USA > Tennessee > History of the Twentieth Tennessee regiment volunteer infantry, C.S.A > Part 25
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About 1 p. m. I was ordered by my corps commander to re- move the division by the right flank until its right should rest on the left of Brig. Gen. Patton Anderson's line. In the execu- tion of the order I found Adams' brigade, of Stewart's division [Colonel Gibson commanding], extended on the left of General Anderson's line with a brigade space between. I communicated this fact through Captain McCawley, of my staff, to General Breckinridge, and desired to know if in the adjustment of my line this brigade was to be regarded as a part of Anderson's line. I was answered in the affirmative, and so made my dispositions. In a few moments, however, I received a message from General Breckinridge directing me to report in person to him at General Bragg's quarters, which I did. General Breckinridge was in the act of going toward Rossville, and directed me to General Bragg, who gave instructions to let my left rest on the Crutchfield road where it crossed the hill, as General Anderson wanted space on his left for Reynold's brigade in case it was retired from the trenches, a fact which General Anderson had made known to me through Captain McCawley, of my staff, and Captain Parker, of General Bragg's staff. My right had under the previous order arrived nearly to the left of General Anderson's brigade, commanded by Colonel Tucker, when the countermanding order caused a left-flank movement until the left of Finley's brigade rested on the Crutchfield road. Cobb's [Kentucky] battery had been detached in the forenoon by General Breckinridge, and by his order detained on the left of General Bragg's quarters in the line subsequently occupied by Adams' brigade, of Stewart's di- vision ; Slocomb's was on an eminence near my right, and Me- bane's near the center of my line. The temporary earth-works thrown up at these points were a hinderance to the successful use of the pieces, they being too close to the crest of the hill to admit of being placed in front of them, and being necessarily in rear could not be sufficiently depressed to command the slope of the hill in front. The eminence on which Slocomb's battery was
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placed projected beyond the general western slope of the ridge, with a slight depression on the right, which gave the ad- vantage of an enfilading fire in that direction. From the top of the ridge to the intrenchments at the foot is 600 or 800 yards, and beyond this an open field of about 900 yards in width.
When ordered to move to the right at I o'clock, I sent a staff officer to bring that part of Finley's command in the trenches to the ridge to rejoin his brigade. The order was given and the troops commenced ascending the hill, but upon making the fact known to General Breckinridge he directed it to remain. When we changed locality our relative position to this command was changed, our left on the ridge not reaching to a point opposite its right at Moore's house.
As to the part taken by this command in the trenches, I re- spectfully refer to the reports of the division officer of the day, Lieutenant-Colonel Badger, and other officers commanding it.
Hindman's division, commanded by Brigadier-General Ander- son, was on my right, and Major-General Stewart's division on my left. These dispositions having been made, we awaited the onset of the foe, who seemed confidently resting as a giant in his strength on the plain below, while volleys on the right told of the conflict being waged.
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About 3 or 4 p. m. the enemy initiated a movement along my entire front by advancing a heavy line of skirmishers, followed by two unbroken lines of battle, with heavy reserves at intervals. But a slight resistance was given to this advance by the troops of Reynold's brigade, in the trenches of our immediate front. They abandoned the ditches on the approach of the enemy's skirmishers and sought refuge at the top of the hill, breaking and throwing into slight confusion the left of Finley's brigade as they passed through. Major Weaver, of the Sixtieth North Carolina Regiment, seemed to be in command. He rallied and formed these troops (who seemed to be from two or three differ- ent regiments of Reynolds' brigade) across the Crutchfield road a few paces in rear of the main line. A well-directed and effec- tive fire having been opened on the advancing line, handsomely repulsed it, throwing a portion of it behind our vacated trenches and precipitating others on their second line, which, being out
