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  • Confederate Identified Ambrotype / SOLD

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    Confederate Identified Ambrotype - Inventory Number: HAR 123 / SOLD 

    1/6th Plate Ambrotype of Private John Romines, Co. “I” 19th Tennessee Infantry – Hamilton County, TN “CSA”.  Seated image holding his Model 1841 Mississippi musket and wearing an awesome brimless kepi with embroidered insignia on the crown.  Shell pattern jacket with standing collar unbuttoned, exposing a military vest.  Awesome striped trousers and a double billet leather belt with a square back Navy pattern revolver tucked in it.  Ex: Herb Peck image.  Accompanied by his records from the National Archives.

    Private Romines enlisted in Co. I of the 19th Tenn. Infantry in May of 1861 and served through 1862 then appears as a member of the 39th Tennessee Infantry.

     

    John M. Romines

    Residence was not listed;

    Enlisted on 6/1/1861 as a Private.

    On 6/1/1861 he mustered into "I" Co. TN 19th Infantry

    (date and method of discharge not given)

     

    Nineteenth Tennessee Infantry:

    Stone's River after battle report:

      Report of Col. Francis M. Walker, Nineteenth Tennessee Infantry.

      SHELBYVILLE, TENN., January 10, 1863.

      About sunrise Monday morning, December 29, the Nineteenth Tennessee Regiment, under my command, moved on the left of your brigade to a position previously selected on the north bank of Stone's River, where we were posted in line of battle as the extreme left regiment of the brigade. The regiment numbered in line 348 privates and non-commissioned officers, 30 company officers, 3 field officers, and adjutant; aggregate, 382. We remained at the point above mentioned in line until 9 a.m. Wednesday, uninterrupted except by the occasional explosion near us of a stray shell from the enemy's batteries, when we moved forward in line with the brigade to the attack, in support of the front line of the corps, we being in the second line. On our way we met many stragglers and wounded men from the front lines retiring to the rear, the former demoralized, the latter disabled. The first we tried to turn back, urging them to renew their efforts; the last we could but pity.

      Some 400 yards from our first position, we came to the position previously occupied by the front or first lines the day before, and where they had thrown up a temporary breastwork of loose stone and timber.  At and behind this the regiment halted for half an hour or more under a heavy fire from some unseen batteries in our front. At this point, while my men were lying behind the loose wall of rock, a shell struck the latter near the center of my left wing, wounding, by the fragments of shell and shattered rock, 6 of my men, all of whom were disabled and 1 of whom soon after died. Moving from this point we came to the Wilkinson pike, up which we moved by the left flank near 300 yards, when, again resuming the movement to the front, we moved forward through a field to the to of a slight elevation, where the battery which had been playing on us is believed to have been posted. But just when we were resuming the march to the front and crossing the Wilkinson pike we could distinctly see by the action of the men in the front line (for we had now come in sight of them) that they were on the eve of being driven back, if, indeed, they had not already entirely given way.

      Many of them were falling back, and all seemed disorganized. But our line promptly moved up to their support and crossed the field to the elevation. Here, for the first time, we could see the evidences of the conflict in the field beyond the elevation. Numbers of dead and wounded were lying [ about], both Confederate and Federals, horses, and arms, and equipments, and here we first felt the fire from the small-arms of the enemy. Pushing forward, we crossed the field and entered the thick cedar woods in which the enemy had taken shelter. In the edge of this woods we came up with three or four pieces of the battery which they had vainly endeavored to withdraw. These are believed to have been the guns posted on the elevation in the field above mentioned, and from which we had received the injury while at the rock wall in the woods. As we entered the woods the enemy gave us a most galling fire, but we moved steadily forward, driving them farther into the thick wood, and now we passed the various pieces of artillery which they were trying to remove, but which, on our approach and under our fire and from loss of horses, thickness of timber, &c., they were forced soon to abandon. These we left in our rear and pressed upon the heavy lines of their infantry, under whose fire we were exposed. Some 200 yards farther into the woods the enemy appeared in great force, rather to my left. They here poured in upon me a most effective and murderous fire. This we returned with all the vigor and rapidity possible, gradually moving forward, swinging, according to orders, a little from left to right. This constant and severe fire continued for near an hour, when, but the persistency and accuracy of our fire, our steady and resistless advance, the obstinacy of the enemy was at last overcome, and, giving way, a perfect rout ensued.

      Their retreat was rapidly followed up by us through the woods for several hundred yards, and through and old field, through which a ravine and also the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad ran, within which and behind the embankment of the railroad the enemy took refuge. At these points they were beyond the reach of our small-arms. We pursued no farther than the edge of this field. But before reaching their safe retreat, while they passed through the woods and field, hundreds of them paid the penalty with their lives for their rash act of invasion and wicked occupation of an unoffending country. The marks on the arms and equipments picked up on the field from which we drove the enemy, as well as the statements of prisoners captured, show conclusively that the brigade or division which we fought was regular troops.

      By your direction, the entire brigade halted at the edge of the field, for at the time, and all the time of our advance, through the woods, there appeared no support upon our left. It is believed if a battery could have been put in position near the point occupied by my left, the enemy could have been shelled from their shelter in the ravine and behind the railroad, and the day might thus have been more completely ours. Six or eighth thousand men seemed to be striving for the mastery, in confusion, in this field, and would have been easily driven into the woods beyond. But a battery was out of the question, for we could scarcely get through parts of the woods through which we came. We remained in position here until near night, when we retired with the brigade to the rear a few hundred yards, for rest.

      We moved back to the front each succeeding day, keeping skirmishers in front near the edge of the field for three days, but no casualties or engagement of note further occurred until we moved with the brigade in retreat on the evacuation on Sunday morning.

      In the engagement my men captured about 50 prisoners, who were sent to the rear. We also brought from the field about three hundred guns besides our own, some of the men bringing off three.

      The loss of the regiment in killed and wounded was 136, as will appear from the accompanying report* of my adjutant. My major (Rufus A. Jarnigan) was mortally wounded while leading the left wing in a charge.  Capt. [J. G.] Frazier, Company D, was killed instantly at the head of his company. Lieut. [S. G.] Abernathy fell at this post.

      No braver or more gallant officers than these have given their lives to their country in this war.

      I hope, sir, that the conduct of the men and officers of this regiment in the engagement at Murfreesborough and the days and nights of duty and exposure connected with it has been satisfactory to you. I can complain of none of them myself but might compliment many of them in terms of high encomium. I might with propriety mention the case of Corporal Mayson, of the color-guard, who, when the color-sergeant was wounded and the colors fell from his hand, instantly seized it in exultation, bearing it as a beacon to the regiment through the storm of the battle; and of Orderly Sergt. Joseph Thompson, who, upon reaching the edge of the field where the brigade halted, ran forward, overtaking the retreating enemy, seized a prisoner and started back with him, but this person being shot down in his hands he relinquished him; back to the lines of the still-retreating enemy, and seized a second prisoner, whom he brought off safely.

      Before closing this report, sir, I beg leave to congratulate you upon the successful and skillful manner in which your brigade was maneuvered and kept together, and, through you, I congratulate our division, corps, and other commanders for our successful operations against greatly superior numbers. I hope, sir, that yours and their success may never be less marked or less safe to yourself in all future engagements with our enemies.

      Very respectfully, general, yours, &c.,

      F. J. WALKER, Col. Nineteenth Tennessee Regt.

      Brig. Gen. ALEXANDER P. STEWART.


    Inventory Number: HAR 123 / SOLD