USA > Indiana > The soldier of Indiana in the war for the union, Vol. II > Part 18
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THE SOLDIER OF INDIANA.
we passed the residence of Colonel Stokes, of the First Union Cavalry. He is greatly feared by the Rebels on ac- count of his knowledge of them and the country. We have passed a great many Union people. Just after we had passed Stokes' house, we were ordered to keep closed up with the cavalry, as the Rebels were reported to be ahead in force. After marching about a mile farther, the report was con- firmed by our advanced guard capturing five Rebels-miser- able, dirty looking fellows, dressed in the usual dirty manner and belonging to the "Third Confederate Regulars." They looked worse than negroes, and were mounted on borses that looked as if they hadn't seen corn for a month. One of them ยท had on a United States infantry overcoat. A little farther on, we captured a company of Rebels and a Lieutenant. Then we were ordered to the front on a gallop. We gal- loped for three miles over the worst roads in the State, till we reached Snow Hill. Here we went in battery at the foot of the hill, as the Rebels were on the top, and captured an- other company with the officer commanding. We waited here until the Seventeenth regiment had time to get in the rear of the Rebels by a different road, and then we advanced three miles from the bottom of the hill to the top. The Rebels had piled rocks up for breastworks, but they retreated before the Seventeenth got behind them. This hill is a very strong position, as there is but one way to get up to the top, which is very narrow, something like a "backbone," where two hills are connected by a narrow neck of land, which could be held by our cannon against any force. When we found that the Rebels had gone to Southville, we turned round and went back to Liberty, where we met the rest of the forces. The next morning we started for Murfreesboro. One man out of our battery was captured this morning. He straggled off from the road, and a little afterward we heard two shots fired. That was the last we ever saw of him. We captured a good cow on the last day's march, and we now have fresh milk for our coffee."
In this expedition, Wilder captured five hundred horses and mules, eighty-six tons of hay and forage, four thousand
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REMARKABLE ESCAPE FROM DEATH.
bushels of corn, and a quantity of flour, meal and yarn, be- side rendering assistance to many suffering Union families.
One night, when the brigade was in bivouack, near Smoky Hill, two men, Benjamin Montgomery and John Vance, were captured while picketing an extreme outpost. They were taken into a wood, tied to a tree, and shot three times. They were then cut loose from the trec, and as they fell for- ward on their faces were shot a fourth time. Montgomery was killed, but Vance retained life and self-control. He lay quiet until the murderers were gone, when he crept away from the spot. He dragged himself eight miles and met a detachment of Union troops, who carried him to Murfrees- boro. Two balls had passed through his right cheek, carry- ing away several teeth and a fragment of the jawbone. A third ball which had entered the right side of the neck lodged inside the left lower jaw. A fourth ball entered behind the left car and came out at the eye, taking the eye with it. Vance was discharged, but he recovered, and as Sanitary Agent, collecting stores in Tippecanoe county, did excellent service for his old comrades.
April 10, General Gordon Granger, in command of Frank- lin, with a force of four thousand five hundred men, repulsed Van Dorn with larger numbers, inflicting on him a loss of two or three hundred, and losing thirty-seven. Klein's bat- talion lost one killed and one wounded.
Ten days after the repulse of Van Dorn from Franklin, Reynolds, with Starkweather's, Wagner's and Wilder's brig- ades, reconnoitred to McMinnville. He scoured the country many miles on both sides of the main route, and put to flight a force of seven hundred, chiefly cavalry, in McMinnville, captured five or six hundred horses, and protected to Mur- freesboro fifty families of refugees who wished to go North. John Morgan barely escaped capture. Dick McCann, an- other bold raider, was captured, but effected his escape. Reynolds' cavalry pursued and captured one hundred and thirty without loss.
The following letter, written by Sidney Speed, a boy of sixteen, in Lilly's battery, gives the movements, especially of Lilly's battery:
-
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THE SOLDIER OF INDIANA.
" MURFREESBORO, April 30, 1863.
