USA > Tennessee > Henry County > A history of the Henry County commands which served in the Confederate States army, including rosters of the various companies enlisted in Henry County, Tenn. > Part 3
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C. D. Venable was elected colonel, William C. Swor lieutenant-colonel and J. J. Lamb major. Colonel Venable appointed the following staff officers: W. D. Kendall, adjutant; Dr. J. M. Brannock, surgeon; Dr. M. D. L. Jordan, assistant surgeon; J. K. Hope, quartermaster; S. E. Barbee, commissary; Rev. S. C. Hearn, chaplain; J. R. Crosswell, sergeant major; C. P. Walker, commissary sergeant; D. B. Howard, quartermaster sergeant; J. P. Kendall, ordnance ser- geant, and Joseph B. Jones, ensign.
Companies "A" and "C" were consolidated and let- tered "A," and elected the following officers: Cap- tain, B. B. Bunch; first lieutenant, W. H. Wilson; second lieutenant, A. W. Sidebotton ; third lieuten- ant, J. B. Milam. Company "D" became Company "B," and re-elected all its old officers : Captain, A. W. Caldwell; first lieutenant, A. M. Milliken; second lieutenant, Wes M. Humphries; third lieutenant, T. C. Neal. Company "E" became Company "C:' Cap- tain, P. G. Swor; first lieutenant, John P. Rushing; second lieutenant, -. -. -; third lieutenant, H. R. Linderman. Company "K" became Company "D:" Captain, Joe T. Kendall; first lieutenant, W. E. Harris; second lieutenant, J. W. Howard; third lieutenant, J. M. B. Elliott. Companies "F" and "H" were consolidated and became Copmany "E:" Cap- tain, J. P. Cooper ; first lieutenant, S. W. Alexander ; second lieutenant, S. M. Hagler; third lietuenant, F. Marion Killebrew. Company "I" became Company "F:" Captain, Elijah Foust; first lieutenant, John Copeland; second lieutenant, J. C. Tillman; third lieutenant, F. M. Clark. Company "B" became Com-
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pany "G :" Captain, H. F. Bowman ; first lieutenant, John Hill; second lieutenant, J. Cardwell Wilson; third lieutenant, John I. Simmons. Company "L" became Company "H :" Captain, M. M. Fry; first lieutenant, G. C. Camp; second lieutenant, -. -. - ; third lieutenant, -. -. Company "G" became Company "I:" Captain, John T. Irion ; first lieutenant, B. F. Peeples; second lieutenant, James I. Stayton; third lieutenant, D. L. Willett. Company "M" became Company "K:" Captain, J. B. Ward ; first lieutenant, J. P. Tyler ; second lieuten- ant, A. E. Tucker; third lieutenant, R. P. Andrews.
As soon as the reorganization was perfected and the men fully realized that they were to be really con- scripted for two years longer, without the privilege of visiting their homes and loved ones, they began to take "French leave," singly, in couples and in squads. As the other men who had looked at it from every standpoint, and decided that they could not afford to abandon their posts in the face of the enemy, saw their comrades leave the ranks, deep despondency took hold of them, and the officers who had just been chosen or rechosen to position saw their commands slowly melting away and felt themselves powerless to check the current, their faces wore a continued look of seriousness, and every day seemed like a funeral. One morning as I went to the adjutant's quarters to make my morning report I passed Colonel Venable sitting on a campstool in front of his tent, with his face bowed upon his hands. Looking up and recog- nizing me, he said : "Well, sergeant, did any of your men leave last night?" I answered: "Yes, colonel,
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and some who were on guard, even." His face flushed, his eyes flashed, and he almost hissed the words: "Well, I'm going to call out the regiment this evening and tell the men that if any more of them intend to go, d- them, to go and be done with it." A day or so later, as the regiment was going out on outpost duty, our brigade commander, General A. P. Stewart, came along and instructed Colonel Venable to halt the regiment and bring it to a front. And then, in his precise, emphatic and apparently curt language, said: "I want to say to the Fifth Regiment that if any more of the men intend to leave, I hope they will go tonight." And spurring his horse, he galloped away. It is due to the men who left the ranks at this time to say that some of them returned to the regi- ment and that most of the others did valiant service in Forrest's Cavalry. But it is also simple justice to make known to the readers of history the trying cir- cumstances under which the undaunted ones re- mained at their posts.