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of range of small-arms, I ordered the firing to cease and the line to fall back a few paces to replenish ammunition and give the artillery an unobstructed sweep. This was executed cooly and without confusion. I took occasion during this interval to push a few sharpshooters forward on the declivity of the hill in front of the smoke as vedettes. Order was soon restored in the ranks of the enemy, and another onward movement made in sys- tematic and defiant style. My infantry was again advanced to the verge of the ridge, and opened a spirited fire, which was con- stantly replied to. During this charge my attention was called to some scattered troops a few hundred yards to my right, mak- ing their way, apparently without resistance, to the top of the hill. Believing them to be Confederates falling back from the trenches, I forbade my right firing upon them, and sent a staff officer to ascertain who they were. Upon receiving the answer, I directed upon them a right-oblique fire of infantry and artillery from the right of Tyler's command. It drove him to his left, but did not check his ascent of the ridge. In a few moments I saw a flag waving at the point in the line of General Anderson's division, beyond the depression in the ridge, where a section of artillery of Dent's battery had been firing and was then located. I thought it a Confederate flag, but on a nearer approach and more minute inspection, I soon detected the United States colors. The line in my front had recoiled a second time, but was rallied, and was advancing up the hill in such numbers as to forbid the displacing of any of my command. I was ordered by General Bragg to withdraw a portion of my command and dislodge him if possible ; but upon suggesting that I was without reserves, and the danger of withdrawing when so hard pressed on the front, which would necessarily cause a gap in my line, he di- rected me to take such as could be best spared. I at once took the command under Major Weaver, which had come from the ditches and were aligned across the Crutchfield road, it being disengaged, and moved it at a double-quick some 500 or 600 yards to the elevation on the right and rear of where the enemy had formed near his flag. I was unable, notwithstanding the assistance of Major Weaver, to get this command farther, and could only form it on the hill at right angles to my line, protect-
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ing that flank, and seek to dislodge him by a well-directed fire or hold him in check until the repulsed brigade in Anderson's line could be rallied and retake their lost ground. Having made this disposition and opened fire, I left Lieutenant Blanchard, of my staff, to report the result, and returned to my own line, which was being dangerously pressed. It was but a few moments until the second and third flags were on the ridge near the same spot, and the enemy in such numbers as to drive away the command under Major Weaver. This command, upon the advance of the enemy, broke and retired in disorder. The enemy turned our guns upon us, and opened a fire of musketry from our right and rear. This advantage gained caused my right to give back.
In seeking to rally the right I did not see the exact time when the flag went up at the left of General Bragg's headquarters, but refer to the reports of Brigadier-General Finley, Lieutenant- Colonel Turner (who subsequently commanded Bates' brigade), and Colonel Mashburn, Lieutenant-Colonel McLean, of Florida brigade, and Major O'Neill, commanding the Tenth Tennessee.
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The enemy formed a line of battle and moved down upon our right at right angles with that flank. Dent's battery was turned upon us, sweeping our lines from right to left, and, among other effects produced, destroyed two of Slocomb's limbers. Our men of the extreme right gave back in some confusion, and in gal- lantly seeking to rally them, Col. R. C. Tyler was dangerously wounded. Meanwhile the enemy had gained the summit of the ridge on our left, and subjected us to a fire from that source. He was rapidly enveloping the division, and yet the larger por- tion of it was on the front line with the artillery. I then moved the command, which was in much confusion, to the rear, order- ing the batteries and that portion still remaining on the front of the ridge to retire to the line on which we were rallying. There was much difficulty in stopping the debris which had sloughed off from the first line, but through the personal exertions of General Bragg and staff and many subaltern officers, we formed a line about 1,000 yards from the one just abandoned, in- a most eligi- ble position across the road leading from General Bragg's quar- ters to the pontoon bridge at Bird's Mill. During the process of
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its formation General Bragg ordered me to hold the position as . long as tenable, and then cross the Chickamauga and report to him at Chickamauga Station. This line was soon molded into proper shape and organized to resist the assault then threatened by an exultant foe. Skirmishers were thrown forward, under Major Wall, Fifteenth and Thirty-seventh Tennessee, on the right, and Major Austin, of Adams' sharpshooters (who was there with a part of his command), on my left. Artillery was planted near the road. I sent officers to push the artillery and ordnance across the bridge, and to stop all stragglers. I with- drew from this line the Sixth Florida, under command of Lieu- tenant-Colonel McLean, and moved it back as a nucleus for an- other line. I then placed this main (now front) line under com- mand of Brigadier-General Finley, with instructions to hold it as long as possible ; when forced, to fall back on the next line. Colonel Rudler was ordered to take command in Tyler's place, but was soon badly wounded and taken from the field. I re- mained with this line until the sharpshooters were driven in and it became well and successfully engaged.
