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Recollections of the Civil War by J. B. Lightsey
Part One
Joseph Benjamin Lightsey was a member of Company H of
the Thirty-Seventh Mississippi Regiment--The Jasper Avengers. He wrote of
his war experiences in the Jasper County Review. They were told from a personal
viewpoint like that of his cousin, R. J. Lightsey. However, they are not
told in a time linear order like the Veteran's story, but related in a series
of articles as he remembered the events. A brief outline of their service
is given below.
The Jasper Avengers were formed on March 15, 1862 and
listed with the 37th Regiment organized in rendezvous at Columbus, Mississippi,
April 28, 1862. It was part of the Fourth Brigade, known as John D. Martin's
of Little's Division, General Sterling Price's Army.
In September they moved to Iuka to cut off Rosecarns.
While they captured some of his stores, his troops managed to evade them.
Next they moved to Rienzi to form a junction with Van Dorn's Army, but Rosencrans
was blocking them. On September 19th they had a fierce battle on the Jancito
road and General Little's was killed.
On October 3rd, the brigade was carrying the outer line
of breastworks at Cornith and Colonel Martin received a mortal wound while
leading a charge against the Federal line. Colonel McLain replaced him,
and he was wounded on October 4, while they were making an attack upon the
inner batteries and the town. On the 5th, they engaged a body of federal
skirmishers at the Hatchie River.
During the winter they were at Vicksburg, reinforcing
General Lee against Grant. During the 48 day siege at Vicksburg, the brigade
suffered one fourth of its number being killed or wounded. The 37th lost
seventeen men killed with fifty-six wounded. They were in the trenches day
and night with no troops to relieve them for rest and sleep. On July 4,
they stacked arms and left the trenches for parole in the rear and remained
at camp at Enterprise until early February 1864. From there they went to
Mobil to meet and contest Sherman's advances. They took part in battles
of New Hope Church near Dallas, Georgia and on Kenesaw Mountain under Colonel
O'Neal, holding the ground despite heavy losses.
On July 22, 1864, they advanced to Peachtree Creek and
were flanked by the Federal Army. They were eventually forced to retreat.
After the battle of the 28th near Atlanta, they remained on duty at the
Atlanta lines until it was evacuate in September.
During October and November they engaged in skirmishes
along the Chattanooga and Atlanta Railroad, going north to Dalton and then
to Gadsden and on to Tuscombia. From there they moved to the battle of Nashville
in middle December.
On April 26, the Army surrendered to General Sherman
and they were paroled at Greensboro.
"Recollections of the Civil War" by J. B.
Lightsey (Jasper County Review, January 2, 1908)
"We old Rebs had some laughable incidents occasionally
in our little frolics, as well as things not so funny.
During the siege of Vicksburg in 1863, where for 47
days and nights we fought and bled for Southern principles, and were fed
mule beef and dirty pea bread, we found it not so funny until General Pemberton
turned 38,000 of us over to the tender mercies of General Grant. We got
one square meal and a parole to come home.
We reached home in July, foot sore and ragged. Some
of our boys killed themselves eating roasting ears before reaching home,
but those of us who reached home safely made fearful depredations on the
larder; a dish of bacon and greens would grow beautifully less, and disappear
as if by magic.
In about a month, we were sent to parole camps, located
at Enterprise where we bivouacked until winter was over, and then were ordered
to join General Joseph E. Johnson's army in Georgia. There was a squad of
my command who did not go with the main army. Captain W. B. Ferrell commanded
this squad.
We boarded the train at Shubuta, where we remained over
night and there was a ball there that night, at which Lieutenant Holiday
was gallanting a girl. Water was scarce, and in looking around for some
one to bring in a bucket of water, Holiday espied my old friend, Sam Parker.
The lights were dim, and Sam being unshaven, he mistook
Sam for a negro, and said, "Here boy, take this bucket and bring some
water and I will give you two bits."
"H--L", exclaimed Sam, " just now offered
five dollars for a drink!" The Lieutenant wilted.
The next day we reached Mobile, where we had a lay over
until night. The other boys took a stroll around the town, and I passed
the time writing at the depot.