Before the end of May the Federal army had closed in around Corinth and cut all the railroads entering the place, thus separating us from our base of sup- plies, and General Beauregard retreated to Tupelo, Miss., and asked to be relieved from command till his health improved, General Bragg being assigned to command of the army. Many of the soldiers were sick and barely able to march. The rearguard hur- ried them forward and thus prevented their capture. The movement was begun on the night of May 29. 1862. .
Captain John W. Harris' Company "C" of the
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Forty-Sixth Tennessee, which was on detached ser- vice guarding a bridge when the regiment was cap- tured at Island No. 10, asked that his company be attached to the Fifth, and accompanied us on the Kentucky campaign, doing valiant service.
The months of June and July were spent at Tupelo, Miss., drilling and recuperating for the next cam- paign. The opportunity to perfect the drill and dis- cipline of the army was of inestimable value, and henceforth we deserved the name of veterans, and were much more readily handled on the battlefield and more easily controlled in camp and on the march. July 23 we broke camp and started to Chattanooga, the wagons and artillery going by dirt road. The Fifth went by rail to Mobile, thence by steamboat to Montgomery and by rail again to Chattanooga. few weeks were spent here in drilling and preparing for a forward movement. Full of hope and eager to advance, we crossed the Tennessee River on a pon- toon bridge and marched into Kentucky by way of Pikeville, Sparta, Gainesboro, Hogansville, Mum- fordsville and Glasgow to Bardstown. The people rejoiced to see us and showered every possible favor upon us, and we lived on the fat of the land.
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CHAPTER V.
BATTLE OF PERRYVILLE.
General Buell, having concentrated his forces at Louisville, moved out to give General Bragg battle. We retired to Danville and Harrodsburg, by the way of Perryville. October 7 we countermarched to Perry- ville and found the enemy drawn up in line of battle west of the town, and on the morning of the 8th ex- tended his line to his left and took possession of Chap- lain's Hill. To meet this movement, General Cheat- ham was ordered to march his division to the right and prevent our right from being turned. We moved by the right flank to a creek and down the banks of the creek to where the road had been roughly graded up the bluff. General Polk came up just as we reached the bluff, and one of a group of soldiers who were tearing up a Federal flag, held up a piece of it, and said : "Look here, General, what we have." General Polk replied : "Come on and let's get one apiece." After climbing up the steep declivity, we were de- ployed into line and ordered to lie down in the timber of small growth, in support of Donelson's Brigade. In a few minutes this brigade was ordered to charge Chaplain's Hill, on top of which was posted the Fifth Missouri Battery of eight guns, supported by the One Hundred and Seventeenth Ohio and One Hundred and Fifth Illinois Regiments. With a yell, Donel- son's brave Tennesseeans rushed over the intervening space of 100 yards, firing as they ran. The Federal
.
