This position of the enemy was found to be strongly fortified. Twenty embrazures, from which as many cannon bristled, covered all the approaches to it. General Hooker ordered General Geary to send two regiments in a sortie against the rebel position, and the Twenty-ninth Ohio and Twenty-eighth Pennsylvania regiments, the latter on our left, were at once forwarded to the assault. General Hooker, mounted on his famous gray charger, advanced with us, immediately in rear of our line. The general’s presence greatly encouraged the men in this desperate undertaking.
On the hill were the twenty cannon, which we knew would soon belch forth destruction to our ranks. The two regiments silently but rapidly cross a ravine where they encounter two rebel regiments. These proved to be the First and Twenty-ninth Georgia. We opened fire briskly and charging upon them soon drove them in disorder to the rear.
We pursued them so hotly that our standard-bearer was at one time within a few paces of the rebel Twenty-ninth Georgia colors, which we were making desperate efforts to capture. The rebel color-bearer was shot, but their flag was grasped again by another rebel who escaped with it into their fortification. But the regiment to which he belonged was nearly annihilated before it succeeded in regaining its main line. Our regiment had rushed upon them forcing them back step by step until they were under cover, and we had succeeded in killing, wounding, and taking prisoners all except the little handful who escaped with the flag. At the moment of their escape we made a dash to carry their fortifications, but were checked by abattis and a deep trench hidden by brush. At this point their artillery opened with murderous discharges of grape and canister, which produced terrible destruction in our ranks. Still the line stands firm. Another instant and our men are laying flat upon the ground and the deadly missiles go hissing harmlessly through the air over our heads. We now open a fire upon their cannoniers, so deadly in its character that the guns are soon silenced.
Night was fast coming on when our line was ordered to fall back to a more secure position. The men now engage in the erection of earthworks within a few rods of the rebel fort on the knob, which placed the Twenty-ninth Ohio in the extreme front, our flanking regiments assuming a circular position on our right and left rear. We were under fire all night, the rebel infantry and artillery keeping up an almost continuous rattle in their endeavors to drive our men from their labors on the fortifications. Despite this, however, we held our position, though suffering a constant loss in our ranks.
Just at daybreak on the 16th instant the Sixty-sixth Ohio, of our brigade from the reserve, relieved us; we, however, left them well protected by the strong earthworks constructed during the night.
The Twenty-ninth Ohio regiment went into this action with two hundred members, of whom thirty-nine were killed and wounded. Among the killed was First Sergeant Joel E. Tanner, one of our bravest men. Soon after his death his commission reached us promoting him to a captaincy for bravery in action. God help that little wife of his in her far away northern home to bear his death bravely as the wife of a soldier should, even though all her hopes and bright anticipations seem shattered by the blow. Generals Joe Hooker and Geary announced in warm terms their admiration of the “gallant manner in which the Twenty-ninth Ohio and Twenty-eighth Pennsylvania regiments conducted themselves in the assault on Pine Knob.” The former remarked that taking into consideration the deadly fire we were exposed to, we had accomplished that which he never saw so small a force attempt before. As he was present in the assault his opinion is of value.
Sharp skirmishing and artillery firing continued along the line during the day. At night the Twenty-ninth regiment moved to the front, relieving the Sixty-sixth Ohio regiment. It was nearly morning when we discovered that the enemy were withdrawing their artillery. We at once advanced and possessed the rebel fortifications on the hill with little trouble, as the artillery had already withdrawn and the infantry were rapidly following. After daylight we pushed forward, only to find the enemy in another strong position, which we at once attacked. A rambling fire was kept up during the entire day.
During the following day (June 18th) the same state of affairs continued, the firing extending along our entire front. At an early hour next morning the enemy retreated, and we moved in pursuit, the Twenty-ninth Ohio regiment, as usual, in the advance as skirmishers. Why, I believe the “boys” would have rebelled had they not been put on the skirmish line whenever there was a prospect of somebody being killed on our side. Rapidly we gained possession of two lines of hills, and soon found the enemy upon a third ridge, strongly fortified. A skirmish of two hours’ duration ensues, and we are ordered to fall back to the main line, as support to Bundy’s Thirteenth New York battery.
June 20th the Twenty-ninth regiment and its brigade are in line three miles southwest of Marietta, Georgia, and skirmished all day with the enemy. As night came on our division moved to the right, forming on the right of Butterfield’s Third division. Our regiment was again on the skirmish line, and in active engagement during the greater part of the night. The next morning we formed line of battle near Culp’s farm and to the right of Little Kenesaw mountain. At about 11 A. M. our regiment was withdrawn from the skirmish line, and at once began throwing up rifle-pits parallel with works of Williams’ First division on our right and Butterfield’s on our left. The Third brigade of the Second division now advanced and engaged the enemy, our single line affording feeble protection in the event of an attack on our position.