USA > New York > Memories of the 149th Regt. N. Y. Vol. Inft., 3d Brig., 2 Div., 12th and 20th A. C > Part 20
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After a short respite for breakfast, to bury the dead and care for the wounded, the division fell in and marched through the enemy's entrenchments towards Resaca. By the roadside stood the four brass guns, which had received the men's atten- tion the day before, with their carriages and limber-boxes ruined by riffe balls, and the guns themselves covered with lead marks, presenting the appearance of a man's face recovering from small pox. It was reputed that these were the balance of a battery, two guns of which were captured at Lookout Moun- tain.
The line of march, after reaching Resaca, was eastward to- wards the Cannasauga River. Many of the enemy's wounded were left in hospital tents, and many prisoners were captured in the vicinity of the town.
CHAPTER XXV.
NEW HOPE CHURCH.
AFTER crossing the railroad the 2d Division entered a road leading through the woods south- easterly parallel with the Can- nasanga River, which here makes a bend to the east. After march- ing about three miles the road turned to the left aud came to the river at a place called Fite's Ferry. There being no bridge the boys stripped off their clothes, placed them on their shoul- ders, and waded the stream, the bed of which was gravelly and the opposite bank abrupt and slippery. After the men had donned their apparel the column marched to MeClure's Ferry on the Coosawatta, one of the sources of the Oostanaula, where the 2d Division was ferried over in two old ferry-boats carry- ing two companies at a time. As soon as a regiment was over it marched about a mile and went into camp for the night. The day had been warm and dusty, but a gentle rain com- meneed falling after dark and continued at intervals to the close of the following day. The 1st and 3d Divisions were ferried across the Oostananla just below the union of the Coo- sawatta with the Cannasauga to form that stream, and joined the 2d Division on the south side of the river.
In the morning a large quantity of tobacco was found con- .cealed in the woods and was appropriated to the use of the
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men, giving to each a liberal supply. About noon the 2d Division moved on a road leading south to Calhoun. South of the Oostanaula the country was more open and improved than north of that stream, the lands and plantation buildings were in better condition, and provisions, poultry and small stock were abundant. At the beginning of the campaign each eom- pany was supplied with a pack-mule to carry luggage for the officers and men. The column had not proceeded far, on the day in question, before the pack mules were loaded with fresh pork, mutton, poultry and other supplies. The division went into camp early in the afternoon near Calhoun, close to a large wagon train belonging to another corps, parked in an open field. Before going into camp large bodies of troops were seen passing on parallel roads a short distance away.
On the 18th the men were up at two o'clock in the morning drawing rations, and moved at four, marching about twenty miles during the day to a place southeast of Kingston on the road leading to Cassville. In the forenoon a number of men were passed who had been wounded the day before, and also a number of Confederate prisoners. Late in the afternoon the column came to a line of Confederate breastworks constructed of fence rails. From time to time other troops were seen moving on parallel roads in the same direction. During the day the men secured a bountiful supply of hams, bacon, poultry and general supplies. At eight o'clock in the evening the division, tired and foot sore, went into camp on a beautiful plantation where there was a painted honse, an uncommon thing to see at this time in northwestern Georgia.
The next morning reveille sounded early, but the division did not move until two hours after sunrise and then proceeded slowly through the woods making frequent stops. After marehing about tive miles a halt was made for dinner in an open field where there was a large park of artillery. The sound of cannonading in front was heard very distinctly. After dinner the division again moved forward slowly as in the morn- ing until about four o'clock, when it formed in line of battle,
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stacked arms and rested. After a short delay the division again moved forward a short distance to another open field and formed in column of deployed brigades in support of the Ist Division. Several pieces of artillery were in position on a hill to the left ready for action, and the rattle of musketry and the roar of artillery was heard at no great distance away. After a short delay a battery passed on the highway going to the front on a run. This was soon followed by the 2d Division moving by the flank, but it did not go far, however, before it was halted on the roadside to permit a second battery to pass at full speed, raising a great dust. After this interruption the division again moved forward a short distance and went into camp at eight o'clock in the evening at a place recently occu- pied by the enemy and about half a mile north of Cassville.
