USA > Indiana > The Eighty-sixth regiment, Indiana volunteer infantry : a narrative of its services in the civil war of 1861-1865 > Part 36
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After passing Smyrna a short distance the road bore off' nearly due east toward the river. The Fifty-ninth gallantly pressed on after the enemy, the fighting increasing grad- ually in intensity. The Eighty-sixth still kept elosed upon the Fifty-ninth. After passing McIvor's and winding around the base of McRae's Hill to the east, the fighting grew still more furious. On by Vining's Station and the wagon road, turning sharply toward the east and the river. revealed the situation of the enemy in front. The Chatta- hooche river was being approached. The troops in front were effecting a crossing and this accounted for the enemy's determined resistance. His rear-guard had been reinforced and the Fifty-ninth was given a red-hot reception. The
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road on which the command was advancing was a direct one to Atlanta, and crossed the Chattahoochee river at Pace's Ferry where Johnston's extreme right crossed.
On the narrow neck of land between McRae's Hill and Vining's Station on one side, and the river on the other, the enemy made a determined stand, but General Wood's orders were to advance and give him battle. The advance was slow, as the enemy was in a desperate straight and fought like demons. However, step by step, the river and ferry were approached. The time had come for still more decisive action. The lines were formed and a dash was made with a hurrah and every point was carried. The enemy broke and fled precipitately across the pontoon bridge, which he had at the ferry, but not all succeeded in crossing, and quite a num- ber were captured on the bank of the river. The pursuit was so hot that the enemy was not permitted to take up his pontoons. To save himself he cut its mooring on the west bank of the river, when it swung down stream, where it remained a bone of contention for the skirmish line. The enemy held the east bank at the river, and a withering fire was kept up the rest of the day across the river in the neigh- borhood of the pontoon boats. Having hustled the enemy across the river in front, the command was comparatively at ease. General Thomas and other Generals came by, view- ing the situation and learning the location of the lines.
This was another triumph for General Sherman and his army. The campaign had not been a walk-over, but triumph had followed triumph for the Union soldiers from first to last at every point. They were consequently very jubilant and the enemy correspondingly discouraged. Cheers, good hearty cheers, would go ringing, time after time, around the Union long battle line that summer afternoon, to inform the enemy how happy the boys were over their long and success- ful campaign. In two months of hard marching, skillful maneuvering, and constant skirmishing and fighting, Sher- man had beaten him back a hundred miles over mountain and plain, through valleys and over rivers-across a stretch of country the most defensible at every turn. "Old glory"
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floated to the breeze all along the long battle-line here in the heart of Georgia, and it had come to stay, backed as it was by as determined a host of free men as ever espoused a cause or upheld a banner.
The Eighty-sixth, with the rest of Wood's division. slept undisturbed the night of the 5th. for the booming of cannon broke not the slumbers of the men. The Chattahoo- chee river lay between them and the foe, and they felt per- fectly secure. The firing at the ferry was maintained dur- ing the night and flashed up at daylight the next morning into quite a rattle of mușketry, and at times the batteries mnade hill and dale quake with the mighty roar of their guns as they joined the fusilade of the infantry. Orders were given to the Eighty-sixth to remain at the bivouac, as it was thought probable that the command would move sometime during the day. There was no duty to perform, and there- fore the men wrote letters home and lounged about aud dis- cussed the situation. On the right, in front of Baird's divis- ion of the Fourteenth army corps, and, in fact, in front of the rest of the army, the enemy had a line of exceedingly strong fortifications on the west or north bank of the river, and had only fallen back into these works and not across the river as they had been forced to do in Wood's immediate front.
In the evening of the 6th a heavy detail was made from the Eighty-sixth for skirmish duty along the bank of the river and at the ferry. The detail was under the command of Captain James R. Carnahan, of Company I, and relieved the reserve station promptly at sundown according to orders. and the out-standing skirmishers at dark. The men had been on the line but a short time until a conversation arose be- tween the lines on opposite sides of the river. This conver- sation was maintained for some time and took quite a wide range of subjects for discussion. All firing soon stopped in the vicinity of the ferry, as everyone wanted to hear what was said on both sides. The conversation was principally carried on by Orderly Sergeant J. M. Cast, of Company H. on one side. and by Captain Walker, Ninth Mississippi, of Pat Cleburne's division, Hardee's corps. on the other.
