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MAJOR-GENERAL
HIRAM G. BERRY
HIS CAREER AS A
CONTRACTOR, BANK PRESIDENT, POLITICIAN
AND MAJOR-GENERAL OF VOLUNTEERS
IN THE CIVIL WAR
TOGETHER WITH
HIS WAR CORRESPONDENCE
EMBRACING* the period
FROM BULL RUN TO CHANCELLORSVILLE
BY
EDWARD K. GOULD
ROCKLAND, MAINE
PRESS OF THE COURIER-GAZETTE
1899
38744
Copyright, 1899
By EDWARD K. GOULD
JUL 2o 1899 J
4S5T 0/ Co?f
PREFACE
The biographical articles treating of Major-General Berry,
which were prepared by the author and published in the
Rockland Courier-Gazette, have met with such flattering recep-
tion, crude though they were, that, yielding to my own inclina-
tions and the importunities of the many admirers of General
Berry, I now offer, in more enduring form, this life story of
Maine's greatest soldier; first .subjecting the original sketches
to a thorough revision, adding much matter that has since
become available, and eliminating many things that would not
prove of interest to the general reader.
A great quantity of material for this biography was col-
lected through the energetic and intelligent efforts of the
General's only daughter, the late Lucy Berry Snow, of Brooklyn,
New York, whose untimely demise, after a brief illness, I in
common with others deeply deplore. I have had occasion to
consult and make extracts from the following works, for which
I now make acknowledgment, viz. : Eaton's History of Rock-
land, Thomaston and South Thomaston ; Reports of the
Adjutant-General of Maine for the years 1857, 1861, 1862,
1863, 1864; Official Records of the Union and Confederate
armies, War of the Rebellion, published by the War Depart-
ment; De Peyster's Life of Major-General Philip Kearny;
Webb's Peninsular Campaign ; Doubleday's Chancellorsville and
Gettysburg; Palfrey's Antietam and Fredericksburg ; Report of
the Adjutant-General, State of Michigan, 1866; Michigan in
the War, by Robertson ; De Trobriand's Four Years with the
Army of the Potomac ; Reports of the Committee on the Con-
duct of the War; and Stine's History of the Army of the
Potomac. The publishers of the Rockland Courier- Gazette
have freely entrusted to me the early files of that paper from
1854 to 1863, and they have proved to be an inexhaustible
source of information, of which I have made frequent use.
E. K. G.
Rockland, Maine, July 1, 1899.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I. His Youth and Early Manhood
II. His Political Career
III. The Rockland City Guards
IV. Fourth Maine Infantry
V. From Portland to Philadelphia
VI. Washington .
VII. The Advance to Bull Run
VIII. Battle of Bull Run
IX. After the Battle
X. Camp Life .....
XI. A Monotonous Existence .
XII. Berry a Brigadier-General
XIII. Assigned to the Michigan Brigade
XIV. Battle of Williamsburg .
XV. Hero of Williamsburg
XVI. Berry's Account of Williamsburg
XVII. Battle of Fair Oaks or Seven Pines
XVIII. Berry Covered with Glory
XIX. Retreat to the James
XX. Seven Days' Fight
XXI. Berry's Sickness
XXII. Reception in Rockland
XXIII. Rejoins His Brigade .
XXIV. Fredericksburg .
XXV. Berry a Major-General
XXVI. Berry Commands Hooker's Old Division
XXVII. Chancellorsville
XXVIII. Berry at Chancellorsville
XXIX. Death of Berry
XXX. The Remains Borne to Rockland
XXXI. The Obsequies ....
XXXII. Berry's Character and Services
APPENDIX
Inauguration of Berry's Statue
Tributes from Generals Hooker, Sickles, How
Funeral Address by Rev. Nath'l Butler
INDEX
ard
9
i5
23
3*
40
46
55
62
69
78
89
97
106
116
126
x39
H7
i57
167
'75
189
197
204
213
228
239
247
255
263
271
278
285
290
292
297
304
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Major-General Berry .... Frontispiece
Mrs. Hiram G. Berry ....... 25
Camp of Fourth Maine at Rockland, Maine . . . 41
Mrs. Lucy Berry Snow ....... 57
Residence of General Berry, Rockland . . -73
Camp of Fourth Maine near Fort Lyons, Va. . . .89
Colonel Elijah Walker in 1861 ..... 105
Brevet Major-General Davis Tillson . . . .121
Vice President Hannibal Hamlin . . . . .168
Brevet Major-General Adelbert Ames .... 200
Major-General Joseph Hooker ..... 249
Colonel Elijah Walker in 1899 ..... 265
Lieutenant-Colonel L. D. Carver ..... 281
Simmons' Statue of General Berry at Rockland . . 291
CHAPTER I.
HIS YOUTH AND EARLY MANHOOD.
His Birthplace. — His Grandfather a Revolutionary Soldier. —
His Father in the War of 1812. — His Brothers and Sis-
ter.— Educational Advantages. — Boyhood Character-
istics.— A Born Leader. — Fond of Horses. — A Close
Student. — A Private of Artillery in the Militia. — Learns
the Carpenter's Trade. — Becomes a Contractor and
Builder. — Erects a Fine Residence. — Builds Many of
Rockland's Substantial Blocks. — Forms Co-partnership
with his Brother. — President and Director of Limerock
National Bank. — Berry and Elijah Walker Engage in
Business. — His Marriage. — Birth of his Daughter.
HIRAM GREGORY BERRY was the fourth child of Jere-
miah and Frances Gregory Berry. He was born on the
parental farm at the Meadows in what is now the City of
Rockland, Maine, August 27, 1 824. Rockland at that time was a
part of the town of Thomaston, so, to be accurate, that town is
the place of his birth. The farm on which he first saw the light
of day is now owned, and until recently was occupied as a resi-
dence by the Honorable G. L. Farrand. His ancestors are a part
of that hardy New England stock in which the foundations of many
of the best families are laid. His grandfather, Thomas Berry, was
an officer in the Revolution, and in his declining years was pen-
sioned by the government for his services in that war. At the
breaking out of hostilities between this country and England in
1812, the father of Hiram buckled on his sword, determined to
match his valor with the old foes of his native land. He was
10 MA JOE-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
appointed Orderly Sergeant of a company which was stationed
at the fort at Eastport, at which place he continued until
mustered out.
Those were days of suspense and of thrilling adventure-
British men-of-war skirted the shores of Maine and invested
her harbors and inlets, bombarding her villages, murdering the
inhabitants and spreading waste and devastation far and wide.
The small force of militia and volunteers on which devolved the
defence of the long coast line and scattered villages could offer
but little resistance to the ravages of the enemy. By reason of
its exposed condition on the Canadian frontier, Eastport was
one of the objective points of the British attack, and during
these trying times, the valor and patriotism of Sergeant Berry
must have been severely tested, and many is the tale of thrilling
adventure and hair-breadth escape it must have been his privi-
lege to tell. We can imagine with what eager interest young
Hiram listened to the stories of the Revolution, and of 1812,
and what influence they must have had in shaping the course
of his life to its untimely close.
Four brothers and one sister shared with Hiram the home
life on the Meadow farm. They were Jeremiah 2nd, John T.,
William G., George W. and Frances E. Berry. Of this num-
ber, Jeremiah 2nd and William G. died many years ago. The
sister, Frances E. Berry, married Edward H. Fosdick and took
up her residence in Brooklyn, N, Y. John T. and George W.
Berry still remain in the city of their birth, honored, respected
and prosperous.
Hiram's advantages of education were limited to such
public schools as the town of Thomaston afforded way back in
the 'thirties. But he made the most of these meagre advantages.
With diligence did he apply himself to his studies, and his
indomitable will, which in after life carried him over so many
seemingly insurmountable obstacles, showed itself ' in his youth-
ful struggles to acquire an education. His was a practical mind,
and while the beauties of the classics were clear to his vigorous
EARLY EDUCATION. 11
intellect, yet instinctively he turned to mathematics, and with
dogged determination mastered its most difficult problems.
Joyous by nature, when the labors of the school were over he
joined in the rude sports of those days as only a young boy full
of animal life and overflowing spirits can. Courteous and affa-
ble, he was ever a favorite with his companions and a leader in
their sports. Even at this early age, his love for military affairs
manifested itself. The stories of Lexington, Bunker Hill and
Yorktown fired his youthful heart, and he longed to emulate the
example of those hardy patriots whose valor had made this
nation possible.
He early acquired the correct habits of thought and meth-
odical ways which made his business career a phenomenal suc-
cess. No detail was too trivial to be slighted, and whatever he
had to do was well done.
Genius has been defined to be an unlimited capacity for
hard work, and measuring by this truthful standard the subject
of our sketch can lay claim to that title. Possessed in youth
and early manhood with a robust physique, he was an inde-
fatigable worker and never wasted the precious moments of his
short life. Hours were golden to him, and it was a crime to
idle them away. It would seem as though a premonition of his
early end must have made an impression on his nature, impell-
ing him to make the most of the few short years that were his
to enjoy and improve.
A companion of his early years in speaking of him says
that he was a born leader and a natural diplomat. As a youth
he never entered into squabbles, and was always dignified and
self-reliant, but never reticent. He was regarded by his youth-
ful associates as possessing superior judgment and discretion,
and when differences arose, as they sometimes will in youth as
well as in later years, the question always asked was : " What
does Hi Berry say about it?" His decision was regarded as
final, and from it there was no appeal, there being no dissenting
voice.
12 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Young Berry was an inordinate lover of that noble animal
the horse. Like many others of even greater renown, he
believed a horse was next to man in instinct if not intelligence,
and when a mere youth he would take the wildest steed from
among the many in his father's stable, and by force of will and
natural courage soon bring the animal to such a state of
docility that a lady might handle it.
Berry by nature was a gentle, unassuming but courageous
youth, and while never aggressive, he would never permit a
deliberate insult to a friend or himsef to pass unrebuked.
He possessed a great fondness for books, and devoted
much time to the biographies of the leading generals of the
world, and the history of campaigns. Night after night he sat
in his chamber poring over the pages of some favorite volume,
and laying up knowledge that was to be devoted to his country's
service in after years.
He always regarded it as a great mistake that he was
never permitted to enter West Point, when a cadetship in that
institution was within his reach, but his mother was very much
opposed to his going, and he dutifully deferred to her wishes.
However, his military instincts were strong, and in the autumn
of 1 841, we hear of him as a private in an artillery company
commanded by the late Francis Cobb, when with his early friend,
Elijah Walker, he was assigned to load one of the guns at the
trainings, a duty he performed with skill and caution.
After completing his school life, Hiram learned the trade
of a carpenter, and for several years he industriously pursued this
occupation. In 1843 ne entered into an agreement with Elijah
Walker to labor at carpenter work and share profits. In this
occupation, young Berry developed great physical strength,
and it is said that these two young men, during the eight
months in which they worked together, accomplished great
results. In 1845, having thoroughly mastered the details of his
chosen occupation, he became a contractor and builder on his
own account, establishing the lumber yard now owned by the
A CONTRACTOR. i3
W. H. Glover Co., and which they acquired from him. With
but little capital and relying principally upon his native energy,
the business rapidly prospered. Among the buildings erected
by him is the Second Baptist Church, and his magnificent
residence on the corner of Beech and White streets, now owned
by Hon. John S. Case, and which today is one of the most
imposing private residences within the city limits.
April 21, 1852, the Rockland Steam Manufacturing Com-
pany was incorporated with power to hold property not
exceeding $30,000. The incorporators were Hiram G. Berry,
I. K. and A. H. Kimball and Joseph C. Libby. This corpora-
tion did a good business in the manufacture of doors, sashes
and blinds, until its buildings were destroyed by fire in 1855.
For many years General Berry was a director in the
Limerock National Bank, the oldest national bank in his native
city, having been elected Oct. 8, 1853. On the death of its
president, Knott Crockett, in 1857, he was elected to that place,
Oct. 19, continuing as such until he resigned to enter the army,
June 5, 1 861.
In addition to these various interests, Berry owned largely
in shipping. As a bank-director and president he is said to
have been a success, and the rapidity with which he added long
columns of figures was marvellous, and he very rarely made an
error. It is also said of him that he would move lumber from
a pile, keeping an accurate account of the pieces in his mind,
and at the same time carry on an animated conversation with
several parties, or transact some other business.
As a business man he was always benevolent and accom-
modating, freely granting credit to any person who could lay
claim to the faintest sense of honor. He made but few bad
debts, and was never known to importune a debtor for an
unpaid balance, when such a person called at his place of
business.
On the twenty-third of March, 1845, Hiram G. Berry and
Almira M. Brown were united in marriage. The bride was a
14 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
daughter of John Brown, a respected citizen of Thomaston,
and was regarded as one of the most promising young ladies
of her native town. One daughter, Lucy F. Berry, came to
bless this union. She was the idol of her father, and upon her
he lavished the wealth of his affection. She was the wife of
Albert D. Snow, a prosperous commission merchant, and
resided in Brooklyn, N. Y., at the time of her death in
November, 1895. Of her illustrious father she retained a most
tender memory, which the passage of many years never
effaced.
CHAPTER II.
HIS POLITICAL CAREER.
Elected Representative to the Legislature. — Stirring Politi-
cal Times. — Berry's Legislative Associates. — Candidate
for Mayor of Rockland. — Desperate Contest and Tri-
umphant Election. — His Efficiency as Chief Executive.
— Renominated Mayor. — Defeated on National Issues.
POLITICS always fascinated the strong manly nature of
Berry. He enjoyed the sharp encounter of party against
party, the marshalling of forces, the sudden surprises, the
swift defences. Perhaps the semblance of these elections to
the conflict of arms satisfied in a measure his military instinct.
The maneuvers of party were to him the operations of a
brigade. The joining of issues at the polls and the struggle
for the mastery were to him the impact of contending armies,
requiring skill, intuitive judgment, and quick, courageous action
to win the victory. He was never a bitter, narrow partisan.
It was not his nature to be that. He was generous to his
political foes, and even in the heat of a desperate political
struggle would seek out his opponents and talk to them in a
jocose way of the probable results. He was never embittered
by defeat, but was always first to present his compliments to
his victorious opponent, and ever after cordially supported him
while in office in every honest and patriotic endeavor.
In the Fall of 1852 Berry was nominated for Representative
to the Legislature from the town of East Thomaston. His
opponents were Elkanah S. Smith and Jonathan Spear, both
prominent and influential men, and active politicians. The
16 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
town meeting for the election of state officers was held in the
Congregational meeting house on the thirteenth of September,
1852. In this struggle, Berry's talent as an organizer manifested
itself. As a popular young man he had a large following, and
with consummate tact and skill he united various elements to
his support, and came off triumphant, receiving 590 votes to
319 for Mr. Smith and 117 for Mr. Spear. Thus at the early
age of 28 years was he elected by his fellow-townsmen to repre-
sent them at the seat of government.
The Legislature that assembled at Augusta in the early part
of 1853 was the center of much interest. The stirring cam-
paign of the previous September had resulted in no choice for
a Governor by the people, and the young Representative from
East Thomaston found himself in a hot political cauldron which
in many respects was quite agreeable to him. From the num-
ber of candidates voted for at the polls, the House chose the
names of John Hubbard and William G. Crosby, to be sent to
the Senate, one of whom was to be elected Governor by that
body. Of these two men the Senate chose Crosby, a Whig,
and he was duly qualified and entered at once upon the duties
of his office. It does not appear that Representative Berry
took a prominent part in these proceedings, but he was present
at the sessions and was an interested participant in the voting.
When the committees of the House were announced, Rep-
resentative Berry found himself honored by appointments on
the committee on elections, on railroads and bridges, and on the
state prison. His duties on the elections committee were oner-
ous and important. The close vote in many Senatorial and
Representative districts resulted in several contested elections,
and much testimony was introduced before the committee.
Representative Berry was always in attendance at these pro-
longed hearings, an attentive listener and an intelligent judge,
carefully weighing the testimony as it was adduced, and forming
his own opinion therefrom without regard to the views of his
associates upon the committee.
REPRESENTATIVE IN LEGISLATURE. 17
That he was faithful to his constituents, the journal of the
House gives abundant evidence. Among the matters of local
interest presented by him was a petition of Henry C. Lowell
and others for the incorporation of a bank in East Thomaston ;
an act to incorporate the Atlantic Ship, Wharf & Lime Com-
pany ; and a petition of L. Snow and others to prevent the
throwing of lime core in the docks at East Thomaston.
An important question before this Legislature was the
acquirement of the Massachusetts lands within the limits of
Maine, and commissioners were elected to effect this result,
reporting at a special session of the Legislature, called by Gov-
ernor Crosby for that purpose. In many of the yea and nay
votes taken by the House upon these important matters, we find
that the young Representative from East Thomaston had early
acquired the habit of thinking for himself, as his vote is recorded
on the side of the minority, and in some instances stands almost
alone in its protest against the pending proceedings.
The election of a United States Senator to succeed Hon.
James W. Bradbury was one of the most desperately fought
legislative battles ever known since Maine became a state. The
bitterness of feeling engendered, the desperate measures
employed by the friends of the various candidates to secure
their election, the skillful parliamentary maneuvers, the power-
ful influences brought to bear on the members of the Senate
and House, all had their part in making this contest an ever
memorable one. William Pitt Fessenden, a member of the
House from Portland, afterwards Secretary of the Treasury, was
the leading candidate and came within a few votes of election.
But his opponents outgeneraled him by combining and voting
to indefinitely postpone the election. Representative Berry was
an active participant in these proceedings.
Among Representative Berry's associates in the Legislature
were William Pitt Fessenden, afterwards United States Senator,
Artemas Libby, late Associate Judge of the Maine Supreme
Court, Alonzo Garcelon, ex-Governor of Maine, and Hon. John
18 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
C. Talbot, who was Speaker of the House. In the Senate were
such men as Nelson Dingley, and Nathan A. Farwell of Rock-
land, afterwards United States Senator.
Returning from his duties as a legislator, General Berry gave
his undivided attention to the building up of his rapidly
growing business as a contractor and builder. He did not
again enter politics until the spring of 1856, when he became
the candidate of the Democrats and straight Whigs for Mayor
of the new city of Rockland, which two years earlier had been
created from the town of East Thomaston. With his usual
energy he entered actively into the canvass, drawing about him
many active campaign workers and influential citizens, and
directing the efforts of the party with judgment and skill.
While party feeling ran high and personal recriminations
were freely indulged in by individuals of the opposing parties,
General Berry remained calm and collected, repressing "personal
politics " whenever it appeared among his followers, and concil-
iating his opponents by his frank and manly bearing and
courteous demeanor. The polls opened on the morning of
March 3, and all day long the battle waged fierce and hot, and
at its close when the votes were counted it was found that no
choice had been made. The number of votes cast was n 26,
and it required 564 votes to elect. Of this number Hiram G.
Berry had 484, Joseph Farwell 262, George S. Wiggin 254,
Harvey H. Spear 125, and John Bird 1. Commenting on the
result of this ballot, the Rockland Gazette of that day says :
" The vote given in on Monday was larger than was generally
anticipated. Whether the Republican vote at the next trial
will be centered upon Wiggin or Farwell or upon some new
man, we are not able to state. The election produced quite an
excitement compared with any other we have had since the
organization of the city government, and on that account was
quite a relief from the monotony which has existed amongst
us since the election in September."
The board of aldermen warned the voters of Rockland to
MAYOR OF ROCKLAND. 19
assemble at the polls on the twelfth of March and again cast
their ballots for Mayor. According to the Gazette, a spirited
meeting of the straight-out Democrats and Whigs was held at
Beethoven Hall on Saturday evening before the election, and
an equally spirited Citizens' caucus was held. At the latter
meeting, Charles Crockett, Esq., was nominated for Mayor.
Messrs. Wiggin and Farwell, who at the preceding election
received most of the votes in opposition to H. G. Berry, Esq.,
acquiesced in the nomination.
The scenes about the voting places during this election
were a repetition of the preceding one. If it were possible, the
uncertainty that shrouded the result intensified the excitement,
and increased the interest and efforts of the partisans. Again
the ballots were counted, and again did the news fly from lip to
lip, " No election ! " There were 12 12 ballots cast in this elec-
tion, and of this number, the successful candidate must secure
607. Hiram G. Berry had 541, Charles Crockett 561, and
Harvey H. Spear 103, scattering 7. It looked as though the
chances of election of Mr. Berry were dubious, and the friends
of Mr. Crockett were jubilant because of the strength devel-
oped by their candidate. But Mr. Berry was not cast down by
the result. He believed another determined effort would win
him the victory, and quietly laid his plans. Again we quote
from the columns of the Gazette :
"A second trial for the election of Mayor was held yester-
day afternoon. There is still no choice. The vote was large,
being an increase over the vote last week of nearly ninety.
The heavy vote thrown indicates the interest which was felt in
the election. The vote will probably increase somewhat at the
next trial, which is to be on Monday afternoon next and which
will doubtless settle the question, since a plurality then elects."
The third and last battle of the ballots took place March 17,
with increased excitement and turmoil. When the approach
of darkness put an end to the strife, Hiram G. Berry had
triumphed over his opponents, and was made by his fellow
20 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
citizens Mayor of his native city, — the second man to hold
that office.
The ballots cast at the third election numbered 1282,
Berry receiving 642, while his principal opponent, Crockett,
polled 612 with a scattering of 24.
