USA > Indiana > The Eighty-sixth regiment, Indiana volunteer infantry : a narrative of its services in the civil war of 1861-1865 > Part 34
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son's men, is known as the Battle of Noonday's Creek, that of the Fourth corps as the Battle of Pine Mountain, and that of Hooker's corps as the Battle of Gilgal (or Golgotha) Church.
The Eighty-sixth bivouacked about 7:30 p. m. on the southeastern slope of Pine mountain. The minie balls whiz- zed at a lively rate in front and a little to the left, and it looked for a time very much as though there might yet be a night battle thrown in to make up good measure for the day's duty. As it was the Eighty-sixth ate its supper to the rattle of musketry and the roar of batteries, to the "ping" of the minie ball, and the shriek of shot and shell. The men were tired and were glad to sink anywhere.
There was no general movement by the Fourth corps on the 16th. and the Eighty-sixth remained in bivouac on the slope of Pine Top. A number of the regiment went up to the top of the mountain where the enemy's evacuated works were, to take a look at the surrounding country. Far and near the eye ranged over the wondrous country, made still more wonderful by the gigantic labors of man now contend- ing in a Titanic struggle for its mastery. From the summit of the mountain there could be seen a thickly wooded rolling country-a veritable panorama of hill and vale, of open field and shaded wood. divided by deeply running streams. To the left front of Wood's division lie the trim peaks of the mighty Kenesaw mountain, around whose base grim-visaged war was destined to rage in his wildest and most violent moods for days and weeks. Rugged, wood fringed, seamed by chasm and broken by rocky battlements, nature's own fortresses, it loomed up eighteen hundred feet above sea level. It is about three miles from Pine Top to Kenesaw mountain. Slightly in advance of, and somewhat farther to the right than Kenesaw, to the left, is the solitary peak of Lost mountain. Standing solitary and alone it loomed up over the surrounding wooded hills, a watchtower for Johnston's ex- treme left. Here on the part of the Union forces, General Schofield with the Twenty-third corps, kept watch and ward. The strong earthworks can be traced in their course from
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ight to left on the high ground which forms the water-shed between Mud creek and Allatona creek on the right, and Mud reek and Noyes' creek and Noonday creek on the left, All- toona creek and Noonday being tributaries of the Etowah iver, while the waters of Mud creek and Noyes' creek find their vay to the Chattahoochee river, south of Kenesaw moun- ain. These streams play an important part in the great game of war to be played here. They have determined the ocation of Johnston's line of intrenchment.
The gallant Fifth Indiana battery shelled the enemy at a urious rate, and delivered its shots with great accuracy. At the feet of the visitors, upon the chips, rocks, and stumps, is the blood of one of the martyrs of the Southern ause. Here fell two days before Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk, formerly Protestant Episcopal Bishop of the diocese of Louisiana. He was killed by an unexploded shell from one of the guns of this same Fifth Indiana battery. General Johnston and General Hardee narrowly escaped destruction 'rom the same shell. A thin veil of light blue smoke rose from the skirmish line, enabling one to trace it for miles through wood as well as open field, and the rattle of mus- xetry, mingled with the heavy detonations of the artillery, Indicated that the struggle was still on.
There was no general attack or advance by the Union forces on the 16th. Toward evening, however, a number of Union batteries became engaged with those of the enemy in fierce artillery duel. The shrieking of shot and the burst- ng of shell added to the roar of the guns, and made a verit- ble pandemonium that was painful to the ear. This contest began about 5 o'clock p. m. and was maintained for an unusual ength of time.
General Schofield, with the Twenty-third corps, had gained a very decided advantage in position on the right during the 16th, which enabled him to enfilade a portion of the enemy's main line of intrenchments. This rendered Johnston's left untenable. But with his accustomed fore- sight that General had provided for this very emergency by constructing for his left another line of intrenchments, just
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east of Mud creek. This line of works joined the old line at a point on a line between Pine Top and the west end of Kenesaw, not far from east of the head of Mud creek. To this line Johnston's left withdrew during the night of the 16th.
