USA > Tennessee > The military annals of Tennessee. Confederate. First series: embracing a review of military operations, with regimental histories and memorial rolls, V.1 > Part 17
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The rain continued the next day, and the command halted near Frankfort, Green- brier county, and that night the citizens extended a warm welcome to the sol- diers. Many a wet and hungry soldier found comfortable lodging and a good supper. This hospitality of the citizens of Frankfort has ever been remembered by the soldiers of the First Tennessee, and spoken of with feelings of pride and gratefulness.
When Rosecrans came within striking distance of Gen. Floyd, he found Gen. Lee with a large force in his front, on Big Sewell Mountain. Here each re- mained for some time closely watching for an opportunity to gain an advantage, when, considering prudence the better part of valor, Rosecrans, just as Gen. Lee was getting ready to attack him, quietly slipped away under the cover of darkness, leaving the Southern troops with no enemy in their front to contend with.
After an encampment of about ten days, at the eastern base of Big Sewell Mountain, Anderson's brigade returned to a point near Huntersville, and, remain- ing a short time near Greenbrier bridge, the First Regiment then moved a few miles east of Huntersville and commenced the construction of winter-quarters. We had now been in North-west Virginia since the 1st of August, and the lat- ter part of November was upon us. Many from exposure had become sick and unfit for duty, and were discharged, and others furloughed. The consequence was a material reduction in the number of the regiment. The time at winter- quarters was spent in a pleasant way. Camp-life in the mountains affords many amusing incidents. The time was passed in the partial construction of cabins. and making pipes of laurel-root, until the 8th of December, when orders were re- ceived to repair to Winchester, Va.
Leaving winter-quarters, Anderson's brigade, after a long march down through the Valley of Virginia, reached Winchester on the 26th of December, and re- mained in camp until the first of January, 1862, when Gen. Stonewall Jackson started on his campaign to Bath, Va .. Hancock, Md., and Romney, Va. The morning of the Ist of January broke clear, and the day was as delightful as any ever witnessed in that portion of the country at that season of the year -- so pleas- ant, indeed, that many of the men put their knapsacks in the wagons and started on the march as though it were mid-summer. But all this was soon changed; night brought with it a lowering sky and a keen, cold. piercing wind; and as the hours moved slowly on the cold grew more intense. Early next morning the march was resumed, and a cold, chilly day and night passed without blankets and withont rations. Bath was reachedl on the 3d, the enemy forced to retreat, and a few captured rations were distributed to the troops. The hardships of this cam- paign, in the midst of a bitter Virginia winter, were endured by the members of the First Regiment almost without complaint. But this campaign was a fruitles- one. Gen. Jackson followed the enemy to the banks of the Potomac, which the enemy crossed on the ice, planting their batteries on the opposite side. The cold grew more intense, the soldiers suffering severely. That night snow and sleet added intensely to the suffering, and late fires were made of fence-rails and timber of every description that could be found. The enemy continued his flight to a point where Jackson saw it was fruitless to pursue, and after remaining at Romney a short time, he fell back to Winchester early in February.
While at Winchester we received news of the fall of Fort Donelson-hav-
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ing previously been apprised of the disaster at Fishing Creek, Ky .- and intelli- gence was soon after communicated that the First Regiment was ordered to report to Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, then in command of the Army of Tennessee near Nashville. The journey westward was soon commenced, Gen. Anderson taking the Seventh and Fourteenth regiments and joining the Army of Northern Virginia, under command of Gen. Jos. E. Johnston, where Col. Turney's First Tennessee Regiment was attached to his brigade. This brigade served gallantly through the entire war, having its ranks fearfully decimated, and enduring all the hard- ships through which the Army of Northern Virginia passed. Gen. Anderson, however, soon resigned, and Col. Robert Hatton, of the Seventh Tennessee, suc- ceeded him in command of the brigade, holding that position until he yielded up his life in the battle of Seven Pines. Tennessee lost a noble and gallant son when Robert Hatton fell, and he should ever be remembered by Tennesseans as one of their first brave martyrs of the Southern cause.
But to return to the First Tennessee. Leaving Winchester, Va., on the 17th of February, 1862, en route for the West-the left wing, consisting of companies F, G, H, I, and K, was sent forward, and the right wing, A, B, C, D, and E, was detained at Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Bridgeport, Ala., for want of transporta- tion-finally reached Corinth, Miss., on Monday morning, April 7, too late to par- ticipate in the battle of Shiloh ; the left wing, however, reached Corinth in time to engage in the figlit on the second day of the battle.
