USA > Pennsylvania > History of the Fifteenth Pennsylvania volunteer cavalry which was recruited and known as the Anderson cavalry in the rebellion of 1861-1865; > Part 20
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September 17th .- Generals Thomas and McCook arrived and made camp near Pond Spring. General Rousseau's regulars marched by. A small detachment of the Regiment under Col. Pal- mer scouted to Lee & Gordon's mill. Company F escorted Gen- eral Morton outside the pickets in front of Van Cleve's division, and about one mile beyond ran into the rebel pickets, driving them back half a mile, and then retired.
September 18th .- The weather was now cool and pleasant. Kirk's courier post was relieved by mounted infantry, and on his way back to our camp stopped at Serg. J. C. Reiff's post, where he found the Sergeant's horse dying from a rifle wound which he had shortly before received from rebel infantry in an attempt to secure a map of the country in which we were operating. Mr. Abercrombie, who lived nearby, had told Reiff that such a map could be found at Mr. Childer's house, just across the Chicka- mauga, and not more than three-quarters of a mile from his post. Knowing its importance, Reiff took two men and went in haste for it. They reached the stream, which was crossed by a bridge, and just beyond, surrounded by trees and bushes, was Childer's house. Leaving one man on guard he started to cross, and had just got on the bridge when they received a volley of musketry from the rebels, who were concealed in the bushes around Childer's house. Neither was hit. Both turned and ran, but Reiff's horse caught its hoof in the planking of the bridge, and before he could get it loose the rebels fired again, but only hit the horse.
Company I arrived at Crawfish Spring about dusk from the courier post at Pond Spring, and left soon after with important orders from headquarters to Colonel Minty, who, with about 6000 cavalry, was at Blue Bird Gap of Pigeon Mountain, about twenty miles south. During the night camp fires along the front of the army were maintained, but behind them, in the darkness, our troops were all night changing position to the left. Company I suddenly came upon a solid mass of our infantry marching north- ward. The surprise was mutual and full of danger. Our men
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heard the click of thousands of muskets, and in a moment would have been wiped out of existence had not their character been rapidly explained. Minty was found, and at sunrise carried out his orders by closing up on the right of our army, while Company I rejoined the Regiment about noon.
Severe skirmishing and heavy cannonading were going on nearly all day, and all reports and movements indicated that the enemy was concentrating opposite our left. Our horses remained sad- dled, and each man was supplied with forty rounds of carbine and eighteen of pistol ammunition and half rations for six days.
September 19th, Saturday .- First day of battle of Chickamauga. Reveille at 3 o'clock in the morning. Our Regiment was in line of battle all day. At about 10 o'clock, when the fog lifted, the enemy attacked the left wing and left center of the army in great force. At the same hour General Rosecrans moved his head- quarters with our Regiment to Widow Glenn's house, on the Dry Valley road, about three and a half miles northeast of Crawfish Spring, and immediately in rear of the point of attack.
From this position but little could be seen of the fighting lines, but the smoke and dust of the conflict and bursting of shells could plainly be seen above the trees. Here the General, with a common blue overcoat about his shoulders and with a light-colored felt hat on his head, paced up and down, glass in hand, directing his troops and receiving reports. Orderlies and couriers and staff officers were continually coming and going with orders and re- ports from the line. Officers were riding up and going off at full speed with verbal orders. Messages flashed over the field tele- graph from general officers reporting the varying phases of the battle. It was a scene of great interest and intensity. Now the musketry would be terrific, far exceeding, it was said, that of the seven days' fight on the Peninsula. Now the sound of battle would move nearer, the artillery firing increasing in force, and the General would hurry off a courier here and a courier there, his eyes sparkling, his questions quick and earnest, his orders brief. Then the noise of the conflict would recede, and the Commander's pacing would be resumed.
General Morton, of the Engineers, with maps and compass, was near by at a table, noting by ear and from reports the localities of the various waves of conflict. General Garfield, Chief of Staff.
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and the Assistant Adjutant General, with other members of the staff, were at hand sending off the General's orders as they were given. It was a dramatic picture rarely witnessed, and long to be remembered.
