunday morning neither army had to hunt for the other. They had been face to face for twenty-four hours, and each knew the force and resistance of the other. So in the opening of the battle on Sunday morning it was at once a tempest, strong and fearful, that broke upon our entire line without any scattering raindrops of warning.
When the right of Bragg's army struck Thomas' left under Baird and Beatty it became at once a struggle between Titans. The charge upon Baird and Beatty was by Breck- enridge and Cleburne, and so severe was their punishment and fearful was their loss that they were shattered and driven back, and although they outnumbered and overlapped
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INDIANA VOLUNTEERS.
our left, they were not able to push in behind our troops and turn them. The first assault along our entire line on Sun- day was a failure, but with the strong reserves of Bragg if one line failed and the first charge was repulsed and his troops were driven back, the second line at once took it up and followed repeating the charge; if the second failed, the third line took up the charge, and from right to left Rose- crans' men at the outset not only had their courage put to the severest test, but their physical endurance was to be tried to the utmost. At and about the Kelly field charge after charge was made upon our lines and each time was repulsed.
If one will go to-day and stand upon the Kelly field and will learn the situation as it was on Sunday, September 20, 1863, and as an officer or soldier who has passed through some of the severe battles of the war, he can appreciate the awful and terrible storm of war that raged on the south and east of that field, it will seem impossible to believe that any one could have lived a minute after the assault began. And yet in that Kelly field and along its south and east line that terrible storm of destruction and death had most awful sway from 9 o'clock of the morning until 5:30 o'clock in the even- ing. From front and flank over that field was sent the leaden and iron hail as fast as men could load and fire, and fire and load. The minnie ball, and the ball and shot of the musket, solid shot and canister, and screaming shell went whistling and screaming over, across and through that small area and men lived and fought and fought through the the long, long day. While the fight was at its strongest at the Kelly field, across the Poe field the battle was raging as strong. and men were falling by the hundreds. The line was closed up again and the survivors, one and all, in the strength and endur- ance displayed, fought as if they might have received the strength and courage of their fallen comrades into their bodies and souls for the work that was before them, as the young prophet received the mantle of the ascending prophet. If the line wavered, a cheer from those who were
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standing firm reassured the wavering, and again the line grew steadfast.
In the midst of this fearful storm to which the Eighty- sixth Indiana had listened for more than an hour, there came the order for it with its brigade to move forward to reinforce the line north of the Poe house and on the west side of the LaFayette road. It was not long until the regiment was within the leaden storm. The order was given for a charge, and down and through the scattered trees the regiment and brigade go to their work. The resistance was stubborn, but impetuous and determined is the charge, comrade cheering comrade as onward they push their way; men are falling but on and on rush the lines, until at last the enemy's lines are broken and we follow in hot pursuit driving them back until a line of reinforcements for the enemy is reached. Again the battle rages about us. With redoubled lines a counter charge is made and and the very earth shakes from the terrible storm of artillery along the entire lines. Shells are shrieking in the air and bursting overhead; great limbs are torn from the trees and fall with the broken shells all about the men engaged.
Until after 10 o'clock the Union troops were preserving their lines intact notwithstanding the terrible assaults that were being made upon them. Longstreet with his famous command had made repeated charges drawing upon his reserves one line after the other as fast as they could be thrown into action. The artillery of both armies were put- ting forth almost superhuman efforts, those of the Confed- erate army to demoralize and break or weaken the Union lines before the charging lines should reach Rosecrans' troops, while on the other side the artillery of the Union army were giving their fire with shell, and shrapnel and canister as rapidly as the guns could be loaded and fired, vieing with the infantry in their efforts to repulse the on- coming lines of the enemy. All sense of danger seemed to be lost, and men and officers alike strove to the utmost through the terrible fire and carnage. The men for the most part were without works of any kind to protect them
.
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INDIANA VOLUNTEERS.
from the deluge of lead and iron that was being showered upon them. A little after 10 o'clock there came a lull on the right of the Union lines, and General Rosecrans, thinking and believing that Bragg was again pursuing the tactics of Saturday, massing against Rosecrans' left, undertook to change the position of the troops of his right wing in order to reinforce and strengthen his left. He ordered General McCook to send two brigades of General Sheridan's division to General Thomas, with all possible dispatch, and to send also the Third brigade as soon as it could be with- drawn from the line. He also directed General Crittenden to send two brigades of VanCleve to the support of Thomas. The sending of the brigades of Sheridan and VanCleve left no sufficient force to withstand an assault of the enemy if another should be made in force on the Union right. To add to the misfortunes that were about to befall the right and center of the Union lines, General Thomas J. Wood received a peremptory order to "close up on Reynolds and support him." As General Brannan was between Wood and Reynolds, there was no way to obey the order except to withdraw from the line and march to the left in rear of Brannan. Wood obeyed and ex- ecuted the order as he received it, withdrawing the troops from the line. It was just at the time that Longstreet had gathered his troops for another onslaught upon our right that Wood, in obedience to his orders, had moved out and left a wide gap in the lines. Longstreet's order was given and his hosts came pouring through this gap, striking our lines in front, rear and flank. Rushing through the wide open door in our lines on over the Brotherton field where the fight had raged so hotly on Saturday, then turning to the northwest through and over the Dyer fields, they struck the troops of Sheridan, then on their way to reinforce Thomas at Poe and Kelly fields. The battle was raging in front, rear and flank on our lines in the Poe field. The troops could not stand this very long. The charges made there in the woods and in the field were met by counter charges, and men fought face to face and hand to
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