General Sherman says: "On the 17th and 18th the rain again fell in torrents, making army movements impossible, but we devoted the time to strengthening our positions, more especially to the left and center, with a view gradually to draw from the left to add to the right; and we had to hold our lines on the left extremely strong, to guard against a sally from Kenesaw against our depot at Big Shanty." General Sherman is here probably writing from memory, without referring to his notes, as this statement does not agree with other writers who were on the ground and made notes of every day's contests. General Cox describes in his "History of the Atlanta Campaign" at some length the move- ments of the army, and the fighting. A rebel author says: "Part of Howard's corps, under cover of a heavy cannonade, charged the Confederate outer rifle pits, and after a close fight succeeded in holding these and forcing the Confederates back to their main line. During the night the Confederates made two unsuccessful efforts to recapture the lost position." This was on June 17. This Confederate's statement agrees very closely with the facts. The contest was stubborn, but the enemy was repulsed. During the entire day the Eighty- sixth was on the skirmish line. The little valley of the upper part of Mud creek resounded from morning until night with a sharp musketry fire. The firing was brisk, but prob- ably not very destructive, as the enemy was well protected by rifle pits. Shortly after dark the Eighty-sixth was relieved, when it at once returned to the brigade and took its position in the front line, in rear of the intrenchments some little distance. Soon after the regiment had reached its bivouac the enemy charged upon Gibson's brigade immedi- ately upon the left. The Third brigade expected and was ready to go to the assistance of its comrades of the First brigade, but it was not needed. The gallant First was equal
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to the occasion, and repelled the enemy, held all points, took a firmer grip, and drove him back into his works and did it without assistance. The Fourth corps was in it from early morn until dewey eye, and in it every day. The attack was renewed later at night, but with no better success than the former one. The battle raged during the fore part of the night of the 17th, but the Fourth corps' position, defended by as sturdy a band of soldiers as ever shouldered a musket, was impregnable.
It rained in torrents during the after part of the night of the 17th and during the morning of the 18th, swelling the streams until they ran as only mountain streams can run. Immediately after reveille the Eighty-sixth was moved out to the front line of intrenchments and took position ready for battle. The regiment breakfasted in the trenches. Not- withstanding the heavy fall of rain and the swollen condition of the streams, there was hard fighting around the lines of the Fourth corps between skirmish lines almost equal to lines of battle. The Fourth corps pressed the enemy at all points on its front, and especially on the front of Newton's and Wood's divisions. Cox says: "Howard threw forward Wood's and Newton's divisions, whose strongly supported line of skirmishers were able by a rush to carry the line of works in their front, capturing about fifty prisoners. Sev- eral counter-charges were made in the hope of regaining the line, but were repulsed." A rebel author says of the same contest: "Wood's and Newton's divisions of Howard's corps then made a strong forward movement and, after an obsti- nate struggle, by the aid of artillery fire, succeeded in cap- turing and holding a portion of the outer works of the Con- federate line." This was a hot and malicious contest and tried the mettle of the men of both sides that were engaged. The advance threw the Eighty-sixty considerably forward of its former position. As soon as the alignment was com- pleted the men intrenched themselves at once.
