This was one of the regiments that made Cheatham's Division, and
Smith's-Vaughan's and Gordon's Brigades so famous in the Army
of Tennessee. It was organized and mustered into service on the
third day of June, 1861, in answer to a call of Governor Isham G.
Harris for seventy-five thousand volunteers. At that time it was
the seventh infantry regiment organized in West Tennessee and the
thirteenth in the State. It was made up of the "flower of the South"
young men, most of whom were fresh from the best institutions of
learning--aspiring, hopeful and ambitious--sons of men of education,
wealth and influence--the very best material for volunteer service. It
was composed of ten full companies--five from Fayette county, one from
Shelby, one from Dyer, one from McNairy, one from Gibson, and one from
Henderson, and were as follow:
Company A, Fayette Rifles, Captain William Burton of Somerville, Tenn.
Company B, Macon Grays, Captain J. L. Granberry, Macon, Tenn.
Company C, Secession Guards, organized at Germantown, Tenn., and
composed of Mississippians and Tennesseeans, Captain John H. Morgan,
Horn Lake, Miss.
Company D, Yorkville Rifles, Captain John Wilkins, Yorkville, Tenn.
Company E, Dixie Rifles, organized at Moscow, Tenn., and composed
of Tennesseeans and Mississippians, Captain A. J. Vaughan, Marshall
county, Miss.
Company F, Wright Boys, Captain Jno. V. Wright, Purdy, McNairy county,
Tenn.
Company G, Gaines Invincibles, Captain W. E. Winfield, LaGrange, Tenn.
Company H, Yancey Rifles, Captain Robert W. Pittman, Hickory Withe,
Tenn.
Company I, Forked Deer Volunteers, Captain G. S. Ross, Forked Deer,
Tenn.
Company K, Dyer Grays, Captain S. R. Latta, Dyersburg, Tenn.
On the following day, the 4th of June, the election of field officers
was held, and resulted in the election of Captain Jno. V. Wright
of Company F as Colonel, Captain A. J. Vaughan of Company E as
Lieutenant-Colonel, and Captain W. E. Winfield of Company G as Major.
The regiment was ordered at once by way of Memphis to Randolph, on
the Mississippi river, when the organization was completed by the
appointment of Lieutenant W. E. Morgan, Company C, Adjutant; Dr. J. A.
Forbes, Company E, Surgeon; Dr. B. F. Dickerson, Company I, Assistant
Surgeon; W. E. Dyer, Company G, Commissary; L. B. Cabler, Company A,
Regimental Quartermaster; Peter Cole, Company H, Sergeant-Major; and W.
D. F. Hafford, Chaplain.
The regiment remained at Randolph engaged in drilling, camp duty,
etc., until July 26th, when it was ordered to New Madrid, Mo., and
placed in a brigade under command of Colonel J. P. McCown, who, under
orders from General Gid. J. Pillow, was about to make a campaign into
South-west Missouri to prevent reinforcements being sent to the Federal
General Lyons, then operating in that section.
On the 18th of August, 1861, the troops were moved in the direction of
Benton, Mo., where the Thirteenth Regiment arrived on the 19th. This
was the first campaign or march of the regiment, and though in the
middle of summer during a severe drouth, under a burning sun and over
roads shoe deep in sand and dust, it was cheerfully performed, and
showed an endurance and fortitude rarely witnessed in new troops. The
object of the campaign being accomplished, the command returned to New
Madrid on Sept. 2, and on the following day the regiment was ordered to
Hickman, Ky., where it was placed in Cheatham's Brigade. At Hickman,
on Sept. 4, 1861, the regiment for the first time caught a glimpse of
the "boys in blue" and saw the first "burning of gunpowder," which was
an artillery duel between the Federal gunboats and the Confederate
land batteries; but it was at long range, no damage was done, and the
gunboats were soon withdrawn up the river.
About this time General Leonidas Polk, commanding the Mississippi
Department, determined to occupy Columbus, Ky., and ordered General
B. F. Cheatham to proceed at once to that point, where the Thirteenth
Regiment arrived Sept. 6, 1861, and was among the first, if not the
first, to occupy that important position. Nothing but camp duty,
throwing up heavy fortifications and hard and constant drilling
occurred in the regiment until Nov. 7, when it was reported that the
enemy in heavy force was advancing on Columbus on both sides of the
river. The long roll was sounded and every regiment reported at once
and fell into line on its parade ground. All were excited and anxious
to meet the enemy. Soon it was ascertained that a heavy force had
disembarked from their gunboats above and were moving down to a point
near Belmont, on the opposite side of the river.
