(click on picture)Note: The following is an excerpt from the transcribed Civil War journal of my great-grandfather, David Milburn Haworth, of the Third Tennessee Voluntary Infantry, Co. K., U.S. Army of the Cumberland. It relates his involvement in the battle of Resaca, Georgia, May 14, 1864, in which Capt. William C Haworth, his brother, was killed, and David himself severely wounded. I have not attempted to edit or make any corrections, but have chosen to let the account "speak" for itself.
Paul Randall Haworth, February 2002. All rights reserved.
James Yates and I went to a house to sleep. Marched out on march at daylight. The roads are very muddy. I gave out with six others of my Company. We caught up with our regiment about nine o'clock that night near Louden. We marched twenty-five miles today. Every day was like this until we got into Georgia on the 10th. We struck some rebel troops near Dalton but soon drove them off.
On the 13th we marched through Snake Creek Gap. Formed our brigade in line of battle. Moved up through the timber and took a position in the rear of the 14th Army Corps. Pretty heavy fighting going on in the front. Lay there all night. Sent some men to the rear next morning to make some coffee.
General Guda was in command of our brigade that day. He was drunk. At ten o'clock we were ordered to get in line, then to fix bayonets and charge. We passed through the troops in front of us and charged on the Main rebel fort in front of us.
We had to cross a little valley and Shunger Creek was close to the port. There had been some small timber on the banks of the creek. The rebels had cut out all of that and fell it into the creek so we could hardly get through. Some of us got over but some had to come back. I believe that I could have walked across that little field on our dead and wounded.
Captain Wm. C. Haworth was at the head of his company leading them in the charge. Just at the edge of the creek he was shot in the head with a mumie ball and fell with part of his body in the Creek. Lieu't. Gamble saw his body after he was shot and that night he and my brother, I. B. Haworth slipped in and got his body and carried it out and took the end of a crackerbox, cut
his name rank and number of his regiment and dug a grave. Rolled him in his blanket and buried him.
We were engaged in the charge about two hours and our Company lost thirty-one men. Killed and wounded all of us that got across the creek. Saw that the rest of our command had stopped in the creek and was sheltering behind the bank and we got into the creek but our own troops from the hill were firing into us and the word was passed down the line to retreat and I started as fast as I could run back across the little field. I was knocked down twice, one time a shell came so close to my head that I fell the next time. I had stepped over a little fence at the edge of the timber. A shell burst in the ground by my side and threw me down again. I jumped up and was running up the hill. Was nearly up the hill when I turned to get behind a big tree.
When a Mumie ball struck me in the right side just above my hip and knocked me down. I lay where I fell for a while and the rebel bullets were hitting the ground all around me. I crawled up a little to shelter behind the tree. Pretty soon a little Doctor came to me with a canteen on. He raised my head and gave me a drink of brandy. He told me he would send the stretcher barriers after me and it wasn’t long until two soldier boys came running. Rolled me onto the stretcher and carried me back over the top of the ridge. They put me down and I saw General Juda go by so drunk that he was holding to his saddle. He was court martialed. After that they just
changed him to some other command. It wasn't long until the ambulance came and the boys loaded it up with us wounded. They took me to the field hospital of the 14th, army corps. It was a large tent. They had forks driven in the ground and planks laid on them at the end of tent where the Doctors were at work cutting off arms and legs. They layed me down so that I was facing that way. They would throw the limbs that were cut off under the table. I called one of the boys and told him to get hold of my blanket and roll me over so I could look the other way.
There was heavy fighting going on all the day and part of the night. Just before night the rebels drove our men back so far that the bullets were striking around our tent. About that time reinforcements came. They went by our tent on the double quick with fixed bayonets and they drove the rebels out of Resacca. I lay there all the next day on the ground with a few pine boughs and a blanket under me. Got my wound dressed for the first time late on the second day.
On the morning of the third day took a lot of us to Resacca to be shipped back to the rear. Lay there in a big tent until ten o'clock the next morning, when we started for Chattanooga reaching there at dark. Took us all to the field Hospital where we stayed for three days. Eb. Simmons is very bad. He was shot through the heel.
Johney Bales came to see me. He was shot through the right arm; flesh wound.
May. On the morning of the 27th., they took a lot of us down and loaded us into a box car. Started out at two o’clock. Old General Judd on the train. Reached Nashville the next day at three o'clock. Took me to Hospital No. 19/ Ward 5. There I got cleaned up and my wound dressed so I felt better. Then I wrote some letters home.
