USA > Ohio > The story of the Sherman brigade. The camp, the march, the bivouac, the battle; and how "the boys" lived and died during four years of active field service > Part 26
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During our stay a large train arrived laden with clothing and . stores of all kinds, which supplied our wants. The veteran sol- diers were generally in excellent health, notwithstanding their long and arduous campaign. The new troops were being rapidly thinned out by sickness. While we lay at Silver Springs six or eight of the Seventy-third Indiana were buried. That regiment was reduced, in six weeks of service, to four hundred men, and often not more than half of these were in condition for duty. It is a singular fact that the large men, the "six-footers," were among the first to quit. In most cases "the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak." Thousands of tall, fine looking fellows, full of lusty life, whom the people at home believed would make "splendid soldiers," filled the hospitals, and many their graves, three months after entering the field of active service. It was usually the small and medium-sized men, tough and wiry, who were best able to endure the hard marching.
On the 19th and 20th we advanced thirteen miles toward Nashville and pitched a camp where we tarried a week. Before our tents were up we were called into line to hear read the order of General Rosecrans on assuming command of the army. The soldiers had long felt that they would be glad to try whether they could not accomplish more under the leadership of some other general than Buell. The brave, hearty greeting of "Old Rosey" to the army was received with prodigious cheering.
We had a foraging expedition on an extensive scale, November 22nd. There was a train of two hundred wagons, in charge of the brigade quartermaster, and accompanied by a heavy escort, consisting of the entire Sixty-fourth Ohio, and five com- panies from each other regiment of the brigade. Five miles from camp the procession halted on the plantation of a bitter secession- ist. His corn was picked and nicely stowed away in cribs. We were glad of this, as it saved us the labor of gathering it in the fields. We tore the roofs from his cribs and transferred their con-
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A WOMAN WHO COULD TALK.
[November,
tents to the wagons, in an incredibly short time, while the planter stormed and swore in the most preposterous manner. He couldn't help himself, with the odds of a thousand against one, and he might better have taken a philosophical view of the matter. But he raved like a madman, invoking upon our heads all the curses in the Confederate calendar. An officer finally told him that if he did not "dry up" he would be taken to camp under guard, and he thought best to hold his peace. Then a young woman, wife of one of his sons who was in the rebel army, began where he had left off. With the volubility of her sex she hurled maledictions upon us in a manner quite terrifying. The officer politely sug- "gested that it would be better for her to keep quiet, whereupon she dashed into the house, crying with rage. She was, by long odds, the most spirited and vivacious woman we had yet encoun- tered in the South.
The boys were not slow to forage on their own account. All the poultry, pigs, vegetables and fruit that could be found were promptly confiscated. An old darkey who belonged on the place correctly "sized up" the situation when he said, after surveying the scene: .
"Wall, boss, I reckon if you-all hadn't come most of dat ar cawn 'd have gone to de Souf, but it looks ziff Mars' Jeff doan' git much off'n dis place dis yeah !"
About the middle of the afternoon sharp firing was heard a mile or two distant. Our work was nearly done, and, as that was not the day we wanted to fight, our sole desire being to get our train safely in, we started for camp. Half the force marched as a rear guard, the remainder being distributed through the train. . We kept a sharp lookout for bushwhackers, but were not molested.
On November 26th we broke camp and made another move. We did not take the road till late in the day and then traveled very slowly, hitching along in that inchworm way that always so exasperated the troops. We forded with much difficulty a large stream, the bridge over which had been destroyed. The banks were steep and high, and, according to the custom for such cases made and provided, ropes and men were employed to assist the mules in the work which they were boarded at government ex- pense to do. It took us several hours, with an enormous amount
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GEORGE H. THOMAS,
MAJOR-GENERAL, COMMANDING ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND.
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IN CAMP AT NASHVILLE.
[November,
of shouting and yelling, to get the artillery and wagons safely over. Not till after dark did we resume our march, and then we crept along at a snail's pace. We had only five miles to go, but were more than that number of hours in making the distance. The night was frosty and cold, and our sluggish movements did not suffice to keep us comfortable. Nobody in the brigade had any patience left when, at midnight, we stacked arms. We knew nothing of our whereabouts, in the darkness that enveloped us, but when we arose next day we found ourselves three miles from Nashville, near the railroad leading to Chattanooga. Here we were to stay until the forward movement to Murfreesboro.