The Thirteenth Regiment, under command of Colonel John V. Wright,
having been supplied with ammunition, was ordered at once to cross the
river and take position on the extreme left of our line of battle near
Watson's Battery. Never was a regiment more anxious or more willing
to face an enemy. It was the maiden fight of the regiment and every
man felt that he was "on his mettle." Though our position was an
unfortunate one--in an open field, the enemy being under cover of thick
woods--this regiment met the advance with the steadiness of veterans
and held its position and fought while comrades fell on every side
until the last round of ammunition was exhausted, and the order given
to fall back to the river. By the time the regiment reached the river
reinforcements had crossed from Columbus which engaged the enemy and
checked his further advance. The Thirteenth, obtaining a fresh supply
of ammunition, rallied and again advanced gallantly to the contest,
which had become fierce and obstinate. In a short time the Federals
were driven from their position and fled to their gunboats, hotly
pursued by the Confederates. At their gunboats, such was their haste,
confusion and disorder that they did not attempt to return the fire.
The Federal loss here, as in previous engagements, was heavy.
The loss of the Thirteenth Regiment was heavy; out of one hundred and
fourteen killed and wounded, thirty-four were killed on the field,
among them the very best men of Tennessee. Their names should never be
forgotten, and are as follow:
Company A--A. Middlemus, First Sergeant; A. J. McCully; Mike McCully;
Matthew Rhea, First Lieutenant commanding.
Company B--F. M. Stockinger; W. H. Burnett, Second Corporal.
Company C--Arthur R. Pittman; J. W. Rogers; Robt. F. Dukes, Lieutenant;
J. P. Farrow; J. W. Harris.
Company D--W. H. Parks; W. H. Polk; Jno. H. Shaw; Albert G. Zaracer; B.
M. Dozier.
Company E--S. J. Roberson; Geo. R. Tiller; E. Wales Newby.
Company F--H. H. Barnett; E. H. Hill; John A. Jones, Sr.; C. H.
Middleton.
Company G--P. N. D. Bennett; Jno. Mayo; Jno. C. Penn.
Company H--George Hall; Wm. J. Dunlap.
Company I--C. C. Cawhon; L. F. Hamlet; John G. Nesbit; H. H. Waggoner;
James Hamlet.
Company K--Y. W. Hall; K. A. Parrish; Jas. L. Smith.
J. P. Farrow and Wm. J. Dunlap were the first men in the regiment who
yielded their young lives in battle to the Confederate cause, and were
killed by the first volley of the enemy's fire.
Early in action Colonel John V. Wright was painfully injured in the
knee by the fall of his horse which was shot under him. I, who then
took command of the regiment, had two horses shot under me: the first
at the very commencement of the engagement; the second (which had been
cut out of Watson's Battery after its men had been driven from their
guns) was shot just as I reached the river bank.
Never did men display more heroic courage and deport themselves in
a more soldierlike manner, and while it is impossible in this brief
sketch to refer to all the acts of devotion and fidelity to the
Southern cause performed by the officers and men of this regiment,
Lieutenant Matthew Rhea certainly deserves special mention. As soon as
the regiment took position in line of battle, in command of his company
(A) he was sent to the extreme left of our line with instruction to
extend his line to the river, which he did. By some means the enemy
got in between him and the regiment, thus cutting him off. Though
surrounded he continued to fight, and rather than surrender his sword,
which had been worthily worn by his grandfather, he fell at the hands
of the enemy. A braver, truer or more faithful officer never fought for
any cause.
About this time, if not on the very day of the battle of Belmont,
Colonel John V. Wright was elected to the Confederate Congress, and
resigned his position as Colonel of the regiment. No man ever stood
higher in the estimation of his soldiers or was more beloved by them.
Upon the resignation of Colonel Wright I was unanimously elected
Colonel of the regiment. I was a disciplinarian while on duty of the
strictest school, which for the first months of the war made me very
unpopular with volunteer soldiers, but only one fight was necessary to
satisfy them that an undisciplined army was nothing more than an armed
mob. Adjutant W. E. Morgan was now elected Lieutenant-Colonel, and
Lieutenant Richard M. Harwell of Company E was appointed Adjutant.
After the battle of Belmont and while at Columbus, Ky., the measles
broke out in the regiment, and it was a matter of surprise that there
should be so many grown men who had never had the measles. So many were
down at one time that there were scarcely enough well ones to wait on
the sick, and many died.
Early in the spring it became necessary to move our lines further
south, and Columbus was evacuated March 12, 1862. The Thirteenth was
ordered to Union City, and four days later to Corinth, Miss., where it
arrived March 19, 1862. Before leaving Columbus, however, there had
been some changes made in the command. General B. F. Cheatham had been
promoted to a division commander, and the Thirteenth was assigned to
Colonel R. M. Russell's Brigade, General Chas. Clark's Division. In
this brigade and division the regiment remained until after the battle
of Shiloh.
About this time the enemy was known to be landing and concentrating
a large force at Pittsburg Landing, on the Tennessee river. It was
determined by Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, who had been placed in
command, to give battle; so on the 3rd of April, 1862, the regiment,
with the whole army, was moved toward the point of attack, but heavy
rains and bad roads prevented forming line of battle until the evening
of the 5th of April. That night a council of war was held, and though
some officers were opposed, an attack was determined upon.