"DEAR SISTER :- We started on the twentieth, with twelve days rations, and went to Woodbury the first day. We left the turnpike the second day, and went over worse roads than I ever saw before, to get in the rear of, and attack Mc- Minnville. The Rebels got wind of our movements, and when we made a dash into the town, got on a train. But a regiment which we had left where we crossed the road made all aboard the train prisoners, then burned it and came in on the railroad, burning five bridges, and tearing up the track nearly all the way. John Morgan and Dick McCann were both in the town, but neither got on the train. They waited until we were within gunshot of them, then got on their horses and left. Morgan made his escape, for the officer that was in command of our advance would not let the men go ahead of him. But his Secesh friend, Dick McCann, did not meet with such good luck, for as soon as Wilder's scouts saw that Morgan was out of their reach, they pressed on after McCann, regardless of the advance officer's threats. They were soon up with him, but he did not surrender until he was knocked off his horse. That night we burned two large cotton factories, the depot, the court house, several houses of leading Rebels, and seven grist mills. The next morning we went to Smithville, and the next to Alexandria. We camped on the place of a man who helped to kill those boys ou the last scout. We took everything that was eatable and wear- able, then burned his house. We went on through Tubtown to Lebanon, where we staid a day, and got to go where we pleased. So two of the boys and I mounted on mules and went out about three miles to a Rebel settlement, where they refused to take Lincoln money, so we bought their hams, turkies and chickens with fac simile Confederate notes. I laid out thirty dollars in hams at thirty-five cents a pound, and with five dollars bought two turkies and four chickens. The other boys did as well, so we returned to camp well loaded. The Seventy-Second regiment and one section of the battery returned to Murfreesboro together over a by-road as far as Statesville, where we struck the turnpike."
In one of the expeditions in which Lilly's battery was
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STREIGHT'S RAID.
engaged, Sidney Speed performed an aet which would have done credit to an older soldier. The battery was stationed on a hill, and just in front of a log cabin, and the men were rapidly working their guns, when a big Rebel shell fell in their midst without exploding. Speed coolly picked it up and threw it over the cabin, thus, at imminent personal risk, saving, no doubt, the lives of many of his comrades.
The middle of April, Colonel A. D. Streight, with a pro- visional brigade composed of the Fifty-First and Seventy- Third Indiana, Third Ohio, Eightieth Illinois, and two companies of Tennessee cavalry, with two little mountain howitzers, in all amounting to eighteen hundred men, was despatched by Rosecrans to western Georgia to cut the rail- roads which supplied Bragg's army by way of Chattanooga, and incidentally to destroy depots of supplies and manufac- tories of guns, ammunition, equipments and clothing for the Confederate army ; his route to be directed by circumstances, his supplies to be drawn, and his command to be kept well mounted from the country. General Dodge, with a force withdrawn from Corinth, or from an encampment near that place, was to distract Rebel attention by a raid through north- ern Alabama. Boldness and celerity to the highest degree were essential to the success of an expedition which must carry men through the heart of a hostile and armed country. Of the former there proved to be no lack, while to a de- ficiency of the latter was due the ruin in which the adven- ture resulted.
A portion of the command went by way of Nashville to Fort Henry, whence it went up the Tennessee to Eastport, while the residue of the brigade went down the Cumberland to the Ohio and then up the Tennessee. At Nashville, Streight was provided with several hundred horses and mules, which were either young and unbroken, or old and broken down. At Fort Henry he added to these several hundred more which were in good condition but unshod. At Eastport, in the confusion of landing, he lost nearly three hundred of his best animals, and nearly two days in search of the runaways, at the same time exhausting a large number of the feebler remnant. On the morning of April
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THE SOLDIER OF INDIANA.
22, he joined Dodge, in whose rear he proceeded several days. The appearance of his brigade was more ridiculous than formidable. Some of his men were on foot, some were on bare-backed, bony beasts which moved with difficulty, while others strove to retain their seats on capricious crea- tures, which reared, and ran, and halted, moving sideways and backward without reference to spur or rein. At Tus- cumbia, Streight and Dodge separated. The former pro- ceeded toward Moulton, his advance accomplishing thirty-four miles the first day, and the next evening attacking and cap- turing Moulton, which was defended by Roddy's Rebel cavalry.