Editorially, the Gazette says of this result: "The third
and last trial for Mayor of this city came off Monday, and
resulted in the election of Hiram G. Berry, Esq., by a plurality
of thirty votes over Charles Crockett, and a majority of one
vote over all others. The excitement had been increasing from
the previous election up to the time the result of the voting of
Monday was known , and it is universally remarked that there
never was before so much interest manifested in any election in
Rockland. Indeed, the vote of last September, when it was
thought that every live man turned out to the polls, and it is
certain there were considerably more voters in the city than at
the present time, was sixty-three less than the vote of Monday.
At a little before six o'clock, the result of the election was
known, viz.: that ' Berry was elected,' and a large number of
his friends gathered about the Commercial House, when speeches
were made and a grand jollification was had by those who had
voted for the successful candidate. In the evening, guns were
fired, bonfires lighted, etc. The Mayor-elect also invited his
supporters to a supper, given at the Commercial and Thorndike
hotels, at which several hundreds were present. A procession also
marched to the Mayor's house and called him out for a speech,
which he made, appropriate to the occasion. In short, the
' party' generally were in high spirits at their success. We will
say of Mr. Berry that he is a man of energy and business expe-
rience, and, like his opponent, has the general confidence of his
fellow citizens. Indeed, high as the ' steam ' was on the Mayor
question, we recollect of hearing scarcely a word spoken derog-
atory to the personal character of the candidates. And we
believe that they are on the best terms with each other per-
sonally."
RENOMINATED MAYOR. 21
The happy close of this desperate and hard-fought struggle
came near being marked by a serious accident. A cannon was
placed in the field in front of the residence of Mayor-elect
Berry and was repeatedly discharged to celebrate his victory.
After a few rounds were fired, this cannon burst and a man
named Nash was struck by a flying piece of gun metal and
injured. Another piece of the gun was thrown some distance
through one of the lower lights of a window of Wm. Young's
house on Union street while two children were looking out of
the window. Neither was hurt, and the wounded man was but
slightly injured.
Mayor Berry's inauguration took place with the usual cere-
monies. On March 19, both boards of the city council met in
joint convention in the common council rooms to listen to the
Mayor's address, which was brief, concise and business-like,
written in the easy, flowing style characteristic of the man.
With no attempt at rhetoric, he plainly sets forth the city's needs
and impresses on his associates that they are public servants
invested with a public trust that should be faithfully administered.
He modestly expresses the deep sense of his inability to fulfill the
expectations of his fellow-citizens, but pledges his unselfish
devotion to their interests.
Mayor Berry's management of the affairs of the munici-
pality was characterized by shrewdness and wisdom. The work
of some of the departments Was in a crude state. They were
by him reduced to order, and systematized. A seal was pro-
vided for the city. The financial affairs received the closest and
most intelligent attention. Every department began to give
evidence of the domination of a master mind ; and at the close
of his term of office, it was universally admitted that Mayor
Berry had made a model chief executive.
In the spring of 1857, Mayor Berry was renominated by
his party, but as party feeling was running high over national
politics, it affected the city election to the extent that Mayor
22 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Berry suffered a defeat at the hands of his former opponent,
Charles Crockett, and retired again to private life.
In 1858, Berry was chosen chief engineer of the fire
department, which is the last civil office held by him. His
duties in this department did not require much effort and he
was fully satisfied with one term, at the expiration of which he
gave place to his successor.
CHAPTER III.
THE ROCKLAND CITY GUARDS.
Berry Inspector 4th Division Maine Militia. — Organizes the
Rockland City Guards. — Berry Chosen Captain. — Pre-
sentation of Flag by Mayor Crockett. — Captain Berry
Receives an Elegant Present from the Guards. — Gu<
of the Warden of the State Prison. — Guards Entertain
the Camden Rifles. — Regimental Muster at Rockland.
— Muster at Portland. — Rockland Brass Band. — Ludi-
crous Incident. — Muster at Belfast. — The Guards Escort
Jeff' Davis, then Secretary of War. — Adjutant-General
Webster's Famous Description of this Event. — Guards
Disband. — Its Officers. — Furnished Twenty-one Officers
to the Volunteer Service.
AS we had occasion to mention, the subject of our sketch
always had a keen interest in military matters from early
boyhood. He was in frequent demand as chief marshal
of processions on Fourth of July and other occasions, and took
pride in skillfully managing these affairs. March 19, 1853. he
was appointed Inspector of the Fourth Division of Militia with
the rank of lieutenant-colonel.
In 1854, Colonel Berry with others organized a light
infantry company, which was called the Rockland City Guards,
and was mustered into the Maine Volunteer Militia as Company
B of the 1st Regiment, 2d Brigade, 4th Division. The 1st
Regiment at one time was commanded by Colonel G. J. Burns,
with Davis Tillson as adjutant, both citizens of Rockland, and
the 4th Division had for its chief, Major General William H.
Titcomb, also of that city.
-4 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
At the election of officers of the Guards, Hiram G. Berry
was chosen captain ; G. J Burns, Jonathan Spear and A. S.
Dyer, lieutenants; William H. Titcomb, orderly sergeant; and
O. J. Conant, ensign. Arms were furnished by the state, but
the beautiful uniforms of blue and gold, with the tall bear-skin
cap and gold tassel, were purchased by the company. Drill
commenced under the direction of Adjutant Davis Tillson, who
was a graduate of West Point, and the company soon became
proficient in the manual of arms and evolutions of a company.
The occasion of a presentation of a beautiful flag to the
Guards by the Mayor of Rockland, Hon. Knott Crockett, who
had purchased the same at a cost of $40, was a memorable one.
It occurred May S, 1 S 5 5 . and on the afternoon of that day the
Guards paraded the streets under the command of Captain
Berry. They were accompanied by the Rockland Brass Band,
and at about three o'clock proceeded to the house of the Mayor
where the presentation was made, His Honor making an appro-
priate address to which Ensign O. J. Conant responded in
behalf of the company.
For two hours following the presentation, the company
paraded the streets, delighting the citizens with the precision
of their movements and the sight of their beautiful new banner.
At five o'clock the company repaired to the restaurant of C. A.
Harrington, where refreshments were served, which terminated
the exercises of the afternoon.
The following August, the members of the company, to
show their appreciation of his services, presented Captain
Berry a magnificent silver pitcher with gold chain and plate
attachment.
The first appearance of the Guards in their new uniforms,
which have been previously described, was on the occasion of
the official visit of the Governor and Council to the State
Prison at Thomaston. Warden Hix had invited the Guards to
be his guests on that occasion, and early in the day coaches
were taken for Thomaston. The Guards arrived at their
Mks. Hika.m G. Herry
ROCKLAND CITY GUARDS, 25
destination at about ten o'clock and were received by the State
of Maine Fire Company, a crack fire brigade of Thomaston.
After a short drill on the part of the Guards near the prison,
the members of the company were permitted to inspect that
institution. A photograph of the company was also taken
during this visit. The Governor was absent on account of sick-
ness, but the Secretary of State and members of the Council
were present as guests of the warden. Dinner was partaken of
at one o'clock, and at a later hour, the Guards paraded on the
green in front of the prison, under command of Captain Berry,
where Hon. Noah Smith, one of the Councillors made a short
speech in which he complimented the company on its fine
appearance. At four o'clock the Guards took conveyance for
home after an enjoyable day.
The following September, the Guards entertained the
Camden Rifles. On the afternoon of September 7, the Guards
took up their line of march for Blackington's Corner, where
they received their guests with military honors and escorted
them to the city, where they found the sidewalks and windows
filled with admiring spectators, while numerous flags, thrown
to the breeze by citizens, waved over their heads as they passed.
After performing their evolutions, which reflected great
credit both upon officers and soldiers, they repaired to the
armory of the Guards, where they deposited their arms, and
thence to Beethoven Hall, where the Rifles and other guests
were feasted to their hearts' content, the members of the Guards
doing the honors of the table. After refreshments, speeches,
toasts and music enlivened the scene until a late hour, when the
lines were re-formed, and the Guards escorted their guests some
distance on their way home. The Rifles were delighted with
their entertainment, and very favorably impressed by the drill
of the Guards.
In 1856 the encampment of the First Regiment, Second
Brigade, Fourth Division, of the militia of the State, was held
in Waterman Fales' pasture in Rockland, continuing two days.
26 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
This was the regiment to which the Rockland City Guards was
attached. The encampment is said to have been a fine affair,
and passed off to the entire satisfaction of all. On Tuesday-
morning the regiment, consisting of nine companies, was formed
under the direction of Adjutant Tillson, on Main street, in front
of the Thorndike Hotel, and was immediately taken in charge
by G. J. Burns, commander of the regiment, under whom it
marched through Main street to Camp Knox, as the camp had
been called. Tuesday was occupied in battalion drill on the
field, where the evolutions were witnessed by thousands of
people.
At nine o'clock on Wednesday, the regiment was formed
under the direction of Adjutant Tillson, and given up to Colonel
Burns, who detached the Rockland City Guards and the Conrad
Guards to escort Major General William S. Cochran and staff
and Adjutant General G. M. Atwood from the Thorndike Hotel
to the field. At about eleven o'clock the regiment was reviewed
by Major General Cochran and Adjutant General Atwood. The
review occupied the remainder of the forenoon and was among
the most interesting exhibitions of the camp. A line was
formed again at two o'clock in the afternoon and the regimental
drill performed. At four o'clock the tents were struck and the
line of march taken up through the principal streets of the city,
the parade being dismissed at about five o'clock, the whole
affair ending in a ball.
The City Guards continued to maintain its high standard of
efficiency through all the years of its existence, giving frequent
exhibition drills, and parading on every public occasion.
Regimental musters were held at Waldoboro and Portland
and the City Guards were in attendance on both occasions. At
the Portland muster, which was held two days, the Rockland
Brass Band, then the leading band in Maine, accompanied the
Guards, and the two organizations attracted special attention by
the military precision of the one and the fine music of the
other. The position of the Rockland City Guards was on the
ESCORTS JEFF DAVIS. 27
left of the regimental line, and so well did they fill this impor-
tant and difficult place, that Colonel Harding, the commander
of the encampment, was heard to exclaim: " What would the
left have been without the Rockland City Guards ! "
One of the ludicrous features of this encampment was the
mock parade conceived by some of the mischievous youngsters
in the Rockland City Guards. Clad in the wolf skins and
buffalo robes which were used for bedding, fifteen or twenty of
these hilarious fellows, under the lead of L. D. Carver, after-
wards lieutenant colonel of the Fourth Maine, sallied forth
about midnight and went on dress parade, introducing several
features which were not in strict accordance with tactics. They
then took up their line of march through the encampment,
making night hideous and sleep impossible by their howls,
cheers and cat calls.
Colonel Bodfish, a veteran of the Mexican war, was officer
of the day of the encampment, and toward the small hours of
the morning it became clear to him that something was not just
right about the encampment, so rising from his cot he donned
his sword and sash and ventured forth into the night, just in
time to see a line of grotesque figures, executing the manual of
arms to the commands of a figure with a stentorian voice.
" By what authority are these troops paraded? " thundered
the irate colonel, striding up the line.
" By the same authority by which they have raised h — all
night," thundered back the imperturbable Carver, and in the
shout of laughter which followed, Colonel Bodfish beat a hasty
retreat.
At this encampment the Guards formed a close friendship
with the Bath Greys, which was continued after the members of
both organizations had entered the Union army ; the former in
the Fourth Maine, and the latter in the Third. This friendship
is kept up by the survivors to this day.
A most important and significant event, in which Captain
Berry and the Rockland City Guards took a prominent part,
28 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
was the Brigade muster at Belfast, August 31, 1858, when
Jefferson Davis, the Secretary of War, afterwards President of
the Southern Confederacy, reviewed the troops and was escorted
by the Rockland City Guards.
On his way to Belfast, Mr. Davis stopped at the Thorndike
Hotel in Rockland, and some good stories are told of two or three
prominent citizens, who prompted by the desire to say some-
thing polite to the distinguished visitor, and becoming somewhat
confused in his presence, got their sentences very much mixed,
saying things that evidently were not in the speeches they had
prepared.
The troops present at the Belfast muster were of the
Fourth and Ninth Divisions, Major Generals Cushman and
Titcomb commanding, and parts of the Third and Seventh
Divisions, the whole constituting a brigade under the immediate
command of Colonel G. J. Burns, as acting brigade commander.
Captain Berry, with the City Guards, left Rockland for the
encampment on the steamer Daniel Webster, early on the
morning of the first day of the muster, and arriving at Belfast,
formed and marched through the streets, halting at the New
England House and depositing their arms. On this occasion,
as on many others, the City Guards were accompanied by the
Rockland Brass Band.
Subsequently line was formed and the City Guards marched
to the steamboat landing to receive and escort other companies
to the camp ground, where the Guards pitched their tents in
true military style, their proficiency in this respect exciting the
favorable comment of their superior officers.
Thursday, Hon. Jefferson Davis of Mississippi was to
review the troops, he having been brought from Rockland by
carriage for that purpose.
Adjutant General Webster in his report of this affair says :
"The most active preparations were now made to place the
troops in the best possible condition for the duties of the day.
The Hon. Jefferson Davis, by direct invitation of the com-
REVIEW OF BRIGADE. 29
mander of the encampment, was tendered the honor of review-
ing the brigade, which he accepted with that grace peculiar to
the man. At nine o'clock the united corps of division officers
presented themselves at the quarters of that distinguished gen-
tleman, (the residence of Hon. H. H. Johnson,) and escorted
him to the confines of the encampment. This cortege was met
at a convenient distance from the parade by the Rockland
Guards, Captain H. G. Berry, a company richly entitled to
position in the front rank of the M. V. M., with a full band led
off by Adjutant Tillson. The escort was gracefully performed,
and the soldier who had bled at Buena Vista was presented to
the line amid the bugle's cheer and the roar of artillery.
Colonel Davis was received with the highest marks of respect,
and the honors due his rank and position cheerfully tendered.
He now proceeded to review the troops with that air of ease
and manliness which attaches to his every movement. The
ceremonies of the review concluded, the brigade was formed in
close column of companies on the right, when, on invitation of
General Cushman, the guest of the occasion addressed the sol-
diery in an eloquent and fervid manner, thanking them for the
honor and courtesy they had so generously bestowed upon him,
and concluded by saying that, ' With such troops as are now
before me, we may defy the combined forces of the world and
shout the song of freedom forever.' "
At about half-past twelve o'clock the Governor reviewed
and addressed the brigade. This review ended, the Rockland
City Guards, (who occupied the right,) withdrew from the line,
and in twenty-two minutes were on the line of march for the boat,
attended by the Rockland Band. They marched from the field
in excellent style, with open ranks, having the wagons convey-
ing their baggage between the sections.
Speaking of this encampment and review, the Rockland
Gazette of September 9, 1858, says: "The Guards won high
encomiums by the high degree of military discipline which they
exhibited and the skill with which they performed their various
30 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
evolutions." The company had 45 officers and men in attend-
ance at this encampment.
The City Guards did not continue as an organization much
longer. Its captain, Hiram G. Berry, having resigned, it dis-
banded. Besides the officers already given, promotions were
made May 13, 1856, when O. J. Conant was created second
lieutenant; O. P, Mitchell, third lieutenant; and Edward A.
Snow, fourth lieutenant. July 16 of the same year, O. J.
Conant was promoted to first lieutenant; O. P. Mitchell, second
lieutenant; Edward A. Snow, third lieutenant; and Thomas
B. Glover, fourth lieutenant. August 6, 1858, an entire new
board of officers was chosen, except the captain, Hiram G.
Berry, and the third lieutenant, Edward A. Snow. They were,
Iddo K. Kimball, first lieutenant; William A. Banks, second
lieutenant; Orin P. Tolman, fourth lieutenant. A few years
later many of these men rendered important service to their
country in the Civil War, and it is a fact, the significance of
which the reader can appreciate, that the Rockland City Guards
furnished 21 commissioned officers to the Union armies, among
whom were one major-general, one colonel and one lieutenant-
colonel.
As captain of the Guards, Berry received his training for
the important events in which he was to be a prominent figure.
In his zeal to acquire military knowledge, it is said that with
beans and coffee spread out before him on a table, and his
books of tactics beside him, he would devote many evenings to
mastering the intricate evolutions of a company. In this way
he became the best drilled officer then in the service of the
State.
CHAPTER IV.
FOURTH MAINE INFANTRY.
Sumter Fired On. — Berry's Luxurious Circumstances. —
Excitement in Rockland over the Insult to the Flag. —
Berry Tenders his Services to the Governor of Maine. —
Raises the 4th Maine Infantry. — Companies Rendez-
vous at Rockland. — Enthusiastic Reception. — Election
of Regimental Officers in Atlantic Hall. — Berry Chosen
Colonel.— The Camp on Tillson's Hill.— The Daily
Routine. — Visit by Governor Washburn. — Winterport
Company Disbanded. — The Brooks Company takes Its
Place. — Men Re-enlist for Three Years. — Discipline in
Camp Knox. — Regiment Breaks Camp. — Take the
"Daniel Webster" for Portland.
OMINOUS clouds had been gathering on the political hori-
zon. There was a general feeling of uneasiness and
suspense ; a foreboding of some impending evil that no
person attempted to define. Southern aggression was only
equalled by Northern inertness. Secession was loudly advo-
cated and threatened even in the Houses of Congress ; and the
national dissolution which the matchless eloquence and irresist-
ible logic of Webster had averted, now seemed about to be an
accomplished fact. How prophetic are these words of this
immortal statesman, when he says, " When my eyes shall be
turned to behold for the last time the sun in heaven, may I not
see him shining on the broken and dishonored fragments of a
once glorious union ; on states dissevered, discordant, belliger-
ent ; on a land rent with civil feuds, or drenched, it may be, in
32 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
fraternal blood ! " What a pen picture there is in these
majestic words ! It would seem that by some Omnipotent
power the mind of Webster penetrated the veil of the future,
and his gaze rested in horror on the truthful scene he so vividly
portrays. But the vision of this prophet was not heeded by the
North. If thought of at all, it took the form of a matchless
piece of rhetoric and not as a warning of coming strife.
But the South was arming. Already it flaunted treason's
banner in the face of the President, who, through natural tim-
idity, or an inability to fully grasp the situation, permitted the
Northern forts to be stripped of their armament, the ships of
war to be scattered to earth's remotest bounds, and the little
army of regulars to be given over to the enemies of the Union.
Treason did not now sing with the siren's voice. The time for
pleasing had passed, and the dogs of war howled in loud and
discordant tones.
Lincoln had been elected and inaugurated as President
of the United States, and the Southern states, following the
lead of South Carolina, were seceding one after the other.
Anderson and his little band were besieged in Fort Sumter,
surrounded by hostile batteries and threatened by armed hosts.
The country watched with breathless interest the futile efforts
of President Lincoln to reinforce and provision this garrison.
But the spell was soon broken and the thunder of the cannon
directed at Sumter's walls summoned the North to arms.
When the news of the bombardment of Sumter reached
Rockland all was excitement. Public meetings were held,
patriotic speeches were made, resolutions passed, and volunteers
flocked to the recruiting offices that were soon opened in the city.
The outbreak of hostilities found Berry in the midst of a
prosperous business career. Living in a magnificent house,
made bright by the presence of wife and daughter, and with
prospects for the future bright and promising, it would not
have been a matter of wonder if Berry had failed to hear the
call to duty, and remained passive in his comfortable surround-
RAISES FOURTH MAINE. 33
ings. But he was cast in a heroic mould. The pleasures of
luxury were as nothing to the security and preservation of his
country. The delights of domestic life and the profitable
pursuits of peace must all give way to the stern exigencies
of war. True to the traditions of his family, he had always
been a Democrat in politics, but like thousands of others he
sank party in patriotism and declared for country first and
party afterwards.
" I know no politics while this conflict lasts," he responded,
to the invitation to exchange his sword for the honors of
political office. This answer reveals the man.
Berry hastened to Augusta and tendered his services to
the Governor, returning post haste with the papers to recruit a
regiment. Four companies were raised in Rockland for the
Fourth Maine, and were commanded by Elijah Walker, L. D.
Carver, O. J. Conant, and G. J. Burns. Companies were also
raised in Belfast, H. W. Cunningham, commanding; Damaris-
cotta, Stephen C. Whitehouse, commanding; VVinterport,
Oliver Crowell, commanding; VViscasset, Edwin M. Smith,
commanding; and another company, commanded by Silas M.
Fuller, was also raised in Belfast.
The companies of the 4th Maine were ordered to ren-
dezvous at Rockland, and on Thursday morning, May 16th,
the four Rockland companies went into camp on Tillson's Hill,
a high eminence back of the thickly settled part of the city,
between Middle and Rankin streets. The Damariscotta
company was the first to arrive, and their reception as they
appeared in carriages on Main street was most enthusiastic.
The company proceeded to the Lindsey House, where they
left their carriages, then forming line, marched to the Kimball
Block, where they were bountifully fed, after which they were
received and escorted to their quarters by the Rockland
companies.
The Wiscasset company arrived in the coaches of Mr. John
T. Berry at about six o'clock, Sunday. They formed line out-
34 major-generAl hirAm g. berr*.
side the city limits, and marched in to the stirring music of the
Damariscotta Band. They were received with military honors
by Capt. Carver's company of Rockland, and the Damariscotta
company, and were enthusiastically greeted by the citizens.
