USA > Indiana > The Eighty-sixth regiment, Indiana volunteer infantry : a narrative of its services in the civil war of 1861-1865 > Part 40
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The Eighty-sixth had a representative in the Allatoona fight. On the 3d of May B. F. Snyder, of Company K, had been detailed to go to Bridgeport in charge of the baggage belonging to the regiment, to store it and remain with it until further orders. He remained there until October 1 when he was ordered to the front with the baggage. The train on which he traveled made a perilous trip, but finally reached Allatoona. General Corse reached there the next morning from Rome with a small brigade. The Confederates ate their breakfast on the railroad south of the Pass, and began business at once. They captured a stockade with a company of an Illinois regiment. Sergeant Snyder relates the following incidents in connection with the capture of the stockade:
" One of the soldiers in the stockade did not want to sur- render. Prison had no charms for him, so when the com- pany marched out he dropped flat on his face and groaned loudly. One of the Johnnies looked back and saw him and said: 'Get up, Yank, get right up, old fellow?' Mr. Yank made no reply, but kept to work groaning. Going up to
him, the rebel said, 'What's the matter?' . Small pox,' was the reply . Oh, Lordy,' said the rebel, 'I don't want nothin' to do with you,' and he ran out of the stockado as fast as he could, leaving the cute Yankee to walk over to our lines after the enemy had passed on.
" The losses in the action at Altoona Pass was very heavy. The Thirty-ninth Iowa lost almost all of their officers. They were stationed in the outer works, and stood to their post when it seemed as if every man must have been positive of
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death before the fight would be over. It was hand to hand a number of times. A rebel seized the colors from the color- bearer, but he stuck to them and wouldn't let go; then the rebel pinned him to the ground with his bayonet and took him prisoner. The bayonet did not pass through the flesh, but went through his clothing. That night the color-bearer escaped and came to our lines where I was and told me about it. The rebels tried to burn a lot of stores, said to be one million rations, but the attempt of a rebel lieutenant, as he stole up with a torch, was discovered by a colored soldier and he was promptly killed."
The Army of the Cumberland on this campaign after Hood was commanded by Major General D. S. Stanley, as General Thomas had been sent back to Nashville to prepare for Hood's coming should he attempt to invade Tennessee, as it was believed he intended to do. The Twentieth corps was left at Atlanta. The Second division, Wagner's, of the Fourth corps, was at Chattanooga, therefore, there was only the Fourteenth corps and the two divisions of the Fourth corps here of the old Army of the Cumberland. General Wood was in command of the Fourth corps. The Third division resumed its march about 7:30 on the morning of the 5th of October. The route was the same as on the preced- ing day after leaving Marietta, being over the road from that place to Gilgal church and crossing the western base of Kenesaw mountain. The command must have been crossing the base of the mountain by the time Sherman reached the top. The march was made in a very slow and hesitating manner as though the head of the column was feeling its way very carefully and expecting to run against the enemy at any moment. General Sherman says in his "Memoirs:" "From Kenesaw I ordered the Twenth-third corps, General Cox, to march due west on the Burnt Hickory, and to burn houses or piles of brush as it progressed, to in- dicate the head of the column, hoping to interpose this corps between Hood's main army at Dallas and the detachment then assaulting Allatoona. The rest of the army was directed straight for Allatoona, northwest, distant eighteen miles."
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INDIANA VOLUNTEERS.
General Sherman is certainly in error in this statement. As before stated when General Sherman reached the top of Kenesaw mountain, Wood's division of the Fourth corps was marching across its western base enroute along the road to Gilgal church, nearly due west. General Cox has shown conclusively that the reconnoissance here referred to by General Sherman was not made till later. This is confirmed by Special Field Order, No. 85, issued by General Sherman on the 6th, dated at Kenesaw mountain, as follows:
I. Major General Stanley, Army of the Cumberland, will occupy a strong defensive position across tho Marietta and Burnt Hickory, and Marietta and Dallas roads, his right near Pine Hill, and left behind Nose's [Noyes'] creek.
II. Major General Howard, Army of the Tennessee, will join on the left of Stanley, and make a line covering the Powder Spring road; and the cavalry on the flank, General Kilpatrick will prevent any enemy from reaching the railroad below Marietta.
