“Gentlemen, this is serious business.” A 57th Ohio Captain Recalls Kennesaw


In April 2021, Columbian Arsenal Press will be releasing Ohio Regimental Chronicles: 57th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry, 1861-65 by Robert Van Dorn. Bob has been a lifelong collector and student of the Civil War and this work on the 57th Ohio was originally issued as Narratives of the 57th O.V.V.I. in the early 2000s. Bob and I have been friends for many years and he had indicated an interest in re-visiting the regiment’s history and having his work republished as a hardbound book (the original was spiral-bound), so this project has been a labor of love for both of us. This updated version will feature newly discovered accounts and images that enhance the original work. This title has been released as of April 5, 2021.


Today’s blog post provides a sample from this upcoming title. This account of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia was penned by Captain Alvah Skilton of Co. I of the 57th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Skilton gives his  memories of the hours leading up the Federal assault on Kennesaw Mountain on June 27, 1864 and the desperate fight that ensued. As the senior captain in the regiment, Skilton was part of Colonel Americus V. Rice’s “inner circle” and described General Giles Smith’s instructions to the regimental commanders. Captain Skilton distinguished himself in this battle, noted for carrying the regimental colors off the field at the conclusion of the engagement as he describes below. Less than a month later, Captain Skilton would be captured during the Battle of Atlanta.

The 57th Ohio formed a part of General Giles Smith’s First Brigade of General Morgan L. Smith’s Second Division of “Black Jack” Logan’s 15th Army Corps. The brigade had seven depleted regiments in its ranks including the 55th Illinois, 111th Illinois, 116th Illinois, 127th Illinois, 6th Missouri, 8th Missouri, and 57th Ohio.

Captain Skilton’s account begins on the evening of June 26, 1864; he with the commanding officers of the 57th Ohio are enjoying a quiet dinner sitting around a camp chest in the Georgia forest when a courier arrived with an order…

The short Southern twilight had suddenly ended and darkness settled down upon the camp, hiding alike under its mantle the rocks, trees and stern implements of war.  For a time, silence reigned, broken only by the low murmur of the men as they talked of loved ones at home, dead or absent comrades, or told tales and laugh provoking jokes to pass the time.  And I well remember a group that gathered that night about a camp chest under the shadows of the pines to eat a scanty supper by the light of a single tallow candle.
Captain Alvah Skilton
Co. I, 57th O.V.V.I.

            This little group consisted of Colonel Americus V. Rice, commanding the 57th Ohio Regiment; Lieutenant Colonel Samuel R. Mott, Adjutant William M. Newell, Quartermaster Louis L. Parker, and myself.  The meal was nearly finished when an orderly was heard inquiring for Colonel Rice.  On being directed to him he delivered an envelope, gave a salute, and rode away into the darkness. Rice broke the seal deliberately, read the order and without comment passed it to Colonel Mott, who read it and gave it to me.  So, it was read in silence and passed around the table. It was an order for the brigade to move silently out of the works and proceed to a designated spot near the gap, or depression, between Big and Little Kennesaw mountains, and at daylight on the 27th form part of a forlorn hope, or storm column, in an endeavor to make a lodgment inside the enemy’s works.
           
In an hour the regiment was underway and marched a greater part of the night before we arrived at the place assigned us, which was in a dense field of underbrush and close up to the enemy’s works.  Here we laid down for a little rest.  It seemed as though I had scarcely fallen asleep when someone was shaking me and whispering in my ear that Colonel Rice wanted me. I reported at once and found that General Giles Smith had sent an order requiring the three ranking officers of each regiment of the brigade to report at his headquarters.  Colonels Rice and Mott, and myself as senior captain, proceeded to report at once and were, I believe, the first to arrive.

            General Smith had established his headquarters under a hickory tree with a small circular grass plot about 40 feet in diameter to the south of it.  The plot was surrounded by a dense growth of underbrush.  In a short time, there were assembled here the three ranking officers from each regiment in the brigade and the members of General Smith’s staff. 
 
