Catching a Hatful of Bullets: With the 2nd Minnesota at Chickamauga

The 2ndMinnesota fought on four separate occasions during the two days of the Battleof Chickamauga. One soldier recalled that the hottest fighting occurred on themorning of September 20th when the regiment was trying to hold theleft of the Union line.

“Here the Rebels came up on our left flank,” he noted. “Wechanged front to meet them with the 9th Ohio in advance and were immediatelyordered to lie down. Here was the hottest place for bullets I ever saw. Itseemed as though we could have held up our hats and caught a hatful. The 9thOhio broke, but rallied in our rear and for a few minutes, the fighting wasterrific, the Rebels hurling mass after mass to the front but in vain. OurMinies could go through four ranks at short range but they could not stand theslaughter and fled."    

"The 9thOhio and 87th Indiana charged across the field in front, the 35thOhio passed on and we, according to orders, caught up the rear. At the edge ofthe woods in front we halted and were again ordered to lie down. Here we werein exact range of a Rebel battery but a few rods in advance in the road. Theypoured in grape and canister and here Ambrose Palmer was killed; he was struckin the side and scarcely moved except to slightly raise one hand which hedropped very quietly by his side," he wrote.

          This following letter, written by anunknown soldier of Co. B of the 2nd Minnesota, first saw publicationin the October 24, 1863, edition of the Rochester City Post.

 

Chattanooga,Tennessee

October 5,1863

          Thinking a plain statement of thehistory of Co. B of the 2nd Minnesota during the days of the 19thand 20th of September 1863 might not be uninteresting to the friendsof those who shed their blood and laid down their lives on that tryingoccasion, I will relate its principal incidents.

          On the night of the 18th at6 p.m., we were ordered to march left in front with 20 extra rounds ofcartridges. We marched all night and in the morning arrived in the vicinity ofthe enemy who was endeavoring to cut off our communication with Chattanooga. Wehad half an hour in which to make coffee then we marched off to the right ofthe road, threw out skirmishers, formed our line of battle and advanced a milebefore halting in position. The skirmishing soon commenced on the right of thedivision, rolling towards the extreme left, the position of the 2ndMinnesota. The first attack was a light one, the regiment losing only two orthree wounded and was repulsed with ease.

          For half an hour scarcely a gun wasfired when it suddenly opened in our front and rather to the left, apparentlynearing us rapidly. Suddenly, the woods in our front swarmed with a confusedmass of our men, running rapidly to the rear. Upon inquiry, we found it was theThird Brigade, U.S. Regulars, belonging to Rousseau’s division. Our officerscalled upon the men to stand, but they showed no disposition to move but laydown quietly and cursed the Regulars as they retreated over them.

          Hardly had the Regulars passed whenthe Rebels came down. For 20 minutes the fighting was fierce; when the Rebelsgave back, the 9th Ohio charged and retook the 5thRegular Battery which the Regular Brigade had lost. In this fight,Co. B lost Samuel D. Calvert. A few minutes later and the Rebels appeared onour left flank. We were ordered to change front by the left flank. The orderwas given late and we executed it under a hot fire and lost the heaviest of theday. But we soon opened on them and the 4th U.S. Battery, belongingto our brigade, poured in a terrible fire.

          The left of the regiment was orderedto fall back 20 paces; they did so, relined themselves, and opened once more,pouring in a left oblique fire with such effect that in a few minutes theRebels fell back and with us, the fighting for the day closed. We learned fromprisoners and deserters that we had been fighting Walker’s division ofLongstreet’s corps. That evening, we marched off to the right and rested asbest we could in the bitter cold.

          Until 9 o’clock the next morning,scarcely a shot was fired. We moved to the front, double column closed in masswith our brigade in reserve. By and by there came an occasional shot from thewoods in front, gradually becoming sharper and quicker until the woods roaredwith musketry, accompanied with the booming of cannons and the occasionalstriking of projectiles rather nearer to our closed ranks than was agreeable toyour humble servant. But our men were pushing them, and we moved on into thewoods which we crossed and struck the open field beyond.