To the sonth and east of this village Johnston had prepared an extensive line of entrenchments, intending to offer battle there, and therefore, when the 3d Division of the 20th Corps and the Army of the Ohio stumbled upon his outlying forees, they were roughly handled; it being a part of his plan to crush the Union army in detail while scattered and before its members could be united ; but owing to dissatisfaction among his corps commanders, after the preliminary struggle above referred to, the position was abandoned by him on the after- noon of the 19th, and he made good his retreat over the Etawah on the 20th ; retiring in the direction of Allatoona.
The place where the 3d Brigade camped was an open field sloping gradually from a piece of woods in rear down to a highway in front. On the other side of the highway was a similar field sloping gradually upwards to another piece of woods opposite. On this field over the way was a large force of artillery. The enemy having retreated over the Etawah, Sherman allowed the command to remain at this place until the 23d of May to draw rations and make preparations for the next campaign. Each evening the band of the 3d Brigade took position on the hillside and played national airs, the bugles sounded retreat and tattoo, and camp life was resumed with a dignity and style not known since leaving Stevenson.
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At five o'clock in the morning of the 23d of May the 2d Division left Cassville, which was formerly a pretty little vil- lage of fifty or more houses but then despoiled by soldiers, and went southwesterly through Cass Station to Milan's Bridge, on the Etawah River near the mouth of Raccoon Creek. The river was crossed late in the afternoon on two pontoon bridges laid down for the use of the 234 Corps, but which Hooker ap- propriated to his own use. After crossing the river the division proceeded south about a mile and went into camp for the night, having made twelve or fifteen miles during the day. Pieket firing having taken place during the night to the east, the 2d Division was detached from the rest of the command and at daylight moved towards Allatoona on a road leading easterly near the river. After a short distance it was formed in line of battle and advanced a mile or more in that manner to Raccoon Creek, where it remained until relieved about eleven o'clock in the forenoon by the 23d corps. It then retraced its steps for a short distance, turned south, passed over the hills known as the Allatoona Ridge, and after dark went into camp for the night at Burnt Hickory.
After crossing the Etawah the command entered upon a wild, rugged and dreary country, sparsely inhabited, and covered with an almost unbroken forest interspersed with dense ever- green thicket .. The character of the country rendered military movements difficult, and had a depressing influence upon the feelings of the men. The roads were mere by-ways; the low- lands were filled with quicksand, and the copious rains which came on at this time rendered the movement of the wagon train and artillery next to impossible.
At seven o'clock in the morning of the 25th of May the 2d Division left Burnt Hickory, on a road leading south to Dalla-, and marched with rapidity until about ten o'clock in the fore- noon when it struck the enemy's cavalry in ambush on either side of the highway. After a volley or two the enemy tled easterly on a road leading from the Dallas Road to New Hope Church, four or five miles away ; but in retreating set fire to
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the bridge over Pumpkin Vine Creek at Owen's Mills. The flames, however, were quickly extinguished and the bridge put in order by Geary's men. On arriving at the creek it was . found that several Confederate regiments of infantry occupied the hill east of the stream in support of the cavalry, so Geary sent over the 7th Ohio as skirmishers, under cover of which he deployed Candy's Ist Brigade and drove back the enemy's ad- vance for a mile or more to the brow of a hill east of a second branch of Pumpkin Vine Creek. In retiring the enemy made a spirited resistance and one or more counter-charges. It was now apparent to Geary that the enemy was in force in his front, so he stayed the advance, threw up breastworks, and held the position, while the Ist and 3d Divisions were called in by Hooker, from parallel roads on which they had been march- ing, and formed on Geary's right and left.
This disposition of the 20th Corps was not perfected until about five o'clock in the afternoon, and during the interim the 149th was detached from the brigade and sent to guard the ap- proaches on the Dallas Road from the south. From one o'clock to three it occupied a position on the left, and from three to six, on the right of that road, with two companies thrown out as skirmishers. During the afternoon Lieut. Truair, with six- teen men, by order of Gen. Sherman, went on a scouting expe- dition to the enemy's left in the direction of Dallas ; and hav- ing successfully performed that duty, reported and received the thanks of the commanding general.
