USA > Ohio > Four years in the saddle. History of the First Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry. War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865 > Part 18
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The battery opened up at once, and the rebel battery in our rear soon got range and sent the shells thick and fast, and at least one of which struck the roof of the house, thus adding to the terror of the women and children While our battery was firing rapidly one of the guns burst, seriously wounding two of the gunners. There was not a grim veteran of our com- mand whose heart was so hardened by the every day scenes of carnage that it did not go out in sympathy for those mothers with their children, and who would not have freely risked his own life to have saved them, but no aid could be rendered those helpless ones, as no soldier could be spared from his post of duty. The enemy were crowding the rear guard and making a des- perate effort by shot and shell to create a panic and stampede in our brigade. Never were the words of General Sherman more truthfully demonstrated, that "War is cruelty and you cannot refine it," than by this incident. Lieutenant Bennett, who com- manded the section of the battery in this fight, informed the writer the next day that all of the women and children escaped injury, which he considered almost a miracle under the circum- stances, as the shells tore up the ground on all sides of the house. Bennett added that he did not care to have another such experi- ence, as he expected every moment that a shell from the rebel
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battery would burst on the porch or in the house, mangling or killing both women and children. The bursting of the gun near this house has a sequel in which every soldier of the command will be interested. In the charge near Lovejoy Station the horse of A. A. Hill, of Company K, was killed, and, in falling, Hill's leg was caught under his body. After he was extricated from this dangerous position, stunned and dazed, instead of throwing up his hands and surrendering, he followed up the charging column on foot, throwing his saber down, but clinging to his carbine and cartridge box. The ground was soft and in some places muddy, and he next discarded his cavalry boots, and as he had lost his hat in the charge, he was now in light marching order. When the regiment was forming after the charge Hill was counted missing, George Pearl killed and William Hiser seriously wounded, all of of Company K. But about the time the company was all accounted for, Hill came up on the left of the company a little blown, but ready for duty, captured one of the horses of a rebel battery, and was in line before the company was ready to move.
In Setember, 1890, Hill visited the battlefields around Chat- tanooga and Atlanta and also Jonesboro and Lovejoy Station. He passed over the ground where the brigade made the charge, and with the assistance of a prominent official of Jonesboro, located the house on the McDonough road where the gun of the battery burst. An old gentleman by the name of Foster, about seventy-five years of age, was living in the house, and he had still retained a piece of the gun, weighing about forty pounds, which he presented to Mr. Hill. He brought it home, had it photographed with his saber, and the picture is herewith pub- lished. After Colonel Long was wounded, the command of the brigade devolved on Colonel Eggleston of the First, and after the brigade fell back from the position occupied on the high ground at the plantation house, above referred to, the rebels fol- lowed up and we had some skirmishing during the afternoon, but the rebels seemed to have had all the fight they wanted, and they did not press the rear guard. The command was soon mounted and moving out on the McDonough road before night. Both men and horses were tired out and exhausted, and after the excitement of two days and nights of almost continuous fighting, there was a complete collapse when the firing ceased, and the men had lost so much sleep that they seemed perfectly indifferent to all surroundings.