At about 4 o'clock in the afternoon the enemy, massing his columns, pressed General Davis sorely, driving him some distance, but General Negley, that fine soldier, coming up with his division at dusk, on the double quick, drove the rebels back-this being just to the left and in front of headquarters. To the right of head- quarters General John M. Palmer was similarly pressed, with great loss, but Sheridan came up to his relief and he held the ground.
So night closed in on the scene. We held the field, but many slain lay silent there, and there were thousands of wounded ; while, weary and worn, our brave soldiers rested on their arms in line of battle, to sleep during the damp and chilly night. The wounded who could walk, for a long time kept passing by to the rear to the ambulances and temporary hospitals.
During the day our Regiment was detained at headquarters- "I may need you," Rosecrans said-but many of our men were on the fighting line, and rendered very efficient service, carrying dis- patches and messages. Captain Kramer with Companies L and M were thrown out to the rear as skirmishers, to prevent a sur- prise by rebel cavalry, and at night we also put out strong vedettes in the same direction. Early in the night the Fifteenth went to the rear for water, but did not find it, and later many details were made to build fires on the front, behind which many corrections of the line were made. All night our horses remained saddled, with the men before them, ready for instant service.
September 20th, Sunday .- Early in the foggy morning we went about two and a half miles to the rear for water and corn, and returned to the battlefield at about 10 o'clock, when the battle was again raging fiercely. We halted in the rear of headquarters* to feed our horses. General' Rosecrans had moved from Widow
* On that spot, on November 13, 1897, with appropriate ceremonies was dedicated a monument to mark the position occupied by the Regiment. On that interesting occasion eighty-one survivors of the Fifteenth were pres- ent, and a full account of the ceremonies was published in " Pennsylvania at Chickamauga and Chattanooga," pp. 341-366.
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Glenn's early in the morning with our escort companies, and established himself on a slight eminence, near the Dyer house, about one mile further north. One of our men wrote: "Here the shell flew about us briskly. I was orderly and had to be near the General, ready to carry dispatches. Two of us were sent down to drive back stragglers, who now commenced to fall to the rear. One man had his hand bound up and said he was shot through the hand, but I made him take off the bandage and found he was not touched. Next I carried a dispatch to General McCook, whom I found down on the field. I heard him read the dispatch to bring up two brigades to support the center, but it was too late; our center gave way and the troops came flying from the field in great disorder. This was between II.30 and 12 o'clock. Captain Garner, commanding the escort, had his horse shot, and Lieutenant Field was cut slightly in the head with a piece of shell. General Rose- crans had to mount in a hurry to avoid capture. At this juncture a regiment came to the rescue, running up in fine style and cheer- ing. They met the rebels at the top of the hill, and in a moment came running back, completely scattered."
The notes of the writer (who was then Adjutant) as to this phase of the battle, made shortly after the battle, are as follows : "While our horses were feeding, my attention was attracted by flocks of small birds flying among us and over our heads from the battle line. The sight was so unusual that I went to the brow of the hill, and looking over the field, at the instant when Longstreet made his fatal charge, saw our lines broken. I then mounted, rode up the hill, and asked Colonel Palmer, who was at headquarters, if he had any orders. 'Draw the Regiment up in line just behind this hill,' he said. I cast a glance to the front as I turned and saw the two lines belching fire and smoke at each other-dark, irregu- lar lines-but could not see much. When I got down the hill Cap- tain Betts was about placing the Regiment in the position indi- cated by the Colonel.
"Just as the Regiment got in line the storm burst on us. The right center of our army was broken, and two divisions were fleeing in a panic in a storm of grape, canister and musketry. Helter- skelter they came, rushing over and around the hill, with the enemy hard upon their heels, yelling like demons. The escort mounted, the General and staff mounted, and the General's only
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orders to Colonel Palmer were, 'Stop those stragglers!' Bullets and shells now flew around our heads freely, one' man of Company C being wounded and several horses shot. With saber in hand we did what we could to induce the panic-stricken men to rally around a flag which was pointed out to them with scarce a dozen men around its sacred folds. Colonel Palmer then took the Regi- ment farther to the rear, and deployed there to stop as many strag- glers as possible, and General Rosecrans and his staff were warmly engaged in the same effort. When I left the open field our Regi- ment had passed out of sight to the rear, and to avoid capture I passed into the woods toward the ridge, but could not find the Regiment, so I wandered near the front, because I thought Gen- eral Rosecrans would be somewhere there.
