Later in the book a small section goes into details on some of the company commanders. Here is the part about Mr. Gooch.
LIEUT.-COL. JNO. S. GOOCH.
In the beginning of hostilities between the States the subject of this sketch, Lieut.-Col. John Saunders Gooch, was a student at the Military Academy at Nashville, Tenn. His friends at his home near Smyrna, Tenn., organized a company and elected him captain in his absence, without his knowledge, and unsolicited. He accepted the honor thus conferred.
The company was sent by the proper authority to Camp Trousdale, where it was drilled and organized into the Twentieth Tennessee Regiment of Volunteers, Battle's regiment, his company being Company E. The regiment was ordered to Virginia, but was stopped at Bristol, and ordered into Kentucky through Cumberland Gap.
At Fishing Creek or Mills Springs, Ky., Captain Gooch, in leading his company in a desperate charge, received a severe wound, which at the time was thought to be fatal. His men rescued and brought him off the field, as they thought in a dy1ng condition. He rallied, however, and was furloughed.
At the organization of the army at Corinth, Miss., during his absence, he was elected lieutenant-colonel of his regiment in his nineteenth year, showing the regard and esteem in which he was held by his comrades in arms.
He rejoined the army at Vicksburg, Miss., where his regiment had been sent, and reported for duty, but on account of his wound, which was in an unhealed condition, and no prospects for an early recovery, he resigned his commission, and was honorably discharged from the army.
It was many years after the close of the war before he recovered from his wound. Since the war he has remained on his farm near Smyrna, and represents the true type of a Southern gentleman.
Well that is it for the history of the men of Company E. Many left and few returned. Either by bullet, cannon or illness they fell far from home. While Sam Davis gets much of the glory in the history of the Civil War in Smyrna, the number of young men who also fell is staggering.
Our mission is to be a useful resource for the city of Smyrna, TN and surrounding areas.
Showing posts with label LaVergne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LaVergne. Show all posts
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Smyrna in the Civil War VIII
The writer of the history of Company E takes a moment to add some personal commentary as the war is over and many friends and neighbors have been lost. This is the next to final section about the men of Company E. I hope you've enjoyed this. A lot of the names in the unit are now part of the history of Smyrna in the businesses and the names of roads.
PERSONAL:—Justice demands "Honor to whom honor is due." Captain J. S. Gooch, although a mere boy at the beginning of the war, was chosen to the command of Company E, and to his credit it must be said, that he made an excellent officer. He was an ideal officer as long as he commanded the company. His men loved and obeyed him for his manly and sterling qualities as such. He commanded us in only one fight, in which he was severely wounded, in gallantly leading his men on a desperate charge. No man or officer behaved more gloriously on the battle field of Fishing Creek, than did Captain Gooch. As a proof of his sterling qualities as a man and officer, he was chosen to the Lieutenant Colonency of the Regiment at the reorganization of the army at Corinth, Miss.
He resigned his commision as Lieutenant Colonel at Vicksburg, Miss., owing to his inability for service, caused from the wound received at Fishing Creek. He still lives on his farm near Smyrna, Rutherford Co., Tenn., and is respected by all who know him. As he made a good soldier, so he naturally makes a good citizen.
W. T. RIDLEY.
We could write a long time portraying the many good and noble qualities of Capt. W. T. Ridley of Company E, 20th Tennessee Regiment. He assisted in organizing the company and was chosen as one of its Corporals. At the re-organization at Corinth, Miss., he was chosen 1st Lieutenant. At Vicksburg, Miss., Capt. Ralston resigned, and Ridley was promoted to the Captaincy, which he held to the close of the war. He was in nearly every battle in which the company engaged. (He was sick when the battle of Baton Rouge was fought.)
He was probably the best known man of his rank in Breckinridge's or Bates' divisions. He was noted for his cool courage and quick decision.
On the field of battle no one ever saw him excited. He was as brave as a Spartan; no braver man ever lived; he knew not the word "fear." He was kind, gentle, and as chivalrous as a knight. On the march, or in camp with his men, he was more a pleasant companion, than a military commander, yet his wish was law for his ccmpany ; he was the arbiter in all the differences that came up amongst his men; he had a keen sense of justice and the personal rights of each individual, and never censured a man for asserting his rights, even though in doing so he may have trampled on technicalities with which he had no patience.
Captain Ridley, though then a young man, took almost paternal care, not only of the company as a whole, but of each individual. To illustrate: Two of the men were quarreling; one applied an insulting epithet to the other, for which he was struck a dangerous blow with the butt of a gun; Captain Ridley immediately arrested the offender, and sent him to the "guard house," but five minutes later he was at the " guard house" and had the culprit released, giving as his reason: "I would have knocked him down myself. I can not punish a man for what I would certainly do myself."
Though a brave man, no braver soldier ever lived; yet he was kindness itself. No man could be more alive to the joys or sorrows of his men, and they not only obeyed, honored, and respected him, but they loved him. He was scrupulously true to every trust, and never forsook a principle, or failed a friend; he was an ideal man and soldier.
Captain Ridley died at his home in Williamson County, April 21, 1902. His loss is deeply felt by a host of friends, especially by the living members of Company E, every one of whom will willingly attest to the truth of every word of the above.
Captain Ridley was dangerously wounded at Missionary Ridge in the head, and while being borne from the field was wounded a second time, this time in the leg. He never recovered from the effects of these wounds. When he died he was filling the office of County Trustee of Williamson County.
PERSONAL:—Justice demands "Honor to whom honor is due." Captain J. S. Gooch, although a mere boy at the beginning of the war, was chosen to the command of Company E, and to his credit it must be said, that he made an excellent officer. He was an ideal officer as long as he commanded the company. His men loved and obeyed him for his manly and sterling qualities as such. He commanded us in only one fight, in which he was severely wounded, in gallantly leading his men on a desperate charge. No man or officer behaved more gloriously on the battle field of Fishing Creek, than did Captain Gooch. As a proof of his sterling qualities as a man and officer, he was chosen to the Lieutenant Colonency of the Regiment at the reorganization of the army at Corinth, Miss.
He resigned his commision as Lieutenant Colonel at Vicksburg, Miss., owing to his inability for service, caused from the wound received at Fishing Creek. He still lives on his farm near Smyrna, Rutherford Co., Tenn., and is respected by all who know him. As he made a good soldier, so he naturally makes a good citizen.
W. T. RIDLEY.
We could write a long time portraying the many good and noble qualities of Capt. W. T. Ridley of Company E, 20th Tennessee Regiment. He assisted in organizing the company and was chosen as one of its Corporals. At the re-organization at Corinth, Miss., he was chosen 1st Lieutenant. At Vicksburg, Miss., Capt. Ralston resigned, and Ridley was promoted to the Captaincy, which he held to the close of the war. He was in nearly every battle in which the company engaged. (He was sick when the battle of Baton Rouge was fought.)
He was probably the best known man of his rank in Breckinridge's or Bates' divisions. He was noted for his cool courage and quick decision.
On the field of battle no one ever saw him excited. He was as brave as a Spartan; no braver man ever lived; he knew not the word "fear." He was kind, gentle, and as chivalrous as a knight. On the march, or in camp with his men, he was more a pleasant companion, than a military commander, yet his wish was law for his ccmpany ; he was the arbiter in all the differences that came up amongst his men; he had a keen sense of justice and the personal rights of each individual, and never censured a man for asserting his rights, even though in doing so he may have trampled on technicalities with which he had no patience.
Captain Ridley, though then a young man, took almost paternal care, not only of the company as a whole, but of each individual. To illustrate: Two of the men were quarreling; one applied an insulting epithet to the other, for which he was struck a dangerous blow with the butt of a gun; Captain Ridley immediately arrested the offender, and sent him to the "guard house," but five minutes later he was at the " guard house" and had the culprit released, giving as his reason: "I would have knocked him down myself. I can not punish a man for what I would certainly do myself."
Though a brave man, no braver soldier ever lived; yet he was kindness itself. No man could be more alive to the joys or sorrows of his men, and they not only obeyed, honored, and respected him, but they loved him. He was scrupulously true to every trust, and never forsook a principle, or failed a friend; he was an ideal man and soldier.
Captain Ridley died at his home in Williamson County, April 21, 1902. His loss is deeply felt by a host of friends, especially by the living members of Company E, every one of whom will willingly attest to the truth of every word of the above.
Captain Ridley was dangerously wounded at Missionary Ridge in the head, and while being borne from the field was wounded a second time, this time in the leg. He never recovered from the effects of these wounds. When he died he was filling the office of County Trustee of Williamson County.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Smyrna in the Civil War VII
The Battle of Nashville and retreat are now in their future.
The army was now making history fast and we could remain home only for a day or two. The boys knew Bate was largely outnumbered at Murfreesboro and hurried to their places. The battle of Overall's Creek was fought, and Adjutant Thoma B. Fowler lost a leg. In a day or two after, the second battle of Murfreesboro was fought; Colonel Shy commanded the consolidated Regiment, some of the men had not yet returned, Lieutenant Pete Edwards of Company D and Lieutenant W. E. Brothers of Company E were the company commanders. Brothers commanded companies E and H, till the close of the Nashville campaign. The battle was lost to us, not through want of courage on the part of men, nor of skill and tact on the part of General Bate,—but simply because we did not have men enough. In addition to the lack of men it was December, and the men were poorly clad, many were bare-foot, many had their feet wrapped in "green hides'' fastened on with whangs cut from the same, called mocasins, while others had their feet wrapped in rags from cast off clothing. Washington crossing the Delaware and marching on Trenton is noted in history, is represented on canvass, and celebrated in song and story; but that was a dash across the river, a short, quick march, a sharp fight, and then return; in all only two days,—while Hood's campaign lasted more than a month, during which time, three severe battles were fought, leagues of hard marching were made, with his men poorly clad and fed, in a severe mid-winter campaign of rain, sleet, snow and freeze, as were Washington's and yet who ever saw a representation of their suffering on canvass? Who ever heard a song commemorating that campaign; but the patriotism and fortitude of its participants, under all the privations they endured is worthy of highest commendation. There is another feature about this campaign that all the writers seem to have over-looked. Hood's men were for the most part men of intellect, more so than an army usually is. There were few illiterates,—they were of a class of men that go to make a country.
Now these men were veterans. For four years they had been marching and fighting, studying the game of war practically; they knew when they crossed- the Tennessee river what a perilous thing it was, they knew that it was almost the last hope of a dying Confederacy, and they knew too how poorly prepared they were for such a venture. They knew when the battle of Franklin was over, though a signal victory, was in reality a defeat. They knew after the battle of Murfreesboro how badly we needed reinforcements, and they knew there were none for us to get; yet knowing this they closed in around Nashville, where the enemy were re-enforcing every day, as cooly and cheerfully as if everything promised victory. The wonder is, that men could continue to battle against such odds.
The night before the battle of Nashville, our division (Bate's) was moved from the extreme right of the army to the left of the Granny White pike. Our company was near the top of the hill. When we took our position there were no earth works, so we at once gathered up old logs and stones such as were at hand, and placed them for protection. After a while we borrowed some picks and shovels from the Florida Brigade, and worked with them best we could, but the ground was hard and rocky, and we had accomplished but little when we had to return the tools. We laid down to sleep; R. J Neal, W. E. Brothers and W.' W. Batey of Company E, together with N. G. Kimbro and John Davis, unarmed recruits for our Company E. Company H was with us, and we numbered seventeen in all in both Companies.
We knew that something decisive would be done on the morrow. We had a little fire at our feet, and three blankets for the five men, but the enemy's sharp shooters began to fire at the light and we had to extinguish the fire. NexL morning Kimbro and Davis being unarmed, were sent to the rear, until guns could be secured for them. The enemy was seen in our front some distance off. We at once noticed that we had built our works too far back on the hill, for we could not see the enemy after they reached the foot of the hill, until they would be close upon us, but it was too late to remedy the mistake now; for as soon as they could see, the sharpshooters commenced to entertain us, the enemy using their artillery also. We had none in position with which to reply; finally, with the exception of a few of our sharp ahooters with "Witworth Rifles" we almost ceased to fire at them, but when the "Witworth's" were fired they were answered with shells.
Our sharpshooters finally used our works from which to fire. The enemy now turned their artillery on Companies E and H. The logs and stones were knocked down in a " giffy," and most of the men in the two companies were wounded. We made our way up to the next company on our left and claimed protection with them; some of the wounded climbed over the hill in search of our field hospital, but from the time our works were demolished, to the time they made a general charge on us, it was not exceeding five minutes; they came in overwhelming numbers, having massed under the hill in our front. We could fire only one volley at them before they were upon us. We gave them that volley in "great shape," but did not check them. Seven stands of colors passed over our works. Our men, some of them, performed acts of heroism and valor, that to this day seems more like a dream than a reality when we think of it.
The enemy poured over our works in great numbers; our men at first, fought with clubbed guns, but for an instant—and then —they broke, Yankees and Confederates all mixed up—the Confederates trying to get away, and the Yankees trying to stop them. Both parties had fired their guns and neither had taken time to re-load. Gradually we unmixed ourselves from them. Our channel of escape would have been through the gap in which the Granny White Pike passes, but the enemy were already in possession of that gap ahead of us; we bore to the left, crossed the pike, and went along the foot of the ridge until we reached the Franklin pike. Many of the men rallied in small numbers and would turn and fire on the enemy, thus checking them in a measure; but the enemy were coming up the Franklin pike, too, and many of the men who had been checking their pursuers, were either captured or compelled to climb the steep hill on the right. No general attempt was made to rally until we reached the vicinity of Brentwood. Here order was partially restored, and we commenced the retreat from Nashville.
Of the seventeen men in Companies E and H, we never knew what became of all of them. Lieutenent Brothers was not seriously wounded and escaped just before the final rush. R. J. Neal, having exhausted his ammunition (he was on skirmish line), started for more, and this doubtless saved him. W. W. Batey was severely wounded and left for dead, was made prisoner and recovered. The two recruits, Kimbro and Davis, were not seen any more after being sent to the rear. But now we left our homes again, the cloud over the Confederacy lower and darker. The men were worn down with almost continued marching and fighting for months.
Yet, true to their colors they marched away from home again on the retreat, sadly it is true, but determined to stand by St. Andrew's cross to the last man. And this they did without complaint. They blamed nor censured no one — all believed that every one from commander-in-chief to the private soldier had done his best and accepted the result as the fate of war. GLORIOUS OLD BOYS!
The companies had now become so small that the Regiment was but little more than a few messes. Some of the companies had no commissioned officers left; but every man and officer had an individuality that made it a remarkable set of men. Every one of these knew his duty just as well as if he had borne a commission; he was just as prompt to do his duty as was the officer. They were quite different from the young men and beardless boys, who left home nearly four years ago. Time had made them men. The usage and customs of war, and its privations had inured them to such hardships as but few men could bear, and made them Veteran soldiers. The weakly and delicate ones had yielded to their ailments. Those remaining were physically perfect, and their morals were as good as when they left home.
We returned South through Franklin, Columbia and Pulaski, recrossing the Tennessee River near Bainbridge, continued on to Corinth, Miss., and after a short stay there, proceeded to West Point, where Hood's Army took the cars for South Carolina, and on to Bentonville, North Carolina, where the Company E was represented in the last battle of the war by Lieut. M. M. Sanders, R. J. Neal and Jack Hartman. Lieutenant Sanders commanded a company of "galvanized Yankees" — (Federal soldiers who had joined our army to get out of prison ) in this fight, and of course was not with the Regiment. Jack Hartman was Ordnance teamster and as usual, was at his post of duty with his Ordnance wagon. Neal was the only man of Company E in regimental line. Lieutenant Sanders was wounded in this battle. Those "galvanized Yankees" gave him credit for being the gamest man that ever took them into battle. He certainly put them in and made them do splendid fighting. Soon after this battle Gen. J. E. Johnston surrendered us to Sherman, near Greensboro, N. C.
Lieut. W. E. Brothers was present as a supernumerary officer. Just before the surrender all the Tennessee troops had been consolidated into four regiments, which left quite a number of supernumerary officers who were allowed to choose any branch of service they preferred, and Brothers was in this number.
Jack Hartman was present as Ordnance teamster, and R. J. Neal represented the rank and file of the original Company E in line with a gun. Lieutenant Sanders was absent under treatment for his wound. He was also a supernumerary. Our old Regiment, the Twentieth, formed Company D of the (nev.7) 4th Tennessee, Capt, C. S. Johnson of old Company B commanding. R. J. Neal was first Sergeant; the other officers and non-commissioned officers not recalled. Thirty-four men of the original Twentieth Tennessee were all that answered to roll call when the end came. After receiving our paroles we marched from Greensboro to Salisbury, Statesville, Morganton, Marion, Asheville,and Marshall, N. C, thence across the mountains to Greenville, Tenn. From Greeneille we were sent by rail to our respective homes. W. E. Brothers, R. J. Neal and Jack Hartman being all of old Company E present, got off the cars at Lavergne, Rutherford County, Tenn., Hdrtman going north to his home, Brothers and Neal going south to their homes.
Of the forty nine men who got on the cars June 7th, 1861, Brothers was the only one here on the return, Neal having gone out a little later and Hartman yet later. We do not mean that all the forty nine except Brothers had been killed. Many had been killed, many had sickened and died, many were disabled with wounds, some had been transferred, some were in prison, and some had deserted.
We can't recall just how many were enlisted in the company first and last. At Camp Buckner it was a large company, but we had men both before and after, that never saw Camp Buckner.
We must have had first and last, not less than one hundred and forty men. We sincerely regret being unable to recall each and every one, for doubtless we may fail to mention some of our most worthy men. But it has been forty long years since, and time has dimmed our memory. Yet we don't fail to remember that it hurts to be forgotten. If we have failed to recall some, which we know we may have done, it is certainly not our fault. We would not intentionally do injustice to, or mistreat the memory of any one.
