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The
Fourth Massachusetts
Cavalry
IN THE
Closing Scenes of the War
for the Maintenance
of the Union
(4:
nj4
From Richmond
to Appomattox
\ I i \'>-r.'\ .Xf> ' '1 'T Tl 1 \ ^U-
L^
J
i
Col. Arnold A. Rand
4th Massachusetts Volunteer Cavalry
t
The Battle at High Bridge
by
Major Edward T. lUnive, I'. S. \'.
The life of the American Cavah-\- is ahnost coeval with that of
the American people. Laws were passed for the formation of a
mounted furce in lti48. when the colony of Massachusetts Bay had
not yet attained its majority. Twenty-seven years later, in 1675,
when the war with ]vIetacomet ( King Philip) broke out there were
five troops of cavalry, which in point of equipment. (li>ci]iline and
appearance, had received the commendation of European officers
who had' seen them.
Captain Prentice's troop formed a part of Maj(tr-( General
W'inslnw's army, which fought at Xarrangansett I-'ort. It jjartici-
pated in the terrible march and the awful battle which ensued. Of
that battle, the latest and most exhaustive of its historians says:
"This must be classed as one of the most gloritnis victories
ever achieved in our history, and considering con{liti(^ns. as dis-
playing heroism both in stubborn ])atience and dashing intrepidity
never excelled in American warfare."
So much for the first great battle in which Massachusetts
cavalry took an honorable part. I may be pardoned for referring
to it in this paper, on account of the singular coincidence, that in
one of the last, and unquestionably one of the most brilliant actions
ever fought in America — the Battle at High Bridge — Massachu-
setts horsemen accomplished a very difficult thing: they suc-
ceeded in adding a yet deeper lustre to the laurels which have
ever adorned the standards of the American Cavalry.
The story of the fight near High Bridge. X'irginia. is but an
account of an obscure skirmish, if the numbers engaged and its
duration be solely considered; judged., however, by the fierce int'-n-
sitv of the struggle, and the carnage, together with the results,
which alone, yet amply, justified the apparent madness of the at-
tack, it is seen to be one of the most notal)le of the achievements of
these heroic days; for it led to the culmination of the campaign and
5
end (if llic war. at AppinnaUox. It was called by .Mr. lla\ and .Mr.
Xicolav, in their history of .\l)raliain Lincoln, tlic most gallant and
pathetic battle of the war.
The Fourth Regiment of Alassachnsetts Cavalry had been sub-
jected to a training and discii)line which caused it to develop rapidly
into one of the finest cavalry regiments in the army. The officers
were nearly all veteran soldiers, educated in the hard school of
war. .\ large proportion of the men in the ranks had seen service,
and the rank and tile, as a whole, pro\ed to be such as any officer
might be proud to lead.
The cjuality of the regiment is easily accounted f(^r, when it is
considered that its first colonel left the lasting imj^ress of himself
upon it : that colonel was Arnold A. Rand.
I'Vom the very beginning of its service in the field, the regiment
had the hard fortune to be cut up into detachments and details for
special duty. This was probably due to the good opinion enter-
tained of it by the general ; but it was very trying and disappoint-
ing to the colonel, and to all who had hoped to be serving, as earlier
orders — too soon coimtermanded — directed, with Sheridan.
.At the opening of the last campaign, the first and third batta-
lions were in \ irginia. Three scjuadrrns, with the held and stafif,
were attached to the headciuarters of General Ord, commanding the
.\rm}- of the James ; two were at the headquarters of the Twenty-
fourth, and two at those of the Twenty-fifth Army corps. (Jne was
at Fort .Magruder, where it had been for many months, doing nut-
post and picket duty and engaged in scouting and raiding. The
second battalion was in active service in South Carolina and I'dorida.
iJefore the spring campaign opened, the command of the regi-
ment had passed to Francis Washburn of LancastcM*. a member of
a famil}- distinguished for its ])ul)lic services. This young gentle-
man was a patrician in the best sense of the word. With tlie most
brilliant prospects in life. he. like his brother, left all to serve the
Republic, and both drew "the gret prize o' death in battle."
In physical proportions, in personal beauty, in superb daring,
in high-minded devotion to every duty, he was the ideal of a cav-
alr\- leader, and a worthy successor to the lirst regimental com-
mander.
( )ne of the worst features of the internal economx' ot our
armies during the civil war. was the detailing of officers and men
individualK- from fi'diting regiments; the otficers to serve on stafl,
ihe men ioy orderlies, wa^cmers. hospilal ser\ice aiul oilier sT)ecial
(luties wliieli redueed the fii^lilinj^' streni^lli lo a miiiiiiimii compared
willi what it should ha\'e heeii. I'rohahK' llu' >ame cu^lom would
rule now.
( )wini;- to this pernicious, altlmui^h al the time una\oidal)le sys-
tem, as well as to the ordinary casualties of the service, the three
squadrons of the I'ourth Cavalry under the immediate conunand
of Colonel Washburn at the begiiining of active >ervice. liad been
reduced to one hundred and hft\- men.