CHAPTER XXXI.
UNDER "OLD ROSEY."
A MONTH AT NASHVILLE-A COMMANDER WHO WILL FIGHT-PREPAR- ING FOR A LAUNCH FORWARD-THANKSGIVING DAY IN CAMP-WE HAVE SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR-THE PIONEER CORPS- WE GET A FEW RECRUITS-CAPTAIN CHRISTOFEL'S IDEA-GRAND REVIEW BY ROSECRANS-SOME LIVELY FORAGING EXPEDITIONS- A WEDDING AND " HIGH JINKS" AT SUTLER HORNER'S "SHEBANG" -- THE BOYS HAVE FUN WITH GENERALS AND COLONELS.
0 UR CAMP was regularly laid out and thoroughly policed. We were pleasantly located, with plenty of good water. Our first day here-November 27th, -was Thanksgiving Day in Ohio, according to the governor's proclamation. The principal thing we had to be thankful for was the end of the
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THANKSGIVING AND A THUNDERSTORM.
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long Kentucky campaign, and especially of that unspeakably tedjous march of the previous night. We had no turkey for dinner-in fact we didn't have much of anything, for our rations had run extremely low, and we were anxiously awaiting supplies.
That evening a most appalling thunderstorm burst upon us. The rain fell in floods. The tents flapped and creaked and quiv- ered in the fierce wind, and fully half of them were blown down entirely ; while the others were only saved from wreck by their occupants holding the poles and stakes by main strength for fully an hour. Those whose tents were not prostrated had another reason to give thanks, which was not shared by those whose ef- tects were drenched by the storm.
December ist, soon after noon, very heavy and rapid artillery firing was heard in the direction of Murfreesboro. Far and near the long roll resounded through the camps. Almost in a moment the entire division was in line of battle. These scares were of frequent occurrence during the next three weeks. We were dis- missed after standing at arms for an hour, but had scarcely reached our quarters when the drums called us again into line. This time it was for a brigade inspection and review by Colonel Harker, preparatory to a grand review of the army by General Rosecrans, soon to take place.
Under an order from the commanding general a pioneer corps was organized, consisting of two men detailed from each com- pany in the army, with a sufficient number of officers. Well supplied with tools and implements, the special duty of this corps, composed largely of mechanics, was to build and repair bridges, railroads and fortifications, and such other work of that nature as the service might require. The pioneers were fully organized as a separate body, and were to be led into action whenever needed, but they were excused from picket duty. These details were made from our regiments on December ist and included First Lieutenant William O. Sarr, of the Sixty-fourth, and First Lieu- tenant Andrew Howenstine, of the Sixty-fifth.
Part of the recruiting squad sent to Ohio while we were at Bridgeport and Stevenson, returned at this time, headed by Cap- tain Cassil, of the Sixty-fifth, now promoted to lieutenant-colonel. He assumed command of the regiment, and Lieuten ant-colonel (21)
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CAPTAIN CHRISTOFEL'S PRESCRIPTION.
[December,
Young returned to the Twenty-Sixth Ohio. Captain Whitbeck was promoted to major, vice Olds, resigned. The number of re- cruits and drafted men brought to the Sixty-fourth and Sixty-fifth was small-about seventy for each. These did not go far toward restoring our depleted ranks. The increased length of the lines at dress-parade was barely perceptible. The new men were dis- tributed, six or eight to each company. The drafted men were only called by the government for a term of nine months.
