Civil War letters at Middlebury College

385 on our left in front of the town and reports reached us at dark that ^it was doubtful who would win the day but night closes the contest On the morning of the 24" we moved to the front at the foot of Lookout mountain and with us was the 84th Ills - nearly all the rest of the forces engaged in this conflict were sent to the enemys left flank and so quietly and wily was it done that before they were aware of it they were our flanked and forced to retire we lay in their front and kept up a brisk skirmish with them - Chattanooga creek a narrow but deep stream separating us we sent a part of our Regt to our right to take possession of a burnt railroad bridge I dismounted and sent my horse to the rear and while carrying orders from one part of the Regt to the other I was obliged to pass by an open space in plain view of the rebel skirmishers and several well directed shots were sent after me one striking at my feet others whistling bu so close that it seemed as though they went through me but I was unhurt We lay in this position something over an hour having accomplished all we were ordered to do to attract their attentions and hold them in position presently the firing began on the enemys left flank and so completely by surprise were they taken that they broke + run allowing Hooker to forma line of battle on their flank extending from the base to the summit of lookout and just at this juncture the artillery from a line of works in our rear extending from right to left something over a mile opened on them with

shell- a hundred shell a minute were hurled screaming through the air over our heads and exploding among the panic striken rebels the effects of every shot was plainly visible to us and I think I never emjoyed any little serve more than I did this- presently our battle line was in sight steadily and in perfect order marching along the hillside sweeping everything before it and our battle flags and the old Stars & Stripes how proudly grandly they move along like things of life- ow we match with intense interest they near the enemys works a large fort but with scarcely a perceptible halt these Northern Vandals with fixed bayonets & with a wild yell charge upon them in their strong holds - one flag falls to the earth but is quickly raised by other hands and its folds float proudly in the breeze firmly planted on the heights of their strong hold- Ah! I tell you the old stars & stripes never in the world looked half so good to me as they did this day I was happy was in extacy At this time the line of battle had reached us & we were without orders to cross the rest of our Brigade had been moved to another field also our Brigade commands and Col Bennett & indeed all were getting very anxious to join in the pursuit and he sent me flying over the country to get permission to cross "he didnt care a damn who it was from but he wanted orders to go across could cross in a minute if he only had orders" well I soon returned with the coveted permission and away we went at "double quick" but there was

work to be done on the bridge before we could cross and Col Waters of the 84" Ills was there one moment before us with a detail to put the bridge in a passable condition but our boys under the inspiration of the moment brought logs and timber from the burnt railroad bridge and soon had it so that we could pass in single file and we outwinded the other Col and moved our Regt over first the battle line had by this time got a half a mile by us although its left did not reach down to the mountain road and between that & the creek there was yet an unexplored country and across this one formed with skirmishers in the advance we moved on the Rebs were thick enough but they had thrown away their arms and stood with uplifted hands which means "dont shoot I want to be gobbled" and gobble them we did for in fifteen minutes we sent back over a hundred Having gone three fourths of a mile without special orders Col Bennett ordered a halt to await instructions - the fighting had now entirely ceased the Revs were on a big run whether they would evre stop this side of the "last ditch" was a matter of doubt Presently orders came in the shape of General Hooker himself who rode up to the Col + asked "What are you waiting for Colonel?" and the Col replied " I am waiting for orders General" you shall have them sirsend forward one company of skirmishers and move in column up this mountain road and dont stop until you get in sight of Chattanooga

sheet 2 And then be talked & joked with the boys in his pleasant cheerful way and in a less time than five minutes he had the love and confidence of evry man in the Regt and would have fought for him at the drop of the hat: It is surprising to see how quick and unanimous a regt will evidence their like or dislike for a commanding General We moved up the mountain side in compliance with the Generals orders winding around huge rocks & abrupt cliffs until we reached the extreme height traversed by this road and here was one place that the road was only eight feet wide cut out of the solid rock and of this the rebels had blasted and destroyed one half of its width and right down off this at our left if a man were to fall he would travel downward five hundred feet before he would come in contact with any thing and then it would be a big pile of rocks which would probably disarrange his architecture some but no one concluded to make the trip and we went on until we come in sight of Chattanooga when we halted and presented a line of battle to the front & reported to Gen Hooker I found him only a little in our rear & he rode forward at once and as he caugh sight of the town he ordered "three cheers" and we obliged but rather feebly and as a kind of appology for the feeble cheer our old major the gallant oldscamp had to put

in his word- he always does when he is arround and he is always arround said he "General we dont feel like wasting our breath on that God forsaken place- we came near starving to death there once and we want to give it a wide berth in the future" at which the General smiled a loud smile and beged our pardon said he did not know that as he would not have asked for the cheer But the thing was growing momentarily interesting skirmishing had began on our right farther up the mountain which was every moment getting hotter & hotter- we were now exactly opposite Lookout point and down the mountain side a half mile from the summit our Regt was entirely detached from the rest leaving a break of thirty or forty rods The General now ordered us to advance our skirmishes and to move cautiously along to a certain point over looking + commanding the road and its approaches & to throw up some remporary breast works and to "hold this road by God" we found a few sharp shooters & straglers in our front but reached the point indicated without dificulty & were soon [parting?] protected by some temporary works - sharp shooting continued between the skirmishes but no casualties -meantime there was work being done up the mountain the enemy was making a desperate stand and were contesting every foot of the ground and Gen Carlin who was laying with his Brigade in reserve at the foot of the mountain opened on them