The entire command was by this time mounted, a suffi- cient number of horses having at length been captured, but unremitting activity was required to supply the place of the exhausted animals which fell along the route. The thirtieth of April, Streight having then cleared Day's Gap in Sand Mountain, a large body of the enemy under General Forrest began a series of annoying and almost uninterrupted attacks on his rear, and, notwithstanding every effort on his part to avoid battle, twice on that day forced him to severe engage- ments. The Rebels, after firing upon the rear a short time with musketry, opened with artillery in so decided a manner that it was impossible to refuse, or any longer to avoid the challenge. Decoyed by retreating skirmishers, they came unexpectedly in contact with Streight's line, and recoiled be- fore a elose fire directly in their faces. Before they could recover, Streight's infantry was upon them in a bayonet charge, while his artillery opened a steady and deadly fire. Captain Sheets, commanding the Fifty-First, was mor- tally wounded, Lieutenant Wilson was severely wounded, twenty-nine others were wounded, killed or captured. The Rebels lost upward of one hundred men, and two pieces of artillery.
The wounded Union men were left here in a field hospital, under the care of Dr. Spenser, of the Seventy-Third. Late in the afternoon, after having been hardly pressed two hours, Streight halted, faced about, extended his line as far as pos- sible, and awaited a threatened attack. He was assaulted
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COLONEL HATHAWAY.
on the left, on the right and the front, with variety of move- ment on the part of the enemy, but with unvarying boldness and cunning. He met courage with courage, and cunning with cunning, holding his ground until ten at night, when Forrest's withdrawal enabled him to continue his march. He spiked and left on the field the guns he had taken in the morning. His rear continued to be painfully harassed, but no general attack was again attempted until May 2, when, after crossing Black creek, burning behind them the bridge and destroying a quantity of Rebel stores, the troops had halted for rest and food. The engagement which followed was severe. Colonel Hathaway supported the two mountain howitzers, which the Rebels were resolved to capture. Nearly every gunner fell, and at last the good and gallant Hathaway received a mortal wound. "Let me die in the front!" he entreated, as his men carried him from the field.
The enemy fell back, and the little Union force spurred on. Sixty miles lay between it and Rome, where it hoped to cross the Coosa, and check Forrest's pursuit by burning the bridge. Captain Russell, of the Fifty-First, and two hundred men on picked horses, moved in advance, with all possible speed, to surprise and take possession of the import- ant point. What was their dismay as they drew near, at eight o'clock in the morning of the third, to find Rome and the bridge so strongly defended as to leave not a ray of hope. A courier, despatched by Forrest, had arrived six hours pre- viously.
About nine the same day, and not more than fifteen miles from Rome, the main force surrendered. It had halted for breakfast, when the hard pressure of Forrest, with three thou- sand men, drove in the pickets. Our weary soldiers formed once more in line of battle. The little howitzers opened fire. But there was no strength to support the demonstration. Men and horses were alike jaded, and scarcely a round of ammunition remained. Surrender was proposed and accepted, the regiments retaining their colors, the officers and men keeping their private property.
Scouts and skirmishes, and detached expeditions of vari- ous kinds, continued through May and part of June.
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The following letter is from S. K. Fletcher, Adjutant of the Thirty-Third, a small portion of which, with a few members of the Eighty-Fifth, was detained at Franklin, principally in the hospital, during the expedition to Spring Hill, and in consequence escaped capture:
"HEADQUARTERS THIRTY-THIRD INDIANA, ROPER'S KNOB, near Franklin, Tennessee.
"DEAR BROTHER: So much has happened since the first of June, that I shall have to go back to that time and come up to this date, day by day. On the thirtieth and thirty-first of May, the whole army left here for Triune, a little town nine miles east, except the fragments of the Thirty-Third and Eighty-Fifth Indiana, Seventy-Eighth Illinois, Seventh Ken- tucky cavalry, and the convalescents of all other regiments, in all about twelve hundred, or nearly that number of men. Our regiment was left away out by itself, with no pickets outside at all. Of course we had to move, although we dis- liked very much to leave our nice camp. On the first of June, orders came, and as Captain Freeland was quite sick, and Captain McCrea had gone to Nashville, I had to offici- ate as commander and everything else.
