16th Tennessee Volunteer Infantry Regiment
1865
1st-9th
January was spent in Corinth they left here on
the 10th, at daylight, the troops moved of down the railroad and make fifteen
miles by nightfall.
The 11th to the 13th are spent on the
road to Tupelo, MS, owing to the impassable condition of the roads they were
compelled to take a very circuitous route arriving about 1500 on the 13th.
It was here that Hood resign to be replaced, temporarily, by Richard Taylor
and later that month, Joseph Eggleston Johnston was once again placed in
command.
When they arrival, at Tupelo, many of
the Corps were furloughed, they had been promised that this would happen once
they crossed the Tennessee River. Although many realizing the futility of continuing
the war were never to return.
The Army left here late January
heading through Alabama to Mobile then onwards to Montgomery. They now
headed to Atlanta, GA, 'We went from Atlanta to Augusta and the February days were
pleasant.' They arrived at Augusta on the 9
February. The
next day the Corps crossed the Savannah River to Hamburg, S C.
When the furloughed men returned to
duty at the assigned meeting place they found the Army gone. Some now
returned home, other set out on a long trek to find the army, and some of the
Division joined Forrest's cavalry for the remainder of the war.
Their march was now to take them
all across South Carolina and into North Carolina.
Bentonville, 19-21 March. The Army, somewhat over 15,000 strong was positioned at the town of Bentonville on
the 19 March across the Fayetteville-Goldsboro road
in the afternoon it attacked. The Regiment arrived late in the day 'and
came near killing every man in one Yankee Regiment' when repulsing the advance of Federal troops near Joseph E. Johnston's
Headquarters, while losing at least one man killed.
The 20th saw the Federal forces
heavily reinforced, but fighting was sporadic with no pressure applied.
On the 21st the Army remained in
its position while the wounded were removed although during the morning
skirmishing heated up along the entire front. In the afternoon a Federal
attack threatened the Armies rear but was stopped saving the army’s only line of
retreat. With this the fighting ended for the day. The battle was a victory for the Army but the loss was heavy.
During
the night of the 21st the Army retreated across the bridge at Bentonville.
Federal forces
pursued at first light but was halted at Hannah’s Creek after a severe skirmish.
On 22nd the
Army formed line of battle on the north side of Mill Creek. Later in the
day they continued the march crossing the Neuse River near Smithfield retreating first to Raleigh, then through Chapel Hill, Salem and then on to Greensboro, burning the bridges behind them.
On the 24 March
the Army was camped some two
miles beyond Smithfield depot, on the Lewisburg road. Here on the 25th
William B. Bate, Corps Commander, made a speech to many of the men in the
evening 'preparing their
minds for the consolidation of companies, battalions, etc.'
The 26th saw them move to Trinity
College, near Archdale, NC, here the Army heard that they were to surrender.
On 8th April at Smithfield, North Carolina, Johnston began a final
reorganization
Jeff Davis and the Confederate government fled Richmond, reaching Greenboro on the 12th April. Here he called Johnston into conference. Johnston pointed out that his army now faced Sherman's 110,000 and Grants now unoccupied 180,000 alone. Eventually Davis yielded to the pressure and a flag of truce was sent through the lines on the 14th, Johnston with Breckinridge in his capacity as Major General, rather than as secretary of war, met Sherman at the Bennett Farmhouse near Durham between the lines. However the originally agreed terms were too liberal and Grant came down for a further meeting at the Bennett house on the 26th April when Johnston got the same terms as given to Lee.
So later that day 'paroles were
sent to the different Regiments signed by the officers, and distributed among
the men. The Brigade moved slowly and sadly out into an open field where the
officers sheathed their swords and the men silently stacked their trusty
guns.'
'One evening, the men called on
General Cheatham for some words of encouragement...(he at first declined
but).... gave a short speech telling the
men to go home and be loyal citizens.'
Finally
they arrived at the eastern foot of Blue Ridge and marched up the ridge and camped
'in a terrible hail storm' one night at the top. From here they
marched down western slope to Ashville, on French Broad
River. Marching northwestwardly the Brigade finally arrived at Greeneville,
East Tennessee.
From
Greeneville the Brigade was taken by rail to Chattanooga and the into middle
Tennessee 'the men leaving the trains at the points along the way nearest their
homes.'
These last few
of the Regiment set off and would have reached home about the 23 May 1865.
Friday 5 October 1877
12 years after the close of the war, there was a reunion of the old 16th Tennessee at McMinnville. They met on the public square at 1000 and marched to the Fair Grounds,
lead by by their old Colonel, John H. Savage. Savage was mounted on a white horse
on arrival at the Fair Grounds they enjoyed a 'sumptuous dinner prepared for the occasion', about 300 survivors attended.
Company rolls were called and every man present answered as his name was called, if absent he was accounted for if living or dead, if living his place of residence was given, for the dead the place and manner of his death was made known.
At the end of the meal speeches were made by
to those of the old Regiment that had been able to attend. This was given
by their old Colonel, also by Colonel Thomas B. Murray and Captain James J. Womack.