USA > Massachusetts > History of the Thirty-sixth regiment Massachusetts volunteers. 1862-1865 > Part 6
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At three o'clock A.M. of the 11th the men were noise- lessly aroused. and coffee, prepared by the company cooks, was served out. With the earliest streak of dawn the lines again moved forward, and the skirmishing opened sharply. The rebels yielded ground stubbornly, but were forced back into their main line of defence .- a formidable
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THE MOVEMENT ON JACKSON.
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work constructed of cotton bales. Here they opened a heavy fire of grape and canister, against which it was impossible to advance. But not an inch was yielded. The brigade laid flat on the ground, and the iron storm passed over, doing little damage. The line was formed in a wood, in front of which was an open field, the other side of which; about two hundred yards distant, was held by the rebels, and their rifle- men were in trees, picking off our men, wherever exposed. The skirmishers of the Forty-sixth Ohio suffered considerable loss, being less sheltered by the wood than those of our brigade. Nothing farther could be done until artillery could be brought up; but the ground was unfavorable for it, and matters came to a pause.
Lieutenant Benjamin reconnoitred the ground and the po- sition of the enemy, but could not find any position which gave him room to work his guns. All day the regiment lay under a constant and galling fire awaiting orders.
Companies A and F were sent out to skirmish, relieving the Forty-fifth Pennsylvania. Captain Draper was ordered to connect with the skirmishers of Smith's division, who were said to be in position in a wood at our right, and several hundred yards to the front. In our own front was an open field, sloping toward the enemy's position. The two companies promptly deployed, and went forward on the double-quick, driving in the rebel pickets, only to find that the line supposed to be General Smith's skirmishers was the rebel main line. They opened fire. killing two and wounding six of Company F, who, with Company A, returned the fire. Seeing that some mistake had been made, and to prevent needless sacrifice, Captain Draper ordered a retreat, halting at a point midway between the enemy's line and our own, where the ground afforded some protection. Here the two companies held their position nearly all day until relieved.
The rebels during this time were unable to send out any more pickets, owing to our fire ; but several adventurous men among them tried to observe our movements, and take an
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THIRTY-SIXTH REGIMENT.
July,
occasional shot by climbing trees inside their lines. Our boys had the good fortune to bring two or three of them to the ground during the day, Sergeant Daniel Wright, afterwards lieutenant, making one of the successful shots. The loss in Company F was two killed and six wounded. George H. Ellis, of Milford, one of the killed, was shot through the breast. This young man, the only son of a widowed mother, was a favorite in his company and with all who knew him. He had been acting as clerk at head-quarters until just prior to the commencement of this movement, and by his cheerful and gentlemanly conduct had won the regard of all the officers there. His death was deplored by all. Amos Hoyt was also killed, shot through the stomach. O. Howard, James Smith, T. L. Ellsworth, J. C. Higgins, D. Perham, and E. W. Anson, were wounded. Company A, being less exposed, met with no loss, though it also received a heavy fire from the rebel sharp-shooters.
This loss in Company F can only be considered as an unnecessary one. No impression was made upon the enemy ; the main line was not advanced, for the First Division was now close upon the enemy, and any advance would have brought on a general engagement, which, it seems, General Sherman did not desire. There was evidently some misun- derstanding between Generals Sherman and Parke, for the latter had made all his disposition for an assault on the morn- ing of the 11th. This may have been caused by the check met with by the Thirteenth Corps, on the right. One division of this corps. General Lauman's, had been roughly handled, and repulsed with a loss of over five hundred men and. some colors. The position of Johnston's forces was stronger than had been expected, and his troops fought well. There was much anxiety on the part of both Colonel Bowman, com- manding the brigade, and Lieutenant-Colonel Norton, com- manding the Thirty-sixth Regiment, when Companies A and F were ordered out without supports, and only positive orders prevented Colonel Norton from going out with his
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regiment to the support of these companies when it was learned what their position was. If a reconnoisance was the object it was eminently successful ; but otherwise the brave advance of Company F can only be cited as a proof of the good fighting qualities of the men, and a credit to their discipline.
