by Michael L. Parsons, Mandeville, LA
December 1993; Revised September 1996; Revised March 1997

22nd Tennessee Infantry Brigade
12th Consolidated Tennessee Infantry Brigade

July 1861 thru May 2, 1865

Prologue

A. B. (A. Bennezette) Hurt joins for duty and enrolls as a Private into Confederate service, Captain W. A. Marshall’s Company, at Trezevant, Carroll County, Tennessee in July 1861. A casualty list remarks he is “slightly wounded” at the battle of Murfreesboro, TN on December 31, 1862. Company muster rolls (and a clothing receipt) of the 22nd TN Infantry Regiment and later the 12th Consolidated TN Infantry Regiment confirm his presence in these units through March 1864 (through winter quarters in Dalton, GA following battles in and around Chatanooga, TN and before retreat to Atlanta).

In 1870, James Mann Hurt, Sr.’s last will and testament includes the following: “Article 10th: I have made advancements to my son A. B. Hurt with which I do not charge him on account of his labors, sufferings and exposures during the late war.”

In 1906, Sophie (Monie) Collins Hurt applies for a pension allowed indigent widows of Tennessee soldiers. In a sworn, notarized supporting statement, David Marshall, same company, states A. B. Hurt performs regular military duty “from his enlistment to the close of the war”. Likewise, John Walker states he is with A. B. Hurt at the April 1865 surrender in Greensboro, North Carolina.

About 1920, Confederate veteran Jessie Hilliard Jackson (of Trenton, Gibson County, Tennessee and formerly of the 22nd TN Infantry) is one of over 1600 Tennessee Civil War veterans to complete a questionnaire about his life before and during the war. Ben Hurt is specifically remembered and listed by Mr. Jackson as a fellow soldier in the 22nd Tennessee.

Private Hurt’s exact military actions are uncertain. But known documents record him with his Regiment, “which bore itself so gallantly on so many fields–indeed, in all the battles of the Army of Tennessee–made up of as noble, true, and brave officers and soldiers as wore the gray on any field.” The chronology of this military unit follows:

22ND TENNESSEE INFANTRY REGIMENT

May 9, 1861: Tennessee Governor Isham Harris activates the Provisional Army of Tennessee. This force becomes the backbone of the Confederate Army of Tennessee after a military alliance between the Tennessee and Richmond, VA governments are cemented.

July 1861: A. B. Hurt joins for duty and enrolls into W. A. Marshall’s Company, variously known as “A” and “G” Company, at Trezevant, Carroll County, TN. His enlistment obligation is for 12 months in the Provisional Army of Tennessee.

July-August 1861: Camp of Instruction, Trenton, TN. The 22nd TN, like sister unit the 12th TN Infantry (Col. Robert Milton Russell’s) Regiment, likely spends the summer drilling, taking target practice, having measles, and “talking war talk”.

The typical enlistee in the Army of Tennessee is in his early twenties, born in a rural setting with limited public education and who farms for a living. He typically lacks the discipline and military rigidity characteristic of those in the Army of Northern Virginia. Many exhibit a “sort of don’t-care-a-damnativeness” attitude about military life. Most enlist to protect their homes and have an “immense faith…in themselves”.

Many Army of Tennessee soldiers prefer to wear the course homespun jackets and trousers made by their mothers and sisters. Colors range from gray to brown (butternut) and many in the 22nd TN wear the popular felt “slouch” hat. Throughout the war clothing is in general good supply. But many often go shoeless, even in the dead of winter.

If the 22nd TN is typical, many of the troops are either unarmed or have brought weapons from home. This includes shotguns, flint lock and percussion muskets from earlier wars. Many calibers are represented, making ammunition supply most difficult. As the war progresses, arms captured from the enemy and supplied by ships successfully running the coastal blockades enhance the army’s firepower. Although not as effectively armed as their Federal counterparts, the Southern troops never lose a battle due to a scarcity of arms.

August 10, 1861: W. A. Marshall’s Company becomes Company “D” in the 22nd TN Infantry (Col. Thomas J. Freeman’s) Regiment at Trenton, Gibson County, TN in the service of the Confederacy; the “Ordinance of Secession” of Tennessee having been approved.

Col. Thomas J. Freeman’s Infantry; BG Benjamin Franklin Cheatham’s Brigade; BG Gideon Pillow’s Division; MG Leonidas K. Polk’s First Division, CSA Western Department

September 1861: The 22nd TN Infantry is included in an invasion scheme formulated by Generals Pillow and Polk who envision a bold sweep toward St. Louis. But because the Southern army is neither seasoned nor healthy, the vision is soon aborted. Disregarding Kentucky’s neutrality, Pillow convinces Polk to seize Columbus, KY about 20 miles south of Cairo, IL and directly across the Mississippi River from the steamboat landing at Belmont, MO. At the terminus of the Mobile and Ohio railroad, Columbus lays low and flat between two sets of bluffs, about 150 feet high. Those south of town are known as the “Chalk Bluffs” because of their bright coffee color. Above town, facing north, the “Iron Banks” (so named by explorers Marquette & Joliet because of the hint of iron colors) project sharply into the Mississippi. The Confederates believe the bluffs control the Mississippi River and if properly fortified no northern gunboat can pass.

September 7, 1861: The 22nd TN Infantry arrives in Columbus, KY. As summer gives way to autumn, the unit joins fellow Southern troops in military drills and erecting fortifications eventually placing 140 guns within embrasures. A gigantic anchor and chain is constructed and strung across the Mississippi River in an attempt to close navigation. It later proves ineffective.

Col. Thomas J. Freeman’s Infantry; Col. Robert Milton Russell’s Brigade; BG Gideon Pillow’s Division; MG Leonidas K. Polk’s First Division, Western Department, CSA

November 6, 1861: Union BG Ulysses S. Grant, facing his first Civil War engagement, brings a force of 3,000 men down the Mississippi River from Cairo on four river transports accompanied by two gunboats. About 11:00 p.m. the flotilla ties up on the KY side at the bottom of Island 1, the site of old Fort Jefferson, eleven miles above Columbus.

November 7, 1861: Battle of Belmont — About two and one-half miles up-river from Belmont, and just out of sight of the Columbus batteries, the Federals disembark about 8:00 a.m. on the Missouri side at Hunter’s farm and march toward the CSA Camp Johnston at Belmont. Here, Col. James C. Tappan commands a small force of infantry, cavalry and artillery. Belmont itself consists of no more than a small log house with an outbuilding and a shed. When Grant’s troop movement is detected the 22nd TN Infantry is one of five such regiments sent with BG Gideon J. Pillow to the Missouri side. Pillow’s force advances quickly to meet Grant’s approaching bluecoats.

The 22nd TN is positioned in the center of the five infantry units along a low ridge in an open corn field northwest of Camp Johnston. The 22nd TN comes under fire and suffers heavy casualties. After two hours, Pillow’s troops are severely cut-up as “balls of the enemy were falling thick as hail”. The Federals get the upper hand and push the Confederates back to the Mississippi River bank. Not a single Confederate company remains intact as the Confederates retreat back toward Camp Johnston. At this point, Col. Freeman deserts his command by catching a craft back to the KY side of the river. Cheatham is sent by Polk to reinforce the Confederates with three additional brigades bringing the total Southern force to about 5,000 angry, vengeful men. After many causalities, Grant removes his troops onto the transport boats abandoning vast quantities of goods. Casualties are about equal–over 600 on each side (killed, wounded, missing or captured). The battle is strategically worthless, but provides both sides an opportunity for combat. (Years later, Mark Twin includes a brief description of the battle in his book, “Life on the Mississippi”.)

Col. T. J. Freeman’s Infantry; Col. Robert Milton Russell’s Brigade; MG Leonidas Polk’s Division; Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston’s CSA Western Department

November 1861-March 1862: The 22nd TN Infantry remains in winter quarters at Columbus, KY. One Tennesseean notes: “Our beef is so tough that we have to boil it nearly all day!”

February 6-16, 1862: About 60 miles east of Columbus, KY the Federals exploit the Southern weakness when BG U. S. Grant’s troops join forces with a Union flotilla brought up the Tennessee River and force the fall of Fort Henry. Grant then marches his troops a dozen miles to the east and, again aided by Union gunboats, forces the capitulation of earthen Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River (15,000 Confederate troops under the inherited command of BG S. B. Buckner surrender; BG Gideon Pillow escapes).

March 2, 1862: In the wake of the disastrous fall of Forts Henry and Donelson, Polk evacuates Columbus, KY. He sends his heaviest guns and 7,000 soldiers down-river to New Madrid and goes south with the remaining 10,000 troops (including the 22nd TN Infantry) to Humbolt, Gibson Co., TN for two weeks.

March 17, 1862: The 22nd TN Infantry leaves for Jackson, TN.

Col. T. J. Freeman’s Infantry; Col. Robert Russell’s First Brigade; B Charles Clark’s First Division; MG Leonidas K. Polk’s First Corps; Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston’s CSA Army of the Mississippi

March 20, 1862: The 22nd TN arrives by rail in Cornith, MS.

April 4, 1862: Russell’s Brigade (including the 22nd TN Infantry) begins northward 20 mile march along Michie Ridge Road toward Pittsburg Landing (Shiloh), TN. Roads are nearly impassable due to drenching rains.

April 5, 1862: The 22nd TN Infantry camps within mile of Federal troops about 3/4 mile west of Fraley Field (Shiloh battleground).

April 6, 1862: Battle of Shiloh (Pittsburg Landing) — The 22nd TN Infantry is first engaged in Rhea’s field south of Shiloh Church. Col. Russell’s brigade is on the left wing of a column that attacks across the 53rd Ohio’s camp then swings left, toward the position of the Federal Waterhouse Batteries, with the 57th Ohio Infantry in support on the left. Federal troops are under command of General U. S. Grant.

In the words of a 1st TN Brigade member: “We stormed the ridge across the open field under such a terrific fire (canister and grape shot), it was to my disbelief of any man’s survival. In our advance, we were compelled to charge over many of the dead, which had fallen in the first charge. They lay so thick it was if they acted as a pavement covering the field. The field lay hidden beneath their corpses.” It is in this charge that General Clark suffers a near-mortal wound, though he survives. General Alexander P. Stewart steps up to take Division command.

The 1st TN Brigade then moves north of Shiloh Church passing through Sherman’s vacated headquarters. They proceed onward in an attack on Schwartz Federal Battery, advance on Federal lines near Water Oaks Ponds, and swing left toward Tilgbman Creek from where Confederate Infantry attacks attempt to dislodge the Federals in a line of battle north of the Sunken Road (Hornet’s Nest). Russell moves south of Calvary Road toward the river. The Federal resistance is heavy and a long encounter ensues; the conflict here being probably the hottest action on the battlefield.