with his battery of four 12 pound Parrotts and his range was such that he had to throw them exactly over us or ought to have done so but many of them went low not as high as high as our heads even and some struck in our midst and exploded but no one was hurt At dusk the firing in our immediate front ceased & I relieved our skirmishers with a strong picket detail and found me a place sheltered from the cold wind built me a little fire lay down in my blanket + was soon sound asleep the last thing I heard that night was one continued roar of musketry not fifty rods from me and when I awoke at midnight wet from a drizzling rain in the early part of the night and chilled through with the cold the firing had ceased and all was quiet except the shreiks + groans of the wounded + dying who had not yet been removed from the field I was told that the fight had been closed for an hour that the Rebels had ingloriously fled having ^left their dead and many of their wounded on the field - I arranged my waiter (colored) replenished the fire and thawed put my benumbed limbs had a cup of coffee made and indulged in the luxury of a hard tack and then shiveringly dreamed of home and its loved ones - wife mother sisters + brothers all

were with me that night happy scenes happy days long gone filed past me and I reveled in this pleasure and for the time forgot (although their groans filled the night air that these rocks were stained by other husbands sons + brothers blood- oblivious to ought else I saw rise from the carnage hope + peace and with outstretched wings hover near + then with smiles of gladness and shouts of joy mount heavenward; and then I saw the deep the holy joy of the wife the mother as she welcomes the return from the battle field of her loved one who has left a true a Patriot record At early dawn I had the command under arms ready for any little tricks they might wish to play but we were not disturbed - and at 7 AM in connexion with the 84" Ills made a reconnaiscance for nearly a mile on our front but found nothing but rebel deserters took in over a hundred of these + returned Hookers command had now began the forward march to participate in the coming battle of Missionary Ridge and as our Brigade went past we took our place we gad received our horsesduring the night and I almost said that I would neve send mine to the rear again when going into an engagement but mine will not stand fire and a person presents a less conspicuous mark while on foot

Dec 7th I feel that you will get out of patience waiting for this letter but I have had hardly time to think since I returned my monthly reports were past due + I had to make them all alone and there has been three times the amount of extra work that there usualy is this must be my excuse I should however have written you a short letter but for the chaplains going just as he did which would remove all anxiety and assure you of my safety and now I must continue the events of the campaign and I am reminded while sitting here in my warm cosey tent with everything fixed up and arranged to my satisfaction of the capture that I made on the morning of the reconnaissance which was nothing more or less than a good specimen of a wall tent in which I am enjoying myself now we found a deserted rebel camp they got in such a hurry that they left their tents standing and also left a large amount of quartermasters stores - I captured one of the tents and carried on my horse to where the wagons were coming along and left my boy to guard it It is very difficult to draw any tents through the quartermasters Dept now other than shelter tents

It was about three oclock when we reached Rossville at a gap in Missionary Ridge + this was the extreme right of our lines- Sherman had beaten them back on the left and made those gallant charges up the hillside of which you have doubtless read and the enemy was gradualy pulling back along the ridge to where we were but we were just in time to prevent their getting possession of the gap ( a strong position by the way which would have cost us many lines to have cleared) up the steep hillside our boys went -not a man faltered or struggled everyman was in his place - there being four Regts in the advance of us and the ridge being narrow so that only theo regts could be put in one line we were necessarily in the rear and formed a support in the third line be-the first Regt up the hill met the enemy just at the brow and at a double quick charged on them and drove them thirty or forty rods where they rallied behind some works and here the contest grew fierce for an hour- we were close in the rear of the line doing the fighting and the bullets fell thick and fast and the men were ordered to lie down- at this place I was standing by the side of the Colonel so close that there could not have been a space of two feet when a ball went between us just above our shoulders which was the closest call I have had

At half past ten the next day we started out on the Grayville road following them up and nothing occurred until after dark when we came in sight of the Rebel camp fires the advance was now made quietly + cautiously- skirmishes were thrown out in the advance and for an hour we move very slow but now crack, crack, goes the rifles and then a whole volley but it lasts only a few moments and a rebel wagon train of ten wagons + four wires of Artillery is surprised and captured and after this is disposed of we move forward but slowly feeling our way along and before going up a range of hills this Regt is in the advance three companies are sent forward as skirmishes and Col Bismett in command of them when bang! goes a gun + perhaps another I halt the Regt but there is no reply some boy is excited and imagines he sees an enemy - so we go for two or three milse over the hill + down the valley and everything goes into camp but this Regt which moves farther on + place our skirmishes as pickets while the rest camp in a little ravine and sup on coffee + hard tack and lie down by the fire for a few hours of sleep- an hour passes by and every man is sound asleep except the faithful sentinell at his post when bang, bang, - a half dozzen shots - our picket line is attacked! fall in ! fall in! and in a little less than no time we are