USA > Tennessee > History of the Twentieth Tennessee regiment volunteer infantry, C.S.A > Part 20
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In this engagement the Twentieth Tennessee Regiment was among the last to leave the bank of the river, and Wright's gal- lant battery was still with us, so when we did start back the enemy was so close upon us, that we could not get all the bat- tery off, so we lost the only guns that were lost in the engage- ment.
Bragg's Army held the field for two days after the battle. On the morning of December 30, the day before the battle, Breckin- ridge reported seven thousand and fifty-three men in his division for duty, he carried about five thousand seven hundred into the fight. On the 31st, the first day's fight about the Cowan House and the Round Forest he lost seven hundred and thirty; subtract seven hundred and thirty from five thousand seven hundred and you have four thousand nine hundred and seventy men, infantry and artillery that he carried into his desperate charge on Friday evening, losing one thousand three hundred and thirty-eight of this number, one hundred and fourteen were officers. Now add the loss of the two days together and it will give you a total of two thousand and sixty-eight, which was nearly thirty per cent. Here is what General Breckinridge said about this charge on Friday evening, January 2, 1863 : -
"In regard to the action of Friday, January 2, upon which the Commanding General heaped so much criticism, I have to say, with the utmost confidence, that the failure of my troops to hold the position which they carried on that occasion, was due to no fault of theirs or mine ; but to the fact, that we were com- manded to do an impossible thing. My force was about four thousand five hundred men, of these one thousand seven hundred heroic spirits were stretched upon that bloody field, in an un- equal struggle against three divisions, a brigade and an over- whelming concentration of artillery, attest our efforts to obey the order."
The Corps, Divisions and Brigades that composed the Army of Tennessee (Bragg's) were, Hardee's Corps on the left, composed of McCown's and Cleburne's Divisions. McCown's Division, the extreme left of our infantry had : -
Ector's Brigade which was composed of Tenth, Eleventh,
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Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Texas Cavalry dismounted, Douglas's Texas Battery.
Rain's Brigade : Third and Ninth Georgia Battalion, Twenty- ninth North Carolina, Eleventh Tennessee, and Eufaula, Ala., Battery.
McNair's Brigade : First and Second Arkansas Rifles, Fourth Arkansas Regiment, Fourth Arkansas Battalion, Thirtieth Ar- kansas Regiment, and Humphrey's Arkansas Battery.
Jackson's Brigade : Fifty-fourth Georgia, Second Georgia Battalion, Fifth and Eighth Mississippi Regiments.
McCown's Division lost one thousand two hundred and eighty-five.
Cleburne's Division : -
Wood's Brigade : Sixteenth and Thirty-third Alabama, Third Confederate, Forty-fifth Mississippi, Fifteenth Mississippi Bat- talion, and Semple's Alabama Battery.
Bushrod Johnson's Brigade : Seventeenth, Twelfth, Twenty- fifth, Thirty-seventh, and Forty-fourth Tennessee, and Darden's Mississippi Battery.
Liddell's Brigade : Second, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Arkansas, and Sweet's Arkansas Battery.
Polk's Brigade : First, Thirteenth, and Fifteenth Arkansas, Fifth Confederate, Second and Fifth Tennessee, and Calvert's Arkansas Battery.
Grand total loss, Cleburne's Division, two thousand and sixty- six.
The Center, or Polk's Corps, Wither's Division : -
Dea's Brigade : Nineteenth, Twenty-second, Twenty-fifth, Twenty-sixth, and Thirty-ninth Alabama, Seventeenth Alabama Battalion, First Louisiana Regulars, and Robertson's Battery.
Chalmer's Brigade : Seventh, Ninth, Tenth, and Forty-first Mississippi, Blythe's Mississippi Regiment, Ninth Mississippi Battalion, and Garrity's Mississippi Battery.
Walthall's Brigade : Forty-fifth Alabama, Twenty-fourth, Twenty-seventh, Twenty-ninth, and Thirtieth Mississippi, Thir- ty-ninth North Carolina, and Barrett's Missouri Battery.
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Anderson's Brigade : Twenty-fourth, Twenty-eighth, and Thirty-fourth Alabama, Tenth and Nineteenth South Carolina, and Water's Alabama Battery.
Grand total loss, Wither's Division, two thousand five hundred and fourteen.
Cheatham's Division : -
Donaldson's Brigade: Eighth, Sixteenth, Thirty-eighth, and Fifty-first Tennessee, and Carnes' Tennessee Battery.
Stewart's Brigade : Fourth, Fifth, Nineteenth, Twenty-fourth, Thirty-first, and Thirty-third Tennessee, and Stanford's Mis- sissippi Battery.
