3 pm before Orchard Knob Hill
November 25, 1863
Nearly the whole of the Army of the Cumberland formed up in double lines of battle with skirmishers out front. Eli looked at the bright afternoon sun shining overhead, squinting his eyes. Glancing to his right and left was the whole of the army spread out on at least a two mile front. Up ahead on Missionary Ridge he plainly saw the rebel battle flags flapping in the breeze and their cannon staring down on them. He counted fifty heavy guns up there, but there were probably more. The whole of the Army of the Cumberland was in plain sight for them to shoot at.
But then he knew that was the point. All morning long they heard General Sherman’s corps hammering away at the rebels in the hills to Eli’s left. Sherman was making no progress, despite his overwhelming numbers, because Bragg reinforced his right flank from the center of his army on Missionary Ridge. Or so Sergeant Hayes thought.
It seemed obvious to Eli they formed up for battle in plain sight of the rebels to discourage Bragg’s sending any more of his men from his center. Seeing the 18,000 strong Army of the Cumberland ready to attack might even scare Bragg into recalling some, but Eli doubted it. Missionary Ridge, as high and steep as it was, was as close to an impregnable position as Eli had ever seen. He shook his head and sighed.
Eli looked to the hills on his right. In addition to Sherman, General Hooker was ordered to hit the enemy on his left flank, but there was no noise from that direction and it appeared Hooker was also stalled, although no one knew why.
Looking around it struck Eli the men in the ranks were unusually quiet. The only sounds he heard were the flapping of their battle flags in the breeze, the distant sound of gunfire on his left, and the yips of several dogs running down rabbits in the open field between them and the base of Missionary Ridge.
Eli looked over his shoulder and saw Captain Bates and other officers conferring with Colonel Opdycke. The colonel was promoted to the command of several regiments, including theirs, and Bates now had direct control of the 125th Ohio.
Something about the expressions on the faces of the officers around the colonel pricked Eli’s interest. They listened intently to him, without smiling, and kept glancing back at the rebels on the ridge while nodding.
Eli nearly said something to Joe and Al when the conference broke up and the officers strode quickly back to their regiments. Captain Bates promptly called for the officers of the 125th to assemble.
The men in the lines looked at one another. Eli’s gaze returned to the heights of the ridge looming a mile before them. His pulse quickened.
It was insanity to attack that ridge. The rebels had been dug in since late September. The Union army had to cross a mile of open ground just to get to the base of the ridge, all the time vulnerable to rebel cannonade. Then they had a long hard climb to make it to the top, and throughout all of this the rebels were free to rain down shot and shell from the cover of their entrenchments above.
The thing was, despite that Eli wanted to do it. Those men up there defeated them at Chickamauga through a mistake made by Rosecrans, and Eli wanted to pay them back. He did not care how many cannon they had or how tall their mountain. Maybe Joe was right and there were two Gods in the bible, a God of hate and a God of love, and maybe Eli even believed that the God of love was the one true God, the best of what men wanted from God or God wanted from them, but not today. Today, his heart was touched by fire and the wrath of God burned his soul.
Just give the order, he thought, and I will go to the top of that ridge and crush those men and what they defend, or die trying.
Captain Bates called out to them, walking down the line of the 125th. Eli heard the shouts of other officers in other regiments doing the same.
“Boys,” shouted Bates, “in just a few minutes there will be six cannon shots in quick succession delivered from Orchard Knob behind us. That’s the signal for us to attack. You see those rifle pits at the base of the ridge?” He pointed his sword to the distant base of Missionary Ridge.
“That’s where we’re going. Keep your heads clear and your eyes on the trophy, lads. Keep good formation and don’t waste your ammunition until you get close enough to be sure of your aim. Keep on the move.
“You know what Hooker’s boys from the Army of the Potomac say about us? They say at Chickamauga the fight got knocked out of us. They say that’s why Grant put us here in the center, because nothing’s happening here and nothing’s all we’re good for.
“You know what Sherman’s boys in the Army of the Tennessee are saying? They say Grant didn’t trust us to make the main attack on Bragg’s left. They say Grant gave the job to them because they know how to beat rebels and we don’t.
“But who are we boys? We’re Opdycke’s Tigers, that’s who we are. When we roar, rebels pee their britches, and that’s what they’re going to do today because we are who?”
“We’re Opdycke’s Tigers!” cried several of the men.
“Who are you?” screamed Bates.
“We’re Opdycke’s Tigers!” the whole regiment screamed in unison.
“Who are you?”
“Opdycke’s Tigers!”
Bates pointed his sword at Missionary Ridge. “As the Roman generals of old told their men, unleash hell, boys, when you hear those cannons roar. For the sake of the Union, we’ll have those rebel traitors for our dinner!”
Eli and the men around him roared. A cannon behind them bellowed its agreement. Eli and Joe looked at each other, then at Al. The three of them nodded. A second cannon fired.
“I told you we’d fight today,” said Joe.
“I’m ready,” said Eli.
A third cannon fired. Then a fourth, a fifth and a sixth in rapid succession. An eerie silence followed the last shot, as though the entire Army of the Cumberland took a deep breath and held it, with just the sound of the wind whistling past them. Then, with a roar, every man stepped forward.
