Personal Recollections of Sherman's Campaigns in Georgia and the Carolinas

by George W Pepper

  General Geary, the following day, issued the following order to his Division:

  "The General Commanding takes pleasure in announcing his appreciation of the gallant conduct of the troops of his command, in their assault on Rocky-Faced Ridge, yesterday, in execution of peremptory orders to attempt to take the Gap leading through it. The troops, by their exhibition of valor in assaulting the almost impregnable position of the enemy, sustained their proud prestige. We have accomplished an object of great bearing upon the success of the present movement"

  The regiments engaged in the assault on the Gap were The 33d New Jersey, Colonel G. W. Mendell;119th New York, Colonel J. T. Langhlin;156th New York, Colonel P. H. Jones;134th New York, Lieutenant Colonel A. H. Jackson;73d Pennsylvania, Lieutenant Colonel A. Reil;28th Pennsylvania, Lieutenant Colonel I. Flynn; and 5th, 7th, 29th and 66th Ohio.

  CHAPTER VI.

  The great Battle of Resaca — The position of the contending Armies — Every Corps engaged — Carnage and Scenery of the Battle Field — The superb fighting of Several Divisions — A moment of thrilling interest — Touching and heart-rending scenes — The strength and force of both armies — The losses — General Cox's Report of his Division — A Correspondent of the New York Herald in a warm place — The Loyal Georgian Heroine.

  Resaca, the scene of bloody and decisive battles, is a miserable town of half a dozen houses, and prior to the war was of no importance. It derives its chief speciality from being the scene of the heaviest fighting of the campaign. It is situated in Gordon County, on the north bank of the Coosawatchie river, which flows Southwest, changes its name to the Oostanaula, and joins the Etowah, the two forming the Coosa at Rome, which joining the Tallapoosa forms the Alabama, and flows into the Gulf of Mobile. Sugar Valley is a pleasant plain of about ten square miles in size, broken by hills and covered with a thick growth of trees and vines. The rebels, in their hasty retreat from Dalton, made their next stand in this Valley, between the Rome and Dalton Railroad and the river, which surrounds Resaca and Tilton. McPherson having secured Snake Creek Gap and moved into position near Resaca, Sherman massed his whole army in the Pass, and the lines of battle were formed, ranging up and down Camp Creek; the enemy's and our's, on either side of the stream. Ascending a hill on the outer edge of town, the eye ranges over the greater part of tile eventful field. To the right and left there is a succession of hills, which were stubbornly held by the rebels. Our line of battle was nearly opposite that of the enemy, and stretched around the Valley, McPherson's right resting on the river near Calhoun, and the left north of Tilton. The Corps were arranged as follows: First, McPherson’s; Second, Hooker's; Third, Palmer’s; Fourth, Schofield's; Fifth, Howard's.

  The preliminary symptoms of battle began to be felt when Schofield moved his column on the enemy's center. Skirmishing had been going on for some days at intervals, and on the 13th inst., as our lines moved forward, the firing became brisk.

  It is impossible to attempt a full description of this great battle. The extent of the field, and the large number of troops engaged, forbid a complete narrative of the terrible conflict. It was emphatically the greatest battle of the campaign — the flower of the rebel army was fully engaged. The roar of artillery and the rattle of musketry was terrible. The scene was terribly sublime.

  General Judah, commanding the Second Division of the Twenty-Third Corps, received orders from Schofield on the morning of the 14th, to initiate the attack. Judah's Division fought splendidly, this is generally conceded. The boys dashed upon the foe like a storm from the clouds, sweeping pickets and entire regiments before them. The enemy is driven from camp to camp; now the fields and shrubberies are cleared; the artillery comes down and supports our line; and as the resistance increases, so does the vigor of our attack. Over hills, fences, acres broad, and dense woods, the fighting goes on as regular, as steady, as splendid as if it had just begun. Judah's fine Division moves and rolls along; it is not a stand up fight, although the rebels, after having been driven out of all their camps, concentrate their work of destruction behind their breastworks, commanding the valley.