After this forward movement on the part of the Union forces the enemy's advanced lines were withdrawn, but he held on to his main line of works; but he was evidently pre-
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paring to retire. Hooker and Schofield were swinging round and closing in on the enemy's position. There was considerable shifting of the line back and forth as it was found the alignment was not satisfactory. Skirmishing and fighting continued with brief intervals of rest. The Eighty- sixth moved to the left some distance, but did not remain there long, moving to the right somewhat farther than before, and taking an exposed position on the left bank of a. stream, probably an unimportant tributary of Mud creek, but now it ran full and strong. The Eighty-sixth relieved troops here that had already intrenched themselves in this position. It was an uncomfortable position. The waters of the little stream came up almost to the works on the right flank of the regiment. A rod or so in the rear of the line of works the ground was low and water was plentiful, in short the men were water and mud bound, yet this was no pro-
tection. The shells were dropping here and there, in fact, all around in a murderous manner. It looked like the Eighty-sixth was pickled and was now about to be put to soak. Some of the incidents of the day were ludicrous in the extreme, or would have been if the great danger had not given things a more serious cast. A com- rade was hungry and thought something for the inner man would be beneficial to a man in his situation. The more he thought about the matter the sharper grew his appetite. His longings for hard tack and old government Java overcame his caution and made him brave, and during a moment when the enemy's fire slackened he prepared his coffee, procured water, righted up a fire in the rear of the works, and placed his coffee-pot on to boil. Unfortunate move, luckless mo- ment, he had scarcely succeeded in getting his coffee-pot ad- justed on the rails, when a shot came screaming and tipped the rails and upset the pot in the fire and frightened the hungry soldier back to the works where he remained while his coffee roasted and the spout was melted off his coffee-pot. Never did a soldier lose a strong and healthy appetite more suddenly. Twelve pound shells as a diet did not suit his stomach. Another comrade, somewhat cooler-headed under
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most circumstances, concluded he, too, would have something to eat, and accordingly proceeded, as his comrade had, to pre- pare and place his coffee upon the fire, watching it, ready to remove, as soon as it was sufficiently boiled. He, too, was greatly discomfited. The aroma of the coffee was beginning to be distilled, when there came a mighty shriek, and there was a scattering of rails, coals, and ashes. The soldier! where was he? Two feet deep in water in the stream that ran at the right rear of the regiment. He was demoralized and was only just pulling himself together in the water, when another terrific scream and the plunging of a shell into the water immediately in his front, fairly immersed him with a mighty upheaval of the water. He had snatched his coffee- pot from the fire before the shell had struck it, and it was his boast as long as he lived that he saved his coffee and drank it. Still the shot and shell rained on the men. Dur- ing this time a shell had burst just in the rear of the works in a hogshead in which rations had been brought to the place, wounding severely in the hand Captain L. V. Ream. of Company G, and Thomas Decker, of Company I. Ream lost three fingers. About 4 o'clock p. m. the regiment began the construction of flank covers, similar in construction to its parapet, to protect the men from the flank artillery fire of the enemy. When these were just completed the regiment was ordered to move by the left flank and relieve the Seven- teenth Kentucky. This latter position was still muddier than the one which it had just left. It was without exagger- tion a veritable mud-hole, and there was nowhere a place where one could lie down without almost being buried in the mud. All soon began to make preparations for the night, to gather brush, rails, or poles to keep themselves out of the mud, and thus the Eighty-sixth slept and rested on the night of the 18th of June, after an ardnous day's duty. The rebels designated the fighting of the 18th as the Battle of Kenesaw mountain of the 18th of June.
The weather had been very bad, very wet and changing frequently and suddenly. It cannot bedescribed better than the Irish picket's description to his sweetheart:
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" This southern climate's quare Biddy A quare and beastly thing, Wid winter absint all the year, And summer in the spring. Ye mind the hot place down below? And may ye never fear
I'd dhraw comparisons-but then It's awful warrum here."
The weather throughout most of June was beastly in the extreme. With this extreme heat and with every creek, swamp, and lagoon full of water, and the decaying vegetable matter washed into swamps and ponds, it is a wonder that the Union forces did not all die in a heap. Rations were issued to the Eighty-sixth in the mud on the night of the 18th, but were not distributed to the men until the following morning.
The Eighty-sixth, almost to a man, was pretty thor- oughly saturated with water and bedaubed with Georgia soil in the shape of a brick-red mud, when daylight on the morn- ing of the 19th revealed the situation. The command moved out after the enemy about 8:30 a. m. The enemy was now established in his last line, of which Kenesaw mountain was the key. The line extended over the crest of the twin peaks of the mountain, and then somewhat refused, running nearly due south from the western slope of the mountain. He had, however, strong outposts thrown well in front to baffle Sherman's approach, until he was more securely intrenched. The country, with the enemy's perfect knowledge of it, fav- ored him, and great caution had to be exercised. The Eighty-sixth, supporting the front line, closed up well on to it, and followed as it advanced. Progress was slow, how- ever, and the regiment halted about 10:30 and lay until 2:30 p. m., the rain pouring down in torrents. At the latter hour the line resumed the advance, the batteries opening a terrific fire upon the enemy. The regiment closed up on the advanced line again, and the minie balls sang their familiar songs about the ears of the men in a most spiteful way. However, but little attention was paid to his fire, but the Union forces pressed him with strong lines of skirmishers. The enemy made a stubborn resistance, but was steadily
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forced back, until night came on and made farther progress impossible. The Eighty-sixth bivouacked about 7 o'clock in the evening, and received orders to have reveille at 3 o'clock the next morning, and to move at 4 o'clock. The battle between the skirmish lines still continued to rage after nightfall. The regiment's bivouac on the night of the 19th was south of west of the west end of Kenesaw mountain. Reveille was sounded at the appointed time. The rapidity of the firing increased as day dawned.