On Monday forenoon the two Belfast companies arrived
on the steamer Daniel Webster, and were escorted to the camp
ground by Captain Conant's Rockland company and the
Wiscasset company. They received an ovation from the
spectators.
Monday afternoon the Winterport and Searsport companies
arrived on the steamer Sanford. Captain Walker's Rockland
company and the Damariscotta company, attended by the
Rockland Band, were in waiting to receive them. The battalion
marched to the foot of Limerock street, when the escort
stacked arms, and the newly arrived companies went to supper.
Subsequently they were escorted to the encampment, and
Camp Knox, as it was called, was then completed.
The commissioned officers of the companies composing
the 4th Maine, held their election of regimental officers at
Atlantic Hall, Rockland, Wednesday afternoon, May 8th, Major-
General William H. Titcomb of the State Militia presiding.
Hiram G. Berry was elected colonel, Adelbert Ames of Rock-
land, a member of the class just graduated from West Point,
was chosen lieutenant-colonel, and Thomas H. Marshall of
Belfast, major. As the War Department would not permit
Ames to accept a commission in the volunteers, Marshall was
promoted to lieutenant-colonel, and Frank S. Nickerson of
Searsport was chosen major.
The land on which Camp Knox was situated was high and
dry, and though not level, made a fine parade ground. On the
right looking from Middle street, and on the southeast side of
the encampment, was the quarters of the regimental officers ;
next beyond these were the tents of the company officers, next
the kitchens, and next the company tents, six to each company,
in ten parallel rows. In front of these at the northeast side of
INCIDENT OF CAMP LIFE. 35
the camp was the parade ground. The tents were made by
General William S. Cochran, and each tent had a flooring of
boards raised several inches from the ground. At first the
troops were fed by Robert Anderson, but the camp utensils
having been made by J. C. Libby & Son of Rockland, and
delivered to the companies, rations were issued and cooked in
true army style.
The regiment now began the routine of camp life. At five
o'clock A. M. reveille was sounded, when the morning gun was
fired, and sentinels ceased challenging. The companies formed
on company parade, and the roll was called, after which the
tents and grounds were put in order ; seven o'clock, breakfast ;
half past eight o'clock, guard mounting; ten o'clock, regimen-
tal line formed and company drill; twelve o'clock, dinner; two
o'clock P. M., regimental line was formed by adjutant for bat-
talion drill; six o'clock, supper; at forty-five minutes past six,
dress parade and retreat, when the evening gun was fired, and the
flag hauled down, after which the sentinels commenced chal-
lenging; at half-past nine o'clock, tattoo, when the companies
fell in for roll call on the company parade grounds. At half-
past ten o'clock taps sounded, all loud talking and noise must
cease, lights were extinguished in all except guard and officers'
tents, and all non-commissioned officers and soldiers except
those on guard, must be in bed.
Governor Washburn visited the regiment while in camp
and witnessed the dress parade, when he addressed the troops,
expressing himself as well pleased with their appearance, and
pronouncing the regiment the best looking body of troops
Maine had yet sent to the front.
The health of the troops while in camp was generally good.
A few cases of measles were reported, and Atlantic Hall was
used as the hospital for the regiment. The men were not uni-
formed on going into camp, but the Damariscotta and Wiscasset
companies were provided with army shirts, which they received
before leaving home.
36 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
The men of the 4th Maine were originally enlisted for
three months, but orders came to enlist for three years, and the
men were asked to re-enlist for that period. Most of them
did, but a number of the men of Company F of Winterport,
refused to enlist for the three years term, and the company was
disbanded. A large number of the men of this company
remained with the regiment, going into other companies. The
Brooks company, Captain Andrew D. Bean, arrived on the
Sanford, Monday, May 27th, and was given the place in the
regiment left vacant by Company F.
An incident of camp life is worth relating to illustrate the
discipline maintained at Camp Knox by Colonel Berry. A man
who had come to the camp ground for the purpose of selling
rum was summarily arrested by Adjutant J. B. Greenhalgh and
sent off to the prisoners' tent. Subsequently he was taken out
and escorted down the line by a sergeant and three men, with
his bottle hung around his neck, bayonets at his back, greeted
with laughter and jeers by the soldiers, and the drums beating
the Rogue's March.
Friday, May 31st, the regiment paraded the streets without
arms, preceded by the Rockland Band. The companies made
a fine appearance, and large numbers of citizens filled the
streets to witness the display. On the return of the regiment
from the South-end a halt and rest was ordered, the line extend-
ing from Sea street to Kimball Block. This was the first
appearance of the regiment on parade outside of the encamp-
ment. Monday, June 17th, the anniversary of the Battle of
Bunker Hill, the 4th Maine broke camp and started for
Washington. On the preceding Saturday, the troops were
inspected and mustered into the service of the United States by
Captain Thomas Hight, U. S. A. Sunday, knapsacks were
packed as well as camp equipage and baggage, and each soldier
received one day's rations. On Monday morning the reveille
sounded at four o'clock, and at five o'clock the soldiers took
their last breakfast in Camp Knox.
THE DEPARTURE. 37
The men in each company were subsequently divided into
squads, and at the proper time, proceeded to lower and pack
their tents. After the cords had been unfastened, and the pegs
taken up, at the tap of the drum all the tents were simultan-
eously lowered to the ground, every man cheering as the tents
came down.
The camp grounds were thronged with people. Many
were light hearted and gay, enjoying the beautiful morning, and
the varying scene before them ; many were sad and weeping
and the bright day was to them one of the saddest of their
lives. Some were there to take a sad leave of husbands, sons
and brothers, whom they might never see again, and yet there
were few of those wives, mothers and sisters who were not
ready to say, with a true devotion to their country's cause,
" Go, and God bless you." Most of the men appeared cheer-
ful, many of them merry. Some were serious and thoughtful,
but ready to go to their work with stout arms and brave
hearts.
Adjutant Greenhalgh began to form the regimental line at
about eight o'clock, and when all was ready, Colonel Berry took
command, and the regiment began its march about nine o'clock.
First, the crowds on foot and lines of carriages came pouring
down Middle street, and then the platoons of the soldiery
appeared, their bright bayonets flashing in the morning sun.
The whole route of march was densely thronged with people,
every window along Main street was occupied, and carriages
stood in all the avenues looking on the street. At Main street
the troops were joined by the Rockland Band in full uniform,
who accompanied the regiment to Washington. The regiment
carried on the march a large white banner, bearing the inscrip-
tion, " From the Home of Knox," and when the head of the
column had arrived opposite the Kimball Block, a halt was
made, and Major-General Titcomb presented to Colonel Berry,
for the regiment, a small silk banner bearing the arms and
motto of the State of Maine.
38 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
The troops were then greeted with enthusiastic cheers by
the throng of citizens, which were heartily returned by the
soldiers, when the column moved forward again at a quick
march, directly to Atlantic Wharf, where the steamer Daniel
Webster, stripped of her furniture and bedding, waited to
receive them.
The wharf, and the ground, sheds, buildings and shipping
in the vicinity were densely thronged with spectators to witness
the embarkation. Probably not less than eight or ten thousand
people were assembled in the vicinity of the wharf. The troops
were embarked in order, each company going on board and
taking the position previously assigned it by Colonel Berry's
special order. During the embarkation a salute was fired from
two or three small cannon on board the ship Alice Thorndike
lying at the wharf. When the troops were embarked Major-
General Titcomb addressed the citizens assembled, after which
the boat moved away, the crowds cheering, handkerchiefs
waving, and the band playing a cheerful air.
The regiment arrived in Portland at four o'clock, where
the troops were received by the city authorities, and escorted
by the 5th regiment. They were quartered in the City Hall,
and on Tuesday morning at quarter past seven o'clock took the
train for Boston, in good spirits, arriving in Boston at twenty
minutes past one. Thousands of citizens cheered the soldiers
as the long train drew out of the Portland depot, and as they
swept through towns and villages of Maine and New Hamp-
shire, the troops were greeted with cordial and encouraging
tokens of friendship and sympathy.
They arrived in Portsmouth at ten o'clock and ten minutes*
where the Eastern Railroad corporation took them in charge.
The train consisted of twenty cars drawn by the locomotive
" Governor Endicott," and conducted by a Mr. Cram and
Superintendent Prescott. At Portsmouth the 2d New Hamp-
shire regiment had engaged to meet them at the depot and
give them a welcome, but the train being ahead of time, the
GREETINGS ALONG THE ROUTE. 39
pleasure was denied both regiments. The train stopped a few
minutes at Newburyport, and again at Ipswich and Salem. At
the latter place a salute was fired, and at all the stations on the
route the people were abroad in great numbers, and greeted
the volunteers with cheers, approving smiles, the waving of
handkerchiefs and flags, and hearty shouts of " God speed you."
CHAPTER V.
FROM PORTLAND TO PHILADELPHIA.
The First Accident. — Reception in Boston. — Mrs. Walter
Baker. — Enthusiasm of the Ladies at Fall River. —
Arrival in New York. — The Men Suffer from the Intense
Heat. — Presentation of Flags. — Dramatic Scene when
Colonel Berry Receives the Colors. — Arrival at Phila-
delphia.— Cordial Reception and a Bountiful Repast. —
The Pretty Waiting Maids.
THE first accident in the regiment occurred while the
Fourth was marching to the cars in Portland. A soldier
named Roland of Company F of Brooks stepped upon a
rolling stone, slipped and fell, breaking his leg in two places.
The poor fellow was cared for by the citizens.
On arriving in Boston the 4th Maine was met by the
Cadets and escorted to the Common, where a collation was pro-
vided for them. The Boston Herald said of them :
" The Cadets escorted the regiment to the Common, where
the afternoon was passed away very pleasantly by means of a
collation, the joint production of the Regimental Quartermaster
and the City of Boston, music and fun. This was the merriest
lot of men we have ever seen on the Common since the war
commenced. They were continually at some rough and tumble
games which neither fatigued them nor the thousands of laugh-
ing spectators. Nearly every company has a wag which kept
them all in good humor. The lower part of the Common was
enclosed for their accommodation, and those who had friends
inside or favor at the gateway were admitted. Outside there
ARRIVAL IN BOSTON. 41
were thousands enjoying the fashionable amusement of the time
— a military display. This is getting to be an every day affair,
and fashionable audiences flock to the Common as they do in
the season thereof to balls and the opera. The Common never
looked better than in its elegant June dress this year, but the
carpet of green on the hills and parade ground is now gravel
bare by the great audiences of late. The Maine boys stacked
their arms on Charles street mall, and the Cadets kept guard
for them while they ate and rested. The Brigade Band was out
with the Cadets, and together with the Rockland Band, which
accompanied the Maine Regiment, they issued some good notes
to pay the visitors for their trouble. They were better than the
Confederate bonds. It was enough to make a man wish to go
for a soldier — all the pretty faces and the music. There were
whole troops of Maine girls about cheering the soldiers and
making them more unhappy when they left. A soldier's life is
not always gay, but these boys were bound to go in and enjoy
it as it comes.
" The moments flew away and at six o'clock the regiment
was assembled and fell into column by platoons and marched
through Beacon, Park, Tremont, Winter, Summer streets, Har-
rison Avenue, and so on to the Old Colony Depot where a train
of twenty cars was filled. Here the jocularity continued.
John L. Kalloch of Company B made himself the center of an
audience wherever he moved. He was a rare wag and his
grimaces will be remembered for a long time. He kept the
whole company and a crowd of outsiders in a roar. We should
be sorry to see his name among the dead or missing, for he is
better than a medicine chest in a company. The train started
without accident at 7:22 o'clock amidst a volley of cheers, the
last of which was for the Boston ladies, from the soldiers."
An incident happened while the regiment was in Boston
that illustrates the patriotic ardor of the ladies of that city. I
give it as it was told me by an officer of the 4th Maine.
When the -regiment arrived in Boston, a detail had been made
42 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
of a certain number of men to care for the baggage at the
depot, and while the rest of the regiment were on the Common
feasting, this detail was toiling with the baggage, hungry and
disconsolate. Mrs. Walter Baker, wife of the proprietor of the
far famed Baker's chocolate, was returning in her carriage from
the Common when she came upon this detail, and stopping
her carriage, asked them to what regiment they belonged.
" The 4th Maine," came back the courteous reply.
" Why, I left the 4th Maine at dinner on the Common.
How does it happen that you are not with them? You must
be hungry."
One of the soldiers briefly explained the situation to the
lady, who listened attentively, then bidding the soldiers remain
where they were, drove on. Very soon the message came for
the detail to repair to the nearest restaurant, where they were
regaled with the best that Boston afforded, at the expense of
this generous and high born lady.
The passage of the troops from Boston to Fall River was
marked at every point by enthusiasm. At Fall River the ebul-
lition of feeling was intensified. Ladies were eager to take the
hands of the soldiers and some noble-hearted women, refined
and beautiful, said: "Let us kiss a soldier!" and suited the
action to the word. At Fall River the regiment was embarked
on the steamer Bay State. The officers and men were incensed
at the arrangements to which they were subjected on board this
transport, which conveyed them to New York. The supply of
provisions on board the steamer was small, but officers and men
bore the hardship with creditable patience, until New York was
reached. Here a pleasant surprise was in store for the regiment.
We are indebted to the New York Herald for the following
account of the arrival and reception of the 4th Maine in that
city : " This fine body of volunteer militia, from the Pine
Tree State, arrived in this city at about eleven o'clock, Wednes-
day, June 19. The transport in which they arrived came to her
moorings at pier No. 3, North River, where a large crowd of
THE PARK BARRACKS. 43
men and women were assembled to greet the stalwart strangers.
The men, who were all strong and sturdy specimens of Maine's
true nobility, reminding us of the old northern warriors of
Gustavus Adolphus, were soon landed, and put in marching
order. The line of march was up Broadway to the Park
barracks.
" Despite the overpowering heat of the sun, there were
thousands collected in the vicinity of the Park, awaiting the
arrival of the regiment. The men, heavily hampered with their
full knapsacks and blankets, marched steadily up Broadway,
receiving a continuous tribute of applause as they slowly
approached the barracks. Many of them looked worn and
fatigued, as well they must have been while tramping under the
almost perpendicular beams of a scorching midsummer sun.
Their swarthy cheeks were wet with perspiration and the weight
of their knapsacks pressed heavily on them, but they marched
with undeviating regularity, and with a firmness of step betok-
ening well developed strength and muscle. On arriving at the
Park barracks, on the Broadway side, the regiment was marched
to the front of City Hall, where it was received by commit-
tees of the Sons and Daughters of Maine. The scenes which
then ensued were very interesting and in some instances even
affecting. Friends who had not met for years soon recognized
each other, and then there were impulsive rushes here and
there to shake hands and to exchange friendly words of greet-
ing. Some little time was consumed in these conventionalities
and the formal ceremonies of handshaking might have lasted
much longer but for the stentorian voice of the commanding
officer ordering the men to ' fall in ' and ' dress.' The colonel
then came to the front and announced to the regiment that the
Rev. Isaac S. Kalloch, formerly of Boston, would invoke the
Divine blessing on their cause and themselves. The men were
soon as quiet as could be desired, and the clergyman proceeded
to deliver a brief but fervent prayer. At its conclusion the
regimental colors were advanced to the front. One was a silken
44 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Federal flag, of the regulation size, heavily fringed with gold.
The other was a blue silk flag, heavily and chastely embroidered.
The first was ornamented with arms of the State of Maine, with
the name of the regiment, and the Latin inscription ' Dirigo.'
The other was inscribed, ' Presented to the Fourth Regiment of
Maine Volunteers by the Daughters of Maine in Brooklyn, June
19, 1861.'
" The Rev. Dr. Hitchcock presented the first flag, and in
doing so addressed the regiment in very warm and affectionate
language. In his response to this address Colonel Berry said
that his men were foot-sore, and fatigued by the heavy weights
on their backs. He thanked the generous people of New York
for all their kindness and the reverend gentleman for the elo-
quent speech he had addressed them. Then taking the flag he
ascended a small platform and asked : ' Shall this flag ever trail
in the dust?' Loud cries of ' No, no ! ' 'Will you defend it
so long as you have a right arm? ' ' We will, we will ! ' shouted
the men of the regiment, and a simultaneous shout of applause
broke from the assembled thousands.
" Mr. H. Brockman then presented the other standard,
addressing the regiment in eloquent terms. By invitation of
Colonel Berry the flag was received in behalf of the regiment
by Rev. Isaac Kalloch in his usual happy manner. After the
ceremonies of the presentation were concluded, the officers
retired to the Astor House and the privates to their barracks in
the Park.
"While arrangements were being completed for the depart-
ure of the regiment, the men were ordered to stack arms and
dispersed around the Park. They left by the late train for
Philadelphia, en route for the seat of war."
The regiment arrived in Philadelphia at about eleven
o'clock at night. Both officers and men were somewhat
exhausted by the long journey and were most agreeably sur-
prised when they were met at the depot at that late hour by a
delegation of citizens and invited to partake of such refresh-
IN PHILADELPHIA. 45
ments as they had hastily prepared. The line was formed and
the regiment marched to a building temporarily erected, about
ioo feet in length, along the outside of which were arranged
some fifty wash stands with soap and towels, each stand supplied
with cool running water. These bathing facilities were turned
to good use, after which the doors were thrown open and
the soldier boys invited to enter. There upon some half-
dozen tables, extending the length of the building, lighted by
gas, were huge platters of cold beef, ham, plates of sandwiches
and bread, crowned by that good old New England dish of
baked beans and brown bread. A fragrant cup of coffee was
placed at each plate. The pretty waiting maids were very
attentive to the wants of the boys from Maine, who were ready
to affirm that the girls of Philadelphia could not be excelled
except by those of the Pine Tree State.
CHAPTER VI.
WASHINGTON.
Start for Baltimore. — Ammunition Distributed to the Men. —
The March through Baltimore. — Silence and Sullen
Faces Greet the Troops. — The Run to Washington. —
First Glimpses of Army Life. — Quartered on the Avenue.
— Accident to a Member of the Searsport Company. —
Camp on Meridian Hill. — Severe Rain Storm. — Berry
Describes Camp Life. — The First Death. — The Presi-
dent Reviews New York Troops. — President Lincoln. —
General Scott. — Formation of the Regimental Band. —
Alexandria. — Change of Camp. — Reconnaissance. —
"On to Richmond."
THE regiment remained in Philadelphia until six o'clock
the next morning, when, with many cheers for Philadel-
phia, they looked forward to Baltimore as the next point
of interest. Havre de Grace was soon reached, and here was
found a regiment of New Jersey Volunteers, whose pickets the
4th Maine had encountered some miles out. The officers of
this regiment were very gentlemanly and improved the spare
moments in pointing out various points of interest.
Colonel Berry now began to prepare his men for the
march through Baltimore. Ammunition was distributed to each
soldier, and the command given to the officers to permit no
stray brick-bats or paving stones to be thrown at the men with-
out an emphatic response on the part of the soldiery. Interest
now began to increase, for although trouble was not really
anticipated, still a wise precaution might enable the regi-
IN FRONT OF WASHINGTON. 47
ment to give a good account of itself in case of emergency.
Baltimore is at length sighted, and the train halts in the
suburbs of the city, and the soldiers are greeted with cheers by
the sturdy, honest workmen in the foundries. The regiment is
soon in line, the New York colors are flying, the band is play-
ing " Hail, Columbia," and the march for the other side of the
city is begun. An immense crowd of spectators line the streets.
Here and there a modest little flag timidly waving from some
upper window may be seen, but no cheers greet the troops,
no glad faces beam a kindly welcome, no friendly hand minis-
ters to their necessities. How different from the march through
Boston, New York and Philadelphia !
The regiment passes through Baltimore without molestation
and is soon speeding on its way to Washington. Relay House
is reached. The soldier boys gather branches of evergreen and
decorate the train, giving it the appearance of a moving forest.
Again the train moves off, and some of the boys, leaving the
inside of the cars and climbing to the top, are making the sur-
rounding country echo to the music of their muskets. A halt
is made at Annapolis Junction where the boys fill their can-
teens with pure water and observe the evening parade of the
regiments there encamped.
The regiment reached Washington about eight o'clock and
was quartered for the night in a large building on Pennsylvania
Avenue. Here one of the Searsport boys had a most hazardous
adventure. Being in the third story he was sitting in an open
window, and falling asleep he lost his balance and fell. In his
descent he struck an iron railing and finally landed on the pave-
ment below. Fortunately no bones were broken, and aside from
a little bruising, occasioning some lameness, no harm was done.
The following morning (Friday) the regiment went into
camp on Meridian Hill, about two miles from the city, where
they found the 3d Maine encamped. The march from the city
was severe, the day was intensely hot, and several of the men
suffered sun stroke, Colonel Berry himself being thoroughly
48 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
exhausted when the camping ground was reached. Seeing the
exhausted condition of the men of the 4th Maine, the gallant
fellows in the 3d Maine volunteered to pitch the tents while the
tired soldiers rested in the shade of a grove in which the camp
was laid.
The constant care and responsibility attending the trans-
portation of a regiment from Maine to Washington cannot be
well imagined, but it can be said to the credit of Colonel Berry
that it arrived in Washington in excellent condition.
