IN EAST TENNESSEE.
At an early hour in the morning of September 10th, the familiar call
of "assembly" sounded once more. Camp was quickly broken, and at eight
o'clock the regiment was on the march for Tennessee. Having the head
of the column we did not find the march a severe one, though the roads
were rough; and at five o'clock P.M., after a tramp of eleven miles,
we halted for the night at Mount Vernon. More than one hundred and
fifty of the regiment were left at Crab Orchard on the sick list, too
feeble to march, but most of them rapidly gaining strength; and if the
regiment could have remained there a week longer many of them would
have been in the ranks again, for active service.
September 11th _reveillé_ was sounded at half-past three o'clock A.M.,
and we marched at five. The sun was hot and the roads rough; country
mountainous, and thinly settled. We marched fifteen miles, and at night
bivouacked on the bank of Little Rockcastle river. A courier from
General Burnside brought stirring news from the front, of the capture
of Cumberland Gap, and its garrison of over two thousand rebels.
September 12th the regiment marched eight miles, and went into camp at
noon. A severe thunder-shower came up at night; the baggage being far
behind, and the field and staff without any tents, Lieutenant Tuttle,
in charge of the division ambulance corps, kindly provided a tent for
the use of the head-quarters.
September 13th, Sunday, we lay quietly in camp,--a very welcome
rest,--for the men were getting very footsore from the rough Kentucky
roads. It would be hard to find worse ones even in rocky New England.
September 14th we were on the march at five A.M., and moving rapidly
until after one P.M., a distance of fourteen miles. Between eleven
and twelve o'clock the regiment halted by the roadside and witnessed
the passage under guard of the rebel prisoners captured at Cumberland
Gap. They numbered about twenty-two hundred, and consisted of the
Sixty-second and Sixty-fourth North Carolina, Fifty-ninth Georgia, and
a Virginia regiment of infantry and some artillery. It was generally
conceded that they were a very forlorn-looking set, and would fare
much better as prisoners than as fire-eaters. General Frazer, their
commander, was with them, riding in an ambulance. It appeared that
they had been led to believe that the Ninth Corps had surrounded them,
and they were much disgusted to find they had surrendered to the
Twenty-third Corps, which was composed of new troops.
Between sunrise and noon of the 15th we marched fourteen miles, and
encamped at Barboursville, on the Cumberland river. Before marching
this morning, a detail of three officers (Captain Holmes, Lieutenants
Hodgkins and Davis), and six men left us, for the purpose of returning
to Massachusetts, and bringing out the conscripts assigned to the
Thirty-sixth Regiment, according to orders received at Nicholasville.
September 16th the regular order for some days had been _reveillé_ at
half-past three and move at five A.M., and this day was no exception
to the rule. The march was slow and quite easy,--only ten miles. The
regiment was in camp by ten o'clock A.M., and had a good long day to
rest.
There is very little level ground in Eastern Kentucky, and the luck
of the regiment seemed to be to camp on side-hills, where some care
had to be exercised to avoid rolling off. To prevent sliding down hill
endwise, a log or rail was laid at the foot of the tent and secured.
This proved a very good foot-board. We remained at this place until
the 19th, and the paymaster arrived. No person was more welcome in
camp, or received such general attention. The adjutant gave checks, on
the city banks of Worcester, for the large sum of $3,917.50. This fact
is very creditable, and a good index of the solid, frugal character of
the men, who, though their wants were numerous and our popular sutler
was present with a good stock, did not forget the little family of
loved ones at home; but in many cases, to the writer's knowledge, sent
home their hard-earned pay to the last dollar.
September 18th it rained in torrents all day, and seemed very much
like the equinoctial storm. The order to march at six this morning was
countermanded, though the regiment was up at half-past four o'clock,
and all ready.
September 19th, on the march at six A.M. The roads were badly washed by
the storm, or rather the places where the roads were; for they could be
called little better than cow-paths. We crossed the Cumberland river at
Cumberland ford, and encamped at noon. The weather began to be cold and
raw as we approached the high region of the Cumberland mountains.
Sunday, September 20th, as usual we were in line at six A.M., and
marched until noon, much of the distance up hill, a rather toilsome
march of nine miles. Passed through Cumberland Gap at half-past eleven
A.M., and encamped in Tennessee at noon. The march was relieved of much
of its tediousness by the grandeur of the scenery. As the regiment
moved from one height to another of the ranges of hills the scene in
every direction was magnificent; and when, at length, the Gap was
reached, there was an universal expression of admiration. Standing in
the Gap is a large, square, white stone, of the native limestone, which
marks the corner boundaries of three States, and at this point the view
is grand; the ranges of hills and the valleys of Tennessee stretching
away as far as the eye could reach, the great Smoky range of North
Carolina bounding the southern horizon. It seemed incredible to all
that this place, a perfect Gibraltar, should have been surrendered as
it was. Fortified extensively with bomb-proofs, having only a narrow,
winding approach on either side, it seemed as if a few resolute men
could hold it against an army. And so they could; but, alas for the
South, Frazer was no Leonidas!