General Giles A. Smith
When all had reported General Smith addressed us as follows: “Gentlemen, I have sent for you to advise you of what is expected of us today and to make such provision as is possible to prevent confusion or misunderstanding.  This column has been selected as a “forlorn hope” and we are expected to carry the enemy’s works in our front.  Should we succeed in doing it, we are to hold them at all hazards for at least 10 minutes when ample reinforcements will be sent to enable us to hold the works.  Gentlemen, this is serious business and some of us must go down.  I do not say this to frighten you, for I know that is impossible, but to impress on your minds that if I fall you must look to Colonel [James S.] Martin of the 111th Illinois for orders.  If he falls you must look to Colonel Rice of the 57th Ohio.” Turning to Colonel Rice, who stood nearest to him, he said, “Of course, Colonel Rice commands his regiment.  Should he go down, Colonel Mott succeeds and in the event of his falling, Captain Skilton will assume command.”

            General Smith addressed the officers of each regiment in like manner, calling each officer by name and rank, thereby showing how perfectly he was acquainted with them and how thorough was his knowledge of his command.  When he was finished, he said, “Gentlemen, go back to your respective commands, impart this information to your men and when the bugle sounds, charge.  And may God bless and protect you all!” No event of the war has left a more vivid or lasting memory in my mind then that meeting at early dawn under that hickory tree at the foot of Kennesaw.  But for how many was it their last meeting on earth, and how few of those who met for that brief consultation are now living and how many of the living are maimed and crippled for life?
 
Colonel Americus V. Rice of the 57th Ohio would lose his leg at Kennesaw Mountain, but it hardly slowed him down as he would be elected to Congress that fall as a Democrat. The 57th Ohio was a majority Democrat regiment and gave its support to Clement L. Vallandigham in the 1863 Ohio gubernatorial election. This was very unusual as the soldiers' vote in 1863 by and large supported John Brough, the Union Party candidate. That said, the regiment veteranized and served with distinction throughout the Atlanta campaign. 
            We returned to our regiment.  The bugle sounded the charge and in an almost incredibly short time we were in the very jaws of death, carrying the enemy’s front and outer works.  Gallantly the brigade endeavored to perform the task allotted it, but flesh and blood could not endure the withering fire poured into it, and the charge failed.  It cost our beloved colonel one of his legs.  Our gallant Lieutenant Colonel was caught on the mountainside where it was impossible for him to get out until night, where he lay exposed to the burning rays of the sun without food or water, and at evening was exposed to one of the most terrific artillery fires I ever witnessed. When we stopped it happened that I was about 10 feet below the place where our color bearers lay.  After remaining quiet in the brush for a time and seeing no chance to do anything more, I whispered to one of the boys to work the National banner down to me, which he did.  I hugged the mountainside as close as possible, twisting the flagstaff in my hand until the flag was rolled around it.  Waiting a while until there was a lull in the firing, I made my way down the mountainside some five or six rods.  By this time some of the boys were beginning to creep out.  I gave the flag to Sergeant Samuel T. Winegardner of Company C, placed him in a protected place and commenced forming the regiment on the colors.
 
57th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry National colors
Ohio History Connection
            About this time some of the boys came out of the brush carrying Colonel Rice who was terribly wounded.  I assisted in tying two guns together with a gun strap, put some blankets upon the guns, thus forming a rude stretcher on which we placed the colonel.  Raising him onto the shoulders of two of the boys, he was sent to the rear. In the course of an hour the majority of the regiment had gotten back and formed on the colors.  I assumed command and reported to General Smith, who assigned the regiment its position and sent us tools.  We built a line of works and remained in them until dark.  Soon after Colonel Mott returned to us uninjured and took command of the regiment.


            My recollection is that there was not a regiment of our brigade came out of the charge with the same officer in command that started in with it.  The charge at Kennesaw cost us the lives of many, many brave men and inflicted but little injury upon the enemy.  It was barren of any good results, and I believe General Sherman has been more severely criticized for this charge than for any other order he ever issued.  

