Chapter 83

CHAPTER LXXXIII

At about 10 o’clock, p. m., we came in sight of Pine Mountain, a cone like elevation upon which the enemy were strongly entrenched and which was the key to the rebel position.

From our position we could plainly see the enemy, whilst their burnished arms glistened in the sun, and from which we could plainly trace the movement of their troops.  It was clearly evident an engagement would in all probability take place shortly.

It was whilst we were laying here that the rebel Major General Leonidas Polk, was killed by a shell from one of our batteries.  I am aware that the position which I take upon the question at issue will expose this article to criticism, nevertheless I shall feel myself called upon to state what was at the time it occurred currently reported in our command.

A number of rebel officers had gathered on the brow of Pine Mountain, and  were evidently making observations; Knap’s Battery being placed in position in the front line, Serg’t. Atwood of the Battery, seeing the group of rebels on the mountain sighted one of the guns, a ten-pound rifle parrot, and firing the piece, the missile sped true to its aim, and bursting above the group one of the fragments killed the rebel general, Bishop Polk.

Our signal corps interpreted the rebel signal dispatches, and thus it was announced to our army in a very brief time after its occurrence, and at time it happened Knap’s Battery was credited with the deed.

We lay in line all day, in the woods in rear of the main line, and passed the night in the same position.  On the following morning, June 15^th, our regiment was reinforced by Company I, giving us nine companies in place of eight, as heretofore.

While laying here Lewis Millhoff, Corporal VonNeida and several of the other boys visited an old log house on the mountain, (the rebels having skeedaddled) and brought a lot of castor oil beans with them and shared the same out among the boys of the company, and they were devoured with the greatest relish.

At about 9 o’clock, a. m., our Division was moved rapidly to the front and soon came up with the enemy.  Our regiment was at once sent forward to skirmish with the enemy.  First Company B, only was deployed and the remainder of the regiment was held in reserve, and moved forward at supporting distance, the enemy opened on us with a battery, and the skirmishers becoming too hardly pressed, our Company was deployed, and was moved to the support of Company B, and a more pitiable set of looking soldiers than some of our boys were, we never beheld, the castor oil beans were  doing their work most efficiently, a number of the boys were compelled to lie down on the skirmish line, and vomited and purged at a fearful rate.  The men of the other companies who were not in on the secret thought our men were full of “tangle-foot.”  One of the sufferers answered one of the men thusly: “Oh, no, not drun—drun—drun-c-k, but deathly sick.”

The skirmishing was kept up lively until about 4 o’clock, p. m., at which time we pressed back the enemy into his breastworks, and General Geary determined to carry the rebel breastworks at the point of the bayonet. One of the Corporals of our company was sent out to bring the skirmishers back, and in doing so several of the men came near being shot by the officers of the advancing column, who naturally supposed that they were attempting to skulk out of the fight.  After considerable difficulty most of the men of our com­pany got back, excepting Daniel Ehrhart who moved on with the charg­ing column, and the regiment formed in a little ravine, after which we were moved to the left to protect the flank of the attacking column.  Fixing bayonets, the greater portion of our men having fired their ammunition away, we left faced and con­tinued to move to the left, while on our way we met Ehrhart coming out of the fight wounded in the shoulder, a little further on we passed Major Moses Veale of Geary’s staff, seated under a tree, and pointed to his left breast from which the crimson tide was flowing; we soon reached the edge of the woods, when lo and behold, the rebel breast-works appeared in full view, filled with Johnnies, not over a hundred yards from us.  The surprise appeared to be mutual, and not a shot was fired at us.  We were promptly ordered to lie down, an order which it certainly did not take us very long to comply with.  Again Providence favored our regiment, as we had halted upon a little rise of ground and creeping behind it we were safe as long as we kept our heads down, and this we could easily do.

The fighting on our right was very severe and now the rebels in our front opened on us from their breast-works and although the minnie balls did not really do us much harm they did the next thing to it, almost scared us to death.

At this critical time, a detail was made from each company to go to the rear for ammunition.  John P. Haas was sent from our company and dangerous mission it was.  The brave Haas soon came back with a box containing a 1000 rounds, 57 caliber, and seating himself upon his haunches to pant a little, and was telling us how narrowly he escaped being shot, when he was struck in the abdomen with a minnie ball.  He fell, then sprang up on his feet again.  Lieut. Parks ordered him to drop his rifle so that he might account for it as lost on the field of battle.  We only state the latter command to show how the death or fatally wounding of a man was looked upon.  Haas threw down his gun and took off his accouterments and started for the rear.  Henry Brown asked permission to help him back.  This was the last time we ever saw Haas, though we subsequently learned that he died during the night.

Our troops failed in their attempt to carry the rebel breast-works, and soon after dark the fighting ceased.  Our regiment was moved back a short distance and here we were ordered to put up breast-works.  We went to work in good earnest and by midnight we had tolerable fair works completed.  In the morning we found that our line of works were erected in a parallel line with the direction the enemies shot and shell were fired, thus giving the enemy the advantage of an enfilading fire.  Colonel Pardee, as ever alive to the responsibilities resting upon him as the commander of a regiment, moved us out, and fortunately for us, we had scarcely left the works before the enemy opened upon the deserted works, with a battery of artillery, and the logs were sent flying in every direction. Captain John Q. Mercer of Company E, who had remained in the breast-works to finish his breakfast was struck with a fragment of a shell and one of his limbs was knocked off.

We were moved to the right and rear of the front line of battle, which was protected by a heavy line of earth-works, here we remained during the day and were subjected to one of the most severe artillery fires we ever experienced, but owing to our sheltered position we escaped without any serious injury.