"HOLD THE HILL FOR TEN MINUTES, AT ANY COST!"
The first great movement of the Confederate commander having failed of
success, he now tried another, which was to hurl his united forces upon
Crittenden, who was approaching him from the direction of Chattanooga.
He knew Crittenden's troops were divided by woods and mountains, and
wrote to one of his generals, Polk: "This presents a fine opportunity of
striking Crittenden in detail, and I hope you will avail yourself of it
to-morrow. This division crushed, and the others are yours." He referred
to the first division sent in the direction of Ringgold, not knowing
that other troops had been sent after it. Wheeler's cavalry--or a large
portion of it--was sent to cover Polk's right. But again there was a
delay, Polk stating the enemy was too strong for him. Bragg, much put
out, took Buckner's command and went to the front, only to learn a few
hours later that Crittenden had reunited his forces and taken a stand
on the other side of Chickamauga Creek.
So far there had been many movements and many forced marches, but no
battle had resulted. There were still many changes, but in a work of
this sort, written primarily to show the movements of the Riverlawn
Cavalry, the details of these movements can hardly find a place. A
battle seemed "in the air," and as day after day went by, both sides
grew more anxious to fight, and each waited only for some slight
advantage over the other.
General Rosecrans now made preparations to hold all the roads leading to
Chattanooga east of the mountains. Van Cleve went to Crawfish Springs,
Palmer to Gowan's Ford, McCook with several divisions took a mountain
road to Stevens' Gap, to join Thomas, Sheridan marched down Lookout
Valley to Johnson's Creek, and the cavalry went to Dougherty's Gap and
McLemore's Cove. Thus were the three columns, right, centre, and left,
once more within supporting distance of each other, "a matter of life
and death," as General Rosecrans states in a report on the subject.
General Bragg now felt that he must do something. Two splendid chances
for striking the Union forces had been allowed to slip by through the
failure of his officers to carry out his instructions on time; he felt
there must be no further failure. He would concentrate his whole army
into one grand effort to crush General Rosecrans and all under him. His
efforts were spirited and daring, and worthy of a far better cause than
that of trying to split our glorious Union into fragments.
The first movement was to concentrate his army along the east bank of
Chickamauga Creek, and here he awaited reenforcements under Longstreet
from Virginia, in the meantime sending out orders as to how each
division of his command should take part when the general movement
began. All was in readiness by the 17th of September, and the order was
given to move across the stream at six o'clock the next morning; a
portion of his command to go across at Alexandria Bridge, another at
Reed's Bridge, a third at Ledford's Ford, and others to try what could
be done at Lee and Gordon's Mill, or Dalton's Ford. The plan looked to
the destruction of the left wing of our army and the retaking of the
roads leading to Chattanooga. It brought on the battle of Chickamauga,
which lasted for two days, Saturday and Sunday, September 19th and
20th,--a nerve-trying contest neither the wearers of the blue nor the
wearers of the gray were ever liable to forget.
While the Army of the Cumberland was concentrating on one side of the
Chickamauga and the Army of Tennessee on the other, with several outside
forces to aid, if possible, on one side or the other, the cavalry was
employed along the river banks to report all movements of the
enemy,--Minty being on the Union side and Forrest on the Confederate
side. To the Union forces were added the Riverlawns, although they
operated largely as an independent body.
The cavalry were stationed at both Reed's and the Alexandria Bridges,
and beyond them, and in the afternoon of the day before the great
battle, Colonel Lyon received hurried orders to proceed across Reed's
Bridge in the direction of Pea Vine Creek, three miles eastward, to
support some of Minty's cavalry who had encountered the Confederate
forces under General Johnson. The colonel lost no time in obeying this
command, and in less than three minutes after it was delivered the
Riverlawns were galloping along the uneven pike, every company with full
ranks and every man ready to do his duty.
Johnson had left Ringgold early in the morning, his instructions being
to cross the Chickamauga at Reed's Bridge, and then to sweep onward
toward Lee and Gordon's Mill. The way was hard, the roads covered with
dust, and by two o'clock it was reported to him that the Union cavalry
under Minty was in front, at Pea Vine Creek, ready to dispute his
passage to the Chickamauga. His column consisted of four divisions of
infantry, a portion of Forrest's cavalry, several batteries and eight
pieces of reserve artillery.
"If Minty's cavalry is in front, so much the worse for Minty," were the
Confederate's words. "Forward, and let every man do his best for the
gallant stars and bars!"
The wearers of the gray responded with that battle-cry which has since
become so well known; and the first division was hurled at Minty just as
he appeared at a turn in the road not far from the little creek.
The shock was heavy but the cavalry stood up to it, and a rapid fire on
both sides resulted. Seeing there were more Union cavalrymen in reserve,
Johnson sent additional troops to the front, and Minty was gradually
forced backward. It was then that the Riverlawns were called into
action.
"You are wanted, Colonel Lyon!" cried the dashing Union commander, who
sat astride of a steed covered with foam. "They are on us in
overwhelming numbers, yet my orders are to hold this road and the
bridge."
"I will help you all I can, Colonel," answered Colonel Lyon. "I'll go
wherever you think is best."
"Then take that road to our right. I have sent some of my own troops to
the left. Johnson may have so many men with him that he will try to cut
off my rear."
"I will follow your directions, Colonel," said the commander of the
Riverlawns; and, turning in the saddle, he issued the necessary orders;
and away went the twelve companies across a small open field a short
distance above Pea Vine Creek.
Minty had guessed correctly; Johnson was calculating to surround him,
and a division of his troops was already hurrying to the right of the
Union cavalry. There was a slight rise of ground, and it was the
intention of the Confederate commander to have his left wing sneak
around this. Once in the rear of Minty, the Union cavalry would be
caught in a trap and either wiped out or compelled to surrender.
