Video
Assault Trail: Facing Fearful Odds Part 3
Transcript
[audio description] Against a black backdrop the National Park Service arrowhead logo stands above the words Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.
Hello there! This is Phillip Whiteman, longtime park volunteer. I'm out here dressed as a Confederate soldier today. I have on my tan coat and my tan pants that the Confederate's called Butternut. I'm holding my rifled musket and today I'm standing here in front of the Confederate earthworks which look like little mounds behind me but they were much higher at the time of the war. And of course I'm standing on the trail because we don't want people on the earthworks. They've been around since 1864 and we want to keep them there for a long time afterwards! We're going to talk about the attack that occurred here on June 27, 1864. At 8 o'clock in the morning., the Union opened up with an artillery barrage and then the infantry started to come. The Confederates were defending here were General Cheatham's division and General Cleburne's division against eight brigades of Union soldiers. The attack occurs in actually two phases. But let me tell you about the Confederate earthworks and to do that let's go to the people that were here.
Sergeant Stewart, 52nd Ohio, writes, "When our front line had reached the fortifications only to find a barrier "which was calculated to make a weak man falter and a brave man think. The works were fringed with pikes, sharpened pins driven into logs standing like a hay rack pointing towards your face." Sergeant Lyman Whidney of the 34th Illinois describes the Confederate earthworks as this, "As for the obstacles that checked our assault, a slight glance was sufficient to show how rast was the attempt. First a stand of saplings with holes bored through and four rows of sharpened stakes inserted. So that no matter how often rolled over, a row of these stakes were presented waist high. Next an intricate network of young trees that have been a standing thicket were now hacked down on one side and bent forward which stood in place with heavy stakes driven crossways into the ground. Behind this mass of fixed wooden spears was a high earthen embankment topped with a double row of heavy logs with sufficient space between them for muskets of the defenders." So the Union men describe what the Confederate earthworks and all the sharpened stakes that have been placed in front of them to slow the men down before they even got to the earthworks. So the Confederates could load and fire at them. And they did! And they also had cannon. They had cannon flanking, or on the sides, of the point. We're actually at a point here, it's known later after the war as the Dead Angle. And they had cannon firing and the cannons made a tremendous noise that one soldier said it sounded like a rush of mad bulls running. Private Worsham of the 19th Tennessee describes also what was going on at the battle. The cannon and the guns put out a lot of smoke. And here's what he says, "At times from the roar the smoke of the battle, we fought neither by sight nor sound. The air was so full of sulphurous smoke. "We could not see and the roar of musketry so continuous we could not distinguish the rapport of our own musket from the one by our side. It's so loud and the smoke is so thick, he can't tell whether he fired his gun or the man standing next to him fired his gun.
Sergeant Nixon of the 52nd Ohio refers to similar things when he says, "Firing began immediately from the crest, both musketry and artillery. The batteries opened up right and left as we pushed up the hill. Canisters shot, shells sewed the ground with rugged iron and garnished it with the dead."
Now to my right, in front of General Cleborne's division, there was fighting going on there that was a little bit different than the fighting that happened here at the Dead Angle. Let me describe that with Sergeant Farries of the 24th Wisconsin. "Before we got up to General Wagner's brigade as men commenced retreating, the fire in front of us "was so heavy no man could stand it. The balls flew past us and over us like a hail storm. Our generals too late saw the terrible mistake that they made in order to retreat. Our loss was fearful. I never saw so many men fall so fast in all my life."
Captain Smith of the Second Tennessee describes it as this, "The enemy came within five feet of our breastworks and were slaughtered as our men LITERALLY mowed them down. They could not stand the steady fire of our troops in front of them. In a few minutes, fell back to their breastworks."
Except in front of Manny's brigade which is where we're standing here today where Manny's Confederates would have been. So to the right of me the com, the Union line held, uh were held in check. They did not get to the Confederate line and a fire actually broke out because the guns put out not only smoke but flame. And the fire broke out and there's Union men lying on the ground.
