USA > Indiana > The Eighty-sixth regiment, Indiana volunteer infantry : a narrative of its services in the civil war of 1861-1865 > Part 28
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On January 13, orders were received that the command would march on the following morning at 7 o'clock. The work of preparation commenced at once. The corn bread had to be baked that the men might have bread while on the march. In this way they came to more fully appreciate the hard tack which was at first so bitterly denounced. It re- quired no baking or preparation when other duties required their attention, but like the true soldier in ranks it was always ready at a moment's notice. The " general call" was sounded by the brigade bugler about 6:30 a. m. on the morning of the 14th, and the Third brigade filed out upon the
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THE EIGHTY-SIXTH REGIMENT,
road to Strawberry Plains at 7 o'clock. It crossed the Hol- ston river at the Plains and proceeded in a southeasterly direction. The weather was warmer than the first few days of the month and the roads had thawed out and were exceed- ingly muddy, consequently all who were on foot were very much fatigued before the night's bivouac was reached. The command covered fourteen or fifteen miles, notwithstanding the very bad condition of the roads and the delay caused in crossing the river. On the morning of the 15th there was but little to eat in the camp of the Eighty-sixth, except mut- ton and parched corn. These articles with a little coffee made the meal for about one-half of the regiment. Many had less, and a few fortunate foragers, perhaps had more. The column resumed the march about 7 o'clock, the Eighty- sixth having the advance of the brigade. After covering eight miles with one brief halt for a rest, the brigade arrived within about a mile of the town of Dandridge and bivouacked in the woods along side the road. The advance guards had driven the enemy out of the town. Dandridge is the county- seat of Jefferson county, located on the French Broad river. thirty-two miles east of Knoxville. Before the breaking out of the war it contained about 1,500 inhabitants.
Foragers were detailed and sent ont immediately to pro- cure provisions, as the regiment was almost destitute. The foragers brought in fresh pork, chickens, geese, ducks, corn and whatever would sustain life. The products of the coun- try were not plentiful and some ventursome expeditions were made. especially as it was known that the enemy was hover- ing near. On the 16th many of the boys had sallied forth in every direction to replenish their stores. when cannonading opened in the direction of camp which brought them in at a lively speed. The progress they made did the command full credit, as it was then known as " Wood's Greyhounds." Mus- ketry became quite lively, and the men fully expected to be ordered out upon the battle line. Just after noon the regi- ment was ordered into line and held in readiness for attack or defense at a moment's notice. The fighting continued throughout the afternoon and far into the night, but the
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Eighty-sixth was not needed. Late in the evening a small supply of clothing was issued to the most needy.
On the morning of the 17th the regiment was ordered into line of battle very early and held thus for some time as a precautionary measure, but as there were no indications of an advance by the enemy the men were permitted at length to break ranks and get breakfast. Early in the forenoon the regiment received orders for picket duty, but in a short time this was varied to orders to be ready to march at a moment's notice. Everything was packed in short time. The men remained at the bivouac, lounged about the camp- fires and discussed the situation of affairs here and the prob- ability of a battle being fought at this time. No attack was made until about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, when cannonad- ing and musketry fire both opened up in a brisk manner. The men momentarily expected to be called upon to go and repel the attack, but no call came until about dusk. The regiment marched out about a quarter of a mile from camp and there held in readiness for two hours, waiting the devel- opment of the enemy's plan of operations. It then marched back to its bivouac. Orders were given to march. The men sat round the camp-fires chatting, a few falling asleep in a half-reclining posture against stumps. trees, or piles of wood. Others threw themselves upon the ground and slept soundly. while many did not shut their eyes. About 3 o'clock on the morning of the 18th the men were ordered to " fall in." The regiment took arms at once and marched slowly out in the direction of Strawberry Plains. The night was cold, the ground was frozen, and in many places the road was icy.