At six o'clock in the evening the regiment was relieved from duty on the Dallas Road and joined the brigade and division which was formed in double line of battle facing the enemy west of New Hope Church. About dark the whole corps ad- vaneed a mile or more through the woods driving the enemy before it to his main line. The 3d Brigade was then moved by the right flank for a short distance, under direction of a staff officer, and then a detachment, composed of the 149th and a part of the 111th Pennsylvania, was again brought to a front and moved forward over a line of troops, belonging to the 20th
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Corps, lying on the ground. It was then quite dark and in the dense woods it was impossible to see any distance away, and difficult to keep an alignment. When the men passed the troops on the ground they were asked where they were going, and, giving an evasive answer, were told they were evidently going to h -- as they were the only troops on that line, yet the men were assured by their escort that there was still another line before them. The little detachment had not gone over a hundred yards, however, when without warning or intimation of danger it received a terrific volley of musketry and a shower of grape and canister from the enemy securely posted behind well-constructed works only a few yards away. The faces of the Union men were filled with burnt powder, and the enemy's works and the faces of his men were distinctly revealed by the flash of his guns. It was apparent to every man that some one had committed a fearful blunder in bringing them there, and that it was worse than suicidal for them to remain; still the men gave their opponent a parting volley, with staggering of- feet, and some got behind trees and fired several shots, but all soon yielded to the direction of the line officers to retire to the rear.
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The time consumed in making the charge lasted only a few moment-, yet it was long enough to occasion a serious loss to the regiment, and for the transpiring of many incidents which have made an indelible impression on the minds of those pres- ent. While advancing, one of the officers of the regiment was areosted by a captain of the 111th Penn., whose company joined the 149th on the left, with the remark that matters looked serious, whereupon the two officers recognizing each other grasped hands. While the two were thus joined, a ball struck the 111th officer in the thigh causing him to fall. Still holding hands the 149th officer reached down to sustain his fall- en comrade, when a second ball struck the Pennsylvania officer in the head causing his instant death while reclining in the arms of his friend.
An instant later one of the men called out to the command-
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ing officer of his company, "Captain, I've got a furlough," at the same time exhibiting the calf of his leg which hung down in shreds torn by a tin can enclosing canister from the enemy's guns.
It was too true, the men had no business there and were not long in finding it out and retiring. No attempt was made to preserve company or regimental organization, but every man made haste to get away as quickly as possible and retire to a little hollow a short distance in rear where the regiment soon re-formed for duty. If the charge had been intended as made it was clearly a wanton sacrifice of life and limb, and the height of foolhardiness. The men then understood, and have ever since regarded the charge as a blunder of a staff officer in un- derstanding and executing orders. The men reasoned, if they were to make a charge upon a masked battery, they would have been so informed and the usual precautions taken for that purpose. In this case, however, not even a bayonet was fixed, and the men were commanded not to fire as their own men were in front. The charge did not last over ten or fifteen minutes, and was barren of beneficial results ; vet the regiment lost over forty men, five of whom were killed and the balance badly wounded. The injuries were occasioned largely by grape and canister and were unusually severe. At least four suffered amputation of a leg or foot. The entire loss before New Hope Church was 5 killed, 1 missing, and 43 wounded, total 49; nearly all of which occurred in this unfortunate charge.
The plan of Gen. Sherman in conducting the Atlanta Cam- paign was a very simple one and easily understood : to find the enemy as soon as possible, tight him whenever found outside of natural or artificial fortifications, and, beyond a vigorous demonstration and keeping him continually on the defensive, not to fight him under great disadvantages, relying on superior munbers to thank him out of positions which could not be taken without great loss of life. It is true, he directed Hooker to press his command forward and occupy the crossroads at Now
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Hope Church, but at that time he did not know Johnston was there in force and well fortified, and certainly it was contrary to his general conduet of the campaign, and the general in- struetions to his officers, to butt a small detachment in the night time against a masked battery well supported by infantry.