We marched on all night, but it was utterly impossible to march in any kind of order or to keep out an advance guard, as men and officers would go to sleep. In some instances the horses would halt along the road in fence corners and the riders would either unconsciously dismount or fall off and sleep until dragged out by the rear guard and compelled to mount and
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move on with the column. Many of them lost their hats, and no doubt others were taken prisoners by the enemy, and the column moved on silently, horses exhausted, half of the men and officers asleep, and the night as dark as pitch. About two or three o'clock in the morning on the twenty-first, the column halted, and at the point where the second brigade halted there was thick woods. We were ordered to unsaddle, as we had not unsaddled since leaving Sandtown on the evening of the eigh- teenth, and as soon as the saddles were removed the men tum- bled down among the trees on the wet ground at their horses' heads and were soon sound asleep. We halted there until about six o'clock, about three hours, and then saddled, moving on about half a mile we found ourselves on the banks of a stream called Cotton Indian Creek at high flood, the banks full to over- flowing and no bridge. We had to swim our horses across this stream, and as the banks were steep there was a deep cut on either side of the stream, leading to the ford, and it was not possible to get up the bank only at one point, so that the process of crossing the stream was tedious. Picket ropes were stretched across the stream and General Kilpatrick and his division and brigade commanders were on the bank superintending the cross- ing. Men, horses and mules were floundering around in the stream, and as it was no doubt the first attempt of some of the horses to swim, and in some instances the men would get fright- ened, pull on the reins, and as a result many of the riders were unhorsed, and they were saved by the ropes. A number of sol- diers were drowned and at least one of the First, Emanuel Jones of Company K. His horse had been killed in the charge the day before and he was mounted on a small mule which became unmanageable, and he was thrown from its back and his saber and carbine carried him down in a moment. Forty or fifty horses and a number of mules were lost, and the dismounted gun hauled in an ammunition wagon was abandoned, but the am- bulances, carrying nearly one hundred wounded, were all safely crossed. Having crossed this stream we were not again troubled by the enemy; they did not follow us up, as they were in no better condition for fighting than our own forces. Guns and ammunition were soaked with water, as every man in the command was wet above the waist after fording the creek. After we had marched a short distance the sun came out and the command halted to pour the water out of their boots, and it was very amusing to see three or four thousand troopers en- gaged in this work for a few minutes. The command marched on all day and about dark reached Lithonia on the Augusta railroad, and went into bivouac for the night, rejoicing to have the opportunity for a much-needed rest, as we had now been out three days and nights, had only unsaddled once and had not had more than two hours sleep, excepting what we had snatched
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in the saddle. The next day the command marched through Lattimer and Decatur and reached our old camp at Buckhead about sundown of the twenty-second, having marched comp- letely around Hood's army in five days. During that time we destroyed three miles of railroad track, two locomotives and a large number of cars, with a number of railroad buildings, and ware-houses with supplies. The loss in the division was two hundred and sixteen killed, wounded and missing, about equally distributed between the two brigades, but one authority gives the losses in Longs' brigade at ten per cent., which would make the loss in that brigade about one hundred and thirty-eight. The enemy's loss was severe, but of course could not be aseer- tained definitely, yet it was no doubt equal to ours. While at one time we had several hundred prisoners it was not possible to keep them with such rapid marching, and less than one hun- dred were turned over by the Provost officer on reaching our lines, many of whom had saber wounds. We also captured a three gun battery and three battle-flags. This was without doubt the five hardest days and nights consecutive service per- formed by the regiment during the war. The evening we reached Buckhead we received the news that Colonel Long had been promoted to a brigadier-general and the troopers of the brigade gave vent to their enthusiasm by many rousing cheers.
The greatest loss to the First on that raid was Captain Wil- liam H. Scott, the brave and gallant Irish boy who fell in front of the enemy's batteries, shouting, "Take the guns." No braver soldier nor truer patriot everd drew his sword in defence of the flag, and he was "mourned as the brave mourn for the brave."
A few years ago, December, 1890, General Long wrote a letter correcting some glaring errors in an article written by a cavalry officer, and purporting to be a history of the Kilpatrick Raid. - This article charged that General Long had disobeyed orders, when the facts are, first, General Long never received the order as stated, and second, the officer who claimed to have sent the order did not have any authority to give orders to Long, as General Kilpatrick was in command. I herewith copy a few extracts from General Long's letter, as follows:
"The expression, Second Division, is used more than once in the article. Properly speaking, there was no such thing in the command. There were two brigades of that, the Second Divi- sion, with the expedition, and the circumstances would have had to be peculiar, while General Kilpatrick was present, to · have authorized or warranted the commander of one of these brigades to give an order to the other; it was not done. I have . no recollection of said orders being received by me, and of course, of any disobedience on my part or that of my command, and therefore deny the statement 'in toto.' To disobey an order is something I am not conscious of having done during the war."
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BUCKHEAD
DECATOR
STONE MT.
r
ATLANTA SANDTOWN
1
1
LATHONIA
EAST PORT
N
REDBANK
SKIRMISH
1
-
1
1
W-LE
1
SKIRMISH x
1
HANCOCK
WALNUT CREEK
116
X SKIRMISH
JONESBORO
--- KILPATRICK'S LINE - OF MARCH
XSKIRMISH
-
-MCDONOUGH
SKIRMISH
-
+ CHARGE
LOVE JOY
COTTON RIVER
FLINT
SCALE OF MILES
5
5 10
20
KILPATRICK'S RAID
CHATTAHOUCHEE RIVER
AUGUSTAR.R.
