Chapter 86

CHAPTER LXXXVI

We succeeded in putting up a good line of works and re­mained in them until the 30^th ult., when we were relieved by the 14^th Corps and moved to the right of the line and relieved the 22^nd Corps, which took up a position on the left flank of the enemy.

We took possession of the line of works constructed by the 22^nd Corps, and at once commenced to skirmish the enemy.

During the time we remained in these works, Corp. VonNeida was wounded.  Knap’s Battery had been planted on a knoll in the rear of our works and was firing upon the rebels the shells being defective through the pieces of lead which fitted the shells to the bore of the guns.  It was one of these pieces that struck Corporal VonNeida whilst he was engaged in cooking his supper.

During Saturday night, July 2^nd, the rebels retreated, having been flanked out of their position.

On the morning we started in pursuit and by ten o’clock, we came up to the rebel breast-works, it having. taken us several hours to move a distance of half a mile.

In the line a house was standing and behind which a rebel battery had been planted.  On the eastern wall of one of the rooms, some rebel had penciled the following notice, using a piece of charcoal.  The following is a copy of the notice as, we remember it, not having taken a copy of it at the time:

      NOTICE.

To Joe. Hooker’s Corps.

      “This is the Battery that gave Joe Hooker’s Blue bellied Yankees, h--1, at New Hope Church, and we would most cordially invite you’ns to spend your 4^th of July in the neighborhood of Atlanta, and we obligate ourselves to provide all the fire-works you may need.”

After a short rest we pushed on after the Johnnies and soon came up with the rear guard, when a lively engagement was brought on between the skirmishers of the two armies and which was carried on lively during the. day, night coming on hostilities ceas­ed and before the morning dawned the enemy had retreated again, leaving us masters of the situation.

The morning of the 4^th of July, the Nations birthday, dawned bright and beautiful, and when the discovery was made that in all probability we would remain in our present camp or position the greater part of the day.  The various regimental colors were at once unfurled, and the bands attached to Divisions and Brigades played the several national airs, and when we learned that we were to receive a ration of commissary, the measure of our patriotism was full and complete.

At about 10 o‘clock, a. m., we were regaled with the whisky, and in a very short time, quite a number of our men, the writer among the number, were soon chuck full of patriotism, drawn in a great measure, from the canteen.

We were encamped in the vicinity of an old mill, and the boys had considerable sport in the water, and several of them who had became too patriotic, nearly drowned in the water of the dam.

In the afternoon, about 4 o’clock, we were ordered out in line, and our skirmish line was advanced.  Quite a brisk little engagement was carried on until nearly midnight, when the ene­my withdrew.

On the morning of the 5^th, we broke camp and moved in pursuit of the enemy, and at a little before noon we arrived on an eminence where we had our first view of the church spires of the city of Atlanta.

A   dense smoke overhung the site of the city and Col. Griggs of our company informed the boys that the smoke was occasioned by the Georgia Militia cooking their coffee, and he remarked that from the amount of smoke, they were boiling it good and strong.

We moved to within about two miles of the Chatahoochie River and went in­to camp where we remained over night.  On the following day we were relieved by the 23^rd Corps and moved in the rear of the 14^th Corps.  Having moved a distance of about 4 miles.  Here we remained over night.

On the following morning we broke camp and moved to the left of the 14^th Corps, where we were formed in line of battle.  We marched a distance of 5 miles.

On the following day we remained in camp all day, and in the afternoon we were visited by Serg’t. John Keller an uncle of Will’s, and a former resident of Selinsgrove, and who belonged to one of the Illinois regiments in Gen. Logan’s Corps.  We were very glad to meet with him and passed a very pleasant time in speaking about the absent and dear ones, our mutual friends.

We remained in camp until the 15^th of July when we moved a short distance nearer the river.  Here we were ordered to put up summer quarters.  This we no sooner had accomplished than ordered to be ready to move.

On Sunday the 17^th of July, we broke camp and moved to Isham’s Ferry, at which place we crossed the Chatahoochie River, and encamped.  We traveled about 10 miles.  It was dark when we came to a halt, and not knowing how near to the enemy we might be, we were not allowed to kin­dle fires and were consequently compelled to do without our coffee, and could do no better than munch our hard-tack greased with salt pork and wash it down with a cup of water from a neighboring swamp.  We soon sought our soldier couch and vainly attempted to snatch a few hours sleep but the mosquitoes in innumerable numbers put in their appearance, making it impossible for us to sleep but very brief in­tervals between bites.  Considerable merriment was occasioned during the night by Col. Griggs who took his shelter tent and tied himself fast by his heels, and when asked what he was tying himself to that tree for? he re­plied:

“Do you think that I am going to allow these gaul darned secesh musketeers to carry me over into the Johnnies lines?”

