Chickamauga creek, Georgia, September 20th. 8am. It is an unusual 62 degrees or so with a stiff wind blowing in from the Northeast. The lads of the now battle-hardened 21st Michigan had been awaiting another scrap with the enemy ever since the Stone's River Campaign of the previous December. Now they would get a taste of vicious fighting that would linger in their minds for many, many years to come.

     The union army XX Corps, Commanded by General Alexander D. McCook, was designated as the right wing of the army, in which was the 3rd Division, commanded by Phillip Henry Sheridan, in which the 1st Brigade commanded by General William H. Lytle, finally in which were our steadfast heroes, the 21st Michigan, commanded by Colonel William B. McCreery.
Sounds of battle were heard constantly for days. Cannon booming both day and night, the tramp, tramp, tramp of tired feet marching to their destiny, the gallop and clang of the horse-soldiers, and the moans and cries of the wounded were heard cutting the air like razor-sharp knives. The union army of the Cumberland had been engaged in constant skirmishing with the enemy for days, and amidst all this, the 21st showed no signs of losing morale, for, with the enemy this close, a "seshesh-wollapin'" was sure to be had soon, or so they expected…

     8:30. A fight was now underway. From the rank and file of the 21st Michigan could be seen Generals Lytle and Sheridan riding to and from each other seemingly voicing urgent messages. After a short, much anticipated pause in marching, general Lytle could be seen riding up to Colonel McCreery. He had given the order to deploy and to send out skirmishers. Colonel McCreery decided to send out company B, numbering 30 men present for duty, as well as 6 men from company H as skirmishers, for company B had been issued the brand-new Colt Revolving Rifles, and were by far the most powerful company in the whole regiment. The 21st Michigan was now the "end of the line" on the army's right.

     9:05. Sheridan realized he had made a critical error. In positioning his division, he now noticed that there was a gap between his troops and the rest of the army. Realizing such an immense error, and considering the time factor, "Little Phil," without pulling the skirmishers inward, pulled his brigades to the left, one by one, until all that was left of the union right was company B and 6 men from company H. Intense fighting ensued. Longstreet's tried-and-true sons of the Confederacy were nearly at their match as they made assault after assault on the 21st's brave detachment of men. The enemy's troops had been advancing heavily in column, driving everything before them in a mass of confusion. It is now 9:30.

     As clapping of musket fire and the booming of cannons, came ever closer, it was said to have sounded much like a roar. A deafening roar with its origins deep in the belly of some hideous demon. Line after line of Confederate troops attacked the 21st, with hope of a rout. The brave lads gave ground, but lo and behold, they NEVER broke. The colors went up and down constantly throughout the onslaught, and if, as reenactors, you think of how hot a musket barrel can become after an afternoon's fighting, you may yet have an idea of the surface temperature of Sam Colt's rifles during that fight. As Lieutenant Albert E. Barr and Charles E. Belknap, both natives of Grand Rapids, tried desperately to command their respective troops under devastating fire, their beloved brigade commander, General Lytle was killed by a stray rebel minie ball and Colonel McCreery was mortally wounded. McCreery would be drug behind the Confederate lines, unable to receive treatment of his wounds for some time, and then sent to Libby Prison in Virginia. Lieutenant Barr of company B had received no specific orders, but Lieutenant Belknap had taken orders direct from Sheridan himself: "Hold this line as long as you can, then fall back to the house and stay there." Chaos ensued, but time after time, the line did not break.

     Now it is 10:10. A house, once happily lived in by Widow Glenn, and peacefully and serenely overlooking the countryside, now was the eye of the storm. The 21st, along with other infantry detachments picked up along the retreat, rallied around the house, 400 or so strong, still pouring all the lead they could into the rebels, but still they came. The scene looked horrible for Sheridan's men, the rebels coming strong from all around, nothing to rally around but a small, now-burning house, and precious ammunition running extremely low. It seemed to be over for the 21st Michigan and its compatriots. It is now 11:30. This terrible havoc drew the attention of General Wilder, leader of the famed "Lightning Brigade." who was overlooking the battle from the rear and right of the Widow Glenn house. Under orders from General Rosecrans, his troops mounted and charged the Confederate lines in a blaze of glory, taking 184 prisoners and two Napoleon guns.

     Directly after the rescue by Wilder, the 21st, along with the other infantry attachments were moved to the protection of their brigade, behind and on the inside of Sheridan's now-reinforced right flank. Were it not for the 21st Michigan's courage under fire and extreme bravery during this fight, the union army might very well have met disaster on September 20th. Casualties suffered by the 21st Michigan are as follows: 7 officers and 99 enlisted men. The 21st had enough fighting for this day, and for a good while afterwards.

     After the bloodbath at Chickamauga, the 21st would serve under Uncle Abe's flag as engineers, serving under Brigadier General William F. Smith. They would build bridges, hospitals, quarters for the men, and numerous other structures for the good of the army until November 1864, when it would again be called to arms to spearhead General Sherman's great march to the sea…

This web page has passed the validation checks from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

.   This web site is © copyright 2001-2008, by Bruce Robere and the 21st Michigan Volunteer Infantry, Co. H. Full copyright notice.
  For further information, contact  the 21st Michigan webmaster: Click to email Bruce Robere.