The skirmishers upon the right of the First Brigade were not more than two rods in advance of the position held by the Thirty-sixth Massachusetts, and it was with this line that Companies A and F were to connect. There were some very dangerous intervals between the different brigades, consider- ing the near proximity of the rebel force, and only good luck. or the concealment afforded by the woods, prevented their being observed and taken advantage of by the enemy.
Toward night a thunder-squall came up, and for over an hour the battle raged with even greater fury, the booming of man's artillery seeming to vie with Heaven's. It was a per- fect pandemonium of sound. The rain fell in torrents, the lightning flashed, thunder pealed incessantly, and shot and shell from the rebel guns fell and burst around. It seemed as if "man fought on earth, and fiends in upper air." At four P.M. Companies A and F were relieved by E and K. The latter had hardly taken position when they were handsomely charged upon by the rebel skirmishers, who were as handsomely repulsed, Captain Warriner being in command of the picket. That night the men lay on their arms quietly, and on the morning of the 12th the brigade was relieved by a brigade of the Second Division, and marched to the rear, taking a position near the Lunatic Asylum.
The movement now settled down into the nature of a siege. General Sherman, being desirous of saving life, resolved upon regular approaches by riffe-pits to force a surrender of the city. During the 12th and 13th the regiment lay quietly in the rear, resting and keeping as cool as possible in the shelter of a piece of wood. Occasionally the rebels would throw a
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THIRTY-SIXTH REGIMENT.
July,
thirty-two pound shot over into our neighborhood, creating some excitement, but doing no harm.
On the 14th and 15th the regiment was again at the front, and occupied the rifle-pits, Major Goodell being in command. No loss was suffered during these two days, the men having good shelter and having learned not to expose themselves unnecessarily. The heaviest fighting seemed to be upon the extreme right, the lines of investment having the Pearl river on both flanks.
Some exciting incidents occurred, from time to time, to vary the monotony. One day the men of the Second Michigan lost their temper; and with the idea, perhaps, of taking Jackson alone, made a gallant charge, breaking through two lines of rebels, greatly to the astonishment of the second line, whose arms were stacked and the men here and there, not expecting callers. Not being supported, they were compelled to fall back, which they did, very coolly, bringing their killed and wounded.
Even a battle is not without its laughable side. One day, while the regiment was in reserve, the men occu- pied in various ways to kill time, suddenly shouting and firing were heard on the right. The noise rapidly increased and approached, and, its cause being doubtful, the men fell in on the stacks. Presently there came dashing along a black pig, one of the semi-wild species which wander about in this region, and had rashly approached the lines, not being aware that pork was a favorite dish. He met with a warm reception. A sharp fusilade was opened upon him, and piggy fell, covered with glory, having almost attained the honor of breaking through the lines of the Fifteenth Corps. Ere the echo of his dying squeal had fairly ceased he was broiling in steaks over the camp-fires.
July 12th news was. received of the fall of Port Hudson, the battle of Gettysburg, and the defeat of Lee. The cheering along the lines was deafening, and the drooping spirits of all were roused by the glorious tidings. Early on
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1863.
THE MOVEMENT ON JACKSON.
the morning of the 13th the rebels made a sudden and vigor- ous sortie in front of Colonel Griffin's command. They were repulsed with severe loss, and did not repeat the attempt.
On the 16th General Potter, with the Second Division and Smith's division, made a reconnoissance. They advanced until the enemy opened heavily with shell and canister, when they fell back, having accomplished the desired end of dis- covering the exact position and strength of the enemy. This day General Sherman received a large supply of ammunition, of which he had run very short, and it was determined to bombard the works and assault them on the 17th ; but during the night the enemy's artillery and wagons could be distinctly heard moving through the town, and, when morning dawned, a white flag was seen on the rebel earthworks. General Fer- rero's brigade, in which was the Thirty-fifth Massachusetts, entered Jackson, placed guards over the public property, and sent out parties to pick up stragglers from the retreating rebels. One thirty-two pounder was found in their works, about one thousand stand of arms, and a large quantity of munitions of war. One officer and one hundred and thirty- seven men were captured. The railroad depot, and a few buildings containing publie property, were destroyed. The flag of the Thirty-fifth Massachusetts waved from the dome of the capitol of Mississippi.