The army was now making history fast and we could remain home only for a day or two. The boys knew Bate was largely outnumbered at Murfreesboro and hurried to their places. The battle of Overall's Creek was fought, and Adjutant Thoma B. Fowler lost a leg. In a day or two after, the second battle of Murfreesboro was fought; Colonel Shy commanded the consolidated Regiment, some of the men had not yet returned, Lieutenant Pete Edwards of Company D and Lieutenant W. E. Brothers of Company E were the company commanders. Brothers commanded companies E and H, till the close of the Nashville campaign. The battle was lost to us, not through want of courage on the part of men, nor of skill and tact on the part of General Bate,—but simply because we did not have men enough. In addition to the lack of men it was December, and the men were poorly clad, many were bare-foot, many had their feet wrapped in "green hides'' fastened on with whangs cut from the same, called mocasins, while others had their feet wrapped in rags from cast off clothing. Washington crossing the Delaware and marching on Trenton is noted in history, is represented on canvass, and celebrated in song and story; but that was a dash across the river, a short, quick march, a sharp fight, and then return; in all only two days,—while Hood's campaign lasted more than a month, during which time, three severe battles were fought, leagues of hard marching were made, with his men poorly clad and fed, in a severe mid-winter campaign of rain, sleet, snow and freeze, as were Washington's and yet who ever saw a representation of their suffering on canvass? Who ever heard a song commemorating that campaign; but the patriotism and fortitude of its participants, under all the privations they endured is worthy of highest commendation. There is another feature about this campaign that all the writers seem to have over-looked. Hood's men were for the most part men of intellect, more so than an army usually is. There were few illiterates,—they were of a class of men that go to make a country.
Now these men were veterans. For four years they had been marching and fighting, studying the game of war practically; they knew when they crossed- the Tennessee river what a perilous thing it was, they knew that it was almost the last hope of a dying Confederacy, and they knew too how poorly prepared they were for such a venture. They knew when the battle of Franklin was over, though a signal victory, was in reality a defeat. They knew after the battle of Murfreesboro how badly we needed reinforcements, and they knew there were none for us to get; yet knowing this they closed in around Nashville, where the enemy were re-enforcing every day, as cooly and cheerfully as if everything promised victory. The wonder is, that men could continue to battle against such odds.
The night before the battle of Nashville, our division (Bate's) was moved from the extreme right of the army to the left of the Granny White pike. Our company was near the top of the hill. When we took our position there were no earth works, so we at once gathered up old logs and stones such as were at hand, and placed them for protection. After a while we borrowed some picks and shovels from the Florida Brigade, and worked with them best we could, but the ground was hard and rocky, and we had accomplished but little when we had to return the tools. We laid down to sleep; R. J Neal, W. E. Brothers and W.' W. Batey of Company E, together with N. G. Kimbro and John Davis, unarmed recruits for our Company E. Company H was with us, and we numbered seventeen in all in both Companies.
We knew that something decisive would be done on the morrow. We had a little fire at our feet, and three blankets for the five men, but the enemy's sharp shooters began to fire at the light and we had to extinguish the fire. NexL morning Kimbro and Davis being unarmed, were sent to the rear, until guns could be secured for them. The enemy was seen in our front some distance off. We at once noticed that we had built our works too far back on the hill, for we could not see the enemy after they reached the foot of the hill, until they would be close upon us, but it was too late to remedy the mistake now; for as soon as they could see, the sharpshooters commenced to entertain us, the enemy using their artillery also. We had none in position with which to reply; finally, with the exception of a few of our sharp ahooters with "Witworth Rifles" we almost ceased to fire at them, but when the "Witworth's" were fired they were answered with shells.
Our sharpshooters finally used our works from which to fire. The enemy now turned their artillery on Companies E and H. The logs and stones were knocked down in a " giffy," and most of the men in the two companies were wounded. We made our way up to the next company on our left and claimed protection with them; some of the wounded climbed over the hill in search of our field hospital, but from the time our works were demolished, to the time they made a general charge on us, it was not exceeding five minutes; they came in overwhelming numbers, having massed under the hill in our front. We could fire only one volley at them before they were upon us. We gave them that volley in "great shape," but did not check them. Seven stands of colors passed over our works. Our men, some of them, performed acts of heroism and valor, that to this day seems more like a dream than a reality when we think of it.
The enemy poured over our works in great numbers; our men at first, fought with clubbed guns, but for an instant—and then —they broke, Yankees and Confederates all mixed up—the Confederates trying to get away, and the Yankees trying to stop them. Both parties had fired their guns and neither had taken time to re-load. Gradually we unmixed ourselves from them. Our channel of escape would have been through the gap in which the Granny White Pike passes, but the enemy were already in possession of that gap ahead of us; we bore to the left, crossed the pike, and went along the foot of the ridge until we reached the Franklin pike. Many of the men rallied in small numbers and would turn and fire on the enemy, thus checking them in a measure; but the enemy were coming up the Franklin pike, too, and many of the men who had been checking their pursuers, were either captured or compelled to climb the steep hill on the right. No general attempt was made to rally until we reached the vicinity of Brentwood. Here order was partially restored, and we commenced the retreat from Nashville.
Of the seventeen men in Companies E and H, we never knew what became of all of them. Lieutenent Brothers was not seriously wounded and escaped just before the final rush. R. J. Neal, having exhausted his ammunition (he was on skirmish line), started for more, and this doubtless saved him. W. W. Batey was severely wounded and left for dead, was made prisoner and recovered. The two recruits, Kimbro and Davis, were not seen any more after being sent to the rear. But now we left our homes again, the cloud over the Confederacy lower and darker. The men were worn down with almost continued marching and fighting for months.
Yet, true to their colors they marched away from home again on the retreat, sadly it is true, but determined to stand by St. Andrew's cross to the last man. And this they did without complaint. They blamed nor censured no one — all believed that every one from commander-in-chief to the private soldier had done his best and accepted the result as the fate of war. GLORIOUS OLD BOYS!
The companies had now become so small that the Regiment was but little more than a few messes. Some of the companies had no commissioned officers left; but every man and officer had an individuality that made it a remarkable set of men. Every one of these knew his duty just as well as if he had borne a commission; he was just as prompt to do his duty as was the officer. They were quite different from the young men and beardless boys, who left home nearly four years ago. Time had made them men. The usage and customs of war, and its privations had inured them to such hardships as but few men could bear, and made them Veteran soldiers. The weakly and delicate ones had yielded to their ailments. Those remaining were physically perfect, and their morals were as good as when they left home.
We returned South through Franklin, Columbia and Pulaski, recrossing the Tennessee River near Bainbridge, continued on to Corinth, Miss., and after a short stay there, proceeded to West Point, where Hood's Army took the cars for South Carolina, and on to Bentonville, North Carolina, where the Company E was represented in the last battle of the war by Lieut. M. M. Sanders, R. J. Neal and Jack Hartman. Lieutenant Sanders commanded a company of "galvanized Yankees" — (Federal soldiers who had joined our army to get out of prison ) in this fight, and of course was not with the Regiment. Jack Hartman was Ordnance teamster and as usual, was at his post of duty with his Ordnance wagon. Neal was the only man of Company E in regimental line. Lieutenant Sanders was wounded in this battle. Those "galvanized Yankees" gave him credit for being the gamest man that ever took them into battle. He certainly put them in and made them do splendid fighting. Soon after this battle Gen. J. E. Johnston surrendered us to Sherman, near Greensboro, N. C.
Lieut. W. E. Brothers was present as a supernumerary officer. Just before the surrender all the Tennessee troops had been consolidated into four regiments, which left quite a number of supernumerary officers who were allowed to choose any branch of service they preferred, and Brothers was in this number.
Jack Hartman was present as Ordnance teamster, and R. J. Neal represented the rank and file of the original Company E in line with a gun. Lieutenant Sanders was absent under treatment for his wound. He was also a supernumerary. Our old Regiment, the Twentieth, formed Company D of the (nev.7) 4th Tennessee, Capt, C. S. Johnson of old Company B commanding. R. J. Neal was first Sergeant; the other officers and non-commissioned officers not recalled. Thirty-four men of the original Twentieth Tennessee were all that answered to roll call when the end came. After receiving our paroles we marched from Greensboro to Salisbury, Statesville, Morganton, Marion, Asheville,and Marshall, N. C, thence across the mountains to Greenville, Tenn. From Greeneille we were sent by rail to our respective homes. W. E. Brothers, R. J. Neal and Jack Hartman being all of old Company E present, got off the cars at Lavergne, Rutherford County, Tenn., Hdrtman going north to his home, Brothers and Neal going south to their homes.
Of the forty nine men who got on the cars June 7th, 1861, Brothers was the only one here on the return, Neal having gone out a little later and Hartman yet later. We do not mean that all the forty nine except Brothers had been killed. Many had been killed, many had sickened and died, many were disabled with wounds, some had been transferred, some were in prison, and some had deserted.
We can't recall just how many were enlisted in the company first and last. At Camp Buckner it was a large company, but we had men both before and after, that never saw Camp Buckner.
We must have had first and last, not less than one hundred and forty men. We sincerely regret being unable to recall each and every one, for doubtless we may fail to mention some of our most worthy men. But it has been forty long years since, and time has dimmed our memory. Yet we don't fail to remember that it hurts to be forgotten. If we have failed to recall some, which we know we may have done, it is certainly not our fault. We would not intentionally do injustice to, or mistreat the memory of any one.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Smyrna in the Civil War VI
Today more fighting and a return home in what they called 'French Leave"...A term I've not heard before.
At Dalton we went into winter quarters, each mess built its own house, and the styles of architecture were something wonderful, they would doubtless have astonished the Greeks and Romans. At any rate the houses kept us fairly dry and comfortable. We drilled here by Companies, Regiments, Brigades, Divisions and Corps, and when the campaign opened next spring the discipline was splendid, and we were prepared to meet Sherman. While here at Dalton, Sergt. A. J. Irwin was made Lieutenant to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Lieut. J. W. Peyton, who was killed at Chickamauga.
Revival services were carried on most of the time while at Dalton, and many of the men professed religion and united themselves with the various churches; and none of them were ever known to repudiate their faith either while soldiers or afterwards as citizens. Here too, we had the big " Snow ball battle."
Spring now opened, Johnston and Sherman had been preparing for their famous "one hundred day's campaign" which now began of which history furnishes no parallel, since the retreat of "the ten thousand" under Xenophen. Sherman came up to our front at Mill Creek Gap, north of Dalton. Johnston met him, but Sherman flanked by passing to our left through Dug Gap and aimed to intercept Johnston at Resaca, but when he got there Johnston was in his front; here he made an effort to drive Johnston out of his works, but failed, and in that failure, he learned a lesson he seemed never to have forgotten. We punished him severely for his conduct on this occasion; we also sustained considerable loss. With his much greater army he continued to march around our flank. Johnston would fall back just far enough to bob up in his front every, time, skirmishing every day, in fact just about all the time. But no decisive battle was fought. Johnston was not strong enough to attack and Sherman seemed afraid to risk it.
We battled along until we reached Kennesaw Mountain. Capt. Ridley had not been able for duty on this campaign. Lieut. Sanders was absent sick, and Lieut. Brothers was in command. A shell from the enemy exploded in our works, killing Wiley Griggs and wounding eight others of company E among whom were R. J. Neal, Sam. Walden, Sam. M. Jamison, Andrew Robertson and others not recalled. We had to remain in the works till nightfall on account of the enemy's sharp shooters. We then, with the aid of the infirmary Corps, got the wounded out and buried Griggs. Griggs was perhaps the most inoffensive man in the company. He was always quiet, always in his place and never complained; he was in addition to this, one of the bravest men in the company. He was one of the men who porfessed religion and joined the church at Dalton, and no man ever doubted his sincerity; he ever quietly lived up to it — peace to his memory. The campaign proceeded; almost daily we skirmished and neared Atlanta, and finally we crossed the Chattahooche River.
Johnston was succeeded by Hood, then came "Peach Tree Creek." In all of this campaign with the exceptions noted, Company E was, as far as recalled, fortunate. We had some of our men captured, but Geo. W. Walden was the only one recalled.
After Peach Tree Creek, Hardee's Corps, to which we belonged, marched around Sherman's left wing, and on July 22, 1864, charged him in his works. We carried the works and drove them furiously, killing General McPherson, but one Divison of our Corps suffered serious loss, (that of Cleburne). He lost perhaps half of his men captured, but we recaptured most of them together with several hundred prisoners. In this engagement Lieut. A. J. Irwin was killed, another good man, gallant officer and generous comrade.
After this we were placed on the extreme left of Hood's army, when on the 6th day of August 1864, we had a brilliant engagement with the enemy. We were deployed as a heavy skirmish line. We had excellent works, with "head logs." There was some timber in our front and the undergrowth had been cut down to obstruct the enemy's advance. We were told that we must hold that line at all hazards. So we made up our minds to stay there. They first advanced with a double skirmish line; we drove that back inflicting a heavy punishment upon it. Then they came with a solid line of battle, determined to dislodge us, but we drove that back with heavy loss. Next, they made a third assault,; this time they come with two solid lines of battle, and some of them reached our works, but none ever got over. We poured the shot into them in a manner simply terrific, and forced them back with terrible slaughter. Up to this time we had not lost a man, while the enemy lay dead and wounded by hundreds in our front. We captured three stands of colors from them. After the fight was over, our Regiment was sent out in front to pick up the stragglers that might be left skulking in the brushes. One of these skulkers shot George Castleman of Company B in the thigh. R. J. Neal, who was with Castleman fired obliquely at the blue coat, when P.S. Latimer told him to "look out." He looked forward and saw a Yankee aiming at him. He dropped on his knees and was loading his gun when the fellow fired, striking him in the right shoulder.
These were the only casualties of our Regiment, while those of the enemy could be counted by the hundreds. Report said the 8th Federal Tennessee Regiment went into that charge with more than eleven hundred men, and after the charge could muster only fifteen. One of the stands of colors captured belonged to that Regiment. We were now drawn back to the main line on the left. Sherman commenced to flank again, and we were sent with Hardee's Corps to Jonesboro to meet the flank movement. We attacked them in their entrenched lines, and were repulsed with heavy loss, and retired to within our own works. While the 20th lost many of its best men, Company E had no casualties that can now be recalled. Next day we were on the skirmish line and the enemy charged us, but their greatest effort was against Cleburne's front, where they were partially successful, but they paid dearly for their success. Cleburne never failed to punish them when they brought up in his front.
On this day Company E was three times driven in while skirmishing across an open field, without the loss of a man, and at nightfall held the line we had in the morning. After dark we were withdrawn from the skirmish line, and when we reached the position our main line had occupied in the morning, we found it abandoned; and the troops were retiring to Lovejoy Station, where we followed. On this night, Hood was retiring from Atlanta, burning all his stores and destroying his magazines. Atlanta was twenty miles distant, but the fires made a great light, and the burning of the magazines made almost a perpetual roar; the sights and sounds of which, coupled with our retreat, made it a night never to be forgotten.
The next morning found us at Lovejoy Station; we were ready for the enemy when they overtook us, but the day was spent in manuevering and heavy skirmishing. Here we were joined by Hood with the main army. From here our Regiment was sent to Griffin to intercept stragglers from the army leaving Atlanta. We performed this duty, and in a few days we returned to Lovejoy Station, then we learned the enemy had gone back to Atlanta. We followed as far as Jonesboro, then moved west to Palmetto, on the Atlanta and West Point Railroad. Here President Jefferson Davis came to us and reviewed the army, and planned "Hood's Campaign into Tennessee." From Palmetto we moved North, crossing the Chattahoochie River on a pontoon bridge. The one hundred day campaign was ended, and no gen14:
eral engagement had taken place. The battles of Peach Tree Creek, the one on July 22nd, July 28th, and Jonesboro were only partial engagements, as on the Confederate side only Hardee's Corps had been engaged in the first and last, and the left wing of the army in the other. Yet it had been one hundred days of continued skirmishing, often amounting to the proportions of a spirited battle; the losses of the two armies in killed, wounded and missing aggregating more than if a general engagement had taken place, and until Joe Johnston was removed the enemy loss was much the heaviest.
We now entered on a new campaign. Hood, after crossing the Chattahoochie River moved along parallel with the W. & A. Railroad, occasionally sending in a detachment to tap the railroad, as at Altoona and -Resaca. We marched around Rome, and again tapped the railroad at Dalton, capturing a regiment of negroes and destroying a great deal of railroad track. Above Dalton we turned to the the left and passed through Lafayette, and near Gadsden, Ala., we crossed over Sand Mountain, and came in touch again with the enemy at Decatur, but continued west along the M. & C. Railroad to Tuscumbia.
Here we remained a few days, while our pontoon bridge was being placed across the Tennessee River. One bright November morning we crossed over and found ourselves in Florence. We remained here a few days and started North on the Waynesboro road. When we crossed the line into Tennessee it was snowing. We passed through Waynesboro and continued North until one afternoon we came to the place looking off over Duck River valley. It was the more inspiring from the fact that for several days we had marched through a very poor country, and on very short rations, (three sinkers per day—to those who don't understand, a sinker is a biscuit made from unbolted wheat flour without milk, grease, salt or soda). Our losses had been continued and heavy, and we had no chance to recruit. All the companies were very small. Company E and Company H had been thrown together as one company. Capt. Tom Caruthers of Company H commanding, Second Lieutenant W. E. Brothers of Company E second in command, First Lieutenant M. M. Sanders of Company E being absent on detached service.
