Indiana. The fighting on the 2d of January, the third day of the battle, on the left and centre was very severe; but the enemy, broken and dispirited, was forced to yield, and during the night hastily withdrew from the field. At Murfreesboro, on the 20th of March following, when General Rosecrans was reviewing the army, preparatory to his second grand advance against Bragg, as he came to the Seventy-seventh, in passing along the line, he halted in its front and said, "Colonel, I see that your regiment is all right. Give my compliments to the boys, and tell them that I say 'It was the banner regiment at Stone River.' They never broke their ranks."

After the battle, and until the middle of February, the regiment was engaged in guard, scout and foraging duty. It then went into camp at Murfreesboro, and was employed, until the opening of the summer campaign, in erecting fortifications. In the meantime Captain Rose was commissioned Colonel; Captain Frederick S. Pyfer, Lieutenant Colonel, and Captain Alexander Phillips, Major, Major Bradford having resigned. On the 24th of June, the regiment broke camp, and moving by the Shelbyville Pike, the whole army being in motion, encountered Cleburne's Division of the rebel army at Liberty Gap. Colonel Miller, of the Twentyninth Indiana, in command, formed the brigade on the right of Willick's, which was in advance, and was first engaged. The enemy occupied a high hill, abrupt of ascent. The Seventy-seventh, in conjunction with the Twenty-ninth Indiana, charged and carried the heights, routing the enemy, and driving him to the next range, a mile distant. During the ensuing night the enemy was reinforced, but on the following morning the Union line moved forward to attack. The Seventy-seventh was obliged to move over a level ploughed field, now trodden into deep mud. In passing this it was exposed to a hot fire, from which many fell, among them Colonel Miller, Colonel Rose succeeding him in command of the brigade. For nearly two hours the battle raged with unabated fury, when the enemy was again routed, and put to fight. The regiment lost one-third of its effective strength, Lieutenant William H. Thomas being among the killed, and Captain Kreps among the badly wounded.

Soon afterwards the rebel leader commenced his retreat towards Chattanooga, and Rosecrans followed in pursuit, intent on again bringing him to bay. On the 30th of August, the regiment reached Stevenson, and on the following day crossed the Tennessee River. Passing over Sand and Lookout Mountains, the brigade moved down to near Rome, Georgia; but soon after returned, and ascending Lookout, passed along upon its summit, remaining some time near the falls of Little River, and on the 17th of September descended into McLemore's Cove, where it went into line in the enemy's front. On the 19th, changing rapidly several miles to the left, where the fighting was very heavy, it was ordered into positon, and charged, driving the enemy nearly two miles. The Seventy-seventh was on the extreme right of the division, and had attained a position considerably in advance of the troops on its right. But as the enemy seemed thoroughly beaten, no immediate evil resulted. General Willick,

however, immediately ordered Colonel Rose to send out a detachment to the right to ascertain how wide was the gap between his troops and next of the line. Two companies, under Lieutenant Colonel Pyfer, were dispatched, who soon returned reporting the distance a mile and a quarter. General Willick ordered the position to be held, and said that troops would be sent to fill the gap. Just at dark a heavy rebel column of fresh troops attacked with great violence. That fatal gap was not filled, and the Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania, and Seventy-ninth Illinois, with flanks exposed, were left to battle alone with an overpowering hostile force. With a coolness and courage rarely paralleled, the men held their ground, and when at length outflanked, and the line enfiladed, there were signs of wavering, the officers seized the colors, and with unwonted heroism, and daring, inspired the men, by their example, with fresh enthusiasm to maintain the fight, and to hold the ground. The action became desperate, and hand to hand, and to distinguish friend from foe was difficult. In the midst of the fight the rebel General, Preston Smith, was shot down by Sergeant Bryson, the General having taken the Sergeant for one of his own men, and being in the act of striking him with his sword for some conceived offence. But the odds were too great, and that little band of heroes was forced to yield, all the field officers, seven line officers, and seventy men of the Seventy-seventh falling into the hands of the enemy. Those who escaped retired during the night, and under the command of Captain J. J. Lawson took part in the fierce fighting of the following day. On the 21st they retired, with the army, to Chattanooga, and were engaged in fortifying, and in repelling the advance of Bragg.