The fourth or fifth day after getting into camp, the 4th
Maine was treated to one of those storms of rain for which that
part of the country is noted. It seemed as though the flood
gates of heaven must have been opened, inundating the tents
and spreading discomfort far and wide. The tents of the com-
panies on the left of the regimental line suffered the most from
this deluge, the men standing in water up to their knees, and
boxes and trunks floating about, This experience taught the
officers a practical lesson in selecting a camp ground, and ever
after, the 4th Maine camped in the open fields when possible,
and the forest was carefully avoided as a camping place.
In a letter to his family, Colonel Berry describes his camp
and incidents of his journey to Washington.
Camp Knox, Meridian Hill, June 1, 1861.
Thinking that anything concerning myself would be of interest to you, I will
therefore just give you a description of the camping ground and my tent — my home at
present. We are encamped fronting exactly to the south; on our east is Fourteenth
street, leading from Pennsylvania Avenue, which is two and one-half miles distant.
The 5th Maine Regiment encamped yesterday on the west of us, and immediately
adjoining is encamped the 3d Maine and on the west of them the 2d Maine, and west
of them is the 1st Maine. Our camping ground is in a fine grove of oaks, sufficiently
large to admit of all our tents. The parade ground is immediately in front and is
really very fine, being about twenty-five acres in extent, and as level as any spot can
well be. In front of the parade — that is, south of it, stands Columbia College, a fine
old structure surrounded by large shade trees and fine grounds.
My own tent is in the rear of the company officers' tents, under the shade of large
trees. The ground in the grove is level and is carefully swept every morning. On the
right hand entering my tent is a box on which is my wash bowl and water; next to that
my writing table,which occupies an entire side; next, and opposite the door is my baggage
A LETTER HOME. 49
>
and boxes of material belonging to myself and the regiment; next, and last, stands my
camp bedstead and bed, also my saddle and riding equipments. On the pole in the cen-
ter I have arranged to hang my hat, sword and belt, pistols, etc. I have no floor in the
tent, that luxury we left behind at Rockland. Take it all in all I feel quite comfortable.
We have a black cook, and a dining tent in which all the staff eat — some six of us.
We use little meat, live mostly on light articles of food, use no liquor or but very little —
none allowed in camp. Our men are quiet and seem disposed to do almost anything
for me. We are now drilling the new tactics of quick movements. Shall be pretty
well along by the last of this week in the new drill, so we can drill it publicly. We
have any quantity of compliments on our discipline. In fact, many say we have the
best regiment of volunteers that has yet come into Washington. Today is Sunday.
Any amount of drunkenness all around about us. I have had but one case today; the
rest of my men are all right. 'Tis now evening, about nine o'clock. A prayer meet-
ing is being held on my right, and another on my left. Almost all tents have men
singing psalm tunes, and it really seems tonight more like one vast camp meeting than
like a soldiers' camp, and were it not for the occasional challenging of stragglers by
the guard, and my own men coming in from visits, I should almost forget the fact that
we are now in the midst of soldiers' life.
Twenty-one regiments have arrived here this week. I know not how many sol-
diers there are now in Washington, but do know the number to be very large. Our
journey here was very pleasant and at the same time fatiguing. We had a splendid
collation on Boston Common; had three flags presented to us in New York, and three
long speeches, notwithstanding my plainly spoken intimations that my men were tired,
their knapsacks heavy, and that the sun was beating down upon them with thermometer
at ninety-five degrees. We passed through it, however, got the flags, heard the speeches,
got my men to dinner all nice and comfortable, and then went over to the Astor House
to get lunch and see friends.
We left New York at four o'clock for Philadelphia via Camden and Amboy, and
arrived at Philadelphia in the night at twelve o'clock. Were till nine next morning
shifting horses and baggage into train for Baltimore,where we arrived at two o'clock P.M. ;
got out of cars, formed regiment and marched to Washington depot with band playing,
colors unfurled, guns loaded and twenty rounds of ammunition to a man with us. We
had no cheers to speak of, and no kind word spoken; men looked dark and sullen;
did not know but we might have trouble. None occurred, however, and all passed off
well. It has not been customary for regiments to march through as we did. They
have done so quietly, by tap of drum simply. We chose to go through Baltimore as
we had through other cities and did so. The 4th Maine set an 'example which will
probably be followed in the future. We arrived here at nine o'clock in the evening.
The companies went into quarters at Woodworth buildings on Pennsylvania Avenue,
and I passed the night with the staff officers at National Hotel. The next morning
marched to the spot where we are now encamped as described. We have been visited
by the Secretaries of War and Treasury, many prominent military men in the Regular
Army, and also by members and senators in Congress without number.
I am pleasantly situated as far as one can be so circumstanced. I ride about six
miles a day and do very well, in fact I do not see why I do not ride as well as the best
50 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
of them. My duties are hard and I am hard at work most of the time. Should think
I had worked off some twenty pounds. Shall have to grow thinner yet, then I think I
can stand the climate. I shall endeavor to take care of my health; "I shall try and
preserve myself in all cases, but shall do my duty so far as I understand it, knowing
and feeling that those nearest and dearest and in fact my all on earth would have me
do no less.
All news we get in the papers comes from New York. Everything is known there
before it is here. All is seemingly quiet here, but in the night time troops and munitions
of war are moving incessantly. A very large force is now collected here, preparatory
to some huge movement, the character of which is only known by the President and
Cabinet and General Scott. Enough, however, is known to judge pretty accurately
that no movement will be made onward until all is properly organized, and then when
it does go it will travel fast, secure and effectively, and accomplish its purpose. Troops
are coming in by three, four or five regiments per day; in a short time all the land
within a circuit of rive miles will be completely covered. In fact, Washington and the
District of Columbia, Alexandria, and the railroad line to Relay House is one vast
camping ground.
It is now eleven o'clock and I have to be up at four.
Washington, D. C, July 7, 1861.
Our first death occurred yesterday, the subject a young man by the name of Hatch,
[ Joseph L. Hatch of Nobleboro,] belonging to a Damariscotta company. He had
the measles in a very mild form, was duly discharged from hospital, and sent to quarters.
He lay down in the tent where the air had free access to and over him, caught cold,
and lived but twelve hours. His remains have been kindly cared for, having been
placed in a metallic case and will be forwarded to his friends at home.
The 3d Maine Regiment broke camp yesterday and passed into Virginia. No
doubt but we shall follow this week. The men are now pretty well posted in their
duties and are uneasy to be off.
The fatigues of the long journey to Washington and the
hot weather had affected the health of many of the men of the
4th Maine, and some of them were discharged and sent home,
receiving three months' pay in advance.
On the morning of the Fourth of July, the regiment was
awakened by the boom of cannon and sweet strains of music
from the band of the 3d Maine, who in this manner were cele-
brating the birthday of American independence. Many of the
men for the first time saw President Lincoln and General Scott,
who reviewed twenty regiments of New York troops from a
stand erected in front of the White House. Mr. Lincoln stood
ORGANIZATION OF THE REGIMENTAL RAND. 51
with uncovered head, Mr. Seward on his right with his hat on,
and Gen. Scott on his left, gorgeous in military trappings.
They seemed deeply interested in the scene before them,
although the long line of troops was more than two hours in
passing.
General Scott is described as of massive frame, and at this
time appeared to be very old. His movements of the head and
hands were rapid, but he walked slowly and carefully. He had
a pleasant word for the soldiers, who approached the aged hero
with reverence and admiration. Mr. Lincoln's expression of
countenance was genial, kind and benignant. His hair and
whiskers were black, and he inspired the beholder with the
desire to be better acquainted with him.
About this time the regimental band was formed from
musicians in the several companies, with John F. Singhi of
Rockland as leader. The cornets with which this band was
supplied were made in Baltimore. The band made its first
public appearance in a serenade in front of Colonel Berry's
tent, where it surprised the spectators by the good time and
general efficiency of its efforts.
July 8th the long expected orders to move arrived, and prep-
arations were at once made to change camp. The day was hot,
and everybody was busy and excited, the men packing their
knapsacks and the officers their trunks. Rations for one day
were issued to each man, and the grey uniforms which had
been worn since leaving Rockland were now discarded for the
regulation blue of the United States Army. The sick, of which
there were not many, were placed in Columbia College where
they were left when the regiment took up its march for Virginia.
These preparations were soon completed, and at about four
o'clock in the afternoon, at a given signal, the tents of the regi-
ment fell to the ground amid the ringing cheers of the men.
Twenty rounds of ammunition were distributed to each man,
and at five o'clock the regimental line was formed and the
march begun for Alexandria. Passing down Fourteenth street,
52 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
the men amused themselves by singing " Dixie " and other
favorite songs, until Pennsylvania Avenue was reached, when
the regiment came to " attention," marching with steady tread
and martial bearing down the avenue and attracting general
attention as they passed. At nine o'clock P. M. the regiment
was on board the steamers with their camp equipage, and in
one hour more landed at Alexandria on the south side of the
Potomac. By twelve o'clock, midnight, the baggage was dis-
charged and the men scattered to find places to sleep, and
although the beds of many were made on logs, boards and bales
of hay, yet sleep came to the tired fellows and the morning
found them refreshed and ready for the duties of the day.
Regimental line was formed at five o'clock A. M. and the march
for camp began. As the regiment marched out of the city, it
passed in review before the quarters of General Heintzelman,
its division commander, who complimented Colonel Berry on
the fine appearance of his regiment.
At this time Alexandria was hostile to the Union, and for
that reason was under martial law. Houses deserted, stores
untenanted, and grass growing in the streets, gave to the place
a general appearance of dilapidation, making it indeed a fit
nursery of secessionists.
The regiment arrived at the place designated for its camp
at half-past six o'clock, and the tents were soon pitched, not-
withstanding the intense heat. This camp is about two miles
from Alexandria and twelve from Washington. The land rises
in moderate elevations all around and was well cultivated by the
natives, who were Southern sympathizers. On the left was the
camp of the 3d Maine ; on the right was that of the 5th Maine,
and the Ellsworth Zouaves. The Scott Life Guards and other
regiments were encamped near by. On the arrival of the regi-
ment at its camping place, Companies B and D, Captains Walker
and Carver, were detailed under Major Nickerson to make a
reconnaissance toward the Pohick in search of the enemy. After
marching ten miles in the broiling sun, the companies returned
THE ADVANCE. 53
about dusk in a drenching shower of rain without encountering
any serious opposition from the rebels. We will let Colonel
Berry give his experience up to this point:
Headquarters 4TH Regiment, Maine Vols.,
Road to Richmond, below Alexandria,
On original Washington Farm.
We are temporarily encamped at this point, being at present the advance guard of
the army. We are some two miles ahead of the New York Fire Zouaves. The march
was fourteen miles, and from the fact that we were continually challenged all along our
route (it being a night march, starting at 7 P. M. and arriving at 4 A. M.) we were some
hours on the road. My regiment is in line condition. We yesterday dispatched Captain
Walker's and Captain Carver's commands under the charge of Major Nickerson on the
Fairfax Road. They advanced under my orders to within a short distance of Fairfax
Court House, having marched within the twenty-four hours, reckoning from the break-
ing of camp, thirty miles, and strange to say are all well and anxious to start again this
morning. None of them seem to be tired; none sick since their arrival here, and none
foot-sore. We shall probably stay here one week, then onward. We are in a division
under one of the best officers of the U. S. Army, Colonel Heintzelman, Brevet Briga-
dier-General. One brigade is commanded by Colonel Franklin, one by Colonel Wilcox
and one by Colonel Howard. All are West Point graduates, and what is more strange,
all are members of the Engineer Corps in the U. S. Army, the highest grade of 1
I feel great confidence in the officers placed over us. Our brigade is composed of my
regiment, right regiment; Howard's, the left; Daniel's and 2d Vermont, center.
We are now dressed in the U. S. regulation uniform. * * * My greatest difficulty
is now to restrain my men to keep them inside the lines. We are surrounded by seces-
sionists, and have pickets stationed three miles in every direction. It takes two whole
companies every night.
July 1 1 th orders were given to move forward toward Mt.
Vernon and Richmond. One day's rations were cooked, and
officers and men were allowed but two blankets and two pairs
of stockings beside the ones worn. The regiment struck tents
about eleven o'clock in the forenoon, and marching five miles
by a circuitous route, encamped about six miles from Alexan-
dria. It was manifest to all that a great battle was impending,
but when and where the enemy were to be encountered was still
a matter of conjecture.
The prospect of a fight did not prevent Colonel Berry's
men from being light-hearted and gay, and on the march and
at bivouac familiar songs and good-natured banter prevailed.
54 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
The regiment was now passing through a country which seemed
like nature's paradise. Peach, cherry and apple orchards dotted
the landscape here and there, and comfortable country houses
stood invitingly on the hillsides, or snuggled cosily away in
some quiet dell, tempting the tired soldiers to linger and enjoy
their loveliness and cool shade. But stern duty urged them
onward and they left this beautiful scene with reluctance, to
meet the dangers of the battlefield, many of them never again
to gaze upon nature's loveliness with mortal eye.
CHAPTER VII.
THE ADVANCE TO BULL RUN.
Reconnaissance. — Southern Sympathizer. — First Prisoners. —
Their Statements. — Berry Writes Home. — Occupation of
Abandoned Breastworks. — Supplies Captured. — Berry's
Devotion to the Union Illustrated by an Incident. —
Manassas. — Troops. — McDowell Prepares for Battle. —
Success of the Union Troops in the Morning.
COLONEL BERRY had now advanced with his regiment to
a point fifteen miles south of Washington, conforming to
the movement of that part of the Potomac army to which
his regiment belonged. Captain Walker's company, with that
of Captain Conant, was detailed by Colonel Berry for a scout-
ing party. Colonel Berry gave detailed instructions, and plans
of the forest to be explored, and the command started at five
o'clock in the morning, taking up their line of march along the
Orange and Alexandria railroad, directly into the heart of the
enemy's country. The scouting party advanced along this
route to a little place called Acotink, when a detachment was
sent to the right under Lieutenant Litchfield of B, and another
from C company was to scour the woods thoroughly. A third
detachment was sent along the railroad in the direction of the
4th Maine's camp, to prevent the escape of the enemy across
the road, the three detachments being kept within supporting
distance of one another. Lieutenant Litchfield's detachment
soon came upon a negro from whom it was learned that a num-
ber of rebels had been to the house of a Mrs. Fitzhue in the
56 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
morning, and that the notorious Ab. Miner, a spy, who had
amused himself by shooting the Union sentinels at night, had
departed from her house at ten o'clock that forenoon. This
Mrs. Fitzhue, whose plantation was near by, had been harbor-
ing Southern troops and furnishing information to the rebels,
although she was enjoying a written "protection" from General
Scott. On learning of her treasonable conduct, Lieutenant
Litchfield did not hesitate to supply his squad with bread and
milk from her larder, notwithstanding her indignant protest, and
the order of General Scott which she thrust in his face. A
negro was pressed into service as a guide and the squad started
on the trail of the rebels. About a mile out, rebel scouts were
encountered, three of whom fell into the hands of our men.
The prisoners were bright looking young fellows. One of
them, D. D. Fiquet, was a young lawyer and a graduate from
Harvard Law School. When the captors arrived in camp with
the prisoners the excitement was intense. Men crowded about
the Southerners eager for a glimpse of them, as these were the
first Confederate soldiers they had ever seen. The prisoners
seemed grateful for the kind treatment they had received at the
hands of their captors, and were prepared to suffer imprison-
ment like men.
The prisoners were delivered to Colonel Berry, who caused
them to be brought before General Heintzelman, at whose head-
quarters they were carefully examined. They seemed to be
apprehensive that immediate death was to be their lot, as the
Southern leaders had created the impression in the rank and
file of the Confederate army, that such was the manner in
which all Southern men were treated who fell into the clutches
of Yankee soldiers.
It was evident from the information obtained from these
prisoners that the enemy was in force at Fairfax Court House,
and Colonel Berry was anxious to attack them with the 4th
Maine, but was not permitted to advance at this time. We will
now permit Colonel Berry to give his experience :
Mrs. Lucy Berry Snow,
Daughter of Major-Gen eral Berry.
ON TOWARD FAIRFAX. 57
Headquarters 4.TH Maine Vols., \
Camp Knox, Fairfax County, Va., July 13, 1861.J
Since writing my last we have moved onward apace. We are now encamped on
the east side of Alexandria and Manassas Gap railroad, near the town of Fairfax. I
am well and never experienced so good a climate as this of Virginia. The country
through which we have passed since we left Alexandria is one of the finest imaginable.
The plantations are of the medium size, of about 1,000 acres on the average. I louses
large, airy, comfortable and well arranged. Must of the people are to my mind
sionists. 'Tis sad indeed to see so fine a country in so bad a tix; nevertheless, no help
for it now but to fight it out. We move forward again in a day or two from live to ten
miles. The whole line is some eighteen miles long, and advances at the same time.
Our route is down the railroad spoken of above, on its eastern side, or its left flank.
We build bridges as we go along, and also a telegraph. The regiment is in fine health
and works hard. I am at work from four in the morning till eleven at night, sleep on
the ground and am as well as ever in my life. I dress in blue flannel, have also uni-
formed.my entire regiment in same manner. All feel better since they put on flannel.
'Tis the only fit thing to wear in this climate.
Headquarters 41 11 Regiment, Maim. Vols.,)
Fairfax Station, July 15, 1861. /
We are under marching orders and leave at three o'clock this afternoon with three
days' food in haversacks Baggage of all kinds, tents, everything left behind. The
whole line, some 18 miles, advances today. We form its left wing. I hope all will be
well with us, and trust in God it will lie.
Tuesday, the 16th of July, Colonel Berry moved his regi-
ment promptly at three o'clock in the afternoon on the road
to Fairfax, accompanying nearly 12,000 troops, the left wing
of the Army of the Potomac. For several miles the roads
were in good condition, and Colonel Berry's command made
rapid progress, but towards night the roads became muddy and
narrow, many steep hills and unbridged streams crossing the
line of march, impeding the progress of the troops. Many
streams were crossed in single file over narrow planks or logs,
and when these facilities were not at hand, officers and soldiers
forded the streams, holding high their arms and ammunition as
they waded to their arm-pits in the swift and muddy current.
For miles on either side of the line of march were forests of
scrubby pines and oak, with here and there a dwelling, which
was promptly visited by the soldiers who appropriated the
58 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
bacon, beans and other provisions found therein, and supplied
the wagons and mounted officers with fresh horses.
The prospect of an encounter with the enemy served to
stimulate the efforts of the men, and despite the difficulties
encountered, cheerfulness prevailed.
At eleven o'clock at night, Colonel Berry gave orders to
encamp, and the tired soldiers sought rest on the cold ground
wherever they happened to be, and calm and peaceful was their
slumber after the toil of the day's march.
Reveille sounded early in the morning, and the march was
resumed towards Fairfax Court House. Colonel Berry's advance
guard labored hard to clear the obstructions from the path of
the regiment. Heavy trees had been felled by the enemy to
impede the progress of the Union army, but the work of
obstruction had been done in such a clumsy manner, that
before the strong arms and sturdy blows of the men from
Maine they soon disappeared. Colonel Berry had advanced
with his command within a short distance of Fairfax Court
House, when he encountered breastworks of the enemy which
gave evidence of having been hastily evacuated on his approach.
Acting under orders from Colonel Berry, Captain Walker
took possession of the works. Among the spoils left by the
enemy were flour, fresh beef, wines and whiskey, which were
very soon converted to patriotic uses. But Colonel Berry will
now tell his own story :
Camp Knox, two and one-half miles from )
Fairfax Court House, July 18, 1861. J
(Written by camp-fire.)
We are now two and one-half miles from Fairfax Court House, on south side,
having turned the enemy's position and taken some twenty prisoners. They report the
main column to have left over two hours before us. We have taken their camp, tents,
200 barrels of flour, bacon, sugar, tea, etc. — a pretty good show for hungry men. Cap-
tain Walker's men took possession of these works, called Fairfax Station, in the name
of the United States, and the 4th Regiment in particular. The works consist of three
earth batteries or breastworks, with no guns. They were constructed to cover infantry,
and in good style. My men are in excellent condition. We have fifty axe-men to
BEKItY WHITES HOME. 59
clear the way, as the enemy have felled trees across the road, torn down bridges, etc.
We clear the way, make the roads, scout the country for half a mile ahead, and
advance main column. My men work like tigers, and are the admiration of all the
army officers. We have one thirty-two and two twenty-eight pound rifle cannon,
mounted on carriages, with ammunition, etc. My men (under command, of course,)
have dragged these guns the last twelve miles. The army men who had them in
charge got them stuck in a dreadful ravine — hills one-half mile on each side — and
gave them up. The Massachusetts 5th tried a hand and gave up also. Colonel
Heintzelman said he would try the 4th Maine Regiment and they would bring them if
power could do it. I got the request and dispatched Bean and Carver, with their
companies, and went also myself. We manned the guns, made our arrangements, and
in one-half hour had them at the top of the hill, and turned them over to Colonel
Heintzelman in front of the earthworks of the enemy, having dragged them ten miles.
