USA > Indiana > The soldier of Indiana in the war for the union, Vol. II > Part 36
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THE SOLDIER OF INDIANA.
that a fragment of a shell struck her in the side. One of the Rebels, wishing to show that he was not afraid of the Yan- kees, rode up and down in front of one of the forts, in a car- riage. One of the boys sighted a gun at him and sent a shell which burst right over the horse, and sent him up the street in a big hurry.
"About three the firing ceased, although we remained in position. An hour afterward, a movement was observed on board of a ferry boat that was lying by one of the steam- boats. It was thought they were trying to get it off and run it down the river, so we commenced firing at it from the right gun. We had just fired the fourth shot, the eannon- eers and drivers of the other guns were lying round, some behind trees and others watching the shot, when, at the mo- ment it exploded, a thirty-two pound shell came whizzing among us. Passing between the wheels of the left gun, it struck the ground about twelve feet from it. Abram M'Cor- kle was lying near, with his left leg extended and his right drawn up. The shell struck his left leg between the foot and knee, taking it entirely off. Glancing up, after striking the ground, it killed four horses in the caisson team, the shell going through and through every one of them. If the drivers had been at their posts, they would all have been hurt. Our horses are so well trained that they will not move from where they are standing, and are not alarmed in the least by the report of the guns. M'Corkle was carried off to an ambulance, the harness was taken off the dead horses, part of the gun team was changed to the caisson, everything was straightened up, and we were loading to re- ply to this thirty-two pounder, when we were ordered down the road by Colonel Wilder, to go into camp.
"It was the first shot the Rebels had fired from this gun, which they had just brought up. They happened to get the range at once.
"We camped for the night about five miles north of Chat- tanooga, at the foot of the mountains.
"Twenty-second. We staid in camp until evening, when one section of the battery went up on the hill in front of Chattanooga, and opened on the thirty-two-pounder. We
419
THE BULWARKS OF CHATTANOOGA.
fired about twenty shot, putting some in very close around it. They fired five shots and quit. It was too hot for them to remain near their gun, although they were behind their works.
"September 25. We are doing nothing now except lying here to prevent the Rebels crossing the river. We go up every once in a while and shell the town just for amusement. Everything goes on smoothly. Wagner's brigade is camped up on the mountain above us. Palmer's division is back about three miles from us."
The lines which sever the States of Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama are drawn among the highest and ruggedest of the Cumberland Mountains, where the broad, bright Ten- nessee, with impetus acquired from a hundred turbulent tor- rents, cuts its way toward the south-west. Bold, bleak spurs of the Cumberland Mountain range, running parallel, cross the corner of Georgia, and sink into the plains of Alabama. Raccoon range, of which the northern extremity is called Sand Mountain, skirts the river. Its summit is an almost barren plateau, twelve or fifteen miles wide. Lookout Mountain, two miles east of Raccoon, rises two thousand four hundred feet above the level of the sea, and is so rugged that, in fifty miles, but three wagon-roads are practicable, of which, one overlooks the Tennessee two miles below Chatta- nooga, and the others are twenty-six and forty-two miles be- low the same point. The top, contrary to the expectation of the fatigued mountain climber, is table-land, and is beautified by a heavy growth of trees, and by smooth though infrequent streams. At its western base is Lookout valley, watered by Lookout creek. At its eastern base is MeLemore's cove, the lower part of which is divided by Missionary ridge, a chain of wooded hills, into Chattanooga and Chickamauga valleys, each traversed by a stream of the same name. Pigeon ridge branches out from the southern extremity of Lookout Moun- tain, and forms the eastern wall of MeLemore's cove. The three ranges, Raccoon, Lookout and Pigeon, with Missionary ridge, are, in a special manner, guardians of Chattanooga, and by their position and situation, make it what it is appro- priately called, the "Central Citadel of the South."
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THE SOLDIER OF INDIANA.
Chattanooga lies between Lookout Mountain and Mis- sionary ridge, in the mouth of the little valley of its name. The word signifies "Eagle's Nest," and was first and most fitly applied to the beetling cliff of Lookout Mountain, whence it was transferred to the town at its base. Chicka- mauga is said to mean "River of Death."