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infantry fired a few rounds and fled pellmell down the hill, and the battery was captured. The sound of firing receded very rapidly as the Confederates pur- sued the fleeing enemy. And very soon we were or- dered to advance. When we reached the crest of the hill 'we passed between the guns of the captured bat- tery, and saw the dead body of the Federal Brigadier- General Armstrong lying near. We then came into full view of the conflict our comrades were engaged in at a lane about 150 yards down the slope, where they encountered the enemy's second line. But few of the first line could be halted there to help in re- sisting Donelson's terrible onslaught. The sight of the struggle going on at the lane caused us to quicken our pace, and breaking into a double- quick, we covered the in- tervening space in the shortest possible time. On the way Corporal Bob Har- ris fell to rise no more, and Lieut. G. C. Camp of Com- pany "H" fell dangerously wounded. At the lane were the limbers and caissons of the Missouri Battery. All the horses had been killed except one, which Sergeant LIEUT. J. B. MILAM. Kennerly, Company "D," who was wounded just then, cut loose and rode to the rear. The second line of Federals, when they saw
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Stewart's Brigade coming into action, broke and fled also, keeping up a desultory firing as they retired. The pursuit led through a narrow strip of woodland and then up a long ascent through a cornfield. About 100 yards further on Lieutenant J. B. Milam fell, with a severe wound in the leg, and about the same time Ensign J. B. Jones had his thigh-bone broken, but did not loose his hold on the colors, but remarked : "The bearer of our colors has fallen before this, but the flag has never gone down." Lieuteannt F. M. Clark took the colors, but soon handed them to Color- Guard A. A. Dinwiddie, who said, in reply to Ensign Jones : "Have no fear, I will try to do my duty."
Andrew Thompson of Company "B" fell mortally wounded, and said to his captain, A. W. Caldwell : "Tell my mother where I fell," and drawing the gal- lant captain down, kissed his cheek and died.
By this time all semblance of a line had disap- peared, but the officers urged the men forward, and they continued to advance, loading and firing as they went. In this field the writer of this received a wound in the arm, disabling him from using his gun, and he retired to the rear. Captain John W. Harris was dangerously wounded in passing through the wood- land, and Captain John T. Irion and John R. Peeples placed him behind a large whiteoak tree. J. W. Crutchfield was knocked senseless by the explosion of a bomb. Captain Gillett, acting major, was killed. Colonel Venable was partially disabled by a ball which mashed his sword scabbard, tearing off his belt and breaking his horse's leg. Lieutenant-Colonel
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Swor had his horse killed under him, and his son, G. Wash Swor, lost an arm.
To the left of the field a fence divided it from a body of woods, and the left of the regiment followed the fence. Near the top of the long ascent, another fence crossed this at right angles, and just beyond it, on the highest elevation, were placed three Federal batteries of heavy field pieces, which continually belched grape and canister. Behind the cross fence was posted the enemy's third line of battle. In front of LIEUT .- COL. WM. C. SWOR. the fence some thirty or forty yards, a force of infantry was stationed in a gully. This detachment, on our approach, opened a withering fire of small arms, but the brave Fifth pushed forward in the face of it all. When the orcu- pants of the gully saw the determination of the at- tacking party, they clambered up the steep ascent and retreated across the open field beyond, over the fence and disappeared beyond the hill. The advanc- ing regiment made good use of the opportunity and cut down many of them before they could get out of range.
The gunners of the battery, seeing their support vanish, waited not for the limbers, but seized their
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guns and drew them out of sight over the crest by hand. When the regiment reached the cross-fence, in front of the battery, Privates G. W. Crawford, Sam Archer and a few others, who were near the fence running east and west, found themselves face to face with the Federal line just across in the next field. Archer was fatally shot and the others retired across the gully.
The field officers, unaware of the exact situation, urged the men forward a second and a third time, but each time, lacking support on the left, were com- pelled to retire. The gunners of the battery again drew their guns forward and opened fire. When the field officers were informed of the situation, the line was formed and marched by the left flank into a body of woods. The day was now drawing to a close, but about dark Donelson's Brigade was ordered forward and the Federal line to the left of the battery was driven from its position, but darkness prevented further pursuit. The names of others killed and wounded will be found on the company rolls.
Cheatham's Tennessee Division captured three Federal batteries and drove back three lines of Fed- erals and won for themselves a distinction for bravery which they ever afterwards maintained on many a bloody field.
