USA > Ohio > Historical sketch of the 56th Ohio volunteer infantry during the great Civil War from 1861 to 1866 > Part 6
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in command of his company on the retreat by the commanding officer of the regiment, and he was as competent to command it as any man in the company.
General Banks was present when the battle opened, and as one writer well says, "Fed his army by detachments into this Con- federate threshing machine." The desperate situation of our troops nerved every man to the best that was in him, and the veterans, on that battle line, were equal to three times their num- ber of less seasoned troops. The enemy being unable to drive us in front, advanced a large force on the right flank of General Lauman's division, and succeeded in capturing the Forty-eighth Ohio, Nineteenth Kentucky; Seventy-seventh and One Hundred and Thirteenth Illinois regiments, and Captain White's Chicago Battery. And all these, by sundown, with many others captured, were on the way to that vile rebel prison, at Tyler, Texas. This battle was a plain trap, set by the enemy, and our commander had no more gumption than to send his troops into it. There was only one narrow road, with timber and brush on both sides, our wagon train being well to the front, obstructing the movement of troops, and later falling an easy prey to the enemy. Our forces were crowded back slowly and steadily. The men of the Thirteenth Corps could not be stampeded, no difference how desperate the conditions might be. They fell back, stubbornly facing the foe, all feeling that we had not had a fair chance. At this time the writer was Quartermaster Sergeant of the regiment, and, though well up in front, not on the battle line, but when I saw the wounded coming back, and saw the desperate plight my comrades were in, I took my musket and hastened to the firing line, though my superior officer remonstrated with me for going.
About sunset someone called from behind us to run in. On looking around we were greatly rejoiced to see General Emory's. division of the Nineteenth Corps, our strong support in our ter- rible need. They opened ranks for our little force to pass through, the enemy following closely. As soon as we cleared from their front, the Nineteenth Corps fired a volley into them that made the earth shake, as well as the Confederate hosts. Three times they
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attacked, but the Nineteenth Corps repulsed their utmost efforts. They tried the flanks, but they were firm, and, night coming on, kept them from making the best use of their greatly superior force. The order was to fall back to Pleasant Hill. No comrade who was there can ever forget the miseries of that night, wagon trains, artillery and the troops, all crowding that narrow road, and some of our comrades had experienced, in the words of the poet:
" The first dark night of nothingness. The last of danger and distress."
At one of our frequent blockades I found Comrade Moses Roberts of Company C, near the road. He had been severely wounded, and was unable to retreat further, but a kind hearted teamster, who had given me a place to ride on his wagon, permitted me to substitute Comrade Roberts, and he escaped with the rest of us.
The loss of the Thirteenth Corps in this action was 1,405. Our regiment had 2 killed, 14 wounded and 19 captured. Admiral Porter, in his history of this action, says: "Even this small force went into battle by detachments." But few in number, the boys of the Thirteenth Corps, held their front. Our entire force was between 6,000 and 7,000 men. The battlefield was about four miles from Mansfield, at a place called Sabine Crossroads. It was about 50 miles south of Shreveport, and 20 miles west of Red river. The Confederate army was under the command of General Dick Taylor, and consisted of Mouton's and Walker's divisions, and General Thos. Green's cavalry, in all amounting to 12,000 men.
General Taylor had been ordered to fall back before our army, leading it on to Shreveport. But the opportunity offered for defeating General Banks was too tempting to be rejected. Out of twenty-six pieces of artillery engaged all but eight were captured by the enemy. But for the position of the train fewer prisoners would have been taken by the enemy, and most of the artillery would have been saved. The loss of our army in this criminally managed battle was over 3,000 men, killed, wounded and prisoners. The Confederates lost about 1,000 men. The enemy captured 220 of our wagons.
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General Franklin and Admiral Porter both expressed them- selves that the enemy would not fight, but had occasion to reverse their opinion before this campaign was over. There can be but one solution of such a conduct of affairs, and that is, that who- ever directed that on our part in this battle was incapable.