In little more than two weeks from its appearance on the northern shores of the Tennessee, the army of General Rose- crans, by the aid of rafts and pontoon bridges, landed on the southern banks. McCook and Thomas climbed Raccoon ridge by different but equally difficult and devious paths, and met at 'Trenton, in the upper part of Lookout valley. Thence they proceeded in a south-easterly direction, toward the At- lanta railroad, to gain the rear of the Rebel army, to cut its communications, and to strike its reinforcements in detail. Crittenden moved directly toward Chattanooga, and discov- ered, with equal astonishment and satisfaction, that it was abandoned. Throwing into it Wagner's brigade to serve as garrison, with the main part of his corps he rapidly pursued the trail of the enemy.
Intelligence of Bragg's retreat gave new vigor to the toil- ing troops of McCook and Thomas, and they hastened to intercept his march before it should reach Rome, a strong position on the Oostanaula, the Etowah and the Coosa. McCook was at Alpine, more than forty miles south of the Tennessee river, Thomas was at Dug Gap, in Pigeon ridge, and Crittenden was at Ringgold, when Rosecrans became aware that Bragg, though manœuvred out of his mountain fastness, so far from continuing his retreat, was receiving re- inforcements, and was now concentrating along the highway from Lafayette to Gordon's Mills, preparatory to striking his pursuers in detail, or to turning their entire flank, in order to return to Chattanooga and destroy the bridges and all means of communicating with the North.
It may be believed that General Rosecrans and his corps commanders never so felt the force of the national maxim, "Union is strength." After making two attempts to clear Dug Gap, first with Negley's division alone, then with Baird and Negley together, Thomas moved down McLemore's
421
LINE OF BATTLE.
cove on the eleventh of September. The next day Critten- den made a rapid flank march to the left of Thomas. Wil- der, who, in clearing the way for his advance, had gone so far as Tunnel Hill, and lost, in one skirmish, thirty men, now protected his rear. Owing to the treachery of his guide, Wilder was surrounded, and narrowly escaped capture; but he fought his way out, and by a night's march reached Gor- don's Mills. McCook faced about on the thirteenth, and re- tracing his laborious route over the mountains, was able, on the night of the seventeenth, to touch Thomas' right with the advanee, Johnson's division.
At this time Crittenden, at Gordon's Mills, which are ten miles from Chattanooga, and on the Chickamauga river, formed the left, Thomas the centre, and McCook the right, the order being the same as on the previous marches, and in the battle of Stone river. Negley, detached from his corps, guarded Owen's ford. Several miles to the left the reserve corps, under Granger, guarded the approaches to Rossville. Nearly every man had twenty rounds of ammunition in his pocket, beside the usual quantity in his cartridge-box.
An attack in strong force on Minty, and afterwards on Minty and Wilder, who were both on Crittenden's left, near Alexander's bridge, four miles north-east of Gordon's Mills, made it evident that the enemy, unable to interpose between Crittenden and Thomas, was now crossing the Chickamauga in order to plant himself between Crittenden and Chatta- nooga, and made it necessary to concentrate still more to the left. A constant shifting of divisions through Friday, Friday night and Saturday morning (every movement unfortunately noted by the enemy, from Pigeon mountain, where he him- self was unseen) resulted in line of battle in the following order of divisions from left to right: Brannan, Baird, John- son, Reynolds, Palmer, Van Cleve, Wood, Davis, Sheridan, (the two last withdrawn from the front) and Negley. Wil- der's brigade having rejoined its division, occupied nearly the centre of the line, and was dismounted. The army was about forty-five thousand strong. It faced the east, lying more than two miles along the Chattanooga and Lafayette road, the right at Gordon's Mills, the left two or three miles
422
THE SOLDIER OF INDIANA.
from Chattanooga river, which runs north-east. General Rosecrans' quarters were in the rear of Crittenden's corps, in a log cabin, of which spinning wheel and loom formed the chief furniture.
General Bragg had possession of nearly all the fords, and was able to move two thirds of his army across the river. Polk was in command of his right, Hood of his left.
The first blow of a general battle was struck by Croxton's brigade, of Brannan's division, about ten in the morning, just after that brigade had reached the extreme left. Croxton drove it back, but being attacked by a superior infantry force, he became engaged in a desperate and doubtful struggle which was fast turning to his disadvantage, when Van Cleve, and at length Baird, came to his aid. In this struggle, Col- onel Carroll, of our Tenth, fell mortally wounded. Baird defeated and pursued the Rebel infantry, but halting to re- adjust his line, he learned from prisoners that the enemy was in force on his right wing. He attempted immediately to withdraw his right, Scribner's brigade; but Scribner was al- ready reeling before overwhelming numbers. Loomis' bat- tery was lost. Four pieces of the Fourth Indiana, after firing sixty rounds, were captured. Starkweather, also thrown into disorder, lost nearly all his artillerymen and horses. Whole battalions of Regulars in King's brigade, were cap- tured.
