Union Letter from Missionary Ridge

[boozie]

A nice letter from a member of the 86th Indiana Infantry on the charge made upon Missionary Ridge by the 86th/79th Ind. consolidated regiment. I have been waiting a year for this to be placed on the county web page, along with a lot of other transcription work that I have done. Still is not on there, maybe someone will read it on here.

[Steve Acker]

Thanks for sharing the letter, it fleshes out some work I've been doing. Below is a letter from a guy in the 7th Mississippi explaining his experience at Missionary Ridge. Hope this helps explain what W.H. Laymon confronted on that November day.


Steve Acker
ONV


Camps near Dalton GA
December 2nd 1863
Dear Sister
I once more have an opportunity of writing you a few lines to let you know that I am still in the land of the living. We have had another fight and the yanks have given us a genteel thrashing. I was in the fight but did not get hurt. There was none of our company hurt but there was five captured. Neil Currie, Dan Cupit, John Smith, John Robinson (Robertson), and William Cobb were the ones captured. They were captured on the 24th of Nov. The Yanks began to advance on us on the 23rd and the left wing of our regt was guarding a railroad bridge to the right of where our brigade was stationed. We held them in check until Tuesday morning the 24th and we had to fall back from there and the boys were afraid to get out of the ditch for fear they would be killed. They tried to get me to stay with then and surrender but I told them I was going to risk my chance of getting out. The Yanks were in 150 yard of me when I left the ditch. Driving in full line and as I left they fixed a full volley at me but none of them touched me. We skirmished with them form Monday evening until Wednesday evening and then we were ordered to go back to our brigade and about the time we got back there and began to rest our selves. We looked down the hill and saw the Yanks coming with five lines of battle so we were ordered in our ditches and our regt stayed there until the Yanks whipped our men on the right and got into our ditches and began to fire down the ditches at us. They captured one piece of the battery that belonged to our brigade. I was in 50 yards of the battery when they planted their colors on it. The battery men and the Yanks fought with sticks and rocks and carried out one piece after the Yanks got hold of it and were trying to hold it. I would not have believed this if I had not seen it with my own eyes. But I tell you I am ashamed that I belong to the brigade that I do for it done some of the shakiest fight I ever saw, but I feel that I have done my duty. We left Missionary Ridge Wednesday night or rather we more run away from there before night. I think we had as well as quit and go home for I see no other chance but for us to be whipped. Alex Currie was not in the fight. He had just got back from the hospital and he had no gun so he was sent back to the rear with the wagons. He is the luckiest boy I ever saw. We are camped in about three miles of Dalton Ga and we have all got rested and our mess has killed a big fat hog and we are all doing fine. Well I will close for this time. Hoping to hear from you soon. Give my love to all the family and the same for yourself. From your affectionate brother. Archie

Ps when you write, direct to Dalton GA
Compamy (e) 7th Miss regt
Anderson’s Brigade

[Pvt Peck]

Gents:

Thank you both for taking the time to share the opposing views of the fight & its outcome.

Edward Parrott

[FlatLandFed]

Bully!
Excellent reads on their own merits but wonderful when contrasting the two points of view. If only we could get the same fellers to reverse situations -- a letter from the National man (sans the bombast he sent to the paper) to a trusted family member and an editorial from the southren (where he certainly would be less candid in his appraisal of comrades' lack of fighting spirit) -- we'd get the full impact.

Thanks for sharing, gents. Always appreciate reading what the real lads were experiencing.

Brought back memories of researching for that little stroll we took up the opposite ridge with Cuzzin Craig a couple years back ...

Paul Hadley

[Steve Acker]

Thanks for the image Paul. I'm the guy with the bayoneted musket, to the right of the colors, the one not that close to the edge.

Steve Acker
ONV

[boozie]

I tell you, this has to be one of my favorite battles to read about in the O.R.'s. The way it played out, Hollywood couldn't write a better script. Going up the ridge on impulse after taking the rifle pits and soo many acts of courage.Every soldier on both sides seemed to give an account of it, really must have been something to see.

[LWhite64]

Scott,
That was indeed a great account, only thing now to puzzle out, is who that Major was. The 32nd Arkansas wasnt in the AOT.

Lee

[boozie]

Scott,
That was indeed a great account, only thing now to puzzle out, is who that Major was. The 32nd Arkansas wasnt in the AOT.

Lee

I'll have to go over to the Wabash College library and get their regimental history and look through the Chattanooga portion of the O.R.'s to search for the correct regiment.You would think the boys might remember what regiment they had captured a colonel from.:)

[LWhite64]

<Banging Head on Desk> I hate it when this happens, from the O.R. Report of Col. George Dick, 86th Indiana, "Here Sergt. Thomas J. Graves, who was gallantly waving the colors, fell dangerously wounded. They were again taken up by Capt. William S. Sims, who almost at the same time captured the major of the Forty-Second Alabama..." Problem is that the 42nd, although at Missionary Ridge, was up on the north end, not near the center, Im guessing it might be the major of either the 34th Alabama or 41st Mississippi. Need to look for those now.

