Robert Hanna Poem

“Crawfordsville Journal, Feb. 25, 1864″

      (From the Lafayette Journal)

      “In Memory of Robert Hanna”

” While swell the praises of the great,

  Who come in war, or guide the state,

  Forget not him of lowly birth,

  Possessed, perhaps of equal worth,

  ‘Tis he awakes my simple strain,

  A brave, an humble warrior slain,

  A boy he was – A manly boy -

  Gentle of heart, and full of joy,

  Scarce eighteen summers on his head,

  Mid scenes of rural beauty bread,

  So loved by all, so loving all,

  One thought of man before the fall,

  And marked him as a noble soul,

  True as the needle to it’s pole,

  Of graceful make, and fragile form,

  That seemed unsuited to the storm,

  Of modest step, yet gracious mien,

  So much admired so seldom seen;

  Of Rosy cheek, and deep blue eye,

  That struck each hasty passer-by;

  He was a youth, whose beauty told,

  Him sprang from natures choicest mould,

  Mid scenes of peace and rural mirth,

  That nightly graced the homestead hearth,

  This lovely boy, his golden prime,

  Was passing sweetly as a rhyme,

  When hark! A horrid thundering sound,

  That shook Columbia’s utmost bound,

  And jarred the nations near and far,

  Proclaimed the deed of Civil War,

  Enough! The starry flag was torn,

  Insulted, scoff’d by Traitors sworn;

  One Hundred times ten thousand youth,

  Sprang forth to strike for God’s own truth,

  And foremost mid the patriot band,

  Hard by the flag was seen to stand,

  That tender boy, more proud to view,

  Deck’d in his country’s suit of blue,

  And now his weeping friends draw near,

  His father, mother, sisters dear,

  “God save my boy”! His mother cried,

  “God save the flag”! The boy replied,

  Farewell my son, his father cried,

  And blest the stripling warriors head;

  Farewell sobb’d all in tones suppressed,

  And gushing tears supplied the rest,

  Two years rolled by – Two bloody years,

  And yet at home no boy appears,

  For lo! Where o’er the conflict raged,

  He with the foe had been engaged,

  On Shiloh’s dark and bloody ground,

  He saw his comrades fall around,

  And at the siege, when Corinth fell,

  He did a soldiers duty well’

  Where storming lead swept down whole ranks,

  He with a soul afire, aglow,

  That gave the banners of the free,

  That great and glorious victory,

  Yet southward swept the Union host,

  Our matchless chief, victorious Grant,

  Whose praise the world shall ceaseless chant,

  Now guides the war, bids build the bridge,

  And storm the heights on Mission Ridge,

  Instant, in long proud array,

  Stood marshaled for the deadly day,

  A host of veteran souls,

  O’er, whom the old flag’s silken folds,

  From countless standards waving high,

  Against the Rosy morning sky,

  Hovor’d like guardian-angles bright

  To cheer them in the coming fight,

  While winged steeds bear swift command.

  Forward! Boom! Boom! The signal gun

  In thunder told the fight begun,

  Now, like swift lightning’s livid flash,

  Against the frowning mount they dash;

  Which instant to its center shook,

  As forth from every cliff and nook

  Belch’d flaming fire on those below,

  And laid in death to scale the steep;

  Up, Up, The rugged mount they swept;

  When springs the ensign, quick as light;

  To plant the flag on yonder height;

  But as the standard-bearer spod,

  The foe mans bullet stretched him dead,

  The boy, the gallant boy I sing;

  Now forward first was seen to spring

  ‘Mid showers of living, fiery lead,

  That shrieked and stormed about his head,

  He raised the flag, He waved it round,

  And to the top-most summit bound,

  Like lightning’s flash, or mortar’s glare,

  The starry flag one moment there,

  Borne by that dauntless warriors might,

  Gleamed through the gloom of that dread fight,

  When lo! Amid a shower of balls,

  Pierced through the head, the hero falls;

  And downward, like a rushing star,

  That shines resplendent from afar,

  The glittering flag, we loved so well,

  Descended where the hero fell,

  But, thanks to God! The heights were won;

  And now, like gorgeous setting sun,

  As shouts on shouts of victory rise,

  He, in a blaze of glory, dies,

  And oh! me thinks an angle band

  I see, from that celestial land,

  Conduct his soul in Heavenly state

  In triumph through the pearly gate,

  Illustrious youth! thy work is done;

  Thy honor safe; thy fame begun,

  A grateful state thy birth shall claim;

  Thy kindred glory in thy name;

  And while the stars their courses run,

  And mortals greet the morning sun, -

  The prattling child shall breathless hear,

  The maidens cheek betray a tear,

  The pulse of youth throb fast and high,

  And lighting kindle in the eye,

  When o’er in prose, or verse of gold,

  The story of thy deeds is told.”

