Saints and Angels

@ BritishImperial: Thanks, I hope I won't disapoint then.

@ Enewald: That is the idea in its fullest, but I guess the AI handles such decisions in games like these.

Chapter Four: Clinch Mountain

Chapter Four

"Miles Lawrence, you get inside this minute on such a chilly October day!"

"It's October now mother?"

"Yes Miles, now get inside and help you father with the fire he's trying to prepare for us."

"You can see the fog clearing now, the day will eventually warm up."

"Miles! You get inside this house right now young man!"

Through the fog, the young child saw a sight he couldn't believe. Several hundred men armed to for war. They marched across the cold, foggy field with much authority with their muskets and rifles resting against their shoulders and bayonets fixed to the ends pointing straight up to the heavens. The sight startled the young Miles who ran immediatley back into the arms of his mother and father who was peeking out the window too get a better look at the soldiers and which side they were on.

The flag was hard to identify, but the fact that the father knew the soldiers were heading north gave him the sense that they were Confederate troops. At the woodline ridges, the Confederate forces paused for a short time sending in scouts to explore the dense woods ahead of them, and when the reports came back, the Confederate commanders smiled. Colonel Chapman rode on his horse to the head of the 7th Tennessee Regiment and began to speak to his comrades, "You shall remember this day, October 1, 1861 as the day we came together as one! When we defied the Union and their odds and said: 'We will not bow down any longer to your tyranny! We will live on, we shall fight on! And it is they who will be the ones begging for mercy. Forward! March!"

The Confederate lines moved rapidly through the tight mingled tree-lined and twig filled forests. Confederate officers on horseback looked like ghosts as they rapidly advanced through the now light fog and frost on the branches with the temperature quickly rising as the sun was appearing over the horizen. To the astounshiment of the men, the lines came to a quick stop at the top of the wooded hill as they could see hundreds, maybe even thousands of tents and a few hundred white and blue claded men just awaking and beginning to cook their breakfast, unaware they were being stalked by their opponents only a few hundred yards away from them. General Braxton Bragg came riding forward with his staff to a salute of muskets and Colonel Chapman.

"The Union Army of the Tennessee is going to hear much from the men of the Seventh Tennessee today Mister Chapman."

"Yes general, what are your orders?"

"Well, it looks like this colonel. We are the far right of the Confederate lines, General Johnston is in the center a few miles behind us and General Polk is to the far left just in front of him. Our scouts report that General's David Hunter and Benjamin Prentiss are currently camped in front of us, isolated from the rest of the army. The position of the other half of the Union Army is unknown, presumably behind them. There is no moment to waste, fix bayonets and advance!"

"Right away general! Men, too arms!"

The Confederate lines once again picked up the pace and moved downhill into the cresses formed between the hill and the ridge the Union forces were camping on. Battlines were quickly formed and the Confederate soldiers moved their bayonets into a fixed charging position.

"Bill, I'm getting nervous," said David.

"Don't worry, stick by me and the others and everything will be just fine," whispered Bill to David as they began to move up the ridge.

A lone Union battery was positioned with a soldier returning with coffee for his friends at the battery. Just as he approached the commander pointed at the base of the ridge, dropping his binoculars and maps and rushing back, running into the man with the coffee who also began to flee. "Here they come boys! They're here!"

- "Charge!"

The Confederates stormed down towards the Union camp cathching the soldiers in their night gowns and in total surprise.

"Fire!"

Bullets began to tear into the fleeing and sleeping Union soldiers as they came out of their tents in full amazement and shock at the sight they saw in front of them. Men tripped in the panic and confusion and must didn't bother to pick up their rifles and rather were more concerned with their life and fleed the field against their officers orders.



The Union lines were in total disarray as they fled in multiple directions.

"Come on boys, they're running!"

"Aim, fire!"

The air was filled with screaming and holloring as well as gun fire and speratic orders from officers in attempt to restore order to their men.

- "Form a firing line right here," ordered a Union officer as several men formed up to fire against the advancing Confederates, the Confederates however beat them to the task.

- "Aim, fire!" a crackle of musket fire ripped into the small Union line sending most of the men to the ground. Those who survived, including the officer broke and fled as the unlucky Union soldiers were caught in hand-to-hand combat against ten or twenty Confederates per every Union soldier.

"Return fire, god dammit!"

"Let's go boys, turn the cannons! Turn the cannons! Turn the cannons!"

