HEADQUARTERS 21ST MO. INF. VOLS. }
MEMPHIS, TENN., JULY 18TH, 1864. }
LIEUT. SAM’L D. SAWYER,
A. A. GEN’L., 1ST BRIGADE.
LIEUTENANT:--I have the honor to report the part taken by the 21st
Mo. Infantry Volunteers at the battle of Tupelo on the 14th day of
July, 1864. About 6 o’clock a. m. we were formed in line of battle
with the brigade, the 119th Illinois Infantry Volunteers being on
our left and the 58th Illinois Infantry on our right. About 7:30 a.
m. the enemy opened on us with artillery, which continued until 9
o’clock a. m., when they advanced their infantry in line of battle,
driving in our skirmishers precipitately. They came within twenty
paces of our line when I gave the order to fire and immediately
after to advance. The fire was well directed and took the enemy by
surprise, who fled in great disorder, with the regiment in pursuit,
and for fifteen or twenty minutes a continuous and deadly fire was
poured in upon them; its effect was visible on the field. There being
no enemy in sight after advancing four hundred and fifty yards, we
returned to our former position and were not again attacked during
the day, although frequently subjected to a heavy artillery fire. The
officers and men of the command behaved with the utmost gallantry,
obeying every order with that promptness which secures success. Our
loss was one man killed and fifteen wounded.
EDWIN MOORE,
Lieut.-Col. 21st Mo. Inf. Vols., Com.
On the day following the Tupelo fight the command was ordered back
to Memphis. On the same day, while encamped for dinner, we were
attacked by the Confederates who were, however, repulsed after a
lively skirmish, and the men resumed their meal. This time they were
allowed to eat in peace and to finally reach Memphis without any
further brushes with the enemy. On August 5th the regiment was sent
on another excursion in pursuit of the Confederate General Forrest,
who was reported to be rendezvousing in the vicinity of Memphis. On
the Talahatchie river they first encountered the enemy, when a lively
skirmish took place. This was on August 9th. The next brush with the
Confederates occurred on the 12th, and again at Hurricane Creek on the
13th. Oxford, a distance of one hundred and fifty miles from Memphis,
was reached August 22d. Here, after meeting and repulsing the enemy,
startling news was received from Memphis, by courier, to the effect
that Forrest had captured and was in possession of the city. There
was an immediate call to arms and in double quick time the command
was hurried on the journey back to recapture the city. They arrived,
however, to find that the Confederate leader had been in the city but
had taken his departure.
On September 5th, 1864, the regiment embarked on the steamer W. R.
Wallace for Cairo, Ill. They were confined on board transports at
Cairo when orders were received to proceed to St. Louis to assist in
repelling the invasion of Missouri by the Confederates under Gen.
Price. On arriving at St. Louis the regiment was moved down the Iron
Mountain R. R., to De Sota, to intercept Gen. Price, who was reported
at or near Pilot Knob. Gen. Price failed to show up at that point but
was reported moving in the direction of Jefferson City. On learning
this fact the command was hastily put on cars and returned to Jefferson
Barracks, near St. Louis. Then commenced the long, weary march after
Price, through Central Missouri, going by way of Franklin, Jefferson
City, Sedalia, Lexington and Independence. The command came up with
the rear guard of the enemy at Little Blue, about three miles west
of Independence, on October 23d. Here, after skirmishing, they were
routed. Gen. Price being harassed by Federal troops, both front and
rear, commenced retreating out of the State, the infantry following him
south to Harrisonville, where the chase was abandoned by the infantry,
the cavalry following him on into Arkansas. The infantry returned
towards St. Louis, marching by way of Pleasant Hill, Lexington and
Glasgow, where they crossed over to the north side of the Missouri
river; resuming the march from the river, by way of Fayette, Columbia,
Warrenton, High Hill and St. Charles, where the command crossed back
to the south side of the Missouri river, marching to and arriving in
St. Louis on the 23d of November. On this pursuit after Gen. Price
the division, with which was the 21st Missouri, made a forced march
of fifty-six miles, which was the longest continued march known in
military history.
On the trip back to St. Louis the command was being continually annoyed
by Quantrell’s and Anderson’s guerrillas, and lost several men killed
by these outlaws.
