USA > Maine > The story of the Maine Fifteenth; being a brief narrative of the more important events in the history of the Fifteenth Maine regiment; together with a complete roster of the regiment , embracing the name of every officer and enlisted man serving > Part 11
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By this time the darkness of night -- and darkness of a most inten- sified variety-enshrouded the fickl, compelling an abrupt cessation of hos- tilities. The fight bad continued for about an hour and a half, and from first to last the firing was incessant and severe. The precaution of the commanding officers. in ordering our men to lie down and fire in a reclin- ing posture, undoubtedly saved many lives on our side. The rebels, ad- vancing up the slope of the hill, furnished an admirable target from our position, while their shots, for the most part, glanced harmlessly over our heads and into the adjacent trees. Emory's Division was the only force engaged, everything else having passed to the rear and retired along the road leading to Pleasant Hill : the demoralization among the troops en-
"Nothing could surpass in impetuosity the assault of the enemy but the inflexible steadiness and valor of our troops. The First Division of the Nineteenth Corps, by its great bravery in this action, SAVED THE ARMY AND NAVY. But for this successful resistance of the attack at Pleasant Grove, the renewed attack of the enemy, with increased force, could not have been successfully resisted at Pleasant Hill on the 9th of April. "-[GEN. N. P. BANKS, in his Official Report.
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gaged at Sabine Cross Roads being so great as to render them practically unserviceable during the subsequent engagements of the campaign.
The Fifteenth, in common with all of the troops of Emory's Divis- ion, was actively engaged during the entire contest, and, as was the inva- riable rule during its term of service, most creditably acquitted itself. Of; ficers and soldiers alike performed excellent service. Col. Dyer, when carefully superintending the establishment of the line and cautioning his men to lie down and watch for the flash of the enemy's guns, was as cool and self-possessed as when on battalion drill ; and he was ably supported by Lieut .- Col. Murray and the staff and company officers, who, one and all. did their entire duty. and demonstrated their worthiness to share the glory of the victory with the veterans of Emory's Division. The casual- ties on our side were not numerous; those in our regiment being surpris- ingly few. But one man was killed, four wounded, and eleven missing. Appended is a complete list. *
Soon after the firing had ceased a heavy infantry picket was thrown out in front of the entice line. The darkness was total, completely obscur- ing the vision ; and it was necessary to instruet the guard to advance three hundred yard -. the sokliers keeping so close to their associates on either flank that the orders might be passed from one man to the other, in a whisper. If the enemy was encountered he was to be captured, if possi- ble, but no muskets were to be discharged. In pursuance of this order from seventy to eighty of the rebel pickets were captured, but not a gun was fired. The enemy, surprised at the strength of our picket-line, re- called their infantry guaid and threw out cavalry videttes, moving their main body a considerable distance away. The men not on guard lay in their positions on the battle-line until near midnight, amusing themselves by listening to the conversation on the rebel side of the line, and noting their movements as they gathered up and hanled to the rear the captured spoils and united in jubilant shouts as they discovered the generous supplies of forage, ammunition. provisions, etc .. which had fallen into their hands. The story that the rebels were disgusted at finding a number of packages of paper-collars, and asked, under a flag of truce, that they be exchanged for " hard-tack," was no doubt coined by some genius of an imaginative vein, while lying upon the picket-line ! The sad duty of gathering in the dead and wounded of course received careful attention. The ground was literally bestrewed with the bodies of the dead and maimed-a phase of
* KILLED. - Private James P. Witham, Co. E. WOUNDED. - Privates Cornelius Fish and Joseph Casey, Co. E ; Private William E. Skillin. Co. HI ; Private Charles Wood. Co. I. MISSING. - Sergeant Joseph E. Latham and Privates Page F. Grover. John II. Hayden, Leemon HI. Bard and Abram T. Green, Co. B; Privates John F. Leighton and Angus McGilvery, Co. A ; Private John Houston, Co. 1 ; Private james Brennan, Co. I : Privates Thomas MeDonald and George Morrison, Co. K.
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war which ever sheds a pall of gloom over even the camps of the victorious.
But what of the morrow ? A "council of war" was held late in the evening at which the situation was freely discussed. Though we were the victors and held the field, it was evident that hostilities must be re- newed at daylight ; that Smith's troops and the other detachments not in the battles of the 8th could not be brought up; and therefore we must re- tire to another field, where a junction could be formed with reinforcements deemed absolutely essential to success. The order to retire was quietly circulated at about 10 o'clock ; and before midnight we had replenished our cartridge-boxes and were slowly wending our way towards Pleasant Hill-some fifteen miles away.