The early morning was clear, but soon a bank of clouds drifted above the horizon and threatened rain. The skir- mishing was quite active all forenoon, indicating a pressure that could not last very long without causing a break of some kind. Just before noon the Eighty-sixth was ordered to put up tents, it being stated that it would probably remain here throughout the day. Yet the men had scarcely fin- ished their pickled pork, hard tack and coffee for dinner, when they received orders to be ready to move at 1 o'clock.
Wood's division had orders to relieve a part of Hooker's corps. It moved to the right about one mile and the Eighty- sixth was halted in a small field which had been used as a slaughter pen. Here the enemy caught sight of it and opened with their batteries. He soon secured almost per- fect range. The shells and solid shot ploughed up the earth and flung the dirt wildly about, sprinkling everybody liber- ally. The offal of the cattle was lying plenteously around, almost covering the ground, but the proximity of those screaming shells indicated that life depended upon one get- ting close to the ground. In an instant everybody went to the earth. A sergeant of Company H, no doubt, mistaking a beef paunch for a boulder or nigger-head, sought shelter behind it from the enemy's fire, to the great amusement of the boys. Everybody found it necessary to seek shelter, and a darkey who was with the regiment, hid behind a stump. He was peeping out when a musket ball struck him on the side of the head and made a painful wound. He was up in a second and went galloping around the opening shaking his head like a mad bull, until some of the boys pulled him down
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behind shelter, made an examination and assured him that he was not dangerously wounded. He was severely hurt, but he was seen no more.
From this place the Eighty-sixth moved a little farther to the right and relieved a portion of General Geary's line of Hooker's corps. It was now once more on the front line of intrenchments, facing the foe. Daily rains still occurred and the streams ran full, and the waters were muddy and mud was plentiful everywhere. Being on the front line, the Eighty-sixth now had to furnish skirmishers. The fighting had been sharp at points around the lines during the day, while the skirmishing was brisk everywhere.
A heavy detail from the Eighty-sixth was on the skir- mish line the whole night of the 20th, and consequently the regiment was not astir early on the morning of the 21st when not compelled to do so by orders. All who were in that detail can testify to the exhausting character of the extreme vigilance and activity required of the skirmishers that night. Besides the duties required, it rained the whole night. General Sherman wrote to General Halleck, Chief of Staff at Washington, on the 21st: "This is the nineteenth day of rain and the prospect for fair weather is as far off as ever. The roads are impassable; the fields and woods become quag- mires after a few wagons have crossed over. Yet we are at work all the time." There was no hour, day or night, when all parts of the grand army was at rest. Leaving out of consideration the skirmishers who slept neither day nor night, there were brigades, regiments, or strong detach- ments that were at work preparing roads, building bridges, or taking and fortifying advanced positions. During the forenoon of the 21st Newton's Second division of the Fourth corps passed to the rear of Wood's Third division and took position on the line to Wood's right.
The skirmishing was lively during the entire forenoon between the Eighty-sixth skirmishers and the enemy. Luke Cronkite, of Company E, was quite severely wounded in the wrist while on the skirmish line that morning. It was a evere and extremely painful wound, and few, if any, ex-
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pected it to prove fatal. But in a few weeks word came to the regiment that he died at Louisville on the 9th of August. The skirmishing grew in proportions. Resolute courage was exhibited everywhere upon the line by both sides, and fight- ing grew fiercer as the day advanced.
Just after noon the firing all along the line increased in intensity, and as the volume of musketry increased the thun- ders of batteries joined the music of the minor keys. This fierce and unchanging music of battle rang and roared its fiercest and loudest notes for an hour, drowning the puny fire of the skirmish line in sound, but it could not interrupt the "zip" of the musket balls that came just as freely as be- fore. One had to be careful about exposing a head above the head-log of the parapet.
