The National tribune., 1907-02-21
THE Sth TENN.
4 Gallant Regiment With n Long List of
Achievements to Its Credit.


Editor National Tribune: I was YER
much interested in what Comrade WI
liam Carter, 1st Tenn. Cav, had to s.
on the return of the rebel flag
and especially those flags capturef
from Tennessee troops during tn
rebellion 1t was my fortune to be as
sociated with the gallant Sth Tenn
from April, 1864, till February, 1867
and was with the regiment when sh'
lost her colors at Utoy Creek, Aug.
1864. and will give you brief history
of the charge on the above date takef
from my diary: Saturday. Aug.
1864. Cannonading along our lines thi
morning and heavy musketry, the en-.
emy throwing shells into our lines. We
are in heavy timber at this place. Al
/ p. m. we were ordered to move
fell in. formed line of battle and moved
forward to the crest of the hill. W.
halted and Strengthened our line, and
the commander, Gen. Reilly, said
BOYS, We are ordered to assault the
enemy's works in our front, and / want
you to reserve your fire until you get
into the works. Now, men, do your
duty as you have always done On the
order to 'Charge!' we sprang forward
on double-quick, charging up to within
80 yards of the works. which were just
on top of the ridge. Lying back of the
works out of sight We're two lines OF
the enemy as reserves who came into
ihe works reinforcing those already
there. and the entire force then opened
such a deadly fire on us that 1T seemed
as if not a single man could escape. AT
the same time their batteries, which
had been masked on our flanks, opened
with canister and she'll We were or
dered to lie down in the midst of this
terrible fire. with the men falling all
around u.s. The Sth Tenn. being in the
onnfa of fI,aI Irfe do Of f1,a yir,o, af 10
charge was brot up in front of an open
ing in the works which the enemy had
made by cutting the timber at that
point to get logs for the works. The
Tooth Ohio was on our left, and the
104th Ohio on our right, with the 18th
and 10th KY. On either flank. AS soon
as it was seen that we could not take
the works, we were ordered to protect
ourselves as well as possible behind
stumps, brush and logs and work our
way out as best we could. We lay in
this position for two hours under ter
rible fire from the works. As we
charged up to the works, one of the
color bearers was killed, and the other
color bearer went up to the works ana
5abbed the flag staff between the head
log and the works at the enemy. They
caught hold of the end of the flag staff.
pulling the color bearer, staff and head
log into the works, wounding the color
bearer and taking him prisoner, and
then came outside and took the other
color lying beside the dead color-bearer.
At p. m. the Second Brigade of our
division came up and held our position
while we fell back. Our brigade lost
400 killed and wounded, and the most
of this number are left on the field and
cannot be taken off until after dark.
Sometime during the night the enemy
left their works, and the next morninsi
~ hack the field and hurried
our dead The 9Th Tenn. went into the
charge the day before with 1S5 men,
and left so on the field dead and
wounded. besides a few taken prisoners
and the loss of both colors."
/ have seen very little in print from
the Sth Tenn. since the civil war. From
ray observations while with that regi-
,nent, should say they were a class of
men not given to exaggeration, but a
truer, nobler, more patriotic set of men
never lived. For this reason I wished
to write up this battle, hoping some of
them may see 1t. There has been a
great deal said by the comrades about
their service during the civil war thru
the columns of our dear old National
Tribune. and l feel it only justice for
the part taken by the Sth Tenn. to say
a word for that gallant regiment The
battle of Utoy Creek was not the only
desperate place the sth was in. They
1oUSHI tHe9T ITSl pdllie OH ES1ltTII1dH
campaign at Rocky Face on May 8,
1864 They were at Al1atoona Noun
tain. Burnt Hickory, where first
Lieut.-Col. La Vergne was disabled for
any future service; then in front of
Lost Mountain and Kenesaw, and so by
the time we crost the Chattahoochce and
reached Atlanta our regiment was
greatly reduced in numbers. caused by
losses from incessant fighting, skir-
mishing and marching for two months
continuously. This is not all the SER
vice the Sth saw. In October our Corps
the Twenty-third, reinforced Gen. Corse
at Allatoona Pass, driving the rebel
forces from there. then pursued Hoods
army back into Tennessee and met him
at Pulaski on Nov. %, when he drove
us back on Columbia. forcing us over
Duck River on the 2Sth and 29th. The
sth was the last to leave the fort at
Columbia. where we lost a number of
men. At Franklin the Sth lay in re-
serve of the 1G4th and Tooth Ohio, who
were forced from their works which
the 9Th helpt to retake. Then att
Nashville where our brigade made a
charge and took six pieces of artillery.
several hundred prisoners, and Knocked
the stuffing generally out of Hoods
army. So / say all honor TO the sth
Tenn.-A. A. Jones, 9Th Tenn, Toledo,
Iowa.
The 84th Ohio.