On the morning of the 6th, just as the sun in all its splendor was
rising above the horizon, and while in the second line of battle,
General Clark rode up to us and stated that Marks' Louisiana Regiment
had been repulsed, and asked, "Can you take that battery yonder, which
is annoying our troops so much?" Having such unlimited confidence in
the Thirteenth, I replied, "We can take it." Whereupon the regiment
was moved by the right flank, under cover of a hill, until in proper
position, and then fronted the battery and advanced rapidly up the
hill. All was well until the crest of the hill was reached, when the
enemy opened fire with canister, grape and musketry, which was so
severe that it literally tore the regiment in two. But, though, for
a moment checked, nothing daunted, our officers and men gallantly
stood their ground, and poured into the ranks of the enemy such deadly
volleys as to cause them to waver, and then with the "rebel yell"
rushed so impetuously upon them that they could no longer stand,
precipitately fleeing and leaving battery and dead and wounded on the
field.
This was indeed a brilliant charge, and only equaled on that
battlefield by the charge made shortly afterward by that magnificent
regiment, the Fourth Tennessee. But the loss to the regiment was
terrible; some of Tennessee's best blood was shed here, and many a
noble spirit sank to rise no more.
The balance of the day the regiment, though not actively engaged, was
for the most time under heavy fire in changing and shifting positions
and in supporting and relieving other troops. It was present and
assisted in capturing Gen. Lew Wallace[A] and his brigade late in
the evening on the bank of the Tennessee river, to which point we
had driven the enemy. Here, because of the steep bluff, the gunboats
could not reach us, and a rain of iron and lead passed over our heads
until late in the night. Under orders the regiment retired from the
river bank and bivouaced for the night in the enemy's camp, rich with
quartermaster's stores, commissary supplies and sutlers' goods.
[Footnote A: By oversight I have printed on page 16 the name LEW
WALLACE. Of course it should have been GEN. PRENTICE.]
Every officer and soldier of the regiment sank to sleep serenaded by
the guns from the river, and supposed that the battle was won and the
victory ours. But how sadly disappointed next morning, when it was
known that Buell had arrived and crossed the river that night with his
whole army, and was drawn up in line with fresh troops to renew the
contest. Though not anticipating such a state of affairs, the regiment
was formed by early dawn and moved forward to meet the enemy as proudly
and defiantly as on the day before. But their batteries, within easy
range and supported by columns of infantry, opened such a terrible fire
of grape and canister that we were forced to retire and seek shelter
beyond the next ridge. By this time the whole Confederate forces
were hotly engaged, and from right to left was one continuous roar
of artillery and musketry. The struggle was terrific, and closer and
harder fighting was never done on any battlefield; and though the enemy
were held at bay from early dawn till nearly noon, it was apparent
that the unequal contest could not be much longer maintained. So the
Confederate forces were gradually withdrawn, and the army returned
to its old camp grounds at Corinth, Miss. No attempt was made by the
enemy to follow. The first day's fight of this battle was the grandest
of the war--less friction, more concert of action, more thorough
co-operation and better generalship displayed--everything moved with
clock-like precision--a master mind directed the whole until General A.
S. Johnston fell.
Throughout the two days' fight every officer and man of the Thirteenth
did his whole duty, as shown by the heavy loss in killed and wounded.
We lost one hundred and twelve men killed and wounded, and of this
number forty-two fell dead on the bloody field, thus sealing their
devotion with their lives to the cause they believed right. Their names
deserve to be remembered by their countrymen, and are as follow:
Robert Thompson, B. F. Eaton, H. B. Hunt, R. Harrison, J. M. Moore,
James Moore, N. Matthews, R. M. Thompson and Lieut. C. H. Whitmore
of Company A; J. G. Babbett, Lieut. S. B. Dugan and Henry Walker of
Company B; W. B. Dukes, C. P. Graham, H. J. Hutchinson, Thos. Rainey
(color bearer) and W. L. Stokes of Company C; Second Lieut. W. F.
Cowan, First Lieut. J. W. Cunningham, R. D. Eaton and Capt. John A.
Wilkins of Company D; D. C. Arnett, D. C. Bull, J. C. Black and M. C.
Grisson of Company E; M. Donelly, J. N. Guthrie, Jno. Morgan, William
Saunders, J. D. Springer and B. Thomas of Company F; M. M. McKinstry,
J. H. Brown and J. O. Winfield of Company G; E. O. Chambers, S. O.
Cole, D. R. Royster and Carr Young of Company H; Jno. Mitchell, Lewis
Roberson, J. N. Vandyke and G. W. Borger of Company I; Carroll Chitwood
of Company K.
From the opening to the close of this engagement I was most ably and
efficiently assisted in the management and direction of the regiment
by Lieut.-Col. W. E. Morgan, Adjutant R. M. Harwell, and Major W.
