USA > Indiana > The Eighty-sixth regiment, Indiana volunteer infantry : a narrative of its services in the civil war of 1861-1865 > Part 35
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By this move General Sherman was enabled to come much nearer the enemy on the right, and it also greatly shortened his line, allowing him to extend the lines to the right, and thus compelled Johnston to thin out his lines to keep pace with Sherman's extension toward the Chattahoo- chee river. He dared not, while in this position, allow Sherman to secure a crossing of that river or to get upon the railroad in his rear. To permit either would have been a serious, if not a fatal mistake.
On the morning of the 22d the Eighty-sixth received orders to strengthen its breastworks by making a stronger
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parapet. Therefore, there was more fatigue duty to per- form until the parapet was shot-proof. The skirmishing was quite animated throughout the day. On this day, the 22d, Hooker's and Schofield's corps fought the battle of Kulp House on the right, defeating the enemy in his attacks, and inflicting a heavy loss upon the attacking columns. Thus the days before Kenesaw wore away with continual skirmishing around the lines, with an occasional attack on exposed points, and daily duels between opposing batteries.
On the morning of the 23d the enemy was decidedly aggressive on the Third brigade front and kept up a hot fire from his skirmish line. The Fifty-ninth Ohio, which was on the skirmish line, lost one man, killed, early in the morning. It was relieved by the Seventy-ninth Indiana, which was ordered to advance. The advance of the Seventy-ninth was resisted with great bravery and spirit, but that regiment pressed on undauntedly, and the battle waged hotter and hotter. The enemy was forced to fall back, but' he did so fighting desperately, and almost at the muzzles of the guns of the Seventy-ninth, before he would yield the much coveted ground. Before the advance of the regiment began the brigade was ordered into the intrenchments to protect the troops from the fire. A perfect hail-storm of minie balls swept the parapet from one end of the regiment to the other. The batteries opened a sharp and well directed fire on the enemy just as the Seventy-ninth made its attack upon the skirmishers. The Seventy-ninth lost two killed and fifteen wounded. During the afternoon there was brisk firing with heavy artillery firing on the right.
Rebel authorities describe " a vigorous attack made upon Hardee's corps' position southwest of Kenesaw mountain" on the 24th by Stanley's and Newton's divisions of the Fourth corps, covered by a terrible artillery fire. In fact there were daily contests of sufficient magnitude that in the early part of the war they would have been heralded all over the North as great battles, and the Eighty-sixth, being in the front line of intrenchments, felt the effect of every angry wave that ran along the lines and started up the fire of
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INDIANA VOLUNTEERS.
excited skirmish lines. However, about this time on the line of the Third brigade. Third division, Fourth corps, there began negotiations between skirmishers for a truce and the musketry fire somewhat slackened. The boys of "the blue and the gray" were taking the war on their part in their own hands.
There was nothing of note occurred on the 25th. A hot fire was kept up by the skirmishers of the First brigade, of Wood's division, some distance to the left. Willich's old reg- iment. the Thirty-second Indiana, was made up principally of Germans, and it had secured a very decided advantage over the enemy in position when the line of intrenchments was located. The Germans were determined to maintain that advantage to the uttermost. This greatly enraged the enemy. When meeting between the lines for social and commercial purposes with the friendly enemies on the line of the Third brigade, when asked what the trouble was just to the left. the invariable Confederate answer was: " Oh! the d-n dutch haven't any sense. " It amused the Union boys. although through policy they assented to their opinions to keep on good terms and continue the truce now well estab- lished. But at heart the Union boys gloried in the grit of the Thirty-second. and more than once cheered them to the echo when an unusal fine display was made. In fact. although most of the credit was given to the Thirty-second, it belonged to the regiments of the brigade one and all; for they all kept up the fusilade whenever upon the line.
In the forenoon of the 25th the enemy's batteries on the mountain opened a terrific fire on the Union batteries and trains, in the valley below. It was renewed again in the evening and the roar of batteries on mountain and plain was terrible indeed. Sherman alone had over one hundred guns blazing away at the mountain. These with the rebel artil- lery, one can easily imagine made an artillery battle of no small proportions.
At this time the corps of the Army of the Cumberland were on the line from left to right as follows: Fourth, Four- teenth, and Twentieth. On Sunday, June 26. was a quiet
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day for Kenesaw-a Sabbath day, a day of rest to recuperate and refresh for the morrow's trial.