( )r(lers were issued on the 27th of March to l)reak cam]), ])rc-
])aratory to the resumption of movements atjainst the hues of com-
munication between the besieged cities and their sources of supj)ly.
Richmond and Petersburg were evacuated on the third of
April, (General Lee moving swdftly toward Amelia. The I'ederal
armies marched at once in hot pursuit, the .\rm\' of the James tak-
ing the general direction of the Lynchburg railroad, reaching
lUirkesville on the evening of A])ril .Ith. That same evening, Lee
left Amelia Court house, pushing rajjidly in the direction of High
Bridge, a long trestle over the Aj^pomattox near Farmville. Could
he reach this bridge, cross and destroy it, he might hope to succeed
in gaining the mountains beyond Lynchburg.
The Army of the James instantly changed direction in pursuit.
Lee's objective point became evident, and (General ( )rd determined
to destroy the bridge, if it were possible to accomi)lisli this, l)efore
Lee could reach it. To this end, he detached Colonel Washburn,
with the three .squadrons of his own cavalry, now reduced by fur-
ther details to thirteen officers and sixty-seven troojjers, together
with two small regiments cf infantry, and directed him to push on
ra])i(lly and burn the bridge.
Information had been received through scouts that the struc-
ture was not defended bv aii}' fortifications whatever. Re])iM-ts also
came in that the Confederates were l)adly demoralized. In conse-
quence of these stories, which would appear to have been acce])ted
as fullv re1ial)le at liead(|uarters, Washburn was ordered to at-
tack any force which he might meet, as it would certainl\- fall a\\a\
before him.
It was a perilous order to give Washburn, for hi> \alor was
ever the better part of his discretion.
Some of our generals seem to have been strangely misled as to
the spirit of the Confederates remaining in' arms. Never had they
f(Hii;lU ini'i\' tiercel) lliaii in tlio-^f l;i>l days of the stnig-gle. Their
skeleton battalions threw themselves upon otu' heavy lines at Sailor's
Creek as desperately as they char.ixed under Pickett and Edward
Johnson at (lett}sl)ui-^-. and their artillery was never more
superbl}^ served than when they were attacked in flank by
Greo:g:'s brijjade on the sexenth ol Ai)ril, when that g^eneral was
made prisoner and his brigade driven in comi^lete discomfiture
by the famous Washington Artillery of New Orleans.
( )n the morning of tlie sixth, before dawn, Washburn's liltle
detachment took up its route, the infantry, especially, being in poor
condition for the severe and peculiarly dangerous service to which
they were called, for they were exhausted by the forced marches
which had been indispensable during the preceding three days.
The distance was sixteen miles to Farmville. After having- been
two hours or so upon the road, Washburn satisfied himself that
the rebel army, moving diagonally toward the Appomattox, had
closed in upt)n his rear, cutting him otT from the Army of the
James. There were also unmistakable indications that Confeder-
ate columns were moving in front of his command, as well as on
its flank. The detachment was thus marching practically among
divisions of the enemy, who were evidently ignorant of its
proximity.
Meanwhile, General ( )r(l had learned of the movements of the
Confederates, and at once despatched Brevet Ikigadier General
Theodore Read, atljutant general of the Army of the James, to over-
take Washburn and cause him to fall back to the main army. Read,
with one orderly, contrived to elude the various bodies of the enemy
and finally joined Washburn, just before his command reached the
vicinity of the bridge.
L^])on rcconnoitering the countr\' about the bridge, it was tonnd
that the information as to its not being fortified was entirely false.
A strong redoul>t mounting four guns ])rotected it, and the ground
around it was open, with morasses in front rendering it almost im-
possible of access. Washburn considered, however, that a sudden
attack on its rear side by cavalry, might be successful.
In ])ursuance of this plan, he left Read with the infantr\- in a
narrow belt of woodland near the lUirkesville road, and moved away
to make a detour in order to come upon the rear of the fortification.
The column Mion reache(l a small stream '^])anne(l by a bridge,
the ]ilanks of which had been torn up. I.ii'Utenant Dax'is with the
Col. Francis Washburn
advanced guard, dashed across the stream and laid the planks umk'r
sharp fire from a force of dismounted cavalry which occupied low-
earthworks on the further side. Washburn soon came up with the
main body, and throwing out a line of skirmishers, attacked so vig-
orously that after a fight of half an hour's duration, the enemy re-
treated toward Farmville. Mere they were reinforced, an, I Wash-
burn soon found their numbers so great and their artillerv fire so
heavy, that they could not be driven. Moreover there was incessant
musketry firing from the place where he had left the infantry, indi-
cating an attack upon them, and he thought best to withdraw and go
to their support.
A sharp ride of a few moments brought the cavalry to the
scene of action. Had the Btirkesville road been followed for a short
distance farther the colunui would have rounded a bend in the road,
and come upon a strong body of Confederate cavalry which was
moving in the direction of the firing; but at a point in rear of where
the fighting was going on. Washburn left the road and led his men
through the woods and along the bed of a ravine, then tip a hill,
where he halted to learn the state of afifairs.