E. Winfield. Adjutant Harwell was painfully wounded in the first
engagement but remained at his post of duty until the close of the
struggle. Lieut.-Colonel Morgan and Major Winfield had their horses
shot, and I had two horses shot under me and was struck by a spent ball
that did no serious harm.
While at Corinth, the period for which the regiment had enlisted
having expired, it re-enlisted for the war and reorganized. Company A,
from some disaffection or dissatisfaction, refused to reorganize, and
was consolidated with Company D, and the deficiency supplied by the
admission of Company L, Zollicoffer's Avengers, Captain C. B. Jones,
of LaGrange, Tenn. On the 28th of April, 1862, the reorganization
was perfected by the election of the following officers: I was
unanimously re-elected Colonel; W. E. Morgan unanimously re-elected
Lieutenant-Colonel; Sergeant-Major P. H. Cole elected Major; Lieut.
R. M. Harwell re-elected Adjutant. Many changes were made in line
officers, but the writer has no data from which to supply them. While
at Corinth the regiment, from the use of bad and unhealthy water,
suffered very much with sickness, and many were furloughed on sick
leave to recuperate for the summer campaign.
The enemy in the meantime having recovered from the severe blow
received at Shiloh commenced to advance on Corinth by gradual
approaches, and by the latter part of May was in the vicinity of
that place. The regiment was daily engaged in heavy skirmishes, and
sometimes in sharp engagements but with small losses. On May 13, 1862,
Corinth was evacuated, and the Thirteenth fell back by way of Baldwin
to Tupelo, Miss. Here, with good water, the health of the regiment
improved rapidly, and with strict discipline and constant drilling we
soon became one of the crack regiments in that army.
About this time General Charles Clark, commanding the division, was
assigned to another department, and his division broken up and assigned
to other commands. The Thirteenth was assigned to Cheatham's Division
and General Preston Smith's Brigade, which, on July 10, 1862, was
ordered to report to General E. Kirby Smith at Knoxville, Tenn., who
was about to make a campaign into Kentucky. Everything being ready the
Thirteenth, with the forces under General Smith, moved on the 13th day
of August into Kentucky by way of Wilson Gap, and on the 18th of August
arrived at Cumberland Gap after a weary and toilsome march of five
days. From this point by way of Manchester the forces were moved in the
direction of Richmond, Ky. The enemy was watching the movement, and
had sent forward General Bull Nelson with a large force of infantry,
artillery and cavalry to check our advance. A battle was now imminent.
Early on the morning of August 30 the army was put in motion, and by
8 o'clock while marching up the road a shell from the enemy's battery
not far off came whizzing over the head of our advancing column and
exploded high in the air. The Thirteenth with the other regiments of
the brigade immediately deployed in line of battle on the right of the
road, when Allen's sharpshooters under command of Lieut. Creighton were
sent forward and deployed as skirmishers, with instructions to feel
the enemy and develop their position. This being done the regiment
with the brigade was ordered to advance, and in a short time a most
terrific fire was opened by both sides from one end of the line to
the other. The enemy occupied a strong position and stubbornly held
their ground, but onward the Confederates continued to march, when,
with a charge and a yell in front and a volley on their flank, which
General Smith with the One Hundred and Fifty-fourth Sr. had succeeded
in reaching, the enemy precipitately fled, hotly pursued and pressed by
the Confederates. The enemy lay thick upon the field, and their loss
was heavy. The Thirteenth's loss was also heavy in officers and men,
and among them some of Tennessee's best and bravest soldiers.
It was in this first engagement that Lieutenant Edward Lanier of
Company G was killed, a young, brilliant and gallant officer who, had
he lived, would either as citizen or soldier have inscribed his name
high up on the roll of fame. Gifted by nature, young, aspiring and
ambitious it seemed hard that he should have been stricken down at the
very threshold of his manhood. A truer soldier never shed his blood on
his country's altar. Here, too, General Pat Cleburne was wounded in the
mouth, and had to retire from the field, whereupon the command of the
division devolved upon Brigadier-General Preston Smith, and that of the
brigade on me, and that of the regiment on Lieutenant-Colonel W. E.
Morgan.
The enemy after retiring a couple of miles made a second stand, but
so impetuous was the second attack that after a short engagement they
broke in disorder and confusion, and did not halt until at or near
Richmond, where for the last time they made a stand, and it was here
that they were completely routed and demoralized.