At daylight on the 9th of April we reached Pleasant Hill, and that every one of us was about exhausted can well be believed. But we were greatly encouraged to find General A. J. Smith's division of the Sixteenth Corps in line of battle to support us. We all had the greatest confidence in the ability of General Smith to meet and defeat the rebels, and the spirits of all were greatly revived, all feeling that if he commanded we would have an equal or better show than the enemy. Our remnant of the Thirteenth Corps was placed in reserve. Soon after day the enemy advanced upon our forces with great confidence. For over three hours they attacked and charged our troops, but they found in General A. J. Smith a man who was master of the situation at hand. With his gallant division and the troops of the Nineteenth Corps they re- pulsed every effort of the enemy, who abandoned the attack after over three hours of desperate conflict.
Between 2 and 3 p. m. we continued to retreat on the road to Grand Ecore, on Red river. We marched all night. The road was extremely rough, and it was as dark as it ever gets. April 10 we continued our retreat, and on the 11th of April, at 5 p. m., went into camp near Red river. On the 13th our division moved out a short distance and built fortifications across the road we came in on, the rebels being near and in force. General Franklin passed along as we were at work, and remarked to a squad of Company G boys: "You don't need any protection. We can whip. them easily here." Comrade Gil Crabtree replied: "We have been defeated once, and we think we will look out for ourselves." Gen- eral Franklin was second in command to General Banks.
April 20 General Smith's division of the Sixteenth Corps moved out south on the road to Nachitoches. Our division left this place at 5 p. m. of April 21, and continued to fall back toward.
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Alexandria, Louisiana. As we departed the few buildings in Grand Ecore were set on fire by some one, and were entirely con- sumed. We marched all of that night, most of the next day and all of the following night. This service tested the endurance of every comrade there. At daylight on the 23d we found that the Confederates held a strong position on high ground on the south side of Cane river. From this place they had complete command . of the low ground to the north, and all approaches to the bridge on the wagon road, and the low ground where we were.
Our troops attacked them in front, and our forces in the rear were heavily engaged. It was a grand sight to see the troops, our forces and the enemy's, moving to attack and counter-attack from every side of that basin where our army was. The rebels seemed to swarm on all sides. Our situation was critical unless the Con- federates in our front could be dislodged. While this contest was going on in front and rear, the survivors of the Thirteenth Corps made a detour in the shelter of some woods, forded the river, gained the high ground and swept the rebels from their strong position at the bridge. Our forces in the rear repulsed the enemy at all points, and late in the afternoon all of our troops were safe across Cane River, and camped on the hills in the timber.
April 24 we continued our retreat through the pine woods toward Alexandria, reaching there at dark on the 25th. Here we were in comparative safety.
This campaign was made up of shameful blunders at the hands of officers, who, in some incredible manner, had attained to such responsible command. The ranks of every regiment contained plenty of men who could have handled our army and led them to victory, instead of defeat.
April 27 we received our veteran furlough, and on the 28th we went aboard a steamboat, but at 1 p. m. the rebels made a heavy attack on our works, and it looked as if there would be a general engagement; so we returned and remained in line all night, and we had to remove our things from the boat, as it was ordered
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to proceed to New Orleans. On May 2 the Fifty-sixth Ohio, with its division, was sent out on a reconnoissance, but the enemy did not show up with any force that would stand its ground.
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SERGEANT GEORGE GRINDLEY See page 138
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CHAPTER X.
THE JOHN WARNER, SNAGGY POINT AND OUR ESCAPE.
May 3, 1864, the regiment was again ordered to depart on its veteran furlough. We embarked on the steamboat John Warner. This was a fine side-wheel boat in good order, and with a brave and loyal Captain. On May 4 the John Warner left Alexandria at 10 o'clock a. m., and we had not gone far beyond our lines when we were fired into from the south side or bank of the river. From behind the levee at the most secure points we were fired into with musketry, but we were not seriously damaged, as our boat was protected by rows of cotton bales around the sides and ends, which secured us with reasonable care against bullets. They began to fire into us at 1 o'clock p. m., and in one of these attacks they killed Tom Morris of Company C, our former brave drummer boy, who, in 1862, in back of Memphis, took the arms and equipments of the fellow who was afraid, and carried them to a good purpose to this eventful day, when, in his daring recklessness, he disdained the good protection afforded by the cotton bales, and stood up fully exposed and fired at the enemy, who lay behind the levee. He was shot through the brain, and in his death a mere boy, that he was, the Union lost one of its bravest defenders.