The meager result of the draft was for some days the sub- ject of frequent conversation among the soldiers, who felt so strongly the need of men to fill up the army. I happened one day to be on duty with Captain Jacob Christofel, of the Sixty- fifth, who gave his life a month later at Stone River. All who remember him-and who in the brigade does not ?- will recall his dry humor, and his droll way of putting things. I have never forgotten the conversation I had with him, and even after so many years I can almost reproduce his words. Said he: "The trouble is that the people lack what the boys call 'sand.' They talk very bravely about what ought to be done, but they are afraid to come down here and help do it. Enough of them could come, if they wanted to, just as well as you or I, to fill up all these regiments, and give us a force that would just over- whelm those fellows down yonder. It beats all how many sick and halt and blind there are up north, as soon as they begin to talk of a draft ! It's just because they haven't got the sand! I'm not a doctor, but I believe I could fix up a prescription that would make men of those fellows. I guess if it didn't do that it would kill them. My treatment would be something like this :
"Let the patient be clothed in a full suit of army blue; let a regulation cap be placed on his head, and a pair of Uncle Sam's best brogans upon his feet: let a knapsack be strapped upon his back, and a haversack with three days' rations, and a canteen filled with water be hung about his neck; let a cartridge-box with forty rounds of ammunition be girt about his loins, and a Springfield rifle laid upon his shoulder; let him then take his place in the ranks and obey the command 'March!' After a day's tramp of, say, twenty miles, the patient will probably show signs of weariness; there will be an aching of limbs and a smart-
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EFFICACY OF HEROIC TREATMENT.
323
ing of feet, but he'll get used to that after a while. Very likely he will be hungry. Let him make himself a cup of coffee, toast a piece of bacon on the end of a ramrod, and on these, with two or three hardtack, make his meal. He'll get used to that, too, if he lives long enough. He won't have any dyspepsia or gout or nightmare in consequence of eating too much. Then let him wrap his blanket around him and lie down, with only the sky above him, and his head pillowed on his knapsack. Perhaps he may be drenched with rain before he wakens; he will find that most refreshing. He will be very likely to feel a little stiff and sore in the morning, and perhaps won't care much whether the Union is saved or not. But let the orderly stir him up for roll-call, and then let him get his breakfast and put on his traps for an- other march. A few days of this sort of thing will have a wonderful effect upon him-one way or the other. A brisk skirmish now and then will be a good thing for him. Let him hear the bullets whistle and the shells scream. If WILLIAM A. BELL, CAPTAIN, SIXTY-FIFTH. supplies are cut off, and he only gets half or quarter rations, let him help out with parched corn, or flour, or something of that sort. One or two nights each week spent on picket will afford him an excellent opportunity for meditation. When in camp let him be drilled six hours a day in the hot sun. If a few weeks or months of such campaigning does not make a man of him, his case inay be given up as one that is without hope."
These recruits and drafted men were just from home and had
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OUR FIRST GRAND REVIEW.
[December,
everything yet to learn. The first evening they spent in camp, one of these embryo soldiers, when the drums beat the sunset call, asked what they were drumming for. On being told that it was "retreat"-the name of that particular call-he began to show signs of alarm and anxiously inquired what we were going to retreat for, and if the rebels were anywhere around there !
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Elaborate preparations were made for a grand review by Gen- eral Rosecrans. Such an event was unknown to our army. The reviews had been monopolized by the Army of the Potomac. Arms were thoroughly cleaned and burnished, acconterments rubbed up, and clothing and knapsacks put in the best possible condition. On the 2nd, and again on the 3rd, of December we . were ordered out for the review, but owing to some hitch in the program the general did not appear, and after standing around in imposing array for two or three hours, we were marched back to camp and dismissed. One of the boys, a constitutional grumbler -who grumbled at everything and everybody, because he couldn't help it-declared, after the second failure to connect, that he had had enough of such foolishness, and if General Rosecrans wanted to review him he could come to his tent and do it there. But when the drums beat again on the 4th for our third attempt to be reviewed, he was about the first one to step into his place, as neat as a pin from top to toe.
The division formed at nine o'clock and marched to the field where the pageant was to take place. There was not room to extend the whole division in a single line, and the First and Second brigades were formed in front and the Third in the rear. All necessary dispositions having been made, arms were stacked and the inen were permitted to rest at ease, to await the coming of the general. Every soldier was fully equipped, as far as possible with the meager supplies we had yet received.
After a delay of an hour, a salute from one of the batteries announced the approach of General Rosecrans. The men sprang quickly to their places, all on the qui vive to catch a glimpse of our new commander, into whose hands had been confided the future of the Army of the Cumberland, as it was now designated. The orders were given by brigade commanders, and repeated by those of regiments and companies :
"Prepare for review ! To the rear of en order-March!"
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THE GENERAL TALKS TO THE BOYS.