Russell’s Brigade advances through hard fighting. Occupying a hill just north of “Hell’s Hollow”, they attack Federal General Prentiss’ flank. Private Simms of the 22nd TN Infantry is one of first to reach the Federal encampment, capturing General Prentiss and turning him over to Col. Russell, who delivers Prentiss to General Polk. After continued fighting the 22nd TN is ordered back because of insufficient numbers. During the day’s fighting the CSA Western Army General Albert Sidney Johnston is mortally wounded. [A. B. Hurt’s first child, Joseph Albert Sidney Hurt, is later named, in part, for this fallen leader.] Col. Freeman is also severely wounded. General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard takes command and eventually orders all Confederate troops to withdraw.

April 7, 1862: Battle of Shiloh-2nd Day: Russell’s Brigade, camped at the southwest corner of Jones Field, awakes to picket-fire. The Federal army makes a frontal assault resulting in a retreat of the Confederate line. General Bragg orders Russell’s Brigade to advance to Duncan Field to prepare for attack upon Federal General Buell’s fresh troops. At 11:00 a.m. Russell’s Brigade in General Bragg’s Battalion, advances across Duncan Field in advance of the entire Confederate Line. This is considered the most vulnerable spot of any force in the battle to this point. It is murderous. Russell, still in advance of the general line, holds for a time. But after an ill-fated contest the Confederates retire to Shiloh Church. After a few additional attempts to save the day, the Federals eventually force their bone-weary enemy into hasty retreat.

Union losses: Total 13,047: (1,754 killed; 8,408 wounded; 2,885 captured).
Confederate losses: Total 10,694 (1,723 killed; 8,012 wounded; 959 missing).
Americans suffer more casualties at Shiloh (23,741) than the Revolution, War of 1812 and Mexican War combined.

April 7-9, 1862: Through whistling north winds, driving sleet, partridge-egg sized hailstones, roads that are quagmires, and a rear attack by the Federals, the shattered Southern command returns to Corinth, MS.

April-May 1862: Under General Beauregard, the CSA Western Army slyly evacuates Corinth and retreats to Tupelo, MS about 50 miles south.

June 2, 1862: Morale plunges as the hardships of soldier life and reality of battle sets in. During this week, the 22nd TN suffers 100 desertions and the 12th TN looses 77 with 8 more deserting the next week.

12th Consolidated Tennessee Infantry Regiment

Capt. W. S. Moore’s Infantry; BG Preston Smith’s Brigade; MG Benjamin F. Cheatham’s Division; MG Leonidas K. Polk’s Right Wing Corps; General Braxton Bragg’s CSA Army of the Mississippi

June 16, 1862: 12th and 22nd Tennessee Infantry Regiments, both being below minimum requirements, consolidate under the name of 12th Tennessee Volunteer Regiment. A. B. Hurt re-enlists and his unit is assigned to Company “F”. Col. T. J. Freeman is not reelected to an officer’s position, probably due, in part, to severe wounds he sustains at Shiloh. (He returns to the war effort months later in BG Nathan B. Forrest’s cavalry unit.)

Upon assuming command, Bragg initiates an increased level of strict discipline, evoking capital punishment for those deserting to go home. Bragg becomes known for refusing leniency; yet only sixteen documented executions occur during his tenure. Furthermore, Bragg takes immediate dislike to both Polk and Cheatham. Bragg terms Polk’s Corps as “a mob” and is convinced they lack discipline. Bragg takes unsuccessful steps to remove both Cheatham and Polk from his army.

June-July, 1862: General Braxton Bragg moves bulk of Western army command, including the 12th TN, by rail from Tupelo, MS; south to Mobile, AL; steamboat transfer across Mobile bay; and north by rail through Atlanta to Chattanooga, Tennessee.

August 1, 1862: Brevet BG Preston R. Smith’s Fourth Brigade is detached from Cheatham’s Division. Joining MG E. Kirby Smith’s Division at Knoxville, TN they accompany Smith on his Kentucky Campaign. It is Gen. Bragg’s ambition to capture Louisville and drive Federal General Buell’s army across the Ohio River. If all goes to plan, he would then capture Cincinnati and invade Ohio.

August 14, 1862: MG E. Kirby Smith’s troops march north from Knoxville, TN. He leaves a 9,000-man Division to observe Federal troops holding Cumberland Gap. The three remaining Divisions, totaling about 12,000 (including 12th TN Infantry), continues advancing north.

August 18, 1862: General Kirby Smith occupies Barbourville, KY. The troops rest for a week.

August 25, 1862: Smith resumes northward march through the barons of Kentucky. Much of the populace harbors a staunch Union sentiment. Noted one Rebel soldier, “You find one in 20 who is true to the South”. One citizen quipped about Smith’s army: “[They are] ragged, greasy, and dirty, and some barefoot, and looked more like the bipeds of pandemonium than beings of this earth. …They surrounded our wells like locusts of Egypt and struggled with each other for the water as if perishing with thirst, and they thronged our kitchen doors and windows, begging for bread like hungry wolves. . . .They tore the loaves and pies into fragments and devoured them. Some even threatened to shoot others if they did not divide with them. Notwithstanding such a motley crew, they abstained from any violence or depredation and appeared exceedingly grateful.”

August 30, 1862: Battle of Richmond, KY: Directed by BG Patrick R. Cleburne, the lead division (including the 12th TN Infantry) attacks Federal troops lead by BG M. D. Manson. Federal MG William “Bull” Nelson’s forces arrive late in the battle from Lexington, KY. Confederate forces break down lines of Federal troops defending the town. Federal General Manson is captured; General Nelson is wounded.

Union losses: 206 killed, 844 wounded, 4,303 captured or missing out of 7,000 forces. Federals also lose entire wagon train, substantial army stores, 10,000 small arms and 9 guns. Confederate losses: 78 killed, 372 wounded, 1 missing out of 7,000 engaged. The 12th Consolidated TN Infantry suffers 32 total casualties.

September 1, 1862: General Kirby Smith’s Confederate forces cross Kentucky River and make camp. The next day they enter Lexington, KY, the state capitol, where many townspeople greet them with cheers. Smith maintains his headquarters in Lexington throughout September 1862.

Early October, 1862: Hastened by Federal General Joshua Sill’s advance from Louisville toward Frankfort, KY, Kirby Smith’s forces retreat to Versailles, KY, about 10 miles southeast.

October 8, 1862: Battle of Perryville (Goodnight Creek). Union losses: 4,211 (845 killed, 2,851 wounded, 515 captured or missing. Confederate losses: 3396 (510 killed, 2635 wounded, 251 captured or missing). Kirby Smith’s forces (including the 12th Consolidated) are held in reserve at Versailles.

October 9, 1862: Kirby Smith is ordered from Versailles to Harrodsburg, KY (about 20 miles distant). The plan is for Confederate forces to meet Federal General Buell’s army moving northeast from Perryville. The night of October 9, the two opposing armies lay “face to face” outside Harrodsburg. Buell does nothing, waiting for Bragg to show his hand. And Confederate General Bragg does nothing either despite appeals from Kirby Smith to “fight Buell here”.

October 10, 1862: Before dawn, Bragg orders retreat toward Bryantsville, KY. Many in Bragg’s army privately vent their anger at Bragg. They do not understand the necessity of abandoning Perryville after having won a decided tactical victory.

October 13, 1862: Bragg begins withdrawal toward Cumberland Gap, KY. Accompanying this retreat are 400 new “US” wagons and assorted other four-wheel conveyances carrying 300,000 rations. Also following are droves of hogs, sheep and beef cattle, herded by cowboys recruited from Texas regiments. The rear- guard cavalry, under Colonel Joseph Wheeler, fights no less than twenty-six separate engagements during the first five days and nights of the march, beating off Federal attempts to hack at the long, slow-moving line of wagons.

October 22, 1862: Bragg arrives in Knoxville, TN; the 12th Consolidated TN Infantry arriving about October 30. Shortly thereafter, the 12th and 47th TN Infantry Brigades combine; separate records are maintained. Colonel Tyree H. Bell takes initial command, but returns to Western Tennessee on a recruiting trip.

November 11, 1862: The 12th TN Consolidated rejoins the command in Tullahoma, TN after being detached to guard the army’s wagon-train on its westward trip. Upon arrival, a number of Cheatham’s men are granted local furloughs.

Shortly thereafter, General Braxton Bragg chooses to anchor a defense of middle Tennessee at Murfreesboro, 44 miles north of Tullahoma (in the rich Stones River valley). From here, Bragg hopes to forestall a federal advance on Chattanooga. Bragg orders winter quarters built. A perennial foe, smallpox, breaks out in several of Cheatham’s units. But it is quickly checked by strict quarantine and vaccinations.

Major J. N. Wyatt’s Infantry; BG Alfred J. Vaughan Jr’s. Brigade; MG B.F. Cheatham’s Division; MG L. Polk’s Corps; General Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee

December 5, 1862: The 12th TN accompanies Cheatham to within eleven miles of Nashville and skirmishes briefly with a union force before falling back to Murfreesboro.

December 26, 1862: Federal forces totaling 43,000 under the command of Major General Wm. S. Rosecrans move out of Nashville headed south toward Chattanooga.

December 30, 1862-January 2, 1863: – Battle of Murfreesboro (Stone’s River). Murfreesboro, among broken and heavily wooded ground, is the concenter of several turnpikes; a railroad from Nashville runs southeast through town. For a week before the battle, the troops are in a cold, intermittent rain. Many have no campfires.

December 30, 1862: Federal forces under Rosecrans come upon General Bragg’s ragged army camped along Stone’s River a mile northwest of Murfreesboro. After some light skirmishing, the two armies spend the night only a few hundred yards apart, their bands competing with one another. They alternate northern and southern tunes including “Yankee Doodle” and “The Bonnie Blue Flag”. Bragg assembles his 5 Divisions totaling 34,000 troops along a wide arc to cover the roads out of Nashville. Polk’s corps is situated due west of Murfreesboro across from Federal MG Geo. H. Thomas’ corps; Vaughan’s Brigade is on the far left, about one quarter mile south of Wilkinson Pike.

December 31, 1862: The Confederates attack at dawn in a cold, gray mist. One Tennessee private recalls they “swooped down on those Yankees like a whirl-a-gust of woodpeckers in a hail storm”. About 9:00 a. m., General Cheatham’s Division, Vaughan’s Brigade (including the 12th Consolidated) swings into action against Federal General Philip Sheridan’s troops. Cheatham’s Division drives Sheridan back under knee-buckling pressure and as a result 8 Federal guns are abandoned. The attack rages on, but Vaughan withdraws his troops when faced with the advance of two Federal commands.