On the return of the army from Shiloh the regiment was reunited. Nothing of interest transpired, and the usual monotony of camp-life was passed through until the latter part of April, when a reorganization of the regiment took place. Col. Maney having been promoted to be Brigadier-general, Capt. Hume R. Field, of Co. K, was elected Colonel; Capt. John Patterson, of Co. B, Lieutenant- colonel; and Lieut. John L. House, of Co. D, Major; Lieut. W. D. Kelly was elected Captain of Co. A; B. P. Steele, Captain of Co. B; Lieut. John F. Wheless, Captain of Co. C; Lieut. Oscar Adkinson, Captain of Co. D; Geo. Leascher, Cap- tain of Co. E; Capt. Butler retained Captain of Co. F; Lieut. Irvine, Captain of Co. G; Henry Webster, Captain of Co. H (he obtained a furlough shortly after- ward, and was captured and died in prison, and Lieut. Jo. P. Lee became Captain of this company); Capt. Win. Ledbetter was retained Captain of Co. I; Lieut. W. C. Flournoy was elected Captain of Co. K; and Lieut. Mckinney, Co. H, ap- pointed Adjutant. Three companies from Nashville, known as Hawkins's Battal- ion, consolidated into one company under command of Capt. J. W. Fulcher, were attached to the regiment and constituted Co. L.
The First Regiment was placed in Maney's brigade, and this brigade in Cheat- ham's division, and as thus constituted Cheatham's division numbered eight thou- sand men.
Gen. Beauregard having assunned command of the Army of Tennessee upon the death of Albert Sidney Johnston, now resigned, and the command was given to Gen. Bragg. But, passing by the events that transpired at Corinth, the retreat to and stay at Tupelo, Miss., we will give a short review of the ever-memorable Kentucky campaign.
Leaving Tupelo on July 11, 1862, by way of Mobile, Ala., Montgomery, Ala., At- lanta, Ga., and Chattanooga, Tenn., the march into Kentucky was commenced on the 19th of August; crossing the mountains by way of Pikeville to Sparta, an.1
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then to Gainesboro, Tenn., into Kentucky through Tompkinsville, Glasgow, Mun- fordsville, Bardstown, Springfield, and Perryville, to Harrodsburg, which place was reached on the 6th of October. And a rest was taken until the evening of the 7th, when the command returned to Perryville and participated in the battle of the 8th. Here the regiment did heroic service, bearing the brunt of the battle on the extreme right of the army, together with the rest of Maney's brigade, con- sisting of the Sixth, Ninth, and Twenty-seventh Tennessee regiments, and the Forty-first Georgia, losing more than one-half its men in killed and wounded -- entering the fight with three hundred and fifty men, and coming out with ninety- five guns. Here it aided in driving the enemy from a strong position, capturing four twelve-pound Napoleon guns, killing or wonnding every man engaged in handling them. At the opening of the fight Gen. Maney's horse was wounded, and he requested Col. Field to take charge of that portion of the brigade which became engaged in advance of the First. Col. Field went forward, riding in front of the Sixth Tennessee, exposing himself not only to the fire of the enemy, but also to that of his own men, and soon the First Tennessee moved forward, press- ing and driving back the front line of the enemy, and on to the second and then the third, when the regiment, now greatly decimated, gave way before superior numbers. Col. Field being dismounted, now came to the front of his regiment, as coolly as if on dress-parade, and with the surviving officers, re-formed the regi- ment, and facing his men, called upon them to follow him, which was done in gallant style, driving the enemy before them and capturing the guns-displaying a heroism that under a Napoleon would have won him promotion and crowned his regiment with lasting honors. Fifty of the regiment were killed-men in whose veins flowed the best blood of the Volunteer State; men who had descend- ed from the heroes of the Revolutionary War and the pioneers and Indian-fight- ers of the early days of Tennessee.
But we cannot dwell. What is true of Perryville is alike true of all the battles in which the First Tennessee engaged. Bragg abandoned the battle-field of Per- ryville that night, and commenced retreating out of Kentucky, reaching Knox- ville, Tenn., about the 20th of October; thence to Chattanooga, Tullahoma, Sbel- byville, and Murfreesboro, the latter place being reached in November, Bragg having delayed long enough to allow the enemy time to return to Nashville.
