Ozaukee County's
War History
by Daniel E. McGinley

as extracted from THE PORT WASHINGTON STAR
October 31, 1896



The Ozaukee Rifles
Chapter 18

This history is stretching out to quite a length, and some may complain that I am paying too much attention to details, but the details are often the most interesting part of history, and the Ozaukee Rifles in its three and a half years of service had such a varied experience and participated in so many of the great events of the war, that its record includes a large portion of the history of the Army of the Tennessee, in which it served from the organization of that army until the end of the war. But I will omit a description of the services and life of the Rifles in the trenches before Atlanta, as to give an intelligible picture of that part of their history, I would have to describe the rifle-pits, breastworks, boomproof forts, etc., which would require a long chapter in itself. Should the readers of THE STAR ask for such a chapter, I can furnish it at any time.

From the battle of Ezra Church until the 25th of August the fighting was continuous all along the line, day and night, not a minute passing without the booming of cannon and the rattle of artillery. To make the enemy keep covered and to prevent them from strengthening their fortifications or weakening any part of their line to send reinforcements to another part of it, our pickets had standing orders or keep up a steady fire from their rifle-pits day and night. This required an average of 200 shots in the 24 hours by each soldier on picket, and to defend themselves, the rebels tried to send back shot for shot. When we remember that there were over fifteen miles of rifle-pits facing each other, one every 50 or 60 feet, and in each an average of six men, we can imagine what a number of bullets were shot away during each day and night. And when we consider that a large majority of these men had become skilled marksmen, we are not surprised at the long list of killed and wounded that each day brought forth.

The survivors of the Rifles were unusually fortunate during this period, none of them being killed or wounded, though some of them received close calls. Pat. Welsh, of Saukville, had a bunch of hair cut from his head by a bullet while on picket duty one day.

Finding that he could not reach the railroad north of East Point, and that his cavalry were unable to permanently cripple it south of that place, Gen. Sherman determined to make a bold move which proved to be a very successful one, and which added greatly to the fame of the great ìflanker.î Sending his sick non-combatants and trains north of the Chattahoochee, under the protection of the 20th corps, Sherman drew his army out of the trenches on dark nights, the movement beginning on the 25th of August, when under the darkness the 4th corps, then on the left of our line, drew out of its trenches marched past our rear and massed in the rear of the right of the army near Utoy creek. The 16th corps also left its trenches and swung back toward the Chattachoochee, its right joining the left of our corps which also swung back so as to face the northeast. In the morning the rebs found the deserted trenches and their skirmishers pressed rapidly forward until they struck our new line of rifle-pits, when a sharp engagement occurred and quite a number were killed and wounded before the rebs became convinced that our main line was there.

That night, Aug. 26, we silently filed out of our trenches and started on the eventful journey. The night was very dark, and in the long stretches of timber through which we passed there was hardly any light at all. The enemy seemed to suspect that we were moving, although our pickets remained at their posts until near morning, and as we marched away they shelled us vigorously. One huge shell descending like a blazing meteor through the trees, struck near the rear of our regiments and ricocheted along side of and within a few feet of the marching column, bursting near the head of the regiment without injuring a man. Had it struck a few feet further to the right, it would have plowed a furrow of death through the whole length of the regiment.

Making a wide detour, the Army of the Tennessee reached the right of the Army of the Cumberland near the village of Utoy the next morning. The 23rd corps still held its trenches near that place, while our cavalry hovered around our rear and flanks, and Gen. Kilpatrick with a force of cavalry led our column. Resuming our march on the 28th, and making a general left wheel, pivoting on the Army of the Ohio, the Armies of the Cumberland and the Tennessee moved rapidly on several roads straight for the West Point railroad, which we reached and captured that afternoon, just north of Fairburn Station. After driving off a small force of rebel cavalry we threw up light breastworks, and then went to work to destroy the railroad, which we did in a thorough manner. The next forenoon was occupied in the destruction of the railroad, and in the afternoon we were again on the march headed for the little town of Jonesboro on the Macon railroad, the only remaining channel of supplies for the enemy.

All this time, Gen. Hood had been unable to fathom the mysterious movements of Shermanís army. At first he supposed that Sherman had retreated across the Chattahoochee, and telegraphed that information all over the South. Soon train after train load of excursionists arrived in Atlanta from the south, and the people coming to visit the battle fields near the city, and to assist the garrison in rejoicing over the victory. Picnics were held in the deserted entrenchments, and a grand, good time was in process when the terrible tidings came that the cunning old Yank, Sherman, and his ìblood-thirsty crewî were south of Atlanta and on the railroads. Then there was weeping and wailing where there had been laughter and song, and the fair guests, as well as the citizens of Atlanta were soon deserted to the tender mercies of the ìMonster Shermanî and his ìbarbarians.î

August 30th found the Army of the Tennessee marching upon Jonesboro, the 15th corps in the lead, the 16th corps following, and our corps bringing up the rear. The Army of the Cumberland was approaching the railroad at points further north, while the Army of the Ohio moving but little and being nearest to Atlanta presented a bold front to the enemy. Hood now thought that Sherman had sent two of his corps to destroy the railroads, and ordered Hardee and Lee's corps to proceed by rail to Jonesboro and to attack and annihilate the Yankee intruders, his corps being much larger than ours.

