Murfreesboro Florida at Stones River

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Washington Mackey Ives, 4th Florida Infantry, Preston's brigade, Breckinridge's division

The Florida Genealogist, Vol. 8, No. 4, Summer 1985, pages 98ff; courtesy Kenneth and Helen Ives

“At (1:30) p.m. the … roar of musketry is as regular and quick as touching the two lowest keys on the piano. We stood about 1/2 an hour listening when our aide rode up to Gen. Preston. … We were ordered to load. … (About 2:30) p.m. … we double quicked back through the field and waded Stone River, wetting us up to our knees, and formed in line of battle just on the west side of the creek, or river.

“We had thrown off our blankets … before crossing. … At the creek, ambulances were crossing with the wounded; one man walking with his arm shot off enquired what (regiment) … as our beautiful flag passed him, and being told the 4th Fla. said, ‘You’ll do it up right; pay them for my arm.’ A little soldier … was in one of the ambulances and appeared to be hit in four or five places. His back, I think, was broken, but he bore it like a man, except as the wagon would jolt he’d groan.

“As we formed in line of battle there was a Confederate, the first dead man I had yet seen, lying on his back with a cannon ball hole though his breast I could stick my head in. …

The 4th had to pass through a picket fence, and in doing so we got our ranks broken and in forming, the 60th (North Carolina) … crowded us so that we were all crowded out of place. And then 9 (companies) of the 60th turned and ran like sheep, leaving us under the hottest kind of fire from sharpshooters in front and … of cannon about 1/2 mile distant on our right. We were halted under this fire and ordered to fire in the cedar thicket in front, and while we were driving the Yankee sharpshooters out of the wood the (Yankee) batteries got our range and then the men began to drop. … John Hacker falls about a file to my left, and John McKinney … had his throat cut at my right side. He fell on my feet and blood splattered in a stream as large as my two forefingers. Poor fellow, he could not speak, though he grabbed at the wound and tried to raise up. Phil Coates got shot through the right thigh. Elijah Linch got his head skinned by a ball. Little Billy Hinson got shot under the shoulders, sideways. We were then ordered into the thicket. … The trees and limbs were falling thick, but on we went. The dead Yankees lay thick in the woods. We kept in the cedars and went on until we got to the edge or about 250 (yards) … from where we entered, and then we could see the (Yankee) line of Battle 1,000 (yards north) … of us. The Confederate batteries now began to fire on the yankees’ batteries, which drew their fire from us, and thus things continued til dark when we were ordered back about 50 yards and broke ranks to sleep on arms, but it was very little sleeping that any of us did for I like to have died of the cold. My teeth chattered all night. We did not have our blankets, and the ground was hard and frozen.

“At daylight … Gen. Preston marched us deeper into the cedars so we could build small fires and be warm. … The Yankees threw a great many shells at us, one cut Lt. Harris’ … haversack and went through his coat; it wounded two men in Miot’s Co. … We lay in this thicket all day among the dead and dying Yankees. I slept at night a little, for Col. Bowen got our blankets for us.”

Jan. 2, 1863 (Breckinridge’s charge)

“Heaps of unburied dead lay in the cornfields. We kept on through the fields and woods until we came to the east of the Yankees, having been to the southwest of them. We formed line of battle in an old field. …

“The nearest the (Yankees) … came to getting me was shooting a hole in my pants and cutting hair off my right temple. I know a peck of balls passed in less than a yard of me. … The man in front of me got slightly wounded (and) … the one on my right mortally and the one on my left killed. I did not feel any different while under fire than I do at any kind of work. I took 20 deliberate shots, picking my man every time, and one time I saw the man fall, but the others I could not see on account of my smoke. My gun kept choking.”
 
Supposedly the battle flag of the 4th Florida Infantry held by veterans during a UCV reunion in Marianna, FL; on September 27, 1927. Although this may just be one of the battle flags used by the 4th Florida and possibly not the one used at Murfreesboro. This flag was captured by the 111th Ohio at Franklin, which leads me to believe that this could be a different flag than the one used at Murfreesboro, since regiments typically went through multiple flags throughout the war.

4thflorida.jpg
 
Another interesting account from a Floridian

Thomas Benton Ellis Sr., 1st and 3rd Florida Infantry, Preston's brigade, Breckinridge's division

A Short Record of Thomas Benton Ellis, Sr.; Department of Special Collections, Smathers Library, University of Florida

“On Friday, December 30th, the drum beat the long roll and we were ordered to draw and cook two days’ rations, and soon after we were formed into line and marched toward Murfressborough and reached a cedar woods. We were formed in line of battle and General Breckenridge rode down our line and made a speech to us, telling us we that we were going to make a desperate charge, wanted us to keep good order and charge like men. … We got into a beautiful wood of cedar and other trees, and soon charged through a line of Yankees, capturing them with their supplies. …

“We captured a Hospital Tent with a lot of good things, among these a large jar of Peach Brandy. I got a small taste of it, but we did not have time to enjoy it, … but kept on until we reached Stone River, then fell down and fought for some time. When I heard a ball strike one of the boys, (my brother) Jimmie was on my right side and near me, and we kept shooting. It was … Jimmie that received that bullet in the right groin, but he said nothing and kept shooting. I happened to look around and saw the command was retreating and we turned back, retreating and fighting. We made several stands, and after one of these I missed Jimmie, but thought he had gotten mixed up in some way and lost sight of me. … One of the men told me he saw him, that he was wounded but was walking on slowly, but he did not come to us.