After reaching Murfreesboro, and doing picket duty between that place and La Vergne, the regiment returned to camp on the 25th of December. A consol- idation with the Twenty-seventh Tennessee took place about the middle of De- cember, that regiment being formed into three companies, and companies A, B, and C, of the Rock City Guards, were consolidated into one company, under com- mand of Captain W. D. Kelly; companies E and F, under command of Captain Ben Smith; and companies G and HI, under Captain Jo. P. Lee; Colonel H. R. Field being retained in command. The Federal army was now advancing from Nashville toward Murfreesboro, and on the 28th Gen. Bragg threw his army into line of battle, awaiting the advance of the enemy. At daylight on the morning of the 31st of December the fight opened on the extreme left, and by 9 o'clock the enemy had been driven some distance, when Cheatham's division became hotly engaged. Here the First and Twenty-seventh sustained the well-earned reputation so nobbly won at Shiloh and Perryville. They participated in that portion of the battle on the Wilkinson pike, and assisted in driving the enemy
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from that point-doing splendid execution-to the Nashville and Murfreesboro pike where, late in the evening, the Federal commander collected all his artillery and soldiers that were saved from the fearful slaughter of a fight extending a distance of nearly four miles. In this desperate struggle-every inch of the ground being stubbornly contested by the enemy-the First and Twenty-seventh suffered heavily in killed and wounded; but not as heavily as at Perryville, or as the Twenty-seventh did at Shiloh.
Night closed the battle of the 31st, and the Army of Tennessee remained in it> advanced position on the field during the next day. On January 2, 1863, Gen. Breckenridge's division was sent forward unsupported on the right, where it was engaged for several hours, losing very many in killed and wounded, when it retired unsuccessful, thus ending the desperate encounter on the field of Mur- freesboro. On the night of the 3d Gen. Bragg retreated to Shelbyville, Wartrace, and Beech Grove, where he remained inactive until the 1st of July, when the en- emy, now being largely reenforced advanced, and Bragg retreated across the mountains to Chattanooga. At this point he displayed an uncalled-for inactivity until about the middle of September, when a forward move on the part of Genl. Rosecrans cansed him to make active preparations to meet the Federal troops in deadly conflict again. Being reenforced by Gen. Longstreet's corps, from the Army of Northern Virginia, the Southern forces were soon prepared to give Old Rosy a warm reception.
Falling back to Lafayette, Ga., as soon as the enemy had crossed Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, an advance was made on the evening of the 18th of September. On the morning of the 19th the enemy was met, and all day battle raged, and by night the enemy had been driven from several strong posi- tions, which were occupied by our troops. At about 11 o'clock A.M. on the 20th, the Confederate troops again moved on the enemy, and after a long and well- fought struggle, succeeded in almost routing their entire army, Gen. Thomas alone, in a strong and partially fortified position-to which he had been forced to retreat just before night-withstanding the onslaught.
In all this two days' fighting the First and Twenty-seventh won new laurels, and fully sustained the well-earned reputation the Tennessee volunteers have borne from the earliest days of the Volunteer State. Hotly engaged in the first day's fighting, they carried their flag wherever sent. The second day added new luster to these battle-scarred veterans, and when night closed the contest their claim to a share of the glorious victory was equal to any on that warmly con- tested field. And more-they were among the first troops on Missionary Ridge on the third day, assisting to drive the rear of the Federal army into Chattanooga.
The Army of Tennessee soon assumed a masterly inactivity-that is, an inac- tivity which tended to demoralize and undiscipline troops who were inured to hardship, and who by their gallantry and good behavior had won the praise of their officers and high encomiums from the people of the South.
The various divisions were changed while the army lay on the west side of Mis- sionary Ridge. Maney's brigade was placed in Walker's division, and sent up into East Tennessee in October, where it remained a few weeks and then returned; and Gen. Longstreet's corps was sent in the direction of Knoxville. Returning to Missionary Ridge, the First and Twenty-seventh were sent up on Lookout 11
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Mountain to do picket duty, and at the end of ten days were relieved and re- turned to the valley.
