May 9. — Battle of Cloyd’s Mountain, or as Rebs call it “Cloyd Farm.” Lasted one hour and a half. The Twenty-third and Thirty-sixth, under the immediate direction of General Crook, charged across a meadow three hundred yards wide, sprang into a ditch and up a steep wooded hill to Rebel breastworks, carried them quickly but with a heavy loss. Captain Hunter killed. Lieutenant Seaman ditto. Abbott’s left arm shattered. Rice a flesh wound. Eighteen killed outright; about one hundred wounded — many mortally. This in [the] Twenty-third. [The] Thirty-sixth less, as the Twenty-third led the column. Entered Dublin Depot, ten and one-half miles, about 6:30 P. M. A fine victory. Took some prisoners, about three hundred, [and] five pieces [of] artillery, many stores, etc., etc. A fine country; plenty of forage. My loss, two hundred and fifty [men].
Friday, May 9, 2014
Seven miles west of Resaca, 15 miles from Dalton,
May 9, 1864.
Yesterday we traveled southeast, crossing six or seven ridges, one or two of which were quite high. Taylor’s was the highest. To-day we have made only about eight miles all the way through a pass in Rocky Face ridge, which is a high mountain. There are four divisions ahead of us. A regiment of Kentucky cavalry (Rebel) slipped in between ours and the division ahead of us, trying to capture a train. The 9th Illinois Infantry had the advance of our division and killed 30 Rebels and took four prisoners, losing only one man killed and their lieutenant colonel slightly wounded. Pretty good. Dodge has got the railroad and broken it, so we hear. The fight seems to be a stand-off until to-morrow. We are in line of battle for the first time on the trip, and the ordnance train is ahead of the baggage. Just saw an officer from the front (your letter of the 3d of April received this minute); he says Dodge is within a mile of Resaca, and driving the enemy, and will have the town by dark. Has not cut the railroad yet. This officer saw a train arrive from Dalton, with some 2,500 Rebel troops aboard. McPherson and Logan are both on the field. Some Rebel prisoners taken to-day say they intend making this a Chickamauga to us. Have a nice camp. There is some little forage here, but it is nothing for the number of troops we have.
Colonel Lyon’s Letters.
Stevenson, Ala., May 9, 1864.—Everything is quiet and comfortable here. Two years ago today we fought at Farmington, Miss., when Captain Perkins and Lieut. Beamish were killed. We got no news from the front, but feel easy about operations down there. The news from Virginia this morning is first rate.
I am going to Tullahoma today to report in person to General Paine, who has command from there to Bridgeport; will be back tomorrow. The 71st Ohio, Colonel McConnell, is between here and Tullahoma on the railroad. I was sent here because I had been here before and had a reliable, well disciplined regiment, and because, further, as General Rousseau told me, he knew my boys would fight if attacked. This service is honorable, and it was a high compliment sending me here, and so intended by General Rousseau. General Granger was not consulted and had nothing to do with it.
Monday, 9th—The weather is warm and pleasant and things are growing fine. The order of the day in camp is as follows: Reveille at 4 o’clock, roll call and breakfast call at 6, doctor’s call at 6:30, guard mount and company inspection from 8 till 9, company drill 9 to 10, dinner call and roll call at 12 noon; in the afternoon, company drill from 2 to 3 o’clock, dress parade and supper call at 6, tattoo and roll call at 8, taps at 8:30, when all lights must be out and every man not on duty must be in his bunk. This is the way the days pass with a soldier in camp, in time of war.
Monday, 9th.—At sun-up skirmishing began on the mountain. Federals advanced on the mountain; heavy skirmishing. 1 P. M., Yanks appeared in our front, threw out skirmishers and advanced in three lines of battle; when within six hundred yards, our batteries opened fire, which made them move to the right into the woods in double quick. Brought some artillery and fired a few shots at us, but did no damage. Loud cheering along rebel lines when the Yanks were seen advancing; boys seem to be ready for the fight. Drove our pickets in on right and ran close up to our works, but a volley from the ditches made them skeedaddle in a hurry. Some fighting on the mountain. Yanks charged, but were driven back with loss. After dark Companies A and D went out on picket, and were fired on, wounding two of Company A and also Captain Cureton slightly.
May 9 — The orderly sergeant and I bivouacked last night about two hundred yards from the company bivouac and in a secluded little nook of brushwood. At midnight the company received marching orders and moved away and left us, in our leafy chamber unfound, plunged in the profound and velvety depths of nature’s charmed restorer, where we unconsciously lingered under the dreamland trees until broad daylight.
When we awoke everything around was still, and quiet reigned supreme; the battery was gone, and we had no idea when it left or which way it went, and as we were not far from the Yankee line when we arrived yester eve we were not certain this morning at first thought but that the blue lines swept past us during the night. We hurriedly put ourselves in marching order and cautiously proceeded in the direction of Spottsylvania Court House, as men without a company searching for our command; after about a two hours’ hunt we found our battery at Shady Grove on the Spottsylvania Court House road, some four or five miles from where we bivouacked last night.