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although others on both sides took a part. Many questions were asked and answered on both sides in the best of humor. After quite a good deal of good humored bantering about the campaign and their enforced retreat, the question was asked: "How far are you going to retreat before you get to the last ditch?" The answer came back promptly: "We have the pontoons already on which to cross the Gulf," and more in that strain. Finally the political issues of the day in the Northern States were broached. The Captain seemed quite willing to talk, and to the question of his Presidential preferences, for Lincoln or Mcclellan, he gave a ready answer. He said Mcclellan was a good man, the friend of the South, and would suit the Southern people in general admirably. He intimated that peace could soon be estab- lished between the North and South if McClellan were elected President by the Northern States. This is not stated as a fact, but given as the expressed opinion of Captain Walker, of the Ninth Mississippi, at Pace's Ferry on the Chattahoochee river the night of the 6th of July, 1864. However, he was very politely informed by the Sergeant that his choice did not stand a ghost of a chance for election in the North, and that he would be doomed to disappoint- ment if he were building any hopes on the election of Mc- Clellan to the presidency. He was informed that the North would stand nobly by Lincoln and Johnson. Gradually the conversation ended and comparative quiet reigned during the rest of the night.
Just after noon the whole regiment came out to the reserve station and a large detail was placed upon the line, extending it some distance to the right. The skirmishing was lively, and the enemy no doubt expected an attack. The Union artillery maintained a strong fire for quite awhile dur- ing the afternoon. The brigade struck tents and moved about one mile to the right, closing up and strengthening the battle-line in front of the enemy's intrenched line on the right bank of the river.
Immediately after dark a number of Union batteries opened fire on the enemy just across the river at Pace's
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Ferry. It was one of the hottest and most terrific cannonad- ings heard during the entire campaign, and the Eighty-sixth was lying under it all, the firing being almost directly over the reserve station. The boom of the guns, the shriek of the shells, the roar of their explosions and the crashing of the falling timber on the farther side of the river rendered it terrible indeed. This perfect tornado of shot and shell rained upon the trembling enemy for a good long hour. It was no doubt intended by this fierce cannonade to create the the impression that a crossing at Pace's Ferry would be forced, or, at least, would be attempted, while perhaps a crossing would be prepared for at another point.
The Eighty-sixth was relieved from the skirmish line about 9 o'clock p. m., the 7th, and marched at once to its old place of bivouac. The following morning, the 8th, it joined the brigade some distance to the right and somewhat more advanced toward the enemy's intrenched position. In the afternoon the regiment worked hard, fortifying the regi- mental line, continuing the work until late in the evening. and completing the brigade's line of intrenchments, which were quite strong. On the morning of the 9th the regi- ment stood to arms at daylight, according to orders, to be in readiness in case the enemy should attempt to make a sortie. The enemy not appearing the regiment was soon permitted to break ranks. The men then breakfasted on the usual fare of hard tack, salt pork, and black coffee, and went about the duties of the day, and attending to personal matters. The Third brigade had no very special duty to perform, as there was no strong force of the enemy in its immediate front. Therefore, the men visited comrades in the various com- mands near the Eighty-sixth, washed and mended clothing. cleaned their guns and accouterments to be ready for any- thing whenever a call was made upon them. Although they did not consider themselves in front of the enemy, an occa- sional "stray" ball would bring down a man. Some of the Eighty-sixth boys while taking observations for themselves, some distance in front of the regiment's position, found a member of the Nineteenth Ohio, who had been brought down
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by one of these strays, being quite severely wounded in the leg. He was carried to his regiment and left in the care of his comrades. Such incidents were of daily and almost hourly occurrence somewhere on the long battle-line.
In the afternoon of the 9th a number of comrades went back about one mile and climbed the hill known as McRae's Hill, and took a view of the surrounding country. The hill lies to the west of the railroad, which curves around its base, between it and the river. From the summit of this hill was had a splendid view of the country far and near. In the immediate front lay the Union forces behind their intrench- ments, drawn well up to those of the enemy. "Men of the North and West" were there watching and waiting, ready at a moment's notice to pounce upon Johnston's army at the least favorable opportunity that gave them any hope of suc- cess. A step farther on was the red bank of the rebel breastworks, which could be seen drawn from the river just above Howell's Ferry, a mile up stream from the railroad bridge, across the country in front of the railroad crossing of the river to Turner's Ferry, some three miles distant from Bolton, at the railroad.
