USA > Tennessee > The military annals of Tennessee. Confederate. First series: embracing a review of military operations, with regimental histories and memorial rolls, V.2 > Part 46
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From Chattanooga Gen. Bragg entered upon his Kentucky campaign, leaving the Thirty-second Alabama Infantry and Freeman's battery behind to prevent depredations upon the country in his rear. A Federal force was encamped a lit- tle distance above Bridgeport, Ala., on the Tennessee River, and soon after Gen. Bragg's departure our battery, having (with other guns) a thirty-two-pounder, moved to the river and opened fire on the Federals, throwing several shells through the head-quarters of their officers. The whole command hid themselves in the hills until after night-fall, when they muffled their wagon-wheels and left the place, we hurrying their movements by continued firing. The next day we crossed the river and found tents standing, and quite a quantity of provisions, sut- ler's stores, etc. In August we proceeded against Fort McCook, having an en- gagement before we reached there. Lieut .- col. Maury gallantly commanded the Thirty-second Alabama, and we shelled the enemy out, capturing a considerable amount of small arms, ammunition, etc., which was all sent to Stevenson, and down the railroad in some box-cars we found there. From Stevenson the com- mand moved to Tullahoma, Tenn., where it remained for some time. Thence it went on to Murfreesboro, where we joined Gen. Forrest at the time when Gen. Sam Anderson was surprised by the Federals at La Vergne. In company with Gen. Forrest's small force, we hurried off to La Vergne, meeting panic-stricken men, whose appearance was any thing but order and preparation for battle, look- ing as though they expected the enemy upon them at any moment.
Our next movement was in connection with Gen. Forrest and Gen. Hanson's brigade of infantry, in the vicinity of Nashville. We met the Federals near the Franklin turnpike, and had the most vigorous artillery duel the battery was ever in. It seemed as if we would be destroyed. Federal shot and shell plowed the earth right amidst our men, horses, guns, and caissons, covering us with dust and dirt; and yet, in spite of the danger, which was imminent, every close shot from the enemy invariably called forth some jocular remark from the men. Gen. For- rest and his men were always proud of the battery after this affair. Believing that we were going to capture Nashville, it was a disappointment to us when or- ders came to abandon the effort; and returning to La Vergne, we remained in camp until moved down to Columbia, preparatory to a raid into West Tennessee.
Leaving Columbia Dec. 11, 1862, we arrived at Clifton, on the Tennessee River, on the 13th. The next two days were spent in crossing into West Tennessee, in which we used an old, dilapidated flat-boat for the artillery and wagons, and swam the horses. The crossing was exceedingly uncomfortable, as the weather was
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rainy and cold, but when over we moved forward at once. The cavalry met the enemy near Lexington, charging them and capturing two steel guns, and driving them in the direction of Jackson, where our battery was brought into action, fore- ing the Federals into their fortifications. From Jackson we pressed on to Tren- ton, which surrendered after some lively firing; and proceeding, we shelled and captured a stockade at Kenton Station. Now turning to retrace our steps to the Tennessee River, muddy roads and bad bridges made our way difficult. Finding that we could not reach the river without a fight with a large force of the enemy which was trying to cut off our retreat, we stopped and had one good night's rest, the first we had had since crossing into West Tennessee. We did not go far next morning before we met the Federal pickets. A few shells drove the advance Lack upon their main line, and we soon .got into position for what proved to be one of the hardest contests in which we had ever engaged. Dibrell's regiment and Huggins's sectious of the battery went at a gallop through an old field to a little knoll twenty-five or thirty yards from a body of timber occupied by the en- emy. Lieut. Baxter's gun was placed on the crest of the hillock, and at once be- gan to pour shot and shell into the ranks of the foe. An attempt was several times made to charge us, the enemy coming as far as the fence dividing the field from the woods, but no farther. Baxter and his men appreciated the situation of affairs, and veterans in service could not have done better than they. When charged upon, Baxter would pour grape and cauister into the advancing line, which suddenly and effectually checked the charge. . The enemy were so close to us that Dibrell's men were compelled to load and fire lying down. At this crisis Lieut. Baxter did the loading of his gun of our battery himself, lying upon his back and ramming the charge home. Indeed, every man had to keep well down; but in spite of this the firing was very rapid. Gen. Forrest desired to have the guns removed, but we objected to making the effort; and this was right, because the rapid firing of canister soon drove the Federals from our front. Among the slain at the fence above alluded to was one man with a piece of rail driven through him, the rail having been broken by a cannon-ball, and sent with such force as to pierce his body. This severe experience in battle seemed to have a happy effect in drawing Dibrell's command and our battery closer to each other in fellow-feeling, since "a fellow-feeling makes us wondrous kind." But it is not improper to say just here that Gen. Dibrell labored under a mistake in afterward reporting that the gun belonged to Lieut. Douglass's section, when it was of Lieut. Huggins's section, who remained with the piece in the fight, using a Colt's repeat- ing pistol, as Baxter was doing all that could be done with the guu.