About 9 o'clock p. m. General Bragg ordered the troops to retire to Harrodsburg, which they did dur- ing the night and the following day. Halting only a day here, we retired to Camp Dick Robinson, and as soon as the stores captured there could be removed, started on our long march to Knoxville, Tenn. On 4
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this retreat the ration was two biscuit and two ounces of pickled pork, or three ounces of beef. Private Houston Taylor, who had been left sick on the ad- vance, had partially recovered and, with a companion, while trying to rejoin his command, was captured by bushwhackers and both mutilated, killed and hung to a tree. Colonel J. H. Sharpe of Mississippi, com- manding the rear guard, found their bodies, scoured the vicinity for the perpetrators, found and hung them.
At Harrodsburg, October 7, Major Lamb, Captain Swor and Lieutenants Sidebottom, Tyler and Howard were detached and sent to West Tennessee to secure recruits. They went to Waverly, crossed the Tennes- see River, came very near being captured at Camden and finding it impracticable to accomplish anything, returned to the command at Murfreesboro.
After reaching Knoxville an early fall of snow found us without tents and caused much discomfort and suffering. The troops were moved by rail to Tul- lahoma and marched thence to Murfreesboro.
Many regiments had been greatly reduced in num- bers, and what was called a temporary consolida- tion was ordered by General Bragg. The Fourth and Fifth were combined, each regiment forming five companies. Col. O. F. Strahl and Lt .- Col. A. J. Kel- lar of the Fourth and Maj. J. J. Lamb of the Fifth were assigned as field officers. Companies "A" and "C" combined with Capt. B. B. Bunch and Lieuts.
-. -. - -; A. W. Sidebottom and H. R. Linder- man. Companies "B" and "E," Capt. A. W. Cald- well and Lieuts. S. W. Alexander, W. M. Humphreys
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and T. C. Neal. Companies "D" and "I,' Capt. J. T. Kendall and Lieuts. B. F. Peeples, W. E. Harris and J. W. Howard. Companies "F' and "H," Capt. E. Foust and Lieuts. -. -. , J. C. Tillman and - , and Companies "G" and "K," Capt. J. B. Ward and Lieuts. John I. Simmons, J. P. Tyler and -. -.
Colonel Venable was relieved from duty and or- dered to West Tennessee with other officers to secure recruits. He was taken sick, stopped at a farmhouse a few miles out from Murfreesboro and died there.
Ex-Governor James D. Porter says of him: "No officer of his rank was more distinguished, and the truth of history compels the statement that he gave to the Fifth Tennessee Regiment its reputation. It was his leadership that warranted General Polk to refer to it as the brave Fifth Tennessee. He was . modest and unassuming; he did not affect the pomp and circumstance of war; he was content to execute and obey orders." No officer of the regiment had a stronger hold on the confidence and affection of both officers and men. The Tennesseeans were much re- joiced to enjoy again the privilege of holding the larger part of their native State and to fight for their immediate homes, and those from West Tennessee to be near enough to loved ones to hear from them oftener and to be visited by some of them. It served to nerve their arms in the day of battle.
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CHAPTER VI.
BATTLE OF MURFREESBORO.
General Rosecrans advanced from Nashville dur- ing the last days of the year 1862, with the purpose of crushing the Confederate army or driving it from the State. General Bragg formed his army in battle array and awaited the attack. Finding his adversary loth to join the issue of battle, he took the offensive, and on the morning of December 31 General Hardee advanced against the extreme right of the Federal line and drove it back, causing it to gradually change its front almost to a right angle to its original posi- tion. As Polk's Corps rested in position, they could hear the firing on the left gradually extend forward, and as brigade after brigade swung into line, the rattle of musketry and roar of artillery drew nearer, till the time came for Polk's Corps to take up the movement. Withers' Division had constructed light breastworks of rails and some earth. The position was in the edge of the timber, in front of which lay an open field. Beyond the field, some 400 yards away, a Federal battery had been masked in the edge of the cedar brake. Cheatham's Division was from 500 to 800 yards in the rear of Withers'.