"Colonel Baird was in command of the post. He had picked out a very nice place to camp, about a quarter of a mile to the left of the big fort. We found bake ovens, beds, &e., in abundance. The old camps were a sight worth sce- ing. There were beds and houses of all descriptions, chairs, stools, boxes, lumber without end. One would have no idea that so much lumber could be gathered up from the old houses and fences within the limits the soldiers are permitted to rove. It will take a whole army of negroes one season to pull the stakes out of the ground after this war, before it can be cultivated. Just to look over the old camps, you would think there wasn't a forked limb left on any tree within many miles. Every regiment had a lot of Irish wheelbar- rows, and our boys got about two dozen of them. We have but four wagons; so when we moved, there was an un- broken string of wheelbarrows passing to and fro between the old and new camp. After we had hauled the first load,
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FRANKLIN THREATENED.
orders came from Granger to fill the wagons with forage and send them immediately after the army, but we hurried our wagons back and hauled a second load before letting them go. I had just got my tent up and my bed fixed, and the boys were working away hard, flooring their tents, making extension roofs, &c., when an officer came riding up full tilt and ordered us to fall in and march to the fort immediately Everything was dropped, and in fifteen or twenty minutes we were in the fort, ready for any emergency, but none seemed to appear. Some officers in the lookouts reported a few Rebels on the distant hills. So we lay round in the shade of the parapets until nearly dark, when we were or- dered to camp, leaving one company to remain all night. Next morning, Tuesday, June 2, just after the boys had got everything fixed up in the best of style, orders came to move inside our abatis at the fort. Captain MeCrea had returned from Nashville, but was field officer of the day, so I had to take command again. I got on my horse, went to Colonel Baird, found where he wanted us to camp, and went and laid out the ground, just to the right as you go into the fort. I went back and informed the boys that we had to move im- mediately; we had no wagons now, and you may know there was some tall cussing done. Wheelbarrows were soon put into running order, and by night we had a pretty re- spectable looking camp. I put up my quarters just around the west corner of the fort, backed right up against the ditch, just under the mouth of a big sixty-pound howitzer. All the convalescents and the Eighty-Fifth got moved in and fixed up by Wednesday evening. The Seventy-Eighth Illi- nois was then camped on this knob, where we are now.
"Thursday the fourth, a little after noon, our pickets were fired on in front, and we were soon all ordered into the fort. I took possession of a splendid little glass which had been lying in my tent for some time, and by that means could see the whole performance. You remember the old cotton gin, and the large field to the left and right of the turnpike, and you remember the little house on the road away beyond the cotton gin, where we saw one lone picket. 14
2
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THE SOLDIER OF INDIANA.
Right by that house they had one cannon, and over to the right of that, across the road, they had another; right there their cavalry came in and had their first fighting. Our in- fantry were at the cotton-gin. They ran our cavalry in, and then our cavalry ran them back again, and made several charges, our big guns lighting a shell in among them, now and then making them scatter in every direction. A lot of Rebels ran in along the railroad and formed behind the yel- low cottage and high hedge, just beyond the railroad and the house where the negro was setting out cabbage plants the morning we were there. Our boys tried to throw some shells right through the house, and came near doing it. One shell just passed the left side, bursting right among the Rebels; another struck the ground just to the right, making them skedaddle in a hurry. All this time, a large force of cavalry was passing around to the right, away beyond the town, coming in and forming their line near the college, which stands out by itself to the right of the town. A force of about fifteen hundred crossed the river, coming in just be- tween our old camp and the range of hills beyond. They did not attack at all, but cut the wire and tore up a very little of the track. About this time, the Rebels which first approached had got their cannon into position and were get- ting the range of our guns well. Most of their shell burst in air. We could see the smoke from the cannon, and then see the little volume from the bursting shell away up in the air, long before we could hear the report of either. Many fell in the rear below the fort, and some struck the parapet, making heads dodge down and dirt fly up. Several passed over the fort, three within twenty feet of me. They were very near spent, and made a noise just like a quail flying. The boys would watch where they struck, and then go out and get them. None of them burst. Sharp skirmishing was going on all the time, just at the edge of the town, but they finally drove our infantry and cavalry through town and across the river. They threw solid shot down the street, breaking some of our horses' legs. They then came into town, and our boys let into them with some shells and solid shot. They knocked one chimney off the court house, one
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A DISTURBED NIGHT.
solid shot went into a parlor, struck a centre table, smashing miniatures, &c. In another house, a woman had put a loaf of bread into the stove, and taken her baby out of the cradle, to go into the cellar, for fear a shot would strike the house, when just as her head passed below the floor, smash came a shell right into the kitchen, bursting and smashing everything to pieces.
"Just about dark, we heard sharp skirmishing out to the East, and soon three regiments of cavalry came in to rein- force us. Part of the Sixth Kentucky took in around the Rebs and got into a nice little fight, taking ten or twelve prisoners.