As it was deemed important that the contemplated change of base be kept from the enemy as long as possible, all orders were communicated in a whisper, with an admonition that no noise or confusion be tolerated. In pursuance of this policy it unfortunately happened that many of the men on the picket-line did not receive the order to retire in season to re- join their commands. Many of these fell into the hands of the enemy, either on the picket line or while on the march to Pleasant Hill the next morning. This in a measure accounts for the large number reported as " missing." The movement was so quietly performed that the enemy was not aware that we had retired until daybreak the next morning; when, of course, their cavalry advance pushed on in hot haste to ascertain our whereabouts -- presumably very reluctant to part company with their new- made friends !
CHAPTER XIX.
ANOTHER DESPERATE BATTLE, AT PLEASANT HILL" IN WHICH WE WIN A DECISIVE VICTORY.
A WEARY EARLY-MORNING MARCH TO " PLEASANT HILL."-THE ENEMY'S CAVALRY FOLLOW AND SHOW FIGHT. -- EMORY'S DIVISION AND SMITH'S CORPS IN LINE-OF- BATTLE. -- THE ENEMY MAKES A DESPERATE ASSAULT LATE IN THE AFTERNOON, AND AFTER A BLOODY CONTEST IS REPULSED, WITH LOSSES HEAVY ON BOTH SIDES. -- DETAILS OF THE BATTLE. - GHASTLY SCENES ON THE BATTLE-FIELD. -- THE FIFTEENTH'S SHARE IN THE ENGAGEMENT. - LIST OF THE CASUALTIES, ETC.
CARLY dawn of April 9th found our weary, foot-sore, well-nigh famished soldiers, slowly wending their way towards Pleasant Hill. There was very little of romance in the situation. The officers and soldiers were all nearly exhausted with the fatigue incident to the campaign. Many of us had marched thirty miles and endured the hard-
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ships of a very fierce engagement, without food, sleep or rest, since the morning of the Sth; and it is a somewhat remarkable fact that many of the officers while riding their horses, and even some of the soldiers when marching in their places in the ranks, were found fast asleep, and could only be aroused by a vigorous shaking ! The road-side was strewn with stragglers, abandoned wagons, gun-carriages, and litter of every descrip- tion : " flankers " being kept out the entire distance, and a strong provost- guard engaged in taking charge of those absolutely unable to keep up with the marching column.
The advance brigades reached Pleasant Hill at about 9 o'clock in the morning. No serious difficulty was encountered during the march, save that soon after daylight small detachments of rebel cavalry commenced harrassing our rear, picking off stragglers, and wounding quite a number of the soldiers composing our rear-guard. Somewhat later the rebel force was strengthened to such an extent that it became evident that a general engagement could not well be avoided at Pleasant Hill. A cavalry brigade was sent out to engage the enemy's advauce and continnous skirmishing during the day was the result. Col. Gooding's cavalry brigade was actively engaged during the day and suffered considerable loss.
Upon reaching Pleasant Hill Emory's Division for the first time formed a junction with the detachment of the 16th corps commanded by Gen. A. J. Smith. These troops had not participated in any of the battles of the campaign, with the exception of Fort DeRussy. It was found. however, considerably to our surprise, that the troops of Emory and those of Smith constituted the only force available for the impending battle, save only one small brigade of cavalry. The 13th corps had been badly shat- tered at Sabine Cross Roads; the small detachment remaining, under Gen. Cameron, with Dickey's colored brigade and the remainder of the. cavalry, being started towards Grand Ecore and Natchitoches, with the wagon trains and public property, early in the morning. Gen. Kilby Smith's detachment of the 17th corps was still on the river with Porter's naval vessels ; while Grover's Division of the 19th corps remained at Al- exandria, and was not in any of the engagements of the campaign. We had, therefore, but about thirteen thousand effective men ; while the enemy was able to bring upon the field anywhere from seventeen to twenty thousand, of all arms, and finely cquipped.
Though it was not until late in the afternoon that the battle may be said to have really opened, our entire force was disposed in order of battle immediately upon the arrival of our Division, remaining in this position throughout the day. This proved not only a wise precaution. to guard against surprise, but also enabled the commanding officers to become familiar with the field upon which some very important evolutions were
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made later in the day. With the enemy's infantry twenty miles away at daylight, there was an absolute certainty that he could not put in an ap- prarance in force until late in the afternoon; indeed, the prevailing opin- ion spomed to be that the battle was not likely to occur until the next day.