In spite of determined resistance by the rebel cavalry, Gen. Logan pressed forward rapidly and that evening reached the Flint river at a point a short distance northwest of Jonesboro. Here the rebels were fighting hard to keep our cavalry from getting possession of a wooden bridge which spanned the river and fearing that they would destroy the bridge, Logan with his usual promptness hurried forward his leading brigade, which quickly deployed and carried the bridge and its defenses by a dashing charge, just as it was growing dark. Giving the rebs no time to rally, Logan hurried his troops across the river and pushing forward deployed and entrenched his line on the summit of a ridge between the river and the railroad. The 16th corps came up and formed on Logan's right but on the other side of the river from his line. Our corps reached the field next morning and formed on Logan's left. We had just commenced to build breastworks when three regiments of our brigade, the Thirty-first Illinois and the Twelfth and Sixteenth Wisconsin, were ordered to report to Gen. Logan to fill a gap in the left of his line, which we did.

All through the previous night Logan's men, entrenched near Jonesboro, had heard railroad trains coming back and forth in the rear of the enemy's line, as the troops of Hardee and Lee's corps were hurried down from Atlanta, and we all well knew that morning that we were in for a fight. As soon as we were in line with Logan's men, we went to work to build breastworks, and at the end of an hour, when the battle began, our regiment had a very good line of works completed.

I have not space to describe the first day's battle at Jonesboro, in which our regiment participated, but will simply say of it that it was a hotly contested battle, in which great gallantry was displayed by the officers and men of both armies. The rebels advanced to assault our lines about 8 P.M., and for a time the fighting was fierce and determined, but by nightfall the battle was over for the day, the enemy having been beaten at every point. Our regiment was but slightly engaged, and the loss in our whole brigade was light. This was another victory for the great volunteer, Gen. Logan, whose corps with what little assistance our brigade gave him, fought and won the engagement in the face of great odds. Further to the right and below Jonesboro, Kilpatrick tried to cross the river with his cavalry, but was met by one old adversary, Gen. Pat. Cleburne, who drove the cavalry back and assaulted their breastworks. But here the famous rebel general ran on to a snag, and his troops, -- infantry veterans -- were repulsed at all points by our cavalry, which fought as infantry behind the works.

While we were thus fighting at Jonesboro on August 31st, Schofield's men captured and cut the railroad at Rough-and-Ready Station, and Thomas also reached the railroad at a point north of Jonesboro. When Hood received the news that the Yanks were at Rough-and-Ready, he became more bewildered than ever, and sent orders for Lee's corps to return to Atlanta at once. The next morning Sherman reached the battlefield at Jonesboro and learning that Lee's corps had started back to Atlanta, he gave orders to Thomas to bring down the 4th and 14th corps and with the Army of the Tennessee surround and capture Hardee's magnificent corps, which was now facing us alone at Jonesboro. In the movement our corps started for the right intending to cross the river below Jonesboro and envelope Hardee's position from the south, but like many other well-made plans of those days, circumstances prevented us from getting into position that night.

The 14th corps had gotten into position during the afternoon, but the 4th corps having a long distance to come did not reach the field until dark, then owing to the dense timber they could not deploy that night. In the meantime, the 14th corps assaulted and captured a portion of Hardee's line, taking a large number of prisoners and two batteries of artillery. That night, Sept. 1, Atlanta was evacuated and Hardee stole away from our front in the darkness. The whole rebel army retreated south to Lovejoy Station, whither we followed and skirmished with them four days.

Here Wm. W. Coleman of Port Ulao, was wounded in the hand. The regiment lost a number of good men, killed and wounded at this place. On the night of the 5th of Sept., Shermanís whole army stole out of its entrenchments at Lovejoy Station, and by the evening of the 7th was all encamped in the vicinity of Atlanta, where it remained until Hood began his famous raid on Shermanís ìCracker line.î (railroad or supply line)

When Sherman took possession of the ìGate City,î as Atlanta was called, he found it full of women, children and helpless old men. There was a great scarcity of provisions in the city, and Sherman well knowing that the single line of railroad over which he drew his supplies from the north was hardly able to feed his troops, let alone an army of non-combatants, issued orders directing non-combatants to leave Atlanta at once, giving them the choice of going north or south as they chose. This order raised a great howl from the rebels, and from the copperheads of the north, but the move was a necessity and had to be accomplished.