"In about an hour I went south toward Crawfish Spring, finding Wilder's dismounted men in line of battle, and then I turned north again toward Widow Glenn's, having meanwhile picked up Frank Hinngard, one of our guides. Near the Glenn house a sec- tion of howitzers, supported by rebel infantry, fired at us, and as the service of their guns was too good for comfort, we fell back over the hill to the west, and soon afterward found the Regiment on its way to Chattanooga Valley, whither it had been ordered, to protect the rear of a large train of wagons en route to Chatta- nooga."
E. W. Anderson, Sergeant Company M, said at the Twenty- second Banquet : "On Sunday, a little before the line was broken, General Rosecrans sent one of his staff out to the left to see if he could get the location of Longstreet, and I, with others, was. detailed to escort him out there. All below we could see Wood's division in line of battle. We halted about ten minutes, when we saw that division move by fours to the left, leaving a gap in the line of 100 or 200 yards, and the enemy immediately took advan- tage of it. The Aide (I don't know who he was) turned to me and said : 'That is Longstreet's corps.' He hardly had the words out of his mouth before I saw the advance and the soldiers run- ning. I saw the capture of Lilly's battery of six guns, and then we started for headquarters."
S. L. Wilson said at the Twenty-third Banquet: "At the time our line was broken the first sound Bugler Miller gave was 'forward!' They forgot all about 'preparing to mount.' They
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mounted then, and Colonel Lamborn commanded 'fours right !' The next command was 'draw saber' and then 'column left,' and then we were on the ridge, keeping the stragglers back."
Late on that memorable afternoon, following our broken bri- gades, our Regiment, under orders from General Sheridan, passed into Chattanooga Valley, and there, during part of the night, sent out scouting parties toward Pond Spring and Steven's Gap and picketed the valley, as a protection to the batteries and wagon trains of the army. We fed our weary, hungry horses, not neg- lecting the proper use of the half rations issued at Crawfish Springs, and later, being relieved by General Mitchell, went on to our old camping ground on Cameron Hill, in Chattanooga, arriv- ing there about 10 o'clock. Company L had been sent ten miles out on Lookout Mountain to watch the movements of the enemy, and was cut off, but later succeeded in making its way through the lines and rejoined the Regiment.
It is proper to state here that General Rosecrans, in his official report of the campaign, recorded the following recognition of the . services of the Regiment :
"It is my duty to notice the services of those faithful officers who have none but myself to mention them :
"Col. William J. Palmer, Fifteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry, and his command, have rendered very valuable services in keeping open communications and watching the movements of the enemy, which deserve my warmest thanks.
"Captain Garner and the escort deserve mention for untiring energy in carrying orders."
And this narrative would be incomplete without recording that at a later date Capt. Anthony Taylor received the Congressional Medal of Honor "for meritorious services on the battlefield of Chattanooga."
From incomplete data, it appears that our casualties in this campaign were as follows: Lieutenant Field wounded, two en- listed men wounded and three enlisted men captured or missing. Our effective force reports were as follows :
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September 10 .- 25 officers, 450 enlisted men and horses. September 20 .- 27 officers, 411 enlisted men and horses.
September 28 .- 27 officers, 414 enlisted men and horses.
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE CUMBERLAND, CHATTANOOGA, TENN., October 2, 1863.
General Orders No. 227,
Army of the Cumberland:
You have made a grand and successful campaign.
You have driven the rebels from middle Tennessee.
You have crossed a great mountain range, placed yourself on the banks of a broad river, crossed it in the face of a powerful opposing army, and crossed two other great mountain ranges at the only practicable passes, some forty miles between extremes.
You concentrated in the face of superior numbers, fought the army of Bragg, which you drove from Shelbyville and Tullahoma, combined with that of Johnston's from Mississippi and the tried veterans of Longstreet's corps, and for two days held them at bay, giving them blow for blow, with heavy interest. When the day closed you held the field, from which you withdrew in the face of overpowering numbers to occupy the point for which you set out-Chattanooga !
