For the cold month of February we will be reading the book Cold Mountain or taking our valentine to the movie version of the story starring Nicole Kidman.
Book Description
One of the most acclaimed novels in recent memory, Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain is a masterpiece that is at once an enthralling adventure, a stirring love story, and a luminous evocation of a vanished American in all its savagery, solitude, and splendor.
Sorely wounded and fatally disillusioned in the fighting at Petersburg, Inman, a Confederate soldier, decides to walk back to his home in the Blue Ridge Mountains and to Ada, the woman he loved there years before. His trek across the disintegrating South brings him into intimate and sometimes lethal converse with slaves and marauders, bounty hunters and witches, both helpful and malign. At the same time, Ada is trying to revive her father's derelict farm and learn to survive in a world where the old certainties have been swept away. As it interweaves their stories, Cold Mountain asserts itself as an authentic American Odyssey--hugely powerful, majestically lovely, and keenly moving.
To learn more about the book:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0375700757/qid=1075066232/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/102-3185050-1724138#product-details
20:41:59 [karyn] i am on page 377 and reading as fast as i can!
20:42:35 karyn exits from this room
20:45:25 Mac enters this room
20:45:34 Kathy enters this room
20:45:52 [Kathy] Hi
20:46:00 [Mac] Hi Kathy -
20:46:11 [Kathy] Karyn - did you see the movie?
20:46:21 [Mac] Looks like Karyn peeked in and then left to try and finish more of the book
20:46:29 [Kathy] Oops - saw Karyn left
20:46:47 [Kathy] She should know better - it doesn't matter
20:46:56 [Mac] I saw the movie and read the book when it first came out
20:47:02 [Kathy] How are your travels, Sheryl?
20:47:11 [Kathy] Anything like Inman's?
20:47:24 [Mac] Busy time for me now
20:47:45 [Mac] Not this time but I expect the Grand Canyon hike will be like Inman's
20:47:46 [Kathy] I still haven't seen the movie. Might go tomorrow night
20:48:30 [Kathy] Will it feel like the Odyssey - a long journey?
20:48:38 [Mac] I liked the movie - no infected wounds or gangorene (sp?)
20:48:58 [Mac] Everyone still looked good
20:49:13 [Kathy] Annette mentioned the battle scene was brutal
20:49:27 [Mac] It will be 24 miles in 1 day - 13.5 down and 9.5 back up
20:49:55 [Mac] The battle scene was bad because it was down in the crater
20:50:30 [Mac] It was also bad because you couldn't tell what side most of them were on
20:50:41 [Kathy] Hopefully, on your GC trip you won't have to worry about the home guard
20:51:08 [Mac] No, just the rangers checking to see that we have legal permits!
20:51:33 [Kathy] What will they do to you if you don't have a permit?
20:51:37 [Mac] Do you know any history on the home guard?
20:52:06 [Kathy] Not really - the book presents them as very brutal
20:52:22 [Mac] How many pages are in the book? Is Karyn close to the end?
20:52:38 [Kathy] and I read an interview from Frazier where he visited graves of innocent people killed by the home guard
20:52:50 [Mac] In the movie, the home guard was the worst
20:53:10 [Kathy] My copy of book has 449 pages
20:53:17 Jean enters this room
20:53:27 [Kathy] Karen may be reading for awhile
20:53:39 [Mac] There is no way she will finish tonight - I wonder if she will sign back on
20:53:55 [Kathy] Hi, Jean - did you finish the book?
20:53:58 [Mac] Welcome Jean, it's just me (Sheryl) and Kathy so far
20:54:30 [Jean] Yes I read the book, but have not seen the movie yet.
20:54:44 [Kathy] Same with me
20:54:58 [Mac] I remember thinking the book was loooooooong
20:55:17 [Mac] I remember wanting Inman to WALK FASTER
20:55:23 [Kathy] It's supposed to be - it is an epic journey
20:55:28 [Jean] Jeff is in Altanta, and of course has not read the book, he has read three of next four so he is quite proud of himself.
20:55:51 [Kathy] Jeff is certainly ahead of me!
20:55:56 [Jean] What was with all the bird references?
20:56:03 [Mac] We'll see if he remembers anything for our next chat
20:56:37 [Kathy] I think the Odyssey had lots of bird symbolism & Frazier was fashioning book on Odyssey
20:56:38 karyn enters this room
20:57:01 [Kathy] I read an interview by him & he reread the Odyssey & went back to it often
20:57:07 [Mac] Welcome back Karyn - did you finish?
20:57:10 [Kathy] Hi Karen
20:57:31 [Mac] Do any of you remember the Odyssey?
20:57:36 Joe enters this room
20:57:55 [Kathy] I remember thinking it was looong
20:57:55 [Mac] Hey Joe - welcome
20:58:23 [Jean] I just finished, not 15 minutes ago, Krista was using the computer for homework, so I had to wait. What was the deal with her losing the tip of her finger at the very end? I liked that she was marking where the sun set, but it could have been written without her losing the tip of her finger.