About 8 o'clock on Monday, June 27, the Eighty-sixth with the rest of Wood's division, received orders to "Fall in with gun and cartridge-box, canteen and haversack. " All knew what these orders meant. The ordeal of the battle was to be met. Some part of the army was to seek the enemy on his own chosen ground, intrenched as he was. Either Wood's division was to assault the enemy, or it was to support the assaulting column. The latter proved to be the case. The command moved to the right some distance, com- ing well up to the left of Stanley's position. The assault was to be made by Newton's division, of the Fourth corps, and Jeff C. Davis' division, of the Fourteenth corps. The front of Stanley's position had been chosen as the point from which the charge should be made. Newton's lines were to assault on the left and Davis' farther to the right. Wood's division was Newton's support on the left. The Eighty- sixth was in the front line of the supporting forces, and occupied the works vacated by troops of Newton's division. The Eighty-sixth was ready at a moment's notice to go for- ward and in turn assault the enemy's almost impregnable position if even there was a show of success of the columns already designated for that purpose.
Just to the rear of the left of the regiment, in the second line of works, was the Eleventh Indiana battery, consisting of six guns, four being 20-pound Parrott guns, and two 24-pound brass pieces. The regiment had not been long in this position when the battery opened a terrible fire on the enemy's intrenchments, or as it proved to be, rather upon the Eighty-sixth. The ammunition furnished the battery was worse than worthless in the present situation. Its shells exploded almost as soon as they cleared the mouths of the guns in their flight. Thus the fragments of the shells were thrown in and around the Eighty-sixth in a perfect hail- storm of destruction. After one or two rounds had been fired and a number of the regiment had been wounded, a protest was sent to the battery against continuing the fire.
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INDIANA VOLUNTEERS.
change was made in the ammunition and the fire resumed. this was no better and the shells burst within a few rods of ne muzzles of the guns of the battery. This made the lighty-sixth hot, and the men threatened to face about and harge the battery in order to silence it, and thus save them- elves. The regiment had, on arriving at this position, tacked arms, and was awaiting further orders when the attery opened fire. The bursting shells had knocked down tacks of guns, and hurled them about the heads of men at a urious rate. Captain Carnahan, of Company I, ordered sergeant Cosby to move to the head of his company while he Captain attended to some matter at another point. They ad scarcely changed position and Sergeant Cosby taken is place at the head of the company, when another volley vas fired by the battery, and a shell exploding to the rear of Company I, knocked a stack of guns over, breaking several nd severely wounding the Sergeant. He was at once taken o the rear. The regiment, now more angry than ever, sent peremptory order for the battery to cease firing. It was promptly obeyed this time, and it probably saved trouble between the battery and regiment.
The assault was now on in all its fury. The Eighty- ixth took arms and stood ready at a moment's notice to go orward into the sulphurous pit. Perhaps few assaults dur- ng the entire war were more terribly destructive, consider- ng the front exposed to the enemy's fire; few were more de- erminedly maintained and more resolutely met and repulsed han this one. General Newton, immediately upon the right. vith General Jeff C. Davis, a few hundred yards farther way, and General Schofield, with the Army of the Ohio, far iway on the right, while McPherson's Army of the Tennes- jee, represented by the gallant Fifteenth corps, led by the rave Logan, made the assault upon Kenesaw mountain. The divisions in the various assaulting columns were all splendid fighters, and all went forward with the steadiness und courage that characterize the disciplined soldier. New- on's division, of the Fourth corps, perhaps made the most lesperate and persevering effort to scale the enemy's works
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THE EIGHTY-SIXTH REGIMENT,
of all the lines of assault. But all to no purpose. The rebe works were practically impregnable, and just now were ver itable volcanoes at the various points assaulted, vomitin :33 forth fire and smoke and raining leaden hail in the face c the Union boys. Hundreds of pieces of artillery roare, around the lines until the mountain and plain shook with th dreadful detonations. But Johnston held his rocky fortres securely.
