"I am going to stay with this gun."

It is truly impossible to read the following account, likely written by Sergeant John Lockard of the 6th Iowa during the Second Epoch of the Atlanta Campaign, and not get the sense of the utter hardship these men faced on a daily basis. His prose is epic and I can do it no justice in a mere introduction. The following was published in The Burlington Weekly Hawkeye in the last week in June of 1864.

Letter from the 15^th Army Corps – 6^th Iowa Infantry.
Big Shanty Station, Ga., June 14^th, 1864.

Editor Hawk-eye: For six weeks we have been engaged in digging, chopping and skirmishing, the enemy falling back slowly and contesting every position with the greatest stubbornness.

Gen. mcPherson's army, consisting of Gen. Logan's (15^th) corps, and two divisions of the 16^th corps, commanded by Gen. Dodge, left Kingston on the 23d of May, crossing the Etowah river on a fine wagon bridge West of Kingston, which the rear guard of the rebels had just fired when our cavalry came up and took possession, thus saving it for our use. Along the river are some very fine plantations, the soil being a black sandy loam. I noticed several fine fields of wheat, some looking as if it might yield twenty to thirty bushels per acre. Where it has not been used to pasture army horses and mules it will soon be ready for the sickle; but who is to harvest it is more than I can tell, both white men and black having entirely disappeared from the country. It will be a matter for regret if the crop has to be lost. If saved, it would be the means of relieving a great deal of suffering among the poor people of this State. After leaving the Etowah about four miles, we came to a section of country, of several miles in extent, covered with a heavy growth of small pines. Leaving this, we again passed into a broken country, covered with a thick undergrowth of oak and chestnut. An occasional clearing, with its log cabin, marked the places where the Georgians once lived in blissful ignorance of all the wicked world outside of their native thickets. But the approach of the dreaded “Yanks” had been the signal for many of them to desert their homes and remove south. The few who remained took a great interest in our safety, assuring us that we would go back in a greater hurry than we were going forward whenever Gen. Johnston got us to where he wanted to fight us, and warning us against going too far into their country.

Near Dallas, the county town of Pauding country, we found the enemy strongly posted and well fortified. We took up our position on a neighboring hill, and commenced building rifle-pits. This was on the 26^th of May. Skirmishing commenced early in the morning, and grew livelier all the forenoon, as our troops were getting into position. The 4^th division (Gen. Herron's) was on the right of our corps. To our left was the 2d division (Gen. Morgan L. Smith's) Gen. Osterhaus being in reserve. About two o'clock this evening the enemy opened on Col. C.C. Walcutt's (2d) brigade, of the 4^th division, with shell. – Our position was on a sharp ridge, and that of the enemy about five hundred yards distant, across a deep ravine, through which ran a small creek. Their shells were well directed, – many of them bursting in our ranks. Fortunately it did not continue long, the enemy not being able to see the mischief he was doing, owing to the thick timber on our ridge. In our regiment (6^th Iowa) one man (private Scott, Co. C) was killed during this shelling, a shell bursting right against him and crushing in his side. No sooner did the shelling cease than the enemy came out of his works and advanced against us. They got nearly down the side of the hill on which was their works when, finding the musketry fire from our half-finished rifle-pits too hot, they [turned] about and returned to their position on the hill.

All day, the 27^th, a constant skirmishing was kept up by our pickets; very little harm being done on either side, owing to the distance at which the firing was done. They day was spent in strengthening our position, by finishing our rifle-pits, covering our batteries, &c. We worked all night on the 26^th and 27^th.

Early in the morning of the 28^th, the skirmishing recommenced. About eight o'clock, while on the skirmish line giving instructions, Adjt. Newby Chase, of the 6^th Iowa, received a wound in the throat, which proved fatal. Lieut. Chase was a fine officer, a true soldier, and a gentleman in the fullest sense of that term. His loss is felt and deeply mourned by the whole regiment. He sleeps on the field of battle with thousands, who like him have fallen, victims of man's perfidy and ambition. But his memory will always live in the hearts of his comrades in the “Sixth” to whom he had endeared himself by his uniform kindness and urbanity, his noble unselfishness of disposition, and the gallantry of his conduct in the field.

About four o'clock, of the 28^th, the enemy made a furious charge all along the line occupied by the 15^th Corps. They were within a few feet of our pickets before their approach was discovered, having crawled up to them, under cover of the thick underbrush and the smoke of the dead leaves, which had caught fire in many places. In our regiment, Co. D, under command of Lieut. T.S. Elrick, and Co. C, commanded by Lieut. Baldwin, were on the picket or skirmish line. They fought the enemy hand to hand, falling back gradually to the breastwork. They were necessarily exposed to our fire as they came in, but as it was easy to distinguish between the blue coats and the gray, none of them were hurt by it. The enemy charged with great determination. Some of them were killed just outside of our works. They got possession of three guns of the First Iowa Battery, which was in a very exposed position. They made terrible efforts to get off these guns, as they were fine steel Parrots, but the fire from our rifle pits, not over twenty-five yards distant was too severe and failing to carry them off, they were obliged to leave the guns. After tow hours terrible fighting, forty minutes of which was the hardest I ever saw, they were repulsed. – Our men dashed out after them and followed them to our skirmish line, which was re-established on the old ground. Just as the enemy commenced to fall back, a [brigade] of Gen. Osterhaus' division came up to our support in fine style, having come on the double quick for two miles. Finding the crisis past they returned to their old position. Nothing could exceed the coolness and spirit of our men in resisting this charge. The enemy's loss is three thousand, including every field officer engaged, (by their own report,) shows how well directed was our fire. But we did not escape without severe loss. In the 2d Brigade, 4^th division, three of the four regimental commanders were hit, and two of them killed, Col. Dickerman, of the 103d Ills., and Maj. Gisey, of the 46^th Ohio, and Col. Miller, of the 6^th Iowa, wounded severely in the arm. Too much cannot be said in praise of these gallant officers. – While the men were in the ditch and under cover, they had to be exposed to the fire of the enemy unprotected. But Col. Miller (my position did not allow me to see the others) was right up to the line, directing his men where to fire, and keeping them well in their places. No braver man lives than Col. Miller, and no commander enjoys more fully, the respect, confidence and affection of his men. The loss of our regiment during the attack of the enemy on our lines, was seven men killed and fifteen wounded, and one brave officer killed. – Lieut. Baldwin, of Co. C, was shot through the head by a stray ball, after the enemy had been repulsed. A better man never drew a sword.