                                    AMICUS.

  ___________________________________

* A corporal of the 40th Indiana from Montgomery County, who fell while bearing the colors of his regiment in the storming of Missionary Ridge, near Chattanooga, Tennessee.

 

 

 

Color Bearers of Missionary Ridge

One of the hardest fights for Wagner’s Brigade was the battle of “Mission Ridge”. The 40th Indiana Regiment lost 45 percent of it’s strength as it fought up the rocky slopes of the ridge. As in any Union regiment, great pride was felt for the regiment’s flags; the national and  regimental standards. Official accounts tell of the regiment losing several color bearers while assaulting the ridge, not all stories of the action have been told. The “Official Records” state that Lt. Col. Neff planted the regiment’s colors in front of Confederate General Bragg’s headquarters. There are however several pieces of the puzzle that have surfaced through different documents that tell a little of the “soldiers story”. This post is to share a few acts of courage that happened that day.

 On August 24, 1904; during the 40th Indiana Regimental reunion at Frankfort, Indiana this note was made in the  minutes: ” Jesse Neff appointed to procure through Act of Congress, a suitable metal (sic) for James H. Seaman for gallant and distinguished conduct as color bearer of the 40th Regiment at the Battle of Mission Ridge Nov. 25, 1863″. His acts, while not spelled out, left a lasting impression on his comrades 41 years later. It is documented in the newspaper that James recieved a flesh wound to his right arm on that day. There are no other notes in the 40th Regiment’s reunion book that mention what happened with obtaining a metal for James Seaman of Company C.

Another mention of the flags at Missionary Ridge appeared in the Biography of Hezekiah F. Harrell, son of John T. Harrell, 40th Indiana Infantry. An excerpt from “A.W. Bowen’s History of Montgomery County, Indiana (1913) p. 723″: Hezekiah F. Harrell – ” … John T. Harrell spent his early years in the Buckeye state and he came to Montgomery County in 1840 settling in Brown Township, where he followed farming for some time, later devoting his attention to saw milling. He was well known among the early settlers and lived to see the forests give way to the cultivated fields. He lived to an advanced age, dying in 1906. He enlisted in Co. C 40th Indiana Vol. Infantry and served through the war, taking part in 27 hard fought battles. At Missionary Ridge he succeeded in planting the flag after it had been shot down 5 times.”

In the February 25, 1864 “Crawfordsville Journal” a poem appeared on the front page ” In Memory to Robert Hanna”, with a notation at the end stating ” A corporal of the 40th Indiana from Montgomery County, who fell while bearing the colors of his regiment in the storming of Missionary Ridge near Chattanooga”. The poem tells the story of Robert, but the whole story came out in the “Crawfordsville Journal” on June 8, 1889. Captain DeWitt Wallace’s, author of the Robert Hanna Poem spoke at the McPherson Post (G.A.R.) in Crawfordsville, Indiana on Memorial Day, 1889.  The paper reported ” ….. Capt. DeWitt Wallace was the speaker and delivered an oration eloquent in words in eulogy of those who died in liberty’s cause. He incorporated into his address a poem which he had written dedicated to the memory of Robert Hanna, a Montgomery County boy, and who was a member of the Fortieth Regiment. Robert’s brother was a color bearer, and at Mission Ridge he fell, pierced by a ball. The brave boy took up the colors his brother had so proudly borne and carried them nearly to the crest of the ridge when he too, fell dead. Capt. Wallace commemorated the incident in verse.”

The poem states Robert was shot through the head and died on the ridge. His brother James was wounded in the thigh and died in the Army hospital on Feb. 4, 1864 of his wounds. The bodies of both brothers were sent home, they are buried together in Freedom Cemetery, near Waveland, Indiana.