20:58:28 [karyn] no, i quit because i knew i would read too fast and miss something
20:58:29 [Joe] Hello My freinds
20:58:33 [Mac] OK - Joe and Karyn, did you read the book or see the movie?
20:59:28 [Joe] I am affarid that I did not read or watch
20:59:38 [karyn] no movie - just the book
20:59:39 [Jean] I have not read the Odyssey, Jessica has, along with Cold Mountain, but alas she is making mega bucks babysitting
20:59:51 [Jean] Hi Joe , Hi Karyn
21:00:00 [Joe] Hi Jean
21:00:07 [Mac] Jean - you have a definite leg up as I read it quite a while ago - I don't remember the finger but ICK
21:00:41 [Kathy] It doesn't pay to finish the book too early -- some details escape my memory as well
21:00:51 [Joe] ICK?? you sound like my kids
21:01:03 [Mac] Joe - It was a great DATE opportunity - some romance too
21:01:13 [Kathy] I think there were some pretty brutal scenes in the book - so at first was reluctant about the movie
21:01:42 [Mac] The movie wasn't that gross - I only had to close my eyes a few times
21:01:45 [Kathy] I think creating the pictures in your head & seeing them on the screen are very different
21:01:51 [Jean] Has anyone talked to Steve? He got to spend a wonderful afternoon with the Neuner's last weekend.
21:01:59 [karyn] some romance - my daughter told me it was torrid!
21:02:12 [Kathy] I haven't heard from Steve
21:02:13 [Mac] The crater battle was bad
21:02:20 [Jean] I have never seen a movie that was better than the book.
21:02:26 [Joe] With three kids we can't even watch a video unless it's Mary Poppins or some thing along that note
21:02:27 [karyn] i enjoyed creating the picture of jude law!
21:02:29 [Kathy] Annette & I were the only two at the 'live' book club meeting
21:02:32 [Mac] No words from Steve
21:03:09 [Kathy] Annette told me the Jude was good in the movie
21:03:14 [Mac] Did you guys talk about the book/movie?
21:03:22 [Joe] How about Jeff?
21:03:34 [Kathy] Joe, I haven't seen movie either because of son & 'R' rating
21:03:38 [Mac] Joe - you need to talk your wife out more often
21:03:58 [Jean] How about Jeff what?
21:04:29 [Kathy] Sheryl, we did talk a little about the book/movie.
21:04:41 [Kathy] Annette saw movie/ I read book
21:04:53 [Mac] Kathy & Joe - there is a heavy romance scene - inappropriate for kids, appropriate for spouses
21:05:32 [Jean] When they are in the old indian cabins?
21:05:58 [Kathy] Annette said the movie did delve into some of themes suggested by the reading group guide I pointed out to the group
21:06:03 [Mac] Karyn - is that torrid or horrid? depends on your view or that of a teenager
21:07:01 [Mac] I think Karyn and Joe must be stuck - we had problems with that on the last chat
21:07:02 [Kathy] Oops! she said it did NOT delve into same themes
21:07:23 [karyn] torrid - i learned about the scene from my mother in law and then my 16 year old fessed up
21:07:27 [Mac] If it happens, exit out and try to re-enter
21:07:57 [Mac] Since you didn't read through to the end - I won't tell the outcome
21:07:58 [Kathy] So... for all who read book... do you give it a thumbs up or thumbs down?
21:08:09 Kathy exits from this room
21:08:12 Kathy enters this room
21:08:30 [karyn] it's not as bad as last time but i am clocking..i'll hang in there
21:09:10 [Mac] I read it when it first came out - I remember thinking it was too loooooong
21:09:21 [Jean] Thumbs down. I liked the authors writing style, but it seemed to move so slowly.
21:09:22 [Mac] I liked the movie - I think better than the book
21:09:42 [karyn] thumbs up even though i know the ending thanks to my daughter
21:09:43 [Joe] Man I hate dial up
21:09:57 [Mac] First time I ever liked the movie better
21:10:06 [Kathy] I guess I will vote neutrally... It was OK, but not one of my favorites
21:10:21 [Jean] I'll have to see the movie and let you know
21:10:33 [Mac] Joe - Dial up is SLOW - when your girls get older you will be forced to get something faster
21:10:52 [Kathy] I have a date to see movie tomorrow night. Son is in Washington DC with 8th grade class
21:11:19 [Mac] Date night with Dave I hope?
21:11:21 [Joe] Lucky you Kathy
21:11:29 [karyn] mac what did your hubby think of the book - he is a civil war buff-right?
21:11:46 [Kathy] Yep with my husband --- we lead a fairly boring life
21:11:52 [Jean] We're going to DC in May. Jessica's orchestra is playing at the Kennedy Center
21:12:00 [Mac] He didn't read the book but did like the movie - he gave me background on the battle of the crater
21:12:42 [Mac] He only reads historical civil war stuff not fiction
21:12:54 [Kathy] I think the book is more about 'soul searching', horror of war, and romance more than specifically the Civil War
21:13:08 [Jean] Jeff likes fact based war fistion, but I think this one would have moved too slow for him. He likes fast pased action
21:13:29 [Mac] I don't think Inman saw any honor in the war
21:13:42 [Mac] Oops - you said horror - he definately saw that
21:14:05 [Kathy] I agree with the honor thing - he felt both sides were fighting uselessly
21:15:47 [Kathy] Was the lady with the goats in the movie?
