Letter No. 33.—Home

Camp at Chattanooga Tenn.

Dec 2d 1863.

 

My Dear Friends

                        Again has the Army of the Cumberland with Hookers & Grants brave boys routed & scattered Braggs army while yet exulting over their dear bought victory if you call it that, of Chackamauga. You have ere this seen detailed accounts of the fight, but yet it may be interesting to hear what I saw & did in the fight, though the latter part was very small.

 

            I will commence away back to the first signs we got of an advance movement. On the 19 of last month we had orders for each man to have 100 rounds of amunition,—the usual amount we have to carry is only 40 / rounds but when we had those orders we knew something was up. The next day, we had orders to go on picket with two days rations. Well we went out, when it commenced to rain, & rained almost every hour we were out. where we were on the lines are not very far apart, only a little creek between them. The rebs were very friendly comeing down on the bank to traid papers, canteens, or anything they could get. I had a New York Tribune which I exchanged for an "Agusta" paper. The next day I exchanged a Wis. State Journall for the "Richmond news". They wanted to get playing cards most. one fellow offered me greenbacks or gold for some if I would get him some: he said they had to pay $12 per pack for them & they were good for nothing. we was were on two days & at the Station where we were, on 27 rebels deserted & came / over, when they put a guard down to the creek where they came across. we was relieved on the morning of the 22^d. that afternoon we received orders to be ready to move at 6 A.M. the 23^d. we got up & got ready when the order was countermanded but we were not to leave camp but hold ourselves ready to move at a moments notice. At noon, we were ordered to move out into the rifle pits. the position of our Brigade & division is on the extream right & we expected that we were going to make for Lookout mountain or that there would be a generall advance made. At one o'clock our heavy guns from Fort Wood & all along the lines opened on the enemy. Soon we heard skirmishing on the left. Then we understood the movement. After some heavy fireing our forces drove / drove the rebels from their rifle pits, when we stoped for night. We were not allowed to leave the works, as the rebels might make a movement on our right. during the night we were moved up to support a battery of 20 pound Parrotts. just before daylight we were ordered to leave half of the regiment there (which was only 30 men) & take the rest down to Loomis battery, which was down where the brigade was. so the other 40 (nine companies) went down there we had to support & guard it the rest of the brigade had moved out to the front. The next morning we expected to have a fight, but it was still all along the lines. at 10 there was some fireing away off in Lookout valley, where Hooker had his camp. prety soon the fireing became more generall & the first thing we saw was our men chargeing up Lookout mountain. it commenced to rain about noon & kept it was so foggy we could not see very well. at dark we held the mountain. our brigade had driven the rebels on this side & joined Hooker. We expected to go out & join the brigade during the night, but they could get no horses for the battery, so we had to stay. /

 

The next morning was clear but auful cold. the Rebs had left Lookout mountain & our forces had gone over through the valley towards Missionary Ridge. Hooker had got to Rossville which is the place we made our stand on Monday last Sept. here is a large gap or pass between the two ridges. from this place Hooker could come up in the rear of the rebels on Mission ridge. Sherman with Grants Western boys had gone up the river to where Chickamauga Creek empties into the river & crossed over bagging about 100 rebs that were making rafts to float down the river to break our pontoon bridge. here the took posession of a large knob on the north end of Mission ridge, while Maj. Gen. Howard, with the 11 Corps, opened communications with Sherman from this way. this was done before / noon on the 24 and as we had nothing to do but stay down in the ditches I got leave & went up to the fort, which is in front of our camp where I could see Mission ridge & most of the valley this side. I could see our forces forming to charge up to the rebel batteries. Sherman was fighting them on their right & rear, Hooker on their left & rear, while Thomas was leading his men to break their center. soon I could our line advance. Our brigade held the right, forward they went, but the hill was steep & high, & the rebels were packed in their rifle pits. our men come up within range, when they fire & charge up with the bayonet the rebels either retreat or surrender. After chargeing the rebels out of 5 lines of rifle pits we reach the top of the hill and almost at the same time the batteries of the rebels stop / fireing. they have been fireing on Sherman & Thomas as fast as guns could be worked. a cheer reaches us & on the double quick do our men face towards Sherman & go to his relief. The rebel center is broken. we have got all of their heavy guns & hold posession of all the ridge except where the Rail Road goes through there the rebels have massed the remainder of their army. from that point they can rake the whole ridge with grape & canister. we can see 20 different guns open almost at the same instant. guns that had been fireing towards Sherman all the forenoon are now fireing in the opisite direction. the roar of musketry & artillery is heavier than before, a huge column of smoke rises way over to our right. the rebels are burning their stores. Hooker is working there. night comes / on & the rebels hold their position on Tunnell Hill. Sherman had been repulsed three times, but the fourth time he was victorious & the rebels had to leave. that night all was still. Braggs army had been defeated & driven from every position. Chickamauga had been avenged. That night our foces bivoucked in the rebel camps. the next morning our forces were in persuit of the retreating rebels. at Ringold Bragg tried to make another stand. he had choosen a good position but our column which went on our old road from Bridgeport over the mountains to Trenton came up in his rear & joined onto Hooker. when he was soon driven from there. here our army had to stop on account of supplies during the night our Brigade started back & reached here the next afternoon. Bragg lost all of his artillery & about 15,000 prisoners. This is the first fight down in this section of the country that the old 10 was not in the front ranks. our brigade was there & we would have been there if we had officers, but one regiment had to be left back & we was the lucky regiment. The other day I saw over 6,000 rebels cross over the river going to the rear. We have been sending such squads every few days. Day before yesterday we were on picket again. our line was on the same ground that the rebels had their picket on.

