Rashness to Remain Longer: With McLean’s Buckeyes at Chinn Ridge

    For the men of the 75th Ohio, the Second Battle of Bull Run was prefaced by a confusing week of marches and countermarches and on the first day of battle, they weren't engaged at all, enjoying the rare opportunity of watching a battle. Corporal Joseph Harris of Co. C described the experience as "the wicked hissing of 50 shells belched forth from as many cannon on each side, bursting here and there, carried death and destruction in their wake. Volley after volley of musketry continued without intermission nearly all day while the dense clouds of smoke placed before our eyes the stern reality of the raging battle. The 75th, although not actually engaged, was where the shells fell fast and thick but fortunately only one man was wounded that day. " 

    But the following day, August 30th, the 75th Ohio would be tasked with holding a critical piece of ground at Chinn Ridge and Harris would get a belly full of fighting. "To our dismay there appeared to our left regiment after regiment of the enemy in solid column," he wrote. "For some time, our officers were uncertain if it was McDowell’s army or the enemy as at a distance their uniforms appeared as ours. It was stated that they had their uniforms purposely to deceive us. The men insisted on firing on them, and we were soon made aware that it was the enemy by the terrible volleys they poured into us both of bullets and canister."

     The 75th Ohio was attached to Colonel Nathaniel McLean's all-Ohio brigade during the battle consisting of the 25th, 55th, 73rd, and 75th regiments along with Battery K of the 1st Ohio Light Artillery. Corporal Harris's account of Second Bull Run originally saw publication in a September 1862 issue of the Eaton Register. 


Upton’s Hill near Washington, D.C.

September 15, 1862

          Now that the excitement of the week’s battles has quieted down, I thought a short history of the part the 75th Ohio, particularly Co. C, played would not be uninteresting. We marched to the Rapidan, then the Rappahannock, skirmished many days before the Battle of Bull Run but on Wednesday preceding, Sigel’s corps left Warrenton in the direction of Manassas Junction where Jackson was reported to be. About 5 that evening, we came upon a part of the enemy and took several prisoners who were straggling behind. The cannons were placed into position that night and the infantry was also placed in line of battle; the expectation was that there would be an attack during the night or early next morning. But then the enemy was moving toward the old Bull Run battlefield and before the sun arose above the eastern horizon, we were on the move in pursuit.

          We continued until 1 p.m. without stopping even to get our breakfast or dinner when we halted, about faced, and took the backtrack. Our officers said that Pope had gotten in front of the enemy and was driving them back on another road and that we were to go back and take the pike which leads to Washington which we had left in the morning for the purpose of hemming in the enemy on both ends of the road. We marched back about four miles when the order was given to countermarch and again, we were retracing our steps. We marched forward some four or five miles when we turned to the left on a byroad running north almost parallel with the road we came. Skirmishers were deployed, cannonading was heard in front and on Thursday evening the 28th commenced the second battle of Bull Run.

General Nathaniel McLean

          We arrived within a mile of the scene of conflict that evening and the 75th Ohio took its position in support of DeBeck’s battery which fired a few shells. The cannonading was kept up until it became too dark to be effective, but the infantry was engaged till long after darkness came. The morning of the 29th dawned beautifully and with it a renewal of the conflict. The wicked hissing of 50 shells belched forth from as many cannon on each side, bursting here and there, carrying death and destruction in their wake. Volley after volley of musketry continued without intermission nearly all day while the dense clouds of smoke placed before our eyes the stern reality of the raging battle. The day was ours. We had driven them from their positions and held the ground they had occupied in the morning. The 75th, although not actually engaged, was where the shells fell fast and thick but fortunately only one man was wounded that day. We rested on the hard-fought battlefield that night without being disturbed.

    Saturday about noon it was reported that the enemy had received large reinforcements, but it was also reported that a large group of McClellan’s army was coming to reinforce us. Our forces began moving up about 2 p.m. Sigel’s corps was left of center with McLean’s brigade the extreme left of his corps. On our left was McDowell’s corps. About 3, the enemy made their appearance on our right. We were then fronting in that direction. The 75th fired three or four volleys into them which made a terrible havoc in their ranks, and they retreated every man for himself behind a ridge and we saw nothing more in that direction. To our dismay there appeared to our left regiment after regiment of the enemy in solid column. For some time, our officers were uncertain if it was McDowell’s army or the enemy as at a distance their uniforms appeared as ours. It was stated that they had their uniforms purposely to deceive us. The men insisted on firing on them, and we were soon made aware that it was the enemy by the terrible volleys they poured into us both of bullets and canister.

We were not prepared for this. McDowell, who should have met this body of the enemy, fell back without ever firing a gun and the result was our little brigade was left with the alternative of either falling back or engaging the enemy 10 to 1. We chose the latter and although the brigade was woefully mixed up through such a change of circumstances, we actually held the enemy in check for more than an hour in a perfect shower of bullets, grape, and canister and every man for himself. Such desperate valor and veteran coolness amid such confusion is rarely shown against such terrible odds as was exhibited by Colonel McLean’s little brigade that day. The only thing that saved us from being annihilated was that the enemy fired too high and too low, and not because they did not fire often enough, they being in such numbers that their volleys were perfectly deafening. The advantage gained by our thus holding the enemy in check was such that if it had been otherwise, the fortunes of the day would have been far worse.

The 75th Ohio was one of the few Ohio regiments fully equipped with Enfield Rifle Muskets when they entered service in October 1861. 

When it became known that the enemy was trying to flank us on the left, we held them long enough to throw our forces to the left in order to check their further advance and we only left our position when it was rashness to remain longer. Co. C improved on the valor it showed at McDowell; not a man shrinking from the post of danger. Every man regretted the confusion we were thrown into over which we had no control, but to make up for this, it seemed that each one considered it his bound duty to fight the enemy till the bitter end rather than give up our position to a haughty and insulting enemy. At least such was the spirit of Co. C and indomitable bravery was shown by every member. The enemy flanking us on the left with such a large force turned the fortune of the day against us. We were defeated but not routed. The long train of ammunitions and provision wagons and our whole force fell back to Centreville that night and next morning in good order without losing hardly a wagon. On Sunday, men were detailed to bury the dead and gather up the wounded who had been left on the field.

         

Source:

Letter from Corporal Joseph Harris, Co. C, 75th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Eaton Register (Ohio), September 1862

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