Scott Busenbark

Losses in Companies E & I, 15th Indiana

“The Crawfordsville Journal” 

Thursday, December 10, 1863

Losses in the 15th Indiana

“In the recent battles before Chattanooga, Company “E”, 15th Ind., which is composed principally of men from this county substained the following loss;

Killed – Sergeants Rob’t Gilbert, musket shot in heart; Fred Waltz, musket shot in breast; Solon Bower, musket shot in bowls; Privated Wm. Emmerson, musket shot in head; Wm. R. Cank, musket shot in breast.

Wounded – Lieutenants, 1st Wm. M. Graham, slight, in bowls; 2nd Jas. T. Harvey, severely, in side; Corporals, Silas Cooley, severe, in leg; Wm. L. Hess, slight, in arm; Privates, Henry H. Mercer, severe;Wm. W. Campbell, slight, in hand; Wm. Hartman, slight, in shoulder; Albert Robinson, slight, in chest; J.C. Tyson, severe, in hand.

This company went into the fight with only 28 men; rank and file; and came out with a loss of just one-half – 5 killed and 9 wounded. The wounds of a majority of the boys, we are pleased to learn, were but slight. Lieutenant Graham is now in this city, and is doing well – his wound being in the left side and not at all serious.

We also subjoin a list of the killed and wounded of Company “I”, same regiment. This company, though recruited in and about Liberty, in this State, have many relatives and friends in our county:

Killed – W.D. Sering, 2nd Lieut., rifle ball in head; A. Crist, Sergeant, rifle ball in head; H.H. Orman, rifle ball in breast; W.J. Stanton, rifle ball in the breast.

Wounded – Sergeants, A.B. Cole, in neck, slight; Victor Miller, in the side, slight; G.B. Cliff, in head, severe; Corporals, A.H. Conover, in hand, severe; M.J. Salsan, in shoulder, slight; Henry Aldor, in foot, severe; Jas. Mullen, in thigh, severe; Privates, Isaac Allen, in thigh, severe; Moses Cory, in side, severe; John Dunton, in thigh, severe; A.J. Hiller, in nose, slight; J.B. Macy, in shoulder, severe; George Banks, in thigh, severe; S.J. Wylie, in left ankle, severe.”

Report of Lieut. Col. Elias Neff, 40th Indiana Infantry

No. 43 – Headquarters Fortieth Indiana Infantry

Headquarters Fortieth Indiana Infantry, Chattanooga, Tenn., November 17, 1863.

Captain: I have the honor to report that, on the afternoon of Monday, November 23, my command being at that time on picket duty, having received an order to advance the line, I at once did so. The left of the line of skirmishers soon met those of the enemy, and after a brisk encounter drove them, with a loss to us of 1 man killed and 4 wounded. The line thus advanced was held by my command until midnight, when, being relieved, I moved it, under orders from General Wagner, farther to the left and formed it upon the right of the front line of the brigade. This position, relative to the brigade, was retained during all subsequent operations.

During Tuesday all was quiet. Wednesday, about 1 p.m., an order to advance was received. A forward movement was made for a distance of nearly one-fourth of a mile, when a halt was ordered, and everything prepared for a rush upon the rifle-pits of the enemy, then about one-fourth of a mile in front.

At the word of command the men marched forward briskly, gradually increasing the pace to a run after emerging from the thicket that, up to this time, had screened the pits from site. In a few moments the pits were in possession of the skirmishers, and the regiment occupied them soon after, loosing 1 man killed in the movement. The men were with difficulty restrained from a farther advance at once, but those who had rushed on were recalled, and for ten minutes all lay under the shelter of the parapet. Again came the order to move forward, and with alacrity it was obeyed. The distance to be traversed to the foot of Mission Ridge was fully another quarter of a mile, and it was made at a run with but small loss, though under severe fire. This position, owing to the steepness of the ridge and its peculiar formation, was comparatively safe. The men, taking advantage of any species of shelter the ground afforded, began the ascent.