You have accomplished the great work of the campaign. You hold the key of East Tennessee, of Northern Georgia and of the enemy's mines of coal and niter.
Let these achievements console you for the regret you experi- ence that arrivals of fresh hostile troops forbade your remaining on the field to renew the battle for the right of burying your gallant dead and caring for your brave companions who lay wounded on the field. The losses you have sustained, though heavy, are comparatively slight, considering the odds against you and the stake you have won. You hold in your hands the sub- stantial fruits of a victory, and deserve and will receive the honor and plaudits of a grateful nation, which asks nothing, even of those who have been fighting us, but obedience to the constitution and laws established for our common benefit.
The General commanding earnestly begs every officer and sol- dier of this army to unite with him in thanking Almighty God for his favors to us. He presents his hearty thanks and congratu-
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lations to all the officers and soldiers of this command for their energy, patience and perseverance and for the undaunted courage displayed by those who fought with such unflinching resolution. Neither the history of this war nor probably the annals of any battle furnish a loftier example of obstinate bravery and endur- ing resistance to superior numbers, when troops, having exhausted their ammunition, resorted to the bayonet so many times to hold their position against such odds, as did our left and center, com- prising troops from all the corps, on the afternoon of the 20th of September, at the battle of Chickamauga.
By command of Major-General Rosecrans.
C. GODDARD, Assistant Adjutant General.
And so closed that eventful campaign, which, so far as this Regiment was concerned, is not to be measured by losses on the field of battle, but by the effective, intelligent service of its officers and men in scouting and reconnoitering on the flanks and in the face of the enemy, in forming courier lines, in bearing dispatches in unfamiliar and dangerous regions by night and day, in: gathering data for local maps and in furnishing adequate escort and protection for the Commanding General.
Time has dulled our memories of many details of the service performed more than forty years ago. Happily much of the discomforts and hardships and sufferings have faded from our minds. But time cannot dull the satisfaction of having done our best in that campaign, much of which we saw and part of which we were.
We can congratulate ourselves on such a record; we can be proud that our General so handsomely recognized us in his official report ; and we have the undying memory that we were of that famous army to which he addressed his General Order No. 227.
INCIDENTS DURING THE BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA.
JOHN M. DAVIS, COMPANY B, PHILADELPHIA.
I T was my good fortune to be detailed as orderly to Gen- eral Rosecrans during the Chickamauga campaign in 1863. After forty years most of the events are dim, and but a few occurrences are as vivid to-day as then. General Rose- crans established his headquarters at the Widow Glenn's house. The battle of Chickamauga was fought on Saturday and Sun- day. Our supply wagons could not keep up, and that battle was fought with empty haversacks. General Rosecrans and staff were no better off. I remember being detailed by Colonel Palmer. who was with General Rosecrans, about II o'clock Saturday night with a squad of four to go to Crawfish Springs on our extreme right, perhaps some two miles distant, but which seemcd like six miles, with a small keg across the pommel of my saddle, to obtain water for coffee for headquarters. Everything was burning that could buru, to deceive the rebels as to our move- ments. We reached Crawfish Springs about midnight. I dipped my keg into the spring and returned to headquarters, reaching there, perhaps, about I o'clock. Coffee was made for the officers, and a few strips of bacon and a few scattered crackers constituted their rations for about forty hours, if I remember correctly.
During the hottest part of the fight on Saturday afternoon I was sent with a dispatch to a staff officer on the firing line. Gal- loping to the indicated point I found myself within the rebel lines, a Confederate charge having just been made-in fact, it was at that moment in progress. Our forces in front of Widow Glenn's house were making a countercharge, and in less time than it takes to tell it some 200 or 300 Confederates found themselves en- veloped by our advancing lines on our right and left. For a moment I was at loss to know whether I was captured or whether the Confederates were captured. I quickly solved the uncertainty
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Incidents During the Battle of Chickamauga.
by spurring my horse and galloping into their midst and yelling, at the top of my voice, "Surrender, you devils! surrender !" lt was a most ridiculous thing to do, perhaps, in the roar and smoke of battle, with charge and countercharge going on all around, but there was nothing else to do. I saw our lines rushing for- ward on our right and left and knew the Confederates were virtually captured. To my great surprise and immense relief the Confederates dropped their arms, even the officers-some of theni, at least. Taking courage from my brilliant achievement, I shouted "Fall in line!" and to my surprise the entire 200 or 300 men and officers quickly formed and started after me.