It was now nearly dark, and I repaired to a field near the junction of the roads leading to Bird's Mill from Missionary Ridge, and established a line, with the field in front, under su- pervision of Lieutenant-Colonel McLean ; this line was formed across the roads. Having thrown out skirmishers along the front and flanks, I proceeded to join General Finley's line, which meantime was hotly engaged, not only checking, but causing the enemy to recede, thus enabling a quiet and orderly with- drawal of that line. This fight was made by a retreating force against an advancing and victorious one. It lasted for nearly an hour after night, and staid the onward movement which was pressing us back to the bridge. For further particulars of this fight, I refer to report of General Finley.
I met the head of this column with Major-General Breckin- ridge, at whose order it had retired. Not having seen the General since in the earlier part of the evening, when he left General Bragg's quarters to look after the left, I informed him of General Bragg's last order to me, and the locality of my next line. He bade me carry out those orders, and with some addi-
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. tional instructions then delivered, he proceeded to join General Bragg. Not pursued by the enemy, I leisurely moved the com- mand to the pontoon bridge, leaving the third line under Lieu- tenant-Colonel McLean, with instructions to hold it until ordered to retire. I saw Major-General Stewart at the bridge, and re- ported to him my instructions from General Bragg. My com- mand being in good order, I moved it to the east bank of Chicka- mauga and bivouaced, meantime ordering Lieutenant-Colonel McLean to join me, of which withdrawal I notified General Stewart. I reported to General Bragg, as ordered, and in two hours moved my command on the Ringgold road, running east of the railroad ; thence through that place and to Tunnel Hill next day, and the succeeding one to Dalton, where I was joined by Mebane's battery, and subsequently by Lewis' brigade. Lewis' brigade being separated from the command during the fight and retreat, I respectfully refer to his report for the opera- tions of that command.
The service of the artillery, under command of Captain Cobb, was fought successfully and gallantly.
My accomplished Assistant Adjutant-General, Maj. George W. Winchester-to whom I feel much indebted for his efficiency and gallantry on this as well as other fields-in seeking to extri- cate a part of the command as the enemy enveloped us, lost his liberty, if not his life, no tidings of his fate having since reached me.
Col. R. C. Tyler, commanding brigade, who bore himself as became his reputation, won on other and more fortunate fields, was dangerously wounded in discharging his duty. Col. A. F. Rudler succeeded him in command. He, too, fell a victim to a severe and disabling wound in the fight after dark.
Lieut-Col. J. J. Turner, of the Thirtieth Tennessee, as ranking officer, then assumed command of this brigade. His coolness and courage was marked throughout.
I can not, in justice to the generous and brave, consistently close this without expressing my thanks to Brigadier-General Finley for his gallant bearing and prompt assistance in every emergency.
I take the liberty of mentioning Lieut-Col. Joseph T. Smith,
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of the Thirty-seventh Georgia, and Maj. J. M. Wall, Fifteenth and Thirty-seventh Tennessee, for special gallantry on this occa- sion.
To the members of my staff-Capt. G. W. McCawley, Lieuts. T. E. Blanchard and James H. Bate-I also make my acknowl- edgments for promptness and gallantry on the field.
The casualties of this command were : Killed, 43 ; wounded, 224 ; missing, 590. Most of the latter were Floridians who were in the trenches. .
For further particulars, I respectfully refer to the reports of subaltern officers.
I am, Colonel, very respectfully,
WM. B. BATE, Brigadier-General, Commanding.
COL. GEORGE WILLIAM BRENT,
Assistant Adjutant-General.
But let us see further about this battle above the clouds. General Grant states in his official report that his entire army captured at the battle of Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge 40 pieces of cannon, 6,142 prisoners, and 7,000 stands of small arms. Now comes this " fighting Joe Hooker," who com- manded the Eleventh and Twelfth Corps, who was fighting mostly Walthall's Brigade of Mississippians around the side of Point Lookout, while Stevenson's division of Confederates were farther to the west. When the battle was over, he claims that his command had captured 6,547 prisoners, 7,000 stands of small arms, 7 pieces of artillery, and 9 battle flags. He claims that his command captured more prisoners than the whole of Grant's army, with his two corps thrown in, and he captured the 7,000 stands of small arms, which was all that were captured, when every one knew that Shefman did all of the hard fighting on the east end of the ridge, except what was done by the two divisions of Sheridan and Wood in the center. Now that was one false- hood.