This was the most complete victory gained during the war in which the
Thirteenth participated. Nothing escaped. All the enemy's artillery,
their artillery horses, their transportation, quartermaster and
commissary supplies, together with all their camp equipage fell into
the hands of the Confederates. In this engagement our forces captured
and paroled more officers and men than General E. Kirby Smith had in
his command. The Thirteenth did its whole duty, as attested by the
killed on that battlefield as follow: R. A. Donalson, W. L. Fullerton,
S. G. Lawrence, Company A; T. F. Gaither, Company B; W. L. Rhodes,
Company C; Jas. J. Lawrence, W. H. Minter, Company D; T. M. Ballard,
Company E; H. L. Winningham, Company F; Lieutenant Edward Lanier,
Edward Dicks, Company G; Wm. Claiburn, R. H. Crouch, Company H; John
Reed, R. R. Stone, B. F. Holtom, Company I; John H. Gates, B. G. Sims,
H. A. Gray, J. S. Jenkins, M. R. Winfield, B. W. Wilkerson, Company L.
In this battle I received from the hands of a captain of an Indiana
company a beautiful and highly ornamented sword, which had been
presented to him by the citizens of his town when he started to the
war. After the first attack the Federal captain was retreating with
his company when he was shot in the leg. Unable to proceed further a
private of the Thirteenth ran up to him and ordered the surrender of
his sword. This he refused to do, saying that he would surrender it to
an officer, but never to a private. This so enraged the private that he
was in the very act of shooting him when I rode up and ordered him not
to shoot a prisoner, whereupon the officer extended to me his sword,
and thanked me for saving his life. I wore this sword a long time, but
while on leave of absence left it in charge of a young Confederate
officer who, being insulted by a negro, broke it over his head.
After the battle of Richmond the Thirteenth with the brigade marched
to Lexington, Ky.; thence to Cynthiana, thence to Covington, thence
to Frankfort, and joined Gen. Bragg's army just before the battle of
Perryville, where it rejoined Cheatham's Division.
The next engagement was the battle of Perryville, which was fought on
October 8, 1862. In this battle the Thirteenth with the brigade was not
actively engaged, but was held in reserve, and with the brigade acted
as rear guard to the army on its march out of Kentucky.
Our march into Kentucky was an ovation. We were the first infantry
troops to enter that part of the State, and as soon as we crossed
the mountains and struck the Blue Grass region, the demonstration of
sympathy for the South and the hearty welcome extended us filled every
heart with profound gratitude. Citizens all along our line of march
received us with open arms, and showed us every hospitality. When we
halted for the night, droves of fattest cattle, herds of the fattest
sheep, and wagonloads of corn and hay, were driven to our camp. Even
the women--God bless them--brought to our soldiers the delicacies of
the table and garden. We thought that Kentucky was ours, and that no
Federal force would invade her beautiful territory; but, alas! how soon
the scene shifted.
The retreat out of Kentucky was one of greater trial and hardship than
any march made during the war. Over a rough and barren country, without
shoes and thinly clad, with scarcely anything to eat, the suffering was
great, yet it was borne with fortitude and without a murmur.
The regiment, with the army, reached Knoxville on October 24, 1862.
From Knoxville the Thirteenth was moved by rail to Tullahoma, where
it received a fresh supply of clothing, blankets, shoes, etc., which
was so much needed. After a few weeks' rest we were marched to
Murfreesboro, where we arrived the latter part of November, 1862. It
was here that smallpox broke out in the regiment, and it was detached
from the brigade, but by strict quarantine and vaccination it was soon
checked--not, however, without the loss of some good soldiers.
Early on the morning of December 30, 1862, we commenced that
hard-fought and stubbornly-contested battle of Murfreesboro, or Stone
River. It was a most terrific contest--one that brought forth those
shining and brilliant qualities of the Southern volunteer which made
him so renowned in the Mexican and other wars. In the absence of
Brigadier-General Preston Smith, I was in command of the brigade and
Lieutenant-Col. W. E. Morgan in command of the regiment. In this fight
the Thirteenth, as in every other from Belmont to Murfreesboro, took
an active part, and did its whole duty and gathered fresh laurels. It
was the most satisfactory fight, both to the officers and men, that was
made by the regiment during the war. With the exception of a slight
check in the morning, it drove the enemy from every position from early
dawn till late in the evening; and though every inch of ground was
fiercely contested, the regiment never faltered, but onward like an
avalanche it swept everything before it. I had two horses shot under
me, and the horse of every field and staff officer of the regiment was
killed.
In this engagement I witnessed an exhibition of discipline and coolness
that I never saw on any other battlefield. We had in our front and
opposed to us a brigade of United States Regulars; they were formed
in two lines of battle some distance apart. Firing as we advanced,
their first line waited until we got within easy range and then coolly
delivered their fire; without waiting to reload they faced to the rear
and double-quicked through their second line and reformed in line of
battle. The second line then awaited our approach, and though their
men were falling fast around them, they coolly delivered their fire
and retired through the first line and reformed in line of battle; and
thus they continued to fire and fall back until they were driven across
a large field. Their lines were plainly marked by their dead, who lay
thick upon the ground.
These were Americans fighting Americans--the one, the trained soldier,
who fought because he was ordered to do so, and because of the old flag
and that Union which he believed ought to be eternal; the other, the
Southern volunteer, who fought because he believed that his home and
fireside were invaded and that his constitutional rights were trampled
upon. Both exhibited a courage which commands the world's admiration.