21:16:29 [Mac] Yes, goat lady was in the movie - I think if I ever become a survivalist I will have goats
21:17:17 [Mac] Kathy, did Annette like the movie?
21:17:25 [Kathy] Could you skin your own goat? Sometimes, I think if it comes to this - I will be one of the first ones to perish
21:17:46 [Kathy] Annette said she liked the movie & recommended I see it
21:17:54 [Mac] No, I would just have to live off of the milk and cheese
21:18:13 [Mac] I recommend everyone see it - it was good
21:18:16 [Kathy] Milk & chees is good... berries in the woods...
21:19:01 [Mac] I would have no clothes to wear but hey - maybe some type of bark apparel
21:19:13 [karyn] i will rent it
21:19:29 [Mac] I think everyone else is STUCK
21:19:42 [Mac] No Karyn - take Pat for a DATE!
21:20:15 [Jean] I'm not stuck, just barely awake
21:20:19 [Kathy] I think maybe everyone is stuck too. I am on son's new computer (after all he is in Washington)
21:20:22 [karyn] neither of us are movie people
21:20:43 [Kathy] I think I will have to boot my son off of his compute every time we chat
21:21:21 [Kathy] We actually enjoy movies in my family - no commercials (or at least none in the middle of the movie)
21:21:23 [karyn] pat always wants to sit in handicap so he can stretch out and we end up fighting about where to sit
21:21:31 [Mac] I would need a hill girl like Ruby to show up and take care of me
21:21:47 [Kathy] I like Ruby - I would need someone like her too
21:22:07 [Mac] Renee Z is good in the movie
21:22:13 [Kathy] Renee Z. won an academy award for her performance
21:23:01 [Jean] Having a Ruby would be great, but I think we could all do better than Ada did when she was on her own for the summer
21:23:09 [Mac] I tellny husband that in the even of a castrophe, I am going to live with his best friend - a real hunter-type guy
21:23:32 [Kathy] Yes, I think I would do better than Ada - I have survived three summers of boy scout camp!
21:23:44 [Mac] Ada was lame that first summer
21:24:08 [karyn] but she cam thru like scarlett ohara when it counted
21:24:30 [Kathy] I guess our parents didn't shelter us the way the book shows that Ada's father sheltered her
21:24:44 [Mac] She looked like Scarlett too - and Jude law cleaned up nicely
21:24:50 [Kathy] Yes, Ada did have a little Scarlett O'hara in her
21:25:05 [Kathy] Has anyone ever been to the real Cold Mountain?
21:25:08 [Mac] I didn't know how to cook until I went to college and lived with 5 other girls in a house
21:26:01 [karyn] where is cold mountain - what state
21:26:08 [Kathy] My mom always had us help - slice & dice, watch pots, do dishes,... etc.
21:26:13 [Mac] I have not been to Cold Mountain - do you know how many miles Inman walked?
21:26:44 [Kathy] I believe it is in North Carolina (or is it Virginia?)
21:26:46 [Jean] Nope, been to Pilot mountain , the town Mayberry was modeled after, Winston-Salem, and Durham
21:27:16 [Mac] Maybe we can hike Cold Mountain?
21:27:33 [Kathy] No... I don't know how many miles he walked. It was looong. I think it was longer because of his injuries.
21:27:34 [Mac] Once we find out where it is
21:28:05 [Jean] You can hike the Appalachain Trail
21:28:08 [Kathy] I think a book club 'field trip' would be fun.
21:29:25 [Kathy] OK - I checked. The real cold mountain is NC. The crater battle was Virginia
21:29:26 [karyn] i hear the appalachain trail hike is very 'cleansing'
21:29:32 [Mac] Cold Mountain is in North Carolina - I did a quick search
21:29:54 [Mac] You have to pack your own water to avoid the 'cleansing' effect
21:30:37 [Mac] Kathy - we are too weird (I checked, you checked) - what about that question of being normal?
21:30:38 [Kathy] We wouldn't have to repeat Inman's journey. A short hike would do....
21:30:49 [karyn] i was referring to the mind and soul
21:31:08 [Mac] Friends of a friend hike a section of the trail every year
21:31:22 [Mac] I'll be ready and all geared up too so I'm in
21:31:36 [Kathy] Ahh... the mind and soul cleansing... now that relates to some of the themes of the book
21:32:06 [Kathy] Sheryl will be one step ahead of us...
21:32:07 [Jean] Cold Mountain is 40 miles from Asheville. NC
21:32:29 [Kathy] I have a pedometer from work. Our health committee is passing it around.
21:32:39 [Mac] No, Sheryl will probably still be in the bottom of the Grand Canyon
21:33:05 [Kathy] I have to walk 10,000 steps... it's a start to get ready for Cold Mountain Hike
21:33:09 [Mac] Jean - I just added you to the weird list with me and Kathy - we checked too
21:33:49 [Mac] I can point any of you to great conditioning sources - like how to prepare yourself to hike 30 miles in a day!