Maney's Brigade : First Tennessee, Fourth Tennessee (Con- federate), Sixth and Ninth Tennessee, Maney's Tennessee Bat- talion, and Smith's Mississippi Battery.
Preston Smith's Brigade : Twelfth, Thirteenth, Twenty-ninth, Forty-seventh Tennessee, One Hundred and Fifty-fourth Ten- nessee (Senior), Ninth Texas, and Scott's Tennessee Battery.
Grand total loss, Cheatham's Division, one thousand nine hun- dred and thirty nine.
Breckinridge's Division, Right Wing : -
Adams' Brigade : Thirty-second Alabama, Thirteenth, Twen- tieth, Sixteenth, and Twenty-fifth Louisiana, Austin's Sharp Shooters, and Slocum's Louisiana Battery, (Washington Ar- tillery, Fifth Company).
Pillow's Brigade : Eighteenth, Twenty-sixth, Twenty-eighth, Thirty-second, Forty-fifth Tennessee, and Moses' Georgia Bat- tery.
Hanson's Brigade : Forty-first Alabama, Second, Fourth, Sixth, and Ninth Kentucky, and Cobb's Kentucky Battery.
Preston's Brigade : First, Third, and Fourth Florida, Sixtieth North Carolina, Twentieth Tennessee, and Wright's Tennessee Battery.
Grand total loss of Breckinridge's Division, two thousand and sixty-eight.
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RECAPITULATION OF LOSSES BY DIVISIONS.
Mccown 1,286
Cleburne 2,066
Withers 2,514
Cheatham 1,939
Breckinridge 2,068
Total Infantry and Artillery 9,872 This out of a total of Infantry and Artillery of 33,475. Wheeler's Cavalry consisted of -
Wheeler's Brigade 1,169
Wharton's " . 1,950
Pegram's
480
Buford's
638
Total
· 4,247
Wiggin's Arkansas Battery.
White's Tennessee Battery.
Loss of Cavalry, 449; loss of Infantry, 9,872, making a grand total loss of 10,321 out of a total army of 37,712.
Now what did they do? They met General Rosecrans, who had an army of 46,940, who had superior arms and better fed soldiers, and in a contest of three days captured from him 6,273 prisoners, more than 6,000 stands of arms, 31 pieces or artillery, 800 wagons loaded with all kinds of army supplies, brought off some and destroyed the rest. General Rosecrans, in his official report admits his loss at 13,249.
The Confederates lost three pieces of artillery, and about 1,500 prisoners, about 1,200 of whom were so badly wounded that they could not be moved, and about 600 of them died after the poor fellows fell into the hands of the enemy.
Bragg now fell back on the Shelbyville and Manchester Pikes behind Duck River, and went into winter quarters at Shelby- ville and Tullahoma, and our old friend, "Rosey," was glad to camp a while in the cedar brakes about Murfreesboro and let those ragged Rebels alone until spring, because he did not have as many supplies when he got through with Bragg at Murfrees- boro as he did when he left Nashville on December 26, 1862.
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He was not to blame for this miscalculation, for he was a clever old Dutchman.
The Confederates had on this field 99 Infantry Regiments, and Tennessee furnished 35 of these; Alabama, 14; Arkansas, II ;. North Carolina, 3 ; South Carolina, 2; Florida, 3 ; Mississippi, 12; Louisiana, 9; Texas, 5; Kentucky, 4, and Georgia, I. Several States furnished a number of battalions.
CAVALRY RAIDS DURING THE WINTER AND SPRING OF 1863.
After the Battle of Murfreesboro, Bragg retreated to Shelby- ville and Tullahoma, some twenty and thirty miles respectively, south and southeast of Murfreesboro, and went into winter quarters. General Rosecrans was well enough satisfied to be let alone at Murfreesboro.
Each General now set to work reorganizing and replenishing his shattered ranks, remaining in these two positions about six months, and during this time a number of cavalry raids were planned and executed, viz : On January 26, 1863, General Bragg ordered General Joe Wheeler on an expedition against Fort Don- aldson, with parts of Forrest's and Wharton's Brigades of Cavalry. Colonel Harding with the Eighty-third Illinois Regi- ment, about eight hundred strong, was in the Fort, supported by six gunboats. The weather was very severe and Wheeler's men suffered very much.
On February 3, Wheeler made two assaults on the Fort, but was unsuccessful on account of its strong defences. Wheeler then ordered a retreat, and in the meantime General Rosecrans at Murfreesboro sent out Davis's Division of Infantry and about five hundred Cavalry to intercept Wheeler before he reached Columbia, his base.