Elix Morgan and James Yates came to see me. I got a list of the killed and wounded of our Company. We lost more men, killed and wounded and accomplished the least of any battle that we were engaged in during the war.
I was confined to my room all the time writing and getting letters from the boys at the front. I finally got so I made a few trips down in town.
On the 15th my wound was bleeding and so sore that I was confined to my cot.
On the 22nd. I sent up an application for a furlough to go home. Then the head Doctor came and examined my wound and he said that I had gan-grene in my wound.
The next day two Doctors came in and told me they were going to burn the gangrene out. They wanted to give me chloroform but I told them I could stand it. They gave me all the brandy that I could drink then they poured the wound full of bromine and it smoked and hurt pretty bad. The medical director sat by my cot and watched it until it burned the gan-grene out then cleaned it out. The doctor said it had eaten into the Strifin. It was pretty painful while it lasted. I spent the rest of the month on my cot.
My wound is worse now than it was at the start. They ate out so much rotten flesh that the hole is bigger that it was at the start.
On the seventh the paymaster came around the surgeon of the 119th New York took charge of our ward. My wound is healing up nicely. Everyone out of our ward except McLain of the 33rd. New Jersey and myself.
My furlough came about noon. Approved the next day. The doctors came in and examined my wound to see if I was able to make the trip to Georgetown Illinois where my parents live. They let me start at five o'clock p. m. the night of the 9th. Got to Nashville at eight o'clock. Stayed at the Commercial Hotel all night.
Next morning got breakfast at the soldier's Home then I went to Branch Hospital Number One of General Hospital No. Three. There I found my brother John, He was shot through the leg below the knee. I stayed with John until three o'clock and at four o'clock took cars for Lewisville, Ky. Got there the next morning at daylight. Went to the soldier's Home. Sent my furlough to headquarters for transportation and got my wound dressed. Started for Indianapolis at two o'clock, got there at nine o'clock that night. Changed cars. Got to Lafayette at twelve, Stayed there the rest of the night.
The next morning started for Danville. Changed cars at the State line. Got to Danville at noon. Put up at the Bradford house. Went out and took supper with Miss Dunseth. Went to meeting at the Methodist Church. Took hack next morning for Georgetown.
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Paul Randall Haworth, February 2002. All rights reserved.
Additional Family History:
(the number shown after each name is their reference in "Some Quaker Families - Scarborough/Haworth" )
David Milburn Haworth (#1299); born 4 September 1842. He married on 27 March 1873, Mary J. Sculley, Jefferson Co. TN.
David had three other brothers that participated in the civil war on the Union side: William Calvin Haworth (#1298), Isaac B. Haworth (#1300), and John Leonard Haworth (#1301). William, a Captain, was killed on 14 May 1864 in the battle at Resaca, Gordon County, GA. The brothers lived in Jefferson County, TN.
Here is a picture of the John
Leonard Haworth (#1301)
(click on picture)
The father of the four Haworth brothers was William Haworth, Jr. (#587), born on 7 December 1799, and died on 25 November 1870, TN. He married (2) Sarah Jane Daniel on 11 June 1835. She died on 11 Jan 1897. He lived all his life on the old place in TN. They had 9 children.
His father was William Haworth (#202), born 27 October 1768, VA, and died 8 Apr 1847, Jefferson Co, TN. He married on 4 January 1793, to Jane Brazelton, born 16 February 1774, died 3 June 1846. They had 10 children.
His father was Richard Haworth (#61), born June 31 1744, Frederick Co. VA. He died in 1813/14, near New Market. His will was dated 2 Feb 1813, and proved 16 March 1814. He married Ann Dillon on 10 May 1765 at Dillon's Run Frederick Co. VA. She was born 10 Mar 1746, and died 1844, near New Market, NC. They had 11 children.
His father was James Haworth (#17), born Oct 10, 1719, near Solebury, Bucks Co. PA. he died 10 Oct 1757. He married Sarah Wood, on 3 November 3, 1743, who was born on 11 Nov 1720, and died 20 Jun 1769.
His father was George Haworth (#7) , born 1676 in Gambleside, near Dunnockshaw, England. He died 11-28-1724. He married Sarah Scarborough, on September 28, 1710. She was born on 2 March 1694, Bucks Co. PA, and died 4 Feb 1784. George arrived in America in 1699.
Ron Haworth, editor.