21:33:54 [Kathy] We're not weird... just a litte 'fruity'... as I mentioned in my email earlier today
21:34:12 [Mac] We are interesting
21:34:14 [Jean] I didn't know there was a weird list. I am assuming it is an honor to be on it?
21:34:51 [Mac] Yes, it should be considered an honor
21:36:19 [Mac] Another friend of a friend hiked the Pictured Rocks trail in the UP - said it was beautiful and not too rugged
21:36:27 [Kathy] Really, the NC mountains look beautiful... we have to put it on a must do. Of course, we never did have that book club 'field trip' to the Empire State Building' - Adventure of Kay & Kavalier
21:37:10 [karyn] i am going to sign off because i cannot chat as fast i'd like so can't really participate. I will try to fix for next chat! See you in the Bleachers
21:37:11 [Mac] Karyn, Jean & Joe (I think he is gone) - do any of you know if the home guard was really as awful in real life?
21:37:58 [Kathy] Bye, Karen
21:38:29 [Jean] There are several trails to hike at pictured rocks. we hiked the one to the lighthouse because you were supposed to be able to view ship wreck remains, but of course the water level was too high that year because of record snowfalls. we had fun though.
21:38:35 [Mac] Karyn - try sending an email to Chris P - he may be able to help
21:38:48 [Jean] Bye Karyn
21:38:59 [karyn] good idea bye bye
21:39:12 karyn exits from this room
21:39:19 [Mac] Would you recommend the trail? Pretty?
21:39:35 [Jean] No idea on the home guard.
21:40:32 [Jean] It was pretty when you were by the lake, but it went in and out of the trees. The best way to see pictured rocks is by boat.
21:41:07 [Mac] I like trees - so, maybe a combo hike & boat trip
21:41:26 [Kathy] I think combo hike & boat trip sounds good
21:41:43 [Mac] I will ask hubby about the home guard to see if he has any info for me to pass along - I was disgusted by them
21:42:21 [Kathy] Yes, the book depicted home guard as VERY bad with no moral values
21:42:45 [Mac] Same with the movie - they were UGLY too!
21:42:50 [Jean] Its a state park and it has its own little information center. They tell you all about the different trails, how long they are, wht there is to see etc.
21:43:07 [Kathy] On the other hand, in spite of Inman's belief that he was 'ruined' by war & would never be the same... he still had morals & tried to help people
21:43:44 [Jean] He was changed, but not ruined. Ada saw that.
21:44:31 [Kathy] Agree with you Jean.
21:44:34 [Mac] In the end it killed him - I think he let the other guy go because he didn't want to believe he was 'ruined'
21:45:18 [Jean] Aren't the bad guys always ugly? Even in Harry Potter. The Slytherins were almost all ugly with bad teeth
21:45:53 [Kathy] So, the book left me sad... does the movie leave you with sad feeling
21:46:18 [Mac] It makes it easier when the good are pretty and the bad are ugly
21:47:02 [Jean] The book didn't leave me sad. I was sad that Inman died and he and Ada didn't live happily ever after. But life goes on as shwon by Ada, her daughter, Ruby and all the rest
21:47:08 [Mac] Yes, the movie was sad - a romance that survived the war but not the homecoming
21:47:09 [Kathy] Yes, bad guys are typically ugly... but even in Harry Potter I think they tried to make Prof Snapes more smoooth... and dark looking than ugly
21:47:33 [Jean] Bruce Deran would have made a great Teague.
21:47:42 [Mac] I liked the last scene - the survivors who had become a family
21:47:43 [Jean] Sorry, Bruce Dern
21:48:34 [Kathy] I know that the book does show things going on... so I wasn't 'crying' sad.. just sad that Inman had come sooo far, but didn't survive
21:49:09 [Kathy] I did like the fact that they implied Inman & Ada had a daughter
21:50:05 [Jean] He did achieve some of his dreams, to get home to Ada, kiss theback of her neck, know that she loved him, which he wasn't sure of till the end.
21:50:53 [Mac] In the movie - it is more than implied. The final scene is a picnic with Ada & her daughter, Ruby her husband (one of her Dad's music buddies), her Dad, the woman whose family was killed
21:52:09 [Kathy] I think it is implied in the book as well...
21:52:44 [Mac] Face it, we were all sad for Ada. This hunky guy walked MILES and MILES to return to her, they have one great date and he's gone
21:54:13 [Kathy] I think it is too bad that Ada & Inman were too 'repressed' (is that the right word) before the war - to really get together then
21:54:15 [Mac] Thanks for the chat - I am going to call it an evening
21:54:37 [Kathy] I am going to have to leave too...
21:55:00 [Kathy] Thanks all. Next book is Bleachers. Shorter, I think
21:55:08 [Jean] We just ruined the ending of the book for Jessica, she just got home and came to say goodnight, read one line of the chat and said nooooooo Inman dies?
21:55:11 [Mac] I will change dates of our next book and remind Joe that he is the new HOST
21:55:28 [Mac] Sorry Jessica!