The now historie field of " Pleasant Hill" comprises an extensive plain, or " clearing," of about a mile square in area. The " Hill " is more or les imaginary, since the slight rise of ground which the Louisiana people dignity with such characterization would hardly be recognized as such in New England. The clearing had at some time been cultivated, but now was barren and unfruitful. It is surrounded on all sides by ex- tensive tracts of woodland, with a gentle slope to the west. The main and only road from Mansfield to Natchitoches divides this plain diagonally very near the centre. Upon the borders are a number of scattered residences. The heavy growth of timber skirting the field afforded an excellent oppor- tunity for shielding our batteries and lines of infantry from the enemy's view, and also rendered good service in affording protection for the soldiers during the unprecedently severe shower of iron and leaden missiles which burst upon then during the afternoon.
The line of battle and its reserves occupied the entire clearing. As first established Emory's three brigades constituted the front line of infan- try, with its cavalry and artillery suitably disposed; while Smith's corps, constituting the reserves, was drawn up in three lines on the opposite side of the clearing, on the left side of the road and considerably to the rear ; being entirely secreted in a thick growth of timber bordering the open plain .. Dwight's brigade held the right of the front line, McMillan's the centre, and Benedict's the extreme left. A brigade of Gen. Smith's corps was drawn up within easy supporting distance of the centre of our line, near the road ; and later, when the enemy appeared to be manuvering towards the right, MeMillan's brigade was dispatched to the support of the extreme right flank. and the brigado of Smith's corps moved up to the front line, constituting its centre at the time of the enemy's first assault. Later McMillan's Brigade was ordered from the right to the reserve, occupying a position on the right of the road in line with the reserves of Smith's corps, (the latter being on the left of the road) while another of Smith's brig- ades was posted on the extreme left, in echelon, and to the rear of the left. main line. The line crossed the road, which pierced it near its centre-the supposition being that the enemy could only approach by the road and at- tack at that point. The cavalry and several batteries of artillery hold the road, being judiciously posted on the infantry flanks and upon positions commanding a full sweep of the public thoroughfare. In the afternoon, as the enemy's plans became more fully developed, the front line was moved from its position in the woods to a position in open ground. the left brigade
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being in rear of a deep ditch near the buildings of the "village." Thus " disposed," the infantry was allowed to " rest " near the line, to cook and sip their coffee, and to lie at case. awaiting developments.
Meanwhile the drizzling and monotonous cavalry skirmishing con- tinued unceasingly, without any perceptible increase or diminution, until late in the afternoon. Indeed, at four o'clock it looked very much as if we were to remain undisturbed for the night. The attack, all agreed, must come upon the right when made ; and in that direction eager eyes were constantly turned, very great care being taken to keep that portion of the line, at least, well protected, ou the alert, and properly supported. But as there seemed no unusual movement in that direction there was good reason to infer that the battle was to be at least postponed for another day.
Sad delusion ! In a measure the rebels had cunningly misled our commanding generals. At a little past five the weary soldiers on the re- serves. no less than along the front line, were suddenly aroused from the lethargy into which they had fallen, by the most unearthly "yell" which ever fell upon mortal ears. It came from thousands of voices, so sudden, so unexpected. as to be really appalling, All eyes were of course turned in the direction from which this indescribable battle-cry emanated, only to see a large force of rebel cavalry advancing at a slow trot, brandishing their sabres, followed closely by three solid battle-lines of the enemy's infantry, their artillery belching from the woods its loud-mouthed summons to the fray. The assault was upon our left and centre-its severest blow falling upon the brigade of the 16th corps which had relieved McMillan's in the morning, and that of Benediet on the extreme left, and extending to the brigade of Dwight on the right. As their approach appeared to Gen. Emory, who was at the front, " there emerged from the woods, on our ex- treme left, three or four heavy masses of the infantry of the enemy, charg- ing close to our left flank before firing a shot." The column moved ob- lignely, from left to right, striking the brigades of Shaw and Benedict al- most simultaneously, and with such force as to break their line and press them back upon the reserves, leaving Dwight's brigade as the only portion of the front line retaining its position. Col. Benedict, and many of our leading officers, were killed at the first onset, in the very desperate strug- gle which ensued. The air was full of lead and iron hail ; the roar of mus- ketry and of artillery was deafening; and the loss on both sides heavy. Col. Shaw's brigade is said to have emptied the saddles of nearly an entire cavalry regiment in the first charge, not more than ten escaping of a charg- ing party of from three to four hundred. The fire of our artillery was ter- rifie, opening wide gaps in the lines of the assaulting rebels with their dead- ly vollies of grape and cannister ; the infantry line joining in the chorus and patting in most heroic service. But the rebels far outnumbered our
