The River of Death with the 75th Indiana

For Private James Favorite of the 75th Indiana, one of the most striking elements of Sunday September 20, 1863 during the Battle of Chickamauga was the calm that permeated that morning. 

    "The sun rose in all its splendor, not a cloud obscured the sky, all was quiet and still as death and you could see in the countenances of all as we lay behind rude breastworks thrown up out of logs and rails, a fixed determination to do or die for our country," he wrote. "The suspense was terrible and as we looked upon each other, we had dark forebodings that in all probability we were gazing upon each other for the last time. Some, we feared, would be cut down, but who, none could tell. The question was often asked: “Will there be any fighting today?” It was readily answered with “Not unless the Rebels make the attack for General Rosecrans never brings on a battle on Sunday and only fights when compelled to by the enemy.”

          During the Chickamauga campaign, the 75th Indiana served in the Second Brigade (Colonel Edward King) of the Fourth Division (General Joseph Reynolds) of George Thomas’s 14th Army Corps. Private Favorite’s account of the campaign first appeared in the October 28, 1863, edition of the Indiana Herald published in Huntington.

 

Quartermaster William Alonzo Wainwright of the 75th Indiana poses wearing a wide-brimmed hat sometimes called a Tennessee hat adorned with an infantry bugle badge with the regimental number 75 in the center. Chickamauga marked the first serious battle for the Hoosiers who had been in service for roughly a year at the time of the battle. 

Chattanooga, Tennessee

October 12, 1863

          The last correspondence I have seen in valuable paper from the 75th Indiana was written while we lay at Trenton, Georgia and stirring events have taken place in the Army of the Cumberland since then in which the 75th Indiana played a prominent part. I will give for the benefit of your readers the incidents of our march from Trenton to Chattanooga and the part borne by us in the great Battle of Chickamauga.

          We left Trenton on September 9th and marched to the foot of Lookout Mountain and on the night of the 10th we ascended to its summit. We found the road very circuitous, steep, and stony, but by dint of hard work and perseverance we reached the top about 11 p.m. somewhat tired and exhausted. I was told it was two miles from the foot to the summit and when I reached the top, I concluded this was not far from being correct.

Captain Isaac N. McMillen
Co. A, 75th Indiana

The next day we descended the mountain and found it almost as difficult of descent as of ascent the day before. Our division was hastened forward to reinforce General Negley who had been attacked the day previous by superior numbers and compelled to fall back to the foot of the mountain. Our line of battle was formed on the left along the foot of the mountain and remained in this position until the next evening when we started for Pond Springs where we arrived on the 14th ultimo. The only thing remarkable about this place is the spring which resembles some of the ponds in Indiana; it is about five rods in diameter covered with grass and weeds. Still, the water is of the very best quality, being clear and cold.

We remained here until the 18th and during our stay no indications of the enemy’s presence were made known more than their firing on our pickets occasionally. On the night of the 18th, we marched all night arriving at Crawfish Springs at daylight. General Rosecrans had his headquarters here. After marching about three miles further, we came to the scene of the conflict. It seemed as though the Rebels had massed their forces on our left and hurled them against us before our line was formed and consequently the fighting on Saturday the 19th was somewhat promiscuous with divisions, brigades, and regiments fighting almost independently of each other.

Our regiment went in about 2 p.m. and was engaged for two hours. Our loss on Saturday was heavy. The men fought well for the first battle and on the first charge drove the enemy a considerable distance, but the enemy being reinforced, we had to fall back and so ended our fighting on Saturday. We took up our position and snatched what little sleep we could and, in the morning, prepared to meet the storm of battle.

General Joseph J. Reynolds very briefly held command of the 75th Indiana before being commissioned as a brigadier general in September 1862. By the time of Chickamauga, he had command of the Fourth Division of the 14th Army Corps. 