Between five A.M. and five P.M. of the 21st, with a rest of two hours
at noon, the regiment marched nineteen miles, and camped near the
Clinch river. We passed through Tazewell, a considerable town, but
showing signs of its recent occupation by the rebel and Union troops
alternately. The absence of the top rails in this region was especially
remarked, now that the season for evening camp-fires had arrived.
A long march of twenty-two miles was made on the 22d (a mile for every
day of the month), and during the day the Clinch and Holston rivers
were forded. This was a very interesting sight, especially to those who
had got safely over and looked back to see some luckless wader lose his
footing and take an involuntary bath, which, the water being shallow,
was attended with no great peril. The bare-legged "Highlanders"
seemed to enjoy the temporary necessity for their native costume. The
line of march this day was through the most attractive part of East
Tennessee. No State in the Union can boast of more beautiful scenery,
and the regiment must have been inspired by it; for though one of the
longest day's marches on its record, up hill and down and across broad
rivers, there was no straggling, and the entire command stacked arms at
sunset at Morristown, Tennessee, on the line of the Virginia and East
Tennessee Railroad.
On the 23d and 24th the regiment made an unnecessary march of twenty
miles, owing to the blunder of a telegraph operator, and at ten A.M.
of the 24th reëntered Morristown, where it was found that the division
had gone to Knoxville, and the Thirty-sixth was ordered to remain and
garrison the town in company with the Twelfth Michigan Battery, which
it did until the afternoon of the 26th, when it was relieved by the
Twelfth Kentucky.
At ten o'clock P.M. the regiment embarked in the cars, and, riding all
night, arrived at Knoxville, marched a half mile, and encamped in a
wood in the suburbs, where we remained until October 3d. Captain Smith,
of Company K, rejoined the regiment here on the 28th of September, and
was warmly received. Rumors prevailed of a severe battle at or near
Chattanooga, and the defeat of Rosecrans; and it was also reported that
a large force of rebels was concentrating at Greenville for an attack
upon Burnside. The few days of rest here were enjoyed by all, and the
men improved them in repairing their wardrobes and preparations for
more hard work.
Before daylight, October 3d, orders were received to march at eight
A.M., in "light marching order, with five days' rations and forty
rounds of ammunition per man," the destination being "a point beyond
Greenville." As this "point" was known to be the rebel force, the
affair savored strongly of a fight. As the regiment passed through
Knoxville on its way to the cars, with drums beating and colors flying,
it passed the head-quarters of General Burnside, and gave him a
marching salute.
We had a long day in the cars, going slowly, as the road was a pretty
rickety affair in many places, and about sunset we arrived at Bull's
Gap, sixty miles from Knoxville, where a small force was found,
consisting of the One Hundred and Third Ohio Infantry and Second East
Tennessee Regiment. Large numbers of men were constantly coming in
from the east, many of them refugees, and some rebel deserters. The
former were mostly anxious to enlist in the Union ranks, and seemed
bitterly in earnest in their desire to drive the rebels from here.
Their sufferings and privations since the war broke out had been
terrible,--their homes destroyed, families scattered or forced to
hide in caves in the hills. It is no wonder they welcomed the Union
army as their saviors and liberators. Old men and women stood by the
roadside and audibly thanked God and blessed the soldiers as they
marched past. Little Union flags, made of the roughest material, but
with the true colors, that had long been hidden sacredly away, were
waved triumphantly, and were greeted with cheers by the Yankee boys,
who no less proudly displayed the beloved silken standard that they
had followed so long, and which, like them, was beginning to have a
war-worn, veteran look.
A march of four miles, October 4th, brought the regiment to a place
called "Lick Creek," where it remained until the 10th, awaiting
the arrival of other troops and the Commanding General. The Eighth
Tennessee Infantry, and the Ninth Michigan and Seventh Ohio Cavalry
were already here, the enemy being in force at Blue Springs, about
three miles from this place, closely watched by the cavalry pickets.
Probably all who went into camp with the Thirty-sixth this day recall
the amusing incident of the grand rabbit-hunt when the regiment broke
ranks. The field seemed to be alive with the little animals, and the
men, never averse to variety in their bill-of-fare, turned into Nimrods
like magic. The bewildered rabbits, headed off in every direction,
rushed upon their fate, and game suppers were "_à la mode_."
The Second Brigade of the First Division, and four large regiments and
three batteries of new troops under General Willcox, arrived on the
8th, and on this day the cavalry captured a rebel foraging train of
thirteen wagons and nine drivers. From them it was learned that a large
force, under Generals Breckenridge, Jones, Crittenden, Courcy, and
Ransom, was at Blue Springs, in a strong position, and meant fight. The
regiment was now small in numbers, but tough and healthy, and certain
to give a good account of itself whatever service it might be called on
to perform.
The nature of the country about Blue Springs was such that it was easy
to conceal a large force of troops, and difficult to reconnoitre.