This same " Fighting Joe" started a report about the Tennes- see troops in Bragg's army, in a communication which he wrote to the Hon. S. P. Chase, dated Dec. 28, 1863, and published in
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1890, on page 339, Series I, Vol. XXXI, Part 2, of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, in which he said : "Before the battle of Lookout, I had opened communications with Cheatham's division, holding the summit of the mountains, and had good reasons to believe that I would have succeeded in bringing in all of the enlisted men, with some of the officers, but for their untimely removal ; they were relieved by Stevenson's division. The only conditions I required were that they should give themselves to me with guns in their hands, and take the oath of allegiance, and they would be permitted to return to their homes, where the conscription act could not reach them." This is lie second.
He further said to the Hon. S. P. Chase : "You will remem- ber that when Bragg retreated out of Tennessee, June, 1863, that he was compelled to march the Tennessee troops under guard." This is lie third.
The First and Twenty-seventh Tennessee Regiments [consoli- dated], was in Maney's Brigade of W. H. P. Walker's division, who were the only Tennessee soldiers on Lookout, and they were only there on picket duty for about ten days in October, and this command of Tennesseans fought in Cleburne's division on Novem- ber 24th and 25th, on the east end of Missionary Ridge, where they helped to hold back Sherman's host for two days and nights. When "Fighting Joe" says he opened communications with Cheatham's Tennessee division on Lookout Mountain, for the purpose of their desertion, this makes the fourth and biggest lie of them all. We do not know if he has won his spurs as "Fighting Joe Hooker " from services on the field, but we do know that he is entitled to them as "Lying Joe Hooker." When a man tells four falsehoods, one right after the other, can you believe him in the fifth? Your writer is speaking from a standpoint of a Tennessean, who belonged to Bragg's army at the time. He never did belong to Cheatham's division, but he had a brother who did, from the time Cheatham's division was organized, just before the battle of Shiloh, April, 1862, up to the battle of Franklin, November 30, 1864, when he was killed side by side with that knightly soldier, Brigadier-General O. F. Strahl.
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This gallant command of Tennesseans was regarded in Bragg's army as one of its most reliable and trusted divisions.
After Bragg's defeat at Missionary Ridge, on November 25, 1863, he retired with his little army to Dalton, in North Georgia, thirty eight miles from Chattanooga, and went into winter quar- ters, and the Federal army went into winter quarters at Chatta- nooga. On December 27, 1863, Gen. Braxton Bragg was re- lieved of the command of the Army of Tennessee, and Gen. Joseph E. Johnston was put in command. While the change proved to be a good one, the Army of Tennessee lost a great and able leader, a fine disciplinarian, and a true patriot. His ability on the fields of Perryville, Murfreesboro, and Chickamauga dis- played a military genius of no ordinary type. At Missionary Ridge he failed only for the want of troops, and from no fault of his. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston was received by the Army of Tennessee with unbounded enthusiasm. The army was some- what reorganized ; Cheatham's old division of Tennesseans were reunited and a number of minor changes made, and the army passed the winter. Three events, peculiar in their kind in the history of the Army of Tennessee, took place here, viz., one of the largest religious revivals, the largest rabbit hunt, and the largest snow-ball fights. The revival seemed to have pervaded the entire army, and large accessions were made to the different churches. While here the meat rations of the Confederate sol- diers were short, but the health and morale of the army were fine. It was here that the Twentieth Tennessee Regiment re-enlisted for the war ; also while here, some Georgia troops were camped near by, and their officers put some of their men in stocks, and the Tennesseans went that night and tore down the stocks, which was regarded by the Georgia officers as mutinous, and came near getting the Tennesseans into trouble.
The spring of 1864 had now come, and by May 8, 1864, Gen. Joe Johnston had been reinforced by every available man possi- ble, and his army numbered 42,756, of all branches of the ser- vice. They were divided into three corps, under Hardee, Hood, and Polk, with the Confederate Cavalry under Gen. Joe Wheeler.