General Johnston, in his " Narrative" (page 209), says his army retreated east, to Brandon, where some soldiers, who had been asleep when he evacuated Jackson rejoined him late in the day, "and reported that at the time they left Jackson, at seven or eight o'clock, the enemy had not dis- covered his [Johnston's] retreat." This is incorrect. In the report of the Adjutant-General of Massachusetts, 1863, the Thirty-fifth Massachusetts reports as follows : "it about daylight, discovering that the enemy's works were evacuated, moved forward," ete. The writer of these pages recorded, in a diary written on the spot, the following: "At daylight this morning the Second Division, being in front, heard loud
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THIRTY-SIXTH REGIMENT.
July.
cheering, and learned that the rebels had evacuated Jackson." In a letter written home at the time, I also find these words : " At six o'clock this morning it was found that the enemy had abandoned Jackson, and General Ferrero's brigade at once entered the city." Certainly this should dispose of the charge of lack of vigilance on our part. It seems that these men did not report how they got across Pearl river, the bridges of which were destroyed by Johnston's rear guard before daylight, and if they were not aroused by their own com- rades movements it is not very strange that the retreat was not discovered by our piekets. In this engagement John- ston had about 28.000 by his own admission,1 though the rebel Secretary of War reported his force at 34,000. John- ston reported his army drawn from different commands, as follows : From Pemberton, 9,831; Bragg, 7,939; Beaure- gard, 6,283 ; in all, 24,053. He also had a force of about 2,500 cavalry under General Jackson. These figures are no doubt nearly correct. The lines around Jackson were de- fended by these troops in four divisions, - the right, under General Loring, extending from Pearl river to the Canton road ; General Walker's division, from the Canton road to across the Clinton road ; General French's division, from the Clinton road to the New Orleans Railroad, and the left, under General Breckenridge, extended from the railroad to the river. That part of the line held by General Walker was in front of the Thirty-sixth Massachusetts.
General Johnston reported his loss in the battle 71 killed. 504 wounded, and 25 missing. As we captured 138 prison- ers, there seems to be a wide discrepancy between their missing and our captures. It is, therefore, quite probable that the rebel losses were much greater than their general admits in killed and wounded.
The losses on our part, according to General Sherman's re- port, were as follows : Thirteenth Corps, 762 killed wounded,
1 .Johnston's " Narrative," page 195.
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THE MOVEMENT ON JACKSON.
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and missing : Ninth Corps, 37 killed, 258 wounded, 33 mis- sing ; Fifteenth Corps, a few ; number not stated. General Sherman also adds that he captured, in all, over 1,000 prisoners during the battle. These captures must have been made by the Thirteenth and Fifteenth Corps. The latter, Sherman's own corps, consisted of the First and Third Divi- sions, under Generals Steele and Tuttle, and held the centre ; the Thirteenth Corps, as before remarked, being on the right. Why this fine corps. the Fifteenth, was held back, and allowed to take so little part in this battle, as is evident from their slight loss, is among the mysteries of the war. The battle seemed to be one of disjointed attacks, first in one place and then another. It was the general opinion among the officers that a simultaneous and vigorous assault of Johnstou's lines on the first day of the fight would have carried them. It is pos- sible that General Sherman feared to risk the consequences of a repulse so far from any base or reinforcements. The movement up to the attack upon Jackson was a bold one, and boldly pushed. Much dissatisfaction was expressed that an affair that might have been settled in a day should have dragged along a week in this most trying season of the year for such work. General JJohnston felt well satisfied to be able to draw off his army safely from what might have been made a second Vicksburg.
It was hoped that the capture of Jackson would be the close of the campaign, the impolicy of pursuing a demoralized enemy further at this season being apparent to all. But there was hard work yet to do. Scarcely was it known that the city was in possession of our forces ere marching orders were received, and together with the other regiments of the First Division the Thirty-sixth marched about eight miles north, to a place called Grant's Mills, where we bivouacked for the night. Early on Saturday, the 18th. we marched five miles and struck the Mississippi Central Rail- road. During this day and until ten A. M. of the 19th the regiment was engaged in destroying this railroad. Tough
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July,
work it would have been, even in the coolest weather and under the most favorable circumstances ; but under a burn- ing July sun, with no shelter, the work was terribly exhaust- ing. The method of proceeding was to tear up the rails and lay them crosswise with alternate rows of sleepers. When a pile was built as high as the rails could be lifted, a fire was kindled beneath, and the rails, red-hot, were warped and ruined by the weight of the mass of rails and sleepers above. Another way was to heat the middle of a rail red hot and twist it around a tree. In this way about ten miles of this railroad were destroyed by the division in two days, rendering a main line of transportation useless and seriously crippling the rebel communications.