III. Brigadier General Cox, Army of the Ohio, will move out on the Burnt Hickory road, ria Pine Hill, and Mount Olivet Church, west, until he strikes the road by which the enemy have moved on Allatoona. He will have his column ready for a fight, but not deployed. He will park his wagons near Kenesaw.
IV. General Elliott will send cavalry to-day to Big Shanty, Ack- worth, and Allatoona, and bring back official reports.
On the march, after crossing the base of the mountain, the command came into ground with which the men were familiar. It passed through several lines of works where in June and July the enemy had been met in battle. Now the tables were turned and he was the aggressor. Among the inany well remembered places of those days was the one at Mud creek, where the enemy made a most determined resist- ance on the 18th of June, and where the regiment lost a num- ber of wounded, among them were Captain L. V. Ream, of Company G, and Thomas Decker, of Company I, by the same shell. The march was continued at a slow pace until about 4:30 p. m., when the command bivouacked and was ordered to construct a line of works which was done, but not in that complete manner in which it was done during the campaign when advancing upon Kenesaw mountain.
The command remained here at this bivouac until the
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THE EIGHTY-SIXTH REGIMENT.
afternoon of the 8th. While remaining here there was no particular duty to perform except picket duty and keep a sharp watch for the enemy. The reconnoissance in force made by the Twenty-third corps, above referred to, was made on the 7th of October instead of the 5th, as Sherman says, or the 6th as General J. D. Cox says, as on the 7th at 5:30 p. m. General Cox reported to General Sherman: "The recon- noissance reports no rebels north of New Hope Church, and the main body went from there this morning." General Sherman, in response to Cox, said: "Call in your detach- ments, and be prepared for a march." The two divisions of the Fourth corps moved, on the 8th, eastward over near the railroad just south of Ackworth, and no doubt the move was determined by information gained by the reconnoitering col- umn of the previous day, reaching the place of bivouac a lit- tle after sun-down, having marched six or seven miles. At this point the command remained until the afternoon of the 10th. About 3 o'clock on that day the "general call" was sounded, and it filed out upon the road, and passing through Ackworth took the wagon road for Allatoona. The march was conducted at a lively pace and reached the latter place about dark. At this point the command took the railroad as its line of march and pressed steadily on, crossed the Etowah river and marched about one mile and bivouacked, having covered about ten or twelve miles.
On the 11th reveille was sounded early. The command breakfasted and marched out at daylight. The Eighty-sixth was in advance of the corps. Reports said the enemy was in the neighborhood of Rome. The command passed through Cartersville in the early morning and pressed on toward Kingston. Major Generals Sherman and Stanley accompanied the column after it left Cartersville during a part of the fore- noon 's march. When near Kingston the corps was halted for dinner and rested for one hour. Resuming the march the command passed through the town and covering about two miles beyond, bivouacked for the night in a woods thickly grown up with underbrush.
Here on the evening of the 11th the Eighty-sixth
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received a mail from the North-from home-and it was one of the most gladsome mails ever received by the regiment. The mail brought " full returns" from the draft which made the hearts of many, if not all, of the veterans greatly to rejoice; for it was almost a universal verdict that "they got the right ones every time." Many were the congratulations, handshaking and shouting words of joyful rejoicing at the final outcome of the draft on the stay-at-homes. This news put, at least, the Eighty-sixth in the height of good humor and fine spirits, and it is presumed it had much the same effect on all veterans then in the field doing active service.
On the following morning, the 12th, the weather was cool and foggy and as the brigade was in the rear of the corps and the regiment in the rear of the brigade, it did not leave camp on the march until about 8 o'clock. When first upon the road the speed was slow and the column frequently halted. The progress made until noon, when the command was halted for dinner, was not great. In the afternoon the march was resumed in the same slow manner until about dark, when the column started forward with much more speed than at any time during the day. The roads were muddy from the recent heavy rains, there being many pud- dles and deep mud holes, but the Eighty-sixth went helter skelter, splashing ahead like so many loose horses or cattle, the only object being to get on. Cannonading could be heard in the direction in which the troops were marching, but some distance away. Many of the boys gave out, com- pletely exhausted, by the very hard marching over the exe- crable roads. This furious, plunging march was kept up until nearly 11 o'clock at night when the command bivou- acked not far from Rome. This was a march laborious in the extreme. The cannonading was a fight between Gar- rard's and the enemy's cavalry left to cover Hood's route. The fight took place a few miles down the Coosa river from Rome. Sherman hoped to catch Hood, but he had too much the start. It was now evident that he did not want to fight Sherman's veteran army but was making a big raid.