General Grant, who is in command of all the Yankee forces in the army of the Potomac, is getting out of the Wilderness by moving to his left and toward tide-water. His first forward march to Richmond through the Wilderness went up in death, defeat, and frustration, and the next move will be by the Wilderness, on toward the Rebel capital. But before he fights another week he will learn that he is not fooling with General Pemberton at Vicksburg. Our army is moving rapidly to the right, trying to keep up with General Grant’s flanking process and base-changing business. General A. P. Hill’s corps passed us at Shady Grove, marching rapidly toward Spottsylvania Court House. About two o’clock this afternoon some Yankee batteries commenced shelling some of General Lee’s wagon trains on the Spottsylvania Court House road about five miles northwest of the Court House. A whole corps of Yankee infantry was advancing toward the same point in the road at which their battery was firing. We were ordered there in double-quick time, and when we arrived at the point in the road that the enemy was shelling we went in battery and immediately opened a rapid fire on the Yankee battery; when we opened we were under the impression that there was nothing there but a battery, and perhaps a few cavalry raiders, but after we fired about forty shell I saw a column of infantry debouch from a wood on our left front, headed for our position and coming right at us. When they arrived at a point for good rifle range they threw out a heavy skirmish line and opened fire, and still came on with overwhelming numbers. We had no support whatever, but we stuck to our position until the Yankee infantry commenced pouring a heavy fire into us at close range; then we left in double-quick style amid a storm of Yankee bullets and shell. Just as we were limbering up to leave, a shell from one of the Yankee batteries exploded right over one of our teams, and the fragments screamed fearfully for a moment. One of our drivers was struck by a fragment and rolled off his horse, frightened and fully convinced that he was seriously wounded. He looked as white as a sheet, and I knew that he already felt the pangs of his terrible wound; but when he looked for blood and was searching for the gaping flesh he found nothing but a half-pound fragment of warm casting in his trousers pocket, which had lodged there from the exploded shell, and that was happily the whole extent of his serious wound. After we were driven from our position we moved back to Shady Grove and camped for the night.
Monday, May 9. — Started at 3.30 A.M. for Spottsylvania Court House. After numerous halts and losing our way, we got within three miles of the town, when we were ordered to make a forced march and join General Willcox, who was engaged with the enemy. The day was fearfully warm and dusty, and in making the march we lost some hundred stragglers who soon turned up, however. Found General Willcox and reported to him. Was ordered to keep the brigade in reserve. His division, together with Lesure’s brigade, was posted on the heights beyond the Nye River, and about a mile from Spottsylvania. Beyond we could see the rebel lines and the rebel troops moving, together with their trains. The corps lost about 200 men in to-day’s fight. Sent the 57th and 56th Massachusetts to a point on this side of the river. Headquarters with the Regulars.[1]
[1] The series of engagements from May 8 to 18 is known collectively as the Battle of Spottsylvania.
Huntsville, Monday, May 9. Went early in quest of mail but did not get any. Relieved at 8 A. M. Off duty till 12 M. when the assembly sounded and a detail of forty-two men, two corporals and one sergeant under Lieutenant Hood were sent to Captain McBride’s to work on the fort. Heavy details were there from all the batteries, cavalry and infantry. There is much work yet to be done on it. The hill being so rocky, very tedious work. Worked half the time, the 12th Battery relieving us every thirty minutes. Forrest reported moving on this place, hence the haste to complete the works.
May 9th. Nothing important has transpired since the last date. Our regiment was kept on the advance picket line. Orders to march. The army again on the march. Pushing on up the valley. Getting farther from our base of supplies as we march over the old pike where we have marched before, while doing scouting duty. Our cavalry on the advance are continually skirmishing with the enemy’s cavalry who try to contest every mile as our advance pushes on. Marched through Newtown and Middletown. Hot dusty marching. Much suffering from the extreme heat. Every time we halt, run for water. Many good springs in this section. Once in a while we find a sulphur spring. Don’t like the taste of it but are obliged to drink it in order to quench our thirst. I am in the best of health. Rugged enough for this kind of life. Thankful that I am so well. Our advance are continually skirmishing with the enemy. Sometimes it sounds as though there was a hot time. We are looking for a battle as we advance. Notice and talk about the points of interest as we go marching on. Fine country is this Shenandoah Valley. Blue Ridge Mountains on our left. Came to a halt on the north bank of Cedar Creek, about three miles from the town of Strasburg. Make camp here for the night. Pleased when we halt for the night.
9th. Moved half a mile in the afternoon and then divided my forage to last till Sunday. Many of the teams on quarter rations. Hard fighting, all day.