At noon of the 19th, after setting fire to a depot which burned like a tinder-box, we commenced the return march to Jackson. The fatigues and sufferings of this march were par- tially forgotten in the glad tidings which there awaited us, that the Ninth Corps was under orders to proceed North at once.
At three A.M., July 20th, the regiment was on the march, and with the exception of a halt from eleven A.M. to three P.M. marched till dark, in all a distance of eighteen miles.
In recalling this day and the one following no man of the Thirty-sixth can fail to be overcome with the memories to which it will give rise. The regiment was a mere wreck. When it halted for the night. on the 20th, one man of Company E dropped down and died of exhaustion. and while on the march one of Company HI died from the same canse in an ambulance. When the regiment halted at noon of the 21st it did not stack one hundred guns, and, for no apparent reason whatever, on these two days, the regiment marched a distance of thirty-two miles. The heat and dust were overpowering, and officers forgot all discipline and straggled with the rest. The ambulance and teams were crowded with exhausted men. At nine P.M. of the 21st
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the regiment halted about a mile from the Big Black river, bivouacking in a cornfield ; a delightful place in some respeets, because lying between the hills one could not easily roll out of bed, and the savory diet on which the regiment had regaled for about three weeks could be picked in all its luxuriance from the bed-posts. The single objection to corn- stalks two or three inches in diameter for bedding is that they have a depressing influence upon the bones of the hips and back.
July 22d the regiment did not move until noon, and then only four miles, crossing the Big Black river, and camped in a shady wood, with plenty of water at hand. It appeared to have dawned upon some one in command of this division or corps that there is a limit to man's endurance. July 23d reveille was sounded at two A.M. and, marching at four, we pushed on rapidly, the day being unusually comfortable, and at eleven o'clock A. M., after a march of fourteen miles, arrived at the old camp at Milldale.
The condition of the regiment at this time was miserable indeed. Sixteen cases of small-pox and varioloid, three being officers, were under treatment, and the regimental hos- pital was filled with sick. The adjutant's morning report of July 24th was as follows: 6 officers and 98 men present sick, and 63 men absent in hospitals, 25 officers and 343 men present for duty.
It was a season of general depression among all, and the only thing to relieve the gloom was the prospect of a speedy departure for the North, -an event most anxiously awaited and desired. To add to the general discouragement, a number of officers of the regiment who had resigned received their discharge. Colonel Bowman, Lieutenant-Colonel Norton, and Lieutenants Tucker and Holbrook left for the North August 2d, making six officers lost to the regiment since its arrival in Mississippi. Major Goodell took command of the regiment July 30th. The resignation of Colonel Bowman left the brigade in command of Colonel David Morrison, of
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THIRTY-SIXTH REGIMENT.
July,
the Seventy-ninth New York " Highlanders," and the brigade was now composed of the Seventy-ninth New York, Forty- - fifth Pennsylvania, Eighth and Seventeenth Michigan, and Thirty-sixth Massachusetts, -the entire brigade numbering hardly five hundred men fit for service.
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THE RETURN TO KENTUCKY.
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CHAPTER VII.
THE RETURN TO KENTUCKY.
THE days between our arrival at Milldale and the de- parture for the North were devoted to rest and recruiting the shattered strength of the men. Never was rest so wel- come, never so necessary, as now. Various diseases prevailed. Mumps and chills and fever spread rapidly, and it is safe to say that there was not an officer or man in the regiment, who could call himself well and hearty .. Whiskey, doctored with quinine, was served out at this time as a protection against chills. Although it was of the genuine "lightning" brand " commissary " it probably did little good, the mischief being already done, and the "ounce of prevention" came too late.
August 2d all the sick who could be moved were sent off to a hospital boat, and Surgeon Prince went in charge of them. On this day also the following Special Order was received from General Grant : -
HEAD-QUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE TENNESSEE, VICKSBURG, MISSISSIPPI, July 31st, 1863.