Thus in his turn, defeated and pursued by a larger force, Baird owed his escape not more to his own efforts than to the speed with which Johnson, Reynolds and Palmer has- tened to his relief. Johnson's division had just reached the ground, after marching several hours through intense heat and thick dust. It was thrown into line, and skirmishers ad- vanced without a moment's rest. The enemy fell back until Johnson's division, pushing him, was separated from the other divisions, when he turned fiercely, and while bearing down on the front, outflanked Johnson's left. The Ninety- Third Ohio and Sixth Indiana here met him, but though with their first united fire they killed every horse and disa- bled half the men in a Rebel battery, they were not able to repulse him, until Colonel Baldwin, seizing the colors of the
423
"O LIFE AND DEATH WERE IN THE SHOUT!"
Ohio regiment, and shouting: "Rally round the flag, boys!" led a charge against the flankers. Two Rebel guns were left in Baldwin's hands.
Willich's and Dodge's brigades repeatedly repulsed the enemy from the front, and at last, in an impetuous charge, drove him off the field. Willieli captured five guns and caissons.
Overpowered by Palmer and Reynolds, the Rebels fell back to the river with great loss.
For an hour there was no fighting. Seribner had gallantly rallied his men and coolly reformed them under fire. Baird and Brannan, taking advantage of the pause, now organized their broken lines. General Thomas prepared his left to meet another onset of the enemy. But instead of reap- proaching the extreme left in force, the Rebels massed in front of General Reynolds and came full upon him, pushing him back and necessitating an immediate removal of Bran- nan from the left to his support. At the same time, they assaulted the centre and right, which had previously been engaged only in artillery firing. Thomas' front was thrown into disorder, but was almost immediately restored. It not only held its ground, but repeatedly hurled baek its assail- ants. The battle now raged over the whole ground, show- ing its ebb and flow only by smoke and dust, roar and rattle. Hood succeeded in pushing back Davis' division, and in capturing the Eighth Indiana battery; but after nearly four hours of unequal fighting, Davis was reinforced by Bradley's brigade of Sheridan's division, and enabled not only to re- gain the battery, but to capture a number of prisoners. The reserve corps was also attacked with fierceness, but after it had repulsed a single attack it remained unmolested.
About five in the afternoon, a terrifie assault was made on the front, flank and rear of Johnson, who was somewhat isolated. The sun sank to rest and darkness enveloped the field while the struggle continued. The combatants grap- pled hand to hand. Blows and groans and eurses and pray- ers loaded the air. Colonel Baldwin was fatally shot. Lieu- tenant Colonel Tripp was severely wounded. Captain Rus- sell was shot dead. "Captain Palmer Dunn fell dead while
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THE SOLDIER OF INDIANA.
leading his brave company on with the Stars and Stripes, the banner of beauty, in one hand, and his sword in the other." * Captain Cutler also fell leading his company. Major Collins, and many others of the Twenty-Ninth were captured.
At length Baird's division became engaged, and in the end the enemy was repulsed.
The Union army fought stoutly throughout Saturday the nineteenth, and at night held an unbroken front before which lay a ghastly show of Rebel dead; but it was too conscious that it had put forth its whole strength, and too well aware of the enemy's superiority, to allow of congratulation, or of sanguine expectations. The Rebel host, on the contrary, was elated, and as it was still receiving reinforcements more largely than at the beginning, it outnumbered its antagonist. During the night, Breckinridge's division moved from the extreme Rebel left to the extreme right, preparatory to strik- ing a bold and strong blow at an early hour, for the road to Chattanooga.
Sunday morning, a portion of the left, the centre and right of Rosecrans' left wing, now comprising more than half the army, took advantage of a heavy fog and threw up breast- works of logs and rails. At the same time, Beatty's brigade of Negley's division marched to the left and formed in a long, thin line, facing the north, and on the right connecting with Baird. At half-past eight the fog having risen, so that there was no longer danger of running into hostile lines, an effort was made to close up M'Cook's and Crittenden's widely extended divisions.
