USA > Massachusetts > History of the Thirty-sixth regiment Massachusetts volunteers. 1862-1865 > Part 8
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On the 13th of November the houses were nearly com- pleted throughout the camp ; and as we sat by our cheerful fires that evening, and looked forward to the leisure and rest of the winter before us, we considered ourselves the happiest of soldiers. Unless something unforeseen should happen, we thought we were sure of a quiet and pleasant winter at Lenoir's.
That something unforeseen, however, was at hand, and our pleasant dreams were destined to fade away like an un- substantial pageant, leaving not a rack behind. At four o'clock, on the morning of the 14th, the sergeant-major hur- ried to the officers' quarters with the order, "Be ready to march at daybreak." The order was at once repeated to the orderly sergeants of the several companies. Forthwith the camp was astir. Lights flashed here and there through the trees. "Pack up ! pack up !" passed from lip to lip. "Shall we take everything?" was the eager inquiry on every hand. "Yes, everything," was the reply from head-quarters. Relue- tantly the shelter-tents were stripped from the well-built houses, which were justly the pride of both officers and men. Knapsacks and trunks were packed. The wagon for the officers' baggage came, was hurriedly loaded, and driven away. A hasty breakfast followed ; then, forming our line, we stacked arms, and awaited further orders.
The meaning of all this is not so dark now as it was then.
90
THIRTY-SIXTH REGIMENT.
November,
Lieutenant-General Longstreet, who was in command of the best corps in Bragg's army at Chattanooga, received instruc- tions, November 3d, at a counsel of war, to move his com- mand against Burnside. Bragg's formal letter of instruc- tions was dated November 4th, and on that day Longstreet put his troops in motion, with orders "to drive Burnside out of East Tennessee first ; or, better, to capture or destroy him." He had with him more than fifteen thousand men, besides Wheeler's cavalry, - " portions of five brigades " (perhaps five thousand more), - and eighty pieces of artillery. General Grant, who at that time was mustering his forees for an assault on Bragg, at once was informed of the movement. As early as October 26th he had thought of the possibility of such a movement, and had telegraphed to Burnside, "Do you hear of any of Bragg's army threaten- ing you from the south-west?" He now, November 5th, announced to Burnside the departure of Longstreet, saying, " I will endeavor, from here, to bring the enemy back from your right flank, as soon as possible." Accordingly, two days later, he ordered Thomas to attack Bragg. "The news is of such a nature," he said, in his order, " that it be- comes an imperative duty for your force to draw the atten- tion of the enemy from Burnside to your own front." But Thomas had no horses with which to move his artillery, and the attack was necessarily delayed. November 12th Burn- side telegraphed to Grant : " We will endeavor to hold in check any force that comes against us, until Thomas is ready."
This force, under Longstreet, was close upon us. The next day, November 13th, Burnside ascertained that Long- street had reached the Tennessee river at Hough's Ferry, a few miles below Loudon. He at onee informed Grant, and proposed to concentrate his forces and fall back on Knoxville, so as to draw Longstreet as far from Bragg as possible. And this was the reason why we were so suddenly called to leave our comfortable winter-quarters at Lenoir's. Long-
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THE RETREAT FROM LENOIRS.
1863.
street had thrown a pontoon across the river, and was mov- ing across his entire command, except the cavalry under Wheeler, which he had sent by way of Marysville, with orders to seize the heights on the south bank of the Holston river, opposite Knoxville. Knoxville was Longstreet's oh- jective. It was the key of East Tennessee. Should it fall into the enemy's hands we should be obliged to retire to Cumberland Gap. Lenoir's did not lie in Longstreet's path. If we remained there he would push his columns past our right, and get between us and Knoxville. It was evident, therefore, that the place must be abandoned, and there was need of haste. The mills and factories in the village were accordingly destroyed, and the wagon-train started north.
The morning had opened heavily with clouds, and as the day advanced the rain came down in torrents. A little be- fore noon our division, then under the command of General Ferrero, moved out of the woods, but, instead of taking the road to Knoxville, as we had anticipated, the column marched down the Loudon road. Grant had telegraphed Burnside : "If you can hold Longstreet in check until Sherman gets up, or, by skirmishing and falling back, can avoid serious loss to yourself, and gain time, I will be able to force the enemy back from here, and place a force between Longstreet and Bragg that must inevitably make the former take to the mountain passes by every available road, to get to his sup- plies." We, then, were to watch the enemy, and so not only secure the safety of our trains and material, then on the way to Knoxville, but also to have a part in the great work Grant had undertaken in the campaign upon which he had just entered.