The principal part of General Sherman's forces in pur-
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suit of Hood were now congregated near Rome, the point of union of the Oostanaula and Etowah rivers to form the Coosa river. His forces lying in between the two former streams. Just at this time Sherman did not know where Hood was. Therefore, on the morning of the 13th he sent forces to reconnoiter down each bank of the Coosa river, while other troops of the command remained quietly in bivouac of the previous night, drawing rations and resting, awaiting orders. During early part of the afternoon General Sherman received information that Hood with his army had appeared before Resaca and demanded its surrender the previous day.
At 3 p. m. the "general call" was sounded for Wood's division and at 3:30 it marched out in a southeasterly direc- tion, the division having the advance of the corps. It was doubtless now headed for Calhoun. It was another scramb- ling, nimble-footed march that admitted of no delays and few halts. The march was continued until 9 o'clock p. m., and bivouacked. This bivouac must have been on Dry creek, and almost west of Adairsville. The following morning, the 14th, the bugles sounded reveille for the division at 4 o'clock, and it marched out for Calhoun at day-break. A mile from town it crossed the Oothcalago creek and reached the town about 9 o'clock a. m., and was once again on familiar ground. On to Resaca was the word. The eight or nine miles the men had covered was as nothing and it was only six more to Resaca. This was soon reeled off and the latter place was reached before noon, pressed on two miles toward Tilton and halted for dinner. After waiting sometime the column pro- ceeded about one mile, and bivouacked for the night to the west and south of Tilton, and near Cove City P. O., well up on the upper course of Camp creek, on the road leading up the creek through a break in the Chattoogata mountains, and thence over Buzzard Roost or Mill creek mountains into the defile known as Snake Creek Gap.
On the following morning, the 15th, the bugles of Beatty's brigade sounded the "general call" about 8 o'clock and the brigade marched out about 9 a. m. Now, the pace was moderate and the column halted frequently. The com-
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mand abandoned the road soon after starting upon the march and proceeded across the country. a difficult and slow way of marching, even in an open and level country. Light skir- mishing could be heard on the left front, and this was, no doubt, one cause of the cautious advance and slow progress. Somewhere about 10:30 a. m. the column, which had been headed a little west of north, was turned due west to cross the mountains. It had been gradually approaching the mountains before, but now it went straight at them, or the rugged hills which intervened. About noon the Third brig- ade of Wood's divisions was ordered to halt and intrench while the other two brigades and the First division went for- ward to reconnoiter as a matter of caution. The intrenching was promptly done, and having waited the required length of time the Third brigade abandoned its works and proceeded on the march, and it proved to be one of extremest toil. The hills became higher and more difficult to climb. Finally it crossed the Chattooga mountains with much labor, and the command came into a broken valley with a little higher range of mountains confronting it. After toiling up and over the Chattooga mountains the men did not wish for more moun- tain climbing, but here were the Buzzard Roost or Mill creek mountains, and they had to be climbed. In this narrow val- ley, lying between these two ranges, night and darkness came on, but the command kept moving. Soon the men beheld far on top of the dark mountain a light like a shining star just above the edge of a vanishing storm cloud of darkest hue, and toward that light the men directed their course. It was a beacon light placed there by some friendly hand to guide them over the mountain. It did not seem so far away at first, but the men toiled on, stumbling over the rough. rocky mountain side. yet the light did not seem much nearer. It shone with the same brightness, but that was all. Up and up they went, winding back and forth to gain advantage of the best ground upon which to advance. No doubt it seemed farther up that mountain, rougher. more rocky on account of the night and darkness, than it otherwise would have done. but it did seem long to complete the day's march. At length
1
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the men filed by the light they had watched so long. It proved to be a huge fire built to guide the command to the top of the mountain over the best and most accessible route. The enemy had blockaded the defile and held it by a strong force, rendering it hazardous, if not impossible, to force the passage. General Sherman had sent General Stanley around by Tilton, then across the country and the mountains, the latter of which it was hoped he would be able to cross in time to intercept and capture the forces guarding the defile. By crossing the mountains to the north of the blockade the rear guard left to guard the gap and delay Sherman's advance would be hemmed in. Horn mountain on the west, and Buz- zard Roost mountain on the east, would prevent his escaping upon either flank, while Stanley in his front, would prevent his escape northward, and Howard on the south, would catch him if he attempted to return by the way he came into the gap. In short, if Stanley crossed in time there would be no escape unless he could cut his way out either through the Fourth or Fifteenth corps, which was not probable. But here as elsewhere for Hood, "discretion was the better part of valor," and the enemy had taken his flight in good time and escaped. General Howard's forces had in turn taken possession of the defile and cleared the blockade sufficiently to get through, and had pressed on to Villanow on the even- ing of the 15th.