Scarcely had this movement upon the ridge commenced when the order to fall back to the rifle-pits was received from General Wagner, through an aide, and given to the men. It was with the greatest reluctance, almost amounting to a refusal at first, that this order was obeyed, but the sence of duty prevailed, and they fell back, suffering very severely in the movement; but the shelter thus obtained was not long made use of. Again, under the proper order, the line advanced to its former position, again losing heavily in the movement. Now commenced the struggle; man by man, as each would gather breath, firing as they went, the brave fellows rushed up, always onward, never backward for one moment. The fire here was, on the part of the enemy, rapid and well sustained, both by the infantry and the batteries upon the ridge, which at this time poured aconstant shower of grape down the slope; but the advance was not even checked, only so far a necessary for rest, and in less than an hour the crest was gained and the enemy driven in utter confusion from the front. As the regiment reached the top of the ridge and swept forward the right passed through, without stopping to take possession, the battery at General Bragg’s headquarters that had fired so venomously during the whole contest. Halting then for a few moments to give time for those who were not up to reach me, and joined by a few men of the Fifty-seventh Indiana, under Captain Dunn, of that regiment, who had been in command of them as skirmishers in my front, and had shown marked courage and energy, I moved forward down the hill, capturing prisoners and firing effectively upon those who attempted to escape. The route of the enemy was complete at this point. At the foot of the hill some stores were captured and two wagons with their teams. The number of prisoners taken was fully 200, and, as I could spare no men to guard them, I ordered them to the rear and lost sight of them. In a few moments again I was ordered to move forward by General Wagner, and the small remnant of my command having come up, and a line of skirmishers , under Captain Elliott, Company A, thrown out, I moved forward, and in less than half a mile again encountered the enemy drawn up on a crescent-shaped ridge, with the horns encircling the flat upon which we were advancing, and completely commanding it at all points. The battery had been placed in position here by the enemy, and was vigorously worked during our advance. To storm the hill with the force we then had was clearly impossible, but retreat was not to be thought of; to whatever shelter could be found was taken advantage of, and the fire unremittingly kept up from our thinned ranks for an hour and a quarter. The rifle-balls passed in almost every direction, front and flanks, but no man, save the wounded, passed to the rear; but at the same time it seemed certain that anihilation or capture awaited; no help seemed available, when a cheer upon our left announced a movement upon their flank, and the enemy at once fled, leaving in our hands two more pieces of artillery, one wagon loaded with ammunition, and on box of new rifles.

In this second engagement our loss was 40 in killed and wounded. The total loss was 20 killed and 138 wounded-about 45 per cent of the whole number engaged.

Eight commissioned officers were wounded, Captain Dooley, Company F; Captain Marks, Company I; First Lieutenant Hanna, Company C; Second Lieutenant Youkey, Company K, severely and dangerously.

I cannot express too high appreciation of the conduct and gallantry of both officers and men of my command. The record of loss in both is sufficient eulogy.

Respectfully submitted,

Elias Neff

Lieutenant-Colonel, Comdg. Fortieth Regt. Indiana Vols.

Capt. H.C. Tinney

Asst. Adjt. Gen., Second Brigade, Second Division.

40th Indiana Vols., Co. C, Losses at Missionary Ridge

Image of Sergeant William B. Galey

 

 

From the 40TH Reg’t. Ind. Vols.

Chattanooga, Tenn, Nov. 26, 1863

Ed. Journal – I send you, as follows, a list of the names of the killed and wounded of Company C, 40th Indiana, in the engagement near this place yesterday. Please give it a place in your columns, for the benefit of the relatives and friends-as my company (C) is composed principally of young men from old Montgomery.

Killed – Corporal Robert H. Hanna; Privates Luther Barnes and James R. Skelton.

Wounded – 1st Lieut. Jas. M. Hanna, severely, thigh broken; Sergeants Jas. H. Seaman, flesh wound right arm; Wm. B. Galey, severely in the head; Corporals Josiah Davis, severely in the right shoulder, Seldon E. Bliss, slightly in right foot; Jno. J. Seaman, slightly in right leg; Thomas C. Welch, severely, right arm broken above the elbow; Privates Peter T. Beaty, slightly in the thigh; Jas. W. Bennett, severely in left temple; Willis Clark, severely in the knee; Ambrose Bell, flesh wound in the arm; Jas. B. Elrod, severely in left breast; John Howard, slightly, by concussion of a shell; Jno. C. Monfort, severely in right breast; Jesse T. Rush, slightly in right arm; Jas. R. Thompson, severely in the knee; W.T. Shepherd, slightly in right arm; Jas. Willis, slightly in right thigh; John Welch, slightly in right fore finger; Aaron Vancleave, slightly in arm and foot.

Respectfully yours,

John R. Connell

Capt. Company C, 40th Indiana

From the “Crawfordsville Journal,” Thursday, December 10, 1863.”

 

Note: Lt. James Hanna; Sergeant Wm. Galey; Cpl. Josiah Davis; Privates, James Elrod and John Monfort all died of their wounds. James R. Thompson’s left leg was amputated.