The only company I had was three drunken Choctaw Indians
soundly sleeping in the sunshine, with mouths wide open. At this juncture,
a finely dressed lady came tripping up to me and said: "Are all of
the engines gone out?" "No, madam". I replied, "there
lies three of them asleep." She turned and looked at the Indians and
laughed heartily and left without another word. I then discovered the mistake
I had made in calling an Indian an "Injun". Then it was my turn
to laugh.
From January 9, 1908 Jasper County Review
We left Mobile and crossed the Bay and took the cars
for Pollard, Florida. Our squad took seats in a car that a Colonel Brown
with an Alabama regiment had taken possession of.
Colonel Brown came in just as we had taken our seats
and as he entered he discovered the Rev. Dan McKinnis, a Presbyterian Minister
from Jasper County, Mississippi, and called out: "Hey there, you man
with the stove pipe hat on, get out of this car, I want it for my men and
want none but my men in it." The minister meekly obeyed.
The next man that Brown noticed as not belonging to
his command was my friend and comrade, Sam Parker, of Company K, 37th Mississippi
Regiment.
"What command do you belong to?", said Brown.
"Is that any of your business?" retorted Sam, who by the way had
managed to get hold of some bug juice, of which Sam was at that time particularly
fond, and had a special talent for finding, and of course had imbibed too
freely. Brown was considerably angered at Sam's reply to him and said, "You
must get out of here."
Sam said, "I am not going to do any such a thing."
Brown then called for two of his men with bayonets, and they laid hold on
Sam, but could not move him from his seat. Brown ordered them to stick their
bayonets in him, but the men pretended to try to stick their bayonets and
told Brown that they were so crowded that they did not have room to obey
orders.
At this juncture Captain Ferrell went to Brown and told
him that Parker was one of his men and had been drinking rather freely.
As soon as Brown learned that Same was an old time friend of Captain Ferrell
and that he was an ex-sheriff of Jasper County, this stopped the row.
We retained our seats with Brown and his men until we
reached Pollard where we took possession of some vacant cabins, and spent
some time with the salamanders and gophers.
While here Sam got even with the Brown gang, for the
treatment accorded him by them on the train.
There was a widow lady living not far from our camps
owning some fat hogs, one of which ventured dangerously near our camps and
was taken in out of the wet by the Brown gang. The widow found the hog thief,
and the widow agreed to take $10 and let them keep the hog. So it was salted
down in a tub and put under their bunk for safekeeping, anticipating a fine
breakfast of pork in the morning. They retired early and slumbered and slept,
but Sam whose keen eyes had discovered where the pork was hidden decided
he wanted a little fresh pork too, and did not particularly care to wait
until breakfast, so he swiped the pork from under the bunk, and not leaving
a single piece for Brown and company.
Then as Company K was in no hurry to go to sleep we
decided to put the pot on and have a sup before we went to bed, and by the
next morning there was nothing left but the bones for poor Pohny Jones.
Next morning there was not a greasy spot to be found
of the widow's hog.
From January 16, 1908 Jasper County Review.
We took the train the next day for the front, passing
a train of soldiers in a parallel track, we could easily grab a hat from
their heads, stuck out of the car window.
A Lieutenant Hopkins form Enterprise of the 37th Mississippi
Regiment looked back form the platform on which he was standing and said:
"Boys, now is the time to get a good hat."
The word was scarcely out of his mouth when a man on
the other train snatched him baldheaded taking his fine Beaver and a lock
of his hair as a parting gift. Then there was a full grown Rebel yell along
both lines.
Hopkins did not enjoy it as well as the other boys,
and dodged back in to the car hatless until we landed at Resaca, Georgia,
where the next day we got caught in a trap, set and sprung, but a little
too much whiskey aboard.
The Yankees were shoving General Joe pretty closely,
trying to out flank him with their superior numbers, and he like old Santa
Anna, would fight and run away, to live and fight another day.
Our Commander who was under the influence of whiskey,
decided that he with the 37th Mississippi Regiment could whip a Brigade
of Yankees, marched us to a gap the Yankees were making for , and took a
position that no sane man would have chosen. It was a little valley, bounded
on both sides by a range of steep hills. After viewing the situation, I
remarked: "Boys, right here some of us are going up."
We did not have time to advance our picket skirmisher
because the blue coats made their appearance on the hills, surrounding us.
Guns commended popping on all sides, and the cry of "Oh Lord",
went up as some poor fellow was hit with a bullet.
It was then that men called on the name of the Lord.