General Bragg is determined to score a break-through. He targets a slightly elevated area enclosed by a circular four-acre clump of cedars. It is dubbed “Hell’s Half Acre” or the “Round Forest”. MG Jones H. Withers’ Division of Polk’s corps strikes first across fields of un-picked cotton. His forces are staggered by rapid-fire volleys from 50 Federal guns ranked hub to hub on the high ground. The sound is so great that Confederates stuff their ears with cotton plucked the bolls at their fingertips. About noon, Donalson’s Brigade from Cheatham’s Division rushes the Federal position, but are likewise repulsed by “the most terrible cannonading ever witnessed”. The battle continues until sunset, about 4:30 p.m.. (Relying on several sources, including a report that he falls from his horse while giving orders, many modern historians suspect Cheatham is intoxicated. But other witnesses report Cheatham gallantly wielding his sword while repulsing the Federals.)

The 12th Consolidated TN Infantry bares its full part in the battle, both in gallantry and losses suffering 164 casualties out of 322 combatants. Overall in Cheatham’s Division, 1,939 were killed, wounded or missing – a 35% casualty rate. Despite these high casualty lists, Bragg wires Richmond that a tremendous victory has been won.

January 1, 1863: Neither army presses the other and the day passes without serious engagement. BG Gideon Pillow rides by the 12th TN and praises the troops for their accomplishments. In a macabre manner, Pillow tells the men of the 12th TN they had covered “the ground thick enough with dead Yankees if they should vegetate to bring a copious crop”.

January 2, 1863: General Preston Smith arrives and supersedes Vaughan as Brigade Commander. Smith (Vaughan’s) brigade is positioned in reserve behind breastworks on the left of the Confederate position and a mile west of Stone’s River.

About 3:30 p. m. General Bragg orders a reluctant General John C. Breckinridge of General William J. Hardee’s Corps to advance on a hill just east of Stone’s River. The objective is to dislodge the guns on the hill and then send Polk’s Corps forward in a resumption of the offensive. After cresting the hill, Confederate forces are repelled from fire of 58 double- shoted guns.

January 3, 1863: The night on January 2, only Generals Cheatham and Withers’ troops remain on the western side of Stone’s River. The generals anticipate being charged with leading the next morning’s advance. In an attempt to avoid a further catastrophe, Cheatham and Withers write a letter to Bragg, which is endorsed by Polk and sent through channels. It states,”… in our judgment, this army should be promptly put in retreat…”. Polk adds, “I greatly fear the consequences of another engagement.” After initially dismissing this counsel, Bragg reviews his position in the morning and heeds the advice. He orders a retrograde movement beginning the evening of January 3. Polk’s corps is instructed to fall back to Shelbyville. The weather is wretched. The men of the 12th Consolidated TN fall back through the mud, drenching rain and pelting sleet..

Col. T. H. Bell’s Infantry; BG Alfred J. Vaughan’s Jr’s. Brigade; MG B.F. Cheatham’s Division; MG L. Polk’s Corps; General Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee

January-June 1863: Bragg’s Confederate Army of Tennessee maintains quarters at Shelbyville, TN

May 1863: Religious activity is on the rise with “a grand revival going on in the 12th [TN]”.

Col. William M. Watkins’ Infantry; Brigadier General Preston R. Smith’s Brigade; General B.F. Cheatham’s Division; General L. Polk’s Corps; General B. Bragg’s Army of Tennessee

June 23-30, 1863: Federal General William S. Rosecrans, upon threat of dismissal of command from President A. Lincoln, launches a series of swift, near bloodless flanking maneuvers against the Army of Tennessee. General Bragg, whose troops are thinly spread to allow them to forage for subsistence, responds by retreating first to Tullohoma. He then retreats to Chattanooga, TN, which is a railroad communication center that helps tie the Confederate nation together. Rosecrans’ masterful campaign forces the Southerner’s to yield most of the Tennessee territory retained after the struggle at Stones River.

June 30, 1863: Bragg abandons Tullohoma to circumvent a Federal move around the Confederate’s rear.

July 4, 1863: Bragg arrives in Chattanooga, TN after notifying his commanders in Richmond, VA of his retreat and relinquishment of middle Tennessee

Even if he wished to do so, CSA President Jefferson Davis could hardly celebrate the anniversary of his former country’s independence. Other news he receives on or about July 4, 1863 includes: · At Vicksburg, MS the city surrenders to General Grant after a long siege. (The town of Richmond, LA is burned by Federals on June 15, 1863 to provide protection to Grant’s rear at Vicksburg.) · At Gettysburg, PA the three-day battle ends in disaster for Southern troops. · At Helena, AR, Confederate LtG Theophilus H. Holmes looses almost his entire force of 1600 (half are captured) in an attempt take this Mississippi River town..

July 8, 1863: Cheatham’s Division arrives in Chattanooga by way of Sewanee, TN and are busied constructing fortifications around the city. The heat is oppressive.

August 21, 1863: The 12th TN Infantry is in Chattanooga along with their brigade commander, BG Preston R. Smith. Federal gunmen under General Crittenden’s XXI Corps begin bombardment of Chattanooga from batteries on the north bank of the Tennessee River. They hit two churches and kill or wound several women and children.. In the shelling, a young girl’s leg is broken and her distraught parents rush to the home of a Confederate officer’s father. The girl’s family is refused entry since the house is packed with those taking flight from the shelling. Preston Smith severely chastises the elderly gentleman. When the son (LtC Beriah F. Moore) hears of the row he denounces Smith in writing, which sets the stage for a duel to the finish. A fellow officer intercedes, however, sparing bloodshed. Smith and Moore survive this altercation but both succumb during the upcoming conflict to enemy action.

September 9,1863: Using strategy and desultory fire from across the river, elements of General Rosecrans Army of the Cumberland enter Chattanooga. Bragg pulls out of the city with Cheatham’s men in the vanguard. Headquarters are established near Lafayette, GA.

September 11, 1863: At his headquarters in Lafayette, GA, Bragg is informed that Federal troops under General Thomas are in McLemore’s Cove between Lookout Mountain and Pigeon Mountain south of Chattanooga. Cheatham informs his troops (including the 12/47 TN Infantry) of Bragg’s plan to trap Thomas in the cove. Cheatham makes a night march in an attempt to meet the enemy. They are in support of Hindman’s Division which is supposed to attack the Federals from the northern end of the cove. Hindman delays and the attempt is aborted.

September 13, 1863: Cheatham’s men are sent north toward Chattanooga, first to Rock Springs Church, then to Lee and Gordon’s Mill. Some skirmishing occurs but the Federals withdraw toward Chattanooga and the Confederates fall back to the town of Lafayette. The weather is hot and dry, not having rained in several weeks. The result is considerable dust on the roads. One member of the 12th TN notes that “frequently . . . we could not see men in the same column 25 yards in front of us”.

September 18, 1863: Confederate General Bragg plans to attack the Federal Army of the Cumberland. But the Southern troops can not be moved in time and the fight is deferred until the next day. The delay allows Rosecrans to adjust his army and better protect his routes to Chattanooga, which is now his reserve center and base of operations. This Federal troop adjustment goes unnoticed by Bragg. Preliminary skirmishing takes place with several heated confrontations at Chickamauga Creek crossings. Cheatham’s men move downstream (north) along West Chickamauga Creek and camp on its east side.

September 19, 1863: Battle of Chickamauga Creek — Cheatham’s Division of about 7,500 (including the 12th/47th Consolidated) is part of Polk’s Right Wing 35,000 man force. With an equal-size force from LtG James “Old Peter” Longstreet’s Left Wing command (two divisions freshly arrived from R. E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia), the Confederates form a four-mile line stretching north to south roughly parallel to Chickamauga Creek, which meanders through the valley separating Missionary Ridge and Pigeon Mountain. (Longstreet, himself, arrives late in the evening after the first day’s battle.) The western side of the creek is generally a deeply wooded basin, level in its central stretches. Old growth trees abound with minimal underbrush. Visibility varies from 50-150 yards except in cleared fields where visibility is restricted only by the roll of the ground.

The Confederates face Federal General William Rosecrans and his Army of the Cumberland. Cheatham’s five brigades (including Vaughan’s) cross the Chickamauga at Dalton’s (or Hunt’s) ford around 7:00 a.m. The fighting begins about 10:00 a.m.. The vicious morning fighting centers around Jay’s Mill and the Winfrey field. As is later recalled by a Federal Colonel, “It was a soldier’s fight, purely. The two armies came together like two wild beasts, and each fought as long as it could stand up in a knock-down and drag-out encounter.” The line of battle sways indecisively with the Confederates giving ground.

About 11:00 a.m., Cheatham is ordered to move his men rapidly to the north (downstream). Shortly after noon, however, the battle moves south. Two fresh Federal divisions (MG John Palmer under Crittenden’s XXI Corps and BG Richard W. Johnson under McCook’s XX Corps) extend across Alexander’s road and past the Brock house and cornfield.. Cheatham’s forces reinforce Confederate lines (behind MG W.H.T. Walker) with Preston Smith’s Division (including the 12/47th) in the center of the three front brigades. The 6,000 battle hardened veterans form a few hundred yards south of Brock field and around noon advance rapidly. The roar of battle becomes “one mighty, fearful, continuous roll”. Smith’s men struggle to establish themselves around the Brock field but manage to force the Union line back some 600-800 yards. A member of the 12/47th states it is “an awful fight, the enemy disputing every inch of the ground”. Cheatham is observed “encouraging the troops and giving his orders with coolness”.

About 2:00 p.m. Smith’s brigade is in a desperate fight for a clump of woods about two miles west of Chickamauga Creek. When combat subsides, the Federals hold possession. Overall, the fighting is sharp and desperate with heavy casualties on both sides. The battle sways back and forth through the early afternoon until both sides are near exhausted. As Smith’s troops run low on ammunition, they are replaced by BG Otho F. Strahl’s reserve brigade. Smith’s brigade retires to the location near it’s first formation of the day. Fresh Federal divisions strike Cheatham’s flank and thrust him back in disorder. In the face of a rush of Federal forces, Cheatham orders battery units commanded by Lt. William B. Turner to fire double charges of shell and canister. These well-aimed blasts thwart the Federals and save Cheatham’s division. Cheatham contends he has “never seen artillery do such fearful execution in so short a time!”.