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This movement having been duly executed, General Rose- crans, resplendent in a gorgeous uniform, topped with epaulettes, followed by his numerous staff, and the commanding officer and staff of each successive brigade, rode along the front of the line, and returned, passing between the opened ranks. The general was then forty-three years of age, stout and robust in appearance, and with a face so singularly pleasant that it seemed to wear a perpetual benediction. As he appeared at the head of each brigade he was greeted with loud and prolonged cheers. He passed slowly down the line, carefully inspecting the equipments, cloth- ing, physical condition and soldierly bearing of the troops. He manifested a lively interest in the welfare of the men. His keen eye, glancing rapidly from one to another, seemed to detect the slightest deficiency in outfit. If a hat or blouse were worn and ragged, if a canteen or bayonet were wanting, the fact did not escape his notice, and invariably called forth remark. To one whose shoes had long since seen their best days, he said, pleas- antly :
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"My man, we shall have to march one of these days, and you must have better shoes than those !"
The soldier, saluting, replied that he had long been trying to get a new pair but without success. The general, turning quickly to his company commander, said :
"Captain, why do you not keep your men better clothed ? You know that you are held responsible for their condition !"
The captain replied, respectfully, that it had been utterly impossible for him to procure from the quartermaster the necessary supplies. The general mnade a similar inquiry of Colonel Harker, who assured him that no effort had been spared to provide for the needs of the soldiers of his brigade, and promote their efficiency, but his quartermaster had as yet been unable to obtain sufficient clothing and equipments to make good the wear of the long months of hard campaigning through which the troops had just passed. Rising in his stirrups, and speaking in a decisive tone, General Rosecrans said :
"There must be a thorough stirring up of this matter. The men must stir up their captains, the captains must stir up the colonels, the colonels must stir up the generals, the generals must
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IT WAS AN IMPOSING PAGEANT.
[December,
stir me up, and we must all stir up the quartermasters. There is clothing enough in Nashville and the men shall have it!"
The boys wanted to cheer at this, but they feared it might not be the proper thing to do at that moment. and restrained their enthusiasm until the review was over.
Observing one of our new drafted men, who handled his gin . very much as he would a hoe, the general said, with a smile :
"Ah! you are a recruit, I see! We ought to have twenty thousand just such men as you !"
Thus he passed in front of each rank, throughout the long line, with a smile and a pleasant, encouraging word for all. The general and his staff made an imposing appearance, with their pro- fusion of brass buttons and gold lace and their well-fed and richly caparisoned horses. There were two or three ladies in the party, who rode skillfully their spirited steeds. Probably their ears did not catch the half whispered compliments which they elicited from the soldiers as they passed.
The inspection-which was so thorough as to occupy inore than two hours-being finished, General Rosecrans and his staff took position in the center of the field and the division passed in review, marching in column by companies. The day was clear, the sun shone brightly, a gentle breeze gracefully waved the beautiful banners, and the scene was a most inspiring one. The long column executed the various evolutions with military pre- cision. Ten thousand stalwart soldiers keeping step to the music of the bands; the lines of burnished arms at a "right shoulder shift"-each company successively coming to a "shoulder" when passing the reviewing party-with the bright bayonets shimmer- ing in the sunlight and the national colors floating over all. com- bined to form a pageant long to be remembered. It seemed like a grand holiday parade, had we not felt that soon the fierce storm of battle would sweep our ranks, and lay low many a gallant form. It was our first review, and our last, until the Fourth corps carried its tattered but victorious banners past the eye of grand old "Pap" Thomas, at Nashville, in 1865, after we had fired our last shot.
We returned to camp about three o'clock and were relieved from further duty that day. As the soldiers broke ranks they ap- peared to be overcharged with enthusiasm, and there was loud
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PREPARING FOR A CAMPAIGN.
cheering from one end of the camp to the other. The boys had "inspected" General Rosecrans, and from the very outset he com- manded their fullest confidence. "Ain't he a daisy !" "Bully for Old Rosey!" they shouted, in the free-and-easy army vernacular; thus expressing the highest possible compliments. Although General Rosecrans passed into the shadow of an eclipse at Chick- amauga, he never forfeited the affection, esteem and confidence of his soldiers.