The little line of infantry, outflanked and outmimbered, was
falling back fighting, pushed by a brigade of disiuounted cavalry,
while regiments of horse were galloping up on the flanks and form-
ing for a charge. The infantry were clearly exhausted and their
ammunition was used up. but W'ashburn. after a short consultation
with Read, sent his adjutant to rally tbem. and determined by a
furious attack upon the dismounted troops of the enemy, to throw
them back on their cavalry and thus, supported by the infantry, to
wrest victory from the enemy. He then led the column along the
crest of the slope, and forming line, turned to his men and explained
his purpose, well knowing what he could expect from the splendid
fellows.
Then Washburn ordered "Forward !" The line trotted down
the slope. In a moment came his clear call "Gallop, march ! Charge !"
And to the music from the brazen throats of their own trumpets
chiming with their fierce battle shout, those seventy-eight Massa-
chusetts horsemen hurled theniselves uj:)on the heavy masses of the
foe.
For a few moments the air was bright with the flashing of
sabres, and shattered by the explosion of carbine and pistol, while
screams of rage mingled with the cries of the wounded and all the
11
hideous sounds of a savage hand-to-hand fight. As all this died
away, it was seen that the immediate body of troops which the
Innu'th Cavalry had struck was practically annihilated. Their dead
and wounded were scattered thickly over the field, wdiile the crowd
of prisoners taken was embarrassing to the captors. Driving these
before them back toward the hill, to which they must retire to re-
form for attack upon the enemy's horse (for Washburn's mere
handful of men forbade his leaving any to form the reserve without
which cavalry almost never can charge without great risk) they
were astounded at the sight which presented itself on the Burkes-
ville road. As far as the eye could reach, it was filled with Confed-
erate cavalry, and lines of battle were forming as rapidly as possi-
ble and advancing swiftly to the aid of their defeated van.
All hope of victory or of escape from such a field was now
utterly gone, but the colonel and his men were mad with the fury of
battle, and wild with exultation over the bloody triumph already
achieved. But one thought possessed them. The little battalion
swept down the slo])e once more, pressing close behind their
knightly leader and their blue standard. They crashed through
three lines of their advancing enemies, tearing their formation
asunder as the tornado cuts its way through the forest. But now%
order and coherence were lost, and the troopers mingled with the
Confederates in a bitter hand-to-hand struggle. A few scattered
fighters were rallied from out this fearful melee by the gallant Cap-
tain Hodges, than wdiom a more chivalrous soldier never drew
sabre. He led them in a last furious charge, in which he fell, as he
would have wished, ■"amid the battle's w'ildest tide."
By this time, all was lost. Eight of the officers lay dead or
wounded upon the field. Three were prisoners, their horses having
been kilk'd under tlu-m. The surgeon and chaplain, being non-com-
batants, were captured while in attendance u])on the wounded.
The battle at High Bridge was finished, for (icneral Read
had been mortally wounded at the first fire after the infantry had
rallied in supi)ort of the cavalry attack, and the two small regiments
were overwhelmed and com])elle(l to surrender as soon as the cav-
alry had ceased to be a factor.
("olonel Washburn had been shot in the mouth and sabred as
he fell from his horse. He was found on the field with the other
dead and wounded the next day, when the advance of the Army of
the James eanie u]). I le wa^ taken to the ho>])ilal at Point of Rock.s
12
l)ut insisted u])i>n hcins^- scni to his home in .M;iss;ichu--c'tls, where hiC
(hed in the arms of his mother. I'.el'ore his death, lie \\a>, at ( iranfs
rc(|ucst, brevettod as 15riga(Her General.
(?i the other officers, Lieutenant Colonel Jenkins was se\eiely
wounded, as were Captain Caldwell and Lieutenants jieleher and
Thompson. Captains 1 lodges and (Joddard were killed, and Lieu-
tenant Davis shot after having been made a ])risoner. for resenting
an insult offered him by a rebel ofhcer. The adjutant. Lieutenant
Lathrop, after his hor-e had been killed under him. was taken into
the woods to be shot. ])eeause his eaptor as.serted that he had slain
his brother in the fight. Fortunately a Confederate staff-officer
observeil the proceechng. and rescued him from his woukLbe
murderer.
Idappily. the casualties aiuong the enlisted men were much less
in proportictn than among the officers. They had to a man fougln
with the most des])erate valor, keeping up the struggle after all the
officers were down, until absolutely ingulfed in the masses of the
enemy.
In telling of the practical annihilation of a body of troops, the
statement that their standard was saved from capture seems almo.st
incredible ; yet such was the case in this instance. The color ser-
geant, a gallant soldier from Hingham bv the name of Thomas
Hickey. had carried the standard tli rough the iKHtest of the l)attle.
At the last moment, seeing that it was im]>ossible to save it from
capture except by destroying it. he managtxl to elude the enemies
who were closing in upon him. and ])utting spurs to his horse, flew
towardi a hut which he had (observed in the woods, and threw h.im-
self from his charger just as he reacheil it, with his foes close upon
him. Rushing it, he thrust his precious battle flag into a fire which
was blazing on the hearth. The painted silk flashed u\) in flame, and
by the time that his pursuers broke in. it was ashes !
His life was spared in consideration of his devoted bravery,
and he subsequently received a commission from the Governor of
the Commonwealth, in recognition oi his heroic det'd.
The losses of the Confederates in this action were at least a
half greater in number than Washburn's whole force. By their own
report, there were a hundred killed and wounded, among them a
general, one colonel, three majors and a lunuber of officers of lower
grade.
13
Tin.' r.attlc al llii^li I'.ridyc was at rtrst thou^ln to have been a
useless sacritice. It was a sacrifice indeed, but it unquestionably
hastened the termination of the war, by days, and perhaps weeks.
After the surrender, Lee's Inspector General said to Ord,
"To the sharpness of that fight, the cutting off of Lee's army
at Appomattox was ])robably owing. So fierce were the charges of
Colonel Washburn and his men, and so determined their fighting,
that General Lee received the impression that they must be sup-
ix^rted by a large part of the army, and that his retrea*^ was cut ofif.''
Lee consec|uently halted and began to intrench ; and this delay
gave time for Ord to come u]i. and enabled Sheridan to intercept the
enemy at Sailor's Creek.
The Confederate General Rosser said to a member of the regi-
ment whom he met after the war :
"You belonged to the Fourth Massachusetts Cavalry? Give
me your hand ! I have been many a day in hot fights. I never saw
anything approaching that at Migh Bridge. While your colonel
kept his saddle, everything went down before him!"
The Confederate troops at High Bridge were Rosser's and a
])art of b^itz Hugh Lee's divisions.
"Was \()ur colonel drunk or crazy this morning, that he at-
tacked witli less than one hundred men the best fighting division of
the Confederate cavalry?" asked a rebel officer of a wounded cap-
tain of the Fourth ; "We have seen hard fighting, but we never
heard of anything like this before!"
The Confederate officers had at first utterly refused to credit
the stories of their ])risoners, insisting that the small force would
never have fought so fiercely unless it had been the advance of a
strong column.
Grant says in his memoirs.
"The Confederates took this to be only the advance of a larger
column which had headed them off. and so stopped to intrench ; so
that this gallant band had checked the ])rogress of a strong detach-
ment of the Confederate army. This stoppage of Lee's column no
doubt saved to us the trains following."
14
Major Atherton H. Stevens
4th Mass. Volunteer Cavalry
The First United States Flag Raised
In Richmond After the War.
By Mrs. Lasalle Corbell Pickett,
Wife of Major-General George L. Pickett, C. -S. A.
Thp: first knell of the evacuation of liichmond sounded on
Sunday morning while we were on our knees in St. Paul's
Church, invoking God's protecting care for our absent loved
ones, and blessings on our cause.
The intense excitement, the tolling of the bells, the hasty
parting, the knowledge that all communication would be cut
off between us and our loved ones, and the dread, undefined
fear in our helplessness and desertion, make a nightmare mem-
ory.
General Ewell had orders for the destruction of the public
buildings, which orders our Secretary of War, Gen. .J. C. Breck-
enridge, strove earnestly but without avail to have counter-
manded. The order, alas! was obeyed beyond the "letter of
the law."
The terrible conflagration was kindled by the Confederate
authorities, who applied the torch to the Shockoe warehouse,
it, too, being classed among the public buildings because of the
tobacco belonging to France and England stored in it. A fresh
breeze was blowing from the south ; the fire swept on in its
haste and fury over a great area in an almost incredibly short
time, and by noon the flames had transformed into a desert
waste all the city bounded by Seventh and Fifteenth Streets,
and Main Street and the river. One thousand houses were
destroyed. The streets were filled with furniture and every
description of wares, dashed down to be trampled in the mud or
buried where they lay.
• 19
At iiiglit a satuniHlia began. About dark, tbe Government
eoniniissary began the destruction of its stores. Soldiers and
citizens gathered in front, catching the liciuor in basins and
pitchers; some with their hats and some with tlieir boots. It
took but a short time for this to make a manifestation as dread
as the flames. Tlie ert)\vd became a liowling mob, so frenzied
that the officers of the law had to ilee for their lives, reviving
memories of 17S1, when tlie Brittisli under Arnold rode down
Kiehmond llilh and, invading tlie city, broke open tlie stores
and emptied the provisions and liijuors into the gutters, making
even the uninitiated cows and hogs drunk for days.
All through the night, crowds of men, women, and children
traversed the streets, loading themselves with supplies and
plunder. At midnight, soldiers drunk with vile liquor, followed
by a reckless crowd as drunk as themselves, dashed in the
plate-glass windows of the stores, and made a wreck of every-
thing.
About nine o'clock on Monday morning, terrific shell explo-
sions, rapid and continuous, added to the terror of the scene,
and gave the impression that the city was being shelled by the
retreating Confederate army from the south side. But the
explosions were soon found to {)roceed from the Government
arsenal and laboratory, then in flames. Later in the morning,
a merciful Providence caused a lull in tlie breeze. The terrific
explosion of the laboratory and of the arsenal caused every
window in our home to break. The old plate-glass mirrors, built
in the walls, were cracked and shattered.
Fort Darling was blown up, and later on the rams. It was
eight o'clock when the Federal troo})s entered the city. It
required the greatest effort to tame down the riotous, crazed
mob, and induce them to take part in the struggle to save their
own. Tlie firemen, afraid of the soldiers who had obeyed the
orders to light the torch, would not listen to any appeals or
entreaties, and so the llames were under full headway, fanned
by a southern breeze, when the Tnion soldiers came to the
rescue.
The llonring nulls caught fire from the tobacco houses, com-
iiiunicatiiig it to Cnvy ami Nhiin streets. Fvery bank was
2(1
destroyed. The War Departinont was a mass ol' ruins; the
Enquirer and Dispatch offices were in aslies ; and tlie county
court-house, the American Hotel, and most of the finest stores
of the city were ruined.
Libhy Prison and the I^-esbyterian church escaped. Sucli a
reign of terror and pillage, fire and flame, fear and despair!
The yelling and howling and swearing and weeping and wailing
beggar description. Families houseless and liomeless under the
open sky!
I shall never forget General Weitzel's command, composed
exclusively of colored troops, as I saw them through the dense
black columns of smoke. General Weitzel had for some time
been stationed on the north side of the James River, but a few
miles from Richmond, and he had only to march in and take
possession. He despatched Major A. H. Stevens of the Fourth
Massachusetts cavalry, and Major E. E. Graves of his staff,
with about a hundred mounted men, to reconnoitre the roads
and works leading to Richmond. They had gone but a little
distance into the Confederate lines, when they saw a shabby,
old-fashioned carriage, drawn by a pair of lean, lank horses, the
occupants waving a white flag. They met this flag-of-truce
party at the line of fortifications, just beyond the junction of
the Osborne turnpike and New Market road. The carriage
contained the mayor of Richmond — Colonel Mayo — Judge Mere-
dith of the Supreme Court, and Judge Lyons. The fourth
worthy I cannot recall. Judge Lyons, our former minister to
England, and one of the representative men of Virginia, made
the introductions in his own characteristic way, and then Colonel
Mayo, who was in command of the flag-of-truce party, handed
to Major Stevens a small slip of wall paper, on which was writ-
ten the following : "It is proper to formally surrender to the
Federal authorities the city of Richmond, hitherto capital of
the Confederate States of America, and the defenses protecting
it up to this time." That was all. The document was approved
of, and Major Stevens most courteously accepted the terms for
his commanding general, to whom it was at once transmitted,
and moved his column upon the evacuated city, taking posses-
sion and saving it from ashes.
21
His first order was to sound tlic alarm bells and to take
e<jmmand at onee of the tire department, which consisted of
fourteen substitute men, those who were exempt from service
because of disease, two steam lire engines, four worthless liand
engines, and a large amount of hose, destroyed by the retreating
half-crazed Confederates. His next order was to raise the stars
and stripes over the Capitol. Quick as thought, two soldiers,
one from Company E and one from Company H of the Fourth
Massachusetts cavalry, crept to the summit and planted the flag
of the nation. Two bright, tasteful guidons were hoisted by
the halyards in place of the red cross. The living colors of the
Union were greeted, while our "Warriors' banner took its flight
to meet the warrior's soul."
That flag, wdiose design has been accredited alike to both
George Washington and John Adams, was raised over Virginia
by Massachusetts, in place of the one whose kinship and likeness
had not, even after renewed eff'ort, been entirely destroyed.
P"'or by the ado|)tion of the stars and bars (three horizontal
bars of equal width — the middle one white, the others red — with
a blue union of nine stars in a circle) by the Confederate Con-
gress in March, 1861, the Confederate flag was made so akin
and so similar to that of the nation, as to cause confusion ; so
in 1863 the stars and bars was supplanted by a flag with a
white field, having the battle flag (a red field charged with a blue
saltier, on which were thirteen stars) for a union. This, having
been mistaken for a flag of truce, was altered by covering the
outer half of the field beyond the union with a vertical red bar.
This was tlie last flag of the Confederacy.
Richmond will testify that the soldiers of Massachusetts
were worthy of the honor of raising the first United States flag
over her Capitol — the Capitol of the Confederacy — and also to
the unvarying courtesy of Major Stevens, and the fidelity with
which lie kept his tru.st.
22
Capt. A. F. Ray
The Fourth Massachusetts Cavalry
In the Closing Scenes of the War for tlie
Maintenance of the Union,
From Richmond to Appomattox,
bv
WM. B. ARNOLD,
Formerly Company H 4th Massachusetts Cavalry.
During the winter and spring of 1864 and ISBf) sciuadrons E
and H of the 4th Massachusetts cavalry were encamped near the
headquarters of General Weitzel commanding- the Twentv-fifth
Army Corps, then a part of the Army of the James. Out com-
mand was detached from our regiment and doing duty as
orderlies and couriers at Division and Brigade headquarters and
Artillery Brigade headquarters, as well as performing Provost
duty at corps headquarters.
Our command numbered about eighty men in charge of Cap-
tain A. F. Ray of Company H, 4th Massachusetts cavalry. He
was an officer of unusual abilit}'. The Army of the James held
possession north of the James, their lines extending from Deep
Bottom, a few miles below Dutch Gap to Fort Harrison and
around to the New Market road.
Our position was made very strong and withstood the attack
of the Confederates several times after it was taken from them in
Sept. 1864. Their defenses in our front were equally strong. In
addition they had several iron clads in the James River to assist in
the defense of Richmond. Our gunboats were down the river,
none of them, up to this time, having ventured above the Dutcli ( lap
canal.
The afternoon and evening of April second, 1865 indicated that
something unusual was likely to occur. The Artillery firing in the
direction of Petersburg in the evening, and during the night of the
second was heavy and continuous, and in the night the sky w'as
lighted up toward Richmond which proved to be the Ram X'irginia
on fire. When the fire reached the magazine there wa< a tremen-
dous explosion. Soon after this it was reported tliat the Confed-
27
crates wore evacuating the works in our front. An order came
from (lencral W'eitzel for a detail of fifty cavalry which w'as im-
mediately mounted, and reported at corps headciuarters.
We were commanded by Captain A. F. Ray of H squadron,
acciMUpanied hv officers from 'rwenl\ -fifth army corps head-
quarters, and the entire command in char.<ie of Major Atherton
H. Stevens of the 4th ^lassachusetts cavalry and Provost Alar-
shall of the 2r)th Armv Cori)s.
We proceeded at once through our fortified line and ap-
proaching the Confederate line found that the troops were gone.
Working our wav several miles toward Richmond, we could see
through the fog a body of Confederate infantry. Major Stevens
immediately ordered a charge, and Captain Ray quickly re-
sponded with his men. At our near approach they surrendered.
We continued "on to Richmond," and were soon inside the inner
works that were impregnable when manned by a sufficient num-
ber for defence. With deep ditches and fallen trees to entangle
attacking parties, the Artillery and Infantry commanded the ap-
proach in every direction without exposing themselves.
The elaborate preparations for defense kept our armies at bay
for months around Petersburg, and Richmond was prepared for
standing ofif superior numbers by the best earthworks that our West
Point engineers who were in the Confederate army could devise.
As we entered these w^orks w-e saw a man ai^proaching with a
flag of truce.
In the distance were mounted men and carriages. We halted
and Major Stevens and his officers went forward and conferred
with the party, who proved to be the Mayor of Richmond accom-
panied by Judge Medereth and other prominent people of Rich-
mond. The city was formally surrendered to Major Stevens and
we then went forward at a rapid pace, and coming round a turn in
the roadwav at the Rockets, came in full view of Richmond.
We halted for a moment to contemplate the scene. A portion
tjf the city toward the James river was on fire. The black smoke
was rolling up in great volumes. Major Stevens said "everyone of
us should feel as proud as if we were promoted to be P.rigadier Gen-
erals." We gave three cheers and went on. and were soon in the
streets of Richmond passing Libby Prison ; and we clattered up the
paved street on the gallop to the Ca])itol, and were soon in the
space in front of the Capitol building.
28
Major Stevens, with sftmc of the officers, rtished into the huild-
ing. and soon the guidons of Company I-', and 11 were llutlering
from the top of the huilding. W'e were formed around the eques-
trian statue of Washington, and we gave three times three, anrl a
Tiger, that indicated to spectators that we were there. Richmond
was ours, after four long years of tremendous struggle and sacri-
fice. I, for one, thought of the si)lenflifl services of thousands of the
best troops ever ralliedi to maintain a just cause. That our detail
was privileged to land first in Richmond with the fiags of Massa-
chusetts, was certainly appreciated' by us.
But our work was not over. A large area of the city toward
the river was on fire. To add to the fury of the flames the Ars-
enals were blowing up and the shells were continually exploding.
Corporal Macy and myself went with Captain Ray to ascertain if
the bridges connecting Richmond with Manchester were destroyed
by the evacuating Confederates.
We went up Main street to Eighth street and then across to
Cary street, and turned to the South, and went by burning bin'ldings
until we obtained a view of the bridges. The two bridges were on
fire, and burning rapidly from the Manchester side. Everything
in front of us was on fire; buildings blowing up and flames roaring
in every direction.
We started back and observed on our left a fire in a building
which was stored with ammunition. \Vq galloped past the
building and turned the corner toward Main street nearby when
the building exploded. As we emerged from the smoke and cin-
ders. Captain Ray remarked that we had only five seconds to spare
and a close shave, even where we were when the building went up.
We returned to the Capitol and reported to Alajor Stevens. I was
sent with a detail to the Davis Mansion with instructions to
leave a guard on the house. I found everything unmolested.
The desk used by the Confederate President was in disorder
and everything indicated a hasty departure. I returned to my com-
pany, and we were kq>t busy in restoring order. Soon our troops
began to pour into the citv and order reigned. Energetic
measures to stop the destruction of the city were promptly taken.
The blue lines looked good to me, and the i^eople soon realized
that instead of destroyers thev were sa\iors. for thev saved the
citv not already burned bv the follv of the retreating Confeder-
ates.
29
When we arriveil in iviohniond tliere was disorder, frenzy and
chaos on every hand. Major Stevens restored order and confidence
in a remarkably short time under conditions that were most trying.
The trcx->ps as they arrived, were distributed where they could work-
effectively. Streets and residences were immeckately guarded. The
soldiers did not leave their commands to enrich themselves, and
perfect order was restored before nightfall. Our little band of cav-
alrv was exervwhere. and making good for lack of numl.ers by
energetic performance until the arrival of the infantry. And after
they came we were in the saddle till late at night.
We encamped for the night in the yard of the I'emale Institute
building, and we were a tired but happy band. The next day, April
4th. was (|uiet. The infernal condition of fire, smoke and ex])losion
and continuous bursting of shells was changed to a scene of waste
and ruin wrought in the fire district, wdiich covered about one
third of the citv. The da\- was made eventful bv the appearance of
President Lincoln in the city. He came uji from Citv Point and
walked up the street alone with his boy. General Devens immed-
iatelv received him. ?\lr. Lincoln met with a splendid ovation from
the troops and the colored people as he rode about the cit} . He
rode in a carriage accompanied by General Devens and other of-
ficers, escorted by a detail of cavalry from E and H sriuadrons of
the 4th Massachusetts cavalry, commanded by Captain A. F. Ray.
On the morning of April 5th, the detachment that composed
the detail that first entered Richmond on the morning of April 3,
1865. started to join its regiment, commanded l)v Colonel Wash-
burn. They were with General Ord commanding the army cf the
lames in ])ursuit of General Lee's retreating forces. We proceederl
bv way of I\'tersburg through Dinwiddle County and .\melia
Courthouse to Burkeville Junction, arriving there April Tth. There
we found that Colonel Washburn's command was engaged at
High P.ridge the dav before, meeting with heavv loss, but emerg-
ing from the c(jntHct witii much honor and a splendid reu >r(l of
achievement.
The engagement is well described by our comrade. Captain
Bouve of the 4th Massacliusetts cavalrv and will interest surviv-
ing comrades of the regiment, .and all who lo\c the detenders of
their country. Colonel Washbuin and main others ot our regi-
ment were in the field hosi)ital at I'.urkeville junction and Cap-
tain Rav and Lieutenant Miller visited them, and returning to
our cam]), gave us a graphic description of the charges of our
30
comrades the (la\' hclorc. I'dloiu'l W a^lihiini >ui-\ i\x'(l lii.s injuries
only a few days. lie luld (,'ai)lain l\a\ thai "il" 1 had llie wliole
of the 4th 1-eL^inieiit with me I wduUl ha\e annihilated Fitz Hu.q'h
Lee and Kosser. " I his was the mar\elous eoura^'e and spirit of
the man, "a .gentleman and a soldier."
We immediately started on to rejxirt to the headquarters of
the army of the Potomac. All the way from Petersburg^ there was
evidence of conflict. At Amelia Courthouse we found the rem-
nants of Ewcll's corps of the Confedierate army. Artillery, wagons
and ammunition piled up in disorder; from peo])Ie along the way
reports of lighting. The Confederate troops hurriedly passed
down the highway, to be immediately followed by the blue lines of
federal troops. ( )n the morning of the ninth of A])ril we began to
catch up with the army of the Potomac.
ThrcHigh the lines of the sixth and ninth cori)s we rcjde, until
early in the afternoon came the report that Lee had surrendered.
You ought to have seen the faces of the soldiers of the army of the
Potomac then. They looked like heroes to me. When we reached
the Confederate lines we kept on through their camps and lanfled
at General Meade's headquarters at Appomattox C. H., where we
were immediately i)ut on duty to assist in the work of ])aroling and
(hsbanding the Confederate army.
A detail from my squadron went to Lynchburg one afternoon
with General Gibbons returning in the night. When the arrange-
ments of paroling the Confederate army were complete and Gen-
eral Lee was at liberty to depart from his army, an order came
from army headcjuarters for a detail of cavalry to escort General
Lee from his lines. The escort was made up from the 4th Massa-
chusetts cavalry and I was privileged to be one of them. Sixteen
men composed the platoon and Lieutenant Lovell of our regiment
was in command. I was right guide of the detail, and I t]ioug"ht
at the time that we were i)rettv good representatives of the Union
cavalry.
We had H guidon with us which was one of the flags that was
the first in Richmond. We went to General Lee's head<|uartcrs and
Lieutenant Lovell reported to General Lee.
He was courteouslv received and asked to wait until ( leneral
Lee and his staff had breakfast and completed arrangements for
their departure. W^e dismounted a short distance away. General
Lee seated himself at a table made from a hard tack box and ate
31
his last l)r(.'akf:ist ( c< uisistiiiL;- of hard lack, fricil ])i)rk and coffee
wilhoiu milk), with the anii\- of Xorlheni \'irL;inia. He was
dressed in a neat. iLira\ unifoini uikI was a sj^lcndid looking- sol-
dier. Commanding,- ofticers of corijs .ind divisions of the Confed-
erate arm\- and other ofticers tlien came to take lea\L' of him. He
was a short distance from me and his comersation was evidently
words of cnconragement and advice, .\lmost every one of the
officers went awa\' in tears. Ihen we mounted, and (General
Lee's ])art\- started througli the lines of the remnant of the Army
of Xorthern X'irginia for his home in Richmond.
Then commenced an ovation that seemed to me a wfniderful
manifestation of confidence and affection for this great military
chieftain. From the time we left his camp till we passed the last of
his regiments the men -eemed to come from everywhere and the
' Rebel Yell" was continuous. The little guidon of our squadron
fluttered in the breeze and seemed silently to voice the sentiment of
Webster. "Libertv and Cnion now and fore\er. one and inse])-
arable."
The war was truly over and (ieneral Lee was departing for
his home to devote ihe remainder of his life in peaceful pursuits.
W'e continued with him a short distance in lUickingham County
wdierc the party halted. General Lee rode up to Lieutenant
Lo\ell and thanked him for the escort, and sainted as he went his
wax, wdiile w^e returned to Ap])omattox. At night the army of
Xorthern \'irginia was gone. The I nion arnn was i)reparing to
take uj) the line of niarcli for tiieir homes. The \ears of acliieve-
ment and sacrifice have been commented on 1)\- elo(|uent orators.
I have endeavored to i)en a simple narrative to mention events as
the\- ai)peared to me.
When the army started from Aj^pomattox they were rejoiced
to contemjjlate changed conditions. At night camp fires were burn-
ing. The d.angerous duty of pick'ett and scouting and tigluing was
a thing of the past. I^verybody felt elated and hai)py.
Tlie news of I'resident Lincoln's assassination came, and
quiet and ^^adne^s reigned. It -^eemed a great pit\- that this should
come to ]>ul a nation in nviurning, at a tinu' wlini rfioicing tor the
Xation rediH-incd, \\a> universal. ( h\v d(.iacliin(.'nt retm-ned to
Richmond and we remained with our regiment, doing duty in re-
storing order in and around I'etersburg and Kichmond until late in
the fall of ]Xi)') when we weri' nnistered out, the last Massachusetts
X'olunteer Ktgimmt to return home.
:j2
Death of the War Horse
The Death of the Old \V;ir Horse whicli Col Tilden of the
Sixteenth Maine rode dnrinj^ the war, prompted the
Rev. Nathaniel Butler to write the following lines.
The sentiment expressed naturally* appeals to anj'one and
especially to a soldier who rode a horse duiingthe war
to maintain the Union.
Farewell, my horse! tliy work is done,
Thy sj>leu<li(l form lies low.
Thy limbs of steel have lost their strength,
Thy flash ing eye its glow.
No more thy (jiiivering nostrils snitf
The battle from afar.
No more beneath thy flying feet
The j^lains with thunder jar.
l-"or thou werl born a hero soul,
In days when heroes fought,
When men, borne by thy glorious strength,
Immortal laurels sought.
►Seated upon thy nerve-strung form.
Another life was mine.
And well 1 knew tlie same high thrill
Kan through my .^oul and thine.
A thi'one thou wert to sit u]i(iii,
And true as steel within,
Whene'er I feU thy brave heart beat,
My own has braver been.
Ami when the bugle's call tn ('haig'e
< >\\-r the column ran,
Thy arching crest, "with thun<lcr clothed,"
Loved best to lead the van.
Upon tlie niarcli, with tiix'loss feet,
Tliroiit^h inountaiii, gor^e and plain,
When others strayed thy place was kej>t,
Through all the long campaign.
But now, thy last, long halt is made :
Thy last cam])aign is o'er;
The bugle call, the battle shout ,
Shall thrill thee never more.
AVhere art thou gone — old friend and true?
What place hast thou to fill?
For it may be thy spirit form
Somewhere is marching still.
Here there are those whom we call men,
Whose souls full well I know
Another life may not deserve
One-half so well as thou.
And natures such as thine has been
Another life may claim,
And God may have a place for them
Within his wide domain.
His armies tread their glorious march
Over the eternal plain.
Their leader rides a snow white steed,
Who follow in his train?
We may not ever meet again ;
But, wheresoe'er I go,
A cherished place within my heait
Thou'It have, old friend, I know.
God made us both, and we have marched
Firm friends whilst thou wert liere ;
I only know I shall not blush
To meet thee anvwhere.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
013 708 897 6 \
0013
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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
013 708 897 6 C
HoUinger
pH 8.5
Mill Run F3.1719