A few miles from Lenoir's, while we were halting for rest in a drenching rain. General Burnside passed us on his way to the front ; under his slouched hat there was a sterner face than there was wont to be. "There is trouble ahead," said the men; but the cheers which rose from regiment after
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THIRTY-SIXTH REGIMENT.
November,
regiment, as with his staff and battle-flag he swept past ns, told the confidence which we all felt in Old "Burnie."
One incident of that march is still fresh in memory. Cap- tain Buffum's mess had secured several goodly turkeys, which were still fattening for the approaching Thanksgiving. They were entrusted that morning to Jim, the captain's colored servant, with many injunctions to faithfulness. Late in the afternoon Jim was discovered empty-handed. " Where are those turkeys?" thundered the captain. "I don't know, sah." replied Jim ; "I was tired, and lef' 'em by the road." "O Jim," added the captain, "I knew you would yet ruin me !"
Chapin's brigade of White's command (Twenty-third Army Corps), was in the advance; and, about four o'clock, his skirmishers met those of the enemy. and drove them back a mile and a half. The country became hilly as we advanced, and our artillery moved with difficulty. At dark we were in front of the enemy's position, having marched nearly four- teen miles. Our line was formed in a heavy timber, and we there stacked arms, awaiting orders. It still rained hard ; but here and there, we hardly know how, fires were made. to prepare the ever-welcome cup of coffee ; and then, weary and wet, we laid down on the well-soaked ground.
During the evening a circular was received, notifying ns of an intended attack on the enemy's lines, at nine o'clock P.M., by the troops of White's command ; but, with the ex- ception of an occasional shot, the night was a quiet one. The rain ceased about ten.
Two additional despatches had been sent by Grant that day. The first asked, "Can you hold the line from Knox- ville to Clinton for seven days ?" And again, at ten o'clock, he added, "It is of the most vital importance that East Ten- nessee should be held. Take immediate steps to that end."
The next morning, at daybreak, our line was noiselessly formed, and we marched out of the woods into the road. But it was not an advance as we anticipated. During the night Burnside had issued orders for his troops to return to
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THE RETREAT FROM LENOIR' S.
1863.
Lenoir's. Such was the state of the roads, however, on account of the heavy rainfall of the day before, that it was almost impossible to move our artillery. At one time our whole regiment was detailed to assist Roemer's battery. Near Loudon we passed the Second Division of our corps, which, during the night, had moved down from Lenoir's, in order to be within supporting distance .. But the enemy did not seem to be disposed to press us. We reached Lenoir's
about noon. Sigfried, with the Second Division, followed later in the day. Our brigade (Morrison's) was now drawn up in line of battle on the Kingston road, to check any move- ment the enemy might make in that direction. A small force appeared in our front about three o'clock, and drove
in the pickets. The Eighth Michigan was at once deployed as skirmishers. The Thirty-sixth Massachusetts and Forty- fifth Pennsylvania at the same time moved forward to sup- port the skirmishers, and took a position in the woods, on the left of the road. Just at dark, to feel our position, the enemy made a dash, and pressed our skirmishers back nearly to our line, but declined to advance any further.
Burnside now made preparations to withdraw from Le- noir's, and fall back on Knoxville. About the station nearly one handred wagons were drawn up, and as the mules were needed in order to move the artillery, the spokes of the wheels were eut, and the stores and baggage in the wagons were destroyed. At the same time a portion of the Ninth Corps, under Colonel Hartranft, and a body of mounted infantry, were sent toward Knoxville, with orders to hold the junction of the road from Lenoir's with the Knoxville and Kingston roads, near the village of Campbell's Station. The distance was only eight miles ; but the progress of the columns was much retarded. Such was still the condition of the roads that the artillery could be moved only with the greatest difficulty. Colonel Biddle dismounted some of his men and hitched their horses to the guns. In order to lighten the caissons, some of the ammunition was removed
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THIRTY-SIXTH REGIMENT.