Wood's division proceeded down the rugged mountain side into the defile or gap and bivouacked on the banks of a gurgling mountain stream, a branch of Mill creek, running northward out of the defile. Here after a hasty night meal, toil-worn and weary, as would be expected after such a march, the men soon sank to rest and sleep on the lap of mother earth, lulled by the babbling of the little mountain stream. The command was aroused by the bugles before daylight the next morning, and it was expected to push rap- idly on after the retreating enemy. But there were a num- ber of things that delayed the marching. The road had been badly blockaded, and this delayed the progress of the troops that were in the advance. Finding that the command would
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not march immediately, the commissary department issued rations. These things delayed Wood's division until about 10 o'clock, when it slowly marched northward out of the gap. When clear of Horn mountain on the north, the column turned west into the valley between Buzzard Roost and Horn moun- tain on the east, and Taylor's Ridge on the west. following Hood in his retreat to Villanow and LaFayette. There had been some severe skirmishing and the enemy had been forced to leave a number of his wounded behind.
Wood's division bivouacked on the evening of the 16th about 4:30 o'clock in an open field, and at once sent out pick- ets. At this bivouac communications were established with Chattanooga, and there was some talk that furlonghed men would be allowed to go home from here, but from some cause they were not permitted to go, although the field hospital and disabled animals were sent back to Chattanooga. The com- mand remained here in the neighborhood of Villanow during the 17th, some forces being sent out to reconnoiter the enemy and determine his exact location. It was learned that he had gone south. On the morning of the 18th reveille was sounded at 4 o'clock, and the Third brigade marched out about 8 o'clock. The column's progress was slow until about 12 o'clock, when it crossed Taylor's Ridge into the Chattooga valley. After crossing the ridge the pace was accelerated and the command went forward with speed until about 2 o'clock p. m., when it was halted and permitted to get din- ner. The command remained here until 4 o'clock, giving the men a good rest and permitting the column to close up after crossing the mountain.
The army was now in the fertile valley of the Chattooga that had an abundance of almost all kinds of forage, and the boys supplied themselves plenteously with fresh pork. mut- ton and sweet potatoes. The cracking of the guns of the foragers made it sound like light skirmishing from 4 o'clock until dark. It was from this valley that General Sherman dispatched Secretary Stanton: "Convey to Jeff Davis my personal and official thanks, for abolishing cotton and substi- tuting corn and sweet potatoes in the South. These facili-
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tate our military plans much, for food and forage are abund ant. "
The column started forward at 4 p. m., and at a lively pace which was well maintained until 9 o'clock at night. when the Eighty-sixth bivouacked in a corn field, and there was scarcely a mess in the regiment but what had fresh meat, either pork or mutton, for supper. It was now, too, in a region that produced the finest of sweet potatoes, and all were supplied with these. All being thus well supplied with foraged articles worked to to the advantage of the commis- sary department and relieved it to a considerable extent. The Chattooga or Broomtown Valley lies between Taylor's Ridge on the east, and Pigeon mountain on the west, and is drained to the southward by the Chattooga river and its tributaries, the Chattooga uniting with Little river before " emptying into the Coosa. The valley does not entend due north and south, as the southern end of Taylor's ridge bears off to the west. Down the east side-at the foot of Taylor's ridge-of this valley the command was now marching.
