Advance to Pine Knob--Battle at that Place--A Forward Movement.
At 5 o’clock on the morning of June 6th, the army pushed forward after
the retreating enemy. When about two miles from Ackworth Station
he makes a stand, and we wheel into line, the Twenty-ninth acting
as skirmishers while the other troops were engaged in preparing
rifle-pits. The Fourteenth corps now came up, forming on our left,
and General Howard’s Fourth corps on our right. The position remained
the same until June 10th, when the Twenty-ninth Ohio is sent forward
on a reconnoissance. A large force of rebels are found to be strongly
entrenched on Pine mountain. At dark the regiment returned to the main
line, where the situation remains unchanged until June 14th, when our
entire force move forward. The Twentieth, with the Fourth corps on
its left, take position immediately in front of the rebel army, on
Pine mountain. At evening the Twenty-ninth was again advanced to the
skirmish line, and was engaged, as was our artillery, throughout the
greater part of the night. On the following day, June 15th, occurs the
battle of Pine Knob, Georgia.
At early dawn our regiment pushed forward as the advance of a general
flank movement on Pine mountain, which resulted in its capture without
severe fighting. The Twentieth corps was changed from the front to
the right. Moving rapidly in that direction it soon reached another
strongly entrenched position of the enemy, when the column made a
left half wheel, which brought the first brigade of Geary’s division
directly in front of Pine Knob.
This position of the enemy was found to be strongly fortified. Twenty
embrazures, from which as many cannon bristled, covered all the
approaches to it. General Hooker ordered General Geary to send two
regiments in a sortie against the rebel position, and the Twenty-ninth
Ohio and Twenty-eighth Pennsylvania regiments, the latter on our left,
were at once forwarded to the assault. General Hooker, mounted on his
famous gray charger, advanced with us, immediately in rear of our line.
The general’s presence greatly encouraged the men in this desperate
undertaking.
On the hill were the twenty cannon, which we knew would soon belch
forth destruction to our ranks. The two regiments silently but rapidly
cross a ravine where they encounter two rebel regiments. These proved
to be the First and Twenty-ninth Georgia. We opened fire briskly and
charging upon them soon drove them in disorder to the rear.
We pursued them so hotly that our standard-bearer was at one time
within a few paces of the rebel Twenty-ninth Georgia colors, which we
were making desperate efforts to capture. The rebel color-bearer was
shot, but their flag was grasped again by another rebel who escaped
with it into their fortification. But the regiment to which he belonged
was nearly annihilated before it succeeded in regaining its main line.
Our regiment had rushed upon them forcing them back step by step until
they were under cover, and we had succeeded in killing, wounding,
and taking prisoners all except the little handful who escaped with
the flag. At the moment of their escape we made a dash to carry
their fortifications, but were checked by abattis and a deep trench
hidden by brush. At this point their artillery opened with murderous
discharges of grape and canister, which produced terrible destruction
in our ranks. Still the line stands firm. Another instant and our men
are laying flat upon the ground and the deadly missiles go hissing
harmlessly through the air over our heads. We now open a fire upon
their cannoniers, so deadly in its character that the guns are soon
silenced.
Night was fast coming on when our line was ordered to fall back to a
more secure position. The men now engage in the erection of earthworks
within a few rods of the rebel fort on the knob, which placed the
Twenty-ninth Ohio in the extreme front, our flanking regiments assuming
a circular position on our right and left rear. We were under fire all
night, the rebel infantry and artillery keeping up an almost continuous
rattle in their endeavors to drive our men from their labors on the
fortifications. Despite this, however, we held our position, though
suffering a constant loss in our ranks.
Just at daybreak on the 16th instant the Sixty-sixth Ohio, of our
brigade from the reserve, relieved us; we, however, left them well
protected by the strong earthworks constructed during the night.
The Twenty-ninth Ohio regiment went into this action with two hundred
members, of whom thirty-nine were killed and wounded. Among the
killed was First Sergeant Joel E. Tanner, one of our bravest men.
Soon after his death his commission reached us promoting him to a
captaincy for bravery in action. God help that little wife of his in
her far away northern home to bear his death bravely as the wife of
a soldier should, even though all her hopes and bright anticipations
seem shattered by the blow. Generals Joe Hooker and Geary announced
in warm terms their admiration of the “gallant manner in which the
Twenty-ninth Ohio and Twenty-eighth Pennsylvania regiments conducted
themselves in the assault on Pine Knob.” The former remarked that
taking into consideration the deadly fire we were exposed to, we had
accomplished that which he never saw so small a force attempt before.
As he was present in the assault his opinion is of value.
Sharp skirmishing and artillery firing continued along the line during
the day. At night the Twenty-ninth regiment moved to the front,
relieving the Sixty-sixth Ohio regiment. It was nearly morning when we
discovered that the enemy were withdrawing their artillery. We at once
advanced and possessed the rebel fortifications on the hill with little
trouble, as the artillery had already withdrawn and the infantry were
rapidly following. After daylight we pushed forward, only to find the
enemy in another strong position, which we at once attacked. A rambling
fire was kept up during the entire day.
During the following day (June 18th) the same state of affairs
continued, the firing extending along our entire front. At an early
hour next morning the enemy retreated, and we moved in pursuit, the
Twenty-ninth Ohio regiment, as usual, in the advance as skirmishers.
Why, I believe the “boys” would have rebelled had they not been put
on the skirmish line whenever there was a prospect of somebody being
killed on our side. Rapidly we gained possession of two lines of hills,
and soon found the enemy upon a third ridge, strongly fortified. A
skirmish of two hours’ duration ensues, and we are ordered to fall back
to the main line, as support to Bundy’s Thirteenth New York battery.
June 20th the Twenty-ninth regiment and its brigade are in line three
miles southwest of Marietta, Georgia, and skirmished all day with the
enemy. As night came on our division moved to the right, forming on the
right of Butterfield’s Third division. Our regiment was again on the
skirmish line, and in active engagement during the greater part of the
night. The next morning we formed line of battle near Culp’s farm and
to the right of Little Kenesaw mountain. At about 11 A. M. our regiment
was withdrawn from the skirmish line, and at once began throwing up
rifle-pits parallel with works of Williams’ First division on our right
and Butterfield’s on our left. The Third brigade of the Second division
now advanced and engaged the enemy, our single line affording feeble
protection in the event of an attack on our position.