When Sherman was informed that his wily opponent had left Allatoona and had concentrated on his front at Dallas and New Hope Church, he observed his old tactics of hugging his opponent's lines as closely as possible and drawing off his sur- plus troops for a flank movement to the left. Before this could be snecessfully accomplished a week or ten days elapsed and some hard fighting and a good deal of noisy skirmishing took place. The principal fighting, however, after the intro- ductory performance of Hooker's command on the 25th, took place on the left between the flanking troops and those sent by Johnston to counteract the movement. The superior muumbers of Sherman in the end won a position on the railroad south of Allatoona, and caused Johnston to let go his grip on Dallas and New Hope Church. While these events were transpiring; Hooker's men, stationed on the line in front of New Hope Church, passed through an eventful experience fraught with great personal danger, some loss, much hard work, and severe nervous strain.
During the night of the 25th the regiment remained within two hundred yards of the enemy's works, and before daylight moved with the division to the extreme right of the Union lines and threw up breastworks. Before dark the following evening it moved about three hundred yards to the left in sup- port of the 29th Pennsylvania. The next morning the Union artillery opened fire on the enemy's works, and occasional shelling and a scattered musketry fire was maintained on both sides during the day.
The lines of the opposing forces, extending for several miles in length, were nearly parallel to each other, and were not more than two or three hundred yards from one another and well fortified. The skirmish lines between these were still
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nearer to each other, and every squad of three or four men in each was covered by three-sided isolated rifle-pits with top logs to fire under resting on skids extending to the rear to pre- vent injury to the men when displaced by cannon shot. The skirmishers were relieved at night, and when a man entered the little pit he knew he had come to stay. Each man was well supplied with ammunition and commanded to use it with an unsparing hand. On the afternoon in question forty men of the regiment were detailed for this duty, and they found that it was no sinecure service they were called upon to perform. The balls flew about their heads constantly and a ceaseless vigilance was required. The warfare between the two contending lines was largely conducted by skirmishers, was unrelenting in character, continued from day to day, and was a fearful tax on the endurance of the men. Under cover of the skirmishers the main lines rested, worked or maneuvered as occasion required. It rained almost constantly, the nights were dark, and the duty was dangerous and di-agreeable.
During the night in question a disturbance occurred on the left and rapidly came nearer and nearer down the lines. The men behind the breastworks, as well as the skirmishers, few to arms and awaited results, when to the relief and unspeak- able amusement of all, the cause of the rumpus was discovered to be a cow and calf running the gauntlet between the skir- mishers and the main line.
Before daylight on the 25th the regiment was again moved a short distance to the left in support of the 60th New York and a battery, and remained there until the Ist of June, mak- ing daily details for the picket and skirmish line. At this place the men made coffee and cooked their food in a little ravine a short distance in rear. On one occasion they omitted this precaution and built a small fire a few feet from the breast- works. The smoke attracted attention and drew a shell or two from the enemy. The first shot was too high and did no harm, but a second one eut a small tree in two a few feet from the ground and promptly scattered the men about the fire in dif-
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ferent directions with frying-pans and coffee-pots in their hands. No one was injured, but the fire was quickly extin- guished for prudential reasons. A few minutes afterwards, however, a group of men were seated on the ground eating dinner when a shell came in and exploding underneath a man by the name of Cassion of Co. D, seated with his back to a tree, tore him in a frightful manner cansing almost instant death. No cautions man exposed himself to view of the enemy, and those who did generally paid dear for the temerity.
On the night of the 29th the enemy opened fire along his whole line and shells and bullets flew lively, but no advance was made by him or any material change took place on the Union side. The occasion was afterwards known and called by the men "The night of the big seare."
Before the army could be withdrawn from New Hope Church it was necessary to remove the wounded to Kingston. the nearest station on the railroad. The number was very great, and as the weather had been hot and wet, there had been more or less neglect in the field hospitals. The transfer was made partially in ordinary baggage wagons over unusually rough army roads. The eries and yells of the injured in transit can - better be imagined than described. During the fore part of the journey, one poor fellow with a wound in his leg, and ap- parently better off than many others, was particularly bad, and at times Ins eries and groans were exeruciating and heartrend- ing. At the noon halt the officer in charge ordered an exami- nation of his injuries by the surgeon, when to the astonishment of all he was found being literally eaten alive with maggots : over a gill of them being taken from his wound. It seems needless to say. his injuries being properly dressed, the sufferer found immediate relief in sleep.