In this battle a battery of four beautiful Napoleon guns was captured
from the Federals. Four divisions of our army claimed to have
participated in the capture, and each division laid claims to the
battery. A conference of the officers of the divisions was called, and
after a full discussion and careful consideration of the claims of
each division, it was decided that one of the guns should be given to
each division, and that upon it should be inscribed the name of the
most gallant and meritorious soldier who fell on that battlefield. One
of the guns was given to Cheatham's Division and assigned to Preston
Smith's Brigade. At that time I was Colonel of the Thirteenth Tennessee
Regiment and W. E. Morgan Lieutenant-Colonel; but in the absence of
Gen. Preston Smith I commanded the brigade and Lieutenant-Colonel
Morgan the regiment. He fell in the first day's fight, and by unanimous
consent his name was inscribed upon the gun, and read as follows:
"Lieutenant-Colonel W. E. Morgan, Thirteenth Tennessee Regiment, Pres.
Smith's Brigade, Cheatham's Division, Polk's Corps." This gun was
assigned to Scott's Battery, and at the battle of Chickamauga it was
skillfully handled and did effective work in checking the advance of
the Federals; but when Gen. Grant attacked our lines at Missionary
Ridge, it was recaptured by the Federal forces, and today it stands a
silent sentinel in the beautiful "Park of Gettysburg." Captured and
recaptured on two famous battlefields, it stands there a proof of the
heroism of both sides; it stands there as ready to do service for the
stars and stripes as it once did for that other flag which lived its
brief life always in the storm of battle, and which, without dishonor,
was laid aside and folded forever, with no other stain upon its fold
than that of heroes' blood shed to give it life.
Here it was that Lieutenant-Colonel W. E. Morgan, the pride of the
regiment and the hero of so many brilliant achievements, fell mortally
wounded; he fought his way up from Lieutenant of his company (C) to
Lieutenant-Colonel of the regiment, and no promotion was ever more
deserved. Major P. H. Cole also fell in this battle; he, too, deserves
the gratitude of his countrymen for the faithful discharge of his duty.
It was here, too, that Private W. A. Abernathy was killed; though a
mere youth he was endowed with all of those sterling qualities which
make heroes; he was every inch a soldier; whether on the march, in
the camp, or on the field of battle, he was the life and pride of
his comrades; though offered promotion he always refused, saying
he preferred fighting in the ranks. Here, too, J. A. Stone, though
severely wounded, bound up his wounds and returned to his company,
remaining with it and leading every charge during the day.
Upon the fall of Lieutenant-Colonel W. E. Morgan and Major P. H. Cole,
R. F. Lanier, senior Captain, the bravest of the brave, took command
of the regiment and led it throughout the remainder of the fight with
skill and judgment, and made for himself a character for dash and
daring that followed him throughout the war; no man in the army of
Tennessee was more devoted to the Southern cause.
The regiment went into this battle with two hundred and twenty-six
officers and men, and lost in killed and wounded one hundred and ten.
Twenty-eight were killed and their names should be ever remembered with
affection. They are:
J. C. Kelly, Company A; G. H. Adams, Logan McKinstry, W. B. Reed, W.
R. Carter, J. C. Tharp, E. M. Waller, Company B; Boggan Cash, Wayne
Holman, Lieutenant-Colonel W. E. Morgan, Captain John H. Morgan, Palmer
P. Tuggle, Company C; W. A. Abernathy, William Greene, Company E; M. N.
Burns, Company F; J. W. Jones, Otey Gloster, W. H. Simmons, Company G;
Maj. P. H. Cole, T. J. Forgey, S. D. Aikin, Company H; J. McLaughlin,
D. R. Tillman, J. H. McLaughlin, Company I; James F. Dukes, Carter E.
Skipwith, Company K; R. J. Bailey, Company L. Boggan Cash was the only
one whose fate was not absolutely known. He was in every charge of his
company and could not have been wounded or captured, as none of the
ground fought over was reoccupied by the enemy. He was a brave and
true soldier and always at his post of duty.
On the night of the first day's fight General Preston Smith returned
to the brigade and assumed command, and I returned to the regiment. In
the second day's fight the regiment was not actively engaged and lost
no men. On the night of January 2, 1863, the regiment with the brigade
was withdrawn toward Murfreesboro, and the retreat to Shelbyville
commenced, which point the regiment reached the next day and went into
camp. The enemy did not attempt to follow.
At Shelbyville the Thirteenth and One Hundred and Fifty-fourth Sr.
Regiments, having become so reduced in numbers, were consolidated. I
was retained as Colonel. Captain R. W. Pittman of the Thirteenth, who
had been promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel, was retained with same rank,
and Major John W. Dawson of the One Hundred and Fifty-fourth Sr. as
Major. Though consolidated, neither regiment ever lost its identity,
and each was known to the close of the war by its original regimental
appellation. From Belmont to Murfreesboro they had fought side by
side on every battlefield. In daylight or in darkness, in victory or
in defeat, they had stood shoulder to shoulder. Each knew the worth
and value of the other and both had but one purpose in view--and that
purpose, even to the extent of their lives, was to maintain the honor
of Tennessee and uphold the Confederacy. From this time to the close of
the war the history of the two regiments was one common history. The
glory of the one was the pride of the other, and neither ever lost hope
until the Confederate banner went down forever.