  The Division of General Cox was hotly engaged on Judah's left. Cox fought his Division with great skill and ability, and with all the coolness that bravery can command. The gallant fellows of the Division fought with the greatest pluck and desperation. They faced the whirlwind of lead and iron with the steadiness and composure of a summer’s rain. Then came charge after charge, through valleys and ravines, the frightful gaps in our lines being immediately closed up, and with an enthusiastic battle cry, the terror stricken foe fell back as our brave fellows mounted and carried the enemy's works. The fighting of Cox's Division was magnificent, grand and terrible.

  Hovey's Indiana Division reinforced Judah's. They had not more than formed their lines, however, before the rebels, who were in the gorges of the hills, belched forth a shower of missiles, thinking that the new recruits would beat a hasty retreat. A second time the effort is made and a second time there is a failure. It is a hot place for us, but hotter for the enemy. They are directly under Hovey's guns, and he mows them down like grass. The new levies, sustained by the veterans behind them, come up to the work well, and fight with wonderful enthusiasm. The batteries of the rebels open afresh, their infantry try another point, but the brave Indianians stand as firm as adamant. Time and again did the rebels perseveringly press close up to their ranks, but just as often were they driven back by the combined elements of destruction which Hovey brought to bear upon them.

  HOOKER’S CORPS

  Butterfield's, Williams' and Geary's Divisions were ordered to support Howard and Schofield. Hooker pressed the enemy sorely from the start, who, though stubbornly contesting every inch of ground, partially fell back before our braves. Charge after charge was made on the enemy, we carrying line after line of rifle Pits, until Butterfield was stopped and checked by lunette, of tremendous size. These splendid Divisions fought with their famed and distinguished gallantry. The lines of both armies moved to and fro, like the advancing and receding waves of the sea. The fighting was kept up with varied success, when the gallant Division of Butterfield charged the enemy, taking position under the works of the fort.

  Howard's Corps was not idle while the terrible struggle was going on. All the Divisions of this splendid command were engaged, and bore a most gallant part in charging and driving the enemy. The noble Divisions of the heroic Stanley and chivalrous Woods, engaged the rebels, and after a fierce encounter, forced them to retire to their breastworks. Hazen's and Willich's Brigades were on the right of Stanley, and fought with the greatest gallantry. Generals Stanley, Woods, Hazen and Willich were in the field with the troops every moment, and in riding up and down the lines, they were most enthusiastically cheered. Howard himself dismounted from his horse, inspiring the troops by his presence, until the crisis was passed. To see a general officer watching the destinies of a desperate conflict, with the cares and responsibilities of several Divisions upon his shoulders, performing the duties of a common soldier or line officer, is a picture worthy of the pencil of an artist.

  In the meantime, McPherson had been steadily pushing back the enemy on the right. He had sent Logan's Corps across Camp Creek, where it carried a line of rifle pits. Here a desperate struggle ensued. From twenty different stand-points, terrific volleys of musketry from the muzzles of angry guns, were hurled upon Logan's advance. The Fifteenth Corps moved forward in superb style, and fell upon the enemy like a thunderbolt, but the rebel column still stood their ground, and fought with desperate gallantry. Logan carried the position. It was evident that the rebels had the advantage in numbers and position, but the brave veterans of Vicksburg did not stop to consult odds against them. A vigorous and simultaneous attack was made, and the enemy driven with great slaughter from the crest of the Ridge. Logan and his entire command behaved with distinguished gallantry, exciting the admiration of all who witnessed their conduct.

  The next morning, Sunday, the 15th, the sun
rises above the crests of the hills, and what of the mountain fog, the smoke of the musketry and artillery, and the soft horizontal light that is thrown across, not like a rainbow, but like a blood-bow, if there was such a word, for surely there is such a thing, the spectacle before us is grand. As it has color, so it has voice — the yells of our men, the smoke of the musketry and artillery, the whistling of the Enfield balls, the heavy tramp men and horses, the rolling of gun carriages and wagons, all mingle in a storm, of which we have not only the noise, but the destructive power.