21:55:30 [Kathy] Oooops. Sorry, Jessica
21:55:51 [Kathy] Sheryl, what do you think new dates will be?
21:56:48 [Mac] I will change it so we read Bleachers in April and review it in May - It's short so that should work
21:57:06 [Jean] I thought she had finished the book. That's all for me. My last child is home safe and sound. Bleachers is short and a quick read. There is football talk, plays etc, but kind of like Cold Mountain, its not all about football, more about the relationship between the coach and his players
21:57:10 [Kathy] Sounds good
21:57:32 [Mac] I will probably change The DaVinci Code to May & June - take our time in the summer
21:57:41 [Kathy] Goodnight everyone. Talk (chat) to you soon
The battle scene in the movie really did happen. It is know as the Battle of the Crater or Battle of the Mine and took place in Petersburg Virginia. Following is the report from the confederate general. This is a great website for civil war information http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/warweb.html#specific
BATTLE OF THE CRATER
JULY 30, 1864
GENERAL BUSHROD JOHNSON'S REPORT FROM THE OFFICAL RECORDS OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION
OPERATIONS IN SE VA & NC, THE RICHMOND CAMPAIGN
HEADQUARTERS JOHNSON’S DIVISION, AUGUST 20, 1864
COLONEL: The following report of the part taken by this division in the action of Saturday the 30th of July, 1864, is respectfully submitted:
For a proper understanding of the condition of this command on the occasion referred to it is necessary to state that on the night of the 28th of July every man in reserve in this division was placed in the trenches. Colquitt’s brigade, of Hoke’s division, was temporarily transferred to my command in exchange for Gracie’s brigade and placed on my right. For the purpose of relieving Field’s division from the trenches my line was extended to an attenuation that was deemed barely secure against an ordinary assault. From the left to the right the brigades were stationed in the trenches in the following order, viz: Ransom’s, Elliott’s, Wise’s and Colquitt’s brigades.
About 4.55 o’clock on the morning of the 30th of July the enemy sprung a large mine under that portion of my line about 200 yards north of the Baxter road, known as Pegram’s salient. In this salient there were four guns of Captain Pegram’s battery, and the Eighteenth and Twenty-second South Carolina Regiments, of Elliott’s brigade, occupied the parapets in the battery and adjacent to it. The Twenty-second South Carolina Regiment extended from a point some seventy yards to the right of the right fun to a point beyond, but near to the left gun of the battery. The Eighteenth was posted on the left of the Twenty-second South Carolina Regiment. The regiments of Elliott’s brigade were distributed along the parapet from left to right as follows, viz: The Twenty-sixth, Seventeenth, Eighteenth, Twenty-second and Twenty-third South Carolina Regiments. To strengthen Pegram’s salient a second line or trench cavalier had been thrown up in its rear, commanding our front line and the enemy’s works at a distance of from 150 to 200 yards. Owing to the extension of our line, already explained our troops occupied only the front line of our works. The mine, as has been since ascertained, was laid along two wings, extending to the right and left of the main gallery, nearly parallel to the interior crest of our work and beneath the foot of the slope of the banquette, or perhaps farther back, and completely destroyed a portion of the front or main line of our fortification and the right of the trench cavalier. The crater measures 135 feet in length, 97 feet in breath, and 30 feet deep. The two guns of Pegram’s battery were not disturbed by the explosion. The two left guns were thrown out in front of our works, and only eight men out of twenty-eight men and two officers with the battery escaped alive and unhurt. The battery was occupied by five companies of the Twenty-second South Carolina Regiment, which were blown up. The Eighteenth South Carolina Regiment, on the left of the battery, had four companies blown up or destroyed by the falling earth.
From the facts furnished by Col. F.W. McMaster, commanding Elliott’s brigade since Brig. Gen. S. Elliott was wounded, it appears that the losses sustained by the explosion of the mine are as follows, viz:
22ND SC Regiment:
Killed & Wounded, Officers & Men, Total 179
18th SC Regiment:
Officers Killed 4, Wounded 5, Total 9
Men Killed 39, Wounded 38, Total 77
Pegram’s battery:
Officers & men, Total 23
Aggregate losses known to have occurred
from explosion: 278
Of 4 officers and 72 men missing from the Eighteenth South Carolina Regiment, over and above the foregoing estimate, a part may have been blown up or killed by the falling earth, but most of them are supposed to have been captured.
The astonishing effect of the explosion, bursting like a volcano at the feet of the men, and the upheaving of an immense column of more that 100,000 cubic, feet of earth to fall around in heavy masses, wounding, crushing, or burying everything within its reach, prevented our men from moving promptly to the mouth of the crater and occupying that part of the trench cavalier which was not destroyed, and over which the debris was scattered. Each brigade of this division had, however, been previously instructed as to the course to be pursued and the stubborn resistance to be offered on each flank in case a breach was made in our lines, and the troops of Elliott’s brigade, not blown up or injured, maintained their ground with remarkable steadiness. When the torrents of dust had subsided the enemy was found in the breach. Some four flags were counted and a continuous column of white and black troops came pouring on from the enemy’s lines to support those in the advance, while their artillery, mortars, and cannon, opened all along their lines, concentrating on our works and grounds adjacent to the crater on of the heaviest artillery fires known to our oldest officers in the field. Their heaviest fire was from the batteries in the vicinity of the Baxter road, where they had, since the 16th of June, seemed to concentrate their greatest strength, worked with greatest industry, built the strongest works and fought with unwearied energy.
