Anderson's brigade, of Hood's division, which had been ordered to attack the rifle-pits upon the left of Fort Sanders, became so excited and exasperated over the terrible treatment their comrades were receiving, that they rushed with impetuosity toward the fort, and were into the ditch and suffering the same treatment, before orders which had been sent them to retire from in front of the fort, could reach them, leaving many of their number in the ditch dead or wounded.
As to the number of Confederates engaged in the assault on Fort Sanders, it can only be approximated. Four brigades participated. Wofford's contained six, Humphrey's four, Bryan's four, and Anderson's five regiments.
Gen. Jenkins, who commanded Hood's division upon this occasion, gives us the only clue, when he states that Anderson's brigade, which had been greatly reduced by details for picket duty, contained only about one thousand rifles. This would seem to make the statement truthful, that four thousand men of the Confederate army marched to the assault of Fort Sanders on Sunday morning, Nov. 29th, 1863, and out of that number, less than two hundred and eighty Union soldiers obliged nearly twelve hundred in killed, wounded and prisoners, to remain.
Of this bloody work Battery D did its full share. The fourth piece did the largest part, because of its situation, but the third and fifth did a work which caused the rebel Gen. McLaw to complain of the damage done to Wofford's brigade by guns on his left—our right—in the fort. The second and sixth pieces won this compliment from a rebel source: "That two guns, mounted in a redoubt on the left [our right] of Second Creek, fired so rapidly and accurately as to prevent his column from penetrating the ravine at that point." The first piece, in its position at Battery Noble, was too far removed from the scene of active operations to take a prominent part.
Dec. 7th we were ordered to prepare as many of our guns as possible and be ready to start in pursuit of the enemy. In consequence of losing so many of our horses, we found it impossible to equip more than four guns. These, with about three-fourths of our army, started at noon for Strawberry Plains. Capt. Buckley, Lieuts. Rhodes and Chase accompanied us. The other two pieces, with the battery wagon and forge, were left at Knoxville, under command of Lieut. Parker.
Following the enemy as fast as our impoverished condition would allow, we reached Rutledge about two o'clock on Dec. 9th, where we remained until late in the evening of Dec. 15th, and then began a retrograde movement towards Knoxville. Our enemy had been encamped during this time about nine miles beyond Rutledge. He had now turned upon us, and rumor had it that an attempt was being made to flank us at Strawberry Plains, and Thursday, Dec. 17th, quite a brisk engagement occurred at that place, which quieted down toward evening, and some prisoners captured upon that evening gave us the information that the rebels were retiring from our front.
We encamped for the night, and next day started for Knoxville, arriving on the 20th, and went into camp on the south side of the city. After a rest of a day or two the order came to have fifty men detailed each day to work on fortifications. This was a duty which the men did not relish, and being still short of rations, and having very little clothing, it was a physical impossibility for the men to do even a half day's work.
The weather was very cold, and many of the men left the prints of their toes on the snow as they walked. This was by far the hardest winter that we had seen in the service, and when, about the first of March, we had a chance to draw clothing and shoes, it was appreciated, and when a few rations of coffee and some "hard-tack" was issued, the members of the battery thought they had struck a bonanza.
Notwithstanding the privations we had passed through, nearly two-thirds of the battery re-enlisted, and on March 10th we turned in our guns and horses, and on the 12th started for Rhode Island, on a thirty days furlough. The men that did not re-enlist were left at Knoxville.
We marched to the depot at two o'clock in the morning on the 12th, and took cars for Loudon; crossed the Ferry at eight o'clock that forenoon, and boarded cars for Chattanooga; from there we went to Stevenson, Ala., Nashville, Louisville, Jefferson, Cincinnati, Pittsburg, Harrisburg, New York, and finally reached Providence on March 20th. We had been eight days on the road, having had several delays, but as we were going toward home, we found no fault.