Uncle Daniel's Story Of "Tom" Anderson, and Twenty Great Battles

by John McElroy

“This bloody battle raged with a deadly fury unparalleled on the continent up to that time. Louder and louder roared the artillery and more steadily and sharply rattled the musketry. The smoke was rising in great clouds from the field of carnage. Gen. Silent was very impatient on account of the non-arrival of Gen. Buda, as well as Gen. Wilkins, whose division was some six miles away to the rear, and was expected to come rapidly forward and strike west of Hawk Run, on the left flank of the enemy; but no Buda and no Wilkins came. The battle was then raging with great slaughter on both sides. The entire Union force was now engaged, and the rebel commander was bringing his reserves forward and re-enforcing his lines. He could be seen re-organizing his forces and putting his reserves in line. Gen. Jackson and his staff were seen riding along giving directions. He had on his staff one Gen. Harrington, who seemed to be very active in moving about. Soon another assault was made on our lines. The fresh troops seemed to inspire them with new zeal, and on they came, steadily and firmly, with a constant and heavy fire pouring into our lines. The assault was resisted for some time. It seems that during this assault, their Commander-in-Chief, Gen. Sydenton Jackson, was shot through the breast, falling from his horse dead. At the fall of Jackson, Gen. Harrington seemed to become crazed and rushed madly on, directing that every Yankee be killed. 'Bayonet them!' 'Kill them like cats!' 'Let none escape,' he cried. So on they came like a line of mad animals, sending forth such unearthly yells as to induce the belief that all the fiends of the infernal regions had been turned loose at once and led on by old Beelzebub himself. On, on they came. Our line reeled and staggered under the assault. A fresh column came up under Gen. Bolenbroke, and advanced rapidly against our right flank, and bore down so heavily that our line on the right and centre again gave way. In falling back, Gen. Waterberry, a gallant officer who had brought up our reserves on our first repulse, was killed while trying to rally his men.

“His death seemed to create a panic, and Gen. Sherwood was unable to hold the men to their line. He would form and reform them, leading them himself; but when he would look for the command he was trying to bring to the front, he would find them going to the rear, making very good time.

“Peter's command was in this part of the line. He could hear this man Harrington, as the rebels came rushing on, crying out: 'No quarter!' 'Kill every Yankee!' 'Let none escape!' 'Rid the country of the last one!' 'Take no prisoners!' The panic continued on our right, and at least one-half of this part of Sherwood's command broke, and was utterly disorganized, hiding behind trees, in hollows and ravines, to cover themselves from the enemy. In great numbers they sought roads leading to the rear, and followed them without knowing to what point they might lead. In this demoralized condition of one portion of our army, despair seemed to set in. Gen. Silent sat on his horse looking sadly at this condition of things. He spoke not a word. Riding up to Sherwood, who was greatly excited, he said:

“'General, can you not send word to Prince to fall back slowly? I see the enemy will soon be on his flank.'

“As the General rode away he said: 'I cannot understand the delay of Buda and Wilkins.'

“He sent orderlies immediately to hurry them up, giving imperative orders to them 'to move to the field of battle as rapidly as possible.' In the meantime Gen. Hudson had gone to the support of Prince; our forces on the right having steadily fallen back. It was too late, however, to save him. The enemy had surrounded him before Hudson could form on his right, and he was compelled to surrender with a portion of his command, the rest having fallen back and thereby saved themselves. Hudson joined on the remainder of Prince's command and made resistance to the further advance of the enemy. Our line, being again intact, fell back behind a ravine that crossed the battlefield from northwest to southeast—from Moccasin Run to the river. The enemy by this time were in possession of the camps of the Union forces, and partially giving themselves up to plunder, the battle gradually slackened until darkness closed in on the contending armies The enemy occupied our camps during the night, intending the next morning to capture what was left of our army. During the first part of the night they kept up a fearful noise, evincing their joy over what they thought a great victory. Gen. Silent, however, was engaged in arranging his forces for an attack at daylight, being satisfied that he could surprise the enemy and defeat him, as he would not expect our forces to fight, and, therefore, take the noise of preparation for a retreat. The column under Gen. Wilkins came up early that night and was posted on the right of our army, with its right on Hawks Run.

“Gen. Buda also arrived during the night and was given position on the left, his left resting on the river. The center, held by Sherwood, was re-enforced by Hudson and that portion of Prince's command not captured. The artillery was put in battery in the center and on the right center, and orders given for the men to replenish their boxes with ammunition, to sleep on their arms, and at 4 o'clock in the morning to make a simultaneous attack all along the line with infantry and artillery, moving the artillery rapidly to the front. This being understood, all were quiet. The enemy were so confident of having our army at their mercy that they lighted fires and made night hideous with their howls. During the night the leaves and grass were set on fire by some unknown means and burned over the battlefield, causing great consternation, as many of the wounded were yet lying where they fell. Their shrieks and appeals for help would have made the tears come to the eyes of the most heartless. An allwise Providence, however, heard their prayers and appeals for help, and the windows of heaven were thrown open and the flood poured forth and subdued the flames, saving many a poor fellow from dreadful torture and death. The storm continued nearly all night swelling the little streams that ran through the battlefield, causing the roads to become almost impassable. The stragglers were collected and returned to their commands.

“At 4 o'clock the crack of musketry was heard, and soon after the artillery from our lines opened and we were upon the rebels. They were taken by surprise and thrown into confusion. The hurrying of officers from one part of the field to another was distinctly heard by our men and greatly encouraged our forces. On they moved, driving the enemy pell-mell from our former camp. It was impossible, under our galling fire, for the enemy to form in any compact line. They fell back as our troops advanced. We struck them in front, on the flank, and, as they sometimes turned in their retreat, in the rear. The slaughter for a time was terrible and sickening. They were at last driven into the woods where they had formed the day before. Here a lull came in the contest, and they took advantage of it to form their line again, believing that our advantage could only be temporary, having no knowledge of the number of our re-enforcements. When they were in a condition to do so they advanced and took the aggressive. On they came. Our line stood as immovable as a rock, received the shock of their first assault, and then poured the missiles of death into their ranks as if they were being rained down from the heavens. For a time the lines both advanced slowly and dealt death into each other. The commands from each army could be distinctly heard by the other. Harrington on the rebel side was heard to say:

“'Charge the Lincoln hell-hounds! Give the cowardly dogs the bayonet!'

“This gave our troops that heard it a contempt for the man, and a determination to receive the charge in a soldierly manner. They stood silent until the enemy was within close musket range, and at the order—the batteries having come up—everything opened and poured volley after volley into the advancing columns, which swayed and halted; no power could press them forward. Our forces seeing this, advanced steadily, firing as they moved. At last the rebel line gave way and fled to the woods on their left, taking shelter among the trees. The ground between the lines was now literally covered with the killed and wounded. On our extreme left the battle was still raging, and seemed to be going to our rear. Gen. Silent rode away to this part of the field. Finding that our forces had fallen back nearly to the junction of Bull Gulch and Buck Lick Run, he ordered Hudson to move rapidly and strike the enemy in flank where the line had been broken by the falling back of their left and center. This order was executed with much alacrity and was a great success. Hudson struck the detached portion of the enemy's army in flank and rear, and doubled them up (over the very ground from which our forces had fallen back the day before), capturing many prisoners and several pieces of artillery. Here he met a young officer whom he had noticed moving rapidly to the front and assaulting the enemy with his command at any and every point where he could hit him.