Our passage so far had been under great difficulties, as the enemy was vigilant as usual, and fired into us from every favorable point, and after running some twenty odd miles we tied up for the night on the north side of the river. Here we thought we were comparatively safe, and all was quiet on the John Warner. The officers and passengers were eating their supper, and the men were partaking of hard-tack, etc.
The river here was rather narrow, and opposite our boat there was a thicket of brush, and about dusk the enemy crept up and
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fired a volley into our boat. It was equal to a circus to see those in the cabin at supper rush down the stairs to the stronger pro- tection on the lower deck. On the hurricane roof of the boat Comrade John Henry of Company F was on guard, and how he escaped instant death a kind Providence only knows. The only damage they did was the scare that those at the supper table got.
On the morning of the 5th we were off early, and had gone but a short distance, when we saw a small body of Union troops on the north bank of the river. They were making their way toward Alexandria. We learned they were a part of the One Hundred and Twentieth Ohio Infantry. They reported the rebels in force strongly posted a few miles below; that they had captured the City Belle, the boat they were on, and that they had escaped by the north side of the river.
In a short time after leaving them we were hailed from the north bank. We landed and took aboard a wounded Lieutenant and two soldiers of Company H, One Hundred and Twentieth Ohio Infantry. They were First Lieutenant John M. Baer and Privates Isaac S. Miller and Andrew Manhart.
In a short time we came in sight of their pickets. They fired at us and rode at their best speed for their main force. We had as escorts two light gunboats, the Signal and Covington. On rounding the next bend their battery opened on us. I was standing at the bow of the John Warner, and saw the first ball fired at us strike the water just in front of the boat.
At this place, called Snaggy Point, the river makes a short turn or elbow. The water was low and the channel narrow. and we were coming into the range of their guns. The enemy had two 32-pound Parrott guns, and a 6-gun field battery, with 1,200 cavalry and over 2,000 infantry, securely posted behind the best of fortifi- cations, a high and strong levee. From this secure place they gave us a close and hot fire from the time that we came into range. And we had now entered that concert of all that was horrible. Our gunboats opened fire furiously, but the enemy was too well sheltered to be greatly damaged by it. Nearly every shot they
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fired reached our boat, or one of the gunboats. We drifted with the current, the gunboats keeping up a constant bombardment, and the Fifty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry a steady fusillade of musketry.
In the National Tribune of Washington, D. C., under date of February 5, 1885, Lieutenant John M. Baer of the One Hundred and Twentieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry gave the following ac- count of his and our experience in passing through this maelstrom of death and destruction. Coming from a man of some other reg- iment may add to its worth, and it is here given in his own words:
"Now the time had come for the John Warner to run the blockade. Every preparation had been made, and with the tim- bers quivering under her immense power of steam, the gallant steamer shot by the first gunboat. Then the Fifty-sixth opened fire. There they stood, the brave Colonel Raynor and his war scarred veterans, looking as if they would conquer fate itself; and that they fought desperately need not be told, for who ever knew them to flinch in the hour of danger? The Colonel rushed back and forth waving his sword. The officers, with sword in one hand and shooting with revolvers with the other, cheered and urged on their men, which was useless, as every man was doing his level best to down a 'Johnny.' Then came a yell from the 'Rebs,' as they mounted the levee. We looked back and saw the boat we had passed all ablaze. Then came the explosion of her magazine. We passed another boat, which was firing very slowly, the 'Rebs' filling its port-holes, when open, so full of shot that they could not use their guns. Then came another yell from the rebels, and, looking ahead, we saw another boat floating disabled down stream. It had swung crosswise in the river, and they were shooting through her lengthwise. Then came a crash and a solid shot went through the wheel-house of the John Warner, disabling her engines and causing her to drift with the current. The noble Captain was then heard calling, 'Help!' 'Tow me out.' We had not reached the point of the bend, consequently our boat almost ran ashore on the rebel side. Cheer after cheer went up from them, thinking they had us in their clutches, but we soon drifted past the bend, and,