On the advancing column the Twenty-third and apart of the Twenty-second South Carolina Regiments, on the right, and the Seventeenth and part of the Eighteenth South Carolina Regiments, on the left, opened from our parapets a most destructive fire. The flanking arrangements of our works on both sides of the breach afforded peculiar advantages. Soon the fire along the line of the division, extending far out on each flank wherever the enemy’s column could be reached, swept the ground in front of the crater. To the men of Wise’s brigade, occupying the eminence south of the Baxter road about 200 yards from the crater, the enemy’s masses moving on the open ground up to the breach, presented a most inviting and accessible target, upon which their fire took unerring effect. Wright’s battery, of four guns, admirably located, and entrenched on the left of Elliott’s brigade and in rear of our lines, poured its whole column of fire in the right flank of the enemy’s masses. The position of this excellent battery was perhaps unknown to the enemy, and the superior manner in which it was served, the rapidity of the fire, and the terrible effect on the enemy’s forces no doubt greatly astonished and demoralized them.
One fun of Davidson’s battery, commanded by Lieutenant Otey, occupying a position on our main line on the right of the Baxter road- admirably adapted to throw canister-shot into the enemy’s left flank, and with Wright’s battery to sweep the ground in front of the breach with a destructive cross-fire opened with a few rounds, and for some reason, not explained to me, became silent, and was deserted by the officers and men. This battery was connected with my command on the night of the 28th of July by the extension of my line to the right, and did not comprise a part of the artillery properly serving with this division. The battery was, however, subsequently manned and officered by Wise’s brigade, under instruction from Colonel Goode, and did excellent service.
Major Haskell’s mortar batteries, in charge of Captain Lamkin, consisting of four Coehorns on the Jerusalem plank road, one Coehorn and two 12-pounder mortars in the ravine some 200 yards to the left and in rear of the breach, and two mortars to the left of Wright’s battery, were all opened promptly upon the enemy’s colums. The practice of the four mortars on the plank road was admirable. Its shells were dropped with remarkable precision upon the enemy’s masses clustering in disorder in front of and in the crater. Some three mortars on the right of the Baxter road, commanded by Lieutenant Langhorne, also opened early in the engagement, and continued to fire at intervals with good effect until its close.
As soon as I was aware that the enemy had sprung the mine and broken my line near the center I immediately communicated with the brigades in both wings of the division and directed them to extend their intervals and re-enforce the wings of Elliott’s brigade, so as to give as great strength as possible to the forces on which the weight of the enemy’s columns must first fall. At the same time I dispatched staff officers to the two divisions on my flanks for re-enforcement’s could be furnished, as the line was already too weak. Captain Smith, acting aide-de-camp, who went to the right, promptly reported that General Mahone was moving up to our support with two brigades.
As soon as the enemy occupied the breach they attempted to advance along our trenches upon the flanks of our broken line: but our men, sheltering themselves behind the angles and flanks of our works, in the boyanx running out perpendicular to the rear of our trenches, and behind the piles of earth above their bomb-proofs, opened a fatal fire on ever point where the foe exposed themselves. Thus their advance was stayed, and they commenced the work of intrenching, while they still tried by more cautious means to press back our faithful and gallant men.
Brig. Gen S. Elliott, the gallant commander of the brigade which occupied the salient, was making prompt disposition of his forces to assault the enemy and reoccupy the remaining portion of the trench cavalier when he was dangerously wounded. He had given the necessary orders for the Twenty-sixth and the left wing of the Seventeenth South Carolina Regiments to be withdrawn from the trenches, and had preceded them to the open ground to the left and in rear of the cavalier when he was struck by a rifle-ball. The command of this brigade now devolved upon Col. F.W. McMaster, of the Seventeenth South Carolina Regiment. This officer (having received the re-enforcement of one regiment, sent to him by Colonel McAfee, commanding Ransom’s brigade) directed Colonel Smith, of the Twenty-sixth South Carolina Regiment to form in a ravine on the left and rear of the breach a rear line consisting of the Twenty-fifth North Carolina, Twenty-sixth South Carolina, and three companies of the Seventeenth South Carolina Regiments, arranged from left to right in the order named.
Some fourteen Federal flags were now counted on our works, and it became evident that it would be better to endeavor to hold the enemy in check until larger re-enforcements arrived than risk the disaster that might follow from an unsuccessful assault by a very inferior force without any support.
