THE REGULAR BRIGADE
OF THE FOURTEENTH ARMY CORPS,
THE ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND,

IN THE BATTLE OF
STONE RIVER, OR MURFREESBORO’, TENNESSEE,

From December 31st, 1862, to January 3d, 1863,
BOTH DATES INCLUSIVE.

BY

FREDERICK PHISTERER,

Late Adjutant 2d Battalion 18th U. S. Infantry.

To his Comrades,
THE SURVIVORS OF THE REGULAR BRIGADE,
Army of the Cumberland,
IN REMEMBRANCE OF PAST DAYS,
AND TO PLACE ON RECORD A TRUE ACCOUNT
OF THE
PARTICIPATION OF THE BRIGADE
IN THE
BATTLE OF STONE RIVER.

July 1st, 1883.

When General Rosecrans took command of the Army of the Ohio there were in that army five battalions of regular infantry in two different divisions; when he reorganized this army he determined to bring these battalions together, to give them a regular battery, and form of them a Regular Brigade. The 15th, 16th and 19th were already at Nashville; the orders organizing the brigade found the two battalions of the 18th near Gallatin, Tenn., as a part of General Stedman’s Brigade. On receipt of the orders, the 18th marched, on the 23d of December, 1862, from Pilot Knob to Nashville, Tenn., arriving there on the 25th day of December, 1862, and, joining the other battalions and the battery, it completed the formation of the brigade, which, as then organized, consisted of:

The 1st Battalion of the 15th Infantry: Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H; commanded by Major John H. King.

The 1st Battalion of the 16th Infantry: Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H, 1st Battalion, and Company B, 2d Battalion; Major A. J. Slemmer commanding.

The 1st Battalion of the 18th Infantry: Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H, of the 1st, and A and D, of the 3d Battalion; Major J. N. Caldwell in command.

The 2d Battalion of the 18th Infantry: Companies A, B, C, D, E and F, of the 2d, and B, C, E and F, of the 3d Battalion; commanded by Major Frederick Townsend.

The 1st Battalion of the 19th Infantry: Companies A, B, C, D, E and F; Major S. D. Carpenter commanding.

Battery H, 5th U. S. Artillery, commanded by 1st Lieutenant F. L. Guenther.

Lieutenant-Colonel O. L. Shepherd, 18th U. S. Infantry, the senior officer, was placed in command of the brigade.

When the Army of the Ohio—then become the Army of the Cumberland, or the 14th Corps—advanced from Nashville, Tenn., toward its objective point, the enemy, the Regular Brigade broke camp on the 26th, encamping on the evening of that day on the Petersburg Turnpike; on the 27th it encamped near Nolansville, Tenn.; on the 28th, at night, it marched across the country to Stewart’s Creek, and on the 30th to a point on the Murfreesboro’ and Nashville Turnpike about four miles from Murfreesboro’, Tenn.

On the morning of the 31st of December the brigade left its bivouac at an early hour and advanced on the Nashville Turnpike to a point a little less than three miles northwest of Murfreesboro’, and, with its division, was posted in reserve. The division consisted of Scribner’s, John Beatty’s, Starkweather’s and the Regular Brigade, and was commanded by Major-General Lovell H. Rousseau. Starkweather’s Brigade had been left at Jefferson’s Crossing on Stone River. The division was part of the centre, commanded by Major-General George H. Thomas. The formation in the brigade was from right to left as follows: 15th, 16th, 18th, 1st and 2d Battalions, and the 19th.

To fully understand the events now following, it will be necessary to preface them with a short résumé of the opening and progress of the battle from 6.30 A. M. until noon; from the right of the army to the left of Palmer’s Division of the left wing.

The left of Palmer’s Division, Hazen’s Brigade, rested on the Nashville Turnpike, about two and a half miles northwest of Murfreesboro’, facing south by east—the other brigades of this division faced almost east; Negley’s Division, of the centre, next in order, faced south by east; Sheridan’s, of the right wing, faced almost east; Davis’ faced south by east, and Johnson’s, the right of the army, east and south, and a portion of it on the right flank west by south. A line drawn from the extreme right due north would have crossed the Nashville Turnpike near General Rosecrans’ headquarters, about one mile northwest of Hazen.

All the divisions, excepting Palmer’s and the left of Negley’s, had to cross a dense cedar forest about three-quarters of a mile deep before they could reach the Nashville Turnpike to their left and rear.

The extreme right of Johnson’s Division was attacked about 6.30 A. M., and the engagement extended gradually toward our left, the attacking columns of the enemy moving in echelon from their left to their right; the attack struck Johnson’s flank, and, although portions of the division made a gallant stand, the weight of the attack was too much for the division. Johnson having been flanked and driven back, it became Davis’ turn to be taken in rear and right flank, and forced back after considerable resistance. The next division, Sheridan’s, was forewarned, and offered a most determined resistance, falling back and changing front to the west as its flank and rear became vulnerable; ammunition falling short, the rebel force on his flank increasing, Sheridan commenced his retreat about 9.30 A. M., falling back slowly and fighting. Negley necessarily had now to refuse his right, change front to the west and northwest, and, running out of ammunition about 11 A. M., commence his retreat out of the cedars. This exposed the right of Palmer’s Division, compelling him, after a sharp fight, to change front to the west and fall back on the railroad, pivoting his division on the left of Hazen’s Brigade, until it was at right angles with its former position; this took place about noon.

The general front of the line, which in the morning was south by east, was now west by south; the new line formed about noon ran along the railroad and turnpike, and in front of it were open fields from Hazen’s left to a point about one-eighth of a mile southeast of General Rosecrans’ headquarters from which point the now re-organized right wing was posted in the forest in a semicircle facing south and west, with the right, refused, facing north by west and resting near the turnpike. Between the right wing and Palmer’s Division there were Van Cleeve’s Division of the left wing, the Pioneer Brigade, Negley’s and Rousseau’s Divisions.

During the remainder of the day these positions were not materially changed, except that Van Cleeve’s and Negley’s Divisions were later withdrawn and placed in reserve.

To return to the Regular Brigade: About 9 o’clock A. M. it became apparent that the tide of battle was most decidedly against the right wing of the army, and Rousseau’s Division was ordered to the support of General McCook. The Regular Brigade with its battery moved by the right flank into the dense wood of cedars, alluded to above; when near Sheridan the head of the brigade changed direction to the right, and line of battle was formed in