About 3 o'clock p. m. on the 21st, the Eighty-sixth was suddenly ordered to "fall in with gun and cartridge-box." The order was promptly obeyed, and in one minute's time the regiment stood in line behind the intrenchments, ready for defensive or offensive duty. It proved to be the latter. Speedily the order came to "Forward, march, " and over the works it went and started for the enemy. Having advanced some distance it came to a rail fence, where the men were ordered to supply themselves with rails with which to make a barricade. After securing a supply of rails it was again ordered forward. To maintain anything like a respectable line of battle was simply impossible, but the command went ahead like a cyclone, rails whirling in the air, and occasion- ally a soldier would trip and come tumbling to the ground, gun and rail falling around him to his utter confusion, or thumping an unfortunate comrade, in his downfall. Having advanced some six or seven hundred yards in front of its former position, the regiment was halted and ordered to in- trench. The first thing, however, was to get the regiment into line. The men loaded with rails, their guns were not easily brought into a perfect alignment, and the Lieutenant Colonel, then in command, almost lost his patience. It was necessary for the regiment to execute a partial right wheel to perfect the alignment. The Lieutenant Colonel could not
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make himself heard sufficiently to secure the attention of the whole regiment. So after fruitless efforts to secure atten- tion, and failing, he became angry and blurted out, "Come round here, left wing, and let the right go to h-1l." The left came round and the right soon found its position. the alignment was completed and the work began. The skir- mishers in front were having a hot time and the enemy was liable to come swarming out of his works and attack at any moment. All, therefore, worked like beavers. The entire Fourth corps was engaged in this dash and drove the enemy out of a strong line of rifle-pits, and came close upon his main line of intrenchments. During the advance the, enemy had kept up a savage fire, but a strong skirmish line in front had kept him well engaged. Trees were felled, and these with the rails soon made a respectable shelter for the mus- ketry fire. A trench was dug just back of the barricade of logs, and a strong embankment of earth was made in its front by throwing the dirt from the trench over the barri- cade. While J. A. Barnes and Richard Galbreath were at work side-by side, a ball struck a heavy "thud" and Gal- breath gave a startling scream. The rebel ball had struck his cartridge-box, passed through both the upper and lower chambers of the tin magazine, welded one of his own balls firmly to it and passed out, wounding him severely in the groin. The wound was serious but not dangerous. He was carried to the rear at once, and the work went on as though nothing had happened. Richard Elder, of Company H, was hurt accidentally. Everything was excitement equal to the hurly burly of battle, and hard work for all of the regiment. Each one had a different experience, and few had time to note anything except that which happened in his immediate presence. One man, exhausted by his great exertion, spread his poncho upon the ground and threw himself down to rest. After lying there a few minutes he turned over suddenly and then got up still more suddenly. The reason for his sudden rising was a sharp sting in his right thigh. Springing quickly to his feet he procured a stick and began a search in the leaves that had blown on his poncho for the intruder. He
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soon found him in the shape of a small, brownish gray scor- pion, three or four inches in length. He was quite indig- nant, and showed fight whenever disturbed, but was quickly dispatched and the ground well looked over for others of his kind. The sting was quite painful for a time, but there were no other bad results from it and it was soon forgotten. Everybody had worked hard and was thoroughly tired. yet the success made the men jubilant and rousing cheer after cheer went round the Union lines. The right had now swung round until it faced almost due east, and was considerably south of its mighty citadel, the twin crest of Kenesaw moun- tain.
This move was briefly described by a rebel author in this way: "General Howard's corps, strong massed, made a rush through the forest and carried a hill about 700 yards in advance of the position gained the evening before. His main line was moved up about 500 yards. fortifying the posi- tion in the midst of a terrible artillery fire between the opposing batteries, and seizing an intrenched line abandoned by the Confederates. Hooker's troops, who were next to Howard's. assaulted, and. by flank movement. covered by artillery fire, occupied a prominent hill, about 500 yards in front of his old line, and then connected his left with Howard's right." Schofield likewise was pushing his forces forward on the extreme right, and giving the enemy great annoyance in the neighborhood of the Kulp farm. on the banks of Olley's creek.
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