November,
from the boxes and destroyed ; but as little as possible. for who could say it would not be needed on the morrow ? Throughout the long night officers and men faltered not in their efforts to help forward the batteries. In the light of subsequent events, as it will be seen, they could not have performed any more important service. Colonel Hartrantt that night displayed the same spirit and energy which he infused into his gallant Pennsylvanians at Fort Steadman in the last agonies of the rebellion, when, rolling back the fiereest assaults of the enemy, he gained the first real success in the trenches at Petersburg, and won for himself the double star of a major-general.
Meanwhile the Thirty-sixth and the other regiments of Morrison's brigade remained on the Kingston road in front of Lenoir's. The enemy, anticipating an evacuation of the place, made an attack on our lines about ten o'clock P.M. ; but a few shots from our pickets were sufficient to satisfy him that we still held the ground. Additional pickets, how- ever, were sent out to extend the line held by the Eighth Michigan. The Thirty-sixth Massachusetts and Forty-tifth Pennsylvania still remained in line of battle in the woods. Neither officers nor men slept that night. It was bitter cold. and the usual fires were denied us, lest they should betray our weakness to the enemy. The men were ordered to put their canteens and tin eups in their haversacks, and remain quietly in their places, ready for any movement at a mo- ment's notice. It was a long, tedious, anxious night ; what would the morrow bring? It was Sunday night. The day had brought us no rest, only weariness and care. No one could speak to his fellow ; and in the thick darkness, through the long, long night, we lay on our arms, waiting for the morning. How many hearts there were among us which, overleaping the boundaries of States, found their way to Pennsylvania and New England homes ; how many which, on the morrow, among the hills of East Tennessee, were to pour out their life's blood even unto death !
95
THE RETREAT FROM LENOIR'S.
1863.
At length the morning came. It was cloudy as the day before. White's division of the Twenty-third Corps was now on the road to Knoxville ; and, besides our own brigade, only Humphrey's brigade of our division remained at Le- noir's. About daybreak, as silently as possible, we with- drew from our position on the Kingston road, and, falling back through the village of Lenoir's took the Knoxville road, Humphrey's brigade, consisting of the Second, Seventeenth, and Twentieth Michigan regiments, covering the retreat. The enemy, Hood's division, at once discovered this move- ment, but, lingering around the burning baggage and stores, did not press us till we were within about two miles of Campbell's Station. Humphrey, however, held them in cheek with the loss of a few killed and wounded, -among the former Colonel Smith, of the Twentieth Michigan, -and Morrison moved rapidly on to the point where the road from Lenoir's unites with the road from Kingston to Knoxville. It was evidently Longstreet's purpose to cut off our retreat at this place. For this reason he had not pressed us at Lenoir's, the afternoon previous, but had moved the main body of the force under his command to our right. But the mounted infantry, which had been sent to this point during the night, and which had moved out on this road, were able to hold his advance in check till Hartranft came up.
On reaching the junction of the roads Morrison ordered us into an open field on our left, and the Thirty-sixth was directed to take position in rear of a rail-fence, with our right resting on the Kingston road. The Eighth Michigan was on our left. The Forty-fifth Pennsylvania was deployed as skirmishers. Meanwhile the rest of the troops on the road from Lenoir's, and those which had preceded us, were moving to a position selected by Burnside, a little way beyond the village of Campbell's Station ; and we were left to cover the movement. Unfurling our colors we awaited the advance of the enemy. There was little delay. In our front there was an occasional shot, and also to our right; but it was
96
THIRTY-SIXTHI REGIMENT.
November,
soon evident that the enemy were moving to our left, in order to gain the cover of the woods and obtain a more favorable position for attack. Moving off by the left flank, therefore, we took a second position in an adjoining field. Finding now the enemy moving rapidly through the woods, and threatening our rear with increasing numbers, - Hood's divi- sion, that had followed us from Lenoir's, being now up, - we executed a left half-wheel, and, advancing on the double- quick to the rail-fence which ran along the edge of the woods, we opened a heavy fire. The manner in which Major Draper handled the regiment in these trying circumstances was worthy of the highest praise. From this new position the enemy at once endeavored to force us. Ilis fire was well directed, but the fence afforded us a slight protection. Lieutenant J. B. Fairbank and a few of the men were here wounded. For a while we held the enemy in check, but at length the skirmishers of the Forty-fifth Pennsylvania, who were watching our right, discovered a body of rebel infantry pushing toward our rear from the Kingston road. Colonel Morrison, our brigade commander, at once ordered the Thirty-sixth Massachusetts and Eighth Michigan to face about, and establish a new line in rear of the rail-fence on the opposite side of the field. We advanced on the double- quick, and, reaching the fence, our men, with a shout, poured a volley into the rebel line of battle, which not only checked its advance, but drove it back in confusion. Meanwhile the enemy in our rear moved up to the edge of the woods, which we had just left, and now opened a brisk fire. We at once crossed the fence, in order to place it between us and his fire, and were about to devote our atten- tion again to him when orders came for us to withdraw, it being no longer necessary for us to hold the junction of the roads, as all our troops and wagons had now passed. The ene- my, too, was closing in upon us, and his fire was the hottest. We moved off'in good order ; but our loss in killed and wounded was quite heavy, considering the time we were under fire.
