The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-23
A BATTLE IN MIDWINTER.
How General Thomas Stormed the Intrench-
ments of Hoods Army at Nashville.

Vile our men along the slope at Overton Hill
who had been made experts in ditching by the
Atlanta campaign-found it impossible in the
short interval from midnight till the mornings
,attaek was to be expected to construct earth
works of any value. A foot or two below the
surface they struck the lime rock, and they
found it impossible to displace enough soil for
their purpose, so our brigade was compelled that
night to make the safest breastworks we could
of trees we cut the lines AS 1T was, our
men made very good woodworks with head logs
but these were a poor protection except against
mimic balls.
On the day of that bloody and memorable bat
tie our divison-Clay transformed the right of
Hoods line, Stevenson's division connected with
our left, and next to the left was Johnson's di-
vision. The respective brigades of our division
were posted as follows: Stovalls from Georgia
on the right, extending east and southwestern
! curve to protect our fiank-toward the railroad
cat already mentioned. Next to the left and
westward came Holtzcaw's Alabama brigade, to
which my regiment belonged, its left resting on
the Franklin pike. Immediately to our left was
Gibson's brigade from Louisiana, with the right
on franklin pike Pettus' brigade of Alabam-
Il ans supported Gibson's left Gihson's men
were behind light stone wall, strengthened by
such material as they could secure. StovaHs
and Pettus' brigades, Fenner's battery and the
rest of Hoods forces had such hreastworks as
they could hurriedly make with a limited sup
ply of tools in eight or ten hours
After day dawned We could see our intPenehed
line of battle with an unobstructed view, unus-
ual in our experience, stretching in nearly
Astraight line slightly south of west from our
position, for nearly two miles on the Granny
White pike This line was almost at right an
giles to the Franklin pike, which runs there
slightly west of north. The brigades and bat
teres of our division defended Overton Hill,
which is Just to the right of Franklin pike as
you enter Nashville, and which was considered
the key to Hoods position. Our hastily con
! structed line of works extended across the
northern slope of Overton Hill. The left of
Stovalls Brigade was along the northeastern
slope, and the right of Holtzclaw's along the
north and northwestern slopes of that hill:
In. slight interval between these brigades
| was Fenners battery with four guns on the line
lof battle, Captain Fenner himself being in com
s7nand that day of Eldridge's battalion of artil-
ilcry which was supported by Claytons infantry.
THE Eufaula Light Artillery, four pieces, was
liust in rear of the apex of the hill These two
batteries or eight guns in all, We're the only
tartillery Immediately employed in the bloody
work of defending Overton Hill They rendered
signal service, the Eufaua battery, as General
Clayton informed me, being moved by hand to
right and left as required, in the hottest of the
fight
The regiment to which I belonged the Thirty
sixth Alabama Infantry, formed the left of
Holtzclaw's brigade, its left resting on Franklin
} pike. Captain Nathan b. Carpenter, of Com
pany b, was in command of our regiment at
! that time, and had charge of its right wing,
while the writer, as second in command, had
charge of its left our three field officers being
then wounded OF in prison Our post was very
favorable for observation in line of battle on the
J commanding slope near Franklin pike
One regiment had not quite finished its abattis
Of hrush-thrown together hastily and roughly
; from all the limbs and tree tops e1t from our
logs at night--when between and o'clock in
the morning the federal batteries began a ter
prife shelling on our works This was continued
until nearly noon. Then came several charges
4. 80 e T..
be to gain positions near our line, preparatory
to the final assault which followed. For when
within 200 or 300 yards of us they lay down, hold
ing and waving aloft their regimeutal colors for
some time in the midss of irregular musketry
and some artillery firing on both sides.
Soon after midday the federal brigades as
signed to this work, had taken their positions.
They then made their next advance, being met
by some desulatery firing, such as that mentioned
above. Again they paused and lay down for
time Then suddenly, with shout along their
line, came their heavy charge-the heaviest
charge of infantry concentrated on any one point
) that Witnessed during the WARMTH the re-
sults told very candidly in the federal official re-
Iperts
Our men were lining their works in closer
ranks than ever saw them in any previous or
Elater battle They had their usual forty rounds
,'of ammunition, and their Enfield rifles were in
ifne condition Most of them, in obedience to
orders, had remained quiet, and were watching
apxiousy over and under head logs for the be-
ginning of the heavy chargs which they knew
was imminent At last, soon after 3 p NJ the
cry arose along the line: "Here they GOMEZ
Sure enough, they were coming in splendid style,
hin heavy and successive lines with colored troops
lin frontc-one brigade-followed by several
brigades of white troops.
We ordered our men to reserve their FIRE till
the assaultng lines were near enough for their
aim to do good execution. They ebeyed, and
when the front line was within some sixty yards
of works the order was given on our part of
fhn dix 70 tha,aat
Aim lowl Fire" And they did fire.
They loaded and fred just as fast as they
could, and in about a half an hour their cart
ridge-boxes were emptied though soon repen-
ished from our ordnance stores in the rear. The
Federal lines were driven back with fearful
slaughter, nor did they charge division front
again, merely advancing to occupy the works
we had left when we had fallen back under
orders.
After their disastrous repulse we had no op-
portunity to fully investigate the effects of our
fire. as strict orders were passed along the line
not to cross our works in pursuit of the flying
foe, and afterwards, between and P. NJ, we
received orders to fall back on account of the
breaking of Hoods line, more than a mile to our
left. Most reluctantly did we withdraw from
position where Hoods right wing had with sig
mai success repealed every attack throughout
the day, and for the next twenty four hours
Holtzclaw's brigade, with other parts of Clay
tons division, became the rear guard Of Hoods
shattered army.
AHuSlOn mas Already Deen maze TO the unuS-
ual distinctness with which from our hillside we
could see more than mile of Hoods line to our
right Beyond that the view cut off by
thick skirt of woods through which his line of
battle passed. No member of our victorious
brigades who witnessed that terrible rout can
ever forget the surprise and chagrin with which
we saw men and riderless horses rushing in wild
confusion from that woods toward the Franklin
pike in rear, closely pursued by the boys in
blue amid the smoke and carnage of battle
and then regiment after regiment falling back in
succession from their works to avoid being
thanked, until it became necessary to withdraw
the whole of Hoods right wing in haste to pre-
vent our retreat from being cut off by a move
,ment from our left and rear Soon over the
plains in full view there was a scene of eonfu-
sion that battles description.
The horses of battery after battery-where the
horses had not been killed disabled-were
rIshed q the front of fllll srleed and hitchnd