The morning at last dawned and we were soon on our onward march.  We moved along quietly without anything particular occurring until the afternoon of the 21^st of July, when we came up with the enemy and a warm skirmish was at once commenced and by about 4 o’clock, p. m., the rebels were driven across Peach Tree Creek, and we soon crossed and took up our position on its southern bank.

We at once proceeded to fortify and by ten o’clock at night, we had a line of works completed, after which we threw ourselves upon the. ground and soon forgot the fatigues of the day in refreshing slumber.

At about 8 o’clock, on the following morning we were ordered to advance and having been taken from the rear on the previous day and placed at the head of the Brigade, by command of Col. Candy, and this morning we had our position in the rear of the Brigade by virtue of our position on the previous day.

We advanced a short distance when we came to a halt, the enemy had been discovered in our immediate front.

We were at once thrown into line, our regiment was placed in position on a little rise, whilst the other part of the Brigade and Division was drawn up in line in the woods and across a ravine of considerable width.  We at once proceeded to put up a hastily erected line of breast-works.  The rear rank of the regiment remained in line  ready to repel any attack that might be suddenly made, whilst the front rank was busily engaged carrying together rails, stones, stumps, logs, and any other articles that could be procured that in any manner might afford us protection from the enemy’s bullets in case they might attack us, and as may well be imagined under the circumstances, it did not take us long to put up tolerable strong works.

Owing to the formation of the ground the 12 pieces of artillery belonging to the Division were placed in our regimental line, two pieces being placed in, our company’s works.

We remained in our works until about 2 o’clock, in the afternoon, at which time we received orders to be ready to fall in.  The 33^rd New Jersey Regiment advanced boldly in column of fours, taking the hospital department, Surgeon and steward, along with them.  General Geary and part of his staff followed in the wake of the regiment.

We did not anticipate an engagement would be brought on by this advance, and our dropping spirits rose in consequence of this belief.  But suddenly, without a moments notice, a volley of musketry broke forth on the stillness causing the very earth to tremble beneath our feet with the concussion.

General Geary and his party came galloping hack, the old General had dropped his hat and as he came riding past our works, someone said, “old John is badly scared, see he has lost his hat.”

The old General turned in his saddle and cast a look on us that plainly seemed to say:

“If I only had time, I would make you repent that,” but the yells of the advancing Johnnies made it his imperative duty to seek a favorable position from which to be best able to direct the movements of his Division.

The rebels advanced upon us like a hurricane, driving every thing before them on our right, and then fiercely threw themselves upon our position.  The batteries in our regiment opened up on the enemy with grape and canister, and at the same time we opened a destructive fire upon the advancing enemy with rifles.

At this juncture the enemy succeeded in driving back the right of our Brigade and poured through the ravine gaining our rear.  At this critical moment the enemy opened upon us from the rear, a number of the horses belonging to the batteries were shot down from the enemy in the ravine in our rear, whilst Captain Magill and a number of his men were wounded in the same manner.

The enemy having driven our entire Brigade back with the excep­tion of our Regiment, now turned their attention to us, and suc­ceeded in capturing two of the guns out of the right of our reg­iment and turning them on us fired two shells down our line, when companies A and F, charged upon them and recaptured them.  The rebels made a determined assault upon our line but were met with as determined a resistance.

Colonel Pardee, our gallant Colonel paced up and down the rear of the regiment, with his saber drawn, and with his battle smile, illuminating his face, he said:

“Old 147^th, stand firm, we will hold our position or else all go to Richmond together.”

At this time the 3^rd Brigade troops under General Greene left their breastworks and charged down upon the victorious Johnnies, driving them back in great confusion.

By this time the engagement had become general all along the front of our regiments; the enemy was feeling for our flank, and as a gap existed on our left of several hundred yards.  The enemy having made this discovery formed in the woods  several hundred yards in the rear of the main attacking column, and with a terrible yell they swarmed out of the woods and charged down upon the defenseless point.  But General Hooker, our Corps Commander was equal to the emergency.  At the same time that the rebel troops started for this point, our 3^rd Divi­sion started forward out of their works to meet them.  The moment was indeed an exciting one to us.  At length the advanc­ing column of Rebels came in range of our guns, a Division of the 14^th Corps opened up on them from the left; and now the leading Brigade of the 3^rd Division gained the gap and the rebels flew in confusion and thus ended General Hood’s first attempt to annihilate the Union Army.