"Load! Aim, fire!" Thunderous roars of Union artillery in the hand of Confederates rolled forward against the fleeing and panicing Union troops.

Union Colonel Samuel Pierce attempted to restore order at the height of another ridge, just in front of General Prentiss' HQ.

"Form a firing line right here men!" he shouted as he defiantly pushed his sword into the ground and seized a Union flag and held it close. A small line of a few men began to rally but the majority of men still fled passed them. Several Union cannons were forming for a defense along with the hundred or so men Colonel Pierce had rallied.

Down below, General Prentiss walked out of a small log cabin to shock as his corps was running in all directions.

"Jesus Christ! Will someone tell me what in the hell is going on here?"

"The entire Confederate Army is here!" shouted a fleeing soldier.

"General, I advise we live immediately."

"Get me my effects!"

- "Come on David, up the hill!"

"Charge! Charge! Charge!"

A Union battery pointed towards Bill as Bill looked up and then there was a great and thunderous flash...

@ Enewald: A House Divided for now, too be reunited later by the Confederacy some time later hopefully! Northerners beware, the Confederacy is here to stay!

@ Erie_Patriot: "As you well know *Mr. Erie_Patriot* suprise is half the battle."

@ TheEnlighted1: Glad you think so, and glad that you liked it, more too come later.

Chapter Four

"Rally on me men!" shouted a charasmatic and brave Union officer, Colonel Samuel Pierce. His galant antics were not left un-noticed as a few hundred of fleeing Union soldiers came to form an effective battle-line anchored around several artillery pieces along an unknown ridge around Clinch Mountain. "Come on boys, pour it on 'em!"

The artillery flash had knocked both Bill and David to the ground, of which David was slowly bleeding from the head.

"David, are you okay?"

"I'm fine Bill," he quickly replied picking up his musket as he staggered to his feet along with Bill and pressed up the hill with the rest of their brothers in arms.

The long Confederate lines of both the 7th and 11th Tennessee Regiments were slowly being picked apart by Colonel Pierce's rallied men. David and Bill eventually found themselves staggering back just as a cannon ball exploded only a few feet away from them, knocking them once more to the ground; this time however, when they returned to their knees they were clutching their ears which were ringing with a high pitch whistling noise.

The orders around them were hard to pick up and que on, but they could see with their faded eye sight that the Confederate lines were moving back down the hill to reform for another assault up the ridge. Colonel Chapman could be seen in his dashing black cap with his long overdone turkey feather sticking out of the top, waving his sword in the air urging the men of the 7th Tennessee to keep pressing forward despite the orders of Brigadier General Cheathem who was ording the division to reform for another attack.

The general, on his proud white stallion was ordering the troops to reform at the crest of the ridge. General Braxton Bragg and his staff came riding out of the woods to talk with his subordinate commander.

"General, we must keep pressing forward to match the pace of General Johnston on our flank!"

"General Bragg sir, if I keep attacking with little pockets of men, I won't have much of a division left."

"General, keep up the pressure!"

"Men, forward. Up the hill, charge!"

The reformed Confederate lines pressed hard up the hill as bullets whizzed passed the heads and into the bodies of many soldiers on both sides. Bill and David regained their composure and joined in the ranks of the advancing and firing men of their regiment. The emmense ammount of smoke and loud noises of thunder from cannons filled the air, making it hard too see even a few feet in front of you. Bill readied his Enfield and pointed it in the direction of the Union lines and pulled the trigger sending a bullet flying like a jet into the air and off into the direction of the Union lines.

Unknown to him, he struck perhaps one of the luckiest and most important shots in the battle. Colonel Samuel Pierce was bravely standing in the smoke filled battlefield with his sword at his waist and pistol in his hand shooting blindly at the Confederate lines. When he placed his pistol down and picked up his sword to usher in another command, he was struck in the neck by the very lead bullet that came spinning out of Bill's rifle.

"Colonel? Colonel?" cried one of his lieutanants.

Just as sudden, the smoke covering both forces dispearsed and the Confederates came roaring up, bayonets fixed and slammed into the Union lines. In the hands of his lieutanant, Colonel Samuel Pierce died as the bloody carnage of hand-to-hand fighting engulfed the ridge. Union soldiers fought valiantly as the sounds of rifles cracking skulls and screams could be heard all throughout the air. Punching and tackling soon became a major and important technique in saving your own life.