To read more about the service of the 57th Ohio, click here to purchase a copy of our new book. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular Posts

Arming the Buckeyes: Longarms of the Ohio Infantry Regiments

Image
     A common question that comes up in conversation about Civil War Buckeye regiments is "What were they armed with?" We are fortunate in that the state of Ohio kept good records of how the regiments were armed when they went into service, this being especially true for those regiments which went into service in 1861 and 1862. The state adjutant general's reports for 1861 and 1862 have been heavily drawn upon to construct this article, as well as consultation with Phil Spaugy who has done extensive research on how Ohio's troops were armed during the war.      Buckeyes carried a fairly wide variety of weapons into the field, and the below article breaks this down into weapons of both domestic manufacture and imported arms. The early days of the war found the state of Ohio practically bereft of longarms; as an example, when the 1st and 2nd Ohio Volunteer Militia left the state in late April 1861, they left unarmed, being armed at Lancaster, Pennsylvania on t...
Read more

Bullets for the Union: Manufacturing Small Arms Ammunition During the Civil War

Image
       Civil War bullets are perhaps the most common item collected from the era; the two armies expended bullets by the millions during the four years’ conflict and spent or deformed bullets of all shapes and sizes have made fascinating and affordable collectibles since the guns went silent in 1865.       I recently acquired a display piece featuring 35 different types of small arms ammunition used during the Civil War, including everything from a small .28 caliber ball up to a .69 caliber three-ring Minie and it triggered some questions: how did the Federal army obtain its small arms ammunition during the war? Where did the lead come from to make the bullets, and where and how was the ammunition manufactured? This post seeks to answer those questions. A typical .58 caliber 3-ring Minie bullet   “Whenever the blasts of war blow in the ears of men who trade in the implements of destruction, they are apt to experience more joy than the true ...
Read more

Dressing the Rebels: How to Dye Butternut Jeans Cloth

Image
     In the early days of the Civil War,  the Southern states found themselves with an abundance of cotton but a shortage of cloth with which to make army uniforms. The trade in cloth prior to the war had largely been to send raw cotton or wool north to New England (or Great Britain) where it was converted into usable cloth; but now that trade was broken and the Southern states were thrown upon their own resources in their efforts to properly clothe the Confederate army.  This collection of Confederate enlisted men's frock coats and shell jackets gives some indication of the variety of shades of butternut worn during the war. All of them are shades of yellow brown, some heavier on the yellow and some heavier on the brown. The blue used around the collar or as rank insignia indicates that the soldier was in the infantry. Surviving Confederate uniforms are considered rather rare and command quite a healthy price in the collecting market. For an in-depth study of h...
Read more

The Wizard of Oz and the Civil War

Image
T he 1939 film The Wizard of Oz has delighted viewers for 85 years and ranks as a personal favorite, especially during the Halloween season. While watching it with the family the other night, I wondered if there were any connections between the film and the Civil War. Not surprisingly, the answer is yes and those connections touch both the blue and the gray.           Interestingly both “witches” in the film not only had Civil War ancestors but had connections with Civil War soldiers from Ohio. Margaret Hamilton, the “Wicked Witch of the West,” was born in Cleveland, Ohio on December 9, 1902, to attorney Walter Jones Hamilton and his wife Mary Jane Adams; Margaret’s grandfather was Judge Edwin Timothy Hamilton. Judge Hamilton had served as a private in Co. D of the 84 th Ohio Infantry during the summer of 1862. The 84 th Ohio, a three months’ regiment, served nearly the whole of its service attached to the Railroad District in western Ma...
Read more

The Vaunted Enfield Rifle Musket

Image
     The English-made Model 1853 .577 caliber Enfield Rifle Musket was widely regarded as the best infantry arm in the world at the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861. Favorable international press describing its efficiency in the Crimean War and in suppressing the Indian rebellion led to the widespread desire of American infantrymen (both Federal and Confederate) to be armed with these accurate and well-made arms. The lock plate of this well-worn P1853 Enfield rifle musket produced in 1862 shows the typical markings of a British-made weapon that made it through the Federal blockade.  ( Army of Tennessee Relics ) Enfield-pattern weapons were imported into the states by the tens and hundreds of thousands during the war years; one estimate stated that the Federal government purchased 500,000 while the Confederates purchased another 400,000. The Confederate government dispatched Captain Caleb Huse to Europe in April 1861 to purchase weapons and Huse focused on se...
Read more