We found the enemy at Columbia ready to meet us, but we crossed the river above, (Hardee's Corps, in command of Cheatham), and struck for Spring Hill in their rear. We reached there in good time, and by all means should have fought them in open field, instead of at Franklin in their fortifications next day. But we didn't and the reason for not doing so has always been a mystery to the rank and file of the army. We bivouacked in line parallel with the turn pike, only two or three hundred yards away and let them pass undisturbed with all their wagons and supplies to their strong hold at Franklin. This was a fatal blunder. Next morning we took the road for Franklin. Our division turned to the left and moved so as to leave Franklin to our right, halting and fronting the town, our Company E having the Bostick House on our right. We moved forward, straight towards the Carter House. There was a body of men to our left, between us and Harpeth River, supposed to be dismounted cavalry. They advanced with our line and did good work. When the enemy opened fire on us, we charged straight ahead, but they had placed obstructions in the way, over which we could not pass. This we saw too late and it caused our line to break, but it was reformed again near the Bostick House. There was a depression between the enemy and the creek that runs north past the Bostick House, here about one hundred men were rallied by Adjt. Tom Fowler, Lieut. Pete Edwards and W. E. Brothers. By lying down we were not visible to the enemy, and when a new line to our right charged, this hundred men charged again. Of course we were repulsed, but rallied again in the depression, but finally gave it up and rejoined the command. It was on the first charge and when nearest the enemy's works that Capt. Todd Carter dashed through our lines on his horse with drawn sword, made stra1ght for his father's house, and met his death as it were, on the very threshold of his parental home. He was perhaps not more than fifty feet from us when he fell; his horse was seen to plunge and we knew he was struck. Captain Carter was thrown straight over the horse's head, his sword reached as far as his arm would allow toward the enemy, and when he struck the ground he laid still, and his brave young life went out almost at the door of his home. The sight of home and all that makes home dear, and that home in possession of the enemy caused him to forget himself, and under the impulse of the moment he rushed to certain death. In this action Chrisman of Company H was killed, Captain Caruthers was wounded, W. D. Martin of Company E was wounded, R. J. Neal of Company E was struck three times in the engagement, but never left the field, the wounds being slight, P. S. Latimer of Company E was slightly wounded, but did not leave the field, other casualties not recalled.
The next day the twentieth Tennessee, was placed on provost duty, but so many of the men lived in and around Franklin, that soon the regiment was short in numbers, the boys quietly took "French leave" to visit their homes. They were not blamed at all, especially as they all returned in a few days.
On the second morning after the battle of Franklin, Bate's division moved towards Murfreesboro, and when opposite Nolensville Company E being almost home, took "French leave" for a day or two. We had been gone almost two years, and so many did not return that the Company was now only a little squad, that could be more than counted on the fingers, but for those who did return.it was joy to get back home, but sad indeed to think what had become of so many who did not return.
At Dalton we went into winter quarters, each mess built its own house, and the styles of architecture were something wonderful, they would doubtless have astonished the Greeks and Romans. At any rate the houses kept us fairly dry and comfortable. We drilled here by Companies, Regiments, Brigades, Divisions and Corps, and when the campaign opened next spring the discipline was splendid, and we were prepared to meet Sherman. While here at Dalton, Sergt. A. J. Irwin was made Lieutenant to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Lieut. J. W. Peyton, who was killed at Chickamauga.
Revival services were carried on most of the time while at Dalton, and many of the men professed religion and united themselves with the various churches; and none of them were ever known to repudiate their faith either while soldiers or afterwards as citizens. Here too, we had the big " Snow ball battle."
Spring now opened, Johnston and Sherman had been preparing for their famous "one hundred day's campaign" which now began of which history furnishes no parallel, since the retreat of "the ten thousand" under Xenophen. Sherman came up to our front at Mill Creek Gap, north of Dalton. Johnston met him, but Sherman flanked by passing to our left through Dug Gap and aimed to intercept Johnston at Resaca, but when he got there Johnston was in his front; here he made an effort to drive Johnston out of his works, but failed, and in that failure, he learned a lesson he seemed never to have forgotten. We punished him severely for his conduct on this occasion; we also sustained considerable loss. With his much greater army he continued to march around our flank. Johnston would fall back just far enough to bob up in his front every, time, skirmishing every day, in fact just about all the time. But no decisive battle was fought. Johnston was not strong enough to attack and Sherman seemed afraid to risk it.
We battled along until we reached Kennesaw Mountain. Capt. Ridley had not been able for duty on this campaign. Lieut. Sanders was absent sick, and Lieut. Brothers was in command. A shell from the enemy exploded in our works, killing Wiley Griggs and wounding eight others of company E among whom were R. J. Neal, Sam. Walden, Sam. M. Jamison, Andrew Robertson and others not recalled. We had to remain in the works till nightfall on account of the enemy's sharp shooters. We then, with the aid of the infirmary Corps, got the wounded out and buried Griggs. Griggs was perhaps the most inoffensive man in the company. He was always quiet, always in his place and never complained; he was in addition to this, one of the bravest men in the company. He was one of the men who porfessed religion and joined the church at Dalton, and no man ever doubted his sincerity; he ever quietly lived up to it — peace to his memory. The campaign proceeded; almost daily we skirmished and neared Atlanta, and finally we crossed the Chattahooche River.
Johnston was succeeded by Hood, then came "Peach Tree Creek." In all of this campaign with the exceptions noted, Company E was, as far as recalled, fortunate. We had some of our men captured, but Geo. W. Walden was the only one recalled.
After Peach Tree Creek, Hardee's Corps, to which we belonged, marched around Sherman's left wing, and on July 22, 1864, charged him in his works. We carried the works and drove them furiously, killing General McPherson, but one Divison of our Corps suffered serious loss, (that of Cleburne). He lost perhaps half of his men captured, but we recaptured most of them together with several hundred prisoners. In this engagement Lieut. A. J. Irwin was killed, another good man, gallant officer and generous comrade.
After this we were placed on the extreme left of Hood's army, when on the 6th day of August 1864, we had a brilliant engagement with the enemy. We were deployed as a heavy skirmish line. We had excellent works, with "head logs." There was some timber in our front and the undergrowth had been cut down to obstruct the enemy's advance. We were told that we must hold that line at all hazards. So we made up our minds to stay there. They first advanced with a double skirmish line; we drove that back inflicting a heavy punishment upon it. Then they came with a solid line of battle, determined to dislodge us, but we drove that back with heavy loss. Next, they made a third assault,; this time they come with two solid lines of battle, and some of them reached our works, but none ever got over. We poured the shot into them in a manner simply terrific, and forced them back with terrible slaughter. Up to this time we had not lost a man, while the enemy lay dead and wounded by hundreds in our front. We captured three stands of colors from them. After the fight was over, our Regiment was sent out in front to pick up the stragglers that might be left skulking in the brushes. One of these skulkers shot George Castleman of Company B in the thigh. R. J. Neal, who was with Castleman fired obliquely at the blue coat, when P.S. Latimer told him to "look out." He looked forward and saw a Yankee aiming at him. He dropped on his knees and was loading his gun when the fellow fired, striking him in the right shoulder.
These were the only casualties of our Regiment, while those of the enemy could be counted by the hundreds. Report said the 8th Federal Tennessee Regiment went into that charge with more than eleven hundred men, and after the charge could muster only fifteen. One of the stands of colors captured belonged to that Regiment. We were now drawn back to the main line on the left. Sherman commenced to flank again, and we were sent with Hardee's Corps to Jonesboro to meet the flank movement. We attacked them in their entrenched lines, and were repulsed with heavy loss, and retired to within our own works. While the 20th lost many of its best men, Company E had no casualties that can now be recalled. Next day we were on the skirmish line and the enemy charged us, but their greatest effort was against Cleburne's front, where they were partially successful, but they paid dearly for their success. Cleburne never failed to punish them when they brought up in his front.
On this day Company E was three times driven in while skirmishing across an open field, without the loss of a man, and at nightfall held the line we had in the morning. After dark we were withdrawn from the skirmish line, and when we reached the position our main line had occupied in the morning, we found it abandoned; and the troops were retiring to Lovejoy Station, where we followed. On this night, Hood was retiring from Atlanta, burning all his stores and destroying his magazines. Atlanta was twenty miles distant, but the fires made a great light, and the burning of the magazines made almost a perpetual roar; the sights and sounds of which, coupled with our retreat, made it a night never to be forgotten.
The next morning found us at Lovejoy Station; we were ready for the enemy when they overtook us, but the day was spent in manuevering and heavy skirmishing. Here we were joined by Hood with the main army. From here our Regiment was sent to Griffin to intercept stragglers from the army leaving Atlanta. We performed this duty, and in a few days we returned to Lovejoy Station, then we learned the enemy had gone back to Atlanta. We followed as far as Jonesboro, then moved west to Palmetto, on the Atlanta and West Point Railroad. Here President Jefferson Davis came to us and reviewed the army, and planned "Hood's Campaign into Tennessee." From Palmetto we moved North, crossing the Chattahoochie River on a pontoon bridge. The one hundred day campaign was ended, and no gen14:
eral engagement had taken place. The battles of Peach Tree Creek, the one on July 22nd, July 28th, and Jonesboro were only partial engagements, as on the Confederate side only Hardee's Corps had been engaged in the first and last, and the left wing of the army in the other. Yet it had been one hundred days of continued skirmishing, often amounting to the proportions of a spirited battle; the losses of the two armies in killed, wounded and missing aggregating more than if a general engagement had taken place, and until Joe Johnston was removed the enemy loss was much the heaviest.
We now entered on a new campaign. Hood, after crossing the Chattahoochie River moved along parallel with the W. & A. Railroad, occasionally sending in a detachment to tap the railroad, as at Altoona and -Resaca. We marched around Rome, and again tapped the railroad at Dalton, capturing a regiment of negroes and destroying a great deal of railroad track. Above Dalton we turned to the the left and passed through Lafayette, and near Gadsden, Ala., we crossed over Sand Mountain, and came in touch again with the enemy at Decatur, but continued west along the M. & C. Railroad to Tuscumbia.
Here we remained a few days, while our pontoon bridge was being placed across the Tennessee River. One bright November morning we crossed over and found ourselves in Florence. We remained here a few days and started North on the Waynesboro road. When we crossed the line into Tennessee it was snowing. We passed through Waynesboro and continued North until one afternoon we came to the place looking off over Duck River valley. It was the more inspiring from the fact that for several days we had marched through a very poor country, and on very short rations, (three sinkers per day—to those who don't understand, a sinker is a biscuit made from unbolted wheat flour without milk, grease, salt or soda). Our losses had been continued and heavy, and we had no chance to recruit. All the companies were very small. Company E and Company H had been thrown together as one company. Capt. Tom Caruthers of Company H commanding, Second Lieutenant W. E. Brothers of Company E second in command, First Lieutenant M. M. Sanders of Company E being absent on detached service.
We found the enemy at Columbia ready to meet us, but we crossed the river above, (Hardee's Corps, in command of Cheatham), and struck for Spring Hill in their rear. We reached there in good time, and by all means should have fought them in open field, instead of at Franklin in their fortifications next day. But we didn't and the reason for not doing so has always been a mystery to the rank and file of the army. We bivouacked in line parallel with the turn pike, only two or three hundred yards away and let them pass undisturbed with all their wagons and supplies to their strong hold at Franklin. This was a fatal blunder. Next morning we took the road for Franklin. Our division turned to the left and moved so as to leave Franklin to our right, halting and fronting the town, our Company E having the Bostick House on our right. We moved forward, straight towards the Carter House. There was a body of men to our left, between us and Harpeth River, supposed to be dismounted cavalry. They advanced with our line and did good work. When the enemy opened fire on us, we charged straight ahead, but they had placed obstructions in the way, over which we could not pass. This we saw too late and it caused our line to break, but it was reformed again near the Bostick House. There was a depression between the enemy and the creek that runs north past the Bostick House, here about one hundred men were rallied by Adjt. Tom Fowler, Lieut. Pete Edwards and W. E. Brothers. By lying down we were not visible to the enemy, and when a new line to our right charged, this hundred men charged again. Of course we were repulsed, but rallied again in the depression, but finally gave it up and rejoined the command. It was on the first charge and when nearest the enemy's works that Capt. Todd Carter dashed through our lines on his horse with drawn sword, made stra1ght for his father's house, and met his death as it were, on the very threshold of his parental home. He was perhaps not more than fifty feet from us when he fell; his horse was seen to plunge and we knew he was struck. Captain Carter was thrown straight over the horse's head, his sword reached as far as his arm would allow toward the enemy, and when he struck the ground he laid still, and his brave young life went out almost at the door of his home. The sight of home and all that makes home dear, and that home in possession of the enemy caused him to forget himself, and under the impulse of the moment he rushed to certain death. In this action Chrisman of Company H was killed, Captain Caruthers was wounded, W. D. Martin of Company E was wounded, R. J. Neal of Company E was struck three times in the engagement, but never left the field, the wounds being slight, P. S. Latimer of Company E was slightly wounded, but did not leave the field, other casualties not recalled.
The next day the twentieth Tennessee, was placed on provost duty, but so many of the men lived in and around Franklin, that soon the regiment was short in numbers, the boys quietly took "French leave" to visit their homes. They were not blamed at all, especially as they all returned in a few days.
On the second morning after the battle of Franklin, Bate's division moved towards Murfreesboro, and when opposite Nolensville Company E being almost home, took "French leave" for a day or two. We had been gone almost two years, and so many did not return that the Company was now only a little squad, that could be more than counted on the fingers, but for those who did return.it was joy to get back home, but sad indeed to think what had become of so many who did not return.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Smyrna in the Civil War V
Lack of supplies and fighting starts taking a toll on the men.
While stationed here our army was re-organized. Thomas B. Smith of Company B was made Colonel; J. S. Gooch of Company E, Lieutenant Colonel; F. M. Lavender of Company H, Major; Lieutenant Harvey Ralston was made Captain of Company E; W. T. Ridley was made first Lieutenant; M. M. Sanders, Second Lieutenant; and Jo. W. Peyton, Third Lieutenant; Frank B. Croslhwait was made First Sergeant; P. Latimer, Second Sergeant; W. E. Brothers, Third Sergeant; aud W. W. Batey, Fourth Sergeant; W. D. Martin, and others not recalled were made Corporals.
Gehl. Beauregard determined on changing his base, now dropped back to Tupelo, Miss., and from Tupelo, Breckinridge's Division was ordered to Vicksburg, Miss. We moved west through Potontoc to Abbeville where we took the cars to Jackson, thence to Vicksburg, where we did picket work for about six weeks, and drank bad water until only a few of us were able to answer at "roll call."
We met with no casualities at Vicksburg, notwithstanding we were constantly shelled by the lower federal fleet.
One day we were ordered on board the cars, but only four of Company E were able to go; other companies being just as bad off as ours. We went to Tangipaho, La. Here we left the cars, and Company E left one of her four men and started to Baton Rouge, La., with three men, but when we reached Amite River we left another member of Company E sick, the two remaining, W. E. Brothers and W. W. Batey, went on.
We halted at Comite Bridge and started at two o'clock next morning to surprise the enemy. We moved rapidly until within three miles of the enemy, a swamp on one side and a cane field on the other, when suddenly a dreadful roar was heard just ahead. Brothers was left file next the field when everything pressed his way. Just then some one yelled "Yankee Cavalry!" Brothers tripped and fell, the boys jumped over him as he made it on " all fours" to the fence. He tried to climb it, but the rails were rotten and would break and he would drop back. The boys on the other side had commenced to shoot, and Brothers was afraid they would hit him, and at the same time he was expecting some Yankee to chop his head off with a sabre. He dropped back close up in a corner of the fence, and as he saw a man passing on a horse he shot at him. Just then Col. Smith, commanded the men to cease firing, as they were our own men, and he hoped no man in the 20th had fired a gun. Brothers hopped out of his corner, his gun still smoking, and promptly replied that he did not think any man in the 20th had fired. Smith reported this to Breckinridge and was complimented for the good behavior of the 20th Tennessee. But we soon moved on and a little after daylight we formed our line and marched straight ahead through the cane field into the edge of Baton Rouge, then we moved to the left, then forward again through the enemy's abandoned camp.
Here we halted, and then charged driving the enemy, and when we had re-arranged our line we were not ordered forward again, as the enemy now had the protection of their fleet, and the " Arkansas Ram " which was to have assisted us had been destroyed. The battle of Baton Rouge was a brilliant engagement, but was useless as our gunboat failed to show up. W. W. Batey commanded Company E in the latter part of the engagement, as W. E. Brothers had retired from the field with a chill on his hands, the first one he ever had, (perhaps in keeping cool in action, he had over done it, and got too cool).
We then retired to our camp, and in a few days went to Port Hudson, La. Lieut. M. M. Sanders with other convalescents had now rejoined us. Our company had no casualties on this campaign. In a short while we were ordered to Jackson, Miss., and after resting and taking quinine for a few weeks, were ordered on the cars to Holly Springs, or near there. Here we remained only a few days, when we started to re-enforce Bragg in Kentucky. While at Jackson, Miss., they were exchanging prisoners at Vicksburg. /Spivev Stanfieldlwho was captured at Fishing Creek came in, and to our great joy and surprise, W. A. Vardell came in too; he had been left for dead at Shiloh and his name had been dropped from the roll.
We left Holly Springs on the cars and returned through Jackson, then to Mobile, Montgomery, Atlanta, and Knoxville. Here we learned of the battle of Perryville, Ky., and that Bragg was on his way back to Tennessee. We then proceeded to Murfreesboro, where we remained until joined by Bragg's main army from Kentucky. Our regiment being near their homes, most of them were allowed, a few at a time, to visit their homes for a few days. The 20th and 45th Tennessee Regiments were sent to Stewart's Creek on the Nashville Pike to support our cavalry who were at Lavergne.
Many of Company E lived near here, and it was impossible to keep them in camp, but they would not stay away long at a time, and could hardly be missed. One day we were double quicked down to Lavergne, the enemy had driven our cavalry out, and when we formed and went in the enemy were going out on the other side, but they had fired the village as they went out, the greater portion of it being in flames as we went in. We returned to Stewart's Creek and in a few days went back to Murfreesboro where the great battle was soon to be fought. The boys had all been home, after an absence of about twentytwo months.