Gen. A. P. Stewart says of his brigade (now con- sisting of the Fourth and Fifth consolidated, Nine- teenth, Twenty-Fourth and Thirty-First and Thirty- Third consolidated, all Tennessee regiments) : "We gradually swung left forward and occasionally halted
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to readjust the line. Several men were wounded by the battery in front. Moved on from this position to the Nashville pike and faced to the left. Marched a short distance down the road to bring the right under cover of the woods, and then again to the front, cross- ing open ground, between the pike and cedar brake beyond, under heavy fire of both artillery and infan- try. We advanced to the relief of the front line, which was giving way, and by a rapid fire, beginning with the Nineteenth on the left, and gradually extending to the right, drove back the enemy, who fled in con- fusion, leaving many dead and wounded behind. Near the edge of the woods came upon the First Missouri Battery that had annoyed us so much, and which the enemy were attempting to move. Our advance was so rapid and fire so destructive, they were compelled to
abandon two pieces and one or two caissons. We pressed rapidly forward and drove the enemy before us. They attempted to make a stand at several points, but, unable to endure our fire, were driven through the cedars and across the open field beyond to the high ground in the vicinity of the railroad. Here they took shelter under the guns of three or four batteries. These batteries opened upon us and for some time we were exposed to a terrific fire of shell, canister and spherical case. We had no artillery and were nearly out of ammunition. The brigade was halted and both sent for. While moving through the cedars Jackson's Brigade came up on our right, with the Fifth Georgia on our immediate right, and with the Fourth and Fifth Tennessee, advanced beyond the general line and delivered a heavy and well-sustained
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fire upon the retreating ranks of the enemy, doing fine execution. Colonel Jacques of the First Louisiana delivered an order to Colonel Tansil (Thirty-First and Thirty-Third Tennessee) from General Cheatham to move by companies to the rear, and other regiments followed this one." But General Stewart soon halted and reformed the line and moved forward again to the edge of the woods, remaining till dark, then withdrew a few hundred yards to the rear to bivouac, gathering up small arms, ammunition and equipments, which were sent to the rear next day in wagons .. Pickets were placed in front. On the morrow at daylight the troops were advanced to the edge of the cedar thicket and lay there all day exposed continually to the fire of the enemy's batteries, but protected some by in- trenchments. This was continued for three days. The failure of Breckinridge's attack on the east side of Stone River the evening of January 2, 1863, con- vinced General Bragg of the impossibility of dislodg- ing General Rosecrans from his strong position, and on the night of January 3 he withdrew and retired to Shelbyville and Tullahoma and went into winter quarters.
Congress, having enacted a law giving each com- pany the privilege of selecting one man in its ranks whom they regarded as the bravest man in each battle to receive a medal from Congress, the following men were selected by the different companies of the Fifth : Company "A," Corp. W. F. Diggs; Company "B," Sergt. J. A. Aguilar ; Company "C," Sergt. L. D. Hol- land ; Company "D," Private W. T. (Link) Ballard ; Company "E," Corp. W. A. Thompson ; Company "F,"
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Private J. J. Hagler; Company "G," Private D. C. Baucum ; Company "H," Private W. C. Malin; Com- pany "I," Private G. D. Coston ; Company "K," Corp. J. B. Johnson. Of these Ballard, Malin and Coston were killed. Other casualties will be found in the company rolls.
The author was absent on furlough waiting for his wound received at Perryville to heal, and so was not an eye witness or participant in the battle of Mur- freesboro ; hence cannot go into details so well.
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HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY COMMANDS
CHAPTER VII.
THE SUMMER OF 1863.
