Monday, 27th—There was a general line of battle formed this morning and orders given to make a charge all along the lines. The center charged in full force, but as the flanks failed to charge, soon had to fall back. The Eleventh and Sixteenth Iowa furnished the skirmishers for our brigade and charged the rebels’ skirmish line, but were driven back to their old line. Our side lost several in killed and wounded, and what little was gained did not pay for the loss of life. Company A of our regiment was in the charge and had one man killed; so close was he to the rebel works that our men had to raise the white flag in order to get his body. The Fifty-third Indiana made a charge on the rebel rifle pits and lost about forty men, taken as prisoners. When they made the charge, the rebels lay down in their pits, allowing them to come close up, when they rose up with their rifles drawn and said: “Come on, boys, we won’t hurt you,” and took them prisoners.
Friday, June 27, 2014
Monday, 27th.—Heavy skirmishing all day. Very heavy cannonading on right; reported Federals charged Cleaborn’s and Cheatham’s divisions in seven lines of battle, and were repulsed with heavy loss. One thousand killed and five thousand wounded. Good many prisoners, and two stands of colors that were stuck in our works. (This was the noted charge and repulse on Kenasaw Mountain.) One colonel found dead in front of our works; said to have had a memorandum in his pocket up to the time of the charge. He seemed to have been very sanguine of success, but alas for him. Here is what he says: “June 27th, 8 A. M., moved out in front of Kenasaw Mountain. 9 A. M., advancing to charge Kenasaw; will take it like a d—— “so ended his memorandum.
Monday, June 27th.
Captain Eddy of Company B resigned to-day, and I would resign also were it not for the fact that I induced so many men to enlist in the battalion or the Eleventh Heavy Artillery, which was consolidated with the Fourth, and it would seem like deserting those men, instead of standing by them as I am in honor bound to do, though I do not now command the company which I recruited. As expected, details from the battalion were sent out on picket in the afternoon.
Camp on Mud Creek, Monday, June 27. Lay in our bivouac all day awaiting transportation by rail to take us to the front. 3rd Brigade and 12th Battery started at noon. Weather very oppressive. B. F. Runyan was sunstruck this afternoon. Raved all last night in greatest agony. Will be sent North tomorrow if he survives. Five of our boys and negro Anthony tied to the wheels all day to-day for straggling. “The way of the transgressor is hard”. Wrote a letter to folks, waiting with all anxiety for our evening mail, but it did not come.
Monday, June 27. — Went over to corps headquarters, and saw General Burnside, and got him to accept the resignations of Captains Redding and Thayer. Received notice of Priest’s death. Captain Hollis sent for an extension of his leave for 20 days from the 22d. Had a letter from Raish. In the afternoon we had quite a pleasant shower. No firing of any account during the night.
June 27—We renewed our march this morning, and about the middle of the day we crossed the Appomattox River and passed through the western edge of Petersburg. The Yankees were shelling the eastern part of the city when we passed through.
Petersburg is twenty-two miles south of Richmond, and situated near the south bank of the Appomattox River and on the north edge of Dinwiddie County. It is about ten miles from City Point, where the Appomattox empties into the James. The country around Petersburg is level, and where the city stands it is almost as level as a floor and not much above tide-water. The weather is oppressively hot at present, and the ground is dry and dusty; this afternoon as we crossed the low dusty fields lying just south of Petersburg the hot sunshine poured down with scorching intensity, and as I looked across the low, level expanse the quivering heat danced like as if it were playing around the roasting point. I am truly glad that I am a horse artilleryman, for I do not perceive how our infantrymen can endure the oven-like heat in the trenches.
We are camped to-night one mile south of Petersburg.
June 27th. Again on the march. I will be thankful if I can hold out until we get rations. Progress is very slow over these mountains. Roads are badly washed by the heavy rains. This is no time to repair roads. They are very dangerous, not only for the men, but also for the poor horses and mules drawing the cannons and heavy army wagons. Very few houses and not much settlement along these mountain roads, so that we see very few people.
After a forced march, about eighteen miles, came to a halt at the foot of the mountains. In the distance we saw what looked like wagons coming towards us. It proved to be farm wagons. The farmers offered their services to bring us rations. How thankful we were to meet them. Each man received two hardtack and a small piece of fresh meat. We were a foot-sore, hungry, ragged, dirty crowd of Uncle Sam’s soldiers. Our suffering has been intense, over the mountains. The farmers informed us it was reported that Hunter’s army was starving in the mountains. Raining very hard tonight.
June 27, 1864, daylight.
The battle comes off to-day. It will be opened on the flanks at 6 a.m. We do not commence until 8 a.m. Our brigade and one from each of the other two divisions of the corps are selected to charge the mountain. The 17th A. C. will try the left hand mountain. If we are successful with a loss of only half our number in this mountain charging, I will think our loss more than repaid. I believe we are going to thoroughly whip Johnston to-day, and if we fail I do not care to live to see it.
27th. Moved out early in the morning. Encountered rebs about noon. Encamped an hour. 2nd Ohio on picket. Moved nearly all night. Stopped from 1:30 till 3. 8 miles from Lawrenceville.
June 27—Received money to-day from home, but they gave me sutler’s checks for it, as we were not allowed any money, for fear we would bribe the sentinels and make our escape.