The salient of this line of works was a little east of the railroad and was probably a little over two miles distant. On the extreme left of Johnston's line, his works ran close up to Nickajack creek and nearly parallel with its east bank. The line was admirably chosen. splendidly fortified, and could easily be defended. It was a line hard to approach. This was a veritable bulwark in Sherman's pathway for an onward march. Just behind the position of the Confederate army wound the river in its course to the gulf. Full from the many heavy rains it ran turbulently between the hills and over its rocky bed. But the vision lingers not here on the turbulent water course, but darts its way onward to the objective point of the campaign, the Gate City of Georgia, the fair Atlanta. There the white houses and the glittering church spires gleaming in the sunlight could be plainly seen at a distance of eight miles. There were the heavy red enbankments of earthen forts and their connecting intrench-
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ments and fortifications, whose counter-scarps are protected from approach by abatis here and chevaux-de-frise there, gave warning that the great prize is not to be easily or lightly won. Brave Southerners will defend it as long as a single hope of success remains to them. This fair city is as the apple of their eye. It is the home of beauty and refinement. where the Southern sentiment is cherished as life itself. and the brave never fight so valorously as under the eye of beauty. Then the city's manufactories produce that which is as the life-blood and sustenance of the Confederacy. The vision wanders away eastward to the grayish blue cone of Stone mountain, which can be plainly seen some eighteen or twenty miles to the southeast. The eye falls back over wooded hills and farm openings of the country lying north- east and north of the city of Atlanta, and drained by the now historic Peach Tree creek, whose waters were yet to be dyed with the patriotic blood of thousands of the boys in blue. Bringing the line of vision back along near Buckhead and crossing the river at Pace's Ferry, that locality is scanned. Thence northward, the vision wanders on the east bank of the river and down again to the ferry; thence northward on the west bank of the river. the hills and valleys of Rotten- wood creek. on over Soap creek, by Powers' Ferry and on toward Phillips' Ferry and Roswell. It was a clear bright day and it was a splendid landscape, a glorious panorama of nature's varied works, of rivulet. river, mountain and plain.
When McRae's Hill came into the possession of the Union forces, there on its side near its top was found the body of a man suspended by a rope from the limb of a tree. He had evidently been dead some days. No one seemed to know anything about him. Whether a suspected Union man who suffered the vengeance of his neighbors, a spy of our army executed, or some hot-headed fire-eater driven to des- peration on account of Sherman's continued success and approach to his home, and who took this plan of "shuffling off the mortal coil. "none could learn. At any rate the rebels had not concerned themselves enough about him to cut him down and bury him, and the Union forces had not treated
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him any better, for now four days after the capture of the hill, he was left dangling in the air. From papers found on his person it was learned that his name was D. B. Duncan. Whether he ever received burial or not, cannot be said. He was left as he was found, hanging by the neck on McRae's Hill.
In the evening of the 9th, Union batteries again opened on the enemy's position and for sometime maintained a strong artillery fire. This was done, no doubt, with the intention of feeling the enemy. Cox says: "From this hill near Vining's Station, Sherman was able to see, on the 9th 'a good deal of flutter in the enemy's camps, ' and movement of troops to the eastward, which might mean either a con- centration to attack the force already over the river, or prep- arations for taking a new position." General Schofield had crossed Cox's division on the 8th at the mouth of Soap creek, at Phillips' Ferry, and Johnston at once saw that his position at Bolton was no longer of importance.
On the morning of the 10th word came early that the enemy "had folded his tents and quietly stole away, " and again the boisterous cheers of the rugged Northmen went ringing round the long intrenched lines for the success that had so signally crowned their efforts directed by the match- less Sherman. Another stage of the campaign was com- pleted and the army was yet in almost perfect shape and condition. The regiment was inspected by companies, received orders to march, and filed out from its camp about 9 o'clock a. m. It marched to the north, back over McRae's Hill and on. The day was exceedingly hot and oppressive and the progress of the column was slow. About 3 o'clock p. m. it began to rain and came down in torrents. The road soon became slippery and the marching slavish. The men were thoroughly soaked, but they continued to press on until about 6 o'clock, and bivouacked not far from the Chat- tahoochee river.