From Shelbyville the army fell back across the Cumberland mountains,
thus occupying the same position it did twelve months previous, and
before it started into Kentucky. Tennesseeans for the second time saw
their section abandoned, yet true to the Southern cause, cheerfully
followed the fortunes of the Confederate flag.
The next important event in the history of the regiment was the
hard-fought battle of Chickamauga, on September 19 and 20, 1863. It was
the first battle after the two regiments had been consolidated that
they had fought, and each sustained its former record and gathered
fresh laurels. After two days of grand and magnificent fighting the
enemy was completely routed and victory perched on the Confederate
banner; but, alas! its fruits were lost by the tardy movements of the
army in following up the victory. It is not for the writer to say who
was at fault, but it was apparent to all that some one was to blame.
The loss in killed and wounded on both sides was exceedingly heavy,
and the Thirteenth lost some of its best officers and bravest men. It
was here, on the night of the first day's fight (Sept. 19, 1863), that
General Preston Smith fell. The circumstances of his death are worthy
of record here.
After heavy fighting all day, Cheatham's Division was formed in the
second line of battle, and Preston Smith's Brigade was ordered to keep
within five hundred paces of Deshler's Texas Brigade of the first line.
The two lines were ordered forward with instructions to march directly
to the front; but Deshler's Brigade, on account of obstructions and
the irregularity of the ground, instead of marching directly to the
front, obliqued to the left and passed unnoticed an isolated regiment
which proved to be the Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania, which had in some
unaccountable manner become separated from the Federal army. Smith's
Brigade, marching directly to the front, was approaching too near the
first line, when Gen. Smith, thinking it was getting too close, as he
supposed, to Deshler's Brigade, ordered a halt and rode forward with
his volunteer aid, Captain King of Georgia, to see why, as he thought,
Deshler's Brigade had halted. Riding up to the Federal regiment he was
discovered to be a Confederate officer and was fired upon and instantly
killed, as was Captain King. It was now becoming dark, and I being on
the right, and also supposing that Deshler's Brigade had halted, I rode
forward with Captain John Donaldson at my side to inquire the cause.
When within thirty or forty yards of the regiment a Federal soldier
jumped up from under a bush, advanced to me, supposing me to be a
Federal officer, and inquired, "Where is the enemy?" Discovering his
mistake, he jerked up his gun and without taking aim, fired. The load
passed just in front of my breast into the body of Captain Donaldson,
who fell a corpse. I ordered the Federal to be fired upon, which was
done by the Twelfth Tennessee. In shooting at the Federal soldier their
balls ranged into the ranks of the Federal regiment, when they called
out, "Don't shoot! don't shoot! we surrender!" Whereupon I rode forward
and ordered the regiment to ground arms and surrender their flag,
which I received from the color-bearer, and turned over the regiment
of prisoners to Captain Carthall of the Twelfth, who marched them to
the rear. Thus fell General Preston Smith and his faithful aid Captain
King, and Inspector-General Donaldson. I now took command of the
Brigade and a short time after was promoted to Brigadier-General.
After the battle of Chickamauga, Cheatham's Division was the first
to move and to advance toward Chattanooga, to which point the enemy
had retreated, and the Thirteenth was among the first to drive in the
enemy's pickets from Missionary Ridge. In doing so, however, Company
C of the regiment lost one of her truest and most faithful officers,
Lieutenant Henry Brooks, who fell at the head of his command in the
full discharge of his duty, admired and loved by his comrades and
superior officers.
The next move of the regiment was in the direction of Knoxville to
reinforce General Longstreet, but on arriving at Sweetwater news was
received of his repulse, and the regiment returned to the old division
on Missionary Ridge.
It was now known that the Federals were strongly fortified in
Chattanooga, had been heavily reinforced, and were preparing for an
advance on the Confederates occupying Missionary Ridge and Lookout
Mountain. On November 25, about noon, the Federals advanced in
overwhelming numbers, and like an avalanche swept the Confederate lines
from Missionary Ridge, though the One Hundred and Fifty-fourth and
Thirteenth kept the Federals back in their front until flanked on their
left. At this time these two regiments did some of the grandest and
most heroic fighting they had done during the war, and though forced
to fall back, they contested every inch of ground with that heroism
which had characterized them on every battlefield. Night coming on,
the Confederates crossed Chickamauga Creek and retired to Dalton, Ga.,
where our army went into winter quarters.
At Dalton General Braxton Bragg was relieved of command and General
Joseph E. Johnston appointed to the command of the army. His
appointment was joyfully received by the whole army. Its morale
commenced at once to improve, and by early spring it was in splendid
fighting condition.