Long roll sounds to fall in. We are now only eight miles from Manassas (lap,
and bound thither, enemy in front all the way, trees across the roads, bridges all burned,
etc. Hard labor to clear the way. We shall take position in the rear of the enemy
to cut off retreat. The left wing, in which we are, has to march in a circuitous road in
consequence. I have not yet had an accident of any kind in the regiment since I left
Portland. The Fifth lost two men by accident yesterday. Regimental organization
stronger every day. New York Fire Zouaves are with us. They are a fine body of
men, and the strongest ties of friendship exist between them and this regiment.
Morning — No more now; I am ordered to march.
As the following indicates, Colonel Berry had thrown him-
self into the contest in earnest, sinking all personal interests in
the greater cause of humanity. A battle with the enemy was
now impending, and on the eighteenth of July, the regiment
bivouacked near Centerville with the expectation of attacking in
the morning. Captain Elijah Walker, who was a partner in
business with Colonel Berry, received a letter from the Colonel's
brother, George, saying that he had notified the Colonel of a
serious loss that his business had sustained and requesting
Walker to ascertain if the letter had reached its destination.
Calling at Berry's tent Captain Walker found him as calm and
unruffled as though such things as financial losses were unknown.
The Captain asked him if the letter had been received.
"Yes," answered Berry; "but I have something of more
importance to look after now."
The Army of the Potomac under General McDowell had
now advanced within striking distance of the enemy, who were
60 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
heavily intrenched at Manassas Gap and Bull Run. The battle
takes its name from a small sluggish stream that is a branch of
the Occoquan River, and has its source in Loudoun County, near
the Blue Ridge, and runs southeasterly. From Centerville its
windings can be traced through a wide valley, mostly wooded,
with here and there an opening in the forest. At short inter-
vals its slow current spends itself in pools of stagnant water,
enclosed by high banks or wide, marshy meadows, and bordered
with sand hills, clumps of trees, dark forests, or almost impen-
etrable thickets. Manassas is a plain or a plateau well adapted
for defensive purposes. Its approaches were difficult and there-
fore easy to defend. Bull Run stream could be crossed by
several fords, two of which are on the line of the roads leading
from Alexandria and Washington direct, and are east of Manas-
sas. Beside these fords was the railroad bridge, also strongly
defended. There is also a direct road from Centerville to
Manassas, and the next crossing is on the Warrenton Turnpike
where the battle of Bull Run was mainly fought, about five
miles from Centerville.
Beauregard with the main body of the rebel army was
strongly posted on the other side of Bull Run. His position
was protected by Bull Run stream and could only be reached
by the fords, which were from a half mile to a mile apart. His
lines were eight miles long, extending from Union Mills to the
Stone Bridge, at which point the Warrenton Turnpike crosses.
Miles took position on the road leading from Centerville
direct to Manassas. General Tyler took the Warrenton Turn-
pike. The remainder of the force, of which Berry's 4th Maine
formed a part, took a road which led to the rear of the enemy's
position, fording Bull Run stream at Sudley's Spring, and attack-
ing the enemy some distance beyond Tyler. McDowell's plan
of attack was to force the enemy back to Manassas by bringing
the Union army to bear on him in front and flank, and to men-
ace his rear. Miles was simply to make a demonstration at
Blackburn's Ford, and then to maintain his force on the defen-
THE ENEMY FORCED BACK. 61
sive, holding Centerville and covering the base of supplies at
Arlington. The other two were the columns of attack, and to
one of these, as we have previously stated, Colonel Berry's
regiment was attached. Early on the morning of Sunday,
July 21, Tyler commenced the attack by opening with artillery,
and pressed forward along the Warrenton Turnpike a part of
his infantry under Sherman. Although the several commands
were slow in taking position, the Union attack was successful,
and the enemy was pushed back toward Manassas. Tyler
attacked with vigor on the Warrenton Turnpike, while Hunter
and Heintzelman were doing their part on the flank of the enemy
near Sudley's Ford. At half-past ten o'clock the Union troops
occupied the enemy's ground, and orders were sent to the rear
for the pioneers to advance with the bridge which had been
prepared to throw across the stream.
CHAPTER VIII.
BATTLE OF BULL RUN.
Held in Reserve during the Morning. — Ordered into Battle.
— Rapid March to the Battlefield. — Many Fall by the
Wayside. — Assailed by a Murderous Fire. — Position of
the 4th Maine. — Sergeant-Major Stephen H. Chapman
Killed. — Wild Excitement. — Berry's Coolness and Gal-
lantry.— He Bore the Standard. — The Retreat to Alex-
andria.— Letter Describing Battle. — Berry's Official
Report.
COLONEL BERRY'S regiment had been held in reserve
during the fight of the morning. They could hear the
roar of artillery and the rattle of small arms, and were
consumed with impatience over the delay which prevented them
from sharing the dangers of their comrades.
At two o'clock in the afternoon Colonel Berry received
orders to advance at double-quick and engage the enemy. A
run of one or more miles in the broiling sun, accoutered for
battle, is no child's play, and it told heavily on the inexperi-
enced soldiers of Berry's regiment. The route of their advance
was lined with material which the soldiers had cast aside in
their rapid march. Some fainted and fell by the wayside,
others kept their places in column with the greatest difficulty,
the staggering step and the veins standing out like whip-cords
on the heated brow telling how severe was the strain to which
their physical being was subjected. The regiment arrived on
the field about three o'clock when the tide of battle had already
turned against the Union army. The tired soldiers formed their
BATTLE OF BULL RUN. 63
line of battle in an open field on high ground with the enemy
in the woods in their front. Colonel Berry's men were assailed
by a murderous fire of artillery and small arms, which laid
many a gallant fellow low, and gave the regiment its first
baptism of fire and blood.
Beyond the Warrenton road, and to the left of the road
down which our troops had marched from Sudley's Spring, is a
hill with a farm-house on it. Behind this hill the enemy had
early in the day planted some of his most annoying batteries.
Across the road from this hill is another hill, or rather
elevated ridge or table land. The hottest part of the contest
was for the possession of this hill with a house on it. Heintzel-
man's division was engaged here, Howard's brigade, of which
Colonel Berry's regiment formed a part, being on the right.
Colonel Berry was ordered to support a battery in his front.
and forming his regiment in line of battle, with the 2d Vermont
on his left, he advanced up the hill through the thickets, where
he found one caisson. Here also he found Lieutenant Kirby
with his face covered with blood, on a horse that had been shot
through the nose. This was all that was left of the battery.
The 4th Maine was delayed a little by the thicket in getting
into position, but soon came into line with the 2d Vermont, and
opened fire. Rebel batteries on the right and left poured a
steady fire on Berry's regiment. Sergeant-Major Chapman was
the first victim, and he fell, pierced in the heart by a rifle ball.
" Tell my wife I am shot — God bless her ! " murmured the
gallant fellow, as a comrade stooped to catch his last words.
Stephen H. Chapman was the first man to enlist in the 4th Maine
and the first in that regiment to offer his life for his country.
He left a wife and five children to mourn his loss.
Asahel Towne of Captain Conant's company was killed by
a shell. B. W. Fletcher of Captain Walker's company had an
arm shot off and his side injured. Lieutenant Clark of Com-
pany G, Wiscasset, was killed by the bursting of a shell as he
was cheering on his men. Lieutenant W. E. Burgin and D.
64 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Blanchard of Company I, and Captain S. C. Whitehouse of
Company E, were wounded. P. Henry Tillson of Thomaston,
a member of Company C, and a young man of high character
and worth, had both legs shot off by a cannon ball, and expired
almost instantly.
The 4th Maine withstood this murderous fire most gal-
lantly. All was excitement and turmoil. The thunder of
artillery, the rattle of small arms, the hoarse commands of the
officers, the whistle of bullets, the shriek of shells, the shouts of
the combatants, the cries of the wounded, made it a scene never
to be forgotten. Men became wild with excitement, discharg-
ing their muskets in the air, and in the frantic endeavor to
reload forgetting to cap their pieces, when, after several charges
had been put in the gun, it would be discharged, damaging the
man who held it more than the enemy at whom it was aimed.
Through all this scene of wild excitement Colonel Berry
manifested great coolness and bravery, encouraging and cheer-
ing on his men, and directing their movements with judgment
and discretion. When the color bearer was shot down, Colonel
Berry seized the fallen standard and bore it aloft through the
fray. His stalwart figure was a conspicuous mark for the foe
and his clothing was riddled with bullets and his horse shot
under him. The sight of so many of his brave boys killed and
wounded overcame him and he wept bitterly over this loss, and
could not be consoled.
The muskets of the men soon became heated and unfit for
use. The retreat commenced on the left of the brigade and
Colonel Berry's regiment was the last to leave the field. In
falling back it became disorganized in the confusion, losing its
regimental formation, but many of the captains succeeded in
keeping their men together, and brought their companies into
camp at Centerville in good order. At Centerville Colonel Berry
collected his scattered companies and continued the retreat to
Alexandria, where they arrived the next day and went into quar-
ters. Colonel Berry gives his experience in the following letter:
TERRIBLE FIGHTING. 65
Alexandria, July 23, 1861.
I am here again with my regiment, acting under orders, having arrived last even-
ing amidst a most pitiless rain storm. We broke camp at Fairfax, near a place called
Claremont on Thursday morning at two o'clock, marched to a spot near Centerville,
some fourteen miles and located. Stayed there Thursday, Friday and through Saturday.
On this last march we drove some 5,000 of the enemy before us. Sunday morning at
half-past one o'clock, we broke camp and marched with the main column of some
30,000 men to attack the enemy at a place called Bull Run, some fourteen miles distant.
The brigade my regiment was in was halted till two r. M. some six miles from battlefield
to act as a reserve, to go when needed. At that time we moved forward to join our
own division, which was having a dreadful light. We moved at double-quick time in
one of the most melting of days. Men threw away everything except their guns and
equipments, and arrived on the field in less than an hour. The ammunition of our artil-
lery gave out, and also of the regiments which had been in action. The ammunition
trains for some reason did not get up to us. We were ordered into position at once,
and stood our ground until ordered off by General McDowell We stood the fire
about one hour, holding the enemy in check till the retreat of the main body took
place, and we were ordered to move. Two full batteries of the enemy played upon us
and if the shot had been well aimed, it would have been worse for us. As it is, it is
bad enough — sergeant-major shot through the heart, twenty-five privates killed, three
company officers wounded, (Bird, Bean and Clark,) two prisoners, sixty-odd wounded,
some very slightly, one hundred and nineteen missing; most of these, however, will
soon be in.
My regiment fought bravely and stood their ground manfully. T have no cause of
complaint in that respect. We marched fifty miles without halting except to tight a
battle — without sleep also. I have lost everything. No change of clothing — nothing.
Lost one of my horses, the best one — killed. Say to General Titcomb that one of my
flags was carried through the fight — the stars and stripes presented in New York. It is
riddled with bullets. I have done my best and my whole duty, as I hope. I am sorry
indeed to have lost so many, many men in a losing affair. Not less than 3,000 killed
and wounded on our side and prisoners — say twice as many more of the enemy. The
victory was ours up to one-half hour of our arrival on the ground. At that time the
enemy was reinforced by 17,000 men, and that fact together with the failure of ammu-
nition lost the battle. Our part was to fight, and cover as far as possible the retreat.
I am well, but exhausted, and my men are nearly so. I will mention names of men
belonging to Rockland killed :
Company B — Asahel Towne, B. W. Fletcher, Chas. O. Fernald.*
Company C — Dennis Canning, P. H. Tillson, S. P. Vose, Jarvis B. Grant.
Company D — J. A. Sparlock, Wm. B. Foss, Geo. C. Starbird, James Bailey.
Company H — G. F. Cunningham, James Finn, West W. Cook, E. W. Anderson.
Colonel Berry is given especial mention for his conduct at
the battle of Bull Run in the report of his brigade commander,
*Taken prisoner and reported killed. Afterwards exchanged and now living.
66 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Colonel Oliver 0. Howard, and, indeed, it was his gallantry at
this battle which insured his promotion later on.
The official report made by Colonel Berry of the part his
regiment took in the battle of Bull Run was evidently prepared
before accurate returns of the killed, wounded and missing
could be obtained, as the statistics given in that report do not
agree with the return afterwards made by him. The 4th Maine
lost at the battle of Bull Run in killed, one commissioned officer
and twenty-five enlisted men ; wounded, three officers and forty-
three men ; missing, two officers and one hundred and nineteen
men, making the aggregate of officers and men killed, wounded
and missing, one hundred and ninety-three. The report is as
follows :
Headquarters 4.TH Regiment Maine Vols., \
Claremont, Va., July 26, 186 1. J
Sir : I have the honor to report to you my regiment now in quarters at this post.
The engagement with the enemy on Sunday, and the long march incident thereto, have
exhausted my men, and some time must necessarily elapse before the regiment will be
fitted for active duties. As near as can be ascertained, the loss in killed in the engage-
ments at Bull Run consists of two commissioned officers, Lieutenant Clark of Company
G, (Wiscasset,) and Lieutenant Bird of Company F; two commissioned officers
wounded, Captain Bean and Lieutenant Huxford; Sergeant-Major Chapman killed;
twenty-eight privates killed and thirty-three wounded. This indeed has been an
unfortunate affair for this regiment.
I herewith hand you report of wants for regiment, in accordance with orders so to
do. In doing so, I must beg leave to say that my men have no confidence whatever
in the kind of arms with which they are now partially supplied. Had they been prop-
erly armed, the result of Sunday's loss would have been somewhat different. It will
take some time to bring the regiment up to that state of confidence in the managers of
this war that it had prior to Sunday's affair. I mention these things for the reason that
a commander should know all the facts material to the efficiency of his command.
Truly, your servant,
H. G. Berry, Colonel 4th Regiment.
Col. O. O. Howard, Commanding Brigade.
As a result of the fatigue and excitement of the battle of
Bull Run, many of the officers and men of the 4th Maine were
on the sick list and some were sent home on furlough to recover.
At home preparations were actively going on to supply the
BORE THE FLAG. 67
soldiers with necessities, as the rapid march to the battlefield
and the subsequent retreat had left all in a destitute condition.
Many of the missing were coming in, having got lost in the
turmoil of retreat, and some who were taken prisoners by the
enemy had effected their escape and now rejoined their comrades
in camp. The defeat of the Union forces had a disheartening
effect on many of the men, and the letters home were full of
expressions of despair and discouragement. Homesickness
was prevalent, seriously affecting the health of many and pre-
venting the speedy recovery of some of the sick and wounded,
who in their misfortune gave themselves up with intense yearn-
ing to thoughts of home life and the dear ones left behind. In
a letter home Colonel Berry says :
Claremont, Va.
My health is better than for the past two weeks. I feel quite the thing again. I
have not been sick, but somewhat exhausted, growing out of the fatigues consequent
upon the movements of two weeks ago. The regiment is now getting over in a meas-
ure its recent troubles. I hope they will soon be themselves again. Never was a
braver set of men than those who went into battle under my command. They were
perfectly cool, did exactly as I wanted, obeyed all my orders and behaved nobly. They
should have the thanks of those they battled for and I doubt not will have them. As
for my poor self, I tried to do my whole duty. Strange as it may seem to you I was
no more excited than ordinarily when in earnest. I did not believe I should be hit in
any way, and I did not think of it at all. My mind was occupied by my command
entirely. Men fell all around me, killed and wounded. The ground was covered with
men and horses, some mine and some of other regiments, who had passed over the same
ground. Chapman left me only one minute before he was shot. He came for orders
to my post by the Regimental colors; asked for orders with a smile. I gave them, he
extended his hand, we exchanged blessings, he cautioned me against unnecessary
exposure, and we parted for the last time. He was shot through the heart immediately
on resuming his post.
I shall come out all right I have no doubt; shall do my whole duty, and I never
again, probably, shall be placed in such a position should the war last for years as that
at Bull Run.
You ask me if reports are true concerning carrying the flag, etc. I do not care to
say much about myself; I leave that to others. My color-sergeant was shot in the
battle. I did carry the flag throughout the entire engagement. It was my post in
battle beside or near it. I at once raised it after it fell. Poor flag ! 'Tis indeed a
sorry looking concern for one so pretty when presented. Cannon shot and musketry
have well-nigh ruined it, but torn as it is, it is the pride of the regiment. My labor
68 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
has been to get the confidence of my men, their entire confidence on all occasions. I
think I have succeeded, and whilst I am severe on them in the discharge of their duties,
nevertheless I try to take care of them in all emergencies. I do not believe there will
be any more engagements for some time, and then when they do come it will be princi-
pally with artillery.
Colonel Berry's troops remained quartered at Alexandria
until July 24th when they went into camp at their former loca-
tion at Bush Hill. Great difficulty was experienced in securing
supplies for the regiment, which was partly due to the inex-
perience of the officers of the commissary and quartermaster
departments, and partly to their incompetency. In his zeal for
the welfare of his men, Colonel Berry lodged a complaint
against the quartermaster of the brigade, but before the com-
pletion of the investigation which the brigade commander
ordered to be made, the quartermaster resigned, and thereafter
the men were better supplied.
August 13th, Colonel Berry moved his camp about two
miles to a beautiful and healthful eminence near Fort Ellsworth,
overlooking the broad Potomac. Here the warm weather that
had been enjoyed for weeks gave place to an unusual degree
of northern temperature, and the men suffered severely from
the cold.
CHAPTER IX.
AFTER THE BATTLE.
Liberality of Friends at Home. — Letters. — Revolt in the
Regiment. — Lieutenant Robert H. Gray. — His Capture
and Escape. — Thrilling Experience. — The 4th Maine
Building Earth Fortifications. — First Pay Day in the
Regiment. — Reviewed by General McClellan. — Mc-
Clellan Described.
THE energetic efforts of friends at home to relieve the des-
titute condition of Colonel Berry's men now began to be
felt. Thirty-three packages, weighing three tons and a
half, were shipped from Rockland for the soldiers of the 4th
Maine. They were made up of private parcels sent by relatives
and friends, packages for general distribution, the gifts of
generous citizens, and articles purchased by the committee
appointed for that purpose, such as pickles, dry fish, stockings,
towels, and stationery. Seven of these packages were sent by
the patriotic ladies of Thomaston, several from Damariscotta
and Wiscasset, and the remainder from Rockland. Belfast also
sent packages weighing a ton and a half to the regiment.
Money contributions were freely made by the citizens of these
various towns to purchase articles for the soldiers, and the men
of the Fourth were made to feel that their sacrifices were not
forgotten, nor did they lack appreciation from those who were
left behind. Under date of August 10th, Colonel Berry in a
letter home gives matters of interest.
70 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Clouds Mills, Va., August 10, 1861.
We are now encamped on the side of a hill fronting the Turn-
pike Road leading to Fairfax Court House. Three New Jersey
regiments are on our right and the rest of our brigade, the 2d Maine
and one Vermont regiment, are on our left. We have a battery
of ten-pound rifle cannon in our front, and a cavalry camp in
our rear. I should judge by appearances that no move onward
would be made for some time to come. Weather is very warm here,
thermometer 130 degrees in sun every day and 95 to 105 degrees in
the shade. General McDowell called on me yesterday and reviewed
the regiment. He complimented me somewhat.
Again he writes under date of August 18: "We are now
encamped near Fort Ellsworth, some three miles in toward
Alexandria from place of last encampment. We are located
on a hill and have good grounds, good air and a very pleasant
place generally. We are no longer the advance regiment and
we have less to do, less cares and less responsibilities. I am in
hopes to go through this month without sickness in camp. We
are now quite healthy — very few cases of fever and ague, and
those only where the subjects have had it heretofore. We
know but little that is going on, even here — all is a profound
secret. I could find out if I desired ; but if I know nothing
then I have no fears of speaking improperly. I have all con-
fidence in the management of our new commander," [General
McClellan]. " He works hard and keeps his own counsel."
The rigors of an active campaign and the terrible experi-
ences of the battlefield had done their part in removing the
glamour and romance of a soldier's life. The transition was
not a pleasant one to many of the men of the 4th Maine, whose
conception of a soldier's duties was far different from what
experience had proved them to be. Fun and frolic were not
the prevailing characteristics of life in the army, as many had
led themselves to believe, and great was the chagrin and disap-
pointment of the deluded ones when the stern necessities of the
situation confronted them. It is not therefore a matter of sur-
REGIMENTAL REVOLT. 71
prise that one fine morning Colonel Berry awoke to find a
portion of his regiment in revolt. In fact, this was quite a
common experience with regimental commanders in the early
days of the war; but Colonel Berry, who had such a fatherly
care over " his boys," and had striven to make their condition
comfortable and agreeable at all times and under the most
unfavorable circumstances, was sorely grieved at this mark of
dissatisfaction. His fertility of resource seemed at this time to
desert him, and he was at a loss just how to meet the emer-
gency. His kind heart shrank from administering the nummary
punishment which such a flagrant breach of discipline made it
his duty to inflict. Calling in his advisers, it was finally decided
to transfer the malcontents to the 38th New York, Colonel J.
H. Hobart Ward commanding, and this was done. This trouble
arose from a misunderstanding concerning the term of enlist-
ment, and it is but just to say that these men served honorably
and faithfully thereafter; many of them died on the field of
battle, in hospital and in Southern prisons, and when the term
of enlistment of the 38th New York expired, and it was mustered
out of the service, what remained of this number, about forty,
were transferred to the 4th Maine, with which regiment many
of them served to the end of the war.