About 4:00 p.m. there is a one-hour lull allowing the Federals to reorganize. About 6:30 p.m., Cheatham’s troops participate in an unanticipated evening charge guided by sound and powder flashes. Smith’s brigade is ordered forward in support of Pat Cleburne. After coming upon Confederate BG James Deshler’s brigade in his front at least twice, Smith unknowingly approaches Federal Col. Joseph P. Dodge’s 77th PA troops. Smith rides up to whack what he believes to be a Confederate straggler with the broadside of his sword. Unfortunately, the “straggler” turns out to be a Pennsylvania sergeant who sidesteps the blow and shoots the general off his horse. BG Preston Smith soon succumbs to his wounds. BG A. J. Vaughan narrowly escapes the same fate with the bullet meant for him killing a nearby staff officer. Members of the 12th TN open fire and drop the Yankee who fires the shot. Vaughan himself grabs the colors of the 77th PA and orders the bluecoats to ground their arms. Most all of the 77th PA and about half of the 79th IL are captured by Smith’s brigade. After about one hour of fighting, night rather than success for either side ends the fighting between the forces. Picket fire and occasional cannon is heard throughout the night. A member of the 12th TN writes, “Our men have suffered awful today and gained nothing.” He predicts further that the next day would bring “the hardest battle ever witnessed on this continent”.

The Confederates occupy the field at day’s end but Bragg fails to follow-up on the advantage. The arrival of major reinforcements from Longstreet’s Virginia forces help succor Bragg’s command. During the night the Federals crash down trees and fashion breastworks and abatis from the area’s abundant timber. A chilly night descends on the Chickamauga valley, dropping temperatures to close to freezing.

In lasting memory of the evening’s events, the 77th PA (Union) monument erected on the Chickamauga battleground depicts the mortally wounded Confederate BG Preston Smith on a relief carving. It can be see there today.

September 20, 1863: On this crisp, clear early autumn morning, The Confederate high command is greatly disorganized. LG Longstreet has arrived in the early morning hours and Bragg reorganizes his command into a right wing (Polk) and left wing (Longstreet). Bragg sends an order for BG D. H. Hill to “assail the enemy on our extreme right at day-dawn” and for Cheatham and Walker under Polk to follow. Hill later says he does not receive the order, so the planned attack does not occur. Because his units do not form a continuous battle line, Cheatham’s men are moved back as troop movements begins around 9:00 a.m. They are held in reserve supporting General Breckenridge during much of the morning and afternoon.

About 9:45 a.m. Confederate forces are finally in place and meet Federal troops in a stand-up, face to face exchange of volleys. At first the Federals crumble under the assault, but they restore their flank and drive the Confederates northward. About 10:15 a.m., with the apparent successful surge of Confederate forces through Federal breastworks, BG John K. Jackson’s Brigade in Cheatham’s Division is ordered to attack. (When Polk gives Cheatham the order to attack Cheatham, known as one of the most profane generals of the Confederacy, shouts “Give ‘um hell, boys!”. General Polk, an Episcopal bishop, riding along side retorts, “Give ‘um what General Cheatham says, boys, we’ll pay off old chores today!”.) Jackson’s men approach within easy range of the breastworks, which seem to burst into flame at their approach. The Confederate assaults continue, but with each charge they are driven back with fearfully decimated ranks.

Longstreet has better success. At the time one Federal division is readjusting out of the Federal line, a division under Longstreet’s command surge forward and accomplishes a mile-deep penetration of the Federal center. They destroy or disperse a whole brigade of blue-coats and capture 19 artillery pieces. All of this is accomplished between 11:15 and noon. Another division, within the same time-span, shatters two whole Federal divisions. Confederate successes continue and by 4:00 p.m. Federal troops fighting against Longstreet’s forces turn back to Chattanooga. Around 5:00 p.m. Polk urges the 12th TN troops to join a massive assault on Thomas’ left and center. Federals battling Polk persist into the early evening. But they too eventually counter-march from the field of battle.

The Army of Tennessee wins its first grand victory. And the equipment captured is the largest haul ever made by either side on a single field of battle.

September 22, 1863: Cheatham’s troops move to the base of Union-held Missionary Ridge. About 10:00 a.m., Smith’s Brigade (under BG A. J. Vaughan) assaults up the hill. Demoralized Union troops flee in disorder.

Federal losses: (6,414 killed; 9,756 wounded) Confederate losses: (3,780 killed; 14,674 wounded) Cheatham’s losses: (1,975 killed, wounded or missing)

September 24 through late October, 1863: Federal troops under Thomas retreat to Chattanooga. Hemmed in by the crescent of the Tennessee River and high mountain ranges to their back, the Federal army is ensnared. Confederates control all supply routes and the Union are reduced to eating whatever they can find, including acorns. A roundabout supply route stretching over 60 miles is forged over Walden’s Ridge. This proves to be so dangerous and arduous that few supplies make it through and hundreds of mules die in the process.

September 29, 1863: Bragg suspends both BG Hindman for failing to attack at McLemore’s Cove and BG Polk for not launching an attack the morning of September 20. Both are sent to Atlanta and their arrests threaten to split the Army. A soldier of the 12th TN writes that Polk is “very popular with the soldiers of his Corps and most everyone was disheartened at his leaving”.

October 9, 1863: Jefferson Davis, President of the CSA, meets with Bragg’s Corps commanders (Cheatham is in temporary command of Polk’s Corps). All recommend that Bragg be removed. The next day, however, Davis assures Bragg that his army command position is secure. Charges are dropped against Polk who is ordered to the Mississippi-Alabama department; Polk and Hardee exchange command positions. D H. Hill is later charged with disobedience for failing to attack on September 20 and is relieved of duty.

October 31, 1863: Cheatham requests to be relieved from duty and takes a leave of absence. John K. Jackson takes temporary command of Cheatham’s Division. But CSA officials in Richmond reject Cheatham’s request. Bragg reorganizes the Army of Tennessee and places only six Tennessee regiments under Cheatham’s shrunken command. Others, including the 12/47th TN are dispersed to other commands.

Federal U. S. Grant is named General and commander of all the Union armies between the Appalachians and the Mississippi. Grant immediately replaces Federal General William Rosecrans with General George H. Thomas as commander of the Army of the Cumberland. Grant moves quickly to break the Confederate stranglehold on Chattanooga.

Late October 1863: The Federals open a new supply line across the Tennessee River ending Bragg’s plan to starve the Yankees out of Chattanooga. Longstreet is responsible for the sector where the Federals break through. Bragg, incensed, readily agrees to dispatch Longstreet against Federal General Ambrose Burnsides’ occupation at Knoxville, TN.

Col. William M. Watkins’ Infantry; BG Alfred J. Vaughan Jr’s. Brigade; MG Thomas C. Hindman’s Division; LtG James Longstreet’s Corps; General B. Bragg’s Army of Tennessee.

Late October – Mid November 1863: The 12/47th Consolidated moves to Sweetwater, TN as rear reserves to Longstreet’s campaign to relieve Knoxville, TN of Burnside’s occupation of that city. Supplies and ample food stuffs are hard to obtain. Soldier’s pay buys practically nothing. A pound of coffee is fetching $10; a hat commands $75 and a uniform brings between five and six hundred dollars. Morale erodes as cold, rainy weather moves into the area.

November 23, 1863: Battle for Chattanooga – (Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge) A forward Confederate outpost is smothered by the Army of the Cumberland

November 24, 1863: Rebel guns are massed along with widespread Confederate defenders on the 2,000 foot summit of Lookout Mountain. Federal General Joseph Hooker’s force of 10,000 men in three divisions move out against the opposing force. The fight takes place through such dense fog it is remembered as “Battle Above the Clouds”. Hooker succeeds in storming Lookout Mountain. Cheatham’s replacement, John K. Jackson, bears heavy, albeit not totally warranted, criticism for being unavailable to lead his troops and failing to direct Rebel efforts with any degree of competence. Afterward, he is maliciously dubbed “Mudwall Jackson” in miss-placed deference toward the respected Southern general, “Stonewall Jackson”. During the evening, Cheatham rejoins the Army of Tennessee under Bragg and reassumes division command. The remaining Confederate defenders of Lookout Mountain move toward Missionary Ridge.

Col. William M. Watkins’ Infantry; BG A. J. Vaughan’s Brigade; BG Hindman’s Division (commanded by BG Paten Anderson); LtG L. Polk’s Corps; General B. Bragg’s Army of Tennessee

November 25, 1863: Bragg’s Confederate army occupies the six-mile crest of Missionary Ridge, just east of Chattanooga. The 12/47th returns from it’s duties at Knoxville in time to participate in the battle as part of Hindman’s (BG Paten Anderson’s) division. They hold the right of the Confederate entrenchment’s at the base of Missionary Ridge facing the town of Chattanooga. Vaughan’s brigade (including the 12/47th) hold the extreme right position. About 3:40 p.m., 25,000 men under Federal General George Thomas rush the Confederate positions shouting “Chickamauga, Chickamauga!!”. Federal orders are to take the advanced rifle pits and hold their position. But they overrun Confederate trenches at the bottom of Missionary Ridge. Vaughan’s brigade retreats up the ridge and reforms across the ridge with its right remaining at the crest. Federal troops start up the slope toward the Rebel guns, with sections so steep they have to crawl. But the Federals keep coming. When the Federals crest the ridge they see the Confederates tumbling over each other in reckless confusion, running wildly in panic-stricken flight. Four thousand Confederate prisoners are taken and sent north to prison camps. The 12/47th Consolidated sustains several casualties, with the survivors retreating to the Chickamauga Creek where it crosses at Shallowford Road. The loss of Missionary Ridge makes Chickamauga a barren victory. Bragg blames the “shameful conduct of the troops . . . in allowing their line to be penetrated.” He also claims the loss in artillery is “very heavy … in men, very small. The disastrous panic is inexplicable”. Regardless of fault, Chattanooga the gateway to the South’s heartland, is lost.

Federal losses: (753 killed; 4,722 wounded; 349 captured/ missing)
Confederate losses: (361 killed; 2,160 wounded; 4,146 captured/ missing)

November 26, 1863: Bragg’s army reaches Ringgold, GA, 15 miles down the Chattanooga and Atlanta railroad line.

November 27, 1863: Cheatham’s division takes rear guard duty and engages in a bloody skirmish that stops the Federal’s advance. The remaining Confederate army retreats to Dalton, GA, another 15 miles south where they establish winter quarters through February, 1864. Mud daubed cabins with stick and clay chimneys are constructed to withstand the bitter cold. Rabbit hunts provide entertainment as well as a supplement to the regular army fare.

November 29, 1863: General Bragg requests to be relieved of his command. (The following February, Bragg is appointed as military advisor to President Davis in Richmond, VA.) Opinion among the troops is mixed with some welcoming the change and many expressing regret. LtG W. J. Hardee, First Corps Commander, is placed in temporary command on November 30, but he declines permanent command of the army. LtG Cheatham takes temporary command of Hardee’s Corps. Over the next several weeks, disheartened soldiers desert in droves. Col. Watkins, commander of the 12/47th reports 281 effectives out of 373 present.