The enemy came up in our front on Dec. 29th, 1862, and on the 30th there was a good deal of skirmishing and cannonading. We were still in Breckinridge's division, on the extreme right of the army, and on the east side of Stone's River. The battle opened proper on the extreme left, on the morning of the 31st. We were not engaged until in the after-noon of that day, when we were double-quicked to the ford of the river, waded it, and moved to the left, crossed both turn-pike and railroad and started directly forward at the enemy. On account of the railroad our regiment moved in line behind the one that should have been next on our left, until we came under fire, then we moved to the right and came into our place between the river and railroad at Cowan's Pond. (Cowan's house had been burned.) We now charged the bluff, and after a sharp fight held it, but we could not cross the field, and were forced back under the bluff on account of a portion of our brigade giving way on our left and letting the enemy in behind us. But our regiment killed, wounded, and captured a great many of the enemy. Our loss was also quite heavy. Lieut. F. B. Crostwaite was killed. Lieut. M. M. Sanders and W. P. Neal were wounded, with others not recalled.
That night we were withdrawn further to the left into the cedars, where we remained during the day of January 1st, 1863 and the morning of January 2nd. Early in the afternoon of the 2nd, we were hastily withdrawn from the advanced line and rapidly marched across the river at the same ford we waded before, and down to the Mitchell House, where we, being on the extreme right, were the last to get into line of battle. But we immediately moved forward, crossed a high fence, then straight across a field to the crest of a low wooded ridge; this crest had a few trees that were mixed with bushes and briars, and was not more than one hundred yards in width. The enemy was drawn up with this in their front, and just as we came to the timber they fired. We dropped down, returned the fire and then charged. The enemy broke and fled across the open field towards the river. They had a second line mid-way of the field. We broke this too, and still pursuing, we struck a third line near the river, and they all went down under the bluff together, as we again dashed forward. As we pursued them across the field, we had left a line of Federals behind that now over-lapped us, but some of our Cavalry dismounted and chased them across the field. They were to our right, but really we were in advance of them, and they took shelter behind Ross' Gin. It was here that Frank Battle, carrying the colors, found them so badly shot and torn as to be hard to handle, and having gone some fifty yards in advance, dropped down, the colors falling on him. We thought he was killed, and Capt. W. T. Ridley rushed out to get the colors but Frank jumped up and commenced to wave them. He had only been tieing the fragments together.
But now the enemy had his time. We had only a few pieces of artillery, while the Federals had fifty-eight pieces on the bluff opposite us. They opened on us furiously, and we could do nothing more than go back across the field, through the timber bated breath we watched to see the result (no enemy in our front). Steadily Dea's men with their weak line fired into that brave, as well as overwhelming host of the enemy. We saw them as they staggered up to the half-finished rifle pits, a few passed on, then three stands of Federal colors in a bunch, mounted the works.
Dea's line was broken, not to their discredit however, for it would have taken more men to have done more. They were too heavily outnumbered. The Yankees first turned right and left, flanking our men out of the ditches. They next went for a battery, in position between Dea's and Tyler's Brigades. Our men wheeled two guns and fired, at not more than a hundred feet distance at the Yankees, but many of them were now over the works, and they rushed at the battery with fixed bayonets. The cannoniers fought them with their swab sticks, but they were soon overpowered and killed or captured with their guns. Every survivor deserved a medal, and every one killed, a monument. The enemy now turned the guns down our trenches, and who can tell the suspense until they fired? Fortunately it was infantry and they could no.t sight a cannon with any degree of accuracy, and the charges of canister, for the most part went wild, one charge however tearing up a large stump in the rear of Company E. Colonel Shy commanded us to move out by the left flank. We moved a short distance, and were commanded to move by the left flank again, which threw us into line again at an "about face." As we were moving back we noticed that our entire line south toward's Bragg's headquarters was broken and our men in full retreat. As we moved back our brigade continued to fire at the pursuing enemy, until we got them checked, in a measure, and other brigades now began to reform, and order was partially restored. Colonel Shy discovered our field band in the rear, and ordered them to play " Dixie." This seemed to do more toward rallying the men than all else. We came to a field, and just across this was General Bragg, sitting on his horse with a large flag, appealing to the men to stand. Finley's Brigade now reformed, and our brigade was placed with the field in our front, Finley to our left, but before we finished our formation the enemy advanced on us.
Night was fast approaching, and they made no determined charge, but kept up a pretty heavy firing, until darkness had gathered around us, so we were firing only at the flashes of each other's guns. It was thus that the enemy was checked, giving the left wing of the army a chance to cross the Chickamauga river. Just here quite a singular incident occured :— Capt. W. G. Ewing of Co. A, not knowing the men on our right were gone, and hearing a command on his right, stepped out and asked what command it was. The answer being 18th Regt. Mich. State. He immediately reported to Col. Shy, who commanded us "about face, forward march," and off we started on quick time, but some of the Yankees were suspicious and fired at us in the dark. Ewing's Company fired back, when Lieut. Brothers of company E innocently yelled out, "you are shooting at our own men." Shy and Ewing repeated it, and luckily for us the Yankee officers heard it, and believed it and repeated it to their men, saving us from a scathing fire at close range. We did not wait for explanations, but crossed the Chickamauga river that night and retreated along the W. & A. railroad by Ringold, Tunnel Hill, and finally rounded up for the balance of the winter at Dalton, Georgia. Company E had borne its part well in this unfortunate battle. Captain W. T. Ridley was wounded in the head, and as he was being borne from the field another shot struck him in the leg, from these wounds he never fully recovered. George W. Davis and O. C. Holland were captured, other losses of the Company are not recalled.
While stationed here our army was re-organized. Thomas B. Smith of Company B was made Colonel; J. S. Gooch of Company E, Lieutenant Colonel; F. M. Lavender of Company H, Major; Lieutenant Harvey Ralston was made Captain of Company E; W. T. Ridley was made first Lieutenant; M. M. Sanders, Second Lieutenant; and Jo. W. Peyton, Third Lieutenant; Frank B. Croslhwait was made First Sergeant; P. Latimer, Second Sergeant; W. E. Brothers, Third Sergeant; aud W. W. Batey, Fourth Sergeant; W. D. Martin, and others not recalled were made Corporals.
Gehl. Beauregard determined on changing his base, now dropped back to Tupelo, Miss., and from Tupelo, Breckinridge's Division was ordered to Vicksburg, Miss. We moved west through Potontoc to Abbeville where we took the cars to Jackson, thence to Vicksburg, where we did picket work for about six weeks, and drank bad water until only a few of us were able to answer at "roll call."
We met with no casualities at Vicksburg, notwithstanding we were constantly shelled by the lower federal fleet.
One day we were ordered on board the cars, but only four of Company E were able to go; other companies being just as bad off as ours. We went to Tangipaho, La. Here we left the cars, and Company E left one of her four men and started to Baton Rouge, La., with three men, but when we reached Amite River we left another member of Company E sick, the two remaining, W. E. Brothers and W. W. Batey, went on.
We halted at Comite Bridge and started at two o'clock next morning to surprise the enemy. We moved rapidly until within three miles of the enemy, a swamp on one side and a cane field on the other, when suddenly a dreadful roar was heard just ahead. Brothers was left file next the field when everything pressed his way. Just then some one yelled "Yankee Cavalry!" Brothers tripped and fell, the boys jumped over him as he made it on " all fours" to the fence. He tried to climb it, but the rails were rotten and would break and he would drop back. The boys on the other side had commenced to shoot, and Brothers was afraid they would hit him, and at the same time he was expecting some Yankee to chop his head off with a sabre. He dropped back close up in a corner of the fence, and as he saw a man passing on a horse he shot at him. Just then Col. Smith, commanded the men to cease firing, as they were our own men, and he hoped no man in the 20th had fired a gun. Brothers hopped out of his corner, his gun still smoking, and promptly replied that he did not think any man in the 20th had fired. Smith reported this to Breckinridge and was complimented for the good behavior of the 20th Tennessee. But we soon moved on and a little after daylight we formed our line and marched straight ahead through the cane field into the edge of Baton Rouge, then we moved to the left, then forward again through the enemy's abandoned camp.
Here we halted, and then charged driving the enemy, and when we had re-arranged our line we were not ordered forward again, as the enemy now had the protection of their fleet, and the " Arkansas Ram " which was to have assisted us had been destroyed. The battle of Baton Rouge was a brilliant engagement, but was useless as our gunboat failed to show up. W. W. Batey commanded Company E in the latter part of the engagement, as W. E. Brothers had retired from the field with a chill on his hands, the first one he ever had, (perhaps in keeping cool in action, he had over done it, and got too cool).
We then retired to our camp, and in a few days went to Port Hudson, La. Lieut. M. M. Sanders with other convalescents had now rejoined us. Our company had no casualties on this campaign. In a short while we were ordered to Jackson, Miss., and after resting and taking quinine for a few weeks, were ordered on the cars to Holly Springs, or near there. Here we remained only a few days, when we started to re-enforce Bragg in Kentucky. While at Jackson, Miss., they were exchanging prisoners at Vicksburg. /Spivev Stanfieldlwho was captured at Fishing Creek came in, and to our great joy and surprise, W. A. Vardell came in too; he had been left for dead at Shiloh and his name had been dropped from the roll.
We left Holly Springs on the cars and returned through Jackson, then to Mobile, Montgomery, Atlanta, and Knoxville. Here we learned of the battle of Perryville, Ky., and that Bragg was on his way back to Tennessee. We then proceeded to Murfreesboro, where we remained until joined by Bragg's main army from Kentucky. Our regiment being near their homes, most of them were allowed, a few at a time, to visit their homes for a few days. The 20th and 45th Tennessee Regiments were sent to Stewart's Creek on the Nashville Pike to support our cavalry who were at Lavergne.
Many of Company E lived near here, and it was impossible to keep them in camp, but they would not stay away long at a time, and could hardly be missed. One day we were double quicked down to Lavergne, the enemy had driven our cavalry out, and when we formed and went in the enemy were going out on the other side, but they had fired the village as they went out, the greater portion of it being in flames as we went in. We returned to Stewart's Creek and in a few days went back to Murfreesboro where the great battle was soon to be fought. The boys had all been home, after an absence of about twentytwo months.
The enemy came up in our front on Dec. 29th, 1862, and on the 30th there was a good deal of skirmishing and cannonading. We were still in Breckinridge's division, on the extreme right of the army, and on the east side of Stone's River. The battle opened proper on the extreme left, on the morning of the 31st. We were not engaged until in the after-noon of that day, when we were double-quicked to the ford of the river, waded it, and moved to the left, crossed both turn-pike and railroad and started directly forward at the enemy. On account of the railroad our regiment moved in line behind the one that should have been next on our left, until we came under fire, then we moved to the right and came into our place between the river and railroad at Cowan's Pond. (Cowan's house had been burned.) We now charged the bluff, and after a sharp fight held it, but we could not cross the field, and were forced back under the bluff on account of a portion of our brigade giving way on our left and letting the enemy in behind us. But our regiment killed, wounded, and captured a great many of the enemy. Our loss was also quite heavy. Lieut. F. B. Crostwaite was killed. Lieut. M. M. Sanders and W. P. Neal were wounded, with others not recalled.
That night we were withdrawn further to the left into the cedars, where we remained during the day of January 1st, 1863 and the morning of January 2nd. Early in the afternoon of the 2nd, we were hastily withdrawn from the advanced line and rapidly marched across the river at the same ford we waded before, and down to the Mitchell House, where we, being on the extreme right, were the last to get into line of battle. But we immediately moved forward, crossed a high fence, then straight across a field to the crest of a low wooded ridge; this crest had a few trees that were mixed with bushes and briars, and was not more than one hundred yards in width. The enemy was drawn up with this in their front, and just as we came to the timber they fired. We dropped down, returned the fire and then charged. The enemy broke and fled across the open field towards the river. They had a second line mid-way of the field. We broke this too, and still pursuing, we struck a third line near the river, and they all went down under the bluff together, as we again dashed forward. As we pursued them across the field, we had left a line of Federals behind that now over-lapped us, but some of our Cavalry dismounted and chased them across the field. They were to our right, but really we were in advance of them, and they took shelter behind Ross' Gin. It was here that Frank Battle, carrying the colors, found them so badly shot and torn as to be hard to handle, and having gone some fifty yards in advance, dropped down, the colors falling on him. We thought he was killed, and Capt. W. T. Ridley rushed out to get the colors but Frank jumped up and commenced to wave them. He had only been tieing the fragments together.
But now the enemy had his time. We had only a few pieces of artillery, while the Federals had fifty-eight pieces on the bluff opposite us. They opened on us furiously, and we could do nothing more than go back across the field, through the timber bated breath we watched to see the result (no enemy in our front). Steadily Dea's men with their weak line fired into that brave, as well as overwhelming host of the enemy. We saw them as they staggered up to the half-finished rifle pits, a few passed on, then three stands of Federal colors in a bunch, mounted the works.
Dea's line was broken, not to their discredit however, for it would have taken more men to have done more. They were too heavily outnumbered. The Yankees first turned right and left, flanking our men out of the ditches. They next went for a battery, in position between Dea's and Tyler's Brigades. Our men wheeled two guns and fired, at not more than a hundred feet distance at the Yankees, but many of them were now over the works, and they rushed at the battery with fixed bayonets. The cannoniers fought them with their swab sticks, but they were soon overpowered and killed or captured with their guns. Every survivor deserved a medal, and every one killed, a monument. The enemy now turned the guns down our trenches, and who can tell the suspense until they fired? Fortunately it was infantry and they could no.t sight a cannon with any degree of accuracy, and the charges of canister, for the most part went wild, one charge however tearing up a large stump in the rear of Company E. Colonel Shy commanded us to move out by the left flank. We moved a short distance, and were commanded to move by the left flank again, which threw us into line again at an "about face." As we were moving back we noticed that our entire line south toward's Bragg's headquarters was broken and our men in full retreat. As we moved back our brigade continued to fire at the pursuing enemy, until we got them checked, in a measure, and other brigades now began to reform, and order was partially restored. Colonel Shy discovered our field band in the rear, and ordered them to play " Dixie." This seemed to do more toward rallying the men than all else. We came to a field, and just across this was General Bragg, sitting on his horse with a large flag, appealing to the men to stand. Finley's Brigade now reformed, and our brigade was placed with the field in our front, Finley to our left, but before we finished our formation the enemy advanced on us.
Night was fast approaching, and they made no determined charge, but kept up a pretty heavy firing, until darkness had gathered around us, so we were firing only at the flashes of each other's guns. It was thus that the enemy was checked, giving the left wing of the army a chance to cross the Chickamauga river. Just here quite a singular incident occured :— Capt. W. G. Ewing of Co. A, not knowing the men on our right were gone, and hearing a command on his right, stepped out and asked what command it was. The answer being 18th Regt. Mich. State. He immediately reported to Col. Shy, who commanded us "about face, forward march," and off we started on quick time, but some of the Yankees were suspicious and fired at us in the dark. Ewing's Company fired back, when Lieut. Brothers of company E innocently yelled out, "you are shooting at our own men." Shy and Ewing repeated it, and luckily for us the Yankee officers heard it, and believed it and repeated it to their men, saving us from a scathing fire at close range. We did not wait for explanations, but crossed the Chickamauga river that night and retreated along the W. & A. railroad by Ringold, Tunnel Hill, and finally rounded up for the balance of the winter at Dalton, Georgia. Company E had borne its part well in this unfortunate battle. Captain W. T. Ridley was wounded in the head, and as he was being borne from the field another shot struck him in the leg, from these wounds he never fully recovered. George W. Davis and O. C. Holland were captured, other losses of the Company are not recalled.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Smyrna in the Civil War IV
Company E has to retreat from not just the Smyrna area but Tennessee...this is hard on the men to leave friends and families behind 'enemy lines'.
It was hard to convince Company E that it was right and best to abandon their homes and State to the enemy without a fight. After it was known the retreat would be continued South and the State left to the enemy, Col. Battle got Gov. Harris and Secretary of State, Gen. Whitthorne, to come around and make speeches, encouraging us all they could; but the speeches were unnecessary, the men had not even hesitated, but they were sad indeed- At the conclusion of the speeches some one proposed "three cheers," but only a few tried to cheer, they were too sad.
The next morning, however, notwithstanding the sadness and gloom which hung thickly over the army, we formed, and to a man marched out, leaving home and all its endearments in the hands of the enemy. We passed through Shelbyville and Fayetteville, Tenn., Athens and Decatur, Ala., and stopped a short while at Iuka, Miss., and then on to Burnsville, Miss., where we drew new Enfield Rifles, recently brought from England. This was indeed a proud day for the 20th Tennessee Regiment.
We were now as well armed as any troops in the army and felt like we could do as good fighting as the best. From Burnsville we went to the front at Shiloh. We were now in Breckinridge's division, our brigade being in command of Col. W. S. Statham of the 15th Mississippi. On Sunday morning, April 6th, 1862, the battle was begun, Breckinridge in reserve. As we moved along, our advance driving the enemy rapidly before them, capturing their encampment and stores of every description, we (the reserve) came to the place where the battle opened; here we found our own men, the killed, wounded, and their attendants. A little further on, we came to where the enemy's line stood and received the Confederate charge. This showed where their lines had been, many of their wounded not yet cared for; but sad as it all was we must proceed, for the bat t1e was now raging. With our men steadily driving them, wt passed through their camps, and found them just as they had left them to form their line of battle; we moved to the right and started forward in the line of battle. We first came in contact with a mule lot, double staked with riders. We could not take time to tear down the fence, and had to climb it on both sides of the lot, and as we went over the second fence the enemy's skirmishers opened fire on us.
I don't think they hurt a. man, but the climbing of the fence caused some confusion. We now charged, and in about one hundred yards we met the enemy on a thinly wooded ridge. After the first volley they dropped back to a deep ravine parallel with our line, and right here was the slaughter for both sides. We halted, and it seemed a question of who could shoot quickest and best. We charged and they broke, and as they ran up the steep sides of the ravine, our men, at close range poured the fire into their backs and their loss was terrible; many of them laid down in the ravine and did not attempt to escape.