          Here the Rebels came up on our leftflank; we changed front to meet them with the 9th Ohio in advanceand were immediately ordered to lie down. Here was the hottest place forbullets I ever saw. It seemed as though we could have held up our hats andcaught a hatful. The 9th Ohio broke, but rallied in our rear and fora few minutes, the fighting was terrific, the Rebels hurling mass after mass tothe front but in vain. Our Minies could go through four ranks at short rangebut they could not stand the slaughter and fled. Here Ellis A. Comstock waswounded.

At Chickamauga, the 2nd Minnesota was armed with quite the mix of long arms including M1861 Springfields whose lockplate is shown above, along with Enfields, Mississippi rifles, a few Colt's revolving rifles, three .69 caliber altered to percussion muskets and a solitary Lorenz! 

          The 9th Ohio and 87thIndiana charged across the field in front, the 35th Ohio passed on and we, according to orders, caught up the rear. At the edge of thewoods in front we halted and were again ordered to lie down. Here we were inexact range of a Rebel battery but a few rods in advance in the road. Theypoured in grape and canister and here Ambrose H. Palmer was killed; he wasstruck in the side and scarcely moved except to slightly raise one hand whichhe dropped very quietly by his side.

          The 35th Ohio drove themfrom our front and we moved up about 20 rods and lay down once more. Here the35th Ohio was driven back and we were quickly engaged in one of thefiercest fights of the day. From this time, the discouraging part of the daycommenced. The regiment on the left (I did not get its name) gave way; theRebels began to flank us and we were ordered to fall back which was done bypassage of lines to the rear until we took up a new position about 4 o’clockhalf a mile to the rear of Missionary Ridge.

          The regiment on our left had formed arail breastwork and was prepared to hold it. The 9th Ohio formed onour left and the 35th Ohio on the right. The Rebels soon advancedand for two and a half hours it was hard telling how it would go; the Rebelsplanted their colors within a rod of the breastworks on our left and were repeatedlydriven back. Cartridges became exhausted, the boxes of the dead were searchedand emptied and every available means resorted to for ammunition. It was almostdark when the Rebels withdrew and left us in possession of the hill.

          Half an hour later and we took up ourline of march for Rossville where we rested for the night and had time to countthe dead, the wounded, and the missing. We went into the fight with 37 men onSaturday morning; we came out on Sunday evening leaving 5 of them dead on thefield, 13 wounded, and 2 taken prisoners. Since our return to Chattanooga, HezekiahG. Smith lost a finger by a shot from a sharpshooters while going on picket.

Second Minnesota monument which is located at Horseshoe Ridge at Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Battlefield. 

          It is not for me to relate more thanthe simple fact of what was done; what is true of Co. B is true of theregiment. Every man did his duty and the memory of our dead shall by sacredforever. We know they fought with unflinching determined bravery and whiletheir friends mourn them, let them be assured that this company mourns withthem for long association had made their vacant places in the ranks as sacredas the vacant chair of the family hearthstone.

          The regiment lost in the battle 153 killedand wounded. Every officer did his duty: Colonel [James] George was cool and steady,Lieutenant Colonel [Judson] Bishop was everywhere in the right place and in theright time, and Major [John B.] Davis has a look that would make a cowardfight. Captain Abram Harkins, when he left the field with his arm left broken,told the boys to fight to the last. All our field officers had their horsesshot under and all were slightly wounded, but not seriously. [Captain Harkinswould lose his left arm to amputation and resigned his commission June 20,1864.]

    To learn more about the Battle of Chickamauga, please check out my Battle of Chickamauga page which features dozens of accounts from both Federal and Confederate combatants. 

To learn more about the service of the 2nd Minnesota Infantry, please check out these posts:

Nip and Tuck with the 2nd Minnesota at Mill Springs 

A Tale of Two Colonels: A Blue and Gray View of Mill Springs 

A Librarian's First Battle: At Mill Springs with the 2nd Minnesota 

A Fight for Corn: Eight Medals of Honor Awarded at Nolensville

Source:

Letter fromSoldier of Co. B, 2nd Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, RochesterCity Post (Minnesota), October 24, 1863, pg. 2