Bill reached the top of the ridge and hollored as he saw the battle going on. Men begging for mercy were mercilessly gunned or stabbed down by the Confederates as they began pushing down the ridge chasing the broken Union lines.

Another bullet caught the attention of Bill, this one skinned his shoulder sending him to the ground in pain. David quickly rushed over in the chaos to help his childhood friend.

"Where are you hit?"

"My shoulder! Use my towel to seal up the wound."

All around them, men were screaming, men were dying, men were running. In this instant, the whole world everyone knew was gone. As the Union forces were broken for a final time, General Sedgwick and his corps arrived to see the carnage and began to form a defensive positon in a trench and thick twisted tree area. Tom could see the smoke and hear the sounds of war again, Bill looked up too see the retreating Union troops. As they could both hear America dying, they would soon meet one another face-to-face when all on the battlefield could finally hear America crying at such a tragedy.

@ BritishImperial: Thanks, "but this is just the beginning..."

@ Enewald: Indeed the hill is part of the Confederacy. No, it wouldn't be dishonorable but you're imagination and thought has promted me to go into details of the early stages of the Battle of Clinch Mountain.

@ Third Prophecy: Thanks much! It's great to have a new readAAR, since a narrative-type is probably very unappealing after the first few pages because people don't want to read. Glad you liked it and glad to have you onboard!

Chapter Four

A Union officer on horseback came riding forward with his sabor drawn as the Union forces were retreating in all directions from the base of the woods into the twisted and thick mangled forrest.

"General," he said with a salute from his sword to General Sedgwick, "sir! They're beating us back!"

"Colonel, where is General Hunter?"

"He's wounded. He was shot in the shoulder in the fields trying to rally his men. A few hundred men from the 7th Indiana stepped forward and formed a circle and stood until they could stand no more. I just came from them. He yelled to the Confederates, ' "Shout you sons of men! For you have just captured the bravest regiment and general in the United States Army!' There isn't much too say other than they caught us nappin' sir!"

"What is the situation?"

"Retreat on all fronts!"

Major General Benjamin Prentiss appeared from the smoke as he acknowledged Brigadier General Sedgwick and his colours. "General, may I say it is mighty fine for you to arrive here, I don't know how much good you can do though."

"Reform your broken men on my flanks here," said General Sedgwick. "These trenches and rocks are a good defensive position for us. I'll place my corps here and your men can reform behind them and along the flanks. We can hold them here and wait for General Banks to arrive with the rest of the army. The battle is not yet lost!"


The defensive ring that General Sedgwick is ready to defend, which would become known as "The Butcher's Nest."

Tom looked at Justin, who looked at Paul as they filed into the natural trench and behind the large and slick rocks. Massive ranks of men dressed in sharpe dark navy uniforms with their weapons at the ready made a quick and effective defesive line for the oncoming Confederate attack.

"When do you think they'll come?" asked Justin to Tom.

"That's the Army of the Tennessee out there! By God! that's Bill's army."

"Tom?"

"If I get the chance, I don't know what I would do..."

"Tom?"

"Forget it Justin," said Paul, "he's obviously emotionally unstable."

Cannon fire exploded all around them as leaves began to fall on their hats and heads as they awaited for the first sign of a Confederate soldier or flag. Paul looked back at the sergeant who was looking forward with his long mustache only able to see nothing but trees and brush out in the distance.

~ General Johnston rode up to General Bragg, "General, form up the men and begin to press into the treeline."

"Yes general. May I ask, where is Polk?"

"He's already out in front of us and we need to catch up with him. He's paused in the woods about a mile deep as his men have engaged little resistance."

"Colonel Chapman," yelled General Bragg.

"Yes general?"

"Form up the regiment we move in short order!"

"Yes sir!"

David looked over to Bill, "More fighting," he said with winded breath.

"Just like the rest of the men," answered Bill to his friend.

The men of the 7th Tennessee and the rest of Bragg's corps picked up their canteens and rifles. Set on their shoulders, bayonets high in the air and flags flying proud in the light morning wind as they skied above the many fallen Union soldiers below them, they began to move forward with a heavy and thick drumbeat. Left, right, left was the simple tune of boots on the grass as spiratic cannon and musket fire could be heard. For the first time in this great American tragedy, two brothers; once so close now so very far apart we once again coming closer to one another, this time both clutching a rifle and uniform of the enemy.

Can one ever forgive America in her time of forgivness?

@ Erie_Patriot: Thanks.