We pursued them through the woods perhaps half a mile when they disappeared from our front; then being short of ammunition, Col. Battle moved us back a short distance, we being at the time ahead of the line of battle, and re-formed his line; this was an open woods fight. We now had Enfield rifles and the fight was quickly over, but our loss was terrible. Bob Peyton, Bunk Ridley, and McLaughlin, who did not belong really to our company but went into the fight with us, were killed. J. W. Crutcher was also killed. Wm. Vardell, John Neblett, J. T. Shelton, John Espey, Dan. Miller, and Lieut. East were amongst the wounded; other casualties are not recalled. Wm. Vardell was shot through the head and left on the field for dead, but survived and was exchanged, and returned to the company at Vicksburg in the summer of 1862. But if our loss was heavy, that of the enemy was much more so. In the ravine from which we drove them, not one-half of them could possibly have escaped. The bottom of the ravine seemed to be literally piled with their dead. As we came into line and charged, the 45th Tennessee Regiment, coming up on our left, fired by mistake into the left wing of our regiment, and the loss to our left wing was considerably heavier than that of the right.
While the firing was at its heaviest, and the two lines about one hundred yards apart, a small herd of goats, led by a sedate old "billy" showed up about midway between. They did not last long, for when we charged the ravine there were only one or two of them left. The wonder is, why a soldier would shoot at a goat when so many of the enemy were present to shoot. We now moved a little to the left and forward again, reaching the top of another low wocded ridge, when Col. Statham rode in front, waved his sword and dashed forward. The line gave the yell and dashed forward wildly. The enemy had another camp in plain view where they had stacked their arms and surrendered, we never knew how many. They waved their caps and cheered us as we dashed through.
We were successful, and the elation of victory filled us for the time to overflowing, we thought the battle over. We passed through their tents a short distance, halted, re-formed our line and moved forward again, and when we saw them again they were re-forming their lines, and for some unaccountable reason to us, we stood there and watched them rally and re-form their lines, instead of dashing right into them while partially panicked, and making short work of it. We waited until they were ready, then an artilery duel began, the gun-boats on the river taking a hand. The roar of the cannon on both land and water, together with the screaming and explosions of the shells was simply terrible, the counterpart of which we never witnessed again. But here we remained until after dark, and withdrew a short distance to pass a miserable night in line, for in addition to the sadness caused by the loss of so many comrades, bravest of the brave, and others were missing that we could not account for, either dead, wounded, or simply lost from the command in the confusion of battle, or the darkness of the night, it rained one big, hard, thunder storm after another the entire night, the gunboats throwing their shells steadily all the while. Next morning Apr. 7th, we were moved about several times, finally going forward to support a battery, and laid down, Company E, just on the edge of a woods, the left wing of the Company in the woods the right wing in the field. Here we had an artillery duel at close range, the enemy entirely in the woods with dense underbrush. At length we were ordered to charge through, and on we went like a storm, but we met with a warm reception. Our line was badly confused in struggling through the underbrush, briars and grapevines, and the enemy held their fire until we were close on them before they opened on us.
The smoke from their guns was blinding, and while we were right at them, we could not see one of them. Human nature could stand no more. Our men broke nor could we re-form at the battery; we did re-form, however, about a quarter of a mile back in the woods, not by regiments or companies, but promiscuously, and as we were ready to move again, two regiments of re-enforcements came up, and we advanced to re-take our battery. We would run from tree to tree and fire, getting nearer all the time, until the enemy b1oke, and we held the line we had occupied early in the morning, having re-taken our battery and capturing several pieces from the enemy, which they had brought up. So far as we are aware the hard fighting at Shiloh was over, there was more fighting through the day but it was desultory.
Our loss in this day's (Monday's) fight was heavy again; and of Company E, Bailey Tucker was killed, and W. E. Brothers wounded.
We have a vivid recollection of both day's fighting as far as could be seen and understood by men fighting in the ranks. We observed on both days acts of courage and individual heroism, that could they be shown just as they occur1ed, wculd cause the actors names to be handed down in the pages of history for generations to come.
On Sunday afternoon Frank Crosthwait who was Color Bearer at the time, was lying down watching the enemy reform. He had his chin resting on the spur of an elm tree when he saw a cannon ball coming straight towards him, bouncing and bumping along. He dropped back and moved his head just before the ball struck where his chin rested. The gay little fellow looked back and laughed and remarked that "his head was not there."
Bunk Ridley who |was killed was a member of the second Tennessee, and was furloughed from Virginia, and volunteered to go into this fight with his brother, W. T. Ridley of Company E, was as big hearted and brave a man as ever battled for the Confederate's cause.
Late in the afternoon the retreat back to Corinth commenced; the spare wagons and ambulances filled with the worst wounded, those who were unable to walk. W. E. Brothers, John Neblett and J. T. Shelton casually dropped in together. All were wounded, Brothers in the head, Neblett in the arm and Shelton in the shoulder. Shelton being weakest from loss of blood took position in the center, thus they marched through mud and water, wading swollen streams, until they met the wagons, one of the teamsters was BuckHamilton of Company E.who said "he was ordered to the general hospital, but he'd be d—d if he didn't take this squad back to camp." Soon he had sixteen men of the 20th. in his wagon, when he came to a fellow lying by the road side with a bayonet hole through his thigh, who pleaded piteously to be taken up. Buck said, "you see what I've got, if my boys say so I will take you if it pulls the necks off my mules." The boys said so, and Buck's little mules pulled seventeen men through the mud to Corinth.
The army went into camp at Corinth, Miss., and were drilled incessantly. Our brigade did the provost work for the town, and the pranks and jokes were just such as to make memory pleasant yet to recall. The duty we were on prevented us from engaging in the almost daily skirmishes with the enemy in 'our front.
It was hard to convince Company E that it was right and best to abandon their homes and State to the enemy without a fight. After it was known the retreat would be continued South and the State left to the enemy, Col. Battle got Gov. Harris and Secretary of State, Gen. Whitthorne, to come around and make speeches, encouraging us all they could; but the speeches were unnecessary, the men had not even hesitated, but they were sad indeed- At the conclusion of the speeches some one proposed "three cheers," but only a few tried to cheer, they were too sad.
The next morning, however, notwithstanding the sadness and gloom which hung thickly over the army, we formed, and to a man marched out, leaving home and all its endearments in the hands of the enemy. We passed through Shelbyville and Fayetteville, Tenn., Athens and Decatur, Ala., and stopped a short while at Iuka, Miss., and then on to Burnsville, Miss., where we drew new Enfield Rifles, recently brought from England. This was indeed a proud day for the 20th Tennessee Regiment.
We were now as well armed as any troops in the army and felt like we could do as good fighting as the best. From Burnsville we went to the front at Shiloh. We were now in Breckinridge's division, our brigade being in command of Col. W. S. Statham of the 15th Mississippi. On Sunday morning, April 6th, 1862, the battle was begun, Breckinridge in reserve. As we moved along, our advance driving the enemy rapidly before them, capturing their encampment and stores of every description, we (the reserve) came to the place where the battle opened; here we found our own men, the killed, wounded, and their attendants. A little further on, we came to where the enemy's line stood and received the Confederate charge. This showed where their lines had been, many of their wounded not yet cared for; but sad as it all was we must proceed, for the bat t1e was now raging. With our men steadily driving them, wt passed through their camps, and found them just as they had left them to form their line of battle; we moved to the right and started forward in the line of battle. We first came in contact with a mule lot, double staked with riders. We could not take time to tear down the fence, and had to climb it on both sides of the lot, and as we went over the second fence the enemy's skirmishers opened fire on us.
I don't think they hurt a. man, but the climbing of the fence caused some confusion. We now charged, and in about one hundred yards we met the enemy on a thinly wooded ridge. After the first volley they dropped back to a deep ravine parallel with our line, and right here was the slaughter for both sides. We halted, and it seemed a question of who could shoot quickest and best. We charged and they broke, and as they ran up the steep sides of the ravine, our men, at close range poured the fire into their backs and their loss was terrible; many of them laid down in the ravine and did not attempt to escape.
We pursued them through the woods perhaps half a mile when they disappeared from our front; then being short of ammunition, Col. Battle moved us back a short distance, we being at the time ahead of the line of battle, and re-formed his line; this was an open woods fight. We now had Enfield rifles and the fight was quickly over, but our loss was terrible. Bob Peyton, Bunk Ridley, and McLaughlin, who did not belong really to our company but went into the fight with us, were killed. J. W. Crutcher was also killed. Wm. Vardell, John Neblett, J. T. Shelton, John Espey, Dan. Miller, and Lieut. East were amongst the wounded; other casualties are not recalled. Wm. Vardell was shot through the head and left on the field for dead, but survived and was exchanged, and returned to the company at Vicksburg in the summer of 1862. But if our loss was heavy, that of the enemy was much more so. In the ravine from which we drove them, not one-half of them could possibly have escaped. The bottom of the ravine seemed to be literally piled with their dead. As we came into line and charged, the 45th Tennessee Regiment, coming up on our left, fired by mistake into the left wing of our regiment, and the loss to our left wing was considerably heavier than that of the right.
While the firing was at its heaviest, and the two lines about one hundred yards apart, a small herd of goats, led by a sedate old "billy" showed up about midway between. They did not last long, for when we charged the ravine there were only one or two of them left. The wonder is, why a soldier would shoot at a goat when so many of the enemy were present to shoot. We now moved a little to the left and forward again, reaching the top of another low wocded ridge, when Col. Statham rode in front, waved his sword and dashed forward. The line gave the yell and dashed forward wildly. The enemy had another camp in plain view where they had stacked their arms and surrendered, we never knew how many. They waved their caps and cheered us as we dashed through.
We were successful, and the elation of victory filled us for the time to overflowing, we thought the battle over. We passed through their tents a short distance, halted, re-formed our line and moved forward again, and when we saw them again they were re-forming their lines, and for some unaccountable reason to us, we stood there and watched them rally and re-form their lines, instead of dashing right into them while partially panicked, and making short work of it. We waited until they were ready, then an artilery duel began, the gun-boats on the river taking a hand. The roar of the cannon on both land and water, together with the screaming and explosions of the shells was simply terrible, the counterpart of which we never witnessed again. But here we remained until after dark, and withdrew a short distance to pass a miserable night in line, for in addition to the sadness caused by the loss of so many comrades, bravest of the brave, and others were missing that we could not account for, either dead, wounded, or simply lost from the command in the confusion of battle, or the darkness of the night, it rained one big, hard, thunder storm after another the entire night, the gunboats throwing their shells steadily all the while. Next morning Apr. 7th, we were moved about several times, finally going forward to support a battery, and laid down, Company E, just on the edge of a woods, the left wing of the Company in the woods the right wing in the field. Here we had an artillery duel at close range, the enemy entirely in the woods with dense underbrush. At length we were ordered to charge through, and on we went like a storm, but we met with a warm reception. Our line was badly confused in struggling through the underbrush, briars and grapevines, and the enemy held their fire until we were close on them before they opened on us.
The smoke from their guns was blinding, and while we were right at them, we could not see one of them. Human nature could stand no more. Our men broke nor could we re-form at the battery; we did re-form, however, about a quarter of a mile back in the woods, not by regiments or companies, but promiscuously, and as we were ready to move again, two regiments of re-enforcements came up, and we advanced to re-take our battery. We would run from tree to tree and fire, getting nearer all the time, until the enemy b1oke, and we held the line we had occupied early in the morning, having re-taken our battery and capturing several pieces from the enemy, which they had brought up. So far as we are aware the hard fighting at Shiloh was over, there was more fighting through the day but it was desultory.
Our loss in this day's (Monday's) fight was heavy again; and of Company E, Bailey Tucker was killed, and W. E. Brothers wounded.
We have a vivid recollection of both day's fighting as far as could be seen and understood by men fighting in the ranks. We observed on both days acts of courage and individual heroism, that could they be shown just as they occur1ed, wculd cause the actors names to be handed down in the pages of history for generations to come.
On Sunday afternoon Frank Crosthwait who was Color Bearer at the time, was lying down watching the enemy reform. He had his chin resting on the spur of an elm tree when he saw a cannon ball coming straight towards him, bouncing and bumping along. He dropped back and moved his head just before the ball struck where his chin rested. The gay little fellow looked back and laughed and remarked that "his head was not there."
Bunk Ridley who |was killed was a member of the second Tennessee, and was furloughed from Virginia, and volunteered to go into this fight with his brother, W. T. Ridley of Company E, was as big hearted and brave a man as ever battled for the Confederate's cause.
Late in the afternoon the retreat back to Corinth commenced; the spare wagons and ambulances filled with the worst wounded, those who were unable to walk. W. E. Brothers, John Neblett and J. T. Shelton casually dropped in together. All were wounded, Brothers in the head, Neblett in the arm and Shelton in the shoulder. Shelton being weakest from loss of blood took position in the center, thus they marched through mud and water, wading swollen streams, until they met the wagons, one of the teamsters was BuckHamilton of Company E.who said "he was ordered to the general hospital, but he'd be d—d if he didn't take this squad back to camp." Soon he had sixteen men of the 20th. in his wagon, when he came to a fellow lying by the road side with a bayonet hole through his thigh, who pleaded piteously to be taken up. Buck said, "you see what I've got, if my boys say so I will take you if it pulls the necks off my mules." The boys said so, and Buck's little mules pulled seventeen men through the mud to Corinth.
The army went into camp at Corinth, Miss., and were drilled incessantly. Our brigade did the provost work for the town, and the pranks and jokes were just such as to make memory pleasant yet to recall. The duty we were on prevented us from engaging in the almost daily skirmishes with the enemy in 'our front.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Smyrna in the Civil War III
The Fresh unit comes across their first battlefield casualty.
When within a few miles of our destination, Col. Battle ordered a halt for a fcv moments saying:— "We must rest a little." We dropped down on the upper side of the road under the shade of some trees. A low ledge of rocks cropped out under a sugar tree, and Brothers sat down on the ledge and leaned back on his knapsack, determined not to sleep, saying : — "twould be too bad to be roused up in a moment." This was about eight oclock in the morning. The next thing he was conscious of was the rear guard of our wagon train passing by at five oclock in the afternoon. He had slept not changing his position for about nine hours. He bestirred himself quickly and with all dilligence pursued his line of march, expecting to be court-martialed for sleeping in the face ofthe enemy. But when he reached camp he found all as sound asleep as he had been, and when they awoke, by making cautious inquiry, he learned he had not been missed. We remained here at Cumberland Ford (Camp Buncker), for some time, drilling, doing guard work, fortifying and picketing the surrounding mountains. We had a false alarm here that excited us very much, and after it was over and we were back in camp, the boys commenced to tell ludicrous yarns on each other which resulted in a number of fisticuffs.
Gen. Felix K. Zollicoffer being in command, sent a detachment to Barboursville, Ky. under command of Col. Battle. Several hundred of the enemy were reported stationed there. He had little trouble in dispersing them, killing—an old sow— and losing one man, Lieut. Powell of the 19th Tennessee. We were doing outpost duty now, and made other similar expeditions into the enemy's country; one to Goose Creek Salt Works. We got the salt, but had no fight.
While stationed here we had quite a number of boys to join us from home as recruits, and our small company was now quite a large one, and had more men for duty than ever before or afterwards. Zollicoffer made the campaign from here against Wild Cat. We passad through Barboursville and London, and after passing London, our advance guard commenced firing, our regiment double-quicked to the right, formed and moved forward, but in the timber we made some little confusion in our line, which caused Col. Battle to scold at us. He said we were "excited." This proved to be a false alarm. Next morning we continued to move along cautiously and after a while our skirmishers struck the enemy's pickets and fired into them, killing one man and driving the rest. It was here we saw our first victim of the batte field, and of all who saw him and are yet living, I suppose not one has forgotten him. He was dressed in citizen's clothes, apparently about twenty-five or twenty-eight years old. He was laid out beside the road, and the boys all showed a disposition to take the other side.
The next morning we moved forward early and were soon within hearing distance of the firing. Company B, under Capt. Wm. Clark was placed on the mountain top and opened up with a heavy volley. Col. Battle now changed his front to meet the expected danger, placing his line near and parallel with the road. The skirmishing continued in our front for a while, but while we were under the skirmish fire and heard many bullets, none of our regiment saw a Yankee, with the exception of Company B, except the dead one the day before ; nor did we lose a man.
Some of the regiments met with some casualities, the nth Tennessee Regiment having some losses. We dropped back to our encampment of the previous night, gave up the job as a failure and made our way, undisturbed, back to our position at Cumberland Ford.
A laughable incident occured just before the Yankee picket was killed. The country abounded iu summer grapes, which were very palatable. The vines extended from the ground very high before reaching the limbs, and every man that could get hold of the vine would do so, and by a united pull would bring down the grapes. Now just before the picket was killed we were marching through a lane; a cedar tree grew in the fence corner with low limbs, and they were loaded with grapes, but the suspense of the battle was on us, and yet we wondered that no one had plucked a grape. Just as Company E was passing, Segt. Mark Sanders, who could always be depended on to break the record, darted in, saying that was his opportunity, and in he went and out he came instanter, with a swarm of hornets around his head. He darted in and out the files swapping his hornets off, causing quite a disturbance in the ranks. We all now understood why the grapes had been unmolested.
We remained at Cumberland Ford only a short time, when we came south through Cumberland Gap, turning westward along the south side of the mountains, passed through Wartburg, Montgomery and other small places to Jimtown in Fentress Co., Tennessee. We remained here only one night, but it was a memorable one. Some of the boys had met with the opportunity of getting their canteens filled with "Pine Top" — a liquid beverage peculiar to that section that was never known to contribute to the discipline of the Military; they made night hideous, some of their utterances are historical with Company B yet. Wild Cat Wild Cat. Some of the best boys (W. B. Sanders and myself, for instance) got forty-eight hours extra duty for their jubilee. I did not mind the extra duty at all, but the lecture that Col. Battle gave me was the worst whipping I ever had.