Our officer soon saw that we would all be killed or captured, he gave the
orders to retreat which most of us who were able obeyed with alacrity.
One gritty fellow of Company K would not lope according
to orders, but stood by a tree loading and shooting a rifle which he could
come as near driving the cross at 10 yards, as any man in the regiment.
He caused at least two of the enemy to bite the dust before he was captured.
As we retreated, the bullets reminded me of a swarm
of bees, as they came whizzing uncomfortably near out ears. Some of our
men preferred dropping behind logs and stumps to climbing hills in a shower
of lead.
That was one time that I made good use of my legs where
were long, limber and light. I knew that I was quite fleet in a foot race,
but on that occasion, I think out of 100 men 99 were left behind me in a
race of 200 yards up a hill.
When the brow of the hill was turned, there was but
one man ahead of me, and it seemed that both of us believed alike--that
distance lent enchantment to the view.
We lost about 80 men in 10 minutes time from our Regiment,
which was 800 at that time. Two men from Company H were killed: Duffy and
Isaac Land, - an uncle of Dr. Land of Louin. Among those detailed to burry
him was the writer.
We had to fall back from Resaca as the enemy with his
superior forces was out flanking us, Johnson's tactics was in accordance
with old Santa Anna of Mexican fame: "He that fights and runs away
may live to fight another day."
After our reverses here, we crossed the Chataba River,
as our scouts informed us that the enemy was crossing on pontoons to outflank
us.
We retreated to Cassville, where we threw up some hastily
constructed breast works, expecting to give battle to Sherman's forces who
were closed in our rear, our calvary having held them in check by a desultory
running fight day and night with their advanced guard.
Late in the evening the enemy came near enough to begin
shelling our position, to which our batteries replied and soon silenced
their guns, which we learned afterwards, was owning to this attack being
only a feint to cover a flanking movement.
There was but little harm done in this artillery duel.
Firing cessed at night, but we lay on our guns at night expecting a big
battle the next day. About midnight our scouts brought in report that Sherman
was flanking again, and did not intend to give battle to Johnson, unless
they could catch him napping. We were ordered to silently withdraw, and
move to check the outflankers, which was done early next morning, to the
discomfiture of Sherman, and the loss of many of his men.
From the January 30, 1908 Jasper County Review.
Our retreat then continued until we reached Kennesaw
Mountains, where another stand was made, and some severe skirmishing done,
during which General Leonidal Polk was killed while reconnoitering the enemy.
Polk was a Methodist Bishop [N.B. He was an Episcopal
Bishop.] who laid aside his clerical robe, and donned the soldier's uniform,
and took up the sword and according to Scripture, perished by the sword.
He was a good general and a fine looking man.
Sherman again displayed his flanking tactics, but did
not dare to come to a general engagement, notwithstanding his army was stronger
numerically 3 to 1 that Johnson's.
Every time Johnson struck him in his flank movements,
he left a good many of his men to be buried.
Johnson continued his policy of falling back to prevent
this flank movement of Sherman's, and this fretted Jeff Davis who removed
Johnson and put General Hood in command about the time we reached Atlanta,
Georgia.
On the 28th day of July 1864, we turned back to meet
General Sherman at Peach Tree Creek, where he had constructed some temporary
breastworks.There was a sanguinary battle fought there, with a heavy loss
on each side and Hood drove the enemy away from their position. We lost
many brave, good, and noble men in this conflict, amongst whom was Wyatt
Jones, our color bearer, from Co. K, 37th Miss. Regiment. He was in advance
of our Company and was shot as he mounted the enemy's works. There was not
a better soldier, nor a braver man in the Company than Wyatt Jones, and
his death was much regretted by the entire command.
Another brave soldier that was lost there was Jeff Fatheree
of Company K.
I was on this battlefield about two weeks after this
battle and of all the sickening sights that I ever beheld it was there.
In burying the hundreds of slain soldiers they were piled into heaps of
15 or 20 like heaps of logs and not enough dirt place upon the heaps to
cover them.
When I saw them, there were many arms, legs and even
skulls perfectly bare, and I saw one poor fellow that they did not pretend
to bury at all, as he lay with his face to the enemy, just as he fell, resembling
a shriveled mummy.
There were no scavengers of nature there, and it seemed
all nature abhorred such a sickening scene. that is where but little fun
came.
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