During these movements on the right and left, the Rebel army was also in motion, not changing positions nor con- centrating, but marching to assault. Breckinridge, followed by all the Rebel right wing, pushed against Thomas's left, outflanked it, and easily gained the coveted road. Here his progress was checked, but, after a short time, his antagonists, Baird and Beatty, were forced to fall back. They had not retreated far when Vandever's brigade, which was Brannan's
* The words of a comrade.
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"RECOIL AND RALLY, CHARGE AND ROUT."
reserve, charged down the road from the right, and some of Johnson's troops, with Grose's brigade of Palmer's division, and a part of Stanley's, met Breckinridge, stopped his ad- vance, turned his course, pursued him, scattered his force, and regained the road. Under the protection of artillery, Breckinridge rallied on a commanding height, and being re- inforced, renewed the combat with more than double his previous strength. Johnson, Palmer and Reynolds received assault upon assault, almost unmoved, behind their breast- works, while the force on their left swayed backward with ever changing fortune and never flagging fury.
On the right the battle was confused and uncertain. General Wood, misunderstanding an order, left his position in the front under fire, and moved to the support of General Reynolds. The enemy poured in after him, like high waters through a broken embankment, before Davis, moving with the utmost haste, could reach the break. The confusion which resulted was frightful to the extreme stretch of the imagination. Davis' division, attacked on flank and rear, was routed. Sheridan, who was moving to reinforce Thomas, was overwhelmed. Parts of Brannan's, Van Cleve's, Neg- ley's and Palmer's divisions; Wilder's brigade, which changes in the line, had made the extreme right, all the am- munition trains, General Rosecrans himself, with Crittenden, M'Cook, Davis, Sheridan, and uncounted subordinate officers, were swept off. At two o'clock in the afternoon, nothing of the right wing remained.
Meantime, a messenger, whom Thomas had sent to has- ten the march of Sheridan, returned with the intelligence that a very large force, of doubtful character, was moving toward an opening which commanded the rear of Reynolds. Wood, though unaware of the mischief he had done, con- firmed the report. In consequence, while he, with the main part of his division was moved to the left of Brannan, where fighting was severer, Harker's brigade was detached and posted directly in front of the new danger. Harker was too weak to effect more than a momentary check, but he stood to his task, firing sharply on advancing skirmishers. At this crisis, General Granger, who had been attracted from his dis-
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THE SOLDIER OF INDIANA.
tant post by the roar of artillery, came on the ground. Gen- eral Thomas immediately despatched to him a staff officer, Captain Johnson of the Second Indiana, with orders to push across the field and form on Brannan's right. Rushing to the gap which was now disgorging the Rebel force, Granger engaged in one of the hardest struggles of the day. Bent on clearing the pass, when cannon and muskets failed, he fell baek upon bayonets, and with cold steel presented, had the joy of seeing the enemy turn and fly. "A thousand of our brave men," says Rosecrans, "paid for the possession of the pass."
Brannan, weakened by the loss of his right, had much ado to hold his ground, and could not have done it without the aid coming promptly when most needed, of the Ninth, Sixty- Eighth and One Hundred and First Indiana regiments, with the Twenty-First Ohio.
Thomas' flanks were gradually pushed back, and his front was forced to retire, until his line formed on an arc of a cir- cle on a slope of Missionary ridge, the left resting on the La- fayette road, the right on the gap which commanded the rear. It was a strong and in every respect an advantageous posi- tion. The concentrated Rebel host seethed and foamed at its foot, rose upon it and fell back from it, under the cover and in the face of an incessant artillery fire. But Thomas' troops were panting with thirst, a large proportion having been without water the previous as well as the present day. His ammunition now was almost gone. The last rounds of shot and powder were distributed, and Reynolds began the retreat. Turchin, facing to the right while on the march, routed and drove a large Rebel force which was advancing from the woods, where it had formed unobserved. He cap- tured two hundred prisoners, and then with Robinson and Willich, covered the rear of Reynolds. Wood, Brannan, Granger and Palmer, retired in turn, Palmer fighting, but with little loss. Johnson and Baird left the ridge last, and moved as best they could under the vindictive fire of the vic- torious enemy.
Night was now coming on, and as General Bragg was too cautious to risk his victory by a pursuit through darkness
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THE BATTLE-FIELD.
and the uncertain mazes of a wilderness, General Thomas, without interruption or disturbance, formed the army in front of Rossville, from the left of the Ringgold road to and along Missionary ridge, on the right of Rossville pass. Minty's cavalry took up a position on the Ringgold road, a mile or two in front. By Monday noon, in splendid line of battle, the army awaited the Rebels. It saw them approach through clouds of dust, halt, prepare for assault, throw out skirmish- ers to feel for weak points, and drive in Minty's advance. In array brave and magnificent, as if it had never known defeat, or disaster, it waited while the day lasted. But the Rebels continued to hold off.