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THE RETREAT FROM LENOIR S.
1863.
Among the killed was Lieutenant P. Marion Holmes (Co. B), of Charlestown, Massachusetts, of whom it might well be said,
" He died as fathers wish their sons to die."
Lieutenant Holmes had been wounded in the foot at the battle of Blue Springs, October 10th, and, as the wound was not fully healed, had made the march from Lenoir's that morning with great difficulty. But he would not leave his men. On his breast he wore the badge of the Bunker Hill Club, on which was engraved the familiar line from Horace, which Warren quoted just before the battle of Bunker Hill : " Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori,"- It is sweet and glo- rious to die for one's country. In the death of Lieutenant Holmes the regiment sustained a great loss. Frank, cour- teous, manly, brave, he had won all hearts ; and his sudden removal from our companionship, at that moment, will ever remind us of the great price with which that morning's snc- cess was bought. His men made a noble endeavor to bear the body from the field ; but the enemy were pressing us so hard that they were reluctantly compelled to leave it near the spot where the lieutenant fell. There he was buried, and his grave marked, so that, a few weeks after, friends from home found the spot, and took up the remains, and brought them to Charlestown, Mass., where funeral services were held January 18, 1864.
As we left the open field. and entered the woods between us and Campbell's Station, the enemy manœuvred to cut us off from the road, so that we were obliged to oblique to the left. Moving on the double-quick, receiving an occasional volley, and barely escaping capture, we at length emerged from the woods on the outskirts of the village. Our forma- tion by fours was well preserved in this movement, and Major Draper afterwards learned from a rebel officer, that the order and steadiness displayed by the Thirty-sixth under these trying circumstances, prevented an attack upon us
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98
THIRTY-SIXTH REGIMENT.
November,
which might have led to a serious disaster to our brigade. He said they thought there was a " Regular " regiment among the rest, upon which the others might form.
Passing through the village of Campbell's Station, we were soon under cover of our artillery, which General Potter, under the direction of General Burnside, had placed in posi- tion on high ground, just beyond the village. Campbell's Station is situated between two low ranges of hills, which are nearly a mile apart. Across the intervening space our in- fantry was drawn up in a single line of battle. Ferrero's division of the Ninth Corps held the right ; White's division of the Twenty-third Corps held the centre ; and Hartranft's division of the Ninth Corps held the left. Benjamin's, Buck- ley's, Getting's, and Von Schlein's batteries were on the right of the road. Roemer's battery was on the left. The Thirty-sixth Massachusetts supported Roemer.
Longstreet, meanwhile, had disposed his forces for an attack on our position, but was delayed on account of the difficulty experienced in moving his artillery. At noon the rebels came out of the woods just beyond the village, in two lines of battle, with a line of skirmishers in front. The whole field was open to our view. Benjamin and Roemer opened fire at once ; and so accurate was their range that the rebel lines were immediately broken, and they fell back into the woods in confusion. The enemy, under cover of the woods on the slope of the ridge, now advanced against our right. Christ's brigade, of our division, at once changed front. Buckley executed the same movement with his bat- tery, and, by a well-directed fire, checked the enemy's progress in that direction. The enemy next manœuvred to turn our left. Falling back, however, to a stronger position in our rear, selected by General Burnside, we established a new line about four o'clock in the afternoon. This was done under a heavy fire from the enemy's batteries. Ferrero was now on the right of the road. Morrison's brigade was placed in rear of a rail fence, at the foot of the ridge ou
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THE RETREAT FROM LENOIRS.