This force of Federals under Davis, went as far west as Kin- derhook and Bon Aqua Springs, but the wily Wheeler went by way of Centreville and there recrossed Duck River and made his way back to Columbia. In this expedition he lost a number of splendid officers and brave men. It must be remembered that Wheeler would have captured the Fort, had it not been for the assistance that the Federals received from the six gun boats that
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were there acting as a convoy to a Federal Fleet of eighteen in- fantry regiments and four batttalions of artillery on their way to reinforce Rosecrans at Murfreesboro.
On March 4, General Gilbert, who was at Franklin, eighteen miles south of Nashville, ordered Colonel Coburn with five regi- ments of infantry, a large detachment of cavalry and Aleshire's Battery with about one hundred wagons to go south, out the Columbia Pike and forage on the helpless citizens. Colonel Co- burn had in his command about three thousand men. Colonel Jordan who was in command of Coburn's Cavalry struck the Confederate pickets out about three miles from Franklin. The Confederate Cavalry was in force at Thompson's Station and Spring Hill under Van Dorn and Forrest. When the Federals had pressed the Confederates back to Thompson's Station about eight miles from Franklin, they here found Van Dorn's Troops drawn up in line of battle, Forrest on the right and Armstrong in the center, with Whitfield with his Texans on the left.
Coburn ordered an advance and the battle opened. Forrest was pressing Coburn's left back, where they were rallied behind a stone wall and gave Forrest some trouble to dislodge. Arm- strong and Whitfield were pressing his center and right. Co- burn, who was now trying to retreat, ordered Jordan with his cavalry to save his artillery and wagons and get back to Frank- lin if he could, which he did. Coburn being now nearly sur- rounded, surrendered himself and two thousand two hundred men and arms. In this surrender was included the famous General Shafter, afterwards of Santiago fame, where Joe Wheeler did the fighting and Shafter got the glory.
The capture of Coburn at Thompson's Station developed such a force of Confederate Cavalry that on March 7, Sheridan with his division of infantry and a brigade from Nashville, were ordered to Franklin, and on the 9th, Minty's and Granger's Brigades of Cavalry also reported to Sheridan at Franklin, and in a few days this superior force moved on Van Dorn at Spring Hill, and caused him to fall back about six miles behind Ruther- ford Creek, but the Federals did not pursue.
On March 18, Colonel Hall with a brigade of Federal cavalry and the Second Brigade of Reynold's Division of Infantry,
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moved out to Milton, north-east of Murfreesboro some twenty miles, and attacked Genl. John H. Morgan's Command of Cav- alry, and a battle of some four hours resulted in which both sides lost severely. Morgan withdrew on account of inferior numbers. This battle has never been written up as it deserves.
On April 2, Genl. D. S. Stanley, with a heavy force of cavalry, moved out from Murfreesboro through Liberty, and attacked General Morgan at Snow Hill, and compelled him again to retire before largely superior numbers.
On April 7, General Rosecrans ordered Col. A. D. Streight with a Brigade of Federals that was organized for the purpose of moving south and south-east, to cut the lines of communication, and destroy all property that would be of service to the Confed- erates. So Colonel Streight went to Nashville and organized this brigade which was composed of the Fifty-first Indiana, Col. Streight's own regiment ; Seventy-third Indiana, Eightieth Illi- nois, Third Ohio and two companies of "home made " Yankees, that were made up in Southern Middle Tennessee and North Alabama, under the command of Capt. D. D. Smith.
Colonel Streight received orders from Genl. Jas. A. Garfield, who was Rosecran's Chief of Staff, to start from Nashville on April 10. He went by boat down the Cumberland River to Pal- myra, there he disembarked his command of one thousand eight hundred men, and went across the country to Fort Henry on the Tennessee River, taking from the citizens all the mules and horses he could find.
Colonel Streight met transports at Fort Henry that carried his Command up the Tennessee River to East Port, where he was landed on the south bank of the Tennessee, which was only about ten miles from Iuka, on the M. &. C. Railroad.
General Dodge who was at Corinth, Miss., moved up to Iuka and Bear Creek, with a force of eight thousand men and met Streight. Here General Dodge furnished Streight with a good deal of his mount and supplies. The two commands moved up the railroad to Tuscumbia. It was here that Streight heard for the first time that Forrest (The Ney of the West), had crossed the Tennessee River and was at Town Creek, Ala., while Streight thought he was at Columbia, Tenn.