On the 26th of October, the command moved to the summit of Walden's Ridge, and thence, by Jasper and Shellmound, to Whiteside, where it remained until the close of the year. In January, a large proportion of its members re-enlisted, and were given a veteran furlough. Upon their return to the front, in April, they found Sherman preparing for his Atlanta campaign. At Tunnel Hill, on the 7th of May, they first encountered the enemy, from which position he was driven, and on the following day at Rocky Face Ridge, the contest continuing until the morning of the 13th. At Resaca, and at Kingston it lost severely. Again on the 25th, at New Hope Church, they were warmly engaged. Temporary breast-works were erected, and for three days the fighting continued. On the 4th of June they were moved three miles to the left, where again the ground was hotly contested. At Acworth, on the 6th of June, Colonel Rose, after his long confinement as prisoner of war, rejoined his regiment, and resumed command. From the 19th to the 23d, it lay close up to the base of Kenesaw Mountain, where it was hotly engaged, and was exposed to a terrible fire of artillery, losing heavily. On the 24th, with the entire corps (it being now in the Third Brigade, First Divison of the Fourth Corps), it moved to the right, and for four days had sharp fighting. A desperate assault was then made upon the fortifications, which was repulsed; but the lines still held their position close up to the enemy's

works until July 3, when he again retreated. At Smyrna the enemy made a stand, and the brigade was ordered to assault his works. They were gallantly carried and occupied. At the Chattahoochee River the regiment was kept busy for several days in skirmishing, and at Peach Tree Creek, on the 20th and 21st, was hotly engaged.

The enemy now retired to his fortifications about Atlanta, and for a month the regiment was constantly employed in the operations of the investment. Captain John E. Walker was killed on the 5th of August. On the 25th of August, it moved to the Montgomery Railroad, and was employed in destroying the track. On the 1st of September it struck the Macon road, and assisted in effecting its destruction for a long distance. At Jonesboro the command went into position on the left of the Fourteenth Corps. The enemy was driven to his second line of works, from which he opened a heavy fire. Halting for the troops to come up, preparations were made for renewing the engagement in the morning; but when morning came it was discovered that he had retired. At Lovejoy the regiment was warmly engaged on the 2d, 3d, 4th, and evening of the 5th of September. On the 3d, Major Phillips lost an arm, and Lieutenant H. R. Thompson was killed.

After the fall of Atlanta, Hood, now in command of the rebel army, moved north upon Sherman's communications. Sherman followed as far as Gaylesville, Alabama, where, finding that he could not bring his adversary to battle, he sent Stanley with the Fourth Corps, and Schofield with the Twenty-third, to report to Thomas, in command at Nashville, while he turned back with the balance of his army to Atlanta, and subsequently to the sea. With the Fourth Corps the regiment moved to Pulaski, on the Nashville and Decatur Railroad, arriving on the 3d of November. Three weeks later it retired to Columbia, and here the enemy again made his appearance, and was warmly greeted, not having been seen for a month. His main columns approached on the Waynesboro road, and the Seventy-seventh, with other troops, was posted on an eminence commanding it. Without attempting to force his way in front, he designed, by a flank movement, to cut off the Union forces from their way of retreat to Nashville, and thus beat them in detail. In this he came nigh being successful. Remaining until after dark, on the 29th, the regiment moved in rear of the column, and succeeded in eluding the rebel chieftain, and safely reaching Franklin. Here it was decided to make a stand, the lines were established, and temporary breast-works thrown up covering the town, which is situated in an elbow of the Harpeth River. The First Division of the Fourth Corps was posted on the right of the line, covering the roads leading west, with its right resting on the river. The Seventy-seventh was deployed as skirmishers, connecting on the left with the skirmishers of the Twenty-third Corps. Scarcely had the line been posted, four companies upon the outer line, and the remaining ones in close proximity in reserve, before the enemy came up in line of battle, and commenced a furious attack. The skirmishers upon the right, not having got into position, gave way, and his line pushed on in pursuit. The Seventy-seventh maintained, heroically, its position

against overwhelming odds, until nearly surrounded, but succeeded in cutting its way back, bringing in all its wounded and some of its dead. It was now posted behind the breast-works, on the left of the Thirtieth Indiana, where it remained until the close of the battle.