Here on the icy road the men would slip and slide and some- times fall heavily to the ground, stuggle to their feet and tramp on. Soon after starting the men were compelled to wade a stream of water half-leg deep with the water at the freezing point. This did not add to their comfort or good humor, but there was no time then to build bridges and the Irishman's pontoons were always at hand. But the column pressed on. No stop was made until after daylight, when a brief halt was called and the command breakfasted. It was
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THE EIGIITY-SIXTH REGIMENT,
a scant meal for most of the rank and file of the Eighty-sixth. Some had corn bread and beef, some had corn bread and mutton, some had bread and chicken, and others had chicken without bread, some had bread but no meat, and still others had only a little parched corn. The spirits of the men were not the best, yet they were not despondent and they kept up well, considering the situation. The rest, the meal, and daylight reanimated the command somewhat, and the march was resumed in better humor than when the halt was ordered. The men were now relieved of the frozen, icy con- dition of the road, but the mud and water occasioned by the thawing was about as bad as the slippery condition of the road when frozen. It soon began to rain which down pour continued nearly all day. The men, therefore, only escaped from one evil of the road to find themselves confronted by another quite as bad, if not worse. The mud grew deeper and deeper, and every step taken was in mud up to shoe- mouth. It was utterly useless to try to go round it, or avoid it in any way. Therefore the men went "like dumb driven cattle " straight forward, turning neither to the right nor to the left, for the mud was everywhere. The day's march was a desperate one, considering the condition of the roads. The command reached Strawberry Plains a little after dark. hav- ing covered during the day's march, as estimated, about twenty-six miles, and that, too, over the very worst of roads. Having reached their bivouac, the men had to carry rails a long distance-a good half mnile-procure water, build fires and get supper before resting for the night. It is doubtful if even those who participated in this march can at this late day fully comprehend their extreme fatigue and weariness, and the soreness of their muscles, when they had cooled off after the march was over. The frugal meal dispatched. the men made down their beds for the night. It had again turned cold, and it was quite windy and disagreeable and threatened a storm. They turned in early "to sleep, per- chance to dream " of home and its comforts and its happiness.
CHAPTER XX.
EAST TENNESSEE.
The Bivouac in the Snow-Back to Maryville-A Laughable Incident-General Willich in Temporary Command of the Division-Again on the Move-Smoky llollow-At Knoxville-On to Morristown-Back to New Market-Again at Morristown-Strawberry Plains-Off to Rutledge-The Clinch Mountains-A Scouting Expedition-Bound for Chattanooga-The Campaign Ended-At. Mc- Donald Station.
The morning of the 19th dawned. but it was a rude awakening for the soldier, tired in every limb and muscle, stiff in every joint and lank as a fox-hound after a long chase. The men had slept soundly. and not a gun or bugle note dis- turbed their repose. It was a January morning long to be re- membered by the Eighty-sixth. There lay the command on open ground and covered with snow five or six inches deep! The words of Margaret J. Preston came vividly to mind:
" Halt-the march is over, Day is almost gone; Loose the cumbrous knapsack, Drop the heavy gun. Chilled and wet and weary, Wander to and fro, Seeking wood to kindle Fires amidst the snow.
" Round the bright blaze gather. Hleed not sleet or cold; Ye are Spartan soldiers, Stout and brave and bold."
The various bunks lay around over the ground like so many logs rolled together and buried in the snow. No sign of life revealed itself for some time. First one, and then another, would gently lift the blanket covering his head and stretch his neck out like a turtle from under his shell, take a brief observation of the appearance of things.
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utter some exclamation of surprise, and quickly withdraw his astonished countenance from sight. Carefully tucking the blanket around his head, to keep the snow from tumbling about his ears, he meditates. But there was work to be done. More rails had to be procured for fuel, and it was a particu- larly unpleasant task for weary soldiers to turn out into the snow and trudge a half mile or more. But difficulties never vanish by trying to evade them. They must be met and overcome. Finally all were up and at work. Here, too, was an occasion where work was a benefit to the laborer in and of itself, not that he particularly needed the exercise for the sake of exercise, but the work was highly beneficial both for the physical well-being of the soldier and for the morale of of the command. At the first look to the half-rested, half- starved, poorly clad. sore-legged soldier it was a gloomy morning indeed-a disheartening prospect that well-nigh overmastered him. Under such depressing conditions and circumstances the renewal of work is the great panacea- the one great safeguard, the surest cure, and so it proved with the Eighty-sixth. When the effort was made to meet the difficulties, great as they appeared to be at first. it was soon seen that they were not insurmountable, and as the blood began to flow more freely from exertions put forth. the spiritual barometer began to indicate fair weather, figura- tively speaking, and the gloom began to disappear. The morning meal over. the next task was to dry the blankets, put tents and haversacks in order to be ready to march. Al- though the tents were not pitched they were used for a cov- ering. Blankets held the more moisture and were the first to receive attention. Fires were built and the blankets stretched upright on the muskets as near them as possible. By the time the men were ordered to "fall in, " which was between 11 and 12 o'clock, they had their blankets and tents pretty well dried. The regiment crossed the Holston river after some delay, and marched about four miles from the river toward Knoxville and bivouacked. The afternoon was cold and windy, being very disagreeable, and the indications betokened a stormy and unpleasant night. The men, therefore,
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INDIANA VOLUNTEERS.
