Charging Lookout Mountain with the 96th Illinois

Corporal Henry Gage of the 96th Illinois recalled the dramatic moment on the morning of November 25, 1863 as the members of the 8th Kentucky raised their flag atop Lookout Mountain.

    "Before daybreak, the brigade started to scale the wall and the 8th Kentucky of our brigade swung the first flag over the “spur” and old Whitaker was close behind to swing his hat. Boys yell some when they make a successful charge but that noise that rose from the side of that mountain that time was as artillery to small arms. The shout from our lines to Hooker’s men who crossed to help us and was caught up on the other side of the mountain and so died away in the distance. Now that we had the mountain, our regiment and the 8th Kentucky came up to hold it and the rest of the brigade went on. We did not lose many in the scrape," he noted.

          The following letter, published in the December 19, 1863, edition of the Waukegan Weekly Gazette, was written to Gage’s father John who then resided in Chicago.

 

Corporal Henry H. Gage, Co. G, 96th Illinois Volunteer Infantry 

Lookout Mountain, Tennessee

November 29, 1863

Father,

          Another fight and this time a victory for our side and no less a job fell to General [Walter] Whitaker than storming and taking Lookout Mountain. This was a pleasant little brush to the other at Chickamauga for we knew from the first charge that we could whip the Rebs and we did it.

          On the 23rd we left camp at Shellmound and marched till 10 o’clock and camped close to our cavalry pickets. That night, there was a meeting of the generals and General Whitaker said his brigade could just take that little “spur” so early the next morning we crossed Lookout Creek and pushed the Rebs flank straight towards the summit. Now, Lookout Mountain is a long mountain, rocky and steep with the summit capped with an insurmountable ledge of rocks that terminates at the point directly above the river.

          Well, we were to push forward to this ledge and then left face and march by the front in battle line and just clear the mountainside all around until we passed the peak or spur, as the general said, and come up on the other side then scale to the top. Now our brigade had the top part of the mountain for our part and as we commenced four or more miles back and we had a long ways to march and climb over rocks and fallen trees with an uncomfortable fire from the top along our lines. We steadily drove them from the first as we had the advantage after we once started them.

As we drove them, lots of the rascals hid in the fissures of the rocks, threw away their guns, and waited for us. Then they would throw up their hats and surrender and some would try it and sing out, “I say Yanks, is it honorable?” If they were satisfied, they would halloo to some comrade that “’twas all right, come ahead!” So they came as they had the chance and some that tried it were shot by their own men, but most of them came safe.

When we got them running once we just more than dropped them. A dreary old spot for a man’s bones to bleach on that place and but a very few in true blue lie there but plenty of graybacks will miss being found. The southern buzzards will peck their black hearts and leave only their bones as tombstones.

Battle of Lookout Mountain, November 24, 1863

I can’t write many of the incidents but one that the 96th Illinois done up right I will speak of. When we got almost to the point and most to a fort with two cannons, our regiment was at the extreme right nearest the ledge and could look right down on the entire force as the trees were all felled where we were. The 40th Ohio was opposite the hottest of the fighting and as the Rebs started for the fort, the 40th started for it too and all crowded in together and there they were having it gay as they drove the Rebels back. As they could not follow far as the rest of the brigade had stopped the Rebels, could just fire in among them rough. So, they had to climb over the works again. This gave the Rebels another chance to advance with breastworks in their favor.

From where we were, we could see what was going on and knew what was to be done. Our right swung around and the colonel (not our colonel) on the left (who could not tell what was up) ordered us back, but our major sang out “Forward 96th!” At that, the colonel swore and ordered again for us to keep our place but Major Hicks sang out again “Forward 96th!” as if nothing happened and we legged it down the hill keeping in as good line as the nature of the rocks would permit.

We astonished the Rebels by a neat little crossfire that cut them up splendidly; some were close to the breastworks, but we could rake them there and they threw down their arms and what was left of them surrendered. Some put for the rear of their lines, some struck for woods, and others down hill to get peppered by our forces on the left of the 40th Ohio. By this little operation, we gained the fort, the cannon, and the ground. I think this as much as anything induced the general to place us on the mountain here with the 8th Kentucky instead of sending us on with the brigade.

Members of the 8th Kentucky holding their flag at Lookout Mountain 

          After this, we advanced some ways, got on the edge of a ravine, and stopped for the night. It was a bright night- the fight went on, only now all we did was to keep what we had. The Rebels made some feeble efforts to charge on us but gave it up. Late in the night, we were relieved and put on picket and about 2 a.m. the eclipse darkened the night so that the firing ceased.

Before daybreak, the brigade started to scale the wall and the 8th Kentucky of our brigade swung the first flag over the “spur” and old Whitaker was close behind to swing his hat. Boys yell some when they make a successful charge but that noise that rose from the side of that mountain that time was as artillery to small arms. The shout from our lines to Hooker’s men who crossed to help us and was caught up on the other side of the mountain and so died away in the distance. Now that we had the mountain, our regiment and the 8th Kentucky came up to hold it and the rest of the brigade went on. We did not lose many in the scrape.

          I have often looked with wistful eyes to the top of this hill and often wished that I might look off from it but never expected to do it. After I reached the top, the view alone was worth quarreling for. The river which winds away among these little hills, the fields and forest, the camps of both armies, the field where we used to hunt for corn and where the Rebels used to shoot at us and even the little log houses we put up months ago were all in plain view. I thought everything looked pleasant enough for peaceful times. How I wished at the Battle of Chickamauga that I could have been with the lucky band that stood on this hill and viewed the whole affair.


Source:

Letter from Corporal Henry H. Gage, Co. G, 96th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, Waukegan Weekly Gazette (Illinois), December 19, 1863, pg. 1

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