December 27, 1863: General Joseph E. Johnston assumes command of a dispirited army. Through his leadership, the Army of Tennessee is to be reborn – both spiritually and organizationally. Under Johnston’s command, he restructures the Army’s officers and men into one cavalry and two infantry corps. In May, LtG Leonidas Polk’s Army of Mississippi will merge into the Army of Tennessee as a third corps, which will bring total strength to about 55,000.

Johnston improves commissary shipments of beef and introduces variety into the daily fare including twice-weekly issues of tobacco and whiskey. The clothing issue is liberalized. (Clothing issued to A. B. Hurt is noted on a receipt that survives in 12th TN records.) Sugar, coffee, cured bacon and ham, and occasional fruits and vegetables are part of the Army’s fare. Despite this, a mob of soldiers ransack a provision-filled train as it rolls into the depot, and a commissary warehouse is stormed by an unruly throng of soldiers. In both cases the perpetrators are dispersed without significant harm. Johnston declares amnesty for absentees with hundreds of deserters returning to the ranks. He also establishes a system of furloughs often tied to an agreement to re-enlist. (Years later, one former private recalls: “He restored the soldier’s pride; he brought the manhood back to the private’s bosom . . . He was loved, respected, admired; yea, almost worshipped by his troops”.) Contrarily, “Old Joe” is every bit as much a disciplinarian as his predecessor Bragg. At Dalton, despite amnesty, at least 31 executions are carried out for desertion.

January 1864: Despite the extreme cold, drills are conducted daily from 10:00-11:30 a.m. and 2:30-4:00 p.m., weather permitting. The only exception is Sunday when inspection is held at 10:00 a.m. Target practice is taken at 500 yards. With ammunition in short supply, however, soldiers are required to recover the lead they use.

February 4, 1864: Grand Review. The Army of Tennessee is drawn up in three lines of troops in four ranks; each line is fully one mile long. Gen. Johnston and his staff ride around each line stopping at each Brigade before moving along.

Col. Wm. M. Watkin’s Infantry; BG Alfred J. Vaughan Jr’s. Brigade; LtG Gen. B.F. Cheatham’s Division; Lt. General William J. Hardee’s Corps; General Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of Tennessee.

February 20, 1864: Hardee’s troops, (including the 12/47th Consolidated), are ordered on a 350 mile expedition to Demopolis, AL to succor General Polk’s Army of Mississippi against a Federal advance of 20,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry led by General W. T. Sherman. Sherman moves out of Vicksburg on February 1 headed to Meridian, MS with plans to meet Union General William Smith’s 7,000 man cavalry force there on February 10 and advance to Selma, AL. Sherman orders his troops to break up the enemy’s railroads and to do the enemy as much damage as possible. By February 20, Smith’s troopers are nowhere to be seen, so Sherman orders Meridian to be burned and turns his troops back to Vicksburg on a widened path of destruction. Upon their arrival by train in Demopolis on February 21, the Confederates find they are not needed, and the 12/47th Consolidated promptly returns to Dalton, GA.

February 23-24-25, 1864: In an apparent attempt to divert attention from Sherman’s Meridian campaign, Federal forces under General George Thomas’ Army of the Cumberland open a thrust at Confederate General Johnston’s troopers on Rocky Face Ridge, about four miles west of Dalton. On the 24th, Confederate troopers fall back to cover the flanks of the infantry disposed along the ridge. The following day, the 25th, Federal troops make progress against the Confederates.

February 26, 1864: Federal forces launch a coordinated assault and find that Hardee’s divisions have completed their round- trip journey to Demopolis and are in position on the ridge. Federal General Thomas assumes the Confederates outnumber him and decides to withdraw his troops.

Federal casualties: 345
Confederate casualties: 167

March 22, 1864: Tennesseeans under MG Cheatham’s Division square off against Georgians under MG William H. T. Walker’s Division in a massive snowball fight. The mock battle takes on the trappings of a real battle with the opposing sides playing music, unfurling colors and throwing out skirmishers before the attack. The conflict continues for over two hours. This event represents one of the last innocent touches the soldiers will experience.

Confederate casualties: None reported.

March 31, 1864: The divisions of Hardee’s Corps conduct a spectacular sham battle witnessed by thousands (many of them women) from Atlanta and the surrounding country-side. An Army of Tennessee surgeon writes: “Everything fixed like a real battle was to be fought. Only the cannon and small arms were loaded with paper instead of bullets, but the stir, noise and smoke and everything looked like a real battle.”

Late April 1864: General Johnston holds a grand review at the east base of Taylor’s Ridge to show-case his remodeled army. Thirty-six thousand infantry were involved covering a front of more than a mile. Lt. General William J. Hardee and his staff are the first to pass in review.

April 29, 1864: The religious revival phenomenon continues throughout the Army of Tennessee. During a prayer meeting, a pine tree that had been set on fire during a camp-cleaning detail bursts into flame and cracks down. Six worshipers are killed instantly and four more die shortly afterward.

May 1864: As enlistment expirations near for many Confederate troops, Vaughan’s brigade (including the 12/47th), lead the way by re-enlisting for the duration of the war. (Some dismiss this surge in patriotism by observing that those from TN could not return home even if they wanted to!) With Cheatham returned to his Division Commander’s post, General Johnston leading the Army of Tennessee, and the religious revival at its peek, general morale improves with order and discipline restored. It is said that if any unit symbolizes the backbone of the Army of Tennessee, it is Cheatham’s Tennesseans.

May 4, 1864: MG Leonidas K. Polk’s Army of Mississippi, is ordered to move to Johnston’s support and concentrate at Rome, GA. It takes almost two weeks for his army to arrive.

May 5, 1864: Cheatham’s men move from winter quarters and take position on ragged crest of Rocky Face Ridge along with multiple units of the Army of Tennessee.

May 6, 1864: Federal W. T. Sherman’s Grand Army of the West moves south from Chattanooga, TN into Georgia. Atlanta, 100 miles distant, is his target. Atlanta is the heart of Georgia and of the Confederacy. It not only is the principal granary but also the center of manufacturing supplying southern armies with cannon, ammunition, clothing and equipment.

May 7, 1864: Cheatham’s men move from winter quarters and take position on the ridge above Mill Creek gap. The first shell of the Atlanta campaign is fired by a Federal battery near Tunnel Hill. A small contingent of Confederate cavalry under MG Joseph Wheeler are driven back with little resistance.

May 8, 1864: Federal General Thomas renews his demonstration upon Rocky Face Ridge, but the crest is too well protected to succeed.

May 9, 1864: MG James B. McPherson’s Federal Army of the Tennessee forces pass undetected through the unguarded Snake Creek Gap, 14 miles south of Dalton. About a mile west of Resaca, advance forces of Polk’s Corps hurrying from Alabama meet McPherson. Soon, Vaughan’s brigade (including the 12/47th) reinforce an advance element of Polk’s army. and McPherson is unable to capture Resaca. By pulling back, the Federals loose their best opportunity ever to defeat the entire Confederate Army of Tennessee.

May 10-11, 1864: Skirmishing continues between the armies that at times amounts to near-battle proportions.

May 12, 1864: MG L. K. Polk’s Army of Mississippi is assigned to Johnston’s Army of Tennessee, becoming its third army corps. Johnston is convinced that Sherman is sending the bulk of his Federal army through Snake Creek Canyon toward his rear at Resaca. During the evening, the entire Confederate army disappears from lines around Dalton and are deployed in previously prepared positions north and west of Resaca.

The loss of Snake Creek Canyon, which opens upon the Confederate rear and line of communications, forces the Confederates from a position where they may have detained the enemy for months.

May 13, 1864: Johnston’s army is firmly entrenched on commanding high ground west and north of Resaca. West of Resaca, Sherman gathers his forces to strike the Confederates. Skirmishing breaks out and Vaughan’s brigade (including the 12/47th) is in position near the Southern line’s center. Vaughan’s skirmish line (13th and 154th TN) drives some Federals from the field and then beat off another attack.

May 14, 1864: Resaca GA — Federal General Sherman’s army attacks in the afternoon with fighting of more or less severity taking place along the entire line of over four miles in length. Hardee’s Corps (including 12/47th Consolidated TN) occupies the center position and successfully resists the Federal advance. A member of the 12/47th later describes the action around Resaca as “one of the bloodiest short contests of the war”.

May 15, 1864: Confederates renew attacks against Sherman. Skirmishing continues and develops into a severe battle by the afternoon. That night, Confederate General Johnston abandons Resaca across the Oostenaula River. As Hood’s Corps crosses the river, they pick up the pontoon bridge and burn the railroad bridge behind them. They continue toward Adairsville, about 16 miles south. Hardee’s Corps, along with Polk’s crosses the river on rail and wagon road bridges and march to Calhoun, about 5.5 miles south. Johnston’s well managed retreat is impressive. The Federals find “not a box of ammunition, not a barrel or hard tack, not a wagon, not an animal was left behind”.

Federal losses: 4-5,000 killed, wounded, or missing.

May 16-17, 1864: Adairsville, GA — As retreating Confederate wagon trains make their way through Calhoun toward Adairsville, Hardee’s Corps is sent to meet a threat to the Confederate at Rome Crossroads. Following the attack, Cheatham’s Division is ordered to block the road to allow wagon trains ample time to escape toward the small rail depot town of Adairsville. When Federal troops arrive, spirited skirmishing continues into darkness. Despite casualties, Cheatham’s men fulfill their objective in delaying the Federal’s advance. Skirmishing continues as the Confederate army proceeds with its retreat southward along the Western & Atlantic railroad line.

May 18, 1864: Hardee’s Corps is sent southward toward Kingston with the army’s wagons and ambulances. To gain time necessary to get the baggage trains clear of Adairsville, Vaughan’s (including the 12/47th), Maney’s and Carter’s brigades are placed about three miles north of the town as a delaying force. When Federal troops arrive, they are delayed several hours by the Confederate’s stubborn defense and heavy resistance, which continues into darkness.

May 19, 1864: Casseville, GA — The Federals approach Casseville along the Adairsville Road, with the IV Corps under MG Oliver O. Howard forming on the Federal right opposite Hardee’s Corps (including the 12/47th). By mid-afternoon, the two armies face each other across the valley, barely a mile separating them. During the evening, Confederate LtG John B. Hood initiates a meeting with General Johnston and Polk. Polk and Hood agree the army’s position is untenable and they would be unable to hold their positions the next day. Upon arriving late to the meeting, Hardee suggests holding their ground.

May 20, 1864: Johnston yields to Hood and Polk and crosses the Etowah River to the south. He later claims it is a step he has “regretted ever since”.