The new line to the left and rear of the salient was scarcely formed when the enemy attempted, with a force thrown out to the rear of our works, with those in our trenches, and with a line in front of our trenches, to charge to our left along our breast-works and in rear and front. The Twenty-fourth and Forty-ninth North Carolina Regiments, Ransom’s brigade, had promptly closed in on the part of the Seventeenth South Carolina Regiment remaining in the trenches when the intermediate regiments were drawn out to form the rear line, and now met and repulsed the charge in front, while the line under Colonel Smith, of the Twenty-sixth South Carolina Regiment, was equally successful in rear Two companies of the Forty-ninth North Carolina Regiment, posted in the covered way near the main line, poured a heavy volley on the flank of the enemy in rear, and our men of the Seventeenth South Carolina and Forty-ninth North Carolina Regiments, under cover of angles, boyaux, & c., drove back the charge along the trenches. After this the enemy continued to fight along the parapet keeping under cover: but, tough our forces on the left failed in several attempts to throw up barricades in the trenches, the former made but slow progress in this movement.
In the meantime the Twenty-third South Carolina Regiment, under Captain White, and a few remaining men of the Twenty-sixth and part of the Forty-sixth Virginia Regiments, gallantly defended the trenches on the right of the breach.
The South Carolina troops on that side succeeded in placing a barricade in the trenches on the side of the hill, and planting themselves behind it and in the boyaux running to the rear, maintained their position within thirty yards of the crater for about five hours, curing which the enemy never drove them a foot to the right, though they made several assaults, and attempted several times to form a line in rear of our works, so as to move on the flank and rear of this gallant little band. In the events of the 30th of July there will perhaps be found nothing more heroic or worthy of higher admiration than this conduct of the Twenty-second and Twenty-third South Carolina Regiments.
Colonel Goode, commanding Wise’s brigade, caused the Fifty-ninth Virginia Regiment, under Captain Wood, to be formed in a ditch running perpendicular to the rear of the main work, and when the enemy attempted some five time to form in a rear of the breach for the purpose of charging to the right, and after they had planted four colors on the line, by which the movement designated was to be made, this regiment under Captain Wood, and the Twenty-sixth Virginia Regiment, under Captain Steele, with the Twenty-Second and Twenty-Third South Carolina Regiments and two guns of ---- battery near the junction of the Baxter and Jerusalem plank roads, opened with a fire that drove them precipitately back to the crater. In this way the conflict was maintained from 5 till nearly 10 a.m. with coolness and steadiness by determined men and officers on both flanks of the breach, and with a success worth of much praise and with great damage to the enemy.
The assailing force of the enemy, consisting of the Ninth and parts of two other army corps, was directed upon the breach at Pegram’s salient, and was held in check by little more than three regiments of Elliott’s, two regiments of Ransom’s, and two regiments of Wise’s brigades, with the efficient aid of artillery, especially of Wright’s battery and the four mortars, under Captain Lamkin, on the Jerusalem plank road. The enemy also made considerable demonstration front of Wise’s brigade, and appeared in front of their works on south side of Baxter road. On the left of the crater a large force was advanced to threaten the works occupied by Ransom’s brigade. It came forward in irregular order and took shelter at the foot of a steep hill, which descends to Taylor’s Creek, in front of that portion of our line. This force was engaged without any important results by Ransom’s brigade and the right howitzer of Slaten’s battery. Our whole line, from the right of Colquitt’s to the left of Gracie’s brigade, suffered from artillery fire.
The Sixty-first North Carolina Regiment, of Hoke’s division, sent to re-enforce the troops engaged at the breach, arrived at the same time with Mahone’s division and proceeded to form in the ravine in rear of Pegram’s salient for the purpose of charging the enemy in the breach. General Mahone had placed one brigade in position, and was waiting for the second to come up, when the enemy advanced upon his line of battle. He met their advance by a charge, in which the Twenty-fifth and Forty-ninth North Carolina and the Twenty-sixth and part of the Seventeenth South Carolina Regiments, all under Colonel Smith of Elliott’s brigade, gallantly joined, moving upon the left of General Mahone’s line. The enemy was driven from three-quarters of the trench cavalier and most of the works on the left of the crater, with moderate loss to our forces and heavy losses to the enemy, especially in prisoners. During this charge a large number of the enemy’s troops, black and white, abandoned the breach and fled precipitately to their rear. Upon this fleeing mass, in full view from our works on the right of the Baxter road, the left regiments of Wise’s brigade poured a raking fire the distance of from 150 to 500 yards, while the left fun of Davidson’s battery (which Colonel Goode had manned with a company of the Thirty-fourth Virginia Regiment, under Capt. Samuel D. Preston) discharged upon them several rounds of canister.
It is proper her to state that Captain Preston was wounded and Edward Bagby, aide-de-camp to Colonel Goode, commanding brigade was killed while serving this gun, and that Capt. A.F. Bagby, with Company K, Thirty-fourth Virginia Regiment, then took charge of it and served it with fine effect until near the close of the action.
The first charge having failed in completely dislodging the enemy I ordered all of my available forces to press steadily on both flanks with a view to their final expulsion.