busied themselves in making preparations for the night. Sheds, bowers, lean-tos, and, in fact, all kinds of temporary makeshifts for protection from the piercing wind and the coming night's cold, were erected. A little flour and meal in lieu of bread, and a very scant rations of coffee, sugar. and salt were issued at this place. A mail in the evening glad- dened the hearts of many.
On the following day, January 20, the weather moder- ated and was quite pleasant as the day advanced. The troops lay round the bivouac all day until about one hour before sun-set, when the "general call" was sounded by the brig- age bugler. The command was soon marching "route-step " in the direction of Knoxville. The roads were muddy and the marching heavy and slavish which made the progress slow. The command covered four or five miles and bivou- acked about 8 o'clock in a thick woods alongside of the road. Rails were procured for fuel and supper prepared. It was both late and light of necessity. On the following morning, the 21st, reveille was sounded at 5 o'clock and the men were soon busily engaged in baking "flapjacks " or corn bread for the day's rations. These constituted a very poor substi- tute for hard tack when on the march. The command marched out a little after sunrise in the direction of Knox- ville, passed through the city. crossed the Holston river. and went about two miles beyond and bivouacked. On the 22d, the regiment remained in bivonac. General John G. Foster, at this time in command of the Department of the Ohio, passed the camp on the 22d. doubtlessly. looking out a loca- tion for the brigade and division. Some teams were sent foraging during the day, and in the evening orders were received to be ready to march at 8 o'clock the next morning. It was also "grapevined " through camp that the enemy was advancing and was within four or five miles. It was not believed.
Saturday, January 23, the bugles sounded reveille at 6 o'clock. Soon all was bustle and hurry. The march was resumed at the hour appointed. The command covered about two miles and was halted. A small supply of cloth-
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ing was here issued to the Eighty-sixth .. Many were in great need, and were very glad to get it, as all had been more or less destitute ever since being cooped up in Chattanooga by Bragg. The needy were now only partially supplied. Many were greatly disappointed in not receiving the much needed articles. The march was resumed as soon as the clothing was distributed. However, the march was not at a rapid rate and the regiment was frequently halted for rests. When Little river was reached the command was delayed for some time as it had to cross in single file.
A laughable accident occurred here. The command crossed just above a mill-dam on two hewed logs, the ends of which were chained together in the middle of the stream, while the other ends were safely anchored to the banks. Of course the force of the current carried the ends of the logs in the stream down with it so there was an angle formed in the middle of the stream where the water was quite deep, the logs lying almost at right angles with one another. Con- sequently the distance to be traveled in crossing was increased and the progress delayed. Besides the logs lay in the water and every step taken gave them more or less motion and rendered them not a perfectly sure and stable footing to one inclined to be timid. The majority of the Eighty-sixth were becoming impatient at the long delay and hurried across as rapidly as possible when their turns came -most of them at a brisk trot. When Company H's turn came all were in a hurry but one man, Leander W. Friend, known the regiment over as "China," on account of his being so fat and "chuffy." As a natural consequence of his superabundance of adipose tissue he was as clumsy as a bear. When his turn came, and he was among the first, he passed along very slowly and deliberately, notwithstanding the calls of comrades to hurry. His best pace was decidedly slow and he was afraid of tumbling into the water and being drowned. Just behind him was a comrade of the exact opposite physical make. John Worden was one of the quick- est, most active. nervous men in all the regiment. Whatever he did. he did with all his might and with lightning like
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INDIANA VOLUNTEERS.