While our particular conflict was raging Gen. Forrest had disposed his com- mand on the flank and rear of the enemy, so as to impress them with the idea that ours was a much larger force than theirs, and the result was a hoisting of white flags all through the woods. Then our troops drew a long breath of relief. feeling that we had gained the day; but before we had the Federals half disarmed there suddenly appeared in our rear a large body of the enemy in line of battle, ready for an apparently more vigorous encounter with us than the other force had had. It would not be truthful history to say that we waited for this engagement, and the order of our going was certainly not thoroughly military. In plain terms, we hastily retreated toward the Tennessee, under fire of the Federal artil- lery at first; and having driven a cavalry regiment of the enemy out of our way,
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we reached and recrossed the river at the same point where we passed into West Tennessee, using the same old flat-boat for the artillery and wagons, and swim- ming the horses. Our passage was effected without hinderance, as the main Fed- eral force did not press our rear; but we lost no time, and when the columns of the foe appeared on the bank we had left, we shelled them for a time, while their sharp-shooters kept up a fire at us from behind the trees over there. No doubt any good soldier will confess that it makes him more nervous to be a target for a skilled rifleman than to be in the midst of the hottest kind of a general engage- ment.
It is a pleasing incident to record that on the morning after crossing the river Gen. Forrest came to the camp of the battery, and calling for Baxter, compli- mented him for gallantry on the field at Parker's Cross-roads, the scene of the fight just described.
About Jan. Ist following we went into camp of refitting and rest, near Mount Pleasant, Maury county; and about the middle of the month Gens. Forrest and Wheeler conjointly moved to the vicinity of Nashville and down to the Harpeth Shoals. Two transports and one gun-boat were captured, but our troops suffered severely from the bitterly cold and disagreeable weather of midwinter. After twelve or fifteen days our Generals led their forces down the Cumberland River to make an attack on Dover, which was done, and there was some creditable fighting by the command; but the result of the expedition was unsatisfactory, and we lost some brave men, among others Col. Frank McNairy, an amateur fighter. The next day after the attempt upon Dover we turned toward Charlotte. As we proceeded amidst the hard weather we were compelled to make a vigorous movement to our right and to take advantage of every opportunity of roads, val- leys, and woods to avoid a large force of the enemy which had been sent out after us under command of Gen. Jeff. C. Davis. After a severe experience we crossed Duck River at and above Centreville, and arrived and camped at Columbia. Shortly after Gen. Van Dorn joined us with his command, with whom we passed up to camps at Spring Hill, from which place we had frequent small rencounters with the enemy, until about March 5th, when we had a sharp affair at Thompson's Station, on the Nashville and Decatur railroad. The battery did excellent service in this engagement, and the cavalry fought equally as well as infantry can do. The Federals, under Gen. Coburn, acted well, but they were surrounded and com- pelled to surrender.
Detached fighting was the order of the day for some time, until, learning that a large body of the enemy was on its way to attack us, we fell back and crossed Duck River, when the Federals suddenly retreated, and we followed them to Spring Hill, camping there again. Toward the last of March Gen. Forrest took part of his command, with two of our guns, and captured Brentwood in the night, or rather about day. Col. Starnes took charge of the captured property and the pris- oners, while one of our guns, in company with the Tenth Tennessee Cavalry, hur- ried up to Franklin, and suddenly appeared before a stockade guarding the bridge. The demand for a surrender was refused until a shot from our gun crashed through the stockade, when white flags were quickly hoisted. We burned the stockade and bridge, having captured some seventy or eighty prisoners, besides wagons and army stores. The prisoners proved to be a part of Coburn's men who had escaped in the affair at Thompson's Station.