Gen. A. J. Smith, commanding the 16th Army Corps, having received
orders to report to Gen. George H. Thomas at Nashville, Tenn., the 21st
Missouri embarked on board the steamer Mars en route for Nashville,
where they arrived on the 30th of November. Leaving the steamer,
the 21st was moved out two miles southwest of the city and threw up
breastworks to assist in repelling the attack of the Confederate
General Hood, which was hourly expected. Hood appeared on December the
1st and began a regular siege of Nashville, which continued until the
15th of December, when Gen. Thomas moved out of his intrenchments,
hurling the 16th Corps, which held the position on his right, against
Hood’s left. The enemy was driven back, doubling his left flank back
on his center, capturing a number of prisoners and several pieces of
artillery. The night of the 15th closed in with Hood’s crushed and
bleeding army driven back to a strongly fortified position in the
Brentwood Hills, some three miles from the position he held in the
morning. The battle was resumed early on the morning of the 16th, with
varying results until 3 p. m., when Gen. Thomas, seeing the decisive
moment had come, ordered a general assault, and Hood’s broken and
reeling columns were sent whirling down the pikes in the direction of
Columbia, Tenn. Thus ended the vain boast of President Davis, at Macon,
made to the Tennessee troops after the capture of Atlanta by Sherman:
“Tennesseeans, be of good cheer; you will soon see the green fields of
Kentucky.” The remnant of the proud army that had dealt Gen. Sherman
so many crushing blows was hurrying to make its escape across the
Tennessee river--to escape complete annihilation.
On the morning of the 17th of December, 1864, the 16th Corps, under
Gen. A. J. Smith, was ordered in pursuit of Gen. Hood’s fleeing
army. The pursuing army followed to Clifton, by way of Pulaski, and
arrived at Clifton on the 2d of January. Here they embarked on board
transports en route for Eastport, Miss., where they arrived on the 7th
of January, 1865, and went into camp, remaining in camp and performing
usual routine duty until February 9th, when they embarked on transports
for New Orleans, where they landed on February 21st. They remained in
New Orleans in camp until March 22d, when they took steamer and were
carried, by way of Lake Pontchartrain and the Gulf, to Dauphin Island,
at the foot of Mobile Bay, where they camped, arriving on the 24th. A
few days afterwards another move was made to Spanish Fort, near Mobile,
_via_ Fish river and a land march. The Fort was invested and captured
on April 8th. On the 3d of April the division, in which was the 21st
regiment, began operations against Fort Blakely, taking part in the
many skirmishes in the approach and siege of that important Confederate
stronghold, and in its final capture on April 9th. In the charge on the
fortifications on the 9th, the 21st had two color bearers killed and
was the first regiment to plant its flag on the ramparts. In the charge
the loss of the regiment was heavy, about equal to that of the whole
brigade.
We had at Blakely the rumor of Lee’s surrender, during the afternoon
of the charge and capture of the fort. The bugle sounded the charge at
6 o’clock p. m. and in seven and one-half minutes the fort surrendered.
This was the last battle of the war. The Federal loss was two thousand
killed and wounded. We captured thirty-two cannon and four thousand
prisoners. Thus the 21st Missouri was engaged in the last battle of the
war as well as in one of the first.
On April 13th the 21st Regiment marched with the 16th Corps to
Montgomery, Alabama, arriving on the 27th and going into camp two miles
northeast of the city. Here they remained in camp until June 1st,
when they were taken, with the brigade, to Providence Landing, on the
Alabama River, reaching there June 4th, and embarked on a steamer the
same day for Mobile. On the arrival of the regiment at Mobile they went
into camp in the suburbs. Here they remained, doing outpost and other
guard duty until March, when they were ordered to Fort Morgan for duty,
and on April 19th, 1866, were mustered out.
This was the last day of the organization known as the 21st Missouri
Infantry Volunteers. After their long and arduous labors in defence
of their country came the soldiers’ reward--an honorable discharge
from the service and then the going home to family and loved ones. But
there was many a long drawn sigh, for who among the survivors of this
heroic band failed to recall some gallant comrade, who, full of pride
and patriotic ambition, left the Missouri home never to return. On this
battle field and that one their bodies lay buried; a soldier’s grave,
unmarked and unidentified; a family of expectant loved ones, in fond
old Missouri, waiting and watching in vain. But this was war, the cruel
war now over.
Camp was broken on the 19th of April, 1866, and with their discharges
the men took their departure for their Missouri homes.