Our Boys Fell Thick on the Crest of the Hill: Stumbling Through Resaca with the 73rd Ohio

     On May 15, 1864, the final day of the Battle of Resaca, six brigades of General Joseph Hooker’s 20th Army Corps staged a diversionary attack against the far right of the Confederate line with the intention of drawing General Joseph Johnston’s attention away from Johnston’s left where General James McPherson was moving his troops across Lay’s Ferry aiming to cut the Army of Tennessee’s railroad connection with Atlanta. Hooker’s advance ran into fierce resistance from the Confederates of General Carter Stevenson’s division and as Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Hurst of the 73rd Ohio describes it, the fight devolved into a murderous close range slugging match riddled with terrain difficulties, command confusion, and even friendly fire.

“We moved to the right under the crest of the hill and after slipping through the woods until we came to a fence, I ordered “Forward in line! Double quick! March!” and out and down we went like an avalanche but under a most murderous fire from the enemy,” Colonel Hurst recalled. “In charging down the hill, the regiment did not dress properly on the center and became crowded in some forming again and falling over each other. Against a knot of these I ran unable to check myself in time. I, too, precipitated earthward and as I fell a Rebel bullet cut my coat sleeve, severely bruising me but not otherwise injuring my arm. My belt was broken, and I lost my pistol, but as the enemy’s bullets rained all over the hillside, I did not deem it of sufficient importance to warrant a search for it.”

          Hurst’s account of the confusing engagement at Resaca serves as a cautionary tale that even veteran troops can stumble their way through an engagement, undone by the challenges of broken and thickly wooded ground, communication breakdowns, and the chaos of battle. Ultimately, the battle of Resaca proved to be a bloody and inconclusive battle that cost both armies around 2,800 men apiece and did little more than set the stage for the next phase of the Atlanta campaign. During the campaign, the 73rd Ohio was part of Colonel James Wood’s Third Brigade of General Daniel Butterfield’s Third Division of the 20th Army Corps.

          Colonel Hurst’s account of Resaca is drawn from his personal journals, documents he utilized to write a regimental history of the 73rd Ohio Infantry shortly after the war. Patricia Fife Medert in conjunction with the Ross County Historical Society published Hurst’s personal journals in 2011 as The Civil War Journals of Samuel H. Hurst, 73rd Regiment, O.V.I.  Copies of Hurst’s journal may still be available through the historical society’s gift shop and bookstore. Readers are encouraged to visit the historical society’s website at www.rosscountyhistorical.org.

         

The unusual image shows the 73rd Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry marching in downtown Chillicothe, Ohio in February 1864 when the regiment returned home on veterans' furlough. The men are lined up in two ranks in order of companies. A few short months later these same men would march off on the Atlanta campaign and run into their first of many hard fights at Resaca. 


On Saturday May 14th after resting all night on our arms, we began skirmishing at daylight. The Rebels were fortifying all night. We remained in line during the day with heavy firing on the left as the 4th, 14th, and 20th Corps engaged. The enemy attacked a battery and brigade on our extreme left just before night, but they were saved by Colonel James Robinson’s brigade which charged and repulsed the enemy. At night we pushed out our pickets and there is now but a couple hundred paces between the skirmish lines and the skirmishers are talking to each other across the little valley. I went down the hill and listened awhile to their interesting dialogues. One Yankee says, “Boys, oh boys! Come over and get some coffee!” A Reb replies, “Are you Hooker’s men? Where’s Old Joe? Did you make anything on the left today?” A Federal replies, “Oh Johnny, got any tobacco? Got anything to eat?”

After listening until I wearied of the conversation, I went back to the regiment and received orders to make rifle pits. About one half of the regiment was put to work and by midnight we had a very respectable rifle pit on the whole line of the brigade. When just as we were finishing the work, orders came for us to move. If there is anything that makes a soldier mad, it is to build fortifications and leave them as soon as they are done.  But we withdrew and slept till daylight half a mile to the rear. Early in the morning, we moved to the left several miles following our circling lines and by 10 o’clock came upon the ground where Colonel Robinson’s brigade fought so bravely the day before. Considerable artillery was being brought forward and our whole division was massed and on hand. General Daniel Butterfield was evidently to try his men today.