The Riverlawns were sweeping directly up the hill at full speed, with
Deck in advance of the first battalion. His father was beside him, and
both reached the top together, field-glasses in hand.
"There they are!" cried Deck, pointing with his hand. "We are none too
soon!"
"You are right, my son," answered the colonel; and he motioned
Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon to his side.
A plan of action was soon established; and by the time the Confederate
force was within firing distance, the Riverlawns were drawn up along the
brow of the hill in battalion ranks, each battalion resting within two
hundred feet of that next to it.
"First company take aim--fire!" came the command; and the first blazed
away, followed by the fifth, and the ninth,--the leaders of the second
and third battalions. The smoke had not yet cleared away when the
second, sixth, and tenth companies came to the front and discharged
their carbines, and the companies behind these soon after followed suit.
The first volley did not halt the Confederates, but the second did,
while the third and fourth rounds caused the leading companies to fall
back, a score of men having been killed and wounded. But their leader
urged them on, and they left the road and charged straight up the little
hill.
Before the charge was made, Colonel Lyon saw that to combat with such a
force with a single regiment of cavalry would be folly. Accordingly he
despatched his orderly post-haste to Colonel Minty, with the following
message:--
"Force operating on the right too heavy for me. Think it is half a
division, or more. Will hold the top of the hill as long as I can."
The messenger had scarcely gone when the fight on the hillside began.
The Confederates crowded forward in large numbers, and it looked as if
the Riverlawns would be completely engulfed. But Colonel Lyon kept the
whole three battalions up to the firing line, with the exception of the
twelfth company, which was sent to the rear, to watch that they should
not be cut off from concentration with Minty.
Two charges had been made, when the orderly came back.
"Hold the hill for ten minutes, at any cost!" was the message sent back.
Minty was retreating, there being nothing else to do, and if the hill
was lost, the Confederates would surround him before Alexandria Bridge
could be gained.
"I will hold the hill," said Colonel Lyon, and waving his sabre, he came
up directly to the front. "Men, we are asked to hold this hill for ten
minutes. It means life or death to the cavalry on the Pea Vine Creek
road. Will you help me to hold it?"
"We will!" came in a stirring cry. "We will!"
"I knew you would do it! This is our stand, and here we must remain! Do
not budge an inch!"
"We'll stand like rocks!" shouted a heavy-set Kentuckian. "Hurrah for
Colonel Lyon!"
There was a cheer, and a volley from the companies at the front. The
smoke was now becoming thick, and in the midst of this the enemy swarmed
up the hillside.
"First battalion--charge!" came the order, and away went the four
companies, with Deck in the lead, to break down a column which was
advancing on the left, the most vulnerable point on the rise of ground.
There was a crash of musketry and a cracking of pistols, and then the
clash of sabres, striking fire, as the two forces closed in.
The young major found himself in a trying position. The enemy counted
three times more men than were in his own ranks, consisting of a
battalion and a half of cavalry and an equal number of infantry. On the
moment, he planned to charge the cavalry first and draw them away from
the foot-soldiers. The plan succeeded, and then the contest became a
little more equal.
Colonel Lyon watched the scene with bated breath, for Deck was far too
daring, to his mind; but the moment the enemy's cavalry and infantry
separated, he smiled to himself. Calling Major Belthorpe, he ordered him
forward to engage the separated infantry, and in a minute more two
battles were on instead of one on the hillside.
In the meantime Minty was falling back, slowly, but surely, doing all
the damage possible as he retreated. It had not been presumed by General
Rosecrans that Minty could overcome the forces under Johnson, but the
Union commander wished to subject Bragg to delays in concentrating his
troops, knowing that such delays usually worked to the Confederate's
ultimate defeat.
Fearing that Minty could not hold the force against him back long
enough, the general in command sent Wilder after him, to operate as the
Riverlawns were operating. They came up in the midst of the contest, and
aided materially in the retreat; but of their coming Colonel Lyon knew
nothing.
Five minutes had gone by, and the Riverlawns were being pressed back.
One company had been disorganized,--the fifth, Captain Gadbury being
wounded, and the first lieutenant, Grand, being shot dead. Under these
conditions, Second Lieutenant Sandy Lyon assumed command. The fifth
company was the first of the second battalion, and Sandy now found
himself charging the Confederate infantry just mentioned. He went in
with vigor, and no one acted with greater heroism that day than did this
young Kentuckian who had once marched under the stars and bars, but who
had recognized the error of his ways, and was now fighting under the
glorious stars and stripes.
"He's all there--Sandy is!" murmured old Titus Lyon, and there was
something like a tear in his eye. "God bless him and preserve him for
his mother's sake and for mine!" It did the old man's heart good to see
his boy at the head of that dashing company of cavalrymen.
Exasperated at the stubborn resistance on the hill, Johnson sent forward
another regiment of infantry to support the infantry and cavalry already
in the field. What to do was now a question to Colonel Lyon. He looked
at his watch. The Riverlawns had held the hill for exactly sixteen
minutes. Should he fall back? If he remained he might be annihilated; if
he fell back Minty might be lost.
A shout from the rear reached his ear. A staff-officer was riding
toward him at breakneck speed. "Fall back--the retreat has been
sufficiently covered!" came the order, and much relieved, Colonel Lyon
ordered his battalions to retreat to the creek road, where they came up
side by side with the front of the regular cavalry column. Minty had met
Johnson at noon. It was now after three o'clock, and the Confederate
advance had been delayed three hours. It could not be delayed longer,
however, and Minty, Wilder, and the Riverlawns continued to fall back.
Johnson reached Reed's Bridge shortly after three o'clock, and marched
for Jay's Mill, arriving there an hour later. The Riverlawns went into
camp not far from the Chickamauga, and awaited further orders.