.
POINT.R.R.
NEWMAN
- -- X SKIRMISH
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"If there was any confusion or disobedience on the part of the Second Brigade or its commander, it is somewhat singular that something should not have been done or said about it at or about the time it occurred, and that it should be discovered and commented upon only some twenty-six years afterward. As to confusion, considering the time, circumstances and oppor- tunities, I had a good, well-drilled brigade, and during this retreat, fought it when the nature of the ground would permit, as I have never seen done before or since, by bugle commands or signals, retiring alternately one and then another portion of the line, and to me, and to probably most of the men of the brigade, who have seen or heard of it, it is humiliating to have a charge or accusation of this character brought against it at this late day."
The following letters from General Sherman and General Thomas, recommending Colonel Long for promotion to Brigadier- General, shows in what high esteem he was held by those two great commanders, and his commission as Brigadier-General was signed and forwarded by the Secretary of War the very day we started on the Kilpatrick Raid.
Headquarters Military Division of the Mississippi, In the Field, near Atlanta, Ga., August 16, 1864. Hon. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War, Washington, D. C .:
I need a good cavalry brigadier very much, and recommend Colonel Eli Long, Fourth Ohio Cavalry, now here, and who mer- ited promotion for good service the time I went to Knoxville. He is a junior Colonel now, and the cavalry is not commanded to my satisfaction.
W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General, Commanding.
Headquarters Department of the Cumberland,
August 16, 1864.
Major-General Sherman, Commanding Military Division of the Mississippi:
General: I do not know how to overcome the difficulty of . finding a commander for the division now commanded by Gar- rard, unless you could have Colonel Long promoted. I regard Long as a very efficient officer, who, by his services during this war, has dearly earned his promotion, not only for gallantry, but on account of his administrative ability and experience.
GEO. H. THOMAS, Major-General U. S. Vol., Commanding.
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Washington, August 18, 1864.
Major-General Sherman:
The appointment of Colonel Long as Brigadier has been made, and will be forwarded to you by mail immediately.
E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War.
No newspaper writer can add to the fame of the command to which he belonged by giving them high sounding names after the war, such as "Fighting Brigade," "Saber Brigade," "Light- ning Brigade," "Bayonet Brigade," etc .; neither can he detract from the fair fame of such a brilliant officer as General Eli Long, who won his stars at the front, was severly wounded at least a half dozen times, by any carping criticism, born of jeal- ousy during the war. After the battle of Stone's River the First Ohio was frequently called the "Charging First," for the reason that during that battle, in a charge made by the regiment, the Colonel, Major and a Lieutenant were killed and the Adjutant was severely wounded, and the regiment fairly won some dis- tinction on that account. But they did not parade the regi- ment in the newspapers as the "Charging First," for it was con- sidered in bad taste, and is so considered now by good soldiers.
We remained in camp at Buckhead until the twenty-fifth of August, and when Sherman's army commenced the great flank movement to the right, the brigade moved down the Chatta- hoochie to Sandtown, and encamped there on the twenty-sixth. The next morning we moved to the front and took position on the left of the Twenty-third Army Corps and extreme left of our army. We continued to advance on the left and had more or less skirmishing every day up to the second of September. At- lanta was evacuated on the night of the first, and General Slocuni marched into the city with the Twentieth Army Corps on the morning of the second. From the second up to the eighth the brigade watched the left flank of the army as it retired to Atlanta and on the fourth the regiment made a reconnoissance to the east on Cotton Indian Creek near Flat Rock Shoals, took a number of prisoners and learned that there was a heavy cavalry force of the enemy at McDonough. Marched to Cross Keys on the tenth, across roads about fifteen miles northeast of Atlanta, and went into camp. We remained in camp near Cross Keys through the month of September, doing picket duty, scouting and recruiting up our horses, as the hard summer's campaign, with scarcity of forage, had cut the horses down in flesh and rendered many of them unfit for service. During the month there were some changes in the regiment, as the non-veterans started for home to be mustered out on the twenty-first. Captain Erwin and Captain Woodlief resigned September 30, and some of the officers
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got leave of absence. Lieutenant Curry was detailed as Quar- termaster September 12, so that our numbers were not only materially reduced, but there were a number of changes in com- pany commanders. Lieutenant-Colonel Pattin was still in com- mand of the regiment, and Colonel Eggleston in command of the brigade. We left our camp at Cross Keys on the second of October, crossed the Chattahoochie on a pontoon, as the floods had swept all the bridges off, and the pontoon was thrown across for, the Twenty-third. A. C. Hood was making his flank move- ment by the right of our army and had already struck the rail- road in our rear, and the day we arrived at Marietta, the fifth, the battle of Alatoona was fought. General French's division of the rebel army attacked a brigade at Alatoona Pass, com- manded by General Corse, and was repulsed with heavy loss.