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troops engaged, and our entire centre and left crumbled back upon the re- serves. Taylor's Battery fell into the hands of the enemy, and was turned against us, and for the moment the situation seemed extremely dubious. Gen. Emory, however, decisively cautioned Dwight to hold his ground at all hazards; and riding to MeMillan's Brigade-then in reserve-in great haste, he brought it to Dwight's left just in season to constitute the con- meeting line between the troops of Emory and of Smith in the gallant charge which drove the rebels back across the plains and into the woods, and gave us the victory. To use the terse yet graphic words of Gen. Emory : "I went to my Second Brigade and brought it out and deployed it to the left and rear of the First Brigade. They formed a line and charged and re- took a battery I had lost ; and at this moment I saw A. J. Smith's whole command emerging from the woods on my left in line of battle. The two lines charged abreast of each other, Gen. Smith's line continually throwing forward its left flank and enveloping the enemy, who were driv- en from the field." A gradual change in the direction of the entire line was made during the final charge --- a very skillful and successful movement. In its general aspects the story of the fight is admirably sketched in the appended extract from Gen. Banks' dispatches to Gen. Grant. *
The Fifteenth Maine was one of the regiments of McMillan's Brig- ade and participated in all the movements of that command, being actively engaged from about half-past five to very near nine o'clock. Col. Dyer was in command. efficientis aided by Lieut .- Col. Murray and the officers of his staff. Though on the reserve when the first blow was struck, we were, happily, in a position to render very valuable service at a critical juncture
At about 5 o'clock the enemy abandoned his manceuvering and made a most desperate attack upon the brigades of the left centre, commanded by Cols. Benedict and Shaw. The line wavere I at this point momentarily, bat, supportel by the Ist Vt. Battery, soon regained its position and the enemy was repulse1 ; finding the position so much stronger than anticipa- tel, or in pursuance of other plans, he gradually worked his way to the centre and right, where the same desperate attacks were repeated upon our right flank. The whole force of the ene- my gta laally concentrating upon our right, the briga les of Me Millan and Dwight repelled ev- ery attack, and drove him back with terrible loss. The brigade commanded by Dwight had been suddenly changed at the commencement of the action so as to cover the right of our cen- tre andI a part of the right flank, and became, in the end, the pivot upon which the centre line changed fron: to meet the altered plans of the enemy. The battle lasted until 9 o'clock in the evening. The rebels had concentrated their whole strength in futile efforts to break the line at different points. The most severe pressures occurred towards the close of the engagement upon the front, occupied by Gen. Dwight's Brigade. The troops held in reserve moved for- ward at the critical moment, and maintained our position, from which the enemy was driven precipitately and with terrible destruction of life. He fled to the woods upon the right and was pursued with great energy by the whole of our forces until it was impossible in the dark- ness to distinguish frien ! from foe. The losses were great on both sides, but that of the reb- els, as we could judge from the appearance of the battle-field, more than double our own. Many valuable officers fell in leading their troops. The enemy we encountered numbered from twenty-two to twenty-five thousand, embracing all the troops west of the Mississippi, ex. cepting a small force on the Texas coast, and a small portion of cavalry on the north side of the river. Gen. Kirby Smith is said to have commanded in person on the gth and was sup- ported by Price, Green, and the most distinguished general, of the rebel array. Gen. Mou- ton was killed and two officers communeling brigades. We have captured in the campaign twenty-three guns and fifteen hundred priseners who are now in our possession.
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of the affair ; and although, in its general details, the battle has already been sketched, it seems necessary to be somewhat more minute and specific in chronicling the especial achievements of our own regiment-which, al- though perhaps secondary in interest to the casual reader, is, from the stand-point of our own regimental family, of supreme importance.