Monday night the army retired quietly and beautifully to Chattanooga. It threw up intrenchments and made every preparation to receive assault.
The Rebels took possession of the mountains, and looked down in surly silence upon the thronged streets of their lost citadel. They held the battle-field, but wearying of the work of burial, left hundreds to moulder and bleach in the line where the ball had struck them, or in the nook to which their dying strength had dragged them. To this day the visitor to that dreary ground sees the bones of men among the peb- bles on the banks of the River of Death.
Few modern fields have been so overlaid with dead. Gen- eral Bragg, who had fully sixty thousand men engaged, ad- mits a loss of nearly eighteen thousand, nearly all killed and wounded. General Rosecrans, who had forty-five thousand on the field, lost upwards of sixteen thousand in the battle, several thousand in previous skirmishes, and by straggling a number sufficient to swell the amount to twenty thousand. As there was no water on the battle field, his wounded, about nine thousand in number, were all taken to Crawfish Springs, six miles to the rear, and laid on the ground, as near the spring as possible. Here thousands of them were captured. Rosecrans lost also thirty-six guns.
The battle of Chickamauga was not planned by any brain, nor was it, as a whole, or even largely in part, observed by any eye; and it occupied so much time, both of day and night, spread over so much and such uneven ground, it was
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THE SOLDIER OF INDIANA.
conducted in such disorder, and was followed by such crimi- nation and recrimination, that it remains, in its details, a comparatively obscure event. To compensate for unavoida- ble deficieney in general description, as full notice as is pos- sible of Indiana soldiers, individually and in regiments, is appended; also, epistolary narratives. The proportion of In- dianians engaged was, of course, large. General Reynolds and General Davis were on the field with their divisions, and Willich, Dodge, Cruft, Grose, Wilder, Dick and others, in command of brigades. Twenty-eight regiments of infantry, two regiments and a battalion of cavalry, and eight batteries were in the battle. From General Reynolds, who was grand and brave as the invincible rock, and who was second in effi- ciency only to General Thomas, down to Orderly Shirk, who died with the flag in his hand, and to the private, who had no title, and who with his life lost his name, they did their duty.
The Sixth lost one hundred and eight, killed and wounded, eleven missing. Lieutenant Colonel Tripp, who was in com- mand, was severely wounded. Captain Russell was killed. Colonel Tripp, Major Campbell and surgeon Schüssler were specially commended by General Johnson. Colonel Bald- win, who had charge of the brigade, was mortally wounded on the nineteenth. He was a gallant, kindly gentleman, and an able officer.
The Ninth lost one hundred and sixteen out of three hun- dred and thirteen, killed and wounded. Lieutenants Cris- well, Niekston and Parks were killed, and Shipherd was mor- tally wounded. Captains Healey, Craner and Merritt, and Lieutenants Creviston, Marshall, Martin and Brickett were wounded. General Hazen, in his report, mentions with com- mendation Lieutenant Colonel Lasselle, Captain Cole, Lieu- tenant Bierce and surgeon Sherman; and after enumerating the Colonels of his brigade, Colonel Suman, of the Ninth, of course, included, he says: "They, with their regiments, are veterans, of so frequent trial that it would be mockery to praise them with words."
The tenth lost twenty-four killed, one hundred and twen- ty-seven wounded, and five missing, Colonel Carroll and Lieutenant Jones among the killed.
429
CASUALTIES.
The Twenty-Ninth lost one hundred and seventy, fully one-half of its number. Two Captains were killed. Lieu- tenant Reese was missing. The regiment was led by Colo- nel Dunn.
The Thirtieth lost more than half its number on the first day of the battle. Six of its officers were wounded, two were killed, three were captured, and but four remained. It was warmly engaged and suffered severely also on the sec- ond day. Lieutenants Phelps and Eberly were the officers who were killed. Colonel Hurd was in command.
In the Thirty-First four were killed and sixty-six were wounded. Captain Lease was killed. He was one of the most faithful and able officers in the regiment, and was a man of sincere piety. Lieutenant Colonel Neff received a severe wound in the arm on Saturday, but he fought through both days, and accompanied his regiment in its retreat. Colonel Smith, in command, received the commendation of General Palmer.
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