On the morning of the 27th, every thing being in readiness, the
division moved out, taking the direction of Nolensville, which is nine
miles from camp. The day was not so pleasant as was desirable, but the
men were willing to march, and did not mind the rain and mud to be
encountered.
Lieut. Colonel Frederick started out with the regiment in the morning,
but having poor health, soon fell back to an ambulance and returned to
Nashville. Major Winters was at home, on leave of absence, and Captain
Hale, the ranking Captain in the regiment, was also absent. The
command, therefore, fell to the lot of Captain Paine, of Company B.
Captain Paine was a strict disciplinarian, and commanded one of the
best drilled companies in the regiment. His strict discipline and
peculiar way of punishing his men, had procured for him the name of
"Buck and Gag." Captain James M. Stookey, being the next ranking
Captain assumed the position of Major. By this arrangement, Company B
was left to the command of First Lieutenant J. R. Johnson, and Company
E, to the command of Lieutenant Goodin.
Soon after leaving camp, the Fifty-Ninth was sent in advance as
skirmishers. They soon came across the rebel pickets and began
skirmishing. As the Fifty-Ninth advanced, the rebels in front of them
fell back to the town of Nolensville, where it seems they intended to
more severely contest the ground. Here they had a battery planted, and
threw several shells at our men before they could get one in position
to reply. As soon, however, as a shot or two was fired from a twelve
pounder, placed in range, the rebels withdrew on double quick, and the
Fifty-Ninth took possession of the town. As the regiment was advancing
across an open common, between the woods and town, a volley was fired
at one of the companies from the windows of a large frame house, in
front of them, without doing any injury. Colonel Pease, of General
Davis' staff, saw the shooting, and being close to one of our guns,
ordered the cannoneer to plant a shell into the house. This gun had
been instrumental in silencing the rebel battery, and was within good
range of the house. The first shell exploded within one of the upper
rooms, doing wonderful execution among the furniture and tearing the
plastering and casing into a thousand fragments. This brought the rebs
to light, and a volley from the company sent them howling to the woods.
The second shell passed through the hen house, scattering chickens and
feathers in all directions, and continuing on its course, burst in the
rear of the fleeing rebels. The town was now in possession of the
Fifty-Ninth, but to the right heavy skirmishing continued, and the
regiment passed on in that direction. Heavy skirmishing continued until
the enemy were driven to the opposite side of "Big Gap," about four
miles south of Nolensville. Darkness now prevented any further pursuit,
and the army went into bivouac. The loss in the division was light, the
Fifty-Ninth not having a man hurt. Several of the enemy were killed and
a few taken prisoners.
Colonel Pease, while setting on his horse, directing the cannoneer, was
hit on the leg by a minnie ball, which passed through his pants, just
creasing the flesh. "That's pretty close," remarked the Colonel, and
continued his directions without any farther notice of the flying
missiles.
The regiment here lost another man by desertion, or rather gained the
room and rations of a worthless, thieving Frenchman. He was a member of
Company G, and had frequently offended by disobeying orders in regard
to straggling, particularly in times of danger. There are a few men in
all regiments who, whenever there is a prospect of a fight "play off"
either by feigning sickness, or by slipping from the ranks on some
trivial pretense, and dropping to the rear, there to remain until the
danger is all over. This fellow of a Frenchman, had practiced this
habitually, and now the Captain determined to punish him. This he did
by tying him up. In a short time thereafter, the fellow managed to
loosen the cords that bound him and make his escape. Pursuit was
immediately made and an exciting chase resulted in the defeat of the
pursuers. It is supposed the fellow fled to the rebel lines, and it is
to be hoped that all sneaks who will fall back to the rear, to places
of safety, when their friends and companions in arms are in danger,
will follow his example, and cast their lot with traitors.
The morning of the 27th was so murky, that an enemy could not be seen
at any distance, and consequently the troops did not move until the fog
had disappeared in rain drops. About nine o'clock, the skirmishers were
advanced and continued moving forward until evening, without meeting
with any serious resistance. The Fifty-Ninth followed in regular
marching order for six or eight miles, and went into bivouac.