rapidity. "China " waddled along like a fat pig, Worden dancing along behind him on nettles, as it were, at his delay, until they reached the angle made by the logs in the middle of the stream. Here Worden's impatience would brook no further delay without an extra effort on his part, so he made a spring to get ahead of "China" as he turned from one log to the other. But the second log being somewhat broader than the first one gave "China " more confidence and he quickened his pace and reached the point of Worden's land- ing a second too soon for the latter who only succeeded in striking his more bulky and weighty comrade and bounding back into the water. He went down like a shot up to his neck. With knapsack, haversack, gun and cartridge-box he was pretty heavily handicapped for a struggle in the water, but caught hold of the log quick as a flash and thus saved himself until the clumsy "China" very deliberately stooped over and pulled his agile comrade out of his ludicrous pre- dicament amid the shouts of laughter of all those who wit- nessed it.
The Eighty-sixth proceeded about two miles beyond the river, and bivouacked for the night on the side of a hill near one of its old camping places as it marched up to Knoxville from Chattanooga. The bivouac was located near a grist mill and the traffic between the boys and the miller was quick brisk for a time. Many had carried a supply of corn all day, others most of the day, in fact, wherever and when- ever it could be foraged a supply was laid in, and now the supply on hand was traded for meal. Orders were received in the evening that the command would march at 7:30 the following morning.
On the morning of the 24th the column resumed the march at the appointed hour. The pace was moderate, with fre- quent rests, until about 10 o'clock a. m., when the out-skirts of Maryville were reached. Here it halted, closed up in mass, and General Willich, then temporarily in command of the division, made a short speech in his broken English. He said that the Third division, Fourth army corps, was here alone, and that it would be compelled to depend upon itself.
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THE EIGHTY-SIXTH REGIMENT,
He further said that there should not be any foraging or scouting, except when ordered. Free and independent ex- cursions for any purpose must not be thought of for fear of capture by the enemy's cavalry that was continually scour- ing the country and picking off prowlers who ventured away from their commands. His blunt, out-spoken manner, and the peculiar way he had of putting things created much mer- riment and he was greeted with shouts and laughter. This speech of the General's greatly amused everybody, and put the rank and file in great good humor. His kinds words en- deared him to the men, and then he had shown himself so considerate of them in his manner directing and conducting the march that all were fully convinced that he would do the very best he could for them on all occasions.
The brigades were assigned their positions by General Willich, and the regiments took their respective positions according to the order of the day's march. Immediately after dinner the Eighty-sixth began work upon quarters to make themselves comfortable. All were busy and more or less successful, so in a comparatively short time the men were comfortably cantoned. Most of the bunks of the regi- ment built shanties and covered them with their shelter tents, and constructed fire-places of clay and rock with "stick and mud" chimneys. This work, however, created extra keen appetities, and as rations were decidedly short many imagined that it was absolutely necessary that they disregard one of General Willich's positive commands. Cat- tle, hogs, chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks. corn-pone, corn and potatoes did not come amiss, but there was not a great amount of any these productions in the country. Corn was the most plentiful, and with this the men generally supplied themselves. This was grated into meal and made into bread without sifting. The forms of making bread were numerous. Hoe-cake baked on a board before the fire, grid- dle cake, ash cake, dodger, and corn-pone, were all attempted to give variety to the bill-of-fare, and according to the con- veniences of the culinary department. Occasionally the men would draw a ration of beef "dried on hoof" from the com-
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INDIANA VOLUNTEERS.
missary department, but this was rare. Sometimes a pie could be bought. The price for an ordinary Tennessee pie at this time was thirty cents.
The regiment's military functions consisted of picket duty, which was quite heavy, and details for foraging. When not on duty the men employed their time, at first, in fixing up and improving the camp, cutting down and leveling up the floors of their shanties, ditching them and making their temporary homes more comfortable. They made stools, bunks, tables, and many other little conveniences, so at the end of a couple of weeks they were quite comfortably situ- ated. After the camp was established, a ball ground was laid off, and daily, when the weather was favorable, those not on duty took exercise by playing a few games of " town ball." Later on, while here, a violin was procured, and, when the evenings were fine, dancing was engaged in. Of course, it was a veritable "stag dance." However, it was entered into with great gusto and thoroughly enjoyed. Not- withstanding all this, the health of the regiment remained reasonably good. Of course some of the weaker ones broke down during this time, and others felt the effects of the win- ter's hardships later.
