History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5; prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature, by Samuel P. Bates.

1863 BATTLE OF CAMPBELL'S STATION. 9
supposing it to be a demonstration in force, and fearing for the safety of his
army, at once commenced a retreat.* The city was occupied on the 18th, the
regiment stacking arms in front of the State House. Remaining two or three
days to complete the work of destruction, Sherman marched back to Vicksburg.
The Ninth Corps now returned to Burnside's command, and went into camp
in Kentucky, the Fifty-first leaving the railroad at Nicholasville, and taking
post at Camp Nelson. Here it rested and re-fitted. The service in Mississippi
had been very severe. Digging, felling forests, and making forced marches
under the burning suns of the South, had broken down the health of many a
strong man, and had induced fevers peculiar to the region. Colonel Hartranft
fell a victim to their influence, and was for a long time prostrated. From Camp
Nelson, the regiment moved to Crab Orchard, where it received recruits, and
thence marched across the mountains, via Cumberland Gap, to Knoxville.
Soon after its arrival it was ordered down the valley to Loudon, where preparations had been made for going into winter-quarters; but scarcely had it
arrived, when it was ordered back to Lenoir, where it remained several days.
Here Colonel Hartranft, who had so far recovered as to take the field, re-joined
the regiment and immediately assumed command of the Second Division of the
Ninth Corps. His arrival was opportune. Longstreet, cutting loose from
Bragg, at Chattanooga, was threatening Burnside with a force thrice his number, and had already arrived in the neighborhood of Loudon. Perceiving his
advantage, the rebel chief pushed across the Tennessee, and put his columns
in motion for Campbell's Station, a point where several important roads centre,
with the design of reaching it in advance of Burnside's forces, and thus cutting
off and capturing his whole command. In this he had the advantage of the
shortest and most direct road. Burnside discovered his danger just in time to
avert it. The Fifty-first was charged with moving Benjamin's heavy battery.
The mud was very deep, and the roads, badly cut up by the trains, were next
to impassable. All night long the regiment toiled through the mire to bring
up the guns. The station was reached in advance of the enemy, and immediately proceeding out upon the Kingston road, Colonel Hartranft deployed
his division across it, with his left thrown forward to cover the Loudon road,
along which our army and trains were moving. Before these dispositions had
fairly been made the head of the rebel column appeared. Held back for awhile
by a few mounted infantry, Longstreet soon brought up heavy columns and
opened a furious attack. This was met by a destructive and continuous fire
from Hartrantt's lines, which caused the eremy to recoil in confusion. Steadfastly holding his ground until the remainder of the army and all the trains
had safely passed the threatened point, Hartranft withdrew his troops, regiment by regiment, and took position on the left of the new line of battle, which
had been formed on a low range of hills beyond the station. In the meantime
Benjamin's Battery, which had been brought safely in, took position and did
most efficient service, engaging and driving the enemy's artillery whenever it
made its appearance. So much were the Union forces outnumbered, that the
*"All night Sherman heard the sound of wagons, but nothing that indicated evacuation, for
the picks and shovels were at work till midnight; but, at the dawn of day, it became evident
that the enemyhad withdrawn across the Pearl River. The rebels had burned all the bridges
in retreating and placed loaded shells and torpedoes on the roads leading out from the river.
All the material of war had been removed, in advance of the retreat, by means of the railroad
running east. "-Military History of U. S. Grant, Badeau, Vol. I, page 396.