The 28th being Sunday, the army lay in camp all day. General Rosecranz
was religiously opposed to moving his army on the Sabbath, unless
unavoidable. All honor and praise to him for setting such a noble
example. Success will ever attend the General who pays due respect to
the command, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy."
This morning the Acting Adjutant, Hale Phillips--Adjutant West being on
Colonel Post's brigade staff--and the Commissary Sergeant, Thomas J.
Melvin, obtained permission to return to Nashville on business. On
their way they overtook the train a few miles from Nashville. With the
train was Captain Clayton Hale and Lieutenant Fred. Brasher,
Quartermaster; the former returning to the regiment from a leave of
absence, and the latter in charge of the train. Very soon after the
Adjutant and Commissary arrived at the train, and before they had
dismounted from their horses they were surrounded by a large squad of
rebel cavalry and all taken prisoners. Resistance was useless, as there
was no guard with the train, and consequently they surrendered without
an effort to escape. They were treated very kindly by their
captors--paroled and allowed to proceed to Nashville. From Nashville
they visited their homes, and had a good time of it generally, until
they were exchanged.
On Monday morning, December 29th, the army was again put in motion.
General Davis, taking the advance of General McCook's corps, with his
division, turned from the Nolensville pike, in an easterly direction,
towards Murfreesboro'. The writer was fortunate enough to witness the
passing of this corps, as it proceeded to the lane at which it left the
pike. First came General Jeff. C. Davis and staff, immediately followed
by a body guard of one company of cavalry. Next followed Colonel P.
Sidney Post, commanding brigade, with his staff, and then the four
regiments of his brigade, closely followed by a six gun battery. Then
followed the other brigades in the same order. While the column was
passing, General McCook and staff came dashing by in magnificent style.
They came, they were seen, and they were gone. General McCook is a good
commander, but like most of his rank, he prides himself on _being_
General McCook. While looking at this well appointed corps, the heart
swelled with emotions of pride, to think that there were so many
noble-hearted men willing and eager to meet in deadly contest the enemy
who were attempting to destroy their country.
The 29th and 30th were spent in reconnoitering and skirmishing with the
enemy, General Davis' Division terminating its movements by getting
into position Tuesday evening, on the left of McCook's command, near
Wilkerson's Creek. The Fifty-Ninth Illinois Regiment occupied the left
of Colonel P. Sidney Post's brigade, and the extreme left of the right
wing of the army. The enemy had fallen back to their chosen position,
about two miles from Murfreesboro', and the Fifty-Ninth Illinois lay on
the ground all Tuesday night, within five hundred yards of their line
of battle. The night was quite cold, and the ground saturated with
water. Without blankets or fires, the men shivered through the night.
Company G, commanded by Captain Starkey, was stationed to the right of
the regiment, and somewhat in advance, as picket-guard. This continued
the position of the regiment until the rebels made the attack,
Wednesday morning.
General Rosecranz marched from Nashville, with forty-five thousand men,
and one hundred and two pieces of artillery, and skirmished all the way
to the battle field, the enemy resisting bitterly. The whole of Tuesday
was spent in reconnoitering. The enemy was found strongly posted, with
artillery, in a bend of Stone River, his flanks resting on the west
side of Murfreesboro'.
The center also had the advantage of high ground with a dense growth of
cedar masking them completely. Their position gave them the advantage
of a cross fire, and General McCook's Corps closed in their left on
Wilkerson's Creek. Negley, of Thomas' Corps, worked, with great
difficulty, to the front of the rebel center. Rousseau's Division was
in reserve. Crittenden's Corps was posted on the comparatively clear
ground on the left, Palmer's and Van Cleve's Divisions in front, in the
woods, and held in reserve.
