[Illustration:
_J. W. Langley_,
(Late Colonel of the 125th Volunteer Infantry.)
]
The 125th Regiment
Illinois Volunteer Infantry.
Attention Battalion!
[Illustration]
BY ROBERT M. ROGERS,
Late Second Sergeant Co. B.
CHAMPAIGN, ILL.
GAZETTE STEAM PRINT.
1882.
_To the Memory_
—OF THOSE—
Officers and Enlisted Men,
Who leaving the endearments and comforts of
home, willingly came at their country's call to her service,
and on her altar yielded up their lives,
this book is affectionately dedicated by the
AUTHOR.
INTRODUCTION.
COMRADES AND FRIENDS:
In presenting to you this record of our military life and of the time we
passed in the service of the Government, we have done it with the hope
that our efforts will be appreciated by you. Our desire has been to make
this a record, which we can leave behind us after we are gone, to those
who may come after us. We have done our best to make it reliable and
correct. There may be mistakes in it—undoubtedly there are; but the
general statements are correct, we know, while the incidents recounted
are true, as many of you will aver after you have read them. We have had
to labor under great difficulties in preparing for your inspection and
benefit these pages, and at times have almost become discouraged, but we
persevered, and at last succeeded in getting them into a shape which we
thought would warrant us in placing them in the hands of the printer,
and distributing them among you. Between the covers of the book you will
find not only a record of our marches, battles, and bivouacs, but also a
complete roster of the Regiment, showing what became of every man who,
on the 3rd day of September, 1862, was mustered into the service of the
United States in the 125th Illinois; whether he died on the field of
battle, was taken prisoner, transferred to other organizations, or was
mustered out with the Regiment at Chicago, when only 343 of the original
one thousand who filled the Regiment when we left home, answered to
their names. If he is buried in any Government Cemetery, the number of
his grave is given. Hoping that our endeavors to make, for the regiment,
a record which shall be not only valuable but also entertaining, and one
which shall meet with your approbation, we place it in your hands for
perusal.
But be assured that not one word has been written in these pages with
the intention of wounding any one's feelings in the least. Far from it!
We have too much good feeling for those lads who with us marched through
"Dixie," to do anything to give them pain.
Again, hoping you will be pleased with our endeavors we remain
Yours Truly,
ROBERT M. ROGERS.
[Illustration]
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I
The organization of the Regiment—Rendezvous at Danville—We start for
Cincinnati, etc., etc.
CHAPTER II
Arrival at Cincinnati—Camp in the corn-stalk huts at Covington,
Kentucky—Incidents of Camp Life, etc., etc.
CHAPTER III
First night on picket—Asleep on post—Shooting at Capt. Fellows by
picket—Receiving the mules necessary for transportation—Incidents
connected therewith, etc., etc.
CHAPTER IV
Down the Ohio to Louisville, Kentucky—Arrival of Buell's army—Camp
on river bank—Removal to the cattle-pen, etc., etc.
CHAPTER V
Our lessons in soldiering just begun—The Brigade formed—The
appearance of Louisville at this time—Futile endeavors to get
discharged by some of our warriors, etc., etc.
CHAPTER VI
We leave Louisville for the South—Foraging—Sickness in the
regiment—First death in Co. B., etc., etc.
CHAPTER VII
Interview with Sheridan—We reach Bardstown—Locked up—Speedy release,
etc., etc.
CHAPTER VIII
Battle of Perrysville—Incidents of the fight—The Regiment's "baptism
of fire"—First bayonet charge, etc., etc.
CHAPTER IX
Reflections on the battle of Perrysville—Arrival at night of the
supply train—A ramble over the battle-field—Scenes and incidents,
etc., etc.
CHAPTER X
March to Crab Orchard—Description of the country—Blankets and
knapsacks—Missing—How Doc. McElroy lost his blanket, etc., etc.
CHAPTER XI
The march to, and arrival at, Bowling Green—Relinquishment of
Buell's command of the army to Genl. Rosecrans—Better hopes—First
issue of the army hat, etc., etc.
CHAPTER XII
We reach Edgefield—Another interview with Sheridan—Sales of coffee,
etc., etc.
CHAPTER XIII
First inspection—New kind of ammunition—Our hopes not
realized—Description of condition of Nashville as left by the
rebel army, etc., etc.
CHAPTER XIV
In camp on the hills—Cotton bale breastworks—Tents issued to
us—Visitors from God's country—The theatres—Stores and hotels,
etc., etc.
CHAPTER XV
Garrison duty at Nashville—Battle of Stone River—Description of the
battle, etc., etc.
CHAPTER XVI
Court Martial in camp—The culprit's revenge—Corp. Duncan's interview
with the captain at the Custom House, etc., etc.
CHAPTER XVII
Arrival of the Pay Master—Emancipation Proclamation—We receive our
dog tents, etc., etc.
CHAPTER XVIII
March to Murfreesboro'—Arrive at Lavergne—Appearance of
Murfreesboro'—Granger orders some of the boys to be flogged, but
is restrained, etc., etc.
CHAPTER XIX
March to Reed's Bridge—Run into rebel wagon train—Almost trapped—The
battle of Chickamauga, etc., etc.