On the day of the fight at Alatoona the regiment bivouacked at the foot of Kenesaw Mountain and the writer, in, company with two or three other officers of the regiment, rode to the summit of the mountain. General Sherman, with some mem- bers of his staff, was on top of the mountain with the signal corps. We could plainly hear the roar of the guns at Alatoona, fifteen miles away, where the battle was raging, and the smoke could be plainly seen with a field glass, and under the eye of General Sherman, who was very restless and nervous, the signal officer was busily signaling and finally caught the signal that General Corse was in command. Then General Sherman sent the dispatch, "Hold the fort, for I am coming," which furnished the theme for the Sabbath School song, sung by every child in our land, "Hold the Fort."
The division moved toward New Hope Church on the left flank of the army, now faced toward Chattanooga, and during this retrograde movement and until Hood's army was out of our reach and marched toward Northern Alabama, we were continuously skirmishing with both cavalry and infantry and had some sharp fights. On the seventh the division had a fight at New Hope Church with Armstrong's division of cavalry and drove him back some distance and almost to Dallas. On the twelfth the division, having crossed the river at Rome, attacked Armstrong's division and drove them back toward Cedar Bluff about four miles, with considerable loss to the enemy. The divi- sion then fell back toward Rome and bivouacked for the night. On the morning of the thirteenth the enemy's scouts appeared on the hills just east of Rome and in plain view, and the division crossing the Ostenaula River moved to the attack at once with the Second Brigade in advance and the First Ohio, dismounted, as skirmishers. The enemy was rapidly driven back, but soon opened up with artillery. This did not check our line, the boys moved forward with great enthusiasm, as their blood was up and they were anxious for the fray. They swept everything
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before them with a whirl, capturing two pieces of artillery, one battle flag of a Texas regiment, about one hundred pris- oners, and the enemy was soon routed and in full retreat. Gen- eral Garrard's report of this fight is herewith attached and gives a good account of the engagement.
Extract from report of Brigadier-General Garrard, Nash- ville, Tenn., 11, 16, '64:
(Volume 39, Part I, Page 727.)
On the thirteenth the enemy's cavalry appeared on the hills west of Rome. The division crossed the Etowah and then the Ostenaula, and drove the enemy away and five miles down the road toward Coosaville. On the thirteenth received orders to find out if the enemy had taken up his pontoon bridge, and if so, on which side of the river. The Twenty-third Corps was ordered to support me. After advancing some four miles struck the enemy. The First Ohio was dismounted as skirmishers, and the Third Ohio was sent out on the flanks mounted, and the Third Brigade, Miller's, was at once dismounted and brought up in line, two regiments on each side of the road.
The enemy, after a little skirmishing, fell back, but our advance continued. Soon after the enemy opened artillery. We were moving through the woods, and could not see his position, but continued to advance, the Third Brigade and First Ohio in line on both sides of the road dismounted, the First Brigade mounted in column of fours in the road, the head of column on line with the dismounted men and two companies of the Third Ohio mounted on each flank. When within long rifle range of their position, the woods ended, and large open corn-fields lay between us and the enemy, who had formed line beyond a creek on a ridge in the edge of some timber. Just as the line was about to emerge from the woods, the charge was ordered. The enemy stood firing his artillery up to the last moment, and the cannoneers used their pistols in defense of their pieces. The artillery, two pieces, was captured just as it was limbered up. The enemy was routed and pursued on several different roads. Their killed, wounded and captured, which fell into our hands, was over seventy, but every pursuing party reported large num. bers left wounded and killed on the roads and in the woods. The main body was pursued on the Coosaville road fourteen miles below Rome, and full and complete information was gained in regard to the pontoon bridge. The rebel cavalry was Allen's division of Wheeler's corps. One of the brigades was the Texas brigade. A set of colors of one of the Texas regiments was cap- tured. The loss on our side was fourteen killed and wounded, and between thirty and forty horses. The enemy was completely routed, and I learned afterward it was more than three days before this rebel division of cavalry could be collected together.