A battle was expected all day Tuesday, but the enemy merely skirmished
and threw a few shells, one of which killed Orderly McDonald, of the
Fourth United States Cavalry, not ten feet from General Rosecranz. That
afternoon the Anderson Pennsylvania Cavalry, on McCook's flank, was
drawn into an ambuscade, and its two Majors (Rosengarten and Ward) were
killed.
Crittenden's Corps lost four killed and two wounded that day, including
Adjutant Elliott, of the Fifty-Seventh Indiana, severely wounded.
McCook's loss was about fifty. The same day the rebel cavalry made a
dash on our rear, at Lavergne, burned a few wagons, and captured
thirty-five prisoners. That night dispositions were made to attack the
enemy in the morning. After dark the enemy were reported massing upon
McCook, obviously to strike our right wing. This corresponded with the
wishes of General Rosecranz, who instructed General McCook to hold him
in check stubbornly, while the left wing should be thrown into
Murfreesboro', behind the enemy.
At daybreak, of the last day of December, everything appeared working
well. Battle had opened on our right, and our left wing was on hand at
seven o'clock. Ominous sounds indicated that the fire was approaching
on the right. Aides were dispatched for information, and found the
forests full of flying negroes, with some straggling soldiers, who
reported whole regiments falling back rapidly. Meantime one of McCook's
aides announced to General Rosecranz that General Johnson had permitted
the three batteries of his division to be captured by a sudden attack
of the enemy, and that that fact had somewhat demoralized the troops.
This was obvious. The brave General Sill, one of our best officers, was
killed, General Kirk severely wounded, and General Willich killed or
missing, besides other valuable officers. General Rosecranz sent word,
pressing General McCook to hold the front, and he would help him. It
would all work right. He now galloped to the front of Crittenden's
left, with his Staff, to order the line of battle, when the enemy
opened a full battery and emptied two saddles of the escort. Van
Cleve's Division was sent to the right, Colonel Beatty's Brigade in
front. The fire continued to approach on the right with alarming
rapidity, extending to the center, and it was clear that the right was
doubling upon the left. The enemy had compelled us to make a complete
change of front on that wing, and were pressing the center.
General Rosecranz, with splendid daring, dashed into the fire, and sent
his Staff along the lines, started Beatty's Brigade forward, some six
batteries opened, and sustained a magnificent fire. Directly a
tremendous shout was raised along the whole line. The enemy began to
fall back rapidly. The General himself urged the troops forward. The
rebels, thoroughly punished, were driven back fully a mile. The same
splendid bravery was displayed in the center, and the whole line
advanced. Meantime the enemy made formidable demonstrations on our
left, while they prepared for another onslaught on our right. Meantime
orders had been issued to move our left upon the enemy. Before they had
time to execute it, they burst upon our center with awful fury, and it
began to break.
Rousseau's Divisions were carried into the breach magnificently by
their glorious leader, and the enemy again retreated hastily into the
dense cedar thickets. Again they essayed our right, and again were
driven back. This time the number of our stragglers was formidable, and
the prospect was discouraging, but there was no panic. The General,
confident of success, continued to visit every part of the field, and,
with the aid of Thomas, McCook, Crittenden, Rousseau, Negley and Wood,
the tide of battle was again turned.
