Mission Ridge Memories

"On 8 October the Regiment was on guard duty; everything was quiet because the picket lines had been in agreement for a week not to shoot at each other. The outposts in some places were no more than 30 yards apart. The officers had permission to exchange newspapers; they only needed to give a signal with a paper, and it was immediately answered with a similar signal from the Rebels, whereupon both laid down their weapons and met each other half way. Several conversations were conducted with the Rebels in the course of the day, and a peaceful situation prevailed between the two armies, but this trust ended in the afternoon with the following catastrophe. A Rebel made a signal with a newspaper and Lieutenant Clement of Company K went to swap. He walked into a grove of trees so he couldn't be seen by the Regiment. There the Rebels, treacherously enough, had hidden three or four armed men who took him prisoner. This treacherous course of action awakened great resentment amongst us and ended any meetings between us for a long time. After this incident the Rebels stayed behind their fortifications, which was [the] best plan for them because otherwise pieces of lead would have been sent toward them as payment for their villainy."

--Captain Mons Grinager of Company K
in Buslett's 1895 Femtende Regiment Wisconsin Frivillage
about the capture of 1st Lieutenant Andrew Clement of Co. K
near Chattanooga, Tennessee

--Corporal Michael Thompson of Company I
undated diary entry
about the men sent with the Federal wagon train
to bring desperately needed supplies back to Chattanooga

--Sergeant George Georgeson of Company A
November 27, 1863, letter to his "Dear Mother!"
about the fighting that preceded the assault up Mission Ridge

--Corporal Michael Thompson of Company I
undated diary entry
about the day before the assault up Mission Ridge

--Sergeant George Georgeson of Company A
November 27, 1863, letter to his "Dear Mother!"
about the fighting that ended the Confederate siege of Chattanooga

"There was such a shortage of clothing that we froze horribly, and when it comes to food, then it must be said that when one could steal a corncob from the horses, one could consider oneself lucky. For a while there was a herd of cattle with us, and when the cattle got so thin that they couldn't walk, then they were slaughtered. After that there was hunger, hunger, and more hunger, so that the soldiers got thinner than the scrawny cattle that were being slaughtered, and the salt was doled out in a teaspoon to each man. Our rations consisted of cornmeal, ground with the cob, moldy and rotten. But it made no difference. This lasted for a long time, and the whole time we marched, marched, marched in the winter that was unusually cold for East Tennessee. There was six inches of snow and it was very cold. There were long periods of time when we couldn't lie down to rest because of the frost, but we sat with our blankets around us inside our tents and didn't dare sleep. It was so easy to fall asleep and die."

--Sergeant John O. Wrolstad of Company I
in Buslett's 1895 Femtende Regiment Wisconsin Frivillage
about the 15th's time marching around East Tennessee
during the winter of 1863-64

--Corporal Michael Thompson of Company I
undated diary entry
about the march to Knoxville, Tennessee, in early January, 1864

"Now the weather is beginning to get warm so we won't have to freeze any more, but the hunger gets worse every day. Last evening five small crackers [hardtack] were issued which have to last us two days. It is not more than a man could eat in one meal and still not have enough. We have now been marching back and forth, back and forth, around Knoxville [Tennessee] the entire winter...We are now 16 miles from Knoxville near a railroad bridge which we built this winter, and burned as soon as it was finished. Now we are to build a new bridge before we can get after Mr. [General James] Longstreet and his following...There are rumors around that the war will soon be over, but I do not think it will be over until we have had some hard battles yet. I certainly would like to see the end of the war so we won't have to go hungry always. If we only could buy food for our money it would be a good thing but we can't even do that."

--Sergeant John O. Wrolstad of Company I
February 28, 1864, letter from Strawberry Plains, Tennessee

"That I have lost all energy and interest in military life; And feel discontented since the death of Col Heg, who was my uncle, killed at the Battle of Chickamauga,[and] I have an aged Parent, who is dangerously ill, who earnestly desires that I should come immediately home."

--Captain Albert Skofstad of Company D
March 2, 1864, letter of resignation
about his reasons for wanting to leave the army

Captain Andrew A. Brown of Company H
March 13, 1864, letter from Strawberry Plains, Tennessee
about efforts to get the 15th's soldiers to re-enlist for the rest of the war

--1st Sergeant Nils J. Gilbert of Company F
March 18, 1864, letter to his "Dear, precious Mother"
written from Strawberry Plains, Tennessee

"Everything is quiet and peaceful here. But everything is strict. We either have to stand on sentry duty or be at work. Anyhow, we can say that we have good days as we now have full rations...In our regiment there has been tumult of late. Our officers want us to enlist again for three [more] years. They are trying to make us believe that the war will not last longer than six months, and in the mean time we will be earning from 400 to 600 dollars, they tell us. Several have already enlisted again and I was on the point of doing the same but it happened that as I was about to sit down to our noon meal, and in thinking it over, I said to myself if I have to eat crackers three more years my teeth will be so worn out I shall have to lick porridge the rest of my life. I have made up my mind to work out my time then I will give way to someone else. I am glad they have begun to draft [men into the Army] again and I hope it will fall on some of my friends who have only good virtues."

--Sergeant John O. Wrolstad of Company I
April 2, 1864, letter from Strawberry Plains, Tennessee

Captain Andrew A. Brown of Company H
April 25, 1864, letter from McDonald Station, Tennessee
about preparations for the upcoming campaign in Georgia

--1st Sergeant Nils J. Gilbert of Company F
April 25, 1864, letter from McDonald Station, Tennessee, to his brother