Status - John Baer - 40th Indiana Regiment - Stanley's Corps - Wagner's Division - Lane's Brigade
Both armies have moved to Nashville and are digging in across from each other.
John Baer is discharged from the service soon after writing the entries below. We have no more of his diary after the entry of the 4th. On his way home, he must have had many thoughts of his time in the Union army:
In 1861, his 3-month regiment, the 10th Indiana, was rushed to the front in West Virginia, and ran immediately into a hornet's nest at Rich Mountain, but in the end the battle was won, On the 10th's dispersal, he had the summer at home, but in the fall joined his 3-year regiment, the 40th Indiana, formed by men from the Lafayette area.
January 1962 found them in the cold winter of Kentucky, drilling daily and getting used to army life for several weeks, before the Confederate army fell back and they captured Nashville. Racing in March and April for the Shiloh battlefield, they arrived late on the second day; suffering few casualties, but horrified by the slaughter of the battle. A long, hot summer of moving slowly across Tennessee, repairing railroads and bridges, ended in the rush toward Louisville to protect it from the advancing Confederates. The 40th was in the part of the army that remained idle as the Perryville battle raged; after that, much waiting, until the battle at Stones River, where John received a wound in the arm.
Early 1863 was relatively quiet, as General Rosecrans advanced the army slowly; the 40th spent some weeks north of Chattanooga, observing the city and holding the Confederates' attention as the rest of the army moved around the city to the south. When the rebels were flanked out of the city, they moved in; but must have been astonished as a defeated Union army streamed back into the city after the disaster of Chickamauga. Weeks of gloom and reduced rations followed until the arrival of General Grant. After the battle of Lookout Mountain, an improbable charge up Missionary Ridge secured Chattanooga, setting the stage for Sherman's advance.
1864 saw them rushed to defend Knoxville, leaving their supplies and equipment behind. They suffered from the cold and lack of shelter in East Tennessee. Eventually in the spring, a month's leave to return home, and John took the opportunity to get married. In summer, there was the advance toward Atlanta, flanking the Confederates, advancing, entrenching, and flanking again. In late June was the failed attack at Kennesaw Mountain, where the regiment was decimated and John was captured. The unspeakable horrors of the Andersonville camp followed. A fortuitous exchange of prisoners, one of the few happening at the time, returned John to the army, and then he was sent north to Tennessee again. Some maneuvering and then John's final battle at Franklin, rushing in retreat after being trapped outside Union lines.
Now John returned home to Jenny, and to a farm in an unknown state. And with little time to relax, likely needing to find firewood, make repairs, and do all the things required for the animals and for the next planting season only a few months away.
This story will now have updates of only once or twice a month, as John is out of the army; but the war rages on, and the 40th Indiana will remain until the end.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Baer Diary Entries - text in white, comments in blue. - November 19th to 22nd.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DIARY ENTRY - Thursday, December 1st, 1864
Daylight still found us on the road
to Nashville, where we arrived about noon, having marched 42 miles in 52 hours
and fought two battles - getting through with the loss of about 20 or 30 wagons
and about 12 or 15 hundred men killed, wounded and captured - while we
inflicted a loss of from 6 to 8,000 killed and wounded on the rebels, and
captured between 1 and 2,000 prisoners.
Arrived at Nashville and went into position, stacked arms and rested
till evening, when we moved back in reserve and pitched camp for the night.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DIARY ENTRY - Friday, December 2nd, 1864
Regiment went on picket in the
morning. Brigade took up position in
line and began throwing up works. The
rebels did not follow up so closely after the backset at Franklin. Made another effort to get our rolls through,
but did not effect anything.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DIARY ENTRY - Saturday, December 3rd, 1864
Regiment returned from picket and
reported to the Brigade, made still another effort with the rolls, succeeded in
getting them examined, and the mustering gratified us with the intelligence
that they were correct, and that we would get out in a day or two. Rebels made a feint which caused some
commotion in camp.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DIARY ENTRY - Sunday, December 4th, 1864
During the night was waked by the
roar of artillery, the cause of which I judged to be the rebels making an
attempt to cross the river, as the firing was in that direction. Was informed today that such was the case. Went to the company having decamped and gone
to the rear the day before, not having a desire to a more intimate acquaintance
with musket balls or shells than was actually necessary. The rebels are observed in front, throwing up
works, and our artillery from four different points in the line are giving them
the benefit of a decent shelling, which I should think would make them feel
rather uncomfortable, especially if they have such a fear of them as I have.
--------------------------
John relates his final days in the service, as the Yankees move back to Nashville, and are followed by the depleted Confederate army. His diary ends on the 4th, and we may assume that he was headed for home soon after.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More Information:
- Link: War Operations, see Volume XLV, Chapter LVII, Part I, Correspondence, pp.3-54.
- The Civil War Day by Day, John S. Bowman, Ed. pp. 186-187.
- The Civil War, A Narrative, Vol 1II, Red River to Appomattox, Shelby Foote, p. 673-682.
- Shrouds of Glory: From Atlanta to Nashville, Winston Groom, pp 212-224.
- Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, p. 647-655.
- Memoirs of General William T. Sherman, pp. 663-668.
- Events: 1864
NEXT POST: JANUARY 1ST
_in_San_Francisco_Bay,_circa_in_late_1945_(NH_98746).jpg)