“He sleeps his last sleep, he has fought his last battle.”

But while a man of the 'Sixth Iowa” survives the slaughter of war, he will not be forgotten.

Company C, lost heavily here, as in every engagement in which we have been. There are but ten or twelve men left in the Company.

I cannot forbear to mention the conduct of one gallant soldier of our regiment, who was killed. I refer to Private George Black of Company B. When the skirmish line had been driven in as far as the guns of the 1^st Iowa Battery, already abandoned by most of the artillery men, he stopped, and extending his hand to a comrade, who was near, he bade him good bye, saying: “I am going to stay with this gun.” He did stay with it – and after the enemy was driven back, he was found laying dead with his feet to the foe and face to the skies. He was shot through the heart, evidently having been killed by a shot from the revolver of a rebel captain who lay dead on the opposite side of the gun. The captain's revolver was in his hand, one load having been discharged, and it is thought that both fired and fell at once, each killing the other.

Some of the 1^st battery displayed great bravery – one, in particular, whose name I have not learned – knocking down the first rebel who got to his gun with the swab. But as the battery was outside the line of infantry, it was impossible to hold it; and the enemy came on to them so suddenly, they had not time to get the guns off.

On the [31^st] of May we moved several miles to the left, and relieved the 20^th corps at New Hope Church. Here the enemy's rifle pits and ours, were not over one hundred and fifty yards apart. The ground was nearly level, and the trees bore visible marks of the dreadful fighting the 20^th corps had, to gain the position. Many large trees were killed by the cannon shot and some were dying from the effects of musket balls, so many having been lodged in them. We held this position till the 5^th of June; having advanced twenty-five yards, and put up new works in that time. On the morning of the fifth, we found the enemy gone from his works in our front. The same day we started for Ackworth, on the railroad leading to Atlanta. Arrived at that place on the sixth. Rested two days, and on the ninth our regiment went in company with the 2d Cavalry Division (Gen. Girard) on a reconnaissance to Big Shanty station. Found the enemy in force on a range of hills just beyond Big Shanty, and returned to Ackworth. On the tenth, a general move forward of five miles, to Big Shanty, took place, since which the 15^th corps has been in reserve.

Skirmishing is kept up all the time, and an occasional shell is tossed over towards them, just to keep them awake, I suppose. They never see fit to return the compliment, but we can see them busily at work on a hill three or four miles distant, throwing up entrenchments.

So far, Gen. Sherman has forced them to abandon all their well chosen positions for defense, by operating on their flanks and in the rear. Of course, we know nothing of Gen. Sherman's plans. but since we have been here three days and no attack has been made, we may safely conclude that no direct attack is intended at this point, since, were that the intention, so much time would not be given to the enemy to strengthen his position. It will take some time to get to Atlanta as we have been going the past two weeks. but the people may rest assured that if steady, cool and pertinacious effort can accomplish the work, we will get there some time this summer. No one who is unacquainted with this country can form any idea of the difficulties to be overcome.

The weather has been very wet for some time. It has rained every day for near a week till to-day. For more than forty eight hours ending last evening, at dark, the rain was constant, and most of the time a torrent. This was very trying, as we had no shelter save what was afforded by water-proof blankets, but the boys stood it philosophically, wondering whether it would not raise the Chattahoochee till the gunboats could come up and take Johnston in the rear, forgetting, I suppose, that Mobile was yet in the way.

I never saw our army in better fighting trim than it is to-day. Nothing within the bounds of possibility but that can be done by it.

Our own regiment is in good health. Several deaths have occurred from small-pox since we came back from furlough and considerable anxiety was felt for a time lest it should be general in the division. – But it was confined to our regiment, and has now entirely disappeared. Among the deaths from this cause was Lieut. Wright, of Co. D, whose untimely death is greatly deplored, particularly in his own company of which he was a great favorite.

Since the wounding of Col. Miller, we are ably commanded by Major Thos. J. Emis, assisted by Capt. W.H. Clune.

The cars run here regularly now, bringing plenty of “hard tack,” “swine side,” coffee, sugar, &c., together with the scarcely less indispensable Hawk-Eye, and home news.

Yours, with a Bully for Lincoln, J.L.

Source: The Burlington Weekly Hawkeye, 25 June 1864