@ Enewald: I have heard of a story of such, however a name I cannot recall. Is it possibly Sun Tzu? I think I'll have to do some curiousity homework now. Thanks Enewald! Too bad honor is no longer used in war today, we just call in a smart bomb or shoot from behind trees and buildings.

@ TheEnlighted1: They will in fact meet one another, rather soon I must say.

Chapter Four

"Colonel Chapman, are the boys ready?"

"Yes sir! You just give the order and we'll move out and take down those rat-hole Union boys."

"Colonel, God be with you. Move out," ordered General Bragg with his arm moving forward pointing into the direction of the newly formed Union defensive line anchored by the 5th US Kentucky Infantry Regiment of which Tom and his friends were apart of.



The mass formation of Confederate soldiers, in Napoleonic-dressed battle lines moved forward with quick haste as they sought to end the battle before mid-day. Union artillery from the defensive ring began to pound the advancing Confederate lines. Confederate lines, unexpectedly had a tough time in the open fields, attempting to dress their formations while being picked apart by Union cannon and rifle fire.

"Dress that line over there!"

"Form up men, form up!"

Cannon fire exploded left and right, Bill flinched many a times, especially when the cannon fire grew ever so close to him. He looked to his side to see David with fear in his eyes as they moved in closer to the treeline where only the flag standards of the Union army could be seen; as the smoke covered the soldiers but gave away their ultimate position. Many of the Confederate soldiers were over anxious and shot blindly at the Union postions, must of whom were still hiding in the trench line with only a few men, but mostly just artillery firing at the advancing Confederate lines.

Half way across the field, the men of the 7th Tennessee caught a direct hit from an Ordinance 12-pounder, sending eight or nine soldiers flying into the air only a few yards left of Bill and David. Bill, astounished looked over to see a massive gap in the line, which Major Davidson was quick to address, "Fill in the gaps boys! Keep the lines tight, shoulder to shoulder!"

"He's mad," whispered David to Bill.

Bill glanced at David, "I have a bad feeling about this."

Up ahead of the 7th Tennessee, Brigadier General Benjamin Cheatham and his brigade of were taking a pounding from the Union lines, likewise was Major General Gideon Johnson Pillow's men.

At the crest of the trench, the Union lines stood up galantly and poured a deadly opening volley into the front Confederate lines of Bragg's leading division, commanded by Gideon Johnson Pillow himself. Many Confederate men fell in an instant as Tom Smith and his comrades opened up with violence and fury.

"Give 'em the cold steel boys!" shouted General Gideon Johnson Pillow, waiving his hat in the air in hopes to inspire his soldiers to press on despite heavy losses.

"Forward, for God's sake c'mon!"

Colonel Chapman, on foot, was amazed to see General Cheatham on horseback riding backwards towards him with his colours as if he were in retreat from the attack.

"What the hell are you doin'?" asked Colonel Chapman in amazement.

"You gotta come up now Joe. You gotta come up and help us. They're tearing us up to pieces, we aren't gonna have enough men to brake 'em."

"Fine. Benjamin, get back to your men; I'll order double-time, nobody waits, everybody goes!"

"Sounds good," said General Cheatham as rode back forward to the intense one sided fight at the current moment. As he disappeard into the smoke, Colonel Chapman gave his orders.

"I wonder what that was all about," said David to Bill.

"My guess is things aren't going that well up front."

"Seventh Tennessee! Forward, at the double-quick. March!"

With that, the 7th Tennessee pressed forward with enormous speed. The battle all around them was a vicious fight.

General Pillow saw the wavering men of General David Hunter's men begin to flee as he and his men came closer. "Come on boys! They're breaking!" Several soldiers opened fire, causing one of the artillery officers to be struck in the head, falling back into the arms of his subordinate. "Forward! God save the Confederacy!" General Pillow rode forward on his horse straight towards a Union artillery piece which gave one last monsterous roar and a large cloud of white smoke engulfed the general.

Tom reloaded his rifle and aimed it directly at a Confederate officer on horseback, his sabor pointing forward.

"Catch 'em while they're standing," shouted General Cheatham, who just as quickly was struck in the shoulder by the very bullet Tom had just finished placing down his barrel.

Back on the ridge some two or so miles away, General Bragg looked out in amazement as he saw the carnage and smoke engulf his first division. "What's happenin' to my boys!?" he said as he looked through his binoculars, then peacefully, as with sorrow and guilt brought it down to his stomach knowing he was sending his men to their death. "What's happenin' to my boys!?"