May 23, 1864: Allatoona, GA — Johnston uses the welcome opportunity to rest his troops. Federal General Sherman readies his forces to cross the Etowah River, which he dubs the “Rubicon of Georgia” and move toward Dallas to the southwest. When Johnston gets word of the Federal’s movement, he sends Hardee’s Corps toward Dallas with Polk between Hood (at Allatoona) and Hardee. The two forces draw near each other in the rough, wooded country between Dallas and New Hope Church, about 10-12 miles southwest of Allatoona.

May 25-27, 1864: New Hope Church (near Dallas), GA — Severe battles and sharp encounters favor one side then the other. Constant encounters begin on May 26. Cheatham’s skirmish line is heavily engaged along the entire front over the next several days, often through torrential rains.

May 27-28, 1864: Dallas, GA — At 3:00 a. m., Vaughan’s is one of two brigades in front of a dawn attack on federal troops at Elsberry Ridge just southeast of New Hope Church. The fighting is sharp but Vaughan’s soldiers succeed in driving the Federals from the ridge. By mid- afternoon, Federal flanking maneuvers have extended Cheatham’s Division “to the utmost”. The heaviest attack during the day falls on MG Patrick Cleburn. But late in the day, the Confederates deal the Federal a punishing blow and fend off their attack.

May 29, 1864: Hood is ordered to attack at sunrise, with Hardee and Polk to follow. Hood fails to begin the assault in face of an entrenched enemy. That evening, Confederate troops launch a series of 7 or 8 separate, furious attacks. The conflict continues with heavy fire through June 1, when the Federals succeed in shifting their position eastward to the railroad at New Hope Church.

June 4, 1864: General Johnston pulls his army back in a violent rainstorm to a point on the Western & Atlantic railroad north of Marietta, GA. Cheatham’s troops follow Cleburn southeastward to near Pine Mountain. Here, Kennesaw Mountain on the right, Pine Mountain in the center, and Lost Mountain on the left interposes a natural barrier to a direct approach. The Confederate line extends two miles. Federal General Sherman observes that “the whole country is one vast fort, and Johnston must have fully 50 miles of connected trenches”. Rain is incessant. Blankets and clothing are constantly wet and roads are impassable.

June 5-13, 1864: A relative lull in action allows Sherman to gather his army and the Confederates to prepare for he impending action.

June 14, 1864: Hardee expresses concern to Johnston that Bate’s division may be too far in advance on Pine Mountain. While standing on Pine Mountain with Generals Johnston and Hardee surveying the terrain, Confederate General L. Polk, with notes of his next religious sermon in his pocket, is killed by an artillery salvo fired by an alert Union artillery officer. Polk’s death is a severe blow. The South has lost his experience and positive impact on morale. Captain Alfred T. Fielder of the 12 TN writes that it could be “said of him that a great and good and brave man has fallen.”

June 15-16-17, 1864: Gigal Church, GA — On June 15, Cleburne’s Division under Hardee withstands a series of attacks in his heavily fortified position. The conflict continues for the next two days until heavy damage is inflicted on Cleburne’s Division.

June 18, 1864: Latimer House — Three Federal divisions converge on Confederate troops and take possession of Latimer House and force pickets back into Confederate lines. Johnston realizes the vulnerability of his command and pulls back to Kennesaw mountain.

June 19-21, 1864: The Federals continue to probe and skirmish as they inch forward. The Confederates enplace a battery on the north end of Kennesaw Mountain, center another on top of Big Kennesaw, and drag nine guns to the top of Little Kennesaw. A battery also occupies Pigeon Hill.

June 22, 1864: Kolb’s Farm — Hood engages Federal forces in an ill-prepared attack without orders. His causalities exceed 1,000.

June 27, 1864: Kennesaw Mountain, GA — The Confederate line stretches about eight miles with flanks secured by only a thin line of cavalry. Troops are behind works “heavily fortified and defended with all the appliances of the most skillful engineering”. Cheatham’s division occupies the center of the line with the 12/47th near the point, or “hinge” in the line. Federal troops totaling 13,000 storm Confederate positions and are repulsed. With temperatures soaring above 100 degrees, a savage slaughter takes place at the hinge in Cheatham’s alignment, known as the dead angle as Federal troops assault across 600 yards of open ground. Union soldiers are slowed by dense abatis constructed in front of the Confederate works. A member of the 1st TN Infantry (Vaughan’s Brigade) later writes, “Every man in our regiment killed from 20 to 100 each. All that was necessary was to load and shoot”. As remaining Union lines come up, cannon blasts strike gaping holes in their ranks. The ground in front of the Confederate works appears to be “literally blue with Yankees”. Federals estimate losses at 3,000 men; however Johnston estimates Federal losses at closer to 6,000. The Confederates report 552 men lost. For two days, Union and Confederate soldiers face each other only 30 yards apart amidst the dead and dying.

(Cheatham and his men bestow a lasting name to the geography where they fought. Today, visitors to the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park see “Cheatham’s Hill” which contains some of the best-preserved trenches and earthworks to be found at any Civil War battlefield.)

June 29, 1864: Federal troops scrape out a stronger line along the shielded crest and burrow slowly toward Cheatham’s position. Their hope is to plant explosives and blow up the Confederates. A truce is arranged to allow the Federals to inter their dead. Both sides take this opportunity to circulate among their opponents exchanging conversation, tobacco and coffee. Generals Cheatham and Hindman sing autographs for eager Federal troops.. During the evening a sharp fire-fight breaks out.

July 2, 1864: The Confederates have remained on Kennesaw mountain, but are constantly within rifle shot of the enemy. Ever since the action of June 27 cannon and small arms have roared and cracked along the line. Movement of Federal General McPherson’s troops are detected and Johnston decides to lead his frayed and tattered army southward.

July 4, 1864: Vining’s Station (south of Marietta), GA – Cheatham orders construction of breastworks in anticipation of advancing Federal troops. Brigade Commander General Alfred J. Vaughan and his staff lunch on “scanty rations”. As Vaughan attempts to light his pipe with a “sun glass”, a Federal shell explodes just as it strikes his foot. Although he survives, Vaughan, and the leadership he provides, is lost for the remainder of the war.

Cheatham’s division is sent to the Confederate left in a generally unsuccessful attempt to guard crossing sites along Nickajack Creek. In an attempt to break through the Smyrna line, the Federals engage in conflicts at the Smyrna campground the Western & Atlantic railroad and Ruff’s Hill to the left. Johnston falls back to the Chattahoochee River.

To this point in the retreat to Atlanta, estimated losses are: Federal losses: Total 25,000 (killed, wounded, missing). Confederate losses: Total 20,000 (killed/wounded 10,000; missing/ captured 4,700; deserted 2,500+). Both armies receive replacements about equal to losses.

Over the next several days, Sherman performs several flanking movements. Skirmishes between the two armies continue with the Confederates battling “like Devils and Indians combined” according to Federal General Sherman whose army is destroying much in its path.

Col. Wm. M. Watkin’s Infantry; Col. Michael Magevney’s Brigade; LtG Gen. B.F. Cheatham’s Division; Lt. General William J. Hardee’s Corps; General Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of Tennessee

July 8, 1864: Sherman decides a frontal assault of Johnston’s well-fortified position will be foolhardy. After spending the previous two days seeking crossing sites, elements of Sherman’s army cross the Chattahoochee River and enplace a pontoon bridge.

July 9, 1864: Johnston withdraws his army, crosses the Chattahoochee River and burns rail and wagon bridges and a pontoon bridge. He then deploys his army in the Outer-Line, just south of Peachtree Creek and about 1½ miles north of Atlanta’s main fortifications.

July 10-16, 1864: Both sides prepare for the upcoming conflict. The Federals move troops across the Chattahoochee and entrench, stockpile supplies, rest and refit. The Confederates finalize a defensive system around Atlanta that had been started after the fall of Vicksburg, more than a year prior. An unofficial truce prevails between soldiers on picket duty.

Sherman does not wish to invest the forces required for a siege of Atlanta. As an alternative, he elects to isolate the city in a phased process by cutting rail lines serving the city.

July 17, 1864: General Johnston publishes an address to the Army of Tennessee announcing he will attack Sherman’s army as soon as it should cross the Chattahoochee. The order of battle is received with enthusiasm. At 10:00 p.m., General Joseph Johnston receives a telegram from President Jefferson Davis stating that Johnston is “relieved from the command of the Army and Department of Tennessee, which you will immediately turn over to General Hood”. One Confederate wrote his family that ” An universal gloom seemed cast over the army.” Another recalls that “this act threw a damper over the army from which it never recovered”. General Benjamin (Old Frank) Cheatham replaces Hood as temporary corps commander.

Col. Wm. M. Watkin’s Infantry; Col. Michael Magevney’s Brigade; BG George E. Maney’s Division; Lt. General William J. Hardee’s Corps; General John B. Hood’s Army of Tennessee

July 20, 1864: Peach Tree Creek — The Confederate army is stretched along the heavily wooded high ground a mile south of the creek. Magevney’s brigade (including the 12/47th) is to the right of Maney’s division in the center of Hood’s army. The Confederate attack is delayed until about 3:00 p.m. Vaughan’s Brigade (commanded by Magevney) is supposed to begin the attack after engagement by Bate’s and Walker’s divisions. Terrain and Federal resistance quickly throws the battle awry, becomes a series of frontal assaults. Hood remains in Atlanta throughout the attack.

Captain Fielder of the 12th TN later writes that the “men took a good many prisoners, also killing and wounding a number”. But he adds, “we did not make it pay as the enemy fought mostly behind fortifications”. A severe battle lasts until sundown; Confederates are hurled back to their breastworks.

While the battle rages, segments of Federal troops are advancing on Atlanta. At 1:00 p.m. on July 20, Federals fire the first three shots into Atlanta.

Estimated Confederate losses: Between 2,500 and 5,000.

According to Hurt family oral history, the battle of Peach Tree Creek is particularly costly for the family. During the fighting, A. B. Hurt’s older brother, Joseph David Hurt, a 2nd Lieutenant in the 55th TN Infantry, is killed by a mini ball to the head as he rises from behind a cotton bail. A first cousin, Isham Hurt, is also killed. (Isham is a son of Robert Hurt, James Mann Hurt Sr.’s brother. Robert is buried in Hurt Cemetery, outside McLemoresville, TN).

July 21, 1864: MG James B. McPherson’s Federal Army of the Tennessee advances westward from Decatur (about 5 miles west of Atlanta) along the Georgia Railroad and reaches the outskirts of Atlanta. General Hood abandons the Confederate position on Peachtree Creek. Hardee’s Corps (including the 12/47th) is ordered on a 15-mile night march from its position near Peachtree Creek to the north of Atlanta, through downtown Atlanta (where Cleburne’s division joins the march), to near South River, then turning northeast along Fayetteville Road and march behind McPherson’s left flank. Hardee is expected to accomplish this and attack at dawn. The troops trudge all night with empty canteens along dusty roads. They turn northward on Fayetteville Road and proceed to the fork at Bouldercrest Road which Maney’s division (along with Cleburn) and march toward the Federal left flank. By noon they are in position to the left of a 2-mile arch.