While at Shelbyville smallpox appeared in the Fifth Regiment and all the command was vaccinated and the disease stamped out. Stewart's Brigade, after remaining here a few days, was ordered on out- post duty at Guy's Gap, nine miles north of Shelby- ville, on the Murfreesboro pike, and here we remained from February 7 till June 27. These were the halcyon days of our soldier life. Encamped in a rich locality, where the people were hospitable to a fault, we had the best of foraging ground, and fruit, vegetables, milk, eggs, butter, chickens, etc., formed a part of our regular fare, and many of us had each what Lieut. W. E. Harris called a "farm yard," where we were always welcome and from which we always returned loaded with good things to eat, paying for it, of course. When the fine wheat crop ripened, many soldiers were al- lowed to help reap the golden grain that otherwise would have been lost for want of harvesters. The daily drill and weekly inspection were kept up, but hardened by camp life and inured to fatigue by hard marches, we cared not for these necessary duties. We were maneuvered in brigade drill for the first time and our evolutions much improved.
A large bush arbor was erected and seated with rough lumber, and regular religious services held by the chaplains and other ministers each Sabbath, and prayer meetings held on Wednesday nights. A Sun-
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day school was organized, with John R. Peeples as superintendent, and also singing classes formed, sev- eral dozen copies of the Southern Harmony being ordered from Atlanta. When the open weather of spring came there were protracted services held at night for weeks. The arbor was lighted by fires built on small scaffolds on three sides. A great religious revival was the result of these meetings, and under the fervent preaching of Chaplains S. C. Hearn of the Fifth Regiment, Mccutchen of the Twenty-Fourth, aided by Lieut. B. F. Peeples of Company "I," J. W. Pillow of Company "D," -. -. Butts of Stanford's Battery and others and several citizen ministers, many of the soldiers were warned to "flee the wrath to come," and pointed to "the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world," and very many happily converted, and many devoted and faithful Christians, , now widely scattered, look back to those days and nights as the time when they "enlisted under the ban- ner of King Immanuel." Nearly a hundred conver- sions were reported. About sixty of them were bap- tized, mostly by immersion. These were admitted into a Christian association composed of Christians of various denominations. The effect of these meet- ings on the morals of the brigade was very marked. Profanity, obscenity, gambling, card playing for fun became much less common and religion became a com- mon topic of conversation.
Late in June the Federals advanced towards Tulla- homa and captured Hoover's and Liberty Gaps, and it became necessary to abandon our fortified position, four miles north of Shelbyville, and retire to Tulla-
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homa. After some skirmishing it was deemed unwise to try to hold the position there and we retreated still further, crossing Cumberland Mountain on July 3 and 4, and the Tennessee River at Bridgeport a day or so later. Marched part of the way to Chatta- nooga and then boarded a welcome train reaching Chattanooga on the 7th, and went into camp (or biv- ouac) on the same ground we occupied in August, 1862. General Stewart having been promoted to major-general, Colonel Strahl of the Fourth was placed in command of the brigade, and Lieut .- Col. A. J. Kellar of the regiment. Lieut. B. F. Peeples was made captain of Company "I," vice Capt. Jno. T. Irion, resigned ; M. Corbett, second lieutenant of Com- pany "C;" Joseph H. Jordan, second lieutenant of Company "E;" G. W. Crawford, third lieutenant of Company "E;" J. L. Lemonds, second lieutenant of Company "I," and Sam Kirkpatrick, third lieutenant of Company "K." Lieut .- Col. W. C. Swor resigned on August 8, 1863, and Maj. J. J. Lamb was promoted to colonel, and later Capt. B. B. Bunch to major. Lieut. J. L. Lemonds, after serving one year as a subaltern in Company "C," was discharged at the reorganiza- tion. After a short visit home he returned and en- listed as a private in Company "B," carrying a musket for about a year, when he was elected second lieuten- ant of Company "I," and later promoted to first lieu- tenant. During August and the first week in Septem- ber we were occupied in fortifying Chattanooga, and after the Federals advanced, in picketing the Tennes- see River. The enemy having crossed Lookout Moun- tain south of us, we abandoned Chattanooga and
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