SPECIAL ORDER No. 207.
In returning the Ninth Corps to its former command, it is with pleasure that the general commanding acknowledges its valuable services in the campaign just closed. Arriving at Vicksburg opportunely, taking position to hold at bay Johnston's army, then threatening the forces investing the city, it was ready and eager to assume the aggressive at any moment. After the fall of Vicksburg it formed a part of the army which drove Johnston from his position near the Big Black river into his entrenchments at Jackson, and, after a siege of eight days, compelled him to fly in disorder from
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August,
the Mississippi valley. The endurance, valor, and general good conduct of the Ninth Corps are admired by all, and its valuable cooperation in achieving the final triumph of the campaign is gratefully acknowledged by the Army of the Tennessee. Major- General Parke will cause the different regiments and batteries of his command to inscribe upon their banners and guidons " Vicks- burg and Jackson."
By order of Major-General U. S. GRANT. T. S. BOWERS, A. A. General.
At eight o'clock A. M., August 4th, orders were received to break camp and proceed to the landing. Never was an order obeyed with more joy and alaerity than this. The regiment was quickly on the march, and, though the day was hot and the road dusty, the march of seven miles was cheer- fully borne, for we could not be sufficiently thankful to get away from Mississippi. Upon arriving near the landing, it was found that the boats had not arrived, but were taking in fuel at Vicksburg, and another night must be spent here. A worse, more uncomfortable night the regiment did not ex- perience in Mississippi. As it to improve their last oppor- timity, swarms of gnats, of the most savage description, attacked the regiment, and few will ever forget that sleepless night. It was indeed a fitting close of the campaign.
The boat arrived in the night, and the forenoon of the 5th was employed in loading her with the baggage, horses, and guns, of Battery E, Second United States. At three o'clock P.M. the regiment marched aboard the fine steamer " Hiawatha," in company with the Forty-fifth Pennsylvania, Twenty-seventh Michigan, and the regulars of Battery E. which crowded the boat most uncomfortably, though her accommodations were large. About four P. M. the boat east off, and, steaming down the Yazoo, entered the Mississippi at sunset, and as her course was directed northward a worn but happy band of the Thirty-sixth Massachusetts laid down to rest, thankful. after all their trials, to have been spared through that short but fatal campaign.
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THE RETURN TO KENTUCKY.
1863.
All night of the 5th the boat moved slowly North, being very heavily laden, and her crowded condition made it very tedious for all. . Late in the afternoon of the 6th the boat passed Columbus, Ark., noteworthy as the place where the regiment received a "guerilla " salute, on its way down the river.
August 7th, all day we were moving slowly up river, and at sunset we stopped about twenty minutes at Helena, Ark., for provisions.
We arrived at Memphis on the forenoon of the 8th, and the men were landed on an island a short distance above the city, where they remained while the boat was thoroughly cleansed, and at five P.M., we reembarked, and were off again. August 9th was Sunday, and in the forenoon divine services were held by the chaplain of the Forty-fifth Pennsyl- vania. Private M. H. Fay, of Company G, died this day on board, and at night the boat stopped at New Madrid, Mo., while his body was buried ashore.
Monday, August 10th. at nine o'clock A.M., two months to a day from the time the regiment left Cairo, it arrived there and landed. glad enough to step once again on Northern soil. Late in the afternoon the regiment was transferred to cars of the Illinois Central Railroad. rode all night, all the next day, and late in the evening reached Vincennes. All along the road the troops were received with great enthu- siasm. The well-known old Ninth Corps, fresh from its new triumphs, received the cordial greeting of a grateful people. This was most gratifying to the soldiers, and partially repaid them for their sufferings. Flowers were literally showered by fair ladies upon the bronzed veterans, collations were provided wherever the cars stopped, and the course of the regiment through Illinois was one continuous ovation.
At noon, August 12th, the regiment arrived at Cincinnati, and after a bountiful collation at the Fifth-street Market, pro- vided by generous citizens. we crossed the river to Covington, Ky., and went into quarters in some barracks. The baggage
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THIRTY-SIXTH REGIMENT.
August,
was delayed. and many of the officers slept this night on as soft a board as they could find, with no covering, and did not suffer with the heat.
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