In his series of excellent articles on the 4th Maine, which
appeared during 1893, in the Rockland (Me.) Tribune, Colonel
Elijah Walker, who succeeded General Berry in the command
of this regiment, says :
" General Berry failed in one respect as a regimental com-
mander. He was too tender-hearted. He would not punish a
man nor allow others to do so to any extent, and when men
became homesick they took advantage of his kindness. I will
relate an incident to illustrate General Berry's sensitive nature.
While I was acting as regimental officer of the day, a soldier
became fighting ugly and refused to go to his quarters and keep
quiet. I put a line about his wrists and tied him to the limb of
a tree, so that he was reaching his full length, and told him he
72 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
should remain until he would promise to behave himself, which
promise he refused to make. I left the spot and as soon as I
disappeared he screamed ' blue murder.' He was near the
Colonel's tent, who, hearing the cries, ran out and saw the man
suspended. He took him in his arms, and holding him up,
called for a man to loosen the cord. Then he took the culprit
to his tent and bathed his wrists, expressing for him all the
affection of a kind father. He gave me a scolding that I remem-
ber to this day.
" Had Colonel Berry included in his makeup some of the
' ugly' of General Benjamin F. Butler, who could without wink-
ing more than one eye, take a man from the arms of his wife
and hang him, and then, as a reward to the widow, get her a
clerkship in a government department at Washington, his men
would not have been sent to the 38th New York. As a general
commanding a brigade or division he had no superior. In
those capacities he was not brought in direct contact with the
discipline of the men. In actual conflict he was brave as a
tiger. I have seen his sword wave bravely in the smoke of
battle. I have seen him weep over his fallen comrades, and
almost refuse to be comforted."
August 1 2th, Colonel John Sedgwick became the com-
mander of the brigade to which Colonel Berry's regiment was
assigned, and it was about this time that Major-General Geo. B.
McClellan assumed command of the Army of the Potomac. In
a letter previously quoted, Colonel Berry expressed his confi-
dence in the new army commander, on whom the country was
basing such high hopes.
Under the date of August 25th, 1 861, Colonel Berry writes :
" My camp and home is now where it was when I last wrote, on
a high hill overlooking the country lor miles, and the Potomac
River down to Mt. Vernon — the home of Washington. Alex-
andria is to the east of my camp, stretched out on a plain
bordering on the river's bank for some three miles, extending
to the rear some mile and a half to the high range of hills, on
S U
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LIEUTENANT GRAY. 73
one of which is my camp. This plain is as level as a sea.
These hills are covered with encampments as far as the eye can
reach, and are in most cases fortified with field works, having
mounted artillery. The entire line of works on this side extends
from the southeast side of the city of Alexandria to a chain
bridge north of it and of Washington, a line of ten miles.
On this is located some seventy thousand men, armed with all
the implements of war. 'Tis a sight never beheld on this
continent before.
" The health of my regiment is fair and the regiment is in
good condition, as good as the best. My camp is in a fine
locality and in good order. I have been engaged on courts-
martial for the past eight days, trying officers for misconduct.
Most cases are foolish ones growing out of petty jealousies and
ought not to have had a hearing. 'Tis tedious, foolish business
in some cases and in other ones a fearful responsibility. They
sentence a man to death for small things. Military law is not
to be trifled with.
" I trust you have met Lieutenant Gray, [R. H. Gray of
Stockton,] for such he now is, and have learned from him all
the little particulars of camp life and other matters more or less
interesting to you. He is a gallant fellow, and has won for
himself his commission. I hope the good people of Rockland
will not fail to show proper civilities and attention to so worthy
a man.
" Many officers who came into the service with me have
resigned, some from sickness and some from other causes.
Many more will have to go home for similar reasons, and when
the 4th Maine again returns to the State it has had the honor
in part to represent, the most of the officers will be men who
were in the ranks at the start. I promote the privates as fast as
they show themselves to be men of the right spirit."
Lieutenant Robert H. Gray, to whom Colonel Berry refers
in such a complimentary way, was wounded and taken prisoner
at Bull Run. He received his wound just before the order
74 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
came to retreat. On his way to the rear Lieutenant Burgin of
the Searsport company found him and bound up his wounded
arm, and afterwards sent some men to conduct him to a place
of safety. They did not find him, however, as his wound com-
menced bleeding soon after the lieutenant left him, and he
started for a stream near by for water. Before he reached it he
fainted from loss of blood, and on reviving, saw the retreating
column of the Union army nearly a mile away. Replenishing
his canteen at the brook, he attempted to rejoin his comrades
by a short cut, but soon came in view of rebel troops who began
firing on him, but he escaped further injury. His wound was
so painful that he was indifferent to the danger he run, and con-
tinued steadily on his course until he had nearly reached his
friends, when he beheld rebel cavalry rapidly approaching.
Hastily entering a house which had been converted into a
hospital by the Union forces, he lay down among the wounded,
and had just made himself comfortable, when the cavalry
dashed up, shooting two unwounded men.
The rebels entered the hospital and proceeded to relieve
the wounded of such valuables as they possessed, after which
a guard was placed over them and from that time they were
prisoners of war. The rebel officers were kind and courteous,
but the soldiers used abusive language toward the prisoners.
A rebel officer approached Gray and attempted in a pleasant
manner to extract information, but it is superfluous to say that
he got no satisfaction. The good woman of the house pre-
pared some goose broth for the wounded. The dish was with-
out much salt, and being strongly flavored with the oil of the
goose was not a palatable dish for the sick. Gray was seven
days in the rebel camp, when, his condition becoming intoler-
able, he determined to escape or die in the attempt. Purloining
some biscuit, and secreting bandages and salve about his
person to dress his wound, he watched for a favorable opportu-
nity and then made a break for liberty. Enveloped in a rebel
blanket which effectually concealed his uniform, he safely
CAMP LIFE. 75
passed several rebel officers and soldiers and shaped his course
toward Georgetown. During the first fourteen hours of his
journey he was constantly dodging rebel pickets, and on reach-
ing the Potomac river boldly plunged in and by wading and
swimming soon reached the opposite side. After being thirty-
four hours on the road, he reached Georgetown in an exhausted
condition, and suffering from a high fever. Here he received
kind care and was sent home on furlough. For gallantry at
Bull Run, Gray was promoted to lieutenant. Afterwards he
became captain of Company I, and subsequently was promoted
to major.
As will be seen by the letters of Colonel Berry, written
about this time, there was little to disturb the monotony of
camp life. McClellan was putting forth every effort to reor-
ganize the army, and to intrench Washington and its approaches.
In the building of fortifications the men from Maine were in
constant demand, and heavy details were daily made from the
4th Maine for this purpose. September 9th, 1861, Colonel
Berry writes :
"This army is now engaged in building earth fortifications
to cover our entire line of defenses. My detail daily takes one-
half of the regiment. We are now very strong in position and
in numbers. No fears need be entertained but we shall sustain
ourselves here. Such is the opinion of military men of great-
est experience."
Camp Knox, September 15, 1861.
I have no news to write you, as we now have but the daily
routine of camp life. You speak of the reading of my letters. I
am glad to have you know all, but I do not care to have the public
know much of my private correspondence. I care nothing now
for public sentiment. I am here on a stern duty, and if I perform
it in a manner acceptable to my commander, myself, and those with
whom I am immediately associated, I am content. I did not come
here to make any political capital, nor do I again desire to hold a
political position.
76 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Camp Knox, September 29, 1861.
Today is Sunday, but how different from home Sundays.
Here all is noise and bustle consequent upon military arrangements
and discipline. My health is fair again although I have had a slight
sick spell. The positions of the armies are changing. I may move
with my regiment, if so I will inform you. We are working hard
building earth fortifications to defend the city of Washington.
After they are completed, no doubt but active movements will be
had with a portion of this army.
The first pay day came at last and Colonel Berry's men
were made glad by their hard-earned wages, $18,000 of which
was sent to relatives at home, through General Wm. H. Titcomb,
who was then visiting the regiment. This event had a cheering
effect on the soldiers, and the merry laugh was heard in every
part of the camp. The soldiers were now confined to the
army ration, but provided themselves with such luxuries of
living as money alone could procure.
September 24th, 1861, orders were issued to prepare for a
review by General McClellan, which took place the following
day. At half-past nine the next morning regimental line was
formed, and accompanied by the band, the 4th Maine marched
to Fort Franklin to take part in the review. From Fort Frank-
lin could be seen the rebel fort on Munson's Hill, and the rebels
were no doubt interested spectators of the military pageant
then taking place. The review occurred in a large field to the
left of Fort Franklin, which was well adapted to the maneuvers
of large bodies of troops. The brigade to which Colonel
Berry's regiment was attached formed on the western side of
the field, while two or three other brigades formed on the
southern and eastern sides. The artillery and cavalry occupied
the northeastern portion of the field. The troops to be reviewed
numbered between twelve and fifteen thousand, and they made
a most impressive spectacle. Gaily dressed officers galloped
here and there, and generals of brigade resplendent with gold
epaulettes and black plumes rode up and down the lines arrang-
GENERAL m'CLELLAN REVIEWS THE ARMY. 77
ing their men. The center of the field was filled with carriages
of civilians, who patiently awaited the arrival of the general-in-
chief. Soon the booming of cannon on the right announced
his approach, and he appeared at the head of a group of horse-
men and commenced the review, passing down the line, and
raising his hat gracefully as he approached each regiment, whose
band played " Hail to the Chief" as he passed. The men of
the 4th Maine were struck by his boyish appearance and it was
hard for many to believe that one apparently so young could
be the chief of the magnificent army now gathered about
Washington.
General McClellan is described as plainly dressed, and at
the review was mounted on a gray horse. He critically exam-
ined the 4th Maine, as he passed along its front, and seemed
well satisfied with the appearance of the men. After riding
along the entire line of horse, foot and artillery, General
McClellan took his stand in the center of the field, and each
brigade breaking into column of companies, marched in review
before him. This concluded the ceremony.
After the confusion and uncertainty following the battle of
Bull Run had given place to system and order, it was found that
Lieutenants Clark of Company G, and Bird of Company F,
who had been reported killed by Colonel Berry in a letter home
and in his official report, which are given without change on
preceding pages, were alive, and one of them at least is living
today. These gallant officers were severely wounded, but lived
to read their own obituary notices.
CHAPTER X.
CAMP LIFE.
A Change of Camp Grounds. — New Rifles and Saber Bayo-
nets.— Death of Colonel Thomas H. Marshall. — Recon-
naissance at Pohick Church. — Berry's Official Report.
— Cold Weather. — High State of Efficiency in the Regi-
ment.— Captain Pitcher Arrives with the Bangor Com-
pany.— Lieutenant-Colonel Nickerson Promoted to the
Colonelcy of 14th Maine. — Other Changes. — Lieutenant
R. H. Gray Arrives with Recruits. — Visit of Rev. Isaac
Kalloch. — Preaches to Slaves on the John A. Washing-
ton Farm.
MONDAY, September 30th, 1861, the regiment again
moved camp. They did not relish leaving the delightful
spot on which they had encamped for six weeks, during
which time the tents had been made as comfortable as secesh
lumber could make them. Every tent had a flooring of boards,
and a berth for each man, and one company boasted a cosy
little house well lighted by glass windows. Cane-seat chairs
and well constructed tables were not uncommon articles to see
in many of the tents — but all this must be left behind on break-
ing camp.
Baggage packed and regimental line formed, the command
" forward " was given in Colonel Berry's ringing tones, and with
the band playing a popular air, the regiment marched down
past Fort Ellsworth, then to the right to Happy Valley, where
a halt was made for a few moments to rest the men whose knap-
sacks hung heavily upon their shoulders. Resuming the march
BEAUMONT AND BRIDE SERENADED. 7!»
the new camp ground was soon reached, and after sentinels were
posted, tents were pitched, and a barn near by was cleared of its
store of straw to fill the bed-sacks of the soldiers. The camp
was located on high land and was healthy, although the broken
condition of the ground made it undesirable for parade and
drill. A little brook run through the field at the foot of the
high land, and here a good opportunity was afforded the soldiers
for washing clothing. General Sedgwick's headquarters were
located twenty rods in front of the 4th Maine's camp, and on
the left, crowning the summit of a rugged hill, a large earth-
work appeared, commanding the Potomac and Alexandria.
October 21st, a large detail was made from the regiment
to chop trees, for which service the men of the Pine Tree State
were well adapted, a fact that army commanders were not slow
to take advantage of.
Two or three light frosts now whitened the ground, and
the bracing air of autumn infused new life into the men. About
this time General Sedgwick's aid, Beaumont, whom many of
the men of the Fourth will remember as a courageous and
dashing young officer, brought from New York his bride of a
few days to share with him the fortunes of war, and a serenade
was given them on their arrival.
October 17th, 1 861 , Colonel Berry writes: "I am now
encamped with my regiment on the extreme left wing of the
Army of the Potomac, in the same brigade as when I last wrote
you, [Sedgwick's,] and under my old division commander,
Heintzelman. The men and boys from Rockland are all well
and happy."
Under date of October 22d, he writes: " This is a rainy
day and in consequence I have sat in my tent all day long,
the rain pouring down in a perfect deluge. Surely one in the
North has poor ideas of a rain storm. We are now encamped
as when last advised. Have just finished another large fort,
making the second one by this brigade, besides cutting down
miles of forests, and also heaving up miles of rifle pits or
80 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
breastworks. The enemy are again retiring before our advances.
What the plan of operations will be I know not. I should not
be surprised if we stayed here all winter, for if we do not move
soon the roads will be so injured by the heavy rains as to render
them impassable. This army is a big machine, extending as it
now does over at least 1,000 square miles, which would be as
you know forty by twenty-five miles. One could ride all day
long and see but very little compared with the whole. This is
indeed a great sight, 240,000 men at least, encamped as near
each other as wood and water will admit of. My regiment is in
good condition and is called the best drilled in this part of the
army. We yesterday drilled battalion exercises, going through
the whole second volume in the presence of many officers. All
pronounced it very fine. I fear I have no news to make my
letters interesting. Camp life is one of monotony at best. I
some think of going to Washington tomorrow."
While encamped at Lawson's Hill, Colonel Berry's men
were cheered by a visit from Hon. S. C. Fessenden, A. D.
Nichols, Esq., and Benjamin Litchfield, and their familiar and
well-remembered countenances brought back memories of home.
They received a soldier's welcome and were well pleased with
their reception.
Through the persistent efforts of Colonel Berry, four com-
panies of the 4th Maine were now supplied with rifles and saber
bayonets, the old smooth-bores with which the regiment had
fought the battle of Bull Run giving way to these modern
weapons. The change was a pleasing one to the men, the
shoulders of many of whom gave evidence of the vicious ten-
dencies of the antiquated arm with which the government
expected them to preserve the Union.
About this time came the sad news of the death of Colonel
Thomas H. Marshall, once the popular lieutenant-colonel of
the Fourth, who had left that regiment for the colonelcy of the
7th Maine. His lofty character and pleasant ways had endeared
him to officers and men alike, and his early demise was univer-
DEATH OF COLONEL MARSHALL. 81
sally regretted. In a letter home, Colonel Berry speaks of
Colonel Marshall's death in the following terms : " Poor Mar-
shall is gone. He died of typhus fever brought on by overwork
and the care of a volunteer regiment." He also issued the
following order as a tribute to the dead :
Headquarters 4TH Maine Regiment, )
Camp Knox, October 29, 1861. j
It is with feelings of sorrow and sadness that I announce to this
regiment, in an official manner, that an all-wise Providence has
thought proper to remove from the scenes of his earthly labor, our
late lieutenant-colonel and beloved companion, the Hon. Thomas H.
Marshall, colonel of the 7th Regiment Maine Volunteers.
This is indeed sorrowful news to all of us. Colonel Marshall
was beloved, respected and honored by all for his many virtues. As
an officer ever faithful, allowing none to excel him in the perform-
ance of his duties, in the depth of his patriotism and love of country.
In his death the Government has lost a valuable officer ; the State
he has in part represented in the tented field, an honored son ; the
7th Regiment a valuable and beloved commander ; we with whom
he has shared the dangers and privations of a soldier's life, a true
and beloved companion and friend; his family, a model husband,
son and father. We can only exclaim " Peace to his ashes," all
honor to his memory.
Ordered, That the officers of this regiment wear crape on the
left arm for a period of thirty days, and that the regimental colors
be hung in black for the same length of time.
H. G. Berry, Colonel.
J. B. Greenhalgh, Adjutant.
In order to locate the position of the enemy, and to ascer-
tain what they were doing, General Heintzelman determined to
make a reconnaissance toward the Pohick and issued his orders
accordingly. From the officers in Sedgwick's brigade, Colonel
Berry was selected to command the troops, and the following
instructions were given him :
82 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Headquarters Sedgwick's Brigade, \
Camp Sacket, November n, 1861. j
Colonel : In pursuance of orders from the general command-
ing the division, you will take your entire regiment, leaving only a
sufficient number to take care of the tents, and, omitting to send the
detail heretofore ordered for work on the fort, make a reconnaissance
on the Old Fairfax road as far as the Accotink, there to halt, and
push forward a detachment to reconnoiter as far as the Pohick, if it
is found safe, taking care to observe well the roads on the right flank,
it having been reported that 400 rebel cavalry were today at Acco-
tink and that two regiments were about to encamp at Pohick Church.
General Heintzelman will send out a force upon the roads on our
left leading to Pohick Church. You will take a day's rations in the
haversacks of the men, and will return in the evening, and upon
vour return make your report to these headquarters. You will be
accompanied or followed by a company of the Lincoln cavalry.
By order of Brigadier-General Sedgwick.
Wm. D. Sedgwick,
Colonel Berry, Assistant Adjutant-General.
4th Maine.
At two o'clock on the morning of November 12th, 1861,
the men of the Fourth were awakened from their quiet slum-
bers and ordered to prepare to march with one day's rations.
Although this order was a surprise, the men had become veter-
anized to such an extent that they speedily adjusted themselves
to circumstances, however startling and unexpected, and the
camp fires were soon lighted and little groups gathered about
them to cook the rations for the expedition. After a hearty
breakfast, ammunition was issued, and at four o'clock regimental
line was formed, and under the command of Colonel Berry, the
regiment moved off without the tap of a drum or the inspiring
notes of the cornet to cheer them on their way. Every soldier
fit for service was in the ranks and the band was left to do guard
duty around the camp. Colonel Berry was soon joined by a
troop of cavalry and with this force he was to make a recon-
naissance to Pohick Church. After a march of ten or twelve
RECONNAISSANCE. 83
miles, a reserve of six companies was stationed by Colonel
Berry, and Companies A, B and K were ordered forward as
skirmishers, taking position two or three miles in advance of the
regiment, their line being concealed by a forest. The detach-
ment of cavalry in its forward movement got beyond support-
ing distance, and were attacked and roughly handled. Having
now advanced some distance into the enemy's country and the
object of the reconnaissance having been accomplished, Colonel
Berry fell back on his reserve, and then returned to camp,
where the regiment arrived just at sunset, weary and foot-sore.
It subsequently appeared that the attack upon the cavalry had
not been made by armed troops, but by persons whom they
were plundering, and which resulted in a loss of seven men to
the cavalry. The captain of the cavalry was put under arrest
for this occurrence.
The following is Colonel Berry's official report of this
affair :
Hdqrs. 4th Regiment Maine Vols., )
November 12, 1861. J
Sir : In conformity to your orders, I left camp with my regi-
ment at precisely four o'clock this morning, and proceeded on the
road to the Accotink Creek. At 4.30 o'clock I was joined by
Captain Todd and some forty-odd men of the Lincoln cavalry. We
passed our outer line of pickets, halted, loaded the guns, and hove
out a full company of skirmishers in advance and on the flanks. In
this manner we proceeded carefully along the Old Fairfax road,
examining all cross-roads minutely. We found no signs of the
rebels having been on this side of the Accotink in force for some
four or five weeks. Large bush tent accommodations were discov-
ered on the road leading from Fairfax Station to Accotink, sufficient
to accommodate at least ten full regiments ; these tents bore the
appearance of having been deserted some four or five weeks since.
We arrived at Accotink about 9 o'clock and halted. After
making a careful reconnaissance of the creek and hills surrounding,
I ordered my skirmishers across, followed by two more companies
84 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
of riflemen. I ordered my main body to remain on this side of the
creek, in conformity with your instructions. I crossed with the
cavalry in this manner. We proceeded carefully along for two miles
to the road leading from Burke's Station to Pohick. This road bore
the marks of recent extensive travel. I halted, and whilst making
a careful survey, my skirmishers sent in three men, evidently
farmers. On questioning them minutely I learned that a large force
of infantry was encamped on this road, and about two miles on my
right, estimated by them to be fully 5,000.
They also informed me that that was the main traveled road for
the rebels between Burke's Station and the Pohick. I therefore
placed a small body of men here at the junction in the woods.
Retaining the prisoners, I proceeded on some three-fourths of a
mile, halted my men, and instructed Captain Todd to take his cavalry
and make a personal reconnaissance towards Pohick Church. He
did so; reported that the enemy were drilling a cavalry and infantry
force some three-fourths of a mile in advance. Not hearing any-
thing from the force sent down by the other road, and as it was
evident that we were in the vicinity of a large force of the enemy,
who controlled roads in my rear, I deemed it best under the instruc-
tions I received to return to the Accotink and halt and give my men
their dinner. I therefore ordered the cavalry in, and also faced
about my skirmishers and the column, and came back to Accotink.