"Everybody was ordered to go into the fort to sleep, after supper. It was very dark and looked very much like rain, and I concluded to go to my tent after we got the boys all straight. It was about ten when I got in, but I had not been in bed long before I heard some one asking for the Adjutant's tent. An order came for three men and one cor- poral to relieve the gunners who were standing guard at the magazine. This was a job I did not fancy, as the men were scattered all over the fort, but I got up, and in about half an hour had them all right. About two o'clock, again I heard some one asking at the next tent for " Fletcher." He wanted to know where those other two guards were, who were to stand at the gate. I told him I knew nothing of them, Captain M'Crea detailed them, he must go to him. He swore he did not know where M'Crea was, and the man who was on had been on nearly four hours. The thunder was roaring and the lightning flashing, and the rain just com- mencing to come down. It was hard work to get out, I tell you. I had to tramp the old fort from A to Izzard before I could find the men. It took me about an hour. This is some of the fun of a soldier's life.
"Just at this time our pickets started out again. They went clear out to the edge of town and took their old post. Next morning about eight the fighting commenced again. It did not last long, for by this time we had plenty of cav- alry. The Rebels hovered about all day, but nothing partic- ular happened. The prisoners we took were all well dressed
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THE SOLDIER OF INDIANA.
in butternut, and had good shoes on. On Sunday, the sev- enth, we received orders to move to Roper's Knob and take the place of the Seventy-Eighth Illinois, and complete the works on the Knob. This made the boys rip and charge more than ever, but we got the wagons and at it we went, with wheelbarrows, carts, old running gears of wagons, &c. We soon landed on the top of the hill, about a mile from the fort. We encamped on the bench which extends clear around the hill about three-fourths of the way up. It is a real curiosity. You know how round the hill is. The bench is just wide enough for two rows of tents and a pass-way in front wide enough for a wagon. Right on the edge all round is the abatis. It is a beautiful place to camp, not a bit of dust, all nice sod. I have my tent fixed splendidly. A long table on one side, with my desk on the end. A num- ber one bed on the other side. A good floor nailed down and carpeted with coffee sacks-who could have a better house? I would rather live in it than in any parlor.
" Captain Freeland got worse every day after we left eamp, and on Monday last was sent to Nashville to the officer's hospital.
"On Monday evening I rode down to Colonel Baird's quarters to make arrangements about our picket. As I rode up to his tent and halted my horse, I saw standing in front of it, just arrived, two individuals on horseback, who looked very much like the pictures of two Knights of old. They rode large bay horses. Each had on a nice white Havelock out of some fine material. One was a large, portly man, with black overcoat on, with light complexion, light stubby whiskers, and bright grey eyes. The other was a young man about twenty-four, with fair complexion and slight curled mustache. With his Havelock on he looked rather effeminate. He held his overcoat across his saddle, was in his shirt sleeves, with a nice colored shirt, neat white stand- ing collar fastened with a red button. Both had swords on. The older one, about forty, was talking with Colonel Baird. I inquired of his adjutant who they were. He said the older one was a Colonel, an inspector, the other a Major. They said they had started from Murfreesboro that morning for
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STRANGERS SUSPECTED.
Nashville, that they had missed their road and got away down by Eaglesville; while eating dinner at a house, a squad of Rebels came on to them, capturing their two escorts, and that they merely escaped with their lives. As it was very warm their coats were off, which they had to leave be- hind with some other things in their flight. The Colonel got off, went into Baird's tent, showed his papers from the War Department, and pass from Rosecrans, his orders to report to Nashville, &c., all seeming correct. He wanted to borrow fifty dollars from Baird to help.get them an outfit. Being a Mason, the Colonel loaned him the money, taking his note. He examined a map, showing them the road they had come, &c. Baird's Adjutant, Quartermaster, Sergeant and myself stood and talked with the young man, the Major, ask- ing about affairs in Murfreesboro. They said they were obliged to report at Nashville before morning. Colonel Wat- kins, of - cavalry, told him it was very dangerous to travel the road alone after night, and offered them an escort. The Colonel said it would be a very great accommodation, but when Colonel Watkins told him it would take some little time to get ready, he said they must be going, guessed there would be no danger, they would try it alone.
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