Strips of dense woodland, alternating with open and some hilly country,
gave good opportunity for planting and masking artillery, and it was
necessary to approach the rebel position cautiously, it being difficult
to develop. Early on the morning of October 10th the entire force was
on the march, Burnside being present in command, and as usual, when he
showed himself to his boys, he was warmly and vociferously greeted.
The regiment moved slowly until, at about noon, it appeared to be
checked, and heavy firing of artillery showed that the engagement was
opened. Until about 3 P.M. the fighting was left to the Twenty-third
Corps, which, however, seemed to make little or no impression upon
the enemy, and was meeting with considerable loss. Up to this hour
the First Brigade, of which the Thirty-sixth was a part, was in
reserve, within easy rifle-shot of the rebel line, awaiting orders.
Not far from the left of the brigade a section of Osborn's New York
battery was engaged in shelling a piece of wood at a distance of about
one hundred and fifty yards in front, where the rebel soldiers were
posted, and had all day very obstinately resisted the efforts of the
artillery and Twenty-third Corps to dislodge them. Generals Burnside,
Willcox, Ferrero, and other officers were near this section, watching
the effect of the firing. About half-past three o'clock P.M., General
Burnside ordered General Ferrero to advance with his division and clear
out this wood at the point of the bayonet. The First Brigade was at
once in motion, the Seventy-ninth New York on the right, Thirty-sixth
Massachusetts in the centre, and Eighth Michigan on the left; the
Forty-fifth Pennsylvania, as usual, was deployed as skirmishers. After
moving a short distance by the right flank to get the shelter of a
wood, the right of the brigade struck the rebel line, and received
a heavy fire, from which the Seventy-ninth New York sustained some
loss. The brigade then "changed front forward," which brought the
Thirty-sixth and Eighth Michigan out into an open field, when the enemy
opened a sharp fire of musketry from behind a fence that bordered the
strip of wood. But no sooner did the brigade front their position than
it dashed forward, and in less time than it takes to tell it drove
back the rebel force, killing some and capturing fifteen men of a
Georgia regiment. Their entire line broke, fled through the woods over
a hill, and took shelter behind their artillery, which now opened fire
at short range.
The brigade followed the retreating enemy until ordered to halt
by General Ferrero and await further orders, having done all it
was expected to do in a very short space of time. The halting of a
charging line of infantry under a heavy fire is a delicate manœuvre.
The men, excited by the charge, can more easily be led forward than
held steadily in the position taken. At such a moment the example
of the officers is indispensable, and it was while in front of the
colors, calling upon the regiment to keep the line "steady," that
Lieutenant-Colonel Goodell fell, severely wounded by a piece of shell
in the thigh. He was carried to the rear, and the command devolved
upon Major Draper. There was much sorrow at the loss of the young and
favorite colonel, and a desire was expressed to get at the battery that
threw the shell.
The regiment lay quietly and coolly under the fire of the rebel guns
until dark, and, being sheltered by the slight rise of ground along
its front, did not suffer much loss. Lieutenants Holmes and Robinson
were wounded, the latter in the head, and three men of Companies A,
D, and H; only one severely,--Woodward, of Company H. Considering the
severe fire to which the regiment was exposed for more than an hour,
its escape from great loss was noteworthy. General Burnside sent an aid
down to congratulate the brigade upon the manner in which it carried
the wood and unmasked the rebel batteries.
It was thought that the rebels, being so strongly posted and in large
force, would hold their ground. During the night earthworks were thrown
up along the ridge held by the brigade, and before daylight two guns of
Roemer's battery were brought up and trained. With the earliest morn
the Eighth Michigan skirmished forward, and found that the rebels had
retreated, evidently in haste. The pursuit was at once commenced and
pushed rapidly; the regiment marched nineteen miles, and a little after
dark halted at a place called Rheatown, eight miles beyond Greenville.
All along the route were seen the evidences of the hasty retreat of the
enemy, who abandoned their wounded and much baggage. Their rear was
harassed by our cavalry, who killed and captured many.
All day, October 12th, orders were expected to continue the pursuit,
and the regiment lay in line. But the cavalry reported the enemy
so scattered and broken up that General Burnside concluded not to
follow them further with infantry, and the corps was ordered back to
Knoxville. The next day the regiment marched sixteen miles, passing
through Greenville again,--a considerable town, which is noteworthy as
the home of Andrew Johnson, and the place where he is now buried.
October 14th, the Seventy-ninth New York, Forty-fifth Pennsylvania,
and Companies H and F of the Thirty-sixth, took cars for Knoxville at
noon. The rest of the regiment, with the Eighth Michigan, marched to
Bull's Gap to take the cars,--a march of fourteen miles,--and arrived
at Knoxville late in the night. There was a general idea now prevalent
that the corps would go into winter-quarters here; but, after a rest
of five days, the regiment marched to Loudon, about thirty miles
south-west of Knoxville, on the south bank of the Little Tennessee
river, an attack by the enemy from this quarter being threatened.