We continued our march through Monticello, Ky., when one of Company E stole an old neero's hound pup. The negro followed us up, found his pup, but the soldier refused to give it up, claiming that "he found it." The negro appealed to Col. Battle, who restored the pup and had the soldier put under guard. The soldier, who was full of "Pine Top," crawled under the back of the tent and escaped to his mess. He was quite wrathy, and said " that he stole a hound pup and that Col. Battle had treated him worse than a dog." We continued our march until we reached Mill Springs, Ky., where we camped on the south side of Cumberland River until flat boats could be built, on which we crossed.
One morning we were formed early, thirty men were to be picked from each company to cross the river, as we supposed, to do some desperate fighting; we had not time to get breakfast, but marched to the river, crossed over, and were put to work on the road. Imagine our disgust, — the idea was foreign to us, — picked men to work the road, when we considered ourselves the flower of our company and regiment. However, we soon found the Yankees were not near, and then a spectator would have thought we were "picked" to " play off" which we did all the day long. We left camp without breakfast; no dinner came, and the growling grew louder; night came on and no supper,, and we were getting desperate — being picked men.
The officers reported the Yanks coming and tried to make us build breast-works, but we declined to work. Lieut. Albert Roberts did his best, the boys would dropdown and go to sleep and declined to be waked up. Roberts and some other officer drew their swords and charged down the line; the boys hopped over the trenches and went to sleep on the other side. About this time Henry Ware came to W. E. Brothers and W. W. Batey and informed them that he had bought a bee stand, and that it was back a couple of hundred yards and was already open. The trio went back together, and not having eaten anything in thirty hours, eat honey as long as they wanted it, and then went a quarter of a mile to a spring and drank all the water they wanted, — and then they needed a doctor.
Next morning about two oclock our long-looked-for breakfast arrived,—the one we should have had the morning before. After despaching the breakfast, we scattered around outside of general view and slept till daylight; our minds fully made up against volunteering as "picked" men again.
After the army crossed the river we went into camp near by, and built works, and drilled and stood guard, etc. Every few days, a detachment would go out with wagons towards Somerset for forage; occasionally the cavalry would report a little fight with the enemy's cavalry. In the meantime we built winter quarters, but never occupied them. It was a severe winter, mostly rainy weather.
On the 18th of January, 1862, we marched out of camp in the direction of Fishing Creek, on a dark night and a very muddy road. About daylight we formed our line of battle, our regiment and the 15th Mississippi forming the front line, the latter on the right and to the right of the road. As we advanced in this manner and when our regiment was about middle of a stalk field the 15th Mississippi was brought under a heavy fire, which they immediately returned and then charged. Col. Battle moved us by the right flank and then moved close up to the left of the 15th Mississippi, and we were in the battle under a terrific fire. We found the enemy in our front in an open field. We opened on them from a low ridge covered with scattering timber and under-growtb; the enemy retired under our fire from the field to a heavy woods. Both regiments (15th Mississippi and 20th Tennessee) now charged; we went to within perhaps twenty or thirty feet of the fence bordering the wood, some of our men reached the fence and the slaughter was simply terrible. Col. Battle, seeing it was useless, ordered us to retire, the 15th Mississippi retiring with us.
When we had re-crossed the field over which we had charged, the enemy was already in our rear on the road, having come around our flank. We marched past them on a parellel road concealed by underbrush, regaining the road near where we first formed our line in the morning. There was little order or discipline from there back to camp.
Many of our regiment and company failing to reach the road, kept down Fishing Creek to its mouth, and then down the Cumberland River to camp. So close was the pursuit that many of our number passed inside of our works under the enemy's artillery fire. This was our first regular battle, and our company and regiment had suffered dreadfully; it was reported afterwards that in killed, wounded, and captured we had lost forty per cent of the number engaged.
Of the casualities of Company E, Shelton Crosthwaite and Tom Griggs were killed. Capt. Gooch, J. P. Sanders, and R. J. Neal were severely wounded. S. W. Stanfield was wonnded and made prisoner. Our loss was much heavier but the lapse of forty years has so dimmed the memory of the surviving members as to render them incapable of recalling more. Capt. Gooch was borne from the field to camp by W. T. Ridley and others. R. J. Neal was picked up by Frank C. Manier of Company E (who is now blind) ,and Jim Polk Edwards of Company E after having been rendered helpless by the loss of blood and carried out to the road, when Lieut. Mark S. Cockrell had him placed on a caisson and hauled to camp. Sanders fell into the hands of the enemy.
When we first received the enemy's fire they were overshooting the Mississippi Regiment, and it was here Maj. Duffy lost his horse, "Old Roan," the bullet passing through his saddle bags and through the horse; in passing, the ball cut to pieces a pair of new socks some good lady had sent him from home, rendering them useless. When his horse fell he took off the saddle bags and trudged along with them with the rest of us; he was buttoning his over coat while the bullets were rattling amongst the corn-stalks, and together with the roar of guns and artillery some of the boys seemed a little nervous. The Major said, "Boys 'tis pretty rough but that is what we are here for." After reaching camp, the Major proceeded to examine the contents of his saddle-bags, and on finding his socks demolished, he said, "he didn't mind losing his horse so much,
but hated like the d 1 to lose his new socks."
The supposition has always been, that had the day been fair, or had we been armed with precussion guns, the result of that battle would have been far different. It rained nearly all the time and our "Flint Locks" would not fire. Our men lost much time in drawing loads from their guns, the powder having gotten wet in the rain. Many of them never fired a dozen shots. But to their credit, let it be said, — no set of men ever showed more courage on a battle field than the 20th showed at Fishing Cresk; and the Yankees never forgot the lesson we taught them that day.
That night we abandoned our camp and crossed the river on the steam boat, Noble Ellis, all getting safely across by daylight, the boat was burned and we commenced our dismal retreat. Our wagons, ambulances, and artillery were all abandoned. It was in the month of January, and raining nearly all the time. Without rations or shelter, we were forced to march to Gainsboro, Tenn., before we could hope for relief. We often afterwards met with disasters and privations, but never with anything equal to the retreat from Mill Springs to Gainsboro. Here we were met by steam boats from Nashville that brought us the much needed relief, and after having rested for a while we continued our retreat, passing through Lebanon and joining Gen.'Albert Sydney Johnson's Army at Murfreesboro.
When within a few miles of our destination, Col. Battle ordered a halt for a fcv moments saying:— "We must rest a little." We dropped down on the upper side of the road under the shade of some trees. A low ledge of rocks cropped out under a sugar tree, and Brothers sat down on the ledge and leaned back on his knapsack, determined not to sleep, saying : — "twould be too bad to be roused up in a moment." This was about eight oclock in the morning. The next thing he was conscious of was the rear guard of our wagon train passing by at five oclock in the afternoon. He had slept not changing his position for about nine hours. He bestirred himself quickly and with all dilligence pursued his line of march, expecting to be court-martialed for sleeping in the face ofthe enemy. But when he reached camp he found all as sound asleep as he had been, and when they awoke, by making cautious inquiry, he learned he had not been missed. We remained here at Cumberland Ford (Camp Buncker), for some time, drilling, doing guard work, fortifying and picketing the surrounding mountains. We had a false alarm here that excited us very much, and after it was over and we were back in camp, the boys commenced to tell ludicrous yarns on each other which resulted in a number of fisticuffs.
Gen. Felix K. Zollicoffer being in command, sent a detachment to Barboursville, Ky. under command of Col. Battle. Several hundred of the enemy were reported stationed there. He had little trouble in dispersing them, killing—an old sow— and losing one man, Lieut. Powell of the 19th Tennessee. We were doing outpost duty now, and made other similar expeditions into the enemy's country; one to Goose Creek Salt Works. We got the salt, but had no fight.
While stationed here we had quite a number of boys to join us from home as recruits, and our small company was now quite a large one, and had more men for duty than ever before or afterwards. Zollicoffer made the campaign from here against Wild Cat. We passad through Barboursville and London, and after passing London, our advance guard commenced firing, our regiment double-quicked to the right, formed and moved forward, but in the timber we made some little confusion in our line, which caused Col. Battle to scold at us. He said we were "excited." This proved to be a false alarm. Next morning we continued to move along cautiously and after a while our skirmishers struck the enemy's pickets and fired into them, killing one man and driving the rest. It was here we saw our first victim of the batte field, and of all who saw him and are yet living, I suppose not one has forgotten him. He was dressed in citizen's clothes, apparently about twenty-five or twenty-eight years old. He was laid out beside the road, and the boys all showed a disposition to take the other side.
The next morning we moved forward early and were soon within hearing distance of the firing. Company B, under Capt. Wm. Clark was placed on the mountain top and opened up with a heavy volley. Col. Battle now changed his front to meet the expected danger, placing his line near and parallel with the road. The skirmishing continued in our front for a while, but while we were under the skirmish fire and heard many bullets, none of our regiment saw a Yankee, with the exception of Company B, except the dead one the day before ; nor did we lose a man.
Some of the regiments met with some casualities, the nth Tennessee Regiment having some losses. We dropped back to our encampment of the previous night, gave up the job as a failure and made our way, undisturbed, back to our position at Cumberland Ford.
A laughable incident occured just before the Yankee picket was killed. The country abounded iu summer grapes, which were very palatable. The vines extended from the ground very high before reaching the limbs, and every man that could get hold of the vine would do so, and by a united pull would bring down the grapes. Now just before the picket was killed we were marching through a lane; a cedar tree grew in the fence corner with low limbs, and they were loaded with grapes, but the suspense of the battle was on us, and yet we wondered that no one had plucked a grape. Just as Company E was passing, Segt. Mark Sanders, who could always be depended on to break the record, darted in, saying that was his opportunity, and in he went and out he came instanter, with a swarm of hornets around his head. He darted in and out the files swapping his hornets off, causing quite a disturbance in the ranks. We all now understood why the grapes had been unmolested.
We remained at Cumberland Ford only a short time, when we came south through Cumberland Gap, turning westward along the south side of the mountains, passed through Wartburg, Montgomery and other small places to Jimtown in Fentress Co., Tennessee. We remained here only one night, but it was a memorable one. Some of the boys had met with the opportunity of getting their canteens filled with "Pine Top" — a liquid beverage peculiar to that section that was never known to contribute to the discipline of the Military; they made night hideous, some of their utterances are historical with Company B yet. Wild Cat Wild Cat. Some of the best boys (W. B. Sanders and myself, for instance) got forty-eight hours extra duty for their jubilee. I did not mind the extra duty at all, but the lecture that Col. Battle gave me was the worst whipping I ever had.
We continued our march through Monticello, Ky., when one of Company E stole an old neero's hound pup. The negro followed us up, found his pup, but the soldier refused to give it up, claiming that "he found it." The negro appealed to Col. Battle, who restored the pup and had the soldier put under guard. The soldier, who was full of "Pine Top," crawled under the back of the tent and escaped to his mess. He was quite wrathy, and said " that he stole a hound pup and that Col. Battle had treated him worse than a dog." We continued our march until we reached Mill Springs, Ky., where we camped on the south side of Cumberland River until flat boats could be built, on which we crossed.
One morning we were formed early, thirty men were to be picked from each company to cross the river, as we supposed, to do some desperate fighting; we had not time to get breakfast, but marched to the river, crossed over, and were put to work on the road. Imagine our disgust, — the idea was foreign to us, — picked men to work the road, when we considered ourselves the flower of our company and regiment. However, we soon found the Yankees were not near, and then a spectator would have thought we were "picked" to " play off" which we did all the day long. We left camp without breakfast; no dinner came, and the growling grew louder; night came on and no supper,, and we were getting desperate — being picked men.
The officers reported the Yanks coming and tried to make us build breast-works, but we declined to work. Lieut. Albert Roberts did his best, the boys would dropdown and go to sleep and declined to be waked up. Roberts and some other officer drew their swords and charged down the line; the boys hopped over the trenches and went to sleep on the other side. About this time Henry Ware came to W. E. Brothers and W. W. Batey and informed them that he had bought a bee stand, and that it was back a couple of hundred yards and was already open. The trio went back together, and not having eaten anything in thirty hours, eat honey as long as they wanted it, and then went a quarter of a mile to a spring and drank all the water they wanted, — and then they needed a doctor.
Next morning about two oclock our long-looked-for breakfast arrived,—the one we should have had the morning before. After despaching the breakfast, we scattered around outside of general view and slept till daylight; our minds fully made up against volunteering as "picked" men again.
After the army crossed the river we went into camp near by, and built works, and drilled and stood guard, etc. Every few days, a detachment would go out with wagons towards Somerset for forage; occasionally the cavalry would report a little fight with the enemy's cavalry. In the meantime we built winter quarters, but never occupied them. It was a severe winter, mostly rainy weather.
On the 18th of January, 1862, we marched out of camp in the direction of Fishing Creek, on a dark night and a very muddy road. About daylight we formed our line of battle, our regiment and the 15th Mississippi forming the front line, the latter on the right and to the right of the road. As we advanced in this manner and when our regiment was about middle of a stalk field the 15th Mississippi was brought under a heavy fire, which they immediately returned and then charged. Col. Battle moved us by the right flank and then moved close up to the left of the 15th Mississippi, and we were in the battle under a terrific fire. We found the enemy in our front in an open field. We opened on them from a low ridge covered with scattering timber and under-growtb; the enemy retired under our fire from the field to a heavy woods. Both regiments (15th Mississippi and 20th Tennessee) now charged; we went to within perhaps twenty or thirty feet of the fence bordering the wood, some of our men reached the fence and the slaughter was simply terrible. Col. Battle, seeing it was useless, ordered us to retire, the 15th Mississippi retiring with us.
When we had re-crossed the field over which we had charged, the enemy was already in our rear on the road, having come around our flank. We marched past them on a parellel road concealed by underbrush, regaining the road near where we first formed our line in the morning. There was little order or discipline from there back to camp.
Many of our regiment and company failing to reach the road, kept down Fishing Creek to its mouth, and then down the Cumberland River to camp. So close was the pursuit that many of our number passed inside of our works under the enemy's artillery fire. This was our first regular battle, and our company and regiment had suffered dreadfully; it was reported afterwards that in killed, wounded, and captured we had lost forty per cent of the number engaged.
Of the casualities of Company E, Shelton Crosthwaite and Tom Griggs were killed. Capt. Gooch, J. P. Sanders, and R. J. Neal were severely wounded. S. W. Stanfield was wonnded and made prisoner. Our loss was much heavier but the lapse of forty years has so dimmed the memory of the surviving members as to render them incapable of recalling more. Capt. Gooch was borne from the field to camp by W. T. Ridley and others. R. J. Neal was picked up by Frank C. Manier of Company E (who is now blind) ,and Jim Polk Edwards of Company E after having been rendered helpless by the loss of blood and carried out to the road, when Lieut. Mark S. Cockrell had him placed on a caisson and hauled to camp. Sanders fell into the hands of the enemy.
When we first received the enemy's fire they were overshooting the Mississippi Regiment, and it was here Maj. Duffy lost his horse, "Old Roan," the bullet passing through his saddle bags and through the horse; in passing, the ball cut to pieces a pair of new socks some good lady had sent him from home, rendering them useless. When his horse fell he took off the saddle bags and trudged along with them with the rest of us; he was buttoning his over coat while the bullets were rattling amongst the corn-stalks, and together with the roar of guns and artillery some of the boys seemed a little nervous. The Major said, "Boys 'tis pretty rough but that is what we are here for." After reaching camp, the Major proceeded to examine the contents of his saddle-bags, and on finding his socks demolished, he said, "he didn't mind losing his horse so much,
but hated like the d 1 to lose his new socks."
The supposition has always been, that had the day been fair, or had we been armed with precussion guns, the result of that battle would have been far different. It rained nearly all the time and our "Flint Locks" would not fire. Our men lost much time in drawing loads from their guns, the powder having gotten wet in the rain. Many of them never fired a dozen shots. But to their credit, let it be said, — no set of men ever showed more courage on a battle field than the 20th showed at Fishing Cresk; and the Yankees never forgot the lesson we taught them that day.
That night we abandoned our camp and crossed the river on the steam boat, Noble Ellis, all getting safely across by daylight, the boat was burned and we commenced our dismal retreat. Our wagons, ambulances, and artillery were all abandoned. It was in the month of January, and raining nearly all the time. Without rations or shelter, we were forced to march to Gainsboro, Tenn., before we could hope for relief. We often afterwards met with disasters and privations, but never with anything equal to the retreat from Mill Springs to Gainsboro. Here we were met by steam boats from Nashville that brought us the much needed relief, and after having rested for a while we continued our retreat, passing through Lebanon and joining Gen.'Albert Sydney Johnson's Army at Murfreesboro.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Smyrna in the Civil War II
Now organized the men start training far from home and get their first paltry weapons.
Company E, as stated, was organized at Smyrna, Rutherford County, Tennessee in the spring of 1861, (the exact date not recalled.) An effort was being made at both Smyrna and Lavergne to organize a Company. Finally their partial enlistments were united and the organization was completed at Smyrna.
After the organization we drilled nearly every day, sometimes at Smyrna and sometimes at Lavergne, but generally in Mrs. Dr. Gooch's lot on the Jefferson Pike near Smyrna, until June, 1861, when we took the cars for Camp Trousdale. There were either 48 or 49 of us that got on at Smyrna and Lavergne; others following on later. We left the cars at the Chattanooga Depot, marched through the city, crossed the river on the suspension bridge, then had dinner under the trees, the first military dinner we ever ate. We were near the L. & N. tracks, and after a while we boarded the cars and reached Camp Trousdale late in the night. We slept any way we could, for most of us were boys and were very tired and sleepy, and we slept as only tired boys could, and that was with all our might.
Next morning we were in camp near Capt. Joel A. Battle's Company, afterwards Company B, and Capt. Moscow Carter's Company, afterwards Company H. We were mustered in by Col. Pickett, and having only 49 men the Company was too small, so Capt. Battle lent us a few of his men to stand up with us so that the Company could be received. After we had been mustered in, Battle's men returned to their own quarters and we were in for it.