 

            The 19 of last month I received a letter from you which I did not have time to answer on the 29 I received another, which I should have answered before, but we had to go on picket. but now I will answer both. I have not seen either of the Galpin boys for some time. I have not seen Alfred but once since we came here to Chattanooga. About publishing my letters I dont know where there is any thing interesting in them that is fit to be seen out of the "Home Circle", that is the place I intended them for & if you choose to let them go out you can do as you like. you must let me know the no. & date of the letter that you let go. as far as I am concerned I dont care only I should like to have the all of my letters saved if they can be, as they will be almost as good as my diary to me & you shall have that if you wont let it be seen out / of the family. I am going to send some regulations along with it that will govern the book for a while.

 

I have received the stamps all safe. They came just in time as everybody was out. I had to let half of them go. I expect Dr Fuller will be here in a day or too he should have been here yesterday. I am so glad that I will have some socks. I almost froze my toes while out on pickt this last time. it froze hard enough to freeze up our canteens. this is the first & longest time I have ever been without socks. I dont see why we dont draw clothing the rest of the Brigade has our clothing has come up that we sent back while at Murfreesboro. I had an overcoat dress coat & pair of drawers with thoes mittens that you made for me. they came up just in time.

 

            I suppose you have seen cousin James before this he is home recruiting for their Regt & as he said that he was / going down to Appleton on purpose to get any thing you wanted to send through & Dr Fuller has brot my things I shant object to as many cans of butter, dried fruit or pickles you may wish to send with some Home made sausages. I tell you he is not comeing back untill the first of next month so you can send me a New Years dinner. I have no choice what you send excepting the above. The best way will be to do up a nice little fox box (as large as all out doors) as he will come through direct.

 

            I expect we will move camp soon as the rebs have left. I hope we wont as we have got very good quarters fixed up. we have got a fireplace almost as large as yours at home in our tent. We can put on a large backlog & keep fire all night

 

            The rumor in camp is that another / order has been whe isued for two commissioned officers & six enlisted men to go home from each Regt after drafted men. I do not know whether it is so or not but most likely we will find out soon as they will reorganize the army here & go into winter quarters & put these drafted through the tatticts & next spring they can take the places of those whose time is out. Oh! wahat what do you think about my reenlisting in the veteran service for three years longer. I can get 30 days fourlough. there is a chance now for all who wish to reenlist. I guess I will wait a while I shall write a letter to Uncle soon about it I guess this letter is long enough & as it is some time after tattoo I must begin to think of closeing. my fingers are geting cold too. what would I do if I should come up there where you have snow this winter. I am afraid you havenot got clothes enough to keep me from freezeing but there aint much danger of my comeing. Dont forget the diary to send it by James with the knife you can do as you like with the shirts. I shall write when the Doctor gets here with the things let me know if you have recd the money I sent home last 12 of Nov. write soon

 

Yours as ever  Frank M. Phelps.

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