Although the Union arms had failed to carry the positio of the enemy, the Confederates were forced to give the as saulting column the credit of exhibiting the most intrepi courage. General Johnston himself says in his history: "A several points the characteristic fortitude of the Northwestern so diers held them under a close and destructive fire long after rea sonable hope of success was gone." General Sherman says "About a mile to the right, just below the Dallas road Thomas's assaulting column reached the parapet. wher Brigadier-General Daniel McCook, my old law partner, wa desperately wounded. from the effects of which he after ward died." All did nobly, but the Fourth corps excelled In proof of this the loss of the Fourth corps in killed during the month of June was nearly double that of the Fourteenth corps, although the latter greatly exceeded it in numbers This is not said for the purpose of detracting from any, fo. all showed heroic courage and fortitude.
" The living are brave and noble, But the dead were bravest of all."
This battle is said to have presented a grand and "imposing panorama" to those on Kenesaw mountain, who could see all the movements until the contestants werd enveloped in the battle's smoke. General French, the Con federate commander on the mountain, gives a lengthy de scription of it, from which the following is quoted: "We sa there, perhaps, an hour, enjoying a bird's eye view of one of the most magnificent siglits ever allotted to men-to look down upon an hundred and fifty thousand men arrayed in the strife.of battle, on the plain below. As the infantry closed in the blue smoke of the musket marked out our line for
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INDIANA VOLUNTEERS.
les, while over it, rose in cumuli-like clouds the white Loke of the artillery. Through the rifts of smoke, or, as it is wafted aside by the wind, we could see the assault made Cheatham, and there the struggle was hard, and there it sted longest. So many guns were trained on those by our le, and so incessant was the roar of cannon and the sharp plosion of shells, that naught else could be heard. * * The ttle in its entirety, became a pageantry on a grand ale, and barren of results, because the attacking columns ere too small in numbers, considering the character of the pops they knew they would encounter."
The army of the Tennessee fared no better, so far as suc- ss was concerned, than the Army of the Cumberland, and noon the battle was over. The Eighty-sixth returned at ce to its position in the trenches. There was a lull after e storm, and there was comparatively light skirmishing ound the lines during the afternoon and evening. On the xt day, the 28th, the boys of the Eighty-sixth and the nfederates formed a "Board of Trade" on a small scale for e purpose of disposing of surplus coffee on the one hand d tobacco upon the other. An offer to "dicker" coffee for bacco always caught the "Johnnies" and put them in good imor, if there were no officers around. On the other hand bacco was in brisk demand in the Union ranks. When ere was an official about they would signal not to come, but soon as he was gone, traffic would be resumed. They emed to be in excellent humor over their great success in pelling the assault the previous day. They were quite illing to talk of the campaign, expressing themselves freely regard the probable success of it on the Union part, and lowed they had enough for another killing yet in ranks."
At one of these meetings an interesting discussion arose etween Wat Baker, of Company H, and a Confederate. nugly ensconced behind two logs hid from view of the bel line, the discussion began. Baker was an oddity. over x feet in height, of a nervous disposition, jerky in manner id emphatic in speech. The discussion, as related by Baker terwards, ranged over the whole subject of contention
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THE EIGHTY-SIXTH REGIMENT,
between the North and the South-slavery pro and con wa argued, secession and coercion, and the probable success d the Northern armies finally. For nearly two hours thes men chatted and argued every phase of the contest whic suggested itself to their minds. Baker, on his return to th line, shook his head in a most comical manner and declare he had almost converted one "Reb" into a "Yank;" that h had convinced him of the utter folly of further fighting o the part of the South. He admitted all was hopeless an declared he intended to abandon the army and the caus upon the first opportunity to desert. Baker, with the fel vency of speech of a Methodist revivalist, urged that "nov was the accepted time." To this the "Johnnie " demurred and pointed out that it would be impossible for him to escap on this occasion. Such an attempt would only result in hi certain destruction on account of the nearness of their skin mish line, which was instructed to shoot down anyon attempting to escape to the Union lines. He must therefor wait, and he would reach the desired end sooner or later He no doubt fulfilled his promise as they came over by ten. and fifties when opportunity favored.