July 22, 1864: The battle of Atlanta begins about 12:15 p.m. when soldiers from MG William Bate’s division on the right attack Federal troops. MG Wm. H. T. Walker’s division soon joins in. As General Walker raises his field glasses to see what lays ahead, he is killed instantly by a shot from a Federal sharpshooter.

About 12:45 p.m., Cleburne, on the left, attacks with Maney’s division supporting. Cleburn hits a seam in the Federal line and threatens to penetrate a gap toward Bald Hill, but is thrown back. At 2:00 p.m., MG McPherson, commander of the Federal Army of the Tennessee rides toward the action and passes across the front of a regiment of Cleburne’s division. Attempting to escape, McPherson is shot and killed. MG John A. Logan takes command.

Saving his old Corps as long as he could, Hood finally orders Cheatham to move out of the trenches about 3:00 p.m. Maney attacks about 3:30 p.m. followed by Cheatham’s Corps about 4:00 p.m. Magevney’s brigade (including the 12/47th) first drive Federals from their works, but the Federals rally and fend off the last attempt to take Bald Hill. during the fighting, Capt. T. J. Carthel, who is commanding the regiment, is killed. All field officers are wounded. Maney’s division, attacking on the left wing, makes no progress. Cleburn attacks again, this time with Maney, but again the Federals withstand the struggle.

During the evening, the Confederates fall back into the inner-defenses of Atlanta while the Federals restore their lines in anticipation of a renewed assault the following day. The Federals are essentially in the same position held before the battle.

At the battle of Atlanta, Sherman purposely allows General McPherson’s Army of the Tennessee fight the battle unaided. In reserve and within easy marching distance are 50,000 men in the Army of the Cumberland under MG George H. Thomas and the Army of the Ohio under MG John M. Schofield.

Federal losses: 3,722 (killed, wounded, captured)
Confederate losses: Between 5-8,000 (killed, wounded, captured) of approximately 37,000
Maney’s Division: 619 causalities

Capt. W. S. Moore’s Infantry; Col. Michael Magevney’s Brigade; BG George E. Maney’s Division; Lt. General William J. Hardee’s Corps; General John B. Hood’s Army of Tennessee

July 23 – August 30, 1864: Confederate and Union forces are engaged in a month-long stalemate as the armies maintain constant fire from their entrenched positions. Many citizens of Atlanta flee as large sections of the city are dismantled from Federal shellfire. LtG Wm. J. Hardee asks to be relieved because of dissatisfaction with removal of Johnston and Hood’s manner of command. After a personal intercession of President Jefferson Davis, Hardee withdraws his request.

July 28, 1864: Ezra Church (West of Atlanta), GA — Attempting to check the movements of the Federal Army of the Tennessee, now under MG Oliver O. Howard, Confederate troops under LtG Stephen D. Lee’s Corps (Hood’s) and Alexander P. Stewart’s Corps (Polk’s) attack the blue-coats in their entrenchment’s. Most assaults are ill-advised. About 4:00 p.m. the Confederates withdraw to end the senseless and tragic slaughter.

Union losses: 650 Confederate losses: Between 3-5,000

Lt Col Josiah N. Wayatt’s Infantry; Col. George W. Gordon’s Brigade; BG John C. Carter’s Division; Lt. General William J. Hardee’s Corps (MG Patrick R. Cleburn on August 30-31); General John B. Hood’s Army of Tennessee

August 31 – September 1, 1864: Jonesboro, GA (about 20 railroad track miles south of Atlanta) — Hardee’s plans are to drive the Federals back with a vigorous attack. Hardee’s troops, (including Vaughan’s Brigade now commanded by Col. George Gordon), carve out a defensive line using logs and rails to erect breastworks. Three full corps of Federal troops confront the Confederates with three more within striking distance. About 4:00 p.m. the Federals press against the Confederate skirmishes near a railroad cut. The Union forces first score a breakthrough, but the Confederates rally and regain the lost ground. At the “angle”, Federals pour into the Confederate breastworks capturing several hundred men.

Vaughan’s brigade, under Gordon, delivers a furious counter-punch and drives the enemy back, holding them until darkness. During the night, Gordon’s troops cover the retreat of the Confederate army down the railroad to Lovejoy’s Station. Union General Sherman is now in control of the Confederate’s last operating rail line into Atlanta, which assures the fall of Atlanta. Hood cedes the city after destroying vast quantities of supplies he could not transport.

September 2, 1864: Lovejoy’s Station, GA (5 miles down-track from Jonesboro): Confederates are posted in newly dug entrenchment’s. About 4:00 p.m. a Federal probe is savagely repulsed by Confederates (including the 12/47th).

September 3, 1864: Federal General Sherman telegraphs Washington: “Atlanta is ours and fairly won.” It is estimated both the Federal and Confederate armies lose over 30,000 men each in the four-month Atlanta campaign.

September 10, 1864: Generals Hood and Sherman agree on 10-day truce and Sherman’s forced exodus of Atlanta’s remaining inhabitants begins. Union troops escort refugees, with what cloths and bedding they can carry, to Rough & Ready, GA. Here, Hood’s men take charge and see them south across the 15-mile railroad gap to Lovejoy’s Station, and within the Rebel lines. After their departure, Sherman incinerates Atlanta.

September 19, 1864: Hood shifts his army to Palmetto, GA about 20 miles west of Lovejoy’s Station. Preparations begin for a march around Sherman’s west flank.

LtCol. V. G. Wynne’s Infantry (replaced by Col. William M. Watkins’ in December 1864); BG George W. Gordon (Vaughan’s) Brigade; MG John C. Brown (Cheatham’s) Division; MG B. F. Cheatham’s Corps; General John B. Hood’s Army of Tennessee; General P. G. T. Beauregard’s Military Division of the West.

September 25, 1864: CSA President Jefferson Davis arrives at Palmetto. Hood blames Hardee for disappointing results at Peach Tree Creek, Atlanta and Jonesboro and urges Hardee’s removal from the army. President Davis accepts the recommendation and replaces Hardee with General Benjamin Franklin Cheatham as corps commander. Davis wires Richmond, VA, CSA capitol, “It is of the utmost importance that Hardee should be relieved at once. He commands the best troops in this army [which includes the 12/47th]. I must choose another commander.”

September 28-October 7, 1864: Hood’s army begins northward march past Lost Mountain to New Hope Church and Dallas, GA.

October 12-13, 1864: Resaca, GA: Hood’s forces wreck railroad tracks between Resaca, Dalton and Tunnel Hill, GA. Moving to LaFayette, GA, he considers a stand against Sherman. His corps commanders, however, meet and later advise him “the opinion was unanimous that although the army was much improved in spirit, it was not in a condition to risk battle against the numbers (of federal troops) reported.”

October 17, 1864: Hood’s army vanishes westward across the Alabama line and down the Chattanooga River valley. Sherman is exasperated and complains everything Hood has done for the last three weeks is, “inexplicable by any common-sense theory”. “Damn him!” bewails Sherman. “If he will go to the Ohio River, I will give him rations … Let him go north. My business is down south!”

October 21-28, 1864: Hood marches his army through Gadsden and Decatur, AL and on to Tuscumbia, AL, near the Tennessee River. The army observes scenes of destruction and decline. Most everything has been destroyed including crops and houses. The business section of Tuscumbia is burned and all streets look weather-worn and dilapidated. Solders’ rations are quite short.

November 20-25, 1864: Through rain and sleet, Hood orders his army to begin the march north from the Tennessee River. Roads are hub-deep with icy mud. Cheatham’s corps (including the 12/47th) is to the left (west) of the three columns that converge on Mt. Pleasant, TN, 70 miles north. In the words of a member of the 12/47th, “Thence we took up the line of march back into Tennessee with Hood in his wild, reckless and ruinous raid.” It is Hood’s intention to drive north to retake Nashville and on to the Ohio River. If according to plan, this action will provoke Sherman’s recall from his race through Georgia.

The weather is unseasonably bitter. Roads alternately freeze iron hard, with ankle-twisting ruts, or thaw into quagmires making every step a wrenching effort. Despite the hardships, the Tennesseeans are hailed along the way as Patriots of the Second American Revolution. Scenes of welcome from local families accompany them in their passage. Receptions and serenades greet the returning heroes.

November 26-27, 1864: Confederate troops take positions near Columbia, TN confronting newly erected breastworks anchored right and left on the Duck River.

November 28, 1864: Federal troops withdraw across the Duck River in the night, destroying bridges in their wake.

November 29, 1864: Cheatham’s Corps (including the 12/47th) move through pre-dawn darkness cross a newly erected pontoon bridge at the Duck River. These troops move around the Federal forces to Spring Hill, TN, about 12 miles north.

About 2:00 p.m. General Nathan Bradford Forrest launches an all- out mounted attack against Federal forces at Spring Hill but are repulsed. Cheatham is less than three miles southeast crossing Rutherford Creek. About 4:00 P. M., Cleburn’s Confederate Division launches a concerted assault. But an 18-piece Federal battery roars and plows the ranks of Confederate attackers. Having no artillery guns of their own, the Confederates fall back. After a second attempt, also repulsed, the Confederates bivouac for the evening.

During the night, Federal troops and a miles-long wagon train of material and supplies slog north along the Columbia Pike toward Franklin, TN. They pass just beyond earshot of rebels sleeping in the fields to the east. Federal forces get clear away under cover of darkness. The greatest opportunity to crush a Union adversary is lost. The next morning Hood is furious. He is most irritated at his ragged, barefoot troops he characterizes as unwilling to accept battle unless protected by breastworks. Generals Brown, Cheatham and Hood all seem to bear blame, with rumors of ineptness (Brown), inappropriate cavorting (Cheatham) and drinking (Hood) as possible causes. Modern medical observers question whether Hood’s judgment is clouded by heavy doses of narcotics, taken for pain from a battle-wounded, atrophied arm (Gettysburg) and amputated leg (Chickamauga).

November 30, 1864: Battle of Franklin, TN — As the morning wears on and his seven Divisions step up the turnpike toward Franklin, Hood is pleased to find his army “metamorphosed, so it were, in one night … willing to make trial of another cause of action”. General Stewart’s three divisions lead the march with Cheatham’s divisions (including the 12/47th) next following. At Winstead Hill, Stewart’s divisions take Henpeck Lane to the right, leaving Cheatham’s Corps to head the march and act as the assaulting column.