Early in the day we were seriously embarrassed by the enterprise of
rebel cavalry, who made some serious dashes upon some of McCook's
ammunition and subsistence trains, capturing a number of wagons, and
artillery ammunition was alarmingly scarce. At one time it was
announced that not a single wagon-load of it could be found. Some of
our batteries were quiet, on that account. This misfortune was caused
by the capture of McCook's trains. About two o'clock the battle had
shifted again, from right to left, the rebels discovering the
impossibility of succeeding in their main design, and suddenly massed
his forces on the left, crossing the river, or moving under high
bluffs, from his right, and for about two hours the fight raged with
unremitting fury. The advantage was with the enemy for a considerable
length of time, when they were checked by our murderous fire, of both
musketry and artillery. The scene at this point was magnificent and
terrible. The whole battle was in full view, the enemy deploying right
and left, bringing up their batteries in fine style, our own vomiting
smoke and missiles upon them with awful fury, and our gallant fellows
moving to the front with unflinching courage, or lying flat upon their
faces to escape the rebel fire, until the moment for action. There was
not a place on the field that did not give men a satisfactory idea of
the manner of hot fire, solid shot, shell and minnie balls, which
rattled around like hail. Rosecranz himself was incessantly exposed--it
is wonderful that he escaped. His Chief of Staff (noble
Lieutenant-Colonel Garesche) had his head taken off by a round shot,
and the blood spattered the General and some of the Staff. Lieutenant
Lyman Kirk, just behind him, was lifted clear out of his saddle by a
bullet, which shattered his left arm. Three Orderlies, and the gallant
Sergeant Richmond, of the Fourth United States Cavalry, were killed
within a few feet of him, and five or six horses in the staff and
escort were struck.
Between four and five o'clock the enemy, apparently exhausted by his
rapid and incessant assault, took up a position not assailable without
abundant artillery, and the fire on both sides slackened, and finally
ceased at dark, the battle having raged eleven hours.
The loss of life on our side is considerable. The field is
comparatively limited. The whole casualty list that day, excluding
captures, did not exceed, perhaps, one thousand and five hundred, of
whom not more than one-fourth were killed. This is attributed to the
care taken to make our men lie down. The enemy's loss must have been
more severe. But among our losses we mourn such noble souls as General
Sill, General August Willich, Colonel Garesche, Colonel Minor Millikin,
First Ohio Cavalry; Colonel Hawkins, Thirteenth Ohio; Colonel McKee,
Third Kentucky; Colonel Gorman, Fifteenth Kentucky; Colonel Kell,
Second Ohio; Lieutenant-Colonel Shepherd, Eighteenth Regulars; Major
Carpenter, Nineteenth Regulars; Captain Edgarton, First Ohio Battery,
and his two Lieutenants, and many more.
When the battle closed, the enemy occupied ground which was ours in the
morning, and the advantage theirs. Their object in attacking was to cut
us off from Nashville; they almost succeeded. They had played their old
game. If McCook's corps had held more firmly against Hardee's corps and
Cheatham's, when he fought, Rosecranz's plan of battle would have
succeeded. At dark they had a heavy force on our right, leading to the
belief that they intended to pursue. Their cavalry, meantime, was
excessively troublesome, cutting deeply into our train behind us, and
we had not cavalry enough to protect ourselves. The Fourth Regulars
made one splendid dash at them, capturing sixty-seven and releasing
five hundred prisoners they had taken from us. The enemy took a large
number.
"General Rosecranz determined to begin the attack this morning and
opened furiously with our left at dawn. The enemy, however, would not
retire from our right, and the battle worked that way. At eleven
o'clock matters were not flattering on either side. At twelve o'clock
our artillery, new supplies of ammunition having arrived, was massed,
and a terrible fire opened. The enemy began to give way, General Thomas
pressing on their center, and Crittenden advancing on their left. The
battle was more severe at that hour than it had been, and the result
was yet doubtful. Both sides were uneasy, but determined. General
Rosecranz feels its importance fully. If he is defeated it will be
badly, because he will fight as long as he has a brigade. If he is
victorious, the enemy will be destroyed. At this hour we are
apprehensive. Some of our troops behaved badly, but most of them were
heroes. The enemy seem to number as many as we, and perhaps more.
General Joe Johnson and General Braxton Bragg are in command." Thus
writes a correspondent of the Cincinnati Commercial.
When the enemy surprised General Johnson, the Fifty-Ninth Illinois was
under arms and ready for the conflict. Had the attack been made on
General Davis instead of Johnson the ground would have been held and
the inglorious stampede of the right wing prevented. The attack was
made at the only point in the Union lines where the rebels would not
have met with a warm reception. Some of the boys were captured while at
the Springs after water; some at their fires while cooking, and some of
the artillery-men were surprised while watering their horses.