Early in May, 1864, the enemy 100,000 strong made an advance, and it
was supposed from the overwhelming numbers of Sherman's army that he
would give battle in front of Dalton, but after trying two or more
days to dislodge the Confederates, he commenced his flank movement
under cover of Rocky Face Ridge. This forced the withdrawal of the
Confederates from Dalton to Resaca. The Thirteenth and One Hundred
and Fifty-fourth were the first to arrive at Resaca, where they found
General Canty's Division skirmishing with the enemy. The enemy was held
in check until sufficient reinforcements arrived to drive Sherman back
through Black Snake Gap. It was here that the writer, standing by the
side of General Johnston (who was intently watching the skirmish line),
heard him say that never in his life had he seen skirmishers behave
better, or handled with more skill, and turning to the writer, asked:
"Do you know to what command they belong and who is their commander?"
The writer replied that they were commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel
John W. Dawson and belonged to the Thirteenth and One Hundred and
Fifty-fourth Tennessee Regiments, Vaughan's Brigade, Cheatham's
Division.
From Resaca the regiment fell back to Adairsville, where it had a
sharp engagement and inflicted a heavy loss upon the enemy. Thence to
Cassville, where everything indicated a pitched battle, and never
was the regiment, in fact, the whole army, in better condition. Its
morale had improved every day since Johnston assumed command, and it
was confidently believed by both officers and men that whenever battle
was given, victory was certain. But from some cause battle was not
given. It was here that the Thirteenth and One Hundred and Fifty-fourth
Regiments had the highest compliment paid them during the war. After
the line of battle was formed and every brigade and division in
position, General Cheatham was ordered by General Johnston to furnish
the best regiment in his division to bring on the engagement. The
Thirteenth and One Hundred and Fifty-fourth were furnished.
The next hard fighting done by the regiment was at New Hope Church
and Lost Mountain, then on the Kennesaw line at what was known as
"dead angle." It was here that Hooker, with that splendid fighting
corps of his, made the attack and was so signally repulsed. In column
seven lines deep, with not a cap on the guns of the first two lines,
he attempted to storm our position. Never did men march into the very
jaws of death with a firmer tread and with more determination than did
the Federals to this attack. But they met intrenched infantry, and the
concentrated fire of musketry, canister, grapeshot and shell mowed
them down at every step. Yet they still struggled forward, but every
Confederate stood at his post, and in a short time it was more than
mortals could stand and they broke and fled, leaving eight hundred of
their dead. The Thirteenth and One Hundred and Fifty-fourth were in the
angle, supported on the right and left by the veterans of the Army of
Tennessee.
While occupying this point the writer received orders from headquarters
that the safety of the army depended upon holding this position, and
that it must be held if it required the sacrifice of every man in the
regiments. This order was communicated to the men and their unanimous
response was that "we will stay here." A few days after this the army
fell back and took position twelve miles below Marietta, Ga., at Vining
station on the railroad to Atlanta. It was at this point, on the
fourth day of July, 1864, while the regiment and brigade were resting
in the trenches behind a battery that the writer lost a leg by the
explosion of a shell from the enemy's battery, which released him from
field service during the remainder of the war. Hence I had no personal
knowledge of the movements of my old command after this date.
In a short time after this, Colonel George W. Gordon, of the Eleventh
Tennessee, was promoted to Brigadier-General and took command of the
brigade. The Thirteenth and One Hundred and Fifty-fourth Regiments
were under his command at the crossing of Chattahoochee, at Peach Tree
Creek, with Hardee on the twenty-second of July, in the defenses of
Atlanta, at Jonesboro, at the capture of Dalton, at Spring Hill, at the
bloody battle of Franklin, in front of Nashville, in the retreat out
of Tennessee, and at Bentonville, N. C., the last battle of the war.
From Belmont, Mo., the first engagement, to Bentonville, N. C., the
last, this regiment shed luster upon the soldiery of Tennessee, and
well merited the compliment of General Joseph E. Johnston when he said:
"They were unsurpassed by the Old Guard of Napoleon, or the army that
Wellington marched out of Spain into France."
When the great soldier and leader, Joseph E. Johnston, surrendered the
remnant of the Army of Tennessee, on April 26, 1865, there were left of
the gallant old Thirteenth less than fifty officers and men. More than
twelve hundred men had once mustered in its ranks. Throughout the four
years they had fallen in battle, been stricken in camp, died on the
march, and sometimes, alas! in prison. Faithful always, only a handful
were left when the curtain was rung down on the awful drama. I was not
there to see the old flag furled, the guns grounded, and the swords
handed over; but I know that the same heroism, fortitude and love were
with the remnant, as had been with those who four years before had
marched away from home at the call of country and of duty.
[Illustration: GENERAL A. J. VAUGHAN.
1885.]
ROSTER OF OFFICERS
OF
The Thirteenth Regiment,
TENNESSEE INFANTRY, C. S. A.