Between 11 and 12 a.m. a second unsuccessful charge having been made by Wright’s brigade, of Mahone’s division, I proceeded to concern a combined movement on both flanks of the crater, to which most of the enemy’s troops were now drawn. By arrangement a third charge was made a little before 2 p.m., which gave us entire possession of the crater and the adjacent lines. This charge was made on the left and rear of the crater by Sanders’ brigade, of Mahone’s division, by the Sixty-first North Carolina, of Hoke’s division, and Seventeenth South Carolina Regiments, of this division. The last two regiments, under Major Culp, of the Seventeenth South Carolina Regiment, Elliott’s brigade, advanced on the right of Sanders’ brigade. These movements on the left were all placed under the direct supervision of General Mahone, while I proceeded to the right to collect what troops I could from the thin line on that flank to co-operate in the charge and divide the force of the enemy’s resistance. The time allotted only permitted me to draw out the Twenty-third and fragments of the Twenty-second South Carolina Regiment, under Captain Shedd. They moved gallantly forward as soon as the main line was seen advancing on the left and entered the crater with the troops of that line, capturing 3 stand of colors and about 130 prisoners. Previous to this charge the incessant firing kept up by our troops on both flanks and in rear had caused any of the enemy to run the gauntlet of our cross-fires in front of the breach, but a large number still remained, unable to advance, and perhaps afraid to retreat. The final charge was therefore made with little difficulty, and resulted in the complete re-establishment of our lines and the capture of many additional prisoners.
To Major-General Hoke I am indebted for some sixty men of the Twenty-first South Carolina Regiment, who occupied about 1 p.m. a portion of the works on right of Baxter road, from which my troops were moved to the left, and also for Colonel Radcliffe’s Sixty-first North Carolina Regiment, which re-enforced my command in the morning and joined the charge, as already stated.
To the able commander and gallant officers and men of Mahone’s division, to whom we are mainly indebted for the restoration of our lines, I offer my acknowledgments for their great service. It is not, however my privilege to make any further report of the operations of that division than is necessary for a proper understanding of those of my own command.
To the officers and men of my command, whose steadiness, determination, and courage held in check for five hours a greatly superior force elated with success, and aided to inflict on them a chastisement so memorable, my admiration and gratitude are due. It is believed for each buried companion they have taken a twofold vengeance on the enemy, and have taught them a lesson that will be remembered as long as the history of our wrongs and this great revolution endures.
The troops of this division I would invite to a lesson yet more profitable, in view of what may lie before them. They have learned in practice that which has been taught them by theory and historical example—that the coolness and steadiness of a few resolute and determined officers and men will prove the salvation of a command, whether in an unavoidable surprise or against the disordered lines of a charging column.
To the prompt and energetic co-operation of Colonel Jones, chief of artillery, and Major Haskel, commanding the mortar battery, and to their officers and men, my acknowledgments are due.
The gallantry of Private Patrick Sweeney, Company A, Fifty-ninth Virginia Regiment, as been justly reported by his brigade commander. He voluntarily joined in the last charge and captured two colors of the Twentieth Michigan Regiment, and though wounded through the body he persisted in bringing them off, with a Sharps rifle.
In the last charge Sergt. J.W. Connelly, Company F, Twenty-second South Carolina Regiment, captured the colors of the First Michigan Sharpshooters, which he delivered to General Beauregard in person.
The zeal and activity of my aides—Capts. E.R. Smith, John E. Saunders, and T.H. Skinner—were arduously tasked on the lines and fully merit the compliment of this official notice. Captain Skinner, who had joined me within the previous twenty-four hours as a volunteer aide, from a foreign soil, besides doing much arduous duty during the day, gallantly joined the troops on the right in the final charge, by which the enemy were utterly repulsed.
The following is the state of casualties of the division:
Elliott’s brigade:
Killed-Officers 15, Men 110
Wounded-Officers 18, Men 264
Missing-Officers 14, Men 337
Total-Officers 47, Men 651
Aggregate 808
Wise’s brigade:
Killed-Officers 1, Men 24
Wounded-Officers 5, Men 81
Missing-Officers 0, Men 0
Total-Officers 6, Men 105
Aggregate 111
Ransom’s brigade:
Killed-Officers 3, Men 11
Wounded-Officers 7, Men 53
Missing-Officers 0, Men 8
Total-Officers 10, Men 72
Aggregate 82
Colquitt’s brigade:
Killed-Officers 0, Men 4
Wounded-Offiers 3, Men 24
Missing-Officers 0, Men 0
Total-Officers 3, Men 28
Aggregate 31
Total:
Killed-Officers 19, Men 149
Wounded-Officers 33, Men 362
Missing-Officers 14, Men 345
Total-Officers 66, Men 345
Aggregate 923
For the purpose of preserving the records of this division the following casualties of Gracie’s brigade are added, though that brigade was detached from my command on this occasion. It, however, occupied its usual position in the trenches on my left: Killed, 1 commissioned officer and 9 enlisted men; wounded, 1 commissioned officer and 40 enlisted men; total, 2 commissioned officers and 54 enlisted men.
The losses of the enemy have been pretty well ascertained, and are between 5,000 and 6,000, including – prisoners.
The reports* of the brigade commanders of Elliott’s and Wise’s brigade are herewith enclosed. The reports of the other two brigades furnish little else than the casualties.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
B.R. Johnson, Major General
Col. G.W. Brent, Assistant Adjutant-General.