At midnight the forces withdrew across the Harpeth River, and retired to Nashville. Hood foliowed, and sat down in front of the town. Having gathered in and re-organized his forces, mounting what he could, Thomas marched out on the 15th of December, and attacked him in his entrenchments. The regiment moved on the Granny White Pike, and was engaged with the troops on the right, that stormed the heights where the rebel lines were first broken. At night it moved three miles to the Franklin Pike, and at daylight, with other troops, attacked the enemy in the new position to which he had withdrawn. In moving over the hill, to the right of the pike, it was exposed to a terrible cross fire of grape and canister, losing heavily, Colonel Rose having his horse killed under him, and Lieutenant Baldwin being killed. But undismayed it pushed forward, carried both lines of the enemy's works, and captured one of the batteries from which it had suffered so severely in advancing. The rebel army was completely routed, losing heavily in men and material. The pursuit was vigorously pushed, but swollen streams, and almost impassible roads, delayed the column. The Seventy-seventh followed up, occasionally skirmishing with his rear guard, until it reached Huntsville, Alabama, where it rested.

On the 13th of March, 1865, the regiment broke camp, and moved to Strawberry Plains, East Tennessee, where it was joined by three new companies under Captains Rohrbacker, Bell and Shock. Two weeks later it pushed on to Bull's Gap, and here received two more companies under Captains Brauff and Shaw. On the 25th of April, the regiment returned, by rail, to Nashville. While here Major William A. Robinson was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, and Captain J. J. Lawson to Major. In the re-organization of the forces, which was here made, the regiment was assigned to the First Brigade of the First Division of the Fourth Corps, and Colonel Rose placed in command of the brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Robinson of the regiment.

The rebel armies east of the Mississippi, thoroughly beaten, had laid down their arms, and surrendered to the victors; but on the west they still preserved a hostile front. The Seventy-seventh, with other forces was accordingly, ordered to Texas. Moving by rail to Johnsonville, it proceeded, by transport, to New Orleans, where it bivouacked for three weeks on the field of Jackson's victory, and thence by steamer, to Indianola, Texas, arriving on the 27th of July. From here it marched to Green Lake, where a halt of ten days was made, and then proceeded to Camp Stanley, four miles above Victoria, on the Gaudaloupe River. Here it remained until the 1st of October, when it returned to Victoria. On the 5th of December, it received orders to return home, and breaking camp, marched to Indianola, a distance of fifty miles, where it embarked, and on the 16th of January, 1866, arrived in Philadelphia, and was finally mustered out of service.

210.

DEDICATION OF MONUMENT

0

78TH REGIMENT INFANTRY

BROTHERTON'S WOODS, CHICKAMAUGA PARK, GA., NOVEMBER 14, 1897.

PRAYER BY REV. J. THOMPSON GIBSON, D. D.

LORD, we adore Thee as the King, eternal, immortal, invisible; the only wise God. We worship Thee as our Creator, Preserver and Bountiful Benefactor. We thank Thee that in Thy gracious providence we have been given a home in this great and good land, where we have civil and religious liberty, where the civil government is the ordinance of God for justice, where our religious, civil and social institutions are leavened and moulded by the gospel of Christ. We confess before Thee our unworthiness, our selfishness and our failure to use the high privileges and opportunities as we should have done. We confess that as a nation we sinned against Thee, the King of kings and Lord of lords; that as a nation we degraded the ordinance of God for justice and made it a means of enslaving and oppressing our fellowmen. We recognize Thy mighty hand and outstretched arm in the deliverance wrought for the enslaved people by the blood shed on this and other consecrated battlefields. We recognize Thy hand in controlling and bringing to a right issue the great war in which it was our lot to take part. for the courage, patriotism and devotion to right principles that charWe thank Thee acterized the lives of the brave men who fell on this field for the preservation of our government and the interests of human liberty. We pray Thee to forgive all the wrong that has been done by the nation, and help us as a nation in the future to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with Thee.

We pray for a blessing upon the families and friends of those who fell on this field. We pray for a blessing upon those who are suffering while they still live from the wounds received here. We pray for a special blessing upon the nation that has been preserved through this sacrifice of blood and treasure.

In Thy presence and on this Thy holy day, we set apart and dedicate to the memory of those who died, this goodly monument. May it stand for centuries to testify to the courage and devotion of those who died here for a great cause. May it ever be to all beholders an inspiration to noble deeds of sacrifice for the preservation of all our national blessings and for the establishment of whatever will tend to the greater liberty and the robler development of our fellowmen.

Enable those of us who are assembled here to-day to reconsecrate ourselves to Thy service in life. Make us all true, faithful, courageous soldiers of the Lord Jesus Christ; and, under the leadership of the great Captain of our salvation, help us ever to do our duty on the side of right