guarding the railroad between Columbia and Pulaski. On the 23d of June they marched ten miles, to Pulaski, and thence, cn the following day, to Elk River, from which place they proceeded by rail, via Huntsville, arriving on the 25th, at Stevenson, Ala., the junction of the Nashville and Chattanooga, with the Memphis and Charleston railroad.

Meanwhile companies A, B, G and K left Shelbyville on the 23d, and marching by the way of Fayetteville and Pleasant Plain, took the cars on the 25th at Elkton Station, on the Nashville and Decatur railroad, proceeding thence via Athens and Huntsville to Stevenson, Ala., at which place they joined the regiment on the 27th of June. The regiment moved on the 29th twelve miles, to Battle Creek, encamping in a wood, near the Tennessee River. Here they were constantly employed in the performance of outpost, picket and signal duty, until the 25th of July, when they marched five miles to Bridgeport, proceeding thence by rail to Mooresville, Ala., when they went into camp on the following day. On the 3d of August camp was moved to Decatur, at which place they were stationed five days, returning on the 9th to Mooresville, where they remained in the performance of guard duty, with frequent reconnoissances through the surrounding country, until the 18th, when they were ordered to Nashville.

Taking the cars on the 19th, they arrived at Nashville on the following day, and crossing the Cumberland River at that place, encamped at Edgefield.

On the 3d of September, was organized the Twenty-eighth brigade, consisting of the First, with three other regiments and two batteries of artillery, Colonel Starkweather being placed in command. The brigade left Edgefield at one in 35] the morning of the 6th, and marching rapidly, by way of Franklin, arrived at Bowling Green, Ky., on the evening of the following day. The general movement of our army towards Munfordsville commenced on the 15th. On arriving within eight miles of that place, General Rousseau's division, to which the Twenty-eighth brigade was attached, took position and remained until the 21st, when the brigade, having been ordered on a reconnoissance, moved by a circuitous route to Glasgow, rejoining the division next day at Munsfordsville. The march was resumed on the 23d: proceeding by

1

谶

FIRST INFANTRY-PERRYVILLE.

35

'way of Elizabethtown and West Point, marching almost literally day and night, they encamped on the 26th at Louisville, Ky., on the Ohio River, where they were joined by the Twenty-first regiment. The movement of our forces to meet the rebels under Bragg, began on the 1st of October. Marching by way of Taylorsville, Bloomfield and .Chaplin, the Twenty-eighth brigade bivouacked near Mackville, on the 7th. Next morning they were hurried forward a distance of twelve miles, and placed in position on the extreme left of our lines, during the battle of Chaplin Hills.

Arriving on the field at half-past one in the afternoon, the First took the extreme left, supporting the Fourth Indiana battery, the Twenty-first being posted a little in advance. Shortly before, the rebels had succeeded in driving back a portion of General Jackson's division, who rushed through and on either side of the Twenty-first, the latter holding their ground firmly, until the pursuing rebels came up in front in greatly superior numbers, and a terrible conflict ensued. At the same time the enemy availing himself of his vastly greater force, attacked the brigade on the right, simultaneously planting a battery on the left, designed to cover an attempt on the flank. The flank movement was prevented by our artillery, which shelled the rebel position, dislodging the enemy, while the attempt on the right was gallantly repulsed by the infantry.

At this moment, the Twenty-first was ordered to "fire and charge to the front," but being a new regiment, and their colonel being severely wounded and their major killed t about the time such order was given, no field officer was left to carry the command into execution, although several companies, hearing the order, attempted to obey it, but being sorely pressed by the brigade and battery in front, they retired in some disorder and confusion. * * In justice to this (the 21st) regiment, it should be noted that, at the date of this battle, they had been mustered into the service only thirty-four days, and were kept almost continually on the march, having, during that time, the advantage of only four days actual drill. So inexperienced, indeed were even the company officers, that Colonel Sweet in anticipation of the emergency which occurred, had, before the battle, addressed

י

the regiment, telling them, that in such event, he would. simply give the command "Break and Rally," and, as no regi36] mental colors had as yet been furnished, they must make himself the point around which to rally after they had retreated. The necessity having arrived, the order was given and the regiment broke, rallying in good order around their colonel in the rear of the main line of battle, where they continued in the fight during the remainder of the after

noon.

