The National tribune., 1898-08-25
FOR THE UNION.
An Indiana Comrade Writes of Much Artil-
Iery and Infantry Service.

Iery and Infantry Service.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: I enlisted
in Co. c. 51st Ind. March 28 1862. I Joined
my regiment on the battlefield of Shiloh and
was detailed to serve in the Sth Ind. battery
l served there until after the siege of Chat
tanooga with the exception Of short time
after the battle of Stone River, Tenn.
/ will tell you of that short time After
we had fought and won the battle of Stone
River, Roseerans organized a force to operate
on Bragg's communications in the direction
of Rome, Ga. The force was 1,300 strong,
and composed of the 51st Ind, I'D Ind,
S0th Ill, and Sd Ohio, with part of the 8th
Kan, two companies Of the 1st Ala. Cav,
and battery of mountain howitzers COM
posed of two guns All were under A. D.
Streight, Colonel, 51st Ind.
Streight recalled the men detailed from his
regiment who were serving in the Sth Ind.
battery to take charge of his howitzers
They were Charles McWilliams, Edward
Ayres, and George Billhymer. The battery
was commanded by Lieut.. Charles w. Payey,
8Oth Ill.
Well, we met Forrest at Days Gap, on Sand
Mountain, Ala, defeated him, and captured
a battery of two guns As our business was
to get south and do as much damage as possi-
BILE, we spiked the captured cannon, pushed
on across Crooked Creek, marched all night,
and halted next morning at place called
Blount's Farm.
Forrest hung on our rear, so in order that
the balance of the command could get some
thing to eat, the battery, supported by the
I'D Ind, was sent back to a hill to hold For
rest In check.
Forests advance held the hill; his skir-
- ~ IL
as we unlimbered on top of the hill they
began to pick off our men. They got Col.
Hathaway, I'D Ind, and killed Charley Nc
Williams in the act of inserting a shell in
a howitzer. We drove them back, and con-
tinued on our way.
We were obliged to surrender to Forrest on
May 8, 1868.
We were sent to Atlanta, thence to Belle
Isle, were paroled, came home, were ex-
changed, were after Morgan when he made
his raid through Indiana and Ohio, and then
l returned to the Sth Ind. battery at Tulla-
hOma, Tenn.
Now for the Chattanooga campaign.
Woods Division, of Crittenden's Corps,
passed through Chattanooga on Sept. 8, 1863,
on it's way to Chickamauga, where on the
10Th and Goth was fought, in my opinion, the
bloodiest battle of the war. 1t was our
Division (Wood's) that made the gap in the
Union line-Of-battle through which Long
street forced his way. No fault of Woods,
however.
We pulled up our guns by hand on hill,
but Longstreet's veterans were hot on our
track We dOuble-shotted the guns with
canister, gave it to them hot at not more
than so yards, and then skedaddled to the
rear That was the last we ever saw of
those six old brass smOothbores. We ate
corn with the mules, and held the fort until
we evened things up at Missionary Ridge.
After that my regiment came up, and l
reioined it, and served with it until L was
discharged. We were part of the force sent
to relieve Burnside at Knoxville, Tenn.
My regiment re-enlisted at Knoxville. We
did garrison duty at Chattanooga until the
fall of Atlanta, when we were sept back with
the Fourth Corps to look after Hood. We
were in the 40 days campaign that wound
up Hoods interest in the Confederacy.
In the Spring of 1865 the Fourth Corps
was ordered to Bulls Gap, Tenn, where l
was discharged on March %, 1866, by reason
of the expiration of term of service.
1t will be observed that [ did not have
much time to establish hospital record,
which is so essential in these days for pen
sion; but chronic disease incurred in serv-
ice has stricken me. / was at Tuscumbia,
Ala, the sickest boy that ever lived to get
well; hauled from camp to camp from Cor
inth to Louisville on the Gmber-chest of a
gun. 1t was eight months before Orderly
Serg't Stokes would allow me to answer
roll-call or do guard duty; but was with
the battery every day, and pulled the lam
yard of No. A gun in every skirmish or battle
that the 9Th participated in from Shiloh to
Missionary Ridge. / have been obliged to
donate each month since Cleveland's Admin
istration 81 of the pension originally allowed
me, and cannot get reinstated.-GEORGE
BILLHYMER, Co. G, 51st Ind, Keosauqua,
Iowa