As has already been stated the Fifteenth's first position in line was that which the enemy finally selected as the point of attack. It was with- drawn and sent to the right when the enemy seemed to be mancusering in that direction ; and at about noon it was ordered to the reserve line on an eminence in rear of the right centre, on the right of the Mansfield road, as our line was then faced. While the cavalry of both armies were amus- ing themselves in the long-protracted skirmish already referred to, our boys gladly seized upon the opportunity afforded of utilizing the coffee-kettle, partaking of a delicious draught of that exhilarating beverage, and then of dropping upon the grassy knoll for a few minutes of much-needed slumber, all the while keeping eye and car poised in the direction of the picket-line, and being frequently aroused by some change in the direction of the firing and the flying reports as to the movements of the enemy's infantry. From this easy-going, " place-rest " position, we were very suddenly called by the tremendous uproar incident to the enemy's impetuous charge. We were in brigade-line in the twinkling of an eye and marching by the right flank towards the extreme right of our position ; while executing this movement we had been re-called by one of Emory's couriers, and were marching by the left flank down a narrow farm-road running parallel with the battle-line at the moment the two brigades on left and centre were being pursued up the sloping clearing-the Johnnies still shouting their savage battle-cry and the air lurid with the flame of cannon and of musketry, while minie-balls and grape and canister were being scattered on either side of the open plain with a recklessuess calculated to create more or less anxiety for the safety of one's cranium. Gen. Emory and staff, while looking sharply after the brigades of his division already engaged, was also conducting " my sec- ond brigade" to its new position, and also superintending the change of front of Dwight's brigade rendered necessary by the development of the en- emy's plans. When the Fifteenth reached a position where its line might easily connect with Dwight's left, all was confusion, uproar, and uncertain- ty, as to the front-line. The two brigades had broken and were being rap- idly crowded back upon the reserves. Taylor's Battery had just been cap- tured, and the remaining batteries were being " limbered " in great haste and taken to other positions in the rear. Cavalrymen and mounted offi- cers were precipitately "getting in out of the shower." and there were some indications that another " masterly retreat" was on the programme. Even the sturdy and heroic Gen. Eanoty seemed for a moment bewildered.
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and undecided as to whether the line should be ordered rearward or pushed to the front. The brigade line of-battle was hastily formed, under cover of a board-fence in rear of some buildings of which the rebels had already taken possession ; our line being considerably strengthened by detach- ments of regiments from the brigades already driven in, including the well- remembered Zouave regiment of another brigade. Col. Dyer, with his characteristic " grit," was quick to perceive and meet the exigencies of the situation. He carefully formed the line; and, cantioning his men to make every shot count, opened a most galling and effective fire upon the rap- idly advancing rebels, in which the entire brigade and its new accessions heartily joined. With the exception of the three companies on the left (A, D, and F) our line was well-protected by the fence before mentioned, which, happily, received the greater portion of the musket-balls sent in our direction. The companies mentioned overlapped somewhat and were con- siderably exposed, especially as the rebel assault came from that direction. A very spirited contest here ensued-it was, in fact, the pivotal point of the engagement --- and the firing was rapid and incessant and really terrific. on both sides. Gen. Emory was an eye-witness of the gallantry of our offi- cers and men, and ever after was enthusiastic in his praise of the " Old Fif- teenth," and its sturdy commander. After a most stubborn resistance, the rebel line wavered, and finally gave way, our regiment and brigade prompt- ly pursuing, and, in common with the entire line, making a gallant and he- roie charge across the plain, driving the rebels, "pell-mell," into the woods. Gen. Emory followed closely, shouting, in his eccentric style, the savage and profane battle-cry, " Give 'em hell, boys!" .. Give 'em hell !" The enemy miade a very stubborn resistance, contesting every hillock and clump of trees, and in the woods making a desperate effort to rally. The contest here was hand-to-hand ; the musket being found quite as serviceable at the butt as at the muzzle-end. For perhaps an hour or more this desultory ". bush-whacking " in the woods continued; and while it seems impracticable to attempt to recount them, numerous exciting adventures occurred. Many on both sides were killed and wounded, and prisoners by scores and by hun- dred- were taken and carried to the rear. At one time, in the excitements of the charge, three of our left companies pursued a group of rebels quite a dis- tance from our main line, considerably exposing themselves, and but for the intervention of a staff-officer, they might have gone as far as Shreveport- and to a Texas prison ! Five of our wounded men received their bruises within as many minutes. A number of the wounded were not aware of the mishap until apprised of the situation by some sympathetic comrade. The details of the fight were of absorbing interest from the commencement to the cessation of hostilities; indeed, to many of us, that brief period was among the most exciting and adventurous hours ever experienced. A lit-
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