CHAPTER XX
Farewell of Genl. Rosecrans—"Pap" Thomas assumes command—Caldwell's
Ford—Scarcity of rations, etc., etc.
CHAPTER XXI
An unusual reveille—Death of the Chaplain—Battle of Missionary
Ridge.
CHAPTER XXII
Battle of Missionary Ridge continued—Defeat of the rebels—March to
Knoxville, etc., etc.
CHAPTER XXIII
Assault on Kenesaw—Death of the Colonel—Visit to the hospital—Scenes
connected therewith—Incidents of personal bravery, etc., etc.
CHAPTER XXIV
The cracker-box fortification—Mining the rebel works—Description of
Cheatham and Hindman, etc., etc.
CHAPTER XXV
The move to the right—Marietta evacuated—The Union Army masters
north and west of the Chattahoochie, etc., etc.
CHAPTER XXVI
Atlanta—Sherman's letter vindicating his order—Of the removal of
citizens, etc., etc.
CHAPTER XXVII
Destruction of Atlanta—We start for the sea—Occupation of
Milledgville—Joy of the contrabands, etc., etc.
CHAPTER XXVIII
Our stay at Savannah—Appearance of the city—Chuck-a-luck—Visit to
the Wissahicken, etc., etc.
CHAPTER XXIX
Still at Savannah—Oysters and fresh fish—Commencement of the
campaign through South Carolina—Foraging—Destruction of Columbia,
etc., etc.
CHAPTER XXX
Cheraw—The dash on our cavalry by Hampton—Battle of Averysboro' and
Bentonville—Occupation of Goldsboro'.
CHAPTER XXXI
Again on the move—News of Lee's surrender—After Johnson "red
hot"—The convention for his surrender, etc., etc.
CHAPTER XXXII
The news reaches us of the death of the President—Feeling of the
army—Basis of agreement for Johnston's surrender.
CHAPTER XXXIII
The rejection by the Cabinet of the terms—Johnston is notified that
Sherman "will move on him in forty-eight hours"—Arrival of General
Grant, etc., etc.
CHAPTER XXXIV
The final surrender—Arrival at Richmond—March to
Washington—Departure for Chicago, etc., etc.
CHAPTER XXXV
Arrival at Chicago—Reception at Union Hall—Speeches of T. B. Ryan,
Esq., General Sherman, and Colonel Langley, etc., etc.
MISCELLANEOUS SKETCHES.
Rome. A Confederate Christmas. Bad meat. Public execution at
Nashville. Drawing rations. Blue Ridge. Raids on the suttler. John
Kirsch and Tom Makemson's rice trip. Mrs. Dr. Mary Walker. The
Monkly fox. Roast goose or gander. The rescued negroes. Our trip
after Forrest. Personal mention. Lt. Geo. Scroggs, Sergt. S. C.
Abbott, Lt. John J. White. Our color Bearers, Asbury D. Finlay,
Harvey S. Tryon, Sergt. Wm. L. Thralls. Resolutions on the
Emancipation Proclamation. Resolutions passed by Senate and House
of Representatives of the State of Louisiana. Order announcing
suspension of hostilities. Order for Grand Review at Richmond.
General Sherman's farewell order to the Army. Regimental report of
the Atlanta campaign. Regimental report from the fall of Atlanta
to the fall of Savannah. Regimental report of Colonel Langley from
leaving Savannah until the battle of Bentonville. Regimental
report of Captain Cook during and after the battle of Bentonville,
to Goldsboro, N. C. Roster of Commissioned Officers. Roster of
enlisted men, giving the fate of every man, if buried in soldiers'
cemetery, the number of his grave. Brigade reports. Lee and
Gordon's Mills to Atlanta, Atlanta, Florence and Savannah,
Troublefield Swamps or Bentonville, N. C.
CHAPTER I.
The One Hundred and Twenty-Fifth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry,
was mustered into the service of the United States, on the third day of
September, Eighteen Hundred and Sixty Two, to serve for three years or
during the war. The Regiment was made up in the counties of Champaign
and Vermilion. Champaign furnishing three companies and Vermilion seven.
These companies averaged ninety men each; making a total of nine hundred
men, rank and file. The Regiment came into the field under the call for
"three hundred thousand more," to assist in putting down what had been
familiarly called by some, a "tempest in a tea pot." Four years of
bloody strife, and millions of treasure, proved that it was the most
tumultuous "tea pot tempest," that ever was heard of in this or any
other land. The companies rendezvoused at Danville, the county seat of
Vermilion County, and went into camp on the old "Fair Grounds,"
utilizing the sheds and booths that had been put up there for the
exhibition of cattle, sheep, etc. Here it was that comparative order was
obtained out of chaos. The companies were composed of men in the prime
of life, who had, for the most part, been engaged in farming, and were
used to out-door life; the best material to make soldiers of that could
be procured in any land. The commander of the Regiment was Oscar F.
Harmon, a young and promising lawyer of Danville; the Lieut. Colonelcy
was filled by J. W. Langley, of Champaign, who was also a member of the
bar. The Major was John B. Lee, of Vermilion, a civil engineer by
profession; while from the busy marts of trade came the Adjutant, Wm.