Gen. Longstreet now at or near Knoxville, and Cleburne on the eve of depart- ure, the enemy, strongly reenforced in Chattanooga by forty thousand men under Gen. Sherman, and Gen. Grant in command, advanced to attack the Confederate army on the 23d of November. For three days they were held in cheek, but on the evening of the 25th of November-Lookout Mountain having been abandoned the day previous-a portion of the Confederate line gave way before an almost overwhelming force of the enemy, and the retreat commenced, night coming on before the Confederate troops reached Chickamauga River. On this unfortunate field the First and Twenty-seventh bore a distinguished part, and they gallantly assisted in covering the' disastrous retreat, which came so near an- nihilating the Army of Tennessee. On the second day they were relieved by Gen. Cleburne.
Reaching Dalton, Ga., on the 27th of November, Gen. Bragg resigned, leaving the army in a bad condition. Many of the troops were captured, thousands strag- gled southward, but the demoralization did not last long. Gen. Hardee --- "Old Reliable"-assumed temporary command, and in a measure restored the morals of the army, when Gen. Joseph E. Johnston arrived and soon brought every one to perfect order and discipline .. Gen. Cheatham was given command of his old division, and the Tennesseans in this part of the army were again happy and con- tented. Here the First and Twenty-seventh spent the winter in cabins built of pine logs; fun and frolic were soon engaged in, and the time passed merrily away until some time in February, 1864, when Cheatham's division was ordered to Mis- sissippi to reënforee Gen. Polk. After a journey to Demopolis, Ala., we received orders to return to Dalton, which we did after an absence of about eight or ten days.
The spring of 1864 opened auspiciously, and preparations were made on both sides for the resumption of active hostilities. The Confederate troops soon gave evidence of their faith and confidence in Gen. Johnston's ability to command an army, and none more readily and willingly than the First and Twenty-seventh. In fact, they had confidence in all their officers, and this was shown by the will- ingness and alacrity with which they entered upon the campaign. And well did they bear their part, doing their full share in the arduous struggle. It may here be stated that while at Dalton the Army of Tennessee was soon placed in good condition, well disciplined, and the men were better clothed and fed and in better spirits than they had been since the battle of Shiloh; stragglers returned, many who had been sent to the hospitals, sick or wounded, reported back for duty ; and though Johnston's army, on the 1st of May, 1864, only numbered forty-two : thousand eight hundred men of all arms, yet it withstood a force of ninety-eight thousand men, with two hundred and fifty-four field pieces, until reenforced at Resaca, Ga, on the 14th of May, by Gen. Leonidas Polk, with nineteen thousand men.
During all this campaign the First and Twenty-seventh were ever ready for duty, and the scenes of conflict, skirmishing, picketing, building breast-works, and day and night marches of this eventful period will ever be remembered by the soldiers that composed Cheatham's division.
After leaving Rocky Face Ridge, in front of Dalton, on the 13th of May, Gen.
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John-ton occupied a position in front of Resaca, which he held against Sherman's entire army. Here, on the 16th, Maney's brigade was attached to Stewart's di- vision and sent on the extreme right of the army, reaching the railroad, where it lay awaiting orders. While resting, word came down the line from an unknown source to "fall back." Every thing on the left of the First and Twenty-seventh started, leaving the regiment unsupported more than a mile from the rest of the army. Col. Field soon carried his men back, when Gen. Maney came up and said that he told Gen. Stewart that his men had acted cowardly, and that he had "one thousand two hundred men of the tribe of Benjamin that never flickered, and that they were Tennesseans." But finding that the enemy did not intend to - give battle, but was flanking him, Gen. Johnston fell back to a position a short distance north of Adairsville, where, on the 17th, Cheatham's division engaged Gen. Hooker's corps. In this engagement the First and Twenty-seventh occupied an octagon house and surroundings. The loss in this engagement was very heavy, night putting an end to the contest. Gen. Johnston was again forced to retire to a point south of Kingston, for Sherman was moving for another attempt to cut off Johnston's communication with Atlanta.
Our army fell back to Cassville. It now became evident that a desperate struggle would ensue. The enemy, apparently abandoning his flanking move- ments, and having been moving in two columns, one down the railroad and the other by the old military road, from Cleveland, Tenn., to Cartersville, Ga., here formed a junction, and on the 19th of May was approaching in full force. The Army of Tennessee was drawn up in line of battle, with Gen. Hardee's corps near the railroad and Gens. Polk and Hood's near Cassville, in the order named, from left to right. The Federals were approaching cautiously, and the Confeder- ates were ready; but Gen. Hood, from some unknown cause, made a change of front, and did not occupy the exact position intended by the commanding Gen- eral, who, after having issued a battle order, upon learning of Hood's erratic move- ment, which disconcerted his plans, ordered his army to fall back "by the right of division to the rear." This being accomplished, the enemy ceased pursuit, and again commenced his flanking operations.