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fortunately, to the north side of the river. On the refusal of the John Warner's crew to make the boat fast Sergeant Nick Main, Samuel Nickell and J. C. Harper took the rope up the bank and tied the boat up under a shower of bullets. We were in a bad position. The rebels had an enfilading fire on our boat, and they poured their shots into us from three sides. They splintered the light woodwork of the John Warner into slivers. Our cotton bales saved many a life on that boat, as they were a good protection, both on. the boat and when we went up the bank. Some of the escapes were marvelous. A citizen passenger sitting in an arm- chair on the cabin deck in a drunken stupor was not aroused until we had passed the first artillery, when one of our boys dragged him to a safer place. I had left my knapsack where I bunked, outside in the front of the cabin deck, and when I found we had to leave the boat I was very anxious to secure it. I crawled toward it, but they made the splinters fly too close for safety. Securing a long slat, I attempted to draw it within reach, but they had such close range on that point that they knocked the stick out of my hands, and having a desire to enjoy my veteran furlough, I reluct- antly left my knapsack for the enemy. The passengers in the cabin lay flat on the floor, the splinters from the light upper wood- work of the cabin and other debris covering them in many places."
At this time I was Quartermaster Sergeant of the regiment, and, being near Colonel Raynor, he directed me to notify the com- pany officers to get their men on shore at once. After performing this duty I returned to Colonel Raynor, and we jumped off the boat behind the wheel-house and scaled the bank under a heavy fire of musketry.
Before our men could get off, a shell from the enemy burst behind the cotton bales in Company D, killing Wm. Bradfield and mortally wounding Sergeant Samuel Wood. They were two ex- ceptionally fine young men, and their loss was greatly deplored. Also James Odle, Thomas Cox and Azariah Arthur were all more or less wounded by the same shell. One extraordinary shot was a shell fired by the enemy that passed through the boat from the
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rear end, through every state room on one side, and lodged in a drawer in the Clerk's desk, but did not explode.
As soon as the companies came off the boat a council was held, and it was decided to make an effort to reach the Mississippi river. As this would be quite a long march, we thought it best to secure some rations before starting. A lot of us returned to the John Warner for that purpose. I brought off about a half- bushel of hard-tack and three blankets, and though there was a constant and close fire of musketry I escaped without a scratch. At this same time Comrade Wm. W. Hughes of Company E started up the bank with a box of crackers on his shoulder. . When about half way up they knocked it to pieces about him, but he ran back, took up another box and brought it up the bank. Also Com- rade Thomas J. Williams of Company E went up on the hurricane roof of the John Warner, and threw off the knapsacks of his com- pany. Surely, the enemy lacked the ball to kill him. These two acts came under my own observation at the time.
Our escorts did their best to dislodge the enemy, but after a most desperate contest failed entirely. A number of the com- rades, who were not very well, were under the shelter of the boat, · hesitating about taking the risk of going up the bank. I went down to the edge of the bank and urged them to take the risk and come up into the woods, but most of them would not venture, and fell into the enemy's hands and endured a long imprisonment.
The Captain of the Warner sent for Colonel Raynor for con- sultation. In making the trip the Colonel was shot through the leg. We got him up into the woods as soon as we could, and shortly after the commander of the gunboat Covington sent word to bring the Colonel up stream a short distance, and that he would take him on board, and he thought that he could run by the enemy's batteries. I took my blanket, and, Comrades Samuel Clinger, William Leniger, Samuel Nickel and David Storer assist- ing, we carried the Colonel up stream, where the Covington landed for him, and we all went aboard. With my musket ready, I stepped to a port hole and fired one shot, when a shell entered over my head, cutting the steampipe and exploded in the ashpit, deal-
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ing death and destruction on every side. The escaping steam filled our boat, creating quite a panic.
The gunboat Signal at this time lay by the side of the Cov- ington, and nearly. every one on the Covington escaped to the Signal. Colonel Raynor was having his wound examined at the time, and was taken with the crowd. When the steam cleared, we discovered only one officer of the Covington and a few of his men, together with us boys of the Fifty-sixth Ohio. The Cov- ington was now a helpless wreck, drifting toward the enemy.
