The Iron Brigade at Spotslvania

The 24th's Role in Shooting Down the Famous Oak Tree
at the Salient at Spottsylvania


I have not yet located the official reports for the 24th actions at Laurel Hill and Spottsylvania. The account below comes directly from Curtis (p. 242-244) and details the 24th's involvement in shooting down the famous oak tree at the Spottsylvania salient. The stump of that tree is currently on display at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. The back and white illustrations are from Curtis, while the modern photograph was taken by the author.


At 2 o'clock p.m., Curler's Division moved around to the left about three miles to help Hancock, as the enemy was determined to retain the Salient at any cost. The skirmishers of the Twenty-fourth Michigan were left on picket for an hour and then rejoined the regiment. At 3 o'clock, the Iron Brigade formed on an elevation to the rear of Hancock's Corps. The Seventh Wisconsin relieved some of his troops who occupied the enemy's first line of entrenchments gained in the early morning attack and one side of the Salient-breastworks, while the enemy held their second line at the Salient. During the whole afternoon and night the Union troops kept up a constant fire in one place to prevent the enemy from removing and using eighteen pieces of his artillery parked under and near a large oak tree which stood just inside the Confederate entrenchments within the Salient between his lines. The Seventh Wisconsin did duty there till dark when the Twenty-fourth Michigan and Sixth Wisconsin were sent down to take their places directly in front of that tree and the Salient, the left of the Twenty-fourth being about fifty feet from the enemy's works. The Twenty-fourth had instructions to fire on each side of that oak tree to prevent the enemy's guns there from being removed. The night was very dark and the flash of the enemy's muskets over their second line showed their line of earthworks at the Salient, and the oak tree was used as a guide to fire by.
Standing in deep mud and keeping up a constant fire for hours and till after midnight, the men's muskets became so foul that details were made to clean the guns while their comrades kept up the fire. The men were so weary (having been under fire night and day for a week), that some lay down in the mud under the enemy's fire and slept soundly amid the thunders of battle, despite all efforts to arouse them. During the night the remnant of the Twenty-fourth used up 5,ooo rounds of cartridges at this spot. Lossing says:
<BLOCKQUOTE>
Probably there never was a battle in which so many bullets flew in a given space of time and distance. Two years afterward full one-half of the trees of the wood, at a point where the fiercest struggle ensued within the Salient of the Confederate works, were dead.</BLOCKQUOTE>
The fighting at the Salient was continued till midnight when, after a contest of twenty hours, Lee gave it up and withdrew from the place altogether. In the War Department at Washington is the section of the trunk of the large oak tree, referred to above, which stood inside the Confederate Salient and tinder which were the Confederate batteries, which the constant musketry firing prevented them from getting and using. The section of the tree is five feet six inches in height and twenty-one inches in diameter, and had been finally cut off by the Union bullets fired that night from guns in the hands of the Twenty-fourth Michigan and Sixth Wisconsin. This section of said tree was on exhibition at the Centennial, and a picture of it is here given. Several eastern regiments are claimed in the "CENTURY" to have shot this tree off, Second Corps regiments of course. They undoubtedly helped; but it is a historical fact that the tree fell about midnight after several hours of shooting at it by the Twenty-fourth Michigan and Sixth Wisconsin. These two regiments stood nearest to it, fired at it longest, and were shooting away at it when it fell. This is the true account of that battlefield relic. But all the regiments which fired at it that day and night should share whatever honor attaches to this feat.


This comes from the 24 Michigan site wherethe webmaster has spent years studying the movements.