General Daniel Butterfield, commanding Third Division, 20th Army Corps

Finally it was announced that Ward’s brigade was to attack with Woods’ brigade in support with Coburn’s brigade acting as a reserve. At first when we had gained our position for deployment, the order came for us to form by battalion en echelon at 30 paces. This we did, and my regiment being on the left of the brigade was thrown far out into the woods on the left. I threw out skirmishers and flankers  and my skirmishers soon reported the enemy’s skirmishers in sight in the woods and a considerable number of them moving across the open ground towards and a half mile in front of our right.

Just as we were ready to advance, there came an order that the brigade should form two lines en echelon and I was compelled to call in my flankers and move the battalion and skirmish line considerably to the right. There was some confusion in this formation. The 55th Ohio was to be the left of the first line, but they received no orders until I told Colonel Charles Gambee that the original formation had been changed. He had not gotten into position when the order came to go forward and as the right of the two lines began to move before his regiment, it brought the 55th virtually into the second line joining in on the 136th New York. We were in his rear close up and when we charged the first hill and the enemy fire began to come in on our flank, I changed front to the left and threw out two more companies as skirmishers. The right of the line consisting of the 33rd Massachusetts and 26th Wisconsin, having a continuous covering of woods, pressed forward right up under the enemy’s guns. There was a small fort in front of the right of our brigade and from this the line ran diagonally to the left rear of the fort.

Lt. Col. Samuel H. Hurst
73rd O.V.V.I.
          As the 55th Ohio and 136th New York raised the hill, an open field 400 yards across appeared in their front and the enemy’s rifle pits were in full view on our left front. All this time, a heavy fire was being kept up on both sides and the 55th, trying to maintain a fire from the top of this hill, lost both of its field officers, Colonel Gambee and Major Robbins, the latter of whom was carried past me in a dying condition. Halfway across the field in front of the 55th and 136th was a deep hollow or ravine and those regiments were ordered forward to that position. They went forward on the double quick, receiving a severe fire from the enemy as they emerged from the woods.

A body of troops was reported to me as marching towards our rear from the extreme left on a wooded hill which was part of the same wood in which we were. I was assured by the officer commanding the skirmishers that this was the enemy gaining our rear. It was a most trying moment to remain where I was if I should be cut off and must suffer utter rout if attacked in the rear. I reported the matter to General Knipe whose brigade had just come up to my support and changed the position of my battalion so as to more effectually protect the flank of my brigade in case the enemy should fall on our flank and rear. Suddenly it came to our knowledge that the force seen was the 23rd Corps, also coming to our support. It was a wonderful relief.

I was ordered to change front to the right again and rejoin the brigade now partially in the ravine in the open field. We move to the right under the crest of the hill and after slipping through the woods until we came to a fence, I ordered “Forward in line! Double quick! March!” and out and down we went like an avalanche but under a most murderous fire from the enemy.  In charging down the hill, the regiment did not dress properly on the center and became crowded in some forming again and falling over each other. Against a knot of these I ran unable to check myself in time. I, too, precipitated earthward and as I fell a Rebel bullet cut my coat sleeve, severely bruising me but not otherwise injuring my arm. My belt was broken, and I lost my pistol, but as the enemy’s bullets rained all over the hillside, I did not deem it of sufficient importance to warrant a search for it. We had several killed and quite a number wounded in this charge. Poor fellows, some of them lay on the hillside unable to get off but still exposed to the enemy’s fire. We could not go back to help them without drawing fire on both them and us. A few brave fellows, however, crawled out to their comrades and helped them into the ravine to the right and out to the ambulances. [Colonel Wood’s brigade with the 73rd Ohio clashed with General John C. Brown’s Tennessee brigade which was located just to the left of the embrasure occupied by Captain Max Van Den Corput’s Cherokee Battery.]

From this ravine now about one half of our brigade poured a murderous fire. I found one of General Geary’s regiments on my ground and they would not go forward to the crest where they could deliver an effective fire, so I determined to advance over them. But as my men went forward, some of their officers and men feeling that their regiment must not be outdone, got up and went forward with us. The whole line with ours then opened a heavy fire on the enemy. The 136th New York and part of the 55th Ohio on our right also poured in a most effective fire. Twice the enemy came out from their works with the manifest intention of charging us. Once they got within 80 yards of us, but our hail of bullets drove them back with loss.