From this time until the 3d of July the men did little but skirmish duty, get up at 3 o'clock in the morning and stand to arms in the the trenches until daylight. On the morning of June 30 at 2 o'clock, the Eighty-sixth was aroused and ordered into the trenches on account of heavy firing on the right. But as everything soon became quiet were permitted to lie down, but only to be called up again a 3 o'clock to stand to arms until daylight. These last days o June were excessively hot. The roads were rapidly drying up and the passage of troops and wagon trains could be cal. culated with much more certainty. This excessively ho* weather would certainly have almost prostrated the Union army if it had not been for the delightfully cool nights which gave one some hours of the sweetest and most refreshing sleep that ever fell to the lot of man to enjoy. But like everything else in this world it had its drawbacks-there was scarcely enough of it. The short nights did not fully com
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INDIANA VOLUNTEERS.
pensate for the long and fiery ordeal of the day. Still the health of the Union army was fairly good. The weak had been weeded out by former years of service so that there were few in the ranks at this time that were not thoroughly seasoned to army life. General Sherman now had as fine a veteran army as ever trod the North American continent.
In the evening of the 1st of July, the Eighty-sixth re- ceived orders to move, but the order was countermanded. General Sherman was not quite ready and the enemy fore- stalled his intended stragetic move by evacuation before he could be ready. It is now known that he intended to swing free from his base and move against General Johnston's communications. But the Southern Fabius was not to be caught napping. He saw surely enough his great danger, hemmed in as he was with a deep and rapid river at his back, and knew well the matchless skill of his opponent, and the courage and discipline of his grand army. Sherman was daily expecting the evacuation, and worked away to be ready, if possible, to catch the enemy in the move. But Johnston's preparations were completed first. On the morn- ing of the 2d of July, the troops were instructed to get into the trench, and when the skirmish line began firing to shout with all their power of voice as though they were starting on a charge, to assault his works. The Eighty-sixth did its best in the shouting business. But the men did not see Ken- esaw mountain crumble or the head-logs of their breastworks roll down. Kenesaw was not Jericho, nor was Sherman a Joshua. The walls of Kenesaw were not cast down by the blowing of trumpets of ram's horns.
Just after dark on the 2d, the Eighty-sixth received orders to strike tents. Down came the tents, but quietly. Everything was soon in readiness to move and the Eighty- sixth filed out, marching for its new position. This was a general movement and change of position of nearly the whole army, and if the enemy should become cognizant of it and make a direct attack while the change was in progress the Union forces would be taken at a great disadvantage. There- fore, everything had to be done with the extremest caution.
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THE EIGHTY-SIXTH REGIMENT,
The march was made at a snail's pace, and in profound silence. The Eighty-sixth reached its new position about mid- night, and as the men were up again at daybreak they did not secure much sleep or rest. The morning meal of hard tack, pickled pork and coffee, was soon served. Again had the Confederate Fabius been forced to evacuate, and this time a very strong position held by an increased force nearer his base. Kenesaw mountain was, indeed, a veritable Gibraltar, but it was now in Sherman's possession, and "the boys in blue" and "the soul of John Brown" went marching on. Every man in the Union ranks was greatly elated. To be forced to leave such a position and such intrenchments must have told every Southern soldier how weak and utterly hope- less was the slave-drivers' cause when pitted against the free and powerful North. They must " have read His righteous sentence" in this evidence of their weakness.
CHAPTER XXIV.
KENESAW TO PEACH TREE CREEK.
The Fourth of July-llow it Was Celebrated-Smyrna Camp Ground-Melvor's Station-McRae's Hill-Chattahoochee River-Pace's Ferry-Powers' Ferry -Across the Chattahoochee-Down the River-Over to Buck Head-The Battle of Peach Tree Creek.
The Eighty-sixth, with its brigade and division, moved out after the enemy about 8 o'clock, July 3. Passing to the right it passed its old camp and works and crossed over to the enemy's entrenchments. They were exceedingly strong and could be held easily by determined men against vastly superior numbers. The timber between the enemy's line of works and the Union line was literally cut to pieces by the shot, shell, grape, canister and musket balls, attesting the desperate character of the contest that had been waged here. On the Third brigade line, where a truce had been entered
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into, the timber was not so severely cut by the musketry fire. The artillery, however, had made no truce, and generally around the entire line the withering blast of fire and leaden hail had rained a destructive storm.