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During the month of December the utmost activity prevailed in all the departments of the army at Nashville, in preparation for the movement against Bragg at Murfreesboro, which all be- lieved was soon to take place. There was much difficulty and de- lay in the transportation of stores from Louisville, in consequence of the frequent depredations of Morgan's and Wheeler's cavalry along our "cracker-line." By bold dashes they overpowered the guards and destroyed the bridges at Green river and Bacon creek, and the great trestles at Elizabethtown and Muldraugh's hill. Prodigious efforts were made to repair these breaks as soon as pos- sible, and by the 20th the army was fairly supplied with rations, clothing, ammunition and equipage. The organization adopted by General Buell at the opening of the Perryville campaign was perfected, a number being assigned to each brigade and division. The whole was designated the "Fourteenth Army Corps," and divided into the Right Wing, (McCook); Center, (Thomas); and Left Wing, (Crittenden). Our brigade was still in Wood's divi- sion, which was part of the Left Wing.
The troops were drilled constantly when not engaged in picket or forage duty. They were required to keep three days' rations constantly in haversacks, and to hold themselves in readi- ness to march at a moment's notice. Four roll-calls each day were prescribed-at reveille, noon, retreat, and tattoo. There were frequent alarms which called the troops to the colors, at all hours of the day and night. The practice of standing at arms an hour before daylight was resumed during the last two weeks of our stay. The strictest discipline was enforced and nothing was omitted that could contribute to the efficiency of the army. When it moved it was a compact and thoroughly organized body, in vastly better condition than at any previous time in its history.
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GETTING FORAGE UNDER DIFFICULTIES.
[December,
With its advance, in the last days of December, began its career of success. From that day the Army of the Cumberland never showed its heels to the enemy save at Chickamauga, and this was more than atoned for two months later, by the magnificent sweep up the rugged heights of Missionary Ridge.
While here we had some very spirited foraging expeditions, which are deserving of brief mention. On December 5th the Thirteenth Michigan, five companies of the Sixty-fourth, five of the Sixty-fifth and two guns of the Sixth battery, went eight miles out the Nolensville pike, with fifty wagons. At the crossing of Stone river our advance was arrested by a rebel battery planted on the farther side of the stream. It threw several shells around. us, for which we had no use. Fortunately, they did no damage beyond demoralizing some of the recruits. Our guns returned the fire, but it was determined to withdraw, as we did not wish to provoke a fight. Retracing our steps for a mile, we turned off on a by-road and soon found plenty of forage. We loaded the wagons with hay and corn, notwithstanding an attempt by the owner to argue the matter with us. We just "moved the previous question" and it was carried by a tremendous majority, under the parliamentary rules then in force. We marched back to camp in a driving snow-storm, suffering much from the severity of the weather.
On Sunday, the 7th, our entire brigade took a hand in the game, marching at peep of day, in a keen, nipping air. We went to the place where we had bumped against the rebel battery two days before. The guns were still there, as we discovered by the prompt arrival of a shell, which killed two mules and threw the driver of that team into an uncontrollable panic. Although we had a strong force, it was forage and not fighting that we were after, and we prudently took the back track. A mile from the main road we found plenty of plunder, loading all the wagons with grain and hay.
Sunday appeared to be a favorite day with us for foraging. On the 14th we went again, this time with two brigades, an en- tire battery, and a company of cavalry. We marched eleven miles, forded two very cold streams, hip deep, and halted in a cornfield of forty acres, the ears still being upon the stalks.
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THE OLD DARKEY WAS RIGHT.
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Strong pickets were posted, and then three thousand men stacked arnis and went into that cornfield.
"Lawd bress me!" said an old darkey, "but I nebber seed de crap in dat field gaddered so quick sence I'se bawn! You Yanks beat de debbil hisse'f!"
And he was about right. They went through that field like a tornado, and in forty minutes loaded a hundred and twenty wagons with not less than three thousand bushels of corn. Just as we had finished our job the Seventh Pennsylvania cavalry dashed up at a gallop. A report had reached camp that we had been attacked by a large force and had more than we could well attend to, and this regiment was sent out to lend a hand. Its services were not required. We returned to camp without mo- lestation.
On the 18th our brigade, with four guns of the Sixth bat- tery, went out beyond the "Hermitage." We loaded the train without seeing or hearing an enemy. We had an extremely fa- tiguing day, as the distance traveled was twenty-six miles. We were obliged to spend two hours at the crossing of a stream, in tugging at the wagons and yelling at the mules. We did not reach camp till long after dark-drenched and chilled by a cold rain.
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