Major General John W. Geary
Commanding Second Division, 20th Army Corps

General Knipe formed his brigade on the hill in our rear and began to fire over us. This was embarrassing to us as some of the balls fell short and wounded some of my men. I shouted to them and conjured them not to shoot as they were jeopardizing our lines. General Knipe’s adjutant general stepped out in full view and said, “Keep still! We Will shoot, but we will shoot over you!” He had scarce finished the words when a Rebel bullet pierced his breast. The enemy’s artillery 300 yards in our front poured over and around us their case shot and canister, sometimes making a terrible noise, but I think doing little damage. Quite a number of our men were either killed or wounded on the crest of this hill and the enemy suffered severely in our front.

The troops of the 23rd Corps had crossed into the woods on the left of our present position and 300 yards from our flank. They pushed forward until nearly up to the Rebel breastworks, driving the skirmishers before them but were finally met by a Rebel line that drove them back again in confusion. This was a most critical moment. The Rebels pushed forward, driving our men in the woods and had gained a position from which they could greatly annoy us. Indeed 100 yards further and they could have completely enfiladed our line and we must have been inevitably routed. Add to this the firing over our heads by Geary’s men and the continuous menace of a charge from the front and you may conceive our condition.

The only way out was by the right flank, but then we must not go out if it can be avoided. It is a terrible and trying moment, but we see that if our force gives way there will be no such thing as holding the enemy back. So we stand to the work and our boys fall thick on the crest of the hill. Fortunately the movement on our flank was checked and the tide rolled back towards the Rebel works again. It was at this juncture that some of our men captured a Rebel flag in the woods on our left and an officer rode out across the open field waving the flag so that it could be seen as a trophy by us and the enemy. Our boys made the heavens ring with shouts. Once when the 73rd Ohio and 143rd or 147th New York regiments had grown weary and wary and had mainly retired from the crest of the hill, I caused our colors to be planted near the crest and called on the 73rd boys to rally to their flag which they did handsomely. So we maintained the fight until sunset when we were relieved by General Geary’s troops.

We moved back a mile and rested for the night. Major Thomas Higgins had returned during the fight wounded. We now found he was only bruised. No other officer was hurt. We were awakened by firing at midnight and sprang to our arms. There is a sharp fierce contest of small arms and cannon and again all is quiet. After dark, I took up a squad of men and went back to hunt up our wounded and dead whom we could not carry off because of the Rebel fire in the daylight. The firing had now ceased, and we walked leisurely over the ground where so many of our brave fellows had fallen. The wounded had all been cared for, but the dead still lay on the field. Next morning early, I sent a detail and had our own boys decently buried on a little knoll by themselves.

In the morning when we came to count our loss, we found that it numbered 52 killed and wounded about 10 of whom were killed. During the night the enemy had evacuated their fortifications and retreated across the river at Resaca. Three hundred of their wounded were carried to our corps hospital and are under our care, but almost all of their dead are left unburied. Early next morning we started in pursuit and halted near Resaca along the railroad and again near Connesauga River where we are joined by Captain Talbott with 62 new recruits. The battle at Resaca was bloody and undecisive. The enemy escaped with no great loss and a mere barren victory was to us rather dearly bought. But it was still a victory, and we thanked God for it.

 

Source:

Medert, Patricia Fife, editor. The Civil War Journals of Samuel H. Hurst, 73rd Regiment, O.V.I. Chillicothe: The Ross County Historical Society, 2011, pgs. 134-138


Would you like to walk the grounds at Resaca described by Colonel Hurst? Thanks to the efforts of the Friends of Resaca Battlefield in conjunction with the American Battlefield Trust, more than 1,000 acres of the original battlefield have been preserved including the Federal positions over which Wood's brigade attacked on May 15, 1864. The Resaca Battlefield Historic Site is operated by Gordon County Parks and Recreation Department; you can visit their website here for trails, hours, and lots of lots of other useful information.

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