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ifted,lire aft the of atriotsI11 fa-busi-We i had o exdrafttutesciti-theainst r our favor eigli-and-t say»-11 leeriwait o de^ withrou Idikerst and nex-i the the sable t the nondisdves I Extract from a private letter of \V. Silas Thom, j . of the Sixth Imliana Keiriinent.asm- j |nany i Marrhlnjf by IHiglit—nule-tcams | fted ! —Pontoons—Doing: Picket Dutylor the Enemy—A Yankee Joke I ermit: —The Bat lie—Oraiit Eufliulas. | | tie—6th Indiana—Our Brigade.;*am ’• - Chattanooga, Nov. 25, 1863. ]palth * i* j * * * With my companions seated:a**hy j around me, all at once discussing enthusi-istify ; astically, the events of the great battle'?r, he ! fought here yesterday and day before; it;stand !IS a^m09t ‘^possible for me to give you any of its details. Our Regiment was again in the front, and again suffered severely, as did also, our whole Brigade, which I must not omit to say, was the first Brigade on the heights of Missionary Ridge. The day before, our men under Gen. Hooker, took possession of Lookout Mountain, but not nimi- j without hard fighting. The lighting hast the i been, for a few days past, persistent, de-d as ! termined, and gallant, at times, really terrific. * * * In yesterday’s tight, Gen.Sherman was on the extreme left. His command had crossed the river the night Id us j previous near the Ridge, and commenced lighting in the morning. Crossing the river was one of the most beautiful movements of the war, his command being crossed by means ot a pontoon bridge. They sent word to us, (I was with the pontoons), for boats and wagons, to go ten miles above Chattanooga. The order reached us about sundown, and by the time we were ready Uy a Ito start, it was dark, but on we went all hose, night, but not very far, for a pontoon w agon is a heavy load, and as the roads were very muddy, and we had to pass up and down the mountains, we had to harness ten and fourteen mules to a wagon, and when daylight came, we halted and fed, not tar from where we started. Here we tarried all day, with injunctions to remain quiet, and when night again curtained our movements, we received the command, “forward,” and forward we started. At the time of this move, the rebs, still held Lookout Mountain, and with their glasses, they could look dow n into our camps nud in daytime discern our movements. For four dark nights we traveled w ith our pontoons, when we arrived a creek, and landing our load quietly, launched our boats on the stream, out of sight of the rebs, manned them quickly, and silently floated on the water till we landed on the opposite side of the stream, three miles below the point at which our craft was launched. So quietly was every thing done, so completely did we “steal a march upon the enemy,” that our men captured one post of their pecketM, almost before they knew the Yankees vvjere about. The captured rebs were sent down the river, and the accommodating, and versatile Yankees, stood picket for them! But they had not stood at the )avis jp°st long, until there appeard a squad of “Cotifeds‘” making the “grand rounds;” our men halting them demanded, “who goes ert° j there?” and received for answer, “grand rounds.” “Advance Sergeant of the grand round and give the countersign.” It was done; and our men thus captured the countersign and the “rounds.1v And npw hav-*u* • ing the countersign, our men went all along the picket line, and when halted would reply, “a friend with the countersign.” The picket would say “advance friend and give the countersign.” Our men would then advance, and pickets, would find in-3 he (stead of a “friend,” that they were not on-the j ly Hie dupes of a Yankee trick, hut prison-iave!ersof war»in tbp hands of the Yankees!I I an(l prudently was the matter/ j conducted, that the entire line of pickets n in were captured, a bridge built, and one entire Division of our army crossed without any alarm whatever! This was the work of General T. W. Sherman, who marched his men around the point of Missionary j Ridge, to the rear of the Rebels. Next j morning dawned, and with it came the , in I “tug of war.” McCook's old corps (now nee ! (iranre!,'s) allacked the Rebels in front of j Missionary Ridge, whilst Sherman gave Cl j them battle on thj* extreme left, and in info their rear. Never was there a greater lin- battle, that that tor the possession of that q„ Ridge, and few, if any, more nobly won. the ' fa 11 ding on an eminence directly across 'the River from Missionary Ridge,* I could *ns | distinctly see the cannon of the enemy ere i “beh*b»i»^” continuous volumes of fire and q4is i smoke, and could distinctly see our men ^Ye j steadily and gallantly advancing, eachj apparently frying to reach the hieghfsv first. It was indeed a grand—a sublime ane There the Rebels made a desperate stand, he | but they are rolled back from those heights| by the superior numbers, management, and! down-right . for* hoys. In vain» does the enemy mass Ins troops against in , Sherman: he only weakens other points; to (and is at la1 driven “pell mell” from the Ridge, with his own artillery, in some instances, playing upon ois retreating, thinned, and broken ranks, Gen. Grant was at Fort Wood, watching the progress of the battle, and when our forces gained the Ridge, he pulled off his hat, waved it over his head, and exclaimed enthusiastically, “In all my life, I never saw such fighting.” He had only given orders to take the first line of rifle-pits, but upward and onward they went, taking line after in line, and not stopping until they readied \y j the heights. Our Regiment lost thirteen killed, and a large number wounded. Our Regiment, and indeed the whole Brigade, received great credit. The Brigade captured many prisoners, and several pieces of artillery. Some other Brigades perhaps done as well, but none clone belter., | W. SILAS THOM.fionntes. i the rivi*ices.»t golg topA-*o a ► forme eda“find;enli-•geIS*staylylie
Newspaper Details
Madison Weekly Courier
Madison, Indiana, US
Wed, Dec 23, 1863
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Stuart S.
USA 06 Jun 2019
Other Publications Near Madison, Indiana
Madison Courier
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