The attack was manfully resisted in front of the Fifty-Ninth Illinois
until Johnson's Division had doubled back in confusion on Davis, and
the enemy was forcing Davis' right so as to threaten the rear of Post's
Brigade, when Colonel Post ordered a retreat. Reluctantly and in good
order the regiment moved back, occasionally throwing a volley into the
ranks of the pursuing enemy, which held them in check until General
Rousseau's command came to the rescue. On its retreat it passed the
point where our brigade battery had been in position. One gun of the
battery had been left behind still in position, for the want of horses
to pull it off the field, some of these having been killed. The men, by
permission, left the ranks and soon run it out of danger of falling
into the hands of the enemy. As soon as reinforcements arrived the
Fifty-Ninth ceased its retreat and advanced again upon the enemy. They
were driven back and the regiment went into bivouac north of the
Murfreesboro' and Nashville Pike. Of all the regiments belonging to
Johnson or Davis' divisions the Fifty-Ninth came off the field with the
most men and in the best order.
James A. Howser, Company F, Sergeant John J. Hatham and Andrew J.
Watts, Company D, James H. Sheets, Company C, Patrick Reynolds, Company
H, Jas. R. Dennis, Company B, Sergeant Alfred B. Barber and Corporal
Reuben Cummins, Company G, and Thos. I. Hopper, Company A, were left on
the field killed. Jefferson Slusser and James Slusser were left on the
field wounded, and fell into the hands of the rebels. They were taken
to Murfreesboro', and kept there until retaken by our forces on the
evacuation of the town.
On the 1st day of January, 1863, the regiment advanced to Stone River
to within two miles of Murfreesboro', and General Davis being ordered
to charge across and dislodge some of the enemy who were on the
opposite side, the Fifty-Ninth waded the stream on double-quick,
charged up the bank and took possession of the ground, the rebels
retreating before their glittering bayonets without resistance. Here
they lay under fire, and returning shot for shot until after dark, when
they silently withdrew, crossing back to their old position. The battle
continuing through the 2d and 3d days of January; the regiment was
constantly kept under arms, frequently changing position so as to
always be in front of the enemy.
During the stampede on Wednesday the rebel cavalry broke through our
lines and made a dash on the train. The hospital wagon of the
Fifty-Ninth Regiment was halted by one of the Texan Rangers, and the
driver was ordered to drive his team off in an opposite direction.
"Certainly, certainly," said the driver, but in the meantime made his
calculations, and sprang from the wagon on the other side. Some fleeing
soldier had thrown away his loaded musket; this fortunately was seen by
Foster--the driver's name was Albert Foster--who picked it up. Passing
rapidly to the rear and around his wagon he shot the rebel from his
horse, mounted it and joined our cavalry, which was now charging back
on the greasy scoundrels, and assisted in driving them to the woods.
After chasing them until pursuit was useless he returned to his team
with his spoils of victory. The horse was a valuable one, and was well
equipped with a good saddle and bridle, a pair of pistols in the
holsters, and saddle-bags containing some clothing and corn bread. A
few more such heroic drivers would save many a government wagon from
the torch of the guerrilla.
The rebels retreated from Murfreesboro' on the night of the 3d, and on
the 4th General Rosecranz established his headquarters there. The army
moved on through town and went into camp two or three miles below. The
trains were soon ordered up with tents and all necessary camp equipage,
and in a few days the troops were comfortably resting from the
excessive toil and exposure of the last two weeks' campaign. Eight days
constant exposure without rest or sleep had tried the muscle and nerve
of the brave men of the army to the extent, almost, of endurance. Nobly
had they endured the hardships, and now they are entitled to all the
comforts that is possible to be provided. They had driven the rebels
from their comfortable winter quarters at Murfreesboro', and had made
the prospect for a termination of the war much more flattering than
when lying idly in camp at Nashville, and they were satisfied. Their
hardships were soon forgotten, and in a very few days they would have
been willing to have made another advance.