The Federal Army had passed the winter just previous to the
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Dalton campaign at three separate places. The Army of the Cumberland was at Chattanooga, numbering 60,773, with 130 guns, under the command of Gen. Geo. H. Thomas ; the Army of the Tennessee, under Major-General McPherson, was at Huntsville, Ala., numbering 24,465, with 96 guns ; the Army of the Ohio at Knoxville, under General Schofield, numbering 13,559, with 28 guns ; which made a grand total of 98,797 men, with 254 pieces of artillery.
General Grant had now been made a Lieutenant-General and placed in charge of all the Federal armies, and W. T. Sherman had succeeded him in the Department of the Mississippi, which extended from Knoxville to Vicksburg. So on April 27, 1864, General Sherman ordered the army at Knoxville, under Schofield, and the army at Huntsville, under McPherson, to move to Chat- tanooga. May 6, 1864, found Sherman's Army disposed thus : Thomas with the Army of the Cumberland, 60,000 strong, which was 18,000 more than Joe Johnston had, all told, near Ringgold ; McPherson at Lee and Gordon's Mills, on West Chickamauga, on the road that leads in the direction of Rome, Ga., with 24,500 men ; and Schofield had come down from Knoxville with nearly 14,000 troops, and took position at Red Clay, on the line of Ten- nessee and Georgia, just north of Dalton. Old Joe was just lying there at Dalton with the Confederate Army of 42,000, waiting to meet Sherman with his 98,000. He was like the wounded stag at bay, waiting for the enemy to approach.
On May 7, General Thomas moved up to Rocky Face Gap, just north of Dalton, and there found the three Confederate divi- sions of Stewart, Cheatham, and Bate. The Twentieth Tennes- see Regiment was in Bates' division, just on the left of the gap facing northward. The Confederates were assaulted by Hooker's corps, which was repulsed in good style. The enemy did not break a single line, while Thomas, with his 60,000 men, were in front of the three gallant Tennessee division comman- ders, who had about 15,000 men. Hooker lost here 760 men, and reported back to Thomas that the place could not be taken by assault. Sherman sent General McPherson, with the right wing of his army, 24,000 strong, by rapid march through Ship's Gap, on to Snake Creek Gap, where a brigade of Confederate
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Cavalry was guarding it, with orders to seize the gap, pass his corps through it, turn east, and strike the railroad north of Re- saca, a little village eighteen miles south of Dalton. General Schofield, with the left wing of the Federal Army, 14,000 strong, had moved on the 9th from Red Clay to about one mile north of Dalton, and was going south. So our readers will see that Sher- man had 18,000 more men in Gen. Joe Johnston's front than Johnston had all told, and nearly as many flanking each of his two wings, and this was the game that was played from Dalton to Atlanta, from May 6 to August 31, culminating at Jonesboro, Ga.
When McPherson approached Resaca, he found Hardee's corps there, and he fell back near Snake Creek Gap, which he kept open, and the bulk of Thomas' Army passed through here. On the roth and 11th the center and right wings of Sherman's Army passed to the west of Dalton, to and through Snake Creek Gap, and moved east and invested Resaca. "Old Joe" had now withdrawn all of the Confederates to this place ; and when he left Dalton there was only Howard's corps confronting him at Rocky Face Gap. He formed his line of battle at Resaca in the shape of a horse-shoe, with the Ostenaula River as the base of the horse-shoe. The village and railroad bridge were protected by this line. Hardee's corps occupied Johnston's left, Hood and Polk extending around, and bringing his right to the river again. Sherman's forces were disposed thus: McPherson on the right, with his right resting on the Oostenaula River ; Thomas in the center, and Schofield on the left. McPherson's and Pal- mer's Corps made desperate assaults on the divisions of Bate, Cheatham, and Cleburne, but were handsomely repulsed.
The Twentieth Tennessee Regiment was in Tyler's Brigage of Bate's Division, and supported Lewis's Kentucky Brigade. The Kentuckians were on a bald hill where there was a frame house with a few apple trees about the yard, and had some rifle pits thrown up, and a battery of four guns, with a single line of in- fantry behind it. The Yankee lines, two deep, and a double line of skirmishers were about 400 yards away across a ravine and a field and posted in a skirt of heavy timber on a ridge. They opened on the brave Kentuckians with about twenty pieces of ar-
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