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On the 10th of April following, while our battery was going toward Franklin on the Lewisburg pike, it was charged upon by cavalry and captured. We tried to get into position for firing, but our horses became so unmanageable from the firing and yelling of the Federals that the enemy was on ns before we could make a shot. Capt. Freeman, Lieut. Huggins, Lieut. Baxter, and twenty-five or thirty men were captured. Capt. Freeman was killed after he became a prisoner. The Fourth U. S. Regulars were the capturing party, but whether he was killed by them or by a stray shot is not known.
Capt. Sam Freeman was born on Stone's River, twelve miles from Nashville. He was educated at Franklin College, and studied law in the office of Judge Jack- son B. White, in Nashville. He was climbing the ladder of success in his pro- fession when the war came on. He entered the Confederate service in the com- pany he afterward commanded. He made a fine artillery officer, and died deeply regretted by the battery and the command with which he was connected.
As the enemy did not get any of the pieces off of the field, Lieuts. Douglass and Crudup took charge of the battery, and had it prepared for service as soon as practicable, the wheels having been hacked up in the effort to cut the battery down. During Gen. Forrest's pursuit of Streight, in the raid of the latter, the battery was with Col. Dibrell, and was employed in demonstrations against the enemy to prevent him from following Gen. Forrest, which was accomplished. Gen. Dodge, thinking we had a large force and were striving to cut him off from Corinth, Miss., hurriedly retreated, destroying much property of the citizens as he retired.
About the middle of May the whole command reassembled at Spring Hill, Tenn. Lieuts. Huggins and Baxter and the rest of the company having been exchanged, Lieut. Huggins reported to Gen. Forrest for duty, and was at once placed in command of the battery. There was more or less fighting at Franklin and in the vicinity until the last of June, when the camp was broken up, and we joined the main army at Tullahoma. Near this place Col. Starnes was killed while out on the skirmish line. His loss was much and generally deplored. He was a brave and good man, and our company had been associated with him in so many engagements we were very much attached to him.
Small affairs in the rear and on the flank of the army occupied our time until we crossed the mountains to Chattanooga, where we camped for a short while, and then in July recrossed the Tennessee River to operate in East Tennessee. Gen. Forrest was reenforced by Pegram's division of cavalry and Huwald's battery. An incident may be related to illustrate artillery practice. Huwald's men were doing some target-shooting, and Gen. Forrest ordered one of Capt. Huggins's guns to be brought up. Huggins sent Lient. Baxter, with Sergt. Porter and his gun. Gen. Forrest sent a courier for Capt. Huggins to come and superintend firing the piece. Sergt. Porter placed and gave proper elevation to the gun. Lient. Bax- ter and Capt. Huggins were satisfied with Porter's aim; and when Maj. Rawls, Chief of Artillery, put his hands on the regulating screw Capt. Huggins caught them and lifted them off, simply saying, " Don't touch it." When the piece was fired the shell explode.l at the target a few feet from the ground. Gen. Forrest was highly pleased. It is not improper to say the discipline of the battery was against wild and reckless shooting, the Captain contending that the third shot oaght always to be near the point aimed at. The first and second shots might go
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over or fall short, but the failure of the third could find little ground of excuse. Capt. Huggins thought, on this account, that possibly he had the best shots in the army. The officers were required to excel the men, and to give their personal assistance in places of extreme danger. Batteries of the enemy were frequently run from their positions by the sixth or eighth shot. In illustration of excellent shooting may be mentioned the following incident: At Tullahoma A. B. Martin, acting Sergeant, made a remarkable shot with a three-inch rifled gun. The gun was in position in a road which stretched away for eight hundred yards in front without a turn. At the other end of this straight road a Federal gun was in po- sition for service, and it shot twice at Martin's gun, when he took very deliberate aini and struck the enemy's piece squarely in the muzzle with a solid shot. A short while after the Confederate line moved up and took the ground at the po- sition of the Federal gun, and there the gun lay, split nearly into two parts.