Pressing on after the enemy Wood's division went west and south of Marietta, and crossed to the east side of the railroad, skirmishing slightly with the enemy's rear guard, and bivouacked for the night, not far from Ruff's Station. The boom of cannon to the right and some musketry indi- cated rather more than ordinary skirmishing. The army was now more than 120 miles from Chattanooga, and the enemy's boast that he was merely luring Sherman and his army into the interior, in order to destroy them, had not yet been made good. On the night of the 3d the men slept undis- turbed by the light picket firing, and were up bright and early on the morning of "the glorious Fourth of July." They received orders to be ready to march at once-without waiting for breakfast. But the order to " forwarch march" for some reason was delayed, and no veteran failed to utilize the time thus unintentionally given him. The hard tack was ready. and to the experienced, the preparation of the pickled pork and coffee required but a short time. This was the eighty-eighth anniversary of the Nation's birth, and now the Union army was engaged in making good that declara- tion, and was even declaring a more radical Independence and a larger Liberty. The day was celebrated, not in the old-fashioned orthodox way, however, of picnics, fire- crackers, and bon-fires, but by booming of shotted cannon that sent the shrieking shell, and by the sharp rattle of mus- ketry. Thus the Eighty-sixth celebrated the Fourth and renewed its allegiance to the basic principles of the funda- mental law-the Constitution-which ought to give justice to the weak as well as the powerful.
During the forenoon both the cannonading and musketry were quite brisk at times, and indicated a strained situation which was likely to develop into a battle at any time. The Eighty-sixth drew three days' rations of hard bread. pick- led pork, sugar, coffee, beans and soap. After dinner every -
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thing was in prime order for a forward movement, and the men generally were eager to press on. At 2:15 p. m. the regi- ment and brigade filed out for a forward move, but the march was a short one. In an advance of less than two miles the command ran plump up against the enemy behind a strong line of intrenchments near Smyrna Camp Ground. As the enemy's position was approached the skirmishers of both sides seemed determined to bring on an engagement by the most rapid and continued firing, and there was some hot fighting on various parts of the line, but no general engage- ment resulted, nor was any direct assault made except on the extreme right where Dodge's corps carried some rifle-pits of the enemy. Wood's division, and especially Beatty's brig- ade, drew up close to the fortified position of the enemy. However, the alignment was completed and a good strong line of intrenchments constructed. It now seems probable that had all parts of the army been equally prompt in closing in on the enemy and getting in to a good position for an at- tack, the enemy might have been assaulted successfully at this point; and certainly to have broken his lines here and caused a panic would have ruined Johnston's entire army and rendered it wholly incapable of making a stand at At- lanta. But as it was the command waited, drew a ration of whisky and continued the celebration of the Fourth of July. The spirits enlivened camp somewhat, if tipsy men can be said ever to enliven anything. Songs were sung and a hilar- ious good time experienced by those who indulged in the flowing bowl. One commissioned officer of Company H, heated by the commissary spirits, grew eloquent and courage- ous, mounted a stump and proceeded to deliver a patriotic and fiery oration, regardless of the enemy's spiteful humor and the sharp fire he maintained. This gallant and patriotic speech was cheered by the boys to the echo, which drew from the enemy a perfect storm of musketry as though he thought a charge was on and a death-struggle at hand, and so the glorious Fourth of July, 1864, passed for the Eighty- sixth.
All had sobered up by the morning of the 5th-those
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who had immoderately indulged-and many no doubt felt the depression very keenly which follows such excesses. But there was work to be done, and action was a better stim- ulant than any intoxicant. The enemy had again evacuated, and soon orders came to forward and to push the enemy at all points with all possible vigor.
The Eighty-sixth was on the move by 7 o'clock a. m. and was soon close upon the heels of the enemy's rear-guard. Johnston's army was now more closely hemmed in. His works here, as everywhere on the campaign, were of the most formidable kind. The privates of the Confederate army were becoming more disheartened day by day, and the fall of their late Gibraltar was to them a severe blow. The brigade skirmishers pushed ahead with great courage and energy and brought in many prisoners. Some of these cer- tainly were not averse to being captured, but there were others that fought valiantly. The Third brigade had the advance of the division and corps, and the Eighty-sixth had the advance of the column, the Fifty-ninth being on the skirmish line. The Eighty-sixth kept well up to the skir- mishers to support in case it should be necessary. The advance was necessarily slow with constant fighting, but the men were busy the whole day through. The command fol- lowed the road on the left of the railroad and soon passed Smyrna Station.
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