About the last of January the other regiments of the brigade went on a scout, and it fell on the Eighty-sixth to do the picketing for the entire brigade. This made extra duty which kept the men quite busy for some days. But the pick- eting was not particularly disagreeable here, excepting in bad weather. Yet this duty is always unpleasant in inclem- ent weather. About the 4th of February, the non-veterans of the Thirteenth Ohio, and those of the Fifty-ninth Ohio, came to the Eighty-sixth to remain with it for duty while those who re-enlisted went home on their veteran furloughs. Those of the Thirteenth had some hard cases among them, and occasionally made trouble for the company officers in which they were placed.
Along about this time, too, the rumors of the enemy's advance, of cavalry fighting at Seveirville and to the south of Maryville, about the Chilhowee mountains, began to make the
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rounds of the camp, and the reports were constantly chang- ing from the report of light skirmishing to that of severe fighting, and from that again back to unimportant skirmish- ing. On the 7th of February a cavalry guard conducted a small squad of rebel prisoners by the camp of the Eighty- sixth in the direction of Knoxville, which confirmed, to a certain extent, the report of some skirmishing, at least. About this time, too, orders were given which were a little more strict concerning absence from camp and for a closer watch by the pickets. On the 10th orders seemed to point to an expected attack. The cavalry videttes, out perhaps five miles, were fired upon, and a camp rumor grew in propor- tion, the "grapevine" worked the more rapidly. On the 12th the regiment received the stores which they had packed and sent back early in the fall. With these goods were the overcoats of almost every private in the regiment. While near Blain's Cross Roads the men sorely needed their over- coats, but their wants did not furnish transportation. As badly as the men needed clothing, provisions were equally as great a necessity, and the wagon trains had not been able to half supply the demand.
On February 13, a number of disheartened Confederates came in and gave themselves up, saying they had enough of war and fighting, and wished to abandon the cause of the Confederacy. They were taken care of and sent to Knox- ville to take the oath. Generals Wood and Willich were both now at home on leaves of absence, and the command of the division devolved on General Beatty, and that of the brigade on Colonel Dick. It had been raining quite hard and had made the roads very muddy, when on the night of the 15th of February the men were aroused by the officers and told to rise immediately, as orders had been received to march at once. They arose promptly, struck tents, and packed up. This was about 11 o'clock at night. At 2 o'clock a. m. on the 16th, the regiment filed out upon the road toward Knoxville, in mud shoe-mouth deep. The marching was slavish and the progress slow. Little river was not crossed until afternoon. Pushing ahead rapidly for some time good speed was made.
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INDIANA VOLUNTEERS.
The command was then halted to allow the wagon train to take the advance. Once more the men plunged into the mud and water and forged ahead as rapidly as possible, but it was slow work. However, the command did not halt for bivouac until within about three-fourths of a mile of the pontoon bridge crossing the river at Knoxville. The camping place was reached about 11 o'clock at night. The regiment biv- onacked in a ravine that ran down to the Holston river. The night was cold, only a few limbs could be found, although in the woods. This was one of the most uncomfortable bivouacs which the regiment had yet occupied. The location was.not so bad, so much as the inclement weather rendered it disagreeable. On the following morning the men arose promptly at reveille, which was sounded at daybreak. It was disagreeably cold and the wind whirled in gusts in every direction. and yet there was no possible chance to escape from its terrors unless the men left the camp and took their chances of freezing. The men were hungry, cold, and smoked almost blind, and the place in rememberance of their misery was denominated "Smoky Hollow." It might have been very properly called "Cold-Windy-Starvation-Hollow," to commemorate the trinity of the sufferings which the men endured. The regiment remained here from about 11 o'clock on the night of the 16th and until about 1 o'clock on the afternoon of the 18th of February. There was not a decent looking pair of eyes in the entire regiment when it marched ont. Had there been a requisition made for a regiment of mourners the Eighty-sixth should have furnished the detail. It could have filled the bill to perfection.
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