Gen. Forrest had his encampment at Kingston, East Tenn., until the last of August, engaging in various combats with the enemy, when we rejoined the army under Gen. Bragg at Chattanooga. We passed through an active campaign guard- ing the rear of the army as it retired into Georgia, being engaged at many places, such as Will's Valley, McLemore's Cove, Ringgold, La Fayette, Alpine, Dug's Gap, Summerville, Rome, Daltor, etc.
On September 18 the whole army was concentrated at Chickamauga River for a mighty struggle. Gen. Forrest was ordered to develop the enemy early next morning. This gave Huggins's battery the honor of firing the first shot in the battle of Chickamauga. We generally fought with Gen. Dibrell's brigade, in Gen. Frank Armstrong's division, and Forrest seemed to be everywhere. Gen. Pegram's cavalry dismounted and fought with us that day as infantry, and their - gallant conduct gave no cause for shame. Huwald's and Huggins's batteries were placed in position on a rocky ridge just in rear of our lines, between Reed's Bridge and Crawfish Springs. The strong force of the enemy compelled Gen. Dibrell to fall back to the ridge, and then we opened on them with shot and shell; but they still pressed forward, coming so close we were forced to resort to canister. About this time Gen. Armstrong ordered forward his other brigade, while Wil- son's infantry brigade, of Dibrell's division, was added to the force, and we drove the Federals back some four or five hundred yards to a strong line of theirs. They then compelled us to fall back over the same ground, but we brought with us a captured battery. In this conflict many noble men strewed the earth, to rise no more. Gen. Forrest ordered up Ector's brigade, of Walker's corps, and formed it on Wilson's right. Gen. Walker sent Govan's and Walthall's brigades to the attack with sixteen pieces of artillery, which gave us twenty-four guns and about eight thousand infantry and dismounted cavalry. We charged through two lines of battle, capturing prisoners and artillery. Just behind the second line there was a strong third, covered by temporary breastworks and extending beyond our flanks. To prevent them from partially surrounding us we beat a hasty retreat; but Gen. Cheatham came to our relief with a division of infantry, and the battle raged fiercely for hours, each side contending for the mastery.
At one time we drove them nearly a mile, when they were again sheltered by breastworks and, being reenforced, they took the offensive and drove us for some distance. Huggins's and Huwald's batteries began a fire of canister at them, and checked their onset when not more than sixty or seventy yards distant. Then
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we stood at our guns with the troops all in line waiting the next movement. About night-fall Gens. Cleburne and Cheatham formed line in our rear and marched to the front, passing through our command. I thought the men were the finest-looking set of soldiers I had ever seen. They seemed taller than usual, and kept a perfect line of march. They stepped so exactly together that their movement made breeze enough to stir the dry leaves on the ground into a rustle. Then we anxiously listened for a few minutes, and the roar of musketry and ar- tillery came with a most startling power. Such a conflict is seldom heard, and the result was they routed the enemy and held the field, but with heavy losses. Many brave men fell in this contest, among them Gen. Preston Smith, Capt. John Donelson, and Capt. Thomas H. King.