Capt. Todd informed me a few minutes after that some of his
company were still out, and that he would go out and bring them in.
I said to him I should take a position near the top of the hill con-
trolling a cross-road and await his arrival. I moved my regiment
into a proper position, hove out sentries and awaited the captain's
arrival. After waiting an hour or more we heard the reports of
some thi-ee or four guns. In a few minutes three of the absent men
came in, two wounded and one unhurt, all three having plunder
strapped on their horses, consisting of a side saddle, bed-clothes, etc.
On questioning them I found they had been wandering in all direc-
tions and plundering the inhabitants. I therefore concluded that
the persons robbed had fired upon them. Knowing the enemy to be
near in force, and thinking it most likely they had been made aware
of our presence through the indiscretions of these wandering men,
I concluded, as the object of my reconnaissance had been accom-
ARRIVAL OF THE BANGOR COMPANY. 85
plished, to return to camp. The lieutenant commanding the cavalry
informs me that the captain is absent and four men.
Respectfully, your obedient servant,
II . G. Berry,
Colonel 4th Maine Volunteers.
William D. Sedgwick,
Assistant Adjutant-General, <Sth Brigade.
November with its chilling blasts had now come and the
ingenuity and purses of Colonel Berry and his men were taxed
to provide some kind of heating arrangements for their airy
houses. The policy of " masterly inactivity," which character-
ized the administration of military affairs by General McClellan,
had committed the men from Maine to the monotony of camp
life, with the prospect for an active campaign a remote possi-
bility. However, the boys simply exercised the soldier's
privilege of " growling," and went about their duties as true
soldiers should. Under the wise and intelligent instruction of
Colonel Berry, the regiment had now reached a state of profi-
ciency in the art of war unexcelled by any other regiment in
the Army of the Potomac. This fact was generally conceded
by the officers of the regular army who were in position to
judge. That Colonel Berry took pride in his command his
letters home furnish abundant evidence, and that the men of
the Fourth devotedly loved their leader and had confidence in
his courage and discretion had been demonstrated on many an
occasion.
Captain Pitcher had now arrived with his Bangor company
to replace old Company H, and the new recruits were at once
duly initiated into the mysteries of soldiery by the veterans of
the other companies, who would furnish the new men with
wholesome advice at one time and clandestinely relieve them
of their belongings at another time, all of which was borne with
such philosophy as each individual nature could command.
Lieutenant-Colonel F. S. Nickerson had been promoted to
the colonelcy of the 14th Maine and now left for Augusta,
86 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Maine, to take command of that regiment. He also took with
him John Crowell, the quartermaster-sergeant of the 4th Maine,
who was to be quartermaster of the Fourteenth, and Sergeants
Bickman and Wiswell of Company I, who were to fill positions
of rank in that regiment. Colonel Nickerson had proved him-
self a valuable officer to the 4th Maine, and his departure was
sincerely regretted. He was afterwards promoted to brigadier-
general and served with distinction to the close of the war. On
arriving at Augusta, he named the camp of the 14th Maine
" Camp Berry," in honor of the subject of this biography.
Twenty-eight recruits arrived in camp under command of
Lieutenant R. H. Gray, and were distributed to the several
companies. The ranks of the regiment had now been swelled
to such an extent by the arrival of recruits that at dress parade
the line made an imposing appearance
In December, Rev. Isaac Kalloch of New York, who had
responded in such a felicitous manner to the speeches, on the
occasion of the presentation of flags to the regiment in New
York, visited the Fourth, and by invitation of Colonel Berry
preached an eloquent and patriotic sermon to the men on the
Sunday following. The weather now was quite mild, nearly as
warm as that of an Indian summer, and in marked contrast to
the rigors of an Arctic winter to which their friends and rela-
tives in Maine were being treated at this time, as it was now
midwinter in these higher latitudes. The men were supplied
with the Sibley tent, which was not so spacious as the style
previously used, and was therefore not so popular, although
comfortable and well adapted for campaign purposes.
Colonel Berry writes under date of November 14th, 1861 :
" I am still encamped on the old spot near Alexandria with the
regiment. We are now quite well, the weather is cool. I have
been very busy* of late. Day before yesterday morning I
received an order to start my regiment with one day's provisions
at 4 o'clock A. M., precisely. I did so, and marched beyond
our outer line of sentinels and twelve miles into the enemy's
PROMOTIONS. 87
country, beating up all the roads, making arrests of men to
obtain information, scanning the country for miles each side of
the road, and returning to camp at five o'clock P. M., having
marched thirty miles. My men behaved finely, and the recon-
naissance resulted in obtaining much valuable information. The
defeat of the enemy in South Carolina and the capture of the
forts, harbor and war material will have a tendency to shorten
the war. I think the campaign of this winter will be very deci-
sive indeed. This army is in fine condition and discipline. I
am dreadfully homesick these long evenings. I have built a
fire-place in my tent and have it fixed up in a comfortable
manner."
He again writes under date of November 26th : " I have
no news to communicate. We go through the same routine
daily, occasionally spiced by a reconnaissance or something
of that sort to keep the men cheered up. Drill, drill, drill, day
in and day out, is the program. We had a grand review the
other day, 70,000 troops present, all in excellent condition. It
was one of the grandest sights the world ever saw. European
officers present acknowledged it to be equal to the reviews in
Europe, if not superior to them. We know not when or where
we may go, or whether we may not winter here. 'Tis pretty
cold in canvas houses. Ice makes into icicles six inches long,
and water freezes in pails and basins in some cases to the
bottom. Strange to say we are all well, none have bad colds.
I send you a piece of music composed in camp by S. K. Whit-
ing. I know you will prize it for the source from which it
emanated — Camp Knox. We have many pieces composed
here, and a fine glee club to sing them."
Under date of December 1st, he writes: " My regiment
is in fine condition. We number about 900 men. I am
well satisfied with them. Capt. Walker has been promoted
major; Lieutenant Litchfield, first lieutenant; Mitchell, cap-
tain; Arthur Libby, second lieutenant, ditto captain. Do not
mention this yet, however, as they are not commissioned."
88 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
December 8th, 1861, he writes: "We are quite well, the
weather is fine, and altogether different from that at home. I,
today, in company with Rev. Isaac Kalloch, visited Mount
Vernon, the home of Washington. Whilst there I picked up
two small leaves from near his house, and enclose them to you.
Mr. Kalloch spoke to the regiment in the forenoon and made a
capital discourse, which pleased the entire regiment (together
with many visitors) very much. In the afternoon he spoke to
the slaves on the John A. Washington estate, adjoining Mount
Vernon, a thing never done in Virginia before.
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CHAPTER XL
A MONOTONOUS EXISTENCE.
Christmas in Camp. — Roast Turkey — Distinguished Visitors
from Maine. — Changes in the Commissioned Officers. —
Berry's Letters. — Berry is 111. — His View of the Policy
of the Government. — Prisoners Rejoin the Regiment. —
The Temperance Movement. — The "Berry Quartet
Choir." — Berry's Plan of Campaign. — Building Earth-
works.— Visits Washington. — Sunday in Camp. — News
of Burnside's Victory at Roanoke.
THE thunder of the cannon on the battlements of Fort
Lyon, adjacent to the camp of the 4th Maine, heralded a
" Merry Christmas " to the gallant soldiers of the Pine
Tree State — their first in camp. The day was indeed a merry
one to Camp Knox. Thoughtful friends had provided Christ-
mas viands, and all the companies feasted on roast turkey and
concomitant luxuries which the generosity of the company
commanders had supplied. So, also, they had holiday exemp-
tion from usual duties, and officers and men gave themselves
over to the pleasures of the day unreservedly. The almost
summer mildness of the atmosphere gave to the scene a strange-
ness and an unreality quite unlike the bleak meadows and
snow-clad trees and housetops which are associated with
thoughts of Christmas in the mind of every New Englander.
Then, too, the chatter of childish voices making merry over
the season's offerings, the presence of father and mother, and
the palatable viands which only a New England housewife can
produce — the absence of all these lent a tinge of sadness to
90 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
the merry-making and turned the thoughts of many with intense
yearning toward home and loved ones.
Chaplain B. A. Chase of the 4th Maine gives the follow-
ing incidents in a letter to the Rockland Gazette : " Camp life
has its pleasant incidents, among which there is none more
welcome to the soldier than the arrival of visitors from his
native state. It shows him he is not forgotten, but that his
sacrificing toils are appreciated. Only a few days since we were
cheered and honored by a company of distinguished guests
from Maine. They were Vice President Hamlin and wife
together with the following members of Congress, namely:
L. M. Morrill, senator, accompanied by his daughter; Hon. A.
P. Morrell and Hon. Mr. Rice, representatives ; also Mr. S. P.
Brown, (of Orland,) naval agent at Washington, accompanied
by his sister-in-law, Miss Grendell. They arrived in the early
part of the day, were Colonel Berry's guests at dinner, and wit-
nessed the appearance and performance of the regiment at
dress parade, which, much to the praise of Colonel Berry and
his command, they unanimously pronounced the best exhibition
of the kind they had ever seen. Not to feel an honest pride in
so high a compliment would be to withhold that deference
which is due to the opinions of those eminent men — men who
had honored Maine, and whom Maine loves to honor. They
complimented our camp as a model one, for its tidy appearance
in general. * * * * During the afternoon the whole party,
under escort of Colonel Berry, visited the 3d Maine and enjoyed
a brief entertainment by Colonel Staples and wife. They also,
upon the route, called upon General Sedgwick at his headquar-
ters. These calls being over, a portion of the party returned
to Washington. The best of the occasion, however, is that
Senator Morrill, his daughter, Mr. Brown and Miss Grendell
decided to pass the night in camp, the two young ladies being
so enamored by the attractions and novelties of the tented field
as to desire a fuller experience of its accommodations. This
addition and truly genuine compliment to camp life was shared
DISTINGUISHED VISITORS. 91
between two regiments, the ladies stopping with Mrs. Lampson,
matron of the Third, while the gentlemen remained in the
Fourth, guests of Colonel Berry."
Time had wrought a number of changes in the commis-
sioned officers of the Fourth. Silas M. Fuller of Belfast was
now lieutenant-colonel, and Elijah Walker of Rockland, major.
Of the original ten company commanders, but four now-
remained, resignations and promotions having removed the
others. Those remaining were Captains Carver, Smith, Bean
and VVhitcomb.
December 15th, 1861, Colonel Berry writes: " I am today
quite busy answering letters. I have much to do in that line,
as almost everybody who has a son, husband or lover in my
regiment writes me making anxious inquiries, some to know
if their friends are well provided for, others on business
matters, whilst some are anxious to have their dear ones dis-
charged and state long reasons. Among the most prevalent
is the excuse that when the naughty one enlisted he was a
minor and that dear Pa and Ma failed to give their consent.
To all of these besides hundreds of other inquiries I am obliged
to answer weekly at least. The weather here is very fine, much
like our October, particularly the latter part of that month.
We are now in a very fine camp, the best we have ever had ;
streets are wide and well made, the main street turnpiked and
lined with cedar trees which grow in splendid form in this
section. It is said those who are conversant with the different
camps pronounce ours to be the best kept of any. How long
we are to remain here is still in doubt ; uncertainty as to move-
ments still prevails."
Again on December 29th he writes : " We were visited
Christmas Day by Vice President Hamlin and Representatives
Morrill and Rice, together with other gentlemen and ladies of
the same party. They all witnessed the drill and discipline of
my camp and regiment and seemed delighted, so much so that
they stayed all night. I think the 4th Maine hard to beat."
92 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
January 9th, 1862, he writes : "I am not really sick but
have been poorly of late. I have been off duty for some five
days and have spent the time mostly away from camp. This
rebellion is a most stupendous affair; none can know about it
that are not conversant with such things, or are not on the scene
of operations. We are spending millions every week. How
long Government will be enabled to go on this way is a problem
I cannot solve. All I can say is this, the Government must be
sustained or all are engulfed in one common ruin.
" If Government is not sustained, property loses its value,
the sun goes down for generations and those who come after us
will have a sorry prospect in view for home, a country and a
Government to sustain and protect them, as we have heretofore
been protected under the old flag. We have not yet made the
first point in the whole contest. Tremendous operations are
about being made by sea and land, on the Atlantic border and
in the West. The result no one knows. I do not think we are
much stronger than the South. They fight at home, we far from
home. They take from the country over which they pass what-
ever they can find that they need. We buy and pay for it. We
have to pay large sums of money, while they seem to get along
without much of any. I confess I am at a loss how to judge of
the contest, as the above are not all the things that tell against
us. There is no doubt but officers in the U. S. Regular Army
are now in pay of the Confederate government. They are
among us and we know them not. We can do nothing that
Jeff Davis does not know, even more than our most prominent
generals. We are betrayed daily. Now about England. I
think we have got to fight her or take all her insults. She is
bound to ruin this Government if possible, and now is her most
favorable time. I think she will improve it, if so all are ruined
together. If it is so to be, then none can help it. This Mason
and Slidell affair has terminated just as I expected it would, for
I thought the capture wrong. This Government went to war in
181 2 for the very thing we have in this instance been guilty of.
THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT. 93
Nevertheless England's doctrine has been such as to sustain us
in the Trent affair. Our own policy for fifty years has been in
direct contradiction to it. But a few days will elapse before
something else will turn up, from which we as a nation cannot
with honor recede, then the fight must come. These are my
opinions ; they are not worth much ; I feel that I am nobody
and am not disposed to say much anyway. Carver [L. D.] has
arrived and has been telling me about his visit home. He had
a good time and I am glad of it. He is a good fellow."
During the latter part of February, Berry's whole regiment
was frequently detailed for picket duty, and reconnaissances
were also made by detachments of that regiment. Lieutenant
Thomas B. Glover of Company B, and Hospital Steward
Charles S. McCobb, who were taken prisoners at Bull Run, now
rejoined the regiment.
About this time a temperance movement was started in
Camp Knox, and some 500 of Berry's 4th Maine arrayed them-
selves against King Alcohol. The number included many com-
missioned officers. The regiment could also boast of a club of
glee singers styled the "Berry Quartet Choir of the 4th Maine
Regiment." The music composed by S. K. Whiting was very
popular and the regiment was justly proud of his productions.
Among them were : " Memories of Home," with words by
H. G. Tibbetts of Rockland, "Ole Massa on his Trabbles Gone,"
and " Home Visions."
A cyclone visited the camp about this time and made sad
havoc with the tents and equipage. Colonel Berry's tent
suffered with the others, but being absent in command of the
picket, he experienced no inconvenience, and the men speedily
restored it to its place. The sutler's covered wagon performed
a gyration over the tent of the surgeon, Dr. Libby, damaging
it somewhat, then speeding away at random, making havoc
along its course.
January 19th, 1862, Colonel Berry writes: "The weather
here is awful, it rains most of the time and 'tis dreadfully
94 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
muddy. Can do nothing but sit in our tents, which is lonely
enough. No drill, no marches, but a steady confinement to
quarters. This weather will probably last some weeks, during
which I cannot see how we can do anything ; still there is talk of
an advance, as a simultaneous movement down the Mississippi
by Halleck, through Tennessee to the Cumberland Gap by
Buell, and an attack on the Wilmington & Weldon railroad
by Burnside, and on Norfolk by Wool, Winchester in Virginia
by Rosecrans, and lastly by McClellan to hold Beauregard in
check at Manassas, to prevent him from sending troops to
reinforce the other points which I have named. I have no
doubt but decisive events will soon take place, but I think most
of the fighting will be done West. You can look at my maps
and get the whole plan of the campaign. Buell takes posses-
sion of the railroad through Cumberland Gap, cutting off sup-
plies from Manassas from that direction. The Atlantic expedi-
tions, that line running south through Wilmington and Weldon,
tie here to dispute the passage into Maryland. Rosecrans in
the mountains of Virginia, General Dix on the eastern shore in
Accomac and Northumberland counties. When their armies are
once so placed, the supplies necessary for a large army cannot
be obtained in so small a district as he [Beauregard] will have
left, and he cannot hold out but a very short time. Such is the
plan. God grant it may prove successful."
Again he writes under date of January 22d : "I am
still hard at work building earthworks, rifle pits and breast-
works. For nine nights I have slept scarcely an hour a night.
Picket and artillery firing going on all the time within a few
hundred yards."
February 3d: "I was in Washington yesterday. The
weather is still very stormy. It has been snowing since day-
light, and is today more like home than any day thus far this
winter. The mud has been awful. We suppose in Rockland
that the mud is deeper than anywhere else, but such is not the
fact. The mud in Virginia exceeds in depth and stickiness any
LETTERS. 95
I ever saw; it will fairly draw one's boots before giving way.
Last night was cold and the ground is now frozen. This will
not last, as the sun takes off the snow by midday."
February 9th : " Today has been a good nice day,
the air very like April with us. We had our usual religious
services, morning inspection, and dress parade in the afternoon,
something new for us, as for many days it has rained or has
been so muddy we have postponed drills and military parades
in order to keep the health of the regiment good. I have no
doubt but that the next few weeks will tell on the rebellion
wonderfully. My greatest anxiety is now that Burnside may do
something handsome on the coast. If so we shall have the
rebels in Virginia in a tight place, flanked on both sides and
their communications either cut off or threatened, so no way
will be left but to evacuate their stronghold. You must remem-
ber that when once we get things moving favorably we shall
make short work, as none can tell the disaster of a retreat,
especially to soldiers fighting with a halter around their necks
as they are ; all will be equally anxious to get home and out of
the scrape. I do not think we shall have much fighting to do
on this line, as the movements are mainly in the West. The
Government does not want in any way to jeopardize Washing-
ton, as it would be followed, if taken, by an immediate recog-
nition by European powers."
February 12th: "We have the news today of the
capture of Roanoke Island by Burnside and of the taking of
some 10,000 prisoners, etc., etc. It seems that the spring cam-
paign is to be on our side. A few such victories and the power
of the rebellion is over, and the end will soon come. We are
all quite well. Have not been doing much of late as the
weather has been very bad until the last three days. We
improve every good day in military drills, and shall one of
these days be pretty good soldiers. The troops are joyous
tonight over our recent victories in Kentucky and North Caro-
lina. The campaign is working as I wrote you some days ago
96 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
it would. There is no doubt but all will go pretty well. We
have occasional reverses, but the general plan will be carried
through."
Sunday, February 17th: "This is an age of events and
notwithstanding many things connected therewith may be
unpleasant to all of us immediately connected with the great
struggle now going on, I hope and firmly believe that we will
yet thank God that we have lived to participate in the events
now transpiring among us. You will remember that I wrote a
month since giving the plan of campaign as I understood it. I
did not derive the information from any one, but will say it was
simply my own plan or what I would have done had I had the
command. I have endeavored to study the art in which I am
now engaged, and so far have hit pretty near. The next thing
that will be done will be the taking by force or otherwise of
Columbus (Kentucky), next Knoxville and Nashville. That
done we have possession of the upper line of railroad to
Manassas. Burnside will take possession of the shore or lower
railroad leading into Virginia. After that Halleck and Commo-
dore Foote will proceed down the Mississippi to New Orleans;
Hunter through Arkansas to western Texas ; Buell and Burn-
side will stretch an army across North Carolina to Tennessee.
Manassas will be cut off from supplies and the force bagged,
providing they do not retreat South into the cotton states before
the cordon of soldiers are stretched across the country. We
have no doubt about the result of the war. We shall wind up
this rebellion in ninety days. Then, with the exception of say
one-fourth of our present force to maintain order, all will go
home again. I have no doubt about the result of any battle
that may be fought hereafter."
CHAPTER XII.
BERRY A BRIGADIER-GENERAL.
President Lincoln Commissions him Brigadier-General of
Volunteers. — Joy in the 4th Maine. — Comments of the
Press. — Letter from Governor Washburn. — Presentation
of a Sword by the Sergeants of the 4th Maine. — Elegant
Silver Service from the Commissioned Officers. —
Assigned to a Brigade. — 4th Maine Moves to Hamp-
ton.— Colonel Elijah Walker Succeeds Berry in the
Command.
COLONEL BERRY'S promotion to the rank of Brigadier-
General of Volunteers was the occasion of much rejoicing.
He was commissioned as such March 20th, 1862, by Presi-
dent Lincoln, in recognition of his gallant services at Bull Run.
Commenting on this important event, the Rockland Gazette
says: "We are pleased at the promotion, not only because it
is gratifying to Colonel Berry's friends and fellow citizens, but
because we believe it an honor justly due to the merits of an
able and efficient officer."
That these sentiments were shared by the men he com-
manded in the field, is evident from the following letter, written
at the time the promotion was made known to the 4th Maine,
by a private in that regiment :
"We learned with mingled pleasure and regret of the pro-
motion of Colonel Berry to the rank of a brigadier-general.