In a few days we were organized into the 20th Tennessee Infantry. Capt. Joel A. Battle of Company B was chosen Colonel. Capt. Moscow Carter of Company H was chosen Lieutenant Colonel, and Patrick Duffy of Company K was chosen Major.
We were now given our Company letter "E," and for four long years we suffered, fought, and made history as such. Our position in the regimental line was the center of the left wing.
On the 8th of June, 1861, the state voted on "separation or no separation," and the soldiers in camp were allowed to vote. The men were formed and marched by companies to the polls and there they voted. The officers of election were citizens of that precinct and we were voting right along, when it came Jack Tucker's time to vote (he was only 14 years old), when one of the officers of election, an elderly man who perhaps thought there ought to be a limit somewhere between the age of twenty
one and the cradle, asked Jack " How old are you young man?" Jack promptly replied "Twenty-one years old, sir." We all laughed heartily, and the balloting proceeded.
We remained at Camp Trousdale for a number of weeks, drilling and having measles, many of us had the measles while there. The hospital was full and we were beginning to realize some of the inconveniences of a soldier's life. Many were furloughed home as soon as convalescent; quite a number of whom were never able to do much service after the disease had left its mark on them.
Henry Tune and Archer Fergus never recovered from the effects of the measles and died early in the war.
We at first stood guard duty with sticks for guns, later on we procured a few antiquated muskets, some of which had not likely been fired since the Revolution; but they had bayonets, and when we proudly walked our beats with real guns on our shoulders, we felt that we were indeed " heroes," but fancy the disgust of one of our young heroes when he drew rammer and dropped it into the barrel to hear it ring — instead of a ring it was a dull thud, the barrel being nearly half full of home-made soap.
We were finally armed with flint lock muskets that would actually shoot (if it was not raining), and they always notified you when they did shoot. Thus armed, equipped, and fairly well drilled, we were put aboard the cars and ordered to Virginia. We passed through Nashville, and were halted long enough to enjoy a splendid dinner, furnished by the citizens and served at the Nashville Female Academy on Church Street near the Chattanooga Depot. < We then proceeded on our way, stopping at Chattanooga to change cars, then on to Knoxville where we were laid over for some reasons for quite a while, during which time several of the boys got out in town and imbibed most too freely, and got into the guard house.
After everything was arranged we proceeded to Bristol, on the State line of Tennessee and Virginia, and there we received the tidings from the first battle of Manassas, which was a complete victory for the South. We remained a few days at Bristol, during which time we received our first regimental flag, presented by the ladies of Nashville, Capt. A. S. Marks of the 17th Tennessee making the presentation speech.
We then boarded the cars and returned to Knoxville and camped near the Fair Grounds, and drilled energetically for several weeks.
The right wing of the Regiment was then ordered to Jacksboro under Col. Battle and Lieut. Col. Moscow Carter; the left wing remained for a short time at Knoxville, and then started on our first march to join the right wing at Jacksboro, and such a march as we made of it; as we were going to Jacksboro, we seemed to have the idea that to " get there" was the proper thing to do, and every fellow started out his own way, regardless of others. The result was that we were soon strung out along the road in squads of any small number: company formations were lost sight of entirely.
We started out in command of Major Pat Duffy, as gallant an Irishman as ever drew blade. It was on this march that the "grand old man " got a little too much of the " how come you so?" and was lost from the battalion— and also from his sword. Finally he came dashing up on "old roan" exclaiming : — "wherein the h—1 is the battalion?"
We all reached Jacksboro however, though it was several days between first and last arrivals.
At this point we remained a short time, drilling, and detachments were sent out to blockade the mountain passes leading north into Kentucky, and nearly every day we marched through Jacksboro back and forth, our field band playing the " Bob Tail Hoss." Who that was along fails to recollect it?
We were then ordered to Cumberland Gap, where we arrived one afternoon about five oclock, and were ordered to prepare three days rations, and be ready to move at nine oclock that evening. We marched promptly at the hour, most of us very tired and sleepy. We were starting on our first campaign. We passed through the Gap over Big and Little Log Mountains, and about ten oclock next morning reached Cumberland Ford, the most completely exhausted set of men imaginable. W. E. Brothers was several times prevented from walking off bluffs on the lower side of the road by myself. W. E. Brothers was sound alseep, walking along the road.
Company E, as stated, was organized at Smyrna, Rutherford County, Tennessee in the spring of 1861, (the exact date not recalled.) An effort was being made at both Smyrna and Lavergne to organize a Company. Finally their partial enlistments were united and the organization was completed at Smyrna.
After the organization we drilled nearly every day, sometimes at Smyrna and sometimes at Lavergne, but generally in Mrs. Dr. Gooch's lot on the Jefferson Pike near Smyrna, until June, 1861, when we took the cars for Camp Trousdale. There were either 48 or 49 of us that got on at Smyrna and Lavergne; others following on later. We left the cars at the Chattanooga Depot, marched through the city, crossed the river on the suspension bridge, then had dinner under the trees, the first military dinner we ever ate. We were near the L. & N. tracks, and after a while we boarded the cars and reached Camp Trousdale late in the night. We slept any way we could, for most of us were boys and were very tired and sleepy, and we slept as only tired boys could, and that was with all our might.
Next morning we were in camp near Capt. Joel A. Battle's Company, afterwards Company B, and Capt. Moscow Carter's Company, afterwards Company H. We were mustered in by Col. Pickett, and having only 49 men the Company was too small, so Capt. Battle lent us a few of his men to stand up with us so that the Company could be received. After we had been mustered in, Battle's men returned to their own quarters and we were in for it.
In a few days we were organized into the 20th Tennessee Infantry. Capt. Joel A. Battle of Company B was chosen Colonel. Capt. Moscow Carter of Company H was chosen Lieutenant Colonel, and Patrick Duffy of Company K was chosen Major.
We were now given our Company letter "E," and for four long years we suffered, fought, and made history as such. Our position in the regimental line was the center of the left wing.
On the 8th of June, 1861, the state voted on "separation or no separation," and the soldiers in camp were allowed to vote. The men were formed and marched by companies to the polls and there they voted. The officers of election were citizens of that precinct and we were voting right along, when it came Jack Tucker's time to vote (he was only 14 years old), when one of the officers of election, an elderly man who perhaps thought there ought to be a limit somewhere between the age of twenty
one and the cradle, asked Jack " How old are you young man?" Jack promptly replied "Twenty-one years old, sir." We all laughed heartily, and the balloting proceeded.
We remained at Camp Trousdale for a number of weeks, drilling and having measles, many of us had the measles while there. The hospital was full and we were beginning to realize some of the inconveniences of a soldier's life. Many were furloughed home as soon as convalescent; quite a number of whom were never able to do much service after the disease had left its mark on them.
Henry Tune and Archer Fergus never recovered from the effects of the measles and died early in the war.
We at first stood guard duty with sticks for guns, later on we procured a few antiquated muskets, some of which had not likely been fired since the Revolution; but they had bayonets, and when we proudly walked our beats with real guns on our shoulders, we felt that we were indeed " heroes," but fancy the disgust of one of our young heroes when he drew rammer and dropped it into the barrel to hear it ring — instead of a ring it was a dull thud, the barrel being nearly half full of home-made soap.
We were finally armed with flint lock muskets that would actually shoot (if it was not raining), and they always notified you when they did shoot. Thus armed, equipped, and fairly well drilled, we were put aboard the cars and ordered to Virginia. We passed through Nashville, and were halted long enough to enjoy a splendid dinner, furnished by the citizens and served at the Nashville Female Academy on Church Street near the Chattanooga Depot. < We then proceeded on our way, stopping at Chattanooga to change cars, then on to Knoxville where we were laid over for some reasons for quite a while, during which time several of the boys got out in town and imbibed most too freely, and got into the guard house.
After everything was arranged we proceeded to Bristol, on the State line of Tennessee and Virginia, and there we received the tidings from the first battle of Manassas, which was a complete victory for the South. We remained a few days at Bristol, during which time we received our first regimental flag, presented by the ladies of Nashville, Capt. A. S. Marks of the 17th Tennessee making the presentation speech.
We then boarded the cars and returned to Knoxville and camped near the Fair Grounds, and drilled energetically for several weeks.
The right wing of the Regiment was then ordered to Jacksboro under Col. Battle and Lieut. Col. Moscow Carter; the left wing remained for a short time at Knoxville, and then started on our first march to join the right wing at Jacksboro, and such a march as we made of it; as we were going to Jacksboro, we seemed to have the idea that to " get there" was the proper thing to do, and every fellow started out his own way, regardless of others. The result was that we were soon strung out along the road in squads of any small number: company formations were lost sight of entirely.
We started out in command of Major Pat Duffy, as gallant an Irishman as ever drew blade. It was on this march that the "grand old man " got a little too much of the " how come you so?" and was lost from the battalion— and also from his sword. Finally he came dashing up on "old roan" exclaiming : — "wherein the h—1 is the battalion?"
We all reached Jacksboro however, though it was several days between first and last arrivals.
At this point we remained a short time, drilling, and detachments were sent out to blockade the mountain passes leading north into Kentucky, and nearly every day we marched through Jacksboro back and forth, our field band playing the " Bob Tail Hoss." Who that was along fails to recollect it?
We were then ordered to Cumberland Gap, where we arrived one afternoon about five oclock, and were ordered to prepare three days rations, and be ready to move at nine oclock that evening. We marched promptly at the hour, most of us very tired and sleepy. We were starting on our first campaign. We passed through the Gap over Big and Little Log Mountains, and about ten oclock next morning reached Cumberland Ford, the most completely exhausted set of men imaginable. W. E. Brothers was several times prevented from walking off bluffs on the lower side of the road by myself. W. E. Brothers was sound alseep, walking along the road.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Smyrna in the Civil War I
During the Civil War communities organized units that fought together for the entirety of the conflict. The story of the Smyrna/LaVergne company is told in the book "History of the Twentieth Tennessee Regiment Volunteer Infantry, C.S.A." written by William Josiah McMurray. This book due to its age is now in the public domain so I plan this week to share the parts on Company E of the Twentieth Tennessee Regiment. The book is downloadable for those who wish to read more.
COMPANY "E"
Bv Ralph J. Nkal.
Company E, of the twentieth Tennessee Volunteer Infantry, was raised in the spring of 1861, in the vicinity of Smyrna, Rutherford County, and was considred a Rutherford County Company, although it had several members from the adjoining counties of Williamson and Davidson. This Company came from one of the best sections of the country and its members from some of the best families in the State.
Company E at its organization elected that young and courtly gentleman, John S. Gooch, as their Captain and at once boarded the cars at Smyrna, the nearest depot, and was taken to Camp Trousdale before they were sworn into service.
Its organization was as follows :—
Captain J. S. Gooch, who was severely wounded at Fishing Creek, Kentucky, made Lieutenant Colonel at re-organization, resigned at Vicksburg; lives now on his farm near Smyrna, Rutherford County Tennessee.
First Lieutenant S. M. Weekley, served one year and then retired; living on his farm near Smyrna, Rutherford County, Tennessee.
Second Lieutenant Dr. A. A. East served one year, then transfered to Cavalry, wounded at Shiloh, died since the war.
Third Lieutenant Harvey Ralston, made Captain at re-organization and resigned at Vicksburg, Mississippi, died since the war.
First Sergeant Lucian Weakley, wounded at Chickamauga and died from effects of same.
Second Sergeant M. M. Sanders, wounded in many battles, was made Second Lieutenant at re-organization, afterwards promoted to First Lieutenant and served as such to the close of the war, and now lives in Texas.
Third Seargent Buck Hunter, served for a time, then hired a substitute and returned home. Died of cholera soon afterwards.
Fourth Sergeant Gid. Smart, served faithfully one year and was honorably discharged.
First Corporal, Geo. Edmondson, died in early part of the war.
Second Corporal J. W. Peyton, was made Third Lieutenant at re-organization, afterwards promoted to Seoond Lieutenant and wa« killed at Chickamauga.
Third Corporal S. J. Buchanan, served one year and was discharged under age, lives at present in Nashville.
Fourth Corporal W. T. Ridley, was made First Lieutenant at the re-organization, promoted to Captain at Vicksburg, Miss and served as such to close of the war. Was wounded at Shiloh, Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge, died at Franklin, Tennessee September 21, 1902.
Adcock, Tom. was killed since the war by falling tree.
Batey, W. 'W. was wounded at Chickamauga and Nashville, was made Sergeant soon after Shiloh battle. Captured at Nashville and remained prisoner till last of February 1865, was exchanged and sent to Richmond March nth, 1865. Remained in hospital there until evacuation, then went to Danville Virginia, and was furloughed from there April 9th, 1865 and was paroled at Kingston, Georgia, May 12th, 1865. Lives at Tunnel Hill, Georgia.
Brothers, W. E. was made Sergeant at re-organization, Third Lieutenant at Murfreesboro, 1862, afterward promoted to Second Lieutensnt, and served as such to close of the war, was wounded at Shiloh and Nashville. Lives at Wichita Falls, Texas.
Brewer, Klisha. Lives in Davidson County, Tennessee.
Bond, Nathaniel. Was discharged over age at the expiration of one year. Died since the war.
Crosthwaite, Frank. Was made First Lieutenant at Vicksburg and was killed at Murfreesboro.
Crosthwaite, Sheldon. Killed at Fishing Creek.
Cowan, S. M. Color Guard. Dead'
Collins, Tom. Died since the war.
Collins, Eb. Lives in Davidson County, Tennessee'
Carter, W. J. Was discharged under age, afterwards joined Cavalry and served to end of war. Dead.
Covington, T. L. Lives in Wilson County, Tennessee.
Covington, Jos. Lives in Arkansas.
Crutcher, J. W. Was killed at Shiloh.
Corder, J. A. Died since the war.
Davis, Geo. W. Captured at Missionary Ridge and died in prison.
Davis, Marion. Killed at Hoover's Gap.
Davis, Henry. Killed at Murfreesboro.
Edwards, T. K. P. Was discharged under age.
Espey, J. C. Was wounded at Shiloh, died since the war.
Eaks, G. D. Became demented and died since the war.
Elden, B. F. Lives in Arkansas.
Elden, Geo. Wounded at Murfreesboro and died.
Ferris, Jos. Lives at Mount View, Tennessee.
Fergus, Archer. Died early in the war from effects
of measles.
Griggs, Tom. Was killed at Fishing Creek.
Griggs, Wiley. Was killed at Kennesaw Mountains.
Hartman, Wm. Lives near Cane Ridge, Tennessee.
Hartman, Jack. Lives near Lavergne.
Holland, O. C. Was captured at Missionary Ridge. Died since the war in Texas.
Harris, Newt. Lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
Hamilton, W. A. Was transfered to Cavalry service at Dalton, Georgia, and served to end of war, lives near Lavergne Tennessee.
Hill, J. R. Dead.
Hunter, Tom. Dead.
Hedgepath, Elisha. Liviug in Wilson County.
Humfelt, Geo. Was killed at Murfreesboro.
Irvin, A. J. Was made First Sergeant, afterwards Third Lieutenant, and killed on 22nd of July 1864, near Atlanta, Ga.
Ingle, James. Was wounded at Hoover's Gap, afterwards lost sight of.
Jones, Tom. Died since the war.
Jones, Dick. Died since the war.
Jamison, S. M. Died since the war.
Jamison, Tom. Dead.
Latimer, P. S. Wounded at Murfreesboro and Chikamauga, was made Sergeant while we were in Mississippi, lives in Sheffield, Alabama.
Lintner, Jno. Served through the war, after several years residence in Tennessee, returned to his home in Pennsylvania. Lewis, Tom. Lives in Williamson County, Tennessee.
Martin, W. D. Was made Corporal, wounded at Shiloh and Franklin, died in 1902 at his residence in Rutherford County.
Mason, M. S. .Wounded severely at Chickamauga, died in a few days.
Montgomery, J. B. Lives near Lavergne, Tennessee
McLaughlin, Wm. Was not an enlisted man, but served with Company E until killed at Shiloh.
Mullins, J. V. Lives near Lavergne, Tennessee.
Mullins, James. Sickened and died early in war.
McMennamy, Luke. Was killed by cars early in 1861.
Mason, Jno. B. Whereabouts unknown.
Neal, G. A. Was wounded severely at Chickamauga and afterwards retired from service on account of disability from wounds, lives in Tresevant Tennessee.
Neal,-W. P. Wounded at Murfreesboro, lives near Lavergne, Tennessee.
Neal, Ralph J. Was wounded at Fishing Creek, Kennesaw Mountain, Atlanta, and three times slightly at Franklin, now lives near Couchville, Tennessee, surrendered at Greensboro, North Carolina.
Noe, Acquilla. Died since war of cancer.
Neblett, Jno. In Confederate Soldiers Home, Tennessee.
Perry, Henry. At last account was in West Tennessee.
Robertson, Jack. Died in 1903.
Robertson, James. Lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
Robertson, Andrew. Lives in Meridian, California.
Ridley J. K. P. Was left in Tennessee in Hoods raid and got with cavalry and served till surrender at Gainsville, Alabama.
Ridley, Geo. Sickened and died early in the war.
Sloan, R. D. Dead.
Swain, B. F. Was made Corporal at Murfreesboro, committed suicide by taking ground glass since the war.
Stanfield, S. W. Wounded at Fishing Creek and made prisoner, exchanged at Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1862, dead.
Shelton, J. P. Severely wounded at Shiloh, transfered to Cavalry service afterwards, and was made Lieutenant, lives in. Indian Territory near Durant.
Sanders, L. N. Was made Corporal early in the war, served as acting assistant Surgeon until discharged in 1862.
Sanders, Jno. A. Was wounded at Murfreesboro and died from effects of wound.
Sanders, Jno. P. Was severely wounded at Fishing Creek and was retired from service.
Sanders, Mortimer. Sickened and died early in the war.
Sanders, W. B. Was made First Sergeant while in Mississippi, lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
Sanders, Garrett. Died early in the war.