In front of Atlanta with the 68th Ohio

Image
  The arrow corps badge of the 17th Army Corps was worn by many members of the 68th Ohio in the latter days of the war.       Private Edward A. Bigelow of Co. F of the 68th Ohio Volunteer Infantry wrote this brief account of the Battle of Atlanta just two days afterwards to his father back home in Henry County, Ohio. The regiment formed a part of Colonel Robert K. Scott's three regiment all-Ohio brigade consisting of the 20th, 68th, and 78th regiments, being designated the Second Brigade of the Third Division of Frank Blair's 17th Army Corps. Bigelow's letter originally appeared in the Napoleon Press newspaper and was copied in the Toledo Daily Commercial which was providential as no known copies exist today of the wartime Napoleon Press.  
Read more

Charging Battery Robinett: An Alabama Soldier Recalls the Vicious Fighting at Corinth

Image
W riting 30 years after the Battle of Corinth, James A. McKinstry of the 42 nd Alabama recalled his experiences storming Battery Robinett with Colonel William P. Rogers of the 2 nd Texas and expressed guilt that it was perhaps his action that brought about the colonel’s demise. “On seeing a line of Federals approaching, and before giving the situation a thought, I immediately raised my gun and fired full into the breast of a Federal sergeant, who was in front of the column, and only a short distance from us.  'Twas then that Captain George Foster shouted, "Cease firing, men! cease firing!" and waved his handkerchief, then I realized the true situation. 'Twas too late! That fatal volley had been turned on our little band from the muzzles of 1,500 muskets. I was still standing just as I was when I fired my last shot, and within a few feet of Colonel Rogers, when a Minie ball went crashing through my left hip and turned me half round; another went tearing through my ...
Read more

Cook & Brother of New Orleans

Image
    The lockplate of a New Orleans-made Cook & Brother Enfield rifle produced in 1862 shows the fine craftsmanship that became the hallmark of the maker throughout the Civil War. Note the stars and bars flag at left, an emblem used on C&B's production throughout the war and the Cook & Brother, N.O. 1862 markings. Earlier production weapons at New Orleans had the flag located just above the maker's name while later weapons produced in Athens, Georgia would have a modified flag and Athens on the plate followed by the serial number.        In the spring of 1861, two English-born businessmen, Ferdinand and Francis Cook of New Orleans, perceived the need for the South to have its own domestic production of firearms and  set out to prove "that rifles could made here as well as in Yankee land or in Europe." The brothers  elected to produce copies of the British Model 1853 .577 caliber Enfield rifle as this was considered the benchmark longarm...
Read more

I Want to See a Battle: A Hoosier at Shiloh

Image
W riting in his diary, Private Manius Buchanan of the 29 th Indiana recalled the eagerness with which his regiment marched towards Savannah, Tennessee with the sounds of the battle of Shiloh ringing in their ears.           “The forced march was kept up until 2 p.m. when we were halted until 4 p.m,” he noted. “The rest was really needed, but the continual question is ‘Why are we stopped here?’ The sound of battle increased in volume and anxiety to be up and doing grows more intense. As I am weak from a late sickness, I am urged to fall to the rear; but no, in common with all, I want to see a battle and fear this will be my only chance.” The regiment would go into action the following afternoon, and of the four neighborhood boys who had enlisted together in Co. B, only Buchanan escaped unscathed. One afternoon's exposure to the horrors of battle was all it took to satisfy this Hoosier's desire to see the elephant. “I wanted to see a battl...
Read more

An Interview with Forrest in May 1864

Image
  “The noise of battle is the only music that ravishes the senses of Forrest.” I t was May 1864. Back east, the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac were locked in the deadly dance of the Overland Campaign while in Georgia, General William Tecumseh Sherman's army squared off against General Joseph E. Johnston and the Army of the Tennessee in the campaign for Atlanta.       Based in relatively quiet northern Mississippi, General Nathan Bedford Forrest bided his time waiting for a Federal advance from Memphis. Earlier in the month, General Samuel Sturgis led a brief campaign into Mississippi but Forrest was sure Sturgis would venture out again. In the meantime, he tried to keep his reorganized command intact despite persistent demands from his superiors that he return the absentees and deserters who inflated his ranks (nearly 1,000 in number) to their original commands.      Around this same time,  an old acquaintance from Me...
Read more