1863.
which Benjamin's battery had been planted. Several of the Thirty-sixth were wounded by the packing of the shells fired by Benjamin ; and by a piece of a shell from the same battery, that burst prematurely, Sergeant Gallup, of Company A, was so severely wounded that he died in a short time. The position for the regiment was a very trying one. The enemy, however, did not seem inclined to attack us in front, but pushed along the ridge, on our left, aiming to strike Hartranft in flank and rear. He was discovered in this at- tempt ; and, just as he was moving over ground recently cleared, Roemer, changing front at the same time with Hart- ranft, opened his three-inch guns on the rebel line, and drove it back in disorder, followed by the skirmishers. Long- street, foiled in all these attempts to force us from our posi- tion, now withdrew beyond the range of our guns, and made no further demonstrations that day. Our troops were justly proud of their success ; for, with a force not exceeding five thousand men, they had held in check, for an entire day, three times their own number, and with a comparatively small loss.1 In the Ninth Corps there were twenty-six killed, one hundred and sixty-six wounded, and fifty-seven missing. Of these the Thirty-sixth Massachusetts had one officer and three enlisted men killed, three officers and four- teen enlisted men wounded, and three enlisted men missing.
1 General Longstreet, in his official report of this action, says : " As soon as Me- Laws got up he was ordered to deploy three of his brigades in front of the enemy, and to put the other brigade upon a ridge on our left, -o as to threaten the enemy's right. At the same time, Colonel Alexander put his artillery in position, and General Jenkins was ordered with Hood's division around the enemy's left, and, upon arriving opposite the enemy's position, to make an attack upon their flank, while General Me- Laws was advancing against the enemy's front to follow General Jenkins' attark. The flank movement and the fire of our batteries caused the enemy to retire in some haste. MeLaws' division advanced promptly, and brought the enemy to a stand about a mile further toward his rear, in a more commanding position. If General Jenkins could have made his attack during this movement, or if he could have made it after the en- 'iny had taken his second position, we must have destroyed this force, recovered East Tennessee, and in all probability captured the greater portion of the enemy's forces. He attributes his failure to do so to some mismanagement of General Law. Before I could get a staff officer to him to ascertain the occasion of the delay, night came on and our efforts ceased."
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THIRTY-SIXTH REGIMENT.
November,
At six o'clock P.M. Ferrero's division, followed by Hart- ranft's, moved to the rear, taking the road to Knoxville. White's division of the Twenty-third Corps covered the re- treat. Campbell's Station is a little more than sixteen miles from Knoxville ; but the night was so dark, and the road so muddy, that our progress was much retarded, and we did not reach Knoxville till about four o'clock the next morning. We had now been without sleep forty-eight hours. More- over, since the previous morning, we had marched twenty- four miles and fought a battle. Halting just outside the town, weary and worn, we threw ourselves on the ground, and snatched a couple hours of sleep. Captain O. M. Poe, Burnside's engineer, had been sent from Campbell's Station to select the lines of defence at Knoxville. This, from his familiarity with the ground, he was enabled readily to do ; and early in the day - it was the 17th of November - Gen- eral Burnside assigned the batteries and regiments of his command to the positions they were to occupy in the defence of the place.
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THE SIEGE OF KNOXVILLE.
1-03.
CHAPTER X.
THE SIEGE OF KNOXVILLE.
1
KNOXVILLE is situated on the northern bank of the Hol- ston river. For the most part the town is built on a table- land, which is nearly a mile square, and about one hundred and fifty feet above the river. On the north-east the town is bounded by a small creek. Beyond this creek is an ele- vation known as Temperance Hill. Still further to the east is Mayberry's Hill. On the north-west this table-land descends to a broad valley ; on the south-west the town is bounded by a second creek. Beyond this is College Hill ; and still further to the south-west is a high ridge, running nearly parallel with the road which enters Knoxville at this point. Benjamin's and Buckley's batteries occupied the un- finished bastion-work on the ridge just mentioned. This work was afterwards known as Fort Sanders. Roemer's battery was placed in position on College Hill. These batteries were supported by Ferrero's division of the Ninth Corps, his line extending from the Holston river on the left to the point where the East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad crosses the creek mentioned above as second creek. Hartranft con- nected with Ferrero's right, supporting Getting's and the Fifteenth Indiana batteries. His lines extended as far as first creek. The divisions of White and Hascall, of the Twenty- third Corps, occupied the ground between this point and the Holston river, on the north-east side of the town, with their artillery in position on Temperance and Mayberry's hills.
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