Lee

[boozie]

I sure didn't have any luck finding what regiment the Colonel belonged. As a side note to the 86th Ind. article, Sergeant Ornbaun of the 79th, whom all hoped would be back after his thigh wound healed didn't make it.

"The Crawfordsville Journal"
Thursday,January 21,1864

Funeral of Serg't Ornbaun

"The remains of Serg't H.N. Ornbaun,of Company K,79th Indiana Regiment, who fell mortally wounded at the battle of Missionary Ridge,on the 25th of November last,and who died on the 1st day of December,arrived at home on Saturday morning last for interment.On Tuesday of this week,under military escort,the remains were conveyed from the family residence to the Methodist E. Church;(where appropriate funeral exercises were had);and thence to the town Cemetery,where they were consigned to the tomb-the final resting place of all that is mortal of man."

[boozie]

I somehow deleted the letter I posted. Just putting it back up for future use.

[Gus49OVI]

Thanks Boozie for replacing the letter... I thought my Alzheimers was kicking in....

[44th Miss Inf]

Thanks for sharing the letter, it fleshes out some work I've been doing. Below is a letter from a guy in the 7th Mississippi explaining his experience at Missionary Ridge. Hope this helps explain what W.H. Laymon confronted on that November day.


Steve Acker
ONV


Camps near Dalton GA
December 2nd 1863
Dear Sister
I once more have an opportunity of writing you a few lines to let you know that I am still in the land of the living. We have had another fight and the yanks have given us a genteel thrashing. I was in the fight but did not get hurt. There was none of our company hurt but there was five captured. Neil Currie, Dan Cupit, John Smith, John Robinson (Robertson), and William Cobb were the ones captured. They were captured on the 24th of Nov. The Yanks began to advance on us on the 23rd and the left wing of our regt was guarding a railroad bridge to the right of where our brigade was stationed. We held them in check until Tuesday morning the 24th and we had to fall back from there and the boys were afraid to get out of the ditch for fear they would be killed. They tried to get me to stay with then and surrender but I told them I was going to risk my chance of getting out. The Yanks were in 150 yard of me when I left the ditch. Driving in full line and as I left they fixed a full volley at me but none of them touched me. We skirmished with them form Monday evening until Wednesday evening and then we were ordered to go back to our brigade and about the time we got back there and began to rest our selves. We looked down the hill and saw the Yanks coming with five lines of battle so we were ordered in our ditches and our regt stayed there until the Yanks whipped our men on the right and got into our ditches and began to fire down the ditches at us. They captured one piece of the battery that belonged to our brigade. I was in 50 yards of the battery when they planted their colors on it. The battery men and the Yanks fought with sticks and rocks and carried out one piece after the Yanks got hold of it and were trying to hold it. I would not have believed this if I had not seen it with my own eyes. But I tell you I am ashamed that I belong to the brigade that I do for it done some of the shakiest fight I ever saw, but I feel that I have done my duty. We left Missionary Ridge Wednesday night or rather we more run away from there before night. I think we had as well as quit and go home for I see no other chance but for us to be whipped. Alex Currie was not in the fight. He had just got back from the hospital and he had no gun so he was sent back to the rear with the wagons. He is the luckiest boy I ever saw. We are camped in about three miles of Dalton Ga and we have all got rested and our mess has killed a big fat hog and we are all doing fine. Well I will close for this time. Hoping to hear from you soon. Give my love to all the family and the same for yourself. From your affectionate brother. Archie

Ps when you write, direct to Dalton GA
Compamy (e) 7th Miss regt
Anderson’s Brigade

Steve,
May I ask where this letter came from? I have what is supposed to be a full set of the the Hugh A. ("Archie") McLaurin letter from the Wisconsin Historical Society but they only covered through September 1863. Is there more? Reason I'm asking is, I am trying to help locate information for a book on the &7th Miss Inf Reg that a cousin is writing, and we do not have this letter.
If you don't mind providing the information, either PM me or email me at virgilroberts@hotmail.com
Thanks
Virgil Roberts

[Ryan Halsey]

Thanks for posting.

[madasabagofcats]

I sure didn't have any luck finding what regiment the Colonel belonged.

I have to say that the storming of Missionary Ridge was an incredible undertaking.

I studied Beatty's Brigade when I was mainstreaming with my old unit the 9th Ky. On the subject of the 79th/86th Indiana's captured Major I would point you to the maps of the battle in Peter Cozzens' fine book 'The Shipwreck of Their Hopes'.

It seems the 79th/86th were more likely to have been facing the 24th and 28th Alabama of Manigault's Brigade or possibly the scattered remnants of Anderson's (Tucker's) Mississippians (7th, 9th, 10th, 41st, 44th.) There is also the possibility that the captured Major (?) could have been Major Courtney of the Brigade's artillery.

There are also some great links to a possible solution to the question in Cozzen's notes n the chapter. Sometimes the OR's get bogged down in the 'fog of war'.....