Crossing the Etowah River on the 20th, the Army of Tennessee rested two days, and then moved south-west to meet Sherman's flank movement, he having on the evening of the 19th withdrawn from Gen. Johnston's front, and crossed the Eto- wah on the Rome and Powder Spring road. But Johnston was aware of this, and when the advance of Sherman's army appeared in the vicinity of New Hope Church, on the afternoon of the 25th of May, they found Gen. Johnston's forces in their front. The second day at New Hope Church Maney's brigade, now com- posed of the First and Twenty-seventh, Sixth and Ninth, Fourth and Fiftieth, and Nineteenth Tennessee regiments, was sent with Gen. Bate's division to en- gage the enemy near Dallas, Ga. After assisting in driving the enemy back, the brigade returned that night to Cheatham's division-and here let me remark that through the dim vista of years we still remember the "lightning-bugs"-and did picket duty in front of New Hope Church until the afternoon of the 4th of June.
Leaving New Hope Church late in the afternoon, night soon set in, dark and rainy. After marching a few miles a detail of two hundred men was called for, and going forward was ordered to build a rail bridge. Arms stacked, fence-rails
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were shouldered and carried to the point where needed. The bridge being built, the command fell into line, and for twelve miles or more the men trudged through the rain along the road, with the mud shoe-mouth deep, through the woods, scattering leadlong, pell-mell, every man for himself it seemed; but on the army went, a scattered, helter-skelter, uncontrolled mass. When day broke, such a sight as the First and Twenty seventh, at least, presented! We looked at each other in astonishment. Muddy from head to foot, wet to the skin, guns half full of mud in many instances, hungry-but with all this not demoralized, yet terribly "scattered." In a short time every thing was righted, and the whole army ready for any thing that might occur. This movement was made because of Sherman's attempt again to flank Gen. Johnston; but Johnston reached the position first, and thus again thwarted his wily foe.
Drawn up in line of battle, some mile and a half in the rear of Gen. Bate's division, which occupied a position on Pine Mountain, the First and Twenty- seventh soon had a good line of breast-works built; and it was while at this place that Gen. Leonidas Polk was killed. But our position was soon changed- moving near to Kennesaw Mountain-changing every few days, until finally, on the 19th of June, Gen. Johnston occupied his Kennesaw line, and the First and Twenty-seventh held the fort in the famous "Dead Angle," which is about three miles south of Kennesaw Mountain, and about four miles west from Ma- rietta, Ga. At this point, Sherman, on the morning of the 27th of June, after a heavy fusilade of artillery and small arms along his entire front, started the Army of the Cumberland against Hardee's corps, and the Army of the Tennes- see against Gen. Loring, who occupied the line across Kennesaw Mountain. A picked division, in seven lines, was sent to attempt to break Gen. Johnston's line at the Angle. In the Angle were one hundred and eighty men of the First and Twenty-seventh, a large number being on picket duty, and a great many that morning being allowed to go to the wagon-train to wash their clothing. At about 8:30 A.M. the artillery and picket firing ceased, the pickets were seen running in, and the cry was raised, "Up men, they are coming!" It proved to be Gen. Jeff. C. Davis's division, formed in columns by regiments, two of his brigades being commanded by Gens. McCook and Harker. The first line advanced steadily, with guns loaded, but uncapped, and when within twenty or thirty feet of our works, the officer leading them turned his back to us, and was heard to exclaim, "Come on, men ! we'll take -. " The rest of the sentence was cut short by a volley from the works, the gallant young officer yielding up his life, together with more than half the men he was leading. Three successive lines were thus repulsed, and as the fourth line advanced, a four-gun battery on our left opened in earnest, which, with the firing from the works, held them in check and saved the day. Gen. Johnston, in his "Narrative," speaks of this attack, and says:
"But the most powerful attack fell upon Cheatham's division and the left of Cleburne's. The lines of the two armies were much nearer each other there, therefore the action was begun at shorter range. The Federal troops were in greater force and deeper order, too, and pressed forward with the resolution al- ways displayed by American soldiers when properly led. An attempt to turn the left was promptly met and defeated by Cheatham's reserve, Vaughn's brigade."
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