Sunday, [April] 6. — A lovely morning. Sent Sergeant Abbott to Fayetteville with five prisoners. Company A look splendidly; drill well, sing well, and, I doubt not, fight well. Received orders to be ready to move by Wednesday night. We need canteens, a quartermaster, ammunition. Must see that captains are all ready.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Sunday, 6th—The long roll sounded about half-past seven in the morning, and at once we formed a line of battle on the regimental parade ground. At about 8 o’clock we were ordered to the front, and marching out in battle line, about one-half mile, we met the rebels at Water Oaks Pond. Dresser’s battery was just in front of our regiment, we acting as a support to it. The rebels came up on our right, compelling us to fall back about eighty rods to our second position, where we remained until we were again flanked, when we fell back to within about one hundred yards of our parade ground, where we lay down on the brow of a hill awaiting the approach of the rebels in front. While in this position, Thomas Hains of Company E took off his hat, placed it upon his ramrod, and holding it up, shouted to the boys along the line to see what a close call he had had while out in front, for a minie ball had passed through the creased crown of his hat, making four holes. Before he could get his hat back on his head, a small shell burst over us and mortally wounded him.
By this time the rebels were marching right oblique, just in front of us, in double line of battle with their two stands of colors flying. By order we waited until we could look them in the eye and then rose up and fired a volley at close range into their ranks, throwing them into great confusion. We then made a bayonet charge, capturing one of their standards, and together with the Eleventh and the Twentieth Illinois Infantry we captured Cobb’s battery and retook General McClernand’s headquarters. In this charge Company E met its greatest loss of the day.
My musket became so dirty with the cartridge powder, that in loading it the ramrod stuck fast and I could neither get it up nor down, so I put a cap on, elevated the gun and fired it off. But now I had no ramrod, and throwing down my musket, I picked up a Belgian rifle lying at the side of a dead rebel, unstrapped the cartridge box from his body, and advanced to our company, taking my place with the boys. While in this position I witnessed a wonderful sight—thickly-flying musket balls. I have never seen hail falling thicker than the minie balls were flying in the air above us, though too high to do any harm. Our ammunition soon ran out and the entire regiment was ordered to the rear to replenish our cartridge boxes.
When leaving with my company for the rear to restock our ammunition supply, I passed a severely-wounded boy (a stranger to me) who begged me to help him to the rear and out of danger. I stooped down and let him put his arms around my neck, but finding that I could not rise up with him hanging on my neck, I assured him that he would be safe there among the logs, and explained that if I should stay with him, I would surely be taken a prisoner, so left the poor fellow to his fate.
After filling our cartridge boxes, we again formed in line of battle close by the cavalry field and right in the midst of heavy brush timber. Here we remained for about two hours, when we were ordered by General Grant (in person) to a position on the extreme left of the Army of the Tennessee, in support of Dresser’s battery, being placed in line by Webster of General Grant’s staff, just to the left of the siege guns. Here we were engaged for more than two hours. The Fifty-fifth Illinois and the Fifty-fourth Ohio were placed to our left in support of two batteries hard by the river. Here about 5 o’clock in the evening, three regiments of Buell’s army, just arriving, helped to repulse the fearful charge of the rebels.
The Eleventh Iowa was taken from its brigade early in the morning and remained separated all day. Now with the end of the day’s fight, and after dark, we retired a few rods distant from our last line of action and without food or shelter bivouacked for the night, lying down on the wet ground in the rain.
This was our first battle and our company was hard hit, our losses being as follows: Killed, Lieut. John F. Compton, Serg. Ezra McLoney, John R. Buckman, George Croak, Thomas M. Hains and Carlton Frink: mortally wounded. George W. Simmons and John W. Dwiggans; severely wounded, Elmore Chrisman and John T. Rice.[1] About ten other boys were slightly wounded.
[1] Rice finally died on April 19th, from the effects of the wound and typhoid fever.—A. G. D.
April 6th. Arrived towards evening off Fortress Monroe, and came to an anchor amidst an immense fleet of transports loaded down with troops. The following morning, the 7th, we weighed anchor, and with the fleet, steamed to Ship Point, on the northern side of the Peninsula, between the York and James rivers, ran in shore under easy headway until the vessels grounded, then let go the anchors, and prepared to land.