The 64th Ohio marched in the first battle line in front of the 125th, with the 22nd Ohio on their left and the 65th Ohio to their right. The moment they stepped off, every rebel cannon on Missionary Ridge blazed to life.
“Quick step!” bawled Sergeant Hayes behind Eli and they picked up the pace.
Looking up Eli was stunned to see every rebel shell in the air, scores of small black dots clearly visible. If he was to be hit by one, he would actually see it coming. Oddly, it didn’t scare him. In fact, it just made him angrier.
As the enemy missiles burst around them, Eli heard their own artillery answer, the thunder of the guns so loud it hurt his ears. Once again he could trace the flight of their own shells arcing up toward the rebel emplacements high on the ridge, where they exploded in bright flashes of light.
“Damned if I can’t see them shells fly,” shouted Joe. “I ain’t never seen that before.”
Eli nodded.
“I’m trying not to see,” shouted Al back. “They’re coming so fast I’m afraid I’ll see the one about tear my damn head off, but not have time to duck.”
Eli looked ahead. They were a quarter of the distance to the rebel rifle pits at the base of the mountain. Those rebels unleashed their first volley with a roar of flashing muzzles and clouds of white smoke. Eli heard bullets hiss by overhead as a few men to his front fell. Surging forward Eli stepped over a man with a shattered leg writhing in pain.
The deadly fire stirred the 22nd Ohio on his left to break into a run, causing their battle line to lose cohesion.
“God damnit,” shouted Sergeant Hayes over the din of exploding shell and enemy musket fire, “double time, boys! We got to keep up with them idiots. Double time.”
Eli stepped into a run. With no time to return fire, quickly overwhelming the rebels at the base of the ridge was their best option. The longer it took to cross the distance, the more Union men the rebels could kill.
A raw animal roar erupted, and he was surprised to discover he was making it. The men around him picked it up and in a moment the entire brigade roared like tigers. In what seemed like only a few moments Eli swept into the enemy rifle pits.
A young rebel cowered before him, wide eyed with terror and his hands in the air. “I surrender!” he kept shouting, staring into Eli’s eyes. Eli held his gun pointed at the boy’s head, and he nearly pulled the trigger. Joe rushed past and knocked the boy to the ground with the butt of his gun.
“Stay down,” he snarled, “and wait to be taken. If you move a inch, you’re dead.”
The boy nodded frantically, covering his head with his arms. Eli looked up to see scores of rebels retreating up the ridge. He brought his gun to his shoulder, took careful aim at the closest man’s back, and fired. He did not hear the discharge of his gun, but the man staggered and fell face down.
Without reloading Eli jumped from the pit in pursuit. He got about a hundred feet when he was tripped from behind. He turned in a rage to discover Joe holding his right leg, Al close behind him.
“What the hell are you doing?” shouted Eli. Joe had his hand up in front of his face like a man caught in a hail storm, and Eli realized minnie balls kicked up dirt all around them from rebel fire on top of the ridge. Joe raced with Al to the protection of a large bolder, dragging a protesting Eli with them.
“Are you crazy?” shouted Joe over the roar of musketry and cannon fire.
A bullet struck above Eli’s head, ricocheting with a low twang and showering rock fragments on them. They breathed heavily from the exertion of the charge.
“The rebels are up there,” said Eli, pointing to the heights above.
“We were supposed to just take the rifle pits and stop,” said Joe.
“Says who?” shouted Eli.
“Says Captain Bates,” shouted Al above the noise, pointing down the hill. Eli looked and saw Bates waving men who had advanced back down into the rifle pits.
“What about them?” said Eli, pointing to other places where Union soldiers continued advancing.
Joe and Al glanced in confusion at regiments that halted and others continuing up the hill. Joe shook his head. “Damn it, Eli, I don’t know. All I know is Captain Bates is ordering everyone back.”
Three more bullets shattered into the rock they cowered behind, and outside the shelter of the rock puffs of dirt erupted where others struck.
“If you go back down there you’re completely exposed to the rebel gunners above and they’ll cut you all down inside a half hour. I don’t care what Bates or anyone says, I’m going up this hill and driving the gray backs off or I’ll die trying. I’ll be damned if I’ll stay down here to be nothing but target practice for them. Stay if you want, but I’m going.”
He crouched to sprint forward when Joe’s big hand restrained him again. “Will you let go of me?” hissed Eli.
“At least load your damn gun again while you got the chance. You ain’t much good if you get to the top a this damn hill with a empty musket. And we just run a mile to get here, so let’s catch our breaths. We got a hell of a climb ahead a us.”
Eli felt like hitting him full in the face, and then started laughing. He did not know why, but the whole thing suddenly seemed funny as hell. Joe and Al looked at each other and started chuckling themselves. Without a word Eli loaded his gun behind the shelter of the rock, and when finished he looked at Joe and Al, who stared back at him. Although Eli’s breathing slowed, his heart still raced like a jackrabbit.
“You boys coming with me?” he said. Even as he said it, he knew the answer was yes. The realization made his throat tighten and he felt a great surge of deep affection for these two men. They were, after all, prepared to follow him into hell itself.
They nodded, Al looking resigned. Glancing back into the rifle pits and seeing men fall, Al added, “I think you’re right about staying here, anyway.”
Eli nodded and said, “Let’s go.”