The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-09-06
THE PREACHER REGIMENT.
An Old Veterans Narrative of the Work
of the Fifty-Seventh Indiana.
Colonel Hines as the Successor to Parson Nc
Mullen-The March to Altamont-With
Thomas at the Battle of Franklin.

AAutdud SSHe uldiiy ISSlHeUtS lutO IIl0 war;
but few, if any, saw harder service or did more
effective work than the Fifty-seventh, or the
preacher regiment" as it was called It got
this name from the fact of it's being differed, at
first, largely from the ranks of the clergy. A
few days ago l came across an old battlescarred
veteran Of this regiment, and persuaded him to
talk of the marches the battles and the bivouacs
of the days from 81 to '65. Old soldiers love to
talk and to read of the scenes through which
they have passed; so jotted down few of the
facts my old friend narrated to me. 1 shall give
the story in sort of narrative form, using, so
far as possible, his language. but changing some
what the order in which the story was related,
simply to give it in a more connected form.
shall drop out all quotation marks, and the read
err may have it as if it was coming direct fron
the lips of the old eampaigner.
Well, we did have pretty hard time at
the first. and, in fact all the way through. We
did not have much fighting the first year, but we
made up for it in marching over the worst roads
in which to camp Our regiment was organized
at Richmond, under Rev. J. w. T. Nc
Mullen, and we had hard time to get our
quota. Those of ms who joined the regiment
early had nice time at Richmond, and came to
the conclusion that going to war was nothing
but sort of picnic. About onehalf of the
regiment were members of the church, and we
had religious services regularly. We were mus
tered into the service in November 1861, and it
was not long before our toll and trouble began.
The first disturbance was when arms were issued
~ >orio nit I,
Enfield rifles, while the others were given old
Prussan muskets. This caused an incipient
rebellion at home, and two of the companies re-
fused to accept them. It took a good deal of
persuasion on the part of the officers to pacify
the men, but it was finally done, and not long
afterward we moved to Indianapolis
Here was the first taste we had of the discom-
forts Of soldering. It rained and showed al
ternatey and in few days about half the men
were shaking with the ague. This only lasted
about two weeks, when we were ordered to Ken
lucky. We hailed this order as welcome re-
lief, but it was the old thing Of jumping from
the frying pan into the fire. We had hardly got
into Kentucky when the measles got into the
camp. The hospitals were crowded and the
sufferings of the poor fellows cannot be de-
scribed. Some of them were left withoutsheiter
when we moved our camp. 1t took us four days
to reach Bardstown and as it was our first expert
ence in marc hing. it told heavily upon the men,
as the rain fell most all the time.
We were sent, with several other regi-
ments, to join General Thomas at Mill Spring,
and reached there the day of the battle but too
late to take part in it. 1t was in this campaign
that one man, while intoxicated, attempted to
kill lieutenant who had ordered his arrest.
The officer ordered the guard to fire and the
prisoner was mortallv wounded The officer
was cashiered, but afterward returned to his
rank
Those days it seemed as if the commanding
general had little for the troops to do but to
march, and he kept them moving backward and
forward over the same roads, with seemingly no
object but to wear them out, and this he did
pretty effectually. 1t was in February, 1852,
that the brigade was started on its march to
Nashville and dreary march it was But little
water was TO be had. There were but few wells
in that section of the country, and the
ponds had been filled with dead mules by the
retreating rebels. The boys will always re-
member that march from Mumfordsvlle to
Nashville; how the wagons stalled, and
how the men had TO help the teams through the
mud One day, especially, will be remembered.
We had marched about ten miles. and we're
looking for some place to camp, when it was
announced that an order had come TO make
forced marcn D1teen miles IurCner. On we were
pushed by officers until our feet were
dlistered and our shoulders nearly cut to pieces
by the straps of our knapsacks. Men by the
score broke down and fell by the wayside. All
this suffering was occasioned by the stupidity Of
an officer in reading his order.
While at Nashville, Colonel McMulen re-
signed and C. G. Hines, of the Twenty fourth
Indiana, was promoted to his place. This was
most fortunate change for the regiment We
had marched great deal and suffered a great
- ~
took command that we began to be really
soldiers The morale of the regiment was at once
improved, and strict discipline took the place of
the former loose enforcement of orders. 1t was
not long after Colonel Hines took command of
the regiment, the whole army started for Savan
nah to join General Grant. We did not reach
the battlefield until the fight was about over.
We were pushed out to the front just in time to
see the enemy disappearing, and Joined in the
pursuit. All the world knows about that grand
farce, styled in history, the siege of Corinth.
Well, the Fifty seventh was no better and no
worse than the other regiments We would
make wearisome marches one day, only to re-
trace our steps the next So it went on, week
after week. After the evacuation of Corinth
we were sent to Tuscumbia, which had been
captured by General Mitchell. Then the never
ending, but wholly useless marching back and
forth was continued. The weather was in
tensey hot and the suffering of the men
during those marches surpassed all previous ex-
have no idea where he wanted the troops and
the officers thought the men were made of iron.
What contrast there was between our experience
and the mastery inactivity" that was prevail.
ing on the Potomac.
OF all the marches ever made perhaps the
most senseess we'll as the most painful was that
to Altamont This small hamlet was perched
away up among the mountains and was place
of no Importance in any sense of the word but
a rumor came into camp that two regiments of
rebels were stationed there Had there been
any rebels in such place no greater harm could
have befallen them than leaving them there
The smallest particle of military
sense on the part of the officers would
have satisfied them that there could be no
foundation for the rumor, for rebel troops in
such place could neither hurt us or help their
own cause and nothing but idiocy would ever
place troops in such place. But the rumor was
enough for our officers, and plan was at once
formed to surprise the rebels and effect their