On the morning of the 16th of May, 1863, a day long to be remembered
by some of us. We were called into line at an early hour, but some
time elapsed before the plan of the march was decided upon by the
generals. Finally Osterhos and Carr moved by the way of Raymond, and
Hovey and Logan by the way of Champion Hill. General Quinby was in
the rear guarding the trains.
After we had advanced a few miles we met some straggling rebels who
reported that the rebels were in full force on the Raymond Road, but
had pitched their battle ground on Champion Hill, near the forks of
the road.
After a six-mile march we ran up against the rebels, posted in a
natural fortification, made by the circling road that curved round
the hill. Logan moved his division up and took a position on the
extreme right flank, in line of battle. Hovey’s division was formed
next to Logan’s and Osterhos’, Carr’s and Smith’s division were on
the left on the Raymond Road.
At ten o’clock Company A was ordered on to the skirmish line. We
charged up within sixty yards of the main rebel line which was formed
in the edge of the woods. This brought on the engagement and it was
general all along the lines of Logan and Hovey. Our company having
one man wounded, while getting here, fell down in a hollow. The air
above us was blue, and the roaring of the guns and the whizzing of
shot and shell was fearful.
At one time I thought that Company A was lost. The rebels in a solid
mass, charged one of Logan’s batteries, which was 150 yards to our
right and rear. They were repulsed with great slaughter, and they
were driven back past us faster than they had come. It was terrible
to look upon the slaughter of that desperate charge. The only musket
balls which I ever saw used, were at this place. By the use of them
the rebels in our front tried to shell us out of that hollow ravine.
The 11th Indiana and 29th Wisconsin of our brigade charged on our
left, driving the rebels out of the road. They also captured a
battery and took 160 prisoners. General Logan’s division charged on
our right, and drove the enemy in a mass, back in front of Hovey’s
division. There was cheering all along the line because the boys
thought that we had the rebels routed. But they had only fallen back
to mask their forces and draw Hovey’s division into a trap.
Our regiment moved up and gave three cheers on account of holding our
part of the skirmish line so near the enemy. Our company joined on to
our regiment and moved two hundred yards to the left flank at the top
of the hill. This was where the 11th Indiana had taken a battery.
We faced the enemy and charged down the hill. On we went, unmindful
of the death and destruction which we were running into. Not a shot
was fired to warn us of the danger, until we were in nineteen steps
of a masked division. Fifteen to one hundred of them came up out of
the ditches. They were to our right flank and rear, not over 200
yards from where we had started down the hill.
Regiment after regiment poured death and destruction into our ranks
until we had only a little squad left, to rally around the flag. At
the first volley the most of our little battalion fell, dead and
wounded. I dropped into a ditch and loaded and fired three shots at
the rebels. They were so close that I could see the whites of their
eyes.
It seemed as though the hill was filled with rebels. On they came and
I had to get up and change my position. When about half way up the
hill, I ran into a squad fighting hand to hand. Here was the place
where the old 24th almost lost its flag, and also, Colonel Barter
almost lost his hand. The colors were shot out of it and the flag
staff was split into three pieces. Corporal Steel carried the flag
off of the field.
We could not get reinforcements and the chance of any of us being
saved was a forlorn hope, but just at the last moment, we were saved
by reinforcements. They came into line on the right at the top of the
hill. We were a mixed up bunch, but those brave Missouri and Iowa
boys, the 3rd, 5th and 6th Missouri and the 10th Iowa, saved us. When
the rebel host saw our solid line of reinforcements they became panic
stricken. They were so excited that the last load that they fired
they did not return their ramrods, but fired them into our faces,
threw down their guns, and fled for safe quarters.
We had won the day, but Hovey’s and Logan’s divisions had paid dearly
for their prize. At four o’clock the enemy fell back in confusion.
They were being hard pressed on all parts of the lines and they made
no stand until they reached Black River Bridge, which place they had
well fortified.
The rebels, on their retreat, had left many dead to be buried in
fence corners.
Our division, commanded by General A. P. Hovey, was composed of the
following troops: the 11th, 24th, 34th, 46th and 47th Indiana; 29th
Wisconsin; 24th Iowa; 56th Ohio; and 22nd Kentucky.
The loss of our division was 1,500 killed and wounded. The loss in
our regiment was 259. Our company loss was 22. Two of our boys were
taken prisoners. The number of men when we went into the charge had
been 480. Our brigade having suffered the greatest loss, was left on
the field to care for the wounded and bury the dead.
At night a heavy picket was placed around the battlefield, for fear
that the rebel general, Loring, who had cut through our lines, would
come back and make a night attack on our little worn-out force that
had been left on the field of battle.
No person except those who were pickets on that field, that dark
night, can imagine the horrors of that awful bloody field of death
and destruction. The groans of hundreds of wounded and dying could
be heard on the still night air, and one could imagine that they saw
them in their mangled condition, begging for water and calling on God
for help. “War is hell.”
The rebel loss at Champion Hill had been as heavy as our own, and we
also captured 4,000 of their men as prisoners, and took twenty-two
pieces of their artillery.
On the morning of the 17th, the still air was disturbed by the
belching cannon at Black River Bridge. Osterhos and Logan charged
the works at daylight, driving the rebels out and putting them to
fight in the direction of Vicksburg, their last stronghold. Several
prisoners and four pieces of artillery were taken. The enemy set the
bridge on fire, thus checking the advance of the union forces. But
they were not to be hindered in that way, for they were soon crossing
on pontoons. On the morning of the 18th General Grant was forming his
lines around Vicksburg.
May 19th, 1863, having cared for the wounded and buried the dead, our
little shattered brigade took up our line of march. After a march of
ten miles we came to Black River Bridge.
General Sherman crossed Black River some distance above here on his
return from the capture of Jackson, Mississippi. On the night of
the 19th, he charged the enemy at Haines Bluffs, where he had been
defeated about the 23rd of December, the year before. This time he
was successful in capturing the fort. He then established his lines
on our extreme right. The capturing of Haines Bluffs connected us
with our base of supplies above Pittsburg. We had been on less than
quarter rations for twenty days.
At Haines Bluffs, Sherman captured several prisoners and took some
heavy guns. He also forced the enemy back to their main defenses at
Vicksburg.
On the morning of the 20th, we took up our line of march. We left
Black River Bridge at 4 p. m. We marched until twelve o’clock at
night. We moved up near our troops which were establishing their
lines around Vicksburg.