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Genl. Phillip D. Roddy had been fighting the forces of Dodge and Streight as best he could. The Federal's plan now was, that General Dodge should entertain the Confederate Cavalry, which would give Streight an opportunity to get at least forty-eight hours the start of Forrest. Colonel Streight moved out from Tuscumbia on April 26, with his command, in the direction of Moulton, by the way of Russellville. He camped at Mount Hope on the night of the 27th, and on the 28th, Streight went in the direction of Blountville, by the way of Day's Gap, where he arrived about midnight ; and by this time General Forrest with two regiments of cavalry, the Fourth and Ninth Tennessee, were in hot pursuit, fighting him all day and all night at Driver's Gap, on Sand Mountain, where his brother, Capt. Will Forrest, was wounded, and Capt. Aaron Thompson, and a number of brave men were killed.
Streight lost fifty killed, one hundred and fifty wounded, two hundred and fifty mules and one hundred and fifty negroes were captured. Colonel Streight here lost two of his best officers, Lieut. Colonel Sheets of the Fifty-first Indiana, and Lieutenant Pavey of the Eightieth Illinois. Forrest put up such a stubborn fight here that Streight said that Forrest had twelve pieces of artillery and three times as many men as he had, but the truth was, General Streight had three times as many men as General Forrest.
Forrest was pressing him so close that the two forces skir- mished again at Crooked Creek, ten miles south of the Gap, and then again at Hog Mountain. The two forces went through Blountville on to Black Warrior River. Here Streight had to turn and give battle to Forrest's advance guard before he could cross the river ; and another skirmish took place at Black Creek.
It now became evident that Forrest with his small band of de- termined men was wearing out this picked and skilled officer and the flower of Rosecran's Army that out numbered him three to one. The battle of Blount's Plantation was next fought where Streight was soon compelled to abandon the field and headed his forces toward Rome. In this last engagement he lost another of his best officers, Colonel Hathaway of the Seventy-third Indiana, who was killed. Colonel Streight now realized the condition he
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CAPT. WM. G. EWIN, Co. A. See page 412.
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was getting into, ordered Capt. Milton Russell of the Fifty-first Indiana to take two hundred picked men and proceed to Rome, capture the bridge across the Coosa and hold it until he came up with his main command ; but when Captain Russell reached the vicinity of Rome he found that a force of Confederates were at the bridge that prevented him from taking possession.
General Streight still pressed on in the direction of Rome, and when he reached the ferry on one bank of the Coosa River, he found that Captain Russell had crossed his men over about one hour before, and the Confederates had gotten possession of the boats during that hour and run them off. Streight learned that there was a bridge about seven miles up the river, which he made for and crossed his command and burned the bridge and passed on to Cedar Bluff, near which place he stopped to feed.
It was here that Forrest came fully up with General Streight and his command. Just before Streight crossed the Coosa he sent a detachment and burned the Round Mountain Iron Works .. While Streight and his command were feeding, Forrest sent in a demand for an unconditional surrender, which was at first re- fused, and Streight asked a personal review of Forrest's Com- mand, which was not granted; but General Forrest by skillful maneuvering showed most of his command to General Streight twice or more, and when Streight went back to his command he called a council of war with his field officers, and reported that General Forrest had at least three men to his one. General Streight said that he was opposed to surrendering, but it was the unanimous vote of the Council of War to do so; so he yielded, and gave this as his reason for doing so, viz : "That his ammu- nition had become nearly worthless from being wet, his men and horses were exhausted, and his command was in the heart of the enemy's country and confronted by three times their number."
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On May 3, 1863, Genl. A. D. Streight surrendered one thou- sand four hundred and sixty-six men to Genl. N. B. Forrest who had four hundred and sixty-four men. These are figures given to me by Lieut. Col. J. M. Crews, who was attached to General Forrest's Staff and said that he counted the men on both sides.
This was one of the most remarkable surrenders in the annals of warfare, as Forrest's four hundred and sixty-four men were
17
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not picked men, but all Tennesseeans, and the one thousand four hundred and sixty-six men of Streight's Command were picked from an army of seventy thousand.
General Streight and his men surrendered and were sent to Richmond, Va., and confined in Libby Prison, after an incessent running fight of five days and nights.
THE TULLAHOMA CAMPAIGN.
While Breckinridge's Division was at Tullahoma, early in the month of March, 1863, his wife and some of her lady friends who had left their "old Kentucky homes " and had come South, made of the silk dresses worn by the wife of our Division Commander on the day she was married and the day after, one being of white silk and the other of red, a very handsome Regimental flag, which she requested her husband to present to the most gallant regiment in his Division.