  Brigadier General Morgan informs me of an incident that occurred on his line of operations, that is too good to be lost: While his Brigade occupied the gap between Oak Knob and Rocky-Face, yesterday, a corporal of Company I, 60th Illinois, broke from the line, and under cover of projecting ledges, got up within twenty feet of a squad of rebels on the summit. Taking shelter from the sharpshooters, he called out:

  “I say, rebs, don't you want to hear Old Abe's Amnesty Proclamation read!"

  "Yes! Yes!" was the unanimous cry, "give us the ape's proclamation."

  "Attention!" commanded the corporal; and in a clear and resonant voice he read the Amnesty Proclamation to the rebels whose hands were raised to destroy the fabric of a Government established by our fathers. When he arrived at those passages of the Proclamation where the Negro was referred to, he was interrupted by cries of "none of your d— d Abolitionism! Look out for rocks!" and down over his hiding-place descended a shower of stones and rocks. Having finished the reading, the corporal asked:

  "Well, rebs, how do you like the terms? Will you hear it again?"

  "Not today, you bloody Yankee. Now crawl down in a hurry, and we won't fire," was the response, and the daring corporal descended and rejoined his command, which distinctly heard all that passed. I regret I could not learn the name of the corporal, for he must get promotion at the hands of Father Abraham and Woven) or Yates.

  The whole of the fighting was of the most terrific character. Without a moment's cessation, the rebels for two days, and nights, poured into our forces perfect torrents of canister, shell and round shot, while their thousands of sharpshooters hurled in a destructive fire from every bush, tree, log or obstruction of any kind that afforded shelter. The roar of the battle was like that of a heavy tornado, as it sweeps through some forest on its mission of destruction. Small arms kept up an incessant cracking, mingling with which came up occasionally the roar of company or division fighting, while overall, came every moment or two, the resonant thunders of the battle. Never fought men better than did ours on that bloody day. They clung to a position till driven from it by the direst necessity, and in many individual cases, men refused to retreat, but stuck to their tree or bush, till the enemy's forces rolled about them, and swallowed them up. Many in this way were taken prisoners, while others found a speedier, bloodier end to their daring. The victory was a costly one. Some of the regiments were cut to pieces, others were reduced to a size that scarcely left them a respectable company, while all suffered more or less severely.

  General Dodge, who commanded the Sixteenth Corps, had a hot day's work before him, but he felt confident of success. The battle-field was an undulating or rolling, open wood, so much so, that artillery had room and range enough for full play. Dodge advanced his two Divisions on the East side of the Resaca road, connecting with the Fifteenth Corps on the left. The enemy made a daring resistance, holding their ground most bravely and determinedly, but when the bayonet was brought to bear, he fell back, and was driven a mile from his original position.

  In this successful movement, the gallant Colonel Sprague's Brigade took a conspicuous part. The 43d Ohio, 25th Wisconsin, Both New Jersey, 39th Ohio, 63d Ohio, 64th Illinois, and 18th Missouri, drew forth the plaudits of their comrades, by. Their steadiness and bravery, in which they lost about a hundred of their number. While Veatch's Division was engaged oh the Borne Road, the Second Division, commanded by the one-armed hero, Sweeny, moved down on the Calhoun road, to protect the right flank, and gain possession of the river. This interesting and important movement did not escape the vigilant eye of the rebels, but it eventually proved a success.

  The Fourteenth Corps, General Palmer's, did its duty nobly, as did all the officers and men. Carlin's Brigade, of General Johnston's Division, made a bold demonstration, driving the rebels to their breastworks. Turchin's, Carlin's and Mitchell's Brigades distinguished themselves in this splendid engagement. Captain McDowell, of the 15th Kentucky, a brave and dashing officer, was killed in front of this corps. For about two hours there was silence, broken only by the occasional discharge of artillery. It was a sort of breathing time, when the panting combatants, exhausted by the battle, stood silently eyeing each other and making ready, the one to strike and the other to ward off the struggling blow.

  The enemy made another desperate attack. Ten thousand of their troops, in one mass, had charged Judah, and after vainly resisting them, he was slowly giving back before overwhelming numbers. The timely arrival of Newton's Division, of the Fourth Corps, entirely changed the fortunes of the day, and, after a terrible contest, the rebels broke in confusion and fell back. Reforming their lines, they advanced again to the charge, but the same bloody welcome was tendered them, and again they sought safety in flight. Our casualties were slight.

