Two sixth plate tintypes and journal of Sgt. W. H. Thompson, 17th Indiana.
Wilder's Brigade--DOW, one image is published in Baumgartner's
Blue Lightning on p. 137. Sgt. Thompson of Company F. was mortally wounded at Cleveland, Tennessee following a raid on November 27, 1863 and died on December 4. Inside the back of the case is marked in ink,
William H. Thompson/Co. F. 17th IND/Wilder's Brig.
The black leather pocket dairy contains 25 inked pages in Thompson's legible hand beginning with a lengthy twelve-page narrative of his cumulative service with individual dated entries commencing on August 17, 1863 and ending October 8, 1863, essentially covering the period of the Chickamauga campaign. The inside front page is signed
Wm. H. Thompson/Sergeant Co. F/17th Ind. Mtd. Infantry followed by a preamble that reads,
My object in writing this manuscript is to preserve for myself should I live and my friends in case of my death an account of my life as a soldier. We learn that Thompson had kept an updated diary
until the advance on Chattanooga when misfortune caused me to loose it.
This, then, is Thompson's later recapitulation, with brevet entries in real time from August 1863 forward. Of the brigade's participation at Hoover's Gap Thompson writes,
had a brilliant skirmish with the enemy at Hoover's Gap a distance of some 25 miles from Murfreesboro, Tenn. on the Pike leading from Murfreesboro to Manchester. This was on the 24th of June. Our loss was some 50 killed and wounded. We succeeded in routing the enemy. They leaving their killed and wounded on the field. Skipping back to earlier in the spring Thompson noted that
our brigade was mounted about the latter (sic) end of February. On about the 1st of March and about the last of May and the 1st of June were armed with the Spencer repeating rifle.
On August 29th Thompson tells of an "unfortunate occurrence" in which his bedding caught fire and consumed
my rations and revolver that cost me some $15.00 dollars. He writes of
a brilliant skirmish with the enemy under General Pegram on September 12th and matter-of-factly lists the friends and acquaintances from the company killed, wounded and prisoner. Of the first day at Chickamauga Thompson says,
This morning about 9am the ball opened in earnest. Longstreet and Bragg seemed determined to break our lines but we held out position pretty well all day. Thompson's entry for September 20th downplays the brigade's contribution to the battle stating rather simply,
Morning came with a skirmish and the sun arose with a hard fight. The battle raged with all the fury of war. Our brigade was ordered back to Chattanooga. The next day Thompson wrote of seeing
about 3000 Reb Prisoners crossed the Tenn. River.
On October 8 the journal cuts off abruptly with the final entry reading,
about 10am had a fight. Our loss was 30 killed and wounded. The 17th charged a battery of 3 guns and captured them in Farmington. This was the October 7 fight at Farmington, Tennessee where Wilder's brigade beat Joe Wheeler's cavalry by charging into town and capturing 3 of Wheeler's guns and about 300 prisoners. Wilder actually lost 48 killed and wounded including 3 officers.
About five weeks later Thompson was mortally wounded at Cleveland, Tennessee following a successful penetration raid on the approaches to Ringgold, Georgia. Wilder's brigade had just returned to Cleveland when it was attacked by Brigadier General John H. Kelly's cavalry and was forced to fall back to Chattanooga after burning the town's important foundry. The 17th reported only one man killed during the engagement so it is likely that William H. Thompson later died in a Chattanooga field hospital either December 4 or 5, 1863.
Sold with a companion sixth plate tintype of Thompson as a private taken shortly after his enlistment in June 1861 with the 17th Indiana Infantry. In this earlier view Thompson wears an early state blue uniform with cloth epaulettes and gray dress hat. He sports a canteen and carries an Enfield rifle. A lock of William's hair is pressed under the cover glass. The regiment had early service in West Virginia before joining Buell's Army of the Ohio just before Shiloh. Elsewhere in the sale (Lot 303) is a tintype of William Thompson's younger brother, Daniel Thompson, who was killed at the battle of Champion Hills on May 16, 1863 while serving in the 48th Indiana.
Keeper of the Scales
Bringing the