On the 19th the command remained at the bivouac until 1:30 p. m. at which time it continued its march down the val- ley at a good rate of speed, crossed the Chattooga river and arrived at the town of Summerville about 4:30 o'clock. Sum- merville was then the county seat of Chattooga county, Georgia, but an insignificant place. Wood's division passed beyond the town about one mile and bivouacked-the Eighty- sixth in an open field. On the following morning reveille was sounded at 4:30 o'clock, but the column did not set for- ward on the march until about 8 o'clock. The roads were excellent and good time was made, the men reeling off the miles in a very spirited manner. Foraging had been done. the last few days in such a free handed, vigorous manner, that to-day strict orders were promulgated against all for- aging by individuals on their own responsibility, and the men were kept closely in ranks, no straggling being permitted. A halt was made at noon for dinner after which the tramp was resumed at quick time. Not long after starting out in the afternoon the command passed over into Alabama, its
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course being still down the valley of the Chattooga river. Reaching the neighborhood of Gaylesville, Cherokee county, Alabama, the command bivouacked about 5 o'clock in the evening in a large farm opening, having covered on the day's march sixteen or eighteen miles.
General Sherman had been in pursuit of Hood since October 3, at which time he left Atlanta to protect his line of communications. Acting on the defensive, his movements necessarily depended upon those of his adversary which often caused him to labor at a great disadvantage. and quite as often forced the troops under him to undergo great hard- ships of marching. General Sherman had, however, while acting on the defensive in a manner which seemed undecided, now about completed his plans, begun long before, to act on the offensive on a grand scale in a mighty and master- ful manner which would dumb-found the South, and with the skillful assistance of the veteran, General Thomas, bring the war to a close.
While the troops remained here they subsisted princi- pally on foraged articles secured from the surrounding country. In order to economize with rations, regular details were made for foraging. Usually two men were detailed from each company to forage for the regiment, and two to forage for the company, and as many more to forage on their own responsibility as cared to undertake it. In this way a plentiful supply of provender was kept on hand while in camp at Gaylesville. On the 21st shoes were issued to the Eighty-sixth and to the entire command. On the 22d details for the regiment and company were sent out to collect for. age, returning with sweet potatoes and turnips. On the 23d a detail was made from the Eighty-sixth to go with a train to procure forage for the mules and horses. The detail made a long march, going northward to near the southern extremity of Lookout Mountain where General McCook crossed with his corps previous to the battle of Chicka- mauga. Forage was not very plentiful here and the detail returned with no very abundant supply. after marching about thirty miles on the round trip, not reaching camp until about
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8 o'clock at night. On the 24th the camp of the Eighty- sixth was laid off in regular order as though it might remain here the rest of the fall, and the Nineteenth Ohio was detailed to guard a supply train to Rome. Sherman was getting ready to bid the Fourth corps good-bye.
On the 25th some of the troops were paraded out for a sham battle. It looked finely enough when one knew it was only for show, but really it had very little the appearance of an actual battle. It might have been considered a nice dis- play and exciting to those who had never seen a real red- handed battle. It does not tingle the nerves, or send the blood back upon the heart as if to overwhelm it, like the tumultuous burst of a genuine and momentous battle when one is standing awaiting orders to be hurled right into the thickest and swiftest of its deadly current at any moment. The sham can not be made as the real in anything, and here it probably appeared the farthest removed from it. It was simply a battle without injury or death-without the horrors of the reality.
On the 26th there was a detail from the Eighty-sixth for forage duty as usual. The general bivouac of the Fourth corps was comparatively quiet, and there was no particular indication of an immediate move. General Sherman was riding round viewing the camps and troops in a quiet, unos- tentatious way. It was his "good-bye" to the Fourth corps although the men knew it not. It was the last time many of the men ever saw the Grand Old Soldier. He then had everything in readiness to leave and march back to Atlanta, and with a little more hasty preparation, start on his wonder- ful, matchless March to the Sea that was to startle the world. The divisions of the Fourth corps were once more united at Gaylesville, but were now about to separate from its companion corps, the Fourteenth and Twentieth, which were to accompany General Sherman on his march.
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