The Twentieth Tennessee Regiment was the recipient of this beautiful stand of colors, and on an unusual pleasant afternoon for the month of March, the entire Division, having been re- viewed by the General, was formed in a hollow square, and the Twentieth Tennessee Regiment was ordered to advance slightly to the center, when that gifted Kentucky poet, Major Theo. O'Hara, the Assistant Adjutant General for General Breckin- ridge, presented the colors to the Regiment.
On presenting the flag made by the hands of Mrs. Breckin- ridge to the Twentieth Tennessee Regiment, Colonel O'Hara said : -
" I have a duty devolved upon me to-day which I esteem an honor, and perform with pleasure. I am deputed to present to you a flag wrought by the hands of a lady of Kentucky. The inquiry may present itself : Why the distinguished gentleman charged to bestow this banner has not chosen to present it to a regiment from his own State? The answer I think is too obvious to need expression. I might add that the noble Kentuckians who have relinquished all the ties, and almost all the hopes of home to devote their lives and their all to this cause, are con- tented with the assured appreciation of their illustrious com-
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mander and countryman and with the proud consciousness of having nobly done their duty, and their constant and equal de- votion to the common cause leaves no criterion by which their General might distinguish among them. He and they feel that it is to a regiment of some other State that the honor of bearing this flag will be more appropriately confided. And the General has felt the delicacy and difficulty of making a selection among the various regiments which constitute his command, and many of which have won his admiration by their gallant conduct under his own eye in many a stricken field. After mature considera- tion, however, in view of its uniform gallantry and length of service under his command he has concluded that it is upon the Twentieth Tennessee Regiment that these colors will be most properly bestowed. In the first memorable battle on the soil of Kentucky, in this war, the Twentieth Tennessee was signalized by its devoted patriotism and disciplined valor. At Fishing Creek, when the sternest were dismayed and the timid yielded to panic, the gallantry of the Twentieth Tennessee shone forth with conspicuous lustre. At Shiloh, when the ruling battalions of the enemy confessed the superiority of Southern valor, the banners of the Twentieth Tennessee were among the foremost in that bloody struggle. At the bombardment of Vicksburg throughout the sulphurous carnival that raged so many days and nights around that heroic city, the Twentieth Tennessee stood baring its scarred front to the storm of shot and shell. At Baton Rouge, when our Southern chivalry rushed upon the in- solent invader of their country, the Twentieth Tennessee was again seen in the van of the battle. At Murfreesboro, whether on the left of Stone River among the bloody cedars, or on the . right in the fearful charge of the second of January, which laid low many a noble spirit, the Twentieth Tennessee maintained its bright renown and plucked new laurels from the jaws of death. In view of this record of its heroic service and patriotic devotion it has been decided, I feel assured, with no offensive discrimina- tion, to confer upon the Twentieth Tennessee Regiment this beautiful banner wrought by the fair hands of the most dis- tinguished women of Kentucky. I feel that I may safely under- take to declare it is the opinion of those ladies that to no more
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deserving and loyal custody could this emblem of our cause be confided, and let me, fellow soldiers, assure you that the men of Kentucky share their opinion and endorse their award. They feel also that it is to no alien hands that this trust is confided. While there is pulse in the heart of a member of the Twentieth Tennessee Regiment they feel assured that this emblem will be cherished and guarded as more precious than life. In this con- fidence, I as their representative, commit this banner to your keeping. I believe that history has already determined the com- mon political fate of Kentucky and Tennessee, and that this simple ceremony here to-day is but the symbol of the affiliation of two millions of people, with the fortune and destiny of the Southern Confederacy."
Col. Thos. Benton Smith, the young colonel commanding the Twentieth Tennessee Regiment, raised the colors, and responded in the following brief acceptance : -
Major : In behalf of the officers and soldiers of my regiment, I accept this beautiful flag. My language does not permit me to express my feelings on this occasion. This compliment, unex- pected as it is, is doubly pleasing ; coming as it does trom Ken- tucky, the land of chivalry, and from the noblest of her daugh- ters. A State whose name is linked with the brightest jewels of American history. Her women are as lovely as her mountain flowers. For my officers and soldiers, I thank you. When the storm of battle rages fiercest, amid the wildest conflict, we will think of the fair donors, and cling to this banner. For the com- plimentary manner, sir, in which you have presented it, I thank you. Soldiers, to you I commit the gift; in its folds rest your honor. Let it never be contaminated by a foeman's hand. Let the Confederacy and the world see that in the hour of her dark- est trials Tennessee will stand by the colors of Kentucky as they would by the standard of their native State. They feel that their honor, their safety, their people, are one."
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