Wood's division lay here at this bivouac ground during the 11th and until about noon of the 12th, when it marched out down the river for some distance and crossed on a pon-
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toon bridge at Powers' Ferry. The division proceeded about one mile farther, bearing off to the right, and bivonacked. It had covered five miles from the previous night's bivouac.
On the morning of the 13th the Eighty-sixth drew three days' rations of hard tack. sugar, coffee, pickled pork, and a ration of that abomination known as "mixed vegetables." A little corn meal was issued for a change. About 8 o'clock a. m. orders were received to beready to move. At 9 o'clock the command started and marched to the right front of its former position about one mile, and here halted and got dinner. After dinner the regiment was ordered to lay off camp in regular order, which was soon done and the pup tents put up. After this was completed the camp was forti- fied by building a line of intrenchments along the color-line of the regiment, connecting with those to the left. The works were made good and strong along the brow of the hill on which the brigade's alignment was made. On the 14th a heavy detail was made from the Eighty-sixth for picket or skirmish line. There was no enemy to be seen in front, but as there was more or less firing on other parts of the line it seemed probable that he was near. The men did not, how- ever, relax their vigilant watch.
By the 15th enough timber had been cut down in front to enable the men to get a glimpse of Atlanta. Rumors in- numerable went the rounds of camp. The "grapevine tele- graph" brought much news of the movements and intended movements of troops of the various armies. One of these in circulation this day was that a strong reconnoissance was to be made soon, probably the next day, and that the Eighty- sixth would be in it. These rumors often had some founda- tion in fact, but were frequently distorted and greatly changed from the actual moves intended. There was much discussion among the rank and file as to Sherman's probable course in the advance upon the city. The Eighty-sixth, or the mem- bers of it with many others of the grand army, constituted for a day or two, a kind of Congress or House of Commons. to discuss campaign topics, as they were suggested hour by hour by the "grapevine telegraph." The news from other
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portions of the army was quite limited, and the rumors served to occupy the thoughts in lien of the genuine article of news.
Here in the neighborhood of this camp there were not many farm openings, consequently there was not much for- aging. Pickled pork had been substituted early in the cam- paign for the old rusty bacon on account of it being so much more easily kept. The hot sun of June, July, and August, in this climate, would have almost melted the bacon into a greasy spot and left the men without meat. Nothwithstand- ing the extreme scarcity of forage, occasionally a raid would be made and something secured. Apples were the most plentiful, and they were by no means abundant, in fact, they were about the only accessible foragable article that could be secured at this camp. A few of these were brought to the camp of the Eighty-sixth by a few hardy, resolute for- agers.
At this camp on the hill. on the afternoon of the 16th of July, every heart in the Eighty-sixth was made glad and greatly to rejoice by the return of Colonel George F. Dick, who had been absent since receiving his wound on the mem- orable night of the 27th of May at the battle-field of Pickett's Mills. He was looking quite well. His wound was healed, but it was still very tender and caused him much pain for some time after this when on horseback. However, ever after his return he was always at the head of the regiment throughout the remainder of the campaign and the regiment's service. In the evening of the 16th the Eighty-sixth re- ceived orders to be ready to march at 4 o'clock the following morning.
On the morning of the 17th the bugles sounding reveille awoke the echoes at 3 o'clock. Some one has said that at reveille the bugle said :
Oh, I can't get 'em up. 1 can't get 'em up. I can't get 'em up in the morning.
No doubt the weary soldiers often felt like not getting up after an arduous day's duty performed with but a few brief hours of rest and sleep, but in the Eighty-sixth there
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were few laggards that morning. The regiment was speed- ily formed, and faced to the right and marched down the hill toward the river. The brigade was all soon in column and proceeded down the river. It was at first supposed by the rank and file that a reconnoissance was being made, but it proved to be something more. It soon became known that Wood's division was to force its way down along the banks of the Chattahoochee river and drive back any force of the enemy it might find from Pace's Ferry, and hold its ground until a pontoon bridge could be laid and troops crossed at that point. After proceeding some distance the division was ordered to halt and "load without noise-without the rattle of ram-rods." This was a warning to keep quiet on account of the proximity of the enemy. Continuing the march very quietly, the Third brigade in advance, the vicinity of the ferry was soon reached. Here everything was made ready as quietly as possible. The lines were formed, and then a dash out from the ferry was made for the enemy who were guard- ing the crossing. For a few minutes the sharp rattle of mus- ketry might have betokened a battle, but the enemy soon hied himself away to greener fields and pastures new. He got away with his old time agility, when taken at a disadvant- age. It is not meant to insinuate that the Southern soldiers are cowards; far from it; never did braver men look foemen in the face, but when they did go they went with the fleetness of deers. This surprise was complete. The bluff back from the river a short distance on which the enemy was, had con- cealed Wood's division entirely from him, while Palmer's men on the opposite side of the river were in plain view and could illy conceal their exultation at the manner it had been conducted, and how the wary veterans of Johnston's army had been caught napping. General Wood congratulated the Third brigade on its splendid success, and praised it highly for the handsome manner in which it had performed its ditti- cult task. After the enemy was driven back some distance. he returned to the attack with renewed vigor as though he had been strongly reinforced, and doubtless had been. But Wood's skirmishers maintained their position. The front line
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of battle built a strong line of intrenchments as a bridge- head, and therefore was ready for an attack if the enemy chose to make one.