Sparrow, Alfred. Was transferred to Artillery early in the war,
Tucker, W. G. Killed at Shiloh.
Tucker, Jack. Discharged under age.
Tune. Henry. Sickened and died early in the war.
Towns, Hubbard. Died at Mill Springs, Kentucky 1862.
Vardell W. A. Wounded and left for dead at Shiloh, but was exchanged at Vicksburg, Mississippi, was transferred to Cavalry, and still lives somewhere in Robertson County Tennessee.
Vinson, Bud. Killed at Murfreesbo.
Ware, Henry. K1lled by citizens in Wilson County.
White, R. H. Discharged under age. Lives in Rtherford County.
White, J. A. Died since the war.
Whitfield. T. H. Lives in Williamson County, Tennessee. Walden, G. W. Wounded at Murfreesboro and Chickamauga, and died.
Walden, Sam. A. Wounded at Kennesaw Mountain and lives at Rockvale, Rutherford County Tennessee.
Walden, Pat. Thought to have been murdered.
Warren, Jos. Discharged over age. Died since the war.
Warren, Henry. Dead.
Worrell, Silas. Lives in West Tennessee.
Williams, Sam. Died early in the war.
Woods, Jack. Lives at Fruitland in West Tennessee.
Holloway, Hugh. Died early in the war of measles. Total Rank and File 108.
Thanks for viewing this section. This series will run for a bit over a week as the unit is followed from the dusty first days training in Smyrna to the final dropping of the Confederate flag.
COMPANY "E"
Bv Ralph J. Nkal.
Company E, of the twentieth Tennessee Volunteer Infantry, was raised in the spring of 1861, in the vicinity of Smyrna, Rutherford County, and was considred a Rutherford County Company, although it had several members from the adjoining counties of Williamson and Davidson. This Company came from one of the best sections of the country and its members from some of the best families in the State.
Company E at its organization elected that young and courtly gentleman, John S. Gooch, as their Captain and at once boarded the cars at Smyrna, the nearest depot, and was taken to Camp Trousdale before they were sworn into service.
Its organization was as follows :—
Captain J. S. Gooch, who was severely wounded at Fishing Creek, Kentucky, made Lieutenant Colonel at re-organization, resigned at Vicksburg; lives now on his farm near Smyrna, Rutherford County Tennessee.
First Lieutenant S. M. Weekley, served one year and then retired; living on his farm near Smyrna, Rutherford County, Tennessee.
Second Lieutenant Dr. A. A. East served one year, then transfered to Cavalry, wounded at Shiloh, died since the war.
Third Lieutenant Harvey Ralston, made Captain at re-organization and resigned at Vicksburg, Mississippi, died since the war.
First Sergeant Lucian Weakley, wounded at Chickamauga and died from effects of same.
Second Sergeant M. M. Sanders, wounded in many battles, was made Second Lieutenant at re-organization, afterwards promoted to First Lieutenant and served as such to the close of the war, and now lives in Texas.
Third Seargent Buck Hunter, served for a time, then hired a substitute and returned home. Died of cholera soon afterwards.
Fourth Sergeant Gid. Smart, served faithfully one year and was honorably discharged.
First Corporal, Geo. Edmondson, died in early part of the war.
Second Corporal J. W. Peyton, was made Third Lieutenant at re-organization, afterwards promoted to Seoond Lieutenant and wa« killed at Chickamauga.
Third Corporal S. J. Buchanan, served one year and was discharged under age, lives at present in Nashville.
Fourth Corporal W. T. Ridley, was made First Lieutenant at the re-organization, promoted to Captain at Vicksburg, Miss and served as such to close of the war. Was wounded at Shiloh, Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge, died at Franklin, Tennessee September 21, 1902.
Adcock, Tom. was killed since the war by falling tree.
Batey, W. 'W. was wounded at Chickamauga and Nashville, was made Sergeant soon after Shiloh battle. Captured at Nashville and remained prisoner till last of February 1865, was exchanged and sent to Richmond March nth, 1865. Remained in hospital there until evacuation, then went to Danville Virginia, and was furloughed from there April 9th, 1865 and was paroled at Kingston, Georgia, May 12th, 1865. Lives at Tunnel Hill, Georgia.
Brothers, W. E. was made Sergeant at re-organization, Third Lieutenant at Murfreesboro, 1862, afterward promoted to Second Lieutensnt, and served as such to close of the war, was wounded at Shiloh and Nashville. Lives at Wichita Falls, Texas.
Brewer, Klisha. Lives in Davidson County, Tennessee.
Bond, Nathaniel. Was discharged over age at the expiration of one year. Died since the war.
Crosthwaite, Frank. Was made First Lieutenant at Vicksburg and was killed at Murfreesboro.
Crosthwaite, Sheldon. Killed at Fishing Creek.
Cowan, S. M. Color Guard. Dead'
Collins, Tom. Died since the war.
Collins, Eb. Lives in Davidson County, Tennessee'
Carter, W. J. Was discharged under age, afterwards joined Cavalry and served to end of war. Dead.
Covington, T. L. Lives in Wilson County, Tennessee.
Covington, Jos. Lives in Arkansas.
Crutcher, J. W. Was killed at Shiloh.
Corder, J. A. Died since the war.
Davis, Geo. W. Captured at Missionary Ridge and died in prison.
Davis, Marion. Killed at Hoover's Gap.
Davis, Henry. Killed at Murfreesboro.
Edwards, T. K. P. Was discharged under age.
Espey, J. C. Was wounded at Shiloh, died since the war.
Eaks, G. D. Became demented and died since the war.
Elden, B. F. Lives in Arkansas.
Elden, Geo. Wounded at Murfreesboro and died.
Ferris, Jos. Lives at Mount View, Tennessee.
Fergus, Archer. Died early in the war from effects
of measles.
Griggs, Tom. Was killed at Fishing Creek.
Griggs, Wiley. Was killed at Kennesaw Mountains.
Hartman, Wm. Lives near Cane Ridge, Tennessee.
Hartman, Jack. Lives near Lavergne.
Holland, O. C. Was captured at Missionary Ridge. Died since the war in Texas.
Harris, Newt. Lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
Hamilton, W. A. Was transfered to Cavalry service at Dalton, Georgia, and served to end of war, lives near Lavergne Tennessee.
Hill, J. R. Dead.
Hunter, Tom. Dead.
Hedgepath, Elisha. Liviug in Wilson County.
Humfelt, Geo. Was killed at Murfreesboro.
Irvin, A. J. Was made First Sergeant, afterwards Third Lieutenant, and killed on 22nd of July 1864, near Atlanta, Ga.
Ingle, James. Was wounded at Hoover's Gap, afterwards lost sight of.
Jones, Tom. Died since the war.
Jones, Dick. Died since the war.
Jamison, S. M. Died since the war.
Jamison, Tom. Dead.
Latimer, P. S. Wounded at Murfreesboro and Chikamauga, was made Sergeant while we were in Mississippi, lives in Sheffield, Alabama.
Lintner, Jno. Served through the war, after several years residence in Tennessee, returned to his home in Pennsylvania. Lewis, Tom. Lives in Williamson County, Tennessee.
Martin, W. D. Was made Corporal, wounded at Shiloh and Franklin, died in 1902 at his residence in Rutherford County.
Mason, M. S. .Wounded severely at Chickamauga, died in a few days.
Montgomery, J. B. Lives near Lavergne, Tennessee
McLaughlin, Wm. Was not an enlisted man, but served with Company E until killed at Shiloh.
Mullins, J. V. Lives near Lavergne, Tennessee.
Mullins, James. Sickened and died early in war.
McMennamy, Luke. Was killed by cars early in 1861.
Mason, Jno. B. Whereabouts unknown.
Neal, G. A. Was wounded severely at Chickamauga and afterwards retired from service on account of disability from wounds, lives in Tresevant Tennessee.
Neal,-W. P. Wounded at Murfreesboro, lives near Lavergne, Tennessee.
Neal, Ralph J. Was wounded at Fishing Creek, Kennesaw Mountain, Atlanta, and three times slightly at Franklin, now lives near Couchville, Tennessee, surrendered at Greensboro, North Carolina.
Noe, Acquilla. Died since war of cancer.
Neblett, Jno. In Confederate Soldiers Home, Tennessee.
Perry, Henry. At last account was in West Tennessee.
Robertson, Jack. Died in 1903.
Robertson, James. Lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
Robertson, Andrew. Lives in Meridian, California.
Ridley J. K. P. Was left in Tennessee in Hoods raid and got with cavalry and served till surrender at Gainsville, Alabama.
Ridley, Geo. Sickened and died early in the war.
Sloan, R. D. Dead.
Swain, B. F. Was made Corporal at Murfreesboro, committed suicide by taking ground glass since the war.
Stanfield, S. W. Wounded at Fishing Creek and made prisoner, exchanged at Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1862, dead.
Shelton, J. P. Severely wounded at Shiloh, transfered to Cavalry service afterwards, and was made Lieutenant, lives in. Indian Territory near Durant.
Sanders, L. N. Was made Corporal early in the war, served as acting assistant Surgeon until discharged in 1862.
Sanders, Jno. A. Was wounded at Murfreesboro and died from effects of wound.
Sanders, Jno. P. Was severely wounded at Fishing Creek and was retired from service.
Sanders, Mortimer. Sickened and died early in the war.
Sanders, W. B. Was made First Sergeant while in Mississippi, lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
Sanders, Garrett. Died early in the war.
Sparrow, Alfred. Was transferred to Artillery early in the war,
Tucker, W. G. Killed at Shiloh.
Tucker, Jack. Discharged under age.
Tune. Henry. Sickened and died early in the war.
Towns, Hubbard. Died at Mill Springs, Kentucky 1862.
Vardell W. A. Wounded and left for dead at Shiloh, but was exchanged at Vicksburg, Mississippi, was transferred to Cavalry, and still lives somewhere in Robertson County Tennessee.
Vinson, Bud. Killed at Murfreesbo.
Ware, Henry. K1lled by citizens in Wilson County.
White, R. H. Discharged under age. Lives in Rtherford County.
White, J. A. Died since the war.
Whitfield. T. H. Lives in Williamson County, Tennessee. Walden, G. W. Wounded at Murfreesboro and Chickamauga, and died.
Walden, Sam. A. Wounded at Kennesaw Mountain and lives at Rockvale, Rutherford County Tennessee.
Walden, Pat. Thought to have been murdered.
Warren, Jos. Discharged over age. Died since the war.
Warren, Henry. Dead.
Worrell, Silas. Lives in West Tennessee.
Williams, Sam. Died early in the war.
Woods, Jack. Lives at Fruitland in West Tennessee.
Holloway, Hugh. Died early in the war of measles. Total Rank and File 108.
Thanks for viewing this section. This series will run for a bit over a week as the unit is followed from the dusty first days training in Smyrna to the final dropping of the Confederate flag.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Preparing for an emergency
La Vergne has impressed me with there openness to discuss emergency planning. They have gone so far as to have an "Local Emergency Planning Committee", For those who suffered the Flood of 2010 here in Smyrna I was impressed with the response of our town, but am a hint disappointed that we do not have open discussions on the subject. I would love for Smyrna to offer classes such as La Vergne does.
Status Update
By La Vergne, Tennessee
Today the LaVergne Senior Center is reviewing "Home Emergency Preparedness" and "Basic CPR" at 10:00am. These sessions will be followed by B-I-N-G-O at 12:00noon. If you're 60 or over, please stop by and join the fun!
Monday, September 19, 2011
It's Monday — everybody works on Monday
Good morning this lovely Monday morning. Here are for your convenience the job listings for local municipalities.
Smyrna...nadda
laVergne...remember that these open a PDF document and are not webpage links.
Payroll Clerk 2011 (Posted 8/12/2011 until Filled)
Seasonal Parks Maintenance Laboror (Temporary) (Posted 8/02/2011 until filled)
Water Laborer 2011 (Posted 9/12/2011 until 9/26/2011)
Murfreesboro...these also open PDF documents.
Information Technology Director
Fire Trainee / Firefighter
Crew Leader – Maintenance
Part-Time Mini Bus/Van Driver
Rutherford county has for you thr following.
Domestic Violence Court Assistant
Part-Time Kennel Attendant
I wish I had more to share. Good luck.
Smyrna...nadda
laVergne...remember that these open a PDF document and are not webpage links.
Payroll Clerk 2011 (Posted 8/12/2011 until Filled)
Seasonal Parks Maintenance Laboror (Temporary) (Posted 8/02/2011 until filled)
Water Laborer 2011 (Posted 9/12/2011 until 9/26/2011)
Murfreesboro...these also open PDF documents.
Information Technology Director
Fire Trainee / Firefighter
Crew Leader – Maintenance
Part-Time Mini Bus/Van Driver
Rutherford county has for you thr following.
Domestic Violence Court Assistant
Part-Time Kennel Attendant
I wish I had more to share. Good luck.
Monday, September 12, 2011
It's Monday — everybody works on Monday
This is likely the worst I've seen for the weekly roundup for open positions in local governments. To start Smyrna has nothing to offer job wise. The hiring freeze is understandable, and seasonal jobs that had the summer looking good are now gone.
LaVergne does have a few.
Library Clerk 2011 (Part-Time) (Posted 08/24/2011 until Filled)
Payroll Clerk 2011 (Posted 8/12/2011 until Filled)
Seasonal Parks Maintenance Laboror (Temporary) (Posted 8/02/2011 until filled)
Murfreesboro has about the same number as last time.
FULL-TIME
Information Technology Director
Fire Trainee / Firefighter
Crew Leader – Maintenance
PART-TIME
Part-Time Mini Bus/Van Driver
Rutherford County proper just has 2 openings.
Animal Control Officer
Part-Time Kennel Attendant
I wish there were more openings, but the pickings are slim this week.
LaVergne does have a few.
Library Clerk 2011 (Part-Time) (Posted 08/24/2011 until Filled)
Payroll Clerk 2011 (Posted 8/12/2011 until Filled)
Seasonal Parks Maintenance Laboror (Temporary) (Posted 8/02/2011 until filled)
Murfreesboro has about the same number as last time.
FULL-TIME
Information Technology Director
Fire Trainee / Firefighter
Crew Leader – Maintenance
PART-TIME
Part-Time Mini Bus/Van Driver
Rutherford County proper just has 2 openings.
Animal Control Officer
Part-Time Kennel Attendant
I wish there were more openings, but the pickings are slim this week.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Being prepared.
The Governor has declared September as National Preparedness month. 
With that in mind, and the memory of the great flood last year you might want to go to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and see what you might do to prepare for possible problems in the future. Most are as common sense as having some extra canned food set back, some bottled water, medical records in one area if you need to grab and run. A lot of people in Smyrna had to leave and their houses were cut off for days, and poor LaVergne at one point had all roads to it cut off and closed. Being prepared does not cost much, but you can reap great rewards from just a little forethought today.
With that in mind, and the memory of the great flood last year you might want to go to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and see what you might do to prepare for possible problems in the future. Most are as common sense as having some extra canned food set back, some bottled water, medical records in one area if you need to grab and run. A lot of people in Smyrna had to leave and their houses were cut off for days, and poor LaVergne at one point had all roads to it cut off and closed. Being prepared does not cost much, but you can reap great rewards from just a little forethought today.
Monday, September 5, 2011
It's Monday — everybody works on Monday
Here is a roundup of the jobs being offered by local municipalities.
Smyrna....all listed are past the filing deadline. Rather depressing.
LaVergne has 4 for you.
Smyrna....all listed are past the filing deadline. Rather depressing.
LaVergne has 4 for you.
Library Clerk 2011 (Part-Time) (Posted 08/24/2011 until Filled)Murfreesboro
Payroll Clerk 2011 (Part-Time) (Posted 8/12/2011 until Filled)
Seasonal Parks Maintenance Laboror (Temporary) (Posted 8/02/2011 until filled)
Storm Water Laborer 2011 (Posted 8/24/2011 until 09/07/2011)
FULL-TIMERutherford County
GENERAL & ADMINISTRATION
Information Technology Director
Accountant
PART-TIME
ST. CLAIR STREET SENIOR CENTER
Part-Time Mini Bus/Van Driver
PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT
Football Official
PAWS (Pet Adoption and Welfare Services)Well that is it for the local governments. Good luck.
Animal Control Officer
Ambulance Service
Communication Supervisor
PAWS (Pet Adoption and Welfare Services)
Part-Time Kennel Attendant
Monday, August 29, 2011
It's Monday — everybody works on Monday
Everybody works on Monday and here are the local government openings that might interest you.
Smyrna has NO jobs listed as open on their Human Resources page. A real let down for those who desire short commutes.
LaVergne has the following
Murfreesboro is a hint short this week.
Rutherford county has pretty much the same as last weeks listing.
Smyrna has NO jobs listed as open on their Human Resources page. A real let down for those who desire short commutes.
LaVergne has the following
Payroll Clerk
2011 (Part-Time) (Posted 8/12/2011 until Filled)
Seasonal
Parks Maintenance Laboror (Temporary) (Posted 8/02/2011 until filled)
Storm Water
Laborer 2011 (Posted 8/24/2011 until 09/07/2011)
Murfreesboro is a hint short this week.
FULL-TIME
GENERAL & ADMINISTRATION
Information
Technology Director
Accountant
PART-TIME
ST. CLAIR STREET SENIOR CENTER
Part-Time
Mini Bus/Van Driver - $13.11 hourlyCDL with P endorsement required
PARKS
AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT
Football Official - $27.80 per game
Rutherford county has pretty much the same as last weeks listing.
PAWS (Pet Adoption and Welfare Services)This weeks listings are a bit short, and I do hope that next week there is more to offer you.
Animal
Control Officer
Ambulance Service
Communication
Supervisor
Soil Conservation
Part-Time
Soil Conservationist District Assistant
Trustee Office
Part-Time
SeasonalDeputy Trustee
PAWS (Pet Adoption and Welfare Services)
Part-Time
Kennel Attendant
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