But our work was not done by a great deal. On the 20th the fighting was gen- eral along the lines. Gen. Forrest was on the right, extending his line from Gen. Breckinridge. The Federals seemed to have massed their heaviest force in our front, possibly to prevent our cutting off their retreat in case of defeat. We did hard fighting, but could not break their line for want of sufficient support. A little before noon Gen. Pegram informed Gen. Forrest that Grainger's com- mand of four or five thousand troops was approaching from Rossville to effect a junction with Gen. Thomas. Forrest took Armstrong's division and Huggins's battery to face this column, and soon became hotly engaged with them, forcing them to the west somewhat; but they joined Thomas's command in spite of us. For several hours after this nothing was done in our part of the field, which seemed strange. As Gen. Longstreet was closely at work on the left, it appeared from the changing sound of the firing that he was gaining ground. After con-
: siderable delay the right wing renewed the conflict, with Gen. Forrest still on the extreme right and Gens. Breckinridge, Cheatham, and Cleburne to the left of us in the order named. This whole line participated in the engagement, which was vigorous. Forrest moved on the enemy toward the Chattanooga road, and came upon a strong force, with six pieces of artillery, posted behind a fence. Hug- gins's rifle section was placed in position to command the enemy's battery, and Gens. Armstrong and Dibrell charged them gallantly and drove them several hun- dred yards. As soon as their artillery left position our battery came up at a gal- lop and occupied their ground under a hot fire from them. Armstrong and Dib- rell again pressed forward, Inggins pouring shot and shell into the Federal lines. Dibrell was very near to the enemy's battery when he noticed and reported to Forrest that our infantry was falling back, uncovering the left of his command. The battery was ordered back to a ridge, and it opened so energetic a fire on the advancing force that it was checked in its course. Forrest's front not being pressed just then, he dashed in among the infantry and aided the officers to rally the men, which was quickly done, and a combined forward movement made, in which every officer and private strove to excel in bold and effective deeds of daring. It was a grand and successful display of fearless devotion; and with victory all along our Confederate lines, as the light of day departed the beaten foe hurried over Mis- sionary Ridge, and left the field of Chickamauga first to the triumphant shouts and then to the peaceful slumbers of the dauntless soldiers of the Sonth. We lay down to rest not far from where the fighting ceased; but the boys concluded to make fires, and, in hunting for wood in the darkness, they got hold of several Federal dead, mistaking them for logs, their dark-blue uniforms making them
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look like logs of wood. When the battery was parked we had to remove dead bodies before we did it.
It may be remarked just here that in that day's battle we captured a field hospital, which showed us the painful side of the picture of battle-men wounded in every conceivable way by all the implements of wrathful war.
Before daylight next morning Gen. Forrest was ready to move, and after sev- eral hours we marched along under the crest of Missionary Ridge. That night (Monday) we were relieved by infantry, and we left the front and rested one day.
All through the battle of Chickamauga Lients. Baxter, Douglass, and Dempsy Crudup so acted as to deserve special praise for their coolness, bravery, and fidel- ity to duty; for their determination to excel, and for their aid of the men at the guns in the most dangerous places. And too much cannot be said in commenda- tion of the promptness, steadiness, and courage of the men. There was no part of the service which better exhibited the qualities of veteran soldiers than the battery of which this is the particular record; and they are so worthy of good words in their honor that a quotation is here made from a letter of Gen. Dibrell's in correspondence with Capt. Huggins:
"SPARTA, April 11, 1883. "CAPT. A. L. HUGGINS-Dear sir : You ought to invite the battery up in full. No battery or company in the service did more hard fighting and sustained a brighter record than did your gallant company. . . . Yours truly,
" (Signed ) G. G. DIBRELL."
We started into the battle of Chickamauga with the finest set of artillery horses I ever saw, nearly all being matched carriage-horses that Maj. Severson procured in Georgia. The infantry Generals and men looked with astonishment and ad- miration when the battery came by, questioning, "Whose battery is that?" Gen. Armstrong said he had never seen its equal in the old or new service. (He be- longed to the United States Army before the war.) But shot, shell, and Minie- balls played havoc with those beautiful animals.
After resting, as before stated, we moved to Cleveland, Tenn., and began oper- ations against the commands of Woolford and Byrd, at Charleston. To get in front of them so as to command their artillery, Huggins's battery had to pass through an open field under their fire a distance of four hundred yards. Before starting Capt. Huggins had his drivers examine the harness, and he saw that ev- erybody and every thing were in their places. We started at a gallop, and se- cured position on the hill in their front without a single casualty either from their battery or small arms. Gen. Forrest had already selected our position for ns, and we began firing at once. As before in many cases, we drove their artillery off in a short time. They said that our guns were superior to theirs, but the truth was that our gunners were superior. Our cavalry dashed across the field under cover of our battery, and then we hurried np and joined in general pursuit toward London, with a running fight nearly to that place. We then returned to Cleve- land and went into camp.
At this point we were deprived of the leadership of Gen. Forrest, who, being ranked by Gen. Wheeler, retired from our command and went west, where he did splendid service until the close of the struggle. He petitioned for Dibrell's bri- gade and Huggins's battery to go with him, which at first was agreed to, but subse- quently refused, much to his and our regret.
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MILITARY ANNALS OF TENNESSEE.
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