“We learned afterwards that he was in a Field Hospital seventeen days, then carried on to Murfreesborough. … The hospital surgeon reported that he had died January 19, 1863. … What a terrible duty I had to perform to write the dear home folks of his death. Sad, sad! Poor mother, dear mother! …

“That night after the battle I was detailed to go on picket duty, and my second watch was from two to four o’clock in the morning. Just after daylight I found that we were within 200 yards of the Yankee pickets. Both sides got behind large trees and had for some time a lot of fun shooting at each other. My comrade, behind a tree a few feet from me, after firing six times at his opponent, said to me, ‘Benton, I have a man I have shot at six times in pretty plain view and have not gotten him. Suppose you and I change places. Maybe you can hit him?’ So we exchanged. … I could only see about half of the man. After exchanging two or three shots with him, my fourth shot struck, I suppose, about the middle of his body. I saw him fall backwards, then two men took him away. I fired at these but missed them.

“At this time the Relief Pickets came. … As we started for camp, my comrade, … Van Jackson, said, ‘Benton, do you see that Officer over on the hill? I’m going to try him. Watch.’ He fired and the officer fell off his horse.”
 
The 4th Florida Infantry Regiment organized at Jacksonville, Florida, in July 1861 and was taken into state service. Later in the year, the 4th Florida entered Confederate service and was assigned to the Army of Tennessee in the Western Theater. Officers included: Colonel, Edward D. Hopkins; Colonel, James P. Hunt; Lieutenant Colonel, M. Whit Smith; Major, W. L. L. Bowen; and surgeon, John E. A. Davidson.

The 4th participated at the Battle of Stones River (Murfreesboro), the Siege of Jackson, and the Battle of Chickamauga. After Chickamauga, the 4th Florida was consolidated with the 1st Florida Cavalry, Dismounted. As a consolidated regiment, the 1st/4th Florida saw service at the Siege of Chattanooga, Missionary Ridge, Battle of Chattanooga, the Atlanta Campaign (Ezra Church, Siege of Atlanta), Hood’s Tennessee Campaign (Jonesboro, Franklin, Nashville), the Carolinas Campaign, and Bentonville.

The Consolidated 1st/4th surrendered at Greensboro, North Carolina in April 1865.

http://ehistory.osu.edu/uscw/features/regimental/florida/confederate/infantry2/fl/0004.cfm

The 3rd Florida Infantry Regiment organized in August 1861 and first entered the service of the state and then the Confederacy. It’s officers included: Colonel, William Scott Dilworth; Lieutenant Colonel, Arthur J. J. Wright; Major, Lucius Church (later promoted to Lt. Colonel); Major, Jonathan L. Phillips.

The regiment fought in the Western Theater, participating in the Kentucky Campaign and the Battle of Perryville. In December 1862 the 3rd Florida Infantry was consolidated with the 1st Florida Infantry.

The newly consolidated regiment fought at Stones River (Murfreesboro), the Siege of Jackson, the Vicksburg Campaign, and the Battle of Chickamauga, the Battle of Chattanooga, the Atlanta Campaign (New Hope Church, Ezra Church), the Siege of Atlanta, the battles of Franklin and Nashville, the Carolinas Campaign and Bentonville.

The consolidate 1st/3rd Florida Infantry surrendered at Smithville, North Carolina on April 9, 1865.

http://ehistory.osu.edu/uscw/features/regimental/florida/confederate/infantry2/fl/0003.cfm
 
since regiments typically went through multiple flags throughout the war.

And they retired the older flags when issued a new one. So it might be possible the flag in the 1927 photo was used at Stones River and then sent home when they were issued a replacement.
 
According to the Museum of Florida History this is the flag used by the 1st Florida Cavalry and 4th Florida Infantry Regiment (consolidated), although the 1st Florida Cavalry and 4th Florida Infantry were not consolidated until 1864 in Dalton, GA; so this flag probably wasn't in use at Murfreesboro.
1_4_flag.jpg


http://www.museumoffloridahistory.com/exhibits/permanent/civilwar/1_4_flag.cfm

This one DEFINITELY wasn't used by anybody at Stones River! This is a Second National which wasn't adopted until the beginning of 1863. One of the first, if not THE first was draped on Stonewall Jackson's coffin as he lay in State in the Capitol Building in Richmond in May, 1863. The first use of them on the field of battle was at Gettysburg where a few of the regiments of Rodes' Division had them - the only ones with the army at the time.
 
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This one DEFINITELY wasn't used by anybody at Stones River! This is a Second National which wasn't adopted until the beginning of 1863. One of the first, if not THE first was draped on Stonewall Jackson's coffin as he lay in State in the Capitol Building in Richmond in May, 1863. The first use of them on the field of battle was at Gettysburg where a few of the regiments of Rodes' Division had them - the only ones with the army at the time.
Right, also known as the "Stainless Banner". I did not know that the first use of them in battle was at Gettysburg. I had always assumed that the first troops to receive them were in the AoT. I guess it was also necessary for regiments to be issued a new battle flag when consolidated, bearing the names of both regiments.
 
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