Wood and Steadman had now united on the left, and prepared to assault the rebel right, which was still unbroken. Under cover of a tremendous fire from the national guns, Colonel Post’s brigade moved forward. Straight’s brigade, of Beatty’s division, formed on his right. In support, immediately on Post’s left, Thomas’ colored brigade was drawn up, and Morgan’s colored brigade was next on the left.
The enemy reserved his fire until Post’s brigade commenced climbing the hill, when a perfect hurricane of shot, shell and canister tore through his ranks. In the face of this fire the men steadily advanced.
Thompson’s men, in endeavoring to pass around to the left, met a terrible flank fire, which confused their ranks. The troops on the right, torn in pieces by the fire, paused an instant, and at this juncture the brave Colonel Post was mortally wounded. In a moment all order was lost, and the men, whose conduct had ennobled them, rushed back, confused and scattering, to the line from which they started. Wood soon reformed his broken battalions and issued orders for the renewal of the assault, while Post’s veterans again assailed the hill directly, and Thompson’s Africans moved on the rebel right. Elliott’s and Kimball’s divisions were hurled like a thunderbolt against the rebel left. Wood himself, accompanied by all his staff, followed and directed the charge. The rebel force blazed forth anew, and the patriots, without hesitation or panic, carried the entire works with all their guns, and drove the rebels in dismay from the hill. This was the last stand that the rebels made, and their whole army was now fleeing in rout and panic. The results of the battle were five thousand prisoners, thirty guns, and seven thousand small arms.
THIRD DAY.—PURSUIT.
During the night of the 16th, Hood’s army duly improved the opportunity of retreat, falling back in the direction whence they had advanced. At eight o’clock, on the morning of the 17th, the pursuit was commenced, the fighting, of course, being chiefly done by the cavalry, and was continued beyond Franklin. Many prisoners were captured. The pursuit thus commenced went on from day to day, till before the close of the year, the rebels had been fairly chased out of Tennessee. The loss of the enemy, in prisoners, at the battle of Nashville, was thirteen thousand one hundred and eighty-nine, including numerous officers of various grades, and seventy-two pieces of artillery. The National loss was about ten thousand. Hood retreated into Alabama.
CONTINUATION OF THE SIEGE OF CHARLESTON IN 1864.
The siege of Charleston was prosecuted with intermittent activity, during many months of this year. On the third of January, the besiegers threw a large number of shells into the city, loaded with Greek fire. This is one of the most dangerous and deadly agencies of war, and its use, on this occasion, has been condemned, as barbarous. But, as said by General Sherman, “war is cruelty, and you cannot refine it.” A conflagration of considerable violence and extent, was the result of this bombardment. Its scene was the southern part of the city. The shelling was continued at intervals, for several weeks. On the sixteenth of January the Union headquarters were removed from Folly Island to Hilton Head, General A. H. Terry being left in command at the former place. Port Royal was all along held as the basis of military operations on the coast of the State. From this time forward no event of magnitude occurred in the vicinity of Charleston. The guns and mortars of the Union rained on it, now and then, from Morris Island, and from the blockading gunboats, and the rebels responded with occasional shells. The harbor had been filled with insurmountable obstacles, and the city was well fortified and bravely defended. Looked at in the light of succeeding events, it would almost seem as if the capture of Charleston, at this time, were not especially desired by the United States Government. But, however that might have been, the city held out against such assaults as were made, and was only abandoned at last, on the approach of General Sherman from Savannah, after his great march from Atlanta, which will be presently described. The Secession State Government of South Carolina held control of the greater part of the State throughout the year.
OPERATIONS IN MIDDLE AND WESTERN VIRGINIA IN 1864.
At the opening of the campaign for this year, a force of thirty-one thousand men, under command of Major-General Sigel, was held for the protection of West Virginia, and the frontiers of Maryland and Pennsylvania. While these troops could not be withdrawn to distant fields without exposing the North to invasion by comparatively small bodies of the enemy, they could act directly to their front and thus give better protection than if lying idle in garrison. By such movements they could compel the enemy to detach largely for the protection of his supplies and lines of communication.
General Sigel was directed by General Grant to organize all his available force into two expeditions, to move from Beverly and Charleston, under command of Generals Ord and Crook, against the East Tennessee and Virginia railroad. Subsequently, General Ord having been relieved at his own request, General Sigel was instructed to give up the expedition by Beverly and to form two columns, one under General Crook, on the Kanawha, numbering about ten thousand men, and one on the Shenandoah, numbering about seven thousand men. The one on the Shenandoah to assemble between Cumberland and the Shenandoah, and the infantry and artillery to advance to Cedar creek with such cavalry as could be made available at that moment, to threaten the enemy in the Shenandoah valley, and advance as far as possible; while General Crook would take possession of Lewisburg with part of his force and move down the Tennessee railroad, doing as much damage as he could, destroying the New river bridge and the salt-works at Saltville, Va.