Under the excitement of the moment I kept my horse mov- ing at a good pace. Before going far the Confederates called out to me: "Say, Yank, can't you go slower? We can't walk so fast."
Realizing the fact I immediately slowed up, and taking ad- vantage of the opportunity, and enjoying for the moment my self- importance, I looked back over the line of men. I remember to this day the stamp of American nobility on their blanched faces. They were as anxious to get to where I was taking them (Gen- eral Rosecrans' headquarters) as I was to get them there, as the rain of Confederate bullets kept whistling around us. After some little time I reached headquarters, and Colonel Palmer imme- diately came out and looked at the line of men, who were glad to halt.
"Take them to Colonel Pinkerton," said Colonel Palmer, and there they were taken.
Another incident showing the fierceness of the conflict oc- curred Saturday afternoon, when the Confederates made a terrific onslaught on our immediate front and General Rosecrans ordered his entire staff to mount and be ready to retreat. Every officer and man instantly mounted, while the Confederate column swept on toward us, excepting General Rosecrans himself and Colonel Palmer. Their eyes and the eyes of everyone were riveted on the advancing column of Confederates and our retreating and scat- tered line. The enemy came very close, but recoiled through ex- haustion, our scattered line re-formed and advanced, and General Rosecrans and staff returned to the porch.
Another incident that made an indelible impression on my
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History of the Fifteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry.
mind occurred on Saturday afternoon while I was carrying a dispatch to an officer on the firing line whose name I do not re- call. Galloping through the underbrush I heard terrific yells, and looking in the direction from which they came I saw a stalwart soldier of our side lying bleeding. He had pulled off his trousers in his vain attempt to stop the flow of blood from an ugly wound on the side of his thigh. His piercing entreaties induced me to stop a moment, but I called to him, "I can't stop." I galloped to the firing line, found the officer I was after, delivered the dis- patch, and galloped back to where I found the soldiers whose duty it was to bear off the wounded. I asked two or three of them to go to a point I indicated and bring in the bleeding soldier. I have often wondered what became of him. We had no field hospital, if I rightly recall it, and the Surgeons had no facilities during that battle for rendering assistance to the wounded. I may possibly be wrong in this.
I distinctly recall a scene on Sunday afternoon which occurred during the rout of our infantry, artillery, ammunition and supply wagons, and everything else. All went tearing pell-mell through fields, woods, underbrush and through fences, on their way to Chattanooga. General McCook had gathered a score or more of officers together after having in vain tried to stem the tide of re- treat. He had found a citizen, and I heard the General say to him, with his revolver almost under the man's nose: "If you guide us into the rebel lines I will blow your head off." The General used some additional adjectives. Confederates seemed to be all around us, but the citizen piloted us out safely, and toward evening we reached Chattanooga, hearing all the time the thunder of "Pap" Thomas' infantry that stood like a stone wall on our left checking the advance of Hood and Longstreet.
Another incident of the rout occurred Saturday afternoon. Capt. Garner had gathered a few of us together, some thirty or forty probably, and attempted to stop as many of our fleeing in- fantry as he could. A bullet struck his horse between his eyes and he dropped, but the Captain soon found one of the many horses rushing aimlessly about without riders. My horse was shot about the same time.
Some months afterward my duties took me to the battlefield of Chickamauga. The War Department gives our losses at that
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battle at 17,851, which was the bloodiest battle of the war, not even excepting Gettysburg or Cold Harbor for the numbers en- gaged. As far as my eye could reach I could see lines of graves with here and there heads and feet sticking out. They had been uncovered by the rains. I traced with my eye a white zigzag line on the ground running through the woods and fields. I examined it. It was made up of bits of chewed-off paper of the ends of cartridges which General Thomas' soldiers threw at their feet as they stood there that hot September afternoon, hour after hour, grimly meeting the onslaughts of Hood and dying there by the hundreds, to remain unburied for months.
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