There were no docks, nor any preparations made for landing in the regular way, and I was quite interested as to how the thing could be done; the vessel being at least a hundred yards from shore, and, as our horses were on board, to an ordinary mind it did not seem an easy undertaking, but the steamer’s people soon made a sort of floating foot path with boards, supported by empty barrels anchored at intervals, which extended from the vessel to where the water was about two feet deep. The men were ordered to disembark over this indifferent pathway, and on reaching the end of the boards, jumped right into two feet of water and waded ashore. When the men were all off, the horses were stripped of their saddles, and bridles, backed to the edge of the deck, and shoved overboard, much to their disgust, but the plan worked famously, and on our boat there were no mishaps of any kind. Alongside of us were a number of vessels loaded with cattle, and they too, were unceremoniously dumped overboard in swarms, causing immense fun, many of the steers making very pointed objections to the operation; once overboard, they swam in a bee line for the shore, and were there collected and corralled.
This place is a low sandy point, covered with scrub pines, and intersected with many creeks, which the men soon discovered to be filled with delicious oysters. There are only two houses in the neighborhood, apparently inaccessible without a boat to cross the creeks. Soon after we landed the brigade was ordered inland about a mile, and there bivouacked for the night.
April 6.—Colonel Duffield, at Murfreesboro, Tenn., captured a mail direct from Corinth, Miss., with upward of one hundred and fifty letters, many containing valuable information regarding the strength and position of the rebels. From these letters Gen. Dumont learned that a number of spies were at Nashville and Edgefield, Tenn., and had them arrested.—National Intelligencer, April 10.
—The National gunboat Carondelet under the command of Capt Walke, having on board Gen. Granger, Col. Smith, of the Forty-third regiment of Ohio Volunteers, and Capt Lewis H. Marshall, Aid to Gen. Pope, made a reconnoissance to Tiptonville, Mo., the object being to draw the fire from the masked batteries of the rebels along the Mississippi River. On her way up the river the Carondelet attacked a battery, and Capt Marshall, accompanied by a party of soldiers of the Twenty-seventh Illinois regiment, landed, spiked the guns, destroyed the carriages, and threw the ammunition into the river.—N. Y. Commercial, April 9.
—Yesterday an expedition from General Mitchel’s command, consisting of two companies of the Fourth Ohio cavalry, and a piece of artillery from Loomis’s battery, in charge of Lieut. C. H. O’Riordan, the whole in command of Colonel Kennett, left Shelbyville, Tenn., marched to Decherd, and proceeding this morning to the University grounds, near where the main road sends off a branch toward some coal-mines, among the mountains, captured there a locomotive and a train of freight-cars. Thirty rebel soldiers were on the train at the time, waiting for the locomotive to get up steam. As soon as these fellows saw the Union troops, they took to their heels, scattering in all directions. A wild chase ensued, resulting in the overhauling and capture of fifteen of the fugitives.
Ascertaining that a largely superior force of the enemy was stationed at the tunnel, nine miles below Decherd, the expedition returned to camp. — Cincinnati Gazette.
—This day a party of rebel cavalry made a dash at the pickets of Gen. Wallace’s division, in the neighborhood of Adamsville, Tenn. Lieut. Murray, of the Fifth Ohio cavalry, made a suitable disposition of the forces at his command, but the enemy outnumbered him three to one, and his pickets were compelled to fall back. Three of his men fell into the enemy’s hands—Sergeant E. F. Cook, privates Wm. Ledwell and John Pilley, all of Co. I, Fifth Ohio cavalry. With regard to the fate of these men, the official report says: “When Sergt Cook was last seen, he was riding among the rebels, fighting them hand to hand. It is not known if he was wounded before being taken prisoner. Ledwell is supposed to be badly wounded or killed, as his saddle was covered with blood. Pilley is a prisoner, and supposed to be unharmed.”
—Snip Point, Va., was captured by the forces of Gen. McClellan.