At Franklin, nestled in a crescent of the Harpeth River, the Federals find the turnpike bridge washed out and promised pontoons unavailable. So they stoutly entrench and wait.

At 3:45 p.m., one hour before sundown, Cheatham’s Corps (including the 12/47th) is in an attack formation well over a mile in width. Hood orders a mass advance against a foe superior in numbers and backed by 60-odd pieces of artillery. Little counter-battery fire will come from Hood, since only eight guns are brought from Spring Hill. As the Confederates advance, one participant recalls: “bands were playing [“Dixie” and “Bonnie Blue Flag”], general and staff officers and gallant couriers were riding in front of and between the lines, 100 battle flags were waving…while 20,000 brave men were marching in perfect order against the foe. Gordon’s brigade (including the 12/47th) occupy the front line to the left of Columbia Pike. In a grisly charge, Gordon’s troops penetrate the Federal breastworks. But Federal reserves advance and the foes exchange point-blank fire. A member of the 12/47th recalls they “fought in the thickest of the slaughter”. Cheatham’s corps takes heavy losses as the killing and maiming continues. Gordon later writes that the air was filled with “every conceivable missile used in modern warfare”. Gordon’s troops, mixed with others from Brown’s division, achieve the deepest penetration carrying some to the rear of Fountain Branch Carter’s brick home (today maintained as a tribute to the battle). But this position exposes them to a severe enfilading fire. One Federal commander observes, “I never saw the dead lay near so thick. I saw them upon each other, dead and ghastly in the powder-dimmed starlight”.

Stumbling over Cheatham’s dead and wounded, Hood’s reserve division under General Edward Johnson makes a desperate attack shortly after dark. About 9:00 p.m. the uproar slacks and within two hours the contest is silent. After 13 gallant, hopeless charges, Hood’s forces lose 12 Generals; six have been killed. Three of four Brigade commanders of Brown’s Division are killed; General Gordon is captured and Brown himself is seriously wounded. Hood’s army is nearly wrecked from top to bottom. Cheatham later remarks, “I never saw anything like that field, and I never want to again”.

Within the hour, the Federals withdraw across the Harpeth River via a planked-over railroad bridge. They leave behind their dead and non-walking wounded. By noon on December 1, remaining Federal divisions are safe in breastworks at Nashville, TN.

Federal losses: Total: 2,326 (killed, wounded, missing or captured). Confederate losses: Total: 6,250 (1,750 killed; 4,500 wounded, missing or captured–more Confederates killed than at Shiloh)

Col. Wm. M. Watkin’s Infantry; BG G. W. Gordon’s Brigade (commanded by Col Wm. M. Watkins); BG J. C. Brown’s Division (commanded by BG Mark P. Lowrey); MG B. F. Cheatham’s Corps; General John B. Hood’s Army of Tennessee

December 1, 1864: Hood’s army marches north with depleted Brown’s Division following in the rear. On December 2, the Confederates come upon Federal breastworks three miles outside Nashville extending in a three- mile arc.

December 3-14, 1864: Hood’s army prepares entrenchment’s and redoubts (small enclosed defensive works) through alternatively mild and freezing weather. For several nights the temperature drops to 20 degrees below freezing. Chilling rain and sleet slice at the rag-covered Confederate forces.

Despite a Federal force of near 54,000 versus the Confederate strength of less than 25,000, Federal General George H. (Slow Trot) Thomas delays attack. Thinking he will be facing twice as many Confederate horsemen as exist, he is most concerned with finding remounts for his cavalry units.

December 15, 1864: After warming rains and a drying sun, the Federals attack. Civilian residents of Nashville line surrounding hills to observe the anticipated carnage. Cheatham’s Corps (to the right of the Confederate line) holds firm against three Federal divisions. Two of these are composed of black troops, the first used offensively in the western theater for 20 months. The larger Federal force then begins a massive wheeling movement against the Confederate left. The resulting battle rages until nightfall with the Federals steadily pushing the fiercely resistant Confederates back about two miles.

December 16, 1864: After numerous delays, the Federals attack the Confederate’s right about noon. It was here the bloodiest fighting of the two-day battle occurs, and the Federals recede after a three-hour surge in a cold rain. The Federals again attack, this time to the Rebel’s left and center. Lowrey (Brown’s) division is called from reserve about 4:30 P.M.. With the Federals closing in, the Confederate army abandons the field in confusion and retires south in disorderly flight down the turnpike toward Franklin. The war’s last great battle is fought and Hood’s army is routed.

Federal losses: 3,061 (killed, wounded, missing). Confederate losses: 1,500 (killed, wounded); 4,500 captured.

December 18, 1864: General Cheatham’s Corps patrols the rain- swollen Rutherford Creek south of Franklin.

December 25, 1864: After a week long southern flight at “double distance on half rations” across a frozen landscape, Hood’s “disheartened and disorganized rabble of half-naked and barefoot men” pull up on the near bank of the Tennessee River opposite Baimbridge, AL. General N. B. Forrest’s mounted troopers protect the Confederate’s rear in running skirmishes with the Federals. Four days later, Federal General George Thomas ends his pursuit and orders his troops into winter quarters to recuperate for the spring campaign.

January 9, 1865: Tupelo, MS — Hood’s Army of the Tennessee (including the 12/47th) reaches Tupelo. Only 15,000 infantry remain; fewer than half with shoes or blankets. They huddle miserably in camp bracing against the coldest winter the South has experienced in years. Some 3000 troops who live in the vicinity are furloughed, many never return.

January 23, 1865: Upon seeing these men for the first time in two months, Confederate General P. G. T. Beauregard recalls, “If not a disorganized mob, it was no longer an army.” Beauregard honors General Hood’s request to be replaced. Major General Richard Taylor named commander of the Army of Tennessee.

January 26, 1865: Cheatham’s Corps (including the 12/47th) is attached to Beauregard’s command and is sent to defend the Carolinas from Federal General Sherman’s northward push up the Atlantic coast. Their eastward trek begins with a march to West Point, MS where they board rail cars for Meridian, MS then on to Selma, AL. Alabama River steamboats take them to Montgomery, AL, then again by rail to Columbus, GA. Marching through Macon and Milledgeville to Mayfield, they again board cars for Augusta, GA then march to Newberry, SC. Sixty miles to the northeast, a Camden, SC diarist observes the Confederate band passing. They are singing as they swing along. She notes these gallant few “march with as airy a tread as if they still believed the world was all on their side, and that there were no Yankee bullets for the unwary”.

January 30, 1865: General Robert E. Lee is appointed General- in-Chief of the Confederate Army.

February 25, 1865: Charlotte, NC – General Joseph E. Johnston is appointed commander of the combined forces of Beauregard’s command and the Army of Tennessee.

March 16, 1865: Averysborough, NC – The 12/47th is engaged in conflict with the Federals.

March 19, 1865: Bentonville, NC – After two days of running action between the Confederates and parts of General Sherman’s Federal Army, the whole of Johnston’s 24,000 man army (including the 12/47th) attack the Federals. At first the Confederates gain an advantage. With superior troop strength, however, the Federals assume the defensive. The next day, with the addition of more troops, the Federal position becomes impregnable. Johnston refuses his left flank and entrenches; his flanks well protected by swamps.

March 21, 1865: Facing a Federal force of 100,000 men, Johnston retreats. The greatest battle ever fought on North Carolina soil is over.

Federal losses: 1,646 (killed, wounded, missing) Confederate losses: approximately 3,000 (killed, wounded, missing/ captured).

Colonel William M. Watkins’ Infantry; Colonel Charles S. Hurt’s Brigade (relationship unknown); Major General John C. Brown’s Division (Brig. General Roswell S. Ripely commanding); Major General Benjamin F. Cheatham’s Corps; General Joseph E. Johnston’s Army in North Carolina

April 9, 1865: General Robert E. Lee surrenders the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, VA.

April 14, 1865: Washington D. C. – President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated by John Wilkes Booth.

April 18, 1865: Durham’s Station, NC – General Joseph E. Johnston and Major General W. T. Sherman reach a Basis of Agreement that the war is to cease and a general amnesty granted. This is conditioned on the disbandonment and disarmament of the Confederate armies from North Carolina to the Rio Grande, Texas and the resumption by the soldiers of their peaceful pursuits.

After review by President Andrew Johnson, the Agreement is disapproved and General U.S. Grant receives instructions to direct General Sherman to “resume hostilities at the earliest moment”.

April 26, 1865: Bennett’s House, Durham’s Station NC – General Johnston and Major General Sherman agree to Terms of a Military Convention:

“All acts of war on the part of the troops under General Johnston’s command to cease from this date. All arms and public property to be deposited at Greensboro, and delivered to an ordnance officer of the United States Army. Rolls of all officers and men to be made in duplicate, one copy to be retained by the commander of the troops, and the other to be given to an officer to be designated by General Sherman. Each officer and man to give his individual obligation in writing not to take up arms against the government of the United States until properly released from this obligation. The side-arms of officers, and their private horses and baggage, to be retained by them.

“This being done, all the officers and men will be permitted to return to their homes, not to be disturbed by the United States authorities so long as they observe their obligations and the laws in force where they may reside.”

W. T. Sherman, Major General Commanding the United States in North Carolina.

J. E. Johnston, General Commanding Confederate States Army in North Carolina.

Approved: U. S. Grant, Lieutenant General
Raleigh, NC, April 26, 1865

2ND CONSOLIDATED TENNESSEE INFANTRY REGIMENT May 2, 1865: Greensboro, NC – The 12/47th under the command of William M. Watkins, forms part of the 2nd Consolidated Tennessee Infantry Regiment which is composed of the 11th, 12th, 13th, 29th, 47th, 50th, 51st, 52nd and 154th Tennessee Infantry Regiments.

The 12/47th Consolidated Tennessee Infantry is paroled and surrenders its small arms and accouterments as a condition of agreement. The war is concluded.

EPILOGUE

A. Bennezette (Ben) Hurt completes his Confederate service as a Private. Of the approximately 3,500 men that begin service in the 12th, 22nd, & 47th Infantry Brigades (which form the 12th TN Consolidated), approximately 50 of the original number remain at war’s end.

By an unknown route, “Ben” Hurt returns the 700 miles to Carroll County, Tennessee to resume his civilian life.

---

Bibliography

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• War Department, The Military Secretary’s Office, Washington, D.C.; May 7, 1906: Confirmation: A. B. Hurt, private, Company D, 22nd TN Infantry, C.S.A., enlisted July 2, 1861 Trenton, TN

© Copyright 1997, Mike Parsons. All rights reserved. This information is for personal use only. Please do not copy, distribute, or publish it elsewhere.