Mann, of Danville. The Surgeon was John J. McElroy, of Vermilion; the
Assistant Surgeon, C. H. Mills, of Champaign; the Chaplain, Levi
Sanders, of Vermilion, while from Champaign came the Quartermaster, A.
M. Ayres. The companies were officered as follows:
Co. _A_. Capt. Clark Ralston; 1st. Lt. Jackson Charles; 2nd. Lt.
Harrison Low; Enlisted men, eighty-six.
Co. _B_. Capt. Robt. Stewart; 1st. Lt. W. R. Wilson; 2nd. Lt. S. D.
Connover; Enlisted men, eighty-eight.
Co. _C_. Capt. W. W. Fellows; 1st. Lt. Alexander Pollock; 2nd. Lt. Jas.
D. New; Enlisted men, eighty-eight.
Co. _D_. Capt. Geo. W. Galloway; 1st. Lt. Jas. B. Stevens; 2nd. Lt. John
L. Jones; Enlisted men, eighty-six.
Co. _E_. Capt. N. M. Clark; 1st. Lt. W. G. Isom; 2nd. Lt. John Urquhart;
Enlisted men, eighty-seven.
Co. _F_. Capt. F. B. Sale; 1st. Lt. John B. Lester; 2nd. Lt. Alfred
Johnson; Enlisted men, ninety-two.
Co. _G_. Capt. John H. Gass; 1st. Lt. Eph. S. Howell; 2nd. Lt. Josiah
Lee; Enlisted men, ninety.
Co. _H_. Capt. P. M. Parks; 1st. Lt. D. A. Brenton; 2nd. Lt. J. C.
Harbor; Enlisted men, eighty-six.
Co. _I_. Capt. Levin Vinson; 1st. Lt. John E. Vinson; 2nd. Lt. Stephen
Brothers; Enlisted men, ninety-six.
Co. _K_. Capt. Geo. W. Cook; 1st. Lt. Oliver P. Hunt; 2nd. Lt. Joseph F.
Crosby; Enlisted men, one hundred and two.
Life in camp at Danville, was passed as camp life usually is. The
regular routine of guard duty, drilling, etc., etc., until one evening
at "Dress Parade," our Colonel informed us that we would break camp, and
leave for Cincinnati on the following day, and that the number of our
Regiment was the One Hundred and Twenty-Fifth. We had been furnished,
while in camp, with everything that was necessary for a soldier in the
field, excepting tents. The arms which were given us were what were
called the "Austrian Rifle," and a poor arm they were. Some of them were
not entirely drilled out, and any quantity of them had springs that
would not snap a cap, nor on which a bayonet could be fastened without
hammering. If we were merely going out for a picnic or a procession, the
Regiment was splendidly equipped, but if we were bound for the front, it
would have been a matter of little difficulty for a small force of the
enemy to have routed us, unless we were given a chance to use the
"butts" of our guns, for in that shape only would they have been
reliable.
At this stage of the war, when the private soldier received but thirteen
dollars per. month, it was patriotism, and not a desire for wealth, that
filled the ranks of the Union Army. So, with fifes and drums playing the
old tune to which so many have marched to their graves, "The Girl I left
behind me," and with our banners gaily floating on the breeze, we
started for the seat of war. A train of cattle cars was to be our
conveyance, and on them we clambered. The usual scenes, incident to the
departure of a Regiment from home, took place: wives parting from their
husbands, children from their fathers and fathers from their children;
all phases of the human heart were to be seen there. The lingering clasp
of the fond wife, the last kiss of the children, the hearty hand shake
and a "God speed you, and bring you back safe" of a friend; the men
trying to hide their emotions with a forced smile or witty saying. But
at last "all aboard," the engine whistled, the bell rang, and amid the
cheers of the crowd, away we went, some to their graves. Oh! how many?
The rest of us to return at the expiration of the war, for that was the
term of our enlistment. Looking back from this late day, the scenes, the
events, the recollections of that time, are as bright and vivid in the
mind of the writer, as if they had transpired but yesterday. I know not
how it was with other companies in the Regiment, but in the one to which
the writer belonged, only one man showed the "white feather," at the
last moment. He was left laying on the floor of "Floral Pavilion" in the
"Fair Grounds," according to his own language, "so sick he did not know
what to do." He may have been so, or he may not; at any rate there was
not much sympathy shown for him, as we marched off leaving him there,
the sole inhabitant of the place.
We have taken rides on the cars which were much more enjoyable, much
more comfortable, than that night ride from Danville to LaFayette. The
weather was pleasant, however, and there was a full moon; but the cars
had no tops, and our eyes were filled with the smoke and cinders from
the engine. We thought it the extreme of hardship, and an insult to pack
us away like dumb brutes, on such cars; but before we again saw that
road, we had seen the time we would have been only too glad to have a
chance to ride that way. But we were young, in the prime of life, and
our hearts were cheered with the thought that we were doing our duty,
and so with laugh and song we whiled away the hours until we arrived at
Cincinnati.