Sunday the 20th day of September 1863! What an eventful day in the lives of many! The sun rose in all its splendor, not a cloud obscured the sky, all was quiet and still as death and you could see in the countenances of all as we lay behind rude breastworks thrown up out of logs and rails, a fixed determination to do or die for our country. The suspense was terrible and as we looked upon each other, we had dark forebodings that in all probability we were gazing upon each other for the last time. Some, we feared, would be cut down, but who, none could tell. The question was often asked: “Will there be any fighting today?” It was readily answered with “Not unless the Rebels make the attack for General Rosecrans never brings on a battle on Sunday and only fights when compelled to by the enemy.”

The suspense was soon broken- heavy cannonading burst forth on the left and soon the rattle of musketry could be heard rolling like a billow down the line and when it reached General John Turchin’s brigade immediately on our left, we knew it would not be long until the storm of battle would burst forth in all its fury upon us. Knowing this, we braced ourselves up to receive the shock. Our position was admirably chosen on the crest of a hill with an open field between us and the woods out of which the enemy would have to come to reach us, thus exposing them to a murderous fire at easy range. We also had a battery of five guns on the left of our regiment.

Adjutant James C. Medsker
75th Indiana

About 10 a.m., they advanced upon our slender works and when they had come within about 300 yards, the battery opened on them with grape and canister and we rose up and poured a volley into them which soon made them fall back and seek shelter from the leaden hail in the woods. But they were not fully satisfied and rallying their forces, they made another and another attempt to dislodge us but with the same result as at first, and thus the fight continued until noon.

They found they could not break our line so they passed around by the flank and fell upon General Brannan’s division posted on our right. They succeeded in turning his division nearly at right angles to us so we had to fall back on General John Palmer’s division of Crittenden’s corps. While we lay here, the firing ceased on the left and center but broke forth with redoubled fury on the right. It was one continual roll of musketry for three or four hours when the Rebels drove the right back and the lost ground could not be regained. The Rebels accomplishing this, cut our division and a part of Crittenden’s corps off from the main body of the army and had us completely surrounded.

General Joseph Reynolds ordered General Turchin to charge through their lines with his brigade which he did in splendid style, bringing out over 200 prisoners. Our brigade followed after the Third brigade and when our regiment passed through where they had established their line, we were exposed to a severe enfilading fire, losing quite a number of men. There were three men wounded in Co. H and three more in Co. A. General Thomas then fell back to Rossville.

We lay in line of battle on the 21st and that night we fell back to Chattanooga and since then have been fortifying and intend to hold Chattanooga. There has not been much fighting since we came here. The Rebels shelled us considerable on the 5th instant, but did not do us much damage more than wounding six to eight men. The Battle of Chickamauga was the hardest fought battle of the war. I have conversed with soldiers who have been in the Battle of Antietam, Fort Donelson, Shiloh, and Stones River, and they all say this was by far the most obstinate and bloody struggle they ever experienced.

The Army of the Cumberland is undergoing a complete reorganization. The 20th and 21st corps have been consolidated and now form the 4th Army Corps under the command of Major General Gordon Granger. There are eight regiments in a brigade and each brigade to be commanded by a brigadier general. The Second Brigade [Colonel John Croxton] of the Third Division and the Second Brigade [Colonel Edward King who was killed on September 20th] of the Fourth Division are thrown into one and will be the Second Brigade of the Second Division commanded by General Jefferson C. Davis. Major General John J. Reynolds is chief of staff to General Rosecrans. General Reynolds fought with a coolness and bravery seldom equaled.

          I almost forgot to say that Surgeons Arthur and Shaffer remained with the wounded and fell into the hands of the Rebels. I understand they are to be retained as prisoners of war. This is contrary to rules established between the two powers, but then, where is there a rule or article of agreement that they have not violated? Captain McGinniss was left on the field and nothing has been heard from him since. No better captain or braver man than captain McGinnis ever led a company into battle. His loss is severely felt in the regiment as well as in the company. I suppose he is imprisoned in some loathsome dungeon either in Atlanta or in Richmond.

 Source:

Letter from Private James C. Favorite, Co. H, 75th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, Indiana Herald (Indiana), October 28, 1863, pg. 2

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