Well, let me let Private Barnes describe what happened. "At this stage, our Colonel Martin sang out, 'Boys this is butchery!' And mounting our head logs with the white handkerchief he sang out to the Yanks, as well as to his own men, " 'Cease firing and help get out those men!' And needless to add, the Federals never once refused to comply this request. Our men scaling the head logs as though for a counter charge were soon mixed with the Yankees carrying out the dead and wounded Federals with those who a few minutes previously were trying to down our shanties!"
Shanty being a temporary home that the Confederates were in. "Together, the Rebs and Yanks had the fire beat out and the dead and wounded removed to the Federal side of the fence." That happened on that side of the line while the fighting's still going on on this side of the line.
Sergeant Stewart of the 52nd Ohio says, "Sheets of flame baptize us. Plunging shot tore away comrades left and right. There was no longer "shoulder to shoulder. It was God for us all. We wrestled with the mountain but our brave men were climbing steadily on uphill. Things were growing desperate. The enemy began throwing stones at us."
Yes, the Confederates were running out of ammunition and they literally picked up rocks that were in the trenches and started throwing it at the Union. Lieutenant Manley of the First Tennessee describes how desperate the Confederates had gotten. "Our regiment was placed along the, in the works of a single file about two paces apart but we had the word passed down to us to "hold the works at all hazard. And as look if we would be pushed back by sheer force, but stand we must and stand we did! They seemed to had enough and we had as much as we wanted."
Colonel Dan McCook is leading his brigade. And just to the left of me, he will actually get to the Confederate earthworks. As Sergeant Stewart will tell us, "Our bright colonel urging his men on was struck as he said, " 'Come on boys, the day is won!' as he reached the earthwork. He was shot about four inches below the collarbone in the right breast falling outside the fortifications."
Unfortunately Colonel McCook will die of his wounds several weeks later in his home in Ohio. Private Sam Watkins of the First Tennessee will probably give some of the best description of what happened here. "My pen is unable to describe the scene of carnage and death that ensued in the next two hours. The whole force of the Yankee army was hurled against this point. But no sooner would a regiment mount our works that they were shot down or surrendered. Yet still the Yankees came. It seemed impossible to check the onslaught, but every man was true to his trust. Afterward, I heard a soldier expressed himself by saying he thought quote 'hell broke loose in Georgia sure enough' unquote. When the Yankees fell back and the firing ceased, I never saw so many broken down and exhausted men in all my life."
The fight only lasts a couple of hours, but it is tremendous in the action that takes place here. The Union army will actually fall back about 30 yards from this point and remain there for the rest of the time they're here at Kennesaw Mountain. General Sherman wants to renew the attack in the afternoon, But General Thomas, in charge, says that the works will not be carried by assault and one or two more such assaults that had occurred earlier would be use up their army.
So that's why they did not continue the assault. A couple of days later, there will be a truce in order to bury the dead. And Captain Cunningham of the Union army describes it as this, "Next day, General Johnston sent a flag of truce to Sherman in order to have time to carry off the wounded and bury the dead who were festering in front of their lines. A truce followed and the Rebels and Federals freely participated in the work of charity. It was a strange sight to see old friends, to see old acquaintance and, in some instances, brothers who had been separated for years now pitted in deadly hostility meet and have a good talk over old times, home scenes, and connections. They drank together, they smoked together, and appeared on the best possible terms. Though the next day they were sure to meet in deadly conflict again."
On the same day that the attack occurred here, General Scofield will have some men actually drive away the Confederates past Olley's Creek, that's to the Southwest of here. The next day we'll send a brigade of men over to hold on to the toehold that they now have. And they are now officially behind Joe Johnston's Confederates.
On July 2nd, Joe Johnston will have to retreat from the Kennesaw Mountain line and again set up defenses as he moves back toward Atlanta, as the Atlanta Campaign continues.
Thank you.
Description
[Sun 2:00 pm ET] Some of the nastiest and heaviest fighting of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain happens at Cheatham Hill. Specifically, a salient in the Confederate works known as the Dead Angle. Join historian and volunteer Phillip Whiteman as he details the chaos and bravery of the men that fought there on June 27th, 1864.
This video highlights Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Driving Tour Stop #5:Cheatham Hill.
Duration
11 minutes, 11 seconds
Credit
NPS/ P. Whiteman
Date Created
06/27/2021
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