On the withdrawal of this regiment the "Old First, supporting the artillery, was advanced to the front, which position they held until many of the artillery horses were killed, and the balance became unmanageable, when with two other regiments of the brigade, they were ordered to hold their position, while the guns, which were yet manageable, were retired to a safe position. When this was effected, "a part of the First Wisconsin then charged to the front, capturing the colors of the First Tennessee. The fire from the Seventyninth and Twenty-fourth held the enemy in check, while the balance of the First Wisconsin took by hand every remaining gun and caisson from the field."* By this time the enemy was completely routed, and our troops retired to the support of their new position. In this great battle the First Regiment had four hundred and seven men engaged, of whom fifty-six were killed, one hundred and twenty wounded, and four missing. The Twenty-first, out of six hundred and sixtythree men engaged, lost forty-one killed, one hundred and one wounded, twenty-one prisoners and fifteen missing. In his official report of the battle, General Rousseau thus speaks of the First: "I had great confidence in the gallantry of these two regiments, (1st Wis. and 79th Penn.) and was not disappointed when their time of trial came. They drove back the enemy several times with great loss, and until their ammunition was exhausted, bravely maintained their position, and then quietly (not under fire), retired under orders, to the line of battle originally selected by General McCook and myself, where they got a supply of ammunition, and were again ready for action.”

*Official report of Colonel Starkweather. (22 Rebellion Records 1155)

1 Perryville, Ky., Battle Oct. 8, 1862. 22 Ibid. 1021-1134; 1033, 1045, 1046, 1155, 1156.

They left Perryville on the 11th of October, following the retreating rebels as far as Crab Orchard, where the pursuit was abandoned, and our army took a more southerly direction, the brigade arriving at Mitchellville, Tenn., on the 12th of November. At this time, Mitchellville was the terminus of our railroad transportation south, and they were stationed here in the performance of guard and provost duty until the 9th of December, when they moved to Edgefield, Tenn. On the following day they crossed the Tennessee River, and, passing through Nashville, went into Camp Andy Johnson, four miles south of that place. In the reorganization of the army, their brigade became the Second of the First division. Participating in the movement of General Rosecrans' army, they left camp on the 26th of December, in charge of a large train, and proceeding by way of Nolans37]

ville, arrived on the 30th at Jefferson, a small town on the Lebanon and Murfreesboro pike. Near this place the enemy's cavalry made a fierce attack upon the train, which was handsomely repulsed by the brigade in a severe engagement, our regiment losing two killed and seven wounded. Next day they were ordered up to take part in the battle of Stone's River,1 near Murfreeboro, where they were assigned position in the centre of our line, and held in reserve. the 2nd of January, 1863, they took position in the entrenchments on our front, which they held until the following day, when they advanced, taking part in a severe engagement with the rebel infantry The enemy withdrew during the night, and the 4th was spent in burying the dead on the field' of battle.

On

In consequence of having been placed in the reserve they suffered but trifling loss in this celebrated conflict, and soon after, in the beginning of January, encamped within the fortifications at Murfreesboro. Marching with the centre of the Army of the Cumberland, under command of General Thomas, they left Murfreesboro on the. 24th of June, taking a southerly direction on the Manchester pike. On the following day, they were ordered to the front and led the ad

1 Stone's River or Murfreesboro, Dec. 31, 1862-Jan. 3, 1863. Report Col. John C. Starkweather. 29 Rebellion Records 393. Stone's River Campaign, (Tenn.) Dec. 26, 1862-Jan. 5, 1863, 29 Ibid 166-979.

vance, skirmishing occasionally with the enemy as he retreated before them. Proceeding by way of Fairfield, Manchester and Tullahoma, they went into camp on the 14th, at Cowan Station, on the Nashville and Chattanooga railroad. Leaving Cowan on the 10th of August, they marched with the division, bivouacking for the night at Crow Creek Valley. Next day the division moved across the mountains, passing Anderson, and going into camp three miles south of the state line. of Alabama. At this place, the First regiment was detached from the brigade, proceeding to Stevenson, Ala., where they were employed in preparing the ground for a field hospital. At this place they were joined by the brigade, and participating in the forward movement of the army on Chattanooga, they left Stevenson on the 2nd of September, marching to Bridgeport, Ala., where they crossed the Tennessee on the 4th, and proceeding up the Tennessee valley on the following day, crossed a spur of the mountains and bivouacked. They ascended Raccoon or Sand Mountain on the 6th, encamping for the night on the summit. On the following day they descended the eastern side, bivouacked at Johnson's Cove, in the valley between Raccoon and Lookout Mountains, where they were delayed one day to enable General Negley's division in their advance to ascend the latter. On the 9th they encamped on the summit, moving on the following day down the eastern slope of the mountain.

At three in the morning of the 11th, they were ordered forward to the support of Negley's division, then five miles in advance, near Dug Gap. They moved forward, skirmishing the whole distance, occupying the position assigned about eight o'clock. Severe skirmishing soon commenced and the Second brigade was ordered to take the place of a portion 38] of General Negley's troops in the advance. This was gallantly accomplished under a severe fire, and the brigade held the position, resisting the enemy's attempts to dislodge them until half past three in the afternoon, when a retrograde movement having commenced, they were ordered to cover the retreat. This difficult duty was admirably performed under the command of General Starkweather, and they went into camp at Steven's Gap, Ga., at one on the following morning. They remained here until the 17th, when