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On the seventeenth we marched through Snake Creek Gap, which was blockaded by large trees cut by the enemy, and our march was very slow and tedious. Marched down Broomtown Valley through Villanow and to Sub- lignia at the head of Dirtown Valley, arriving about midnight. On the nineteenth we marched down Dirtown Valley and through the pass of Taylor's Ridge, passed down South Carolina Valley, and on the evening of the eighteenth camped at Chattanooga Creek. The division was on the march continuously, watching the enemy and attacking his flanks and rear guard almost every day. On the twentieth the division crossed Little River and had some skirmishing and followed the enemy's rear guard, Wheeler's cavalry, until dark. In this fight the ammunition of the First was about all exhausted, and as the ammunition wagons did not have cartridges of the right caliber, the regiment was detailed for courier duty at General Sherman's headquarters through Gaylesville to Rome. The headquarters of the regiment was at Coosaville until the thir- tieth, and that day we marched to Rome, and Sherman's whole army was moving back toward Atlanta, leaving Hood to be taken care of by General Thomas.
Atlanta Campaign.
,
Summer of 1864. Battles and Losses.
The summer of 1864 was the great battle summer of the war. While Grant was battling his way through the "Wilder- ness," Sherman was driving the Confederate army, commanded by General Joe Johnston, steadily through the mountain passes of Northern Georgia. The campaign is generally called the "One hundred days under fire from Chattanooga to Atlanta," but the facts are that the campaign opened May 5 and closed with the taking of Atlanta, September 1, about one hundred and twenty days. It is literally true that from the firing of the first gun, May 5, to the taking of Atlanta, there was fight. ing on some part of the line every hour. Fighting was the regular daily business of Sherman's army, and the soldiers were aroused from the bivouac each morning to get a hurried break- fast of coffee and hardtack, and the cavalrymen to feed, groom and water their horses, with the full expectation of attacking the enemy at any moment, and they were rarely disappointed.
It is very surprising how quickly young men will adapt themselves to the hardships and perils of war, and so soon be- come accustomed to active warfare, that the average soldier goes about it the same as the citizen follows his usual vocation.
The veteran fully realizes that in every battle the chances are against him, but he goes on, never shirking from duty, hoping for the best, and it is rarely the case that a soldier will acknowl- edge, when a battle opens, that he believes he will be killed.
When Sherman's army commenced the advance, May 5, 1864, he had, in round numbers, 100,000 men present for duty.
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Lt. Gen. Jos. Wheeler, C. S. A.
Lt. Gen. N. B. Forrest, C. S. A. .
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Piece of the gun, of the Chicago Board of Trade Battery, that exploded, August 20th, 1864, near Lovejoy, Ga .- See page 183.
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ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND. Major-General Thomas.
Infantry
54,568
Artillery
2,377
Cavalry
3,828
Total
60,773
Field guns
130
ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE.
Major-General McPherson.
Infantry
22,437
Artillery
1,404
Cavalry
624
Total
24,465
Field guns
96
1
ARMY OF OHIO.
Major-General Schofield.
Infantry
11,183
Artillery
679
Cavalry
1,697
Total
13,559
Field guns
28
Grand total
98,797
Field guns
254
Soon after the campaign began two more divisions of cavalry joined Sherman's army: General Stoneman, 4,000; General Gar- rard, 4,500.
General Sherman in making an estimate of the number of men and horses to be supplied by his one line of railroad from Louisville to Chattanooga, estimated horses and mules at 35,000, and that it would require one hundred and thirty cars of ten tons each to reach Chattanooga daily to supply his army. He did not calculate to transport any hay, and only five pounds of oats or corn per day for each animal, and expected the cavalry to subsist their horses on grass and wheat for rough forage, and beef cattle were to be driven on the hoof. To transport these supplies it required one hundred locomotives and one thousand freight cars. Before the army moved, orders were issued requir- ing men and officers to carry their clothing and five days' rations, only one wagon and one ambulance was allowed to each regi-
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