The pontoniers were at work as soon as they saw Wood's division would probably hold its ground and the enemy was well out of the way. In one hour and eight minutes after the work was begun, the bridge began to swing to and fro, swayed by the cadenced tread of armed men marching in column. It was the head of the column of General Jeff. C. Davis' division of the Fourteenth corps. This bridge build- ing was quick work. Johnson's division, of the Fourteenth corps, followed Davis'. Wood's division was relieved about 4 o'clock, when it marched leisurely back to its old camping ground up the river, to take its proper place upon the line in the advance to be made.
All the heads of columns of Sherman's grand army had now accomplished the difficult task of crossing the river in the face of the enemy and was once again ready to give Johnston battle on his own ground. The former maneuver- ing, skirmishing, and battles, as fine as the one had been, and as fierce and desperate as the others were in character, they were in a sense preliminary and introductory to the struggles and maneuvering to take place south of the Chat- tahoochee and around the city of Atlanta for its possession. Every foot of ground was to be stubbornly contested from the time the skirmish lines became engaged after the Union forces crossed the river until the capture of Jonesboro, south of the city. Around Atlanta, indeed many notable contests took place where the dauntless courage of the Southern soldiers shed new luster upon the red-cross banner, but the iron-hearted men of the North and West ever met them with unflinching firmness and courage, and day by day gained ground and fought them foot by foot into their impregnable fortifications. True, sometimes advantages rested first here, and then there, but the successes of the hardy, unshrinking Northmen greatly predominated over those of their chivalric antagonists, both in number and decisiveness. When Wood's !
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division returned to its old camp on the evening of the 17th, the men knew their stay there would be short.
On the morning of the 18th of July the regimental bugle of the Eighty-sixth sang its "waking notes" with those of the rest of the brigade at 3 o'clock a. m., and the men turned out promptly. The Eighty-sixth struck tents and packed everything ready for the onward march. At 9 o'clock it was ordered into line and stacked arms. At 10 o'clock the com- mand moved out on the road for Atlanta that leads through Buckhead. The column's progress was slow. No doubt the utmost caution was necessary. The skirmishing was sufficient to show that the enemy was alert and watching every move. About 11 o'clock the command halted for din- ner. The march was continued in the afternoon in the same deliberate manner, and the enemy still showed himself occa- sionally, firing and then retreating. The command biv- ouacked about 4:30 o'clock in the afternoon near Buckhead, a cross road, some four or five miles south of east of Pace's Ferry, due north of the city of Atlanta, and distant from the city limits about five miles. Here the front line threw up a strong line of intrenchments. The command slept soundly, feeling secure and confident in its ability to hold its part of the line against any force. On the following morning, the 19th, the bugles of the Third brigade broke the stillness at 3:30 a. m. In a few minutes the camp of the Eighty-sixth was in motion, preparing the morning meal and shaping up things for a busy day. The brigade moved out about 5:30 and advanced to the skirmish line, probably a half mile or a little more in front of its camping place. Here the Fifty- ninth Ohio was deployed upon the line as skirmishers and the Eighty-sixth was to act as its support. As soon as the lines were properly formed the order to press forward was given and every man stepped promptly onward. The enemy was in plain view, but with a few shots he withdrew grad- ually falling back as the Fifty-ninth advanced. The Eighty- sixth kept well up in good supporting distance of the Fifty- ninth. The enemy retired for about one mile, with but little show of resistance. Coming to an opening along a small
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