At noon on the 1st day of June the 20th Corps, being re- lieved by the 15th, marched about five miles to the left and bivonacked for the night on the Allatoona Road in support of the 14th Corps. About noon the next day the ed Division marched about five miles to the left in support of the 23d Corps,
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on the left of the 14th. In the afternoon heavy fighting took place in front, and during a thunder shower the troops engaged, being unable to fire on account of the wet, drove the enemy over a mile with the bayonet. The division bivonacked for the night at three o'clock in the afternoon.
About two o'clock in the afternoon of the next day (June 3d) the 3d Brigade broke camp and marched in a rain storm eight miles to a bridge and ford on the Allatoona Creek, two miles from Ackworth, and entered camp at nine o'clock in the evening. The next two days were spent in repairing the bridge and building roads. At nine o'clock A. M. of the 6th the brigade broke camp and, marching through Ackworth, joined the corps about dark at Big Shanty. After throwing up breastworks the regiment had a few days' rest, drew rations, made reports, and held inspections. For the first time in over a month there was cessation of the sound of firearms.
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CHAPTER XXVI
PINE, LOST AND KENESAW MOUNTAINS.
WHEN Johnston let go his hold at New Hope Church he fell back to a new line extend- ing from Brush Mountain on the northeast to Lost Mountain on the southwest. The line covered Marietta, five miles east, and the gap between Brush and Kenesaw Mountains, thro' which the railroad passes to Q .- WHO KILLED GENERAL POLK ? A .- KNAP'S BATTERY. Marietta on its way to Atlanta. Kenesaw is a three-peaked mountain, part of a general chain of which Brush Mountain is a more northerly part, and is continued southerly by a range known as Little Kene-aw. About three miles west of the south- ern end of Brush Mountain, and covering the gap above re- ferred to, is Pine Mountain, a somewhat isolated peak in a low range of hill- running northerly and sontherly parallel with the Brush and Kenesaw range, and in which Lost Mountain towers up five miles south.
Noonday Creek takes its rise in the northern front of Pine Mountain and, after flowing easterly along its base, makes a deep loop southerly into the northern end of the valley between these two ranges of hills and mountains, and thence flows northeasterly, hugging the westerly base of Brush Mountain, emptying into the Etawah. In the same valley, further south,
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are two other ereeks, Mud Creed on the west, rising near the southern side of Pine Mountain, and Nose Creek on the east, rising in the west base of Kenesaw, each flowing south empty- ing their waters into the Chattahoochee.
The position now occupied by Johnston was on the high ground lying between the Etawah on the north and the Chat- tahoochee on the south, and his line of entrenchments ran along the divide of the two watersheds from Brush to Lost Mount- ain ; the center of the line, following the trend of the high ground, advanced forward towards Pine Mountain, and was connected with it by outlying works running up to and around its summit and northern side, making a salient bastion of the mountain in the center of the Confederate line.
The whole country about was rough, hilly and mountainous, and nearly covered with dense forests ; the watercourses were deep with rugged sides : the streams, by reason of the excess- ive rains which had fallen nearly every day for three weeks, were torrents difficult of passage : and on account of the weather, the roads, poor at any time, were badly cut up and almost impassable.
When Sherman's army arrived at Ackworth it was permitted a few days' rest while the railroad and the bridges were re- paired to that place, but on the 13th of June a general move- ment commenced, feeling for positions along the enemy's lines. MePherson, with the Army of the Tennessee as Sherman's loft, moved up to Brush Mountain : next in order to the right came the Army of the Cumberland under Thomas, the 14th Corps on the left joining MePherson, the 4th Corps in the center in front of the loop in Noonday Creek above referred to, and the 20th Corps on the right fronting on Pine Mountain ; and the Army of the Ohio (234 Corps) under Schofield as Sherman's right, came upon the enemy on the road to Gilgal Church half way from Pine to Lost Mountain.
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