  General Hooker narrowly escaped. A shell burst over his head, a fragment striking him and General Munson. The rest of the staff officers escaped without injury, though pieces of broken shells were scattered freely all around them. An immediate change of base was the consequence, and temporary refuge was sought elsewhere.

  A MOMENT OF THRILLING INTEREST.

  An able correspondent writes: “That down upon Stanley's exposed flank came the enemy in overwhelming numbers. For a few moments the line nobly resisted the shock; but, as it was renewed with ten-fold fury by the enemy, who fought with a desperation equal to anything ever performed by our own soldiery, the line wavered and the regiments of the left were giving back in confusion and disorder, when, above the roar of artillery and musketry, that seemed to make the old hills tremble and quake, a cheer was heard and into the deadly breach, over the dead bodies of the fallen, came, on the double-quick, Robinson's Brigade, who advanced to the assault with desperate determination to drive back the solid columns of the enemy and save the army from disaster. Nobly they met the enemy, and when the shock came, reeling like drunken men, the line of the enemy was broken and sent back smarting under the shock. The contest was of short duration, but while it lasted the roar of artillery and the roll of musketry told that this was one of the most critical moments of the day — a period when the heart of the listener seemed to stand still in suspense. The Fourth Corps will never forget Hooker and the noble brigade, when, at a moment when the fate of the army, and perhaps the Nation, hung upon a slender thread, which the enemy would have severed, came up and turned the tide of battle. A Nation's thanks are due to Joseph Hooker, and it may never forget Robinson's brave Brigade, whose gallantry is on every tongue."

  General Ward moved his brigade, which he had formed under cover of the woods, out into the open field and prepared to move toward the knob. On the very summit of this almost inaccessible knob, the enemy had constructed a redoubt for four guns. No sooner had Ward's troops emerged into the often ground beyond the woods, when the little redoubt belched forth a torrent of missiles that overshot the column and failed to injure a man. From the rebel rifles-pits on, the right flank, however, and from the rebel infantry on the knoll, came a sleet of bullets, in which it seemed almost, if not quite, miraculous that anything could live. Through all this the column pressed; the 79th Indiana rising the slope, entered the thicket and pushed toward the redoubt. The artillerists apply their matches to no effect; up go the men; they enter embrasures, shoot the gunners at their work, and the flag floats from the parapet.

  General Ward was severely wounded in the charge, and upon the young and gallant Harrison devolved the command of the brigade.

&n
bsp; Just in rear of the redoubt runs a splendid line of rifle-pits, rising from behind which the rebels poured in such withering volleys that we were forced to retire from the work. Through the interstices, now and then, as the breeze carries off the sulphur cloud, the flag is seen, waved by the faithful color-bearer.

  Finding that the brigade was not strong enough to carry the rifle-pits, Colonel Harrison determined to withdraw the troops under cover of the fort and hill.

  The boys were determined not to let the guns slip from their grasp, and about three hundred huddled under cover of the redoubt and picked off every enemy that made an effort to take them out. Was ever a battery in such an anomalous position? Within grasp almost of two parties, and yet it would be almost death to either, to attempt its seizure. There, with straining eyes, lay the disputants hour after hour, killing and maiming each other, and yet both determinedly clinging to the trophy. After dark, the rebels made a charge for the battery, but the staunch three hundred drove them back and retained possession.

  About eleven o’clock at night the three hundred men were relieved by a detail, which, with spades, widened the embrasures and dragged out the guns.

  Colonel Harrison, grandson of the old President, in whose veins courses the same patriotic ardor that so distinguished his grandfather, made application, in conjunction with General Ward, for permission to charge the enemy's line in rear of the redoubt, but the General regarded the sacrifice as unnecessary, and the request was not granted.

  Mr. Shanks, of the New York Herald, who was reported killed at the battle of Resaca, but still lives, gives the following account of a hot place he got in during the engagement: