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HISTORY 

1118th  P 
L  Vol 


Antietam  to  Appomattox 


TO  WHICH  IS  ADDED  A  R  ;Ct       )  OF  ITS  ORGANIZATION  AND  A 
COMPLETE   ROSTE  ILLY   ILLUSTRATED  WITH 

JS,   POR:  '         AND   OVER    ONE 

r  HUNDl       )  ILLUSTRATONS 

-WITH   ADDENDA— 


BY  THE  SURVIVORS'  ASSOCIATION 


Philadelphia,  Pa.: 

J.  L.  SMITH,  Map  Publisher 

27  South  Sixth  Street 
1905 


18th   Pennsylvania 
Volunteers 

Corn  Exchange  Regiment 


Antietam  to  Appomattox 


TO  WHICH  IS  ADDED  A  RECORD  OF  ITS  ORGANIZATION  AND  A 

COMPLETE   ROSTER,     FULLY   ILLUSTRATED  WITH 

MAPS,    PORTRAITS,   AND   OVER    ONE 

HUNDRED  ILLUSTRATONS 


-WITH    ADDKNDA- 


BY   THE  SURVIVORS"   ASSOCIATION 


J.  L.  SMITH.   Map   Publisher 

27  South  Sixth  Street 

1905 


Aa3 


f 


Copyright,  1905,  by  J.  L.  SMITH. 


Corn  Exchange  Association, 


The  Commercial  Exchange 


to  the  officers  and  men  of  the  regiment  whose 

Valor  and  patriotism  made  its  historV:  and 

TO  the  families  of  its  dead  heroes. 


(SIlie  bolnme. 


e  IIEEDS  IN  TKE 


Our  List  of  39  EngageiQents. 


Antietam,  Shepherdstown, 

Fredericksburg,       Chancellorsville, 
Aldie,  Gettysburg, 

Wapping  Heights,   Brandy  Station, 

Bristoe  Station,      Rappahannock  Station, 
Mine  Run,  Wilderness, 

Spottsylvania,        Laurel  Hill, 

Po  River,  Todd*s  Tavern, 

Jericho's  Mill,      Peach  Orchard, 
North    Anna,       Harris*    Farm, 

Tolopotomy  Creek,        Magnolia  Swamp, 
Bethesda  Church,  Cold  Harbor, 

Norfolk  Railroad,  Jerusalem  Plank  Road, 

Petersburg,  Weldon  Railroad, 

Peeble's   Farm,  including  Storming  of  Fort  McRae. 

Pegram*s  Farm.  Chapel  House, 

Hatcher's  Run,  Raid  on  Weldon  R.  R... 

Dabney*s  Mills,  Lewis's  Farm, 

Boydton  Plank  Road,  Gravelly  Run, 
Five  Forks,  Appomaitox. 

(iv) 


PREFACE. 


TN  this  History,  thirty  years  after,  we  fight  our  battles  over 
'  "*•     again. 

It  is  not  a  labor,  but  a  pleasure.     Nothing  delights  an  old 

L  ■oldier  so  much  as  to  live  again  in  the  stirring  scenes,  and  on 

I  tiie  battle-fields.     Hut  in  these  pages  we  do  not  pretend  to 

t  write  the  history  of  the  war.     We  only  give  sketches  and  in- 

I  cidcnts  that  came  under  the  observation  of  the  privates  in  the 

'  ranks.     Of  course  the  histories  are  all  correct.     They  tell  of 

I  achievements  of  great  men  who  wear  the  laurels  of  victor^-, 

lavc  great  honor  conferred  on  them,  high  positions  in  civil  life. 

Ponderous  histories  of  the  war  have  been  written  in  which 

Ptbc  generals  were  giants  and  the  privates  pygmies.      But  «'e 

believe  that  it  was  the  patriotism  and  the  sturdy  valor  of  the 

private  soldier  that  triumphed,  rather  than  the  skill  and  courage 

of  the  generals. 

This  book  will  tell  of  the  men  who  did  the  drilling,  standing 
guard  and  picket-duty,  built  breast-works,  corduroy  roads, 
stood  firm  when  bullet,  shot  and  shell  were  doing  their  deadly 
work,  and  making  gaps  in  the  line;  who  were  wounded  and 
killed  for  their  love  of  Union,  This  book  tells  of  these  men, 
who  drew  thirteen  dollars  a  month,  ration.s,  and  the  ramrod. 

We  only  describe  what  we  saw  in  an  infantry  regiment.  We 
write  entirely  from  notes  taken  at  the  time  and  letters  sent 
home  then  and  answered.     You  must  remember  that  these 

M 


VI 


things  happened  thirty  years  ago — a  long  time  in  a  man's  life. 
Every  man  who  clung  to  his  regiment  became  a  living  part 
of  it,  and  of  its  history.     This  volume  is  the  life  of  the  Ii8th. 

To  bring  the  past  back  clearly  and  vividly  its  scenes  and 
events  must  be  recalled.  Many  of  the  facts  and  incidents  are 
drawn  from  the  letters  sent  home  of  officers  and  men  of  the 
regiment.  Notable  among  those  who  have  assisted  are :  General 
Charles  P.  Herring,  Surgeon  Joseph  Thomas,  Major  Joseph 
Ashbrook,  Sergeant  Alfred  Layman,  Sergeant  Samuel  Nugent, 
L.  Teal  and  Captain  N.  D.  Preston. 

Thanks  are  due  Sergeant  Thomas  J.  Hyatt  for  revising  the 
manuscript  and  adding  a  number  of  interesting  and  humorous 
incidents,  as  well  as  for  the  reliable  picture  of  life  in  the  prison- 
pens  of  the  South  from  his  actual  experience  and  observation. 

To  Private  Henry  H.  Hodges  is  due  acknowledgment  for 
his  preparation  of  the  admirable  roster. 

Acknowledgments  are  due  to  Col.  John  P.  Nicholson ; 
Col.  George  Meade ;  Major  Thomas  Ward.  Asst.  Adjt-Gen. 
U.  S.  A.;  ex-Senator  A.  G.  Cattell;  Col.  O.  L.  Pruden. 
and  Capt.  I.  W.  Heysinger,  M.A.,  M.D. 

Many  works  have  been  consulted;  among  them  are:  Hum- 
phrey's "Virginia  Campaign  of  1864-65;"  Doubleday's 
"  Chancellorsville  and  Gettysburg ;  "  Palfrey's  "  Antietam  and 
Fredericksburg;"  Lt-Col.Wm.  F. Fox's  "  Regimental  Losses;" 
Gen.  Walker's  "  Second  Corps ; "  Parker's  (History  of)  "  22d 
Mass.  Regiment,"  and  Lt.-Col.  Wm.  H.  Powell's  "History  of 
the  Fifth  Army  Corps." 

In  addition  to  the  above,  much  matter  of  an  important  char- 
acter from  the  hitherto  unpublished  manuscripts  of  Generals 
Warren,  Griffin  and  Chamberlain  on  the  later  campaigns  of  the 
war,  has  been  added. 


INTRODUCTORY. 


IT  is  peculiarly  agreeable  to  me  to  have  this  opportunity  of 
bearing  testimony  to  the  soldierly  character  and  honorable 
service  of  the  uSth  Regiment  of  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

It  was  my  good  fortune  to  be  more  or  less  intimately  asso- 
ciated with  this  regiment  during  its  entire  career  in  the  field. 
On  many  occasions  of  special  service,  and  at  last  permanently. 
it  was  in  my  own  command.  I  had  therefore  opportunity  to 
obaerve  and  occasion  to  test  its  qualities. 

I  was  witnes.s  of  the  terrible  initiation  into  the  realities  of 
war,  which  precipitated  itself  like  an  avalanche  upon  this  gal- 
lant regiment  within  three  week,'?  from  its  muster  into  the  ser- 
vice, where,  by  the  force  of  manly  character  which  well  supplied 
the  place  of  long  discipline,  and  by  the  principle  ot  noblesse  ob- 
lige which  recalls  the  times  of  chivalry,  it  held  its  front  against 
desperate  odds  and  at  fearful  cost,  long  after  the  rules  of  war, 
and  even  the  orders  of  the  division  commander,  permitted  it  to 
retire  with  honor.  This  conduct  won  for  it,  while  as  yet  almost 
the  junior  regiment  in  the  corps,  that  respect  which  veterans 
give  only  to  veterans, 

I  need  only  say  that  its  whole  career  confirmed  the  prestige 
of  this  beginning. 

The  history  of  this  regiment  affords  a  notable  instance  of 

that  strange  and  hitherto  unexplained  phenomenon  so  frequent 

in  the  experiences  of  our  civil  war,  that  those  reared  amidst 

(vii) 


I 


Vlll   — 

what  are  supposed  to  be  the  enervating  influences  of  city  life, 
when  suddenly  summoned  to  the  privations  and  hardships  of 
war,  grew  stronger  under  the  test,  and  in  multitudes  of  in- 
stances even  surpassed  in  endurance  and  persistence  of  physical 
force  men 'inured  to  outdoor  toil,  and  whose  stalwart  and  mus- 
cular  forms  on  their  appearance  in  the  field  made  them  seem 
invincible. 

But  whatever  may  be  the  hidden  physiological  law  shadowed 
forth  in  this,  the  record  of  this  regiment  gave  ample  illustration 
of  those  other  truths  made  clear  in  days  of  trial,  that  "  blood 
tells  " — that  virtue  is  manhood,  and  valor,  worth. 

It  was  a  fitting  consummation  of  this  faithful  and  gallant 
service  that  this  regiment  was  one  of  those  which  won  the 
triumphant  privilege  of  forming  that  last  line  of  battle  before 
which  Lee*s  army  laid  down  the  arms  and  colore  of  its  sur- 
rendered cause. 

These  words  are  written  for  the  brave  men  held  in  cherished 
memory  and  undying  affection  by  one  who  shared  with  them 
the  sufferings  and  glories  of  the  field,  following,  or  rather  bear- 
ing forward,  the  blood-red  cross  which  made  way  for  the 
Nation's  flag. 

And  I  bespeak  of  the  readers  of  this  history  that  appreciative 
interest  which  is  due  to  those  who  for  the  well-being  of  their 
country  pledged  and  imperilled  all  that  life  holds  dear,  and  in 
this  devotion  gave  proof  that  there  are  things  nobler  than 
pleasure  and  greater  than  self,  which  men  and  women  count 
worthy  of  bravest  endeavor  and  supreme  sacrifice. 

Joshua  L.  Chamberlain. 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  1. 

CAMI-   UNION. 

Rtsoltitlanii  of  ihcCam  or  Commercial  Eiclmnge— Organ izai ion  rttlhe  Regi. 
mciit — Intemt  lakeii  in  tin  Regiment  Ijy  the  Exchange — l^eiler  from  (jov- 
muyr  Cufiin,  after  ShephertWown — Colonel  Prcvosi — Camp  Union— The 
FiiK  Cunl— The  MIsAl— The  Awkward  Sqund— Bao.n,  Hani  Tach,  iii<) 
Salt  Tork— The  Ballaliou  Drill— The  Unlraincd  Seiilry— Alaence  without 
Lc«T. — Roll  Call— Ralioiu— The  Day"*  Work— Pranks—Divine  Service— 
A  Gill  Dreu  Parade— Journey  to  Waihineton— The  Soldier's  Retreat— The 
CovemnuDi  Coiral — Bivouac  at  Arlington  lleighiB — Fori  Albany — En- 
rklieJ  Water— The  Meal  Che<,I— Fort  Cotcomn 

I  CHAPTER   II 

I  ANTIETAM, 

■The  Kcem^L-n:  nrr;-'r,}-  -'■,, !,.,„.;  Hnnics— ■' Comnt.lc-,  Touch  the  Kllww" 
— The  M  .■  :      -'  Li.—ItivouFic  at  Silver  Spriiigi—ltimiiiution 

"of  Bajtgage — "Where  is  the  I  l8lh  f  " — Ballleof  "  the  Monocacy" — Sounds 
of  Conflict — John  Monteith — Charge  upon  the  Hogs — "  I  Can't  Eat  a  Col- 
lege "—Signs  of  War-Thirsly  Soldiers— A  Martial  Display— Monument 
Hill—Moving  Columns— The  Army  Loosened— The  Bailie— The  Irish 
Brigade — Bumtide's  Charge — Korrora  of  War^An  Uncomfortable  Line 
— Sharp- Shooting — "Are  There  any  Rebels  About  Here?" — Lee's  Retreat 
— Carrying  off  the  Wounded — Sharpsbui^ — Blackford's  Ford 

CHAPTER   III. 

SHEPHERDSTOVVN. 

Tlie  Advance — Fording  the  Stream — Ascending  the  Bluff — Hanging  Horses 
— Order  to  Retreat — Steady  Behavior  of  the  Men — Galling  Rre — De- 
feetive  Enfield  Rifles— lYivate  Joseph  Meehan's  Description  of  the  Guns; 
Colonel  Prevosl'i  Description — Number  of  Confederates  Engaged — Close 
Fi^ttt^ — Colonel   Prevo»t   Advances  with  the  Colors — Colonel  Prev<«[ 

(ix) 


Wounded — An  Awful  Scene — Death  of  Captain  Ricketts — The  Retreat — 
The  Old  Mill — Saving  the  Colors — Killed  by  Our  Own  Men — Incidents 
of  the  Retreat— Lieutenant  White  Killed— West's  Close  Call— Incidents 
of  the  Fight—"  Oh !  Captain  Ricketts  !  "—Doubt  About  a  Quinine  Pill— 
"  Give  it  to  them.  Boys !  "—Lieutenant  Crocker's  Flag  of  Truce — "  Shell 
and  be  d — d !  " — Crocker  and  the  Confederate  General — Major  Herring 
and  the  Regulars — Joseph  Meehan's  Story — Dr.  Joseph  Thomas's  Narrative 
— Sergeant  Peck's  Experience  as  a  Prisoner — The  iiiSth  Regiment — One 
of  Stonewall  Jackson's  Staff  Visits  his  Folks 54 

CHAPTER   IV. 

FROM   SHEPHERDSTOWN   TO    FREDERICKSBURG. 

Houseless  and  Homeless — Examining  the  Doctor — On  the  March  Again — 
Bivouac  at  Bryant's  Farm — Maryland  Heights — Crossing  the  Potomac — In 
the  Shenandoah  Valley — A  Rich  Country — "  Goose  Creek  " — Supplies 
Needed — Snicker's  Gaj>^Court- Martial  on  a  Pig — Yankee  Trading — 
Empty  Pockets — George  Slow,  and  his  Visit  Home — The  Famine  at  Snick- 
er's Gap — A  Life  of  Emergencies — Ostracism  by  the  Southerners — On  the 
March  in  a  Snowstorm — White  Plains — At  Warrenton — A  Chaplain's  Call 
— McClellan  Relieved  of  Command — Removal  of  Fitz-John  Porter — "  Red 
Warrior  "—A  Muddy  Waste— Belle  Plain 95 

CHAPTER   V; 

FREDERICKSBURG. 

Promotion  to  the  Ranks — '*  Unloading  Boards  " — Signs  of  Battle — '*  Stafford 
Heights  " — Marye's  Heights — Attempts  to  Lay  the  Pontoons — Crossing  the 
River  in  Boats — The  Pontoons  Laid — Crossing — A  Thrilling  Scene — A 
Game  of  Euchre — The  Regiment  Crosses  the  River — View  of  the  Confed- 
erate Position — Slaughter — Diving  for  Tobacco — Sack  of  the  City — Charge 
over  the  Plain — Scipio  Africanus  Rises — Moving  to  the  Front — The  Brick- 
yard— Major  Herring  Wounded — "  This  is  What  we  Came  Here  for  " — 
Coolness  of  Colonel  Barnes — The  Corner  Store  and  Something  in  it — 
Sunday  Morning — Sergeant  Stotzenberg — A  Prohibition  Bullet — Losses  in 
the  Battle — The  Regiment  Relieved  from  the  Front — Retreat  of  the  Army 
—Was  it  a  Blunder  ? 112 

« 

CHAPTER   VL 

WINTER-QUARTERS — RICHARD'S  FORD — RECONNOISSANCE — MUD 

MARCH. 

A    Military   Town — Potomac    Creek    Bridge — Decorations — Fuel — Amuse- 


I 


hwrU — MiliticT  Etiqottle  and  Loaded  Armt — Weeding  oui  Incompetents 
— [lUdpUnc — Colonel  Qwyn  in  Command — Pickel  Duly — Preparation  of  a 
Virginia  Family  Dinner — Somelhini;  Suspicious — Inve^tlgalmg  the  Country 
— A  Cavalry  Vedetle — Scipio  Africanus  Receives  the  PanwlE — A  Sad  End- 
ing lo  Scipio's  Greatness — A  RecoonoiBsancc — Beans  Cooked  for  Five 
Miles — Crossing  the  Rappahannock — A  Treatherous  Raft — A  Wounded 
Uirl— The  Dame  at  the  Spring— A  Confederate  Postman— The  Return— 
The  Old  Year  Out— A  Baltle-line  of  Duck?- An  Army  of  Crows— Boxes 
bom  Home  Sent  by  the  Corn  Exchange — Peculiar  Tastes — An  Unfinished 
T»k~Mad  March- The  Second  Delage— Three  Miles  a  Day— Stuck— 
The  Wager  and  its  Consequenccg— Camp.iign  Abandoned         .  ,   140 

CHAPTER   VII. 

CHANCELLORSVILLE. 

Return  of  Colonel  Prcvost — Condition  of  the  Army — General  Hooker  in 
Command— "Joe"  Hooker  is  our  Leader— E«ra  Clolhing  and  Eight 
Dayi'  Rations — Woollen  Lined  Roai1s~Croa:>ing  at  Kelly's  Ford  on  Can- 
va*  I'ontoons — Fording  the  Rapidan — The  Farthest  Stretch — ^rravelling 
Through  the  Woods- The  Chancellor  House;  Reacuing  the  Inmates — 
"  H«pilalilici  of  ihe  Country  " — Meeting  the  Enemy — A  Quiet  Stare — 
A  Controlling  Position — Duappoinlmenl — Dr.  Owens  Complimented  liy 
the  Confederates — Army  Head-quarters — General  Hooker's  Order- Egypt- 
ian Plague — Beginning  of  (he  Fight — Thompson's  Tohaccti — Withdrawal 
of  the  Brigade — Scipo  Afncanus  Surrounded — Drawing  in  the  Pickets — 
Root  of  Ihe  iiih  Corps— The  Rebel  Charge— Scarcity  of  Rations— Shell- 
ing the  Ilospiial— General  Griffin's  Bowling- Wounded  Horses— Woods 
on  Fire — Casualties — Death  of  General  Whipjde — Peter  Haggerty — 
Treed — Captain  O'Neill's  Eccentricity  and  Bravery — Retaking  the  Line — 
"A  Bit  of  a  Talk "— ExploMve  Cartridges— Captain  O'Neill'i  Candle— 
The  Storm— Withdrawal  of  the  Army  and  the  Pickets- Pursuit— March  to 
Camp— Blue  and  Gold— Dropping  Out— Chris's  Ride— Anoiher  Blunder.  163 

CHAPTER   VIII. 


Scipio  Africanus  Vanishes — General  Griffin  and  the  Adjutant — The  Captain's 
Jacket — Whoopers — Guarding  the  Jjth  New  York — Presentation  lo  Gen- 
eral Bamet— "  By  George,  Sir,  You're  an  Orderly  "— Retiiemenl  of  Colo- 
nel  Prevost — Strong  Pickel  Line — Gold  Mine  Farm — Cavalry  Fight  at 
Bntody  Station — A  Compromise  on  Fence  Rails— Manassas  Plains — In- 
tense Heat  and  Scarcity  of  Water — Gum  Springs — Goose  Creek  Aj^ain — 


Xll    

Fight  at  Aldie — Middleburg — Capture  of  Stuart's  Horse  Artillery — Cavalry 
Charges — The  "  Hooker's  Retreat " — Mosby's  "  Happy  Hunting  Ground  " 
— Dark  Days .  210 

CHAPTER   IX. 

GETTYSBURG. 

Suspense  at  the  North — March  to  Gettysburg — "  An  Army  with  Banners" — 
I^esburg — Fording  the  Monocacy — A  Remarkable  Spring — "Old  Four 
Eyes" — Frederick  City — Region  of  Abundance — Disobedience  Means 
Death — General  Sykes  and  the  Irishman — In  Pennsylvania — York — Han- 
over— Visitors — A  High  Private — The  First  Day's  Fight — A  Canard — In 
the  Fight— Holding  Little  Round  Top— The  Wheal- Field— The  Roar  of 
Battle — Bigelow's  Battery — An  Unwilling  Recruit— Steady  Work — Change 
of  Front — Orderly  Retirement — The  Troslle  House  Fight — Death  of  Cap- 
tain Davids — Georgia  Prisoners — Major  Herring  and  the  Colors — Charge 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Reserves — Dr.  Thomas's  Description  of  Second  Day's 
Fight — The  Last  Day — The  Devil's  Den — Seminary  Ridge — A  Confederate 
Officer's  Mistake— Horrors  of  Baitle— The  Crisis— The  Charge— The  Re- 
pulse— The  Victory — "  Go  and  Fight  Somewhere  Else  " — A  Famous 
Rabbit — Bigelow's  Battery — Brady's  Hundred  Rounds  and  his  Gun — 
Importance  of  Battle  of  Gettysburg 229 

CHAPTER    X. 

FROM    GETTYSBURG   TO   WARRENTON. 

General  Barnes  Wounded — Delicacies  for  Confederate  Prisoners — Surgeon 
Thomas's  Order — Indignant  Visitors — Identifying  a  Leg — Corporal  Smith 
and  the  Goose — A  Missing  Father — The  Goose  is  Cooked  and  Taken  to 
Camp — Attempts  at  Car\'ing — The  Goose  Victorious — Advancing — Quar- 
termaster Gardner — Chaplain  O'Neill  and  General  Meade — Lieutenant 
Binney — ^Tramp,  Tramp,  Tramp,  the  Boys  are  Marching — Recruiting — 
Keystone  Battery — Up  the  Mountain — Fighting  for  over  Fifty  Days  .         .  272 

CHAPTER   XI. 

AROUND   WARRENTON — BEVERLY   FORD — EXECUTION    OF   FIVE 

DESERTERS. 

Sunday-moniing  Inspection — Wrong  Ammunition — A  Facetious  Bugler — Re- 
cruits for  the  Regiment — Bounty-jumpers — Quaker  Recruits — Heat  and 
Insects — A  Dangerous  Bath — Heroic  Rescue — The  Five  Deserters — Their 
Trial  —  Sentence  —  Death-watch  —  Execution  —  Horse-racing  —  Captain 


Xfll   ~ 

Crocker's  Maiuion ;  it  ii  Wanned— CapluQ  Doncgan'*  Kekel  Line — Gen- 
eral Sykel  md  ihc  Kek«— •■  You're  got  Moieby  *  "—A  Btave  Deserter— 
The  Palton  Hou^e.  Receplion  al — jealoUiy  and  lis  Consequencei       .  .  290 

CHAPTER   Xll. 

lee's  movement,  etc. 

Fifiht  al  Bristoe  Swiinn— Raccoon  Ford— The  Maple  Giove—Caplaio  Don- 
ftldMn  and  Ihe  Lady — The  Caplain's  Confederale  Broiher — Informition 
Gsined — Bnndjr  Slalion — General  Griiiin  and  the  Battery — Beverly  Ford 
— Hatiial  Display— Bock  to  Brandy  Stntion— A  Busy  Day  tor  the  5th 
Corps — Stuad's  Cavalry  Mixed  up  wiih  Union  Forces — Aliaek  u  Broad 
RuTi — Monaghan,  of  "I"  and  the  Uitch — Movemenl  of  ihe  2d  Corps — Cen- 
ircville— Fairfax  Coufi- House— Shields,  of  •■  H  "—Bull  Run  Buile-field— 
Uncovered  Remains — Grave  of  Colonel  Flelther  Webster — Captain  Bank- 
mn's  Album— Buekton— The  Road  thai  did  not  go^Major  Herring's  pro- 
motion—Chilly  Times-'- Joe"  Ho^jker's  Rtlreat     31 J 

CHAPTER   XIII, 

RAPPAHANNOCK   STATION. 

Th<  "  Cttieral  " — Destruction  and  Ruin — A  Lunette — Si^s  of  Approaching 
Cnndlci— Capuin  Shaiwood- M'Caiidlets  Wounded— '■  The  Guide  is 
Left !  the  Guide  is  Left !  "—A  Feint— The  Assaulting  Column—"  Drop 
Ibal  Lanyard" — Capture  of  the  Position — Killed  2nd  Wounded — Fiheen 
Hnndred  Priwncr..  Four  Gum,  Seven  Bailie- l-1n(>s— The  Devil  in  Com- 
mand—"Odjutant,  dot  Horse  no  Colic  got  "— "  Hard  Tack  "—Major 
O'Neill— His  New  Uniform—"  This  is  the  Way  we  used  10  Dressin  Ingee  " 
An  East  Indian  Parade — Battalion  Review — "  Halt,  Disperse,  and  be  d— d 
Wjo"  ' 335 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

MINE  RUN. 

Tlie  Match — French'*  Blunder — "  Look  Sharp.  Kelly !  " — Slealing  a  Wagon 
Train — A  Spy  Dies — Flankers — The  Regiment  Lost — An  Ahandoned 
Hoiue — Rations — A  Corofortable  Night — A  Lost  Pig  Found — Connecting 
wilb  Ihe  Enemy's  Pickets— Pocketful  of  Finl  Irons- A  Delicate  Position 
— Colonel  Throop  in  Command — Finding  Persimmons  and  ihe  Enemy— 
DeVille— Mine  Run— Cold  Comfon— A  Shell.  Chaplain  O'Neill,  and  a 
Cup  of  Coffee— Orders  for  the  Charge- A  Solemn  Time- James  W.  Hyatt 
Lifted  bjr a  Solid  Shot— Walters  Reconnoissanee- The  Retreat  .  353 


—   XIV   — 
CHAPTER   XV. 

CAMP   BARNES — THE   WINTER   AT    BEVERLY   FORD. 

Third  Winter  of  the  War— Soldiers*  Fibs— The  Sudden  City— The  Chapel- 
Amateur  Theatricals — The  Light  of  Cincinnati — Dainty  Dishes — A  Cube 
Meal — An  Indignant  Cook — Rats — Sergeant  Nugent's  Campaign — Albert 
DcVille's  Sword  Hand— Godwin»s  Musket— "  The  Homespun  Dress" 
— Corporal  Smith — "  The  Trusty  Soldier  and  the  Canteen  of  Whiskey  " — 
Larry  Mullen's  Suavity — Captain  Crocker  Resigns — Captain  Donegan  Re- 
signs— ^The  Brigade  Broken  up — General  Bartlett — Lincoln  and  the  Gen- 
erals— The  Encampment  Ends  in  Smoke 376 

CHAPTER   XVI. 

THE  WILDERNESS— LAUREL   HILL — SPOTTSYLVANIA. 

The  Army  Moves — Crosses  the  Rapidan — Movements  of  the  Division — 
Griffin's  Division  Opens  the  Fight — General  Bartlett's  Narrow  Escape — 
"  K  "  persuades  a  Battery  to  Remain — Colonel  Gwyn  Wounded — Loss  of 
the  1 1 8th— A  Fruitless  Fight— A  Woful  Night— Forest  Fires  and  the 
Wounded — General  Wadsworth's  Death — Musketry  Fighting — Colonel 
I  Herring  and  the  Johnny — The  Army  Unwinds  Itself — Colonel  Herring 

Conmiands  the  Pickets — March  by  Brock's  Road — Movements — Colonel 

Herring  Successfully  Resists  a  Desperate  Charge — Makes  Arrangements  to 

Retain   his   Position — Severe  Loss — Sergeant  Fryer  Wounded — General 

Warren's  Compliment  to  Colonel  Herring — General  Sedgwick  Killed — 

From  the  Wilderness  to  Spottsylvania — A  Touching  Incident — Movements 

I  on  the  loth — Country  around  Spottsylvania — Damp  Reflections — "  Where's 

I  the    Ii8th?" — Heavy    Fighting — Success — Carrying    Ammunition — De- 

I  spatch  to  Colonel  Herring — Night  of  the  13th — Halt  in  the  Night  March— 

.  A  Vivid  Contrast — The  Ny — Enemy's  Entrenchments — Picket  Firing — 

I  Peculiar  Skirmishing — Visitors  to  the  Front — Wray's  Experience — Advance 

I  of  the  1 8th — Tapping  the  Corps — Imprudent  Johnnies       ....  395 

j  CHAPTER  XVII. 

NORTH    ANNA — BETHESDA   CHURCH — COLD    HARBOR. 

The  5th  Corps  Moves — Both  Armies  Moving  Southward — Telegraph  Road 
— An  Air  of  Comfort  and  Ease — Capturing  a  Major — Successful  Foraging — 
Paddy  Mulchay  and  the  Goose — Dog  Robbers,  Pot  Wrestlers,  Coffee  Cool- 
ers— A  False  Real  Alarm — Ned  Wolfenden  and  the  Mule — Corporal  Smith 
to  the  Front — The  Enemy's  Advance  Checked — A  Decoy  and  Vengeance 
— Matthew's  House — Cutting  the  Virginia  Central  Railroad — "  By  the  Left 
Flank" — Mongohick  Church — Henry  Clay's  Birthplace — Entrenching — 


Adinneiac  uid  Covering — Heavy  Skirmishing — A  Kooiule  Attack — Cold 
Hvinr— Beth<.-K)a  Church— An  Inlerruptoi  Dmnei— ■•  Mark  Time, 
Kcllj ! " — Lenoir's  Batlle— Cwpond  Smith  to  the  Rear ;  and  with  the  Reg- 

'  atar»— Caplnre  of  Ilie  Faitieii — Colonel  ileiring  Cavas  his  Regiment — A 
I   Tremendous    Batlle — Walter's    Captures — Lieatenttnt    Ware — SucceuFnl 

•  Ituw — Shady  Grove  Church  Road — A--khbiook  and  Moore — Chicktihominy 
Swamp— Shelling  Iho  Wnoig  I'ljce— Friendliness 434 

CHAITER   XVIII. 

PETERSBURG — WELDON    RAILROAD PEEBLE's    FARM. 

A  Long  Wail — Feint  towards  Richmond — Fuilure  la  Seiie  Peiernburg — 
Cnwungt  of  the  Chickahommy — I'onioon  Briilgc — [.ooking  after  Kirer 
Froni — Water  Famine — Washing  in  Creatioik— A  Die  fo*  Cover  tnd  a  Dig 
for  Water — Ataault  on  I'etersburg — Beauregard  YWillidrawat — The  Hare 
lIouK — "  IHIeiof  Dead  " — Colotiel  Chamberlain  Wounded — Commencing 
Ok  Siege— Worbi  amaud  Petenbaie— Se^eanl  Xugcnt'i  Well— Friendly 
IHcketi — A  Fac-umilc  Letter — A  Cowardly  Act  and  its  runiihmcnt — 
•■Vankt,  Don't  Fire  I  the  Hull  Thing's  a  Mituke  "— Brei).twork«— Fort 
Hell  and  Fori  DamnBtion — Building  Bomb-proofs — An  Improved  Con- 
slniaion  it  a  Failure — ["ud'*  Supper — Desertion  by  Urigade — Amnesty 
fiiKlanialliin — Itaielev  Exposure — Artillery  Practice — Bumside  Mine 
EajilnJei—Serseant  Nueenl's  Wisdom— The  Colored  Troops— Dodging— 
Movement  to  Weldon  Railroad — tliutility — Artillery  to  the  Front — Flowen 
Hoiue — A  l>eaervrd  Reprimand — Mijor  Hopper'i  Account  of  Engagement 
— ^ilh  and  the  Grape  Jelly — Kuuing  Beci — IIonc-Radng — Sheridan 
Kouli  F^rly— Fort  McRac  ('a|<ltirrd 471 

CHAPTER   XIX. 

THE  hatcher's  RON  OF  OCTOBER,  I864 — HICKSFORD  AND  BELLE- 
FIELD,    WELDON    RAILROAD,    RAID — DABNEY'S    MILLS. 

General  Warren's  Report — An  Early  Start — Forest  Fighting — Colonel  Herring 
Commands  Skirmishers,  and  Checks  the  Enemy — Deceived  Innocence — 
The  Capture  and  Escape — Disguised — Notice  to  Quit — Move  to  Destroy 
Railways — Dcstniclion — Confederate  Artillery  Driven  OIT— A  Barrel  of 
Sorghum:  Sergeant  Paschall  Bathes  in  it;  Likewise  Tom  Gabe— A  Social 
Time— The  Colonel's  Traps  and  their  Fate— Dew  of  the  Orchard-Done 
— Guerillas- General  Order  65— Furloughs— Eneculions- Robert  Ruffin 
— Composition  of  Brigade — Intercepting  Supplies — Turkey  Chase — 
Hatcher's  Run — The  Enefiy  Driven — The  Regiment  Engagecl — Captains 
Scott  and  Bayne  Wounded — Colonel  Herring  Wounded;  He  Losrs  his 
Leg— Coll)  Com  fort- Extract  from  General  Warren's  Report- Gelling 
Ready  fur  the  Final  Plunge 516 


XVI    — 

CHAPTER  XX. 

WHITE   OAK    RIDGE — GRAVELLY  RUN — FIVE   FORKS — 

APPOMATTOX. 

The  Beginning  of  the  End — Griffin's  Division — An  Abominable  March  and 
Successful  Fighting — Taunting  rfie  Johnnies — Five  Forks  and  Nothing  to 
Eat — A  Break  through  the  Brigade — Brigade  Joins  Sheridan — Capture  of 
Return  Works — Capture  McGregor's  Battery — Ii8th  Looks  after  Prisoners 
— Corporal  Fletcher  Killed — Griffin's  Captives — The  Sound  of  Battle — 
Unfortunate  Sutlers — The  Famous  Race — High  Bridge — Despatch  from 
Sheridan — General  Chaml^erlain — Report  of  Surrender — Lee's  Surrender — 
Microscopic  Rations — Confederate  Arms — "Didn't  we  Give  it  to  you  at 
Shepherdstown !  " — The  Foolish  Wise — Remembrance  of  John  Brown — 
Gathering  Arms  and  Stores — Seasoned  Meat — Relics — The  Last  Picket 
Line — Empty  Hopes  and  Stomachs — Assassination  of  the  President — Diffi- 
culty with-  Colored  Troops — Hodge's  Diary — Closing  Thoughts  .  560 

CHAPTER   XXI. 

SOUTHERN    PRISONS. 

Confederate  Sanitary  Commission — Close  Quarters — A  North  Carolina  Con- 
script— Conscience  and  Com  Cakes — Andersonville — Shelter — Location — 
Rations — The  Stockade — Cook  House — Water — Filth — Belle  Islanders — 
Dead  Line — Cleanliness — Soap — Tents — Thousands  Shelterless — Broad- 
ways— Vendors — Running  the  Blockade — Gambling — Theft — Execution  of 
Raiders — Punishment  of  Thieves — Escape — Tunneling — Wells — Wood 
Rations — Sickness — Doctor's  Call — Medicines — Dead  House — Dead  Wag- 
ons— Burial  Ground — Increase  of  Prisoners — Addition  to  Stockade — Ovens 
— Beans  and  Bugs — Fourth  of  July — Scene  at  the  Gale — Prison  Hospital 
— Death  of  FuUerton — Removal  of  Prisoners — Stockade  at  Millen — Black- 
shear — Florence — A  Lost  Dog — Christmas  Dinner — Hospital  at  Goldsboro 
— Now  or  Never — Our  Flag 

APPENDIX. 

Laurel  Hill  and  Sheridan's  Raid — A  Few  Prison  Reminiscences — William  H. 
Henning's  Prison  Experience^Religious  Aspect  of  the  Ii8th — Brief  His- 
tory of  the  Army  Hospital  and  its  Work — Gettysburg  versus  Waterioo — 
Appetite  of  an  Army  Mule — A  Strange  Premonition — Old  Big  Feet — April 
Thirteenth,  1865 — Who  was  the  Color- Bearer  ? — The  Surrender  of  General 
Lee — Flag  of  Truce  at  Appomattox — The  Private — Circular      .         .         .  657 

Roster 681 

Survivors'  Association,  iiStii  Corn  Exchange  Regiment,  P.  V.  .  744 


■F^" 


•^m 


HISTORY 


OF  THE 


1 1  8th  PENNSYLVANIA  VOLUNTEERS 


CHAPTER  I. 


ORGANIZATION — CAMP    UNION — FORTS    ALBANY  AND    COCSRAN. 

And  blessed  is  a  country  with  stout  hearts  like  these; 

The  tramp  of  her  armies  is  swelling 

the  breeze. 
They  rush   to  her  rescue,  their  lives 
freely  give — 
Twere  better  to  die  than  in  bondage  to  live. 

promising  results  anticipated  from 
the  majestic  advance  of  the  splen- 
didly appointed  Potomac  Army  from 
Yorktown  to  the  Chickahominy  in  the 
spring  of  1862  were  speedily  dissipated. 
Williamsburg  had  tested  the  capacity 
of  the  Union  soldiery  for  vigorous  as- 
sault, while  Fair  Oaks  and  Seven  Pines 
were  assurances  of  ability  for  indomita- 
ble resistance.  Then  for  a  month  there 
was  ominc^us  quiet,  while  the  lines  of 
belea(7uermcnt  were  maintained  about 
the  C«)nfederate  capital,  when  suddenh' 
upon  the  e.xposed  right  fell  the  o\'er- 
whcliuin;^  shock  of  Gaines'  Mill  and 
Mechanics\illc.  The  famous  Seven- 
Days'  battles  followed,  with  all  their 
valor  and  all  their  fatalities,  and  concluding  resultlessly  at 
Malvern  Hill,  the  leaguers  went  a-sunuiiering  on  the  banks  of 
the  James. 

(U 


—   2   — 

An  anxious  people  viewed  the  situation  with  alarm.  The 
Government,  stirred  to  renewed  activities,  called  again  upon  the 
gallant  North  to  recuperate  the  depleted  ranks  of  her  sorely- 
j Messed  soldiers.  Disaster  had  not  abated  enthusiasm,  nor 
failure  diminished  zeal.  Emergencies  are  the  opportunities  of 
heroes,  and  the  patriotic  freemen  of  the  North,  the  East  and  the 
West  again  promptly  responded  with  their  sturdy  volunteers. 
It  was  this  condition  of  public  sentiment  that  gave  birth  to  the 
1 1 8th  Pennsylvania. 

The  Corn  Exchange  of  Philadelphia,  now  better  known  by 
the  more  significant  name  of  the  Commercial  Exchange,  was 
composed  of  a  membership  conspicuous  for  their  loyalty  to  the 
Union  and  their  zeal  and  liberality  in  sustaining  the  Govern- 
ment in  all  its  efforts  to  put  down  the  Rebellion. 

On  the  morning  of  the  15th  of  April,  1861,  when  the  tele- 
graphic announcement  had  reached  the  North  of  South  Caro- 
lina's defiant  insult  to  the  American  flag  by  opening  fire  on 
Fort  Sumter,  the  busy  hum  and  bustle  of  the  ever)--day  life  of 
the  association  was  arrested  to  give  voice  to  their  indignation. 
The  members  gathered  around  the  speaker's  rostrum  with 
anxious  faces  and  sorrowing  hearts,  and  after  some  preliminary 
proceedings,  including  stirring  addresses  by  Alexander  G.  Cat- 
tell  and  others,  it  was  unanimously  resolved  **  that  the  Room 
Committee  be  instructed  to  purchase  immediately  and  cause  to 
be  extended  the  insulted  and  still-beloved  flag  of  the  United 
States  in  front  of  their  building,  and  to  keep  it  flying  there 
under  all  circumstances  until  the  Rebellion  was  subdued." 

Upon  the  minute-book  of  the  association  of  that  day  may  be 
found  the  following  preamble  and  resolution,  which  were 
unanimously  adopted: 

Wherkas,  .Vmed  rebellion  has  rni>ed  its  hand  against  the  Government  of  the 
United  States,  and  is  now  engajjed  in  infamous  outrajjes  upon  the  honor,  integrity 
and  safety  of  our  beloved  country  ;  and, 

Whereas,  It  is  the  duty  of  all  true  men,  in  a  crisis  like  the  present,  to  express 
their  devotion  to  the  sacred  cause  of  their  country,  and  their  firm  determinatioQ 
never  to  abandon  her  to  her  enemies;  therefore 


JtiioiPfd.  Thai  th«  Com  Exthangp  AEocution,  i 


the 


re  sj-mpUh)'  with  Ihc  ailniiiiistration  in  this  trying  hour,  and 

of  ihrii  tr»rncst  ilnite  to  ilo  nil  that  men  may  du  in  behalf  of  their  country,  ilo 

DOW  intlract  ihcir  Room  CoimniUcc  la  purchase  immediately,  and  cause  to  be 

exieitded,  ihe  insulted  but  still  beloved  Hag  of  Ihe  Uriiied  States  in  trunt  of  llieii 

k'Wil'tiDg  licfure  sunnel,  inil  to  keep  it  flying  there  under  all  ciTCumstanccs, 

Both  the  letter  and  spirit  of  this  resolution  were  faitlifully 

Jkepi.     Before  the  sun  had  sunk  bcliind  the  western  hills,  the 

■old  flag  was  waving  in  the  breeie.  and  there  it  continued  to 

sunshine  and  in  storm,  through  summer's  heat  arid 

ftirintcr's  cold,  until  its  honor  was  vindicated  and  its  supremacy 

rightful  authority  were  recognized  all  over  the  land. 

Nor  did  this  patriotic  commercial  body  stop  with  setitiment. 

Htnotic  and  assertive  as  it  was.     In  the  first  year  of  the  war  its 

■generous  treasury  was  lavish  with  contributions,  and  its  individual 

Encmbcra  were  liberal  with  their  private  means  to  sustain  the 

■Yjuvcrnment,  and  aid  the  soldier  to  meet  the  emergencies  the 

f-eountry  had  been  so  unexpectedly  called  upon  to  encounter. 

In  the  summer  of  1 862.  still  fervent  in  its  unflinching  loyalty. 

and  abreast  with  the  time,  the  Corn  Exchange  resolved,  as  its 

response  to  the  call  for  three  hundred  thousand  volunteers,  that 

it  would  give  its  money  and  lend  its  strength  and  influence  to 

furnish  an  entire  regiment  of  Pennsylvania  soldiers,  to  discharge 

in  part  the  obhgation  put  upon  the  good  old  Commonwealth  by 

this  other  call  for  troops. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  association  held  July  24,  1862,  the  fol- 
lowing action  was  taken,  as  appears  by  the  minutes  of  that  day. 
Mr.  Cattell  offered  the  following : 

WllKREAS,  Some  of  the  members  have  taken  the  preparatory  steps  towards  the 
oigaiiizatioii  of  a  regiment,  under  the  auspices  of  this  Association,  and  havr 
indicated  for  the  colonel  of  said  regiment  Captain  C.  M.  Prevost,  a  gentleman  and 
a  wldier;  and 

WxKKEAS.  The  Governor  of  the  Commonwealth  has  signified  his  great  [ileasurc 
in  view  uf  onr  propoied  action ;  therefore  be  it 

k/sttvtd.  That  this  Association,  detlaring  iheir  undying  devotion  to  the  country, 
and  iheir  willingness  to  bear  their  full  proportion  of  the  duties  which  nowdevnlve 
DD  every  good  ciliien,  hereby  pledge  themselves  to  give  their  sym]ialhy.  aid  and 
co-operation  to  the  prompt  formation  of  a  regiment,  to  be  commanded  by  Ca|>tain 
C  M.  l-KvoU. 


1 
-r 


Rfsohfed^  That  to  carry  out  ihis  purpose  a  cortimittce  of  twenty-one  l^  appointed 
by  the  chairman,  to  collect,  by  voluntary  sul)scription,  the  amount  of  means 
necessary  to  organize  said  regiment,  and  lo  consult  with  and  aid  in  all  proper 
ways  the  officers  that  may  be  selected  lo  put  the  regiment  in  fighting  trim. 

Resotvedy  That  it  is  the  sense  of  this  meeting,  that  the  duty  of  the  hour  requires 
of  all  loyal  and  true  men  to  aid,  by  their  influence,  their  counsel  and  means,  the 
prompt  enlistment  of  Pennsylvania's  proportion  of  the  new  call  for  troops. 

The  preamble  and  resolutions,  as  read,  were  unanimously 
adopted. 

•  It  was  also  moved  by  Mr.  James,  and  seconded  by  Mr. 
Budd,  that  the  funds  in  the  hands  of  the  treasurer  of  the  asso- 
ciation be  contributed  to  the  above  object,  which  was  also 
adopted  unanimously. 

In  accordance  with  these  resolutions,  a  committee  of  twenty- 
one  of  the  most  substantial  members  of  the  association  were 
appointed  at  this  meeting  to  further  and  insure  the  project — and 
most  successfully  did  they  fulfil  their  mission.  The  names  of 
the  gentlemen  composing  the  committee  were  as  follows : 

Alexander  G.  Cattell,  Chaintian. 

Charles  Knecht,  Edward  G.  James,  Samuel  L.  Ward, 

Joseph  W.  Miller,  Philip  H.  Mingle,  Alexander  J.  Derbyshire, 

Samlel  L.  Witmek,  Job  Ivins,  Josiah  Bryan, 

James  Steel,  Henry  Winsor,  W.  Dike  Mirphy, 

Samuel  F  Hartranft,  Archibald  Getty,  James  Barratt.  Jr., 

Henry  Budd,  Lewis  G.  Mytinger,  Frank  K.  Sheppard. 

George  A.  McKinstry,  Hugh  Craig, 

The  committee  entered  at  once  upon  the  work  assigned  them 
with  great  zeal  and  energy.  They  offered  a  large  special  bounty 
in  addition  to  that  given  bv  the  Government,  with  other  induce- 
ments, to  secure  a  high  grade  of  volunteers,  and  in  the  incredi- 
bly short  period  of  thirty  days  a  regiment  numbering  nine  hun- 
dred and  sixty  men  had  been  recruited,  officered  and  drilled  at 
Camp  Union,  on  the  banks  of  the  Schuylkill — had  broken  its 
camp  of  recruitment,  and  was  on  its  way  to  the  front  to  do  its 
part  to  meet  the  then  impending  crisis  in  the  nation's  fate. 

Each  private  of  the  regiment  was  provided  with  a  rubber 
blanket  and  many  other  articles  of  convenience  and  comfort 


for  the  soldier,  at  the  expense  of  the  association,  and  it  is 
questionabic  whether  any  fL-giment  that  went  to  the  front 
during  the  war  was  more  generously  provided  with  all  things 
needed  to  minister  to  the  comfort  of  the  private  soldier 

From  the  inception  of  the  work  to  its  close,  when  this  mag- 
nificent regiment,  fully  and  elegantly  equipped,  left  for  the  field, 
the  chairman  and  other  members  of  the  committee  gave  almost 
their  entire  time  to  the  work,  not  only  devoting  the  hours  of 
the  day  but  often  the  entire  night  in  pushing  forward  and  per- 
fecting their  arrangements.  The  chairman  of  the  committee, 
Alexander  G.  Cattell,  an  earnest  and  efficient  supporter  of  the 
Union  cause  from  the  beginning  of  the  war,  who  was  afterwards 
United  States  Senator  from  New  Jersey,  was  conspicuous  in  the 
work  of  the  committee.  Giving  up  attention  to  his  private 
business  almost  entirely,  he  could  be  found  at  almost  any  hour 
of  ihe  day  or  night,  cither  at  the  rooms  of  the  committee,  or  at 
the  recruiting  stations,  or  the  camp,  pressing  forward  the  work 
of  recruiting  and  oi^anization.  Indeed,  so  marked  were  his 
services,  that  he  acquired  the  honor  of  baing  called  the  "Father 
of  the  Regiment,"  and  his  interest  in  the  "  Survivors'  Associa- 
tion "  thereof,  of  which  he  is  an  honorary  member,  shows  that 
even  at  this  late  day.  after  a  quarter  of  a  century  has  passed 
away,  his  interest  in  the  regiment  with  which  he  was  so  closely 
connected  has  not  abated. 

Mr.  Samuel  L.  Ward,  the  treasurer  of  the  fund  subscribed 
for  the  purpose  of  raising  the  regiment,  was  also  conspicuous 
for  his  devotion  to  the  work  and  endeared  himself  to  all  by  the 
faithful  discharge  of  his  duties  and  his  uniform  courtesy  and  kind- 
ness to  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  Indeed,  the  entire 
committee,  with  a  zeal  worthy  of  all  commendation,  worked 
faithfully  and  in  entire  accord  for  the  accomplishment  of  the 
purpose  which  the  association  had  committed  to  their  hands. 

It  is  worthy  of  mention  that  when  the  camp  wherein  the 
troops  had  lain  during  the  time  of  their  organization  was 
broken  up.  and  the  regiment  had  gone  to  the  field,  his  fellow- 
members  of  the  committee,  recognizing  Mr,  Cattell's  valuable 


~  6  — 

services,  voted  that  the  old  flag-staff  under  which  the  regiment 
had  been  formed  should  be  presented  to  him ;  and  when  it  had 
been  planted  upon  the  lawn  of  his  country-seat  at  Merchant- 
ville,  New  Jersey,  where  it  still  stands,  a  handsome  flag  was, 
with  appropriate  ceremonies,  presented  to  him  by  the  association 
as  a  body. 

Nor  did  the  work  of  the  committee  and  the  association  end, 
or  their  interest  in  the  regiment  cease  when  it  had  gone  to  the 
field.  They  followed  with  intense  interest  and  anxiety,  min- 
<jled  with  pride,  each  step  of  its  progress  through  all  its  vary- 
ing fortunes  to  the  close  of  the  war.  Their  interest  was  mani- 
fested by  frequent  visits  of  committees  to  the  front,  carrying 
words  of  cheer  and  bearing  gifts  for  the  men  ;  by  their  minis- 
trations to  the  sick  and  wounded,  notably  after  the  calamity  of 
Shepherdstown,  and  by  faithful  attention  to  the  wants  of  such 
needy  families  as  were  left  behind,  whenever  such  wants  were 
made  known,  and  also  by  generous  contributions  to  the  widows 
and  orphans  of  those  who  fell  on  the  battle-field.  More  than 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars  were  collected  and  expended  by 
the  association  and  its  members  in  their  patriotic  work  of  send- 
ing men  to  the  field  and  of  providing  for  the  needy  families 
connected  therewith.  Although  technically  called  the  ii8th 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  the  regiment  was  known  throughout 
the  war  as  the  "  Corn  Exchange  Regiment  of  Philadelphia," 
and  the  association  has  ever  felt  a  jusf  pride  in  the  valor  and 
achievements  of  the  brave  boys  that  bore  their  name. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  the  survivors  of  the  regiment  de- 
posited with  the  Corn  Exchange  the  worn  and  tattered  battle- 
flag  carried  at  Shepherdstown,  and  from  there  to  Appomattox. 
It  was  afterwards  presented  by  the  association  to  General  Pre- 
vost,  as  its  rightful  custodian  and  guardian.  In  the  course  of 
his  graceful  speech  of  acceptance,  in  reply  to  the  presentition 
remarks  of  President  Hinchman,  he  did  the  association  the 
honor  to  say :  "  It  is  my  duty,  as  well  as  pleasure,  to  say  for 
myself  and  for  my  brother-ofiicers,  that  we  feel  that  whatever 
character  we  have  made  as  soldiers,  whatever  distinction  we 


have  earned,  we  are  largely  indebted  to  this  association  for 
giving  us  the  opportunity.  It  was  your  patriotism  and  liberal- 
ity that  placed  the  Corn  Exchange  Regiment  in  the  field ;  and 
you,  gentlemen,  are  sharers  in  the  glory  it  earned.  Nor  did 
your  libcralit)'  end  there.  Your  donations  were  placed  in  the 
hands  of  such  devoted  men  as  Hoffman,  Ward.  Knecht,  Harl- 
mnfl,  and  others,  who  were  untiring  in  their  devotion  to  the  - 
wounded  and  dying,  and  smoothed  the  path  to  the  grave  of 
many  a  brave  felloiv ;  and  widows  and  orphans  ha\'e  reason  to 
bless  the  Corn  Exchange  Association  for  your  liberal  dona- 
tions dispensed  by  these  gentlemen." 

Since  the  Com  Exchange  took  their  patriotic  action  in  con- 
nection with  the  regiment  a  quarter  of  a  centurj'  has  passed 
away,  and  many,  indeed  most  of  those  who  bore  an  active  part 
in  this  loyal  work,  have  passed  to  that  "bourn  from  which  no 
traveller  returns."  Of  the  committee  of  twenty-one  there  are 
but  eight  survivors.  But  the  loyal  men  of  the  association 
of  that  day  sowed  broadcast  the  seeds  of  patriotism  in  their 
organ  iiut ion  which  have  ripened  into  an  abundant  harvest,  and 
the  flame  of  liberty  burns  as  brightly  in  the  hearts  of  their  suc- 
cessors. "  The  Commercial  Exchange,"  as  it  did  in  tlie  parent 
bod>'.  And  if  ever  the  nation  is  again  imperiled  by  foes  from 
without  or  within,  it  will  stand  by  the  Government  with  the 
same  zeal  and  fidehty  as  did  its  predecessor,  "  The  Corn  Ex- 
change," on  the  24th  day  of  July,  1862. 

Already  the  spirit  of  the  old  has  been  reproduced  in  the 
new  organization,  as  shown  by  their  recent  generous  contribu- 
tion for  the  erection  of  an  elegant  monument  on  the  battle-field 
of  Gettysburg,  to  commemorate  the  part  which  was  taken  by 
the  regiment  on  that  memorable  field. 

The  following  letter  from  Governor  Curtin,  written  on  a 
special  occasion  after  the  disaster  at  Shepherdstown,  in  which 
this  regiment  suffered  largely,  will  be  read  with  interest,  as,  in 
addition  to  his  words  of  sympathy,  he  speaks  of  the  connection 
of  the  Corn  Exchange  with  "the  118th  Pennsylvania"  in  very 
complimentary  terms: 


—  8  — 

Harrisburg,  Pa.,  October  6,  1862. 
Tfthe  President  and  Members  of  the  Com  Exchange  ^  Philadelphia,  Pa.: 

Gentlemen  :  I  have  been  so  constantly  occupied  that  I  have  been  unable  to 
express  to  you,  and  through  you  to  the  regiment  of  volunteers  called  into  service 
for  the  defence  of  the  Government,  and  with  which  your  association  is  so  closely 
identified,  my  deep  sympathy  and  painful  regrets  at  the  occurrence  of  the  recent 
terrible  disaster  which  befell  the  regiment. 

It  is  painful,  indeed,  that  brave  men,  who  are  ever  willing  to  risk  life  in  the  field 
in  defence  of  our  State  and  the  safety  of  our  people,  when  threatened  by  a  numer- 
ous army  of  the  enemies  of  their  country,  should  meet  a  fate  so  melancholy  as  this 
which  has  cast  a  gloom  over  our  entire  community  at  a  time  when  they  would  have 
been  hopeful  and  exultant.  Please  express  my  sympathy  to  the  injured,  and  my 
condolence  with  families  and  friends  of  the  dead.  I  avail  myself  of  this  opportu- 
nity to  express  to  you  my  acknowledgment  for  your  patriotic  liberality  in  assisting 
to  place  in  the  field  the  i  i8th  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  and  of  offering 
you  my  congratulations  on  the  courage  and  gallantry  of  the  officers  and  men  in 
the  recent  battle. 

Indeed,  gentlemen,  while  our  hearts  are  saddened  by  the  thoughts  that  so  many 
of  the  brave  and  patriotic  who  left  our  State  in  the  volunteer  service,  in  defence 
of  the  holy  cause  of  constitutional  liberty,  are  numl>ered  with  the  mighty  hosts  of 
the  slain — ^a  monument  that  needs  no  scroll — yet  we  cannot  fail  to  find  consolation 
in  the  fact  that  so  many  gallant  achievements  have  been  performed  by  our  officers 
and  men,  that  the  people  of  Pennsylvania  have  never  failed  in  their  constant  loy- 
alty and  courage,  and  that  in  all  the  great  army  of  freemen  called  from  their  homes 
to  sustain  our  wise  and  beneficent  Government,  the  troops  from  Pennsylvania  stand 
second  to  none. 

With  the  earnest  hojie,  gentlemen,  that  you  may  continue  to  work  with  the  same 
dutifulness  in  the  future,  and  contribute  from  your  means  with  the  same  liberality 
that  you  have  in  the  past,  until  this  unnatural  and  insane  rebellion  has  been  sup- 
pressed and  the  supremacy  of  the  law  and  order  fully  re-established, 

I  have  the  honor  to  remain,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

A.  G.  CURTIN. 

This  commercial  body  had  already  furnished  from  its  mem- 
bership, or  those  who  had  affiliations  with  it,  many  good  and 
worthy  men,  who  had  tasted  deeply  of  the  stern  severities  of 
war.  Notable  among  them  was  Captain  Charles  M.  Prevost. 
He  had  earned  prominence  and  distinction  on  the  staff  of  their 
fellow-townsman,  Brigadier-General  Frank  Patterson,  in  the 
hard-fought  battles  of  the  Peninsula,  and  on  him  fell  worthily 
the  choice  of  the  colonelcy  of  the  regiment  their  energies  had 
so  manfully  projected.     To    him    they  wisely  committed   its 


.'*'^.r' 


—  9  — 

destinies;  to  him  they  intrusted  its  reputation  and  theirs;  to 
his  skill  they  gave  its  training ;  to  his  soldierly  judgment  they 
consigned  its  mihtary  keeping.  But  six  other  officers.  Gwynn, 
Donaldson.  Batchc-lder,  Hand,  Walters  and  McCutchen,  had 
been  in  actual  battle.  Many  others,  among  them  Colonel  Pre- 
vost  as  a  captain  and  Major  Herring  as  a  lieutenant,  had  been 
well  schooled  m  tactical  instruction  in  the  Gray  Reserves,  a 
regiment  of  high  repute  in  the  Pennsylvania  militia.  From  the 
ranks  of  this  organization  the  line  of  the  1 19th  Pennsylvania, 
as  well  as  the  regiment  the  histor)'  of  which  we  are  now 
writing,  was  supplied  with  some  of  its  best  commissioned 
officers.  It  still  bears  distinguished  place  in  the  service 
of  the  State  as  the  1st  Regiment  Infantry  of  the  National 
Guard. 

The  authority  to  recruit  was  received  early  in  August.  The 
substantial  aid  supplied  by  the  Corn  Exchange  lent  an  impetus 
to  the  labor,  and  the  work  was  prosecuted  with  unusual  vigor. 
Recruiting  stations  were  opened  in  the  most  available  loca- 
tions: A  at  727  Market  street,  and  D  at  Eighth  and  Market; 
B  Walnut  below  Second.  C  at  833  Market,  and  G  on  the  north 
side  of  Market  below  Ninth  ;  E  at  the  Girard  House,  F  at  the 
north-east  corner  of  Hroad  and  Race,  and  H  on  Fifth  above 
Chestnut;  I  at  513  south  Second,  and  K  at  241  Race  street. 
A  was  the  first  to  fill  its.  quota  to  the  maximum.  Al- 
though several  other  regimental  organizations  were  in  active 
competition,  the  ii8th  was  the  first  to  fully  complete  its 
quota.  In  fact,  before  any  of  the  others  had  actually  com- 
pleted theirs,  the  emergency  became  so  pressing  that  they 
were  hurried  to  the  front  with  the  required  maximum  still 
incomplete. 

Major  Herring  was  placed  in  chaise  of  the  camp  of  rendez- 
vous and  instruction.  It  was  located  on  a  most  attractive  spot 
on  the  west  side  of  Indian  Queen  Lane,  near  the  Falls  station, 
on  the  Norristown  branch  of  the  Philadelphia,  Germantown 
and  Norristown  Railroad,  and  designated  as  "  Camp  Union." 
From  the  forty-seven  men,  with  which  the  encampment  started. 


—    lO  — 

the  daily  acquisition  of  recruits  soon  swelled  the  number  to 
respectable  proportions.  Guard-duty  and  a  practical  applica- 
tion of  the  principles  in  the  school  of  the  soldier  were  taught 
as  well  as  the  opportunities  would  permit.  But  few  officers 
could  be  spared  from  the  recruiting  stations.  Lieutenants 
Binney,  Moss  and  West  were  among  those  on  duty  at  the 
camp.  The  first  guard  ever  mounted  in  the  regiment  was  in 
charge  of  Sergeants  Charles  Silcox,  Company  F,  and  Hillery 
Snyder,  Company  K,  consisting  of  the  following  privates : 

Company  K — Thomas  J.  Hyatt;  Wm.  H.  H.  Davis ;  Wm.  B. 
Mayberry  ;  Jos.  P.  Davis ;  August  Sigel ;  Ambrose  Schwoerer. 
Company  F — Wm.  Genn ;  Robert  Harnly ;  Wm.  H.  King. 
Company  G — Thos.  O'Donold ;  John  Coonan ;  Henry  Craig; 
John  Werntz;  James  Dougherty.  Company  A — Joseph  Hess; 
Thos.  H.  Bullock;  Lewis  G.  Hoffman;  G.  W.  W^ainwright; 
Samuel  N.  Robertson. 

Sergeant  J.  Rudhall  White,  who  shortly  afterwards  was  pro- 
moted to  a  lieutenancy,  was  detailed  as  clerk  to  the  comman- 
dant. The  supplies,  tolerably  fair,  were  furnished  with  reason- 
able regularity.  There  were  but  few  breaches  of  discipline,  and 
the  men,  in  a  spirit  of  commendable  contentment,  cheerfully 
accepted  the  change  from  the  comforts  of  home  to  the  inconven- 
iences necessarily  attending  a  newly-organized  camp. 

A  few  days  after  the  camp  was  formed,  the  men  then  on  the 
ground  were  furnished  with  uniforms.  As  the  garments  were 
not  made  to  order  by  fashionable  tailors,  and  were  handed  out 
somewhat  indiscriminately,  the  effect,  in  some  cases,  was  pecu- 
liar. A  tall,  slender  man  exhibited  himself  to  the  quartermas- 
ter and  requested  a  size  adapted  to  his  shape.  The  attempt  to 
accommodate  him  was  a  failure.  The  bottoms  of  his  pantaloons 
were  three  inches  above  his  ankles,  with  a  corresponding  declen- 
sion of  the  top  from  his  waist,  while  the  roominess  in  other  ways 
was  marvellous.  At  the  same  time,  in  the  next  tent  to  that  from 
which  the  tall  volunteer  had  emerged,  a  stout  little  chap  had 
pulled  on  a  pair  the  waist  of  which  was  almost  to  his  armpits,  while 
his  toes  had  not  yet  appeared  at  the  bottoms.     Justice  compels. 


the  statement  that  all  the  fits  were  not  as  bad  as  these  t>vo,  the 
f.icl  being  that  some  one,  whose  sense  of  duty  had  been  thri>t- 
llcd  in  a  spirit  of  mischief,  had  adroitly  changed  the  indispen- 
tables.  Nevertheless,  a  gentle  shade  of  melancholy  stole  over 
many  faces  as  their  owners  looked  down  upon  the  shapeless 
mjss  of  cloth  that  hung  over  the  manly  limbs,  the  contempla- 
tion of  which  had  theretofore  been  a  pride  and  satisfaction. 
The  coarse,  ponderous  brogans,  given  out  with  the  uniforms, 
were  also  a  vexation  to  vanity.  One.  to  whose  lot  fell  a  for- 
age cap  tliat  covered  his 
cars,  was  assured  it  would 
shrink  to  proper  propor- 
tions in  the  first  rain-storm, 
while  another,  whose  cap 
sat  nattily  upon  the  very 
tip  of  his  crown,  after  the 
manner  of  the  British  sol- 
dier, was  consoled  wiih  the 
assurance  that  the  August 
sun  would  soon  expand  it 
to  suit  his  comfort  and 
convenience. 

The  uniforms  having 
been  donned,  and  the  bro- 
gans relegated  to  the  ob- 
scure recesses  of  the  tents 
for  the  Hme  being,  it  be- 
came incumbent  upon  the  aspirant  for  militarj-  fame  to  as- 
sume the  position  of  the  soldier.  The  men  were  taken  out 
upon  the  parade-ground  in  squads,  and  there  the  squads  were 
separately  informed  that  "the  position  of  the  soldier  should  be 
one  of  grace  and  ease."  Whereupon,  naturally  or  unnaturally, 
each  individual  portion  of  each  squad  became  about  as  un- 
graceful and  stiff  as  was  possible.  This,  combined  with  a 
burning  inquisitiveness  on  the  part  of  every  one  in  the  line  to 
see  whether  the  others  were  graceful  an».l  easy,  produced  an 


I 


—    12   — 

effect  the  reverse  of  soldierly.  The  drill  in  the  "facings" 
disclosed  the  fact  that  many,  otherwise  intelligent,  were  not 
certain  as  to  which  was'  their  right  hand  or  their  left.  Con- 
sequently, when  the  order  "  Right,  face !  "  was  given,  face  met 
face  in  inquiring  astonishment,  and  frantic  attempts  to  obey  the 
order  properly  made  still  greater  confusion.  The  drill  in 
marching  and  wheeling  resulted  in  tortuous,  uncertain  lines 
and  semi-circular  formations  that  were  ludicrous  caricatures  of 
the  results  intended  to  be  produced. 

This  was  the  beginning.  These  were  the  ripples  upon  the 
surface  of  the  volunteer's  life.  Beneath  was  the  deep  resolve 
to  act  well  the  part  assigned  them  in  the  great  tragedy  of  the 
Rebellion. 

The  record  of  the  conduct  of  the  regiment  on  many  a  battle- 
field, the  graves  in  Virginia,  Maryland,  and  Pennsylvania, 
the  armless  sleeves,  and  the  folded  pantaloons  of  numbers  of 
the  survivors,  bear  witness  to  the  faithful  execution  of  that 
resolve. 

The  greater  part  of  the  month  of  August  was  spent  in  fit- 
ting the  volunteers  for  the  life  before  them  and,  among  other 
things,  to  accustom  them  to  the  sight  and  taste  of  boiled  salt 
pork  and  bacon.  The  day  of  hard-tack  had  not  yet  come. 
The  evil  hour  of  salt  pork  was  put  off  for  a  time,  as  "  rations  *' 
were  purchased  from  the  stores  in  town,  and  of  the  pedlers 
who  visited  the  camp.  Supplies  were  also  obtained  from  the 
homes  of  the  volunteers. 

After  the  men  had  been  drilled  in  squads  and  companies, 
the  field-oflficers  determined  to  have  a  battalion  drill,  in  a  field 
that  sloped  down  from  the  side  of  the  encampment.  On  the 
afternoon  of  a  clear  August  day,  the  regiment  was  formed 
into  a  battalion,  front  on  the  brow  of  the  slope,  and  the  order, 
**  Forward,  march  !  *'  given. 

It  was  a  delightful  and  inspiring  sight.  The  men  moved 
down  the  slope  with  steady,  ringing  tread,  in  perfect  line, 
the  bright  rifle-barrels,  with  the  bayonets  on  them,  gleaming 
and  shimmering  in  the  sunlight.     They  seemed  invincible.    As 


they  marched  on,  the  band  playing,  the  colors  flying,  a  mavtial 
spirit  in  the  very  air,  some  unfortunate  trod  upon  a  yellow- 
jacket's  nesl  hidden  in  the  grass.  There  was  music  in  the  air. 
On.  on,  regardless  of  the  stings  of  the  indignant  buzzers.  But 
another  nest  was  disturbed,  and  still  others;  the  music  in- 
creased. The  yellow-jackets  made  a  spirited  attack.  The 
regiment  hesitated,  faltered,  wavered,  fled! — fled  in  confusion, 
covered  with  stings  instead  of  glory.  The  Corn  Exchange 
Regiment  had  suflcred  its' first  defeat. 

It  was  a  dearly-bought  victory  for  the  yellow-jackets.  To- 
wards evening  scouts  were  sent  out  to  ascertain  the  positions 
of  the  enemy.  Camp-kcttlcs  filled  with  boiling  water  were 
hurried  to  the  front,  and  ladlefuls  discharged  into  the  nests. 
No  quarter  was  given.     The  yellow-jackets  were  annihilated. 

The  regimental  surgeon  had  not  yet  arrived  in  camp.  A 
volunteer  from  the  country,  Charles  F.  Dare,  afterwards  selected 
as  hospital  steward,  who  had  had  some  previous  experience  in 
warCirc  with  the  winged,  stinging  foe,  assumed  the  position, 
and.  with  becoming  gravity,  treated  his  wounded  comrades 
with  mud  plasters,  while  their  unwoundcd  friends  gave  them 
unlimited  chaff 

There  was  no  more  than  the  usual  awkwardness  that  usually 
attended  a  first  military  venture,  but  some  of  the  incidents 
were  highly  ludicrous.  Prompt  and  efficient  sentinel-duty 
seems  to  be  slow  of  acquisition.  The  corporal  of  the 
guard  is  sometimes  prone  to  exercise  his  brief  authority  with 
unusual  severity.  The  untrained  recruit  views  his  approach 
with  dread,  and  is  rejoiced  when  he  is  relievetl  of  his  presence. 
Colonel  Gwyn,  who.  seated  in  his  tent,  had  for  some  time 
noticed  the  exceptional  awkwardness  of  a  .sentry  in  his  vicinity 
as  he  passed  his  beat,  finally  approached  him  and  relieved  him 
of  his  musket.  The  colonel  was  entirely  unknown  to  the 
sentry,  cither  by  name  or  rank.  The  sentry  submitted  quietly 
to  his  disarmament,  and,  as  the  colonel  walked  ofT carrying  the 
piece  with  him,  he  turned  and  anxiously  said,  "  Say,  you — 
what  shall  I  say  to  that'  bossy  fellow'  when  he  comes  around?" 


—  14  — 

It  was  the  fierce  and  martial  corporal  that  alone  he  feared,  and 
if  the  colonel  could  supply  him  with  an  explanation  that  would 
have  been  satisfactory  to  the  "  bossy  fellow,"  he  was  at  liberty 
to  do  what  he  pleased  with  his  piece.  He  learned  better  after- 
wards. 

On  one  occasion  Corporal  Ferguson,  in  a  spirit  of  mischief, 
concocted  a  happy  scheme  to  elude  the  guard  and  pass  beyond 
the  line.  He  happened  on  the  south-west  side  of  the  camp, 
overlooking  the  Falls  of  Schuylkill,  where  a  sentry  was  on 
duty,  who  appeared  neither  wise  nor  vigilant.  It  was  in  the 
early  evening,  and  there  was  a  positive  prohibition  against 
passing  the  camp-limits  after  dark.  Fifteen  or  twenty  men 
were  in  the  vicinity,  and,  without  communicating  his  purpose, 
Ferguson,  in  a  loud  and  authoritative  tone,  commanded,  "  Fall 
in  !  "  It  was  promptly  obeyed,  and,  after  exercising  his  squad 
in  a  few  manoeuvres,  he  deliberately  marched  it,  without 
challenge  or  interruption,  over  the  beat  of  the  sentry.  As 
they  drew  farther  and  farther  from  the  reach  of  the  sentinel's 
voice,  Ferguson's  purpose  became  apparent,  and  then,  with  a 
wild  hurrah,  the  whole  party  broke  for  the  village.  Their 
liberty  was  of  short  duration.  They  ran  suddenly  upon  an 
officer  returning  to  camp,  who,  quickly  conceiving  from  their 
actions  and  numbers  that  something  was  wrong,  hustled  them 
back  without  giving  them  opportunity  to  invent  a  story  to 
deceive  him. 

Every  morning,  as  the  August  sun  rose  from  his  bath  in  the 
Atlantic,  he  looked  warmly  at  a  mass  of  hastily  and  not  over- 
completely  dressed,  yawning,  sleepy-headed  fellows,  with  tum- 
bled hair,  who  had  just  risen  from  their  heaps  of  straw  and 
emerged  from  the  shelter  of  their  tents  to  answer  the  imperative 
roll-call.  In  each  company  were  one  or  two  sluggards  who 
appeared  in  undress  uniform — that  is,  fatigue-caps  on  their 
heads,  dress-coats  pulled  on  over  their  under-clothing,  their 
feet  clad  in  nature's  adornments.  For  obvious  reasons,  and  to 
the  honor  of  the  regiment,  these  spectacles  clung  closely  to 
the  rear  rank. 


—  IS  — 

From  a  more  elevated  position  the  sun  saw  the  company- 
cooks,  invested  with  all  the  dignity  of  their  important  position, 
dealfng  out  coffee,  bacon  and  soft-tack  (baker's  bread) — the 
coffee  in  quart  tin  mugs,  the  bacon  on  tin  plates,  and  the  bread 
into  outstretched  hands.  A  study  of  the  faces  of  the  men,  as, 
seated  on  the  grass,  or  surrounding  improvised  tables,  they 
partook  of  their  morning  meal,  revealed  contt-nt.  discontent  or 
indifference.  Some,  blessed — or  cursed,  as  short  rations  in  the 
field  at  times  subsequently  proved — with  the  century-famed 
and  chestnut-storied  appetite  of  the  ostrich,  and  the  robu.'vt 
hctatth  of  the  anaconda,  ate  with  a  relish  and  avidity  that  told 
of  the  peaceful  complacency  of  easy  digestion.  Others  were 
certainly  longing,  not  for  the  flesh-pots  of  Egypt,  but  the 
pepper-pots  and  other  mild  appetizers  of  their  Philadelphia 
homes.  Still  others  ate  as  though  eating  were  simply  part  of 
the  business  of  life;  something  that,  like  other  things,  had  to 
be  done,  and  might  as  well  be  done  at  that  time  as  at  any 
other. 

Getting  still  higher  in  the  sky,  the  bright-eyed  master  of  the 
day  gazed  upon  the  men  at  company-drill.  Some  companies 
were  evolving  the  mysteries  of  "shoulder  arms,"  "present 
arms,"  "  carry  arms,"  "  right  shoulder  shift,"  and  loading  and 
firing.  Others  were  marching  by  the  flank,  wheeling,  fronting, 
facing  and  perspiring — the  last  without  orders. 

At  noon  the  sun  looked  straight  down  upon  the  soup, 
boiled  beef,  vegetables  and  half-melted  cooks ;  later,  from  his 
westering  place,  glanced  at  the  complicated  and  hurrying 
movements  of  the  battalion-drill;  and  still  later,  just  before  he 
disappeared  behind  the  hills,  reviewed  the  regiment  as  they 
stood  drawn  up  on  dress-parade,  with  great  satisfaction,  as  well 
he  might. 

So  the  days  went  by  in  single  file,  each  carrying  its  load  of 
work  in  the  manual  of  arms,  and  In  squad,  company  and 
battalion-drill.  Gradually  the  heterogeneous  was  moulded  into 
the  homogeneous.  Metaphorically  licked  into  shape,  the  vol- 
unteers became — or  looked,  at  least,  like — veritable  dogs  of 


—  i6  — 

war,  ready  to  be  let  loose.  Enforcement  of  discipline  and 
obedience  to  orders  ;  the  yielding  up,  to  an  extent,  of  individu- 
ality and  personal  will,  compacted  the  regiment  into  that  essen- 
tial state  in  which  it  could  be  wielded  by  one  man  as  a  weapon 
of  offence  or  defence — ready  to  be  hurled  against  an  enemy  to 
overwhelm,  or  to  stand  as  a  breastwork  to  bar  the  advance  of 
an  approaching  foe. 

In  the  summer  evenings,  after  the  sun  had  given  place  to 
near-sighted  twilight,  in  the  range  of  whose  vision  all  sorts  of 
pranks  could  be  played  without  being  noticed,  many  of  the 
men  changed  into  boys,  and  did  whatever  mischief  their  hands 
found  to  do.  One,  who  had  an  inventive  turn  of  mind  in  the 
direction  of  practical  jokes,  gathered  every  toad  that  he  could 
find  within  the  limits  of  or  near  the  encampment.  These  he 
confined  in  a  pen  in  the  woods,  concealed  by  some  underbrush. 
After  his  comrades  slept,  he  would  introduce  two  or  three  of 
his  toads  into  each  of  the  two  tents  adjoining  that  in  which  he 
was  quartered.  This  proceeding,  for  several  nights,  was  with- 
out proper  effect.  A  night  came,  however,  on  which  he  was 
delighted  with  the  results. 

**Jim!"  screamed  one  of  the  occupants  of  the  next  tent; 
"  Jim  !  get  up,  quick  !     There's  a  snake  in  the  straw  !  " 

The  four  sleepers  were  awake,  up  in  an  instant,  and  out  of 
the  tent.     Once  outside,  they  interrogated  the  alarmist : 
"  How  do  you  know  there  is  a  snake  there  ?  " 
"  I  was  turning  over  and  put  my  hand  on  him." 
This  was  most  conclusive  proof     The  proprietor  of  the  toads 
came  out  of  his  tent  and  obligingly  offered  to  furnish  a  candle 
to  throw  light  on  further  investigations.     Arming  themselves, 
they  cautiously  pulled  the  straw  out  of  the  tent,  little  by  little, 
and  with  raised  sticks  watched  at  the  entrance,  while  an  ex- 
tended arm,  with  the  light,  was  held  inside.     The  night  scene 
was  an  interesting  one.     The  rays  from  the  candle  revealed  two 
solemn-looking  toads,  squatted  on  their  haunches,  apparently 
wondering  what  the  fuss  was  all  about.     The  presence  of  toads 
in  the  tent  on  the  other  side  of  the  joker  having  been  discov- 


tlEUTENA\-T-COLO\EL  IISTH   PENNSVtVAMA  VOLUNTEHRS 
BREVET  MAJOK-CEKERAL  f,  S    VOLlNlEEK'i 


—  17  — 

ered,  suspicion  was,  somehow,  directed  to  him.  The  boys 
watched,  and  detected  his  little  game  without  his  being  aware 
of  it.  One  morning,  in  dressing,  he  found  the  bottoms  of  his 
pantaloon  legs  neatly  pinned  and  a  half-dozen  or  so  of  toads  in 
each.  Not  confounded,  he  only  said  sadly :  "  Boys,  I  didn't 
think  you'd  be  guilty  of  toadying  to  me  in  this  way.** 

Sunday,  August  lOth,  the  camp  was  visited  by  several  hun- 
dred persons.  In  the  afternoon  there  was  divine  service  under 
the  auspices  of  Samuel  L.  Ward  and  James  Barratt,  Jr.,  at  which 
the  Rev.  Mr.  McConnell  and  Rev.  Wm.  R.  McNeill  officiated. 
The  former  gentleman  delivered  a  most  impressive  and  patri- 
otic address. 

Sunday,  August  17th,  divine  service  was  held  at  camp  by 
Rev.  Dr.  Jackson,  whose  eloquent  and  forcible  remarks  at 
the  war  meeting  in  Independence  Square  so  electrified  his 
hearers. 

By  August  20th  there  were  over  nine  hundred  men  enrolled 
and  distributed  among  the  companies  as  follows :  A,  98 ;  B,  97 ; 
C.  98;  D.  89;  E,  95;  F,  92;  G,  98;  H,  98;  I.  50;  K.  94; 
and  at  roll-call  that  evening  674  privates  answered  to  their 
names.  In  addition  to  that  number,  100  were  on  guard,  18 
sick,  20  on  special  service,  and  18  were  missing.  During  the 
day  Major  Herring  drilled  the  regiment  at  the  tap  of  the 
drum. 

More  than  usual  was  accomplished  in  the  short  season  of  in- 
struction at  this  camp  of  organization.  To  one  officer  nearly  the 
whole  credit  of  the  good  results  there  obtained  was  due.  In  sea- 
sun  and  out  of  season  Major  Herring  was  constant,  watchful  and 
attentive,  and  no  detail  escaped  his  observation,  no  fault  passed 
without  notice.  He  instilled  a  duty,  obedience  and  discipline 
that  bore  rich  fruit,  as  upon  this  elementary  training  was  grafted 
the  severe  and  graver  responsibilities  of  a  soldier's  life. 

Sunda\',  August  24th,  was  a  memorable  day.  In  the  morn- 
ing Rev.  Kingston  Goddard  delivered  a  ver)'  eloquent  discourse, 
which  was  attentively  listened  to  by  nearly  i.ooo  uniformed 
soldiers  of  the  organization  and  some  2,000  visitors.     A  fine 


—  i8  — 

quartette  attached  to  Company  C  greeted  the  reverend  gentle^ 
man  on  his  approach  with  some  familiar  and  finely-executed 
sacred  music,  and  added  greatly  to  the  interest  of  the  occasion. 
In  the  afternoon  it  was  computed  about  5,000  visited  the  camp. 
There  was  no  disorder — the  behavior  of  all  was  in  keeping  with 
the  day.* 

On  the  28th  Companies  H  and  K  made  a  short  street  parade 
from  1 2th  and  Girard  streets,  under  Captain  Donaldson,  accom- 
panied by  a  band,  and  made  a  creditable  display. 

On  the  29th  dress-parade  was  held  at  5  p.  M.,  after  which  the 
Rev.  John  Walker  Jackson  presented  to  each  man,  on  behalf 
of  the  members  of  the  Corn  Exchange  Association,  a  Bible,  a 
hymn-book,  and  a  blanket.  The  presents  were  received  by  the 
Rev.  Charles  E.  Hill,  the  chaplain  of  the  regiment.  At  the 
same  time  Miss  Anita  Ward,  aged  ten  years,  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  L.  Ward,  the  treasurer  of  the  fund,  gave  each  man  of 
Company  E  a  pincushion,  the  product  of  her  own  industry. 

*  One  of  the  most  eligible  and  picturesque  camps  which  has  yet  been  established 
in  this  vicinity  is  that  of  the  Com  Exchange  Regiment,  Colonel  Prevost,  out  near 
the  Falls  of  Schuylkill.  It  is  visited  daily  by  thousands  of  people,  and  the  roads 
leading  to  it  are  lively  with  vehicles  all  day  and  evening.  About  l,ooo  men  are 
in  camp,  which  is  beautifully  arranged  in  a  large  field,  surrounded  on  three  sides 
by  groups  of  forest  trees.  Last  evening  an  interesting  ceremony  took  place  at  the 
camp.  Lieutenant  L.  L.  Crocker,  of  Company  C,  was  presented  with  a  beautiful 
sword,  sash,  belt  and  accoutrements.  His  company,  which  is  one  of  the  finest  in 
this  or  any  other  regiment,  was  drawn  up  in  line  in  its  company  street,  and  in  a 
few  graceful  remarks  Mr.  Stephen  N.  Winslow,  on  behalf  of  the  donors  of  the 
beautiful  weapon,  presented  the  sword.  Mr.  Winslow  complimented  Lieutenant 
Crocker  highly,  as  from  a  fifteen  years'  acquaintance  he  was  able  to  do  nobly,  and 
he  spoke  in  warm  terms  of  the  soldierly  and  gentlemanly  bearing  of  the  men  of 
Company  C,  many  of  whom  he  had  known  in  social  and  business  relations  before 
they  had  been  called  on  to  defend  their  country  with  the  musket  against  this 
wicked  Rebellion.  Mr.  Winslow's  spirited  and  eloquent  address  was  greeted  with 
nine  cheers  by  the  company.  Lieutenant  Crocker  appropriately  responded.  At 
the  close  of  the  speaking  the  company  marched  to  the  Falls  and  indulged  in  some 
pleasant  singing  and  other  agreeable  exercises,  after  which  they  bade  good-bye  to 
them  and  returned  to  camp.  Yesterday  the  regiment  at  3  P.  M.  received  their  En- 
field rifles.  At  5  P.  M.  the  men  were  put  through  the  manual  of  arms  with  distin- 
guished accuracy  on  dress-parade,  when  Adjutant  James  P.  Perot  acquitted 
himself  handsomely. — Philadelphia  Evening  Bulletin ^  August  26,  1 862 


—  ip  — 

fieck's  band  was  in  attendance,  and  a  lively  and  enjoyable  lime 
was  had. 

On  the  Sunday  before  the  departure  the  regiment  was  hon- 
ored by  the  distinguished  presence  of  Parson  Brownlow,  the 
renowned  Union  clergyman,  statesman  and  soldier  of  East  Ten- 
iMjssee.  He  preached  a  memorable  sermon,  that  thrilled  his 
bearers  with  fervid  patriotism. 

August  was  near  its  end.  Whispers  and  rumor?  circulated 
through  the  camp  to  the  effect  that  the  regiment  had  been  or- 
dered to  the  front.  The  whispers  and  rumors  were  true.  On 
the  last  day  of  August  the  regiment  was  divided,  half  starting 
on  that  day  and  half  on  the  next.  For  the  first  time  many  of 
the  men  fully  understood  the  import  and  consequences  of  the 
step  they  had  taken  in  enlisting,  The  hour  for  separation  from 
all  home  associations  was  at  hand.  As  it  drew  nearer  and 
nearer  tlie  laugh  and  the  jest  were  checked  on  many  a  Ijp,  and 
few,  indeed,  were  they  who  did  not  see  more  clearly  the  serious 
and  dangerous  side  of  the  undertaking.  Hope  told  of  easy 
vicIor>'  and  renown  won.  But,  somehow,  the  other  side  would 
turn  up  and  show  a  reverse  of  ugly  wounds,  of  sudden  death, 
of  defeat  and  disaster.  One  was  leaving  a  tearful-eyed  wife, 
who.  at  their  parting,  would  bid  him  God-speed  with  a  brave 
smile,  and  then,  turning  in  at  the  open  door  as  he  was  lost  to 
sight,  give  way  to  the  bitter  sobs  and  tears  that  she  had  re- 
pressed for  his  sake.  They  would  meet  again — when  ?  An- 
other would  part  with  his  wife  and  his  boy — his  pride,  his  hope, 
a  part  of  himself,  it  would  seem,  when  the  wrench  came.  An- 
other was  going  away  from  his  mother,  and  she  was  a  widow. 
Sisters  would  chng  around  the  neck  of  a  brother  at  the  parting. 
All  had  one  or  more  bound  to  them  by  the  closest,  tefidercst 
ties,  from  whom  they  were  to  be  severed  by  time  and  distance. 
No  wonder,  then,  that  sad  reflections  filled  their  minds  and 
threw  grave  and  anxious  shadows  upon  their  faces. 

The  good-byes  were  over.  The  men  were  on  their  way 
through  Wilmington  and  Baltimore  to  Washington.  Some 
sat,  with  tremulous  lips  and  tears  forcing  themselves  from  their 


—  20  -^ 

eyes,  in  the  shadow.  True-hearted  they  were,  and  tender. 
Afterwards,  and  often,  when  the  hail  of  bullets  swept  the  field, 
and  the  shrieks  of  shells,  like  the  moans  of  demons,  filled  the 
air,  these  same  men  marched  in  the  front  with  faces  so  stern 
and  lips  so  set  that  none  could  dream  that  thoughts  of  love  or 
pity  had  ever  entered  their  hearts.  Some  were  moody,  some 
laughed  with  a  ring  that  wanted  something  to  make  it  honest, 
and  some — ^let  it  be  said  under  the  breath — ^were  jovial  with  a 
joviality  that  brought  headache  in  the  morning. 

The  31st  of  August,  1862,  had  been  a  disastrous  day  for  the 
Union  arms.  All  the  hard  blows  Pope  had  received  culminated 
in  the  hardest,  and  Bull  Run,  destined  only  for  fatality,  again 
recorded  a  Confederate  triumph. 

The  gravity  of  the  situation  called  for  every  available  recruit. 
AH  the  regiments  organizing  about  Philadelphia  were  hurried 
to  the  front.  By  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening  Camp  Union  was 
abandoned  forever,  and  at  midnight  the  11 8th,  or  most  of  it, 
was  at  Broad  and  Prime  street  depot  awaiting  its  turn,  among 
the  others,  for  transporation  to  Washington.  The  limited  sup- 
ply caused  a  tedious  wait,  and  it  was  five  o'clock  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  1st  of  September  before — packed  on  the  inside  and 
crowded  on  the  roof  of  overladen  box-cars — 3,  full  start  was 
made  for  the  destination. 

Reasonably  fair  speed  was  made  for  the  character  of  the 
train,  and  by  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  command  was 
debarked  at  the  President  street  station  in  Baltimore,  and 
promptly  marched  to  the  Washington  depot,  on  Camden  street. 
There  the  indications  were,  from  lack  of  transportation,  of  a 
weary  and  uncomfortable  all-night's  delay.  Fledglings  in  the 
service,  a  number  of  the  officers  surreptitiously  hied  away  to 
the  Eutaw  House  for  a  substantial  meal  and  better  rest.  They 
had  arranged  to  be  communicated  with  should  the  regiment 
move  unexpectedly,  and  left  instructions  with  the  clerk  that, 
upon  the  receipt  of  such  intelligence,  they  were  to  be  at  once 
notified. 

At  the  supper  table  the  somewhat  boisterous  conduct  of  a 


—  21  — 

few  of  them  drew  forth  frowning,  disapproving  glances  from 
old  General  Wool,  of  Mexican  fame,  at  that  time  commanding 
the  city,  who  happened,  with  his  family,  to  be  occupying  scats 
in  the  dining  hall.  After  ten  o'clock  the  noise  rather  increased, 
and  the  hotel  corridors  resounded  with  a  good  deal  of  roystef- 
ing.  A  few,  a  very  few,  really  did  retire ;  when,  about  midnight, 
those  who  had  sought  repose  were  aroused  from  their  slumbers, 
and  the  others  who  had  not  were  interrupted  in  their  frolic, 
with  the  summons  to  hurry  to  the  depot,  that  the  regiment  was 
in  motion.  It  was  obeyed  with  all  the  hurry  and  excitement 
incident  to  its  peremptory  character.  Neither,  however,  was 
necessary ;  for,  upon  reaching  the  station,  instead  of  finding 
active  preparations  going  on  for  departure,  every  man  was 
soundly  wrapped  in  slumber. 

It  was  asserted  that  General  Wool  had  taken  this  method  to 
rid  the  hostlery  of  its  noisy,  undesirable  guests.  Whoever  it 
was,  the  ruse  was  successful,  and  chagrined,  and  disappointed, 
those  who  had  sought  to  steal  the  comforts  denied  their  fel- 
lows found  poor  consolation  in  fretting  away  the  balance  of  the 
night  chafing  over  a  lost  opportunity.  Nor  did  the  train  move 
out  until  ten  in  the  morning.  It  was  a  slow  run  to  Washington 
and  four  in  the  afternoon  before  it  reached  its  destination. 

The  regiment  was  marched  to  the  Soldier's  Retreat  to  be 
fed.  A  most  distinguished  misnomer,  if  by  the  term  retreat 
was  meant  ease,  repose  and  comfort ;  and  a  travesty  on  sub- 
sistence, if  it  was  intended  by  feeding  to  imply  that  those  to  be 
fed  were  to  be  furnished  with  a  nourishing,  substantial  meal. 
Sour  bread,  coffee-colored  water,  decomposed  potatoes,  decayed 
beef  were  in  such  striking  contrast  with  the  comforting,  well- 
served  supplies  furnished  by  the  Volunteer  and  Cooper-Shop 
Refreshment  Saloons  in  Philadelphia,  that  the  soldiers  howled 
a  unanimous  dissatisfaction. 

The  night  was  spent  in  the  Government  corral.  Famished 
mules  howled  discordantly,  teamsters  yelled  their  imprecations 
as  u  agons  came  and  went.  In  tlie  intervals  of  quiet  there  was 
a  little  rest. 


—   22   — 

On  the  morning  of  the  3d  of  September  the  regiment  crossed 
the  Long  Bridge,  and  bivouacked  on  Arlington  Heights,  at 
Fort  Albany.  The  journey,  which  began  on  the  31st  at  mid- 
night, with  its  frequent  and  lengthy  interruptions,  was  at  last 
concluded. 

Other  dry  and  healthful-looking  unoccupied  sites  were  in 
view,  but  the  location  assigned  for  our  encampment  was  a  veri- 
table swamp.  Here  and  there  a  little  fast-land  afforded  better 
accommodations  to  those  to  whose  good  fortune  it  fell  to 
occupy  it ;  but  the  camp  was  mainly  on  soft  and  miry  ground. 
Such  inconveniences  were  soon  but  little  noticed;  any  place 
was  good  enough  if  the  column  would  only  halt. 

The  discomforts  were  insignificant  contrasted  with  the  sorry 
plight  in  which  were  some  of  the  brave  but  shattered  battalions 
of  the  Potomac  army  encamped  around  and  about  the  vicinity, 
recuperating  from  the  hard  work  entailed  upon  them  by  the 
Bull  Run  disaster. 

A  very  handsome  silk  national  standard,  of  the  size  pre- 
scribed for  regimental  colors,  had  been  presented  to  Com- 
pany H  by  one  of  its  admiring  lady  friends,  before  it  left 
Philadelphia.  Up  to  this  time  the  regiment  had  been  provided 
with  the  State  flag  only,  and  the  captain  of  H,  with  appropriate 
ceremonies,  very  gracefully  devoted  his  national  colors  to 
supply  the  deficiency.  Whilst  here  a  detail  of  the  regiment, 
under  Lieutenant  Walters,  was  detached  to  the  Balloon  Corps, 
and  remained  absent  from  the  command  for  some  weeks. 

Hard  practical  work  occupied  the  four  days  the  regiment 
remained  at  Fort  Albany.  Drills  of  every  character  followed 
each  other  at  intervals  so  close  as  to  leave  but  little  opportunity 
for  leisure  or  aught  else.  On  the  last  day  of  the  encampment 
on  the  low  ground,  the  men,  suspecting  from  its  taste,  that  the 
water  of  the  creek  from  which  they  obtained  their  supplies  for 
drinking  and  cooking  was  not  of  the  purest,  commissioned 
a  squad  to  find  the  source  of  the  creek  and  report.  They 
went  and  returned.  Some  quarter  of  a  mile  or  more  up  the 
stream  they  found  a  carcass  of  a  horse  lying.     Still  farther 


—  23  — 

1^  they  discovered  a  regiment  encamped  on  both  sides  of  the 
creek,  some  of  the  men  washing  their  garments  in  its  waters. 

The  tribulations  of  inexi>eriericc  come  to  the  soldier  as  they 
do  to  the  collegian.  Men  are  a-s  prone  to  gibe  and  twit  as  are 
the  youths  of  the  academy.  No  prohibitory  regulation  re- 
strained the  bent  of  inclination,  and  the  early  history  of  all 
regiments  is  rife  with  many  practical  pleasantries  perpetrated  " 
at  the  expense  of  the  readily  susceptible. 

Often  the  victim  lays  the  snare  for  himself,  in  his  own  guile- 
less innocence. 

A  young  officer  standing  by  the  roadside,  in  the  first  camp 
his  regiment  ever  made,  noticed  on  the  covers  of  the  wagons 
of  a  passing  ammunition  train  the  designation  of  their  contents, 
"  Cal.  58."  Carried  away  with  enthusiasm  for  what  he  believed 
evidenced  such  unselfish  practical  patriotism  in  his  fellow- 
citizens  of  the  Pacific  coast,  he  gave  vent  to  his  appreciation  in 
the  expression :  "  Great  heavens,  has  California,  so  far  removed 
from  the  scene  of  hostilities,  already  furnished  so  many  regi- 
ments to  the  Union  army  1"  Such  unusual  verdancy  offered  a 
tempting  opportunity,  and  it  was  not  long  before  his  brothcr- 
ofScers  had  him  fully  persuaded  that  the  Government,  solicitous 
(o  encourage  amusements  to  while  away  the  hours  of  leisure, 
would  supply,  upon  a  duly  approved  stationery  requisition,  an 
annual  allowance  of  playing-cards.  So  firmly  was  this  young 
gentleman  convinced  that  he  had  been  honestly  informed  as  to 
rights  of  which  he  was  ignorant,  that  he  filled  out  a  requisition 
for  two  decks  of  cards,  one  whist,  one  euchre,  and  presented  it 
to  the  colonel  for  approval.  Upon  finishing  the  explanation 
which  was,  of  course,  demanded,  he  was  bade  to  acquaint  him- 
self more  familiarly  with  the  regulations  and  not  permit  him- 
self to  be  so  trifled  with  in  the  future. 

It  is  quite  questionable  whether  all,  or  nearly  all  the  officers 
of  the  I  i8th  were  not  victims  of  what,  if  not  a  practical  joke, 
was  certainly  a  practical  mistake.  Most  of  the  three  oflficers 
of  each  company  supplied  themselves  with  a  mess-chest  of 
the  most  ponderous  proportions,  large  enough  to  cover  nearly 


—  24  — 

half  the  bed  of  an  army  wagon.  This  they  stored  with  all 
the  desirable  appliances  of  kitchen  and  table  furniture  in 
prolific  quantities.  With  such  a  multiplication  of  impedimenta. 
throughout  an  army,  its  field-operations  might  as  well  be 
suspended.  Those  who  had  the  experience  of  active  service 
advised  against  such  investments.  There  advice  vras  not  only 
unheeded,  but  it  was  strongly  intimated  that  it  was  prompted 
by  motives  of  parsimony.  These  mess-chests,  though,  really 
got  farther  on  their  way  than  those  better  acquainted  had 
expected.  It  was  confidently  believed  that  the  depot  at  Wash- 
ington would  see  the  last  of  them.  Some,  however,  reached 
Frederick  City.  There  the  last  survivor  was  abandoned.  One 
by  one  they  had  been  dropped  along  the  road,  and  were  never 
heard  of  afterwards. 

On  the  8th  of  September,  the  command  moved  to  a  dry, 
sloping  hill-side,  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Cochran.  Another 
four  days  of  similar  exacting  instruction  followed,  and  then 
began  the  sterner  calls  of  duty.  All  else  was  soon  absorbed 
in  the  march,  the  picket,  the  battle  and  bivouac;  and  so  it  went 
until  the  end  had  accomplished  the  full  purpose  of  the  soldier's 
mission,  and  he  had  once  more  found  his  home  in  a  citizenship 
he  had  helped  make  secure. 


1! 

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Hrri»t-ilrig.-Grii.  U.  ; 


Whsn  fi»t  ontier  fire  arn!  jwu'rc  wiihful  to  duck. 
Don't  look  or  takr  heed  at  the  man  thai  is  slruck; 

Be  ihaulcful  thai  you're  living  and  trust  to  your  luck, 
And  march  to  your  from  like  a  soldier. 

ON  the  1 2th  the  regimental  individuality  was  measurably 
lost  through  its  absorption  into  the  combinations  neces- 
sary in  the  management  of  great  armies  and  the  conduct  of  grand 
campaigns.  The  brigade  to  which  it  was  allotted  had  borne 
the  crucial  test  of  the  Peninsular  battles  and  the  Second  Bull 
Run,  and  the  laurels  it  had  gathered  were  not  to  be  dimmed 
by  the  conduct  of  the  nSlh,  which  so  soon  showed  its  valor 
in  the  hard  fighting  at  Shepherdstown. 

The  brigade,  the  ist  of  the  1st  Division  of  the  5th  Corps, 
WIS  commanded  by  Brigadier-General  John  H.  Martindate,  the 
division  by  Major-General  George  W.  Morrell,  and  the  corps 
by  Major-General  Fttz  John  Porter.  The  brigade  was  com- 
posed of  the  22d  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  Lieutenant-Colonel 
\Vm.  S.  Tilton  commanding;  the  i8th  Massachusetts,  Colonel 
James  Barnes;  the  13th  New  York,  Colonel  E.  S.  Marshall ; 
the  2Sth  New  York,  Colonel  Chas.  A.  Johnson ;  the  ist  Michi- 
gan, Colonel  Ira  C.  Abbott;  the  2d  Maine,  Lieutenant-Colonel 
George  Varney. 

The  22d  Massachusetts  had  obtained  celebrity  from  the 
name  of  its  distinguished  statesman-colonel,  the  Hon.  Henry 
Wilson,  senator  from  that  State.  Its  march  through  Philadel- 
phia under  his  personal  command,  during  the  very  early  days 
of  the  war,  may  yet  be  recollected  by  the  citizens  of  that  day. 
This  was  about  all  of  the  senator's  service  with  troops.  His 
great  abilities  and  unflinching  patriotism  could  not  be  safely 
spared  from  the  halls  of  Congress,  where  they  were  most  in 
requisition  and  where  his  countrymen  demanded  his  continu- 
ous presence. 

(2SJ 


—    26  — 

Colonel  Barnes,  of  the  i8th  Massachusetts,  and  Colonel 
Marshall,  of  the  13th  New  York,  had  both  been  educated  at 
the  United  States  Military  Academy  at  West  Point,  and  Colo- 
nel Barnes,  by  virtue  of  his  seniority,  in  the  absence  of  General 
Martindale,  was  temporarily  in  command  of  the  brigade. 

The  old  song,  "  Comrades,  Touch  the  Elbow"  (which  will 
be  found  on  pages  27  and  28),  that  rang  its  stirring  melodies 
through  all  the  war,  and  yet  awakens  the  echoes  of  the  olden 
times,  had  its  birth  in  this  brigade.  It  was  here  General  Mar- 
tindale, with  his  facile  pen,  caught  his  inspiration  for  its  au- 
thorship. And  that  these  brigade  associations  were  never 
severed  except  by  casualties,  is  convincing  that  the  author  was 
not  mistaken  when  he  intuitively  caught  his  notions  of  soldier- 
fellowship  from  his  early  associations  with  this  command. 
The  work  of  the  13th  and  25th  New  York  and  2d  Maine 
was  done,  and  well  done,  and  they  passed  out  of  the  service  at 
the  expiration  of  their  term.  Otherwise  there  were  no  changes 
in  the  organization  save  additions,  except  that  the  2 2d  Massa- 
chusetts a  few  months  before  the  conclusion  of  its  three  years' 
service  was  transferred,  but  not  away  from  the  division.  The 
brigade  remained  continuously  in  the  same  division  and  corps ; 
its  only  change  was  in  designation  at  the  opening  of  the  Wilder- 
ness Campaign,  from  the  ist  to  the  3d.  This  change  came 
about  through  the  general  consolidation  of  the  other  corps  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  into  the  2d,  5th  and  6th.  All  the 
troops  of  the  ist  Division, -nine  regiments,  well  tried  and  true, 
were  made  the  3d  Brigade.  To  the  other  two  brigades,  regi- 
ments were  mostly  assigned  that  were  not  before  a  part  of  the 
division  organization.  The  proud  badge  of  distinction  was 
always  the  red  maltese  cross. 

It  was  as  early  as  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  when 
the  order  of  the  assignment  was  executed,  and  promptly  at  that 
hour  the  brigade  began  the  march  from  Fort  Cochran  over  the 
Potomac,  by  the  aqueduct  bridge,  and  into  the  city  of  Wash- 
ington. Hither  and  thither  it  wandered,  up  and  down  its  broad, 
dusty  higfhways,  apparently  without  aim  or  purpose.     Its  citi- 


QD/nrades!   T*^^^"?  ^"7®  Qbovu. 


Woidi  hj  a«n.  I.  H.  HAKirSSUiE. 


gun*    ue  tigbl  .  el 

-f-*— ^ — 5^ n 

" 

tbe  foe.    Then  nerve 

1 .— F 

tbe  hand      and 

m^k^—U 

-in 

--:  ._   .  ^. 

■  *    J      Jj 

.  /"=  J   J 

"* 

r 

>♦     »-' 

S*ejM^ 

^ 

fT7"^T 

ei=i=;ij 

~ 

— 18  — 


Touch  the  el  •  bowl  now,  my  boys,  Coinnules,touch  the       el -bow. 


Nerve  the  hand  and    ban  -  ish  fearyThen,comrades,touch  the     eUbow. 


U^-i-\hi.h\li^^^4J^ 


—I 1 ^- 


r 


^^i'^'fj  M-r^ r "TIP  ^^ 


'C^ 


i 


2. 


Home  and  country  patriots  fire, 
Kindle  your  souls  with  fervid  glow, 

The  Southern  traitors  shall  retire 

When  Northmen  touch  the  elbow ! — Cho. 


Though  many  brave  men  bite  the  sod, 
And  crimson  heart's  blood  freely  flow, 

Shout,  as  their  spirits  soar  to  God, 

On !  comrades,  touch  the  elbow. — Cho. 


Now  show  the  rocks  of  which  you're  made, 
The  general  signals,  march  !  Holloa  ! 

Then  double  quickstep,  first  brigade, 

Charge !  Comrades,  touch  the  elbow. — Cho. 


—    29  — 

lens  were  conspicuously  absent  Irom  the  thoroughfares,  ^d  its 
dwellings  and  mansions  wore  a  forsaken,  deserted  look.  The 
bustle  and  disorder  attending  the  Bull  Run  disaster  had  meas- 
urably subsided,  but  there  was  evidently  still  lacking  convincing 
assurance  that  all  things  were  well.  The  men  had  grown  heart- 
sick and  weary  of  this  aimless  tramp,  when  the  column,  ulti- 
mately turning  into  the  Seventh  street  road,  gradually  lefl  the 
hot.  dusty  city  behind  it. 

PasMng  through  the  formidable  earthworks  on  the  north  of 
the  city,  then  garrisoned  by  the  2d  Pennsylvania  Artillery,  it 
bivouacked  for  the  night  at  Silver  Springs,  an  indifrcrent  liamlct 
in  Montgomery  countj'.  Maryland.  Though  tiic  march  had 
been  a  long  and  weary  one.  the  actual  distance  accomplished 
toward  any  definite  destination  was  but  seven  miles.  Wholly 
unused  to  such  fatigues,  and  totally  unacquainted  with  reduc- 
ing their  loads  to  tlie  minimum  by  dispensing  with  useless 
appendages  and  trappings,  the  march  told  upon  the  men 
severely.  The  heat  was  intolerable,  the  air,  unruffled  by  the 
lightest  breeze,  stifling,  and  the  huge  volumes  of  grinding  dust 
impenetrable  to  the  eye  and  overpowering.  The  Washington 
thoroughfares,  upon  which  most  of  the  tramping  had  been  done, 
were  not  the  fine,  smooth,  cvcn-paved  highways  of  to-day,  but 
no  better  than  country  dirt  roads,  and  from  their  continuous 
use,  were  less  suitable  for  heavy  pedestrian  operations.  The 
experienced  soldiers  of  the  brigade  tramped  along  stolidly  and 
leisurely,  encumbered  with  no  such  ponderous,  heavily-laden 
knapsacks  as  bore  the  men  of  the  I  iSth  down  to  the  very  depths 
of  exhaustion.  Their  personal  baggage  had  simmered  to  the 
few  indispensables  conveniently  transportable  over  the  shoulder 
in  the  light  and  readily  adjustable  blanket-roll.  This  contained 
their  house  and  home  and  what  little  extra  apparel  the  few 
changes  in  the  fashions  of  the  day  demanded.  Their  migratory 
households  were  at  all  times  available,  with  canvas  or  the  can- 
opy skies  for  their  dormitories,  as  weather,  time  or  inclination 
indicated.  Their  diet  was  a  movable  feast  or  a  transitory  fam- 
ine, according  as  a  rich  Wming  country  furnished  the  edibles. 


—  so- 
on a  scant  commissariat  meagrely  supplied  subsistence.  This 
day's  lessons  in  burden  and  carriage  from  their  older 
brethren  were  not  lost.  Necessities  and  comfort  are  cogent 
factors  to  tuition.  Example  and  illustration  in  this  con- 
nection were  better  teachers  than  the  remoter  methods  of 
the  pedagogue.  In  a  very  short  time  the  i  i8th  had  shed  itself 
The  cumbrous  knapsack  had  been  abandoned  for  its  less  mili- 
tar\'^  substitute,  and  the  roll  of  blanket,  gum-blanket  and 
shelter-tent  found  its  place  by  a  practical  adaptability  in  expe- 
riences, without  delays,  recommendations  or  intervention  of 
advisory  boards,  quartermasters  or  ordnance  officers.  With 
their  bronzed  faces,  battle-tried  valor  of  Shepherdstown  and 
tact  in  adjusting  their  appendages,  they  were  soon  indistin- 
guishable in  general  appearance  from  the  men  who  had  the 
longest  training.  They  had  learned  to  eat  and  sleep  and  rest 
with  satisfaction  and  comfort  with  whatever  advantages  there 
were  at  command,  and  having  acquired  with  facility  the  axiom 
that  they  were  never  to  lose  anything,  the  soldierly  appoint- 
ments others  had  were  habitually  at  their  disposal. 

But  the  results  of  the  day's  march  were  shocking.  Over- 
burdened, worn  and  weary,  man  after  man,  yielding  to  the  in- 
evitable, had  dropped  by  the  wayside,  or  straggling,  broken  and 
dejected,  was  struggling  to  reach  the  goal  of  his  apparently 
endless  journey.  The  sergeant  and  the  color-guard  fell  in 
complete  exhaustion,  and  the  colonel  himself  bore  the  standard 
to  the  bivouac.  Three  men  to  a  company,  as  the  "  strength 
present  for  duty,"  was  a  most  creditable  showing  when  the 
final  halt  was  mad«. 

One  weary,  dusty  private,  trudging  solemnly  and  slowly 
along  the  road,  near  nightfall,  struggling  against  the  heat  and 
hi?  own  demoralized  condition,  met  General  Morrell,  and, 
touching  his  hat,  said  : 

"  General,  can  you  tell  me  where  the  1 1 8th  Pennsylvania  is?" 

"  Certainly,  my  man,"  replied  the  general,  seriously ;  "  every- 
where between  here  and  Washington." 

The  saddest  thing  about  the  matter  is,  that  the  general  told 


_  31  — 

the  truth.  Reclining  against  fences,  or  meditating  under  apple 
trees,  the  tiSth  averaged  about  one  hundred  to  the  mile. 

The  invigorating  shadows  of  nightfall  revived  many,  and 
one  by  one  during  the  night  they  gathered  about  their  more 
fortunate  fellows  who  had  fully  completed  their  task.  But 
when  the  "  general "  sounded  next  morning,  not  more  than 
half  the  battalion  responded.  Major  Herring  was  despatched 
over  the  route  travelled,  to  collect  the  scattered  remnants  of 
the  other  half,  and  shortly  had  returned  them  to  their  compan- 
ions and  restored  the  regimental  symmetr>'. 

This  scattering  on  the  first  march  out  from  the  national 
capital  was  not  peculiar  to  the  t  iSth.  The  early  part  of  the 
month  of  September,  1862,  was  unusually  oppressive,  and  the 
new  troops,  who  joined  the  army  about  that  time,  in  their  earlier 
marches  lined  the  streets  of  that  city  and  the  adjacent  road- 
ways with  many  of  their  numbers  who  fell  by  the  wayside. 
Nor  was  the  straggling  confined  solely  to  the  fresh  levies ;  so 
persistent  had  the  offence  become  with  the  older  soldiers,  about 
this  time,  tliat  severe  and  ignominious  punishments  were  re- 
sorted to  to  correct  the  abuse,  and  with  the  old  fellows  there 
was  nothing  to  be  said  in  mitigation.  Toughened  and  sea- 
soned in  previous  campaigns,  they  were  not  forced  to  abandon 
their  standard  from  physical  exhaustion.  There  was  design 
and  method  in  their  conduct,  and  what  they  did  was  with  pur- 
pose and  deliberation.  Happily,  though,  time  and  circum- 
stances set  all  things  right,  and  the  brilliant  achievements  at 
Antietam  restored  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  to  all  the  vigor 
of  its  original  cohesion. 

On  the  13th  reveUle  sounded  at  daybreak,  and  the  morning 
meal  disposed  of,  and  articles  to  be  transported  and  carried 
hurriedly  gathered  and  packed,  the  column  moved  at  seven 
o'clock.  There  was  no  improvement  in  temperature — the  sun 
beat  down  relentlessly,  and  the  dust  rose  in  the  same  thicken- 
ing, suffocating  masses.  The  route,  though,  lay  through  a 
fresh,  charming,  arable  country,  with  farms  and  fences  and 
buildings  indicating  thrifty  husbandry. 


—  32  — 

The  bivouac  was  made  half  a  mile  beyond  Rockvilie»  the 
shire-town  of  Montgomery  county,  sixteen  miles  from  Wash- 
ington and  some  thirty  from  Baltimore.  It  was  a  smart-look- 
ing little  hamlet,  with  the  usual  court-house  and  jail,  a  iair  com- 
plement of  churches,  and  a  population,  when  at  home,  of  some 
four  or  five  hundred.  The  women  stood  about  the  doorways 
curiously  gazing  upon  the  marching  men,  but  there  was  a  no- 
table scarcity  of  males.  This,  with  no  highly  demonstrative 
or  publicly  expressed  union  sentiment,  produced  the  uncharita- 
ble inference  that  they  had  gone  to  "  Ki-yi-yi* "  in  the  other 
band. 

Sunday,  the  14th,  was  pregnant  with  events  and  gave  birth 
to  the  annals,  historic  and  reminiscent,  of  South  Mountain  and 
Crampton's  Gap.  Through  sultry,  suffocating  heat  and  clouds 
of  permeating,  choking  dust,  the  column  bowled  along  uninter- 
ruptedly from  seven  in  the  morning  until  six  in  the  evening ; 
the  wearisome  journey  concluded  on  the  banks  of  the  Monocacy, 
near  a  village  of  the  same  name  with  the  stream,  four  miles  from 
Frederick  City. 

This  ground  became  famous  subsequently,  in  the  summer  of 
1 864,  as  the  scene  of  the  battle  of  **  the  Monocacy,"  where  Rick- 
etts,  with  his  3d  Division  of  the  6th  Corps,  aided  by  Lew  Wal- 
lace with  troops  from  Baltimore,  gallantly  checked  Early's  for- 
midable advance  upon  the  national  capital.  The  stream,  flow- 
ing transparent  over  its  rocky  bed,  the  old  stone  arches  of 
the  turnpike  bridge,  the  deep-green,  gently  sloping  fields,  ex- 
tending their  vegetation  right  to  the  water's  edge,  and  the  tini- 
.ber,  with  open  grassy  sward  between  the  trees,  made  the  spot 
especially  adapted  to  forgetful  repose.  Exhausted  by  their 
continuous  tramp  of  eleven  hours,  the  weary  men  soon  sank 
into  restful  sleep. 

The  startling  rumble  of  far-off  cannonading  during  the 
morning  hours  broke  sullenly  upon  the  ear.  These  indications 
of  distant  conflict  were  an  early  initiation  in  the  sounds  of  bat- 

♦  The  well-known  yell  of  the  Confederates. 


—  33  — 

tic.  As  the  day  advanced  and  the  distance  shoilcned  it  grew 
intense  ;  the  heavy,  tliundering,  portentous  roar  was  convincing 
that  an  affair  of  some  magnitude  was  in  progress.  And  so  it 
was ;  tlie  day's  work  dislodged  the  enemy  from  the  gaps  in  the 
South  Mountain  range,  and  opened  the  highways  to  the  broad 
valleys  beyond. 

John  Monteith,  a  corporal  of  H,  was  a  strong,  well-propor- 
tioned man,  yet  in  his  twenties.  He  was  full  of  a  generous, 
genial  flow  of  spirits ;  his  whole  manner  was  catching.  Whether 
fresh  and  well-fed,  or  tired  and  hungry,  he  could  stimulate  his 
companions  to  hilarity  that  would  stir  them,  when  weary,  to  re- 
newed energy  and  activity,  or  hugely  entertain  them  when 
occasion  afforded  opportunit>-  for  amusement.  His  abilities 
and  industry  indicated  a  promising  future  and  speedy  advance- 
ment. His  sad  end.  so  soon  to  follow,  cut  off  a  career  bright 
with  the  promise  of  a  successful  soldier  life.  He  had  a  rich, 
melodious  voice,  clear,  round  and  ringing.  The  column  had 
trudged  along  to  that  degree  of  wearine.ss  when  a  painful  still- 
ness follows  real  fatigue.  Monteith  had  noted  the  situation. 
Suddenly  his  ringing  voice  rolled  out  amidst  the  quietude,  in 
notes  full,  free  and  true,  in  the  melodious  strains  of  tlie  entranc- 
ing song,  "  I  Came  from  the  Old  Granite  Slate,"  eacli  verse  con- 
cluding with  a  chorus,  ending  in  "  boom,  boom,  boom ! "  The 
effect  was  instantaneous  and  the  inspiration  catching.  Gradu- 
ally the  regiment  caught  the  strain,  fatigues  were  forgotten,  and 
the  whole  air  was  sonorous  with  the  melody.  It  spread  beyond 
the  regiment,  through  the  entire  column  of  the  brigade,  and  as 
the  "  boom,  boom,  boom  "  died  away  in  our  command,  another 
took  it  up  until,  at  last,  it  subsided  in  the  distance.  The  effect, 
manifested  by  enlivened  spirits  and  quickened  step,  was  mar- 
vellous. It  continued  through  the  remainder  of  the  journey 
and  brought  the  command  to  their  destination  a  better,  brighter 
set  of  men. 

There  happened  in  the  late  afternoon  a  chance  to  indulge  in 
a  sort  of  "  movable  feast,"  that,  as  has  been  suggested,  was 
opportune  only  when  a  productive  country  was  the  source  of 


-  34  — 

supply.  As  it  was  a  Sabbath  day's  journey  that  had  just  been 
accomplished,  it  was  aptly  fitted  to  such  an  opportunity.  Our 
men  were  young  as  soldiers,  but  already  (air  foragers. 

After  the  bivouac  was  made  the  still-lingering  daylight  kept 
animate  objects  moving  about  the  wooded  hillside  beyond  the 
camp,  well  in  view.  Their  location  for  the  night  definitely 
fixed,  a  number  of  the  men,  prompted  by  a  desire  for  investi- 
gation, or  with  a  view  to  better  their  diet,  had,  with  rifle  in 
hand,  strolled  about  in  the  near  vicinity.  Some  hogs  had 
broken  their  cover  and  were  straggling  through  the  woods, 
seeking  a  sustenance  which  their  owners,  to  encourx^e  domes- 


tic habits  as  well  as  realize  on  them  when  fairly  fattened,  would 
have  gladly  furnished.  It  required  but  a  slight  effort  of  the 
imagination,  even  in  this  thickly-peopled,  well-tilled  country,  to 
treat  such  strolling  beasts  as  wild.  Fresh  pork  was  a  succulent 
morsel  when  contrasted  with  the  daily  issues  of  its  salted  sister. 
Shots  rang  out  sharply  on  the  evening  air,  and  two  well- 
rounded  porkers  fell  victims  to  unerring  aim.  Pork  boiled,  fried 
and  toasted  "  ruled  the  roost,"  and  many  of  the  i  iSth,  that  way 
inclined,  gorged  themselves  to  restfulness  with  fresh  pig  before 
the  evening  shadows  faded  into  the  depths  of  night. 

The  march  of  the  15th  began  so  late  as  eight  o'clock.     A 
few  miles  out  the  column  passed  through  Frederick  City,  forty- 


i 


—  35  — 

re  miles  from  Washington,  and  the  county-seat  of  Frederick 
It  is  a  borough  of  some  interest,  with  clean  highways, 
ived  sidewalks,  and  its  streets  all  laid  out  at  right  angles. 
and  mansions  are  well-built  substantial  brick  struc- 
ires,  and  indicate  it  to  be  a  town  well  grown  in  years.  It  is 
nestled  in  a  fertile,  prosperous  country,  and  its  citizens  had 
been  a  well-to-do,  thrifty  people.  There  arc  the  usual  court- 
house and  jail  and  some  eight  or  ten  places  of  worship,  some 
of  them  quite  attractive. 

Chief  among  the  objects  for  which  the  .soldier  hungers  is 
glory,  and  next  comes  a  good  dinner.  From  behind  the  cur- 
tains of  an  open  window  of  one  of  the  houses  a  matron  in 
Quaker-like  garb  was  peeping,  when  one  of  the  men.  desirous 
of  reaching  some  degree  of  certainty  as  to  the  character  of  his 
next  meal,  approached  the  window,  and  lifting  his  cap  politely, 
inquired  anxiously : 

'■  Madam,  what  is  there  in  the  village  ?  " 

"A  college  of  some  reputation,  sir." 

"  Great  heavens,  madam,  I  can't  eat  a  college ! "  he  said, 
testily,  and  marched  on. 

But  there  was  no  halt  for  extended  investigation,  and  the  ob- 
servations noted  were  in  the  hurry  of  a  pres!;ing  march. 

The  movement  continued  beyond  the  town  along  the  turn- 
pike, with  the  sun  as  hot  as  ever  and  the  dust  as  thick  as  usual. 
This  roadway  had  been  well  travelled  by  heavy  columns  of 
marching  men,  artillery  and  trains.  Most  of  the  Confederate 
army  and  several  corps  of  the  Union  had,  the  former  preceding 
and  the  others  closely  following,  gone  over  it.  The  stones 
were  ground  into  dust.  Each  side  of  the  road  in  the  fields  was 
well  tramped  out  by  the  infantry,  the  main  thoroughfare  having 
been  left  for  the  trains.  The  fences  were  down  entirely. 
Debris,  broken  wagons  and  abandoned  property  were  strewn 
about  everywhere.  Telegraph  poles  and  wires  were  cut  and 
destroyed,  and  it  was  quite  apparent  the  only  purpose  of  pur- 
suers and  pursued  was  to  get  along  as  rapidly  as  possible, 
regardless  of  what  was  lost,  mutilated  or  forgotten. 


-36- 

From  the  journey  of  the  day  before  and  the  appearances  on 
the  next,  the  merest  tyro  could  conclude  that  if  the  enemy 
waited  long  enough  anywhere,  something  momentous  was 
sure  to  occur,  and  somebody  certainly  was  bound  to  be  hurt. 
Occasional  discharges  of  artillery  were  heard  during  the  day 
and  intelligence  was  received  that  General  Reno,  a  corps-com- 
mander of  prominence  and  distinction,  had  fallen  at  the  bat- 
tle of  South  Mountain  just  as  the  engagement  had  nearly  ter- 
minated. 

The  march  concluded  at  six  o'clock  and  the  bivouac  was 
made  for  the  night  close  to  the  eastern  base  of  the  Catoctin 
range  of  mountains,  upon  the  other  side  of  which,  near  at  hand, 
was  the  borough  of  Middletown. 

Between  six  o'clock  on  a  bright  morning  in  middle  Septem- 
ber and  the  break  of  day  there  is  but  little  margin  for  prepara- 
tion for  a  hard  all-day  tramp.  But  at  that  hour^  on  the  i6th 
the  column  was  all  out  on  the  roadway  and,  stimulated  by  the 
invigorating  morning  air,  had  soon  crowned  the  summit  of  the 
Catoctins.  The  autumn  shadows  had  not  yet  tinged  a  single 
leaf,  and  there,  in  the  distance,  parallel  with  the  Catoctin  and 
sweeping  from  the  north  to  south,  away  beyond  the  range  of 
vision,  rose  the  more  prominent  South  Mountain  belt.  There 
it  stood,  clothed  in  all  the  grandeur  of  its  patriarchal  forests, 
dim  and  majestic  in  the  misty  distance.  Beneath,  for  miles, 
lay  the  broad,  beautiful  valley,  dotted  everywhere  with  bams 
and  houses.  Its  stacks  of  garnered  grain,  its  tall,  waving  com, 
and  bright  green  pasturage,  told  of  the  plenty  of  a  toiling,  pros- 
perous community.  Along  the  western  base  of  the  Catoctins  the 
little  stream  which  bore  their  name  threaded  its  way — cool,  re- 
freshing, silent — through  its  sloping,  meadowed  banks.  Mid- 
dletown, almost  a  mile  in  length,  with  the  turnpike  for  its 
only  highway,  lay  motionless  near  where  the  mountains  ended 
and  the  valley  began.  The  scene,  broadening  in  the  scope  of 
its  grandeur,  was  a  rare  landscape  of  mountain  and  valley,  hill 
and  dale,  stream  and  village. 

Middletown,  a  quaint,  old-fashioned  village  of  a  few  hundred 


—  37  — 

inhabitants,  was  eminently  suggestive  of  the  old-time  country 
loafing'place.  Now,  there  were  no  loungers  about  the  grocery, 
and  the  tavern  stoops  were  deserted.  The  wayside  gossip 
had  been  lost  in  the  thunders  of  war  on  the  Sunday  just  gone 
b)'.  The  mighty  hosts  contending  for  the  mastery  on  its  west- 
em  boundary  had  Ictl  this  peaceful  vale  a  charnd-housc. 

The  handles  had  been  removed  from  all  the  pumps  in  Mid- 
dletown.  This  aroused  much  indignation  with  threats  of  ven- 
geance from  the  thirsty  soldiers.  Their  anger  subsided  when 
it  became  known  that  the  measure  was  resorted  to  only  be- 
cause the  inhabitants  feared  a  permanent  loss  of  their  water 
supply.  The  demand  from  such  a  wonderful  and  sudden  in- 
crease of  population  had  taxed  the  wells  beyond  their  capacity. 
Some,  however,  had  vented  their  spleen  by  loading  them  with 
stones,  earth  and  rubbish,  before  the  reason  for  disabling  the 
pumps  had  been  made  known. 

The  distance  across  the  valley  was  soon  covered.  The  turn- 
pike, the  old  national  road,  up  the  mountain  through  Turner's 
Gap,  is  a  gradual,  easy  rise,  and  on  either  side  of  the  roadway 
the  lands,  on  the  eastern  slope,  almost  to  the  very  summit,  had 
been  cleared  and  were  under  tillag^e.  Most  of  the  hard  fighting 
on  the  14th  had  been  done  to  the  ris^ht  and  left  of  the  pike,  the 
scene  concealed  from  view  by  the  timber.  Besides  the  many 
new-made  graves,  and  the  dead  gathered  in  heaps  and  piled 
by  the  roadside,  there  were  other  evidences  of  heavy  fighting 
on  the  road. 

From  the  summit  there  was  a  martial  display  which,  for  con- 
centration of  great  masses  of  soldiery,  all  in  full  view  at  the 
same  time,  was  probably  never  equalled  at  any  time  during  the 
war.  From  the  mountains  to  the  Antietam,  a  stream  flowing 
to  the  southward,  and  moving  directly  parallel  with  them,  is  a 
distance  of  from  eight  to  ten  miles.  Within  this  area,  over 
plain  and  valley,  deployed,  massed,  in  column  and  by  the  flank, 
some  moving  and  others  at  rest,  was  nearly  the  whole  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  its  infantry,  cavalry,  artillery  and  trains.  With 
the  exception  of  Franklin's  Corps  on  the  leil,  concealed  from 


-38- 

observation,  in  Pleasant  Valley,  in  the  vicinity  of  Maryland 
Heights,  the  entire  army  was  within  the  range  of  vision  to  an 
observer  standing  on  the  top  of  the  mountain.  The  day  was 
perfect,  the  air  clear  and  still,  the  sun  bright  and  dazzling. 
Near  the  foot  lay  the  hamlet  of  Boonesboro',  a  town  apparently 
of  more  thrift  and  enterprise  than  Middletown,  a  good-sizeable, 
comfortable  village  of  some  six  or  eight  hundred  people.  The 
day  before  the  Union  cavalry  had  sent  the  Confederate  rear 
through  the  place  rather  precipitately.  Many  of  the  enemy 
were  killed  and  wounded,  a  number  taken  prisoners  and  an  en- 
tire battery  of  artillery  captured.  It  was  a  spirited  afiair  and 
was  the  cannonading  previously  noted  as  "occasional  dis- 
charges." 

From  the  mountain  to  the  bluffs  and  knolls  which  line  the 
banks  of  the  Antietam  westward,  and  southward  to  the  spur 
which  makes  the  western  boundary  of  Pleasant  Valley,  the 
whole  country  was  in  full  view.  To  the  right  and  northward 
the  arable  open  lands  rolled  off,  with  earth  and  sky  united  in  a 
horizon  miles  and  miles  away. 

Noticeable  to  the  right  on  the  mountain-top  stood  Monu- 
ment Hill,  the  highest  peak  of  the  range.  It  derived  its  name 
from  a  monument  erected  there  by  the  patriotic  citizens  of  the 
neighberhood  many  years  before,  to  the  memory  of  Washing- 
ton. Except  the  base,  which  still  stood,  it  was  all  in  ruins ; 
since  the  war  the  same  patriotic  sentiment  has  reconstructed  it 

Lacking  the  prominent  mountain-sides  for  its  boundaries,  the 
valley  was  not  so  distinctly  marked  as  that  through  which  ran 
the  Catoctin.  It  was  evidently  as  rich,  fertile  and  productive 
as  the  other,  but  as  the  ground  was  almost  wholly  concealed 
by  the  great  mass  of  men  and  the  paraphernalia  of  war,  which 
literally  covered  it,  its  thrift  and  fertility  were  better  indicated 
by  the  substantial  character  of  the  houses  and  out-buildings, 
and  the  size  of  the  farms.  The  houses  were  solid  and  massive, 
some  of  brick  and  some  of  stone,  and  the  barns  of  stone,  large 
and  commodious,  much  after  the  pattern  of  their  Pennsylvania 
neighbors. 


Miles  to  the  right  and  front,  climbing  the  hitls  and  sinking 
over  them  out  of  view,  were  columns  upon  columns  of  infantry, 
attenuated  by  the  distance  to  widths  so  narrow  as  to  but  little 
rcstmble  a  moving  mass  of  human  beings,  and  reduced  in  nize 
to  (attorns  so  pigmy  as  scarcely  to  be  distinguishable  as  men. 
They  seemed  to  writhe  and  crawl,  until  the  heavy  body,  desig- 
nated for  some  determined  purpose  in  that  direction,  had  passed 
entirely  out  of  sight  But  with  all  its  strength,  as  it  simmered 
away,  the  withdrawal  of  this  column  seemed  in  the  distance  to 
make  no  perceptible  diminution  in  the  vast  numbers  that  still 
remained  deployed,  hailed  or  shifting  for  position,  over  the 
whole  surface  of  the  valley  below.  Smoke  twirled  from 
miniature  camp-fires  kindled  for  a  little  noon-day  bite ;  stacked 
in  "  line  of  masses,"  the  sun  softly  glistened  from  the  bright 
barrels  of  the  muskets,  or  flashed  on  the  pointed  bayonets; 
batteries  were  parked  with  their  divisions;  squadrons  stood  to 
horse  with  their  battalions.  Quarter-masters,  wagon-masters, 
teamsters  detaching  the  ordnance  from  the  other  wagons, 
gathered  their  trains  into  park.  Surgeons,  ambulances,  stretcher- 
bearers,  separated  from  the  combatants,  and  tlie  whole  country- 
side— roads,  fields,  and  timber — swarmed  with  manoeuvring 
soldiery. 

That  .1  great  battle  was  imminent  was  plain.  Nor  could  the 
1 1 8th  stand  longer  in  wonderment  and  gaze  admiringly  upon 
the  splendid  military  display  passing  in  the  valley  before  it,  as 
if  in  panoramic  appointments  for  its  especial  entertainment.  It 
passed  down  the  mountain-side  and  was  soon  lost  amid  the 
legions  shaking  off  their  impedimenta  preparatory  to  the 
struggle  of  the  morrow. 

There  was  inspiration  everywhere;  It  culminated  in  open 
demonstration  in  the  sonorous  melody  of  the  "  boom,  boom, 
boom  "  again,  as  the  column  passed  through  Boonesboro',  and 
the  inhabitants  joyously  told  of  the  deiQoralization  of  the  enemy 
that  followed  the  dash  of  the  Yankee  cavalry  through  the  town 
on  the  day  previous. 

During  the  afternoon  the  whole  army  loosened  itself,  and  by 


—  40  - 

five  o'clock  the  regiment  went  into  bivouac  in  line  of  battle  at 
the  foot  of  a  ridge  just  beyond  the  village  of  Keedysville.  The 
road  from  Keedysville  crosses  the  Antietam  by  **  Porter's 
Bridge,"  a  name  derived  from  the  neighboring  hamlet  of  Por- 
tertown.  The  ridge  overlooked  the  creek  and  the  country  for 
some  distance  beyond.  A  battery  in  front  was  in  action  when 
the  regiment  came  upon  the  ground,  firing  with  deliberation,  at 
extended  intervals.  Each  shot  brought  its  response,  and 
though  the  practice  was  poor,  that  indescribable  screech  of  the 
shells,  heard  for  the  first  time,  produced  just  a  perceptible 
tremor  of  anxiety.  Artillery  at  long  range  soon  ceases  to  ter- 
rorize, and  the  men  shortly  treated  the  exploding  missiles  as 
familiar  acquaintances.  But  away  off  to  the  right  Hooker's 
Division  was  having  it  tremendously.  The  roar  of  the  mus- 
ketry was  unceasing,  the  discharge  of  the  batteries  continuous. 
Close  enough  for  at  least  a  full  appreciation  of  the  noise  of  a 
great  battle,  it  was  here  the  desperate  struggle  of  the  cornfield 
and  Dunker  church  was  in  progress,  terminating  the  next 
morning  in,  probably,  as  many  casualties,  for  the  numbers  en- 
gaged and  the  space  and  time  covered,  as  any  other  field  of  the 
war. 

The  eve  of  a  great  battle  is  a  wonderful  curiosity -breeder. 
Naturally  inquisitive,  danger,  anxiety,  novelty,  doubt,  but  more 
particularly  the  irresistible  desire  for  information  he  has  no 
business  with,  all  impel  the  soldier  to  search  for  material  to  aid 
him  to  shape  his  resultless  conclusions.  And  such  they 
habitually  are.  Truth  and  rumor,  fact  and  fancy,  are  moulded 
together  to  produce  wonderful  items  of  news,  which  are  given 
forth  as  indubitable  facts,  but  prove  to  be  the  opposite  of  real 
results.  The  stores  of  assumed  wisdom,  boastfully  communi- 
cated to  willing,  susceptible  listeners,  are  prodigious.  Our 
regiment,  new  to  such  things,  utterly  bewildered  with  all  the 
fugitive  gossip  manufactured  for  the  occasion,  awoke  on  the 
morrow  to  find  these  deceptive  fancies  lost  in  the  portentous 
happenings  they  had  not  even  remotely  conceived. 

The  morning  of   Wednesday,   September    17,  Antietam's 


—  41  — 

iateful  day,  dawned  with  a  clear  and  cloudless  sky.  The  regi- 
ment was  pushed  a  little  farther  to  the  front,  in  support  of  a 
battery  of  the  ist  New  York  Artillery,  still  occupying  ground 
commanding  a  view  of  a  wide  expanse  of  country  upon  the 
other  side  of  the  creek.  Through  the  night  the  army  found  its 
positions,  and  as  darkness  disappeared  before  the  daylight  it 
unfolded  vast  deployments  of  lines  of  battle  arrayed  for  the 
contest  soon  to  be  precipitated  everywhere.  Troops  yet  arriv- 
ing upon  the  ground  poured  in  one  continuous  stream  to  where 
the  battle  waged  wickedly  on  the  right.  There,  from  earliest 
break  of  day,  the  musketry  rolled  and  thundered  and  roared 
incessantly.  The  desperate  intensity  of  its  terrible  crash  was 
magnified  to  the  real  depth  of  its  deadly  purpose  from  the  al- 
most total  silence  of  the  batteries.  The  lines  of  the  combatants 
impinged  or  struggled  at  range  so  close  that  the  guns  on  either 
side  stood  dumb  for  fear  their  punishment  would  fall  upon 
friend  and  foe  alike.  No  shout  or  cheer  or  yell  relieved  the 
one  all-absorbing,  terrible  sound ;  all  else  was  hushed  in  awe 
before  the  deep  and  deafening  roar,  increasing  in  intensity  and 
developing  in  extent  as  fresh  battalions  lent  their  energies  to 
the  deadly  fray.  It  really  never  seemed  to  cease,  but  was  ab- 
sorbed as  it  extended  to  the  left,  and  as  the  day  grew  apace 
came  nearer  and  nearer  to  our  own  immediate  front. 

The  whole  of  the  corps,  the  5th,  had  come  upon  the  field. 
It  lay  stretched  to  the  right  and  rear,  impressive  from  its  num- 
bers, awaiting  its  allotment  to  the  front,  as  the  progress  of  the 
fight  demanded  that  wavering  lines  be  strengthened,  or  columns 
of  assault  assisted.  Still  to  the  rear,  massed  farther  down  the 
valley,  the  lances  of  the  6th  Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  not  yet 
abandoned,  with  their  bright  red  pennants,  were  distinctive  in 
the  distance.  And  away  off  on  top  of  "  Elk  Hill  "  the  active 
operations  of  the  si<^nal-flags  told  of  communications  of  mo- 
ment that  tlie  exceptionally  clear  atmosphere  and  their  position 
of  such  especial  prominence  gave  them  opportunity  to  gather 
and  transmit. 

The  guns  of  the  New^  York  battery  were  served  with  more 


—  42  — 

rapidity  than  on  the  previous  afternoon.  Danger  will  not  sup- 
press curiosity,  and  the  proximity,  within  call  in  case  of  move- 
ment, prompted  some  of  -the  more  inquisitive  to  stroll  around 
the  guns,  anxious  to  seize,  thus  early,  opportunity  to  closely 
observe  artillery  in  action.  It  was  a  place  where  none  had 
business  except  those  whose  duty  called  them  there,  and  death 
or  wounds  resulting  from  unnecessary  and  improper  exposure 
are  not  the  honorable  scars  that  add  laurels  to  the  chaplets  of 
renown. 

The  battery  commandant,  competent  to  manage  his  own  af- 
fairs, jealously  insisted  that  the  ground  he  occupied  was  as 
sacredly  his  as  if  he  were  its  owner  in  fee,  and  he  peremptorily 
bade  the  trespassers  be  off.  He  also  vouchsafed  to  say  that  a 
major  of  a  New  York  infantry  regiment,  brought  there  only  by 
curiosity,  had  been  killed  within  his  battery  lines  only  a  little 
while  before.  Nor  did  he  propose  that  knots  or  groups  should 
stand  about  among  his  guns  to  draw  the  enemy's  fire,  and  thus 
uselessly  expose  his  own  men.  A  ricochetting  round-shot,  un- 
comfortably close,  strengthened  his  objections,  accelerated  the 
pace,  and  the  bunch  of  inquiring  minds  dispersed  suddenly  to 
where  they  properly  belonged. 

At  noon  the  combat  raged  in  all  its  fierceness.  It  was  near 
this  hour  when  General  McClellan,  with  his  large  and  imposing 
staff,  rode  upon  the  ground  occupied  by  our  division.  The 
deep  and  abiding  enthusiasm  that  habitually  followed  him 
promptly  greeted  him.  Shouts,  yells,  and  cheers  of  apprecia- 
tion rent  the  air.  This  unusual  noise,  so  loud  that  it  was  borne 
above  the  din  of  battle  to  the  enemy's  line,  brought  on  a  vig- 
orous and  persistent  shelling.  Regardless  of  the  flying,  burst- 
ing missiles,  there  he  sat  astride  his  splendid  charger,  glass  in 
hand,  calmly  reviewing  the  mighty  hosts,  whose  discomfiture 
with  his  trusted  legions  he  was  bent  upon  that  day  accomplish- 
ing. Intent,  no  doubt,  on  securing  some  permanent  advantage 
at  this  particular  point,  he  turned  suddenly  to  Colonel  Webb, 
the  engineering  officer  of  his  staff,  who  subsequently  won  imper- 
ishable fame  in  command  of  the  Philadelphia  Brigade  at  Gettys- 


burg,  and,  after  a  few  moments  of  hurried  instructions,  de- 
spatched him  on  his  mission  down  into  the  valley — down  into 
the  very  jaws  of  death.  The  smoke  of  the  conflict  soon  en- 
veloped him  and  he  was  lost  to  view  entirely. 

The  perilous  duties  of  the  intelligent  staff-officer,  so  fre- 
quently demanding  such  severe  and  unusual  exposure,  so 
forcibly  illustrated  to  the  men  of  the  regiment  thus  early  in 
their  career,  in  this  gallant  ride  of  Webb's,  aroused  in  them  an 
admiration  for  him  which  ever  afterwards,  when  he  was  seen  or 
heard  of,  caused  his  name  or  presence  to  be  most  enthusiasti- 
cally received. 

As  this  rider  was  shortly  followed  by  the  famous  charge  of 
General  Meagher's  Irish  Brigade,  now  historically  considered 
as  among  the  most  telling  of  the  war,  it  was  fairly  concluded 
that  the  purpose  of  Webb's  mission  was  to  direct  it.  This 
notable  charge  took'  place  in  full  view  from  the  knoll  occupied 
by  tile  regiment  The  ground  over  which  they  were  about  to 
move  was  rough  and  uneven,  and  in  the  distance  appeared  to 
be  a  freshly  ploughed  field. 

The  enemy's  line  upon  which  the  advance  was  to  be  made 
was  in  plain  view  just  outside  the  edge  of  a  belt  of  timber.  It 
wa.s  flanked  by  several  batteries,  whose  active  work  of  the 
morning  had  much  improved  their  practice.  They  were  said 
to  be  part  of  the  celebrated  Washington  Light  Artillery  of  New 
Orleans,  whose  fame  as  artillerists  was  coextensive  with  their 
service.  From  the  formation  of  the  ground  the  preliminary 
preparations  could  not  be  concealed ;  the  enemy  caught  them 
in  their  very  incipiency  and  gun  and  musket  belched  forth  their 
vengeful  volleys  with  telling  accuracy.  But  the  gallant  Irish- 
men moved  into  battle-anay  with  the  precision  of  parade.  The 
sun  glistened  upon  the  bright  barrels  of  the  rifles  and  the  colors 
fluttered  vauntingly  in  the  breeze.  Prominent  in  its  place  be- 
side the  national  standard  the  green  harp  of  Erin  was  dis- 
tinctly observed.  As  the  advance  progressed  and  the  scathing 
fire  cut  out  its  fearful  gaps,  the  line  halted  with  deliberation  to 
readjust  itself.    The  dead  and  wounded  strewed  the  ground. 


—  44  — 

thickening  as  the  distance  from  the  enemy  lessened.  Twice 
and  again  the  green  standard,  more  distinctly  noticeable  than 
the  regimental  color,  fell,  but  only  to  be  promptly  seized  again, 
still  to  be  borne  gallantly  onward  to  its  goal.  Vast  curtains  of 
smoke  concealed  the  enemy,  rising  at  intervals,  disclosing  him; 
yet  unmoved,  holding  firmly  to  his  post.  But  nothing  dimin- 
ished the  courage,  nothing  could  stay  the  onslaught,  of  these 
determined  men.  The  deadly  moment  of  impact  came,  the 
lines  impinged,  and  the  enemy,  in  irreparable  confusion,  broke 
for  the  friendly  cover  of  the  timber.  The  Irishmen,  still  main- 
taining their  organization  with  commendable  exactitude,  pressed 
them  in  their  helpless  flight,  until  finally,  with  shout  and  cheer, 
friend  and  foe  were  lost  to  view  in  the  wood  the  enemy  had 
sought  for  safety.  The  unerring  fire  of  Meagher's  men  had 
told  severely  upon  his  adversary.  As  he  disappeared  his 
abandoned  line  was  distinctly  marked  by  a  long  array  of  dead 
and  wounded  who  had  fallen  where  they  stood.  It  was  not  the 
Irishmen  alone  who  entirely  did  the  work,  but  the  brigades  of 
Caldwell  and  Brooks  added  their  valor  to  the  enemy's  rout. 

These  splendid  movements,  typical  of  so  many  of  equal  gal- 
lantry during  the  war,  to  new  troops,  who  had  yet  participated 
in  no  such  deadly  fray,  was  an  excellent  lesson  in  object  teach- 
ing. It  bore  its  fruits  subsequently  in  many  a  desperate  en- 
counter, when  the  metal  of  the  Pennsylvanians  was  tested  with 
a  like  severity. 

During  this  advance  of  the  Irish*  Brigade  a  battery  of  the 
enemy,  manned  by  specially  skilled  artillerists,  by  its  rapidity 
and  accuracy  had  caused  them  much  annoyance.  Its  shells, 
bursting  with  remarkable  precision,  had  become  fatally  effec- 
tive. When  the  charging  line  had  about  half  covered  the 
distance  between  its  starting-point  and  the  enemy's  position,  the 
fire  was  so  destructive  that  an  artillery  movement  seemed  essen- 
tial for  its  diversion.  Promptly  a  battery  galloped  to  position 
between  the  main  lines  of  the  two  armies,  directly  in  rear  of 
Meagher's  advance.  It  was  unlimbered  and  in  action  in  a  trice. 
Out  in  the  open  plain,  in  full  view,  with  a  perfect  range,  and 


-46- 

almost  upon  a  dead  level,  it  was  an  assignment  of  unusually 
severe  exposure.  In  a  moment  it  was  wholly  obscured ;  lim- 
bers, pieces,  caissons,  men  and  horses  were  entirely  lost  in  the 
impenetrable  clouds  of  dust  and  smoke  that  rose  about  it. 
Every  shot,  solid  or  explosive,  was  planted  right  within  its 
midst,  just  where  the  expert  gunnery  controlling  the  opposing 
battery  intended  it  should  be.  It  was  silenced  instantly,  lim- 
bered and  withdrawn  with  an  alacrity  only  equalled  by  the 
commendable  enterprise  with  which  it  assumed  its  perilous 
task.  Lashing,  spurring  and  belaboring  the  startled  animals, 
the  remnants  emerged  from  the  smoky  obscurity,  and  still  fol- 
lowed by  a  few  parting  malignant  shots  they  found  the  nearest 
convenient  cover  for  rest  and  repairs.  It  had,  however,  fairly 
accomplished  its  purpose  and  diverted  the  fire  for  the  moment 
from  the  soldiers  who  had  so  fearfully  borne  its  brunt. 

The  day  was  waning,  but  the  battle-roar  continued  until  total 
darkness  stopped  the  strife.  It  was  evident,  though  the  enemy 
still  maintained,  generally,  the  lines  it  held  from  the  beginning, 
that  the  advantage  had  been  with  the  Union  forces,  and  that 
their  adversaries  had  been  severely  worsted.  Wherever  the 
attack  had  been  pressed  with  vigor,  they  had  been  much  dis- 
comfited and  forced  to  yield  their  ground.  Such  was  the 
assurance  of  success,  that  our  soldiers  rested  comfortably 
through  the  night  in  the  blissful  belief  that  they  had  won  the 
day.  The  regiment  did  not  become  actively  engaged,  but  re- 
mained all  day  in  support  of  the  battery,  and  bivouacked  on  the 
same  ground  it  occupied  in  the  morning. 

On  the  morning  of  the  1 8th  the  command  was  moved  off 
some  miles  towards  the  left,  in  the  direction  where  Burnside 
had  made  the  desperate  fight  for  the  stone  bridge,  the  story  of 
which,  so  often  told  with  thrilling  effect  in  pamphlet  and  essay, 
has  crowned  its  grand  heroism  with  the  laurels  it  so  justly 
deserves. 

Some  of  the  route  was  over  a  portion  of  the  field  where  the 
battle  had  waged  fiercely.  The  unburied  dead  lay  around. 
Many  of  the  bodies,  struck  by  the  heavier  missiles,  were  horri- 


—  47  — 

bly  torn  and  mangled.  There  was  a  leg,  with  its  ragged, 
bloody  edges,  severed  near  the  thigh,  evidently  by  a  solid  shot ; 
another,  in  its  garment,  separated  from  its  unseen  trunk,  lying 
in  a  fence-corner.  By  a  broken-down  frame  building,  that  had 
been  a  field  hospital,  arms  and  legs,  hurriedly  amputated,  were 
scattered  here  and  there. 

Down  the  slope  of  the  road,  approaching  the  bridge,  the 
numbers  of  the  slain  increased ;  abandoned  muskets  and  car- 
tridge-boxes lay  everywhere,  and  the  ground,  furrowed  and 
upturned  by  shot  and  shell,  showed  the  heavy  work  of  the 
enemy's  guns.  Just  at  the  entrance  of  the  bridge  a  man  lay 
stretched  upon  his  back,  unconscious,  but  moaning,  a  minnie- 
ball  imbedded  in  his  forehead. 

These  evidences  of  mortal  combat  were  to  become  familiar. 
Seen  in  such  a  volume  of  horrors,  so  soon  away  from  peaceful 
homes,  the  impressive  silence  with  which  the  sights  were 
viewed  was  conclusive  that  the  men  had  a  full  appreciation  of 
their  early  realization  of  the  terrors  of  a  battle-field. 

The  bridge  was  of  stone,  with  three  arches,  of  the  pattern 
of  such  country  structures  so  usual  in  Pennsylvania  and 
Maryland.  Upon  the  thither  side  the  bodies  of  the  dead  Con- 
federates showed  that  they,  too,  had  received  some  punish- 
ment. On  the  right  bank  of  the  creek,  which  was  that  occu- 
pied by  the  enemy,  the  heights  rose  abruptly,  deflecting  but  lit- 
tle from  a  true  perpendicular.  Between  their  base  and  the 
creek  there  was  but  width  sufiicient  for  a  wagon  roadway. 
With  these  heights  manned  by  the  enemy  and  the  main  road- 
way over  the  bridge  wholly  under  his  control,  the  attempt  to 
carry  it  seemed  but  desperation,  and  its  success  almost  miracu- 
lous. Such  were  the  conclusions  these  untried  soldiers  of  ours 
reached  when  they  first  saw  the  ground  and  knew  of  the  work 
of  the  previous  day. 

Debouching  from  the  bridge,  the  narrow  roadway  beneath 
the  heights  leads  both  up  and  down  the  stream,  along  which 
the  brigade  at  once  deployed,  and  without  delay  clambered  the 
bluff,  that  the  line  might  be  established  along  the  upper  edge. 


-48- 

It  was  a  position  of  much  personal  discomfort,  as  the  men 
had  literally  to  hang  to  bush  or  bough,  or  rest  on  stones,  to  hold 
their  places.  The  ascent  was  so  steep  that  in  many  instances 
the  officers  were  forced  to  use  their  swords  and  the  men  their 
bayonets  to  better  secure  their  foothold.  A  stake  and  rider 
fence  ran  along  the  bluff  but  a  short  distance  from  the  edge, 
bordering  the  fields  and  open  country  between  the  heights  and 
the  town  of  Sharpsburg,  in  full  view  and  within  easy  rifle- 
range.  The  preservation  of  this  fence  on  ground  occupied  for 
full  twenty-four  hours,  first  by  one  side  and  then  by  the  other, 
was  evidence  that  they  had  been  more  than  usually  employed 
with  most  important  work.  The  straggling  houses  upon  the 
edge  of  the  town  were  filled  with  the  enemy's  sharpshooters, 
who,  aware  that  the  bluff  was  occupied,  kept  up  an  incessant 
firing.  The  exposure  of  a  single  individual  drew  it  with  direct 
aim.  He  was  rewarded  for  his  temerity  by  a  disabling  shot  or 
returned  ignominiously  to  his  cover. 

There  was  an  angle  in  the  fence  grown  about  with  shrub  and 
bush,  however,  which  afforded  safe  concealment  and  full  ob- 
servation. A  careful  reconnoissance  from  this  point  discovered 
a  house,  well  in  advance  of  the  others  and  farther  out  of  the 
town,  where  shingles  had  been  removed  from  its  roof,  and 
from  which,  through  the  holes,  evidently  came  the  most  per- 
sistent and  annoying  shooting.  The  enemy  inside  seemed  to 
have  cutely  drawn  their  rifles  so  far  in  under  the  roof,  rest- 
ing them  upon  the  rafters,  that  the  smoke  was  actually  re- 
tained within  the  building.  They  had  been  engaged  so  long 
it  probably  became  stifling,  and  had  caused  a  window  to  be 
opened  below  for  freer  ventilation.  The  officer  who  had  been 
cautiously  and  suspiciously  watching  this  house  from  the  place 
of  concealment  in  the  fence-angle,  still  closely  scrutinizing  it, 
noticed,  as  he  believed,  smoke  delicately  twirling  from  this  open 
window.  To  be  convinced  his  conclusions  were  well-founded, 
he  directed  several  shots  to  be  fired  at  the  roof  This  continued 
for  a  few  moments,  and  then  a  number  of  the  men  moving  to 
the  top  of  the  hill  delivered  several  volleys.     For  the  time  the 


—  49  — 

enemy's  fire  was  silenced,  but  it  was  still  doubted  whether  the 
rebels  could  afffcl  such  Yankee  aptitude  as  to  so  cflcctually 
conceal  themselves  and  their  shots.  A  disaster,  however,  which 
shortly  followed,  was  conclusive  in  the  matter. 

About  this  time  General  Burnside,  entirely  alone,  unattended 
by  staff-officer  or  orderly,  rode  along  the  narrow  road  that  ran 
by  the  side  of  the  creek.     General  Burnsidc's  face  was  of  that 


seemingly  permitted  interrogation.  Prompted  by  his  kindly 
look,  some  one  inquired:  "General,  are  there  any  rebels  still 
about  here  ? "  probably  more  for  something  to  say  than  any- 
thing else,  as  it  had  been  quite  apparent  that  at  least  a  few  were 
yet  around.  "  Still  about  ?  Why,  there  are  thousands  of  them 
just  over  the  hill,  and  they  will  be  coming  for  you  pretty 
soon."  And  then  he  continued,  laughingly:  "In  the  mean- 
time I  am  going  to  get  out  of  this,  as  it  is  no  place  for  me — I 
don't  want  to  see  any  more  of  them ;  "  and  so,  with  another 


—  so  — 

hearty  laugh,  generous  good-bye,  and  kindly  wave  of  the  hand, 
lie  rode  away.  The  presence  of  a  general  officer  with  such  high 
command,  particularly  away  out  in  the  front,  is  always  an  occa- 
sion for  much  animation ;  but  the  general's  gentle  salutation 
and  happy,  laughing  reply,  and  the  troops  not  at  all  of  his  com- 
mand, was  a  moment  for  special  gratification. 

The  doubt  as  to  the  character  of  the  occupants  of  the  house 
where  the  shingles  had  disappeared  from  the  roof,  and  the  pur- 
pose of  their  occupancy,  was  now  wholly  removed.  Corporal 
Sanford,  of  Company  E,  not  yet  convinced,  mounted  the  fence 
either  for  more  perfect  observation  or  to  tempt  an  expert 
marksman.  His  illusion  or  temerity  cost  him  dearly.  A  shot 
went  crashing  through  his  thigh,  shattering  the  bone ;  amputa- 
tion immediately  followed,  and  his  permanent  disability  speedily 
terminated  his  soldier-days.     This  was  our  first  casualty. 

This  event  started  the  enemy  to  renewed  activity;  and  they 
kept  up  such  a  lively  fusilade  until  nightfall  that  the  more  de- 
sirable quarters  were  well  down  under  the  protection  of  the 
bluff.  The  bickering  fire  which  had  continued  most  of  the  day, 
when  darkness  set  in  grew  wicked  and  incessant.  Upon  the 
right  it  grew  so  in  volume  as  to  assume  almost  battle  propor- 
tions. A  determined  attack  in  force  was  anticipated,  and  the 
watchful  care  needed  to  meet  it  caused  the  hours  of  the  night 
to  pass  in  wearisome  anxiety.  In  fact,  a  short  distance  to  our 
immediate  right  a  direct  assault  with  decided  persistency  re- 
sulted in  gathering  in  some  hundred  of  the  pickets.  Just  be- 
fore dawn,  without  any  gradual  subsidence,  the  firing  ceased 
suddenly  and  abruptly. 

When  day  broke  on  the  19th  the  purpose  of  the  continuous 
fusillade  was  quite  apparent.  The  enemy  had  entirely  with- 
drawn, using  the  firing  to  conceal  and  the  darkness  to  cover 
the  movement.  He  had  disappeared  from  the  north  of  the 
Potomac,  and  the  invasion  of  Maryland  was  a  feilure. 

Details  were  made  from  the  regiment  to  carry  off  the 
wounded,  who  had  been  lying  on  the  ground  between  the 
Union  and  Confederate  lines  for  twenty-four  hours,  without 


_  51  — 

water,  save  what  a  few  of  them  had  caught  in  their  rubber 
blankets  during  a  shower.  One  of  the  men  whom  they  found  ■ 
had  been  wounded  through  the  fleshy  part  of  both  thighs.  He 
belonged  to  a  Connecticut  regiment  He  was  carried  to  a  large 
farm-house  in  the  neighborhood,  which  the  surgeons  were  using 
as  a  hospital.  As  they  were  about  to  take  hiiii  into  the  house 
be  said :  "  No,  boys  ;  lay  mc  down  out  liere  ;  there  arc  other* 
wounded  worse  than  1  am — take  them  inside,"  , 

The  regiment  moved  up  onto  the  plain,  and  the  colonel, 
utilizing  every  moment  of  leisure,  exercised  the  command  for 
some  time  in  battalion  manceuvres.  Singularly,  his  attention 
«-asdevotedalniostexc!usively  to  the"on  right  by  file  into  line,"' 
a  practice  soon  to  be  tested  in  actual  combat  with  fatal  effect. 

If  the  improved  tactics,  uniting  the  fours,  ignoring  the  right 
and  left,  dispensing  with  the  positive  adhesion  to  front  and  rear, 
and  the  consequent  absolute  dependence  upon  the  slow  and 
dilatory  "  on  right  by  file  into  line  "  had  not  been  necessitated, 
it  is  quite  questionable  whether,  with  these  new  tactics,  the , 
fatalities  might  not  have  been  materially  reduced  or  possibly 
every  life  lieen  saved. 

The  drill  had  not  concluded  when,  called  to  again  resume 
die  nuud),  the  column,  moved  ofT  to  and  through  Sharp^urg. 
Whether  our  brigade  was  the  first  of  the  Union  troops  to  enter 
the  towr\  after  the  enemy  had  abandoned  it,  was  not  definitely 
determined.  The  reception  that  awaited  them  would  indicate 
they  were.  Demonstrations  of  joy  and  hearty  greetings  re- 
.  sounded  everywhere.  Men,  women  and  children  vied  with 
each  other  in  according  a  generous  welcome.  Such  a  greeting 
wa.s  a  fitting  rebuke  to  the  flaming  proclamation  that  the  mis- 
sion of  the  Army  of  Northern  Vii^inia  was  to  liberate  the  citi- 
zens of  Maryland  from  the  thraldom  of  the  Union  of  the  States, 
and  conclusive  that,  in  this  locality  at  least,  there  was  no  sym- 
pathy with  such  a  purpose. 

The  town  is  a  pretty  little  hamlet  of  some  thousand  people, 
beautifully  located  a  few  miles  from  the  Potomac,  overlooking 
the  Antietam.     It  contained  its  proper  complement  of  stores 


—  52  — 

and  churches,  but  all  identity  of  the  purposes  for  which  these 
buildings  had  been  used  was  lost;  everything  had  been 
absorbed  for  the  moment  in  one  universal  hospital.  Houses 
and  out-buildings  were  filled,  and  lawns  and  gardens  covered 
with  the  Confederate  wounded.  Nor  were  these  suflering  men 
the  only  reminder  of  the  great  battle  that  had  ended.  Few 
were  the  houses  that  had  not  been  pierced  by  solid  shot 
or  shell.  One  of  the  inhabitants  said  that  he  and  his  family 
were  about  to  sit  down  at  the  dinner-table,  when  a  solid  shot 
crashed  through  the  wall,  and,  failing  on  the  table,  spoiled  the 


ttSl^e^^^^^' 


Full  many  : 


And  when  Ihe  d3j  ytas  done, 
coTX»e  lay,  ghastly  pale,  beneath  [he  setting  si 


dinner  and   the   dishes,  and,  he  added,  quaintly,  "also   our 
appetites." 

Passing  beyond  the  town  the  regiment  halted  before  noon 
near  the  Potomac,  in  the  vicinity  of  Blackford's  Ford.  A  fringe 
of  timber  hid  the  river  and  concealed  the  troops  from  the 
enemy,  who,  with  his  batteries  planted  on  the  bluffs  on  the 
other  side,  occasionally  dropped  a  few  shells.  Towards  night 
they  ceased  their  fire,  leaving  their  guns  still  in  position, 
unsupported  and  even  without  their  own  battery-men.  It 
seemed  a  fitting  opportunity  to  effect  a  capture,  and  the 
corps- commander  called  for  one  hundred  volunteers  from  each 
regiment  of  the  brigade  to  carry  out  the  design.     The  response 


—  53  — 

from  the  llSth  was  so  hearty,  it  was  more  difficult  to  select 
from  the  volunteers  than  it  would  have  been  to  order  a  detail 
Captain  Ricketts  was  assigned  to  the  command,  and  the  detach- 
ment marched  off  to  report  to  General  Griffin,  who  had  been 
placed  in  charge  of  the  movement.  They  returned  about  mid- 
night, having  been  eminently  successful  in  the  enterprise. 
Five  pieces  of  artillery  and  some  of  their  appurtenances  were 
taken,  one  of  which  was  a  gun  of  a  regular  battery  which  had 
been  lost  at  the  First  Bull  Run. 

The  halt  and  rest  continued  through  the  night,  and  the  days 
and  doings  of  "  Antietam  "  were  ended. 


CORTUKAL   WILLIAM 


an!  • 

r  ■        ■ 

IMMMKR  in. 

miKHH  RnSTOWX. 

,  mjin  rli«niii>ri|?  Theirs  not  to  make  reply, 

*•    "]   ;^  ^,»riirr  kiM-w  Theirs  not  to  reasr>n  why. 

.^^  Siundcred;  Theirs  but  to  do  and  die. 

■  ■='-'RD5  FORH  crosses  the  Potomac  just  below 

'^  -— i>t  m"  an  old  mill-dam.     It  bears  the  name  of  a 

■    -r  se\'eral  generations  occupied  the  residence  and 

..^    -j^^  in  the  immediate  vicinity.     Above  the  dam 

-  X  •  ■'•'—  marked  the  site  of  the  bridge  that  formerly 

.^  <r;im,  and  had  been  the  highway  leading  to  Shep- 

^  .%r?    iiTvi  Martinsburg.     On  the  Virginia  side  the  ford 

j-^  uv^r.iT  *he  lower  extremity  of  a  high  bluff  off  into 

•..  !»-^    i-^^  another  extends  along  the  foot  of  the  bluff, 

.-•,..    :    i^'vi  the  river,  in  the  direction  of  Shepherdstown. 

^     ,.  .  ;     .x<'<  precipitously,  is  almost  perpendicular,  and  is 

%  ;■•  S^uMers  and  a  stunted  growth  of  timber.     The 

....\%.i*      I   <"^^^t  distance  from    the   Ford,  passes  a  gap  or 

'O<r-.:v":od  and  concealed  by  underbrush  and  passable 

:?K  ,:  "v.    Two  gate-posts  marked  its  entrance,  indicating 

..I  .i>a?viv^ned  private  lane.     From  the  ravine,  a  path  led 

•K*  hiv:h  table-land  above.     Along  the  face  of  the  bluff, 

iw  .;  en.  were  several  kilns  or  arches,  used  for  the  burning 

.uv      Vho  river  road  passes  over  the  kilns,  the  bluff  .still, 

. »  ;  \ivxo<  vncr  them,  continuing  to  rise  precipitately.    Another 

v^.%i  i\ivs^,*<  down  from  the  bluff  around  and  in  front  of  the 

I  *>v'  vKun -breast,  some  ten  feet  wide,  had  been  long  neglected, 
::.i;i>   v>f  thc  planks  had  rotted  away  or  been  removed,  and 
^\,4ivi    trickled  through   numerous  crevices.     Jli%5^u^^^  f^^e, 
*,s»piHi;  to  its  base,  was  covered  with  a  sWpf^     ^^Ep"  slime. 
V  \\  iho  Virginia  side,  so"^*"  ^wcnty  feet  had  '  P^.M'^^'^ 

\\.^>.  thrvHigh  which  rapid  curn  '"^ 


.\ 


\  •  I 


FITZ-JOHN  PORTER. 

ior-Crnfnl  .(  Volui..««  U.  S    A.n 
July..  .lfa,.oJ.nu.ry„.  ,863. 


—  55  — 

low,  and  the  ttA-wmy  easily  fordable.    Along  the  river  shore, 
on  the  Maryland  side,  ran  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  canal. 

On  the  morning  of  the  20th  of  September  Major-General 
FHxrJoha  Porter  was  ordered  to  send  two  divisions  over  the 
river  to  co-oper^e  with  a  cavalry  advance,  and  scour  the 
country  in  the  direction  of  Charlestown  and  Shepherdstown. 
In  obedience  to  these  instructions,  Sykes,  with  his  division, 
composed  of  two  brigades  of  reguhu?  and  one  of  volunteers, 


THE  DAM  AT  SHEPHERDSTOWN. 


was  directed  to  proceed  in  the  direction  of  Charlestown,  and 
Morrcil,  with  Barnes's  brigade  leading,  in  the  direction  of 
Shepherdstown,  The  cavalry  did  not,  however,  reach  the 
Virginia  side  until  Sykcs's'  pickets  were  in  close  proximity  to 
the  advancing  foe. 

Sykcs  crossed  the  river  early  in  the  morning,  and  Lovell's 
2d  (regulars)  Brigade  skirmishers,  advancing  a  mile  into  the 
country,   soon   developed   the   enemy,  some   three  thousand 


-  56  - 

Strong,  approaching  with  artillery.  Warren's  3d  Brigade  was 
immediately  thrown  over  in  support  and  formed  on  Lovell's 
left,  Lovell  having  meanwhile  been  directed  to  fall  back 
slowly ;  and  Barnes's  brigade,  arriving  at  the  same  time,  on  its 
road  to  Shepherdstown,  was  directed  to  connect  with  Lovell's 
right.  The  other  brigades  of  Morrell's  division  did  not  cross. 
At  the  request  of  General  Sykes,  Barnes  suspended  his  move- 
ment towards  Shepherdstown,  and  supported  Sykes.  His 
brigade  was  deployed  under  the  bluffs.  None  of  his  regiments 
reached  the  summit,  except  the  i  i8th. 

General  Sykes,  aware  "  that  the  Virginia  side  of  the  river 
was  no  place  for  troops,  until  a  proper  reconnoissance  had 
been  made,  and  reports  from  citizens  indicating  the  belief  that 
a  large  force  of  the  enemy  was  moving  upon  us  "  (him),*  com- 
municated his  opinion  to  General  Porter,  who,  agreeing  with 
'  him,  directed  the  immediate  re-crossing  of  the  troops. 

The  withdrawal  actually  began  before  the  whole  of  Barnes's 
brigade  was  over  the  stream.  The  regulars  and  all  of  his 
brigade,  except  the  11 8th,  successfully  accomplished  their 
retreat  with  but  slight,  if  any,  loss.  Colonel  Barnes,  in  his 
official  report,  unfairly,  if  that  be  not  too  mild  a  term,  states  the 
severe  loss  attending  the  affair  as  having  fellen  generally  on  all 
the  regiments  of  his  brigade,  when,  in  fact,  it  fell  entirely  on 
the  1 1 8th  Pennsylvania,  which  alone  of  all  his  regiments  was 
actually  engaged.  The  disaster  which  befell  it,  in  this  its  first 
battle,  has  not,  heretofore,  been  fully  or  fairly  related.  It  is  the 
purpose  of  this  chapter  to  faithfully  unfold  it.f 

The  day  was  bright  and  clear.     The  sun  shone  with  mellow 


*  General  Sykes's  official  report  of  the  action. 

t  Major-General  Fitz-John  Porter,  in  his  report  of  the  fight  at  Shepherdstown, 
says :  "  Under  cover  of  our  guns  the  whole  command  recrossed  with  little  injury, 
except  the  I  \%th  Pennsylvania  Volunteers^  a  small  portion  of  which  became  con- 
fused early  in  the  action.  Their  arms  (spurious  Enfield  rifles)  were  so  defective 
that  little  injury  could  be  inflicted  by  them  upon  the  enemy.  Many  of  this  regi- 
ment, new  in  service,  volunteered  the  previous  evening,  and  formed  part  of  the 
attacking  party  who  gallantly  crossed  the  river  to  secure  the  enemy's  artillery. 
They  have  earned  a  good  name,  which  their  losses  have  not  diminished'' — [The 
Dalies  are  the  author's.] 


p 

■ 

r 

f^^/r^^      .      ^^S3^^ 

] 

k 

JOHK   ;.  THOMAS, 
2d  Lieul,  Cn. ». 

—  50  — 

hearty  laugh,  generous  good-bye,  and  kindly  wave  of  the  hand, 
lie  rode  away.  The  presence  of  a  general  officer  with  such  high 
command,  particularly  away  out  in  the  front,  is  always  an  occa- 
sion for  much  animation ;  but  the  general's  gentle  salutation 
and  happy,  laughing  reply,  and  the  troops  not  at  all  of  his  com- 
mand, was  a  moment  for  special  gratification. 

The  doubt  as  to  the  character  of  the  occupants  of  the  house 
where  the  shingles  had  disappeared  from  the  roof,  and  the  pur- 
pose of  their  occupancy,  was  now  wholly  removed.  Corporal 
Sanford,  of  Company  E,  not  yet  convinced,  mounted  the  fence 
either  for  more  perfect  observation  or  to  tempt  an  expert 
marksman.  His  illusion  or  temerity  cost  him  dearly.  A  shot 
went  crashing  through  his  thigh,  shattering  the  bone;  amputa- 
tion immediately  followed,  and  his  permanent  disability  speedily 
terminated  his  soldier-days.     This  was  our  first  casualty. 

This  event  started  the  enemy  to  renewed  activity;  and  they 
kept  up  such  a  lively  fusilade  until  nightfall  that  the  more  de- 
sirable quarters  were  well  down  under  the  protection  of  the 
bluff.  The  bickering  fire  which  had  continued  most  of  the  day, 
when  darkness  set  in  grew  wicked  and  incessant.  Upon  the 
right  it  grew  so  in  volume  as  to  assume  almost  battle  propor- 
tions. A  determined  attack  in  force  was  anticipated,  and  the 
watchful  care  needed  to  meet  it  caused  the  hours  of  the  night 
to  pass  in  wearisome  anxiety.  In  fact,  a  short  distance  to  our 
immediate  right  a  direct  assault  with  decided  persistency  re- 
sulted in  gathering  in  some  hundred  of  the  pickets.  Just  be- 
fore dawn,  without  any  gradual  subsidence,  the  firing  ceased 
suddenly  and  abruptly. 

When  day  broke  on  the  19th  the  purpose  of  the  continuous 
fusillade  was  quite  apparent.  The  enemy  had  entirely  with- 
drawn, using  the  firing  to  conceal  and  the  darkness  to  cover 
the  movement.  He  had  disappeared  from  the  north  of  the 
Potomac,  and  the  invasion  of  Maryland  was  a  &ilure. 

Details  were  made  from  the  regiment  to  carry  off  the 
wounded,  who  had  been  lying  on  the  ground  between  the 
Union  and  Confederate  lines  for  twenty-four  hours,  without 


—  5'  — 

water,  save  what  a  few  of  them  had  caught  in  their  rubber 
blankets  during  a  shower.  One  of  the  men  whom  they  found 
had  been  wounded  through  the  fleshy  part  ofboth  thighs.  He 
belonged  to  a  Connecticut  regiment.  He  was  carried  to  a  large 
farm-house  in  the  neighborhood,  which  the  surgeons  were  using 
as  a  hospital.  As  they  were  about  to  take  him  into  the  house 
he  said ;  "  No,  boys  ;  lay  me  down  out  here ;  there  are  others 
wounded  worse  than  I  am — take  them  inside." 

The  regiment  moved  up  onto  the  plain,  and  the  colonel, 
utihzing  every  moment  of  leisure,  exercised  the  command  for 
some  time  In  battalion  manceuvres.  Singularly,  his  attention 
was  devoted  almost  exclusively  to  the  "  on  right  by  file  into  line," 
a  practice  soon  to  be  tested  in  actual  combat  with  fatal  effect. 

If  the  improved  tactics,  uniting  the  fours,  ignoring  the  right 
and  left,  dispensing  with  the  positive  adhesion  to  front  and  rear. 
and  the  consequent  absolute  dependence  upon  the  slow  and 
dilatory  "on  right  by  file  into  line  "  had  not  been  necessitated. 
it  is  quite  questionable  whether,  with  these  new  tactics,  the 
fatalities  might  not  have  been  materially  reduced  or  possibly 
every  life  been  saved. 

The  drill  had  not  concluded  when,  called  to  ag;ain  resume 
the  march,  the  column  moved  off"  to  and  through  Sharpsburg. 
Whether  our  brigade  was  the  first  of  the  Union  troops  to  enter 
the  towiv  after  the  enemy  had  abandoned  it,  was  not  definitely 
determined.  The  reception  that  awaited  them  would  indicate 
they  were.  Demonstrations  of  joy  and  hearty  greetings  re- 
.  sounded  everywhere.  Men,  women  and  children  vied  with 
each  other  in  according  a  generous  welcome.  Such  a  greeting 
was  a  fitting  rebuke  to  the  flaming  proclamation  that  the  mis- 
sion of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia  was  to  liberate  the  citi- 
zens of  Maryland  from  the  thraldom  of  the  Union  of  the  States, 
and  conclusive  that,  in  this  locality  at  least,  there  was  no  sym- 
pathy with  such  a  purpose. 

The  town  is  a  pretty  little  hamlet  of  some  thousand  people, 
beautifully  located  a  few  miles  from  the  Potomac,  overlooking 
the  Antietam.     It  contained  its  proper  complement  of  stores 


—   52  — 

and  churches,  but  all  identity  of  the  purposes  for  which  these 
buildings  had  been  used  was  lost;  everything  had  been 
absorbed  for  the  moment  in  one  universal  hospital.  Houses 
and  out-buildings  were  filled,  and  lawns  and  gardens  covered 
with  the  Confederate  wounded.  Nor  were  these  suflering  men 
the  only  reminder  of  the  great  battle  that  had  ended.  Few 
were  the  houses  that  had  not  been  pierced  by  solid  shot 
or  shell.  One  of  the  inhabitants  said  that  he  and  his  family 
were  about  to  sit  down  at  the  dinner-table,  when  a  solid  shot 
crashed  through  the  wall,  and,  falling  on  the  table,  spoiled  the 


And  when  Ihe  day  vu  done, 
Full  many  a  corpse  lay,  ghastly  pale,  beneath  the  letting  lan," 

dinner  and   the   dishes,  and,  he  added,  quaintly,  "also  our 
appetites." 

Passing  beyond  the  town  the  regiment  halted  before  noon 
near  the  Potomac,  in  the  vicinity  of  Blackford's  Ford.  A  fringe 
of  timber  hid  the  river  and  concealed  the  troops  from  the 
enemy,  who,  with  his  batteries  planted  on  the  bluffs  on  the 
other  side,  occasionally  dropped  a  few  shells.  Towards  night 
they  ceased  their  fire,  leaving  their  guns  still  in  position, 
unsupported  and  even  without  their  own  battery-men.  It 
seemed  a  fitting  opportunity  to  effect  a  capture,  and  the 
corps-commander  called  for  one  hundred  volunteers  from  each 
regiment  of  the  brigade  to  carry  out  the  design.     The  response 


—  53  — 

from  the  iiSlIi  was  so  hearty,  it  was  more  difficult  to  select 
from  the  volunteers  than  it  would  have  been  to  order  a  detail. 
Captain  Ricketts  was  assigned  to  the  command,  and  the  detach- 
ment marched  off  to  report  to  General  Griffin,  who  had  been 
placed  in  charge  of  the  movement.  They  returned  about  mid- 
night, having  been  eminently  successful  in  the  enterprise. 
Five  pieces  of  artillery  and  some  of  their  appurtenances  were 
taken,  one  of  which  was  a  gun  of  a  regular  battery  which  had 
been  lost  at  the  First  Bui!  Run. 

The  halt  and  rest  continued  through  the  night,  and  the  days 
and  doings  of  "  Antietam  "  were  ended. 


CORPORAL  WILLIAM   I.   CABS. 


CHAPTER  III. 

SHEPHERDSTOWN. 

Was  there  a  man  dismayed  ?  Theirs  not  to  make  reply. 

Not  tho'  the  soldier  knew  Theirs  not  to  reason  why. 

Some  one  had  blundered;  Theirs  but  to  do  and  die. 

BLACKFORD'S  FORD  crosses  the  Potomac  just  below 
the  breast  of  an  old  mill-dam.  It  bears  the  name  of  a 
family  who  for  several  generations  occupied  the  residence  and 
owned  the  lands  in  the  immediate  vicinity.  Above  the  dam 
three  lonely  piers  marked  the  site  of  the  bridge  that  formerly 
spanned  the  stream,  and  had  been  the  highway  leading  to  Shep- 
herdstown  and  Martinsburg.  On  the  Virginia  side  the  ford 
road  runs  along  the  lower  extremity  of  a  high  bluff  off  into 
the  country,  and  another  extends  along  the  foot  of  the  bluff, 
between  it  and  the  river,  in  the  direction  of  Shepherdstown. 
The  bluff  rises  precipitously,  is  almost  perpendicular,  and  is 
dotted  with  boulders  and  a  stunted  growth  of  timber.  The 
roadway,  a  short  distance  from  the  Ford,  passes  a  g^p  or 
ravine,  obstructed  and  concealed  by  underbrush  and  passable 
with  difficulty.  Two  gate-posts  marked  its  entrance,  indicating 
it  as  an  abandoned  private  lane.  From  the  ravine,  a  path  led 
up  to  the  high  table-land  above.  Along  the  face  of  the  bluff, 
near  the  glen,  were  several  kilns  or  arches,  used  for  the  burning 
of  lime.  The  river  road  passes  over  the  kilns,  the  bluff  still, 
as  it  passes  over  them,  continuing  to  rise  precipitately.  Another 
road  passes  down  from  the  bluff  around  and  in  front  of  the 
kilns. 

The  dam-breast,  some  ten  feet  wide,  had  been  long  neglected, 
many  of  the  planks  had  rotted  away  or  been  removed,  and 
water  trickled  through  numerous  crevices.  The  outer  face, 
sloping  to  its  base,  was  covered  with  a  slippery  green  slime. 
On  the  Virginia  side,  some  twenty  feet  had  been  left  for  a  fish- 
way,  through  which  flowed  a  rapid  current.     The  river  was 

(54) 


*iCJ 


FITZ-JOHN  PORTER, 

July  .,  .1*2.  .0  J.nu.ry  .,;  iwj. 


FroiD  a  phoIO(nph  by  C 


—  55  — 

low,  and  the  fish-way  easily  fordable.     Along  the  river  shore, 
on  the  Maryland  side,  ran  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  canal. 

On  the  morning  of  the  20th  of  September  Major-General 
Fit2-John  Porter  was  ordered  to  send  two  divisions  over  the 
river  to  co-operate  with  a  cavalry  advance,  and  scour  the 
country  in  the  direction  of  Charlestown  and  Shepherdstown. 
In  obedience  to  these  instructions,  Sykes,  with  his  division, 
composed  of  two  brigades  of  regulars  and  one  of  volunteers, 


THE   DAM   AT  SHF-PIIERDSTOWN. 


"M-  (lir.'clcd  to  proceed  in  the  direction  of  Charlestown.  .-ind 
M.>rrell.  willi  H.imes's  bri';;u]e  leading',  in  tlie  direction  .-f 
Shei.her<ivto«n.  The  cavalry  did  not.  however,  reach  the 
Vir^'inia  siile  until  Sykes's  pickets  were  in  close  proximitj'  to 
the  advancing  foc- 

Sykes  crossed  the  river  early  in  the  niornint;.  and  Lovell's 
2d  |ref,nilar-i)  Hrit;ade  skirmishers,  advancing  a  mile  inlo  the 
country',    soon    developed    the    enemy,   some    three    thousand 


-  56  - 

Strong,  approaching  with  artillery.  Warren's  3d  Brigade  was 
immediately  thrown  over  in  support  and  formed  on  Lovell's 
left,  Lovell  having  meanwhile  been  directed  to  fall  back 
slowly ;  and  Barnes's  brigade,  arriving  at  the  same  time,  on  its 
road  to  Shepherdstown,  was  directed  to  connect  with  Lovell's 
right.  The  other  brigades  of  Morrell's  division  did  not  cross. 
At  the  request  of  General  Sykes,  Barnes  suspended  his  move- 
ment towards  Shepherdstown,  and  supported  Sykes.  His 
brigade  was  deployed  under  the  bluffs.  None  of  his  regiments 
reached  the  summit,  except  the  1 1 8th. 

General  Sykes,  aware  "  that  the  Virginia  side  of  the  river 
was  no  place  for  troops,  until  a  proper  reconnoissance  had 
been  made,  and  reports  from  citizens  indicating  the  belief  that 
a  large  force  of  the  enemy  was  moving  upon  us  "  (him),*  com- 
municated his  opinion  to  General  Porter,  who,  agreeing  with 
'  him,  directed  the  immediate  re-crossing  of  the  troops. 

The  withdrawal  actually  began  before  the  whole  of  Barnes's 
brigade  was  over  the  stream.  The  regulars  and  all  of  his 
brigade,  except  the  11 8th,  successfully  accomplished  their 
retreat  with  but  slight,  if  any,  loss.  Colonel  Barnes,  in  his 
official  report,  unfairly,  if  that  be  not  too  mild  a  term,  states  the 
severe  loss  attending  the  affair  as  having  fellen  generally  on  all 
the  regiments  of  his  brigade,  when,  in  fact,  it  fell  entirely  on 
the  1 1 8th  Pennsylvania,  which  alone  of  all  his  regiments  was 
actually  engaged.  The  disaster  which  befell  it,  in  this  its  first 
battle,  has  not,  heretofore,  been  fully  or  fairly  related.  It  is  the 
purpose  of  this  chapter  to  faithfully  unfold  itf 

The  day  was  bright  and  clear.     The  sun  shone  with  mellow 

♦  General  Sykes's  official  report  of  the  action. 

t  Major-General  Fitz-John  Porter,  in  his  report  of  the  fight  at  Shepherdstown, 
says :  "  Under  cover  of  our  guns  the  whole  command  recrossed  with  little  injury, 
except  the  \\%th  Pennsylvania  Volunteers^  a  small  portion  of  which  became  con- 
fused early  in  the  action.  Their  arms  (spurious  Enfield  rifles)  were  50  defective 
that  little  injury  could  be  inflicted  by  them  upon  the  enemy.  Many  of  this  regi- 
ment, new  in  service,  volunteered  the  previous  evening,  and  formed  part  of  the 
attacking  party  who  gallantly  crossed  the  river  to  secure  the  enemy's  artillery. 
They  have  earned  a  good  name^  which  their  losses  heme  not  diminished^ — [The 
italics  are  the  author's.] 


New  York,  February  i,  1889. 

Dear  Sir: 

I  enjoyed  the  pleasure  a  few  days  since,  through  the  kindness  of  Gen.  Cham- 
berlain and  Gen.  Locke,  of  reading  the  history  of  the  i  i8th  Pa.  Vol.,  in  the  pro- 
duction of  which  you  had  so  effective  a  hand. 

This  is  one  of  the  regiments  in  which  I  always  felt  a  deep  interest  from  the 
time  it  first  joined  the  5th  Corps.  I  tried  my  best  to  have  it  supplied  with 
good  arms  before  it  left  Washington.  The  arms  were  reported  almost  worth- 
less and  Gen.  Halleck  assured  me  that  they  should  be  replaced  before  leaving. 
But  though  informed  of  the  danger  of  sending  a  regiment  with  such  defective 
arms  to  a  battle  field — lest  they  should  meet  with  the  disaster  they  did — Sec- 
retary Stanton  persisted  in  forcing  them  forward — though  three  hours  would 
have  supplied  the  arms — and  Gen.  Halleck  yielded.  I  did  not  know  that 
the  supply  had  not  been  furnished  till  after  the  battle. 

The  story  of  those  few  days  is  ver>'  interesting,  and  also  much  of  what  I 

have  read,  and  I  think  you  all  desen'e  great  credit  for  giving  it  to  the  country. 

The  regiment  and  the  State  deserved  it.     It  did  good  service — the  country 

is  profiting  by  it — and  its  members,  if  any  are  in  need,  should  not  be  sufferers 

by  neglect  of  government. 

Yours  truly, 

FiTZ  John  Porter. 
To  J.  L.  Smith,  Esq..  Philadelphia. 


>()5 


Autumn  radiance.  Dew  glistened  on  grass  and  leaf,  and  the 
old  Potomac,  calm  and  placid  as  if  it  had  never  known  strife. 
visible  for  a  considerable  distance,  swept  on  its  course  tranquilly. 
The  landscape,  varied  with  its  valley  and  hillside,  its  meadows 
and  woodlands,  sprinkled  with  barn,  house  and  garden,  was 
peacefully  picturesque  in  the  refreshing  sunlight  of  a  soft 
September  morning.  There  were  no  liarbingers  that  by  noon- 
day the  regiment  should  suffer  casualties,  severer  for  a  single 
combat  than  probably  ever  fell  to  the  tot  of  soldiers,  even  in 
the  heaviest  battles  of  the  war. 

An  early  breakfast  was  interrupted  by  orders  to  move.  The 
meal  completed,  the  brigade  .started  in  the  direction  of  the 
river.  With  a  few  hurried  personal  preparations,  some  of  the 
men  removing  their  shoes  and  stockings,  the  column  at  9  A.  m. 
began  the  passage  of  the  stream  at  Blackford's  Ford.  There 
was  a  good  deal  of  pleasant  shouting  a.s  the  troops  splashed 
through  the  stream,  and  roars  of  laughter  greeted  those  who, 
less  fortunate  than  their  fellows,  stumbled  and  fell  headlong 
into  the  water. 

just  before  the  head  of  the  column  entered  the  ford,  a 
brigade  of  Sykcs's  regulars  appeared  upon  the  thither  side, 
marching  back  again  from  the  same  reconnoissance  with  which 
Barnes's  movement  was  intended  to  generally  co-operate. 
The  columns  passed  each  other  midway  in  the  river.  The 
regulars  gave  the  information  that  there  was  "  no  enemy  in 
sight."  •  It  was  evidently  twittingly  said  to  encoun^e  the 
volunteers,  whom  they  held  in  no  very  high  esteem,  for  at  that 
time  their  rear  skirmishers  were  actually  engaged. 

Though  it  was  clear  that  the  situation  was  a  grave  one,  yet 
the  1 1 8th  Pennsylvania  was  permitted  to  mount  the  cliff  with 
its  front  entirely  uncovered.  No  skirmish-line  protected  its 
advance  until  its  right  company  was  detached,  and  when  it 
was  deployed  the  enemy  were  pressing  so  hard  that  its  de- 

'Cumrade  M.  Shaujjhcnei-ty,  of  Pcil  14.  C.  A.  R..  Departmenl  of  Pcnnsylvanu, 
who,  at  (hat  time  wai  tn  entiiled  man  uf  Battery  C.  3rd  Aitilleiy — known  a» 
CifaKMi'i  battei7 — wu  one  of  those  who  (wilting ty  gave  lliii  information. 


—  59  — 

ployment  answered  no  purpose.  The  commanding  officer  had 
R  right  to  expect  that,  thrown  out  in  a  direction  where  an  en- 
gagement was  imminent,  he  would  find  himself  at  least  covered 
by  skirmishers  well  out  in  front  of  him. 

The  similar  surroundings — high  bluffs  in  front,  a  wide  river 
in  the  rear — recalled  the  Hall's  Bluffdisaster  vividly. 

The  brigade  look  the  road  that  followed  the  base  of  the 
bluffs;  and,  as  the  head  of  the  regiment  approached  the  ravine 
or  glen  which  led  to  the  summit,  a  staff-officer  dashed  up  hur- 
riedly to  Colonel  Barnes,  who  rode  at  the  time  beside  Colonel 
Prevost,  and  reported  the  tnemy  approaching  in  heavy  force. 
Some  vigorous  action  being  instantly  necessary,  turning  Ut 
Colonel  Prevost,  Colonel  Barnes  said:  "Can  you  get  your 
regiment  on  the  top  of  the  cliff?  "  "  I  will  try,  sir."  was  the 
prompt  reply,  and  disuioiinting,  he  conducted  the  head  of  his 
column  into  the  narrow,  unfrequented  path  that  led  through 

At  this  time  not  more  than  one-third  of  the  reEinicnt  were 
across  the  river.  General  Bames  rode  into  the  water  and  said 
to  them :  "  Men,  hurry  up — you  arc  wanted  on  lop  of  the  hill." 
"In  a  few  moments  the>'  were  all  across.  As  they  climbed  the 
hill  by  the  narrow  path,  they  found,  near  the  top,  a  battt-ry 
wagon,  with  its  four  horses  still  in  harness,  that  by  some  mis- 
chance had  fallen  from  the  path,  which  was  here  just  wide 
enough  for  it.  It  had  caught  on  some  trees  and  brush  and 
hung  between  the  path  and  the  bottom  of  the  ravine.  The 
horses,  tired  of  rearing  and  prancing,  were  quivering  and  suf- 
fering from  their  vain  attempts  to  extricate  themselves.  Ricketts, 
noble,  generous  soul,  fated  to  be  a  victim  in  the  coming  con- 
test, could  not  restrain  his  impetuous  humanity,  and  jumping 
from  the  ranks  he  cut  the  traces  of  the  struggling  animals  and 
released  them  from  their  peril.  The  wagon  had  evidently  be- 
longed to  a  Confederate  battery. 

From  the  top  of  the  bluff  it  was  open  country  for  a  mile  or 
more,  with  occasional  cornfields ;  then  the  fields  changed  to 
forest,  and  a  wide  belt  of  timber  skirted  the  open  lands.     Farm- 


—  6o  — 

house,  bam  and  hay-stack  dotted  the  plain,  and  to  the  right  in 
the  distance  were  the  roofs  and  spires  of  Shepherdstown. 

The  report  of  the  staff-officer  that  the  enemy  were  approach- 
ing in  force  met  with  ocular  confirmation.  In  front  of  the  tim- 
ber the  musket-barrels  of  a  division,  massed  in  battalion  col- 
umns, gleamed  and  glistened  in  the  sunlight.  To  the  right, 
not  half  a  mile  away,  a  whole  brigade  was  sweeping  down  with 
steady  tread,  its  skirmishers,  well  in  advance,  moving  with 
firm  front;  and  ere  the  head  of  the  regimental  column  had 
scarce  appeared  upon  the  bluff,  they  opened  a  desultory,  strag- 
gling fire. 

The  teachings  of  the  battalion-drill  near  Sharpsburg  on  the 
day  previous  now  had  practical  application.  In  tones  indica- 
tive of  an  urgency  that  demanded  speedy  execution,  the  voice 
of  the  colonel  rang  out  with  clear  deliberation :  "  On  right  by 
file  into  line."  Company  E,  with  Lieutenants  Hunterson  and 
Lewis,  was  promptly  deployed  as  a  skirmish-line.  Advancing 
but  a  short  distance,  it  was  soon  severely  engaged,  and,  unable 
to  resist  the  heavy  pressure,  very  shortly  fell  back  upon  the 
main  line. 

At  this  point  Lieutenant  Davis,  the  acting  assistant  adjutant- 
general  of  the  brigade,  on  his  way  to  the  right  to  withdraw 
other  regiments  specially  assigned  to  him  to  retire,  observing 
that  the  ii8th  was  making  no  movement  to  withdraw,  but  ac- 
tually becoming  engaged,  called  up  the  ravine  to  Lieutenant 
Kelly,  the  officer  nearest  him,  to  "  tell  Colonel  Prevost,  Colonel 
Barnes  directs  that  he  withdraw  his  regiment  at  once."  The 
duty  of  communicating  the  order  to  the  Ii8th  to  withdraw  had 
been  delegated  to  an  orderly,  a  duty  which  he  appears  never  to 
have  discharged.  This  information  Kelly  promptly  communi- 
cated to  his  captain,  Bankson,  who  directed  him  to  immediately 
report  it  to  Colonel  Prevost.  He  went  along  the  line,  and  find- 
ing the  colonel  in  front  of  the  centre — the  left  was  not  yet  in 
place — advised  him  of  what  he  had  personally  been  told. 

"  From  whom  did  you  say  you  heard  this  ?  "  inquired  the 
colonel. 


—  6i  — 

"  From  Lieutenant  Davis,  of  the  staff  of  Colonel  Barnes,"  re* 
plied  Kelly. 

"  I  do  not  receive  orders  in  that  way,"  was  the  colonel's  sharp 
reply ;  **  if  Colonel  Barnes  has  any  order  to  give  me,  let  his  aid 
come  to  me,"  and  he  continued  to  conduct  the  formation,  the 
business  he  was  engaged  in  when  Kelly  interrupted  him. 

The  formation  had  been  completed  only  to  the  colors  when 
the  action  commenced  in  earnest.  "  Before  one-half  the  regi- 
ment had  gotten  into  line,  with  the  river  in  our  rear,  the  enemy 
began  to  fire  upon  us,  advancing  by  battalions  in  all  direc- 
tions."* From  the  beginning  the  fire  of  the  enemy  was  tre- 
mendous; the  rush  of  bullets  was  like  a  whirlwind.  The 
slaughter  was  appalling ;  men  dropped  by  the  dozens. 

Until  the  alignement  was  fully  perfected  from  the  colors  to  the 
left,  as  the  men  came  into  their  places  under  fire  some  confusion 
followed,  but  when  the  line  was  completely  established  the  behav- 
ior was  gallant,  orders  were  obeyed  with  alacrity,  and  the  sol- 
diers stood  up  handsomely  against  a  dozen  times  their  number. 

About  this  time  it  became  lamentably  apparent  that  the 
muskets  were  in  no  fit  condition  for  battle.  The  Enfield  rifle, 
with  which  the  regiment  was  originally  armed,  was  at  its  best 
a  most  defective  weapon,  and  of  a  decidedly  unreliable  pattern. 
Some  of  the  weapons  were  too  weak  to  explode  the  cap.  This 
defect  was  at  first  unnoticed  in  the  excitement ;  cartridge  after 
cartridge  was  rammed  into  the  barrel  under  the  belief  that  each 
had  been  discharged,  until  they  nearly  filled  the  piece  to  the 
muzzle.  A  few  charged  cartridge  with  the  bullet  down  and 
exploded  cap  after  cap  in  a  vain  attempt  to  fire.  Others,  after 
a  few  shots,  with  pieces  foul  and  ramrods  jammed,  instead  of 
seizing  the  abandoned  ones,  crowded  about  the  field-officers 
anxiously  inquiring  what  they  should  do,  while  many,  calm  and 
Tree  from  excitement,  were  coolly  seated  upon  the  ground  pick- 
mg  the  nipple  to  clear  the  vent. 

Private  Joseph   Mehan  thus  quaintly  describes  the  situation 


*  Colonel  I'revost's  official  rcjx)rt. 


-  62   - 

at  this  time :  "  I  had  broken  the  nipple  of  my  gun  and  had 
picked  up  another  gun  lying  near  me,  but,  as  with  the  first  one, 
I  had  great  trouble  in  getting  it  to  go  off  It  made  me  very 
angry.  I  felt  that  I  would  give  all  the  world  to  be  able  to 
shoot  the  advancing  foe.  I  had  fired  but  about  a  half-dozen 
shots,  where  as  many  again  could  have  been  got  off  had  the 
guns  been  good  for  anything.  I  had  taken  a  pin  out  and 
cleaned  the  nipple,  and  had  raised  my  rifle  for  a  shot,  when  I 
felt  what  seemed  like  a  blow  with  a  heavy  fist  on  my  left 
shoulder  from  behind.  I  did  not  realize  at  first  that  I  was  shot, 
feeling  no  particular  pain,  but  my  almost  useless  arm  soon  told 
me  what  it  was." 

In  Colonel  Prevost's  official  report  he  states :  "  We  returned 
their  fire  as  fast  as  possible,  but  soon  found  that  our  Enfield 
rifles  were  so  defective  that  quite  one-fourth  of  them  would  not 
explode  the  caps.  Notwithstanding  this  discouraging  circum- 
stance men  and  officers  behaved  with  great  bravery." 

Such  was  the  regiment  put  upon  this  hill-top  to  do  battle 
against  the  veterans  of  A.  P.  Hill  and  Stonewall  Jackson. 
With  but  twenty  days'  experience  in  the  field ;  with  no  oppor- 
tunity for  drill  or  instruction,  it  bravely  withstood  their  on- 
slaught, and  with  lines  intact,  except  where  a  murderous 
slaughter  had  thinned  them,  valiantly  battled  for  over  half  an 
hour  against  those  overwhelming  and  tremendous  odds.  Nor 
did  it  yield  until  the  punishment  it  inflicted  was  largely 
commensurate  with  what,  great  as  it  was,  it  had  itself  re- 
ceived. 

"  Nine  or  ten  Confederate  brigades  took  part  in  this  affair, 
and  the  Confederates  seem  to  believe  that  it  ended  with  *an 
appalling  scene  of  the  destruction  of  human  life.*  Jackson, 
whose  words  these  are,  must  have  been  imposed  upon  by 
A.  P.  Hill,  who  had  charge  of  the  operation,  and  whose  report 
contains  these  assertions :  *  Then  commenced  the  most  terrible 
slaughter  that  this  war  has  yet  witnessed.  The  broad  surface 
of  the  Potomac  was  blue  with  the  floating  bodies  of  our 
foe.     But  few  escaped  to  tell  the  tale.     By  their  own  account 


they  lost  3,000   men  killed  and   drowned  from  one  brif^ade 
aione,'* 

"■Or  art  Ihou  drunk  wilh  wine,  Sir  Kniglili 
Or  art  thyself  bedde  ? ' 

"  The  reader  with  a  taste  for  figures  will  observe  that  this  talc 
of  deaths  in  one  brigade  alone  wants  only  ten  of  being  a  thoU' 
sand  more  than  all  the  men  killed  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
on  the  i6th  and  17th  of  September."! 

The  enemy  had  now  succeeded  in  pressing  as  close  to  the 
front  as  fifty  yards.J  and  the  hot  fire  at  such  close  range  was 
increasing  the  casualties  with  friEhtful  fatahty.  At  the  same 
moment  he  succeeded  in  developing  a  regiment  across  the 
ravine,  completely  covering  the  entire  right.  The  two  right 
companies,  under  the  immediate  supervision  of  the  colonel, 
promptly  changed  direction  by  the  right  flank  and  gallantly 
checked  the  manceuvre.  This  movement,  mistaken  by  the 
hard-pressed  centre  for  a  withdrawal,  induced  it  to  break  tem- 
porarily, and  with  the  colors  in  the  advance  move  in  some  dis- 
order to  the  rear.  Colonel  Prcvost  caught  the  disorder  in  time 
to  promptly  check  it.  Heroically  seizing  the  standard  from 
the  hands  of  the  color-scrgcant  and  waving  it  defiantly,  he 
iM-ought  the  centre  back  again  to  the  conflict  and  completely 
restored  the  alignement.  He  was  still  waving  the  flag  in  defi- 
ance at  the  enemy  when  a  musket-ball  shattered  his  shoulder- 
blade  and  he  was  borne  to  the  rear  by  Corporal  Francis  Daley, 
of  Company  E,  The  severity  of  his  wound  forced  him  to 
^withdraw  entirely  from  the  action. 

The  command  now  devolved  upon  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Gwyn,  to  whom  the  colonel,  as  he  passed  him  in  retiring, 
formally  turned  it  over.  As  he  withdrew  the  enemy's  lines 
developed  in  increased  strength.  His  red  cross  battle-flags 
were  waving  in  every  direction  to  the  front,  and  the  air  was 


•  He  reported  his  own  loss  as  161, 
t  Pilfrey'i  "Anlielam."  page  119. 
t  Colonel  Prevou'i  official  report  olAeu 


-64- 

resonant  with  his  peculiar,  piercing,  penetrating  yells.  In 
restoring  the  line  it  had  been  advanced  somewhat,  and  the 
engagement  was  thus  brought  to  still  closer  quarters.  The 
horrors  of  the  battle  were  intensified.  The  dead  and  wounded 
rapidly  increased  in  numbers;  the  scene  was  an  awful  one. 
Shouts,  cheers  and  orders  were  drowned  in  the  roar  of  musketry 
and  the  defiant  yells  of  the  foe,  who,  confident  in  their  over- 
whelming strength,  were  sure  those  who  still  survived  would 
surrender. 

After  Colonel  Prevost  had  passed  through  the  ravine,  he  met 
Colonel  Barnes  on  the  road  by  the  river.  To  prevent  mistakes 
Colonel  Barnes  was  following  up  the  orderly  whom  he  had  di- 
rected to  carry  the  orders  to  "  retire."  It  was  a  fatal  interval 
between  the  attempt  to  prevent  mistakes  and  what  had  been  a 
most  grievous  one. 

"Where  is  your  regiment?"  Colonel  Barnes  earnestly  in- 
quired. 

"  Fighting  desperately  on  the  top  of  the  hill,  sir,  where  you 
placed  it,"  was  the  colonel's  response. 

"  Why,  I  sent  you  orders  to  retire  in  good  order." 

"  I  never  received  them,  sir,"  he  replied,  "  and  I  am  sorry  I 
am  too  seriously  wounded  to  take  them  off,  for  they  are  suffer- 
ing dreadfully." 

"  I  will  do  so  myself,"  replied  Colonel  Barnes,  and  hurried 
away  to  execute  his  purpose. 

John  Siner,  of  Company  C,  stated  after  the  fight  that  while 
he  was  retiring  through  the  ravine,  wounded  in  the  arm,  he 
met  a  mounted  staff-officer,  who.  inquiring  the  whereabouts  of 
his  colonel,  was  told  by  him  he  was  on  the  bluff  fighting  with 
his  regiment.  "Go  tell  him,"  said  he,  "to  retreat  in  good 
order,  by  order  of  Colonel  Barnes."  The  kind-hearted  fellow, 
considerate  for  the  welfare  of  his  companions,  assumed  to  do 
the  duty  which  the  staff-officer  so  improperly  delegated  to 
him,  and  returned  to  the  field  to  execute  his  mission.  He 
delivered  his  message  to  the  first  officer  he  met,  but  by  the 
time   he   had   communicated    it,   the   regiment    had    already 


-6s  — 

broken,  and  was  making  the  best  of  its  way  back  to  the  river. 
For  his  pains,  Sincr  was  again  wounded  in  the  leg,  but  ulti- 
mately managtd  to  escape  capture. 

Just  as  Colonel  Gwyn  assumed  the  direction  of  the  fight,  a 
rout  was  imminent.  To  steady  the  line  and  strengthen  its 
weakening  confidence,  he  gave  the  orders  to  fix  bayonets,  To 
those  who  heard  it,  it  had  something  of  the  desired  effect,  but 
in  ihe  increasing  confusion  and  unsteadiness  it  was  heard  by 
but  few.     Where  it  was  heard,  it  was  promptly  obeyed. 

The  officers  were  untiring  and  persistent  in  their  efforts  to 
hold  iheir  men  together.  At  this  critical  moment,  Captain 
Courtland  Saunders  and  Lieutenant  J.  Mora  Moss  were  in- 
stantly killed,  the  former  with 
a  musket-b.ill  through  the 
bead,  and  the  latter  with  one 
through  the  heart. 

Here,  loo.  Captain  Kickctts 
fell  while  in  the  act  of  dis- 
charging his  pistol.  Stagger- 
ing, he  was  saved  from  falling 
by  Private  William  L.  Gabc. 
who  started  to  assist  him  to 
the  rear. 

'■  Leave  me,  Gabe,"  said  the 
captain,  "and  save  yourself" 


LIEUTENANT  J,  MORA  MOSS 


But  the  brave,  generous  Gabe  would  not  desist,  and  again 
both  were  shot  down  together,  Gabe  wounded,  and  this  time 
the  captain  killed.    As  he  fell  to  the  ground  he  cried,  in  agony : 

"  My  God !  I  am  shot  by  my  own  men." 

"  Not  so."  said  Gabe.  "  but  by  the  '  rebs,'  who  are  right  on 
top  of  us." 

And  then  the  enemy's  line  swept  over  them,  and  the  captain 
lived  just  long  enough  to  know  that  he  was  mistaken. 

The  enemy's  stragglers,  who  followed  his  advancing  lines, 
stooped  over  the  prostrate  body  of  Ricketts  and.  against  the 
earnest  protest  of  the  wounded  Gabe,  who  still  zealously  clung 


—  66  — 

to  Uie  body  of  his  fallen  chief,  proceeded  to  rifle  his  pockets. 
They  took  his  watch,  diary,  money  and  everything  belonging 
to  htm,  appropriated  his  sword  to  their  own  use,  and  stole  his 
coat,  vest  and  boots.  The  diary,  the  short  resume  of  his  few 
days'  service,  they  conceived  of  no  use,  and  considerately  re- 
turned it  to  Gabe. 

Ricketts  was  a  strong  man.  His  energies  were  untiring,  his 
sense  of  duty  supreme.  He  had  had  a  Aiilitary  training ;  was 
skilful  as  a  tactician.  What  he  knew,  he  knew  thoroughly.  He 
had  fully  grasped  the  principles  of  his  teachings  and  was  apt 
and  ready  in  their  application.  His  generous  sympathy  was 
evidenced  by  his  readiness  to  relieve  the  suffering  horses,  and 
his  heroic  death  attested  his 
eminent  courage.  Fitted  for 
an  advancement  which  the 
casualties  of  war  would  have 
soon  brought  him,  he  was 
destined  thus  early  in  his  ca- 
reer for  the  most  honorable 
of  all  the  soldier's  epitaphs : 
■■  killed  in  action." 

First  Lieutenant  WilliamM. 
McKeen  was  about  this  time 
in  the  action  also  most  seri- 
ouslywounded.  Ashotpassed 
through  his  body  involving  a  vital  organ.  His  life  was  for  a 
long  time  despaired  of.  He  recovered  subsequently,  however, 
to  again  take  a  prominent  place  in  the  business  communiQr. 

The  enemy  also  suflered.  The  14th  South  Carolina  (A.  P> 
Hill's  Division)  lost  55  killed  and  wounded  in  front  of  the 
118th  regiment 

The  order  to  retire,  which,  with  the  thickening  disasters,  had 
been  long  hoped  for,  came  at  last.  The  welcome  direction, 
communicated  through  the  loud  voice  of  Adjutant  James  F. 
Perot,  was  repeated  hurriedly  all  along  the  line.  The  scene 
that  followed  almost  beggars  description.    The  brave  men  who 


CAPTAIN   RICKETTS 


-67- 

had  contended  so  manfully  against  these  frightful  odds  broke 
in  wild  confusion  for  the  river.  Perot,  unable  from  an  injury 
in  early  life  to  keep  pace  with  the  rapidly  retiring  soldiers,  re- 
mained almost  alone  upon  the  bluff.  True  to  the  instincts  of  a 
genuine  courage,  he  stood  erect  facing  the  foe,  with  his  pistol 
resting  on  his  left  forearm,  emptying  it  rapidly  of  all  the  loads 
he  had  left,  when  he  was  severely  wounded  and  ultimately  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  Lieutenant  Charles  H.  Hand, 
who  afterwards  succeeded  him  as  adjutant,  and  a  number  of 
men  were  captured  with  him. 

The  greater  part  of  the  regiment  made  furiously  for  the 
ravine,  down  which  they  dashed  precipitately.  Since  the  march 
up,  a  tree,  in  a  way  never  accounted  for,  had  fallen  across  the 
path.  This  materially  obstructed  the  retreat.  Over  and  under 
it  the  now  thoroughly  demoralized  crowd  jostled  and  pushed 
each  other,  whilst,  meanwhile,  the  enemy,  having  reached  the 
edge  of  the  bluff,  poured  upon  them  a  fatal  and  disastrous 
plunging  fire.  The  slaughter  was  fearful ;  men  were  shot  as 
they  dltmbed  over  the  tree,  and  their  bodies  suspended  from 
the  branches  were  afterwards  plainly  visible  from  the  other  side 
of  the  river. 

Others,  who  avoided  the  route  by  the  ravine,  driven  head- 
long over  the  bluff,  were  seriously  injured  or  killed  outright. 
Among  these  was  Captain  Courtney  O'Callaghan,  who,  badly 
disabled,  was  never  again  fitted  for  active  field-service. 

An  old  abandoned  mill  stood  upon  the  ford  road,  at  the 
base  of  the  cliff.  It  completely  commanded  the  ford  and  the 
dam-breast.  When  the  last  of  the  fugitives  had  disappeared 
from  the  bluff,  the  enemy  crowded  the  doors,  windows  and 
roof  and  poured  their  relentless,  persecuting  fire  upon  those 
who  had  taken  to  the  water.  Numbers,  observing  the  telling 
cflcct  of  the  fire  upon  those  who  had  essayed  to  the  venture  of 
crossing,  huddled  together  and  crowded  each  other  in  the 
arches  at  the  base  of  the  bluff;  whilst  others,  hoping  to  escape 
the  fatal  effect  of  the  avenging  bullets,  took  to  deeper  water  and 
crossed  where  the  stream  was  deep  enough  to  cover  the  entire 
body  and  Ifave  the  head  alone  exposed. 


—  68  — 

It  was  here  that  Lieutenant  Lewis,  having  previously  had 
his  pistol-holster  shot  away  and  a  musket-ball  through  the 
sleeve  and  another  through  the  skirt  of  his  coat,  as  he  was  taking 
to  the  water  at  the  breast  of  the  dam,  was  severely  wounded 
and  sent  headlong  into  the  stream.  Regaining  his  feet,  he 
ultimately  succeeded,  with  the  assistance  of  Private  Patrick 
Nicholas,  in  making  his  way  across  without  other  mishap. 

In  the  midst  of  the  rout  and  confusion  the  colors  had  been 
borne  to  the  water's  edge  near  the  dam-breast.  At  the  sight 
of  the  terrible  fatality  attending  those  preceding  him  the  bearer 
hesitated  to  cross.  Time  was  invaluable ;  the  least  delay  would 
place  the  standard  in  hopeless  jeopardy.  Major  Herring  was 
opportunely  at  hand.  He  seized  the  staff  and  placing  it  in  the 
custody  of  Private  William  Hummell,  of  D,  directed  him  to 
enter  the  stream.  Covering  the  soldier's  body  with  his  own, 
with  the  color  unfurled  and  waving  with  daring  taunt,  as  if 
defying  the  enemy  to  attempt  its  capture,  he  successfully  made 
the  Maryland  shore.  A  conspicuous  mark,  it  drew  towards  it 
a  fire  resentfully  wicked,  but  both  the  major  and  Hummell 
escaped  unscathed. 

At  this  moment  a  battery  from  the  Maryland  side  opened 
heavily.  The  practice  was  shameful.  The  fuses,  too  short, 
sent  the  terrible  missiles  into  the  disorganized  mass  fleeing  in 
disorder  before  the  serious  punishment  of  the  enemy's  musketry. 
It  was  a  painful  ordeal,  to  be  met  in  their  effort  to  escape  an 
impending  peril  by  another  equally  terrible.  Shell  after  shell, 
as  if  directly  aimed,  went  thundering  into  the  arches,  bursting 
and  tearing  to  pieces  ten  or  twelve  of  those  who  had  crowded 
there  for  cover.  A  cry  and  wail  of  horror  went  up,  plainly 
heard  above  the  din  and  roar  of  battle.  Waving  handkerchiefs 
fixed  to  ramrods,  they  endeavored  by  their  signals  to  warn 
the  gunners  to  desist, but  to  no  avail;  the  fatal  work  continued. 
Hoping  for  better  treatment,  numbers  turned  with  their  white 
insignia  of  truce  towards  the  enemy  and,  again  ascending  to 
the  hill-top,  surrendered.  The  artillerists  continued  to  pound 
away  with  an  ardor  indicative  of  satisfaction,  until  Captain  B.  F. 


-69- 

Fisher  and  Lieutenant  L.  R.  Fortescue,  two  officers  of  the 
Signal  Corps,  fortunately  detected,  with  the  aid  of  their  long- 
range  telescopes,  the  damage  inflicted,  when  lengthened  fuses 
and  better  practice  brought  their  aim  more  directly  towards  the 
accomplishment  of  its  intended  purpose. 

The  dam-breast  was  still  crowded,  and  here  and  there  across 
it  were  the  dead,  wounded  and  dying.  As  the  last  of  the 
survivors  were  nearing  the  Maryland  shore,  Berdan's  Sharp- 
shooters appeared.  Deploying  hurriedly  in  the  bed  of  the  canal, 
shouting  loudly  to  those  still  exposed  to  seek  what  cover  they 
could,  they  opened  vigorously  with  their  usual  unerring  and 
effective  aim  and  soon  almost  entirely  cleared  the  other  bank. 


Ephraim  Layman,  of  I,  h;i(i  escaped  from  the  bluff  iininjurctl. 
While  hurrying  along  the  nli^i;  of  tlic  river  hL- was  ^Imt  tlirtm-ili 
the  body  and  fell  wilji  his  feet  in  the  water.  He  lay  in  the 
s,ime  position  iinti!  the  folluwini,'  aflernnon,  when,  under  the 
fl.i,'  of  tnicc,  iie  was  removed  to  llu-  Manlaiul  side  and  Mil>se- 
quently  taken   to    the    hlJ^Ilital    at  Sharp.sbiirg.     There,  a  few 


—  70  — 

hours  after  the  ball  had  been  extracted,  he  expired.  'Layman 
had  not  yet  reached  his  majority.  He  was  of  excellent  femily, 
and  enlisted  from  motives  of  the  purest  patriotism.  His  early 
training,  earnest  purpose  and  firm  determination  to  be  foremost 
in  answer  to  all  demands  of  duty,  were  indicative  of  a  promis- 
ing future. 

One  of  the  saddest  incidents  of  this  disastrous  day  happened 
after  the  action  was  really  over.  Lieutenant  J.  Rudhall  White 
had  passed  through  the  desperate  dangers  of  the  contest  and 
had  safely  landed  upon  the  Maryland  shore.  As  he  reached 
the  top  of  the  river-bank  he  stopped  and  said :  "  Thank  God ! 
I  am  over  at  last.''  His  halt  attracted  attention  and  a  musket- 
ball,  doubtless  directly  aimed  from  the  other  side  by  an  ex- 
perienced marksman,  ploughed  through  his  bowels.  The 
wound  was  almost  instantly  fatal ;  he  died  as  he  was  being 
borne  away. 

White  was  a  handsome,  soldierly  young  man  of  scarce  twenty 
summers.  A  native  of  Warrenton,  Virginia,  at  the  breaking 
out  of  the  war  he  was  a  young  lieutenant  in  the  Black  Horse 
Cavalry,  a  command  subsequently  famous  in  all  the  campaigns 
of  Virginia.  Differing  in  sentiments  from  his  friends  and  his 
family,  sacrificing  the  ties  of  home  and  friendship,  he  deter- 
mined to  defend  his  convictions  with  his  sword.  Firm  in  his 
belief  that  the  unrighteous  attempt  to  disrupt  the  Government 
should  be  suppressed,  imbued  with  the  purest  and  highest 
patriotism,  he  sought  service  in  the  Union  army.  Instinctively 
a  soldier  from  principle,  his  sad  and  early  death  interrupted  a 
career  that  promised  the  brightest  prospects.  His  short  ser- 
vice had  secured  him  the  confidence  of  his  superiors  and  the 
respect  of  his  soldiers. 

The  mortality  which  attended  the  mess  of  Ricketts,  Moss, 
White,  McKeen  and  West  was  singular.  They  had  all  been 
associated  as  members  of  Company  D  of  the  Gray  Reserves, 
and  hence  grouped  themselves  for  the  closest  associations  after 
they  took  the  field.  Ricketts,  Moss  and  White  were  killed 
outright.      McKeen's   death   subsequently  resulted   from  his 


I  wounds,  and  West,  who  now  alone  survives,  escaped  a  very 
I  dose  sliot     A  musket-ball  cut  his  coat  across  the  stomacli, 
^  Kveriag  the  garment  as  if  by  a  knife,  the  lower  flap  falling  to 
his  koee. 

The  fight  was  a  sad  and  purposeless  affair,  with  a  most  dis- 
astrous and  fatal  termination.  Yet  it  secured  for  the  regiment 
a  reputation  among  its  new  associates  for  staying  qualities 
which,  maintaining  it  thoroughly,  as  it  did,  down  to  the  very 
end,  bore  most  excellent  fruits. 

Experienced  soldiers,  jealous  of  their  hard-earned  glories,  are 
prone,  until  their  mettle  is  tested,  to  receive  their  inexperienced 
brethren  with  no  boisterous,  cheery  demonstrations  of  hearty 
welcome.  This  treatment  was  more  pronounced  when  the  sol- 
diers of  1862  joined  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  as  the  impres- 
sion was  abroad  that  their  enlistment  was  prompted  solely  by  a 
moneyed  consideration.  Of  course,  this  soon  wore  away,  and 
the  entire  army  was,  as  in  the  beginning,  one  barmooious  whole 
in  feeling,  sentiment  and  purpose. 

The  1  iSth's  reception  in  the  brigade  was  not  attended  by  any 
joyous,  gladsome  shouts,  nor  was  it  exempt  from  the  intima- 
tion tliat  its  presence  at  the  front  was  largely  due  to  the  paltry 
shekels.  The  stolid  indifference  it  met  at  every  hand  during  the 
few  days  previous  to  the  fight  was  frequently  accompanied  with 
epithets  apparently  intended  to  be  enduring:  "  Here  come  the 
$200  boys  from  Philadelphia,"  and  others  of  like  Import  The 
aflair  at  Shepherdstown,  though,  wiped  everything  out  That 
was  a  crucial  test,  and  one  which  conquered  the  prejudices  of 
men  whose  trials  of  battle  fitted  them  to  judge  of  the  worth  of 
their  fellows.  Opprobrious  allusions  were  changed  to  plaudits, 
and,  for  months  afterwards,  the  command  was  pointed  out 
everywhere  to  strangers  as  "  the  men  who  fought  at  Shepherds- 
town." 

Madison,  an  enlisted  man  of  H,  had  a  sorry  experience. 
Past  the  prime  of  life,  he  was  still  of  wiry,  nervous  energies. 
He  never  shirked  duty,  and,  seeking  neither  cover  nor  conceal- 
meat,  had  stood  up  manfully  through  the  heat  of  the  action, 


—  72  — 

escaping  unharmed.  In  common  with  many  of  his  fellows,  he 
selected  the  more  exposed  dam-breast  as  a  means  of  more 
rapid  transit  over  the  river.  He  seemed  to  be  chosen  as  a 
special  mark  for  the  enemy's  resentment.  They  dealt  with  him 
in  no  unstinted  way,  and  before  he  had  reached  the  Maryland 
side  five  balls  had  passed  into  or  through  his  body.  The  last 
shot  struck  him  as  he  almost  made  the  shore  and  had  turned 
sideways  to  take  a  resentful  glance  at  his  persecutors.  Enter- 
ing his  cheek  it  passed  through  both  jaws,  between  the  tongue 
and  roof  of  the  mouth.  With  the  pluck  and  energy  of  des- 
peration, and  maddened  to  a  towering  rage,  he  vented  his 
anger  in  a  frightful  howl,  and  facing  squarely  about  gave  his 
enemies  the  last  shot  he  ever  fired  in  the  army,  for  his  wounds 
terminated  his  service,  but  not  his  life.  He  is  still  a  hearty, 
vigorous  man. 

Joe  Kiersted,  of  H,  was  an  uncouth,  rough,  turbulent  sort  of 
a  fellow,  but  without  bad  propensities  and  a  man  of  brave  and 
generous  impulse.  He  had  passed  safely  through  the  fight, 
and  successfully  made  the  passage  across  the  river.  As  he 
reached  the  bank  on  the  Maryland  side,  he  called  to  those 
around  him  that  Corporal  John  Monteith  was  still  upon  the 
other  side,  lying  seriously  wounded  near  the  edge  of  the  river, 
and  announced  a  half-formed  purpose  to  return  again  and 
bring  him  back.  The  Berdan  Sharpshooters,  overhearing  his 
remark  and  prompted  to  encourage  such  a  generous  intention, 
called  to  him,  *'  Go  it,  my  boy ;  try  it — we'll  cover  you.*'  Thus 
strengthened  in  his  kindly  purpose,  he  dashed  into  the  stream, 
and  was  soon  after  seen  bearing  his  wounded  comrade  back 
again.  He  successfully  landed  poor  Monteith  upon  the  shore, 
and  left  him  to  the  care  of  his  sympathizing  companions. 

Kiersted  served  with  his  regiment  until  1864,  when  he  was 
transferred  to  a  battery,  and  killed,  gallantly  fighting  with  his 
guns  at  Spotsylvania,  in  May  of  that  year. 

Monteith  had  an  ugly  wound  through  the  lungs.  He  had 
worthily  won  himself  into  favor,  and  was  universally  known 
and  appreciated  throughout  the  entire  command.     His  injuries 


—  73  — 

were  fatal ;  he  sunk  rapidly,  and  in  a  few  days  died  at  the  hos* 
pital  established  at  the  Episcopal  church  in  Sharpsburg. 

Sergeant  Joseph  Ashbrook,  of  Company  C,  was  among  the 
badly  wounded.  A  few  minutes  before  the  retreat  he  was  shot 
in  the  stomach.  Believing  that  he  was  fatally  hurt,  and  suffer- 
ing very  much,  he  sought  a  place  to  lie  down.  In  doing  this 
he  fell  half-way  down  the  bluff.  In  this  short  time  the  enemy 
had  advanced  to  the  edge  of  the  bluff  and  were  firing  down  on 
the  heads  of  our  retreating  men.  Sergeant  Ashbrook,  although 
disabled  by  his  wound  and  fall,  reached  the  river,  where  he  met 
Captain  Sharwood,  of  C,  who  advised  him  by  all  means  to 
escape  across  the  river.  With  difficulty  he  gained  the  slimy, 
half-submerged  dam,  and  while  near  the  Maryland  side  was 
again  shot,  the  ball  passing  through  his  left  thigh.  His  wounds 
were  so  serious  that  for  some  time  his  recovery  was  doubtful. 
After  an  absence  of  five  months  he  returned  to  the  regiment, 
joining  it  at  Falmouth.  He  had  not  entirely  recovered,  but 
was  induced  to  return  by  the  offer  of  a  second  lieutenancy  in 
recognition  of  his  gallantry  at  Shepherdstovvn.  He  was  after- 
wards promoted  to  a  first  lieutenancy,  and  finally  to  the  captaincy 
of  Company  H ;  and  was  brevetted  major,  to  date  from  July 
6,  1864,  **for  gallant  and  distinguished  services  at  the  battles  of 
the  Wilderness  and  Bethesda  Churcli,  Virginia,  and  during  the 
present  campaign  before  Richmond,  Virginia."  lie  also  served 
on  the  staff*  of  General  Bartlett,  commanding  the  3d  Brigade, 
1st  Division,  5th  Army  Corps;  and  as  ordnance-officer  on  the 
staff  of  General  Griffin,  commanding  1st  Division,  5th  Army 
Corps  ;  and  in  tlie  latter  position  was  detailed  to  receive  the 
surrendered  arms  at  Appomattox  Court-house. 

John  R.  White  was  first  sergeant  of  G.  It  had  with  it  but 
two  commissioned  officers,  Captain  Saunders  and  Lieutenant 
J.  R.  White,  both  of  whom  had  fallen  in  the  Shepherdstown 
action.  After  the  engagement  Sergeant  White  was  summoned 
to  corps  head-quarters,  where  General  Fitz-John  Porter,  after 
handsomely  commending  the  gallantry  of  the  regiment  for  the 
fight  it  had  made,  and  expressing  regret  at  the  severe  casualties 


-    74  — 

that  attended  it,  announced  to  him  that  as  he  had  been  recom- 
mended for  promotion  by  his  immediate  superiors,  he  would  at 
once  place  him  on  duty  as  second  lieutenant  It  was  a  rather 
unusual  distinction  to  be  placed  in  virtual  commission  before 
muster,  but  one  which  White  well  deserved,  and  which  he  sub- 
sequently proved  his  fitness  for  by  rising  to  the  rank  of  captain. 

The  announcement  of  the  death  of  poor  Rudhall  in  the  Phil- 
adelphia papers  threw  the  two  Whites  into  rather  curious 
confusion.  The  two  names  exactly  alike,  the  publication  of 
that  of  John  R.  White  among  the  list  of  killed,  brought  grief 
and  sorrow  to  the  home  of  the  survivor,  and  two  of  his  friends, 
anxious  to  secure  his  remains,  started  immediately  for  the  front, 
with  a  pine  box  prepared  for  their  reception.  They  made  the 
journey  with  fitting  gravity,  and  had  reached  Hagerstown  be- 
fore their  solemn  countenances  were  enlivened  with  the  infor- 
mation that  the  White  they  were  hunting  was  alive  and  well, 
and  would  be  decidedly  indisposed  to  tenant  the  contracted 
quarters  they  had  provided  for  him.  Abandoning  their  under- 
taker's accompaniment,  they  continued  their  journey  to  the 
regimental  camp,  where,  after  a  few  days  of  suitable  entertain- 
ment, they  returned,  well  satisfied  from  ocular  demonstration 
that  their  friend  needed  no  such  services  as  they  had  proposed 
to  render. 

The  battle  had  its  humorous  side  as  well.  In  the  early  part 
of  the  fight  one  of  the  members  of  Company  K  received  a  flesh 
wound  in  the  thigh.  The  members  of  the  company  were 
startled  by  a  yell  that  would  have  done  great  credit  to  an 
Apache,  and  the  beseeching  exclamation :  "  Oh !  Captain  Rick- 
etts!  Oh  !  Captain  Ricketts !  "  repeated  again  and  again.  Look- 
ing around  to  find  from  whom  the  exclamation  came,  the 
wounded  man  was  seen  holding  one  hand  upon  the  spot  where 
the  ball  had  struck,  while,  the  other  hand  meantime  waving 
wildly  in  the  air,  he  was  hopping  around  the  field  in  an  im- 
promptu war-dance  upon  one  foot,  occasionally  letting  the  other 
touch  the  ground.  The  boys,  who,  for  several  reasons,  did  not 
just  then  feel  especially  mirthful,  were  compelled  to  laugh  at 


—  75  — 

Ais  grotesque  and  singular  exhibition.  The  wound  was  a 
comparatively  slight  one. 

Another  member  of  Company  K,  John  Burke,  got  a  buck- 
shot in  his  leg.  He  went,  after  the  fight,  to  the  surgeon,  who 
extracted  the  shot  and  gave  him  a  quinine  pill.  **  What  shall 
I  do  with  it,  doctor  ?  "  said  John.   "  Shall  I  put  it  in  the  hole  ?  " 

A  captain  of  one  of  the  companies,  seeking  comforts  not  suit- 
able to  the  occasion,  during  the  fight  ensconced  himself  behind 
some  scrubby  bushes  near  the  top  of  the  bluff,  with  his  back 
to  the  regiment.  As  the  bullets  began  to  whistle  by  he  thought 
he  had  stirred  up  a  yellow-jacketV  nest.  Waving  his  sword  with 
one  hand,  shouting  at  the  same  time,  "  Give  it  to  them^  boys! " 
he  kept  the  other  hand  in  vigorous  and  unremittent  motion, 
broshing  the  supposed  yellow-jackets  away  from  his  face  and 


The  next  day,  Sunday,  the  sun  shone  brightly  and  the  soft 
air  of  early  autumn  caused  a  lassitude  peculiar  to  the  latitude 
and  location. 

It  was  too  soon  for  reminiscence,  but  thought  and  talk  ran 
free  and  full  of  the  stirring  moments  of  yesterday.  'There  was 
a  better  comprehension  of  the  individual  heroism  with  which 
all  had  so  nobly  borne  for  the  first  time  such  a  desperate  shock 
of  battle.  There  was  a  fuller  realization  of  the  loss  of  those 
who,  in  the  service  of  their  country,  the  fates  had  summoned 
thus  early  to  sacrifice  their  patriotic  lives. 

A  picket-detail  was  posted  upon  the  river-bank,  in  full  view 
of  the  bluff  on  the  opposite  shore  and  the  battle-ground.  Oc- 
casional shots  required  tact  and  activity  to  find  cover  from  ex- 
posure, or  called  for  careful  marksmanship  to  silence  the  more 
experienced  adversary.  The  silent  forms  of  the  dead,  killed  in 
the  fight,  were  in  plain  view.  It  was  a  sorrowful  sight.  The 
ground  being  within  the  enemy's  line,  there  was  no  opportunity 
to  effect  decent  burial  or  to  administer  comfort  and  consolation 
to  a  possibly  ebbing  life. 

An  incident  of  the  day,  unusual  in  the  story  of  wars,  is 
worthy  of  exhaustive  mention. 


-76- 

The  sensibilities  of  Lieutenant  Lemuel  L.  Crocker  had  been 
aroused  by  the  necessary  abandonment  of  the  dead  and 
wounded,  left  uncared  for  and  unattended  in  the  precipitate 
withdrawal.  He  entreated  Colonel  Barnes  so  earnestly  for 
permission  to  go  and  care  for  the  forsaken  ones,  that  the  col- 
onel, fully  comprehending  the  impropriety  of  the  request,  at 
last  reluctantly  consented  to  present  it  to  General  Fitz-John 
Porter,  the  corps  commander.  It  met  with  a  flat,  emphatic 
refusal.  There  was  no  communication  with  the  enemy,  and  it 
was  not  proposed  to  open  any.  War  was  war,  and  this  was 
neither  the  time  nor  the  occasion  for  sentiment  or  sympathy. 
But  Crocker  was  not  to  be  deterred  in  his  errand  of  mercy, 
and,  in  positive  disregard  of  instructions,  proceeded  delib- 
erately, fully  accoutred  with  sword,  belt  and  pistol,  to  cross  the 
river  at  the  breast  of  the  dam.  It  was  a  novel  spectacle  for  an 
officer,  armed  with  all  he  was  entitled  to  carry,  to  thus  com- 
mence a  lonesome  advance  against  a  whole  army  corps.  Bound 
upon  an  unauthorized  mission  of  peace  and  humanity,  a  little 
experience  might  have  taught  him  his  reception  would  have 
been  more  cordial  if  he  had  left  his  weapons  at  home.  Still,  it 
was  Crocker's  heart  at  work,  and  its  honest,  manly  beats  bade 
him  face  the  danger. 

He  found  the  bodies  of  Saunders,  Ricketts  and  Moss,  and 
Private  Mishaw  badly  wounded,  but  still  alive.  He  was  bearing 
them,  one  by  one,  upon  his  shoulders  to  the  river-bank,  when  he 
was  suddenly  interrupted  by  an  orderly  from  General  Porter,  who 
informed  him  that  he  was  instructed  to  direct  him  to  return  at 
once  or  he  would  order  a  battery  to  shell  him  out.  His  reply 
was  :  "  Shell  and  be  damned !  "  He  didn't  propose  to  return 
until  the  full  purpose  of  his  undertaking  had  been  accom- 
plished. 

The  orderly  thus  abruptly  disposed  of,  he  continued  his 
operations,  when  he  was  again  interrupted  by  an  authority 
which,  if  it  failed  to  command  respect,  could  enforce  obedience. 
He  had  carried  all  the  bodies  to  the  bank,  and  was  returning 
for  the  wounded  Mishaw,  when  a  Confederate  general — whom 


—  77  — 

Crocker  always  thought  was  Lee,  but  in  this  he  was  evidently 
mistaken — accompanied  by  a  numerous  staff,  came  upon  the 
ground.  An  aide-de-camp  rode  up,  inquiring,  with  some 
asperity — explaining  that  no  flag  of  truce  was  in  operation — 
as  to  who  and  what  he  was,  his  purpose  in  being  there,  and  by 
whose  authority. 

Crocker's  work,  which  he  had  conducted  wholly  himself,  had 
put  him  in  a  sorry  plight.  He  was  of  large  frame,  muscular, 
and  finely  proportioned.  He  had  carried  the  bodies  over  his 
left  shoulder  and  was  absolutely  covered  with  blood  and  dirt, 
almost  unrecognizable  as  a  soldier,  and  his  voice  and  form  alone 
indicated  his  manhood.  His  reply  was  prompt  and  ingenu- 
ous :  he  had  been  refused  permission  to  cross  by  his  corps 
commander,  to  whom  he  had  made  his  purpose  known ;  the 
dead  and  wounded  of  the  regiment  that  fought  on  that  ground 
yesterday  were  of  the  blood  of  Philadelphia's  best  citizens,  and, 
regardless  of  the  laws  of  war  and  the  commands  of  his  supe- 
riors, he  was  of  opinion  that  humanity  and  decency  demanded 
that  they  be  properly  cared  for,  which,  no  one  else  attempting, 
he  had  determined  to  risk  the  consequences  and  discharge  the 
duty  himself  The  simph'city  and  earnestness  of  this  reply 
prompted  the  further  interrogation  as  to  how  long  he  had  been 
in  the  service.  "  Twenty  day^s,"  responded  Crocker.  The 
gentle  *'  I  thought  so  "  from  the  lips  of  the  veteran  general 
showed  that  the  ingenuousness  and  sincerity  had  wholly  cap- 
tured him.  He  bade  him  continue  his  labors  until  they  were 
fully  completed,  pointed  out  a  boat  on  the  shore  that  he  could 
utilize  to  ferr>^  his  precious  freight  across  the  stream,  and  sur- 
rounded the  field  with  a  cordon  of  cavalry  patrols  to  protect 
him  from  further  molestation  or  interruption. 

Hut  Crocker  had  a  host  of  troubles  to  face  upon  his  return. 
He  had  openly  violated  the  positive  conmiands  of  his  superior; 
he  had  been  sliamefully  insulting  to  the  messenger  who  bore 
his  superior's  instructions,  and  had  acted  in  utter  disregard  of 
well-known  laws  governinjj^  armies  confronting  each  other. 
Still,  there  was  something  about  the  whole  affair  so  honest,  so 


-78- 

earnest,  and  so  true,  that  there  was  a  disposition  to  temporize 
with  the  stern  demands  of  discipline.  And  he  had  fully  accom- 
plished his  purpose — all  the  bodies  and  the  wounded  man  were 
safely  landed  on  the  Maryland  side.  However,  he  was-promptly 
arrested. 

Colonel  Barnes,  who  had  watched  him  through  all  his  oper- 
ations, was  the  first  of  his  superiors  who  was  prompted  to  leni- 
ency, and  he  accompanied  him  to  corps  head-quarters  to  inter- 
cede in  his  behalf.  They  were  ushered  into  the  presence  of 
General  Porter,  who,  shocked  at  such  a  wholesale  accumulation 
of  improprieties,  and  angered  to  a  high  tension  by  such  positive 
disobediences,  proceeded,  in  short  and  telling  phrases,  to  explain 
the  law  and  regulations — all  of  which,  if  Crocker  didn't  know 
before  he  started,  he  had  had  full  opportunity  to  gather  in  dur- 
ing his  experiences. 

Then  followed  moments  of  painful  silence,  and  the  general 
inquired  whether  he  had  seen  a  gun  which  the  regulars  had 
left  upon  the  other  side  the  day  before,  and  if  so,  what  was  the 
likelihood  of  its  recovery.  Crocker  replied  that  he  had  not, 
.  but  had  noticed  a  caisson,  and  that  he  did  not  consider  it  likely 
it  would  ever  come  back.  Returning  to  the  subject,  the  general 
continued  his  reproof;  but,  considering  his  inexperience,  un- 
questioned courage,  and  evident  good  intentions,  he  finally 
yielded,  concluding  that  the  reprimand  was  sufficient  punish- 
ment, and  released  him  from  arrest  and  restored  him  to  duty. 

As  incidents  in  Crocker's  career  appear  from  time  to  time 
through  these  pages,  it  will  be  noted  that  these  early  manifesta- 
tions of  his  daring,  pluck  and  energy  intensified  as  the  years 
grew  and  the  occasions  thickened. 

The  following  from  the  pen  of  Joseph  Meehan,  of  Company 
A,  is  quaintly  and  truthfully  earnest.  So  honest  a  description 
of  a  battle  experience  has  rarely  appeared : 

"Towards  evening  on  the  19th  our  colonel  rode  up  to  our 
front  and  called  for  fifty  volunteers  to  take  a  rebel  battery, 
across  the  river,  five  being  wanted  from  each  company.  I  re- 
sponded the  second  man  from  my  company.     I  gave  my  watch 


JOSEPH    UEEBAN,   CO.   A. 


and  purse  to  our  sergeant  to  keep  for  me,  my  kit  to  a  comrade,  ' 
and,  with  a  general  hand-shaking  all  around,  we  were  off. 

"  Clearing  a  woods  between  us  and  the  river,  we  found  our 
artillery  posted  facing  the  river.  We  had  a  good  step  to  go 
through  an  open  field  before  gaining  the  river.  The  artillery 
opened  over  our  heads,  under  cover  of  which  we  reached  the 
river-bank,  receiving  a  volley  from  the  enemy's  infantry  on  the 


ALBERT    H,   WALTERS,  CAPTAIN    AND    BKE VET- MAJOR. 


opposite  side  as  we  adv;inced,  which,  however,  did  us  no  harm. 
Wading  a  canal  knee-deep  in  water,  we  laid  flat  on  the  ground, 
as  the  rebel  pickets  were  firing  across  at  us.  Waiting  this  way 
perhaps  half  an  hour,  word  came  to  us  that  the  battery  had 
been  captured  by  another  body  of  troops  acting  in  conjunction 
with  us,  and  we  returned  quietly  to  camp.  Our  colonel  made 
a  complimentary  speech  to  us  on  our  behavior,  and  took  a  list 
of  those  who  had  volunteered. 

"As  this  was  my  first  time  actually  under  infantry  fire,  I  was 
greatly  excited.     My  feelings  are  hard  to  describe.     When 


—  8i  — 

walking  across  the  open  field,  with  the  artillery  firing  overhead 
and  the  rebels  firing  at  us,  I  felt  afraid.  My  heart  beat  tumult- 
uously.  1  thought  I  might  be  killed,  and  had  no  wish  to  die. 
I  longed  to  live,  and  thought  myself  a  fool  for  voluntarily  plac- 
ing myself  in  the  army.  Yet  I  had  no  idea  at  all  of  turning 
back.  My  feelings  were,  that  if  ordered  to  go  on,  I  would  go, 
but  gladly  would  I  have  welcomed  the  order,  'About  face.' 
By  the  time  the  river  was  reached  I  was  much  calmer,  the  dread 
was  working  off  me,  and  while  not  eager,  as  I  had  been  to  start, 
I  felt  that  if  we  crossed  the  river  and  charged  the  rebels  I  could 
do  what  the  rest  could. 

"  The  next  day,  the  20th  of  September,  ushered  in  Shepherds- 
town,  a  name  that  will  never  be  forgotten  by  those  of  the  i  i8th 
who  were  there.  I  had  gone  with  my  tent-mate,  Fairbrother, 
for  water,  a  distance  of  nearly  a  mile.  On  our  return  to  camp, 
about  9  A.  M.,  we  found  the  regiment  just  moving.  We  had 
barely  time  to  put  on  our  knapsacks  and  fall  into  line  witli  the 
rest 

"  Reaching  the  Potomac,  many  of  us  took  off  our  shoes  and 
stockings  and  rolled  up  our  pants;  others  did  not.  When 
nearly  across  I  began  to  hear  stray  shots  on  the  rebel  side, 
which  continued  as  we  advanced.  My  first  knowledge  of  im- 
mediate danger  came  when  forming  on  the  rebel  shore.  Lieu- 
tenant Wilson  admonished  us  to  be  sure  and  pay  attention  to 
our  officers'  orders,  and  all  would  be  well.  Turning  to  the 
right,  we  hurried  a  short  distance,  then  taking  a  turn  to  the 
left  ascended  a  hill  by  the  aid  of  low  bushes  which  grew  on  the 
slope,  reaching  the  top  of  a  high  bluff.  Here  we  found  firing 
already  going  on  between  our  skirmishers  and  the  rebels.  Our 
boys  began  to  look  very  serious  indeed.  I  did  not  feel  one  bit 
alarmed.  My  little  experience  of  the  previous  night,  I  suppose, 
took  fear  from  nie.  I  remember  distinctly  the  feeling  of  indif- 
ference, so  different  from  the  evening  before.  I  can  truly  say 
that  at  no  time  during  the  fight  which  came  had  I  the  least  fear, 
or  desire  to  turn  back. 

"  We  were  soon  formed  in  line  of  battle  along  the  crest  of  the 

6 


—  82   — 

bluff  We  at  first  knelt  down,  then  in  a  little  while  advanced  a 
few  steps.  The  rebels  were  now  in  full  view,  dodging  about 
behind  the  trees  and  running  along  by  a  rail  fence  a  good  dis- 
tance ofT.  About  this  time  our  orderly-sergeant  got  off  his  first 
shot ;  my  own  immediately  followed,  the  second  in  our  com- 
pany.    The  rebel  fire  and  our  own  now  became  brisk. 

"  There  was  considerable  confusion  among  our  men  and  much 
noise,  from  the  suddenness  with  which  we  found  ourselves  called 
into  a  brisk  fight  A  cry  reached  me  about  this  time  to  fix 
bayonets.  Who  gave  it  I  do  not  know.  I  shouted  the  order 
loudly  to  those  about  me.  Captain  O'Neil,  who  was  near  me, 
asked  me  what  I  said.  I  replied :  *  They  are  calling  to  fix  bay- 
onets.' He  raised  his  voice  and  called  out :  '  Fix  bayonets ;  * 
but  there  were  but  few  besides  myself  who  did  it.  The  rebels 
were  now  approaching  quite  close.  I  had  broken  the  nipple 
of  my  gun  and  had  picked  up  another  gun  lying  near  me,  but, 
as  with  the  first  one,  I  had  great  trouble  in  getting  it  to  go  oflF. 
It  made  me  very  angry ;  I  felt  that  I  would  give  all  the  world 
to  be  able  to  shoot  the  advancing  foe.  I  had  fired  but  about  a 
half-dozen  shots,  when  as  many  again  could  have  been  got  off 
had  the  guns  been  good  for  anything. 

"  I  had  taken  a  pin  out  and  cleaned  the  nipple,  and  had 
raised  my  rifle  for  a  shot  when  I  felt  what  seemed  like  a  blow 
with  a  heavy  fist  on  my  left  shoulder  from  behind.  I  did  not 
realize  at  first  that  I  was  shot,  feeling  no  particular  pain,  but  my 
almost  useless  arm  soon  told  me  what  it  was.  I  called  to  our 
orderly-sergeant  that  I  was  shot.  He  made  no  reply,  probably 
not  understanding  me. 

"  I  then  took  my  first  look  back  of  me,  and  found  myself 
very  nearly  alone.  Two  wounded  men,  McElroy  and  Tibben, 
of  Company  A,  were  right  behind  me  on  the  ground.  I  passed 
them  both,  and  began  to  descend  the  hill  with  numerous  others. 
There  was  great  disorder.  About  half-way  down,  among  the 
brush,  an  officer  was  trying  to  stem  the  tide  of  descent.  I  slid 
down  the  slope,  with  my  one  free  arm  to  aid  me,  and  reaching 
the  road  at  the  bottom  of  the  blufl  ran  a  short  distance  till  I 


Ml 

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bIt'I^b 

^^Uyj^rW  K 

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-  84  - 

came  to  three  archways  in  the  hill.  Into  the  first  of  these  I  got 
for  protection.  Two  other  wounded  men  were  there  and  three 
others,  one  of  whom  was  John  Bray,  one  of  my  tent-mates. 
Our  artillery  at  this  time  was  sheUing  the  heights  to  cover  our 
retreat.  The  shells  fell  short,  and  one  of  them  exploded  in  the 
archway  next  to  me,  tearing  almost  off  the  leg  of  Corporal 
James  Wilson,  who  was  therein  for  shelter. 

"  Those  of  us  who  were  in  the  arches  did  not  know  what  to 
do.  The  shells  seemed  directed  at  us,  they  struck  the  bluff 
above  us,  and  sent  the  stones  down  in  our  front  Many 
splashed  in  the  water  alongside  of  us.  Expecting  to  be  hit 
every  minute,  some  of  my  companions  deemed  it  safer  to  sur- 
render to  the  rebels,  and  actually  fixed  a  white  handkerchief  to  a 
bayonet,  and  started  to  go  up  the  hill  again,  but  they  changed 
their  minds. 

"  From  our  retreat  we  witnessed  a  scene  of  great  excitement 
Men  were  trying  to  get  across  the  river,  the  bullets  dropping 
about  them  like  hail.  One  or  two  were  swimming,  as  being  a 
safer  plan.  A  breakwater  ran  across  the  river  near  us,  and  it 
contained  many  dead  and  wounded  men.  Nearly  all  of  our 
party  left  to  go  across  when  the  firing  slackened,  except  the 
wounded  men. 

"  A  tribute  here  should  be  given  to  John  Bray,  who  when 
asked  if  he  was  going,  refused  to  go,  saying  he  wodld  stay  with 
the  wounded  men.  A  little  later  he  and  I  determined  to  try 
it,  first  getting  for  poor  Wilson  a  canteen  of  water  from  the 
river,  he  asking, '  in  God's  name,'  for  a  drink  of  water.  Look- 
ing at  my  own  canteen  here,  I  found  it,  too,  had  been  hit,  a  ball 
having  struck  it  with  force  enough  to  make  a  hole  in  one  side, 
but  not  going  clean  through.  With  Bray  helping  me  on  my 
wounded  side,  we  struck  into  the  river.  We  passed  many 
dead  and  some  who  were  but  wounded.  One  man  asked  us. 
again  in  God's  naipe,  for  help,  which  we  could  not  render. 
Near  our  own  side  of  the  river  we  passed  one  who  was  com- 
pletely under  water.  We  raised  his  head  above  the  water, 
when  voices  from  our  side  bid  us  to  hurry  over  at  once. 


-  85  - 

**  We  got  across  safely,  and  I  was  put  into  a*  temporary  shed 
with  other  wounded  men,  and  later  in  the  day,  assisted  by 
comrades  Evans  and  Scout,  taken  to  an  ambulance,  which 
tianq)orted  me  and  two  others  to  Sharpsburg,  where  a  church 
had  been  turned  into  a  hospital  for  the  wounded  men." 

Dr.  Joseph  Thomas  thus  graphically  describes  his  experience 
widiin  the  enemy's  lines  immediately  after  tiie  Shepherdstoum 
affiur: 

**  On  the  afternoon  following  the  day  of  the  fight,  soon  after 
Crocker  had  brought  the  dead  bodies  of  the  officers  over,  on 
going  down  to  the  river  near  the  dam,  I  heard  the  cries  of  the 
wounded  on  the  other  side,  still  lying  upon  the  battle-field  and 
calling  for  help.  I  resolved  to  go  over  and  render  them  aid. 
Taking  with  me  a  companion  (one  of  the  hospital  attendants), 
supplied  with  bandages  and  case  of  instruments,  I  went  across 
tiie  dam  without  let  or  hindrance,  except  the  splash  of  a  few 
rifle4ialls  in  the  water  a  distance  off,  fired  by  our  own  pickets. 
I  discovered  several  dead  men  of  our  regiment  still  lying  on 
die  broken  breastwork  of  the  dam.  Reaching  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river,  back  of  the  mill,  we  proceeded  up  the  ravine 
until  we  came  to  the  plateau  above.  Here  a  considerable 
number  of  the  killed  still  lay,  and  the  wounded  that  had 
screamed  for  help. 

"There  were,  perhaps,  a  score  of  them,  so  badly  injured  as 
to  be  incapable  of  locomotion  or  movement  We  washed  and 
bathed  their  wounds,  supplied  them  with  water,  administered  a 
dose  of  anodyne,  and  promised  to  have  them  removed  as  soon 
as  possible. 

"  While  we  were  engaged  at  this  work,  a  mounted  vidette 
came  up,  and  inquired  our  business  there  and  authority. 
Pointing  to  my  green  sash  and  case  of  instruments,  I  answered, 
•  Can't  you  see  that  we  are  surgeons  attending  to  the  wounded  ?* 
He  replied,  'All  right ;  go  on,  and  when  you  are  through  here 
I  will  conduct  you  to  the  rear  some  distance,  to  a  house; 
where  you  will  find  more  of  your  wounded.*  I  agreed  to 
accompany  him.   Then,  following  him  along  a  pathway  through 


—  86  — 

the  dense  undergrowth  (I  should  say  half  a  mile),  we  came  to 
a  house.  Here  we  found  some  twenty  men,  nearly  half  of 
them  being  rebel  soldiers,  and  the  rest  of  our  regiment, 
wounded,  but  not  severely.  They  all  appeared  happy  and  very 
friendly. 

"  On  inquiring  whether  they  had  any  food,  they  pointed  to  a 
kettle  over  the  fire  containing  a  chicken  and  some  potatoes 
cooking,  and  answered :  *  We  are  domg  well  enough.'  The 
Johnnies  spoke  up,  and  said :  '  We  will  take  care  of  the  boys 
when  we  find  them  unarmed  and  wounded,  as  brothers,  but 
when  they  come  with  arms  in  their  hands,  we  are  always  ready 
to  meet  them.* 

"We  left  them  and  returned  under  the  guidance  of  the 
vidette,  who  appeared  a  very  kind-hearted  fellow.  We  came 
back  from  the  plateau  on  the  right,  reaching  the  Shepherdstown 
road,  approached  the  dam,  passed  through  the  rapid  sluice 
with  effort,  recrossed  the  river  and  reported  our  experience. 
An  effort  was  made  to  have  the  wounded  brought  over.  This 
was  done  that  evening  or  next  morning,  under  a  flag  of  truce." 

The  narrative  of  Sergeant   H.  T.  Peck's  experience  as  a 

■ 

prisoner  of  war,  subsequent  to  his  Shepherdstown  capture,  he 
relates  urith  telling  effect. 

"After  the  engagement  of  September  20th,  the  prisoners 
were  detained  several  hours  by  the  rebels  in  a  little  grove  half 
a  mile  north  of  the  battle-field  and  on  a  road  leading  from 
Shepherdstown.  None  of  the  rebel  main  body  was  seen  by  us, 
only  the  guard,  a  company  of  about  fifty  men,  and  General 
Hill,  who  came,  with  his  staff  and  escort,  to  look  at  us.  To- 
wards evening  we  were  marched  several  miles  away,  where  we 
remained  in  a  woods  till  next  afternoon,  Sunday.  In  the  morn- 
ing a  portion  of  Stonewall  Jackson's  corps  encamped  near 
us,  and  we  had  nearly  all  day  a  constant  stream  of  gray- 
coated  visitors,  who  were  very  good-natured  in  their  inter- 
course. 

"  The  rebel  troops  were  remarkably  orderly.  Religious  ser- 
vices in  the  afternoon  were  largely  attended  by  them,  if  it  is 


-87- 

proper  to  judge  by  the  volume  of  voices  heard  singing  Meth- 
odist hymn-tunes  in  several  parts  of  their  camp.  Late  in  the 
day  we  were  marched  some  five  or  six  miles  confoimably  with 
a  movement  of  the  rebel  corps. 

"  Our  men  were  subsisting  on  the  food  they  had  ifi  haver- 
sacks at  the  time  of  the  battle,  together  with  what  com  *  pone  * 
they  could  buy  from  the  rebel  soldiers.  Some  who  were  with- 
out money  went  a  little  short  of  food,  but  there  was  no  suflfer- 
mg  at  all,  the  luckier  ones  dividing  with  the  others  quite  lib- 
erally. In  the  morning,  Monday,  rations  of  wheat  flour  and 
bacon  were  issued  to  us.  The  latter  was  very  acceptable  and 
useful.  The  flour,  though  good  in  quality,  was  entirdy  useless 
to  our  men  since  they,  unlike  the  Confederates,  were  without 
skill  in  cooking  it  and  had  no  opportunity  of  trading  it  for 
bread  or  meat. 

"  Shortly  after  receiving  rations  we  commenced  our  march 
to  Winchester.  Reaching  Martinsburg  at  about  ten  o'clock, 
we  passed  first  through  the  better  part  of  the  town.  Few  men 
were  to  be  seen,  but  many  of  the  women  came  to  their  doors 
or  windows  to  see  us  pass  and  fling  at  us  bitter  exclamations. 
We  were  called  Yankee  devils,  murderers  and  thieves,  and  our 
guard  was  begged  to  strangle  or  shoot  us.  It  was  the  young 
ladies  esfK.*cially  who  fired  at  us  this  quality  of  animosity.  At 
the  other  end  of  the  town,  the  locality  of  more  humble  homes, 
our  reception  was  materially  different.  Women  and  children 
came  to  us  from  all  directions  with  a  profusion  of  lunches  of 
bread  and  meat  and  cakes,  and  in  many  instances  with  jars  of 
preserves,  their  choicest  dainties,  which  they  really  could  ill 
afford  to  part  with.  The  guards  offered  no  objection  to  these 
contributions,  and  indeed  congratulated  us  on  our  good  luck. 

**  These  women  belonged  to  the  families  of  mechanics  em- 
ployed mostly  in  the  extensive  railroad  shops  located  liere,  and 
were  presumably  from  the  North. 

"  While  halted  a  few  miles  out  of  Martinsburg,  a  mounted 
Confederate,  a  guerilla  probably,  got  into  some  dispute  with 
one  of  our  men,  drew  his  pistol  and  made  such  earnest  threats 


—  86  — 

the  dense  undergrowth  (I  should  say  half  a  mile),  we  came  to 
a  house.  Here  we  found  some  twenty  men,  nearly  half  of 
them  being  rebel  soldiers,  and  the  rest  of  our  regiment, 
wounded,  but  not  severely.  They  all  appeared  happy  and  very 
friendly. 

"  On  inquiring  whether  they  had  any  food,  they  pointed  to  a 
kettle  over  the  fire  containing  a  chicken  and  some  potatoes 
cookmg,  and  answered :  *  We  are  domg  well  enough.'  The 
Johnnies  spoke  up,  and  said  :  '  We  will  take  care  of  the  boys 
when  we  find  them  unarmed  and  wounded,  as  brothers,  but 
when  they  come  with  arms  in  their  hands,  we  are  always  ready 
to  meet  them.* 

"We  left  them  and  returned  under  the  guidance  of  the 
vidette,  who  appeared  a  very  kind-hearted  fellow.  We  came 
back  from  the  plateau  on  the  right,  reaching  the  Shepherdstown 
road,  approached  the  dam,  passed  through  the  rapid  sluice 
with  effort,  recrossed  the  river  and  reported  our  experience. 
An  effort  was  made  to  have  the  wounded  brought  over.  This 
was  done  that  evening  or  next  morning,  under  a  flag  of  truce.*' 

The  narrative  of  Sergeant  H.  T.  Peck's  experience  as  a 
prisoner  of  war,  subsequent  to  his  Shepherdstown  capture,  he 
relates  with  telling  effect. 

"After  the  engagement  of  September  20th,  the  prisoners 
were  detained  several  hours  by  the  rebels  in  a  little  grove  half 
a  mile  north  of  the  battle-field  and  on  a  road  leading  from 
Shepherdstown.  None  of  the  rebel  main  body  was  seen  by  us, 
only  the  guard,  a  company  of  about  fifty  men,  and  General 
Hill,  who  came,  with  his  staff  and  escort,  to  look  at  us.  To- 
wards evening  we  were  marched  several  miles  away,  where  we 
remained  in  a  woods  till  next  afternoon,  Sunday.  In  the  morn- 
ing a  portion  of  Stonewall  Jackson's  corps  encamped  near 
us,  and  we  had  nearly  all  day  a  constant  stream  of  gray- 
coated  visitors,  who  were  very  good-natured  in  their  inter- 
course. 

"  The  rebel  troops  were  remarkably  orderly.  Religious  ser- 
vices in  the  afternoon  were  largely  attended  by  them,  if  it  is 


-  87- 

proper  to  judge  by  Ae  volume  of  voices  heard  singing  Meth- 
odist  hymn-tunes  in  several  parts  of  their  camp.  Late  in  the 
day  we  were  marched  some  five  or  six  miles  conformably  with 
a  movement  of  the  rebel  corps. 

"  Our  men  were  subsisting  on  the  food  they  had  iti  haver- 
sacks at  the  time  of  the  battle,  together  with  what  com  *  pone  * 
they  could  buy  from  the  rebel  soldiers.  Some  who  were  with- 
out money  went  a  little  short  of  food,  but  there  was  no  suffer- 
ing at  all,  the  luckier  ones  dividing  with  the  others  quite  lib- 
erally. In  the  morning,  Monday,  rations  of  wheat  flour  and 
bacon  were  issued  to  us.  The  latter  was  very  acceptable  and 
useful.  The  flour,  though  good  in  quality,  was  entirely  useless 
to  our  men  since  they,  unlike  the  Confederates,  were  without 
skill  in  cooking  it  and  had  no  opportunity  of  trading  it  for 
bread  or  meat 

"  Shortly  after  receiving  rations  we  commenced  our  march 

to  Winchester.     Reaching  Martinsburg  at  about  ten  o'clock, 

we  passed  first  through  the  better  part  of  the  town.     Few  men 

were  to  be  seen,  but  many  of  the  women  came  to  their  doors 

or  windows  to  see  us  pass  and  fling  at  us  bitter  exclamations. 

We  were  called  Yankee  devils,  murderers  and  thieves,  and  our 

guard  was  begged  to  strangle  or  shoot  us.     It  was  the  young 

ladies  especially  who  fired  at  us  this  quality  of  animosity.     At 

the  other  end  of  the  town,  the  locality  of  more  humble  homes, 

our  reception  was  materially  different.     Women  and  children 

came  to  us  from  all  directions  with  a  profusion  of  lunches  of 

bread  and  meat  and  cakes,  and  in  many  instances  with  jars  of 

preserves,  their  choicest  dainties,  which  they  really  could  ill 

aflfbrd  to  part  with.     The  guards  offered  no  objection  to  these 

contributions,  and  indeed  congratulated  us  on  our  good  luck. 

"  These  women  belonged  to  the  families  of  mechanics  em- 
ployed mostly  in  the  extensive  railroad  shops  located  liere,  and 
were  presumably  from  the  North. 

••  While  halted  a  few  miles  out  of  Martinsburg,  a  mounted 
Confederate,  a  guerilla  probably,  got  into  some  dispute  with 
one  of  our  men,  drew  his  pistol  and  made  such  earnest  threats 


—  88  — 

to  use  it,  the  captain  of  our  guard  ordered  some  of  his  men  to 
cover  the  braggart  with  their  muskets,  which,  we  felt  assured, 
he  would  have  had  used  if  the  guerilla  had  injured  any  of  our 
party. 

"  While  halted  for  rest  near  the  town  of  Bunker  Hill,  a  rebel 
band,  out  of  sight,  but  near  by  in  the  woods,  gave  us  a  surprise, 
probably  more  pleasant  than  they  imagined,  by  playing  the 
Star  Spangled  Banner. 

"  In  Winchester  we  were  consigned  to  the  court-house  and 
the  inclosure  between  it  and  the  street.  There  was  already  in 
these  precincts  a  crowd  of  some  300  rebels,  stragglers,  con- 
scripts and  the  riff-raff  a  provost-guard  can  pick  up — a  miser- 
able lot — who  did  not  fraternize  with  our  men,  and  who  were  so 
filthy  in  clothing  and  habits  that  our  men  remained  of  choice 
in  the  open  yard  without  tents  or  blankets,  even  during  nights 
of  hoarfrost,  to  avoid  contact  with  those  in  the  court-house, 
which  we  were  otherwise  free  to  occupy. 

"  Rations  issued  to  us  here  were  raw  beef  and  flour,  but  no 
arrangements  were  provided  for  cooking — not  even  a  stick  of 
wood  for  fire.  At  our  request  the  officer  of  the  guard  per- 
mitted one  of  our  non-commissioned  officers  to  go,  under 
guard,  about  the  town  to  bargain  for  the  cooking  of  the  food. 
A  baker  traded  us  bread,  pound  for  pound,  for  flour,  and  a 
woman  engaged  to  boil  the  beef  for  a  moderate  sum  of  money, 
which  we  collected  from  our  party.  In  the  beef-boiling  trans- 
action our  contract  turned  out  to  be  imperfect ;  the  agreement 
on  the  part  of  the  female  was  to  boil  the  meat.  It  was  boiled, 
but  so  thoroughly  no  two  shreds  of  it  would  hold  together. 
There  was  probably  a  good  profit  in  the  soup  from  a  hundred 
and  fifty  pounds  of  beef.  Our  allowance  from  the  rebel  com- 
missary was  a  pound  of  flour  and  half  a  pound  of  meat  per 
day. 

"  Every  afternoon  while  we  were  here  a  neatly-dressed  mu- 
latto girl  came  to  the  court-house  yard  with  a  large  loaf  of 
bread,  a  lump  of  butter  and  a  kettle  of  two  or  three  gallons  of 
delicious  soup.     She  invariably  delivered  the  gift  te  one  of  our 


-89- 

sergeants,  who  most  probably  had  been  pointed  out  to  her  as 
we  passed  through  the  street  on  our  way  to  the  court-house  as 
a  proper  person  to  receive  it.  The  girl  could  not  be  induced 
to  tell  the  sergeant  who  sent  the  food,  saying :  *  I  darsent  tell 
her  name  for  fear  of  these  (rebel)  soldiers,  but  my  missis  sends 
it/  It  was  hoped  the  Union  lady  learned  from  the  rather 
stupid  girl  how  more  than  thankful  we  were  for  her  timely  and 
touching  gift. 

"  One  morning  a  young  lady  we  had  frequently  noticed  as 
the  recipient  of  many  attentions  from  Confederate  officers 
came  to  the  railing  and,  calling  to  one  of  our  party,  said :  '  Ser- 
geant, you  are  to  be  paroled  in  a  few  days  (this  was  our  earliest 
report  about  it)  and  sent  home.  I  wish,  if  you  see  General 
Shields  when  you  return,  you  would  give  him  Belle  Boyd's 
compliments,  and  say  she  would  be  happy  to  see  him  in  the 
valley  again.' 

"  Owing  to  restricted  diet  and  exposure,  without  any  cover- 
ing whatever  from  the  frosty  night  air,  all  of  our  men  suffered 
more  or  less  with  dysentery.  No  medical  attention  was  offered 
them.  Their  previous  robust  health,  however,  and  the  hope  of 
soon  getting  back  to  our  own  lines,  kept  them  up,  and  not 
one  became  helpless. 

"  For  one  or  two  nights  we  had  small  but  very  hot  fires 
made  of  beef  bones,  which  we  found  burn  surprisingly  well. 
On  the  morning  we  were  sent  away  we  were  brought  into  the 
court-house,  one  by  one,  to  sign  the  following  parole  paper: 

*•  I, ,  do  solemnly  swear  that  I  will   not  do  or  undertake  any  act  or  exert 

any  inflence  in  favor  of  or  for  the  advnntacjc  of  the  United  States;  or  against  the 
government  of  the  Confederate  States;  and  that  I  will  not  divulge  anything  that 
I  have  seen  or  heard,  or  may  see  or  hear,  to  the  prejudice  of  the  Confederate 
States;  or  engage  in  any  military  act  whatsoever  during  the  present  war  until 
regularly  included  in  an  authorized  exchange  of  prisoners, 

*•  Sworn   before  mc  this  29th  day  of  September,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one 

thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty-two,  at  Winchester,  Virginia. 

••  Major  W.  Kyle. 
•*  By  order  of  Gkneral  Kohfrt  E.  Lek. 

**  To  one  who  signed  nearly  the  last,  the  rebel  captain  having 


—  90  — 

the  document  remarked : '  Why,  I  find  all  your  men  can  write 
their  own  names.' 

"  We  marched  out  of  Winchester  at  9  or  10  in  the  morning, 
and  soon  reached  the  hills  to  the  eastward ;  thence  all  the  way 
to  Harper's  Ferry  we  passed  through  a  country  very  beautiful 
in  a  dress  of  early  autumn  foliage.  We  were  pushed  on  at 
a  rapid  gait,  as  our  guard  was  at  this  time  a  detachment  of 
mounted  men,  but,  having  no  load  to  carry,  we  were  not  inor- 
dini^ly  fatigued.     We  bivouacked  beside  a  mountain  stream 


ADJUTANT  JAMES  P.  PEROT. 

and  resumed  the  march  early  in  the  morning,  passing  through 
Charlestown,  of  John  Brown  fame.  We  came  to  our  outposts, 
a  short  distance  from  Harper's  Ferry,  late  in  the  afternoon.  A 
flag  of  truce  was  sent  in  and  we  were  promptly  transferred  to 
the  Federal  commandant  of  pickets." 

One  personal  incident,  however,  appears  to  have  escaped 
Peck.     While  idling  away  his  time  as  a  prisoner,  he  picked  up 


—  91  — 

a  stray  cap  of  the  regiment,  abandoned  upon  the  battle-6eld. 
Removing  a  metal  figure  "  1 "  from  its  front,  he  placed  it 
opposite  the  regimental  number  on  his  own,  thus  increasing  the 
numerals  to  the  enormous  size  of  1 1 1 8.  It  was  deftly  done 
and  calculated  to  make  even  a  close  observer  believe  that  the 
figures  had  all  been  placed  there  at  one  time  and  were  intended 
to  mean  what  they  purported.  These  extravagant  figures  soon 
attracted  attention.  A  Confederate  officer,  startled  at  their 
high  proportions,  inquired  earnestly  from  what  State  the  wearer 
of  the  cap  hailed.  "  Pennsylvania,**  was  the  prompt  reply. 
"  Great  heavens !  "  he  exclaimed  ;  "  is  Pennsylvania  running 
into  the  thousands  >  With  that  State  alone  with  i ,  1 1 8  regiments 
in  the  field,  how  can  the  poop  Confederacy  ever  expect  to  suc- 
ceed!'* And  he  strolled  on,  apparently,  for  the  moment  at 
least,  yielding  to  the  deception. 

The  following  incident  from  the  pen  of  Major  Henry  Kyd 
Douglass,  formerly  of  Stonewall  Jackson*s  staff,  is  of  intense 
interest  and  connects  itself  in  proper  sequence  with  matters 
incident  to  Shepherdstown. 

"  Several  weeks  after  the  battle  of  Antietam,  when  our  head- 
quarters were  at  Bunker  Hill,  I  went  to  Shepherdstown  to  hear 
something,  if  possible,  from  home.  My  father  lived  on  the 
Maryland  side  of  the  Potomac,  on  the  crest  of  a  hill,  which 
overlooked  the  river,  the  town,  and  the  country  beyond.  The 
Potomac  was  the  dividing  line  between  the  two  States  and  tlie 
two  armies,  and  the  bridge  that  once  spanned  it  there  had  been 
burned  early  in  the  war. 

"  It  was  a  bright  and  quiet  day,  and  from  the  Virginia  cliffs 
I  saw  the  enemy's  pickets  lying  lazily  along  the  canal  tow- 
path  or  wandering  over  the  fields.  Up  against  the  hill  I  sau 
rifle-pits  in  a  field  in  front  of  my  home,  and  blue-coats  evident!)' 
in  possession  of  it ;  and  then  I  saw  my  father  come  out  of  the 
house  and  walk  off  towards  the  barn.  I  saw  no  one  else 
except  soldiers.  It  was  not  a  cheerful  sight,  and  I  turned 
away  and  down  to  the  river  to  water  my  horse.  As  I  rode 
into  the  stream  several  cavalrymen  rode  in  on  the  other  side; 


—  92  — 

they  saluted  me  by  lifting  their  hats  and  I  returned  their  salute. 
They  invited  me,  laughingly,  to  come  over,  and  I,  being  in- 
tensely anxious  to  hear  something  from  home,  replied  that  I 
would  meet  them  in  the  middle  of  the  river.  They  at  once 
drew  out  of  the  water  and  dismounted,  and  so  did  I  and  the 
courier  who  was  with  me.  Haifa  dozen  of  them  got  into  the 
ferry-boat,  which  was  on  their  side,  and  we  embarked  in  a  leaky 
skiff,  my  courier  using  a  paddle  which  he  found  at  hand.  We 
met  the  enemy's  man-of-war  in  the  middle  of  the  stream  and 
grappled  it,  while  it  was  held  in  place  with  poles  by  its  boat- 
men. After  the  first  greetings  the  captain  of  the  gunboat 
(he  was  only  a  sergeant,  by  the  way)  said  to  me: '  I  see  you 
are  a  staff-officer.'  My  blunt  courier  broke  in  gruffly :  '  Yes,  and 
don't  you  think  it  devilish  hard  for  a  man  to  be  this  near  home 
and  not  be  able  to  speak  to  his  father  or  mother  ?  * 

"  This  exposure  of  my  identity  was  the  very  thing  I  did  not 
wish.  The  sergeant  looked  a  little  astonished  and  replied : '  So 
you  are  Captain  Douglass,  of  General  Jackson's  staff,  are  you  ? 
We  knew  that  the  old  gentleman  on  the  hill  has  two  sons  in 
the  Confederate  army,  one  on  the  general's  staff.'  When  I 
acknowledged  his  correctness,  he  said,  with  much  earnestness, 
that  I  must  get  into  their  boat  and  go  over  to  see  my  family. 
I  began  to  protest  that  it  would  not  do,  when  one  of  the  others 
broke  in  :  *  Say,  get  in,  captain ;  get  in.  If  this  Government 
can  be  busted  up  by  a  rebel  soldier  going  to  see  his  mother, 
why,  damn  it,  let  it  bust!' 

"  There  was  a  laughing  chorus  of  assent  to  this  that  shook 
my  doubts.  I  told  my  blue-coated  friends  that  there  was  no 
officer  among  them,  and  that  any  officer  who  caught  me  on  the 
other  side  might  not  recognize  their  safeguard  and  I  might  be 
detained.  The  sergeant  replied  that  all  their  officers  were  in 
Sharpsburg  at  a  dinner,  and,  at  any  rate,  this  party  would 
pledge  themselves  to  return  me  safely.  It  was  an  occasion  for 
some  risk  and  I  took  it  I  got  into  the  large  boat  and  my 
courier  came  along  in  his  skiff  '  to  see  fair  play/  as  he  grimly 
said. 


—  93  — 

"  When  we  reached  the  Maryland  shore,  the  soldiers  on  the 
bank  crowded  down  to  the  boats,  and  soon,  Yankee-like,  were 
in  full  tide  of  questions,  especially  about  Stonewall  Jackson. 
As  I  had  declined  to  leave  our  ships  for  the  purpose  of  going 
up  to  my  home,  a  cavalryman  had  gone  to  the  house,  under 
spur,  to  notify  my  family  of  my  arrival.  My  mother  soon 
made  her  appearance,  very  much  frightened,  for  she  believed  I 
could  only  be  there  as  a  prisoner.  My  father,  not  being  al- 
lowed to  leave  his  premises  without  permission,  could  not 
come.  As  my  mother  approached,  the  soldiers,  at  a  signal 
from  the  sergeant,  drew  away  and  sat  down  on  the  tow-path, 
where  they  and  my  courier  interviewed  each  other. 

"As  this  strange  meeting  gave  my  mother  more  anxiety 
than  comfort,  it  was  a  brief  one.  Nothing  passed  between  us, 
however,  that  could  '  bust  the  Government '  or  bring  trouble  on 
the  sergeant  and  his  men.  When  my  mother  left  and  took 
her  stand  upon  the  canal  bank  to  see  us  safely  off,  the  soldiers 
gathered  about  me  to  have  a  litttle  talk,  but  I  did  not  tarry.  I 
gave  the  sergeant  and  his  crew  of  the  man-of-war  my  autograph 
upon  sundry  slips  of  paper,  and  told  them  that  if  the  fortune  of 
war  should  make  them  prisoners,  the  little  papers  might  be  of 
service  to  them  if  sent  to  General  Jackson's  head-quarters. 

"As  we  took  our  leave  and  got  into  our  skiff,  the  chivalric, 
manly  sergeant  said  to  mc :  *  We  belong  to  (I  think)  the  ist 
New  York  Cavalry.  My  parents  live  on  the  banks  of  the 
Hudson,  and  what  I  have  done  for  you,  I'd  like  some  one  to 
do  for  mc  if  in  the  same  fix.  While  I'm  here  I'll  keep  an  eye 
on  your  home  and  people  and  do  what  I  can  for  thcni  '  (and  he 
did).  And  as  the  skiff  moved  over  the  water  and  took  mc  from 
liomc  again,  I  raised  my  hat  to  my  *  good  friend,  the  enemy,' 
:nul  they  stood  along  the  shore,  in  response,  with  uncovered 
b.eads  ;  and  then  I  wax'cd  it  to  my  fatlicr,  who  stood  on  the 
stone  wall  which  crowns  the  hill  and  gazed,  hut  made  no  sign; 
anr]  then  to  my  mother  on  the  bank,  who,  seeing  me  safely  off, 
waved  her  handkerchief  with  a  treniiilous  flutter,  and  then  hid 
her  face  in  it  as  she  turned  and  hurried  away. 


—  94  — 

*  I  was  glad  to  learn  afterwards  that  no  harm  came  to  the 
sergeant  for  his  rash  kindness  to  me.  I  have  forgotten  his 
name,  if  he  ever  told  mfe,  but  I  hope  he  lived  to  return  safely 
to  his  folks  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson. 

"  It  is  such  touches  as  this  that  lighten  up  the  inhumanities 
of  war. 

Verifying  Letter  Pertainittg  to  Crocket^ s  Crossing  the  River, 

Raleigh,  N.  C,  April  26,  1886. 

My  Dear  Sir  : — On  my  return  home  I  received  your  favor  of  the  20th  insL 
I  remember  well  our  conversation  about  the  battle  on  the  Virginia  side  of  the 
Potomac,  after  the  battle  of  Sharpsburg,  or  Antietam,  and  I  also  remember  well 
the  battle,  as  /  was  in  the  attacking  party.  We  never  forgot  the  feeling  that  ran 
through  us  about  the  time  we  got  the  order  to  go  forward.  We  had  hardly 
started  before  the  bullets  began  to  whiz  about  our  heads,  which  did  not  help  to 
soften  the  first  feeling. 

It  would  give  me  great  pleasure  to  give  you  the  information  you  ask  for  if  it 
were  possible  for  me  to  do  so.  I  was  then  a  lieutenant-colonel  commanding  a 
regiment,  and  knew  little  of  what  was  going  on,  except  the  fighting  department, 
under  orders,  and  what  I  could  surmise  from  movements  of  troops  and  my  maps 
of  the  country ;  but  I  know  that  Jackson's  entire  corps  was  present  at  the  time 
you  speak  of,  and  almost  all  of  A.  P.  Hill's  division  of  this  corps  was  in  the  ad- 
vance in  the  battle  mentioned. 

Our  brigadier  (Branch)  had  been  killed  at  Sharpsborg,  and  the  brigade  was 
at  this  time  commanded  by  Lane,  the  senior  colonel.  I  was  standing  on  the 
precipice  near  the  river,  and  remember  well  seeing  the  officer  cross  the  river 
with  the  white  handkerchief  as  a  flag,  but  I  do  not  know  who  the  general  officer 
was  that  received  him,  for  I  did  not  witness  this.  I  do  not  see  how  I  can  find 
this  out  for  you,  es^iecially  as  so  many  who  were  there  were  afterwards  killed ;  in 
fact,  A.  P.  Hill,  and  every  brigadier-general  that  belonged  to  his  division,  I  think, 
was  since  then  killed,  but  one,  and  he  lives  in  Mississippi.  I  regret  exceedingly 
that  I  am  unable  to  get  for  you  the  information  you  wish. 

If  I  had  only  been  acquainted  with  you  the  time  you  were  lying  at  the  hospital 
wounded,  after  this  battle,  I  might  have  done  something  for  you,  to  have  given  a 
reason  for  the  kind  attention  I  have  received  from  your  father  and  his  family; 
but  it  came  without  this  from  me.  But  I  believe  I  would  have  treated  you  well 
if  I  had  met  you  there ;  that  is,  after  the  fight  was  over. 

It  was  queer  to  see  how  we  would  shoot  at  each  other,  and  how  friendly  we 
all  would  be  when  a  flag  of  truce  was  pending. 

I  am  yours,  very  truly, 

(Signed)  R.  F.  HoKE. 

To  Major  Samuel  N.  Lewis. 

Colonel  Hoke  was  a  major-general  in  ۥ  S.  A.  before  the  war  ended. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  SHEPHERDSTOWN. 

September  20th,  1862. 
From  Rebellion  Records  and  Other  Sources,  Union  and  Confederate. 

The  battle  of  Shepherdstown  was  not  much  of  a  battle, 
as  modem  battles  go,  yet  peculiar  circumstances  attending  it 
gave  the  encounter  an  importance  vastly  transcending  the 
extent  of  the  losses  or  the  numbers  engaged.  On  the  Con- 
federate side  almost  as  many  regiments  were  formed  in  line 
of  battle  for  attack  and  support  as  were  engaged  on  the  Union 
side  in  the  sanguinar)^  battle  of  Gaines'  Mill,  before  Richmond, 
three  months  previously.  Against  these  regiments  and  bat- 
teries, as  the  event  turned  out  in  the  crisis  of  the  fighting, 
there  was  but  one  Union  regiment. 

As  a  tactical  movement  it  was  merely  a  successful  reconnais- 
sance in  force  to  determine  the  plans  and  movements  of  Lee's 
army  after  its  flight  across  the  Potomac  the  previous  days, 
September  i8th  and  19th. 

The  great  battle  of  Antictam  had  been  fought  and  won,  the 
Confederate  invasion  had  ended  in  disiister  and  roul,  and 
Lee's  armv,  after  losini^  more  than  one-third  of  its  entire 
^t^ength  in  killed,  wouncled  and  prisoners,  had  crossed  to  the 
>outh  of  the  Potomac,  still  numberini^  nearly  50,000  men  and 
olTicers  with  the  colors  and  j)resent  for  duty. 

On  the  night  of  September  iSth,  and  iij)  to  c)  o'clock  in  the 
morning  of  the  19th,  Lee's  army  was  in  ceaseless  tlight  across 
the  Potomac,  by  a  broad  passage,  known  as  Boteler's  Ford. 
It  was  formed  by  the  sand- wash  of  a  dam,  being  about  300 
yards  wide  and  less  than  knee-deep  at  this  time.  This  dam, 
which  j)rovided  the  water  suj)j)ly  of  Boteler's  mill,  was  about 
a  mile  and  a  fjuarter  below  Shej)her(lst()wn,  which  stands  back 
on  the  blulTs  behind  the  river.     The  dam  had  been  covered 

(04'0 


94* 

with  sloping  planks,  which  had  partially  rotted  away  or  dis- 
appeared, it  having  become  useless  for  mill  purposes.  Along 
the  Virginia  side  of  the  dam  was  an  abandoned  sluice-way, 
easily  fordable,  but  with  a  strong  current.  At  this  time  of 
extremely  low  water  most  of  the  river  flow  found  its  way 
through  this  sluice-way,  except  what  leaked  through  or  passed 
under  low  parts  of  the  ruined  dam. 

Along  the  river  on  the  Virginia  side  extended  a  long  line  of 
rocky  bluflFs,  from  far  above  Shepherdstown  nearly  down  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Antietam  creek,  two  miles  below  Boteler's 
Ford.  After  crossing  the  ford  into  Virginia,  a  road  leads  to 
the  left,  and  up  a  rather  open  valley  back  to  the  plateau,  which, 
while  broken  and  wooded  in  parts,  is  fairly  level  farming-land 
for  a  distance  back  from  the  river,  and  beyond  Shepherdstown. 
Behind  these  farms  are  woods.  From  the  ford  there  extends 
along  the  river  a  ver}'  good  road,  which,  about  a  half  mile 
below  Shepherdstown  and  three-quarters  of  a  mile  above  the 
ford^  turns  back  from  the  river  and  ascends  an  open  gorge 
or  valley  to  the  plateau  above,  along  which  it  continues  to 
Shepherdstown.  Just  above  the  ford,  where  the  road  is  nearest 
the  river,  were  cut  out  of  the  rocky  bluflFs,  and  walled  up,  a 
number  of  lime-kilns,  now  long  abandoned,  with  their  arched 
entrances  facing  the  road-side,  and  a  branch  road  leading  up 
behind  the  kilns  to  permit  wagons  to  supply  stone  and  fuel 
from  above.  From  the  road  near  these  kilns  an  abandoned 
private  lane  led  up  a  narrow  and  overgrown  ravine,  and  another 
one  further  beyond,  diflScult  to  climb  and  with  trees  along  its 
margin.  Alongside  this  lower  ravine  the  face  of  the  bluflFs  was 
nearly  perpendicular,  with  rocky  ledges  projecting,  from  twenty 
to  forty  feet  high  and  in  some  places  more. 

The  Confederate  army  retreated  by  Boteler's  Ford,  mostly 
moving  back  from  the  river  by  the  direct  road  which  intersected 
the  Charlestown  pike  three  miles  southwest  of  Shepherdstown, 
a  part  of  the  army  also  retreating  through  that  town. 


g4C 

From  Antietam  and  Shepherdstown  up  the  river  to  Williams- 
port  there  were  plenty  of  good  roads,  both  through  Maryland 
and  Virginia.  Near  Williamsport  the  fords  were  good  at  that 
time.  At  Harper's  Ferry  the  main  roads  down  the  river  on  the 
Virginia  side  converged  and  crossed  the  Potomac  to  the  north 
bankj  commanded  by  the  Maryland  Heights  on  the  north  and 
the  Loudon  Heights  on  the  south,  overhanging  nearly  overhead. 

On  the  morning  of  the  i8th.  General  McClellan  directed 
Bumside  to  send  small  parties  of  cavalry  to  scout  down  to 
Harper's  Ferry,  and  to  watch  the  mountain  road  crossing  the 
Antietam  at  its  mouth.  This  was  the  route  to  Pennsylvania 
pursued  by  the  2000  Union  cavalry  in  their  raid  from  Harper's 
Ferry  through  the  forces  of  McLaws,  Anderson  and  Longstreet, 
when  they  captured  Longstreet's  artillery  train  the  night  of 
September  14th  to  1 5th,  just  before  the  battle  of  Antietam.  Next 
day,  the  19th,  McClellan  directed  Sumner  to  send  Williams' 
whole  corps  (the  12th  Corps),  by  Rohrersville  down  to  Harper's 
Ferry.  Lee's  army  was  then  all  across  the  river  in  Virginia. 
Franklin's  6th  Corps  was  sent  down  to  the  river  front  to  enfilade 
the  retiring  Confederates,  and  do  all  the  damage  he  could,  but 
not  to  attempt  to  cross  the  river  until  further  orders. 

General  Porter  was  then  ordered  to  line  the  Potomac  blufls, 
and  mass  his  troops  in  readiness  to  move  across  at  once.  The 
other  corps  commanders,  and  General  Pleasanlon  with  the  rest 
of  the  cavalry,  were  ordered  to  prepare  for  immediate  move- 
ment. 

Pleasanlon  was  notified  to  have  his  cavalry  and  artillery  at 
the  river  by  daylight  on  the  20th,  and  that  Porter  intended  to 
cross  at  that  time. 

The  siime  evening,  the  19th,  Pleasanton  was  ordered,  after 
crossing  next  day,  to  "push  your  command  forward  after  the 
enemy  as  rapidly  as  possible,  using  your  artillery  upon  them 
wherever  an  opportunity  presents,  doing  them  all  the  damage 
in  your  power  without  incurring  too  much  risk  to  your  command. 


If  great  results  can  be  obtained,  do  not  spare  your  men  or 
horses." 

During  the  19th  General  Porter  lined  the  northern  bank  of 
the  river  with  skirmishers  and  sharpshooters,  with  portions  of 
the  divisions  of  Morell  and  Sykes  in  support.  The  heights 
were  also  occupied  by  our  batteries.  Of  the  fire  of  these 
batteries,  next  day.  General  A.  P.  Hill  says:  **The  enemy  had 
lined  the  opposite  hills  with  some  seventy  pieces  of  artillery." 
In  his  congratulation  address,  he  says:  "You  were  selected  to 
face  a  storm  of  round  shot,  shell,  and  grape  such  as  I  have 
never  before  seen." 

Lawton's  Confederate  brigade  defended  the  Potomac  on  the 
south  side  at  the  ford.  It  supported  Lee's  artiller}',  but  under 
the  fire  of  our  guns  and  as  soon  as  a  small  force  of  our  troops 
began  crossing,  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  19th,  this  brigade 
gave  way  and  fled,  almost  without  loss,  seven  men  only  being 
wounded  during  the  whole  day.  A  volunteer  attacking  force 
from  Barnes'  and  Griffin's  brigades,  including  the  4th  Michigan 
and  portions  of  the  ii8th  Penna.,  and  the  22d  Mass.,  crossed 
the  river  in  the  face  of  the  enemy,  and,  as  stated  by  General 
Early,  drove  Lawton's  brigade  away,  which  left  their  artillery 
thus  unsupported.  Sykes  was  also  ordered  to  move  a  simi  ar 
party  across  the  river,  but  the  order  failed  to  reach  him.  As 
the  result  of  this  little  operation  across  the  river,  we  captured 
5  pieces  of  artiller}',  2  caissons,  2  caisson  bodies,  2  forges  and 
some  400  stand  of  arms.  These  troops  returned  during  the 
night  and  bivouacked  within  reach  of  the  ford.  (See  General 
Porter's  report.) 

This  was  the  condition  of  affairs  on  the  morning  of  the  20th 
of  September,  when  the  battle  of  ShepherdstowTi  occurred. 

General  A.  P.  Hill  commanded  the  six  Confederate  brigades 
actively  engaged,  and  in  addition  there  were  three  out  of  the 
four  brigades  of  Ewell's  division,  under  General  Early,  in  line 
of  battle  immediately  in  Hill's  rear.    In  this  supporting  division, 


94^ 

one  oflScer  at  least,  the  commander  of  the  15th  Alabama,  was 
seriously  wounded.    (See  Early's  Report.) 

General  Hill,  in  his  congratulatory  address  to  his  division, 
September  24th,  classes  the  action  at  Shepherdstown  in  import- 
ance with  the  battles  of  the  seven  days,  the  Second  Manassas, 
and  Antietam  (Sharpsburg).  As  this  congratulatory  address 
only  appears  in  vol.  LI.  of  the  War  Records  (the  recent  supple- 
mentary volume),  I  insert  it  entire: 

Headquarters  Light  Division, 

Camp  Branch,  September  24,  1862. 
Soldiers  of  the  Light  Division: 

You  have  done  well  and  I  am  pleased  with  you.  You  have  fought  in 
every  battle  from  Mechanicsville  to  Shepherdstown,  and  no  man  can  yet  say 
that  the  Light  Division  was  ever  broken.  You  held  the  left  at  Manassas 
against  overwhelming  numbers  and  saved  the  army.  You  saved  the  day  at 
Sharpsburg  and  at  Shepherdstown.  You  were  selected  to  face  a  storm  of 
round  shot,  shell,  and  grape  such  as  I  have  never  before  seen.  I  am  proud  to 
say  to  you  that  your  services  are  appreciated  by  our  General,  and  you  have  a 
reputation  in  this  army  which  it  should  be  the  object  of  every  officer  and 
private  to  sustain. 

A.  P.  Hill, 

Major  General,  C.  S.  A. 

Another  remarkable  circumstance  of  this  battle  is  the  white 

light  which  it  throws  on  the  heroism  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac .  The  glory  of ''  this  noble  body  of  American  soldiers," 
as  McClellan  describes  it  in  his  final  report,  had  already 
become  a  household  legend  all  through  the  country.  To  be 
in  that  army  was  of  itself  a  guarantee  of  heroism  and  soldiership, 
and  here  wc  will  see  a  regiment  of  raw  farmers,  clerks  and 
sch()o!b()y>,  with  arms  that  would  shame  a  dog  if  his  master 
(arried  the  like,  do  what  the  bravest  veterans  of  the  army  would 
n(»t  have  done,  simply  because  there  was  no  a[)parent  military 
(K  cation  to  do  it,  while  these  boys  believed  that  it  was  the 
"Army  ni  the  Potomac  way,"  and  they  were  far  more  afraid 
t<»  ntreal  than  they  were  to  stand  up  nearly  helj)less  from 
Worthless  arms  and  die. 


94/ 

It  was  not  that  they  were  great  raw-boned  lumbermen  or 
Indian  fighters  of  the  frontier.  The  narrative  of  the  march  of 
this  regiment  to  Antietam  is  humorously  told  in  the  body  of 
this  history.  "The  results  of  the  day's  march  were  shocking. 
Three  men  to  a  company  was  a  most  creditable  showing  when 
the  final  halt  was  made."  Someone  asked  the  Division  Com- 
mander, "General,  can  you  tell  me  where  the  ii8th  Pennsyl- 
vania Regiment  is?" 

"Certainly,  my  man,"  replied  the  General,  seriously,  "every- 
where between  here  and  Washington." 

And  then  the  guns  they  were  armed  with.  Colonel  Gwyn 
says  of  them,  in  his  official  report.  War  Records^  vol.  XIX, 
Part  I.,  p.  348,  "Owing  to  the  worthlessness  of  our  pieces 
(condemned  Enfield  rifles)  not  more  than  fifty  per  cent,  of 
which  could  be  discharged,  the  line  began  to  waver."  It  was 
time  for  it  to  waver.  This  regiment  was  looking  into  the  eyes 
of  dozens  of  regiments  of  an  enemy  armed  with  guns  which 
would  all  shoot,  and  each  one  with  a  man  behind  it  who  had 
practised  enough  to  drive  a  bull's  eye  on  men  whenever  he 
felt  like  it. 

Says  General  Porter,  in  his  report,  "Their  arms  (spurious 
Enfield  rifles)  were  so  defective  that  little  injury  could  be 
inflicted  by  them  upon  the  enemy." 

No  one  knows  how  bad  these  alleged  fire-arms  were,  excepting 
the  men  themselves.  If  the  spring  was  strong  enough  to  crack 
a  cap,  it  was  likely  to  break  the  nipple,  for  the  nipples  were  of 
the  same  sort. 

General  Humphreys  had  a  raw  division  also  supplied  with  the 
same  quality  of  alleged  rifles,  but  he  refused  to  leave  Washing- 
ton with  his  regiments  until  these  guns  were  replaced  by  others. 
See  his  report,  Vol.  XIX.,  Part  I.,  pp.  370  and  371. 

In  Allabach's  brigade  were  at  least  two  regiments  with  arms 
totally  unserviceable.  "There  were  900  stand  of  arms  in  the 
brigade  with  nipples  or  hammers  broken,  and  they  were  break- 


94g 

ing  every  day,  and  were  in  other  respects  defective."  He  found 
two  other  regiments  of  the  other  brigade  "with  arms  as  un- 
serviceable as  those  of  the  two  regiments  whose  arms  I  had 
directed  to  be  changed.  I  found  a  regiment  of  the  First  Brigade, 
the  134th  Penna.,  with  the  same  unserviceable  arms,  Austrian 
rifles."  He  immediately  had  changed  the  arms  of  these  five 
regiments,  and  then  had  to  change  all  their  ammunition.  In 
one  of  his  brigades,  3600  strong,  he  found  "that  all  its  arms 
were  unserviceable." 

As  a  determined  man,  like  General  Humphreys,  was  willing 
to  accept  arrest,  which  was  ordered  by  Halleck,  and  was  able 
in  one  night  to  find  and  have  issued  in  their  stead  first-class 
rifles  to  his  division,  it  shows  that  there  were  plenty  of  good 
arms  there — that  troops  were  deliberately  sent  into  battle  with 
these  effigies  of  fire-arms,  against  Lee's  trained  veterans,  and 
the  fact  must  be  its  own  comment.  If  it  were  not  indisputable 
it  could  not  be  credited. 

That  the  Com  Exchange  Regiment  had  its  maiden  baptism 
with  these  olive  branches  in  its  hands  speaks  well  for  these 
prophetic  days  when  the  swords  are  to  be  beaten  into  plow- 
shares, but  as  weapons  against  an  adversary  in  battle  they  were 
about  on  an  equality  with  a  martyr's  fingernails  against  the 
claws  of  hungry  lions  and  tigers.  And  yet  these  young  and 
unskilled  soldiers  did  that  day  manage  to  kill  and  disable 
nearly  or  quite  as  many  of  "Lee's  miserables"  as  they  lost 
themselves.  I  asked  one  of  these  embryo  veterans  how  thev 
managed  to  do  it,  and  he  said  there  were  a  good  many  stones 
lying  about,  so  that  they  could  pound  the  hammers  down,  and 
make  a  good  many  of  the  guns  go  olT,  too. 

There  were  other  peculiar  circumstances  connected  with  this 
engagement,  one  being  that,  as  all  the  other  troops  had  retired, 
while  the  118th  Penna.  was  carrying  on  the  fight  alone, 
it  may  justly  claim  a  sole  ])r()prietorship  in  this  battle,  on  the 
one  side  (but  shared  with  a  good  many  on  the  other  side),  as 


94^ 

owned  in  fee  simple  and  as  its  own  special  property,  and  I  do 
not  know  that  this  claim  was  ever  disputed.  It  was  a  terrible 
but  a  magnificent  badge  of  knighthood  that  was  bestowed  on 
this  fighting  regiment  that  day. 

On  the  morning  of  the  20th  of  September  General  Sykes, 
with  two  brigades  of  his  division  of  the  5th  corps  (Regulars), 
was  sent  across  the  river,  and  moved  out  from  the  ford  by  the 
road  to  the  left  directly  towards  the  Charlestown  road,  which 
was  the  route  taken  by  the  most  of  Lee's  army.  Sykes  found 
large  bodies  of  the  enemy  advancing  with  artillery.  The  loth 
Regulars,  stationed  in  a  wood  about  a  mile  forward  from  the 
ford,  reported  the  advance  in  their  front  and  on  the  right  of 
about  3000  of  the  enemy.  The  cavalry,  which  were  to  accom- 
pany the  reconnaisance,  did  not  cross  the  river  until  Syke's 
skirmishers  were  engaged  with  the  enemy.  General  Sykes 
then  ordered  up  the  20th  and  5th  Regulars  to  support  the  loth, 
and  sent  for  his  third  brigade,  under  Col.  Warren,  which 
crossed  the  river  and  took  post  on  the  left  of  the  loth.  His 
batteries  were  placed  on  the  heights  on  the  Maryland  side  and 
poured  a  destructive  fire  into  the  enemy,  impeded  his  advance, 
and  drove  his  skirmishers  to  the  right  up  toward  Shepherds- 
town. 

On  Sykes  reporting  these  facts  to  General  Porter,  no  previous 
reconnaissances  having  been  made,  the  corps  commander 
directed  the  immediate  recrossing  of  the  river,  which  was 
accomplished  without  loss,  and  Warren's  brigade  inmiediately 
lined  the  embankment  of  the  canal  on  the  Maryland  side 
behind  the  ford. 

The  batteries  continued  their  fire  upon  the  enemy,  and 
Weed's  battery  reported  that  during  the  ensuing  battle  he  was 
firing  on  masses  of  the  enemy  at  a  distance  of  not  more  than 
1000  yards.    This  was  until  the  n8th  Penna.  were  engaged. 

When  Lovell's  brigade  retired,  the  commander  found  that  if 
he  moved  by  fours  he  would  be  badly  cut  up  by  the  advancing 


94* 

enemy;  the  battalions  were  about  faced,  and  retired  in  line  of 
battle  through  the  woods  and  only  on  reaching  the  open  ground 
on  a  hill  near  the  river  were  they  seriously  menaced,  "but  few 
shots  taking  eflFect,"  says  Major  Lovell's  report. 

Lovell's  brigade  numbered  1060.  The  20th  and  loth  Infantry, 
on  reaching  the  river,  took  position  for  a  short  time  under  cover 
of  the  hill,  and  threw  out  skirmishers;  these  battalions  were 
soon  ordered  to  recross  the  river.  The  6th  followed  in  the 
same  manner.  The  nth,  after  falling  back  to  the  river,  pro- 
tected by  its  skirmishers,  turned,  when  on  the  hill,  "and  replied 
to  the  fire  of  the  enemy  for  some  minutes  with  good  eflFect." 
Then,  pursuant  to  orders,  they  also  recrosed  the  river. 

The  17th,  having  advanced  to  the  front,  found  itself  out- 
flanked by  the  enemy's  skirmishers,  followed  by  a  large  force 
in  line  of  battle.  The  commander  then  reported  these  facts, 
and  at  once,  under  orders,  fell  back  quickly  to  take  position  on 
better  ground.  The  same  was  repeated  here,  and  the  regiment 
than  took  a  third  position,  under  the  edge  of  the  bluflFs  on  the 
Virginia  side.  Here  it  lay  between  the  other  Regular  regiments 
and  the  ford,  facing  the  enemy  and  saw  the  movements  of  the 
volunteers  on  its  right,  who  were  advancing  skirmishers,  and 
prevented  his  fire  in  that  (Hrection,  while  the  woods  concealed 
the  Confeclerates  on  his  left.  The  Commander,  Major  Andrews, 
says  in  his  re])()rt  that  "the  rest  of  the  brigade  was  retiring 
across  the  river,  and,  going  to  the  top  of  the  hill  on  my  way 
toward  my  left,  I  noticed  a  line  of  battle  of  our  own  troops 
rise,  as  it  were,  out  of  the  ground  to  my  right,  and  where  I  had 
before  observed  a  line  of  our  skirmishers.  Continuing  mv 
course  toward  my  left,  I  met  the  acting  Assistant  .Vdjutanl- 
(ieneral  of  the  brigade,  with  orders  for  me  to  retire  and  j)lace 
my  command  on  the  o])posite  side  of  the  river  as  speedily  as 
possible.  Marching  the  battalion  in  line  of  battle,  faced  by 
the  rear  rank,  until  we  reached  the  bottom  of  the  hill,  I  then 
moved  out  bv  the  left  tlank,  and  crossed  the  river  under  a  brisk 


94/ 

fire  of  musketry,  without  the  loss  of  a  man  and  with  but  one 
man  slightly  wounded,  and  took  up  position  in  line  of  battle 
within  the  timber  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  and  in  which 
position  I  still  (September  24th)  remain." 

The  regiment  which  Major  Andrews  saw  rising  up  out  of 
the  ground  was  the  11 8th  Pennsylvania,  climbing  with  its 
skirmishers  in  front,  and  deploying  at  the  top,  "on  the  right 
by  file  into  line."  Major  Andrews'  report  is  a  perfect  epitome 
of  what  the  Com  Exchange  Regiment  should  have  done,  but 
which  was  the  exact  opposite  of  what  it  did. 

When  the  Confederate  skirmishers  came  on  outflanking  his 
position,  and  with  their  battle  lines  behind,  Andrews  himself 
reported  the  facts,  got  instant  orders,  and  retired  his  infantry 
in  battalion  front,  faced  by  the  rear  rank.  This  he  did  three 
times.  In  his  last  position  he  did  the  same,  first  seeing  that 
the  rest  of  the  brigade  was  falling  back.  He  crossed  the  river 
and  formed  line  facing  it  in  the  woods,  on  the  north  bank,  and 
stayed  there. 

What  I  have  described  is  what  occurred  on  the  left  of  the 
field,  where  the  Regulars  were.  What  occurred  on  the  right, 
where  the  Com  Exchange  Regiment  became  involved,  is  told 
in  other  reports.  The  report  of  Col.  Barnes,  commanding  the 
volunteer  brigade  will  be  found  on  pages  345  to  348,  Vol.  XIX., 
Part  I.,  War  Records. 

General  Sykes,  in  his  report,  states  that  after  he  had  ordered 
his  own  troops  out  toward  the  Charlestown  road,  and  had  sent 
for  his  3d  Brigade  (Warren's),  "regiments  of  Morell's  division, 
under  Col.  Bames,  coming  over  at  this  time,  I  requested  the 
Colonel  to  occupy  the  crest  on  the  right  of  the  road  leading 
from  the  river,  and  to  connect  with  Lovell's  right.  These 
troops  were  making  their  way  to  Shepherdstown,  to  which 
point  the  Colonel  informed  me  he  had  been  ordered."  Col. 
Barnes  also  narrates  this  incident  in  his  report.  He  asked  for 
an  order  from  General  Sykes,  which  he  received,  and  the  i8th 


94* 

Mass.  was  placed  at  his  request,  on  the  river  side  of  the  slope 
or  bluff,  near  the  top  of  the  ridge.  The  25th  and  the  13th  New 
York  were  directed  to  take  a  similar  position  on  the  right  of 
the  1 8th  Mass.  The  latter  regiment  had  climbed  up  a  narrow 
ravine  to  reach  its  position,  and  the  New  York  regiments  had 
to  pass  along  the  front  of  a  perpendicular  headland,  so  as  to 
reach  another  ravine  beyond  by  which  to  make  the  ascent. 

Now  comes  a  discrepancy  which  is  hard  to  explain. 

Col.  Barnes  says:  "By  this  time  the  ii8th  Penna.,  Col. 
Prevost,  had  crossed  the  ford  and  formed  in  the  road.  They 
were  directed  to  follow  the  13th  and  25th  New  York  and  to 
take  a  similar  position  below  the  top  of  the  ridge  and  to  their 
left.  They  accordingly  followed  these  regiments  and  came 
into  line  below  the  top  of  the  ridge,  as  directed." 

The  remaining  regiments  of  the  brigade,  the  ist  Michigan, 
22d  Mass.,  and  the  2d  Maine,  were  directed  to  ascend  the 
ravine  by  which  the  18th  Mass.  had  already  ascended,  and  form 
in  a  similar  manner  below  the  top  of  the  ridge.  We  now  see 
that  according  to  these  orders,  and  this  report,  the  seven  regi- 
ments constituting  the  brigade  were  deployed  along  the  slope 
of  the  bluffs  with  their  backs  to  the  river,  and  below  the  top 
of  the  bluffs,  along  the  edge  of  the  plateau,  by  which  they  were 
protected,  the  plateau  above  being  swept  by  seventy  guns  on 
the  heights  on  the  Maryland  side,  immediately  opposite,  as 
well  as  by  the  Confederate  guns  in  front. 

The  purpose  of  this  entire  operation  was,  of  course,  to 
protect  the  ford  against  any  rush  by  the  Confederates  over- 
lapping Sykes'  right,  where  he  uncovered  large  forces  of  the 
enemy.  Sykes  was  operating  forward  to  the  Charlestown  road, 
which  was  nearlv  three  miles  in  front  of  the  ford  on  the  river 
and  to  the  left. 

How  the  118th  got  on  the  top  of  the  plateau  and  brought  on 
Hill's  terrific  onslaught  is  totally  incomprehensible,  from  the 
brigade  commander's  report,  or  even  from  Col.  Gwyn's  report, 


94/ 

but  they  did  get  there  nevertheless,  because  Major  Andrews 
saw  them  "rise,  as  it  were,  out  of  the  ground,"  and  with  a  line 
of  skirmishers  in  front. 

In  the  body  of  this  history  a  comparison  is  made  between 
this  action  and  the  battle  of  Ball's  Bluflf,  but  there  is  no  real 
analogy.  At  Ball's  Bluff  the  river  was  unfordable  and  the 
troops  were  ferried  over  by  detail  in  boats.  There  was  no 
earthly  object  in  going  across  at  all,  except  curiosity,  and  the 
troops  were  commanded  by  a  United  States  Senator.  Here  was 
a  broad  ford  where  nearly  90,000  men  had  already  crossed,  with 
wagons  and  artillery,  during  the  past  two  days;  following  a 
great  battle  and  the  flight  of  the  enemy,  it  was  absolutely  neces- 
sary to  learn  at  once  what  Lee's  present  movements  actually 
were,  so  as  to  guard  against  them;  and  the  troops  were  the  best 
regulars  and  veteran  volunteers  in  the  army,  and  commanded 
by  soldiers  of  large  experience  and  world-wide  repute. 

There  is  no  official  report  from  Col.  Prevost,  who  commanded 
the  ii8th,  to  be  found  in  the  War  Records,  and  Lieut.-Col. 
Gwyn,  who  took  command  of  the  regiment  after  Col.  Prevost, 
had  been  seriously  wounded  and  left  the  field,  states  in  his 
report  that  "the  ii8th  was  ordered  to  file  up  a  ravine  and  form 
line  of  battle  on  top  of  a  bluff,  and  under  cover,  supported  on 
the  right  by  the  13th  and  25th  New  York,  and  on  the  left  by 
the  ist  Michigan,  22d  and  i8th  Mass.  and  2d  Maine  regiments." 
He  was  not  in  command  when  the  brigade  commander's  orders 
were  given.  The  language  used  in  Col.  Gwyn's  report  is  signifi- 
cant. We  know  that  the  other  regiments  all  stuck  behind  the  line 
of  bluffs,  and  under  cover,  and  that  not  one  of  them  reached 
the  plateau  or  were  engaged  with  the  enemy.  The  regimental 
history  of  the  iiSth  says:  "None  of  his  (Barnes')  regiments 
reached  the  summit,  except  the  ii8th."  It  is  ver\'  singular 
that  these  six  splendid  veteran  regiments,  whose  battle  losses  in 
the  seven  days  and  in  Pope's  battles  alone  aggregated  1500  killed 
and  wounded,  should,  none  of  them,  have  reached  the  summit, 


94M 


if  there  were  any  orders  to  reach  the  summit,  when  there  «hb 
not  at  that  time  an  enemy  in  si^t  on  the  fdateau  above,  or 
even  if  there  had  been  thousands. 

CoL  Gvyn's  report  says  that  the  xi8th  was  ordered  "to  form 
Khe  of  battle  cm  the  top  of  the  clif^  and  under  cover."  Now 
how  could  it  be  under  aiver  if  it  was  on  top  of  the  cUS? 
The  cliff  was  the  cover. 

It  is  stated  in  the  regimental  history  that  "Col.  Barnes 
Tode  at  the  time  beside  CoL  Prerost,  aiKl  reported  the  enemy 
ai^roBcliing  in  heavy  fonx.  Sotoe  vigorous  action  being 
instantly  necessary,  turning  to  CoL  Prevost,  Col.  Barnes  said, 
"Can  you  get  your  ref^ent  on  top  of  the  cliff?"  Prevost  said 
he  would  try,  dismounted  and  led  his  men  up  the  ravine.  CoL 
Barnes,  of  course,  in  the  road  by  the  river  idde  could  not  see 
the  enemy  and  what  he  reported  to  Col.  Prevost  was  what 
Geitera!  Sykes  had  reported  to  him.  Sykes  came  from  the  left, 
where  his  own  brigades  saw  the  approach  of  the  enemy. 

CoL  Barnes,  in  his  report,  says  that  it  was  after  the  Ii8th 
Fenna.  had  followed  the  i3lh  and  35th  New  York  up  the 
ravine,  that  the  remaining  three  regimentsof  the  brigade  followed 
the  i8th  Mass.  up  by  the  other  ravine.  So  in  this  combined 
movement  it  was  only  the  1  i8th,  in  the  middle  of  the  movement, 
which  was  directed  lo  do  that  by  which  they  would  not  be 
supported  by  the  regiments  on  the  flanks,  by  which  Col.  Gwyn's 
report  says,  the  118th  was  to  be  supported,  and  by  which  the 
iiSlh  could  not  possibly  form  "under  cover,"  which  they  were 
directed  to  do. 

At  all  events  ihey  ascended  the  ravine  clear  up  to  the  plateau, 
on  lop  of  the  bluff,  and  when  "  seven  companies  only  had  got  into 
line,"  tiring  was  heard  on  our  right  flank,  says  Col.Gwyn's  report, 
"and  on  advancing  in  line  to  the  crest  of  the  hill,  we  found 
the  enemy  advancing  in  heavy  force  in  front  and  on  our  left." 

There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  Col,  Prevost  acted  in  strict 
accordance  with  the  orders  received  and  understoixl  by  him. 


94» 


It  is  true,  however,  that  this  regiment,  to  the  astonished 
United  States  Regulars,  seemed  to  rise  out  of  the  ground,  while 

"Rebels  to  the  right  of  them, 
Rebels  to  the  left  of  them, 
Rebels  in  front  of  them, 
Volleyed  and  thundered." 

Their  action,  however,  made  a  mark  on  the  battle-roll  of  the 
republic,  which  instantly  from  that  moment  quenched  every 
supercilious  smile,  silenced  every  slighting  word,  and  heralded 
them  at  once  and  for  all  time  among  that  glorious  army  coterie 
known  as  **the  fighting  regiments."  The  regiment  paid  for  it, 
of  course;  from  that  moment  no  work  was  too  hard,  no  post  too 
dangerous,  no  odds  too  great,  as  successive  division  commanders 
always  had  full  confidence  in  its  courage. 

Next  came  the  order  to  retire,  says  the  Regimental  History: 
"At  this  point  Lieutenant  Davis,  the  acting  Assistant  Adjutant- 
General  of  the  brigade,  on  his  way  to  the  right  to  withdraw 
other  regiments  specially  assigned  to  him  to  retire,  observing 
that  the  ii8th  was  making  no  movement  to  withdraw,  but 
actually  becoming  engaged,  called  up  the  ravine  to  Lieutenant 
H.  K.  Kelly,  the  officer  nearest  him,  to  tell  Col.  Prevost,  that 
Col.  Barnes  directs  that  he  withdraw  his  regiment  at  once.'*  A 
previous  order  sent  by  an  orderly  appeared  to  have  miscarried. 
Lieutenant  H.  K.  Kelly  gave  the  order  to  his  captain,  who  gave 
it  to  Col.  Prevost,  and  told  him  the  order  was  "From  Lieutenant 
Davis,  of  the  staff  of  Col.  Barnes.*' 

"I  do  not  receive  orders  in  that  way;  if  Col.  Barnes  has  any 
order  to  give  me,  let  his  aid  come  to  me,"  said  Prevost,  and 
he  went  on  conducting  his  formations,  as  though  nothing  had 
happened.  Meantime  the  Confederates  were  coming  down  on 
them  in  hilarious  thousands;  the  main  line  was  only  fifty  yards 
away;  the  rebel  commander  flung  a  regiment  at  right  angles  to 
their  line,  across  the  head  of  the  ravine.  Prevost's  two  right 
companies  were  forced  to  meet  this  enfilade;  some  disorder 


g40 

ensued,  the  flag  began  to  go  back,  Col.  Prevost  took  the  colors 
from  the  bearer's  hand,  rushed  them  to  the  front,  re-established 
the  line  and  instantly  went  down  with  a  shattered  shoulder- 
blade.  He  went  to  the  rear  "seriously  wounded,"  and  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Gwyn  took  the  regiment. 

The  Confederate  battle-flags  were  flying  in  their  faces  every- 
where, there  were  as  many  rebel  regiments  under  these  flags,  we 
know,  and  the  roar  and  yells,  and  shrieks,  and  cheers  were  all 
commingled  in  one  chaotic  din.  It  could  not  have  been  otherwise ; 
as  General  Hill  in  his  congratulatory  order  says,  his  six  brigades, 
and  Early's  three  more,  with  their  artillery  behind  them,  were 
engaged  in  saving  the  day  at  Shepherdstown,  as  they  had  done 
in  the  Seven  Days,  at  Manassas,  and  at  Antietam.  And  they 
did  it. 

As  all  the  other  Union  regiments  had  already  marched  back 
across  the  river,  and  left  the  Com  Exchange  Regiment  to  its 
fate,  there  was  nothing  else  apparently  to  do;  the  regiment  could 
not  shoot  to  any  particular  purpose,  it  could  not  stand  with 
an  environment  like  that,  and  it  would  not  run  away. 

So  they  fixed  bayonets;  that  steadied  them  somewhat;  at 
least  it  occupied  their  minds;  and  they  kept  banging  away,  as 
ihcv  understood  that  soldiers  usuallv  do;  the  rebel  lines  and 
the  rebel  veils  drew  closer,  ihev  were  all  around  and  over  them. 
"The  order  to  retire,  which,  with  the  thickening  disasters,  had 
been  long  h()[)ed  for,  came  at  last.  The  welcome  direction, 
communicated  through  the  loud  voice  of  Adjutant  James  P. 
Perot,  was  repeated  hurriedly  all  along  the  line.  The  scene  that 
followed  almost  beggared  description.  The  brave  men  who  had 
contended  so  manfully  against  their  frightful  odds  broke  in 
wild  confusion  for  the  river." 

A  tree  had,  meantime,  been  felled  across  the  narrow  ravine, 
doubtless  by  some  of  the  other  regiments,  who  had  occupied 
the  ravine,  and  |K)Ssibly  to  make  a  passage  across,  should  such 
b<.-    recjuired.     Some  went  headlong  over   the    cliiTs   and  were 


94P 

killed,  or  maimed;  most  of  them  tumbled  down  the  rocky  and 
obstructed  ravine,  over  and  under  the  tree  to  the  river.  Some 
hid  themselves  under  the  rocks  below,  others  in  the  lime-kilns, 
and  meantime  the  Confederates  on  our  right  fired  from  the 
bluflf,  and  those  on  the  left  poured  down  to  and  occupied  the 
old  mill,  where  they  crowded  the  doors  and  windows,  firing 
upon  the  fugitives,  and  cutting  oflF  all  passage  by  the  ford. 

The  sole  line  of  escape  was  now  by  the  old  dam-breast  above, 
or  else  by  the  stream  itself  where  it  was  deep  enough  to  conceal 
the  body,  while  leaving  the  breathing  and  seeing  apparatus 
above  the  surface.  The  colors,  however,  were  borne  unfurled 
and  in  triumph  across  the  dam.  To  crown  all  their  trials,  one 
of  our  own  batteries  used  fuses  too  short,  and  exploded  their 
shells  in  the  lime-kilns;  but  this  was  only  for  a  little  time. 
Our  sharpshooters  soon  cleared  the  southern  bank,  the  passage 
became  comparatively  safe,  the  martyr-crowned  ii8th  was  back 
on  the  northern  shore,  and  the  time  had  arrived  to  take  an 
account  of  stock.  The  inventory  was  bad  enough,  but  not  as 
bad  as  it  might  have  been;  and  not  one-fourth  as  bad  as  it  was 
subsequently  represented  to  be. 


The  Forces  Engaged^  the  Losses,  and  Results, 

The  official  records  are  very  full  and  explicit  as  to  the  organ- 
izations on  each  side  engaged  in  this  battle.  On  the  Con- 
federate side  there  were  the  six  brigades  constituting  the  Light 
Division  of  A.  P.  Hill,  and  three  of  the  four  brigades  constituting 
EwelFs  division,  at  this  time  under  command  of  General  Early. 

General  A.  P.  Hill  covered  the  retreat  of  Lee's  army  into 
Virginia,  crossed  the  river  at  Boteler's  Ford  about  ten  o'clock 
in  the  morning  of  the  19th,  and  moved  directly  back  from 
the  river  about  five  miles,  where  he  encamped.  This  brought 
his  division  about  three  miles  in  rear  of  the  broad  road  con- 


94P 

killed,  or  maimed;  most  of  them  tumbled  down  the  rocky  and 
obstructed  ravine,  over  and  under  the  tree  to  the  river.  Some 
hid  themselves  under  the  rocks  below,  others  in  the  lime-kilns, 
and  meantime  the  Confederates  on  our  right  fired  from  the 
bluff,  and  those  on  the  left  poured  down  to  and  occupied  the 
old  mill,  where  they  crowded  the  doors  and  windows,  firing 
Uf)on  the  fugitives,  and  cutting  off  all  passage  by  the  ford. 

The  sole  line  of  escape  was  now  by  the  old  dam-breast  above, 
or  else  by  the  stream  itself  where  it  was  deep  enough  to  conceal 
the  body,  while  leaving  the  breathing  and  seeing  apparatus 
above  the  surface.  The  colors,  however,  were  borne  unfurled 
and  in  triumph  across  the  dam.  To  crown  all  their  trials,  one 
of  our  own  batteries  used  fuses  too  short,  and  exploded  their 
shells  in  the  lime-kilns;  but  this  was  only  for  a  little  time. 
Our  sharpshooters  soon  cleared  the  southern  bank,  the  passage 
became  comparatively  safe,  the  martyr-crowned  n8th  was  back 
on  the  northern  shore,  and  the  time  had  arrived  to  take  an 
account  of  stock.  The  inventory  was  bad  enough,  but  not  as 
bad  as  it  might  have  been;  and  not  one-fourth  as  bad  as  it  was 
subsequently  represented  to  be. 


The  Forces  Engaged,  the  Losses,  and  Results. 

The  official  records  are  very  full  and  explicit  as  to  the  organ- 
izations on  each  side  engaged  in  this  battle.  On  the  Con- 
federate side  there  were  the  six  brigades  constituting  the  Light 
Division  of  A.  P.  Hill,  and  three  of  the  four  brigades  constituting 
Ewell's  division,  at  this  time  under  command  of  General  Early. 

General  A.  P.  Hill  covered  the  retreat  of  Lee's  army  into 
Virginia,  crossed  the  river  at  Boteler's  Ford  about  ten  o'clock 
in  the  morning  of  the  19th,  and  moved  directly  back  from 
the  river  about  five  miles,  where  he  encamped.  This  brought 
his  division  about  three  miles  in  rear  of  the  broad  road  con- 


ncctiog  Charleslown  with  Shepherdslown,  and  in  position 
either  to  fall  back  on  Winchester,  or  move  down  the  river 
toward  Harper's  Fcrrj-. 

Ewell's  division  crossed  the  Potomac  at  sunrise  on  the 
morning  of  the  igth  at  Botcler's  Ford,  and  was  formed  in  line 
of  battle  along  the  heights  on  the  Virginia  side,  under  direction 
of  General  Longstreel.  After  two  or  three  hours  Early  lefi 
Lawton's  brigade  to  guard  the  ford,  and  with  the  other  three 
brigades  of  the  division  moved  back  toward  Martinsburg,  and 
encamped  6ve  or  six  miles  in  rear  of  Shepherdstown. 

During  the  afternoon  of  the  lylh  and  the  following  night 
the  only  troops  there  besides  Pendleton's  artillery,  appear  to 
have  been  Lawton's  brigade.  Hill  says  in  his  report  that  the 
U.  S.  troops  crossed  during  the  night,  drove  off  Pendleton, 
capturtHl  four  of  his  guns,  and  were  preparing  to  hold  their 
position  on  the  Virginia  side.  Early's  report  says  thai  this 
Union  attack  drove  off  Lawton's  brigade,  almost  without  resist- 
ance. Lawton's  brigade  mored  down  the  river  and  took  no 
part  in  the  operations  of  the  next  day. 

Al  6.30  in  the  morning  of  the  20th,  A.  P.  Hill  was  directed 
by  Jackson  to  march  back  and  drive  away  these  Union  brigades, 
which  had  crossed  the  river.  When  about  a  half  mile  {more 
than  a  mile)  from  the  ford  he  formed  his  line  of  battle  in  two 
lines,  the  brigades  of  Pender,  Gregg  and  Thomas  in  the  first, 
and  the  brigades  of  Lane,  Archer  and  Brockenbrough  in  the 
second.     His  lines  then  advanced  simultaneously. 

He  met  slight  opposition  to  his  right  and  centre,  but  Pender's 
brigade,  on  the  left,  became  hotly  engaged,  our  troops  endeavor- 
ing to  turn  his  left,  and  Archer's  brigade  moved  by  the  left 
flank  from  the  rear,  and  then  "a  simultaneous,  daring  charge 
was  made,  and  the  enemy  driven  pell-mell  into  the  river." 
This,  of  course,  was  the  attack  on  the  118th  Penna.,  and  Hill's 
report  shows  that  this  regiment  did  practically  all  the  &ghting 
that  was  done  on  that  day. 


94r 

While  Hill  was  making  his  advance,  Ewell's  division,  under 
Early,  *Svas  ordered  to  move  back  to  the  vicinity  of  Boteler's 
Ford  with  the  three  brigades  which  were  with  me.  On  arriving 
there  (that  is  in  the  vicinity  of  Boteler's  Ford)  by  orders  from 
General  Jackson  (under  whose  orders  also  General  Hill's 
division  was  advancing)  these  brigades  were  placed  in  line  of 
battle  in  rear  of  General  A.  P.  Hill's  division,  in  the  woods  on 
the  right  and  left  of  the  road  leaving  the  ford,  my  own  and 
Hayes'  brigades  being  placed  on  the  right  and  Trimble's 
brigade  on  the  left."  He  says  they  were  "in  range  of  the 
enemy's  shells,  by  one  of  which  Captain  Feagin,  in  command 
of  the  isth  Alabama  Regiment,  was  seriously  wounded." 

It  is  clear  that  this  attack  was  under  direction  of  General 
Jackson  in  person,  that  he  combined  two  separate  divisions  in 
the  operation,  and  that  both  these  divisions  were  in  line  of 
battle,  moved  in  consolidated  order  as  a  unit,  and  the  mere 
position  of  Early's  brigades  on  the  flanks,  under  fire,  did  not 
remove  them  from  being  in  eflFect  a  constituent  part  of  the 
attacking  force.  They  were  not  held  in  reser\-e,  but  in  active 
movement  as  a  part  of  the  attacking  force.  When  the  remainder 
of  our  troops  retired,  leaving  the  Com  Exchange  Regiment  to 
stand  the  brunt,  the  only  reason  why  these  brigades  under  Early 
did  not  charge  also  was  because  there  was  not  room  enough, 
not  because  they  were  not  near  enough.  There  was  plenty  of 
room  on  the  Union  side;  however,  there  were  but  few  there. 

The  Confederate  regiments  engaged  in  this  attack,  in  Hill's 
division,  were  the  7th,  i8th,  28th,  33d,  37th,  i6th,  22d,  34th, 
and  38th  North  Carohna;  the  ist  Rifles,  12th,  13th,  and  14th 
South  Carolina;  the  40th,  47th,  55th  and  2 2d  Battalion, Virginia; 
the  5th  Alabama  Battalion;  the  ist,  7th,  and  14th Tennessee;  and 
the  14th,  19th,  35th,  4Sth,  and  49th  Georgia;  in  all  25  regiments 
and  2  battalions. 

In  the  three  brigades  of  E well's  division  were  the  13th,  25th, 
31st,  44th,  49th,  S2d,  and  58th  Virginia;  the  15th  Alabama; 


94* 

the  I3th  and  21st  Georgia;  the  ist  Battalion  and  21st  Regiment, 
North  .Carolina;  and  the  5th,  6lh,  7th,  8th,  and  14th  Louisiana; 
in  all  16  regiments  and  i  battalion. 

Total  41  regiments  and  5  battalions  of  infanlt>',  to  which 
were  attached  13  batleries  of  artilkrj'. 

For  the  numbers  of  officers  and  men  embraced  in  the  above 
organizations  the  abstract  from  Lee's  consolidated  return  for 
September  asd,  next  day  but  one  after  the  battle,  gives  for 
A.  P.  Hill's  division,  adding  the  a6i  killed  and  wounded  in  this 
action,  5038  present  for  duty;  and  the  three  brigades  of  EwcU's 
division  had  2564  present  for  duty,  making  an  aggregate  for 
the  whole  force  of  7602. 

The  divisions  were  commanded  by  Generals  A,  P.  Hill  and 
Jubal  A.  Early,  respectively,  and  the  whole  was  directed  by 
Lieu  tenant-General  T,  J,  (Stonewall)  Jackson  in  person.  The 
llSlh,  as  slated  in  the  report  of  Leu tenanl -Colonel  Gwyii,  hud 
737  officers  and  men  in  its  ranks  when  ordered  to  cross  the 
river  that  morning. 

It  is  not  intended  to  imply  that  all  the  active  force  was  at 
any  time  engaged  in  firing  upon  the  118th.  But  this  was  the 
force  which  was  moved  back  five  miles  and  six  miles,  respec- 
tively, from  Lee's  retreating  army  to  attack  the  Union  forces 
and  drive  them  back  into  the  river.  As  the  other  Union  brigades 
and  regiments  were  successively  withdrawn,  the  Corn  Exchange 
Regiment  was  left  alone  to  bear  the  assault,  which  it  did,  as  has 
been  already  described. 

The  artillery  planted  along  the  Maryland  side  of  the  river 
was  of  incalculable  \aluc,  as  were  the  sharpshooters  and 
trained  infantrj'  along  the  northern  shore,  but  these  did  not 
prevent  the  enemy  from  pouring  over  the  bluffs,  and  down  to 
Boteler's  Mill  and  the  ford,  which  they  occupied  and  so  cut  off 
retreat  by  the  ford. 

The  actual  fighting,  as  stated  in  his  report  by  General  Hill, 
"was  but  trifling,  and  soon  brushed  away,"  except  where  the 


94/ 

1 1 8th  Penna.  made  its  stand  until  swept  over  by  overwhelming 
masses,  and  not  until  at  least  three  orders  to  retire  had  been 
sent,  the  first  two  of  which,  "for  technical  reasons,"  were  not 
recognized.    Now  as  for  the  losses. 

In  the  general  summing  up  on  page  204  of  the  fitst  part  of 
Vol.  XIX.,  War  Records y  are  included  the  aggregate  casualties 
of  a  number  of  regiments,  during  the  19th  and  20th,  besides 
those  which  took  part  in  the  action  at  Shepherdstown,  the  total 
being  363,  of  which  269  are  credited  to  the  ii8th  Penna.  alone, 
out  of  which  105  are  accounted  for  as  captured  or  missing. 

The  muster-out  rolls  of  this  regiment  give  its  actual  losses 
in  this  engagement,  and  can  be  relied  upon.  A  new  regiment, 
which  had  its  first  cleaning  up  after  a  battle,  necessarily  includes 
in  its  reported  losses  all  those  who  have  been  otherwise  un- 
accounted for,  and  puts  them  down  as  missing. 

Carefully  examining  this  roster,  we  find  that,  of  the  11 8th 
Penna.,  there  were  killed  or  afterward  died  of  wounds  received 
in  this  action  (in  some  cases  long  afterward)  71  officers  and 
men,  71  were  wounded,  4  were  wounded  and  captured,  and 
63  were  taken  prisoners,  making  an  aggregate  of  209.  The 
prisoners  were  paroled  and  sent  to  Harper's  Ferry  a  few  days 
afterward. 

Col.  Barnes  gives,  in  his  official  report,  a  summary  of  the 
losses,  on  the  20th,  in  his  brigade.  The  number  aggregates  326. 
But  the  losses  of  the  ii8th  are  taken,  as  reported,  at  269,  an 
excess  of  60.  Deducting  this  excess  the  actual  losses  of  the 
above  brigade  were  266,  of  which  the  remaining  six  regiments 
suffered  57  in  all. 

On  the  Confederate  side  Hill's  official  report  given  the  losses 
in  his  own  division  as  30  killed  and  231  wounded,  making  an 
aggregate  of  261.  General  Early  personally  records  the  loss  of 
one  regimental  commander,  the  only  one  left  in  that  brigade 
Whether  any  other  officers  or  men  suffered  casualties  that  day, 
in  his  three  brigades,  he  does  not  state,  and  the  general  reports 


94" 

do  not  sufficiently  separate  the  losses  of  this  particular  day, 
in  their  reports  of  losses,  to  enable  us  to  determine. 

Al  all  events,  while  the  losses  in  Barnes'  brigade  were  not 
more  than  266,  the  Confederate  losses  were  not  less  than  262. 
The  troops  under  General  Sykcs  do  not  specify  their  losses, 
but  for  both  the  19th  and  ihe  zoth  they  did  not  exceed  13. 

As  for  the  a'sulls  of  the  operations  of  September  20th,  the 
Rrgimrnlal  History  of  the  iiSlh  is  in  error  in  saying,  "The 
fight  was  a  sad  and  j)urposeless  affair,  with  a  most  disastrous 
and  fatal  temiinalion."  This  has  long  been  the  popular  %-icw 
of  these  cients,  but  a  careful  study  of  the  official  War  Records 
will  show  that  the  truth  is  quite  the  reverse. 

On  Lee's  movements,  after  crossing  the  river,  all  will  agree 
that  the  movements  of  the  army  of  the  Potomae  must  have 
depended.  Ami  until  Lee's  positions  and  movements  had  l)cen 
determined,  the  positions  and  movements  of  McClellan  must 
be  equally  uncertain.  The  records  will  show  tfie  instantanein.;i 
effects  of  this  reconnaissance  in  force,  in  an  almost  entirt 
shifting  of  the  corps  unila  of  McClellan's  army  on  the  aoth  and 
aist,  and  the  development  of  McClellan's  plans  for  a  single 
line  of  frontal  attack,  which  the  knowledge  acquired  by  this 
reconnaissance  had  made  available. 

It  is  true  that  this  information  had  been  principally  obtained 
by  Sykes'  brigades  on  the  left,  but  it  is  equally  true  that  without 
the  co-operation  of  Barnes'  brigade  on  the  right,  the  advance 
of  Sykes  would  have  been  impossible,  or  else  his  recrossing  the 
river  from  Virginia  would  have  been  prevented,  unless  after 
a  sanguinarj'  battle  for  the  ford. 

It  will  be  borne  in  mind  that  while  Sykes'  brigades  and  the 
ca\alrj'  were  directed  to  the  left  frontfrom  the  ford,  toward  the 
Charlestown  road,  Barnes'  brigade  was  sent  up  the  Shepherds- 
town  road,  along  the  river,  and  thence  to  move  out  on  the  Shep- 
herdstown  and  Martinsburg  road,  which  ran  abnost  directly 
back  from  the  river  to  Martinsburg  about  eight  miles  distant. 


94V 

It  will  also  be  borne  in  mind  that  Jackson,  in  the  morning, 
began  moving  the  six  brigades  of  A.  P.  Hill's  division  and 
three  of  Ewell's  brigades,  from  where  they  were  bivouacked, 
five  and  six  miles  back  from  the  ford,  and  behind  the  Charles- 
town  road,  against  the  Union  troops  which  had  crossed  the 
river  and  were  now  on  the  Virginia  side. 

It  was  no  part  of  Sykes'  plan,  nor,  as  it  would  appear,  of 
Barnes',  to  send  the  Com  Exchange  Regiment  up  on  to  the 
plateau  itself,  like  a  red  flag  in  the  face  of  an  angry  bull,  but 
it  went  there  all  the  same,  and  this  was  what  so  astonished  the 
commander  of  the  17th  Regulars,  then  facing  the  enemy  at  the 
ford,  when  he  noticed  "a  line  of  battle  of  our  own  troops  rise, 
as  it  were,  out  of  the  ground  to  my  right,  and  where  I  had 
before  observed  a  line  of  our  skirmishers." 

Now,  it  is  a  nice  point  to  determine,  first,  what  eflFect  this 
apparently  phantom  regiment  had  on  the  general  result.  All 
the  regulars  had  not  yet  recrossed,  Barnes'  regiments  were 
still  lining  the  bluffs,  but  out  of  sight,  and  all  reports  concur 
that,  before  the  11 8th  had  even  fully  deployed,  or  formed  its 
line  of  battle,  the  enemy  was  upon  them. 

When  the  regiment  was  finally  crushed  by  the  overwhelming 
tide,  which  it  had  held  back  for  a  half  hour  or  more,  a  part  of  the 
rebel  force  rushed  to  the  edge  of  the  bluff,  and  another  part 
poured  down  on  its  right  to  the  river  and  the  old  mill,  and 
barred  the  passage. 

Had  the  11 8th  not  been  thus  flung  in  the  enemy's  face  at 
this  critical  moment,  would  not  the  rebel  force  have  plunged 
down  to  our  left,  and  to  the  mill  and  dam  and  ford,  and  barred 
the  passage  while  the  Regulars  and  Barnes'  remaining  regiments 
were  still  away  from  the  ford  and  back  on  the  Virginia  side? 

If  so,  this  regiment  did  its  full  duty,  by  its  almost  accidental, 
and  certainly  not  purposed,  presence  at  this  key  point,  and  at 
the  "psycological  moment,"  and  these  men  did  not  die  in  vain. 
Nor  was  it  disastrous  and  fatal.    It  was  a  fair  stand-up  fight, 


94«' 

against  enormous  odds,  and  the  enemy  was  punished  as  severely 
BS  we  suffered  ourselves.  It  was,  in  fact,  the  parallel  of  the 
much  greater  battle  of  Gaines'  Mill,  three  months  before,  when 
49  of  our  own  regiments  faced  and  fought,  and  held  back  all 
day,  124  of  the  Confederate  regiments,  and  then  retired  across 
iht  Chickahominy  to  rejoin  theirmarchingcomrades  in  succeed- 
ing battles. 

This  reconnaissance  in  force  thus  determined  the  locale  of 
Lfc's  army;  it  showed  where  Jackson  and  his  corps,  and  Hill's 
force  of  ihe  freshest  troops  were;  it  developed  the  Confederate 
army  as  back  from  the  river,  and  trending  down  toward  Harper's 
Feny,  and  not  up  the  river  toward  Williamsport ;  Pennsylvania 
was  relatively  safe  from  attempted  invasion  by  Lee"s  army  for 
the  time,  and  eastern  Maryland,  by  Harper's  Feny,  was  the 
otdy  part  exposed  north  of  the  Potomac. 

Various  reconnaissances  in  force  followed  that  of  September 
30th,  which  eventuated  in  the  battle  of  Shcpherdstown  and  was 
the  first  and  most  daring  of  them  all.  It  was  well  worth  all 
its  cost,  and  among  its  unexpected  results  was  the  fact  that 
instantaneously  the  ii8th  Pennsylvania,  the  Cora  Exchange 
Regiment,  was  flashed  into  thai  fiercely  lighted  Hame  of  recog- 
nition, which  ivt-r  afler  jjavi.-  it  a  cunspicuou^  plaii'  on  the  roll 
of  the  "fighting  regiments"  of  the  army,  and  which  it  never 
lost,  until  it  closed  its  battle-days  in  Sheridan's  front,  barred 
Lee's  final  retreat,  and  saw  take  place,  under  its  own  eyes,  the 
surrender  at  Appomattox. 


JSOM  SHEPHERRSTOWN  TO   rREDERICKSSUHG. 


HE  same  ground  near  Blackford's 
Ford,  from  which  the  regiment 
moved  to  the  fight  at  Shepherds- 
town  on  the  20th,  was  its  home 
until  the  latter  part  of  October, 
when  the  entire  army  began  an 
other  advance  into  Virginia. 

The  camp  was  in  the  fringe  of 
timber;  a  slightly  sloping  knoll 
rose  in  its  front,  separating  it 
from  the  empty  canal  and  the 
Potomac.  This  knoll  was  manned 
•11  along  its  crest  by  Parrott  guns  in  battery,  concealed  in 
the  timber ;  there  were  no  artillerymen  with  them,  and  the  only 
support  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  was  the  regiment. 
TI\e  guns  were  evidently  planted  to  command  the  ^ilain  upon 
the  other  side. 

Blackford's  house,  to  which  Colonel  Prevost  and  others  of 
the  wounded  were  carried  after  the  fight,  and  from  the  owner 
of  which  the  ford  derived  its  name,  was  upon  the  road  to  the 
right  of  the  camp.  In  the  distance,  a  mile  or  so  to  the  right, 
on  the  Virginia  side,  Shepherdstown.  with  its  few  red  roofs  and 
single  spire  peeping  up  from  its  grove  of  trees,  was  plainly 
visible. 

It  is  doubtful  whether  any  of  the  new  organizations  were  for 

so  long  a  time  so  illy  provided  with  the  comforts  and  shelter 

that  often   make  well-regulated  camp-life  a  fair  substitute  for 

homes  and  firesides.    Up  to  this  time  there  was  not  a  tent 

(95) 


-96- 

or  piece  of  canvas  in  the  command.  Unused  to  exposure  and 
inexperienced  in  improvising  shelter,  quarters  constructed  of 
boughs,  trees  and  bush  were  but  poor  substitutes  for  the  tight 
and  cosy  *'  dog-houses  " — such  was  the  familiar  name  for  the 
shelter-tents — which  whitened  the  country  in  every  direction. 
Houseless  and  homeless,  the  discomforts  increased  through  the 
chill  October  nights ;  but  officers  and  men  were  alike  incon- 
venienced, and  all  bore  it  uncomplainingly.  Shelter-tents  and 
gum-blankets  were  not  issued  until  just  before  the  encampment 
broke  up. 

The  pressure  of  the  march  had  been  so  continuous,  there 
had  been  really  no  opportunity  for  tactical  instruction.  Such 
a  season  of  relief  from  the  every-day  tramp  was  much  needed, 
nor  was  the  occasion  neglected.  The  weather  and  the  grounds 
were  favorable,  and  with  drills,  company  and  battalion,  inspec- 
tions, guard-mountmg,  guard-duty  and  dress-parades,  the  regi- 
ment left  Blackford's  Ford  a  fairly  instructed  and  decidedly  a 
well  disciplined  set  of  men.  Much  knowledge  was  also  gathered 
of  the  watchful  care  and  individual  responsibility  needed  in  the 
performance  of  picket-duty.  The  regiment  picketed  the  river- 
bank,  with  details  by  no  means  light,  from  the  camp  up  the 
river  to  the  piers  of  the  old  foot-bridge  opposite  Shepherds- 
town.  Part  of  the  time  the  enemy  occupied  the  other  side, 
and  their  proximity  demanded  unusual  alertness  and  constant 
activity. 

Most  of  the  wounded  from  the  field  of  the  20th  remained  in 
the  hospitals  about  Sharpsburg.  Their  weary,  lonesome  hours 
were  cheered  by  frequent  visits  from  their  companions,  en- 
camped so  long  in  the  close  vicinity. 

Invigorating  autumn  weather,  clear,  crisp  evenings,  good 
camping-ground,  and  some  leisure  following  the  stirring  times 
of  Antietam,  stimulated  invention  to  bestir  itself  for  inspiriting 
entertainment. 

A  gentleman  beyond  middle  life  had  been  assigned  as  a  regi- 
mental assistant-surgeon.  In  the  command  in  which  his  as- 
signment placed  him  were  a  bright  lot  of  young  officers,  little 


—  97  — 

disposed  to  restraint  when  any  scheme  was  suggested  indicac- 
ing  fun,  no  matter  how  extravagant  or  at  whose  expense. 

These  sprigs  determined  to  put  the  new  doctor  through  an 
examination,  conducted  with  all  formality,  the  result  of  which 
was  to  decide  his  efficiency  and  determine  whether  his  capaci- 
ties entitled  him  to  retention.  Selecting  "  Speedwell,"  a  fanci- 
ful conception,  for  an  unheard-of  Maryland  town,  they  located 
the  head-quarters  of  the  army  there,  and  published  the  special 
order  organizing  the  board  of  examiners,  dated, "  Head-quarters 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  Camp  near  Speedwell,  Maryland,  Oc- 
tober 30,  1862."  The  order  designated  the  doctor  as  the  only 
officer  on  which  it  operated  and  announced  the  detail,  which 
included  the  surgeon,  as  entirely  of  the  officers  of  his  own  regi- 
ment. Neither  the  mythical  location  nor  the  fact  that  officers 
only  of  his  regiment,  and  none  of  these  save  one  of  the  medical 
profession,  aroused  suspicion,  and  the  doctor  prepared  himself 
for  the  approaching  test. 

He  was  told  his  green  sash,  the  military  designation  of  his 
professional  rank  on  all  occasions  of  examination,  was  required 
to  be  worn  like  an  **  officer  of  the  day,"  across  the  shoulder  in- 
stead of  round  the  waist.  Accordingly  on  the  evening  selected, 
for  the  order  named  the  hour  for  the  board  to  convene  as  7  p.  m., 
the  doctor  presented  himself  in  full  uniform,  with  his  sash  dis- 
played as  he  had  been  instructed.  There  sat  the  promoters  of 
the  scheme — they  had  named  themselves  as  the  members  of 
the  board — in  a  hospital  tent  that  had  been  suitably  prepared 
for  the  occasion,  arrayed  in  all  becoming  dignity. 

The  surgeon  had  been  named  as  president  and  the  adjutant 
as  recorder.  First  the  quartermaster  plied  questions  on  trains, 
subsistence,  issues  and  accounts.  Then  the  adjutant  sifted  out 
a  number  of  insolvable  tactical  problems.  The  doctor  made 
some  attempts  at  answers,  but  uttered  no  complaint  at  the 
character  of  the  interrogatories.  When  the  surgeon  took  hold 
of  him  on  his  medical  attainments  he  passed  most  satisfactorily. 
The  examination  over,  the  doctor  was  politely  dismissed,  and 
when  he  was  far  enough  away  the  suppressed  laughter  was 
7 


-98- 

given  a  vent.  After  it  was  over  all  thoughts  were  turned  as  to 
how  to  get  out  of  it,  when  the  old  gentleman  tumbled  to  the 
situation.  It  was  a  long  time  before  he  did,  and  then  not  until 
the  excuses  of  the  usual  head-quarter's  delays  had  ceased  to 
satisfy  him  as  a  reason  for  his  not  knowing  the  result  Ulti- 
mately the  chaplain's  aid  was  invoked.  He  was  the  doctor's 
best  friend,  and  succeeded,  after  he  disclosed  how  he  had  been 
trifled  with,  in  so  quieting  his  wrath  as  to  prevent  him  bringing 
his  persecutors  to  answer  for  their  escapade. 

Reproof  they  certainly  richly  deserved.  Whether  they  had 
transgressed  far  enough  to  be  reached  by  the  strong  arm  of 
military  law  was  never  determined,  because  no  one  pursued 
them. 

Several  times  during  the  stay  preliminary  orders  came  to 
prepare  three  days'  cooked  rations,  to  reduce  the  officers'  bag- 
gage to  the  minimum,  and  accompanied  by  an  issue  of  sixty 
rounds  of  ammunition  per  man.  They  were  too  definite  and 
specific  for  a  reconnoissance  and  indicated  a  general  advance. 
Their  repetition  and  failure  of  consummation  drew  from  an  ob- 
serving soldier  the  facetious  remark,  that  those  in  authorit>' 
were  awaiting  another  storm  for  the  Potomac  to  swell  again, 
as  it  would  never  do  to  push  the  troops  across  in  good 
weather. 

But  at  four  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  the  30th  of  October 
doubt  and  uncertainty  vanished,  and  the  campaign  began  that 
terminated  on  the  fateful  field  of  Fredericksburg  in  the  follow- 
ing December. 

The  march  continued  well  into  the  night  and  it  was  ten 
o'clock  when  the  bivouac  was  made  at  Bryant's  Farm,  on  the 
Potomac,  near  the  base  of  Maryland  Heights.  Pen  and  pencil 
have  been  prolific  in  picture,  print  and  story  of  the  grand  and 
picturesque  in  American  scenery.  The  gorge  of  the  Potomac 
at  Harper's  Ferry  has  not  been  stinted  in  the  full  measure  of 
its  just  deserts  by  artist  and  author,  who  have  told  of  or  painted 
its  grandeurs.  Still,  when,  with  the  early  morning  sun,  Mary- 
land. Loudon  and  Bolivar  Heights,  the  Potomac  and  Shenan- 


doah,  all  burbt,  in  the  grandeur  of  lofly  summits,  the  placidity 
,  of  smooth-flowing  river  and  madness  of  rushing  stream,  in  one 
general  sweep  upon  the  yision  of  men  who  for  the  first  time 
beheld  them,  they  left,  even  upon  the  least  impressionable,  recol- 
lections never  to  be  forgotten. 

In  tiie  immediate  front  Maryland  Heights  rose  abruptly  some 
thousand  feet  with  their  rocl^y-faced  base  and  sterile  boulder, 
sparsely  timbered  slope,  grim,  barren  and  formidable.  Upon 
the  right,  and  over  the  Potomac  a  mile  and  more,  bold,  round, 
green  and  treeless,  stood  the  Bolivar  Heights;  and  down  the 
river  a  little  farther,  upon  the  Virginia  side,  where  the  turbid 
Shenandoah  debouches  from  the  valley  and  mingles  with  the 
waters  of  the  broad  and  placid  Potomac,  Loudon,  precipitous, 
rocky,  wooded,  its  foliage  just  taking  the  golden  hues  of 
autumn,  rose  frowning  in  its  majesty.  Nestled  in  the  angle 
made  by  the  two  rivers,  partly  visible,  was  quaint  old  Harper's 
Ferry,  with  the  tall  chimneys  and  long  ruined  walls  of  its 
arsenal  still  standing,  the  silent  witnesses  of  the  little  prelim- 
inarj-  protoplasm  from  which  the  big  war  liad  grown  to  its  then 
towering  m.ignitudc.  And  to  the  southward,  till  mountain  and 
horizon  united,  tlie  two  prominent  ranges  that  formed  the  boun* 
daries  of  the  great  Shenandoah  valley  dwindled  into  the  misty 
distance.  This  was  the  valley  whose  prolific  yield  of  meat  and 
cereal  supplied  the  sinews  which  sustained  the  strife,  until  at 
last  war,  cruel  war,  that  in  its  harsh  severities  knows  no  hu- 
manity, decreed  its  utter  desolation,  so  that  "  the  carrion-crow 
in  flying  over  the  valley  from  north  to  south  would  be  com- 
pelled to  carry  its  own  subsistence." 

The  distance  to  the  river  was  but  short,  and  a  little  after 
break  of  dawn  the  column  crossed  the  Potomac  by  a  pontoon 
bridge  nearly  a  mile  in  length,  laid  above  the  dam  and  opposite 
the  lower  end  of  the  town  of  Harper's  Ferry.  Midway  in 
the  stream  the  grandeur  of  the  view  was  more  comprehended. 
Both  feces  of  the  Maryland  Heights  and  the  piers  of  the  old 
bridge  were  in  full  view.  The  gentle,  quiet  waters  of  the  Po- 
tomac falling  over  the  dam-breast  were  soon  lost  in  the  distance 


—    lOO  — 

I 

as  they  dashed  in  their  mad  rush  below,  over  rock  and  stone 
and  boulder,  by  Loudon's  base  on  one  side  and  Sandy  Hook 
on  the  other.  The  famed  arsenal  ruins  and  the  historic  engine- 
house,  where  John  Brown  maintained  his  midnight  siege,, 
could  not  be  seen  except  from  the  Maryland  side  and  on  the 
bridge. 

The  column  skirted  through  a  small  thoroughfare  running 
at  right-angles  with  the  river  street  and  was  quickly  over  the 
Shenandoah  by  another  pontoon,  which  held  its  place  tena- 
ciously, in  spite  of  the  rough  and  angry  waters  in  which  it  lay. 
In  the  bed  of  the  stream  were  countless  rocks,  some  hidden^ 
others  in  view,  against  which  the  swift  currents  threw  the  spray 
about  in  gleesome  playfulness.  Pushing  on  vigorously,  the 
night's  bivouac  was  made  at  Hillsboro*. 

The  army  wai  again  bent  on  its  mission  of  coercion  to  en- 
force a  submission  to  a  consolidated  Union  upon  the  soil  of 
the  Commonwealth  whose  deputies  inserted  in  the  earliest  de- 
liberations of  our  constitution-makers  that  the  fundamental  law 
must  express,  and  not  simply  infer,  that  the  strength  and  power 
of  the  nation  was  at  all  times  available  to  coerce  refractory 
States. 

Hillsboro',  insignificant  in  size,  a  little  hamlet  in  Loudon 
county,  is  a  centre  where  many  roads  meet ;  one,  the  Leesburg 
pike,  was  mournfully  suggestive  of  the  Ball's  Bluff  disaster. 
The  country  hereabouts  is  rich  in  its  yield  of  all  the  products 
of  the  farm  and  prolific  in  poultry,  beef,  pork  and  mutton.  It 
had  not  been  severely  scarred  by  the  devastating  hand  of  war,, 
and  the  granaries,  barns,  heneries  and  spring-houses  paid 
handsome  tribute  to  the  by  no  means  modest  demands  of  the 
soldier,  whose  penetrating  search  let  nothing  escape  him.  Al- 
though Burnside's  corps  had  preceded  us,  and  foraged  liberally, 
ample  yet  remained  to  satisfy  all.  The  country  rolls  in  gentle 
undulations  of  hill  and  dale,  its  highly  cultivated  lands  ceasing 
only  when  the  heavily  timbered  Blue  Ridge  range,  upon  the 
western  boundary,  bars  their  further  reach.  A  ubiquitous  stream, 
known  as  Goose  creek,  seemed  to  penetrate  every  nook  and 


—   lOI 

corner  of  tbe  county.  Inquiry  from  the  inhabitants  as  to  the 
designation  of  eveiy  stream  crossed  in  this  vicinity  brought 
forth  the  universal  re^x>nse :  '*  Goose  creek«" 

The  rq^iment  was  in  sad  need  of  ^oes,  clotfiing,  canteens 
and  haversacks.  Requisitions  had  long  been  in  to  meet  these 
wants,  and  an  issue  was  at  last  made  at  this  point,  but  not  a 
tithe  of  What  was  needed. 

On  the  2d  of  November  the  march  was  resumed,  and  con- 
cluded near  Snicker's  Gap,  with  the  little  village  of  Snickers- 
ville  hard  by.  It  was  on  this  day's  march  that  an  unwise  pig 
took  it  into  its  head,  or  its  feet,  to  run  through  the  lines.  A 
breach  of  disdpline  like  this,  and  by  a  pig,  was  not  to  be 
tolerated  for  an  instant  A  court-martial  of  one  immediate^ 
convened  himself,  passed  sentence,  and  executed  it  Orders 
against  foraging  were  very  strict  As  the  bayonet  pierced  his 
side  tiie  pig  squealed  so  loudly  that  the  sound  brought  an 
officer  galloping  down  the  line  to  secure  die  pig  and  arrest  the 
oflender.  Before  he  could  reach  the  spot  die  pig  had  been 
divided  and  concealed,  and  the  men  were  movii^  on  in  excel- 
lent order. 

The  country  was  stfll  fresh  and  productive,  and  toothsome 
morsels  of  poultry,  butter  and  eggs  were  fitting  substitutes  for 
the  monotonous  diet  of  salt  pork  and  hard-tack. 

The  Massachusetts  associations  in  the  brigade  developed  the 
Yankee  love  of  traffic,  and  the  temptation  to  "  barter  and  trade 
a  spell "  induced  some  of  the  Pennsylvanians  to  negotiate,  more 
to  gratify  their  Yankee  friends  in  an  indulgence  of  their  com- 
mercial propensities  than  with  expectation  of  profit  or  useful 
investment.  The  little  commodities  and  trinkets  which  passed 
in  these  ventures  were  of  no  great  value,  but  the  positive  re- 
fusal of  the  Yankees  to  recognize  a  credit  system  compelled 
the  men  to  resort  to  temporary  loans  from  their  officers,  whose 
purses,  though  much  depleted,  could  generally  accommodate 
them  to  a  limited  extent. 

In  a  moneyed  sense  the  regiment  was  miserably  poor.  The 
3 1  st  of  October  was  the  bi-monthly  day  of  muster  for  pay.  The 


—   I02  — 

careful  preparation  of  the  pay-rolls,  and  hearty  response  of 
those  present  in  answer  to  their  names,  was  conducive  to  a  be- 
lief that  their  correct  and  clerkly  appearance  and  speedy  trans- 
mittal might  induce  the  sometimes  dilatory  paymaster  to  give 
them  a  prompt  consideration. 

George  Slow  was  the  body-servant  of  one  of  the  officers  and 
was  quite  a  noted  character  in  the  regiment.  He  had  been  the 
slave  of  a  wealthy  and  distinguished  Virginia  family,  and  came 
from  the  Valley,  just  through 
the  gap.  With  ninety  others 
on  the  plantation,  when  the 
war  began,  his  "  marster," 
afterwards  an  officer  of  the 
Confederate  army,  set  him 
free.  He  had  been  prompted 
to  this  generous  act  rather 
by  the  belief  that  his  slaves 
would  go  their  own  way  any- 
how, than  by  the  conscious- 
ness that  freedom  was  their 
right.  Determined  to  visit 
his  old  home,  he  braved  all 
the  dangers  of  the  trip  and 
crossed  the  mountains  to  see 
his  mistress.  She  received 
him  most  graciously  and  load* 
ed  him  with  gifls  of  precious 
edibles  to  bear  to  those  in 
whose  service  he  had  enlisted, 
savory  print-butter,  a  delicacy  unknown  to  army  life,  were 
especially  acceptable. 

An  instance  of  George's  unflinching  faithfulness  occurred  at 
the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks.  He  was  then  employed  by  an  officer 
of  the  71st  Pennsylvania.  As  this  officer  was  going  into  the 
action  he  passed  over  to  George  a  few  valuables  and  memen- 
tos, with  instructions  if  he  did  not   return  to  see  that  they 


GEORGE  SLOW. 


Several  pounds  of  sweei  and 


should  reach  his  (amily.  He  did  not  return  and  for  some  time 
Gcoi^  supposed  him  dead.  Subsequently  ascertaining  he  had 
been  wounded  and  taken  to  Philadelphia.  George  set  himseir 
about  to  reach  him.  Failing  to  secure  transportation,  he  started 
to  walk  the  entire  distance  from  the  Peninsula.  Over  wide 
streams,  with  bridges  destro)'ed,  he  was  compelled  to  covertly 
snatch  a  ferriage.  Witliout  supplies,  except  such  as  he  could  cau- 
tiously gather  from  friendly  negroes,  through  a  country  infested 
by  guerillas  and  where  every  white  man  was  his  enemy,  he 
finally  accomplished  his  purpose.  To  the  astonishment  of  his 
grateful  employer,  who  still  lay  suffering  from  his  wound, 
George  suddenly  appeared  unannounced  at  his  bedside.  The 
faitliful  fellow  continued  to  act  as  a  tender  and  devoted  nurse 
until  the  officer  had  fully  recovered.  George  is  now  the  trusted 
servant  of  one  of  Philadelphia's  prominent  citizens,  Mr,  Joseph 
H.  Gillingham,  with  whom  he  has  remained  continuously  since 
the  war. 

Before  the  army  left  the  Gap  the  feast  changed  into  a  famine, 
and  rations  of  any  kind  were  difficult  to  obtain.  Stacks  of 
unhusked  corn  were  ."itanding  in  the  field,  but  even  a  soldier 
could  hardly  be  expected  to  eat  com  off  the  cob  when  the  com 
had  become  hard  enough  by  exposure  to  be  used  for  ammuni- 
tion. A  soldier's  life  is  a  life  of  emergencies.  Difficulties  must 
be  overcome.  One  bright  wit  took  the  tin  from  his  cartridge- 
box,  emptied  the  cartridges  into  the  box,  punched  holes  in  the 
tin  with  his  bayonet  and  grated  the  com  with  this  unpatented 
grater.  The  others  followed  his  example,  and  soon  com-cakes 
were  being  fried,  with  pieces  of  fresh  pork  that  came  from  some- 
where, throughout  the  camp. 

The  shortening  November  days  makes  six  o'clock  in  the 
morning  a  daylight  start  It  was  at  that  hour  on  the  6th, 
after  the  few  days'  stoppage  in  the  vicinity  of  Snicker's  Gap,  the 
march  was  resumed. 

There  was  but  little  personal  association  with  the  citizens, 
but  the  larther  into  the  interior  the  army  advanced,  the  deeper 
seemed  the  bitterness  of  hate  towards  the  Union  soldier.  There 


—  I04  — 

was  never  any  deep  love  for  the  enemy,  nor  abiding  affection 
for  his  aiders  and  abettors,  but  the  feelings  never  shaped  them- 
selves into  personal  antipathies  or  aroused  individual  dislikes. 
But  here  the  press,  the  rostrum  and  the  pulpit  had  taught  the 
people  that  every  Northern  man  was  to  be  personally  despised, 
and  his  society  rudely  rejected.  Manifestations  of  such  dis- 
like had  gradually  bred,  probably  in  a  spirit  of  retaliation,  cor- 
responding antipathies  in  the  soldiery,  and  the  few  exchanges  of 
personal  courtesies  with  the  inhabitants  fell  off"  almost  entirely. 
The  bivouac  was  made  still  in  Loudon  county,  near  the  little 
town  of  Middleburg.  on  the  farm  of  one  J.  W.  Patterson,  well 
kept  and  in  good  condition. 

On  the  next  day's  march  the  fatiguing  and  laborious  duty 
of  guard  to  the  wagon-train  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  regiment 
The  trains  necessarily  require  the  exclusive  use  of  the  road, 
and  the  troops  on  their  flanks,  moving  through  the  fields,  over 
brush,  bush  and  every  conceivable  obstruction,  are  obliged  to 
carve  a  way  for  themselves.  If  the  road  is  free  and  everything 
clear,  the  gait  is  rapid,  and  infantry  are  put  to  their  best  en- 
deavors to  keep  pace  with  their  charge.  As  usual  at  the  start, 
the  road  was  jammed  and  blocked  for  several  hours,  the  march 
annoyingly  slow,  and  the  delays  very  harassing.  When  the 
obstructions  were  out  of  the  way  the  speed  increased  so  as  to 
tax  endurance  to  its  utmost.  And  with  all  the  other  ills,  a 
sudden  and  unusual  taste  of  winter  came  along. 

It  commenced  snowing  violently.  The  country  was  soon 
covered  with  its  mantle  of  white,  appropriately  connecting  the 
name  of  the  halting-place,  **  White  Plains,"  with  the  general 
appearance  of  everything.  Much  of  the  afternoon  was  left 
when  the  halt  was  made.  It  was  pleasantly  passed  in  enter- 
taining guests  from  the  1 19th  Pennsylvania,  encamped  in  the 
close  vicinity.  The  generous  supplies  a  prolific  country  had 
furnished  had  disappeared  entirely,  and  the  much-abused  army 
diet,  which,  when  sufficient,  was  by  no  means  distasteful,  had 
become  intolerably  scant.  So  seriously  did  the  larder  need 
replenishing  that  the  song  of  "  Hard  Times,  Hard  Times,  Come 


—  I05  — 

Again  No  More  "  was  appropriately  paraphrased  in  the  follow- 
ing refrain : 

••  *Tis  the  Toice  of  the  hungry,  crying  o'er  and  o*er, 
Hard-tack !  hard«tack !   Come  again  once  more. 
Many  days  I  have  wandered  from  my  little  dog-house  door^ 
Crying,  Hard-tack !  hard-tack !   Come  again  once  more.** 

The  guests  had  to  be  satisfied  with  what  was  at  hand,  and  their 
providers  so  impoverished  themselves  in  their  entertainment 
that  nothing  was  left  for  the  morning  meal,  save  a  small  allow- 
ance of  coffee.  Society  chinked  the  gaps  left  by  the  character 
and  quantity  of  the  diet  and  the  afternoon  waned  cheerily. 
The  1 1 8th  and  119th  sprang  from  the  same  military  parent — 
the  then  Gray  Reserves,  now  the  distinguished  ist  Regiment 
of  the  Pennsylvania  National  Guard — and  there  was  a  hearty, 
cordial  fellowship  for  each  other,  dominant  in  both  organiza- 
tions. Regimental,  State  and  number  designations  do  not  bear 
the  same  significance  to  each  other  as  the  names  of  streets  and 
numbers  of  houses  in  large  cities.  Unlike  such  associations, 
adjoining  numbers  from  the  same  State  is  no  assurance  of 
neighborly  proximity.  So  it  was  here ;  the  two  regiments,  as- 
signed to  different  corps,  were  usually  miles  apart  Locomo- 
tion afoot  was  slow  and  tiresome,  and  the  wearisome  demands 
of  daily  travel  not  encouraging  to  frequent  visitations.  Such  a 
rare  opportunity  for  an  exchange  of  courtesies  was  much  ap- 
preciated, and  the  visitors  left  in  the  early  evening  with  the 
sincere  hope  that  they  might  be  shortly  favored  with  like  op- 
portunity for  their  return. 

On  the  8th  the  march  was  resumed  at  seven  in  the  morning, 
and  the  regiment  was  assigned  as  rear-guard,  a  duty  not  so 
<iistasteful  as  that  with  the  wagons,  but  by  no  means  to  be 
courted.  To  drive  up  the  habitual  malingerer  is  no  disagree- 
able duty,  but  to  urge  along  the  honest  soldier,  fatigued  to  real 
exhaustion,  arouses  a  sympathy  which  is  difficult  to  conquer. 
There  happ>ened  to  be  so  little  straggling  on  this  occasion,  and 
the  duties  of  rear-guard  being  correspondingly  light,  the  charge 


—  io6  — 

of  the  ammunition  trains  was  also  imposed  upon  the  regiment 
Procrastinations  and  fatiguing  delays  followed  this  additional 
detail,  and  it  was  ten  at  night  when,  supperless  and  exhausted, 
the  bivouac  was  made  near  New  Baltimore.  Under  a  soft, 
autumn  noon-day  sun  the  snow  had  wholly  disappeared. 

Detached  service  was  over  and  it  was  with  unqualified  satis- 
faction the  regiment  returned  to  its  place  in  the  column,  and, 
with  the  brigade,  in  comfortable,  easy  stages,  on  the  9th,  made 
its  march  to  Warrenton.  Here  it  remained  for  several  days. 
Many  of  the  men  were  without  shoes  when  they  struck  War- 
renton, and  some  of  the  1 1 8th  left  the  marks  of  their  passage 
to  the  place  in  drops  of  crimson  that  had  oosed  from  their 
bleeding  feet.  A  few  of  the  men  who  had  straggled  unneces- 
sarily were  put  upon  fatigue  duty  when  they  reached  the  camp. 
The  then  chaplain  of  the  regiment  was  not  reverenced  by  the 
men.  The  stragglers  were  ordered  to  cut  down  some  trees  in 
the  camp.  One  of  them  fell  over  the  tent  in  which  the  chap- 
lain was  sitting  at  a  table.  It  knocked  down  the  tent,  the  table 
and  the  chaplain.  Shortly  after  this  event  the  chaplain  felt  that 
he  was  called  elsewhere,  and  went  back  to  his  home  in  New 
Jersey. 

Warrenton,  the  county-seat  of  Fauquier,  a  most  attractive 
hamlet,  was  the  home  of  "  Extra  Billy "  Smith,  one  of  Vir- 
ginia's famous  statesmen.  Water  Mountain,  a  pretentious  hill, 
belts  it  upon  one  side,  and  upon  the  other,  in  all  directions, 
arable  lands,  cultivated  to  the  highest  attainments  of  Virginia 
farming,  were  productive  of  her  best  results.  The  residences 
indicated  thrift  and  comfort,  tastefully  adorned  with  lawn  and 
garden,  their  foliage  fading  and  grasses  withering  in  the  ad- 
vancing autumn.  The  Warren  Green  Hotel,  the  principal  hos- 
tlery,  in  name  suggested  the  one  in  Pennsylvania,  notable  as 
the  British  head-quarters  on  the  night  of  the  Paoli  massacre. 
The  court-house  and  jail  were  substantial  structures,  in  keeping 
in  their  architecture  with  the  other  surroundings. 

A  few  miles  beyond  were  the  Sulphur  Springs;  a  well-known 
watering-place,  much  resorted  to  for  health  and  pleasure  in  the 


—  I07  — 

ant€'4>ellum  days.  Its  capacious  hotel  and  adjoining  buildings 
and  colleges  had  in  some  previous  occupation  of  this  region 
fallen  victims  to  the  flames. 

Three  of  the  officers,  Captains  Donaldson  and  Crocker  and 
Lieutenant  Thomas,  remembering  the  town  as  the  home  of  the 
parents  of  Lieutenant  J.  Rudhall  White,  so  recently  killed  at 
Shepherdstown,  paid  them  a  visit  of  condolence.  They  in- 
quired feelingly  of  the  incidents  surrounding  their  son's  demise, 
and,  though  in  full  sympathy  with  the  enemy,  they  had  still  a 
deep  and  abiding  parental  affection  for  their  unfortunate  off- 
spring, whose  patriotism,  none  of  which  he  had  learned  at 
home,  he  had  proven  to  the  death  in  his  first  engagement. 
The  visitors  were  hospitably  entertained  to  the  fullest  extent 
from  a  much-depleted  larder.  It  was  typical  of  all  others  in 
this  section. 

On  the  7th  a  War  Department  order,  not  published  until  the 
I Oth,  relieved  Major-General  McClellan  from  duty  in  command 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  assigned  to  that  duty  Major- 
General  Ambrose  E.  Burnside.  The  publication  of  this  an- 
nouncement had  a  startling  effect.  With  armies  actively  in  the 
field,  sentiment  is  unknown,  the  emotional  unheard  of,  and  the 
opinions  of  others  barely  considered  or  carelessly  dismissed. 
But  for  McClellan,  with  the  Peninsular  army — and  the  contin- 
gent of  1862  had  caught  it — there  had  grown  such  an  enthu- 
siasm and  affection  that  a  total  severance  of  his  authority 
savored  of  disruption.  No  other  commander,  principal  or  sub- 
ordinate, ever  so  captured  his  soldiers,  ever  so  entranced  his 
followers.  Sweeping  denunciation,  violent  invective,  were 
heaped  without  stint  upon  the  Government.  Subdued  threats 
of  vengeance,  mutterings  of  insurrection  slumbered  in  their  in- 
cipiency ;  but,  restrained  by  good  sense,  patriotism  and  disci- 
pline, they  never  reached  consummation  in  overt  act.  The 
mails  teemed  with  correspondence  to  friends  and  relatives  at 
home  *  denouncing  the  action  of  the  War  Department,  raging 

•  "A  sadder  gathcrin^j  of  men  could  not  well  have  l>ecn  asseinMed  than  thai  of 
the  army  drawn  up  to  bid  farewell  to  its  beloved  commander.     Our  corps  was  re- 


—  io8  — 

at  the  authorities,  and  predicting  the  direst  results.  Shouts, 
cheers  and  yells  greeted  McClellan  as  he  rode  along  the  lines 
and  bade  farewell  to  the  army.  Men  could  not  be  held  to  their 
places,  and,  breaking  from  their  ranks,  gathered  about  as  if  in 
the  agony  of  parting  from  their  best  and  dearest  friend.  But 
insubordinate  sentiment  soon  yielded  to  reason,  and  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  returning  to  consistency,  was  never  afterwards 
fluttered  by  the  removals  of,  or  disturbed  by  changes  in,  its 
commanders. 

The  removal  of  Fitz-John  Porter  followed  McClellan's  on 
the  1 2th.  He  paraded  his  corps  for  his  farewell  review,  and 
for  the  last  time  appeared  in  authority  in  any  military  capacity. 

viewed  in  the  morning,  and  as  General  McCIellan  passed  along  its  front,  whole 
regiments  broke  and  flocked  around  him,  and  with  tears  and  entreaties  besought 
him  not  to  leave  them,  but  to  say  the  word  and  they  would  soon  settle  matters  in 
Washington.  Indeed,  it  was  thought  at  one  time  there  would  be  a  mutiny,  but  by 
a  word  he  calmed  the  tumult  and  ordered  the  men  back  to  their  colors  and  their 
duty.  As  he  passed  our  regiment  he  was  thronged  by  men  of  other  commands, 
making  a  tumultuous  scene  beyond  description.  He  was  obliged  to  halt  in  front 
of  us  as  Meagher's  Irish  brigade  were  pressing  on  him  to  that  extent  that  further 
progress  was  impossible.  They  cast  their  colors  in  the  dust  for  him  to  ride  over, 
but,  of  course,  that  he  would  not  do,  but  made  them  take  them  up  again.  Gen- 
eral   ,  who  was  riding  near  McClellan,  was  forced  by  the  crowd  towards 

our  line  and  I  heard  him  say  to  a  mounted  officer  close  by  that  he  wished  to  God 
McClellan  would  put  himself  at  the  head  of  the  army  and  throw  the  infernal 
scoundrels  at  Washington  into  the  Potomac.  This  is  history^  and  I  give  it  here 
to  show  the  wild  excitement  pervading  all  branches  of  the  service,  from  the  rank 
and  file  to  the  general  officers.  At  12  M.  McClellan  met  ^e  officers  of  Fitz-John 
Porter's  corps  at  the  latter's  head-quarters  and  bade  them  good-bye,  and  as  he 
grasped  each  officer  by  the  hand  there  was  not  a  dry  eye  in  the  assemblage.  Be* 
fore  parting  he  made  a  short  address,  in  which  he  said  his  removal  was  as  much 
a  surprise  to  him  as  it  was  to  the  army.  But  he  supposed  it  was  intended  for  the 
best,  and  as  a  soldier  he  had  but  to  obey.  He  therefore  urged  upon  us  all  to  re- 
turn to  our  respective  commands  and  do  our  duty  to  our  new  commander  as  loyally 
and  as  faithfully  as  we  had  served  htm.  By  so  doing  we  would  pay  him  the 
greatest  honor,  and,  as  he  had  only  the  welfare  of  his  country  at  heart,  he  would 
follow  with  his  prayers  and  good  wishes  the  future  career  of  the  grandest  army 
this  continent  ever  saw. 

**  What  do  you  think  of  such  a  man  ?  He  had  it  in  his  power  to  be  dictator — 
anything  he  chose  to  name — if  he  would  but  say  the  word,  but  he  preferred  re- 
tirement rather  than  ambition.     He  was  not  a  Csesar." 


—  109  — 

General  Daniel  Butterfield  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the 
corps,  and  the  place  of  General  Morrell,  who  had  dropped 
away  from  the  division,  was  filled  by  Brigadier-General  Charles 
Griffin.  Colonel  Barnes  still  continued  in  command  of  the 
brigade. 

The  army  had  been  organized  into  the  right,  left  and  centre 
grand  divisions ;  to  the  latter,  commanded  by  Major-General 
Joseph  E.  Hooker,  the  5th  Corps  was  attached. 

On  the  15th  General  Hooker  reviewed  his  entire  Grand  Di- 
vision, and  at  the  conclusion  of  the  ceremonies,  at  his  head- 
quarters, where  he  received  the  officers  of  the  brigade,  took 
occasion,  with  some  spirit,  to  remark  that  with  two  such  army 
corps  he  felt  that  he  could  march  anywhere  in  the  enemy's 
territory  and  compel  the  entire  Confederacy  to  do  his  bidding. 

About  this  time  Colonel  Marshall,  of  the  1 3th  New  York^ 
from  his  fierce  red  whiskers,  secured  the  sobriquet  of  "  Red 
Warrior."  An  officer  of  the  regular  army,  a  graduate  of  the 
Academy,  he  was  unbending  in  his  exactions  and  uncompromis- 
ing with  mistakes.  He  had  taken  opportunity  to  throw  out  a 
cynical  slur,  rather  at  than  to  the  regiment,  as  he  passed  it  on 
one  occasion,  halted,  while  *his  own  was  moving  in  column. 
The  slur,  pronounced  loud  enough  to  be  heard  by  every  one, 
was  prompted  by  the  unsteadiness  of  his  leading  company, 
which  nettled  him  so  that  he  contrasted  them  to  the  ragged 
Pennsylvania  militia.  This  was  a  compliment  when  compared 
with  the  f)eculiar  phrases  which  he  generously  bestowed  upon 
those  in  his  own  command.  The  alias  clung  to  him  as  long  as 
he  remained  with  the  brigade.  His  regiment  was  a  two-years 
organization  and  withdrew  at  the  expiration  of  its  term,  about 
the  time  of  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville. 

Shortly  after  six  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  17th,  in  a 
drizzling  rain,  the  camp  in  the  vicinity  of  Warrenton  was 
broken ;  moving  through  the  town,  the  march  continued  some 
twelve  miles  to  Elk  Run.  It  was  a  distressing  spot,  scarce 
worthy  of  a  designation,  upon  a  narrow,  dirty,  muddy  stream, 
where  several  great   roads   met.     The  concentration  of  a  few 


—  no  — 

houses  and  barns,  and  its  location  upon  important  public  high- 
ways, probably  established  an  identity  that  made  it  worthy  of  a 
name. 

If  individual  volition  had  controlled  the  movement,  each 
man  would  have  left  this  wretched  spot  at  a  very  early  hour  the 
next  morning.  It  was  otherwise  directed.  The  other  divisions 
had  the  advance  and  high  noon  came  before  the  brigade  was 
on  its  way.  The  drizzles  were  drenching  rains,  and  the  mud, 
deep  and  loamy,  held  each  footstep  with  a  firm,  tenacious  grip. 
The  soil  was  Virginia's,  but  heavy  as  it  then  was,  the  indica- 
tions were  but  faint  as  to  what  the  near  future  should  develop 
as  real  Virginia  mud.  Soaked  and  weary,  the  column  found  a 
bivouac  about  six  o'clock  in  some  unknown,  muddy,  watery 
waste,  and  on  the  19th,  after  a  short  afternoon  march,  halted 
for  several  days  at  Hartwood  Church.  In  an  open,  settled 
country,  the  region  was  in  agreeable  contrast  with  that  just 
passed  through.  The  church,  during  the  occupancy  of  this 
vicinity,  became  a  noted  point  of  stoppage  for  troops  operating 
in  the  locality.  The  dreary  wilds  for  so  many  miles  around  it 
made  it  an  especially  attractive  halting-place  when  circum- 
stances permitted.  The  interior  was  without  pulpit  or  seats, 
and  on  the  wall,  back  of  the  chancel,  was  a  half-finished  war- 
like sketch  in  charcoal.  The  story  went  that  the  artist,  a  Yan- 
kee officer,  surrounded  by  a  few  of  his  men  admiring  his  skill, 
was  interrupted  by  the  enemy's  cavalry,  and  he  and  his  au- 
dience permitted  to  continue  their  operations  on  the  walls  of 
Libby. 

On  the  23d  the  march  was  again  resumed  to  the  vicinity  of 
Belle  Plain,  a  landing  on  the  Potomac  near  the  mouth  of  Po- 
tomac creek.  The  gathering  of  supply  and  ammunition  trains, 
the  current  accepted  belief  that  the  enemy  was  in  strength  about 
Fredericksburg,  on  the  other  side  of  the  Rappahannock,  indi- 
cated a  purpose  to  strike  him. 

Stuart's  cavalry  had  developed  considerable  activity  about 
the  rear  and  flanks  of  the  army,  and  the  brigade  was  sent  on 
several  wearisome,  fruitless  tramps  in  the  direction  of  Hartwood 


Church  to  overhaul  him.  The  camps  flitted  about  for  some 
weeks  within  a  few  miles  of  each  other  between  Stoneman's 
Switch,  Potomac  creek  and  Belle  Plain.  There  were  many 
misgivings  of  disaster  if  a  battle  should  be  fought,  and  a  con- 
viction grew  that  the  winter  would  pass  in  quiet.  The  opening 
guns  of  Fredericksburg  proved  the  convictions  erroneous,  and 
the  result  sent  the  stricken  soldiery  back  to  their  cantonments, 
their  misgivings  fully  confirmed. 


SEKCEAST-MAJOR    WM. 


CHAPTER  V. 

FREDERICKSBURG. 

Sleep  soldiers!    Still  in  honored  rest 

Your  truth  and  valor  wearing; 
The  bravest  are  the  tenderest. 

The  loving  are  the  daring. 

THERE  had  been  frequent  preliminary  orders  to  be  in 
readiness  to  move  immediately,  to  move  at  a  moment's 
notice,  to  move  at  once,  to  move  without  delay.  It  was  the 
usual  phraseology  then  so  familiar  and  aroused  but  little  com« 
ment,  as  a  soldier  was  about  as  ready  to  move  at  one  time  as 
another.  They  were  accompanied  by  directions  to  carry  five 
days'  cooked  rations,  and  the  orders,  following  each  other  so 
closely,  kept  that  supply  continually  on  hand. 

The  thunder  of  heavy  cannonading  about  four  o'clock  on 
the  morning  of  the  nth  of  December,  followed  promptly  by 
the  "  general,"  dissipated  the  flippant  treatment  with  which  the 
preliminary  directions  had  been  received,  and,  amid  some 
bustle  and  confusion,  the  regiment  was  without  delay  in  line, 
awaiting  the  order  to  march. 

The  sun,  great  and  round,  rose  ominously  red.  Camp-fixt- 
ures were  to  remain  standing  and  the  troops  to  be  equipped  in 
light-marching  order  only.  The  soldiers  had  not  yet  conceived 
that  much  was  intended  beyond  a  reconnoissance  in  heavy  force. 
This,  though,  was  one  of  those  hopeful  conceptions  to  drive  off 
the  notion  that  there  would  be  a  fight 

The  company  cooks  were  metamorphosed;  that  is,  these 
professional  gentlemen  had  been  promoted  to  the  ranks,  ex- 
changed their  ladles  for  muskets  and  cartridge-boxes,  and  were 
given  an  opportunity  to  pepper  the  enemies  of  their  country 
instead  of  the  bean  soup.  One  of  chem,  whose  rotund  form  and 
unctuous  face  made  his  usual  occupation  unmistakable,  hearing 
the  boom  of  the  heavy  guns,  asked  what  the  noise  was. 

He  was  answered :  "  The  rebel  artillery." 

flI2) 


—  114  — 

"You  fellers  needn't  think  you  can  fool  me.  I've  heard 
that  noise  too  often  in  Philadelphia ;  they're  unloading  boards 
somewhere." 

Afterward,  when  the  man  of  pots  and  pans  heard  the  screech 
of  the  shells  and  saw  them  falling  in  the  river  near  the  engi- 
neers who  were  laying  the  pontoons,  he  went  lumbering  to  the 
rear  as  though  he  had  forgotten  something,  and  his  oleaginous 
form  faded  in  the  distance. 

At  seven  o'clock  the  column  was  in  motion,  not  in  the 
familiar  direction  towards  Hartwood  Church,  but  by  the 
shortest  and  most  practicable  route  to  Falmouth  and  the  Rap- 
pahannock. Evidences  were  everywhere  abroad  of  preparation 
for  desperate  and  bloody  work.  Ambulance  trains  were  parked 
in  every  direction ;  every  safe  and  readily  accessible  location 
was  occupied  by  hospital  tents.  Stretchers  in  unlimited  sup- 
ply were  being  hurried  to  the  front  for  immediate  use.  Fresh, 
clean  straw,  neatly  bundled,  had  been  distributed  where  the 
wounded  were  to  be  brought  for  treatment  The  thunder  of 
the  guns  continued  in  uninterrupted  roar. 

The  march  was  soon  accomplished.  The  whole  of  the  Cen- 
tre Grand  Division  was  massed  on  "Stafford  Heights,"  the 
prominent  bluffs  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  commanding  a 
full  view  of  the  city  of  Fredericksburg,  the  stream  and  the  low- 
lands and  hills  upon  the  other  side.  Line  upon  line,  shoulder 
to  shoulder,  this  closely-packed  body  of  men  awaited,  in  quiet 
resoluteness,  the  order  that  should  send  them  forward  to  meas- 
ure strength  and  courage  with  their  adversaries.  It  was  a 
martial  sight. 

The  stream,  inconsiderable  in  width,  is  navigable  for  steam- 
boats. The  water-front  of  the  city  extended  about  a  mile, 
with  streets  at  right-angles,  lined  with  substantial  brick  and 
stone  buildings  reaching  back  from  the  water  about  half  that 
distance.  The  city  lay  on  a  plain  away  below  the  heights  which 
overlooked  it.  At  the  distance  of  half  a  mile  arose  a  formidable 
hill,  of  easy,  gentle  slope,  then  modestly  known  by  its  owner's 
name  as  Marye's  Heights.     It  was  to  become  famous  as  the 


—  US  — 

scene  of  most  desperate  and  valorous  assaults.  Marye's  Heights 
wei.'i  lined  with  earthworks,  planned  and  constructed  by  skilled 
engineers,  defended  by  soldiers  tried  in  battle,  mounted  with 
guns  handled  by  the  best  artillerists.  They  appeared  almost 
impregnable.  The  enemy's  cannon  answered  in  active  response 
to  the  Union  guns.  All  this  was  in  full  view,  and  as  the  column 
passed  over  the  bluffs  and  down  to  the  bridges,  all  those 
**  thinking  bayonets  "  could  not  but  conclude  that  a  direct  as- 
sault would  be  hopeless. 

Whilst  the  infantry  massed  about  the  heights  suffered  but 
little  annoyance  from  the  enemy's  artillery,  the  engineers  and 
pontooniers  were  at  a  difficult  and  perilous  task.  Every  house 
on  the  river-bank  had  its  riflemen,  and  small  earthworks  had 
been  constructed  for  others  whom  the  houses  could  not  shelter. 
KsLch  attempt  to  lay  the  boats  was  met  with  terrific  and  fatal 
volleys;  the  loss  was  appalling.  In  sheer  desperation,  the 
afternoon  well  spent,  the  engineers,  resting  from  their  labor, 
had  soucfht  such  shelter  as  could  be  found  at  the  foot  of  the 
bluffs  and  on  the  edge  of  the  river.  The  pontoon  boats,  dis- 
mounted from  their  wagons,  lay  useless  on  the  shore.  Sud- 
denly bodies  of  men,  pelted  as  relentlessly  as  were  the  engineers, 
rushed  to  the  shore.  With  commendable  precision,  regardless 
of  their  terrible  loss,  they  took  the  places  allotted  them  in 
the  boats  and  pushed  them  into  the  stream.  They  were  rapidly 
pulled  across,  the  galling  fire  continuing  until  a  landing  effected 
upon  the  other  side  in  a  measure  silenced  it.  This  brilliant 
achievement  of  the  7th  Michigan  and  19th  Massachusetts,  in 
the  presence  of  the  large  audience  on  the  bluffs,  crowned  these 
regiments  with  enduring  fame.*     The   laying  of  the  bridges 

*  There  was,  probably,  no  such  fighting  done  during  the  war  in  the  streets  of  a 
ciiy  as  the  19th  Massachusetts  did  in  Fredericksburg  on  the  night  of  December 
II.  1862.  Palfry's  •'Anticfani  and  Fredericksburg"  contains  a  most  grajiluc  de- 
scription of  it  by  Captain  Hall.  The  following  letter,  sent  to  one  of  the  pnpers 
by  the  lieutenant  colonel  of  the  19th  Massachusetts,  shows  the  pnrt  that  regiment 
took  in  the  assault : 

*'  A  meml>er  of  the  old  fighting  loth  handed  me  a  copy  of  tlu-  XviLiu^t  Cetifury 
containing  General  Couch's  article  on  '  Sumner's  Right  Grand  Di\  j>ion.'  and,  plac- 


—  117  — 

soon  followed,  but  it  was  late  in  the  afternoon  before  they  were 
fitted  for  a  passage. 

It  did  not  fall  to  the  lot  of  our  division  to  cross  that  night, 
and  about  five  o'clock  it  retired  a  mile  or  so  for  a  bivouac  near 

ing  his  finger  on  that  portion  of  it  where  the  crossing  of  the  river  in  boats  is  spoken 
of,  said,  in  tones  of  bitterness :  *A  twinge  here/  pointing  to  what  was  left  of  a  once 
good  leg,  'reminds  me  that  the  old  19th  was  around  at  that  time,  and  I  swear  it 
does  seem  too  bad  that  we  should  not  at  least  receive  a  little  credit  from  our  com- 
mander at  that  lime.'  It  may  have  been  an  oversight  or  forgetful ness  on  the  part 
of  General  Couch,  but  the  incidents  of  that  crossing,  so  far  as  the  19th  was  con- 
cerned, will  bear  repetition,  if  for  no  other  purpose  than  to  make  history  correct. 

"  During  the  bombardment  of  the  morning  of  the  i  ith,  volunteers  were  called 
for  to  lead  what  seemed  to  be  a  forlorn  hope — to  cross  the  river  in  open  boats  un- 
der fire  from  an  opposing  line  of  infantry  under  cover  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the 
river.  Two  companies  of  the  7th  Michigan  were  the  first  to  ferry  themselves 
across,  followed  immediately  by  the  19th  Msssachusetts.  The  Michigan  com- 
panies charged  up  the  river  bank,  cafftured  some  twenty  or  thirty  rebels,  and  re- 
turned. The  19th  charged  up  the  bank  by  companies,  and  went  on  till  they 
reached  the  main  street  of  the  town,  called  Caroline  street,  and  there  formed  in 
line  of  battle.  Soon  after  an  aide  from  General  Bumside  ordered  Captain  H.  G. 
O.  Weymouth,  commanding  the  regiment,  to  fall  back  with  his  regiment  to  the 
river-bank,  leaving  one  company  to  hold  in  check  any  rebel  advance  of  skirmishers 
or  sharpshooters.  Company  D,  Captain  Moncena  Dunn,  was  left  in  Caroline 
street,  and  the  remainder  of  the  regiment  fell  back.  The  aide,  when  leaving,  told 
Captain  Dunn  what  was  expected  of  him,  and  said  :  *  If  it  gets  too  hot  for  you,  fall 
back  to  your  regiment.*  It  was  here,  while  Company  D  was  engaged  in  resisting 
the  rebel  advance,  that  the  lamented  Chaplain  Fuller  was  killed  ;  and  a  reference 
to  his  ♦  Memoirs'  will  explain  fully  ihe  position  at  that  time. 

••  The  19th  Massachusetts  was,  with  the  exception  of  the  sortie  of  two  companies 
of  the  7th  Michigan,  the  only  force  that  h.id  up  to  that  time  advanced  beyond  the 
crest  of  the  river  bank.  While  Company  I)  uas  in  Caroline  street  in  action,  C«mi- 
paines  K  and  K  of  the  iQlh  advanced  a  sec<»nd  lim.e.  Company  K,  Cajttain  Ma- 
1  <iiy,  tiled  out  to  the  left  «>f  Company  I);  Lieutenant  Ilod^^kins,  with  Company 
K,  cros-e<l  the  street  to  an  open  lot  surrounded  by  a  ti^ht  board  fence  and  dis- 
covcrc<i  the  rebel  line  of  battle  advancing;  and  re[>orted  the  same  to  Ca|>tain  I)unn. 
1  he  three  comj)anies  then  fell  back  to  the  rej;iment.  The  20th  Massachusetts 
s  >'>i]  af'cr  coiuii)^  up  on  the  left  of  the  19th.  the  twe)  regiments  advanced,  the  19th 
in  hm-  of  battle,  the  20ih  in  lolunin  (»f  companies.  The  rebel  line  was  met  on 
(  arolinr  stree',  and  the  20th  Massachu>-etts.  bciiii^  in  close  mnss,  sufTereil  a  fearful 
1  >s<  r>f  life.  Had  th.it  rr«^imenl  b.-en  deployed  .is  was  the  iqth,  the  loss  wouKl 
ha\r  l>cen  much  less  Ihcrc  is  110  desire  to  detract  one  iota  of  the  measure  of 
pri:sc  i.»  any  wh<>  were  p.irticipaiUs  in  that  ;^.illanl  action,  but  oiilv  to  ^ive  a  cor- 
rect version."  —  .)/.'«./■//./  Dunn,  LieutctiatitColonel  1 9///  MassAJius  tti. 


—   Il8  — 

a  spot  designated  as  "  White  House ; "  but  whence  it  derived 
its  name  is  inconceivable,  as  no  settlement  was  thereabouts  and 
nothing  observable  but  a  solitary  whitewashed  shanty. 

Mr.  Henry  K.  Jewell,  a  well-known  citizen  of  Philadelphia 
and  an  acquaintance  of  many  of  the  officer;*  of  the  regiment, 
opportunely  appeared   during  the   afternoon.      He  was   con- 


^5=^ 

'^^^^^M 

^= 

r^      ^^H^l 

^^ 

ml 

4 

Kj^— — T^ 

^^^(^ 

iOWlilwHB^^JjP^IWSfe'i'""  -■""" .  I^H 

it  MASSACHUSETTS  FIGHTING  IN  THE  STREETS  OF 


nected  in  some  civic  capacity  with  the  Commissary  Depart- 
ment. The  soldier  rarely  knows  much  that  is  reliable,  except 
what  is  occurring  immediately  around  him.  He  gathers  his 
information  afterwards  when  the  newspapers  reach  the  front 
Mr.  Jewell  said  the  cause  of  the  delay  in  attacking  Frederitks- 
bui^  was  the  non-arrival  of  the  pontoons,  and  also  told  of 


General  Sumner's  demand,  through  General  Patrick,  on  Gen- 
eral Lee.  to  surrender  the  city,  and  its  refusal.  The  story  of 
both  circumstances  subsequently  apjKrared  fully  in  the  news- 
papers, and  is  now  historically  recorded.  The  delay  in  for- 
warding the  pontoons  has  been  the  frequent  subject  of  severe 
comment  and  harsh  criticism,  and  it  has  fallen  mostly  upon 
General  Halleck.  on  whom  it  was  alleged  the  responsibility 
rested. 

Jewell  was  a  thoughtful  fellow.  He  had  loaded  himself  with 
canteens,  all  he  could  carry,  filled  to  the  brim  with  an  excellent 
quality  of  ardent  spirits.  He  freely  and  cheerfully  distributed 
this  among  his  friends  who  had  tiie  conveniences  at  hand  to 
carry  it.  It  was  carefully  husbanded,  and  proved  a  priceless 
jcivil  in  the  next  day's  engagement,  when  it  was  judiciously 
dispensed  to  many  a  wounded  sufferer. 

At  eight  o'  clock  on  the  morning  of  the  12th  tlie  regiment 
returned  to  the  same  spot  it  had  held  on  the  day  before.  All 
day  long  the  big  guns  on  the  bluffs  and  the  fie  Id- batteries  tore 
away  persistently  at  the  enemy'.s  works  on  Marye's  Heights. 
The  roar  was  continuous,  but  apparently  little  damage  followed 
the  cannonading  :  certainly  none  to  the  entrenchments,  though 
it  probably  caused  some  loss  among  the  soldiery.  Smoke  in 
great  volumes  hung  over  everything,  lifting  occasionally,  when 
there  was  a  lull  in  the  firing,  to  permit  a  cursory  observa- 

All  day  long  Sumner's  Right  Grand  Division  was  pouring 
over  the  pontoons  amid  a  storm  of  the  enemy's  shells.  The 
enemy  seemed  to  have  a  pretty  (air  knowledge  of  where  the 
bridges  were,  and  were  tolerably  successful  in  securing  the 
range.  So  close,  indeed,  did  the  shells  from  the  Confederate 
batteries  fall  to  the  pontoons  that  the  crossing  soldiers  were 
frequently  spla.shed  with  the  water  that  flew  up  from  the 
places  where  they  struck  the  river.  It  was  cooling,  but  not 
refreshing. 

From  the  Phillips  House,  a  most  pretentious  mansion,  which 
was  General  Burnside's  head-quarters,  staff-ofiicers,  at  frightful 


—    I20  — 

pace,  were  continually  coming  and  going.  Night  settled 
before  things  were  in  complete  readiness,  and  the  regiment 
rested  where  it  was,  awaiting  the  breaking  of  the  portentous 
mom. 

Saturday,  the  1 3th,  dawned  in  an  almost  impenetrable  fog, 
so  dense  that  it,  with  the  smoke  of  the  battle,  made  objects 
close  at  hand  scarcely  distinguishable.  It  was  of  such  density 
that  there  was  a  fear  that  in  a  close  engagement  friends  might 
be  mistaken  for  foes.  To  avoid  such  a  contingency  the  very 
unusual  precaution  of  a  word  of  recognition  was  adopted, 
and  the  watchword  "Scott"  was  given. to  be  used  in  such  an 
emergency. 

Between  nine  and  ten  o'clock  the  fog  lifted  a  little,  and  un- 
folded a  scene  thrilling  in  its  inspiration  and  awful  in  its  terror. 
The  streets  of  the  city  were  literally  packed  with  soldiers. 
Glistening  rifle-barrels,  sombre  blue,  suited  in  undistinguish- 
able  columns,  pressing  for  the  open  country  to  seek  some  re- 
lief from  the  deadly  plunge  of  cannon-shots  dealing  mercilessly 
their  miseries  of  wounds  and  death.  But  the  same  batteries  on 
Marye's  Heights  were  again  encountered,  more  frowning  and 
formidable  than  ever,  and  wicked  in  their  renewed  determina- 
tion to  punish  the  temerity  that  dared  assault  these  formidable 
entrenchments.  With  such  gunnery,  fog  and  smoke  settled 
again  and  the  scene  was  lost  to  view  from  Stafford  Heights, 
the  continuing  noise  alone  indicating  the  progress  of  the 
battle. 

Amid  all  these  stirring  scenes  four  officers  of  the  regi- 
ment indulged  in  a  game  of  euchre.  Intent  upon  their  amuse- 
ment, they  were  lost  to  the  terrors  around  them,  and  apparently 
heedless  of  the  greater  dangers  they  were  soon  to  face  when 
it  should  be  their  turn  to  be  active  participants  in  the  pend- 
ing combat.  As  the  game  progressed  and  the  interest  in- 
creased it  was  suddenly  interrupted  by  orders  that  started  the 
command  on  its  way  to  where  the  battle  was  the  hottest.  The 
game  was  resumed  from  time  to  time  at  the  frequent  halts  that 
occur  in  the  movements  of  large  bodies  of  troops  across  narrow 


—    121    -~ 

bridgeways,  and  it  was  not  completed  until  the  near  approach 
to  the  action  stiffened  every  nerve  to  its  highest  tension. 

Then  the  custody  of  the  n'cc^  became  a  subject  for  considera- 
tion. Every  one  of  the  quartet  tried  to  convince  every  other 
one  that  the  best  possible  thing  for  him  to  do  was  to  carry  it. 
Unanimously,  and  finally,  it  was  concluded  that,  as  they  were 
fighting  for  the  existence  of  a  republic,  it  would  not  be  seemly, 
should  they  fall,  to  have  it  transpire  that  they  had  been  taking 
care  of  kings  and  queens.  Royalty  and  knavery  were,  coasc- 
qucntly,  allowed  to  float  down  towards  the  sea  on  the  waters 
of  the  Rappahannock. 

In  these  peaceful  days,  and  to  those  unacquainted  witli  army 
life  during  an  active  campaign,  this  amusement  in  the  face  of 
danger  might  seem  stolid  and  reckless  indifference.  Not  so. 
It  passed  away  the  wretched  time  of  waiting,  every  minute  of 
which  would  otherwise  seem  an  hour,  and  quieted  the  nerves 
which  would  be  thrilhng  with  excitement  if  the  mind  had 
nothing  lo  dwell  upon  but  the  possibilities  of  the  pending  battle. 

About  one  o'clock  the  regiment  was  called  to  attention  and, 
with  the  division,  began  the  movement  to  the  bridges.  It  was 
tedious,  halting  and  hesitating.  The  bridges  were  crowded 
and  the  streets  jammed  from  the  slow  deployments  under  the 
withering  fire  which  met  the. fresh  victims  fed  to  the  slaughter, 
as  the  troops  in  advance  reached  the  open  country.  It  was  but 
a  short  distance  to  the  bluffs  and  then  the  battle  in  all  its  fury 
was  spread  out  to  view.  Upon  the  slope  of  Marye's  Heights 
were  long  lines  of  blue  formed  with  regularity,  moving  with 
precision,  disapf»caring  as  speedily  as  they  were  seen  before  the 
furious  cannonade  and  the  deadly  musketry.  Thought  was 
rife  and  expression  free  with  the  selfish  hope  that  some  effective 
service  might  be  done  by  those  already  in  to  save  others  from 
the  terrible  ordeal,  revealed  in  gha.stly  horror  everywhere, 
into  the  very  jaws  of  which  the  regiment  was  about  to  plunge. 
The  futility  of  open  assaults  was  manifest.  The  disasters 
which  had  been  plainly  seen  to  follow  each  other  so  rapidly 
were  wofully  dispiriting.     But  all  such  hopes  were  vain. 


—    122   — 

About  two  o  clock  the  regiment  entered  the  town.  It  had 
been  reported  that  1^65,000  worth  of  tobacco,  in  boxes,  had 
been  thrown  overboard  from  the  wharf  near  the  pontoons. 
Some  of  the  men  belonging  to  the  regiments  already  in  the 
town  were  diving  for  and  bringing  up  the  tobacco,  which  they 
sold  to  their  comrades  by  the  box  or  in  job-lots  to  suit  the 
pocket.  A  cool  transaction  in  December  and  under  the  enemy's 
fire.  Sergeant  Conner,  of  G,  invested  $2$  in  these  speculative 
"job  lots,"  and,  placing  them  in  his  knapsack,  essayed  to  carry 
his  purchase  until  a  fitting  opportunity  was  afforded  to  realize. 
But  his  venture  proved  unsuccessful,  as  he  abandoned  his  knap- 
sack when  the  regiment  assaulted  the  heights  beyond  the  lines. 

The  view  from  the  other  side  of  the  river  gave  but  a  faint 
conception  of  what  was  within  the  town.  On  every  hand  were 
ruin  and  pillage.  The  city  had  been  rudely  sacked ;  house- 
hold furniture  lined  the  streets.  Books  and  battered  pictures, 
bureaus,  lounges,  feather-beds,  clocks  and  every  conceivable 
article  of  goods,  chattels  and  apparel  had  been  savagely  torn 
from  the  houses  and  lay  about  in  wanton  confusion  in  all  direc- 
tions. Fires  were  made  for  both  warmth  and  cooking  with 
fragments  of  broken  furniture.  Pianos,  their  harmonious 
strings  displaced,  were  utilized  as  horse -troughs,  and,  amid  all 
the  dangers,  animals  quietly  ate  from  them.  There  was  a  mo- 
mentary, irresistible  desire  to  seek  some  shelter  from  the  havoc 
of  the  guns  in  the  deserted  houses.  It  was  manfully  conquered 
and  the  men  heroically  held  to  their  places. 

The  march  was  continued  under  all  the  dreadful  shelling 
along  what  was  apparently  the  main  thoroughfare,  which  ran  at 
a  right  angle  to  the  river,  to  a  street  that  crossed  it  parallel 
with  the  stream,  and  on  towards  the  farther  edge  of  the  city. 
Turning  into  this  street  there  was  a  halt  for  some  time  in  line 
of  battle,  closed  well  up  to  the  sidewalk.  Upon  the  side  of  the 
street  nearest  the  enemy  some  protection  was  afforded  from  the 
shower  of  death-dealing  missiles  that  had  poured  down  so  re- 
lentlessly from  the  moment  of  entering  the  town ;  but  bricks, 
window-shutters  and  shingles,  struck  by  the  shells  and  solid  shot, 


ADVANCE  TllHOUGH    IHE  STRI 


flew   around    uncoasiiifjiy.     Opuositc  the  centre,    in    tfie  rear, 
was  a  house  that  had  been  most  roughly  handled.     It  was 


—   124  — 

evidently  the  residence  of  some  person  of  culture  and  refine- 
njent.  Several  solid  shots  had  passed  through  the  upper  rooms 
and  a  shell,  bursting  in  the  library,  had  made  bricks,  mortar 
and  books  a  heap  of  rubbish.  A  tastefully  bound  copy  of 
"  Ivanhoe  "  which  had  escaped  the  wreck  tempted  the  literary 
tastes  of  an  officer,  and  he  picked  it  up,  intending  that  it  should 
help  to  while  away  an  hour  of  loneliness  in  some  quieter  time. 
Light  as  was  the  load,  he  soon  became  weary  of  it  and  his 
book  was  abandoned. 

The  dashing  charge  over  the  level  plain,  the  determined  ad- 
vance against  breastworks  lined  with  threatening  bayonets,  the 
splendid  resistance  to  columns  of  assault,  are  tests  of  courage 
and  endurance  of  frequent  occurrence.  It  is  seldom,  however, 
that  the  metal  of  men  is  tested  in  column  in  the  crowded 
streets,  where  there  can  be  no  resistance,  into  which,  from  un- 
seen positions,  the  artillery  strikes  its  rapid,  telling  blows,  and 
will  not  and  can  not  be  silenced.  Courageous  men,  well  fitted 
to  meet  in  a  conflict,  the  purpose  of  which  is  seen,  an  adversary 
behind  his  own  entrenchments,  at  his  own  guns,  may  well  quake 
when  submitting  unresistingly  to  continuous  punishment  in  mass, 
where  their  manhood  is  lost  and  their  power  sacrificed  in  ap- 
parently hopeless  confusion.  So,  when  the  soldiers  of  the 
Right  and  Centre  Grand  Divisions  passed  through  such  a  bitter 
experience  of  war  in  the  streets  of  Fredericksburg,  and  then 
valiantly  assailed  the  formidable  heights  beyond,  they  proved 
that  the  Union  soldiery  possessed  a  tenacity  and  courage  equal 
to  any  standard  vaunted  in  Anglo-Saxon  song  or  story. 

There  is  scarcely  any  situation  which,  however  serious,  can- 
not sustain  the  ludicrous.  Never  do  colored  servants,  except 
in  rare  individual  instances,  follow  when  soldiers  are  exposed 
to  such  dangers  as  the  regiment  had  passed  through,  and  which 
still  surrounded  it  where  it  had  last  halted,  near  the  outskirts. 
A  romping,  rollicking  little  darkey,  who  had  been  christened 
Scipio  Africanus,  because  his  qualities  were  the  very  opposite 
of  those  of  that  distinguished  Roman  general,  was  standing  upon 
a  door  which  had  fallen  from  its  hinges  and  lay  upon  the  pave- 


■   125 


ment,  and  was  grinning  and  chippering.exp'"=in[;  his  pearl-white 
teeth  till  they  resembled,  embedded  in  his  ebony  jaws,  chalk 
upon  a  blackboard.  He  was  in  full  view  of  the  entire  coni- 
.mand,  who  were  hugely  enjoying  his  guffaws,  wondering 
whether  such  unusual  hilarity,  in  such  a  trying  situation,  was 
not  assumed.  Suddenly  a  solid  shot  whizzed  wickedly  over 
head,  struck  tlie  front  of  a  brick  house  upon  the  opposite  side 
of  the  street,  glanced,  flew  up  into  the  air  and,  returning,  struck 
violently  the  other  end  of  the  door  upon  which  the  boy  was 
standing.  Up,  away  up,  bounded  the  darkey,  unhurt,  but 
scared  apparently  beyond  the  recollection  that  aught  was  left 
of  him. 

It  was  a  ridiculous  sight  Shouts  and  laughter  from  the 
whole  tine  greeted  him  as  he  landed  some  ten  or  fifteen  feet 
from  where  he  started.  He  waited  for  no  comments,  but,  with 
bis  face  changed  almost  to  a  deadly  pallor,  evidently  with  no 
conception  that  he  was  yet  moving  of  his  own  volition,  disap- 
peared somewhere  to  safer  quarters,  not  even  catching  the 
quaint  remark  which  followed  him  as  he  flew  away :  "  What's 
de  matter  wid  you,  honey  ?  You's  been  footin'  wid  a  torpedo, 
ha?" 

The  same  shot  upset  a  wooden  step  and  platform  in  front  of 
a  house  and  exposed  three  small  boxes  of  tobacco  that  had 
been  hidden  underneath.  There  was  an  instant  rush  by  the 
men  to  secure  the  plunder. 

During  the  halt  Colonel  Gwyn  exercised  the  regiment  for 
some  time  in  the  manual  of  arms,  at  the  conclusion  of  which  it 
was  ordered  to  load. 

The  crucial  moment  was  fast  approaching.  The  brigade 
moved  off,  passing  its  brigade  commander,  who  was  intently 
observing  the  temper  and  bearing  of  his  soldiers,  back  into  the 
main  highway  from  which  it  had  been  withdrawn  for  a  little 
rest  and  less  exposure.  The  head  the  column  must  have  been 
seen  ;  the  rapidity  of  the  firing  increased  ;  the  roar  was  deafen- 
ing; shot  and  shell  screeched  in  maddening  sounds  ;  they  fell 
thicker  and  faster,  dropping  with  wonderful  accuracy  right  into 


—    126  — 

the  midst  of  the  column.  Every  gun  seemed  trained  upon  this 
very  street ;  and  so  they  were,  for  it  was  afterwards  learned  that 
batteries,  specially  planted  for  the  purpose,  raked  every  high- 
way leading  from  the  river.  Soldiers,  some  malingerers,  some 
skulkers,  others  demoralized,  stood  behind  houses  at  the  corners 
watching  the  column.  Some  had  been  in  and  had  withdrawn 
discomfited  and  dejected ;  others  were  of  the  class  who  gen- 
erally manage  to  elude  danger.  Sullen  and  silent,  their  con- 
duct was  no  incentive  and  their  presence  no  encouragement  to 
those  not  of  the  sterner  sort,  who  had  not  yet  felt  the  hot  bla^t 
of  the  musketry.  Two  brass  guns  in  action  at  the  end  of  the 
street  were  pounding  away  vigorously  and  effectively  at  the 
enemy,  the  gunners  holding  heroically  to  their  places  in  spite 
of  the  severe  punishment  they  were  receiving. 

The  Confederate  shells  performed  some  curious  and  fanciful 
gyrations.  One  in  particular  fell  obliquely,  striking  in  the 
centre  of  the  hard,  solid  roadway,  then  ricocheted,  struck  a 
house,  flew  up  the  wall,  tore  off  a  window-shutter,  then  crossed 
over  to  the  other  side,  striking  the  house  opposite,  down  again 
into  the  street,  passed  back  to  the  other  side  over  the  heads 
of  Company  H,  and  finally  fell  upon  the  steps  of  the  house  it 
had  first  struck  and  lay  there  without  exploding.  This  was 
fortunately  the  case  with  much  of  their  ammunition,  which  ap- 
peared to  be  remarkably  faulty. 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  column  moved  upon  the 
highway  with  the  steadiness  of  a  parade  occasion.  There  was 
hesitancy  and  some  unsteadiness,  but  no  dropping  out,  no 
skulking,  no  concealment. 

Avoiding  the  middle  of  the  street,  where  it  was  soon  ob- 
served the  fire  was  the  most  direct,  and  closing  to  the  pave- 
ment, the  men  held  their  places  with  reasonable  accuracy  and 
moved  under  the  trying  circumstances  with  commendable  pre- 
cision. 

As  the  regiment  debouched  from  the  town,  upon  the  edge  of  the 
closely-built  thoroughfare,  was  a  sign,  in  large  black  letters: 
"  Van  Haugen's  Variety  Store."   It  had  scarcely  come  into  view 


when  a  shell  burst  and  tore  it  to  fragments.  The  pieces  of  the 
shell  and  sign  fell  into  the  ranks  of  Company  K.  Their  los3 
was  not  so  serious  as  that  of  the  ist  Michigan,  in  the  rear, 
where,  at  about  the  same  time,  another  shell  burst,  killing  or 
maiming  some  sixteen  of  its  soldiers,  whose  startled  shrieks 
could  be  heard  above  the  din  and  roar  of  the  battle.  The 
column  now  plunged  into  and  waded  through  the  mill-race. 
This  was  done  as  quickly  as  possible,  for  the  Confederates  had 
trained  a  battery  on  this  spot.  In  the  mill-race  were  noticed  very 
many  solid  shot  and  unexploded  shells,  which  had  evidently 
rolled  back  into  the  water  after  striking  the  side  of  the  embank- 
ment. Private  John  Mensing  was  carrying  his  piece  at  "arms 
port : "  a  shell  struck  and  shivered  it  to  fragments,  but  beyond 


STONE  WALL  AT  FREDERICKSBURG. 

a  severe  cut  on  his  right  hand  he  was  nof  injured.  Another 
tore  off  the  right  arm  of  Private  John  Fisher  just  below  the 
elbow  and  knocked  down  four  sergeants  in  one  company. 
They  were  more  or  less  bruised  and  hurt,  but  none  of  them 
seriously. 

The  right  of  the  brigade  had  now  reached  an  open  level  space 
on  the  left  of  the  road,  some  four  hundred  yards  in  width,  as 
well  as  observation  could  estimate  it.  At  its  farther  edge  the 
ground  rose  abruptly,  as  if  the  earth  had  been  cut  away.  This 
perpendicular  rise  or  cut  was  the  extreme  base  of  the  slope 
that  approached  and  terminated  in  the  gun-capped  Marye's 
Heights.     The  artillery  played  with  unintermitting  vigor. 


—    128   — 

The  usual  rotations  brought  the  regiment  on  the  right  of  the 
brigade,  on  the  13th.  It  had  about  covered  its  front  from 
where  the  right  first  struck  the  open  plain,  where  by  the  "  for- 
ward into  line  "  the  left  was  extended  into  the  plain.  It  was  in- 
tended that  the  right  should  rest  on  the  road.  There  was  some 
confusion  attending  the  formation,  but  a  line  was  ultimately 
established  pressed  close  up  to  the  edge  of  the  abrupt  rise,  over 
which  and  beyond  to  the  top  of  the  hill  everything  was  in  full 
view.  Beyond  the  summit  was  another  elevation,  and  just  be- 
low it  a  stone  fence,  lined  with  rebel  infantry,  whence  the 
musketry  rolled  unceasingly. 

A  board  fence,  with  some  of  the  boards  displaced,  others 
torn  from  the  top,  stood  between  the  abrupt  rise  and  the  stone 
fence,  nearer  to  the  latter.  It  had  evidently  greatly  retarded 
the  previous  advances  and  what  was  left  of  it  was  yet  in  the 
road  to  impede  others. 

Humphrey's  division  had  just  charged  up  the  hill,  and,  al- 
though they  had  failed  to  carry  the  heights,  hundreds  of  men 
lay  prone  upon  the  ground  in  fair  alignement,  apparently  too 
spirited  to  withdraw  entirely  from  their  futile  effort.  It  seems 
scarcely  credible,  but  a  closer  inspection  showed  all  these  men, 
apparently  hundreds  in  number,  to  be  killed  or  too  seriously 
wounded  to  move. 

The  regiment  still  hugged  the  ground  closely  where  it  had 
first  established  its  line.  Instinctively,  in  taking  up  a  movement 
indicated  by  an  advance  by  another  portion  of  the  line,  for  the 
terrible  roar  drowned  the  voice  of  command,  it  began  its  des- 
perate work  of  assault.  Under  the  appalling  musketry  and 
amid  great  disorder,  the  advance  was  maintained  with  reasonable 
regularity  to  a  brick-yard,*  with  its  kiln  standing,  through  which 
tore  shot  and  shell,  and  from  which  bricks  flew  in  every  direc- 
tion. The  little  shelter  afforded  by  the  kiln  had  enticed  the 
wounded  within  its  reach  to  crawl  to  it  for  cover,  and  their 
mangled,  bleeding  forms  lay  strewn  everywhere,  closely  packed 

♦John  p.- Knight's. 


FREDERICKSBURG  CAMPAIGN. 

5lh  Corps,  comma ndi'ii  by  Bri^.-Cfn.  BuUerfield. 
1^1  Division,  cummandcd  by  Brig  -Gtn.  Chas.  GHtfin 
1st  Brigade,  cummandt-d  by  Cut.  Jamrs  Barnes. 

2d  Maine.  Ll.-Col.  George  \arniy. 

iSth  Mass.,  H.-Col.  Jos.  Hayi-s,  ' 

lid  Mass.,  Ll.-Col.  W.  S.  Tillon. 

isl  Mich.,  Lt.-Col.  Ira  C.  Abboii. 

i3lh  New  York,  Col.  E.  G.  Marshall. 

ijtb  New  York,  Capl.  Patrick  Connelly. 

I  iSih  Penna.,  Ll.-C.il.  James  Givyn. 

id  Co.  Maw.  S ha rjKh™ Iters.  Capl.  L.  K.  Wcntworth. 


A  LETTER   FROM  LIEUT- 
COL.  WM.  H.  POWELL, 
Sth  ARMY  CORPS. 

Who  that  lives  and  was  present 
in  the  city  of  FredeKcksburg,  Va., 
can  forget  the  last  night  spent 
there?  In  the  early  part  of  the 
night  it  rained^a  cold  December 
rain^bul  toward  midnight  it 
cleared  away,  and  a  chilling  blealc 
wind  from  the  north  sen  I  great 
black  clouds  scudding  across  Ihe 
sfcy,  through  which  occasionally 
peeped  a  feeble  moon.  Tom  awn- 
ings and  brolten  window  shutters 
banged  and  flapped  aboul,  starl- 
ing echoes  in  every  nook  and  cor- 
ner, while  broken  sign-boa  ids, 
swinging  on  their  metal  faslen- 
ingp,  uttered  groans  and  shrieks  as 
of  incarnate  &ends  let  loose  from 
Hades.  The  horses'  hoofs  rang 
out  upon  the  cobble-stone  pave- 
ments with  such  rebounding  echoes 
as  lo  fill  ihc  mind  of  the  super- 
stitiom  with  dread,  while  the 
ghastly    dead,   lay    on    the    door 


JOHN'  U.  KOLLOCK,  ASST.-SUKGEON. 


Stoops,  on  the  sidewalks,  in  the 
front  yards  of  dwellings,  with  their 
pale  faces  turned  toward  heaven, 
while  their  open  eves,  as  a  stream 
of  moonlight  fell'  athwart  Iheir 
faces,  glared  at  one  as  if  staring 
a  I  one  from  another  world. 
Through  such  as  ihU  it  was  that  I 
made  my  lonely  ride  lo  the  bridge, 
lo  find  the  lower  part  of  the  town 
deserted  and  the  pontoon  bridge 
being  removed. 

During  the  time  that  the  cily 
was  occupied  by  the  Union  troops, 
I  am  sort}'  lo  say  (hat  much  van- 
dalism was  displayed:  pianos, 
books,  clothing,  dolls,  children's 
playthings  and  other  articles  were 
ihionn  from  ihe  houses  lo  the 
streets.  Magnificent  sofas  and 
chairs  were  carricil  into  the  street 
and  used  by  the  "coffee-coolers" 
and    other   vagabonds   aboul    the 


p  fires,    Thi's 

with  which  a  great 
beset   when   (he 


the   vandals 


HORACL   BINXEV,   3D,  CAPT.  CO.   : 


together.  Sweeping  by  this,  right  into  the  very  mouth  of  the 
cannon,  upward  and  onward  the  advance  continued  to  the  board 
fence.  Tlie  fence  was  about  five  feet  high,  of  three  boards,  with 
intervals  between  them.  Opposite  the  centre  and  right,  the 
boards  had  been  torn  off  down  to  the  one  nearest  the  ground. 
The  fatality  that  had  followed  the  delay  in  their  removal  was 
marked  by  the  bodies  of  the  dead  lying  there,  one  upon 
another.  To  the  left,  the  boards  still  remained ;  the  men  hero- 
ically seized  and  tore  them  all  away,  some  climbing  over. 
Thinned  out,  exhau.sted,  with  energies  taxed  to  their  limit,  in 
the  face  of  such  fearful  odds,  instinctively  the  line  halted. 

Major  Herring  here  received  a  ball  in  his  right  arm.  He 
was  sitting  on  his  horse  at  the  time.  As  the  ball  struck  him, 
some  one  said,  "  This  is  awful !  "  "  This  is  what  we  came  here 
for,"  quietly  replied  the  major,  as  he  dismounted.  Subse- 
quently, another  ball  passed  through  his  left  arm,  and  buck- 
shot through  his  coat  At  nightfall,  his  wounds  needing  sur- 
gical attention,  he  was  forced  to  go  to  the  hospital  for  treatment. 
He  made  several  efforts  to  reach  the  front  again,  but  his 
strength  failed  him.  It  was  feared  amputation  would  be  nec- 
essary, but  he  insisted  upon  conservative  surgery,  and  it  saved 
him  his  arm.  The  absence  of  his  strong  directing  mind  at 
such  a  critical  time  was  a  serious  misfortune. 

From  the  place  of  the  halt  to  the  stone  fence,  behind  which 
belched  the  deadly  musketry,  was  between  two  and  three  hun- 
dred feet.  At  that  distance,  halted  with  little  or  no  corer,  such 
punishment  was  unbearable. 

There  was  still  about  two  hours  of  daylight  Some  two  hun- 
dred yards  to  the  left,  but  no  greater  distance  from  the  stone 
fence,  there  was  decidedly  better  cover,  and  to  this  undulation, 
broad  enough  to  include  the  entire  regimental  front,  the  com- 
mand was  moved  within  a  few  moments  from  the  time  it  had 
halted.  Colonel  Barnes,  commanding  the  brigade,  rode  the  full 
length  of  the  line  before  it  started,  calling  to  the  men  to  fall  ia 
Although  in  full  view  of  the  Confederates,  and  the  target  for 
their  shots,  he  escaped  injury. 


—  I30  — 

It  seems  remarkable  that  men  could  live  at  all  that  close  to 
the  enemy's  lines,  but  there  the  regiment  remained  all  that 
night,  all  of  Sunday's  daylight  and  well  into  the  night,  suffering 
but  few  casualties,  and  those  happening  principally  when  neces- 
sity forced  exposure,  or  temerity  prompted  rashness.  But 
safety  was  only  found  in  hugging  the  ground  as  tight  as  a 
human  body  could  be  made  to  hold  on  to  the  earth.  Dark- 
ness was  a  relief  from  the  stiff  and  uncomfortable  postures, 
but  during  those  ten  or  twenty  hours  of  that  winter  s  daylight, 
there  was  no  safety  except  with  bodies  prone  and  flattened  to 
their  fullest  length.  A  raise  of  the  head,  or  a  single  turn  not 
unfrequently  proved  fatal. 

Just  as  the  day  was  closing  a  regiment  advanced  immedi- 
ately to  the  rear  of  where  the  command  lay.  It  had  been  or- 
dered to  charge  the  works,  and  had  got  thus  far  on  its  mission, 
but  had  no  one  to  conduct  it  farther.  All  its  officers  had  disap- 
peared ;  its  men,  hopeless  as  was  their  task  were  even  yet  anxious 
to  fulfil  it.  Colonel  Gwyn,  informed  of  its  situation,  and  under- 
standing its  anxiety  to  still  go  forward,  valiantly  stepped  to  its 
front  and  centre,  and  gallantly  tendered  his  services  to  lead  it 
on.  Colonel  Barnes,  comprehending  the  fruitless  purpose  of 
the  undertaking,  forbade  it,  and  ordered  the  regiment  to  retire 
to  some  convenient  shelter  and  await  the  further  directions  of 
its  brigade  commander.  This  it  was  not  disposed  to  do,  but 
mingled  with  the  others  on  the  front  line,  and  remained  with 
them  until  they  were  withdrawn. 

The  combat  ceased  with  the  night.  Its  lengthening  shadows 
were  gratefully  hailed  as  a  relief  from  the  terrors  of  a  day  of 
suffering  and  death. 

In  getting  to  the  front,  one  of  Company  H*s  men  had  been 
severely  wounded,  but  had  managed  to  crawl  up  to  his  com- 
pany. After  nightfall  some  of  his  comrades  got  a  stretcher 
and  carried  him  into  the  town.  Leaving  him  at  one  of 
the  improvised  hospitals,  the  men  started  in  search  of  quar- 
ters, intending,  for  one  night  at  least,  to  sleep  with  a  roof  over 
their  heads.     A  corner  store,  with  a  dwelling  above,  seemed  a 


—  131  — 

suitable  place.  But  doors  and  windows  were  fastened.  An 
entrance,  by  the  aid  of  a  couple  of  bayonets,  was  soon  effected. 
A  newspaper  was  produced  and  lighted,  dropping  pieces  of  half- 
burned  paper  as  the  party  passed  through  the  store  into  the 
back  room,  searching  for  a  candle.  One  was  found  in  a  candle- 
stick, lighted,  and  a  reconnoissance  in  force  was  made,  to  dis- 
cover what  the  enemy  had  left.  Returning  to  the  store,  the 
party  found,  right  in  the  track  of  the  burned  paper,  an  unex- 
ploded  shell.  The  precious  thing  was  picked  up  very  care- 
fully, and  put  tenderly  away  in  a  closet.  An  iron  teakettle  was 
found  in  the  house,  a  well  in  the  yard,  and  clapboards  on  the 
building.  These  helping,  a  steaming  pot  of  coffee  was  made 
and  drunk.  Then,  alternately  mounting  guard,  the  party  in- 
dulged in  a  luxurious  sleep,  with  bare  boards  for  feathers,  and 
starting  betimes,  reached  the  front  again  before  daylight. 

Sunday  morning  broke  bright  and  clear.  Just  as  the  day 
dawned  the  men  at  the  front,  who  had  been  sleeping  as  best 
they  could,  rose  and  walked  up  and  down  briskly  to  warm  their 
chilled  blood.  The  whole  line  seemed  to  be  in  motion.  Sud- 
denly, without  the  least  warning,  the  Confederates  poured  ir 
upon  them  a  heavy  volley.  Every  man  promptly  dropped  to 
the  ground.  In  one  place  they  were  crowded  together  too 
closely  for  comfort.  Beyond,  a  man  who,  with  the  cape  of  his 
overcoat  over  his  head,  was  apparently  asleep,  there  was  room 
for  two  or  three. 

"  Wake  him  up,  and  tell  him  to  move  along,"  some  one  cried. 
The  soldier  next  to  him  gave  him  a  shake,  and  said: 

"  I  can't,  he's  too  fast  asleep." 

"  You  must." 

The  soldier  pulled  the  overcoat  cape  back,  intending  to  give 
him  a  vigorous  shake.  As  he  uncovered  the  head,  the  color- 
less side-face,  and  a  triangular  hole  in  the  neck  told  the  tale. 
He  was  sleeping  his  last  sleep.  He  must  have  been  struck  by 
a  shell  the  day  before,  and  fallen  just  where  he  lay,  and  some 
comrade's  hand  had  thrown  the  cape  over  his  head  to  hide  the 
ghastly  wound. 


—  133  — 

naught  to  any  one.  he  rose  suddenly  from  his  place,  seized  the 
colors,  advanced  with  them  a  few  paces  to  the  front,  and 
jammed  the  staff  well  into  the  ground,  shaking  his  fist 
angrily  and  firing  a  round  of  epithets  in  no  polite  or  cultured 
strain.  His  greetings  were  responded  to  in  language  equally 
cultured,  accompanied  by  a  volley  of  balls.     His  temerity  lost 


CAPTAtM  LEMUEL  L.  CROCKER. 

him  nothing  except  the  emptying  of  his  canteen,  which  was 
struck.  Lieutenant  Kelley,  who  was  close  beside  him,  observed 
the  contents  escaping  to  tiie  ground,  and  before  Crocker  was 
aware  of  what  he  was  losing,  rose  to  his  knees,  placed  the  hole 
to  his  lips,  and  drained  whatever  remained  to  the  dregs.  Keliey 
got  a  "ball,"  if  Crocker  did  not. 


—  132  — 

If  there  was  remembrance  of  the  Christian  Sabbath,  there 
was  no  recognition  of  its  religious  observances.  There  was  no 
pealing  oi^an,  chiming  bell,  nor  tuneful  orison.  The  city  was 
a  charnel-house,  its  churches  and  its  dwellings  hospitals,  and 
its  streets  rumbling  with  vehicles  and  crowded  with  stretcher- 
bearers  carrying  the  wounded  sufferers.  Save  where  the  words 
of  prayer  ministered  to  the  ebbing  life  of  the  dying  soldier, 
there  was  naught  to  indicate  that  the  day  was  the  Lord's,  set 
apart  by  Him  for  His  people's  rest  and  the  observance  of  His 
holy  ordinances. 

The  cannonading  ceased.  The  cannon,  that  for  three  days 
had  thundered  so  incessantly,  had  opportunity  to  cool,  and  the 
gunners  rested  from  their  unceasing  toil.  The  quiet — there 
was  no  noise  save  from  the  occasional  discharge  of  a  musket — 
was  in  striking  contrast  to  the  continuous  roar  that  had  pre- 
ceded it. 

Fortunately  the  rigors  of  winter  weather  had  not  yet  arrived. 
Save  from  the  constrained  position  of  their  bodies,  and  the 
want  of  water,  the  men  of  the  regiments  in  the  front  line  suf- 
fered no  discomfort  and  but  little  loss.  There  was  still  sufficient 
hi  the  haversacks  for  nourishment,  but  all  looked  longingly  for 
the  night  to  come.  There  was  scarcely  any  firing  from  the 
Union  side,  save  where  some  one  more  daring  than  his  fellows 
would  rise  in  his  place,  dischai^e  his  piece,  and  quickly  seek 
cover  again.     They  frequently  suffered-for  their  exposure. 

Sergeant  Geo.  W.  Stotsenberg,  of  Company  K,  turned  the 
cartridges  out  of  his  box  into  his  cap,  loaded,  knelt  upon  one  knee 
waited,  and,  whenever  a  head  appeared  above  the  stone  wall, 
blazed  away  at  it,  and  reloaded.  He  kept  his  position  for  more 
than  two  hours,  and  though  the  bullets  sang  about  his  ears  and 
ploughed  little  furrows  in  the  ground  before  him,  he  was  not 
even  touched. 

Captain  Crocker  could  not  long  brook  this  forced  restraint. 
He  had  suffered  greatly  from  his  close  confinement  Angered 
beyond  endurance  at  the  foe  who  kept  him  thus  confined,  he 
threw  a  taunting  menace  in  their  teeth.    About  noon,  saying 


—  133  — 

nai^ht  to  any  one,  he  rose  suddenly  from  his  place,  seized  the 
colors,  advanced  with  them  a  few  paces  to  the  front,  and 
jammed  the  staff  well  into  the  ground,  shaking  his  fist 
angrily  and  firing  a  round  of  epithets  in  no  polite  or  cultured 
strain.  His  greetings  were  responded  to  in  language  equally 
cultured,  accompanied  by  a  volley  of  balls.    His  temerity  lost 


CAPTAIN  LEMUEL  L   CROCKER. 

him  nothing  except  the  emjitving  of  his  canteen,  which  was 
struck.  Lieutenant  Kelley.  who  was  close  beside  him,  observed 
the  contents  escaping  to  tlie  ground,  and  before  Crocker  was 
aware  of  what  he  was  lu^int;.  rose  to  his  knees,  placed  the  hole 
to  his  lips,  and  drained  wliatever  remained  to  the  dregs.  Kelley 
got  a  ■■  ball,"  if  Crocker  did  not. 


—  134  — 

Captain  Bankson  was  not  to  be  outdone  by  this  daring  feat 
of  Crocker's,  and  he  followed  with  one  of  like  temerity.  He 
left  his  place,  proceeded  to  where  the  colors  had  been  planted, 
seized  them,  waved  them  several  times  defiantly  at  the  enemy, 
and  then  returned.  A  similar  salute  of  musketry  greeted  him, 
but  he,  too,  escaped  unharmed. 

It  has  been  observed  that  the  human  voice  was  sometimes  so 
drowned  by  the  din  of  battle  that  the  utterance  of  commands  was 
useless.  Successful  obedience  only  followed  close  observance 
and  apt  attention.  Any  inattention  or  failure  to  comprehend  what 
was  likely  to  be  done  frequently  separated  the  best  of  soldiers 
from  their  commands.  A  misunderstanding  resulting  from 
this  condition  of  things  happened  in  the  regiment  at  its  halt  just 
beyond  the  board  fence.  The  attention  of  some  was  momenta- 
rily distracted,  more  particularly  by  the  casualties  that  there 
befell  some  of  the  best  men.  In  what  appeared  but  an  instant, 
the  regiment  had  moved  by  the  left  flank  to  a  position  three 
hundred  yards  away,  where  it  remained  during  the  rest  of  the  en- 
gagement. Those  who  had  not  observed  the  movement  were 
left  where  they  were.  The  first  conclusion  was  that  the  regi- 
ment had  withdrawn  entirely.  There  was  considerable  confusion, 
and  the  soldiers  of  one  command  intermingled  with  others. 
Nor  was  it  possible  to  distinguish  organizations,  as  the  men 
were  flattened  tight  to  the  earth,  with  their  faces,  downward. 
They  might  recognize  any  one  standing  up,  especially  because 
few  were  in  such  position,  but  for  one  who  stood  to  recognize 
those  who  were  lying,  was  an  impossibility.  This  impossibility 
of  recognition  was  a  further  difficulty  in  the  way  of  removing 
the  conviction  that  there  had  been  a  formal  withdrawal. 

In  the  full  assurance  that  their  belief  was  well  founded,  those 
who  had  been  left  retired  for  a  better  cover  to  the  rear  of  the 
brick-kiln.  There,  rumors  from  the  town  that  the  regiment  had 
been  seen  in  the  city  confirmed  their  belief,  and  they  remained 
awaiting  a  favorable  opportunity  to  rejoin  it.  To  attempt  it  just 
then  was  an  invitation  for  a  volley,  and  a  great  personal  risk, 
which,  as  the  regiment  was  believed  not  to  be  engaged,  the  oc- 
casion did  not  seem  to  demand. 


—  135  — 

As  the  detachment  lay  behind  the  kiln,  an  officer  was  noticed 
approaching  them,  oblivious  to  all  the  dangers  around  him, 
shot  at  by  volleys,  aimed  at  singly,  coolly  stopping  to  examine 
the  faces  of  the  dead  he  passed,  moving  with  deliberation  and 
ease.  He  finally  safely  reached  the  cover  of  the  kiln  wall.  It 
was  Lieutenant  William  Wilson,  of  Company  A.  He  reported 
that  as  the  regiment  left  the  city  he  had  become  separated  from 
it,  and  had  ever  since  been  employed  in  a  hopeless  search  for  it. 
He  was  told  of  the  misfortune  which  had  happened  to  the 
detachment,  the  conviction  that  the  regiment  had  been  with- 
drawn, and  the  apparent  confirmation  by  the  stories  that  had 
come  from  the  town,  and  he  was  advised  to  remain  where  he 
was.  This  did  not,  however,  satisfy  him.  He  said  he  had  met 
a  number  of  the  men,  but  had  not  yet  seen  the  field-officers  and 
colors,  and  as  he  had  pretty  faithfully  hunted  the  city,  he  was 
determined  to  prosecute  his  search  further  at  the  front. 

In  a  few  moments  he  left  and  was  again  exposed  to  the  same 
startling  dangers.  Volleys  upon  volleys  g^reeted  him,  but  alone, 
bold  and  erect,  a  most  inviting  target,  bent  upon  his  purpose, 
he  continued  his  errand  and  disappeared  from  view  still  unhurt. 
It  was  an  exhibition  of  splendid  heroism.  By  mere  accident 
he  reached  the  position  which  the  regiment  occupied,  but  was 
unaware  of  it  unlil  he  was  recognized  and  hailed  by  his  name. 

That  the  others,  had  they  been  convinced  that  the  regiment 
v\as  still  at  the  front,  would  all  willingly  have  faced  every 
dan*;er  and  rejoined  it,  was  never  doubted.  Their  mistake 
w.js  their  misfortune,  and  no  adverse  criticism  was  ever  made 
uj)<»n  the  officers  and  men  who  composed  the  detachment  by 
tluir  more  fortunate  comrades  whose  better  fortune  kept  tluin 
with  the  colors.  Their  disappointment,  when  they  discovered 
where  their  mistake  had  led  them,  bore  upon  them  weightil}', 
and  the  reflection  that  they  had  not  shared  all  the  glories  of  a 
well-fouj^ht  flight  was  only  tempered  by  the  consciousness  that 
a  misunderstanding,  and  not  their  purpose,  had  prevented  it. 

As  has  been  noticed,  when  the  brick  kiln  was  passed  on  the 
advance,  wounded,  more  than  could  be  covered,  were  in  indis- 


—  13^  — 

criminate  confusion  about  it,  and  since  then  the  number  had 
sensibly  increased.  If  there  were  any  on  hand  to  administer  re- 
lief the  force  was  wholly  inadequate  to  the  occasion.  Strangely, 
large  numbers  of  blocks  of  ribbon  were  scattered  around. 
How  they  came  there  was  inconceivable,  nor  was  there  any  dispo- 
sition to  inquire.  Their  usefulness  was  soon  apparent  Gener- 
ous hands  quickly  unwound  the  blocks,  and  tenderly,  it  may  be 
awkwardly,  applied  the  ribbon  to  wounds  gaping,  exposed  and 
yet  untreated,  and  bandaged  hurts,  possibly  nearing  fatality 
from  want  of  care.  But  whether  life  was  saved  or  not,  it  was  a 
comfort  and  consolation  for  kindly  hands  to  minister  to  those 
pressing  needs. 

During  the  time  the  detachment  was  at  the  brick-kiln  another 
advance  appeared,  moving  up  the  hillside.  One  regiment,  with 
its  commandant  gallantly  riding  in  its  front,  maintained  a  most 
excellent  alignement.  It  preserved  its  shapely  formation  until 
just  in  rear  of  the  brick-yard,  when  the  commanding  officer 
fell  seriously  wounded.  Three  of  his  soldiers  bore  him  away 
and  bis  command  then  seemingly  disappeared  entirely.  Th^ 
organization  whose  splendid  line  had  attracted  such  universal 
admiration  was  the  5th  New  Hampshire;  the  commandant 
who  had  fallen  so  valiantly  at  its  front  and  centre  was  its  col- 
onel, Edward  E.  Cross,  who,  wounded  at  Fair  Oaks,  had  re- 
turned to  add  to  the  laurels  he  had  won  on  the  Peninsula. 

With  this  advance  appeared  a  battery  of  twelve-pound  Na- 
poleons. It  had  scarce  unlimbered  before  every  horse  and 
rider  fell.  The  men  left  without  firing  a  shot.  The  officers 
remained  a  moment  gesticulating  violently,  apparently  endeav- 
oring to  enforce  the  return  of  their  men,  and  then  they  too  dis- 
appeared and  the  deserted  guns  alone  remained.  No  guns  could 
be  served  at  such  a  point  and  no  gunners  could  live  in  such  ex- 
posure. It  seemed  madness  to  have  ordered  a  battery  in  action 
there. 

Among  those  who  fell  from  the  officers  of  the  brigade  was 
Captain  J.  Benton  Kennedy,  of  the  ist  Michigan.  A  solid  shot 
terribly  shattered  his  thigh,  and,  lingering  a  few  days,  he  died 


—  '37  — 

in  a  house  in  the  city.  He  was  generous,  courteous  and 
courageous.  On  intimate  terms  with  the  officers  of  the  i  i8th. 
his  loss  was  deeply  regretted. 

The  detachment  at  the  briclt-kiln  gradually  drew  off"  to  the 
city  and  collecting  about  the  outskirts  moved  after  dark  to  the 
river-bank,  where  it  bivouacked  for  the  night.  After  daylight 
communication  with  the  front  was  again  wholly  cut  off  and  it 
was  impossible  for  them  to  rejoin  their  fellows;  nor  was  it 
necessary,  a^;  the  fight  had  subsided  to  an  indifferent  sort  of  a 
skirmish,  with  no  prospect  of  an  assault  by  the  enemy.  The 
bivouac  was  consequently  maintained  until  tlie  command  was 
retired  from  the  front  line. 

Shortly  before  ten  o'clock  on  Sunday  night  the  regiment 
was  relieved  from  its  perilous  and  trying  post  at  the  extreme 
front  and  withdrawn  to  the  bivouac  on  the  river-bank,  where 
the  missing  detachment  was.  Here  it  remained  during  Mon- 
day. A  little  after  noon  General  Burnside  and  his  staff  rode 
down  to  the  bridge  and  passed  over.  There  was  always  a 
kindly  feeling  for  Burnside.  but  now  his  presence  stirred  no  en- 
thusiasm; his  appearance  aroused  no  demonstration.  It  may 
have  been  a  coincidence  that,  as  he  rode  by,  he  drew  his  hat 
further  down  over  his  face.  Unuttercd  thoughts  were  rife  that 
somebody  had  seriously  blundered.  But  sadly  and  silently  the 
men  viewed  their  commander,  with  the  deepest  consideration 
for  the  anxiety  and  solicitude  which  at  that  moment  must  have 
almost  overwhemed  him. 

At  dusk  the  brigade  started  for  the  front  again.  It  took  a 
position  on  the  highway  at  the  farther  end  of  the  city,  as  it  was 
subsequently  learned,  to  cover,  with  other  troops,  the  with- 
drawal of  the  entire  army  to  the  other  side  of  the  river.  Abso- 
lute quiet  was  cautioned  and  conversation  forbidden.  That 
silence  might  be  maintained  strictly,  the  rattling  of  the  tin-cups 
was  prevented  by  removing  them  from  the  belts.  It  was  a 
weird  and  woful  night.  The  wind  ■  blew  a  gale,  fortunately 
directly  from  the  enemy,  and,  with  the  extreme  quiet  prevail- 
ing in  our  lines,  voice  and  noise  were  distinctly  audible  id 


—  138- 

theirs.  Window-shutters  banged  and  rattled,  and  shots  rang 
out  frequently  on  the  picket-line.  An  attack  was  momentarily 
expected  and  every  one  was  ready  to  resist  the  anticipated 
assault. 

In  the  rear  of  the  centre  of  the  regiment  was  J.  H.  Roy's 
drug  store.  Within  all  was  impenetrable  darkness,  but  there 
came  from  it  continually  the  sound  of  breaking  glass.  All  the 
dangers  could  not  deter  the  pilfering  soldier.  Groping  about 
for  something  desirable,  a  whole  shelf  of  bottles  would  fall  at 
once,  creating  a  tremendous  rattle,  penetrating  in  the  extreme 
quiet,  scattering  their  contents  in  every  direction.  Repeated 
orders  were  given  to  arrest  these  purloiners,  but  the  seizure  of 
one  would  speedily  be  followed  by  the  approach  of  another 
in  the  darkness  readily  eluding  the  guard.  His  presence  would 
soon  be  known  by  another  smashing  of  glassware.  An  officer, 
annoyed  beyond  restraint,  rushed  in  himself  and  seized  a  ma- 
rauder with  a  bottle  in  his  hand.  Violently  shaking  himself 
loose  and  escaping,  the  man  left  a  bottle  in  the  officer's  hand 
which,  on  bringing  to  the  street,  he  discovered  to  be  labelled 
"Ayer's  Cherry  Pectoral."  This  he  put  in  his  pocket,  but, 
soon  forgetting  it,  resumed  his  place  on  the  cellar-door,  where 
he  had  been  previously  resting,  and  shivered  the  bottle  to  frag- 
ments. The  contents,  of  a  sticky  consistency,  soaked  his 
clothing. 

About  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  there  was  a  sudden  call 
to  attention  and  a  rapid  movement  to  the  lower  end  of  the  town. 
The  officer  who  brought  the  order  to  retire  indicated  the  wrong 
direction.  Pretty  much  everything  had  been  withdrawn  and 
all  movements  required  alacrity,  but,  reaching  the  river  at  the 
point  where  the  officer  conveying  the  order  directed,  the  bridge, 
which  had  been  there  was  found  to  have  been  removed.  The 
brigade  was  the  last  to  cross ;  daylight  was  clqse  at  hand  and 
the  mistake  threatened  disaster.  The  colunAi  was  counter- 
marched with  amazing  rapidity  and  headed  for  the  centre 
bridge.  It,  too,  was  in  course  of  removal,  but  the  engineers 
hurriedly  replaced  the  planks  and,  in  the  midst  of  a  drenching 


rain,  which  then  began  to  fall,  the  column  crossed  to  the  other 
side.  Day  was  just  breaking  when  the  movement  was  coni- 
pleted. 

Fredericksburg  was  fought  and  lost.  The  Army  of  the  Po- 
tomac, battered  about  and  abused,  had  become  indifferent  to 
results.  A  victory,  where  the  enemy  was  pursued,  routed  or 
brought  to  terms,  it  had  never  been  theirs  to  achieve.  After  a 
battle  it  therefore  accepted  a  withdrawal  or  advance  with  equal 
complacency,  maintaining  the  consciousness  that  it  had  done 
all  men  could  do  to  accomplish  a  designated  purpose.  But 
always  before  it  had  administered  punishment  commensurate 
with  what  it  had  received.  There  was  a  conviction,  at  least 
with  the  troops  thrown  against  the  works  on  Marye's  Heights, 
that  such  was  not  the  result  at  Fredericksburg.  It  was  too 
apparent,  even  to  the  obtuse  observer,  that  the  heavy  sufferers 
on  that  fatal  hillside  were  the  soldiers  who  assaulted,  and  not 
the  soldiers  who  defended.  It  was  too  plain  that  for  the  multi- 
tude of  dead  and  wounded  who  covered  its  slope  no  corres- 
ponding number  of  disabled  soldiery  lay  behind  the  powerful 
entrenchments. 

There  is  no  need  of  any  comments,  only  such  as  suggest 
themselves  to  any  soldier.  Rurnside  Is  dead.  We  all  admired 
his  frank  and  manly  character.  His  assumption  of  all  blame 
for  the  defeat  is  worthy  of  him.  But  it  will  not  atone  for  the 
slaughter  of  so  many  brave  men. 

After  this  battle  there  remained  in  the  army  little  confidence 
in  his  capacity  for  this  command.  He  has  since  been  reported 
as  saying:  "No  one  wilt  ever  know  how  near  I  came  to 
achieving  a  great  success,"  and  to  this  we  will  add,  "No  ont 
ever  will." 

The  loss  of  the  Federal  army  was  i,i8o  killed,  9,028 
wounded,  and  2,145  missing,  and  on  the  part  of  the  Confed- 
erates it  was  5,309  killed,  wounded  and  missing. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

WINTEK  QUASTEES — ^RICHASD's  RECXINNOISSANCE — MOD  UABCH. 


.  flags  of  war 
[m  charging  t 


n  birds  fiy, 

larging  trumpets  blow; 
Ycl  rolls  no  thunder  in  the  sky. 
No  earthquake  strives  bdow. 


N  the  cold,  heavy  winter  rain  the 
I  regiment  returned  to  its  old  camp- 
ing-ground. Roaring  fires  blazed 
in  the  woods,  the  wind  sang  cheer- 
lessly through  the  tall,  sombre  pines, 
and  the  fatigues  of  disastrous  Fred- 
cricksbui^  were  mellowed  by  the 
stories  of  personal  experiences  that, 
in  the  multitude  of  incidents,  had 
escaped  general  observation. 

Invigorating,  inspiring  winter 
weather  followed  the  storm,  the 
cheery  sound  of  axe  and  hammer 
resounded  through  the  timber,  and 
a  well-planned  military  town  of  sub- 
stantial, roomy  log  houses,  with  roofs  of  canvas,  took  the  place 
of  the  irregular  village  of  narrow  and  contracted  shelter-tents. 
Quartered  on  the  southerly  slope  of  a  hill-side  in  a  tall, 
clean-limbed  "  pinery,"  exposure  to  storms  and  wintry  winds  is 
tempered  to  a  sort  of  drawing-room  softness  and  fireside  warmth. 
The  soldiers  fortunate  enough  to  be  so  located,  had  a  decided 
advantage  over  those  on  the  bleak  hill-tops  or  open  plain. 
Such  was  the  good  fortune  of  the  command  in  the  location  of 
their  house  and  home  for  the  winter  of  1862  and  spring  of  1863. 
The  timber  was  free  from  underbrush,  the  sod  was  smooth,  the 
ground  even,  and  over  it  the  falling  pine  needles  had  woven  a 
soft,  springy  carpeting. 

(140) 


—  141  — 

To  the  rear  was  the  Richmond,  Fredericksburg  and  Potomac 
Railway,  that  bore  the  supplies  from  the  Acquia  creek  landing 
to  the  front  near  Falmouth.  The  frequent  movement  of  the 
trains  was  a  daily  reminder  that,  although  hidden  away  in  deso- 
lated Virginia,  it  was  an  easy,  speedy  journey  to  civilizing  so- 
ciety and  cultured  homes.  The  majestic  bridge  across  Potomac 
creek,  that  flowed  by  the  rear  of  the  encampment,  was  in  full 
view.  This  was  a  marvellous  piece  of  enterprising  engineering. 
A  trestle  lOO  feet  in  height  had  been  rebuilt  in  two  or  three 
days,  of  pines  placed  one  upon  the  other,  firmly  and  securely 
braced  together.  It  stood  the  test  and  did  the  work  without 
break  or  accident  from  December,  1862,  until  June,  1863.* 

Evergreens  and  boughs  were  skilfully  utilized  for  decoration. 
They  lined  walks  and  avenues  through  the  camp,  and  fenced 
yard-like  enclosures  about  the  officers'  quarters.  Pines  and 
boughs  bore  the  name  and  number  of  the  regiment  Within 
the  enclosure,  all  things  were  attractively  arranged  for  true 
comfort  and  convenience. 

*  General  Haupt  says :  **  I  cannot  give  the  date  of  the  building  of  the  first 
bridge  acrom  this  stream,  but  it  was  just  before  Jackson's  raid  in  Shenandoah 
▼alley  and  McDoweirs  movement  in  pursuit  of  him  to  Front  Royal.  The  bridge 
was  finished  about  12,  midnight.  Early  next  morning  President  Lincoln,  with  his 
Cabinet,  passed  over  it  to  hold  a  conference  with  McDowell  at  Falmouth.  On  his 
return,  he  remarked  to  members  of  Congress  that  he  had  seen  the  most  remarkable 
structure  that  human  eyes  ever  rested  upon.  *  That  man  General  Haupt  has  built 
a  bridge  loo  feet  high  and  400  feet  long  across  Potomac  creek,  upon  which  the 
trains  to  supply  the  army  are  moving  every  hour,  and  upon  my  word,  gentlemen, 
there  is  nothing  in  it  bnt  bean-jwles  and  corn-stalks.'  1  was  present  at  the  con- 
ference at  Falmouth,  in  at  least  the  latter  portion  of  it.  McDowell  said  to  the 
President  that  Shields'  corps  had  just  come  in  from  the  valley,  but  were  without 
shoes  and  clothing,  which  could  not  be  issued  before  Saturday  (alx)ut  two  days 
ahe.id),and  that  the  movement  against  the  enemy  could  not  be  commenced  before 
Sun'lay,  but  knowing  the  oljjeclions  of  the  Presiilent  lo  initiating  military  move- 
ments on  Sunday,  he  would  defer  to  his  judgment  and  allow  him  to  fix  the  time. 

"  The  I*residenl  sat  in  silence  for  a  few  minutes  and  then  replied  :  *  Well,  Gen- 
eral, I'll  tell  you  what  to  do;  lake  a  good  ready,  and  start  early  Monday  morning.' 
It  was  so  ordered,  but  Jackson's  raid  changed  the  programme,  and  on  Monday  we 
were  moving  by  forced  niarclics  on  Front  Royal  to  intercept  him.  The  Potomac 
creek  bridge  was  destroyed  and  rebuilt  several  times." 


—   142  — 

Wood  was  abundant,  and  each  hut  unsparingly  supplied  its 
huge  open  fire  place,  when  the  severity  of  the  weather  de- 
manded it.  At  first  the  camp  was  surrounded  by  a  fer-reaching 
forest.  Day  by  day  the  line  of  trees  receded,  as  they  were 
felled  to  supply  the  enormous  demand  for  building  and  for 
fuel,  until,  before  the  spring  weather  set  in,  the  chopped  wood 
had  to  be  carried  fully  a  mile.  The  quarters  of  the  men  were 
all  of  the  same  general  design  and  appearance,  but  their  interior 
comforts  and  ornamentation  were  excellent  or  indifferent,  as  the 
occupants  happened  to  be  handy  or  careless.  The  wide,  open 
fireplace,  with  timber-chinked,  clay-lined,  and  barrel-topped 
chimney  was  universal ;  its  cheery  light  and  roaring  blaze,  a 
generous  welcome  from  the  cutting  blasts  and  furious  storms 
that  were  frequent  through  the  season.  Occasionally  one  of 
these  chimneys,  none  of  which  had  been  built  according  to 
specifications  or  examined  by  the  inspector  of  buildings,  would 
take  fire  from  a  "  defective  flue,"  and  become  an  object  of  interest 
and  pleasure  to  all  but  the  occupants.  Old  story — total  loss ; 
no  insurance. 

Amusements,  if  not  varied,  were  plentiful  and  attractive.  A 
lonely  female,  by  name  if  not  in  person,  was  in  constant  attend- 
ance. Though  continually  addressed,  she  never  seemed  to 
appear,  but  the  response  to  the  frequent  calls  for  "  ante  "  kept 
the  game  going  on,  and  the  participants  were  doubtless  better 
satisfied  than  if  a  real  auntie  had  responded  to  the  summons. 
But  she  was  coy  and  coquettish,  and  when  too  frequently  sum- 
moned without  a  corresponding  replenishment  from  a  successful 
"  draw,"  would  silence  her  unlucky  nephews  and  return  them 
to  their  quarters  broken  and  despondent,  their  season  of  recu- 
peration to  be  the  intervals  between  the  visits  of  the  paymaster. 
The  credit  system,  which  was  generally  introduced,  prevented 
total  abandonment  of  such  amusement  ventures,  and  a  reason- 
ably fair  rating  enabled  the  discomfited  operator  to  borrow  suf- 
ficient to  continue  his  speculations  until  his  depleted  exchequer 
was  repleted  by  the  coming  of  the  ever-welcome  little  black 
safe  of  the  pay  department. 


The  "  pack  "  and  "  deck  "  had  use  and  purpose  in  many  other 
■forms,  where  the  absence  of  the  "  ante  "  did  not  require  accom- 
modation from  the  "  uncle."  In  fact,  cribbagc,  whist  and 
euchre,  games  of  more  cuhurc  and  less  risk  than  "poker,"  had 
decidedly  the  larger  following. 
I  But  other  resources  were  at  command.  Literature,  in- 
■-fltructive  and  entertaining,  was  readily  attainable,  and  books, 
song  and  story  varied  the  monotony  of  the  manipulation  of  the 
ever-present  "  pack."  Courtesies  to  dine  and  sup  were  fre- 
quently interchanged,  and  postprandial  speech  and  humor  did 
their  full  share  to  speed  along  the  rapidly  disappearing  winter. 
Mean,  service  and  table  furniture,  ttaive  and  original,  equalled 
the  occasion,  and  the  warm  and  hearty  sympathies  of  host  and 
guests  for  each  other  and  the  cause,  supplied  the  absence  ol 
more  cultured  appointments. 

All  the  time  was  not  for  pleasure.  It  was  only  the  long 
winter  nights,  and  days  too  stormy  for  outdoor  exercises,  when 
the  pleasure-seeker  subordinated  business  to  his  amusements. 
The  winter's  instruction  was  prolific  of  much  good.  No  oppor- 
tunity was  lost  for  open-air  exercises  in  drills  by  company,  bat- 
talion, or  as  skirmishers.  The  rudiments,  which  had  been 
hurried  through  in  the  urgency  of  active  operations,  were  now 
most  thoroughly  instilled.  Minor  details,  which  had  escaped 
attention  in  the  forced  preliminary  training,  were  intelligently 
taught  and  successfully  remembered.  The  importance  of  a 
strict  observance  of  the  delegated  duties  and  responsibilities 
belonging  especially  to  non-commissioned  officers  was  properly 
explained,  and  when  the  season  was  over,  each  knew  his  duty 
thoroughly  and  did  it  well. 

Nothing  better  promotes  discipline  than  the  maintenance  of 
military  etiquette.  It  secures  the  necessary  distinction  between 
the  officer  and  enlisted  man,  but  while  essential  to  secure 
respect  and  sustain  authority,  it  neither  elevates  the  one  nor 
degrades  the  other. 

Surprising  progress  was  made  in  this  essential.  The  military 
salute  was  unflinchingly  exacted,  courteous  and  prompt  response 


—  144  — 

to  interrogation  always  demanded,  and  commissioned  officers 
were  rarely  addressed  by  subordinates  except  when  invited  or 
permitted.  These  and  all  other  minutiae  of  a  like  character, 
after  careful  training,  were  readily  accepted  and  understood  as 
essential  rudiments  in  the  successful  maintenance  of  a  military 
establishment.  A  novel  incident,  the  result  of  these  teachings, 
happened  to  an  officer.  He  found  it  necessary  to  make  a  cum- 
bersome purchase  from  the  sutler.  In  the  absence  of  some  one 
to  carry  his  burden,  he  selected  a  time  when  every  one  was 
likely  to  be  housed,  and  took  an  unusual  route  to  his  quarters, 
so  as  to  avoid  meeting  any  of  his  men,  who  he  was  satisfied  would 
force  him,  with  both  his  arms  loaded,  to  return  their  salute. 
One  company  street  seemed  wholly  deserted.  Freighted  as  he 
was,  he  boldly  entered  it.  His  movements  had  been  carefully 
watched,  and  the  entire  company  suddenly  emerging  from  their 
quarters,  arranged  themselves  standing  at "  attention,"  each  man 
extending  the  customary  salute.  There  was  no  alternative ;  the 
salute  must  be  returned ;  so  deliberately  depositing  his  burden, 
the  officer  assumed  the  position  of  a  soldier,  acknowledged  the 
salutation,  again  resumed  his  load,  and  the  men  still  retaining 
the  attention,  he  passed  beyond  their  view  and  reached  his 
destination  without  further  interruption.  The  spirit  prompt- 
ing this  action  was  an  intimation  that,  as  men  were  at  all 
times  required  to  be  in  suitable  shape  to  exchange  cour- 
tesies, officers  themselves  should  be  careful  to  observe  like 
conditions. 

The  process  of  weeding  out  incompetents,  after  trial  had 
shown  their  inefficiency,  usual  with  all  organizations,  was 
severely  pursued  in  this.  Some  who  volunteer  from  purest  pa- 
triotism will,  from  physical  cause,  from  distaste  for  the  labors,  or 
from  a  total  incapacity  to  accommodate  themselves  to  the  usages 
and  habits  of  a  soldier-life,  become  a  burden  to  the  service  and 
useless  for  the  purposes  of  war.  Other3,  drones  and  malingerers 
from  the  beginning,  are  not  worth  the  cost  of  their  maintenance. 
While  others  still,  who  with  honest  and  faithful  intent  try  to 
overcome  their  fears,  cannot  command  the  courage  of  the  battle- 


—  145  — 

front.  The  services  of  these,  and  all  such  as  these,  were  dis- 
pensed with,  and  the  better  clement  alone  retained. 

To  march  with  precision,  mantcuver  with  accuracy,  to  stqj  in 
soldierly  length  and  cadence,  with  body  erect  and  shoulders 
square,  in  the  ranks  or  out  of  them,  in  gait  and  carriage,  always 
to  show  the  results  of  a  soldier's  tuition,  arc  acquirements  which 
patience,  study,  time  and  attention  must  accomplish.  But  when 
men  have  passed  the  years  when  aptitude  for  new  teachings  is 
not  so  great  as  in  earlier  days,  and  previous  instruction  had 
been  limited  to  a  few  months  amid  the  frequent  interruptions  of 
storms  and  bad  weather,  the  difficulty  was  much  increased,  and 
there  still  remained  to  be  instilled  a  thorough  comprehension 
of  discipline  and  obedience. 

These  appeal  more  directly  to  the  intelligence  of  men  than 
the  physical  exercises  of  the  drill  and  the  manual.  When  the 
encampment  at  Stoneman's  Switch  terminated,  the  Corn. Ex- 
change had  acquired  a  degree  of  excellence  in  soldierly  accom- 
plishments that  rated  it  for  tactical  knowledge,  discipline, 
courage  and  endurance,  as  a  standard  organization  of  American 
volunteers.  To  attain  that  eminence,  in  such  a  body,  was  no 
mean  acquisition.  The  American  volunteer,  whose  generous, 
impulsive  patriotism  strengthens  as  his  ser\'ice  len^jthens,  whose 
difficulties  are  overcome  by  his  patience  and  obstacles  sur- 
mounted by  his  endurance,  who  has  never  yielded  his  ground 
or  lost  his  line  except  to  soldiers  of  his  own  race,  is  the 
typical  soldier  of  modern  civilization.  It  was  such  a  standard 
the  ii8th  Pennsylvania  Volunteers  had  deservedly  attained; 
this  high  distinction  it  had  justly  earned. 

The  terrible  wound  received  by  Colonel  Prevost  com- 
pelled him  to  be  absent  until  ju.st  before  the  battle  of  Chan- 
ccllorsville.  During  his  absence.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Gwyn 
had  continuous  command.  Colonel  Gwyn  was  intelli- 
gent, of  fair  tactical  acquirements,  and  ambitious  to  secure 
for  his  regiment  the  reputation  it  earned.  But  he  was  unhap- 
pily liable  to  be  influenced  by  violent  and  unjust  prejudices. 
While  he  was  courteous  and  obliging  to  his  friends,  he  too  often 


—  146  — 

acted  oppressively  and  with  wholly  unwarranted  severity  towards 
others  whom  he  conceived  to  be  unfriendly  to  him.  Some 
of  the  most  manly  spirits  in  the  regiment  were  crushed  by  this 
oppressive  conduct.  They  submitted  uncomplainingly  to  in- 
justice and  oppression,  rather  than  bring  disgraceful  criticism 
upon  the  command  by  an  exposure  of  its  internal  disorders. 

The  5th  Corps  covered  the  right  flank  of  the  army,  during 
the  winter,  and  the  average  distance  from  the  camps  to  the 
picket-line  was  some  ten  miles. 

The  picket  head-quarters  was  a  grand  old  Virginia  mansion, 
with  houses  for  the  servants  near.  Its  occupants  boarded  the 
officers  commanding  the  line,  and  the  preparation  of  the  family 
dinner  was  something  wonderful  to  Northern  eyes. 

In  the  first  place  there  was  the  fireplace,  broad  and  deep, 
like  Virginia  hospitality.  Then  there  were  the  Dutch  ovens, 
of  all  sizes,  of  the  same  pattern  as  those  in  which  the  dinners 
of  the  Stuyvesants  and  Van  Dams  and  Vander  Bilts  and  their 
Dutch  ancestors  were  cooked.  As  the  stout  and  dignified 
black  cook  began  the  preparation  of  the  varied  dishes  intended 
for  the  meal,  a  colored  boy,  whom  she  confidentially  told  her 
auditors,  in  his  absence  at  the  wood-pile,  *'  wasn't  wuff"  noffin* 
since  dem  Yanks  come,"  piled  about  twenty  heavy  sticks  of 
cordwood  upon  the  massive  andirons,  threw  some  dry  light- 
wood  on  the  coals  beneath,  and,  by  the  aid  of  a  pair  of  bellows 
and  a  line  or  two  of  a  negro  song,  blew  the  fire  into  a  brisk 
blaze.  While  the  logs  cracked  and  snapped  and  roared  the 
cook  and  her  assistant  were  busy  cleansing,  stuffing  and  truss- 
ing the  chickens,  getting  the  mutton,  vegetables,  corn-pones 
and  bread  and  all  the  other  necessaries  and  dainties  of  a  dinner 
ready.  As  stick  after  stick  of  the  hickory  wood  cracked  in 
the  centre,  the  ends  were  put  on  the  fire  by  the  boy,  until  the 
centre  of  the  fireplace  was  a  mass  of  living  coals.  Some  of 
these  were  raked  out,  by  means  of  an  iron  rake,  upon  the  great 
brick  hearth,  and  over  them  the  Dutch  ovens,  little  and  big, 
were  set.  One  contained  corn-bread,  another  mutton,  another 
chickens,  and  so  on.     The  covers  were  put  upon  the  ovens, 


—  147  — 

and  shovelfuls  of  coals  heaped  upon  the  covers.  The  dusky 
presiding  genius  seemed  to  know  just  the  right  moment 
to  turn,  or  baste,  or  take  up;  and  while  a  French  chef  might 
wriggle  himself  out  of  shape  through  horror  at  so  primitive  a 
metliod  of  cooking,  her  sable  majesty  could  have  given  him  a 
number  of  useful  hints  upon  the   preparation   of  appetizing 

Some  privates  in  the  army  prided  themselves  on  being  cu- 
linary artists,  and  they  did  the  business  by  wholesale.  Tliese 
chefs  cooked  the  salt  pork,  the  beans,  the  fresh  beef  and  the 
coffee  of  their  comrades  in  the  company,  and  occasionally, 
when  one  of  them  received  a  pressing  invitation  to  that  eflect 
from  the  commanding  officer,  shouldered  a  musket,  went  forth 


into  the  prevailing  unpleasantness,  and  cooked  the  coffee  of 
some  unfortunate  Johnnie  who  happened  to  stand  in  front 
of  the  bullet  that  had  popped  out  of  his  gun. 

No  caterer  to  the  appetite  of  a  Vanderbilt  or  an  Astor 
could  have  been  stuffed  fuller  of  professional  pride  than  these 
gentry  of  the  mess  kettle,  who  pandered  to  the  appetites  of 
men  capable  of  digesting  anything  that  aa  ostrich  could 
assimilate. 


—  148  — 

On  one  occasion  the  i  i8th  relieved  a  Maine  regiment.  The 
inventive  spirit  of  the  Yankee  had  found  vent  in  the  con- 
struction of  a  number  of  water-wheels  out  of  peach-cans,  etc., 
along  the  banks  of  a  little  stream  which  flowed  near  the  line. 
Written  requests  had  been  left  asking  the  relieving  regiment 
not  to  disturb  them,  as  the  regiment  expected  to  return  soon. 
Pennsylvania  enjoyed  the  handiwork  of  Maine,  but,  of  course, 
complied  with  the  request. 

Picketing  in  the  daytime,  when  the  eyes  can  be  used  to  ad- 
vantage, is  not  an  unpleasant  thing — unless  there  is  rain  or 
snow.  At  night,  when  the  silence  is  oppressive  and  the  world 
seems  dead,  it  is  another  thing.  The  faintest  sound  comes 
through  the  darkness  multiplied  in  strength  and  intensity.  As 
an  instance :  one  dark  night,  while  crouching  in  some  bushes 
in  the  edge  of  an  open  field,  a  picket  thought  he  heard  the  faint 
clanking  of  a  sabre  at  some  distance  in  front.  He  stole  softly 
up  to  the  next  man  and  communicated  his  suspicions  to  him. 
They  listened  and  both  of  them  heard  the  sound  distinctly. 
One  of  them  moved  cautiously  to  a  third  man  and  told  him  to 
watch  carefully,  while  the  first  two  reconnoitered.  and,  if  he 
heard  any  scuffling,  to  warn  the  pickets  by  firing.  Side  by 
side,  on  hands  and  knees,  the  two  crept  stealthily  forward, 
stopping  now  and  then  to  catch  the  sound,  and  then  moving 
on  again  towards  it.  About  twenty-five  feet  beyond  the  line 
the  sound  seemed  close  at  hand,  and  was  soon  found  to  be 
caused  by  a  broken  weed,  which,  as  the  wind  swayed  it,  scraped 
against  another  weed. 

In  pleasant  weather  the  picket  excursions  partook  somewhat 
of  the  nature  of  a  picnic.  In  stormy  or  bitter  cold  weather 
they  did  not.  A  snow-storm  came  on  one  morning  about  five 
o'clock,  and  by  eight,  the  hour  for  calling  the  relief,  they  were 
snowed  under,  the  form  of  each  man,  as  he  lay  upon  the  ground 
rolled  in  his  blanket  and  covered  with  snow,  looking  like  a 
white  grave.  "  Turn  out !  Fall  in ! "  yelled  the  sergeant.  As 
they  turned  out  the  snow  fell  in.  There  were  as  many  dif- 
ferent ways  of  receiving  it  as  there  were  dispositions  among 
the  men. 


Conversation  at  night  on  the  picket  line,  especially  when  it 
fronted  near  woods,  was  limited  to  a  few  words  in  low  tones, 
lest  the  enemy  might  be  lurking  near,  and  tliiis  gain  a  knowledge 
of  the  position  of  our  men.  For,  while  the  picket,  gun  in  hand, 
with  alert  eye  and  ear,  watched  and  listened  for  any  sight  or 
sound  that  might  indicate  the  presence  of  a  foe,  his  thoughts 
were  off  busy  with  books  that  he  had  read  years  before;  or 
with  the  companions  of  his  boyhood,  recalling  the  fun  they  had 
had,  and  the  not  always  innocent  tricks  ;  and  these  remembrances 
naturally  led  to  his  home  in  the  city,  or  the  farm  house  on  the 
hillside  or  in  the  valley,  where  the  years  of  his  childhood, 
boyhood  and  young  manhood  were  spent,  the  home  which,  to 
him.  was  the  very  heart  of  his  life.  And  now,  in  thought,  he 
went  along  the  old  road,  with  its  ruts  and  thanky-marms, — 
blackberry  and  elderberrj' and  sumach  lining  its  sides, —  past 
the  old  red  chicken-coop  of  a  school-house,  through  the  apple 
orchard  that  spread  both  sides  of  the  road ;  he  opened  the  gate 
up  the  end  of  the  lane,  lifted  it  up  after  he  had  passed  through. 
tliat  the  latch  might  fall  into  its  place,  walked  on  beneath  the 
great  trees  whose  branches  interlaced  over  his  head,  swung  the 
garden  gate  upon  its  hinges,  trod  the  old  well-beaten  path,  the 
sct-nl  of  bergamot  and  !u-liotropc  filling  his  nostrils,  and  stoud 
by  the  window  next  the  porch,  looking  in  upon  those  whom  he 
had  left  with  tearful  faces  and  sad  hearts,  when  he  started  for 
the  front. 

Every  room  in  the  house,  every  familiar  object  in  the  rooms, 
every  loved  and  familiar  face  and  form  passed  before  him.  He 
could  see  his  father  reading  carefully  the  list  of  killed  and 
wounded  in  the  paper,  while  mother  and  sisters  gathered  round 
in  hushed  eagerness.  He  could  see  their  gladdened  faces  and 
almost  hear  his  mother's  sigh  of  relief  when  father  had  finished 
and  found  that  his  son's  name  was  not  (here.  And  then  came 
that  ghastly,  strange  feeling  called  home-sickness,  wliich  so 
many  have  felt,  and  so  few  have  attempted  to  describe:  a 
longing,  that  will  not  down,  to  stand  in  the  old  places,  to  look 
in  tlie  faces,  grasp  the  hands,  hear  the  voices  and  touch  the  lips 
of  the  absent  ones — if  for  only  a  moment.     Not  cowardice,  not 


—  ISO  — 

weakness,  but  true  manliness,  in  such  moments,  has  made  maiy 
a  heart  quiver  with  pain,  brought  a  tremor  to  the  lips,  and 
forced  tears  from  eyes  that  were  not  wont  to  be  moist. 

"It  is  but  a  step  from  the  subhme  to  the  ridiculous,"  was  ht- 
erally  and  humorously  illustrated  by  an  incident  that  happened 
at  one  of  the  dress  parades  of  the  regiment.  As  all  soldiers 
and  most  civilians  know,  the  "  evening  dress  parade  "  is  as  stiff 
and  solemn  an  affair  as  a  president's  reception,  and  the  least 
breach  of  military  etiquette  on  the  part  of  any  one,  while  the 
performance  is  taking  place,  is  rebuked  by  the  severe  punish- 
ment of  the  offender.  It  commenced  with  "  parade-rest "  and 
"  troop  beat  off."  Statue-like  stood  every  man  as  the  drum- 
corps,  playing,  moved  down  and  up  the  line.  Colonel  Gwyn, 
with  his  fine  soldierly  presence,  his  arms  folded,  his  body 
straight,  head  erect,  and  right  foot  thrown  to  the  rear,  stood 
steadily  opposite  the  front  and  centre  as 
the  "  troop  "  beat  off,  assuming  this  po- 
sition as  the  adjutant  commanded, 
"guides,  post!"  That  portion  of  the 
ceremony  concluded,  he  deliberately 
unfolded  his  arms  at  the  command 
"  attention ! "  and  resumed  the  position 
of  a  soldier.  The  sublime  colonel  (aced 
the  regiment.  A  long  step  in  his  rear, 
stood  the  ridiculous  Scipio  Africanus. 
Every  movement  of  the  colonel  was 
imitated  and  caricatured  by  the  mimick- 
ing Scipio.  He  also  puffed  out  his  chest, 
folded  his  arms  with  an  exaggeration  of 
calm  deliberation,  and  stood  immovable 
as  the  "  troop  "  beat  down  and  up  the 
line.  Then,  assuming  the  "attention," 
he  moved  his  body  and  arms,  and  drew 
an  imaginary  sabre,  in  time  and  unison  with  the  commandant 
As  the  colonel  received  the  parade  and  the  adjutant  took 
bis  post,  so  did  Scipio  receive  his  invisible  parade.     At  the 


—  ist  — 

command  "  shoulder,  arms  ! "  he  opened  his  extensive  mouth, 
showing  his  large,  white  teeth,  and  moving  his  lips,  appar- 
ently repeated  this  and  all  tlic  following  commands,  contin- 
uing until  the  dress-parade  was  concluded.  Of  course  the 
colonel  remained  ignorant  of  the  feet  that  he  had  a  darkey 
double  a  few  feet  in  his  rear. 

At  first  the  discipline  of  the  men  overcame  their  inclination. 
But  eventually  fun  proved  more  powerful  than  discipline,  and, 
as  one  movement  followed  another,  the  contrast  between  the 
towering  colonel  in  full  uniform,  with  his  soldierly  carriage,  and 
Scipio's  dwarfed  stature,  with  his  extravagant  imitations,  drew 
from  the  men  half-suppressed  smiles  and  chuckles;  then  broad 
grins  and  outbursts  of  laughter  spread  along  tlie  line.  Colonel 
Gwyn  was  furious.  He  interrupted  the  manual,  announced  the 
names  of  one  and  another  of  the  sergeants,  and  summarily 
reduced  them  to  the  ranks.  One  commissioned  officer  was 
ordered  peremptorily  from  his  post  to  report  to  his  quarters  in 
arrest. 

The  parade  dismissed,  the  officers  were  received  with  a  stiff, 
unusual  formality.  Scipio  continued  his  mimicries.  This  time, 
though,  unaware  of  the  stern  countenance  of  the  commander, 
he  fell  into  error.  His  greeting  was  graceful  and  easy,  and  his 
smile  pleasing  and  bland.  With  much  feeling,  the  colonel 
called  attention  to  the  shameful  behavior,  inquired  whether 
anything  peculiar  about  his  dress,  appearance  or  manner  had 
induced  such  improprieties,  and  continuing  in  an  indignant 
strain,  was  finally  interrupted  and  his  attention  for  the  first  time 
called  to  Scipio. 

Scipio  had  evidently  counted  the  cost,  and  received  his  pun- 
ishment meekly.  He  was  bared  to  below  the  waist,  and  the 
lash,  represented  bya  ramrod, vigorouslyapplled.  Then  he  was 
tied  up  by  the  thumbs  and,  with  occasional  intermissions,  so 
remained  until  he  had  promised,  with  no  expectation  of  fullfil- 
ment,  to  thereafter  conduct  himself  with  more  propriety.  Mrs. 
Colonel  Gwyn,  a  lady  for  whom  the  regiment  entertained  the 
greatest  respect  and  most  kindly  feeling,  was  then  on  a  visit  to 


—    152   — 

the  camp,  and  at  her  intercession  the  colonel  proclaimed  an 
amnesty. 

It  began  to  be  apparent  from  rumors  and  indications,  shortly 
followed  by  direct  orders,  that  this  well-appointed,  permanent 
encampment  was  not  to  be  enjoyed  without  at  least  temporary 
interruptions. 

At  noon  of  December  30th,  with  three  days*  rations  and  a 
full  supply  of  ammunition,  the  brigade  was  assembled  on  the 
color  line.  There  was  no  intimation  of  the  object  of  the  move- 
ment, and  its  purpose  was  well  concealed.  At  the  same 
time  the  other  two  brigades  appeared  ready  to  follow  as 
a  support,  it  was  said,  if  necessary.  A  battery  and  twelve 
ambulances  made  up  what  was  apparently  an  expeditionary 
force,  intended  for  fight  orreconnoissance  as  occasion  should 
demand.  As  Colonel  Barnes  rode  out  in  front  of  the  troops, 
he  reined  up  opposite  the  regiment  and  laughingly  inquired 
"  whether  they  liked  this  being  picked  out  for  sharp  work." 
**  It's  all  right,"  was  the  general  responsive ;  "  we  don*t  care> 
when  you  lead  us." 

It  was  well  into  the  afternoon  before  the  column  started,  and 
near  dark — after  passing  the  pickets,  astonished  at  the  sight  of 
such  a  force  going  beyond  them — when  it  resumed  the  familiar 
direction  toward  Hartwood  Church.  But  the  destination  was 
far  beyond  the  old  church.  It  was  passed  in  the  darkness,  and 
a  bivouac  made  at  eleven  at  night  in  a  dense  wilderness,  broken 
only  by  the  timber  that  had  been  recently  cut  by  the  enemy, 
who  evidently  not  long  before  had,  in  some  force,  occupied  the 
country  in  that  vicinity  north  of  the  Rappahannock.  In  their 
abandonment  of  the  country,  they  had  felled  timber  across  the 
roadways  for  the  purpose  of  obstructing  and  delaying  the 
march  of  a  column  intended  to  pursue  them,  which  must  neces- 
sarily take  one  of  the  very  few  passable  highways  in  any  move- 
ment it  might  make  in  that  general  direction.  They  were 
reasonably  successful.  The  infantry  managed  to  climb  over 
and  move  around  the  obstructions,  but  no  end  of  delay  followed 
in  effecting  their  removal  for  the  passage  of  the  artillery  and 


ambulances.  The  night  was  stinging  cold,  with  no  indications 
of  an  enemy  except  tlic  obstructed  roadway,  yet  fires  were  for- 
bidden. Had  they  been  permitted,  the  tempting  supply  of  fuel 
would  have  caused  them  to  be  so  large  that  their  flam?  and 
smoke  could  be  seen  for  miles,  telling  the  enemy  of  a  move- 
ment tliat  was  intended  to  be  secret. 

The  jrst  was  a  cold,  dull  morning,  and  shortiy  after  five 
o'clock,  after  a  hastily  prepared  morning  meal,  the  column  was 
in  motion  again.  Timber  and  other  obstructions  still  encum- 
bered the  roadway;  its  removal  was  temporarily  suspended  and, 
leaving  the  artillery  and  ambulances  to  be  brought  up  afterwards, 
the  infantry  continued  its  march  through  the  woods. 

About  eight  o'clock,  a  halt  was  ordered  and  strict  silence 
enjoined.  Except  that  the  general  direction  was  toward  the 
Rappahannock,  nothing  had  yet  occurred  to  di.sclose  the  pur- 
pose of  the  expedition.  Nor  was  their  close  proximity  to  the 
river  as  yet  known  to  tlie  men.  Berdan's  sharpshooters  hur- 
riedly passed  on  toward  the  right  and  were  soon  lost  to  view  in 
the  almost  impenetrable  forest.  "Attention!"  was  called  in  a 
subdued  tone,  and  the  men  ordered  to  load  as  quietly  as  pos- 
sible. 

In  the  depths  of  the  sombre  wilderness,  the  dull  gray  light 
of  the  winter  morning  covering  everything  with  a  leaden  pall, 
the  death-like  stillness  was  painful. 

The  order  to  load  had  brought  nerves  up  to  a  battle  tension ; 
all  through  the  woods  were  columns  of  blue,  in  marked  con- 
trast with  the  dull,  gloomy  pines,  and  the  men,  stiffened  for  a 
contest  with  some  unknown,  unseen  foe,  stood  in  anxious  wait- 
ing, in  utter  ignorance  of  their  own  position  and  that  of  their 
enemy.  They  had  been  buried  in  these  forest  wilds  since  early 
the  night  before,  and  none  knew  when  or  where  they  would  end. 
Hut  the  anxiety  was  soon  over,  the  inspiration  soon  ceased. 
Suddenly,  through  the  forest  gloom,  on  the  still,  wintry  air  there 
rang  out  the  penetrating  sound  of  musketry  close  at  hand.  The 
previous  .silence  intensified  the  sound,  and  the  roar  was  deaf- 
ening.    It  lasted  some  ten  minutes. 


—  154  — 

Richards'  Ford — the  men  knew  nothing  of  its  proximity, — 
on  the  Rappaliannock,  was  scarce  a  hundred  yards  from  where 
the  head  of  the  column  rested  when  the  halt  was  made.  It  was 
to  this  point  the  sharpshooters  had  hurried.  Their  attack  dis- 
lodged a  cavalry  picket  on  the  thither  side,  and  the  ford  was 
open  for  crossing.  The  column  immediately  resumed  the 
march.  The  regiment  led  the  brigade,  and  was  the  first  to 
enter  the  water.  The  ford  was  waist  deep.  There  was  much 
splashing  and  floundering  in  the  hurry  to  reach  the  other  side, 
the  intense  cold  accelerating  progress.  Many  novel  methods 
were  resorted  to  to  avoid  a  wetting,  notably  one  by  the  sergeant- 
major.  He  rolled  several  logs  together  and  attempted  to  ferry 
himself  across ;  when  in  mid-stream,  they  turned  under  him 
and  he  was  plunged  headlong  into  the  water.  His  discomfiture 
was  received  with  shouts  of  derisive  laughter.  The  troops  were 
scarcely  out  of  the  water,  before  all  their  clothing  was  frbzen 
stiff  and  became  a  weight  to  carry.  On  the  other  side,  the 
country  was  open.  The  advance  was  continued  with  skir- 
mishers deployed  in  front,  the  troops  following  in  line.  Rebel 
cavalry  watched  the  movement  from  a  distance,  but  disappeared 
expeditiously  as  the  skirmishers  came  within  range.  Just  on 
the  edge  of  the  ford  stood  a  fine  old  Virginia  mansion,  occupied 
by  a  farmer  and  his  three  daughters.  From  the  windows,  the 
enemy  had  replied  to  the  Berdan  sharpshooters.  In  passing 
one  of  the  windows,  in  search  of  a  place  of  safety,  one  of  the 
daughters  was  severely  wounded  in  the  thigh.  It  was  pro- 
nounced by  the  surgeons  as  likely  to  prove  fatal.  Since  the 
war,  however,  it  has  been  learned  that  the  lady  fully  recovered 
without  an  amputation,  which  at  the  time  it  was  believed  would 
be  necessary. 

The  cleared  land  covered  but  a  limited  space,  and  then  there 
were  several  miles  of  dense  forest,  and  again,  for  a  short  dis- 
tance, more  arable  country,  and  so  it  interchanged  from  forest 
to  farm  through  the  whole  march,  the  forests  decidedly  pre- 
dominating. Upon  the  farther  edge  of  the  clearings,  the 
enemy's  cavalry  always  showed  itself,  and  flankers  or  skir- 
mishers gave  them  parting  shots  as  they  rapidly  rode  away. 


-  155  — 

There  were  but  few  houses  along  the  route,  their  occupants 
decrcpid  old  men  or  superannuated  women.  They  were  not 
molested,  disturbed,  or  even  spoken  to.  One  sprightly  dame, 
rather  better  favored  than  the  rest,  was  suddenly  surprised,  re- 
turning from  the  spring,  by  the  approach  of  the  skirmishers. 
Not  at  all  discomfited,  she  dropped  her  bucket,  placed  her  arms 
akimbo,  and  in  sneering  silence  viewed  the  soldiers  until  they 
had  all  passed  out  of  sight.  No  one  paid  any  attention  to  her, 
or  even  addressed  her.  Their  reception  of  her  was  as  quiet 
and  undemonstrative  as  hers  was  of  tliem. 

A  couple  of  hours  had  roiled  by  without  incident  of  note, 
when  suddenly  a  single  shot  rang  out  piercingly  on  the  extreme 
right  and  rear.  The  column  was  brought  to  a  temporary  halt. 
A  horseman,  miscalculating  the  distance,  or  having  no  faith  in 
the  marksmanship,  had  essayed  to  dash  boldly  by  the  flankers. 
He  was,  indeed,  between  500  and  700  yards  away,  but  the  aim 
was  excellent  and,  wounded  in  both  fore-knees,  his  horse  fell, 
pinning  his  rider  to  the  ground.  The  man  was  but  little  hurt. 
His  anxiety  to  get  out  of  the  road  was  accounted  for,  as  he 
proved  to  be  a  mail  carrier,  and  his  bag,  loaded  with  mail  mat- 
ter, was  a  valuable  and  une.xpected  find.  He  was  retained  until 
his  release  would  fiirni.sh  no  information. 

Indications  of  the  recent  presence  of  the  enemy,  in  camps 
and  bivouacs  apparently  hurriedly  abandoned,  were  frequent 
towards  the  end  of  the  march,  but  developed  nothing  further 
than  that  the  enemy  had  been  about  in  some  strength.  Seeing 
nothing  except  the  debris  of  camps  and  a  few  straggling  caval- 
rj-men,  after  the  brigade  had  moved  some  ten  miles  on  that  side 
of  the  river  it  was  turned  again  towards  the  Rappahannock,  and 
recrossed  it  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  at  Ellis's  Ford, 
This  ford  was  also  waist-deep,  nor  had  the  noonday  sun  raised 
the  temperature.  The  men  floundered,  splashed  about,  some 
stumbled  and  fell,  to  be  soaked  all  over,  the  clothing  froze  again, 
and  the  discomforts  of  the  morning  were  renewed  in  the  after- 
noon. 

By  the  ford  was  a  house  occupied  by  an  antiquated  couple, 


-  156- 

bemoaning  the  fate  of  the  lady  who  had  been  accidentally  shot 
in  the  morning,  and  desperately  berating  those  who  had  caused 
the  disaster.  It  was  strange  how  the  news  had  reached  them, 
unless  borne  by  some  of  the  enemy's  cavalry  who  had  been 
circulating  in  our  rear. 

Anticipating  the  return  of  the  brigade  at  this  ford,  the  other 
two,  ordered  up  in  support,  had  bivouacked  near  it,  and  in  the 
vicinity  the  wet,  hungry  and  fatigued  troopers  of  the  recon- 
noitring party,  amid  roaring  fires,  found  some  comfort  after 
the  labors  of  the  day.  Besides  the  information  gleaned  of  the 
recent  location  of  detachments  of  the  enemy,  and  the  topog- 
raphy of  the  country,  the  reconnoissance  resulted  in  the  capture 
of  three  cavalrymen,  the  mail-bag  and  its  contents,  and  the 
wounding  of  the  girl.     There  were  no  losses. 

The  old  year  went  out  without  note  of  its  passing  away, 
and  the  new  one  began  away  off  in  the  lonely  wilderness,  with 
no  opportunity  for  the  usual  observance  of  ist  of  January 
festivities. 

It  was  twenty-two  miles  home,  and  the  first  day  of  the  year 
1863,  up  to  three  o'clock,  was  devoted  to  the  journey.  About 
eight  miles  out  from  the  ford,  jogging  along  at  a  comfortable 
route-step,  the  head  of  the  column  abruptly  halted.  The  atten- 
tion of  Colonel  Barnes  was  suddenly  called  to  glistening  ob- 
jects in  a  thick  copse  of  timber  some  mile  in  advance,  which 
strongly  resembled  moving  musket-barrels.  The  ground  had 
been  gradually  rising  for  some  distance,  until  the  rise  culmi- 
nated in  a  well-defined,  ridge.  Beyond,  for  a  mile  at  least,  was 
a  broad,  open  plain.  Then  the  road  descended  a  little,  enter- 
ing a  batch  of  thick  undergrowth,  which  skirted  the  edge  of  a 
forest,  in  which,  when  he  reached  the  ridge,  the  brigade  com- 
mander first  discovered  the  bright,  moving  objects  that  had 
arrested  his  attention.  The  men  crowded  the  crest  and  the 
glistening  which  had  called  the  halt  was  distinctly  observed  by 
all.  It  was  scarcely  conceivable  that  the  enemy  had  crossed  at 
the  lower  ford  and  deliberately  thrown  himself  across  the  line 
of  march  of  the  returning  reconnoitring  party,  and  between  it 


—  '57  — 


and  the  main  army.  As  such  temerity  was  possible,  it  was 
deemed  best  to  investigate  it,  and  two  companies,  deploj'ed  as 
skirmishers,  were  intently  watched  as  they  moved  out  rapidly 
over  the  open  plain  and,  disappearing  first  in  the  underbrush, 
were  finally  seen  to  enter  the  woods.  No  sound  followed, 
neither  shout,  yell  nor  shot.  The  mystery  grew  apace,  when 
suddenly  a  great  flock  of  ducks  rose  from  their  cover  and 
moved  off  gracefully  towards  the  river.  The  deception  had 
come  from  their  flitting  about  among  the  timber,  their  wings 
appearing  brighter  as  reflected  against  the  darker  tree-trunks, 
and  the  birds,  who  had  thus  innocently  delayed  a  marching 
column  of  United  States  infantry,  disappearing,  the  movement 
was  continued  to  the  destination  without  further  hindrance  or 
incident. 

On  the  return  march  flocks  of  crows  continually  hovered  a 
mile  or  two  to  the  rear.  They  would  rise  in  great  numbere, 
float  about  for  a  while,  move  on  some  distance  and  then  settle 
again.  This  they  continued  to  do  for  many  miles.  It  was  the 
impression  that  a  light  force  of  the  enemy's  cavairy  were  main- 
taining a  pursuit  for  observation,  and,  as  they  would  move 
along  from  place  to  place,  the  birds,  disturbed  in  their  feeding, 
would  rise,  hover,  and  settle  again  when  the  interruption 
ceased. 

A  most  cheering  greeting  was  at  hand  on  the  arrival  in  camp. 
Boxes  from  home,  toothsome  remembrances  of  friends  and 
relatives,  had  arrived,  a  ton  or  more  of  them.  If  the  ist  of 
January  festivities  had  been  interrupted,  there  were  New  Year's 
gil^s  at  hand  to  make  the  second  joyous  and  gladsome  in  fitting 
substitution.  Parents,  wives,  friends,  relatives,  maidens  fair, 
and  the  liberal  Corn  Exchange  Committee,  all  had  subscribed 
in  everything  transportable  and  preservative  for  choice  eating 
and  drinking,  and  for  a  week  or  more  all  revelled  in  the  luxuries 
of  their  contributions. 

The  sight  and  enjoyment  of  the  material  comforts  led  to 
loving,  tender  thoughts  and  visions  of  home  and  its  inmates, 
and  over  many  a  stern,  sun-browned  and  storm-tanned  face 


-  158- 

Stole  a  soft,  gentle  expression  that  was  not  wont  to  be 
there. 

In  packing  the  boxes  the  affectionate  senders  had  not  for- 
gotten the  particular,  and  in  some  cases  peculiar,  tastes  of  the 
recipients.  One  of  the  men  opened  his  box  and,  to  the  joy  of 
his  heart  and  the  fulfilment  of  his  expectations,  and  afterwards 
to  the  disturbance  of  his  nerves  and  the  nerves  of  others,  found 
it  full  of  whiskey.  A  dozen  quart  bottles,  carefully  packed. 
Ecstatic  bliss  glowed  upon  his  face  and  shone  in  his  eyes,  as, 
with  a  bottle  in  one  hand  and  a  glass  held  to  his  lips  in  the 
other,  his  nostrils  received  the  pungent  odor  and  his  throat  the 
fiery  warmth  of  his  old  acquaintance.  He  drank  the  health  of 
the  Corn  Exchange,  of  his  friends  at  home,  of  the  colonel,  the 
major,  and  the  captain  of  his  company ;  also  that  of  the  sergeant 
of  the  guard,  when  he  came  to  warn  him  not  to  be  bois- 
terous and  insisted  that  the  "  non-com  "  should  drink  his  own. 
Then  he  commenced  with  the  members  of  his  company,  al- 
though they  numbered  sixty-five,  and  would  have  toasted  them 
separately  but  that  he  fell  asleep  while  yet  occupied  at  that 
labor  of  politeness.  In  the  morning,  finding  all  the  bottles 
empty,  he  sadly  reflected  that  all  earthly  pleasures  are  fleeting. 

The  Richard's  Ford  reconnoissance  was  but  a  prelude  to  the 
Burnside  winter  campaign  of  January,  1863,  now  historically 
recognized  as  the  famous  "  Mud  March."  The  cold,  unusual 
for  the  latitude,  continued  for  several  weeks.  The  ground  was 
firm  and  solid,  the  frost  deep  and  the  roads  better  than  ever 
before  in  the  army's  experience  in  a  Virginia  winter.  If  the 
freezing  weather  had  held  on  a  little  longer  there  would  doubt- 
less have  been  another  issue  to  the  unfortunate  affair;  there 
would  at  least  have  been  a  fight. 

Repeatedly  orders  were  issued  for  the  movement  and  as 
often  countermanded,  until,  on  Tuesday,  the  20th  of  January, 
it  was  finally  begun.  It  was  a  crisp,  bright  winter  day.  A 
flaming  general  order,  indicating  prospective  success,  intimating 
a  surprise,  appealing  to  the  strength  and  valor  of  the  soldiery, 
and  assuring  a  hopefulness  in  a  speedy  termination  of  the  war, 


—  i6o  — 

was  published  to  every  regiment  just  before  its  march  began. 
The  Army  of  the  Potomac  had  become  a  stolid  set ;  stirring 
appeals  had  lost  their  effectiveness ;  what  was  to  be  done  they 
considered  had  better  be  done  and  talked  of  afterwards.  De- 
monstrative language,  defiant  music,  were  thought  to  be  akin. 
When  the  bands  of  the  two  armies  would  taunt  each  other  with 
rival  patriotic  airs,  it  was  invariably  followed  by  defeat  or  with- 
drawal ;  and  written  promises  and  urgent  appeals  it  was  thought 
would  have  kindred  results.  Yet  there  was  willingness  and 
readiness,  and  the  men  moved  off  with  a  cheerful  alacrity,  a 
gait  and  carriage  that  implied  that  what  they  were  put  at  they 
would  accomplish  if  others  could. 

It  was  one  o'clock  before  the  movement,  which  started  in  the 
other  corps  at  early  dawn,  reached  the  brigade.  After  but  a 
five-mile  march  a  halt  for  the  night  was  made  in  an  extensive 
oak  forest.  A  fatality  attended  the  enterprise  from  its  incip- 
lency.  The  cold  weather  was  over ;  the  20th  ended  it.  The 
temperature  rose  perceptibly  through  the  day,  and  during  the 
night  a  pouring,  pelting  rain  set  in,  an  undoubted  indication  of 
the  commencement  of  the  usual  January  thaw.  The  wind  blew 
a  gale ;  rest  was  out  of  the  question ;  the  effort  was  to  keep 
reasonably  dry.  Huge  fires  were  built,  and  most  of  the  wet 
and  gloomy  night  passed  in  "  marking  time "  in  front  of 
them. 

At  daylight  on  the  21st  the  incessant  pour  still  continued. 
The  leading  corps  had  reached  Bank's  Ford,  one  of  the  desig- 
nated points  for  crossing  the  Rappahannock,  and  there  they 
remained  massed.  The  5th  was  virtually  held  fast.  All  the 
hard,  solid  ground  had  disappeared,  and  in  its  place,  on  the 
roads  and  in  the  fields,  there  was  mud  of  a  depth  and  consis- 
tency that  held  tight  whatever  penetrated  it,  so  that  release 
without  assistance  was  almost  impossible.  It  seemed  scarcely 
conceivable  that  less  than  twenty-four  hours  should  produce 
such  a  surprising  change.  The  feet  of  men  and  animals,  the 
wheels  of  gun,  caisson,  limber  and  wagon  had  so  stirred  and  agi- 
tated the  pasty  substance,  that,  as  the  nature  of  the  soil  varied, 


—  i6i  — 

in  one  place  it  was  a  deep,  sticky  loam,  and  in  another  a  thick 
fluid-extract.  Twelve  horses  could  not  move  a  gun.  The 
wheels  of  vehicles  disappeared  entirely.  Pontoons  on  their 
carriages  stood  fixed  and  helpless  in  the  roadway,  the  wheels 
out  of  sight,  the  boats  in  mud  and  water  sufficient  to  float  them 
if  they  had  been  free.  Human  skill,  strength  and  ingenuity 
were  exhausted  in  the  attempt  to  get  forward  the  indispensable 
artillery,  ammunition  and  bridges.  Men  were  put  to  aid  the 
animals,  and  the  woods  were  resonant  with  "Heave!  ho, 
heave!"  as  if  sailors  were  work- 
ing away  at  the  capstan.  When 
night  came  on  the  regiment,  which 
had  started  in  the  early  morning, 
had  heaved  itself  along  a  distance 
of  about  three  miles,  when  it  biv- 
ouacked in  the  heavy  timber  and  in 
the  still  drenching  deluge;  again 
"  marked  time  "  until  the  morning. 
There  was  no  improvement  on 
the  22d;  further  progress  was  im- 
practicable, and  the  command  re- 
mained fastened  to  its  uncomfortable 
bivouac.  It  was  quite  evident  the 
intended  operations  had  been  aban- 
doned. The  sth  Corps  was  to  have 
crossed  at  Ellis'  Ford,  familiar  from 
the  recent  reconnoissance.  On  the 
other  side  the  enemy  had  erected  lai^  boards,  on  which  were 
displayed  in  letters  plainl)  discernible  taunting  phrases.  On 
one:"Bumside  stuck  in  the  mud;"  on  another :"  Yanks,  if 
you  can't  place  your  pontoons  over  yourself,  we  will  send  you 
a  detail."  They  had  impressed  all  the  ploughs  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  could  be  seen  turning  the  sod  in  every  direction, 
intending  to  assist  the  elements  in  their  purpose  to  stop  the 
progress  of  the  army.  They  needed  no  such  aid ;  their  pur- 
pose had  been  fully  accomplished  unassisted. 


—    l62  — 

About  noon,  abandoned  to  inaction,  the  commandants  of  the 
1 1 8th  and  25th  New  York,  who  were  in  most  friendly  relations, 
fell  to  bantering  each  other  as  to  which  of  their  pioneers  could 
the  sooner  fell  a  tree  in  a  given  direction.  The  challenge  ac- 
cepted, Daniel  Oakley,  of  Company  B  of  the  11 8th  and  a 
broad-shouldered  fellow  of  the  25th  were  chosen  for  the  com- 
petition. Oakley's  tree  was  down  in  the  designated  direction 
in  less  than  ten  minutes.  The  New  Yorker  was  far  behind, 
and  when  his  did  fall,  it  dropped  entirely  away  from  the  direc- 
tion indicated.  The  friends  of  the  defeated  man  bore  his  dis- 
comfiture most  ungraciously.  As  Oakley  wiped  the  perspira- 
tion from  his  brow  one  of  them  deliberately  seized  the  axe  with 
which  he  had  done  his  work,  charging  he  had  stolen  it.  A 
struggle  at  once  ensued.  This  belligerency,  encouraged  by  a 
plentiful  ration  of.  whiskey  issued  during  the  morning,  soon 
became  contagious,  and  a  free  to  all  hand-to-hand  conflict  re* 
suited.  Inadvertently  two  officers  were  dragged  into  the  milie^ 
Captain  Crocker  and  Lieutenant  Wetherill.  Crocker  fought  his 
way  through  the  25th,  threw  his  brawny  fists  about  him,  be- 
labored and  punished  his  assailants  severely ;  then  he  fought 
his  way  back  again,  returning  badly  abused  in  his  clothing  but 
otherwise  unscathed.  Wetherill,  on  a  visit  to  a  friend  in  the 
22d  Massachusetts,  volunteered  his  services  to  subdue  an 
insubordination  over  there,  but  was  fiercely  set  upon,  badly 
abused  and  compelled  to  hastily  withdraw.  In  his  hurried 
flight  he  unwittingly  fell  among  the  rioters  of  the  25th  just  as 
Crocker  was  in  the  midst  of  his  extravagant  gyrations.  Here 
again  he  met  resistance,  but  neither  so  apt  nor  strong  as  the 
massive  Crocker,  his  adversaries  found  him  the  easier  victim 
and  administered  a  harsh  punishment.  The  25th,  severely 
worsted,  flew  to  arms.  The  excitement  was  intense;  the 
situation  threatening.  By  this  time  the  entire  brigade  had 
their  pieces.  A  battery  was  now  brought  up  and  the  guns 
trained  on  the  combatants.  Still  the  belligerents  would  not  be 
quieted.  Two  regiments  were  sent  to  its  support  and  the  guns 
ordered  to  be  shotted  with  canister,  but  it  was  not  until  the 


-  163- 

lanyards  were  in  the  hands  of  the  gunners  that  the  rioters 
ceased  their  contentions  and  stampeded  precipitately  to  their 
camps.  The  disgraceful  scene  ended  in  mutual  apologies  by 
the  respective  commandants,  and  the  regiments  were  separated 

Burusidt't  Mud  Martk. 
Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep 
;^->  _In  mud  enougli  to  make  one  weep. 
I  am  gone  wlim  you  awake, 
(I  Er»|iplc  foe  me  with  ,in  oysier  rate. 


GETTING  READY   FOR   INSPECTION. 


jy  a  considerable  distance,  that  their  anger  might  cool  and  the 
whiskey  subside. 

A  little  reflection  rearouscd  the  ire  of  the  two  commandants. 
The  apologies  were  withdrawn,  hot  words  loUowcd,  the  he  was 


—  i64  — 

given  direct,  and  it  was  believed  honor  demanded  a  hostile 
meeting.  A  challenge,  presented  with  all  the  formalities  of  the 
code,  passed  from  Colonel  Gwyn  to  Colonel  Johnson.  It  was 
promptly  accepted,  seconds  chosen,  wes^ns  selected,  time  and 
place  of  meeting  fixed.  Friends  interfered,  the  scene  ended, 
apologies  were  renewed  and  all  the  wrongs  and  insults  of  the 
hour  buried  in  the  exhilarating  bowl. 

On  the  23d  it  was  officially  announced  that  the  campaign 
was  abandoned  and  the  troops  were  ordered  to  return  to  their 
former  camping-grounds.  Such  directions  were  easy  to  pub- 
lish, but  their  execution  not  so  easy.  The  army  was  fairly 
fast  where  it  was — literally  stuck  in  the  mud.  It  was  some 
twelve  miles  back  to  the  nearest  camps.  Pontoons,  artillery 
trains  could  not  be  moved.  Subsistence  was  exhausted  and  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  felt  the  pinch  of  hunger.  To  relieve  this 
pressure  and  get  out  of  this  sorry  plight,  the  whole  army  was 
set  to  road-making,  and  by  night  a  very  creditable  corduroy  ' 
road  was  completed  all  the  way  to  the  rear.  Over  it  during 
ihe  night  all  wheels  were  successfully  moved.  The  troops 
followed  on  the  24th,  the  rain  for  the  first  time  subsiding. 
Before  evening  the  brigade  was  back  to  its  old  quarters,  not  to 
be  disturbed  until  bud,  blossom  and  flower  had  indicated  that 
the  elements  had  ceased  to  war  with  man,  and  that,  freed  from 
their  interference,  man  might  again  war  against  himself 


CHANCELLORSVILLE  CAMPAIGN, 

5th  Corps,  commanded  by  Maj.-Gen.  Geo.  G.  Meade, 
ist  Division,  commanded  by  Brig. -Gen.  Chas.  Griffin. 
I  St  Brigade,  commanded  by  Brig. -Gen.  James  Barnes. 

2d  Maine,  Col.  George  Vamey. 

1 8th  Mass.,  Col.  Joseph  Hayes. 

22d  Mass.,  Col.  Wm.  S.  Tilton. 

2d  Co.  Mass.  Sharpshooters,  Lt.  Robt.  Smith. 

ist.  Mich.,  Col.  Ira  C.  Abbott. 

13th  New  York  (batt'n),  Capt.  Wm.  Downey. 

25th  New  York,  Col.  Chas.  A.  Johnson. 

118th  Penna.,  Col.  Chas.  M.  Prevost. 


APPOIXTMFA'T    OF    C.KNERAL    HOOKKR    TO    COMMAND. 

On  ihc  26lh  of  January,  1863,  the  day  after  General  Hooker 
was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
the  President  addressed  to  him  the  following  remarkable  letter:* 

Executive  Mansion*. 
\V.vshin(;ton,  I").  C,  Januar>-  26,  1863. 
Major-Oenkral  Hooker, 

(iENERAl:  I  have  platc<!  you  at  the  head  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomiic.  Of 
course  I  have  done  this  u|x>n  what  a[)pears  to  me  to  b<»  sufficient  reasons,  and 
yet  I  think,  it  best  (or  you  to  know  that  there  are  some  things  in  regard  to 
which  I  am  not  satisfied  with  you.  I  believe  you  to  be  a  brave  and  skilful 
soldier,  which  of  courst»  I  like.  I  also  believe  you  to  not  mix  politics  with 
your  pn)fession,  in  which  you  arc  right.  Vou  have  confidence  in  yourself, 
which  is  a  valuable  if  not  an  indis[)ensable  quality.  You  are  ambitious,  which, 
within  reasonable  bounds,  does  gcxni  rather  than  harm;  but  I  think  that  dur- 
ing General  Burnside's  command  of  the  army  you  have  taken  counsel  of  3rour 
ambition  and  thwarte<i  him  as  much  as  you  could,  in  which  you  did  a  great 
wrong  to  the  country  and  toa  m<5st  meritorious  and  honorable  bn)ther-offioer. 
1  have  heard,  in  such  a  way  as  tobelieve  it,  of  your  recently  saying  that  both 
the  Army  and  the  (iovemment  needed  a  dictator.  Of  course  it  was  not  for 
this,  but  in  spite  of  it,  that  I  have  given  you  the  command.  Only  those  gen- 
erals who  gain  success  can  .set  up  dictators.  What  I  now  ask  of  you  is  military 
success,  and  I  will  risk  the  dictatt)rship.  The  Government  will  support  you 
to  the  utmost  of  its  ability,  which  is  neither  more  nor  less  than  it  has  done 
and  will  do  for  all  commanders.  I  much  fear  the  spirit  which  you  have  aided 
to  infuse  into  the  army,  of  criticising  their  commander  and  withholding  confi- 
dence from  him,  will  now  turn  upon  you.  I  shall  assist  you  as  far  as  I  can  to 
put  it  down.  Neither  you,  nor  Napoleon  if  he  were  alive  again,  could  get  any 
go<Ki  out  of  an  army  while  .such  a  spirit  prevails  in  it.  And  now  beware  of 
rashness.  Beware  of  rashness.  l)ut  with  energy  and  sleepless  vigilance  go  for- 
ward and  give  us  victories. 

Yours,  very  truly. 

A.  Lincoln. 

Marvellous  as  was  this  production,  it  contained  statements 
which  should  not  escape  our  attention.  The  relief  of  General 
McClellan  put  an  end  lo  [\w  ditTerences  in  politics  l)etween 
the  Admini.stralion  and  militarv  commanders. 


■OLONEL    PREVOST.  still   dis- 

I   abled  and  suffering  from  his  Shep- 

herdstown  wound,  returned  on  the 

I  gth  of  April,  and  at  once  assumed 

command. 

Intimations  were  rife,  and  or- 
ders frequent  through  all  the 
month  of  April,  indicating  the 
opening  of  the  spring  campaign.  But  the  lingering  winter  was 
still  abroad,  and  on  the  sth  an  all-day  snow-storm  covered  the 
ground  to  the  depth  of  several  inches.  Later,  there  were  days 
of  continuous  rain,  and  with  the  recent  experience  of  the  dis- 
astrous consequences  of  attempting  a  movement  at  such  a  time, 
the  month  was  nearly  spent  before  it  was  certain  that  the 
weather  had  adjusted  itself  to  the  season. 

The  army  was  in  splendid  health  and  buoyant  spirits,  secure 
in  the  knowledge  of  its  strength,  confident  in  the  ability  of  its 
leaders.  General  Hooker,  soon  a.htT  he  relieved  General  Bum- 
side,  popularized  his  administration  by  giving  special  attention 
to  the  commissariat.  He  directed  a  diet  which  in  quantity, 
quality  and  variety  was  captivating,  appetizing  and  nutritious. 
He  also  wisely  permitted  a  judicious  allowance  of  leaves  of 
absence  to  officers,  and  furloughs  to  enlisted  men.  There 
were  few  officers  who  had  not  been  home  once,  at  least,  during 
the  winter,  and  no  enlisted  man  who  chose  to  attain  an  excel- 
lent soldierly  record  in  all  things — the  standard  of  merit  upon 
which  their  furloughs  were  granted — who  had  not  enjoyed  a 
(165) 


—  i66  — 

like  privilege.  Coming  to  the  command  of  the  army  with  a 
brilliant  record  for  his  splendid  fighting  qualities,  General 
Hooker  had  the  prestige  of  tenacious  courage  and  superior 
judgment,  securing  him  the  unbounded  confidence  of  his 
soldiers.  His  unremitting  care  for  their  needs,  his  liberality  in 
permitting  their  occasional  absences  had  attached  them  to  him 
warmly.  Jealousies,  cabals,  dissensions  were  over.  Intriguers 
and  plotters  had  been  relieved,  troops  were  in  sympathy  with 
their  commander,  chieftains  in  unison  with  each  other.  There 
was  an  assurance  of  success  in  the  temper  of  things,  and  the 
campaign  opened  cheerily.* 

*  The  feeling  of  the  men  is  best  illustrated  in  the  following  song,  which 
popular  in  the  5th  Corps  on  the  march : 

The  Union  boys  are  moving  on  the  left  and  the  right, 
The  bugle  call  is  sounding,  our  shelters  we  must  strike* 
Joe  Hooker  is  our  leader,  he  takes  his  whisky  strong, 
So  our  knapsacks  we  will  sling,  and  go  marching  along. 

Chorus  : — ^Joe  Hooker  is  our  leader,  he  takes  his  whisky  strong. 

So  our  knapsacks  we  will  sling,  and  go  marching  along. 

Marching  along,  marching  along. 

With  eight  days'  rations  we'll  go  marching  along. 

The  soft-tack  days  are  over,  our  beef  is  on  the  foot. 
The  pork,  hard-tack,  and  coffee  we've  in  our  knapsacks  put; 
The  extra  clothes  arc  heavy,  but  on  our  shoulders  strong, 
We'll  sling  our  eight  days'  rations,  and  go  marching  along. 

Chorus  : — The  extra  clothes  are  heavy,  but  on  our  shoulders  strong, 
We'll  sling  our  eight  days'  rations,  and  go  marching  along. 

Our  overcoats  and  dresscoats  are  strewn  along  the  road. 
They  crowded  them  upon  us — we  couldn't  tote  ihc  load. 
Contractors  put  the  job  up,  and  we  must  foot  the  bill ; 
But,  Sam,  our  dear  old  uncle,  we  know  it's  not  your  will. 

Chorus  : — Contractors  put  the  job  up,  and  we  must  foot  the  bill ; 

But,  Sam,  our  dear  old  uncle,  we  know  it's  not  your  will. 

The  graybacks  are  on  us,  increasing  each  day. 
Heavy  are  our  rations,  but  small  is  our  pay ; 
Our  spirits  arc  light,  but  our  cause  it  is  strong. 
With  eight  days'  rations  we  go  marching  along. 

Chorus: — Our  spirits  are  light,  but  our  cause  it  is  strong. 
With  eight  days'  rations  we  go  marching  along. 


JOSt:i'll   HOOKER. 


-  I67- 

The  frequent  premonitory  orders  had  prompted  the  de- 
struction, or  other  disposal,  of  the  vast  accumulations  unsuit- 
able for  carriage  in  active  operations,  which  gather  while  in 
permanent  quarters.  Eight  days"  rations  had  been  for  some 
time  continuously  on  hand,  and  when  the  "  general  "  sounded 
on  the  early  morning  of  the  27th  of  April,  the  response  was  as 
ready  as  if  the  troops  were  starting  from  a  night's  bivouac. 

The  heal  was  unusual  for  tlie  season,  the  load  of  eight  days* 
subsistence  and  sixty  rounds  of  ammunition  heavier  than  usual, 
and  the  men  soft  from  a  long  winter's  housing. 

Nor  were  these  all.  The  men  had  got  through  the  winter 
as  best  tliey  might  for  clothing.  Now,  upon  the  eve  of  a 
march,  with  an  extra  load  to  carry  in  the  matter  of  food,  an 
order  was  issued  that  every  enlisted  man  must  have  a  full 
supply  of  clothing;  that  is,  an  overcoat,  dress-coat,  blouse,  a 
change  of  underclothing,  two  pairs  of  socks,  blanket,  and 
shelter-tent.  Tlie  men  could  not  check  their  baggage.  Theix: 
was  no  alternative ;  they  must  take  the  articles,  pay  for  them, 
and  throw  tliem  away.     It  may  be  asked.  Why  did  not  the 

Tht  Virginia  hilU  ire  high,  und  Ihc  mud  roidi  t[«  long. 
Bill  we'll  liven  Ihc  way  with  a  bit  of  home-made  nine : 
The.  join  ihe  choni*.  comrades,  uiih  voice.i  full  bi.i1  Mrcing, 
While  with  our  eight  dayi'  ntioni  we  go  marching  along. 
Chorus: — Then  join  the  chorui,  comradet.  with  voicci  full  and  Mrong, 
While  with  oar  eight  days'  ralioni  we  go  marching  along. 


re  before  us,  (heir  bullets  buu  like  bc«s, 

ig  the  brmhwood.  and  hid  behind  Ihe  Ireei ; 

■    to  them  itrong  I 


The  Johnnies  ai 

They're  down  a .^  — . 

Now,  keep  cool,  boys — there  !  steady !  juit  givi 
And  when  the  fight  is  over  we'll  go  marching  along. 
: — Ni)w,  keep  cool,  hoys — there!  steady!  just  give  it  to  them  ilrong  ! 
And  when  the  fight  is  over  we'll  go  marching  along. 

The  *ir  won't  l:«t  forever,  some  day  we  will  !«  done 
With  <lrill,  and  march,  and  tattle,  and  canridgebox  and  gun. 
We'll  tramp  up  Nonh  from  Richmond  to  drum  and  file;  and  then, 
Ob,  won't  our  folks  be  tickled  to  see  us  home  again ! 
: — We'll  tramp  up  North  from  Richmond  1o  drum  and  lifei  and  then. 
Oh.  uunt  out  folks  be  tickled  to  see  us  home  again! 


—  i6g  — 

pontoons,  and  then  the  niarcli  continued,  steady  and  uninter- 
rupted, to  Ely's  Ford  on  the  Rapidan.  The  stream  was  waistnieep 
and  rapid,  and  in  crossing  it  the  extra  ammunition,  haversacks. 
knapsacks,  and  cartridge-boxes  were  carried  on  the  head,  and 
held  in  place  by  the  rifle,  pressed  upon  them  and  grasped  in 
both  hands.  At  7.30  the  men  bivouacked 
Wood  being  plentiful,  huge  fires  soon  lit  up  the  country.  Frol- 
icsome and  joyous,  yet  edging  up  to  the  impending  battle,  the 
command  dropped  off  into  welcome  slumber. 

When  the  army  left  camp  a  member  of  the  regiment  who  had 
been  lame  with  rheumatism  for  months  determined  to  go  with 
the  men  rather  than  be  sent  to  the  hospital.  He  managed  to 
keep  up,  or  catch  up,  somehow,  and  after  crossing  the  Rapidan, 
sufTering  acutely,  thoroughly  used  up  and  thoroughly  soaked, 
he  wrapped  himself  in  his  blanket,  lay  down  by  one  of  the  fires, 
and.foi|^t  where  he  was.  When  he  rose  in  the  morning  he 
was  astonished  to  find  not  a  vestige  of  his  rheumatism  left. 
Nor  did  it  trouble  him  again  until  after  his  return  to  camp. 

The  Rapidan  was  at  no  time  a  sluggish  stream.  Its  width 
varied, but  at  Ely's  Ford  it  about  equalled  the  Schuylkill  at  the 
Falls.  A  tributary  of  the  Rappahannock,  its  waters  joined  that 
river  ^x>ut  two  miles  above  United  States  Ford,  the  uppermost 
of  those  on  the  Rappahannock,  the  crossing  of  which  would 
permit  an  advance  into  the  enemy's  territory,  without  necessi- 
tating the  crossing  of  the  Rapidan. 

It  was  the  first  time  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  had  pushed 
so  far.  Meeting  no  opposition,  and  passing  successfully  two 
such  water-barriers  as  the  Rappahannock  and  the  Rapidan 
without  resistance,  the  soldiers  had  fairly  reached  the  conclu- 
sion, as  it  was  shortly  afterwards  announced  in  general  orders, 
"  we  now  have  the  enemy  in  such  a  position  that  he  would 
either  be  compelled  to  leave  his  entrenchments  and  fight  us  or 
ingloriously  flee."  Their  belief  went  even  further;  they  be- 
lieved he  had  ingloriously  fled,  and  must  be  pursued  to  be 
fought.  Hence  the  huge  fires,  the  unusual  enthusiasm,  the 
universal  exhilaration.     There  was  a  firm  conviction  that  by 


^ 


—  i68  — 

men  carry  their  clothes  ?  If  any  man  of  ordinary  health  and 
strength  wishes  to  answer  the  question  satisfactorily  to  himself, 
let  him  load  up  with  seventy  pounds  in  addition  to  his  own 
avoirdupois  some  fine  day  when  the  flowers  bloom  in  the  spring, 
and  march  from  six  in  the  morning  until  mid-day.  Long  before 
noon  he  will  find  that  the  grasshopper  is  a  burden,  and  will 
know  the  reason  why  the  men  threw  their  clothing  away. 

The  roads  were  lined  with  abandoned  clothing  from  the  corps 
in  advance,  and  the  first  day  out  found  the  soldiers  stripped  to 
the  absolute  essentials  only,  blanket,  gum-blanket  and  single 
piece  of  shelter-tent.  It  was  noted  with  satisfaction  that  the 
route  indicated  no  direct  attack  on  the  formidable  Fredericks- 
burg, but  clearly  pointed  to  a  movement  around  the  enemy's 
left.  The  road  was  the  very  familiar  one  towards  Hartwood 
Church,  and  by  seven  o'clock  the  acquaintance  with  the  little 
chapel  and  its  attractive  surroundings  of  forest  and  field,  leafing 
and  sprouting  in  the  early  spring-time,  was  again  renewed. 
The  soft  air,  the  easy  march,  the  moon  glimmering  through  the 
massive  oaks,  made  musings  and  meditation  as  restful  as  real 
repose. 

It  was  half-past  one  on  the  28th  before  the  column  started, 
and  then  the  march  continued  uninterruptedly  and  without  in- 
cident for  some  eighteen  miles,  when,  at  9.30  in  the  evening,  the 
night's  bivouac  was  made  in  the  vicinity  of  Kelly's  Ford,  on 
the  Rappahannock. 

On  the  29th  the  early  dawn  was  announced  as  the  time  to 
begin  the  preparations  for  a  march,  but  it  was  seven  o'clock 
before  the  column  was  in  motion.  The  progress  was  slow, 
impeded  by  the  jams  and  halts  necessarily  following  the  pas- 
ss^e  of  streams,  whether  by  bridge  or  ford.  The  men  were 
cheery,  full  of  fun,  and  anxious  to  get  forward.  They  became 
enthusiastic  when  from  the  bluff  overlooking  the  river  the  long 
line  of  blue,  well  closed  up,  solid,  compact,  moving  with  swing- 
ing, earnest  gait,  could  be  seen  stretched  out,  serpent-like,  for 
miles,  its  right  lost  entirely  in  the  distance. 

At  noon  the  crossing  was  effected,  at  Kelly's  Ford,  on  canvas 


pontoons,  and  then  the  march  continued,  steady  and  uninter- 
rupted,to  Ely's  Ford  on  the  Rapidan.  The  stream  waswaist-deep 
and  rapid,  and  in  crossing  it  tlie  extra  ammunition,  haversacks, 
knapsacks,  and  cartridge-boxes  were  carried  on  the  liead.  and 
held  in  place  by  the  rifle,  pressed  upon  them  and  grasped  in 
both  hands,  At  7.30  the  men  bivouacked  near  the  river. 
Wood  being  plentiful,  huge  fires  soon  lit  up  the  country.  Frol- 
icsome and  joyous,  yet  edging  up  to  the  impending  battle,  tlie 
command  dropped  off  into  welcome  slumber. 

When  the  army  left  camp  a  member  of  the  regiment  who  had 
been  lame  with  rheumatism  for  months  determined  to  go  with 
the  men  rather  than  be  sent  to  the  hospital.  He  managed  to 
keep  up.  or  catch  up.  somehow,  and  after  crossing  the  Rapidan, 
suffering  acutely,  thoroughly  used  up  and  thoroughly  soaked, 
he  wrapped  himself  in  his  blanket,  lay  down  by  one  of  the  fires, 
and  forgot  where  he  was.  When  he  rose  in  the  morning  he 
was  astonished  to  find  not  a  vestige  of  his  rheumatism  left. 
Nor  did  it  trouble  him  again  until  after  his  return  to  camp. 

The  Rapidan  was  at  no  time  a  sluggish  stream.  Its  width 
varied,  but  at  Ely's  Ford  it  about  equalled  the  Schuylkill  at  the 
Falb.  A  tributary  of  the  Rappahannock,  its  waters  joined  that 
river  about  two  niilcs  above  United  States  Ford,  the  uppermost 
of  those  on  the  Rappahannock,  the  crossing  of  which  would 
permit  an  advance  into  the  enemy's  territory,  without  necessi- 
tating the  crossing  of  the  Rapidan. 

It  was  the  first  time  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  had  pushed 
50  far.  Meeting  no  opposition,  and  passing  successfully  two 
such  water-barriers  as  the  Rappahannock  and  the  Rapidan 
without  resistance,  the  soldiers  had  fairly  reached  the  conclu- 
sion, as  it  was  shortly  afterwards  announced  in  general  orders, 
"  we  now  have  the  enemy  in  such  a  position  that  he  would 
either  be  compelled  to  leave  his  entrenchments  and  fight  us  or 
ingloriously  flee."  Their  belief  went  even  further;  they  be- 
lieved he  had  ingloriously  fled,  and  must  be  pursued  to  be 
fought.  Hence  the  huge  fires,  the  unusual  enthusiasm,  the 
universal  exhilaration.     There  was  a  firm  conviction  that  by 


—    I/O  — 

superior  tactics,  and  wise  strategy,  the  enemy  had  been  dis- 
lodged from  a  position  believed  from  experience  and  obser- 
vation to  be  invulnerable.  How  sadly  this  conviction  was  dis- 
sipated history  has  told.  How  speedily  the  belief  that  the 
enemy  had  fled  disappeared,  and  the  joy  and  enthusiasm  van- 
ished, will  soon  be  apparent 

The  early  beams  of  the  morning  sun,  on  the  30th,  were  just 
tinging  the  lofty  tree-tops  when  everything  was  astir  about  the 
bivouacs.  The  morning's  promise  of  a  bright,  clear  day  was 
fulfilled,  and  a  bracing  temperature  set  every  one  aglow  with  in- 
vigoration  and  expectancy.  It  had  been  announced  the  night 
before  that  the  brigade  would  have  the  advance,  and  it  was 
expected  the  regiment  would  lead.  The  column  lengthened 
into  the  road  about  eight  o'clock,  the  brigade  leading,  with  the 
regiment  on  the  right,  as  was  anticipated.  The  march  began 
with  brisk,  active  gait,  but  its  alacrity  was  soon  checked  as  the 
road  entered  a  dense  wilderness.  The  skirmishers  were  much 
delayed  in  forcing  their  way  through  the  thick  underbrush,  and 
their  halts  affected  the  movement  of  the  whole  column.  The 
men  kept  well  closed  up,  ready  for  instant  deployment.  It  was 
the  advance  of  the  whole  army,  and  General  Griffin,  the  division 
commander,  gave  it  his  personal  supervision  and  direction.  In 
the  rear,  some  half  a  mile,  were  the  other  two  brigades  of  the 
division,  with  two  batteries  of  artillery.  Such  was  the  unusual 
enthusiasm,  that  the  hope  was  general  that  the  enemy  might  be 
struck  before  other  troops  should  come  up.  There  was  a  preva- 
lent belief  that  the  division  could  dispose  of  any  reasonable 
force,  and  gather  laurels  for  itself  alone. 

Nearing  the  Chancellorsville  House,  a  most  pretentious  man- 
sion, now  so  famous,  the  skirmishers  were  brought  to  a  tem- 
porary halt  in  front  of  a  line  of  earthworks  seen  from  the  edge 
of  the  timber.  Their  appearance  indicated  a  hasty  construction. 
The  brigade  was  promptly  deployed ;  the  skirmishers  and  the 
line  again  moved  forward.  General  Griffin,  observing  the  de- 
ployment, hurried  forward  the  other  two  brigades,  and  as  their 
pace  increased  to  the  double-quick,  the  echo  of  their  steady 
tramp  resounded  through  the  timber. 


As  the  skirmishers  left  the  woods  and  entered  the  clearing, 
they  speedily  mounted  the  earthworks,  as  the  enemy  were 
leaving  thorn.  A  few  laggards  were  captured,  and  these,  with 
a  number  of  the  pickets  who  had  been  taken  during  the  march, 
indicated  by  their  conversation  and  appearance  such  astonish- 
ment at  the  unexpected  presence  of  an  enemy,  as  to  assure  the 
soldiery  in  their  belief  that  they  had  really  effected  a  complete 
surprise. 

It  was  about  ele^-en  o'clock  when  a  halt  was  made  in  front 
of  the  Chancellorsville  House.  It  was  a  house  of  the  Southern 
type,  belonging  to  a  well-known  family  of  the  neighborhood, 
still  occupied  by  the  women,  and  stood  there  alone,  in  a  clearing, 
It  was  a  large,  commodious,  two-story  brick  building,  with 
peaked  roof  and  a  wing,  and  pillared  porches  on  both  stories  in 
the  centre  of  the  main  building,  facing  the  Fredericksburg  and 
Orange  plank  road,  about  twelve  miles  from  Fredericksburg 
and  about  six  from  Banks's  Ford.  Its  large  size  and  number  of 
rooms  seemed  to  indicate  that  it  was  designed  for  a  summer 
boarding-house.  As  a  fact,  it  was  intended  to  be  the  central 
structure  of  a  village  not  yet  built,  which,  it  was  proposed, 
should  be  located  around  it.  Hence  its  name  of  the  "  Chancel- 
lorsville House,"  as  distinguished  from  the  Chancellor  House, 
sometimes  known  as  Dowdall's  Tavern,  a  roadside  inn  a  few 
miles  beyond,  kept  by  one  of  the  Chancellor  family,  and  de- 
riving its  name  from  its  proprietor. 

Upon  the  upper  porch  was  quite  a  bevy  of  ladies  in  light, 
dressy,  attractive  spring  costumes.  They  were  not  at  all 
abashed  or  intimidated,  scolded  audibly  and  reviled  bitterly. 
They  seriously  condemned  the  stoppage,  ui^ed  a  more  expe- 
ditious movement,  and  stated  they  had  assurances  from  General 
Lee,  who  was  just  ahead,  that  he  was  there  anxiously  awaiting 
an  opportunity  to  extend  the  "hospitalities  of  the  country." 
They  had  little  conception  of  the  terrors  in  store  for  them,  or 
that  they  were  to  participate  in  this  bountiful  hospitality.  They 
saw  all  the  horrors  of  the  battle,  felt  the  hot  blasts  of  shot  and 
shell,  and,  before  anotlier  day  was  over,  pitifully  pleaded  to  be 


—   172  — 

carried  to  a  place  of  safety.  The  gallantry  of  the  distinguished 
chief  of  staff  of  the  army  would  not  permit  him  to  be  resentful, 
and  having  seen  them  safely  quartered  in  the  cellar,  subse- 
quently rescued  them  through  its  windows  when  the  flames, 
smoke  and  falling  timbers  of  the  burning  building  had  brought 
them  to  the  very  presence  of  death. 

General  officers  with  their  staffs,  as  their  troops  approached 
the  vicinity,  gathered  about  and  occupied  the  porches.  It  was 
a  lively  and  inspiriting  scene  in  the  midst  of  such  surround- 
ings, the  presence  of  the  ladies  adding  a  spicy  sprinkling  of 
society  and  domestic  life. 

The  march  was  shortly  resumed  towards  Fredericksburg, 
out  the  old  turnpike  road,  and  continued  in  column  without 
incident  for  about  two  miles,  when  it  was  again  interrupted  at 
the  foot  of  a  piece  of  high  ground,  towards  the  top  of  which 
and  from  the  direction  of  the  enemy,  a  single  gun  was  seen  to 
move  at  a  rapid  rate.  The  drivers  furiously  lashed  their  horses, 
clouds  of  dust  almost  obscured  them,  and  the  gun  reaching  the 
eminence  was  swiftly  wheeled  into  battery  and  unlimbered. 
Strangely,  it  did  not  fire  a  shot.  As  quickly  the  brigade  began 
a  rapid  deployment,  and  by  the  time  the  gun  was  in  position  it 
had  nearly  completed  its  line,  well  concealed  by  the  timber  and 
ready  for  an  immediate  advance.  Meanwhile  our  skirmishers 
had  struck  the  enemy's.  There  they  stood  facing  each  other, 
close  enough  for  conversation  in  ordinary  tones,  grim  with  de- 
termination, neither  firing,  and  no  one  speaking.  The  word 
had  been  passed  for  those  of  the  Union  side  to  halt  It  seems 
inexplicable  how  men  of  war,  meeting  at  the  opening  of  an 
engagement,  could  hesitate  to  fire.  After  days  of  useless 
slaughter,  the  unauthorized  truce  was  by  no  means  unusual. 
But  there  they  stood,  steady  and  silent,  gazing,  the  one  in  ap- 
parent wonderment,  and  the  other  in  real  surprise  at  the  unex- 
pected situation.  One  of  the  enemy  presented  a  striking  atti- 
tude. He  stood  rigid,  apparently  in  the  position  he  had  as- 
sumed when  he  first  observed  his  foes.  His  countenance  indi- 
cated that  he  considered  himself  in  an  awful  predicament.     His 


ri|;ht  foot  was  thrown  forward,  his  right  hand  grasped  a  tree  as 
if  for  support,  while  with  his  left  he  held  his  piece  nearly  at  a 
trail,  grasped  firmly  at  the  middle  band.  And  so  he  remained 
until  he.  with  the  rest  of  the  line,  continuing  to  face  to  tlie  front 
and  stepping  backwards,  gradually  drew  off,  disappeanng  finally 
in  the  thicket  without  firing  a  single  shot.  Nor  did  the  Union 
line,  halted  by  direction,  attempt  to  disturb  the  withdrawaL 
They  remained  silent;  not  a  piece  was  discharged.  But  there 
stood  the  important  eminence,  apparently  utterly  abandoned, 
only  awaiting  occupation.  The  dullest  could  sec  the  necessity 
for  its  seizure,  and  could  not  understand  the  failure  to  accept 
the  invitation  to  occupy  it. 

General  Grifilin  soon  made  his  appearance,  and  he  and  Gen- 
eral Barnes  were  seen  in  hurried,  earnest  consultation.  There 
the  brigade  rested  for  a  long  time  awaiting  instructions  from 
the  corps  commander.  General  Meade,  to  whom  the  situation 
and  opportunitj'  had  been  speedily  communicated.  Conceiving, 
as  far  as  their  limited  opportunities  would  permit,  that  this  ridge 
was  apparently  the  key  of  the  position,  if  a  battle  was  to  be 
fought  in  the  vicinity,  the  soldiers  waited  in  earnest,  anxious 
readiness  the  direction  to  occupy  it.  It  was  cleared  land,  and 
out  of  the  wilderness.  Beside  the  incalculable  advantage 
of  controlling  such  a  point,  it  was  believed  its  crest  com- 
manded a  view  of  much  of  the  country  beyond.  But  it  was 
decreed  otherwise,  and  the  spot  that  was  the  scene  of  the 
bloodiest,  severest  fight  in  the  next  day's  struggle  was  per- 
mitted to  remain  in  the  then  loose,  unstable  grip  of  the  enemy 
from  whom,  at  that  moment,  it  could  have  been  readily  wrested. 
General  Meade's  orders  were  positive  and  imperative  not  to 
bring  on  an  engagement. 

.After  several  hours  of  impatient  waiting,  in  buoyant  ex- 
[Kctancy  of  a  promised  success,  the  whole  division  was  with- 
drawn to  the  rifle-pits  near  the  Chancellorsville  House,  over 
which  they  had  charfjed  the  enemy  in  the  morning.  There 
they  remained  in  bivouac  for  the  night.  The  soldiers  were  as 
discomfited  as  if  they  had  been  checked  by  a  serious  repulse. 


—  174  — 

All  enthusiasm  vanished,  all  the  bright  hopes  of  success  disap* 
peared.  The  belief  that  had  gipwn  to  conviction  that  the  cam- 
paign would  culminate  in  the  utter  rout  of  the  enemy  was 
changed  to  sullen  disappointment.  The  spirits  of  at  least  the 
advance  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  were  sadly  broken.  They 
had  witnessed  a  lost  opportunity,  and  slept  that  night  near  the 
morrow's  battle-field  convinced  that,  before  the  discharge  of  a 
single  gun,  before  the  firing  of  a  single  shot,  somebody  had 
again  blundered. 

Both  Generals  Griffin  and  Barnes  were  much  chagrined  at 
the  peremptory  order  to  stop.  They  made  earnest  appeals  for 
the  revocation  of  the  directions,  entered  potent  objections  against 
their  enforcement.  From  those  who  were  in  position  to  over- 
hear the  loud  and  angered  tones  of  the  conversation,  it  was 
reported  that  some  hot,  plain,  determined  words  were  spoken. 
General  Griffin,  filled  with  soldierly  enthusiasm  and  justly  con- 
fident of  his  ability  to  take  and  hold  the  eminence,  offered  to 
surrender  his  commission  if  his  attempt  should  prove  a  failure. 

Just  as  the  line  was  formed  at  the  foot  of  the  rise,  much  mer- 
riment followed  the  performances  of  the  division  surgeon.  Dr. 
Owens,  oblivious,  meditating  possibly  how  "  pill  opii "  or  "  pill 
hydrarg  "  could  be  made  panaceas  for  all  ills,  failed  to  observe 
the  deployment,  and  continued  his  course  leisurely  along  the 
road.  Nor  did  he  fully  realize  his  position  until  a  rifle-ball  from 
the  enemy  brought  his  horse  to  its  haunches.  The  disabling 
shot  rudely  disturbed  his  meditations  and,  speedily  discovering 
his  lonesomeness,  he  sought  cover  with  commendable  celerity. 
He  soon  found  his  associates,  and  concluded  he  would  there- 
after conduct  his  musings  at  a  more  convenient  season.  This 
shot,  intended  solely  for  the  doctor  or  his  horse,  was  the  only 
one  fired  during  all  these  singular  proceedings. 

All  the  surrounding  country  was  filled  with  troops.     During 
the  afternoon  they  concentrated  in  great  numbers,  indicating  a  . 
purpose  to  mass  heavily  in  this  vicinity.     At  the  invitation  of 
Colonel  Prevost,  Captains  Donaldson  and  Crocker  accompanied 
him  to  army  head-quarters,  about  being  established  near  by. 


—  '75  — 

They  were  courteously  received  by  Colonel  Dickinson,  the 
chief  of  staff,  who  excused  his  chief,  busily  engaged  elsewhere. 
He  presented  the  party  to  a  general  officer  who,  in  broad- 
brimmed  hat  and  corduroy  hunting  coat,  without  insignia  of 
rank,  was  sauntering  leisurely  about  on  foot.  He  received 
them  with  his  usual  affability,  and  graciously  extending  his 
hand  in  acknowledging  the  introduction,  expressed  his  regret 
at  his  inability  to  extend  the  hospitalities  also;  and  turning  to 
Colonel  Dickinson,  whom  he  familiarly  addressed  as  "Joe,"  in- 
quired what  he  could  do  for  tlie  party.  The  Colonel  explained 
that  the  head-quarter  wagons  had  not  yet  arrived,  and  he  was 
without  the  exhilarating  beverages  usual  on  such  occasions,  but 
producing  a  bottle  of  Drake's  plantation  bitters  as  a  fitting  sub- 
stitute in  the  emergency,  with  the  customary  "  here's  how,"  il 
was  passed  "by  word  of  mouth,"  until  all  had  partaken  at  the 
Colonel's  expense.  It  was  too  busy  a  time  for  a  lengthy  stay, 
and  the  visitors  shortly  withdrew. 

Before  night  General  Hooker's  famous  order,  so  eloquent  in 
its  rhetoric,  was  published.  It  was  doubtless,  when  indited, 
justified  by  the  first  grasp  of  the  situation,  but  was  sadly  unfitted 
to  the  circumstances  when  it  reached  the  soldiers. 

HEAD-QUABTERS  AllMY  OF  THE  PoTOMAC, 

Camf  kear  Falmouth,  VitoimA, 

April  30,  1S63. 
Gtneral  Ordirt,  Na.  47. 

Il  il  with  heirtrelt  latisfactioD  the  comnianding  general  announces  (o  the  txmj 
thai  the  operalioDS  of  the  past  three  days  have  drlemiined  that  our  enemy  mnit 
either  ingloriously  fly,  or  come  out  trom  behind  hii  defencei  and  give  us  battle  on 
OOT  own  ground,  where  certain  destruction  awaits  him. 

The  operations  or  the  5th.  lllh  and  I3lh  corps  have  been  a  succession  of  spleo- 

By  command  of  Major -Geneilai.  Hookrk. 
5.  Williams,  Auistam  Adjutant- GtHtral. 

Through  the  night  the  gloom  was  pierced  by  the  doleful 
screech  of  the  owl,  the  plaintive  cry  of  the  whippoorwill,  and 
the  buzz  and  clatter  of  a  multitude  of  insects.  Different  species 
ofthe  latter,  not  content  with  making  night  hideous,  sought  to 


—  176  — 

investigate  the  strange  change  that  had  come  over  their  usually 
quiet  haunts.  Big  black  ants  wandered  up  and  down  among 
the  hard-tack  in  the  haversacks,  stopping  occasionally  to  re- 
fresh themselves  with  a  lunch.  Thousandleggers  crawled  over 
the  necks,  faces  and  hands  of  the  sleeping  soldiers.  Stag- 
beetles,  or  horn-bugs,  nipped  wherever  they  alighted,  and  were 
crushed  out  of  existence  for  their  temerity.  They  were  fitting 
substitutes  for  a  nameless  entomological  pest  oftentimes  a  fami- 
liar companion.  This  pest  disappeared  with  the  winter 
frosts,  but,  apparently  indigenous  to  the  vicinity,  was  ready 
with  renewed  life  and  untiring  activity  when  the  accumulations 
of  dust  and  dirt  should  restore  it  to  its  sportive  playfulness 
and  itching  ways.  In  its  season  of  active  operations  it  revived 
sorrowful  memories  of  the  backsliding  Egyptians  whom 
Moses  punished,  when  he  directed  Aaron  to  lift  his  rod,  smite 
the  dust  and  let  a  plague  fall  upon  the  land  of  the  sphinx  and 
the  pyramid. 

At  early  dawn  on  the  ist  of  May  the  melodious  notes  of  in- 
numerable birds  filled  the  air,  and,  notwithstanding  the  invasion 
of  their  forest  home,  they  kept  up  their  cheerful  songs  far  into 
the  day.  But  the  frightened  deer  found  safety  from  the  ad- 
vancing hosts  in  the  depths  of  the  wilderness ;  the  foxes  sought 
their  holes  and  the  rabbits  their  warrens.  Now  and  then  an 
inquisitive  squirrel  looked  down  from  his  hiding-place  far  up 
in  a  tree  upon  the  warlike  men  beneath. 

There  was  no  movement  of  the  division  nor  incident  of  note 
until  about  ten  o'clock,  when  suddenly,  without  warning  of 
artillery  or  picket-firing,  prolonged  and  heavy  musketry  was 
heard  to  the  front,  rapidly  increasing  to  a  continuous  roar. 
The  artillery  soon  added  their  deafening  thunders  and  the 
sound,  intensified  in  the  timber  of  the  wilderness,  was  appall- 
ing. The  blue  smoke  rose  through  the  thicket  and  hung  like 
a  curtain  over  the  combatants.  Both  sides  were  evidently 
taking  punishment  where  they  stood,  no  yell  or  cheer  indicat- 
ing either  an  advance  or  retreat.  The  scene  of  the  conflict 
was  the  eminence  which  Genera)  Griffin  had  been  refused  per- 


—  ^77  — 

mission  to  occupy,  and  the  troops  so  manfully  struggling  to 
secure  it  were  General  Sykes's  division  of  regulars. 

The  fight  raged  fiercely,  and  while  its  furies  were  still  un- 
abated, at  eleven  o'clock,  Griffin's  division,  for  some  undisclosed 
purpose,  was  moved  off  in  the  direction  of  Banks's  Ford.  The 
route  lay  entirely  through  the  desolate,  uninhabited  timber, 
and  continued  for  some  five  miles,  to  within  sight  of  the  ford. 
Here  there  was  nothing  that  seemed  to  require  attention;  no 
enemy  was  or  appeared  to  have  been  in  the  vicinity,  and,  after 
a  lengthy  halt,  the  column  retraced  its  steps  and  brought  up 
again  about  five  o'clock  in  the  vicinity  of  the  ChancellorsviUe 
House. 

While  at  the  ford  a  captive  balloon  floated  about  in  the  air, 
its  mission  and  purpose  doubtless  futile,  as  all  observation  of 
roads,  trains  or  troops  was  evidently  impossible  in  the  dense 
forests  in  which  everything  was  hidden. 

A  line  of  battle  was  formed  in  the  clearing  and  pushed  for- 
ward into  the  timber.  The  movement  was  believed  to  be  to 
the  front,  but  distance  and  direction  were  so  lost  in  the  inter- 
minable thicket  that  both  were,  to  those  of  the  line  at  least, 
mere  conjecture.  Some  distance  was  accomplished,  when  the 
line  was  halted  at  a  spot  where  the  underbrush  was  of  less 
density.  Troops  had  occupied  the  ground  before,  and  indica- 
tions were  significant  of  a  hurried  preparation  for  the  charge. 
Knapsacks,  half  opened,  the  contents  most  easily  transported  re- 
moved, and  torn  papers  from  the  cartridges  distinctly  marked 
the  place  from  which  the  charge  commenced.  The  troops  had 
disappeared ;  there  was  no  evidence  whether  in  advance  or  re- 
treat, nor  of  who  they  were,  except  that  a  Bible  from  one  of  the 
knapsacks  showed  it  once  belonged  to  D.  C.  Thompson,  of 
Worth,  Mercer  county,  Pennnsylvania,  Company  H,  134th 
Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  This  knapsack  also  con- 
tained some  very  neat,  clean,  well-made  underwear,  and  though 
the  Bible  was  abandoned,  from  the  scraps  scattered  about  it 
was  evident  that  Thompson  had  not  forgotten  his  tobacco. 

Darkness  was  fast  approaching,  and  after  a  still  further  for- 


-  178  - 

ward  movement  in  the  same  general  direction,  the  line  again 
halted  and  pickets  were  established  well  in  advance.  There 
was  an  anxious,  uncertain  look  upon  the  countenances  of  the 
men.  Thrown  out  apparently  in  the  air,  night  approaching, 
with  a  certainty  that  they  were  without  support,  with  no  knowl- 
edge as  to  whether  they  were  to  make  an  attack  or  receive  one, 
with  vivid  remembrance  of  the  mismanagement  of  yesterday 
and  the  struggle  it  had  caused  to-day,  the  sturdiest  spirits  be- 
came sullen  and  gloomy.  Just  as  the  twilight  was  passing 
into  total  darkness.  General  Barnes  rode  up  to  the  regiment. 
He  informed  Colonel  Prevost  of  the  result  of  General  Sykes's 
fight  in  the  morning.  He  had  been  roughly  handled,  but  had 
secured  an  advantageous  ridge  which  commanded  the  open 
country  beyond,  and  which  had  been  immediately  occupied  in 
strength  by  other  troops  that  had  not  been  engaged.  In  the 
lace  of  urgent  appeals  and  stem  protests  against  sacrificing 
such  opportunities,  presented  by  several  of  his  most  eminent 
generals,  General  Hooker,  to  the  astonishment  of  his  men  and 
the  wonder  of  the  enemy,  had  ordered  the  abandonment  of  this 
entire  line.  He  subsequently  altered  his  determination,  but  it 
was  too  late ;  before  the  revocation  reached  its  destination  the 
order  had  been  executed,  and  the  enemy  had  occupied  the 
heights  in  such  force  as  to  destroy  any  hopes  of  their  present 
dislodgement.  General  Barnes  also  advised  the  colonel  that 
his  brigade  was  alone  and  then  fer  out  in  advance  of  the  army ; 
that  the  orders  for  the  advance  to  this  position  had  not  been 
countermanded,  and  that  at  any  moment  he  was  liable  to  be 
attacked  by  overwhelming  numbers ;  that  if  orders  were  not 
soon  received  he  would  retire  on  his  own  responsibility. 
When  such  orders  were  received  the  withdrawal  must  be  made 
directly  to  the  rear,  in  silence  and  with  extreme  caution.  The 
pickets  must  be  abandoned,  unless  an  officer  would  volunteer 
to  communicate  to  them  the  instructions  to  withdraw.  Captain 
Donaldson  hearing  this  remark  promptly  tendered  his  ser\-ices. 
As  he  was  receiving  the  specific  directions  from  General  Barnes 
bow  to  proceed  to  execute  his  mission,  a  single  cannon  shot 


passed  over,  followed  immediatclyby  a  tremendous  and  furious 
shelling.  The  red  streaks  of  fire  from  the  fuses,  the  vivid  flash 
of  the  bursting  shell,  the  hissing  shriek  of  the  flying  mis.sile 
were  startling  in  the  gloomy  darkness  of  the  lonely  timber.  All 
movements  were  at  once  suspended.  There  were  no  guns  with 
tile  advance  and  the  punishment  which  continued  several  hours 
was  endured  without  reply.  Without  awaiting  directions  the 
men  set  about  to  fell  and  slash  the  timber  on  their  front,  antici- 
pating such  active  practice  would  be  followed  by  an  advance  in 

Scipio  Africanus  again  appeared.  Wherever  he  was  the 
ludicrous  was  dominant.  This  time,  though,  he  had  not  de- 
signed to  furnish  his  usual  contribution.  It  was  never  his  pur- 
pose to  seek  a  perilous  place,  but  the  fear  of  being  forgotten 
entirely  had  prompted  him  to  stroll  along,  until  he  inadver- 
tently fell  upon  the  terrors  then  surrounding  him.  He  was  lost 
completely  and  knowing  neither  his  right,  left,  front,  or  rear, 
plaintively  appealed  to  the  ofliccr  nearest  at  hand  to  be  directed 
to  a  place  of  safety,  pitifully  indicating  his  desire  to  be  shown 
the  rear.  Guided  by  the  light  of  the  flash  from  a  bursting  shell 
the  officer  designated  the  genera!  direction  of  the  haven  he 
sought,  and  with  all  the  speed  his  tremulous  body  could  com- 
mand Scipio  dashed  away  towards  it.  He  had  disappeared  but  a 
moment  when  a  shell,  passing  over  him,  burst  in  the  path  he 
was  pursuing  right  in  his  front.  In  his  wild  excitement  he  had 
no  other  conception  than  that  what  appeared  before  him  must 
have  been  discharged  from  something  in  front  of  him,  and 
turning  suddenly  back,  with  arms  beating  the  air,  eyes  dis- 
tended and  hair  on  end,  a  picture  of  fright  beyond  recovery, 
yelled  in  a  wail  of  utter  despair, — "Captain,  dar  is  no  rear! 
captain,  dar  is  no  rear !"  His  familiar  voice  was  heard  above 
the  noise  of  battle,  and  shouts  of  laughter  greeted  his  an- 
nouncement. But  he  found  his  way  out  eventually  and  turned 
up  in  a  few  days  with  his  exuberant  spirits  still  unimpaired. 

Shortly  after  ten  o'clock  the  cannonading  gradually  subsided 
and  Captain  Donaldson  started  on  his  mission  to  withdraw  the 


—  i8o  — 

pickets.  He  was  soon  lost  to  any  idea  of  direction  except  as 
he  was  guided  by  the  sounds  coming  from  the  enemy's  lines. 
He  plainly  heard  the  creaking  of  the  wheels  of  the  gun-carri- 
ages as  the  batteries  which  had  been  in  action  were  apparently 
being  withdrawn;  then  the  driving  of  stakes  and  cutting 
wood  in  preparation  of  a  rest  for  the  night.  The  voices  of  the 
enemy  in  conversation  were  distinguishable  and  then  they  sang 
right  merrily,  to  a  banjo  accompaniment,  a  ditty  to  the  tune  of 
the  "  Other  side  of  Jordan."  This  indicated  that  he  was  in 
front  of  Louisianians.     It  ran  thus, — 

**  The  Louisiana  boys  air  a  coming, 
Never  mind  the  Yanks  but  get  upon  their  flanks^^- 
And  you'U  send  them  to  the  other  side  of  Jor— dan.'* 

Followed  by  a  shouting  chorus  of 

««Ho!  ho!  ho!     Ha!  ha!  hal" 

While  noting  the  various  sounds  which  had  guided  his 
direction  he  still  kept  slowly  and  cautiously  in  motion,  all  the 
while  descending  a  sharp  declivity.  At  its  foot  was  a  bog  be-» 
yond  which  evidently  was  the  corresponding  rise  to  the  descent 
which  he  had  been  following.  Everything  hidden  in  the  im- 
penetrable gloom,  he  judged  this  rise  to  be  the  enemy's  line, 
and  concluded,  but  with  no  warrant  except  supposition,  that  it 
was  probably  the  eminence  Sykes  had  taken  and  from  which 
he  had  so  summarily  withdrawn.  Confronted  by  this  obstruc- 
tion so  near  the  enemy  and  with  nothing  yet  to  indicate  he 
could  accomplish  his  mission,  he  ventured  in  guarded  tones  to 
call  "  Where  is  the  picket  line  ?  "  "  Which  picket  line  ?  **  anxiously 
responded  a  familiar  voice.  To  assure  himself  he  had  not 
mistaken  it,  the  cautious  exclamation,  "  Is  that  you,  Crocker  ?  " 
brought  the  welcome  "  Yes,"  and  pushing  through  the  jungle 
a  few  feet  they  were  together.  Why  he  had  come — it  was 
almost  anticipated — was  quickly  told.  The  delicate  man- 
oeuvring necessary  to  assemble  the  detail  without  arousing 


f 
j 


—  i8i   — 

attention  was  slowly  and  successfully  accomplished.  They 
were  all  assembled  at  the  point  designated,  and  with  their 
march  directed  by  the  same 
officer  whohad  borne  the  in- 
structions reached  the  com- 
mand about  two  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  still  in  the 
same  position  in  which  he 
had  left  it.  The  whole  force 
was  then  immediately  re- 
tired, and  after  a  toilsome 
march,  wearisome  from  the 
many  exciting  changes  of 
the  day.  bivouacked  to- 
wards daylight  somewhere 
on  the  road  leading  to 
Banks's  Ford. 

All  these  vacillating  and  apparently  mysterious  niovenieiits, 
with  the  knowledge  of  the  further  abandonment  of  the  emi- 
nence, the  occupation  of  which  the  soldiers  who  knew  of  it  atiU 
felt  assured  was  essential  to  .succe.ss,  had  in  no  way  restored 
confidence. 

The  desultory  operations  of  thi;  previous  day,  indicating  first 
a  disposition  to  attack,  and  again  a  desire  to  await  assault, 
ceased  entirely  the  next  morning,  when  it  was  quite  apparent 
that  all  purpose  of  assaulting  the  enemy  had  been  wholly 
abandoned,  for  at  early  dawn  on  the  second  the  troops  were  set 
to  work  to  entrench.  The  earth-works,  with  a  parapet  some 
three  feet  high,  were  substantially  revetted  and  covered  as  lar 
as  could  be  seen,  the  distance  of  about  a  mile.  Not  completed 
until  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  they  were  skilfully  constructed 
but  poorly  located.  The  disappointment  at  the  evident  intent 
to  receive  instead  of  give  battle  was  increased  by  observing  the 
unfortunate  selection  of  the  ground  where  it  seemed  to  be  the 
purpose  to  receive  it.  The  line  was  untenable.  In  front, 
plainly  in  view,  higher  ground  commanded  nearly  all  the  dis- 


—    l82  — 

tance  directed  to  be  fortified,  and  the  work  of  construction  was 
prosecuted  in  a  sullen,  disapproving  silence. 

The  day  passed  with  occasional  sounds  of  engagements  else- 
where about  the  lines,  but,  relieved  from  the  noise  of  battle  and 
the  excitement  of  rapid  marching,  the  masterly  inactivity  was 
a  subject  of  comment.  The  timid,  panicky  operations  of  the 
two  previous  days  it  was  believed  had  encouraged  the  enemy 
to  assume  the  offensive,  and  their  aggressive  manoeuvres  it  was 
thought  would  soon  force  the  leaders  to  find  the  surest  way  for 
a  safe  withdrawal  if  they  were  not  already  contemplating  such 
a  movement. 

Towards  the  extreme  right  of  the  army,  just  before  sunset, 
there  was  considerable  firing.  At  dark  it  had  culminated  in  a 
continuous  roar,  and,  accompanied  by  the  roll  and  thunder  of 
the  artillery,  indicated  an  active  engagement.  There  were  but 
few  moments  of  suspense.  The  human  voice  can  be  heard 
above  the  sounds  of  battle.  The  piercing  shriek  of  the  unmis- 
takable Confederate  yells,  without  a  corresponding  retort  of 
Union  cheers,  told  too  plainly  that  the  right  had  yielded. 
Shortly,  as  the  yells  ceased  entirely,  the  firing  slackened 
noticeably. 

While  the  engagement  was  at  its  height,  just  as  night  closed 
in  completely,  the  division  abandoned  the  position  it  had  held 
during  the  day  and  was  rapidly  moved  towards  the  Chancellors- 
ville  House,  where  it  was  thrown  into  earthworks  vacated  the 
moment  before  by  other  troops  that  had  constructed  them. 
It  was  subsequently  ascertained  that  the  army  was  extending  its 
right  to  recover  its  lost  lines.  Then  commenced  a  series  of 
unauthorized,  demoralizing,  and  dispiriting  tactics.  Directions 
were  first  passed  along  the  line  from  man  to  man,  to  spread  out 
and  cover  more  ground ;  then  by  the  same  means  of  communi- 
cation to  turn  the  visor  of  the  cap  to  the  rear  that  the  rays  of 
the  moon  might  not  reflect  on  it ;  then  they  were  cautioned  to 
keep  perfectly  still ;  then  to  lie  down ;  then  to  stand  up  and 
come  to  a  ready,  and  then  to  sit  down.  And  so  these  and 
various   other   like  instructions,  frequently  repeated   and   all 


-  .83- 

comiminicated  from  one  to  another  in  whispering,  quivering 
tone,  continued  until  the  men  were  so  nervous  and  unstrung 
that  to  estabHsh  confidence  many  of  the  officers  seized  rifles 
and  followed  literally  all  the  movements  with  them. 

The  engagement  on  the  right  was  over  and  the  annoyance 
had  ceased,  when,  about  nine  o'clock,  near  the  right  of  the 
regiment,  General  Howard  appeared,  followed  by  a  part  of  his 
discomfited  corps,  who,  as  it  was  then  learned,  were  the  forces 
which  had  so  speedily  crumbled  at  the  first  shock  of  Stonewall 
Jackson's  onslaught,  over  on  the  right,  where  the  sounds  of 
battle  had  but  recently  died  away.  They  moved  along  silently, 
continuing  to  pass  for  over  an  hour.  Their  condition  did  not 
indicate  need  of  much  repair,  but  they  were  evidently  to  be 
placed,  for  the  present  at  least,  well  out  of  the  reach  of  danger. 
An  impressive  silence  followed.  The  insect  world  was  hu'^hcd 
and  the  night  birds  were  voiceless.  The  breaking  of  a  twig  was 
a  volume  of  sound,  and  the  faintest  whisper  startling.  Gentle 
breezes  were  whistling  winds,  and  falling  boughs  the  tread  of 
men.  Soldiers  heedless  of  sentiment  viewed  the  quiet  as  omin- 
ous, men  insensible  to  fear  looked  upon  the  stillness  as  porten- 
tous. The  moon,  then  in  the  full,  shone  brightly,  its  glimmer 
through  the  tree-tops  occasionally  fading  as  swiftly  moving, 
fleecy  clouds  covered  its  brilliant  disk.  The  pale,  changing 
light  and  the  death-like  stillness  made  everything  seem  unreal 
and  ghostly. 

A  slight  flutter  in  the  immediate  front  strung  every  nerve  to 
a  still  higher  tension,  and  piercing  glances  sought,  through  the 
uncertain  shadows,  to  ascertain  the  cause.  As  the  sound  grew 
to  recognition,  a  voice  cautioned  the  men  to  hold  their  fire,  and 
General  Grifl^n,  who  was  returning  from  an  observation  of  the 
ground  his  position  commanded,  passed  through  the  line. 
General  Griffin,  an  officer  of  unquestioned  .skill  and  untiring 
energy,  beside  the  implicit  confidence  had  the  unbounded 
respect  of  every  soldier  in  his  division.  His  presence  was 
assuring,  and  demonstrations  were  only  restrained  by  the  neces- 
sity for  perfect  quiet 


—  i84  — 

Once  more  the  awful  silence  reigned,  soon  disturbed  again  as 
by  the  distant  rumble  of  the  coming  of  a  mighty  tempest.  To 
the  experienced  ear  this  indescribable  whir  and  sigh  as  if  the 
distant  winds  were  increasing  their  velocity  had  another  mean- 
ing. It  was  the  hum  and  buzz  and  tramp  of  large  bodies  of 
men  in  motion,  the  rattle  and  jostle  of  arms  and  equipments. 
Nearer  and  nearer  it  approached,  and  louder  and  louder  it 
swelled  and  spread  until  the  veriest  tyro  could  not  mistake  it. 
Disciplined  battalions  were  massing  for  assault,  and  then  dis- 
tinct and  audible  came  the  voice  of  command,  its  tone  loud, 
its  volume  ringing,  as  it  rolled  out  the  "  Battalion  " — ''  halt  ** — 
"  front " — **  on  the  centre,  dress,"  and  then  a  pause, — "  battal- 
ion '* — "  right  shoulder  shift  arms,**'  and  still  another  pause,  fol- 
lowed with  increased  vigor  by  the  "  forward  " — "  guide  cen- 
tre " — "  march.**  Other  operations  elsewhere  seemed  to  dis- 
tract the  enemy*s  attention.  At  once  the  stillness  vanished,  the 
quiet  disappeared.  Off  to  the  right  and  front,  instantly  every 
rifle  flashed,  every  gun  thundered  and  that  portion  of  the  Union 
army  was  hotly  engaged  in  the  furies,  terrors,  and  uncertainties 
of  a  most  determined  night  assault.  Under  such  wicked  gun- 
nery and  persistent  musketry,  intensified  by  the  darkness,  the 
trees  seemed  to  shiver,  the  earth  to  tremble  and  shake.  It 
brought  every  man  to  his  feet  and  roused  the  men  of  the  6th 
Corps,  quietly  sleeping  miles  away  in  their  bivouac  beyond 
Fredericksburg.  The  memorable  assault  at  Chancellorsville 
on  the  night  of  the  2d  of  May,  1863,  is  not  confined  in  rec- 
ollection to  the  troops  who  immediately  took  part  in  it 
Every  participant  in  the  great  battle  will  ever  vividly  recall  what 
was  then  believed,  except  by  the  troops  engaged  at  that  particu- 
lar point,  to  be  a  repulse  of  the  enemy*s  assault,  but  which  his- 
tory shows  to  have  been,  as  it  has  been  aptly  styled,  "  Sickles 
fighting  his  way  home  again.'* 

The  moonlight  battle  subsided  during  the  early  morning 
hours,  and  Sunday,  the  3d,  opened  a  clear  bracing  spring 
day.  Gossip  dwelt  on  the  details  of  the  iith  Corps  disaster, 
as*  it  was  enlarged  by  exaggeration  and  the  opportune  arrival 


-  igs- 

of  the  1st  Corps,  and  concluded  with  a  venture  of  opinions 
upon  the  general  further  contraction  and  concentration  of  the 
lines. 

The  officers'  supplies  were  completely  exhausted  and  the 
men's  rations  were  thinned  out  to  a  few  crackers  and  a  scant 
allowance  of  coffee.  Some  who  had  never  before  used  tobacco 
found  it  temporarily  effective  in  satisfying  the  cravings  of 
appetite. 

Lieutenant  Batchcldcr,  a  man  of  strong  nerves  and  unflinch- 
ing courage,  of  exceptional  firmness  in  time  of  peril,  took  the 
opportunity  of  a  Utile  quiet  to  communicate  to  one  of  his  friends 
that  he  had  labored  all  night  with  a  harrowing  presentiment 
that  during  the  day  he  would  certainly  be  killed.  Given  to  no 
superstition  he  had  struggled  to  banish  the  phantom,  but  it 
would  not  down,  and  he  had  thus  sought  relief  in  reluctantly 
communicating  his  burdensome  thoughts  to  another.  Before 
the  campaign  opened  and  frequently  during  its  operation  he  had 
been  haunted  with  horrible  dreams  of  frightful  gaping  wounds, 
so  shocking  and  repulsive  as  to  be  beyond  the  reach  of  surgical 
skill  or  careful  nursing.  He  would  awake  amid  shrieks  and 
pains  of  death  and  wounds,  and  rest  again  only  to  have  these 
distressing  scenes  repeated.  He  would  not  be  persuaded 
that  all  this  was  the  result  of  some  local  physical  disturb- 
ance, but  insisted,  with  his  usual  deliberation,  upon  giving 
directions  as  to  the  disposition  of  his  worldly  afiairs,  and  that 
the  time  and  place  of  his  fall  should  be  delicately  broken  to  his 
family.  It  was  suggested  to  him  that  if  he  did  not  expose  him- 
self so  needlessly  and  recklessly  in  the  future  as  he  had  in  the 
past,  the  catastrophe  he  dreaded  might  be  averted.  Such  caution 
was  useless.  Nevertheless,  he  survived  Chancellorsville  and 
other  battles,  and  is  still  prosperous  and  diligent,  as  may  be 
incidentally  disclosed  hereafter. 

At  a  very  early  hour  Sunday  morning  the  brigade  was  with- 
drawn from  the  line  it  had  previously  held  and  moved  to  the 
road  leading  to  United  States  Ford.  There  it  remained  for 
some  time,  halted  in  order  of  battle  near  General  Sykes's  com- 


—  i86  — 

mand.  Wicked  fighting  was  waging  fiercely  in  the  fi-ont  on 
the  left.  The  timber  concealed  the  combatants,  but  the  blue 
smoke  hanging  over  and  lingering  in  the  tree-tops  indicated 
the  lines,  and  the  frequent  whir  and  zip  of  the  balls  told  of  their 
close  proximity.  There  was  no  lull,  no  cessation  :  it  was  awful 
punishment.  The  smoke  increased  to  clouds ;  the  sun,  shining 
brightly,  was  dimmed  and  darkened  as  if  by  an  approaching 
storm.  The  regiment,  alone,  was  then  moved  on  the  line  and 
put  to  building  breastworks,  as  subsequently  shown  not 
for  their  own  occupation,  but  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
regular  division.  They  set  about  their  task  manfully,  regard- 
less of  hunger  and  the  fatigue  from  the  many  sleepless  nights. 
This  work  completed,  after  a  short  interval  of  rest,  about  noon 
the  entire  brigade  was  removed,  on  the  road  towards  Chancel- 
lorsville,  to  the  extreme  left  of  the  White  House.  Approaching 
this  point  the  battle  seemed  to  wax  hotter,  bursting  shells 
filled  the  air  and  the  yells  of  the  Confederates  were  incessant 

The  Chancellorsville  House  itself  was  not  in  view.  The 
location  was  a  piece  of  open,  cleared  land,  so  difficult  to  secure 
in  the  neighborhood,  which,  by  a  flank  to  the  left  and  rear,  had 
been  entered  by  Griffin's  and  other  batteries  that  were  now 
heavily  engaged,  while  to  the  rear  of  the  batteries,  and  just 
within  the  timber,  was  located  the  general  and  field-hospital. 
The  conflict  had  approached  the  hospital  uncomfortably  close. 
The  troops,  still  hotly  at  work  on  the  outer  lines,  were  resisting 
assaults  preparatory  to  retiring  to  the  interior  ones  then  in  the 
course  of  preparation,  and  gradually  the  hospital  had  been 
drawn  within  range.  The  heavy  and  increasing  casualties  had 
crowded  its  grounds  beyond  their  capacity ;  the  medical  force 
was  entirely  inadequate  to  the  exacting  duties  thus  imposed 
upon  it.  Several  of  the  surgeons  and  attendants  had  been 
killed  and  wounded,  and  the  panicky  sensation  following  opera- 
tions and  attention  under  fire  had  materially  interfered  with  a 
prompt  and  ready  service.  There  was  no  discrimination  and 
the  shells  tore  through  these  grounds  relentlessly.  To  the 
miseries  and  sufferings  already  at  hand  were  added  others,  and 


some  of  the  wounded,  as  they  lay  helplessly  about,  i 
more  frightfully  mangled  or  killed. 

As  a  result  of  the  concentration  the  Chancellorsvillc  House 
eventually  fell  into  the  possession  of  the  enemy.  But  before 
it  was  completely  theirs  the  flames  had  done  their  work  effec- 
tually and  the  building  was  a  blackened  ruin. 

The  attack  of  the  Confederates  was  so  fierce  and  persistent 
that  General  Meade  ordered  General  Griffin  to  put  in  his  divi- 
sion. He  asked  permission  to  use  the  artillery  then  concen- 
trating in  the  vicinity,  saying;  "  I'll  make  them  think  hell  isn't 
half  a  mile  off. "  Permission  being  granted,  he  ordered  tlic 
gunners  to  double-shot  their  pieces,  let  the  enemy  approach  to 
within  fifty  yards,  "  and  then  roll  them  along  the  ground  like 
this,"  stooping  in  imitation  of  a  bowler. 

The  immediate  duty  of  tlie  command  was  the  support  of  the 
batteries  thus  engaged.  The  enemy's  firing  was  terrible  and 
practice  accurate.  No  other  phrase  will  fairly  meet  it,  except 
that  there  was  a  rain  of  shell  and  solid  shot.  The  men  stood 
it  handsomely ;  few  availed  themselves  of  the  privilege  of  ly- 
ing prone ;  the  majority  assumed  a  crouching  posture  with  head 
erect,  eyes  strained  and  musket  upright  as  iffor  instant  service. 
An  officer  of  a  regiment  in  the  brigade,  lying  upon  his  back 
reading  a  newspaper,  was  struck  in  the  stomach  and  instantly 
killed.  The  artillery  continued  to  arrive,  either  to  go  imme- 
diately into  battery  or  remain  parked  in  the  vicinity.  But 
gradually  the  fire  slackened  to  desultory  discharges. 

Batchelder  had  forgotten  his  morbid  sensitiveness,  and,  deaf 
to  suggestions,  was  again  recklessly  exposing  himself.  An 
abandoned  limber-chest  seemed  to  be  a  point  of  attraction,  and, 
heedless  of  at!  danger,  he  had  selected  it  as  a  suitable  place  of 
observation.  He  stood  upon  it,  conspicuous,  closely  observing 
with  a  pair  of  field-glasses,  drawing  the  enemy's  fire  directly  to 
him,  but  so  elated  with  the  splendid  view  it  gave  him  of  the 
battle  that  he  declined  to  retire  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of 
those  around  him,  and  remained  until  Colonel  Prevost  peremp- 
torily ordered  him  to  return  to  his  post.     It  was  a  reluctant 


—  [go  — 

their  cannon  the  guns  belched  forth  their  death-deahng  can- 
ister; the  enemy's  yells  of  delight  were  changed  to  wails  of 
disappointment;  his  impetuous  advance  was  broken;  his  lines, 
confused  beyond  recovery  after  leaving  the  timber,  disappeared 
entirely,  and  of  those  who  did  leave  the  timber  few  ever  returned. 
Most  of  them  found  death  and  wounds  on  the  open  ground 
which  the  determined  impetuosity  of  their  onslaught  and  their 
conspicuous  daring  had  prompted  them  to  enter.  This  attack 
fell  upon  Tyler's  brigade  of  Humphrey's  division,  sent  tempora- 
rily to  reinforce  French,  of  the  2d  Corps,  After  an  hour's 
desperate  and  gallant  fighting  their  ammunition  was  nearly 
exhausted,  and  they  were  struck  as  they  were  about  to  execute 
the  order  to  retire. 

One  poor  fellow  fell  under  the  fire  of  our  guns  just  as  he  had 
reached  them.  After  the  affair  an  attempt  was  made  to  dis- 
cover his  identity.  In  the  confusion  he  had  become  separated 
from  his  comrades,  and  there  was  neither  name,  mark  nor  sign 
about  him  to  indicate  who  he  was  or  where  he  belonged.  He 
was  buried  where  he  fell,  another  of  the  rapidly-increasing 
patriot  army  of  the  unknown  dead. 

It  was  nearly  two  o'clock  when  the  Chancellorsville  House 
was  abandoned,  but  the  tremendous  artillery  firing  and  des- 
perate, hard  fighting  all  day  checked  the  enemy's  advance  all 
along  the  lines.  Flames  and  fire  were  added  to  the  other 
terrors.  The  woods  had  caught  from  the  artillery  and  the 
wounded  and  dying  in  their  midst  were  beyond  the  hope  of 
rescue.  This  was  a  truce  of  itself,  and  apparently  by  general 
consent  there  was  a  lull  in  the  hostilities  as  the  exterior  lines 
gradually  melted  away  behind  the  troops  holding  the  interior 
lines. 

Before  the  engagement  in  front  had  wholly  ceased  uproarious, 
lusty  shouts  and  cheers  attracted  attention  towards  the  left. 
As  the  cheering  grew  nearer  there  appeared  a  crowd  of  men 
dragging  several  pieces  of  cannon;  one  had  the  muzzle  blown 
away  and  all  looked  as  if  they  had  seen  rough  usage.  They 
were  a  battery  of  guns  abandoned  by  our  forces,  which  had 


r 


—  191 


jusl  bt-en  brought  in  amidst  a  galling  fire  under  the  direction 
of  a  gallant  officer  of  the  Ii6t!i  Pennsylvania,  and  General 
Hancock  had  ordered  them  dragged  along  the  lines  by  their 
captors  as  an  evidence  of  special  gallantry  and  an  incen- 
tive to  other  acts  of  heroism.  The  whole  line  joined  heartily 
in  the  shouts  of  welcome  to  the  men  who  had  thus  so  notably 
distinguished  themselves. 

Towards  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  the  regiment  was  tem- 
porarily withdrawn  a  short  distance  for  an  opportunity  to  pre- 
pare coffee.  It  was  rather  tantalizing;  the  diminished  supply 
made  the  opportunity  available  only  to  those  who  had  more 
carefully  husbanded  their  stores,  while  the  others  who  could 
neither  borrow  nor  beg  nibbled  at  crackers  and  strolled  about 
in  the  few  moments  of  leisure  and  offered  their  services  and 
attentions  to  the  wounded.  One  strong,  powerful  fellow  with 
his  foot  badly  shattered  had  just  been  placed  upon  the  tempo- 
rary table.  He  fought  stoutly  against  the  operation,  and  at 
first  forcibly  resisted  an  effort  to  chloroform  him,  but  persuaded 
it  was  for  examination  only,  gradually  yielded  his  conscious- 
ness to  its  soothing  effects.  The  knife  was  applied  by  Dr. 
Joseph  Thomas,  our  regimental  surgeon,  whose  skill  in  opera- 
tive surgery  was  always  recognized  by  his  detail  in  battle  to  the 
general  field-hospital. .  The  flaps  were  made ;  the  bone  severed ; 
the  arteries  adjusted  with  prompt  and  skilful  precision,  and, 
recovering  consciousness,  the  patient,  as  he  was  removed  to 
the  ambulance,  joyfully  remarked  that  he  was  very  glad  the 
examination  had  resulted  in  the  conclusion  that  amputation 
would  not  be  necessary.  The  poor  fellow  had  not  yet  realized 
his  loss,  and,  knowing  nothing  of  what  had  transpired  while  he 
remained  insensible,  still  labored  under  the  pleasing  deception. 

Great  enthusiasm  prevailed  during  the  afternoon  on  the  re- 
ception of  the  news  of  the  capture  by  General  Sedgwick  of  the 
formidable  works  at  Marye's  Heights  and  his  successful  move- 
ment out  the  plank-road  toward  the  main  army.  The  subse- 
quent disaster  that  attended  his  operations,  although  it  had 
already  happened,  was  not  yet  known. 


—  i88  — 

obedience.  He  withdrew,  grumbling  that  it  was  shameful  to 
deprive  a  man  of  such  an  opportunity,  as  he  probably  wouldn't 
have  another  such  chance  in  a  lifetime. 

There  were  other  points  of  observation  equally  available  and 
less  exposed.  These  were  resorted  to  by  several  of  the  curi- 
ously inclined.  At  an  angle  in  the  breastworks  lately  con- 
structed stood  the  White  House  before  referred  to,  the  property 
of  one  Burns.  In  front  and  to  the  left  of  this  house  there  was 
excellent  opportunity  for  a  view  of  the  active  combat.  The 
few  points  in  this  thickly-wooded  region  to  designate  locality 
has  brought  this  unpretentious  dwelling  into  distinguished 
prominence.  In  its  rear  a  large  tent  had  been  pitched  for  the 
use  of  army  head-quarters.  The  flaps  open,  its  occupants  and 
their  doings  were  plainly  in  view.  General  Hooker,  in  reclin- 
ing posture,  still  suffering  from  the  blow  he  received  from  a 
falling  pillar  of  the  Chancellorsville  House,  was  surrounded  by 
a  number  of  general  and  staff-officers.  The  libations,  in  view  of 
the  character  of  the  surroundings,  were  quite  imposing,  and  the 
beverage  luxuriant  and  expensive.  The  light  wines  of  France 
were  apparently  the  exclusive  tipple.  The  many  abandoned 
bottles,  the  broken  and  empty  baskets,  the  frequent  and  sug- 
gestive popping  of  champagne  corks  indicated  a  free  and 
liberal  allowance  of  this  intoxicant,  just  then  so  exclusively 
confined  to  army  head-quarters.  An  impertinent  fellow,  en- 
viously overlooking  the  scene,  observing  General  Hooker  as 
the  only  one  of  the  party  not  upon  his  feet,  inquired  the  cause. 
A  volunteer  reply  was  made  by  an  officer  near  by  to  the  effect 
that  he  had  been  shot.  "  Shot  in  the  neck,"  quickly  responded 
the  inquirer.  Fearing  the  consequence  of  his  levity  he  quickly 
hid  himself  in  the  crowd,  but  not  before  the  restrained  smile 
with  which  his  response  was  received  assured  him  in  his  belief 
that  he  had  not  shot  very  far  from  the  mark. 

There  were  other  scenes  about  these  head-quarters  interest- 
ing, startling,  significant.  Officers  were  coming  and  going  in 
hot,  important  haste,  some  with  reports,  others  with  directions. 
Guns  hurried  to  position  were  crashing  to  their  places  and 


quickly  unlimbering.  Hundreds  of  men  without  organization 
were  passing  to  the  rear.  Riderless  horses,  many  of  them 
badly  wounded,  wandered  helplessly  about.  One  with  the 
blood  spouting  from  a  wound  in  the  chest  was  galloping  aim- 
lessly in  every  direction,  with  pleading,  suppliant  took  as  if  for 
some  intelligent  direction  where  to  go  and  what  to  do.  A 
mounted  officer,  observing  his  hopeless  condition,  fired  two 
pistol  shots  to  relieve  his  sufferings,  and  then  rode  rapidly 
away  as  if  he  did  not  care  to  see  the  dying  agonies.  But 
his  shots  were  ineffectual;  the  poor  beast  struggled  again 
and  again  to  regain  his  feet,  and  then  was  forgotten  amid  other 
quickly  accumulating,  harrowing  scenes.  The  battle  still  raged 
fiercely,  each  determined  onslaught  being  each  time  heroically 
resisted. 

Active  participants  sec  but  little  of  the  battle.  To  those 
who  chose  to  take  the  risk  of  observation  from  the  position  tn 
front  of  the  White  House  about  this  time  it  was  a  rare  and 
thrilling  sight.  The  open  ground  in  front  covered  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  yards,  dipped  slightly  in  the  centre  and 
terminated  in  a  sparsely-wooded  crest 

In  the  timber  on  the  crest  was  a  Union  line  of  battle,  hold- 
ing its  regular  formation,  firing  and  lo.idint;  with  deliberation 
and  slowly  retiring.  Beyond,  waving  battle-flags,  butternut 
uniforms,  gleaming  muskets  were  gradually  advancing.  They 
were  firing  as  they  moved  forward,  their  ramrods  flashing  in 
the  sun  as  they  executed  the  motion  of  draw  and  return 
rammer  and  ram  cartridge.  On  they  came,  undeterred  by  the 
close  and  terrible  fire  punishing  them.  The  Union  line  stood 
the  shock  commendably.  Then  came  the  desperate  moment 
of  impact;  the  mingling  of  the  blue  and  gray;  the  exchange 
of  bayonet- thrusts  and  shouts  of  defiance,  cheers  and  yells  of 
victory,  shrieks  and  groans,  and,  in  a  confused  and  shapeless 
mass,  friend  and  foe  broke  madly  for  the  guns — the  one  for  their 
capture,  the  other  for  protection.  The  peculiar,  piercing  yells 
of  the  rebels  seemed  for  a  moment  to  drown  all  other  sounds. 
But  before  alt  the  Union  line  had  found  the  friendly  shelter  of 


—  igo  — 

their  cannon  the  guns  belched  forth  their  death-dealing  can- 
ister ;  the  enemy's  yells  of  delight  were  changed  to  wails  of 
disappointment ;  his  impetuous  advance  was  broken ;  his  lines, 
confused  beyond  recovery  after  leaving  the  timber,  disappeared 
entirely,  and  of  those  who  did  leave  the  timber  few  ever  returned. 
Most  of  them  found  death  and  wounds  on  the  open  ground 
which  the  determined  impetuosity  of  their  onslaught  and  their 
conspicuous  daring  had  prompted  them  to  enter.  This  attack 
fell  upon  Tyler's  brigade  of  Humphrey's  division,  sent  tempora- 
rily to  reinforce  French,  of  the  2d  Corps.  After  an  hour's 
desperate  and  gallant  fighting  their  ammunition  was  nearly 
exhausted,  and  they  were  struck  as  they  were  about  to  execute 
the  order  to  retire. 

One  poor  fellow  fell  under  the  fire  of  our  guns  just  as  he  had 
reached  them.  After  the  affair  an  attempt  was  made  to  dis- 
cover his  identity.  In  the  confusion  he  had  become  separated 
from  his  comrades,  and  there  was  neither  name,  mark  nor  sign 
about  him  to  indicate  who  he  was  or  where  he  belonged.  He 
was  buried  where  he  fell,  another  of  the  rapidly-increasing 
patriot  army  of  the  unknown  dead. 

It  was  nearly  two  o'clock  when  the  Chancellorsville  House 
was  abandoned,  but  the  tremendous  artillery  firing  and  des- 
perate, hard  fighting  all  day  checked  the  enemy's  advance  all 
along  the  lines.  Flames  and  fire  were  added  to  the  other 
terrors.  The  woods  had  caught  from  the  artillery  and  the 
wounded  and  dying  in  their  midst  were  beyond  the  hope  of 
rescue.  This  was  a  truce  of  itself,  and  apparently  by  general 
consent  there  was  a  lull  in  the  hostilities  as  the  exterior  lines 
gradually  melted  away  behind  the  troops  holding  the  interior 
lines. 

Before  the  engagement  in  front  had  wholly  ceased  uproarious, 
lusty  shouts  and  cheers  attracted  attention  towards  the  left. 
As  the  cheering  grew  nearer  there  appeared  a  crowd  of  men 
dragging  several  pieces  of  cannon ;  one  had  the  muzzle  blown 
away  and  all  looked  as  if  they  had  seen  rough  usage.  They 
were  a  battery  of  guns  abandoned  by  our  forces,  which  had 


—  igi  — 

just  been  brought  in  amidst  a  galling  fire  under  the  direction 
of  a  gallant  officer  of  the  ii6th  Pennsylvania,  and  Gcncml 
Hancock  had  ordered  them  dragged  along  ihc  lines  by  their 
captors  as  an  evidence  of  special  gallantry  and  an  incen- 
tive to  oilier  acts  of  heroism.  The  whole  line  joined  heartily 
in  the  shouts  of  welcome  to  the  men  who  had  thus  so  notably 
distinguished  themselves. 

Towards  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  the  regiment  was  tem- 
porarily withdrawn  a  short  distance  for  an  opportunity  to  pre- 
pare coffee.  It  was  rather  tantalizing;  the  diminished  supply 
made  the  opportunity  available  only  to  those  who  had  more 
carefully  husbanded  their  stores,  while  the  others  who  could 
neither  borrow  nor  beg  nibbled  at  crackers  and  strolled  about 
in  the  few  moments  of  leisure  and  offered  their  services  and 
attentions  to  the  wounded.  One  strong,  powerful  fellow  with 
his  foot  badly  shattered  had  just  been  placed  upon  the  tempo- 
rary table.  He  fought  stoutly  against  the  operation,  and  at 
first  forcibly  resisted  an  effort  to  chloroform  him,  but  persuaded 
it  was  for  examination  only,  gradually  yielded  his  conscious- 
ness to  its  soothing  effects.  The  knife  was  applied  by  Dr. 
Joseph  Thomas,  our  regimental  surgeon,  whose  skill  in  opera- 
tive surgery  was  always  recognized  by  his  detail  in  battle  to  the 
general  fie  Id- hospital.  The  flaps  were  made;  the  bone  severed; 
the  arteries  adjusted  with  prompt  and  skilful  precision,  and, 
recovering  consciousness,  the  patient,  as  he  was  removed  to 
the  ambulance,  joyfully  remarked  that  he  was  very  glad  the 
examination  had  resulted  in  the  conclusion  that  amputation 
would  not  be  necessary.  The  poor  fellow  had  not  yet  realized 
his  loss,  and.  knowing  nothing  of  what  had  transpired  while  he 
remained  insensible,  still  labored  under  the  pleasing  deception. 

Great  enthusiasm  prevailed  during  the  afternoon  on  the  re- 
ception of  the  news  of  the  capture  by  General  Sedgwick  of  the 
formidable  works  at  Mar)'e's  Heights  and  his  successful  move- 
ment out  the  plank-road  toward  the  main  army.  The  subse- 
quent disaster  that  attended  his  operations,  although  it  had 
already  happened,  was  not  yet  known. 


—   192  — 

The  command  was  soon  returned  to  the  lines  at  the  White  or 
Burns'  House  and  set  about  strengthening  the  earthworks, 
which  had  been  but  illy-constructed  affairs  from  the  beginning. 
The  bodies  of  the  dead  horses  in  the  neighborhood  were  put  to 
practical  uses  for  the  elevation.  With  earth  heaped  and  well 
packed  around  them  they  answered  the  purpose  of  solid  works 
of  earth  and  saved  much  labor  in  digging. 

Thus  closed  this  eventful  and  exciting  Sunday,  a  day  &ted 
with  disaster,  but  big  with  valorous  deeds  and  heroic  sacrifices. 
The  same  lines  taken  up  by  the  brigade  on  the  3d  continued  to 
be  held  by  it  during  all  of  that  and  the  succeeding  days  while 
the  army  remained  in  position  facing  the  enemy.  It  was  the 
general  impression  that  hard  fighting  was  about  over  and  the 
night's  rest  was  most  refreshing. 

The  4th  dawned  with  every  indication  of  the  continued 
uninterrupted  clear  weather.  Crocker,  who  had  pitched  his 
shelter-tent,  rose  grumpy  and  discomfited.  The  ground  his 
canvas  covered,  uneven  and  yielding,  had  afforded  him  no  spot 
where  his  body  could  be  brought  to  anything  like  a  comfortable 
position.  Making  search  for  the  cause  with  the  earliest  break 
of  day,  he  discovered  he  had  spread  his  canvas  in  the  darkness 
over  a  new  and  hastily-made  grave.  The  obstructions  he  had 
been  tugging  at  to  remove  during  the  night  were  the  exposed 
nose  and  fingers  of  its  partially-covered  occupant,  and  the  soft, 
yielding  body  was  the  cause  of  his  couch's  spongy  uneasiness. 
Crocker  shook,  spit  and  coughed  a  little,  but  his  momentary 
discomfiture  soon  gave  way  before  his  usual  buoyancy. 

The  picket-line  held  the  edge  of  the  timber  that  bounded  the 
open  space  in  front  of  the  woods.  The  enemy's  sharpshooters 
back  in  the  woods,  hidden  from  view  in  the  tree-tops,  had 
secured  a  very  accurate  range  of  the  troops  occupying  the 
breastworks,  and  with  the  earliest  dawn  they  began  their  prac- 
tice. Exposure  was  useless  and  the  men  were  enjoined  to 
seek  the  cover  of  the  works.  Any  one  standing  or  on  horse- 
back was  an  excellent  mark  and  immediately  drew  the  fire. 

Homer  Lancaster,  of  Company  B,  was  lying  on  the  ground 


MAP  OF  VltlNlTV  OF  CHANCELLORSVILLE, 


"thev  will  nevek  fight  again. 


asleep,  face  downwards,  with  his  knapsack  and  rolled  blanket 
on  his  back.  A  bullet  from  the  sharpshooter  went  through  his 
blanket  and  wounded  him  in  the  neck,  but  not  severely.  Lieu- 
tenant Thomas,  struck  in  the  shoulder,  was  felled  to  the  ground, 
but  the  ball  had  nearly  spent  its  force  and  did  no  injury.  It 
was  picked  up  and  found  to  be  of  the  elongated  pattern,  the 
ammunition  used  by  Hcrdan's  sharpshooters.  The  enemy 
were  either  supplied  with  the  terrible  globe-sighted  weapons 
of  that  or  similar  make,  or  had  been  fortunate  in  the  capture  of 
some. 

About  two  o'clock  General  Whipple,  whose  division  of  the 
3d  Corps  lay  in  the  vicinity,  while  inspecting  the  lines  in  his 
neighborhood,  appeared  leisurely  walking  his  horse  in  rear  of 
the  works.  Unfamiliar  with  the  surroundings,  recogniied  as  a 
general  officer,  he  was  politely  cautioned  that  his  exposure 
brought  him  in  imminent  peril,  as  the  enemy  had  complete 
range  of  every  living  object  they  could  get  their  eyes  upon. 
Indeed  this  was  scarcely  necessary,  for  he  was  almost  imme- 
diately opened  on.  but,  heedless  of  the  caution  and  regardless 
of  the  firing,  he  continued  his  movement  without  accelerating 
his  pace  until  he  had  reached  the  right  of  the  regiment.  Thi*r« 
he  deliberately  halted,  faced  to  the  front  and  sat  iiit(.-ntly  ynziiig 
in  the  direction  of  the  other  side.  In  a  moment  the  dust  wai 
seen  to  fly  from  his  clothing  and  he  fell  headlong  to  the  ground 
Hurrying  to  his  assistance  it  was  found  the  ball  had  entered 
through  the  stomach  and  passed  out  at  the  small  of  the  back. 
He  must  have  instantly  known  his  wound  was  mortal.  Al- 
though conscious  he  betrayed  neither  emotion  nor  anxiety, 
and  without  speech  or  moan  seemed  to  stolidly  accept  his  fate 
with  true  and  determined  heroism.  Stretcher-bearers  bore  him 
to  the  cover  of  the  timber  in  the  rear,  and  apparently  he  died 
from  hcntorrhage  while  the  surgeons  were  examining  the 
wound;  but  he  subsequently  rallied  and  survived  until  his  re- 
moval to  Washington. 

There  were  other  less  distinguished  sufferers  from  the  bullets 
of  the  Confederate  sharpshooters,  and  one  of  them  wa?  Peter 


—  194  — 

Haggerty.  Peter's  head  was  so  large,  or  the  army  caps  were 
so  small,  that  he  could  never  get  one  to  fit  him,  and  the  unfit- 
ness of  things  was  still  more  clearly  exhibited  by  his  persistent 
habit  of  wearing  the  peak  of  his  cap  at  the  back  of  his  head. 
The  summit  of  Peter's  person  was  filled  with  recklessness  and 
he  did  not  know  what  fear  was,  because  he  had  no  real  knowl- 
edge of  what  there  was  to  fear.  An  hour  or  so  before  General 
Whipple  was  shot  Haggerty  was  standing  on  a  stump,  shaking 
his  fist  towards  the  rebel  lines  and  doing  about  every  other 
foolish  thing  he  could  think  of.  Cautioned  to  get  down  and 
keep  out  of  harm's  way,  he  cried  out :  "  Ah !  there's  no  rebel 
bullet  made  that'll  touch  me."  A  few  seconds  after  there  came 
from  him  a  howl  that,  for  volume  and  intensity,  was  sufficient 
mourning  for  all  his  ancestors  from  the  days  of  Brian  Boroihme 
down,  and  the  descendant  of  the  Haggertys  was  dancing  and 
limping  round  as  if  he  had  been  the  recipient  of  the  attentions 
of  a  circle  of  mules.  He  had  been  hit  in  the  leg  by  a  spent 
ball.  Farewell,  Haggerty.  His  head  was  never  seen  in  the 
regiment  again. 

As  it  was  about  time  this  particular  sharpshooter  should  be 
silenced,  a  lieutenant  belonging  to  Berdan's  sharpshooters  passed 
through  the  regiment,  and  the  skirmishers  beyond,  and  felt 
his-  way  through  the  woods  towards  the  spot  whence  came  the 
annoying  fire.  He  found  him  up  a  tree.  He  left  him  on  the 
ground.  A  rifle,  a  fox-skin  cap,  ;Ji,6oo  in  Confederate  money 
and  llico  in  greenbacks  the  lieutenant  brought  back  with  him. 

Except  the  booming  of  cannon  in  the  direction  of  Sedg- 
wick's force  and  the  uninterrupted  vigilance  of  the  sharp- 
shooters, there  was  nothing  of  stirring  moment  until  about  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  the  2d  and  3d  Brigades  of  the 
division  began  preparations  for  an  advance. 

At  five  o'clock  they  moved  out,  and  the  ist  Brigade,  extend- 
ing its  intervals,  covered  their  ground  and  its  own.  They  were 
a  shapely  body ;  their  colors  fluttered  defiantly,  muskets  glis- 
tened brightly,  and  elbows  touched  lightly.  Preserving  their 
alignments  with  precision,  with  a  ringing  cheer  they  covered 


—  195  — 

the  intervening  open  space  at  the  double-quick,  and  were  soon 
lost  in  the  timber  beyond.  Their  disappearance  was  almost 
instantly  followed  by  startling  volleys  of  musketrj'.  and  then 
again  by  their  reappearance.  The  warm  reception  showed  a 
determined  occupation,  and  their  purpose  accomplished,  they 
were  at  once  returned  to  the  line  and  the  1st  Brigade  resumed 
its  proper  position. 

Active  hostilities  were  continued  in  the  direction  of  Fred- 
ericksburg. The  artillery  firing  increased  in  volume,  and  did 
not  subside  entirely  until  some  time  after  dark.  Alarms  on  the 
picker  line  occasionally  disturbed  the  night,  another  day  closed 
and  the  vexed  question  as  to  who  would  maintain  control  of 
tlje  situation  was  still  an  open  one.  Great  battles  are  said  to 
conclude  with  violent  storms.  So  far  the  inference  had  failed, 
and  the  5th  opened  with  the  usual  bright  inspiring  sunlight. 

Shortly  after  dawn  the  desultorj'  picket  firing  assumed  a 
scolding  tone,  and  continuing  for  some  time  a  persistent 
advance  broke  the  picket  line  in  front  of  the  1st  Michigan, 
and  the  pickets  fell  back  to  the  main  line.  The  enemy  pursued, 
advancing  beyond  the  cover  of  the  timber.  He  was  permitted 
to  enjoy  his  temporary'  advantage  until  the  field  was  cleared  of 
the  retiring  pickets,  when  several  well-directed  rounds  of  can- 
ister sent  him  quickly  to  his  cover  again. 

It  was  necessary  to  speedily  restore  the  broken  lines,  and  the 
duty  devolved  upon  details  from  the  ist  Brigade,  one  hundred 
and  sixty  of  whom,  with  a  proper  complement  of  officers,  were 
allotted  from  the  118th.  Captain  Donaldson  was  assigned  to 
the  command  of  the  entire  brigade  line;  Lieutenants  Batchel- 
der  and  Thomas  were  also  detailed  from  the  regiment,  and  Cap- 
tain O'Neill,  at  his  own  request,  was  permitted  to  accompany 
the  detachment  as  a  volunteer. 

O'Neill  was  a  quaint  character.  He  was  the  ranking  captain 
of  the  regiment,  but  on  this  occasion,  craving  some  excitement, 
freely  yielded  his  grade,  for,  as  he  oddly  expressed  it,  he  "  was 
divelish  tired  of  marking  time  behind  the  breastworks."  He 
reported  with  overcoat,  haversack,  and  shelter  tent,  equipped 


—  196  — 

for  a  lengthy  march.  When  his  attention  was  called  to  the  fact 
that  his  tour  of  duty  would  probably  be  short,  and  he  would 
likely  soon  return  to  his  place  in  the  line  again,  he  persistently 
declined  to  relieve  himself  of  his  burden,  remarking,  in  defence 
of  his  position,  "  There  is  nothing  like  alwa)  s  being  in  chune  '* 
(tune).  Translated,  he  meant  that  it  was  better  to  be  prepared 
for  an  emergency.  He  was  selected  for  the  prominent  place  of 
senior  captain,  as  he  had  seen  service  with  the  British  Indian 
contingent,  and  delighted  to  condemn  all  American  army  usages 
which  he  could  not  be  made  to  understand,  by  the  sweeping 
denunciation  that  "  that  was  not  the  way  they  did  it  in  Injee, 
when  he  served  with  her  Majesty's  39th  foot."  What  his 
Indian  service  was  was  never  fully  understood,  nor  did  he 
vouchsafe  to  boast  that  his  regiment,  besides  bearing  upon  its 
banners  the  evidence  of  its  achievements  in  the  Peninsular 
campaign,  bore  upon  them  also  the  still  prouder  distinction 
^^Primus  in  Indus"  for  its  eminent  services  with  Lord  Clive  at 
Plassey.  His  quaintness,  his  oddity,  his  national  mannerisms, 
his  brogue  and  his  many  mistakes,  which  he  had  a  happy  way 
of  gilding,  ever  supposing  they  had  passed  unnoticed  or  been 
forgotten,  had  secured  him  the  sobriquet  of  **  Owld  Teddy." 
Yet  with  all  his  want  of  knowledge  of  military  manoeuvres, 
his  intuitive  Irish  humor,  his  natural  hard  honest  sense,  his 
fierce  bravery,  his  unsparing  bitterness  against  the  enemy,  and 
his  "intense  desire  for  fight  had  caused  him  to  be  much 
respected.  It  was  this  disposition  not  to  miss  a  fight,  so  com- 
mon to  Irishmen,  that  doubtless  prompted  his  volunteer  service 
on  this  occasion. 

General  Griffin  personally  supervised  the  movement.  His  in- 
structions were,  that  in  case  of  a  failure  to  reach  the  timber,  the 
pickets  should  form  in  the  depression  about  half  way  across 
the  open  space,  that  the  artillery  might  fire  over  them,  to  aid 
their  further  progress.  The  signal  for  the  advance  was  to  be 
the  dropping  of  a  red  flag  in  one  of  the  batteries.  The  deploy- 
ment was  made  in  rear  of  the  works  with  shortened  intervals, 
and  the   men  were   personally  cautioned   as   to   their   duties 


—  'gr- 
and responsibilities.  They  seemed  to  be  in  special  humor  for 
their  task,  and  determined  that  nothing  should  stay  their 
advance  before  they  reached  the  timber.  They  felt  that  that 
once  gained,  their  dislodgement  would  be  difficult.  O'Neill 
was  assigned  to  the  right,  Batchelder  to  the  left.  At  a  con- 
certed signal  the  flag  was  dropped,  and  responsive  to  the 
■  double-quick,  charge,"  given  by  Captain  Donaldson  and  vo- 
ciferously repeated  all  along  the  line,  the  men  at  once  rushed 
from  their  conceal- 
ment and  gallantly 
breasted  the  storm 
of  bullets  that  met 
them  as  they  passed 
out  in  the  open  plam 
Kncouraging  shouts 
and  cheers  from  the 
brigade  greeted  the 
movement  and 
nerved  the  men  to 
an  accomplishment 
of  their  purpose 
Batchelder,  who,  as 
always,  was  pcr- 
-sonaliy  in  front  of 
his  line,  with  sword 
sUishing  the  air,  and 
shouting  loudly,  kept 
his  left  continually 
in  the  advance.  But  the  centre  and  right,  not  to  be  out- 
done, were  promptly  up,  and  the  whole  line,  without  hesitat- 
ing' at  the  tempting  cover  the  depression  invited,  and  facing 
ihc  blaze  of  musketry  that  flashed  from  the  timber,  li.id  soon 
!^^l^sed  the  euemys  fire  from  its  edge,  and  were  in  full  uccu- 
i.imcy  of  the  abandoned  line,  O'NV-ill  and  l!,ilchcKkT,  re-ard- 
ks-i  of  tiiL-ir  instructions,  in  the  c.vcitenient  uf  the  vcnturi-.  tluis 
lar  so   successful,  were   still  urging  their  men  forward.     Their 


,.  ilONALPSON 


_  198  — 

loud  vociferations  were  necessarily  restrained.  Batchelder 
quickly  subsided,  but  O'Neill,  in  anger  or  excitement,  contin- 
ually bearing  in  mind  a  man  in  his  company,  Tom  Scout,  whom 
he  especially  disliked,  incensed  at  the  restraint,  continued  to 
shout,  "  Out,  Scout,  bad  luck  to  yez,  why  do  yees  stand  mark- 
ing time  ?     Go  forward,  every  one  of  yees." 

When  these  officers  had  been  quieted  and  the  point  effectu- 
ally secured  for  the  establishment  of  the  line,-  as  is  not  unusual 
with  the  best  of  men  there  was  some  competition  for  trees. 
Choice  ones  of  large  circumference  had  been  each  seized  by 
three  or  four.  As  the  man  in  front  of  the  group  was  the  only 
one  who  could  use  his  rifle,  the  others  were  reluctantly  forced 
to  seek  other  cover  or  take  the  risk  of  open  exposure.  All, 
however,  stood  their  ground  and  maintained  their  fire,  and  the 
enemy,  who  had  it  all  their  own  way  while  the  troops  were 
crossing  the  plain  without  firing,  were  compelled  also  to  find 
protection  and  shoot  only  as  opportunity  offered.  Lieutenant 
Thomas,  meanwhile,  had  been  sent  to  report  the  successful 
occupation,  and,  returning  with  entrenching  tools,  individual 
rifle  pits  were  constructed  for  an  extended  stay.  Shortly  after 
their  completion  the  enemy  fell  back  and  their  fire  slackened, 
and  an  occasional  slouch  hat  bobbing  up  and  down  among  the 
bushes  was  all  that  could  be  seen  of  them. 

Thomas,  an  eminently  brave  and  excellent  officer,  fond  of  his 
creature  comforts,  always  secured  the  best  advantages  attainable 
for  their  satisfaction.  Opportunity  for  rest,  entertainment  or 
reflection,  if  not  interfering  with  his  duties,  he  habitually  man- 
aged to  enjoy,  if  at  all  within  reach.  Dangers  or  exposure  in 
no  way  interfered.  He  managed  to  have  constructed  for  him- 
self a  more  commodious  pit  than  the  others,  and,  quietly 
ensconcing  himself  under  its  protection,  selected  a  Waverly 
Magazine  from  among  other  literature  of  a  like  character  that 
had  been  abandoned  by  some  of  the  previous  occupants  of  the 
locality,  and  was  soon  lost  to  the  surroundings  absorbed  in  an 
entertaining  story. 

Meanwhile,  O'Neill   had  again  been  heard  from.    As  his 


—  199  — 

activity  liad  been  restraineti  in  checking  his  advance,  he  was 
determined  not  to  be  entirely  inactive,  and  had  opened  an 
unauthoiized  communication  with  the  enemy,  looking  to  a 
temporary  cessation  of  hostilities.  He  conducted  his  truce 
with  some  degree  of  diplomatic  skill.  Intimating  by  signs  he 
desired  to  hold  a  parley,  his  invitation  was  accepted,  and  the 
oflficcr  of  the  Confederate  pickets  met  him  at  a  log  about  half 
way  between  the  lines,  which  they  had  both  indicated  as  tlie 
point  for  the  conference.  There  they  seated  themselves,  and 
proceeded  with  deliberation  to  discuss  the  purpose  of  their 
mission.  O'Neill  cautiously  parried  all  attempts  to  ascertain 
hia  name  or  his  command,  and  the  strength  and  position  of  our 
forces.  Save  that  his  badge  showed  he  belonged  to  the  5th 
Corps,  and  the  number  in  his  cap  that  he  was  of  some  Ii8th 
Regiment,  nothing  was  disclosed.  They  freely  interchanged 
views  on  the  subject  of  picket  firing  after  troops  had  occupied 
the  same  position  upwards  of  twenty-four  hours,  in,  as  O'Neill 
expressed  it,  "  a  bit  of  a  talk,"  The  Confederate  oPficer  was 
firm  in  his  convictions  that,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  it 
was  a  useless  cxpasurc  and  a  waste  of  ammunition.  O'Neill 
agreed  with  him  and,  although  not  in  command,  assumed  to 
act  for  his  commanding  officer.  They  parted  with  the  under- 
standing that  the  firing  should  cease,  and  that  timely  notice 
should  be  given  if  either  side  was  ordered  to  open  again ;  or  if 
either  should  be  relieved,  and  the  troops  relieving  them  should 
not  agree  to  continue  the  truce.  O'Neill's  agreement  was 
tacitly  accepted,  and  the  understanding  was  faithfully  carried 
out  until  that  detachment  was  relieved. 

The  firing  was  .still  maintained  actively  on  the  immediate  left. 
Some  of  the  bullets  afier  passing  beyond  the  line  exploded.  Such 
cartridges,  unknown  to  our  use,  had  usually  been  considered 
the  English  explosive  ammunition,  imported  through  blockade- 
runners.  About  eleven  o'clock  a  small  party  appeared  in  that 
direction,  accompanied  by  a  mounted  officer  bearing  a  flag  of 
truce.  They  passed  through  the  lines,  and  as  the  fire  gradually 
slackened  and  finally  ceased  altogether,  it  indicated  that  the 


—  2(X)  — 

flag  had  been  respected.  Its  purpose  was  said  to  be  the 
recovery  of  the  body  of  Major  Chandler,  of  the  1 14th  Penn- 
sylvania. As  it  did  not  return  within  the  reach  of  observation, 
it  was  not  ascertained  whether  the  mission  was  successful. 

The  firing  in  the  timber  had  somewhat  subsided.  It  was  at 
a  distance  from  this  locality.  The  unburied  dead,  thickly 
strewn  everywhere,  indicated  the  vicinity  had  been  the  scene 
of  some  most  serious  fighting.  The  Confederate  dead  predom- 
inated, their  scanty  clothing  and  poor  equipments  in  marked 
contrast  with  the  more  substantial  and  better  appointments  of 
the  Union  men.  A  notable  peculiarity  was  the  unaccountable 
difference  in  the  positions  of  the  bodies  of  the  Union  and  the 
Confederate  dead.  The  former  were  all  upon  their  sides  or 
&ces,  with  their  knees  drawn  up,  while  the  latter  were  all  flat 
upon  their  backs,  their  legs  spread  out,  and  their  hands 
clinched  convulsively,  mostly  grasping  a  twig  or  bough. 
Several  attempts  were  made  to  account  for  this  noticeable 
difference,  but  none  seemed  satisfactory.  From  the  Union 
dead  all  the  haversacks  had  been  removed.  It  was  evident, 
short  as  his  supplies  had  run,  the  scanty  portion  remaining  was 
some  relief  to  his  more  famished  adversary. 

The  rations  had  not  been  replenished,  and,  though  the  old 
supply  was  now  entirely  gone,  other  comforts  were  measurably 
increased.  The  many  blankets  scattered  about  the  field  were 
gathered,  and  fifteen  or  twenty  appropriated  to  each  pit  Such 
an  agreeable  couch  was  most  unusual. 

The  quiet  afforded  opportunity  to  ascertain  the  losses. 
Quite  a  number  from  the  regiment  were  wounded  in  the  ad- 
vance across  the  plain,  and  several  had  been  hit  on  the  line  but 
refused  to  leave  their  post. 

The  prediction  of  the  battle  storm  was  verified  before  the 
day  closed.  About  two  o'clock  dense  clouds  suddenly  appeared 
in  every  direction,  followed  immediately  by  sweeping  torrents 
of  rain.  It  was  not  a  shower,  but  a  storm  of  strength  and 
force,  meant  to  discharge  all  the  accumulations  that  had  been 
gathering  unseen  for  the  several  previous  days.     The  pits  soon 


—  20I   ■ 

filled  with  water  and  were  untenable,  and  evcr>'thing  but  ammu- 
nition soaking  wtt. 

The  lowering  clouds  brought  on  darkness  early,  and  with  it 
came  an  intimation  from  tlie  enemy  that  they  were  about  to  be 
relieved  by  Mississippians.  Not  conversant  with  the  notions  of 
the  relief  on  the  subject  of  picket  firing,  they  suggested  ihc 
propriety  of  seeking  cover  and  watching  sharply.  The  temper- 
ature had  fallen,  the  mud  had  deepened,  and  the  pits,  with 
water  still  rising,  were  almost  overflowed.  Mindful  of  the 
terms  of  the  truce,  the  men  set  about  bailing  their  dug-outs, 
and  sought  the  cover  their  damp  and  muddy  waits  afforded. 
The  warning  had  come  none  too  soon,  as  ihe  relief,  with  no 
disposition  to  test  the  temper  of  their  adversaries,  immediately 
opened  an  angry  skirmish  fire.  Besides,  they  were  a  wicked, 
designing  crew,  continually  through  the  night  conceiving  pro- 
jects to  harass.  The  one  generally  practiced  was  to  cau- 
tiously creep  close  to  the  works,  then  suddenly  rise,  flash  a 
lantern,  fire  a  shot  and  disappear.  This  manceuvre  resulted  in 
several  disabling  wounds.  These  active  hostilities  permitted 
no  interval  for  bailing  out,  and  the  pits  were  again  soon  waist- 
deep.  It  was  one  satisfaction  to  know  the  enemy  were  equally 
uncomfortable,  and  another  to  feel  that  the  punishment  they 
were  inflicting  was  being  vigorously  applied  to  tliem. 

But  O'Neill  must  not  be  forgotten.  Just  as  the  storm  began 
he  had  conspicuously  pitched  his  shelter-tent  in  full  view  of  the 
enemy.  Plentifully  supplied  with  blankets,  protected  from  the 
storm,  he  was  hugely  enjoying  his  comforts,  whiling  away  the 
time  with  a  newspaper.  Meanwhile,  with  the  darkness,  the 
firing  was  resumed,  but  not  to  O'Neill's  discomfort.  He 
had  come  provided  with  all  appliances  for  a  lengthy  stay,  and 
audaciously  proceeded  to  light  up  his  den  and  adjust  his  candle 
to  continue  his  reading.  His  form  was  plainly  visible  under 
the  canvas,  and  there  he  lay  pursuing  his  readings,  utterly  heed- 
les.s  of  the  many  bullets  that  fell  about  the  lighted  target  he  so 
conspicuously  displayed.  Once  only  did  he  seem  disturbed,  as 
he  rose,  mumbling  imprecations,  to  stop  with  a  newspaper  a 


—   202   — 

bullet  hole  through  which  rain  was  dripping,  much  to  his 
annoyance.  To  repeated  directions  to  extinguish  his  light  he 
returned  the  answer  that  he  "  didn't  care  a  divil  for  the  firing, 
as  he  would  as  soon  be  shot  as  drowned  entirely.*'  As  his 
candle  was  noticed  to  be  flickering  in  its  socket,  he  was  per- 
mitted to  retain  it  until  it  was  wholly  extinguished.  He  never 
afterwards  explained  how  the  light  in  any  way  aided  the  canvas 
in  affording  protection  from  the  storm,  and  why  he  would  not 
have  been  just  as  likely  to  be  preserved  from  drowning  if  he 
had  depended  wholly  upon  it  and  abandoned  his  candle.  So 
it  was  generally  believed  that,  without  directly  asserting  it,  he 
meant  to  use  some  of  his  own  aphorisms  that  would  convey  to 
him,  if  it  did  not  to  others,  the  indifference  with  which  he 
usually  accepted  the  presence  of  danger. 

The  rain  had  so  covered  the  open  field  between  the  pickets 
and  the  main  line  as  to  throw  over  it  uncertain  reflections,  and 
induce  a  belief  that  objects,  real  or  imaginary,  were  occasionally 
moving  across  it.  About  one  o'clock  one  of  these  objects 
assumed  sufficient  reality  to  prompt  a  challenge  from  Captain 
Donaldson.  The  reply,  "  a  friend,"  followed  by  the  click  of  a 
pistol  trigger,  removed  all  doubts  and  the  soldierly  form  of 
Major  Herring,  whose  voice  had  been  recognized,  loomed  up 
through  the  darkness.  Assured  that  he  was  among  friends,  he 
approached  and  made  known  the  object  of  his  visit.  The  storm 
had  dispelled  any  idea  of  further  operations,  if  there  had  been 
any,  and  all  wheels  excepting  a  few  batteries  had,  during  the 
afternoon,  been  sent  to  the  other  side  of  the  river.  The  works 
had  been  rendered  untenable  by  the  openings  necessary  to  dis- 
charge the  water.  The  army  had  commenced  to  withdraw  at  dark, 
and  the  movement  thus  far  had  progressed  successfully.  He 
had  been  assigned  to  command  the  rear  guard,  with  instructions 
to  bring  off  the  pickets,  or  abandon  them  as  the  necessity  or 
opportunities  demanded.  Colonel  Hays,  with  the  1 8th  Massa- 
chusetts, who,  at  his  own  request,  had  been  detailed  to  support 
the  pickets  if  their  withdrawal  was  found  practicable,  was  just 
then  in  line  of  battle  between  the  picket  line  and  the  works. 


Major  Herring  fiad  been  floundering  about  in  the  darkness, 
vainly  searching  for  the  pickets  for  an  hour  or  more,  and  was 
utterly  lost  and  bewildered  when  he  came  upon  the  iSth  Massa- 
chusetts, bound  upon  the  same  search.  He  at  first  believed  he 
had  fallen  upon  a  body  of  the  enemy,  and  approached  with  some 
degree  of  caution,  but,  discovering  ultimately  the  organization 
and  its  purpose,  he  induced  Colonel  Hays  to  remain  outside  the 
works  and  await  his  return  from  a  further  search. 

The  withdrawal  of  the  pickets,  if  it  could  be  accomplished, 
was  to  take  place  without  delay,  and  when  Major  Herring 
returned  to  the  breastworks  there  were  still  some  two  hours  of 
darkness  left.  He  gave  instructions  to  assemble  the  pickets  at 
an  early  opportunity  and  retire  to  the  breastworks,  as  the  first 
rallying  point,  and  there  await  the  earliest  indications  of  day  for 
such  instructions  or  action  as  the  occasion  might  require.  By 
three  o'clock  they  were  all  assembled,  and  had  moved  stealthily 
over  the  plain  without  arousing  the  enemy's  suspicions,  and 
were  within  the  works  awaiting  daybreak.  There  was  much 
difficulty  in  arousing  the  men.  In  this  private  John  L.  Smith. 
of  Company  K,  an  active,  energetic  soldier,  materially  aided  the 
officers.  The  men  who  were  not  on  post  had  become  numbed 
and  chilled,  and  had  dropped  off  in  the  dee[)cst  slumbers.  One 
poor  fellow,  even  with  Smith's  energies,  would  not  stir,  and  had 
to  be  abandoned.  Noticing  the  withdrawal,  the  i8th  Massa- 
chusetts also  moved  inside  of  the  works  and  held  itself  in 
readiness  for  support. 

At  daybreak  the  enemy  moved  out  in  pursuit  Their  skir- 
mishers were  twice  the  front  that  was  obtainable  with  safe  inter- 
vals by  our  detail,  and  our  line  was  withdrawn  some  half  a  mile  to 
again  await  their  advance.  A  road  improvised  for  army  pur- 
poses was  the  only  pathway  through  the  woods.  The  mud  was 
knee-deep,  and  the  rain  still  poured  incessantly.  A  number  of 
caissons  and  battery  wagons  mired  to  the  axle  had  been  aban- 
doned. Another  day's  delay  might  have  materially  interfered 
with  a  successful  withdrawal. 

The  enemy  again  appeared,  this  time  more  vigorously.     An 


—    204  — 

active  encounter  ensued,  and  their  onslaught  was  repulsed. 
Batchelder  pressed  his  advantage  handsomely  on  the  left,  and 
pushed  them  back  some  distance.  Major  Herring,  who  retained 
command  of  the  rear  guard  during  the  entire  withdrawal,  had 
now  succeeded  in  securing  a  fresh  detail  from  the  brigade,  to 
relieve  some  of  the  famished  and  exhausted  men  who  had  served 
so  continuously  and  faithfully.  They  were  sent  to  reinforce 
Batchelder,  who  was  instructed  to  extend  his  left  and  keep  it 
well  refused.  This  movement  seemed  to  attract  some  atten- 
tion,  as  it  was  followed  by  a  stiff  and  persistent  attack  on  the 
centre.  It  produced  a  momentary  panicy  sensation,  but  confi- 
dence was  immediately  regained  and  the  line  promptly  restored. 
Colonel  Hays  treated  it  in  an  unwarrantably  boisterous  manner, 
drew  his  pistol  and  berated  the  men  with  language  they  illy 
deserved.  His  attention  was  called  to  the  restored  condition 
of  things,  he  subsided  to  his  accustomed  affability,  and  leaving 
a  portion  of  his  own  men  as  reinforcements  returned  to  his 
immediate  command. 

This  skirmish  had  subsided  when  a  captain  of  the  reguW 
brigade,  under  instructions  from  General  Ayres,  appeared  upon 
the  scene,  and  deploying  his  detachment  attempted  to  assume 
entire  control.  His  conduct  was  sternly  protested  against  by 
Captain  Donaldson,  and  he  was  informed  that  the  troops  he 
was  attempting  to  relieve  were  covering  the  rear  of  the  army, 
by  direction  of  General  Barnes,  commanding  the  1st  Brigade 
of  the  1st  Division,  5th  Corps,  and  placed  there  by  his  orders, 
and  would  only  be  relieved  by  them  or  those  of  his  superior, 
and  that  General  Ayres  \ras  not  recognized  as  such  superior. 
After  much  parley  and  palaver  and  reference  of  the  question 
to  General  Griffin,  who  decided  the  regular  had  no  business 
there,  he  finally  withdrew.  As  it  subsequently  appeared,  al 
though  no  one  seemed  to  know  it  just  at  that  time,  General 
Ayres  had  been  detailed  as  the  general  officer  of  the  pickets, 
with  special  instructions  to  cover  the  withdrawal  of  the  army, 
and  his  authority  was,  of  course,  supreme. 

The  pickets  continued  to  fall  back  slowly,  fighting  all  the 


—  205  — 

way  and  halting  at  times  to  let  everything  get  over  the  bridges, 
until  they  reached  the  edge  of  the  timber  which  overlooked 
United  States  Ford.  From  there  to  the  river  the  land  was 
cleared  and  sloped  gradually  to  the  ford.  The  left  bank  was 
lined  with  artillery  in  batlerj".  The  enemy  again  began  to 
press  actively,  when,  obedient  to  command,  the  skirmishers  fell 
back  at  double-quick  to  the  foot  of  the  slope,  where,  assembling 
on  the  centre,  they  were  out  of  the  range  of  the  guns,  which 
instantly  swept  the  forests  with  rattling  discharges,  continuing 
the  practice  until  the  pickets  were  all  over  and  the  bridges 
removed.  Their  removal,  in  which  the  picket  detachment 
assisted,  began  about  nine  o'clock,  and,  amid  the  pour  of  rain 
and  roar  of  guns,  was  soon  successfully  accomplished." 

This  whole  aflair,  conducted  with  skill,  tact  and  courage, 
received  the  personal  commendation  of  the  regimental,  brigade 
and  division  commanders,  the  latter  of  whom  mentioned  that 
in  announcing  it  in  general  orders,  as  he  intended  to  do,  he 
would  make  special  mention  of  the  commanding  officer. 

Other  detachments  from  the  brigade  reported,  and  all  set 
about  the  laborious  work  of  loading  the  pontoons.  It  was 
nearly  night  when  the  work  was  finished,  and  the  march  com- 
menced back  to  the  old  camping-ground,  most  of  the  army 
having  reached  their  winter  encampment  during  the  day. 

The  artillery  and  caissons  had  ploughed  the  road  into  a  con- 
dition that  made  the  marching  of  the  men  more  like  the  work- 
ing of  a  tread-mill  than  anything  else.  Here  and  there  the 
road  passed  over  clay  land.  These  spots  had  been  made  pools 
of  paddled  clay,  but  their  smooth  surfaces  looked,  in  the  dark- 
ness, like  stretches  of  sand.  William  Gabe.  of  Company  K. 
taking  one  of  them  for  solid  ground,  was  disappointed,  and 
tumbled  in.  He  was  fished  out  after  one-half  of  his  body  wa-f 
submerged.     Daylight,  next  morning,  showed  him  to  be  half 


•  The-  Complc  de  Paris  »ays  in  his  work,  ••  The  Hisiory  of  ihe  Civil  War  in 
America,"  Vol.  III.,  p.  1 13  ;  ^  It  (5lh  Curps)  ciiused  uvet  thv  (wo  bridges,  leav- 
ing ihe  iKMt  of  honor — which  was  the  lear  guanl  of  ihe  vhulc  arm]' — to  (he  regu- 
l.ir  inranlijr."     Ihe  text  Rally  cnnlradicls  this  italemcDl,  and  the  text  is  right. 


—  206  — 

blue  and  half  yellow — a  sort  of  harlequin  uniform,  hitherto 
unknown  in  the  army. 

Passing  Hartwood  Church,  sorely  tempted  by  the  familiar 
.surroundings  and  the  prospect  of  a  substantial  meal,  several 
officers  quietly  dropped  out.  After  a  free  indulgence  in  coffee, 
corn-bread,  ham  and  hominy,  they  sought  the  farmer's  wood- 
shed, just  for  a  little  further  rest.  They  had  no  notion  of 
remaining  but  a  moment,  but  weary  and  jaded  they  soon 
forgot  themselves  in  sleep,  and  knew  nothing  of  their  where- 
abouts until  the  breaking  day  aroused  them  to  the  reality  of 
their  situation,  and  they  hurriedly  resumed  their  journey. 
They  had  progressed  but  a  few  miles  when  their  tramp  was 
suddenly  interrupted  by  the  approach  of  a  general  officer  and 
his  staff.  The  general  officer  proved  to  be  General  Wadsworth, 
who  angrily  inquired  what  spirit  of  demoralization  was  prevalent 
in  the  5th  Corps  which  would  permit  a  half  dozen  officers  to  be 
straggling  some  five  or  ten  miles  from  their  command.  He 
demanded  to  know  their  names  and  organizations.  One  of 
the  number,  quick  at  manufactured  and  ready  responses,  replied 
that  they  belonged  to  Colonel  Johnson's  25th  New  York,  and 
gave,  as  the  reason  for  straggling,  that  the  colonel  had  led  off 
on  the  return  march  at  such  a  rapid  rate  that  it  was  impossible 
to  keep  up  with  him,  and  that  weary  and  worn  they  had  reluct- 
antly fallen  out,  and  were  now  making  haste  to  rejoin  their  com- 
mand. Fictitious  names  were  furnished  the  general,  who  left 
with  the  remark  that  he  would  take  pains  to  have  Greneral 
Griffin  informed  of  the  utter  lack  of  discipline  existing  in  his 
25th  New  York  Regiment.  Whether  Colonel  Johnson  ever 
heard  of  the  affair  was  never  ascertained ;  probably  not,  as  the 
party,  who  themselves  kept  the  matter  concealed,  never  heard 
that  he  did.  The  25th  New  York,  too,  had  been  purposely 
selected,  as  it  was  a  two-years  regiment,  with  its  term  about 
expiring,  which  made  it  less  likely  that  the  occurrence,  with 
troops  so  soon  to  leave  the  service,  would  ever  be  seriously 
inquired  into. 

The  half-dozen  officers  were  not  all  who  fell  out  by  the  way. 


—   208   — 

As  the  regiment  came  to  a  piece  of  woods  that  seemed  to 
invite  by  its  shelter  and  material  for  fires,  nearly  all  quietly  left 
the  lines  and  bivouacked.  After  the  fighting  and  marching  from 
the  time  the  movement  commenced,  and  the  arduou's  duty  that 
the  regiment  had  been  performing  for  over  thirty  consecutive 
hours,  it  was  a  fraction  too  much  to  expect  them  to  march  in 
mud  and  rain  and  blinding  darkness,  a  distance  of  twelve  miles 
or  more. 

The  return  to  the  Potomac  Creek  Camp  did  not  wholly  con- 
clude the  campaign.  Through  some  misunderstanding  the 
troops  assigned  to  guard  the  pontoon  train  on  its  return  march 
had  permitted  it  to  find  its  way  home  alone.  When  this  appa- 
rent abandonment  was  known,  considerable  anxiety  was  mani- 
fested for  its  safety,  and  on  the  8th  a  detachment  of  the  i  iSth, 
under  Major  Herring,  was  sent  to  its  assistance.  He  marched 
all  day,  bivouacking  for  the  night  at  Berea  Church,  on  the  plan- 
tation of  a  Miss  Withers,  and  there  ascertaining  the  train  had 
meanwhile  safely  reached  its  park,  returned  the  next  day  to  the 
regiment. 

One  of  the  detachment  sent  on  this  duty,  a  German,  foot-sore 
and  weary,  on  the  return  march  gave  out  and  sat  down  by  the 
roadside,  demoralized  to  the  utmost.  A  teamster,  driving  by, 
upbraided  him  for  falling  out.  Chris,  for  that  was  his  name,  in 
mixed  English,  answered :  "  Yah,  dot  is  very  nice  for  you  fel- 
lers vot  all  the  times  rides  mules,  but  if  you  has  to  valk  on  your 
own  feet,  you  don't  speak  so  much  about  it."  The  teamster,  a 
good-natured  fellow,  told  him  to  get  on  one  of  the  mules,  and, 
that  he  might  do  so,  halted  his  team.  Chris  accomplished  the 
feat  of  mounting  the  mule  after  several  efforts,  but  in  doing  so 
he  happened  to  touch  his  royal  cussedness  with  his  musket. 
A  loud  bray  and  the  upward  extension  of  a  pair  of  hind  heels 
followed,  with  a  corresponding  depression  of  the  mule's  forward 
part,  and  Chris  and  his  musket  departed  from  the  mule,  and  slid 
along  on  the  mud  in  front  of  the  team.  There  was  an  exchange 
of  profanity  between  the  teamster  and  Chris,  and  the  latter  went 
limping  on  his  way,  a  sadder  and  lamer  man. 


ATS  MV  qvekcoat! !  ! 

The  mind  of  tlic  ;irniy  mule  seemeiJ  to  pervade  not  only  its 
brain,  but  its  ears,  tail  and  heels.  He  was  subject  to  sudden 
transitions  from  joy  to  sorrow,  which  were  punctuated  in  his 
own  way. 

It  was  Gen.  Hooker  who  invented  the  pack-mule  system. 
Tile  pack  mule,  when  loaded  on  each  side  and  with  a  medley  of 
camp  kettles  and  entrenching  tools  on  top,  was.  to  express  it 
mildly,  grotesque.  Profanity  was  considered  indispensable  in 
mule-driving. 

The  value  of  the  mule  in  the  army  was  very  great  on 
account  of  its  being  less  liable  to  injury  than  the  horse,  and 
because  it  could  adapt  itself  to  circumstances  much  better. 

Hefore  the  war  a  dead  rnuie  was  seldom  seen.  One  would 
think  they  lived  forever.  Dead  mules  were  very  plenty  in  the 
army.  They  were  hard  to  kill.  They  gnawed  the  poles  off 
the  wagons.  To  prevent  this  destruction  they  were  wound 
around  with  hoop  iron.  Trees  and  brush  were  often  dragged 
in  front  of  the  wagons  for  the  mules  to  feed  on. 

It  bore  hard  usage  and  scoffs  and  sneers  with  uncomplain- 
ing heroisn).  and  was  found  dead  on  all  the  battlefields  of  the 
war.  It  was  of  inestimable  value  to  tlie  army,  and  it  is  doubt- 
lul  if  the  v.iried  operations  could  have  been  conducted  with- 
out it. 

Is  it  too  much  to  say  that  to  it.  above  some  other  di.stin- 
guished  claicnants.  should  be  given  the  credit  of  having  saved 
the  Union?  And  it  has  never  been  known  to  get  a  pension 
nor  ask  for  one. 


THE  ARMY   MULE. 


For  yetrs  upon  yeare,  very  patiently,  loo, 
I've  wailed  (or  some  one  lo  give  me  my  due. 
The  officers,  soldiers,  the  batteries,  flags, 
The  donkeys  at  all  kinds,  the  cavalry's  na^. 
Have  been  menlioned  with  praise.     It  seems  t< 
That  mine  sliuuld  remember  the  uU  army  mule 


Though  my  v 
At  the  last  I  ; 


I  Tuded  IhE  hirii-tacki  L  cbewed  U|i  ihe  len*si 
In  MimFbody'i  ribs  made  ■  couple  of  dcnii, 
A^.  doubled  Ihe  fellow  who  was  sucb  a  fool 
As  lo  tickle  llie  side  of  the  old  army  mule. 

1  Hopped  when  I  chose ;  weni  on  wlxea  It  suited 
Myself)  not  because  I  wis  beslen  or  booled. 
We  gave  the  bold  Southrons  a  terrible  licking; 
While  you  did  the  (ighting,  'Iwas  I  did  tbt  kicking. 

If  I  share  not  the  hotion  with  you  in  your  pride, 
Why  did  they  put  L'S  in  plain  siglit  on  niy  >ii<le  ? 
Ah ',  the  war  day;  are  over ;  old  friendi  have  grown  Ci 
To  the  brokeO'duwn,  pen&ionlcss,  old  army  mule. 


Ai  I  creep  down  the  tow-paiti,  the  old  txiat  behind. 
The  day>  that  hive  vanished  come  hack  to  my  mind 
When  fot*ge  was  plenty ;  hnw  luscious  and  sweel 
The  iuicy,  green  oats  and  the  young,  lender  when!  I 

How  often  at  night  when  the  teams  reached  their  goal. 
And  forage  was  missing,  I  had  but  a  roll. 
Ah  I  life  on  the  tow-path,  ■  tyrant  to  rule. 
Will  soon  end  the  days  of  the  old  army  mulct 


—  206  — 

blue  and  half  yellow — ^a  sort  of  harlequin  uniform,  hitherto 
unknown  in  the  army. 

Passing  Hartwood  Church,  sorely  tempted  by  the  familiar 
surroundings  and  the  prospect  of  a  substantial  meal,  several 
officers  quietly  dropped  out.  After  a  free  indulgence  in  coffee, 
corn-bread,  ham  and  hominy,  they  sought  the  farmer's  wood- 
shed, just  for  a  little  further  rest.  They  had  no  notion  of 
remaining  but  a  moment,  but  weary  and  jaded  they  soon 
forgot  themselves  in  sleep,  and  knew  nothing  of  their  where- 
abouts until  the  breaking  day  aroused  them  to  the  reality  of 
their  situation,  and  they  hurriedly  resumed  their  journey. 
They  had  progressed  but  a  few  miles  when  their  tramp  was 
suddenly  interrupted  by  the  approach  of  a  general  officer  and 
his  staff".  The  general  officer  proved  to  be  General  Wadsworth, 
who  angrily  inquired  what  spirit  of  demoralization  was  prevalent 
in  the  5th  Corps  which  would  permit  a  half  dozen  officers  to  be 
straggling  some  five  or  ten  miles  from  their  command.  He 
demanded  to  know  their  names  and  organizations.  One  of 
the  number,  quick  at  manufactured  and  ready  responses,  replied 
that  they  belonged  to  Colonel  Johnson's  25th  New  York,  and 
gave,  as  the  reason  for  straggling,  that  the  colonel  had  led  off" 
on  the  return  march  at  such  a  rapid  rate  that  it  was  impossible 
to  keep  up  with  him,  and  that  weary  and  worn  they  had  reluct- 
antly fallen  out,  and  were  now  making  haste  to  rejoin  their  com- 
mand. Fictitious  names  were  furnished  the  general,  who  left 
with  the  remark  that  he  would  take  pains  to  have  General 
Griffin  informed  of  the  utter  lack  of  discipline  existing  in  his 
25th  New  York  Regiment.  Whether  Colonel  Johnson  ever 
heard  of  the  affair  was  never  ascertained ;  probably  not,  as  the 
party,  who  themselves  kept  the  matter  concealed,  never  heard 
that  he  did.  The  25th  New  York,  too,  had  been  purposely 
selected,  as  it  was  a  two-years  regiment,  with  its  term  about 
expiring,  which  made  it  less  likely  that  the  occurrence,  with 
troops  so  soon  to  leave  the  service,  would  ever  be  seriously 
inquired  into. 

The  half-dozen  officers  were  not  all  who  fell  out  by  the  way. 


—   208   — 

As  the  regiment  came  to  a  piece  of  woods  that  seemed  to 
invite  by  its  shelter  and  material  for  fires,  nearly  all  quietly  left 
the  lines  and  bivouacked.  After  the  fighting  and  marching  from 
the  time  the  movement  commenced,  and  the  arduou's  duty  that 
the  regiment  had  been  performing  for  over  thirty  consecutive 
hours,  it  was  a  fraction  too  much  to  expect  them  to  march  in 
mud  and  rain  and  blinding  darkness,  a  distance  of  twelve  miles 
or  more. 

The  return  to  the  Potomac  Creek  Camp  did  not  wholly  con- 
clude the  campaign.  Through  some  misunderstanding  the 
troops  assigned  to  guard  the  pontoon  train  on  its  return  march 
had  permitted  it  to  find  its  way  home  alone.  When  this  appa- 
rent abandonment  was  known,  considerable  anxiety  was  mani- 
fested for  its  safety,  and  on  the  8th  a  detachment  of  the  i  iSth, 
under  Major  Herring,  was  sent  to  its  assistance.  He  marched 
all  day,  bivouacking  for  the  night  at  Berea  Church,  on  the  plan- 
tation of  a  Miss  Withers,  and  there  ascertaining  the  train  had 
meanwhile  safely  reached  its  park,  returned  the  next  day  to  the 
regiment. 

One  of  the  detachment  sent  on  this  duty,  a  German,  foot-sore 
and  weary,  on  the  return  march  gave  out  and  sat  down  by  the 
roadside,  demoralized  to  the  utmost.  A  teamster,  driving  by, 
upbraided  him  for  falling  out.  Chris,  for  that  was  his  name,  in 
mixed  English,  answered :  "  Yah,  dot  is  very  nice  for  you  fel- 
lers vot  all  the  times  rides  mules,  but  if  you  has  to  valk  on  your 
own  feet,  you  don't  speak  so  much  about  it."  The  teamster,  a 
good-natured  fellow,  told  him  to  get  on  one  of  the  mules,  and, 
that  he  might  do  so,  halted  his  team.  Chris  accomplished  the 
feat  of  mounting  the  mule  after  several  efforts,  but  in  doing  so 
he  happened  to  touch  his  royal  cussedness  with  his  musket. 
A  loud  bray  and  the  upward  extension  of  a  pair  of  hind  heels 
followed,  with  a  corresponding  depression  of  the  mule's  forward 
part,  and  Chris  and  his  musket  departed  from  the  mule,  and  slid 
along  on  the  mud  in  front  of  the  team.  There  was  an  exchange 
of  profanity  between  the  teamster  and  Chris,  and  the  latter  went 
limping  on  his  way,  a  sadder  and  lamer  man. 


"that's  mv  overcoat!!!" 

The  mind  of  the  army  mule  seejiied  to  pervade  not  only  its 
brain,  but  its  cars,  tail  and  heels.  He  was  subject  to  sudden 
transitions  from  joy  to  sorrow,  which  were  punctuated  in  his 
own  way. 

It  was  Gen.  Hooker  who  invented  the  pack-mule  system. 
The  pack  mule,  when  loaded  on  each  side  and  with  a  medley  of 
camp  kettles  and  entrenching  tools  on  top,  was,  to  e.-cpress  it 
mildly,  grotesque.  Profanity  was  considered  indispensable  in 
mule -driving. 

The  value  of  the  mule  in  the  army  was  very  great  on 
account  of  its  being  less  liable  to  injury  than  the  horse,  and 
because  it  could  adapt  itself  to  circumstances  much  better. 

Before  the  war  a  dead  ihuIl-  was  seldom  seen.  One  would 
think  they  lived  forever.  Dead  mules  were  very  plenty  in  the 
army.  They  were  hard  to  kill.  Tliey  gnawed  the  poles  off 
tlie  waE:;ons.  To  prevent  this  destruction  they  were  wound 
around  with  hoop  iron.  Trees  and  brush  were  often  dragged 
in  front  of  the  wagons  for  the  mules  to  feed  on. 

It  boro  hard  us.ige  and  .scoffs  and  sneers  with  uncomplain- 
ing hcrnistii,  and  was  found  dead  on  all  the  battlefields  of  the 
war.  It  was  of  inestimable  value  to  the  army,  and  it  is  doubt- 
lul  if  till--  vaiicd  operations  could  have  been  conducted  willi- 


Is  it  to'i  much  to  say  that  to  it.  above  some  other  distin- 
guished claimants,  should  be  given  the  credit  of  having  .saved 
thu  Union  ?  And  it  has  never  been  known  to  get  a  pension 
nor  ask  for  one. 


THE  ARMY   MULR 


For  years  upon  years,  vciy  patiently,  too, 
I've  wailed  for  some  one  to  give  me  my  due. 
The  officers,  soldiers,  the  batteries,  flags. 
The  donkeys  of  all  kinds,  the  cavalry's  nags. 
Have  been  mentioned  with  praise.     It  seems  i 
That  none  should  remember  the  old  army  muli 


Though  my  voice  is  no  longer  so  vibrani  or  slrong. 

At  the  last  I  am  driven  lo  sing  my  own  song. 

Kor,  boys,  you  remember,  as  surely  you  must, 

1  brought  up  your  rations  through  mud  and  through  dus 


I  nided  the  hud-tack;  i  chewed  up  ihc  tents; 
tn  somebody's  nin  mode  •  couple  of  dents, 
A^.  doubled  the  fellow  who  twu  such  a  fool 
As  lo  tickle  the  side  of  the  olJ  army  mute, 

I  slopped  wben  1  chute ;  went  on  when  it  wiled 
Myself;  not  becsuic  I  was  bea.ten  or  booted. 
We  gave  the  bold  Souihtons  a  terrible  licking ; 
While  you  did  ihe  tighling,  'twas  I  did  the  kicking. 

If  I  iktit  not  the  honon  with  you  in  your  pride. 
Why  did  they  put  US  in  plain  sight  on  my  «ide? 
Ah !  the  wat  dftys  arc  over ;  old  friends  have  grown  ci 
To  the  broken-down,  pensionlcii^.  old  arniy  mule. 


As  1  creep  down  the  tow-puli.  the  old  boat  behind, 
The  days  that  have  vanished  come  luck  to  my  mind 
When  forage  was  plenty;  how  luwious  and  iweei 
The  juicy,  green  oila  and  the  young,  tender  wheat  I 

How  often  at  night  when  the  teama  reached  their  goal. 
And  forage  was  missing,  I  had  but  a  toll. 
Ah !  life  on  the  tow-path,  a  tyrant  to  rule. 
Will  soon  end  the  days  of  the  old  army  mule  I 


is 


—  309  — 

Neither  General  Griffin  nor  Colonel  Prevost  ever  made  an 
official  report  of  the  operations  of  the  regiment  or  division. 
There  are  no  official  utterances  i  n  tlie  records  of  the  part  taken 
in  the  engagement  by  the  regiment,  or  the  observations  which 
came  within  its  scope,  except  in  General  Meade's  report  of  the 
corps,  and  General  Bamess  of  the  brigade  and  General  Sykcs'a 
of  his  division.  Official  reports  necessarily  avoid  adverse  com- 
ment or  criticism,  and  they  are  al!  silent  on  the  subject  of  itic 
neglect  to  improve  the  op[jortunity  offered  for  the  occupation 
of  the  important  ridge  on  the  30th,  or  its  subsequent  unfor- 
tunate abandonment,  after  it  had  been  carried  by  Sykes's  hard 
fighting  on  the  ist.  Most  of  the  contributions  to  war  literature 
from  both  sides  are.  however,  confirmatory  of  the  impression* 
abroad  in  the  army  at  the  moment,  and  unhesitatingly  pro- 
nounce the  act  a  lamentable  blunder. 

Another  futile  effort  had  staggered  a  disappointed  country, 
and  Chanccllorsville  was  numbered  with  the  other  disasters. 
Hut  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  with  its  seventeen  thousand  one 
hundred  and  ninety-seven,  killed,  wounded  and  missing,  its 
buoyancy  checked,  and  its  cxpcctitions  unrealized,  was  still 
resolute  of  purpose,  confident  in  strength,  and  firm  in  convic- 
tion that  it  would  yet  gain  the  mastery.  Neither  the  army  nor 
the  people  had  yet  learned  that  the  irresistible  Anglo-isaxon 
race,  when  its  repre.sentativcs  were  battling  against  each  other, 
could  only  be  subdued  when  one  side  or  the  other  should  be 
worn  into  submission. 

For  the  wani  of  ■  nail  the  shoe  wu  lost. 
For  the  winl  of  a  shoe  the  horse  was  losl. 
For  the  want  of  a  horse  the  general  was  lost. 
For  the  want  of  a  general  the  battle  was  lost. 

Hooker  lost  his  head  entirely.  The  Army  of  the  Potomac 
never  had  such  a  good  opportunity  to  defeat  Lee's  army  as  it 
had  at  this  battle.  The  order  of  withdrawal  was  a  cause  of 
astonishment  to  every  intelligent  soldier.  No  historian  can 
ever  gloss  over  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville. 


CHAPTER  \ail. 

AFTER   CHANCELLORSVILLE — CAMP   AT   GOLD   FARM,  ALDIE, 

MIDDLEBURG,  UPPERVILLE,  VA. 

''JOIN  THE  cavalry:' 

Came  a  troop  with  broadswords  swinging. 
Bits  and  bridles  ringing. 

IN  the  course  of  a  week  after  the  collapse  at  Chancellors- 
ville,  by  dint  of  close  application,  the  regiment  had  slept, 
ate,  and  brushed  itself  into  something  like  its  normal  condition. 

Even  Scipio  Africanus,  whose  face  had  been  uneasily  solemn 
since  the  light  from  the  bursting  shell  shone  upon  its  terror  in 
the  wilderness,  had  so  far  recovered  his  spirits  as  to  laugh  at  his 
adventure,  and  give  his  own  version  (not  exactly  truthful)  of  it 
to  the  other  servants  of  the  officers,  as  follows : 

"  I  was  jes  standin'  wid  de  offisuz,  and  bime-by,  when  nobody 
wuzn't  thinkin*  nuthin,  de  reb  guns  go  boom !  boom !  an*  de 
shells  begin  to  fizz  and  screech,  and  drop  roun'  us  like  sparks 
from  a  skyrocker.  Golly!  we  a'most  think  the  end  uv  the 
world  am  cum  fur  sartin,  an'  we  dun  no  which  end.  Den  de 
cap'n  ax  me  would  I  take  a  messuj  to  de  rear;  an*  I  starts 
wid  de  messuj,  an'  I  didn't  git  but  a  piece  when  bang!  der  cum 
a  shell  an'  bust  right  in  front  o'  me ;  an'  wun  dis  side,  an'  wun 
dat.  I  jes  walk  back  and  tell  de  cap'n  dar  ain't  no  rear.  An' 
I  tell  yer,  gemmen,  de  hones'  trufe,  my  hair's  a'most  straight 
eber  sense." 

It  was  the  mellow  Virginia  spring-time.  The  giant  oaks  and 
tapering  pines  had  vanished.  The  vast  forests  had  yielded  to 
the  winter's  needs.  The  sturdy  axes  of  the  Northmen  had 
cleared  the  acreage  the  great  army  covered,  and  made  an  arable 
soil  ready  for  thrifty  husbandmen  when  war  should  cease. 

The  spring-time  brought  with  it  no  change  of  garb.  There 
were  no  alterations  fixed  by  fashion  for  the  different  seasons. 
The  same  shaped  clothing,  of  the  same  texture  and  in  the  same 

(2IO) 


color,  was  suitable  for  winter  and  summer  alike.  Some  of  the 
officers  affected  a  little  tone  by  occasionally  appearing  in  top- 
boots  and  corduroy  pants,  and  neat-fitting  jacket — sometimes, 
however,  to  their  discomfiture. 

Dress-parade  was  in  progress  on  a  genial  afternoon,  and 
General  Griffin's  presence  had  stiffened  tlie  men  to  their  best 
endeavors.  The  adjutant  was  peculiarly  happy,  his  natty 
jacket,  well-polished  top-boots  outside  his  pants,  and  his  neat- 
fitting  corduroys  setting  off  his  .shape  immensely.  But  it  was 
not  uniform.  He  had  reached  the  "  Sir,  the  parade  is  formed," 
when  the  general,  who  had  kept  his  eye  upon  him  alone,  could 
remain  silent  no  longer.  "  No,  it  is  not,  sir !"  said  he,  address- 
ing the  adjutant,  "nor  will  it  be  until  yon  return  from  your 
quarters  clothed  in  the  uniform  of  your  rank;  and.  recollect, 
sir,  with  your  pants  outside  of  your  boots."  And  then  turning 
to  the  colonel,  "  I  had  hoped,  sir,  this  would  have  received 
attention  before  I  was  compelled  to  notice  it.  You  will  bring 
your  command  to  an  order  and  await  the  adjutant's  return." 

The  adjutant,  meekly  submissive,  shortly  appeared  properly 
clothed  and  the  ceremony  was  concluded.  His  subset^uent 
orders  lacked  much  of  the  snap  with  which  he  opened. 

At  other  times  a  disposition  to  be  unduly  careless  met  with 
like  reproof  General  Griffin,  during  the  hour  for  company 
drills,  riding  through  the  division  to  observe  the  regard  paid  to 
this  requirement,  happened  upon  a  captain  of  repute,  who  wore 
a  brown  knit  jacket  instead  of  an  officer's  coat.  The  captain 
continued  to  manceuvre  his  company,  with  that  special  care  and 
little  self-importance  always  assumed  when  in  the  presence  of 
superiors.  The  general  interrupted  him  stveral  times,  address- 
ing him  as-sergeant.  The  captain  resented  the  application  of  the 
title  and  was  at  some  pains  to  repeatedly  announce  his  rank. 
The  general  was  equally  firm  in  his  insistence  upon  the  desig- 
nation he  had  first  used,  and  ultimately  explained  he  could 
recognize  no  commissioned  officer  in  such  an  unsightly  garb 
di.scharging  the  duties  of  his  office.  He  ordered  the  captain  to 
repair  to  his  quarters  and  change  his  coat,  and  that  meanwhile 


—   212  — 

he  would  take  charge  of  the  company.  He  drilled  it  for  some 
time  and  when  the  captain  returned  in  his  uniform,  addressing 
him  by  his  title,  administering  some  wholesome  advice  upon  the 
subject  of  dress,  dignity,  and  use  of  the  insignia  of  rank,, 
directed  him  to  continue  the  exercises. 

In  seasons  of  idleness  the  soldier  delighted  in  promulgating 
stories  of  operations  stupendous  for  their  magnitude  or  ridicu- 
lous from  their  absurdity.  Of  the  latter  were  those  which 
encouraged  the  credulous  to  look  for  assignment  in  the  vicinity 
of  some  large  northern  city,  or  to  garrison  duty  in  the  coast 
defences.  These  the  lingo  of  the  day  denominated  "  soft 
snaps. ' 

The  source  of  these  rumors,  when  least  likely  to  be  true,  or 
so  choice  in  the  selection  of  assignments  as  to  be  wholly  beyond 
realization,  were  generally  traced  to  the  company  cooks,  and 
were  usually  dismissed  by  the  incredulous  and  thoughtful  as 
"  cook-house  talk."  One  prevalent  about  this  time,  that  gained 
some  credence  because  of  its  continuance,  was  that  the  Ii8th 
was  shortly  to  be  sent  to  Pennsylvania  for  duty  at  the  arsenals 
and  supply  depots.  Gradually  these  stories  drifted  into  forget- 
fulness,  but  not  before  severe  imprecations  were  heaped  on 
the  poor  cooks  for  concocting  such  baseless  fabrications. 

The  25th  New  York,  with  others  of  the  earlier  regiments 
from  that  State,  were  enlisted  for  two  years.  The  term  of 
service  was  about  expiring.  According  to  the  computation 
made  by  the  men  the  time  had  expired,  but  by  the  government 
calculation  there  was  still  another  month  due.  This  month's 
service  it  was  determined  should  be  exacted.  As  a  result  of 
this  decision  the  regiment  first  became  refractory  and  ultimately 
mutinous.  Their  officers  could  neither  enforce  duty  nor  exact 
obedience,  and  threats  to  forcibly  resist  all  authority  resulted 
in  the  regiment  being  kept  continually  under  guard.  This, 
unpleasant  duty  fell  upon  the  other  organizations  of  the 
brigade,  and  for  the  entire  month  a  wing  of  a  regiment  always 
had  the  rebellious  regiment  in  charge. 

They  were  also  kept  on  short  rations.     But  their  guards  felt 


—   213  ~ 

that  they  were  being  unjustly  treated,  and  exhibited  their 
sympathy  by  looking  another  way  and  patroling  in  anotlier 
<lircction,  while  bags  of  hard-tack  and  quantities  oF  pork, 
sugar,  coffee,  fresh  beef,  etc.,  w«rc  passed  in  to  the  New 
Yorkers  by  the  comrades  who  had  shared  the  toils,  privations, 
and  dangers  of  the  war  with  them. 

There  were  several  instances  of  ignominious  and  degrading 
punishment.  Ten  non-commissioned  officers  specially  named 
in  an  order  from  army  head-quarters  were  directed  to  have 
their  chevrons  publicly  torn  from  their  uniforms.  They  were 
men  well  known  for  their  exc-ellent  soldierly  qualities.  The 
disgrace  attending  such  a  punishment  cut  them  keenly  and 
aroused  much  sympathy  in  their  behalf.  Major  Herring,  who 
was  in  command  of  the  guard  on  whom  the  disagreeable  task 
of  executing  the  order  fell,  and  whose  honorable,  soldierly 
nature  made  him  feel  keen  sympathy  for  tliese  men,  interested 
himself  for  a  mitigation,  and  by  a  personal  appeal  to  General 
Meade  secured  a  modification  of  the  order  by  permitting  the 
men  privately  to  remove  their  own  marks  of  rank. 

These  stern  and  severe  measures,  condemned  by  the  rank 
and  file,  were  of  excellent  service  in  preventing  a  repetition  of 
such  conduct  under  like  conditions  subsequently.  ThL-  siimc 
question  arose  when  the  term  of  the  three  years'  troops  ended ; 
the  men  insisting  upon  an  earlier  date  for  their  discharge,  and 
the  government  demanding  a  later  one.  But  the  men  yielded 
without  turbulence.  Such  violence  over  the  much  wider  field 
covered  by  the  three  years'  expirations  might  have  produced 
irreparable  disaster. 

Good  weather  and  dry  roads  affording  comfortable  locomo- 
tion, there  were  frequent  interchanges  of  social  courtesies.  As 
a  class,  soldiers  in  the  field  arc  of  an  eminently  social  turn  and 
lose  no  opportunities  to  extend  or  accept  hospitalities. 

There  wa.s  one  occasion,  about  this  time,  of  greater  magni- 
tude than  others,  but  tj-pical  in  a  general  way  of  all.  whether  of 
greater  or  less  dimensions.  General  Barnes  was  trusted  for  his 
abilities,  admired  for   his  attainments,   and  esteemed   for  the 


—  214  — 

thoughtful  care  with  which  he  watched  the  needs  of  his  soldiers. 
It  was  resolved  to  make  manifest  the  appreciation  of  his  high 
soldierly  qualifications,  and  the  ardent  personal  regard  for  him 
as  a  commanding  officer,  in  something  substantial.  A  general 
officer's  sword,  sash  and  belt  and  horse  equipment  of  superior 
workmanship  and  costly  material,  were  selected  as  suitable 
gifts,  and  it  was  decided  that  the  occasion  of  the  presentation 
should  be  made  memorable  by  feast,  wine,  wit,  and  song. 

It  was  a  notable  assemblage.  Officers  of  rank  and  distinc- 
tion from  everywhere  throughout  the  army  were  there,  and, 
apparently,  all  the  officers  of  all  grades  from  the  5th  Corps. 
The  feast,  skilfully  prepared  by  Northern  caterers,  was  bounti- 
ful. Salads,  meats,  ices,  sauces  were  in  abundance.  The  inno- 
cent insinuating  **  fish-house  "  punch,  the  toothsome,  appetizing 
bitters,  and  a  preparation  of  gin,  cordials,  sugar  and  lemons,  all 
deftly  concocted,  invitingly  floated  in  cask,  tub,  and  barrel,  per- 
suasively suggestive,  silent  and  speechless  as  they  were,  of 
immense  hilarity  and  a  **  lordly  load."  Reason  graced  the 
banquet,  while  with  ready  tongue  and  easy  phrase  the  officer 
chosen,  because  he  could  do  it  well,  in  earnest  emphasis  told 
of  the  purpose  of  the  gathering,  and  gracefully  presented  the 
gift  selected.  And  then,  when  the  general  had  fittingly 
responded,  and  the  feast  had  been  properly  disposed  of,  wit 
and  humor,  song  and  story  triumphantly  asserted  their  mastery. 
They  reigned  supreme  until  the  beverage  was  exhausted.  And 
with  the  coming  mom  the  last  lingering  minstrel  sought  his 
quarters,  singing,  "  The  cock  may  crow,  the  day  may  dawn,  but 
still  we'll  taste  the  barley  bree." 

Memory  recalls  to  the  active  participants  in  such  aflairs  in 
those  days  another  one  that  bore  fitting  parallel  with  this. 
Sedgwick's  old  division  of  the  2d  Corps  was  much  attached 
to  him.  As  a  mark  of  their  appreciation,  after  he  had  been 
assigned  to  the  6th  Corps,  and  while  that  corps  lay  at  Warren- 
ton,  in  the  summer  of  '63,  he  was  presented  with  a  splendid 
horse,  with  trappings  in  keeping  with  the  character  of  the 
animal.     The  ceremony  of  presentation  was  accompanied  by  a 


feast  equal  in  all  respects  to  that  which  attended  General 
Barnes's. 

A  notable  incident  happened  at  its  conclusion,  which,  as  it 
soon  became  the  common  property  of  the  army,  justifies  its 
introduction  here. 

A  distinguished  brigade  commander  had  quaflcd  deeply, 
to  a  stage  of  seeming  generous  merriment.  Withdrawing,  after 
the  night  had  waned  into  the  small  hours,  to  the  spot  where  his 
patient  orderly  had.  presumably  through  all  the  weary  time. 
watched  his  horse,  his  generosity  for  such  a  lengthy  service 
overcame  his  dignity,  and,  lurching  forward  to  mount,  he 
steadied  himself  and.  addressing  the  soldier  in  maudlin  tones, 
said;  "By  George.  Orderly,  with  all  this  hilarity  abroad,  do 
you  know,  I'd  like  to  take  a  drink  with  you.  but."  then  recov- 
ering himself  he  continued,  sternly,  "  it  wouldn't  do,  sir.  it 
wouldn't  do,  sir.  By  George,  sir,  you're  an  orderly,  sir.  and 
1  am  a  general,  sir;  recollect  that,  sir."  From  the  orderly's 
reply  it  was  quite  evident  he  had  found  opportunity  to  refresh. 
Promptlyasserting  himself,  he  quickly  responded,  "  By  George, 
General,  hadn't  you  better  wait  till  you're  asked?" 

It  was  too  much  for  the  general,  in  his  then  condition,  even 
to  administer  a  reproof.  He  did  not  give  the  story  away  him- 
self, but  the  whole  occurrence  had  been  overheard,  and  for 
many  a  day  he  was  pleasantly  twitted  with  the  incident. 

On  the  25th  of  May  Colonel  Prevost  permanently  retired. 
His  wounds  wholly  incapacitated  him  for  active  service  in  the 
field,  and  he  was  subsequently  appointed  to  a  regimental  com- 
mand in  the  invalid  corps.  His  departure  was  quiet.  His 
preference  always  to  avoid  display  or  demonstration  was,  on 
this  occasion,  a  serious  disappointment  to  his  followers,  who 
would  have  preferred,  in  some  appropriate  way,  to  have  mani- 
fested their  regrets  at  the  separation.  Colonel  Prevost's  high 
culture,  superior  military  attainments  and  conspicuous  gallan- 
try had  materially  aided  in  maintaining  the  excellent  standing 
the  regiment  bore  at  home  and  in  the  field.  Though  misfor- 
tune so  early  attended  him,  and  prevented  the  continued  dis- 


—   2l6  — 

charge  of  the  duties  of  his  office,  his  strong  personal  character 
gave  a  marked  prominence  to  the  organization  while  he  retained 
the  commission  of  colonel.  The  regard  for  him  as  a  man,  and 
respect  for  and  confidence  in  him  as  a  commanding  officer, 
caused  the  separation  to  be  deeply  felt  and  his  loss  to  be 
greatly  regretted. 


Rumor     had 
quieted.     There  ■ 
many  concept  io 
frequent     sug 
oi    what    the    enemy 
were  about  to  do;  but 
late  in  May,  without 
opportunity    to    gain 
information,     instinct 
seemed    to    point    to 
the  conclusion,  in  the 
l.inguage  of  the  boxer, 
that    Lee  was   about 
"  to  spar  for  an  open- 
ing."      Events    were 
now  rapidly  culminating  to  justify  this  opinion. 

On  the  26th  the  picket  details  on  the  right  flank  of  the  army 
were  strengthened,  and  a  very  unu'iual  number — twelve  hundred 
— from  the  brigade,  under  Major  I  (erring  as  the  brigade  officer, 
were  detached  for  that  duty.  And  then  on  the  29th  the  old 
camp  was  abandoned,  this  time  forever,  and  the  whole  right  of 


—   2t7  — 

the  army  was  extended  first  some  twenty  miles  to  Grove  Church 
and  the  next  day  still  farther,  to  the  vicinity  of  Morrisville,  about 
six  miles  soutlieast  of  Bealton,  a  station  on  the  Orange  and 
Alexandria  Railroad,  and  some  twelve  miles  in  tlie  same  general 
direction  from  the  familiar  location  of  VVarrenton  Junction.  The 
old  soldiers,  subtle  fellows,  consoled  themselves  with  such  re- 
marks as,  "  Wc  aint  going  to  attack  nothing;  Lee  is  marching 
around  our  flank,  see  if  he  aint,  and  we're  only  walchin'  to  scu 
that  he  sha'n't." 

Men  who  had  camped  in  forests  and  battled  in  the  wilderness, 
who  for  months  knew  only  of  broad  dales  and  open  fields  by 
journeying  through  ihcm  in  rapid  march,  viewed  the  beauties 
and  verdure  of  lower  Farquicr  with  a  higher  conception  of  the 
surroundings  than  the  actual  scenerj- justified.  Farquicr  claimed 
f  to  be  famous  among  the  richest  of  Virginia's  counties,  and 
"  (iold  Farm."  on  the  lands  of  the  Liberty  Gold  Mining  Com- 
pany, a  few  miles  from  Morrisville,  in  an  o[M:n,  arable  region, 
was  a  choice  location,  and  tlic  camp  was  as  carefully  constructed 
upon  it  as  the  ground  allotted  would  permit.  A  wood,  bordered 
with  majestic  oaks,  skirted  its  edge,  and,  in  front,  field  and  mea- 
dow rolled,  boundless,  out  of  view. 

To  the  north  and  east,  far  in  the  distance.  Bull  Run  mount- 
ains stood,  green  in  early  summer  foliage,  historic  reminders  of 
their  silent  sentinel  duty,  as  they  watched  the  fierce  struggles 
which  bear  their  name,  wax  hotly  at  their  base.  The  pro- 
ductive soil,  uncultivated  and  abandoned,  was  everywhere 
abundant  with  the  golden  field-daisies.  Grass  and  weed  and 
wild  flower  were  alone  the  yield,  when  in  the  thrifty  times  of 
peace,  at  this  most  fruitful  season,  corn  and  wheat  and  oats  had 
covered  all  these  prolific  acres. 

There  was  an  occasional  cow  browsing  by  the  mansion 
house,  but  flacks  and  herdii  had  disappeared,  and  a  vast  extent 
of  pastura'j^c  lay  waste  and  fallow.  All  the  vigorous  men  had 
l^nine,  and  cau-itic  matrons,  defiant  maidens,  watched  jealously 
trie  little  garden  truck,  the  single  cow,  the  depicted  smoke- 
house, the  scant  granary,  and  the  attenuated  fowls,  the  meagr^' 


—   2l8  — 

representatives  of  all  their  life-sustaining  assets.  And  yet, 
venomous  and  uncompromising  as  these  women  were,  they 
could  not  resist  the  temptation  to  barter  a  part  of  their  scanty 
store  for  the  reliable  currency  of  their  adversaries. 

The  Liberty  Gold  Mining  Company,  in  prosperous  times,  had 
made  a  venture  for  the  mining  and  reduction  of  the  precious 
metal,  said  to  exist  in  limited  quantities  in  that  locality.  A 
stamp  mill,  in  good  repair,  needing  but  the  application  of  power, 
and  a  sufficiency  of  the  gold-bearing  quartz  rock  to  put  it  in 
operation,  standing  idle  and  abandoned,  was  all  that  remained 
of  the  enterprise.  It  was  a  novel  and  unexpected  find,  and  the 
curious  and  ingenious  Yankees  in  the  brigade  whiled  away  their 
leisure  in  carefully  inspecting  the  machinery.  Either  the  war  or 
a  scarcity  of  metal  had  brought  the  venture  to  disaster. 

On  one  of  the  marches  Sergeant  Chas.  Brightmyer,  of  Com- 
pany G,  shot  a  pig,  and  carried  a  portion  of  twenty-five  pounds 
all  day  in  his  knapsack,  and  was  feeling  very  good  at  the  idea 
of  getting  a  good  supper  that  evening  after  a  long  and  hard 
march.  About  dark  the  regiment  went  into  camp.  Fires  were 
made  and  water  brought,  and  Brightmyer  was  in  very  good 
humor.  When  he  returned  from  the  creek,  preparing  his  sup- 
per, on  opening  his  knapsack,  to  his  amazement,  he  beheld  a 
stone  that  weighed  about  thirty  pounds.  Brightmyer  was 
struck  dumb  with  amazement.  He  looked  bewildered.  I  do 
not  think  he  "  cussed,"  because  that  would  not  do  the  subject 
justice.  He  looked  at  the  stone  with  a  death  stare;  but  he 
suspected  Mulchay,  and  he  went  to  Mulchay*s  knapsack,  and 
there  he  found  his  porker.  He  wanted  to  kill  Mulchay,  had 
the  soldiers  not  interfered  and  pulled  him  off  by  main  force. 
His  eyes  blazed,  and  looked  like  those  of  a  tiger.  I  would  not 
have  been  in  Mulchay's  shoes  for  all  the  pork  in  Virginia. 

Captain  White  made  Mulchay  carry  that  stone  for  two  days 
to  pacify  Brightmyer.  The  badinage  Mulchay  had  to  endure 
from  his  fun-loving  comrades  during  those  two  days  was 
heavier  than  the  stone  he  toted  around. 


—  219  — 

distant  booming  of  guns  came  from  the  right  and  front.  The 
entire  cavalry  force  of  the  army — the  infantry  column  was 
intended  to  join  it — had  struck  the  whole  of  the  enemy's 
cavalry  in  the  vicinity  of  Beverly  Ford  and  Brandy  Station, 
The  first  distinctive  cavalry  fight  of  the  war.  spirited  and  bril- 
liant, it  was  a  laurel  fitted  to  be  woven  in  the  chaplet.  with  the 
many  other  splendid  achievements  of  that  most  efficient  arm  of 
the  service.  The  brigade  was  sent  to  cover  the  recrossing  at 
Kelly's  Ford,  but  the  troops  had  all  withdrawn  before  it 
reached  there. 

Important  papers,  found  with  Stuart's  headquarters  baggage, 
captured  at  Brandy  Station,  and  the  information  gained  in  con- 
nection with  the  operations  of  the  6th  Corps  at  FranWlin's 
Crossing,  indicated  that  the  entire  army  of  northern  Virginia 
was  moving  towards  the  Valley  of  the  Shenandoah ;  and  on 
the  13th,  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  the  Gold  Farm  Camp 
was  broken  and  the  column  moved  to  Morrisville,  where,  at 
ten  o'clock,  it  bivouacked  for  the  rest  of  the  night.  On  the 
14th,  from  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  seven  in  the 
evening,  the  command  poked  along  with  halting,  tedious 
delays,  through  Weavcrtown  to  Catlett's  Station,  on  the 
Orange  and  Alexandria  Railroad.  From  thence  the  following 
day  a  tiresome  continuous  march  was  made,  between  five  in  the 
morning  and  nine  in  the  evening,  to  Manassas  Junction. 

This  region  had  been  tramped  over,  fought  over  and  camped 
upon  at  intervals  for  two  years  by  both  armies,  and  yet  much 
of  the  fencing  was  still  standing.  It  fell,  however,  before  the 
exacting  requirements  of  the  5th  Army  Corps.  A  negro, 
occupying  a  spacious  mansion,  sought  to  preserve  the  fence  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  brigade,  by  the  doubtful  assurance 
that  his  "marster."  who  "sot  him  free"  when  the"wah"  broke 
out,  had  "done  and  give  him  "  the  fee  of  all  his  lands.  The 
.soldiers  were  skeptical.  They  traced  the  motive,  or  thought 
they  did,  for  his  "  marster's  "  munificence,  if  the  story  had  any 
foundation,  to  his  conclusion  that  the  vandals  would  avoid 
spoliation  where  the  negro  claimed  an  ownership.     So  they 


laudably  agreed  to  compromise  by  only  burning  the  rails  in 
half,  as  a  fire  in  the  centre  would  answer  their  purpose  for 
cooking,  and  permitting  the  colored  recipient  of  his  "marster's" 
bounty  to  still  retain  the  two  ends.  The  darkey  could  not 
exactly  see  what  benefit  he  should  derive  from  this  concession, 
but  succumbed  to  the  inevitable. 

The  bivouac  was  upon  the  margin  of  a  stream,  the  bed  of 
which  was  dry.  Upon  the  banks  was  a  growth  of  stunted 
timber.  There  was  a  scarcity  of  water  and  an  abundance  of 
toads,  and  if  one  or  more  saw  fit  to  abide  for  a  time  in  the 
limited  quantity  available  for  drinking  or  cooking,  the  water 
was   considered   no   less   desirable.     Captain    Donegan,   with 


much  difficulty,  had  secured  sufficient  for  a  single  cup  of  coffee. 
He  had  prepared  the  beverage,  and  while  awaiting  its  cooling, 
a  friendly  toad  took  possession  until  forced  out  by  the  high 
temperature.  It  in  no  way  destroyed  the  captain's  appetite. 
His  only  regret  was  that  he  lost  wJiat  the  reptile  had  splashed 
over  the  sides. 

On  the  17th,  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  column 
moved  on  a(^in  over  the  plains  of  Manassas,  passing  th» 
Henry  House,  famous  as  the  .spot  where  the  stalwart  regular 
division  held  the  victorious  enemy  until  darkness  permitted  the 
withdrawal  of  the  broken  and  shattered  fragments  of  Pope's 


—   221   — 

disordered  battalions — famous,  too,  in  both  the  Bull  Run 
battles  as  a  point  where  the  struggle  waged  the  fiercest.  Tom 
and  shattered  by  shot  and  shell,  the  residence  had  still  an 
occupant.  A  citizen,  sullen  and  uncommunicative,  stood  in  the 
doorway  while  the  troops  passed  by.  The  battle-field  was  yet 
thickly  strewn  with  leather  accoutrements,  shoes,  canteens,  the 
skins  of  dead  animals,  and  all  sorts  of  abandoned  military 
property.  Then  the  route  lay  by  the  Warrenton  Turnpike, 
over  the  stone  bridge  spanning  Bull  Run,  through  Ccntrcville, 
and  thence  to  Gum  Springs,  on  the  Little  River,  or  Lcesburg 
Turnpike,  where,  at  six  o'clock,  the  day's  march  of  twelve 
hours  concluded.  The  march  had  exhausted  some  of  the 
strongest.  The  heat  was  intense,  and  water  scarce.  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel Glcason.  of  the  2Sth  New  York,  overcome  by  the 
hfat,  died  from  sunstroke,  and  was  buried  in  the  evening  in 
tiie  little  village  church-yard,  with  suitable  military  honors. 
The  men  put  leaves  in  their  hats  and  cut  boughs  as  a  protec- 
tion from  the  fierce  rays  of  the  sun.  At  a  little  distance,  with 
some  appeal  to  the  imagination,  there  was  a  faint  resemblance 
lo  a  moving  forest,  and  the  well-known  passage  in  Macbeth 
was  recalled,"  "Till  Bemamwood  do  come  to  Dunsinane,"  and, 
lor  the  moment,  diverted  attention  from  the  remorseless  burn- 
ing sun,  the  dry,  parched  throat,  and  choking,  penetrating 
dust. 

The  fatigues  had  been  intensified  by  the  tedious  delays 
habitually  attending  wagon  guard-duty,  which  that  day  had 
fallen  upon  the  regiment.  There  was  heavy  cannonading  out 
the  turnpike  in  the  direction  of  the  Bull  Run  Mountains.  A 
conviction  had  grown  that  Lee's  purpose  was  invasion,  but  the 
suggestion  that  Pennsylvania  was  his  ultimate  destination  was 
scarcely  credited. 

The  bivouac  at  Gum  Springs  continued  until  two  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  of  the  I9lh,  when  the  march  was  resumed  along 
an  excellent  turnpike  road,  terminated  at  five  o'clock  at  Aldie. 
a  post  village  of  Loudon  county,  lying  quaint  and  picturesque 
in  a  gap  in  the  Bull  Run  Mountains,     lioyond,  towering  above 


—   222   — 

the  lesser  range,  the  distant  Blue  Ridge  loomed  up  majestically. 
A  swift-flowing  stream,  upon  the  banks  of  which  the  little  ham- 
let lies,  trends  northward  and  bears  the  waters  of  the  valley 
and  the  mountain's  side  to  the  Potomac. 

Goose  Creek,  for  such  is  the  undignified  name  it  bears,  seems 
recently  to  have  been  considerately  noticed  in  the  river  and 
harbor  appropriation  bill.  A  fund  was  set  apart  to  deepen  its 
waters  and  remove  its  shoals.  The  old  Potomac  soldier  would 
stand  aghast  at  the  likelihood  of  successfully  navigating  such  a 
stream.  One  of  the  command,  who  looked  like  a  truthful  man, 
said  that  in  the  course  of  a  two  hours'  march,  in  nearly  a 
straight  line,  he  had  crossed  the  creek  seventeen  times. 

The  turnpike  forked  at  the  village,  one  branch  crossing  the 
Blue  Ridge  at  Ashby's  Gap  to  the  southwestward,  and  the 
other  at  Snicker's  to  the  northwestward.  The  Ashby  Gap 
branch  passes  through  Middleburg,  Upperville  and  Paris,  and 
the  Snicker's  Gap  branch  through  Leesburg. 

There  were  evidences  of  hard  cavalry  fighting  all  around  the 
town.  It  was  the  point  whence  had  come  the  sounds  of  artil- 
lery heard  on  the  arrival  at  Gum  Springs.  The  cavalry  had 
had  a  severe  tussle,  and  the  engagement  at  Aldie  was  already 
known  as  a  well-fought  fight.  Our  cavalry  were  pressing  for 
the  gaps  in  the  Blue  Ridge  for  opportunity  for  observation  of 
the  Shenandoah  Valley  beyond,  where  the  bulk  of  the  rebel 
infantry  was  believed  to  be  in  motion ;  and  Stuart  was  contend- 
ing vigorously  to  prevent  it.  Wounded  men  lay  upon  litters 
of  straw  near  the  roadside  and  in  the  yards  of  the  houses. 
Dead  horses  were  scattered  about,  and  lost  and  abandoned 
arms  and  trappings  were  numerous. 

The  band  and  scattered  remnants  of  Colonel  DuflSe's  ist 
Rhode  Island  Regiment  were  in  the  town.  A  sergeant  who 
had  been  badly  sabred  was  taken  prisoner  and  afterwards 
escaped.  He  graphically  described  the  gallant  fight  made  by 
his  regiment.  The  regiment  had  been  sent  for  observation 
from  Centreville,  through  Thoroughfare  Gap,  with  instructions 
to  keep  on  to  Middleburg.     Stuart  meanwhile  advancing  east- 


—   225   — 

wardly  from  Ashby's  Gap,  with  intent  to  secure  the  gaps  at 
Aldie,  struck  Gregg,  with  whom  he  became  actively  engaged. 

Dulifie  drove  a  rebel  brigade  from  Thoroughfare  Gap,  and, 
following  out  his  instructions,  to  keep  on  to  Middlcburg,  ap- 
proached the  place  towards  Stuart's  rear,  and  so  disconcerted  him 
that  Stuart,  believing  he  was  about  to  be  cut  off  by  a  formid- 
able force,  hurriedly  withdrew  to  Rector's  Cross  Roads  to  con- 
centrate against  Duffie.  Subsequently  the  several  rebel  brig- 
ades, recovering  from  their  discomfiture,  advanced  on  Middlc- 
burg from  different  directions.  Duffie  had  posted  his  troopers 
so  skilfully,  taking  advantage  of  barricades  and  stone  fences, 
that  he  was  enabled  to  repel  several  assaults;  but  attacked  by 
overwhelming  numbers,  he  finally  retreated  by  the  road  on 
which  he  had  advanced,  with  the  loss  of  some  two-thirds  of  his 
command.  So  eminently  successful  was  Duffie's  resistance,  so 
skilfully  had  he  posted  his  line,  that  Stuart  officially  mentioned, 
subsequently,  how  manfully  so  light  a  force  had  combated  him 
in  all  his  strength  for  such  a  length  of  time.  These  operations 
were  a  severe  blow  to  the  enemy.  He  lost  the  pass  at  Aldic : 
Hooker  had  possession  of  Loudon  county,  and  the  marching 
column  was  thrown  far  to  the  westward. 

The  brigade  remained  at  Aldie  on  the  20th  and  until  two 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  2ist.  The  cavalry  meantime 
had  been  manteuvring  and  reconnoitring  preparatory  to  an- 
other effort  at  Ashby's  Gap.  By  break  of  day  the  infantry 
column  was  well  on  towards  Middleburg,  and  by  daylight,  with 
Gregg's  brigade  of  cavalry  in  advance  and  Vincent's  3d  brigade 
on  their  left,  it  had  entered  the  town. 

Beyond  the  town  the  country  is  open  for  a  distance,  then 
there  is  a  wood,  and  beyond  it  again  rises  a  hill  of  considerable 
elevation,  the  white  turnpike  winding  up  its  slope.  The  plains, 
the  woods  and  the  hill  hail  been  the  scene  of  a  severe  cavalry 
fight  a  few  days  before.  The  struggle  was  for  the  eminence, 
the  charges  against  which  the  enemy  appeared  to  have  suc- 
cessfully resisted.  Their  artillery,  well  served  from  the  crest, 
seemed,  from  the  character  of  wounds  on  the  bodies  of  the 


—   224  — 

dead  animals  which  lay  around  in  large  numbers,  to  have  done 
the  principal  work.  In  one  instance  a  twelve-pound  solid  shot, 
entering  the  breast,  had  gone  entirely  through  the  body  and 
passed  out  at  the  tail.  The  roadway  and  fields  were  thickly 
strewn  with  the  bodies  of  the  horses  killed  in  the  action^  and  in 
the  yard  of  a  house,  from  around  which  the  fences  had  been 
removed,  there  were  eighteen.  As  their  trappings  indicated, 
they  were  of  both  sides ;  it  was  evident  they  had  met  there  in  a 
charge.  This  action  bears  the  name  of  the  "  engagement  at 
Middleburg,"  and  it,  together  with  Duffie's  valorous  resistance, 
has  made  the  town  famous  in  the  history  of  the  Gettysbui^ 
campaign. 

Middleburg  was  a  village  of  some  six  hundred  inhabitants, 
with  two  churches  and  a  few  stores,  in  the  midst  of  a  well-tilled, 
productive  region.  Its  men,  thrifty  and  industrious,  with  all 
the  prosperous  plenty  of  their  surroundings,  had  lost  taste  for 
peaceful  callings  and  were  away  to  do  battle  with  the  rest  of 
Virginia's  diisloyal  manhood  for  the  disruption  of  their  common 
country. 

About  eight  o'clock  the  brigade  pushed  through  Middleburg 
and  deployed.  The  i  i8th  held  the  right,  and  the  line  extended 
to  high  ground  overlooking  the  position  Stuart  had  selected  to 
await  attack.  The  extent  of  his  front  was  plainly  observable. 
The  Union  right  was  well  beyond  his  left.  That  the  infantry' 
on  the  right  might  be  concealed,  the  pieces  were  ordered  at 
the  trail.  It  did  not  seem  to  be  effectively  done,  for  apparently, 
discovering  their  presence  and  feeling  the  pressure  of  the  dis- 
positions made  by  Vincent's  brigade  on  the  left,  the  enemy 
started  to  withdraw.  Of  this  the  cavalry  took  prompt  advan- 
tage, and  with  skirmishers,  and  the  whole  line  at  a  trot  ad- 
vanced handsomely.  It  was  but  momentary,  before  the  lines 
impinged,  and  the  infantry  had  the  rare  opportunity  of  a  full 
view  of  a  cavalry  charge.  The  two  lines  intermingled  in  ap- 
parent inextricable  confusion.  Sabres  flashed,  men  yelled, 
horses  reared.  There  was  cutting,  slashing,  cheering ;  rider- 
less horses  dashed  madly  to  the  rear,  or,  lost  and  perplexed. 


-  22;  - 

ran  aimlessly  up  and  down  the  line.  For  an  instant  it  seemed 
the  onslaught  would  be  repulsed,  but  one  by  one  the  enemy 
unwound  themselves  from  the  writhing  mass  and  found  safety 
in  flight.  Stuart  was  badly  worsted,  and  some  of  his  horse 
artillery,  the  gunners  sabred  at  their  pieces,  were  a  trophy  of 
the  fight. 

The  disorganized  squadrons  were  speedily  assembled,  and 
the  movement  continued  towards  Upperville,  the  cavalry 
leading. 

A  batch  of  some  fifty  prisoners,  fine,  sturdy  fellows,  passed  by 
the  column.  They  were  rather  a  communicative  set,  and  loud 
in  tlicir  commendations  of  the  fiEhting  and  riding  of  our  cav- 
alry, one  shouting  vociferously,  "  You'ns  will  soon  be  as  good 
as  we'ns."  The  enemy  would  occasionally  hall  on  a  command- 
ing position,  but  retire  before  deployment  was  perfected,  pre- 
serving his  lines  creditably  in  spile  of  the  hammering  of  the 
Union  guns. 

The  country  is  a  succession  of  ridge  and  valley,  of  field, 
meadow  and  wood.  The  houses,  substantial  and  spacious, 
indicated  intelligent  farming  and  industrious  thrift.  A  promi- 
nent feature  of  the  landscape,  as  viewed  from  the  ridges,  were 
the  stone  fences.  They  intersected  each  other  in  every  direc- 
tion and  at  all  angles.  There  were  none  of  any  other  material, 
and  the  field  patch-work  of  green,  divided  by  such  distinctive 
lines,  was  marked  and  picturesque.  They  were  utilized,  at 
times,  to  obstruct  the  advance.  But  there  was  no  material 
obstruction.  The  march  was  a  succession  of  halts  and  ad- 
vances, ployments  and  deployments.  The  purpose  of  the 
enemy  was,  seemingly,  to  force  the  delays  incident  to  the 
changes  from  column  to  line  and  line  to  column. 

It  is  about  nine  miles  from  Middleburg  to  Upperville,  and 
there  the  enemy  made  a  more  determined  resistance.  Upper- 
ville is  directly  at  the  base  of  the  mountains  at  the  entrance  to 
the  gap.  Both  bodies  entered  the  town  together.  The  contest 
was  close,  the  figlit  vigorous.  Pistol-shot  and  sabre-stroke  were 
indiscriminately  used,  and  the  angered  combatants  jammed 
15 


—    226   — 

tind  choked  the  roadway.  From  the  cover  of  fences  and 
dwellings  dismounted  cavalry  greatly  annoyed  the  charging 
column,  but  it  pressed  the  enemy  successfully  through  the  vil- 
lage and  into  the  gap,  up  the  defiles,  thence  towards  the  sum- 
mit, where  they  rallied  at  the  little  hamlet  of  Paris.  There  the 
enemy's  infantry  appeared  in  the  shape  of  a  portion  of  Long- 
street's  corps,  and  Stuart  taking  refuge  behind  it,  the  aflair  at 
Upperville  terminated. 

So  determined  and  valorous  were  the  Union  cavalry  during 
the  conflict,  that  many  who  had  received  sabre-wounds  on  the 
face  and  arms  rode  to  the  moving  hospital  in  the  rear  to  have 
their  wounds  dressed,  and  then  returned  to  the  front  in  hot 
haste  to  take  further  part  in  the  battle.  The  brigade,  which 
had  been  moved  into  the  village  at  the  double-quick  in  the 
height  of  the  fight,  bivouacked  there  for  the  night. 

Of  these  cavalry  charges  General  Vincent,  who  a  few  days 
later  fell  at  Little  Round  Top,  while  gallantly  protecting  it 
against  overwhelming  odds,  officially  speaks  in  his  report  of 
the  operations  of  his  brigade :  'The  charges  of  cavalry,  a  sight 
I  had  never  before  witnessed,  were  truly  inspiring,  and  the 
triumphant  strains  of  the  bands,  as  squadron  after  squadron 
pushed  the  enemy  in  his  flight  up  the  hills  towards  the  gap, 
gave  us  a  feeling  of  regret  that  we  too  were  not  mounted  and 
could  not  join  in  the  charge." 

The  evening,  a  pleasant  one,  was  not  permitted  to  pass  with- 
out cultivating  social  relations  with  the  cavalry,  and  extending 
congratulations  upon  their  brilliant  achievements  at  Aldie, 
Middleburg  and  Upperville.  The  most  prominent  guest  was 
Colonel  Taylor,  of  the  ist  Pennsylvania,  among  the  most  dis- 
tinguished of  Pennsylvania  cavalry  soldiers ;  and  his  regiment, 
originally  the  lamented  Bayard's,  was  among  those  famous  for 
daring  through  all  the  years  of  the  war. 

There  was  but  a  limited  opportunit}%  in  the  absence  of  trains, 
to  extend  very  bountiful  hospitality,  and  scarce  any  to  satisfy 
the  hunger  of  which  the  cavalry  officers  most  complained. 
Fortunately  appliances  and  material  were  at  hand  to  concoct 


—    22/   — 

the  '■  Hooker's  Retreat,"  a  beverage  that  had  gained  an  immense 
celebrity  since  the  battle  of  Cbancellorsville.  The  formula  of 
simple  ingredients  was  well  known  to  Crocker,  Thomas  and 
Donaldson.  They  so  skilfully  and  frequently  adjusted  its 
combinations  that  the  ravenous  appetites  were  stayed,  hunger 
disappeared  in  hilarity,  and  the  entertainment  closed  harmoni- 
ously as  the  midnight  hour  was  fast  approaching.  The  colonel, 
who  had  complained  at  the  beginning  that  he  had  not  been  so 
hun^-  for  "e!e\'cnteen  hundred  "  years,  generously  remarked 
as  he  withdrew,  he  had  never,  in  his  lifetime,  so  hugely  relished 
such  a  nourishing  meal. 

Uppcrville,  at  the  base  of  the  mountains  and  entrance  to  the 
gap,  is  a  smart  little  Vlr- 

-  -"  ,^  ^^  si-imflfsi  Enftleft  of  Sddier't 

Ltlltr. 


Soldier's  IcHer.     Not  ft  cent ; 
Empty  thcllet — lost  it*  rent— 
Uncle  Sam,  juil  let  her  ihraunh. 
I'll  get  my  back  pay,  ifam  pay  you. 


village.  The  crops 
had  been  neglected  and 
the  advancing  season  gave 
no  indication  of  the  sum- 
mer harvests.  The  popu- 
lation, some  two  or  three 
hundred,  was  considerably 
depleted.  Its  strong  men, 
familiar  with  all  the  roads 
and  mountain  passes,  were 

doubtless  the  sinews  of  the  partisan  warfare  so  judiciously  and 
successfully  waged  In  this  and  the  neighboring  localities. 

At  three  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  22d  the  infantry 
column  commenced  its  return  movement  by  the  turnpike,  in  the 
direction  of  Middleburg  and  Aldie.  The  cavalry  closely  fol- 
lowed and  the  enemy  were  not  far  behind.  Occasionally  the 
proximity  was  annoying,  and  our  cavalry  massed  to  resist  their 
cliarge.  Then  followed  a  halt  and  no  further  demonstration. 
The  ma'^^es  deployed  again,  but  were  compelled  to  frequently 
re]K'at  the  same  manceuvrings  by  the  enemy's  repetitions  of  his 
hesitating  tactics.  Approaching  Middleburg  there  was  unnii.s- 
takable  eviduncc  of  massing  for  a  determined  effort,  when  our 
columns  were  opened,  the  roadway  cleared,  and  a  battery 
speedily  unlimbered.     With  a  little  excellent  practice  the  pur- 


—   228   — 

suing  force  rapidly  disappeared.  Except  a  few  occasional  shots 
at  long  range,  the  march  progressed  to  Aldie  without  further 
incident  There  at  five  o'clock  the  brigade  went  into  bivouac 
on  the  right  of  the  road,  opposite  Sykes's  division  of  regu- 
lars. As  there  seemed  a  prospect  for  more  than  a  night's 
delay,  shelter-tents  were  brought  into  requisition,  and  a  com- 
fortable camp  established. 

The  regulars  were  an  orderly,  proper  set.  They  went  about 
their  business  in  a 
methodical,  mechan- 
ical way,  preserving 
a  painful  silence. 
Their  habits  were 
strange,  contrasted 
with  the  volunteers, 
whose  lusty  shouts 
when  they  "  broke 
ranks  "  never  failed  to 
exhibit  anger  or  mer- 
riment as  the  day's 
tramp  had  pleased 
or  incommoded. 

Mosby  had  not 
been  idle.  This  re- 
gion was  his  "  happy 
h  u  n  t  i  n  g-ground," 
and  the  5th  and  other 
Corps  trains  had  suffered  somewhat  from  his  forays.  For- 
tunately the  wagons  of  the  division  escaped  entirely.  From 
the  limited  supply  of  clothing  they  contained  an  issue  was 
made,  fractional  as  compared  with  the  needs  which,  with  the 
heavy  work  already  done  and  the  still  heavier  likely  to  follow, 
were  increasing  daily. 

These  were  the  dark  days  of  the  Union,  darker  than  any 
since  Valley  Forge.  What  followed  lifted  the  gloom  and 
relieved  the  depression  that  had  well  nigh  strangled  the  manly 
efforts  of  a  loyal  people. 


ALBERT  HAVERSTICK. 


M AJOR-CKSKRAI,   C.KORC.E   G.   MbADI::. 


■ 

GETTYSBURG  CAMPAIGN. 

3th  Corps,  comtnandrd  by  Maj.-Gen    Georgr  Sykra. 

isl  Brigade,  i8lh  Mass..  Cd.  Jos.  Hayes. 

lid  Mass..  Ll.-Col.  Thos.  Sherwin,  Jr. 
isx  Mich..  Col.  Ira  C.  Ahbon. 
118th  Penna.,  Ll.-Col.  Jas.  r.wyn 

1 

CHAPTER  IX. 

CETTYSBUaC. 

And  ihc  !vntini-l  Man  set  thr-ir  wnich  in  ihc  xkv: 

J 

LEE'S  design  was  manifest.  The  forcing  of  his  cavalry 
westward  may  have  interrupted,  bur  did  not  alter  his 
purpose.  A  Northern  invasion,  skilfully  planned,  had  been 
consummated,  and  the  famed  historic  Potomac  had  ceased  to 
be  the  border  which  controlled  the  strife.  Lee's  legions  had 
)iiit  the  Potomac  river  behind  them,  and  the  unsuspecting 
larmcrs  of  Marylanil  and  Pennsylvania  were  .startled  in  the 
\iry  early  sunmier  lime  by  the  advance  of  his  mighty  army. 
The  loyal  jicople  of  the  North,  although  confident  and  reliant, 
,-iniH!  a;;hast  in  awful  pause,  an.xiously  awaiting  the  inijiending 
conllict.    The  army,  wiih  no  knowle<ige  of  these  anxieties,  with 

( "y ) 


—  230  — 

no  fear  of  consequences,  tractable,  obedient,  enthusiastic,  was 
assured  of  its  strength,  confident  of  its  ability.  It  trudged  along 
complacently  to  again  measure  swords  with  its  old  adversary. 
This  time  not  through  the  swamp,  forest,  wilderness  and  bog 
of  the  enemy's  less  favored  clime,  but  through  the  open  fields, 
over  the  broad  dales,  and  down  the  gently-rolling  valleys  of  its 
own  native  heath. 

Four  days  sufficed  for  whatever  necessitated  the  stoppage  at 
Aldie,  and  the  march  begun  which  culminated  in  battle  on  the 
distant  field  of  Gett>'sburg.  On  the  26th,  in  a  drizzling  rain^ 
by  the  broad  turnpike  road  through  Leesburg,  the  column 
moved  to  Edwards'  Ferr>'',  near  the  mouth  of  the  now  famous 
Goose  Creek,  and  there  crossed  the  Potomac. 

It  would  have  been  impossible  for  the  regiment  to  have  a 
dress-parade  upon  this  march.  Wardrobes  among  the  soldiers 
were  so  scanty  that  the  clothing  which  was  not  upon  their 
backs  could  easily  have  been  disposed  of  in  a  pantaloon's 
pocket.  The  extra  garments  usually  consisted  of  a  pair  of 
socks.     Dress-coats  did  not  average  one  to  a  dozen  men. 

As  the  government  did  not  furnish  perambulating  laundries 
for  the  convenience  of  the  enlisted  men,  each  man  was  forced 
to  do  his  own  washing.  When  the  army  halted  near  a  suitable 
stream,  the  men  disrobed  and  each  washed  his  only  shirt. 
When  the  march  was  resumed  the  dilapidated  and  tattered 
remnants  of  more  prosperous  days  were  tied  to  the  bayonets, 
and  flapped  in  the  wind  as  the  army  moved  on.  An  army  with 
banners  truly ;  not  beautiful,  but  picturesque. 

Leesburg  and  the  ferry,  so  near  ill-fated  Ball's  Bluff,  revived 
memories  of  that  disastrous  fray  and  sad  recollections  of  its 
consequences.  They  gave  way  before  the  buoyancy  and  relief 
that  was  always  felt  by  the  old  Potomac  soldier  when  he  left 
war-blasted,  inhospitable  Virginia  behind  him  and  trod  again 
the  fair  fields  of  Maryland.  The  long  June  days  and  brief  sum- 
mer  nights  made  short  bivouacs. 

The  Monocacy  was  forded  below  Frederick  City.  The  water 
was  waist-deep.     Just  before  the   city  was   reached  the  men 


—  231  — 

came  to  a  remarkable  apring.  It  gushed  from  a  horizontal 
cleft  in  a  rock  about  three  feet  I'rom  the  ground,  and  in  a  stream 
fully  a  foot  broad,  with  such  force  that  a  tin-kettle  not  held 
firmly  in  the  hand  would  be  dashed  several  feet  away.  The 
water  was  icy  cold,  and  the  tired,  hot,  thirsty  soldiers  eagerly 
and  gladly  availed  themselves  of  the  refreshment  it  offered. 

For  both  days  all  there  was  of  daylight  and  pait  of  the  night 
had  been  allotted,  with  but  few  irregular  and  short  intervals  for 
.rest,  to  the  march. 

"  Old  Four  Eyes,"  such  waa  the  happy  synonym  for  Meade. 
when  he  was  too  distant  to  obse^^'e  and  too  far  off  to  hear,  was 
much  berated  ;  and  the  officers  who  led  the  column,  in  shock- 
ing epithet  and  vulgar  phrase,  were  repeatedly  consigned  to  the 
cruel  fate  of  being  shot  to  death  by  musketrj'  for  their  incon- 
siderate disregard  of  comforts  and  conveniences.  All  hard 
usage  was  forgotten,  all  harsh  epithets  were  changed  to  com- 
mendations, when  it  was  learned  that,  by  this  severe  measure. 
General  Meade  had  successfully  interposed  his  corps  between 
Stuart  and  the  main  Confederate  army,  and,  as  it  subsequently 
appeared,  this  deprived  Lee  of  the  valuable  services  of  that  in- 
defatigable chieftain  with  his  cavalry  at  Gettysburg. 

It  was  a  fitting  closing  triumph  of  Mcadr's  career  as  a  corps 
Coinm.iiidLT.  On  the  rHth,  in  rL-cogiiitiuii  of  his  abilities,  his 
energy,  his  courage  and  his  patriotism,  He  was  selected  to  suc- 
ceed Hooker  in  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  who, 
at  his  own  request,  had  been  relieved.  General  Sykes,  an 
officer  of  splendid  reputation,  high  soldierly  attainments  and 
superior  military  education,  by  virtue  of  his  seniority,  became 
General  Meade's  successor.  There  were  some  mild  comments 
among  the  rank  and  file,  in  homely  phrase,  as  to  the  propriety 
of  ".swapping  hor.ses  in  crossing  a  stream,"  but  it  had  no  ma- 
terial effect  on  the  morale  or  temper  of  the  army.  The  sol- 
diers were  occasionally  demonstrative  when  attempts  were 
made  to  arouse  enthusiasm,  but  matters  were  generally  viewed 
more  stolidly  than  in  the  earlier  days  of  the  war. 

I-redcrick  City  had  .seen  a  good  deal  of  soldiers,  and  the  sol- 


—    232   — 

diers  knew  much  of  it.  There  is  always  temptation  "  to  do  a 
village  "  when  in  close  vicinity.  In  spite  of  stringent  orders, 
many  of  the  men  eluded  the  efforts  put  forth  for  their  enforce- 
ment, made  merry  with  the  townsfolk,  ate  at  hotel  tables  and 
drank  at  hotel  bars,  on  the  day  and  evening  of  the  27th,  during 
all  of  which  time  the  halt  continued  near  the  town. 

On  Monday,  the  29th,  the  "  general "  sounded  about  eight 
o'clock,  and  by  eleven  the  column  was  in  full  swing  through 
Frederick.  It  was  quite  a  parade  occasion.  The  citizens  lined, 
the  sidewalks  and  crowded  the  windows.  The  reception  was 
generous  and  the  people  demonstrative.  There  was  neither 
hesitation  nor  stint  in  a  very  general  expression  of  hope  that, 
in  the  approaching  conflict,  success  might  attend  the  Union 
arms.  At  two  o'clock,  the  general  direction  of  the  march  being 
a  little  east  of  north,  the  column  passed  through  Mount  Pleas- 
ant, and  at  seven  o'clock  bivouacked  beyond  and  near  Liberty, 
still  in  Frederick  county.  The  march,  though  not  lengthy, 
was  a  hard  one  and  stragglers  were  numerous,  but  the  evening 
roll-call  brought  a  full  response. 

The  troops  were  in  a  section  wholly  unacquainted  with  great 
bodies  of  armed  men.  Thickly  peopled,  highly  cultivated, 
alternating  between  wood,  meadow  and  field,  it  rolled  in  easy 
undulations,  and  from  its  gently  rising  knolls  one  scene  of  rich 
grandeur  appeared  as  the  other  faded  from  view.  The  grasses 
had  been  garnered ;  vast  fields  of  golden  grain  were  ripening ; 
oats  and  corn  were  advancing.  The  rich  green  and  golden 
yellow  were  beauties  of  landscape  and  evidence  of  thrift,  strik- 
ing in  their  contrast  with  the  wasted  fields,  bared  woodlands 
and  fenceless  farms  of  exhausted,  battle-scarred  Virginia.  Over 
the  succulent  meadows  and  on  the  green  sloping  hillsides 
flocks  and  herds  revelled  in  fattening  pasturage.  Poultry  was 
plentiful,  milk,  butter  and  eggs  abundant.  The  country  store 
bartered  its  wares  and  the  roadside  ins  supplied  its  guests. 
The  miller  had  grists  to  grind,  the  blacksmith  his  horses  to 
shoe,  the  wheelwright  his  wagons  to  build.  Peace,  plenty, 
thrift,  prosperit}'  everywhere  abounded.     The  men  feasted  in 


—  333  — 

the  ItixLiHcs  nf  this  region  of  abundance.  Men,  maidens,  ma- 
trons ami  children  gazed  in  wonderment  as  the  column  hurried 
through  their  villages,  and  gathered  around  the  bivouacs  eager 
listeners  to  the  soldiers'  stories  of  war.  As  the  names  of  their 
towns,  Liberty  and  Union,  indicated,  the  citizens  of  Frederick 
and  Carroll  county  were  a  loyal  people,  and  the  sturdy  farmers 
bade  the  soldiers  be  of  good  cheer  and  tarry  not  until  their 
lands  were  freed  from  the  ruthless  invader. 

On  the  30th  it  rained.  Hy  break  of  day  the  bivouac  was 
astir  and  at  four  o'clock  the  column  had  lengthened  for  its  all 
day  march.  The  brigade  had  the  advance.  The  direction  was 
still  about  north  by  east.  By  eight  o'clock  Unionvillc,  some 
twelve  miles  from  Liberty,  was  passed  and  then  Union  at  ten. 
There  were  few  intervals  for  rest.  At  Union  Mills,  with  up- 
wards of  twenty  miles  accomplished,  the  command,  at  six 
o'clock,  halted  for  the  night  It  was  the  turn  of  the  1  iSth  for 
IMCkct,  and  its  march  continilcd  some  distance  farther.  Union 
Mills  is  in  Carroll  county,  Bevenlcen  miles  from  the  Pennsyl- 
vania line. 

The  1st  of  July  was  bright  and  bracing.  Bivouac  was  broken 
at  ten  o'clock  and  the  march  conducted  under  the  most  strin- 
gent, cx.icting  orders,  probably,  ever  published  during  the  war. 
Under  no  pretext  whatever  should  a  man  be  permitted  to  leave 
the  column.  Disobedience  of  this  order,  any  attempt  to 
straggle,  would  be  followed  by  instant  death.  Officers  were 
instructed  to  march  in  rear  of  their  companies  and  rigidly  en- 
force the  execution  of  the  order.  Although  the  emei^ency 
was  urgent,  such  a  cruel  and  unusual  measure  was  scarcely 
justifiable.  As  soon  as  the  men  understood  the  situation,  they 
needed  no  stimulant  to  untiring  exertion,  nor  any  threat  of 
punishment,  but  put  forth  every  energy  they  possessed.  The 
disagreeable  duty  of  ruarguard  to  the  brigade  fell  upon  details 
from  the  regiment,  and  Captain  Donaldson  was  assigned  to  its 
command.  His  instructions  were  to  rigorously  enforce  the 
order  and  execute  its  penalties.  Any  failure  on  his  part  to  dis- 
charge the  painful  duty  would  be  followed  by  arrest  and  court 


—  234  — 

• 

martial.  All  men  found  skulking  by  the  roadside,  regardless 
of  their  organization,  were  to  be  forced  into  the  brigade  ranks. 
Drivers  of  pack-horses,  cooks,  servants  and  other  non-combat- 
ants were  to  be  seized,  placed  in  the  ranks  and  made  to  do  dut>* 
as  soldiers.  The  captures  from  this  class  were  meagre.  An 
intimation  of  the  instructions  must  have  reached  them  and  they 
found  safety  in  concealment  or  flight.  One  poor  fellow,  in 
charge  of  a  head-quarter  pack-horse,  vvas  not  so  fortunate.  He 
was  a  poor,  weak-minded  creature,  utterly  unfitted  for  a  fight 
and  suitable  only  for  such  employment  as  his  detail  required. 
His  horse  was  turned  over  to  a  contraband ;  he  was  furnished 
with  gun  and  accoutrements  and  a  place  in  the  ranks  given 
him.  The  fates  were  against  the  regimental  barber ;  he  was 
picked  up  and  for  once  had  an  opportunity  to  join  his  fellows 
in  a  little  active  duty.  An  Irishman  in  a  New  York  regiment 
held  back  so  vigorously  despite  all  efforts  to  urge  him  forward 
that  it  was  about  time  to  use  the  pistol.  He  seemed  to  be  a 
good  man,  either  stubborn  or  overcome  by  fatigue,  not  intend- 
ing to  avoid  battle,  and  of  that  class  which  usually  find  their 
regiment  at  night.  As  a  further  effort,  two  men  with  levelled 
bayonets  were  placed  behind  him  with  instructions  to  run  him 
through  if  he  did  not  move  on.  General  Sykes  and  his  staff 
appeared  when  all  known  means  had  been  applied,  and  for 
some  time  watched  their  repetition.  Apparently  satisfied  that 
the  guard  had  about  exhausted  all  conservative  remedies,  and 
that  the  fellow  was  likely  to  be  shot,  the  general  turned  to  the 
officer  and  in  a  loud,  commanding  tone  said :  "  Go  ahead,  cap- 
tain, and  leave  this  man  to  me ;  TU  get  him  along."  With  that 
he  struck  the  fellow  seveial  smart  blows  with  his  riding-whip 
and  ordered  him  to  "  double-quick."  Without  stirring  a  foot 
and  apparently  not  heeding  the  whip,  the  headstrong,  good- 
natured  fellow,  for  with  all  his  stubbornness  he  had  a  fund  of 
good-natured  humor  in  him,  turning  his  head  to  one  side  and 
looking  the  general  full  in  the  face,  said,  apparently  in  all  sin- 
cerity, neither  discomfited  nor  annoyed :  "  I  say,  gineral,  *ave 
ye  any  tobacky  about  ye  ?  "     It  was  too  much  for  everybody ; 


—  235  — 


roars  of  laughter  followed,  and  the  general,  heartily  joining  in 
it,  rode  rapidly  away,  remarking  as  he  did  so:  "  Captain,  let 
that  man  go;  I'll  be  responsible  for  him." 

Rousing  cheers,  demonstrative  shouts,  ringing  enthusiasm 
greeted  the  good  old  Commonwealth  of  I'ennsylvania.  The 
unfurling  of  colors  and  rolling  of  drums  at  one  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  indicated  the  crossing  of  the  tine.  There  was  a  firmer 
step,  better  closed  ranks,  more  determined  countenances.  Be- 
yond there  had  been  some  cavaEry  fighting.  The  fences  were 
down  and  the  bodies  of  dead  horses  scattered  about;  those 
branded  C.  S.  A.  the  more  numerous.  Rumors  were  rife  of 
the  close  presence  of  the  enemy,  and  stories  of  a  battle  to  be 
momentarily  expected.  Information,  none  of  it  of  vaJue,  was 
eagerly  seized  and  distributed  with  frightful  exaggeration. 

The  broad,  level  acres  of  York,  in  Pennsylvania,  took  the 
place  of  the  rolling  lands  of  Carroll  in  Maryland.  The  rich 
soil,  too  productive  to  permit  the  timber  to  stand,  was  almost 
entirely  cleared  of  the  forests,  and  patches  of  woodland  were 
tare.  The  great  red  bams,  cosey  spring-houses,  and  large, 
roomy  stone  mansions  were  indicative  of  the  successful  resultfi 
of  good,  substantial  tillage. 

Hanover,  a  town  of  considerable  size  and  of  flourishing  busi- 
ness, was  intended  as  the  destination  of  the  day's  march.  Its 
railway  depot,  extensive  warehouses,  lai^e  stores,  substantial 
dwellings,  were  the  evidence  of  its  enterprise,  thrift  and  com- 
fort. One  of  the  oldest  settlements  in  southern  Pennsylvania. 
it  had  long  been  a  centre  for  the  gathering  and  distribution  of 
the  prolific  yield  of  the  surrounding  country.  Its  broad  streets 
were  the  terminals  of  excellent  turnpike  roads  leading  to  all 
neighboring  important  towns.  Its  main  railway  outlet,  with 
branches  from  Gettysburg  and  Littlestown,  was  by  the  North-  ■ 
crn  Central  to  Baltimore  and  Harrisburg,  its  own  branch  tap- 
ping that  line  at  Hanover  Junction.  Here,  on  the  outskirts, 
the  column  halted  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  with  some- 
thing of  a  conviction  that  it  was  for  an  all  night's  rest.  Imme- 
diately, in  wonder  and  a.stonishmcnt  at  this  sudden  visitation 


—  236  — 

by  such  a  mass  of  men,  apparently  all  the  people  from  far  and 
near  gathered  for  a  more  familiar  acquaintance  with  their  un- 
invited guests — as  one  of  them  not  inaptly  expressed  it,  for  a 
more  intimate  association  "with  these  travel-stained,  dusty, 
walking  arsenals,  licensed  to  do  murder  at  their  chieftain's 
bidding."  They  were  deferential,  respectful  to  the  rifle  and 
bayonet,  and  at  first  cautious  and  hesitating  about  a  near  ap- 
proach to  them.  But  upon  being  assured  that  the  arms  were 
not  dangerous  unless  used  to  do  harm,  they  became  interested 
in  their  mechanism  and  evinced  some  degree  of  boldness.  But 
the  most  attractive  feature  was  the  fair  ladies  of  the  vicinage. 
Their  tastes  ran  wholly  to  culinary  affairs,  and  they  were  de- 
lighted by  the  explanations  and  ocular  demonstrations,  as  some 
of  them  styled  it,  of  the  primitive,  original  and  uncouth  way  in 
which  the  soldier  prepared  his  limited  diet.  The  most  fascinat- 
ing and  agreeable  among  the  officers  were  at  pains  to  convince 
them  of  the  excellent  social,  intellectual  and  moral  standing  of 
the  officers  and  men  of  the  regiment.  As  ragged  and  dirty  a 
specimen  of  a  soldier  as  happened  in  view  was  pointed  out  as 
the  son  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Henry  Boardman,  Philadelphia's  most 
distinguished  Presbyterian  divine,  and  it  was  suggested  if  he 
was  of  such  excellent  stock,  it  might  be  well  imagined  how 
high  the  better  appearing  ranked  in  the  social  scale.  This 
twitting  pleasantry  was  apparently  accepted  as  verity,  and  as 
the  citizens  seemed  reluctant  to  leave,  it  was  assumed  they  were 
agreeably  entertained  as  well  as  instructed.* 

The  conviction  that  the  stoppage  was  for  the  night  was 
erroneous.  It  had  been  a  busy  day  at  Gettysburg,  some 
eighteen  miles  away.  General  Reynolds  had  been  killed  and 
the  1st  and  i  ith  Corps,  after  excellent  fighting,  had  been  badly 
worsted  by  the  more  rapid  concentration  of  the  enemy.     All 

♦  A  member  of  the  1st  Michigan,  wriiinj;  respecting  this  march,  says:  "The 
night  march  from  Hanover,  with  women  and  children  handing  food  and  water 
to  our  veterans,  is  another  picture  never  to  be  forgotten  by*  us;  and  when  they 
said  :  *  Don't  let  them  come  any  further,  boys,'  the  response,  *  We  will  not,  we 
will  not,'  came  from  our  Michigan  men  with  a  meaning  which  they  exemplified 
in  their  next  day's  fighting." 


—  237  — 

the  army  was  ordered  there  with  the  greatest  speed  human  en- 
durance could  sustain.  The  great  battle  had  opened,  upon  the 
determination  of  which  hung  the  success  or  failure  of  the  in- 
vasion. So  at  nine  o'clock,  guided  by  the  shimmer  of  a  brilhant 
moon,  the  column  headed  toward  the  then  quaint  old-fashioned 
borough,  now  the  famous  historic  battle  town  of  Gettysburg. 

As  the  army  moved  forward  the  bands  and  regimental  drum 
corps  played  through  the  streets  of  every  town  through  which 
the  corps  passed  to  keep  the  men  awake.  As  it  neared  :i  point 
of  concentration,  moving  through  batteries  on  one  side  and 
infantry  battalions  on  the  other,  a  staff"  officer  approached  the 
colonel,  and  drawing  a  paper  from  his  pocket,  with  the  aid  of  a 
lantern  which  he  carried,  read  from  it  to  the  effect  that  Mc- 
Clcllan  had  been  rc^itored  to  the  conmiand  of  the  army  and 
would  have  charge  in  the  next  day's  battle.  This  information 
was  evidently  intended  for  publication,  but  before  it  was  forniaiiy 
announced,  the  rciding  having  been  overheard,  the  news  passed 
from  one  to  another,  until  it  beca.me  known  to  all  the  troops  in 
the  vicinity.  The  effect  was  electric  and  the  result  astonishing. 
So  long  a  time  had  elapsed  since  the  removal  of  McClellan  it 
had  ceased  to  be  a  subject  of  comment,  and  the  old-tinic  cnthu* 
siasm  for  him  it  was  believed  had  disappeared  forever.  The 
announcement  was  received  with  shout  and  yell  and  cheer,  and 
as  they  echoed  and  re-echoed  from  battery  to  battalion  and 
battalion  back  to  battery  again,  the  woods  and  fields  were  re- 
sonant with  the  enthusiastic  demonstration.  It  all  pa.ssed 
away  as  suddenly  as  it  came,  and  was  soon  lost  and  forgotten 
in  the  startling  and  thrilling  incidents  soon  to  follow. 

At  3.30  on  the  morning  of  the  2d  the  column  halted  in  a 
piece  of  timber  by  the  roadside  for  a  rest  in  the  little  darkness 
left  before  the-  dawn  of  a  day  to  close  big  with  the  fate  o(  the 
nation.  There  was  little  comprehension  of  the  situation  be- 
yond the  fact  that  a  great  battle  was  likely  to  be  fought,  but  it 
was  not  viewed  as  in  any  way  different  from  the  many  other 
hot  and  bloody  conte.sts  through  which  the  army  had  already 
passed.     There  was  no  realization  of  the  portentous  result  of 


—  238  — 

the  issue,  nor  was  it  remotely  conceived  that  history  would  re- 
cord it  as  the  decisive  battle  of  the  war.  The  halt  was  made 
some  miles  southeast  of  the  town  of  Gettysburg,  the  distance 
marched  since  the  early  morning  of  the  1st  having  been  about 
thirty-seven  miles.  The  spot  could  not  have  been  a  great  dis- 
tance from  the  woods  that  skirt  the  base  of  the  now  memorable 
Gulp  and  Wolfs  Hill,  then  the  extreme  right  of  the  fish-hook 
shaped  Union  lines.  At  daylight  within  view  was  a  prominent 
heavily- wooded  knoll,  evidently  the  now  well-known  Wolfs 
Hill.  The  clear,  red  sunrise  indicated  intense  heat,  and  as  the  day 
advanced  the  indications  were  verified.  It  bore  down  with  swelter- 
ing, withering  effect,  until  its  discomfitures  were  forgotten  later 
amid  the  thunder  of  guns  and  the  intense  activity  of  the  conflict. 

At  daylight,  or  shortly  after,  the  column  was  on  the  march, 
and  emerging  from  the  timber  where  the  morning  halt  had 
been  the  division  was  deployed  in  line  of  masses,  the  battalions 
doubled  on  the  centre,  and  the  brigades  arranged  from  right  to 
left  in  their  numerical  order — Tilton's,  Sweitzer's  and  Vincent's. 
In  the  1st  Brigade  the  Ii8th  had  the  right,  then  followed  the 
1st  Michigan,  and  then  the  22d  Massachusetts.  The  1 8th 
Massachusetts  was  temporarily  detached  for  special  service 
early  in  the  morning  and  did  not  rejoin  the  command  until  the 
afternoon.  The  divisions  were  arranged  in  the  corps,  with 
Barnes  on  the  right,  Ayres  in  the  centre,  and  Crawford  on  the 
left.  The  movement  was  conducted  with  precision  and  distances 
established  with  accuracy.  Except  for  the  proximity  of  a 
battle-field,  it  gave  every  evidence  of  preparation  for  a  grand 
review.  The  ground  was  sf)ecially  adapted  for  such  a  cere- 
mony with  so  large  a  body  of  troops,  being  so  level  that,  when 
the  deployments  of  the  masses  were  completed,  the  mounted 
officers  had  the  entire  corps  in  view. 

The  alignment  perfected,  with  colors  unfurled  and  pieces  at 
a  right  shoulder,  the  masses  advanced,  preserving  their  align- 
ments and  distances  with  all  the  force,  effect  and  impressiveness 
attending  a  display  occasion.  The  fences  were  removed  and 
grass,  grain,  bush  and  weed  were  crushed  by  the  heavy  tramp 


of  the  solid  advance.  rcnnjToyal  was  prolific  and  the  air  was 
permeated  with  its  odors.  Silence  prevailed,  interrupted  only 
by  an  occasional  caution  to  "  recollect  the  guide  "  and  observe 
the  direction.  Rising  a  knoll  a  short  distance  beyond  where  the 
formation  was  cRected,  wooded  crests  and  promontories  stood 
out  boldly  i  beyond  were  the  sounds  of  musketry.  These  n 
historic  grounds  had  the  neighborhood  designation  of  Gulp's. 
Wolf's,  MacAllister's  and  Power's  Hill,  Ncaring  the  base  of 
the  hills  the  corps  may  be  said  to  have  arrived  at  Gettysburg. 
The  hour  is  differently  reported,  by  some  at  seven  and  others 
at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  time  between  daylight  and 
the  arrival  having  been  occupied  by  the  fornuilion  and  the  ad- 
vance. Here  the  direction  was  changed  by  the  right  flank,  and 
the  first  intended  purpose  of  the  5th  Corps  to  extend  the  right 
of  the  line  of  the  army  was  virtually  accomplished.  The  mas-scs 
were  deployed  into  lines,  and  shortly  after,  it  being  thought  the 
lines  of  the  army  were  too  extended,  Uie  brigades  were  formed 
by  battalion  columns  and  direction  changed  twice  by  the  left  flank. 

After  moving  a  considerable  distance  in  the  last  of  the  new 
directions,  the  division  crossed  Rock  Creek  near  the  Baltimore 
and  Gettj-sburg  turnpike,  and  massed  there  in  the  vicinity  of  an 
orchard,  the  corps  being  for  the  time  held  as  the  reserve  of  the 
army,  where  as  such  it  lay  within  easy  reach  of  the  12th  Corps. 
The  original  relative  position  of  the  several  brigades  in  the 
division,  and  of  the  regiments  of  the  ist  Brigade,  was  retained. 
These  mancKuvrings  and  changes  from  the  arrival  until  crossing 
Rock  Creek  occupied  the  time  until  after  midday.  There  were 
then  several  hours  of  ease.  There  was  an  intermittent,  bicker- 
ing sort  of  musketry  firo  continually  going  on.  with  an  occa- 
sional discharge  of  a  piece  of  artillery.  It  was  ominous  of 
preparation,  indicative  of  assault. 

The  tempting  opportunity  for  a  bath  in  the  creek  could  not 
be  resisted,  and  a  few  seized  it  in  the  interval  of  rcfet  as  a  re- 
freslung  relief  from  the  fatigues  of  the  incessant  marching.  Some 
dropped  into  peaceful  slumber,  oblivious  of  the  coming  storm. 

Toward  three  o'clock,  on  the  left,  in  front  of  a  rocky  ridge 


—  240  — 

terminating  in  a  round  knobbed,  timbered  mountain,  the  mus- 
ketr>'  increased  to  a  roar  and  the  pruns  thundered  with  the 
energy  of  determination.  Shells,  shot  wild  of  their  intended 
destination,  passed  over  the  closely  crowded  reserve  and  ex- 
ploded harmlessly  far  beyond.  The  3d  Corps,  fighting  in  a 
death  grip,  was  crumbling,  front  and  flank,  before  Longstreet's 
assaulting  hosts.  The  rest  was  broken ;  the  sleepers  were 
awakened.  "  Fall  in,"  "  attention,"  "  load  at  will,  load,"  harsh, 
stern,  determined,  in  quick  succession,  obeyed  with  alacrit}', 
brought  a  realizing  sense  of  the  immediate  responsibilities. 
The  columns  stood  in  earnest  readiness,  sternly  awaiting  the 
moment  of  contact  with  that  twinge  and  tingle  of  anxiety,  in- 
definite, indescribable,  invariably  attendant  on  the  command  to 
load.  The  first  instructions  to  detach  a  brigade  from  the  5th 
to  the  support  of  the  3d  Corps  were  countermanded.  The 
whole  of  the  5th  was  then  ordered  to  the  threatened  position, 
and  the  imperilled  left  thus  fell  sacredly  to  its  keeping.  To 
repeated  applications  from  General  Sickles  for  assistance  while 
the  5th  Corps  was  approaching  the  field.  General  Sykes  re- 
plied :  "  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  give  it ;  the  key  of  the  battle- 
field is  entrusted  to  my  keeping,  and  I  cannot  and  will  not 
jeopardize  it  by  a  division  of  my  forces.  " 

At  3.30  the  division  moved  by  the  left  flank  to  the  south- 
eastward in  the  direction  of  the  heavy  fighting.  The  brigades 
reversed  numerically,  brought  Vincent  on  the  lead,  with 
Sweitzer  following  and  Tilton  to  the  rear.  By  this  change 
Tilton's  brigade  lost  the  opportunity  for  the  high  distinction 
won  by  Vincent's  in  its  magnificent  repulse  of  the  assaults 
on  Little  Round  Top.  General  Warren,  who  had  discovered 
its  vital  importance,  neglected  or  abandoned  as  it  was.  just  as 
the  head  of  the  division  column  was  nearing  i.,  seized  the 
troops  closest  at  hand  to  hold  the  rocky  eminence.  As  Vin- 
cent's brigade  led.  it  was  thrown  hurriedly  to  the  crest.  If  the 
movement  had  been  by  the  right.  Tilton's  brigade  would  have 
been  assigned  this  important  duty.  Upon  the  22d  Massachu- 
setts, its  left  regiment,  would  have  devolved  the  trj'ing  respon- 


J.\S.    I'.    HOI.T, 


r 


■  741  — 

sibility,  so  valiantly  discharged  by  Chamberlain's  20th  Maine, 
of  repelling  the  overwhelming  odds  hurled  against  them  an<l 
of  maintaining  alone  the  extreme  left  of  the  defensive  line  of 
the  Union  army,  and  of  eventually  driving  the  enemy  from  the 
face  of  Big  Round  Top. 

The  march  was  by  roadway,  timber  skirting  the  flanks  most 
of  the  distance.  The  battle  was  raging  fearfully.  The  wickcil 
screech  and  angry  whistle  of  shot  and  shell  were  persistent  and 
continuous.  Tlic  enemy's  batteries  were  served  with  unusual 
determination  and  unwonted  vigor.  The  noise,  confusion, 
bustle  and  excitement  of  the  rear  were  more  than  usually  in- 
tcn.sified.  Ammunition  wagons,  parked  cio.se  together,  ambu- 
lances, jamming  and  jo.stling  each  other,  were  imperilled  and 
threatened  bj'  the  bursting  bombs  and  ricocheting  shots.  The 
harrowing  sights  of  shocking  wounds  and  bandaged  limbs,  as 
borne  on  stretcher,  carried  in  ambulance,  or  limping  in  pain, 
men  sought  a  place  of  safety,  thickened  as  the  column  neared 
the  scene  of  action.  The  demoralizing  rumors  of  irretrievable 
disaster  grew  to  shameful  proportions,  as  the  fears  of  skulkers 
and  malingerers  magnified  the  enemy's  onslaught  A  splendid 
black  charger,  too  valuable  for  such  exposure,  said  to  have 
been  the  horse  of  Captain  John  Fassit,  of  the  23d  Pennsylvania, 
an  aide  on  General  Bimey's  staff,  had  his  right  foot  torn  off  as 
he  was  being  led  along  the  flank  of  the  column. 

The  rocky  eminences,  Big  and  Little  Round  Top,  com- 
manded almost  an  entire  view  of  the  plateau  held  by  our  army. 
Rising  a  ridge  near  them,  the  column  passed  over  it,  down  its 
rocky,  wooded  sides,  into  a  gorge  filled  with  huge  stones  and 
massive  boulders,  towards  the  enemy.  It  was  now  in  the  midst 
of  the  active  combat.  Shot,  shell  and  musketry  raged  terrifi- 
cally. The  familiar  piercing  rebel  yell,  incapable  of  description, 
conceivable  only  by  those  who  knew  it.  dominated  the  uproar. 
The  march  trended  diagonally  through  the  gorge  by  lane  or 
by  path,  and  thence  by  the  roadway  which  connects  the  Em- 
mctsburg  turnpike  with  the  Taneytown  road,  crossing  the  gap 
between  the  two  Round  Tops.     Following  this  road  a  short 


—   242   — 

distance,  then  removing  the  fences,  the  column  turned  to  the 
left  into  the  timber,  beyond  and  in  front  of  the  famous  wheat- 
field.  Rocks  and  boulders  were  scattered  about,  not  so  large 
or  massive  as  those  in  the  gorge.  The  ground  in  front,  well 
cleared,  fell  off  in  quite  a  slope  and  was  interspersed  with  rocks 
and  a  few  straggling  trees.  Beyond  this  open  ground  and  in 
full  view  was  the  Rose  House  on  another  rise.  To  the  right, 
on  the  other  side  of  the  road,  was  an  open  space  apparently 
unprotected,  the  source  of  much  anxiety.  Here  were  a  num- 
ber of  batteries,  their  left  resting  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
road  at  the  point  where  the  brigade  had  entered  the  timber, 
their  right  extending  towards  the  front,  in  a  line  deflecting  a 
little  from  a  direction  nearly  parallel  with  the  road.  The  only 
one  noticeably  in  view  was  Bigelow's  famous  9th  Massachusetts 
Battery  of  brass  twelves  on  the  extreme  left.  His  guns  were 
being  served  with  wonderful  rapidity,  accompanied  by  that 
pluck,  energy  and  determination  as  much  a  part  of  all  well-ap- 
pointed batteries  in  action  as  were  the  guns  themselves.  These 
batteries  apparently  were  wholly  without  infantry  support  on 
their  right.  As  soon  as  the  brigade  had  nearly  cleared  the  road 
it  was  halted  and  faced  to  the  front,  upon  the  further  edge  of  the 
timber.  This  restored  the  formation  as  it  was  before  the  march 
to  the  battle-field  began,  bringing  the  I  i8th  again  on  the  right. 
The  2d  Brigade  had  preceded  the  1st  into  the  woods  and 
left  so  little  space  for  it  to  occupy  between  its  right  and  the 
batteries  that  the  18th  Massachusetts  was  necessarily  thrown 
to  the  rear  as  a  support,  and  the  whole  of  the  right  wing  of 
the  1 18th  was  refused  to  the  right  at  a  sharp  right-angle.  As 
the  division  was  then  posted,  the  1 1 8th  was  the  extreme  right 
regiment.  Except  the  troops  that  had  been  in  the  peach  orchard, 
which  was  but  a  short  distance  in  front,  and  those  on  the  Em- 
metsburg  turnpike,  the  brigade  was  farther  advanced  than  any 
troops  on  the  left  had  been  or  subsequently  were  during  the 
battle.  As  the  line  was  established,  a  thin  line  of  battle  in 
front,  not  heavier  than  a  strong  skirmish  line,  taking  it  for 
granted  that  it  was  relieved,  withdrew.      They  were  immedi- 


—  244  — 

ately  replaced  by  skirmishers  from  the  brigade.  During  all  this 
time  the  firing  had  been  very  heavy  in  every  direction,  and  the 
men,  in  eager  expectancy  of  an  assault,  manifested  such  an 
anxiety  for  action  that  they  were  cautioned  to  restrain  them- 
selves long  enough,  in  case  of  attack,  to  permit  the  skirmishers 
to  retire.  They  were  kept  but  a  moment  in  waiting.  The  in- 
creased activity  of  the  guns,  their  loud  and  deafening  roar, 
loud  cries  for  canister,  indicated,  though  his  lines  were  still  un- 
seen by  the  infantry,  that  the  artillery  had  discovered  the 
enemy  and  were  determined  to  inflict  prompt  and  damaging 
punishment  It  was  ineffectual,  and  the  onslaught,  timed  as 
at  twenty  minutes  after  four,  terrible  and  severe,  first  fell  upon 
the  left  of  the  brigade.  The  musketry  rolled  in  continuous 
roar,  volley  after  volley  was  poured  in  heavily  as  nearer  and 
nearer  the  enemy  approached  the  right.  The  ground  trembled, 
the  trees  shook  and  limbs  quivered.  "  Shell  without  cutting 
fuse !  "  shouted  Bigelow.  All  the  other  batteries  had  retired  and 
one  section  of  his.  The  skirmishers  came  in  hurriedly,  and  then 
across  the  unguarded  space  a  column  of  the  enemy  appeared 
through  the  smoke,  moving  with  shout,  shriek,  curse  and  yell, 
about  to  envelop  the  entire  exposed  and  unprotected  right  flank 
of  the  regiment.  They  were  moving  obliquely,  loading  and 
firing  with  deliberation  as  they  advanced,  begrimed  and  dirty- 
looking  fellows,  in  all  sorts  of  garb,  some  without  hats,  others 
without  coats,  none  apparently  in  the  real  dress  or  uniform  of 
a  soldier.  The  regiment  now  opened  vigorously,  and  the  en- 
tire brigade  was  hotly  engaged.  The  man  who  had  been 
summarily  relieved  of  head-quarter  pack-horse  duty  by  the  rear 
guard,  a  few  days  before,  showed  conspicuous  gallantry.  Be- 
grimed with  powder,  hatless,  a  few  paces  in  advance,  shouting 
continually,"  Give  them  hell, boys !  "  he  wasdoingexcellent  work. 
Twitted  and  jeered  for  his  previous  failures,  the  slurs  changed 
to  commendations  at  this  early  attempt  at  leadership.  The 
line  preserved  its  regularity;  there  was  no  attempt  to  seek  cover 
among  the  rocks  or  timber,  but  the  men  stood  erect,  stepping 
a  pace  to  the  rear  to  load  and  returning  promptly  to  the  front 


—  245  — 

to  fire.  The  envclojiing  process  continued  with  alarming 
rapidity.  Colonel  Gwyn  had  noted  its  progress  with  anxiety. 
A  change  of  front  or  a  disorderly  break  would  alone  prevent 
capture  or  annihilation.  Discipline,  firmness,  courage  were  in 
readiness,  and  in  response  to  Colonel  Gwyn's  order,  repeated 
in  the  stentorian  tones  of  Major  Herring,  ringing  out  above 
the  din  of  battie,  "  Change  front  to  the  rear  on  loth  Coniiwny, 
battalion  about  face,  by  company  right  half  wheel,  march!" 
the  regiment,  under  all  this  withering,  pelting  fire,  executed 
the  movement  with  as  much  alacrity,  precision  and  detail  as  it 
ever  did  on  any  parade  occasion.  The  rest  of  the  brigade  had 
also  executed  a  similar  manceuvre,  which  changed  the  entire 
front  in  the  new  direction.  The  position  of  tlie  organization 
was  so  far  altered  as  to  bring  tlie  brigade  into  two  lines, 
the  IlSth  still  retaining  the  right  of  the  first  line.  Colonel 
Sweitzcr  was  notified  of  the  change  and  directed  to  con- 
form his  movements  to  co-operate  in  resisting  the  heavy  atLick. 
The  line  retired,  loading  and  firing  with  deliberation,  for  .some 
300  yards,  crossing  a  comer  of  the  wheat-field  and  making 
another  stand  in  the  timber  behind  a  stone  fence,  about  200 
feet  from  the  gate  opening  into  the  lane  of  the  Trostle  House. 
S"  orderly  was  this  retirement  that  there  was  neither  break, 
hurr>-  nor  undue  crowding.  Save  when  Major  Biddle,  of  Gen-" 
eral  Meade's  staff,  rode  his  horse  into  the  ranks,  earnestly  im- 
ploring a  halt,  there  was  neither  waver  nor  hesitation.  These 
movements  were  neither  sudden  nor  panicky,  but  performed  in 
obedience  to  orders  and  conducted  with  all  military  propriety. 
Bigelow,  sorely  pressed  and  his  battery  in  imminent  danger, 
followed  the  movement,  withdrawing  his  pieces  by  prolongs. 
Then  he  took  position  in  the  angle,  almost  at  theTrostle  House 
gate,  slightly  in  front  and  to  the  right  of  the  regiment,  where 
he  did  damaging  execution.  He  had  not  moved  until  the 
enemy,  with  a  savage  yell,  were  on  the  very  top  of  him  and 
had  completely  covered  both  his  flanks.  Sergeant  Augustus 
Liikcr,  Company  K,  Corporal  DeWitt  Rodcrmcl,  Coinpany  E, 
James  J.    Donnelly,   Company   C,   Sergeant   Joseph   Turner, 


—  245  — 

Gjmpany  F,  of  the  1 1 8th,  gallantly  assisted  in  keeping  back 
Kershaw's  skirmishers  from  his  left  flank,  and  Bigelow  to  this 
day  continues  to  refer  admiringly  to  their  gallant  conduct 
Whilst  lying  behind  the  stone  wall,  the  same  James  J. 
Donnelly,  who  had  taken  his  place  with  Company  E  on 
the  extreme  right,  attracted  attention  by  the  cool,  deliberate 
and  accurate  manner  with  which  he  used  a  carbine  that  he  had 
picked  up  at  Aldie  and  carried  with  him  afterward.      Donnelly 


S^RC.fcANT 

had  been  detailed  for  orderly  duty  at  regimental  head-quarters 
and,  being  without  musket  or  equipments,  had  taken  this 
method  to  provide  himself  with  a  weapon,  intending  to  use  it 
to  a  purpose  at  the  first  opportunity.  He  had  exhausted  his 
ammunition  and,  desiring  instructions  what  he  should  do  for 
more,  from  Lieutenant  Samuel  N  Lewis,  who  stood  in  his  im- 
mediate vicinity  and  had  noticed  the  man's  behavior,  was  di- 


—  247  — 

reeled  to  leap  over  the  wall  and  remove  the  cartridge-box  and 
take  the  musket  from  the  dead  body  of  a  soldier  that  lay  some 
fifteen  or  twenty  paces  to  the  front.  Without  hesitation,  amid 
a  shower  of  bullets,  he  executed  the  direction,  slowly  removed 
the  accoutrements,  seized  the  musket  and  returned  lo  his  place. 
He  then  called  Lieutenant  Lewis's  attention  to  a  Confederate 
stand  of  colors  and  its  color-bearer.  Taking  deliberate  aim,  he 
fired,  and  the  standard  almost  instantly  fell.  Donnelly,  en- 
raptured with  his 
success,  never  after- 
wards returned  to 
his  orderly  duty, but 
remained,  coura- 
geously fighting,  in 
the  ranks,  and  to- 
wards the  end  of 
the  war  was  re- 
warded with  a  well- 
earned  promotion  to 
a  firbt  lieutenancy. 

The  yard  and 
grounds  oftheTros- 
tle  House  soon 
swarmed  with  skir- 
mibhersfrom  Barks- 
dale  5  brigade.  The 
jAMEsj  DONNLLLV.  M  I  s  s  i  s  s  i  pp  ia  ns 

crowded  every  cor- 
ner, knoll  and  rock  that  afTcred  protection,  pouring  in  a  de- 
structive and  accur^ite  fire.  Thfir  lino  of  battle,  with  colors 
well  to  the  frcirit,  de\eloped  distinctly  and  still  continued  to 
en\elnp  tile  rij^hl  .uid  the  battery,  punishing;  it  most  seriously. 
They  sn.m  cn^ereii  the  rear  as  well  as  the  flank.  With  a 
mad  ru-h  the)-  ma.ie  fur  tile  guns.  Bigelow  w.is  almost 
siirrniinded  ;  lie  liad  lost  eighty  iiorscs.  Nearly  all  his  men 
were  kilkil  it  woiinil.-.i      Yielding  to  tile  inevitable,  the  pieces 


—  248  — 

were  abandoned,  and  all  four  fell  into  the  enemy's  hands,  to  be 
subsequently,  however,  retaketi  before  the  close  of  the  day. 
This  spot  no  longer  tenable,  a  further  withdrawal  was  neces- 
sitated. Just  as  it  commenced  the  color-bearer  of  the  2lst 
Mississippi  regiment  advanced  through  the  gate  of  the  Tres- 
tle House  and,  halting  in  the  road,  stood  gallantly  and  cour- 
ageously waving  his  colors  in  the  midst  of  the  thickest  of  the 


CAPTAIN  RICHARD  \ 

melee.  Beside  him  a  Confederate  skirmisher  was  seen  to  drop 
on  one  knee  and  take  deliberate  aim  at  Captain  Richard  W. 
Davids.  His  shot  was  effective.  The  ball  penetrated  his 
body;  staggering,  he  fell  into  the  arms  of  Smith,  who  was 
by  his  side,  and  with  his  aid  and  that  of  others  he  made 
an  effort  to  reach  the  rear,  but  fell  within  a  few  paces 
of  where  he  had  been  shot  and  expired  where  he  fell. 
He   met   his    fate   with    true    soldierly   composure.     Captain 


—  249  — 

Davids  was  a  man  of  positive  convictions,  earnest  purpose  and 
strong  determination.  Of  high  soldierly  instincts,  his  courage 
was  heroism  and  his  bravery  daring.  With  his  superior  mili- 
tary attainments  he  coupled  a  genial,  generous  disposition. 
Cultured,  affable,  firm,  he  was  endeared  to  those  with  whom  he 
associated,  admired  by  those  whom  he  commanded. 

At  this  time  Lieutenant  James  B.  Wilson  and  Lieutenant 
Inman  were  severely  wounded.  Lieutenant  Inman's  wounds 
were  of  a  character  that  prevented  his  ever  again  resuming 
bis  duties  in  the  field,  and  Lieutenant  Wilson  was  a  long 
time  recovering.* 

As  the  command  withdrew,  a  Georgia  regiment,  moving  at 
double-quick,  with  arms  at  the  right  shoulder  and  colors  fly- 
ing, passed  the  left  of  the  regimental  line.  They  were  prison- 
ers of  war,  guarded  by  a  small  squad  of  llieir  captors  and 
were  being  hurried  to  the  rear  to  get  them  out  of  the  fire  of 
their  own  people.  In  the  flurr>'  of  the  capture  the  demand  was 
not  made  that  they  should  lay  down  their  arms,  and  they 
apparently  unconsciously  continued  to  bear  them,  although 
they  were  prisoners.  It  is  probably  fortunate  for  the  small 
squad  who  had  them  in  charge  that  they,  as  well,  uncon- 
sciously forgot  to  use  them. 

The  enemy  seemed  startled  and  appalled  at  their  success. 

*  Lieulenani  Inm>n  says  ;  "  Lieuteninl  Wilion  and  myself  were  wounded,  utd 
I  lay  upon  (he  Reld  unlil  the  morning  of  (he  4lh,  when  lome  of  ihe  men  of 
Company  F,  of  which  I  was  an  officer,  carried  me  off  on  a  stretcher  lo  the  hoi- 
I»tal,  where  Dr.  Thomas  operated  on  me.  On  Thursday  nigh(,  whilst  lying 
within  the  rebel  lines,  the  139th  Ohio  Regiment  came  to  where  [  was,  and  I 
quietly  cnlled  one  of  Ihe  sergcnnts  and  asked  him  lo  help  me  inlo  our  linei.  Me 
reported  In  (he  colonel  the  fact  of  bein)-  wilhin  Ihe  enemy's  tine,  when  he  imme' 
dia(ely  orilered  right  about  face  and  felt  rapidly  back,  teaving  me  alone  with  the 
dead.  That  night  a  number  of  stray  hogs  came  to  where  I  lay  and  commenced 
rooling  and  (CArinE  at  the  dead  men  around  me.  Finally  one  fellow  that  in  Ihe 
darkne^-.  looked  o(  ennrmoiissi/e.-ipproached  .-ind  allempted  to  poke  me — grunting 
Inudly  the  while.  Several  others  iil«i  came  up,  when,  waiting  my  chance.  1  jammed 
my  swotil  into  his  licliy,  which  made  him  set  up  a  prolonged,  sharp  cry.  By 
constant  vigilance  and  keeping  from  sleeping  I  contrived  lo  fight  the  monslen 
oft  till  daylight." 


—  250  — 

They  had  lost  something  in  organization,  but  their  numbers 
were  overpowering.     Their  yells  and  howls  never  ceased. 

Colonel  Gwyn  gave  orders  to  "  about  face."  It  has  been 
said  that  our  brigade  was  withdrawn  with  undue  haste.  Now, 
if  it  was  not  time  to  retire,  when  the  guns  of  the  9th  Massa- 
chusetts were  in  the  hands  of  Barkesdale's  Mississippians,  who 
were  on  our  right  flank,  and  firing  so  close  that  Corporal  S. 
M.  Caldwell,  of  Company  E,  was  shot  through  the  right  side 
of  the  head,  then  all  we  had  learned  or  knew  of  the  art  of  war 
as  veterans  was  in  vain.  Lieutenant  S.  N.  Lewis  and  other 
officers  emptied  their  revolvers  at  the  now  eager  enemy,  who 
were  charging  and  firing  on  us.  Our  men  withdrew  slowly, 
firing  on  them  as  we  fell  back.  Organization  was  fairly  pre- 
served. The  whole  battlefield  was  in  a  twirl  since  the  attack 
had  begun  in  the  frequent  changes  of  front,  and  directions 
and  requirements  had  become  so  intermingled  that  they  were 
at  the  moment  tr>'ing  to  unwind  themselves.  There  were 
times  when  regularity  of  formation  was  lost ;  but  the  colors 
indicated  vantage  ground  and  confidence  to  the  hesitating 
ranks,  and  the  men  kept  their  eyes  on  the  colors.  It  is  said 
that  the  2 1st  Mississippi  Regiment  of  Barkesdale's  Brigade, 
McLaw's  Division,  who  charged  on  us  and  the  9th  Mass. 
Battery,  lost  every  color-bearer.  Many  of  our  men  had  their 
cartridges  on  the  ground  ready  for  quick  firing  as  the  Rebels 
charged  on  us.  They  were  the  troops  who  charged  on  us  in 
our  first  and  second  positions. 

No  histories  give  mention  that  the  1 1 8th  Regiment  sup- 
ported Bigelow's  Battery,  and  rendered  good  service.  Phil- 
lips' 5th  Massachusetts  Battery  also  did  splendid  fighting, 
vainly  struggling  to  check  the  onward  rush  of  the  rebel 
masses.  The  rapid  peals  from  their  guns  told  the  awful  work 
allotted  them  was  being  well  done  by  the  gallant  cannoneers. 
The  rebel  General  Wofford  attacked  the  line  held  by  Zook  and 
Sweitzer.  Barnes*  two  brigades  were  driven  out  from  their 
position  in  the  woods  and  wheatfields.  The  losses  were 
frightful,  and  our  whole  line  at  this  part  was  soon  broken. 
Humphrey  had  meanwhile  completed  his  movement. 


^  251  — 

Generals  Sickels  and  Barnes  were  wounded  Bigclow's 
Baticry.  with  the  11 8th  Infantry  as  support,  was  on  the  left  of 
the  Trostle  House,  near  the  left  bank  of  Plum  Run,  and  opened 
fire  upon  the  enemy,  now  advancing  from  the  west  and  south, 
and  taking  their  battery. 

The  batteries  of  McGilvery,  consisting  of  thirty  or  forty 
pieces  of  artillery,  were  hurried  into  position,  with  their  front 
at  the  trostle-house  on  our  right.  They  opened  on  the  enemy, 
and.  together  with  Hancock's  other  batteries,  got  a  cross-fire 
upon  the  advancing,  yelling  enemy. 

The  Confederate  battle-flags  could  be  plainly  seen,  and  on 
our  left  the  wheatfield  where  Generals  Zook  and  Taylor  were 
killed.  The  fighting  was  desperate,  mingled  with  the  solid,  de- 
fiant cheers  of  our  men  and  the  groans  of  the  wounded  and 
dying.  The  men  had  no  time  for  sensations  of  fear.  As  they 
said,  "  If  we  cannot  whip  them  in  our  own  State  of  Pennsylva- 
nia, where  can  we  ?  "  It  was  the  men's  battle,  and  fought 
with  no  thought  of  being  defeated. 

It  would  be  well  for  future  historians,  in  writing  up  the  his- 
tory of  the  3d  and  Jth  Corps  to  extend  the  high-water  mark 
to  the  Round  Tops,  where  the  greatest  losses  and  most  des- 
jwratc  fighting  took  place  on  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day; 
when  Longstreet,  with  the  entire  right  wing  of  I^e's  army  of 
45,000,  the  largest  body  of  men  that  advanced  together  on 
any  part  of  the  field,  was  repulsed  after  fiercely  charging 
again  and  again  until  compelled  by  darkness  to  cease,  and 
failed  to  carry  the  key  of  the  whole  battle-field.  This  is  what 
all  the  military  men  say,  both  Union  and  Confederate,  who  were 
there.  General  Meade  states  that  his  greatest  losses  were  on 
the  second  day,  and  this  we  claim  is  the  high-water  mark  of 
the  rebellion.  Our  first  division  did  some  desperate  fighting. 
The  dead  and  wounded,  -with  the  red  nialtese  cross  on  their 
caps,  were  lying  all  over  the  field. 

During  the  long,  hazy  moonlight  night  of  July  2d  parts  of 
our  lines  were  being  strengthened  by  breastworks,  and  many 
wounded  carried  to  the  hospital,  and  there  was  but  little  rest 
given  to  the  wearj'  veteran  who  had  fought  through  the  day. 


—  252   — 

established  in  front  and  a  little  to  the  right  of  the  point  where 
the  command  had  crossed  the  ridge  near  Little  Round  Top  in 
the  afternoon.  Concerning  the  retirement  Colonel  Tilton  offi- 
cially said :  "  I  think,  however,  I  saved  my  brigade  from  great 
disaster,  after  it  could  no  longer  be  of  any  good  at  the  front, 
and  succeeded  in  forming  a  new  line,  which  was  retained  dur- 
ing the  night." 

While  the  withdrawal  from  the  Trostle  House  was  in  prog- 
ress, attention  was  attracted  to  the  solid,  ringing,  regular  tramp 
of  firm,  determined  men.  Concealed  by  the  smoke  and  the 
irregularities  of  the  ground,  the  sound  of  the  approaching 
mass  was  heard  before  the  line  appeared  in  sight.  As  it  drew 
nearer  and  nearer,  that  splendid  division,  the  Pennsylvania  Re- 
serves, came  suddenly  into  view,  sweeping  everything  before  it, 
as  if  confident  in  the  assurance  of  its  own  inherent  strength. 
With  Crawford  leading,  hat  in  hand,  waving  his  followers  on 
to  victory ;  with  fixed  bayonets,  steady  tread  and  in  excellent 
alignment,  shouting  and  cheering,  as  if  the  victory  were  already 
theirs,  they  pressed  on  in  that  memorable  charge  that  restored 
so  much  of  the  ground  lost  and  recovered  so  many  of  the 
guns  taken  during  the  afternoon.  Their  rush  had  been  so 
sudden  that  many  of  the  enemy,  who  had  succeeded  in  work- 
ing around  the  right  of  the  corps,  were  caught  between  their 
advancing  and  Barnes's  retiring  lines.  There  was  no  escape, 
and,  yielding  reluctantly,  they  stepped  out  hurriedly  to  a  place 
of  safety.  The  ist  Brigade  was  small,  and  the  prisoners  taken 
by  them  almost  equalled  in  numbers  the  strength  of  the  brig- 
ade. With  some  the  reluctance  was  not  so  manifest,  and  they 
expressed  satisfaction  at  being  safely  out  of  that  "  blazing 
hell." 

After  the  division  had  withdrawn  to  its  second  position,  it 
having  been  reported  that  Caldwell's  brigade,  of  the  2d  Corps, 
was  driving  the  enemy  to  the  left  and  front,  Sweitzer's  brigade 
was  sent  to  its  assistance.  The  i8th  and  22d  Massachusetts 
regiments,  of  the  1st  Brigade,  accompanied  it.  The  effort  was 
futile,  disastrous,  and  resulted  in  severe  loss.     The  4th  Michi- 


—  »Si  — 

gan  and  621!  Pennsylvania  crossed  bayonets  in  actual  contact 
with  the  enomy.  Colonel  Jcflbrds,  commanding  the  fornKT 
regiment  while  mounted,  was  thrust  through  with  a  bayonet, 
as  he  gallantly  attempted  to  rescue  his  colors.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  this  advance,  the  movements  of  the  two  brigades 
corresponded  with  each  other  during  the  entire  engagement, 
and  they  were  together  when  the  line  was  established  in  the 
evening  in  front  of  the  ridge  near  Little  Round  Top- 
Thus,  to  sum  up,  while  repulsed  at  every  other  part  of 
our  line,  the  Confederates  held  possession  at  Kulp's  Hill, 
on  the  extreme  right.  Thus  ended  the  second  day  of  the 
bloody  struggle  at  Gettysburg.  That  night  Meade  called 
his  generals  together  to  determine  whether  they  should  con- 
tinue on  that  line,  and  fight  it  out  on  the  morrow  or  retreat. 
The  verdict  was  to  fight  it  out.  and  Hancock,  in  giving  his 
vote,  remarked  that  "  the  Union  army  had  retreated  too  often 
already." 

*  Dt.  Joieph  Thomas  fumislu:*  tbe  foUowing  graphic  description  of  the  Bcene 
alter  [he  MCond  iif't  botlle :  "  About  eUven  o'clock  tt  njghl  the  unbulances 
wcfc  buiy  collecting  an<i  cairy'tng  to  the  rtM-i  great  loads  oF  nsngleil  and  dying 
humanily.  The  wagon-lrain,  with  tents  uid  nippltes,  had  not  yn  niriveJ.  and  ihc 
•oundtd  were  lieposiicd  un  ilic  niouml.  The  iile  selcclc.t  foi  tlit  w.iunded  of  (he 
1,1  .li.Mi.ii  V..,-  ,,  (I,  i.i  ,„-;  I!,  ,:■',,  ..I  l;i^  l-;..'...^  l..|.  ,  i.  .|.  ..>. .  ,,  half  mile 
from  its  Kase.  As  Ihcy  weie  removed  from  the  ambulances  they  were  placed  in 
loDg  rows,  with  no  reference  to  the  nature  or  gravity  of  their  injuriei,  nor  condition 
or  rank.  Friend  and  foe  alike,  as  they  had  been  promiscuously  picked  up  where 
thejr  had  fallen,  were  there  laid  side  by  side  in  these  prostrate  ranks  of  hieeding, 
tulTering  and  dying  unfortunates.  Soon  the  ambulances  ceased  their  visit*.  >■ 
ihey  had  gathered  up  all  thai  were  accessible  ot  could  be  found  in  the  daritneni. 
There  were  about  350  or  300  thus  collected  and  lying  upon  the  ground  awaiting 
ciaminalion  by  the  luigeon,  as  soon  as  dawn  should  appear  to  furni«h  light  for  (he 
painful  work.  Opiates  were  administered  10  alleviate  pain,  and  water  supplied  to 
appease  their  (hirst.  One  of  the  sui^eons  then  wrapped  himself  in  his  blanket  and 
siBight  a  brief  repose  to  prepare  himself  for  the  busy  work  of  the  morrow.  It  was 
futile  to  attempt  10  steep,  for  the  horrors  of  the  environment  put  thin  out  of  the 
<]uestion.  Sounds  of  pain  and  anguish,  invocation  and  supplication,  singing,  and 
even  cursing  by  some  in  their  delirium  or  sleep,  were  promiscuously  intermingled. 
To  ileep  was  impos-sible.  At  last  morning  dawned,  and  at  the  same  lime  ordera 
were  reccivcil  to  remove  the  wounded  farther  to  the  rear  and  out  of  range  of  the 
enemy's  balierics.  which  were  expected  to  shell  that  quarter  as  soon  as  it  was  light 


—  254  — 

The  earliest  streaks  of  dawn  had  scarce  made  objects  distin* 
guishable,  ere  the  pickets  signified  their  purpose  of  continued 
strife  by  sharp,  persistent  firing.  The  3d  of  July,  the  third 
of  these  three  eventful  days,  had  broken  to  close  again  in  bloody 
strife,  and  to  roll  back  in  terrible  disaster  the  final  attempt  to 
break  the  hard-pressed  Union  lines.  At  daylight  the  brigade 
was  shifted  to  the  rocky  face  of  Round  Top,  and  there  relieved 
Vincent's  brigade,  now  commanded  by  Rice.  The  strength 
and  valor  of  that  brigade,  tested  to  the  highest  degree  of  soldier 
manhood,  had  saved  that  commanding  eminence,  and  with  it 
the  entire  line  from  the  momentar)^  grip  the  enemy  had  upon  it. 
This  wooded  promontory',  boldest  of  all  the  hills  in  the  vicinity, 
was  visible  for  miles  in  every  direction.  It  was  without  road 
or  pathway,  a  mass  of  huge,  round,  smooth,  slippery  boulders. 
Securely  manned,  the  hill  would  have  been  almost  invulnerable 
against  assault.  To  the  natural  defences  the  position  afiforded, 
the  troops  relieved  had  added  a  substantial  stone  breastwork. 
The  trees  were  rudely  scarred,  split  and  torn  in  every  conceiv- 
able way,  and  scarce  a  bush,  twig  or  limb  but  that  bore  con- 
vincing evidence  of  heavy  firing  from  both  cannon  and  small 
arms. 

This  position  commanded  a  view  of  all  the  country  between 
the  two  lines  to  the  left  of  the  Union  centre,  covering  a  scope 
of  some  two  square  miles.  Immediately  in  front  for  some  half 
mile  was  thick  timber,  concealing  the  rocks,  stones,  caves  and 
boulders  that  made  up  the  well-named,  weird,  forsaken  and 
desolate  Devil's  Den.  Through  this,  and  extending  to  the 
right  beyond  it,  coursed  a  sluggish  stream  of  width  and  volume 
scarce  sufficient  to  dignify  it  with  a  name,  called  Plum  Run. 
Its  waters  were  not  confined  to  its  channel,  but  spread  out  in 

enough.  Ambulances  simultaneously  arrived,  and  the  wounded  were  again  placed 
in  them  and  taken  to  a  more  remote  point  back  on  Rock  Creek,  where  tents  were 
subsequently  pitched  to  shelter  them.  In  liftint;  them  ujx)n  the  conveyances,  it 
was  discovered  that  many  were  dead.  The  removal  from  the  place  was  accom- 
plished none  too  soon,  for  as  the  last  load  was  moving  off,  shells  and  solid  shot 
began  to  fall  in  formidable  numbers  on  the  place." 


—  2SS  — 

swamp  and  bog  over  loamy  ground  grown  rank  in  a  tall  swamp 
grass.  Beyond  this  growth  of  limber  In  its  front  to  the  Union 
:Lit.  the  country  rolled  olT  in  open,  arable,  cultivated  lands  until 
it  was  interrupted  by  the  timber  crowning  the  other  crest,  Sem- 
inary Ridge,  which  the  enemy  occupied.  The  enemy's  lines 
were  distant,  all  along  his  front,  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile. 
The  ridge  he  held  ran  almost  parallel  with  that  occupied  by  the 
Union  forces,  until  it  reached  beyond  Round  Top,  where  it 
deflected  to  his  front,  terminating  not  far  from  the  base,  and 
almost  on  the  flank,  of  that  mountain.  It  was  much  lower, 
and  in  no  sense  commanded  it.  The  Emmctsburg  road,  a 
bro.id,  well-made  turnpike,  extended  the  entire  distance  between 
the  two  lines,  but  was  nearest  the  Union  line.  Along  it,  and 
elsewhere  over  the  scene,  fine  old-fashioned  farm-houses,  with 
large,  substantial  barns,  stables  and  out-buildings,  dotted  the 
undulating  lands.  Just  at  the  season  of  wheat  harvest,  the 
whole  country  teemed  will)  abundant  crops,  ripening  to  a  rich 
maturity.  The  battle  doubtless  made  the  wheat  harvest  of  the 
locality  a  failure,  and  the  usual  prolific  yield  of  the  otlicr  crops 
was  probably  materially  interfered  with.  Numbers  of  these 
commodious  houses  and  roomy  barns  fell  victims  to  the  flames, 
and  all  through  the  fight  great  vol  umcs  of  smoke  from  burning 
buildings,  barns  and  hay-ricks  rolled  up  like  huge  spires — for 
there  was  but  little  wind — at  various  points  between  the  lines. 
It  was  a  field  that  more  strongly  contrasted  thrifty,  enterprising, 
prosperous  peace  with  harsh,  rude,  relentless  war.  than  any 
other  on  which  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  ever  fought. 

In  proportion  to  the  number  engaged,  the  greatest  loss  sus- 
tained by  any  regiment  during  the  war  was  that  of  the  1st 
Minnesota.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day  the  Union 
line  was  driven  back  in  confusion  from  its  position  along 
the  Kinmeltsburg  Road.  While  Hancock  was  patching  up 
a  second  line  he  saw  a  column  of  the  enemy  (Wilcox's 
lirigade)  emerging  suddenly  from  a  clump  of  trees  near  an  un- 
protected portion  of  his  line.  The  ist  Minnesota  were  on 
right  of  the  iiSth,  and  Hancock,  desirous  of  gaining  time  until 
reinforcements   could   be   brought   forward,   rode  up.  to  CoL 


—  256  — 

Colville.  and  ordered  him  to  take  the  enemy's  colors.  A  des- 
perate fight  ensued,  m  which  the  enemy  were  forced  back, 
leaving  their  colors  in  the  hands  of  the  1st  Minnesota.  There 
is  no  more  gallant  deed  recorded  in  history.  The  regiment 
took  262  officers  and  men  in  this  fight  It  lost  fifty  killed  and 
174  wounded.     Total,  224. 

A  remarkable  feature  of  the  loss  is  that  none  were  missing. 
Seventeen  officers  were  killed  or  wounded,  including  the 
colonel,  lieutenant-colonel,  major  and  adjutant.  The  killed, 
with  those  who  died  of  their  wounds,  numbered  seventy-five, 
or  over  twenty-eight  per  cent,  of  those  engaged — a  percentage 
of  killed  unequalled  in  military  statistics. 

This  regiment  (141st  Pennsylvania)  went  into  the  fight  with 
198  men,  of  whom  twenty-five  were  killed,  103  wounded  and 
twenty-one  missing.  The  killed,  with  those  who  died  of 
wounds,  numbered  forty-nine,,  or  twenty-four  per  cent,  of  those 
engaged.  They  fought  in  the  peach  orchard  on  the  second  day 
afternoon. 

The  26th  North  Carolina  Regiment,  Confederate,  went 
into  action  with  over  800  men.  They  sustained  a  loss  of 
eighty-six  killed  and  502  wounded;  total,  588,  in  addition  to 
120  missing.  This  loss  occurred  mostly  in  the  first  day's  fight, 
in  front  of  the  151st  Pennsylvania  and  Cooper's  Battery  B,  ist 
Pennsylvania.  Total  loss,  708.  This  loss  was  the  heaviest 
regimental  loss  during  the  war. 

The  regiment  was  just  becoming  familiar  with  its  new  sur- 
roundings on  Round  Top  when  a  Confederate  officer,  without 
sword  or  belt,  with  his  coat  thrown  back  with  an  air  of  ease, 
independence  and  authority,  comfortably  enjoying  a  cigar,  mov- 
in<j  calmly  and  leisurely  as  if  he  were  quietly  out  for  a  stroll, 
deliberately  walked  into  the  lines.  The  enemy  was  close,  and 
our  skirmishers  were  advanced  but  a  few  paces.  He  had  passed 
through  them  unobserved,  or  had  been  permitted  to  do  so,  with 
a  conviction  that  his  capture  was  certain  to  follow  elsewhere. 
Astonished,  he  moodily  accepted  his  fate,  and  was  promptly 
conducted  to  the  rear.     He  was  a  stafT  officer,  and  had  no  idea 


—  2S7  — 

he  was  in  auch  proximity  to  the  Union  lines,  when  a  few  mo- 
ments before  he  sought  a  short  respite  frora  the  bustle  and 
activity  of  head-quarters  by  strolling  off  in  a  direction  where 
he  thought  he  would  be  alone.  Of  good  address  and  culture, 
he  was  keenly  sensitive  to  the  reproach  that  might  follow  the 
unfortunate  way  in  which  he  had  permitted  himself  to  be  taken. 

There  were  many  distressing  sights  of  torn  and  mangled 
bodies  upon  the  mountain  side.  One  Confederate  in  the  death 
grip  had  seized  the  sharp  edge  of  a  huge  rock,  and  with  feet 
held  fast  in  a  cleft  of  the  rock  above,  hung  head  downwards 
between  the  two.  Wild  hogs  feeding  on  the  corpses  magnified 
the  surrounding  horrors.  One  of  the  enemy,  evidently  mor- 
tally wounded,  shot  early  in  the  engagement  on  the  previous 
afternoon,  had  been  placed  upon  a  stretcher  to  await  oppor- 
tunity for  removal.  Meanwhile  his  people  had  been  driven 
from  their  position,  and  he  had  lain  all  night  in  fearful  agony, 
scarce  able  to  articulate  from  thirst.  Grateful  for  the  water 
tliat  temporarily  allayed  his  sufferings,  he  was  removed  a  short 
distance  to  the  rear,  but  not  far  enough  to  be  out  of  the  range 
of  the  bombardment  that  followed  a  few  hours  later.  At  its 
conclusion  his  body  was  found  frightfully  mangled.  His  own 
guns  had  expedited  a  death  which  would  have  surely  followed 
the  wounds  inflicted  by  his  enemies.  He,  with  others,  spoke 
of  the  terrible  punishment  their  forces  had  received,  and  was 
by  no  means  sanguine  of  ultimate  success.  They  had  been 
encouraged  in  the  assurance  that  they  would  encounter  only 
militia,  and  took  some  consolation  in  the  fact  that  their  failure 
to  make  good  their  onslaught  had  been  due  to  the  tried  and 
experienced  soldiery  of  the  old  Potomac  Army. 

All  the  morning  there  was  a  hushed  and  painful  anxious 
stillness.  Save  the  bickering  of  the  pickets,  the  two  great 
armies  were  in  quiet  repose,  or  gathering  in  cautious  prepara- 
tion for  another  stroke.  So  quiet  was  it  that,  templed  by  the 
silence,  the  chaplain  found  his  way  to  the  front  to  minister  con- 
solation to  the  dying  and  call  the  attention  of  the  living  to  the 
uncertainties  of  human  existence,  by  a  liberal  distribution  of 


—  258  — 

tracts  and  periodicals.  His  flock  was  not  as  appreciative  as  he 
would  have  desired,  nor  his  means  and  methods  as  convincing 
as  he  would  have  had  them.  The  battle-field,  where  men  be- 
come stolid  against  its  horrors,  indifferent  to  its  fear,  heedless 
of  its  anxieties,  seems  not  the  place  for  the  encouragement  of 
religious  training,  or  the  propagation  of  the  Gospel's  teachings. 

But  relief  soon  came  to  the  anxious  waiting;  the  painful 
stillness  was  abruptly  broken.  At  one  o'clock  every  gun  in 
every  battery  that  lined  the  crest  of  Seminary  Ridge  opened  in 
simultaneous  crash.  Instantly  every  gun  on  the  Union  ridge 
responded.  Without  let  or  hindrance  the  cannonading  contin- 
ued for  well  nigh  two  hours.  There  was  not  first  a  gradual  sub- 
sidence and  then  a  swelling  again  to  the  discharge  of  all  the 
guns,  but  without  stop,  break  or  interruption  the  firing  con- 
tinued as  it  commenced,  throughout  the  whole  time  of  the 
bombardment,  by  all  the  guns  of  all  the  batteries  of  both  the 
armies,  for  which  position  could  be  found  on  the  ridges  they, 
respectively  occupied.  From  the  position  on  the  slope  of 
Round  Top  the  enemy's  line,  as  marked  by  its  fire,  was  in  full 
sight  for  two-thirds  of  its  entire  length. 

The  sun  shone  in  unusual  splendor,  and  made  the  puffs  from 
each  discharge  from  the  enemy's  batteries  so  distinct,  until  the 
thickening  smoke  cut  off"  the  view  of  ridge  and  valley,  that 
seemingly,  though  almost  a  mile  away,  they  flashed  in  the  very 
faces  of  those  at  whom  the  fire  was  directed.  Screech,  whistle, 
roar,  crash,  thug,  explosion,  so  filled  the  air  with  inharmonious, 
conflicting  noise  as  to  drown  the  human  voice. 

As  the  more  deadly  whir  and  buzz  of  the  flying  fragments  of 
exploded  shell  dominated  the  screech  and  whistle  of  bolt  and 
solid  shot,  men  cast  anxious  glances  at  each  other  until  the 
sound  died  away  harmlessly  in  the  distance.  The  guns,  served 
as  if  with  venomous  rapidity,  would  send  the  solid  shot  along 
with  the  fury  of  a  maddened  bowler  who,  angered  at  his  luck, 
recklessly  sends  his  balls  in  rude  confusion  to  their  destination, 
careless  of  his  aim,  heedless  of  results,  anxious  only  that  his 
task  were  done.     The  blows  from  the  weighty  missiles  fractured 


rocks,  splintered  timbers  and  shattered  the  loose  material  of  the 
entrenchments.  This  contributed  to  wounds  and  bruises,  where 
the  weight  of  metal  had  failed  of  its  more  deadly  purpose.  The 
army  had  not  yet  acquired  tact  or  speed  in  the  construction  of 
breastworks,  nor  was  the  rocky  surface  so  adapted  to  their 
erection  as  the  more  pliable  soil  of  Virginia.  There  was  no 
such  cover  as  the  well-built  lines  of  Spottsyivania,  Cold  Harbor 
and  Petersburg  afforded,  and  the  open  country  contributed  to  a 
better  accuracy  of  fire. 

The  buzz  and  hum  of  conversation  ceased.  There  was  a 
strange  and  remarkable  stillness.  Every  man  was  motionless 
and  silent.  The  prophetic  enthusiast,  ever  ready  with  his 
boastful  foreknowledge  of  the  next  move  on  the  chess-board 
of  battle,  ceased  to  prophesy.  Poor  practice  was  greeted  by  no 
such  jocular  phrase,  irresistible  on  other  fields,  as  "Shorten 
your  fuses,"  "  Elevate  your  pieces,"  "  Depress  your  guns." 
Vivid  animation  yielded  to  sober,  serious  reflection.  Stilled  to 
an  awful  pause,  save  when  the  batterynicn  worked  with  untiring 
energy  and  ceaseless  activity,  the  whole  army  lay  prone,  hushed 
in  appalling  silence.  Men  investigating  their  surroundings, 
ministering  to  the  needs  of  the  wounded,  hurriedly  sought 
their  places.  Veiled  in  smoke,  obscured  by  the  timber,  the 
soldiers  as  close  to  the  ground  as  if  they  were  part  of  it,  it  was 
scarce  conceivable  these  wooded  hillsides  concealed  a  great 
army  of  animated,  living  beings. 

And  the  incessant  roar  and  the  wild,  unremitting  screech 
continued  all  this  long  and  weary  time — weary  from  long 
inaction — when  it  slackened  and  then  ceased  as  abruptly  as  it 
began.  The  smoke  slowly  lifted,  and  there  was  nothing  to  ob- 
scure a  full  view  of  almost  the  whole  length  of  the  enemy's  front 
and  of  the  more  than  three-quarters  of  a  mile  of  open  country 
tliat  separated  the  two  lines.  The  great  silence,  the  portentous 
lull,  was  ominous  of  the  enemy's  assault.  Unlike  such  other 
'>[jerations,  there  was  no  attempt  to  protect  or  conceal  the 
column  of  attack.  There  was  no  overhanging  mist  of  break- 
ing day,  no   uncertain   shadows  of  a  lingering   twilight,  no 


—  26o  — 

glimmer  of  a  pale  and  sickly  moon,  no  friendly  timber,  no 
sheltering  knoll.  But,  in  the  full  glare  of  the  afternoon  sun- 
light. Seminary  Ridge  suddenly  bristled  with  activity,  and  from 
the  timber  which  crowned  its  crests  there  emerged,  covering 
half  its  length  and  opposite  the  Union  centre,  two  solid,  un- 
wavering lines  of  battle.  Their  distances  were  preserved  with 
accuracy,  their  mounted  officers  occupied  their  several  proper 
stations.  The  standards  fluttered  defiantly,  the  muskets,  at  a 
right-shoulder,  glistened  brightly.  Upon  their  right  flank  huge 
columns  of  masses  moved  in  support,  and  as  the  lines  cleared 
the  woods,  heavy  bodies  followed  in  reserve.  Four  hundred 
yards  is  considered  to  be  the  limit  of  distance  fair  to  test  the 
strength  and  metal  of  men.  Here  there  was  nearly  a  mile  to 
cover  before  the  lines  would  impinge,  and  then  the  point  of  im- 
pact was  against  the  enemy's  centre  rarely  effectual.  No  other 
word  fittingly  describes  those  splendid  lines  as  they  appeared 
before  shot  or  shell  disturbed  or  shattered  their  symmetry  save 
the  somewhat  extravagant  adjective — magnificent  There  was 
no  crescendo  yell,  no  wild,  weird  shriek,  and  the  tramp  was 
steady,  solemn,  silent.  As  if  in  waiting  for  a  full  disclosure  of 
the  purpose,  the  Union  guns  reserved  thqir  fire.  Then  deep, 
sonorous,  rapid,  they  plied  their  terrible  punishment,  and  yet, 
with  unflinching  nerve  and  steady  grandeur,  the  formidable 
charging  column  pressed  right  along  in  the  full  sweep  of  a 
resistless  energy.  There  was  hesitating,  anxious  questioning 
whether  at  the  point  of  contact  there  was  strength  sufficient  to 
withstand  the  crushing  blow.  A  slight  crumbling  on  the 
flanks  forced  a  deflection  to  the  left ;  but,  recovering  promptly 
the  direct  advance,  the  whole  mass  passed  out  of  view  behind 
an  intervening  wood,  amid  unrestrained  expressions  of  admira- 
tion for  such  heroic  daring.  Again  everything  disappeared  in 
the  gloom  of  the  impenetrable  smoke.  As  the  lines  approached 
the  enemy's  fire  noticeably  slackened  and  the  Union  guns  con- 
tinued with  increased  wicked,  ner\'ous  intensity.  Suddenly 
they  too  ceased  for  a  moment,  and  then,  as  if  with  universal 
crash,  the  death-rattle  of  small  arms  drowned  all  other  sounds. 


—  26l   — 

The  usual  musketry  smoke  curtain  indicated  a  scene  of  fright- 
fu!  carnage.  The  noise  of  the  contest  rose  and  fell  in  heavy 
surging  volumes,  and  then,  as  first,  groups  and  knots,  and  then 
other  groups  and  other  knots  appeared  beyond  the  woods  in  the 
desperate  hurrj-  of  confused  rttreat,  it  died  away  to  rise  again 
in  sullen  anger  as  the  enemy's  guns  opened  to  help  back  home 
again  the  pitiful  few  who  alone  remained  of  all  that  splendid 
host.  Pickett's  charge,  to  be  memorable  throughout  the  ages, 
was  a  failure,  and  historic  Gettysbu  rg,  from  whence  Conffderatc 
treason  began  to  slowly  ebb  its  life  away.  wa.s  over. 

ThL'  soft  and  soothing  shimmer  of  another  moonlight  night 
hushed  the  battle-field  in  slumber,  and  the  Fourth  of  July, 
bathed  in  calm,  refreshing  sunlight,  dawned  as  if  in  joyous 
commemoration  of  the  old  freedom  and  in  bright  recognition 
of  the  nation's  new  birth  of  liberty.  As  if  there  had  been 
work  enough,  the  bickering  of  the  pickets  subsided  to  watch- 
fulness, and  by  noon  the  battle-field  was  in  repose. 

About  ten  o'clock  the  brigade  moved  out  to  feel  and  develop 
the  enemy.  At  the  foot  of  the  hill  and  in  the  gorge  there  were 
thrilling,  horrifying  scenes  of  blood  and  carnage.  The  dead 
lay  in  all  shapes  and  in  every  direction,  some  upon  their  faces, 
others  on  their  backs,  while  others;  were  twisted  and  knotted 
in  painful  contortions.  The  progress  of  the  advance  was  much 
impeded  in  the  effort  to  tread  without  stepping  upon  the  bodies. 
Some  kneeling  behind  the  rocks  had  met  their  death  where 
they  dropped  for  shelter.  The  men  gave  way  at  times  in- 
stinctively from  the  muzzles  of  muskets  resting  upon  rocks  and 
stones,  down  the  barrels  of  which  the  sightless  glassy  eyes 
still  gazed  and  the  guards  of  which  were  grasped  by  hands 
convulsed  in  death.  Seeking  shelter  in  kneeling,  to  aim,  they 
had  fallen  in  the  act  of  firing.  Numbers  of  the  enemy  lay  in 
a  shallow  trench  they  had  dug,  evidently  to  avoid  the  unerring 
lire  of  some  expert  skirmishers.  They  had  torn  and  twisted 
leaves  and  grass  in  their  agonies  and  their  mouths  filled  with 
.soil — they  had  literally  bitten  the  dust.  One  or  two  were  in 
the  act  of  biting  tobacco,  of  which  most  of  them  had  a  lavish 


—   262  — 

supply  in  their  mouths.  At  one  spot,  a  point  either  of  des- 
perate resistance  or  formation  for  an  assault,  thirty-seven  dead 
bodies  lay  in  line,  side  by  side.  In  Confederate  clothing,  their 
uniforms  were  better  than  usual,  and  all  had  new  black 
slouched  hats,  doubtless  from  the  stock  of  some  neighboring 
dealer.  ^In  front  of  these  bodies  lay  that  of  an  officer  of  fine 
proportions,  manly  physique  and  remarkably  handsome  features. 
His  head  rested  upon  a  stone ;  his  limbs  were  straightened, 
his  hands  folded ;  he  had  evidently  been  prepared  for  decent 
sepulture.  A  letter,  through  which  the  ball  had  passed  that 
penetrated  his  heart,  identified  him  as  Captain  William  A. 
Dunklin,  of  the  44th  Alabama.  Many  years  after  the  war  the 
incident  of  finding  his  body  was  brought  to  the  knowledge  of 
his  relatives  in  Selma,  who,  up  to  that  -time,  knew  only  of  his 
death  at  Gettysburg,  but  nothing  of  its  attendant  surround- 
ings. 

The  advance  pushed  on  without  interruption  to  the  edge  of 
the  timber  bordering  the  wheat-field.  In  the  belief  that  what 
still  remained  of  the  standing  grain  concealed  the  enemy's 
pickets,  the  skirmish  line,  under  Lieutenant  Walters,  was 
pressed  vigorously  into  it.  A  formidable  volley,  the  appear- 
ance of  large  bodies  on  either  flank  and  a  movement  in  front, 
indicating  a  purpose  to  engage,  sufficiently  accomplished 
Colonel  Tilton's  instructions  to  develop  the  enemy,  and  he 
withdrew  to  the  vicinity  of  the  point  from  whence  he  started. 

The  brigade  fell  back  a  short  distance  and  formed  a  line  of 
battle  in  a  piece  of  woods.  An  hour  or  so  after  taking  up  this 
position  a  storm  arose  and  the  rain  descended  in  torrents. 
The  bayonets  of  the  guns  were  jammed  into  the  ground  to 
prevent  the  water  running  into  the  barrels. 

A  farm-house  stood  near.  In  the  midst  of  the  storm  its 
proprietor  came  out,  approached  the  general  and  insisted  that 
the  troops  should  be  moved  further  out.  "  Couldn't  the  general 
see  that  if  a  fight  took  place  there  his  house  and  outbuildings 
would  be  ruined  ?  Why,  those  heavy  shot  and  shell  would  go 
right  through  the  walls,  and  one  place  was  as  good  as  another 


-163- 


—  264  — 

to  fight  in/'  He  pleaded,  begged,  beseeched,  stormed ;  but  all 
to  no  purpose.  The  unfeeling  general  told  him  that  a  move- 
ment was  impossible,  and  the  hard-hearted  soldiery  greeted  his 
appeals  with  roars  of  derisive  laughter.  The  regiment  biv- 
ouacked that  night  in  the  same  position,  the  storm  continuing 
unabated. 

This  storm,  breaking  the  intense  heat  of  the  three  preceding 
days,  was  so  memorable  that  for  a  long  time  it  was  designated 
as  the  rain  of  the  Fourth  of  July,  '63,  and,  in  any  confusion 
of  dates  in  the  memories  of  the  participants  in  the  battle,  served 
as  a  guide  to  rectify  discrepancies. 

While  the  regiment  lay  crouching  for  protection  in  its  first 
position  near  the  Rose  House,  before  it  had  yet  become  en- 
gaged, a  rabbit,  startled  from  its  cover  by  the  advance  of  Mc- 
Laws's  assaulting  Georgians,  rushed  in  frightened,  headlong 
leaps  towards  the  Union  lines.  Innocent  of  purpose  to  harm, 
he  plunged  in  one  of  his  aimless  jumps  right  into  the  ranks 
and  planted  his  cold,  sharp  claws  firmly  into  the  neck  of  a 
soldier  who  lay  flat  near  the  right  of  the  regiment.  It  was  too 
much  for  the  poor  fellow.  He  gave  it  up,  and,  jumping  to  his 
feet,  with  pitiful  expression,  in  woe-begone  tones,  wringing  his 
hands  in  agony,  announced  himself  a  dead  man ;  that  he  had 
been  shot  in  the  neck ;  that  the  ball  had  passed  entirely 
through,  and  there  was  no  hope  for  him.  He  recovered  his 
equanimity,  however,  when  those  in  the  neighborhood,  who 
had  observed  the  cause  of  his  trouble,  received  his  dire  an- 
nouncement with  the  merriment  it  necessarily  created.  When 
informed  that  a  poor  little  rabbit  had  innocently  been  the 
cause  of  his  discomfiture,  he  sheepishly  resumed  his  place. 

This  rabbit  has  become  so  historically  famous,  it  is  to  be  re- 
gretted that  it  has  not  been  preserved  by  the  taxidermist  and  a 
place  found  for  it  in  the  Smithsonian  Institute. 

General  Lafayette  McLaws,  in  a  recent  article  describing  his 
attack  on  the  Union  lines  at  this  point,  mentioned  an  unsuc- 
cessful assault  that  Woflbrd*s  brigade  made  upon  a  rabbit  dur- 
ing their  advance.     He  escaped  their  fire   and  found  safety 


within  our  lines.  When  the  coincidence  of  time  and  place 
was  brought  to  General  McLaws's  attention,  in  a  very  happy 
vein  of  correspondence,  he  identified  this  particular  rabbit  as 
the  one  which  Woffbrd's  men  missed  and  which  so  alarmed  the 
poor  soldier  whom  he  jumped  upon.  He  gracefully  yields  all 
claims  to  it  and  expresses  a  willingness  that  it  be  known  as  the 
rabbit  of  tlie  iiSth  Pennsylvania.* 

■  Philadelphia,  Auguii  ii,  1886. 
Cexkral  Lafavette  McLaws,  Savannak,  Ca.: 

Dear  Sir  ;— In  your  article  in  ilie  Pkiladilphia  Wtfkfy  Prest  of  Aagiut  4 
yoa  made  mention  oT  a  "rabtni  cfriuide"  on  the  ftfiEnioon  oC  the  iA  At.y  a{  July 
at  Ccttfiburg. 

Vdu  sty,  spcxkini!  of  ihe  rctrcal  nf  Sicklet's  men  and  [he  punuil  by  Wofiord, 
"Ihcie  wa.4  a  wide  apace  between  the  advancing  and  rrccding  forces.  WUWn 
that  ipace  a  rabUt  }i^ped  up  mil  rati  towardi  the  Federal  linn.  Watford's 
men.  lecklets  fellows  as  they  were,  lireil  at  the  rabbit.      Iki  ralitil  leat  Hal  Ait." 

A  histoi}-  of  Ihe  iiSth  Penniylvania  Volumeeri  ( isl  Brigade,  lut  Dimion),  5lh 
Corpi,  ii  in  eouiM  of  eonipilalion  nnd  hai  advanced  measurably  toward*  comple- 
tion. Among  the  aniiuing  incidents  told  therein  ii  the  fotlowing  one  token  (loni 
a.  letter  10  hit  mother,  wntten  by  Lieuteiutnt  S>  N.  Lewis  ■fter  the  Bctlle,  io  which 
he  deicribcs  ihe  pact  taken  by  ihe  llHlh  in  that  great  fight.  I  quote  fiuni  the 
letter,  nol  Ihe  manuscrtpl.  "  Our  brigade  immediately  look  the  place  of  Sickle-'> 
ntieating  men.  and,  as  lh«  enemy'i  artillery  continued  to  play  upon  our  line,  ibe 
men  snu[;hl  cover  behind  rocks  and  iluiie*.     On  ihe  right,  where  my  company 

their  bcci  Meanwhile  could  be  heard  Ibe  &houU  and  yells  ai  the  advancing 
enemy  above  the  din  and  roar  of  battle.  At  this  juncture  a  rabbit,  frightened  by 
the  advancing  foe, ran  among  our  men  and  made  a  jump  on  the  back  of  the  neck 

of  private ,  who,  throwing  up  his  handi,  exclaimed ;  '  Oh  1  I'm  (hot  t  I'm 

a  dead  man  J  Shot  clean  through  the  neck ! '  Thi>  aet  Ihe  men  laughing,  not- 
wiihsunding  the  shells  and  bullets  flying  around,  and  they  Urly  roaied  at  the 
poor  fellow." 

Can  this  pouibly  be  your  rabbit  ? 
Yours  imly, 

7.  A.  Donaldson,  laU  Caftaim  tiilA  P.  V. 

Savannah,  Ga.,  Ai^mtt  iS,  1S86. 
F.  A.  Donaldson,  lait  Caftam  tiS/A  P.  V.  .- 

Drak  Stlt:— I  have  read  with  great  pleaaure  your  letter  of  August  II,  and 
thank  you  for  your  kindness  in  writing  me  and  for  the  incident  you  relate  so  weU, 

I  think  that,  in  all  proliability,  it  was  the  same  rabbit,  and  perhaps  it  was  the 
same  one  which  a  Confederale  "  hollowed  at,"  saying:  "  Co  it,  old  fellow;  and 
I  would  be  glad  to  go  with  you,  if  I  hadn't  a  repulMion  to  sustain  1 " 


—  266  — 

The  regiment's  proximity  to  both  positions  of  Bigelow's 
famous  9th  Massachusetts  Battery,  during  a  part  of  its  three 
hours*  serious  fighting,  justifies  a  reference  to  its  eminent  valor 
on  that  occasion.  It  was  its  first  engagement.  Its  losses  were 
exceptional  and  greater  than  that  of  any  other  light  bat- 
tery in  any  single  battle  in  the  war,  except  one,  and  then  the 
battery  was  captured  by  a  sudden  charge.  The  very  crit- 
ical and  daring  operation  of  retiring  by  prolonges  in  the 
presence  of  charging  infantry  columns  was  successfully  ac- 
complished for  a  distance  of  some  three  hundred  yards.  The 
guns  were  double-shotted  with  canister  and  the  contents  of  the 


At  any  rate,  the  coincidence  of  time  and  place  and  circumstances  is  strong 
enough  to  make  us  believe  that  it  was  the  same  animal.  Your  incident  cor- 
roborates the  one  I  related,  and  the  only  question  between  us  is  one  of  pro- 
prietorship. 

You  have  probably  heard  that  in  the  West  and  South  the  rabbit  is  regarded  by 
the  negro  specially  as  a  witch,  with  a  power  of  getting  information  and  of  getting 
out  of  a  difficulty  beyond  that  of  the  human  family,  and,  therefore,  it  would  not 
seem  strange,  from  a  Confederate  standpoint,  if  we  should  assume  that  the  said 
historical  rabbit — as  I  will  call  him — in  running  away  from  the  Confederates,  had 
heard  from  other  rabbits  the  condition  of  the  Confederate  commissariat  and  knew 
that  if  he  ran  into  their  lines  he  most  certainly  would  be  caught  and  broiled  and 
'?aten,  and  thus  preferred  to  run  the  risk  of  being  shot,  in  order  to  get  into  your 
•  anks  where  he  was  not  wanted  **so  bad." 

The  Confederates  were  fond  of  hunting  rabbits,  in  order  to  add  to  their  meat 
ration,  and  would  hunt  them  by  regiment  and  even  by  brigade.  The  line  would 
be  formed  in  single  rank,  the  men  a  yard  or  more  apart,  armed,  some  with  s^ticks, 
others  with  rocks,  but  the  majority  with  nothing,  and  would  march  across  the 
country  for  miles,  l>eating  the  bushes  as  they  went,  and  as  a  rabbit  was  started  all 
in  the  vicinity  would  shout  and  try  and  throw  at  it,  which  would  so  frighten  the 
animal  that  it  was  easily  killed,  and  thus  few  escaped.  In  this  way  many  rabbits 
were  killed,  sometimes  a  hundred  or  two,  and  even  partridges  became  too  fright- 
ened to  fly  but  for  a  short  distance  and  were  caught  or  killed. 

So  that  you  can  see  how  the  presence  of  a  rabbit,  running  before  them,  would 
excite  *•  spontanaciously,'*  as  the  negri:>es  say,  the  spirit  of  the  Confederates. 

As  my  men  did  not  catch  the  rabbit  on  the  occasion  referred  to,  for  reasons 
which  it  is  not  profitable  to  discuss,  I  yield  all  claim  to  it  and  am  willing  that  it 
be  known  as  the  "  Rabbit  of  the  118th  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.'* 

Again  thanking  you,  I  have  the  honor  to  be 
Very  truly  and  sincerely  yours, 

L.  McLaws,  late  Major-Geneml  C.  S.  A* 


-267- 


limber  chests  were  laid  by  their  side  for  quick  work.  Fuses 
were  cut  from  case-shot  and  shell,  that  they  might  explode 
quickly.  Eighty  out  of  eighty-eight  horses  taken  into  action 
were  killed  or  disabled.  Of  four  officers  present  two  were 
killed  and  two  wounded.  Six  of  the  seven  sergeants  were 
lost,  two  of  whom  were  killed.  Seven  corporals  and  privates 
were  killed,  twelve  wounded  and  two  missing.  When  sur- 
rounded the  few  survivors  fought  their  way  back  with  hand- 
spikes and  sponge-staffs.  Two  guns  were  saved,  four  aban- 
doned. Those  thus  abandoned,  and  useless  to  the  enemy  for 
immediate  operation  for  want  of  rammers  and  sponge-staffs, 
were  recaptured  the  same  evening  and  returned  to  the  battery 
the  next  day. 

The  Franco- Prussian  war  of  I S70-7 1  was  one  of  the  greatest 
of  European  wars.  Larger  armies  were  never  assembled. 
The  Germans  took  797,950  men  into  France.  Of  this  number 
28,277  i^cre  killed  or  died  of  wounds.     A  loss  of  3,1  per  cent 

In  the  Crimean  war  the  allied  armies  lost  3.2  per  cent,  in 
kiHed  or  deaths  from  wounds.  In  the  war  of  1866  the  Aus- 
trian army  lost  2.6  per  cent,  from  the  same  cause;  but  in  the 
American  civil  war  the  Union  armies  lost  407  per  cent,  and 
the  Confederates  lost  over  g  per  cent. 

The  two  greatest  battles  of  the  age  in  point  of  loss  are 
Waterloo  and  Gettysburg.  Between  them  there  is  a  remarka- 
ble similarity  both  in  numbers  engaged  and  the  extent  of  cas- 
ualties. At  Waterloo  the  French  numbered  80,000  men  and 
252  guns.  The  allies  numbered  72,090  men  and  186  guns. 
At  Gettysburg  the  Union  army  numbered  85,000  men  and  300 
pieces  of  artillery,  and  the  Confederates  about  80,000  men  and 
250  pieces  of  artillery. 

At  Waterloo  Wellington's  army  lost  23,185  men;  at  Get- 
tysburg Meade's  army  lost  23,003.  The  loss  of  the  French  at 
Waterloo  has  never  been  officially  announced,  but  has  been 
estimated  at  26,300.  The  Confederate  loss  at  Gettysburg  aa 
officially  reported  by  the  Confederate  surgeon-general  was 
20,448,  to  which  must  be  added  7,077  wounded  and  prisoners 


whose  names  were  omitted  from  his  list,  but  whose  names 
appear  on  the  record  at  Washington. 

In  the  Franco-Prussian  war  the  greatest  loss  occurred  at  the 
battle  of  Gravelotte,  where  the  Germans  lost  4449  killed, 
15,189,  wounded  and  939  missing;  total,  20.578,  out  of  146,003 
troops  engaged,  exclusive  of  65,000  reserves.  At  Gettysburg 
Meade's  army  sustained  a  greater  loss  with  half  the  number 
engaged. 

In  the  American  civil  war  the  Union  armies  lost  110,070 
killed     and     275,175 
wounded;    total,   385,- 
245.  exclusive   of  the 
missing  in  action,  who      ' 
were  not  accounted  for. 

Except  that  a  battle 
of  great  magnitude  had 
been  fought  in  which 
both  armies  had  suf- 
fered severely.  Gettys- 
burg, viewed  from  an 
army  observation  at 
the  time,  was  not  differ- 
ent from  the  many  seri- 
ous encounters  which 
preceded  and  followed 
it,  save  the  very  unu- 
sual and  satisfactory 
opportunity  the  soldiers  had  of  observing  the  enemy's  with- 
drawal, instead  of  participating  in  one  themselves.  Great 
battles  are  rated  as  decisive  as  their  ultimate  results  may 
bear  on  the  general  issue  of  great  wars.  Annies  treat 
those  battles  as  decisive  that  so  cripple,  disrupt  or  anni- 
hilate their  foes  as  to  destroy  their  future  usefulness  for 
the  purposes  of  war.  In  no  such  sense  was  Gettysbui^  a  deci- 
sive battle.  Badly  depleted  in  numbers,  materially  weakened 
in  elan,  the  enemy  had  withdrawn  in  excellent  order,  and  was 


—  269- 

apparently  still  ready  to  show  a  formidable  resistance  against 
any  demonstration  of  determined  assault.  The  indications 
clearly  pointed  to  another  advarce  into  Virginia,  and  nothing 
was  so  calculated  to  soften  enthusiasm  over  successes  north  of 
the  Potomac  as  the  prospect  of  a  speedy  change  from  the 
thrifty,  prosperous  surroundings  of  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania 
to  tlic  inhospitable,  exhausted,  sterile  regions  of  Virginia.  The 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  taught  in  its  early  career  to  be  dem- 
onstrative and  enthusiastic,  had  many  times  been  sadly  dis- 
appointed. As  its  campaigns  increased  its  experience,  it  be- 
came more  cautious  with  its  cheers,  more  chary  with  its  shouts. 
It  preferred  to  await  real  results  and  certain  conclusion.s  before 
it  would  indulge  in  any  untimely  or  unwarranted  manifestation. «. 
Its  business  sense  increased  with  its  age,  and  until  the  fruits  of 
its  victories  were  safely  garnered  it  was  deemed  wisdom  to 
restrain  any  open  expression  of  its  appreciation  of  them.  It 
felt  with  tijc  loyal  North  that  a  great  burden  had  been  lifted 
from  the  nation  with  the  failure  of  the  invasion,  but  it  saw  be- 
fore it,  more  clearly  than  the  people,  long  years  of  bloody  war 
before  the  army  of  the  rebellion  should  be  so  attritcd  and 
wasted  that  it  .i^hould  cease  to  be  a  power  strong  enough  to 
resist  and  defy  the  national  authority.  So,  when  Colonel  Gwyn, 
in  publishing  the  congratulatory  order  announcing  the  Gettys- 
burg success,  failed  to  secure  a  response  to  his  urgent  appeal 
for  cheers  for  the  commander-in-chief,  and  very  imprudently 
did  his  own  hurrahing,  it  was  from  no  lack  of  regard  for  Gen- 
eral Meade  or  any  want  of  appreciation  of  his  high  soldierly 
abilities,  but  simply  because  the  men  of  the  I  i8th  Pennsylvania) 
with  their  lights  and  experiences,  could  not  sec  the  wisdom  or 
the  occasion  for  any  such  manifestation  of  enthusiasm. 

As  a  battle  of  enduring  importance,  of  such  practical  influ- 
ence on  the  social  and  political  condition  of  our  country  that 
a  contrary  result  might  have  varied  the  whole  of  the  war  in  all 
its  subsequent  scenes  and  operations,  Gettysburg  may  be  reck- 
oned as  decisive.  It  was  the  final  check  to  the  power  of  the 
Confe<Jerate  arms  to  invade  or  conquer.     It  was  the  dividing 


—   2/0  — 

line  between  the  battles  fought  for  the  maintenance  of  the  ex- 
istence of  the  Confederate  States  and  those  fought  to  retard 
their  downfall. 

This  prominence  has  turned  upon  Gettysburg  a  fire  of  criti- 
cism and  analysis  that  seems  to  gather  and  strengthen  as  the 
years  roll  on.  So  persistent,  and  at  times  so  violent,  have  been 
discussions  that  many  a  hero  of  his  score  of  battles  has  doubted 
his  own  remembrance  and  wondered  whether  Gettysburg  was 
the  only  battle.  Save  some  vituperation,  a  little  spleen,  and 
very  exceptionally  prevarication,  these  discussions  have  been 
conducted  in  a  spirit  of  fairness,  and  will  doubtless  contribute 
material  aid  to  the  book-makers  of  the  coming  years.  This 
crucible  of  criticism  has  brought  the  skill  of  the  chieftain  and 
the  valor  of  the  soldier  to  the  closest  and  severest  test  of  in- 
spection. Forsaking  all  other  fields,  the  mass  of  writing  on 
this  has  turned  the  attention  of  the  student  towards  it  as  the 
one  upon  which  to  frame  a  general  judgment  for  skilful  man- 
agement and  soldierly  courage  everywhere.  It  was  remarkable 
for  skilful  movements  and  splendid  valor,  but  there  are  other 
fields  which  do  not  pale  before  it.  Both  Meade  and  Lee  have 
been  characterized  as  intelligent  fighting  men,  doing  their  best 
with  the  means  at  hand  to  accomplish  the  end  in  view.  It  is 
not  conceded  that  by  some  superior  stroke  of  genius  Lee  could 
have  changed  the  result.  He  was  forced  to  fight  an  oflfensive 
battle,  engaged  in  an  "  offensive  defensive  campaign,"  upon 
ground  of  his  enemy's  selection.  Outgeneralled  at  the  begin- 
ning, he  was  defeated  at  the  end  in  measures,  both  of  which 
the  skilful  leader  would  have  sought  to  avoid.  That  Lee 
should  have  avoided  battle  where  he  assaulted  will  be  con- 
ceded. That  neither  his  communications,  his  supplies,  nor  his 
ammunition,  at  the  time  of  Gettysburg,  had  yet  been  so  seri- 
ously threatened  as  to  force  him  to  an  engagement,  must  also 
be  conceded.  So  w  hen,  inspired  by  his  first  day's  success,  he 
•was  tempted  to  his  third  day's  defeat  and  compelled  to  the 
rarely  successful  and  most  unusual  effort  to  pierce  his  enemy's 
centre,  he  signally  failed  to  maintain  the  reputation  for  genius 


—  271  — 

which  his  followers  had  claimed  for  him,  and  with  which  many 
loyal  Northern  men  yet  credit  him,  as  above  their  own  military 
chieftains. 

If  there  ever  was  a.  battle  won  through  the  courage  and  in- 
telligence of  the  rank  and  file  of  the  army,  without  planning 
strategetical  movements  or  audible  commands  from  their  offi- 
cers, it  was  Gettysburg.  Such  is  now  the  universal  opinion 
of  the  men  who  fought  there.  The  battle  was  eminently  ;i 
people's  fight,  and  the  sturdy  Northmen  won. 


COtifMHAL  JOHN  MtCHEKER. 


CHAPTER  X. 

FROM  GETTYSBURG   TO   WARRENTOWN. 

We  stormed  no  time-worn  castle  walls, 
Nor  camped  in  grand  old  marble  halls; 
But  on  the  endless  Roll  of  Fame 
By  deeds  of  blood  we  placed  a  name 
That  will  remain  till  time's  no  more. 

THE  army  loosened  its  soaking  vestments  to  permit  the 
bright  rays  of  the  morning  sun  to  absorb  the  heavy 
moisture  with  which  the  severe  storm  had  laden  all  the  soldier 
wore  or  carried.  The  enemy  had  disappeared.  Other  corps 
w^ere  in  pursuit,  but  the  5th,  fortunate  in  its  opportunity  to 
dry  out  thoroughly,  did  not  move  until  six  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon,  and  on  the  night  of  the  5th  of  July  bivouacked  about 
eleven  o'clock  on  the  banks  of  Marsh  Creek,  some  distance 
below  its  confluence  with  Willoughby  Run.  The  route  marched 
was  across  country,  around  the  southern  base  of  Round  Top 
and  well  to  the  Union  left  of  the  battle-field. 

General  Griffin,  who  had  arrived  on  the  field  during  the  en- 
gagement and  who  refused  to  relieve  General  Barnes,  now  re- 
sumed command  of  his  division. 

General  Barnes  had  been  severely  wounded  on  the  second 
day  of  the  battle,  but  still  kept  the  field.  On  the  9th,  forced  to 
yield  to  surgical  treatment,  he  relinquished  the  command  of 
the  brigade  and,  though  he  subsequently  returned  for  a  time, 
never  afterwards  participated  in  so  great  an  engagement. 
With  the  brigade  he  had  won  honors  and  fame,  secured  the 
esteem  and  confidence  of  his  subordinates  and  the  admiration 
and  regard  of  his  soldiers.  He  justly  deserved  the  considera- 
tion shown  him  by  General  Griffin,  who  arrived  amid  the  heat 
of  the  contest  and  declined  to  assume  command  until  the  battle 
was  over.  Griffin  considerately  remarked  :  "  To  you.  General 
Barnes,  belongs  the  honor  of  the  field  ;  you  began  the  battle 

with  the  division,  and  shall  fight  it  to  the  end."     Barnes's  sol- 

(272) 


dicrly  form  is  best  remembered  as  at  Gettysburg  he  rode 
valiantly  amid  the  thickest  of  the  fray,  encouraging,  persuad- 
ing, directing,  with  that  same  courageous  judgment  which  had 
ever  been  his  distinguishing  characteristic. 

A  few  days  after  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  numerous  car- 
riages from  Baltimore  and  other  towns  in  Maryland  visited  the 
hospital,  bringing  with  them  delicacies,  jellies,  wines,  etc.,  in- 
tended exclusively  for  the  Confederate  soldiers  in  the  hospitals. 
The  latter  were  receiving  the  same  care  and  attention  as  our 
own  soldiers,  getting  a  part  of  the  supplies  furnished  by  the 
Sanitary  and  Christian  Commissions.  It  was  mo.st  provoking 
to  observe  the  preference  for  the  Confederate  wounded  by  these 
Southern  sympathizers;  consequently  the  surgeon  determined 
to  put  a  stop  to  it  and  directed  that  all  such  things  should  be 
left  at  the  hospital  supply  tent,  where  all  might  receive  a  share 
at  the  proper  time,  A  guard  was  therefore  placed  at  the 
principal  approach  to  the  hospita.1,  with  instructions  to  halt  all 
carriages  bringing  tliese  supplies.  On  the  next  day  after  this 
order  was  issued  a  carriage  drove  up,  containing  a  darky 
coachman,  two  ladies  and  two  gentlemen.  They  stated  to  the 
guard  that  they  were  from  Baltimore  and  desired  to  know 
where  the  tent  was  located  containing  the  Confederate  wounde<l. 
The  guard  informed  them  that  his  instructions  forbade  him  to 
permit  them  to  visit  these  tents;  that  all  supplies  should 
be  left  at  the  general  hospital  tent,  and  the  surgeon  in  charge 
would  direct  their  distribution.  They  appeared  very  indignant 
and  inquired  at  once  for  the  surgeon  in  charge.  Surgeon 
Joseph  Thomas  put  in  an  appearance,  when  they  inquired  by 
what  authority  a  guard  had  been  placed  to  prevent  them  from 
visiting  and  distributing  the  delicacies  they  had  brought  to  the 
Confederate  wounded.  He  replied  that  he  had  given  the  order 
and  was  responsible  for  its  enforcement,  adding  that  the  treat- 
ment of  the  Confederates  was  in  all  respects  the  same  as  that 
of  the  Union  soldiers;  that  they  got  their  share  of  both  Sani- 
tary and  Christian  Commission  supplies,  as  well  as  food  and 
medicines  liirnished  by  the  medical  department;  that  previous 


—  274  — 

visitors  to  the  Confederate  wounded  had  made  a  distinction  and 
given  their  presents  exclusively  to  .Confederate  soldiers,  and, 
therefore,  he  had  determined  to  allow  no  further  communications 
of  this  character,  but  that  they  should  leave  their  wines,  jellies 
and  other  delicacies  with  the  steward,  to  be  distributed  alike 
to  Union  and  Confederate,  as  might  be  deemed  proper. 
Thereupon  the  visitors  became  intensely  indignant  and  threat- 
ened to  inform  General  Meade  of  the  surgeon's  conduct  Sur- 
geon Thomas  replied  that  it  concerned  him  very  little  what 
they  might  report,  or  to  whom ;  that  he  had  charge  of  the 
hospital  and  would  tolerate  no  interference  with  his  authority 
by  Confederate  sympathizers,  and  that  he  advised  them  to 
leave  what  they  desired  and  retire  from  the  vicinity,  or  else  he 
would  at  once  direct  their  arrest  as  rebels.  He  called  their 
attention  to  a  squad  of  soldiers  standing  near.  "  You  per- 
ceive," he  said,  "  that  we  have  the  power  to  hold  your  party, 
and  we  shall  most  surely  exercise  it  unless  you  leave  the  camp 
immediately."  They  concluded  that  prudence  was  the  better 
part  of  valor,  and  pulled  out  a  small  bottle  or  two  of  wine  and 
left.  The  hospital  was  not  troubled  thereafter  by  such  un- 
friendly visitors. 

On  the  day  the  battle  closed,  O.  H.  Osborn,  of  Company  F, 
was  detailed  for  temporary  duty  with  the  hospital  department, 
and  there  was  called  upon  to  assist  in  burying  the  large  accu- 
mulation of  amputated  limbs.  As  he  passed  by  one  of  the 
field  hospitals  with  his  armful  of  legs  he  was  carelessly 
accosted  by  one  of  two  wounded  soldiers  of  the  1st  Michigan, 
who  were  complacently  engaged  in  a  game  of  cards.  The 
one  who  addressed  him  had  lost  his  leg  in  the  second  day's 
fight  and  was  anxious  to  identify  it.  Thinking  it  might  be 
with  the  load  Osborn  carried,  he  requested  him  to  halt  and 
permit  him  to  make  an  examination.  "  Recollect,"  said  he, 
**  my  leg  can  be  readily  distinguished  from  the  others  by  a 
carbuncle  on  the  little  toe.  It  gave  me  much  annoyance  when 
I  had  the  entire  use  of  the  missing  member,  and  I  would  just 
like  to  sec  how  the  ugly  parasite  is  thriving  without   me." 


X,u^ /^  ^j^~:46>, 


GETTYSBURG  versus  WATERLOO. 

By  ('orporal  J.  L.  Smith. 

The  batile  of  Gettysburg  was  the  greatest  conflict  of  modern  times.  In  the 
number  of  men  engaged,  in  its  duration,  it  exceeded  Waterloo,  and  the  loss  of 
life  was  heavier.  Over  one-third  of  the  Union  armv  and  nearlv  one-half  of  the 
Confederate  army  were  killed,  wounded  or  mis.sing. 

General  Pickett's  charge,  on  the  thinl  day.  and  its  repulse,  have  not  been 
equalled  in  valor  since  the  day  of  Thennopyla^.  Xajjoleon's  Old  Guard,  his- 
toric for  their  victorious  career,  wavered  l)efore  the  first  volley  of  the  English 
batteries  at  Waterlot),  and  at  the  sec<^iid  fell  back  in  confusion  and  disorder. 
Pickett's  men  at  Gettysburg  advanced  a  mile  under  a  fire  of  musketrj'  and 
artiller\'  that  tore  great  gaps  in  the  line,  which  wen*  filled  by  the  living,  and 
firmly,  steadily  the  line  advanced,  as  through  the  very  gates  of  hell,  until  they 
engage<l  in  a  hand-to-hand  fight  with  the  Union  men,  but  were  finally  repulsed. 

Waterloo  has  stood  for  half  a  centurj'  without  a  parallel.  It  is  not  to  l>e 
wondered  at  that  when  ihe  descendants  of  the  men  who  con(|uered  there  met 
each  other  the  fight  should  be  fiercer  and  longer  than  on  that  famous  field. 

The  critical  fighting  and  severe.-^t  losses  took  place  t)n  the  .second  day,  when 
Longstreet  made  his  desjH?rate  charge  and  was  driven  back  defeated.  This 
^as  the  turning  ixuni  of  the  Rebellion.     From  that  time  its  fortunes  waned. 


2746 


-  275  — 

Osborn's  time  was  precious,  and,  in  refusing  the  request,  he 
consoled  the  soldier  with  the  assurance  that  if  limbs  lost  on  the 
battle-field  should  be  finally  restored,  he  might  be  able  to 
recognize  it  in  the  hereafter,  "  Good  enough,"  said  the  Michi- 
gan man,  and  quietly  went  on  with  his  game. 

On  tiie  6th  reveille  sounded  at  four,  but  there  was  no  move- 
ment until  ten,  and  then  but  a  shifting  of  the  bivouac  for  a 
mile  or  so  in  the  direction  of  Emmetsburg.  The  usual  con- 
gralul.itory  battle  order  was  published ;  otherwise  the  day  was 
uneventful. 

The  commissariat  had  fallen  off  to  a  few  and  indifferent  sup- 
plies. The  continuous  marching  and  hard  fighting  had  pre- 
vented foraging.  The  few  hours  of  leisure  in  the  vicinity  of 
Marsh  Run  afforded  an  opportunity  to  test  the  capacity  of  the 
country. 

Smith,  John  L.,  of  Company  K,  apt  and  ready  with  his 
tongue,  and  withal  a  judicious  provider,  was  despatched  to 
barter  and  trade  with  the  good  people  of  the  vicinity  for  a  fair 
supply  of  the  nourishing  products  of  the  neighborhood. 
Captain  Crocker's  instructions,  to  whose  company  Smith  be- 
longed, were  that  he  bestir  himself  and  find  something  to  cat. 
He  left  the  character  of  the  edibles  wJiolly  to  Smith's  discre- 
tion, to  be  selected  from  such  as  the  market  afforded.  Gun  in 
hand,  he  started  on  his  mission,  meeting  many  others  on  his 
route  bent  upon  similar  errands.  Some  three  miles  out  he 
came  across  a  well-to-do  farm-house,  in  which  were  three  wo- 
men and  a  number  of  soldiers.  Attracted  by  a  flock  of  geese 
in  the  yard,  the  first  poultry  he  had  seen,  he  opened  negotia- 
tions with  the  most  matronly  of  the  party,  and,  selecting  the 
largest  of  the  lot,  inquired  its  price.  "  Seventy-five  cents," 
said  tlic  matron,  and  Smith  promptly  closed  the  bargain.  As 
lie  seized  the  goose  the  good  lady,  doubtless  aware  it  had 
p.isscd  the  years  when  its  mastication  was  possible,  generously 
cautioned  him  to  cook  the  fowl  well,  as  it  was  very  fat — she 
may  have  said  t.nigh.     Smith,  however,  understood  it  as  fat. 


F,.> 


hi: 


thanks  for  the  intimation,  he  : 


1  had  the 


n 


—  276  — 

goose  in  condition  for  the  fire,  and,  with  her  permission,  util- 
ized the  pot  and  stove  in  the  kitchen  to  fully  complete  its 
preparation  for  the  table. 

While  the  goose  was  cooking.  Smith  had  bargained  for 
several  loaves  of  bread  at  the  very  exorbitant  figures  of  forty 
cents  each.  He  then  adjusted  himself  to  quietly  wait  till  the 
goose  was  cooked  and  the  bread  baked.  But  he  was  met  by 
competition.  Other  soldiers  were  about  bidding  handsomely 
for  supplies.  To  their  demands  our  good  housewife  could  only 
reply  that  her  resources  were  exhausted.  Unfortunately  for 
her  reputation  as  an  honorable  dealer,  she  disclosed  Smith's 
figures.  That  settled  it.  The  others  immediately  advanced 
the  loaves  to  sixty  cents.  Yielding  to  the  temptation,  she 
repudiated  the  Smith  contract  and  accepted  their  proposition. 
He,  meanwhile,  not  inactive,  had  overheard  the  conversation 
and,  promptly  seeing  the  raise  and  going  fifteen  cents  better, 
eventually  secured  a  delivery  at  the  very  high  rate  of  seventy- 
five  cents. 

All  business  transactions  closed,  the  conversation  naturally 
turned  to  the  all-absorbing  subject  of  the  war.  Though  truly 
loyal  Adams  county  Pennsylvanians,  they  had  heard  but  little, 
and  knew  nothing  except  as  the  attendant  scenes  of  the  late 
battle  brought  them  to  a  realizing  sense  of  its  terrors.  Smith, 
in  the  course  of  the  conversation,  pushing  and  inquisitive,  and 
having  noticed  how  the  male  sex  was  conspicuously  absent, 
graciously  turned  to  the  elderly  one  of  the  four  and,  assuming 
that  she  was  the  mother  of  the  other  three,  in  a  tone  of  condo- 
lence remarked,  **  By  the  way,  madam,  I  assume  you  are  a 
widow,  and  with  all  these  cares  upon  you  in  these  troublous 
times  your  task  is  by  no  means  a  light  one."  It  was  too  much 
for  them.  Hitherto  controlled  solely  by  mercenary  motives, 
and  forgetful  of  their  loss,  in  a  traffic  which  yielded  such  tre- 
mendous profits,  the  interrogation  revived  the  remembrance  of 
a  dear  and  absent  father,  and,  all  bursting  into  tears,  they  man- 
aged to  stammer  out  an  explanation.  When  the  head  of  the 
enemy's  column  had  appeared  in  that  vicinity  a  few  days  before. 


—  V7    - 

the  good  man.  husband  and  father  that  he  was,  prompted  wholly 
by  a  motive  to  save  his  goods  and  chattels  from  destruction, 
spoliation  and  seizure,  announced  himself  as  heartily  in  sym- 
pathy with  the  Confederate  cause,  and  ready  to  serve  it  in  any 
capacity  for  which  he  might  be  fitted.  "  Good  for  you.  my 
man,"  said  the  genera!  officer  whom  he  made  his  confidant, 
and  promptly  equipping  him  with  cartridge-box  and  rifle,  he 
forced  him  into  the  ranks,  and  th:it  was  the  last  they  had  seen 
or  heard  of  him.  They  would  not  be  comforted  nor  cease  their 
weeping  until  the  appearance  of  the  shekels  again  consoled  their 
misfortune,  and  the  bargain  and  the  interview  closed  cheerfully 
when  the  goose  was  boiled,  the  bread  done,  and  ail  the  articles 
p;iiil  for.  Whether  the  old  man  ever  returned,  and  if  so,  in  what 
condition,  was  never  subsequently  ascertained. 

Smith  returned  to  the  camp  in  the  waning  of  the  afternoon 
and,  proud  as  a  successful  huntsman,  laid  the  trophies  of  his 
chase  at  the  feet  of  his  gallant  c.iptain.  The  bread  was  divided 
among  those  who  had  contributed  to  its  purchase,  and  the 
goose  reserved  by  Crocker  to  be  enjoyed  by  the  favored  few 
whom  he  called  about  him  to  partake  of  the  dainty  morsel. 

They  sat  about  in  anxious  expectancy.  Crocker  cut  and 
sawed,  and  hacked,  and  then  another  tried  it.  but  to  no  avail ; 
the  bird  would  not  part.  Having  exhausted  all  appliances,  at 
hand  for  the  carving  of  fowls,  ancient  and  modem,  they  con- 
cluded that  there  were  heavier  muscle  and  stronger  tools  among 
the  men,  and  that  to  them  this  old,  tried  specimen  of  Adams 
county  poultry  should  be  generously  assigned.  Summoning 
Smith,  Crocker  bade  him  have  the  first  sergeant  procure  an 
axe  and  divide  the  fowl  as  far  as  it  would  go  among  the  com- 
|i,iny.  It  finally  yielded  to  the  sturdy  blows,  but  the  flesh  re- 
fused to  ri-spond  to  all  efforts  at  mastication.  The  fragments 
were  gathered  together,  and  the  last  seen  of  the  goose  were  its 
remains  being  escorted,  with  mufiled  drums  and  reversed  arms, 
to  a  place  of  decent  sepulture.  The  Confederate  general  was 
ti  lo  much  for  the  husband,  but  the  old  lady  beat  the  Union  sol- 
'lier — an  uncommonly  cute  one,  too. 


—  278  — 

• 

On  the  7th  it  rained,  and  with  a  three  o'clock  reveille  the 
march  began  at  four.  This  delay  of  nearly  twenty-four  hours 
was  to  await  a  pending  consideration  of  change  in  the  manner 
of  the  pursuit  from  one  directly  following  to  a  movement  around 
the  enemy's  flank. 

At  six  o'clock,  quietly,  soberly,  and  silently,  the  column 
crossed  the  Maryland  line.  No  joyous  shouts,  no  demonstra- 
tive enthusiasm  greeted  that  boundary  as  when,  a  few  days  be- 
fore, the  advancing  hosts  had  entered  Pennsylvania  with  the 
belief  that  their  stay  would  be  a  long  one.  The  march  was 
hard  and  fatiguing  and,  with  twenty-five  miles  behind  them,  at 
seven  o'clock  the  troops  bivouacked  within  a  short  distance  of 
Frederick  City. 

The  8th  broke  dull,  heavy  and  rainy,  the  storm  increasing  in 
intensity  as  the  march  was  resumed  at  six  o'clock.  At  ten,  on 
the  summit  of  the  Catoctins,  it  was  dark  as  night  Up  there 
among  the  clouds  vivid  flashes  of  lightning  followed  each  other 
with  startling  rapidity,  and  the  thunder  rolled  incessantly.  It 
was  dark  as  eventide,  although  not  yet  noonday.  Completely 
enveloped  in  a  storm-cloud,  the  column  seemed  lost  in  the 
weird,  desolate  grandeur  of  the  lonely,  wooded  mountain  top. 
But  the  angry  elements  soon  spent  their  fury,  and  the  sun- 
light shone  out  again  on  quaint  old  Middletown,  freshening  the 
bright  familiar  beauties  of  the  rich  Catoctin  valley.  Renewing 
acquaintanceship  with  that  old-time  village,  about  two  o'clock, 
a  short  distance  beyond  it,  the  regiment  went  into  bivouac. 
Sounds  of  cannonading  were  heard  during  the  afternoon  from 
what  was  subsequently  learned  to  be  a  brisk  cavalry  aflfair  near 
Boonsboro.  The  sound  of  the  distant  cannonading  was  not  so 
startling  as  when  the  reverberations  were  heard  among  these 
same  hills  and  valleys  the  year  before.  Constant  familiarity 
with  the  sounds  and  effects  of  gunnery  had  served  to  deaden 
the  sensibilities. 

On  the  9th,  a  day  of  sunshine  and  shadow,  the  column  lei- 
surely followed  the  old  turnpike  road  over  the  September  Sun- 
day's battle-field  of  the  year  before,  through  Turner's  Gap  in 


—  379  ~ 


the  South  Mountain  range,  and  by  a  little  after  twelve  o'clock 
was  in  bivouac  again  just  west  of  Boonsboro.  A  heavy  brigade 
picket  detail,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  men  from  the  regi- 
ment, in  charge  of  the  major  of  the  ist  Michigan,  indicated  the 
presence  of  the  enemy. 

Colonel  Tilton,  of  the  22d  Massachusetts,  had  temporarily 
succeeded  General  Barnes  in  command  of  the  brigade.  Fre- 
quently in  temporary  command,  he  had  come  to  be  well  known. 
He  was  of  eminent  courage  and  superior  attainments,  and  con- 
sequently inspired  confidence  and  commanded  respect.  At 
Gettysburg,  seen  everywhere  in  the  heaviest  of  the  engage- 
ment, he  conceived  and  personally  conducted  the  delicate  ma- 
noeuvre which  relieved  the  brigade  from  the  imminent  peril  of 
its  first  position. 

The  scenes  and  surroundings  were  familiar.  All  the  mem- 
ories of  the  past  autumn  were  vividly  revived.  The  same 
scenery  was  there  in  all  its  grand  picturesque  effect,  but  height- 
ened by  the  beauty  of  its  summer  verdure.  The  promise  of  a 
hostile  battle-front  upon  the  thither  side  of  historic  Antietam 
completed  the  parallel. 

A  daybreak  reveille  on  the  loth  ushered  in  a  bright,  clear 
day.  Moving  at  seven  in  the  morning.  thL- division  crossed  the 
Antietam  at  noon  and,  taking  position  in  two  lines  of  battle, 
bivouacked  for  the  night  with  the  entire  3d  Brigade  on  picket 
duty,  some  five  miles  from  Williamsport. 

With  the  heavy  marching  and  with  no  opportunity  for  re- 
newing clothing,  at  least  half  the  regiment  was  almost  shoeless. 
In  the  hope  that  the  trains  or  a  supply  depot  might  shortly  be 
reached,  a  requisition  was  forwarded  for  154  pairs. 

On  the  1  ith,  at  six  o'clock, the  brigade  marched  a  short  dis- 
tance and  then  formed  line  of  masses,  with  the  battalions 
doubled  on  the  centre.  Pushing  through  a  corn-field  to  an 
orchard  beyond,  it  so  remained  in  mass  until  five  in  the  after- 
noon as  a  support,  if  necessary,  for  artillery  there  unlimbercd 
anil  in  battery.  During  the  day  Senator  Wilson  paid  a  visit  to 
the  old  22d,  scarred,  ragged  and  depleted  since  he  had  last  seen 


—  28o  — 

it,  by  its  many  casualties  and  vicissitudes.  Patriotic  speech, 
gracious  greeting,  and  generous  sentiment  welcomed  the  emi- 
nent statesman,  and  enlivened  the  day  with  grateful  memories 
of  his  distinguished  services. 

Towards  evening  the  line  of  masses  advanced  in  a  north- 
westerly direction  for  some  two  miles  and  bivouacked  at  eight 
o'clock,  still  in  the  same  formation,  on  a  bluflf  near  the  banks 
of  a  narrow  stream  which  flowed  at  its  foot. 

The  1 2th,  a  cloudless  Sunday  morning,  was  followed  in  the  af- 
ternoon by  rain.  At  eleven  o'clock  tlie  advance  in  double  column 
was  again  resumed  and  continued,  with  hesitating  halts,  until  the 
enemy's  earthworks,  located  on  a  distant  rise,  appeared  in  view. 
Upon  an  eminence  of  equal  elevation  the  double  columns  were 
deployed  to  battle  lines,  and  there  awaited  developments  or 
directions.  The  swale  between  the  two  rises  was  opjen  and 
under  high  cultivation.  The  farmers  had  been  interrupted  in 
their  harvest,  and  the  wheat,  cut  and  gathered  but  not  stored, 
stood  stacked  at  the  usual  intervals  over  the  fields.  Between 
these  stacks  was  the  Confederate  skirmish  line.  The  whole 
Army  of  the  Potomac  appeared  to  be  in  position,  the  6th  Corps 
on  the  right  of  the  5th,  and  the  2d  on  the  left. 

General  Meade  and  his  staff  came  upon  the  ground,  and 
riding  to  the  front  of  the  brigade  for  some  time  closely  scanned 
the  enemy's  lines.  Ultimately  he  ordered  three  companies  to 
be  detached  from  the  i  i8th  and  sent  out  to  support  the  pickets. 
The  right  and  left  companies,  E  and  B,  were  thrown  forward, 
and  H,  the  centre  company,  moved  out  in  support.  As  this 
detachment  entered  the  wheat  stubble,  its  appearance  provoked 
firing.  An  engagement  seemed  so  imminent  that  Quarter- 
master Gardner,  who  wholly  unsuspicious  of  the  situation  had 
been  drawn  to  the  front  to  exchange  a  few  social  greetings, 
rapidly  rode  away,  laughingly  remarking  that  such  unnecessary 
exposure  was  by  no  means  essential  to  sustain  the  dignity  of 
the  non-combatants. 

lie  was  by  no  means  peculiar  in  his  views.  Officers  of  his 
department  frequently  very  properly  sought  the  seclusion  of  the 


—  28l    — 

rear  in  moments  of  impending  peril.  On  one  occasion  a  mid- 
night assault  was  made  on  the  lines  in  front  of  Petersburg.  The 
bullets  whistled  about  the  head-quarters,  rattled  gainst  the  Ic^ 
and  tore  through  the  canvas.  The  a^utant-gencial,  roused 
from  his  slumbers,  bethought  himself  first  of  the  necessi^  for 
liis  steed,  and  yelled  loudly  to  the  orderly  to  saddle  his  horsd 


A, 

>^' 

^ 
^ 

^ 

m 

> 

ft 

|r 

.^ 

1' ,. 

^ 

^# 

m 

fl| 

>K[K 


r  STACKS 


Tilt;  a,s sank  was  f-puhtd  thinj,s  rt-sumod  th<.  usud  qinttude 
ami  nil  ri-tiiriRd  to  thtir  -.lumbers  Tiic  ii<.\t  nuirning  tli<. 
i|uarti,T-ni:isti.T,  win  li  ul  not  bi.cn  noticed  in  the  darkness  and 
VI  infusion  i1k-  ni',  lit  In  fort  w  is  ibbi-nt  from  the  mess  tible  ind 
Ciintinite-d  alisi-nl  f  r  e\eril  d  i\  s  there ifter  when  lie  reippeared 
as  suddenly  as  he  hiil  ilejiirtetl      Called  upon  for  in  c\plana 


—    282    — 

tion  of  his  absence,  he  replied  tha^  all  he  distinctly  remembered 
to  have  heard  during  the  assault  of  the  night  or  two  before  was 
the  very  penetrating  voice  of  the  adjutant-general  directing  his 
horse  to  be  saddled.  Concluding  from  his  experience  that  the 
only  purpose  for  a  horse  on  such  occasions  was  to  run  awa}*, 
and  desiring  not  to  be  behind  that  officer  in  such  an  exploit,  he 
quietly  ordered  his  accoutred,  and  had  stolen  off  on  it  to  more 
secluded  quarters.  Where  he  had  remained  away  so  long  he 
did  not  vouchsafe  to  tell,  but  his  appearance  indicated  he  had 
been  most  generously  entertained. 

A  further  evidence  of  the  imminence  of  an  engagement  was 
the  astounding  conduct,  prompted  by  his  overweening  religious 
zeal,  of  Chaplain  O'Neill.  General  Meade  still  retained  the 
position  from  which  he  had  given  the  directions  for  the  move- 
ment of  the  three  companies  to  the  support  of  the  pickets.  The 
chaplain,  with  head  uncovered,  solemnly  approached  him  and 
boldly  inquired  whether  the  impending  battle  could  not  as  well 
be*  fought  on  the  next  day  as  on  God's  holy  Sabbath.  All  who 
heard  him  expected  he  would  meet  a  crushing  rebuke,  but  in- 
stead of  this  General  Meade  received  his  interrogation  most 
graciously  and  naively  replied  in  parable,  drawn  to  it  doubtless 
by  the  scriptural  calling  of  his  interrogator.  He  said  he  was 
lilce  a  man  who  had  a  contract  to  make  a  box.  The  four  sides 
were  completed,  the  bottom  finished  and  the  lid  ready  to  be 
put  on,  and  that  he  proposed  to  do  with  the  engagement  about 
to  begin.  Delay  might  vitiate  the  entire  contract,  and  he  saw 
no  way  out  of  it  except  for  the  fight  to  go  on.  "  Then,"  said 
the  chaplain  in  tones  as  if  he  were  administering  Heaven's 
thundcriniif  anathemas,  "  as  God's  agent  and  disciple,  I  solemnly 
protest,  and  will  show  you  that  the  Almighty  will  not  permit 
you  to  desecrate  his  sacred  day  with  this  exhibition  of  man's 
inhumanity  to  man.  Look  at  the  heavens ;  see  the  threatening 
storm  approaching."  And  the  chaplain's  prediction  had  scarce 
been  made  before  it  was  fulfilled.  The  clouds  that  had  been 
gathering  all  the  afternoon  suddenly  broke  forth  in  copious 
showers,  vivid  lightning  and  pealing  thunder  followed  and  deep 
darkness  settled  everywhere  before  the  storm  was  over. 


383  — 


The  skirmishers  stood  confronting  each  other,  quietly  taking 
the  soaking,  their  individual  identity  so  lost  in  blankets  that 
in  the  distance  each  man  more  resembled  a  crow-deccivcr  than 
ihc  stalwart  hero  of  "  big  wars." 

The  regiment  was  moved  into  a  wood  to  the  left,  where  it 
bivouacked  for  the  night;  but  a  heavy  detail  of  a  hundred  men 
under  Croci;er  and  O'Neill  did  picket  duty  in  the  near  vicinity. 
The  firing  was  occasionally  rapid  and  distinctly  heard  in  the 
bivouac.  The  duty  was  an  important  one,  and  the  wisdom  was 
commended  which  had  put  such  intrepid  officers  in  command. 
There  had  been  a  question  as  to  whose  tour  it  was  to  perform 
the  duty.  Crocker  had  been  out  continuously,  and  his  skill 
and  courage  were  given  as  tlie  reason  for  an  assignment  which 
it  was  believed  would  require  the  exercise  of  his  best  judgment. 
The  picket  detail  of  the  day  before  remained  on  duty  until  the 
afternoon,  when  it  was  relieved  by  detachments  from  the  jd 
Brigade. 

On  tlie  13th  it  rained  again.  The  brigade  was  set  to  build- 
ing breastworks  and  soon  completed  a  well  revetted  earthwork 
fortification  with  depressions  at  intervals  for  artillery.  A  single 
gun  of  Captain  Martin's  battery  was  run  into  position  in  one 
cif  them. 

General  Meade  again  visited  the  vicinity  and  rode  slowly 
along  the  lines,  examining  the  position  with  some  care. 

Chaplain  O'Neill  was  determined,  to  make  up  diligently  for 
lost  opportunities,  and,  though  it  was  a  secular  day,  organized 
what  he  deftly  styled  a  war  service.  With  the  two  lines  facing 
each  other  in  battle  array,  his  phrase  was  not  inaptly  used. 
He  took  his  text  from  the  gospel  of  St.  Matthew,  13th  chapter, 
9th  verse :  "  Who  hath  ears  to  hear  let  him  hear."  His  strong 
voice  and  earnest  manner  commanded  an  audience,  and  it  was 
irreverently  suggested  that  before  he  had  concluded  the  ears 
of  the  whole  brigade  had  heard  every  utterance. 

Lieutenant  Horace  Binney,  3d,  who  had  been  some  time  be- 
fore detached  as  an  aide  on  the  stafT  of  General  Thomas  H, 
Neill,  then  commanding  a  brigade  in  the  6th  Corp.s,  paid  hi.-! 


—  284  — 

old  associates  a  visit  during  the  afternoon.  Binney  was  a 
splendid  fellow.  His  elegance  of  manner,  cultured  address, 
gentlemanly  carriage,  all  peculiarly  and  unostentatiously  his 
own,  were  the  stamps  of  his  high  breeding  and  evidences  of 
his  distinguished,  intellectual  ancestry.  He  bore  himself  nobly 
as  a  soldier.  In  action,  of  unusual  nerve  and  exceptional 
courage,  he  preserved  that  same  distinctive  individuality  which 
characterized  him  elsewhere.  Always  an  attractive  figure  on 
horseback,  the  graceful  composure  with  which  he  rode  through 
the  exciting  dangers  of  the  battle-field  was  ever  noticeable. 
He  passed  through  the  war  unscathed.  Young  and  promising, 
not  long  after  its  close,  the  alluring  prospects  of  a  successful 
legal  professional  career  were  before  him,  when  a  rapid  and  in- 
sidious disease  carried  him  speedily  to  a  very  early  grave. 
A  welcome  visitor,  he  continued  his  intimate  associations  with 
his  regiment  whenever  location  afforded  him  opportunity. 

On  the  14th  it  was  still  raining.  At  6.30  A.  M.  the  brigade 
was  ordered  under  arms  in  support  of  a  reconnoissance  con- 
ducted by  General  Crawford's  3d  Division.  The  brigade  did 
not,  however,  move  until  noon,  and  then,  occupying  the 
enemy's  breastworks  for  a  short  time,  continued  the  march  to 
Williamsport,  halting  there  at  two  o'clock,  bivouacking  in  a 
wheat-field  for  the  night.  Lee's  legions  had  disappeared  dur- 
ing the  previous  night  and  by  daybreak  were  across  the  Poto- 
mac. A  number  of  the  enemy's  stragglers  fell  into  our  hands 
during  the  march.  Captain  Sharwood,  who  had  been  left  be- 
hind quite  ill  on  the  30th  of  June,  rejoined  the  regiment.  He 
was  promptly  seized  for  liuty  and  detailed  as  oflScer  of  the 
day. 

On  the  15th,  clear  and  warm,  the  march  began  at  4.10  in  the 
morning  and  continued  over  the  South  Mountain,  through 
Cranipton  Gap,  on  the  road  to  Burkctsville,  until  5.30  in  the 
afternoon.  It  was  a  lengthy,  trying  march  and  much  straggling 
followed. 

At  five  o'clock  on  the  i6th,  with  clear  weather,  the  column 
was  again  off",  freshened  after  a  night's  good  rest.     At  6.30 


—  385  — 

A.  M.  it  passed  through  IJurketsville,  and  by  9.15  a-  m-  was  in 
camp  at  Petersville,  within  a  short  distance  of  the  Potomac, 
and  there  was  rest  and  leisure  for  the  balance  of  the  day.  The 
wagon  trains  made  their  appearance  for  the  first  time  since  he- 
fore  Gettysburg.     During  the  night  it  rained  again  severely. 

On  the  17th  it  was  still  raining.  The  bi-monthly  muster  for 
pay.  forced  off  by  the  heavy  pressure  incident  to  the  Gettys- 
burg preliminaries,  was  completed.  Moving  at  four  in  the  after- 
noon lo  Berlin,  and  crossing  the  Potomac  on  pontoons  laid  at 
that  point  al  5.50,  the  regiment  was  again  in  old  Virginia,  and 
at  6.45  '"  camp  at  Lovettsville. 

Some  venomous  spirit  prompted  retaliatory  measures  for 
Wrongs  done  in  Pennsylvania.  Threats  were  made  to  destroy 
the  village.  General  Griffin  checked  the  affair  in  its  incipiency, 
preventing  a  disgraceful  scene  of  sack  and  pillage. 

Lieutenant  Batchclder.who  had  been  ill  for  some  days,  here  he- 
came  so  seriously  sick  that  it  was  found  necessary  to  leave  him. 
Comfortable  quarters  were  found  for  him,  where  he  was  well 
and  tenderly  cared  for.  His  health  completely  failed  him. 
and  he  was  honorably  discharged  in  the  following  November. 
Subsequent  to  the  war  he  fully  recovered  and  is  now  in  vigorous 
health  and  prosperous  business. 

Batchelder  was  of  firm  determination  and  high  .courage; 
earnest,  zealous,  patriotic.  His  record  was  bright;  his  pros- 
pects promi.sing.  Steady,  reliable,  respected,  trusted,  the  va- 
cancy caused  by  his  loss  to  the  service  was  not  readily  sup- 

On  the  1 8th  it  cleared  and  at  five  o'clock  the  march  com- 
menced, terminating  as  early  as  9.30,  some  three  miles  from 
I'urcetlville. 

The  irregularities  at  Lovettsville  the  chaplain  thought  de- 
manded clerical  condemnation,  and  he  held  a  special  service 
with  that  in  view,  taking  for  his  text,  "  For  I  also  am  a  man 
set  under  authority,  having  under  me  soldiers;  and  I  say  unto 
one,  go,  and  he  goeth ;  and  to  another,  come,  and  he  cometh," 
He  dwelt  vehemently  on  vandalism.     Some  of  the  facetious 


—  286  — 

construed  his  selection  as  having  especial  reference  to  the  frus- 
trated intention  of**  ^oing  for  the  rebel  property." 

On  the  19th,  a  clear,  warm  day,  the  march  began,  the  brigade 
being  the  rear  brigade  of  the  rear  division  of  the  corps,  at  8^.5, 
and,  passing  through  Purcellville  at  10.45,  ^^e  regiment  biv- 
ouacked in  the  woods  a  short  distance  beyond  that  village  a 
little  before  noon. 

Here  an  order  was  received  directing  the  detail  of  three 
commissioned  officers  and  a  number  of  enlisted  men  to  proceed 
to  Philadelphia  to  secure  for  the  regiment  its  proper  quota  of 
drafted  men  from  the  conscription  then  in  progress  in  the 
North. 

On  the  20th  it  was  still  clear  and  the  day  decidedly  hot 
Reveille  sounded  at  two  o'clock  and  the  brigade  moved  at  five, 
passed  through  Union  and  bivouacked  shortly  after  noon  be- 
tween Middleburg  and  Upperville,  where  it  remained  during 
all  of  the  following  day. 

On  the  22d,  at  nine  o^clock,  Colonel  Gwyn,  Captain  O'Neill, 
Adjutant  ll.mdand  six  enlisted  men,  including  ist  Sergeant 
Crossley,  of  H,  left  for  Philadelphia,  in  obedience  to  directions  to 
procure  for  the  regiment  its  proper  quota  of  conscript  assign- 
ments. The  command  of  the  regiment  devolved  upon  Major 
Herring. 

Tlie  forty-eight  hours'  rest  was  broken  and  at  noon  the 
march  resumed.  It  terminated  at  five  in  the  afternoon  in  the 
vicinity  of  Rectortown. 

The  23d,  a  clear,  fresh  morning,  when  the  march  began  at 
seven  o'clock,  closed  in  more  stirring  scenes  than  had  enlivened 
the  few  days  preceding  it.  The  3d  Corps,  pushed  close  up  to 
the  base  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  near  Manassas  Gap,  had  struck  the 
enemy  at  Wapping  Heights.  The  5th  Corps,  ordered  to  follow 
in  support,  reached  the  vicinity  of  the  action  about  half-past  four 
in  the  afternoon.  Forming  line  of  masses  with  battalions 
doubled  on  the  centre,  the  brigade  experienced  the  rare  oppor- 
tunity of  observing  an  engagement  entirely  out  of  range  and 
without  participating. 


-  28/  — 

The  countrj-  rolled  abruptly.  Knolls,  some  marc  cr-miiunu- 
in;^  tliiin  otiiers.  descended  suddenly  into  the  swaic  and  then 
rose  again.  There  was  no  timber  until  the  westernmost  valley 
terminated  finally  at  the  base  of  the  wooded  mountain  side. 
From  where  the  brigade  took  position  knoll  and  tiwale, 
green  and  grassy,  were  all  m  complete  view  to  their  timber 
terminal. 

The  enemy,  his  line  partially  concealed,  held  the  first  ri.tc  on 
the  mountains  and  our  forces  occupied  a  parallel  knobby 
crest.  Both  skirmish  lines  were  in  the  vallej-.  Each  was 
firing  with  marked  deliberation,  and  from  the  other  side  the 
artillery,  served  witli  slow  rcfjularity,  was  planting  its  shots 
with  creditable  accuracj-.  Our  lines  repeatedly  advanced  over 
the  skirmishers,  under  cover  of  the  batteries,  and  pouring  in 
telling  volleys  of  musketry  withdrew  again  to  their  position. 
The  enemy  had  been  driven  to  the  defensive  position  he  held 
on  the  mountain  side,  and  the  tactics  of  advancing  and  with- 
drawing, which  continued  until  nightfall,  indicated  that  there 
was  no  determined  purpose  to  force  him  out.  as  it  was  believed 
that  he  would  retire  in  the  darkness.     This  he  did. 

As  the  regiment  was  moving  towards  the  scene  of  the  en- 
gagement it  passed  through  the  Keystone  Battery  of  Philadel- 
phia. The  men  were  standing  by  their  guns  ready  for  action. 
The  battery  had  enlisted  for  a  year;  its  term  was  drawing  to  a 
close,  and  as  up  to  this  time  it  had  not  been  in  action,  there 
was  a  manifest  anxiety  to  engage. 

There  were  many  mutual  acquaintances  in  both  organiza- 
tions. An  incident  was  told  in  the  interval  of  the  short  halt 
in  their  vicinity  illustrative  of  how  a  little  delay  changed  the 
whole  phase  of  their  service,  and  of  their  disappointment  at  the 
l.iss  of  the  opportunity  for  distinction  which  resulted.  With 
many  other  batteries  they  were  in  park  in  the  vicinity  of  Centre- 
ville,  when  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  reached  that  point  on  its 
inarch  to  Pennsylvania.  Ordered  to  join  the  Reserve  Artillery, 
they  were  making  iiurried  preparations  to  do  so,  when,  in  defer- 
ence to  the  wishes  of  a  general  officer  of  the  2d  Corps,  they 


—  288  — 

dt:layed  a  short  time  to  accommodate  him  in  the  transportation 
of  some  of  his  private  stores,  he  having  no  means  at  hand  of 
his  own  to  carry  them.  The  delay  was  fatal  Their  want  of 
promptitude  so  annoyed  the  chief  of  artillery,  as  his  batteries 
were  all  on  the  move,  that  he  substituted  Bigelow's  9th  Massa- 
chusetts Battery  in  their  stead,  and  they  were  returned  tempo- 
rarily to  the  defences  of  Washington  and  did  not  reach  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  until  Gettysburg  was  over.  They  thus 
escaped  the  peril  and  failed  to  share  in  the  glories  of  Bigelow's 
desperate  encounter  on  the  second  day  at  Gettysburg,  that  has 
made  him  and  his  battery  famous  for  all  time. 

On  the  24th,  at  seven  o'clock,  the  brigade  moved  up  the 
ragged  mountain  side  by  the  "  right  of  divisions  to  the  front,'* 
in  support  of  the  2d  and  3d  Brigades,  which  were  in  line  in 
advance.  The  hill  cjeflected  but  little  from  a  perpendicular. 
Overhanging  crags,  huge  boulders,  a  thick  growth  of  stunted 
forest  trees,  dense  underbrush,  lined  the  hillside  to  its  summit. 

The  bloody  laurels  for  which  a  regiment  contends  should 
always  be  awarded  to  the  one  with  the  longest  roll  of  honor. 
Scars  are  the  true  evidence  of  wounds,  and  the  regimental 
scars  can  be  seen  only  in  the  record  of  its  casualties.  But  the 
identity  of  the  private  in  the  ranks  is  merged  in  that  of  his  regi- 
ment. To  him  the  regiment  and  its  name  is  everything.  He 
does  not  expect  to  see  his  name  on  the  page  of  history,  and  is 
content  with  the  proper  recognition  of  the  old  command  in 
which  he  fought.  He  is  jealous  of  the  record  of  his  regiment, 
and  demands  credit  for  every  shot  it  faced  and  every  grave  it 
iilled. 

The  men  were  hungry ;  but  the  rations  were  exhausted  and 
the  mountain  top  was  rich  in  an  unusual  yield  of  luscious  black- 
berries. The  attractive  scenery  was  neglected,  and  craving 
appetites  appeased  from  the  bountiful  supply  of  fruit,  sufficient 
in  quantity  to  satisfy  all  existing  wants. 

At  noon  the  division  returned  down  the  mountain  and  went 
into  bivouac  about  a  mile  from  its  base. 

Reveille  was  sounded  at  four  o'clock  on  the  25th  and  the 


SKBGEANT  JAUES   H.  UAUAN. 

culminated  in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  and  which  terminated 
in  march  and  pursuit  at  Warrenton  or  in  its  vicinity, 
virtually  began  on  the  5th  of  June  and  concluded  on  the 
31st  of  July.  In  the  official  itinerary  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  it  is  noted  that,  beside  the  great  battle  itself, 
tliLTc  were  during  the  marciies  that  preceded  and  followed  it. 
at  sepiiratc  points,  between  those  dates,  107  different  engage- 
meiils,  combats,  actions  and  affairs  at  arms.  Twice  in  every 
fifteen  hours  of  the  summer  daylight  throughout  that  campaign 
shots  by  somebody,  somewhere  between  the  Rappahannock 
and  tlie  Susquehanna,  were  exchanged  with  deadly  intent. 


CHAPTER  XL 

AROUND   WARRENTOWN — BEVERLY    FORD — EXECUTION  OF 

FIVE   DESERTERS. 

'Tis  a  fearful  thing 
To  sec  the  human  soul  take  wing 
In  any  shape,  in  any  mood. 

THE  termination  of  the  nearly  sixty  days  of  arduous  duty 
attending  the  Gettysburg  campaign  was  followed  by  a 
short  season  of  "liberty."  There  were  several  days  of  mirth- 
provoking  hilarity.  The  best  and  brightest  spirits  drifted  into 
the  volunteer  army,  and  genial  humor  and  sparkling  wit  were 
never  wanting.  Though  liberal  potations  stimulated  the  merry- 
making, good  order  prevailed  and  the  "  liberty  "  days  closed  in 
peace  and  harmony  in  due  and  timely  season. 

On  the  3 1  st  of  July  Captain  Sharwood  was  detailed  as  acting 
brigade  commissary'.  Orders  were  received  to  move  on  the  fol- 
lowing day,  but  it  passed  uneventfully  with  the  regiment  still 
occupying  the  camp-ground  described  in  the  last  chapter. 

Deprived,  during  the  vcr^'  active  season  which  had  just 
closed,  of  the  observance  of  many  of  the  requisite  military  for- 
malities, Sunday  morning  inspections  were  at  once  resumed, 
and  were  usually  conducted  in  person  by  Major  Herring.  A 
humorous  incident  occurred  at  one  of  these  inspections.  Ser- 
geant Andrew  Cassid}',  of  H,  had  not  been  over-cautious  in 
examining  his  cartridge  box  before  coming  upon  the  inspection 
j^round.  Some  one  had,  without  his  knowledge,  substituted 
for  the  tins  and  ammunition  in  it  a  full  deck  of  cards.  The 
inspection  progressed  satisfactorily  until  the  command  "  ojyen 
boxes  "  was  given.  Noticing  the  absence  of  the  tins,  the  major 
looked  farther  and  discovered  the  cards.  "  How  many  have 
you.  Sergeant?  "  he  pertinently  inquired.   "  Sixty,  sir,"  promptly 

replied  the  sergeant.    "  Wrong,  sir;  I  count  but  fift}'-two.    Cap- 

(290) 


tain,  you  will  direct  the  sergeant  to  report  to  litrad -quarters  to 
account  for  the  deficiency."  The  sergeant,  much  mystified,  re- 
mained in  ignorance  of  the  situation  until  he  returned  to  his 
quarters  and  had  opportunity  to  examine  for  himself.  When 
lie  reported  to  head-quarters  he  had  recovered  his  boxes  and 
properly  accounted  for  all  the  missing  cartridges.  A  word  of 
caution  was  administered  not  to  permit  him.self  to  be  again 
tampered  with  by  a  practical  joker. 

The  orders  for  the  movement  intended  to  be  executed  on 
the  1st  were  carried  out  on  the  3d  of  August.  The  camp  wa.^ 
broken  at  six  o'clock  p.  M.  by  tlio  bugle  signal  from  division 
head-quarters.  It  so  happened  the  division  head-quarters  were 
located  in  full  view  from  most  of  the  regimental  camps.  The 
order  to  move  had  been  promulgated,  and  the  troops  only 
awaited  the  sound  of  the  "  general "  for  final  preparations. 
Head-quarter  tents  were  down  and  everything  packed  up  in  the 
vicinitj',  but  the  bugler  was  disposed  to  be  a  trifle  humorous. 
He  came  out,  planted  himself  conspicuously  and  mildly  blew 
the  few  sharp  notes  of  the  "  division  call."  Usually  another 
call  of  some  sort  followed  instantly  after  the  last  note  had  died 
away.  Our  facetious  trumpeter  would  not  have  it  so.  He 
stood  erect,  with  shoulders  square,  heels  togctht-r.  unusual  for 
a  mounted  man,  and  with  a  calm  assurance  of  his  immense  im- 
portance, knowing  he  was  intently  observed,  deliberately  sur- 
veyed the  anxiously  waiting  assemblage.  Then,  as  if  deter- 
mined to  continue  their  expectancy,  he  slowly  wiped  the  mouth- 
piece, pressed  the  instrument  to  Iiis  lips,  distended  his  ponderous 
jowls,  and  without  sounding  the  faintest  note  removed  it,  and 
doubled  himself  up  with  laughter.  This  he  had  all  to  himself; 
nobody  laughed  with  him ;  a  few  did  at  him.  The  same  opera- 
tion he  again  and  again  repeated,  each  time  his  laughter  be- 
coming louder  and  more  extravagant.  Finally,  either  con- 
cluding his  efforts  to  entertain  were  not  appreciated  or  wearying 
of  ;in  effort  that  amused  only  himself,  he  straightened  himself, 
and  the  '"  general  "  rang  out  full,  clear,  and  free.  A  derisive 
yell  followed  the  first  note,  and  the  disgusted  bugler  hunted 


—  292  — 

obscurity  amid  shouts  of"  shoot  him/'  "  stufTrags  in  his  horn," 
"  put  him  out,"  "  tramp  on  him,"  and  many  like  uncharitable 
phrases. 

After  a  light  evening  stroll  of  a  couple  of  hours,  a  bivouac 
was  made  about  nine  o'clock  near  Bealton  Station. 

Afterwards  the  regiment  moved  a  short  distance  and,  breaking 
into  column  of  companies,  established  a  camp  with  more  regu- 
larity than  usually  attends  the  nightly  halts  between  daily 
continuous  marches.  To  the  southward,  artillery  firing  was 
heard  for  several  hours.  The  tardy  paymaster  appeared,  and 
gladdened  the  soldiery  by  a  distribution  of  greenbacks. 

Captain  O'Neill  and  Adjutant  Hand  returned  with  one  hun- 
dred and  nine  drafted  men  and  substitutes.  The  quota  allotted 
was  one  hundred  and  fifty-nine,  and  with  that  number  they  had 
started  from  Philadelphia.  Fifty,  however,  had  eluded  their 
vigilant  attention  and  disappeared  on  the  route.  This  was  not 
unusual.  Scarcely  any  detachment  of  recruits  of  such  a  char- 
acter ever  reached  the  front  without  seriously  suffering  from 
desertion.  Occasionally  the  guard,  catching  them  in  the  act, 
upon  their  refusal  to  surrender  shot  them  as  they  attempted 
escape  to  friendly  timber,  or  jumped  from  ferry  boats  crossing 
rivers.  This  latter  method  of  escape,  in  the  darkness  of  night, 
was  frequently  resorted  to.  It  was  questionable  whether  the 
wholesale  desertion  of  substitutes — the  evil  was  confined  almost 
exclusively  to  them — did  not  almost  make  the  conscript  system 
a  failure. 

A  few  of  these  substitutes,  stout,  well-built  fellows,  were  dis- 
posed to  be  independent  and  presuming,  claiming  to  have  been 
once  captains  and  lieutenants,  and  one  actually  assumed  the 
dignity  of  an  aforetime  brigade  commander.  They  presumptu- 
ously addressed  each  other  by  titles  indicating  their  former  rank, 
and  would  not  be  suppressed  until  severely  disciplined.  A  little 
training  dissipated  these  extravagant  notions,  and  most  of  the 
detachment  were  ultimately  shaped  into  tolerably  good,  and 
some  became  excellent  soldiers. 

Among  the  drafted  men,  so  consistent  in  their  conscientious 


—  293  — 

convictions  against  fighting  that  they  would  not  purclia^i-  sub- 
stitutes to  fight  for  them,  were  five  Pennsylvania  Quakers. 
They  were  submissive  and  obedient,  ready  in  the  discharge  of 
every  duty,  but  still,  consistent  in  their  convictions,  positively 
refused  to  "'bear  arms."  Lacking  notliing  in  courage  or  en- 
durance, they  expressed  entire  willingness  to  march  and  go  into 
battle,  but  utterly  declined  to  be  instructed  in  the  use  of  the 
musket.  Force  and 
persuasion  were  of  no 
avail,  and  the  reasons 
for  their  refusal  ap- 
pearing to  be  wholly 
in  their  consciences, 
the  War  Dcpartraont 
ultimately  ordered 
their  discharge. 

O'Neill  and  Hand 
were  directed  to  sim- 
ply deliver  the  re- 
.  cruits  placed  in  their 
keeping,  and  then  re- 
turn to  the  rendex- 
vous  at  Philadelphia. 
They  were  not  slow 
sERcrANT  ALKRi:i,  MAcyuEEN.  in  responding  to  the 

latter  part  of  their 
instructions,  and  commenced  their  return  journey  on  the  night 
of  the  day  of  their  arrival. 

A  high  wind  and  heavy  rain  demolished  all  the  arbors  erected 
to  break  the  intense  heat.  They  were  no  longer  needed,  how- 
ever, as  an  early  daylight  move  and  short  march  brought  the 
regiment  to  another  camping  ground  near  Beverly  Ford,  within 
half  a  mile  of  the  Rappahannock.  Here  the  regiment  remained 
for  a  considerable  time. 

The  entire  month  of  August  was  a  season  of  intense,  ener- 
vating heat,  breeding  swarms  of  pestering  insects  and  cod- 


-  ^94  — 

ducive,  in  the  lowlands  along  the  river  bottom,  to  frequent 
malarial  disorders.  To  counteract  these  unhealthy  surround- 
ings there  were  qpcasional  issues  of  quinine  steeped  in  liberal 
allowances  of  whisky.  This  medicinal  stimulant  was  a  cheering 
beverage  to  appetites  measurably  restrained  from  the  use  of 
liquors  for  want  of  means  and  opportunity  to  secure  a  supply. 
There  were  those,  however,  who,  stolidly  fixed  in  their  prin- 
ciples of  total  abstinence,  would  pour  their  ration  upon  the 
ground  in  the  presence  of  their  companions,  much  to  the  dis- 
gust of  many  who  were  convinced  it  could  be  devoted  to  a  de- 
cidedly better  purpose. 

A  captain  of  the  regiment,  in  a  venturesome  mood  whilst 
bathing  in  the  Rappahannock,  swam  the  stream,  and  without 
stopping  undertook  to  return.  His  temerity  came  near  having  a 
tragic  ending.  When  midway  back  he  was  seized  with  violent 
cramps  and  lustily  called  for  help.  He  manifested,  though,  no 
such  panic  or  alarm  as  did  his  friends  who  stood  upon  the 
bank.  They  seemed  to  lose  their  heads.  One  frantically 
seized  a  fence-rail  and  pushed  it  toward  him.  It  failed  to 
reach  him.  All  seemed  to  fear  his  grip.  In  his  shouting  he 
had  told  the  cause  of  his  trouble.  He  was  fast  becoming  ex- 
hausted and  was  about  to  give  up  when  Lieutenant  Arthur  Bell, 
of  the  155th  Pennsylvania,  who  was  the  most  self-possessed  of 
all  those  who  watched  the  scene,  hurriedly  divesting  himself  of 
his  outer  garments,  heroically  plunged  into  the  stream  and 
struck  out  manfully  to  the  discomfited  swimmer,  all  the  while 
calling  to  him  to  keep  up — that  help  was  at  hand.  The  cap- 
tain feebly  called  to  him  to  come  close — that  he  would  not 
grasp  him ;  and,  placing  his  hands  upon  BeH's  shoulder,  was 
safely  brought  ashore.  Bell's  heroism  was  applauded,  and  his 
generous  gallantry  was  long  the  theme  of  appropriate  com- 
ment. The  captain  soon  recovered  from  his  exhaustion  and, 
profiting  by  his  experience,  was  afterwards  a  more  cautious 
bather. 

Five  of  the  men  who  had  eluded  O'Neiirs  vigilance  were 
subsequently  apprehended  in  attempting  to  recross  the  Poto- 


—  295  — 

mac.  They  had  enlisted  under  the  names  of  Charles  Walter, 
Gion  Reanese,  Emil  Lai,  Gion  Folaney  and  George  Kuhn. 
They  were  all  foreigners,  unacquainted  with  the  English  lan- 
guage except  one.  Two  were  Roman  Catholics,  another  a 
Hebrew,  and  the  others,  if  of  any  faith,  were  Protestants. 

Assigned  to  the  regiment,  they  had  never  joined  it  and  were 
wholly  unknown  to  it.  Charged  with  a  crime,  conviction  for 
which  was  likely  to  be  followed  by  capital  punishment,  they 
were  sent  to  the  regiment  only  as  a  forum  where  judicial  cog- 
nizance could  be  taken  of  their  offence.  In  fact  conviction^ 
followed  by  any  of  the  punishments  usually  inflicted  for  deser- 
tion, would  have  connected  them  with  the  regiment  only  as 
prisoners  awaiting  trial  or  as  criminals  awaiting  approval  and 
execution  of  their  sentences.  They  had,  therefore,  been 
thrown  into  an  organization  where  they  were  entire  strangers 
and  which  had  with  them  neither  friendship,  memories  nor  as- 
sociations, and  as  they  had  come  there  as  prisoners  only  for 
the  stern  administration  of  military  justice,  they  could  look  for 
little  sympathy. 

Desertions,  bounty-jumping  and  re-enlistment  had  followed 
each  other  with  such  alarming  frequency  that  the  death  penalty 
became  necessary  as  the  surest  method  to  prevent  their  recur- 
rence. Except  for  desertion  to  the  enemy,  capital  punishment 
was  rarely,  if  ever,  inflicted.  The  authorities,  having  determined, 
if  possible,  to  eradicate  the  shameful  practice  of  bounty-jumping, 
had  instructed  courts-martial  in  all  well-established  cases,  upon 
conviction,  to  impose  the  severest  penalty  known  to  the  law. 
This  failing  to  entirely  remove  the  evil,  and  "to  be  shot  to 
deatli  bv  musketrv  "  beinjz  deemed  too  honorable  a  death  for 
sucli  abandoned  characters,  tlie  mode  of  execution  was  subse- 
quently ciianged  to  the  rope  and  the  gallows. 

Tempted  by  the  very  cxtraxagant  sums  paid  for  substitutes 
and  the  larirc  bounties  offered  bv  district  orjjanizations  to  com- 
j)lete  their  allottetl  cjuotas  and  tluis  avoid  a  draft,  large  num- 
bers from  the  worst  classes  of  tlie  community  entered  tlie  ser- 
vice.    A  large  proportion  never  readied  the  army. 


—  296  — 

The  court  which  tried  these  five  offenders  was  presided  over 
by  Colonel  Joseph  Hayes,  i8th  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  and 
convened,  pursuant  to  General  Order  No.  35,  of  August  15, 
1863,  at  head-quarters,  2d  Brigade,  ist  Division,  5th  Corps. 
The  numbers  arraigned,  the  frequency  of  the  crime,  the  ex- 
pected severity  of  the  sentence,  attracted  the  attention  of 
the  whole  Armv  of  the  Potomac.  Besides,  it  was  almost  the 
first,  if  not  the  first,  of  this  class  of  cases,  and  was  given  un- 
usual publicity,  officially  and  otherwise.  The  prisoners  were 
all  found  guilty  and  sentenced  to  be  shot.  The  order,  fixing 
the  time  of  the  execution  as  Wednesday,  the  26th  of  August, 
between  the  hours  of  12  m.  and  4  p.  m..*  reached  the  regiment 
on  the  24th,  and  was  at  once  published  to  the  prisoners  by 
Major  Herring,  in  the  presence  of  the  chaplain,  through  the 
aid  of  an  interpreter.  The  difficulty  in  securing  the  services 
of  a  priest  and  rabbi,  who  came  specially  from  their  Northern 
homes,  induced  a  respite  until  Saturday,  the  29th,  between  the 
same  hours.  On  the  day  follo^ying  the  announcement  of 
their  sentence  they  addressed  a  communication  to  General 
Meade,  craving  a  merciful  reconsideration  of  the  punishment 
imposed.  It  was  the  composition  and  in  the  handwriting  of 
one  of  them,  and  read  as  follows : 

"  Beverly  Ford,  Va.,  August  25,  1863. 
**  M ajor-General  M  eade  : 

*'  General  : — We,  the  prisoners,  implore  your  mercy  in  our  behalf  for  the  ex- 
tension of  our  sentence,  so  that  we  may  have  time  to  make  preparations  to  meet 
our  God;  for  we,  at  the  present  time,  are  unprepared  to  die.     Our  time  is  very 


{ 


♦Head-quarters  Army  of  the  Potomac, 

August  23,  1863. 
General  Orders  No.  84. 

These  men  evidently  belonged  to  that  class  who  are  trading  upon 

the  necessities  of  the  country  and  have  embraced  enlistment  with  a  view  to  de- 
sertion for  the  purpose  of  gain.  It  is  hoped  the  prompt  punishment  awarded  to 
their  crimes  will  have  the  effect  to  deter  others  from  attempting  a  like  criminal 
and  dishonorable  course  of  conduct,  as  the  commanding  general  will  unhesitat- 
ingly punish  all  such  cases  with  the  severest  penalties  of  the  law.  This  order 
will  be  published  to  every  company  in  this  army  at  the  first  retreat  parade  afler  its 
receipt.  By  order  of  General  Meade. 


sbo«t.    Twa  of  u«  are  Ronun  CBtbolici ;  we 
IcWsTitl.  aai  one  U  *  Jew  and  has  no  rmbbi  la  ti 


God.     And  we  uk  mercy  iii  bchslf  uf  our  i 


lit  m  in  piepuing  to  meet  out 

and  chLUlren,  anil  we  also  lie- 


Lave  been  wningfull)'  fiili 

other  loldien,  wbo  promi<e< 

"  Yoor  obedient  lervaiUs, 


1  hurd   inbor  instead  of  death,  »  we  think  w 


It  there  would  be  no  banu  doiie. 


"ClIAHLts  WaLTKR. 

'■  GioN  KKANKsa, 
"Emii.  Lai, 

'•  GlclK   FOLANKV, 

"  Gkcirge  Kuhn," 
The  death  penalty  having  been  announced,  the  guard  was 
strengthened,  and  every  movement  of  the  condemned  men 
closely  and  carefully  watched.  An  exhaustive  search  was 
made  for  everything  that  might  be  employed  to  commit  sui- 
cide. Captain  Crocker  was  placed  in  chat^e  of  the  guard,  and 
Lieutenants  Lewis,  Bayne  and  Thomas  were  assigned  to  duty 
with  him.  Four  men  inside  and  four  outside  the  place  of  con- 
finement were  continually  on  duty. 

Lcivis  conducted  the  search.  He  took  a  pocket-book  from 
the  Hebrew,  who  pleaded  earnestly  for  its  return-  Lewis, 
yielding  to  his  entreaties,  was  about  returning  it  without  ex- 
amination, when  Major  Herring,  who  had  supervised  the 
Operation,  promplly  directed  him  not  to  do  so  until  he  had 
carefully  examined  its  contents.  Concealed  in  its  folds  was  a 
lancet  The  Jew  had  not  observed  the  examination,  and  when 
the  pocket-book  was  handed  him  his  countenance  lightened, 
and,  nervously  clutching  it,  he  began  to  search  it  closely. 
Discovering  that  the  lancet  had  been  removed,  his  countenance 
fell  again,  and,  handing  back  the  book  to  Lewis,  he  mournfully 
remarked  through  the  interpreter,  who  had  repeated  all  that 
had  been  said,  that  he  had  no  further  use  for  it  and  any  one 
was  free  to  retain  it. 

From  the  time  of  the  publication  of  the  order  until  the  day 
uf  the  execution  not  a  soldier  was  permitted  to  leave  the  regi- 
mental camp  limits,  nor  were  visitors  allowed  to  enter  them. 
All  military  exercises  and  camp  duties  were  performed  decor- 
ously and  quietly.     An  order  was  issued  forbidding  noise  and 


—  298  — 

levity,  but  it  was  needless ;  the  awfulness  and  solemnity  of  the 
coming  event  pervaded  every  heart. 

It  may  seem  strange  to  some  that  men  who  could  shoot  at 
others  in  battle  without  compunction  should  feel  so  serious 
about  the  fate  of  five  deserters.  It  is  one  thing  when  soldiers 
with  heated  blood  and  inflamed  passions,  face  to  face  and  hand 
to  hand  in  fierce  conflict,  inflict  horrid  wounds  or  death  upon 
others.  It  is  a  very  different  thing  to  look  forward  to  a  scene 
in  which  men  are  to  be  done  quietly  to  death  without  any  of 
the  circumstances  which  rob  war  of  half  its  terrors  and  hide  its 
real  character. 

The  day  of  the  execution  was  bright,  clear  and  cool.  The 
site  selected  was  the  further  end  of  a  plain,  in  rear  of  the 
head-quarters  of  the  2d  Brigade.  The  plain  was  sufficient  in 
extent  to  accommodate  the  entire  corps  with  each  division  de- 
ployed in  line  of  masses,  battalions  doubled  on  the  centre,  on 
three  sides  of  a  hollow  square.  From  the  open  front  to  the 
rear  the  ground  gradually  rose,  bringing  the  final  scene  of  the 
tragedy  in  full  view  of  all  the  soldiery. 

The  morning  was  busy  with  preparation.  Twenty  men,  un- 
der Sergeant  H.  T.  Peck,  were  detailed  to  bear  the  coffins,  and 
ten  pioneers,  with  spades  and  hatchets,  under  Sergeant  Mose- 
lander,  were  charged  with  filling  the  graves  and  closing  the 
coffins.  Captain  Crocker,  to  whom  was  assigned  Lieutenant 
Wilson,  commanded  the  guard  of  thirty  men. 

Father  S.  L.  Eagan,  the  Catholic  priest,  had  arrived  from 
Baltimore  the  afternoon  before,  and  with  Chaplain  O'Neill  had 
spent  the  night  ministering  religious  consolation  to  those  of 
the  prisoners  whose  faiths  they  represented.  The  Jewish  rabbi. 
Dr.  Zould,  did  not  arrive  until  shortly  before  noon  of  the  day 
of  the  execution. 

The  prisoners,  clothed  in  blue  trousers  and  white  flannel  shirts, 
accompanied  by  the  clergymen,  the  escort  guard  and  detail, 
were  marched  a  little  after  twelve  o'clock  to  a  house  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  2d  Brigade's  h^ad-quarters  to  report  to  Captain 
Orne,  the  division  provost-marshal,  and  there  await  the  forma- 
tion of  the  corps. 


—  299  — 

The  troops  assembled  slowly.  The  ist  and  2d  Divisions 
were  in  position,  occupying  the  second  and  fourth  fronts  of  the 
square,  when  at  three  o'clock,  without  awaiting  the  arrival  of 
the  3d,  which  subsequently  hurried  into  its  place,  the  solemn 
procession  entered  the  enclosure  on  the  right  of  the  second 
front.  On  the  right  was  the  band,  then  followed  Captain 
Orne,  the  provost-marshal,  with  fif^y  men  of  his  guard,  ten  to 
each  prisoner,  as  the  executioners.  Then  there  were  two  cof- 
fins, borne  by  four  men  each,  and  in  their  rear  the  condemned 
Hebrew  with  his  rabbi.  At  a  suggestion  from  Major  Herring, 
the  one  representing  the  most  ancient  of  religious  creeds  was 
assigned  the  right.  Other  coffins,  each  borne  by  four  men  and 
followed  by  the  prisoners  and  the  priest  and  chaplain,  brought 
up  the  column  of  the  condemned.  The  prisoners  were  all 
manacled.  Four  of  them  bore  themselves  manfully,  moved 
steadily  and  stepped  firmly.  One,  with  weak  and  tottering 
gait,  dragged  himself  along  with  difficulty,  requiring  support 
to  maintain  his  footing.  Captain  Crocker,  with  his  escort  of 
thirty  men,  closed  up  the  rear. 

The  procession  moved  slowly;  the  guards,  with  reversed 
arms,  keeping  step  to  the  mournful  notes  of  the  dead  march. 
The  silence  was  broken  only  by  the  low,  doleful  music,  the 
whispered  words  of  consolation  of  the  men  of  God  and  the 
deliberate  martial  tread  of  the  soldiers. 

The  column,  with  the  same  slow,  impressive  pace,  moved 
around  the  three  fronts  of  the  square  and,  halting  at  the  first 
or  open  front,  faced  outward.  The  fiVG  coffins  were  placed  op- 
posite the  foot  of  five  new-made  graves  and  a  prisoner  seated 
upon  each.  The  provost-guard,  subdivided  into  detachments 
of  ten,  with  loaded  pieces,  faced  their  prisoners  thirty  paces 
from  them.* 

The  provost-marshal  read  thg  orders  directing  the  execution. 


*The  pieces  are  not  loaded  l>y  those  who  he.ir  them,  and  one  in  each  of  the 
ten  is  charged  with  a  blank  carlridj^e.  None  of  the  tuiiij^  party  i-s  supjx)sed  to 
know  who  discliar^ed  llie  nui>.ktt  loaded  without  ball,  und,  as  a  con^e'juente, 
none  know  who  actually  fned  the  fatal  shots. 


—  300  — 

The  minister,  the  priest  and  the  rabbi  engaged  in  earnest,  fer- 
vent prayer.  Time  grew  apace,  and  the  hour  within  which 
this  work  of  death  must  be  consummated  was  rapidly  ex- 
piring. General  Griffin,  who,  annoyed  from  the  beginning 
with  unnecessary  delays,  had  anxiously  noted  the  waning 
hours,  observed  that  but  fifteen  minutes  were  left  for  the  com- 
pletion of  what  remained  to  be  done.  In  loud  tones,  his  shrill, 
penetrating  voice  breaking  the  silence,  he  called  to  Captain 
Orne  :  **  Shoot  those  men,  or  after  ten  minutes  it  will  be  mur- 

der.     Shoot  them  at  once!  " 

To  many  and  many  of  the  thousands  of  those  assembled 
there,  there  will  but  once  more  come  so  solemn  a  moment — 
the  moment  when  death  nears  them. 

With  a  few  parting  words  of  hope  and  consolation,  the  clergy 
stood  aside.  Lieutenant  Wilson  quickly  bandaged  the  eyes  of 
the  prisoners,  and  they — though  in  the  full  vigor  of  life  and 
health — were  literally  upon  the  very  brink  of  the  grave. 

The  terrible  suspense  was  but  for  a  moment.  "Attention, 
guard ! "  resounded  the  clear,  ringing  voice  of  the  provost- 
marshal.  "Shoulder  arms!"  "Forward!"  "Guide  right!" 
**  March ! "  Every  tread  of  the  guard  fell  upon  the  stilled 
hearts  of  the  motionless  army.  Twenty-five  paces  were 
quickly  covered.  At  six  paces  from  the  prisoners  with 
appropriate  pause  and  stern  deliberation  the  command  was 
given  :  "  Halt !  "  "  ready !  "  "  aim ! "  "  fire ! "  Simultaneously 
fifty  muskets  flashed.  Military  justice  was  satisfied  and  the 
law  avenged. 

Four  bodies  fell  back  heavily  with  a  solid  thud;  the  fifth  re- 
mained erect.  "  Inspection  arms ! "  hurriedly  ordered  Cap- 
tain Orne,  and  every  ramrod  sprang  in  ringing  tones  upon 
the  breech.  No  soldier  had  failed  of  his  duty,  every  musket 
had  been  discharged.  Pistol  in  hand  the  provost-marshai 
moved  to  the  figure  which  still  sat  erect  upon  the  coffin 
(for  it  was  his  disagreeable  duty  to  despatch  the  culprit  if  the 
musketry  failed);  but  Surgeon  Thomas  had  pronounced  life  ex- 
tinct, and  the  body  was  laid  upon  the  ground  with  the  others. 


—  302  — 

The  masses  changed  direction  by  the  left  flank,  and  amid  the 
enlivening  notes  of  **  The  Girl  I  Left  Behind  Me  "  broke  into 
open  column  of  companies,  and  marching  by  the  bodies  to  see 
that  the  work  of  the  executioner  had  been  effectually  done,  the 
troops  were  soon  back  to  their  camps  again.* 

The  bright,  generous  summer-time,  and  the  unusual  leisure 
at  such  a  season,  prompted  an    indulgence  in  various  sports 


♦Captain  H.  K.  Kelly  furnishes  the  following  amusing  incident:  Some  very 
curious  characters  were  found  among  the  drafted  men  and  substitutes  furnished  to 
the  regiment.  They  presented  an  element  entirely  different  from  the  patriotic 
volunteer,  of  which  the  regiment  was  originally  formed.  They  required  a  dif- 
ferent study  of  human  nature  and  a  very  different  treatment.  This  can  be  under- 
stood even  by  those  who  have  never  exercised  command  in  the  army.  In  requir- 
ing from  the  volunteer  strict  obedience  and  conformity  to  all  the  requirements  of 
the  service,  it  could  not  be  forgotten  that  he  was  an  American  citizen. 

Among  the  drafted  men  in  one  of  the  companies  was  a  very  curious  specimen. 
He  was  a  member  of  a  sect  that  wore  long  hair,  who  believed  in  universal  peace 
and  abhorred  blood-shedding,  and  entertained  various  other  mild  and  gentle  dog- 
mas, pretty  to  contemplate  in  an  Utopia,  but  utterly  unsuited  to  the  suppression 
of  a  rebellion  organized  with  English  shot  and  shell.  This  **  soldier  against  his 
will "  had  witnessed  the  execution  of  the  five  deserters,  and  the  sight  had  doubt- 
less "aflfected  his  mind  unfavorably  toward  a  little  scheme  of  "dropping  out," 
which  he  probably  had  in  contemplation.  At  all  events,  he  concluded  that  it  would 
be  safer  and  more  polite,  as  well  as  more  in  accordance  with  military  usage,  to  tender 
his  resignation.  Accordingly,  still  mindful  of  etiquette,  he  addressed  the  first 
sergeant  of  the  company  a  note,  of  which  the  following  is  a  copy : 

"  Sergeant  : — Please  report  me  to  the  propper  othorities  that  I  do  lay  down 
my  arms,  feeling  myself  entirely  unfit  for  duty  on  account  of  my  health,  and  also 
contientiously  pledged  to  my  church  not  to  take  up  arms  to  kill. 

"  I  am  willing  to  suffer  the  penalty  that  good  Old  Abe  will  inflict  upon  me. 
"  Yours  truly  ." 

The  sergeant,  being  a  military  man  of  decided  views,  promptly  forwarded  the 
paper  to  the  officer  in  command  of  the  company.  The  private  was  sent  for,  the 
officer  under  a  grave  face  which  he  had  some  difficulty  in  maintaining,  and  was 
asked  a  few  questions  as  to  whether  he  acknowledged  authorship  of  the  letter; 
whether  he  had  not  been  impressed  by  the  tragic  scene  of  execution  he  had  wit- 
nessed, and  then,  with  some  good  advice  as  to  duty,  etc.,  the  soldier  was  sent 
back  to  his  tent,  warned  to  so  watch  over  his  actions  that  a  worse  thing  than  being 
shot  by  a  rebel  did  not  befall  him.  His  career,  however,  was  short,  for  on  the 
first  day*s  fight  in  the  Wilderness  he  was  gathered  in  as  a  prisoner  of  war,  not  be- 
fore his  company  commander  had  seen  the  man  repeatedly  violating  the  pledge  to 
his  church  so  far  as  shooting  often  and  taking  care  to  fire  low  could  be  construed 
into  killing. 


—  303  — 

and  exercises,  notably  horse- racing.  Some  valuable,  blooded 
stock  had  found  its  way  to  the  front,  and  when  ridden  by  their 
owners  an  exciting  race  frequently  drew  together  a  notable 
assemblage  of  officers  of  high  rank.  General  Griffin  had  a 
mare,  noted  for  its  speed,  of  superior  build  and  excellent  car- 
riage. There  were  often  appreciative  gatherings  at  his  head- 
quarters, when  he  was  tempted  by  repeated  cliallenges  to  test 
the  metal  of  his  splendid  animal.  Other  steeds  were  of  equal 
reputation,  however,  and,  regardless  of  the  distinguished  rank 
of  the  owner  of  this  noted  war-horse,  not  infrequently  out- 
stripped her  in  the  strife. 

Captain  Crocker,  anticipating  a  lengthy  stay,  built  for  him- 
self a  house  of  logs  chinked  and  mortised,  with  boards  for 
floors  and  a  sash  with  panes  for  the  window.  This  structure, 
pretentious  beyond  remembrance  for  a  soldier's  summer  home, 
must  need  be  dedicated.  It  had  been  christened  "  The  Haver- 
sack." So  Crocker  summoned  all  the  congenial  spirits  around 
him,  and  purposed  with  due  decorum  and  fitting  ceremony  to 
open  his  mansion  for  the  uses,  purposes  and  intents  of  its  con- 
struction. He  had  laid  in  lavishly  of  "beer  on  draft"  right 
from  the  National  capital,  and  there  was  abundance  of  edibles 
from  the  small  stores  of  tlie  mess-chest.  But  his  guests  had 
assembled  not  to  satisfy  appetites  craving  to  be  appeased  with 
substantials,  nor  were  they  to  be  hampered  with  the  stilted 
ceremonies  of  a  dedication.  Beer  from  the  keg  was  so  rare  a 
treat  that  these  men  of  war,  forgetful  of  the  purpose  of  their 
coming,  crowned  Gambrinus  king  again.  They  set  the  mor- 
tised joints  ajar  with  merriment,  and  loosened  chinks  and  ridge 
pole  with  their  boisterous,  unrestrained  hilarity.  Song,  loud 
and  sonorous,  rang  wild  and  long. 

'■  In  eightetn  hunilrtd  and  sixty-three — 

Hurrah!   Hunah  1 
In  ciylileen  hundred  and  siity-lhree — 

Hurrah!   Hurrah! 
In  cit;htcen  hundred  and  sixty' three 
A\n:  Lincoln  set  ihe  niggers  free — 
And  H-eU  all  drink  stone  blind, 
Johnny  lill  u]>  the  bowl," 


—  3^4  -   • 

This  was  sung  in  tedious  repetition  until  at  last  its  strains 
ebbed  away  in  sleepy  languor.  "  Here's  to  Crocker  and  his 
house  *'  was  more  than  twenty  times  repeated.  In  imitation  of 
a  sitting  at  home,  imaginary  waiters  were  merrily  summoned 
for  "  four  beers,"  *'  two  here,"  "  zwi,**  "  beers  all  around,"  and 
they  apparently  promptly  filled  the  order.  The  festivities  con- 
tinued while  the  beer  lasted,  and  "  The  dedication  of  the  Hav- 
ersack "  was  long  remembered  as  a  day  of  goodly  ceremony. 
"  Quarters  "  and  "  light  duty  *'  was  the  record  made  for  some 
when  the  morning's  duties  summoned  them,  but  the  stalwart 
ones  responded  promptly,  undisturbed  by  bodily  or  mental 
ailment. 

While  in  the  vicinity  of  Beverly  Ford  the  picket  details  were 
heavy,  and  the  scope  of  territory  covered  was  considerable. 
Nor  did  the  brigade  details  always  occupy  the  same  line.  At 
one  time  they  were  protecting  and  observing  the  river  front. 
At  another  they  were  thrown  off  to  the  left  a  mile  or  two. 

Much  of  the  new  material  sent  to  us  since  the  campaign  of 
General  Grant  was  worthless  as  fighting  material.  "  Substi- 
tutes," **  bounty  jumpers"  and  conscripts  replaced  the  brave 
men  who  had  fallen  in  battle  and  whose  terms  had  expired. 
Many  had  enlisted  under  fictitious  names,  and  during  roll-call 
it  was  not  uncommon  to  see  some  of  them  look  in  their  hats 
to  see  the  assumed  names,  that  they  might  correctly  answer 

"  Here ! " 

On  one  of  these  three  days'  tours — the  distance  from  camp 

necessarily  lengthened  the  term — Captain  Donegan  and  Lieu- 
tenant Kelly  were  on  duty  together.  An  odd  irregularity 
befell  Donegan,  and  an  amusing  incident  growing  out  of  it  hap- 
pened to  Kelly.  Donegan  was  in  command  of  the  entire  di- 
vision picket  by  virtue  of  his  rank.  Assigned  to  cross-country 
duty,  his  left  was  to  be  refused,  his  right  was  to  rest  on  the 
river.  Establishing  his  right,  by  some  oversight  he  threw  the 
1st  Brigade  detail  so  far  out  of  position  as  to  bring  it  well  inside 
the  true  line.  The  other  brigade  details  arriving  on  the  ground 
and  Donegan  not  having  yet  had  opportunity  to  post  them. 


-  305  — 

they,  discovering  a  wide  gap  between  their  right  and  the  river, 
extended  their  intervals  and  dosed  it.  The  captain  shortly 
became  acquainted  with  the  situation,  but  apparently  satisfied  it 
would  not  be  detected,  and  believing  it  not  worth  while  to  dis- 
turb the  posts,  now  comfortably  fixed  for  the  three  days'  work, 
permitted  the  error  to  continue,  keeping  both  tlie  outer  and 
interior  lines  in  ignorance  of  their  relative  locations.  This 
ignorance  continued  until  after  the  tour  was  completed,  and  no 
one  would  ever  have  known  aught  of  it  if  Kelly  had  kept 
silence  concerning  his  amusing  incident.  Doncgan  never  in- 
tended to  disclose  the  irregularity. 

Kelly  confined  himself  closely  to  his  own  line  and  ensconced 
himself,  when  at  leisure,  in  the  parlor  of  a  vacant  mansion  hard 
by  his  right  centre.  He  quaintly  posted  on  the  door  his  pre- 
scribed "office  hours,"  and  closely  observed  them,  A  number 
of  new  men  were  of  the  detail.  Kelly,  unusually  busy  with  in- 
structing these  men,  having  succeeded  in  making  them  fairly 
understand,  had  just  relaxed  his  vigilance  when  General  Sykes, 
with  his  staff,  appeared  on  the  line,  approaching  it  from  the 
outside,  in  front  of  where  it  was  covered  by  these  recruits.  He 
had  finished  a  tour  of  inspection  of  his  entire  corps  pickets, 
and  was  returning  to  his  head-quarters  when  he  was  suddenly 
confronted  and  abruptly  halted  by  this  improperly  posted 
and  to  him  wholly  unknown  interior  line, 

"  Who  goes  there  ? "  harshly  came  from  the  post  toward 
which  he  was  advancing,  and  the  man  holding  it  stood  ready 
to  meet  the  emergency.  "  I  am  General  Sykes,"  said  he  quietly, 
"  I  don't  care  a  d — n  who  you  arc,"  was  the  prompt  response ; 
"  dismount,  every  one  of  you,  and  be  lively  about  it,  too."  The 
general,  somewhat  incensed,  threw  open  his  overcoat  and, 
pointing  to  his  shoulder-straps,  said,  sharply,  "  Now  do  you 
know  me  ?  "  "  No,"  again  insisted  the  soldier,  "  get  down  off 
that  horse  d — n  quick,  or  I'll  put  a  ball  through  you."  Seeing 
no  other  way  out  of  the  dilemma  the  general  and  his  staff*  dis- 
mounted. His  anger  was  increasing,  he  was  berating  the 
ignorance  of  men  in  their  failure  to  recognize  a  corps  com- 


—  3o6  — 

mander  who  for  several  months  had  been  among  them  almost 
daily,  when  the  adjoining  post,  concealed  by  the  timber,  in- 
censed him  beyond  endurance  by  a  new  line  of  inquiry  :  "Hello, 
Billy,"  said  the  other  vedette,  "  what  kind  of  a  looking  fellow 
is  he  ?  has  he  got  big  black  whiskers  ?  "  "  Yes,"  said  Billy. 
"  Then  hold  the :  you've  got  Moseby ;  call  for  the  cor- 
poral of  the  guard."  This  Billy  did  lustily,  and  he,  hurriedly 
coming  upon  the  scene  and  recognizing  the  general,  ordered 
him  to  be  passed  immediately.  "  Who  and  where  is  your 
officer  ?  "  demanded  Sykes,  and  he  was  immediately  conducted 
to  Lieutenant  Kelly's  quarters,  who,  notwithstanding  it  was  not 
his  "  office  hours,"  most  graciously  received  him.  "  What  in  the 

name  of are  you  doing  here  ?  "  he  asked.     The  inquiry 

of  course  referred  to  the  position  of  the  line.  Kelly,  wholly 
innocent  that  he  was  heroically  maintaining  an  interior  picket, 
had  no  other  notion  than  that  the  general's  interrogation  was 
intended  to  stand  him  up  for  examination  on  his  instructions, 
and  in  a  vain  attempt  to  display  his  proficiency  he  fluently 
replied,  "  To  arrest  all  persons  outside  the  lines,  to  be  watchful 
during  the  day,  and  extremely  vigilant  at  night ;  to  keep  a 
sharp  lookout  after  Moseby  and  other  guerillas ;  treat  all  per- 
sons outside  the  lines  as  enemies,"  and  so  he  continued,  the 
general's  astonishment  increasing  as  he  proceded.  For  a  mo- 
ment General  Sykes  remained  speechless,  his  staff  meanwhile 
indulging  in  suppressed  laughter,  and  then,  too  disgusted  for 
other  comment  than  "  Great  Heavens !  what  infernal  stupidity ! " 
rapidly  rode  away.  Lieutenant  Kelly,  slightly  amazed  at  the 
risibility  and  indifference  with  which  his  pretty  speech  was  re- 
ceived, in  no  way  conceived  that  the  lamentable  ignorance  to 
which  the  general  so  energetically  referred  was  attributed  to 
him,  nor  did  he  learn  how  "  infernally  stupid"  he  was  until  he 
returned  to  camp  and  related  his  experiences.  As  no  disaster 
followed  Donegan's  inadvertence,  and  as  General  Sykes  upon 
reflection  was  probably  more  amused  than  annoyed  at  the  inci- 
dent, the  matter  was  never  investigated. 

An  unjust  impression  had  gone  abroad  that  General  Sykes 


_  307  — 

had  no  kindly  side  toward  the  volunteers.  It  gained  credence 
front  his  ap^ftrent  association  with  the  regulars  alone.  On 
the  march  he  was  generally  seen  riding  with  them,  and  in 
camp  and  bivouac  his  head-quarters  were  usually  nearest 
them.  By  reason  of  these  unfounded  prejudices,  though  he 
had  the  merited  confidence  of  the  corps,  he  never  secured 
their  affections.  He  was  ever  mindful  of  the  needs  of  his 
soldiers,  and  his  recognized  skill,  ability,  high  attainments, 
eminent  courage  and  soldierly  bearing  fitted  him  for  the  leader- 
ship which  he  so  successfully  maintained. .  Because  he  seemed 
to  &il  to  reach  the  hearts  of  his  people,  they  would  never  ad- 
mit that  he  was  likely  to  be  enrolled  among  the  great  men  of 
his  day. 

The  brigade  had  come  to  know  Colonel  Hayes,  of  the  i8th 
Massachusetts,  from  the  frequency  with  which  at  intervals  its 
command  fell  to  his  keeping.  He  was  a  man  of  culture  and 
address,  a  soldier  of  distinction,  well  calculated  to  sustain  the 
splendid  reputation  of  the  sturdy  men  whom  the  New  England 
States  so  wisely  selected  to  officer  their  volunteers. 

From  the  4th  of  August  to  the  i6th  of  September  ibe  regi* 
ment  had  remained  continuously  at  the  same  camp  near  Beverly 
Ford.  On  that  day  it  broke  camp,  crossed  the  Rappahannodc 
and  bivouacked  in  the  vicinity  of  Culpepper  Court-House.  The 
next  day  it  moved  through  Culpepper  and  encamped  a  short 
distance  beyond  it,  near  the  residence  of  Colonel  George  Smith 
Patton,  the  colonel  of  the  22d  Virginia  Infantry.  Here  it  was 
destined  to  remain  for  several  weeks.  The  1st  Michigan  and 
1 8th  Massachusetts  were  detached  from  the  brigade  for  provost 
duty  in  the  town. 

Culpepper  was  eminently  a  "  deserted  village."  Its  dwellings 
were  all  closed  and  apparently  tenantless.  No  resident,  male 
or  female,  was  seen  on  the  highways,  and  of  the  twenty  stores 
and  groceries  none  seemed  to  be  doing  business.  Two  hotels, 
the  Piedmont  and  Virginia,  still  pretended  to  accommodate 
travellers.  There  were  four  churches,  a  large  institute  for  girls, 
an  academy  for  boys  and  several  other  schools.     The  buildings 


—  3o8  — 

f 

were  of  brick  and  frame,  the  latter  largely  predominating.  Of 
course,  as  a  shire  town,  the  usual  public  building  was  not 
wanting.     The  population  had  numbered  about  1500. 

On  the  28th  of  September  the  corps  was  paraded  for  review 
by  Major-General  Corterge,  of  the  Mexican  army. 

Another  military  execution  in  the  division  followed  close 
upon  the  one  which  has  been  described.  An  enlisted  man  of 
the  1 2th  New  York,  convicted  of  desertion,  proven  a  bounty- 
jumper,  was  shot  to  death  by  musketry.  He  refused  to  be 
bandaged,  and,  calmly  gazing  down  the  barrels  that  were  to 
rattle  his  death-knell,  received  their  volley  with  Ney-like  hero- 
ism. His  still,  cool,  impressive  courage  aroused  a  thought 
that  he  was  not  of  the  criminal  class  with  which  his  crime  as- 
sociated him.  An  involuntary  sigh,  audible  as  the  volley 
rolled  away  in  the  distance,  swept  over  the  division  for  the  fate 
of  such  a  stalwart 

The  Patton  House  was  a  fine  old-time  massive  Virginia 
mansion.  Its  wide  hallways,  commodious  chambers,  grand  old 
porches,  picturesque  avenues,  were  evidences  of  ancient  thrift, 
indicative  of  old-time  hospitality.  Abandoned  property  is  an 
incentive  to  pillage,  deserted  dwellings  are  prompters  to  van- 
dalism. Hasty  inferences  are  drawn  of  the  burning,  personal 
hate  of  their  occupants,  and  the  demon  of  destruction,  roused 
by  a  spirit  of  resentment,  prompts  the  best  of  men  to  deeds  of 
rapine  and  plunder.  The  Patton  House  was  not  exempt  from 
the  rack  and  ruin  attendant  on  all  such  "  derelict "  property. 
It  was  soon  a  wreck  of  its  former  self.  Its  fine  porches  were 
all  destroyed,  doors,  windows  and  floors  were  carried  away. 
Everything  movable  found  its  way  to  the  flames  or  was  tem- 
porarily utilized  in  the  quarters  of  the  neighboring  soldiery. 
The  large,  old-fashioned  brass  knocker  on  the  front  door, 
bearing  the  ancestral  arms  and  the  honored  aristocratic  name 
of  its  ancient  founder,  "  Patton,"  in  bold,  distinctive  lettering, 
had  adorned  it  for  a  century.  Torn  from  its  place,  this  vener- 
able ornament  was  used  to  adorn  a  temporary  door  which  a 
rude  Northern  mechanic  had  constructed  for  an  entrance  to  his 


—  309  — 

canvas  quarters,  for  no  other  earthly  purpose  than  to  find  a 
place  for  the  accommodation  of  this  insignia  of  the  Patton 
aristocracy.  Brass  heads  from  ancient  bed-posts,  lambrequins, 
andirons,  fenders,  shovels,  tongs,  spittoons,  pitchers,  basins,  were 
put  to  use  or  ornamentation  as  the  taste  or  inclination  of  the 
despoiler  happened  to  dictate. 

A  survivor  of  the  Culpepper  exodus,  probably  not  from  the 
walks  of  its  most  prominent  citizens,  surrounded  by  a  bevy  of 
shapely  daughters,  occasionally  opened  his  doors  for  hospital- 
ity and  entertainment.  Once  only  an  invitation  to  his  recep- 
tions, which  had  grown  to  be  generally  appreciated,  reached 
the  camp  of  the  Ii8th,  and  then  but  two  of  its  officers  were 
favored  with  a  recognition.  Such  an  opportunity  to  taste  of 
social  sweets  amid  these  rude  alarums  of  war  was  seized  with 
avidity.  Arrayed  in  the  best  attire  from  a  sparse  and  well-worn 
wardrobe,  these  officers  hastened  on  the  given  night  to  the  scene 
of  the  festivities,  cautiously  concealing  their  absence  and  its 
purpose.  It  was  a  goodly  company,  and  the  ladies,  attractive 
and  fairly  well  clad  in  such  garb  as  the  limited  Southern  mar- 
ket afforded,  were  unusually  gay  and  entertaining.  Officers  of 
the  staff,  cavalry,  and  artillery  predominated.  In  boiled  shirts 
and  white  collars  they  outshone  the  plain  service  garb  of  the 
practical  infantryman.  A  little  envious,  our  representatives 
subdued  their  tender  sensibilities  and  permitted  in  the  early 
evening  their  more  gorgeously  robed  fellows  to  absorb  the  at- 
tentions of  the  fair  ones.  Merrily  the  dance  went  on,  and  the 
bottle,  which  had  frequent  calls  from  the  male  portion  of  the 
assemblage,  began  to  enthuse  its  votaries  with  a  strengthening 
and  boisterous  merriment.  The  delicate  appetites  of  the  ladies 
were  appeased  by  frequent  and  light  potations  of  sherry.  One 
of  the  infantr}'men — the  onhtwo  representatives  of  that  branch 
of  the  service  were  the  officers  of  the  I  1 8th — apt  of  tongue 
and  glii)  of  speech,  had  nursed  his  early  envious  promptings 
for  a  fitting  and  fivorahlc  opportunity  to  overcome  the  all-ab- 
sorbing domination  of  his  rivals.  The  fairest  of  all  these  at- 
tractive maidens,  the  special  friend  and  pride  of  a  dapper  little 


—  3IO  — 

fellow  of  the  staff,  had  caught  his  cheery,  penetrating  laugh, 
been  entranced  by  his  captivating  gaze  and  at  last  yielded  to 
his  winning  ways.  She  let  go  the  little  fellow  of  the  staff  and 
surrendered  to  the  big,  burly,  generous  infantryman.  This 
drew  the  lines  tightly,  and  all  these  mounted  heroes  only 
awaited  slight  provocation  to  satisfy  their  jealous  ire  against 
these  two  lonely  representatives  of  the  foot  service. 

Alcohol  and  jealousy  had  done  their  work.  Slanderous 
stories  were  carried  to  the  father  that  the  doughty  soldier  who 
had  so  successfully  captured  the  "  belle  of  the  ball "  was  exces- 
sively familiar.  The  intimation  was  sufficient  for  the  old  gen- 
tleman. He,  too,  had  not  failed  to  linger  long  over  the  fre- 
quent passages  of  the  bottle.  Without  investigation  or  in- 
quiry, he  planted  himself  in  an  attitude  of  attack  immediately 
in  front  of  the  offending  officer.  The  lady  pled  with  the  an- 
gered parent  to  contain  himself,  that  nothing  had  been  said  to 
disturb  even  her  most  delicate  sensibilities,  that  her  friend  had 
conducted  himself  most  decorously.  He  would  not  be  ap- 
peased, and,  attempting* to  plant  an  illy-aimed  blow  at  his  stout, 
well-proportioned  adversary,  was  himself  caught  before  it 
landed  and  planted  with  his  lower  extremities  in  advance  on 
a  bed  of  hot  coals  in  the  large  old-fashioned  fire-place.  This 
was  a  signal  for  a  general  assault  Begrimed  with  ashes  and 
cinders,  the  old  man  rallied  for  another  attack,  and  to  his 
aid  came  those  of  the  boiled  shirts  and  white  collars.  The 
odds  were  against  the  two  infantrymen,  but  strong  arms,  quick 
blows  and  some  science  laid  one  after  another  of  their  assailants 
aside.  Their  assailants  worsted,  with  no  disposition  to  renew 
the  fight,  the  two  soldiers  escaped  to  the  road  and  hurriedly 
made  their  way  to  camp,  not,  however,  without  fair  trophies  of 
the  fray.  One  had  a  handful  of  boiled  shirt  and  the  other  had 
seized  a  well-filled  brandy-bottle  from  the  table  as  he  dashed 
through  the  hallway. 

The  two  participants  in  this  escapade  had  so  well  concealed 
their  movements  and  identity  that  their  participation  in  it  was 
never  discovered.    Failing  to  announce  their  intended  absence 


—  3"  — 

from  camp,  inquiries  at  the  head-quarters  of  the  I  iStii  brought 
the  response  that  it  was  none  of  their  officers,  as  on  the  night 
in  question  they  were  all  at  home.  Personally,  they  were  un- 
known to  all  the  officers  at  the  ball  save  one.  He,  a  cavalryman, 
disgusted  with  the  discomfiture  of  his  fellows,  refused  to  disclose 
his  acquaintanceship.  The  provost-guard  of  the  let  Michigan 
and  i8th  Massachusetts,  who  had  made  but  a  haK4icarted*at- 
temot  at  arrest  at  the  time  of  the  disturbance,  glorying  in  any- 
thmg  that  added  to  the  prowess  of  the  brigade,  iftfaey  had  any 
suspicions,  never  announced  them. 

Cool,  clear,  bracing  autumn  weather  prevailed.  Routine 
camp  duties  and  heavy  picket  details  monopolized  the  time 
until  Lee  began  his  celebrated  movement  around  the  right, 
with  Warrenton,  Centreville  or  Washington  for  its  objective. 
Which  hurried  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  off  on  its  mad  race  to 
intercept  him. 


ALL  OF  CO.  K.   TAKEN  AT  BEVERLY  FORD,  VA. 


CHAPTER  Xir. 
lee's  movement  abound  our  right  flank. 

The  Rebel  vales,  the  Rebel  dales 

With  Rebel  ttres  surrounded; 
The  distant  wcxxis.  the  hills  and  Boodl 

With  Rebel  echoes  sounded. 

1^  H  I  L  E  the  army  re- 
mained in  the  vicinity 
of  Culpepper  and  the 
Rapidan,  the  signal  of- 
ficers, who  had  caught 
the  key  of  the  Confed- 
erate code,  were  in  the 
habit  of  intercepting 
messages  from  the  ene- 
my's signal  station  on 
Clark's  Mountain. 

These  despatches, 
however  interesting  or 
amusing,  had  never 
proved  especially  in- 
structive until,  on  the 
afternoon  of  the  7th  of  October,  a  despatch  to  General  Fits 
Hugh  Lee  from  General  J.  E.  B.  Stuart,  directing  him  to  draw 
three  days'  bacon  and  hard  bread,  was  caught  on  the  wii^,  and 
on  being  sent  forward  to  head-quarters  of  the  army  aroused 
General  Meade's  attention  to  the  coming  movement* 

The  impending  movement  referred  to  at  the  conclusion  of  the 
last  chapter  culminated  in  hostilities  at  Bristoe,  and  terminated 
when  Lee  found  his  way  back  to  the  Rappahannock   again, 

*  Walker'*  "  Iliuoiy  of  the  SeEond  Army  Coips,"  p.  331. 
(313) 


—  313  — 

tired  from  a  wearisome  march,  disappointed  with  his  fruitless 
errand. 

The  intentions  of  General  Meade  did  not  seem  to  actively 
manifest  themselves  within  5th  Corps  limits  until  the  loth. 
Then  the  tendency  of  the  movement  indicated  an  expected 
cavalry  demonstration  as  the  objective.  Camp  was  broken  at 
3.45  in  the  morning  and  the  march  directed  to  the  vicinity  of 
Raccoon  Ford,  on  the  Rapidan.  Here  the  column  arrived  at 
8.30,  after  a  short  march  of  some  four  or  five  miles.  It  passed 
through  a  recently  abandoned  picket  line,  well  back  from  the 
Ford,  which  evidently  had  been  occupied  for  some  time.  Be- 
yond it  the  brigade  halted,  nearer  the  river.  The  skirmishers 
were  deployed,  with  instructions  to  advance  as  near  as  possible 
to  the  Ford  without  attracting  the  enemy's  attention. 


HARRY  LEES,  CO.  C. 


■  315  — 


The  skirmishers,  ad^'ancing  to  a  house,  learned  thai  ft-lilng 
trees  would  not  impede. 

She  staled  that  Lee's  movements  would  not  be  delayed  by 
blocking  or  obstructing  the  Federal  rear,  as  Lee's  plan  was  to 
move  completely  around,  and,  if  possible,  envelop  the  Federal 
riglit,  and  she  felt  that  the  movement  had  probably  now  so  far 
developed  itself  as  to  show  to  the  Federals  something,  at  least, 
of  the  intent  of  the  operations.  The  captain,  without  waiting 
to  exchange  a  courteous  farewell  or  even  inquire  the  family 
name,  hurried  to  his  horse,  and  leaving  directions  to  assemble 
his  skirmishers  and  slop  work,  dashed  off  rapidly  to  place  his 
information  where  it  would  be  transmitted  to  head-quarters. 

Whether  it  was  this  information  thus  unexpectedly  acquired 
that  first  developed  to  General  Meade  General  Lee's  purpose 
was  not  known  to  the  regiment  then.  It  is  probably  too  late  to 
assume  it  now,  but  certain  it  is  that  Meade  did  not  become 
aware  of  Lee's  movement  with  any  certainty  until  late  in  tlic 
day  on  the  lOth.  The  interview  at  the  mansion  was  before  two 
o'clock ;  several  hours  necessarily  elapsed  ere  the  knowledge 
gleaned  from  it  ultimately  reached  army  head-quarters.  No 
general  movement,  guided  by  an  understanding  of  Lee's  in- 
tended operations,  took  place  until  evening.  The  conclusion 
that  at  least  some  of  the  credit  of  securing  this  important  intel- 
ligence should  enure  to  the  enterprise  of  an  officer  of  the  1 1 8th 
is  rendered  not  improbable  by  General  Walker's  statement  on 
p.  322  of  his  "  History  of  the  Second  Army  Corps,"  in  which, 
in  the  course  of  his  narration  of  these  same  events,  he  says : 
"At  last,  on  the  evening  of  the  loth,  it  was  deemed  sufficiently 
manifest  that  General  Lee  was  in  fact  moving  on  Warrenton,  to 
require  the  Union  army  to  fall  back  behind  the  Rappahannock, 
which  was  accomplished  during  the  nth." 

To  resume  the  direct  narrative.  The  skirmishers  and  pioneers 
having  rejoined  the  brigade  at  2.30,  it  moved  back  again  over 
the  four  or  five  miles  it  marched  in  the  morning,  and  halted  at 
its  old  camp.  There,  under  orders  to  move  at  a  moment's  no- 
tice, with  trains  hitched  ready  for  immediate  start,  the  troq[>s 


-3l6- 

secured  that  indefinite  and  uncertain  rest  that  follows  an  attempt 
at  repose  while  under  orders  to  march. 

At  six  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  i  ith  there  was  a  hurried 
departure.  The  column  passed  through  Culpepper.  The  gait 
maintained  was  more  than  usually  rapid,  and  after  a  continued 
stretch  of  ten  miles,  made  without  a  rest,  the  column  reached 
the  neighborhood  of  Brandy  Station.  Here  the  troops  de- 
ployed and  faced  to  the  rear,  remaining  in  line  of  battle  to  sup- 
port  the  retiring  cavalry  and  protect  the  withdrawing  trains. 


TRAINS  TO  THE  REAR. 


Down  through  the  ranks  by  this  time  it  came  to  be  pretty  well 
understood  that  this  movement  comprehended  an  avoidance  of 
something  initiated  by  the  enemy,  and  visions  of  Bull  Run, 
Manassas,  Thoroughfare  Gap,  Pope's  retreat,  and  other  names 
and  localities  suggestive  of  disaster  were  so  rife  in  the  imagi- 
nation as  to  eventually  culminate  in  audible  and  ominous  ex- 
pression. 

The  country  about  Brandy  Station  is  well  suited  for  observa- 
tion.    There  was  considerable  artillery  practice  at  long  range. 


—  317  — 

principally  from  the  enemy,  who  were  closely  pressing  our  re- 
tiring squadrons.  The  infantry  remained  in  support,  occu- 
pying rifle-pits  that  had  been  constructed  before.  Over  tlic 
plain  in  front  there  were  repeated  charges  and  countercharges, 
with  varied  success  as  the  one  or  the  other  side  was  in  heaviest 
numbers.  Presently  the  enemy  appeared  in  considerable 
strength,  bearing  down  hard  upon  our  severely  pressed  horse. 
General  Griffin,  standing  beSide  an  idle  battery  unlimbered  and 
"  in  action  front,"  evidently  concluded  that  the  best  way  to  re- 
lieve this  pressure  on  the  discomfited  horse  was  to  try  sonic 
cflcctivc  work  with  the  guns.  He  stood  in  their  midst  and 
personally  directed  the  lire.  The  first  shot  was  too  high, 
knocking  off  the  branches  of  timber  in  the  woods  in  front  of 
which  stood  a  large  body  of  the  enemy's  cavalry.  This  prac- 
tice did  not  suit  him,  and  he  directed  the  artillerymen  to  depress 
their  pieces,  remarking  with  considerable  emphasis,  as  he  had 
done  once  before.  "  You  are  firing  too  high;  just  roll  the  shot 
along  the  ground  like  a  ten-pin  ball  and  knock  their  d — n 
trotters  from  under  them,"  practically  illustrating  his  instruc- 
tions by  stooping  and  trundling  his  hand  and  running  smartly 
as  if  in  the  act  of  bowling.  Better  work  followed,  and  after 
several  dischai^s  the  enemy  disappeared  entirely  and  the  cav 
alrj-.  infantry,  artillt-ry  and  tr.iins  continiied  the  march  without 
further  interruption  to  the  Rappahannock.  The  brigade  crossed 
at  Rappahannock  Station  about  four  o'clock,  and  marching  well 
into  the  evening  "  went  tenting  to-night  on  the  old  camp 
ground "  near  Beverly  Ford,  where  it  had  spent  so  many 
pleasant  weeks  in  the  late  summer  and  early  fall.  There  was 
no  disposition  to  "  give  us  a  .song  to  cheer."  It  had  been  a 
weary,  tiresome  day,  with  a  prospect  of  a  heavy  tug  on  the 
morrow,  and  the  soldiers  sought  a  much-needed  rest. 

On  the  1 2th  the  brigade  was  back  again  to  the  Rappahannock, 
and  about  noon  the  corps  recrossed  at  Beverly  Ford.  An  unusual 
and  impressive  martial  display  followed.  The  sky  was  cloud- 
less.  The  sun  shone  in  all  its  autumn  splendor.  Beyond  a 
timber  belt,  at  intervals  lining  the  right  bank  of  the  s 


-318- 

the  country  for  almost  the  entire  distance  to  Brandy  Station  is 
an  open,  level  plain,  broad  enough  to  accommodate  almost  the 
entire  Army  of  the  Potomac  deployed  in  line  of  masses,  and 
wide  enough  to  permit  its  march  in  that  formation  for  a  con- 
siderable distance.  Three  great  army  corps,  the  2d,  5th  and 
6th,  arrayed  in  serried  lines  of  masses,  with  battalions  doubled 
on  the  centre,  concealed  by  bluffs  or  timber,  burst  suddenly,  as 
if  by  word  of  command,  out  upon  this  wide  expansive  plain. 
It  was  as  gorgeous  a  pageant  of  real  war  as  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  ever  saw,  and  it  was  the  firm  belief  of  all  that  the  oc- 
casion was  one  of  business,  not  of  show. 

For  the  first  time  the  soldiers  realized  the  sensation  of 
entering  battle  with  the  grandeur  attending  a  full  view  of 
masses  of  men  prepared  for  action.  There  were  no  inquiries  for 
the  supports,  no  thoughts  of  exposed  flanks,  no  anxieties  for  a 
sufficient  reserve.  The  scene  aroused  an  assurance  of  strength, 
stirred  a  commendable  spirit  of  competition,  and  was  such  an 
incentive  to  valor  and  determination  that  the  actual  combat  was 
earnestly  looked  for  with  no  doubtful  convictions  of  its  results. 

The  artillery  accompanied  the  movement,  and  at  proper  in- 
tervals, reserved  for  their  accommodation,  the  batteries  moved 
parallel  with  the  advanced  lines.  The  division  moved  in  echelon 
by  brigades.  The  breeze  from  the  front  was  just  stiff  enough 
to  flutter  the  colors  at  right  angles  with  the  staff.  At  no  time 
during  the  entire  advance  did  the  troops  seem  to  vary  from  an 
almost  perfect  alignement  along  the  whole  of  this  extended 
front  The  short  autumn  daylight  faded  out  and  the  splendid 
pageant  was  lost  in  the  early  darkness.  The  anticipated  fight 
was  not  at  hand,  there  was  no  enemy  to  bar  the  progress  of 
this  mighty  host,  and  the  prospective  glories  of  the  rout  and 
ruin  of  the  foe  were  lost  in  the  fading  shadows  of  a  brilliant 
October  twilight. 

When  it  was  discovered  that  the  operation  had  failed  to  bring 
on  an  engagement,  it  was  the  conviction  of  those  who  did  not 
know  its  purpose  that  this  splendid  show  of  force,  threatening 
Lee's  communications,  was  meant  to  tempt  him  back  again, 


l6   MEN    OF   CO,   K. 


—  319  — 

and,  failfng  of  its  purpose  before  night  came  on,  the  intention 
was  abandoned.  Such  conjectures  were  wrong,  however ;  a 
fight  was  really  expected.  Generals  Sykes  and  Pleasanton  had 
both  reported  that  a  heavy  infantry  force  had  been  uncovered 
near  Brandy  Station,  and  Meade  turned  his  legions  back  again 
to  meet  it.  Sykes  and  Pleasanton  were  mistaken.  A  small 
body  of  cavalry  had  deceived  them.  It  vanished  on  the  ap- 
pearance of  this  huge  array,  and  the  whole  af&ir  materially 
aided  Lee  in  the  better  accomplishment  of  his  intended  opera- 
tions. 

It  was  well  into  the  night  before  the  troops  made  a  stop  in- 
dicative of  rest,  and  at  midnight,  their  appetites  satisfied  with  a 
very  rough  meal,  they  were  ready  for  slumber.  The  men  had 
scarcely  passed  into  forgetfulness  when  shrill  bugle  notes  broke 
the  still  midnight  air,  and  the  "  general "  brought  them  all  to 
their  feet  again.  One  broad-chested  fellow,  of  stentorian  voice, 
violently  shook  his  sleepy  companion  who  had  lost  himself  for 
just  ten  minutes,  yelling  vociferously,  "  Get  up,  you  lazy 
lubber,  you ;  do  you  want  to  sleep  all  the  time  ?  "  Shouts  of 
laughter  greeted  this  absurd  speech,  and  made  the  men  more 
cheerful.  At  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  13th  the 
column  turned  upon  itself,  marched  back  and  again  crossed  the 
Rappahannock  at  Beverly  Ford,  resting  for  the  second  time  at 
the  old  camp  ground.  There  hurriedly  breakfasting  at  six, 
starting  on  again  at  seven,  trending  eastward  and  striking  the 
Orange  and  Alexandria  Railway  at  VVarrenton  Junction  at 
noon,  a  halt  was  made  for  the  night's  bivouac  at  Walnut  Branch 
near  Catlett  Station  at  5.30  in  the  afternoon.  This  concluded 
what  was  really  the  continuous  work  of  one  entire  night  and 
two  consecutive  days. 

It  was  a  busy  day  for  the  flankers.  In  more  than  usual 
strength,  extended  well  to  the  left,  they  continued  on  the  alert, 
anxiou?>ly  apprehensive  of  an  attack  from  Lee's  columns  moving 
by  parallel  roads  only  a  mile  or  so  to  the  northward.  At  in- 
tervals durin^^  the  day  the  enemy's  trains,  where  the  distance 
between  the  two  armies  narrowed  and  where  prominent  ridges 


—  320  — 

afforded  opportunity  for  observation,  appeared  in  full  view. 
In  the  early  morning  it  was  known  at  army  head-quarters 
that  Ewell's  corps  was  moving  by  the  Warrenton  turnpike,  and 
Hiirs  by  Salem  and  Thoroughfare  Gap.  In  a  "confidential 
circular,"  published  at  half-past  ten  o'clock,  corps  commanders 
were  advised  to  this  effect,  and  those  in  the  rear,  the  5th  and 
2d,  were  instructed  to  spare  no  precaution  against  attack,  as 
the  enemy's  intention,  whether  to  make  a  desperate  lunge  at 
the  left  flank  and  rear,  or  throw  himself  on  Centreville  Heights 
before  the  Union  army  reached  there,  had  not  yet  been  fully 
developed. 

General  Griffin  evidently  anticipated  battle,  as  he  directed  the 
release  of  private  Thomas  Sands,  of  Company  F,  who  was  under 
arrest  awaiting  execution,  and  ordered  him  to  be  equipped  and 
returned  to  the  ranks  ready  for  the  coming  engagement. 

The  14th,  with  a  four  o'clock  reveille  and  a  nine  o'clock  start, 
was  to  be  a  busy  day  for  the  5th  Corps,  and  a  memorable  and 
anxious  one  for  the  2d,  the  rear  guard  of  the  army.  In  the 
ranks  it  was  mistakenly  believed  that  the  5th  was  bringing  up 
the  rear.  The  3d,  5  th  and  2d  Corps,  the  three  rear  corps  of  the 
army,  had  been  directed  not  to  move  from  the  points  they  might 
from  time  to  time  respectively  occupy  on  the  14th  until  the 
corps  following  had  come  up.  These  directions  should  have 
held  Sykes  at  Bristoe,  which  his  rear  division,  Griffin's,  reached 
at  about  one  o'clock,  until  Warren  had  undoubtedly  appeared 
or  he  had  actually  got  into  communication  with  him.  But 
Sykes,  bent  only  upon  reaching  Centreville,  anxious  con- 
cerning the  long  interval  between  him  and  the  3d  Corps,  and 
more  than  impatient  at  what  he  considered  Warren's  unneces^ 
sary  delay,  was  ready  to  receive  any  information  that  brought 
the  2d  Corps  in  sight.  Receiving  such  a  report,  made  by  an 
officer  of  his  staff  in  undoubted  good  faith,  without  waiting  to 
communicate  with  Warren  or  to  verify  the  report,  Sykes  put 
his  own  troops  in  motion  for  Centreville  As  a  fact,  the  5th 
Corps  had  had  time  to  stretch  itself  out,  except  its  rear  division, 
before  A.  P.  Hill's  corps,  which  had  been  directed  on  Broad 


Run  at  the  railway  crossing  and  not  on  Centreville,  appeared 
in  sight. 

Hut  Warren  had  had  a  day  of  incident  and  anxiety.  He 
awoke  to  find  Stuart  between  two  of  his  divisions,  a  position  of 
which  Stuart  was  as  ignorant  as  Warren.  Caldwell's  division, 
preparing  Its  morning  meal,  was  startled  by  vigorous  shelling 
from  the  very  direction  in  which  it  was  about  to  move.  What 
force  or  who  it  was  was  not  apparent.  It  was  sufficiently  omin- 
ous to  place  the  division  of  the  corps  in  battle  array  to  meet 
an  attack.  Stuart,  willing  "to  be  let  alone,"  after  a  few  shots, 
disappeared.  This  unavoidable  detention,  with  other  stoppages, 
Ewell's  skirmishers  thickening  about  the  rear  and  flanks,  with 
occasional  shelling  of  the  timber  on  the  left,  necessarily  delayed 
Warren  until  about  three,  when,  at  the  rear  of  his  columns,  he 
wa.s  startled  by  firing  two  miles  or  more  to  his  front.  It  \sjs 
the  enemy's  artillery  on  the  west  of  Broad  Run  firing  on  Grif- 
fin's division  lying  in  innocent  repose  on  the  cast  bank.  This 
digression  is  introduced,  as  the  movements  of  the  5th  and  2d 
Corps  were,  or  should  have  been,  during  the  day,  intimately 
connected. 

Griffin's  division  crossed  Broad  Run  near  Bristoe,  a  village, 
big  "or  little,  but  of  which  but  a  "  few  lonely  chimneys  remained 
to  show  where  it  once  stood,"  about  one  o'clock,  apparently 
secure  from  pursuit.  With  no  evidence  of  the  likelihood  of 
disturbance,  the  men  betook  themselves  to  the  preparation  of  a 
noonday  meal,  and  little  individual  fires  soon  began  to  show 
themselves  along  the  high  blufl^  lands  lining  the  stream. 

The  impression  that  the  corps  was  the  rear  of  the  army  had 
been  strengthened  by  the  cutting  of  trees  along  the  line  of 
march  so  that  they  could  be  readily  pushed  over  when  the  last 
of  the  troops  had  passed,  and  by  the  urgency  of-  General  Pat- 
rick, the  provost -marshal- genera  I,  who  was  directing  the  opera- 
tions, that  the  work  be  expedited. 

Crocker.  Thomas  and  a  number  of  other  officers  were  seated 
upon  the  bluff  enjoying  their  coffee,  and  overlooking  and  dis- 
cussing the  features  of  the  country  over  which  the  column  had 
21 


—    322   — 

just  passed.  From  the  west  bank  of  the  run  the  ground  rose 
gradually  and  the  country  was  open  and  unobstructed  to  a  belt 
of  timber  some  distance  off.  The  soil  was  pretty  well  used  up, 
and  the  early  frosts  having  blighted  every  vestige  of  verdure, 
the  grass  was  the  color  of  the  earth.  Crocker  suddenly  jumped 
to  his  feet  and  startled  his  associates  with  the  decidedly  pene- 
trating interrogation  of:  "  What  is  that  coming  across  the 
fields?  look  I  "and  then  in  answer  to  his  own  interrogation 
continued,  "  a  reb  skirmish  line,  by  heaven ! "  The  close  re- 
semblance of  their  uniforms  to  the  color  of  the  ground  was 
confirmatory  that  they  were  the  enemy,  and  still  more  convinc- 
ing evidence  of  the  character  of  the  advancing  body  was  the 
appearance  of  several  guns  (Poague's)  which,  rapidly  emerging 
from  the  timber,  unlimbered  and  went  into  battery.  Shot  after 
shot,  well  directed,  was  sent  in  quick  succession  into  the  con- 
fused mass  so  illy  prepared  for  such  a  demonstration. 

The  division  was  hurriedly  withdrawn.  A  mounted  officer 
dashing  through  the  troops  had  his  arm  torn  off  by  a  shell. 
The  men  moved  in  good  order,  but  it  was  manifest  that  there 
was  a  general  feeling  that  the  appearance  of  the  enemy  was 
wholly  unexpected  and  unprepared  for.  As  an  illustration  of 
the  great  confidence  that  the  men  had  in  the  courage  and  gen- 
eralship of  General  Griffin,  who  had  recently  returned  to  the 
division  after  a  short  absence,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  the 
officers  could  do  nothing  better  to  reassure  the  troops  than  to 
say :  "  Men,  General  Griffin  is  in  command."  The  movement 
continued  until  the  division  reached  Manassas  Junction.  Here, 
after  a  few  moments'  halt,  the  division,  with  a  good  gait  and  in 
excellent  order,  started  back  whence  it  came,  to  the  sound  of 
firing  that  by  that  time  indicated  a  heavy  engagement.  It 
reached  the  field  about  four  o'clock  and  went  into  position  on 
the  east  side  of  Broad  Run,  where  the  batteries  shelled  the 
enemy  on  the  other  side.  The  infantry  did  not  attempt  to 
cross  and  was  not  engaged.  The  loss  in  the  brigade  was 
slight 

While  the  pace  of  the  rear  division  of  the  5th  was  quickened 


—  323  — 

from  the  place  which  it  had  so  quickly  abandoned,  the  2d 
Corps  was  hurrying  to  what  was  to  be  its  glorious  field  of 
Bristoe.  Before  the  first  of  its  men  had  come  upon  the  field, 
the  last  of  the  5th  Corps  had  passed  out  of  sight.  It  seemed 
strange  that  the  rear  division,  instead  of  being  permitted  to 
hurry  along  to  Manassas,  had  not  been  retained  in  ihc  position 
in  which  it  was  first  attacked.  When  the  affair  was  over  and 
the  officers  and  men  understood  it,  such  was  their  conclusion. 
But  soldiers  never  care  to  investigate  such  matters  and  let  them 
remain  for  their  superiors  to  settle,  or  history  to  discuss.  Gen- 
eral Sykes  asserted,  and  his  assertion  must  be  accepted  without 
challenge,  that  he  never  heard  the  sounds  of  battle  at  Bristoe ; 
did  not  know  his  rear  division  was  attacked,  and  supposed 
General  Warren  was  moving  on  Centreville,  until  he  received 
the  intelligence  of  the  engagement  with  Hill.  General  Walker. 
"History  2d  Army  Corps,"  who  would  naturally  be  Sykes's 
severest  critic,  attributes  his  conduct  to  the  fact  that  he  had 
wrought  himself  up  to  the  single  conception  of  reaching  Centre- 
ville; that  he  believes  warning  of  the  danger  of  a  flanking  col- 
umn had  fallen  " idly  upon  his  ears" — so  idly  that  when  he 
first  heard  Warren  had  been  engaged  and  captured  guns,  he 
insisted  it  could  nut  have  been  with  anything  but  a  very  small 
force. 

One  of  the  head-quarter  clerks  tells  the  story  of  the  day : 
"  Not  being  obliged  to  carry  a  gun  or  keep  in  the  ranks,  I  took 
to  the  railroad  tracks,  running  parallel  to  the  road  on  which  the 
troops  were  marching.  There  were  a  good  many  stragglers 
on  the  track,  and,  with  a  view  to  opening  conversation  for  so- 
ciability, I  asked  one  of  them,  who  had  no  letter,  figures  or 
badge  on  his  cap,  to  what  regiment  he  belonged.  His  answer 
was  prompt :  '  We  belong  to  the  Royal  Standbacks,  last  in 
and  first  out.'  I  took  the  hint,  and  for  the  rest  of  the  day 
minded  my  own  business. 

"At  the  big  water-tank  at  Bristoe's  I  sat  down  on  the  track 
and  ate  my  grub,  and  while  sitting  there  the  column  opened 
on  the  rebels  in  lively  style.    I  was  just  far  enough  away  to 


—  324  — 

be  out  of  range,  and  yet  near  enough  to  be  included  in  the 
racket  if  there  was  change  of  position ;  and  so  after  watching 
the  fight  for  awhile,  I  started  on  towards  Centreville,  where  I 
had  orders' to  report  that  night.  It  was  a  beautiful  day,  and 
to  be  able  to  travel  unencumbered  as  I  was  it  was  very  pleas- 
ant, but  for  the  troops  in  the  dusty  road  it  was  hard  enough. 
I  crossed  Bull  Run  at  Blackburn's  Ford,  and  as  I  waded 
through  the  shallow  water  I  trudged  on  to  the  heights,  and 
there  beheld  a  glorious  spectacle.  There  seemed  to  be  five 
roads  leading  through  the  woods  below  us.  At  the  left  the 
smoke  and  noise  of  the  battle  at  Bristoe  was  seen  and  heard, 
the  contending  parties  apparently  occupying  two  roads.  On 
the  right  two  lines  of  wagons,  on  roads  perhaps  half  a  mile 
apart ;  and  on  a  third  road,  about  the  same  distance  away,  a 
rebel  column.  The  wagoners  were  making  all  haste  to  bring 
up  their  trains  safely.  The  rebels  were  straining  every  nerve 
to  reach  the  junction  of  the  roads  and  cut  off  the  trains. 

"  General  Meade  was  on  the  hill,  observing  and  directing 
the  fight,  sending  off  and  receiving  messages  in  rapid  succes- 
sion. One  staff-officer  after  another  was  dispatched,  and  then 
his  orderlies,  and  at  one  time  he  was  reduced  to  the  company 
of  the  signal-officer,  who  was  kept  hard  at  work  waving  his 
mysterious  messages  to  some  distant  point" 

Warren's  day  of  anxiety  and  vicissitude  closed  in  a  bitter 
punishment  to  his  adversary.  Ewell's  activity,  the  distance 
from  supports,  turned  his  consideration  solely  to  the  suggested 
precaution  for  the  safety  of  the  rear  division  of  the  army  and 
when  Poague's  guns  summoned  him  to  the  right  of  his  corps  his 
quick  intelligence  caught  the  railroad  cut  as  the  only  point 
from  which  to  throw  off  the  attack,  now  imminent  from  rapidly 
gathering  forces.  The  movement  was  executed  none  too  soon ; 
Hayes's  division  reached  it,  Owens's  brigade  coming  up  amid  a 
shower  of  balls,  just  in  time  to  repel  a  determined  onslaught 
of  Heth's  division.  Again  it  was  renewed,  but,  better  pre- 
pared and  with  a  more  extended  front,  Warren's  men  again 
threw  it  off.     Several  hours  of  daylight  yet  remained  and  the 


—  325  — 

2d  Corps  might  yet  be  crushed  amid  the  gathering  masses  of 
Ewell  and  Hill,  assembling,  it  was  believed,  to  avenge  the  re- 
pulse of  Heth.  But  night  came  and  there  was  no  renewal  of 
the  assault  from  cither  side. 

The  troops  of  the  5th  Corps  that  returned  and  took  position 
on  the  bluff  were  on  the  flank  of  die  enemy,  with  only  the  run, 
fordablc  at  all  points  in  column,  between  them.  It  was  their 
conviction  that  an  opportunity  was  lost  in  not  utilizing  them 
for  a  flank  movement  Their  presence  doubtless  served  to  hold 
back  the  forces  of  Ewell  and  Hill,  Meade's  policy  seemed  to 
have  been  one  of  resistance  only.  Some  critics  have  referred 
to  the  situation  at  Broad  Run  and  Bristoc  as  a  lost  opportunity 
for  an  open  field  fight  that  had  been  so  long  sought  for.  Pretty 
much  all  the  enemy  had  gathered  there,  and  by  the  next  morn- 
ing the  whole  Army  of  the  Potomac  might  have  been.  Quiet 
criticism  among  the  thinking  ones  at  the  time  was  to  a  like 
effect.  Correspondence  is  yet  extant  where  this  view  was 
maintained  in  a  respectful  soldierly  tone,  by  line  officers  dis- 
posed at  times  to  think  out  the  situation  with  the  limited  oppor- 
tunities then  at  their  command. 

Warren  gathered  trophies  of  guns  and  colors  and  prisoners 
and  added  to  his  accumulating  laurels.  Such  success  as  a 
temporary  corps  commander  could  not  make  it  long  doubtful 
that  he  must  soon  find  a  place  among  those  who  should  be 
permanently  assigned  to  high  command.  Before  many  months 
roiled  by  he  succeeded  Sykes  in  command  of  the  5th  Corps. 

Monaghan,  of  1,  was  a  recruit  of  '63.  He  was  a  constitutional 
growler  at  everything  and  against  everybody,  yet  withal  a  good- 
natured,  open-hearted,  witty  fellow,  always  ready  for  duty  when 
he  was  up.  His  besetting  sin  was  straggling.  He  had  been  a 
sailor  in  the  merchant  service,  beyond  the  age  when  the  habits  of 
life  can  be  conveniently  changed.  Tempted  by  the  lai^e  boun- 
ties offered  at  the  time  he  forsook  his  calling  and  entered  the 
infantry.  Of  all  the  arms  of  the  service  his  early  training  least 
fitted  him  for,  was  that  of  the  foot  soldier.  To  lug  his  pack  was 
a  harder  job  than  to  march.     He  fell  out  on  every  occasion 


—  326  — 

and  was  never  up  until  everybody  else  had  comfortably  dis- 
posed of  themselves.  Twitted  with  his  delinquencies,  he  styled 
his  associates  a  lot  of  land-lubbers,  pack-mules,  fit  only  to  tramp 
and  no  use  to  furl  sail  or  climb  the  ratlines.  He  would  show 
them  how  to  march  if  they'd  give  him  the  deck  of  a  gunboat  in 
a  heavy  sea  for  his  parade-ground.  The  movement  from  the 
Rapidan  had  taxed  his  greatest  energies.  Aware  of  the  prox- 
imity of  the  enemy,  he  had  strained  himself  beyond  his  ordinary 
capacity  and  crossed  Broad  Run  with  the  usual  column  of 
stragglers  some  time  after  the  main  body  had  been  upon  the 
other  side.  He  had  been  up  so  little  during  this  march,  and 
his  associates  having  seen  nothing  of  him,  they  had  given  him 
up  as  "missing."  He  managed,  however,  to  work  himself 
along  with  the  "  stragglers*  brigade,"  a  body  which  had  learned 
from  long  experience  how  to  care  for  itself 

This  body,  true,  tried  and  brave,  reaching  the  grounds  later, 
had  not  progressed  so  far  with  their  meal  as  had  the  "  regular  " 
troops,  when  they  were  startled  by  the  appalling  sounds  of 
cannonading  behind  them.  The  rear,  the  place  of  their  choice, 
the  spot  of  their  own  selection,  selected  from  its  more  than 
usual  safety,  had  at  last  been  assailed.  Nearest  the  bank  they 
caught  the  heaviest  punishment,  and  some  were  killed.  This 
so  increased  their  gait  that  Monaghan  shortly  afterwards,  going 
at  a  pretty  active  pace,  found  himself  near  the  limits  of  his  own 
command.  His  companions  first  recognized  him,  the  new  part 
he  was  playing  bringing  him  into  more  than  usual  prominence. 
With  a  number  of  his  newly  made  acquaintances  of  the  "  strag- 
glers' brigade,"  he  had  secured  the  services  of  an  enervated 
and  abandoned  cavalry  steed,  improvised  a  bridle,  and  three 
of  them  had  mounted  the  animal  and  were  making  reasonably 
fair  progress  in  their  flight.  Just  as  Monaghan  was  recognized 
they  were  approaching  a  ditch  which  in  the  days  of  his  youth, 
when  the  hinges  of  his  knee-joints  were  supple,  the  poor  war- 
worn steed  would  have  cleared  with  a  slight  effort.  The  three 
sons  of  war  who  bestrode  him  urged  him  forward,  first  with 
oaths  and  then  with  kicks,  but  he  did  not  understand  their  bad 


—  327  — 

English,  and  paid  no  attention  to  their  other  hints.  Then,  in 
the  compassion  of  their  hearts  and  their  desire  to  get  him  across 
the  ditch,  they  dismounted.  But  the  horse  had  arrived  at  an 
age  when  he  knew  his  own  mind,  and  cared  not  for  the  views 
of  others.  The  three  valorous  knights,  by  dint  of  pulling  and 
pushing,  got  him  to  the  middle  of  the  ditch,  and  there  they 
were  obhged  to  leave  him.  Monaghan,  who  had  been  shouted 
at  and  guyed  by  his  comrades  during  the  performance,  joined 
his  company  and  poured  forth  such  a  stream  of  sea-phrases 
that  the  air  around  seemed  to  grow  salt.  He  got  on  as  far  as 
the  Junction,  but  disappeared  on  the  return  to  Bristoc.  He 
evidently  quickly  comprehended  this  deflection  as  a  temporary 
aflair  and  concluded  to  await  the  return  of  the  regiment  before 
he  should  attach  himself  to  it  permanently. 

The  2d  Corps,  with  but  the  three  hundred  yards  between  it 
and  the  enemy,  silently,  without  an  audible  word  of  command, 
with  no  hum  of  voices  or  buzz  of  conversation,  began  its  with- 
drawal in  the  very  early  evening.  Stretching  out  its  columns 
over  the  broad  plains  of  Manassas,  after  sixty-nine  hours  in 
which  it  had  been  continuously  in  column  on  the  road,  or 
fighting  and  skirmishing  with  the  enemy,  it  found  rest  from  its 
toil  between  three  and  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  near  Black- 
burn's Ford,  on  the  left  bank  of  Bull  Run.  General  Morgan, 
Inspector-General  of  that  corps,  says  of  that  campaign ;  "  Short 
as  it  was,  it  was  more  fatiguing  than  that  of  the  seven  days  on 
the  Peninsula,  since  the  marches  were  much  longer." 

The  Confederate  army  was  still  arriving  long  after  dark. 
The  arrival  of  each  new  brigade  was  indicated  by  the  bursting 
out  of  fresh  camp-fires  from  the  locality  of  its  bivouac.  The 
enemy's  fires  covered  the  entire  slope  of  country  within  the 
vision  in  front  of  the  2d  and  5th  Corps.  The  lines  of  the 
2d  Corps  were  so  close  to  the  enemy  that  conversation  was 
audible  and  the  words  of  command  could  be  distinctly  heard. 
Its  withdrawal  was  therefore  a  delicate  manoeuvre.  The  enemy 
were  evidently  concentrating  for  a  purpose,  and  upon  discovery 
of  our  attempt  to  elude  them  could  have  subjected  us  to  a  ter- 


—  328  — 

rible  artillery  punishment  Hill's  and  Ewell's  batteries  con- 
trolled both  the  ford  and  the  railway  bridge,  and  the  light  from 
the  bursting  of  the  shells  would  have  revealed  the  line  of 
march  for  some  distance  beyond. 

That  the  weary,  jaded  troops  of  the  2d  Corps  might  have 
some  relief  if  such  contingency  had  happened,  the  5th  Corps 
was  left  in  position  until  ten  o'clock,  that  its  batteries  might 
divert  the  attention  of  the  enemy's  artillerists  should  they  at- 
tempt an  interference  with  the  withdrawal  of  the  2d  Corps. 
Then,  at  that  hour,  it  quietly  stole  away.  In  the  matter  of 
actual  rest,  the  5th  had  had  but  little  advantage  over  their  com.- 
rades  of  the  2d.  They  were  in  no  sense  prepared  for  strong, 
orderly  exertion,  when  the  nervous  strain  attending  the  pres- 
ence of  an  active,  watchful  enemy  had  ceased,  so  when  the 
column  had  stretched  out  to  the  Junction,  and  the  men  knew 
they  need  no  longer  be  wary  of  the  foe,  with  the  broad,  familiar 
plains  of  Manassas  before  them  and  Centreville  Heights  their 
known  destination,  they  betook  themselves  to  the  gait  that  best 
suited  their  temperament,  the  strong  and  energetic  to  hurry 
through  and  complete  the  journey,  to  secure  the  most  they 
could  of  rest  out  of  what  would  be  left  of  the  night ;  and  the 
weary  and  weak  to  move  by  slow  and  easy  stages,  snatching 
here  and  there  a  moment  of  repose  by  the  wayside. 

It  was  three  o'clock  when  division  head-quarters  went  into 
bivouac  in  the  locality  of  Centreville.  That  the  scattered  com- 
mands and  straggling  soldiers  might  be  directed  to  their  proper 
bivouacs,  division  and  brigade  head-quarters  at  intervals  well 
on  until  daylight  sounded  their  respective  bugle  calls.  A 
tedious  search  was  thus  avoided  and  the  sleeping  soldier  saved 
the  use  of  profane  imprecations  in  response  to  inquiries  from 
his  roving  companions,  and  the  latter  were  not  misled  by  the 
sulphurous  directions  usually  given  them  under  such  circum- 
stances. 

It  was  rest  the  soldier  needed,  not  subsistence,  and  as  soon 
as  he  found  the  place  indicated  for  it.  he  dropped  down  to 
sleep  satisfied  the  morrow  would  afford  ample  opportunity  to 
answer  all  consistent  demands  of  the  most  exacting  stomach. 


—  329  — 

October  1$,  1863,  we  started  for  Fairfax  Court-Housc.  On 
the  i6th  and  17th  we  made  two  short  marches  for  position. 
Marched  on  the  iStli  to  Fox's  Mill. 

On  the  igth  we  crossed  Bull  Run  and  went  to  Groveton, 
camping  on  Benjamin  Chinn's  farm.  A  detail  was  sent 
out  to  cover  the  ghastly  reminders  of  the  Second  Bull  Run. 
On  the  20th  we  marched  to  Gainesville.  The  year  before  two 
valuable  horses  belonging  to  Captain  Davis,  of  General  Til- 
ton's  staff,  disappeared  at  the  same  time.  Captain  Davis  had 
a  bridle  and  breastplate  made  for  him  by  the  brigade  saddler 
different  from  anything  in  the  army.  When  we  arrived  at 
Gainesville,  some  troops  were  halted  there,  and  among  the 
horses  was  one  seated  on  his  haunches  like  a  dog.     On  the 


horse  was  the  identical  bridle  and  breastplate  belonging  to 
Captain  Davis.  At  once  our  boys  exclaimed :  "  Captain  Da- 
vis, there's  your  horse  and  bridle."  This  sitting  down  was  a 
trick  of  the  horse  that  was  lost  by  Captain  Davis,  and  the 
writer  has  never  seen  any  other  horse  do  it  of  his  own  motion ; 
but  this  horse  would  always  rest  that  way.  The  officer  who 
claimed  the  horse  told  a  plausible  story  of  how  he  acquired 
the  animal ;  but  Captain  Davis  appealed  to  the  officer's  divi- 
sion commander,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  days  his  property 
was  restored  to  him. 


—  330  — 

Such  is  the  picture  of  the  rear  guard.  If  you  were  ever 
on  the  rear  guard  of  a  retreating  army  you  know  how  tedious 
it  is.  You  do  not  move  more  than  ten  feet  at  farthest  before 
you  have  to  halt,  and  then  ten  feet  again  a  few  moments  after- 
wards, and  so  on  all  day.  You  have  not  time  to  sit  down  a 
moment  before  you  are  ordered  to  move  on  again,  and  the 
rebs  dash  up  every  now  and  then  and  fire  a  volley  in  your 
rear. 

This  practically  closed  the  marches  and  manoeuvres  incident 
to  Lee's  flanking  operations.  The  frequent  shifting  between 
the  15th  and  19th  was  due  to  "  indications  "  that  failed  to  indi- 
cate. The  enemy,  mistakenly  reported  to  be  advancing  first 
from  here  and  then  from  there,  in  fact  never  crossed  Broad  Run 
in  any  numbers.  Lee,  disappointed  of  his  purpose  to  absorb  a 
few  of  the  nearmost  divisions  of  the  Union  army,  returned  and 
occupied  the  country  between  the  Rappahannock  and  the  Rap- 
idan,  leaving  a  strong  advance  party  well  fortified  on  the  left 
bank  of  the  former  river  near  the  railway  crossing.  This  force 
and  the  well-appointed  work  it  occupied  subsequently  fell  into 
the  Union  hands  in  one  of  the  most  spirited  and  brilliant  affairs 
of  the  war. 

On  the  24th  of  October  the  brigade  moved  up  to  Auburn, 
and  on  the  30th  to  "Three  Mile  Station,"  near  Warrenton 
Junction,  on  the  Orange  and  Alexandria  Railway,  a  section  of 
country  with  which  the  troops  had  long  before  become  quite 
familiar.  Here  it  remained  until  the  morning  of  the  7th  of 
November,  when  it  moved  out  to  take  its  part  in  the  memor- 
able assault  on  the  works  at  Rappahannock  railway  station. 

Illustrative  of  the  general  worthlessness  of  the  substitute  class, 
a  necessarily  severe  case  of  discipline  administered  to  break 
one  of  the  most  notorious  and  disorderly  among  them  occurred 
about  this  time.  Shields,  of  H,  inflamed  with  liquor,  was  a 
fiend.  Sober,  he  was  quiet,  inoffensive,  tractable.  He  was  a 
soldierly  appearing,  muscular,  brawny  fellow,  of  a  height  to  en- 
title him  to  the  right  of  his  company.  Liquor  he  would  have 
if  within  reach,  no  matter  the  cost  or  consequences.    At  Cen- 


—  331  — 

treville  the  sutlers  had  found  opportunity  for  a  thriving  busi- 
ness. Shields,  refused  permission  to  leave  camp,  eluded  the 
guard,  and  returned  in  a  state  of  roaring,  disgraceful  drunk- 
enness. His  loud,  abusive  profanity  promptly  brought  the 
guard  down  upon  him.  On  his  way  to  his  place  of  confine- 
ment he  broke  from  them,  seized  a  musket  from  a  neighboring 
stack,  and,  thus  armed,  defied  his  captors  to  retake  him.  His 
strength  had  doubled  with  the  stimulants  he  had  poured  into 
him,  and  for  a  moment  the  detail  hesitated  to  approach  him. 
Finally  he  was  dealt  a  blow  that  levelled  him  to  unconscious- 
ness and  was  eventually  removed  to  the  hospital,  for  his  injuries 
for  a  time  seemed  likely  to  prove  latal.  He  ultimately  re- 
covered, was  tried  by  court-martial,  and,  suffering  an  ignomini- 
ous punishment,  subsequently  returned  to  the  ranks.  But  his 
punishment  was  of  no  avail ;  all  his  confinement  to  no  purpose. 
Time  and  again  he  returned  to  his  cups;  again  and  again  he 
repeated  his  offences.  Believing  that  the  discipline  of  the  regu- 
lar army  was  best  suited  to  his  composition,  an  application  to 
transfer  him  was  favorably  considered  and  he  was  assigned  to 
the  4th  Artillery.  Some  months  afterwards  on  the  march  the 
regiment  passed  his  battery  in  park.  Shields  had  not  yet  been 
conquered;  spread  out.  with  a  quarter  turn,  on  the  fifth  wheel 
he  was  undergoing  that  severe  and  trying  ordeal  that  should 
have  broken  the  rebellious  spirits  of  the  most  harden«d  of- 
fenders. 

The  Bull  Run  battle-field,  where  the  short  afternoon  halt 
was  made,  near  the  Henry  House,  on  the  march  to  New  Balti- 
more, still  bore  striking  evidence  of  the  fierce  work  of  death 
that  twice  waged  so  severely  about  that  dwelling.  The  ex- 
posed remains  of  an  officer  of  the  ist  Michigan,  who  fell  there, 
recognized  by  his  teeth,  were  given  more  decent  sepulture  and 
the  grave  properly  marked  for  subsequent  identification.  Near 
it  the  rain  had  uncovered  the  body  of  a  cavalryman.  He  had 
been  buried,  booted  and  .spurred,  with  belt  and  sabre.  His 
uniform  and  accoutrements  were  in  an  excellent  state  of  pres- 
ervation.   The  flesh  had  slipped  from  the  bones,  and  in  at- 


—  332  — 

tempting  to  lift  the  body  by  the  belt,  the  skeleton  fell  in  a  con- 
fused mass  of  bones  and  clothing.  The  grave  was  dug  deeper 
and  sufficient  earth  thrown  over  it  to  construct  a  mound,  and, 
with  that  alone  as  a  mark  of  recognition,  it  was  left  as  another 
one  of  the  still  unnumbered  and  forever  unknown  dead.  Num- 
bers of  unburied  Confederates  still  lay  about,  notably,  as  recog- 
nized by  the  insignia  on  their  uniforms,  of  the  nth  North 
Carolina  and  i8th  Georgia. 

The  grave  of  Colonel  Fletcher  Webster,  son  of  the  distin- 
guished Massachusetts  statesman,  killed  whilst  gallantly  leading 
his  regiment  in  the  second  battle,  had  received  more  considerate 
attention.  Identified  by  a  suitable  head  and  foot  board,  the 
withered  grass  upon  the  mound  was  ready  to  bloom  again 
when  the  season  should  come. 

Captain  John  P.  Bankson,  acting  as  Brigade  Inspector,  whilst 
on  the  march  to  Gettysburg,  had  lost  a  pocket  album,  contain-, 
ing  a  few  mementos  and  photographs  of  his  family,  somewhere 
in  this  vicinity.  With  no  thought  really  of  its  recovery,  he  rode 
over  the  locality  where  the  brigade  had  bivouacked  on  that 
occasion,  and,  much  to  his  surprise  and  satisfaction,  found  it 
The  contents,  sadly  injured  by  the  exposure,  were  still  recog- 
nizable and  worth  preserving. 

On  the  line  of  the  same  march,  occupied  by  a  few  old  men 
and  women,  lay  a  hamlet  of  twelve  unpretending  dwellings, 
known  to  the  neighborhood — it  was  unknown  elsewhere — ^as 
Buckton.  A  haggard  and  worn  specimen  of  the  men  stood  by 
the  roadside  with  a  cynical  and  contemptuous  expression  of 
countenance,  indicative  of  a  wholesale  condemnation  of  the 
entire  Union  army  and  its  cause.  An  officer  of  the  regiment, 
seeking  information  as  to  his  likely  destination,  respectfully 
mterrogated  him  as  to  the  direction  of  the  road.  He  framed 
his  interrogatory  to  afford  opportunity  for  a  sharp  and  curt 
reply,  of  which  the  old  fellow  was  prompt  to  take  advantage. 
"  Where  does  this  road  go  to,  my  good  man  ?  "  said  the  officer. 
Promptly  came  the  facetious  response :  "  It  stays  right  here 
where  it  is  and  don't  go  anywhere."     But  the  old  man  quaked 


—  333  ■ 

somewhat  under  the  stern  chorus,  for  all  who  heard  the  inquiry 
and  answer  seemed  to  be  of  like  thinking :  they  responded  in 
unison — "  Beware,  old  fellow,  beware,  there  are  Massachusetts 
men  behind  us;  an  answer  such  as  that  to  them  will  bring 
down  upon  your  hoary  head  and  shrunken  shoulders  the  dire 
vengeance  of  all  New  England." 

Major  Herring  received  his  just  and  well-deserved  promotion 
to  lieutenant-colonel  whilst  in  camp  near  Auburn,  and  shortly 
after,  forced  by  severe  Illness,  and  at  the  urgent  insistence  of 
the  surgeon,  left  for 
a  few  weeks  on  sick 
leave.  At  the  same 
time  Lieutenant 
Kelly  was  promot- 
ed to  the  captaincy 
of  G,  2d  Lieutenant 
liayne  to  the  1st 
lieutenancy  of  A. 
and  Sergeant  Jo- 
seph Ashbrook  to 
the  2d  lieutenancj 
ofK. 

Captain  Dendy 
Sharwood  was  re- 
licvfd  from  his  dc 
tail  as  acting  bri- 
gade commissary  color-serceant  samuel  f.  delaney. 
and,  as  the  ranking  officer  present,  the  command  of  the  regi- 
ment devolved  upon  him 

Late  October  and  early  November  were  cold,  chilly  times  and 
frequent  and  drenching  rains  added  to  the  discomforts.  In  a 
region  so  prolific  in  timber,  huge  fires  blazed  continually  and 
their  cheering  warmth  was  a  fair  substitute  for  the  more  desir- 
able and  attractive  winter-quarters  fire-place.  There  was  but 
little  opportunity  for  visiting,  the  prevailing  inclemency  making 
camp-life  at  home  a  necessity.    Road-building  and  picket-dufy. 


—  334  — 

outside  of  the  usual  routine  of  drill,  parade  and  instruction, 
occupied  the  time,  and  enjoyments  and  amusements  were  not 
wanting  within  regimental  limits  to  fill  up  the  leisure.  The 
"  Joe  Hooker  retreat "  was  not  forgotten.  Antidotal  against 
dampness,  moisture,  depression  and  despondency,  an  exhilarat- 
ing excitant  for  fun,  merriment,  wit  and  wisdom,  it  was  in  un- 
usually active  demand. 


GEORGE  J.  tEESER,  CO.  K. 


CHAPTER  Xm. 

RAPPAHANNOCK  STATION. 

Ir  Southern  sicel  be  sharp  and  keen, 
Is  nol  oura  strong  and  irue? 

There  may  bt  danger  in  the  deed, 
Bui  thrrc  is  hunor,  loo. 


EVENTIDE  on  the  6th  blazed  in  the  golden  gtory  of  a 
November  Virginian  twilight,  and  the  setting  sun  "by 
the  bright  tracks  of  its  fiery  chariot  gave  promise  of  a  goodly 
day  the  morrow." 

The  unsuspecting  soldiers  had  no  knowledge  of  the  presence 
of  the  enemy ;  no  intimation  of  the  work  cut  out  for  them  to  do 
on  the  following  day.  It  was  the  general  conviction  that  after 
a  few  more  days  of  inaction  they  would  build  winter-quarters 
and  rest  on  their  laurels  until  spring.  They  turned  in  that 
night  happy  in  the  thought  and  slept  the  sleep  of  the  lazy. 
They  turned  out  the  next  morning  at  half-past  four  to  the 
sharp,  clear  sound  of  the  division  bugle-call,  hastily  followed  by 
the  reveille  and  "general."  Amazed, disappointed,  drowsy,  life 
seemed  to  them,  for  the  time  being,  a  failure. 

The  brilliant  sunset  of  the  6th  kept  its  promise,  and  the 
morning  of  the  7th  broke  sharp,  clear  and  cloudless.  No 
rations  had  been  ordered  to  be  cooked,  nor  extra  ones  given 
out ;  no  ammunition  had  been  issued  beyond  the  usual  sixty 
rounds;  no  enemy  was  lurking  near.  From  these  fects  the 
men  concluded  that,  notwithstanding  the  early  start  and  the 
apparent  haste  of  the  movement,  it  could  have  no  other  object 
than  a  change  of  ground,  to  the  vicinity  of  the  river,  wheie 
wood  and  water  were  more  plentiful  and  available. 

The  regiment  led  the  brigade  and  the  brigade  the  corps,  and 
at  six  o'clock  was  out  on  the  well-trodden  road  that  ran  beside 
the  railway,  forging  ahead,  amid  clouds  of  dust,  directly  to- 
wards the  river. 

General  Griffin,  temporarily  absent,  had  been  succeeded  for 
(335) 


—  336  — 

the  time  by  General  Joseph  J.  Bartlett,  an  officer  distinguished 
for  his  splendid  fighting  qualities,  a  former  brigade  and  division 
commander  of  the  6th  Corps.  Rumor  had  the  6th  Corps  also 
on  the  move  on  a  road  well  to  the  right  and  far  in  advance. 

Invigorated  by  the  cool,  bracing  autumn  morning,  alert  and 
active,  the  men  stepped  out  smartly  and  willingly,  yet  wholly 
unsuspicious  that  the  day  would  close  in  the  glories  of  a  suc- 
cessful and  well-fought  fight. 

The  route,  familiar  from  repeated  marches,  had  no  new  or 
fresh  attractions.  Bealton  Station  had  entirely  disappeared 
Its  buildings  burned,  railroad  track,  ties  and  telegraph-poles 
destroyed,  it  was  a  wreck  of  its  former  self.  Destruction  and 
ruin  of  all  telegraph  and  railroad  facilities  had,  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, followed  the  track  of  the  Potomac  army  when  Lee  so 
recently  hustled  it  back  unceremoniously  from  its  late  advanced 
position  on  the  Rapidan. 

About  noon  the  right  of  the  column  ascended  a  wooded 
ridge  which  rose  abruptly  from  and  terminated  the  level  plain, 
over  which  the  march  of  the  morning  had  been  conducted. 
On  the  left  of  the  railway  the  ridge  descended  ag^in  to  another 
plain,  which  extended  to  the  river.  Here  the  column  halted 
with  the  right  (ii8th  Pennsylvania)  resting  on  the  railroad, 
the  division  deploying  in  line  of  battle  to  the  left,  the  other 
divisions  of  the  corps  as  they  arrived  extending  the  line  in  that 
direction. 

The  6th  Corps  was  already  on  the  ground,  in  position  to  the 
right  of  the  railroad,  which  here  for  some  distance  passed 
thi'ough  a  deep  cut.  In  front  of  the  6th  Corps  there  was  a  slight 
ascent,  the  base  lightly  timbered.  It  rose  gradually  until  it  ter- 
minated at  the  river  in  quite  an  eminence.  On  this  eminence, 
out  of  sight  of  our  line  of  battle,  was  a  lunette  work  manned 
by  a  strong  force  of  infantry  supporting  a  battery  of  brass  1:welve 
pounders.  The  garrison  were  not  aware  of  our  approach.  The 
work  covered  the  high  trestle  railroad  bridge  spanning  the  river 
at  Rappahannock  Station  and  a  pontoon  laid  above  it.  This 
was  apparently  the  enemy's  extreme  left,  his  right  extending 


—  337  — 

by  a  heavy  skirmish  Unc  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river  in  the 
direction  of  Kelly's  Ford. 

The  sun  glistened  on  the  long  line  of  stacks  to  the  left,  and 
the  men  lay  behind  them  in  blissful  ignorance  of  the  near  ap- 
proach of  battle.  Prompted  by  the  cravings  of  an  appetite  but 
poorly  appeased  with  an  unsatisfactory  and  hurried  breakfast, 
the  soldiers  betook  themselves  to  the  preparation  of  a  little 
coffee.  Soon  the  smoke  of  individual  fires  curled  upwards,  and 
as  they  were  observed  from  the  different  heati-quarters,  staff" 
officers  dashed  off  rapidly  in  every  direction  and  ordered  their 
immediate  extinction.  Disappointed,  the  men  yielded  com- 
placently to  the  inevitable  and,  quieting  their  hunger  with  hard 
bread,  reflected  that  if  a  fire  could  not  be  built  at  high  noon 
there  must  be  somebody  pretty  close  whose  purposes  were  un- 
friendly. 

A  sergeant  whose  inquisitiveness  was  only  equalled  by  hi« 
bravery — and  he  was  very  brave — slipped  out  of  the  lines  and 
ascended  the  hill  in  front,  cautiously.  He  soon  returned,  and 
told  those  nearest  to  him  that  the  enemy  were  in  force  and  for- 
tified some  distance  beyond.  While  he  was  yet  speaking,  the 
stretcher-bearers  and  ambulances  passed  through  tlie  line  from 
the  rear  to  the  front,  and  the  presence  of  these  forerunners  of 
suffering  made  it  plain  to  all  that  a  fight  was  imminent. 

Soon  the  order  to  "  fall  in  "  brought  the  men  to  attention, 
and  the  officers  were  ordered  to  the  front  and  centre  for  special 
instructions  from  the  commandant  Captain  Sharwood  in- 
formed them  that  the  enemy  was  strongly  intrenched  Just 
beyond  the  ridge  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  and  that  General 
Sedgwick,  who  had  been  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  5th 
and  6th  Corps,  had  already  given  directions  to  carry  the  works* 
The  officers  rejoined  their  companies,  adjusted  the  alignement. 
and  after  a  further  delay  to  permit  the  left  of  the  corps  to  swing 
around  and  if  possible  envelop  the  enemy's  right,  at  about 
three  o'clock  the  order  was  given  to  "load,"  followed  immedi- 
ately by  an  advance. 

Descending  the  further  slope  of  the  ridge,  the  line  halted.    A. 


-  338  - 

wide,  extended  plain,  without  tree,  bush  or  knoll,  was  in  view 
in  every  direction,  terminating  on  the  right  in  the  slope  and 
eminence  on  the  other  side  of  the  railway.  The  extensive  and 
formidable  works,  a  mile  to  the  front,  were  plainly  observable. 
The  guns  in  the  work  that  crowned  the  crest  to  the  right  com- 
manded the  entire  plain.  A  line  of  rifle-pits  extended  from  it 
towards  Kelly's  Ford.  The  plain  was  covered  with  a  heavy 
growth  of  dry,  thick  grass,  above  which,  as  they  knelt  or  lay 
prone  at  their  posts,  the  heads  and  pieces  of  the  skirmish  line 
could  be  distinctly  seen.  It  was  the  intention  to  carry  the 
works  with  the  skirmishers  if  possible,  and  with  that  in  view 
the  line  had  been  doubled.  Beyond,  some  five  hundred  yards, 
were  the  enemy's  skirmishers.  The  lines  lay  watching  each 
other  without  exchanging  shots.  It  was  not  intended  ours 
should  open,  unless  forced  to,  until  the  general  advance  began. 
The  guns,  too,  remained  silent,  apparently  awaiting  opportunity 
for  a  better  range. 

It  was  a  stirring  sight.  The  sun,  slowly  sinking,  glistened 
on  the  bright  barrels  of  the  muskets  far  away  to  the  left  as  the 
line  swept  around  in  graceful  curve  almost  to  the  river.  Both 
regimental  standards  were  unfurled,  and  there  was  wind  enough 
to  float  them  even  when  the  line  was  not  in  motion.  With  all 
this  taunt  the  enemy  still  maintained  silence. 

The  right  of  the  regiment,  which  was  still  the  right  of  the 
corps,  rested  on  the  railway,  without  crossing  it.  General 
Sykes  now  rode  to  the  front  of  the  regiment  and,  inquiring  for 
the  commanding  officer,  gave  Captain  Sharwood,  in  a  tone  to 
be  heard  through  the  command,  specific  directions  that  under 
no  circumstances  was  he  to  cross  the  railroad ;  that  the  other 
side  was  reserved  exclusively  for  the  troops  of  the  6th  Corps 
who,  charged  with  some  specially  delicate  duty,  must  under  no 
consideration  be  interfered  with,  and  with  some  severity  con- 
cluded with  an  intimation  that  the  consequences  of  any  failure 
to  fully  comply  with  these  instructions  would  personally  fall 
upon  the  captain.  He  pluckily  accepted  the  responsibility — it 
was  his  first  essay  with  a  regimental  command  in  action — ^and 


—  339  — 

expressed  his  willingness  to  bear  the  brunt,  should  lie  fail  to 
discharge  it.  The  color  sergeant  was  charged  not  to  swerve 
from  his  point  of  direction,  and  it  was  no  fault  of  the  sergeant 
that  the  instructions  subsequently  failed  somewhat  of  complete 
fulfilment. 

The  left  brigade  of  the  6th  Corps,  on  the  other  side  of  the 
railway,  in  which  was  our  sister  regiment,  the  1 1 9th  Penn- 
sylvania, and  upon  which  subsequently  fell  the  heaviest  work 
of  the  day,  was  commanded  by  Colonel  P.  C.  Ellmakcr.  As 
General  Sykes  rode  away  for  better  opportunity  for  observation, 
he  took  his  position  for  a  time  immediately  in  front  of  it. 

"Forward,  guide  centre,  march!"  now  rang  out  simultaneously 
along  the  entire  line.  The  skirmishers,  the  20th  Maine,  rising 
from  the  tall  grass,  began  their  advance  with  a  vigorous  volley, 
to  which  the  enemy  lost  no  time  in  replying.  It  was  a  glorious 
pageant  of  real  war.  Rarely  is  the  sight  seen  of  an  advanc- 
ing line  so  extended,  all  in  view,  and  under  fire  at  the  same 
time. 

Upon  the  other  side  of  the  railroad  were  the  heavy  matucs 
concealed  from  tjie  enemy's  view,  arrayed  in  charging  colum 
while  upon  ours  was  the  single  line  of  battle  stretched  out  for 
a  mile  or  more  in  ful!  sight,  evi.iently  intL-ndcd  to  draw  the  fire 
while  the  charging  columns  concealed  by  the  timber  assaulted 
the  earthwork.  The  setting  sun  flung  a  mellow  glow  over  the 
landscape,  and  the  mica  dust  covering  the  uniforms  sparkled  in 
its  golden  hues,  and  the  gentle  beauty  of  the  scene  made  it 
impossible,  for  the  moment,  to  believe  that  a  battle  was  begin- 
ning. 

A  pufT  of  smoke  appeared  from  a  single  gun  on  the  crest, 
and  a  well-directed  shell,  striking  some  twenty  paces  in  front  of 
the  regiment,  ricochcttod,  passed  over  head  and  burst  well  to 
the  rear.  Another  and  another  quickly  followed,  all  aimed  well 
and  bursting  in  such  uncomfortable  proximity  that  dust  and 
gravel  stung  the  faces  and  sprinkled  the  clothing  of  the  men. 
Steadily,  and  with  .is  perfect  an  aligncment  as  if  on  parade,  the 
regiment   mov(.d    forward   towards   the   forts.      The   brightly 


—  340  — 

gleaming  musket  barrels,  the  men  with  their  bronzed,  deter- 
mined faces,  shoulder  to  shoulder,  the  firm  step  of  the  moving 
line,  the  visible  defiance  of  danger,  formed  a  part  of  the  grand 
picture  not  to  be  forgotten.  The  colors  seemed  the  point  on 
which  the  gunners  drew  their  sights.  They  were  repeatedly 
struck,  but  stanchly  the  bearer  bore  his  standard  nobly  onward. 
Both  solid  shot  and  shell  hurtled,  whistled  and  flew  about  in  a 
reckless  way.  The  fragments  of  exploded  shells  brought  ta 
mind  the  bitter  experiences  of  other  fields. 

McCandless,  of  K,  was  the  first  man  struck.  A  piece  of  shell 
took  off  his  foot  at  the  ankle-joint.  McCandless  meant  to  da 
well,  but  he  was  getting  old,  and  his  years  and  ailments  would 
not  allow  his  body  to  respond  to  his  will.  He  had  lost  so 
many  muskets,  when  missing  from  the  ranks,  that  Crocker,  his 
company  commander,  to  teach  him  a  gun  had  value,  ultimately 
charged  one  against  him  on  the  pay-roll.  As  the  stretcher 
bearers  bore  the  poor  old  fellow  to  the  rear,  he  still  clung  vig- 
orously to  his  piece  and  seemed  content  to  lose  his  leg  if  he 
could  keep  his  musket. 

The  firing  was  now  telling  disastrously  on  the  left,  and  the 
pressure  from  that  direction  was  so  great  that  Davis,  a  corporal 
of  the  color  guard,  severely  wounded,  was  carried  along  for 
some  distance  before  the  ranks  could  be  made  to  yield  suflR- 
ciently  to  let  him  drop  out. 

It  was  clear  that  unless  relieved  from  this  continued  pressure 
the  right  must  lose  its  line  of  direction  on  the  railway  and  be 
forced  across  it,  which  presently  occurred.  Sharwood  was 
vexed.  With  earnest  gestures,  in  a  loud  voice  he  called  out 
again  and  again,  "  The  guide  is  left !  The  guide  is  left  !  **  Fi- 
nally some  one  in  the  ranks,  who  could  not  restrain  his  pro- 
pensity even  at  such  a  time,  replied,  "  No,  he  isn't ;  he's  being 
pushed  right  along  with  the  rest  of  us."  It  was  neither  the 
fault  of  Sharwood  nor  of  the  regiment.  The  pressure  began 
from  a  point  beyond  their  control,  and  when  it  reached  them 
was  irresistible.  But  unchecked,  the  advance  continued  in  the 
face  of  a  still  more  rapid  fire  of  both  large  and  small  arms. 


—  341   — 

The  colors  never  left  the  plain,  never  swerved  from  the  point 
of  true  direction. 

A  ditch  hidden  by  the  tall,  rank  grass  lay  directly  in  the  path 
of  the  advance  and,  without  a^arning  of  its  presence,  the  line 
was  floundering  knec-dccp  in  its  green  and  slimy  water.  The 
disappearance  of  the  skirmish  line,  as  it  passed  through  it,  had 
not  been  noticed.  The  men  were  soon  upon  the  thither  side 
and  the  obstruction  forgotten. 

But  the  enemy's  gunners  were  not  to  have  it  all  to  them- 
selves. They  had  had  time  enough  to  severely  punish  the  in- 
fentry.  From  the  rear,  at  a  rushing  gallop,  with  drivers  lashing 
their  steeds  at  eveiy  jump  and  gunners  mounted  on  the  limbers, 
came  a  battery  of  brass  twelves.  Unlimbcring  in  an  instant, 
its  rapid,  well-directed  fire  threw  up  the  dust  on  the  earthworks 
at  every  discharge,  and  for  the  moment  the  enemy's  gunners 
fell  back.  When  they  resumed  firing,  their  fire  was  directed 
not  toward  the  line  of  infantry,  but  upon  the  offending  battery ; 
but  the  fire  soon  subsided.  The  line  of  battle  of  the  Sth  Corps 
halted,  and  now  the  attention  of  the  enemy  was  wholly  directed 
to  an  effort  to  repel  one  of  the  most  brilliant,  sweeping,  spirited 
and  successful  assaults  of  the  war. 

Covered  by  the  timber,  the  assaulting  column  had  been 
formed  of  the  5th  Wisconsin  and  6tli  M.iine  as  a  double  skir- 
mish line,  supported  by  the  49th  atid  119th  Pennsylvania  in 
line  of  battle.  These  regiments  composed  Russell's  3d  Brigade, 
I  St  Division,  of  the  6th  Corps,  temporarily  commanded  by 
Colonel  Ellmakcr,  of  the  119th  Pennsylvania,  General  Sedg- 
wick's assignment  to  the  two  corps  had  advanced  General 
Wright  to  the  command  of  the  6th  and  General  Russell  to  the 
division. 

The  skirmishers,  who  had  been  concealed  by  the  same  ditch 
which  had  astonished  the  men  of  the  5th  Corps,  now  deployed. 
From  thf  ditch  the  bald  slope  rose  rather  boldly  until  it  termi- 
nated in  the  eminence  on  which  were  the  guns  which  had  so 
.severely  jjounded  us. 

To  the  scolding  .skirmish  fire  was  now  added  desperate  vol- 


—  342  — 
leys  from  the  infantry  garrison ;  canister  and  grape  were  3 


"GOING   INTO  ACTION/' 

stituted  for  shot  and  shell,  and  guns  and  musketry  poured  their 


deadly  charges  into  the  advancing  line.  It  was  the  work  of  a 
moment,  but  the  line  suffered  severely.  The  deadly  effect  of 
the  fire  materially  thinned  tlie  ranks  of  the  heroic  men  who 
bore  the  brunt  of  the  assault.  Closing  the  intervals  in  the 
skirmish  line  and  the  gaps  in  the  line  of  battle,  the  advance 
swept  forward  until  the  abandoned  works  and  the  deserted 
guns  were  in  their  possession.  But  the  works  were  not  wholly 
deserted.  An  officer  of  the  6th  Maine  despatched  a  little 
Louisiana  artillery  lieutenant,  who  was  lingering  after  the 
others  had  gone,  and  was  just  a.bout  to  pull  the  lanyard  of  a 
shotted  howitzer. 

"  Drop  that  lanyard!"  shouted  the  6th  Maine  officer.  The 
Louisianian  refused,  and  his  life  paid  the  forfeit.  Many  brave 
fellows  into  whose  faces  the  muzzle  of  the  gun  was  pointed 
were  saved  from  wounds  and  death. 

This  was  probably  the  bright,  sniooth-laced  youth,  with  skin 
as  clear  and  blood  as  pure  as  one  in  early  infancy,  who  lay 
dead  beside  a  gun  trail.  Some  rude  creature  had  promptly  re- 
moved his  boots.  His  foot  wasn't  the  size  of  a  fourteen-year- 
old  boy's,  and  what  practical  purjxisc  tho.se  boots  would  serve 
was  certainly  doubtful. 

The  20th  Maine,  still  flushed  with  the  memories  of  its  gal- 
lant deed  at  Round  Top.  not  lo  be  outdone  by  the  better 
opportunity  for  distinction  offered  its  brethren,  were  by  the  side 
of  the  others  the  instant  the  works  were  taken. 

The  garrison,  driven  from  their  works  and  cut  off  from  their 
pontoon,  retreated,  still  in  goodly  numbers,  to  a  thick  copse  of 
timber  to  their  left  and  our  right.  From  there  a  persistent  and 
destructive  fire  told  severely  on  the  flank  of  the  troops,  who, 
yet  unsupported,  held  the  captured  works.  But  Upton's  brig- 
ade was  speedily  upon  them,  and  men  and  guns  and  standards 
were  all  yielded  as  the  trophies  of  the  fight  just  as  the  evening 
twilight  shimmered  into  the  shadowy  darkness. 

General  Russell  and  Colonel  Allen,  of  the  5th  Wisconsin, 
were  both  wounded.  Line  officers  and  enlisted  men  were  killed 
and  disabled  in  numbers  largely  disproportionate  to  the  force 
engaged  and  time  employed  in  the  operation. 


—  344  — 

The  results  of  the  affair  were  1,500  prisoners,  four  guns  and 
seven  battle-flags.  Congratulatory  orders  from  army  and  corps 
head-quarters  suitably  recognized  the  gallantry  and  efficiency 
of  the  storming  party.  General  Russell  was  specially  assigned 
to  deliver  the  captured  colors  to  the  War  Department.  With 
his  usual  modesty  and  indisposition  for  display,  it  was  currently 
reported  that,  finding  the  secretary  employed,  he  bundled  up 
his  sacred  treasure  and,  noting  its  contents  upon  the  outside, 
hurried  to  the  front  again  in  spite  of  his  wound,  and  left  with- 
out even  presenting  himself  in  person  to  the  head  of  the  war 
office. 

It  was  quite  manifest  after  the  struggle  had  closed  that  the 
martial  line  and  fluttering,  defiant  standards  of  the  5th  Corps, 
so  prominently  displayed  upon  the  plain,  were  intended  to  at- 
tract the  enemy's  attention  while  the  columns  meant  for  the 
deadly  work  of  the  assault  were  massing  concealed  by  the  hill- 
side. It  was  rough  handling  for  a  parade  occasion,  but  the 
honors  achieved  by  the  daring  and  determined  action  of  our 
brother  soldiers  compensated  for  the  inconvenience. 

The  prisoners  were  of  Early's  division,  E well's  corps,  the 
famous  Louisiana  Tigers  and  Hoke's  brigade  of  North  Caro- 
lina troops,  all  commanded  by  a  Colonel  Godwin. 

The  Louisianians,  consulting  largely  a  prospective  improve- 
ment of  diet,  did  not  seem  to  be  seriously  discomfited.  "  Boys," 
shouted  one,  **  we  are  all  going  to  Washington  to  live  on  soft 
bread  and  fresh  beef,"  and  thereupon,  with  happy  unanimity, 
the  rest  chorused  his  sentiment  with  approving  cheers. 

General  Sykes,  after  the  fight,  took  Captain  Sharu'ood  to 
task  roundly  for  permitting  himself  to  be  forced  across  the  rail- 
way. The  captain,  greatly  elated  over  the  result  of  the  fight, 
responded  :  "  General,  if  the  devil  himself  had  been  in  command 
he  could  not  have  prevented  the  men  yielding  to  the  over- 
whelming pressure  from  the  left  that  forced  them  from  their 
position." 

"  Well,"  said  the  general,  smiling  at  the  odd  way  in  which 
the  captain  relieved  himself  from   his  responsibility,  "  if  that 


powerful   personage  could  have   done  no  better,  it  certainly 
exonerates  you  from  censure  or  reproof. " 

Captain  Sharwood  had  conducted  himself  heroically,  lie 
managed  his  trust  with  a  skill  and  sagacity  that  fully  compen- 
sated for  his  lack  of  experience  as  a  regimental  commander. 
He  had  secured  the  unbounded  confidence  of  his  soldiers  and 
won  a  respect  and  esteem  that  would  have  followed  him 
through  what  promised  to  be  a  most  successful  military  career; 
but  his  race  was  nearly  run.  Shortly  after  the  fight,  typhoid 
fever  seized  him  in  its  most  virulent  form.  Hurried  expediti- 
ously from  the  front, 
he  died  as  he  was  be- 
ing borne  uncon- 
scious into  his  resi- 
dence, on  the  2ist 
of  November,  1863. 
Captain  Sharwood 
entered  the  service 
prompted  .solely  by 
a  pure  spirit  of  patri- 
otism and  had  en- 
deared himself  to  a 
large  circle  of  mili- 
tary friends.  Mi.s 
superiors  trusted 
him ;  his  soldiers  ad- 
mired him.  He  was 
aman  of  culture  and 
refinement,  and  with  his  bright  intelligence  he  had  promptly 
gra.sped  and  dischai^ed  the  new  and  trying  duties  of  his  sol- 
dier's life. 

It  was  indistinguishable  darkness  when  everything  was  over. 
Too  late  or  tired  for  supper,  moved  to  a  patch  of  adjacent  tim- 
ber, tlie  weary  soldiers  promptly  sought  in  sleep  the  rest  thc>' 
so  much  needed. 

A  visit  to  the  captured  entrenchments  when  the  morning 


AIN  DEHDY  SHARWOOD. 


—  346  — 

dawned  showed  the  usual  debris  found  on  all  baiile-fields. 
Canteens,  haversacks,  muskets,  harness,  cannon,  limbers,  and 
other  articles  not  military,  such  as  trinkets,  mementos  and 
diaries,  lost  by  the  wounded  or  abandoned  in  the  hurry  of  a 
sudden  and  forced  departure,  were  the  silent  wjtnesses  of  quick 
work  and  unexpected  retreat.  The  earthwork  itself  gave  evi- 
dence of  a  severe  pounding.  The  view  from  the  parapet  was 
complete  over  the  entire  plain.  The  most  indifferent  artillerist 
could  not  have  failed  of  effective  practice. 

An  adjutant  of  one  of  the  regiments  in  the  assaulting  column 
had  his  horse  killed  in  this  action.  The  ball  had  entered  the 
stomach  and  bowels.  The  adjutant  had  heard  the  thud,  but  as 
the  animal  did  not  stagger,  he  could  not  conceive  that  it  was 
his  horse  that  had  been  hit,  and  rode  him  through  the  rest  of 
the  engagement  and  well  into  the  darkness.  In  the  act  of  dis- 
mounting, in  the  rear  of  his  regiment,  the  horse  rolled  over  and 
kicked  out  as  if  suffering  from  some  internal  disorder.  It  so 
happened  ihat  this  occurred  in  rear  of  a  company  composed 
entirely  of  Pennsylvania  Dutch,  all  of  them  farmers  and  well 
acquainted  with  horses.  Summoning  one  of  them  to  his  aid, 
the  adjutant  gave  instructions  to  bleed  the  horse  for  the  colic. 
The  Dutchman,  more  skilful  than  his  officer,  before  executing 
the  directions,  began  a  diagnosis.  Feeling  around  the  body 
of  the  horse  in  the  darkness,  he  came  across  the  wound,  and 
inserting  his  finger  its  full  length,  announced  the  result  of  his 
investigation  by  remarking:  "  Odjutant,  dot  horse  no  colic  got; 
vot  ails  him  is  he  is  dead ;  dere  vos  a  ball  gone  clean  through." 
The  trusty  brute  had  kept  his  feet  to  the  last,  and  then  rolled 
over  and  expired. 

A  general  officer  of  division  of  the  5th  Corps,  with  whose 
habits  in  battle  his  staff  had  not  yet  become  fully  acquainted, 
was  out  upon  the  skirmish  line,  while  the  skirmishers  were 
actively  engaged,  closely  observing  the  enemy  through  his 
field-glasses.  The  group  receiving  more  than  their  fair  share 
of  attention,  one  of  the  staff  ventured  to  remark :  **  General,  are 
you  aware  you  arc  on  the  skirmish  line  ?  " 


-  347  — 

"  Fully,  sir.  fully,"  was  the  general's  quick  response.  "  Gen- 
tlemen, you  have  my  permission  to  retire  and  seek  whatever 
cover  or  protection  your  tastes  or  inclinations  dictate.  Come, 
orderly,  you  and  I  will  attend  to  the  rest  of  this  business." 

The  cut  was  keen ;  of  course  they  did  not  retire,  but  stuck  it 
out  manfully,  each  one  vying  with  the  other  as  to  which  could 
expose  himself  the  most  recklessly. 

The  next  day  after  Rappahannock  Station  General  Bartlett 
brought  the  entire  brigade  under  discipline.  Rations  had  be- 
come lamentably  short.  It  was  not  unusual  on  such  occasions 
when  any  mounted  officer  appeared  to  set  up  a  universal  shout 
of  "hard  tack."  General  Bartlett  happened  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  brigade.  He  was  mistaken  for  the  commissary,  and  pierc- 
ing yells  of  "  hard  tack,  fresh  beef,  coflee,"  followed  him  out  of 
hearing.  He  remembered  it  though,  and  for  this  little  innocent 
amusement  the  punishment  was  that  each  regiment  should  be 
drilled  in  battalion  manceuvres  until  the  division  commander 
ordered  a  ce.ssation.  A  "  hard  tack  "  and  not  a  "  Hardic  "  drill 
the  men  styled  it.  The  general  was  in  such  a  mood  that  he 
would  have  continued  the  exercises  into  the  darkness  if  a  sud- 
den order  to  move  had  not  prevented.  By  the  time  another 
opportunity  was  at  hand  for  resumption  full  rations  had 
arrived,  well-lined  ■itomach-i  created  a  better  feeling,  and  the 
old  oDence  passed  into  forget  fulness. 

The  effect  of  this  Rappahannock  Station  success  seemed  to 
have  worked  some  little  enthusiasm  into  the  now  non-demon- 
strative army.  Within  a  few  days  General  Meade,  or  "Old 
Four-eyes,"  as  he  was  still  familiarly  called  in  his  absence,  ap- 
pearing in  the  vicinity  of  one  of  the  divisions  of  the  5th  Corps, 
was  received  with  rousing,  approving  and  appreciative  cheers. 

On  the  8th  the  brigade  moved  to  Kelly's  Ford,  crossed  the 
river  there  and  bivouacked  some  five  miles  beyond.  On  the 
afternoon  of  the  9th  it  returned  to  Kelly's  Ford,  recrossed  the 
river  during  the  evening  and  went  into  bivouac  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  wagon-train  park.  On  the  lOth  position  was  shifted  to 
a  more  &vorabIe  site  in  a  neighboring  belt  of  timber.     It  had 


—  348  — 

snowed  on  the  Sth,  and  cold,  bitter  winds  followed  the  storm. 
This  camp  was  not  distant  from  that  spot  of  pleasant  memories 
and  associations,  in  the  vicinity  of  Gold  Farm,  where  the  regi- 
ment had  remained  for  a  week  or  so  just  preceding  the  Gettys- 
bui^  campaign.  On  the  19th  the  camp  near  Kelly's  Ford  was 
broken,  the  river  again  crossed  and  a  camp  established  at  Paoli 
Mills,  on  the  banks  of  a  stream  which  appeared  to  bear  the 
neighborhood  designation  of  Mountain  Run.  It  empties  into 
the  Rappahannock  just  below  Kelly's  Ford,  and  the  mill  is  situ- 
ated a  few  miles  from  its  mouth. 

Here  the  Confederates  had 
been  for  some  time  encamped, 
with  the  evident  expectation 
of  a  winter  occupancy.  Their 
quarters  had  been  substan- 
tially constructed.  The  work- 
manship was  good;  shingles 
covered  the  roof  instead  of 
canvas.  Hinged  doors  and 
window  sashes,  with  glass, 
were  decided  improvements 
on  the  winter  homes  of  the 
Union  soldiers.  It  was  rather 
surprising  that  when  the  ene- 
mv  ibindoned  these  homes 
the\  hid  not  destroyed  them, 
but  with  the  exception  of 
what  had   been   orobablv   a 

MAJOR  AM)  BRFVFT  IIFITFNANT  pwuaL-ij 

LouisFi  HF\R\  osuLL  \ erj    "icant  supply  of  furni- 

ture, which  had  been  removed,  they  were  as  complete  as  when 
occupied. 

At  this  camp  Captain  Charles  11.  Fernald  met  with  an  acci- 
dent which  resulted  in  a  broken  leg.  It  necessitated  his  with- 
drawal from  the  front  temporarily,  and  he  was  sent  home  for 
treatment. 

And  here  Major  Henrj'  O'Neill,  returning  from  his  detail  to 


the  Philadelphia  diaSt  rendezvous,  with  his  commission  in  that 
rank,  assumed,  in  the  absence  of  the  other  field-officers,  com- 
mand of  the  regiment. 

The  major  was  somewhat  elated  with  this  new  and  prominent 
rank.  With  a  courage  that  never  flinched,  and  distinguished 
for  bravery,  he  lacked  some  of  the  requirements  indispensable 
to  the  proper  discharge  of  the  high  responsibilities  of  his  new 
station.  He  had  been  advanced  by  virtue  of  his  seniority. 
His  promotion  received  no  distinctive  announcement  of 
approval.  There  was  no  outspoken  complaint,  but  many 
serious  mutterings  of  apprehension.  His  known  inaptitude  for 
command,  except  in  courage  and  willingness,  was  a  source 
of  much  anxiety.  His  readiness  to  accept  suggestions,  his 
profound  respect  for  his  superiors,  it  was  conceived  would 
carry  him  with  reasonable  success  through  the  ciinipaign  which 
it  was  then  pretty  well  understood  would  shortly  open.  Nor 
was  the  major  disposed  to  be  rigorous,  overbearing,  offensive 
or  dogmatic.  He  felt  that  he  was  in  some  measure  lacking  in 
military  qualifications,  and  except  where  his  personal  prejudices 
carried  him  beyond  propriety  was  ready  to  receive  advice  and 
counsel.  He  had  not  forgotten  the  quaint  pronunciation  of  the 
land  of  his  nativity,  I  lis  Celtic  speech  was  quite  apparent,  and 
his  mode  of  expression,  whether  meant  to  be  humorous  or 
intended  to  be  serious,  was  always  provocative  of  laughter. 

The  major  was  the  feature  of  the  Mine  Run  campaign.  The 
many  mistakes  he  made,  the  narrow  margin  he  at  one  time  left 
for  his  entire  command  between  freedom  and  captivity,  and  his 
ultimate  displacement  with  his  full  acquiescence  by  the  lieuten- 
ant-colonel of  another  regiment,  make  it  essential  that  he  should 
be  fully  and  fairly  understood  as  a  man  and  an  officer. 

O'Neill  has  long  since  been  gathered  to  his  fathers.  He 
served  his  country  faithfully.  Absolutely  without  fear,  he  was 
a  striking  figure  in  every  engagement,  from  none  of  which  save 
two  was  he  absent.  He  remained  with  his  colors  to  the  very 
end,  and,  upon  his  return  to  civil  life,  was  appointed  to  positions 
of  trust  and  confidence.     He  died  with  the  e.stecm  and  respect 


—  350  — 

of  those  whom  he  served,  and  with  the  affection  and  regard  of 
his  surviving  military  associates.  He  had  only  failed  as  a  regi- 
mental commander.  This  place  he  never  sought,  and  when  it 
was  thrust  upon  him  at  a  trying  moment,  he  gracefully  conceded 
his  inefficiency  and  cordially  yielded  to  the  necessity  for  his 
withdrawal,  but  insisted  upon  his  right  to  still  measure  swords 
with  the  foe.  "  Do  with  me,"  said  he,  "  what  best  suits  your 
judgment.  You  may  deprive  me  of  any  command,  but  not  of 
my  right  to  fight,  and  that  I  will  do  wherever  you  may  place 
me. 

The  major's  first  public  appearance  in  the  garb  of  his  increased 
rank  attracted  considerable  attention.  It  was  flashy  and  gaudy, 
of  a  st>'le  apparently  his  own,  and  new  and  bright,  strangely  in 
contrast  with  the  rough,  well-worn  garments  and  insignia  of  his 
brother  officers.  His  cap,  on  the  top  and  around  the  brim,  was 
braided  with  rows  of  gold  tinsel,  and  broad  gold  stripes  adorned 
his  trousers.  A  tight  double-breasted  jacket,  mounted  with 
most  gorgeous  shoulderstraps,  with  the  sleeves  braided  to  the 
elbow,  fitted  his  body  jauntily.  The  enormous  legs  of  his  boots 
extended  almost  to  his  hips,  a  bright  scabbard,  fine  Damascus 
blade,  and  shining  spurs  completed  his  appointments.  The  of- 
ficers gathered  about  him  in  amazement  at  such  magnificence, 
and  mildly  suggested  that  he  had  violently  abused  the  **  bill  of 
dress  "  in  arraying  himself  in  such  unusual  raiment.  He  in- 
sisted that  it  was  *'  rigulation,"  and  defended  his  taste  for  dis- 
play by  reference  to  his  early  training  whilst  on  duty  with  the 
British  Indian  contingent. 

"This  was  the  way  we  used  to  dress  in  Injee,"  said  he, 
humorously,  with  quaint  Celtic  accent,  "  and  it  was  a  beautiful 
sight  entirely  to  see  the  *  callants ' " — a  term  of  his  own  for  the 
British  officers — "  paraded  on  occasion  of  state.  I  disremember 
just  when  it  was,  but  it  was  when  the  governor-general  made 
a  Mason  of  the  rajee.  The  liftenant- general  in  command  was 
kivered  with  his  medals  and  his  medallions  and  his  sash  and 
his  plumes,  and  the  foot  and  the  horse  and  the  artillery  were 
out  in  full  rigimentals.     The  rajee  came  down  with  his  camels 


—  35'  — 

and  his  aliphanti  and  his  whole  ratinew,  and  there  was  bowing 
and  scraping  and  damn  humbug-ging  over  the  owld  divil,  unti! 
our  regiment  was  reached,  and  llicn  at  command  they  let  out 
of  them  such  a  screech  that  it  made  the  aliphants  cock  up  their 
trunks  and  trumpet  like  the  divil .  and  made  the  camels  and  the 
whole  ratinew  fooster  and  fumble  and  tremble  at  Her  Majestic "s 
Fool,  Och  I  there  was  a  divil  of  a  time,"  and  so  he  dismissed 
all  the  adverse  comments,  seemingly  conscious  that  his  happy 
illustration  had  conquered  the  prejudices  of  his  American  as- 
sociates. The  ridicule  which  for  a  while  everywhere  greeted 
his  appearance  sorely  taxed  the  patience  of  his  brother  officers, 
but  in  their  attempts  to  criticise  him  they  were  likely  to  wind 
up  with  explosions  of  laughter. 

About  this  time  a  review  of  the  battalion  was  ordered,  at 
which  the  major  constituted  himself  both  commandant  and  re- 
viewing officer.  He  appeared  mounted,  his  trousers  hidden  al- 
most completely  by  his  "  seven-league  boots '■  and  with  his  sword 
at  a  right-shoulder- shift,  his  favorite  way  of  carrying  that  weapon, 
he  dashed  madly  to  the  right  of  the  regiment.  All  the  earlier 
ceremonies  of  present  arms,  opening  ranks,  stirring  music,  the 
personal  observation  of  front  and  rear  rank,  were  omitted.  The 
major's  habit  was  to  run  his  commands  togelhor  with  such 
rapidity  that  the  words  were  scarce  distinguishable,  concluding 
with  the  command  of  execution — that  he  always  had  right — 
in  a  high  and  piercing  key.  Better  probably  that  he  did,  for 
that  alone  indicated  the  movement.  The  cautionary  directions 
were  altogether  of  his  own  manufacture.  He  disdained  to  be 
cramped  by  adherence  to  the  tactics.  Familiarity  with  his 
methods,  and  general  knowledge  of  what  he  proposed  to  accom- 
plish, extricated  the  battalion  from  staggering  difficulties.  On 
this  occasion  he  had  announced  the  review,  but  continued  him- 
>Llf  in  command.  From  the  right  he  began  the  ceremony  with : 
"  Break  into  open  colunm  of  companies  right  in  front  the  kiver- 
ing  sergeants  will  be  responsible  for  the  distance — 'march,'" 
and  then  seeing  the  column  properly  in  motion,  hurried  off  to 
take  his  place  as  the   reviewing   officer.     Having   passed  in 


—  352  — 

creditable  shape,  the  leading  captain  was  conducting  die  col- 
umn to  its  place  preparatory  to  the  formation  of  line  for  the 
concluding  "  present,"  when,  tired  of  the  operation,  or  believing 
that  it  had  really  ended,  O'Neill  suddenly  broke  up  the  afiair 
with  the  startling  and  unheard-of  command  in  stentorian  tones : 

"  Halt !  disperse,  and  be  d d  to  you !     Every  man  to  his 

quarters  at  once." 


OFTEN  SEEN  AFTER  A 
HARD  MARCH, 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


IHNE  aira. 


7INF.  RUN  isanin- 
isiderable  stream 
flowing  northward 
and  emptying  into 
the  Rapidan  at  Mit- 
chi:irs  Ford.  Its 
precipitous,  rocky, 
wooded  banks  are 
themselves  fonnid- 
ablc,  and  strength- 
ened, as  its  left  bank 
was,  by  strong  earth- 
works, ihe  dislodj^ement  of  the  enemy  by  direct  assault  from 
tiiat  position,  in  a  season  of  biting  cold,  long  nights  and  short 
days,  was  soon  determined  to  be  wholly  impracticable  except 
at  a  loss  disproportionate  to  the  results  expected. 

The  enemy's  works  faced  east  and  extended  to  the  southward. 
Mis  left  rested  near  the  Rapidan;  his  right  in  the  vicinity  of 
Hope  Church.  It  was  designed  to  draw  him  into  action  before 
he  was  secure  in  the  occupancy  of  this  position.  With  this  in 
view,  the  army  was  divided  into  three  columns,  the  first  or 
right  column,  consisting  of  the  3d  (French)  and  6th  Corps 
iSedgwick),  the  former  leading,  was  to  cross  the  Rapidan  at 
Jacob's  Mill  Ford;  the  second  or  centre  column,  consisting  of 
tlif  3d  Corps  (Warren),  was  to  cross  at  Germanna  Ford,  and  the 
third  or  left  column,  composed  of  the  1st  (Newton)  and  5th 
'Jor[>s  (Sykcs).  at  Culpepper  Mine  Ford.  The  march  of  this 
left  column,  directed  towards  Parker's  Store,  a  name  which 
13  (353) 


—  354  — 

grew  to  greater  familiarity  in  the  next  campaign,  was  neces- 
sarily the  most  extended.  The  right  and  centre  columns  were 
to  rendezvous  in  the  vicinity  of  Robertson's  Tavern. 

The  2d  Corps  was  at  the  rendezvous  at  the  appointed  time, 
but  French,  who  was  leading  the  two  right  corps,  stumbled  on 
the  wrong  road,  struck  the  enemy  in  some  force  in  the  vicinity 
of  Locust  Grove,  and  after  something  of  a  tussle,  in  which  both 
sides  suffered  considerable  loss,  finally  straightened  himself 
out  and  reached  his  rendezvous  twenty-four  hours  too  late. 

Foiled  by  French's  blunder  in  what  bid  fair  to  be  a  real  sur- 
prise, a  change  of  plan  was  necessitated  and  Warren  was  sent 
to  strike  beyond  the  enemy's  extreme  right  near  the  head  of 
the  run.  Too  little  of  daylight  was  left  to  attempt  the  assault 
after  the  columns  were  disposed  for  it,  and  the  operation  was 
suspended  till  the  dawn.  Meantime  the  enemy  had  not  been 
idle.  During  the  night  he  so  strengthened  and  extended  his 
fortifications  that  when  daylight  revealed  their  increased  and 
formidable  proportions  General  Warren  deemed  the  enterprise 
too  hazardous  an  undertaking  to  warrant  his  attempting  it  The 
nipping  cold  had  become  intense.  Every  soldier  hit  would 
have  probably  died  on  the  field,  and  Warren,  believing  that  his 
commanding  officer  would  sustain  his  action,  heroically  declined 
to  fire  the  guns  which  were  to  announce  the  general  assault, 
and  so  with  a  few  indifferent  skirmishes,  and  the  affair  at  the 
Grove  and  Robinson's  Tavern,  and  an  occasional  artillery  duel, 
the  Mine  Run  lines  were  abandoned,  and  what  promised  to  be 
a  fairly  successful  campaign  passed  into  history  without  a 
battle. 

And  now  for  the  narrative  as  it  chiefly  bears  upon  the  j>er- 
formances  of  the  i  i8th  Pennsylvania  in  this  the  last  of  its  field 
operations  in  the  waning  days  of  the  stirring  and  eventful  year 
1863. 

The  camp  at  Paoli  Mills  was  broken  at  seven  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  the  26th  of  November,  and  rationed  for  ten  days, 
and  with  ammunition  trains  only,  the  column  commenced 
its  march  towards    the  Rapidan,    crossing    it    at    Culpepper 


Mine  Ford.  It  was  a  lonesome,  dreary  tramp.  Save  where 
the  route  lay  along  the  Stevensburg  Plank  Road,  it  was  by 
narrow  roadways  through  dark,  dense  forests  so  tliick  with 
undei^rowth  as  to  be  impenetrable  to  the  eye  beyond  a  few 
yards  from  the  roadside.  It  was  a  tedious  and  wearisome  day. 
and  its  work  was  not  completed  until  ten  at  night,  when  the 
tired  troops  were  halted,  as  far  as  their  limited  geographical 
advantages  permitted  them  to  judge,  somewhere  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  Wilderness  Tavern. 

On  the  37th  the  regiment  was  detailed  as  flankers,  a  duty 
which  threw  it  well  to  the  left  of  the  column,  and  devolved 
upon  its  commanding  officer  a  delicate,  important  and  critical 
responsibility.  This  the  major  sufficiently  realized  to  admin- 
ister to  his  officers  before  the  movement  began  a  few  word-f  of 
caution,  advice,  and  instruction.  "  This."  said  he,  "  is  an  im- 
portant'juty  :"  the  enemy  may  be  upon  us  at  any  moment. 
We  arc  far  out  in  his  country,  and  there  are  no  troops  to  the 
left  of  us ;  it  behooves  you,  gentlemen,  therefore  to  '  look  sharp ' 
and  not  be  '  marking  time ; ' "  and  turning  to  Captain  Kelly, 
which  intelligent  officer  had  unhappily  fallen  under  hi.-;  dire  dis- 
pleasure, he  continued ;  "  Kelly,  you'll  just  be  after  keeping  on 
the  line,  and  not  be  prancing  about  picking  out  dry  pl.iccs — but 
mind  and  look  sharp,  Kelly."  Captain  Kelly,  neat  and  dapper 
in  his  appearance,  had  been  in  the  habit  on  the  march  of  avoid- 
ing, if  there  was  opportunity,  pools  of  mud  and  water  that  inter- 
fered with  his  notions  of  persona!  cleanliness.  It  was  a  knowl- 
edge of  this,  probably,  that  induced  the  major,  who  was  of 
opinion  that  a  soldier  should  shun  nothing,  to  be  unduly  severe 
on  him. 

To  Donaldson  was  specially  assigned  the  centre,  to  Donegan 
the  left,  while  the  major  assumed  the  control  and  supervision 
of  the  right.  The  deployment  was  effected  with  some  irregu- 
larity, and  the  march  began  at  seven  o'clock.  Slow  progress 
was  made  through  the  dense  and  thick  underbrush  and  timber 
until  the  road  on  which  the  main  column  was  moving  inter- 
sected the  Fredericksburg  and  Orange  Plank  Road.     Here  the 


—  3S6  — 

column  turned  abruptly  to  the  right  into  the  Plank  Road,  the 
flankers  conforming  their  movements  to  the  new  direction. 

The  centre  of  the  flankers  was  well  around  in  the  change  of 
direction,  when  loud  noise  and  apparent  confusion  in  the 
marching  column  attracted  such  general  attention  as  to  in- 
stinctively cause  a  halt.  The  column  itself  was  not  in  sight, 
but  the  commands  "  halt,"  "  front,"  "  steady  there,"  "  load  at 
will,"  "  load,"  came  from  it  in  loud  and  distinct  tones,  and  then 
away  off  to  the  right  a  single  cannon  shot  boomed  sullenly; 
then  there  was  rapid  musketry  firing  for  a  moment  and  all  was 
quiet  again. 

The  disturbance  arose  from  a  daring  and  partially  successful 
attempt  to  steal  the  wagon  train.  The  train  was  moving  par- 
allel with  the  troops.  When  the  leading  wagon  reached  the 
Plank  Road,  where  it  should  have  turned  to  the  right,  two  ex- 
pert fellows,  who  had  adroitly  concealed  themselves,  sprang 
from  the  timber  and,  mounting  beside  the  driver,  with  levelled 
pistols  compelled  him  to  continue  in  the  same  direction.  The 
others,  who  had  not  seen  what  had  taken  place,  naturally  fol- 
lowed. No  one  in  the  vicinity  had  any  other  instructions  ex- 
cept to  follow,  and  no  one  knew  that  the  train  was  not  pur- 
suing the  course  marked  out  for  it  until  Captain  Bankson,  the 
brigade  inspector,  observing  it  winding  over  the  hills  away 
outside  of  the  lines,  set  himself  about  to  inquire  the  cause, 
and  return  the  straggling  trains  if  possible  to  their  place. 
Meanwhile  the  enemy,  who  lay  concealed  in  small  force  await- 
ing the  result  of  the  ruse  they  had  practiced,  becoming  alarmed 
at  their  own  temerity,  opened  fire  on  the  mules,  killing  them 
promiscuously,  and  then  made  their  escape.  This  was  the 
musketry  that  had  attracted  attention  when  the  column  and 
the  flankers  halted.  There  were  no  animals  to  bring  the 
wagons  back  again.  The  delay  in  procuring  others  to  replace 
those  shot,  and  detaching  troops  to  protect  the  wagons  in  the 
interval,  was  not  deemed  to  be  warranted  by  the  small  loss  at- 
tending their  destruction,  and  besides,  as  the  enemy  was  be- 
lieved to  be  near  in  considerable  strength.  Captain  Bankson 


~  357  - 


assumed  the  responsibility,  and  by  his  direction  some  fifteen  or 
twenty  wagons  were  destroyed, 

The  enemy  singly  and  in  small  detachments  seemed  to  have 
worked  his  way  close  up  to  and  occasionally  inside  our  lines. 
He  was  evidently,  at  great  personal  risk,  in  search  of  informa- 
tion as  to  the  purpose  and  direction  of  a  campaign  which  had 
apparently  so  far  baffled  him. 

Lieuicnant-Colonel  Sherwin,  22d  Massachusetts,  noticing  a 
cavalrj-man  closely  buttoned  in  a  Union  great  coat  intently  ob- 
serving the  column,  rode  to  him  and,  not  receiving  satisfactory 
responses  to  his  interrogations,  demanded  he  should  open  his 
coat  and  expose  the  uniform  underneath.  His  hesitancy  con- 
firmed the  colonel's  suspicions.  I!e  instantly  drew  his  revolver. 
and  with  his  other  hand  tore  open  the  coat.  Beneatli  was  a 
Confederate  uniform.  Further  parley  was  unnecessary;  a  well- 
directed  shot  brought  tlie  career  of  the  spy  to  a  sudden  termi- 
nation. His  body  lay  where  it  fell,  and  many,  as  the  column 
passed,  to  confirm  the  story  whicli  was  soon  abroad,  dropped 
out  to  view  it.  This  man  had  evidently  been  instructed  among 
other  things  to  count  the  numbers  moving  to  the  Union  left. 
Unable  to  secure  a  satisfactory  point  of  observation  from  a  dis- 
tance, and  deeming  the  duly  of  sufficient  importance  to  warrant 
the  risk,  he  took  his  life  in  his  hands,  and  ventured  once  too 
often  within  the  Union  lines.  Scouts  and  spies  on  both  sides 
had  always  at  hand  sufficient  clothing  to  elude  investigation, 
except  when  too  closely  pressed. 

These  aliTairs  reflected  materially  upon  the  vigilance  and 
sagacity  of  the  flankers,  but  the  major  could  not  conceive  that 
he  was  in  any  way  responsible.  Referring  during  the  day, 
while  the  march  still  continued,  to  the  capture  of  the  wagon 
train,  he  said  :  "  Where's  that  old  woman  Donegan,  and  what 
in  the  divil  did  he  let  the  wagon  train  be  captured  for? — 
the  ould  pirate."  An  officer  ventured  the  reply  that  the 
blame  could  not  be  attached  to  Donegan,  but  the  entire  line 
was  more  or  less  directly  involved  in  the  blunder.  This 
aroused  the  major.     He  considered  that  personally  he  had 


-358- 

been  charged  with  delinquency  and,  turning  abruptly  on  the 
officer  who  had  ventured  this  wholesale  condemnation  of  the 
management  of  the  morning,  said :  "  On  me,  is  it  ?  to  the  divil 
with  them  ;  do  they  think  I  was  bothering  about  a  lot  of  bush- 
wackers  ?  "  and  then  subsiding  a  little  and  drifting  off  to  his  ever- 
paramount  animosity  to  Kelly,  continued  :  "And  when  did  you 
see  Kelly  larst  ?  Och !  that  Kelly  is  an  ould  divil ;  tell  him  I 
want  him  ;  I  want  to  keep  my  eye  upon  him."  And  so,  with 
an  apparent  complacent  conviction  that  wherever  blame  might 
subsequently  fall  it  must  be  upon  Donegan  and  not  upon  him- 
self, he  dismissed  the  subject  entirely. 

Quiet  restored,  the  march  was  resumed,  the  column  still 
moving  on  the  Plank  Road.  The  flankers  preserved  the  requi* 
site  distance,  more  alert  from  the  events  of  the  morning,  until 
they  were  suddenly  plunged  into  the  bed  of  an  unfinished  rail- 
way which  ran  parallel  with  the  road.  The  cuts  were  in  many 
places  of  a  continuing  depth  of  six  feet  and  upwards,  and  along 
the  entire  route  the  banks  rose  high  enough  to  practically  cut 
off  all  opportunity  for  observation.  What  purpose  flankers 
would  serve,  instructed  to  be  vigilant,  in  such  a  place  of  con- 
cealment, was  beyond  the  ken  of  those  who  had  a  reasonable 
comprehension  of  the  duties  of  troops  who  were  to  be,  for  the 
time,  the  *'  eyes  and  cars  of  the  army." 

When  this  had  continued  long  enough  to  satisfy  those  in  the 
rear  that  this  path  had  not  been  taken  to  avoid  obstacles  and 
obstructions,  several  of  the  officers  essayed  to  push  forward  and 
find  the  major.  To  move  afoot  along  a  column  of  flankers  in 
motion  requires  many  long  and  rapid  strides.  Eventually  the 
major  was  reached,  and  when  it  was  respectfully  intimated  that 
he  WIS  pursuing  a  most  unusual  course  in  conducting  his  troops 
by  a  route  where  they  were  wholly  useless  for  the  duties  allotted 
them,  he  seemed  to  be  decidedly  of  the  opinion  that  it  was  the 
enemy's  business  to  find  him  and  not  his  to  find  the  enemy. 
Remonstrated  with  seriously  and  besought  to  move  his  flankers 
to  the  rising  ground  upon  his  left,  he  persisted  in  continuing 
them  where  tliey  were  and  could  not  be  moved  from  his  deter* 


minatJon.  It  was  while  moving  in  this  same  cut,  two  days 
afterwards,  a  short  distance  beyond  Hope  Church,  that  Miles's 
division  of  the  2d  Corps  stirred  up  quite  a  skirmish. 

Darkness  was  now  fast  approaching  and  the  column  had  not 
been  seen  or  communicated  with  for  some  hours.  O'Neill  had 
failed  to  keep  up  his  communications,  but  had  been  permitted, 
nevertheless,  to  wander  along  without  being  looked  after,  not- 
withstanding the  direction  had  been  changed  to  a  point  not  in- 
tended when  the  march  began  in  the  morning.  During  the 
afternoon  of  the  27th  the  Jst  and  5th  Corps  were  withdrawn 
from  Hope  Church,  on  the  Plank  Road,  the  point  to  which  the 
march  had  been  directed,  to  Robertson's  Tavern,  on  the  Turn- 
pike, some  miles  to  the  north  of  it.  Of  this  O'Neill  was  not 
advised,  and  it  was  a  long  time  before  he  discovered  that  'the 
column  had  left  him,  to  make  the  Tavern,  at  some  of  the  by- 
roads which  connected  the  Turnpike  with  the  Plank  Road. 

Still  in  the  cut,  the  flankers  were  halted  and  Thomas  sent  to 
communicate  with  the  column.  He  travelled  in  the  direction 
he  supposed  the  right  one,  a  mile  or  more,  but  his  search  was 
inelTectual.  lie  saw  nothing  of  the  troops,  heard  nothing  to 
indicate  their  whereabouts;  saw,  in  fact,  nobody.  Receiving 
the  report  of  Thomas  and  his  failure  to  discover  either  the 
tmo])';  or  xvhithcr  thej-  h.ni  gone,  the  major  immediately  faced 
his  flankers  to  the  left  and  moved  them  as  a  skirmish  line  to  a 
rising  knoll  about  a  mile  distant.  The  location  was  near  Hope 
Church,  as  was  subsequently  ascertained,  and  not  far  from  the 
point  where  Warren  two  days  afterwards  formed  his  columns 
for  the  intended  assault  on  the  enemy's  right.  It  was  by  no 
means  a  comfortable  position ;  a  single  regiment  exposed  with- 
out support,  with  no  communication  with  other  troops,  nor  a 
knowledge  even  of  where  they  were,  with  a  long  winter's  night 
before  them. 

.*\  prospect  of  a  hard  fight  or  wholesale  capture  in  the  morn- 
injj  was  certainly  not  conducive  to  the  quiet  repose  to  which  a 
weary  march  had  entitled  the  soldiers.  Most  commanders  so 
situated  would  have  utilized  the  hours  of  darkness  for  a  means 


i 


I 


—  36o  -  - 

of  extrication  before  the  break  of  dawn  should  reveal  their  weak 
and  exposed  position.  Instead,  O'Neill  was  determined  to  rest 
where  he  was  and  take  his  chances  for  withdrawal  in  the  broad 
light  of  day.  His  better  judgment  may  have  been  swerved  by 
the  very  comfortable  quarters  which  presented  themselves  in 
the  shape  of  a  cosy  old  house  located  on  the  top  of  the  knoll 
and  near  which  the  right  of  his  skirmish  line  rested.  This  he 
promptly  announced,  for  that  night  at  least,  should  be  devoted 
to  the  uses  and  purposes  of  a  regimental  head-quarters.  Tak- 
ing no  thought  of  the  gravity  of  the  situation,  with  apparently 
no  anxiety  at  the  dangers  attending  his  exposure,  leaving  direc- 
tion to  have  the  line  remain  as  it  was,  and  to  be  wakened  in 
case  of  alarm,  and  remarking  that  he  was  very  weary,  after  a 
light  bite,  booted  and  spurred,  he  rolled  himself  into  the  best 
bed  in  the  house  and  never  awoke  till  the  dawr^  of  day  aroused 
him. 

The  house,  locked,  bolted  and  barred,  had  been  apparently 
but  recently  abandoned.  This  conjecture,  from  these  superfi- 
cial indications,  was  subsequently  confirmed  by  actual  investi- 
gation. Kelly  and  Walters  proceeded  to  a  closer  examination. 
With  a  bayonet  they  pried  open  the  shutter  and  Walters,  raised 
on  the  shoulders  of  a  couple  of  strong  men,  hoisted  the  sash 
and  jumped  into  the  total  darkness  that  prevailed  within.  A 
sudden  crash  followed.  Feeling  his  way  cautiously  to  the  front 
door  he  succeeded  in  unbolting  it,  and  with  the  aid  of  the  little 
daylight  still  left  and  a  bit  of  candle  fortunately  at  hand,  Wal- 
ters discovered  the  obstruction  that  impeded  his  progress  from 
the  window-sill  to  the  floor.  An  old-fashioned  spinning-wheel 
was  just  beneath  it,  and  his  heavy  jump  had  smashed  it  to  a 
useless  mass  of  rubbish. 

The  house  had  indeed  been  but  recently  vacated.  Upon  the 
sideboard  was  a  chicken,  freshly  cleaned,  picked  and  ready  for 
the  fire.  The  table  was  set  with  bread  newly  cut,  cups  filled 
with  coffee,  or  what  had  the  appearance  of  it,  and  the  family 
were  evidently  just  about  to  sit  down  to  their  evening  meal 
when  the  coming  of  this  small  body  of  troops,  which  they 


CHARI.KS    K..  K.VRK, 


-  36i- 

doubtless  mistook  for  the  advance  of  the  army,  abruptly  termi- 
nated their  preparations.  It  was  from  what  was  spread  upon 
the  board  O'Neill  took  his  httle  bite.  The  presence  of  the 
fowl  was  concealed  from  him,  and  the  dainty  morsel  cooked 
and  disposed  of  later  on,  when  he  had  wrapped  himself  in  slum- 
bers. All  present  promptly  applied  themselves  to  the  bread 
and  coflfee,  heedless  of  the  remark  that  insidious  poison  might 
lurk  within,  promising,  however,  an  investigation  and  analysis 
when  there  was  more  leisure  and  less  hunger.  The  kitchen 
ceiling  was  hung  with  strings  of  dried  fruit.  The  floor  of  the 
loft  was  covered  with  walnuts,  chestnuts,  shellbarks  and  hick- 
ory nuts.  The  beds  were  neat  and  clean,  well  covered  with 
quilts,  upon  which  lay  quite  tasty  blue  and  white  counterpanes. 
Glowing  embers  still  flickered  in  the  old-fashioned  fireplace; 
fed  with  fresh  logs  and  stirred  with  expert  hands,  they  soon 
lightened  into  a  ruddy,  cheerful  blaze. 

Relieving  each  other  occasionally  from  their  duties  on  the 
line,  the  officers  utilized  the  opportunity  the  house  afTorded  for 
enjoying  its  fire  and  partaking  of  its  supplies.  The  situation 
seemed  too  perilous  to  warrant  repose,  and  the  night  was  spent 
about  the  roaring,  blazing  fire,  cracking  jokes  and  nuts  and 
lunching  at  inlcr\-als  on  stewed  fruit,  chicken  and  the  balance 
of  the  soft  bread.  Serious  thoughts  occasionally  found  utter- 
ance as  to  the  careless  content  of  the  commanding  officer, 
who  snored  away  lustily,  totally  oblivious  of  his  grave  respon- 
sibilities. 

And  so  the  night  passed,  followed  by  a  dark  and  gloomy 
morning.  Threatening  clouds  hung  low,  promising  a  heavy 
and  early  rainfall. 

It  was  not  yet  daylight  when  a  good-sized  pig  came  wander- 
ing along.  He  was  sat  upon  instantly  by  one  man,  who  held 
his  feet  as  well.  Another  put  both  his  hands  firmly  around  his 
Miout.  that  he  might  neither  enter  a  protest  nor  make  an  appeal 
to  the  oflicers.  Still  another  vainly  endeavored  to  cut  his  throat 
with  a  jackknife  that  had  been  dulled  by  long  use  upon  salted 
portions  of  the  porker's  relations.     Captain  Wilson  made  his 


—    3^2   — 

appearance.  The  trio  suddenly  remembered  that  the  eating  of 
pork  was  forbidden  in  the  Scriptures.  They  rose  quickly  to 
their  feet,  and,  kicking  the  pig,  to  signify  their  intense  loathings 
sent  him  off  as  a  scapegoat  into  the  wilderness. 

Off  on  the  edge  of  a  piece  of  timber,  along  a  ridge  of  high 
ground  in  front,  daylight  revealed  the  enemy's  cavalry  deployed 
on  a  fairly  strong  skirmish  line.  Each  side  watched  the  other 
intently,  neither  seemingly  disposed  to  press  their  investigations 
beyond  what  might  be  gleaned  from  distant  and  close  observa- 
tion. A  line  of  infantry  skirmishers  evidently  deceived  the 
enemy  into  the  belief  that  it  must,  as  it  should,  have  had  strong 
and  available  supports  behind  it.  It  was  this  belief  that  ulti- 
mately permitted  us  to  move  off  unmolested.  The  men  were 
anxiously  watchful ;  to  their  minds  a  determined  dash  of  the 
enemy,  although  met  by  a  volley  that  would  empty  a  few 
saddles,  must  eventually  result  in  our  rout  and  capture. 

"  ril  be  blamed  if  Owld  Teddy  hasn't  been  attempting  to 
effect  a  connection  with  the  enemy's  line,"  said  one  of  the  men^ 
and  so  it  did  appear,  for  if  any  connections  were  to  be  made  at 
all  that  was  the  only  one  in  the  neighborhood  with  which  to 
connect.  The  officers,  however,  did  not  fear  the  dash  so  much 
as  they  did  the  probable  discovery  of  the  airy  condition  of  the 
two  flanks.  It  was  quite  evident  from  O'NeiU's  disposition 
he  would  have  fought  it  out  to  a  bitter  end  if  he  had  been 
assaulted. 

"  Major,"  respectfully  observed  a  captain,  "what  do  you  pro- 
pose to  do  ?  ** 

'*  Observe  the  divils  till  further  orders,"  was  the  very  perti- 
nent reply. 

He  would  neither  be  cajoled,  tricked  or  persuaded  into  doing 
anything,  and  there  the  line  remained,  anxious,  watchful,  im- 
patient until  towards  noon,  when,  evidently  concluding  that 
something  must  be  attempted  to  relieve  the  perplexities  of 
the  situation,  he  gave  the  order  to  retire  as  skirmishers,  shak- 
ing his  fist  towards  the  enemy  as  he  did  so  and  st}'ling  them 
a  set  of"  dirty  blackguards."     Rain  now  began  to  fall  heavily. 


The  movement  had  scarce  commenced  when  the  major  came 
dashing  from  the  house  in  some  excitement  and  commanded  a 
halt.  Some  one  had  purloined  a  countcqiane.  He  did  not 
stop  to  inquire  who,  but.  guided  by  his  old  antipathies,  settled 
promptly  on  Kelly.  "  Bring  it  back,  Kelly,"  said  he,  "and  put 
it  where  you  got  it ;  do  you  want  them  to  think  us  a  set  of 
thieves  and  divils?  Put  it  back  at  once."  It  so  happened  he 
was  not  mistaken.  Kelly  had  taken  it.  Prompted  by  the 
threatening  weather  or  with  the  prospect  of  adorning  his  winter- 
quarters  with  more  than  usual  splendor,  he  thought  it  verj'- 
proper  to  levy  a  small  contribution  on  the  enemies  of  his 
country. 

"  But,  major,"  expostulated  Kelly,  "  it  is  not  wantonness,  it's 
not  thievery  ;  I  am  not  marauding  or  pilfering;  I  really  need 
the  thing." 

But  the  major  would  not  be  appeased. 

"  Put  it  back,  Kelly ;  do  you  mind?  Put  it  back,  sir ;"  and 
then  aside :  "  that  Kelly  is  a  divil ;  I  would  not  be  .surprised  if 
he  had  a  flat-iron  in  each  pocket,  the  thief  of  the  world," 

Nor  was  the  major  disposed  to  favor  Kelly  by  remaining 
long  enough  to  give  him  opportunity  to  execute  his  directions. 
He  started  the  line  in  one  direction  just  as  Kelly  went  off  in 
the  other,  and  by  the  time  he  had  deposited  his  bundle  and 
commenced  his  return  he  was  forced  to  a  decidedly  rapid  gait 
that  he  might  not  be  left  alone  in  very  uncomfortably  close 
relations  to  the  enemy,  now  astir  at  the  withdrawal. 

The  storm,  the  good  luck  usually  attending  an  Irishman's 
blunders,  ultimately  removed  all  the  difficulties  which  for  the 
time  surrounded  him,  and,  stumbling  upon  the  right  road,  by 
three  o'clock  the  major  found  himself  safe  within  the  limits  of 
the  brigade  lines  near  Robertson's  Tavern. 

The  experiences  of  the  past  twenty-four  hours,  the  gravity 
ofthe  crisis  in  the  affairs  of  the  regiment,  the  eve  of  an  impend- 
ing battle,  had  turned  all  thoughts  to  a  serious  comprehension 
of  the  situation,  and  there  was  a  manifest  desire  to  seek  in  con- 
sultation some  way  to  meet  the  difficulties.     With  one  accord, 


—  364  — 

without  any  preconcerted  movement,  the  officers  gathered 
about  the  bivouac  fire  for  advice  and  counsel.  There  seemed 
but  a  single  solution — O'Neill  must  be  superseded.  Respected 
for  his  courage,  admired  for  his  daring,  the  lingering  hope  that 
he  might  be  guided  safely  through  a  crisis  had  wholly  disap- 
peared with  the  experiences  of  the  previous  night  They  recog- 
nized the  official  peril  in  which  they  placed  their  commissions 
by  harboring  such  mutinous  suggestions,  but  they  resolved  to 
face  the  responsibilities  and  assume  the  attendant  risk  by  boldly 
and  freely  presenting  the  case  for  the  earnest  consideration  of 
the  brigade  commander. 

At  their  solicitation  Colonel  Tilton,  who  had  been  partially 
advised  of  the  pending  difficulties,  consented  to  hear  the  story 
of  their  grievances  at  their  own  bivouac  fires,  that  nothing 
might  be  done  or  said  in  the  absence  of  the  major.  He  rode 
to  where  the  group  was  in  consultation  and  in  encouraging, 
kindly  tones  inquired  the  cause  of  the  disturbances.  Crocker 
took  up  the  story  and  fully  and  fairly  told  of  the  recent  occur- 
rences. He  was  unstinting  in  his  commendation  of  the  major's 
courage,  energies  and  endurance,  but  with  all  that  there  was 
such  an  inaptitude  for  intelligent  direction  as  to  essentially  un- 
fit him  for  the  high  responsibilities  of  his  office.  Speaking  for 
his  fellows,  Crocker  earnestly  urged  that  a  field  officer  from  the 
brigade  be  assigned  temporarily  to  the  command  of  the  regi- 
ment until  the  one  or  the  other  of  the  major's  superiors  should 
return.  O'Neill  was  present  and  received  what  had  been  said 
in  meditative  silence. 

"Well,  gentlemen,"  said  Colonel  Tilton,  who  had  listened 
patiently  and  attentively,  **  I  recognize  your  difficulties,  but  I 
cannot  refrain  from  an  allusion  to  the  very  delicate  and  danger- 
ous ground  upon  which  you  are  treading.  Of  this  you  were 
no  doubt  aware  when  you  assumed  to  go  so  far  as  you  have. 
I  am  satisfied  the  only  motive  that  prompts  the  action  you  have 
taken  is  the  maintenance  of  the  excellent  reputation  your  regi- 
ment has  hitherto  borne.  Upon  the  eve  of  an  impending  battle 
the  situation  is  certainly  a  critical  one.     I  am  therefore  disposed 


not  to  view  the  matter  in  the  strict  military  sense  in  which  it 
might  deserve  to  be  construed,  and  as  I  recognize  the  efficiency 
and  excellence  of  the  iiSth,  1  am  willing  to  lend  my  authority 
to  relieve  you  from  your  embarrassments.  Whom  have  you 
in  mind  as  your  choice  for  a  commanding  officer?  " 

A  unanimous  response  pronoLinccd  the  name  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Throop,  of  the  ist  Michigan. 

Colonel  Tilton  then  withdrew  and  shortly  returned  accom- 
panied by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Throop.  It  wita  with  great 
reluctance  Colonel  Throop  left  his  own  command.  He  could 
only  be  induced  to  do  so  in  obedience  to  positive  orders  that 
he  recognized  were  promulgated  to  meet  a  grave  crisis  in  the 
affairs  of  a  sister  regiment,  which  did  not  seem  to  be  otherwise 
controllable.  Colonel  Tilton  permitted  a  condition  to  be  at- 
tached to  the  acceptance  of  his  detail,  that  Colonel  Throop's 
assignment  must  be  accompanied  by  unanimous  acquiescence 
on  the  part  of  the  entire  body  of  officers  of  the  iiSth.  and  when 
Colonel  Throop  was  presented  his  first  inquiry  was  to  that 
effect.  To  the  united,  hearty,  affirmative  response  of  all  the 
rest,  Major  O'Neill  added:  "Certainly,  sir.  certainly ;  I  don't 
care  under  whom  I  serve  so  that  he  gives  us  a  chance  to 
fight.  Certainly  I  will  serve  under  you.  and  with  pleasure, 
too.  sir." 

This  happy  relief  from  anxiety,  this  satisfactory  solution  of 
difficulties  which  had  reached  such  serious  proportions,  though 
the  night  was  well  on  and  the  enemy  quite  close,  was  suita- 
bly recognized  in  exhilarating  stimulants  which  a  provident 
officer  had  fortunately  at  hand.  Colonel  Throop  declining  to 
participate  retired  to  his  own  bivouac,  and  those  whose  defty 
hands  were  apt  with  the  "Joe  Hooker"  formula  were  soon  en- 
gaged in  the  concoction  of  its  stimulating  ingredients.  Limited 
supplies  forbade  a  free  indulgence,  and  by  midnight  all  fatigues 
and  anxieties  were  forgotten  in  restful  slumber. 

The  morning  broke  clear  and  cold ;  everything  seemed  quiet. 
One  of  the  men,  whose  eyes  were  wandering  around  in  search 
of  anything   that  might  appear,  detected  a  persimmon   tree 


—  366- 

ioaded  with  the  frosted  fruit  some  distance  in  front,  between 
the  Union  and  Confederate  lines.  To  see  was  to  desire.  To 
desire  was  to  attempt  to  obtain.  Sneaking  along  under  shelter 
of  the  bushes,  the  discoverer  and  another  adventurer  quietly 
and  stealthily  approached  the  tree.  A  careful  scrutiny  from  its 
foot  assured  the  pair  that  the  Confederate  pickets  were  quite  a 
distance  away.  The  discoverer  silently  climbed  the  tree  and 
shook  down  a  quantity  of  the  fruit,  which  his  companion  hastily 
stowed  in  a  haversack  provided  for  that  purpose.  Another 
shake  was  given  to  the  tree.  It  attracted  attention.  A  single 
report  rang  out  on  the  crisp  air,  a  single  zip  flew  past  the  oc- 
cupant of  the  tree ;  he  dropped  on  the  ground  like  a  flash. 
None  too  soon,  for  a  volley  crashed  through  and  sent  twigs 
and  persimmons  scattering  down  upon  two  prostrate  figures 
who  seemed  to  be  not  more  than  a  couple  of  inches  thick  as 
they  flattened  themselves  out  on  the  ground.  After  a  while 
the  firing  ceased.  Then  while  one,  on  hands  and  knees,  peered 
through  a  bush  ready  to  give  the  alarm  in  case  of  further  danr 
ger,  the  other  gathered  the  persimmons,  that  had  been  shaken 
down  and  shot  down,  into  the  haversack,  and  then,  in  the  lan- 
guage of  that  old  chestnut  of  a  quotation, 

"  They  folded  their  tents  like  the  Arabs, 
And  silently  stole  away." 

Doubtless  they  would  have  stolen  away  as  soon  as  the  balls 
began  to  fly,  but  it  was  a  question  of  discipline.  The  soldier 
without  discipline  is  like  a  musket  without  a  barrel,  a  pail 
without  a  bottom,  a  fish  without  fins,  and  a  great  number  of 
worthless  things.  Now  it  was  a  serious  breach  of  discipline  to 
go  beyond  the  lines  without  orders,  and  rendered  the  offender 
liable  to  a  severe  reprimand,  or  even  a  trial  by  court-martial  for 
desertion.  When  the  firing  commenced,  the  enterprising  pair 
were  in  a  fix.  They  had  hardly  secured  persimmons  enough 
for  their  own  consumption.  There  would  be  inquiries  as  to 
what  had  caused  the  firing.  Under  these  circumstances  their 
affection  for  their  officers  would  not  permit  the  men  to  return 
until  they  had  obtained  a  fair  share  for  them. 


-367- 

On  reaching  the  lines  safely,  they  oHercd  up  a  couple  of 
quarts  of  persimmons  to  discipline;  that  is,  the  captain.  He 
wisely  asked  no  questions.  His  thoughts  probably  ran  some- 
what in  this  fashion  :  "  Those  fellows  have  been  outside  of  the 
lines  again.  They  give  me  no  end  of  trouble.  I'll  send  the 
persimmons  back  and  make  an  example  of  those  two  men.  I 
might  as  well  eat  one  or  two,  just  to  fiec  how  they  taste.  By 
George !  They're  good !  A  handful  of  them  wont  be  missed. 
It  was  thoughtful  of  them  to  bring  me  these,  and  generous,  too, 
to  give  me  so  many.  Poor  fellows!  they  don't  often  get  a 
chance  to  gel  anything  like  this.  Oh,  pshaw!  (or  something 
stronger)  I'll  eat  the  persimmons  up,  and  let  the  men  go  this 
time,  but  the  very  next  act  of  disobedience  must  be  punished." 
Discipline  is  a  wonderful  thing. 

The  bullets  from  the  volley  caused  by  the  persimmon  hunters 
caused  the  regiment  to  scatter  in  every  direction  for  shelter, 
but  in  a  few  moments  they  reformed  in  the  railroad  cut,  De 
Villc.  a  member  of  Company  K,  who  had  been  adjutant  of  a 
French  regiment,  remarked  :  "  Ow  queekly  you  make  one,  ven 
you  ave  broke  all  to  pieces.  If  ze  regiment  vas  French,  one 
week  would  not  zem  togetter  bring  again." 

At  seven  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  29th  the  brigade  was 
advanced  some  two  miles  across  country,  until  it  reached  the 
easterly  ridge  of  the  swale  or  valley  through  which  flowed  the 
run  from  which  the  campaign  derived  its  name.  Upon  the 
thither  ridge,  distant  some  fifteen  hundred  yards,  nearest  to 
which  was  the  stream,  was  the  enemy,  already  strongly  in- 
trenched upon  the  series  of  slopes  of  which  it  was  formed.  His 
work  was  not  yet  complete,  and  uninterrupted  by  the  presence 
of  the  Union  troops  he  continued  with  axe  and  spade,  dirt  and 
timber,  until  what  were  first  most  formidable  field  fortifications 
were  made  almost  impregnable.  He  also  demolished  a  few 
small  houses  which  apparently  interfered  with  the  range  of  his 
guns.  The  enemy's  ridge  had  a  better  elevation  and  com- 
manded ciiirs,  Itdth  were  wooded  ;  the  ground  upon  the  other 
side  of  the  run  at  the  base  of  the  western  ridge  was  open,  and 


appeared  at  a  distance  to  be  soft  and  marshy.  When  the  task 
was  finished,  the  soldiers  on  the  other  side,  on  the  parapet  and 
the  ground  in  front  of  the  works,  played  at  ball  with  a  sportive 
vivacity  that  equalled  boyhood  energies. 

Again  within  the  year  since  Fredericksbui^,  the  Potomac 
army  faced  its  whilom  foe  behind  intrenchments  dark,  gloomy, 
formidable.  The  recollections  of  that  field,  its  fatalities  and 
sad  disaster  would  not  down.  Though  with  serious  convictions 
that  the  task  was  hopeless,  there  was  still  a  high  resolve  to  do 
and  dare  for  the  best,* 

Contrary  to  precedent 
I  the  skirmishers  were  de- 
cidedly less  active  than 
was  usual  at  the  open- 
ing of  an  engagement. 
The  early  n  i  g  h  t  f a  11 
closed  upon  the  scene, 
each  side  confident  the 
business  that  brought 
them  there  would  be 
settled  on  the  morrow. 

With  the  darkness, 
there  was  a  decided  fall 
in  the  temperature.  It 
was  a  bitter,  nipping 
cold,  so  intense  that 
upon  portions  of  the 
line,  more  exposed  than 
others,  the  pickets  were 
reheved  every  thirty  minutes,  and  instances  were  reported  of 
men  being  frozen  to  death, 

•General  Moigan,  Inspector- General  of  the  id  Corps,  relale*  the  following  in- 
cident :  "  While  on  the  picket  line  reconnoilring,  my  uniform  concealed  by  a  sol- 
dier's overcoat,  I  asked  an  old  veteran  of  the  noble  1st  Minnesota,  on  picket,  what 
be  thought  of  the  prospect.  Not  recognizing  me  as  an  ofiicer,  he  expressed  him- 
self very  freely,  declaring  it '  a  d — d  sight  worse  than  Fredericksburg,'  and  adding, 
'  I  am  going  a-s  far  as  I  can  Iravel.  but  we  can't  get  more  than  two-thirds  of  the 
way  up  the  hill.'  "—Walker's  '■  Hi'tory  of  Second  Array  Corps."  p,  383. 


—  3^9  — 

The  combinations  for  the  assault  had  been  perfected  during 
the  afternoon.  Warren,  with  his  own  corps  and  Terry's  di- 
vision of  the  6th,  had  been  moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Hope 
Church,  near  the  head-waters  of  the  run.  Here  the  enemy, 
though  securely  posted,  was  in  inconsiderable  strength,  and  a 
little  more  of  daylight  would  have  permitted  the  formation  of 
assaulting  columns  with  which  his  right  might  have  been  ef- 
fectually turned.  Night  setting  in  before  the  arrangements 
were  consummated,  the  attack  was  necessarily  postponed  until 
dawn. 

In  the  meantime,  during  the  night  there  were  numerous 
changes  on  our  right  for  co-operation  witlt  Warren's  morning 
assault,  and  two  of  French's  3d  Corps  divisions  were  sent  to 
aid  him.  ISartlett's  (our)  division  was  withdrawn  from  its  posi- 
tion about  2  A.  M.  on  the  30th,  and  moved  some  distance  toward.s 
the  right,  forming  on  the  left  of  the  6th  Corps,  in  column  doubled 
on  the  centre.  The  men  were  stripped  for  action,  and  the  knap- 
sacks, piled  upon  each  other  arranged  in  the  shape  of  a  horj.L- 
shoe.  were  left  in  our  former  position  in  charge  of  Sergeant 
Stone  with  a  detail.  Some  of  the  men,  heedless  of  the  bitiL-r 
cold,  also  left  tlieir  great  coats.  No  fires  were  permitted  and, 
with  no  means  to  raise  the  temperature,  the  men  painfully 
awaited  the  break  of  day  in  that  zero  atmosphere  anxious  to 
accord  a  generous  welcome  to  the  genial  rays  of  the  morning 
sun.  It  was  clear,  and  every  star  shone  in  all  its  winter  bril- 
liancy against  a  sky  deep  in  its  cold,  cerulean  blue. 

Chaplain  O'Neill  remained  with  Sei^eant  Stone  and  the 
knapsacks.  The  Confederates,  probably  to  keep  the  watches 
awake,  sent  a  shell  in  their  direction.  The  chaplain  had  made 
a  pot  of  coffee.  He  was  sipping  it  from  a  tincup,  when  the 
shell  skimmed  through  the  air,  burst  against  a  tree  near  htm, 
and  a  fragment  of  it  knocked  the  cup  out  of  his  hand. 

The  troops  were  on  the  edge  of  a  thick  growth  of  pine. 
Dawn  revealed  a  position  more  formidable  than  the  one  from 
the  front  of  which  the  division  had  just  been  withdrawn.  The 
distance  between  the  two  lines  now  was  not  over  five  hundred 


—  370  — 

yards.  All  through  the  hours  of  darkness  the  sound  of  falling 
timber  gave  evidence  of  increasing  strength  to  the  enemy's 
works.  The  run  had  been  dammed  towards  its  mouth  and  its 
banks  were  flooded  to  river-like  proportions.  The  ground 
upon  tlic  summit  of  which  was  the  line  to  be  assaulted,  with 
the  water  extending  to  its  base,  ran  at  an  angle  of  some  thirty 
degrees,  rough  and  bare  and  entirely  barren  of  tree  or  timber 
of  any  sort. 

As  yet  there  had  been  no  specific  directions  for  the  ad- 
vance, no  formal  announcement  of  the  hour  for  the  charge. 
To  fix  a  time  alone  was  needed.  That  the  works  were  to  be 
charged,  and  who  were  to  do  it,  had  long  before  dawned  upon 
soldier  intelligence,  previously  whetted  by  other  calamitous 
military  experiences. 

The  plans  perfected  and  the  troops  at  their  stations,  the  mo- 
ment was  at  hand  to  give  the  signal  for  beginning.  Colonel 
Throop  assembled  the  officers  in  front  of  the  centre  division, 
and  with  convincing  earnestness  thus  announced  the  work  be- 
fore them  :  "  Gentlemen,"  said  he,  *'  the  orders  are  that  at  the 
sound  of  two  signal  guns  from  Warren's  position  on  the  left, 
we  are  to  move  forward  and  charge  the  enemy  there  " — pointmg 
to  his  intrench  men  ts.  **  Do  you  see  those  works  ?  we  either 
sleep  to-night  on  the  other  side  of  them  " — and  then,  with  a 
significant  pause — *'  or  else  on  the  slopes  leading  to  them." 

In  adding  his  own  words  to  the  directions  for  the  assault 
there  was  no  semblance  of  an  attempt  at  ostentation.  Colonel 
Throop's  fine  soldierly  abilities  were  a  sufficient  earnest  that 
what  he  said  was  prompted  by  his  conceptions  of  the  stern 
requirements  of  duty. 

Then  came  one  of  those  times  when  the  hearts  of  the  bravest 
men  stand  still.  The  frowning  heights,  with  lines  of  breast- 
works on  its  slope  and  strong  earthworks  on  its  crest;  the 
flooded,  icy  creek,  between  our  men  and  the  height,  which 
must  be  crossed  under  fierce  fire ;  the  steep  ascent  up  which 
they  would  have  to  toil,  while  shot  and  shell  and  grape  and 
canister  and  bullet  were  doing  their  deadly  work — the  sight  of 
these  were  enough  to  chill  the  heart  of  the  most  reckless. 


—  37'  — 

We  could  sec  the  Rcbs.  If  ihey  had  not  been  sobusy  buiM- 
ing  fortifications,  tlicy  could  have  turned  us  into  confusion 
witli  shot  and  shell,  wc  were  huddled  so  close  together.  We 
were  not  allowed  to  build  any  fires  during  the  day  or  night. 
Some  of  our  pickets  were  frozen,  and  had  to  be  brought  in  on 
stretchers.  The  rebel  position  in  our  front  was  worse  than  at 
Fredericksburg.  Wc  were  told  that  wc  were  to  attack  those 
works  in  the  morning  at  8  o'clock-.  That  night  there  was 
fought  in  men's  hearts  the  hardest  battle  of  the  whole  war. 
The  next  morning  our  artillery  was  in  position.  There  was 
but  little  said.  There  was  not  a  man  who  felt  that  he  had  any 
business  to  find  himself  alive  next  day.  Rumor  soon  spread 
that  the  plan  of  attacking  had  been  abandoned.  Many  a  man 
pinned  his  name  on  his  coat,  "  Mustered  out  at  Mine  Run 
this  day,"  Some  gave  their  home  address.  Warren  had 
declined,  without  he  should  be  directly  ordered,  to  inaugurate 
a  movement  so  doubtful  of  success  and  which  would  certainly 
be  attended  by  great  fatality.  This  indeed  was  the  situation. 
The  general  assault,  as  the  country  subsequently  accepted  it, 
was  wisely  and  judiciously  abandoned. 

Meanwhile  General  Meade,  yet  unacquainted  with  the  cAuse 
and  impatient  at  the  delay,  ordered  liie  great  guns — a  battery 
of  20-pounders — about  the  centre  to  open,  A  prompt  reply 
stirred  up  a  pretty  active  cannonading  from  the  centre  to  the 
right,  which  continued  until  Meade,  apprised  of  Warren's  ac- 
tion, ordered  the  gunnery  to  cease.  The  enemy,  courteously 
accepting  the  invitation,  soon  stopped  firing,  and  the  hostili- 
ties for  the  rest  of  the  day  were  left  to  the  bickerings  of  the 
skirmishers. 

Two  English  officers,  guests  at  army  head -quarters,  stood  in 
rear  of  the  big  guns  when  their  fire  provoked  the  enemy's  re- 
ply. Behind  the  ridge  a  sharp  Yankee  was  preparing  a  hot 
morning  bite  for  some  head-quarter  mess.  The  Englishmen, 
not  disposed  to  take  the  risk  of  expo.sure  attending  their  obser- 
vations, sought  cover  below  the  knoll,  near  where  the  Yankee 
was  cooking.     He  had  watched  the  close  interest  with  which 


—  372  — 

the  Englishmen  had  for  some  time  noted  the  enemy's  position, 
and  rather  astonished  at  their  hurried  withdrawal  at  a  time 
when  their  observation  would  have  produced  more  practical 
results,  unconsciously  or  purposely  remarked :  "  That's  the  way 
you  Englishmen  come  to  see  an  American  fight,  ha!  run 
away  when  the  guns  begin  to  fire."  Not  overly  respectful, 
but  as  the  cook-house  was  not  much  of  a  school  for  the  study 
of  diplomatic  courtesies,  our  foreign  visitors,  accepting  the 
source  from  whence  the  reflection  came,  doubtless  concluded 
it  was  not  a  sufficient  cause  for  the  disturbance  of  existing 
friendly  relations. 

James  W.  Hyatt,  a  private  of  H,  not  disposed  to  trust  his 
knapsack  to  the  custody  of  others,  had  taken  it  with  him  to  the 
new  position.  It  was  not  discovered  in  the  darkness  that  he  was 
still  carrying  it.  Whilst  the  men  were  crouching  low  to  avoid 
the  heavy  shelling  the  opening  of  our  batteries  had  provoked,. 
Hyatt  rose  from  his  position  and,  with  his  knees  planted  firmly 
on  the  knapsack,  proceeded  to  tighten  the  blanket  straps.  Na 
other  reason  was  apparent  for  this  action  at  this  inopportune 
time,  save  that  Hyatt  was  inclined  to  deliver  himself  of  a  boast- 
ful address  of  his  desire  to  be  valorous,  and  assumed  this  par- 
tially upright  posture  that  he  might  be  better  heard.  As  he 
worked  at  his  straps  and  proceeded  with  his  little  speech,  a 
solid  shot  dashed  into  the  ground  some  distance  in  front  of 
him,  passed  underneath  him  and  the  knapsack  and  striking  the 
root  of  a  tree  splintered  it  and  sent  up  to  the  surface  a  piece 
which  took  the  heel  off  his  right  shoe.  He  was  raised  a  foot 
or  more ;  his  glowing  address  was  interrupted  as  if  a  lightning 
stroke  had  paralyzed  his  organs  of  speech,  and  limp  and  sense- 
less he  fell  to  the  ground.  Stretcher-bearers  straightened  him 
out  and  bore  him  to  the  rear.  He  gradually  recovered  himself^ 
survived  the  shock — for  that  was  all  it  really  was — to  be  after- 
wards made  prisoner  in  the  Wilderness,  and  subsequently  died 
at  Andersonville,  Georgia,  on  the  3d  of  December,  1864. 

Walters,  who  had  been  acting  adjutant  since  Hand's  absence, 
was  of  a  venturesome,  inquiring  turn,  and  was  disposed  to  in- 


vestigate  the  enemy  beyond  the  opportunities  afforded  within 
timber,  invited  a  captain  of  the  regiment  to  accompany  him 
upon  a  little  personal  reconnoissance.  Walters,  mounted  on 
Hand's  fretful  steed,  rode  out  to  a  position  well  down  the  slope 
towards  the  run,  while  the  captain  stepped  out  smartly  afoot  by 
his  side.  With  the  aid  of  field-glasses  the  enemy  were  distinctly 
seen  moving  about  the  works,  and  a  group  of  them  had  evi- 
dently been  attracted  by  the  prominent  exposure  of  these  ob- 
servers. The  evidence  was  convincing  when  bullets  began  to 
throw  up  the  earth  in  very  close  proximity.  But  Walters  did 
not  move;  still  undaunted,  he  held  the  glass  intently  on  the 
foe.  his  companion,  not  so  stolid  as  he.  still  remaining  at  his 
side.  Again  and  again  the  bullets  struck;  now  under,  now 
alongside  the  horse,  now  singing  and  whizzing  as  they  passed 
overhead  and  beyond ;  still  Walters  steadfastly  gazed.  The 
captain  was  becoming  annoyed  at  the  persistency  with  which 
Walters  maintained  this  usele.ssly  exposed  position,  when  a 
voice  from  the  line,  calling  loudly,  "Come  in  here;  don't  you 
know  you  arc  making  atarget  of  yourselves?" 

You  sec,  the  private  had  no  right  to  know  anyth'ing,  and 
that  is  why  generals  did  all  the  fighting,  and  that  is  to-day 
why  gcncrah  and  colonels  are  great  men.  They  fought  the 
battles  of  our  country;  the  privates  did  not.  The  generals 
risked  their  reputation;  the  private  soldier  his  life.  No  one 
ever  saw  a  private  in  battle.  It  was  the  general  that  every- 
body saw  charge  such  and  such  with  drawn  sabre,  his  eyes 
flashing  fire,  his  nostrils  dilating  and  his  clarion  voice  ringing 
above  the  din  of  battle.     So  we  read  in  some  of  the  histories, 

I  know  to-day  many  a  private  who  would  have  made  a 
good  general.  I  know  of  some  generals  who  would  have 
made  poor  privates.  A  private  had  no  such  way  to  distinguish 
himself  He  had  to  keep  in  ranks  either  in  a  charge  or  a 
retreat. 

Sergeant  Stone's  position  with  the  knapsacks  grew  decidedly 
uncomfbrtabte.     He  naturally  sought  cover  and  kept  shifting 


—  374  — 

from  one  position  to  another  in  the  hope  of  securing  better  pro- 
tection. Not  so  with  Dennis,  a  prisoner  whom  Stone  had  in 
charge,  under  an  arrest  for  some  trivial  delinquency.  Dennis 
stood  erect  with  his  hands  crossed  behind  him,  his  head  thrown 
back  as  far  as  his  neck  would  reach,  his  eyes  cast  aloft  towards 
the  sky  watching  complacently  the  play  of  the  fiery  missiles  a3 
they  passed  furiously  overhead.  "  Sergeant,"  said  he,  address- 
ing him  in  an  assuring,  encouraging  tone,  "  don't  be  alarmed ; 
don't  be  disturbed ;  stand  up  and  take  it ;  they  are  perfectly 
harmless ;  they  wouldn't  break  a  glass." 

But  the  sergeant  declined  to  act  upon  the  suggestion  and 
answered :  "  I  tell  you,  Dennis,  they  are  dangerous ;  they 
should  be  avoided;  such  wicked  creatures  are  not  to  be  sneezed 
at." 

Dennis,  of  course,  spread  the  story  abroad,  and  for  weeks 
afterwards,  "  everywhere  the  sergeant  went,  a  sneeze  was  sure 
to  go." 

About  five  o'clock,  the  darkness  settling  in  the  sombre  pines, 
the  division  was  retired  from  the  point  fixed  for  its  intended 
assault  and  returned  to  the  position  from  whence  it  had  started 
to  make  it.  Chilled  to  the  marrow  by  the  piercing  cold,  and 
the  most  cruel  prohibition  against  fires,  sluggish  animation  was 
soon  returned  by  the  generous  warmth  distributed  in  the  glow 
of  blazing  timber. 

The  cold  did  not  relax  and  December  opened  with  every 
promise  of  a  sturdy  winter.  The  ist  passed  in  idleness,  with 
the  fixed  conviction  that  under  cover  of  night  the  troops  would 
be  relieved  from  the  pressure  attending  the  immediate  presence 
of  the  enemy,  and  withdrawn  to  a  location  convenient  and  ac- 
cessible to  a  base  of  supplies  for  a  season  of  prolonged  rest 

During  the  day  the  artillery  was  secretly  removed  from  its 
place,  and  for  the  real  guns  batteries  of  logs  were  substituted. 

With  the  earliest  darkness  the  fires  were  increased  in  volume 
and  piled  so  high  with  logs  that  their  flames  would  skip  aloft, 
until  well  on  towards  the  break  of  day.  Tue  march  towards 
the  Rapidan  was  slow  and  tedious.     Jams  and  halts  incident  to 


—  375  — 

an  overcrowded  roadway  lengthened  the  inarch  through  nuMt 
of  the  night,  and  it  was  after  four  o'clock  before  the  columo 
crossed  the  river  at  Germanna  Ford.  Lurid  iiamea  lit  up  the 
sky  along  the  entire  route.  Sparsely  settled  as  the  countiy 
was,  many  deserted  hoiuven  with  their  bams  and  out-buildings 
fell  vtctiins  to  the  incendiary  torch.  What  prompted  such  a 
spirit  of  vandalism  was  ine]q>Ucable,  unless  in  the  frequent  and 
annoying  delays  the  soldiers  were  determined  to  warm  them- 
selves heedless  of  the  character  or  cost  of  the  fiiel. 

At  five  o'clock,  on  the  2d  of  December,  the  brigade  biv- 
ouacked near  Coney  Mountain,  and  at  eight  o'clock  moved  on 
again,  halting  about  noon  in  the  vicinity  of  Stevensburg.  On 
the  3d  the  regiment  moved  at  eight  o'clock,  crossing  the  Rap- 
pahannock at  the  railway  station,  which  bears  the  river's  name 
at  two,  and  by  four  in  the  afternoon  it  was  back  to  its  old 
quarters  at  Beverly  Ford. 


LIEITENANT  HENRY  T.  PECK. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

CAHP   BARNES — THE    WINTER   AT   BEVERLY  FOSD. 


ULPEPPER.Fair- 
fax,  Farquier,  and 
StafTord  had  be- 
I  come  old  abiding 
places.  Thebeltof 
country  between 
the  Potomac  and 
Rapidan  was  a  fa- 
miliar region.  The 
essential  element 
of  intention  alone  was  wanting  to  assure  to  the  soldier  of  the 
Potomac  army  all  the  rights  of  a  Virginian  citizenship. 

The  third  of  the  four  winters  of  the  war  had  opened  auspi- 
ciously. The  advantages  of  the  situation  selected  for  the  per- 
manent encampment  had  been  tested  through  all  the  seasons, 
and  if  the  privilege  of  choosing  their  own  abode  had  been 
awarded  the  regiment,  they  would  have  looked  no  farther  in 
search  of  a  better  plncc.  The  upper  side  of  the  Rappahan- 
nock, in  the  vicinity  of  Beverly  Ford,  was  convenient  and  ac- 
cessible to  the  depots  of  issue  and  supply,  in  easy  reach  of  all 
desirable  neighbors,  just  far  enough  from  the  front  to  be  beyond 
the  annoyances  of  disturbing  reconnois.sances,  and  not  so  far  to 
the  rear  as  to  be  within  the  scope  of  the  ubiquitous  raider.  The 
soldiers  were  anxious  to  unload  on  their  susceptible  and  inex- 
perienced friends  their  thrilling  and  embellished  stories  of  field 
and  fight,  and  the  approaching  days  of  inactivity  gave  ample 
promise  of  a  fitting  opportunity,  when  the  leaves  and  fur- 
(376) 


loughs,  in  keeping  with  the  season,  should  be  again  dispensed 
with  abundant  hberalit}'. 

To  designate  encampments  by  a  name  specially  selected  had 
long  fallen  into  disuse.  Location,  fixed  by  some  geographical 
spot  of  town,  ford,  mountain,  river,  or  whatever  else  in  the  near 
vicinity  was  available,  had  been  adopted  as  a  designation  suf- 
ficiently significant. 

For  once  the  way  of  the  earlier  days  was  resumed.  The  old 
brigade  commander  was  not  to  be  forgotten.  In  recognition 
of  the  worth  of  their  former  chief,  the  encampment  at  Beverly 
Ford  was  officially  directed  to  be  known  as  "  Camp  Barnes." 

The  camp  did  not  differ  essentially  in  its  construction  from 
that  of  the  previous  winter.  The  logs  were  more  securely  mor- 
tised, the  chinks  more  tightly  closed,  larger  fireplaces  made  a 
cheerier  blaze,  and  more  lofty  chimneys  a  better  draft  The 
men,  with  their  experience,  had  come  to  know  how  to  apply 
and  appreciate  little  desirable  appointments  of  room  and  table 
furniture.  They  had  not  forgotten  their  homes,  but  as  their 
"  quarters  "  were  all  the  homes  they  had  known  intimately  for 
some  time  back,  or  expected  to  know  for  some  time  to  come, 
they  had  learned  to  fit  them  up  with  many  substantial  com- 
forts and  available  conveniences  which  they  had  not  before 
thought  of. 

Nor  were  the  bodily  needs  exclusively  cared  for.  An  edifice 
of  quite  churchly  pretensions  was  reared  and  designated  as  "  the 
chapel."  Rough  boards,  without  backs,  took  the  place  of  the 
more  commodious  pews  in  the  shapely  structures  at  home,  and 
the  rude  logs  of  the  vicinity  were  hewn  and  fashioned  into  a 
durable,  if  not  a  handsome,  pulpit.  The  seating  capacity 
equalled  the  strength  of  the  regiment,  and  with  the  discourses 
from  their  own  chaplain,  and  from  those  with  whom  he  occa- 
sionally exchanged  pulpits,  the  command  was  at  no  time  in 
want  of  proper  spiritual  guidance.  The  chapel  was  not  devoted 
jiolely  to  religious  services.  It  had  never  been  formally  dedi- 
cated as  a  house  of  worship,  nor  was  it  recognized  by  any 
organized  sect,  so  during  the  week  such  available  amateur  the- 


—  378  — 

atrical  and  musical  talent  as  was  at  hand  frequently  used  it  for 
secular  performances.  Prominent  among  those  who  aflforded 
instruction  and  entertainment  by  well-selected  recitations  was 
Sergeant  Thos.  J.  Hyatt. 

The  performers  in  the  dramas,  etc.,  were  of  course  costumed 
in  their  uniforms.  As  a  consequence,  it  was  impossible  to  play 
"  Romeo  and  Juliet "  or  "  Claude  Melnotte."  Imagine  Juliet, 
for  instance,  with  a  sun-browned  face,  fierce  mustache,  and 
close-cropped  hair,  in  a  blue  dress-coat,  baggy  blue  pantaloons, 
and  heavy  brogans,  wailing  out  her  grief  at  the  death  of  Romeo ! 
Or  Claude  Melnotte  saying  to  a  fellow  dressed  in  the  same 
fashion,  except  a  pair  of  cavalry  boots  in  the  place  of  the  bro- 
gans— 

**  We'll  read  no  books  thai  are  not  tales  of  love; 
We'll  have  no  friends  that  are  not  lovers." 

This  camp  was  noted  for  its  exceptional  cleanliness.  No 
wood  was  allowed  to  be  chopped  within  its  limits,  the  streets 
were  battened  down  hard  every  day,  the  gutters  around  the 
tents  were  neatly  trimmed  out  daily,  and  it  was  continually  the 
subject  of  close  inspection. 

A  subterfuge  of  rather  happy  conception  was  a  failure.  The 
quarters  and  everything  in  the  vicinity  where  the  enlisted  men 
were  located  were  to  be  in  darkness  at  taps,  and  the  officer  of 
the  day  was  especially  enjoined  to  see  that  all  lights  were  ex- 
tinguished at  that  hour.  By  an  oversight  some  one  charged 
with  this  responsibility  had  used  the  word  candles  instead  of 
lights.  The  quickly  perceptive  soldier  promptly  "  caught  on  " 
to  an  opportunity  for  an  evasion.  There  was  a  plethora  of  pork 
fat  on  hand.  This  was  rendered  out  in  tin  cans,  such  as  con- 
tained the  canned  goods  sold  by  the  sutlers,  and  flannel  torn 
into  strips  inserted  for  a  wick.  It  made  a  famous'  light,  and 
for  a  few  nights  "  pinochle"  and  "  seven  up  "  flourished  under  its 
rays,  but  lights  out,  not  candles  out,  was  the  requirement,  and 
the  pork  grease  and  flannel  soon  yielded  to  the  inevitable. 

The  food  problem,  now  so  widely  the  subject  of  scientific  con- 
sideration, has  ever  been  of  paramount  importance  under  all 


—  379  — 

civilization,  whether  Christian,  Jewish,  polytheistic  or  philo- 
sophic. Of  importance,  not  for  determination  by  analysis  of 
what  man  should  eat  and  driiik  to  best  contribute  to  the 
strength  of  his  body,  the  improvement  of  his  mind,  and  tlic 
prolongation  of  his  life,  but  of  importance  ratlier  in  determin- 
ing how  the  palate  shall  be  best  pleased,  the  stomach  best  sat- 
isfied, and  the  mind  and  body  be  left  free  and  at  ease  to  the 
huge  enjoyment  that  follows  skilfully  managed  and  well-served 
catering. 

The  soldier's  tastes  had  kept  abreast  with  his  civilization. 
His  dietary  tables  were  not  as  formidable  in  variety  as  they 
were  mighty  in  quantity.  Tact  was,  however,  a  fitting  substi- 
tute for  variety,  and  by  judicious  manipulation  he  had  learned 
many  successful  combinations  of  his  quantities  for  the  satis- 
faction of  appetites  more  ravenous  than  delicate.  The  nomen- 
clature of  his  cuisine  was  in  harmony  with  his  dishes  and  the 
harshest  phrases  of  the  purest  originality  were  applied  to  a 
menu  more  nourishing  than  appetizing. 

"  Lobskous  "  had  already  received  its  fair  share  of  attention. 
Another  formula  of  a  kindred  sort  had  now  found  its  way  to 
the  kitchen.  Its  name  was  in  no  way  significant  of  its  ingre- 
dients, and  its  arbitrary  designation  as  unpalatable  to  polite 
ears  as  was  the  dish  itself  to  refined  palates.  The  recollection 
of  its  euphonious  title  will  probably  follow  a  description  of 
its  composition  and  preparation. 

The  canvas  bag  of  the  haversack  was  filled  with  hard-tack, 
and,  with  one  stone  for  an  anvil  and  another  for  a  hammer,  the 
crackers  were  reduced  to  a  coarse  powder.  This  usually  fell 
to  the  lot  of  a  volunteer  assistant,  tempted  by  the  opportunity 
to  share  such  strong  and  nourishing  diet.  Meanwhile  the 
regular  cook  had  chopped  up  fresh  meat,  cut  up  onions  and 
potatoes  and  stewed  them  well  together.  When  the  stew  was 
thoroughly  done  it  was  taken  from  the  fire  and  while  yet  warm 
the  ground  grist  of  hard-tack  was  poured  into  it  and  the  whole 
thoroughly  mixed.  The  mixture  was  then  shaped  into  cakes 
after  the  manner  of  the  "  codfish  ball "  and  nicely  browned  on 


—  38o  — 

all  sides  in  sizzing  pork  grease,  and  the  dish  was  ready  to  be 
served.  The  name  it  bore  would  have  shocked  Marion  Har- 
land  or  any  other  well-accredited  cook-book  authoress  equally 
as  violently  as  would  the  suggestion  to  give  such  a  rude  for- 
mula a  place  in  her  next  edition. 

This  was  treated  as  quite  a  dainty  morsel  and  much  sought 
after.  When  the  season  was  at  hand  that  the  meal  could  in- 
clude some  of  the  common  field  parsley,  boiled  with  the  proper 
quantity  of  old  salt  horse,  the  mess  fortunate  enough  to  revel  in 
such  a  diet  was  the  envy  of  its  fellows.  If  the  sutler  was  up 
with  supplies  of  canned  goods,  fried  oysters  and  clams  fre- 
quently garnished  the  table,  and  occasionally  a  dessert  of  ren- 
net custard  concluded  the  rather  luxurious  allowances.  Such 
fare  only  found  a  place  on  the  dietary  lists  during  the  days  of 
the  permanent  winter  camps.  With  the  march  and  bivouac 
the  old  schedule  of  coffee,  hard-tack  and  salt  pork  was  promptly 
resumed  and  rigorously  continued. 

One  mess,  composed  of  five  non-commissioned  oflScers,  had 
a  friend  among  the  brigade  butchers — the  men  who  killed  and 
dressed  the  cattle  that  served  for  fresh  beef  for  the  different 
regiments.  Every  fresh-beef  day  one  of  their  number  would 
go  to  the  slaughtering  ground  and  bring  back  a  couple  of 
heads.  These  were  skinned,  cracked  in  pieces  with  an  axe, 
thrown  into  a  camp  kettle  and  boiled  until  the  meat  became 
loose  on  the  bones.  The  meat  and  bones  were  then  removed 
and  beans  thrown  into  the  rich  liquor  and  boiled  until  they  be- 
gan to  go  to  pieces.  The  five  would  then  sit  down  to  a  meal 
so  square  that  it  resembled  a  cube.  The  camp-kettle  held 
about  eight  gallons.  Five  sat  down  to  dinner.  Frequently 
when  they  rose  from  the  meal,  which  included  bread  and  meat 
as  well  as  bean  porridge,  the  camp-kettle  was  empty. 

A  soldier's  capacity  was  something  marvellous.  It  is  re- 
lated of  one  mess  of  but  three  that,  not  satisfied  with  the  issue 
of  soft  bread — twenty-one  loaves  in  a  week — they  took  advan- 
tage of  their  officers'  privilege  to  purchase  from  the  commis- 
sariat, and  on  their  orders  bought  in  addition  twenty-one  loaves 


REVEILLE. 


n  up,  1  can'l  g(rl 
I  can't  get  'em  up.  T  lelJ  you  ; 
I  c»il'l  gel  'em  up,  I  con't  gel  'em  Up, 
1  caii'l  gut  'em  up  at  all. 


I  can't  gel  'em  i^l. 


ii;n[jirrri'"ri^'iL^iri  y/i 


-  351  - 

more,  thus  increasing  their  weekly  quota  to  forty-two.  Each 
man  is  said  to  have  devoured  a  loaf  at  least  at  eacli  meal, 
and  one,  more  voracious  than  his  fellows,  frequently  nearly 
two.  When  to  this  was  added  the  other  regular  daily  issues, 
the  supplies  purchased  of  the  sutler,  of  sheepskin  pies,  cakes 
flinty  hard,  lobsters,  clams  and  oysters,  first  canned  and  then 
churned  by  rough  transportation  by  rail  and  wagon — if  this 
mess  be  taken,  as  it  fairly  may,  as  typical  of  the  others,  it  is 
just  to  assume  that  with  good  digestion  responsive  to  such  ex- 
orbitant requirements,  the  American  volunteer  was  building  up 
a  constitution  firm  and  strong  as  that  of  his  country. 

The  cooks  to  whose  lot  fell  the  preparation  of  all  the  food  con- 
sumod  were  not  all  so  closely  wedded  to  their  calling  as  to  be 
incapacitated  for  the  dangers  and  exposures  of  b.ittle.  Their 
assignment  as  cooks  very  properly  exempted  them  fiom  all 
details  of  picket,  guard,  police  and  fatigue  duty.  On  one 
occasion  during  this  encampment  a  demand  was  made  on  Com- 
pany D  for  four  men  for  picket  duty.  Exclusive  of  Guilleman, 
the  company  cook,  but  three  were  available.  This  fact  was 
made  known  to  the  lieutenant-colonel  commanding,  accom- 
panied by  the  request  that  the  nuniber  be  reduced  that  the  cook 
might  be  permitted  the  usual  exemption.  The  duty  was  im- 
portant ;  numbers  were  essential  and.  for  this  time  at  least, 
regulation  must  yield  to  necessity.  Such  was  the  purport  of 
the  commandant's  response.  There  was  no  help;  Guilly  must 
go.  His  indignation  knew  no  bounds.  He  raged  and  raved 
m  broken  English  about  broken  faith  and  violated  promises, 
and,  as  if  determined  to  be  revenged  by  breaking  his  promise 
to  serve  as  cook,  grabbed  his  gun,  exclaiming :  "  Got's  in  Him- 
niel,  me  cook  no  more  ;  me  carries  the  gun  and  fights  forever." 
And  he  did  to  the  very  end.  No  persuasion  could  induce  him 
to  resume  his  abandoned  occupation.  He  adhered  faithfully  to 
his  pledge  and  fought  manfully  in  the  ranks  for  the  rest  of  his 
enlistment. 

liufore  the  winter  was  over  the  services  of  the  Pied  Piper  of 
ilamlin  could  have  been  put  into  active  requisition.     Not  so 


—  382  — 

much  as  a  thousand  guilders  awaited  him,  but  he  could  have 
been  handsomely  compensated.  The  chapel  and  the  tents  in 
the  vicinity  of  it  were  overrun  with  rats.  The  soldier's  in- 
genuity equalled  the  magic  of  the  piper's  pipes.  The  scheme 
for  their  extermination  originated  with  Sergeant  Nugent,  of 
Company  K.  The  homes  of  the  rats  were  first  .to  be  flooded 
and  then,  as  they  sought  safety  in  flight,  they  were  to  be 
clubbed  or  stoned  to  death.  Under  the  supervision  of  the 
originator  some  fifteen  or  twenty  volunteered  to  carry  water  in 
kettles  from  the  river  to  the  holes,  anticipating  huge  sport  in 
this  proposed  rat-killing  harvest.  It  was  a  weary  job.  The 
river  was  some  two  hundred  yards  distant,  and  gallon  after 
gallon  was  emptied  into  the  holes  and  all  to  no  purpose. 
Finally,  as  these  water-bearers  were  losing  heart  and  roughly 
berating  their  comrade  for  his  failure  to  realize  on  his  well-con- 
ceived project  of  destruction,  a  single  rat  presented  himself  and 
quickly  fell  before  the  unerring  club  of  the  man  who  stood 
nearest.  The  spirits  of  the  exterminators  revived.  "  More 
water,  more  water,"  was  the  cry.  More  rats,  more  rats,  was 
the  response.  They  came  thick  and  fast ;  some  were  escaping ; 
they  were  increasing  beyond  the  control  of  those  who  were 
managing  the  enterprise.  Reinforcements  were  called  for,  and 
before  the  affray  was  over  the  services  of  the  entire  regiment, 
officers  and  all,  were  in  requisition.  The  large  quantity  of 
water  used  and  the  number  tramping  about  the  vicinity  made 
considerable  mud.  Regardless  of  the  condition  of  the  ground, 
as  the  rats  plunged  through  it  the  blows  were  laid  on  hard,  and 
every  one  engaged  was  thoroughly  splashed.  Mud  instead  of 
blood  was  the  evidence  of  conflict.  The  affair  was  completely 
successful.  The  annoying  pests,  wholly  exterminated,  never 
reappeared,  and  those  who  had  nearly  lost  faith  in  the  originator 
of  the  plan  accorded  him  his  just  deserts,  and  all  who  had  suf- 
fered by  the  annoyance  were  duly  grateful  to  their  deliverers. 

Volunteer  oflficers,  as  a  rule,  were  not  apt  in  the  sword  exer- 
cise. Ambitious  to  excel  in  this  soldierly  acquirement,  the 
officers  of  one  of  the  regiments  imported  from  Massachusetts  an 


instructor,  who  came  not  only  u-itli  high  endorsements  as  & 
master  of  his  calling,  but  with  much  repute  for  his  ability  to 
meet  and  successfully  resist  all  comers.  His  career  was  a  short 
one.  Whatever  may  have  been  his  abilities  as  a  teacher,  he 
soon  proved  his  utter  incapacit>'  as  a  practical  combatant. 

A  little  Frenchman,  Albert  Dc  Ville,  of  K,  exceptionally  ex- 
pert with  sword  and  foil,  had  heard  much  talk  of  the  proposed 
Yankee  importation,  and,  prompted  probably  as  much  by  a 
spirit  of  revenge  at  the  failure  to  recogniKc  his  capacity  as  a  de- 
sire to  meet  a  focman  whom  he  supposed  worthy  of  his  blade, 
determined  to  seek  an  early  opportunity  for  a  pass  with  the 
gentleman  from  Massachusetts.  He  was  not  long  in  waiting. 
The  instructor  was  informed  that  a  soldier  in  the  ranks  claimed 
to  be  his  equal  as  a  swordsman,  and  for  his  own  sake  he  must 
quickly  secure  the  supremacy. 

A  Sibley  tent  was  selected  and  an  audience,  necessarily 
hmitcd,  witnessed  the  exhibition.  For  fifteen  minutes  the 
blades  flew  about  with  some  adroit  and  skilful  manccuvring, 
when  suddenly  the  instructor's  sword  lay  at  his  feet.  He  very 
unjustly  claimed  a  foul,  raving  about  it  with  much  passion. 
Such  a  demonstration  of  anger  was  just  what  the  Frenchman 
^  wanted,  and,  concluding  to  settle  him  forever,  he  promptly  con- 
ceded the  claim,  and  at  it  they  went  a^'ain,  the  Frenchman  with 
much  deliberation,  the  instructor  badly  broken  up.  The  con- 
test was  of  short  duration,  and  soon  up  went  the  instructor's 
sword  high  into  the  air.  This  time,  disarmed  effectually  be- 
yond the  hope  of  cavil,  he  yielded,  and  shortly  afterwards  dis- 
appeared entirely,  a  sadly  discomfited  and,  as  he  thought,  much- 
abused  man. 

De  Villc  was  a  man  of  no  physical  strength.  His  arm,  by 
tl'.ose  who  had  seen  it,  was  described  as  no  thicker  than  an  axe- 
liandle.  He  was  very  ready  to  explain  his  art,  which  he  had 
most  thoroughly  acquired  in  his  native  country,  but  others 
seemed  to  be  in  no  way  at  all  able  to  reach  him.  One  of  his 
favorite  modes  of  expression  was  that  a  sword  should  be 
handled  just  as  you  would  a  writing-pen.     He  claimed  that  in 


-  38s  - 

would  listen  to  no  explanation  at  the  time  and  gave  instructions 
for  a  positive  punishment.  Subsequently  the  misfortune  of 
the  previous  Friday  night  and  tlie  intervening  cold  and  sudden 
warm  weather  satisfactorily  accounted  for  the  condition  of 
Godwin's  piece,  and  tlie  affair  was  not  permitted  to  disturb  his 
otherwise  excellent  record. 

The  Fance  mansion  was  located  just  outside  the  picket  line. 
The  family,  a  mother  and  t\vo  promising  daughters  of  educa- 
tion and  refinement,  claimed  the  usual  rating  common  to  Vir- 
ginians of  the  higher  class.  Safeguards  from  the  regiment  re- 
lieved each  other  at  the  house  at  regular  intervals,  and  those 
disposed  to  cultivate  an  acquaintance  were  permitted  as  reason- 
able an  intimacy  as  the  strained  relations  of  armed  antagonism 
would  sanction.  Occasionally  when  the  soldiers'  entertaining 
powers  were  irresistible,  notably  as  in  the  case  with  Smith,  of 
K,  the  ladies  responded  with  music,  song"  and  gossip,  and  all 

*These  are  lines,  set  to  appropriate  mtuic,  often  repeated  by  the  Fance  ladies 
to  entettain  their  so^ier  guesLsi 

THE   HOMESPUN  DRESS. 
Oh,  yes !  I  am  a  Southern  giil. 

And  glory  in  (he  name, 
And  boast  it  with  far  greater  pride 

Than  glittering  wealth  or  fame. 

Chorus: 
Hurrah:   Hurrah!  for  the  Sunny  South  so  dear; 
Three  cheers  for  the  home5pun  dress  the  Southern  ladies  wearl 

I  envy  not  the  Northern  girl 

Her  robes  of  beauty  rare, 
Though  diamonds  grace  her  snowy  neck. 

And  ]icarls  bedeck  her  hair. 

The  homespun  dress  is  plain,  I  know. 

My  bat's  palmetto,  too  ; 
Bui  then  it  shows  what  Southern  girls 

For  Southern  rights  will  do. 

We've  sent  the  bravest  from  our  land 


—  384  — 

the  sword  strength  must  subordinate  itself  to  skill,  and  illus- 
trated it  by  a  story  of  his  having  in  a  very  close  combat  once 
disarmed  a  general  officer,  a  West  Point  graduate,  a  man  six 
feet  in  height  and  of  magnificent  frame.  He  was  equally  pro- 
ficient in  the  bayonet  exercise,  was  ready  and  did  often  meet 
with  the  sword  an  antagonist  of  no  mean  skill,  armed  with 
musket  and  bayonet,  and  the  antagonist  always  gave  it  up. 
De  Ville  remained  through  the  war  and  contributed  materially 
to  the  instruction  of  the  officers  and  men  in  the  art  he  knew 
so  well. 

On  one  occasion,  on  a  bleak,  cold  night,  intensely  dark, 
William  T.  Godwin,  of  Company  F,  on  his  way  with  the  relief 
to  a  picket  outpost,  slipped  from  a  log  that  spanned  a  narrow 
creek  in  the  route  to  his  destination  and  fell  headlong  into  the 
stream.  He  was  the  last  man  in  the  detail  and  his  splash 
bringing  the  advance  to  a  halt,  they  returned  and  by  the  light 
of  a  torch  fished  him  out.  His  musket,  which  was  loaded, 
filled  with  water  that  immediately  froze  hard,  and,  as  he  would 
be  useless  at  the  front,  he  was  sent  back  to  the  reserve.  This 
happened  on  a  Friday  night.  Saturday  the  pickets  were  re- 
lieved and  through  the  day,  the  weather  continuing  freezing 
cold,  he  worked  manfully  with  his  piece,  but  to  no  avail ;  there 
was  the  load  and  there  was  the  ice  nearly  to  the  muzzle.  The 
next  day,  Sunday,  an  inspection  was  announced  by  Colonel 
Herring.  In  the  vain  hope  to  divert  attention  from  the  inside 
of  his  gun,  Godwin  devoted  special  attention  to  the  outside, 
until  the  barrel  shone  with  unusual  brightness.  In  the  morn- 
ing the  temperature  rose  materially  and  the  sun  developed  an 
exceptional  winter  warmth.  The  sad  effects  of  a  thaw  inside 
his  piece  had  not  dawned  upon  Godwin.  The  colonel  was  es- 
pecially complimentary.  The  rammers  had  not  been  sprung, 
when,  unfortunately,  the  colonel  raised  the  hammer.  A 
long,  black  stream  spouting  from  the  nipple  disfigured  his 
clothing  and  entirely  changed  the  color  of  his  clean  white 
gloves.  The  particular  cleanliness  outside  doubtless  aroused  a 
suspicion  of  design.     The  colonel  was  demonstratively  angry. 


would  listen  to  no  explanation  at  the  time  and  gave  instructions 
for  a  positive  punishment.  Subsequently  the  misfortune  of 
the  previous  Friday  night  and  the  intervening  cold  and  sudden 
warm  weather  satisfactorily  accounted  for  the  condition  of 
Godwin's  piece,  and  the  affair  was  not  permitted  to  disturb  his 
otherwise  excellent  record. 

The  Fance  mansion  was  located  just  outside  the  picket  line. 
The  family,  a  mother  and  two  promising  daughters  of  educa- 
tion and  refinement,  claimed  the  usual  rating  common  to  Vir- 
ginians of  the  higher  class.  Safeguards  from  the  regiment  re- 
lieved each  other  at  the  house  at  regular  intervals,  and  those 
disposed  to  cultivate  an  acquaintance  were  permitted  as  reason- 
able an  intimacy  as  the  strained  relations  of  armed  antagonism 
would  .sanction.  Occasionally  when  the  soldiers'  entertaining 
powers  were  irresistible,  notably  as  in  the  case  with  Smith,  of 
K,  the  ladies  responded  with  music,  song*  and  gossip,  and  all 

'These  uy  lini."',  set  to  appropriate  musk,  often  repealed  by  the  Pu)ce  tidlen 
10  cntMtttin  tbcii  soldier  gaent : 

THE  HOMESPUN  DRESS. 
Oh.  yes!  I  am  a  Southern  girl, 

And  glury  in  the  name,  ,^^^^^^^^^^^ 

And  boast  it  with  fai  grealer  pride 

Than  glittering  wealth  or  luae. 
Chorus  : 
Hurrah!  Hurrah!  Tor  the  Sunny  South  so  dear; 
Tliree  cheers  Tor  the  homespun  dress  (he  Soutbem  Ikdiet  wearl 

I  envy  not  the  Northern  girl 

Her  robes  of  beauty  rare, 
Though  diamonds  grace  her  snowy  neck. 

And  pearls  bedeck  her  hair. 

The  homespun  dress  is  plain,  I  knoir. 

My  hat's  palmetto,  loo; 
But  then  it  shows  what  Southern  girls 

For  Southern  rights  will  do. 

We'n 


—  386     - 

felt  that  a  cruel  service  should  so  relax  rig^d  rules  that  the  best 
society  men  might  be  alone  assigned  to  duty  when  the  charge 

And  we  would  lend  a  helping  hand — 
We  love  the  South,  you  know. 

Now  Northern  goods  are  out  of  date. 

And  since  Old  Abe's  blockade, 
We  Southern  girls  can  live  content 

With  goods  that's  Southern-made. 

We'd  scorn  to  wear  a  bit  of  silk, 

A  bit  of  Northern  lace, 
But  make  our  homespun  dresses  up 

And  wear  them  with  much  grace. 

This  Southern  land's  a  glorious  land, 

And  hers  a  glorious  cause ; 
So  here's  three  cheers  to  Southern  Rights 

And  for  the  Southern  Boys. 

We've  sent  our  sweethearts  to  the  war. 

But,  dear  girls,  never  mind ; 
The  soldier  lad  will  not  forget 

The  girl  he  left  behind. 

A  soldier  is  the  lad  for  me, 

A  brave  heart  I  adore. 
And  when  this  sunny  South  is  free. 

And  Bghting  is  no  more, 

I'll  choose  me  then  a  lover  brave 

From  out  that  gallant  band ; 
The  soldier  lad  that  I  love  most 

Shall  have  my  heart  and  hand. 

And  now,  young  man,  a  word  to  you— 

If  you  would  win  the  fair. 
Go  to  the  field  where  honor  calls 

And  win  your  lady  there. 

Remember  that  our  brightest  smiles 

Are  for  the  true  and  brave. 
And  that  our  tears  fall  for  the  one 

That  fills  a  soldier's  grave. 

Chorus  : 

Hurrah!  Hurrah!  focthe  Sunny  South  so  dear: 

Three  cheers  for  the'nomespun  dress  the  Southern  ladies  wett  ~. 


-  3S7- 

they  had  to  keep  were  the  stately  matrons  and  comely  maidens 
of  Virginia's  aristocracy. 

Smith  had  very  justly  already  earned  an  excellent  reputation 
for  courage  and  determination  among  those  with  whom  he  had 
been  closely  associated,  but  to  others  his  extremely  youthful 
appearance  sometimes  suggested  a  doubt  whether  he  was  fitted 
for  a  sudden  emergency.  On  one  occasion,  at  this  encamp- 
ment, a  detachment  of  the  4th  Virginia  Cavalry  had  made  a 
daring  da.sh  through  the  pickets,  shaken  up  Svveitzcr's  head- 
quarters pretty  well,  and  returned  wiih  a  number  of  captured 
horses.  Shortly  afterwards,  when  it  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  iiSth's 
detail  to  be  assigned  to  the  spot  where  the  lines  had  been  suc- 
cessfully penetrated,  the  officer  in  charge,  advised  of  the  inci- 
dent, was  instructed  to  more  than  usual  caution,  and  particu- 
larly to  look  well  after  Post  7. 

This  post  could  be  approached  under  cover  to  within  but  a 
short  distance,  and  no  man  was  to  be  assigned  there  except  one 
who  could  receive  and  return  an  unexpected  shot.  Sergeant 
Daly,  of  E,  inspecting  the  line  with  a  view  to  determine  whether 
this  post  had  fallen  to  the  lot  of  one  calculated  to  hold  it,  came 
across  a  smooth-faced,  seventeen-year-old  boy.  He  knew  him 
only  by  sight  as  a  member  of  the  regiment — nothing  of  liis 
name  or  reputation.  Engaging  him  in  general  conversation, 
he  finally  disclosed  the  purpose  of  his  investigation,  and  con- 
cluded by  inquiring  of  the  youth,  who  was  no  other  than  Smith, 
of  K,  whether  he  thought  he  could  sustain  himself  in  case  the 
circumstances  likely  to  occur  should  happen.  "Tell  the  lieu- 
tenant," said  Smith,  "that  I  can  stay  here  as  long  as  any  one, 
and  hope  he  won't  relieve  me  just  because  I  happen  to  be  a 
boy."  The  reply  was  sufficiently  assuring  and  Smith  was  not 
disturbed. 

It  was  not  an  every-day  opportunity  the  enlisted  man  had  to 
secure  his  share  of  spirits.  On  a  cold,  bicak,  stormy  morning 
a  knot  of  officers  conceived  the  notion  the  day  would  pass 
more  cheerily  with  a  re.isonabie  supply  of  the  ardent.  They 
selected  a  trusty  soldier  and,  supplying  him  with  nine  canteens 


and  nine  orders  on  which,  only,  whisky  was  allowed  to  be  sold, 
despatched  him  in  all  haste  to  the  commissary. 

The  soldier,  thoughtful  as  well  as  trusty,  concealed  his  own 
empty  canteen  underneath  his  great  coat.  Arriving  at  the 
depot,  he  found  it  in  charge  of  an  old  acquaintance  to  whom 
he  delivered  the  nine  orders  and  the  nine  canteens.  Two 
barrels,  with  the  heads  out  but  full,  stood  close  to  each  other. 
From  one  Billy,  the  acquaintance,  proceeded  to  fill  the  canteens. 
Leaning  by  the  other  was  the  soldier.     As  Billy  filled,  the  sol- 


THE  "TRUSTY-  SOLDIER  FILLING  HIS  OWN  CANTEEN. 

dier  dropped  his  own  canteen  into  the  other  barrel,  withdrawing 
it  when  the  sound  indicated  the  liquor  had  reached  the  mouth, 
meanwhile  engaging  Billy  in  loud  and  amusing  conversation  to 
drown  the  gurgling  sound.  Billy  meanwhile  was  so  intent  on 
his  own  duties  and  interested  in  the  task,  that  what  had  been 
done  wholly  escaped  his  observation.  Settling  his  score,  the 
soldier  earnestly  appealed  to  Billy  for  a  drink,  but  Billy  con- 
sistently resisted  his  appeals,  predicting  that  with  such  a  load 
and  such  temptation  he  would  be  drunk  enough  before  night 


—  389  — 

anyhow,  and  that  his  fricntis  would  do  him  service  by  not  ex- 
pediting him  to  the  unseemly  condition  he  was  bound  to  rencli. 

Billy's  predictions  were  fulfilled.  Nine  drinks,  one  out  of 
each  canteen,  on  his  way  back  set  the  man  up  pretty  well  before 
he  reached  camp.  The  officers,  at  first  disposed  to  parsimony, 
were  not  inclined  to  reward  him  for  his  work  ;  but  the  mellowing 
influence  of  the  rum  lubricated  their  generosity,  and  they  plied 
their  willing  messenger  so  repeatedly  with  the  beverage  that 
long  before  "  retreat "  he  had  landed  in  the  guard-house.  The 
night's  confinement  sobered  him.  and  then  he  had  the  better  of 
the  officers.  He  had  nut  so  far  foi^otten  himself  as  not  to 
successfully  conceal  his  own  canteen,  and  immediately  upon 
his  release  he  and  his  companions  had  anotlier  bout  of  it,  the 
officers  meanwhile  languishing  morosely  with  canteens  empty 
and  stimulants  gone. 

Larr^'  Mullen,  of  Company  A,  was  a  new  recruit,  a  great  raw- 
boned  Irishman,  afterwards  a  good  soldier,  but  at  first  green  as 
his  native  isle.  Picket  duty  soon  fell  to  Larry's  lot.  Captain 
Walters  was  the  officer  in  command  of  the  line,  and  Larrj' 
stood  upon  the  outpost  in  all  his  primitive,  ungainly  awkward- 
ness. Captain  Walters,  accompanied  by  Larry's  lieutenant, 
visiting  thL-  outposts  about  dark,  approaching  Larry's  post. 
slackened  his  pace,  waiting  for  Larry  to  satisfy  himself,  ac- 
cording to  instructions,  that  they  were  entitled  to  be  where 
they  were. 

But  Larry  had  no  such  intention.  Throwing  his  piece  to 
his  left  shoulder,  he  advanced  with  his  right  hand  extended 
towards  his  own  oflliccr,  in  friendly  recognition  of  his  presence. 
Upbraided  by  Walters  and  reminded  of  his  instructions,  and 
asked  why  he  had  not  followed  them,  he  replied  innocently,  in 
his  broadest  tongue,  "  I  would,  sure,  only  1  know'd  the  other 
fellow."  Walters 's  gravity  yielded  for  the  moment,  and  both 
officers  gave  way  to  the  merriment  the  situation  naturally  pro- 
duced. 

There  had  been  considerable  firing  on  the  picket  line  for 
sport     Game  and  domestic  animals  shot  there  had  often  sub- 


—  390  — 

stantially  improved  the  diet.  Stringent  orders  had  been  issued 
prohibiting  it.  Two  fat  opossums  on  one  occasion  ventured 
within  range  of  Godwin's  musket.  Though  aware  of  the  con- 
sequences, he  fired  and  brought  them  both  to  earth.  The  fear 
of  detection  so  disturbed  him  that  he  sought  to  dispose  of  his 
game  where  he  thought  it  would  most  likely  palliate  his  offence. 
One  he  sent  to  the  commandant,  Colonel  Gwyn,  and  the  other 
to  Quartermaster  Gardner.  He  was  right  in  his  conjecture,  for 
he  shortly  found  himself  a  guest  at  the  quartermaster's  table^ 
where  the  leading  dish  was  the  "other  opossum,"  cleverly  baked 
and  well  stuffed  with  potato  filling. 

A  detail  at  work  widening  the  railway  cut  at  Rappahannock 
Station  met  with  ocular  proofs  that  frogs  are  hibernating  ani- 
mals. They  were  "  drifting  "  through  soft  porous  rock  that 
yielded  readily  to  the  blows  of  the  pick,  when  they  struck  upon 
what  was  apparently  the  winter-quarters  of  all  the  frogs  in  the 
neighborhood.  The  gathering  was  as  large,  populous,  and 
closely  settled  as  a  prairie-dog  village.  Their  state  of  torpidity 
soon  yielded  to  the  genial  rays  of  the  bright  sunlight,  and  they 
all  hopped  off  with  the  evident  conviction  that  the  springtime 
had  really  come  to  stay. 

This  encampment,  so  prolific  of  anecdote,  was  rapidly  ap- 
proaching its  end.  In  its  solid  details  it  did  not  differ  essen- 
tially from  others  that  have  been  treated  of  elaborately. 

Some  important  changes  occurred  towards  its  conclusion. 
Captain  Crocker,  who  has  frequently  appeared  throughout 
these  pages  with  such  merited  prominence,  found  it  necessary 
to  withdraw  from  the  army.  On  the  27th  of  January,  1864,  his 
resignation  was  accepted,  and  the  regiment  and  the  service  lost 
an  officer  worthy  of  honorable  mention  among  the  gallant  men 
whose  names  enrich  the  country's  history  with  heroic  deeds 
and  patriotic  sacrifice.  Returning  to  civil  life.  Captain  Crocker 
engaged  entensively  in  business  pursuits,  and  a  few  years  since, 
in  the  prime  of  successful  and  enterprising  manhood,  died,  after 
a  short  illness,  at  his  home  in  Buffalo. 

Captain  Doncgan  about  this  time  also  resigned.     After  the 


—  391  — 

war  his  fellow-citizens,  recognizing  his  services  to  his  coiintiy, 
selected  him  for  an  honorable  and  lucrative  office.  He  died 
shortly  after  the  expiration  of  its  term,  wl!1  advanced  in  years. 

Signs  were  indicative  of  active  operations  if  the  season  was 
not.  Boisterous  March  had  not  yet  disappeared  when  the 
orders  were  issued  that  consolidated  the  Army  of  the  I'otomac 
into  three  efficient  corps,  with  which,  and  the  subsequent 
addition  of  the  gth  Corps,  it  fought  the  struggle  out  to  the 
end.  The  ist  and  3d  lost  their  identity;  the  2d,  5th  and  6th 
retained  theirs. 

Sykcs  was  sent  to  other  fields  of  honorable  service,  and  the 
scholarly,  intrepid  Warren  took  his  place.  Thcold  ist  Brigade 
was  broken  up  and  the  iSlh  Mas- 
sachusetts, 20th  Maine,  44lh  New 
York.  83d  Pennsylvania.  118th 
Pennsylvania,  ist  Michigan  and 
16th  Michigan  were  organised  as 
the  3d  Brigade  of  the  1st  Oivisii 
5lh  Corps.  The  3d  Brigade  re-  I 
tained  its  well-known  bugle  call. 
General  Dan  Butterfield,  i  t  s 
earliest  commander,  shaped  its 
notes  to  lingeringly  pronounce  his 
name,  and  "  Dan  !  Dan !  Butter- 
field  !  Butterfield  ! "  at  times  rang  out  in  chorus  when  the  men 
were  in  the  humor  down  to  the  very  end. 

The  brigade  was  formed  specially  to  secure  in  numbers  and 
efficiency  an  organization  suited  to  the  high  military  attain- 
ments so  prominently  developed  in  all  the  many  battles  of 
General  Joseph  J.  Bartlett.  It  was  his  right  in  the  reorganiza- 
tion to  be  assigned  to  a  division.  Not  strictly  speaking  his 
right,  for  of  right  that  command  belonged  only  to  a  major- 
general.  But  some  of  the  major-generals  about  that  time,  for 
.sufficiently  cogent  rea.sons,  had  been  relegated  to  duties  as  near 
akin  to  quiet,  peaceful  pursuits  as  could  be  suggested,  when 
grirn-vi'^agcd  war  needed  the  services  of  all  the  valiant  sons  of 


—  392  — 

Mars.  They  had  been  tried  but  were  not  to  be  trusted.  Politi- 
cal considerations  forbade  their  actual  retirement,  and  so  the 
command  of  divisions  fell  to  brigadiers  whose  work  had  proved 
them  worthy  of  their  trust.  Of  these  it  was  conceded  Bartlett 
was  one.  He  had  indeed  had  a  division,  but  there  were  not 
enough  for  all,  and  he  was  forced  to  bide  his  time  for  a  better 
opportunity.  General  Griffin  was  continued  as  the  division 
commander. 

This  reference  to  these  retired  general  officers  recalls  an  in- 
cident of  some  historic  moment  which  may  not  inappropriately 
be  mentioned  here. 

While  the  army  lay  around  Petersburg  an  eminent  corps 
commander  visited  the  President  to  urge  upon  him  the  justice 
of  promoting,  to  the  rank  to  which  their  commands  entitled 
them,  the  gallant  division  commanders  who  had  so  valiantly 
fought  their  divisions  through  the  severe  campaign  of  the 
Wilderness,  Spottsylvania  and  Cold  Harbor.  The  President, 
struck  with  the  force  of  the  appeal  and  conceding  the  justice 
of  the  demand,  feared  only  that  the  list  of  major-generals  was 
already  full  to  its  legal  maximum,  and  that  right  and  justice 
must  tarry  until  vacancies  should  make  places  for  deserving 
men.  The  adjutant-general  was  summoned  and  reported.  The 
President  was  right  in  his  conjecture ;  the  list  was  in  fact  full, 
and,  under  the  law,  there  was  no  room  for  other  appointments. 
**  But,"  considerately  added  General  Townsend,  "some  of  these 
are  at  their  homes  awaiting  orders,  or  on  some  light  or  tri- 
fling duty  that  can  easily  be  discharged  by  officers  of  much  less 
rank ;  their  services  might  readily  be  dispensed  with  and  places 
made  for  other  men." 

Mr.  Lincoln  saw  the  force  of  the  adjutant-general's  sugges- 
tion, but  as  war  demands  a  strength  and  support  at  home  as 
well  as  in  the  field,  and  as  all  these  gentlemen  had  a  warm  fol- 
lowing among  some  very  influential  men,  he  did  not  just  see 
his  way  clear  to  summarily  dispose  of  them  by  a  wholesale 
muster  out.  "  But,"  said  the  President,  always  ready  for  an 
-emergency,  "  I  tell  you  what  we  can  do :  as  the  rank  for  these 


r«*! 


—  393  — 

brigadiers  does  not  fit  their  commands,  we  can  send  them  all 
home  and  put  the  major-generals,  who  have  rank  without  com- 
mand, in  their  places." 

This  startled  the  corps  commander.  He  knew  well  the  utter 
unfitness  of  most,  if  not  all,  of  them  ;  and,  besides,  that  nobody 
at  the  front  wanted  them ;  and  believing  the  President  sincere, 
earnestly  urged  him,  if  he  desired  to  preserve  the  integrity  Of 
his  armies,  to  make  no  such  fatal  blunder.  Hut  the  way  in 
which  he  managed  this 
part  of  his  case — which 
really  needed  no  such 
urgency,  for  the  Presi- 
dent had  no  serious  pur- 
pose of  carrying  out  his 
suggestion — and  the  way 
he  continued  to  press  the 
righteous  clamis  of  those 
for  whom  he  pled  ulti 
matcly  convmced  the 
President  that  justice 
must  be  done  and 
enough  of  the  major 
generals  not  with  tht 
army  at  the  front  should 
be  mustered  out  to  make 
room  for  those  deserving  captain  john  r.  white. 

promotions. 

Elated  with  his  success,  the  corps  commander  hurried  to 
General  Halleck  and  rapidly  repeated  the  result  of  his  inter- 
view. General  Hallcck  was  not  slow  to  act.  Within  an  hour 
he  was  with  the  President  with  a  list  of  generals  whose  services 
could  be  sunmiarily  dispensed  with.  The  hour's  delay  was 
fatal ;  the  success  of  the  corps  commander  with  the  President 
had  promptly  spread  abroad.  Political  influence  dominated 
the  situation.  The  .strong  men  these  distinguished  heroes 
ke^jt  at  the  cajiital  to  watch  their  shadowy  hold  on  military  life 


—  39-^  — 

were  quickly  with  the  President.  All  the  good  the  corps  com- 
mander had  done  was  speedily  dissipated ;  the  major-generals 
held  on,  and  the  hope  of  promotion  that  had  dawned  on  the 
brigadiers  disappeared  for  a  long  time  to  come. 

The  signs  of  a  movement  increased ;  the  season  when  it  would 
become  practicable  drew  nearer.  April,  was  well  on  the  wane. 
The  surest  of  all  indications  that  battles  must  be  looked  for  was 
at  hand.  The  field-hospitals  were  abandoned  and  the  sick 
ordered  to  the  rear.  Afterwards  but  a  single  day  elapsed,  and 
then  from  the  smoke  and  flame  that  arose,  as  the  torch  de- 
stroyed all  that  remained  of  its  old  abandoned  dwelling-place, 
the  regiment  plunged  into  the  fierce  fires  that  followed  the  gory 
track  of  battles  from  the  Rapidan  to  the  James. 

At  the  Wilderness  General  Grant's  army  included  316 
pieces  of  artillery,  comprising  236  regiments  and  three  battalions 
of  infantry,  thirty-five  regiments  of  cavalry  and  sixty-four  bat- 
teries of  light  artillery.  Many  were  veteran  regiments  whose 
banners  had  waved  on  many  hard-fought  fields.  The  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  according  to  the  morning  report  of  April  30, 
1864,  had  an  aggregate  present  of  127,471,  including  the  9th 
Corps. 


Many  changes  look  place  in  the  reorganization  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  for  this  campaign. 

5lh  Corps  commanded  by  Maj.-Genl.  G.  K.  Warren. 
1st  Division  commanded  by  Brig.-Gen.  Chas.  Griffin. 
3d  Brigade  commanded  by  Brig.-Gen.  Jos.  J.  Bartlett. 

20th  Maine,  Maj.  Ellis  Spear. 

i8th  Massachusetts,  Col.  Jos.  Hayes, 

ist  Michigan,  Lieut-Col.  William  A.  Throop. 

i6th  Michigan,  Maj.  Robert  T.  Elliott. 

44th  New  York,  Lieut. -Col.  Freeman  Connor. 

83d  Pennsylvania,  Col.  Orpheus  S.  Woodward. 

118th  Pennsylvania,  Col.  James  Gwyn. 


CH.\PTER.  XVI 

1 

THE    WILDERNESS — tAUBEL    EltL- 

-SPOTSYLVANIA.                                    ^^| 

Oh,  whal  ia  Death  but  parting  bnath                                  ^^^^^^^M 

On  manv  a  bloody  plain,                                                                ^^^^^^^H 

dknii  hib  face,                                                              ^^^^^H 

And  in  this  pUcc                                                                 ^^^^^H 

I'l]  mccl  hlr,  y.-i  agnin. 

1 

^^                        ^ 

LARK'S      MOUN- 

^^P^'^^^BJ 

TAIN,  the  bold  pro- 

^^^^—«-,*%,       ^^ 

montory  on  the  south 

J^BnS^^B^^'^^&fci^ 

side  of  the   Rapidan, 

ii^H^^^^vVSlk^^^Hr:^ 

tlie  silent  sentinel  that 

^^^H^\^H^^B^^P^V 

had    kept    its    evcr- 

^^BIT^VJP^^P^'^^^^ 

wnkeful  watch  on  the 

^^^^O!^ 

old    Potomac   Army 

through  all  the  months 

^^S^^^^^^ 

that  it  lay  at  rest  in 

^ir'^^'^^^^^^^ 

its  quiet  winter  home. 

** 

had    not    been     over 

vigilant  on  the  morning  of  the    ist  of  May.     Tho  5th  Coqjs                ^M 

had  two  rivers  instead  of  one  between  it  and  ihc  enemy,  and  to 

be  up  with  the  rest  of  the  army  it  moved  two  days  earlier  that 
all  might  make  that  memorable  midnight  start  on  the  3d. 
Yet  the  more  than  usual  smoke  that  filled  the  air  from  the 
abandoned  5th  Corps  camps  failed  to  arouse  the  vigilance  of 
the  Confederate  signal  officer  on  the  mountain  top,  and  Lee 
knew  nought  of  the  majestic  sweep  prepared  for  him  until 
daylight  of  the  4th  revealed  the  heads  of  all  the  columns  at 
the  very  Rapidan  itself  Whether  it  was  Lee's  purpose  to  em- 
barrass the  crossing  or  not,  if  he  had  been  advised  in  time,  is 
not  known,  but  certain  it  is  that  scarce  had  his  adversary's  foot 
been  planted  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  than  he  was 
promptly  in  motion  against  him. 

The  order  to  move  on  the  30th  of  April  was  followed  by  its 
execution  the  next  day  with  a  march  as  far  as  Brandy  Station, 
(39S)  :  : ..  . 


—  396  — 

where,  remaining  in  bivouac  until  noon  of  the  3d  of  May,  it 
was  continued  to  the  vicinity  of  Culpepper,  From  there, 
shortly  before  midnight,  began  the  actual  offensive  movement, 
which  in  march,  siege,  skirmish,  or  battle,  continued  inces- 
santly until  Appomattox  terminated  it  within  three  weeks  of  a 
jear  from  the  day  of  its  commencement 

It  was  the  generous  blooming  spring-time,  but  there  was  no 
indication  of  its  presence.  The  weather  was  hot,  somewhat  in 
advance  of  the  season.     But   no  flowering  vine   chmbed  the 


GEORCl!:  W.  WILLIAMS,   FIRST  LIEirT.  CO.  I,  BVT.  CAPT.  f.  S.  VOLS. 

lattice,  no  flowers  bloomed,  no  fruits  blossomed.  The  trees 
of  the  forest  and  of  the  orchard  had  fallen  before  the  axe  of 
the  soldier,  and  vines  and  flowers  had  been  obliterated  by 
the  gory,  grimy  track  of  war.  The  landscape  for  several  years 
had  failed  to  welcome  the  approach  of  spring. 

The  brigade  crossed  the  Rapidan  at  Germanna  Ford  by  a 
pontoon  bridge,  and  halting  some  three  hours  for  breakfast, 
continued  the  march  until  about  3  p.  M.,  when  GrifHn's  division 


—  397  — 

formed  line  of  battle  along  the  pike  at  a  point  about  a  mile  be- 
yond where  the  Germanna  plank  road  crossed  the  Orange  and 
Fredericksburg  turnpike  and  a  little  fartlier  from  the  old  Wilder- 
ness Tavern.  The  ist  Michigan,  from  Bartlctt's  brigade,  were 
thrown  out  as  the  brigade  skirmishers,  and  in  this  formation 
the  troops  bivouacked  for  the  night. 

It  was  a  wild,  weird  region.  Everywhere  was  dense  and 
trackless  forest.  The  piercing  cry  of  the  whip-poor-will  rang 
through  the  sombre  pines  and  the  screech  of  the  owl  echoed 
from  the  tree-tops.  A 
wary  foe  was  concen- 
trating for  a  mighty  , 
stroke,  and  the  weary  < 
soldiers  rested.forthe  j 
last  time  for  many 
months,  without  the 
.sound  of  musketry  to 
break  their  repose. 
The  Wilderness,  for  ] 
such  the  region  was 
justly  named,  sud- 
denly peopled  by  1 
two  great  warring  I 
hosts,  was  about  to  ; 
nizikc  a  b.ittlc- 
tory  unparalleled 
for  slaughter,  to  be 
read  with  interest,  deep,  intense  and  abiding  so  long  as 
the  English  language  shall  be  spoken. 

No  other  idea  of  the  country  can  be  given  save  that  it  was  a 
forest  apparently  without  limit,  with  clearings  so  few  and  their 
space  so  contracted  as  scarcely  to  be  considered  as  breaking  the 
solemn  monotony  of  tree,  chaparral  and  undergrowth.  Here  and 
there  a  .swale  and  ridge  broke  the  level,  but  the  rise  and  dip 
were  so  inappreciable  that  they  would  scarcely  have  been 
noticed  save  when  men  were  seeking  cover  from  the  bitter  pun- 


ishment  of  battle.  East  and  west  two  main  highways,  the 
Orange  and  Fredericksburg  plank  and  turnpike  roads,  running 
parallel  with  each  other,  and  crossing  near  Chancellorsville, 
pass  through  the  entire  wilderness.  The  Brock  Road  begins 
on  the  pike  and  runs  southeast  to  Spottsylvania  Court-House. 
The  Germanna  plank  road,  after  crossing  the  turnpike,  ter- 
minates on  the  plank  road  some  three  miles  northeast  of  Par- 
ker's Store.  Other  plantation  roads  connected  the  few  settled 
patches. 

On  the  morning  of  the  5tli  Crawford's  division  led  the  5th 


GENERAL  JOS.  J.  BARTLETT. 

Corps,  moving  off"  in  the  direction  of  Chewning's  and  the 
Widow  Tapp's,  towards  Parker's  Store,  on  the  Orange  and 
Fredericksburg  plank  road.  Chewning's  is  about  two  miles 
southwest  of  the  Lacy  House,  where  Grant  and  Meade 
remained  during  most  of  the  action.  Except  the  occasional 
cleared  fields  of  these  three  and  a  few  other  farms,  the  forest 
was  unbroken.      Wadsworth   and   Robinson   followed  Craw- 


399  — 


ford  in  the  order  named,  and  Griflin  remained  across  the 
turnpike,  throwing  up  breastworks  about  eight  o'clock  in  the 
morning. 

To  Griffin's  division  belongs  the  distinction  of  having  opened 
the  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  which  will  be  ever  memorable, 
not  only  for  its  magnitude,  the  fierceness  with  which  it  was 
contested  and  the  appalling  loss  of  life  on  both  sides,  but  as 
being  the  commencement  of  the  greatest  campaign  of  the  war. 
About  noon  Griffin  advanced  with  great  difficulty  through  the 
woods,  with  Ayrcs's  brigade  on  the  right  of  the?  pike  and 
Swcitzer's  and  Baitlett's  on  the  left.  The  second  line  of  Bart- 
lett's  brigade  was  composed  of  the  20th  Maine  and  the  iiSth 
Pennsylvania,  the  latter  led  by  Lieu  tenant- Colonel  Herring. 
Colonel  Gwyn  commanded  the  line.  The  movement  was  very 
vigorous  and  spirited.  It  broke  up  Jones's  Confederate  brigade 
completely,  killing  its  commanding  officer,  driving  it  through 
the  supporting  line,  disordering  Batte's  brigade  and  pressing 
hard  the  brigade  of  Doles. 

In  spite  of  the  obstructions  and  in  the  absence  of  that  en- 
couragement which  i.s  afforded  by  the  sight,  on  the  eve  of  an 
engagement,  of  strong  lines  of  battle  to  the  right  and  to  the 
left,  the  advance  was  made  with  zeal  and  resolution.  The 
snapping  of  boughs  and  branches,  the  tramp  over  the  cracking, 
tangled  underbrush,  piercingly  distinct  in  the  otherwise  noise- 
less forest,  alone  indicated  that  a  considerable  force  was  in  mo- 
tion, until  a  wild,  wicked  roar  of  musketrj',  reverberating 
through  the  forests  with  a  deep  and  hollow  sound,  opened  the 
appalling  carnage  of  the  Wilderness.  The  enemy  broke  under 
the  withering  fire.  The  lines  had  broadened  their  spaces,  and 
Hie  20th  Maine  and  iiSth  Pennsylvania  rushed  to  the  front 
line.  The  pursuit  continued  through  the  dense  woods  until  a 
small  clearing  was  reached.  The  enemy  retreated  across  this 
clearing,  and,  upon  reaching  the  other  side,  made  a  stand,  and 
in  an  instant  the  timber  blazed  with  the  fire  of  musketry.  Our 
men  paused  for  an  instant,  but  only  for  an  instant,  when,  with 
ringing  cheers,  they  charged  across  the  clearing,  driving  the 


—  400  — 

enemy  from  their  position.  This  and  the  advance  through  the 
woods  was  not  accomplished  without  serious  loss.  Many  a 
brave  fellow  bit  the  dust  as  the  charge  was  made  across  the 
open  ground.  The  pursuit  was  continued  but  a  short  distance, 
when  it  became  known  that  the  troops  on  the  right  and  left  had 
not  maintained  connection  and  that  both  flanks  of  the  advanced 
line  were  exposed.  In  a  few  minutes  it  was  discovered  that  the 
enemy  were  intent  upon  flanking.  Firing  upon  the  flanks 
soon  compelled  the  line  to  fall  back.  At  first  this  was  ac- 
complished in  good  order.  The  command  was  given  to 
**  about  face/'  and  for  some  distance  a  good  line  was  preserved. 
But  the  impression  soon  gained  ground  that  they  were  hope- 
lessly flanked  and  liable  to  be  surrounded  and  captured,  and 
then  the  line  broke  up  into  little  knots  which,  falling  back  some 
distance,  would  turn  and  face  the  enemy,  and  then  again  fall 
back.  In  this  way  the  position  from  which  they  had  started, 
where  the  breastworks  had  been  built,  was  at  length  reached. 

The  difficulty  in  forcing  its  way  through  the  scrubby  pine 
and  tangled  undergrowth  had  so  hindered  Wright's  division  of 
the  6th  Corps,  advancing  to  cover  Ayres's  flank,  that  this 
brigade  was  forced  back,  which  eventually  exposed  the  flanks  of 
the  others  on  the  left  of  the  pike,  and  they  in  succession  fol- 
lowed. 

There  was  but  little  opportunity  for  supports  to  promptly 
find  their  way  to  where  they  were  most  needed.  "  Where  shall 
I  go  ?  "  shouted  a  gallant  brigade  commander,  anxious  to  throw 
himself  where  the  pressure  was  the  strongest.  "  Push,  sir," 
replies  his  chief,  "  as  rapidly  as  you  can  to  where  you  hear  the 
sounds  of  the  heaviest  fighting."  The  instructions  were  just  as 
definite  as  if  he  had  been  told  to  take  a  given  direction,  for  the 
sounds  of  the  heaviest  fighting  were  everywhere,  and  a  given 
direction  in  this  impenetrable  maize  was  nowhere. 

General  Bartlett  was  as  conspicuous  in  this  engagement  as 
he  always  was  in  every  battle.  From  what  they  had  seen  of 
him,  from  the  reputation  he  had  acquired  elsewhere,  his  soldiers 
looked  for  nothing  else.     He  was  always  distinctively  dressed. 


—  40I  — 


In  the  thickest  of  a  fight  his  men  could  not  mistake  him,  and 
the  enemy  could  not  complain  that  they  had  not  in  him  a 
shining  mark  whenever  there  was  opportunity  to  make  a  se- 
lection. During  this  engagement  he  made  a  very  narrow 
escape.  He  had  ridden  in  to  the  thickest  and  suddenly  found 
himself  in  close  proximity  to  a  considerable  body  of  the  enemy, 
who  made  him  a  target  for  their  rifles.  His  horse  was  killed, 
part  of  his  clothing  was  shot  away,  but  he  fortunately  escaped 
with  a  few  bruises. 

A  section  of  a  battery  on  the  turnpike — there  was  little  place 
for  artillery,  except  on  the  roadways — did  excellent  execution 
in  covering  the  withdrawal,  while  the  infantry  in  their  retreat 
would  stop  to  serve  as  a  support.  As  "  K,"  of  the  1 1 8th,  was  in 
its  vicinitj'.  doing  its  best  to  fight  off  the  enemy  as  they  were 
pressing  the  retiring  troops,  the  batterymen  showed,  and  very 
properly  too,  a  decided  disposition  to  leave.  Every  indication 
pointed  to  a  sacrifice  of  their  pieces  if  they  held  on  much 
longer.  But  as  Fryer,  a  very  gallant  soldier  of  that  company, 
quaintly  expressed  it.  he.  Nugent,  Siotsenberg  and  a  few 
other  associates  who  were  with  him,  organized  themselves  into 
a  self-constituted  committee  to  wait  upon  the  men  of  the 
battcrj-  and  urge  them  to  stay  a  while ;  that  they  and  hosts  of 
friends  they  had  in  the  neighborhood  would  soon  gather  about 
them.  Whether  the  committee's  persuasion  had  the  effect  or 
not  was  never  known.  But  these  men  of  "  K  "  and  other  com- 
panies of  the  regiment,  with  soldiers  of  other  commands  of  the 
brigade,  rallied  about  the  battery,  which  opened  on  the  ap- 
proaching Confederates  with  grape  and  canister  and  checked 
their  advance,  and  the  rest  of  the  movement  was  conducted  in 
more  creditable  order. 

There  were  a  goodly  number  of  prisoners  taken  during  the 
forward  movement.  They  were  disarmed,  their  accoutrements 
taken  from  them,  and  directed  to  find  their  way  to  the  rear,  as 
there  was  no  time  then  to  give  them  other  attention. 

Colonel  Gwyn  was  severely  wounded ;  all  the  other  regi- 
mental  commanders    in   the   brigade  were  either    killed  or 


—  402  — 

wounded.  The  loss  of  the  i  i8th — ^two  enlisted  men  killed,  one 
commissioned  officer  and  twenty-six  enlisted  men  wounded,  and 
twenty-seven  enlisted  men  missing,  was  not  so  heavy  as  in  the 
other  regiments.  The  command  of  the  regiment  had  now  de- 
volved on  Lieutenant-Colonel  Charles  P.  Herring,  and  so  con- 
tinued almost  uninterruptedly  until  the  loss  of  a  leg  at  Dab- 
ney's  Mill,  in  February,  1865,  deprived  the  regiment  of  his  ser- 
vices. 

Crawford's  division,  now  somewhat  isolated,  was  drawn  in 
and  posted  about  a  mile  southwest  of  the  Lacy  House,  facing 
towards  Chewning's,  with  Wadsworth  on  his  right,and  Robinson 


RESCUING  THE  WOUNDED. 

on  the  right  of  Wadsworth  6lled  the  space  between  Crawford  and 
Griffin.  The  right  of  the  5th  Corps,  Griffin's  division,  rested 
on  the  turnpike,  about  three  hundred  yards  from  the  enemy. 
The  assault  that  promised  such  an  advantage  was  over.  By 
two  o'clock  the  troops  were  all  back  in  the  breastworks.  No 
other  demonstration  was  made  by  the  division  until  towards 
nightfall,  when  an  advance  disclosing  the  enemy  in  strength  in 
the  same  position  where  he  repelled  the  assault  of  the  morning, 
the  soldiers  in  the  intrenchments  rested  for  the  night* 

•  The  following  particulars  respecting  privale  Cunningham  Johnson,  of  Com- 
pany E,  who  was  taken  pilsner  ai  the  hist  day's  light  in  (he  Wilderness,  are  fur- 
nished by  his  son,  Mr.  C.  B   Johnslon: 

Private  Johnston  had  been  in  every  ballte  in  which  the  raiment  was  engaged. 


—  403  — 

It  was  a  woeful  night,  and  yet  the  soldiers  in  the  trenches 
did  not  seem  to  have  such  conception  of  its  horrors  as  they 
had  upon  reflection  in  after  years,  or  as  will  those  who  read 
this  story.  War  does  blunt  the  sensibilities,  but  the  wounded 
or  disabled  arc  never  sacrificed  if  it  be  within  the  pale  of  human 
possibilities  to  succor  or  sustain  them.  Men  hardened  to  ex- 
posure and  daily  facing  death  cannot  suppress  the  thought, 
as  one  another  about  ihcm.fall,  "What  of  it?  the  next  turn 
may  be  mine."  Manifestations  of  grief  rarely  follow  the  fatal 
casualties  of  war.  It  is  better  that  it  should  be  so.  The  busi- 
ness of  war  is  to  kill  and  maim,  and  the  quicker  this  is  ac- 
cepted as  a  hard  and  bitter  necessity  the  better  are  the  soldiers. 
But  the  moans  and  waitings  of  the  Wilderness  battle-field 
•stirred  the  stoutest  hearts,  and  yet  they  could  not  be  relieved. 
Wounded  men  make  but  little  demon.stration  and  rarely 
utter  an  outcry.  Throughout  the  night,  as  the  forest  fires, 
which  had  blazed  since  the  early  afternoon,  drew  nearer  and 
nearer  to  the  poor  unfortunates  who  lay  between  the  lines. 
their  shrieks,  cries  and  groans,  loud,  piercing,  penetrating,  rent 
the  air,  until  death  relieved  the  sufferer,  or  the  rattle  of  mus- 
ketry, that  followed  the  advent  of  the  breaking  morn,  drowned 
all  the  other  sounds  in  its  dominating  roar.  There  was  no 
hope  of  rescue — war's  hard  rules  would  not  permit  it;  and 
there,  between  the  lines,  the  men  of  both  sides  perished  in  the 
flames,  because  there  was  no  helping  hand  to  succor,  no  yield- 
ing of  the  stern  necessities  of  war. 

until  he  was  taken  prisoner.  He  wu  an  inmate  of  various  Confederate  prisons. 
being  confined  nine  months  at  Andenonville.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  was 
released  and  wa.s  sent  immediaiely  to  Annapoli*  Hospilal.  After  being  there  two 
weeks  he  was  allowed  ID  visit  his  family,  but  owing  to  the  condition  of  his  health, 
the  resoll  of  his  long  confinemenl  in  prison,  he  was  obliged  to  return  to  ihe  hns- 
I<it.J  for  treatment  Desiring  to  take  part  in  the  grand  review  at  \Va<hinglon,  he 
Qi;ain  reijuesteit  to  be  allowed  to  leave  the  hospital.     This  was  granted  on  condi- 


(  passage  i 


M.iv-.^chu tells,  and  ihe  same  night  lost  his  life  in  ihe  collision  between  thai  vest 
an.l  the  steamer  Black  Diamond.  His  (ate  was  a  peculiariy  tad  une  He  wai 
]>alri'iiic  man.  and  palienlly  accepted  the  danger!  and  hardships  of  armjr  life  •! 

duty  III  his  country. 


—  404  — 

At  3.30  A.  M.  the  division  moved  some  distance  beyond  its 
intrenchments  and  again  lay  until  nightfall  under  artillery  fire. 
The  skirmishers  continued  actively  engaged  and  the  zip-zip-zip 
of  the  minie  kept  up  a  fitting  tenor  to  the  deeper  toned  notes 
of  solid  shot  and  shell. 

The  real  wicked  roar  of  battle  rolled  up  in  tremendous  pro- 
portions from  the  left.  There  it  was  a  solid  death-grip.  Han- 
cock throttled  Longstreet  and  drove  him  with  relentless  fury 
through  more  than  a  mile  of  swamp  and  forest.  And  then  the 
undergrowth  and  timber  that  had  so  impeded  Hancock  con- 
cealed the  movements  of  Longstreet,  until  it  was  his  turn  to 
throttle  Hancock,  and  all  the  ground  so  valiantly  won  in  the 
morning  was  lost  again  by  noon.  The  swirl  involved  the  5th 
Corps*  left,  and  Wadsworth,  patriotic,  self-sacrificing,  of  "  dis- 
tinguished intrepidity,"  fell  mortally  wounded  in  front  of  his 
division. 

But  the  day's  work  was  not  yet  finished.  As  the  struggle 
subsided  in  one  direction,  its  furies  rose  again  with  vigor  in 
another.  Just  as  the  shades  of  night  were  closing  everything 
in  deeper  darkness,  Ewcll  struck  the  6th  Corps*  right  and 
mashed  it,  and  then,  when  Sedgwick  with  his  "  I  have  re-estab- 
lished my  lines  **  had  added  another  of  those  laconic  phrases 
to  the  rich  vocabulary  of  war,  daylight  had  disappeared  en- 
tirely and  all  fighting  for  the  time  was  over. 

On  the  7th  there  was  apparently  more  activity  in  the  vicinity 
of  Griffin's  division  than  elsewhere,  though  the  day  was  no 
such  one  as  its  predecessor.  About  six  o*clock  in  the  morning 
the  enemy  made  a  real  or  pretended  attack,  which  was  hand- 
somely repulsed.  He  came  within  range  of  the  rifles  and 
vigorous  volleys  drove  him  back.  That  he  broke  the  picket 
line  and  struck  the  works  seemed  to  indicate  he  had  more  in 
view  than  simply  to  satisfy  his  curiosity.  Later  the  sharp- 
shooters had  been  so  annoying  that  General  Griffin  ordered  an 
advance  to  drive  them  from  their  cover.  The  signal  was  to  be 
the  waving  from  the  works  of  the  brigade  color  by  General  Bart- 
lett      The  brigade,  leaping  over  the  breastworks,  advanced 


with  a  cheer,  and  the  woods  were  soon  rid  of  the  pests  who  had 
infested  it.  It  is  said  some  of  them  were  brought  down  from 
their  perch  with  a  thud,  and  others,  squirrel-like,  leaped  from 
limb  to  limb  in  their  effort  to  escape.  This  entire  battle  of  the 
Wilderness  had  been  fought  almost  exclusively  by  musketry. 
In  this  little  combat  the  artillery  firing  was  so  heavy  as  to  con- 
trast strangely  with  its  previous  absence. 

These  affairs  of  the  morning  were  followed  later  by  a  demon- 
stration on  our  part.  There  was  no  mistaking  what  its  pur- 
pose was.  The  instructions  were  to  feel  and  drive  the  enemy. 
The  latter  part  of  the  direction  was  inserted  more  in  hopeful- 
ness than  as  a  command.  It  was  easy  to  feel,  but  the  driving 
was  not  so  readily  accomplished.  The  line  was  composed  of 
the  20th  Maine,  ilSth  Pennsylvania  and  I2th  and  14th  Reg- 
ulars. Colonel  Herring  commanding  the  whole.  The  regulars 
had  the  left,  and  by  some  mischance  they  missed  the  connec- 
tion. And  they  had  to  move  very  cautiously,  as  the  Rebels 
were  very  close,  and  liable  to  bring  on  an  engagement  at  any 
moment.  In  the  rear  the  troops  were  making  themselves 
comfortable  for  the  night. 

While  we  were  supporting  a  regiment  in  the  fight  the  firing 
opened  with  bang.  bang.  bang,  zip,  zip,  zip-boom,  de-bang, 
boom,  and  whirr-siz-siz-siz ;  ripping,  roaring.  The  air  was  full 
of  balls  and  deadly  missiles.  The  stretcher  guard  were  carry- 
ing off  the  dying  and  wounded.  We  could  hear  the  rebels 
yell  their  yi-yi-yi,  and  knew  that  in  a  few  moments  there  would 
be  a  dc-^perate  struggle. 

Now,  these  rebels  were  whipped  and  feirly  whipped,  and 
according  to  all  the  rules  of  war  they  ought  to  have  retreated; 
but  they  didn't. 

The  design  to  break  away  from  the  Wilderness  in  search  of 
other  fields  for  further  fray  had  now  taken  shape.  Darkness 
was  to  conceal  the  movement,  and,  when  the  night  of  the  7th 
had  fully  settled,  the  army,  moving  with  a  painful,  solemn 
silence,  beginning  on  the  right,  cautiously  unwound  itself  from 
the  front  of  the  watchful  foe.     The  6th  Corps  was  to  move  by 


—  40^  — 

the  Turnpike  and  Catharpin  Road  to  Alsop's,  near  Spottsyl- 
vania  Court-House,  there  to  unite  with  the  Sth,  which  was 
directed  to  reach  the  same  destination  by  the  shorter  route  of 
the  Brock  Road. 

The  highly  responsible  duty  of  corps  officer  of  the  pickets 
was  committed  to  Colonel  Herring.  It  could  have  fallen  to  no 
more  efficient  keeping,  nor  a  detail  been  selected  of  more  trusty 
troops.  This  was  its  composition :  the  20th  Maine  Regiment, 
Major  Ellis  Spear;  the  i6th  Michigan,  Major  R.  S.  Elliott;  the 
Ii8th  Pennsylvania,  Major  Henry  O'Neill,  and  detachments  of 
six  companies  from  the  22d  and  one  company  from  the  9th 
Massachusetts,  under  Captain  Frederick  H.  Field. 

The  command  was  in  readiness  in  the  late  afternoon.  Col- 
onel Herring,  to  prevent  the  movement  of  the  main  body  of 
troops  from  being  observed,  ordered  an  advance  of  his  line. 
The  20th  Maine,  with  its  right  resting  upon  the  Turnpike, 
moved  forward  with  its  usual  vigor,  and  at  the  distance  of  five 
hundred  yards  from  the  main  line  struck  the  enemy's  pickets. 
Major  Spear  pressed  them  persistently,  keeping  them  moving 
with  rapidity  for  fully  five  hundred  yards  more  over  an  open 
field,  until  they  covered  themselves  with  the  protection  of  their 
works,  and  found  shelter  after  a  hard  run  under  cover  of  their 
guns.  The  major  was  now  some  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from 
his  own  line,  when  from  the  edge  of  the  woods  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  field  he  was  opened  on  heavily  by  both  artillery  and 
musketry.  His  purpose  was  accomplished  and  he  was  ordered 
to  retire.  This  he  did  successfully,  and  with  the  rest  of  the 
pickets  remained  in  position  until  one  o'clock  on  the  morning 
of  the  Sth,  when  the  whole  line  withdrew  to  a  designated  point 
of  concentration  preparatory  to  taking  up  the  march  to  join  the 
corps,  then  well  on  its  way  to  Alsop*s. 

Simultaneously  with  the  advance  of  the  20th  Maine  Major 
Elliott  advanced  with  the  i6th  Michigan  deployed  as  skir- 
mishers. After  covering  some  distance,  estimated  by  him  to  be 
about  a  mile,  but  doubtless  not  so  far,  he  met  the  enemy.  His 
centre  and  left  wing  drove  the  enemy  from  his  rifle-pits,  inflict- 


ing  con<!iderabIc  loss.  The  rifle-pits  were  not  tenable  and 
Major  Elliott  withdrew  a  short  distance  to  the  crest  of  a  hill 
and  there  maintained  himself  fighting  until  the  line  on  his  right 
gave  way,  when  he  too  fell  back  for  a  half  mile  further,  until 
the  right  having  regained  its  ground,  he  again  advanced,  driv- 
ing the  enemy  and  retaining  the  ground  gained  until  the  gen- 
eral withdrawal  of  the  pickets  to  the  point  of  concentration 
previously  referred  to,  In  this  aflair  the  l6th  Michigan  lost 
two  killed  and  thirtj'-three  wounded,  their  aggregate  loss  in  it 
and  the  fight  at  Laurel  Hill  being  five  killed  and  forty-eight 
wounded  and  one  officer  and  fifteen  enlisted  men  missing. 

The  march  of  the  corps  by  the  Brock  Road,  narrow  and  lined 
each  side  with  dense  timber,  was  wearisome.  At  daylight  the 
sun  shone  as  hotly  as  in  August,  Robinson's  division  lead- 
ing, had  struck  the  enemy  at  Todd's  Tavern,  relieving  Merrill's 
cavalry  division,  which,  hindered  by  the  thick  undergrowth 
and  hcav>'  timber,  had  found  it  difficult  to  press  him  with  any 
degree  of  rapidity. 

The  enemy  was  Longstreet's  corps,  which  had  been  moving 
all  night  by  the  Shady  Grove  Church  Road,  which  runs  parallel 
with  and  about  a  mile  to  the  southward  of  the  Brock.  Our 
purpose  was  to  seize  the  junction  of  the  Block  House  Road,  a 
road  which,  beginning  on  the  Brock  Road  a  mile  and  a  half  lo 
the  west  of  Alsop's  House,  connects  it  with  the  Shady  Grove 
Church  Road,  which  terminates  at  Snell's  Bridge  over  the  Po. 
Tiiis  purpose  was  never  accomplished.  The  enemy  reached 
the  junction  first  and  never  loosened  his  grip  on  this  all-im- 
portant point. 

A  half  mile  to  the  east  of  Alsop's  the  Brock  Road  forks. 
Robinson  took  the  left,  Griffin,  Bartlett's  brigade  leading,  the 
right  fork.  In  ihe  open  ground  about  Alsop's,  both  divisions, 
moving  on  separate  roads,  became  almost  simultaneously 
seriously  engaged,  and  ultimately  were  permanently  checked 
in  the  timber  beyond,  where  they  found  the  enemy  already 
f.iiriy  intrenched.  Not  so  permanently  checked  as  to  stop 
further  battle,  for  in  fact  that  continued  in  this  vicinity  many 


—  4o8  — 

days,  but  so  checked  at  least  as  to  gain  no  substantial  advan- 
taj^e.     Robinson  was  severely  wounded. 

Herring  with  his  picket  brigade,  for  such  in  numbers  it  really 
was,  reached  this  new  front  about  ten  o'clock  on  the  morning 
of  the  8th,  with  the  situation  as  has  been  described.  He  at 
once  reported  to  General  Warren,  and,  as  was  his  privilege, 
having  completed  his  tour  of  picket  duty,  suggested  that  he 
was  ready  to  return  his  troops  to  their  respective  commands. 
This  privilege  was  not  accorded.  He  was  informed  that  other 
important  duty  still  awaited  him  and  he  was  directed  to  hold 
his  command  together  for  further  instructions. 

Crawford,  after  the  battle  of  the  morning,  passed  the  right  of 
Longstreet's  corps,  came  unexpectedly  upon  Rodes's  division 
of  Ewell's  moving  by  a  flank,  forced  him  back  some  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  and  was  pressing  him  towards  the  crest  of  a 
prominent  rise.  It  appears  to  have  had  the  neighborhood 
designation  of  Laurel  Hill.  Such  at  least  is  the  name  by  which 
it  was  known  by  those  who  gave  it  tragic  prominence  by  their 
very  brilliant  feat  of  arms  upon  its  crest  at  nightfall.  Colonel 
Herring,  with  his  command  still  intact,  with  the  exception  of 
the  regulars  who  had  been  relieved,  was  ordered  to  report  to 
General  Crawford  to  support  this  advance. 

Colonel  Herring  received  no  specific  directions  from  General 
Crawford  until  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  he 
was  ordered  to  advance  in  support  of  a  brigade  of  Pennsylvania 
Reserves.  He  formed  his  line  as  well  as  the  conformation  of 
the  ground  would  permit,  with  the  22d  and  9th  Massachusetts 
on  the  right,  the  20th  Maine  and  1 18th  on  the  left,  the  i6th 
Michigan  in  reserve.  Much  time  was  consumed  in  arranging 
for  the  movement,  and  it  was  six  o'clock,  then  almost  night  in 
the  shadows  of  this  dense  thicket  of  cedars  and  pines,  before 
Herring  began  his  advance. 

As  the  line  advanced  it  came  abruptly  upon  Crawford's 
in  front,  halted  and  firing.  Herring  too  halted.  All  this 
time  the  enemy  had  kept  up  a  continuous  and  rapid  firing. 
It  was  now  growing  darker ;  objects  in  the  woods  could  not  be 


—  4IO  — 

seen  with  distinctness ;  the  color  of  the  uniforms  was  not  dis- 
tinguishable. Suddenly  and  without  unusual  noise  the  enemy 
advanced  to  a  counter-charge.  Without  intimation  the  whole 
of  Crawford's  line  immediately  disappeared,  somewhat  affecting 
the  integrity  of  Herring's,  upon  which  the  whole  shock  and 
force  of  the  attack  fell.  It  was  heroically  and  successfully  re- 
sisted, notably  by  the  20th  Maine.  Men  fought  with  despera- 
tion. Hungered,  fatigued,  discouraged,  they  were  goaded  to  a 
frenzied  madness.  Hand-to-hand  conflicts  were  numerous; 
bayonets  crossed  frequently ;  muskets  were  clubbed  repeatedly. 
Swords  clashed  and  revolvers  that  had  never  left  their  holsters 
to  be  discharged  in  anger  were  freely  used.  Shouts,  yells, 
imprecations,  heard  above  the  noise  of  battle,  were  incessant 
Alone,  a  mile  beyond  relief,  menaced  by  death  or  captivity,  the 
men  were  in  a  mood  to  fight  and  fight  hard.  They  were  sus- 
tained by  the  officers,  who  joined  personally  in  the  combat  with 
great  vigor.  In  the  imperative  necessity  for  action,  action, 
action,  time  was  not  afforded  to  load  and  men  dropped  their 
pieces  and  clinched  each  other  with  a  deadly  grip.  Front,  rear 
and  flanks  were  lost  in  the  whirl ;  organization  was  gone ;  each 
man  depended  upon  himself;  darkness  increased  the  confusion 
and  the  result  hung  upon  personal  tenacity.  Shouting  helped 
to  encourage  the  combatants,  and  ours,  deeper,  louder,  more 
determined,  was  the  most  assuring.  It  was  as  severe  and  des- 
perate a  struggle  as  these  troops,  with  all  their  varied  experi- 
ence, saw  during  the  entire  war. 

Down  a  ravine  upon  the  right  flank  the  enemy  made  a  final 
lunge.  This  the  i6th  Michigan  received  and  successfully  re- 
pulsed. Ultimately  the  whole  force  in  front  disappeared,  killed, 
captured,  wounded  or  driven  back,  and  Herring  was  left  a  little 
time  to  gather  himself  The  night  would  soon  be  well  spent 
and  before  the  day  should  break  he  must  be  directed  to  with- 
draw or  be  supported  in  his  desperate  strait.  Thus  far  his 
soldiers  had  covered  themselves  with  enviable  renown. 

Trophies  added  to  their  famous  deeds.  The  20th  Maine 
took  seventy-seven  prisoners  and  sent  them  to  the  rear.   Others 


—  411   — 

fell  into  their  hands,  but  it  was  in  the  heat  of  action,  and  the 
paucity  of  numbers  and  the  sharpness  of  the  contest  required 
that  every  man  should  be  used  for  fight.  None  could  be  spared 
to  guard  the  prisoners,  and,  though  disarmed  and  ordered  to 
the  main  line,  it  is  more  than  likely  most  of  them  escaped. 
The  32d  Massachusetts  captured  fifty,  and  Captain  Benjamin 
Davis  of  that  regiment  took  the  colors  of  the  6th  Alabama. 
Smaller  numbers  were  secured  by  other  regiments,  and  the 
whole  number  taken  aggregated  200. 

Herring  occupied  the  crest,  but  he  was  by  no  means  secure. 
He  was  in  advance  of  our  lines.  Our  own  main  picket  line 
was  well  to  his  rear.  The  enemy,  restive  under  his  severe  re- 
pulse, his  losses,  the  capture  of  his  men  and  colors,  was  be- 
ginning to  comprehend  that  all  this  had  been  accomplished 
with  a  force  isolated  from  supports  and  far  inferior  to  his  own. 
The  sound  of  movements,  shiftings  and  manoeuvres  indicated 
that  he  was  preparing  to  retrieve  the  disaster. 

Colonel  Herring  made  judicious  dispositions  to  sustain  him- 
self He  established  his  own  picket  line,  found  a  small  detach- 
ment of  the  6th  Corps,  under  Major  Ellis,  of  the  49th  New 
York,  that  had  lost  its  way  returning  from  some  detached  ser- 
vice, which  he  utilized  to  cover  his  left,  and  changed  the  direc- 
tion of  his  right  regiment  to  protect  his  right  flank.  Enjoinmg 
quiet,  he  then  awaited  the  return  of  the  officers  whom  he  had 
sent  to  the  rear  for  instructions. 

Lieutenant  Stamwood,  of  the  20th  Maine,  Lieutenant  Hand, 
Colonel  Herring's  own  adjutant,  and  Lieutenant  John  J.  Thomas, 
to  whom  he  delegated  this  duty,  had  no  easy  task.  For  a  long 
time  they  struggled  aimlessly  through  the  woods,  at  times  lost 
in  the  darkness.  After  striking  the  line,  with  all  the  assistance 
that  was  freely  rendered  from  officers,  some  of  them  of  high 
rank,  disturbed,  as  they  were,  in  their  much-needed  rest,  they 
failed  to  discover  General  Crawford.  Finally  they  came  upon 
General  Neill.  commanding  a  division  of  the  6th  Corps.  To 
him  they  told  the  story  of  the  engagement,  e.vplained  the 
perilous  exposure  of  Colonel  Herring's  position,  and  receiving 


—  412  — 

■ 

instructions  to  direct  him  to  withdraw  at  three  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  returned  to  communicate  them.  It  was  past  midnight 
when  they  reached  their  commander  and  informed  him  he  was 
still  to  hold  on  a  few  hours  longer. 

The  juncture  continued  critical.  The  pickets  reported  the 
enemy  evidently  forming  for  an  attack ;  the  cracking  of  bush  and 
undergrowth,  the  tramp  of  men  which  could  not  be  mistaken, 
what  was  undoubtedly  hushed  and  subdued  tones  of  the  human 
voice,  confirmed  their  judgment.  Herring  determined  to  in  no 
wise  exceed  the  instructions,  and  with  the  perils  that  sur- 
rounded him  to  remain  until  the  hour  arrived  indicated  for  his 
return.  At  last,  with  all  the  anxious,  watchful  waiting,  the 
hour  came.  The  regiments  drew  out  by  the  left,  moving 
parallel  with  each  other.  A  caution  to  preserve  unusual  quiet 
was  unnecessary.  Each  man  knew  the  necessity,  moved  with 
delicate  tread,  exchanged  no  sound  above  a  whisper,  and  firmly 
held  his  bayonet  shank  that  it  and  the  canteen,  which  could 
always  be  relied  upon  to  make  the  most  discordant  noises, 
should  make  no  sound. 

Colonel  Herring  preceded  his  command  to  advise  the  pickets 
of  the  main  line  of  his  approach.  It  was  a  wise  precaution. 
Without  it  this  brilliant  affair  of  his  might  have  had  a  most 
disastrous  conclusion.  The  pickets  had  no  right  to  expect 
anything  from  that  direction  but  the  enemy.  There  would 
have  been  no  hesitation  for  investigation  or  inquiry,  a  volley 
was  alone  the  reception  awaiting  a  force  approaching  from  the 
front 

A  suitable  place  was  found  within  the  lines  for  a  bivouac  dur- 
ing the  little  time  left  before  all  would  be  astir ;  and  then  report- 
ing at  sunrise  to  General  Crawford  this  gallant  body,  justly  proud 
of  their  achievements,  lauded  without  stint  by  their  associates, 
commended  handsomely  by  their  superiors,  returned  to  their 
commands  to  rehearse  again  and  again  to  willing  listeners  the 
story  of  the  night  triumph  upon  the  crest  of  Laurel  Hill. 

The  loss  was  proportionate  to  the  severity  of  the  engage- 
ment    In  both  affairs  the  20th  Maine  lost  2  officers  and  7  en- 


—  4>3  — 


listed  men  killed,  4  officers  and  20  enlisted  men  wounded  and 
4  missing,  making  a  total  of  37.  Their  loss  was  chiefly  on  the 
night  of  the  8th.  The  16th  Michigan  lost  5  killed  and  48 
wounded.  1  officer  and  15  men  missing,  aggregating  69,  mostly 
on  the  night  of  the  7th.  The  23d  and  gth  Massachusetts  de- 
tachment lost  10  men  wounded  and  4  missing,  a  total  of  14. 
The  118th  5  killed,  24  wounded  and  16  missing.  The  total 
loss  ill  all  the  commands  was  150.  Proportionate  to  the  num- 
bers, by  this  time  in  the  campaign  materially  reduced,  this  was 
commensurate  with  the  work  accomplished  and  the  time  in 
which  it  was  done. 

Among  the  wounded  of  the  1 1 8th  was  that  very  worthy  sol- 
dier, who  had  been  so  prominent  with  the  committee  interview- 
ing the  battery  on  the  turnpike.  Sergeant  Theodore  B.  Fryer, 
and  Corporal  H.  Toland,  of  K,  Corporal  William  Hodge  and 
Benjamin  J,  Stevens,  of  Company  F.  Stevens  was  subsequently 
killed  at  Peeble's  Farm.  Lieutenant  Crossly  was  taken  prisoner. 
His  captivity  was  a  short  one ;  he  was  released  a  few  days  sub- 
sequently when  Sheridan  made  the  dash  at  Beaver  Dam  Depot, 
but  only  to  be  again  taken  within  a  short  time  and  to  suflfer  a 
long  imprisonment. 

Hcnj-amin  Day,  of  Company  I,  turned  about  to  check  the 
firing  in  his  rear,  under  the  belief  it  was  from  friends,  when  he 
was  met  with  the  usual  demand  to  "  drop  that  gun."  There 
was  no  way  out  of  it  and  he  yielded.  Day  was  a  Marble  Head 
Massachusetts  Yankee  and  was  of  fluent  speech.  Summoned 
to  the  presence  of  a  Confederate  general  officer,  who  sought 
information,  he  rattled  away  so  glibly  about  the  great  cities  of 
the  North  showing  no  indication  of  the  presence  of  a  war,  that 
he  was  dismissed  as  a  hopeless  subject  for  the  purposes  in- 
tended, with  the  remark  that  his  statements  were  unworthy  of 
credence. 

Of  the  killed  of  the  20th  Maine  was  Captain  Morrell;  of  the 
wounded  Lieutenants  Melcher  and  Prince. 

Colonel  Herring  had  now  notable  prominence.  He  had 
achieved  enduring   honors,  proven  a  capacity  equal  to  the 


—  414  — 

severest  test,  and  worthily  sustained  that  enviable  reputation 
which  he  had  always  borne. 

After  the  war,  in  the  course  of  a  correspondence  occasionally 
exchanged  between  Colonel  Herring  and  General  Warren,  the 
general  thus  recalls  the  incident :  "  Your  successful  engagement 
with  the  enemy  on  the  evening  of  the  8th  of  May,  two  years 
ago,  with  its  captures,  will  help  relieve  a  record  made  up  of 
many  gloomy  repulses  so  trying  to  us  all." 

No  active  operations  were  contemplated,  and  on  the  9th  the 
army  was  given  a  day  of  rest.  It  may  have  been  a  rest  as 
matters  had  been  going,  and  was  probably  properly  so  styled, 
if  the  chieftains  conceived  they  needed  at  least  twenty-four 
hours  for  conjecture  and  consideration,  but,  whatever  it  was,  a 
rattle  of  small  arms  enlivened  the  picket  line  during  all  the 
hours  of  daylight. 

The  6th  Corps  was  shifted  to  the  left,  extending  the  line  in 
that  direction.  General  Burnside  moved  with  the  9th  Corps 
from  Aldrich's,  on  the  Orange  and  Fredericksburg  Turnpike, 
to  Gates's  House,  on  the  road  from  Fredericksburg  to  Spott- 
sylvania  Court-House,  crossing  the  Ny  with  Wilson's  cavalry 
division  and  a  portion  of  Stevenson's,  encountering  a  small 
force  of  cavalry  and  a  brigade  of  Longstreet's  corps.  General 
Hancock  closed  up  from  Todd's  Tavern,  where  he  had  been 
severely  engaged  on  the  8th,  to  the  right  of  the  5th  Corps,  and 
the  latter  corps  remained  in  the  same  general  position  it  had 
first  taken  upon  its  arrival  in  this  vicinity. 

"  In  the  morning  General  Sedgwick  was  killed  close  to  the 
intrenchments  at  the  right  of  his  corps,  but  not  under  cover, 
at  the  point  where  the  forks  of  the  road  in  Alsop's  field 
unite."* 

His  loss  cast  a  gloom  over  the  entire  army.  It  was  indeed  a 
serious  loss  to  the  army,  the  country  and  his  corps.  Equally 
distinguished,  most  beloved  of  all  the  commanders,  he  was  a 
soldier  eminently  fitted  for  the  occasion.  Well  and  widely 
known,  he  had  grown  in  efficiency  as  the  war   progressed. 

*"  The  Campaign  of  '64  and  '65,"  Humphrey,  p.  71. 


Actively  participating  in  every  engagement,  he  had  acquired  a 
high  reputation.  His  reliability  was  his  distinguishing  char- 
acteristic. Ever  absent  from  cabal  and  combination,  he 
was  free  from  the  many  complications  that  followed  the  fre- 
quent changes  of  army  commanders.  Arms  was  his  chosen 
profession.  In  it  he  had  learned  that  obedience  and  loyalty 
are  as  essential  in  high  as  in  lesser  rank.  As  faithful  to  one  chief 
as  to  another,  he  had  the  confidence  of  his  superiors  and  was 
trusted  by  his  government.  His  honest-hearted,  manly  courage, 
his  care,  con.sideration  and  forethought  had  won  for  him  the 
admiration  of  his  soldiers.  General  Horatio  G.  Wright,  un- 
der whom  the  6th  Corps  retained  its  high  repute,  succeeded  to 
the  command. 

On  the  way  from  the  Wilderness  to  Spottsylvania,  tempted 
by  the  sight  of  a  house  by  the  roadside,  and  urged  by  the 
gnawings  of  hunger,  four  of  the  iiSth,  evidently  like-minded, 
dropped  out.  It  subsequently  ap(x:arcd  that  Osborn.  of  F, 
was  the  promoter  of  the  scheme  and  had  intimated  his  purpose 
to  the  others.  Approaching  the  porch  they  were  confronted 
by  the  proprietress,  to  whom  they  communicated  their  famished 
condition,  and  politely  stated  that  the  object  of  their  call  was  to 
ask.  not  take,  from  the  family  supplies  sufficient  only  to  satisfy 
a  ciaving  appetite.  IndifTcrenl  to  ([uality,  or  varit-ly,  anything, 
so  it  was  bountiful  in  quantity,  would  answer  the  ravenous  de- 
mands of  their  emptiness.  The  lady  stoutly  and  persistently 
insisted  that  her  larder  was  empty;  that  she  was  wholly  with- 
out the  food  necessary  to  sustain  herself  and  those  about  her, 
and  anxiously  awaited  the  withdrawal  of  the  armies,  that  she 
might  journey  to  a  neighbor's  farm,  from  whom  the  armies  had 
not  forced  a  contribution  of  their  all,  and  borrow  or  beg  suffi- 
cient to  keep  her  household  going. 

While  this  interview  progressed,  what  was  evidently  a  groan 
of  distress  was  frequently  heard  escaping  from  the  adjoining 
room.  The  lady,  when  asked  what  it  was,  though  the  groans 
were  plainly  audible  and  proving  more  frequent,  strenuously  in- 
sisted that  it  was  nothing.     Determined  to  satisfy  his  curiosity, 


—  4^^  -- 

and  against  her  urgent  protests,  one  of  the  party  ventured  to 
open  the  door.  There  upon  the  floor  lay  a  Confederate  sol- 
dier mortally  wounded.  Anticipating  that  his  end  would  be 
hastened  by  a  merciless  butchery,  for  that  was  the  real  reason 
the  lady  had  attempted  to  conceal  his  whereabouts,  she  vehe- 
mently pleaded  that  he  should  be  permitted  to  pass  away  peace- 
fully. Her  astonishment  knew  no  bounds  when  she  found  her 
unbidden  guests  were  disposed  to  minister  to  the  sufferings  of 
the  wounded  Confederate. 

The  soldier  had  a  fatal  cut,  about  three  inches  long,  in  the 
right  side  of  his  abdomen,  from  which  his  bowels  protruded. 
He  was  in  great  agony  and  knew  his  end  was  near.  Osbom 
having  some  little  knack  in  such  matters,  proceeded  to  close 
the  wound  and  restore  the  parts.  He  bound  a  towel  tightly 
around  his  patient  and  bade  him  lie  perfectly  still.  The  sol- 
dier, much  relieved,  was  very  grateful.  Tied  in  a  corner  of  his 
shirt  was  a  silver  half-dollar,  all  his  earthly  possessions,  which 
he  was  anxious  should  be  given  to  his  sister.  In  the  presence 
of  those  who  had  so  kindly  ministered  to  him,  he  begged  the 
lady  of  the  house,  who  knew  his  sister,  to  communicate  to  her 
that  it  was  his  dying  request  that  the  coin  should  be  sent  to 
her. 

The  sight  of  such  considerate  treatment  softened  the  hostess. 
She  had  not  spoken  truthfully  when  she  asserted  her  supplies 
were  gone,  and,  without  further  request,  she  summoned  a  negro 
servant,  and  soon  a  table  laden  with  coni-bread  and  bacon 
greeted  the  vision  of  the  famished  four.  They  proceeded  to  do 
full  justice  to  the  generous  repast,  and  had  not  yet  completed 
it  when,  with  a  long,  expiring  groan,  the  wounded  Confederate 
soldier  passed  away  forever.  At  the  request  of  their  hostess, 
Osbom  and  his  party  stopped  to  decently  inter  him.  The  half- 
dollar  was  found  and  kept  to  be  delivered  in  accordance  with 
the  soldier's  dying  directions.  His  lady  friend,  whom  he  had 
made  his  executrix,  promised  to  see  them  faithfully  carried  out 
An  old  darkey  dug  the  grave,  a  blanket  was  rolled  around  the 
body,  and  Osborn,  with  a  pathetic  manner,  which  he  claimed 


—  4ir  — 


was  eminently  suited  to  the  occasion,  delivered  a  suitable 
funeral  discourse. 

Between  the  lengthy  parley,  the  satisfactory  meal,  the  hos- 
pital attendance  and  the  funeral  service,  the  time  of  the  absence 
of  this  party  had  lengtliened  out  considerably.  But  their 
movements,  expedited  in  proportion  to  their  increased  physical 
strength,  brought  them  to  the  front  in  ample  time  to  find  mat- 
ters in  a  condition  by  no  means  attractive. 

The  movements  on  the  morning  of  the  loth  indicated  an  in- 
tention to  assault,  but  with  no  definite  purpose.  Hancock  the 
night  before  had  crossed  the  Po  and  so  threatened  the  integritj' 
of  the  enemy's  left  as  to  cause  him  to  throw  some  of  his  best 
troops  to  that  locality.  Warren,  meanwhile,  having  reported 
his  front  as  favorable  for  assault,  was  directed  to  attack,  and 
Hancock  ordered  to  send  two  divisions  to  his  support.  These 
he  withdrew  across  the  Po  in  the  face  of  the  enemy  successfully, 
but  with  considerable  loss,  leaving  the  enemy,  however,  under 
the  impression  that  he  had  suffered  defeat.  Hancock  sub- 
sequently reported  that  if  he  had  not  been  acting  under  imper- 
ative orders,  and  had  been  permitted  to  have  his  own  way, 
there  would  have  been  another  story  of  the  left,  and  the 
enemy  would  not  have  rested  under  the  impression  that  he  had 
administered  a  defeat.  It  was  afterwards  conceded  that 
Hancock's  movement,  begun  on  the  morning  of  the  lOth,  in- 
stead of  the  nif^ht  of  the  9th,  and  pressed  vigorously,  was  the 
one  which  was  the  most  likely  of  success. 

General  Warren  never  appeared  to  better  advant:^.  Him- 
self burning  with  the  conviction  that  he  had  secured  a  vulner- 
able point  for  an  assault,  and  a  favorable  opportunity  for  an 
immediate  attack,  his  enthusiasm  was  in  some  way  communi- 
cated to  his  troops,  and  they,  wholly  without  the  knowledge 
he  possessed,  seemed  intuitively  impressed  with  a  like  convic- 
tion. Wearing  his  full  uniform,  he  was  conspicuously  promi- 
nent. He  was  on  all  parts  of  the  field,  encouraging  his  sol- 
diers by  his  presence  and  stimulating  them  by  his  example  to 
unusual  activity. 


—  4i8  — 

Crawford's  and  Cutler's,  formerly  Wadsworth's,  division—^ 
Robinson's  had  been  broken  up  and  his  troops  distributed  to 
the  others — with  Webb's  and  Carroll's  brigade  of  Gibbon's 
division  of  the  2d  Corps,  proceeded  to  assault  the  enemy's 
works.  They  gained  the  abatis^  a  few  the  intrenchments,  but 
were  driven  back.  With  all  their  enthusiasm  and  gallantry, 
they  were  only  to  furnish  another  proof  of  the  futility  of  a  direct 
assault  against  well-manned  breastworks.  Upton  with  his  own 
brigade  and  other  troops  of  the  6th  Corps,  co-operating  on  the 
left,  met  with  more  success.  He  captured  the  first  line  and 
took  many  prisoners,  but  unsupported,  outflanked,  and  stub- 
bornly resisted  at  the  second  line,  he  too  was  compelled  to  retire, 

Bartlett's  brigade,  except  that  it  was  engaged  in  heavy  skir- 
mishing, took  no  active  part  in  this  day's  operations.  It  was 
moved  about  to  different  points  in  support  of  the  charging  col- 
umns, and  had  formed  in  line  in  front  of  the  breastworks  at 
Spindler's  peach  orchard,  ready  to  advance,  when  the  main  as- 
sault proving  a  failure,  all  other  operations  for  the  day  were 
abandoned. 

The  country  about  Spottsylvania  Court-House  is  inter- 
spersed with  open  fields,  and  the  ridges  and  knolls  are  promi- 
nent Where  the  timber  still  stood  it  was  of  the  same  dense, 
impenetrable  character  as  in  the  Wilderness.  Between  the 
Brock  Road  and  the  road  from  Fredericksburg  to  Spottsylva- 
nia Court-House  there  are  no  connecting  roadways,  and  all  the 
movements  made  towards  the  enemy's  right 'and  back  again 
were  conducted  across  country,  except  where  occasional  planta- 
tion roads  intervened.  The  enemy  had  control  of  all  the  main 
highways,  and  his  movements  were  facilitated  by  easier  travel, 
interior  and  shorter  lines.  In  front  of  all  his  intrenchments  in 
the  woods  he  had  slashed  the  timber  and  in  the  open  con- 
structed abatis.  The  farms,  Alsop's,  Landrum's,  Shelton's, 
Brown's,  McCool's  and  others  now  historically  familiar  as  the 
scenes  of  some  of  the  distinctively  severe  assaults,  were  large, 
ail  ot  them  plantations  of  four  hundred  acres  and  upwards. 
The  nearer  the  Court-House  the  more  open  is  the  country. 


—  420  — 

To  the  eastward  and  southward  it  was  generally  all  cleared 
land,  and  timber  was  the  exception. 

Except  a  light  shower  on  the  7th  the  weather  had  been  clear 
and  generally  unusually  wami.  On'the  iith  rain  fell  heavily, 
and  the  storm  continued  throughout  the  night.  During  the 
day  there  was  no  positive  demonstration.  The  skirmishers 
were  pressed  close  against  the  enemy.     Active  firing  followed. 


A  WET  DAY  ON  PICKET. 

accompanied  by  occasional  discharges  of  artillery.     Lieutenant 
Thomas  was  wounded  by  a  piece  of  shell. 

The  instructions  to  corps  commanders  had  been  to  ascertain 
what,  if  any,  changes  had  been  made  in  their  front,  the  least 
force  sufficient  to  hold  their  positions,  and  what  force  was 


—  421  — 

available  for  offensive  movements,  the  object  being  to  ascertain 
where  a  concentrated  attack  might  be  most  effectively  made 
and  with  what  force. 

In  one  of  the  many  affairs  so  significantly  designated  as  feel- 
ing the  enemy  to  ascertain  his  strength.  John  L.  King,  of  Com- 
pany E,  now  a  minister  of  the  gospel  at  Lysandcr,  N.  Y,,  was 
taken  prisoner.  He  had  been  whirled  around  in  the  usual  tur- 
moil which  follows  such  occasions  when  the  freliri!^  has  been 
accomplished  and  the  strength  ascertained  sufficiently  to  let  the 
feelers  know  they  have  no  business  there,  when,  wiping  the 
dust  and  perspiration  from  his  eyes,  he  found  himself  con- 
fronted by  a  line  of  battle.  "Where's  the  liSth  Pennsyl- 
vania ?  "  innocently  inquired  King.  "  Ground  your  arms,"  was 
the  reply,  accompanied  by  the  usual  volume  of  wordy  pyro- 
technics aptly  suited  to  just  such  occasions  only.  Not  yet 
fully  realizing  his  situation  nor  altogether  satisfied  with  the 
response,  he  yelled  still  louder:  "  Where's  the  i  i8th  Pennsyl- 
vania?" The  "throw  down  your  rifle  and  remove  your  ac- 
coutrements "  was  now  emphasized  by  the  ready  and  aim  of  a 
half-dozen  muskets.  The  click  of  the  triggers  brought  King 
to  a  more  comprehensive  sense  of  hi.s  situation,  and  compla- 
cently yielding,  he  was  marched  to  the  rear  to  the  zip  of  our 
own  minies  and  kept  closely  as  a  prisoner  until  the  end  of  the 
war.  He  rejoined  the  regiment  in  time  to  participate  in  the 
grand  review. 

The  1 2th  was  the  day  of  the  heaviest  fighting  at  Spottsyl- 
vania.  The  rain  continued  to  fall  at  intervals,  at  times  hard. 
The  previous  experiences  of  the  army,  that  fighting  must  cease 
with  the  daylight,  had  been  worthless  as  a  basis  on  which  to 
frame  opinions  in  this  campaign.  From  the  very  beginning 
il.irkness  never  stopped  a  battle  when  there  was  opportunity  to 
continue  it,  and  now  that  other  notion,  born,  too,  of  experience, 
lli.it  with  the  rain  hostilities  were  suspended,  was  effectually  ex- 
ploded. The  heavy  fighting  of  the  12th  continued  without  in- 
terruption through  the  hardest  showers  with  the  same  vehe- 
[iii-nce  as  if  the  sun  had  shone  in  the  brightest  rays  of  all  its 
summer  brilliancy. 


—  422  — 

General  Hancock  had  moved  during  the  afternoon  and  even- 
ing from  the  right  of  the  army,  and  by  midnight  was  in  posi- 
tion in  front  of  the  open  fields  of  Brown  and  Landrum  to  at- 
tack the  apex  of  a  salient  in  the  enemy's  works.  This  salient 
•was  in  advance  of  the  main  line  and  protected  a  high  piece  of 
ground  which,  General  Ewell  said,  if  controlled  by  our  forces, 
would  have  enabled  our  artillery  to  command  their  line.  Its 
west  angle,  at  which  and  along  the  apex  the  fighting  continued 
incessantly  from  4.30  in  the  morning,  the  hour  of  Hancock's 
assault,  until  three  o'clock  the  next  morning,  when  the  enemy 
withdrew,  was  afterwards  known  as  the  "  bloody  angle."  It  is 
better  styled  by  the  Confederates  as  the  "  bloody  bend,"  for  it 
was  in  fact  more  of  a  bend  than  an  angle. 

General  Bumside  was  to  operate  with  Hancock  on  the  left. 
General  Warren  was  to  hold  the  position  vacated  by  the  2d 
Corps,  to  shorten  his  line  whenever  he  deerhed  it  judicious,  and 
both  he  and  General  Wright,  leaving  sufficient  troops  to  hold 
the  intrenchments,  were  ordered  to  be  in  readiness  "  to  attack 
in  their  fronts  "  or  "  move  elsewhere  and  attack,"  according  to 
the  developments  of  the  day. 

General  Hancock's  attack  was  completely  successful.  His 
troops  passed  through  the  abatis  and  over  the  intrenchments, 
capturing  nearly  4,000  prisoners,  among  them  Major-General 
Edward  Johnson  and  Brigadier-General  George  H.  Stewart, 
twenty  pieces  of  artillery,  several  thousand  stands  of  small 
arms  and  upwards  of  twenty  colors.  General  Hancock  pur- 
sued the  enemy  in  the  direction  of  Spottsylvania  Court-House, 
until  he  encountered  a  second  and  formidable  line  of  intrench- 
ments, when  the  enemy  assuming  the  offensive,  our  troops 
having  lost  all  organization  in  the  charge  fell  back  to  the  line 
of  the  apex.  Russell's  and  Ncill's  divisions,  of  the  6th  Corps, 
were  hurried  to  the  aid  of  the  2d.  General  Wright  made  re- 
peated assaults  upon  the  west  angle,  but  failed  to  drive  the 
enemy  from  its  inner  face.  The  combatants  continued  the 
deadly  struggle  for  nearly  twenty-four  hours,  the  one  on  the 
outer  and  the  other  on  the  inner  face  of  the  intrenchments, 


—  423  — 


until  Lcc  finally  withdrew  to  his  interior  lines.  It  was  hardly 
practicable  to  change  the  troops  alonj;  this  line.  Changes  were 
only  nude  occasionally,  and  then  in  order  to  replenish  ammu- 
nition. The  ammunition  was  mostly  carried  to  the  rear  of  the 
troops  engaged.  The  boxes  were  thrown  down  along  the  line 
and  armloads  of  packages  supplied  the  place  of  the  cartridge- 
box,  which  was  not  used  after  it  was  first  emptied.  Of  this  part 
of  the  action  so  cautious  a  writer  as  General  Humphrey,  in  his 
Virginia  Campaign  of  '64  and  '65,  on  page  9,  says:  "At  the 
west  angle  the  fighting  was  literally  murderous." 

What  had  occurred  on  the  left  had  given  the  impression  that 
Warren's  front  was  materially  weakened.  He  was  consequently 
ordered  to  attack  with  his  whole  force  if  necessary.  This  he 
did,  but  was  repulsed.  Longstreet's  corps,  in  which  there  had 
been  no  substantial  change,  was  still  holding  the  intrcnchments 
in  force. 

A  further  demonstration  on  the  left  was  now  ordered  to  be 
made,  and  Warren's  corps  was  sent  to  renew  the  attack  at  the 
salient.  Cutler's  division  reached  the  ground  and  became  en- 
gaged. Griffin's  followed,  but  before  his  arrival  the  project  was 
abandoned,  as  too  much  had  already  been  sacrificed  and  a  fur- 
ther prosecution  of  the  cfi'ort  did  not  promise  success. 

During  these  engagements  the  i  i8th,  deployed  as  skirmishers, 
held  the  extreme  right  of  the  army.  It  was,  in  fact,  a  picket  de- 
tail, but  it  was  so  essential  to  cover  a  large  front  that  it  assumed 
more  the  character  of  skirmishing.  Crossing  the  Po  during 
the  night,  shortly  after  the  withdrawal  of  Hancock,  the  regfi- 
ment  from  that  time,  during  all  the  day  and  night  of  the  I2th, 
remained  in  position  and  was  not  relieved  until  noon  of  the 
13th.  The  skirmishers  were  more  or  less  engaged,  and  com- 
pelled in  their  much  exposed  and  highly  responsible  post  to  be 
actively  on  the  alert.  During  Warren's  assault  they  lay  be- 
tween the  artillery  fire  of  both  sides,  and  both  before  and  after 
they  were  frequently  vigorously  shelled  themselves.  They  lost 
men  in  killed  and  wounded,  and  when  they  withdrew  across 
the  Po  did  so  under  fire.     The  following  is  a  despatch  from 


—  424  — 

General  Crawford,  who  had  general  charge  of  that  locality, 
sent  to  Colonel  Herring  during  the  night  of  the  1 2th  : 


{ 


Head-quarters  Pennsylvania  Reserves, 
May  12,  1864,  9.30  o'clock  P.  M. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Herring,  Commanding  Right  Flank  Pickets: 

The  general  commanding  directs  that  you  strengthen  the  point  of  attack  on  your 
line.  The  line  is  important  and  must  be  held — feel  well  to  your  right.  It  is  not 
thought  that  the  enemy  will  make  any  serious  attack  on  you  before  the  intended 
dis|x>sition  of  the  line  is  made.  Send  in  a  report  of  the  extent  and  character  of 
the  demonstration  made  on  your  line. 
By  command  of 

Brigadier-General  Crawford,  Commanding  Dtvision, 

Robert  A.  McCoy,  A,  A,  G, 

The  enemy  having  been  so  severely  handled  on  his  left  dur- 
ing the  day,  it  was  feared  he  might  attempt  to  retrieve  himself 
elsewhere,  and  our  weakened  right  was  the  subject  of  some 
anxiety. 

The  1 3th  was  a  gloomy  day ;  at  times  it  poured,  at  no  time 
was  it  clear.  The  lengthy  tour  of  picket  duty  terminated  at 
noon,  and  the  corps — Crawford's  division  and  the  picket  detail 
had  not  moved  on  the  12th — was  concentrating  for  its  famous 
night's  march  to  the  left  of  the  army  and  the  eastward  of 
the  Ny. 

General  Warren  was  ordered  to  move  immediately  after  dark 
by  Landrum's  and  Shelton's,  over  a  farm  road,  to  a  ford  across 
the  Ny ;  thence  over  the  country  to  the  Fredericksburg  and 
Spottsylvania  Court-House  road,  and  then,  recrossing  the  Ny 
and  forming  on  the  left  of  Bumside,  to  attack  the  enemy  at  four 
o'clock  in  the  morning  at  a  point  that  had  been  designated. 
The  6th  Corps  was  to  follow  him. 

The  night  was  dark ;  the  rain  poured  incessantly.  On  the 
slightest  break  in  the  column  those  in  advance  would  disappear 
entirely,  and  what  was  behind  would  be  compelled  to  halt 
until  somebody  found  them  or  by  some  accident  they  made 
connection  with  the  advance.  Fires  were  built  along  the  route 
and  staff  officers  and  guides  posted  at  intervals  to  light  and 
direct  the  struggling  column,  cursing  and  floundering  knee- 


—  425  — 

deep  in  mud  and  mire  that  stuck  with  an  unyielding  persistency. 
But  it  was  of  no  avail ;  the  corps  could  not  make  the  headway 
calculated  as  necessary  to  accomplish  the  purpose  in  view  at 
the  end  of  its  journey.  Of  this  march  General  Humphreys, 
that  eminently  reliable  historian,  who  has  been  so  often  referred 
to  and  who  cannot  be  too  frequently  quoted  or  consulted,  aays : 
■'  The  mud  was  deep  over  a  large  part  of  the  route;  the  dark- 
ness was  intense,  so  that  literally  you  could  not  see  your  hand 
before  your  face." 


HALT  IN  THE  NIGHT  MARCH. 

The  head  of  the  column  reached  its  destination  at  the  hour 
designated,  but  the  corps  was  mad,  scattered  and  broken  along 
the  entire  route.  It  was  neither  practicable  nor  possible  to 
shape  it  into  columns  of  attack  within  the  hour  of  darkness  to 
make  the  assault  effectively  at  the  break  of  day.  The  attempt 
was  consequently  abandoned. 

As  the  day  grew  older  the  army  awakened  to  new  sensations, 
to  a  buoyancy  and  invigoration  it  had  not  known  since  it  first 
buried  itself  in  the  wilds  of  the  Wilderness.     The  fighting  had 


—  426  — 

not  ceased,  nor  was  the  battle  over ;  as  yet  the  pickets  spdke 
contentiously  with  "  significant  frequency  "  and  the  guns  roared 
occasionally  in  "sonorous  cadency."  But  the  land  was  all 
aglow  with  sunlight,  all  the  heavj'^,  sombre  clouds  had  disap- 
peared, the  pelting  rain  had  ceased  to  fall,  every  blade  and 
spear  of  grass  danced  and  glistened  in  the  radiance  of  a  noon- 
day sun  in  hues  of  brightest  green,  fresh  in  the  primitive  glories 
of  an  early  summer  verdure.  The  sweltering  heat  and  dense 
humidity  had  gone,  and  the  great  army,  as  if  it  were  a  great 
city,  revived  under  the  influences  of  the  stiff  invigorating  breeze. 
And  then  it  was  a  country  of  field  and  farm,  of  cultivation  and 
tillage,  of  crops  and  harvest.  The  dreary,  woeful,  timber- 
stricken  region  had  been  left  forever.  Well-kept  gardens,  com- 
fortable homes  dotted  distant  knolls  and  far-off  slopes,  and  all 
between  was  field  of  rolling  sward.  Here  and  there  stood 
woods  of  straight  and  lofty  pines.  The  sluggish  Ny  traced  a 
devious  course  over  fallow  and  meadow  and  through  the  wood, 
until  it  lost  itself  in  the  greater  streams  beyond. 

It  was  the  vivid  contrast,  the  sudden  burst  of  sunlight,  the 
cheering  change  from  pent-up  forest  to  broad,  open  plain,  that 
threw  a  coloring  o'er  the  scene  it  could  not  have  commanded 
of  itself  alone.  It  was  for  this,  and  all  this,  that  the  army 
breathed  freer.  Like  the  man  whose  weary  task  is  finished, 
whose  heavy  burden  is  lifted,  who  has  attained  what  he  never 
dared  anticipate,  the  soldier  felt  as  he  does,  that  with  ball  and 
bat  and  kite  and  top  and  every  implement  of  youthful  sport  he 
could  be  a  very  boy  again.  It  was  a  short  shift  of  relief;  but, 
limited  as  it  was,  the  army  never  returned  through  all  the  rest 
of  the  great  campaign  to  such  a  feeling  of  depression  as  hung 
over  it  through  the  Wilderness  and  part  of  Spottsylvania. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  a  bold,  round  hill  on  the  south  bank  of 
the  Ny,  upon  which  was  a  well-appointed  farmer's  dwelling, 
was  the  scene  of  a  sudden  and  hurried  repulse.  The  hill  did 
not  seem  to  stand  relatively  to  either  side  as  suitable  to  hold, 
but  as  a  commanding  eminence  for  observation  was  a  decided 
acquisition  to  us.     Upton,  with  his  own  and  part  of  the  Jersey 


—  42?  — 

brigade,  6lh  Corps,  a  force  aggregating  about  800  men,  had 
crossed  the  river  and  disposed  his  forces  for  a  temporary  occu- 
pancy. The  picliets  were  thrown  out  to  the  edge  of  a  piece  of 
timber  some  quarter  of  a  mite  to  the  front.  This  wood  was 
well  calculated  to  cover  the  enemy  in  any  attempt  on  the  hill. 
General  Meade,  with  a  number  of  his  staff]  had  accompanied 
Upton,  remaining  with  him  some  time.  The  enemy,  mean- 
while, had  not  been  idle.  The  detached  force,  the  unusual 
number  of  mounted  officers  with  it,  had  attracted  atten- 
tion, and  Lee  was  not  slow  to  seize  his  opportunity  to  rout 
or  capture  it.  He  quietly  moved  a  large  force  of  cavalry  and 
infantry,  far  exceeding  Upton's,  to  the  edge  of  the  timber,  suc- 
cessfully concealing  his  operations  until  the  entire  body  was 
ready  for  the  advance.  General  Meade  had  just  left.  when. 
with  a  vigorous  rush,  the  enemy's  column  ran  over  the  pickets, 
swooped  down  on  the  main  body  and  Upton  and  the  Jersey- 
men  were  hustled  over  the  river  without  a  full  comprehension 
of  exactly  what  had  struck  them.  Several  prominent  officers 
fell  killed  and  mortally  wounded,  but  neither  in  killed,  wounded 
or  prisoners  was  the  loss  as  large  as  might  have  been  expected. 
By  some  good  fortune  most  everybody  got  a\vay  to  the  other 
side  of  the  river,  and  in  a  little  while  the  integrity  of  the  two 
commands  was  fully  restored.  It  was  nearing  darkness  when 
Ayres's  brigade  was  sent  to  regain  the  hill.  The  stream 
was  waist-deep,  with  steep  and  slimy  banks.  There  was  no 
road  or  ford-crossing.  The  distance  between  the  bank  of  the 
stream  and  the  base  of  the  hill  was  not  sufficient  for  deploy- 
ment, and  the  line  of  battle  moved  into  the  water  from  the 
open  fields.  Upon  the  other  side  but  a  moment  was  necessary 
to  rectify  the  alignement,  and  then,  advancing  handsomely  up 
the  hill,  Ayres  drove  the  enemy  from  his  lofty  perch,  and  he  in 
turn  was  unceremoniously  hustled  back  to  his  own  lines,  as 
Upton  had  been  to  his.  This  affair  of  the  regulars,  happening 
in  full  view  of  a  greater  part  of  the  troops  of  both  the  5th  and 
6th  Corps,  brought  them  much  commendation. 

Before  the  army  moved  from  Spottsylvania  the  house  upon 


—  428  — 

the  hill  was  fired  and  with  all  its  outbuildings  totally  destroyed. 
The  owner  had  abandoned  it  before  our  troops  appeared.  An 
aged  servant  who  remained  said  his  master's  name  was  Ander- 
son. Upon  the  official  map  of  the  battle-field  Anderson's  name 
is  applied  to  a  house  in  another  locality.  The  house  indicated  on 
the  map  as  most  likely  to  be  the  one  where  the  aflair  occurred 
is  noted  as  Gayle*s. 

Three  days  followed  of  a  rather  uneventful  character.  It 
ivas  a  season  of  comparative  rest  with  but  little  excitement  and 
only  occasional  firing.  The  lines  were  advanced  and  heavily 
entrenched.  The  work  was  usually  done  during  the  night, 
and  the  sight  of  the  new  entrenchments  in  the  morning  gen- 
erally provoked  fierce  shelling,  which  was  promptly  replied  to. 
It  did  not  prove  very  damaging  and  soon  ceased,  and  then  the 
pickets  would  worry  away  a  while  until,  tiring  of  a  resultless 
effort,  a  tacit  consent  stopped  the  dangerous  amusement.  All 
this  was  in  the  open  country  and  both  sides  had  full  opportunity 
of  observation.  A  greater  part  of  the  5th  Corps  lay  within 
full  sight  of  the  court-house.  The  casualties  were  not  nu- 
merous. Among  them  was  John  Clay,  of  Company  C,  mortally 
wounded. 

The   fortifications   were   more   than   ordinarily  substantial. 
The  men  had  become  skilled  in  their  construction.     Except 
that  their  slopes  were  not  sodded,  they  looked  like  permanent 
works,  and  in  the  feature  of  sentries   pacing  the   ramparts* 
wholly  so. 

This  continuous  contact  was  breeding  the  usual  picket  famil- 
iarity. The  suggestions  for  more  friendly  relations  first  came 
from  the  enemy,  with  the  proposition  to  exchange  newspapers. 
It  was  cordially  accepted,  but  had  made  but  little  headway 
when  it  was  discovered  and  promptly  checked. 

Occasionally,  when  the  pickets  would  cease  firing  for  a  con- 
siderable time,  the  Confederates  were  seen  sitting  and  standing 
upon  their  works,  with  their  clothing  partially  removed,  ex- 
amining their  shirts  with  close  and  critical  attention.  This 
naturally  provoked  inquiry,  and  to  the  interrogation  as  to  what 


—  429  — 

in  the  thunder  they  were  at,  they  replied  that  they  had  been 
very  busy  of  late,  and  having  had  no  leisure  to  "  hunt  'cm." 
tlicy  were  determined  to  utilize  this  opportunity  for  investiga- 
tion until  every  "varment"  should  be  extirpated. 

So  many  friends  and  relatives  desired  to  visit  the  front  to 
look  after  the  bodies  of  the  dead  or  care  for  the  wounded  that  the 
War  Department  was  forced  to  forbid  it.  It  was  no  easy  mat- 
ter to  secure  a  pass,  and,  if  one  was  secured,  to  accomplish  the 
purpose  intended  was  a  difficult  and  dangerous  undertaking. 
Among  those  fortunate  in  securing  a  pass  was  Mr.  James  C. 
Wray,  of  Philadelphia.  His  mission  threw  him  among  ; 
old  associates,  officers  of  the  6tli  Corps.  He  had  been  with 
them  for  a  day  or  two  and  was  continuously  and  urgently 
pressing  his  desire  to  see,  as  he  styled  it.  a  live  rebel  in  a 
It  so  happened  that  in  front  of  the  6th  Corps  at  that  time  the 
pickets  were  not  in  close  contact,  nor  was  the  enemy  in  sight 
To  the  right,  however,  in  front  of  the  sth,  the  view  he  de- 
sired could  be  readily  obtained.  So  one  afternoon  when  there 
was  no  reasonable  prospect  of  a  movement,  yielding  to  the 
urgency  of  the  appeal,  a  friend  of  Mr.  Wray  in  the  adjutant- 
general's  department  consented  to  conduct  him  to  a  point 
where  he  might  satisfy  his  curiosity,  explaining  that  the  errand 
would  likely  involve  some  personal  risk.  Mr.  Wray  was  not 
equipped  for  active  field  operations,  the  part  of  his  dress  most 
unsuitable  for  campaigning  being  a  high  silk  hat. 

The  two  rode  off  in  the  direction  of  the  nearest  picket  reserve 
of  the  5th  Corps.  The  officer  in  charge  was  loath  to  permit 
them  to  go  beyond  it.  but  after  explanations  and  much  persua- 
sion, as  the  line  had  been  quiet  for  some  hours,  he  finally  con- 
sented. Leaving  their  horses  and  proceeding  some  hundred 
yards  farther,  Wray  and  his  escort  came  upon  an  outpost.  For 
a  time  nothing  could  be  scon.  The  enemy's  line  was  distant 
some  five  hundred  yards,  and  it  was  only  the  experienced  eye 
that  could  detect  the  little  uphcaVals  of  earth  that  concealed  the 
Confederate  pickets,  and  only  the  knowledge  bora  of  experience 
that  told  that  behind  each  one  of  these  upheavals  was  what  our 


—  430  — 

friend  most  desired  to  see.  He  had  tarried  so  long  that  he  be- 
lieved his  mission  a  failure,  when  a  Confederate  picket,  gather- 
ing assurance  from  the  lengthy  quiet  that  he  might  safely 
expose  himself,  rose  to  his  full  height,  doubtless  to  seek  relief 
in  a  good,  vigorous  stretch.  Wray  was  all  excitement  He 
seemed  to  be  the  first  to  discover  him.  **  There's  one  now !  " 
shouted  he,  and  believing  that  death,  swift  and  certain,  was  the 
only  punishment  for  a  rebel  in  arms,  yelled  out:  "  Shoot  him ; 
d — n  him,  shoot  him ! "  The  soldier  on  the  outpost,  not  willing 
to  be  thought  derelict  by  a  citizen,  "  let  go,"  and  then  another 
picket  "  let  go,"  and  then  the  other  side  "  let  go,"  and  Wray 
soon  found  himself  in  the  midst  of  an  active  little  picket  fight, 
provoked  by  his  own  desire  to  see,  as  he  thought,  justice  duly 
administered.  He  bore  up  under  it  manfully,  and  retired  in 
good  soldierly  shape.  Remounting  their  horses,  the  two  rode 
away  as  rapidly  as  decency  would  permit,  the  zip  of  the  bullets 
continuing  until  they  had  outdistanced  them.  Mr.  Wray  con- 
ceived that  he  had  more  than  satisfied  his  curiosity,  but  hav- 
ing safely  passed  through  such  an  unusual  experience  for  a 
citizen,  concluded  that  it  would  be  a  remembrance  well  worth 
cherishing. 

As  a  rule,  new  regiments  lose  more  men  than  an  old  one 
in  doing  the  same  fighting. 

On  one  occasion  some  new  men  were  needlessly  exposing 
themselves,  when  an  officer  exclaimed :  "  Get  down  there !  or 
you'll  get  a  bullet  through  your  head.  You  cost  the  govern- 
ment a  thousand  dollars  apiece,  and  Til  be  d d  if  I  am  go- 
ing to  have  you  shot  without  good  cause;  you're  too  ex- 
pensive ! " 

This  was  said  with  all  seriousness,  but  it  made  us  laugh.  It 
is  remarkable  how  much  men  found  to  laugh  at  while  engaged 
in  such  serious  work.  Cracking  of  jokes  was  as  incessant  as 
the  crack  of  musketry.  Artillery  was  posted  in  the  entrench- 
ments at  the  apex  of  the  salient.  Gibbon's  division  advanced 
to  beyond  the  McCool  House.  The  interior  lines  had  been 
materially  strengthened ;  where  they  were  in  the  woods  they 
were  protected  by  slashings,  and  in  the  open  by  abatis.     The 


—  431  — 

division  was  repulsed  with  loss.  The  attack  of  the  6th  Corps 
was  in  progress,  when  learning  of  the  resistance  met  with  by 
Gibbon  and  the  formidable  character  of  the  works,  General 
Meade  ordered  the  operations  suspended,  The  artillcrj"  of  the 
5th  Corps — that  was  the  part  it  was  designed  to  play  until 
offensive  operations  were  necessary — was  heavily  engaged. 
The  heavy  entrenchments  constructed  by  the  corps  a  few  days 
before,  and  previously  referred  to,  were  built  with  a  purpose  to 
further  this  operation  by  drawing  still  greater  attention  to  a 
determination  to  concentrate  on  our  left. 

The  6th  Corps  returned  to  its  position  to  the  east  and  south 
of  the  Ny.  Bumside  was  moved  to  its  left;  Hancock  remained 
near  the  Landrum  House,  preparatory  to  a  movement  looking 
to  the  opening  of  the  roads  to  the  southward,  and  the  5th  Corps 
now  became  the  right  of  the  army.  Its  right  was  extended  to 
the  vicinity  of  the  Harris  House  and  the  works  beyond  the 
crossing  of  the  Ny,  by  the  Fredericksburg  and  Spottsylvania 
Court- House  Road. 

The  Ny  is,  as  may  be  judged  from  the  text,  a  very  tortuous 
stream.  Before  it  crosses  tliis  road  it  flows  due  east  for  half  a 
mile,  just  before  reaching  it  bearing  off  a  Uttle  to  the  south- 
cast.  After  crossing  the  road  it  turns  abruptly  to  the  south, 
and  flows  in  that  direction  a  little  upwards  of  a  mile.  Then  it 
resumes  its  easterly  course  for  a  short  distance,  and  again 
turning  to  the  southeast  so  continues  until  its  junction  with 
the  Po. 

That  portion  of  the  5th  Corps  which  extended  to  the  north- 
ward covered  the  Spottsylvania  Court-House  and  Fredericks- 
burg Road,  the  only  route  by  which  supplies  reached  the  army. 
Still  to  the  right  of  the  corps,  and  covering  the  road,  Tyler's 
heavy  artillery,  a  splendid  division  from  the  fortifications  at 
Washington,  that  had  never  yet  been  in  action,  lay  in  bivouac, 
halted  on  its  march  to  join  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Ewell, 
demonstrating  on  Lee's  left  to  ascertain  whether  a  belief  that 
the  .Army  of  the  Potomac  was  drawing  away  from  Spottsyl- 
vania was  well  founded,  came  upon  this  force  of  Tyler's,     An 


—  432  — 

engagement  followed  of  some  magnitude.  Kitching's  brigade 
of  hea\y  artillerj^  relieved  from  duty  as  guard  to  ihe  Reserve 
Artillery,  and  now  part  of  and  the  extreme  right  of  the  5th,  was 
also  at  once  involved.  Both  the  brigade  and  division  behaved 
handsomely  and  suffered  severely.  Other  troops  were  needed. 
Warren,  who  was  nearest,  was  ordered  to  send  reinforcements. 
His  Mar>'land  brigade  reached  the  field  in  time  to  take  an  ac- 
tive and  effective  part  in  the  fight.  Before  the  affair  was  over 
every  corps  but  Burnside's  had  been  tapped.  Hancock  sent 
Gibbon  and  Birney ;  Warren  added  Crawford ;  from  far  away 
on  the  left,  Wright  hurried  Russell  along.  Ewell  went  away 
discomfited,  leaving  a  pretty  heavy  list  of  casualties  to  attest 
the  severity  of  his  punishment. 

This  encounter  delayed  the  preparations  for  the  ultimate 
abandonment  of  the  operations  about  Spottsylvania  Court- 
House,  and  the  further  prolongation  of  the  "jug-handle"  move- 
ment, which  had  become  the  popular  army  designation  for  all 
the  manoeuvres  now  well  understood,  that  had  in  contemplation 
the  envelopment  of  the  enemy's  right  flank.  Hancock,  however, 
was  off  on  the  20th  and  Warren  followed  the  next  day.  The 
5th  Corps  pickets  were  withdrawn  in  the  afternoon  long  before 
dark.  The  i  i8th,  or  a  detachment  of  it,  under  Captain  Wilson, 
was  on  the  line.  The  opportunity  was  too  tempting  to  resist, 
and  the  enemy  opened  with  a  rattle  of  small  arms  and  salvos 
of  artiller)',  but  fleet  of  foot,  and  spurred  by  a  desire  to  tempo- 
rarily, at  least,  dissever  an  association  which  had  grown  weari- 
some and  monotonous,  the  details  were  soon  under  cover  of 
the  timber  and  within  the  protection  of  the  corps  lines.  Our 
people,  forced  to  this  scurry  by  orders  to  retire,  were  compelled 
to  take  some  decidedly  opprobrious  talk  from  the  enemy  with- 
out opportunity  for  resentment.  "  Stop,  you  cowardly  Yanks ; 
drop  your  guns,  d — n  you,  or  turn  and  use  them,"  were  phrases 
heard  as  distinctly  as  the  whiz  of  the  bullets.  But  General 
Griffin,  seated  composedly  on  his  horse,  as  our  men  reached 
their  cover,  encouraged  them  with  the  assurance  that  their  run 
was  all  a  part  of  the  game,  and  that  others  were  at  hand  to  re- 


—  433  — 

sent  the  insult.  And  so  they  were,  for  when  all  the  pickets 
were  safely  stowed  away,  a  counter-charge  gathered  in  a  goodly 
number  of  llie  enemy,  who  in  the  wild  excitement  of  success 
had  ventured  beyond  the  bounds  of  prudence. 

It  was  night  before  the  column  was  well  away.  A  brilliant 
moonlight  shimmered  on  the  bloody  field,  and  the  determina- 
tion as  to  which  of  the  mighty  chieftains  had  the  better  of  the 
other  in  the  fourteen  days  of  doughtj'  fight  at  Spottsylvania 
was  relegated  to  the  judgment  of  history. 


Losses.  8th  to  the  i8lh.  Spottsylvania,  18,339;  Wilder- 
ness, May  5tli  to  71I1,  17.666;  Cold  Harbor,  June  ist  to  4th, 
12,737;  J""^  iSthto  19th,  Petersburg,  11,386. 


There  were  1 12  battles  in  the  war  in  which  one  side  or  the 
other  lost  over  500  in  killed  or  wounded.  There  were  1,882 
general  engagements,  battles  and  skirmishes  in  which  at  least 
one  regiment  was  engaged. 

(Figures  arc  compiled  from  the  battle  reports,  official  records 
of  the  Union  and  Confederate  armies.) 


The  .\rmy  of  the  Potomac,  after  forty-three  days'  continuous 
fighting,  arrived  at  the  James  River;  but  at  what  a  sacrificel 
54,926  men  and  officers  was  the  price,  in  the  country  between 
the  Rapidan  and  the  James — some  unburied,  some  hastily  put 
away,  and  others  sacrificed  in  the  holocaust  of  the  terrible  fires 
in  the  wilderness  during  the  battles,  many  of  whom  were 
simply  reported  as  missing.  The  Fifth  Corps  alone  lost  12,027 
officers  and  men  in  killed  and  wounded. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

NORTH  AKXA — BETHESDA  CHURCH — COLD  HARBOR. 

And  how  ran  man  die  bcllcr 

Than  faring  fearful  oddi, 
For  the  ashes  of  his  fathers 

And  the  temples  of  his  gods? 

TIABLE    lands,   wayside    villages,  the 
country  store,  grist  and  saw-mills, 
railway  stations,  were  helpful  to 
good  cheer  and  encouraging  re- 
minders of  the  better  things   at 
home.      Such  were  the  features 
noticeable  for  their  frequency  be- 
tween the  Ny  and  the  Anna.     It 
.  was  a  thrifty  country  and  appar- 
ently a  prosperous  people.    War's 
;  despoiling  hand  in  such  a  region 
rested  with  a  greater  severity  upon 
1  the  inhabitants  and  their  belong- 
ings than  in  the  sparsely  settled, 
unproductive  waste  late  the  scene 
'  of  such  fierce,  enduring  GghL    But 
Virginia's   cup  was  not  yet  full. 
Her  fair  fields   already  trodden 
and  wasted  were  but  tj-pical  of  the  devastation  yet  to  follow. 

The  5th  Corps  continued  to  move  on  the  21st  to  Guinea 
Station,  on  the  Richmond,  Fredericksbui^  and  Potomac  Rail- 
way, about  eight  miles  from  the  court-house ;  then  crossing  at 
Guinea  Bridge,  below  the  junction  of  the  Po  and  Ny,  it  halted 
for  the  night  about  nine  o'clock  at  Catlet's,  sending  forward 
tletachments  towards  Mud  Tavern  and  Madison's  Store.  The 
latter  place  is  about  a  mile  from  Nancy  Wright's,  on  the  Tele- 
graph Road,  the  main  road  to  Richmond.    Detachments  of 

(434) 


the  enemy's  cavalry  were  at  the  bridge  when  the  corps  ap- 
proached it  and  continued  in  front  as  it  advanced. 

All  the  army  was  trending  southward.  So  too  was  Lee,  but 
not  for  the  purpose  it  was  hoped  he  would.  The  2d  Corps 
had  been  thrown  well  away  from  the  main  army,  some  twenty 
miles,  in  the  hope  that  the  temptation  might  lure  Lee  to  attack 
it,  and  then  the  others  were  so  held  that  they  could  swoop 
down  on  him  overwhelmingly  for  his  temerity.  But  the  pro- 
ject worked  ill.  Lee  seemed  to  covet  no  such  opportunity, 
and,  content  with  simply  interposing  himself  between  us  and 
Richmond,  turned  our  movement  into  the  usual  genuine  flank- 
ing operation,  as  it  was  intended  it  should  be  considered,  if  Lee 
could  not  be  coaxed  or  tempted  to  a  combat  with  the  isolated 
corps. 

The  column  moved  again  early  on  the  morning  of  the  22d. 
Bartlett's  brigade  led  the  corps.  General  Bartlett  had  been  a 
tew  days  on  the  sick-list  and  the  command  had  devolved  upon 
Colonel  Chamberlain.  The  march  by  way  of  Madison's  Ordi- 
nary and  Nancy  Wright's  was  to  terminate  for  the  night  at 
Harris's  Store.  The  latter  place  is  near  the  Telegraph  Road 
and  on  the  cross-road  from  Childsburg  to  Milford,  a  station  on 
the  Richmond.  Fredericksburg  and  Potomac  Railroad.  Han- 
cock had  arrived  at  Milford  the  day  before  and  been  directed 
to  remain.  Wright  was  following  Warren ;  Burnside  was  to 
the  north  and  east,  near  Bethel  Church,  on  a  cross-road  from 
Madison's  Ordinary  to  Bowling  Green. 

On  the  night  of  the  2ist  Warren's  cavalrj'  outpost  at  Leb- 
anon Church  had  heard  the  noise  of  troops  all  night  passing 
along  the  Telegraph  Road,  and  in  the  early  morning  some 
part  of  the  trains  accompanying  the  troops  were  in  view.  A 
(Ittnchment  sent  out  in  search  of  information  ascertained  that 
I-^vcll's  and  Longstrect's  corps  had  passed  over  the  road  the 
ni;;ht  before. 

Upon  arriving  at  Madison's  a  part  of  the  corps  was  trans- 
fcrrtd  to  the  Telegraph  Road,  the  rest  taking  a  road  one  mile 
to  the  east  and  running  parallel  with  it.     Stragglers  of  the 


—  43<5  — 

enemy's  infantry  were  picked  up,  and  Longstreet's  corps  was 
reported  but  three  miles  in  advance.  Rosser's  cavalry  was  en- 
countered at  the  crossing  of  the  Mat  river,  near  Dr.  Flipper's. 

It  was  Sunday ;  the  evidences  of  the  encounter  with  Rosser 
were  apparent.  Along  the  roadside  were  the  dead  bodies  of 
Confederates.  Beyond  these  bodies,  with  a  wood  intervening, 
and  so  far  as  to  have  evidently  been  out  of  the  reach  of  even 
stray  shots,  lay  the  body  of  a  boy  not  fourteen  years  old.  The 
soldiers  paused,  awestruck.  The  story  went  that  some  of  Meade's 
cavalry  escort  had  suddenly  come  upon  him  armed  with  a  shot- 
gun. There  was  a  demand  for  surrender,  a  hesitation  to  com- 
ply, then  a  single  shot,  resulting  in  instant  death.  The  hesitancy 
evidently  was  from  shock  and  embarrassment,  and  from  no  dis- 
position to  resist.  The  affair  drew  forth  severe  censure  from 
General  Meade,  and  it  was  only  because  the  soldier  who  fired 
was  able  to  show  a  demand  for  surrender  and  a  seeming  refusal 
that  he  escaped  punishment. 

It  was  evident  that  we  were  closely  pressing  the  enemy's  rear 
guard  and  every  moment  expecting  a  sudden  attack  on  the  head 
of  our  column.  Colonel  Chamberlain,  in  advance  of  the  column 
with  a  few  scouts  and  skirmishers,  was  anxiously  examining 
every  point  of  advantage  from  which  the  enemy  might  turn  upon 
us,  and  was  holding  the  brigade  well  in  hand  for  anything  that 
might  happen.  Suddenly  the  expected  signal  came.  A  rifled 
cannon  shot  came  whizzing  over  our  heads — we  saw  the  white 
puff  of  smoke  from  a  wooded  crest — killing  one  man  in  the  reg- 
iment. The  division  was  halted ;  consulting  a  moment  with  Gen- 
eral Griffin,  Chamberlain  conceived  a  movement  to  capture  the 
battery  by  taking  advantage  of  the  piece  of  woods  which  had 
masked  them.  Moving  the  brigade  into  the  field  to  the  right, 
he  formed  it  in  echelon  and  rapidly  advanced,  evidently 
unseen  by  the  enemy.  The  orders  were  for  the  first  men 
who  should  strike  the  battery  not  to  mind  so  much  to  kill  the 
men,  but  to  shoot  the  horses,  especially  the  wheel-horses,  so  that 
in  the  tangle  the  enemy  could  not  get  their  guns  away,  if  they 
did  themselves :  we  were  only  foiled  in  a  complete  and  brilliant 


—  437  — 

success  by  a  natural  obstacle  which  delayed  us,  and  thus  drew 
the  enemy's  attention.  Nearly  up  to  the  woods  on  the  flank  of 
the  battery  we  came  to  a  stream,  not  very  wide,  but  looking  deep 
and  muddy,  and  the  men  hesitated  to  ford  it  It  was  a  critical 
moment  Chamberlain,  impatient  at  the  delay,  urged  the  men 
over.  A  lucky  thought  hit  him.  There  was  a  heavy  plank  fence 
along  one  portion  of  the  stream.  "  Take  the  fence  along  with  you, 
my  men ;  throw  it  in,  and  yourselves  after  it  1 "  It  was  done  with 
a  will :  one  jump  to  mid-stream,  with  the  planks  for  a  pontoon, 
and  we  were  over.  But  the  confusion  had  attracted  the  enemy's 
attention.  They  whirled  their  battery  about,  and  gave  us  can- 
ister, inflicting  quite  a  loss  on  us.  We  pushed  all  the  quicker 
for  the  canister,  but  the  enemy  managed  to  get  away  with  their 
guns.  We  felt  not  a  little  chagrined  at  the  loss  of  the  splendid 
prize  which  we  had  so  well  planned  and  struggled  to  win.  But 
the  road  was  effectually  cleared,  and  the  corps  was  soon  on  its 
onward  way.  When  the  ii8th  Pennsylvania  and  20th  Maine 
had  covered  their  own  front,  they  were  flanked  to  the  left  and 
moved  forward  in  line  of  battle,  preceded  by  skirmishers  hur- 
riedly detached  from  "  E/'  of  the  liSth,  and  assigned  to  the 
command  of  Captain  Walters.  **  E  "  at  that  time  was  without 
a  commissioned  officer,  and  Walters,  apt  and  ready  in  such  af- 
fairs, was  taken  from  his  own  company  and  placed  in  charge. 
Everything  had  transpired  so  quickly  that  the  skirmishers  had 
not  yet  had  opportunity  to  secure  a  respectable  distance  in  ad- 
vance. Walters  was  in  front  of  them,  when  suddenly  he  came 
upon  a  Confederate  officer  mounted  upon  a  gray  horse,  leaning 
forward  with  his  hand  up  to  his  ear,  his  whole  attitude  indicating 
that  he  was  straining  every  faculty  to  ascertain  what  he  could  of 
the  whereabouts  of  his  enemy.  His  faculties  were  evidently 
blunted  or  his  thoughts  astray,  for  he  had  as  yet  neither  seen 
Wallers  nor  heard  the  tramp  of  the  advancing  troops.  Walters 
at  once  determined  to  cautiously  circle  around  the  major  until 
he  liad  placed  himself  so  far  in  his  rear  as  to  have  the  major 
between  himself  and  the  skirmishers,  and  then  insist  that  the 
major  unhorse  himself  and  acknowledge  himself  a  prisoner. 


—  438  — 

Colonel  Chamberlain,  who  was  also  in  advance  of  the  line,  had 
caught  sight  of  the  operation  and  at  once  conjectured  Walters's 
purpose.  He  dare  not  speak  a  word  to  halt  the  line  or  caution 
quiet.  But  as  he  raised  his  hand  and  turned  toward  the  troops 
his  countenance  and  his  gesture  seemed  to  communicate  what 
he  desired,  and  a  sudden  stillness  followed.  Walters  had  seen 
nothing  of  this,  but  the  quiet  so  startled  him  that  every  twig 
and  bough  he  was  treading  upon  so  cautiously  snapped  with 
sounds,  to  him  at  least,  like  the  breaking  of  great  branches  be- 
fore the  whistling  winds.  And  yet  there  the  major  still  sat 
immovable  until  Walters  had  entirely  encircled  him,  and  stood 
with  a  pistol  in  his  right  hand  and  with  his  left  grasping  the 
bridle-rein,  demanding  an  immediate  and  unconditional  sur- 
render. 

"  Not  so,  sir,"  said  the  major,  about  to  seize  a  carbine  slung 
at  his  side ;  "  you  are  my  prisoner." 

"  Touch  that  and  you  die,"  said  Walters.  Walters's  manner 
was  a  sufficient  indication  of  resolute  purpose,  and  his  pistol 
was  levelled  with  deadly  aim.  The  major  slowly  slid  out  of 
the  saddle.  He  was  evidently  a  courageous  man,  but  he  was 
so  startled  and  overcome  at  this  unexpected  termination  of  his 
observations  that  his  face  turned  to  an  ashy  whiteness ;  so  re- 
markable was  its  absolutely  colorless  hue  that,  as  he  afterwards 
passed  through  the  lines  to  the  rear,  it  was  the  subject  of  much 
comment.  He  delivered  his  carbine  without  question,  but  to 
the  "  now  for  the  sword,  sir,"  he  drew  it  angrily  from  the  scab- 
bard and,  plunging  it  desperately  into  the  ground,  broke  it  off 
at  the  very  hilt.  The  skirmishers  had  now  come  up  and  Wal- 
ters turned  over  horse  and  rider  to  be  conducted  to  the  rear. 
The  major  was  rather  a  tasty  fellow,  and  an  inspection  of  his 
saddle  disclosed  a  bran  new  uniform  coat,  evidently  intended 
to  be  worn  on  distinguished  official  or  high  social  occasions. 

The  battery  which  had  so  injudiciously  exposed  itself  man- 
aged to  limber  up  and  escape  entirely.  Not  before,  however, 
it  had  with  a  discharge  of  grape  and  canister  inflicted  a  loss  of 
one  man  killed  and  several  wounded. 


This  section  had  never  been  visited  by  an  invading  army  in 
any  force.  Fence  rails  were  in  abundance  and  supplied  the 
TucI  for  the  night's  meal.  The  parties  out  after  wood  and 
water  fell  upon  a  lot  of  sheep  grazing.  A  carcass  or  two  con- 
tributed to  a  very  acceptable  temporary  change  of  diet. 

The  country  was  so  thriftj'  that  instructions  were  issued  re- 
viving the  almost  forgotten  orders  against  foraging.  The  sol- 
diers were  not  in  sympathy  with  the  measure  ;  officers  gave  it 
but  a  half-hearted  support  The  obedient  restrained  them- 
selves; others,  not  so  disposed,  took  about  what  was  fair. 


T^JiW^^^I^ 


From  his  place  on  the  flank  of  the  column  Major  O'Neill's 
attention  was  attracted  by  the  violent  hissing  of  a  goose. 
Turning  in  the  direction  of  the  sound  he  discovered  that  Paddy 
Mulchay,  of  "  G,"  had  seized  a  straggler  from  a  flock  unable 
to  keep  up  with  his  fellows,  making  haste  for  the  shelter  of 
a  neighboring  barn-yard.  "Mark  time,  Paddy;  mark  time," 
shouted  the  major,  his  favorite  phrase  when  he  desired  to  be 
severely  impressive:  "don't  you  know  the  orders?" 

"  Shure,  sur."  says  Paddy,  "  the  only  orders  1  know  is  not 
to  lave  anything  behind  me,  and  ain't  I  obeying  them,  sur?" 


—  440  — 

"  Well,  if  it's  a  prisoner  you  mean  you'll  not  leave  behind 
you,  you  may  turn  him  over  to  me.  Here,  Kit  Carson,'*  ad- 
dressing his  servant,  "  put  the  dirty  rebel  in  the  guard-house,'* 
and  with  the  solace  of  a  pinch  of  snuff  from  his  silver  box,  and 
the  complacent  reflection  that  a  well-fed  goose  would  grace  his 
table  at  the  first  opportunity  to  prepare  a  meal,  the  major 
pressed  Paddy  no  further  upon  his  &ilure  to  be  exact  in  the 
recollection  of  his  orders. 

Mulchay  had  some  strange  characteristics :  among  them  was 
an  indisposition  to  go  into  action  with  his  own  regiment  He 
was  frequently  found  fighting  zealously  with  others  in  the  brig- 
ade, throughout  which  his  oddities  had  brought  him  into  gen- 
eral acquaintance.  He  was  a  courageous  fellow,  and,  when 
arraigned  for  his  delinquencies,  was  always  able  to  secure  such 
excellent  reports  of  his  conduct  as  to  relieve  him  from  the 
punishment  which  would  have  otherwise  followed. 

On  the  24th  the  army  was  in  readiness  to  move  at  five  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  The  cavalry  detachments  serving  with  each 
corps  were  sent  out  on  all  the  roads  leading  southward  to  as- 
certain if  the  enemy  had  crossed  the  North  Anna.  If  he  had, 
the  purpose  was  to  follow  him.  Hancock  moved  to  Chester- 
field Ford,  near  the  Fredericksburg  and  Richmond  Railroad 
Bridge ;  Burnside  to  Jericho  Bridge,  and  Warren  to  Jericho 
Mills.  Wright  followed  Warren.  Jericho  Mills  is  four  miles 
west  of  Jericho  Bridge. 

Ewell  and  Longstreet  had  arrived  at  Hanover  Junction,  some 
nineteen  miles  distant  from  our  advance,  the  night  of  the  22d, 
and  on  the  23d  Hill  was  pressing  to  join  them. 

Warren  arrived  at  Mount  Carmel  Church  at  1 1  A.  M.,  and 
from  that  point  moved  to  Jericho  Mills,  on  the  North  Anna, 
about  three  miles  distant,  Rosser  keeping  in  his  front  to  the 
vicinity  of  the  river. 

Bartlett's  brigade  waded  the  river,  encountering  a  few  of  the 
enemy's  pickets  on  the  opposite  bank,  and  secured  a  lodgement 
to  cover  the  laying  of  the  pontoons.  The  banks  of  the  stream 
were  high  and  precipitous  and  the  road  rough,  consisting  of  a 
series  of  rocky  steps. 


The  line  advanced  sufficiently  to  permit  deployments  of  the 
troops  to  follow,  and  pickets  were  thrown  out  to  the  edge  of  a 
wood  some  distance  beyond  the  bank.  A  feeling  of  fancied 
security  had  prompted  all  the  "  dog-robbers,"  "  pot-wrestlers  " 


NOKTH   ANNA 


and     ( 
Thi    \ 
t(  thti 
nuts  of   irni 
with  V 


(.  coolers     to  ktLp  well  closed  up  with  the  column. 

irri)  of  Ls  (.ntiaK  btanng  designations  so  pertment 

llin^   so  iistful  and  ntctssirv  in  tht.  d  )nii.stic  ccono- 

\Mth   dui.   con sidt. ration  for  ]n.rsoinl  siftty 


ghty  convictions  that  their  lo; 


utd  be  irreparable, 


—  442  — 

never  ventured  upon  the  hither  bank  of  a  stream  until  fur- 
nished with  the  most  reliable  assurance  that  the  enemy  had 
vanished  from  the  vicinity  beyond  all  range  possible  for  an  en- 
counter. 

It  was  a  sense  of  fancied  security  that  prompted  these  foraging 
spoilsmen,  ready  for  booty  when  no  dangers  attended  its  ac- 
quisition, to  scatter  in  every  direction  to  seize  the  rich  yields 
the  prolific  indications  of  the  neighborhood  promised.  Many 
in  the  ranks  were  sensibly  affected  by  the  opportunities,  and 
imitated  their  example.  Among  them.  Smith,  of  "  K,"  to  main- 
tain his  reputation  as  a  successful  forager,  passing  his  musket 
to  the  custody  of  Nugent,  followed.  Observing  a  party  who 
had  nearly  completed  the  butchering  of  a  well-fattened  hog, 
Smith,  hoping  to  reap  a  share  of  the  spoil,  knowing  the  mortal 
terror  which  the  announcement  of  the  immediate  presence  of 
the  enemy  would  likely  arouse,  cried  loudly,  "  There  comes 
the  rebs."  "  Rebs  be  d — d,"  was  the  reply.  For  the  moment 
the  attempted  deception  was  apparently  a  failure,  when  suddenly 
from  the  woods  the  enemy's  batteries  opened  with  a  simulta- 
neous crash,  and  musketry  flashed  on  front  and  flank.  Con- 
fusion immediately  followed,  panic  seized  the  "  pot-wrestlers," 
and  they  imparted  it  to  the  pack  mules.  Cooks,  servants  and 
mules,  pots,  kettles  and  pans,  yelling  discordantly,  rattling  in- 
harmoniously,  broke  for  the  river  by  whatever  route  was 
nearest,  no  matter  how  impracticable. 

Ned  Wolfenden,  of  "  K,"  in  charge  of  an  officer's  horse,  had 
ensconced  himself  at  the  base  of  a  bald-faced,  rocky  bluff,  straight 
as  a  wall,  six  or  eight  feet  high,  safe  certainly  from  danger  of 
every,  sort.  Suddenly  over  the  top  leaped  a  man,  followed  by 
a  rope,  at  which  he  tugged  violently.  Then  appeared  the  head 
and  ears  of  a  mule,  and  then  his  great  pack  heaved  into  sight 
Wolfenden  waited  no  longer.  He  preferred  to  take  the  ordi- 
nary risks  of  battle  rather  than  to  be  thus  ignominiously  crushed 
under  the  weighty  load  that  seemed  certain  to  demolish  him. 

Smith  was  neither  discomfited  nor  confused.  The  pork  was 
of  course  abandoned  by  the  "  pot-wrestlers.**     Seizing  a  quarter 


of  the  derelict  pig,  he  bore  it  back  with  him  to  the  ranks,  and 
with  pig  in  one  hand  and  musket  in  the  other  advanced  to  the 
charge  with  the  regiment.  He  never  lost  his  load,  notwith- 
standing his  subsequent  puncturing,  and,  with  his  messmates, 
hugely  enjoyed  the  spoil  when,  with  darkness,  hostilities  were 
suspended  and  an  opportunity  came  for  cooking. 

The  attack,  which  was  by  A.  P.  Hill's  corps,  made  about  six 
o'clock,  had  fallen  heaviest  upon  Cutler's  division,  while  it  was 
still  going  into  position  after  crossing  the  river.  His  troops 
broke  and  were  followed  by  the  enemy,  who  were  promptly 
driven  back  by  our  artillery.     The  assault  covered  the  whole 


EMV'S  ADVANUF. 


of  Warren's  right  and  centre.  Along  Griffin's  front,  the  centre, 
the  attack  was  handsomely  repulsed  and  the  enemy  driven  to 
his  works  on  the  Virginia  Central  Railroad.  In  this  assault 
the  83d  Pennsylvania,  Colonel  McCoy,  famous  for  its  heroic  re- 
sistance on  Little  Round  Top,  played  a  most  effective  part 
Colonel  Spear,  of  the  20th  Maine,  of  late  so  prominent  in  the 
night  affair  at  Laurel  Hill,  was  wounded.  The  fight  lasted 
some  two  hours.  The  sounds  of  the  musketry,  the  noise  of 
the  violent  cannonading,  bursting  suddenly  upon  the  compara- 
tive quiet  of  the  few  days  previous,  denoted  a  struggle  of  some 
magnitude.     Ayres's  brigade,  with  Bartlett's  in  support,  bore 


—  444  — 

much  of  the  brunt  of  the  action.  The  loss  to  the  regiment 
was  in  wounded  only. 

Lee  had  set  great  store  by  this  movement  of  Hill.  Warren 
was  in  a  most  hazardous  position.  He  was  alone  upon  that  side 
of  the  river.  Night  was  at  hand  and  the  6th,  the  only  corps 
within  supporting  distance,  with  the  river  to  impede  its  pro- 
gress, would  have  been  necessarily  much  delayed  in  reaching 
him.  The  next  day  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  so  placed 
that  to  strengthen  any  threatened  point  it  was  necessary  to 
cross  the  river  twice.  Thus  a  still  more  tempting  opportunity 
was  again  afforded  Lee.  It  had  been  his  intention  to  do  some 
determined  work  in  this  vicinity.  Warren's  successful  resist- 
ance may  have  inspired  a  spirit  of  caution  that  restrained  him. 

In  advancing  under  the  heavy  shelling  the  regiment  came 
suddenly  upon  the  44th  New  York,  lying  down,  so  covered  by 
leaves  and  underbrush  as  to  be  entirely  out  of  sight.  The  I  i8th 
lay  down  immediately  in  its  rear.  The  two  commands  were  so 
placed  with  a  view  to  a  counter-charge.  The  instructions  were 
that  if  the  attack  was  pressed  in  that  direction,  the  44th  New 
York  should  rise,  deliver  a  volley  and  then  lie  down.  This 
was  to  indicate  that  it  was  the  i  iSth's  turn  to  deliver  their  fire, 
after  which,  with  fixed  bayonets,  they  were  to  charge  over  the 
other  regiment.  The  enemy's  attack  was  not  forced  in  this 
vicinity  with  sufficient  vigor  to  cause  the  execution  of  these 
instructions. 

The  regiment  halted  just  before  dark,  within  range  of  the 
enemy's  fortifications,  on  the  Virginia  Central  Railway,  and 
threw  up  a  temporary  line  of  works.  The  sharpshooters  now 
began  active  operations.  To  raise  a  head  above  the  works  in- 
volved a  great  personal  risk,  and  as  nothing  was  to  be  gained 
by  exposure,  most  of  the  men  wisely  took  advantage  of  their 
cover.  Poor  Ed.  Rien,  of  "  G,"  better  known  as  "  down  the 
river,"  imprudently  exposed  himself,  and  fell  seriously  wounded. 
This  roused  the  ire  of  Smith,  of  **  K,"  who,  rising  to  his  feet, 
insisted  that  he  would  *'  fetch  "  the  fellow  that  fired,  as  soon  as 
he  got  a  good  shot  at  him.     "Sit  down.  Smith,  sit  down/' 


—  44S  — 

cried  Sergeant  Nugent, "  the  fellow's  range  is  longer  than  yours 
and  he  will  pin  you  first,  sure."  Just  then  a  puff  of  smoke  in- 
dicated precisely  the  man's  position,  and  still  disregarding  the 
caution  to  cover  himself,  Smith  rose  to  fire,  but  a  ball  penetrated 
his  arm,  passing  under  the  skin  entirely  across  his  back.  Roll- 
ing over,  with  a  painful  but  not  a  disabling  wound,  he  con- 
cluded to  accept,  for  the  present  at  least,  the  protection  afforded 
by  the  earthworks.  The  two  Kesslers,  of  "  K,"  now  undertook 
to  wreak  the  vengeance  Smith  had  intended.  One  raised  a  cap 
on  a  ramrod.  The  decoy  worked  admirably ;  the  sharpshooter 
fired,  so  did  the  other  Kessler.  The  cap  stayed  up,  but  the 
sharpshooter  came  down,  and  with  his  fall  all  annoyance  from 
that  quarter  ceased. 

The  inhiibitants  in  this  locality  had  not  abandoned  their 
houses,  but  remained  during  the  action.  At  the  Matthews" 
House  the  meals  were  still  prepared  and  served  with  the  usual 
regularity,  and  the  officers  of  the  head -quarters  established 
there  experienced  the  novel  sensation  of  a  summons  to  the 
supper  table  by  the  ringing  of  a  bell.  AH  the  table  furniture 
and  appointments  were  the  family's,  and  the  food  supplied  was 
from  their  own  stores.  The  young  lady  who  played  the  part 
of  hostess  was  not  very  gracious,  but  she  had  good  reason  to 
t>e  somewhat  incensed  at  the  conduct  of  her  guests.  The 
enemy  had  posted  a  number  of  sharpshooters  in  the  house,  and 
in  a  charge  made  to  dislodge  them  one  of  them,  a  very  pre- 
possessing young  man,  had  been  killed  and  his  body  still  lay 
upon  the  porch. 

Hancock,  with  Eagan's  and  Pierce's  brigades  of  Bimey's  di- 
vision, carried  the  bridge  head  at  the  Telegraph  Road,  and  on 
the  24th,  the  enemy  having  abandoned  his  works  on  the  south 
bank  of  the  river,  crossed  with  his  whole  corps.  The  enemy 
had,  however,  taken  up  a  strongly  entrenched  line  beyond, 
having  slashings  and  abatis.  The  2d  Corps  advanced  and  en- 
trenched within  six  or  eight  hundred  yards  of  this  line.  The 
corps  several  times  became  briskly  engaged,  but  all  efforts  to 
force  the  line  were  failures,  and  the  design  was  abandoned. 


—  446  — 

Burnside  was  ordered  to  carry  Ox*s  Ford  and  cross  with  his 
corps,  but  found  the  enemy  too  strongly  entrenched  on  the 
south  bank.  Crittenden's  division  crossed  at  Quarles  Mill,  a 
mile  and  a  half  above,  and  joined  Crawford. 

The  6th  Corps  followed  Warren  at  Jericho  Mills,  and,  with 
the  5th.  advanced  to  within  six  hundred  yards  of  the  enemy's 
entrenched  position,  which  Crawford  had  already  developed. 

On  the  25th  a  considerable  portion  of  the  Virginia  Central 
Railroad,  at  Noel's  Station,  was  destroyed.  That  part  of  the 
work  allotted  to  the  brigade  was  performed  by  the  Ii8th  and 
the  1 8th  Massachusetts,  both  regiments  being  under  the  com- 
mand of  Colonel  Herring.  The  destruction  was  pretty  effect- 
ually done.  The  ties  were  heaped  together  and  the  rails  placed 
on  top  of  them.  The  piles  were  then  fired  and  the  heat  twisted 
the  rails  into  shapes  wholly  useless  for  immediate  relaying. 

Two  days'  rations  issued  during  the  day  supplied  a  much 
needed  want,  and  with  a  good  rest,  a  thing  at  that  time  so 
rarely  accorded,  the  troops  felt  decidedly  better  satisfied  ^with 
themselves  and  the  situation. 

The  hammering  process  was  still  ineffectual ;  there  must  be 
more  of  it  somewhere  else.  Something,  though,  had  been  ac- 
complished by  attrition.  Again  responding  to  "By  the  left 
flank,"  the  army  hurried  off  to  "  catch  on  "  early  at  a  better 
place. 

In  covering  the  railway  during  its  destruction  the  advance 
had  pushed  well  up  to  the  "  Little  River."  There  had  been 
considerable  skirmishing  to  reach  the  position  attained  on  An- 
derson plantation  with  the  river  in  front  of  it,  and  two  men  of 
the  regiment  were  wounded.     Rain  fell  at  times  in  torrents. 

Leaving  the  18th  Massachusetts  on  picket  at  seven  o'clock 
in  the  evening  of  the  26th,  moving  by  the  left,  with  the  11 8th 
leading,  the  march  was  resumed  back  towards  the  North  Anna. 
Two  hours  later  the  column  crossed  at  Quarles  Mill.  The 
night  was  intensely  dark,  and  the  withdrawal  of  the  entire 
army,  which  was  completed  by  the  morning  of  the  27th,  had 
apparently  been  effected  without  the  knowledge  of  the  enemy. 


—  447  — 


The  route  of  the  5th  Corps  was  some  distance  to  the  east- 
ward of  that  followed  by  the  rest  of  the  army.  About  mid- 
night the  brigade  hailed  to  draw  rations,  and,  resuming  the 
march,  stopped  again  in  the  morning  for  coffee.  It  was  heavy 
woi  k  all  day,  with  the  weather  clear  and  warm.  By  the  route 
travelled  some  thirty  miles  were  covered  between  the  Little 
River  and  Ihe  Mongohick  Church,  where  a  bivouac,  with  the 
regiment  in  column  of  division,  was  made  on  the  night  of  the 
27th. 

The  entire  route  was  through  a  luxuriant  region  in  a  high 
state  of  cultivation.  The  open,  broad  acres  of  great  planta- 
tions rolled  off  in  alt  directions.  There  were  roomy  mansions, 
pillared  and  porticoed  after  the  peculiar  Southern  fashion,  the 
comfortable,  luxurious  homes  of  lordly  owners,  the  real  aristo- 
crats of  the  choicest  biood  of  Virginia's  boasted  chivalry. 
Chief  among  all  these,  with  lordlier  appointments  and  of  greater 
size  and  grandeur  than  the  rest,  was  the  residence  of  that  famous 
Southern  statesman,  ex-Secrctar>'  John  B,  Floyd,  whose  mar- 
velous conception  of  duty  prompted  him  during  the  Buchanan 
administration  to  use  his  official  power  in  the  Cabinet  of  the 
nation  to  place  the  military  stores  and  property  of  the  govern- 
ment in  the  custody  of  those  who  contemplated  its  destruction. 
The  early  summer  fruits,  ripening  in  luscious  profusion,  grew 
in  the  grounds  about  the  manor  house,  and  here  and  elsewhere 
through  the  march  fruit  and  vegetable,  flesh  and  fowl,  paid 
handsome  tribute  to  the  Yankee  hosts,  who  were  now  the 
lordly  masters  of  the  soil.  These  tempting,  toothsome  oppor- 
tunities to  feed  upon  the  rich  and  bountiful  production  of  farm, 
garden  and  dairy,  with  the  toilsome,  lengthy  march  and  the 
oppressive  heat,  induced  unwarranted  straggling,  and  it  was 
late  evening  before  all  the  stragglers  had  found  their  bivouac 
home. 

The  28th  was  a  bright  morning,  with  the  promise  of  a  tem- 
perature above  the  range  of  comfort.  At  four  o'clock  the 
regiment  was  again  on  the  march  as  the  rear  of  the  brigade, 
the  brigade  leading  the  division.     The  Mongohick  Church,  at 


—  448  — 

which  was  General  Grant's  head-quarters,  was  passed  in  the 
very  early  morning,  and  subsequently  the  little  town  of  En- 
field. Before  midday  the  Pamunkey  was  crossed  on  pontoon 
bridge  at  Hanover  Town,  and  the  sth  Corps*  lines  established 
some  two  miles  in  front  of  the  town  with  their  right  on  the 
road  to  Richmond  and  their  left  near  the  Tolopotomy,  where 
it  is  crossed  by  the  road  from  Hawes's  Shop  to  Old  Church. 

Shortly  after  noon  of  the  28th  the  6th  Corps  had  also  crossed 
the  Pamunkey  at  Huntley's  Comers,  four  miles  above  Hanover 
Town,  and  was  in  position  across  the  Hanover  Court-House 
or  River  Road  at  Crump's  Creek.  The  2d  Corps  followed  the 
6th  closely,  forming  on  its  left  and  completing  the  cover  of  the 
road  from  Crump's  Creek  to  Hawes's  Shop.  The  9th  Corps, 
that  had  followed  the  5th,  was  not  over  until  midnight.  The  6th 
was  now  the  right  corps,  the  5th  the  left  and  the  2d  the  centre. 
They  were  all  not  more  than  twelve  miles  northeast  of  Rich- 
mond. 

The  army  was  again  in  the  far-famed  Peninsula.  Mechanics- 
ville,  Gaines's  Mill,  the  Chickahominy,  Fair  Oaks  and  Seven 
Pines,  already  familiar  as  the  scene  of  famous  fights,  were 
close  at  hand  and  might  be  called  upon  again  to  lend  their 
names  to  the  battle  vocabulary  of  the  nation. 

The  birthplace  of  Henry  Clay,  **  the  mill-boy  of  the  slashes," 
was  near,  if  not  actually  within,  the  enemy's  lines.  The  lo- 
cality was  suggestive  of  such  a  disassociation  of  the  memories 
of  his  patriotism  and  the  then  condition  of  the  countr}'  that  it 
may  forcibly  have  suggested  to  the  thoughtful  men  in  the  ranks 
of  the  Confederacy  of  how  far  they  were  astray  from  the 
teachings  of  this  most  eminent  of  Southern  statesmen,  ever  so 
faithful  in  a  firm  maintenance  of  the  principle  that  the  "  more 
perfect  union  "  of  the  constitution  was  indissoluble. 

Without  the  formality  of  direction,  the  troops  fell  to  work 
heartily  to  entrench,  and  before  dark  the  whole  of  the  5th 
Corps'  front  bristled  with  formidable  earthworks.  All  day  the 
sounds  of  battle  raged  but  a  short  distance  beyond  the  lines, 
so  close  that  occasionally  shells  intended  for  the  active  com- 


batants  fell  among  the  unofil-nding  soldiers  of  Griffin's  divi- 
sion. The  cavalry — nearly  the  whole  corps  were  participants 
— were  having  a  serious  time  of  it  at  Hawes's  Shop,  The 
conflict  was  long  and  hard  until  nightfall,  when  Custer's  brig- 
ade and  Gregg's  division  carried  the  entrenchments  and  drove 
the  enemy  back. 

On  the  29th,  at  6. 30  A.  M..  with  a  heavy  skinnish  line  in  front, 
Griffin's  division  moved  out  of  the  breastworks  in  the  direction 
of  Mcchanicsville.  The  advance  continued  slowly  all  day, 
several  times  forming  Irne  and  again  breaking  into  column. 
The  enemy's  outposts  were  occasionally  encountered,  but  re- 
tired before  the  skirmishers.  At  four  o'clock  the  line  crossed 
the  Toiopotomy  and  moved  along  the  shady  Grove  Church 
road  where,  the  enemy  being  in  force,  Cutler's  division  was 
moved  over  to  Griffin.  At  seven  o'clock  the  division  halted 
and  bivouacked  for  the  night  with  the  2d  Brigade  on  the  left. 

These  manceuvres  were  in  conformity  with  directions  to  the 
commanders  of  the  2d.  jlh  and  6th  Corps  to  make  reconnois- 
sance  in  their  fronts,  supported  by  their  whole  force.  General 
Wright  moved  to  Hanover  Court-House,  but  encountered  no 
enemy  except  small  parties  of  cavalry  vedettes.  General  Han- 
cock, moving  on  roads  from  Hawes's  Shop  to  Atlee's  Station, 
met  only  tht;  enemy'.s  vedettes,  until  he  arrived  at  the  crossing 
of  the  Toiopotomy,  by  the  Richmond  road,  where  the  enemy 
was  found  in  force  entrenched  on  the  other  side,  and  a  brisk 
skirmish  ensued.  General  Bumside  was  held  in  reserve  near 
Hawes's  Shop. 

While  we  were  attempting  to  secure  the  roads  beyond  the  Pa- 
munkey  on  which  to  advance  towards  Richmond,  Lee  was  en- 
diavoring  to  cover  them.  Lee  was  away  from  Hanover  Junc- 
tion in  time  to  successfully  accomplish  this  by  the  afternoon 
of  the  28th.  F.well's  right  rested  near  Beaver  Dam  Creek, 
which  empties  into  the  Chickahominy  near  Mechanicsville,  his 
left  on  the  Toiopotomy,  near  Pole  Green  Church,  about  four 
miks  from  Hawes's  Shop.  I.ongstreet.  on  Ewell's  right,  be- 
tween Huntley's  and  Walnut  Grove  Church,  covered  the  road 


—  450  — 

from  White  House  by  Old  Church,  Bethesda  Church  and  Me- 
chanicsville  to  Richmond.  Hill  formed  along  the  Tolopotomy, 
extending  from  Early's  left  to  the  vicinity  of  Atlee's  Station, 
crossing  the  railroad  a  mile  north  of  it  General  Ewell  was  ill 
and  General  Longstreet  wounded,  and  their  corps  respectively 
were  commanded  by  Generals  Early  and  Anderson. 

As  Warren  was  operating  on  the  roads  to  Bethesda  Church, 
Old  Church  and  Mechanicsville,  the  troops  which  he  might 
have  expected  to  encounter  were  those  of  Longstreet's  corps, 
but  the  subsequent  shifting  of  Early's  troops  brought  Warren 
more  severely  in  contact  with  the  latter. 

The  30th  was  another  clear  day.  It  was  about  the  beginning 
of  that  period  of  continued  heat  and  lengthy  drought  which, 
with  but  a  rare  interruption,  did  not  terminate  until  the  sum- 
mer began  to  wane.  Griffin's  division,  with  Sweitzer's  brigade 
in  advance,  again  led  the  corps  out  the  Shady  Grove  Church 
Road.  All  day  the  skirmishing  was  heavy,  especially  on  the 
Old  Church  Road  and  Mechanicsville  Pike,  three-quarters  of  a 
mile  to  the  south  of  the  Shady  Grove  Church  Road.  The  22d 
Massachusetts  was  the  skirmish  detail  for  the  entire  division, 
with  Colonel  Tilton  in  command.  This  regiment  of  Sweitzer's 
brigade  will  be  remembered  as  the  one  which  has  been  fre- 
quently referred  to.  It  had  formerly  belonged  to  Barnes's 
brigade,  and  was  at  that  time  in  almost  daily  contact  with  the 
1 1 8th.  With  seven  hours  of  hard  skirmish  fighting  it  accom- 
plished a  work  that  brought  it  much  commendation,  and  gave 
rise  to  the  expression  that  Griffin's  division  if  not  hindered 
would  make  its  way  into  Richmond  alone.  The  enemy  were 
driven  some  three  miles,  and  at  dark  the  line  halted  with  its 
left  somewhere  in  the  vicinity  of  Bethesda  Church,  and  threw 
up  entrenchments.  During  the  afternoon  developments  from 
that  direction  showed  the  enemy  throwing  himself  across  War- 
ren's left.  A  brigade  from  Crawford's  division  sent  to  check  his 
advance  was  repulsed.  A  battery,  posted  where  a  cross  road 
from  Bethesda  Church  enters  the  Shady  Grove  Church  Road, 
effectively  checked  the  advance  of  Rodes's  division  of  Early's 


'■'^^T' 


\ 


CHARLES  GRIKFIN 

Alilil  ..  iB5s.  lo  Jin.  IS.  i9C 
UitJStpl.  IS.  'S»I- 

Vr.m  1  phi.lDBTiph  by  Bkadv, 


—  4S>  — 

corps,  until  Crawford's  other  brigades  and  Cutler's  division 
came  up.  when  Rodes  in  turn  was  forced  to  retire. 

The  enemy's  attack  was  resolute  and  they  sufTered  se- 
verely. By  ten  o'clock  they  had  retired  from  the  field,  mov- 
ing back  on  the  pike,  abandoning  some  of  their  dead  and 
wounded. 

The  movements  of  the  day  had  extended  the  5tli  Corps  lines 
farther  to  the  left.  Burnside,  with  sharp  skirmishing,  had 
crossed  the  Tolopotomy  and  was  now  on  the  right  of  Warren, 
connecting  him  with  Hancock.  The  6th  Corps  was  still  the 
right  of  the  army.  General  Wright  had  endeavored  to  place 
his  corps  on  the  enemy's  leit  flank,  but  a  swamp  and  tangle  of 
the  worst  character  at  the  head  of  Crump's  Creek  delayed  the 
movement  until  it  was  too  late  to  effect  anything. 

Sharp  firing  went  on  somewhere  along  the  hnes  all  night 
What  little  opportunity  there  was  for  rest  was,  as  had  been 
frequently  the  case  of  late,  disturbed  by  the  issue  of  rations. 
This  was  not  completed  until  two  o'clock  in  the  morning;  was 
ordered  to  cover  three  days  and  to  include  the  4th  of  June.  It 
was  an  ominous  outlook.  Hard  fighting  was  evidently  antici- 
pated for  some  daj's  to  come,  ajid  the  situation  was  likely 
to  be  too  warm  for  the  exposure  of  the  impedimenta. 

On  the  31st,  about  eight  in  the  morning,  the  brigade  was 
moved  about  a  half  mile  to  the  left  and  lay  fairly  quiet  for  the 
rest  of  the  day.  The  skirmish  lines  were  kept  actively  engaged 
and  all  the  infantry  corps  were  pressed  as  close  as  practicable 
without  assaulting.  The  position  all  along  the  front  was  strong 
naturally  and  the  attack  was  abandoned. 

Cold  Harbor  was  an  all-important  point.  It  was  on  a  line 
with  the  extension  of  our  movement  to  the  left,  and  a  point  of 
concentration  for  many  roads,  the  control  of  which  would  ma- 
terially facilitate  intended  operations.  The  cavalry,  under  in- 
structions to  hold  it  at  all  hazards,  were  having  a  hot  stru^le, 
when,  on  the  night  of  the  31st.  General  Wright  was  detached 
from  the  rijjht  and  reached  there  at  noon  on  the  tst  of  June. 
General  W.  F.  Smith's    l8th   Corps,  from  the  Army  of  the 


r 


—  452  — 

James,  landing  in  transports  at  White  House,  arrived  about  the 
same  time.  A  desperate  battle  followed.  Hancock,  on  the 
1st,  moved  to  reinforce  Wright's  left,  and  the  ever-memorable 
struggle  at  Cold  Harbor,  to  continue  for  twelve  days  in  battle, 
blood,  siege  and  skirmish,  opened  as  inauspiciously  as  it  termi- 
nated resultlessly. 

Wright  and  Hancock  had  both  gone  and  Bumside  was  now 
the  extreme  right  of  the  army,  with  Warren  next  to  him. 

On  the  1st  of  June  the  brigade  was  moved  forward  and  a 
new  line  of  works  thrown  up  under  fire.  Rotten  pines,  the 
only  timber  available,  made  the  revetment  rather  insecure.  Be- 
fore their  completion  an  attack  in  force  was  repulsed.  Among 
the  wounded  were  Corporals  Lincoln  and  Rodermel,  of  "  E." 
A  whiskey  ration  was  issued. 

In  front  of  the  ist  Michigan  a  skirmisher  was  seen  to  hur- 
riedly run  in,  mount  the  breastworks,  and,  unable  to  check 
himself,  roll  over  in  a  heap.  As  he  rose  it  was  noticed  that  his 
nose  had  been  completely  shot  away.  Unfortunate  as  it  was 
for  the  poor  fellow  to  be  so  painfully  wounded  and  horribly 
disfigured,  the  laugh  was  irresistible.  During  the  day  heavy 
cannonading  was  kept  up  on  the  left,  and  sharp  fighting  in  the 
same  direction  continued  throughout  the  night. 

On  the  morning  of  the  2d  Warren  was  ordered  to  extend  his 
left  to  connect  with  the  1 8th  Corps  at  Woody's,  the  right  of 
which  corps  crossed  the  Bethesda  Church  Road  at  that  point, 
near  Beulah  Church ;  at  the  same  time  he  was  to  contract  his 
right  to  such  an  extent  as  to  make  one-half  his  force  available 
for  attack.  This  it  was  expected  would  bring  his  right  in  the 
vicinity  of  Bethesda  Church  and  give  him  a  line  about  three 
miles  long.  Interrupted  here  and  there  by  the  swamps  of  the 
Matadequin  it  was  virtually  shortened,  as  he  would  command 
the  swamps  without  occupying  them.  General  Burnside  was 
directed  to  withdraw  and  mass  his  force  to  the  rear  of  Warren's 
right  to  protect  that  flank  and  support  the  corps. 

The  withdrawal  of  troops  from  our  right  had  attracted  Lee's 
attention,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  2d  he  had  directed  Early 


—  453  — 

to  get  on  our  right  flank  and  drive  it  down  the  front  of  the 
Confederate  line.  To  carry  out  this  order  Rodes's  division 
moved  out  the  Shady  Grove  Church    Road,  Gordon  moving 


■  ■■<ui]  l„  kcq.  p.iCL-uitli  Ro.k'^aml  1  kth  followin'j  Rodcs 
"k  i.o,jiioii  ,m  hiOuft.  Kum^iJo's  \vjlh<!r.uval  WAS  still  n.i- 
ii-lKii.  hi^  skirmish    line   still  occiipyin;^  tlic  coqis  entrench- 


—  454  — 

ments.  The  movement  brought  on  sharp  fighting  which 
lasted  until  alter  dark,  but  failed  to  accomplish  the  full  purpose 
designed. 

The  skirmishers  from  Bartlett's  brigade  held  the  extreme 
right  of  the  5th  Corps,  On  their  right  were  the  skirmishers 
of  the  9th  Corps,  with  whom  they  were  supposed  to  unite. 
BetTA-een  them,  however,  and  the  left  of  that  corps  skirmish  line 
was  a  deep,  thickly  wooded 
ravine,  which  eflbctually  con- 
cealed the  two  bodies  from 
each  other,  but  their  line 
was  there  when  Bartlett's 
line  was  established.  The 
5th  Corps  pickets  were  per- 
emptorily instructed  upon 
I  no  consideration  to  change 
their  front  Anticipating  an 
attack  from  the  direction  in 
which  they  &ced  when 
posted,  they  were  to  devote 
their  attention  exclusively 
to  that  direction.  Having 
never  seen  Burnside's  picket 
line,  and  not  having  been 
informed  of  its  withdrawal, 
they  were  wholly  unac- 
quainted with  the  fact  that  it  had  been  withdrawn. 

Major  O'Neill  was  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  brigade  skir- 
mish line,  and  of  his  detail  were  160  men  from  the  llSth,  com- 
manded by  Captain  Henry  K.  Kelly,  under  whom  were  Lieu- 
tenants Crossley,  Connor  and  Seesholtz.  Lieutenant  Crossley 
was  assigned  to  the  right,  Seesholtz  the  centre,  and  Connor 
the  left,  Captain  Kelly  assuming  general  charge  of  the 
whole. 

The  line  was  posted  about  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
occupying  pits  built  to  accommodate  three  men  each.     Soon 


CHARLES  H.  HAND, 
It  and  B revel-Major. 


afterwards  the  enemy  opened  fire,  and  the  two  hues  were  en- 
gaged in  2  desultory  way  until  about  tliree  o'clock'  in  the  after- 
noon, when  the  firing  was  interrupted  by  a  severe  thutider- 
stomi.  The  three  men  in  the  pit  in  which  George  W,  Lenoir 
was  posted  repeatedly  fired  at  a  general  officer  on  a  white 
horse,  who.  with  his  staff,  was  seen  frequently  riding  up  and 
down  the  Confederate  lines.  While  it  rained  the  men  huddled 
together  closely  in  the  pits  seated  on  their  knapsacks,  impro- 
vising such  shelter  as  their  gum  blankets  afforded,  still  keeping 
an  eye  sharply  to  the  front.  Just  as  the  shower  ceased  an  of- 
ficer passed  along  the  line  with  the  information  that  the  enemy 
were  about  to  attack,  and  that  oiir  line  must  be  held  at  alt  haz- 
ards. The  attack  followed,  but  from  a  direction  evidently  not 
contemplated. 

Meanwhile  Rodes  was  working  on  Burnsidc's  skirmishers, 
who  had  fallen  back  to  the  works  hts  main  line  had  abandoned. 
Lieutenant  Crossley,  on  the  extreme  right,  seems  to  have  been 
first  apprised  of  the  approach  of  the  enemy  from  a  quarter 
where  he  was  least  looked  for.  The  meal  to  which  Crossley 
was  entitled  at  noon  was  late  arriving,  and.  as  he  sat  disposing 
of  it,  his  attention  was  attracted  by  a  shot  on  his  right  flank. 
followed  quickly  by  another  and  then  another.  He  promptly 
despatched  a  messenger  to  Major  O'Neill  to  advise  him  of  the 
situation  and  ask  for  instructions.  The  major,  who  was  as 
little  affected  by  musketry  on  the  flanks  as  he  was  from  the 
front,  returned  the  very  characteristic  reply,  "  Tell  Leftenant 
Crossley  to  remain  at  his  post  and  do  his  'juty.'"  Captain 
Kelly  was  then  appealed  to,  the  position  of  the  enemy  being 
meantime  revealed  by  his  fire  and  by  his  appearing  in  sight 
Seeking  the  major,  hurriedly,  Kelly  personally  ui^ed  him  either 
to  assume  the  responsibility  of  changing  the  front,  or  permit 
him  or  some  one  else  to  go  to  the  rear  and  procure  reinforce- 
ments to  cover  the  exposed  flanks.  Neither  suggestion  suited 
the  major ;  he  would  have  none  of  it :  "  Mark  time  you,  there, 
Kolly,  rif^ht  where  you  are,  and  I'll  go  for  the  reinforcements," 
and  away  he  went  rapidly  towards  th«  rear,  laughingly  ex- 


—  456  — 

claiming  as  he  reached  the  regiment :  "  If  I  don't  hurry  back 
with  some  of  yez  to  help  the  whole  of  them  out  there  beyond, 
Kelly  and  all  of  them  will  be  gobbled  by  the  rebels."  But 
long  before  O'Neill  returned,  the  capture  of  the  greater  part  of 
his  line  had  been  effected.  The  sweep  was  so  sudden  and  in 
such  force  there  was  but  little  resistance.  The  enemy  went 
with  rapid  strides  from  post  to  post.  To  the  "  drop  your  guns  " 
were  many  unwilling  affirmative  responses,  until  eighty-six  en- 
listed men  were  made  prisoners.  With  the  two  officers,  Captain 
Kelly  and  Lieutenant  Crossley,  also  captured,  and  four  enlisted 
men  wounded,  the  total  loss  to  the  regiment  in  this  affair  in 
wounded  and  missing  was  ninety-two.  Of  the  enlisted  men 
who  were  taken  at  Bethesda  Church  there  was  an  astonishing 
mortality  during  their  captivity :  but  twenty-five  ever  rejoined 
the  regiment ;  the  rest,  sixty-eight,  all  died  in  rebel  prisons, 
mostly  at  Andersonville. 

As  the  movement  progressed  towards  the  left  the  situation 
began  to  be  comprehended,  and  that  part  of  the  skirmish  line 
broke.  Some  of  the  men,  after  many  varied  experiences  of 
fight  and  flight,  saved  themselves  from  captivity. 

Lenoir,  who  had,  with  his  comrades  in  one  of  the  pits,  been 
firing  at  the  Confederate  general  officer,  was  fortunate  in  es- 
caping capture.  He  had  fallen  back  about  a  hundred  yards, 
when,  turning  to  see  whether  he  was  pursued,  he  was  surprised 
to  find  at  a  short  distance  an  advancing  line  of  battle.  The  Con- 
federates were  moving  in  splendid  order,  carrying  their  muskets 
at  a  right  shoulder.  He  soon  met  a  number  of  the  members 
of  the  regiment,  who  had  assembled  behind  a  line  of  works. 
A  vain  appeal  was  made  to  some  men  of  another  command  to 
make  a  stand.  Just  then  a  regiment  made  a  splendid  charge 
on  the  right,  but  after  firing  a  volley  fell  back.  As  it  appeared 
that  every  one  else  had  left  the  locality,  the  remnant  of  the 
1 1 8th  picket  detail  decided  to  have  a  little  fight  of  their  own. 
Advancing  to  a  little  clump  of  brush,  they  opened  a  lively  fire 
on  a  pine  thicket  in  front.  It  stirred  up  a  response  from  a  force 
far  in  excess  of  the  little  band  of  soldiers   engaging   them. 


HKNRY    K.  KKLI.Y, 


—  457  — 

Having  fired  ten  or  twelve  rounds,  they  were  discreetly  about 
lo  rapidly  retire,  when  Coonan,  of  "  G,"  raised  his  piece  to  fire 
at  a  man  not  thirty  feet  from  him  who  had  pushed  ahead  of  his 
line,  when  one  of  our  men  knocked  Coonan's  piece  up,  cx- 
cljiiraing.  "  Hold  on  there,  Cooney,  don't  shoot:  why  that's  one 
of  our  men. "  and  turning  to  the  man  who  was  in  our  uniform, 
said,  "Aint  that  you.  Jack  ?  "  The  answer  came  back  promptly. 
"  Yes."  Coonan  immediately  dropped  his  piece,  but  the  man 
had  no  sooner  been  uncovered  than  he  fired,  the  ball  hitting 
Coonan  in  the  back  of  the  neck  and  making  a  regular  furrow. 
Thirty-two  holes  were  afterwards  counted  in  the  blanket  rolled 
on  the  top  of  his  knapsack.  The  Confederate,  for  such  he  was. 
disguised  in  Yankee  uniform,  then  started  back  on  a  full  run  ; 
three  or  four  shots  followed  him  in  quick  succession,  one  of 
which  evidently  struck  him  in  the  leg,  as  afterwards  as  long  as 
he  was  seen  he  limped  perceptibly,  assisting  himself  with  his 
musket. 

The  fight  now  seemed  to  grow  warm  in  every  direction. 
The  little  aflair  the  i  rSth  men  had  organized  in  their  own  be- 
half had  assumed  proportions  they  had  not  calculated  upon. 
They  were  really  in  front  of  the  fighting  line,  and  a  big  buttle 
wa.s  in  progress.  The  timber  was  thick,  and  the  trees  large; 
shots  flew  through  it  like  a  whirlwind,  shells  thundered  through 
the  branches.  Dodging  from  tree  to  tree  and  happening  to  hit 
the  right  direction,  Lenoir  and  most  of  them  with  him  ulti- 
mately reached  the  regiment  in  safety. 

Thrilling  incidents  followed  John  L.  Smith,  as  he  sought 
his  friends  and  a  refuge.  When  the  rush  came,  Smith  had 
charge  of  the  men  on  several  picket  posts.  Observing  an  un- 
easiness he  attempted  to  hold  them,  but  they  had  caught  the 
situation  quicker  than  he  and  would  not  be  stopped,  nor  was 
he  long  in  gathering  it  in,  either,  and  soon  permitted  himself  to 
drift  with  them  to  the  left  and  rear  to  avoid  capture. 

Major  O'Neill,  who  had  returned,  and  Lieutenant  Connor, 
getting  in  among  the  fugitives  and  coming  across  a  breastwork 
rallied  them,  and  deployed  and  advanced  again  as  skirmishers. 


—  458  — 

but  the  pressure  increased,  the  line  scattered,  and  Smith  found 
himself  alone.  To  his  right  some  distance  was  a  body  of  sol- 
diers fighting,  and  realizing  probably  the  philosophy  of  Aris- 
totle "  that  man  by  himself  will  soon  cry  for  help,"  Smith  made 
off  towards  them.  They  were  United  States  regulars  of  the 
5th  Corps.  His  reception  was  most  ungenerous.  "  To  what 
regiment  do  you  belong?"  said  some  one.  "The  11 8th  Penn- 
sylvania," replied  Smith.  "  Get  out  of  here,  get  out  of  here," 
responded  several  voices ;  "  we  want  no  volunteers  among  us." 
*'  Not  I,"  said  Smith,  undiscouraged  by  the  cool  welcome,  and 
he  took  his  place  in  the  ranks  and  began  to  load  and  fire  as 
rapidly  as  the  rest  of  them. 

Smith  soon  found  he  was  not  wholly  without  acquaintances. 
Looking  to  his  right  he  noticed  a  man  of  Company  A,  of  his 
own  regiment,  fighting  away  vigorously.  In  a  few  moments  a 
shot  struck  this  man  in  the  thigh  and  he  dropped  to  the  ground. 
He  was  quite  a  young  man,  the  shock  overcame  him  and  he 
fell  to  weeping.  "  Oh,  carry  me  back,  please  carry  me  back," 
he  cried  out.  The  regulars  were  not  altogether  heartless,  nor 
really  as  harsh  as  they  appeared.  "  Shut  up,  young  fellow,  shut 
up :  what  are  you  bellowing  about  ?  "  shouted  one  of  them,  a 
big,  strong,  brawny  chap,  and  with  that  he  picked  up  the 
youngster,  threw  him  over  his  shoulder  and  ran  with  him  to 
the  rear  and  saved  him  from  capture. 

The  enemy  now  advanced,  howling  one  of  their  terrific  yells. 
The  line  of  which  Smith  made  a  part  fell  back  to  a  line  of  en- 
trenchments in  the  rear.  As  he  clambered  over  the  works  a 
bullet  scraped  his  nose,  but  he  still  held  on. 

And  then  on  the  right  soon  appeared  the  column  with  their 
pieces  at  a  right-shoulder,  moving  by  fours.  Our  troops  had 
now  all  left  the  works  they  had  but  a  moment  before  occupied 
for  better  ones  farther  to  the  rear,  but  somehow  or  other 
Smith  and  a  single  regular  still  held  on.  The  head  of  the  ad- 
vancing column  was  not  seventy  yards  off.  Their  blankets 
were  rolled,  horse-collar  fashion,  over  their  shoulder.  Their 
gray  suits  and  slouched  hats  satisfied  Smith  and  his  companion 


-  459  — 

of  their  identity,  and  they  went  to  work  putting  ^hot  after  shot 
into  them.  "Give  it  to  "em,  my  boy;  give  it  to  "ctn,"  cried 
the  regular,  and  so  he  did,  and  so  did  the  regular,  both  with 
commendable  persistency.  But  from  the  right,  some  fifty 
yards,  where  Sweitzer's  men  lay,  came  a  cry  that  astonished 
these  two  lively  musketeers,  battling  away  there  alone  against 
all  these  formidable  hosts,  "  For  God's  sake,  stop  firing," 
yelled  SweitEcr's  men,  "  don't  you  see  they  are  our  own  peo- 
ple ?  "  "  Our  own  people  be  d — d  ;  look  at  their  slouched  hats 
and  gray  clothes !  Give  them  h — I,  and  we'll  clear  'cm  out  of 
this,"  and  Smith  and  the  regular  still  pegged  away.  And  then 
occurred  one  of  those  inexplicable  situations  in  battle  which 
always  remain  unexplained.  The  men  who  insisted  that  the 
advancing  aoldicra  were  not  Confederates  could  not  be  con- 
vinced of  their  error  until  it  was  too  late  and  the  enemy  were 
so  close  that  those  who  were  not  captured  were  forced  in  con- 
fusion to  the  rear. 

Solid  shot  came  plunging  in  from  the  right.  Smith  and  his 
new-made  but  now  fast  friend  separated.  Smith  happened  to 
run  in  the  right  direction  and  soon  found  his  command.  It  is 
to  be  hoped  that  his  gallant  companion  was  equally  fortunate, 
for  Smith  never  s.iw  or  heard  of  Iiim  afterwards. 

Rodes,  who  had  cleared  oflf  everything  that  had  interposed, 
now  made  a  desperate  charge  along  the  whole  line,  but  Ayres, 
Bartlett  and  Sweitzer  were  all  in  shape  to  receive  him,  and  he 
was  handsomely  repulsed. 

In  front  of  where  the  regiment  lay  was  a  boggy  swamp. 
After  quiet  had  settled  over  the  battle-field  and  the  complete 
darkness  of  night  had  set  in,  a  human  voice  was  heard  coming 
apparent!)-  from  the  depths  of  the  swamp,  daring  any  one  to 
come  out  and  fight.  The  Confederate  was  most  lavish  in"  his 
profanity ;  foul  and  frightful  oaths  accompanied  his  repeated 
challenges.  He  asserted  that  he  was  alone,  would  give  any 
man  a  fair  fight  who  would  meet  him,  and  could  lick  any 
d — d  Yankee  who  would  undertake  the  job.  It  was  quite 
apparent  that  the  taunt  was  intended  to  lure  some  spirited  fel- 


—  460  — 

low  to  death  or  captivity.  Eventually  the  ruse  proved  suc- 
cessful. A  staff  officer,  skilled  as  a  pugilist,  against  the  earnest 
protests  of  those  around  him,  dashed  out  to  avenge  the  insults. 
The  horse  he  rode  was  the  white  one  Captain  Walters  had 
taken  with  the  Confederate  major  a  few  days  before.  It  was 
as  expected ;  he  never  returned  and  afterwards  died  in  a  rebel 
prison.  His  term  of  service  at  the  time  of  his  capture  would 
have  expired  in  one  week.      His  name  was  Lieut  C.  H.  Ross. 

Among  those  of  the  picket  detail,  many  of  whom  disap- 
peared, were  a  large  number  of  "  The  Fairies  "  of  Company  K. 
Boys  in  years,  light  in  weight,  small  in  stature,  their  lithe 
forms,  quick,  active  ways,  smooth  faces  and  ever-smiling  coun- 
tenances contrasted  with  the  strong,  heavy  forms  of  the  bigger 
men  around  them  and  justified  their  companions,  or  at  least 
they  thought  it  did,  in  classing  them  with  the  ideal  fairies  they 
had  read  of  in  the  days  of  their  childhood.  But  the  names 
by  which  they  knew  each  other  would  not  have  secured  them 
recognition  in  the  Cinderella  world.  Red-headed  Connelly  was 
known  as  "  Gun-Boat,"  little  Lukens  as  "  Chestnut  Hill," 
William  and  Isaac  Kessler  as  "  Biller  "  and  "  Iker,"  and  J.  L. 
Smith  as  the  "  Forager."  Many  of  the  "  Fairies,"  however, 
were  fortunate  in  working  their  way  back  to  the  line  held  by 
the  regiment.  They  had  gathered  together  a  number  of 
abandoned  muskets,  secured  an  unusual  supply  of  ammuni- 
tion, and  posted  themselves  behind  the  breastworks  for  a  re- 
vengeful resistance  when  the  onslaught,  which  they  felt  was 
close  at  hand,  should  come.  They  were  not  long  in  waiting. 
Resting  their  pieces  on  the  works,  they  managed  to  fire  from 
each  shoulder  at  a  time.  One  of  their  number  would  give  the 
command,  "  Fire  by  battery,"  and  all  would  blaze  away  at 
once.  They  had  a  noisy  time  of  it.  How  effectively  their 
gunnery  operated  was  never  known.  They  earned,  however, 
something  by  it  in  the  shape  of  another  sobriquet,  and  besides 
"  The  Fairies "  they  afterwards  were  frequently  styled  "  The 
Jackass  Battery." 

William  Kessler  was  of  indomitable  will.     The  next  day,  in 


f  g 


B 

ipn 

^■r-  ~     ^^ 

'•1 

^j  *i 

/ 

r 


—  4^1  — 

strengthening  the  earthworks,  he  was  seriously  wounded  and 
borne  away  on  a  stretcher.  Deserting  from  the  hospital,  a  few 
weeks  afterwards,  in  fix>nt  of  Petersburg,  he  was  again  with  the 
regiment.  Not  yet  recovered,  his  wounds  broke  out  afresh, 
and  he  was  forced  by  the  surgeon  to  return  for  treatment, 
when,  shortly  after  the  fall  of  Richmond,  Sergeant  Nugent, 
riding  at  the  head  of  the  trains  (he  was  jthen  ordnanqe  sergeant 
of  the  division),  came  across  a  man  limping  along  in  much 
pain,  bare-footed,  with  his  shoes  slung  over  his  musket  The 
sergeant's  soldier  sympathies  were  aroused,  and,  riding  up,  he 
generously  tendered  his  horse  to  help  him  along,  when,  much 
to  his  astonishment,  he  discovered  he  was  his  old  comrade 
Kessler.  Kessler  finding  the  confinement  irksome,  had  again 
deserted  from  the  hospital.  Detemiined  to  participate  actively 
in  the  end  of  the  struggle,  he  was  slowly  working  his  way  to 
his  regiment  This  time,  with  the  help  his  companions  gave 
him,  he  worried  it  through  and  had  the  satis&ction  to  be  with 
his  colors  at  the  final  muster-out 

The  fight  over,  the  enemy  repulsed  and  night  almost  on,  the 
front  was  without  a  picket  line.  No  orders  had  yet  been  re- 
ceived to  establish  a  general  one,  but  anticipating  their  recep- 
tion and  as  an  essential  precaution,  Colonel  Herring  determined 
to  cover  his  own  regiment.  The  officers  had  all  been  so  se- 
verely taxed  that  a  reliable  sergeant  was  selected  to  command. 
The  selection  fell  upon  Nugent,  of  "  K."  Satisfied  that  the  right 
would  also  look  after  its  own  front,  he  was  instructed  to  con- 
nect with  what  he  would  be  likely  to  find  there  and  to  let  his 
left  rest  upon  a  swamp,  which,  on  that  portion  of  the  regimental 
front,  lay  a  little  beyond  it.  As  the  enemy  was  still  pounding 
away  with  his  artillery,  Nugent  first  deployed  his  line,  and 
then,  advancing  it  with  a  rush,  secured  a  fair  position.  With 
the  cessation  of  the  firing  the  line  was  adjusted,  taking  advan- 
tage of  such  cover  as  the  trees  and  stumps  afforded.  There 
was  considerable  noise  on  the  other  side  during  the  night,  but 
no  firing.  At  the  earliest  dawn  the  enemy's  pickets  were  ob- 
served constructing  pits.     They  evidently  had  not  discovered 


—  4^2  — 

the  location  of  our  line.  The  careless  manner  in  which  they 
exposed  themselves  offered  a  tempting  opportunity  to  shoot. 
Seen  through  the  morning  fog  which  hung  close  to  the  ground 
they  appeared  of  giant-like  stature.  The  men  on  the  left,  pro- 
tected by  timber,  importuned  Sergeant  Nugent  for  permission 
to  fire,  but,  with  due  regard  for  those  who  had  only  the  stumps 
for  cover,  he  wisely  restrained  them.  Before  the  day  ended 
Nugent's  party  had  the  satisfaction  to  witness  a  wholesale  cap- 
ture and  complete  dislodgement  of  the  line  they  were  so 
anxious  to  engage.  Had  they  disclosed  themselves  the  move- 
ment which  effected  this  might  have  been  entirely  frustrated. 

The  3d  was  another  day  selected  for  a  tremendous  battle. 
It  was,  indeed,  tremendous,  frightful  in  slaughter,  great  in 
splendid  heroism,  historic  as  a  signal  failure.  From  the  5th 
Corps,  with  its  weak  and  lengthy  lines,  not  much  was  expected. 
Still  all  along  its  front  there  was  heavy  firing  and  a  brisk  en- 
gagement. 

At  ten  o'clock  a  lull  in  the  cannonading  brought  attention  to 
the  yet  neglected  picket  lines,  and  instructions  were  received 
from  superior  head-quarters  to  rectify  those  already  established, 
to  conform  them  advantageously  to  the  nature  of  the  ground 
and  to  secure  their  proper  connection.  The  execution  of  these 
instructions,  so  far  as  the  regiment  was  concerned,  was  left  to 
Captain  Walters.  He  had  been  giving  some  attention  to  the 
front  and  had  already  reported  an  op{x>rtunity  to  capture  a 
Confederate  color  in  an  exposed  position  near  our  left.  He 
begged  permission  to  take  advantage  of  the  opf>ortunity.  The 
attempt  was  likely  to  interfere  with  other  arrangements  in  con- 
templation, and  his  request  was  denied. 

The  land  in  front  had  been  cleared  and  cultivated;  the 
stumps  still  remained.  On  the  enemy's  left  was  an  elevation. 
The  ground  then  fell  off  gradually  from  his  left  to  his  right, 
until  it  reached  the  swamp  which  interposed  between  the 
lines.  The  general  conformation  of  the  ground  was  the  same 
on  one  side  as  it  was  on  the  other.  The  enemy's  pickets  oc- 
cupied from  the  crest  of  tlie  elevation  down  the  slope  to  be- 


-  4^3  — 


yond  the  swamp,  terminating  in  a  clump  of  trees  opposite  our 
left.  This  clump  of  trees,  among  his  other  observations.  Wal- 
ters had  ascertained  covered  the  enemy's  extreme  right  post. 
Beyond  there  was  nothing.  Captain  Walters  saw  no  better 
ground  to  occupy  for  his  pickets  than  that  the  enemy  had 
chosen,  and  concet\-ed  the  project  of  taking  him  in  flank,  cap- 
turing his  posts  and.  by  turning  the  pits  already  built  to  face 
the  other  way,  utilize  them  for  himself  It  was  a  high  soldierly 
conception,  a  daring  undertaking,  and  needed  skill  and  tact  for 
its  accomplishment. 

The  swamp,  if  it  would  admit  of  a  passage,  would  afford  ex- 
cellent cover  to  conceal  the  operation.  Selecting  men  tried, 
trust}'  and  reliable,  Captain  Walters  moved  from  inside  the 
breastworks,  crossed  them  and  followed  the  skirts  of  the 
swamp  until  he  had  reached.the  point  which  he  calculated  to 
be  nearest  his  objective.  Still  moving  cautiously,  he  succeeded 
in  passing  by  the  clump  of  trees  and  gaininjj  the  rear  of  the 
enemy's  extreme  right  post.  Halting  his  detachment  by  a 
wave  of  the  hand,  he  approached  the  post  alone,  and  there 
found  seated  in  the  corner  of  a  bunch  of  rails  the  picket,  weary 
but  not  watchful,  soundly  sleeping,  with  his  musket  resting 
against  his  body.  It  was  but  the  work  of  an  instant  to  seize  the 
piece,  and  a  levelled  pistol  enforced  the  silence  which  Walters's 
muttered  tones  demanded.  Disarmed,  astonished,  bewildered, 
after  a  little  hesitancy,  quickly  removed  by  a  still  more  de- 
termined and  closer  levelling  of  the  pistol,  the  yawning  Con- 
federate yielded  to  the  suppressed  but  insisting  demand  of 
Walters  to  be  guided  to  the  post  nearest  his  left.  Convinced 
that,  if  treacherous,  his  life  would  pay  for  it,  the  captive  picket 
proceeded  sullenly  and  silently  in  the  direction  of  the  adjoining 
post.  The  distance  between  the  timber  and  the  next  post  was 
short.  Walters  halted  his  detail  in  the  clump  of  trees,  and, 
moving  stealthily  with  his  captive,  he  was  quickly  in  the  rear 
of  the  post.  It  was  the  first  of  a  series  of  pits.  There  were  three 
men  inside.  One  was  gazing  steadily  to  the  front  with  rifle 
over  the  parapet  pointed  towards  our  line,  the  other  two  were 


—  464  — 

seated  in  easy  posture,  apparently  engaged  in  interesting  con- 
versation. Here,  again,  Walters  approached  with  levelled 
pistol.  Beckoning  three  of  his  men  from  the  woods,  he  dis- 
armed the  Confederates  in  the  pit,  hastened  them  singly  to  the 
woods  as  prisoners  and  replaced  them  with  his  own  men.  The 
other  pits  in  sight  were  on  something  of  an  echelon  forma- 
tion, the  steps  of  the  echelon  rising  toward  our  front.  No 
guide  was  needed,  and,  as  each  pit  was  a  little  in  advance  of 
the  other,  Walters  was  enabled,  with  little  chance  of  detection, 
to  come  upon  each  from  the  rear.  He  now  had  four  prisoners, 
three  of  his  own  men  were  detached,  seventeen  were  still  avail- 
able. He  had  started  with  but  twenty.  The  distance  between 
the  other  pits  was  greater  than  that  between  the  first  two  which 
had  been  captured.  Several  posts  were  now  captured,  one 
after  another,  each  triplet  of  Confederates  as  they  were  cap- 
tured being  substituted  by  three  Union  soldiers.  Walters  had 
now  reached  a  point  on  the  sloping  line  much  higher  than  the 
ground  was  where  he  started,  when  all  the  other  posts  on  the 
rise,  apparently  having  caught  the  situation,  abandoned  their 
places  and  disappeared.  Walters,  encumbered  with  his  prison- 
ers, managed  with  some  difficulty  to  communicate  with  Colonel 
rhroop,  of  the  ist  Michigan,  the  nearest  officer  to  him  of  higher 
rank.  Reinforcements  were  sent  him ;  he  was  supplied  with 
entrenching  tools,  ordered  to  face  the  pits  in  the  proper  direc- 
tion and  hold  the  line  until  relieved.  This  he  did  under  a 
sharp  fire  until  the  next  morning,  having  also  meanwhile  safely 
secured  all  his  prisoners  and  sent  them  to  the  rear. 

On  the  morning  of  the  4th  Lieutenant  Ware  was  sent  out 
with  the  relief  Ware,  recently  promoted  from  a  sergeantcy, 
with  a  courage  known  to  be  equal  to  emergencies,  was  rather 
anxious,  beyond  the  range  of  prudence,  for  early  distinction. 
Walters,  who  had  established  his  head-quarters  in  the  clump 
of  trees,  from  which  he  had  a  full  view  of  his  whole  line,  cau- 
tioned Ware  against  unnecessar>'^  exposure,  and  suggested  that 
he  allow  his  men  to  crawl  tg  their  places.  This  Ware  declined 
to  do  and  personally  conducted  each  relief  to  its  post     Instead 


—  4^5  — 

of  taking  advantage  of  the  clumps  of  trees,  he  moved  his 
head-quarters  to  the  right  and  there  having  the  men  on  tlie 
post  deliver  him  their  pieces  loaded,  one  after  another,  that  he 
might  not  be  delayed  by  stopping  to  load,  he  opened  and  kept 
up  a  rapid  fire.  Thi:i.  of  course,  soon  drew  attention,  and  ex- 
perienced marksmen  began  to  reply.  But  Ware  would  not  de- 
sist, and,  falling  severely  wounded,  a  few  days  afterwards  died. 

Captain  Waltcrs's  feat  secured  him  high  commendation.  He 
wa.'i  personally  congratulated,  and  his  brevet  commission  svt 
major  mentions  among  otiier  performances :  "  For  gallant  and 
distinguished  services  at  licthesda  Church." 

On  the  4th,  until  noon,  the  regiment  still  occupied  the  same 
position,  when  it  was  relieved  by  the  2d  I'cnnsylvania  Heavy 
Artillery,  but  after  a  couple  of  hours  this  regiment  was  with- 
drawn and  the  I  iSth  again  returned  to  its  former  place.  Heavy 
fighting  was  hoard  on  the  left ;  the  batteries  were  more  or  less 
active;  picket  firing  continued  through  the  night,  and  shortly- 
after  midnight  orders  were  received  to  be  in  readiness  at  dawn 
to  prevent  a  surprise. 

On  the  jth,  pursuant  to  instructions,  the  men  were  aroused 
at  3  A.  M.  Afier  daylight  the  wagons  were  brought  up  and  a 
whiskey  ration  and  two  days'  supplies  were  issiicd. 

During  the  movements  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Tolopotomy 
and  Kcthesda  Church  the  lines  were  often  so  close  that  every 
attempt  to  estiblish  a  picket  line  brought  on  a  sharp  contest, 
and  each  side  tliought  the  other  the  attacking  party. 

A  successfully  conceived  ruse,  in  which  there  was  no  mistake 
as  to  who  was  the  attacking  party,  on  one  of  these  occasions, 
secured  the  enemy's  entire  line.  Happily  for  the  success  of  the 
affair,  the  character  of  the  attack  was  wholly  misapprehended. 
The  enemy,  probably  without  acquaintance  with  the  real  ad- 
vantage he  had  attaineii,  had  worked  his  picket  line  into  such 
Dusition  that  it  must  either  be  dislodged  or  the  brigade  seek 
another  location.  It  was  determined  to  dislodge  it.  The  line 
was  but  about  two  hundred  yards  from  our  works  and  securely 
entrenched  with  pits.     The  country  between  was  open,  and 


—  466  — 

there  was  in  fact  no  other  place  for  our  pickets  than  the  ground 
the  enemy  occupied  or  beyond  it 

A  company  of  the  22d  Massachusetts  was  brought  into 
requisition  and  posted  immediately  in  the  centre  of  the  brigade. 
They  were  directed  to  radiate  their  fire  from  their  Spencer 
magazine  rifles  towards  the  right  and  left,  and  by  its  incessant 
rapidity  to  so  force  the  enemy  to  the  cover  of  his  pits  that  he 
would  have  no  opportunity  for  observation.  A  deployed  line  was 
at  the  same  time  organized  which,  when  the  fire  of  the  22d  had 
so  driven  the  enemy  to  cover  that  the  movement  could  be  un- 
observed, was  to  move  at  a  run  to  the  right  and  left  and  cap- 
ture the  posts  at  those  points.  The  22d  were  to  cease  firing  in 
those  directions  when  they  observed  the  men  so  near  their 
point  of  assault  that  it  would  be  likely  to  injure  them,  and  then 
concentrate  on  the  centre.  The  scheme  so  happily  conceived 
worked  admirably.  When  the  right  and  left  parties  were 
within  some  thirty  yards  of  their  destination  the  firing  was 
directed  towards  the  centre.  Under  the  suddenness  of  the  con- 
centration the  deception  worked  so  well  that  the  rest  of  the 
distance  was  accomplished  still  without  observation,  and  all 
the  posts  on  the  right  and  left  were  captured  without  the  enemy 
firing  a  single  shot  or  the  loss  of  a  man  on  either  side.  The 
party  organized  to  operate  on  the  centre  under  the  same  con- 
ditions was  equally  successful.  The  whole  line  was  imme- 
diately occupied ;  entrenching  tools  were  speedily  at  hand  and 
the  pits  as  promptly  turned. 

General  Birney's  division  of  the  2d  Corps,  that  had  been  pre- 
viously sent  to  strengthen  the  5th  Corps*  lengthened  lines,  on 
the  5th  was  returned  to  its  own  corps  and  extended  its  left  to 
the  Chickahominy. 

About  ten  o'clock  on  that  night  the  brigade  moved  off  finally 
from  the  vicinity  of  the  Shady  Grove  Church  Road,  a  locality 
it  had  learned  to  know  so  intimately,  if  not  favorably.  Major 
Spear,  of  the  20th  Maine,  was  left  in  command  of  the  division 
pickets,  and  Lieutenant  Ashbrook  of  the  regimental  detail. 
There  was  sharp  firing  at  times  during  the  night    A  friendly 


fojj  aided  the  withdrawal  of  the  pickets.  During  the  night 
many  of  our  wounded  between  the  two  lines,  and  under  the 
direct  fire  of  the  pickets,  were  brought  in  by  comrades. 

That  the  acquaintanceship  with  Bethesda  Church  might  not 
be  discourteously  severed,  the  brigade  halted  there  at  2.30  in 
the  morning;  again  resuming  the  march  at  sunrise  the  column 
reached  Allen's  Mill,  not  far  from   the  old   Tavern  at  Cold 


Harbor.  IKti-  llirrc  w.-is  an  a!l-iiay  stop,  intended  to  be.  as  it 
was.  an  iiUiTval  of  real,  comforting  rest.  There  was  much 
j;uiHn.ry  aloiit;  the  entrenched  lines.  Hut  once  out  of  the  fray 
thf  ^!i^t.tnt  niii^^e  of  a  b.ittle  is  a  soft  refrain.  It  is  the  hustle, 
.-.uroch  and  «  hir  ..f  closer  relations  lli.it  break  the  illusion.  This 
W.1-;  the  5tli  Corps'  "  day  off; "  it  had  indeed  earned  a  holiday. 
Day  li;id  scarcely  d.iwn.'d  on  the  ;tli  when  the  column  was 
off  ,i,:ain  lo\v,ird>  tlie  U-fx.  .\  five-mile  journej'  brought  its 
ri-lit  I..  SuninurV  Ioult  brid-e  on  llic  Cliick.ihon.inv. 


—  468  — 
In  the  constant  hard  usage  of  the  campaign  the  clothing  was 


CHICKAHOMINY  SWAMP. 


worn  almost  threadbare ;  the  shoes  were  through  to  the  gvound. 
Shirts,  drawers  and  stockings,  forlorn  and  dirty,  were  mostly 


beyond  washing,  and  if  change  was  to  be  made  at  all,  a  new 
issue  was  essentially  necessary.  The  presence  of  Quarter- 
master Gardner  in  the  camp  indicated  an  arrival  of  supplies, 
and  with  the  appearance  of  his  well-stocked  wagons  shortly 
afterwards  the  ragged,  worn  and  dirty  garments  were  discarded 
for  the  new,  clean  clothing  at  hand  to  replace  them, 

The  Chickahominy  alone  separating  the  comliatants,  the 
pickets  soon  began  their  accustomed  familiarities.  The  3Sth 
North  Carolina  vistt-iis'd  the  ii8th  Pennsylvania,  War  may 
arouse  bitter  antipathies  on  occasions  of  actual  combat,  but 
when  bt»th  sides  speak  the  same  tongue,  with  the  exchange  of 
a  word  or  two,  hatred  and  anugonisms  me!t  before  a  natural 
tendency  to  be  excessively  communicative  and  sometimes  con- 
fiding. Lone  fishermen  sat  upon  cither  end  of  the  bridge, 
dangling  their  lines  resultlessly  and  chaltinc  complacently.  In 
the  absence  of  a  mutually  acceptable  medium  of  exchange,  or 
a  suitable  scale  for  the  adjustment  of  the  vaUit.w  of  the  recog- 
nized currency  of  the  two  sections,  coflee  went  for  tobacco  and 
hard-tack  for  corn-bread. 

A  young  soldier,  not  didcrent,  however,  from  the  many  ever 
anxious,  regardless  of  consequence,  to  communicate  intelligence 
which  they  conceive  they  posse-^s  f,\clusive!y.  indiscreetly  re- 
marked in  the  course  of  a  conversation  with  a  new-made  Caro- 
lina friend :  "  You  fellows  were  d — n  smart  yesterday  shelling 
that  piece  of  woods  on  the  side  of  the  hill  yonder;  we  ain't 
camped  there;  we're  laying  over  on  the  flat." 

The  next  day  "  those  fellows "  were  smarter — not  much 
either.  They  shelled  for  the  soldiers,  but  struck  in  among  the 
butchers  slaughtering  for  an  issue  of  fresh  beef  The  cattle 
had  been  split  into  halves  down  the  middle  when  the  shelling 
conmienced.  The  butchers  immediately  disappeared,  leaving 
their  half-butchered  beeves  a  certain  prey  to  those  less  re- 
gardful of  their  personal  safety.  It  was  pretty  active  and  very 
accurate  practice  that  in  those  days  would  make  a  soldier  of 
the  Potomac  army  forego  such  a  "sphlen-did"  opportunity. 
There  was  no  such  activity  or  accuracy  here.     By  the  time  the 


—  470  — 

shelling  ceased  and  the  butchers  returned  the  slaughtered  beef 
had  disappeared  and  its  reappearance  was  never  even  looked  for. 

To  give  an  idea  of  the  terrible  slaughter  at  Cold  Harbor, 
the  28th  Mass.  went  into  action  with  310  men.  Their  loss 
was  53  killed,  149  wounded  and  28  missing.  In  the  fifteen 
minutes  that  covered  the  charge  against  the  Rebel  earthworks 
a  Rebel  officer  who  was  engaged  in  this  battle  stated  that  they 
were  massed  five  deep  behind  their  works,  and  their  artillery 
poured  in  a  flanking  fire  of  canister  on  them,  and  he  expresses 
wonder  that  any  survived. 

Is  it  any  wonder  that  the  men  refused  to  make  the  second 
charge  ? 

That  night  we  began  to  build  breastworks. 

Gen.  Grant  says  in  his  book,  page  276 :  "  I  have  always  re- 
gretted that  the  last  assault  at  Cold  Harbor  was  ever  made." 

A  few  days  more  rolled  leisurely  away.  Gradually,  as  if 
weary  of  fight,  if  it  were  for  slaughter  only,  the  gunnery  sub- 
sided, until  at  last  it  seemed  to  cease  entirely.  As  bright  a 
moon  as  ever  shadowed  a  Virginia  landscape  lit  the  heavens 
on  the  night  of  the  12th  of  June,  1864.  Guided  by  the  light 
of  its  brilliant  radiance,  ere  the  midnight  hour  had  gone,  the 
far-reaching  lines  from  the  Matadaquin  to  the  Chickahominy 
were  all  abandoned,  and,  stretching  itself  towards  the  James, 
the  old  Potomac  Army,  stiff  and  doughty  as  afore,  was  off  for 
its  lengthy  grapple  on  the  Appomattox. 

AT   NORTH   ANNA. 

Hill  thought  he  would  strike  while  the  iron  was  hot,  and 
while  it  could  be  hammered  into  shape,  and  make  the  Yanks 
believe  that  it  was  in  this  charge  Lee  was  wielding  the  sledge ; 
but  he  was  like  the  fellow  who  took  a  piece  of  iron  to  the  shop 
intending  to  make  an  axe.  After  working  for  some  time  and 
failing,  he  concluded  that  he  would  make  a  wedge,  and  failing 
in  this,  said  "  Til  make  a  skeow  ! "  So  he  heats  the  iron  red 
hot  and  drops  it  into  the  slack  tub,  and  it  went  s-k-e-o-w— 
bubble,  bubble,  s-k-e-o-w,  bust ! 


CHAPTER  XVm. 

PETEKSBURR — WELDON    SMLSOAD — FEEBLE 's    FARM 

They  fled  bflorp  out  fierce  attack. 

They  fall,  they  spread  in  b™kcn  surges; 
Now,  comrade?,  bear  our  wounded  bad;. 

And  leave  the  fixmaa  <o  hU  dirges. 


It  was  a  long  wait  stiil.  but  this 
to  be  the  final  plunge.     Nine  months 
were  yet  to  come  of  most  exacting  ser- 
vice in  the  trenches.     During  the  forty 
long,   weary   days    which    had    now 
closed  there  had  been  no  day  in  which 
the  men,  if  not  actually  engaged  in 
fighting,  had  been  beyond  the  sounds 
'  of  artillery  and  musketrj-,  and  day  by 
I  day  the  list  of  casualties  had  grown 
S  lai^er  and  larger. 

The  line  upon  which  General  Grant 
I  had  determined  to  fight  it  out  if  every 
-  day  of  all  the  summer  time  should 
witness  a  battle  was  crimsoned  with 
blood,  from  the  Rapidan  to  where  the  deadly  miasmas  lingered 
around  the  sluggish  waters  of  the  Chickahominy,  The  sum- 
mer was  lost  in  autumn,  autumn  in  winter  and  the  winter  broken 
by  spring  before  the  line  had  come  to  an  end  and  the  battle 
had  ceased  to  rage. 

There  was  a  promise  of  respite  from  the  daily  sounds  of  car- 
nage. It  was  fifty  miles  by  the  safest  route  and  surest  crossing 
of  the  James  to  the  destination  fixed  upon.  The  enemy  was  to 
be  deceived  by  a  feint  toward  Richmond  from  the  direction  of 
White  Oak  Swamp.  Should  this  deception  succeed,  the  ex- 
posed flank  was  secure  from  attack,  the  march  safe  from  inter- 
ruption. To  the  point  where  the  end  sought  for  was  to  follow 
(471) 


—  472  — 

the  wise  execution  of  a  skilful  conception,  the  movement  from 
the  Chickahominy  to  Petersburg  was  eminently  successful. 

This  end,  the  seizure  of  Petersburg,  as  usual,  failed  of  its  ex- 
pected consummation.  Every  combination  had  been  made  as 
intended.  A  great  army  had  stolen  quietly  from  actual  con- 
tact with  its  adversary,  marched  fifty  miles,  crossed  two  rivers, 
one  a  tide- water  stream  a  half  mile  wide,  fifteen  fathoms  deep, 
and  was  within  an  arm's  length  of  the  place  it  purposed  seiz- 
ing before  its  foe  knew  the  point  of  intended  attack.  It  was 
but  thirty-four  miles  from  Cold  Harbor  to  Petersburg  by  the 
route  Lee  should  travel,  but  he  stood  toying  with  a  brigade  of 
Wilson's  cavalry  and  a  division  of  Warren's  infantry  at  Rid- 
dells's  Shop,  a  third  of  the  way  on  his  journey,  while  Grant, 
with  full  force  for  his  purpose,  had  reached  the  coveted  f>osi- 
tion  he  had  sought  to  seize.  But  just  here  something  again 
went  wrong.  Lee,  catching  the  scent,  hastened  to  the  rescue, 
and  what  might  have  been  the  work  of  a  summer's  afternoon 
took  many  months  for  its  accomplishment. 

The  chief  road-crossings  of  the  Chickahominy  below  Bot- 
tom's Bridge  were  Long  Bridge,  fifteen  miles  below  Cold 
Harbor,  where  Hancock  and  Warren  were  to  cross ;  Jones's 
Bridge,  five  miles  further  down,  reserved  for  Wright  and  Burn- 
side,  and  still  four  miles  below  that,  at  the  head  of  navigation, 
was  Windsor  Shades.  There  the  great  trains,  moving  from 
White  House  Landing  on  the  Pamunkey,  were  to  find  their  way 
over. 

The  marches  at  once  assumed  a  business  aspect.  Long  and 
exhaustive  they  were-^from  twenty-five  to  thirty-five  and 
sometimes  forty-five  miles  in  length.  The  promise  that  the 
sounds  of  battle  should  not  disturb  the  ear  was  realized.  Wil- 
son and  Crawford's  affair  at  Riddells's  Shop  was  so  far  away  or 
so  light  in  contrast  with  what  had  gone  before  that  it  scarce 
secured  a  passing  comment. 

The  halts  were  for  rest  and  not  for  bivouac.  Crossing  Long 
Bridge  at  dawn  on  the  13th  and  moving  on  until  seven  o'clock, 
the  longest  halt  was  made  at  White  Oak  Swamp,  where  the  divi- 


sion  lay  ail  daj-,  awfiiting  Crawford's  call  for  aid  if  he  should 
find  he  needed  help.  What  little  there  was  to  do  required  no 
assistance,  and  at  eight  o'clock  the  division  was  olT  again  to 
inaWe  the  distance  the  rest  of  the  army,  some  of  which  had 
kept  it  up  continuously  for  twenty  hours,  had  gained  upon  it 
There  was  a  break  from  two  to  five,  and  at  nine  a  lengtliy  stop 
at  Charles  City  Court-House  for  breakfast.  The  2d  was  the 
only  corps  ahead,  and  at  one  o'clock,  abreast  with  the  6th, 
tlic  5th  was  on  the  bank,  gazing  with  fitting  admiration,  as  did 
the  colonist  of  old,  at  the  broad  sweep  of  the  great,  majestic 
James. 

The  lands  bordering  the  stream,  not  sensibly  affected  by  the 
roiigh  usage  of  '62,  were  fruitful  and  abundant.  The  magnifi- 
cent James  River  country  was  ever  famous  for  its  wealth,  its 
bounteous  products,  its  learned  and  patriotic  aristocracy,  from 
tlic  days  when  Gosnold  and  Newport  and  Smith  wrenched  an 
ownership  from  the  savage  proprietors  of  the  soil.  It  lay,  bright 
and  picturesque,  a  landscape  unrivalled  for  beauty.  The  "  great 
river"  bore  a  mighty  fleet  upon  its  quiet  surface.  There  were 
craft  of  all  descriptions;  vessels  of  burden,  steamers  for  passage, 
transports  and  luggers,  ferry-boats,  schooners,  sloops,  and  the 
high  wooden  walls  of  great  river  boats  that  had  often  borne 
gay  and  joyous  crowds  on  many  a  summer  journey  upon  "  The 
Sound,"  the  Hudson,  the  Delaware  and  the  Chesapeake, each  and 
all  of  them  now  subordinated  to  the  urgent  needs  of  the  occasion. 
But  dominating  all  these,  with  their  black,  gloomy  hulls  and 
frowning  guns,  silent,  reliable  and  impressive,  were  the  ships 
of  the  American  Navy.  Chief  among  the  war  ships  was  the 
rebel  ram  "Atlanta,"  unchanged  in  shape  or  name,  a  recent 
trophy  won  in  valiant  fight  in  distant  Southern  waters. 

The  lun^  pontoon  bridge  of  lOO  boats  stretched  from  shore 
to  shore.  Old  Fort  Powhattan,  revived,  reconstructed,  im- 
proved, with  its  sloping  parapet,  its  barbette  guns,  bristled 
formidable  on  th<--  other  side.  The  2d  Corps,  its  columns  at- 
tenuated by  the  distance,  was  slowly  winding  its  way  over  the 
bridge ;  the  great  trains  and  artillery  were  arriving  and  parking. 


—  472  — 

the  wise  execution  of  a  skilful  conception,  the  movement  from 
the  Chickahominy  to  Petersburg  was  eminently  successful. 

This  end,  the  seizure  of  Petersburg,  as  usual,  failed  of  its  ex- 
pected consummation.  Every  combination  had  been  made  as 
intended.  A  great  army  had  stolen  quietly  from  actual  con- 
tact with  its  adversary,  marched  fifty  miles,  crossed  two  rivers, 
one  a  tide-water  stream  a  half  mile  wide,  fifteen  fathoms  deep, 
and  was  within  an  arm's  length  of  the  place  it  purposed  seiz- 
ing before  its  foe  knew  the  point  of  intended  attack.  It  was 
but  thirty-four  miles  from  Cold  Harbor  to  Petersburg  by  the 
route  Lee  should  travel,  but  he  stood  toying  with  a  brigade  of 
Wilson's  cavalry  and  a  division  of  Warren's  infantry  at  Rid- 
dells's  Shop,  a  third  of  the  way  on  his  journey,  while  Grant, 
with  full  force  for  his  purpose,  had  reached  the  coveted  posi- 
tion he  had  sought  to  seize.  But  just  here  something  again 
went  wrong.  Lee,  catching  the  scent,  hastened  to  the  rescue, 
and  what  might  have  been  the  work  of  a  summer's  afternoon 
took  many  months  for  its  accomplishment. 

The  chief  road-crossings  of  the  Chickahominy  below  Bot- 
tom's Bridge  were  Long  Bridge,  fifteen  miles  below  Cold 
Harbor,  where  Hancock  and  Warren  were  to  cross ;  Jones's 
Bridge,  five  miles  further  down,  reserved  for  Wright  and  Burn- 
side,  and  still  four  miles  below  that,  at  the  head  of  navigation, 
was  Windsor  Shades.  There  the  great  trains,  moving  from 
White  House  Landing  on  the  Pamunkey,  were  to  find  their  way 
over. 

The  marches  at  once  assumed  a  business  aspect.  Long  and 
exhaustive  they  were — from  twenty-five  to  thirty-five  and 
sometimes  forty-five  miles  in  length.  The  promise  that  the 
sounds  of  battle  should  not  disturb  the  ear  was  realized.  Wil- 
son and  Crawford's  affair  at  Riddells's  Shop  was  so  far  away  or 
so  light  in  contrast  with  what  had  gone  before  that  it  scarce 
secured  a  passing  comment. 

The  halts  were  for  rest  and  not  for  bivouac.  Crossing  Long 
Bridge  at  dawn  on  the  1 3th  and  moving  on  until  seven  o'clock, 
the  longest  halt  was  made  at  White  Oak  Swamp,  where  the  divi- 


—  473  — 

sion  lay  all  day,  awaiting  Crawford's  call  for  aid  if  he  should 
find  he  needed  help.    What  little  there  was  to  do  icquiied  no 
assistance,  and  at  eight  o'clock  the  divuioo  mas  off  ag^in  to 
make  the  distance  the  rest  of  the  arnqr,  some  of  vhich  hwH 
kept  it  up  continuously  for  twenty  houis»  had  gained  opoo  k. 
There  was  a  break  from  two  to  five,  and  at  nine  a  Irngthv  stop 
at  Charles  City  Court-House  for  breakfiut    The  2d  was  the 
only  corps  ahead,  and  at  one  o'clock,  afafcnrt  vith  the  lMi_ 
the  5th  was  on  the  bank,  gazing  with  fitting  ^^fiialJiiB^  as  did 
the  colonist  of  old,  at  the  broad  sweep  of  the 
James. 

The  lands  bordering  the  stream,  not  scmidjf  nftrted  br  the 
rough  usage  of  '62,  were  fruitful  and  abandnt    The  ■aflufi- 
cent  James  River  country  was  ever  fimoosfer  ibwcdih.  fts 
bounteous  products,  its  learned  and  patriotie 
the  days  when  Gosnold  and  Newport  and 
ownership  from  the  savage  proprietors  of  thesriL  kbr  hj^Lt 
and  picturesque,  a  landscape  unrivalled  fa  ' 
river"  bore  a  mighty  fleet  upon  its  qaieti 
crafl  of  all  descriptions:  vessels  of  buide%j 
transports  and  luggers,  ferry-boats,  sc^^^  ttiMM  r-  ^  ^^ 
high  wooden  walls  of  great  river  boats  that  bd  rf»n  K^ 
gay  and  joyous  crowds  on  many  a  svaaaer  jammey  norm  -  T'-  ' 
Sound,"  the  Hudson,  the  Delaware  and  the  QesMKal^^  V  --^ 
all  of  them  now  subordinated  to  the  uij  *^"' 

But  dominating  all  these,  with  their 


_^  h-T**i  --  - 
frownin^^  guns,  silent,  reliable  and  insMi  ■?  '^     '     .***^  *^' 

tut  in.::-:: 


of  the  American  Navy.     Chief  amo^  Hg  ,1^  _j^^^^ 

rebel  ram  *' Atlanta,"  unchanged  in   '  :     "*—   -.r 

trophy  won  in  valiant  fight  in  distant 

The  long  pontoon  bridge  of  100 
to   shore.     Old    Fort   Powhattaa, 
proved,  with  its    sloping  parapet,  ^ 
formidable  on  the  other  side.    Xk  j|  ^^  _~.  ^"" 

tenuated  by  the  distance,  was sloit^j^^"'-^   '"''  -"' 
bridge;  the  i^reat  trains  and  arffllqy^^^  Cs  v^;    - 


—  474  — 

and  boats  and  transports  were  ferrying  to  and  fro  to  cross  the 
soldiers  hurriedly. 

For  form's  sake  the  river  fronts  above  seemed  to  need  a  little 
looking  after,  and  Captain  Young,  with  150  men,  was  of  a  de- 
tail sent  to  picket  on  the  banks.  It  was  a  short  season  of 
luxury.  Upon  that  line,  at  least,  the  men  were  willing  to  fight 
it  out  even  if  it  did  take  all  summer.  Removed  a  short  dis- 
tance from  where  the  pressure  of  numbers  had  exhausted  the 
country's  rich  supply,  there  was  no  limit  to  the  good  things 
available.  The  shad  were  still  running.  They  were  success- 
fully caught,  and  a  shad  dinner  fairly  divided  attention  between 
diet  and  duty.  Milk,  eggs  and  steaks,  pork  and  mutton,  sup- 
plied a  dainty  supper;  and,  with  well-satisfied  appetite,  its  tour 
of  duty  finished,  the  detail  yielded  to  the  inevitable  and  gave 
way  reluctantly  to  the  unwelcome  relief  The  Aaron  Burr  and 
Judah  P.  Benjamin  plantations  supplied  many  of  the  good  things 
the  men  had  so  thoroughly  enjoyed. 

The  respite  from  the  noise  of  battle  was  over,  and  heavy 
cannonading,  deep,  dull,  suggestive,  boomed  out  from  the  direc- 
tion of  Bermuda  Hundred. 

At  six  o'clock,  on  the  morning  of  the  i6th,  the  regiment 
embarked  on  the  steamer  "  Exchange  "  at  Wilcox's  Landing, 
crossed  the  river  and  debarked  at  Wind  Mill  Point.  The  men 
lounged  about,  bathed,  swam  and  sported  in  the  river  until 
half-past  one,  when  the  division,  the  11 8th  leading,  began  the 
forced  march  which  terminated  at  midnight  within  a  few  miles 
of  Petersburg.  The  journey  was  enlivened  at  times  by  the 
sharp  rattle  of  musketry  in  the  distance  and  by  rumors  that 
the  division  of  colored  troops  had  carried  the  outer  works  at 
Petersburg. 

Here  was  the  first  experience  in  this  vicinity  of  a  water  fam- 
ine. The  fatiguing  march  was  accompanied  by  the  accustomed 
growling,  and  word  went  along  the  column  that  the  division 
would  halt  as  soon  as  it  reached  water.  At  last  it  was  found,  fit, 
probably,  for  thirsty  soldiers,  but  certainly  for  none  else.  A  green 
slime  floated  on  the  surface;  a  skilful  and  sudden  movement  with 


—  475  — 

the  bottom  of  the  tin-cup  opened  the  scum,  and  then  a  hurried 
dip  before  it  closed  again  supplied  a  cupful.  So  urgent  v 
the  thirst  that  the  foul,  slimy  liquid  was  swallowed  with  avidity, 
regardless  of  taste  or  consequence.  With  the  daylight  an  at- 
tempt to  wash  in  this  swampy  bayou  was  speedily  abandoned. 
It  revealed  hosts  of  forbidding  animalcula;,  tad-poles,  "zig- 
zaggers  "  and  every  squirming  insect  that  found  life  and  com- 
fort in  such  repulsive  quarters.  The  flavor  of  the  morning's 
coffee  disappeared  in  gaily  bitterness.  Rather  than  fill  canteens 
the  men  moved  on  in  hopes  of  finding  something  better.  They 
soon  discovered  their  mistake.  Instead  of  finding  better,  there 
was  none  at  all.  In  the  section  the  army  was  approaching  and 
that  was  so  long  to  be  its  home,  there  was  no  water  on  the 
surface  during  the  hot  season  just  at  hand.  At  every  change 
of  position  it  was  first  a  dig  for  cover  and  then  a  dig  for 
water. 

General  William  F.  Smith,  with  his  i8th  Corps,  returned  by 
transports  from  White  House  Landing  to  the  Army  of  the 
Jamcs,  reaching  Bermuda  Hundred  at  sunset  on  the  14th.  He 
was  ordered,  with  Hink's  division  of  colored  troops,  to  attack 
Petersburg  at  daylight.  There  were  six  or  seven  miles  to  make. 
Rcconnoissances,  deployments  and  preliminaries  followed,  and 
it  was  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening  before  the  assault  was  de- 
hvered.  Two  miles  out  the  town  was  encircled  by  infantry 
parapets.  Nobody  was  there  but  Wise's  brigade  of  militia  and 
Dearing's  cavalry  brigade.  The  attack  was  successful  and  a 
number  of  the  redans  were  secured.  At  nine  o'clock  others  fell 
before  another  assault. 

Smith,  advised  that  two  of  Hancock's  divisions  were  within 
supporting  distance,  sat  down  before  the  works  for  the  night. 
Hancock,  having  had  no  intimation  that  Petersburg  was  to  be  as- 
saulted on  the  16th.  had  stopped  to  ration  his  corps  and  had  been 
directed,  because  of  faulty  maps,  to  a  point  that  really  had  no 
existence.  The  delay  was  fatal  to  immediate  success.  Lee 
was  not  convinced  or  did  not  know  that  the  Army  of  the  Po- 
tomac was  over  the  James  until  it  was  nearly  all  across.   Beau- 


—  4/6  — 

regard,  either  with  more  information  or  a  better  grasp  of  the 
probabilities,  on  the  night  of  the  i6th  took  Hoke's  division 
that  Lee  had  sent  him  and  started  it  off  to  Petersburg.  It 
reached  there  before  morning,  followed  closely  by  Johnson. 
Hagood's  brigade  of  Hoke's  division  formed  on  Wise's  left, 
and  the  line  with  Johnson  was  about  five  miles  long,  with  the 
left  resting  on  the  Appomattox.  No  other  reinforcements 
arrived  until  the  morning  of  the  i8th,  when  Kershaw  and  Field, 
and  afterwards  Heth,  reached  the  ground. 

When  Hancock  relieved  Smith  in  the  morning  and  assaulted 
he  captured  two  or  three  more  of  the  outlying  redans,  together 
with  their  connecting  works,  but  after  desperate  fighting  and 
with  heavy  loss.  Several  vigorous  attempts  during  the  night 
to  retake  the  ground  were  repulsed.  Hancock  had  evidently 
met  Hoke  and  probably  Johnson. 

At  the  first  of  dawn  on  the  17th  Griffin  and  Curtin's  brigades 
of  Potter's  division,  9th  Corps,  were  directed  to  assault  the 
redans  and  lines  on  the  right  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Shands 
House,  in  silence  and  with  the  bayonet.  It  was  one  of  the  few, 
if  not  the  only  one,  of  the  many  assaults  during  the  war,  that 
were  so  directed,  that  was  so  accomplished.  The  works  were 
carried  in  most  gallant  shape.  The  Confederate  troops  were 
caught  asleep  with  their  arms  in  their  hands.  Four  guns, 
five  colors,  600  prisoners  and  1,500  stands  of  small  arms  were 
captured. 

The  assault  on  the  17th  was  confined  almost  entirely  to  the 
9th  Corps,  with  Barlow,  Gibbon  and  Birney's  division  at  times 
supporting,  and  Crawford's  division  of  the  5th  Corps  thrown  in 
as  a  further  support  on  the  last  attack.  All  the  assaults  were 
gallantly  conducted,  resulting  generally  in  success,  but  only 
after  heavy  casualties. 

During  the  night  Beauregard,  who  had  been  for  the  past  two 
days  managing  affairs,  determined  to  withdraw  to  an  interior 
and  shorter  line  which  his  engineers  had  laid  out  for  him.  The 
line  was  back  from  five  hundred  to  a  thousand  yards ;  extended 
from  the  Appomattox  first  southeast  and  then  south,  and  inters 


—  477  — 

sected  the  original  Hne  at  the  Jerusalem  Plank  Road  The 
withdrawal  was  accomplished  after  midnight  and  the  work  of 
entrenchment  at  once  began.  This  was  substantially  the  line 
of  resistance,  extended  as  new  developments  on  our  part  re- 
quired to  be  met,  during  the  whole  of  the  operations  about 
Petersburg. 

But  a  few  hours  had  elapsed  in  time  since  we  had  nearcd 
Petersburg,  but  they  were  hours  of  dangers  braved,  of  oppor- 
tunities lost.  If  the  vigorous  assault  had  been  as  persistent 
while  the  enemy's  outer  works  were  crumbling  as  it  was  when 
he  had  entrenched  himself  within  his  permanent  lines,  his  rout 
would  have  been  complete. 

The  regiment  remained  during  the  t/th  in  its  bivouac  of  the 
niglit  before,  in  hearing  of  the  hard  work  in  progress  nearer 
Petersburg. 

On  the  morning  of  the  i8th,  at  4.30,  the  division  moved  out 
towards  the  front,  to  play  its  part  in  the  various  combina- 
tions planned  for  execution  during  that  eventful  day.  Bart- 
lett's  wa.4  in  rear  of  the  division  and  the  iiSth  in  rear  of  the 
brigade. 

The  march  trended  towards  the  left  of  the  Hare  House,  and 
concluded  in  rear  of  the  position  in  front  of  wliicli  on  the 
enemy's  side  was  what  was  afterwards  known  as  Elliott's 
salient,  under  which  the  Burnside  mine  was  subsequently  ex- 
ploded. On  the  route  the  column  passed  over  the  site  of  some 
of  the  previous  hard  fighting.  The  dead  of  both  sides  were 
still  unburied.  In  a  breastwork  which  had  been  occupied  by 
the  enemy  the  Confederates,  four  deep,  lay  on  top  of  each  other. 
The  attack  at  this  point  had  evidently  been  made  by  the  ist 
Michigan  Sharpshooters,  of  Wilcox's  division,  gth  Corps. 
Their  dead  lay  so  close  that  their  muskets  crossed  each  other. 
There  are  thoughtful  men  who  study  battles  who  reject  the 
phrase  "  piles  of  dead  "  as  an  extravagance.  The  Bloody  Lane 
at  AntiL-tam,  the  Bloody  Angle  at  Spottsylvania,  and  here  at 
Petersburg,  is  testimony  sufficient  to  justify  its  use.  The  fight 
at   this  place  was  late  in   the  afternoon.     The  ist  Michigan 


—  478  — 

Sharpshooters  were  a  new  regiment,  skilled  in  the  use  of  the 
rifle,  as  was  shown  by  the  dead  Confederates,  who  were  shot 
either  in  the  forehead  or  face.  The  Confederates  held  up  their 
hands  as  if  about  to  surrender ;  but  as  soon  as  the  sharpshooters 
were  close  to  their  breastwork  opened  fire  on  them,  at  the  same 
time  giving  a  terrific  yell.  Three  brothers  belonging  to  the 
sharpshooters  were  lying  near  each  other.  Together  in  life, 
they  were  not  separated  in  death.  The  dead  were  literally 
piled  one  upon  another.  There  were  but  few  survivors  on 
either  side. 

All  the  corps  which  were  in  position-r-the  2d,  5th  and  9th — 
assaulted  the  new  and  interior  line  of  the  enemy  late  in  the 
afternoon,  at  hours  not  widely  apart.  The  most  serious  work 
in  General  Warren's  corps,  whose  assault  was  well  managed, 
fell  upon  the  1st  and  2d  brigades  of  GriflRn's  division.  None 
of  the  assaults  were  successful,  but  Griffin's  appears  to  have 
been  the  most  vigorous.  His  losses  were  severe  and  some  of 
his  men  were  killed  within  twenty  feet  of  the  enemy's  works. 

Colonel  Chamberlain,  of  the  20th  Maine,  who  had  recently 
been  assigned  to  a  brigade  in  the  division,  was  desperately 
wounded  leading  the  charge  under  a  destructive  fire.  He  had 
previously  been  recommended  for  promotion.  He  had  fully 
earned  it  as  far  back  as  Gettysburg,  when  he  so  heroically  de- 
fended Little  Round  Top.  His  action  here  accelerated  a  tardy 
justice  and  he  was  promoted  upon  the  spot.  It  came  directly 
through  General  Grant,  who  thus  refers  to  it :  "  Colonel  J.  L. 
Chamberlain,  of  the  20th  Maine,  was  wounded  on  the  i8th. 
He  was  gallantly  leading  his  brigade  at  the  time,  as  he  had 
been  in  the  habit  of  doing  in  all  the  engagements  in  which  he 
had  previously  been  engaged.  He  had  several  times  been 
recommended  for  a  brigadier-generalcy  for  gallant  and  meri- 
torious conduct.  On  this  occasion,  however,  I  promoted  him 
on  tlie  spot,  and  forwarded  a  copy  of  my  order  to  the  War  De- 
partment, asking  that  my  act  might  be  confirmed  and  Cham- 
berlain's name  sent  to  the  Senate  for  confirmation  without  delay. 
This  was  done,  and  at  last  a  gallant  and  meritorious  officer 


received  partial  justice  at  the  hands  of  his  government,  which 
he  had  served  so  faithfully  and  so  well."* 

The  attempt  to  establish  an  advance  line  by  taking  Peters- 
burg had  not  been  bloodless.  The  total  of  killed  and  wounded 
when  footed  up  was  8772.  Adding  to  this  1,814  missing,  wc 
have  as  the  total  of  our  loss,  10.586.  This  opL-ncd  the  fight 
-ilong  the  lines  of  Petersburg ;  as  a  whole,  the  most  remarkable 
and  long-sustained  contest  known  in  history. 

Generals  Grant  and  Mcadc,  satisfied  that  all  that  could  be 
done  had  been  done,  gave  directions  that  the  assaults  should 
cease  and  that  the  troops  be  placed  under  cover  to  secure  some 
rest,  which  ihcy  most  certainly  needed.  Looking  at  it  from 
the  present  time,  it  was  a  novel  sort  of  rest  to  be  under  fire  of 
some  sort  or  other  part  of  every  day  or  night.  But  in  those 
days  it  was  assurance  that  no  more  earthworks  were  to  be  as- 
saulted. Tliese  assaults  had  failed  so  often,  or  if  successful 
had  shown  no  results,  that  the  men  had  about  concluded  that 
they  had  seen  enough  of  ihcm.  And  so  began  the  siege  of 
Petersburg. 

Though  the  siege  had  commenced  in  purpose  it  was  only  as 
the  great  forts  rose  responsive  to  the  directions  of  the  engineers, 
and  the  earthworks  assumed  a  chamcter  for  strength  and  en- 
durance before  unknown,  that  the  army  began  to  comprehend 
it  had  settled  down  to  its  work  of  investment.  A  new  experi- 
ence was  in  waiting.  The  ever-present  dangers,  the  strain  of  a 
lengthy  and  ever-lengthening  siege  was  a  startling  contempla- 
tion— if  soldiers  ever  stopped  or  cared  to  contemplate.  The 
sortie,  the  bomb-proof,  the  mine,  the  counter-mine,  the  covered 
way,  new  even  to  these  experienced  men,  they  were  to  learn 
the  use  and  pnrjwse  of  as  well  as  they  already  knew  of  the 
advance,  the  charge,  the  assault,  the  repulse,  and  all  the  perils 
of  the  deadly  fray  in  open  field. 

To  encircle  Petersburg  as  completely  as  a  siege  demanded, 
it  was  essentia!  that  the  two  railroads,  the  Weldon  and  the 


nal  Memoin,"  Vol.  ii.  p.  397. 


—  48o  — 

Lynchburg,  should  be  covered.  It  was  some  time  before  the 
first  was  controlled,  and  the  other  never  was  until  the  city' fell. 
The  6th  Corps  was  sent  to  accomplish  this  purpose,  and  the  2d, 
connecting  its  right  with  the  left  of  the  Sth  Corps  at  the  Jeru- 
salem plank  road,  was  ordered  to  swing  around  its  left  and 
close  in  on  the  enemy.  At  first  these  corps  were  ordered  to 
keep  up  connections,  but  these  instructions  were  subsequently 
withdrawn  and  a  gap  opened  between  the  6th  and  2d  Corps. 
A.  P.  Hill,  sent  to  look  after  Wright's  attempt  on  the  Weldon 
railroad,  leaving  Wilcox  to  take  care  of  him,  passed  through 
the  opening  with  Mahone,  drove  back  Barlow's  and  Mott's  di- 
vision in  some  confusion,  struck  Gibbon's  left  and  broke  his 
second  line.  The  entire  corps  line  was  subsequently  recovered 
and  entrenched.  The  6th  Corps  abandoned  its  attempt  on  the 
railroads,  refused  the  2d's  left,  faced  the  Weldon  railroad, 
though  at  some  distance  from  the  road,  and  threw  its  pickets 
out  close  up  to  it.  In  this  general  position  the  army  remained 
some  time,  the  9th  and  5th  Corps  being  pushed  close  up  to  the 
enemy  to  the  eastward  of  and  on  the  direct  Petersburg  front 

The  first  among  the  substantial  lines  built  by  the  division 
was  secured  by  a  night  advance  of  the  20th  Maine,  I  i8th  Penn- 
sylvania, I  Sth  Massachusetts,  ist  Michigan  and  i6th  Michigan, 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  Herring.  He  pushed  up  as 
close  to  the  enemy's  position  as  his  instructions  would  war- 
rant without  involving  the  troops  in  a  direct  assault,  and  by 
daylight  had  protected  himself  with  entrenchments  calculated, 
after  some  strengthening,  to  be  maintained  as  a  permanent 
work.  The  loss  in  this  operation  was  one  man  killed  and  six 
wounded. 

The  enemy  kept  up  an  active  fire  during  the  day.  The 
works  were  an  effective  cover  and  the  only  casualty  was  Esh- 
back,  of  Company  "  I,"  wounded. 

Active  gunnery  continued  day  and  night,  and  the  pickets, 
particularly  in  front  of  the  9th  Corps,  were  continuously  and 
frequently  severely  engaged.  The  position  held  by  the  regi- 
ment while  it  occupied  the  entrenchments,  varied  by  occasional 


Rk'i  AK       S      ltl>HEIK         IIUW1\(    IH     111    N  1IK  H  UCCUPieP 


s^^ 


—  482  — 

changes,  were  at  points  about  equidistant  between  tiie  Jerusa- 
lem plank  road  and  opposite  Ettiott's  salient,  afterwards  the 
crater.  It  was  sometimes  in  reserve,  generally  in  front  Either 
was  in  effective  artilk-ry  range,  and  casualties  were  as  frequent 
in  one  as  in  the  other. 

Surface  water  had  disappeared  entirely.  Squads  were  dis- 
patched in  different  directions  to  look  for  signs  indicating  that 
with  pick  and  shovel  a  supply  might  be  secured  below  the  sur- 
face. Sei^eant  Nugent,  ready 
and  reliable,  was  the  most  suc- 
cessful in  discovering  it  After 
^,/s^--^^        r^  a  search  of  several  hours  he 

{_/'^^^9   ^xt  ^^  '^'^  squad  to  work,  and  at 

the  depth  of  five  or  six  feet 
found  excellent  water.  Two 
barrels  sunk  to  the  bottom 
walled  the  well,  and  a  guard 
thrown  around  it  kept  off  in- 
truders not  entitled  to  its 
privileges.  The  sergeant,  as 
a  recognition  of  his  discovery, 
was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
guard,  but,  though  less  ex- 
posed, he  soon  grew  weary 
and  lonesome  of  a  retirement 
that  kept  him  from  his  compan- 
ions, and  at  the  end  of  three 
<lays,  at  his  own  request,  was  returned  to  his  company.  The 
well  was  not  altogether  out  of  range,  and  musket  balls,  pretty 
well  spent,  often  dropped  near  it.  One  had  enough  force  left 
to  kill,  and  a  man  loaded  with  canteens  was  shot  just  as  he 
reached  the  well. 

It  is  said  to  have  been  a  mystery  to  the  Confederates  where 
our  water  came  from.  In  fact,  they  were  encouraged  in  the 
belief  that  it  came  from  the  James,  that  sufficient  quantities 
could  not  long  continue  to  be  hauled  so  great  a  distance  to 


-  483  — 

sustain  the  army,  and  Grant  consequently  must  soon  abandon 
his  lines.  Theirs  was  obtained  from  the  water  works  of  the 
city  of  Petersburg,  and  as  the  works  were  never  intended  to 
answer  such  demands,  the  supply  was  limited,  and  to  procure 
it  involved  much  inconvenience  and  labor.  An  early  inquiry 
after  the  pickets  became  acquainted  cleared  up  the  mystery, 
and  the  enemy  soon  became  as  apt  well-diggers  as  our  men. 

The  pickets  soon  began  to  fraternize  with  probably  a  greater 
freedom  and  familiarity  than  ever  before.  Certainly,  the  in- 
timacy, if  not  closer,  was  of  greater  length.  Instead  of  de- 
pending on  individual  posts  to  conduct  the  usual  bartering  a 
regular  exchange  was  arranged.  A  little  clump  of  trees  be- 
tween the  lines  concealed  a  broad  stump.  This  .soon  became 
the  recpgnizcd  market  place.  One  side  would  visit  it,  leaving 
their  contributions,  and  the  otlier  taking  them  away  would  de- 
posit theirs.  There  were  no  calls  for  more  margin,  no  "  clearing 
house  "  to  settle  differences.  Every  barter  was  accompanied 
by  immediate  delivery,  all  questions  of  value  were  subordinated 
to  needs,  and  the  traders  were  satisfied  with  goods  furnished 
by  one  side  that  were  unobtainable  by  the  other.  The  article 
most  desired  by  our  men  was  tobacco,  and  of  this  the  Confed- 
erates seemed  .dwnys  U<  have  an  abundant  su])piy. 

An  enterpri.sing  fellow,  probably  familiar  with  merchandising 
from  having  been  employed  in  a  country-  store,  inventoried  a 
list  of  articles  he  was  most  in  need  of,  offering  liberal  terms  of 
barter  or  purchase,  and  sent  it  with  a  request  for  its  free  circu- 
lation across  the  lines.  This  man  who  was  on  picket  walked 
out  towards  our  pickets,  and  placed  a  stick  between  the  lines, 
and  stuck  on  it  the  communication.  He  then  returned  to  his 
position.  The  ever  active  and  investigating  Smith,  of  "  K," 
wlio  was  on  picket  at  the  time,  promptly  went  out  from  his 
|»ost  and  received  it.  Smith  still  has  the  paper  in  his  posses- 
sion, and  treasures  it  as  a  memento.  A  fac-siinile  of  it  is  here 
introduced.  The  paper  is  indeed  worth  preserving,  and  espc- 
ci.illy  so  in  view  of  the  fate  which  befell  the  writer  a  ff:w  days 
later,  of  which  mention  will  be  made. 


—  484  — 

-^  '^ '  ' -■  .ly/t^ -AJ^ 
_j>-^ -^^.-*«^  ^iSff^-^ 


Cards  were  oflcn  played.     A  large  tree  between  the  lin 
ofTcrcd  coiivenkiit  shade,  and  it  was  not  a  rare  sight  to  see 

*  Th«  following  letter  ihowi  that  the 

•'  Tall*h»»i:«.  Fla.,  May  jt,  tSS£- 
"  M«.  J.  L.  Smith  -. 

"  Deak  Sik  :— Vauri  of  the  z6th  in<>(.  to  huid.  Your  •uggcMion  that  llic  i 
•fou  wiih  V)  know  it  LamplLlni.  inilnd  of  Tompkins,  caiucd  i.  *ratch  omdiig  itip 
U't,  and  I  find  apon  the  rep&ter  the  nune  or  4ih  Sergeant  J.  T.  Lumpkin.  Com' 
patiy  (i.  jA  Florida  Regiment,  who  w  ilooUlin  the  man  you  aeek.  If  yau  re- 
member the  penonal  af^>eaiancc  of  the  man  you  may  recogniie  him  by  ihi»  de- 
utrilHioii,  Bi  I  rrmember  him,  fie  was  at  Ihat  lime  alum  (wenty-lwi  iir  twciily- 
three  years  of  age,  near  six  feet  talt,  weighed  about  iSopounds,  dark  compleiion, 
dark  hair  and  eye<i,  round,  smonth  face,  and  inceisant  talker,  sometimes  stammering 
when  excited,  c«n«iileial>ly  addicted  lo  boasting  and  iirofanity.  in  fact  a  bravado.  If 
this  is  the  man  you  seek,  he  met  his  fate  one  summer  evening  on  the  breastwork  in 
front  of  Petersburg.  You  will  pouibiy  remember  that  there  was  ■  tacit  agreement 
tietween  the  ]itcket«  to  our  left  of  [he  Jerusalem  plank  road  lo  cease  tiring  every 
-iflemoon  about  four  o'clock  while  (hanging  or  relieving  the  pickets ;  in  shutt,  an 
infurmil  liuce  which  was  in  direct  uiolalion  of  Confederate  ordert,  but  neveithe* 
lesc  faithfully  observed,  except  on  one  occasion.  Perry's  brigade,  of  which  the 
III  Klurida  wa^  a  part,  and  which  I  then  commanded,  occupied  that  part  of  the  line 
kiiuwn  as  ibc  ■  Tim  River's  Salient,"  and  immediately  in  front  of  what  the  United 
M^ilrs  soldiers  tailed -Furt  Hell.'  On  this  occasion  Joe  Davis's  brigade,  from 
.iiicither  [HMiiiin  of  out  lines,  had.  just  before  the  time  for  relieving  pickets,  re- 
lieved ihe  l.rinsde  on  our  left.  and.  of  course,  received  the  general  orders  to  tire 
upon  every  soldier  showing  him«elf  When  the  pickets  were  being  relieved,  the 
I'nion  picketi,  as  u-uaI.  siouil  up  in  their  pits  la  get  Iheir  blankets,  elc.  in  readi- 
iiesa  for  marching,  whcreujun  «ome  of  Davis'i  men  6red  upon  them,  killing  and 


six,  eight  or  even  ten  men  under  it  of  the  ist  Michigan,  20th 
Maine,  i8th  and  22d  Massachusetts  engaged  in  some  game  of 
chance. 

While  this  understanding  was  pending.  Sergeant  Daniel  B. 
Cobb,  of  "  H,"  occupied  one  of  the  picket  rifle  pits.  The  men 
occupying  the  pit  on  the  right  kindled  a  fire  to  cook  coffee.  The 
fire  caught  the  dry  grass,  and,  as  it  was  spreading  rapidly  in  his 
direction,  Cobb  rose  to  extinguish  it,  and  while  stamping  it 
out  a  single,  well- 
directed  shot  from 
the  enemy  shattered 
one  of  the  bones  of 
his  right  forearm. 
The  wound  subse- 
quently required  an 
operation,  removing 
the  entire  bone  from 
the  elbow  to  the 
wrist.  The  man  who 
fired  the  shot  did  so 
of  his  own  motion 
and  was  severely 
censured  for  his  con- 
d  uct.  The  next  day 
a  man  was  seen  pa- 
rading the  earth- 
works with  a  log  of 
wood  across  his  shoulders.  As  identifying  him  as  the  delin- 
quent and  indicative  of  the  condemnation  of  his  actions,  his 

wounding  some.  This  provoked  a  letum  lire  upon  Davis's  fronl.  At  that  time 
Lumpkin  was  walking  u|k>ii  the  lop  of  the  breastwork,  and,  being  cautioned  by 
some  of  his  frien<l!>  ag.iinst  thus  ex]iosinf;  himself,  after  the  firing  was  provoked,  re- 
plied with  an  oath  that  the  d  — d  Yankee  bullet  that  wa.s  to  liil  him  had  not  been 
moulded  yet.  The  words  had  scarcely  left  his  lips  when  a  bullet  crashed  through 
his  hip,  and  he  fell  heavily  into  the  works.  That  night  hU  leg  was  amputated  at 
the  hip-joint,  and  next  <l.ny  he  had  joined  the  countless  throng  gone  before. 
"  Yours  respectfully, 

"  D.  Lanc,  Aajulanl-Gtntrai." 


SERGEANT  DANIEL  G.  COHG. 


—  4S7  — 

companions  loudly  extended  an  invitation  to  shoot  him.  No 
one  seemed  disposed  to  accept  it,  Vengeance  slumbered  in  llie 
satisfaction  of  the  execration  visited  on  the  creature  by  his  own 
associates. 

Not  so  with  the  plh  Corps's  front.  Where  the  picket  posts 
of  the  sth  Corps  stopped  and  that  corps  began  was  a  point — 
the  enemy  knew  it  well — for  a  resumption  of  hostilities.  No 
terms  or  conditions  would  induce  their  cessation.  Whether 
it  was  a  bitterness  towards  the  division  of  colored  troops — a 
part  of  the  gth  Corps — or  whether  the  lines  were  so  close  tlut 
each  side  feared  treachery  and  a  surprise,  was  never  distinctly 
understood.  It  was  more  than  likely  tlie  danger  of  a  surprt.se, 
as  when  picket  firing  did  cease  during  the  day  it  was  alwa)-s  re- 
sumed there  at  night,  preceded,  as  the  night  approached,  with 
a  warning  from  each  side  that  they  were  about  to  commence 
firing. 

The  harmony  prevailing  in  front  of  the  5th  Corps  was  in 
striking  contrast  On  one  occasion  during  the  night  lai^e  fires 
burst  out  in  many  places  well  to  the  rear  of  our  lines.  They 
were  doubtless  caused  from  the  destruction  of  condemned  sup- 
plies or  stores,  so  wholly  useless  as  not  to  be  worth  removal. 
These  tires  attracted  the  L-nt-my's  attention  and  aroused  his  sus- 
picions. Just  before  day  the  pickets,  with  no  intimation  of 
their  purpose,  opened  with  vigorous  volleys.  Musket  balls 
whistled  overhead,  struck  the  works,  rattled  through  the  tim- 
ber, until  day  had  dawned  sufliciently  to  bring  objects  fully 
into  view.  Then  the  enemy,anxious  to  resume  their  friendly  atti- 
tude, cried  out :  "  Yanks,  don't  fire !  the  hull  thing's  a  mistake." 
The  large  fires  had  created  the  impression  that  our  army  was 
about  to  withdraw,  and  with  a  view  to  hinder  it  as  much  a& 
possible  the  entire  picket  line  had  been  ordered  to  open.  Day- 
light revealed  the  error  into  which  the  Confederates  had  fallen. 
Profuse  expressions  of  regrets  followed  on  their  part  The 
enemy  were  given  to  understand  emphatically  that  the  Unioa 
army  had  come  there  to  stay,  and  cautioned  not  to  be  again 
led  into  such  a  blunder. 


—  488  — 

There  was  no  other  interruption  of  the  amicable  picket  rela- 
tions while  the  division  remained  in  this  position,  except  as 
more  active  operations  on  either  side  at  times  required  it,  and 
then  a  word  of  caution  was  given. 

The  great  breastworks  afforded  tolerable  protection  from  the 
effects  of  active  artillery  practice,  and  the  agreement  between 
the  pickets  had  stopped  the  whirr  of  the  deadly  musket  ball, 
when  a  new  but  not  altogether  unknown  weapon  and  missile 
found  a  place  at  the  front.  The  Army  of  the  Potomac  had  ac- 
quired a  little  practical  acquaintance  with  mortars  and  mortar 
shells  at  rare  intervals  through  the  war.  At  Petersburg  this 
acquaintanceship  grew  to  a  close  and  very  undesirable  intimacy. 
Mortar  shells  move  with  grave  deliberation.  They  rise  slowly, 
curve  gracefully,  descend  easily,  plunge  fatally,  if  any  one  has 
the  temerity  to  remain  exposed  where  they  fall.  Their  slow 
flight,  readily  traceable  by  the  burning  fuse,  and  not  infre- 
quently by  the  sight  of  the  shell  itself,  affords  ample  oppor- 
tunity to  escape  the  consequences  of  the  explosion,  if  there  be 
a  place  to  escape  to.  And  the  only  place  of  assured  safety  is 
the  well  and  securely  constructed  **  bomb-proof"  With  these 
in  abundance,  mortar  practice  loses  much  of  its  terror,  and 
with  both  besiegers  and  besieged  is  sometimes  started  to  while 
away  monotony,  amuse  soldier  visitors,  or  afford  the  entertain- 
ment attending  a  fine  display  of  pyrotechnics. 

loiter  on  in  the  siege,  when  Fort  Sedgwick  had  secured  its 
sobriquet  of  Fort  Hell,  and  Mahone  of  Fort  Damnation,  an 
officer  from  the  left,  where  the  lines  were  not  so  close,  accom- 
panied by  a  few  friends,  rode  over  in  that  direction,  through 
the  covered  ways,  for  a  more  practical  insight  into  siege  opera- 
tions. The  lines  were  closer  at  these  forts  than  at  any  other 
ix)int.  A  little  to  the  right  of  Sedgwick  was  a  cohom  battery 
that  answered  very  well  for  exhibition  purposes  when  such  in- 
quisitive prowlers  happened  around.  It  was  a  dull,  murky 
afternoon  ;  the  batteries  on  both  sides  were  quiet.  No  one  ven- 
tured to  suggest  to  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  cohorns  that  a 
little  practice  would  be  agreeable,  but  he,  observing  that  the 


—  489  — 

strangers  were  in  search  of  what  to  them  he  thought  was 
doubtless  a  novelty,  hazarded  a  shot  or  two.  As  the  mis- 
siles rose  and  cur\'ed  towards  their  destination,  his  men  mounted 
the  parapet  to  watch  with  what  effective  aim  their  shots  had 
been  directed  and  to  give  the  caution  to  "  cover  "  if  the  enemy's 
reply  should  come  as  true  as  sent.  The  response  came  quickly, 
and  all  prepared  to  seek  the  fricndiy  bomb-proofs,  when  the 
watchers  on  the  ramparts  stopped  the  movement  with  the  re- 
mark: "Never  mind;  stay  where  you  are.  There  it  goes, 
right  into  hell."     It  seemed,  so   it  was  stated,  that  such  was 


usually  the  case.  No  matter  what  batteries  in  that  vicinity 
opened,  the  enemy  usually  punished  Sedgwick  for  the  sins  of 
all  the  others. 

The  bomb-proofs  went  up,  or  rather  went  down,  rapidly,  and 
^■reat  subterranean  cities  took  the  place  of  the  canvas-covered 
towns  in  the  trenches. 

They  required  considerable  timber.  There  was  not  much  to 
be  spared  from  the  immediate  vicinity,  and  to  drag  it  by  hand 
from  the  rear  involved  time  and  labor.  The  ilSth  were  on 
terms  of  close  friendship  with  the  men  of  a  battery  od  tbdr 


—  490  — 

right.  Their  horses  were  idle  and  were  kindly  proflTered  to  do 
the  hauling.  The  pine  logs  were  laid  transversely  across  the 
excavation,  chinked  with  leaves  and  boughs,  and  from  twent>'- 
four  to  thirty  inches  of  dirt  was  thrown  on  top  and  closely 
packed.  This  roof  was  impervious  to  all  sorts  of  missiles. 
Some  of  the  bomb-proofs  were  built  to  accommodate  a  dozen 
men  or  more,  and  were  of  dimensions  of  some  fourteen  by  six- 
teen feet. 

The  company  cook-houses  were  constructed  in  a  horseshoe 
shape,  some  three  feet  deep,  with  dirt  thrown  up  towards  the 
front  and  on  the  flanks.  A  covered  way  led  from  the  bomb- 
proofs  to  the  cook-houses,  flanked  with  logs,  and  deep  enough 
for  dodging  if  artillery  disturbed  a  passage  at  the  hours  for 
meals. 

1st  Sergeant  Mayberry  and  Sergeant  Paul,  not  satisfied  with 
such  crowded  accommodations,  and  convinced  that  they  could 
improve  on  the  ordinary  plan  of  construction  for  light  and  air 
at  least,  concluded  to  build  private  quarters  for  themselves. 
Instead  of  resting  the  two  ends  of  the  transverse  logs  directly 
upon  the  earth,  two  logs  were  laid  transversely  at  either  end 
of  the  excavation  and  then  two  other  logs,  long  enough  to  in- 
clude the  entire  length  of  the  pit,  were  laid  longitudinally  on 
these  end  pieces.  The  roof  logs  were  then  laid  on  the  long 
stringers,  and  an  opening  of  from  six  to  eight  inches  wide  thus 
secured,  extending  the  whole  length  of  the  bomb-proof  for  the 
free  entrance  of  light  and  air.  The  structure  was  convenient 
and  cheerful,  but  its  occupancy  proved  decidedly  precarious. 
Mayberry  and  Paul,  resting  on  the  wane  of  a  summer's  after- 
noon, after  a  hard  tour  of  duty,  had  their  repose  most  seriously 
interrupted.  Their  bunk  was  lengthwise  of  the  bomb-proof. 
There  they  both  lay  asleep.  A  twelve-pound  shell  with  lighted 
fuse  entered  one  of  the  openings,  rolled  underneath  the  bunk 
and  exploded.  Many  saw  the  missile  enter  and  heard  the  ex- 
plosion that  followed.  That  Mayberry  and  Paul  should  ever 
appear  again  except  as  mangled  corpses  was  never  for  a  mo- 
ment contemplated.    A  crowd  gathered  at  the  entrance^  ready 


—  49'   — 

with  assistance  when  the  smoke  sliould  clear  away,  when  sud- 
denly they  both  loomed  up,  powder- be  grimed,  but  unharmed 
and  sound.  Their  astonishment  for  a  time  hindered  tJicir  c 
prehension  of  the  situation.  Their  sen.ses  soon  returned,  but 
the  mystery  of  their  safe  deliverance  was  never  solved.  The 
shot  must  have  been  a  shrapnel;  well  nigh  a  half-bucketful  of 
broken  iron  and  musket  balls  was  gathered,  and  the  cracks 
and  breaks  along  the  edges  were  safely  and  securely  closed  for- 
ever after. 

George  W.  Yeager,  of"  1,"  known  by  the  familiar  designa- 
tion of  "  Pud,"  on  one  occasion  had  steak  on  the  spider,  coffee 
in  the  pot,  potatoes  in  the  stewpan.  His  messmates  watched 
with  gleesome  hearts  the  preparation  of  tlie  toothsome  feast 

'"  Pud,'  sure  you  salted  that  steak?" 

■'  Forgot  it,  by  thunder,"  and  "  Pud  "  crawled  to  his  "  dug- 
out" for  a  supply.  It  wasn't  worth  while  to  come  back.  A 
shell  had  burst  in  "  Pud's  "  improvised  kitchen.  Steak,  coffee, 
pot,  fire,  everything  had  disappeared.  "  Pud  "  lost  his  supper 
but  saved  himself. 

Rumors  had  prevailed,  evidently  accredited  as  well  founded 
at  the  head-quarters  of  the  army,  that  a  brigade  on  the  other 
side  only  awaited  a  favorable  oppnj-tunity  to  come  in  entire. 
Instructions  had  been  issued  the  pickets  that  if  a  single  man 
approached  they  were  not  to  fire ;  and  further  instructions  that 
they  were  not  to  fire  if  two  or  three  came  along ;  finally  there 
was  to  be  no  firing  at  any  body  of  men  provided  they  were 
moving  by  a  flank.  An  approach  in  line  of  battle  was  the  only 
sort  of  force  to  be  resisted.  Not  satisfied  but  that  the  whole 
thing  might  be  a  ruse  intended  to  cover  a  surprise,  the  reserves 
were  brought  up  at  night  and  lay  in  rear  of  the  troops  occupy- 
ing the  trenches  until  daylight.  Ultimately  it  was  "developed 
that  the  matter  had  been  well  planned  but  failed  at  the  moment 
when  it  was  ready  for  consummation.  Two  brothers  came  in, 
one  a  little  fellow  who  had  been  pushed  out  as  a  vedette  at 
night  beyond  the  pickets,  and  the  other  a  big,  brawny  chap 
who  was  of  the   reserves.     It  was  the  night  fixed ;  the  big 


—  492  — 

brother,  becoming  a  little  anxious,  had  moved  out  to  the  little 
one,  the  vedette,  to  see  that  ever>'thing  was  right,  and  was  re- 
turning to  perfect  the  movement,  but  becoming  alarmed  rushed 
back  to  him  again  and  the  two  came  in  together.  Their  com- 
ing was  followed  by  loud,  continued  talking,  much  moving 
about  and  the  clanking  of  officers'  swords,  all  distinctly  audible 
to  the  picket  line.  The  plot  had  evidently  miscarried;  the 
officer  had  discovered  it.  The  next  day  the  place  of  the 
brigade  that  had  contemplated  this  desertion  was  supplied  by 
another. 

It  was  essential  that  the  amnesty  proclamation,  issued  about 
this  time,  should  in  some  way  reach  those  invited  to  accept  its 
immunities.  It  was  ordered  that  the  pickets  should  find  means  to 
deliver  it  to  the  enemy.  They  knew  if  they  made  their  mission 
known  the  enemy  would  refuse  to  receive  the  paper,  and  they 
seemed  indisposed  to  resort  to  a  subterfuge  to  effect  its  delivery. 
But  it  was  ordered  to  be  done,  and  no  matter  how  distasteful, 
the  order  must  be  obeyed.  Captain  Walters,  in  command  of  the 
detail,  feeling  that  if  he  intrusted  to  his  men  the  execution  of 
his  instructions  they  would  either  be  attended  to  slovenly  or 
avoided  entirely,  resolved  to  look  after  the  matter  himself.  He 
threw  off  his  uniform  and  robed  himself  in  the  garb  of  an  en- 
listed man.  Then  having  intimated  by  some  cabalistic  sign  the 
soldiers  had  between  themselves  that  he  was  desirous  of  effect- 
ing an  exchange  of  newspapers,  he  loaded  himself  with  an  arm- 
ful of  daily  journals  containing  the  proclamation  and  started  for 
the  enemy's  lines.  For  all  these  he  received  only  a  single  copy 
of  the  Richmond  Despatch  in  exchange.  Walters  did  not  stop 
to  parley,  nor  complain  of  the  inadequacy  of  the  consideration ; 
he  felt  convinced  that  if  the  character  of  the  matter  he  had 
foisted  off  was  detected  it  was  doubtful  whether  he  would  be 
permitted  to  return  at  all.  Hence  without  ceremony  he  has- 
tened away.  He  had  scarcely  resumed  his  proper  garb  when 
a  volume  of  bitter  denunciation  greeted  his  ears.  The  reason 
for  his  liberality  had  suddenly  appeared. 


—  493  — 


All  Irish  soldier  learned  that  his  son  was  in  a  rebel  regiment 
in  front  of  him,  and  sent  word  to  have  him  mcft  him  on  the 
piclsct-line.  While  the  conference  was  in  progress  the  rebs 
yelled  over:  "Say,  Yank!  it's  a  doggoncd  shame  that  you 
and  your  son  should  be  fighting  each  other.  You'd  ought  to 
;ome  over  on  our  side." 

■■  No,"  said  the  level-headed  Irishman, "  he'd  ought  to  be 
wid  nie  " 

That  night  the  son  deserted  to  our  lines. 

The  every-day  acquaintance  with  danger  resulted  frequently 
in  unnecessary,  careless  exposure.  It  was  generally  pretty  ac- 
tive practice  that  would  drive  men  to  the  bomb-proofs.  Occa- 
sional discharges  were  often  regarded  as  harmless  inventions  to 
annoy.  Corporal  Robert  Trenwith,  of  "  B."  had  risen  in  a 
particularly  cheerful  mood,  and  as  it  was  tlic  day  for  an  issue 
of  rations,  conceived  it  to  be  the  first  of  his  morning  duties  to 
look  for  the  company  quartermaster  sergeant.  He  found  him 
a  short  distance  to  the  rear  ready  with  supplies.  No  one  was 
ahead  and  Trenwith  seated  himself  on  tlie  bank,  opened  his 
haversack  and  talked  gayly  and  whistled  while  the  (Quartermas- 
ter doled  out  his  allowances.  A  few  mortar  shells  had  been 
falling  about  innocently  without  attracting  serious  attention. 
when  one  appeared  directly  over  the  heads  of  the  quartermas- 
ter and  Trenwith.  It  was  too  late  to  avoid  it ;  one  or  both 
must  go.  The  quartermaster  escaped.  The  shell  struck 
Trenwith  on  the  right  shoulder,  tore  off"  his  entire  right  side 
and  then,  exploding,  reduced  the  rest  of  his  body  to  a  shapeless 
mass  beyond  the  form  or  appearance  of  a  human  being.  The 
fragments  were  carefully  gathered  in  a  gum  blanket  and  de- 
cently interred  within  the  entrenchments.  Corporal  Trenwith 
was  an  excellent  soldier.  By  his  cheerful  disposition  and  at- 
tractive ways  he  had  drawn  around  him  many  friends. 

With  constant  practice  the  artillery  on  both  sides  had  se- 
cured quite  accurate  range.  The  embrasures  of  the  fortifica- 
tinns  wcrca  favorite  mark.  Construction  parties  from  the  Il8th 
contributed  materially  to  the  erection  of  Fort  Sedgwick  or 


—  494  — 

Fort  Hell.  After  the  embrasures  had  been  constructed,  while 
the  work  on  the  interior  was  still  in  progress,  a  watch  was  al- 
ways kept  through  them  to  warn  the  working  parties  to  look 
for  cover  at  the  discharge  of  every  gun  aimed  in  their  direc- 
tion. Sometimes  the  watchers,  disposed  to  trifle,  would  pur- 
posely communicate  a  false  alarm.  Men  engaged  in  such  labor 
are  in  no  mood  for  twitting.  They  are  anxious  to  be  through 
with  it  and  get  away.  Such  a  joke  once  or  twice  repeated 
would  secure  the  perpetrators  a  merited  rebuke  administered 
in  very  caustic  language.  When  there  was  no  firing  the  enemy 
would  stand  watching  the  work  with  apparently  as  much  in- 
terest as  if  it  was  their  own,  looking,  as  the  men  styled  it,  as 
if  they  were  "  bossing  the  job." 

On  the  morning  of  the  30th,  at  twenty  minutes  of  four 
o'clock,  the  Burnside  mine,  the  work  of  a  month's  incessant 
toil,  was  successfully  exploded.  Conceived  by  a  talented  Penn- 
sylvania engineer,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Pleasants,  of  the  48th 
Pennsylvania,  carried  to  successful  consummation  by  his  skill 
and  untiring  energy,  its  explosion  opened  the  way  to  Peters- 
burg. But 'the  way  was  closed  by  a  delayed  and  mismanaged 
assault,  for  which  inadequate  preparations  had  been  made,  and 
by  the  personal  cowardice  of  two  general  officers,  whose  faith- 
ful soldiers  were  left  to  flounder  in  the  jaws  of  death  without 
direction  or  guidance.  General  Walker,  in  his  "  History  of  the 
Second  Army  Corps,"  page  568,  thus  feelingly  and  eloquently 
refers  to  an  instance  so  exceptional :  "  Never  before  or  after  in 
the  history  of  the  Potomac  Army  was  such  an  exhibition  made 
of  official  incapacity  and  personal  cowardice.  Speaking  gener- 
ally, our  officers  of  rank  were  only  too  ready  to  expose  them- 
selves to  danger,  and  the  lists  of  killed  and  wounded  testify 
how  faithfully  they  discharged  the  trust  committed  to  them. 
But  at  the  mine  two  division  commanders  were  hiding  in 
bomb-proofs,  while  their  troops  wandered  aimlessly  from  lack 
of  direction  or  halted  in  front  of  obstacles  which  a  single 
manly  effort  would  have  overcome." 

The  explosion  opened  a  crater  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 


-  495  — 


long,  sixty  wide  and  twentj-five  deep,  overwnelmed  the  battery 
in  Elliott's  salient,  tlie  wliole  of  the  i8th  and  part  of  the  23d 
South  Carolina  InTantry,  and  spread  such  confusion  and  con- 
sternation, that  for  some  distance  on  each  side  of  it,  the  enemy's 
entrenchments  were  temporarily  abandoned.  It  was  half  an 
hour  after  the  mine  exploded  before  the  enemy's  musketry  be- 
came at  all  effective,  and  altliough  our  troops,  five  minutes  after 
the  explosion,  had  filed  into  the  crater,  they  had  not  yet  ef- 
fected such  a  lodgement  as  would  ensure  a  permanent  holding. 
There  was  some  sharp  and  gallant  contests,  but  ultimately  a 
most  disastrous  failure  followed.  At  half-past  twelve  o'clock, 
after  a  loss  of  upwards  of  four  thousand  men.  the  assaulting 
colunins  were  ordered  to  withdraw  from  the  crater,  where  they 
had  crowded  to  excess,  to  their  places  in  the  entrenchments. 

The  affair  was  peculiarly  the  9th  Corps's.  With  any  indica- 
tion of  a  permanent  advantage,  the  sth  was  designed  to  play  a 
prominent  part.  Ayres's  division  and  Cutler's  brigade  were 
massed  to  support  Burnside,  and  GrifHn's  division,  temporarily 
under  tlie  command  of  Dartlctt,  General  Griffin  being  absent 
on  sick-leave,  held  the  whole  front  of  the  corps's  entrench- 
ments. General  Uarttctt  was  ordered  to  keep  up  a  severe  and 
continuous  musketry  fire,  which  he  did,  and  was  directed  to  ad- 
vance at  any  intimation  of  break  in  the  enemy's  tines.  This 
he  did  not  do,  as  there  was  no  break  to  warrant  it.  All  the 
corps's  artillery  was  heavily  engaged  and  did  some  serious 
execution. 

Sergeant  Nugent  says  that  after  the  victims  in  the  crater  had 
been  mercilessly  punished  for  some  hours,  the  men  of  the 
regiment,  convinced  that  the  enemy  must  get  it  back,  but  satis- 
fied they  would  not  attempt  it  until  nightfall,  being  weary  from 
a  rise  long  before  day,  concluded  to  go  to  sleep.  Precedent 
ju.stificd  this  conviction.  Assaults  were  almost  invariably  made 
with  the  break  of  day  or  coming  of  darkness.  Such  was  not 
the  sergeant's  belief  in  this  instance,  and  so  expressing  him- 
self, he  seated  himself  on  the  earthworks  to  await  develop- 
ments while  tlie  rest  slept.     About  noon  what   he  believed 


—  496  — 

would  follow  was  realized.  In  rear  of  the  crater  was  the  crest, 
without  which  the  crater  was  untenable.  A  long  line  ap- 
peared rising  the  crest  and  moving  obliquely  over  it  toward  the 
crater.  The  guns  all  trained  on  this  point  did  not  open  im- 
mediately, and  the  sergeant  rushed  for  the  nearest  battery. 
There,  too,  he  found  the  gunners  asleep.  He  aroused  them. 
There  was  nothing  to  do  but  pull  the  lanyards.  Mighty  dis- 
charges followed.  The  shots  struck  in  front;  some  took  ef- 
fect, but  the  ranks  were  either  closed  up  or  the  men  bowed 
easily  and  let  them  pass  over.  It  was  of  no  avail ;  the  line 
moved  on  and  the  crater  fell  after  they  were  repulsed  twice. 

The  killed  from  this  terrible  slaughter  lay  in  full  view  for 
several  days.  The  heat  was  intense,  bodies  decomposed  rapidly 
and  when  the  wind  came  from  that  direction  the  stench  was 
intolerable. 

The  colored  troops  had  been  paid  off  just  before  the  mine 
explosion,  and  the  enemy  reaped  a  goodly  harvest  of  green- 
backs from  the  killed,  wounded  and  prisoners.  For  some  time 
afterwards,  the  enemy  would  stand  upon  the  breastworks  at 
the  conclusion  of  the  frequent  artillery  duels,  and  derisively 
cry  loud  enough  to  be  heard  distinctly :  "  Did  that  send 
any  more  niggers  to  the  devil  ?  "  "  When  will  the  niggers  be 
paid  off  again  ?  "  *'  Send  them  in  on  anotlier  charge  when  they 
get  their  money."  Such  and  other  kindred  expressions  of  con- 
tempt for  the  colored  troops  continued  until  the  mine  aflair  had 
been  absorbed  in  other  momentous  occurrences  of  a  later  date. 

General  Hancock  had  been  sent  to  the  north  side  of  the 
James  as  a  diversion  in  favor  of  the  operations  attending  the 
mine  explosion.  He  succeeded  in  drawing  four  of  the  enemy's 
divisions  after  him,  but  the  prompt  concentration  of  those  left 
effected  the  speedy  recovery  of  the  ground  lost  at  the  crater. 

On  the  9th  of  July  the  6th  Corps  was  sent  to  overcome 
Early's  Washington  demonstration.  Subsequently  it  gathered 
laurels  for  itself  in  Sheridan's  splendid  campaign  in  the  Valley 
of  Virginia,  and  did  not  rejoin  the  Potomac  Army  until  about 
the  Christmas  times. 


& 


—  497  — 

As  the  asperities  following  the  mine  disaster  aubsided  the 
picket  familiarities  were  lesumed.  A  small  ravine  covered 
with  bushes  was  shielded  from  the  observation  of  officers  and 
opportunities  were  stolen  for  interviews.  The  troops  opposite 
were  from  North  Carolina  and  Florida.  Some  were  boastful 
and  conlideiit;  others  dejected  and  despondent.  The  few  de- 
sponding ones,  had  they  been  relieved  from  the  presence  of  their 
more  confident  associates,  might  have  been  persuaded  to  come 
in.  Lumpkins.  the  Floridian,  had,  in  his  previous  interview, 
displayed  a  roll  of  some  two  hundred  dollars  in  greenbacks 
which  he  said  he  had  taken  from  tlic  dead  in  the  Wilderness. 
He  professed  to  be  a  property -owner  to  the  extent  of  seventy- 
five  thousand  dollars.  This  he  was  determined  to  defend.  He 
was  bitter  in  his  denunciations,  and  rudely  resented  the  intima- 
tion that  his  possessions  would  be  assured  him  if  he  renounced 
his  adherence  to  rebellion. 

A  rumor  prevailed  that  the  enemy  were  mining  under  Fort 
Sedgwick.  A  counter-mine  was  sprung  but  failed  to  detect 
anything.  It  seemed  to  be  generally  accredited  that  mines  had 
actually  been  begun,  but  the  attempt  wa.i  foiled  by  reason  of 
quicksands. 

Robert  Parks,  of  "  I,"  a  Scotchman,  could  imitate  the  sound 
of  .i  ball  to  perfection.  He  was  one  of  a  group  standing  be- 
hind the  entrenchments  when  an  officer  who  had  always  per- 
sistently condemned  dodging  passed.  The  temptation  was 
irresistible  and  Parks  plied  his  imitations  so  rapidly  that  ap- 
parently the  whole  line  had  opened.  The  effect  on  the  officer 
was  instantaneous ;  dodging  handsomely,  he  sought  cover 
promptly,  much  to  the  amusement  of  Parks  and  his  com- 
panions. 

The  summer  had  been  oppressively  hot  and  the  drought  ex- 
cessive. No  rain  fell  from  the  3d  of  June  to  the  19th  of  July, 
a  period  of  forty-seven  days.  Nor  did  any  improvement  follow 
the  August  rains;  the  high  temperature  continued,  and  the 
atmosphere  became  damp  and  humid. 

On  the  nights  of  the  14th  and  15th  of  August  the  5th  Corps 
3= 


—  498  — 

was  relieved  from  its  entrenchments  by  the  9th  and  held  ready 
to  move.  The  purpose  this  time  was  to  take  and  hold  the 
Weldon  Railroad.  The  weather  was  excessively  hot  and  close. 
An  oppressive,  warm  rain  fell  and  roads  and  fields  were  almost 
impassable  with  wheels.  On  the  morning  of  the  1 8th  Griffin's 
division  struck  camp  near  the  Cheves  House,  in  the  vicinity  of 
Fort  Davis,  a  little  before  four  o'clock,  and  marched  about  five 
miles.  General  Griffin  had  resumed  command.  The  division 
led  the  corps  and  reached  Dr.  Gurley's  about  seven  o'clock. 
There  Dearing*s  brigade  of  the  enemy's  cavalry  was  encoun- 
tered, and  a  line  was  formed  of  the  ist  and  3d  Brigades  with  a 
strong  skirmish  line  in  front.  Dearing*s  brigade  was  disposed 
of  by  the  pickets  of  the  3d  New  York  Cavalry  and  several  men 
were  captured.  The  division  then  pushed  on  across  the  rail- 
road at  the  Yellow  or  Globe  Tavern  without  opposition,  where 
it  arrived  about  nine  o'clock.  From  the  Jerusalem  Plank  Road 
to  the  Tavern  is  about  three  miles. 

The  country  in  the  vicinity  of  Dr.  Gurley's  was  heavily  tim- 
bered ;  from  there  to  the  railroad  was  more  or  less  open.  The 
railroad  runs  north  and  south.  The  march  had  deflected  well 
to  the  southward  to  conceal  it  from  the  enemy.  To  the  north- 
ward of  the  line  of  march  dense  timber  covered  almost  the  en- 
tire distance  from  the  Jerusalem  Plank  Road  to  the  railway. 
Numerous  cartways  and  paths  well  known  to  the  enemy  crossed 
it  in  all  directions.  The  Halifax  Road  runs  parallel  with  the 
railroad.  Beyond  it,  to  the  westward,  about  a  mile,  is  the 
Vaughan  Road.  This  road  enters  the  Halifax  Road  to  the 
north  towards  Petersburg,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the 
Globe  Tavern.  Between  the  Vaughan  and  the  Halifax  Roads 
timber  and  cultivated  lands  alternate  each  other.  Some  of  the 
open  spaces  towards  the  Vaughan  Road,  subsequently  occupied 
by  the  enemy,  were  rising  ground,  well  adapted  for  the  location 
of  batteries.  The  lines  held  by  our  forces  were  equally  well 
suited  for  artillcr}^  the  timber  at  the  same  time  concealing  the 
guns. 

General  Griffin's  division  was  disposed  of  immediately  to 


cover  the  position  to  the  south  and  west    A  strongf  picket  line 
was  thrown  out  some  fifteen  hundred  yards  to  the  front  towards 


\'.iiL;,'liaii  Roatl,  mid  measures  were  nt  once  taken  bybuild- 

t  illi.-|)it-;  ami  sla^liin^  tn  strcn;;tht:n  tin;  |>osition  of  the  main 

During  the  various  movements  and  heavy  contests  of 


—  soo- 
the three  following  days  the  division  did  not  change  its  pK>sition 
materially,  except  that  about  five  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of 
the  19th  the  ist  and  3d  Brigades  were  moved  to  the  right  and 
north  to  the  line  occupied  by  the  other  divisions  of  the  corps. 
The  3d  Brigade  was  absent  but  a  short  time,  when  it  returned 
to  its  position  without  being  engaged.  The  187th  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers  had  a  very  sharp  engagement,  the  rest  of  the  ist 
Brigade  remaining,  meanwhile,  in  the  second  line  of  works. 
The  whole  of  the  1st  Brigade  returned  to  its  position  the  next 
morning. 

General  Ayres,  advancing  to  the  north  along  the  railway, 
had  reached  within  a  half  mile  of  the  intersection  of  the 
Vaughan  Road.  Bearing  had  been  prompt  to  communicate 
the  appearance  of  a  heavy  force  to  seize  the  railroad,  and  Gen- 
eral Heth,  with  Davis's  and  Walker's  brigades,  was  pushed  to 
his  support.  The  enemy  showing  a  firm  determination  to  con- 
test Ayres's  further  advance,  General  Crawford  was  sent  to  his 
right  to  prevent  his  being  outflanked.  Moving  out  the  Vaughan 
Road  about  two  o'clock  Heth  made  a  sudden  attack  upon 
Ayres's  left.  To  prevent  being  outflanked  Ayres  drew  back» 
then  advancing  drove  the  enemy  from  the  ground.  This 
ended  the  fighting  for  the  day.  General  Crawford,  all  the  way 
through  dense  woods,  continued  to  move  forward  his  right  until 
dark. 

The  enemy's  artillery  reached  Griffin's  line,  enfilading  it  An 
enlisted  man  of  the  regiment,  beside  Captain  Wilson,  stepped 
aside  to  avoid  a  mud-hole;  the  captain  took  the  mud;  a  solid 
shot  struck  the  soldier  and  killed  him.  Wilson  was  un- 
harmed. 

The  corps  line  was  bent  at  something  of  an  angle.  Griffin 
feced  west ;  Ayres  and  Crawford,  with  their  fronts  extending 
eastward  towards  the  left  of  the  main  line  of  the  besieging 
works  at  the  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  faced  north.  There  was 
yet  a  gap  between  Crawford's  right  and  the  pickets  in  that 
vicinity,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  19th  General  Bragg  of 
Cutler's  division  was  ordered  to  establish  a  picket  line  to  con- 


—  501  — 

ncct  with  the  pickets  of  the  9th  Corps.  The  work  was  prob- 
ably defectively  performed ;  "but  at  best,"  General  Humphreys 
says,  "would  have  constituted  a  very  imperfect  guard  against 
an  active  enemy  acquainted  in  detail  with  the  woods,  which 
at  the  distance  of  twenty  paces  screened  everything  from 
sight." 

At  half-past  four  o'clock  General  Mahonc.  with  Weisiger's, 
Colquit's,  and  Clingman's  brigades,  moving  in  column  of  fours 
left  in  front,  broke  through  the  picket  line  and  facing  to  the  left 
swept  rapidiy  down  Crawford's  line.  His  and  the  right  of  Gen- 
eral Ayres's  line  were  compelled  to  fell  back,  the  skirmish  line 
doing  so  in  great  confusion,  masking  the  front  of  the  line  of 
battle.  At  the  same  time  Hcth,  with  Davis's  and  Walker's  brig- 
ades, attacked  Ayres's  left.  The  repeated  attempts  to  drive  it 
back  failed.  Two  regiments  of  the  Pennsylvania  Veteran  Re- 
serve out  on  the  skirmish  line  were  nearly  all  captured.  Gen- 
eral Hayes,  whom  the  118th  had  so  well  known  as  Colonel 
of  the  1 8th  Massachusetts,  and  whose  high  soldierly  character 
had  always  elicited  their  :idmiration,  was  taken  prisoner.  He 
had  received  deserved  promotion,  and  at  the  time  commanded 
the  1st  Brigade  of  Ayres's  division. 

General  Ayres's  and  Crawford's  line  were  reformed,  and, 
with  General  Wilcox's  division  of  the  9th  Corps,  which  had  in 
the  meantime  come  up,  advanced,  drove  Mahone  back  in  great 
confusion  to  his  entrenchments,  recovered  the  ground  taken 
and  captured  some  prisoners.  Heth's  two  brigades  remained 
confronting  Ayres's  left. 

General  GrifRn's  division,  under  a  flank  fire  from  the  enemy's 
artillery,  was  not  engaged,  except  the  187th  Pennsylvania  of 
its  1st  Brigade,  which,  as  before  mentioned,  was  sent  to  the 
point  of  attack. 

General  Warren  in  his  official  report  of  this  engagement 
says :  "  An  instance  of  brutality  occurred  on  the  part  of  a  rebel 
officer  which  deserves  execration.  Finding  he  was  too  closely 
pressed  to  carry  off"  Captain  Newbeny,  1 2th  United  States  In- 
fantr)-,  a  prisoner,  he  deliberately  put  a  pistol  to  his  breast  and 
shot  him.     This  is  the  testimony  of  the  dying  man  himselC" 


—  502  — 

But  the  enemy  were  still  inclined  to  be  persistent  The  oc- 
cupation of  the  Weldon  Railroad,  if  permitted  to  continue, 
would  it  was  felt  be  soon  extended  farther  and  would  of  itself 
cause  great  embarrassment.  This  was  true,  for  afterwards  the 
enemy's  nearest  available  railway  station  was  Stony  Creek, 
some  fifteen  miles  south  of  Petersburg.  From  there  a  wagon 
haul  was  necessary  by  Dinwiddie  Court-House  and  the  Boyd- 
ton  Plank  Road  of  some  thirty  miles  for  all  the  supplies  that 
before  had  reached  Petersburg  by  this  all-rail  route.  The  Con- 
federates could  not  afford  to  give  it  up  until  blow  after  blow 
had  been  struck  for  its  recovery.  Expecting  another  attack. 
General  Warren  drew  in  his  northern  and  northwestern  lines  to 
better  adjust  them  for  artillery  defence,  thus  strengthening  his 
infantry  reserve. 

He  did  not  wait  long.  The  20th  passed  in  quiet.  On  the 
morning  of  the  21st  of  August,  about  ten  o'clock,  the  woods  to 
the  north  and  west  showed  evidence  of  life.  Lines  of  gray 
three  and  four  deep  emerged  from  them,  and  with  flaunting 
battle-flags  bore  down  on  the  pickets.  Batteries  were  run 
out  on  commanding  eminences  and  thundered  away  effectively 
with  an  oblique  fire.  The  pickets  that  were  not  captured  fell 
back  slowly,  fighting.  The  attack  fell  heavily  upon  the  Mary- 
land brigade.  Colonel  Dushane,  its  commanding  officer,  a 
gallant  soldier,  was  killed.  General  J.  William  Hoffman,  the 
distinguished  Philadclphian.  who  bore  high  battle  honors  for 
his  city  so  honorably  throughout  the  war,  with  his  brigade  of 
the  4th  Division  resisted  the  severe  assault  on  his  front  man- 
fully and  successfully. 

The  Confederates  came  up  through  the  standing  com  in  four 
lines  of  battle.  The  Maryland  brigade  laid  down  so  that  they 
could  not  be  seen,  and  when  the  Confederates  were  within  fifty 
yards  they  rose  up  and  delivered  a  withering  fire.  Six  times 
the  flag  of  the  first  line  of  Confederates  fell,  and  six  times  a 
color  corporal  picked  it  up  and  was  killed.  After  that  it  laid 
on  the  ground  until  it  was  captured.  The  corn-stalks  were  cut 
off  by  the  bullets  as  if  witli  a  knife. 


These  assaults  were  renewed  but  without  effect    Hagood*s 
brigade  of  South  Carolinians,  caught  in  a  position  where  our 


troops  were  in  echelon,  were  almost  surrounded,  threw  down 
thtir  arms  and  it  was  thought  surrendered,  when  the  firing 
ceased.      Parties  moving  out  to  complete  the  capture  were. 


—  504  — 

however,  fired  upon.  In  the  confusion  our  men  could  not 
turn  the  fire  and  many  of  Hagood's  men  escaped.  Captain 
Daly,  the  provost-marshal  of  the  4th  Division,  was  shot — Gen- 
eral  Warren  says,  by  Hagood  himself.  It  was  a  dastardly- 
piece  of  work.  Daly,  as  his  official  duties  required,  had  rid- 
den out  to  gather  in  the  prisoners,  believed  to  have  sur- 
rendered, when  a  general  officer,  mounted  upon  a  white  horse, 
deliberately  shot  him.  This  act  was  plainly  seen  from  several 
directions  on  the  line  and  by  our  whole  regiment.  Instantly 
the  men  rose,  levelled  their  pieces,  fired,  and  both  horse  and 
rider  fell.  Every  musket  was  discharged  with  fixed  resolve ; 
every  aim  was  cool.  General  Sanders  was  the  only  Confederate 
general  officer  reported  killed  on  this  occasion.  If  it  was  a 
general  officer  who  killed  Daly,  it  must  have  been  he  and  not 
Hagood.*  Many  battle-flags  were  taken.  Private  F.  C.  An- 
derson, Company  A,  of  the  i8th  Massachusetts,  captured  the 
colors  of  the  27th  South  Carolina,  bringing  in  the  color 
sergeant  also. 

The  prisoners  said  that  their  men  had  been  ui^ed  to  the  as- 
sault by  persuasive  appeal,  assured  that  the  force  holding  the 
railroad  was  light  and  that  at  every  cost  its  possession  must  be 

♦  "  The  News  and  Courier,"  Charleston,  South  Carolina. 

November  14,  1887. 
Mr.  J.  L.  Smith,  Philadelphia, 

Dear  Sir  : — Some  little  difficulty  in  obtaining  the  information  jron  asked  for 
has  prevented  me  from  replying  to  your  note  at  an  earlier  date.  I  was  not  oa 
General  Hagood's  staff,  but  have  seen  him  on  the  subject  of  your  inquiry. 

General  Hagood  says  that  the  fight  in  question  took  place  at  Globetown  and  no 
other  brigade  but  General  Hagood^s  took  part  in  the  fight  Finnigan's  brigade 
had  no  part  whatever  in  the  fight.  General  Hagood  did  not  ride  a  white  horse. 
When  he  went  into  action  he  rode  a  bay  horse,  and  after  the  personal  encoanter 
with  the  staff  officer,  which  is  mentioned  in  the  letter  (and  whose  name,  I  think, 
was  Daly),  he  took  the  officer's  horse  and  rode  that.  It  was  a  bay  horse  which 
was  secured  by  General  Hagood  in  this  way.  In  a  few  minutes  the  horse  waa 
killed.  General  Hagood  falling  with  it.  This  led  to  the  rumor  that  General  Ha- 
good was  killed. 

I  trust  that  this  information  is  what  you  want,  and  have  the  pleasure  to  remain. 

Yours  very  truly, 

F.  W.  Dawsom. 


recovered.  One  of  them,  a  shoemaker,  had  been  hustled  away 
from  his  work-bench  in  Petersburg  in  the  morning  and  by 
noon  was  a  prisoner  of  war,  He  did  not  seem  to  worry  over 
the  change. 

The  Flowers  House  lay  between  the  Vaughan  and  Halifax 
Roads,  nearest  the  former  (see  map).  The  family  consisted  of 
a  mother  and  son,  pretty  well  grown.  They  were  said  to  have 
once  been  Philadelphians  and  to  have  had  a  strong  bias  towards 
the  Union  cause.  The  boy  had  beer  permitted  to  pass  freely 
to  and  fro  from  Petersburg,  and  had  occasionally  found  his  way 
into  and  made  some  acquaintances  in  our  lines.  The  cellar 
walls  extended  two  or  three  feet  above  the  ground ;  the  rest  of 
the  building  was  frame.  The  fight  of  the  2ist  came  upon  them 
so  suddenly  that,  too  late  to  escape  beyond  range,  mother  and 
son  sought  safety  in  tlie  cellar.  A  Confederate  officer,  their 
guest  at  the  time,  instead  of  hurrying  to  his  command,  look  ad- 
vantage of  the  same  refuge.  The  artillery  played  mercilessly  on 
the  building,  one  shot  passing  through  the  walls  that  stood  above 
the  ground.  The  mother  had  borne  the  rest  of  the  bombardment 
heroically,  but  at  this  shot  she  fell  to  weeping.  The  Confederate 
officer,  in  a  very  unmanly  way,  chided  her  tears  and  taxed  her 
with  htT  weakness.  The  boy  pertinently  spoke  up  .ind  bade  the 
officer  remember  that  if  he  had  been  where  his  duty  demanded 
he  would  have  had  no  opportunity  to  observe  his  mother's  tears. 
The  cut  silenced  the  Is^gard,  and  the  mother,  nerved  by  her 
son's  manly  speech,  soon  recovered.  All  three  passed  safely 
through  the  fight.  The  house,  though  considerably  battered, 
was  fit  for  occupancy,  and  was  afterwards  quite  a  resort 

The  following  detailed  account  of  the  engagement  on  the 
2lst  is  forwarded  by  that  gallant  soldier,  Major  G.  C.  Hopper, 
of  the  1st  Michigan: 

"  On  our  first  occupancy  of  the  Weldon  Railroad  I  was  divi- 
sion officer  of  the  picket,  and  on  Saturday,  the  20th  of  August, 
I  received  a  summons  to  report  to  General  Charles  GrifRn,  our 
division  commander. 

"  I  le  said  to  me : '  Major,  we  will  probably  be  attacked  early 


—  So6  — 

to-morrow  morning,  and  nothing  so  discourages  an  enemy  as 
to  find  a  determined  resistance  on  the  picket  line.  Your  posi- 
tion is  a  long  way  in  front,  and  if  you  give  them  a  good  fight  it 
will  greatly  weaken  them  by  the  time  they  reach  the  breast- 
works.* 

**  At  three  o'clock  the  next  morning  I  was  on  the  extreme 
right,  and  in  company  of  one  of  the  captains  of  a  New  York 
regiment  watched  the  line  until  about  seven  o'clock.  It  was 
quite  foggy  and  the  woods  in  front  of  our  right  were  very  thick, 
and  I  thought  that  would  be  the  point  of  attack.  At  last  the 
fog  cleared  up  and  I  said  to  the  captain  if  they  were  going  to 
attack  us  it  would  have  been  under  cover  of  the  fog,  but  you 
can  keep  a  sharp  look-out,  though  I  think  we  will  not  have  a 
fight  this  morning. 

**  Our  picket  line  extended  diagonally  out  to  the  Vaughan 
Road,  which  we  had  barricaded,  and  at  a  house  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  road  we  kept  a  guard.  At  the  barricade  was  a 
strong  detachment  of  the  iiSth  Pennsylvania  men,  and  in  the 
woods  in  rear  of  the  corn-field  was  a  reserve  of  the  1 6th  Mich- 
igan men  under  Captain  Sutter.  The  men  of  my  own  regi- 
ment were  in  the  picket  pits. 

"  When  I  left  the  New  York  pickets  I  rode  down  the  line  to 
the  1 1 8th  pickets,  and  was  told  by  the  officer  commanding  that 
the  woman  occupying  the  house  was  from  Philadelphia  and 
wanted  to  come  into  our  lines  and  wanted  transportation  for 
her  things.  I  went  in  to  see  her  and  advised  her  to  take  her 
children  and  go  inside  of  our  lines  at  once,  and  send  for  her 
things  afterwards.  While  we  were  talking  a  soldier  came  in 
and  said  they  had  discovered  the  enemy  and  the  captain 
wanted  to  see  me.  I  told  the  woman  in  case  firing  com- 
menced to  take  her  children  and  go  into  the  cellar,  and  has- 
tened outside.  The  captain  said  they  were  relieving  the  cav- 
alry pickets  with  one  of  infantry  and  asked  if  he  was  to  fire.  I 
directed  him  not  to  fire  unless  they  left  their  lines  and  advanced 
towards  us. 

"  Just  then  one  of  the  men  said :  *  There  they  go ! '  and  look- 


—  507  — 

ing  down  the  Vaughan  Road  we  saw  them  in  their  lines  of 
battle,  and  with  heads  depressed  and  backs  bent  making  a  rush 
across  the  road  beyond  the  rise  of  ground  so  as  not  to  be  seen. 
We  at  once  commenced  firing,  and  when  we  did  so  their 
skirmish  line  rose  up  out  of  the  meadows  and  potato  fields 
very  near  to  us,  but  wc  stopped  them  and  held  them  until  their 
lines  of  battle  were  very  near  to  us,  when  I  ordered  my  line  to 
fall  back  to  the  woods  and  form  a  new  line. 

"  Captain  Salter  had  brought  up  his  men  and  we  made  a  stiff 
fight,  and  did  not  move  from  our  line  until  their  lines  of  battle 
were  well  developed  in  our  front.  At  the  woods  we  halted 
and  warmed  them  again,  then  passed  through  the  wood, 
hatted,  faced  about  and  gave  them  another  dose ;  and  when 
they  were  quite  near  I  ordered  the  men  to  join  their  regi- 
ments behind  the  breastworks.  Our  breastworks  were  built 
in  echelon,  and  the  enemy  expected  to  strike  Baxter's  brigade 
on  our  right  on  its  left  flank  and  .'iweep  up  both  sides  of  it.  In 
rear  of  our  brigade  Captain  Martin  had  a  battery  of  four  guns 
looking  directly  into  the  swamp, 

"  I  reported  to  General  Griffin  that  the  enemy's  flank  was 
towards  us  and  that  if  Captain  Martin  half  wheeled  his  battery 
to  the  right  he  would  enfilade  them  after  they  had  passed  the 
point  of  woods.  He  directed  me  to  say  as  much  to  Captain 
Martin  and  to  give  him  the  distance.  The  captain  emptied  his 
guns  of  their  shells  and  loaded  with  canister,  and  when  the 
enemy  advanced  past  the  point  of  woods  the  battery  and  our 
brigade  poured  their  fire  into  them  on  their  flanks,  and  as  Bax- 
ter had  been  firing  on  them  in  front,  they  could  not  stand  the 
pressure  but  broke.  Some  ran  into  the  low  ground  and  held 
up  their  hands  and  the  butts  of  their  guns  in  token  of  surren- 
der, while  some  made  a  rush  backward  and  got  away, 

"  As  soon  as  the  trapped  rebels  ofTered  to  surrender  Captain 
Daly,  of  the  provost-guard,  went  out  to  secure  them,  when 
Colonel  Hagood  shot  him  and  escaped.  I  do  not  know  the 
facts,  but  it  was  said  that  after  Hagood  had  said  he  would  sur- 
render he  drew  a  revolver  and  shot  Captain  Daly,  seized  his 


—  So8  — 

horse  and  rode  away  on  him.  A  good  deal  of  talk  was  had  at 
the  time  about  Hagood*s  treachery,  but  I  think  no  one 
knows  the  exact  truth  of  the  affair. 

"  I  was  delighted  with  the  way  the  pickets  behaved.  As 
usually  when  men  in  battle  are  ordered  to  fall  back  to  a  certain 
point,  in  the  excitement  of  the  fight  or  because  the  order  is  not 
correctly  understood,  they  go  too  far ;  but  in  this  instance  the 
men  of  Pennsylvania  and  Michigan  obeyed  orders  to  the  letter; 
made  the  stubborn  fight  which  the  general  desired  and  which, 
as  I  aften\'ards  learned,  he  commended  very  highly  to  his 
staff." 

General  Warren  recovered  promptly  from  his  temporary  re- 
verses. He  had  managed  the  Weldon  Railroad  fight  with  his 
usual  skill,  secured  almost  incalculable  advantage,  and  rendered 
his  holding  unassailable.  The  enemy  never  recovered  the 
ground  they  lost  on  the  1 8th  of  August,  and  from  not  long 
after  that  until  the  siege  was  over  they  were  forced  to  wagon 
all  the  supplies  the  railroad  had  transported,  for  a  distance  of 
thirty  miles. 

General  Warren's  operations  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Yellow 
Tavern  were  followed  in  a  few  days  by  General  Hancock's  at 
Reams  Station.  This,  although  effecting  a  considerable  de- 
struction of  the  railway,  resulted  disastrously.  The  two  divi- 
sions of  his  corps,  Miles  and  Gibbon,  were  vigorously  attacked 
by  a  superior  force  and  only  managed  to  save  themselves,  after 
a  severe  loss,  with  strenuous  fighting.  Afterwards,  however. 
Stony  Creek  became  the  enemy's  northern  terminus  of  the  Wel- 
don Railroad.  In  December  General  Warren  discovered,  in 
his  movement  to  Hicks  Ford,  they  had  used  the  rails  above 
that  point  to  repair  the  road  below  it. 

Though  the  country  between  the  plank  and  the  railroad  was 
mostly  a  wooded  waste,  along  the  railroad  and  beyond  it  there 
was  a  goodly  sprinkling  of  well-kept  farms.  It  was  the  height 
of  the  season  and  the  forager,  ever  mindful  of  his  opportunities, 
regardless  of  the  imminence  or  even  actual  existence  of  conflict, 
risked  it  as  before.   Smith  made  his  usual  venture.  The  nearest 


—  5IO  — 

house  to  the  Yellow  Tavern,  occupied  by  Mrs.  Lewis,  had  been 
pretty  well  stripped ;  a  patch  of  over  ripe  watermelons,  all  that 
remained,  was  scarcely  worth  the  taking.  Smith  secured  the 
good  will  of  the  only  white  inhabitant  of  the  dwelling,  a  woman, 
who  though  she  bitterly  complained  that  the  Yankees  had  de- 
spoiled her  of  ever>'thing,  yet  was  considerately  willing  to  dis- 
close the  contents  of  her  neighbor's  larder.  "  There,"  said  she, 
pointing  to  a  house  a  little  way  off,  "  you  will  find  a  plentiful 
store  of  grape  jelly,  put  up  by  Mrs.  Perkins  ready  for  market** 
Smith,  not  disposed  to  lose  his  opportunity  for  the  want  of  a 
vessel  to  transport  it,  proposed  to  borrow  a  bucket  This  was 
cheerfully  conceded  and  Smith  was  quickly  off  upon  his  new 
investigation.  He  found  the  house  wholly  deserted — family, 
negroes,  all  had  gone.  The  flight  had  been  a  recent  one ;  all 
doors  were  invitingly  open  and  the  table  was  set  for  dinner. 
Others  had  preceded  Smith,  and  from  the  second  story  window 
bedding,  clothing,  furniture  and  an  eight-day  clock  were  being 
inconsiderately  tossed.  Nor  had  the  grape  jelly  escaped  ob- 
servation. In  a  little  outbuilding  a  soldier  stood  over  a  vessel 
ladling  it  out  freely.  The  large  label :  "  J|0^  This  is  poison! 
Look  out !  '*  did  not  deter  a  lavish  requisition  on  the  toothsome 
article,  and  pots,  kettles,  mugs,  pans,  everything  about  the 
house,  and  Smith's  bucket,  were  filled  to  ovei^owing.  And 
now  an  Irishman,  wild  with  delight  at  such  a  refreshing  haul, 
appeared  upon  the  scene.  He  first  kicked  over  a  bee-hive  and 
was  off  with  a  fine  comb  of  honey,  but  not  without  resistance. 
The  bees,  angered  at  the  intrusion,  made  a  desperate  onslaught 
ever>'where.  The  spoilsmen  ceased  their  spoliation.  The 
avalanche  of  household  goods  from  the  second  story  window 
stopped.  The  loaded  vessels  were  overturned.  There  was  a 
mad  rush  to  escape  the  wicked  sting  of  the  angry  bees.  Smith, 
though,  stood  fast  and  with  an  old  shirt,  gathered  from  the 
wreck  of  wearing  apparel,  fought  them  manfully. 

Then  the  provost-marshal  with  his  guard  came  along  and 
when  they  had  reached  the  gate  the  bees  turned  their  attention 
to  them.     He,  too.  and  his  men  were  vanquished.     But  the 


—  5"  — 

now  owner  of  the  bucket  of  jelly  carried  it  oflf^  not  forgetting 
to  reward  the  lonely  female  with  a  liberal  portion  for  her 
patriotism. 

Infantry  parapets  had  sprung  up  immediately  upon  the  oc- 
cupancy of  the  Weldon  Railroad  position.  They  were  soon 
made  to  connect  strong  redoubts,  which  with  the  parapets 
continued  as  a  permanent  line  until  abandoned  upon  a  further 
advance  to  the  north  and  west. 

The  ranks  of  the  division  had  been  most  seriously  depleted. 
On    the    5lh    of    September    the 
monthly  return  for  August  showed 
that  to  fill  the  regiments   to  their 
maximum  6.422  men  were  required. 

On  the  7th  Captain  Walters  was 
detailed  as  the  division  provost- 
marshal  to  lake  the  place  of  Cap- 
tain Eddy. 

On  the  nth  the  United  States 
Military  Railroad  from  City  Point 
was  completed  to  Yellow  House, 
which  had  now  become  the  univer- 
sally accepted  name  for  the  old 
Globe  Tavern.  The  first  train  wa^^ 
hauled  by  the  engine  "  Lieutenant- 
Gentral  U  S.  Grant."  Its  arrival 
was  greeted  by  shouts  and  cheers  ; 
the  music  of  numerous  bands  increased  the  enthusiasm. 

Horse-racing  again  found  a  place  among  the  amusements. 
A  level  stretch  of  the  Halifax  Road  furnished  the  track,  and  the 
first  race  between  General  Griffin's  gray  mare  and  the  commis- 
sary of  musters*  gray  stallion  resulted  in  the  defeat  of  the  gen- 
eral's animal. 

On  the  23d  the  wires  flashed  news  of  Sheridan's  rout  of 
Karly  at  Fisher's  Hill.  The  intelligence  was  communicated  to 
the  troops  in  the  following  circular.  Its  publication  was  accom- 
panied with  most  unusual  and  demonstrative  excitement 


UIDNT  KNOW  IT  WAS  LOADED. 


—  512  — 

U.  S.  M.  T.,  City  Point. 

Sepiember  23,  1 864. 
To  MAJOR-GENERALS  Meade,  Butler,  and  all  corps  commanders: 
The  following  despatch  is  just  received  from  General  Sheridan. 

U.  S.  Grant,  Lieutenant- General. 

Head  QUARTERS  Middle  Department,  six  miles  from  Woodstock, 

11.30  P.M.,  22,  1864. 
Lieutenant-General  Grant  : 

I  have  the  honor  tu  report  that  I  achieved  a  most  signal  victory  over  the  army 
of  General  Early  at  Fisher's  Hill  today.  I  found  the  rebel  army  posted  with  its 
right  resting  on  the  North  Fork  of  the  Shenandoah  and  extending  across  the 
Strausburg  Valley  to  North  Mountain,  occupying  a  position  which  appeared  almost 
impregnable.  After  a  great  deal  of  manoeuvring  during  the  day  General  Crook's 
command  was  transferred  to  the  extreme  right  on  North  Mountain  and  fuiiously 
attacked  the  left  of  the  enemy's  line,  carrj'ing  everything  before  him. 

While  Crook  was  driving  the  enemy  in  the  greatest  confusion  and  sweeping 
down  behind  their  breastworks,  the  6th  and  19th  Corps  attacked  the  rebel  works 
in  front,  and  the  whole  rebel  army  appeared  to  be  broken  up.  They  fled  in  the 
utmost  confusion;  sixteen  pieces  of  artillery  were  captured,  also  a  great  many 
caissons,  artillery  horses,  etc.,  etc.  I  am  to-night  pushing  on  down  the  valley.  I 
cannot  say  how  many  prisoners  I  have  captured,  nor  do  I  know  either  my  own  or 
the  enemy's  casualties.  Only  darkness  saved  the  whole  of  Early's  army  from  de- 
struction. My  attack  could  not  be  made  until  four  o'clock  in  the  evening,  which 
left  but  little  daylight  tu  operate  in. 

The  1st  and  3d  Cavalry  Divisions  went  down  Luray  Valley  today,  and  if  they 
push  on  vigorously  to  the  main  valley  the  result  of  the  day's  engagement  will  be 
still  more  signal. 

The  victory  was  very  complete,  and  a  more  detailed  report  will  be  made  as 
soon  as  I  can  obtain  the  necessary  details. 

P.  H.  Sheridan,  Major-General, 

The  operations  of  the  loth  and  i8th  Corps  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  James  it  was  anticipated  would  weaken  the  enemy's 
right,  and  on  the  29th  of  September  the  5th  Corps  was  directed 
to  move  beyond  Poplar  Grove  Church  to  secure  the  junction 
of  two  roads  coming  from  the  southwest — the  Poplar  Grove 
Church  and  Squirrel  Level  Roads.  This  junction  at  Peeble's 
Farm  was  defended  by  a  redoubt  known  as  Fort  McRae,  flanked 
by  infantry  parapets  protected  by  abatis. 

If  the  conditions  should  justify  it  an  advance  was  to  be  made 
in  a  northwest  direction  toward  the  Southside  Railroad  and 


—  5>3  — 

Boydton  Plank  Road.  General  Warren,  with  GrifBa'a  and 
Ayres's  divisions,  was  directed  against  the  junction.  General 
Parke  was  to  follow  him  with  Wilcox's  and  Potter's  divisions, 
and  both  were  to  kdvance  to  the  Boydtcm  Plank  Road 

The  movement  was  delayed  until  the  30th.  Oa  that  morn- 
ing, at  seven  o'clock.  Griffin's  division  moved  out  of  its  en- 
trenchments at  the  Yeltow  Tavern,  destined  befbre  -tlie  mn 
should  set  to  accomplish  a  good  day's  work.  " 

Bartlett's  brigade, 
temporarily  under  the 
command  of  Colonel 
Gwyn,  led  the  divi- 
sion. Colonel  Her- 
ring and  M  a  j  o  r 
O'Neill  were  both  ab- 
sent on  sick  leave  and 
the  command  of  the 
regiment  devolved 
upon  Captain  James 
B.  Wilson. 

The  route  led  first 
to  the  left,  then  to  the 
rij^ht.  crossed  an  open 
spacf,  and  beyond 
it  untered  a  thick 
growth  of  woods, 
mostly  scrubby  pine. 
Throu{;h  this  the  way  «ii->ii:^ 

w.is  fi-lt  cautiously,  and  about  two  and  a  half  miles  from  the 
-start in j;-point  the  command  halted.  Here,  under  the  personal 
<lJrt.ction  of  General  Griffin,  skirmishers  were  thrown  out.  Of 
the  detail  was  one  officer  and  twenty  men  from  the  i  i8th. 
Tiny  iiad  nut  <;iine  far  when  they  developed  the  enemy's 
pickets  Ijeliim!  lif;ht  works  thrown  up  along  the  roa<l  in  front 
cif  l'.)|)lar  Grcive  Church.  After  some  sharp  firing  tile  enemy 
fell  back  to  his  main  line.     In  this  skirmish,  j^allantly  pressing 


■.VF.T-MAJOR  JAME.S  B. 


—  514  — 

forward,  Lieutenant  Conahay  was  killed.  General  Griffin  was 
side  him  when  he  fell.  The  regiment  then  advanced  to  the  church. 

The  line,  at  something  of  an  angle  to  the  enemy's  works, 
was  partly  protected  from  the  round  shot  and  shell  by  the  crest 
of  a  hill.  Afler  some  little  delay  the  brigade  was  adjusted  for  a 
forward  movement,  and,  with  a  change  of  front  forward  on  the 
right  company,  the  regiment  was  in  full  view  of  a  four-gun  bat- 
tery and  a  long  line  of  infantry  parapets.  As  the  troops  left 
cover  they  were  greeted  with  a  heavy  fire  of  grape  and  canister 
and  a  furious  discharge  of  musketry.  The  i6th  Michigan  was 
on  the  right  of  the  ii8th.  After  passing  over  six  hundred 
yards  of  open  ground,  level  and  entirely  without  protection,  the 
two  regiments  were  soon  at  the  abatis,  built  of  rails  firmly 
planted  and  connected  by  string  pieces.  A  passage  was  speedily 
cut,  wide  enough  for  eight  men.  Through  it  the  Ii8th  went 
by  fours  by  the  right  flank,  and  the  i6th  Michigan  by  fours 
by  the  left  flank.  Captain  Wilson  led  his  regiment ;  Colonel 
Welch  his.  They  were  within  a  few  feet  of  each  other.  Both 
climbed  the  face  of  the  parapet  together,  when  a  dismounted 
cavalryman  levelled  his  carbine,  fired  and  Welch  fell,  killed 
outright.  Bearing's  cavalry  brigade,  dismounted,  with  infantry 
held  this  portion  of  the  enemy's  line.  As  the  troops  with  great 
enthusiasm  crossed  the  works  the  enemy  fled.  Some  prisoners 
fell  into  our  hands. 

Fort  McRac  had  fallen,  the  20th  Maine  as  usual  again  hav- 
ing an  opportunity  to  lend  its  gallant  aid  to  capture  it.  In  this 
redoubt  were  the  four  guns  seen  when  the  brigade  uncovered 
itself  at  the  church.  Their  fire  had  been  directed  with  special 
severity  against  the  i6th  Michigan  and  the  ilSth.  As  our 
forces  scaled  the  parapet  all  four  guns  were  limbered  up;  three 
eluded  pursuit  and  escaped,  the  fourth  was  captured.  The  20th 
Maine  justly  claim  the  honor  of  the  capture,  but  the  Ii8th  so 
far  contributed  to  it  that  one  of  its  men,  William  Kilpatrick  of 
**  D/'  had  mounted  a  wheel-horse  while  the  struggle  for  the 
piece  was  in  progress. 

The  work  primarily  laid  out  for  GriflSn's  division  had  been 


— 515 — 

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fully  done.  The  junction  of  the  two  roads  was  secure ;  the 
redoubts  and  entrenchments  had  fiillen. 

The  heaviest  compensation  exacted  in  this  encounter  was  the 
life  of  Colonel  Welch,  of  the  i6th  Michigan.  Soldiers  of  his 
calibre  were  rapidly  disappearing.  The  bloody  track  from  the 
Rapidan  was  marked  by  the  graves  of  men  of  ability  and 
promise. 

Colonel  Gwyn's  horse  fell  on  him  as  he  mounted  the  works. 
He  was  for  a  time  severely  disabled ;  his  leg  was  badly  hurt 
and  his  old  wound  broke  out  afresh.  During  the  rest  of  the 
day  the  brigade  was  commanded  by  Major  Spear,  of  the  20th 
Maine. 

Sergeant-Major  Courtney  was  wounded  and  his  place  was  at 
once  supplied  by  the  very  wise  selection  of  Sergeant  Samuel 
Nugent,  of"  K." 

There  were  two  substitutes  of  *'  K  "  whom  Lieutenant  Sees- 
holtz  strongly  suspected  would  disappear  at  the  first  severe 
shock  of  battle.  He  directed  Nugent  and  Stotsenberg  to 
watch  them  closely  and  at  the  first  intimation  of  wavering  to 
run  them  through  with  the  bayonet,  and  he  would  be  respon- 
sible for  the  consequences.  Both  fixed  their  bayonets,  pre- 
pared, if  necessary,  to  execute  their  instructions  faithfully. 
With  the  first  advance  came  a  terrific  discharge  of  grape  and 
canister.  For  the  moment  everything  was  lost  in  smoke  and 
dust.  But  it  cleared  away  no  quicker  than  did  the  doubtful 
substitutes.  They  disappeared  as  it  disappeared,  quietly  and 
silently.  No  one  saw  them  go,  nor  were  they  ever  seen 
again. 

Samuel  M.  Jones,  of  "  K,"  was  seriously  wounded  in  the  face. 
Blood  ran  into  his  mouth,  choking  him,  and  he  about  gave  it 
up.  He  was  literally  choking  to  death.  He  summoned  energy 
sufHcient  to  pull  out  the  clots  and  submitted  to  his  compan- 
ions* eflforts  to  carry  him  out  of  danger.  Two  did  so  and  left 
him  to  the  care  of  the  surgeons,  who  treated  him  so  successfully 
that  he  ultimately  recovered.  Among  the  others  who  were 
wounded  in  the  morning  were  Sergeant  Roberts,  of  "  H/*  who 


exhibited  marked  bravery  during  the  charge,  and  private 
March,  of  ■'  K."  Arthur  Steele,  of  "  G."  was  killed.  The 
color-bearer.  Corporal  William  H,  Wild,*  fell  mortally  wounded 
as  he  planted  the  standard  on  the  entrenchments. 

It  was  not  yet  noon.     The  brigade  went  into  position  some 
two  hundred  yards  beyond  the  captured  works  to  await  the 


summons  to  still  sterner  duties 
yet  in  store  for  it. 

The  main  line  of  the  enemy's 
Petersburg  entrenchments  had 
been  extended  to.  or  nearly  to. 
Hatcher's  Run.  covering  both 
the  Roydton  Plank  Road  and 
Southside  Railroad. 
General  Lee  threw  out  Heth  and  Wilcox's  divisions  from  the 
entrenchments  as  far  as  the  Jones  House.  Potter  had  reached 
within  eight  hundred  yards  of  the  main  line,  advancing  to  meet 
tlit-ic  two  divisions ;  and  they  were  at  the  same  time  advancing 
nn  liini.  He  was  vigorously  attacked,  his  right  outflanked  and 
Ins  division,  as  well  as  one  of  Wilcox's  brigades,  was  driven 
*  I  i>r|Hjiil  Williani  II.  Will],  an  excelleni  luldkr,  very  much  mpecied  b;  hii 
omjianion^  mu  always  cklkd  "  JonaUun  Wild." 


-  5i8- 

back  in  some  confusion.  But  a  new  line  was  soon  established, 
which,  with  Griffin's  line  on  the  right,  put  a  stop  to  the  enemy's 
advance. 

In  this  brief  and  summary  way  does  general  history  dispose 
of  the  operations  of  the  afternoon  of  the  30th  of  September. 
The  affair  was  as  trying  and  spirited  as  any  in  which  the  brig- 
ade had  been  engaged,  and  the  loss  almost  as  heav}''  proportion- 
ately as  any  the  regiment  had  hitherto  suffered. 

Some  misgivings  of  the  reliability  of  the  9th  Corps  had 
found  bold  expression  as  it  was  seen  to  go  forward  Lieu- 
tenant Scesholtz  laid  stout  wager  that  Griffin's  division 
would  soon  be  summoned  to  the  fore.  He  was  continuing  to 
better  and  better  his  stakes,  with  no  takers,  when  rattling 
musketry  and  much  confusion  to  the  left  and  front  and 
the  firm  voice  of  Giptain  Wilson  suddenly  sent  the  regiment 
forward. 

It  was  about  half-past  four  o'clock  when  the  line  advanced. 
The  need  for  fresh  troops  was  so  urgent  that  all  the  movements 
at  this  juncture,  forward  and  by  the  flank,  were  conducted  at 
the  double-quick.  Troops  were  met  retreating  on  the  run. 
The  forward  was  soon  changed  to  the  left  flank,  and  it  had 
scarcely  begun  when  loud  directions  faced  the  column  about 
and  moved  it  by  the  right  flank.  The  advance  that  had  driven 
Potter's  right  was  vigorously  continued.  The  seizure  of  a  crest, 
that  faced  a  wood  through  which  ran  a  roadway  down  which 
the  enemy  moved  with  ease,  alone  averted  the  fate  that  had 
befallen  Potter.  Here  the  line  was  established  just  in  time  to 
hold  the  enemy  to  the  timber.  He  was  somewhat  disorganized 
from  his  pursuit,  but  still  in  condition  to  stand  and  deliver 
wicked  and  destructive  punishment. 

On  the  left  of  the  1 1 8th  was  the  20th  Maine ;  on  the  right 
the  i6th  Michigan.  The  belief  that  some  of  the  9th  Corps 
division  still  lingered  on  the  same  ground  over  which  part 
of  it  had  been  driven,  the  appearance  here  and  there  of  men 
dressed  partly  in  blue,  created  the  erroneous  impression  that 
our  men  were  still  in  front.     In  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  troops 


1 11 


i 


I 


]      I 


1     I  1 


I    =■ 


—  519  — 

were  oeing  fired  upon  with  telling  severity,  the  officers  in  all 
directions  called  loudly  and  earnestly  not  to  fire.  The  men 
knew  better,  and  they  also  knew  that  in  a  moment,  with  such 
punishment  and  no  resistance,  the  line  could  not  be  preserved. 
Despite  the  command,  the  fire  opened  just  in  time  to  save  a 
disastrous  break. 

It  seems  scarcely  credible  but  from  the  crest  to  the  wood  v 
barely  one  hundred  feet.     Yet  for  full  thirty  minutes  our  force 
in  the  open,  wholly  without  cover,  the  enemy  sheltered  by  the 
timber,  withstood  his  terrible  fire  and  eventually  dislodged  him. 

A  shell  burst  in  the  right  of  the  20th  Maine  and  ten  or  a 
dozen  men  dropped.  The  crest  was  so  high  that  the  artillery 
in  the  rear,  to  avoid  the  line  holdi>ig  it,  fired  at  such  an  eleva- 
tion that  their  shot  flew  as  innocently  over  the  enemy  as  they 
did  over  our  own  people.  It  was  a  slifT,  hard,  stand-up  fight. 
There  were  no  supports  in  view.  Exhausted  ammunition  was 
supplied  from  the  dead  and  wounded.  Diminished  by  casual- 
ties the  line  had  shrunk  to  scarcely  more  than  skirmish  pro- 
portions. It  was  becoming  alarmingly  sensitive.  Wavering, 
hesitancy,  doubt  was  keenly  apparent.  Officers  shouted  words 
of  stimulation  and  encouragement.  The  color-bearer  fell; 
Sccsholtz  seized  the  colors  and  bore  them  forward  a  pace  or 
two  when  a  shot  through  the  wrist  disabled  him.  Captain 
Wilson,  who  had  been  anxiously  watching  a  temerity  which 
was  exposing  the  standard  to  the  peril  of  capture,  picked  up 
the  color  himself  and  placed  it  with  Thomas  Crealy,  of"  C,"  a 
trustworthy  man.  bade  him  hold  it  where  it  ought  to  be  and 
not  bear  it  forward  until  directed. 

And  then  amid  it  all  General  Griffin  came  along,  resolute, 
heroic,  impressive,  with  a.ssuring  words  and  comforting  prom- 
ises of  help.  The  wavering  lines  stiffened;  strong  men  were 
strengthened  and  the  weak  made  strong.  From  now  on  it  was 
his  fight,  and  his  presence  in  inspiring  the  men  was  almost 
equal  to  the  promised  support  of  his  batteries. 

Mink,  the  one-arnifd  hero  of  wide  artiller>'  fame,  whom  the 
general  had  instructed  to  push  right  up  to  the  front,  was  ready 


—  520  — 

to  rush  in  with  his  battery.  **  It's  as  bad  as  putting  artillery  on 
the  skirmish  line,"  cried  Mink;  "but  throw  back  your  three  or 
four  left  companies,  sir,"  addressing  the  commanding  officer  of 
the  1 1 8th,  "and  let  me  get  a  section  in  there  and  I  will  clear 
the  woods  for  you."  Back  went  the  companies ;  out  went  the 
guns.  The  commands :  "  Double  shot  with  canister  and  fire 
by  sections,"  were  run  together  with  such  rapidity  that  there 
was  scarce  interval  for  execution.  But  there  was  execution, 
grievous  execution,  too.  At  such  a  range  the  stoutest  soldiers 
could  not  stand  the  punishment,  and  the  promise  to  clear  the 
woods  was  soon  redeemed.  Mink  arrived  with  the  close  of  the 
day.  As  the  daylight  ebbed  the  fight  had  subsided  and  with 
darkness  had  ceased  entirely. 

Captain  Wilson  felt  at  the  close  of  the  engagement  that  he 
must  find  some  way  to  get  forward  a  skirmish  line.  At  one 
spot  the  wood  came  to  a  point  and  then  receded  again.  Here 
stood  a  great  oak  not  sixty  feet  from  our  front.  To  this  point 
the  captain  pushed  out.  He  threw  his  hand  around  the  tree 
and  felt  upon  the  other  side  a  human  form.  He  pulled  it 
around  and  there  stood  a  tall,  gaunt  North  Carolinian,  so  great 
in  statue  that  he  towered  giant-like  above  him.  In  the  rush 
his  troops  had  made  the  North  Carolinian  had  gone  too  far 
forward,  and  when  the  new  engagement  opened  he  felt  his  only 
safety  lay  in  pinning  himself  fast  to  the  tree,  which  he  seemed 
to  have  done  most  effectually.  Wilson  dragged  him  back  to 
the  line  the  very  picture  of  a  well-scared  nian.  He  seemed  to 
think  the  term  Yankee  was  one  of  reproach  and  its  use  would 
insure  him  harsh  treatment.  He  addressed  his  captors  as  "you 
Northerners,"  and  was  particular  to  explain  that  he  had  never 
spoken  of  the  Union  soldiers  by  any  other  name.  This  was 
what  the  captain  secured  beside  a  position  for  his  skirmishers. 

The  1 6th  Michigan  was  a  regiment  of  unusual  strength  for 
this  period  of  the  war.  Its  ranks  had  been  filled  by  assign- 
ments of  men  whose  terms  had  not  expired,  who  belonged 
originally  to  regiments  mustered  out  at  the  end  of  their  three 
years*  service.     A  gun  of  strange  construction  had  been  issued 


—  52'  — 

to  a  portion  of  this  regiment  to  be  tested  in  the  first  engage- 
ment. The  piece  had  two  triggers.  Hach  trigger  exploded  a 
separate  cartridge ;  the  one  farthest  from  the  breech  first,  the 
other  afterwards.  At  least  that  is  what  it  was  intended  to  do. 
As  a  fact,  the  explosion  of  the  first  cartridge  always  ignited  the 
second  and  sometimes  exploded  the  barrel.  Such  was  the  re- 
sult of  the  test  at  Peeble's  Farm,  and  the  men  of  the  i6th 
Michigan  who  had  been  so  unfortunate  as  to  be  allotted  the 
new  guns  were  seen  mov- 
ing along  the  dead  and 
wounded  replacing  them 
with  a  weapon  they  knew 
all  about.  ^^^^  ^M^B 

Amongthclossesother  9Um^  """^  j 

than  those  previously  re- 
ferred to  were  Captain 
Charles  M.  Vou  ng. 
Company  K,  mortally 
wounded ;  Lieutenanth 
John  Scott,  Company  A 
and  Henry  Conner,  Com-  ( 
pany  C.  wounded ;  Ser- 
geant George  W.  Haines, 
of  Company  F,  was  shot 
in  the  head,  and  privates 
Jacob  Swarl2,  Benjamm 

I.     Stevens,     Alexander  captain  charles  m  vouMa 

McCay  and  Thomas  Hart,  of  Company  F,  were  killed. 

The  regiment  had  moved  out  in  the  morning  with  an  aggre- 
gate  of  i6i.  It  returned  at  eleven  o'clock  in  the  evening  to 
the  same  position  it  had  left  with  fifty-six  less,  all  of  whom  had 
been  cither  killed  or  wounded.  With  this  severe  loss,  the  con- 
duct of  officers  and  men  had  been  most  commendable,  and 
Captain  Wilson,  for  his  courageous  and  skilful  management 
throughout  the  whole  affair,  had  won  a  lasting  reputation  for 
filncsh  and  capacity  as  a  commanding  officer.   He  was  brcvetted 


—   522  — 

to  a  majority  for  "  gallant  service  at  Peeble's  Farm."  The  fight 
of  the  morning  became  known  as  Peeble's  Farm  and  that  of 
the  afternoon  as  Pegram's  Farm. 

On  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  October  the  division  returned 
to  the  position  which  it  had  sought  the  day  before  and  b^;an 
the  construction  of  works  laid  out  for  the  permanent  lines. 
These  works  were  maintained  until  the  operations  about  Peters- 
bui^  were  concluded.   Near  this  vicinity  the  line  of  the6th  Coips 


HORNING    BEFORE   THE   CHARGE    AT    POPLAR    GROVE   CHURCH, 


was  afterwards  formed  for  the  final  assault.  And  it  was  here- 
abouts that  Fort  Fisher  and  the  Signal  Tower  were  subsequently 
constructed.  Here  the  regiment  remained,  except  during  the 
few  days  the  corps  was  over  Hatcher's  Run  with  Hancock  on 
his  Boydton  Plank  Road  expedition,  until  the  6th  Corps  re- 
lieved the  5th  in  early  December. 

The  work  had  been  in  progress  some  few  hours  when  Gen- 
eral Warren  appeared  with  his  staff!  It  had  not  advanced  with 
the  expedition  the  general  conceived  it  should.     He  vented  his 


opinion  explicitly.  "  I  never  saw,"  said  he,  "a  lazier  set  of  n 
in  my  life;  they  are  good  for  nothing  but  fight.  I  could  take 
my  statf  and  cut  down  more  trees  than  the  whole  brigade." 
Evidently  intended  as  an  indirect  compliment  for  the  valorous 
deeds  of  the  day  before.  The  happy  reference  to  fight  was  an 
incentive  to  activity  and,  for  a  time  at  least,  the  work  made 
more  rapid  progress. 

Captain  Joseph  Ashbrook  received  his  appointment  as  ord- 
nance officer  of  the  

division  while  it  was 
under  the  marching 
orders  which  cul- 
minated in  the  en- 
gagements of  Fee- 
ble's  and  Peg  ram's 
Farms.  It  was  a 
critical  period  to 
thrust  upon  an  offi- 
cer, wholly  unfa- 
miliar with  the 
trust,  such  delicate 
and  important  du- 
ties. Ashbrook 
though  was  a  man 
well  equipped  for 
any  service  and 
proved  liimself  fully 
equal  to  the  require- 
ments of  his  new  position.  An  interview  between  him  and 
General  Warren  illustrates  a  pleasant  side  of  the  character  of 
that  distinguished  officer.  Ashbrook's  predecessor  had  been 
Ihe  senior  ordnance  officer  of  the  corps,  and  as  such  received 
orders  from  corps  head-quarters  relating  to  the  entire  corps. 
Although  Ashbrook  was  not  the  ranking  officer,  similar  orders 
continued  to  be  .sent  to  him.  Late  on  the  night  of  the  action 
at  Pceble's  Farm  he  received  a  very  important  communication 


SERGEANT  SAMUEL  N 

An  interview  between  hin 


CHAPTER  XX. 


—FIVE   FOSES — 


NoTHlNO  con  cover  his  high  fame  but  hEavea; 
No  pytaroids  set  off  his  memories 
But  ihe  eternal  substance  ot  his  greatness. 
To  which  I  leave  him. 


had  hoped  against  hope  so  long, 
it  naturally  doubted  whether  the 


spring  campaign  ' 


>uld  end  i 


final  success.  But  when,  as 
March  was  waning,  in  the  spring 
of  '65,  two  great  anny  corps, 
with  all  the  cavalry,  swung  over 
Matcher's  Run,  there  was  some- 
thing in  the  air  itself  that  gave 
assurance  that  the  end  had  come. 
The  anxiety  that  grows  as  the 
I  goal  is  Hearing  gave  way  to  a 
determination  to  sec  it  out,  with 
all  its  risks  and  chances.  Vet- 
erans who  had  gone  through  all  without  an  ailment  or  a  wound 
drowned  their  anxious  hopefulness  in  fixed  resolve.  There 
was  no  hesitancy.  Men  who  a  year  since  would  have  halted 
before  the  dread  advance  were  up  and  at  them  ere  the  bugle 
sounded  forward.  After  a  sharp  repulse  there  was  a  quick  re- 
bound. The  enemy's  staggering  blows  of  desperation  ended  in 
his  hopeless  rout.  His  mad  races  were  fruitless.  Outstripped 
at  every  turn,  blocked  on  every  highway,  famished  and  weary, 
he  yielded  and  the  patriot  army's  work  was  done. 

General  Griffin's  division  at  the  opening  of  the  campaign 
numbered  6,547  "^^^-  Its  three  brigades  were  commanded 
respectively,  the  isl  ^y  General  J.  L.  Chamberlain ;  the  2d  by 
General  Gregory,  and  the  ^d  bv  General  J.  J.  Bartlctt.     Ours, 


the  3d  Brigade,  was  the  same  in  organization  as  mentioned  ir 
the  preceding  chapter. 

The  5th  Corps  moved  from  its  camp  in  the  vicinity  of  tht 
Vaughan  Road  crossing  of  Hatcher's  Run  at  three  o'clock  oa 
the  morning  of  the  29th  of  March,  General  Ayres's  division 
leading,  General  Griffin's  following,  General  Crawford  bringing 
up  the  rear.  The  movement  did  not  reach  Griffin's  division 
until  a  time  much  later  than  the  starting  hour,  and  it  was  six 


INSURANCE. 


o'clock  before  its  camps  were  broken.  The  route  east  of  th( 
run  lay  through  Arthur's  Swamp  to  the  crossing  of  Rowanty 
Creek  at  W.  Perkins's,  where  the  corps  had  crossed  tn  February. 
This  point  is  better  known  as  Monk's  Neck  Bridge.  Thence 
the  movement  continued  by  the  old  Stage  and  Vaughan  roads 
until  the  Chappie  was  reached,  about  two  miles  from  Dinwiddle 
Court-House,  a  position  which  the  order  of  march  designated  as 
its  termination.  At  4.45  a.  m.  the  head  of  the  column  had  reached 
36 


—  524  — 

which  indicated  that  the  entire  corps  must  be  supplied  with 
ammunition  preparatory  to  an  anticipated  engagement  in  the 
morning.  Not  fully  comprehending  the  order  and  doubting 
iiis  ability  to  execute  it  without  fuller  instructions,  he  decided, 
although  it  uas  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  to  go  to  corps  head- 
quarters and  consult  the  ever-obliging  Lieutenant- Colonel 
Locke,  the  assistant  adjutant-general.  The  head-quarters  were 
in  a  small  house  on  the  Peebles  Farm.  Groping  his  way  about 
the  house  in  the 
dark  he  blundered 
into  the  room  occu- 
pied by  General 
Warren.  To  dis- 
turb the  slumbers 
of  a  major-general 
commandinga  corps 
without  warrant,  in 
the  middle  of  the 
night,  after  a  hard 
day's  £ght,  was  not 
likely  in  those  times 
to  add  to  the  amen- 
ities of  the  occasion. 
The  general  sat  bolt 
up  in  his  cot,  doubt- 
less aroused  by  the 
HKNKY  H,  H..i«;>:s.  u.Mi'ANY  D.  intrusiou.     Ash- 

brook,  much  em- 
barrassed by  his  mi.'^take,  advanced  and  apologized,  express- 
ing his  great  regret  at  having  awakened  the  general,  and 
explaining  that  he  was  looking  for  Colonel  Locke.  This 
was  met  by  the  kind  inquirj- :  "  What  is  wanted  ?  "  When  he 
was  told,  he  entered  into  an  explanation  of  the  order  and  what 
was  required,  and  bade  his  visitor  good-night.  Ashbrook  re- 
tired with  a  verj'  pleasant  sense  of  the  general's  kindness  and 
courtesy. 


—  525  — 

On  the  sth  of  October  Colonel  Herring  returned  from  his 
sick-leave  and  the  following  day  relieved  Captain  Wilson  and 
resumed  command  of  the  regiment.  On  the  8ih,  9th  and  loch 
he  was  detailed  as  officer  of  the  outposts.  With  General 
Ayres's  division  pickets,  the  line  was  advanced  almost  half  a 
mile;  a  private  house  (Davis's)  was  destroyed,  and  then  in  the 
evening  the  line  was  withdrawn  to  its  original  position. 

The  I  ith  was  the  Presidential  election  day.  Active  ballot- 
ing went  on  throughout  Pennsylvania  regiments,  resulting  in 
overwhelming  Republican  majorities.  Most  of  the  States 
voted  in  November,  the  election  that  year  falling  on  the  Sth. 
The  Rev.  Theodore  Gerrish,  of  the  20th  Maine,  in  his  work, 
"A  Private's  Reminiscences  of  the  Civil  War,"  reports  the  vote 
of  that  regiment  as  137  for  Abraham  Lincoln  and  thirteen  for 
George  B.  McClellan. 

Colonel  Gwyn's  commission  as  brevet  brigadier- general,  to 
date  from  September  30th,  was  received  on  the  17th  of  October. 
He  had  left  for  home  a  few  days  before  on  a  twenty-days'  leave. 
Colonel  Gregory,  of  the  gist  Pennsylvania,  was  at  the  same 
time  honored  with  a  like  commission. 

From  the  19th  to  the  27th  of  October  General  Griffin  was 
absent,  the  command  of  the  division  devolving  upon  General 
Bartlett  and  the  brigade  on  Colonel  Herring. 

The  publication  of  the  order  on  the  20th  announcing  Gen- 
eral Sheridan's  overwhelming  rout  of  Early  at  Cedar  Creek  in 
the  Shenandoah  Valley  on  the  19th  of  October  was  followed 
by  enthusiastic  demonstration  and  great  rejoicing. 

Horse-racing,  a  sport  that  at  all  favorable  opportunities  found 
an  active  patronage,  was  about  this  time  forbidden  in  general 
orders  from  army  head-quarters. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  hatcher's  sun  OF  OCTOBER,  1864 — HICESFOKB  AND  BELLE- 
FIELD — WELDON  RAILROAD  RAID — DABNEV'S  HILLS. 

HOU'  sleep  the  liravc  who  sink  to  rest 
By  fllj  thfir  tounlry's  wishes  blest? 
By  fflin'  hands  ihcir  knrll  is  rung. 
By  furms  unseen  Iheir  dirge  is  sung. 

UlTE  determined  to  attain  what 
preceding  expeditions 
had  failed  to  accomplish, 
the  Hatcher's  Run  and 
L  Boydton  Plank  Road  cx- 
I  peditton  of  the  27th  of 
I  October  was  of  greater 
lagnitudeand  more  com- 
prehensive design.  It  re- 
lulted  in  Hancock  gal- 
lantly relieving  himself 
from  a  serious  pressure 
near  Burgess's  Tavern ; 
in  Crawford's  failure  in  the  dense  and  gloomy  timber  to  reach 
out  to  Hancock  ;  in  Hancock  to  feel  in  to  Crawford ;  in  Grif- 
fin's (ievelopmcnt  of  the  enemy's  extreme  right ;  and  ultimately 
everybody's  return  again  to  their  old,  familiar  places  in  the  line 
of  the  .siege. 

The  column — Gregg's  cavalrj'  division,  the  5th  and  9th  Corps, 
and  two  divisions  of  the  2d  Corps — was  from  thirty  to  forty  thou- 
santi  strong.  The  three  corps  commanders  commanded  their 
respective  corps.  The  entrenchments  were  thinned  out  to  a 
skirmish  strength.  Milcs's  division  held  the  Petersburg  front 
from  the  Appomattox  to  Battcrj'  24,  half-way  between  the  Je- 
rusalem Pbnk  Ro.-id  and  the  Weldon  Railroad.  General  Park 
assigned  fifteen  Hundred  men  to  hold  his  entrenchments,  Gen- 
eral Warren  twenty-five  hundred  men,  under  General  I 
to  hold  his,  (516) 


—  527  — 

On  the  26lh  General  Griffin  resumed  command  of  his  di- 
vision, and  Ctncral  Dartk-lt  and  Colonel  Herring  return<;d  to 
their  respective  stations. 

Tlic  language  of  General  Warren's  official  report  of  these 
operations  is  strikingly  suggestive  of  the  loss  of  trained  and 
cxp-incnccd  soldiers  in  the  casualties  of  the  late  campaigns. 
1  Ic  says  :  "  The  command  [5th  Corps]  started  as  directed  about 
4  Ai  M.  on  the  27th.  It  consisted,  first,  of  the  1st  Division,  com- 
manded by  Brigadier-General  Griffin,  4,707  strong,  of  which 
1,247  were  ignorant  of  the  manual,  and  2,803  ''^^  never  fired 
off  a  inuslccl ;  second,  of  the  zd  Division,  commanded  by  Brig- 
adier-General Ayrcs,  4,704  strong,  of  which  104  were  ignorant 
of  the  manual,  and  812  had  never  fired  off  a  musket ;  third,  of 
two  brigades  of  the  3d  Division,  commanded  by  Cicncral  Craw- 
ford, of  which  298  were  ignorant  of  the  manu.!!,  and  298  had 
never  fired  off  a  musket." 

General  Griffin's  division  led  the  corps;  General  Grcgory'.s 
brigade — his  regiment,  the  gist  Pennsylvania,  had  been  tran.s- 
fcrrcd  from  the  1st  Brigade — the  division. 

General  Warren  had  issued  instructions  to  start  at  5. 30.  The 
hour  was  not  deemed  early  enough  by  the  commanding  gen- 
eral, and  was  subsequently  changed  to  4  o'clock.  It  bcyan  to 
rain  slightly  at  4.45.  and,  with  a  clouded  sky,  the  morning  was 
dark  and  it  was  difficult  in  the  woods  to  preserve  the  con- 
nections. They  were  soon  broken  between  the  brigades,  and 
jKirts  of  the  column  were  badly  confused  and  mixed  up. 
Huferring  to  this  General  Warren  says:  "I  think  it  quite  im- 
practicable, from  this  and  previous  experience,  to  move  troops 
in  the  dark  over  any  but  the  broadest  and  plainest  roads,  unless 
they  are  previously  familiar  with  the  route,"  At  five  and  a  half 
(''clock  it  was  light  enough  to  see  and  the  head  of  the  column, 
which  hail  pasted  through  an  open  country  beyond  Fort  Cum- 
min^-, bfg.tn  to  move  into  the  woods  beyond  our  entrench- 
iinnl-.  The  route  indicated  was  to  be  by  a  wood  road  to  the 
Duncan  Road,  and  thence  a  road  was  to  be  hunted  up  that  led 
to  1  latcher's  Ruji  above  Armstrong's  mill.     The  movement  was 


—  528  — 

slow,  obstructions  that  lined  the  roadway  were  cleared  away, 
but  generally  the  direction  trended  too  far  southwesterly.  All 
the  roads  ran  north  and  south.  Hatcher's  Run  was  to  the 
westward,  and  setting  about  to  cut  a  road  through  the  woods, 
in  a  half  mile  General  Warren  brought  the  head  of  his  corps 
out  on  the  so-called  Duncan  Road  just  south  of  the  Clements 
House.  Here  a  road  ran  west,  along  which  the  column  ad- 
vanced, striking  the  enemy's  skirmishers  at  nine  o'clock.  Gen- 
eral Griffin  immediately  formed  his  2d — General  Gregory's — 
Brigade  in  two  lines,  in  the  woods  on  the  left  of  the  road ;  the 
i88th  New  York  battalion  and  91st  Pennsylvania  in  the  front 
line,  the  187th  New  York  battalion  and  155th  Pennsylvania  in 
the  second  line.  Skirmishers  from  the  91st  Pennsylvania  were 
thrown  out  in  front,  and  from  the  155th  Pennsylvania  on  the 
left  flank.  The  brigade  advanced  under  quite  a  lively  fire  until 
it  arrived  within  100  or  200  yards  of  the  enemy's  works,  where 
a  portion,  of  the  line  encountered  the  slashings  of  woods  and 
were  exposed  to  a  sharp  fire  from  the  enemy  in  his  works, 
which  were  found  to  be  difficult  to  reach  on  account  of  the 
fallen  timber  and  a  strong  abatis.'*'  In  this  operation  General 
Gregory  lost  about  lOO  killed  and  wounded.  A  line  was  es- 
tablished and  temporary  entrenchments  thrown  up."  Later  in 
the  day  two  regiments  from  Bartlett's  brigade  were  sent  to 
strengthen  the  left,  connecting  on  the  right  with  Gregory's 
brigade,  and  their  left  resting  on  a  creek.  The  rest  of  Bartlett's 
brigade  was  formed  in  line  of  battle  in  the  rear,  on  the  road 
crossed  by  the  advance  in  the  morning.* 

Upon  the  other  side  of  the  creek  was  a  work  of  huge  pro- 
portions ;  it  was,  in  truth,  a  frowning  battlement.  So  firm  and 
formidable  was  it  that  ignorant  of  the  instructions  to  "  remain 
confronting  them  (the  works)  until  the  operations  on  the  left 
drew  off  the  enemy,"  the  men  were  sullen  with  the  thoughts  of 
other  lives  for  nought  and  gaping  wounds  for  nothing. 

No  other  task  fell  to  Griffin's  lot  until  the  withdrawal,  except 
to  thunder  away  with  his  musketry  as  a  guide  to  Crawford, 

*  General  Griffin's  Official  Report.     MSS. 


—  S29  — 

who,  with  his  two  brigades  and  the  Maryland  brigade  of  Ajtcs, 
was  floundering  without  direction  in  the  pathless  woods  upon 
the  othor  side  of  Hatcher's  Run,  in  his  effort  to  support  Han- 
cock and  turn  the  flank  of  the  works  Gnfiin  fronted.  The 
forest  was  so  dense  that  the  firing  from  liancock's  heavy  fight 
near  Burgess's  Mill,  scarce  three  miles  off,  was  not  heard  by 
Crawford's  column.  General  Warren,  who  was  with  it  whik- 
the  battle  was  at  its  height,  reports  that  he  did  not  hear  the 
sounds  of  the  engage- 
ment. A  body  of  the 
enemy  drifted  into  our 
lines  and  had  captured 
a  staff-officer  bearing 
a  communication,  but 
themselves  surrender- 
ed when  convinced  by 
him  where  they  were. 
Other  officers  of  the 
staff  lost  late  in  the 
aftecnoon  remained 
out  all  night,  awaiting 
daylight  before  they 
could  find  their  way 
back. 

G,_'iicral      Hancock 
came     back     disap- 
pointed, and  General  first  utUTENANT  thos  y.  kellv. 
Crawford,   of  no  use 

where  he  was,  was  withdrawn.  General  Hancock  passed  the 
regiment  on  his  return  a  hatless  soldier.  His  clouded,  angry 
brow  and  hatless  head  made  his  presence  on  that  occasion 
memorable. 

The  enemy's  cavalry  pursued  the  tired  and  straggling  men 
who  were  in  the  rear  of  Crawford's  and  Hancock's  retiring 
column,  and  drove  in  across  the  run  the  small  mounted  force 
which  had  been  left  to  protect  them.     General  Bartlett's  brig- 


—  530  — 

ade  was  formed  to  clieck  this  advance.  The  enemy's  line 
of  battle  was  in  plain  view,  and  the  duty  of  checking  it  was 
allotted  to  Colonel  Herring,  with  the  ii8th  and  ist  Michi- 
gan. He  essayed  to  do  the  work  with  a  skirmish  line,  and 
called  to  the  ist  Michigan  for  volunteers  for  skirmish  dut}'- 
Promptly  the  whole  regiment  responded.  "  I  don't  want 
you  all,"  said  Herring,  and  taking  what  he  needed  he  moved 
forward,  the  enemy  with  their  usual  yell  showing  a  disposition 
to  advance ;  some  excellent  marksmanship  by  the  skirmishers 
induced  a  contrary  action,  and  the  enemy  withdrew.  In  this 
affair  Antone  Huver  and  Francis  Mullen,  of  "  K,"  were 
wounded  slightly. 

As  the  rear  guard  of  the  corps,  the  brigade  retired  by  the 
road  out  through  the  woods  back  to  its  old  quarters,  and  the 
deeds  and  doings  of  the  27th  and  28th  of  October,  1864,  were 
left  to  history  and  criticism. 

November  jogged  leisurely  along  until,  admonished  by  its 
occasional  frosts,  the  men  set  about  to  comfortably  house 
themselves.  They  were  soon  reminded  of  the  insecurity  of 
their  tenancy,  and  shortly  afterwards  peaceably  submitted  to  a 
quiet  eviction. 

On  one  of  these  November  days  a  dearth  of  supplies  induced 
a  member  of  **  K,"  company's  mess,  to  volunteer  to  hunt  up  a 
friend  in  the  99th  Pennsylvania,  then  serving  with  the  2d  Corps, 
whom  by  some  intuition  he  felt  was  better  provided  and  whose 
generosity  he  knew  would  prompt  him  to  share  his  portion  with 
his  more  needy  fellows.  Reaching  the  confines  of  the  corps  to 
which  the  99th  was  attached,  he  politely  addressed  an  officer 
whom  he  met,  inquiring  its  whereabouts.  "  Right  over  there," 
was  the  reply,  "  but  have  you  a  pass  ?  '*  the  officer  continued. 
"  I  have  not,"  responded  the  soldier.  "  All  right,"  said  the  of- 
ficer, "  I  will  give  you  one,"  turning  towards  his  quarters  as  if 
to  execute  his  purpose.  He  had  no  such  intention ;  his  liberal 
proposition  to  furnish  the  pass  was  to  throw  the  soldier  off  his 
guard  and  prevent  the  escape  which  would  doubtless  have  been 
attempted  had  what  was  to  follow  been  known  or  suspected. 


—  531  — 

and  his  turning  about  was  to  seize  the  first  non-comiiiissjontd 
officer  availabli,-,  and  with  liim  execute  his  real  intent.  A  ser- 
geant was  close  at  hand,  and  with  a  "  1  lere.  Sergeant,  arrest 
this  man."  from  the  officer,  our  straggling  soldier  of  the  1 1  Sth 
was  hustled  off  to  the  guard  house,  It  was  more  than  con- 
finement he  was  to  suffer;  humiliating  punishment  awaited 
him.  Two  uprights  ten  feet  high,  supporting  a  cross-piece  of 
twice  that  length,  stood  in  front  of  the  guard  quarters.  The 
"  bony  horse"  was  the  most  suggestive  appellation  by  which 
this  contrivance  was  usually  known.  Two  other  delinquents 
were  already  astraddle  it  To  their  company  our  soldier  was 
consigned.  Feeling  keenly  the  disgrace  he  did  not  deserve,  as 
he  .sat  astride  his  steed  he  painfully  meditated  dire  revenge. 
But  his  muttered  curses  and  smothered  anger  had  not  clouded 
his  wits,  and  he  watched  carefully  an  opportunity  to  escape. 
He  was  unknown,  and  if  he  was  once  off  and  successful  in 
eluding  pursuit  he  was  free  forever,  at  least  from  punLshment 
for  the  supposed  offence. 

Where  the  soldier  had  lighted  was  within  the  limits  of  a 
regimental  cavalry  encampment,  and  the  wooden  horse  he 
strode  was  attached  to  the  regimental  guard  house.  What 
regiment  it  was  he  did  not  ascertain,  nor  care  to.  The  beats 
of  the  sentries  covered  about  twenty  paces.  An  officer's  horse 
wa.s  picketed  but  a  short  distance  from  the  guard  house,  and  a 
wood  a  little  distance  beyond  the  horse  afforded  cover,  and  with 
half  a  chance  he  could  reach  it  At  all  events  he  tried.  Slip- 
ping quietly  from  his  perch,  passing  between  the  two  sentries, 
he  made  vigorously  for  the  picketed  horse.  "  Halt  or  I'll  fire  " 
had  no  terrors  for  him,  and  with  his  captors  in  hot  pursuit — 
they  couldn't  fire,  because  he  quickly  had  the  horse  between 
them  and  himself — the  soldier  was  soon  within  the  wood.  From 
there  to  the  breastworks  was  but  a  stride  or  so,  and  over  them 
like  a  fla.sh  he  was  soon  struggling  and  plunging  among  the 
slashings  in  their  front.  So  were  his  pursuers,  but  he  had  the 
best  of  it.  Crawling  and  crouching  into  all  sorts  of  crevices, 
contorting  himself  into  all  imaginable  shapes,  he  managed  to 


—  532  — 

successfully  baffle  a  pursuit  that  was  persistently  pressed  for 
full  two  hours.  The  imprecations  of  disappointment  from  his 
pursuers,  as  unravelling  each  new  tangle  they  were  still  unsuc- 
cessful, gradually  died  out  and  the  soldier  ventured  to  find  his 
way  out  of  the  slashings.  The  burnt  bark  from  the  pines  had 
blackened  his  face  and  hands  so  that  he  was  not  recognizable. 
First  fording  a  stream  where  a  corduroy  bridgeway  over  it  was 
cautiously  guarded,  and  then  sneaking  and  dodging  through 
camp  after  camp,  he  ultimately  reached  his  own  to  be 
repelled  by  his  messmates.  He  soon  secured  satisfactory 
identification,  and  regaling  his  companions  with  a  story  of 
his  adventure,  was  fed  to  repletion  from  the  stores  which 
during  his  absence  had  been  fully  replenished. 

The  notice  to  quit  the  recently  constructed  quarters,  not  at 
all  anticipated,  came  hastily  and  without  premonition.  Captain 
Wilson,  returning  from  a  tour  of  outpost  duty,  braced  and  stif- 
fened by  the  nipping  air  of  a  sharp  December  morning,  dis- 
covered a  couple  of  officers,  strangers,  complacently  scanning^ 
the  interior  of  his  comfortably-appointed  household,  and,, 
catching  the  remark  "that  these  would  suit  amazingly," 
was  prompted  to  inquire  the  meaning  of  this  apparently 
rude  intrusion.  The  explanation  was  quickly  forthcoming- 
The  6th  Corps,  back  from  its  valley  campaign,  had  been  or- 
dered to  occupy  that  portion  of  the  lines  in  the  keeping  of 
the  5th. 

The  regiment  to  which  these  unexpected  visitors  of  the  cap- 
tain belonged  was  assigned  to  the  locality  held  by  the  Il8th» 
and  they  had  taken  an  early  opportunity  for  house-hunting. 
They  hoped  with  this  explanation  the  captain  would  overlook 
the  intrusion  and  be  good  enough  when  he  should  receive  the 
instructions,  which  had  only  happened  to  reach  them  a  little 
more  expeditiously,  to  vacate  as  graciously  as  he  could  in  favor 
of  those  appointed  to  relieve  him. 

What  had  been  said  had  been  stated  correctly,  and  the  inter- 
view had  scarce  terminated  before  the  orders  were  at  hand 
which  ultimately  started  the  corps  off  on  its  famous  mission  of 


—  533  — 

railway  destruction  to  Hicksford,  on  the  Meherrin  river,  forty 
miles  to  the  southward  of  Petersburg,  well  down  toward  the 
North  Carolina  line. 

The  troops  previously  withdrawn  from  the  works  were  located 
beforehand  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Gurley  House  that  they  might 
make  a  simultaneous  start  The  command,  consisting  beside 
the  5th  Corps  of  Gregg's  cavalry  and  Mott's  in&ntry  division, 
all  under  General  Warren,  moved  at  six  o'clock  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  7th  of  December.  There  were  also  attached  to  it 
four  batteries  of  artillery  and  a  canvas  pontoon  train  250  feet 
long,  in  charge  of  three  companies  of  engineers.  The  infimtry, 
with  Crawford  leading,  then  Griffin,  then  Ayres  and  then  Mott, 
took  the  Jerusalem  Plank  Road.  Each  division  was  accom- 
panied by  a  battery  and  half  its  ambulances.  The  men  carried 
sixty  rounds  of  ammunition  and  four  days'  rations  on  their 
persons.  Two  days'  rations  and  forty  rounds  more  of  ammu* 
nition  were  in  the  wagons. 

The  bridge  over  Warwick's  Swamp  was  found  to  be  de- 
stroyed. Fifteen  minutes  sufficed  to  construct  a  temporaiy 
structure  for  the  infantry,  but  considerable  delay  was  involved 
in  strengthening  it  for  the  trains. 

Generals  Griffin  and  Ayres  reached  the  Nottaway  between  2 
and  4  p.  M.  and  bivouacked  on  its  left  bank  for  th^  night.  A 
pc^ntoon  bridge  140  feet  long  was  thrown  across  the  stream, 
over  which  Generals  Gregg  and  Crawford  crossed,  bivouacking 
beyond  as  far  as  Sussex  Court-IIouse.  It  had  rained  heavily 
from  eight  and  a  half  o'clock  until  after  dark,  then  cleared, 
clouding  up  again  after  midnight. 

On  the  morning  of  the  8th,  at  two  o'clock.  Generals  Griffin 
aii'l  A\'res  began  to  cross  and  were  both  over  by  half-past  four, 
lollowing  Crawford,  who  started  from  the  Court-House  at  four, 
t<»  Limit's  Station  on  the  Weldon  Railroad.  All  the  while  it 
rainrd  lu-avily,  ceasing  after  daylight,  having  caused  no  injury 
to  thr  roads. 

T\u:  enemy  made  his  appearance  at  the  railroad  crossing  of 
the  Nottaway,  where  General  Gregg  destroyed  a  trestle  bridge 


—  534  — 

i6o  feet  long,  and  worked  in  a  regiment  between  General  Gregg 
and  General  Crawford's  right.  He  was  driven  from  both  posi- 
tions by  the  cavalr>'.  By  sunset  all  the  trains  were  up  and  parked ; 
the  troops  which  had  arrived  some  time  before  having  mean- 
while had  no  opportunity'  to  cook,  and  secure  a  needed  rest 

The  cavalry  had  partially  destroyed  the  railway  from  the 
Nottaway  to  Jarrett's  Station.  Crawford's,  Ayres's  and  Griffin's 
divisions  completed  its  destruction  to  below  the  station  by 
moonlight,  continuing  the  work  until  after  midnight 

The  work  of  destruction  was  resumed  on  the  morning  of  the 
9th  by  forming  line  of  battle  on  the  railway,  each  division  de- 
stroying all  in  its  front  and  then  moving  to  the  left  alternately. 
The  entire  distance  destroyed  was  some  seventeen  or  eighteen 
miles.  The  ties  were  burned,  the  rails  heated  and  in  most 
places  much  bent  and  twisted.  The  work  was  so  eflectually 
done  that  it  was  not  deemed  likely  the  road  would  be  relaid. 
The  rails  were  much  worn  and  many  had  been  straightened 
out  and  brought  from  roads  previously  destroyed  by  burning^ 
and  bending.  These  generally  cracked  when  submitted  to  this 
final  process  of  destruction. 

The  cavalry  cleared  the  enemy  out  of  the  way  to  the  south- 
ward and  picketed  the  roads  to  the  north  and  east.  General 
Griffin  relieved  General  Mott's  division,  taking  charge  of  the 
trains  on  the  morning  of  the  9th. 

A  force  with  artillery  was  met  and  driven  away  from  Three 
Creeks  and  the  fire  extinguished  from  the  bridge  which  the 
enemy  had  attempted  to  destroy.  Crossing  a  dismounted  force 
by  4  p.  M.,  Gregg  had  possession  of  Bellfield  and  had  driven 
the  enemy  all  across  the  Meherrin.  A  sixty  feet  trestle  over 
a  branch  of  Three  Creeks  and  another  of  100  feet  long  over 
the  main  stream — both  old  truss  frames  shored  up  from  below 
— were  burned  and  the  destruction  of  the  railway  completed  to 
Bellfield. 

At  Hicksford,  on  the  south  side  of  the  Meherrin,  there  were 
three  forts  or  batteries,  connected  by  rifle  pits,  manned  with  a 
considerable  force.     It  was  impracticable  to  force  a  crossing. 


—  535  — 

and  not  practicable  with  the  limited  supplies — much  of  that 


t\K   \  J*  F    W  S    KA      K     \ 

camcu  on  inc  person  Jiaa  oecn  aircaay  eaten  up — to  anempt 


-  536- 

tc  turn  the  position.  Without  dislodging  the  enemy  and  gain* 
ing  possession  of  the  opposite  bank  it  was  not  possible  to  de- 
stroy the  bridge  over  the  Meherrin.  It  was  left  standing.  All 
the  bridges  and  the  railway  track  from  the  Nottaway  to  that 
ix)int  having  been  destroyed,  orders  were  issued  for  the  return 
on  the  following  morning. 

The  regiment  worked  hard  at  the  rails  and  ties  until  mid- 
night passed  and  the  moon  was  gone.  It  was  nearly  morn- 
ing, though,  before  the  ground  designated  for  the  bivouac, 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  trains,  was  reached,  and  but  a  few  hours 
were  left  until  daylight  for  restful  sleep.  The  field  selected, 
overgrown  with  dead  sage  brush,  after  the  morning  broke,  was 
discovered  to  be  on  fire,  and  the  roaring  flames,  making  rapid 
headway,  drove  the  soldiers  hurriedly  to  a  neighboring  wood. 
The  heat  was  jjrcater  than  could  be  comfortablv  borne,  and  the 
regiment  was  moved  to  a  potato  patch  beyond,  and  none  t6o 
soon,  for  the  fire  swept  wickedly  through  the  timber,  speedily 
destroying  all  the  dead  leaves  and  undergrowth  in  its  path, 
rendering  the  woods  untenantable  for  man  or  beast. 

The  light  stuff  on  the  surface  soon  burnt  out,  but  the  flames 
lingered  about  a  large  brush  heap  which  would  not  yield  so 
readily  to  destruction.  Two  women  from  a  neighboring  farm- 
house stood  intently  gazing  on  this  burning  brush  pile.  Their 
countenances  bore  an  anxious  watchfulness  which  to  the  sol- 
dier, eager  for  an  opportunity  to  plunder,  waiting  patiently  for 
a  chance  to  satisfy  the  longings  of  a  ravenous  appetite,  indi- 
cated that  within  the  rapidly  disappearing  brush  was  some- 
thing worthy  of  investigation. 

The  eyes  of  all  the  regiment  were  upon  the  scene.  Sei^eant 
Paschall,  of  *'  P2,"  was  promptly  on  the  spot,  and  his  return  for 
tools  and  assistance  indicated  a  discoverw  Paschall,  who  re- 
turned  with  two  companions  and  an  axe,  was  closely  watched. 
The  sound  of  blows  stoutly  administered,  as  if  upon  a  barrel 
head,  soon  followed.  This  was  a  sufficient  indication  that  spoil 
of  some  sort  had  been  found  and,  with  simultaneous  rush,  the 
entire  regiment  broke  for  the  timber.     The  rush  carried  every- 


—  537  — 

thing  before  it.  even  to  the  brush  heap,  Paschall  meanwhile 
had  succeeded  in  knocking  in  the  head  of  a  barrel  of  sorglium 
molasses  which  had  been  concealed  by  the  loose  boughs  and 
twigs.  The  eager  and  expectant  crowd  pressed  closely  upon 
him,  and,  heedless  of  his  assurance  tliat  he  would  see  it  fairly 
distributed,  continued  to  press  so  closely  as  he  sat  astride  the 
■  barrel  head  that  finally  barrel,  Paschall,  molasses  and  all  rolled 
in  sweet  confusion  on  the  ground. 

No  such  sight  as  Paschall  had  ever  presented  itself.  The 
tarred  and  feathered  abolitionist  of  the  olden  time  was  but 
a  circumstance  to  him.  Covered  with  tlie  sticky,  mucky  stuff, 
he  rolled  over  and  over  on  the  sooty  ground,  and  from 
head  to  foot,  hair,  clothing,  everything  was  a  mass  of  sooty 
blackness.  1 1  is  most  trusted  friend  scarce  knew  him,  and  be- 
fore he  could  conceal  himself  the  whole  brigade  indulged  in 
boisterous  shouts  at  his  expense.  If  Paschall  had  been  let 
alone  all  would  have  been  well,  a  bountiful  supply  of  a  very 
desirable  diet  secured,  and  Paschall  himself  would  have  es- 
caped the  \'ery  disgusting  condition  into  which  his  impatient 
comrades  had  placed  him.  But  Paschall  was  not  the  only  vic- 
tim. Tom  Gabe,  of  "  K,"  dipping  his  cup  into  the  tempting 
syrup,  w.is  forced  into  it  and  came  away  only  a  little  belter  off 
than  Paschall,  Many  others  were  more  or  less  involved. 
The  molasses  raid  was  long  remembered.  It  served  happily 
to  enliven  arduous  occupations,  and  even  those  who  suffered 
individually,  when  relieved  of  their  discomfiture,  were  willing 
to  have  borne  the  ills  they  suffered  to  have  contributed  to  the 
amusement  of  their  tired  companions. 

At  Bclleficld,  before  the  cavalry  entered,  an  entertainment 
had  been  in  progress  that  drew  together  a  goodly  company  of 
i;ay  socitly.  The  male  guests  were  mostly  of  the  army,  and 
itt  a  warning;  of  the  approach  of  their  foes  had  hurriedly  dis- 
;i|>]>Lnred.  In  the  deserted  house  of  the  host  the  piano  stilt 
l.iy  invitin.;ly  o[K;n.  An  officer,  nimble  with  keys,  entertained 
fnr  -omc  Inmrs  a  rolHcksome  crowd,  wild  with  the  novelty  of  the 
MtiMti'in.  Uiiimately  a  few  heartless  vandals  consigned  the 
in>lr\imLiit  to  (lt>truction. 


-  538- 

The  return  march  began  at  7  a.  m.  on  the  lOth.  General 
Griffin's  division  guarding  the  trains,  followed  General  Irvin 
Gregg's  brigade  of  cavalry  sent  ahead  to  clear  the  way  and 
watch  the  side  roads.  General  Mott's  division  followed  Griffin. 
General  Ayres  and  General  Crawford  brought  up  the  rear. 
The  column  moved  by  the  road  leading  to  Sussex 
Court-House,  and  the  division  halted  for  the  night  near  that 
place,  having  marched  a  distance  of*  twenty-one  miles.  A 
storm  of  sleet  which  had  lasted  through  the  night  before  caused 
men  and  animals  much  discomfort.  The  icicles,  before  they 
began  to  lessen  with  advancing  day,  presented  a  scene  of  win- 
ter grandeur  almost  unknown  to  the  latitude.  But  with  the 
moisture  from  the  dripping  as  they  thawed  out  in  the  warmth 
of  noonday,  the  sentiment  of  this  winter  picture  was  absorbed 
in  the  annoyance  of  uncomfortable  realities. 

The  soldier  detailed  to  the  charge  of  Colonel  Herring's  pack- 
horse  had  a  sorry  time  of  it.  The  load  it  bore  was  of  lai^er 
proportions  than  that  borne  by  such  animals  generally.  The 
packing  was  done  hurriedly,  as  the  movement  was  urgent  It 
was  early  in  the  morning,  and  the  frosty  night  had  frozen 
ever>-thing  stiff.  The  tent  was  rolled  so  unshapely  that  the 
load,  packed  poorly,  was  bulky  and  did  not  balance.  As  the 
day  advanced  the  ground  thawed,  the  mud  deepened  and  the 
animal  plunged,  halted  and  hesitated,  until  finally  he  stopped^ 
stuck  hard  fast,  immovable.  The  man  urged,  coaxed,  beat  and 
swore,  but  to  no  avail.  Battalion  after  battalion  swept  by, 
until  at  last  all  the  infantry  had  gone.  Anxiety  gave  way  to 
fear,  appeals  for  assistance  were  in  vain.  Then  a  battery  or 
two  passed  on  a  trot.  Some  of  the  artillerymen  generously 
suggested  "  to  get  out  of  this,  or  you  and  your  old  horse  are 
gone,  sure."  At  last  there  came  a  really  kind,  good  man,  and 
of  the  artiller>',  too.  The  old  horse  was  of  no  great  value,  he 
had  ceased  to  be  useful  except  as  a  drudge  and  another  would 
be  readily  found  to  replace  him.  The  value  was  in  the  furni- 
ture, tackle  and  apparel.  So  the  batteryman  considerately  of- 
fered to  carry  them.     He  cut  the  straps — there  was  no  time  for 


—  539  — 

anything  else — and  loaded  everything  on  a  Umber  chest  Our 
soldier,  so  gladdened  with  the  thought  of  saving  at  least  the 
toloncl's  traps,  wholly  forgot  to  inquire  the  name  of  the  man 
or  the  designation  of  his  battery,  and,  of  course,  the  man  never 
told  him.  Still  hopeful  that,  relieved  of  his  burden,  the  horse 
might  be  persuaded  along,  he  lingered  to  urge  him.  He  stuck 
to  it  manfully  until  an  officer  about  the  rear  of  the  whole  com- 
mand ordered  him  to  abandon  the  animal.  Satisfied  that  such 
authority  was  a  sufficient  immunity,  he  gladly  obeyed,  and 
then,  for  the  first  time,  the  difficulty  presented  itself  as  to  how 
the  rest  of  his  charge  should  be  accounted  for.  He  suddenly 
remembered  he  knew  neither  the  artilleryman  nor  his  battery. 

Men  in  such  employment  had  but  little  sympathy;  the 
colonel's  man  was  no  exception.  He  was  missed  and  did  not 
rejoin  the  regiment  until  the  morning  afterwards.  Entering 
camp  without  the  animal  and  its  burd<;n,  he  was  hooted,  jeered 
and  twitted.  But  this  was  nothing  to  what  awaited  him.  His 
explanation  went  for  naught.  What  had  gone  was  really  a 
serious  loss,  one  not  to  be  replaced  except  by  communication 
with  Washington,  and  that  was  not  always  practicable.  A 
few  days  in  the  guard-house  and  a  return  to  the  ranks  was  the 
punishment.  The  latter  the  soiiliu-rijccijpted  cheerily,  as  his  de- 
tail had  been  forced  upon  him  and  he  had  obeyed  it  reluctantly. 

The  enemy  followed  up  the  cavalry  to  the  junction  of  the 
Halifax  Road  and  the  road  the  infantry  followed  to  the  Court-. 
House.  General  Gregg  kept  the  Halifax  Road  to  protect  the 
left  flank,  and  the  enemy,  continuing  after  the  infantry,  were 
held  in  check  by  Genera!  Chamberlain  with  the  1st  Brigade  of 
our  division  and  afterwards  by  General  Crawford.  Their  artil- 
lery, however,  did  not  cross  the  Three  Creeks  where  the  bridge 
had  been  destroyed.  General  Gregg  was  unmolested  by  any 
force  in  his  rear,  but  was  harassed  by  cavalry  and  artillery  near 
Jarrctt".s  Station,  which  he  forced  back  and  came  on  without  loss. 

Tiie  division  moved  at  7  A.  M.  on  the  1 2th,  guarding  the  pon- 
toon train.  At  Freeman's  Ford,  on  the  Nottaway,  it  laid  a 
pontoon  brid^'e,  crossed  the  river  and  went  into  bivouac  beside 


—  S40  — 

the  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  two  miles  from  the  left  bank  of  the 
stream.  Here  a  junction  was  made  with  General  Potter's  di- 
vision, of  the  gth  Corps,  which,  relieved  temporarily  from  the 
Petersburg  entrencliments  by  General  Wheaton,  of  the  6th, 
had  been  sent  to  General  Warren's  support  in  consequence 
of  a  well-accredited  report  prevailing  that  General  A.  P.  Hill 
had  been  despatched  to  attack  General  Warren, 

Throughout  the 
entire  route  scarce  a 
man  was  to  be  found 
among  the  inhabi- 
tants. Houses  were 
deserted  or  at  most 
contained  only  help- 
less women  and  chil- 
dren. There  were, 
though,  indications 
tiiat  men  liad  been 
lurking  in  the  woods. 
Tile  dead  bodies  of 
soldiers  were  found 
along  the  roadside ; 
in  one  case,  it  was 
said,  with  the  throat 
cut,  and  other  in* 
SERCT.  THEO.  B.  FRYER,  CO,  K.  Stances    were     re- 

ported of  still  more  revolting  barbarities.  The  stories  of  these 
cruelties  aroused  a  spirit  of  vengeance,  and  in  retaliation  the 
torch  \va.s  applied  to  almost  evcr>'  house  along  the  route.  The 
efforts  of  tlic  officers  to  stop  this  incendiarism  were  but  par- 
tially successful. 

During  the  night  of  the  i  ith  it  cleared  and  the  weather  set 
in  bitter  cold.  In  the  morning  the  roads  were  frozen  stiff,  so 
that  the  trains  moved  easily,  but  the  men,  with  feet  sore  and 
bh.stcred.  some  even  barefooted,  suffered  severely. 

Captain  Ashbrook,  ordnance  officer,  with  Nugent,  his  ser- 


geant,  was  riding  with  the  trains.  Two  ladies  with  mournful 
countei;ance  stood  in  the  doorway  of  a  house  by  the  roa<I- 
sidc.  Ashbrook  rode  towards  them  to  inquire  tlie  cause  and 
to  proffer  his  services  if  it  were  within  his  power  to  reHeve  their 
manifest  distress.  They  pointed  to  the  neighborhood  of  the  barn, 
where  a  dozen  ormore  soldiers  pursued  with  felonious  purpose  a 
goodly  flock  of  turkeys,  all  that  was  left  of  animal  food  of  the 


I 


OFTEN  THE  CASE. 


much-depleted  household  supplies.  No  supfgestion  was  needed. 
The  captain's  gallantry  was  aroused  and  he  spurred  for  the 
pilferint:  crowd.  His  eye  fell  first  upon  his  own  cook,  just  seiz- 
ing the  finest  of  the  birds.  Returning  to  the  ladies  he  apoio> 
gizcd  for  his  failure  and  regretted  his  inability  to  cope  singly 
with  so  great  a  force.  Shortly  afterwards  a  fine  roast  turkey 
graced  llie  c:iptain's  mess. 

The  divi-pjon  moved  at  J  A.  M.  and,  having  marched  a  dis- 


—  542  — 

tance  of  thirteen  miles,  at  3  p.  m.  arrived  at  its  destination  near 
the  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  where,  under  orders  for  a  lengthy 
stop,  winter  quarters  were  again  constructed. 

No  infantry'  force  was  seen  during  the  expedition  except 
that  entrenched  on  the  other  side  of  the  Meherrin.  The  citi- 
zens, however,  reported  General  A.  P.  Hill's  corps  as  detached 
from  the  main  army  and  likely  to  attack,  but  he  did  not  appear. 

The  design  of  the  expedition  was  successfully  accomplished. 
The  railroad,  so  destroyed  as  to  be  unavailable  for  present 
operations,  was  really  made  permanently  useless,  as  the  enemy 
must  have  been  quite  convinced  that  its  reconstruction  would 
only  invite  similar  demonstrations. 

Beside  the  work  performed  the  distance  travelled  in  the  six 
days  was  about  one  hundred  miles.  General  Warren,  satisfied 
as  well  with  results  as  the  conduct  of  his  troops,  took  occasion 
to  make  mention  of  them  and  their  work  in  a  congratulatory 
order.* 

•*  It  is  not  believed  the  enemy  picked  up  any  prisoners  from 
straggling,  except  a  few  who  became  drunk  to  complete  pros- 


*  HEAD-ni'ARTERS  5TH  ARMY  CORPS, 

Army  of  the  Potomac, 
General  Orders  No.  65.  V  December  13,  1864. 

The  command  having;  returned  from  its  Lite  expedition,  after  accomplishing 
successfully  its  mission — the  destruction  of  the  Weldon  Railroad  as  far  as  Hicks- 
ford — making  forced  marches  during  six  days  and  nights,  in  the  roost  inclement 
weather,  the  Major-Cieneral  conimamling  considers  it  his  duty  to  express  to  his 
division  commanders — Hrevci  Major-General  Gregg,  commanding  2d  cavalry 
division ;  Brevet  Major-Cicncrals  Gritfin,  Ayrcs  and  Crawford,  of  the  5lh  Corps, 
and  Brevet  Major-General  Moti,  commanding  3d  Division,  2d  Corps — his  high 
appreciation  and  commendation  of  their  performance  of  the  instructions  issued  to 
them  by  him.  He  desires  that  they  will  convey  this  approval  to  their  commands, 
with  such  especial  praise  as  they  may  deem  due  to  individuals  in  their  divisions. 

The  Major-General  commanding  expresses  his  thanks  to  Brevet  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral Wainwright,  chief  of  arti!ler>-,  for  his  efticient  management  of  the  artillery 
of  the  command;  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  A.  L.  Thomas,  chief  quartermaster,  for 
the  thorough  manner  in  which  he  conducted  the  trains,  and  to  Brevet  Major  Van 
Bocklin,  50th  New  York  Engineers,  for  his  efficiency  and  promi>tness  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  pontoon  train. 

By  command  of  Major- Gknerai.  Warren. 

Fred.  T.  Locke,  Brei'et  Coiontl  atui  Assistant  Adjutant- General 


tration.  on  appic-jack  found  on  tho  way,  which,  to  our  surprise, 
was  in  almost  every  house  in  appreciable  quantities,"  • 

The  1st  Michigan  were  the  discoverers  of  the  inspiring 
beverage  known  by  the  names  of  Apple-jack,  Dew  of  the  Or- 
chard, Jersey  Lightning,  etc.  Unaware  of  its  powerful  elevat- 
ing influence  and  the  abundance  of  the  supply,  they  deemed  it 
a  good  thing  which  they  ought  to  keep  to  themselves.  Apple- 
jack, however,  taken  with  any  liberality,  proclaims  itself,  and 
noisy  shouting,  singing  and  laughing  soon  acquainted  the  men 
of  the  other  regiments  with  the  fact  that  ardent  spirits  were 
close  at  hand.  The  whole  brigade  gathered  for  the  attack. 
Barrel  after  barrel  was  captured,  their  heads  were  stove  in,  and 
the  men  rejoiced  over  their  success.  Alas !  Dew  of  the  Or- 
chard captured  the  men  in  turn.  The  provost  guard,  hurrying 
to  the  scene,  upturned  tlic  barrels  and  returned  to  Old  Mother 
Eartli  her  gift  of  fruit  irt  another  shape.  The  elevation  ex- 
tended further  than  the  brigade,  One  regiment  of  cavalry, 
Sent  to  suppress  disorder  in  anotlier,  helped  things  along  in 
such  a  way  that  it,  too.  had  to  be  looked  after.  General 
Chamberlain,  who  had  the  infantry  rear  guard  at  this  time,  was 
obliged  to  make  of  half  his  brigade  a  provost  guard  to  keep 
our  men  from  running  out  of  the  column  and  being  lost  or  left 
along  the  road.  The  expedition  was  known  for  some  time  as 
the  "Apple-jack  Raid," 

On  the  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  well  to  the  rear  of  the  opera- 
tions of  the  investment,  the  regiment  soon  settled  for  a  season 
of  quiet.  It  was  some  two  months  before  it  was  again  called 
upon  to  bestir  itself. 

The  winter  of  64-65  is  even  yet  remembered  for  its  severity. 
Far-off  southern  Virginia  rivalled  northern  latitudes  in  its 
ability  to  drive  the  mercury  below  the  Farenheit  limit  for  snow 
and  ice.  At  times  the  Potomac  was  closed  to  navigation,  and 
communication  with  Washington  and  the  North  was  had  by 
w.iy  of  Annapolis.  Neither  the  weather,  the  temperature  nor 
the  proximity  to  the  enemy  in  any  way  interfered  with  the 

'Ci'ii-ril  \Viiii:ri's  ulTici*!  rcpon  or  ilie  opcmiooi  of  hi*  command  on  the 
U  M-u  KiiiiuaJ.  Ueccmlwr  8  lo  13,  1864.     MS. 


—  544  — 

means  and  measures  heretofore  resorted  to  for  comforts,  con- 
veniences and  entertainment  during  lengthened  seasons  of  in- 
activity. Experience  had  bettered  them,  nor  in  the  5th  Corps 
were  they  interrupted  by  the  frequent  affairs  on  the  picket  lines, 
which  sometimes  became  serious,  and  in  the  aggregate  entailed 
a  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  by  no  means  trifling. 

Leaves  of  absence  and  furloughs  were  again  introduced 
under  the  conditions  that  had  before  prevailed.  Because  of 
the  greater  distance  from  home,  they  were  lengthened  to  the 
more  appreciable  period  of  fifteen  days.  The  Sanitary  and 
Christian  Commissions  still  continued  a  generous  activity,  and 
despite  the  heavy  tolls  exacted  as  their  welcome  supplies  passed 
through  the  numerous  intermediate  channels,  they  yet  reached 
the  ranks — their  ultimate  destination — in  fairly  liberal  quantities. 

The  brevet  commissions  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Herring  as 
Colonel,  Major  O'Neill  as  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  Captains 
Wilson,  Walters  and  Ashbrook  as  Majors,  were  received  during 
the  month  of  December.  Sergeant  Robert  Paschall  was  mus- 
tered as  1st  Lieutenant  of  Company  E,  and  assigned  to  the 
command  of  Company  G. 

There  were  several  executions  of  enlisted  men,  in  the  2d  Di- 
vision, on  the  gallows.  It  was  the  first  administration  of  the 
death  penalty,  by  hanging,  in  the  corps. 

The  news  of  the  splendid  achievements  of  Sherman's  army 
in  its  march  to  the  sea  was  received  with  joyous  demonstrations. 

The  quartette  club  of  the  regiment,  led  by  Sergeant  Haman^ 
had  secured  a  considerable  reputation.  On  New  Year's  day 
of  '65,  by  invitation,  it  quite  acceptably  entertained  a  large 
gathering  of  pflficers  at  General  Bartlett's  head-quarters.  On 
that  occasion  the  officers  of  the  brigade  resolved  to  present 
General  Griflfin  with  a  handsome  Maltese  cross. 

An  odd-looking  specimen  of  humanit>' — a  light  mulatto  boy 
— presented  himself  at  the  surgeon's  quarters  one  morning 
about  this  time,  while  the  regiment  was  encamped  in  front  of 
Petersburg — whether  in  reser\'e  or  in  the  trenches,  all  locations 
hereabouts  were  styled  **  in  front  of  Petersburg  " — and  inquired 


—  S4S  — 

very  politely,  with  cap  in  hand,  if  the  officer  needed  a  servant. 
He  was  barefooted,  dirty  and  ragged,  and  his  hair  long  and 
uncombed,  and  he  was  maimed  by  the  loss  of  a  thumb.  Sur- 
geon Thomas  directed  him  to  take  soap  and  water,  thoroughly 
wash  himself  and  return.  When  a  deep  crust  of  Virginia  soil 
had  been  removed  from  his  body,  his  appearance  was  im- 
mensely improved.  He  was  accepted.  When  his  long  locks 
were  -ihorn  off  and  a  new  suit  of  clothes  from  top  to  toe  was 
prepared  for  him,  he  felt  as  proud  as  a  young  prince.  He  was 
very  intelligent,  and  stated  that  he  was  the  son  of  Robert  Ruf- 
fin,  a  white  man  residing  on  James  River,  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile busine-ss  and  a  prominent  politician  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. The  mother  of  the  lad  was  a  slave  owned  by  Mr.  Ruflin, 
The  boy  stated  also  that  he  was  called  Robert  Ruffin,  and 
usually  received  kind  treatment  from  his  master,  especially 
when  no  strangers  were  present,  frequently  receiving  from  him 
candy  and  small  presents.  His  thumb  had  been  lost  acci- 
dentally by  a  pistol  shot  fired  by  his  master.  He  proved  a 
faithful  and  industrious  servant. 

When  the  army  was  preparing  for  muster  out  and  return 
home,  the  surgeon  proposed  to  send  him  back  to  City  Point, 
but  when  he  piteously  implored  not  to  be  sent  South,  and 
with  tears  streaming  down  his  cheeks  asked  to  go  home  with 
the  officers,  the  surgeon  agreed  that  he  might  go. 

The  boy  appeared  to  be  infused  with  new  life  and  scarcely 
knew  how  to  contain  himself.  On  arriving  in  Philadelphia. 
after  the  regiment  was  mustered  out,  he  mounted  one  of  the 
surgeon's  horses  and  accompanied  him  to  his  home  at  Apple- 
bachville,  Bucks  county,  about  forty  miles  from  Philadelphia. 
The  doctor  then  proposed  to  send  him  to  public  school.  On 
inakin);  inquiry  of  one  of  tile  directors  whether  he  could  be 
admitted,  the  doctor  was  informed  that  the  sentiment  of  the 
ciinmiunity  was  strongly  again.st  negroes,  and  he  was  fearful 
that  the  patrons  of  the  school  would  raise  a  storm  if  he  were 
Mill.  Nevertheless  the  director  concluded  that  he  might  go, 
and   if  ilie  'ipposition  was  too  strong  he  could   then  leave. 


—  546  — 

On  his  first  day's  entrance  to  school,  the  boys  and  girls  gave 
him  a  wide  berth  and  looked  upon  him  as  a  wild  and  dangerous 
animal  in  the  school-room.  The  mothers  in  a  short  time  be- 
came very  loud  in  denunciation  of  the  "  der  schwarze,"  as  they 
styled  him,  going  to  their  school.  It  did  not,  however,  take 
many  days  for  the  poor  colored  boy  to  make  friends  with  the 
school-boys,  and  soon  they  were  all  anxious  to  sit  with  him. 
He  related  to  them  his  military  experience — how  they  built 
forts  in  the  army,  formed  line  of  battle,  and  fought.  He  be- 
came quite  a  hero  with  them  and  had  crowds  of  boys,  big  and 
little,  around  him  listening  to  his  army  stories.  His  progress 
in  study  was  rapid,  and  in  a  brief  time  this  poor,  friendless  boy 
who  at  first  did  not  know  his  alphabet  was  at  the  head  of  every 
class  in  the  school.  A  few  years  after,  he  was  sent  to  Phila- 
delphia to  learn  a  trade.  He  went  to  Sunday-school  there,  and 
in  consequence  of  his  quickness  and  aptitude  to  learn,  his 
teachers  gave  him  private  lessons  in  the  evenings,  and  the 
church  furnished  him  with  means  to  go  to  Lincoln  Uni- 
versity, in  Washington,  D.  C,  where  he  was  graduated  in  the 
course  of  time  at  the  head  of  his  class,  and  is  now  in  the  South 
preaching  and  teaching. 

The  brigade  was  now  composed  of  veteran  regiments  only, 
and  consisted  of  the  ist  Michigan,  91st  Pennsylvania,  83d  Penn- 
sylvania, 1 1 8th  Pennsylvania,  32d  Massachusetts,  20th  Maine, 
and  i6th  Michigan.  The  men  called  it  "the  best  brigade  in 
the  army.**  General  Bartlett  still  remained  its  honored  chief. 
With  a  commander  eminent  as  a  fighting  man  among  all  the 
host  of  brave,  distinguished  leaders,  and  with  the  splendid  per- 
sonnel of  the  seasoned  soldiery  that  filled  the  ranks,  there  was ' 
justification  in  the  high  rating  the  household  chose  to  give 
itself  This  good  opinion  held  by  the  brigade  of  itself  was 
not  without  warrant.  General  Warren  himself,  in  his  official 
report  of  the  Dabney*s  Mills  afTair,  styles  the  3d  the  "  largest 
and  best"  brigade*  of  the   division.     The  pardonable   pride 

*'*  I  then  directed  General  Griffin  tu  reinforce  General  Winthrop  by  a  brigade 
and  to  take  command  of  operations  on  the  Vaughan-Road,  rcser\-ing  to  myself 


of  never  forgetting  one's  own  merits  had  not  in  this  instance, 
at  least,  taken  so  verj'  extravagant  a  sliapc. 

As  the  Weldon  Railroad  north  of  Hicksford  and  Bellcfield 
was  never  rebuilt,  the  opinion  that  its  destruction  in  December 
was  effectual,  was  a  well-founded  conjecture.  The  one  or  the 
other  of  these  points  was  the  nearest  available  railway  terminal 
to  the  southward  from  Petersburg,  and  from  there  up  the  Mc- 
herrin  through  Dinwiddie  Court-House  by  the  Boydton  Plank 
Road  supplies  were  wagoned  to  their  destination.  It  wa; 
eluded  that  it  was  time  to  stop  this  operation,  or  so  interrupt 
this  route  of  supply  as  to  render  its  continuance  dangerous.  ■ 

Consequently,  on  the  morning  of  the  5th  of  February-,  at 
three  o'clock.  General  Gregg's  cavalry  division  was  despatched 
by  the  way  of  Ream's  Station  across  Rowanty  Creek  to  Din- 
widdie Court-House.  From  thence  it  was  to  secure  the 
Boydton  Plank  Road,  intercepting  and  capturing  supply  trains 
said  to  be  on  it,  nor  was  it  to  lose  opportunity  of  inflicting  any 
other  injury. 

Again  much  of  the  army  was  involved  in  the  enterprise,  the 
enemy  developing  a  like  activity.  Again  there  was  discomfiture, 
inglorious  contacts,  no  results.  Gregg  found  the  plank  road 
but  little  usud  and  no  ojjportuiiity  to  do  injury,  save  in  the  cap- 
ture of  some  prisoners  and  a  few  wagons.  General  Warren 
was  not  satisfied  and  was  anxious  to  try  it  over  again;  and  Lee, 
to  stiffen  the  waning  enthusiasm  of  a  stricken  people,  heralded  a 
pretentious  victory. 

General  Warren,  chained  with  the  direct  support  of  the 
cavalry,  on  the  same  morning,  at  seven  o'clock,  moved  down 
the  Halifax  Road  to  Rowanty  Post-Office,  thence  by  a  road 
direct  to  the  crossing  of  Rowanty  Creek  at  W.  Perkins's,  about 
a  iTiilc  above  Malone's  Bridge,  and  from  thence  to  a  point  half- 
way between  the  creek  and  Dinwiddie  Court-House,  where  he 
was  in  easy  communication  with  General  Gregg. 

<  ;(Micr:il  Griffin^  jd  UriKS Jc  (>i'i  l-i'ffsl  an.{  tfit).  whith  was  on  the  righl.  to  Mod 
(1.  c;iiRra1  Ayre*  in  jihce  of  Gcncrit  Wmthrop's  if  it  wai  needed  there."  (The 
it.Uii^  ate  the  author's.)  (.ieneral  Warren'*  official  repoit  of  the  opcnlioai  of  hu 
ci..nini,in.l  on  the  5lh,  6(h,  and  17th  JaoiUTT,  l86s.     MS. 


—  548  — 

General  Ayres's  division  led,  General  Griffin's  followed.  Gen- 
eral Crawford  brought  up  the  rear.  With  the  column  follow- 
ing Griffin  and  in  front  of  Crawford  were  twelve  field-pieces, 
with  eight  horses  to  each  piece  and  each  caisson.  The  trains, 
consisting  of  half  the  corps*  ambulances,  fifty  wagons  of  in- 
fantry ammunition  and  fifty-six  wagons  heavily  loaded  with 
forage  and  ammunition  for  the  cavalry,  followed  the  troops. 
The  men  took  four  days*  rations.  The  column  was  preceded 
by  three  squadrons  of  the  6th  Ohio  cavalry,  commanded  by 
Captain  Sexton. 

Hatcher's  Run  loses  its  name  at  its  confluence  with  Gravelly 
Run,  and  from  thence  still  trending  southward  is  known  as 
Rowanty  Creek.  From  the  camps  to  the  creek  the  country 
was  fairly  open  for  the  region.  What  timber  there  was  mostly 
skirted  but  one  side  of  the  road  at  a  time.  Across  the  creek  to 
where  the  column  halted,  in  the  open  ground  about  Har- 
greaves's  plantation,  the  road  passes  through  a  heavy  forest. 
At  the  point  where  the  halt  was  made  the  Vaughan  Road  comes 
in  from  the  north-east  and  continues  on  to  Dinwiddie  Court- 
House.  Arthur's  Swamp  borders  the  run  to  the  north  of  its 
confluence  with  Gravelly  Run. 

The  crossing  at  W.  Perkins's,  which  the  head  of  the  column 
reached  at  lo  a.  m.,  was  found  to  be  smartly  defended  by  about 
lOO  infantry.  A  squadron  of  cavalry  being  unable  to  keep 
down  the  fire.  General  G\vyn*s  brigade  was  ordered  up,  and  the 
fire  was  soon  silenced  and  a  crossing  eflected  by  swimming  and 
wading,  a  few  passing  over  on  the  ice.  General  Gwyn,  by 
virtue  of  his  brevet  rank,  had  been  assigned  to  the  com- 
mand of  a  brigade  in  General  Ayres's  division,  and  so  re- 
mained until  the  end  of  the  war.  The  loss  on  our  side  was 
slight     Some  twenty-five  prisoners  were  captured. 

The  stream,  sixty  feet  wide,  could  not  be  forded  by  men  or 
horses.  Trees  were  soon  felled  for  the  men  to  scramble  over 
upon  ;  the  horses  were  shortly  able  to  cross  by  a  bridge  made 
for  them,  which,  by  one  o'clock,  was  made  practicable  for  artil- 
lery and  trains. 


_  549  — 

At  345  p.  M.  Ihc  crossing  of  all  was  completed.  As  fast  as 
the  column  crossed  it  was  moved  out  to  the  Vaughan  Road, 
the  position  assij^ned  to  it,  and  of  which  it  took  possession 
without  opposition.  At  4.30  it  was  learned  that  General  Gregg, 
having  been  to  Dinwiddie  Court-House  and  his  mission  com- 
pleted, was  on  his  way  back  to  Malone's  crossing  of  the 
Rowanty,  where  he  would  bivouac  for  the  night. 

Two  of  General  Humphreys's  divisions — General  Humph- 
reys had  succeeded  General  Hancock  in  command  of  the  2d 
Corps — had  moved  out  from  the  extreme  left,  where  his  corps 
held  the  works  on  the  morning  of  the  5th,  and  Smyth's  division 
had  handsomely  repulsed  an  attack  made  upon  it  late  in  the  after- 
noon. To  prepare  for  any  concentration  which  this  attack  ap- 
parently indicated  the  enemy  might  make  in  the  morning,  at  g 
p.  M.  General  Warren  was  ordered  to  move  up  and  join  General 
Humphreys  at  the  Vaughan  Road  crossing  of  Hatcher's  Run. 
The  cavalry  division  was  ordered  to  join  General  Warren. 

General  Griffin's  division  was  first  ordered  in  motion,  but  the 
relieving  of  pickets  so  delayed  the  movement  that  it  was  nearly 
midniglit  before  it  was  fairly  on  the  road.  The  trains  followed 
General  Griffin,  then  General  Ayres's  division  and  the  artillery. 
General  Crawford's  division  followed  AynVs  General  Gregg 
joined  Warren  at  4  a.  m.  on  the  6th,  bringing  up  the  rear,  skir- 
mishing with  the  enemy  and  punishing  him  severely  when  he 
came  close  enough.  The  troops  had  little  rest  and  no  sleep. 
The  night  was  very  cold  and  no  fires  allowed  to  be  made,  and 
the  roads  were  frozen  hard  before  morning. 

The  troops  crossed  the  run  at  the  Vaughan  Road  crossing 
at  630  on  the  morning  of  the  6lh.  At  12.15  o'clock  General 
Warren  received  orders  to  make  a  reconnoissance  to  the  south 
:in<\  west  of  Hatcher's  Run  and  ascertain  the  whereabouts  of 
tin.'  enemy.  The  Vaughan  Road  runs  southerly,  and  the  road  to 
Uabncy's  Mills  branching  from  that  road  a  short  distance  below 
the  cro-ising  runs  westerly. 

General  Crawford  moved  out  the  Vaughan  Road  to  where  it 
turns  off  to  Dabnev'.s  Mills,  and  then  out  that  road  to  the  west- 


—  550  — 

ward,  instructed  to  drive  the  enemy  back  and  ascertain  the  po- 
sition of  his  entrenched  lines.  General  Ayres  followed  General 
Crawford  with  his  division. 

General  Gregg  was  directed  to  send  a  force  of  cavalry  down 
the  Vaiighan  Road  to  the  crossing  of  Gravelly  Run.  General 
Griffin's  division  was  held  in  reserve,  posted  where  the  roads 
diverge,  to  support  either  columns  as  his  services  might  be 
needed. 

It  is  a  mile  and  three-quarters  from  the  Vaughan  Road 
crossing  of  Hatcher's  Run  by  that  road  to  Gravelly  Run  cross- 
ing, a  mile  to  where  the  Dabney's  Mills  Road  turns  off,  and  a 
mile  across  country'  to  the  mills.  From  the  Vaughan  Road 
crossing  of  Hatcher's  Run  directly  west,  towards  Dabney's 
Mills,  the  country  is  open,  with  an  occasional  bog ;  the  other 
half  mile  is  heavily  timbered.  Just  to  the  southward  of  this 
direct  line  the  timber  pushes  out  to  the  eastward  and  comes 
within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  run. 

Lee  was  not  content  that  these  operations  about  his  right 
flank  should  continue  without  resistance,  and  part  of  Pegram's 
division,  of  Gordon's  corps,  was  sent  out  to  look  after  matters 
on  the  Vaughan  Road,  while  the  other  part,  with  Evans's  and 
Mahone's  divisions,  were  vigilant  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
mills.  General  Gregg  ran  into  the  one,  General  Crawford  into 
the  other. 

Meanwhile  General  Wheaton's  division,  of  the  6th  Corps^ 
4500  strong,  and  General  De  Trobriand's  brigade,  2500  strong, 
were  at  the  Cummings  House,  just  east  of  the  run,  ready  for 
effective  service  should  their  presence  be  required. 

General  Crawford  had  not  proceeded  far  before  he  encoun- 
tered the  enemy's  entrenched  picket  line,  which  was  handsomely 
carried  by  General  Bragg's  brigade. 

General  Gregg  was  now  being  sorely  pressed  on  the  Vaughan 
Road.  General  Winthrop's  brigade,  the  only  infantry  force  he 
had,  it  was  intended  should  rejoin  its  division,  but,  severely  at- 
tacked, it  maintained  itself  most  creditably  until  reinforced  hy 
a  brigade  of  General  Griffin's  division.     General  Griffin,  as  in- 


stmcted,  accompanied  the  brigade  and  assumed  command  of 
the  coiumn  operating  in  that  direction.  The  3d  Brigade — "  his 
largest  and  best " — was  reserved  to  supply  the  place  of  Win- 
throp's  detached  from  Ayrcs's;  the  other  brigade  of  the  divi- 
sion continued  to  be  held  as  a  support. 

General  Crawford  drove  the  enemy  to  and  beyond  the  mills. 
Rallying  there,  they  forced  back  his  left  somewhat  and  General 
Ayres.  with  his  two  brigades,  was  sent  to  his  support  on  that 
flank.  The  enemy  was  again  driven  out  to  some  distance  be- 
yond Dabney's  Mills.  The  firing  continuing  to  be  const^int  and 
severe.  Griffin's  3d  Brigade,  now  in  close  support,  was  all  put 
in  with  General  Ayres  to  hold  our  left. 

The  brigade,  commanded  by  General  A,  L.  Pearson,  of  the 
155th  Pennsylvania,  in  the  absence  of  General  Bartlett,  had 
crossed  Hatcher's  Run  as  early  as  6. 30  in  the  morning.  It 
had  not  reached  the  eastern  bank  after  its  midnight  start  from 
the  vicinity  of  DlnwJddie  until  three  o'clock.  Moving  forward 
a  short  distance,  a  line  of  breastworks  was  thrown  up,  and  here 
there  was  a  stop  until  late  in  the  afternoon.  The  timber  from 
each  side  of  the  stream  was  felled  across  it  and  quite  a  sub- 
stantial bridge  constructed  with  its  trunk  and  branches.  The 
permanent  bridge  over  which  the  column  advanced  was  some 
distance  to  the  right  of  this  structure. 

The  brigade  was  formed  in  rear  of  a  brigade  of  the  3d  Divi- 
sion and  extended  along  to  the  rear  of  a  brigade  of  the  2d  Di- 
vision, from  right  to  left,  in  the  following  order:  32d  Massa- 
chu.setts.  Colonel  Edmunds ;  issth  Pennsylvania,  Captain  J,  S. 
IIlII  ;  i6th  Michigan,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Partridge;  ii8th 
Pennsylvania,  Brevet  Colonel  Herring;  20th  Maine,  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Gilmore;  S3d  Pennsylvania,  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Rogers;  gist  Pennsylvania, Captain  Donnell;  and  ist  Michigan, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Lockley.  The  line  had  scarce  formed  when 
the  enemy's  shells  shrieked  through,  lopping  off  the  limbs 
and  boughs  from  the  thick  timber.  The  ground  was  of  a 
marshy  nature,  the  underbrush  close,  and  progress  was 
made  with  difficulty. 


I 


—  552  — 

At  4.30  p.  M.  the  brigade  advanced  in  line  to  its  position 
of  close  support,  and  the  firing  continuing  to  be  constant  and 
severe,  it  was  shortly  moved  to  the  heat  of  the  action.  The  line 
halted  in  an  o[H:n  field  in  which  was  here  and  there  a  tree,  and 
at  once  foil  under  a  fiorci:  fire  of  artillery. 

Colonel  Herriiis  roiio  Quartermaster  Gardiner's  horse,  an 
animal  he  had  ri:ci;ntly  purchased,  and  which  he  desired  to  test 
under  fire.  First  restive,  then  impatient,  under  the  screech  and 
roar  of  the  bursting 
shells,  the  animal 
finally  became  un- 
manageable. Circ- 
ling and  rearing  in 
every  direction,  it  at 
last  plunged  into  a 
hole  made  from  the 
uprooting  of  a  fallen 
tree.  Colonel  Her- 
ring was  unable  to 
disengage  himself  in 
time,  and  the  horse 
fell  heavily  upon  his 
foot,  so  severely  in- 
juring it  that  he  was 
unable  to  walk.  He 
at  once  dismounted 
JOHN  HAVKS,  JR.,  SKRC.T.  CO.  c.  Lieutenant    Paschal 

who,  in  the  absence  of  Peck,  was  acting  adjutant,  and  mount- 
ing Paschall's  horse  continued  to  direct  the  movements  of  the 
re;4iiiient. 

Hcyond  the  point  where  the  command  had  halted  the  ground 
Miis  niiirshy  and  htavy. 

Pursuant  to  instructions  from  General  Warren,  to  whom  the 
biiijade  dL-tnched  from  the  division  reported  directly,  General 
IVarsiiii  tool;  two  re'^iments,  the  32d  Massachusetts  and  iSSth 
Pennsylvania,  on  the  double-quick  and  went  to  the  support  of 


GcneraJ  Ayrcs's  left.  The  heavy  firing  from  the  direction  in 
which  they  moved  told  conchisivcly  that  they  had  at  once  be- 
came engaged.  Attention  was  still  intent  upon  this  and  the 
heavy  shelling,  when  General  Pearson,  returning  hurriedly,  rode 
up  and  directed  Colonel  Herring  to  put  in  his  regiment,  as  tlie 
Michigan  skirmishers  had  been  severely  handled,  and  many  of 
them  captured.  The  Michigan  skirmishers,  with  the  32d 
Massachusetts  and  155th  Pennsylvania,  were  the  first  of  the 
brigade  to  come  in  contact  with  the  enemy,  when  the  whoic 
was  ordered  in  by  General  Warren  to  secure  General  Ayrcs's 
left.  * 

Moving  gallantly  forward,  the  line  swept  on  until  the  boggy 
ground  was  reached,  where,  from  tlie  difficulty  in  crossing  it. 
.some  confusion  ensued.  This  was  speedily  overcome,  the  line 
readjusted  itself  of  its  own  volition,  charged  up  to  and  over  a 
line  of  the  enemy's  rifle-pits,  and  under  a  galling  fire  proceeded 
to  face  them  the  other  way. 

At  this  point  Captain  John  Scott,  of  Company  A,  was  mor- 
tally wounded.  Captain  Scott,  entering  the  service  as  a  ser- 
gi;ant.  had  risen  through  the  grade  of  .second  and  first  lieutenant 
to  the  command  of  a  company.  He  was  of  sterling  stuff,  emi- 
nently courageous  and  thoroughly  a  soUIIer,  The  att^'iiipt  t(. 
carry  Jiim  to  the  rear  was  a  failure.  In  the  heavy  pressure  fol- 
lowing the  falling  back,  he  was  abandoned  at  his  own  solicita- 
tion and  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  The  next  day  it 
was  learned  through  the  enemy's  pickets  that  he  had  died  in 
their  field  hospital.  Wm.  L.  Gabe,  whose  devotion  to  Captain 
Ricketts  .It  Shcphcrdstown  will  be  remembered,  nobly  stayed 
with  Captain  Scott  until  the  latter  insisted  that  he  should 
Lave  him  and  save  himself.  Captain  Bayne,  while  trying  to 
.t-.-ii^t  Scott,  was  shot  through  the  cheek.  Happily  the  wound, 
;iinu;.;!i  painful,  was  not  mortal.  Bayne  was  a  noble  officer. 
I  lu  was  a  warm  friend  of  Scott,  and  like  him  had  risen  from 
the  ranks.  earniriLj  promotion  by  soldierly  conduct. 

.\s  Captain  Scott  fell  Colonel  Herring  rode  up  to  give  direc- 
tious  fur  his  removal,  when  a  ball  struck  his  right  leg  just  below 


I 


—  SS4  — 

the  knee.  Sensible  for  a  time  only  of  the  blow,  and  not  that  he 
had  been  severely  wounded,  he  congratulated  himself  that  the 
stout  cavalry  boot  of  the  Philadelphia  City  Troop  pattern,  a 
pair  of  which  he  wore,  was  strong  enough  to  turn  a  ball.  He 
continued,  unconscious  of  his  hurt,  to  direct  the  fighting  until 


CAPTAIN  JOHN  SCOIT. 

an  officer  of  the  20th  Maine,  observing  the  hole  in  his  boot  aad 
the  stream  of  blood  that  flowed  from  it,  called  his  attention  to 
the  apparently  serious  nature  of  his  wound.  Realizing  (or  the 
first  time  the  full  extent  of  his  injury,  and  gradually  becoming 
faint  from  loss  of  blood,  Colonel  Herring  formally  turned  over 
the  command  to  Colonel  O'Neill,  and  proceeded  to  work  his 
way  to  the  nearest  point  for  surgical  attention. 

The  firing  at  the  moment  was  tremendous,  and  the  under- 


—  SS5  — 

taking  was  coupled  with  dangers  equal  to  those  of  the  front. 
The  Colonel  did  not  dismount,  but  weak  and  sinking  from  ex- 
haustion, he  feared  to  trust  himself  alone  to  manage  his  horse, 
and  a  faithful  soldier  led  it  until  he  too  was  wounded,  and  fell. 
At  the  breastworks  built  in  the  morning,  the  horse  fell  dead. 
The  ball  which  passed  through  Colonel  Herring's  leg  had 
entered  its  body,  penetrating  a  vital  organ.  The  noble  animal 
had  borne  its  wounded  rider  from  tlic  field,  as  if  determined  to 
be  faithful  to  the  very  last. 

An  ambulance  bore  the  colonel  to  the  Cummiogs  House. 
The  last  sounds  that  came  to  him  from  the  field  were  the  yells 
and  cheers  from  the  desperate  onslaught  that  broke  the  lines 
which  he  had  struggled  so  manfully  to  maintain, 

The  1st  Michigan  and  iiSth  Pennsylvania  were  thrown  to- 
gether. Officers  and  men  displayed  great  gallantry  in  resisting 
the  advance  of  the  enemy.  Darkness  coming  on,  the  lines 
were  reformed,  and  the  troops  laid  in  line  of  battle  on  their 
arms  on  open  ground.  During  the  night  it  rained,  and  as  the 
water  fell  it  froze  on  the  men's  overcoats  and  on  the  blankets 
in  which  some  of  them  had  wrapped  themselves.  A  few  small 
chip  and  twig  fires  were  all  that  the  men  had  to  warm  them. 
HiKldlcd  together  upon  the  groiinil.  tliL-y  shi\crfd  with  thc 
cold  through  the  long  night.  The  heavy  log  fires  which  the 
Confederates  had  built  within  two  hundred  yards  of  the  line 
did  not  increase  their  comfort.  When  morning  dawned,  the 
Pennsylvania  Reserves  moved  out  as  skirmishers ;  the  enemy's 
pickets  fell  back  before  them,  and  our  line  was  again  well  ad- 
vanced. The  regiment  covered  the  rear  on  the  return  to  quar- 
ters. 

The  wound  Colonel  Herring  had  received  ended  his  career 
with  the  regiment.  All  efforts  to  save  his  leg  proved  fruitless, 
and  within  a  few  weeks  it  was  amputated.  His  system  had  be- 
come ver)'  much  prostrated,  and  for  a  long  time  after  the  ampu- 
tation his  life  was  despaired  of,  but  a  vigorous  constitution  tri- 
unipliL'd  and  he  is  yet  among  us,  a  noble  type  of  the  manhood 
tli:it  saved  the  nation. 


i 


1 


I 


-  556  - 

With  all  its  changes  of  leadership,  the  Ii8th  had  ever  been 
cohesive,  self-sustaining  and  reliable.  It  met  with  no  more 
serious  blow  than  the  loss  of  Colonel  Herring.  Brave,  con- 
scientious, dignified  and  soldierly  in  appearance,  he  was  a  leader 
to  inspire  respect  and  confidence.  With  the  culture  of  a  gen- 
tleman and  the  bearing  of  the  trained  and  skilful  soldier,  he 
secured  that  willing  obedience  always  cheerfully  yielded  to 
intelligent  control. 

His  devotion  to  his  command  was  remarkable.  Offered  pro- 
motion which  would  have  severed  his  connection  with  the  regi- 
ment, he  declined,  declaring  his  unalterable  purpose  never  to 
leave  it.  A  strict  disciplinarian,  he  had  the  full  confidence  of 
the  men  in  times  of  danger.  Ever)''  man  in  the  ranks  felt  that 
if  it  were  possible  to  save  them  from  disaster  in  the  field.  Colonel 
Herring's  quick  obser\'ation  and  cool,  determined  courage 
would  accomplish  it. 

The  stor\'  of  the  rest  of  that  part  of  the  affair  at  Dabney's 
Mills  in  which  Bartlett's  brigade  participated  can  be  best  told 
in  General  Warren's  own  language.  He  thus  speaks  of  it  in 
his  official  report  of  the  operations  of  his  corps  at  that  time. 
The  narrative  it  will  be  remembered  was  interrupted  after  the 
brigade  had  been  for  a  time  engaged  at  the  rifle-pits,  which 
under  the  enemy's  fire  it  had  faced  the  other  way,  and  General 
Warren's  report  is  taken  up  after  he  has  spoken  of  putting  in 
the  whole  of  Bartlett's  brigade  to  hold  Ayres's  left. 

*'  I  sent  then  also  at  once  for  at  least  a  brigade  of  General 
Wheaton*s  division,  intending  to  order  the  whole  division  up 
if  affairs  on  the  Vaughan  Road  would  permit.  Unfortunately, 
however,  the  enemy  got  up  reinforcements  faster  than  I  could, 
and  when  a  brigade  of  General  Wheaton's  division  was  nearing 
the  scene  of  action,  a  charge  was  made  by  the  enemy  in  force 
(according  to  the  Petersburg  Express  consisting  of  three  divi- 
sions), against  which  I  had  but  six  brigades  opposed. 

"  Our  line,  despite  all  the  exertions  of  the  prominent  officers 
and  much  good  conduct  among  those  in  the  ranks,  gave  way 
and  fell  back  rapidly,  but  with  little  loss  after  the  movement 


( 


SATHaMKL  bay\k, 


began.  Portions  of  the  line  continued  to  fire  as  it  retired,  and 
General  Wheaton  got  his  brigade  in  line  and  with  it  a  portion 
of  the  others  reformed,  so  that  the  enemy  was  checked  before 
our  old  lines  were  reached  by  us. 

" .  ,  .1  must  say,  if  our  troops  had  all  stood  as  firm  at  Dab- 
ney's  Mills  as  the  best  [the  reader  will  bear  in  mind  that  Gen- 
eral Warren,  in  this  same  paper,  had  already  noted  the  3d 
Brigade,  Bartlett's,  as  the  best  and  largest  of  Griffin's  division} 
of  them  did.  that  I  had  enough  there  to  have  held  the  enemy 
till  any  amount  of  reinforcements  could  have  arrived.  On  the 
whole  it  was  not  a  bad  fight  and  in  no  way  discouraged  me  in 
my  willingness  to  tr>-  the  same  thing  again  with  the  same  men. 
Nearly  all  the  operations  of  the  column  toward  Dabney's  Mills 
I  was  an  eye-witness  to  and  can  speak  of  the  good  conduct  of 
all  those  officers  on  whom  I  have  heretofore  relied. 

"...  I  take  this  occasion  to  deny  the  newspaper  corre- 
spondents' statement  that  this  brigade  (the  brigade  of  Wheaton 's 
division)  fired  into  any  of  our  troops.  It  was  under  my  eye 
the  whole  time  and  did  not  fire  except  upon  the  enemy.  I 
would  also  state  that  there  was  no  ammunition  wagon  aban- 
doned on  the  6lh.  I  wish  further  to  state  that  our  falling  back 
from  Dabn  -'s  Mills  under  the  fire  of  the  enemy  was,  in  my 
opinion,  unnecessary  and  was  against  my  orders,  I  had  force 
to  have  held  on  longer;  the  enemy  did  not  flank  us,  but  came 
square  in  front,  and  I  believe  we  can  do  better  next  time."* 

Genera!  Warren's  conspicuous  prominence  at  the  extreme 
front  through  all  this  action  was  again  a  theme  for  laudation 
among  the  soldiery.  Scarce  any  one  who  saw  him  seated  upon 
his  splendid  white  horse,  amid  the  shower  of  bullets,  ever  ex- 
pected his  escape. 

Lieutenant  James  J.  Donnelly,  of  Company  E,  won  for  him- 
self enviable  distinction.  After  the  line  broke,  in  command  of 
the  skirmishers,  he  checked  the  enemy  so  noticeably  that  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Gideon  Clark,  who  commanded  the  1 19th  Penn- 

*  I  K-nt'r.il   \V.iriFn'>  rc|xiri  of  Ihc  operttioQi  at  hii  commuid  oo  the  5tll,  6dl 

anJ  7tli  uf  l-iliruaiy,  1865.      MS. 


-558- 

sylvan ia,  one  of  the  supporting  regiments  of  the  brigade  of 
General  Whcaton's  division,  made  special  mention  to  Donnelly 
of  his  excellent  fighting,  and  General  Warren  also  personally 
complimented  him. 

It  rarely  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  clerical  force  of  the  army  to  be 
thrown  into  the  heat  of  an  engagement,  but  it  so  happened  to 
Levi  Teal,  of  Company  C,  chief  clerk  at  the  head-quarters  of 
General  Griffin,  at  the  Dabney  Mills  fight.  A  skirmish  line,  in 
the  midst  of  the  confusion  resulting  from  the  retreat,  had  been 
overlooked.  To  recall  it,  some  half  a  mile  distant,  it  was 
necessary  to  ride  through  the  retreating  troops  of  the  2d  Di- 
vision and  under  the  fire  of  the  enemy  pressing  them.  No 
staff  officer  was  at  hand,  and  Teal  was  despatched  on  the  mis- 
sion. He  successfully  accomplished  his  errand,  bringing  the 
skirmish  line  in  safely.  Teal  was  one  of  those  serviceable -aids 
to  the  business  of  a  head-quarters  on  whom,  in  the  absence  of 
the  general  and  all  his  staff  in  the  active  operations  of  the 
field,  groat  responsibilities  rested.  On  this  occasion  he  proved 
himself  as  available  for  the  field  as  he  was  invaluable  at  the 
desk. 

A  regiment  such  as  the  ii  8th  was  looked  to  supply  more 
than  its  proportionate  share  of  that  very  essential  need  to  the 
conduct  of  army  affairs — a  skilled  clerical  force.  Among  the 
most  efficient  selected  for  such  duty  was  Albert  Haverstick,  of 
**  H."  After  the  battle  of  Shcpherdstown  his  merits  were  first 
discovered  by  his  company  commander.  Papers  of  the  very 
excellent  character,  which  he  prepared,  in  travelling  through 
the  different  head-quarters,  necessarily  attracted  attention.  As 
was  invariably  the  case,  the  company  commander  soon  lost  the 
services  of  his  very  efficient  clerk  and  some  superior  secured 
them.  Haverstick  rose  to  the  chief  clerkship  at  the  head-quar- 
ters of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  was  retained  by  General 
Meade  after  the  regiment  was  mustered  out,  and  after  that  was 
for  a  time  on  duty  with  the  general  at  Philadelphia,  while  in 
command  of  the  militar)"  division  of  the  Atlantic. 

The  brigade  remained  in  position  on  the  west  bank  of  the 


■I 

I  I 


~  559 


run  during  the  7th,  and  that  night,  the  weather  becoming  bitter, 
stinging  cold,  all  troops  operating  on  the  west  bank  withdrew 
to  the  cast  of  Hatcher's  Run. 

During  the  winter  in  front  of  Petersburg  the  sth  Corps  more 
than  any  other  experienced  the  inconvenience  of  frequent  mov- 
ing, and  now,  relegated  to  the  extreme  left  of  the  army,  for  the 
third  time  housed  itself  in  pemiancnt  quarters. 

About  the  middle  of  March  Generals  Grant  and  Meade  re- 
viewed the  corps.  It  was  quite  a  gala  day;  the  ladies  of  the 
femilics  of  the  distinguished  officers  and  others  graced  the  oc- 
casion with  tlieir  presence.  The  ii8lh  happened  in  a  promi- 
nent position,  the  right  of  the  brigade,  and  spruced  itself  ac- 
cordingly. With  but  three  divisions,  aggregating  ninety-three 
men,  it  was  not  very  noticeable  for  strength,  but  made  up  in 
appearance  what  it  lacked  in  numbers. 

The  provo.st -marshal  was  authorized  to  pay  a  fixed  price 
for  all  muskets  brought  in  by  deserters  from  the  enemy.  On 
one  occasion  on  the  picket  line  in  our  immediate  front  a  desert- 
ing teamster  drove  in  a  six-mule  team,  for  which  the  provost- 
marshal  was  said  to  have  allowed  him  ^itOO. 

But  there  was  to  be  no  more  house-building;  reviews, 
parades  and  ceremonies  were  over,  March  was  rapidly  disap- 
pearing in  good  and  cheering  weather,  and  everything  was  ap- 
parently in  readiness  for  the  final  plunge. 


APPOMATTOX  CAMPAIGN. 

5ih  Corps,  commanded  by  Maj.-Gcn.  G.  K.  Warren. 

isi  l)ivi,i< 

n,  timimandMl  by  Brig. -Gen.  Chas.  Griffin. 

3d  Briftadi 

e  Sharpshooters.  Capl.  Geo.  R.  Abbott. 

1,1  Mai 

jolh  Ma 

nu.  Ll.-Col.  Waller  G.  .Morrtll. 

lid  Ma 

s.Ll.-Col   James  A.  Cunninghaio. 

1*1  Mi.li 

..Lt.-Co],  Georftc  Locklcy. 

16th  Mi 

h.,  Bvl,.Cnl,  Bcnj-  F.  Partridge. 

S?.!  Pon 

na.,  Co].  Chauncev  P.  Rogera. 

'>!^t  Prn 

na..L(.-Cnl.  Eli  G.  Seller. 

uSih  P 

nna.,  Ll.-Cnl.  Henrv  O'Neill, 

i:;[h  P 

nna  ,  Bit.  Brig.-Gen.  Alfred  L.  Pearson. 

CHAPTER  XX. 

—FIVE   FOBKS — 

NoTHiNn  can  cover  his  high  tame  but  heaven; 

No  pyramids  set  off  his  memories 

Bui  the  eternal  substance  of  his  gtcalness, 

To  which  I  leave  him. 

>  ^  tlic  army  had  hoped  against  hope  so  long, 
it  naturally  doubted  whether  the 
spring  campaign  would  end  in 
Rnat  success.  But  when,  as 
March  was  waning,  in  the  spring 
of  "65,  two  great  army  corps, 
with  all  the  cavalry,  swung  over 
Hatcher's  Run,  there  was  some- 
thing in  the  air  itself  that  gave 
assurance  that  the  end  had  come. 
The  anxiety  that  grows  as  the 
I  is  ncaring  gave  way  to  a 
determination  to  see  it  out,  with 
all  it.s  risks  and  chances.  Vet- 
erdn-t  who  had  gone  through  all  without  an  ailment  or  a  wound 
drowned  their  anxious  hopefulness  in  fixed  resolve.  There 
was  no  hesitancy.  Men  who  a  year  since  would  have  halted 
before  the  dread  adv.incc  were  up  and  at  them  ere  the  bugle 
sounded  forward.  After  a  sharp  repulse  there  was  a  quick  re- 
bound. The  enemy's  staggering  blows  of  desperation  ended  in 
his  hopeless  rout.  His  mad  races  were  fruitless.  Outstripped 
at  every  turn,  blocked  on  every  highway,  famished  and  weaty, 
he  yielded  and  the  patriot  army's  work  was  done. 

General   Griffin's  division  at  the  opening  of  the  campaign 

numbered  6,547   men.     Its  three  brigades  were  commanded 

respectively,  the  ist  \r  General  J.  L.  Chamberlain ;  the  2d  by 

General  Gregory,  and  the  3d  oy  General  J.  J.  Bartlett     Ours, 

(30°; 


the  jti  Brigade,  was  the  same  in  organization  as  mentioned  \r 
the  preceding  chapter. 

The  5th  Corps  moved  from  its  camp  in  ihe  vicinity  of  the 
Vaughan  Road  crossing  of  Hatcher's  Run  at  three  o'clock  on 
the  morning  of  the  29th  of  March,  General  Ayres's  div 
leading,  General  Griffin's  following,  General  Crawford  bringing 
up  the  rear.  The  movement  did  not  reach  Griffin's  division 
until  a  time  much  later  than  the  starting  hour,  and  it  v 


FIREr  FIRE1    TOTAL 


INSURANCE. 


o'clock  before  its  camps  were  broken.  The  route  cast  of  thf 
run  lay  through  Arthur's  Swamp  to  the  crossing  of  Rowan^ 
Creek  at  \V.  Perkins's,  where  the  corps  had  crossed  in  February, 
This  point  is  better  known  as  Monk's  Neck  Bridge.  Thence 
tho  movement  continued  by  the  old  Stage  and  Vaughan  roads 
until  the  Chappie  was  reached,  about  two  miles  from  Dinwiddie 
Court-House,  a  position  which  the  order  of  march  designated  as 
its  tLTniination.  At  4.45  A.  M.  the  head  of  the  column  had  reached 
J6 


—  5^2  — 

Rowanty  Creek,  where  a  few  shots  were  fired  by  the  enemy's 
lookouts,  and  by  eight  was  at  the  point  of  destination. 

The  country  through  which  this  movement  had  been  made 
and  the  operations  about  to  follow  were  to  be  conducted  "was 
of  the  forest  kind  common  to  Virginia,  being  well  watered  by 
swampy  streams.  The  surface  is  level  and  the  soil  clayey  and 
nndy,  and,  where  these  mix  together,  like  quicksand.  The 
soil  after  the  frosts  of  winter  first  leave  it  is  very  light  and  soft, 
and  hoofs  and  wheels  find  but  little  support."  * 

The  pleasant  weather  prevailing  for  a  time  disappeared. 
During  the  late  afternoon  rain  set  in  hard  and  the  little  support 
afforded  hoofs  and  wheels  seemed  lost  altogether.  This  un- 
fortunate change  in  the  weather  materially  affected  the  move- 
ments of  the  next  few  days. 

The  few  clearings  were  so  infrequent  as  scarce  to  leave  im- 
pression that  the  marching  and  fighting  of  the  day  had  been 
other  than  through  the  same  dense,  interminable  forests  which 
were  ever>'where.  The  point  at  the  Chappie  had  been  secured 
without  opposition,  and  at  noon  General  Griflfin  was  directed  to 
return  by  the  Vaughan  Road  to  the  junction  of  the  Quaker 
Road,  move  down  it  towards  the  Boydton  Plank  Road  and 
connect  with  the  left  of  the  2d  Corps. 

General  Chamberlain's  ist  Brigade  led  the  column.  Imme- 
diately after  crossing  Gravelly  Run  he  met  the  enemy's  skir- 
mishers, drove  them  steadily  to  the  Lewis  House,  where,  after  a 
spirited  engagement,  lasting  some  two  hours,  he  managed,  with 
that  surpassing  skill  and  resistless  energy  which  General  Cham- 
berlain had  always  at  command,  to  drive  the  forces  he  had  met 
— portions  of  Johnson's  and  Anderson's  divisions  supported  by 
Wise  and  Wallace's  brigades — completely  from  the  field.  At 
one  time  when  Chamberlain  was  sorest  pressed  the  i6th  and 
1st  Michigan  and  the  iSSth  Pennsylvania,  of  the  3d  Brigade, 
were  sent  to  his  assistance  and  rendered  most  efficient  aid. 

General  Chamberlain  thus  speaks  of  them :  "  The  line  was 
falling  back  in  front  of  the   Lewis   House  when  Lieutenant- 

*  General  WaiTen*s  Report.     MS. 


JilSIII  A    I..  (11  AMIIHKI.AIN, 


-  S63  - 

Colonel  Doolittle,  of  the  i88th  New  York,  came  up,  gallantly 
leading  hh  regiment,  as  also  Colonel  Partridge  with  him,  i6th 
Michigan.  The  155th  Pennsylvania  and  1st  Michigan  came  on 
in  the  most  handsome  manner,  passing  to  my  front.  Brevet 
Brigadier-General  Pearson  grasping  his  colors  and  dashing 
straight  against  the  enemy's  line." 

It  was  a  very  sharp  fight.  The  loss  in  Chamberlain's  brigade 
was  heavy,  but  that  of  the  enemy  was  far  greater.  The  general 
himself  had  warm  work  in  the  whirl  and  fury  of  the  struggle. 
His  horse  was  shot  under  him,  his  left  arm  disabled,  and  a 
minie  ball,  striking  him  fair  in  the  breast,  glanced  just  over 
his  heart,  and  left  a  painful  wound  and  a  disreputable-look- 
ing coat.  He  did  not  relinquish  his  command  or  leave  the 
field. 

Promptly,  as  General  Chamberlain's  success  was  assured,  the 
whole  skirmish  line  of  the  division  was  advanced,  closely  fal- 
lowed by  the  line  of  battle.  General  Warren,  as  usual,  was 
prominently  conspicuous  with  the  skirmishers.  'The  line  did 
not  stop  its  advance  until  it  drew  the  enemy's  artillery  fire  from 
his  main  line  of  works,  covering,  it  was  supposed,  the  White 
Oak  Road,  about  a  half  mile  north  of  the  junction  of  the  Quaker 
Road  with  the  Boydton  Plank  Rfiad.  The  last  position  at 
which  there  was  any  determined  stand  was  at  this  junction, 
and  from  this  position,  where  "the  two  roads  join,"  says  Gen- 
eral Warren  in  his  Official  Report,  "the  IlSth  Pennsylvania 
drove  the  last  of  the  enemy." 

There  was  a  house  at  this  point  in  the  middle  of  a  large 
clearing,  called,  by  General  Warren,  J.  Stroud's  (arm,  from 
which  a  body  of  sharpshooters  were  picking  ofT  the  men  with 
considerable  accuracy.  Captain  Moore  and  Lieutenant  God- 
win were  ordered  forward  with  a  line  of  skirmishers.  Godwin 
reached  the  house  among  the  first  and  entered  as  the  enemy 
JL-ft.  Some  of  the  men  rushed  for  the  windows  and  fired  from 
thcni.  The  enemy  brought  up  a  piece  of  artillery,  and  although 
our  shots  seemed  to  be  well  directed,  no  attention  was  paid 
them  particularly  by  a  Confederate  officer  who  stood  on  the 


—  564  — 

works  directing  its  movement.  The  first  shot  went  over  the 
house,  the  second  struck  it,  and  the  third  exploded  in  the  chim- 
ney, taking  off  the  right  arm  of  Corporal  Charles  S.  Calhoun, 
of  "  K,"  and  the  left  of  David  Stockel,  of"  A."  Two  days  after 
Stockel  died  at  City  Point.  Brick  and  plaster  fiew  about  thick, 
enveloping  the  new  occupants  of  the  structure  in  dust  and  rub- 
bish. The  men  were  then  ordered  away  from  the  house  and 
deployed  to  its  right  and  left  as  skirmishers. 

Upon  the  farther  side  of  a  large  open  field,  which  the  advance 
had  reached,  was  a  strong,  well-manned  line  of  the  enemy's 
breastworks.  Here,  night  nearly  on,  we  advanced,  the  line 
halted,  and,  in  obedience  to  orders,  threw  up  a  line  oi  works 
which  were  not  completed  until  after  midnight.  The  sky  was 
black  and  at  times  the  rain  poured  in  torrents.  It  had  been  a 
day  of  hard  work,  some  danger  and  much  anxiety;  a  wet,  cheer- 
less and  comfortless  night  followed.  It  was  a  sudden  and  not 
a  very  refreshing  change  in  a  single  twenty-four  hours,  from 
good  weather  and  quiet  camps  to  the  risk  of  battle  by  day  and 
the  comfortless  exposure  to  a  heavy  storm  of  rain  by  night. 

Under  cover  of  darkness  we  advanced  and  built  a  line  of 
breastworks  close  to  the  rebel  line.  It  rained  hard  next  morn- 
ing ;  the  rebels  stood  upon  their  works  looking  over  at  us.  Not 
a  shot  was  fired.  Some  of  our  men  styck  loaves  of  bread  on 
bayonets  and  held  them  up,  saying :  "  Hey,  Johnny !  Come 
over  and  get  some  fresh  bread  and  coffee."  They  did  not 
come.  Shortly  after  an  officer  on  a  white  horse  dashed  along 
their  line  and  they  retreated  and  we  advanced  out 

The  tempest  continued  during  the  day  and  the  roads  became 
impassable,  so  that  all  operations  for  the  30th,  except  those  so 
far  advanced  that  their  continuance  was  essential,  were  sus- 
pended. But,  so  far  at  least  as  its  skirmish  line  was  concerned, 
the  1 1 8th  was  billeted  for  pretty  active  work. 

The  division  still  retained  the  position  it  had  taken  up  the 
night  before.  As  early  as  six  o'clock  in  the  morning.  General 
Warren  sent  the  following  instructions  to  General  Griffin : 

"  Have  General  Bartlett's  skirmish  line  feel  the  enemy  in  his 


-  S6S  - 

front  and  ascertain  if  they  are  in  the  same  position  as  last 
niglit,  if  he  has  not  already  determined  it,  and  send  me  a  report 
in  writing." 

General  Bartlett  was  quick  in  his  response;  in  fact,  he  had 
doubtless  anticipated  his  instructions,  for  at  7. 30  A.  M.  General 
Griffin  sent  the  following  to  General  Warren ; 

Since  th«  fog  has  lifLed  >  licUe,  I  lind  the  Hgh[  of  my  skitmiih  line  wilhin  one 
hnodred  kiit!  fifty  yardi  of  >  complele  line  of  riSe-pits,  now  held  in,  u  far  u  de- 
veloped, ihc  uiuil  force  for  luch  a  line.  1  have  mode  a  deroonnralion  «ith  my 
>kiiiai!.h  line,  which  ii  in  Ihe  open  firld,  and  am  lati.fied  lh«  pusilioa  will  be  holly 
conlesled.  I  und  a  diagram  of  my  line  and  the  linn  of  the  enemy  with  the  sup- 
posed line  of  advance  of  Ihe  id  Corp*.  No  conncellon  hu  yet  been  mode  with 
me  on  my  right  oi  left  either  by  linci  of  battle  or  Rkiimish  tine. 
Vciy  reipectfully,  your  obedient  ier%'ant, 

Jos.  J,  BAHTLrrr,  Bv'l  AfaJ.-Crm.  Cam'g  Brigadt. 

Soce  the  above  wax  written  it  hai  been  reponed  the  id  Corps  connects. 

CUAELES  Crifkin,  BrmI  Majar-Cenetal. 

About  noon  the  skirmish  line  was  advanced,  that  of  the 
enemy  having  fallen  back.  This  act  on  their  part  was  due  to 
the  advance  of  General  Humphrey's  skirmish  line  with  some 
of  the  right  of  the  5th  Corps  line,  which  made  the  enemy's 
skirmish  lint.-  untenable.  Undor  General  W.irrcn's  5;iip<:i-vision, 
he  finding  that  the  line  of  battle  could  be  advanced  to  a  good 
position,  it  was  now  moved  forward  some  half  mile  across  the 
open  field  to  the  point  where  the  road  from  Dabney's  enters 
the  Plank  Road.  During  this  movement  the  enemy  opened 
with  artillery  from  breastworks  near  the  Burgess  Mills.  A 
sub.scqiicnt  reconnoissance  showed  the  battery,  which  at  first 
was  supposed  to  be  on  the  south  side  of  Hatcher's  Run,  to 
have  been  at  the  junction  of  the  Wlfitc  Oak  Road  with  the 
Plank  Road. 

This  was  the  same  locality  where  General  Hancock  had  at- 
tempted to  secure  a  permanent  lodgment  in  the  previous  Oc- 
tnlior,  and  from  which  he  eventually  rescued  himself  from  most 
piTilous  surroundings.  The  White  Oak  Road  was  the  shortest 
mule  of  the  enemy's  to  Five  Forks,  a  point  which  once  secured 


"^^V-^ 


-S66- 

must  ultimately  force  the  enemy's  abandonment  of  his  Peters- 
burg entrenchments.  On  the  White  Oak  Road  his  permanent 
works  terminated,  just  to  the  westward  of  Burgess  Mills,  and 
to  hold  it  there  and  beyond  against  the  threatening  attitude  of 
the  5th  Corps  and  tlie  cavalry,  he  was  bending  all  his  energies. 
Hatcher's  Run  to  the  north  of  Armstrong's  Mill  changes  direc- 
tion and  courses  westerly. 
The  pickets  advanced  some  distance  beyond  the  line  of  battle. 
From  the  picket  line 
it  was  discovered. 
General  Warren  per- 
sonally making  the 
observation,  that  the 
enemy's  breastworks 
were  well  located 
and  constructed  and 
defended  by  infantry 
and  artillery.  Trees 
prevented  their  being 
seen  at  all  points. 
The  timber  had  been 
well  slashed  to  give 
efiect  to  the  fire,  and 
where  the  fallen  trees 
did  not  obstruct  the 
ground  abatis  had 
been  laid.  Durii^ 
these  operations  it  rained  hard. 

Sergeant  Stotensburg,  as  usual,  pressing  ahead  saw  an  op- 
portunity to  pick  up  a  few  prisoners,  and  dashing  out  in  front 
of  the  advancing  pickets  brought  in  four  men,  who  evidently 
had  not  expected  to  be  so  actively  pursued. 

General  Ayres,  while  General  Griffin  was  operating  in  front 
of  Bui^ess  Mills,  had  moved  out  to  the  northwestward,  to  a 
position  where  he  could  see  the  White  Qak  Road,  and  Gen- 
eral Warren  was  quite  anxious  Humphrey's  should  take  care 


of  Griffin's   front,  that  lie  might  use  Griffin  to  co-operate  with 
Ayrcs  ;ind  Crawford. 

About  four  o'clock  Wilcox's  division  made  a  demonstration 
against  Griffin's  front  but  was  easily  driven  back.  A  few  pris- 
oners fell  into  our  hands,  mostly  broken  down  men  who  had 
but  a  short  while  before  been  forced  into  the  service 

The  enemy  were  utilizing  the  White  Oak   Road  actively.  ' 
During  the  day  Pickett's  division  had  been  seen  to  pass  along 
it.      His  whereabouts  were  developed    during    the   night,   and 
what  he  accomplished  by  his  short  route  and  rapid  march  was 
quite  apparent  in  his  operations  the  following  day. 

Near  midnight  General  Griffin  reported  that  he  was  unable 
to  form  any  definite  opinion  as  to  the  practicability  of  an  assault 
on  the  enemy's  works.  His  skirmish  line  encountering  a  skir- 
mish line  of  the  enemy  in  superior  numbers  was  unable  to  press 
forward.  He  hoped  that  things  might  be  changed  in  the  morn- 
ing, but  before  that  time  came  General  Humphrey  had  been 
ordered  to  send  a  division  to  relieve  him  and  he  was  ordered 
to  move  down  the  Boydton  Plank  Road  to  General  Ayres's  old 
position. 

Within  the  time  after  daylight  on  the  31st  that  it  took  to 
accomplish  the  movement,  General  Miles's  division  of  the  3d 
Corps  had  relieved  General  Griffin's,  and  Griffin  was  massed  a 
short  distance  east  of  a  branch  of  Gravelly  Run,  across  a  wood 
road  running  from  near  Mrs.  Butler's  to  W.  Dabney's  on  the 
White  Oak  Road. 

General  Ayres  was  still  at  W.  Dabney's,  within  sight  of  the 
White  Oak  Road,  with  the  enemy's  pickets  on  our  side  of  it, 
and  General  Crawford  was  between  him  and  General  Griffin. 
The  divisions  were  so  assembled,  with  their  lines  refused,  that 
they  could  fight  in  any  direction,  and  attention  was  being  de- 
voted to  getting  the  road  through  the  woods  in  order. 

While  the  enemy's  communication  was  continuous  along  the 
White  Oak  Road  with  his  pickets  still  south  of  it,  there  was 
soii'e  anxiety  for  the  safety  of  the  position  of  the  entire  corps, 
more  particularly  as  the  pause  arising  from  the  suspension  of 


—  568  — 

operations  which  was  directed  to  continue  through  the  31st 
would  give  the  enemy  time  to  gain  knowledge  of  our  force  and 
position.  It  was  essential  also  that  a  greater  distance  should 
be  secured  between  our  pickets  and  the  line  of  battle,  "  to  give 
the  latter  time  to  fully  get  under  arms  so  soon  as  any  pressure 
of  the  advancing  enemy  showed  itself  at  the  advance  posts." 
Consequently  at  940  a.  m.  word  was  sent  out  to  General  Ayres 
to  try  and  drive  off  the  enemy's  pickets  and  develop  with  what 
force  the  White  Oak  Road  was  held.  "  To  prevent  any  relaxa- 
tion of  vigilance  until  the  position  of  the  corps  should  be  made 
secure,  General  Warren  gave  no  notice  to  his  command  of  the 
order  suspending  movements." 

When  Griffin's  division  had  reached  its  position  across  the 
wood  road  arms  were  stacked,  knapsacks  unslung,  and  the  men 
set  about  the  preparation  of  the  morning  meal.  The  sun,  shin- 
ing warm  and  bright,  broke  through  the  scattering  clouds; 
blankets  were  spread  out  to  dry,  and  everywhere  was  that  feel- 
ing of  soldier  buoyancy  always  so  distinctively  dominant  dur- 
ing the  short  rifts  in  seasons  of  continual  contacts.  The 
buoyancy  was  born  to  short  duration.  A  thunder  of  cannon- 
ading and  rattle  of  small  arms  burst  out  most  unexpectedly, 
and  for  the  moment  Griffin's  division  looked  as  if  it  might  be 
absorbed  in  the  confusion  and  demoralization  of  the  divisions 
in  advance  of  it,  suddenly  rolling  back  upon  it  in  rude  disorder. 
But  Griffin,  awake  to  better  thoughts,  reserved  his  men  for 
substantial  work. 

This  is  the  way  it  came  about.  General  Winthrop,  with  his 
brigade  of  General  Ayres's  division,  was  advancing  about  1O.30 
A.  M.,  when  simultaneously  an  attack,  which  had  been  in 
preparation  by  the  enemy  against  Ayres's  division,  fell  upon 
Winthrop  in  heavy  force  both  from  the  north  and  west  Gen- 
eral McGowan  had  not  completed  his  movement  across  Ayres's 
left  flank  when  firing  across  his  front  began,  and  he  at  once 
ordered  a  charge.  The  assault  in  front  had  been  precipitated 
')y  the  conduct  of  a  lieutenant  of  General  Hunton's  brigade — 
ubscquently  promoted  for  his  gallantry — who  rushed  out  in 


front  of  his  company,  waved  his  sword  and  cried :  "  Follow  me, 
boys!"  With  that  the  three  brigades  of  McGowan,  Gracies 
and  Hunton  threw  themselves  headlong  into  the  charge,  the 
full  formation  for  which  had  not  yet  been  consummated. 

Seeing  he  had  a  much  superior  force  to  encounter,  General 
Winthrop  faced  his  brigade  about  and  marched  back  across  the 
field  in  good  order.  Not  so  with  the  rest  o(  the  division.  Re- 
peated attempts  were  made  to  check  the  advance  of  the  enemy 
and  to  hold  the  troops,  but  to  no  avail.  The  retreat  of  Ayres 
Communicated  itself  to  Crawford,  and  both  divisions  disap- 
peared in  disorder,  only  rallying  at  last  in  rear  of  Griffin's  di- 
vision, which  still  held  itself  firm  along  Gravelly  Run. 

At  the  sound  of  the  firing  heard  in  his  front  General  Griffin 
at  once  put  the  right  of  his  divi.sion  in  motion  towards  it  He 
had  scarcely  reached  the  bank  of  Gravelly  Run  when  he  was 
met  "by  the  3d  Division  running  to  the  rear  in  a  most  de- 
moralized condition,  soon  after  followed  by  the  2d  Division."  • 
The  command,  "Fall  in!  fall  in!"  ringing  out  simultane- 
ously with  the  crash  that  came  from  the  front,  was  obeyed  with 
alacrity.  Muskets  were  quickly  taken  and  the  line  moved  for- 
ward with  vigor  to  a  rise  of  ^ound  overlooking  the  run.  As 
the  torrent  of  fleeing  soldiers  drove  through  it.  General  Grjf- 
fins  voice  could  be  heard  plainly  as  it  rang :  "  For  God's  sake, 
let  them  through,  or  they  will  break  our  line."  The  enemy 
could  be  seen  descending  a  hill,  moving  over  the  swale  that 
separated  the  rise  which  they  had  left  from  that  which  the  di- 
vision had  secured.  They  evidently  intended  to  cross  the  run. 
Mink,  who  served  his  guns  so  handsomely  at  P^ram's  Farm, 
was  in  battery  on  the  right.  His  guns  thundered,  musketry 
crashed,  severe  fighting  followed.  The  hillside,  dotted  with 
the  enemy  s  dead  and  wounded,  told  of  effective  work. 

The  skirmishers  detailed  from  the  regiment  were  hard  at  it 

mo-:t  of  the  day;  some  of  them  expended  eighty  rounds  of 

amiimnitiun.     At  one  time,  when  the  ammunition  was  about 

cxluiuited.  Colonel  O'Neill  asked  for  a  volunteer  to  carry  it  to 

■General  Griffio't  rcpon.     MS. 


—  570  — 

the  line.  It  was  a  perilous  undertaking.  Sergeant  Stotensburg 
responded.  He  ran  along  from  man  to  man,  dropping  a  quan- 
tity in  rear  of  each  one,  was  shot  at  vigorously,  but  discharged 
his  dangerous  mission  successfully  and  returned  unharmed. 

At  this  juncture  General  Griffin  and  General  Warren  rode 
down  to  Chamberlain,  who,  with  his  brigade  and  the  artillery, 
was  holding  our  extreme  left,  where  we  expected  an  attack, 
and,  stating  the  imminent  danger,  asked  him  if,  sufiering  as  he 
was  from  his  wounds,  he  felt  able  to  try  to  stem  the  torrent  of 
this  repulse.  Their  language  in  this  exigency  was  very  strong. 
Chamberlain  felt  the  critical  situation  and  instantly  threw  his 
brigade  across  the  branch  and,  pressing  the  advantage  already 
gained  by  our  skirmishers,  pushed  the  way  steadily  over  the 
ground  lost  by  Crawford  and  Ayres,  when,  reaching  the  open 
field  in  front  of  the  enemy's  works,  he  formed  a  solid  line  of 
battle,  and,  putting  General  Gregory's  brigade,  which  had  been 
sent  to  him  in  the  woods,  on  his  right,  to  make  a  wheeling  at- 
tack, taking  the  enemy  in  flank,  he  charged  straight  at  them 
across  the  open  field.  He  swept  everything  before  him,  snatch- 
ing the  enemy's  battle-flags  out  of  their  hands  in  the  works, 
capturing  them  and  securing  the  White  Oak  Road.  Thus  Mc- 
Gowan's,  Gracies'  and  Hunton's  short-lived  triumph  was  turned 
to  disaster. 

The  opportunities  for  achievements  with  a  flying  corps  are 
measurably  greater  than  those  of  troops  forced  to  sit  down 
solidly  in  front  of  formidable  entrenchments.  The  chances 
that  came  to  General  Chamberlain  during  this  campaign  came 
to  one  of  conceded  high  soldierly  abilities,  whose  unswerving 
sense  of  honor  and  justice  impelled  him  to  the  exercise  of  those 
abilities  fully  and  fairly,  no  matter  what  the  duty,  what  the 
danger,  what  the  fatigue.  If  any  one  in  the  5th  Army  Corps 
maintained  a  spotless  name  and  won  enduring  fame  during  the 
operations  of  that  corps  from  the  29th  of  March  to  the  9th  of 
April,  1865,  more  than  commensurate  with  the  range  of  the 
command  he  held,  that  one  was  Joshua  L.  Chamberlain.  Gen- 
eral Warren  fixed  the  seal  of  official  commendation  on  all  of 


.-^^/C^>^^^~^:ly^y~u^^^'^-^ 


Chamberlain's  deeds,  his  brother  officers  gave  them  the  Qp- 
proval  of  their  high  appreciation,  and  his  soldiers  honored  hicn 
as  he  deserved. 

General  Sheridan,  who,  on  the  29th,  had  crossed  the  Rowanty 
below  Warren,  was,  on  the  31st,  while  part  of  the  force  was 
moving  towards  Five  Forks  and  the  rest  remaining  in  position 
in  the  vicinity  of  Dinwiddie  Court-House,  most  seriously  at- 
tacked by  Pickett's  infantiy  and  all  the  cavalry  of  the  Army  of 
Northern  Vii^inia.  Against  these  severe  odds,  detached  and 
alone,  he  most  gallantly  maintained  himself. 

As  the  sounds  of  the  firing  from  Sheridan's  battle  gradually 
receded,  it  was  a  source  of  much  consideration  at  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Sth  Corps,  and  at  five  o'clock  General  Warren, 
of  his  own  motion,  ordered  General  Griffin  to  send  General 
Bartlctt  directly  across  country  to  attack  the  enemy  on  his 
flank. 

Strangely  the  sound  of  the  firing  created  a  contrary  impres- 
sion at  the  head-quarters  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  There 
it  was  believed  to  be  growing  nearer,  and  later  on,  when  Gen- 
eral Warren  was  directed  to  send  a  force  down  the  White  Oak 
Road  to  open  it  for  General  Sheridan,  he  was  instructed  to 
caution  it  to  take  care  not  to  fire  into  Sheridan's  advance,  and 
to  advise  it  that,  as  the  firing  was  so  near,  it  would  not  likely 
have  far  to  go. 

The  artillery  of  the  corps  had  all  been  left  on  the  Boydton 
Plank  Road  on  account  of  the  mud,  and  three  regiments  of  the 
brigade,  under  General  Pearson,  had  been  detached  to  sup- 
port it. 

It  wa.s  nearing  dark  when  the  brigade  passed  through  the 
picket  line,  moving  in  the  direction  of  the  distant  battle  sounds, 
yet  distinct,  though  the  day  was  disappearing.  Pertinent  in- 
quiries from  the  pickets  as  to  the  intended  destination  were  un- 
answered. The  moving  column  was  as  ignorant — save  that  the 
direction  trended  battleward — of  its  place  of  stoppage  as  were 
tlic  inquirers.  The  route  was  part  way  by  a  narrow  roadway, 
lined  on  either  side  by  a  growth  of  young  pines.     The  move- 


—  572  — 

ment  was  conducted  cautiously,  and  the  men,  realizing  that 
they  were  detached  from  the  army,  knowing  they  were  in  dense 
woods  in  the  midst  of  approaching  darkness,  pressing  toward 
a  battle-field,  manifested  the  anxiety  naturally  attendant  in  such 
conditions. 

The  movement  of  General  Bartlett  is  best  described  i(i  the 
language  of  Major  Cope,  a  staff  officer  of  General  Warren, 
who  accompanied  Bartlett's  column. 

"About  5  p.  M.  you  directed  me  to  lead  General  Bartlett's 
brigade  by  a  direct  route,  if  possible,  toward  the  sound  of  fir- 
ing in  the  direction  of  Dinwiddie  Court-House  and  attack  the 
enemy  in  the  rear.  I  immediately  reported  to  General  Bart- 
lett, who  had  his  column  put  in  motion.  The  left  of  the  corps 
rested  in  open  ground.  We  came  out  from  the  left  and  crossed 
this  ground  for  half  a  mile ;  then  we  came  to  a  small  branch 
of  Gravelly  Run  in  the  edge  of  the  timber.  Here  we  found  a 
wood  road  that  ran  in  the  right  direction.  We  followed  it  one 
mile  through  this  wood,  over  rolling  ground,  crossing  three 
branches  of  Gravelly  Run.     At  the  south  edge  of  this  timber, 

and  in  open  ground  on  a  hill,  stands  Dr. *s  house,  and 

here  our  skirmishers  became  engaged  with  the  enemy's  pickets. 
The  ground  slopes  from  here  to  Gravelly  Run  and  is  open  in 
front  all  the  way  down.  The  enemy,  after  considerable  skir- 
mishing, were  driven  down  the  slope  and  across  the  run  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  house.  The  house  .is  near  a  main 
road  leading  north  from  Dinwiddie  Court-House  to  the  White 
Oak  Road.  General  Bartlett  established  a  line  of  pickets  along 
Gravelly  Run  crossing  this  road.  He  also  kept  vedettes  out  on 
his  right,  watching  this  road  and  other  approaches  in  the  rear. 
It  was  much  after  dark  when  he  had  made  the  proper  disposi- 
tions of  his  troops,  and  then  we  began  to  turn  our  attention  to 
the  number  and  extent  of  the  enemy's  camp-fires.  They 
seemed  to  stretch  for  miles  on  the  south  side  of  the  run,  and 
we  could  distinctly  hear  them  chopping,  moving  wagons  and 
talking." 

General  Bartlett's  position  close  up  against  the  Gravelly  Run 


Church  Road,  nearly  down  to  its  crossing  of  Gravelly  Run, 
directly  on  the  enemy's  flank,  prevented  him  from  communi- 
cating by  that  road  during  the  night,  and  would  compel  him, 
if  he  desired  to  reinforce  his  troops  at  Dinwiddie,  to  make  a 
considerable  detour  to  do  so. 

With   Bartlett  in  this  controlhng  position,  with   his   three 
regiments  and  the  corps  artillery  holding  the  plank  road  tow- 


SEAR  A  HAYSTACK. 


ards  Dinwiddie,  it  may  well  be  understood  how  exceedingly 
Warren  regretted,  as  in  his  official  report  he  says  he  did,  the 
step  shadowed  in  the  confidential  despatch  received  from  head- 
quarters of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  at  8.40  in  the  evening, 
intimating  the  probability  of  contracting  the  entire  lines  during 
the  night  of  the  31st.  In  a  previous  despatch  General  Warren 
had  already  foreshadowed,  what  actually  did  occur,  that  with 
Bartlett   uhcre    he   was,   if   Sheridan   kept   on   fighting,  the 


—  574  — 

enemy  could  not  remain  between  him  and  Dinwiddle,  but  must 
fall  back  to  Five  Forks.  As  to  the  confidential  communication 
shadowing  a  withdrawal,  he  remained  of  the  same  belief,  point- 
ing out  in  his  reply  how  Humphreys,  with  the'sth  Corps  artil* 
lery  already  there,  could  hold  the  plank  road,  asserting  that 
unless  Sheridan  had  been  too  badly  handled,  there  w^s  yet  a 
chance  for  an  open  field  fight,  and  urged  that  he  be  allowed  to 
move  down  and  attack  the  enemy  at  Dinwiddie  Court-House 
on  one  side  while  Sheridan  did  so  on  the  other. 

There  was  insistance  upon  the  contracting  movement,  ex- 
cept that  a  division  should  reinforce  Sheridan,  indicated  from 
General  Meade's  head-quarters,  as  Griffin's  orders  from  army 
and  corps  head-quarters  had  both  been  published  providing  for 
it.  But  at  10.15  p.  M.  the  advance  was  again  ordered  to  be  re- 
sumed, in  a  communication  virtually  accepting  Warren's  sug- 
gestion, .to  be  permitted  to  press  down  on  one  side  of  Dinwiddie 
while  Sheridan  should  close  up  on  the  other.  The  ground  se- 
cured by  the  two  days'  hard  fighting  was  not  to  be  aban- 
doned. 

The  night  was  dark  and  stormy,  and  the  difficulty  of  com- 
municating in  the  dense  woods  was  so  great  that  although  the 
order  withdrawing  the  division  by  the  plank  road  had  gone 
to  the  troops  from  corps  head-quarters  an  hour  and  a  half 
before  the  order  directing  a  resumption  of  the  advance  was 
issued,  yet  the  latter  order  reached  them  first.  The  troops  had 
been  sorely  tried  and  needed  rest.  The  proximity  to  the  enemy 
forbade  the  use  of  drums  or  bugles  to  rouse  the  men,  and  every 
order  had  necessarily  to  be  communicated  personally  from  the 
commanding  officers  to  their  subordinates  until  it  eventually 
reached  the  non-commissioned  officers.  Fatigued  to  the  limit 
of  endurance,  the  sleep  of  the  soldiers  was  deep  and  heavy, 
and  the  task  of  the  non-commissioned  officers  to  arouse  each 
one  individually  was  not  light.  The  moon  set  after  midnight, 
on  a  dark,  starless  night  in  the  gloomy  forests ;  the  search  first 
for  commanding  officers  and  then  for  the  soldiers  was  no  easy 
one. 


In  March  of  1864  the'ist  Corps  was  transferred  to  the  5th 
and  Gen.  Warren  was  assigned  to  the  command.  The  ist  and 
2d  Divisions  of  the  5th  Corps  were  consolidated,  forming  the 
1st  Division  under  Gen.  Griffin.  The  3d  Division  (Crawford's) 
remained  unchanged.  The  ist  Corps  now  became  the  2d 
and  4th  Divisions  of  the  5th  Corps  under  command  of  Generals 
Robinson  and  Wadsworth. 

In  this  reorganization  the  5th  Corps  contained  67  regiments 
of  infantry  and  9  batteries  of  light  artillery,  numbering  in  all 
25,695  men  and  officers  present  for  duty  equipped. 

The  losses  of  the  5th  Corps  at  the  Wilderness,  May  5th  and 
6th,  were  487  killed.  2817  wounded  and  1828  missing.     Total 

5.132. 

From  the  5  th  to  the  20th  of  May  a  bloody  and  almost  con- 
stant battle  had  been  waged  by  both  armies.  The  chance  for 
rest  was  small,  and  the  hardships  and  nerve  strain  put  upon 
the  troops  engaged  were  terrible.  The  loss  on  both  sides  was 
in  keeping  with  the  desperate  nature  of  the  fighting. 

The  number  of  killed,  wounded  and  missing  .since  the  cam- 
paign opened  at  the  Wilderness  is  estimated  by  General  Hum- 
phreys to  iiave  been  33,110.  Of  these  the  killed  and  wounded 
are  estimated  at  28,207. 

Total  losses  at  Spottsylvania,  17,723.  Enemy's  loss  not 
known. 

The  losses  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  had  now  reached 
the  terrible  figures  of  6o,ooo  men  since  starting  out  on  this 
great  adventure  across  the  Rapidan.  The  losses  of  the  Con- 
federate army,  it  is  said,  did  not  foot  up  to  20,000. 

After  this  statement  may  I  not  inquire  without  criticism  if  the 
advantages  gaineil  justified  these  diaproportionate  losses?  If 
not.  was  not  General  Grant  balked  and  outgeneraled  up  to  this 
time  ?  It  niav  at  least  be  safelv  asserted  that  it  is  not  often 
that  a  coniniandor  is  so  situated  as  to  afft)rd  such  terrible  and 
unequal  losses  and  not  feel  them.  The  overland  route  and  the 
svstein  of  attacking  in  brute  masses  marked  out  for  General 
Grant  by  the  wise  ones  at  Washington  proved  a  failure,  and, 
'J'onsidereil  as  a  whole,  wore  fruitless. 


—  S7S  — 


At  9.35  p.  M.  General  Bartlett's  brigade  was  withdrawn  to 
rgoin  the  division.  Whilst  awaiting  his  return  the  orders  for 
concentration  were  changed,  and  Ayres's  division  was  sent 
instead  of  Griffin's,  by  the  plank  road  route  to  report  to  Sher- 
ridan,  Griffin  and  Crawford  being  directed  to  move  across 
country  over  the  same  route  Bartlett  had  travelled,  to  strike 
the  enemy's  flank  at  daylight.  Their  route  was  much  shorter 
than  Ayres's,  and  though  Griffin  did  not  move  until  five  on  the 
morning  of  the  1st  of  April,  his  advance,  led  by  General  Cham- 
berlain, came  up  to  Sheridan  at  Crimps  at  7  a,  m..  where,  at  that 
hour,  General  Sheridan  stopped  the  corps  until  one  in  the  after- 
noon. 

Sheridan  had  planned  for  great  achievements,  if  the  condi- 
tions had  remained  as  he  had  hoped.  "  Do  not  fear  my  leaving 
here,"  said  he  to  Warren.  "■  If  the  enemy  remains  I  shall  fight 
him  at  daylight."  But  as  Warren  had  intimated, '"  if  Sheridan 
keeps  fighting  him  "  and  I  remain  on  his  flank,  he  cannot  main- 
tain himself  and  must  fall  back.  Such  was  what  the  daylight 
showed.  In  the  darkness  of  that  starless  night,  Pickett  stole 
away  to  meet,  behind  his  Five  Forks'  entrenchments,  the  end 
laid  out  for  him  in  the  open  fields  about  Dinwiddic. 

The  corps  had  !ialtt:d  ;  Crawford  at  J.  Boiseau's,  near  where 
the  Gravelly  Run  Church  Road  joins  the  road  to  Dinwiddic, 
and  Griffin  across  the  road  a  half  mile  to  the  southward  of 
Crawford.  Ayres  was  still  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  south 
of  Griffin  at  J.  M.  Brooks's,  at  the  junction  of  the  road  which 
leads  from  the  Boydton  Plank  Road  to  the  main  road  from  the 
Court  House  to  Five  Forks.  It  was  on  this  road  a  staff  officer 
of  General  Sheridan  had  turned  him  off  during  the  night  while 
pursuing  his  route  directly  along  the  plank  road  to  the  Court- 
House.  From  Crawford's  position  to  Five  Forks  was  about 
four  miles. 

That  eventful  April  morn  broke  clear  and  frosty.  The  bodies 
of  dead  horses  and  men  indicated  considerable  severe  fighting 
even  this  distance  from  the  Court-House.  As  the  command 
halted,  General  Sheridan  and  his  staff  eraei^ed  from  a  neigh- 


—  S76  — 

boring  wood.  His  appearance  had  not  become  familiar  to  the 
soldiers  of  the  5th  Corps,  nor  had  they  yet  been  impressed 
with  that  personal  magnetism  which  roused  all  fighting  men 
with  whom  he  came  in  contact  His  famous  deeds,  however, 
assured  him  enthusiastic  demonstration. 

The  enemy's  works  at  Five  Forks  covered  the  White  Oak 
Road,  their  variations  from  a  straight  hne  following  the  bends 
of  the  road,  and  terminatmg  to  the  eastward  with  a  return 
angle  about  eight  hundred  yards  west  of  the  junction  of  the 
Gravelly  Run  Church  Road  and  the  White  Oak  Road.  Their 
western  end  rested  on  the  junction  of  a  road  which  diagonally 


REBEL    BATTLE- FLAG. 


connects  the  White  Oak  Road  with  the  Ford  Depot  Road  above 
C.  Young's  field,  and  their  entire  front,  including  their  irregu- 
larities, covered  a  distance  of  a  mile  and  three-quarters.  The 
return  extending  northward  to  a  depth  of  about  three  hundred 
yards  was  known  to  exist,  but  its  exact  location  was  supposed 
to  be  at,  or  nearly  at,  the  Gravelly  Run  Church  Road  junction. 
It  was  against  this  mistaken  location  that  the  main  infantry  at- 
tack was  directed. 

About  two  o'clock  the  column  was  put  in  motion,  and 
moving  the  entire  route  through  timber,  came  out  within  a 
mile  of  Five  Forks,  in  the  open  country  about  Moody.'s.     Be- 


tween  this  small  space  of  open  ground  and  what  has  passed 
into  history  for  the  purpose  of  designation  as  the  open  ground 
about  Gravelly  Run  Church,  there  is  still  a  belt  of  woods. 
Covered  by  this  timber,  the  corps  was  formed  in  line  of  battle. 
Crawford's  division  on  the  right,  Ayres's,  the  smallest,  on  the 
left,  and  Griffin's  in  Crawford's  rear,  with  his  right  brigade  in 
echelon  to  the  others. 

The  order  for  the  adx'ance  was  given  at  four  o'clock.  The 
ground  was  rough  and  cut  up  with  numerous  ravines.  Ayres 
struck  the  angle  far  west  of  its  supposed  position,  instead  of 
Crawford,  as  was  designed,  and  after  some  gallant  fighting  cap- 
tured the  return  work,  securing  a  large  number  of  prisoners  of 
Ransom's  brigade  of  Johnson's  division  and  taking  many  battle 
flags.     This  work  was  the  key  of  the  position. 

Immediately  after  crossing  the  White  Oak  Koad  Griffin's 
division  changed  direction  to  the  left,  as  did  the  whole  corps, 
to  strike  the  enemy  in  flank  and  rear.  After  advancing  about 
a  mile  and  finding  nothing  in  his  front  save  a  few  cavalry 
vedettes,  the  heavy  volleys  of  musketry  from  Ayres's  fight  at- 
tracting General  Griffin's  attention,  the  division  was  halted. 
His  personal  examination  showed  that  the  discomfited  bat- 
talion that  had  garrisoned  the  return  works  and  the  main  line 
to  the  right  of  it,  outflanked  by  their  retreat,  were  moving  up 
the  White  Oak  Road.  Meantime  Chamberlain,  who  was  on 
the  right,  had  moved  his  brigade  by  the  flank  towards  the  sound 
of  the  heavy  firing  on  his  left  The  division  was  then  imme- 
diately faced  to  the  left,  and  moving  some  three  or  four  hundred 
yards  in  the  new  direction,  south  and  west,  its  direction  was 
again  changed  to  bring  it  perpendicular  to  the  line  of  battle. 
Griffin  and  Crawford  were  now  completely  in  the  enemy's  rear, 
but  Crawford,  nearly  half  a  mile  to  the  north,  still  continued 
to  press  westward  towards  and  through  the  open  fields  of 
Young's  farm. 

At  the  point  where  the  direction  had  been  changed  to  the 
perpendicular  to  the  line  of  battle,  the  enemy  had  thrown  up 
.flight  entrenchments  upon  the  crest  of  a  hill,  connected  them 


I 


-  578  - 

with  their  main  line  and  manned  them  with  Ransom's  and 
Wallace's  troops  to  oppose  the  sweep  that  Griffin  was  making* 
down  their  rear.  General  Bartlett  with  three  regiments  of  his 
brigade,  and  General  Chamberlain  with  his  whole  brigade,  moved 
up  rapidly  under  the  crest  of  the  hill,  charged  the  works,  struck 
them  obliquely  in  flank  and  reverse,  the  right  of  Chamberlain's 
line  passing  down  the  rear  of  the  works,  and  his  left  in  front 
of  them.  General  Bartlett  struck  further  up,  met  a  very  heavy 
flank  fire  on  the  right,  which  somewhat  broke  up  both  com- 
mands. The  extreme  right  fell  back,  and  the  remainder  of  the 
line  showed  a  strong  disposition  to  swing  to  the  left  into  the 
works  upon  the  crest,  from  which  the  enemy  had  just  been 
driven.  To  have  permitted  this  would  have  rendered  the  whole 
line  powerless  against  the  heavy  flank  attack,  which  the  firing 
on  Bartlett 's  right  indicated  as  just  then  commencing.  Bartlett*s 
right,  the  20th  Maine  and  ist  Michigan,  was  in  imminent  peril. 
Two  of  Chamberlain's  regiments  swept  down  their  rear,  and 
Gregory's  brigade — which  had  been  ordered  to  report  to  Gen- 
eral Chamberlain  for  the  rest  of  the  campaign — also  moved 
forward  in  the  same  direction  to  break  this  attack  and  relieve 
Bartlett's  right.  "  In  the  attempt  to  do  this  the  regiments  of 
the  several  brigades  became  somewhat  mixed,  but  a  new  di- 
rection was  given  the  line  and  the  enemy  completely  put  to 
rout."  *  Some  of  this  confusion  resulted  from  the  troops  ex- 
changing shots  with  the  cavalry  who  were  coming  up  in  front 
of  the  enemy's  works.  This  aflair  lasted  about  half  an  hour; 
the  resistance  was  stubborn  and  the  enemy's  fire  quick,  sharp 
and  decisive.  Some  fifteen  hundred  prisoners  and  several  battle 
flags  were  captured.  The  position  from  which  Griffin  had  dis- 
lodged this  force  was  in  the  southwest  corner  of  the  Sydnor 
field.  He  was  yet  half  a  mile  from  the  junction  of  the  Ford 
Road  with  the  White  Oak  Road,  where  the  Five  Forks  battery 
was  located. 

Following    Crawford's    path,    indicated    by   his    dead   and 

*  General  Chamberlain's  report  of  the  operations  of  his  command  from  the  29th 

of  March  to  the  9th  of  April.     MS. 


—  179  — 

wounded,  General  Warren  found  him  on  the  Voung  farm  in 
good  order,  facing  westward.  He  at  once  changed  his  direction 
to  the  southward,  and  moving  down  the  line  of  the  Ford  Road 
met  at  the  edge  of  the  wood  on  the  south  side  of  the  farm  a 
sharp  fire  from  a  force  that  had  formed  line  across  the  Ford 
Road.  This  was  a  force — Terry's  brigade.  Colonel  Maj'o  com- 
manding— turned  back  by  Pickett  to  make  head  against  these 
rear  attacks,  and  also  some  of  Ransom's  troops  just  dislodged 
by  Griffin  from  the  Sydnor  field,  and  four  guns  of  McGregor's 
battery  which  had  eluded  capture  at  the  return.  Part  of  Hart-  ' 
lett's  brigade  here  joined  Crawford.  The  other  troops  of 
Griffin  and  Ayres  had  not  yet  reached  the  point.  The  resist- 
ance was  brief,  and  McGregor's  four  guns  were  captured. 

After  a  few  minutes'  delay.  Griffin's  hnes  were  restored  and 
a  direction  was  given  them  perpendicular  to  the  line  of  the 
enemy's  entrenchments.  Generals  Chamberlain  and  Bartlctt 
personally  collected  a  large  number  of  men  who  had  sought 
the  edge  of  the  woods  for  shelter.  In  this  connection  General 
Chamberlain  makes  special  mention  of  Captain  Robert  M,  Brin- 
ton.  then  an  aide  on  the  staff  of  General  Griffin.  "  The  confu- 
sion of  the  battle  at  this  time  was  great.  Different  commands 
were  completely  mingled,  but  our  own  line  was  still  good."* 
General  Chamberlain,  who  had  been  authorized  by  General 
Sheridan  in  the  midst  of  the  fight  to  take  command  of  any  of 
the  troop.s  which  had  lost  their  place  in  the  confusion,  put 
General  Gwyn's  brigade  of  Ayres's  division  in  at  a  critical 
moment  when  the  issue  trembled  in  the  balance,  and  it  did  ef- 
fective work.  The  division  was  then  pushed  forward  along  the 
main  line  of  entrenchments,  capturing  prisoners  and  driving 
the  enemy,  who  took  advantage  of  every  rise  of  ground,  until 
the  three  brigades  had  advanced  to  Five  Forks,  where  the  cav- 
alry (Colonel  P'itzhugh's  brigade  of  Devier's  division)  and 
infantry  met,  capturing  five  guns — the  Five  Forks  batterj' — and 
Mveral  caissons.  Hartlelt's  brigade  of  itself,  on  the  Ford  Road, 
Iimk  an  entire  train  of  wagons  with  supplies,  etc.,  and  ambu- 
lances belonging  to  Pickett's  division. 

■Gencrat  ChaniberUin't  rcpoit.     MS. 


—  58o  — 

The  pursuit  was  kept  up  until  after  dark,  when,  the  cavaliy 
having  pushed  to  the  front  out  of  sight  and  hearing  of  the  in- 
fantry, a  halt  was  ordered.  The  division  was  then  withdrawn 
some  three  miles,  and  at  eleven  o'clock  at  night  went  into 
bivouac  near  Gravelly  Run  Church. 

A  neport  prevailed  that  the  prisoners,  to  whom  but  little  at- 
tention had  been  paid,  had  again  armed  themselves  and  were 
prepared  for  further  resistance.  The  Ii8th  was  ordered  to 
look  after  them,  which  it  did.  Upon  investigation  the  report 
proved  to  be  without  foundation.  The  Confederates  who  still 
retained  their  arms  threw  them  down  the  moment  the  demand 
was  made  to  do  so.  Captured  arms  were  so  plentiful  that  next 
day  they  were  used  to  corduroy  the  road,  that  the  wagons  and 
artillery  might  pass  over  the  mud  upon  them. 

As  the  evening  shades  were  gathering,  Pickett  threw  a  force 
across  the  west  side  of  the  Silliam  field,  a  wide  expanse  of 
open  in  front  of  the  centre  of  his  works,  to  attract  attention 
whilst  it  should  give  a  little  God-speed  to  his  scattered  hosts, 
pouring  in  disorder  to  the  northward.  Crawford  was  formed 
upon  the  west  side  of  this  field,  his  right  resting  in  the  woods 
north  of  the  entrenchments.  Some  little  hesitancy  to  advance 
quickened  Warren's  impetuous  zeal,  and  seizing  the  corps  fl^ 
he  led  the  division  across  the  open,  closed  up  tight  on  the  en- 
trenchments under  a  severe  fire,  and  sent  the  only  remnant  of 
all  of  Pickett's  brave  battalions  from  its  last  abiding  place.  And 
with  this  culmination  to  so  many  deeds  of  conspicuous  personal 
gallantry  Warren's  career  as  a  distinguished  soldier  in  war 
closed  forever  on  the  battle-field,  with  a  sad  intimation  that  his 
capacities  did  not  equal  the  occasion.  The  flush  of  victory 
was  still  bright  on  his  brow,  his  eye  yet  flashed  the  vigor  of  his 
brilliant  impetuosity,  when  the  harsh  direction  that  severed  his 
connection  with  the  5th  Army  Corps  reached  him,  and  sent  him 
for  the  few  days  yet  left  of  the  Rebellion  into  what  was  an  un- 
deniable, if  not  an  apparently  dishonorable,  seclusion. 

After  many  years  the  wrong  was  righted.  Worn  and  weary 
with  the  anxieties  of  delay,  enfeebled  with  patient  waiting,  a 


stout  heart  and  manly  frame  yielded  readily  to  disease,  and 
General  Warfcn  lived  but  a  short  while  to  survive  an  honorable 
vindication. 

As  Warren  gave  forth  his  last  official  utterance  of  the  doings 
of  that  eventful  day  that  made  the  victor  worse  than  vanquished, 
he  closed  in  choice  and  modest  phrase,  in  sentiment  of  deepest 
earnestness  pleading  for  the  common  justice  afterwards  so  long 


CLOSE  QUARTERS 

Itnied  him.  "  I  trust,  therefore,"  said  he,  "  that  I  may  yet  re- 
vive some  unequivocal  acknowledgment  of  my  faithful  ser- 
icts  at  the  battle  of  Five  Forks  that  will  forever  free  me  from 
']»pnibrium,  even  among  the  superficial." 

Hilt  historic  parallels  are  not  wanting  of  the  sacrifice  of  great 
mi  j^ood  soldiers  in  all  times.  Kleber  waslcft  todiein  Egypt; 
itlUnnanwas  forgotten  for  Marengo;  Moreau  was  punished 
■1  lloiicniindcn. 


-  582  - 

Among  the  killed  of  the  regiment  was  Corporal  B.  E.  Fletcher, 
of  Company  E.  He  Iiad  just  reached  his  majority;  had  par- 
ticipated in  every  engagement  from  Shepherdstown  to  Five 
Forks.  He  was  noted  for  his  courage,  and  though  wounded 
at  Chancel  lorsville  he  had  refused  to  leave  the  field.  As  an 
obedient,  dutiful  soldier  he  was  relied  on  by  his  officers  and 
had  the  esteem  of  his  associates. 

Twenty-seven  commissioned  officers  and  2,574  enlisted  men 
were  captured  by  General  Griffin's  division ;  8  commissioned 


FIVE  FORKS,  SHOWING  118th  GOING  IN. 

officers  and  849  enlisted  men  of  whom  were  credited  to 
General  Bartlett's  brigade,  and  about  1,200  to  Chamberlain's 
brigade. 

General  Griffin's  elevation  to  the  command  of  the  coips  in 
place  of  General  Warren  relieved,  advanced  General  Bartlettto 
the  command  of  the  division  and  Genera!  Pearson  to  the  brig- 
ade. Adjutant  Peck  was  detailed  for  duty  on  the  staff  of  Gen- 
era! Pearson,  and  Lieutenant  Godwin  was  selected  as  the  acting 
adjutant  of  the  regiment. 

During  the  night  great  guns  boomed  ominously  away  off  to. 


the  right ;  tlicir  flashes  in  the  dim  distance,  so  close  together, 
pierced  the  heavens  like  the  bursts  of  an  aurora. 

On  the  morning  of  the  2d  at  the  Five  Forks  between  three 
and  four  thousand  stand  of  arms  and  several  caissons  and 
wagons  were  destroyed,  there  being  no  means  available  for 
their  transportation. 

Early  on  the  same  morning  General  Chamberlain  led  a  rc- 
connoissance  up  the  Church  Road,  whilst  most  of  the  corps 
moved  down  the  White  Oak  Road  to  tlie  vicinity  of  W.  Dab- 
ney's,  where  it  remained  until  eleven  o'clock,  when  it  returned 
to  the  vicinity  of  Five  Forks.  General  Pearson's  brigade,  how- 
ever, did  not  leave  its  night  bivouac  until  the  afternoon,  when, 
with  the  rest  of  the  corps,  it  moved  across  Hatcher's  Run  on 
the  Ford  Road,  then  across  the  Southside  Railroad  to  the  Coxe 
Road,  camping  for  the  night  at  Williamson's  house,  at  the  in- 
tersection of  the  Namozine  Road  with  the  River  Road.  Gen- 
eral Chamberlain,  in  advance,  captured  a  train  of  cars  at  the 
crossing  of  the  Southside  Railroad,  in  which  were  a  number  of 
Confederate  officers  and  men.  and  also  drove  a  body  of  about 
1,500  dismounted  cavalry  off  the  Coxe  Road. 

About  four  o'clock  Robert  M.  Brinlon,  a  staff  officer,  dashed 
alony  the  column  waving  his  hat  and  shouting;  "  Boys,  Peters- 
burg and  Richmond  have  fallen,  and  Lee  is  in  full  retreat  to- 
wards Lynchbui^." 

We  shouted  in  reply :  "  Tell  it  to  the  marines ! "  "  Put  him 
in  a  canteen !  "  "  Give  him  a  hardtack !  "  and  various  other  de- 
risive yells.  This  was  the  first  news  that  reached  us  of  the 
evacuation  of  Richmond.  We  had  great  difficulty  ia  plod- 
din<;  along  on  account  of  the  mud. 

The  news  was  received  incredulously.  What  was  almost  the 
truth  went  begging.  It  was  rather  believed  that  urgency  de- 
manded an  exhausting  march,  and  this  incentive  was  thrown 
out  as  a  stimulant  to  exertion.  The  officer  had  in  (act  antici- 
pated e\ents.  Petersburg  was  not  abandoned  until  three 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  3d  and  the  surrender  of  Rich- 
mond followed  a  few  hours  later.    But  enough  had  transpired 


—  584  — 

to  warrant  a  reasonable  exaggeration  at  even  this  little  distance 
from  the  actual  conflict. 

The  2(1,  34th.  6th  and  9th  Corps  had  all  gallantly  stormed 
the  massive  entrenchments  in  their  several  fronts ;  had  closely 
pressed  the  enemy  from  all  his  interior  works,  and  the  Ssite  of 
the  long  beleaguered  city  hung  upon  what  might  be  done  while 
yet  the  daylight  lasted. 

And  now  began  the  famous  race.  Our  eminent  chieftain, 
not  satisfied  with  pursuing  alone,  had  planned  a  more  efiective 
measure.  His  soldiers  must  out-march  his  fleeing  adversary, 
cross  his  path,  cut  him  ofl*  from  succor  and  supplies  and  force 
him  to  submission.  Lee's  weary,  straggling,  hungry  battalions 
were  struggling  for  Amelia  Court-House  for  concentration,  but 
Grant,  away  beyond  it,  before  Lee's  iamished  legions  reached 
there,  had  blocked  the  route  to  Danville. 

The  5  th  Corps,  closely  following  the  cavalry,  moved  out 
early  on  the  morning  of  the  3d  of  April  along  the  River  Road 
to  the  Namozine  Creek,  bivouacking  for  the  night  in  the  vicinity 
of  Deep  Creek.  The  roads,  diflicult  for  the  column,  were  al- 
most impassable  for  the  trains,  and  the  iniantry  for  this  and 
the  two  following  days  worked  at  putting  them  in  some  pass- 
able order. 

On  the  4th  the  march  was  resumed  at  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning  and  continued  until  after  dark,  when  at  Jetersville  a 
line  of  battle  was  formed,  the  left  of  the  corps  extending  across 
the  Danville  Railroad.  Jetersville  is  a  station  on  the  Rich- 
mond and  Danville  Railroad,  some  miles  southwest  from 
Amelia  Court-House  and  a  little  greater  distance  northeast 
from  Burksville  Junction,  where  that  railway  is  crossed  by  the 
Petersburg  and  Lynchburg.  Lee's  ultimate  destination  was 
Danville.  A  line  of  Union  infantry  crossed  his  way,  and  he 
must  await  darkness  and  the  opportunity  to  step  off  in  a  new 
direction. 

Preparations  were  made  to  attack  the  enemy's  trains  in  this 
vicinity.  Indications  of  his  presence  in  force  were  apparent; 
earthworks  were  thrown  up  and  the  troops  remained  on  the 
alert  durinsr  the  nigrht. 


On  the  sth,  under  arms  all  day,  preparations  were  active  to 
receive  or  make  an  attack.  About  one  o'clock  a  portion  of  the 
corps  moved  out  towards  Amelia  Court-House  to  support  the 
cavalry  who,  bringing  up  a  large  number  of  prisoners,  were 
severely  attacked  on  the  road.  The  detachment  returned  to 
camp  and  the  entire  corps  remained  all  the  night  of  the  5th  in 
the  position  it  had  taken  the  previous  evening. 

On  the  evening  of  the  5tli,  at  740  o'clock.  General  Griffin — 


UEUTKNANt  SYLVESTER  CROSSLKY. 

his  corps  having  been  serving  directly  under  General  Sheridan 
from  the  time  General  Warren  reported  it  to  him  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  1st — in  obedience  to  instructions  from  General  Sheri- 
dan, reported  back  to  General  Meade  for  orders,  and  at  six 
o'clock  A.  M,  on  the  6th,  in  compliance  with  directions  from 
head-quarters  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  marched  from 
Jetersville  along  the  Danville  Road  in  the  direction  of  Amelia 
Court-House  to  attack  the  enemy.  After  moving  a  distance 
of  about  three  miles  to  a  place  called  Smith's  Shop,  undoubted 


—  586  — 

evidence  was  received  that  the  enemy  had  left  and  gone  west-- 
ward.  The  5th  Corps  then  moved  to  the  northward  on  the 
Paineville  Road,  and  from  thence  held  the  right  of  the  army. 
General  Bartlett*s  division  leading  the  corps,  and  General 
Chamberlain's  brigade  the  division.  The  route  was  continued 
via  Paineville  to  Ligontown  Ferry  and  Sailor's  Creek. 

Near  the  vicinity  of  the  lattef,  after  crossing  a  distance  of 
thirty-two  miles,  darkness  having  set  in,  the  command  went 
into  bivouac.  The  march  was  very  rapid  and  tiresome;  no 
opposing  forces  were  met  save  small  detachments  of  cavalry. 
About  three  hundred  prisoners  and  many  wagons  were  cap- 
tured, and  a  large  number  of  gun-carriages,  caissons  and  army 
w-agons  that  had  been  captured  by  our  cavalry  or  abandoned 
by  the  enemy  were  still  burning  as  we  passed. 

The  sounds  of  distant  firing  late  in  the  afternoon  indicated 
what  afterwards  proved  to  be  the  brilliant  affair  of  Wheaton's 
and  Seymour's  division  of  the  6th  Corps  and  Merritt's  and 
Crook's  cavalry  division  with  Ewell's  and  Anderson's  troops  at 
Little  Sailor's  Creek,  resulting  in  a  loss  to  the  enemy  of  6,cxx> 
killed,  wounded  and  prisoners,  and  the  capture  of  Generals 
Ewell,  Kershaw,  Custer  Lee,  Dubose,  Hunton  and  Corse.  The 
total  loss  to  the  enemy  on  the  6th  in  his  actions  with  the  2d 
and  6th  Corps  was  not  less  than  8,000. 

Throughout  the  march  the  evidences  that  the  army  of  Lee 
was  breaking  up  were  so  apparent  that  much  excitement  pre- 
vailed and  the  troops  forgot  their  fatigues  in  their  enthusiasm. 
Tales  of  the  exploits  of  the  cavalry  reached  the  infantry  column, 
and  the  stories  of  the  perilous  doings  of  Sheridan's  scouts 
were  amazing. 

On  the  morning  of  the  7th,  at  five  o'clock,  the  corps  moved 
up  the  road  by  Sailor's  Creek  for  Farmville,  crossing  the 
Lynchburg  Railroad  at  Rice's  Station,  arriving  near  High 
Bridge,  then  destroyed,  at  9.30  a.  m.,  and  halting  there.  Orders 
were  received  to  pass  in  rear  of  the  2d  and  6th  Corps  and  move 
with  all  possible  despatch  to  Prince  Edward  Court-House, 
which  point,  after  a  march  of  twenty  miles,  was  reached  at  7.30 


-SS;- 


in  the  evening.  Thence  the  Jth  and  24th  Corps  were  to  fol- 
low on  the  flank  of  the  enemy  and  get  in  front  of  him,  while 
the  2d  and  6th  Corps  were  to  press  his  reiir. 

The  country  through  which  the  army  was  moving  had  seen 
nothing  of  the  war.  It  was  a  fertile,  productive  region,  and  the 
well-stocked  larders  of  what  were  yet  thrifty  plantations  paid 
handsome  tribute  to  the  exorbitant  exactions  of  the  hungry 
soldiers. 

On  the  morning  of  the  8th,  pursuant  to  instructions  from  the 
lieutenant-general,  the  Jlh  Corps  was  ordered  to  follow  the 
24th  up  the  Lynchburg  Road,  starting  at  six  o'clock.  The 
column  struck  the  Lynchburg  Pike  at  Prospect  Station  at  noon 
and  thence  followed  the  24th  Corps  towards  Appomattox 
Court-House,  bivouacking  along  the  road  at  two  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  the  9th  within  two  miles  of  that  place.  The  dis- 
tance covered  was  twenty-nine  miles,  and  was  a  hard,  tiresome 
march,  and  many  men  fell  out  exhau.stcd  along  the  road. 
From  Prospect  Station  the  march  was  very  slow  and  tedious, 
the  roads  being  obstructed  by  the  repeated  and  long  halts  of 
the  24fh  Corps. 

After  dark  the  roadway  narrowed,  entering  a  deep  forest 
Troops  of  all  arms  of  service  crowded  the  crooked  path,  pre- 
senting a  scene  of  apparently  inextricable  confusion.  Each  in- 
sisted on  the  right  of  way.  Unoffending  artillery  horses  were 
belabored  by  angry  infantrymen,  their  masters  resenting  the 
assaults  with  violent  profanity  and  defending  their  steeds  with 
sharp  whip  cracks.  The  luckless  generals  leading  the  column 
came  in  for  the  usual  share  of  threatening  invective  accom- 
panied by  interrogating  appeals,  big  with  oaths,  to  stop  the 
march.  There  was  no  disposition  to  prepare  a  meal,  and  with- 
out food  the  tired  soldiers  quickly  sought  a  rest. 

Dut  the  rest  was  of  short  duration.  A  despatch  had  been  re< 
ccivcd  from  General  Sheridan,  and  great  things  were  to  be  ex- 
pected and  done  that  day.  At  four  o'clock  the  bugles  sounded 
the  "general."  Non-commissioncd  officers  pulled  at  and 
aroused  the  worn-out  men,  and  by  six  o'clock  the  head  of  the 


—  588  — 

column  had  reached  General  Sheridan  at  Appomattox,  where 
very  soon  after  the  cavalry  were  reported  heavily  engaged  and 
hard  pressed. 

A  staff  officer  rode  along  the  column  with  the  word  that,  if 
the  infantry  would  ''  rush  up/'  Lee's  capture  or  capitulation  was 
assured.  He  also  bore  the  cheering  information  that  two  trains 
of  cars,  loaded  with  subsistence  for  the  almost  starving  Con- 
federates, had  been  captured  at  Appomattox  Station. 

Thus  stimulated,  the  fatigues  of  the  long  night's  march  were 
forgotten  and  the  troops  pressed  along  with  great  rapidity. 
Daylight  had  broken  bright  and  beautiful,  with'all  the  invigorat- 
ing freshness  of  early  morning  in  the  April  spring  time.  An 
issue  of  rations  was  promised  at  nine,  but  its  fulfilment  was  lost 
in  events  so  momentous  that  hunger,  appetite  and  exhaustion 
were  of  secondary  consideration. 

General  Ayres,  moving  on  a  line  parallel  with  the  24th 
Corps,  towards  the  firing,  occasioned  by  the  pressing  back  of 
the  cavalry,  faced  his  division  into  line  of  battle  and  immedi- 
ately pushed  forward  on  the  double-quick,  deploying  the  190th 
and  191st  Pennsylvania,  armed  with  Spencer  rifles,  as  skir- 
mishers. General  Bartlett's  division,  that  had  halted  in  the  field 
with  the  men  cooking  coffee,  was  ordered  to  "  fall  in  "  quickly, 
minus  their  coffee,  tired,  disgusted  and  hungry,  and  came  up 
rapidly  in  Ayres's  right  in  two  lines  of  battle,  with  the  155th 
Pennsylvania  and  a  portion  of  the  198th  Pennsylvania  and  the 
185th  as  a  skirmish  line. 

General  Chamberlain,  who  had  been  detached  from  the 
column  by  a  message  from  General  Sheridan  to  push  forward 
to  his  relief  at  once,  had  already  reached  the  front  line  and  had 
relieved  our  cavalry  then  sustaining  the  attack  of  the  "  Stone- 
wall Jackson  "  corps,  and  was  now  on  the  right  of  our  line,  with 
Gregory's  brigade  next  and  the  3d  Brigade  connecting  on  the 
left.  The  11 8th  was  in  the  front  line.  The  cavalry  line  of 
battle  and  the  cavalry  pickets,  now  all  relieved,  moved  off  by 
the  flank  at  a  trot,  with  sabre  glistening  in  the  sunlight,  flanked 
by  a  herd  of  pack  animals,  and  formed  on  the  right  of  the 
corps. 


Ic-fl  of  thf  rcginipnt.  and  riding  direcily  tci  ii  group  nf  soliiii-rs, 
cumfxiscd  of  Corporal  William  L.  Gabe,  Corporal  Anthony 
Huver,  and  CorjKjral  John  L,  Smith,  who  were  standing  in  the 
lane  about  ten  feet  in  front  of  their  company  (K)  line,  and 
who  prompily  halted  him,  he  asked:  "\MierL-  is  your  com- 
manding officer,  General  Sheridan?" 


lIBhUT    MIMIUMA.N    SIMS, 


Thrv  \.«\ir.v<\  u.  ilivir  ri,!:hi,  saving;,  -'Over  there,"  and  the 
inn.  -l.rarrr  wi  ni  d;i>.liinf;  away  ihrough  the  regimental  line  in 
lli;U  dir,->linii  ;il  hrnikm-ck  s[X'i-d. 

Thi-  w;i-  iTi  April  ij,  1.SO5,  about  6  A.  M.,  and  whilst  the 
n  'jiiiii  111  wa-  adv  a  riling'  in  line  of  battle,  and  we  were  halted 


-589ft- 

In  connection  with  this  momentous  event  (as  it  occurred  so 
quickly),  when  some  years  after  I  tried  to  ascertain  the  name 
of  the  officer  who  carried  that  flag  of  truce,  it  took  over  sixteen 
years  of  search  and  work  before  I  succeeded  in  establishing 
that  it  was  Capt.  R.  M.  Sims,  an  aide  on  Gen.  A.  P.  Hill's 
staff,  but  ser\ing  that  day  on  Gen.  Longstreet's  staff. 

Of  further  interest,  the  following  autographs  of  that  group 
are  given  below: 


/^''^^  j^^  "^^^fcx^^. 


—  589  — 

Emerging  from  a  small  strip  of  woods  into  a  clearing,  the 
troops  had  a  full  view  of  what  apparently  awaited  them.  The 
enemy's  skirmish  line  was  in  plain  view,  his  battalions  were  in 
battle  array  on  the  hill-tops  and  several  pieces  of  artillery  were 
in  position  facing  our  right.  Preparation  and  indication  pointed 
heavy  engagement.  An  occasional  shell  boomed  out  from 
;he  menacing  guns.  One  killed  an  officer  in  General  Chamber- 
's brigade,  the  last  soldier  who  fell  in  the  division.  AJl  the 
recollections  of  hairbreadth  escapes,  dangers  braved,  hardships 
breasted,  crowded  memory  in  weighty  volume  as  these  brave 
men  for  the  last  time  faced  a  soldier's  death. 

All  the  division  now  moved  forward  and  attacked  the  enemy, 
pushing  him  back  and  driving  both  his  artiller}-  and  infantry 
from  the  hills  westward  through  Appomattox  Court-liouse, 
taking  a  number  of  prisoners,  several  wagons  and  caissons. 
On  our  left  a  portion  of  the  skirmish  line  had  entered  the  town, 
its  right  being  at  the  house  of  Mrs.  Wright.  The  line  of  battle, 
rapidly  moving  up  and  closing  in,  was  strongly  supporting  it, 
"when  a  message  was  received  from  General  Sheridan  that 
hostilities  would  be  suspended,  as  General  Xxe  was  about  to 
surrender,"  says  General  Griffin.  "  When  a  flag  of  truce  came 
in  with  an  aide  of  the  commanding  officer  of  the  opposing 
forces,  who  was  referred  to  the  major-general  commanding," 
says  General  Chamberlain.  But  the  men  had  caught  sight  of 
the  emblem  and  heard  the  welcome  words  to  stay  the  fight  a 
goodly  while  before  their  orders  bade  them  do  so. 

At  maddening  gait  a  single  horseman  dashed  up  the  lane 
towards  the  Union  lines  and  struck  them  immediately  in  front 
of  the  I  i8th.  As  he  rode  he  swung  violently  above  his  head 
an  article  white  in  color,  longer  than  it  was  wide.  As  he  drew 
nearer  a  red  border  was  plainly  seen  around  the  edges  of  his 
flag  It  was,  in  fact,  a  towel  improvised  into  a  flag  for  the  oc- 
cii.-iion,  and  the  two  great  armies  that  for  four  years  had  so 
fiercely  contended  for  the  mastery  were  at  last,  in  this  quiet 
Vir<;inia  vale,  brought  to  terms  by  this  most  innocent  and  es- 
sential of  all  domestic  articles.    The  horseman  approached  the 


—  590  — 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  an  extremely  interesting  and 
characteristic  letter  received  from  Capt.  Sims  after   I    had 
reached  him  through  the  kind  assistance  and  suggestions  con- 
.  tained  in  letters  to  me  from  Gen.  James  Longstreet  and  Sena- 
tor Wade  Hampton: 

Charleston,  S.  €.,  May  22,  18S6. 

MR.tT.  L.  Smith: 

Dear  Sir  . — Vour  letter  of  May  ist,  enquiring  as  to  detail  of  carrying  the  flag 
of  truce  at  Appomattox,  has  remained  unanswered  longer  than  I  intended  from 
pressure  of  business,  sickness  in  my  family  and  general  reluctance  to  write  on  this 
subject  and  disinclination  to  write  at  all  on  any  matter  or  subject. 

The  flag  was  a  new  and  clean  white  crash  towel,  one  of  a  lot  for  which  I  had 
paid  $20  or  540  apiece  in  Richmond  a  few  days  before  we  left  there.  I  rgde 
nlone  up  a  lane  ( I  believe  there  was  only  a  fence  on  my  right  intact),  passing  by 
the  pickets  or  sharpshooters  of  Gary's  (Confederate)  Cavalry  Brigade  stationed 
along  the  fence,  enclo^>ing  the  lane  on  my  right  as  I  passed.  A  wood  was  in 
front  of  me  occupied  by  Federals,  unmounted  cavalry,  I  think.  I  did  not  exhibit 
the  flag  until  near  your  line,  consequently  was  fired  upon  until  1  got  to  or  very 
near  your  people.  I  went  at  a  full  gallop.  I  met  a  party  of  soldiers,  and  among 
them  or  near  ihem,  two  or  three  officers.  One  was  Licut.-Col.  Whitaker, 
nuw  in  Washington,  and  the  other  a  major.  I  said  to  them:  *' Where  is  your 
commanding  oflicer.  General  Sheridan  ?  I  have  a  message  for  him."  They  re- 
plied :  '*  He  is  not  near  here,  but  General  Custer  is,  and  you  had  better  see  him." 
*'  Can  you  take  me  to  him  ?  *'  "  Yes."  They  mounted  and  we  rode  up  the  road 
that  I  came  but  a  short  distance,  when  we  struck  Custer's  division  of  cavalry, 
passing  at  full  gallo])  along  a  road  crossing  our  road  and  going  to  my  left.  We 
galloped  down  this  road  to  the  head  of  the  column,  where  we  met  General  Custer. 
He  asked  :  *•  Who  are  you,  and  what  do  you  wish  ?  "  I  replied :  "  I  am  of  Gen- 
eral Longstreet' s  stafl",  but  am  the  bearer  of  a  message  from  General  Gordon  to 
General  Sheridan,  asking  for  a  suspension  of  hostilities  until  General  Lee  can  be 
heard  from,  who  has  gone  down  the  road  to  meet  General  Grant  to  have  a  con- 
ference." General  Custer  replied :  "  We  will  listen  to  no  terms  but  that  of  un- 
conditional surrender.  \Ve  are  behind  your  army  now  and  it  is  at  our  mercy.*' 
I  replied  :  **  You  will  allow  me  to  carry  this  message  back  ?  "  He  said  :  "  Yes." 
"  Do  you  wish  to  send  an  officer  with  me  ?  "  Hesitating  a  little,  he  said :  "  Yes," 
and  directed  the  two  officers  who  came  with  me,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Whitaker 
and  the  mnjor,  whose  name  I  don't  know,  to  go  with  me.  We  rode  back  to  G^m'- 
don  in  almost  a  straight  line.  Somewhere  on  the  route  a  Major  Brown,  of  Gen- 
eral Gordon's  (Con.)  staff,  joined  me,  I  think  after  I  had  left  Custer. 

On  our  way  back  to  Gordon  two  incidents  occurred.     Colonel  Whitaker  asked 
me  if  1  would  give  him  the  towel  to  preserve  that  I  had  used  as  a  flag.     I  re- 


There  was  at  first  a  disposition  not  to  be  convinced  that  tht 
situation  was  what  it  purported  to  be.     Men  cautioned  each 

plied;  '■  I  will  (ce  you  in  licit  fan;  ii  ii  suflidenlly  humilisling  Id  have  had  lt> 
ony  it  aad  exhibit  il.  and  I  shiil  noi  let  you  pic*trve  it  as  d.  mnnument  of  our 
dereaL"  I  was  naturally  iniialeil  and  jmvoked  at  our  prosj>c«i»e  defeat,  and 
Colonel  Wliilaker  at  once  apologised,  saying  he  ap|neciated  my  (eeUng<  inil  dul 
not  intend  to  offend.  Passing  sotne  artillery  ctossing  a  small  Mream,  he  aiked  me 
to  Mop  ttii*  artillery,  (aying ;  "  H  we  are  to  have  a  sURpension  of  hostilitict,  every- 
thing should  lemain  in  i/atu  jub."  I  replied;  "In  the  Unl  place,  t  have  no 
kothorily  to  stop  thi>  nnillety ;  and,  secondly,  if  I  had,  I  should  not  do  mi,  twcauie 
General  Caster  distinctly  stated  Ihit  we  were  to  have  no  auipensiun  of  hnitilitiei 
until  on  unconditional  sutrender  was  aiked  for.  I  presume  this  meatii  continuing 
the  fight.     I  am  tuce  General  LungMrect  will  construe  il  m>." 

When  I  reached  General  Gordon  he  asked  me  to  go  In  anothvr  direclion.  almost 
opposite  lo  the  one  I  had  been,  and  lake  the  llag  to  stop  the  tiring,  1  lepUed 
thai  1  could  not  so  go,  as  1  muii  go  to  General  LongMreel ;  liesldn  tome  of  hit 
(Gordon's)  staff  were  now  wiOi  him.  He  diiocted  Majot  Brawn  lo  go  Major 
Brown  came  lo  me  and  asked  me  lo  loan  hun  the  towel.  I  look  him  off  I'l  a 
private  place  and  tohl  him  I  would  let  him  have  the  lowd  on  condiiion  that  he 
-would  not  let  the  Federal  officer  gel  powession  of  it  and  that  I  would  call  in  the 
■ftemoon  for  il.  He  took  the  towel,  and  In  itoing  into  yuur  linn  (so  ht  reported 
10  mc  that  afternoon)  Colonel  Whitaker  aaked  for  the  towel  to  di^lay  to  keep  his 
own  people  from  linng  on  hiin,  and,  as  soon  as  he  got  Into  the  linct,  he  mixed  up 
■with  the  others  and  disappeared  with  Ihe  towel. 

I  learned  t  few  yean  ago  that  Mis.  General  Cuaer  has  the  towel.  When  I 
reached  General  Longitreet,  after  leaving;  General  Gordon.  I  found  General  Cui. 
ler  and  he  t.ilkmg  together  at  a  shun  diitnnce  from  the  position  occupied  by  ihe 
siatf.  Cu^er  laic!  he  would  proceed  lo  attack  at  once  and  Longilreel  replied : 
■■As  s,«>n  IS  you  please,"  but  he  did  not  attack.  Just  after  I  left  Custer  he  came 
iti  «i};ht  i>f  inir  lines.  He  halted  his  troops  and.  t:iiiing  a  handkerchief  from  hii 
oidctly,  ili^)>Uyed  it  as  a  flag  and  rode  into  our  lines.  He  was  surrounded  by  some 
uf  iiur  |>cuplc  -ind  was  being  handled  a  little  roughly  when  an  old  claasmaie  of 
lu->  rcci>[;nijcd  him  and  rescued  him. 

U|-iii  frc'iucnt  applications  from  General  Gordon  to  General  l.ong^l^eet  for  r«- 
mfurcemciils,  he  (Longitreet)  sent  me  10  say  lo  (rfneral  Gordon  thai  General  Lee 
h.icl  roilc  donn  the  toad  lo  meet  General  Grant  and  that  if  he  thought  proper  he 
could  ^end  i  message  lo  General  Sheridan,  who  was  in  command  in  his  front, 
asking  liiiii  fur  a  suspension  of  hostilities  until  General  Lee  could  be  heard  from. 
I  found  General  Gordon  without  a  staff  officer  near  him,  and  he  begged  me  to 
lake  Ihe  tla);.  which  I  did.  Majot  Hiown,  of  his  tlaff,  joined  me  somewhere  on 
the  roulL-,  I  think  at  1  was  returning  from  General  Custer. 

i'arilon  ihe  hurried  nunner  in  which  this  is  written.  Let  me  hear  from  you 
again.      What  pan  were  you  in  this  surrender  f 

{i\-ntJ)  R.  M.  StHi,  late  CapUin  C.  S.  A. 


—  592  — 

other  to  accept  what  they  saw  with  allowance,  to  remember 
that  like  deception  had  before  been  successfully  practiced,  and 
that  while  the  authorities  were  dallying  with  a  flag  of  truce 
Lee's  broken  columns  might  be  quietly  disappearing  towards 
Lynchburg.  Besides  the  transition  was  too  sudden  for  realiza- 
tion. It  could  not  be  said  it  was  unexpected,  but  that  the 
supreme  moment  was  actually  at  hand  required  some  time  for 
comprehension.  But  all  doubts  vanished,  all  hesitancy  was 
stayed,  as,  moving  to  the  hill-top  and  stacking  arms,  the  soldiers 
saw  spread  out  before  them  the  worn,  weary  and  broken  bat- 
talions of  the  hard-fought  Army  of  Northern  Virginia.  But, 
by-and-by,  the  sound  of  distant  cannonading  dissipated  for  the 
moment  even  these  convincing  proofs.  It  was  the  guns  fired 
for  rejoicing,  but  Grant,  determining  there  should  be  no  out- 
ward demonstration  over  the  fallen  foe,  soon  ordered  it  stopped. 
But  he  could  not  stop  and  did  not  attempt  to  check  the  heart- 
felt thankfulness  with  which  the  soldiery  gladdened  in  their 
convictions  that  fight,  battle  and  bloodshed  were  of  the  past. 

The  line  was  now  thrown  into  column  of  divisions  and  they 
were  speedily  covered  with  a  heavy  cordon  of  sentinels.  No 
one  was  permitted  to  pass  beyond  them,  and  the  men,  so  long 
delayed  from  opportunity  to  feed  themselves,  set  about  with 
what  little  subsistence  yet  remained  to  prepare  a  much-needed 
meal.  In  the  desperate  march  the  troops  had  far  outstripped 
the  trains  and  the  supplies  were  miles  and  miles  behind.  It  was 
wise,  therefore,  to  carefully  husband  the  little  rations  still  in 
the  haversacks.  The-  order  forbidding  men  to  pass  beyond  the 
lines  did  not  include  a  prohibition  to  come  within  them,  and 
soon  the  bivouac  swarmed  with  the  rebs,  disposed  on  friendly 
converse  and  suppliants  for  a  stay  of  the  famishing  hunger  that 
for  days  had  been  gnawing  at  their  very  vitals. 

The  nibbling,  mincing  diet  of  the  past  few  days  had  pinched 
the  Union  soldiers  too.  But  a  soldier  kinship  is  a  fellowship, 
liberal,  self-denying,  stintless  in  generosity,  boundless  in  sym- 
pathy. Impressed  with  the  same  spirit  of  liberalit}'  as  was 
their  great  commander,  when  he  ordered  the  issue  of  25,000 


—  593  — 

rations  to  Lee's  cnhungered  troops,  the  soldiers  of  Rartlett's 
division  shared  their  provender  with  their  whilom  foemen  until 
every  haversack  was  emptj'.  The  sweet  aroma  of  real  coffee 
staggered  the  Confederates,  condensed  milk  and  sugar  appalled 
them,  and  they  stood  aghast  at  just  a  tittle  butter  which  one 
soldier,  more  provident  than  his  fellows,  happened  to  have  pre- 
served. A  Johnny  looked  at  the  bit  of  butter  a  moment,  as  if 
trying  to  remember  where  and  when  he  had  b^en  acquainted 
with  its  like  before,  and  then  asked  in  astonishment :  "  Do  they 
give  you  rations  like  that  ? "  Gracious  for  such,  to  them,  boun- 
tiful entertainment,  the  visitors  lingered  about  for  hours,  com- 
paring incidents  of  fight 
and  march  and  bivouac 
and  exchanging  trinkets 
and  scrips  to  be  retained 
as  mementos  of  the 
occasion.  There  was 
no  further  familiarity 
permitted;  all  inter- 
course was  afterwards 
confined  to  the  strict 
formalities  attending  the 
details  of  the  surrender. 

There   was    nothing 
but  the  country  to  look 
to  for  food.     An  exten- 
sive slaughter  of  old  cows  yielded  such   garlicky  meat  that 
even  hungry  stomachs  rebelled. 

On  tlic  night  of  the  i  ith  the  division  was  marched  out,  it 
was  said,  to  complete  the  details  of  the  surrender.  It  was 
understood  that  Lcc  had  requested,  to  avoid  mortification,  that 
these  be  perfected  in  the  darkness.  Whatever  was  the  fact,  the 
iiKilter  was  delayed  until  the  following  day  and  the  troops 
niovci!  back  to  camp  again. 

On  the  I2tli  of  April,  i86i,the  first  gun  of  the  war  wickedly 
belched  il^i  rebellious  venom  on  Sumter's  fated  walls,  and,  as 
33 


^f 


SONG  OF  THE  HULE  AT  FEED  TIHE: 
"  Oiti  we  eat  (O,  il's  »weet)  10  be  rt 


—  594  — 

if  in  human  retribution,  the  last  gun  of  the  war  was  laid  down 
in  submission  on  its  anniversary  day,  just  four  years  after- 
wards. 

There  had  been  bustle  and  activity  from  early  mom,  and 
about  nine  the  division  was  drawn  up  in  line  (for  to  Bartlett's 
division  solely  was  delegated  the  honor  of  receiving  the  sur- 
render), with  its  left  resting  near  the  fence  which  enclosed  the 
grounds  surrounding  the  now  celebrated  McLean  House.  The 
1 1 8th  was  on  the  left  of  the  brigade  close  to  the  fence.  In  the 
McLean  House  the  paroles  were  being  prepared  and  signed. 
Here  the  soldiers  expectantly  awaited  the  appearance  of  the 
surrendering  army.  The  troops  had  spruced  up  to  appear  to 
their  best  advantage,  and  arms,  accoutrements  and  clothing 
showed  but  little  of  the  rough  usage  they  had  been  subjected 
to  in  this  hard  campaign.  Soon  a  column  of  gray  was  seen 
wending  through  the  valley,  away  off  to  the  right,  and  the  line 
was  brought  to  **  attention.'*  A  thrill  of  excitement  ran  along 
it  and  every  man  exerted  himself  to  his  uttermost  to  appear  a 
soldier.  General  Evans's  brigade,  of  Gordon's  corps,  led  the 
Confederate  column.  As  its  head  reached  our  extreme  right 
it  was  wheeled  into  company  line. 

General  Griffin  and  General  Gibbon  had  sent  for  General 
Chamberlain  on  the  night  of  the  iith  and  informed  him  that 
he  was  to  command  the  jxirade  on  the  occasion  of  the  surren- 
der of  Lee's  army.  The  general  then  asked  for  his  old  com- 
mand, with  which  he  had  been  constantly  identified  until  he 
was  detached  to  command  the  1st  Brigade  at  Petersburg,  where 
he  was  so  severely  wounded.  General  Griffin  at  once  assigned 
him  to  the  3d  Brigade,  and  these  were  the  troops  which  he 
found  in  line  of  battle  on  the  morning  of  the  1 2th  to  take  the 
last  view  of  Lee's  army.  General  Bartlett,  commanding  the 
division,  sent  the  ist  Brigade  and  also  General  Gregory's  2d 
Brigade,  which  had  served  under  General  Chamberlain  during 
the  entire  campaign,  to  take  their  places  in  the  parade.  These 
were  found  not  in  the  same  line,  but  close  by. 

Our  bugle  sounded  and  our  solemn  and  eager  lines  were 


—  595  - 

brought  to  the  manual  of  the  "shoulder" — now  calkd  the 
"  carry  " — as  a  mark  of  respect.  Acknowledging  the  courtesy 
by  similar  movement,  the  column  wheeled  to  front  us.  Then 
each  regiment  stacked  arms,  unslung  cartridge  boxes  and  hung 
them  on  tlie  stacks,  and  finally  laid  down  their  colors.  And 
then,  disarmed  and  colorless,  they  again  broke  into  column  and 
marched  off  again  and  disappeared  forever  as  soldiers  of  the 
discomfited  Confederacy. 

The  rebs  showed  discipline  and  marched  well.  Their  arms 
were  of  all  patterns  and  designs,  many  of  them  of  English 
make.  Their  colors  were  all  faded  by  the  weather,  some  torn 
to  shreds  and  many  of  them  mounted  on  richly  ornamented 
standards,  while  others  were  fastened  to  rude  poles.  Many  a 
brave  Confederate  soldier  turned  from  the  old  colors  they  loved 
so  well  and  for  which  they  had  endured  so  much  with  tears  in 
their  eyes.  No  conversation  was  allowed  between  the  two 
armies  while  Ihc  surrender  was  being  made,  but  occasionally  a 
pleasant  word  would  be  exchanged.  One  of  a  regiment  which 
stacked  its  arms  in  front  of  us  asked:  "What  regiment  arc 
youuns  ? "  "  The  i  i8th  Pennsylvania,"  was  the  reply.  "  Didn't 
we  give  it  to  you  at  Shcpherdstown  ?  "  came  back.  "  It  took  a 
uhoJe  rebel  division  to  do  it  "  wc  replied.  W'c  received  them 
with  every  courtesy  that  could  be  possibly  extended  by  a  vic- 
torious army,  with  a  single  exception.  A  brigadier-general 
riding  along  at  the  head  of  his  brigade  attracted  the  attention 
of  our  regiment.  He  was  a  small,  thin  man,  with  a  red  face 
and  a  shrill,  sharp  voice.  His  uniform  was  all  of  the  Con- 
federate color,  with  the  exception  of  his  coat,  which  was  blue 
and  covered  with  gold  braid.  He  rode  a  large  horse  and 
looked  like  a  grim,  sour  man.  We  saw  that  he  was  not  ad- 
iiiirtd  by  his  men.  His  brigade  had  halted  in  front  of  the 
1 1 8th  and  their  commander  gave  the  necessary  orders  to  have 
thtiii  placed  in  position  to  receive  our  salute.  Their  line  not 
liL-inL;  dresseti  up  in  time,  he  abused  the  men  for  being  so  tardy. 
Tln.y  must  have  had  the  same  abuse  before,  but  now  that  his 
authority  was  broken  they  would  not  stand  iL     Turning  an- 


—  590  — 

grily  towards  him,  they  tauntingly  replied :  "  Look  at  him !  he 
is  brave  enough  now.  but  he  never  was  so  near  the  Yankees 
before  in  his  life."  Without  giving  a  reply  he  rode  to  the 
right  of  his  command.  "Who  is  he?  Who  is  he?"  came 
from  a  number  of  our  boys.  "  Oh,  he's  General  Henry  A. 
Wise  !  "  was  the  reply.  For  a  moment  we  could  hardly  com- 
prehend this.  We  thought  of  brave  old  John  Brown  and  of 
the  imperious  Governor  of  Virginia  who  had  ordered  his  exe- 
cution, and  here  he  was  as  a  rebel  general  surrendering  his 
command  to  the  despised  Yankees.  Our  men  couldn't  let  the 
opportunity  pass  without  firing  a  few  hot  shot  at  him  and 
greeted  him  with  such  expressions  as:  "Who  hung  John 
Brown  ?  "  "  Where  did  you  steal  your  coat  ?  "  "  Hang  him  to 
a  sour  apple-tree  ! "  "  Shoot  him ! "  If  there  was  a  disgusted- 
looking  man  that  rode  from  Appomattox  that  day  it  was  ex- 
Governor  Wise. 

After  the  rebels  had  stacked  their  arms  they  marched  to 
head-quarters  and  signed  their  paroles  and  rapidly  departed  for 
their  homes,  so  that  on  the  following  day  scarcely  a  rebel  could 
be  found  on  that  historic  field. 

Much  work  was  left  for  us  to  do  after  the  rebs  had  left,  in 
gathering  up  the  stores  and  munitions  of  war.  In  the  woods 
where  the  rebel  army  had  encamped,  muskets  were  scattered 
upon  the  ground  in  ever}'  direction.  We  found  where  whole 
battalions  had  stacked  their  arms  and  left  for  home,  taking  no 
part  in  the  surrender,  not  even  signing  their  parole.  There  is 
no  doubt  that  many  thousands  went  away  in  this  manner,  which^ 
if  added  to  those  who  marched  in  and  stacked  their  arms,  would 
have  swelled  Lee's  army  to  over  fifty  thousand  men,  who  sur- 
rendered on  the  9th  of  April.  It  was  a  thankless  and  weari- 
some job  for  us  to  gather  up  those  munitions  of  war.  Major 
Jos.  Ashbrook,  who  was  division  ordnance  officer,  destroyed 
immense  quantities  of  them. 

The  railroad  bridges  had  been  destroyed,  so  that  trains  could 
not  reach  us,  while  the  condition  of  the  roads  made  it  impos- 
sible for  wagon  trains  to  move.     Our  rations  were  exhausted. 


-  597  - 

We  were  without  food  for  two  days,  Foraging  expeditions 
were  sent  out  with  poor  results;  a  Uttlc  beef  was  secured,  but 
it  was  poor  and  tough,  and  so  tainted  with  gadic  that  it  was 
almost  unfit  to  eat.  Even  this  was  soon  exhausted.  Some  of 
the  men  were  fortunate  enough  to  find  where  corn  had  been  fed 
to  horses  and  mules ;  tliis  grain  was  gathered  up,  parched,  and 
«aten  with  great  relish. 

There  were  many  rehcs  carried  from  the  field.  Among  these 
was  the  historic  apple-tree,  which  was  all  appropriated,  even  the 
ground  being  dug  up  to  secure  its  roots. 

On  April   14  the  rain  poured  down  in  torrents.     Many  of 


the  men  had  no  tents,  we  had  no  rations,  it  was  cold,  muddy, 
and  the  picket  line  of  our  camp  was  maintained.  Captain  See- 
sholl^,  of  "  K,"  posted  the  last  picket  line  previous  to  our  de- 
parture. On  the  15th.  about  noon,  we  began  our  return  march 
to  Richmond.  We  had  all  heard  of  "  conquering  armies  "  and 
"  flying  banners,"  and  their  majestic  appearance,  but  it  was  not 
-SO  with  our  division  on  that  day.  We  had  oHen  marched  from 
fields  of  ilefcat  with  more  martial  display;  it  was  raining  hard. 
tiiL-  mud  was  ankle-deep  in  the  roads,  our  uniforms  were  ragged, 
and  the  men  were  hungr)'  and  sour.  No  attempt  was  made  to 
keep  in  t!ie  ranks,  but  at  a  rapid  pace  we  straggled  along  the 
muddy  roads,  each  man  taking  his  own  way  as  best  he  could. 


—  598  — 

We  were  to  draw  rations  that  night,  the  officers  said,  and 
with  that  thought  to  inspire  us  we  pushed  bravely  on.  Dark- 
ness came  that  afternoon  at  an  early  hour,  but  no  halt  was  or- 
dered until  after  dark.  We  then  received  the  cheering  intelli- 
gence that "  some  one  had  blundered,"  and  that  we  had  marched 
the  last  two  miles  on  the  wrong  road  (old  story).  With  many 
expressions  of  anger  we  retraced  our  weary  steps  until  we 
reached  the  turnpike  which,  by  mistake,  we  had  left.  Here  we 
received  the  somewhat  sarcastic  order  to  break  ranks  and  make 
ourselves  comfortable  for  the  night.  The  ground  was  so  thor- 
oughly soaked  with  water  it  stood  around  our  feet  as  we  walked 
about.  We  had  no  means  with  which  to  build  fires.  We  could 
only  spread  our  blankets  on  the  soggy  ground  and  endeavor  to 
sleep.     The  rain  poured  down  upon  us  all  night 

The  next  day  was  cold  and  raw ;  the  mud  had  reached  con- 
sistency to  give  the  roads  the  appearance  of  mortar-beds.  Still 
no  rations  in  sight.  It  was  reported  we  would  get  them  at 
Farmville.  Many  of  the  men  straggled  up  the  railroad  track. 
At  noon  we  crossed  the  Appomattox  River  on  a  temporary 
bridge,  and  soon  reached  the  village  of  Farmville.  The  rebels 
here  had  had  great  hospitals. 

The  rain  had  ceased  falling  and  the  clouds  had  cleared  away; 
the  scene  spread  out  before  us  was  beautiful,  and,  what  was 
better,  we  saw  our  wagon-train  and  knew  that  we  soon  would 
have  our  rations.  We  stacked  arms  and  laid  around,  and  for 
the  first  time  realized  that  the  war  was  over. 

About  4  p.  M.  a  despatch  had  been  received  announcing  the 
intelligence  that  President  Lincoln  had  been  assassinated.  At 
first  we  could  not  believe  it,  but  when  the  news  was  authenti- 
cated, the  men  were  deeply  moved  by  it,  and  a  gloom  cast  over 
the  whole  army.  The  people  of  Farmville  were  also  much 
affected  by  it.  It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  feeling  that  ex- 
isted ;  we  had  all  loved  Lincoln  so  much  ;  the  color  bearers 
of  the  various  regiments,  to  drape  their  flags  in  mourning,  re- 
sorted to  the  device  of  dyeing  white  handkerchiefs  or  other 
fabrics  at  command,  from  ink  secured  from  the  men,  proving 
the  old  adage,  "  necessity  is  the  mother  of  invention." 


—  599  — 

On  Monday  morning  we  broke  camp  and  marched  to  Burks- 
ville,  and  then  proceeded  along  the  line  of  the  Danville  Rail- 
road. On  the  following  morning  we  found  that  "some  one 
had  again  blundered  "  and  wc  had  to  return  to  Burksville,  and 
near  that  place  we  encamped,  rem-ining  there  all  the  following 
day.  From  this  point  we  proceeded  slowly  in  the  direclton  of 
Petersburg,  and  on  Sunday.  April  25.  we  stacked  arms  at 
Southerland  Station.     A  ludicrou-  :ri"'-i'  .-.tc;:-:-.:.:  !i.],  ,      A 


MAJOR  McLeans  house. 

Major  McLean  lived  at  Manassas  at  ihe  time  of  the  battle  of  Bull  Ron.  Hit 
houEc  w3«  used  ai  headquancci  of  Gen.  Beauregard  during  the  battle.  He  then 
mr)v«d  licrc  to  this  quiet  nook.  It  wa»  his  fortune  to  have  hii  hoiue  used  at  the 
I  If  ginning  and  ihe  ending  of  the  conflict- 
halt  was  ordered,  and  we  supposed  it  was  for  a  rest.  In  front 
(if  us  was  a  colored  cavalry  regiment  from  Massachusetts  which 
iiad  rencln;d  the  field  just  as  the  war  was  closed.  The  officers 
of  this  regiment  were  all  white,  the  men  all  black.  A  number 
of  our  men  went  up  to  the  tent  of  their  regimental  sutler  and 
found  he  had  a  large  stock  of  goods  such  as  army  sutlers 
ii^^iially  sell.  The  colored  soldiers  were  proud  of  their  new  uni- 
forms and  put  on  many  airs.    Our  boys  were  ragged  and  rough 


—  6o2  — 

strangers  and  anticipating  a  *'  raid  "  he  had  applied  to  Colonel 
Edmunds  for  protection.  Lieutenant  George  W.  Williams  was 
sent  with  a  detail,  in  compliance  with  the  request,  but,  tardy  of 
movement,  by  the  time  he  reached  his  destination  there  was 
nought  to  look  after  save  two  kegs  of  nails.  The  "  soldiers  " 
had  cut  the  tent  ropes  and  rolled  up  clerks  and  proprietor  in 
the  canvas.  It  was  a  well-stocked  store,  and  from  the  supplies 
of  canned  goods,  cakes  and  other  dainties  scattered  through 
the  regiment  it  was  quite  apparent  the  1 1 8th  had  not  suffered 
by  the  operation. 

The  following  leaves  from  the  diary  of  H.  H.  Hodges  give 
an  interesting  account  of  the  homeward  march  of  the  regi- 
ment. 

"  May  6. — Moved  at  7  a.  m.,  crossing  the  James  River ;  from 
the  bridge  we  had  a  good  view  of  Belle  Island  and  Libby 
Prison.  Marched  through  the  principal  streets  of  Richmond 
and  past  Libby  Prison  and  Castle  Thunder  in  company  frcnt, 
reviewed  by  Generals  Afcade  and  Halleck,  every  man  on  his 
mettle,  doing  his  best.  The  streets  and  windows  of  houses 
were  filled  with  spectators,  whose  sullen  looks  plainly  told  their 
feelings  towards  us.  The  frequent  halts  and  delays  of  column 
consumed  much  time,  and  it  was  long  after  noon  before  we 
were  clear  of  the  city.  Soon  it  became  evident  that  the  time 
lost  in  Richmond  was  to  be  made  up  from  the  rapid  manner  in 
which  we  were  pushed  along ;  it  looked  as  if  the  desire  of  our 
corps  commander  was  to  reach  Washington,  if  possible,  by 
daybreak.  The  report  that  a  wager  between  the  2d  Corps 
staff  officers  and  our  own  as  to  which  corps  would  reach  its 
destination  first  was  the  cause,  whether  true  or  not ;  gladly  we 
heard  the  well-known  voice  of  General  Meade,  as  he  rode  by, 
exclaim, '  Why,  any  one  would  suppose  the  war  in  full  blast, 
with  the  rebels  at  your  heels !  Turn  in  the  first  field !  *  Quickly 
we  obeyed;  it  was  a  beautiful,  moonlight  night;  we  went  into 
bivouac  at  10  p.  m.,  near  Hanover  Court-House,  on  a  portion 
of  the  old  battle-field,  fully  convinced  that  General  Griffin  would 
hold  the  right  of  road. 


"  May  7. — Moved  at  9  a.  m.  Passed  through  Hanover  Court- 
House;  crossed  the  Pamunkey  River  on  pontoons,  and  biv- 
ouacked at  7  p.  M. 

"  May  8. — Moved  at  7  a.  m.  Crossed  the  Mattapony  River  and 
bivouacked  near  Bowling  Green  at  5  p.  m. 

"  May  g, — Moved  at  7  a.  m.  Passed  through  Bowling  Green, 
and  crossed  the  Rappahannock  River  near  (below)  Fredericks- 
burg ;  went  into  bivouac  at  4  p.  M. 

■■  May  10. — Moved  at  8  a.  m.  Passing  near  our  old  camp  of 
the  winter  of  '62,  the  temptation  was  too  strong,  and  breaking 
from  column  many  sought  their  old  quarters  for  a  last  look. 
How  changed !  the  tall  weeds,  rank  grass  and  undergrowth 
overran  everything.  Here  and  there  the  ruins  of  a  chimney, 
or  one  stiil  standing,  around  which  we  had  listened  to  the  merry 
jest  and  cheering  words  ofniany  a  comrade,  who  at  times  looked 
for^vard  with  fond  expectations  that  the>'  too  would  be  permitted 
to  return  with  us,  but.  alas!  have  fallen  on  every  battle-field 
from  Fredericksburg  to  Appomattox;  freely  they  gave  their 
lives  for  their  country,  causing  us  to  close  up  ranks,  press 
forward,  until  ever>'  foe  should  swear  allegiance  to  the  old  flag, 
without  one  star  or  stripe  being  missed  from  its  folds.  As  we 
looked  below,  to  the  left  of  our  old  camp,  the  burj'ing  ground 
was  in  view,  containing  the  remains  of  our  comrades  whom  we 
laid  away  during  our  first  winter's  service.  Memories  of  the  ' 
past  crowded  fast  upon  us ;  faces  and  forms  were  readily  re- 
called of  those  'who  were,  and  are  not.'  With  heavy  hearts 
wc  left  the  scene,  rejoined  the  column,  and  bivouacked  near 
Dumfries  at  6  P.  M. 

■"May  II. — Moved  at  8  A,  M.  This  proved  to  be  the  severest 
Wc  had  yet  performed  on  our  homeward  march.  The  column 
moved  rapidly  until  reaching  the  Icaquan,  about  4  ?.  M. ;  here 
one  of  the  heaviest  thunder  storms  experienced  during  our  term 
of  service  broke  upon  us.  The  stream  quickly  assumed  the 
proportions  of  a  mighty  river ;  pontoons  were  thrown  across  to 
facilitate  crossing,  the  approaches  to  which  were  nearly  knee- 
dLC])  in  mud  ;  crossing  and  climbing  the  steep  hill  on  the  north 


—  6o4  — 

side,  the  sacred  soil  appeared  to  have  become  smooth  as  ice, 
for  with  all  his  care  and  caution  the  big-footed  fellow  above 
would  slip,  and  in  downward  course  bring  three  or  four  with 
him  ;  with  curses  loud  and  deep,  as  they  arose  from  mud  and 
water,  they  would  cr>%  *  Shove  that  lazy,  big-footed  devil  to  the 
rear !  *  Bivouacked  at  8  p.  m.  near  Fairfax  Station ;  it  proved  to 
be  about  the  worst  night  during  our  term  of  service.  Rain, 
mud  and  cold  combined,  causing  repeated  efforts  in  the  morning 
to  drive  the  stiffness  from  our  limbs. 

"  May  12. — Moved  at  8  a.  m.  Beautiful,  clear  morning,  with 
a  cold  northwest  wind  against  us.  Moved  off  at  a  rapid  pace ; 
soon  passed  Fairfax  Station  and  Court- House ;  convinced  that 
our  tedious  march  was  rapidly  drawing  to  a  close,  eagerly  we 
looked  from  cvcr>'  hill  for  the  dome  of  the  capitol  at  Washing- 
ton ;  at  length  our  attention  was  called  to  cheering  from  head 
of  column  ;  gaining  the  point  from  which  the  cheers  had  come, 
there,  in  full  view,  it  stood,  its  white  dome  reflecting  the  rays 
from  the  sun,  backed  by  the  blue  sky  in  the  distance,  presenting 
a  beautiful  sight  to  our  view  ;  with  hearts  full  of  gratitude,  we 
thanked  God  for  the  privilege  of  again  beholding  with  our 
eyes  what  our  arms  had  helped  to  preserve  for  coming  ages, 
*  A  free  and  united  country.*  Passed  Falls  Station,  on  Alex- 
andria Railroad,  and  went  into  bivouac  about  a  mile  from  the 
station  at  4  p.  m.  Here,  for  the  last  time,  camp  was  laid  out, 
company  streets  made,  shelter  tents  pitched,  etc.,  and  rest  en- 
joyed. Our  wear}'  marches,  dangers,  toils  and  privations  were 
of  the  past ;  but  one  more,  *  Home.'  Our  stay  at  this  place 
was  pleasant,  mails  regular,  full  rations,  passes  readily  obtained 
to  visit  the  other  corps.  Here  for  the  first  time  we  saw  the 
great  army  of  General  Sherman,  which  had  arrived  and  en- 
camped on  the  heights  above  Alexandria.  A  spirit  of  rivalry 
sprang  u[)  between  the  two  armies ;  each  vied  to  outdo  the 
other.  The  illuminations  of  camps  after  dark  presented  a  pic- 
turesque appearance,  the  hillsides  dotted  with  white,  lit  up  with 
ra)s  from  thousands  of  candles,  the  loud  cheering,  shrill  notes 
from  bugle  and  soul-stirring  fife  and  drum  left  impressions  that 


-605- 

time  cannot  obliterate.  The  government  decided  that  before 
the  two  great  armies  lying  within  sight  of  Washington  were 
disbanded,  a  grand  review  should  be  held  in  the  capital  of  the 
nation;  preparations  of  the  most  elaborate  kind  were  made  for 
that  event,  on  the  morning  of  May  24.  The  grand  old  Army 
of  tlie  Potomac,  which  for  four  long  years  had  bared  its  breast 
to  rebel  foes,  crossed  Long  Bridge  and  received  a  royal  wtl- 
come  from  those  it  had  safely  defended.  What  a  sight  we  sawl 
Everj'where  our  na- 
tional emblem  was 
displayed.  The  ar- 
tillery sent  forth  its 
thundering  notes. 
The  stirring  music 
of  the  bands ;  ioud 
and  long  continued 
cheering  of  the  peo- 
ple, who  thronged 
evcrj'  available  space; 
even  innocent  child- 
hood was  there  to 
greet  us  with  flowers, 
and  our  guardian 
angels,  loyal  and  true 
womanhood,  rc- 
ccivcd  us  with  their 
kindly  smiles  and 
\sords  of  welcome. 
With  stead)-  tread  we  marched  over  the  broad  avenue. 
receiving  one  continued  ovation.  Recrossed  the  Potomac 
kiver,  and  arrived  at  camp  early  in  the  evening.  From 
this  time  rumors  of  being  mustered  out  were  freely  circulated. 
Soon  the  rolls  were  being  prepared.  Officers  on  .staffduty  and 
detailed  men  rejoined  their  companies.  June  i  was  our  jubilee ; 
wh:u  wf  had  lont^  looked  for  was  at  hand.  Brevet-Major  T.  D. 
Chamberlain,  mustering-out  officer,  arrived  in  camp;  the  com- 


CHAPLAIN  W.  J.  O'NEILL. 


—  6o4  — 

side,  the  sacred  soil  appeared  to  have  become  smooth  as  ice, 
for  with  all  his  care  and  caution  the  big-footed  fellow  above 
would  slip,  and  in  downward  course  bring  three  or  four  with 
him ;  with  curses  loud  and  deep,  as  they  arose  from  mud  and 
water,  they  would  cry,  '  Shove  that  lazy,  big-footed  devil  to  the 
rear ! '  Bivouacked  at  8  p.  m.  near  Fairfax  Station  ;  it  proved  to 
be  about  the  worst  night  during  our  term  of  service.  Rain, 
mud  and  cold  combined,  causing  repeated  efforts  in  the  morning 
to  drive  the  stiffness  from  our  limbs. 

"  May  12. — Moved  at  8  a.  m.     Beautiful,  clear  morning,  with 
a  cold  northwest  wind  against  us.     Moved  off  at  a  rapid  pace ; 
soon  passed  Fairfax  Station  and  Court-House ;  convinced  that 
our  tedious  march  was  rapidly  drawing  to  a  close,  eagerly  we 
looked  from  every  hill  for  the  dome  of  the  capitol  at  Washing- 
ton ;  at  length  our  attention  was  called  to  cheering  from  head 
of  column  ;  gaining  the  point  from  which  the  cheers  had  come, 
there,  in  full  view,  it  stood,  its  white  dome  reflecting  the  rays 
from  the  sun,  backed  by  the  blue  sky  in  the  distance,  presenting 
a  beautiful  sight  to  our  view  ;  with  hearts  full  of  gratitude,  we 
thanked  God  for  the  privilege   of  again  beholding  with  our 
eyes  what  our  arms  had  helped  to  preserve  for  coming  ages, 
*  A  free  and  united  country.*     Passed  Falls  Station,  on  Alex- 
andria Railroad,  and  went  into  bivouac  about  a  mile  from  the 
station  at  4  p.  m.     Here,  for  the  last  time,  camp  was  laid  out, 
company  streets  made,  shelter  tents  pitched,  etc.,  and  rest  en- 
joyed.    Our  wear)'  marches,  dangers,  toils  and  privations  were 
of  the  past ;  but  one  more,  '  Home.'     Our  stay  at  this  place 
was  pleasant,  mails  regular,  full  rations,  passes  readily  obtained 
to  visit  the  other  corps.     Here  for  the  first  time  we  saw   the 
great  army  of  General  Sherman,  which   had  arrived  and  en- 
camped on  the  heights  above  Alexandria.     A  spirit  of  rivalrj' 
sprang  up  between  the  two  armies ;  each  vied  to  outdo  the 
other.     The  illuminations  of  camps  after  dark  presented  a  pic- 
turesque appearance,  the  hillsides  dotted  with  white,  lit  up  with 
rays  from  thousands  of  candles,  the  loud  cheering,  shrill  notes 
from  bugle  and  soul-stirring  fife  and  drum  left  impressions  that 


Although  the  days  were  hot  the  nights  were  cool,  and  in  the 
morning  we  were  chilled  through. 

"  In  damp  and  rainy  weather — and  during  the  month  of  June 
it  rained  nearly  every  day — the  ground  would  be  covered  with 
maggots  emerging  from  the  filtli  beneath  the  surface,  and  at  all 
times  the  most  loathsome  vermin  could  be  seen  crawling  in 
every  direction.  It  required  incessant  care  to  keep  even  mod- 
erately free  from  tliem. 

"Our  rations  at  first  were  corn-bread  and  bacon;  six  loaves 
of  corn-bread  a  daj-  for  every  ten  men,  and  a  piece  of  bacon  to 
each  man  about  two  inches  square.  The  bacon,  though  often 
sweet  and  good,  \vas  frequently  alive  and  strong.  The  bread 
was  made  of  unsifted  corn-meal  and  water,  with  occasionally  a 
little  salt.  The  outside  of  the  loaves  would  be  baked  brown, 
while  the  middle  was  uncooked, 

"  The  stockade  was  built  of  unhewn  pine  logs  from  a  foot  to 
eighteen  inches  in  diameter  and  about  eighteen  feet  In  length, 
the  lower  ends  firmly  embedded  in  the  ground.  There  was  an 
inner  fence  around  the  enclosure,  at  a  distance  of  about  twelve 
feet  from  the  outer  wall,  made  of  narrow  boards  nailed  upon 
the  tops  of  posts.  This  was  the  dead  line,  and  the  guards'  or- 
ders were  to  shoot  any  one  who  crossed  it, 

"  There  was  a  gradual  descent  from  each  end  to  the  centre 
of  the  stockade,  where  the  swamp  was  situated.  The  creek 
from  which  drinking  or  washing  water  was  obtained  ran 
through  this  swamp,  and  for  some  time  after  our  arrival  we 
were  obliged  to  wade  through  mud  almost  up  to  our  knees  to 
get  to  the  water.  In  July  a  causeway  was  built  to  the  creek, 
of  logs  taken  from  the  upper  end  of  the  stockade,  when  it  was 
enlarged. 

"The  cook-house  was  built  just  outside  of  the  stockade  upon 
the  edge  of  the  creek  where  it  ran  in.  When  the  boilers  were 
washed  the  greasy  refuse  was  thrown  into  the  creek,  floating 
upon  its  surface  in  scales,  and  making  the  water  so  nauseous 
that  the  prisoners  would  abstain  from  drinking  it  till  intense 
thirst  compelled  them. 


—  6o6  — 

panies  assembled  in  their  streets;  anxiously  each  waited  for, 
and  eagerly  answered  to  his  name  as  called,  and  in  a  short  time 
we  were  mustered  out,  our  drafted  men  and  substitutes  being 
transferred  to  the  91st  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  On  the  fol- 
lowing day,  June  2,  wc  answered  *  Fall  in,*  for  the  last  time  on 
the  so-called  sacred  soil  and  started  for  home.  As  we  approached 
Long  Bridge,  we  found  the  ist  Michigan  drawn  up  side  of  the 
road  to  give  IQs  their  parting  salute.  The  old  cheer  of  the 
Wolverines  broke  out  loud  and  long,  as  we  filed  past;  their 
enthusiasm  was  unbounded ;  it  touched  our  hearts.  'Twas  the 
God-speed  of  true  and  loyal  men  for  those  who  had  stood 
shoulder  to  shoulder  through  three  long  years  of  strife  and  con- 
flict. Never  separated,  always  brigaded  together,  we  soon 
learned  their  worth;  equal  to  any  emergency;  bravest  of  the 
brave ;  loyal  to  the  core  ;  proved  by  their  three  terms  of  enlist- 
ment, and  justly  the  peer  of  any  regiment  that  ever  marched  or 
fought  in  defence  of  our  country's  flag ;  with  hearty  cheers  we 
returned  the  compliment;  a  lingering  look,  and  we  parted. 
Crossed  Long  Bridge  ;  shook  the  dust  of  Virginia  forever  from 
our  feet,  and  soon  reach  the  cars ;  here,  while  waiting,  several 
regiments  of  Sherman's  army  bound  west  in  cars,  commenced 
to  chaff"  us  almost  continually  from  their  encampment  near 
Alexandria ;  they  were  bragging  of  what  they  had  done,  and 
firing  sarcastic  remarks  at  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  As  this 
was  their  last  chance,  they  could  not  let  it  pass  by;  they 
hailed  us:  'Hello,  what  regiment's  that?*  1 1 8th  Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteers.  '  Where  you  going  ?  *  To  paradise,  home. 
'  Bringing  us  from  the  west  to  wind  this  thing  up.'  Oh,  that's 
it.  is  it  ?  You  bummers  have  lived  on  the  fat  of  the  land.  *  You 
fellows  ought  to  have  had  Sherman  with  you,  he'd  settled  it.' 
What !  why  it  took  Grant  and  Sheridan  a  year  to  do  it  No 
fourth-rate  general  about  Bobby  Lee, — fortunately  the  cars 
moved,  at  this  point,  in  opposite  directions.  Left  Washington 
about  one  o'clock,  and  reached  Baltimore  at  5  p.  M.,  somewhat 
surprised  to  find,  on  leaving  cars,  the  citizens  awaiting  our 
coming  with  ice-water  and  sandwiches.     Passed  through  Balti- 


-  6o7  — 


more  in  twos  to  depot,  and  embarked  for  last  ride  in  comfort- 
able cars,  forming  quite  a  contrast  to  the  cattle  car>  from  Wash- 
ington. Arrived  at  Broad  and  Washington  Street  Depot  about 
2  P.  M.  on  the  morning  of  the  3d.  Marched  down  to  the 
Cooper  Refreshment  Saloon,  stacked  arms,  and  partook  of  a 
hearty  breakfast,  the  first  square  meal  enjoyed  for  years.  Re- 
sumed line  of  march  for  Camp  Cadwallader,  passing  the  resi- 
dence of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Herring  on  Vine  street,  who  was 
still  suffering  from  loss  of  leg  at  Hatcher's  Run,  but  on  ap- 
pearing at  window  received  the  hearty  cheers  of  those  who  so 
often  had  followed  his  command.  Reached  our  destination 
about  noon,  turned  in  arms  and  accoutrements,  were  speedily 
dismissed  with  orders  to  report  for  pay  on  Monday  morning, 
June  5.  Promptly  we  appeared  and  fell  in  for  pay,  and  by 
two  o'clock  the  regiment  was  paid  oi(,  as  wc  thought  to  meet 
no  more ;  but  those  who  had  raised  the  regiment  and  so  gener- 
ously contributed  in  every  |>ossible  way  for  our  comfort  at  tlie 
front,  The  Corn  Exchange  Association,  willed  otherwise.  A 
grand  and  elegant  banquet  was  prepared  on  the  evening  of 
June  9.  at  Sansom  Street  Hall,  in  honor  of  our  return,  at  which 
many  distinguished  citizens  were  present.  Major-Otncrals 
Meade  and  I'.-ittcison  spoke  in  the  hi_^!icst  terms  of  praise  of 
our  services  in  upholding  the  honor  of  our  country  in  its 
darkest  hour.  Next  day,  June  lO,  we  participated  in  the  re- 
view and  reception  of  returned  Philadelphia  veterans,  thence 
to  the  Cooper  Refreshment  Saloon,  where  the  regiment  was 
finally  disbanded." 

Thus  ends  the  history  of  the  Com  Exchange  Regiment  01 
Philadelphia. 

Since  its  pages  were  begun,  the  fearless  soldier  and  courteous 
gcntienian,  Colonel  Charles  M.  Prevost,  its  first  commander, 
has  passed  away.  For  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  suffered  from 
a  disabling  wound  received  at  Shepherdstown,  while  advancing 
in  front  of  the  regiment  with  the  colors  in  his  hand. 

Could  the  remnant  of  the  regiment  stand  upon  parade  in  the 
field  .it  Indian  Queen  Lane,  each  in  his  place  as  he  stood  when 


—  6o8  — 

mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United  States,  how  many  and 
wide  would  be  the  gaps !  Many,  many  more  than  those  who  sur- 
vive have  been  mustered  by  Death  into  the  ranks  of  the  num- 
berless, silent  army. 

When  the  regiment  was  passing  through  Washington  in 
1862,  moving  towards  the  front,  one  bystander,  looking  upon 
them,  said  to  another,  "  These  are  Men  !  " 

From  Antietam  to  Appomattox,  whether  facing  the  withering* 
fire  and  outnumbering  ranks  of  the  enemy  at  Shepherdstown, 
or  bravely  plodding  through  the  mud  with  Bumside ;  whether 
moving  over  the  plain  beyond  Fredericksburg,  swept  by  the 
fires  of  hell,  or  breaking  their  way,  pelted  by  musketr>'  and 
solid  shot  and  shell,  through  the  dense  undergrowth  of  the 
Wilderness,  Chanccllorsville  or  Gett>'sburg;  whether  scaling* 
the  heights  of  Manassas,  or  crouching,  shivering  in  the  pitiless 
cold  in  the  woods,  facing  the  fortifications  at  Mine  Run  ; 
whether  holding  the  thin  line  firmly  against  the  fierce  attacks 
of  more  than  double  their  number,  or  building  breastworks 
and  bomb-proofs  around  Petersburg— during  three  years  of 
peril  and  cold  and  hunger  and  weariness — there  was  not  a  mo- 
ment when  the  words  could  not  have  been  repeated  with  em- 
phatic truthfulness,  "  These  are  Men  !  " 

Soldiers,  comrades  and  others :  The  curtain  is  rung  down^ 
and  the  footlights  are  put  out ;  the  audience  has  all  left  and 
gone  home ;  the  gaudy  tinsel  that  appears  before  the  footlights 
is  exchanged  for  the  dress  of  the  citizen.  Coming  generations 
and  historians  will  be  the  critics  as  to  how  we  have  acted  our 
parts. 


CHAPTER  XXT. 

SOUTHEBN   PRISONS. 

CowsADES  known  in  marches  many,  Wounds  or  skkness  may  divide  u 

Comrades  tried  in  dangers  many,  Martlling  orders  may  dltide  u 

Comrades  bound  by  memories  many,  Bui  whntever  foics  brlide  ui, 
Brolbera  ever  lei  us  be.  IlrtJiheis  of  ihe  heart  an:  we 


SERGEANT  THOMAS  J.  HYATT,  who  was  captured  in 
tlie  first  day's  fight  in  the  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864,  fur- 
nishes the  following  account  of  prison-life  in  the  South.  After 
detailing  the  circumstances  of  his  capture,  and  his  adventures 
on  the  way  to  Danville,  he  says : 

"We  were  marched  through  the  town,  that  its  inhabitants 
might  glory  in  the  valor  and  success  of  the  Confederate  sol- 
diers. Men,  women  and  children  crowded  around  to  gaze  upon 
us.  Among  the  rest  was  a  gray-haired  man  who,  by  a  badge 
upon  his  well-worn  and  tattered  hat,  informed  us  that  he  be- 
longed to  the  Confederate  Sanitary  Commission.  Judging  from 
his  appearance  the  commission  was  a  dilapidated  afliiir.  What- 
ever of  comfort  or  help  he  may  have  bestowed  upon  the  sick 
and  wounded  of  his  own  side,  curses  and  denunciations  were 
all  he  gave  to  us.  He  finally  became  so  foul-mouthed  in  his 
bitttjrncss  that  an  officer  ordered  him  away.     He  went 

"Soon  a  gloomy  tobacco  warehouse  was  pointed  out  to  us 
as  our  quarters.  We  entered.  Two  hundred  and  fifty  men 
WLTC  crowded  into  the  third  floor  of  the  building,  and  an  equal 
number  upon  the  second,  A  ration  of  corn-bread  was  served 
out,  and  eaten  with  great  eagerness,  most  of  us  having  been 
without  food  for  two  days. 

•'  Upon  making  our  steeping  arrangements  we  found  that 
aft(.T  the  two  hundred  and  fifty  men  had  lain  down  as  close  to- 
gether .IS  possible  there  was  left  a  passage  about  a  foot  wide 
around  the  room.  The  window  sashes  were  nailed  down,  and 
wondcn  bars  nailed  across  the  outside  of  the  windows.  One 
<if  ilir  prisoners,  shortly  after  our  arrival,  went  close  to  one  of 
"■>  (609) 


—  6oo  — 

and  had  no  money — were  ready  for  any  kind  of  a  skirmish. 
They  crowded  around  the  sutler's  tent.  Three  negro  soldiers 
on  guard  ordered  them  to  fall  back,  but  the  men  didn't  feel  so 
disposed  and  kept  increasing  in  numbers.  The  corporal  of  the 
guard,  a  big  black  fellow,  wishing  to  magnify  his  9ffice,  came 
up  and  undertook  to  arrest  our  men  for  disobeying  orders. 
The  result  was  that  Sergeant  Brightmeyer  landed  the  corporal 
on  his  back ;  in  a  moment  all  was  excitement.  The  ropes  of 
the  sutler's  tent  were  quickly  cut,  and  the  men  rushed  in  and 
carried  off  boxes  of  canned  peaches,  canned  tomatoes,  sardines, 
tobacco,  cheese,  cookies-^verything  disappeared  in  a  moment 
The  20th  Maine,  ist  Michigan  and  our  boys  all  had  a  hand  in 
this  plunder.  The  officers  of  the  colored  regiment  rushed 
down  with  drawn  swords  to  arrest  the  offenders,  but  by  the 
time  they  arrived  on  the  ground  there  were  entirely  other  men 
there  seeking  plunder  and  participating  in  the  fight  with  the 
negro  guards  (they  having  now  been  called  out).  The  officers' 
swords  went  flying  in  the  air,  and  their  new  hats  with  cords 
and  tassels  were  being  kicked  about  like  footballs  by  the  men. 
If  the  cavalry  officers  had  acted  wisely  they  would  have  let  the 
matter  drop,  but,  to  our  surprise,  we  heard  their  bugles  calling 
"  boots  and  saddle,"  and  saw  the  colonel  with  two  or  three 
squadrons  of  his  men  come  dashing  down  on  the  regiments. 
That  officer,  in  a  loud  voice,  asked  for  the  commander  of  the 
regiment.  He  stepped  forward  and  asked  what  was  wanted. 
The  colonel  of  the  cavalry  demanded  that  these  men  be  arrested 
and  punished,  and  if  they  were  not  he  would  arrest  them  him- 
self; and  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  he  pressed  his  line  for- 
ward till  their  horses  stood  between  our  stacks  of  guns.  The 
boys  of  the  ist  Michigan  and  20th  Maine  had  received  orders 
to  take  arms  and  fix  bayonets.  The  result  was  the  cavalry  was 
handsomely  repulsed  with  the  loss  of  a  number  of  horses.  The 
colonel's  had  been  bayoneted  six  or  eight  times  and  had  to  be 
shot,  along  with  others.  The  brigade  commander  advised  the 
cavalry  colonel  to  move  his  regiment  away  or  some  of  them 
might  get  killed. 


Wc  then  went  into  camp  and  remained  there  until  May  20. 

On  the  following  day  we  marched  through  the  city  of  Peters- 
burg. This  was  a  very  interesting  day's  march  to  us.  For 
several  miles  before  we  reached  the  city  our  line  of  march  was 
inside  the  rebel  defenses,  and  there  we  saw  the  Uncs  of  forts 
and  breastworks  which  Jiad  so  long  defied  our  advance.  In 
the  distance  we  could  see  long  lines  of  fortifications  behind 
which  we  had  so  long  laid,  and  also  tlie  signal  tower  our  engi- 
neers had  erected  near  Hatcher  s  Run.  As  we  were  passing 
through  Petersbui^we 
had  the  pleasure  of  see- 
ing our  beloved  com- 
mander, General  G.  K. 
Warren,  standing  in 
the  crowd  who  were 
reviewing  us.  The 
men  of  the  sth  Corps 
were  wild  and  rushed 
out  of  the  ranks  and 
seized  him  by  the  hand. 

The  corps  had  not 
been  satisfied  with  his 
removal,  considering  it 
both  cruel  and  unjust. 
There  were  a  great 
many  rebel  officers  in  uniform  standing  in  the  crowd. 

Wc  were  soon  upon  the  turnpike  that  connects  Petersburg 
with  Richmond.  It  was  a  broad  pike  and  in  good  condition. 
At  niglit  wc  halted  within  ten  miles  of  Manchester,  a  small  city 
situated  on  the  banks  of  the  James  River  opposite  Richmond. 
Next  day  we  marclied  to  Manchester  and  encamped  just  at  its 
Lilgc,  where  we  had  a  fine  view  of  the  city  of  Richmond.  Here 
occurred  another  sutlery  downfall. 

An  enterprising  sutler  had  worked  his  way  to  the  vicinity  of 
the  niglil's  bivouac.  His  energies  assured  him  better  treat- 
ment.    He  evidently  belonged  to  another  regiment;  among 


FIVE  O'CLOCK  TEA. 


—  6o2  — 

strangers  and  anticipating  a  "  raid  "  he  had  applied  to  Colonel 
Edmunds  for  protection.  Lieutenant  George  W.  Williams  was 
sent  with  a  detail,  in  compliance  with  the  request,  but,  tardy  of 
movement,  by  the  time  he  reached  his  destination  there  was 
nought  to  look  after  save  two  kegs  of  nails.  The  "  soldiers  *' 
had  cut  the  tent  ropes  and  rolled  up  clerks  and  proprietor  in 
the  canvas.  It  was  a  well-stocked  store,  and  from  the  supplies 
of  canned  goods,  cakes  and  other  dainties  scattered  through 
the  regiment  it  was  quite  apparent  the  Ii8th  had  not  suflfered 
by  the  operation. 

The  following  leaves  from  the  diary  of  H.  H.  Hodges  give 
an  interesting  account  of  the  homeward  march  of  the  regi- 
ment. 

"  May  6. — Moved  at  7  A.  M.,  crossing  the  James  River ;  from 
the  bridge  we  had  a  good  view  of  Belle  Island  and  Libby 
Prison.  Marched  through  the  principal  streets  of  Richmond 
and  past  Libby  Prison  and  Castle  Thunder  in  company  front, 
reviewed  by  Generals  Afeade  and  Halleck,  every  man  on  his 
mettle,  doing  his  best.  The  streets  and  windows  of  houses 
were  filled  with  spectators,  whose  sullen  looks  plainly  told  their 
feelings  towards  us.  The  frequent  halts  and  delays  of  column 
consumed  much  time,  and  it  was  long  after  noon  before  we 
were  clear  of  the  city.  Soon  it  became  evident  that  the  time 
lost  in  Richmond  was  to  be  made  up  from  the  rapid  manner  in 
which  we  were  pushed  along ;  it  looked  as  if  the  desire  of  our 
corps  commander  was  to  reach  Washington,  if  possible,  by 
daybreak.  The  report  that  a  wager  between  the  2d  Corps 
staff  officers  and  our  own  as  to  which  corps  would  reach  its 
destination  first  was  the  cause,  whether  true  or  not;  gladly  we 
heard  the  well-known  voice  of  General  Meade,  as  he  rode  by, 
exclaim,  *  Why,  any  one  would  suppose  the  war  in  full  blast, 
with  the  rebels  at  your  heels !  Turn  in  the  first  field ! '  Quickly 
we  obeyed ;  it  was  a  beautiful,  moonlight  night ;  we  went  into 
bivouac  at  10  p.  m.,  near  Hanover  Court-House,  on  a  portion 
of  the  old  battle-field,  fully  convinced  that  General  Griffin  would 
hold  the  right  of  road. 


"  May  7. — Moved  at  9  a.  m.  Passed  through  Hanover  Court- 
HoLse;  crossed  tlie  Pamunkey  RJvcr  on  pontoons,  and  biv- 
ouacked at  7  p.  M. 

"  May  8. — Moved  at  7  A.  M.  Crossed  the  Maltapony  River  and 
bivouacked  near  Howling  Green  at  5  p.  M. 

"  May  g. — Moved  at  7  A.  M.  Passed  through  Bowling  Green, 
and  crossed  the  Rappahannock  River  near  (below)  Fredericks- 
burg ;  went  into  bivouac  at  4  p.  m. 

"  May  10. — Moved  at  8  A.  M,  Passing  near  our  old  camp  of 
the  winter  of  '62,  the  temptation  was  loo  strong,  and  breaking 
from  column  many  sought  their  old  quarters  for  a  last  look. 
How  changed !  the  tall  weeds,  rank  grass  and  undergrowth 
overran  everything.  Here  and  there  the  ruins  of  a  chimney, 
or  one  stilt  standing,  around  which  we  had  listened  to  the  merry 
jest  and  cheering  words  of  many  a  comrade,  who  at  times  looked 
forward  with  fond  expectations  that  they  too  would  be  permitted 
to  return  with  us,  but,  alas!  have  fallen  on  every  battle-field 
from  Fredericksburg  to  Appomattox ;  freely  they  gave  their 
lives  for  their  countrj',  causing  us  to  close  up  ranks,  press 
forward,  until  every  foe  should  swear  allegiance  to  the  old  flag, 
without  one  star  or  stripe  being  missed  from  its  folds.  As  we 
looked  below,  to  the  left  of  our  old  camp,  the  burj'ing  ground 
was  in  view,  containing  the  remains  of  our  comrades  whom  we 
laid  away  during  our  first  winter's  service.  Memories  of  the  " 
past  crowded  fast  upon  us;  faces  and  forms  were  readily  re- 
called of  those  '  who  were,  and  are  not.'  With  heavy  hearts 
we  left  the  scene,  rejoined  the  column,  and  bivouacked  near 
Dumfries  at  6  p.  m. 

"  May  11. — Moved  at  8  A.  M,  This  proved  to  be  the  severest 
we  had  yet  performed  on  our  homeward  march.  The  column 
moved  rapidly  until  reaching  the  Icaquan,  about  4  P.  H. ;  here 
one  of  the  heaviest  thunder  storms  experienced  during  our  term 
of  sen-ice  broke  upon  us.  The  stream  quickly  assumed  the 
proportions  of  a  mighty  river ;  pontoons  were  thrown  across  to 
facilitate  crossing,  the  approaches  to  which  were  nearly  knee- 
duep  in  mud ;  crossing  and  climbing  the  steep  hill  on  the  north 


—  6o4  — 

side,  the  sacred  soil  appeared  to  have  become  smooth  as  ice, 
for  with  all  his  care  and  caution  the  big-footed  fellow  above 
would  slip,  and  in  downward  course  bring  three  or  four  with 
him  ;  with  curses  loud  and  deep,  as  they  arose  from  mud  and 
water,  they  would  cr>',  '  Shove  that  lazy,  big-footed  devil  to  the 
rear !  *  Bivouacked  at  8  p.  m.  near  Fairfax  Station ;  it  proved  to 
be  about  the  worst  night  during  our  term  of  service.  Rain, 
mud  and  cold  combined,  causing  repeated  efforts  in  the  morning 
to  drive  the  stiffness  from  our  limbs. 

"  May  12. — Moved  at  8  a.  m.  Beautiful,  clear  morning,  with 
a  cold  northwest  wind  against  us.  Moved  off  at  a  rapid  pace  ; 
soon  passed  Fairfax  Station  and  Court-House ;  convinced  that 
our  tedious  march  was  rapidly  drawing  to  a  close,  eagerly  we 
looked  from  every  hill  for  the  dome  of  the  capitol  at  Washing- 
ton ;  at  length  our  attention  was  called  to  cheering  from  head 
of  column  ;  gaining  the  point  from  which  the  cheers  had  come, 
there,  in  full  view,  it  stood,  its  white  dome  reflecting  the  rays 
from  the  sun,  backed  by  the  blue  sky  in  the  distance,  presenting 
a  beautiful  sight  to  our  view  ;  with  hearts  full  of  gratitude,  we 
thanked  God  for  the  privilege  of  again  beholding  with  our 
eyes  what  our  arms  had  helped  to  preserve  for  coming  ages, 
*  A  free  and  united  country.*  Passed  Falls  Station,  on  Alex- 
andria Railroad,  and  went  into  bivouac  about  a  mile  from  the 
station  at  4  p.  m.  Here,  for  the  last  time,  camp  was  laid  out, 
company  streets  made,  shelter  tents  pitched,  etc.,  and  rest  en- 
joyed. Our  wear>'  marches,  dangers,  toils  and  privations  were 
of  the  past ;  but  one  more,  *  Home.'  Our  stay  at  this  place 
was  pleasant,  mails  regular,  full  rations,  passes  readily  obtained 
to  visit  the  other  corps.  Here  for  the  first  time  we  saw  the 
great  army  of  General  Sherman,  which  had  arrived  and  en- 
camped on  the  heights  above  Alexandria.  A  spirit  of  rivalr)^ 
sprang  up  between  the  two  armies ;  each  vied  to  outdo  the 
other.  The  illuminations  of  camps  after  dark  presented  a  pic- 
turesque appearance,  the  hillsides  dotted  with  white,  lit  up  with 
ra}s  from  thousands  of  candles,  the  loud  cheering,  shrill  notes 
from  bugle  and  soul-stirring  fife  and  drum  left  impressions  that 


—  6o5  — 

time  cannot  obliterate.  The  government  decided  that  before 
the  two  great  armies  lying  within  sight  of  Washington  were 
disbanded,  a  grand  review  should  be  held  in  the  capital  of  the 
nation ;  preparations  of  the  most  elaborate  kind  were  made  for 
that  event,  on  the  morning  of  May  24.  The  grand  old  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  which  for  four  long  years  had  bared  its  breast 
to  rebel  foes,  crossed  Long  Bridge  and  received  a  royal  wel- 
come from  those  it  had  safely  defended.  What  a  sight  wc  saw ! 
Everj'where  our  na- 
tional emblem  was 
displayed.  The  ar- 
tillery sent  forth  its 
thundering  notes. 
The  stirring  music 
of  the  bands :  loud 
and  long  continued 
cheering  of  the  peo- 
ple, who  thronged 
every  available  «pace; 
even  innocent  child- 
hood was  there  to 
greet  us  with  flowers, 
and  our  guardi^in 
angels,  loyal  and  true 
womanhood,  re- 
ceived us  with  their 
kindly  smiles  and 
words  of  welcome. 
With  steady  tread  we  marched  over  the  broad  avenue, 
receiving  one  continued  ovation.  Recrossed  the  Potomac 
River,  and  arrived  at  camp  early  in  the  evening.  From 
this  time  rumors  of  being  mustered  out  were  freely  circulated. 
Soon  the  rolls  were  being  prepared.  Officers  on  staff  duty  and 
detailed  men  rejoined  their  companies.  June  1  was  our  jubilee ; 
what  wi;  had  long  looked  for  was  at  hand.  Brevet-Major  T.  D. 
Chamberlain,  mustering-out  officer,  arrived  in  camp;  the  com- 


CKAPLAIN  W.  J.  O'NEILL. 


—  6o6  — 

panics  assembled  in  their  streets;  anxiously  each  waited  for, 
and  eagerly  answered  to  his  name  as  called,  and  in  a  short  time 
we  were  mustered  out,  our  drafted  men  and  substitutes  being 
transferred  to  the  91st  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  On  the  fol- 
lowing day,  June  2,  we  answered  *  Fall  in,'  for  the  last  time  on 
the  so-called  sacred  soil  and  started  for  home.  As  we  approached 
Long  Bridge,  we  found  the  1st  Michigan  drawn  up  side  of  the 
road  to  give  lis  their  parting  salute.  The  old  cheer  of  the 
Wolverines  broke  out  loud  and  long,  as  we  filed  past ;  their 
enthusiasm  was  unbounded ;  it  touched  our  hearts.  Twas  the 
God-speed  of  true  and  loyal  men  for  those  who  had  stood 
shoulder  to  shoulder  through  three  long  years  of  strife  and  con- 
flict. Never  separated,  always  brigaded  together,  we  soon 
learned  their  worth;  equal  to  any  emergency;  bravest  of  the 
brave ;  loyal  to  the  core  ;  proved  by  their  three  terms  of  enlist- 
ment, and  justly  the  peer  of  any  regiment  that  ever  marched  or 
fought  in  defence  of  our  country's  flag ;  with  hearty  cheers  we 
returned  the  compliment;  a  lingering  look,  and  we  parted. 
Crossed  Long  Bridge  ;  shook  the  dust  of  Virginia  forever  from 
our  feet,  and  soon  reach  the  cars ;  here,  while  waiting,  several 
regiments  of  Sherman's  army  bound  west  in  cars,  commenced 
to  chaff"  us  almost  continually  from  their  encampment  near 
Alexandria ;  they  were  bragging  of  what  they  had  done,  and 
firing  sarcastic  remarks  at  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  As  this 
was  their  last  chance,  they  could  not  let  it  pass  by;  they 
hailed  us:  *  Hello,  what  regiment's  that?*  Ii8th  Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteers.  'Where  you  going?'  To  paradise,  home. 
*  Bringing  us  from  the  west  to  wind  this  thing  up.'  Oh,  that's 
it,  is  it  ?  You  bummers  have  lived  on  the  fat  of  the  land.  *  You 
fellows  ought  to  have  had  Sherman  with  you,  he'd  settled  it.* 
What !  why  it  took  Grant  and  Sheridan  a  year  to  do  it  No 
fourth-rate  general  about  Bobby  Lee, — fortunately  the  cars 
moved,  at  this  point,  in  opposite  directions.  Left  Washington 
about  one  o'clock,  and  reached  Baltimore  at  5  p.  m.,  somewhat 
surprised  to  find,  on  leaving  cars,  the  citizens  awaiting  our 
coming  with  ice-water  and  sandwiches.     Passed  through  Balti- 


more  in  twos  to  depot,  and  cmbarkt-d  ffir  last  ride  in  comfort- 
able cars,  forming  quite  a  contrast  to  the  cattlu  cars  from  Wash- 
ington. Arrived  at  Broad  and  Washington  Street  Depot  about 
2  P.  M.  on  the  morning  of  the  3d.  Marched  down  to  the 
Cooper  Refreshment  Saloon,  stacked  arms,  and  partook  of  a 
hcarly  breakfast,  the  first  square  meal  enjoyed  for  years.  Re- 
sumed line  of  march  for  Camp  Cadwallader,  passing  the  resi- 
dence of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Herring  on  Vine  street,  who  was 
still  suffering  from  loss  of  leg  at  Hatcher's  Run,  but  on  ap- 
pearing at  window  received  the  hearty  cheers  of  those  who  so 
often  had  followed  his  command.  Reached  our  destination 
about  noon,  turned  in  arms  and  accoutrements,  were  speedily 
dismissed  with  orders  to  report  for  pay  on  Monday  morning, 
June  5.  Promptly  we  apfxared  and  fell  in  for  pay,  and  by 
two  o'clock  tile  regiment  was  paid  off,  as  we  thought  to  meet 
no  more ;  but  those  who  had  raised  the  regiment  and  so  gener- 
ously contributed  in  every  possible  way  for  our  comfort  at  the 
front.  The  Corn  Exchange  Association,  willed  otherwise,  A 
grand  and  elegant  banquet  was  prepared  on  tlie  evening  of 
June  9,  at  Sansom  Street  Hall,  in  honor  of  our  return,  at  which 
many  distinguished  citizens  were  present.  Major-Gtnerals 
Mcadc  and  Patterson  spoke  in  the  highest  terms  of  praise  of 
our  services  in  upholding  the  honor  of  our  country  in  its 
darkest  hour.  Next  day,  June  10,  we  participated  in  the  re- 
view and  reception  of  returned  Philadelphia  veterans,  thence 
to  the  Cooper  Refreshment  Saloon,  where  the  regiment  was 
finally  disbanded." 

Thus  ends  the  history  of  the  Corn  Exchange  Regiment  01 
Philadelphia. 

Since  its  pages  were  begun,  the  fearless  soldier  and  courteous 
gentleman,  Colonel  Charles  M.  Prevost,  its  first  commander, 
has  passed  away.  For  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  suffered  from 
a  disabling  wound  received  .it  Shepherdstown,  while  advancing 
in  front  of  tile  regiment  with  the  colors  in  his  hand. 

Could  the  remnant  of  the  regiment  stand  upon  parade  in  the 
field  at  Indian  Queen  Lane,  each  in  his  place  as  he  stood  when 


—  6i8  — 

banker  pays  him  a  sum  equal  to  that  which  he  has  staked.  If 
two  of  the  dice  have  the  number  uppermost,  the  banker  pays 
him  double  the  amount  of  money  he  has  ventured. 

"  At  these  boards  there  were  many  illustrations  of  the  ter- 
rible fascination  of  gambling.  Prisoners  sold  their  rations  and 
clothes  to  obtain  money  for  stakes.  Several  times,  in  the  course 
of  a  few  days,  I  noticed  a  thin,  delicate  young  fellow  playing  at 
one  of  the  boards.  His  soul  seemed  to  be  in  the  game.  Go- 
ing to  the  creek  one  day  for  water,  I  saw  him  lying  on  the  edge 
of  the  swamp,  dying.  Doubtless  he  had  starved  himself  to 
obtain  the  means  of  playing. 

"  Most  of  the  bankers  kept  the  dice  upon  the  board  with  the 
box  over  them  while  waiting  for  customers.  One  of  the  pris- 
oners, who  had  doubtless  been  accustomed  to  sharp  practice  at 
home,  bit  the  biters  in  the  following  manner:  Holding  a  five- 
dollar  bill  between  his  thumb  and  forefinger  over  the  box,  hid- 
ing the  box  from  the  banker,  he  would  ask  the  banker  if  he 
could  change  the  bill,  at  the  same  time  tipping  the  box  up  with 
his  little  finger,  so  that  he  could  see  what  numbers  were  upper- 
most. If  the  banker  answered  in  the  affirmative  he  would  bet 
two  or  three  dollars  upon  the  number  he  had  seen,  receive  his 
money  and  walk  off  to  play  the  trick  upon  some  one  else. 

**  Besides  the  regular  shops,  or  sutlers,  on  the  Broadways, 
itinerant  venders  were  scattered  through  the  streets.  One  had 
half  a  dozen  needlefuls  of  thread,  another  a  penknife,  a  pocket- 
book,  a  spoon,  or  a  tincup  for  sale ;  some  had  bean-soup,  others 
rations  of  corn -bread  or  bacon;  others  offered  various  articles 
of  clothing — the  property  of  a  dead  comrade,  or  the  proceeds  of 
a  robbery  committed  the  night  before. 

"Theft  was  a  common  occurrence,  and  constant  vigilance 
had  to  be  exercised  to  prevent  the  loss  of  clothing  and  blankets 
by  those  who  were  fortunate  enough  to  possess  them.  The 
thieves,  of  whom  there  was  an  organized  band,  emboldened  by 
long  success  and  immunity,  became  more  and  more  daring  in 
their  operations.  The  corner  of  a  tent  would  be  lifted  up  and 
blankets  pulled  off  of  the   sleeping   inmates.     A  man  who 


had  a  watch  or  other  valuable  article  would  wake  in  the  night 
and  find  a  person  leaning  over  him  and  holding  a  razor  at  his 
throat,  threatening  to  kill  him  if  he  made  the  least  outcry  or 
resistance,  while  the  companions  of  the  thief  would  take  his 
money  and  whatever  else  suited  them.  At  different  times  the 
dead  bodies  of  men  who  had  been  robbed  and  murdered  were 
discovered. 

"This  band  of  thieves,  or  raiders,  as  they  were  called,  had 
their  quarters  near  the  southern  gate  of  the  stockade.  One 
day  some  lately  captured  prisoners  came  in.  Among  them 
was  a  sergeant  who  had  a  watch.  The  raiders  attacked  and 
beat  him  and  robbed  him  of  his  watch.  The  sergeant  went  to 
the  gate  and  asked  to  see  Captain  Wirz.  The  captain  came; 
the  sergeant  stated  his  case,  and  asked  if  redress  could  not  be 
obtained.  Wirz  sent  half  a  dozen  guards  with  him,  and  said 
that  if  he  could  point  out  the  men  they  should  be  arrested  and 
tried.  When  the  prisoners  heard  this,  those  of  them  who 
had  been  robbed  pointed  out  different  members  of  the  gang 
and  aided  the  guard  in  taking  them.  Over  one  hundred  were 
arrested  ;  the  ground  under  their  tents  was  dug  up  and  a  large 
quantity  of  stolen  property  recovered.  In  digging  under  the 
tent  of  the  leader  of  the  gang  the  bodies  of  two  men  who  had 
been  murdered  were  found. 

"A  jury  was  impanelled  from  the  sergeants  of  the  detach- 
ments, and  after  a  fair  trial  six  of  the  raiders  were  sentenced  to 
be  hung.  A  scaffold  was  erected  inside  the  stockade,  near 
their  former  quarters,  and  the  sentence  was  carried  into  effect 
This  salutary  punishment  checked,  to  a  great  extent,  the  depre- 
dations of  the  remainder  of  the  gang. 

"  When  one  of  these  fellows  was  caught  in  the  act  of  pilfer- 
ing the  cry  of '  raider '  was  raised,  the  offender  secured  and  put 
under  guard  until  morning.  He  was  then  taken  to  one  of  the 
barber  shops  and  the  hair  and  beard,  if  he  had  any,  cut  and 
shaved  from  one-half  of  his  head.  This  gave  him  a  very  sin- 
gular ai)pearancc  and  marked  him  unmistakably  as  a  thief. 
After  this  operation  he  was  mounted  on  a  rail,  or  any  fitting 


—  620  — 

substitute  if  it  had  a  sharp  edge,  and  carried  through  the  streets 
and  passages,  the  prisoners  pelting  him  with  mud  or  anything 
that  was  handy.  If  the  raider  was  foolhardy  enough  to  have 
the  other  half  of  his  head  and  face  shaved  to  avoid  the  shame, 
he  was  forthwith  paddled.  A  shingle,  bored  with  holes  about 
an  inch  apart,  was  vigorously  applied  to  his  person,  in  such  a 
manner  that  it  was  not  pleasant  for  some  time  afterwards  for 
him  to  rest  himself  by  sitting  down.  It  was  a  painful  punish- 
ment, as  every  blow  raised  a  number  of  blisters. 

*'  Before  the  hanging  of  the  ringleaders  there  were  many 
fights  between  the  raiders  and  the  rest  of  the  prisoners,  in 
which  the  raiders,  from  being  organized,  were  generally  the 
victors. 

**  Frequent  attempts  were  made  by  individuals  and  parties  to 
escape.  In  some  few  instances  they  were  successful.  Every 
day  twelve  or  eighteen  men  from  each  detachment  went  out, 
under  guard,  to  bring  in  the  wood  allowed  to  the  prisoners. 
Some  of  these  squads  disarmed  the  guards  sent  with  them 
and  made  their  escape;  but  the  alarm  was  soon  given,  the 
bloodhounds  put  upon  their  track,  and  their  equally  brutal 
masters,  aided  by  these  ferocious  beasts,  were  generally  suc- 
cessful in  recapturing  them.  One  of  the  prisoners  who  had 
escaped  in  this  manner  and  was  retaken  was  punished  by  being 
put  in  the  stocks  for  twenty-four  hours  and  then  sent  into  the 
stockade.  He  told  me  that  he  and  a  companion  in  his  flight 
had  stopped  at  a  house,  to  which  they  were  tracked  by  the 
hounds.  There  was  a  balcony  to  the  house,  and  as  their  pur- 
suers entered  at  the  door  they  ran  out  upon  the  balcony,  in- 
tending to  jump  to  the  ground ;  but  the  hounds  were  in  front 
of  the  house  and  they  saw  that  escape  was  impossible.  Their 
captors  ascended  to  the  balcony  and  forced  his  comrade  to  leap 
down  among  the  dogs.  One  of  them  seized  him  by  the  leg, 
tearing  the  flesh  and  muscle  from  the  bone.  His  brutal  captors 
laughed  at  his  sufferings  and  taunted  him  by  remarking  that 
he  would  not  be  likely  to  run  away  again. 

"  Many  of  the  men  who  were  paroled  to  work  outside  of  the 


—   621   — 


stockade,  in  the  cook-house  and  to  cut  wood  for  the  use  of  the 
prisoners,  ran  away,  and  a  few,  after  secreting  themselves  for 
weeks  in  the  daytime  and  travelling  at  night,  subsisting  upon 
berries  and  roots,  and  occasionally  getting  food  from  the  colored 
people,  who  aided  them  as  far  as  lay  in  their  power,  succeeded 
in  reaching  our  lines  in  safety. 

"  Several  times  there  were  tunnels  dug  under  the  stockade, 
and  some  esca|>cd  in  this  manner. 

"  Esau  sold  his  birthright  for  a  mess  of  pottage ;  Judas  be- 
trayed the  Saviour  of  the  world  for  thirty  pieces  of  silver. 
When  a  tunnel  was  nearly  finished  some  traitorous  scoundrel 
would  sell  his  brethren  to  the  Confederates  for  a  plug  of 
tobacco,  a  piece  of  bacon,  or  a  parole  of  honor  to  work  out- 
side. 

"  The  way  of  tunnelling  was  as  follows ;  The  occupants  of  a 
tent  near  the  dead  line  would  be  sounded  as  to  their  willingness 
to  make  an  attempt  at  escape.  If  they  were  favorable  to  the 
project,  a  number  joined  together  and  gave  one  or  more  rations 
of  bacon  apiece,  to  be  fried  out  and  used  for  lighting  the  exca- 
vators while  at  work.  The  grease  from  the  bacon  was  put  into 
a  tincup,  with  a  wick  of  cotton  material  placed  in  the  centre; 
this  formed  the  lamp.  A  meal  bag  was  procured,  if  possible. 
and  if  that  could  not  be  obtained,  a  bucket,  pieces  of  cloth 
sewed  together,  or  anything  that  would  hold  the  earth  was 
used.  Commencing  in  the  centre  of  the  tent,  the  tunnel  was 
dug  perpendicularly,  or  with  a  slight  inclination,  until  it  reached 
the  depth  necessary  to  pass  under  the  stockade.  It  was  then 
dug  horizontally  to  a  distance  of  thirty  or  forty  feet  beyond  the 
stockade,  and  then  up  again  to  the  surface.  E^ch  man  who 
had  an  interest  in  the  tunnel  worked  two  hours  every  night, 
one  filling  the  receptacles  with  earth  and  others  carrying  them 
to  another  part  of  the  stockade  to  mislead  the  Confederates  in 
case  they  suspected  the  existence  of  the  tunnel. 

"'. Another  method  was  to  dig  a  well.  After  getting  to  the 
depth  of  thirty  feet  or  more,  a  tunnel  was  dug  in  the  side,  the 
earth  from  which  was  thrown  into  the  well  at  night  and  taken 


—   622    — 

out  the  next  day.  The  Confederates  were  informed  of  them 
before  they  were  completed,  and,  consequently,  a  search  was 
made  for  shovels  and  the  digging  of  wells  was  prohibited. 

•'At  one  time  there  was  a  combination  of  over  a  thousand 
prisoners,  bound  by  a  solemn  oath  not  to  reveal  the  project  to 
any  one  until  everything  was  ready  for  its  consummation,  who 
had  formed  a  plan  for  the  release  of  all  the  prisoners  in  the 
stockade.  A  tunnel  was  to  be  dug  large  enough  for  three  men 
to  pass  out  abreast.  A  hundred  of  the  strongest  and  bravest 
were  to  creep  out  first,  capture  the  artillery  and  turn  it  on  the 
Confederate  camp.  Then  the  prisoners  were  to  make  a  general 
attack  upon  the  guards.  After  overcoming  them  and  getting 
possession  of  the  camp  and  arms,  a  forced  march  was  to  be 
made  to  Smithfield,  to  take  possession  of  the  rebel  arsenal  and 
stores  there,  and  then  make  for  some  point  on  the  coast  of 
Florida  where  a  United  States  squadron  was  stationed.  The 
leaders,  it  was  said,  had  communicated  with  the  fleet  through 
prisoners  outside  the  stockade  who  were  upon  parole,  and  had 
received  from  the  commander  assurance  of  all  the  assistance  it 
was  in  his  power  to  give. 

**  The  tunnel  was  started ;  men  worked  in  it  night  and  day. 
It  was  nearly  completed,  when  a  Confederate  lieutenant  and 
several  men  marched  into  the  stockade  and  went  straight  to 
the  spot  where  the  tunnel  commenced.  Some  one  had  violated 
his  oath  and  betrayed  his  comrades.  Had  the  tunnel  been 
finished  and  the  first  hundred  men  got  out  the  plot  would, 
probably,  have  been  successful. 

**  During  the  whole  time  of  our  imprisonment  at  Anderson- 
ville  wood  was  scarce.  At  first  cooked  rations  were  issued  to 
all  the  prisoners,  and  the  want  of  wood  was  not  felt  so  severely 
as  afterwards,  when  raw  meal  instead  of  corn-bread  was  served 
out  to  us.  A  piece  of  pine  wood  eighteen  or  twenty  inches  in 
length  and  three  or  four  inches  broad  was  worth  twentj'-five 
cents.  A  large  stick  of  pine  cord-wood  was  a  day's  ration  for 
ninety  men.  Imagine  a  stick  of  cord-wood  cut  up  into  ninety 
pieces,  and  one  of  those  pieces  made  to  cook  a  day's  ration  of 


-  623 


meal.  It  required  economy  of  tlic  closest  character,  and  we 
were  often  compelled  to  cat  the  mush  or  the  cakes  that  we  made 
hardly  warmed  through. 

"  Sometimes  an  extra  quantity  of  wood  was  obtained  by 
trading  a  ration  of  bacon  or  some  article  of  clothing  for  it,  and 
the  possessor  would  indulge  in  the  luxury  of  dumplings  and 
coffee.  The  dumplings  were  made  by  mixing  the  corn-meal 
with  warm  water,  moulding  them  into  little  lumps,  and  then 
dropping  them  into  boiling  water ;  as  soon  as  they  floated  they 
were  done.  For  coflee  the  corn-meal  was  browned  on  a  tin- 
plate  and  then  boiled. 

"  For  upwards  of  two  months  our  rations  were  corn-bread, 
bacon,  a  little  boiled  rice,  and  a  very  little  salt.  This  diet,  the 
exposure  to  the  weather,  and  the  vermin  which  infested  our 
clothing  tended  to  weaken  us  and  produce  disease.  One  after 
another  sickened  and  died.  Scurvy,  which  had  hitherto  been 
confined  mostly  to  the  Belle  Islanders  and  those  transported 
to  Andersonville  from  other  prisons,  became  prevalent  among 
the  men  who  had  entered  the  stockade  with  us.  About  one- 
half  the  prisoners  had  diarrha;a.  The  minds  of  many  gave  way 
under  the  suffering  to  which  they  were  subjected;  they  made 
no  cfibrt  to  keep  their  persons  clean  or  to  free  themselves  from 
the  vermin  which  increased  upon  them  with  fearful  rapidity; 
they  sank  into  a  state  of  listless-  apathy,  and,  knowing  that 
Death  was  striding  towards  them,  welcomed  him  as  a  friend, 
instead  of  shrinking  from  him  as  from  an  enemy, 

"  No  medicines  could  be  obtained  for  the  sick  unless  they 
were  taken  outside  of  the  stockade  into  a  pen  buitt  for  the 
purpose  and  were  prescribed  for  by  the  doctor.  After  the 
morning  roll-call  the  sergeant  of  each  mess  collected  the  sick 
tdgL'ther  and  took  them  to  the  south  gate  of  the  stockade. 
Tiiosc  who  were  able  walked  and  those  who  were  not  able  were 
carried — some  in  blankets,  some  on  boards,  and  some  on  the 
b.icks  of  tlicir  stronger  comrades.  There  were  sometimes  sev- 
eral hundred  of  these  poor  sufferers  waiting  for  hours  in  the 
broiling  sun  for  the  gate  to  open  that  they  might  be  admitted 


—  624  — 

to  the  pen.  Some  fifteen  or  twenty  of  the  weakest  would  be 
admitted  to  the  hospital ;  the  rest,  after  being  prescribed  for. 
returned  to  their  tents.  Almost  every  day  some  of  those  car- 
ried to  the  gate  died  before  reaching  their  shelters  again.  In 
the  afternoon  the  sergeants  went  to  the  pen  to  receive  the  medi- 
cine. About  half  the  time  they  were  told  there  was  none. 
When  they  did  receive  it,  it  was  in  such  small  quantities  or  of 
such  inferior  quality  as  to  do  but  little  good.  Vinegar,  acids, 
and  a  tea  made  of  sumach  berries  were  the  remedies  for  scurvy; 
white-oak  bark  tea  and  opium  pills  for  diarrhoea. 

"  The  prisoners  carried  their  dead  comrades  out  of  the  stock- 
ade to  the  dead-house,  a  small  brush  structure  which  could  be 
seen  from  the  northern  hill  of  the  prison.  There  the  corpses 
which  were  collected  during  the  day  were  left  till  next  morning, 
when  they  were  taken  away  in  open  army  wagons.  The  bodies 
were  stripped  of  every  article  of  clothing  that  was  of  any  value ; 
they  were  then  thrown  into  the  wagon,  one  above  the  other, 
until  it  was  full — heads,  legs  and  arms  often  hanging  over  the 
side  and  scraping  against  the  wheels  as  they  revolved. 

"  The  burial  ground  was  a  large  field.  Trenches  seven  feet 
wide  and  six  feet  deep  stretched  across  it.  The  bodies  were 
laid  side  by  side  in  the  trench  and  the  earth  thrown  over  them. 
Those  who  are  buried  there  were  the  victims  of  a  systematized 
cruelty  that  would  have  disgraced  the  dark  ages,  perpetrated 
in  a  Christian  country  and  by  civilized  men.  Libby,  Belle  Isle, 
Andcrsonville,  Salisbury  and  Florence,  have  made  crimson 
stains  upon  the  fair  name  of  the  South  that  can  never  be  erased. 
It  is  but  just  to  say  that  the  sufferings  and  deaths  of  the  pris- 
oners in  these  places  lie  at  the  doors  of  the  civil  authorities  of 
the  Confederacy,  of  whom  Jefferson  Davis  was  the  chief,  and 
that  the  brave  men  who  were  fighting  her  battles  at  the  front 
were  not  in  the  least  degree  responsible  for  them. 

**  Those  who  carried  the  bodies  of  their  comrades  to  the  dead- 
house  were  allowed,  as  they  returned,  to  pick  up  pieces  of  wood 
and  carr>''  them  in.  Wood  was  so  scarce  that  when  it  be- 
came evident  some  poor  fellow  was  about  to  expire  a  crowd 


-625- 

would  gather  around,  disputing,  before  life  was  extinct,  as  to 
who  should  have  the  privilege  of  assisting  in  carrying  him  out. 
To  those  who  have  never  felt  the  terrible  gripings  of  hunger  or 
shivered  over  the  blaze  of  a  few  splinters,  this  may  seem  in- 
human and  repulsive,  but  I  have  seen  sensitive  and  refined  men 
so  hardened  by  the  sufferings  they  had  undergone  and  tlie 
misery  they  had  witnessed  as  to  strip  the  dead  bodies  of  their 
clothing  and  sell  it  to  procure  food. 

"  From  the  23d  of  May  to  the  middle  of  June  the  prisoners 
increased  in  numbers  from  fourteen  to  upwards  of  thirty  thou- 
sand. Every  place  upon  which  it  was  possible  to  put  up  a 
tent  or  shelter  was  covered,  and  thousands  were  compelled  to 
sleep  in  the  passage-ways  between  the  tents,  on  the  two  road- 
ways, or  on  the  edge  of  the  swamp  near  the  creek.  Those 
who  were  driven  to  occupy  the  latter  sleeping- ground  were 
obliged  to  strip  themselves  in  the  morning  and  shake  the  mag- 
gots from  their  clothes,  that  locality  being  alive  with  them. 

"An  addition  to  the  stockade  was  built  at  the  northern  end, 
and  on  the  ist  of  July  an  opening  was  made  through  the  upper 
end  of  the  old  stockade  into  it.  and  a  number  of  detachments, 
among  them  the  one  to  which  I  belonged,  were  assigned 
quarters  there.  There  had  been  a  number  of  lartjc  pint:  tn-rt 
'standing  in  the  new  part  when  it  was  enclosed;  these  had  been 
cut  down  and  laid  upon  the  ground,  and  as  soon  as  we  were 
a'imitted  there  was  a  general  rush  for  the  wood.  For  a  time 
we  had  a  good  supply,  and  carried  on  our  cooking  operations 
l)roportinnately.  During  the  night  of  the  ist  the  sound  of 
chopping  did  not  cease.  In  the  morning  there  was  nothing  to 
be  SCUM  of  the  old  northern  end  of  the  stockade. 

■■There  was  an  attempt  made  to  have  the  tents  in  the  new 
stockade  put  up  in  regular  rows,  with  Streets  running  north 
and  south  between  each  mess,  and  wide  avenues  running  east 
and  west  between  each  detachment.  It  was  a  failure,  and  the 
pri-'>ncrs  located  themselves  where  they  pleased  to,  without 
regard  to  the  detaclmients  or  messes  to  which  they  belonged. 

"Almost  as  soon  as  the  new  stockade  was  opened  some  of 


—  626  — 

the  detachments  began  to  dig  wells.  Several  of  them  were 
completed,  but  the  rest  were  stopped  by  order  of  the  Confed- 
erates, tunnels  having  been  found  leading  from  some  of  them. 
There  was  a  kind  of  red  clay  taken  from  these  wells  which  was 
used  for  building  ovens.  The  occupants  of  the  tent,  or  she* 
bang,  next  to  us  commenced  putting  up  one  of  these  ovens,  but 
a  report  spread  that  the  Confederates  would  beg^n  to  parole  us 
on  the  5th  of  July  and  continue  until  we  were  all  paroled.  Our 
neighbors  discontinued  work  until  that  time.  The  oven  was 
never  finished. 

•*  After  a  while  the  supply  of  wood  again  became  short  The 
trees  were  all  burned  up.  Squads  of  men  dug  up  and  split  up 
the  stumps  that  had  been  led  in  the  ground,  following  the  roots 
and  unearthing  them  until  they  were  not  half  an  inch  in  diam- 
eter. Every  morning  before  sunrise  men  went  around  the  camp 
picking  up  chips  that  were  not  more  than  half  an  inch  square 
nor  thicker  than  a  twenty-five  cent  piece. 

"  The  prisoners  now  began  to  die  off  so  rapidly  that  the 
authorities  changed  our  diet  somewhat  Rations  of  fresh  beef, 
that  sometimes  looked  very  much  like  mule  flesh,  molasses, 
and  occasionally  corn-vinegar,  were  issued.  A  quarter  of  a 
pound  of  fresh  beef,  or  a  gill  of  molasses,  a  day  was  allowed  to 
each  man.  Rations  of  boiled  beans  were  also  issued.  They 
were  not  screened  or  picked,  but  were  emptied  into  the  boilers 
just  as  they  were  in  the  bags.  Pieces  of  pods,  worms,  bugs, 
sand  and  beans  were  boiled  together.  Fortunately  we  were 
not  epicures.  The  beef  was  fly-blown  and  tainted,  oftentimes, 
when  it  was  brought  into  the  stockade.  Unless  its  odor  was 
too  strong  it  was  eaten. 

"  By  the  4th  of  July,  on  which  day  we  sang  patriotic  songs 
with  the  mirth  of  despair,  our  clothing  was  more  than  shabby. 
Many  of  us  were  without  shirts,  the  sleeves  of  our  blouses 
hanging  in  shreds  above  the  elbows,  our  pantaloons  patched  in 
every  part  and  scarcely  reaching  to  the  knees.  We  were  also 
without  shoes  or  stockings. 

"  On  the  4th  of  August  I  went  down  to  the  creek  to  wash. 


-  6=7  - 


After  washing  1  had  gone  but  a  few  steps  on  my  return  when 
I  was  seized  with  excruciating  pains,  dizziness,  and  faintncss, 
A  man  belonging  to  a  detachment  located  near  my  own  offered 
to  help  me  to  my  quarters.  He  put  his  arm  around  me,  but 
after  we  had  gone  a  few  steps  1  begged  him  to  stop  and  leave 
me  where  I  was  while  he  went  to  inform  my  tcntmates.  There 
was  a  tent  occupied  by  some  sailors  near  where  he  left  me. 
Tlity  helped  me  out  of  the  sun  into  the  shade  of  their  tent  and 
brought  me  a  drink  of  water.  This  was  an  unusual  act  of 
kindness  to  a  stranger,  for  want  and  suffering  had  made  the 
most  generous  selfish.  Two  of  my  tentmatcs  came.  With 
their  assistance,  going  a  few  steps  at  a  time  and  then  resting.  I 
finally  reached  the  line  of  the  old  stockade,  completely  ex- 
hausted. There  they  left  me  in  the  tent  of  a  friend,  Sergeant 
Thomas,  of  the  soth  Maine.  After  resting  for  some  time,  with 
the  help  of  the  sergeant  and  one  of  his  comrades,  I  reached  my 
quarters  about  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  I  started  from 
the  creek  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  had  been  six 
hours  in  getting  a  distance  of  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile. 

"  I  soon  became  unable  to  walk,  and  moved  around  by  sitting 
on  the  ground  and  hitching  myself  along  by  the  aid  of  my 
hands  Jack  Atkins,  of  the  76th  New  York,  whose  tent  was 
opposite  ours,  was  like  a  brother  to  me.  In  that  place,  where 
money  represented  life,  he  gave  me  onions,  grapes,  Irish  pota- 
toes and  other  things  which  had  been  smuggled  into  the  stock-  . 
ade,  and  which  only  money  could  obtain. 

"  Kvery  day  some  of  my  comrades  raised  mc  up  until  I  stood 
on  my  feet,  but  after  taking  a  step  or  two  my  legs  became  rigid. 
Then  they  laid  me  down  on  my  back.  This  simple  effort 
caused  the  most  acute  pain  while  on  my  feet,  and  suffering  for 
hours  after;  but  I  could  not  bear  the  thought  of  losing  the  use 
of  my  limbs,  and  determined  that,  if  I  did,  it  should  not  be  due 
to  want  of  exertion  on  my  part. 

"'  From  the  4th  to  the  29th  of  August  I  was  carried,  about 
every  other  day.  to  the  south  gate  of  the  stockade  to  be  pre- 
scribed for ;  a  weary  labor  of  kindness  for  those  who  conveyed 


—  628  — 

me  thither,  and  a  tedious,  painful,  and  dreaded  journey  to  me. 
Lying  in  a  blanket  or  stretched  upon  a  plank,  slowly  and  ten- 
derly my  overburdened  comrades  bore  me  through  the  narrow, 
winding  passages  between  the  tents  down  the  hillside  to  the 
swamp,  along  the  causeway,  across  the  bridge,  and,  stopping 
now  and  then  to  rest,  up,  up,  up  to  the  gate,  there  to  lie  in  the 
sun  until  Confederate  humanity  or  pleasure  opened  the  gate 
and  permitted  them  to  carry  us  out  into  the  pen  where  the 
physicians  prescribed  for  us. 

"  The  scene  at  the  gate  cannot  be  described.  It  seems  to 
me  now  more  like  a  horrid  dream  than  a  reality.  From  one  to 
five  hundred  sick  were  brought  there  every  morning.  The 
bloated  faces  and  swollen  limbs  of  the  scurvy  patients,  the 
skeleton  forms  of  those  wasted  by  fever  and  starvation,  the 
ulcer-eaten,  gangrened  limbs,  the  filthy,  tattered  garments,  the 
despairing,  upturned  looks  of  the  anguish-stricken  sufferers, 
formed  a  picture  which  the  arch-fiend,  gloating  over  human 
misery,  must  have  gazed  upon  with  frenzied  delight. 

*'  On  the  29th  of  August  I,  with  others,  was  admitted  to  the 
hospital.  It  had  been  a  pleasant  place  before  it  was  put  to  its 
present  use,  and  even  now  the  green  trees  which  stood  here 
and  there  casting  their  shadows  over  the  tents,  and  the  view  of 
the  wooded  swamp  with  its  tangled  undergrowth  beyond,  were 
so  different  from  the  barren,  shadeless  stockade  that,  weak  and 
exhausted  as  we  were,  a  strange  thrill  of  hope  and  pleasure 
shot  throuijh  our  frames. 

"  The  prisoners  in  the  hospital  were  better  clothed  than  those 
in  the  stockade.  As  comrades  died  the  wardmasters,  who 
were  appointed  from  our  own  men  by  the  Confederates,  dis- 
tributed among  the  most  needy  of  the  survivors  the  clothing 
left  by  the  dead.  By  this  means  many  of  those  who  were  al- 
most naked  when  they  came  into  the  hospital  were  quite  com- 
fortably clad  by  the  time  they  were  returned  into  the  stock- 
ade cured. 

"  There  were  four  divisions  in  the  hospital  and  five  wards  in 
each  division.     The  doctors  were  extremely  negligent.     While 


each  doctor  was  supposed  to  visit  his  patients  every  morning, 
two  and  sometimes  three  days  intervened  between  their  profes- 
sional calls.  Frequently  they  merely  looked  at  a  tentful  of 
patients  and  ordered  the  medicine  they  had  been  using  to  be 
continued,  regardless  of  their  condition.  There  was  one  ex- 
ception, Dr.  McCants,  of  Florida,  who  visited  every  patient 
under  his  charge  once,  and  those  who  were  very  low  twice,  a 
day,  and  had  a  kind,  cheering,  or  sympathetic  word  for  each. 
His  voice  was  music  and  the  sight  of  his  face  a  bit  of  sunshine 
to  the  sick  prisoners. 

"About  the  loth  or  I2th  of  September  a  member  of  Com- 
pany I  of  the  IlSth  was  brought  into  the  hospital  and  placed 
in  a  tent  opposite  to  mine.  He  was  suffering  from  dropsy  and 
tlie  doctor  gave  him  little  hope  of  recovery.  He  grew  worse 
rapidly.  It  was  evident  his  end  was  near.  One  morning,  about 
one  o'clock,  I  was  awakened  by  some  one  shaking  me  by  the 
shoulder  and  saying : '  Come,  sergeant,  get  up ;  mother  is  just 
out  here  by  the  wagon;  come  and  sec  her.'  It  was  poor  Ful- 
lerton.  delirious.  I  soothed  him,  led  him  to  his  tent,  and  per* 
suadcd  him  to  lie  down.  At  daybreak  I  went  to  his  tent 
again,  but  the  battle  of  life  was  over  and  he  had  received  his 
discharge. 

"About  this  time  one  of  the  men  in  our  tent  who  had  so  far 
recovered  that  he  was  able  to  walk  relapsed  for  want  of  nourish- 
ing food  and  died.  He  was  delirious  through  the  night  and 
was  constantly  asking  for  food.  '  Oh,  Mary,  I  am  so  hungry ; 
do  cook  that  quickly  for  I  can't  wait.  Give  me  just  a  little 
more.  What  have  you  got  in  the  house  to  eat?  1  am  almost 
starved  I  They  starved  us  there,'  Muttering  fragments  of 
the  Lord's  Prayer,  intermingled  with  horrible  profanity,  he 
passed  away. 

■■  In  Ihc  month  of  September  the  removal  of  prisoners  from 
Andersonviilc  began.  A  few  were  exchanged,  the  rest  trans- 
ferrrd  to  other  prisons.  As  each  detachment  went  away  its 
silk  were  put  in  barracks  inside  the  stockade  which  had  been 
recently  built.     They  were  bam-like  buildings  about  fifty  feet 


—  630  — 

long  and  eighteen  feet  wide,  with  two  rows  of  bunks  upon  each 
side.  The  description  of  their  condition  after  the  sick  had  been 
in  them  a  week,  as  given  by  an  eye-witness,  is  too  disgusting 
to  be  repeated. 

"  The  occupants  of  the  barracks  were  admitted  to  the  hos- 
pital as  room  was  made  for  them  by  death.  The  barracks 
were  warmer  than  the  tents  in  the  hospital,  and  the  vitality  of 
the  poor,  emaciated  sufferers  was  so  slight  that  the  chill  night- 
air  produced  a  stupor  in  which  most  of  them  slept  away  their 
lives  in  a  few  days. 

"  Every  morning  there  would  be  a  number  of  corpses  ex- 
posed in  the  streets  between  the  wards,  nearly  nude,  having 
been  stripped  of  their  garments  to  clothe  the  living.  Their 
faces,  haggard  and  gray,  and  their  limbs  and  bodies  gaunt  and 
shrunken  in  life,  were  still  more  ghastly  in  death. 

"About  the  ist  of  November  a  number  of  convalescents,  in- 
cluding myself,  were  taken  from  the  hospital  at  Andersonville 
to  the  stockade  at  Millen,  Georgia.  It  was  a  two-days*  journey. 
It  was  a  different  place  from  Andersonville.  Though  there 
were  eight  thousand  prisoners  in  it  when  we  arrived,  not  more 
than  one-sixth  of  the  enclosure  was  occupied  by  their  shelters. 
A  swift  stream  of  pure,  cold  water,  which  had  its  source  in 
springs  just  outside  the  wall,  ran  through  the  centre.  It  was 
bordered  by  no  reeking  swamp  whose  poisonous  vapors  pol- 
luted the  air,  but  its  grassy  banks  were  lined  with  grand  old 
trees,  beneath  whose  overhanging  branches  the  prisoners  prom- 
enaded during  the  day  and  evening.  The  water  of  the  creek 
near  its  entrance  was  used  for  drinking  and  cooking,  Either 
along  for  washing  and  bathing.  Wood  was  plentiful.  Nearly 
all  of  it  being  pitch-pine,  our  faces  and  amis. were  soon  dyed 
with  the  greasy  smoke.  Our  original  color  after  a  few  days 
was  a  matter  of  conjecture. 

"After  a  sojourn  in  this  comparative  land  of  delight  for  two 
weeks  we  were  again  packed  in  the  cars  and  taken  to  Black- 
shear,  near  the  borders  of  Florida.  Three  days  of  abundant 
rations  of  corn-meal  with  some  fresh  beef,  and  then  a  thousand 


of  us  held  up  our  hands,  swore  not  to  take  up  arms  against  the 
Confederate  States  of  America  until  duly  exchanged,  and  were 
taken  to  Savannah  to  be  put  on  the  Union  vessels  lying  out- 
side of  the  harbor.  Here  the  Confederates  told  us  wc  would 
be  under  our  own  flag  in  two  hours.  A  train  ^ame  alongside 
of  the  one  we  were  in.  Put  aboard  of  it,  with  despondent  hearts 
we  proceeded  towards  Charleston.  Reaching  that  place,  an-  ' 
other  train  took  us  to  Florence,  South  Carolina,  a  place,  if  pos- 
sible, worse  than  Anderson vi lie, 

"  I  became  a  partner  in  a  dug-out,  or  shebang,  with  two 
others,  a  Kentucky  cavalryman  and  an  Iowa  infantryman.  It 
was  a  dwelling  of  a  better  class  than  was  usual  at  Florence. 
The  daily  ration  was  small.  A  little  more  than  a  pint  of  com- 
meal,  apparently  cob  and  corn  ground  together,  and  about  once 
8  week  a  teaspoonful  of  salt.  This  could  be  eaten  at  a  meal 
and  not  satisly  the  craving  hunger,  which  daily  grew  greater. 
I  remember  staying  awake  all  through  one  night  trying  to  catch 
a  mouse. 

"  One  day  a  Confederate  major  came  into  the  stockade  with 
some  friends.  One  of  them  had  a  dog.  When  they  started  to 
go  out  the  dog  could  not  be  found.  The  next  morning  his  tail 
lay  on  the  ground  near  the  swamp. 

"  One  afternoon — the  last  Thursday  of  November — we  had 
received  our  daily  ration  of  meal,  to  which  by  this  time  had 
been  added  about  three  tablespoonfuls  of  ghookas,  or  cow  peas, 
had  cooked  and  eaten  them,  and  were  sitting  on  the  ground 
floor  of  the  shebang,  our  eyes  listlessly  turned  towards  a  rude 
bas-relief  upon  the  chimney,  which  was  meant  to  represent  a 
human  figure.  In  a  moment  of  art  enthusiasm  the  Kentucky 
cavalryman  had  fashioned  it  when  the  chimney  was  put  up. 
It  would  have  made  a  tobacconist's  Indian  split  its  wooden 
sides  with  laughter.  But  our  thoughts  were  as  sallow  as  our 
faces. 

"  After  a  time  the  Iowa  man  spoke :  '  Boys,  it  must  be 
Thanksgiving  Day  at  home,  and  my  folks  are  just  about 
through  their  dinner.     I  don't  believe  they  cared  much  for  it' 


—  632  — 

"We  were  silent  a  while.  Then  I  spoke:  'Well,  boys,  we 
mustn't  think  about  home,  or  any  one  there.  That  means,  if 
we  keep  it  up,  death  and  a  place  in  the  trench.  I  want  my 
bones  laid  in  Pennsylvania.  I  know  we  have  had  a  mean 
Thanksgiving  dinner,  and  it  does  seem  as  though  we  had  to 
look  around  a  little  to  find  something  to  be  thankful  for ;  but 
we  are  alive  yet,  and  we  may  get  home,  after  all.  Thanksgiv- 
ing's gone,  but  if  we  live  until  Christmas  we  can  have  a  dinner 
and  won't  be  hungry  after  we  have  eaten  it* 

"  *  How  ?  *  inquired  my  two  companions,  eagerly, 

"  *  We  won't  feel  much  hungrier  than  we  do  now  if  we  each 
put  by  a  spoonful  of  meal  and  a  spoonful  of  ghookas  every  day 
from  now  until  Christmas,  and  I  think  our  savings  will  make  a 
dinner  that  will  be  satisfying.' 

"After  some  discussion  as  to  the  relative  strength  of  our 
appetites  and  our  wills,  it  was  decided  to  lay  by  our  six  spoon- 
fuls of  food  every  day,  all  agreeing  that  the  spoonfuls  should 
not  be  heaped,  but  even.  I  dreamed  that  night  of  feasting  on 
all  the  good  things  in  the  way  of  food  that  I  had  ever  heard  of 
or  eaten.  The  next  morning  we  made  two  bags  of  generous 
size.  In  the  afternoon,  when  our  rations  came,  we  put  three 
spoonfuls  of  ghookas  in  one  bag  and  three  spoonfuls  of  meal 
in  the  other.  Every  succeeding  day  the  bsLgs  received  their 
portion,  and  were  felt  of  affectionately  to  find  out  how  much 
they  contained. 

"  Christmas  morning,  after  being  long  waited  for,  came  at 
last.  The  first  faint  light  of  the  morning  found  us  stirring. 
We  had  hoarded  our  fuel,  saving  a  little  every  day.  It  was  not 
an  easy  thing  to  do,  for  the  daily  fuel  ration  of  ninety  men  was 
three  sticks  of  pine  cordwood  of  average  size.  To  this  supply 
we  had  added  by  picking  up  every  splinter  as  large  as  a  tooth- 
pick, and  every  chip  as  large  as  a  ten-cent  piece,  that  we  dis- 
covered in  our  wanderings  around  the  stockade. 

"  The  occupants  of  a  shebang  near  our  own,  in  addition  to 
the  usual  cooking  utensils — quart  kettles  and  tin  or  sheet-iron 
pans — possessed  a  gunboat.    This  was  a  piece  of  old  roofing- 


—  633 


tin  made  into  a  pan  more  than  a  foot  long  and  about  six  inches 
wide  and  deep.  The  corners  where  the  tin  had  been  cut  off  or 
turned  in  were  soldered  with  corn-mcal.  It  was  not  sightly. 
but  was  convenient.  We  had  bargained  beforehand  for  the  use 
of  this  gunboat. 

"The  fire  was  lighted.  The  ghookas  had  been  soaked  the 
night  before  and  were  now  put  in  the  gunboat,  covered  with 
water,  and  the  gunboat  was  set  over  the  fire  upon  two  mud 
bricl>'s  made  for  the  occasion,  A  watched  pot  may  not  boil, 
but  a  watched  gunboat  did ;  for  three  heads  bent  forward,  and 
six  eyes  gazed  intently  upon  the  contents  of  the  vessel  over  the 
fire,  until  the  water  w.is  bubbling  and  ihe  peas  dancing  in  and 
out  among  the  bubblci. 

"  At  short  intervals  a  few  peas  were  taken  out  in  a  spoon  and 
allowed  to  cool,  and  a  pea  was  tasted  by  each  of  us  and  judg- 
ment given  as  to  iw  being  done.  Finally  we  were  unanimous 
in  the  opinion  that  the  ghookas  were  cooked  enough.  Meal 
was  brought  forth  and  stirred  in,  and  the  pudding  was  allowed 
to  remain  on  the  fire  until  it  had  thickened,  so  that  there  was 
danger  ot  its  being  scorched.  The  peas  were  dark-skinned 
and  had  given  the  pudding  a  purplish  hue.  The  gunboat  was 
lifted  off  and  set  on  the  ground  to  cool.  While  we  were  wait- 
ing the  fire  was  renewed.  Corn-meal,  saved  for  the  purpose, 
was  put  in  a  pan  and  thoroughly  dried  and  browned.  This 
corn  coffee  was  divided  into  three  portions,  put  in  three  quart 
kettles  and  boiled, 

"  At  last  our  dinner  was  ready.  The  gunboat  was  put  on  the 
ground  in  the  centre  of  the  shebang  and  we  sat  around  it 
Two  of  us  had  small  tin  pans  and  one  a  flat  piece  of  sheet-iron 
for  plates,  and  each  had  a  spoon.  Not  one  of  us  would  have 
b<.-cn  called  a  religious  man,  but  we  hesitated,  looked  at  one 
another,  bowed  our  heads  and  were  still.  Only  a  moment; 
and  then  the  Kentuckian  volunteered  to  act  as  host  and  helped 
us  nnil  himself 

"  When  dinner  was  over  the  contents  of  the  gunboat  and 
quart  cups  had  disappeared,  and  it  was  just  noon.     After  such 


—  ^34  — 

unusual  exertion  we  lay  down,  drew  our  blankets  over  us  and 
slept.  We  were  awakened  near  night  by  a  neighbor,  who 
called  to  us  that  we  might  get  our  rations.  After  returning  to 
the  shebang  the  Iowa  man  said :  '  Boys,  Til  think  of  that  din- 
ner as  long  as  I  live.     Why,  I  ain't  hungry  yet !  * 

**  But  the  dinner  was  only  a  momentary  flash  of  light,  and 
the  gloom  and  despondency  settled  upon  us  again. 

"  It  was  customary  for  the  very  sick  prisoners  to  go  outside 
of  the  dead  line  every  morning  at  nine  o'clock.  The  doctor 
would  come  in  from  the  Confederate  quarters  outside  and  pass 
along  in  front  of  them.  If  he  stopped  and  faced  one  of  the 
prisoners  that  one  was  sure  to  be  paroled  if  he  asked  the  doctor 
to  parole  him.  One  morning  I  went  outside  with  others.  The 
doctor  came  along  the  line.  Before  he  reached  me  he  had 
paroled  but  two  out  of  perhaps  forty.  When  he  came  to  the 
spot  where  I  stood  he  turned  around  and  faced  me.  Thoughts 
of  home  and  all  that  the  word  means  rushed  into  my  mind.  I 
tried  to  speak  but  was  powerless.  My  emotion  choked  me. 
After  gazing  at  me  a  moment  the  doctor  passed  on.  I  stag- 
gered back  to  my  shelter  and  threw  myself,  face  downwards, 
upon  the  ground.  For  once  will,  hope,  love  of  life,  deserted 
me. 

"  From  Florence  the  prisoners  were  taken  to  Wilmington, 
North  Carolina,  thence  to  Goldsboro,  back  again  to  Wilming- 
ton, just  as  Fort  Fisher  was  attacked,  and  the  same  day  re- 
turned to  Goldsboro.  After  reaching  Goldsboro  the  second 
time,  while  marching  to  the  camp  prepared  for  the  prisoners,  I 
fell  in  the  street,  unable  to  go  farther.  One  of  the  guards  said; 
*  Come,  Yank,  get  up  or  Til  stick  yer !  *  at  the  same  time  feint- 
ing a  lunge  with  his  bayonet.  As  I  did  not  move,  in  fact  could 
not,  he  and  the  rest  passed  on  and  left  me.  An  ambulance 
soon  came  and  took  me  to  the  Confederate  hospital  at  Golds- 
boro, where,  had  I  been  in  the  hands  of  my  own  relatives,  I 
could  not  have  received  more  tender  care  than  I  and  other 
prisoners  did  from  the  attending  doctors  and  the  ladies  of 
Goldsboro.     Every  nourishing  delicacy  that  was  attainable  was 


\ 


-  635- 


provided.  For  two  weeks  I  did  not  leave  my  cot.  Then  by 
the  aid  of  a  stout  stick'  I  managed  to  totter  around  the  hospital 
for  a  few  minutes  every  day.  While  in  this  condition,  one  of 
the  doctors  came  into  the  hospital  one  morning  and  announced 
that  all  who  could  walk  to  the  depot  would  be  paroled.  They 
would  carry  us,  he  said,  but  all  the  horses  had  been  taken  for 
the  army. 

"  It  seemed  to  me  that  it  was  now  or  never.  Getting  off  my 
cot  and  dressing  myself  with  shaking  hands,  stopping  now  and 
then  and  sitting  down  to  get  my  breath,  I  succeeded  in  that 
operation.  Then  grasping  the  stick  I  set  out.  How  I  got  to 
the  depot  1  scarcely  know.  I  do  know  that  I  had  to  drop  on 
the  sand  after  every  few  steps  and  rest,  and  that  the  latter  part 
of  the  journey,  the  whole  of  which  I  do  not  think  was  a  half 
mite,  was  exceedingly  painful.  I  reached  tlie  cars — freight 
cars — and  lay  upon  the  floor,  hardly  heeding  that  the  train  had 
started,  when  some  one  cried:  'There's  our  flag!'  I  did  not 
know  that  I  had  loved  it  as  much  as  I  did  until  that  moment. 

"  Some  colored  soldiers  came  with  a  stretcher,  laid  me  upon 
it  and  bore  me  towards  our  boat.  In  a  moment,  as  I  lay  upon 
the  stretcher,  I  caught  sight  of  the  Flag — our  Flag !  It  was  a 
moment  of  supreme  gratitude  and  happiness. 

"  I  reached  Wilmington,  and  after  staying  there  some  weeks, 
gradually  improving,  I  began  to  be  impatient  for  my  turn  to 
come  to  be  put  on  board  of  a  vessel  and  taken  to  Fortress 
Monroe.  It  did  not  come.  One  morning  I  quietly  walked  up 
the  gang-plank  of  a  steamer  that  was  going  to  start  that  day 
and  got  on  board  without  being  questioned.  From  Fortress 
Monroe  I  was  taken  to  Camp  Parole  and  went  home  on  a 
thirty-days'  furlough." 


—  636  — 

During  May,  1864,  which  period  of  time  includes  the  pro- 
longed study  of  Confederate  intrenchments  at  North  Anna,  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  lost  395  officers  killed,  1,343  wounded 
and  211  missing.  In  the  same  month  5,189  enlisted  men 
were  killed,  27,140  wounded  and  7,239  were  missing.  From 
May  31st  to  October  28th,  the  day  on  which  the  campaign 
practically  ended  in  the  Potomac  army,  401  officers  were 
killed,  1,453  wounded  and  564  missing.  During  the  same 
period  4,587  enlisted  men  were  killed,  24,110  were  wounded 
and  15,844  were  missing.  The  aggregate  losses  after  the 
fighting  at  North  Anna  were  46,986  men  and  officers.  At  the 
battle  of  Spottsylvania,  May  8th  and  13th,  it  lost  657  killed, 
3.448  wounded  and  375  missing.  Total,  4,480.  During  the 
hard  fighting  and  bloody  assaults  at  Cold  Harbor  the  5th 
Corps  was  in  line  at  Bethesda  Church  on  the  extreme  right^ 
where  it  was  engaged,  and  sustained  a  considerable  loss.  In 
the  assaults  on  Petersburg,  on  June  18,  1864,  't  lost  389 
killed,  1,899  wounded  and  thirty-eight  missing.  On  February 
5,  1865,  it  was  engaged  at  Hatcher*s  Run  and  Davney  Mills, 
with  a  loss  of  1,319  killed,  wounded  and  missing. 

On  March  31,  1865,  the  morning  reports  showed  the 
corps'  strength  to  have  been  17,073  present  for  duty.  In  the 
closing  battles,  from  March  29th  to  April  9th,  including  Grav- 
elly Run,  White  Oak  Road  and  Five  Forks,  the  loss  in  the 
corps  was  2,465  killed,  wounded  and  missing. 

At  Five  Forks,  under  Warren,  the  corps  captured  3,244 
men,  eleven  flags  and  one  battery  of  artillery  in  the  charge. 

This  was  the  greatest  war  of  the  century.  The  losses  on  the 
Union  side  were  110,000  men  killed  in  battle,  while  249,458 
more  died  from  diseases,  accidents,  in  military  prisons,  or  other 
causes.  Including  both  sides,  over  half  a  million  lives  were 
lost.  For  four  years  the  echo  of  the  picket's  rifle  never 
ceased. 


SKETCHES. 


Wak£  tn  our  breasU  the  living  fire, 
The  hok  failh  thai  warmed  our  silt 
Thy  haiid  hath  made  our  Nsiion  free. 
To  die  for  her  is  serving  Thee. 


Charles  Mallet  Prevost,  Colonel  of  the  ii8lh  Pennsylvania 

Volunteers,  Brevtt  BrJgadicr-GfinTal  U.  S.  VoliinletTS  and  Major- 
General  of  ihe  National  Guard  of  Pctinsytvania,  was  born  in  tJaiti- 
more,  September  ig,  i8i8.  His  paternal  descent  was  from  an  old 
Huguenot  family  which  was  compelled  to  leave  France  upon  the  rev- 
ocation of  ihe  Edict  of  Nantes  and  took  tip  its  abode  in  Switzerland, 
and  from  tiint  descended  the  Sir  George  Prevost  who  commanded 
tlie  British  forces  in  Canada,  and  al§o  the  American  branch.  General 
Augu^lin  Prevost,  Sir  George's  father,  distinguished  himself  at  Sja- 
v-innah  during  the  revolutionary  war.  General  Prevost  from  youth 
manifested  a  deep  Interest  in  everything  {leriaining  to  military  life. 
For  several  years  he  was  on  the  staff  of  his  father,  General  A.  M.  Pte- 
vost,  of  Philadelphia.  Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion  be  as- 
sisted in  the  formation  of  the  Gr:iy  Reserves,  taking  the  poitilion  of 
Captain  of  Company  C.  He  was  subsequently  nppoirted  .\ssistant 
.\djut^int-General  of  Volunteers  on  the  staff  of  General  Frank  E, 
Patterson,  and  served  through  the  Peninsula  campaign,  participating 
in  the  bnitles  of  Yorktown,  Williamsburg  and  the  seven  days'  battle, 
■  liiwn  to  Harrison's  Landing,  whence,  prostrated  by  the  fever  then 
prLvailing,  he  was  ordered  home.  During  his  convalescence  he  was 
-ek-cted  by  the  Corn  Exchange  to  command  the  iiSlh  Regiment, 
niiii  h  was  being  recruited.  In  the  disastrous  fight  in  which 
ilic  iiSih  was  engaged  at  Shepherdstown  he  received  a  terrible 
wound  from  which  he  never  recovered.  He  rejoined  his  regi- 
iiiiui  and  served  through  the  Chancellorsville  campaign,  but  was 
coni|ielk'd  to  leave  soon  after.  He  was  then  commissioned  Colonel 
of  the  i6ih  Regiment  Veteran  Reserve  Cor])s,  and  had  charge 
of  the  Confederate  jirisoners  at  Elmira,  New  York,  and  subse- 
(jiiently  of  a  large  rendezvous  camp  at  Springfield,  Illinois.  He  was 
hon<irably  discharged  June  30,  1865,  and  received  the  brevet 
<'37) 


-638  — 

of  Brigadier-General  United  States  Volunteers.  After  the  war  he 
was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  First  Division,  National 
Guard  of  Pennsylvania,  with  the  rank  of  Major-General.  He  died 
November  5,  1887,  as  the  result  of  his  wound,  having  been  fo^some 
time  previous  to  his  death  partially  paralyzed  and  deprived  of  his 
sight.  His  heroic  endurance  of  suffering  excited  the  love  and 
admiration  of  his  friends. 

Brevet  Major-General  James  G^vyn  was  bom  in  Ireland,  at 
Londonderry,  November  24,  1828.  His  parents  were  Protestants 
and  he  received  a  liberal  education  at  Foyle  College,  and  emigrated 
to  the  United  States,  selecting  Philadelphia  for  his  residence.  Here 
he  entered  the  employ  of  Stuart  Bros.,  of  which  George  H.  Stuart, 
famous  during  the  war  as  President  of  the  Christian  Commission, 
was  senior  member.  In  April,  1861,  he  served  as  Captain  in  23d 
Pennsylvania  Regiment  on  the  Peninsula  and  in  front  of  Richmond. 
July  22,  1862,  he  resigned  to  accept  commission  as  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  of  the  Corn  Exchange.  He  was  mustered  into  service  with 
this  regiment  as  Lieutenant-Colonel,  August  16,  1862.  He  partici- 
pated in  its  first  engagement  at  Shepherdstown,  Vii^nia,  where 
the  regiment  foil  into  an  ambuscade  and  was  fearfully  decimated ; 
he  also  participated  in  the  battles  of  Fredericksburg,  Chancellors- 
ville  and  Gettysburg.  At  the  close  of  these  campaigns  he  was  pro> 
moted  to  Colonel  of  the  regiment,  November  i,  1863,  having  suc- 
ceeded Colonel  Charles  M.  Prevost,  who  had  been  seriously  wounded 
at  Shepherdstown,  September  20,  1862,  and  resigned,  September  30, 
1863.  May  5,  1864,  in  the  first  day's  fight  in  the  Battle  of  the 
Wilderness,  he  was  severely  wounded  in  the  right  thigh.  He 
rejoined  his  regiment  in  front  of  Petersburg,  Virginia.  At  Peeble's 
Fann,  September  30,  1864,  Colonel  Gwyn  as  senior  officer  com- 
manded the  1st  Brigade,  ist  Division,  5th  Army  Corps.  He  led 
forward  his  men  wuth  gallantry  and  captured  two  earthworks  and  a 
fortified  line,  and  for  this  meritorious  behavior  he  was  breveted  a 
Brigadier-General.  At  Five  Forks,  April  i,  1865,  in  the  famous 
charge,  General  Gwyn's  brigade  captured  a  large  number  of  prisoners 
and  many  battle-flags,  and  as  a  rew^ard  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  Brevet  Major-General.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  mustered 
out  of  service  with  the  regiment,  June  i,  1865.  He  then  returned 
to  mercantile  pursuits  with  his  old  employers,  Stuart  Bros.,  but  after 


a  time,  failing  in  health,  he  rclired  and  is  now  in  the  Soldiers'  Home 
at  Hampton,  Virginia.  Brevet  Major-General  James  Cwyn  enjoyed 
the  reputation  of  having  been  a  patriotic  citizen,  a  gallant  soldier,  a 
handsome  and  accomplished  officer,  and  a  bold  and  aggressive 
leader.  He  was  by  nature  impulsive  and  sometimes  revengeful,  with 
likes  and  dislikes,  characlerisiic  of  his  race,  strong  and  exacting. 
These  traits  won  him  many  warm  friends,  and  at  the  same  time 
made  him  many  bitter  enemies  in  the  regiment. 

Charles  P.  Herring,  Colonel  of  the  iiSth  Regiment  Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteers  and  Brevet  Brigadier-General,  was  bom  in  the 
city  of  Philadelphia.  Until  the  opening  of  the  rebellion  he  was  en* 
gaged  in  mercaniilc  pufiiuits.  In  June,  1861,  he  became  Second 
Lieutenant  of  Company  C  of  the  Gray  Reserves,  commanded  by 
Captain  Charles  M.  Prevost.  In  May,  iS6z,  he  acted  as  Adjutant 
of  the  battalion  under  Colonel  Charles  S.  Smith  in  its  service  in 
quelling  the  Schuylkill  county  riots.  In  August,  i86j,  he  was  com- 
missioned Major  of  the  i  i8(h  Regiment  and  commanded  the  camp 
for  recruits  in  Indian  Queen  Lane,  near  the  Falls  of  the  Schuylkill. 
After  recovering  from  the  wounds  which  terminated  in  the  loss  of  a 
leg  at  Dabney's  Mills,  February  6,  1865,  he  sat  upon  a  general  court- 
martial  convened  in  Philadelphia,  and  soon  after  his  muster  out  of 
the  service  in  June,  1865.  was  appointed  Brigade  Inspector  of  the 
National  Guard,  in  which  capacity  he  was  influential  in  resolutely 
maintaining  a  high  standard  of  excellence.  In  a  remarkable  degree 
he  had  the  confidence  and  friendship  not  only  of  his  own  command 
but  of  his  superior  olficerN.  General  Barnes,  in  allusion  to  his  loss 
of  a  limb,  said  :  "  You  bear  with  you  the  evidence  of  the  peril  of 
the  field.  This  gives  me  no  cause  for  surprise ;  for  I  had  seen  you 
at  Shepherds  town,  at  Fredericksburg  and  Gettysburg,"  "Gallant 
and  ever  reliable  as  an  officer,"  says  that  bold  soldier,  General 
Griffin,  "  he  was  humane  and  considerate  towards  those  under  him, 
always  being  solicitous  for  their  welfare.  On  the  field  of  battle,  or  in 
camp,  his  manly  bearing  won  for  him  the  friendship  of  all.  His 
record  is  one  that  he  not  only  should  feel  proud  of,  but  his  State 
should  prize  as  belonj;ing  to  one  of  her  sons."  "With  a  moral 
courage,"  says  Major-General  Chamberlain — late  Governor  of  Maine 
— who  served  with  him,  "scarcely  excelled  by  his  physical  daring, 
he  won  and  held  my  perfect  confidence  and  love." 


—  640  — 

Lemuel  L.  Crocker  was  born  near  Albany,  New  York,  in  1829. 
He  was  educated  for  a  commercial  life.  In  185 1  he  came  to  Phila- 
delphia. August  16,  1862,  he  entered  the  service  as  lieutenant  of 
Company  C,  and  after  the  death  of  Captain  Saunders  at  Shepherds- 
town,  succeeded  to  the  command  of  Company  K.  Captain 
Crocker's  record  was  a  most  honorable  one  throughout  the  period 
of  his  service  and  won  for  him  the  respect  of  his  fellow-officers  and 
the  love  of  the  soldiers  of  his  company.  He  resigned,  February  26, 
1864.  Shortly  after  the  war  he  removed  to  Buffalo,  New  York,  and 
took  charge  of  the  Central  Railroad  cattle  depots.  He  also  engaged 
largely  in  the  manufacture  of  fertilizers.  He  died  a  few  years  since. 
Crocker  was  a  man  of  the  highest  integrity,  a  citizen  devoted  to  all 
public  interests  and  a  friend  whose  heart  was  not  to  be  surpassed 
for  kindness,  benevolence  and  that  charity  which  overlooketh 
faults. 

Surgeon  Joseph  Thomas  was  born  near  Doylestown,  Penn- 
sylvania, June  15,  1830.  He  received  his  education  in  private 
schools.  From  1847  ^^  1853  he  was  engaged  in  teaching.  He  then 
commenced  the  study  of  medicine  under  the  preceptorship  of  Dr. 
\Vm.  Hunt,  of  Philadelphia,  and  graduated  at  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  in  the  spring  of  1855.  He  at  once  commenced  the 
practice  of  medicine.  About  two  years  before  the  war  he  organized 
a  military  company  called  the  Applebachville  Guards  and  was  com- 
missioned captain.  In  the  early  part  of  1861  he  offered  his  company 
lor  active  service.  The  offer  was  accepted,  and  it  became  Company 
H,  3d  Regiment,  of  the  famous  Pennsylvania  Reserves.  At  Charles 
City  Cross-Roads  Captain  Thomas  was  seriously  wounded  in  the 
breast.  His  life  was  saved  by  the  ball  striking  and  perforating  a 
book  which  he  carried  in  his  pocket.  He  resigned  from  the  ser\'ice 
at  Harrison's  Landing.  July  7,  1862.  Recovering  from  his  wound, 
he  was,  August  15,  itS62,  commissioned  as  surgeon  of  the  ii8th. 
He  served  with  the  regiment  as  chief  medical  officer  and  surgeon 
of  the  brigade  until  the  spring  of  1863,  when  he  was  assigned  to  the 
field  hospital  of  the  ist  Division,  5th  Corps,  as  surgeon  in  charge. 
He  displayed  great  energy  and  ability  in  organizing  this  new  branch 
of  the  medical  service.  Dr.  Thomas's  attainments  as  a  surgeon 
comni:inded  wide  recognition.  He  added  to  this  a  reputation  for 
true  courage.     Probably  no  officer  of  the  regiment  commanded  a 


larger  measure  of  respiect  and  confidence.  His  deportment  was 
always  marked  by  intelligence  and  dignity,  and  he  was  consequently 
approached  with  thai  deference  which  was  due  to  his  rank,  but  his 
genuine  kindliness  won  ihc  friendship  of  all  who  knew  him.  He 
was  mustered  out  with  the  regimefit  June  i,  1865,  and  re-entered 
the  service  for  a  short  period  as  surgeon  of  the  Sad  Pennsylvania  Vol- 
unteers. After  finally  leaving  ihc  service  he  was  appointed  Assist-  _ 
ant  Assessor  of  Internal  Revenue  and  continued  in  that  position  for 
five  years.  During  this  time  he  moved  to  Quakertown  and  resumed 
the  practice  of  medicine.  In  1870  he  was  made  Cashier  of  the 
Quakertown  Savings  Bank.  In  1879  he  wa.s  made  President  of  the 
Quakertown  National  Bank,  which  position  he  still  retains.  In  1879 
he  was  elected  to  the  Slate  Senate,  in  which  position  he  made  an 
honorable  and  distinguished  record.  Dr.  Thomas  is  remembered 
affectionately  by  the  regiment,  and  his  appearance  among  them  in 
always  greeted  with  enthusiasm. 

Henry  O'Neill  was  born  in  Londonderry,  Ireland,  in  i8j8,  and 
was  educated  at  Lisborn,  near  Belfast.  In  1847  he  joined  an  infantry 
regiment  stationed  at  Madras  in  the  service  of  the  East  India  Com- 
pany and  was  in  this  service  twelve  years,  serving  through  the  Sepoy 
rebellion.  After  the  termination  of  this  war  he  received  his  discharge 
and  in  i860  came  10  this  country. 

Oiher  mention  of  Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel  O'Neill  than  has 
been  so  fully  set  forth  in  this  volume  would  be  surplusage. 

John  L.  Smith,  bom  in  Philadelphia,  March  19,  1846 ;  enlisted 
Novcml>er  10,  i86z  ;  entered  Company  K  as  private;  promoted  to 
corporal ;  slightlywounded  at  North  Anna  and  Bethesda  Church;  was 
with  the  regiment  in  all  its  battles,  marches  and  skirmishes;  mustered 
(Ml  July  10,  1865  ;  at  present  publisher  of  maps  and  atlases,  Phila- 
ddphJa. 

Corporal  William  L,.  Gabe  was  bom  in  Montgomery  county, 
PinnsyUanJa.  September  ii,  1830;  enlisted  August,  1861; 
wounded  severely  and  taken  prisoner  at  Shepherds! own,  Virginia; 
rejoinMi  the  regiment  four  months  later  and  served  through  the  bal- 
ance of  the  war.  Present  address ;  Water  Department,  Roxborough, 
Philadelphia.  He  is  one  of  the  noble  men  who  figure  conspicuouily 
in  the  pages  of  this  work. 


—  642  — 

Henry  K.  Kelly  entered  the  i  i8th  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun- 
teers, August  20,  1862,  as  ist  Lieut.  Co.  F;  became  Captain  Co.  G 
of  same  Regiment  May  3,  1863.  Taken  prisoner  at  the  fight  at 
Bethesda  Church,  Va.,  June  2,  1864,  and  confined  in  Libby  Prison, 
Richmond,  Va.,  for  two  weeks.  Thence  sent  to  Camp  Ogelthorpe 
Stockade,  at  Macon,  Ga.  Early  in  July  was  transferred  with  others 
to  the  City  of  Charleston,  in  hopes  of  stopping  the  fire  upon  that 
city  by  the  Swamp  Angel  and  Morris  Island  Batteries,  then  in 
possession  of  the  United  States  forces.  After  a  confinement  of  two 
months  in  Charleston  Work  House,  was  sent  to  Camp  Sorghum, 
prisoners'  rendezvous  near  Columbia,  S.  C,  and  finally  exchanged 
at  Savannah,  Ga.,  December  20,  1864.  Resigned  and  honorably 
discharged  January  5,  1865.  Captain  Kelly  participated  in  all  the 
engagements  in  which  the  11 8th  took  part,  dating  from  September 
17,  1862,  at  Antietam,  Md. 

Alfred  Macqueen  was  bom  in  England,  March  24th,  1840. 
Philadelphia  has  been  his  residence  the  last  forty-five  years.  He 
enlisted  at  the  formation  of  the  regiment  and  took  part  in  every 
battle  and  skirmish  in  which  the  regiment  was  engaged.  He  was 
wounded  at  Shepherdstown  and  Fredericksburg  and  had  his  haver- 
sack shot  away  in  the  Wilderness.  His  present  occupation  is  the 
manufacture  of  heaters  and  ranges  at  3935  Lancaster  Avenue. 

Captain  Francis  Adams  Donaldson  was  bom  in  Philadelphia, 
June  7,  1840.  He  was  enrolled  as  a  sergeant  of  the  71st  Regiment, 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers  (Baker's  Califomia  Regiment),  May  26, 

1 86 1,  and  was  mustered  into  the  service  June  4,  1861.  He  was  taken 
prisoner  at  Ball's  Bluff,  October,  1861.  His  conspicuous  gallantry  in 
this  engagement  was  rewarded  by  promotion  to  a  second  lieutenancy. 
May  I,  1862.     He  was  severely  wounded  at  Fair  Oaks,  May  30, 

1862.  Upon  his  recovery  he  was  mustered  out  to  accept  the  cap- 
taincy of  Company  H,  11 8th.  He  was  honorably  discharged,  Janu- 
ary 14,  1864. 

Sergeant  James  H.  Hainan  was  bom  in  Montgomery  county. 
Pa.,  June  17,  1841 ;  enlisted  April  26,  1861,  in  Company  F,  soth 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  to  serve  three  months;  was  discharged 
August  6,  1861 ;  enlisted  in  Company  E,  11 8th  Pennsylvania  Vol- 
unteers August  7,  1862,  as  a  private;  was  promoted  to  first  ser* 
geant ;  was  wounded  at  Shepherdstown  and  Peebles*  Farm ;  mus- 
tered out  with  the  regiment  June^  1865  ;  resides  in  Hiiladelphia. 


-643- 


Joseph  Ashbrook,  sergeant  i  i8th  Pennsylvania  Volunteers, 
August  4,  1861;  wounded  ai  Shepherdstown,  W,  Va,,  September 
ao.  1861 ;  second  lieutenant,  March  26,  i86j ;  (iret  lieutenant,  June 
6,  1864  ;  captain,  November  8,1864  :  brevcltcd  major  United  Slates 
Volunteers,  July  6,  1864,  "  for  gallant  and  distinguished  sen-ices  at 
the  battles  of  the  Wilderness  and  Beihesda  Church  and  during  the 
present  campaign  before  Richmond,  Va.  ;  "  served  upon  the  staff  of 
General  Bartlett,  commanding  3d  Brigade,  and  subsequently  as 
ordinance  officer  upon  staff  of  General  Griffin,  commanding  ist 
Division.  Major  Ashbrook,  although  a  young  man,  was  possessed 
of  those  qualities  which  made  it  easy  for  him  to  secure  promotion  ; 
well  educated,  with  attainments,  of  fine  soldierly  bearing,  his 
presence  commanded  respect  and  his  courage  admiration.  As 
ordinance  officer  he  had  the  distinction  of  being  detailed  to  receive 
all  the  arms  and  munitions  of  war  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Vir- 
ginia at  Appomattox  in  April,  1865. 

Albert  Henry  Walters.  Private,  ajd  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
August  3,  iSCi  ;  discharged  for  promotion,  August  31.  i$6i  ;  first 
lieutenant,  118th  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  September  i,  1861  ;  cap- 
tain, Fcbniary  10,  1864;  resigned  and  honorably  discharged,  Feb- 
ruary 13,  1865. 

Brcvetted  major  United  Slates  Volunteers  July  6,  1864,  "  for  gal- 
lant and  disiinf;tiishcdicrviics  at  thcliaillcs  of  Bclhesda  Church.  North 
Anna,  and  during  the  present  campaign  before  Richmond,  Va." 

Major  Walters  was  specially  fitted  for  a  soldier's  calling.  Some 
of  his  performances  were  really  the  work  of  a  master  in  the  profcssioD 
of  arms.  At  the  time  of  the  war,  just  of  the  age  for  gallant  deeds, 
he  possessed  the  sterling  courage  for  their  execution.  Walters' 
record  with  the  118th  Pennsylvania  entitled  him  to  most  honorable 
nu'ntion.  He  had  come  to  the  regiment  with  some  knowledge  of 
war  gathered  in  the  J3d  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

Albert  Haversticlc.  Enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  H, 
ii8<h,  .August  15,  1863.  He  was  honorably  discharged  at  Head- 
qtiarrers  .\rmy  of  the  Potomac,  June,  1865.  He  served  with  hia 
oiiiipany  and  regiment  until  January,  1863.  On  detached  service 
in  t  harge  of  .Adjutant-General's  office,  ist  Brigade,  ist  Division,  5th 
Corjis,  until  the  fall  of  1863,  when,  by  order  of  General  Meade,  he 
was  assigned  to  duty  at  Headquarters  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and 


—  644  — 

after  a  few  months'  duty  as  clerk  was  assigned  as  chief  clerk  m 
charge  of  Adjutant-General's  office,  Army  of  the  Potomac.  He  was 
present  at  all  the  subsequent  battles,  being  assigned  to  the  special 
service  of  writing  and  transmitting  the  orders  of  General  Meade  to 
the  several  corps,  for  the  movements  of  troops.  Nearly  every  order 
during  the  years  1864,  1865,  for  the  movement  of  divisions  and  corps 
was  written  by  him,  from  orders  written  or  dictated  by  General 
Meade.  At  the  close  of  the  war,  by  special  order  of  the  Secretary  of 
War,  he  was  assigned  to  duty  with  General  Meade  at  Philadelphia, 
in  preparing  and  arranging  the  records  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
before  their  transmission  to  the  War  Department. 

Captain  Joseph  AVattson  Ricketts  was  bom  January  16, 
1836,  in  Baltimore,  Md.  He  was  educated  at  the  Military  Academy 
at  Sing  Sing,  N.  Y. ;  was  a  member  of  the  ist  Regiment  National 
Guard  of  Pennsylvania.  He  recruited  Company  K  and  was  its  cap- 
tain.    He  was  killed  at  Shepherdstown,  Va.,  September  20,  1862. 

The  captain  had  a  presentiment  of  his  death  just  before  crossing 
the  Potomac  on  the  morning  of  the  battle.  He  called  a  few  of  his 
friends  around  him  and  said,  **  The  regiment  will  soon  be  in  battle, 
and  I  shall  not  live  to  recross  the  river,  for  I  certainly  shall  be 
killed."  He  requested  that  his  effects  be  looked  after  in  just  as  cool 
a  manner  as  if  at  home  dictating  his  will.  His  death  occurred 
precisely  as  he  had  previously  described. 

Captain  John  Scott  was  born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  June  ii, 
1829.  While  yet  a  child  his  parents  emigrated  to  this  country. 
He  was  by  trade  a  carpenter.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion 
he  left  at  home  a  wife  and  three  children  while  he  entered  the  ser- 
vice to  defend  his  country  as  a  private.  He  passed  various  grades 
to  captain  of  Company  I,  11 8th  Regiment.  During  his  military 
career  he  was  much  esteemed  by  his  men  and  the  officers  of  the 
regiment  as  a  soldier  and  gentleman.  At  the  battle  of  Dabney's 
Mills,  February  6,  1865,  he  was  mortally  wounded,  and  his  body  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy  and  was  never  recovered.  His  wife 
and  one  daughter  still  survive. 

Nathaniel  Bayne  was  born  at  Newark,  Delaware,  September 
24,  1840,  and  was  educated  at   Newark  Ac£idemy.     He  enlisted 


August  6,  1861,  in  Company  C,  iiSlh  Pennsylvania  Volunteers; 
second  lieutenant  Company  I,  March  1,  1863;  first  lieutenant 
Company  A,  October  a;,  1S63  ;  captain  Company  I,  August  9, 
1864  ;  wounded.at  Dabncy'ti  Mills,  February  6,  181)5  ;  mustered  out 
with  regiment,  June  1.  1865.  He  now  resides  at  Wilmington. 
Delaware. 

The  average  of  intelligence  and  education  in  the  ii8ih  was  re- 
markably high.  The  exceptional  circumstances  under  which  the 
regiment  was  organized  dr^ew  many  bright  young  men  to  Its  ranks. 
Among  these  was  Nathaniel  Bayne.  Belonging  to  a  neighboring 
Stale,  he  was  almost  an  absolute  stranger.  Like  many  others,  he 
was  quick  to  discover  ihal  he  was  Ihc  equal  in  qualifications  to  com- 
mand of  many  who  held  authority  over  him.  But  not  the  less  cheer- 
fully was  deference  and  strict  obedience  shown  by  him  to  his 
sujierior^.  Patriotic  duty  was  not  to  be  performed  by  seeking  posi- 
tioiis  of  honor  and  distinction.  All  could  not  be  otficers,  and  the 
enliited  man  was  rendering  as  necessary  and  important  scRviec  as 
the  uSiccr  who  commanded  him.  But  It  was  impossible  that  a  man 
like  Bayne  should  not  rise.  His  intelligence,  his  soldierly  appear- 
ance, his  dignified  bearing,  and  his  splendid  courage  were  certain 
to  command  attention.  His  successive  promotions  seemed  so 
natural,  that  while  they  pleased  every  one  they  surprised  no  one, 

Charles  F.  Dare  was  mustered  into    Company  H  on  the  Sch 

of  .Xugust,  i86a,  and  immediately  received  the  appointment  of 
hospital  steward.  In  October,  1865,  he  was  detailed  as  steward 
of  the  ist  Brigade,  ist  Division,  5th  Corps  Hospital.  In  April, 
1S64,  he  was  detailed  as  executive  steward  of  the  ist  Division,  5th 
Corps  Hospital,  and  served  in  that  capacity  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  was  mustered  out  with  the  regiment.  He  was  present  in 
h)~.  official  capacity  in  every  movement  in  which  the  regiment  was 
ciig:iged,  excepting  the  battles  of  Aniietam  and  Shepherdstown, 
having  been  left  at  that  time  at  Fort  Cochran,  with  about  sixty  sick 
men.  Since  the  war  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  drug  business  at 
Br  id  •.■ft  on.  New  Jersey. 

First  Lieutenant  Henry  T.  Peck.  Private  ii8th  Pennsyl- 
v.iiii.i  Vulunteers,  August  7.  1863;  sergeant,  August  9,  1863;  ser- 
t;f.iiii-inajor.  January  17,  1864;    first    lieutenant,  February  3,  1864. 


—  646  — 

Detailed  and  on  duty  as  regimental  adjutant ;  temponurily  detailed 
and  on  duty  as  aide-de-camp.  He  is  now,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
eight  years,  living  in  German  town,  Philadelphia,  where  he  is  a 
regular  practitioner  of  medicine. 

Peck  was  cool,  methodical,  systematic  and  of  the  staying  kind, 
whether  in  action  or  in  his  office.  What  was  to  be  accomplished 
was  thoroughly  done  before  he  had  ceased  to  do  with  it. 

Sergeant  Augustus  Luker  was  born  in  Boston,  Massachusetts. 
Enlisted  August,  1862,  and  was  mustered  out  with  the  regiment. 
Present  with  and  participated  in  all  engagements  of  regiment  during 
its  term  of  service.  His  present  occupation  is  chair-making.  He 
resides  in  Philadelphia. 

Captain  John  R.  AVhite.    At  the  outbreak  of  the  civil  war 

Captain  John  R.  White  joined  the  second  company  State  Fencibles, 
recruited  at  505  Chestnut  street,  and  the  comptany  was  assigned  to 
the  1 8th  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volunteers  (Colonel  Lewis).  He 
served  as  a  private  during  his  enlistment  (three  months),  being  sta- 
tioned at  Federal  Hill,  Baltimore,  until  near  the  close  of  the  three 
months,  when,  volunteers  being  called  for  to  guard  transports  to 
Washington,  he,  with  about  two  hundred  others,  volunteered  and 
served  a  month  over  their  time,  when,  having  been  mustered  out 
of  service,  he  returned  to  his  home,  and,  the  Corn  Exchange  having 
decided  to  raise  a  regiment  for  three  years,  he  at  once  enrolled  in  a 
company  being  recruited  in  West  Philadelphia  by  Courtland  Saun- 
ders. He  was  appointed  orderly  sergeant  as  soon  as  mustered  in, 
and  served  in  that  capacity  until  the  battle  of  Shepherdstown,  where, 
both  commissioned  officers  present  for  duty  (Captain  Courtland 
Saunders  and  Second  Lieutenant  J.  Rudhall  White)  having  been 
killed,  Orderly  Sergeant  White  was  promoted  to  second  lieutenant 
by  special  orders  from  Corps  Commander  General  Fitr-John  Porter, 
and  placed  in  command  of  his  company  (G).  He  served  through 
the  war,  being  promoted  to  first  lieutenant  and  finally  to  captain, 
and  was  mustered  out  with  the  regiment  at  the  close  of  the  war. 

Sergeant  Hiram  Lake  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  April  25, 
1845.  H^  served  to  the  end  of  the  war  with  the  regiment.  He  is 
by  trade  a  coach  painter.     He  now  resides  in  Philadelphia. 

Richard  AVistar  Davids,  son  of  Benjamin  and  Rebecca  Davids, 


was  born  in  New  York,  August  30,  1825  ;  was  educated  by  private 
tutor  and  visited  Europe  at  the  close  of  his  studies.  He  was  in  no 
business,  but  gave  his  time  to  the  useful  and  fine  arts.  At  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war  he  joined  the  Gray  Reserves  and  afterwards 
became  a  member  of  the  Corn  Exchange  Regiment. 

Daniel  B.  Cobb  was  bom  in  Philadelphia,  March  35,  1844; 
received  a  public  school  education;  enlisted  as  sergeant  in  iiSth 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers  August  i,  1862;  wounded  July  i,  1864, 
near  Petersburg,  resulting  in  the  resection  of  the  ulna  bone  from 
elbow  to  wrist.  He  was  discharged  on  account  of  wounds  April  14, 
1865,  and  is  now  engaged  in  the  plumbing  and  gas-fitting  business 
at  1512  South  Fifth  street,  Philadelphia. 

Samuel  Nugent  enlisted  as  a  private  August  18,  18611  pro- 
moted sergeant  November  1,  1864  ;  mustered  out  with  the  regiment 
June  1,  1865.  He  was  detailed  as  ordnance  sergeant  of  the  division, 
and  his  services  in  that  position  commanded  the  approbation  of  his 
superiors. 

Nugent  was  a  brave  and  efficient  soldier,  and  displayed  an  unusu- 
ally intelligent  appreciation  of  his  duties.  He  was  noted  for  keen 
and  careful  observation.  Even  under  the  pressure  of  the  hottest 
engagcmenls  nothing  seemed  to  escape  his  notice.  His  well-stored 
memory  of  details  enabled  him  to  contribute  important  particulars 
in  the  preparation  of  this  history. 

Alfred  Layman  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  June  38,  1844.  He 
was  by  trade  a  carpenter.  He  enlisted  in  the  t  i8th  as  private ;  was 
promoted  corporal  and  sergeant ;  participated  with  the  regiment  in 
all  the  battles  to  the  end  of  the  war.  He  received  a  slight  contused 
wound  at  Shepherdstown  and  at  Gettysburg.  A  few  yeare  after  the 
close  of  the  war,  having  a  liking  for  the  profession  of  medicine,  he 
entered  and  was  graduated  from  the  Hahnemann  Medical  College 
of  Philadelphia,  and  is  now  a  regular  practitioner  at  1630  North 
Kighteenth  street  in  his  native  city. 

First  Lieutenant  James  J.  Donnelly.  Lieutenant  Donnefly 
was  born  in  Belfast,  Ireland,  February  14,  1844.  He  came  to  this 
country  with  his  parents  when  quite  young  and  settled  in  Fhiladel- 


—  648  — 

phia.  He  had  a  fair  common  school  education.  He  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  Company  C,  118th  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  August  7, 
1862,  and  was  promoted  sergeant  January  19,  1864.  He  was  pro- 
moted to  first  lieutenant  May  i,  1865,  and  was  transferred  to  91st 
Pennsylvania  Infantry  June  i,  1865,  and  was  mustered  out  July  lo, 
1865. 

Lieutenant  Donnelly's  honesty  and  kindliness  made  him  very 
popular  from  the  beginning.  His  splendid  courage  displayed  on 
so  many  fields  challenged  admiration  and  respect.  His  record  is 
one  of  which  his  children  may  well  be  proud.  His  present  address 
is  Atlanta,  Georgia. 

Major- General  Charles  Griffin  was  the  popular  and  brilliant 
commander  of  the  ist  Division  of  the  5th  Corps  until  the  removal 
of  General  Warren,  when  he  was  placed  in  command  of  the  corps. 
No  officer  in  the  army  could  have  been  more  dearly  beloved  by  his 
men  than  General  Griffin.  He  was  a  tall,  slim,  well-built  man,  and 
rode  very  erect,  with  his  head  well  thrown  back,  and  with  his  long 
sharp  chin  well  advanced  to  the  front.  In  the  field  he  paid  little 
attention  to  dress,  and  his  rank  was  indicated  principally  by  the 
gold  cord  around  his  felt  hat ;  his  face  was  shaved  smooth,  while  his 
lip  was  adorned  with  a  heavy  moustache.  General  Griffin  was  one 
of  the  finest-looking  officers  in  the  army.  Always  kind,  pleasant 
and  cheerful,  his  presence  even  in  defeat  always  seemed  like  a  sun- 
beam. He  was  as  fearless  as  a  tiger,  and  would  lead  his  division 
anywhere.  He  had  formerly  been  an  artillery  officer  and  conse- 
quently had  great  faith  in  that  branch  of  the  service.  We  all 
mourned  when  his  death  was  announced,  several  years  after  the  close 
of  the  war.  He  died  of  yellow  fever  in  New  Orleans.  There  were 
but  few  officers  in  the  Union  army  more  worthy  of  praise  than  was 
General  Charles  Griffin. 

Henry  H.  Hodges  was  born  in  New  York  city,  December  14, 
1 829.  Enlisted  as  private  in  Company  D,  August  18,  1862.  Served 
with  the  regiment  during  its  term  of  service  ;  was  appointed  second- 
class  hospital  steward  January,  1865,  in  charge  of  medical  sui)plies  of 
brigade.  At  present  is  bookkeeper  with  William  D.  Rodgers'  Son 
&  Co.,  the  well-known  carriage  builders  of  Philadelphia,  having 
been  in  their  employ  almost  continuously  since  1850. 


—  649  — 

Thomas  J,  Hyatt  was  bom  in  New  York  cily,  rtpril  14,  i3a9. 

Was  wounded  in  the  slioulder  at  Siiepherdslown,  but  remained  until 
ihe  fight  ended.  Was  made  sergeant  in  March,  1864,  to  date  from 
September,  1863.  Was  captured  in  tbe  first  day's  fight  in  tlie  Wil- 
derness, May  5,  1864,  and  returned  to  the  regiment  after  an  impris- 
onment of  ten  months.  Was  mustered  out  with  the  regiment  June 
I,  1865.  He  is  now  one  of  the  staff  of  proof-readers  of  Harper 
Brothers,  New  York. 

George  W.  Williams  was  bom  December  7,  1S31,  in  the  oUI 
District  of  Spring  Garden  of  Philadelphia.  Enlisted  in  Company 
C,  .-August  II,  1862,  and  was  made  acting  fifth  sergeant  September 
21,  1S61.  Was  appointed  first  sergeant  January  i,  1863,  and  pro- 
moted first  lieutenant  Company  I,  August  10,  1864.  Was  ap- 
pointed aide-de-camp  on  brigade  staff  January,  1865,  and  as  such 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war;  present  with  and  took  part  in  all 
engagements  of  regiment  and  brigade  ;  was  mustered  out  with  the 
regiment  June,  1865. 

Thomas  F.  Kelly  enlisted  in  Company  A>  August  13,  1861,  at 
the  age  of  seventeen  years,  and  in  September,  after  the  battle  of 
Shcphcrdstown,  was  made  acting  corporal ;  was  appointed  sergeant 
after  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg  in  December,  1861 ;  left  general 
guide  in  October,  1863;  first  sergeant  May,  1864;  promoted"  first 
lieutenant  May,  1865,  and  with  other  officers  and  men  transferred 
by  general  orders  to  Ihe  91st  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  but,  there 
being  nil  vacancies  in  that  regiment,  was  mustered  out  to  date  with 
that  of  the  ii8th.  He  took  part  in  every  battle,  skirmish  and 
march  in  which  the  regiment  was  engaged,  and  was  never  off  duty 
excepliiig  a  ten  days'  furlough  in  February,  1865. 

James  B.  \Vilson  was  born  and  raised  in  Waynesboro',  Pcnn- 
sylvania.  He  was  apprenticed  to  the  carpenter  trade,  and  at  the 
outbreak  of  the  Mexican  war  in  1846  enlisted  in  Captain  Wm.  F, 
Small's  comjMny.  He  participated  in  nearly  all  the  engagements 
tliai  followed,  from  the  siege  of  Vera  Crui  to  the  capture  of  the  City 
'if  Mexico,  the  capital.  At  the  close  of  this  war  he  returned  to 
Philadelphia  and  re-engaged  in  his  former  vocation. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion  he  enlisted  in  Company  A 
of  the  1 1 8th,  uid  was  made  first  sergeant.     He  participated  in  all 


—  650  — 

the  battles  in  which  his  regiment  was  engaged.  On  October  aad 
he  was  promoted  for  brave  conduct,  by  special  order  of  General 
Fitz-John  Porter,  to  the  rank  of  second  lieutenant,  and  was  assigned 
to  Company  K,  January  12,  1863.  He  was  made  first  lieutenant  on 
account  of  brave  and  soldierly  conduct  in  the  battle  of  Fredericks- 
burg, and  was  assigned  to  Company  B,  January  20,  1864.  He  was 
raised  to  the  rank  of  captain  and  was  assigned  to  Company  C,  filling 
the  vacancy  in  that  company  caused  by  the  death  of  Captain  Dendy 
Sharwood.  At  the  battle  of  Feeble* s  Farm,  being  the  ranking  offi- 
cer present,  he  took  command  of  the  regiment  and  led  it  into  action. 
For  meritorious  conduct  in  this  fight,  September  30,  1864,  he  was 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  brevet  major. 

He  was  severely  wounded  at  Gettysburg  in  the  second  day's  fight, 
July  2,  1863,  while  engaged  in  supporting  Biglow's  battery.  On 
recovering  from  his  injury  he  rejoined  the  regiment,  August  18, 
1863.  He  was  mustered  out  with  the  regiment  June  i,  1865.  He 
is  now  residing  in  Philadelphia. 

Captain  I.  H.  Seesholtz  was  mustered  into  the  "  Iron  Guards" 
(recruited  at  Catawissa,  Pennsylvania)  as  a  private  the  day  after 
Fort  Sumter  was  fired  upon,  remaining  with  the  company  until  the 
fall  of  1 86 1,  when  he  resigned  his  commission,  having  been  pro- 
moted to  second  lieutenant.  He  then  identified  himself  with  the 
99th  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  entering  as  a  private. 
With  this  regiment  he  remained  until  the  summer  of  1862,  when  he 
resigned  his  commission,  having  been  promoted  to  a  first  lieuten- 
ancy, and  at  once  enlisted  in  the  11 8th.  Here  he  remained  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  Enlisting  as  a  private,  and  a  total  stranger  to 
the  entire  command,  he  rapidly  advanced,  by  reason  of  his  abilities 
and  meritorious  conduct,  until,  when  mustered  out,  he  commanded 
one  of  the  best  companies  in  the  regiment.  Company  K.  He  par- 
ticipated in  all  the  battles  of  the  .^rmy  of  the  Potomac  except  Fred- 
ericksburg, and  was  twice  wounded — in  the  arm  at  Shepherdstown 
and  in  the  hand  at  Hatcher's  Run  :  and  had  the  honor  of  establish- 
ing the  last  picket  line  that  was  maintained  between  Lee's  army  and 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 

Levi  Teal,  born  in  Philadelphia,  .April  22,  1843  >  enlisted  in 
Company  C,    11 8th  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,   August 


ij,  1861;  detailed  for  duty  in  the  adjutant-general's  office,  1st 
Division,  5tii  Army  Corps,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  by  special  order 
number  59,  June  8,  1863  ;  mustered  out  June  i,  1865,  near  Wish- 
inglon.  District  of  Columbia.      He  resides  in  Philadelphia. 

Samuel  N.  Lewis  was  bom  in  Philadelphia  (where  his 
ancestors  for  years  had  resided)  April  10,  184J.  As  an  associate 
member  of  Company  A,  First  Regiment  (Gray),  Reserve  Brigade 
Militia  of  Pennsylvania,  he  served  as  a  private  in  May,  1862,  when 
Companies  A  and  C  were  in  service  assisting  in  suppressing  riots 
in  Schuylkill  county,  Pennsylvania.  In  the  summer  of  186a,  at 
the  age  of  eighteen,  he  recruited  Company  E,  11 8th  Regiment  Penn- 
sylvania Volunteers,  at  the  Girard  House,  Ninth  and  Chestnut 
Streets,  Philadelphia,  and  bore  all  the  expenses  of  raising  the  c 
pany.  He  was  mustered  in  as  second  lieutenant  August  30,  1863, 
was  severely  wounded  in  the  thigh  at  the  battle  of  Shcpherdstown, 
W.  Va..  September  a^,  1S63,  and  receiied  a  commission  as  6rst 
beutenant  Company  E,  bearing  date  of  above  battle,  but  was  not 
mustered  in  as  first  lieutenant  till  March  9,  1863.  Later  he  was 
detailed  as  acting  aide-de-camp  on  the  staS  of  General  Joseph 
Hayes,  and  after  some  service  in  that  capacity  resigned  and  was 
honorably  discharged  November  3j,  1863,  on  account  of  wound.s 
and  >ickne5t.  As  soon  as  his  strength  permitted  he  went  to 
Europe  (hoping  to  regain  his  health);  he  returned  in  1865  and 
entered  the  office  of  John  T.  Lewis  81  Bros.,  where  he  was  after- 
wards a  partner.  He  served  on  the  sUfis  of  Generals  Charles  M, 
Prevost  and  John  P.  Bankson,  commanding  First  Di\-ision  National 
Guards  of  Pennsylvania,  as  aide-de-camp  with  rank  of  major  from 
Januar)',  1868,  to  July  17,  1876,  when  he  resigned  and  was  honor- 
ably discharged. 

Sylvester  Crossley  was  born  at  Norristown,  Pennsylvania, 
r>ii ember  13,  1839;  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  ii8th  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers,  and  passed  the  various  grades  of  promotion  to  second 
lieutenant.  He  was  taken  prisoner  at  Laurel  Hill  and  recaptured 
by  Sheridan  when  near  Richmond,  He  was  again  captured  at 
Bi'thesda  Church,  and  after  enduring  imprisonment  at  Libby,  MacoQ 
and  Savannah,  Georgia,  Charleston  and  Columbia,  South  Carolina 
— in  all  about  nine  months — escaped  and  reached  Sherman's  lines. 


—  652  — 

near  Columbia.  South  Carolina,  and  inarched  with  his  army  to 
Fayetteville,  North  Carolina.  He  resigned  after  the  surrender  of 
Lee.  He  is  now  a  manufacturer  of  edge  tools,  and  resides  at  1524 
North  Garnett  street,  Philadelphia. 

Benjamin  £.  Fletcher,  Jr.,  a  good  soldier,  was  bom  February 

2, 1844,  intheold  District  of  Moyamensing,  Philadelphia,  and  enlisted 
in  Company  £  at  the  age  of  eighteen.  At  the  battle  of  Chancel- 
lorsville  one  of  his  ears  was  shot  off;  after  a  few  days  only  at  the 
hospital  he  returned  to  his  regiment  and  was  made  a  corporal.  At 
tlie  battle  of  Five  Forks  he  was  shot,  March  31,  1865,  and  died 
almost  instantly — he  was  the  last  soldier  killed  in  the  regiment. 
His  body  was  buried  and  the  grave  carefully  marked  by  his  com- 
rades, and  this  enabled  his  family  a  few  months  afterwards  to  dis- 
inter the  body  and  bring  it  to  the  North  for  final  interment. 

Adjutant  James  P.  Perot  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  May  12, 
1S25.  His  parents  were  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  and 
he  graduated  from  Haverford  College.  He  became  associated 
with  Mr.  Christian  J.  Hoffman  in  the  flour  and  grain  commission 
business,  and  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  civil  war  he  was  one  of  the 
originators  of  the  Philadelphia  Corn  Exchange.  He  was  active  in 
the  formation  by  that  body  of  the  118th,  and  accepted  the  position 
of  adjutant.     He  died  in  1872. 

Colonel  Perot,  or,  as  he  will  always  be  spoken  of  by  his  associates 
of  the  iiSth,  Adjutant  Perot,  was  a  patriotic  man,  a  faithful,  cour- 
ageous soldier,  and  by  his  genial  disposition  won  many  friends. 

John  Michener  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  November  17,  1843, 
aiul  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Philadelphia.  He  enlisted 
August  12,  1862,  as  corporal  in  Company  C  and  served  in  all  the 
campaigns  of  the  regiment  and  brigade.  He  is  now  engaged  in  the 
banking  business ;  his  present  address  is  Philadelphia. 

Rev.  W.  J.  O'Neill,  brother  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  O'Neill, 
was  also  born  in  Ireland  in  the  year  1832.  When  appointed  by 
Governor  Curtin  chaplain  of  the  11 8th  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers,  he  was  a  young  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  belonging  to  the  Wilmington  Conference,  and  junior  minis- 
ter of  a  circuit  in  Maryland.  After  the  war  he  resumed  connection 
with  the  same  conference.  He  died  at  Church-Hill,  Maryland, 
March  9,  1887. 


-653 


Joseph  Mora  Moss,  who  came  of  good  old  rcvolmionary 
Muck,  being  directly  descended  from  bolh  Robert  Morris,  ihc  finan- 
cier, and  Bishop  White,  [he  first  Bishop  of  Pennsylvania,  was  born 
in  Albany  township,  Bradford  county,  Pennsylvania,  May  17.  1843. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  and  High  School  of  Philadelphia. 

Al  the  breaking  cut  of  ihe  war  he  was  about  to  begin  his  studies 
with  a  view  of  preparing  himself  to  enter  the  ministry  of  the  Protest- 
ant Episcopal  Church.  Considering  it  his  duty  to  his  country,  he 
promptly  answered  the  call  to  arms,  and  was  enlisted  as  second  lieu- 
tenant in  the  118th  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  He  was  killed  in 
battle  at  Shepherd slown,  Virginia,  September  ao,  1862,  and  was  at 
the  time  of  his  death  nineteen  years  four  months  and  three  days  old. 
He  was  prompt  in  the  performance  of  his  duties,  and  won  the  respect 
of  his  superiors.  His  early  death  on  the  field  cut  short  a  career  that 
doubtless  would  have  been  a  brilliant  one. 

Captain  Dendy  Sharwood.  No  officer  of  the  nSth  is  i>ettcr 
remembered  than  Captain  Dendy  Sharwood.  He  recruited  Com- 
pany C,  and  was  its  first  commander. 

Captain  Sharwood  was  an  Englishman  by  birth,  and  was  before 
the  war  engaged  in  business  in  Philadelphia.  He  brought  to  his 
new  profession  intelligence,  education,  extensive  knowledge  of  the 
world,  and  undoubted  courage.  What  captivated  all  who  knew  him 
w.is  his  ihorough  manliness  and  nobility  of  chararler.  He  was 
admired  and  beloved  by  his  own  men,  and  respected  throughout  the 
entire  regiment.  It  was  stich  men  as  he  who  gave  tone  and  distinc- 
tion to  the  old  regiment  as  it  left  for  the  front  in  1862. 

Captain  Sharwood  was  detailed  for  some  time  as  acting  brigade 
commissary  and  rendered  efficient  service  in  that  position.  At  the 
battle  o(  Rappahannock  Station,  in  the  absence  of  the  field  officers, 
he  commanded  the  regiment  and  was  distinguished  for  bravery  and 
soldierly  conduct  Shortly  afterwards  he  was  taken  ill  as  the  result 
of  exposure  and  died  lamented  by  the  entire  command. 

Lieutenant  J.  Rudhall  White,  born  in  Warrington,  Virginia, 
was  about  twenty  years  of  age  when  he  joined  the  regiment.  He 
was  a  lieutenant  in  the  Black-Horse  Cavalry  (Confederate).  Differ- 
ing in  sentiment  with  his  friends,  he  resigned  his  commission  and 
entered  the  iititih  as  second  lieutenant.     He  was  a  brave  and  cour- 


—  654  — 

teous  officer  and  gained  the  respect  of  the  regiment  *  He  was  killed 
at  Shepherdstown. 

General  Joshua  L.  Chamberlain.  This  officer  entered  the 
army  as  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  20th  Regiment,  Maine  Volunteers, 
on  the  8th  of  August,  1862,  and  served  continuously  in  the  ist  Di- 
vision of  the  5th  Corps,  finally  commanding  it,  and  was  mustered 
out  of  service  January  16,  1866,  as  brevet  major-general  of  United 
States  Volunteers.  Being  of  a  family  of  military  traditions  and  pro- 
clivities, and  having  received  the  elements  of  a  military  education  in 
early  life,  he  naturally  and  rapidly  adapted  himself  to  the  severe 
ordeal  of  being  called  suddenly  to  a  responsible  position  in  the  midst 
of  a  great  war,  and  at  its  gravest  crisis. 

The  corps  and  division  to  which  he  was  assigned  were  officered 
very  largely  from  the  regular  army,  and  he  took  advantage  at  once 
of  this  opportunity  to  make  himself  familiar  with  his  duties  and  to 
acquire  a  practical  knowledge  and  skill  so  necessary  to  success  in  the 
field,  and  which  afterwards  caused  him  to  be  so  rapidly  promoted  in 
rank  and  command. 

In  June,  1863,  he  was  colonel  of  his  regiment.  At  Gettysburg  his 
conduct  in  the  famous  defence  of  Round  Top  won  for  him  the  high- 
est commendation  of  his  superior  officers  and  public  fame.  In 
August  of  that  year  he  was  placed  in  command  of  a  brigade.  In 
the  reorganization  of  the  army  corps  in  the  next  spring  two  brigades 
of  veterans  were  consolidated  into  one  and  he  was  called  to  command 
it  while  as  yet  colonel  of  his  regiment  in  another  brigade.  In  the 
first  battle  in  this  new  command  he  was  promoted  to  brigadier-gen- 
eral on  the  field  by  General  Grant  in  a  special  order,  which  was  rat- 
ified by  the  President  and  the  Senate. 

He  was  then  applied  for  to  command  the  regulars  in  the  2d  Di- 
vision of  the  5th  Corps,  but  the  commander  of  his  own  division  was 
unwilling  to  have  him  leave.  In  Grant's  final  campaign  General 
Chamberlain  commanded  not  only  his  own  brigade,  but  also  the  2d 
Brigade  of  the  division,  which  was  ordered  to  report  to  him  for  the 
campaign. 

His  command  was  closely  engaged  with  the  enemy  at  Appomattox 
Court-House  when  the  flag  of  truce  came  in,  and  at  the  formal  sur- 
render of  Lee's  army  he  was  designated  to  command  the  parade 
before  which  that  army  laid  down  its  arms  and  colors. 


On  the  disbandmcnt  of  the  Anny  of  the  Potomac  he  was  one  of 
the  few  general  officcre  retained  in  the  service ;  and  on  the  reorgan- 
itation  of  the  regular  army  he  was  offered  a  colonelcy  with  the  brevet 
of  major-general.  Declining  these,  he  wa*  offered  several  diplomatic 
appointments  abroad,  but  preferred  to  return  to  private  life.  He 
was  shortly  afterwards  elected  Governor  of  Maine. 

He  had  many  narrow  escapes  with  his  life  during  the  war,  having 
had  five  horses  i^hot  under  him  and  himself  struck  six  times  by  bullet 
and  shell,  and  has  enjoyed  the  unusual  privilege  of  seeing  his  own 
obituary  in  the  newspapers  on  two  occasions. 

Sergeant  Major  WilUain  R.  Courtney  was  bom  in  Phila- 
delphia, May  II,  1845-  ^^  enlisted  in  Company  G,  and  by  suc- 
cessive promotions  reached  the  rank  of  -Sergeant  Major.  He  was 
on  excellent  soldier,  and  was  with  his  regiment  in  every  engage- 
ment tmtil  he  lost  an  arm  at  Pcgram's  Farm,  Va,,  September  30, 
1864-  His  bravery  at  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg  was  so  conspicu- 
ous as  lo  secure  for  him  a  furlough.  He  happily  recovered  from  his 
severe  wound  at  Pegram's  Farm,  and  is  now  conducting  a  wholesale 
bakery  in  Philadelphia. 

Samuel  F.  Delany.  Born  in  Philadelphia  June  38,  1831 ; 
enliited  as  private  in  Ii8th  Pcnnsyh'ania  Volunteers  August  5,  i86j; 
promoted  10  color -sergeant ;  was  slightly  wounded  at  Shcphcfds- 
town  ;  micitered  uuc  with  regiment,  June,  1(165. 

General  Gouverneur  K.  Warren.  It  is  impossible  in  this 
brief  sketch  to  do  anything  like  justice  to  a  character  and  career  so 
remarkable  as  that  of  General  Warren,  An  officer  of  engineers  in 
the  regular  army,  he  accepted  a  somewhat  subordinate  [>osition  in 
the  volunteer  service  at  the  Opening  of  the  war,  and  his  military 
instincts  and  solid  ability  carried  him  very  shortly  to  the  highest 
staff  positions  of  the  army,  and  to  the  command  of  more  than  one 
army  corps. 

There  is  no  need  to  recite  the  steps  of  his  upward  cotirse,  for  the 
history  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  is  bright  with  his  record  of 
honorable  service.  It  is  only  of  late  that  the  country  comes  to  un- 
derstand how  much  the  event  of  the  great  battle  of  Gettysburg  was 


—  656  — 

due  to  his  rapid  military  eye,  and  his  equally  rapid  power  of  execu- 
tion. Had  Round  Top  been  left  to  fall  into  the  enemy's  hands,  the 
fate  of  the  field  at  Gettysburg  would  have  been  far  different. 

General  Warren's  personal  appearance  was  fine.  His  soldierly 
form,  his  intellectual  countenance,  his  dark  yet  beaming  eye,  im- 
pressed every  beholder.  As  to  personal  courage,  he  was  brave  to  a 
fault.  Yet  he  was  careful  of  his  men.  They  all  felt  that  he  would 
not  sacrifice  them  ;  but  they  almost  blamed  him  when  some  des- 
perate movement  became  necessary,  and  he  insisted  on  leading 
them.  Even  when  a  corps  commander,  he  was  everywhere  to  be 
seen  in  the  thick  of  the  fight,  yet  holding  well  in  his  brain  the  dis- 
position of  his  whole  corps,  wielding  it  not  only  as  a  mass,  but  as  a 
living  organism,  every  member  of  which  had  its  appropriate  place 
and  part. 

General  Warren  was  a  man  of  a  high  order  of  intellectual 
ability,  which  commanded  universal  respect,  but  his  temperament 
was  such  that  those  who  were  not  well  acquainted  with  him  might 
easily  misjudge  him.  He  undoubtedly  sometimes  allowed  himself 
to  speak  in  plain  terms  his  opinion  of  orders  he  might  receive  in  the 
midst  of  a  battle,  or  movement  of  critical  importance,  which  did  not 
harmonize  well  with  the  state  of  things  under  his  own  eye  and 
affecting  seriously  his  own  command. 

There  had  been  irritation  towards  him  at  the  head-quarters  of  the 
army  on  this  account  before  the  last  famous  movement  to  turn  Lee's 
right  flank  before  Petersburg,  and  General  Sheridan,  with  this  hint  in 
his  mind,  and  in  his  impetuosity  misjudging  Warren's  thoughtful  and 
intent  manner  as  indicating  lack  of  sympathy  with  him  in  his  plans, 
took  an  early  occasion  to  remove  him  from  his  command.  But 
when  the  history  of  that  last  campaign  is  fully  and  faithfully  written, 
the  great  importance  of  Warren's  action  on  the  White  Oak  Road 
will  be  apparent,  and  his  conduct  in  this,  as  in  every  other  campaign 
of  the  army,  will  be  set  high  above  doubt  or  cavil.  He  went  down 
to  an  early  grave  with  a  wounded  and  broken  spirit,  notwithstanding 
the  fact  that  a  military  commission  had  investigated  the  actof  injus* 
tice  under  which  he  had  suffered,  and  had  lifted  the  shadow  from 
his  fair  fame. 

History  will  give  him  a  bright  page  on  her  rolls,  and  a  grateful 
country  will  appreciate  his  service  and  revere  his  memory. 


APPENDIX, 


LAUREL  HILL  AND  SHERIDAN'S   RAID. 

By  S.  Crosslev,  L*tf  Second  Lieutenant  CiistfAttv  H,  iiSni 


jOME  little  eiperiences  [hat  I  hsil  in  the  opening 
of  the  Wilderneis  c>ntp«i)rn  mighl  pet- 
liiiu  be  inierc'tiriK,  «|)ccuill]'  «t  ihey  n- 
la[e  to  whu  I  wiin«sstd  u  »  rccapcured 
pruDner  of  war,  %nA  hence  (off  iluly) 
ind  obiei 

atsauU   at   Uuiel  Hill  wu  M 

inl>erc^l,>n<U«<l 

IS  throu|;h  swamp  land  anil  bruih  and 

^s  of  all  dorli  ere  we  reacheit  ihe 

The  movaneni  was  made  by  Ihe  lU 
Division,  5th  Army  Corpt,  and  led,  I 
think,  by  General  CrawFord,  Genera] 

Gritfin  Iwing  atsenr.  However. of  one 
thing  I  am  sure,  that  (here  did  not 
rm  [11  \k  nny  j>ropf  r  understanding  amone  Ihe  subordinate  commanders  as  to  the 
ide  of  formation,  for,  though  we  were  really  in  echelon,  it  wu  generally  sup- 
sed  that  we  were  moving  in  several  lines.  "  Column  in  maai '.  "  I  disiinctly 
mrmber  hearing  our  colonel  giving  the  order,  "Cease  tiring,"  and  adding: 
^Viu  are  firing  on  your  own  men  '.  "  We  soon  had  a  deadly  enfilading  fire  upon 
and  were  soon  compelled  to  withdraw.  Now.  /  did  not  nithdraw,  and  for  the 
Uiwing  reaaon :  My  gooil  people  at  home  resolved  that  a  first-rate  thing  for  me 
have  was  a  good  giair  of  tioots,  and,  up  to  the  lime  of  ihe  beginning  of  this 
ni)>aign.  I  thc>U|;ht  it  good  Judgment  nn  their  part;  but  when,  after  two  days' 
ifch.  I  di^-covered  one  of  my  anklet  rubbed  to  the  bone,  bare  of  flesh,  I  changed 
,'  mind. 

.Ai  v«}i\  as  Ihe  retrcal  began  the  rebels  left  their  works  on  a  ran  and  firing  u 
rv  f.in.      1  was  escorted  to  the  rear  in  company  of  one  of  them  who  found  m« 
.il.le  lu  keep  u]>  (*.>ri  Ju  iomiiit,  as  it  were)  and  who  asked  for  my  iwoTd  with 
*"  (657) 


—  658  — 

the  muzzle  of  his  rifle  in  close  proximity  to  my  breast.  My  response  to  his  over- 
tures seemed  satisfactory.  Hut  I  remember  that  ere  we  reached  their  works 
^^■c  were  both  in  danger  from  Yankee  bullets,  which  gave  the  lie  to  a  great,  gaunt 
si)ecimen  of  fanaticism  who  was  among  the  first  to  follow  and  who  kept  exclaim- 
ing :  •*  You  can't  fight,  you  can't  fight ;  God  Almighty  won't  let  you  ! " 

The  next  morning,  along  with  about  3CX>  other  prisoners,  I  was  marched  away 
in  charge  of  a  cavalry  guard,  having  first  made  a  trade  (with  one  of  its  men)  of 
my  boots  for  a  good  pair  of  English-made  shoes.  Tins  put  me  in  better  marching 
order,  but  still,  had  it  not  been  for  the  kindness  of  one  of  the  guard  in  allowing 
me  to  ride  upon  his  horse  while  he  walked  (a  display  of  unwonted  chivalry),  I  do 
not  know  what  would  have  been  the  result. 

Shortly  after  noon  it  began  to  be  apparent  in  the  manner  of  the  commander  of 
the  guard,  showing  nervousness  and  apprehension,  especially  after  scouts  would 
approach  him,  that  something  was  not  right,  and  I  think  that  if  it  would  have 
been  possible  to  have  taken  us  at  a  pace  equal  to  that  of  his  horses  on  a  trot  it 
would  have  greatly  ])lcased  him. 

The  sec^uel  to  all  this  was  revealed  to  us  about  5  P.  M.  when  in  hearing  of  the 
locomotive  whistle  of  the  train  which  was  to  have  transported  us  to  Richmond 
from  Beaver  Dam  Station.  A  scout  rode  up  with  flushed  face  and  fairly  yelled : 
€*  Lieutenant,  the  Yanks  are  upon  you  !  "  It  then  became  a  risk  of  life  and  limb 
to  each  of  us  from  the  hoofs  of  their  flying  horses.  The  chivalric  gentleman  who 
had  loaned  me  his  horse  and  up  to  that  time  was  walking  beside  and  chatting 
with  me  rudely  pulled  me  to  the  ground  with  a  jerk  and  fairly  sprang  to  the 
saddle.  We  got  to  the  field  to  the  left  of  the  road  just  in  time  to  clear  the  track 
for  the  yelling  vanguard  of  Sheridan's  raiding  expedition  in  full  pursuit  and  firing 
their  carbines  after  the  fleeing  guard.  It  may  be  imagined  that  our  enthusiasm 
expressed  itself  in  vociferous  cheering  and  by  the  tossing  of  hats  high  in  air.  In 
a  few  minutes  thereafter  we  were  indulging  in  a  good  meal,  the  components  of 
which  were  the  result  of  the  capture  of  the  train  aforesaid,  which  was  to  have 
carried  us  away  and  which  was  also  a  supply  train  for  Lee's  army.  We  took  the 
best  and  burned  the  rest. 

The  next  morning,  awakened  by  the  shelling  of  the  enemy,  Sheridan  had  to 
give  them  a  whipping  before  we  could  go  forward,  which  he  accordingly  did. 

Being  by  this  time  unable  to  walk  at  all,  I  was  given  a  horse,  but  ere  the  day 
was  over  had  to  give  place  to  a  cavalryman  and  had  to  take  the  position  of  ambu- 
lance driver,  of  which  the  expedition  had  a  very  few.  I  was  now  in  a  position 
to  see  all  that  was  to  be  seen  and  especially  to  notice  the  movements  of  *<  Little 
Phil,"  of  whom  great  things  were  beginning  to  be  expected,  the  realization  of 
which  was  away  beyond  the  dream  of  any,  except,  perhaps,  of  our  great  chieftain 
Grant. 

If  I  might  describe  the  raid  as  I  saw  it,  tersely  and  without  regard  to  elegance, 
I  would  say  that  it  forcibly  reminded  me  of  the  entry  of  a  bull  in  a  china  shop. 
Wholesale  destruction  was  the  law  that  ruled.  Everything  that  could  be  used 
and  carntii  by  us  became  contraband.  Anything  that  was  likely  to  be  of  use  to 
Lee's  army  was  destroyed. 


What  was  the  enem)'  doing  Ihe  *liile?  Well,  Ihey  were  trying  their  bcrt  to 
nrrouni]  and  deiiroy  u«i  ba[  ii  was  a  dUmal  failure.  Sheridan  would  iilieaposi- 
tioD  whfrc  he  could  well  observe  theit  ino«inen'B  wilh  his  glass,  kiuI  an  lide 
here,  anriiher  ibcrc.  There  was  a  roll  of  musketry  (they  fought  dismounied), 
the  roar  of  artillery  (or  an  hoar  or  m>,  and  then  vie  were  moving  right  on  towards 
Ricboiond  agaia.  But,  as  to  ihit  place,  we  came  near  gelling  into  it  when  it  wat 
undeurahle  lo  go,  through  the  treachery  of  the  guiilc  (a  profeued  Unionist),  He 
led  III  (by  night)  up  to  within  a  few  huiujred  yards  of  their  works.  And  I  re- 
member .1  shell  that  came  uncomfortably  near  my  atabulanee,  and,  being  s< 
pected,  came  near  taking  my  breath  away.  The  guide  was  shot  on  Ihe  spot,  1  was 
iDfonne<i.  and  we  got  away  from  that  quarter  in  double-quick  lime. 

The  hriiliani  Jeb  Siuan  made  a  most  ileHpentie  onslaught  upon  us  jutl  at  we 
were  about  crossing  th«  Chickahominy,  1  Ihink  he  woe  kilted  at  this  battle. 
They  were  won  routed  and  we  went  on  our  way  to  the  James  river,  from  which 
the  rebeU,  still  following,  were  shelled  by  our  gunlmais.  I  was  here  Iranifeirtil 
and  sent  la  Wa*hington.  I  shall  never  forget  my  impreiiioni  of  this  raid  and  my 
enthusiasm  for  its  leader  will  never  grow  cold. 


A  FEW  PRISON   REMINISCENCES. 

BV   LlKlTEKANT   SVLVMTEK    CkOSSLEV. 

"HOTEL  COLOMBIA." 

It  must  not  be  tupposeil  that  life  was  all  dull  and  dreary  in  thai  dreahen  of 

Bitnotiont — a  Soathrm  priion  pen ;  nor,  in  fact,  wot  il  the  tnonaer  or  ipiril  of  tli* 

"Yankee"  to  consent  to  remain  in  such  n  poiiiion :  it  i>  his  life  to  eiiract  alt  the 

juices  that  he  can  lind  in  existence  oul  of  it. 

For  m)'scif,  I  endeavored  lo  sec  light  in  the  darkness  through  spectacle*  of  the 
riiliculous  and  grotesque,  finding  il  conducive  to  hygiene. 

I  would  just  stale,  to  begin  with,  that  when  brought  to  Columbia.  South  Caro> 
Una.  ue  were  dumped  upon  a  barren  hillside,  through  which  ran  a  stream 
("  branch  "  Ihey  call  it),  an  area  of  perhaps  ten  acres  of  ground,  at  the  comen 
of  which  were  placed  howitiers;  stakes  planted  for  a  ■' dead. line,"  guards  about 
len  paces  from  ihis  line  ;  shelterless — lo  a  great  extent  blanketless — the  blue  sky 
fur  a  c.iniipy,  the  dear  mother  earth  for  a  couch,  and  what  you  might  for  a  pillow 
— a  lovrly  and  healthful  prospect  surely. 

The  writer  came  not  to  camp  immediately,  he  having  eluded  the  vigilance  of 
the  guard  and.  in  the  ninclcenlh  Century  parlance,  "skipped,"  with  his  weather- 
Hut  Ihe  '■  U-st  laid  plans  of  mice  and  men  gang  aft  aglee,"  says  Bums,  and  so, 
aftir  Iciving  in  a  negro's  cabin  at  5  A.  M.  a  fair  United  States  uniform  and  such  > 
Maiikct  as  was  left  to  me.  I  appeared  in  the  streets  of  Columbia  in  a  suit  of  gray, 
a  homespun  ofthe  homespuns,  and  none  the  better  for  til.  I  wax  to  have  returned 
at  night  to  get  supplies,  and  then  steal  a  ride  lo  Atlanta,  whither  out  troops  then 


—  66o  — 

had  come  and  were  asking  admittance.  But  while  sleeping  the  sleep  of  the  guile- 
less at  the  edge  of  a  wood,  a  searching  party  found  me  and  took  me  in. 

I  do  not  wonder  I  became  a  target  for  those  disposed  to  be  merry,  and  doubt* 
less  my  appearance  saved  some  lives  which  otherwise  had  gone  down  through 
ennui. 

I  did  not  get  another  chance  to  go  in  the  pursuit  of  freedom  for  some  time  after 
this,  yet  the  time  came  and  I  went. 

But,  when  I  began  this  sketch,  I  did  not  expect  to  relate  personal  matters,  but 
offer  a  few  incidents  of  a  humorous  turn  upon  the  1 1 8th  representatives  immured 
at  this  place. 

Captain  Kelly,  of  Company  F,  and  myself  were  the  victims  who  were  to  hold 
up  our  end  of  the  burden  and,  to  begin,  let  me  say  that,  as  in  all  things,  the  old 
regiment  was  generally  foremost,  so  here ;  for  was  it  not  our  own  *<  mess "  (we 
with  two  other  patriots)  who  had  the  distinguished  honor  of  conceiving  a  way  to 
build  and  building  a  log  hut,  thatched  with  pine  straw  ? 

Now  axes  cost  fifty  dollars  in  rebel  scrip,  and  this  was  scarce  with  us;  but  you 
cannot  suppress  genius;  we  borrowed,  and  soon  a  tall,  lovely  pine  was  laid  low 
and  being  cut  into  fragments  for  the  cabin . 

Shall  I  ever  forget  how  the  mild  and  patient  Kelly  serenely  took  one  end  of 
a  log  while  I  took  the  other  and  began  the  ascent  of  the  hill  leading  to  our  **  loca- 
tion !  **  We  had  not  gone  far  upon  our  way  (I  being  in  advance)  when  suddenly 
my  end  sprang  into  the  air  (Kelly's  end  having  struck  the  ground) — a  wound 
to  my  shoulder  from  the  rebound — a  howl  like  that  emanating  from  a  wounded 
bear  coming  from  Kelly,  as,  with  all  his  boyhood's  profanity  recalled,  he  under- 
tuok  to  coax  that  thorn  from  the  sole  of  his  unshod  foot,  which  he  had  picked  up 
just  at  that  time  and  place. 

Pain  and  pity  conspired  to  keep  the  risibles  in  check ;  but  Kelly  was  to  me  then, 
and  still  is,  a  picture  as  he  sat  there  with  the  sole  of  his  foot  *'  right  about  face" 
and  nervously  extracted  the  troubler. 

Now  the  immaculate  apostle  thrived  by  reason  of  "  a  thorn  in  the  flesh/'  but 
our  friend  and  comrade  had  no  pleasure  in  abnormal  conditions. 

One  little  incident  pertaining  to  the  cabin  after  it  wns  finished. 

Of  course,  while  this  experiment  was  being  made,  we  were  the  observed  of  all 
observers  and  got  no  little  assistance  in  the  way  of  advice,  with  some  little  labor 
thrown  in,  while  the  edifice  was  l>cing  constructed. 

The  day  after  it  was  finished  the  elements  gave  us  an  opportunity  to  test  its 
water-proof  character,  for  it  rained  profusely  all  day ;  and,  much  to  our  delight,  no 
water  entered  through  that  little  thatched  cottage;  but  if  we  were  afforded  satis- 
faction in  this  respect  we  were  not  to  enjoy  peace  unalloyed,  for  if  one  be-drenched 
unfortunate  came  to  our  door  upon  that  day,  at  least  a  thousand  came — they  came 
alone,  in  pairs,  in  "messes" — I  was  going  to  say  in  squadrons;  peering  in,  they 
would  ask  the  same  question  and  get  the  same  answer:  "  Does  she  leak  ?  "  "  No ! " 
These  words  thereafter  became  a  sort  of  supplement  to  the  crumbs  which  fell  from 
the  rebel  table  and  often  turned  melancholy  to  merriment. 


\VM.    H.    HENNING'S  PRISON    EXl'KRIKNCE. 

pHlLAnELPHlA,  September  3,  1S86. 

Tu  Mr.  J.  f..  Smith: 

Ddir  CotnraJi:  In  compliance  wilh  your  requcil,  "  to  give  you  my  eipcricnce 
of  pri^in  \\it — «'h:)t  I  saw  anil  hearil."  I  discover  thai,  in  ihinking  back  over  a 
lajMe  of  Lwenly-two  yean,  my  memory  doe*  not  serve  me  as  well  as  I  would  like 
it  lo  do.  1  fail  to  recall  ihe  names  of  some  of  my  comrades,  names  of  places  and 
some  incident*  I  can  recollect  in  part  only,  so  that  I  am  unable  10  write  my  ex> 
pcrience  in  as  complete  a  form  as  I  would  like  lo  do.  However,  I  will  do  Ihe 
)n;st  I  can.  Iiopin^  you  will  find  something  in  my  experience  thai  will  serve  you 
in  cnmpilinf;  the  "  History  of  the  llSlh  Regiment. " 

After  our  cajlurc  on  ihe  afternoon  of  June  2,  1864,  at  the  battle  of  Cold  Bar- 
l..r.  we  were  taken  10  ihc  rear  of  the  relwl  line  of  battle,  where  we  Trmained  for 
an  biiur  or  nmre^  here  our  ]>any  were  scruliniied  very  closely  by  ihe  Johnnies;  a 
);uat>t  a]>;ir<iai'hi.-il  one  of  our  number  and  infonne<l  him  thai  the  general  wislied 
III  M'c  him  :  al-iut  rifteen  minutes  nfter  the  prisoner  and  guani  had  gone  we  were 
tnM  thai  they  rccogniieil  in  the  prisoner  a  reb  who  had  been  in  their  army,  and 
th.tt  he  would  lie  shot  liefore  night.     We  never  taw  him  again. 

The  rebs  x^ked  us  to  give  them  our  nibber  blankets,  ilalilg  they  could  take 


—  662  — 

them  from  us  if  they  wanted  to,  but  preferred  to  have  us  give  them  voluntarily ; 
they  said  that  when  the  provost  guard  took  charge  of  us  they  would  take  them, 
and  that  we  might  as  well  allow  them  to  have  the  blankets.  The  rebs  seemed  to 
know  that  we  were  hungry ;  they  said  they  would  share  what  little  rations  they 
had  in  their  haversacks  with  us ;  they  would  give  us  a  corn-dodger  for  a  blank:  t. 
As  we  feared  that  our  blankets  would  be  taken  from  us  by  the  guard,  knowing 
how  highly  they  prized  them  and  being  very  hungry,  we  made  the  exchange.  We 
had  hardly  devoured  our  dodgers  when  we  were  ordered  to  fall  in,  and  our  march 
to  the  rear  begun.  These  guards  were  not  so  gentlemanly  inclined  toward  us  as 
their  comrades  at  the  front.  Those  of  the  prisoners  who  wore  felt  hats  were  ob- 
liged to  suffer  their  loss ;  a  guard  would  simply  walk  up  to  a  prisoner,  take  his 
hat  from  him  and  throw  his  old  battered  one  to  the  prisoner.  When  they  saw  a 
pair  of  gooil  boots  on  a  prisoner  they  would  command,  pointing  their  guns  at  him : 
**  Take  oB*  them  boots ; "  and  the  exchange  of  a  good  pair  of  boots  for  an  old  pair 
of  shoes  was  made  under  protest. 

Among  the  prisoners  was  a  young  German  by  the  name  of  Henry  Blatz,  who 
belonged  to  our  company,  a  substitute,  who  feared  the  loss  of  his  boots,  which 
were  in  a  very  good  condition ;  he  appealed  to  me,  wanting  to  know  what  he 
could  do  to  save  his  boots,  as  he  would  certainly  lose  them  should  any  of  the 
guard  spy  them.  I  told  him  1  thought  his  boots  would  fit  me  and  that  he  should 
try  and  pull  one  off  unobserved  by  the  guard,  and  if  I  could  wear  his  boot  he 
should  wear  my  shoe  and  we  would  re-exchange  when  at  our  destination.  The 
exchange  was  made  unobser\-ed  by  the  guard  and  we  then  separated,  each  going 
about  like  "  Billy  Barlow  "  until  we  arrived  at  Andersonville,  where  we  re-ex* 
changed  our  foot  wear. 

I  do  not  know  the  name  of  the  place  where  we  camped  for  the  night.  The 
guards  on  {)ost  wanted  to  know  whether  we  had  any  good  Yankee  smoke*pipes ; 
they  said  they  would  give  us  a  corn-dodger  for  a  smoke-pipe.  (I  should  perhaps 
have  stated  before  that  we  had  eaten  the  last  of  our  rations  the  day  before  oar 
capture ;  our  commissary  wagons  had  not  come  up ;  in  fact,  we  were  told  when  we 
had  the  last  three  days*  rations  issued  to  us  that  we  must  try  and  make  them  do 
us  five  days,  as  the  wagons  would  probably  not  be  up  again  until  that  time;  a  ra- 
tion of  raw  beef,  however,  had  been  issued  just  before  fhe  detail  for  the  skirmish 
line  on  which  we  were  captured  was  made ;  but  many  of  those  on  the  detail  hav- 
ing had  no  opportunity  to  cook  or  broil  it  lost  the  ration,  so  that,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  corn-dodger  which  we  got  from  the  Johnnies,  we  had  had  nothing  to 
eat  for  two  days.)  We  had  hoped  that  when  we  went  into  camp  for  the  night 
that  we  would  receive  something  from  the  Confederate  government  in  the  way  of 
rations,  but  we  were  doomed  to  disappointment,  and  when  the  guards  bid  for  our 
smoke-pipes  there  was  an  active  rise  in  the  corn-dodger  market,  for  the  bids  were 
taken  promptly  and  a  prisoner  had  to  show  a  good  article  in  the  smoke-pipe  line 
in  order  to  obtain  a  dodger. 

On  the  following  morning  we  were  taken  through  Richmond  to  what  they  called 
Libby  Second,  or  the  Pemberton  Prison.  Here  we  received  our  first  ration  from 
the  commissary-generaU  which  consisted  of  a  quarter  loaf  of  com  breach  a  imall 


—  663  — 

piece  of  bncon  and  a  small  cup  (officer's  cup)  of  beans  for  a  dsy'i  ratlor.  On  the 
tccond  or  Ihird  day  of  oui  cootiaemcnl  we  were  visited  by  an  officinl  who  Mited 
Aal  we  were  to  be  taken  down  to  Geoij^a  >im1  put  in  camp,  and  all  Yanks  that 
bad  greenbacks  about  them  should  come  down-Niin  and  deliver  them  up.  The 
■mounl  in  greenbacks  so  delivered  would  be  placed  lo  the  credit  of  the  praantn 
delivering  them  and  would  be  returned  at  their  parole.  We  would  be  given  one 
hour  to  hand  over  our  greenbacks,  and  at  Ihc  end  of  thai  time  there  would  be  a 
•earch  mode  and  all  greenbacks  found  on  prlionets  at  ihe  search  would  be  oon- 
bcated.  Ai  the  delivery  took  place  on  tbe  floor  below,  I  cannot  stale  how  many 
took  aock  in  the  delivery  business,  but  I  do  know  that  it  ever  there  was  a  lime 
when  mortals  racked  their  brains  to  devise  plans  to  conceal  their  money  it  wan 
done  there  and  then.  I  cannot  give  all  Ihe  devices  resorted  to  by  the  prisoners  to 
conceal  their  money,  as  I  employed  the  greater  part  of  my  lime  in  thinking  up 
a  plan  to  conceal  my  fortune,  which  consisted  of  $J,  which  was  not  enough  to 
retire  on,  to  be  sure.  Nevertheless  I  believe  I  would  have  been  retired  to  Ihe 
^eni  majority  at  Andetv>nville  had  it  not  been  for  my  little  all  of  ty.  I  tpeni  a 
(mall  portion  of  my  time  in  witching  my  comradel  conceal  their  money.  I  no. 
iiced  that  the  favorite  places  of  concealment  was  in  the  Hies  of  the  pants  Iclween 
the  doth  and  the  linint;,  *<  <hc  bottom  of  the  panu  where  they  are  turned  in,  in 
tbeir  stoeliings,  etc.  There  was  one  comrade  who  had  a  mther  novel  way  of  uv- 
jng  his  money.  He  had  but  one  greenback.  I  Could  not  see  its  denomirution, 
but  It  seemed  to  me,  from  hit  appearance,  that  he  was  subjeclinE  hiouclf  to  a  very 
heavy  pressure  of  hi*  mental  faculties  in  onler  to  determine  where  lo  put  ii,  when, 
finally,  he  pulled  from  his  pocket  a  plug  of  loliacco,  which  he  was  fortunate 
mough  to  posses*,  and,  alter  lakln);  off  a  leaf,  he  Folded  up  the  gieenliack  tl^hlly, 
wrapped  tbe  note  in  the  tobacco-leaf  and  put  ii  in  h'f  minith.     I  was  lotd  that 

..nepri-ne.  (I  think  of  Ihe  9«h   Kceimtnt   C,  V.)  »l,., M.u-    i ■,  ..n 

their  uniforms,  which  were  a  little  lai^r  than  the  regular  button,  undone  the 
lapping;  of  the  button  and  put  a  greenback  in  the  button  and  then  relapped  it  with 
his  iwiiknife.  After  considerable  cogitation  on  my  part  I  ripped  the  corpi  mark, 
which  I  wore  on  the  side  of  my  cap,  half  off,  then  cut  the  cloth  and  put  the  note* 
between  the  cloth  and  lining.  Both  being  old  notes,  they  could  not  be  detected  in 
the  cap  by  feeling.  I  then  sewed  the  corps  mark  on  again  over  the  cut  in  the  cloth. 
When  the  time  for  search  arrived  we  were  taken  single-file  down-stairs  to  a  room 
in  which  were  a  number  of  officers.  On  a  table  in  front  of  them  I  noticed  a  pile 
iif  greenbacks.  \\'hile  the  search  was  going  on  I  noticed  that  secreting  note*  in 
the  llics  and  bottom  of  pants  and  in  the  stockings  was  a  failure.  When  my  turn 
:irrived  I  was  lolil  to  turn  my  pockets  inside  out,  my  cap  was  bfted  (rocn  my  head 
ai^d  turned  inside  out,  my  clothing  was  manipulated,  but  they  failed  to  End  my 
minify.  I  was  obliged  to  leave  behind  thread,  needles,  burning  glass,  etc.  After 
Ui<:  MMich  we  were  taken  nut  of  Liliby  Second  and  packed  in  freight  can.  There 
UL-re  nu  seats  in  the  circ  of  any  kind,  I  was  told  there  were  ninety  in  a  car,  but 
did  not  count  them.     1  am  inclined  lo  l>elieve,  though,  that  there  were  that  many 

Ilicrc  ».is  nothing  of  importance  that  transpired  on  our  way  to  AnderMnvllle. 


—  664  — 

If  my  memory  serves  me  right,  I  think  we  were  about  three  days  on  our  joumej. 
At  night  we  would  be  taken  from  the  cars  and  camped  in  a  field,  which  was  a  big 
relief  to  us.  Our  rations  were  very  scant,  but  I  think  the  officers  in  charge  of  us 
did  the  best  they  could  under  the  circumstances.  It  was  at  one  of  these  night 
encampments  that  our  rations  were  not  forthcoming — until  very  late  in  the  night — 
that  I  noticed  an  individual  crawling  on  the  ground,  outside  the  guards  on  post, 
and  making  his  way  slowly  toward  us,  and  got  in  between  the  posts,  where  he 
remained,  lying  full  length  on  the  ground.  I  do  not  know  whether  the  guards 
noticed  him  or  not,  but  I  am  inclined  to  believe  they  knew  all  about  it,  for  the 
fellow  appeared  i)erfcctly  easy,  and,  after  a  low  "  hist!  "  to  attract  our  attention, 
he  produced  from  a  bag  a  round  loaf  of  corn-bread,  its  dimensions  being  about 
ten  inches  in  diameter  and  about  three  and  one-half  inches  thick.  *' Don't 
you  want  to  buy  a  loaf  of  bread?"  he  inquired.  *' How  much?"  we  replied. 
"  Six  dollars,"  said  he.  **  Good  God  !  "  ejaculated  a  prisoner,  "that  is  a  terrible 
price  for  a  loaf  of  bread.  Can't  you  come  down  several  dollars?"  "No,"  he 
replied.  "  1  risked  a  good  bit  to  get  here  and  think  the  loaf  is  cheap  at  that 
price."  Not  being  able  to  make  a  sale,  he  crawled  away,  and  I  think,  from  his 
actions,  he  intended  to  try  us  again  later  in  the  night.  I  think  the  reason  he  did 
not  come  down  in  his  price  was  that  he  surmised  we  had  not  given  up  all  hopes 
of  getting  rations  and  a  second  effort  on  his  part  later  on  might  be  more  sacccss- 
fill.  In  this,  however,  he  was  mistaken.  Rations  were  issued  to  us,  which  put 
an  end  to  his  speculations  in  the  bread  business. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  following  day  we  arrived  at  the  Andersonville  Stockade. 
Here  we  were  drawn  up  in  line  and  counted  off  into  detachments.  A  detachment 
consisted  of  270  men,  which  was  divided  into  three  divisions  of  ninety  men, 
which  were  subdivided  into  six  squads  of  fifteen  men  each.  Then  we  were 
marched  into  the  ])rison  pen.  The  wretched  spectacle  that  presented  itself  to  our 
view  was  sickening.  Some  of  our  regimental  comrades  who  had  preceded  us  in 
this  dismal  a)x>de  of  squalor,  starvation  and  exposure  came  to  greet  us,  not  with 
smiles,  but  with  lamentations  and  sympathy  at  the  gloomy  prospects  before  us.  It 
was  impossible  for  our  detachment  to  keep  together,  for  the  prison  pen  was  getting 
crowded,  and  we  had  to  separate  and  pick  out  places  here  and  there,  in  twos, 
threes  and  sometimes  fours.  What  shelter  there  was  in  the  pen  was  made  in 
various  ways.  Some  few  had  tents.  How  they  came  in  possession  of  them  was 
always  a  mystery  to  us.  Some  who  were  fortunate  enough  to  have  woollen 
blaiikets  made  tents  of  them,  that  is,  when  they  got  the  poles,  which  was  no  easy 
matter  to  get.  Some  made  a  kind  of  shelter  by  having  two  uprights,  a  ridge  pole 
and  branches  of  trees  resting  on  the  pole  and  slanting  down  to  the  ground,  form- 
ing a  roof  and  wall,  but  was  not  really  one  thing  or  the  other.  The  only  ones 
who  had  shelter  of  this  kind  (I  think)  were  those  who  entered  the  prison  pen 
first,  as  there  was  no  wood,  at  the  time  I  write  of,  to  pick  up.  The  only  things  a 
prisoner  could  get  without  tr>'ing  were  filth  and  vermin,  of  which  there  were  an 
abundance,  and  each  new-comer  soun  got  his  share. 

Three  weeks  after  we  entered  the  pen  the  stockade  was  enlarged.  This  gave 
us  an  opportunity  to  get  on  new  ground,  also  to  pick  up  enough  wood  for  poles 


-  665  — 


wilh  which  to  construct  a  lilllc  shelter  mail*  from  a  half  blanket  which  one  of  our 
party  of  Unit  had  in  his  poasesiiorL  Your  experience  in  the  conslraciion  of  lent* 
will  enable  jrou  to  give  a  good  guess  about  what  kind  of  a  leii|  we  tiad  Irum  k 
hair  blanket.  Nevetlhclcu,  we  fell  more  camfontihle  under  It,  as  it  was  same 
prolectlon  from  Ihe  sun's  burning  rayi,  to  wliidi  we  had  been  exposed  for  three 
wteki.  Of  counte,  when  we  would  lie  down  at  night,  our  logi  would  be  outside 
our  tent,  but  we  fell  grateful  to  know  that  a  poitioiv  of  our  bodies  was  sheltered 
■omewhol  from  the  rain  or  heavy  dews  at  night. 

A-i  iniignilicani  as  ihia  shelter  wax,  we  were  much  belter  off  than  were  hundreds 
of  comrades  who  had  no  shelter  whatever.  They  would  wander  aloilewly  around 
the  pen  until  Ihe  lun  got  too  hot  for  them,  and  then  they  would  creep  around  in 
the  shadow  of  the  tents  of  their  more  fortunate  comradea,  until  ihe  lime  arrived 
for  drawing  rations.  There  was  great  activity  in  the  pen  at  this  time.  The  (tang* 
of  hunger  were  great  and  became  intentilied  at  the  sight  i)f  the  raUnna.  poor  as 
-they  were.  We  could  hardly  wait  until  the  diviaioni,  from  detachment  to  division 
and  from  diviiion  to  xjuad,  were  made,  and  then  again  until  the  chief  of  squad 
would  divide  it  up  into  individual  rationi,  which  would  be  made  a^  equally  ai 
possible;  yet  one  of  our  iqoad  would  turn  hi>  back  and  name  the  comrade  to 
whom  each  piece  pointed  tx  should  be  given. 

Our  bill  of  fore  was  something  like  this.  First  two  weeks — cooked  nliont. 
On  allemiUe  days  we  received  a  jiiece  uf  Carn>l»cad  and  a  very  tmall  piece  of 
bacon,  then  again  com.muih.  Balance  of  month — raw  rations.  A  pint  of  com- 
ineal  which,  I  think,  was  made  from  coiU'COb  as  well  a*  com.  Sometimeia  Hide 
lice,  and  occasionally  some  stock  beans  or  peat,  full  of  bugs.  Ground  corn-cob, 
peas,  bugs,  alt  went  down.  We  could  not  spare  anything.  Very  often  it  wnuld 
^ppcn  that  on  mush  day  it  would  rain  and  by  the  time  it  would  be  divided  and 
tubdivided  it  would  be  saturated  wilb  lain  and  would  bivr  a  very  snur  t;i<t?.  A 
member  of  our  regiment  was  in  the  habit  of  speaking  about  buckwheat  cakei  and 
Jersey  sausages  on  these  occasions,  which  we  bore  with  good  grace  for  a  while, 
but  linally  threatened  to  annihilate  him  if  he  did  not  stop  it  while  we  were  eating 

There  were  a  few  in  the  pen  who  fared  better  than  the  general  run  of  prisoners. 
These  enterprising  comrades  had  a  small  stand  outside  tbeir  lents  on  which  they 
ki'i'l  for  sale  In  very  small  quinlilics  potatoes,  wheat  flour,  soap,  and  on  one  occa- 
siun  1  noticed  a  chicken,  corn-meal  and  buggy  peas.  I  believe  they  got  their 
»i'>ck  from  the  guards  who  smuggled  them  in  the  pen,  the  incentive  being  Yankee 
gri.-t-nl>.icks. 

Th('>e  ankles  sold  for  the  following  prices:  A  piece  of  loap, Cut  across  the  bar 
an'l  lhtt-C'i|uarlers  of  an  inch  wide  and  thick,  lo  cents;  a  lablespoonful  of  wheat 
lliiur.  to  cciilii  a  very  urdmary  ^iIcd  potato,  15  cents.  1  had  not  the  heart  to 
piici^  the  chiiken.l.ui.  as  I  did  not  see  iithe  nexlday  on  s-ile,  very  likely  a  syndicate 
ofil„-«e.ililinTC.>mradcswa*lormcdandl-,HBhlitin.  The  wheal  flour  was  bought 
liv  Ihe  prjsiinirsand  scurchcd  lie  fore  eating  for  diarrhiea.  The  jioiaioes  were  eaten 
taw  for  ^cur%'y.  It  n  as  in  ]>olaloet  that  I  invested  my  $J.  There  wai  also  another 
aniLle  told  in  the  |>cn,  Called  Mjur  liecr,  made  by  pouring  water  on  corn-meal  and 


—  666  — 

allowing  it  to  ferment  in  the  sun.  Many  prisoners  bought  this  sour  beer,  thinking 
It  good  for  the  scurvy,  and  the  cry  of  the  hawkers  could  be  heard  in  the  different 
parts  of  the  pen :  **  Here's  your  good  sour  beer,  now ;  only  five  cents  a  cup." 
This  sour  beer  was  not  intoxicating,  and  to  a  hungry  man  went  down  rather  thin, 
consequently  its  price  was  the  lowest  of  any  article  sold  in  the  pen,  it  being  drank 
principally  for  what  was  considered  its  medicinal  virtues. 

The  mortality  of  the  pen,  particularly  in  the  month  of  August,  was  heavy.  It 
was  an  every-day  occurrence  to  see  a  long  row  of  dead  lying  side  by  side  in  the 
street  leading  to  the  gate  of  the  stockade  and  those  having  charge  of  them  wait- 
ing for  the  gates  to  be  o{)ened  to  carry  them  out  to  the  dead-house.  The  dead- 
house,  as  it  appeared  to  us  in  the  pen,  was  nothing  more  than  four  uprights  with 
ridge  poles,  across  which  were  thrown  limbs  of  trees  to  make  a  shady  place  for 
the  dead  until  their  names  and  regiments  could  be  taken  previous  to  burial. 

As  month  succeeded  month  matters  grew  worse  with  us ;  many  of  the  prisoners 
had  Imt  little,  if  any,  hope  of  an  exchange,  believing  that  we  would  have  to  remain 
in  the  i')en  during  the  war,  unless  sooner  released  by  death,  which,  indeed,  seemed 
the  most  probable.  As  this  idea  took  a  deeper  root  in  their  minds  they  would  lose 
all  ambition,  they  would  not  walk  around  for  exercise,  but  remain  seated  on  the 
ground  and  become  indifferent  to  their  surroundings,  refuse  food,  their  minds 
would  wander,  their  eyes  become  vacant  and  staring,  and  finally  death  would 
come  to  their  relief.  There  were  others,  fortunately  few  in  number  comparatively, 
who  became  desperate,  having  no  regard  whatever  for  their  comrades;  it  was 
every  one  for  himself,  and  the  devil  take  the  hindmost  with  them;  they  would 
raid  and  rob  their  comrades  of  rations,  money,  watches  or  whatever  valuables 
they  possessed ;  their  victims  being  mostly  western  men  from  Sherman's  army, 
who  were  more  fortunate  in  reaching  the  stockade  with  their  valuables  than  were 
the  men  from  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  These  raiders  became  the  terror  of  the 
pen ;  they  were  prepared  and  ready  at  any  moment  to  assault  and  rob ;  they  han- 
dled some  of  the  prisoners  so  roughly,  that  death  resulted  in  consequence.  The 
prisoners  made  application  to  General  Winder,  commanding  the  post,  for  authority 
to  organize  a  court,  which  was  granted;  the  raiders  were  arrested,  tried,  and  six 
of  them  sentenced  to  be  hung,  which  sentence  was  duly  executed  in  the  prison  pen. 
This  action  on  the  part  of  the  prisoners  had  a  very  salutary  effect,  and  nothing 
more  was  heard  of  raiding  after  the  execution.  There  were  others  who  tried  to 
effect  their  escape  by  tunnelling.  A  tunnel  would  be  started  in  a  tent  near  the 
"  dead  line."  (The  dead  line  was  a  light  fence,  about  twenty  feet  from  the 
stockade ;  this  line  ran  completely  around,  and  parallel  with,  the  sides  of  the 
stockade.)  Those  engaged  in  the  digging  worked  on  dark  nights  only;  they 
would  dig  with  sticks  and  half  canteens,  and  scatter  the  dirt  along  a  swamp  or 
morass  that  run  through  the  pen  ;  when  the  tunnel  was  thought  ready  for  tapping, 
those  interested  would  creep  in,  a  dark,  rainy  night  always  being  selected  for  the 
tapping,  but  their  brave  efforts  were  seldom  crowned  with  success,  for  while  some 
did  escape  in  this  manner,  by  far  the  greater  number  were  doomed  to  disappoint- 
ment. An  alarm  would  be  sounded  and  a  hasty  retreat  made  out  of  the  tunnel. 
All  prisoners  who  managed  to  escape  through  tunnelling  or  otherwise,  and  who 


were  un(ortun»le  enough  lo  be  recapiured,  iuffere.l  cruel  puniilimcnt  by  being  put 
in  cbun>gaags  md  in  slocks,  hung  up  by  ihe  Ihunibs  ind  whipped  at  a  whipping- 
piMI.  Nevcnhelen  the  lunnelling  continued.  The  knowledge  thut  out  imprison- 
■DCnl  might  be  i  long  one,  ihal  we  wcic  wilhin  the  ycUow-fever  dislricl  uf  the 
South,  that  tbe  aii  we  breathed  was  impregnated  with  foul,  repulsive  vapors,  and 
iliould  that  fatal  scourge  once  enter,  a  "clean  sweep"  would  be  made— these 
horrible  thoughts  incited  the  pn^ncrs  on  to  repeated  and  desperate  etions  to 
escape,  but  with  (ew  exceptions  only  to  meet  with  disappoimmeiil,  and  many  with 
cruel  punishment.  Much  could  have  been  done  to  alleviate  our  sufferings,  with 
no  further  trouble  on  Ihe  part  of  our  keeper  than  to  allow  a  guard  to  accompany 
ft  detail  of  piisooers,  day  by  day.  to  get  Mil  bring  in  wood,  of  which  there  was 
KO  abundance,  for  the  purpose  of  making  better  shelter.  Captain  Win  was  a 
cruel  keeper ;  he  was  a  (Dan  short  in  ilalure,  stooping  figure,  a  deep-set,  ugly  eye ; 
be  was  a  mean  combination,  a  potent  concentration,  a  hellish  conglomeration  of 
naatiness,  profanity  and  barbarity ;  he  not  only  cruelly  punished  prisoners  for  at- 
lempting  to  escape,  but  kicked  and  othcrwLte  abused  sick  ptisoneii  who  happened 
to  be  in  his  way.  I  saw  him  one  day,  in  company  with  another  tebel,  both 
mounied  on  heavy  horses  and  riding  slowly  between  Ihe  "  stockade ''  and  ■■  dead 
Une,"  Ihe  object  being  to  breakthrough  into  any  tunnel  thai  might  be  in  operation, 
and  I  thought.  Oh  I  that  he  might  break  through  into  some  unknown  cavity,  atid 
I'D  down,  way  down  through  tlie  different  stratai  and  ictlle  somewhere  about  the 
Silurian  and  Cambrian  syslema  of  deposits,  and  Ihal  we  might  be  enabled  to  dump 
down  tome  eighteen  or  twenty  barrels  of  sour  mush  before  Ihe  ground  cloud  In 

There  were  many  touching  incidents  trarupiring  in  the  pen.  I  will  mention  but 
one.  There  were  two  prihoiiers  who  chose  a  spot  in  frtiul  <il  mii  ttnl  fi.ir  their 
sleeping  quarters.  They  ha. I  na  .'Llir:Uf[  "f  .Miy  Wini  •  'ii--  .\  ■  j.  ii;  \  ■■[iiij;  — i 
mere  boy  ;  the  other  appeared  well  advanced  in  years  lo  be  a  soldier.  In  a  short 
lime  the  boy  took  sick  ;  his  companion  did  all  that  lay  in  his  power  to  help,  cheer 
and  comfort  him.  One  day.  as  he  lay  upon  the  ground  with  his  head  in  the  lap 
of  the  old  prisoner,  who  was  passing  his  hand  through  the  boy's  hair,  caressingly, 
the  lioy  exclaimed.  Oh  !  I  am  going ;  I  am  going  ;  please  write  and  tell  my  mother 
and  sister  that  I  tried  so  hard  to  live,  in  thU  awful,  awful  place ;  tell  them  that  I 
hope  to  meet  them  in  Heaven,  and  that  I  did  my  duty,  and  died  like  a  man.  The 
old  prisoner  made  no  reply  other  than  nodding  assent,  but  the  tears  were  trickling 
down  his  cheeks  as  he  continued  to  caress  the  dying  boy,  until  his  spirit  passed 
away:  after  that,  ihe  old  man  grew  silent;  he  would  not  converse  with  us  any 
more  ;  by  and  by  his  mind  began  to  wander,  and  we  knew  by  Ihe  vacant  stare  in 
hi>  eye  that  he,  too.  was  "  going.''  and  that  there  would  be  no  one  to  write  lo 
niiplher  now.  and  tell  her  how  and  where  her  boy  died.  Some  of  the  prisoners 
held  prayer -meclingv.  and  endeavored  by  exhortation  and  prayer  to  inspire  hope 
in  Ihe  heart<  uf  their  depressed  comrades.  A  singing  quartette  was  organized, 
ci'mpiiied  of  Tom  Martin,  of  "  K."  and  Sergeant  Charles  Baker.  John  Hutton  and 
\V.  II.  Ilenning.  of"  I.''  hoping  that  the  little  service  they  could  render  in  this 
maimer  might  help  to  cheer  their  comrades  lo  some  degree.    One  day  in  September 


M 

<l 

M 

<l 

<i 

<C 

« 

« 

M 

—  668  — 

(I  think)  there  was  considerable  excitement  in  the  pen  by  the  annonnoement  that 
a  certain  number  of  prisoners  would  be  exchanged,  and  we  were  to  fall  in  line 
by  detachments  for  the  doctors  to  make  the  selection.  Those  of  the  sick  and  the 
worst  skeletons  whose  time  of  service  would  soon  expire  were  selected.  A  short 
time  after,  the  prisoners  were  taken  out  by  detachments,  as  they  thought,  for  ex- 
change ;  we  were  taken  to  Savannah,  where  we  remained  about  two  weeks,  and 
then  a  portion  were  sent  to  Millen,  Ga.,  and  the  balance  to  Andexsonville  again, 
I,  with  some  more  of  our  regiment,  going  to  Millen,  Ga. ;  here  we  remained  until 
some  time  in  November,  when  we  were  again  sent  to  Savannah,  and  finally  pa- 
roled on  the  15th  day  of  November,  1864. 

I  am  sorry  I  cannot  give  you  a  more  complete  list  of  names  of  those  of  our 
regiment  who  died  in  the  rebel  prison  pens.  I  have  lost  my  memoianda,  and  can 
only  give  such  names  as  I  can  recall  from  memory. 

Private    Charles   Ilubbs,  Co.  C,  died  in  Andersonville,  of  chronic  diarrhcea. 
Sergeant  Samuel  D.Boyer,"    D,     "     "  " 

Private    Augustus  Specht, "    A,      "     "  " 

"  Joseph  Smith,       ««    F,      "     "  « 

"  John  Ginaman,    **    F,  returned. 

«*  Fred  Bubeck,       ««    "        "       Paroled  in  Jackson,  Fla.,  May,  1865. 

Sergeant  Ed.  Wilkinson,    '*    I,  died  in  Andersom-ille,  of  scorbutis. 
Private    Geo.  F.  Morton,  "     «     "     "  "  "         " 

"  Garret  Houseman,     "    "    "  **  "  chronic  diaRhcea. 

"  John  Hutton,      Co.  "     "     ««  "  "         "  " 

"  Andrew  .Myers,     "     "     "     **  "  "         "  «« 

"  Henry  Blatz,        "     **     "     "  Milien,  ««         «  " 

««         John  Fullerton,    "     "     «*    "  Andersonvillc,  •*  dropsy. 
«*  Jas.  S.  McGettigan,  Co.  I,     "  returned. 

•«  Patrick  O'lJrien,        "     "  " 

"  Rol)ert  K.  Enbody,   "     **  * 

««  Wm.  Crealman,         **     **  " 

"  Fred.  Link,  «*     "  " 

**  Wni.  H.  Henning,     "     ««  " 

Those  of  our  company  whom  we  met  in  the  Andersonville  pen  were : 
Sergeant  Chas.  Baker,  returned. 
Private  And'w  Browning,   *• 
"         John  Parker  " 

"        Thomas  Martin,  Co.  K,  returned. 

Respectfully  yours,  etc., 

W.  H.  Hennimg. 


RELIGIOUS  ASPECT  OF  THE  "118TH." 

By  Likutknant  Sylvester  Crossley. 

That  the  *<  iiSth  *'  vra*i  composed,  to  any  great  extent,  of  saints  it  would,  per- 
haps, be  idle  to  attempt  to  demonstrate. 


—  669  ~ 


Nor,  indeed,  would  it  be  expected  ot  anjr  bo'ijr  of  men  unwiected.  homogeneoui 
and  banded  wiih  >  purpaie  wholly  foreign  to  ihc  genlu*  and  ipiril  of  Ginnunlty 
tuch  as  ii  >  regiment  of  soldicrE, 

But  rrom  the  fact  thai  out  regiment  was  maile  up  miitity  of  <e1f-respectinE, 
Itenlle-bied,  fairly  educated  and  generally  youthful  material,  it  would  naturally 
argue  the  coticlution  that  it  should  give  religion  a  respectful  hearing,  if  nothing 
more.     And  u),  indeed,  it  was  with  as. 

Starting  at  "  Cunp  Union,"  a  few  miiei  out  5'oin  the  city  proper,  the  command 
began  its  career  by  opening  iti  lirtt  Sunday  of  camp  life  with  religious  icrvices, 
having  upon  this  occasion  secured  the  un'iccs  of  the  popular  and  patriotic  llcv. 
J.  Walker  Jackun.  who  deiitered  ut  ■  discounse  in  his  own  intense  and  fascinat- 
ing manner,  full  of  patriotic  icnliment  at  well  ai  religious  instruction ;  and  up  to 
the  lime  of  leaving  for  the  scat  of  war  many  devotional  meetings  were  held. 

After  the  regiment's  lirn  (calamiioui)  baptism  of  (ire.  for  a  brief  space  of  time, 
wheo  in  camp  at  Slurpiburg,  Md.,  there  were  held  Kime  very  inipicasive  meet- 
titgi,  nt  the  cIom;  of  otie  of  which,  it  will  be  rcmembereil,  our  commanding  offi- 
cer, Lieutenant -Colonel  Gwyn,  addrened  us,  commending  thii  feature  of  our 
camp  life. 

Unr  luM  chaplfun,  Charles  E.  Hilt,  about  IhU  lime  joined  us,  and,  wherevet 
convenient,  would  jireach,  but  he  toon  after  left  n>,  roigolng  Itecember  34,  1II63, 

He  was  followed  by  Chaplain  William  O'Neill,  whose  cummiuon  daKd  Jan- 
uary 39,  1S63.  The  chaplain  was  a  brother  of  out  brave,  witty,  large-hearted 
captain,  afierwud  major,  of  that  name- 
In  him  we  foutkd  «  man  worthy  of  his  vocation  and  of  being  the  poiituor  of  a 
eoramistion  in  a  regiment  of  such  worth  at  wa«  out*.  Thoroughly  religious  hlm- 
■clf,  he  helped  to  imbue  nther*  with  the  tame  feelings.  Energetic,  inielllgent, 
benevolent,  his  position  nmong  ui  was  not  that  of  a  sinccuic.  but  of  ociive,  ciiar- 
ageous,  persistent  service. 

Kor  him  was  erected  at  Camp  "  Beverly  Ford,"  Va.,  a  spacious  log-chapel  with 
hewn  wood  floor  and  pews,  a  pulpit  and  many  other  things  churchly  that  were 
faint,  but  significant,  reminders  of  belter  days. 

Through  his  eflbiis,  and  without  cost  to  the  men,  was  secured  an  ample  and 

His  preaching  was,  wherever  practicable,  ttated,  and  was  always  replete  with 
tiospel  spirit  and  unclion.     Vie  retained  his  services  until  the  muiter-out  of  the 

There  was  in  all  ihMe  endeavors,  to  our  apprehension  at  this  time,  tittle  Co  im- 
pre'.-  ui  wiih  the  belief  that  religion  was  a  power  in  our  midst.  And.  yet,  who 
can  trll  what  were  the  results  of  these  religious  activities,  what  their  influence  for 
giHid  may  lie  up  to  this  day  among  our  lurviving  memtiership?     We  may  not 


—  670  — 

BRIEF   HISTORY  OF  THE  ARMY  HOSPITAL  AND 

ITS  WORK. 

By  Surgeon  Joseph  Thomas. 

Prior  to  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville,  and  nearly  a  year  subsequent  to  it,  the  medi- 
cal and  surgical  treatment  of  the  sick  and  wounded  was  performed  by  the  medical 
regimental  otVicers.  Seldom  was  there  any  concert  of  action  with  medical  officers 
of  a  brigade.  A  hospital  tent  and  a  limited  supply  of  food,  medicines  and  sur- 
gical appliances  and  dressings  constituted  the  equipment  and  dependence  for  treat- 
ing the  sick  while  on  the  march,  and  the  wounded  during  and  after  a  battle. 
While  resting  in  camp,  also,  the  sick  were  housed  and  treated  in  the  regimental 
hospital  tent.  On  a  march  these  supplies  and  appliances  were  usually  conveyed 
on  a  one-horse,  two-wheeled  cart,  designated  ••  medical  transport  cart,"  one  of 
them  being  assigned  to  each  regiment.  This,  in  charge  of  the  regimental  surgeon 
and  his  two  assistants,  with  a  hospital  steward,  a  soldier  carrying  the  medical 
knapsack  and  a  few  invalid  soldiers  to  act  as  nurses  and  stretcher-bearers,  followed 
on  the  march  immediately  in  rear  of  the  regiment.  A  two-horse  army  ambulance 
generally  accompanied  the  same.  A  short  time  before  General  Grant  commenced 
o{)erations  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  this  system  was  changed  and  the  medi- 
cal work  was  reorganized.  Division  field  hospitals  were  then  erected,  with  a  sur- 
geon selected  from  one  of  the  regiments  for  each  hospital  to  superintend  and  con- 
trol its  care  and  management.  A  corps  of  skilled  and  experienced  operators, 
variously  chosen  from  the  different  regiments  of  the  division,  was  uniformly 
present  with  the  6eld  hospital.  Several  army  wagons  were  employed  to  convej 
the  tents  and  ample  supplies.  A  numl)er  of  men  to  act  as  nurses  and  pioneers,  to 
put  up  and  take  down  tents,  etc.,  as  well  as  to  receive  the  woimded  from  the  am- 
bulances as  they  were  brought  from  the  battle  field,  accompanied  the  medical 
train.  The  surgcon-in-chief  of  division,  a  staff  officer  of  the  general  command- 
ing, usually  designated  the  location  for  the  field  hospital  pending  a  fight  and 
directed  its  removal  as  circumstances  required.  Thus  the  efficiency  of  medical 
work  was  greatly  improved,  and  the  sick  and  wounded  were  much  better  cared 
for  in  consequence. 

Dr.  Joseph  Thomas,  surgeon  of  the  iiSth  Regiment,  was  assigned  to  the 
charge  of  the  field  hospital  of  the  1st  Division,  5th  Army  Corps,  at  its  reorgani* 
zation,  and  he  continued  with  it  until  the  return  of  the  army  from  Appomattox  to 
Washington,  in  May,  1865,  when  the  troops  were  disbanded. 

Dr.  John  M.  Kollock,  first  assistant  surgeon  of  the  iiSth,  was  detached  for  duty 
at  general  hospital,  at  City  Point,  when  the  army  crossed  the  James  River  and 
operated  against  the  enemy  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  ind  he  remained  there  until  the 
removal  of  the  hospital  at  the  close  of  the  war,  although  he  bad  been  promoted 
surgeon  of  the  50th  Regiment  P.  V.,  September  3,  1864. 

Dr.  Mclson  L.  Rowland,  the  second  as<;istant  surgeon  of  the  regiment,  was  dis- 
charged by  reason  of  ill-health,  December  23,  1 863.      Dr.  John  L.  Crouse 


-6;i  - 

nUUnt  tUTgeoa  andutiencd  to  ihc  iiSth  Rcgim^nl,  September  30, 
1864,  and  tras  miutcretl  mil  with  the  ciimraanJ,  June  1,  if 6j, 

ChirlM  K.  Don  wa>  promuiiM  frum  (invaie.  Cumpaiiy  II,  lo  hospital  otEward, 
Septtmber  8,  iS6s,  rcndcnd  valuable  tervlcc  with  the  regiment  ami  ■Jivi'^ion  field 
bmpilal  (luring  Iti  (iMcncc  aiid  waa  muutrcd  out  wiih  rcEiBX'il.  Jun«  1, 1S65. 

Pri«aie  William  Flemming,  Company  B,  wai  ouisned  10  the  rci;>nirnial  hix- 
pllal,  cniTlcd  the  medical  knapwick  un  the  march  and  actrd  iu  ttii<  cnpacity  until 
Uw  lima  of  DiiMeruuI.  June  I,  I865. 

Private  Ilcory  il.  Hodge*,  Company  D,  wa»  aulgncd  on  dctaclird  iluty  in 
charge  of  llio  medical  Mom  at  the  i«  Brigade,  lit  Divitton,  5tli  Army  CaqM, 
and  later  on  wai  cnnaccted  with  the  diviiion  field  hoipltil,  perfiirmliiB  eltieleiil 
■ervicet  in  the  medical  depanment.  ' 

Corporal  Joseph  B.  Reppcrt,  Company  F,  after  his  return  to  the  regiment  (hav- 
ing  been  captured  M  Shciiherdiuown,  Va.),  in  feeble  lieakh,  woi  auigned  ai  a 
special  hospital  cook. 

Ca|>tain  John  R.  White.  I^otnpany  O.  was  anigncd  to  the  divltion  lield  lioipLtal, 
jMd  had  command  uf  the  variuuH  men  un  dciiched  duty  connected  wilb  it. 


Items  from  a  Rebel  expense  book  fouad  at  Five  Forks  after 
the  charge : 

Pair  Eye.Gla««» .-. |t  jo.00 

HalrCui  and  Shave 

I  Coal,  Veal  and  PanU S,;SO-00 

I  (lol.  WhiAcy 

t  U'li.  Catawba  Wine Sjo.OO 

I   I'niknifc ItOf, 

Hot  |6o.ooorGoId .' 6,000.00 

I  01.  Quinine I,6oo.oo 

3  Weeks'  Hotel  Board 600.00 

Mending  Pair  Pants ao.oo 

I  Pair  Calfikin  Riding  Booli 550.00 

Above  articles  paid  for  in  Confederate  Money  in  Richmond,  Va. 

The  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  the  people  in  arms.  Its 
ranks  were  largely  filletj  with  youth  who  had  no  love  for  war, 
but  who  had  left  their  pleasant  homes  and  their  pursuits  of 
peace  that  the  government  they  loved  might  not  perish.  The 
private  soldiers  were  often  as  intelligent  critics  of  militaiy 
movements  as  their  superiors. 


—  662  — 

them  from  us  if  they  wanted  to,  but  preferred  to  have  us  give  them  voluntarily ; 
they  said  that  when  the  provost  guard  took  charge  of  us  they  would  take  them, 
and  that  we  might  as  well  allow  them  to  have  the  blankets.  The  rebs  seemed  to 
know  that  we  were  hungry ;  they  said  they  would  share  what  little  rations  they 
had  in  their  haversacks  with  us;  they  would  give  us  a  corn-dodger  for  a  blank:  t. 
As  we  feared  that  our  blankets  would  be  taken  from  us  by  the  guard,  knowing 
how  highly  they  prized  them  and  being  very  hungry,  we  made  the  exchange.  We 
had  hardly  devoured  our  dodgers  when  we  were  ordered  to  fall  in,  and  our  march 
to  the  rear  begun.  These  guards  were  not  so  gentlemanly  inclined  toward  us  as 
their  comrades  at  the  front.  Those  of  the  prisoners  who  wore  felt  hats  were  ob- 
liged to  suffer  their  loss ;  a  guard  would  simply  walk  up  to  a  prisoner,  take  his 
hat  from  him  and  throw  his  old  battered  one  to  the  prisoner.  When  they  saw  a 
pair  of  good  boots  on  a  prisoner  they  would  command,  pointing  their  guns  at  him : 
'*  Take  off  them  boots ;  "  and  the  exchange  of  a  good  pair  of  boots  for  an  old  pair 
of  shoes  was  made  under  protest. 

Among  the  prisoners  was  a  young  Gennan  by  the  name  of  Henry  Blatz,  who 
belonged  to  our  com[>any,  a  substitute,  who  feared  the  loss  of  his  boots,  which 
were  in  a  very  good  condition  ;  he  appealed  to  me,  wanting  to  know  what  he 
could  do  to  save  his  boots,  as  he  would  certainly  lose  them  should  any  of  the 
guard  spy  them.  I  told  him  I  thought  his  boots  would  fit  me  and  that  he  should 
try  and  pull  one  off  unobserved  by  the  guard,  and  if  I  could  wear  his  boot  he 
should  wear  my  shoe  and  we  would  re-exchange  when  at  our  destination.  The 
exchange  was  made  unobser\'ed  by  the  guard  and  we  then  separated,  each  going 
about  like  "  Billy  Barlow"  until  we  arrived  at  Andersonville,  where  we  re<ez- 
changed  our  foot  wear. 

I  do  not  know  the  name  of  the  place  where  we  camped  for  the  night.  The 
guards  on  post  wanted  to  know  whether  we  had  any  good  Yankee  smoke-pipes; 
they  said  they  would  give  us  a  corn-dodger  for  a  smoke-pipe.  (I  should  perhaps 
have  stated  before  that  we  had  eaten  the  last  of  our  rations  the  day  before  our 
capture ;  our  commissary  wagons  had  not  come  up ;  in  fact,  we  were  told  when  we 
had  the  last  three  days*  rations  issued  to  us  that  we  must  try  and  make  them  do 
us  five  days,  as  the  wagons  would  probably  not  be  up  again  until  that  time;  a  ra- 
tion of  raw  beef,  however,  had  been  issued  just  before  fhe  detail  for  the  skirmish 
line  on  which  we  were  captured  was  made ;  but  many  of  those  on  the  detail  hay- 
ing had  no  opportunity  to  cook  or  broil  it  lost  the  ration,  so  that,  with  the  exce{>- 
tion  of  the  corn-dodger  which  we  got  from  the  Johnnies,  we  had  had  nothing  to 
eat  for  two  days.)  We  had  hoped  that  when  we  went  into  camp  for  the  night 
that  we  would  receive  something  from  the  Confederate  government  in  the  way  of 
rations,  but  we  were  doomed  to  disappointment,  and  when  the  guards  bid  for  our 
smoke-pipes  there  was  an  active  rise  in  the  corn-dodger  market,  for  the  bids  were 
taken  promptly  and  a  prisoner  had  to  show  a  good  article  in  the  smoke-pipe  line 
in  order  to  obtain  a  dodger. 

On  the  following  morning  we  were  taken  through  Richmond  to  what  they  called 
Libby  Second,  or  the  Pemberton  Prison.  Here  we  received  onr  first  ration  frooi 
the  comraissary-generaU  which  consisted  of  a  quarter  loaf  of  com  bremd^  a  small 


piece  of  b»Coii  snd  a  tmall  cup  (officer's  cup)  of  beini  for  i  day't  ralion.  On  ihe 
•ecoiid  at  thin)  •!sy  of  our  eanfincineiit  we  were  visiicd  by  an  ofiicial  who  autcd 
tbnl  we  were  la  be  tnken  iluwn  to  Ijcorgia  and  put  in  camp,  >nd  all  Yanks  ihai 
hid  gieenbacka  aboul  ihem  should  come  down-BUirt  and  ilellvet  Ihera  up.  The 
■mounl  in  greenbacks  so  delivercil  would  be  placed  to  the  credit  of  the  pmonen 
delivering  them  and  would  be  relnrned  at  Iheii  parole.  We  would  be  given  one 
hour  to  hud  over  oar  greenback'!,  and  al  the  end  of  that  lime  there  would  be  a 
leuch  made  and  all  greenback!  found  on  prjunen  it  the  learch  would  be  cnn^ 
fiicaled.  Ai  Ihe  delivery  took  place  on  the  floor  below.  I  cannot  slate  bow  nianj 
took  stock  in  the  delivery  business,  but  I  do  know  that  if  ever  there  was  a  time 
when  luoriala  racked  their  brains  to  devise  plans  to  conceal  their  money  It  was 
done  there  and  then.  I  cannot  give  ail  the  device  resorted  to  by  Ihe  prisonento 
conceal  their  money,  as  I  employed  the  greater  part  of  my  time  in  thinking  up 
a  plan  to  conceal  my  fortune,  which  consisted  of  I7,  which  wai  nut  enough  to 
fetire  on,  to  be  sure.  Ncveilheleis  I  believe  I  would  have  been  retired  to  the 
■rilenl  majority  at  Andenonrille  had  it  not  been  for  my  little  all  of  (7.  I  sjient  a 
mall  portion  of  my  time  In  watching  my  cumndei  conceal  their  money.  1  no- 
ticed that  Ihe  favorite  place*  of  conccRlmenl  wa>  in  the  flies  of  the  pants  between 
the  clulh  and  Ihe  lining,  at  the  Uitlom  of  the  pants  where  they  are  tuni«<!  in,  in 
their  Mockingi,  etc-  There  wa*  one  comrade  who  bad  a  tslher  novel  way  of  sav- 
ing his  money.  He  had  but  one  greenback.  I  could  not  Me  its  denoniinallon, 
but  It  seemed  lo  me,  from  his  appearance,  that  he  wm  subjecting  himself  to  a  very 
heovypiesaure  of  his  mental  faculties  in  order  to  determine  whert  lo  put  it,  when, 
finally,  he  pulled  from  his  pocket  a  plug  of  tobacco,  which  be  was  futtunatc 
enough  to  posseu,  and,  after  lakii^  off  a  leaf,  he  foldeil  up  the  |;Tecnback  lightly, 
wrapped  the  note  in  the  tolacco^lcif  and  put  it  in  hii  mouth.  I  wm  told  thai 
one  prisoner  (I  think  of  At  ooth  Regiment  P.  V.)  hI,..  i^  1.  '-t.\t:-  'iii-ii^  on 
their  uniforms,  which  were  a  lillle  larger  than  the  regular  button,  undone  the 
lapping  oF  the  button  and  put  a  greenback  in  the  button  and  then  relapped  it  with 
his  (icnknire.  After  conudenible  cogitation  on  my  part  I  ripped  the  corps  mark, 
which  I  wore  on  the  side  of  my  cap,  half  off,  Ihen  cut  Ihe  cloth  and  put  Ihe  tiote* 
between  the  cloth  and  lining.  Both  being  old  notes,  they  could  not  be  detected  in 
the  cap  by  feeling.  I  then  sewed  the  corps  mark  on  again  over  the  Cut  in  Ihe  clolb. 
When  [he  lime  for  search  arrived  we  were  taken  single. tile  down-slain  to  a  room 
in  which  were  a  number  of  officers.  On  a  table  in  front  of  Ihem  I  noticed  a  pile 
of  gncnbaeks.  While  the  search  w.ns  going  on  I  noticed  that  secreling  notes  in 
the  llics  and  bottom  of  panis  and  in  the  slocking*  was  a  failure.  When  my  luro 
aiiived  1  was  lolit  to  turn  my  pockets  inside  out,  my  cap  was  lifted  from  my  head 
anil  turned  inside  out,  my  clolhing  was  manipulated,  bat  they  failed  lo  find  my 
muncy.  1  was  obliged  to  leave  behind  thread,  needles,  burning  glass,  etc.  After 
thv  search  we  were  taken  out  of  Libby  Second  and  packed  in  freight  can.  TheiC 
were  no  scats  in  Ihe  cars  of  any  kind.  I  was  told  there  were  ninety  in  a  car.  but 
did  not  count  ihem.     I  am  inclined  to  believe,  though,  that  there  were  thai  many 

'lti<;ie  was  nothing  of  importance  that  transpired  on  our  way  lo  Andenonvllk. 


—  676  — 

gpot  and  secured  a  piece  of  the  tree.    A  numbei  of  officers  were  there  also,  ofier- 

ing  five  and  ten  dollars  to  the  men  for  chips,  and  one  of  yonr  orderlies  was  there 

and  got  a  branch  for  you  at  the  time.    From  this  latter  a  set  of  jewelry  was  made 

by  the  Messrs.  Browne,  Spaulding  &  Co.,  of  New  York,  for  your  wife,  according 

to  a  paper  I  saw  several  years  ago. 

I  enclose  clipping  from  the  Evening  Telegraph  (Philadelphia)  of  October  2, 

which  quotes  Captain  Nathan  Appleton  as  having  secured  a  piece  of  the  tree. 

I  have  my  piece  still  in  my  possession,  and  as  these  denials  are  having  a  run  through 

the  papers  tending  to  bring  my  relic  into  disrepute,  and  my  friends  tell  me  that  the 

occurrence  did  not  take  place  under  the  tree,  I  ask  you,  general,  to  set  the  matter 

right. 

Awaiting  your  answer,  I  am  yours  truly, 

}.  L.  Smith. 

General  Grant's  response  was  as  follows : 

General  Lee  was  seated  on  the  ground,  with  his  back  resting  against  an  apple 

tree,  when  General  Babcock  delivered  to  him  my  answer  to  his  letter  requesting 

an  interview  for  the  purpose  of  arranging  terms  of  surrender.     Lee  was  conducted 

to  McLean's  house,  within  our  lines,  before  I  got  up  [to  the  front]. 

U.  S.  Grant. 
October  16,  1S84. 

(See  Fac'simiU  of  General  Grant's  letter  on  opposite  page.) 


(From  Harper's  Weekly,  1865,  p.  565.) 

We  give  on  page  565  an  illus- 
tration of  a  set  of  magnificent  jew- 
elry which  Messrs.  Browne  & 
Spaulding,  of  New  York  city, 
have  prepared  for  a  present  to 
Mrs.  General  Grant.  The  frame- 
work of  the  comb  is  of  fine  gold, 
beautifully  chased  and  wrought 
in  imitation  of  two  oaken 
branches  intertwined  and  exhib- 
iting distinctly  the  knots  and 
roughness  of  the  bark.  Acorns, 
fourteen  in  number,  and  set  in 
cups  of  gold  exquisitely  enam- 
eled, are  depending  firom  the  two 
main  stems,  one  of  them  attached 
by  twigs  and  others  suspended 
by  chains.  The  leaf  work,  set- 
ting, etc.,  are  inimitable.  The 
ear-rings  have  each  a  large 
acorn  as  a  pendant,  with  two  leaves  and  miniature  acorns  above.    The  brooch 


—  671  — 

appointed  an  asiistant  surgeon  and  assigned  lo  llie  iiSlh  Regiment,  September  3C^ 
1864,  and  was  muacred  out  with  the  command,  June  1,  i?6s, 

Charles  F.  Dare  was  promoied  from  private,  Company  H,  lo  hospital  steward, 
September  8,  1862,  rendered  valuable  service  with  the  regiment  and  division  field 
hospital  during  its  existence  and  was  musleied  out  with  regiment,  June  1, 1S65. 

Private  William  Fiemming,  Company  B,  was  assigned  lo  the  rcgimenlal  hos- 
pital, carried  the  medical  knapsack  on  the  march  and  acted  in  thU  capacity  until 
the  time  of  nwsler-out,  June  1,  1865. 

Private  Henry  H.  Hodges,  Company  D,  was  assigned  on  detached  duty  in 
charge  of  the  medical  stores  of  the  1st  Brigade,  1st  Division,  5lh  Array  Corps, 
and  later  on  was  connected  with  the  division  field  hospital,  performinE  efficient 
services  in  the  medical  department. 

Corporal  Joseph  B,  Reppeit,  Company  F,  after  his  return  lo  the  regiment  (hav- 
ing been  captured  at  Shepherdsiown,  Vo.},  in  feeble  health,  was  assigned  as  a 
special  hospital  cook. 

Captain  John  R.  While,  Company  G,  vros  assigned  to  the  division  field  hospital, 
and  had  comcnand  of  the  various  men  on  detached  duty  connected  with  it. 


Items  from  a  Rebel  expense  book  found  at  Five  Forks  after 
the  charge : 

Pair  Eye-Glasses ■. ([130.00 

Hair-Cul  and  Shave I0.t» 

I  Coat,  Vest  and  Panls 2,7jo.00 

I  Gal.  Whiskey 40000 

I  Doi.  Catawba  Wine S50.00 

I  Penknife I20.00 

Bot  S60.00  of  Gold 6floo.oo 

1  oj.  Quinine I,6oo.oo 

2  Weeks'  Hotel  Board 600.00 

Mending  Pair  Pants 30.0O 

1  Pair  Calfskin  Riding  Boots SS°-^ 

Above  articles  paid  for  in  Confederate  Money  in  Richmond,  Va, 

The  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  the  people  in  arms.  Its 
ranks  were  largely  filled  with  youth  who  had  no  love  for  war, 
but  who  had  left  their  pleasant  homes  and  their  pursuits  of 
peace  that  the  government  they  loved  might  not  perish.  The 
private  soldiers  were  often  as  intelligent  critics  of  military 
movements  as  their  superiors. 


—  07J  — 

thai  U  the  spot.  I  know  it  i  1  know  it  t "  The  wTEMnt  Nid,  "  Captain,"  for 
thai  was  the  title  he  wai  known  by,  "  do  you  honeitly  feel  IhU  such  It  yuut  tatef 
If  so,  fall  out,  and  do  not  go  inio  the  l^ht :  I  shall  never  mention  it."  The  look 
that  he  gave  the  M^eanl  was  one  not  to  he  forgotlen,  as  be  said :  ■■  Seryeanl,  I 
thank  you  ;  don't  tempi  me :  I  have  always  done  my  duly,  and  ihall  do  it  now." 
Jube  bI  this  moment  the  command  was  Biven,  "  Forward  1 "  and  forward  ihe  lines 
moved — moved  inlo  the  very  jaws  of  death.  The  sergeanl,  now  fully  realiiing 
the  silualion  and  Ihe  earnest  manner  of  his  friend's  reprimand,  concluded  10  tund 
by  him.  The  lino  rushed  upon  Ihe  enemy's  works.  They  were  carried  aliout 
liAy  yards  inside  these  works.  The  fatal  missile  Came ;  the  ball  entered  the  cap> 
l.-iin't  lefi  breast  wilh  a  thud.  Reeling  he  fell  inlo  the  amu  of  Ihe  sergeant,  wh» 
now  laid  him  down.  Loosening  the  knapsack  from  bis  back  and  laying  hit  head 
upon  il,  he  asked,  "Cap'l,  is  there  anything  else  that  1  can  do  for  you  ?"  "  Yci> 
give  me  a  drink  of  water."  But  before  Ihe  water  reached  his  mouth  the  bliiod 
came  gushing  forth.  The  sei^eant  called  to  h.is  comrades  for  help  lo  carry  hiio 
ham  the  field  ;  but  Ihe  captain  in  a  dying  whisper  said,  "  No,  Sei^eanl,  leave  me 
where  1  um ;  it  is  no  use ;  it  is  all  up  with  roe.  Go  on  and  take  care  of  your- 
self." Bidding  him  goodbye  ihe  sergeanl  left  him,  never  to  see  him  again,  u 
hi»  remains  fell  into  Ihe  hands  of  the  enemy.  Uk.  A.  Layman. 


"OLD  BIG  FEET." 

James  Wilson,  of  Company  D,  who  afterwards  died  al  Andenonville,  Georgia. 

On  our  way  to  Warrenton,in  fall  of  i36i,wc  bivouacke<l  in  old  corn-field.  The 
fence  rails  were  laid  on  stones  lo  cause  draft  for  fire  lo  bum  quickly.  Il  ii  won- 
derful hiiw  quick  those  olii  bummiTs,  who  never  carry  a  tail  oi  liike  a  Cii'it«ii  lo 
gel  Riled,  smouch  in  for  best  place.  The  rails  were  quickly  filled  with  pot* ;  th« 
smell  of  coflee  cheering;  eagerly  each  one  watched  his  pot;  the  rimmer  and  boil 
wac  fast  approaching,  when  in  the  darkness  a  big.footer,  loo  lazy  to  lifk  feet, 
undertook  to  step  over ;  the  result  was  feet  wouldn't  lift — ihey  were  too  big ;  but 
nils  did!  Away  went  pots, helter-skelter.  Such  a  grabbing  for  poti, trying  to  save 
a  ponion  of  contents,  accompanied  with  a  volley  of  oaths,  that  was  followed  with. 
Kill  him!  Extra  duly  for  life!  Give  him  Ihe  bayonet,  etc.,  saluted  the  e«n  of 
the  unlonunale  culprit,  who  was  caught,  loaded  with  canteens,  and  sent  for  wat«r. 
It  was  useless;  none  could  be  found,  and  a  no-coffee  crowd  tum«d  in  that  night. 
Kvcr  afterwards  old  big  feet  was  kept  from  Coming  near  ■  fire  until  after  coOiM 
was  made.  HODGH. 


APRIL  THIRTEENTH,  1866. 

"Vhc  day  after  Ihe  suirenrler  General  Henry  A.  Wise  lent  his  aide,  Ueutenant 
Charlci  J.  Kaulkner,  lu  General  Chamberlain,  commanding  our  brigade,  infotmii^ 


—  6/4  — 

him  that  he  was  anxious  to  leave  for  his  home.  Lieutenant  George  W.  Williams, 
of  our  regiment,  aide  on  General  Chamb«rlain*s  stalT,  was  sent  to  examine  his 
baggage,  consisting  of  two  trunks,  at  the  hotel ;  some  pistol  cartridges  were  foand, 
which  he  was  told  to  keep  as  he  might  want  to  forage  on  the  way  home.  At  the 
lx)ttom  of  trunk  was  found  a  handsome  silk  flag.  General  Wise  remarked  it  had 
been  presented  to  his  regiment  by  the  ladies  of  Richmond,  in  the  early  part  of 
the  war,  and  he  was  exceedingly  anxious  to  return  the  same.  After  examining  the 
flag  Lieutenant  Williams  turned  and  said,  "  General,  no  doubt  you  have  made 
the  usual  promise  to  shed  the  last  drop  of  blood  in  your  regiment  to  preserve  this 
flag ;  as  it  is  without  s(X)t  or  blemish,  it  would  be  out  of  place  with  those  scarred 
and  stained  batlle-flags  surrendered  yesterday,  and  I  doubt  whether  any  other 
Yank  has  ever  had  the  opportunity  of  seeing  it ;  you  had  better  return  it."  Wise 
was  amazed  as  Williams  rode  from  the  scene. 


The  following  are  answers  to  letters  of  inquiry  sent  out  by  the  publisher. 

WHO  WAS  THE  COLOR-BEARER? 

Savannah,  Georgia,  September  t,  1886. 
J.  L.  Smith,  Esq.,  ii8th  Corn  Exchange  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volunteers, 

Dear  Sir  :  Your  kind  letter  received,  and  I  am  much  gratifled  at  your  geniality 
and  frankness.  Please  acce})t  my  thanks  for  it.  The  Mississippi  regiment  you 
refer  to,  which  came  through  Trostle's  farmyard,  was  the  21st  Mis^^issippi,  one  of 
those  composing  liarksdale^s  Mississippi  brigade.  It  was  commanded  by  Col- 
onel 13.  G.  Humphreys,  of  Mississippi,  who  succeeded  Barksdale  (killed),  and 
who  after  the  war  was  made  governor  of  Mississippi.  The  name  of  the  color- 
bearer  I  do  not  know,  but  will  try  and  find  out  for  you. 

I  thank  you  for  the  tribute  you  give  to  the  valor  of  this  regiment  and  brigade, 
whose  devotion  to  their  cause  was  unsurpassed  by  any  other  in  our  army.  I  was 
told  once  by  General  Humphreys  that  in  one  of  the  regiments— the  15th,  I  think 
— there  were  two  com^xinies  in  which  were  privates,  volunteers  for  the  war,  who 
were  worth  property  valued  in  the  aggregate  at  four  millions  of  dollars,  and  that 
those  gentlemen  made  it  a  point  of  honor  to  serve  as  privates  in  tht  ranks  and  re- 
fuse office.  This  was  mentioned  as  an  illustration  to  show  the  pride  and  spirit 
of  the  whole  brigade,  and  I  can  bear  testimony,  and  it  is  due  to  them  that  I  should, 
that  I  never  saw  any  faltering  from  that  high  plane  of  devotion  to  principle  among 
the  officers  and  their  commands  in  the  companies  mentioned,  nor  among  the  offi- 
cers and  soldiers  in  any  other  companies  in  any  other  regiments  of  the  brigade.  I 
tell  you  this  that  you  may  say  that  if  your  regiment  had  to  go,  you  did  so  before 
the  charge  of  the  very  flower  of  Southern  chivalry. 

Very  respectfully, 

L.  McLaws,  late  Major-General  C  51  A. 

Note. — See  map  of  Gett)'sburg. 


—  673  — 

Philai>elpmia,  Auguii  31,  rSgS. 
Ta  Iht  AJjuUnt-Ginrral of  MmUiiffi : 

Dtar  Sir .-  At  (he  luiUe  of  Geityiburg,  July  iil,  5,30  p.  M,,  IlirkiiUle'i  brigade 
charged  throufh  tbe  Trestle  Houie  yard,  on  Iht  right  cif  Iba  Itl  Brigade,  ist 
Diviiion,  5lh  Corps.  Tbe  (Ug  of  ihe  leading  rcgimcni  was  burne  »  bnvcly  bf 
the  color-bcBrer  through  the  g*te  of  ihr  ynrd,  *nd  1  MW  him  no  plainly  in  advance 
of  hia  rcgimcni.  that  1  am  anuoiu  to  get  the  name  of  bis  regiment  for  i 
the  "History  of  the  tiSlh  Com  Exchange  Regiment,  PennayUaDla  Vulunteeis," 
DOW  being  writUn.     If  you  can  aid  me  in  Ihta  you  will  greatly  itblii;e  ynurt, 

J,  L,  Smith,  /aft  1 18/*  /",  r.  R/ginutu. 

Miaainippi  papen  witl  pleoie  notice  01  copy  the  foregoing. 

If  tbe  "Troille  Houw"  wa»  ilie  dwelling  of  the  "  Feach  Otcbanl."  by  which 
name  ii  ii  commonly  known,  the  poiition  asaauUed  and  carried  1jy  Barkidale'a 
brigade,  Ihe  teglmeni  In  queailon  wai  the  21M  MiMluippI,  Colonel  D.  G,  Hum- 
phreyi,  Hhicb  held  (he  tight  of  the  brigade.  The  nexi  rrglmeni.thc  tight  ci 
was  ihc  i:i>>,  Lieulenam-Colonel  Fuer.  The  Federal  iroopt  occupying  ihit  pod- 
tion  we  <  .1  I'trniiKylvanIa  lirigadc,  their  Command et,  (jcneral  Ontham.snd  a  nuin- 
ber  of  '  ■.  nifn  with  aiiillery  being  overrun  and  captured  by  the  3i>t.  If  we  re- 
membe:  '  "iiEcily,  the  color'beaier  and  gnard  of  >aiil  regiment  were  all  killed  or 
woundoil  iti  the  charge. 

If  the  TtiHtle  Itouac  wat  farther  to  the  Federal  rlghl,  held  by  trmpi  among 
whom  were  >ome  in  Zouave  cntiume.  it  was  charged  by  the  ijlh.  Colonel  dnfi, 
and  iSlh.  Lieutenant -Colonel  W,  II,  I.uie,  MiMioipjd  regimcntt. 

Than  the  charge  of  Barkidale'i  brigade  at  Gellyiliarg,  directed  by  I,ong 
and  led  by  Barksdale,  no  action  of  the  war  wai  more  glotioua.    Piercing  and 
tending  the  Federal  line,  il  wa>  one  ul  iliin<  Litlle  rplvHlrk  whiJi,  folluwcij,  muJc 

great  victories.      liul  thi-  l.i  i.i,  t'!      ■   ■  •    -  .!■  ' i  I.',  i;..  . .'    f  I'l  il..-    .;  ,^  vl.: 

was  not  supported  and  its  Icyilimalc  fniin  were  lost ;  and  the  ncil  day  witnessed 
the  slaii(,'hti;r  of  Plckell's  division  in  endfavoring  to  carry  Cemetery  Ridge,  which 
3  supixirt  to  Itark'dale  the  d:iy  before  could  have  bloodlculy  occupied.  Bui  such 
was  not  to  be  our  Viif,me\..—G'/invili/  Timn. 

THE  SURRENDER  OF  GENERAL  LEE. 

(From  Philadelphia  Lidgtr.  Oclobct  19,  1884.) 
Mr,  J.  I.,  Smith  having  noticed  denials  of  the  story  that  the  surrender  of  Gen- 
eral l.ee  look  ])lace  under  an  apple  tree,  wrote  to  General  Grant  on  the  subject. 
Tbe  sulijoined  corretipondence  explains  ilielf  1 

October  3,  1884. 
Gf,N[;ha1,  C,  S.  Ckant.  LoU);  Branch  : 

/l,;ir  Sir  ■  I  have  read  several  articles  In  the  papers  of  late  alleging  Ihal  Ihe 
vurri-niter  iif  (  k^neral  Lee  at  Api.miaHo<  was  not  under  an  apple  tree.  I  was  in 
tbe  iiSth  Pfnii'vlvania  Volunicers,  Corn  E.changc  Kegiment.  and  on  the  mom. 
ing  of  April  9,  1865,  our  regiment  was  lying  near  the  hill.     I  wu  early  at  the 


I 


—  682  — 


( 


') 


Names, 

Rmmk. 

Enrol' 
mtnt. 

1^^ 

I 

John  L.  Crouse 

As'tSur. 

Sep.  30,  '64 

Mustered  out  with  Regt.  June  z,  186$. 

Charles  E.  HiU 

Chap. 

Aug.  30,  '62 

3 

Resigned  Dec  34,  z86a. 

William  O'NeiU 

M 

Jan.  29,  '63 

*t 

Mustered  out  with  R^t.  June  x,  1865. 

William  Courtney 

Sgt.Maj. 

Aug.  9,  '6a 

It 

Promoted  from  Sgt.  Co.  G  Sep.  x,  1864. 
Wounded  in  action  Sep.  30, 1864.  Discharged 
for  disability  June  8,  1865,  at  Chester,  Pa. 

Henry  T.  Peck 

«< 

Aug.  9,  '6a 

t* 

Promoted  to  ad  Lt.  Co.  C  Aug.  11,  1864. 

Isaac  H.  Seesholtx 

<« 

Aug.  I,  '6a 

1* 

Promoted  to  zst  Lt.  Co.  E  Jan.  19, 1864. 

Edmund  De  Buck 

«< 

Aug.  6,  '69 

11 

Promoted  to  ad  Lt.  Co.  I  Nov.  z,  z86a. 

Robert  McKinley 

Q.M.S. 

Aug.  7,  '6a 

<« 

Promoted  from  Sjn.  Co.  B  Feb.  x,  T863.  Mas- 
tered out  with  Regt.  June  i,  1865. 

John  J.  Thomas 

«( 

Aug.  15,  '6a 

*t 

Appointed  from  Private  Co.  D  Aug.  15,  z86a. 
Appointed  ad  Lt.  of  Co.  B  Oct.  33,  x86a. 

John  Henry  Keener 

tt 

Aug.  I,  '69 

t< 

Promoted  from  xst  Sgt.  Co.  H  Oct.  aa,  z86a. 
Reduced  to  the  ranks  and  transferred  to  Co.  H 
Feb.  I,  1863. 

William  F.  Doane 

Com. 
Sgt. 

Aug.  5,  '6a 

M 

Promoted  from  Set.  Co.  I  Dec.  6,  i86a.  Mus- 
tered out  with  Regt.  June  x,  1865. 

Charles  C.  Baker 

(« 

Aug.  12,  '6a 

t€ 

Appointed  from  Sgt.  Co.  B  Oct.  as,  x86a. 
Transferred  to  Co.  I  Dec.  6,  X864. 

Charles  F.  Dare 

Hospt. 
St. 

Aug.  8,  '6a 

4* 

Promoted  from  Private  Co.  H  Seo.  8,  x86a. 
Mustered  out  with  Regt.  June  x,  x86s. 

Total,  2S. 
COMPANY  "A." 


Henry  O'NeiU 
Albert  H.  Walters 

George  W.  Moore 

Alexander  Wilson 
Nathaniel  Bayne 

John  Scott 


William  T.  Godwin 

G.  Alfred  Schaefer 
James  Brown 

Samuel  H.  Wharton 

James  B.  Wilson 
Thomas  Kelly 
John  Bray 

Wesley  C.  Freed 


Capt. 


xst  Lt. 


tt 


ad  Lt. 


It 


ist  Sgt. 


«« 


Sergt. 


Aug.  15, '6a 
Sept.  X,  '62 

Aug.  I,  '6a 

Aug.  X5,  '62 
Aug.  7,  '6a 

Aug.  X5,  '6a 

July  17,  '63 

Aug.  x5/6a 
Aug.  5,  '6a 


3 


(C 


tt 
tt 


July3o/6a     " 


Aug.  5,  '62 

tt 

Aug.  13/62     " 

Aug.  13,  '62 

" 

Aug.  12,  '6a 

It 

Promoted  to  Major  Nov.  i,  X863. 

Promoted  from  ist  Lt.  Co.  D  Feb.  xo,  1864.  Ap. 
Bv.-Maj.  July  6, 1864.    Resigned  Feb.  13,  x86s. 

Promoted  from  ist  Lt.  Co.  D  April  9,  X865. 
Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  x,  x86s. 

Resigned  May  aa,  1863. 

Promoted  from  ad  Lt.  Co.  I  Oct.  27,  X863,  to 
Capt.  Co.  1,  Aug.  9,  1864. 

Wounded  at  Pegram's  Farm,  Va.,  Sep.  30, 1864. 
Promoted  from  1st  Sgt.  toad  Lt.  Jan.  19,1864,  to 
i&t  Lt.  Aug.  9, 1864,  to  Capt.  Co.  F  Dec.  16,  '64. 

Drafted.  Promoted  from  Sgt.  Co.  F  and  mus- 
tered in  as  ist  Lt.  Dec.  39, 1864.  Mustered  out 
with  Co.  June  i,  1865. 

Resigned  Jan.  19,  1863. 

Promoted    from    Co.    D  Mar.   x, 
charged  Jan.  4,  1864. 

Promoted  to  ist  Sgt.  Mav  ao,  X865.  Mustered 
out  with  Co.  June  1,  1865. 

Promoted  to  ad  Lt.  Co.  K  Oct.  n,  1863. 

Promoted  to  ist  Lt.  Co.  B  May  19,  1865. 

Wounded  at  Fredericksburg.  Va.,  Dec.  13,  i86a, 
and  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  Mar.  29,  1865.  Mus* 
tcrcd  out  with  Co.  June  1,  1865. 

Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  x,  X865. 


X863.       Dis- 


V 


ii 


^ 


J 


FAC-SIMILF  OK  I.ETTKB    FROM  GENERAL  GRAKT. 


IJamtt. 

SaH*. 

£.«/. 

M 

Ai'lSur. 

S«p,  ^ 

■64 

Mu..t™l  ou,  with  R^.  Jun«  .,  i»6s. 

Ch»rta  E.  Hm 

Ch.p. 

Auj.  30 

■6. 

, 

Wmu.n.O'N.lB 

Jui.^ 

■63 

■■ 

MuilcmJoutwilh  Rcgl.  JuK  1,  .86s. 

■WilltamCouriBey 

Sstli^l 

Aun 

'*■ 

■■ 

for  duibiUiy  JuK  B,  .»6i.«  at.<e.  P,^' 

UeoiyT.  Ptdt 

■■ 

Ah»,, 

'61 

" 

" 

Aug.. 

'fe 

PromoiBiiDmL..  C0.EJ.11.  .9..B64. 

Edmrnrd  De  Buck 

" 

An,.  6 

'61 

Promoted  10  id  Lt.  Co.  I  Nov.  I,  1W3. 

Robcn  McKinliy 

Q-M.S. 

Aug., 

(b 

" 

I>r«l  out  Willi  Hegl,  Jam  1,  186s. 

John  J.  Thum:« 

" 

Aug.  .^ 

'61 

Appoinltd  id  Li.  of  Co.  B  Oct,  ii,  iS£i. 

John  H^nry  K«ncr 

■■ 

Aug., 

■611 

" 

Promol«l  from  iii  SgL  Co.  H  Ocl.  w,  iW*. 

Ftb,..,B63. 

-WiUi^F.Do.n. 

Com. 
Sg., 

Aug.s 

'61 

''':^j':i^r^:'}^,k'"'-  ""■ 

CharlHC.  BJ.=r 

" 

Aug... 

■6. 

Ynnsfcmd  M  Co,  1  D«.  6,  186^ 

Chiiriu  F.  Dm 

«rr 

Aug.  8 

•6, 

" 

Promoled  from  PriviK  Co.  H  Stp.  8.  iHi. 

COMPANY  "A." 


Hc»y  O'Ntia 

Cpi. 

Aug.  IS 

'b 

3    1   Promoted  to  Major  No..  .,  .86j. 

Albert  H.WlltBI 

Scpl.  > 

-fa 

" 

Bv,-M<i.July6..864,    Ralgned  Feb.  rj,  .«6j. 

C«tg.W,Moo« 

■■ 

Aug.. 

■6. 

Piomoted  from  .»  Ij.   Co.  D  April  9.  .86*. 

Mu..e>edou,»ithCo.J.™...B«s. 

■•tU 

■«9 

" 

RBigi>«lIlUy«.  .861. 

NMhadlel  Biyuc 

■■ 

Aug.T 

•6. 

'■ 

Promoted  fmm  =d  Lt  Co.  I  Oet  .7.  >»ei.  « 
Cap..  Co,  I.  Aug.  9.  'i64. 

John  Scolt 

" 

Aog.  .s 

■fa 

" 

Wounded  at  Pqn^m'l  Fum.  Viu,  Sep.  ».  1M4. 

William  T.  Godwin 

July  .7 

■6j 

■' 

|]nned,  PmiDoWd  from  S«.  Co.  F  lad  antt. 
teredinuiiiU.Dec  1^1864.  Muilcndoiu 
wld.Co.June.,.B6s. 

G.  Alfred  SchKfer 

.dU. 

Aug.  .5 

■fa 

Ji.m«  Brown 

■■ 

Au(.s 

■fa 

Promoted    from    Co.    D  M>I.    ■.  .861.        Del. 

th.>.g«i  J.n-  4.  iB64. 

Simuel  H.  WhMoo 

<hSo. 

July  30 

■fa 

ProniDie.1  ID  r.i  Sgl.  Miy  ».  i8«J.  Muinnd 
out  with  Co.  Ju,«  ..  .BtTf. 

Jinn  B.  WiUon 

.. 

Aug.; 

'fa 

Promoted  .0  .d  U.  Co.  K  00.  »,  iSfa. 

Tbomu  Kelly 

" 

Aog.  ij 

■6. 

■' 

promoted  to  i>l  Lt.  Co.  B  Miy  >q,  tBtj. 

John  B»y 

Sngt. 

Aug.. 

.'«> 

■er.d-uiwlthC?.Ju,«,..Mi. 

Woley  C.  Fmd 

" 

Au^r 

■fal   " 

I  have  heard  the  ilebl  flic  nation  will  owe 
The  heroes  thai  over  the  despol  sh»!I  tlirtnr, 
And  only  pclilion  ihal  ihis  b«  its 
The  private  sbill  have  u  Bmjamais  shate. 

Is  a  fort  to  be  aormcd.  a  chiree  to  be  made, 
A  mounlaio  to  climb,  a  river  lo  wade, 
A  rampart  to  scale,  a  breach  to  repair, 
'Neath  the  bUie  of  artillery — the  private  b  thi 


He  tnielit  tell  what  be  suffcrecl  in  cold  and 
How  be  lay  all  night  Iting  with  the  wouiiiled  and 
Or  left  wiib  his  litcod  hii  tracks  on  the  snow 
But  never  froa  him  the  story  you'll  know. 

He  fights  not  for  glory,  for  well  docs  be  know 
The  road  to  promulii>n  it  weary  and  alow ; 
f  lis  highest  amlfltion  it  for  freedom  to  fight. 
To  can<)uer  the  foe  or  die  for  the  right. 

Should  he  (all.  perchance,  to-day  and 

Hi*  nietnnalei.  will  sigh  at  evening  in 

But  onward  they  niarch,  far,  far  from  the  ipot. 

And  the  name  of  the  private  is  ItM  or  fiirgot. 

But  oh  I  on  hii  ttniggle  the  pale  Han  of 

Look  down  from  the  glittering  pathwayi  of  heavelt. 

And  angel*  deacend  lo  tabi  hit  death  ligh. 

And  Ihe  name  of  the  lirive  i>  emblazoned  on  high. 

Then  here  is  a  song  for  the  brave  and  the  true  ; 
Tbough  others  mwj plan,  it  is  he  that  must  do; 
The  world  may  the  deeds  of  the  leaders  proclaim, 
Hete  is  a  wreath  for  the  private — a  song  for  his  faini 


f 


A  copy  of  the  following  circular  was  sent  to  the  address  of  every  known  com- 
rade. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  118TH  P.  V.,  CORN  EXCHANGE 

REGIMENT. 

The  object  of  publishing  this  work  is  to  place  in  permanent  record  marches, 
battles  and  experiences  of  the  officers  and  men  who  composed  this  regiment.  ^^ 

Dear  Comrade: 

I  have  been  employing  some  of  my  time  in  searching  for  matters  and  docu- 
ments relating  to  the  i  i8th  Regiment.  I  want  a  complete  record  of  its  progress 
from  time  of  organization  to  its  muster-out. 

WILL  YOU  ANSWER  THE  FOLLOWING  QUESTIONS? 

When  and  where  did  you  enlist  f 

When  and  where  mustered  out  f 

Were  you  drafted  or  substitute  f 

Were  you  in  any  battles  or  skirmishes^  when  and  where? 

Note  any  acts  of  bravery,  &c. 

Were  you  in  any  rebel  prison  f 

Where  were  you  captured  f 

Do  you  know  of  any  comrades  dying  in  prison  f  name  place  anddaie 

When  and  where  were  you  paroled  f 

Were  you  promoted  while  in  the  armyt 

If  you  were,  to  what  position  f 

Were  you  on  detailed  duty? 

If  so,  when  and  where  T 

What  is  your  present  address  f 

I  trust  you  will  reply  prompt  and  fully ^  so  we  can  make  a  complete  historf. 
Now  don^t  lay  this  aside ;  it  is  to  your  interest  to  attend  to  this  at  once. 

Yours  truly,  J.  L.  Smith, 

27  South  (ah  StreHy  PkUade^kia^  Fa. 


(680) 


iiSth  corn  exchange  regiment, 
p.  V. 


FIELD  AND  STAFF  OFFICERS. 


N»mn. 

Xaai. 

^:^1: 

i^ 

OttiktH.  Pmu 

CclllHl 

Aoc.  .».'«. 

* 

lS:=.^"e,S«?'»*  «•— ■ 

J««.G-y. 

Aii«.i6.-ti 

l!^^itSn5;S'!:\5S2i^'i?«i':- 

Ourld  P.  HiRiDs 

LtCal. 

Auf.».<. 

&■■;!:  ,S:~S'.;'£ESJ^?-Silf.S-: 

w«h  Btgi.  Junt ,. ,»,. 

Kav,  O'NeUl 

M*jo. 

Au(.  li,  -6. 

■' 

P™m««l(r)mC«pi  Co.  A  No..  ...M,,    Ap, 

J.me.  P.  P.™ 

A4J.. 

Au,,  ,..'«. 

" 

V,.S=p,»,  i»&i.     KalpHf  Jm.  .,. ,»,. 

Ch»Lc*  H.  Hud 

No.,^.'*. 

pKnood  froa  >d  U,  Co,  F  J«.,  ,,,  iMj. 
Ap.  Br.-Capl.  Sep.  JO.  lU,.  ind  tlv  -Hijoi 
Aphl  1,  >««}.    Muxcnd  oul  with  R>cL  June 

TIiomuH.AddicV. 

Q,M, 

Ay«   ..  6. 

- 

Ratfs*)  Oci.  ..  xtAi. 

a»i™«  D.r 

Aug.  .,.■*. 

Pimiond  tmm    Prinir  Co.   V  lo  L'em    Sfi 

WaJun.  I'  (iirdw 

StP.  >l,  '»• 

" 

pRKBOMd     ftoA    ••■    U     0>     U    Jmp.    (.    >M), 

J«rph  -aomM 

tur,™  Au,  .,.-6, 

"     Uiouxd  oul  •l>h  k<(i  ;uiK  >.  >H}. 

John  M  KoilMk 

AVtSur,  J«l»  .J.  •«. 

"     pFsnoifd  to  Kuntnn  t«K  R«ci.   f,  V.  t*p. 

■          *-«  *.  •*• 

(681) 


—  682  — 


Nafius, 

John  L.  Crouse 
Charles  E.  HiU 
WiUiam  O'NeiU 
William  Courtney 

Henry  T.  Peck 
Isaac  H.  Seesholtz 
Edmund  De  Buck 
Robert  McKinley 

John  J.  Thomas 

John  Henry  Keener 

WiUiam  F.  Doane 
Charles  C.  Baker 
Charles  F.  Dare 


« 


« 


Q.M.S. 


tt 


It 


Com. 
Sgt. 


Hospt. 
St. 


Enroi' 
mtnt. 

X 

Sep.  30,  '64 

Aug.  30,  '62 

3 

Jan.  99,  '63 

*« 

Aug.  9,  '6a 

«« 

Aug.  9,  '62 

If 

Aug.  I,  '63 

(« 

Aug.  6,  '6a 

*« 

Aug.  7,  '6a 

(* 

Aug.  X5,  '6a 

*« 

Aug.  X,  '6a 

«« 

Aug.  5,  '6a 

(« 

Aug.  xa, '6a 

tt 

Aug.  8,  '6a 

t* 

Mustered  out  with  R^^  June  x,  x86s. 

Resigned  Dec  34,  x863. 

Mustered  out  with  R^t.  June  x,  1865. 

Promoted  from  Sgt.  Co.  G  Sep.  x,  X864. 
Wounded  in  action  Sep.  30, 1864.  Discharged 
for  disability  June  8,  X865,  at  Chester,  Pa. 

Promoted  to  ad  Lt.  Co.  C  Aug.  xx,  X864. 

Promoted  to  xst  Lt.  Co.  E  Jan.  19, 1864. 

Promoted  to  ad  Lt.  Co.  I  Nov.  x,  x86a. 

Promoted  from  ^tt.  Co.  B  Feb.  x,  X863.  Mus- 
tered out  with  Regt.  June  x,  1865. 

Appointed  from  Private  Co.  D  Aug.  xs,  x86a. 
Appointed  ad  Lt.  of  Co.  B  Oct.  aa,  x86a. 

Promoted  from  xst  Sgt.  Co.  H  Oct.  aa,  x86a. 
Reduced  to  the  ranks  and  transferred  to  Co.  H 
Feb.  X,  X863. 

Promoted  from  Sgt.  Co.  I  Dec.  6,  x863.  Mus- 
tered out  with  Regt.  June  x,  1865. 

Appointed  frt>m  Sgt.  Co.  B  Oct.  aa,  x86a. 
Transferred  to  Co.  I  Dec.  6,  X864. 

Promoted  from  Private  Co.  H  Sep.  8,  X869. 
Mustered  out  with  Regt.  June  x,  1865. 


Totai,  2S' 
COMPANY  "A." 


Henry  O'NeiU 
Albert  H.  Walters 

George  W.  Moore 

Alexander  Wilson 
Nathaniel  Bayne 

John  Scott 

William  T.  Godwin 

G.  Alfred  Schaefer 
James  Brown 

Samuel  H.  Wharton 

James  B.  Wilson 
Thomas  Kelly 
John  Bray 

Wesley  C.  Freed 


Capt. 


xst  Lt. 


tt 


ad  Lt. 


(( 


xst  Sgt. 


Aug.  15, '6a 
Sept.  X,  '6a 

Aug.  X,  '6a 

Aug.  X5,  '62 
Aug.  7,  '62 

Aug.  X5,  '62 

July  X7,  '63 

Aug.  X5,  '6a 
Aug.  5,  '6a 

July  30,  '6a 


Aug.  5,  '62 
Aug.  13/62 
Sergt.     Aug.  13,  '62 


3 


tt 


tt 


It 


n 
If 


Aug.  12,  '62  I   " 


Promoted  to  Major  Nov.  x,  1863. 

Promoted  from  xst  Lt.  Co.  D  Feb.  xo,  1864.  Ap. 
Bv.Maj.  July  6, 1864.    Resigned  Feb.  X3, 1865. 

Promoted  from  xst  Lt.  Co.  D  April  9,  1865. 
Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  x,  X865. 

Resigned  May  aa,  1863. 

Promoted  from  ad  Lt.  Co.  I  Oct.  27,  1863,  to 
Capt.  Co.  I,  Aug.  9,  1864. 

Wounded  at  Pegram's  Farm,  Va.,  Sep.  30,  1864. 
Promoted  from  1st  Sgt.  to  ad  Lt.  Jan.  19,1864,  to 
xst  Lt.  Aug.  9, 1864,  to  Capt.  Co.  F  Dec.  16,  '64. 

Drafted.  Promoted  from  Sgt.  Co.  F  and  mus- 
tered in  as  xst  Lt.  Dec.  99, 1864.  Must«^  out 
with  Co.  June  i,  X865. 

Resigned  Jan.  19,  1863. 

Promoted  from  Co.  D  Mar.  x,  X863.  Dis- 
charged Jan.  4,  1864. 

Promoted  to  xst  Sgt.  Mav  20,  X865.  Mustered 
out  with  Co.  June  i,  1865. 

Promoted  to  ad  Lt.  Co.  K  Oct.  22,  i86a. 

Promoted  to  ist  Lt.  Co.  B  May  19,  1865. 

Wounded  at  Fredericksburg.  Va.,  Dec.  13,  i86a, 
and  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  Mar.  29,  X865.  Mus- 
tered out  with  Co.  June  1,  1865. 

Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  x,  X865. 


—  6S3  - 


tetma. 

1 

U 

Duld  Danona 

fcrgl.     Aug.M/6. 

M-««™a<«..-..h&,.Junei,  .»65. 

Joh.ni™ 

" 

Aur.».-6. 

■■ 

DucrlEd  Fib.  li,  lUj,  Erom  Gnu  Hcsplul  u 

Lt-tiM.  Humu 

" 

A««.  6,  -ftt 

" 

ncun]  nf  diKhusc. 

Joh»M'»l*y 

" 

A*  i..-t. 

■' 

■'syK^>v;..:st.'S"'  ■■ 

H«nySniiih 

" 

Auf. ».  ■«. 

•■ 

DiKhvEKl  rorril«biUtyMav}<.iM).>iPhlLi., 

CWta  W.  tlhl 

Ci-pt 

Auf.  T,  ■«' 

HiBlend  out  wilh  (Jo.  Jum  i,  iK;. 

JUH.G.  WDM 

" 

Au,.  s.  -6. 

S«.>B,UiA,Er>n.i. 

SwDadCFuiuwi 

■■ 

;»!»»..■«• 

>Kj.  M  Liiwola  H«pii.l>Mhinei™.l>.  g. 

LnlilncU 

" 

July  J.. '6. 

'■ 

»m>£  ne'd  u  Pr«l.,T€k.bu.t.  V...  Dm.  ij. 

WIIUuiLHuiur 

■■ 

AUC.1..-6. 

Mush  IB.  1864. 

S-muclJ.  K«fl 

Ai«.6.«i 

" 

IilwhiivHl  r«  dinhlliiy  June  1,  iMj.  hna 

M>rk  Slkoo 

■■ 

A,.,,'^ 

■■ 

DiKhxgtd  Cor  dtablUir  M>r.  <4,  lU).  «u 
FtJnoiilh,  Vl 

B««.  r-  H™.! 

" 

A«...'«. 

wmiuSDuUt 

■■ 

Kof  11.  ■«• 

DM  >■  Ak»>»lrl*.  V.  ,  July  .y.  nr  >cu.^ 

A««.  ;.  -e. 

DlBf  .t  Ptv«»-.  P.™.  V»..  Si.  JO,  lU,.  .rf 

bnuel  L.  P..ka      ;      ■■       ,  Au,,  j.  'fa 

1               1 

Woundtd  M  PeiUe'i  Fun.  Bcu   «v  >M.4,>Dd 

Wm.  M:  Rail 

" 

Au(.  <>.'«• 

■' 

DtKhnrgtd  br  0».  OtO«  Uoy  iq.  iBts. 

PhlUlp  Suplleiu 

Auf .  9.  ■». 

0->  1   V..«ni 

" 

Au(.  M.'6> 

., 

J.A.  !•   tn«h 

'■ 

A««  ,.  6. 

" 

"rss~«iX.«-r"""'" 

Th«  H.  I»itklnw,n 

■• 

Aug.  r..-ft. 

" 

«,.-.ikcrjs;-...i«,   ^ 

Tliomu  Stout 

" 

Abk.  .,, '«. 

" 

Mlch«l  Mbtv^r 

■■ 

Ao,.  .),■«. 

'■ 

•■3Si#:..'«..-SiS'ir""*- 

—  684  — 


Names, 


John  RusseU 


Monroe  Bowne 
Allen,  Richard 
Bailhaus,  August 
Barton,  Hiram  E.  W. 
Barry,  David  H. 
Berry,  Richard 
Bray,  Daniel 
Bnnton,  Jos.  E. 


Brown,  Nicholas 

Brown,  Wm.  H. 
Buckley,  Joseph 

Bullock,  Thomas  R. 

Bums,  John  J. 

Bark,  James 

Callahan,  Chas. 

Carmon,  Michael 
Carr,  John 
Carroll,  Patrick 
Chambers,  Samuel 

Clark,  Rufus  J. 
CUne,  John  W. 

Condon,  Patrick 

Copes,  John 
Dasey,  John 

Duncan,  William  W. 


Rmmk. 


Corpl. 


(« 


Private 


•« 
« 
*t 

C( 

(• 

M 
«f 

« 

*1 

*( 

** 

«( 
#< 
(( 

•  < 
«< 

« 

*< 

(( 

l< 


Enrol- 

fiunt. 


Aug.  9,  '62 

July  30,  '63 
Aug.  4,  '6a 
July  X5. '63 
July  3X, '69 
Aug.  7,  '69 
Aug.  4,  'fia 
Aug.  13,  '6a 
Aug.  X4,  '6a 

July  15,  '63 

Sep.  9,  '6a 
July  30,  '63 

Aug.  4,  '6a 

Aug.  13,  '6a 

July  30,  '63 

Sep.  9,  '63 

Aug.  13,  '64 
Aug.  13,  '62 
Aug.  6,  '63 
Aug.  XI,  '63 

Aug.  4,  '63 
Sep.  8,  '63 

Sep.  10,  '63 

Aug.  II,  '62 
Sep.  9,  '63 

Aug.  8,  '62 


! 


K*> 


€t 
t€ 
tt 
tt 
tt 
tt 
tt 
It 

tt 

tt 
U 

It 

tt 

tt 

tt 

tt 

tt 
fl 
«i 
(( 

U 
tt 


Wounded  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  ao, 
x86a.  Discharged  for  disability  Jan.  30, 1863, 
at  Convalescent  Camp,  Va. 

Drafted.  Transferred  to  Co.  F,  9xst  Regt.  P. 
v.,  June  X,  X865. 

Discharged  Feb.  a.  1863,  for  wounds  rec'd  at 
Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  ao,  x86t. 

Drafted.  Deserted  Aug.  8,  1863,  at  Bealton 
Station,  Va. 

Dischaiged  for  disability  Nov.  a6,  x869,at  Fred- 
erick,Md. 

Killed  in  action  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep. 
ao,  i86a. 

Discharged  for  disability  Aug.  z.  1865,  at  Find- 
ley  Hospital,  Washington,  u,  C. 

Discharged  for  disability  Dec.  30,  z86a,  at 
Phila.,  Pa. 

Captured  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  ao, 
286a.  Deserted  Jan.  z  ,1863,  from  Camp  Parole, 
Md. 

Drafted.  Deserted  Aug.  8,  1863,  at  Bealton 
Station,  Va. 

Drafted.    Transferred  to  the  Navy  May  4,  '64. 

Substitute.  Transferred  to  Co.  F,  91st  Regt. 
P.  v.,  June  X,  1865. 

Discharged  for  disability  Mar.  9, 1863,  at  Wash- 
ington, D.C. 

CsMP^i^  *^  Fredericksbuig,  Va.,  Dec.  i-x^  x86a. 
Deserted  Feb.  37,  '64,  from  Camp  Parole,  Md. 

Substitute.  Captured  at  Wildemests,  Va. ,  May 
5,  '64.    Died  at  Annapolis,  Md.,  Dec.  35, 1864. 

Substitute.  Wounded  at  Petersbuig,  Va.,  June 
28,  1864.  Deserted  from  Hospital  Aug.  xo, 
1864,  at  Chester,  Pa. 

Deserted  (no  date) ;  never  joined  the  Kcgt, 

Deserted  April  29,  1863. 

Deserted  Aug.  6.  1862,  at  Phila.,  Pa. 

Killed  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  ao,  x86a. 

Drafted.  Discharged  for  disability  Dec.  30,'  63, 
at  Convalescent  Camp,  Va. :  never  joined  Co. 

Substitute.  Captured  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va., 
June  2.  1864.  Died  at  AndersonviUe,  Ga., 
Sep.  24,  X864.    Grave  9639. 

Substitute.  Transferred  to  Co.  F,  9xst  Regt. 
P.  v.,  June  I.  1865. 

Deserted  Aug.  X3,  1862,  at  Phila.,  Pa, 

Substitute.  Wounded  at  Weldon  R.  R.  Aug. 
21,  1864.  Transferred  to  Co.  F,  9xst  Regt. 
P.  v.,  June  I,  1865. 

Wounded  at  Chancellors ville.  V'a.,  May  3,  X863. 
Transferred  to  Co.  B,  9th  V.  R.  C. 


t'eiguKn.  Tboi 

P»ltr,  WiUiim  K. 
OUpb.  Niihuld 
GUUt,;oKph 

GoBld,  Uoif>ii  R. 

GriSih,  Danid 
OniiDdct,  Htaty 
Hdtr,  Qui.  H. 


■m.r,  ]m.  C. 
.,J<»cpll 


,     Sep.  9,  ■63 
Stp.  9,  '«3 


Jd, 

>, '61 

Au«, 

9,  ■6* 

Au«. 

3.'6i 

A»» 

». '6) 

Aug, 

4.-S> 

Au,, 

3.'&l 

Aui.it.'«i 

Ai*. 

.'6> 

Ai«. 

.'^ 

Au<. 

J.-fo 

Auc. 

).'>• 

July. 

.ej 

A«. 

.'M 

Aiif.i 

■,'<•    R 

A.,.. 

♦.•6. 

Si*.. 

.■«3 

S.TN9 

•j 

A.«.  I 

.'«• 

Ayg.. 

.■«• 

A<ic.  4 

'ti 

Au(.. 

,'«• 

Aiw.  1 

.■6. 

Dnfled.  CiplunditBiulDeSutkin.  Vl.OcI. 
«.  u.  »«4.  «  Cimp  P^trulc,  m. 

cried  Oct.  ■;.  '63,  u  Auburn,  V«, 


''ir^*'.s;-,.v?t?Lr's:r-'!'. 

Mi. 

.Sh^ 

CUM  It  Shtphenlt 

own,  W.  V. 

-Sep. 

«.<i., 

ni.gh.™«ifo.di« 

lliVJ.B.30 

.«,. 

iCu^. 

I>aerui1Junci7,  iHj. 

Dm. 

J."««t 

lonvUle.  Vfc 

863.  «™ 

UtoChMK* 

WoundBlilFrtdcr, 

ti-t'.- 

D« 

.J.-*.. 

Tr-M- 

B6].alCiinpCannleicciH, 

DrViHlly  oilHUd  in  Co.  H.  tt« 
nuulhi  A>Kt.  >«.  iW>.  Dctcri. 
Rc(l.  Jm.  I).  1U3.  Aulpied  IB' 

KM-din  Co. 


Stpt  J, 
wllti  Co.  Jun.  .,  iWi. 


■nJlrd.  ClsIunduWfldonR.  R.ViL.  Auc. 
>i,iae4  I'urtauihHlbrjDdiviMu.  ■«.<»£. 
from  Cu>p  PttoU,  Ud.    Ne  lutt  iKsrd. 


DantHl  Dec  — ,  iU«.  u  Wddm  R. 


..'V  vi',,  st™io,  I 


Minded  at  Shephcnbton,  \ 


—  686  — 


Noftut, 

Rank. 

Enrol- 
ment. 

Is 

Hoffman,  Lewis  G. 

Private 

Aug.  4,  '6a 

3 

i 

Wounded  at  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  Dec.  X3,  x863. 
Deserted  May  1,  1865,  at  Phila.,  Pa. 

Hughes,  John 

(( 

Sep.  9,  '63 

*'    Drafted.     Died  July  7,  1864,  at  AndexsonviDe, 
1     Ga.,  while  a  prisoner  of  war. 

Humphrys,  Thot. 

%* 

Sep.  13.  '63 

(f 

Substitute.  Wounded  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  June 
22,  and  at  Peeble's  Farm.  Va.,  Sep.  w,  X864. 
Transferred  to  25th  Co.,  2d  Battalion  V,  R.  C 

Jenkins,  Jerome 

ti 

Sep.  X,  '63 

u 

Drafted  Wounded  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  June 
22, 1864.  Transferred  to  Co.  H,  i4ih  V.  R.  C, 
Sep.  10,  X864. 

Keever,  Emanuel 

It 

July  x8,  '63 

u 

Drafted.  Mustered  out  May  21. 1865,  on  Indi- 
vidual Muster-out  roll,  near  Washington,  D. 
C.to  date  May  19,  1865. 

Keiger,  Jacob 

«« 

Aug.  X,  '63 

« 

Drafted.  Deserted  Aug.  38,  1863,  at  Camp 
Bealton  Station,  Va. 

Kimball,  Geo.  A. 

*( 

Aug.  X4,*62 

tt 

Mustered  out  with  Co.,  June  x,  X865. 

KleebUtt,  Chas. 

ft 

Aug.  6,  '6a 

i€ 

Deserted  Aug.  28, 186a,  at  Phila.,  Pa. 

Kurtz,  Jacob 

t* 

Aug.  XX,  '6a 

4* 

Transferred  to  96th  Co.,  ad  Battalion  V.  R.  C, 
Nov.  25,  X863. 

Lampy,  John  W. 

tt 

Aug.  ao,  '63 

tt 

1864.    No  further  record. 

Lanum,  James 

l€ 

Sep.  6,  '64 

tt 

Substitute.  Deserted ;  forwarded  to  Regt.  Sep. 
18,  1864.     No  further  record. 

Markley,  Francis 

M 

Aug.  XX, '63 

tt 

Wounded  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va..  Sep.  90, 
i86a.  Transferred  to  Co. D,  i6th  Rcgt.V.R.C, 
Sep.  10, 1863.  Discharged  by  Gen.  Order  July 
3.  «865. 

Meehan,  Joseph 

tl 

Aug.  X3,*6a 

tt 

Discharged  for  disability  Jan.  x6,  X863,  at 
Phila.,  Pa. 

Milnes,  George 

« 

July  x8.  '63 

It 

Drafted.  Captured  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5, 
1864.     Died  Dec.  24,  1864. 

Miller,  John  H. 

« 

Aug.  X2,'69 

tt 

Wounded  at  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  Dec.  X3,  x86a. 
Discharged  for  disability  March  24,  X864,  at 
Germantown,  Pa. 

Miller,  Mathew 

*t 

Sep.  xo,  '63 

tt 

Drafted.  Died  at  Andersonville,  Ga.,  June  10, 
1864. 

Miller,  William 

U 

Aug.  5,  '62 

tl 

Deserted  Aug.  5,  1862. 

MiUer,  Wm.  C. 

H 

Aug.  12, '6a 

tt 

Died  of  disease  Dec.  17,  186a,  near  Falmouth, 
Va. 

Mock,  John  C. 

ft 

Aug.  XI,  '6a 

(1 

Deserted  Sep.  X2,  X862,  at  Washington,  D.  C 

Moore,  Thomas 

If 

Sep.  10,  '63 

"   1  Drafted.    Deserted  Oct.  xs,  1863,  at  Manasses. 
Va, 

Moulton,  Jno.  M. 

€€ 

Aug.  13, '62 

n 

Deserted  Jan.  x,  1863,  from  hosp.  at  Phila.,  Pa. 

Mower,  George 

« 

Aug.  X2,  '62 

tt 

Killed  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  July  30,  1864. 

Mullin,  Lawrence 

M 

Sep.  9,  '63 

tt 

Drafted.  Transferred  to  Co.  F,  91st  Regt.  P. 
v.,  June  X,  X865. 

Murphy,  Maurice 

t* 

Sep.  9,  '63 

n 

Drafted.  Transferred  to  5th  Co.,  2d  Battalion 
v.  R.  CSept.  30,  1863. 

Murphy,  Patrick 

€1 

Aug.  13, '62     " 

1 
1 

1 
1 

Wounded  at  Shepherdstown.  W.  Va.,  Sept.  ao, 
1862.  Transferred  to  Co.  F,  21st  Regt.  V.  R. 
C,  Sept.  12,  iS6j,  Phila.,  Pa. 

McCallcy,  Owen 

It 

Aug.   6,  '62      "      Deserted  Sepl.  it,  1862. 

Kamtt. 

j;<<i*- 

«■«/. 

I'j 

IIc(U<m.Johii 

Prinu 

A»«.  ; 

'&< 

' 

■Sfa.     DiMlurged  fiii,di«6iUl»  Jio.  IS,  iM), 

MeCwty.John 

" 

July  .] 

■*! 

■■ 

DnJW.    Cplu.^   ■■    P«bl.^i    Vum.    V»,. 

HcCuny.  WiUiiin 

■. 

July  <i 

■6j 

M<C«1.  R««.y« 

" 

Aw.. 

■fa 

r»r^1."^"i";i^ji.fea:  ■•» 

HcC»l,Wm.H. 

'■ 

Ail*.. 

■(b 

■• 

Dlidiugcd  fo(  diuhinty  April  I),  xV-iM  PhUk., 

McCoinick,J(>hn 

" 

Julys 

■6j 

McCetluU,  AiulKw 

A««-i 

■6» 

- 

"'Sti.S'.s:-'""'" "■•- 

" 

Aug  . 

'fit 

" 

'=--KS,.;;-rG'"a.i;'«i""v-K"S-. 

Muvh  M,  iM*.  0«A.n(*l  By  On.  Otdcr 
J*D    i>,  itOi. 

lltEl«)r.J,*B 

" 

A.(.  . 

.'*' 

K,  C.  Sep.  .»,  .«6j. 

Nor™,J«ph 

- 

Am.  A 

•fc. 

■' 

i^.    Hu>lcnilDut-lih&>.Ju»ei,i«6s. 

N»un.  Wb. 

.- 

J-iy.s 

■<1 

•  ' 

Drrfrf.  TBMferwJ  m  U«  itfn  May  4-  i>««. 

PewwU.  D(«lridt 

" 

Julys 

■6j 

■■ 

Dnftcd  Tnnilcacd  u  Ca.  C,  gimE  R<«i.  f. 
V.,Juwi..»s- 

Fhllllpt,  S*niu<l 

■■ 

Au|,< 

,'tt 

" 

■  8fa.  Bu(iHrinNHiiH»IC«»Ufy,Autauai, 
Md„S=..rf.  L«A,tni«9 

Rmon.  W«.  11. 

*' 

A««.  . 

•■*" 

" 

'^gtgSta-sVi's.ibrs 

P«.it.a«.  Hcuy 

- 

Mar.  K 

■e> 

Pric.  Wo.  V 

■■ 

iWV.  » 

■»i 

KiMlnlph.  Wm.  I. 

■'       l'  Nut.  I 

.6! 

•    nrthtd      IXxrlRirch  >t,  ilMt 

R„J.„Wk.  l^c 

■■ 

Srp.  >o 

■«1 

-  °?av.f !?.&■».;&■- "~" 

KoUiuon,  SimL  H 

" 

All... 

■6. 

-  ■"««..%'?"" ""  "•  ■"■  - 

R^iprn.  Il.vid 

■• 

Auc.l 

■fa 

«...«■»,  J.m.. 

- 

Aw.) 

■fa 

D«h><a<d  h-  di«biiiirT>«.  n.  >»fa. 

S<;hn.ul>.  llanr 

" 

July. 

■*J 

"  ,Ui«n»iL  Alul>un»»ll.<>ryS«lih  Dc»Wd 
Ami  ■■  >M].  il  Ballon  Sl>lk«.  Vt. 

S<b<uti.  PFlir 

" 

S-T.  i> 

■»1 

"   'Dnftod,     Ab-wtkliXDuumniarCa. 

^»M.  W.lUam 

-        A«^. 

'fa 

'■    iUlM*K4<«l<rlthO  Jiioli.lMi. 

Sh'U.  MlCtlMl 

"  ;*-«-• 

■4J 

"  iDnitrd,  Tonfenwl  In  Cu  f.  gru  Kv.  r, 
v..  Junci.itfa. 

Snilh.  Thmui 

" 

SflK.. 

■*J 

■• 

I^ndxl     Tnoifcmd  to  Co.  F.ftwi  R<p.  F, 

V,  ;«.,,,•.,. 

—  688  — 


Namgt. 


Smith.  WUliam  (i) 
Smith,  William  (3) 
Snow,  John 
Speadman,  Thos. 
Specht,  Augustus 


Stockel,  David 
Tibbens,  Jos.  R. 

VanGdder,  Lem'lJ, 

Wainwright,  G.  W. 
Wallace,  James 

Wells,  Lewis 
Winters,  Joseph 

Wood,  Augustus 
Wood,  John 

Wulf,  Julius 


RmmJk. 


Private 


(( 


(# 


«t 


ft 


#1 


i< 


*• 


*( 


« 


<« 


u 


fiunt. 


Aug.  X3,  '69 

Sep.  24,  '63 

Sep.  xo,  '63 

Sep.  8,  '63 

Sep.  9,  '63 


Aug.zx,'6a 
Aug.  xz,  *63 

Oct.  X,  ^63 

July  3X,  '6a 
Aug.  9,  '62 

Ai«.  6,  '6a 
Aug.  6,  '69 

Sep.  30,  '63 
Aug.  xz,  *6a 

Aug.  X5,  '69 


« 


tt 


«( 


<* 


(( 


*« 


tt 


■  «i 


tt 


tt 


tt 


Wounded  near  Petersbuis,  Va.,  June  ts,  1864. 
Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  i,  X865. 

Substitute.  Tnuuferred  6tMn  Co.  I  Jan.  ai,  1864, 
and  transferred  back  to  Co.  I  Ifaiidi  xi,  X864. 

Drafted. 
Va. 


Deserted  Oct.  «5,  x8^,  at  Aubuxn, 


one 
Ug. 


If 


Drafted.  Transferred  to  Co.  F,  9xst  Rcgt.  P. 
v.,  June  X,  1865. 

Drafted.  Captured  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va..  Ji 
9,  1864.  Died  at  Andeiionville,  Ga.,  A 
xo,  X864.    Grave  539X. 

Died  March  31  at  City  Point,  Va.,  of  wounds 
received  at  Five  Forks,  Va.,  March  99. 1865. 

Wounded  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  »o» 
1869.  Transferred  to  CO.  H,  9th  Rcgt.  V. 
R.  C,  Sept.  30, 1863. 

Drafted.    Discharged  for  disability  April  ay. 

1864,  at  Beveriy  Ford,  Va.    Borae  as  Lemuel 
R.  Van  GUder. 

Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  z,  X865. 

Captured  at  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  Dec.  13,  x86a. 
Dischaived  for  disability  March  17, 1863,  at 
Camp  Convalescent,  Va. 

Discharged  for  disability  July  x8,  x8^,  at  Haro> 
wood  Hospital,  D.  C. 

Wounded  at  Shei^ierdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  ao, 
1869.  Discharged  Jan.  14,  x868,  to  date  June 
X,  1865. 

Drafted.    Discharged  for  disability   July  a8, 

1865,  at  U.  S.  A.  Gen.  Hospital,  Omter,  Pa. 

Captured  at  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  Dec.  zi,  x86a. 
Dischanted  for  disability  April  x8,  xWj,  at 

Captured  at  Shepherdstown.  W.  Va..  Sep.  ao^ 
I  1869.  Deserted  Fan.  x,  1863,  from  Camp  Fa- 
'    role,  Annapolis,  Md.     


Total,  iS^. 

COMPANY  "" 


>■ 


Richard  Donegan 
Henry  F.  Leo 

Richard  W.  Davids. 
Jaraes  B.  Wilson 

John  L.  Bell 
Thomas  Kelly 

Horace  Binncy 


Aug.  X9,  '6a 
Aug.  13,  '69 


Adg.  93,*69 
Aug.  5,  '6a     " 


tt 


Dischaxged  for  disability  March  3s,  1864. 

Promoted  from  xst  Sgt.  to  xst  Lk.  Bfardi  xy, 
X864 ;  to  Capt.  Nov.  6,  X864.  Mualensd  out 
with  Co.  June  x,  X865. 


Promoted  to  Capt.  Co.  G  Junt  xa,  1863. 

Wo«indcd  at  Gettysburg.  Pa*.  July  a,  x8^.  Pro- 
moted from  ao  Lt.  Co.  IC  Jan.  la,  1863,  to 
Capt.  Co.  C  Jan.  ao,  1864. 

Aug.  9.  *6a  I   ''   ^Promoted  from  Sgt.  Co.  G  Nor.  x6,  18649  and 

to  Capt.  Co.  F  May  x,  X865. 

Aug.  13. '621   "    Promoted  from  xst  ^t.  Co.  A  May  19, 1865. 
'  Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  x,  1865. 

I        ' 
Aug.  23,  '6a     "    Promoted  to  xst  Lt.  Co  C  Sep.  ao.  x8<b. 


.Vma. 

;^. 

£•«/- 

Jrt.«  J.  Thoni. 

<dLi. 

Auj.  .J.  ■*. 

J<«phF««» 

..iSp. 

AvB.  .J,  -la 

Alf™l  MtQu«B 

Loh  R.  VuHkfTift 

Soc 

At,.  J.  -4. 
Aug.  ...-fa 

ch«i«r,8»» 

- 

Au(..3.-6. 

Itevid  Y.  MnttrMjer 

- 

Au(.  6,  ■*. 

S  r.   Liiil«n(»ck 

- 

Aug.  I,  '6i 

Ea-«J  V<nin» 

■' 

Aug.  ;.  -<> 

K«I>«1  McKlAlcr 

Corti. 

Aug.  7.  •£• 
Aug.../*. 

Jutin  McMllltn 

■• 

Aug. ,,  ■«. 

Ku(h  HxTkiiLt 

■■ 

Aug   f ,  ■*. 

" 

Aog-  9.  -to 

Bogonix  P.  Cb. 

■■ 

Ab,.  ,.  ■«. 

Th.^m.i  U.  Wa«]> 

■■ 

A.^.  .3,  ■«. 

John  D.  Y«ii( 

Ayg.«,fa 
Aug.... -fa 

Ei»m.u  [>.  IC<!llr 

Aug..«.ft. 

l>*vi<l  P.  Wmy 

" 

A«g. .»,-«. 

JllMUlKjHit 

A«|. ...  ■*. 

1  .«»tr  (ilnwi 

■■ 

A..i.u.'t» 

Rlbin  T«iiw,ih 

■' 

A.«.  ii.'«> 

_           _«liiKy'>MlU>.V..,Feb  «,  iMs. 
York,  it 
^ouodnl  ■!  ShvpbcrdkUlwn,  W,  V«..S*PiMk.  ■ 
.Ua.     DocrHd  Uuch  ..  i»6-  -•  •' '-"      ' 


DiwlmifBd  far  tUuUIHr  iOf  I 


De«ncd  JuTW 


>.,  Hit  *■  ■*»<• 


.  iMj,  Aiul  ■gain  MAfr 


i.'U  by  G.  C.  H  Jul.  »}. 'Mi  -  •™- 
lo'dmy  Ffb  6,  116^    Thtre  It  BO 
r^oined  hli  cofnffluid. 
Dsenol  Sep.  >»,  tWi.  al  Shu^buig,  Md, 
Tramfcmtl  to  Co.  I.  >Mb  Risl.  V.  R  C-.  Utt. 
'3.  •«e4.     DiKhugEd  by  G».  Onkr  JuM 
19.  ■»!. 
Kitkd  m  PeinUug,  Va.,  Juir  it.  iKt. 

^  11  Sh'phtnkloan,  W.  Vi..  S«.  b, 
Miuleml  iml  June  t,  iU|,  wtlll  d^ 
cnl  HI  Wuhlngl^,  D.  C. 

4  u  Pdenboig.  Vl.  Uv.  n.  itfa. 
tH  ni  Mw  >t.  itAi.  la  <tH*  May  d, 
.il*hiU.,l*. 


tRKhM   Hi»    P>unt»«,   Vs.      BiuM  i» 


—  690  — 


Names. 


Theodore  Beardslee 

William  Jones 

Thomas  Burroughs 
Anderson,  Matthew 
Andrews,  Joseph 

Arbuckle,  Samuel 
Banks,  James  M. 
Baker,  Edward  E. 
Baker,  Charles  C. 
Barry,  John  P. 


Bastin,  Julius 

Beals,  Granville  W. 

Bellermere,  William 
Bruce,  Geoi^ge  W. 
Bums,  John 

Bums,  John  C. 


Cameron,  Alexander 

Carr,  Charles  H. 
Carr,  John  G. 

Casteldine,  James 
Collins,  George  W. 

Collins,  John 
Conaughton,  Patrick 
Cue,  Jacob  H. 
Cunningham,  Saml. 

Croery,  Joseph  M. 
Devcnny,  John 

Dick,  Hcnr>'  C. 
Dixon,  Robert 


Rank. 


Corpl. 


ff 


Mus. 
Private 


(« 

ff 
«f 
*t 
ff 
f« 


(f 

f« 
«f 
ff 

ff 

<c 

ff 
ff 

t( 
f  ( 

ff 
ff 
(« 
ff 


t( 


Enrol-' 
nunt. 


Aug.  2,  '6a 

Aug.  x8,  '63 

Aug.  X,  '62 
Aug.  13,  '62 
July  15,  '63 


Aug.  Z2,  '62 

Aug.  7,  '62 

Aug.  12,  '62 

Aug.  12,  '63 
Aug.  14,  '62 


Aug.  14,  '62 

Oct.  14,  '63 

Aug.  zx,  '62 
Aug.  7,  '62 
July  X5,  '63 

Aug.  12, '62 

Aug.  7,  '6a 

Aug.  iz,'62 
Aug.  X3, '62 

Aug.  II,  '62 
Aug.  31,  '63 

Aug.  xo,  '63 
July  20,  '63 
Aug.  14,  '62 

Aug.  Z2,'63 
Aug.  12,  '62 

Aug.  14, '62 

Aug.  7,  '62 
Aug.  13,  '62 


ff 
«f 
ft 

ff 
t« 
ff 


«f 


ft 


ff 


ff 


« 
tt 


Mustered  out  June  6,  1865^  en  Deuchix^ent 
Muster-out  rou  at  Washixigton,  D.  C. 

Drafted.  Transferred  to  Co.  F,  gxst  Rcgt.  P. 
v.,  June  X,  1865. 

Discharged  Aug.  5, 1862,  at  Phila.,  Pa. 

Died  OcL  x,  1862,  at  Phila.,  Pa. 

Substitute  alias  Joseph  Solomon.  Transferred 
to  9xst  Regt.  P.  V.  as  deserter.  May  X4, 
1864. 

Mustered  out  with  Co.  Jtme  x,  1865. 

Mustered  out  witli  Co.  June  x,  1865. 

Deserted  June  26,  X863,  on  the  march. 

Promoted  to  Regtl.  Com.  Sgt.  Oct.  aa,  i86a. 

Wounded  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  ao, 
1 86a.  Transferred  to  Co.  A,  a4th  Regt.  V. 
R.  C.,  Oct.  XI,  1864.  Discharged  by  G«n. 
Order  June  a8,  1865. 

Discharged  for  disability  Feb.  a6, 1863,  at  Camp 
Convsuesccnt,  Va. 

Drafted.  Captured  at  Weldon  R.  R.  Aug.  ax, 
1864.     No  record  of  death  or  discharge. 

Deserted  Aug.  15,  1862,  at  Phila.,  Pa. 

Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  x,  1865. 

Drafted.  Deserted  May  i,  1864,  at  Beverly  Ford, 
Va. 

Wounded  a*  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  Dec.  I3ui86a. 
Deserted  Feb.  14, 1863,  from  hoapiul  at  Phila., 
Pa. 

Discharged  for  disability  Jan.  27, 1863,  at  Phila., 
Pa. 

Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  x,  1865. 

Captured,  date  unknown.  Transferred  to  Co. 
H,  ist  Regt.  V.  R.  C,  Dec.  8, 1863. 

Killed  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,Sep.  20,  1862 

Drafted.  Wounded  at  Peebles'  Farm  Sep.  i«>, 
1864.  Transferred  to  Co.  F,  91st  Regt,  P.  V., 
June  X,  1865. 

Drafted.  Died  Nov.  27,  1863,  in  Libby  Prison, 
Richmond,  Va. 

Drafted.  Discharged  Dec.  18,  1863,  per  S.  O 
560,  War  Dept.    Alien,  not  subject  to  draft. 

Deserted  Mar.  10, 1864,  from  hospital  at  Phila., 
Pa. 

Wounded  in  action  Aug.  xa,  1864.  Mustered 
out  with  Co.  June  i,  1865. 

Deserted  Aug.  15,  1862,  at  Phila.,  Pa. 

Wounded  at  Shrpherdsiown ,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  20, 
1862.     Deserted  June  27,  1863,  on  the  march. 

Killed  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,St;p.  20.  1863. 

'Deserted  Feb.  ao,  1863,  at  Phila.,  Pa. 


-691   - 


A—u. 

^«*.  1      ^ 

,T 

li 

D»n.John 

PrifK! 

July. 

,■6) 

^ 

Dr.ft^d,    Tniuftmd  (0  Co.  F,  »UI  Ktgt.  P. 

Dg*d.  MMtlo  V. 

" 

Ocl. 

J. -63 

Drafud.    Opiu'nl  11  Cold  Harboi.  Va..  June 
1.  186*.    Tmcfrmd  to  Co.  F,  o.»  Regi.  P. 

FunUJohn 

■■ 

Au«, 

J.  "fa 

Miutentd  wi  wlih  Co.  Jun*  i,  iG6i. 

r«,««™.;ohnt 

" 

Au,. 

J. '6. 

- 

DactlBl  Ju«  .6.  .Mj.  «™r  AlJie.  Vt 

Fmi..J.mo 

■■ 

Am. 

j/6t 

■■ 

Wotindol  ar  P«bl>'i  Pi>nn,V>..  S«p.  jo.  1S64. 
Diichn^Ed   rur  diubtllty   Stp,  i,  lUj,  « 

rwn,  Piuitk 

■■ 

S=p.. 

.■t, 

" 

Dnflcd.     Prl»>iKt  fnm  Mty  ii,  lU*.  n>  Feb. 

},  iM}.    Mutiind  ou<  Jmh  a,  i««t.  on  Indii. 

FlamliiK.  WUllwn 

■• 

Au<. 

,'«> 

■■ 

MinuRd  out  wllb  Co.  Juni  1,  i8«i. 

Fry.  John  M. 

Aug, 

3.'«> 

■' 

MtuHRd  oui  win-  Co.  June  1,  lUf 

tim...  John 

Aug.. 

,'(a 

Au,. 

.■»• 

Hannvc,  AIAhI 

Aug. 

.'«• 

Aug.  .,.  .W,. 

Hw«)-.  WlUliio 

" 

J<iiyM.-8) 

Tniufcrred  to  Co.  F.  4..1  Ke^t  P  V.'.  Jw 

H.rti,  DsnnU 

" 

Sep.  B,  -6, 

DnkfKd.    UiKhjugBl  Fch.  9C,  iWt,  by  aider 
of  See.  of  Wm. 

HoirfflMn,J<*n 

" 

Aug, 

4.'«> 

OiKHarna  for  Nubility  AptU  i«,  tMj,  ntsr 

F<lnH>lh.  Vi. 

«oi.«J.J«.a[J, 

" 

"■•■ 

j'6> 

"  ■'TSf:^'-,'-' " "»""'■ '^ 

Kiakui,  WUIUO 

July. 

.■«3 

"    Dn^.    lJ-en.d  Aug.  i6,  tl^  u  fctolr 

J-na,  H.rrr 

Aug. 

'6i 

-     Dncmdtki  i(,  iBa3.MSh!ifti.b«ri.  Md. 

K«b,  H«ry 

Aug., 

.■*> 

Ki..i[.  WlUUn. 

Aug.:* 

.■6) 

■'   [onifttJ.    1«B.f«iBlii.li<N.T^Miy],i»64, 

K«pp.H=«y 

" 

o«.< 

.■6| 

K  a  iBCan!  si  d.acbiitga. 

L.nc-i«.ll«<m 

A«g,. 

.'fa 

■■l-^^eSift^S: 

L«<ir.  WiliL.m 

Aug.. 

■'*' 

V  iTH.NiiH  nuHiih.  lun.    Aulfiw]  frnm  .irf  P  V.. 
[Mt  li.  iM,.  10  mtkc  pnl  ilm*  1  ii  by  dt. 

1      k«li»l        MutURduUltlilllHlKI'lu.1  lUlUM- 

Loiky.  M.nin 

Ckl    1 

.-ftl 

J    Dnltad.    LtEKHHlSer   lA.iKAt.si  l-hlU.ri 

laion,  John 

S.p. 

■») 

1     Fvrd.V. 

UiurtobMli.  Wn,  r.        " 

1 

Sffp. 

■«> 

"    [>r>fi*d     KliM  <i  Pccnn't  Pim.  Va..»«r 

U«Um,  »*t*n      I      "       Ora.  .J.  '«j 

l«vCT.  WiUUB.  H. 

■■ 

Aug.. 

.'fa 

" 

Wnindtd  »i  Wil^'ctm.,  V...  llty  |.  iM*. 
M'l-i^^td'HOwlthO.  jHwi.tUt 

—  692  — 


jV-W., 

Aam*. 

t 

«■  'ii 

Uw..y,John 

Pri«E. 

jdT 

S,'63 

' 

^thZfB?'^'''^''''^^"'^^ 

Xoynd,  ThomM 

" 

Aug. 

4,-6j 

'■ 

D«nfd  0«.  .J.  .86j, »  Phit...  P.. 

Aug. 

7.  ■&> 

Muiund  out  wilb  Co.  Ju«  I ,  iKj. 

«ait>m  SylvdicT 

Aug. 

3/fc 

V>.,NJay  }.  <»4-  Bimtd  io  Naliofal  Ccmo- 
llry.  Loudon  pM-k,  Baltimore,  Md. 

»toiii.Jeh™ 

J.dy 

i=.'5) 

j     .rtyForf.V,, 
•'   'Tntaltntd  10  i34ft>  Co.,>d  Biiulion  V.  R.  C, 

Mill^.Thomw 

■■ 

Aug. 

3.'*« 

Muiphy.Joho 

" 

Aw. 

S/S" 

■'  'l)iKharBe<iF.b-g7.i«i3,(btdi«KUly«Phil»., 

Uumy.  Robtn 

Aug, 

6, 'fa 

.. 

WO-T,  J.B,= 

" 

July 

S.'Sj 

" 

-S  v."-""  »"-"■■"'•""-" 

McCo.ktT,J.niB 

" 

Aug. 

i.-e. 

DitctiBrtldDnSuigeon'lccnilicaKOcl.  i^iUi, 

McCeyn,  Tbomu 

" 

July 

S.'<3 

SubilltuK.    Tn»l«Ted  10  Co.  F,  $til  Regl. 

McDeviLt.Ch.r1e> 

Aug. 

J.'6" 

'■ 

Di.th=rgtd  for  diubllily  Nov.  .8.  .86,,  lo  (h>ot 
of  Pnmhurg.  Va, 

McGltnn.  Hugh 

Aug. 

e,'6i> 

" 

iS4>.    Mu.».«l  dui  M.y  ]o.  .Ms,  01.  Ti»)i- 

McClehiey,  Andnw 

" 

Aug. 

..'«. 

•■ 

Mu.«n»Joul,LO.Co.Juoe,..8«,. 

McLiughllD,  E«-d. 

Aug. 

^.■«3 

" 

^s!;:^i..'V,?^.^ir,t'-.5^''~'"'^™ 

McM«u.,H.MT 

" 

Aii«- 

a,-fo 

promoted  To  SecR.  Co.  B.OcI.  .,  1H3. 

mcq™i.  wan™ 

" 

Aug. 

7.'»" 

'■ 

Diicr«w:dfordiMbi1ilyD«.  i9,iB«.,»lPhll»., 

B-i.-n™.j»u™ 

■• 

Aug. 

j.-fe 

.. 

Cfclty.  DunW 

" 

Aug. 

=,•6. 

Muiler*d  out-ilh  Co,  JuiK  >,  .Mi. 

Olii.  John 

Aug. 

,,'63 

" 

Doencd  Sep.  i,  iMi,  11  Phlb..  Fg. 

Pukei,  JaOHi  B. 

Aug. 

a, -fa 

Mu.Kr«l  oul  »ia.  Co.  Ju«  <,  .B6s. 

Peberdy,  Samuel 

Aug. 

..■6. 

Mu.letcd  oui  wiih  Co.  JuK  .,  .»Ss. 

Peopla.  WiUi-m, 

Aug. 

J. -fa 

" 

1M3.  rTDin  Camp  Parole,  Md. 

PtrkLia,  WmUuD 

Aug. 

♦.■fa 

" 

DiKharged  fordiiabiUiy  0«.  tg.  .Bi5...t  Phila., 
Pa. 

Pty»n,  John 

•■ 

Aug. 

..- 

- 

,.«Rrg..  p.  V„Juae.,.8«J. 

PhllliiB,  Edw^d  A. 

-        ■  A„B. 

9, '6> 

Killed  aiShcphcidiiown.  W.  Va.Sep.  ao,.Mi. 

Aug 

B,-63 

■■ 

-693  - 


Ntmu,. 

Eami. 

£ii>W 

1^ 

3 

QulBB,John 

Pnvue 

July  >%. 

~i 

Su(«Iiiuic.  Tnniftnwi  lo  the  N*vy  M,iy  3, 
1864. 

Keedw.EliwT. 

■• 

Ant,  14. 

6. 

" 

"S'sr/a.-ua.- "—>•'■■• 

UhondJoKphH. 

AuKi. 

6t 

" 

Capiund.  d>u  unknown.  DewrKd  May  1. 
iMj,  (ion.  Cnoip  PuoJe.  Md, 

R,th,rd«o,;<*D 

■■ 

Aug.,. 

6t 

■• 

Muuentl  oul  mill  Co.  June  1,  itij. 

Klrtey. John 

" 

Au».  ». 

6i 

■' 

Dluhjirgtd  rot  dlublUly  Jan.  36, 1863.  al  Phlla. , 

Riley,  Thomu 

Au,,  .J. 

- 

on  inntpoD  -Billlc''  Nor.  14.  iBOt. 

kllei.  Dcoise 

■■ 

Ao,,  1, 

«> 

" 

Mu.ier«d  uiii  vlth  Co.  Ju«  ..  .Ml. 

R^M.,  l«orfe 

July  .1. 

«} 

" 

eHy  Fo/d,  V,. 

SiMlin.  Solomon 

" 

OtLM, 

6. 

Shermu,  Thmnat 

" 

July  ■!. 

t) 

■■ 

Subuiiuie.  De«ened  April  «.  1964,  iwr  Bc^ 
eri»  Ford.  Vi. 

Snaib,  Gllbot 

" 

July  .3. 

6) 

■• 

DnSud.  Pri«ner  from  Aug,  ..,  19*4,  toMnr. 
nil  rail  June  6,  lUj, »  Annapolli,  Md. 

Snllh.Wlllt.mM. 

" 

A«.  ■•. 

»• 

■■ 

DeKRed  Feb.  .6,  .»J,  >1  PWL...  P.. 

Ssrdir,  Zm.  E. 

" 

0«   14. 

•3 

" 

Snw,  II»Ttr  K. 

Au,,  „, 

e> 

- 

Si«.n.J.o». 

A.K..3. 

t> 

ng>  known.  He  U  .Fponed  A»tr  ^.  ■««,. 
D«^t>d  u  nun  In  huplBl.  Vkll*.  dm 

Slocklon.  Durio 

Aug.  ,3, 

6. 

Wirm  Suiilon,  v.. 

TnoB,  AITrtd 

Aug.  ,, 

6, 

Dlwhirgsd   fat  dtubilltv    Feb,    la.    iM*,  >i 

W.lion.  Willlu.  S. 

" 

Au«,7, 

h 

Died  Dec,  J7 6f  wounds  tWdsI  Fr«)nnrk.hu.(, 
Vi.,  Ucc.  13.  1B61.     Biuied  In  Kliliury  Aiy 

lumCemeierj.D,  C 

waiun,  Theodore 

•• 

Aug.  I.. 

6) 

Wil»n,  WUKu. 

.. 

At>g  tt, 

fi* 

- 

Died  D«,  1*.  iMj.  .1  Wuhington,  0  C. 

WwlAeld,  Thot,  J, 

■  ■ 

Aug.*. 

6i 

MuMcndoul  vllhCo  Junei.iUt 

W«.dhe«I,  John 

" 

«t 

DtMbav"!  C"  diutriUiy  Ju.  6.  >U|,  >■  Pklli., 

Woodxud.JohoF, 

" 

Ocl.  t), 

ej 

Vn...  Ji*o  &. 

Ami*. 

6< 

Woui.d»d  .1  Sl.tlA»fd.r..-n,  W.  V.  .Sepw. 

V,  R  C„  l>«,  .0,  .Mj  Uwhi.^  b,  Uu. 
Ort.,  June  ^  ,i«,. 

Voun«.  Thtodoii! 

'■ 

J"tr  .4. 

., 

" 

Au,,,. 

^ 

nHm«i  Antil  n.  iMt.  fc»  CMP  Pudfc  Hd. 

I 


:i 


'! 


I     i' 


I     I 

I 

I 


\    ! 


—    694    — 

COMPANY  "C- 


Nam«s, 


Dendy  Sharswood 
James  B.  Wibon 

Lemuel  L.  Crocker 
Horace  Binney 


Henry  T.  Peck 

Frank  McCutchen 
Henry  Conner 

C.  W.  Waiingmyer 


George  W.  Williams 
John  Hays,  Jr. 

George  Windle 
James  B.  Noble 
Charles  Mickel 

Nathaniel  Bayne 
William  £.  Larrison 

Joseph  Ashbrook 

James  J.  Donnelly 

John  Michcner 
Edward  M.  Remick 

John  C.  Davis 
George  H.  Red 

Christian  Rau 
Charles  Zachringer 
Robert  Manes* 


Rank. 


Capt. 


« 


zst  Lt. 


f( 


f« 


ad  Lt. 


•« 


zst  Sgt. 


(f 


Sergt. 


« 


f( 


(t 


Corpl. 


<i 


« 


f( 


II 


f< 


Enrol- 
mtnt. 


Aug.  16/63 
Aug.  5,  '63 

Aug.  16/62 
Aug.  33,  '6a 


Aug.  9,  '6a 

Sep.  13,  '63 
Aug.  5,  '6a 

Aug.  6,  '6a 


Ai^.  ix/6a 
Aug.  4,  '63 

Aug.  z/6a 
Aug.  13,  '6a 

Aug.  13,  '63 

Aug.  7,  '63 
Aug.  7,  '63 

Aug.  4,  *63 
Aug.  7,  '63 

Aug.  13, '63 

Aug.  6,  *6a 
Aug.  5,  '63 

Aug.  zi,  '63 

Aug.  9,  '63 

Aug.  zz,'63 

Aug.  Z3,'63 


3 
«< 


Died  at  Phila.,  Pa.,  Nov.  so,  1863. 

Promoted  from  ist  Lt.  Co.  B  June  ao,  1864;  ap. 
Bv.-Major  Sep.  30,  1864.  Mustered  out  wiu 
Co.  June  z,  Z865. 

Promoted  to  Capt.  of  Co.  K  Sep.  ao,  1862. 

Promoted  from  ad  Lt.  Co.  B  Sep.  90, 1862.  Hon. 
dischaiged  April  8,  z86jj,  per  S.  O.  x6i,  A.  G. 
O.,  and  restored  by  S.  O.  Z76,  A.  G.  O.,  April 
17,  Z863.    Promoted  to  Capt.  Co.  D  Aug.  9, 

Promoted  from  Sgt. -Major  Aug.  zi,  1864. 
Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  x,  1865. 

Resigned  Sep.  4,  Z863. 

Promoted  from  Sgt.  Co.  G  Jan.  19, 1864,  to  zst 
Lt.  Co.  H  Dec  3z,  Z864. 

Captured  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  ao, 
x86a.  Commissioned  ad  Lt.  April  90,  1865. 
Not  mustered.  Mustered  out  with  Co.  Juae 
I,  1865. 

Promoted  to  zst  Lt.  Co.  I  Aug.  zz,  Z864. 

Captured  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  ao, 
z863.     Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  i,  1865. 

Killed  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,Sep.  ao,  x86a. 

Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  z,  Z865. 

Promoted  to  Corpl.  Jan.  z,  Z863.  Mustered  oat 
with  Co.  June  z,  Z865. 

Transferred  to  Co.  I  Jan.  i,  X863. 

Captured  at  Shepherdstewn,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  ao, 
1863.  Deserted  Jan.  z,  Z863,  from  Camp 
Parole,  Md. 

Wounded  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  so, 
z86a.     Promoted  sd  Lt.  Co.  K  Mar.  a6,  Z863. 

Promoted  to  Sgt.  Jan.  so,  t864 ;  to  zst  Lt,  Co. 

D  May  1,  1865. 

Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  z,  Z865. 

Promoted  to  Corpl.  Jan.  x,  1863.  Mustered  out 
with  Co.  June  z,  1865. 

Promoted  to  Corpl.  Jan.  x,  Z863.  Wounded  at 
Rappahannock  Sution,  Va.,  Nov.  7,  X863. 
Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  t,  Z865. 

Promoted  to  Corpl.  Jan.  if  i^3'  Wounded  and 
captured  at  Weldon  R.  K.,  Va.,  Aug.  az,  1864. 
Died  while  on  furlough  Mar.  z8,  Z865. 

Wounded  at  Peeble's  Farm,  Va.,  Sep.  30,  1864. 
Mustered  out  June  6,  1865,  on  Individual 
Muster-out  roll  at  Washington,  D.  C. 

Wounded  at  Five  Forks,  Va.,  Mar.  3X,  X865. 
Diftcharged  for  di.sability  Sep.  9.  1865,  at 
Phila.,  Pa. 

Wounded  and  captured  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  llaj 
5.  1865.     No  further  record. 


*  His  grave  was  found  by  a 
home  and  buried  at  Hatboro', 


reporter  near  Oranfe  Court-House,  in  z866,  and  his  body  bronsjht 
Pa. 


AUxHi. 

««>J. 

Enm- 

y 

lu«  H.  Smhohi 

C«pl 

A-,.  ..  -6. 

» 

iWa.    pFDBUiridwScl-MajerJan  (,  iMi. 

S.i>>utlWMKn 

" 

Aug.  1., 'ft. 

" 

-S£.:N''-i.r'4"S'.E:'-'*'^ 

" 

A«|,  ...  -6. 

" 

Dlacharnd  Jaa.  ii.  iW].  ai  Phila..  Pa.,  for 

ChulaT.  Ridmrdi 

" 

Au,.s,'6. 

■' 

-sa-^^n^aiail-fe-vii-.^: 

Wn.  P.  McUuthU- 

Auc.  9.  -6. 

■■ 

fr«ii  C>°>p  Pirok.  Md                         ' 

"JOMltall"  WlU 

" 

A>».),-e. 

" 

Died  gf  wuuula  rw'd  ai  ton  Mi:K«.Va..Uct. 

Si,S'b"c'T£S.?,"S.»."'l,"tefe 

CcDTctW.  K«n 

•• 

A«»...,-e. 

" 

Muauml  <M  wlch  Co.  Ju<»  >.  >Mt. 

BaUy.  Ephnim 

PHym 

A««.  .).'«. 

" 

■lPI>>U..|-4. 

Bakfl.  Kebcn 

" 

A«i.  0. '«. 

" 

BaW.r-.cJ, 

■ 

July  ■!.  -ftj 

■' 

t>raftfd.    Capai><-l>.>arBuhMUa>t.rch,V... 

Rtrbki,  G«Hte  H. 

" 

A.«.  9.  -6. 

" 

lUj.  11  Poini  Loo^ul.  Ud 

Bubki.MB 

Au|.  ;,  ■*. 

RtlutDcd  to  doty  frnm  hoapital.  Mar.  >.  i»s, 
and  «U.CB1  »  a  M.b.<lluH  m  »t>b  P.  V7. 

j,Mi«  ,««.^ot  i^'j.H'"  "";j>;,**»w  N" 

Drtck.ll«il>i 

" 

Au«.  9.  -6i 

" 

tMHtKd  JoH  i6,  lUi,  »  nnh  u  Owyv 

Brown,  G™r<»  H 

■■ 

A-i.  1,  '6. 

Br™...J<*mJ, 

Au,.  1.  -ta 

DwiW  D«.  ».  lUl.al  PhlU..  Pa. 

Bryant,  Thunia* 

„ 

Aui.  ..  -6. 

.. 

DnDnl.     D.ed  luiK  ^  tV^,  .hilt  on  furlmxti. 

onl  Hi  death  and  InwmKDt  .hom  hin  tur- 
rifduJoulhanBryani, 
Diachuiad  OB  Suision-i   unlOuU  lu.  wt. 
lUj,  nou  Fuliomilh.  Va, 

ll,.m».J.ma 

A..R.  ,.  -61 

ll„,.„u,h.,J.n,«F 

" 

Aua  .j.'«. 

" 

ooikn.,^1     l>*th.ri«H»G«.OrdttJuly 

Auk-  .,  -6. 

tkr.^B 

Ji.lv  .;,  -ft) 

•■    llWafBd      DW  N<«,   .,  <K|,  <J-  «u»d.  -MM 

Cohui,  ;oliB 

July  .,.  -St 

"    Suhuioit..     K>lkdu5|i<>tuylT<ul>C.H..Vi.. 
M.y  ■>.  .IIW 

CoUiM,  J>i«. 

July  ■»,■*» 

"!^;;s!'?^sr*-'^'-'^-'^ 

i  1 

'.'  i 

:    i 

'  i 

1  ■ 
i: 

1 

1 

«    I 

I 


—  696  — 


Nmmtt, 


Collins,  Lewis  B. 
Conklin,  William  E. 

Creese,  Thomas 

Crowley,  John  C. 

Danhan,  Jason 
Davenport,  Chas.  H. 

DeBuck,  Edmund 
Dick,  George  W. 
Dougherty,  Thos.  F. 

Downey,  David 

Daval,  Basset 

Dyer,  George  W. 
Dyer,  Robert  B. 

Edwards,  William 
Fielding,  John 

Folger,  Uriah 

Fralcy,  John  P. 

France,  Adam  J. 
Fries,  Richard  P. 

Gifibrd,  Alden 

Giles,  Henry 

Graham,  William 

Gray,  William  E. 

Hammer,  Jacob 
Helverston,  Samuel 
Henderson,  Thos.  J. 
Hewlett,  John 
Hilton,  William  J. 
HUl,  Edmund  B. 


Rank. 


Private 


<« 


«( 


« 

«< 
« 
«< 

« 

<c 
« 

(( 

f  ( 

«l 
f« 

(« 

<l 

(f 

f( 

« 

« 


Enrol' 

3 

mtnt. 

Aug.  7,  '6a 

Aug.  la,  '6a 

«« 

July  30,  '63 

<« 

Sep.  34,  '63 

Dec.  z,  '6a 
Aug.  xa,  '6a 

Aug.  6,  '6a 
Aug.  5,  '6a 
Aug.  7,  '6a 

Aug.  6,  '6a 

Aug.  7,  '6a 

Aug.  II, '6a 
Aug.  I  a,  '6a 

Aug.  5,  *(n 
Aug.  zi,  '6a 

July  15,  63 

Aug.  6,  '6a 

Aug.  9,  '62 
Aug.  5,  '6a 

July  17,  '63 

Aug.  12,  '6a 

July  30,  '63 

Aug.  ia,'62 

Aug.  8,  *62 
Aug.  XI,  '6a 
July  15,  '63 
Aug.  8,  '62 
Aug.  9,  '6a 

Aug.  14,  '6a 


Cf 

«« 


<« 


«f 


(( 


(( 


(( 


<< 


Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  x,  1865. 

Discharged  for  disability  Feb.  ai,  1863,  at  Camp 
ConvsHescent,  Va. 

Substitute.  Discharged  May  i,  1864,  by  order 
of  War  Dept.     Transferred  to  the  Navy. 

Substitute.  Prisoner  from  June  a,  1864,  to  AprO 
a^,  1863.  Mustered  out  June  5,  1865,  on  In- 
dividual Muster-out  roll  at  Phila.,  Pa. 

Deserted  May  ao,  1863,  near  Falmouth,  Va. 

Wounded  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  so, 
186a.  Deserted.  Returned.  Transferred  to 
Co.  C,  9i8t  Regt.  P.  v.,  June  i,  1865. 

Promoted  to  Sgt.-Major  Aug.  6,  i86a. 

Killed  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  ao,  1863. 

Deserted  Sep.  la,  i86a,  on  march  from  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.,  to  Rockville,  Md. 

Captured  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  ao, 
1 86a.     Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  x,  1865. 

Captured  at  Shepherdstown^^  W.  Va.,  Sep.  ao, 

1862.  Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  i,  1865. 

Killed  at  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  Dec  13,  1862. 

Wounded  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  8,  1864. 
Mustered  out  with  Detachment  May  97,  186$, 
to  date  May  a6,  1865,  at  Phila.,  Pa. 

Killed  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,Sep.  ao,  1863. 

Captured  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  ao, 
x86a.     Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  x,  1865. 

Substitute.  Discharged  May  x,  1864,  by  order 
of  War  Dept.     Transferred  to  the  Navy. 

Captured  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  ao, 
i86a.     Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  x,  i8i65. 

Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  i,  1865. 

Deserted.  Returned.  Transferred  to  Co.  C, 
91st  Regt.  P.  v.,  June  i,  1865. 

Drafted.     Discharged  for  disability  Nov.   ao, 

1863,  neur  Kelly's  Ford,  Va. 

Discharged  for  disability  Sep.  3, 1863,  at  Phila., 
Pa. 

Substitute.  Discharged  May  i,  1864,  by  order 
of  War  Dept,     Transferred  to  the  Navy. 

Discharged  for  disability  Feb.  9,  1863,  near 
Falmouth,  Va. 

Killed  at  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  Dec.  13,  z86a. 

Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  i,  1865. 

Deserted  Mar.  a8,  1864,  while  on  furlough. 

Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  i,  1865. 

Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  i,  1865. 

Transferred  from  Co.  D  Mar.  1,  1863.  De- 
serted April  29,  18C3,  on  the  march  to  Chan- 
ccllorsvillc,  Va. 


Kmma. 

A«A. 

Bmnl- 

|5 

HBflw.JohnD. 

Privuc 

Auf.  8,  'fa 

! 

baii,  Md. 

HuMk,  Chaila  T. 

■■ 

AiiB.  B,  'fci 

- 

"a-.siSfcS;*.':.';.-,',^-'"- 

B™o.Willmn.C. 

'■ 

*>,«....■«. 

" 

"BiCTi-s.^.Tsis.a.s.'^ 

j»y«.j«,« 

" 

Aug,  i..t. 

UlKhugHl  on  SuiWfln'i   ceniacau  Jiu.  w. 

J»b.OB.  Ulu 

Aug.  ij.  -e" 

(Japiuiot  It  Cotd  Mjirboc,  Vl,  Jutw  >,  136<. 

JshiHm.  Ubyeltc 

" 

Feb-<7.-*l 

Klock,  Homu  A. 

" 

A.t.  r,  ■«. 

l>i«h«(«l   en   Suigeon'i   ccruGcMe   Jan.   (9, 

Knocklc,  ruuip 

■■ 

Aoi.  7,  'bi 

■■ 

ft.  j:>,ts;«r  "•■••"  "*'""•• 

K«™,  Edw«d  M. 

.. 

Au<.  1.  'Oi 

Mu«<nd  ou>  vllh  Co.  JuK  1.  >Us. 

U*«.  Niihiiuci 

■■ 

July  J,  ■«, 

■e^.    DI^»g«Jfordlubll(iyA|>riJ.s,,fe,. 

L«.li«..T 

" 

AuR.«.'<* 

■• 

>M.H.  iM-s 

UKucJoho 

*'♦  .J.  ■». 

" 

V.R  C..tX;l,,!,.,.6j.     D*Ju.p-Ibx(Ao. 

UiBU.  Suial  t 

" 

Auc.  7.'<* 

i:sn.^  ■■■■"•■'"- "•—'^ 

Huuoa,  a»ria  B. 

- 

Ai«   ri/f. 

tliuicrcdcui  oilb  Cd.Jiuk  >,  iKAs. 

Mill«.J.ub&, 

" 

Aug  >.,'«) 

C*pi>ii«J  »  Culd  Hiiboi  Jui-c  1,  .eb,.     Hu- 

Hwn,  lr*iii  C 

A.HI,  ,,■», 

iKi.     Died  May  ■>.  1II64,  >l  FntkrickiUlIS. 

S;."'-— ■'»■'"—■  "••"•'^ 

Mi.b.w.  fci»«d 

Ai«.  Il.'ti 

"£3lSlSSa«»*« 

*lcCoy,  Rqbcn 

Ai*  »,  -ft. 

U<FJty«ir,  -I'bM. 

■' 

Aucii,-6. 

■■ 

Mu.iM«l  wil  ^tb  Co.  ;mc  1,  lUs. 

..KW.JuliuJ. 

" 

Auc.S.'(. 

" 

pjyi..,W(m.»J, 

AmtB.'** 

•■ 

UiM»«i  MI  „rt  Co,  ;u» .,  >ui. 

i'.mM.Wiiii«i 

'■ 

A«g.,,'6. 

il«,.    ('>i>iunJiiCuldtUrU>iJ..ni*.  tM«. 

Hinilm,  Jniut 

■■ 

July  n. -Si 

■■ 

i»6t    Kd  bnbM  iTr<"4. 

Julyn,-«l     ■■    Dnftnl.  Tni»(Hmlu)Cu.C,a»tRc(I'P-*'-. 


698  — 


N»mts, 


Rau,  Frederick 

Ream,  John 

Reel,  Henry  B. 

Rice,  Peter 
Riley,  Thomas 
Roulin,  Anthony 
Sandgram,  M.,  Jr. 

Shearer,  Daniel 
Shinn,  Mordecai 

Shuler,  Isaac  J. 

Shuler,  William 

Smith,  John  R. 

Smith,  Thornton 
Snyder,  Howard 

Snyder,  Joseph,  Jr. 

South  wick,  Charles 
Steiner,  Henry 

Stewart,  Joseph  B. 

Sthadtler,  Daniel 

Swope,  William  R. 
Teal,  Levi 

Thomas,  John 

Thompson,  H.  W. 

Thompson,  Thomas 
Turner,  William 


Rank. 


Enrol- 
ment. 


r     m. 


Private. :  Aug.  9,  '63 
July  13,  '63 
Aug.  13,  '6a 


<t 


<« 


f( 


tt 


tt 


tt 


It 


tt 


It 
tt 


€t 


tt 


tt 
tt 


tt 


Nov.  1,  '62 
July  IS,  '63 
Dec.  zz,  '63 
Aug.  Z3,  '6a 

Aug.  7,  '62 
July  Z3.  '63 

Aug.  7,  '6a 

Aug.  6,  '6a 

Sep.  84,  '63 

Oct.  27,  '62 
Aug.  zz,  '62 

July  17,  '63 

Aug.  zi,'62 
Aug.  5,  '62 

July  24,  '6j 

Nov.  12, '63 

Aug.  8,  '62 
Aug.  Z3,'62 

Oct.  Z3,'62 

Dec.  5,  '62 

July  15,  '63 

Aug.  7,  '62 


tt 

tt 
tt 

tt 


Prisoner  from  June  a,  Z864,  to  April  37,  Z865. 
Mustered  out  on  Individual  Muster-out  roll 
June  5,  Z865,  at  Phila.,  Pa. 

Drafted.  Discharged  by  Chief  Mustering-out 
Ofhcer,  Eastern  Dept.,  April  z8,  x866,  to  date 
from  muster  out  of  Co.  June  z,  Z865. 

'*  .Captured  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va.,  Tune  a,  Z864. 
He  was  admitted  to  hospital  at  Andersonville, 
Ga.,  April  13,  Z865.     No  further  rccortl. 

Transferred  to  Co.  G,  xst  Regt.  V.  R.  C,  Dec 

31,  Z864. 

Substitute.  Deserted  Aug.  8,  Z863,  near  Bev- 
erly Ford,  Va. 

Discharged  Oct.  6,  Z864,  by  order  of  Sec.  of 
War. 

Captured  at  Shepherdstown.  W.  Va.,  Sep.  ao, 
Z862.  Discharged  for  disability  Aug.  3Z ,  Z864. 
at  Phila.,  Pa. 

Deserted  April  27,  Z863,  near  Falmouth,  Va, 

DraAed.  Transferred  to  Co.  C,  9zst  Regt.  P. 
v.,  June  z,  Z865. 

Prisoner  from  June  a,  Z864,  to  April  29,  Z865. 
Mustered  out  on  Individual  Muster-out  roll 
June  8,  Z865,  at  Phila.,  Pa. 

Captured  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  ao, 
Z862.     Mustered  ont  with  Co.  June  z,  Z805. 

Drafted.  Transferred  to  Co.  C,  9Z8t  Regt.  P. 
v.,  June  z,  Z865. 

Deserted  Nov.  13,  Z862,  near  Warrenton,  Va. 

Captured  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va.,  June  a,  Z864. 
Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  z,  Z865.* 

Drafted.  Captured  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va.,  June 
2,  X864.  L)ied  at  Andersonvtlle,  Ga.,  Aug. 
23,  1864.    Grave  6534. 

Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  z,  Z865. 

Wounded  at  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  Dec.  Z3,  z86a. 
Discharged  for  disability  Feb.  a6,  Z863.  at 
PhiU.,  Pa. 

Drafted.  Captured  at  Weldon  R.  R.^ug.  a, 
Z864.     Died  at  Salisbury,  N.  C,  Dec  89, 

Z864. 

Drafted.  Transferred  to  Co.  C,  9zst  Regt.  P. 
v.,  June  z,  1865. 

Killed  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  ao,  z86a. 

Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  z,  1865. 

Deserted  Nov.  Z3,  Z862,  near  Warrenton,  Va. 


tt 


tt 


«( 


II 


tt 


"     Sick  in  hospital  at  muster  out.     No  record  of 
discharge. 

"     Substitute.     Deserted  Jan.  3,  Z864,  from  Mower 
Hospital,  Phila.,  Pa. 

"     Deserted  Oct.  20,  Z862,  from  hospital  at  Phila., 
P.'i. 


f/ama. 

*.-* 

£,™r. 

Is 

Vu  Winkle.  Jstn 

IMvt. 

Aug... .'61 

5 

WdBa,Ch«l>r. 

A.I.  6,  'fa 

■■ 

Wil»i.G«>.icS. 

■■ 

Au«.  4.  -6. 

■■ 

W.t«n.Ct-rta 

.. 

Au», ,..  ■«. 

.. 

Wdth,  Aqt>l1li  M. 

■■ 

A«g.  ,,  -fa 

■■ 

W.l.h.J.Rl« 

■■ 

A.«.  s.  fa 

■• 

WhH«o«i.Uaynle 

ip.  .,  -(J 

" 

WawB,jMM> 

" 

J.Jy«»/6i 

■■ 

Woo(icod..wimMi 

■■ 

A<«.  ij.-ft. 

•• 

ToiB.WIlUuiH. 

" 

Aug.  6,  'fa 

Ynnt,Oeox.C. 

" 

Au(.«.'«> 

■■ 

z«»,wiai«DF. 

Am. ...  -fa 

TniHfcnnJ  u  4»1  Co.,  3d  Baiulion  V.  R.  C., 
"        <,   ti6i.      DluKugcd    Uy    Uen,    Urder 

cd   II  Wildcnteu,  Va.,  May  6,   .Ut 
Itreed   lor  diHhility   Sep.   9D.   >9&|,   *l 

Di>clu>iicd  for  aubililr  May  i>,  iftSj,  u  Pfalla^ 

»  «lih  Co  June  ..  iK,. 
MuiMml  ml  with  Co.  June  i.  ie6]. 

Dnhed.  lltKrwI  rnm  Rebel  Army.  Tnina- 
tciRd  IS  Oin>l>  Cue.  Ohio,  Sep.  k.  lUy 
Muiinc^  out  wllh  D«.  Srp.  iS,  iB(q.  41 
l-hiU-.  P.. 

Hahitniu.  Dnerled  Aiic,  8,  iSA].  not  Bcr- 
«ly  Ford.  V-t 

Cdpiund  BI  Shephiidiinwn.  W.  Vn.Scp   », 
iSfa.    Muilend  ovi  mlii,  Co.  Jum  i,  litj. 
u>  Co.  F,  iiH  Kcii.  V.  a,  C.  3.p, 

Ciptand  •(  Shephnnhiawn,  W.  V»,,  Sep.  n, 

SuppoKd  U  hue  died  vblle  i  pntooei  oT  bu 
u  FloRtm,  S.  C,  on  or  iboul  Fttk  >),  1B6}. 
MuHgpi  QUI  urth  Co.  June  ■.  .86). 


COMPANY  "D-" 


CWIe.  K.  Fenild 

Cpt. 

Au»  .).  fa 

) 

Ueaonhly  dlicluiscd  Feb.  i.  ittt. 

Momc  Bmncy 

Au«.  t3.-6. 

" 

Piomuled  team  .tl  Ll   Co.  C  Aui-  «.  .86,  ;  ip. 

Allwri  H.  W.lm 

...  u. 

Sep,  ., 'fa 

- 

PioiBoit.1 10  Cipt-  Co.  A  Feb.  .0.  >B&4. 

CcBrgeW,  Moore 

Au«  ..-6, 

P™mo«df™n.«IU.Co,GJu«e..»6,.  Dl^ 
chjiried  July  h.  1864-  Reinuitid  Kr».  «, 
.864     Pi«BottdtoC.pl.(;o  AApril9,.B*^ 

J™»J,D<«ily 

" 

A.,i   f.'6. 

PmoMed  r>on.  &p.  Ca  C  M»  ..  iHv  Tn.™- 
fcrmlioO,  ffTsmRep.i'v'Ounei.iMi. 

Eu>l  M.  Uclal.re 

.dLi, 

July  ^, 'fa 

" 

r.^.teBl  April  rj,  .»3.by  onto  o(  s«.  or 

Himy  Mc&Uniu 

Au«.  e,  ■«. 

■■ 

Prvm.  &DIIlS|l.  Co  HI..",  .9,  >8«t  DlHihiiitd 
July  .4..*      I>i«UyVo™3S.p,,.V 

AlKimi  &.  L  £nl 

.»Sp 

Auj.  i,.-fa 

•■ 

Uuiund  oul  irlth  Cu  June  1. 18«) 

" 

A**   19, 'fa     ■■ 

°i^.*^«*V?'vi°U™i**'.^  ■* "  ^'^ 

JtmoBoluJ 

S..,!. 

;     ■IthCo.  J»«..i86i. 

Wollui  MiyKe* 

'■ 

•••-•■'  ■■  [■^■^-'S-KX--*  -^ 

I)..i.n   lb».irBei 

A„.,-« 

ji,  iMj,  mPhii..,  IS 

I       I 
I 


I    ; 


1 


—  700  — 


I 


Namts, 

Rank. 

Enrol" 
mtnt. 

^J^" 

i^:'^ 

Stephen  B.  Andenon 

Sergt. 

July  28,  '62 

3 

Robert  Maingay 

f« 

Aug.  14/63 

it 

Christian  Bosse 

<f 

Aug.  7,  '6a 

" 

William  Hodgkins 

(« 

July  31.  '6a 

« 

Samuel  D.  Boyer 

ft 

Aug.  z8,  '63 

«f 

William  HummcU 

Corpl. 

Aug.  13,  '6a 

«( 

William  Poole 

«« 

Aug.  ao,  '6a 

« 

Christian  Schrack 

«f 

Aug.  14,  '6a 

(« 

Frederick  Rue 

f( 

! 

Aug.  20,  '6a     ** 

Joseph  Hartley 

«f 

Aug.  a.  '6a  (   " 

William  Kilpatrick 

f< 

Aug.  30,  '6a     *' 

James  Brown 

t< 

Aug.  5.  '6a      " 

William  Stass 

it 

Aug.  7,  '63      " 

Alfred  Bolton 

<« 

Aug.  19,  '6a 

Samuel  M.  Caldwell 

(f 

Aug.  15/63 

Charles  H.  Klearer 

<f 

Aug.  z8,  '63 

Henry  Hammel 

i« 

Aug.  18,  '63 

Thomas  K.  Linton 

«f 

Aug.  14,  '6a 

David  Abrams 

Mus. 

Aug.  4,  *6a 

Elijah  Wingcrt 

<< 

Aug.  6,  '62 

Edmund  B.  Hill 

«( 

Aug.  14,  '63 

Alphret,  Adam 

Private 

July  15,  '63 

Ashton,  Alfred 

(« 

Aug.  15/63 

Ashton,  William  S. 

«( 

Aug.  15/63 

Augerer,  William 

ff 

Sep.  1,  '63 

Died  Sep.  29  z86a,  of  wounds  rec'd  at  Sbep- 
herdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  ao,  1863.  Buried  la 
National  Cemetery,  Antietam,  Md.,  Sec.  a6. 
Lot  A,  grave  3z. 

Died  Nov.  34,  1863,  of  wounds  rec'd  at  Shep- 
herdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  ao,  x86a. 

Discharged  for  disability  July  94, 1863,  at  Phila., 
Pa. 

Promoted  to  Corpl.  Jan.  z,  1863,  and  to  Sgt. 
Feb.  1,  1863.  Captured  at  WUdcmess,  Va., 
May  5,  1864.     No  further  record. 

Captured  at  Cold  Harbor  June  3,  1864.  Died 
at  Millen,  Ga.,  Nov.  xi,  1864.  Buried  in  Law> 
ton  National  Cemetery,  MiUen,  Ga.,  Sec  B, 
grave  a6. 

Promoted  to  Corpl.  Jan.  i,  1863.  Mustered  out 
with  Co.  June  1,  1865. 

Promoted  to  Corpl.  Jan.  z,  X863.  Mustered  out 
with  Co.  June  z,  1865. 

Promoted  to  Corpl.  April  30,  Z863.  Wouzided 
at  Wilderness,  va..  May  8,  and  at  Peeble's 
Farm,  Va.,  Sep.  30,  Z864.  Mtistered  out  with 
Co.  June  X,  X865. 

Promoted  to  Corpl.  June  30,  X863.  Mustered 
out  with  Co.  June  1,  1865. 

Promoted  to  Corpl.  Aug.  33,  1863.  Mustered 
out  with  Co.  June  x,  x^s. 

Promoted  to  Corpl.  Mar.  15,  1864.  Mustered 
out  with  Co.  June  z,  Z865. 

Promoted  to  ad  Lt.  Co.  A  Mar.  z,  Z863. 

Deserted  Jan.  i,  1863,  from  Camp  Parole,  Md. 

Di9char|;cd  for  disability  April  39,  Z863,  at 
Washmgton,  D.  C. 

Killed  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  3, 1863.  Buried 
in  National  Cemetery,  ucttysburg.  Pa.,  Sec. 
D,  grave  26. 

Discharged  for  disability  Aug.  25, 1863,  at  Camp 
Conv.nTcscent,  V^a. 

Killed  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,Scp.  20,  z86a. 

Wounded  at  Peeble's  Farm,  Va.,  Sep.  30,  Z864. 
Discharged  for  disability  June  13,  1865,  at 
Phila.,  Pa. 

Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  x,  X865. 

Discharged  May  5,  1865,  at  Washington.  D.  C. 

Transferred  to  Co.  C  Mar.  x,  Z863,  by  order  of 
Col.  Gwyn. 

Substitute.  Deserted  Aug. 8, '63, near  BeaUon,Va. 

Transferred  to  Co.   D,    16th  Regt.  V.   R.   C, 

Sep.  3,  1862. 

Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  z,  1865. 

Drafted.  Captured  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va.,  Juzie 
2.  1864.  Died  at  Andersonville,  Ga.,  Oct.  31, 
\'>^»t.     Grave  11710. 


1. 

1 


\ 


It»mtt. 

w. 

Emr 

/- 

^ 

B«iai.J(MphM. 

Privaie 

A««.! 

~^ 

3 

Darned  Sej..  is.  'Sfa.  ■>«'  RochviUe,  Bid. 

Bittjehn 

.     " 

Au«.  .J 

■6, 

Mu.lcKd  «J1  «ilh  Co,  Jun»  ..  .H65. 

Buil.ThwB» 

" 

Alia.  It 

■6. 

■- 

Muttered  out  -lib  Co-  June  .,  .86). 

DoyJ.fhwls 

" 

Au«.  .9 

■fii 

Cipiured  11  Colrt  Harbor,  Vi.,  Junt  i.  1H4, 
*nd  MDl  to  AndcnonviUe.  Go,,  Juoe  8,  iS6«. 

BoKlu.  Frederick 

'■ 

Aug.. 

■63 

■■ 

Sufaliluu.     Deiened  Aug.  B.  iKj.  aeu   Bell- 

B«d,  John 

" 

July  IS 

■ej 

■■ 

»"J&SS™-«"-=«-""^ 

■■ 

Ay,,.i 

■fa 

.- 

Dserted  Aug.  ji,  iSfa,  tl  Phjta.,  P^ 

Bncku.  NlchoUi 

Au«.  u 

'fa 

Muuered  oui  «ith  Co,  June  i,  .S65. 

Bio»B,  Matlln 

Sep.  .0 

■63 

■■ 

Drafted.  CipuireduWildenui,  Vs..  11*^5. 
■  efa.    No^cmiDrdc.lhordbch.(^e.    " 

BrowB.jMia 

N-™... 

* 

Drifted.  Capiuied  Ajml  ij,  1864.  Pinlleil 
Nov.  »,  iSti,  COnfnid  uidcuRtrlolhii 
enciar.ud  fiiully>«>i  u>  ihi  Aiay  ol  (he 

Powmic  in  iron.  Dec,  «.  iSfa.  Ho  rceord  of 
dkchiT-:' 

B«ckn",jQhr,C. 

July .; 

'63 

"     Dnfled.     KmednHuM«h.iilo'tUe.V»..Mijr 

Ba*..  Ch«l«  R. 

Ai«.is 

■fa 

..    M«i=™do«.-l.hC<.,Ju».   i»5 

Bonm.  Jumt. 

" 

Juiyji 

•63 

■■KrF^.?r"^  *"•■'•■ '"''"•*- 

C.rp«»r.Mo.Jr. 

■■ 

Ai«.« 

■fa 

Com«,Chiri«B. 

" 

A=«,.! 

fa 

•■  :D™n«ID«..^.8fa,u<-.r«d«ick.bun.V.. 

Cooke.  AiAui  B. 

" 

Ay«.n 

■fa 

'7^.'!;;r:?i^"''"'"'*"""'-"^*-"^- 

Cowdn.  AluUKkr 

" 

Jol,.. 

■63 

"  1°?:  jU'^ris^ "'  "^  "■  »*"  "*■  ^■ 

Crook.  J.n.a 

" 

J-iyi 

■«J 

■■     Dufitd      TnnirecRd  wCo.  7,vi>l  Rep.  I*. 

1     V,.  June  ...84, 

DlTtr.JoKphH, 

Ai«.  . 

■«1 

■'    |Dr>litd.     DtieRed  April  ij.  1164,  oeuBetttlr 

■' 

Atu  » 

■fa 

■'     Pritrmerto  Dec.  ii.iBei.     D»CTted  CraiD  Cuw 
P«gle.Md.    Sid»«orfunb««o>rd: 

Dyer.  Chute  P. 

■' 

Au(  >i 

'fa 

"    DiedDtc.  11,  iUj.  nor  PmUiisicCntk.  Vi. 

E:>J«,  H«»y 

" 

July  IS 

■6j 

'■  JDrafted,  Cpiured  >.  Wddon  R.  R..  V.., 
1     Aug.  .1,  iB««.     Died  II  SalBiury.  N,  C, 

K.rKll.Mu 

July.  7 

Sep    ., 

■6j 

'<    'Dr^Rtd.     DcHiIedL>(I.li.iMi,Dnlhen»FCh. 

ri.ld..  J.n,M 

■■ 

Aug.  6 

'fa 

Fi.W,J..k., 

Ai^.t. 

6. 

1     iBfa      Diulursed  <o  <liW  kit  >>.  ilfij. 

rither.Miir 

Au(..l 

■fa 

■■■"■.aTVt'fr-'- ■-"-''•'■-■ 

Frrnkjohn 

" 

Aug..* 

'fa 

"    Dltit  Feb.  %.  iMj,  neai  Filoauih.  V. 

FmWtkk.  Gex.  L. 

" 

A.^  « 

'fa 

Fiymoyer,  John 


HaU.JohoM. 
HamUtan,  Sunl.  L. 


Hartung,  August 


Keen,  Joseph 

KecT.  Robeit 

Kramei,  Henry 

Ubbeie,  Robert  H. 

Logan,  Hugh 


e  JuJyu, 'e, 
Aug.  iB,  'e 


July  j6, -63 
t.  6,  '61 


Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  1,  lU;. 

Drafted.    'JP'""''  >'  Cold  Harbor,  Va..  June 

iB6t!     No  funber  record. 

ftcd.     Missing  in  anion  May  8. 1K4-    No 

ened  April  iS,  1S63,  at  Kelly's  Foul,  Va. 


Deserted  Sep.  1,  i3«3,  al  Baltii 
red  oui  with  Co,  June  I, 


Drafted.    Capmttd  al  CoM  Harbor,  Va..  June 

a.  i9«4.     Died  at  AndcnonTille.  Ga..  Jidyi. 

trted  Aug.  s,  tS6i,  at  Phila.,  Pa. 

^ned  April  aS,  iB6j,  near  Kelly's  Fotd. ' 


Aug.  It,  '6a 
Jul,  ji,  '6} 


rp 

^onSuj^'sc 

twilhCo.JUM 

■rt 

for  disability 

ne. 

Desened  Aptil 

rtfened  to  Co.  F.ji 


AlulcfVi  EmamicJ 
M.y.  t>*vid  S. 
Utya,  ChriiiophET 

U<|Dni(:a.  Ouria 
UcFltle.  Hary 
Moicli.JohnB. 
UtUa,  JcSiuiafl 

MllCJIcU.  JUM 

Uolii.  AOulph 


ttigMT,  Michncl 

lloHh.ADllRW 

Hw.  0»rle>  A. 


Au«,». 


ily  )i,  '«! 

July  ij.  -ti 


oil    u   Andirwn.iUc,  U«.,  Uei.    10,   ItU)*. 

mw  wit*. 

ilmiied  on  !iuiteuB'>  urtibule  Mu.  14, 

luaijed  byOcB,  Older  Junt  h,  iMj,  on  In- 

'lUiiil  M>iiiet-«ui  RiU  u  PtiUiL,  1^, 
luFTHl  Cor  du^iilily  Fdi.  19,  Mi,  U  Wuh^ 

Iwl.     TniHlctndIo  Co.  F.aiil  RcEl.  P. 

.Ji.K..«es.  ^' 

i«i.    CapuinduPBdik'iJi^ni,  Va.,Stp. 

I,  lU],  &BBI  Hanrsod  Hcapiul, 

It  RW  P. 

I.  "Mi 

tl  Stwpherdtitfwn, 


J  J«. 


.   Mi. 


l)e>Eiw]  AuN.  S,  iMt,  •(  Phlk.,  Pn 
dlHunit  >1  Cnld  HH4X4.  Va.,  Juoc  >,  iM,, 

luMcnd  oul  with  Oi.  June  i.  iHi. 

nllai.    TFiwknnl  lu  L'a.  F.pHi  ttw.  P, 

V.,JllMI..»ts. 

Tnu»fat«dl«»lhCa..id  BueiUua  V.  R.  C, 


H»>[nul,  t 


*1 .  SiFii'"!!!.  >1^     Ui'irwdln 


Smith,  AadKwC 


Thomu,  John  J. 

Tlioinp»n.  ThoDU 

Thonpun,  WiUlu 
Tunwt,  WUllun  G. 

VaaiMe,  Sunucl 
WK:k,JohDF. 
WaUwork.  TirooUiy 

Wjrd,  Ourln 

Ward,  Fnncli 
Ward,  Gtorgt  W 

Wccbet,  Frtdtrick 


Mmrci- 

mnt. 

^^ 

Aug..  J, -6. 

, 

July  .s,  -63 

Aug.ij.'fa 

Aug.  IB, 'ft, 

Sep.  ,«.  -63 

Aug.rf/63 

" 

Aug.  .8, -fa 

Am.,j,'6, 

JiJys^/ei 

Aug..s/fe 

Aug.  .+,  -fe 

" 

Aug.u.'e» 

.. 

Aug-s.-e, 

Aug.  i9,  'to 

Aug.  4, -6) 

'. 

Nov.  ,6, -63 

" 

Aug,  IS, -d 

Aug,  ,5. 'fa 

.. 

Aug.  .4/6. 

■' 

Aug.  IJ/6J 

•■ 

Aug.  .6, -fa 

July  15, '63 

Aug.  s.  -fe 

Feb,  3,  '«5 

J-iy  «,  ■«! 

^ 

A„B.  ,9,  -i. 

Sep.  5,  '63 

" 

Killed  »  SbtpherdilowD.W.  Vi., Sep.  ao,  1661. 
DnTled.     Diichiiged  for  diubUity  Not,  u. 

1S6),  near  KcUy'i  lord,  Va. 

Lpuirtd  ai  ShcphCTdHown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  90 

itoi,     DiKhaigcd  for  duabilily  Dec.  1,  iS6> 

It  Waihiugiou,  U.  C. 

w  Hunood  M«pii^,°Wa.hiSnin,'Vc,"' 
Dralud.     Ditchaiged  Mav  — ,  1U4.  bv  cuder 

of  S<c.  ef  War,    TriDtfemd  id  the  Navy, 
Drafted.     DiKhaiEEd  by  Gen.  Older  June  ic 

.u.  ..  r^diridual  Muiier-out  mil  uWaiG- 
C. 
Discharged  fbr  diubilicy  Feb.  J,  lUij,  at  Ounp 

lEiened  Sep.  3,  iB«t,  ai  Baltimore.  Ud. 
iibiiiiute.     Detened  Aug,  14,  1B63,  at  Bcveriy 
Foiti.  Va, 
Appointed  Qr,  Mm.  Sgt.  of  the  Regt.  Aug.  tj. 

Discharged  for  diaalnlily  Uay  19, 1B63,  al  PhiU., 


DtKned  Aug.  14.  iB6j,  >i  PhiU.,  Pi,. 

Ditcbarged  for  disabiUty  June 

6.  .Ms, 

at  Blil- 

Muiwred  out  wiih  Co 

June  ,. 

86,. 

Dewned  from  Camp  Parole,  M 

,noda 

egi.™. 

.864,     Grave  7680, 

Wildern 

?Ga"; 

en: 

burg,  Va.,'b«.  ™ 

nds  rte- 

B6*. 

at  Fiedeiickc 

Muttered  oulwllh  Co 

June  t. 

B65. 

Died  Dec.  11  of  »o 
burg,  Va„  Dec.  13, 

W™ 

at  Fredericki- 

°c'o^2«c™.''vS''' 

tyjuly. 

.'«■}. 

^.Camp 

De«nedSep.  la,  18& 

,  from  Ba 

loon  Corp.. 

^rsST'-T^n^i^^d' 

Wilder™ 
oCo.  F,, 

'A%, 

"p-V: 

Captured  at  Cold  Harbor.  Va 
Grave  i«2ti. 

fir 

.  .864. 

,   186,. 

Tramfemd  to  Co,  F, 

,,s<  Regt 

P.  v., 

June,. 

—  705  - 
COMPANY  " 


K-ma. 

-*[  t;: 

Ii 

LnltPu^morc 

Cpi,    lA«g  <s 

't* 

J 

KaMEXedOcLiI,  iMi. 

Joliii  V.  HuMcnea 

■■       [ai«.» 

•6, 

" 

Sioud  N.  U*l. 

»iL). 

A«<.- 

■«■ 

iM..     p.oniotal  from  id  L(.  Mai.  9,  iS6j. 

Raitncd  No.,  17.  iMj. 

I,^H.S«Sol» 

.. 

A»«,  . 

■6. 

■•  i-sTil.'nS'.i'f  ■■  ■■■  ■"•■ " 

Robert  PaichiU 

" 

A«n 

'«) 

"  \":nfJr5JttA"«S^-^iSi 

WinUn.  W.  WomU 

vJU. 

AUB.H 

■fa 

■■  IPremoled  fram  >»  SiL  Co.  I  Oct  ...  iM.. 
Kaiincd  Apiil  i.  iBi], 

MnCsnahiy 

" 

A«»«. 

'0* 

■■ 

Prumoied  to  ■>!  Ski.  Sep.  «.  1861 :  to  id  Lt. 
Ian  .9..B4,  iClledalP.snin'.F.nii.V... 
Sep    ,0,  .86,. 

Al<»nd-r  UcOn 

lussi. 

Abi.  J 

'to 

■• 

Killed  uShepherd>ioini,W,V>.,Sei>. ».  lU.. 

Ti.«™w.M 

" 

*<■«.* 

•6. 

■■ 

DiMh.ijed  on  Siitjenn'i  cmtliaK  April  7. 
■  U).  *t  C*ilip  Convaleuxnt.  V>. 

JwBtl.ltUMO 

Am- 7 

■t. 

" 

■  94.,  and  »l  P.&le'.  r«ia,  V,.,Sei'.  JO.  .86,. 
Mualeied  DUI  wllk  Co.  June  I,  >aej. 

Kitbud  Hotxra 

Sfi. 

Am.. 

■0. 

■' 

Dee.  ■,,  .86,. 

Jm  MeUtiftinn 

" 

A-J,  I 

•«« 

" 

r™«i.  tWy 

" 

Aug.. 

■&■ 

" 

"SS^VJI^-S-bS^S-SiS 

Ckula  C  SIxplMnI 

Aua-.< 

'«> 

Auvxiu  Uiktr 

■■ 

Am.  8 

■ta 

•■ 

Muilcrrd  uul  oilh  Co.  June  <,  ■86i. 

Simud  r  DiUny 

■■ 

Am.  J 

•bt 

RicKud  L  Saadtord 

c«vl. 

Am. '■ 

■6, 

Ctorji  P.  Cuilcn 

" 

Am.. 

■6. 

"_ 

DiKKirjed  on  Surgeon',  »rti«i=iie  Feb.  it. 
1863.  u  C«np  CouraleKcnl.  V., 

Wlll.im  F   Connelly 

■' 

Aug., 

■6» 

Jnha  R    Still* 

Am.  i 

■&, 

" 

Deiened  Am  ji.  iBfa.  it  PhikddpM.,  F>. 

J<-I.t,  R  Swk. 

Am.  7 

'6f 

.86,.     Killed  .1  Nonh  An«.  V,.,  Bby  M. 

c«.-,=  a™)«,. 

AM.O 

■6. 

Wnundnl  11  Sh«ptierd>iu»n.  W.  Va..  Srf.  h, 
R.C.Sq.,  .o.-M^ 

B  F-  m.h«,j.. 

■■       '  Au«,  « 

■6. 

Wuimded  u  Oonf^vnvin* .  Va.,  Mar  !■  *W). 
Kdkdai  While 0.k  R«d.  V..,M«r,,..  1U5. 

1    W    U,.:l.,-re 

■■       ,A»,  . 

■6. 

"  |^.rss;;^::^"^-.NtA^,U;-'^-  ""^ 

FnKl.  H.  biKoln 

■•       ■Aui.tt 

■«. 

■■i^'pffSTn!/-*-^'^  """'•""•- 

'  i! ! 

I  r  i 

■■  ll  . 

\  ■■■  i 


—  706  — 


I   > 

i  ■ 


V 


Namfs. 
Charles  Taylor 

De  Witt  Rodennel 
G«orge  W.  Wade 

Henry  Hallman 

William  McLachlin 

John  McDonough 
Levi  Rex 

James  Crawford 
Ache,  Henry  M. 

Adams,  Stephen  L. 
AUoways,  Joseph  L. 

Bachman,  Jacob  H. 


Baker,  James 

Baker,  Thomas  M. 
Benson,  George 

Bennett,  James  H. 

Brown,  Samuel 

Bruce,  Joel  R. 
Butler,  James  L. 

Butterworth,  Wm. 

Byram,  Joseph 
Clark,  William  M. 
Cobbs,  Benjamin  S. 
Cohen,  John 

Colville,  Henry 

Collins,  George 

Cue,  Richard 


Corpl. 


<( 


« 


<( 


« 


i« 


Mus. 
Private 


(< 


« 


(( 


u 


»* 


Aug.  6,  '62 


Aug.  7/62  •' 

Aug.  14,  '6a  " 

Aug.  6,  '62  I  " 

I 

Aug.  a,  '62  I  " 

Mar.  23,  '65  I  1 

Aug.  XI,  '6a  '  3 

July  17, '63  I  " 

Aug.  ao,  '63  !  " 


Aug.  ix,'6a  ;    ** 


Aug.  8, '6a  I    " 
Feb.  27,  '65  '    X 


Transferred  to  Co.  B,  xath  Regt.  V.  R.  C,  Jolr 
ao,  1863.    Discharged  by  Gen.  Order  June  aS, 

Transferred  to  5th  Co.,  ad  Battalion  V.  R.  C, 
Sep.  23,  1864. 

Captured  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va.,  June  a,  1864. 
Died  at  Anderson ville,  Ga.,  Sep.  5,  1864. 
Grave  7933. 

Discharged  on  Surgeon's  certificate  Feb.  6. 1863. 
at  Phila.,  Pa. 

Captured  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  ao, 
1862.    Musteral  out  with  Co.  Juxw  i,  1865. 

Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  x,  1865. 

Captured  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  ao, 
1862.    Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  t,  Z865. 

Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  i,  X865. 

Substitute.  Transferred  to  Co.  I,  9zst  Regt. 
P.  v.,  June  X,  X865. 

Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  x,  1865. 

Substitute.  Discharged  for  disability  Feb.  39, 
1864,  at  Camp  Barnes,  Va. 

Drafted.  Captured  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va..  June 
2,  1864.  Died  at  Millen,  Ga..  correct  date 
not  known.  Buried  in  Lawton  National  Cem- 
ctery,  Millen,  Ga.,  Sec.  A,  grave  163. 

Discharged  for  disability  Jan.  a6, 1863,  at  Phila., 
Pa. 


Killed  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  ao,  i86a. 

Substitute.     Transferred  to  Co.  I,  91st   Regt. 
!     P.  v.,  June  i,x865. 
I         I 
Aug.  as, '63      3     Drifted.      Discharged  for  disability- April   37, 
j     1^64,  near  Beverly  Ford,  Va. 


Aug.  ao,  '63 


tt 


Aug.  8,  '62      " 
Aug.  9.  '62      •* 


Aug.  X3,'6a  " 

Aug.  XX, '6a  :  '* 

Aug.  x6,  '62  I  •• 

Nov.  14, '62'  " 

July  15, '63'  " 


Aug.  9,  '62 


<i 


July  15/63      " 


Aug.  6,  '62 


I  Drafted.    Captured  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va.,  Tune 
I    2,  X864.     Died  Oct.  25,  1864,  at  Millen,  Ga. 

! Killed  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  ao,  186a. 

Captured  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va.,  June  a,  1864. 
Died  at  AndersonviUe,  Ga.,  July  xo,  1864. 
Grave  3097. 

Discharged  on  Surgeon's  ceitificate  Feb.    s6^ 
I     1863,  at  Camp  Convalescent,  Va. 

Died  May  3X,  1863,  at  Morrisville,  Va. 

I  Deserted  July  4,  1863,  at  Gettysburg,  Pa. 

I  Deserted  May  as,  1863,  near  Falmouth,  Va. 

'Substitute.     Discharged  by  Gen.   Order  from 
I     War  Dept.  May  15,  1865. 

Discharged  for  disability  Mar.  10,  1864,  near 
Beverly  Ford,  Va. 

Substitute.  Captured  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va., 
June  2,  1864.     Died  at  AndersonviUe,  Ga., 

Jan.  19,  1865.     Grave  12478. 

Deserted  Aug  6,  1863,  at  Camp  Union,  Phila., 
Pa. 


N»mt$. 

«.-*, 

Zli. 

It 

Dt  H»«ii,  Oa*.  T. 

IMviu 

Aug,  s.  t" 

T 

Dul»l»,  Albert 

■' 

i^ti'.-H 

" 

SiibMiniK.  Mulcted  out  with  Del.  Sep.  it, 
iMt.H(1>ll>..  1*'-    |R>bil  desota.) 

Hunt.  WIUUb 

" 

A'lC.H.-Cj 

" 

Dnfted-  Cpuired  Mtold  H.fb<...  V.  JuB« 
iM,. 

AU«,J.'6. 

EJivinU,  Hugli  J. 

" 

Aui-  7. '»" 

frouhded  >l  F.«  Forte,  V».  M«,  J..  .96s. 
June  8.  .565. "  W«hiofWti,  D,  C 

Enwy.  Abniii 

" 

Au(.  !,  '6i 

" 

EHim.n.J«»hB. 

" 

Au«.».-6j 

■' 

Onfted.  KUIed  it  Pmrn.".  F.™.  V.„  Sep. 
».  ilHH.     Buried  (Bl^pta.  Giore  NuioMi 

(ni»«i. 

F.mk«..  p..« 

" 

A.if.9,-4. 

.96t.  1'r*i»ferFttl  IS  1»<  Co.,  Id  B>CIJ|I1(» 
V.  R.  C.  M.)-  .J,  i»4 

F.y.  J-Un 

" 

S^.  9.  '6) 

l™...  .St..  "Hw^^blt-  d,«lu.nnrf  10  diB 

FVeubcr.  Jino 

" 

A.*  J.**. 

Pnnktin.  Jumn 

Joly  >},  'Dj 

I^^-'pP^CM^'^-^-'.i.^*'^^ 

P»ci»n.;.ekwa 

■■ 

Jul»JO.-«) 

SuhHituti,  TninlvndtaiheN'>vyM>r<.<M<. 

DdiUR.  Joba 

" 

M.r..T,-«5 

* 

""f  "vTj-Jrrftr "  ''"■  ■■ ""  "^ 

GUi'M.  Tbomm  R, 

'• 

Aug.  6.  -ta 

U<.Til'>n,  J»cph  B. 

A.M(  i.'6' 

Datn«i  Auk.  e,  >a69, »  Phiu.  )•>. 

lk.mi.n.  Thorn.. 

" 

Am.  ..-6. 

■■ 

i;>iwal<.  Henry  R. 

Aug.g/6, 

iWoodlLC^  H>rb<»,  V...J|>».,  iW,. 

.~.l,«.JO«ph 

'■ 

Mir.  ,i/«i 

' 

SulMiKuK  TiaiBferred  lo  Ce.  1,  ji.t  Ra|I. 
P.  V„  June  1,  i»e^ 

(Jubwr,  AndKW 

" 

S<p,  9.  -dj 

' 

H>u,  J.wb 

" 

Au(.  6,-ta 

■■ 

l>t>(nnI*uc.i.iU).>tM>'u«»JuiKilaa,Va. 

H*t1.  A^undH 

r-lv.i/ft. 



1 

/w.,..M4,                                          ■       - 

H-m^n,  J.cob 

C>piurt<l  ■!  CoM  Harbor.  V.  .  tune  >,  1W4. 

Gbv.  w«), 

(Ub>'!L.  Lnk 

Au|.  9. '«! 

1     Tramfrrrn!  lo  Co.  P.  .Vh  R=ii    V.  k.  C  . 

S.p.  ,<..  .(6,. 

IL...II»(.  |»l.o  II 

" 

Sn^  9.  ■«» 

—  ;oC  - 


N«m,i. 

^  Rant, 

"c«pi. 

Kn 

i_{ 

t' 

tThnriBTiylw" 

Ai^ 

>.'G"    3 

De  Will  RcKlcrmd 

Aug. 

(,.■6,     • 

Transfcried  m  s'h  Co.,  >d  BiiulJon  V.  : 
Sep.  .3,  >»6,. 

CeniBB  W.  W»de 

" 

Aug. 

.,  '6.  1  ■ 

Henry  M:.Uman 

1  " 

Aug. 

6, '6i     - 

1  Di«h«jied  on  Sugon-i  anifluie  F*.  fi 

William  McLachlin 

Ang. 

7,  •«!     • 

1    ,k.    Mu.««5  m.<  •.,.!.  Uj™;,.! 

JohnMcltonnigh 

■■ 

Ang. 

4,'6j     ' 

^M,«.t«doafiACo-Ju«.,,86s. 

Levi  K« 

1   " 

Ang- 

6, -6.      ' 

Jimn  CrawfuM 

'    Mui. 

Aug. 

t.'ta      • 

Mn.«™l«.wia,Co.Ju«..,Mj. 

AcKe,  Henry  M. 

Pii™« 

Mm. 
Auc. 

3. '65 

Sul».iwit     Tramfcrred  to  Co.  1.  sin 

"  Drafied  Capnired  ai  CcM  Harbor.  Va. 
I  e,  i»4-  [ii«d  ai  MiUen,  Ca.,  come 
I     nQt].iiDwn.    BurlflllpLawUHiNatiaDal 

'  |Di<ctuucedfb[di»l>ililyJaB.ie,iU3,ai] 

'     KUIcd  11  5bepherd>town,  W.  Va.,Scp.  as 
I     SuhsiiniH.    Tn»lbmd  to  Co.  I.  aial 

;     P.  V„Junei,iB6^ 
)     Drafted.      Di'chantcd  for  dubflltv  An 

,     ii64.nnrBeverty  Foid.Vii. 

■  Uiafied.    CaptuRdalColdHiiriMr.Vl, 

I,  1U4.    DiedOct<>s,i«64..iiMtl]iB. 
'    .Kai<:daiShtphctd>tD«n.W.Va.,Sep.n 

■  jcaplured  al  Cold  Harbo.,  Va.,  Im  >, 

fied  >t  AndenanvlUe,  C«.,  July  ID. 


Hultcrwurlh.  Wm.            " 

Aug.1 

.■fa 

■    iDischarRi.i    on   SuTReon".  ceitifiau   Fe 

1      ,86,,  ..-<              '         ■    .               :     V,. 

Byr.n,.Jo.>:ph          1       " 

Aug.  1 

.•6. 

'      Die.lll.„5.,,Mj,alMon^villt.Vfc 

Clark,  William  M. 

Aug.  1 

.'«"■ 

DcKnedJulyi,  iSaj,    :•.■■■.-    L.iig.Pa. 

CM,-,  Ikiyairiua. 

Nov,> 

.'6., 

D««wl  May  .;,  .M5.  -«t  Falmouth.  ^ 

Cuhen.Jnhn              '       '■ 

Jnly 

,-«3 

Subaiituie     UiKliarged  by  Gen.  OnJei 
War  Dep..  Ma,  .r.^S. 

Colville.  Henry 

Ayg.s 

■61  1 

'     Di,dhan«d  for  di«biliiy  Mar.  10,  iSA, 

a,llini,  Gwrge          '      ■• 

July. 

.■6j 

■    Jan.  .9,.>6j.    Gr.ve  1.478- 

Aug. 

,■6. 

■     D«r«d  Aug  6.  .86.,  ><  Camp  U»lod,  I 

Enrtl- 
'  July  I), '6) 


UcBnds.Job) 

UcOinu,  WpL 
UcOinn.  Wm. 

McKnLKbi.  tionloo 
N'thk.  Juab 


Nicqiu,  Pathck 
OdtU,  WUIiaa  H. 
P*d«>.  J«eph 


Rl<t)(.  Edwud 


Au(.  ■ 

Am,  V,  '61 

Hh..o,'6j 

July  I  J. '«j 


Wm.17/«j 


Drafted, 

)S,. 

Wmindcd. 
TrMifcntd 

.86i, 

„^;'3rs::-.^-a^''o2: 

S*d., 

.    Di. 

M* 

,  i9.  iKt.  « 

RichmOBd, 

DiaAcd.    CtP'undu 

Sid"-  '""• 

WddonR   R 

Sii'iibiic], 

Ml-KFHl 

...wi 

IS.186S.M 

,    W„ 

■m'? 

■1  Pesbic'. 

Ji"lkud^ 

1     Duchaimd  Feb.  1,  1W3,  »1  Phila..  P»..  Ar 
]     woanJ.nK'd.lSWlti'lilowo.W.  V.,Sep, 

'  'DeKitedAprilu.iHi.fniin  HoipialM  PhllL. 

'     Pb  .  >]>o^mc  It  Nickolu. 
'  iDnfHd     CipiuRd  «  Weldrv  R  R.,  Aur  il. 
it<t     UieJNov.ij,  1K4,  Hi  5*Utbuiy.S.  C. 
'    D'ltluTKed   far  dlubitliy    Dec. 

I     Fred<i>ck,  Md. 

KlU«t  It  WUdemEu,  Vi  .  Mi^  S,  iK(. 

TniuCnrsd  10  Co.  I,  titii  lt^;t.  P.  V.,  JwH  i, 

I  ISiiUtliuu     TniDilciTcd  to  Co.  I,  «>u  Rcgt. 

p.  v.,  June.,. 16, 
'    Capiaral,     Diedil  ADdemnivllto.Oti.,  Jutyjo, 

I     1S6, 

, Killed  u  ShephElditown,  W.  Vl, ,  Sep.  n,  iM. 

DcKiud  Jiiiy  1,  Bt  Goiyibufj.  Pi 

pnin«l    Trawfemd  la  Co.  I.  »m  R««u  P. 


Captured  Ai  Shcplutdtwvh,  W,  Vi,,  Sep,  so, 
iS»i      Utttntd  April  n,  iM>i.  ftvn  Mwplial 

vPhik,,p>. 

ilMiiiii*.    Tniwfcmd  to  Co.  t,  «til  Ri(l.  P. 

DcKtwl  July  t,  iMj,  M  (rmTtlHis,  Pa. 
I)luhai«*l  by  (WBtnl  Ontct,  Mar  )o.  iWt.  ■* 

DnAcd      On]  June  t.iW«.UPMl*..  PK.CT 


r,  Charlei 
Williim 


Smilti,  Wm.  W. 
Slouenbergcr,  Jer. 

Vajityke,  Geo.  W. 
WalenUner.  John 


Ennl. 

I'"-" 

<a. 

H 

Aug. 

.'«» 

J 

Sep. 

.•«3 

" 

Aug. 

.'fa 

." 

Aug. 

■  '*> 

■■ 

July 

e,-63 

" 

Aug. 

/ft" 

Aug. 

.■fa 

" 

July 

S.'63 

Aug. 

,'fa 

" 

Aug. 

.■fa 

" 

Ort.. 

.■fa 

.. 

Aug. 

,-fa 

" 

Aug. 

4. 'fa 

-. 

Nov. 

*,'63 

July  3=. -63 

OCL. 

6, -fa 

" 

A.g. 

3. -fa 

July 

,■63 

■■ 

Aug. 

.'fa 

■' 

Aug. 

.■fa 

.. 

Aug. 

l.-fa 

" 

liichugEd  June  8.  it6),  u  id  DiT.  HeqiiBi, 
ick>but(,  Vl,  eIcc.  1},  i86i. 
SuUliDite.    Dcuntd  Oct.  14,  186},  whOe  oa 


Captured  al  ! 
De«ned  Jul 


cd  «it  with  to.  juBc  :,  iH^. 
,  ie«3.  fiom  Camp  Panic,  Ud. 
iferred  to  Co.  I,  9111  Regt.  P. 
6s- 

Captured  at  Shetriuttdaiomi,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  to, 
tUa.      DescRcd   Jan.    1,    iM],    frwD    Camp 
"irole,  Md. 
:harged  for  diiability  Feb.  ;.  iMj,  >■  Pbili., 

illluie.    TrauCEmd  10  the  Nary  Uay  4, 

6h. 

Transferred  to  Co,  I,  giti  Regi.  P.  V.,  to  asTe 

-  "  -'ailLal. 

lyibuiy    P..,  Julv  a,  iM},  ud 
Va.,  Hay  s,  iS&i.    Mutcnd 


icrj™-, 


,  .86s. 


Dliehantcd  for  diiability  June  17, 1S64,  al  philn.. 

Pa. 
Died    Mar.  1,  iMl.  al  Waahinglon,   D.  C,  of 

wounds  rec'd  it  Fiedericktburg,  Va.,  Dec.  i], 

.Co.  Jul 

r  Ho.plul.    D.'c' 

-     inglon.  Va. 

ernpofUd  10  Regl 
Captured  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va  ,  June  a,  1U4. 
"  "tred  out  with  Co.  June  1,  1665. 

ute.     Iliichuged  by  Gea.  Order  fron 

Dept.,  May  i;,  iM;. 

Ht,     Relumed.     TiamferTTd  to  Co.   I, 


Mualered  out  with  Co.  Jum 


Tslal.  14}. 
COMPANY   "F." 


John  P.  Bankton 

Capt.     Aug,  JO. -6.     1 

John  Scot. 

■■        Au£..j,'6j     ■■ 

Killed  at  Dabney-.  Mill.,  Va..  Feb.  6.  >86j. 

John  L,  Bell 

'•        1  Aug.  9, 'Si    1    ■' 

Wounded  at  Fi«  Fori..,  Vs.,  Marth  j.,  186). 
Transferred  to  Co.  A,  9111  Regt.  P.  V.,  June 

A'.MH. 

^-«*. 

£«■ 

1: 

IJ 

HaurK-Kdlr 

atU. 

Au*. » 

"Tfa 

P»nDUd  lo  Oipl.  Co,  G,  Oct.  .,,  .Mj. 

DuMS.  Wu. 

Ab<.. 

.■6> 

Vk..  June  t,  iWi,     Buried  In  NsDo<u>l  Ceini. 

I'honiii  }.  R«d 

Aii«. 

■6. 

Promoied  from  »i  Sgt,  lo  )d  U.  Maith  ij. 
>M4,  laiitU.  Auc  11.  1864     MulendDul 

Ch.rk.  H.  Hud 

BlLl. 

Uf-i 

■fa 

Promoud  f«m  »I  Sp.  to,  K,  7!*  R*.  P- 
V„  S«.  .6,  .96.,  0.i.iur«l  «  SbcphcRJ^ 
lo^n.'w.  K,  Sep.  «.  .Bfa,     P™«,l«i  10 

Bimlia  J-  l«raiB 

Auc- > 

.'6. 

^SZ'^^^^l^V.-^^p-f^i^,: 

G«,g.W.H^« 

»isst. 

Aug.. 

.■tti 

Woonded  »  P«hlt'.  F.™.  V.„  Sepl,  30,  iB&t. 
Muiiend  Mil  wiih  Co,  June  .,  i«H, 

OuHa  Smith 

S«gl. 

Aiig-i 

.■«. 

■■ 

UcKitcd  JuK  >o,  iS6j. 

lalin  k.<r=rtT 

AU|. 

■  '*• 

|«CI(.1«  TufMT 

Aug. 

■ftj 

W-„ndKl  >t  B.b™y^.  Mill.,  Vfc,  r.b.  ft,  isej. 

l^hn  H  WlUknuon 

■' 

A.i(.  s 

■m 

" 

C'cmciEfv.  ArTlngron.  D.  C 

Joxpb  L.  KboMlt 

■' 

Aus. 

.■6. 

" 

Di.d«.r^  fc,  ai>.hllily  Fib,  ..  i»3,  M 
F.moty  Hrxpiul. 

Mil«  »  Cin«-«« 

" 

Auc,  >t.'6t 

" 

I>««Md  r<l>,  ».  >(6,.  >rliaeat.bil»i.(h. 

H«,y  I/»c<» 

•■ 

Aug.. 

.■fa 

" 

Munnd  on  imh  Co,  J<m.  1,  tMj, 

Wllli.mT.  (lortwln 

>■"■ 

.■'■i 

[)raftnJ  PromMcd  fip.  Aug.  11.  .B64-  DH- 
cli.i^  Dec,  IS,  iSit,  for  promoiion  10  »1 

S-n.".l  S.  G™. 

C«pL 

Ami. 

-■fa 

■■    Km«>  •(  Shc|>hcrl>«»D,  W.  Vt.Sci.,»,  iW). 

ClM-ln  S.l«tli 

*■ 

July  .».  ■«. 

'■    DiKhBnAlfbrdlubaiiyFcb.i.iUj.tiPhlU., 

Fnderkk  ButMck 

" 

Auc,  «.'«. 

"     IW-WB  from  J»M  ..  .»,,  M  April  .1,  lUv 

WllltlR.  tl»l(c 

Au(,i 

■'*• 

" 

W«.n.Ud  >i  Wllderatt  Vi,,  M*y  S.  >U|. 
Alu<i.nd  uui  .«li  Cu,  JuK  ..  Mi. 

(lvl.cn  A.  II  111 

" 

Awj,  ) 

■fa 

'ri^Tsiv^.zr^---"^'^ 

0."r«.W    lnn.n 

Au«.. 

.'«! 

■■ 

*g5t?,j^   fc,  'd^.hSl.y'^Ab^t  .V^i 

Ai„w«M.t:.r 

■' 

Aug- 1 

.tl 

KlOe-l  »  pKHfli'.  Finn.  Vl,  <vp.  ^.  1(64, 

John  KTCcr, 

■'        Auf- » 

».**• 

" 

jljfc     ^«™d  J«.  ..  .»6i.  inir&S 

»..-,.. 

.,-*. 

Emral- 

i! 

Geone  W.Brown 

Corpl. 

Aug.« 

Camured  at  Wddon  R,  R.,  Va.,  Aug.  a.,  1M4- 

captuied  and  rtlfated  on  taking  the  oath  rf 
aUegiance  July  s.  >g6j.  Ordered  to  be  re- 
tilled  to  receive  any  co'naideralion  ai  a  loldier 
of  the  United  Stara. 

JoKph  MuTphr  (IH) 

" 

Aug.  .J 

'fa 

Miuiiered  out  with  Co.  June  ...865. 

Aug.  .4 

fa 

*^P.2."'',S'  Shepheid.iown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  », 
rB6».  Wounded  al  Getmhurg.  Pa.  July  1, 
1B6J.    Discharged  by  den.  Order  May  14, 

Robert  McAllialer 

" 

Aug.  4 

'6. 

Ja>na  McCab. 

" 

Aug.  J 

■fa 

•'    jDHenedJulyt.iMij. 

C.  H.  Baker 

July  .4 

■63 

"|1£I5FS^«« 

George  Ciiteret 

Uiu. 

Aug.  IS 

■6a 

"     Muttered  out  wllb  Co.  June.,  1B6;. 

G»iseW.Euuiia 

Aug.  8 

■6j 

"  jDi«har^ed  Feh.jo,  i96j..tWa.hingim.  D.C-. 
Sep.  JO,  1661. 

Babl,  Wadunglon 

Pri»i^ 

Aug. .. 

'6a 

"  'Mu.teredoutwi,hCo,JuK...86s. 

Benjan.m,Cha«eter 

" 

Aug,  T 

•6, 

"    'Difd  Nov,  ai,  iB6a,  al  Phila..  Pa.,  of  wounds 
1    rec'd  at  Shrpherditown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  », 

Boont.John 

" 

Aug... 

■fe 

"     Kilted  al  Frtd=rkk,burg,  Va..  Dec.  .3.  .B6a. 

CaUahan.JamsR. 

" 

Aug.  4 

■6a 

CogliTM^aodfordG 

■' 

Oct.  ,4 

■63 

"     Dr.fTfii.     Captured  at  Cold  Harbor.  Va.,lune 

a,  1B64.    Muttered  oiitxiih  Deuchmenl  May 

,      .;,    ,Ms.  'u  dal"    May  a6.  .66,.  at   Ph.la., 

Coniuir,  Jama 

" 

S.P..O 

'63 

■■     Draried.    DeKrted  Oct.  6,  .«3,  near  Culpep- 

Cooper.  Chark. 

" 

Aug,  .1 

•6. 

1     186a.     Discharged  for  ditabilily  Aug.  ao,  .S6], 
1     at  Phila.,  Pa. 

Da™,  ThomaiJ. 

" 

Aug.  .4 

■6. 

"    Ab«rt,    Sick  at  mutter  out  of  Co.    No  lunlier 

Davi^.Tbomaa 

Aug.1 

■«a 

Day,  Syl'Hter 

Aug.  .4 

'6, 

"    iPromoted  to  Com.Sgl.  Aug.  14.  .B6l;  10  Quai. 
1    .er-Maiitf  Oct.  «riB6> 

D«ii.  Charla 

Aug.  1 

•fa 

"     Di.cha.ged  for  diMWmy  June  ....863.  at  Fort 

Dtrouue,  William 

Aug.  .5 

'6a 

De.lil,  J(An 

July» 

'61 

"     Dratted.     Discharged,  to  dale  Jan.  19,  1666.  by 

DownicWiUlam 

July  IS 

■6a 

•■'4!i'MS"Sr.ss:'' '■''■** 

Dunlap.Thoma. 

'• 

Aug.. 

'6j 

"     DiKchai^  for  diubJIity  Man;h  14.  lUj.  M 
Phila..  Pa. 

Ail—.. 

Kamt, 

t;^  !|^ 

Piina 

Oc  ...  (Sj 

Aug.  e.  '6. 

D«fKd.    WmndHl.iP«bl='iKwm,Vt.S.p. 

Erb.  John  li. 

My".-ii 

DnriEd.  Pnxmer  [mm  M«  r.  iB«4.  »  I>*e, 
la.  1M4.  DbchnTKed  l^  Gtn  Uidir  Junt  4. 
,8«s,  U  Indi.ldSSriK.L=t^u.  r-ll,  «  A* 
upolx.  Md. 

rirfin.  Manjn 

Aug..4.'6" 

" 

Fwnll.  Lewit  T. 

Au«.  >4.'«> 

■■ 

DUeh«ged  for  di«bUuy  Ktb.  »,  .Mj. 

FonlM,,S»lll.T. 

Au(.  6,  'fi) 
Julyja.'*. 

;; 

Cswufcd  »t  Cald  Hubor,  Vi,  Jum  ..  .H«. 
■fi«>ric.«d  <«  Co.  L,  gut  R=sl.  P.  v.,  JvM 

F«lkt.  WillUm  T. 

0CI.U.-6J 

'■ 

V..Junti,  lU}. 

G*™™,  John 

■■ 

Aug.  •i.-6. 

■■ 

Mi>»»d  QUI  wilh  Co.  Ju«  ■,  iW). 

Dton,  WiliLun 

.. 

J>.l/>>.'6. 

" 

C>n>Nn,Joha 

Au«.  ..,-6. 

■- 

Mumd  QUI  wlib  Co.  Ju«  ..  rtij. 

OmlndB.  Itoor, 

jMly  .6, '(J 

" 

3.  ■Ki|,«AB™poU.,Md. 

K>rt,  Th^xiu 

A.«,.S.-to 

■■ 

Killed  «  Pt^nHB'.  Fj™,  v.  .  S.p.  ^,  ■)«.. 

Hury.GcoficB. 

" 

July.. .6) 

°s»g,.lS,t'X.'"'- '•""*■ '■ 

H<o.  U.1  U 

" 

Joly  .»,  -ij 

■■ 

°^jrs3'»'.'±ifia:i^jtt 

KoilfF.  Simuel 

AUJ.  5,  '6. 

'■■«:.3SS-6.V~;,X"' 

H^^by,  Rgbcn 

" 

Aug.  ../fa 

).f  k.nn,  Jnhn 

.. 

July  »,  -6. 
Au«.  le,'*. 

;; 

Daeited  Au|.  .;.  .K<.  «  Cmp  Utiiaii,  Phlk., 
Mukieted  am -Kh  Co.  JuH  1,  lU). 

J„h««,„,  Juh»  M. 

" 

Au«.  ,.  -6. 

T.kw  pm^KT  kt  Bfcchc.'.  ChBTch.  Vt,  .nd 
di«l  •(  Aiwtm™Yill..ti*,onnt  ibaoiOci. 

KnI,  JonJan 

" 

Au,.I..-6. 

No  fimhtr  moid. 

Xclly.  Kobert 

J»ly  '5.  ■«! 

■■ 

DnAol.  Dnrted  April  •).<«e4.i<tulknilr 
Ford.  Vn. 

Ki<«.  Willi,a.  H. 
Kdbk.,  Gmij! 

Kyi..  W,lJ«n. 

•" 

July  iB,  ■*. 
Am.  ..  ■6i 

A.>g.  B.  'fa 

" 

Uiuicnd  (Mil  viih  Co.  JuM  1.  >Mt 

>16),  ixd  H  Cold  Kirbur  V>,  Jim  >,  lU^ 
Hkni   AT   AadcnaavilJc.  Gl,  Sep.  ««  1M4- 

r.r...  n«. ^ 


M»uf. 

A»l. 

£n 

nr/- 

L^ 

Lilly,  JoKpb 

Aug. 

6, -6. 

Wounded  at  Wildem™.  Va.  May  s,  rB*,. 
Transfemd  to  Co.  A.  .4th  ftegi.'vrR.  c!^ 

March  .o.  .Ms. 

Unck.Jo.eph 

" 

Aug. 

3.'ta 

and  at  Peeble'i  Faim.T'a.,  Sep.  w.  iSfi,. 
Transferred  to  ^i  Co.,  ad  Battalion  V.'r,  CT. 

May  3,  .865-     Discharged  by  Gen.  Oriler 

June  .,.  ,86;. 

UttlcJohuH. 

" 

Aug. 

6. 'fa 

" 

Daerted  Jm    rr,  .863.  from   Hospital  U  Mid- 

LmB,C«..^W. 

Aug. 

i.'6a 

- 

Loa8«re.J«»b 

A.«. 

4, '61 

^...^■^'"■■■■•"■-^^ 

Aug. 

•.•6J 

" 

Drafted.    Transferred  (0  Co.  C,  giil  Regt.  P. 

V.,June,.r96s. 

M.llon,J.me. 

" 

Aug. 

■.■6j 

■' 

Drafted.  Captured  al  Cold  Harbor,  Va ,  June 
a,  1B64.    Transfemd  10  Co.  C,  9111  R^  P. 

Manii>,2iba 

" 

Aug. 

7, '6a 

■■ 

Maucy,  Charlea 

" 

July 

»9.'6» 

^C,7S4'..';"SS.*j';.;';;,e"  -  "^ 

Mailack.JohnW. 

" 

Aug. 

3.'*> 

Murphy.  Jo«ph  (ad) 

" 

Aug. 

S.'6» 

Murphy,  Thomas 

Aug. 

S,'6i 

" 

J.^.SS"'"'  ^"  '•  ■'•s- ^""-^"^ 

McConitghey.Johr. 

July 

■-'63 

Drafted.  Captured  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  Mays, 
,864,  Enlisted  in  8th  C.  S,  Infantry  at  Sali.- 
bury,  N,  C,   Was  recaptured  by  Gen.  Stone- 

filTed  at  Naih.'l™Tmn'.°'To<A  oaih'of  aUtl 

flov"9^"'^i,'  'l^'^er  ^Se'c,  of  W^ 
Camp  CadwaladJr,  Phila.,  Pa.  Not  entitled 
to  receive  any  considention  as  a  soldier  of  Ibc 

McComick,  John 

Aug 

t.'ij 

Drafted,  Captured  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va. .  Ju» 
a.  iSfa.     DiKharged  to  date  June  1,  .865. 

Aug 

Captured  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va.,  June  a  .864- 
f>e«rted  Jan.  1,  .863,  from  Camp  Parole, 

, 

Aug. 

13. 'fa 

Killed  at  Fredericksbutg.  V...  Dec.  13,  iSfa. 

Norcross.  John  E. 

July 

30. -6, 

Drafted.  Ptomoted  10  %i  U.  U,  S.  Colored 
TrooM  April  14.  '864.  per  S.  O.  157,  A,  G.  0., 
War  5epf..ap.S.!^a[IC,  June  ao..e6s.  Rfr 
signed  June  to,  1865. 

Oaks,  John 

Aug 

6. 'fa 

" 

Discharged  Feb.  t;,  1863,  at  Washington,  D. 
C,.  for  "■ounds  rec'd  at  Frtd click sburg.  Va,, 
Dec.  13,  lE6t. 

Orr.  Willi,™ 

" 

Aug 

'.-6} 

Drafted,  Wounded  at  Wilderness,  Va..  May  j, 
1864,  Discharged  by  Gen.  Order  Hay  a«, 
186;,  per    Del,    Muster-out   roll   al   Phila., 

Osborne,  Orson  H. 

■■ 

Aug 

"■■" 

Captured  at  ShephcnJstown.  W,  Vs.,  Sep,  B, 
,8fa,     Mus«nil  ™it  «ilh  Co,  June  ,.  ,8^5. 

Xtmn. 

jr<Ht. 

En,^. 

u 

P<»H»,J«i>h 

PlivUe 

July  .,,'63 

Drmfted,  Captuml  «  C«ld  H.rbor.  Vi,  Ju« 
»,.M.4.     Tnn.fcr.rf.oCo,  i;.»mR^.  P. 

P.iil.J<An 

" 

Au(.  6.  -fa 

Wounded  a  Fiedcrickihu.^,  V,„  D«.  ij, .»».. 
Uitchawcd  (or  diubiliiy  Uucb  .4.  >^,  tl 

Puadins.jMobS. 

■■ 

A«B..I,-(i. 

Pi«».P>iil 

■• 

*,..>.^ 

la&i.    Moi.ciuiouiwlihCo.  Junci.iMf. 

lt>l<un.J»><. 

■• 

AuB.6,'4. 

" 

Ulicnaraed  Jin.  14,  iXtj,  11  C:>m|i  Coonlcb 

RAblon.  John 

" 

Aug.  T,  't. 

" 

C.pui™t  ..  Cold  HMfbor,  V...  June  .,  .(&,. 
6l=d  Oil.  >.,  .«4. «  AfldeooariUe,  &.. 

Rcinetr,  Uuiiion 

Jidr  .1,  ■<!] 

- 

Dnbcd.    Abiu.1  tick  al  nuuei^eul  Co.    Ht 

(tcord  o(  dachargc. 

RtLn™,  WiiluB 

July.;, '63 

" 

DnTicd.  Ciptund  II  Cold  Harbor.  V(..JuM 
>,  1M4.     Died  on  or  abaul  Ucl   it,  lU^.  m 

Ceneuy,  MiUcn,  0*. ,  S«.  A,  gniTt  44 

ReM«t.J«ph 

" 

Auc,  15.  m 

'■ 

'^•ffi-'M^a'S-rRrj.Si.x- 

Ro.ch.  Joh- 

'■ 

Au(.  9,-6> 

■■ 

Uiiiuml  OKI  dlih  Co.  Jun>  1,  .Wi- 

Rob«a,OirtD 

J-iy  ji,  ■»! 

- 

D~ll«J.    W«.nd«l  u  Pc««bu„,  v.,  Job. 

Robttuon,  Ch.rl« 

■■ 

Aug.g.-fe 

■- 

Rogers,  Clanau 

" 

Aug.i»/fa 

&.Br~'""  •■■■"• '~-^- 

S>a«id.J(>lu> 

- 

Aug. ...'«. 

WouiHlcd  u  Dtbney'i  Mlllt,  V>..  Feb.  «.  i«b». 

SwMl.,  Tbomu 

" 

Aug.6.'fti 

S;h«U.H.nryJ. 

" 

Au,, .).'«. 

^;:'jit:^r..v^.;r,Vd,rn,^fe;v'^;8.'S: 

ShiUing,  Williim 

" 

Auk.  e,  '«• 

L..te-"' ■■».  ..iTd-.; 

Sn.iih,Jiina(iM) 

" 

A.«,  ».  -fa 

Snmh.J.a«(.d) 

" 

A«.  1,  -63 

I>rm(l«1.  Ah«.illn«™<MMu.«rK™.o(Co. 
No  «™td  of  diKb»(<. 

Snuih.  J««ph 

" 

July  .3,  -fij 

I>nfl>d.  Opiund  u  Cold  ll(nw,Vi.JuN 
<l64.    Gn>ei.»7. 

S«.rt>,  Am« 

" 

July. s. -63 

Dnflfd.     Wnunded  >l  WlldiTMH.  Va.,  H»l, 

Soydtr,  Fmnci. 

July.*, -61 

IMMrmd  Aug.  y..  >M>,  .<  Camp  Union.  tliUa.. 

Sourt«r.A™. 

" 

Au«..,-«3 

■ 

[>nlWI     Cipunrdii  Culd  Itirtn'.  Vi  .Job* 

-  7i6  ■ 


JVawL 

*-. 

Bonl- 

k: 

Primle 

AuB.,j 

•fa 

' 

C.Feb.  6    .Ms.     Di«;h«g«i  on  Surgeon-. 
,  certifiole.  Apnli4,  iWs. 

Sn«Ser,Ba4.F. 

" 

A««.» 

"a 

Muttered  out  with  Co.  June  >,  .U;. 

S«««.Be«J.J. 

" 

Oct... 

■«3 

" 

Dr-fted.  Wounded  «Wildeme»,V>.,  May  B, 
1B64.  Killed  al  Pegnm'i  Farm,  Va..  Sep. 
30,  .86,, 

StoT.WaUuDH. 

" 

AU4.,S 

■&i 

" 

"'fs:S^;'S"'S;s'fA°t  -arii 

Sdli«n,Jolm 

" 

Aug.  IS 

•6. 

" 

'•s:SS/:%*Kf-,S:'.?f»i:'S: 

a.uiKegt.i»t.uted. 

Sniu,  Jicob 

" 

Oct,  i» 

'«] 

Drafted.     Wounded   at   Pegrau.-,    F«m.  Va., 

TkBgen,  Robcn 

July  IS, 

■H 

" 

atoui  &ep.  .0,  .B64. 

T.ylor,J<«ph 

" 

Aug.. J 

■6. 

" 

^.     rta«n3jau.  .,.M},a.Cau,pParole, 

Tbompton.  DiYid 

" 

Aug.  .6, 

■6j 

Wounded  at  Fredcricktbuig,  Vj.,  Dec.  13, 1861. 
Dec.  g.  .8*3.      DiKharged  by  Gen.  Orf= 

Toliod,  Williwn 

Aug.  14 

■fa 

" 

^is=sl;Ss,SjiJ;;-,ir--^- 

TnUner,  Arthur 

" 

July  .8 

•6» 

•• 

DcKRed  Aug.  .6,  .8fa,  ai  Camp  Union,  PhiU., 

Tuff,  Slou 

■■ 

Aug.M 

■6j 

Deaerted  Ai«.  18,  iBfa,  at  Ounp  Union,  Phil.., 

Turact.John 

" 

Aug... 

6j 

" 

fcJrid'to'c'o."?,'  o.H    Reg.":  I^.'v..'  i<^^. 

WelU.Jolm 

" 

July.T 

■6j 

■■ 

DraTled,     Wounded  in  action  Oct.  1,  1864.     Dc- 

■ened  Jan.  99,  i8«i,  while  on  fiuloi^. 

WeitkKchl.JohnJ. 

Julyio 

■63 

Drafted  Killed  at  Wcldon  R.  R.,  V..,  Aug- 
ai,  .864.  Buried  in  Poplar  GroK  Cemetery, 
Peleriliurg,  Va.,  See.  D,  Div.  D,  grare  194. 

" 

Aug.  .4 

■6. 

" 

'=^'£-M;,,W;Si»t.Vi;.*- 

Whaler,  Thomu 

Aug.  14 

-6< 

WlK,  Samuel 

'■ 

Aug.«S 

•(a 

- 

De«ned  April  j;,  1863. 

Wood,  George  W. 

" 

July  3, 

6} 

Drafted.    Deaerted  April  14,  ■^4.  near  Beverly 

WoodhQUK,  7.  D, 
W«KlfcU.JaiBe.A. 

■• 

Aug.. J. 
Aug.  ,6 

•fa 
■fa 

■• 

iSfa.  Deserted  Jan.  .,  .Bt},  from  Camp 
,.„d„...i»C.. ).«,.,»,. 

—  717  — 

COMPANY   "G." 


Ntmti. 

Xut. 

EmnI' 

11 

CooRludSuiHlM 

Cj«i.. 

A«f.. 

,'«• 

J<*"  V.  Hi-niewt. 

" 

A»,  «/6. 

PnnDoKil  (nioi  ill  lA.  Co.  E  Sep.  ».  iM*. 

WUIum  Woi 

" 

A-,.. 

,  61 

Piogioied  rnm  ul  L>.  Nov.  1.  iil6s.     RbI(bmI 

Rkhird  W.  DufMl 

■' 

Aii(  > 

■■*• 

'■ 

"i^.:izx:tAX^T.^i:  '^' 

Mfflry  K,  Kelllf 

" 

A»,.« 

.■«• 

C.p.u«d  M  Cold  H«l»r.  V...J»MM8fa. 

J6h0  R.  WU.!. 

" 

Au... 

■61 

Promolnl  from  if<  Sci.  u  Ml  U  Qei.  h,  ilfal 
b9»iU  J>n.  1,  i»|^  loCkpl.  Feb.  1}.  1(65. 

Wlllum  F,  OutI.^ 

irU. 

Sep.. 

•fa 

" 

Pr<nnou.I  fwi.  x)  Li.  Co.  1  Nov.  t,  itfaj  to 
Quinct-Miuer  Jui.  i.  iMj. 

" 

July  .9 

■fa 

" 

ou.»iihOi.JuM..  .S6». 

JolmlliidkaUWhlla 

HtU. 

Julys 

■fa 

'•■s£r..'^,;fiS;S.'V'!,t.:'S; 

OeancW.Mooi* 

" 

Au«.. 

■fa 

■Y.ru-cn&t.'ii—-'"""'" 

S..mKl  tiKuniu 

mS»i. 

A-f.v 

■fa 

" 

[•ramoted  to  it)  Sfi.  Feb.  it.  iM(,     Woundid 

«uwiACo,Ju«...Mv 

Will,.*  Will,, 

S|l. 

Am.. 

.'fa 

>W:>.     DiichutBl  rot  dlHbUlly  Am-  ••,  ■*&«• 

John  L  Btl) 

" 

A-g.» 

•fa 

P™n».p!  from  Cofpl.  .0  9(t.  Uinh  <,  iM,i 
ud  >»  m  U  Co.  S  No>.  i«.  Ilfa. 

Henry  Ciniwr 

- 

*■■«.( 

'fa 

ProOMXed  lo  >d  U.  Co.  C  J«.  .B.  'Bfa. 

J»Lm  Pfe,ffM 

■' 

July  J 

'fa 

lend  out  »IIh  Co.  Juik  1,  lU;- 

Wilii.Bi  Coiinotr 

" 

A«g.» 

'fa 

kt-l*ii  McCluBI 

'■ 

Am.  J 

'fa 

" 

ID  iigth  Co  ,  id  Boiullon.  ^  R.  C,  MwA 
—,.«..    Dl«b«Kfd  Am.  r.  >»S 

re«,  a.™i 

"■ 

A«., 

■fa 

" 

Mviully  wmnded  JuDt  •«.  iBfa.  und  ditd  Jul)p 

Willum  p.  B«hwl 

" 

Am.  > 

.'fa 

" 

D)Mh.rBed  To.  dlublllly  Feb.  ■<.  iWj.M  PhtU., 

■■ 

Am.i 

.•fa 

<Uj.    Mu.ttr«l™.-ilhCo-Ju«.,  ifcj. 

" 

Am.. 

.'fa 

MuiieiBl  a.1  .lih  Co.  JuM  >.  ttfa. 

H«ryB«k 

" 

Am.> 

/fa 

" 

DeKned  Dec  .4.  ilfa.  tiom  Filmoulh,  Va. 

EvmF.Oi™ 

Con>L 

Aug,  J 

'fa 

r>l«h««d  YA.  M.  'Ml."  C.«pCM.ii.lei. 
W.  V.,.  Sep.  ».  .«fa. 

Thom«FrnT»m 

" 

July  J 

■fa 

r-.r  diHbiiUT  Am  i>.i<ifa.uPWui..P*. 

A^evueer  Rhoida 

J"1y. 

.'fa 

"&«..%•'&"'"  "■'^  •■ ""  " 

Namtl. 

;,».. 

Eiril. 

i^ 

RobtrtBlKk 

Co,pl. 

Aug.s 

•6. 

^ 

.Sfa.  and  u  WildenKU,  Va.,  Mav— .  1K4. 
Pii»nc[  fi^m  May  6,  1S64.  to  F<b.  13,  .U;. 

pi«'^'»r'..'^  C"-  ^r  Mr.'*.  'Sis,  p=. 

Individual  Mu.Kr-oul  roll,  at  Phila.,  Pa. 

JohnWemu 

■■ 

July  21. -6. 

" 

July  .6.  iB6j.     Di.cha.gBl  by  Cn,  Order 

Rob.nA.Joha.toii 

Aug.  5 

■fa 

" 

Mu.tered  out  wiih  Co.  June  1,  .86]. 

Charts  T»ylor 

Adj., 

■6, 

JjiDid  Fcitcn 

Aug.  6 

■6. 

■• 

Doened  Dec.  .3,  i8fa.  r.om  FaJmonih.  Va. 

HcD>y  S.  L«.ii 

A«.6 

■fa 

Wounded   at  WtldenKU^  Va.,  May  B,  iBA*. 

Thonu.  Drgh. 

Aug.. 

.■ta 

Mialtred  oul-iih  Co.  June  1,  .865. 

J«.    S.  McLitighlio 

Aug.. 

■fa 

Muiteied  ont  .itb  Co.  June  t,  >e6j.  ' 

JohnCoonu 

July  J 

■6j 

" 

Andre.  Diivi, 

Aug.  9 

•fa 

MuitercdoulwithCo  June  1   tB6] 

Allbutcr.  wmiuB 

PriviK 

An.., 

■fa 

" 

■>'Sf,r.»5i,«MUr.%;,^-:sS 

Al.«.,Johii 

'■ 

Aug.. 

■6, 

" 

July  3 

'fa 

'■ 

^Phlb^Pa*""   ■'"'"""^   ""^   *■•   "'^'  " 

Axiw.G«)TE« 

" 

Aug.  8 

'fa 

D^J^Apn,,8,.«3.on™d.„CWel. 

Bun,  Aktbiadci 

" 

Aug., 

■fa 

DiKhargcd   for  diubility   April   i,   iMa,   at 

BechKl.  FrkIi 

■• 

Aug.i 

■fa 

Died  Dec  14.  i86j  of  wund.  rtc'd  u  Fml- 
crii:li>bu[g,  V...  Dec.  .j,  i8fa; 

" 

At«.s 

■fa 

•■ 

Muiiered  out  w.ib  Co.  June  1,  .86,. 

BUiir,  WJli.m 

'■ 

Aug.  J 

■fa 

Discharged  for  diubUity  March  at,  1S6,.  at 

Bitbur^,  George 

Aug.. 

■fa 

•■ 

i8fa.                                      '                  .    ^'^        - 

Bowtn,  Bcmhill 

Julyjo 

■6, 

DcKned  Sep.  it.  iSfa,  liom  Lowe*.  Balloon 

Cotp.,  Sha.p.bnrg.  Mk 

Brown.  H«,ry  C. 

Aug.. 

'fa 

Mu,.er^outwi,hCn.Jun.,..BS,. 

Burhc,  Robert 

Julyrt 

■fa 

" 

Wounded  ai  Getlyiburg,  Pi,.  July  a.  iMi. 
Tran.fcrT«!  to  to.   I,%olh   R^.  V.   R.  C., 

Juoej,  .ae*. 

ColHsh.  Chirici 

Aug.  4 

■fa 

StK^tTcfBtiir-  '™""- 

Cokbai^h,  HaryH 

" 

July« 

■63 

" 

T«5a<vJS.?^™' 

Ctiiig,  Henry 

" 

JulyiB 

'fa 

Di«h.r«ed^  f«  diuhility   April   .4,   .86j,  u 

Subilltuu.  De«rted  Oct.  .9,  .S63,  k^  Cen- 
inville.  Vn. 

Crowlty,  Bcnurd 

'• 

Sep.  .o 

•6j 

" 

Ntmtt. 

XMt- 

£-,.{. 

^ 

Crombcr.  vvauuB 

Prii^B 

Aug,  8.  -6. 

D«fttil  It«.  9.  iMj.  M  Omp  P««b,  Ud. 

CuriT.  I>unli> 

" 

Jul)-.). -ft. 

" 

OiMhiraid  ror  diubility  Ftb,  14.  iK),  M  Cuip 

Itoley,  PM(kk 

■■ 

Ao»  ...'«. 

.. 

Mumiol  ou  wiia  Co.  Juk  i.  iWi. 

l»«k».Jolm 

■■ 

S=p,  «.  '6) 

DnOnL  Abwol  lick  u  no>K>  wl  of  Co. 
JuiH».iMs.»lFh.l.„P.. 

Bou*hnl)r.J«» 

" 

J>Jj-rf.-e. 

UTHrud  July  1.  iM],  lion  Emory  Kapiul. 

D»d,  l!d«nl 

" 

Au,..,.'6. 

V...,  S>p.  »,  •>&>  DKh*i)»l(i>rd>>*MUlr 
No*  if.iWi.uPhll^.I^- 

EtlKliiiui.ToliU* 

" 

-«■"■- 

WoinnW  u   WiUfcrt«.,  V...  May  S.  iRi*. 

Emy,  L»l> 

" 

Aa|.  S.  -6. 

l>«R<d  Oct.  ..,  .».',  fnu.  IWplUd  ■■  PhU... 

PlihUn,  Wb.  D, 

•' 

Aui. ,.  t. 

iMi.  Itiuhifscd  for  diubilliy  Ju>.  ■«.  tUu 
..«c  K.lcii™ih,  V. 

rinaiukn,  Qi  K. 

■' 

Abb.  4.  ■*• 

MixuoJ  ooi  »]ib  Dcuchnuni  Miy  15.  iHj.U 
PbilL,  P>. 

fl"""- «"">-" 

'• 

s^. ...  -t) 

" 

"SS-v.'^SSSVlA-^""" 

Kn^.Aw 

■■ 

Au,. ,.  '61 

■' 

"I'raL.x'"  "*"-"•' """•■"'• 

Pi.llai».Ch«la 

" 

A<«.  ...•«. 

" 

nomk.  v.. 

GObin.'niyMdOR 

" 

Ai«.).-fa 

" 

CMiua,  Sinud 

" 

July  T,  -6. 

■■ 

Di.d>.r|«l  («  dlublUly  Au|.  y,,  xitn,  at  Cuv 

Unkin,  I*klU.,Pa. 

O™™,  C«rj« 

" 

Au(.  8,  '6> 

" 

"aa.'?.'^-"*-'"'-" 

H««,  Rph~n. 

■' 

JiJy",-sj 

■' 

nnncd  Tninfernd  to  Co.  1.  •)>it  Rtgl.  P. 
v.,  Jan.  ,,,»,. 

Hui*c,  J*ab 

" 

July.,. -SI 

DnTwd.  Waiml«l.<Wil<1.nw,V..U.yi, 
»««.  Tnteftri*.!  to  urwMipwd  Bca  <A  giti 
Ri.PV..J»B,t,,««,.   "^ 

HuliB.GwwW. 

" 

Aii|.,.'4. 

WooBdeJ  a  P-bk-.  r*™..  Vt.  Sep.  r>.  •»«■ 
Mu.<*r>d«>l<>llhCo-Ji.n<i,iWi, 

II<)K.  Rtotunl 

J-Jr  11.  -ej 

Subtitiiiu.      CoBnKivI    lu  Cuili   THiimIh 

ii-».«,  r«»«. 

" 

i*«.ii.'ej 

" 

DnlM  Dwnwi  May  «.  iHt.  ftua  Kkacd 
H»l>IUl.  W..W.«WB.  11  C 

Ilal»l»ld,  rnniain 

■' 

Wtt.'*- 

)l>ll,  WUJUm  A. 

•■ 

JJITK.ISJ 

" 

Ulio.  V.  R.  C.  <Xi,  .«,  .U.  Di«h.rs«l 
byCee  (hditJolyT.  >Ki. 

lUnn.jwtiiUlh     1       " 

J,Jy„.-<, 

" 

I 


Chirles  Tiylot 
Hcniy  S.  Lcwii 


Ar„ 

utrang 

J^,n« 

Aj-t«,G« 

■«<: 

B«> 

m.Ak 

boda 

BcchKl,  F 

unci! 

B=. 

^min 

Aug.  5 

.■fe 

Aug. 

■6, 

Aug.i 

.'6> 

Aug. 

-63 

Aug.  6 

■6, 

Aug.. 

.■6. 

Auk., 

,'63 

Joly  = 

.'6. 

Aug., 

•6i 

Aug.  9 

■h 

Aug.i 

.■6. 

Julys 

,■«= 

Aug.  8 

'6. 

Aug.  7 

■6j 

Aug.. 

,'6i 

Aug.  s 

■6. 

Aug.  7 

■6j 

Aug.. 

.■|5» 

Julyj. 

.■6. 

AUR., 

■6,; 

July, 

.•ft. 

Aug.  4 

'6i 

July« 

^■63 

July, 

,-6> 

S^.. 

.'6j| 

■  S«i,  and  M  wildcriKK,  Vi.,'m»— ,  it 
PriMuer  from  M.y  6  .B64.  «  F.fi.  «  .( 
Jtitchgrgcd  by  Gen,  Order  July  14,  lUj, 
lndi.idual  Mu^tr.™.  toll,  u  PliiL..,  Pt' 


July  .6.  iBSj.    DiKl..tgoJ  by  Ct 

."  Or 

Mu.t™j  ou 

with  Co.  Jut«  . 

■  B6], 

Killed  mFk 

derickiborg,  v.. 

D«:..3 

lUi. 

DeKncd  Dec.  13,  iBb,  from  FiJinouth,  V.. 

M.uter.d 

.sr&s 

.-.sr 

B,  .8 

Muttered  nu 

with  Co.  June  I 

.Ms. 

with  Co.  June. 

.Ms. 

Mistered  ou 

with  Co.  June. 

.Mj. 

Mustered  ou 

with  Co.  June. 

.M). 

Dischirned 
wound!  rec 

'lUi^^^t, 

J^%;v^fe 

"SS. 

...   M. 

■Mj. 

°plwa 

Ibr  diubaity  Mud)  y,. 

.M3. 

Uwerted  An 
lonvlUe,  \ 

11  ^,  1863,  on  much  to 

Chu 

"?^k1^ 

i86j. 

erLck^burg' 

.  186,,  of  wound.  KC'd 

V...liec..j,.8S.. 

«F, 

Muttered  ou 

w.thCo,JiiiHt 

.Ms- 

Diiuhaigni 
PhiU..  P» 

for  diHlnlity  Uudi  ■!, 

•Ws. 

Died  Oct.  S,   >S6..  .t   PhOL.  Ph.  of  >w 

4S;sa»a,;"&- 

Lowg*! 

BiUi 

Muxeredou 

with  Co.  June  I 

1M5, 

Wounded  a 
T™»fene. 

10  t^  ii7i«h  il*^v.V 

Iwouuded  nt  Shcphenlttawa,  W.  Va.,  Sn. 

iMi.     Killed  in  Ktion  Oo.  1,  1M4.    Bu 
I     in  Ponlar  Grove  Nutiowl  CemWOT,  Ftu 

bn.B.  Va..  Div.  C.  Sec.  F,  <im«  7. 
Drafied,    Absent  ilcli  U  HnaMr  oM  of  1 

lliirharged    Time  j,  i86s,  00   DenAa 

Mu»er.5;>l  roll  u  Wuhiupoi.  D.  C 
■discharged  for  diaatuilty  April   14,  |S«), 
.Subtiitute.    DeKRed  Oct.  19,  1H3,  aofr  C 


N»mii. 

RMWk. 

£■«/. 

M 

Hflkkir.Pimck 

Pri.«. 

A.«.t, 

■Sj 

3   ,W«i«tei  u  P-ble-.  F™.  V=u^S^.  3*  .M^ 

UcBride,  RaMR 

" 

Aw.  u 

■«. 

P*. 

McOUkih.  Shwui 

J-iy  is 

■s, 

WiOinBck.  Wn.. 

Au«.  4 

■6. 

■■ 

HRd  uui  irlih  Ca.  JuH  i.  lUi. 

McFilL  t>uc 

A««-s 

•6. 

■■ 

Aug.  .,,  xtbi-    D«i«.»el  l»  Clm.  l)nl-T 

HcGuIn,  WUlUm 

Am.  4 

■6. 

tli^snl  by  O™-  Onlo  Jum  .6.  .U,. 

Nuljahn 

" 

Aul.*) 

■6) 

•■    Sub-ikuu.     DomWd  Feb.  »,  itb^  »t  Hw. 
e.lyF«rd.V.. 

o«B.  winiuii 

" 

J-lT.7 

'fa 

«  iDtacUrEBllwdwIiniiy  Kcb.  M.tUi.uCup 

O'DeiuU.  T1io«i 

" 

J«ir  .r 

■6. 

■■ 

T«»<and  K  Cb.  I.  kA  Rccl  V.  R.  C,  iSty. 

a-Un,  jotaB 

•' 

J-tr.? 

■«. 

■■ 

"^l^t^MA  Sj^,'*?^*'*'"'™^  *■ 

F«^.Fnu>kUa 

" 

Auc  < 

'»! 

■■ 

vtc'-fi^r.E,""'"-"'"^ 

mnyjrf,  Brlchi 

*■*.» 

■** 

■■   'Wo^ndtil   (1   Ceortbuis.  Pa..  July  >.  itf). 

y,„nl-n.  J.™ 

■■    ' ««.  > 

R.™H,  Robm 

-     's,^. 

■*3 

Dimftnt.     Woundnl  nl  WitdnniM,  Vii  .  U*y  1, 

R4n.  TUgnu. 

Sq.  9. 

«3 

.W4.»'W..l,.n»i«i,  D.  C. 

Rhoda,  Alc»ni!tr 

■        July  ,, 

•6j 

R»n,  Ed*...) 

■■         1    S.P    .4 

«1 

" 

I>r»ft«i     W,m«W  «  Nflrth  A™.  V...  Hiy 

Riitr.  J-— 

July  .t 

'Si 

" 

Feb.  r.  iKt. 

Kyin.Thnnut 

Srp  8 

»J 

Itnfttd     IVr»»*r  r>T«.  Oci  >.,  >M>.  »  Hay 
t».  lU).     IHwh*inl  hy  Gtn  Unfn  JuM», 
.8*^.  [K.  todWldiml  Mu«ei«ul  ™il  .1  A^ 
Hpolta.  Md- 

Soidu.  Purlck 

" 

Stp.  M 

■«) 

■■    Sulsitniit.      CMBOlrNri    w   Cuili    Tbusda, 

^  ;m».*v...„...,,.^.....™U 

SdiQppftJ,  W™. 

"     :Au«.i. 

■to 

•  C.|U..<^  «  W.kJtrw«,  V.  ,  Miy  t.  lUt.ud 
'    JM  .1  An<l>n<>n>in>.  U*  .  Axe  ID,  tt&a. 

ScuKdc,  WUUui 

•■      JAm.  . 

■8. 

1     MivKndovl.KhLV  JuKl.lWl. 

»M»V.  .l!*ll 

4«I  • 

-«• 

" 

Dv«Md  Mt  *. 'Ml  «  W<Mp>«w,  V^ 

A.™. 

Xani. 

Enrtl- 

It 

Sal(h,auule> 

Priyaie 

Julyjo 

'63 

> 

"t'VTj.^rriT' "  °'-  "■  "•'  "* 

Smilh,Th0BU.H. 

" 

July« 

■«3 

" 

T?.'.^"^"'^- '■  •■■"""■■ 

Sorden,  June.  F. 

A«g.. 

•6} 

"rKS-sfj-s-T-i:- =••■••■■•*■ 

St«l,  Arthur 

" 

Au,.,. 

■6j 

Killed  ai  Pegiani'i  Firm,  Va..  Sep.  jo,  1864. 
Va.,  Di..  D.  Sec.  C,  grave  ,06.  ' 

5»cl.TliaiiiH 

" 

Aug... 

•fn 

Discharged  for  diutiitity  Feb.  11,  1S6],  near 

Stuijeu,  Isuc 

■• 

Aug... 

■fa 

Died  March  8.  >M3,  al  Falmouth.  Va. 

Supkc.  l<r»l 

" 

Aug.j 

•fa 

DiicbargedfbrdiaabiUtyFeb.97,  iWj.alPhila., 

Thomu,  Tboouu 

" 

July.s 

■63 

- 

eriy  Ford,  Va. 

Thomp«n.Th«™ 

" 

July  .s 

■H 

Sub,,ituie.  ^(;jPO.red  May  j,  .864.  Di«i  to 
R.chmond.  Va.,  May  la,  1864. 

Todd.  Frank  Gmy 

" 

Julyjo 

■6} 

Subiiitute.    TranfferT«ltaNavyMan:h4.i8£4- 

Toy,J«<.b 

" 

Aug.  J 

■fa 

Wounded  a<  Cold  Harbor,  Va..  June  1,  .86^ 

Troop,  D«»id 

•• 

Aug.  7 

■6j 

TKhudy,  Ell 

" 

July  .S 

■63 

Drafted.  Wounded  a.  North  Ann.,  V...Ju« 
1.1M4.    Oiiclurgtd  lor  diiabiliiy  March  iS, 

TKhudy,  John 

" 

Feb-B 

■64 

" 

Tiamferred  toCo.  1.9..tRep   P.  V.June,, 

Wagenknight,  Wm. 

" 

Aug... 

■<i 

Wounded  at  Peehle^i  Farui,  Va.,  Sep.  jo.  1864. 

Wilion,  John  L. 

.. 

A«g.» 

-fa 

Dejencd  Sep.  »),  iBfa,  at  Sharptbuij,  Md. 

Waikini,  WiUiun 

" 

Aug-s. 

■fa 

- 

Doerted  May  ..,  .Mj,  fmn.  Lincoln  Gen.  Ho^ 
pital.  Waihinglon,  f).  C. 

WlltoB.,  Jo«ph 

" 

Aug.. 

•1' 

nX'^lVK"^ '--■■■  ■-■■-""■ 

Wiimer,  Charlei  R. 

" 

Aug.  9 

Diicharged  tor  diubilily  Feb.  iS.  186}.  al  Caup 

Woimerwick.  Chn. 
Worth.  Chutes  G. 

., 

Julyjo 
Aug.  4, 

-6, 
'fa 

;: 

DeKTted.      Returned.      TTaniferred   to  Co.    I, 

9...R^.P.  V„Jui.e.,.S«s. 

Zaub,  William 

July, 

■<3 

Drafted.  Killed  in  action  at  WiUerHU.  Va., 
May  a.  .M,. 

w 

W 

COMPANY  " 


Jo..ph  A.hb«.ok 

Capt. 

A,L 

.»,■«.. 

J    ;Honoiablydi»:harKed  Jan, 
'     Promowd  freia   in  Ll.  Co 
'  'Rnigneil  Nov.  i«.  iKj. 

4,  .864. 

K  Nov. 
e,.tS65. 

.■8*4. 

N»m„. 

JI«i. 

£nr«/- 

fe 

TIUKW  M.  COUK 

tHLl. 

Ai«...-ft. 

' 

PromoiHJ  frarn  Sgc.  u  id  U.  Ucc  S,  iMj:  w 
ili>clurg<HlOu.  1,  >B«,. 

lluiry  CoasH 

A.W..J.-6. 

P™b«b1  from  td  Ll.  Co.  C  Dit.  ..,  >U4. 
0>inniiutin»1  C*l»   Cn.  E  M>r:h  •«,  ■•£). 

PuiwU  W  S«)llh 

•lU 

Aug.  .B. -fa 

Roigned  l>«.  t,  .Ui- 

Aw- ,,-6. 

J>ro««,d  ^1.1  b«.,  J-n    1,,  .»,.     iflMJJt 

RobenCBcnMB 

WS0. 

AitC.M.-«i 

" 

Wuindid  u  rrntrrKk(t>L.rE.  V>..  Dec.  ij,  iSCt. 

S«CL 

*Bf-  *.  ■*« 

" 

Wvundcd  u  Crnlcrlclubunc,  V*.,  D«.  t  j,  iMi. 

0«.».W  Hooft 

- 

Aa«.  ..  ■(. 

.. 

{•ntmowd  ID  id  U- Co.  <]  Ju.  T. .»]. 

O-ei,  0,  Robou 

" 

Aug.  1.  ■». 

" 

WoumM  >t  P(gnm-i  Carm,  Vi   Sup  >i,  ■M4. 

Juiy  ■*.  il»«s. 

AI.J.T-  t-.«..Iy 

Aug.  1, '«) 

"""""" 

Aug...* 

WouDdrf  u  P«We'.  P.rt=.  V.,.  Sn  jo,  ,(44. 

JgJiB  VuilrUT 

AiJ<.A.-«a 

"¥^'^  s■''^^  'S*  *"  "**  •"'■' " 

Hnrr  Q,  Cobb 

A.«.  ..,■». 

'■ 

IM«hi.npilroriU..l.ilil,0(..,4..I6,..lPhllfc, 

Wlir.^  McD(,«l,l     '      .. 

Aug,6,'«. 

.. 

M«.1„«l  ou.  -.h  Co  J„«  ,,  ,M5. 

*'"""  Ph««r        CnO. 

A>«,  1.  -6t 

" 

"j^^^xlSr..^-:,^""^^"^--'"*-'*^"' 

WilUn.  EdiBBtr 

" 

Aug  1. -fa 

■■ 

DiKh»r«l  1st  diiabnily  Dec  ]i,  lUa.  bmt 

Jfthn  MaoNiih 

" 

A-.,..-^ 

■■ 

Job..i.i  T«.y 

" 

Aug.  i.a. 

" 

P[«H»r  (r,»  Juno  ..  iHi.  u  April  «..  lUb 
Dl«h.-g-l  ju>«^.^,»6,.  p^I_.«Tida 

U-v,U  lli..th.U 

" 

Aug  ,.  ■». 

" 

Di.ii  j.ar  .1.  tMt.  ■<  mnd'.  LtoBd.  K.  V., 

William  Winillr.  Jr. 

" 

Aug, ..  -fa 

" 

M  .<«d  «>  «>ib  Otochatn  Ju«  3.  iW),  ■! 

lt,^rt,.n'N.il 

" 

Aug,  ...*. 

" 

"5X~',rffc"~"-""~  •■'-■" 

Kohwi  (lllkn 

■' 

Aug.  .i.-(i» 

■■ 

WillLam  H   Bfool.. 

" 

Aug  J.  ■». 

••    Dbch.r«<l  N«    .■,,  .M,.  p«  Siwul  (Mm 

;   4W.  w  i>  A  r,  iV 

]im>.  I'liliiif 

AW,. 

..-. 

£.«/- 

Is 

John  Tomer 

Cond. 

A.i<.»,-fa 

3   'Mu>lei«loulwithCo.Jn»i.iUs. 

Thomu  H.  Mendoc, 

" 

Aug.  s.  '«• 

" 

Wounded  at  FFcdcrickiburE,  Va.,  Dec.  ij.  iBta, 

TllamH  H.  McMlng 

•■ 

Aug.  i.  •«. 

■• 

Wounded  at  Uud  Hill,  Va.,  Hay  «,  ia64- 

WmUun  Thornton 

" 

Aug.  .5. -6, 

■■ 

MuHcred  out  with  Co.  June  .,  tMj. 

J.n,«  McGUU=y 

" 

Aug.  a,  -6, 

Ciatund  al  CbaDcellsnville,  Va.,  May  ],  iBSi. 

JohsMcCAth 

" 

July  «. -63 

" 

Dnfied.  Died  Aug,  lo,  iBfi4,  u  iM  Div.  jth  A. 
C.  Koapital. 

Jo«pl.  E.  Booth 

Hui. 

Aug.  ...  «g 

.86-  Di.eh.,gedlbrdi«bLUtyJuni^,,»Sj. 
al  W.ihiogton.  D.  C. 

jU]g.i«r,Ch«fc. 

FKyW 

July  i8. '63 

" 

Drafted.  Wound«IitPeeble'>FanD,Va.,Sc|h 
JO.  .664.  D.«h.,ged  fo.  disability  Jnnc  .9. 
.86s.  at  Phil..,  Pa- 

July  lo, '83 

DrsRed.  Wounded  at  Wilderoeu,  Va.,  May  j. 
i8«4.     I»»^haiged  fbr  diubiUly  Dee.  38,  i£4. 

Athmui,  Bmjunin 

.■ 

Aug.  9, -fa 

.. 

Auihcr,  Robert 

" 

Aug.  6,  -fa 

Doentd  Aug.  »,  1B61,  it  Phila.,  Pa. 

Ayen,  Loruq  W. 

Aug.B,-6. 

MuiterBl  out  -ilh  Co.  June  ..  iB6i. 

Bahl.  Samuel  B. 

AuB..j/«3 

- 

BJ«r,Ch«lB 

" 

Scp..3,'<3 

•' 

Substitute.     Deietted  Dec.  5,  1863,  at  BeveHy 

Blier.Joho 

Sep.  >4.  -63 

" 

"SS-sr""  =•"■'■■""•-■ 

fi>]a,Johi> 

July«.,'fl3 

Subilitute.  Wounded  Dear  Cold  Haitnr  JuH 
6,  ie«4-    DeMned  Nov.  S,  1S64- 

Ball.Junei 

" 

Jufy»9,-«3 

" 

B.»,|.,._^„.j™^S., «..b,.H- 

Kiir.Diamli 

- 

Aug.  S.  'fa 

■  • 

D«encd  Sep.  la,  iB6>. 

Bin,  Williim 

" 

Aog..5/«' 

" 

Darned  Sep.  «.i«6a. 

BeuD.  Jacobs. 

" 

Aug.  4.  '6i 

Deienedjulye,  iB«3. 

Bick,JohB 

" 

Aug.  4, '63 

Substitute.  Doeited  Aptil  18,  1864,  at  Camp 
Bamej,  Va, 

Bond,  Lewi. 

" 

Sq>....,'flj 

Dnfied.    Tianifened  to  Co.  B,  9»t  Ri«t.  P. 

Booth.  O-bo™ 

" 

J-iy  -3.  '6i 

V.,Juoei,  1S6). 

Brant,  Charki  F. 

- 

Aug.  a, 'fa 

'• 

Detertcd  July  1,1863. 

Br»n.,  Sil»  A. 

" 

Aug.  s, -fa 

" 

Discharged  bv  Special  Order  11,  Amy  Potomac, 

Biogan,  Ed'ard  T. 

" 

July  ,8. -63 

Drafied,     Died  Dec.  9.  1W4.  "  City  Point.  Va, 

BroM-n,  Jame. 

" 

July  15,  -63 

" 

Ford,  Va. 

Brown.  Thoma. 

Aug.  7, -fa 

■ 

Wounded  and  capiuied  >I  or  near  Cold  Hnrbot, 

*■.„.. 

Kmmt. 

1z': 

l^ 

Oiih««.,  ;«B= 

PrivlH 

M..7.-65 
Aug.  0.  ■*. 

' 

Tmsfimd  la  Co.  B.  gm  Kett.  P.  V.,  Juiw  i. 

Cuut.  John 

'• 

Au«.  ...-a. 

•■ 

MiHlucd  mi  olth  Co.  June  i,  1U5. 

Coiuhm,  Bcni»«l 

" 

July  rf. '61 

-?'rj.Jrsr"' ""■•■■"* 

Coooc.  WUUUB  D, 

Aug.  ).  '6. 

" 

T™»r«™i  |g  Co.  1.  ad  Hefl.  V.  R.C.  Fdl.  1. 

C)«Bn>u,Oari« 

Au,.  ,.  -6. 

■■ 

BiiFLcd  In  Niliniul  CilBelery,  AA.IiCHa,  Vb. 

l>.K.Ch.H«F. 

Au»,  B.  -fa 

Pnimoled  M  H»pil^Sl«-.fJ,  Sep.  »,  .»6.- 

UivliJuiaR, 

" 

A«».  ..,-«« 

-• 

Huund  ml  »ith  Co.  ]<mt  1.  >S«i, 

l).Lu,  U».  A. 

■■ 

Aug.  .=.-6. 

■■ 

Dutiaistd  an  Suig«in->  umfiuu  Auf.  t], 
iB«4.  «Mr  Pcunbuig.  Vi. 

Un.ightny.  Mary 

" 

Sep.  ".-6, 

- 

Drchi.  PRdcrck  B. 

■■ 

A>i(.  6.  U 

Ebcrbaeh,  Edwird 

A-t.j/fa 

Edwird.,  JoMph 

Aui-  J,  'h 

" 

DcMited  JuM  11,  iWj,  ■!  Ou»  Sphap,  V*. 

F-h,  HiDdie 

A«e.  .3.  '4. 

Muiitml  out  viih  Co  June  >.  itOi. 

r..h.j«.« 

" 

A«t.i.'S4 

Fiihcr,  John  K 

" 

A««.i..-4. 

* 

"iri^-sl&w^'&^.T^Ji.riti! 

T\uptakk.]tma 

F™.«i,WniUn.H 

" 

Aua..,.-6. 

Aug  i./fi. 

G«lt  Hmi7  T. 

" 

Ai,.  .,  ■«. 

tHTonl  sr  niu.tet  oul  or  ditch(fi>. 

t;>lli|hir.  Jaha 

" 

July.«.-«3 

Ojuh,  Fmkritl. 

" 

Au»  t.  ■». 

(«>drrtT.  JinH 

" 

A>«.,.-« 

"SCW'-^' •■»—"-"'** 

C...n.lcy.  Winiun 

Am,- .,.-«. 

<ii.l.;.oi.  Bn((j.»m 

" 

J"iy  .1.  ■»! 

.,  .H,  !i«u'fmmXlchBa<.d.V...n>A£l«- 
ian-iJI(,  C-(,,  Jiintl.  iM*. 

i^nhini,  Jjixa  M. 

•■ 

Aufr  ...■«. 

■nwU  ft^pluL 

K.iU.  Will.ia 

■' 

A.«...fr. 

i>««iri  Aug.  .0.  .!»>.«  Cop  vn». rw». 

H'""''"".  i^f*' 

A.^  ,,  ■*. 

ir4mti,o«.  Hum 

Aug  n,'*t 

lH«rt.d  July  1,  ilWi.  M'  (W«y,hB,,  r*. 

ll.'iilM^k;i«Ti 

.■ 

Ai.,  ;.■(•. 

Dwivl  S<ti    IIS.  >•*! 

-726- 


Nam,,. 

Jt-«(. 

«»r^ 

15 

Harmtick,  Albert 
IUy.,Joht. 

Uelimdt,G<OTCt 

Henrr.Geofp. 

MiUtnan,  Auguatw 
Houck,  Jacob 

Hy«.,J™.W. 

John.,  Willi™  H. 

Keaer.JohaH. 
Kier.l«l,Jo.eph 

Kitkbrlde.  Frank  H. 
KlKaddcu.  Geotse 

Letris,  William 

Ung,  Airr«i 

Loyden,  Thoma. 

Luken..  Alfred  N. 
Madison,  William 

Markley.John 

Marks,  Henry  R. 

Mead,  James 
Mens ing,  John  H. 

Murphy,  JaniB 

Mulligan,  Joseph 

Mcl,>e,,,  H>:nty 

Pn 

July»4.'«J 
Aug.  .J. -6. 
July  .4.  -63 
Aug.  ii.ej 
Aug-«.-«j 

Aug,  8,  -6. 
July  >4,  -63 
Aui.i.,'6. 
July  18,  -tii 

Aug.  .,  -ea 
Aug,  J. -6. 

Aug,  a.  -fa 
July  u,  -63 

July  ij, -63 

Jul,.,.-<j 

Sep,  j6,  -63 

Aug.i,,'6a 
Aug.  8,  -6. 

July  .s.  ■«, 

Aug.  1. -fa 

July  .i.  -63 

Aug.ia.'6> 
Aug,,.-6a 

July  .(.  -Sj 

July  IS,  -63 

Aug   ,,-6, 

" 

erty  Ford,  Va. 
Mustered  .«t  with  Co,  June  .,.86j, 

^'S';¥o"id,?r"^'''^"-"*^-™^ 
"Tii^Ri^.'?:^"""'''^ -'«='* 

Uunet,  Va. 

.864.    Grave  raai;. 
Drafied,     Wounded   and    Captuml  near  Cold 
Harbor.  Va.,  June  6,  1864.     Died  Dec,  jo, 

rianlf^rred  u>  gjtb  Co.,  ad  Battalion  V,  R.  C,, 

KiUedatWildemes.,Va.,May9,.a64.    Buried 
in  National  Cemetety,   Frederick. Bo.g.  V.., 
SecCDiv.  A.gravisS6 
Deserted  Sep.  .4,  ia6a,  near  Wajhiogion,  D.C 
Dtafted.    Transfer™!  10  Co,  B,  t)is<  RegL  P. 

per.  Va, 
Substitute,    C.ptured   at   Cold    Harbor,  Va,, 

June   1,    .86,.     Died  .n.   Andersonviile,  Ga., 

iulyi4,i8e4.    Grave  3306. 
Substitute.    Transferred   10   the   Navy   May  3, 

1B64, 

Wounded  at  Shepherds io«n,  W.  Va,,  Sep.  », 

ire,, Se"""o"r43"  ''''■    ■ ''"'    '*'" 

Drafied.    Captured  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va.,  June 
4,  1864,     Traiisfened  to  Co.  B.  91SI  Regl.  P. 

Died  at  Phila..  Pa,,  Dec,  ir,  .861, 

Mustered  out  with  Co,  June  1,  186s. 

dtrredtoCo.  B.  i.ihRegi.  V.R,  C,  Feb.  J5, 

Drafted.     Captured  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va..  June 
1.  1864.    Died  at  Richmond.  Va.,  March  31, 
.865. 

".11  roll,  June  5,  1865,  at  Wa--.hinnron,  U   C. 

A„... 

^^, 

lz^. 

l! 

McDonoueh,  John 

Pn«u 

Am  ft -6, 

M.Kuu,.y,J.«. 

" 

J"l^  .S,  '63 

Ua^  whUeapn.oH>Dfw>r. 

«cL.«^.™,J... 

" 

A-S.t.-4. 

DiichvBcd  r<ir  dlubilky  fcb  j.  iM).  u  fhlla.. 

McKlunm,  Hu(l> 

" 

Aug.  ,. '«. 

Mi-Murnkjohn' 

■' 

Adc. »,  '6i 

" 

'SS-'"-"*>^-»*«^ 

M(.\«l,  Jama 

- 

Julys. '61 

■■ 

SuUitiiiK.     CapniMd   ■■   C^lit   Hutor,  Va., 

N«Uon.;.nH. 

■■ 

Ani    ,,  ■»> 

V,  R.  C.  Ma^b  19,  iM.. 

Mce.  Snphn 

M«.  6,  '61 

Pj.nmoo,TliKl«™y 

.. 

Aii.  e,  ■«. 

J 

DLwhai«*d  fer  OitaWIIW  Jan,  .],  lUj. 

rhlnixy,  WiUlin 

July.i.'ej 

■' 

SuVilioit     Alu  bani*  »  Ftn«y.  ,  DM  Aof. 

R..«11,  Alfitd 

My.s.-<J 

■■ 

IM..     L'aplirmlMtJoldllifbOT.  Va.,Jww>, 
Ju«  .,  r»6). 

R«d.  WUliom  S. 

■■ 

JulT  >1.'63 

iwn*ri.    Cauurcd  ■■  CoM  Hait»r,  V>. ,  Ji» 
-,  i»i,.     lS«i  M  Salhbury,  N.  C.,  J".  .. 

W<n.nd«j  »  FR<l*hck.l»r(.Va.,  ncci,,  tUi. 

" 

A«t.  .,  ■«. 

RL.bai..  Jo-ph  B. 

■' 

Aug. ,.  -a. 

'■ 

■til^afJ.toCi.';;!?'-"'"-™- 

K"r«>,  J"t>" 

" 

J"iy  ^<^  63 

" 

'■K".'r,>a'Ma  &"■-"*"'"• 

SS«T.  Geo-It  W, 

" 

Au(.  !.■»» 

Seo)ln4iy.  V.. 

Sh^b,  John  M. 
!,h,.ld,,  J,B» 

" 

July  .J.  -ej 

July  .J,  6, 

- 

"'.?rsc.?'i..B.p%f;sr'*^  "^  ■* 

b..ln.r,  W,lw, 

" 

8«R.  .4.  -Ilj 

" 

DnllKl.    DcwMd  Fib.  ga,  iW,.  al  l)*n>lir 

5..',;frii<l.  Conrid 

July  '4.  ■•j 

" 

..,(6,     S«if™ii.Rkh».oiHl.ViL,»Amkr- 

Sp...,,  R..h.,^A. 

:: 

Aug. ),  '6* 

A«.  ^■t^ 
J"t  'l.  41 

I-'  .  iKi.  •^  iW).     DmIiutbJ  t>r  Cm-  Ortw 

D~m<l'Aug.  10,  ■»»•,  >•  PH1I».,  Pa. 
Capiunl  »  Cnld  H.rW.  Ta..  Jun  >,  <«i. 

-728  — 


Kama. 

AhU. 

t;;;^" 

L^ 

Epdn,  R.  Ala. 

Printe 

1^ 

.'»* 

S|«in.Th«nHH. 

" 

j^. 

■64 

* 

'^£;^.,'\n'?^o»t?'6r!-A-!r-;:S^: 

StHnemya.Georg. 

Aug.. 

.'*■> 

" 

;E;.,"ia-,'fe -•"■""'''■"''" 

SdcUer,  Gcoqe 

" 

July*. 

•«J 

" 

Dr.ftnl.    OptuTKlw  Cold  Hwbor.V...  June 

5«»t.P«tr 

■■ 

Aig,  , 

'6, 

Di>c)u.g«l  for  diuUlhy  Feb.  9,  iWj. 

Sloy.  Hanr;  G. 

" 

Aug.  7 

'63 

'■ 

Drifted.  AbKDl  lick  «  Duiucr  oul  oT  C«. 
No  Kcord  of  dJKhuge. 

SniU,  DuitlS. 

" 

Aug-i 

■&. 

•■ 

Died  Ju.  .3,  .Sej,  u  Wuhlugion,  D.  C. 

ThoT,  John 

" 

Aui.  . 

■ft. 

Timty,  Tinolhy 

■■ 

Aug.  2 

■6. 

" 

■'■c^^^a^.."?!'^"'^''*"-"*^-"^ 

TindcU.  Wmbua 

" 

Aug.s 

■Si 

■■ 

T«.liia«.,AlftwlR 

Aug.  1 

,'6. 

Domed.  Renuoed.  Muncrol  oul  widi  Co. 
Ju«,..M(. 

Tomni.  Williira 

'■ 

Aug.g 

'Si 

■' 

" 

Aug., 

'6. 

•■ 

DiK^hirged  for  diubUity  Jmi.  .3. 1U3.  U  C(np 

Tn™r,  John 

■■ 

Juiy-i 

■6j 

" 

SubsriniM.    Died  Aug.  5i,  .864,  ».  AndeTHB- 

July. 

■63 

Dnfled.  DiKhaiged  May  1^  1M5.  per  Indi- 
>iduil  Uutttro^l,  Su«£it  H^FbiU., 

W.d«r.Jc«ph 

" 

Aug.. 

•61 

DeKned.  Rcnimed.  Tnmfcmd  la  Co.  B, 
9.11  Regu  P.  v..  June  ..  .8S5. 

WiUur,  WlUiua 

- 

Aug.  1 

.'<" 

« 

Doened  July  >.  .Uj,  »  Onp  Puole.  Md. 

Wbi™.Hoi«»T. 

" 

Aug.. 

■fa 

D>H:hiirxed   for  ditability  JiD.  is,  186],  mr 

" 

July's 

'«3 

■• 

Dnfled.  Died  Dec  9,  tSfa.  Buried  in  Nm. 
donal  Cemcteo'  Aiy.,  D.  C. 

Wlunniby.Jolu. 

" 

Aug.. 

■fc 

" 

D^«h.rged   for^d,-Mi.y  Oc.    .8,   ,86..  ™ 

Wh«1cr,J,™S. 

■' 

Aug., 

■fa 

■■ 

Dischaiged  for  d!ubiU.y  Ju.  g,  .(63, 11  PliiU., 

Wmi.in,,Tl,om« 

S*p.>* 

■<3 

Subsiiiure.  Daerted  Dec.  6,  .Wj,  m  Beverly 
FortI,  V». 

WLihoff,  H»oiy 

Aug.! 

■fa 

DlKhnrged  for  diubilicy  M>nl>  9.  Mi.  u 
Akisindrii.  V*. 

Wi».  WiUiaoi 

Aug.. 

•fa 

•' 

WyMl.  FnuKi. 

Aug.. 

'fa 

•■ 

Voiins.  G«rge 

" 

Aug.  17 

■63 

" 

Diatitd.    Tniuferml  >o  Co.  B,  g.ii  Rcft.  P 

v.,  June  ...Mi.                                    '^ 

—  729  — 

COMPANY  "I." 


tf-m,i. 

Rimk. 

£■ 

tl- 

ll 

C.  M.  OCallathan 

Capt 

Aug 

r.'fe 

*:f.dN.w«w.. 

■■ 

Auj. 

I.'6> 

onlj|ydudurg^Min:hV>^>'    ' 

N^Uu.nl.1  Bar« 

A««- 

.■fe 

■  Bei.  Traiulcmd  lo  Cq.  A  Mnd  pronwicd  iii 
Lt.  Oct.  >T.  iM).     PrDnKltd  rrom  »I  U.  Ul. 

June..  .Ms. 

Edmund  D.B«k 

Id  U 

Au,. 

.'fa 

Pramolid  rrom  Sgt..M«lDi  to  ail  Lt.  Nm,  i, 
.86..  wmLi,Fcb  IS, .«!.    R«««dOa. 

G«r«.  V.  WllliUM 

" 

A(«. 

i.'t. 

'^:rjr."i.S;&?.f*.  ■■■■•* 

William  F.  Gudur 

>dL4. 

Sq.. 

S.'Ol 

Pn>noi>d  >g  i»  LL  Co  r.  Nov.  i,  tU.. 

Samuel  S.  Jo» 

" 

July.*. -6. 

J^H  R.  Uin 

wsr. 

A«((. 

,-6. 

Piomolcd  fcDiD  Sgi.  March  I,  iMj,    Uimcnd 

WlllamW  Worrell 

A«,. 

<.'«» 

Praucncd  to  ad  Li,  Co.  K  0«.  )».  l»ftl. 

GwwtCUh.Jt. 

Sei. 

Aug. 

.■6» 

«»  with  Co    J<™  ..  tlftj. 

AlftvdUrniaii 

" 

Au,. 

..■ft. 

'x'-teai^ii'Sissi-jg:'- 

ChariMC.  Baker 

Au,- 

a, '6. 

TR>>afcrr«l  tna.  Noa^-om.  Sttff  >»1  ndyMd 
Va  ,  Hay  ),  iU|.     DU.,K>Knl  by  [kB.  Onkr 

TKti.,  11    EM;mii»ey 

Au* 

S.4a 

PmiSDicd  10  Carpi  Oct.  t.  >S6> :  lo  Sgt,  Sep.  t. 
>3,  10  da»  Mar  rf,  iMj.  ■!  n>iU  .  P* 

'■ 

Aug. 

4.'6i 

■' 

lSi.chatx«l  bv  G™,  Ord«  Ju«  „.  .»«). 

Wllli.n.  F.  I>«« 

" 

A»B. 

.'«• 

JsKn  L»Ki 

Aiw 

.■fa 

[Jtvcharrtd  (br  dlMUIIty  May  i.  iMj.  at  {Umf 

Ed-a>tl  WillnBaoo 

Aug, 

■■*• 

CaMumI  in  aclioo  A.>g.  «,  iK^..     Died  *l  An. 

J~.(.h  So... 

c«ri- 

A.«. 

».■*» 

M».>«d„„,lAC«>n...i»,. 

S*fl.i«l  Soby 

Am 

..■*» 

PmnulRl  u>  C<u«l.  July  S,  lUt.    WtnUKM  U 

J.mr,  l,.llT 

Aug. 

1,  ti 

■■ 

'■'s;!'a"ii:r;:,S!  ■■'"•■ """"" 

A««. 

).ta 

.™ 

Kmmi. 

£. 

■ml. 

1^' 

WiUianPuk 

Corpl. 

XiT 

^Tfa 

^ 

i86>.    Proo»>i<;^ioCorpl.^ay>.iiis.    UuT 

SmooBolge. 

A,«. 

!. '6« 

" 

PromoKdloCorpl,  Sep.  i.iMr  Wound«l  m 
W.ldema.,  Va.  May  5.  iS^  Diochirnd 
by  Gen.  Order  June  ^,  tE«rp<r  Individual 

Jo^h  A.  H^ 

" 

Aug. 

J. -6. 

Dischawed  for  >Labil>'ly'juM  it.'iKj.  ■[ 

WUIiui  PnlcD 

" 

Ai«. 

>).'6» 

Pnmowd  CO  Corpl.  lunt  1   lUt.    Ditcl<aig<d 

i?Ph3t;,^- '"*■«■"'- "-"--^ 

jD«ph  C.  Owl. 

" 

A.tg. 

le.'fa 

■• 

William  Himion 

Aug 

.J. -6. 

'• 

Pronoied  to  Corpl.  Sep.  19,  1861.  Killed  ■( 
Fredcrick>buii,Va..  Oct.  13,  1M3. 

L<wU  A.  BUir 

" 

Aug. 

.»,-fe 

" 

.863.  at  Phila.;  P..,  or  wound,  nc'd  at  Fk£ 
=rii;l..burg.  V..,  Dec.  ■,,  1S6,. 

Josqih  L.  Sciden 

'■ 

Aug. 

■*■■" 

'■ 

Promoted  10  Corpl.  Sep.  r«.  i96i.  KiOed  u 
Shepl).:rda(a>n,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  ».  lEfti. 

John  McAW 

'■ 

Aug. 

»3/6" 

■■ 

piud,  W„6ington,  D.  C. 

G™pW.Y«g=T 

MlH. 

Aug. 

.J.'fa 

■' 

ured  out  with  Co.  June  1. 1S6;. 

Simon  C.  Shiinnon 

■■ 

Aug. 

.J.'fa 

■' 

■'aB'„'iS.;.?s,s.tr."""- 

Ephnim  Laymnn 

Aug 

«.«. 

Mlnin,  Hmnr 

Pri«K 

Aug, 

ii/fo 

■■ 

KiUed  al  Shepherditown.  W.  Va.,  Sep.  ao,  iS«i. 

■■ 

Aug 

7.  ■«» 

■■ 

Dewned  Aug,  8.  iS«.,  at  Phila.,  Pa. 

A.ny.Cl.«iB 

'■ 

Sep. 

-9.63 

DiaAed.  Muttered  out  wiUl  UeUchmeni  June 
S,  iMs.  at  Washington,  D.  C. 

Barker.  Ch.*.C. 

" 

Aug. 

...■6, 

•■    DiKhai^fd  on  Suigwn'jcetlificaieOci.  31.1863, 
,     al  Phila.,  p.. 

B»r«lt,  John 

Aug. 

S.'«J 

Ord.K9nndn3  w>rl>tpl.  M»rch,,ie64. 

B^yne,  John 

•■ 

Nov. 

0.-63 

Subnitute,  DeKrted  Feb.  »,  iMt,  near  Ber- 
erlyPord.Va. 

tcatd,  Samuel 

'■ 

Aug, 

».'£i 

•■ 

Diicharged  on  Surgeon'j  certificate  March  a, 
.863,«Re.ding.*i>a. 

Bsncke,  Henry 

" 

Jnly 

8, -63 

" 

Substitute.    Desened  Oct.  16,  1B63. 

Bcichir,  Fredirick 

j.-ea 

SutHtilute,  Prisoner  rrom  Aug.  11,  iSe*.  to 
Mar,  .,  lP6j  Diwharged  hv  Gen  Order 
J„n=,9,  ,865,perlndiv,du.,l  kfuster-out  roU, 
at  Aiinapoli".  Md, 

Bbck.  John 

Aug. 

9  '6,     ■■ 

^|;~'KS3'fSSl.:!l.S.;SSS; 

/fmmt: 

Xd«i. 

J^ 

/■ 

i! 

BU<«,  Htur, 

Prtvu. 

Nov.  T 

Tti 

' 

Subiiiiuu.    C*puu>duCold)l*rbai.V4.JuM 

Botn.  Mlcb*el 

" 

July  J. 

'«j 

■■ 

SulHU-iuH.  DtMncd  Oei.  gj.  >H«.  from  Hst- 
l-iul  «  Yofk,  I^ 

Bro-n.CeorpH. 

■■ 

Au(.. 

■6) 

April  I,  iSfi;.  Uiwhirgcd  by  Cen.  Ord«r 
Jin,  ig,  t«6j.  on  Indlvldunl  MwMf-oul  roll  u 

'■"■'-■"*■■ 

" 

JulT" 

■«3 

■■ 

iIto.  10  din  Juiie  I.  lU),  pn  BjKciil^rdar 
■s6.  Meiilquincii  Dtpi.  of  iht  EuL 

B..nli>>(.Ho-«tdM, 

■ 

S^..9 

■63 

" 

DnAcd  Wounded  •<  Wtldcmen,  Vi.,  Miy  ], 
3^64       DlKhincd  on  5u>iCBa->   cerlifiaB 

Ju«  ,0,  .g6s, ..  t;i«««.  Pi. 

C«.«.J=h. 

'■ 

Aug.  6.  -63 

Ct-Uuo.wnitan 

Au(.. 

** 

" 

" 

S«p.,o 

■6) 

" 

Si>U<l<ou.  iko  bcrnc  «>  >dU  u  John  Btpwa. 
Tnn>riTRd  la  Co.  A,  »iil  R(|(.  f.  V..JuM 

Dti-luo.  Lwii  r. 

■■ 

Sq..** 

■6j 

■'  ;i>nn<d.    Tjamknti  to  Co.  A.giu  K«l.  P. 

(xrukr.  wuuim 

■ 

Stp.  .1 

'6) 

'■  ISulwtUDU      Died  Od.  j»,  iM),  *■  Wiikltn'M. 

D«dy.  P.bick 

' 

*UI-fl 

'C* 

■■  |W™ndnli.lFr«btick.hu^.V.„D«,ii..«6i, 
[     W«hlnp™.  11.  C 

" 

Au(.. 

'«• 

'•     D^icluritd  ht  dlublJliy  F<b.  9,  iMj.  d«  F>1- 

I    nauth.  Vt. 

Dor.M,  Mlch«! 

•■ 

Au(.  ) 

«« 

Dcuglu.  WilHioL 

Aug  7 

ti 

■'     DcHiud  Ati(,  ;,  tB«i.  •>  Phil.  .  Pi. 

DD-n..  P..nck 

Aug.  1 

.'to 

"     DoMWdAue  IT.  ■86.,  «  PhlUi,.  PH. 

DuoanJ.ifiatl- 

■■ 

A««.  . 

*6t 

"   |MJUicr«l  <Hit  wlih  Co.  June  1.  iMj. 

e»lcr,Jah>i 

■• 

Aug.. 

,■«. 

•■ 

" 

'*■' 

■») 

" 

Subiiliuu.  Wounded  11  P.Knl»rt.VijHM 
...  >Ki.     DiKhiiged  for  dUbUlir  ;uw  IV, 

Enhody,  Robert  K, 

" 

N«.., 

.■6) 

" 

SuUiiluK.  Pita«cif«mJ«M»..»6,,toI><*. 
>oS.  0.  igjofW..  Itepl.  A  G.  0.  <Mi. 

Au(.  > 

.■6. 

".E"'T'A.',at'^:,-£.,';i-£La 

- 

Au(  . 

.'*■ 

Fng<].  Mirk 

" 

Aui  • 

.'6. 

™d,',i-..;wu..™,  ....■«„■,. 

Fi^UBcy.  JohB 

JUlfi 

■6i 

■■ 

TrwJ  by  G  C  M,  Au|  r-.  iMj.  g—i»aa»d 
„,.«,.«,«-P«B«cHyr.rf,V._   "* 

—  730  — 


Namut 


I 


I 


I 


Simon  C.  Shannon 
Kphraim  Layman 

\Ilman.  Hcnr>' 
Ancdore.  John 
Avery,  Charles 

liarker,  Charles  C. 

Hurrctt,  John 

Kayne,  John 

l.card,  Samuel 

P'cncke,  Henry 
Iktcher,  Frederick 

lUack,  John 


i( 


(< 


William  Park 
Simon  Bolger 

Joseph  A.  Hall 

William  Preston 

Jo&eph  C.  Castle 
William  Hamson 
Lewis  A.  Blair 

Joseph  L.  Seiders 

John  McAboy  I       " 

I 

I 

George  W.  Yeager     i    Mus 


Rank. 
Corpl. 


<  t 


Private 
It 

(( 
It 
fi 


Enrol- 
ment. 


tt 


II 


Aug.  23,  '6a 
Aug.  15,  '6a 

Aug.  15,  '63 

Aug.  23,  '62 

Aug.  16/63 
Aug.  15,  '62 
Aug.  18,  '62 

Aug.  14,  '62 
Aug.  23,  '62 

Aug.  15/62 
Aug.  15/62 
Aug.  22,  '62 

Aug.  31,  '62 

Aug.  7,  '62 
Sep.  29,  63 

Aug.  a  1/62 

Aug.  15,  '63 

Nov.  10,  '63 

Aug.  22,  '62 

July  18,  '63 
Nov.  33,  "63 

Aug.  19,  '62 


Wounded  at  Shepherdstown.  W.  Va.,  Se] 
1862.     Promoted  to  Corpl.  May  1, 1865. 
tered  out  with  Co.  June  i,  1865. 

Promoted  to  Corpl.  Sep.  x,  1863.  Wound 
WildernesH,  Va.,  May  5,  1864  Dinchi 
bv  Gen.  Order  June  6,  1865,  per  Indiv 
MustcrK)ut  roll  at  Washington,  D.  C 

Wounded  at  Dabney's  Mills.  Va.,  Feb.  8, 
I     DLscharsed  for  disability  June  24,  xM 

Phila.,  Pa. 
I 

.Promoted  to  Corpl.  Tune  z.  186).  Dischj 
,  June  24,  1865,  per  Individual  Muster-ou 
I     at  PhiU..  Pa. 

Discharged  Dec.  8,  1863,  by  S.  O.   544 
I     Dept.  to  accept  commission  in  another  re 

Promoted  to  Corpl.  Sej^.  29,  1862.     Kill^ 


Fredericksburg,  Va.,  Dec.  13,  i86a. 

Promoted  to  Corpl.  Oct.  i,  1862.  Died  Jai 
1863,  at  Phila.,  Pa.,  of  wounds  rec'd  at  J 
ericksburg,  Va.,  Dec.  13,  1862. 


Promoted  to  Corpl.  Sep.  16.  i86a.     Kilk 
.     Shepherdstown,  W.  \a.,  Sep.  so,  x86a. 

Wounded  at  Fredericksbure;,  Va.,  Dec.  11, 
I     Deserted    Ian.  i,  1863,  from  Harwood 
pital,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Prisoner  from  Sra.  ao  to  Dec.  10,  i86a. 
I     tered  out  with  Co.  June  i,  1865. 

Discharged  by  Gen.  Order  May  18,  1865,  o 
I    dividual  Muster-out  roll  at  Phila.,  Pa. 

Died  Sep.  31.  1863.  near  Sharpsbuix,  Md 
wounds  rec'd  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va., 
30,  1863.  Buried  in  National  Cemetery ^ 
tietam,  Md.,  Sec.  36,  Lot  A,  grave  94. 

Killed  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  ao, 

I 

Deserted  Aug.  8,  1863,  at  PhiUu,  Pa. 

.Drafted.    Mustered  out  with  Deuchmcnt 
'     5,  1865,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


•I 


t  I 


Discharged  on  Surgeon's  certificate  Oct.  31, 

at  Phila.,  Pa. 
I 
Substitute.    Discharged  May  a.  1864.  per 

Orders  91  and  123  War  Dept.  March  4, 1: 

Substitute.    Deserted  Feb.  ao,  1864,  near 
eHy  Ford,  Va. 

Discharged  on  Surgeon's  certificale  Man 
1863,  at  Reading,  Pa. 

Substitute.    Deserted  Oct.  16, 1863. 

Substitute.  Prisoner  from  Auff.  ai,  x86ii 
Mar.  4,  1865.  Discharaed  bv  Gen.  C 
June  39,  1865,  per  Individual  MvUitr-out 
at  Annapolis,  Md. 

jCaptured  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep 
I     1663.    Killed  at  Spottsylvania,  Va.,  Ma] 

1864. 


nmg,  OurUt 
»«K,  SainMl  Y. 


Morrifun.  Thoffuu  A^ 
MiuHliun.  JoliB  T. 
Mym,  Andrew  B. 

McC^or.  John 
MKrAikEli,  ROH 

Mi:D<nnD(.  TliH.  J 


O'Ccmiwr.  John 


Au,.».-( 

Auf .  16,  'I 


lUewleil  Doc   ...  _ 

iK;.    T>a»rcirtil  lo 
I     V.,JunEi,  i8«i, 
rntn«Fert«d  lo  ;»)  Ca-. 


Killxl  il  Sbcphcdilovn.  W.  Vii. ,  Sep.  ■>.  tKs. 
I  Deaerud  Sep.  ii,  iS6>.  >■  SharpdMif,  Hd. 
Dnfkd     Ctptuttd  at  Cold  Hju1>«r,  Vi.,  June 

1.  iMi.     Died  II  Apdcnwirilk,  Ca..  See.  a, 

■864      G««Bj«. 


lown.  W.  ^..,  Sm.,  m.  tWa      Huncdln  Ni^ 
Uqnal  ConcUir,  Antleuin,  Md.,  S«.  ■».  U« 


Muiund  oui  Willi  Co.  June  I,  i|6|, 
SubtllluK.       Rebel    deHKer.      Tnufaml    IB 

Camp  Cha>e.  Ohio,  Sep   Iv,  lUi.     MwUred 

OUI  »ilh  Dtuchncni  Sep.  >■.  iBit,  ai  mta.. 

P.. 
Uuilcnd  iMI  *ilh  Co  ;uiw  I,  ,i6y 
Subilitule.     Olachancil  May  >.  iMt.  pM  Gon. 

Onkro  »>  ana  uj.Wat  Depi  .A  1^  b.  Mar. 


SuUlilute.    Tnnaftmd  tu  Co.  D.  9»l  Km. 

P-V,JuB.<,  iMj 
ubuliuie.     OptuRd   ■■   Bevtrlr   rord.  V*.. 

April  gj.  iB&t.     DiKharsed  iolV  A  tUg,  og 

li>dl>idual  Mualar.DUi  loD  aiVhOa..  ft. 
luurndoul  vllh  Co.  June  i,  iHj. 
'ub*(i(Ble-     Ditt;hafnd  an  Sunean'a  ccitifiiatt 

Utt   ii.iU),  aiWuliiapnn,  U.  C- 
'UtBiiiuic.    Arr^iadfo'dBcnitrii AiiM  ii.tltti 

Tn^id  or  G  C.  M    Aii(  n.  iMj   ^UHaMd 


,_... 

Ram*. 

£««/. 

It 

Renick,  WilU™ 

Prl™« 

J-ays/Oj 

3 

RoMh,  M«lhtw 

" 

S«P.  "4.  -63 

Subiiiniu.     Deuncd  Feb.  iB,  1864,  u  Bently 

ltwlm»i;Wim«n 

" 

S^.9.-<3 

Nov.  »,  .863,  oar  Kdly'i  F5rd.  Va. 

S.y«,J.n-T. 

" 

Au(.  aa,  '«a 

Doerwd  Aug.  3..  .86a.  u  Fhila.,  P.. 

Schl^LJohnR. 

" 

July  30. '63 

'■ 

j™.  ...  .B«4,  »  WMhingion,  D.  C. 

SMH.CBHteW. 

" 

Aug.  14, -61 

" 

Shi  I,  Fnnk 

" 

Aug-is/lS. 

'■ 

Caplured  HI  Shenlienlnoira.  W.  Vi.,  Sep.  JO, 
tB«>.    DntnedDo.— .iKi.atCunpPuole. 

Shub^r,.  H«..y 

" 

July  ,0,  '63 

Shidtr.  Willi.ni  W. 

" 

Sep. '3. -63 

Su^u...    Km^.,Wild™..V..M.ys. 

S/moni,  WiDiwn  N. 
Si-er.  Joh- 

•• 

Aug.  =3. '6a 
Aog.«/6a 

■ 

Di.ch.rg«i  for  diubility    Ftb.   .,,    .Bej.   .1 

Smlih.Chuki 

" 

Not.,,. -63 

\'-:'i™,'sT'™'»=-°-"«"^' 

Smith,  J»MbW. 

" 

Auj.«^-«. 

Doened  Nov.  19.  1B69.  fniB  Hirwood  Hoc 

Smith.  Robctt 

" 

Aug.  M.-fa 

Died  11  Beverly  Fon!,  V..,  June  14.  1B64. 

Smith.  Thonu. 

" 

July  30. '«3 

ingi™,  D,  C, 

Snilh,  Wjlliun 

Sep,  .«,-63 

SubilKutt.  Capturid  >i  Weldou  R.  R.  Aug. 
>i,  1964.  Owned  Aug.  31,  1S64.  To^ 
rebel  oaih  of  allegiance. 

Sobfy.  Charla  F. 

'■ 

Aug.»,'6. 

" 

°S;ft2!?l-?ii!¥'"''^*'^ 

Solu.  Pen™. 

.. 

Aug,  6.  -fia 
July«..'63 

i96a.      De»ened    Dec.  — .    1B61,   at  Camp 
Parole.  Md.                                                              "^ 
Drafted.     Diichaiged  <m  Surgeon-!  ceniGcan 
Jan.  .6.  ,86),  «Va,h,„gI«rD.  C. 

" 

Aug.i6,-6a 

Desenedjuly7,  1863.  Returned  Noy.  .3,  .363. 
Jul'y"[.8«s.''at'Fon"DdLwart.   """'"'" 

Sir>«E,  luu 

Aug,  .8,'6a 

■- 

Datntd  On.  .8.  .864,  at  Phila.,  Pa. 

Si.lhv,„,John 

Aug.  ,s.  ■&! 

I>ewned  Aug.  to,  186].  at  Phila.,  Pa. 

Taylo..Alb«tJ. 

" 

Aug,9,'«a 

To»i«iid,Wm. 

" 

Aug.  >!..■«= 

Diichirged   <or  dinbility   Oct.    14,    iMi,   •■ 

Tracy,  Edwunl 

" 

July  ,5,  '63 

•■ 

Suhsiilule.     DesenedOct,  13,  1863. 

Wcmer.  Phillip 

" 

July  30.  -63 

1    ,a&,,  u  Cauip  BafSS!  V,.             '^           "*' 

W.jjon.  Phillip  H. 

AfK- ai.'fa 

■'     Woimd.'d  al  FredcrickshuiB.  W,  Dtc.  .3.  iftS,. 
Mu-tertd  oul  *ilh   Df  uchmsm  Junt  5,  ■865, 

.™. 

Kamk. 

mrml. 

|£ 

will,™.  John 

P>iv.» 

NoY.i6,'«3 

J 

" 

A««.,.-». 

" 

c„.4.p,  ■<..,«tj. 

W««i..d(,  G«tg< 

Auf-  18. -6. 

DjicJiurud  OD  SiiiHon'i  ccnificme  April  ii, 
April  .8,  .4oj..    Buotd  m  Milluty  Atylum 

W«lb.,,h,J«.R. 

" 

Sep,  a.  '6j 

" 

DnAcil     Wnuiilcdin(ctioiiOii.i.iHt.     UK. 

Va«=r.  Edwin  A. 

*»..  .*.  ■«. 

DiKlurf^  [br  diwdUUty  Feb.  14,  iWj,  u  Camp 

You»«,;«™ 

'• 

AuB,  ii/6j 

- 

S»b>tltutc     Daaied   OcL   iB,  tU],   on   chf 

ZBglo,  Ctark.  H. 

*■ 

Aug.  i8,  ■*. 

"SS'^'S.,-  '"-■'  °«  '■  ■"■• " 

COMPANY  "K-" 


JoKpb  W.  RickMU 

Ciwl. 

Auj  . 

.■fa 

J 

"^i^"'^'--^-*-'"-^-^ 

UsHwl  L  Ci«k<r 

" 

Aug. 

6, -6. 

" 

RsigDB]  Feb.  •«,  1(64. 

Ctiiila  H.  r«>v 

J«,. 

.■6j 

ProMtrf  frw.  Sgt.  Co.  r.  .51  RW.  P.V., 
Imi  ■?.  in*.,  Ic  IX  Ll,  AurU  ty,  tttf.  u 
('>p<   JumCiM.      I1i*rf  <ia.  If  of  «»uiiU 

ItlU  H.  S^balu 

" 

Aur 

*«> 

■■ 

fnM-l  bh«i  .M  U.  Co.  E  !>■£.  f^  tM«. 

WUlUm  M.  UcKho 

xtLi. 

Aug.! 

.■*» 

- 

*.znv.i^S3^^;';,"''.'^i.'  "■■  "^^  "■ 

J»*l.h  A.hl«,*k 

Aug. 

.'•• 

" 

■•rolMKt  fn»i  m  Set.  Co  C  U)  Id  U.  Hu.  •«, 

WillJiB.  II  M.yb" T, 

■■ 

July, 

.■6. 

■■ 

ssurst's-jaS"""- 

J   M^.McJr 

>dL> 

A»g  *t.'«( 

■■ 

JtmnD  WlWa 

■' 

Ami  » 

■6. 

Pn-oudlVon  .MSai.Co.  A  Oct.  »,■(«■.  n 
>uU.  Co.  njan.  11.  itt). 

J„t.c,  R,  Wh„. 

■  ilSfl 

July, 

.'«! 

" 

PniaoHd  10  «]  Ll.  Co.  G  Aug.  >«,  tMi. 

HtlkrrS-ydtr 

July, 

■  '»• 

nL^..I«l  fot  diMblJIly  S<V  ».  >K).0l  nil*.. 

•■ 

Aug.. 

.'Ai 

■r'a?-"!.5r,.X'''"*^  "■— 

Lh*tk.  A    K.yBOUli 

SBtt. 

A>W.8 

'«• 

'^.sr',ca"jS;':::-,£.^-v'x£ 

l<w>r»  r    F<vk 

Aug,, 

-*■ 

'■ 

.W  ftM.w.iwair-if^j.i^.rfJ' 

-  736  - 


Xamti. 

,.-. 

■^ 

L^ 

Jo«ph  R.  Harma 

S«jt. 

Aug. 

,,■6. 

• 

DlKhtrgo)  Dec.  K.iWa.  lor  wouodi  rec'd  •! 

•nwHi«J.Hj.H 

'■ 

J-iyj 

''*■ 

" 

.Ma.  Caplured  a.  Wiidenita.,  Va.,  Wf.y  j, 
l8«4.     Mustered  OUL  with  Co.  June.,  lUj. 

MuTboaL-Stlkt 

" 

Aug. 

6. -fa 

" 

Tt»daKiB.Fiy« 

Aug. 

3.-6" 

■■ 

Wounded    at    Wildenwu,    Va.,   May   ),    .S64. 

SauudNuctnl 

" 

Aug. 

8.'6. 

'":!?£^a.'Si?-..'.'3?i.""^-""™'"" 

HinmUkc 

" 

Aug. 

'■'*• 

" 

"".r^.'juSfi.X-''*^"""^"" 

FiancilMullin 

Aug. 

J.'*« 

" 

Arthur  Pud 

C«pl. 

Aug. 

■  /fa 

" 

Uuilered  Dui  »l<h  Co.  June  i,  >B«s. 

JoHph  P.  Davii 

" 

Julys 

,'6» 

" 

ChaHs  S.  CalhoiD 

" 

Aug. 

.'6» 

" 

WouiMled  al  Mine  Run,  V..,  No.,  a,,  .S63. 
£^>cha.Xed   far  ditabUity  July  ^  iBas,   « 

•VWmmGnj 

" 

Ai«. 

3.'6> 

tV»-  Mullered  out  .ilh'l>euch.;.eul  May 
a6,  .S6j.  at  Pbila.,  Po. 

Ftancii  Manner 

" 

Aug. 

J.  fa 

"s'.-sSA'.TS.ft.r.-.'S-Krft 

Antbonjr  Haw 

Aug. 

S,-6. 

Promoled  lo  Corpl.  Sm.  .,  iWj.  Wound«l  OB 
ikiimish  line  al  Cold  Harbor  June  — ,  .H4. 

Aug.  .3, '6, 

.86a.  and  al  Laur.1  Hill,  Va„  May  B.  .864. 
Trar.nftmd  10  Co.   B,  .»lh  Regl.  V.  ».  C, 
Aug.  10,  .B64.    DiKharged  by  Gen.  OnJer 
Aug,  10,  iMj. 
Wnunded  and  captured  al  Shepherdito-n.  W. 
Va.,  Sep.  ao,  iB6>.     Promoled  la  Corpl    Mar. 
..  .864.    Mu«eredou.wiihCo.JuM.,i86,. 

William  L,  Cabe 

" 

Aug.. 

.,■6. 

Thoma,  H.  Cabe 

Aug.. 

,'Aa 

^T^Al.'iS:.^,--"-  "-"' 

William  E.  Kibby 

Aug.. 

■'" 

.. 

Muttered  out  on  Dciachmeul  Muolei-oul  roll 
June9..B6s,alPhib.,P.. 

Henry  Meyen 

■' 

Aug., 

,'69 

_ 

Promoled  .0  Corpl  Mar.  .,iB«5.    MuM««d  out 

John  L.  Sollh 

" 

No... 

0/6. 

" 

i>roinoled  10  CotdI.  Mar,  10.  ifrt;.  Traufeircd 
■0  Co.  E,  9Ut  kigl,  P,  V.  June  ..  .865. 

John  Sione 

Mu.. 

Aug   1 

/6i 

" 

Mui.ered  out  wilh  Co.  June  . ,  1865. 

PtierA.  Hagany 

" 

Aug. 

■6a 

Wr^nded  al  Chancellorsville.  Va.,  May  3.  1863. 
rj«ened  July  u,  .663.  on  rht  march. 

Akiandfr,  Geo.  F. 

Pri™n 

July  3 

/6a 

■' 

July  3 

.■6, 

■■     D-^fied.     D«tn=d  Aus.  8,  1863,  Mac  B.v„ly 

Ans«,ch,  Hcnrv 

Oti.  . 

/63I  "   lD.aftcd,    Killtda.WilderT«,,V..,May5,iW4. 

—  737  —                                                          ^H 

jv*-*.. 

««*, 

1^ 

fc 

' 

BalLSinuel 

Plt*Me 

AUB.ll,-«» 

WoondcduChincclkHiYlUcVa,  H*y  1.  iMy 

BjU.  Th»m..  H. 

'• 

Aug.  .4, -6. 

■■ 

K<U«1 .1  S1»pherd.»«,  W.  Vl.  Sop.  ».>BAi. 

fl..,m.  C^n.  W. 

■' 

Aug.  S.  '•. 

.w,,.™K.i«™!lrvt           ■  '• 

■■ 

Aug.  9,  ■*. 

TrawftHwi  »  Co.  0.  .«li  R<si.  V.  R-  C.  Oel. 

Bn,vhy.  P«« 

Aug,..,*. 

W™,»d<J  ui  Shcphcnkiwc.  W.  V...  S^  », 

Bruw»,J»C0h 

A.«,  .l.O* 

" 

"sTfrkz  ???•"•■•  -""^  »"■  - 

B-flie,  John 

Aug.  ,,  ■». 

■■ 

>M9     M'^BrBloulwltTOo  jun^l.Aj."" 

ar.pb,ll,j«ephll. 

Aus.,,-6. 

■■ 

C4MI.,  Grogl  V. 

*"»■"•'*■ 

•' 

>nd  dlRl  Oeu  t7.  >86.,  .1  KUfc,  IV 

C-r^.  John 

■' 

J-iy».-«j 

" 

I>»n*d      TniHfamd  [0  Co.  B,  aiw  Kcgl.  P, 

a.y.C»p« 

■■ 

Sep.  <«.  8) 

" 

Cl*iBua,TUgh»iR. 

W-9.-«) 

" 

[MIM.     Wounded  Ai  WLIiknKH.  Va„  H(y  t. 

a«M-.  M^nhluJ.. 

■■ 

*ug.il.'4» 

" 

Tmn*™l  ic  w.h  Co..  »!  BxuUoa  V.  R.  C, 

Colt.ChnutuL 

■ 

Ab«.  .».-». 

" 

^^^&^ 

Cole.  John  U 

J-It  ■>.  'Sj 

niM.  Vi..  M*y  1,  !«£..    I)i<d  ■■  Andmon- 

Cotikn.  MichKl 

" 

Aug.  ..  -Sj 

■■ 

I   ine^.  -.  W„hii.gi».  0.  t^-.  ■■  Mini" 

C«n,  ThoBiij 

» 

Aug.  4.  ■«• 

.. 

I>Mcn«]  Aug  «.  lU*,  u  PI<1U.,  Vt. 

Ciabr.  Kawy  T. 

" 

*Ug.l4.'<« 

" 

ff'r.^l-;^"'-''""-"'^''' 

'■ 

Aug.  >«.'»• 

" 

"SW  ."I'J  VSt.'"' ""— 'r-  - 

IHn.,  Ed»Rl 

" 

NwH.'ftj 

''3t„,2S!ISi..V"""'"*  "• 

D.vi..w™  H   H     1      ■■ 

July  „.  -6, 

l>nr,.,  Enoch  H        '       " 

Aug  .,.■*. 

IJ^.\W.  *lt.a 

S«H.'«J 

■■ 

D™t.^      'l'..n.Cmtd  .o  Co-  K,  *••!  X<CL  >. 

rv>1p.  An-I  H 

Am- .J.'* 

Jl 

UtWMdStV   1,  ■HbMPUL.Pk. 

-738- 


Namu. 

R*Hk. 

t 

nl. 

^ 

I»™«hr.Thomu 

Pri«<= 

1^ 

T^ 

^ 

.8,  i86s.  at  Phil..,  Pa.    Rebel  dewner.  "^^ 

Dnsw.JoKph 

" 

Auc. 

S,'6» 

■• 

De«ned  July  .,  i8aj.  mr  WiUiam.pon,  Ud. 

Eberlr.  luHl 

" 

J"ly 

8,-«3 

DnJ,ed.    Tmnifcrml  10  Co.  E.  <|.»  Re^  P. 

v., June.. ,86;.                                         ^ 

Edwintf,  Fredciidi 

" 

July 

S,'«3 

Defied.    DiBl  Nov.  ..  ,9«3,  near  Warm™. 

Eddown,  ThoDus  I. 

Au,. 

9,'6j 

Wounded  .1  Shiphtrd»IO*n,  W.  Va,,  Sep.  an, 
.86,.  Promottdto,dU.i»thReg..U.S.C. 
T™p,tXt,  .1,  .86,.    Muxe.^  ^o>  No-.  6, 

Kuohirt,  Edwin 

" 

Jul, 

J. '63 

Drafted.    Tvttahmi  10  Co.  £,  9111  Regi,  P. 

G.»,G».B. 

" 

Not. 

3.ej 

■' 

"^^une^i^i^ '"'^^'  '"""*■  "■ 

Hal1aKll,G«igcW, 

" 

Aiw. 

4/e> 

■■ 

Dl.ch..,ed  (or  disaUHly  Feb,  s.  .S6j.  >(  PhlU., 

Hallowdl,  Joseph  E. 

" 

Aug. 

J. -fa 

•■ 

Cplured  al  Shepherdtlown,  W.  Vn.,  Sep.  «>, 
™ll  June  30,  i8<Si,  «  Phil.,,  Pa. 

H>i°bu>icr,JahoJ. 

" 

Sep. 

0.-63 

Dnfied.    De»nEd  April  >i,iMi.iievBenil7 

H«rf»n.Jc«pbC. 

" 

Am. 

..■6. 

" 

I>iKh..ged  for  diubUHy  Mar.  4.  '863,  nou  F»l- 

■■ 

July 

4.'6j 

"Srthi'fpSSIni-if^."  *«'"""'"•• 

HtbWing,  Philip 

■• 

Sep. 

■>/63 

" 

Drarud.    Died'  Mar.  .Dk  1864,  .t  Riehmond, 

Holl.JunaP. 

Aiig. 

*■'«> 

Wounded  .1  Shepherdtlown,  W.  V»,,  Sep.  », 
tB«>:  .1  Wddeme>..  V..,  May  }.  iS6,^  at 
Five  Fo.li>,Va.,Mar.3t,i8«;.  Mutiercdoul 
on  Detachment  Muiter-out  mU  June  13,  184^ 
at  Walhingion,  D,  C, 

July 

..■6j 

Drifted.  Tramferred  10  Co,  G,  9»1  Regt,  P. 
V,.June,,.8«s, 

Howdl,  Gforge  H. 

July 

4.'«i 

'• 

Drafted,  Wounded  at  P.eble-.Fa™,V...  Sep. 
».  .8«4,  T«n.fcmd«Co.C9t«R.Bl.P. 
f.,June...B6s. 

Huff,  Cbuls  H. 

Aug. 

.,-«= 

" 

piial  Feb.  .6.  t*6j- 

Hu„«r,J.n.B 

'. 

Aug. 

4. -6. 

.. 

Muit«edou.withCo.Ju«,,,86,. 

Hu.«,  John  P. 

" 

J=n, 

9,'«) 

' 

.86;.    Borne  M  John  Huret. 

Hu-c.Thonu. 

Aug. 

>.'6* 

Washington.  U.  C. 

lv„,  Joh» 

Sep. 

■=.■63 

3 

Drafted.     DeMTled  Oct.  19.  iMs,  new  Fon'i 

Jon«,  Samuel  M. 

" 

Aug, 

,/6> 

Wounded  .<  Feeble'.  Farm,  V..  Sep.  JO,  .M^ 
Mu«ertd  out  on  Det»chinentMuHer.outroa 
M.y  «.,  .Mi,  a.  Hh,l...  Pa. 

Iu>.i«,  John  J. 

Aug 

5.'6j  '    "     Died  Julv  8,  iS6(.  al  Convalescen.  Gen.  MiK- 

Kerns,  F.d..ic. 

July 

o,-6j!    "    \Dnh^\.     Died    Ma..   .6.  .86,,  ai    R[cho,oM. 
'1         1     Va.,  while.  prLooe.  of  wa.- 

—  739  — 


Namut, 


King,  Joseph  R. 
Kirchcnmium,  J.  J. 

Knorr,  John 

Kreuler,  Isaac 
Kreuler,  WUBam 

Lane,  WiUiam 
Lang,  Frans 

Lake,  Ruben 
Lawreoce,Georfe  W. 

Leeser,  George  I. 

Lenoir,  George  W. 

Lloyd,  John  T. 

Lu.!y,  Samuel  I.  I 

L..k'.Mi-,  Joseph 

M  if  r.,  Mriiry  (,'. 

NI.irvl..i;|.  ( ic'ifgc  W. 
M.irt.!.,   ri.i'rn.*'.  1. 

NI  .:'.«\»».,  Henry 

M  W-r,  V  Karlc* 

I 
M  .'.-r,    I-.Ki, 

^1    '  V    -.':•%  .  \:,.!r-.w 

\1  I  .   r  .-      I 


c« 


« 


•« 


•c 


M 


■I 


«• 


« 


«( 


Bmr0i- 

If 

3 

WMtU. 

Aug.  11, 'te 

Aug.  9.  •«• 

« 

Aug.  8,  *te 

«< 

Sep.  to,  '6| 

M 

Sep.  lo,  '63 

« 

Not.  14/63 

<• 

July  30, '63 

«< 

Aug.  II.  'te 

<« 

Aug.  It*  '6a 

«< 

Aug.  18,  '6a 

W 

Aug.  18, '6a 

W 

Sep.  lo,  '63 

«« 

Alio    .#(    '#U 

<< 

Paaaitedjuly  i,  1863.  imv  WiUiaaapoft.  Md. 

Died  Oct.  7.  186a,  at  Sharpaboni  ICd.,  of 
rac'd  at  ShepherdiiowB,  W.  Va.,  Sep. 


ao,  i86e. 

Diacharsed  Dec.  a6,  186a.  at  Phlfau.  Pa.,  for 
wouoa  rec'd  at  Shapharastown,  W.  vm.,Sep. 
ao,  186a. 

Diaftad.  TnunfBrrad  to  Co.  Ob  gatt  E^gt.  P. 
v.,  June  1, 1865. 


Diaftad.    Wounded  at  Cold  Harbor,  Vm.,  J 
1.  1864.    Tranaferred  to  Co.  0, 9ut  Rq{L  P. 
v.,  June  1,  i865> 

DiaAiad.  Tranaferred  to  Co.  G,  9iat  E^gt.  P. 
v.,  June  1, 1865. 

Drafted.  Wounded  at  WddeiMM,  Va..  lUy  8, 
1864.  Tranelerrad  to  Co.  K.  nth  RcgL  V. 
R.  C,  Feb.  as,  1863.  Dbdiargad  on  Soiw 
geon'a  certificate,  Oct.  31, 1865. 

Died  Oa.  18,  i86a,  of  wound*  rec'd  nt  Shep- 
herdsiown,  w.  Va.,  Sep.  ao,  186a. 

Tranaferred  to  Co.  D,  S4th  Regt.  V.  R.  C.  Jan. 
a<,  1864.  Diachaiged  by  Gen.  Order  June  aj, 
1865. 

Wounded  at  Wddon  R.  R.,  Va.,  Aug.  ai,  i86«. 
Muatered  out  on  Detachment  Muatermut  roM 
June  9, 186s,  at  Waahington,  D.  C. 

Wounded  near  Spottaylvania  C.  II»  Va.,  Uay 
18.  1864.  Muatered  out  with  Co.  June  1, 
1865. 

Drafted.  Discharged  for  disability  ICar.  x8» 
1864.  at  ^  DiY.  U.  S.  A.  Gen.  Uoapitid, 
Alexandra,  Va. 

'     Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  1,  1865. 

>ci».  9, '6j  "  l)r:4ftc<l.  Wounded  at  Wildcnicus,  Va.,  May 
\,  \i(>^,  at  Five  Fork*.  Va.,  Mar.  31,  1864. 
MuNtered  mit  un  Detachment  Muster-out  roll 
<Xt.  I  J,  1865,  at  Phila.,  Pa. 

Auij.  14,  '6a     "     Wounded  .tt  Pceblc'H  Farm,  Va.,  Sep.  30.  1864. 

DiscliarKed   for  disability  June   20,   1S65,  at 
Washington,  1).  C. 


Sc 


Aut;.  II,  '63 
Aug.  II,  '6a 

Aug.  9,  '62 
Sep.  y,  '63 

July  7.  '63 
July  30,  '63 


Aug.  li,  '6a 
.Aui:   i4.*<^a 


Transferred  to  59th  Co.,  ad  Batulion  V.  R.  C, 
!     Sep.  la,  1863. 

PriM»ner  from  July  2,  1864.  to  April  5,  1865. 
Mustered  <Hit  June  5,  186$,  on  Individual 
Muster-out  roll,  at  Annapolis,  Md. 

Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  i,  1865. 

Drafted.     Devrrted  Jan.   ai^  1864,  at   Beverly 
j     Ford,  Va. 

Drafted.     Discharged  for  di^tability  Sep.  9, 1865, 
I     at  Phila.,  Pa. 

Drafted.  Mu^tcrrd  out  with  Detachment  May 
30,  1865,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 

Killed  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,  Sep.  so,  i86a. 

Dietl  Feb.  14.  1863,  near  Falmouth,  Va. 


t/amn. 

Sank. 

Ennl- 

|e 

Mumy.Pettr 

Privau 

Julirjo 

■63 

• 

Drafted.    Docned  Jan.  *},  1864,  (mm  picket 

HcAlphln,  Robot 

» 

Aut..s 

■62 

" 

Mu.lered  out  wiih  Co.  June  i.  iSSj. 

McOuJoipG. 

Au,.,. 

•6a 

" 

1861.  DiKhaiged  for  diubiliiy  May  3, 1S64, 
at  Washington,  D.  C. 

" 

Oct.., 

■6j 

" 

■'Si,.?,"-wS,srs.r*-"" 

McGovem,  Patrick 

" 

Oct.  IS 

■«J 

" 

Draiied.    Wounded  al  Wildemeu,  Va,  May  B, 

Hcllhiner.  Samuel 

■'. 

Aug..! 

■6, 

" 

Diichaiged  for  disability  April  i;,  iMj,  sear 

McKenna,  Jam.. 

•• 

Au,..s 

S. 

'■ 

Mustered  out  with  Co.  June  1.  1B6;. 

McKnight.J««. 

" 

July  .5 

■<J 

" 

Drafted.    Capluitd  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va.,luH 

Ogden.RlchudC. 

.. 

Auc.  II 

■6, 

.. 

De«ned  Jan.  .,  iS6j,  from  Camp  Parele,  Md. 

Oliver,  Rlducd 

J".  9 

■6S 

I 

Deierled  July  4,  iS6j,  near  FRderick.  Md. 

Pauiian,  Koben 

Aug.  I 

■6. 

3 

Percinl.  Tlionuu  R 

Aug.  4. 

■6. 

•■ 

Dejerted  Aug.  1.,  186.,  at  Camp  Union,  Phila., 

I^ekeni,  Jama 

Aug.i 

■6, 

„ 

Dischaned  on  Surnon'i  ccniBcite  Mar.  1 .  11163. 

Riley.  William 

'■ 

Juiy3« 

■«J 

" 

Drafted.  Wounded  at  Pe«r»b«.g,  Va.,  M»r. 
JO.  1864.  Tramferred  to  Co,  G.ont  Rest.  P. 
V..Ju<iei.iB6s,    AliobomeasWiiley, 

RoK.  Robert 

" 

Aug.  i8 

'«J 

" 

Drafted.  Wounded  and  caHurcd  at  Wilder, 
ne...  Va.,  May  B.  1864,  Died  at  Saliihuty, 
N.  C,  Dec,  a,,  .864. 

R«ter,  John 

July  30, 

■63 

" 

Drafted.  Woundedat  Pet^r^hurg,  \|a,.Mar.  «. 
Jun*e,,.g6i.                            '*            ** 

Saxun,  Charlei 

Aug-; 

■6, 

Captured  al  Peebte'i  Farm,  Va.,  Oct.  1.  1864. 
Muitered  out  with  Co,  June  i,  iflCj, 

Schwoenr.AmbrOM 

Aug.  13 

•ti 

" 

SchmKRi,  Henry 

July  31 

'6a 

■• 

Discharged  on  Surgeon'i  certificate  April  is, 
1863,  nur  Kalmouih,  Va. 

Shaw,  Samuel.  Jr. 

Aug.  8 

■61 

'■ 

DiKhjrged    (or    diMbilily    Feb.    14,    '8*3,    "t 

Shield,.  John  C. 

Aug.  ,3 

•6. 

•■ 

Sigel,  August 

■■ 

Julys- 

■6j 

Deserted  Aug.  ].  1861.  at  Camp  Union,  Phila., 

Sit.,me,s,  Charlej 

'■ 

Aug,  ti 

■6, 

.. 

Diichanted  for  disability  Jan.  6,  i86j,  al  Wash- 

SineT,  Thorn ji 

Aug.  iG 

•6> 

"  ^^i^^e??■;?■^^hr^,^l^;■^?^v^ 

SniiEli.Iknjami^F. 

■■ 

AUR,  „ 

'61 

W.„„„lol  m  Shephcrdslo-n.  W.  Va  ,  Sep.  ao. 
i-(.,.     Dei>.ncd  July  ,,  1863,  al  WilliannpoR. 

Niimt.. 

Xa-i. 

En. 

nl. 

1^1 

Hmllh,  Ch«la 

Phv.« 

Sep. 

9.»J 

}     Unhid.     DiichirsEd  for  dii.biliiy  Apnl  i>. 

iiuckiDD.  Duiil 

" 

Auf, 

).■*• 

"    MutltndmilwilhCo  June  i.  iM;. 

St«l»w..WUU,a.» 

■■ 

Am- 

i.'it 

" 

hmm,  Uil 

" 

July 

J/HJ 

[fBficd.  T™n.fc™i  »  Co.  -.  »t.i  IUi<-  P- 
V.junt  1.  iM).     No  retold  i/iniwlcj  GuBd. 

5«n.,  Swn«l 

" 

Julr 

1.'*) 

^c^.t..,.«i)i.t\  i*v:,jui. .,.»(, 

ToUnd,Hi™..C. 

'■ 

Au(. 

J.-6. 

U'windfd  ■<  WlldtmcH.  V.  ,  M>r  ".  ■•a4. 
D«d.lPMI..,  P.„Mayj.,iM, 

l>«in.  Thorn*. 

Au(, 

3.'«« 

" 

"■ss;di;|ssfts,5&S'..-5 

Vl«.  Jom.ih.li 

■  • 

Aufl, 

S.'*. 

.. 

W.lti^m.  Sunlry 

■■ 

A.«. 

..*. 

•■ 

Ikttd  >1  WtmoioB.  V...  Nov.  ti.  .tta. 

WilL.«,  Alans  R. 

" 

Au,. 

). '«> 

Wimcr.  Lcwli 

A.«. 

>.■<!. 

I>i*d  Nov.  11,  |B6>,  a  Aluindm.  V*. 

W<l<Ji.J.mn 

■■ 

Au«. 

4.'«« 

WliklB..  Ch;H« 

■■ 

Sn> 

».-«J 

Dnfrnl.    Ttimfcrnd  lo  Co.  C.  gin  lt*H-  P. 

WIW,  J.n,o 

Au,. 

».  ■li- 

.. 

D*«rKd  Sep.  -.  .»fe.  «  Wtthil«l«l.  D,  C. 

Wl«Bua.  HeB^ 

Nov. 

ft, -6) 

■' 

Dr>r»d.    AWni.ickumuturAuiol'CB.    H« 

WulftnjB,,  Ed-Ull 

Aug. 

i/et 

■■ 

Uuticred  «n  -iUi  0>  JuK  t.  iSfj. 

Wrl»hi,  Ch.iV 

' 

Jul, 

j/«j 

DnflKl     Woii»<a]  H  hn  Folk*.  V>..  U». 

Younfc  Wmtaai 

" 

Atic. 

1.-A. 

"■ 

•'ss;jiserra.v&,%5: 

Jli^^ 

!,■'» 

UNASSIGNED   MEN. 


SUBSTITUTES 

For  Drafted  men.  who  Deserted  while  on  theit  way  to  join  the  i  i8tb  R^it. 
P.  v..  Bt  Caitip  near  Bealton  Station.  Va,.  on  or  before  Aug.  0,  1863. 


■HI.  W.UiWB 


N  o  funbir  TBiaii. 


M 


|i 

ii 

I 

I 


Nam,.. 

w. 

t*^!' 

1^ 

.-.MOO.ThoiM. 

P11».l* 

Jiil,}.,-6j 

3     No  ftinhn  r«Drd. 

July  30.  -63 

"    'Nobrthcrt^cortl. 

BtBquiH.  Charlo 

July  >9,  ■«» 

"    No  funher  r«onl. 

BrowB,  Ch.ri« 

S.P.  rf,  'ij 

■•    'd«cfw)Nov  j,,,S63,MAl««d™,V..    No 
funhtr  reeonl. 

BiowD.Ccccge 

July  3=,  '63 

..    No  funhef  record. 

Brawn,  M..k 

Sep.  rf,  '6, 

..     Dc«n«INoY.  jj,.B6j,iiAlt)nJidrU,Vi.    No 
1    fiinhcrrtcord. 

»yrnc  Edward 

Ju1yji.-6j 

"    No  fiirtbei  rcoinL 

Canoll,  Richini  K. 

July  3.. -65 

"    'Nofunhtrrecoid. 

ChimpliiD.  JtroDK 

Julyji.lSj 

.■    Nohnhcricfoid. 

Cobb,  I.  R. 

J-Jy  3'.  ■«! 

..    No  funhc,  record. 

Connd,  Gcocge 

Am,  .,vs3 

..    Nofunh«r«QnL 

Crawfoid,  Gnige 

A-B.  .,  -63 

..    No  (unhcr  r«orcJ. 

DDUghuity,  Monii 

" 

July  .s, -63 

,.    ;Nofi.nh«r«ord. 

Duboli,  Chorla 

■■ 

July  ,3, -63 

,.    Nofiinhtrrtoord. 

Edmund,  Fnnci, 

■■ 

July -J. -63 

..    Nofunhfrmxird. 

Ellioil,  Willim 

.. 

July  3-.  ■63 

-.  'No  funhtt  nxotd. 

Gamll.Giorgi 

July  -s.  '63 

'■    NoCurthctrKotd. 

H.n.on,  Jamo 

■' 

Jul,  3., '61 

..    NofurlKHrKOfd. 

Ham.,  RLchard 

" 

July  .5.  -ej 

..    No  funht,  record, 

" 

July  .5.  '63 

.1    No  fimhtr  TicDid. 

Harvey,  Thooiin 

■■ 

July  3U.  -Ss 

>.   'Nofunher  record. 

Hill,W,l1«m 

Aug.  ..'e. 

.'    Nofiirthetfxco.d. 

KiKh™.  Thorn.. 

'■ 

Julys. -63 

-     No  rurlher  record. 

KH%>.  Amos 

■■ 

A.,g.  ..-fij 

■•     Nn  (urthn-  rKOrd. 

Kuhm,  Gtorgt 

■■ 

J.1y-.'63 

•  ■    (JlwsG.Woifc.)    ArmiriAug.13,186).   Tried 
hy  C,  C.  M.  Aut  K.  .B63.     Seutenctd  lo  be 
'    tbni  to  dnth.    SentErcc  eiecuicd  Aur.  n, 
.U3.  nur  uimp  IL  Beverly  Fonl,  Va, 

Ul,  EtniLc 
LiDibcn,  John 

July  30. '»3 

July  3.,  -63 

"     Armled    Anx.    13,   1G63.     Tned   H'  U.  C    M. 

1    Aug.  50, 1 8*3-    SenKncedtobeihoiioduih. 

,     lieniencx  eiecuied  Aug,  n,  iSfil,  Den  cuap 

1    «BeveriyFord.Vt^    ' 
"  jNofunherrewnJ. 

Ufktn.  Peict 

" 

July  JO.  ■*} 

■•     So  further  reroid. 

L..>hom.  Peiec 

July  3.. '63 

'■    No  funher  record. 

Uinning.John 

.„,..•., 

■■     No  f.iriher  r«Drd. 

MinhatL,  Mcnry 

S.p.S4,>*3 

■■     De«-rT.dNov,,,,  ,8«j.r.lAle.andri.,Va.     No 

JV««*, 

Ah*. 

i;^lh 

UcDiHiiKn,  rilrlck 

Pn«w 

A^,./.,      3 

No  funbu  Rcord. 

MilK  Fmkrlck 

" 

Jut/.i.^! 

■■ 

Ho  (unhor  lecenl. 

Minn,  John 

July  J.. -S) 

" 

NdAinhcncari. 

Ullkt.JobDC. 

'* 

Juiy.i.*»j 

" 

Morunh«»anl. 

MIlbD,  Dtnili 

" 

July  .».■«) 

■■ 

KofiothQItCDxl. 

Uon^.  J<«ph 

- 

Aug,  ..  '«, 

■■ 

Nofanhctntoid. 

Muller,  Thsmu 

J-Jy'».-«3 

NobRhtrnrard. 

Mu«r.  J>.hr, 

A«-..'63 

■■ 

N«&nl«ri«»nl. 

Kl.on.  Ik.ji,n.ln 

" 

J»ir.s/<1) 

Kd  fiinha  ncart. 

Prtct  wmiuB  D. 

" 

J"iy.s.-6j 

NofoitlioKcont 

StM<fl.l.Chii.tl.t. 

" 

July  J., -61 

■■ 

Nofunharaanl. 

Rmhhjiina 

■■ 

July -s.  6) 

NoKinbcrrccoid. 

Smllh,  Jimo 

■■ 

July  30. -61 

No  ninhcr  mart. 

§BlIh.  JohX 

- 

July.,.*. 

Nofiinhuneort. 

Bmlib,  John 

■■ 

Ji-iy  ■>.  -si 

NoBinhBWioid. 

6«««.J.mB 

" 

July  ».  ■«) 

No  funhot  Rconl. 

TiylM.  RolU 

■■ 

Juiy<».ej 

Ka  tiTthcr  ncofd, 

Tiylof.Wm.Thu.L. 

■■ 

Juiyr'.ej 

NotunhoKCMi 

1 

Turn...  J-hB 

■• 

Aug,  ..-ej 

No  (untxr  >«anL 

1 

UUrKh.  MichMl 

" 

J-iyj'.-ej 

NorunhcTTBotd. 

1 

W.h«.  Ourta 

" 

J-Jyj'.'aj 

■ 

c.  u. 

dcaih. 
jiiop 

Wtmon.  Fr.ok 

■•         J-I»J'.6J 

No  furthn  r«ort. 

Wllun,  MKhKl 
Wihon,  WUiMm 

■•        J«hr.»,-«3 

No  (kinhti  .mwd. 
No  rarthei  monl. 

SUMMARY   OF    ROSTER. 

FiHJ  jnd  Sh« ij  I  Co.  O 

Co   A .je  I  Co.  H 


U«     UlUUifwl  DCB       .      .      . 

14}    Subitiluiei  ftr  DnfUd  b 


E