The young officer asked us boys to assist his men with a big gun they were getting ready to fire. We took hold of the rope with the gunboat men. We were now, to all appearances, drifting right into the enemy's hands, and a crowd of them came down to the water's edge to take us in. But to their disappointment our big gun belched its contents in their midst, the recoil sending the Cov- ington back across the river. The young officer told us to make every effort to escape. We did not need any urging on that line. One by one we gathered on the side next the shore, and when the Covington struck the north shore we made our best speed up that bank under a regular shower of bullets. Well, we were not to be killed. They literally mowed the brush over our heads as we crawled away.
As soon as they slacked firing, we started to hunt up the regiment, but found that it had gone down stream a short time before. Near by we found Sergeant J. C. Bingham and the wounded boys of Company D. As we could be of no assistance to them, they urged us to save ourselves if possible, and we took the trail of the regiment and followed in quick time.
Moving on, we soon had a crowd of thirty or forty together, mostly from the gunboats. In the crowd was a Major, a strong, hearty man, and at different times he urged me to stop and sur- render. At times we missed the trail of the regiment in the dry woods, and all the crowd sat down and waited until we Fifty-sixth boys and a young colored man from one of the gunboats found it. Our advance guard held a caucus and decided to leave that crowd
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as soon as night came, if something better or worse did not intervene.
Some distance out we crossed a road and found that the rebel cavalry had just passed out of sight. They thought we were head- ing for Alexandria, as many others did, and they were endeavoring to intercept us. Some time after passing this point we heard a boat blow off steam. Then we struck out at our best gait in the direction of the sound, and in a short time reached the river several miles below where we left it. We could see a gunboat quite a dis- tance down stream. We fired our guns and shouted, thus attract- ing their attention, and the boat landed and waited for. us. We thought we had traveled eight or ten miles, and that we were about exhausted can well be believed. This gunboat had taken the regi- ment on board some distance above, and on learning the condition of affairs at Snaggy Point turned back and took us to the mouth of Red River, and from there the Shreveport, a very heavily loaded steamboat, took us to New Orleans, reaching there May 7, 1864. We were in the worst condition we had ever been.
Here we were quartered in the Virginia warehouse. We drew some much needed clothing and were paid, and received a part of our veteran bounty. Here I will give a short account of what some of our comrades and others endured on this shameful and blundering campaign.
Before we left the Covington the rebels had crossed the river and made a line fast to the John Warner, put the coil into a yawl, and rowed to the south shore, where the line was seized, and, with shouts and cheers, the John Warner was hauled to the opposite shore. The plucky Captain was one of the first to be taken off. Then the rebels swarmed over the boat, drank all the whisky, ran- sacked the boat and plundered the wounded and dead. They shamefully abused Lieutenant J. M. Baer of the One Hundred and Twentieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, took his money, stripped off his clothes, leaving him only his undershirt and drawers, and he being badly wounded. The John Warner soon after took fire and was soon consumed.
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Colonel Raynor and the other wounded from the City Belle, that the One Hundred and Twentieth Ohio was on, and those from the John Warner and the gunboats, were first taken to a cotton shed nearby, and from there in wagons to Cheneyville, Louisiana.
Captain J. C. Stimmel of the Fifty-sixth Ohio failed to get off the first boat we went on at Alexandria with the regiment, and was captured two days before the mishap to the John Warner, and with a lot of other prisoners was marched toward Tyler, Texas. When the prisoners were near Shreveport Captain Stimmell and another officer broke from the column as they were going through some timber. They ran a short distance and hid in the leaves. The column was halted and a careful search was made. The guards even walked on the log by the side of which they lay. Fortunately they failed to find them. After a long tramp they found a colored man, who kindly fed them and put them on the right course, and also secured them a canoe to travel in, and in that frail craft, after almost incredible hardships and suffering, they reached the mouth of Red river and our fleet. This was some time after our forces had evacuated Alexandria, and the rebels were in full control of Red river.
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