Our pleasure was because we love to see those deserving of
merit rewarded, and those whom we admire and respect pro-
moted to that position where their talents can have full scope ;
98 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
and our regret was because when our colonel shall leave us we
shall suffer an irreparable loss. Those who have been our
companions through adverse circumstances and privations seem
dear to us ever afterwards, and therefore 'tis natural that he,
who has been at our head and looked out for our best interests
in the most careful manner ever since the regiment was first
organized, should occupy a large place in our hearts. While
other regiments about us have languished and become disgraced
by having unqualified and unworthy commanders, we have
flourished and lived through the trying ordeal occasioned by
Bull Run, and have come to such perfection in arms that army
officers who are present at inspections or parade are loud in
their commendations ; and even General Heintzelman, who
never says anything unless he means it, speaks of the 4th Maine
Regiment in the highest terms to General McDowell and the
War Department. The natural military ability of Colonel
Berry, together with the amount of knowledge of warfare which
he has acquired by studious application and practice since
coming into the service, eminently fits him for his new position,
and there is no doubt that he will always prove himself an
honor to his State. It may be some weeks before he leaves us,
and many of us, I fear, are selfish enough to hope that he may
remain with the regiment to the close of the war."
Governor Washburn of Maine, in the following note, extended
his felicitations :
State of Maine, Executive Department, \
Augusta, March 5, 1862. j
Dear General : I see by last evening's paper that the Presi-
dent has nominated you to the Senate for brigadier-general. I
rejoice that he has done so, and heartily congratulate you on your
success. It was just to you and to our honored and gallant State.
Please advise me in reference to the appointments in the 4th
Regiment made necessary in consequence of your promotion. Will
the 4th Regiment be in your brigade?
Very truly yours, I. Washburn, Jr.
Brig.-Gen'l H. G. Berry.
A BRIGADIER-GENERAL.
The sergeants of the 4th Maine showed in a substantial
way their appreciation of their commander. Immediately after
the news of the promotion of Colonel Berry was known to them
the sergeants ordered a beautiful sword to be made and for-
warded to the regiment. It arrived a few days before the 4th
Maine left Yorktown. On the day of its presentation, the
sergeants marched in a body to Colonel Walker's quarters, and
formed line in front of his tent. On each side of them were
grouped the officers and soldiers of the regiment, interested
spectators of the ceremonies then taking place. Colonel Wildes
and other gentlemen from Maine were also present. When all
was ready Sergeant H. H. Burpee advanced to the front, and
took the sword from its box. General Berry, with arms folded,
stood in the center of the open area, while Sergeant Burpee
delivered the presentation speech. At the close of his remarks
the sergeant delivered the sword to General Berry, who exam-
ined it for a moment, and then responded in substance as
follows :
" Sergeants, Soldiers and Brothers — for such you all are
to me: This is one of the happiest moments of my life. But
one year ago — and it has been a short year to me notwithstand-
ing its privations — I undertook the task of disciplining the
regiment. I myself was undrilled and I felt my own incompe-
tency, but with the assistance of the non-commissioned officers
and the faithfulness of all under my command, I have succeeded
in making this one of the best regiments in the volunteer serv-
ice. You speak of my name going down to posterity, but the
name of every man in the Potomac Army, and of the armies
of the West, will always live, and their brave deeds will shine
on the pages of history. Accept my thanks for this beautiful
sword, and I assure you that I shall always look upon it with
feelings of fond remembrance of this regiment. I hope you all
may live to return to your homes in our own Pine Tree State,
to receive the thanks of a grateful people."
This scene was a most affecting one to all present. At the
100 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
conclusion of the presentation the sergeants were marched
away to quarters.
The sword was manufactured by J. H. Caldwell & Co.,
Philadelphia ; the mountings of the hilt were of solid silver
and beautifully wrought, the blade was Damascus steel, and
flowered one-third of its length. The scabbard was of bur-
nished steel with solid silver mountings, and on a silver plate
in its center was this inscription: "Presented to Colonel H. G.
Berry, by the Sergeants of the 4th Maine Regiment."
The elegant service of silver plate presented to General
Berry by the officers of the 4th Maine was another token of the
love and esteem in which he was held by those associated with
him. It consisted of seven pieces and cost nearly $1000. The
silver bears a very fine representation of the old encampment
of the 4th Maine near Alexandria. This silver service, the
presentation sword and other keepsakes remain in possession
of General Berry's family, at their home in Brooklyn, N. Y.
On the coffee urn is the inscription which follows, the first part
of which is also upon each of the other pieces :
Presented by the
Commissioned Officers of the 4th Maine Regiment Volunteers
to
Brigadier-General H. G. Berry.
On his promotion from the Colonelcy of said Regiment.
A token of respect and regard to a faithful and gallant officer.
17th March, 1862.
We will now let General Berry give his experience : " Feb-
ruary 1 8th, 1862 — You have doubtless heard the good news ere
this, as you hear by telegraph as soon as we do. The battles
are now with our side and will be to the end, as we are as well
prepared as the enemy. Formerly, in Bull Run days, they
were better off than we were. An appeal from General
BRUSH WITH THE ENEMY'S SCOUTS. 101
McClellan for New England regiments to furnish men for gun-
boat service on the western rivers was read to my regiment. I
asked for sailors to step forward ; over two hundred responded
from whom I selected thirty, and they are now on their way to
Cairo. So you see we are alive to the good work that goes
steadily on. Expect to go out with the regiment on picket
Saturday."
Under date of February 26th, he writes from Camp Knox :
" I had [last evening] just come in from the front where I had
been three days in command of the pickets of the left wing —
over ten miles front — for my share. By order of General
Heintzelman I extended our lines, or rather advanced them
three miles nearer the enemy, but not without a brush with the
enemy's scouts, in which affair we lost ten killed and three
wounded. The posts are permanently established, and we shall
no doubt advance them again in a day or two. The loss fell on
the 39th New York Regiment, which was under my command.
The enemy's scouts attacked our lines in the front. I sent out
two hundred of my men [4th Regiment] under Major Walker
and scoured the country to the Occoquan River for miles, so
no more danger is apprehended. I have injured my right
thumb so that I cannot use my right hand, and I only write by
holding my pen between my fingers. T am well and in pretty
good spirits. I think this rebellion is badly damaged and hope
on its way to ruin. I see you have had a demonstration on the
22d inst. Am glad indeed to know the people of my city are
alive to the welfare of our country. Have just received orders
to be ready to march at a moment's notice ; baggage to be
reduced to carpet bag for officers and knapsacks for men. No
tents ; wagons of 4th Regiment for provisions only."
The following letter from General Berry throws a flood
of light on his promotion. A Democrat in politics, with-
out political friends who could be of assistance to him, pro-
motion could not be hoped for by the usual methods then
employed. By attention to duty and by valor and skill in battle
102 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
did General Berry win his star. The Government needed just
such officers to command its brigades. The high ability of
General Berry attracted the attention of his superiors and secured
for him well-deserved promotion.
Camp Knox, March 4, 1862.
I have just returned from Washington, having been summoned
there by the Vice-President [Hannibal Hamlin] relative to my pro-
motion. On my arrival I found I had already been appointed by
the President, and my name with others had been sent to the Senate
for ratification. What pleased me most and what will be the most
joyful news to you is that I was informed that I had earned my
promotion by faithful duty, and good conduct at Bull Run, and that
I was not under obligation to any one, having been the builder of
my own promotion. I came here friendless so far as influence goes,
having been a Democrat, and of course not especially in favor. I
have worked hard, and have done all in my power to serve the
Government properly. I have made them all my friends, and I
judge they are as anxious for my friendship as I am for theirs. I
also learned another fact : Mr. Hamlin informs me that my regi-
ment is considered the very best in the Army of the Potomac.
General Heintzelman said it is the best he ever saw, so I am indeed
entitled to the favorable consideration which I have obtained. I do
not know what my future will be. I know not where I may be sent,
or to what brigade I may be assigned. I learn tonight that General
Heintzelman is trying to make an arrangement by which another
brigade may be formed and placed in his division, and for me to
command it, being determined to keep me with him. I hope it is
so, for I like him much.
Am quite well. My hand is still lame, but I manage to write
more easily than a few days ago.
On the 9th of March, 1862, the entire regiment went for
three days grand guard. While performing this duty informa-
tion was received of the retreat of the entire Confederate army,
and General Berry was the first to telegraph this fact to General
McClellan.
FIRST TO REPORT ENEMY'S MOVEMENTS. 103
Headquarters 4.TH Maine Vols., j
March 13, 1862. j
I have just received orders to have my regiment ready to move
at a moment's notice. We go to Fortress Monroe. I shall stay with
the regiment until my nomination is confirmed by the Senate, which
will be in a few days, after which my movements are uncertain.
General Heintzelman will probably keep me with him, but I am
not positive how it will be. I was commander of the outposts when
the enemy left, and was first to give the intelligence to General
McClellan of the enemy's movements, and got much credit for it. I
ascended in a balloon at 12 o'clock at night, 2,000 feet, and took
sketches of what was going on, and then descended and sent my
regiment to the front and captured some of the enemy, and took
inhabitants, and got the whole thing so the Army of the Potomac
moved the next morning at four o'clock. We have telegraph stations
along our picket lines communicating with headquarters, so one can
work pretty quickly. I am sorry to go farther from home, but I
feel that the campaign will be a short one. I shall have to work all
night."
Some little time elapsed before General Berry was assigned
to the command of a brigade, and while awaiting orders he
remained in charge of the 4th Maine.
March 17th, the regiment broke camp and marched to
Alexandria where they embarked on transports for Fortress
Monroe. Soon after their arrival at this place, the Fourth went
into camp at Hampton, pitching their tents in a delightful spot.
Before his assignment to his brigade, General Berry wrote
as follows :
Headquarters near Fortress Monroe, \
March 23, 1862. j
We are now encamped on the ground with rubber blankets
only. I have a small tent for Walker [Elijah Walker] and myself.
It has rained very hard for a number of days, so we have been
rather uncomfortable. I am not yet assigned to a brigade. I expect
to be in a day or two. Whatever success I have had here I have
worked hard for, more so than almost any man I know of. I have
104 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
tried to do my duty to my country, my friends, my family and
myself. I do not wish to saci'ifice my standing as a man, nor have
I, in my opinion. My promotion was obtained not by political
favor.
Now one word about my political sentiments. Glad indeed am
I that I never did anything toward bringing this trouble on the
country. I am more glad probably than I should be if at home, for
here I see the full effects of war, ruin stares you in the face every-
where. Some may say they brought it on themselves ; so they have,
in part, but are we not one people? Are we not fighting to continue
to be one people? And does not this ruin affect all? Certainly it
is with nations as with families, and civil war is the same to a nation
as trouble in a family. What affects one part affects the whole. As
to my sentiments, I do not know as they have changed, except that
change is continually going on with one as experience may dictate.
I am a Democrat still. I am not, however, a Southern Democrat.
If I were I should not be here, for I find Democracy here nothing
less than aristocracy, to make the rich richer and the poor poorer.
I shall try hard to continue with General Heintzelman. I do
not think he will consent for me to go from him, anyhow. He is a
good general and my friend. I have always been under him and
feel great confidence in the man. I enclose you his photograph, the
only one I have, and that was given me by the general himself.
The order assigning Brigadier-General Berry to the com-
mand of a brigade having arrived, that officer took leave of the
regiment in the following order :
Hdqrs. 4TH Maine Regiment Vols., i
Camp near Hampton, Va., >
March 25, 1862. j
Having been ordered by the War Department to report for
orders to Major-General McClellan, Commander of the Army of the
Potomac, it becomes my duty now to take my official leave of this
regiment.
I part with the officers and men composing this command with
very much regret. My intercourse with all has been of the most
pleasant nature. My friendship for officers and men alike is one of
Colonel Elijah Walker
( A war-time photograph. )
TAKES LEAVE OF THE FOURTH MAINE. 105
the strongest ever formed by me. I have every reason to believe
that it is more than reciprocated by this entire command. I can
only say, mav it continue. I shall watch with great interest your
future, and, judging by the past, I feel assured the 4th Maine will
stand second to none during the period of its service. I shall be
ever ready to assist whenever and wherever my poor service may
avail you. When the time arrives and you are brought face to the
foe, remember you carry with you your own reputation and that of
your State. Strike, then, with a will, for vour country, your God
and the right.
If, in the discharge of my duty, I have in any way wounded
the feelings of an}', I beg of them to forget. None are perfect and
very few have more imperfections than myself.
The duties I have had in organizing, disciplining and drilling
a new regiment have not been light. I hope I may have done the
service assigned me by His Excellency, the Governor of Maine,
passing well ; at any rate, I feel that I have endeavored to do my
duty by you all, by my State and by my country. God bless you all.
General Berry was succeeded in the command of the 4th
Maine by Colonel Elijah Walker, one of the bravest men who
ever wore a shoulder strap or drew a sword. Under his com-
mand the 4th Maine sustained its reputation as a fighting
regiment throughout the war, and rendered conspicuous service
in the important battles in which the Army of the Potomac was
engaged up to the time when the regiment was mustered out of
service July 19th, 1864.
CHAPTER XIII.
ASSIGNED TO THE "MICHIGAN" BRIGADE.
The Regiments of the Brigade. — Splendid Troops. — General
Berry's Staff Officers. — Incident Relating to Berry's
Assignment by General McClellan. — His Modesty as
Told by Captain Earle. — Plan of Peninsula Campaign.
— Army of the Potomac Moved to Fortress Monroe. —
The Advance. — Siege of Yorktown. — Berry Active and
Efficient during the Siege. — Pleased with his New Com-
mand.— Inspires the Confidence of his Men. — Sharp
Skirmishing with the Enemy. — Berry's Letters Home.
BRIGADIER-GENERAL BERRY, as we must now call
him, was assigned to the command of the 3d Brigade of
Hamilton's Division of the 3d Army Corps. His division
commander was Brigadier-General Charles S. Hamilton, who
was afterwards succeeded by Brigadier-General Philip Kearny,
" the bravest of the brave." The other brigade commanders
of Hamilton's Division were Brigadier-General C. D. Jameson,
formerly colonel of the 2d Maine, who died in the service
November 6th, 1862, and Brigadier-General David B. Birney of
Philadelphia, who afterwards became conspicuous as a division
commander in the Army of the Potomac. They commanded
the 1st and 2d Brigades respectively. The 4th Maine was in
Birney's brigade.
Berry's brigade consisted of four regiments: the 2d Michi-
gan,Colonel Orlando M. Poe, commanding ; 3d Michigan, Colonel
Stephen C. Champlin, commanding; 5th Michigan, Colonel
HIS STAFF. in,
H. G. Terry, commanding; and the 37th New York, Colonel
S. B. Hayman, commanding.
General Berry was fortunate in his assignment to this
brigade. His regiments were ably commanded and well disci-
plined, and as an officer of the 4th Maine remarked to the
writer, they were always ready to go into a fight and never
knew when they were beaten. Patriotic, courageous and
intrepid, these Michigan and New York troops under the lead
of General Bern- rendered signal service for the cause of the
Union in the Peninsula campaign, and made their title,
"Berry's Brigade," a synonym of honor and glory.
General Berry's staff consisted of Captain Edwin M. Smith,
4th Maine, assistant adjutant-general; Captain James H. Tall-
man, 3d Maine, quartermaster; Captain Edward S. Earle,
commissary; Lieutenants VVm. N. Ladue, 5th Michigan, and
Henry H. Sturgis, aides-de-camp. The day General Berry
assumed command of his brigade he received orders to march
from Hampton the next morning, and notwithstanding the very
short time allowed for preparation (about eight hours) moved
his command with his accustomed punctuality at the appointed
time in the direction of Yorktown.
The following story in connection with the assignment
of Brigadier-General Berry to the command of the Michigan
brigade is worthy of preservation. This brigade had formerly
been commanded by General I. B. Richardson, an officer of
the regular army. General Heintzelman was anxious to have
General Berry command this brigade, and he made personal
application to General McClellan to have Berry assigned to it.
McClellan said : " No ; I am reserving that brigade for an
officer of the regular army. You already have two volunteer
generals [Jameson and Birney] in command of your other
brigades, and I want a regular officer for the Third." But
Heintzelman persisted, and seeing his earnestness, General
McClellan finally said : " Send General Berry to my quarters
and let me look him over." Accordingly General Berry repaired
108 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
to the quarters of General McClellan, and ten minutes after-
wards returned to the camp of the 4th Maine, bearing in his
pocket the order assigning him to the command of the
3d Brigade.
The following incident related by Captain James D. Earle
of Berry's staff, illustrates the modesty that was ever the chief
characteristic of the general : " I distinctly remember the first
time I saw him. Our brigade commander had been promoted
and it was rumored that Colonel Berry of the 4th Maine Infantry
had been made a brigadier and was to be our commander.
I was sitting before my tent just at dusk, when an officer rode
up with but a single orderly and asked, ' Is this the head-
quarters of the 3d Brigade?' Answering in the affirmative and
recognizing the tone and manner of an officer, it flashed over
me at once that this was our new brigade commander. I then
asked, ' Is not this General Berry?' His reply impressed me.
'Yes; I suppose so,' he said modestly. 'Colonel sounds more
natural to me, but I believe I am General, now.' This was
my first acquaintance with what proved to be the uniform
characteristic modesty of the man. That night he shared
my tent, and for many an hour he plied me with questions
as to the command, and then, tired out, it was all I could
do to induce him to take the only cot in the tent. The next
morning he called for his horse and asked me to ride with him
and introduce him to the regimental commanders. During the
ride he spoke of his staff, merely saying, ' I intend having one
or two of my Maine boys with me.' Naturally upon a change
of general officers I expected to be relieved, and you may
imagine my astonishment when the announcement of the staff
was made by the adjutant-general, to find myself a member
of his military family, and most pleasantly situated."
The Army of the Potomac under General McClellan had a
difficult task before it. Its first duty was to protect Washington,
which was unfortunately situated near the Confederate army,
a tempting bait as a point of attack, and could either be
PLANS FOR THE CAPTURE OF RICHMOND. 109
approached by way of Manassas or the Shenandoah Valley.
It was also the duty of the Army of the Potomac to take Rich-
mond. The nature of the country between Richmond and the
Potomac is such as to make the passage across it of an invad-
ing army very difficult. Several rivers traverse the country, all
having a general southeasterly course and serving as natural
barriers, which can be successfully defended against vastly
superior numbers by a resolute force well commanded. Indeed
for four long years did the Potomac Army attempt to
force these barriers, but the army under Lee kept it at bay
until Grant overwhelmed the defenders and forced them to
surrender.
There were several ways by which Richmond might be
attacked from Washington. The Army of the Potomac might
march directly against Johnston who was encamped at Bull Run,
or it might move down the east bank of the Potomac through
Maryland, crossing the river at Fredericksburg and marching
directly on Richmond by the road leading from that city to
Richmond. General McClellan desired to move the greater
part of the army to Urbana on the Rappahannock River, leaving
a sufficient force to defend Washington. He claimed that this
was the best route to Richmond, and if occupied by the Potomac
Army, would force Johnston to leave his position at Bull Run
in order to prevent the United States forces from getting
between him and Richmond. The President, however, did not
regard this plan with favor, fearing that the withdrawal of the
Army of the Potomac from the vicinity of Washington would
endanger the safety of the capital.
General McClellan made a written statement to the Presi-
dent, giving at length his reasons why the proposed movement
against Johnston was not so good as the one suggested by him.
This statement of General McClellan seemed to convince the
President that that officer's plan was the better one, and he at
once ordered the Secretary of War to gather transports to convey
the army to the Rappahannock. However, Mr. Lincoln appears
110 MAJOR-GEKERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
to have been not altogether satisfied that the plan of General
McClellan was a safe one, for he asked that officer to submit
the two plans to a council of the principal officers of the army,
which was done, and General McClellan's plan was approved by
eight out of the twelve generals present.
Before this plan could be carried out, Johnston suddenly
evacuated Manassas and Bull Run for a position below the
Rappahannock, where he would be better able to oppose the
Union army should it attack by way of Fredericksburg or the
Rappahannock. This led to another change in the plan of
attack, and it was now determined to transport the army to
Fortress Monroe, and to advance on Richmond by way of the
" Peninsula," the long isthmus between the York and James
Rivers. Hamilton's division, of which Berry's brigade formed
a part, was the first to move to Fortress Monroe, and was
followed by the division of General Fitz John Porter. These
divisions were placed in position on roads leading to Newport
News and to Yorktown. For lack of transportation the troops
were slow in arriving at Fortress Monroe.
However, on the 4th of April the forward movement began
in two columns commanded by Heintzelman and Keyes, the
former advancing directly on Yorktown. Reconnaissances made
under fire determined that the Warwick River, which has its
source near Yorktown, was controlled by the Confederate gun-
boats for some distance from its mouth on the James River ;
that its fords had been destroyed by dams, the approaches to
which were generally through dense forests and deep swamps,
and defended by extensive and formidable works ; that timber
felled for defensive purposes and the flooding of the roads
caused by the dams, had made these works apparently inacces-
sible and impossible to turn; that Yorktown was strongly
fortified, armed and garrisoned and connected with the defenses
of the Warwick by forts and intrenchments, the ground in front
of which was swept by the guns of Yorktown. It was also
ascertained that the garrisons had been and were daily being
YORKTOWN. Ill
reinforced by troops from Norfolk and the army under General
J. E. Johnston. (See McClellan's report.)
The columns of Heintzelman and Keyes advanced from
ten to twelve miles and bivouacked. Although the enemy was
in sight, serious resistance was not offered to the advance of
these columns, and on the following morning the forward
movement was continued. General Heintzelman was to advance
with the 3d Corps and halt two and three-fourths miles from
Yorktown, while Keyes was to continue by way of Warwick
Court House to an old landmark known as the " Halfway
House," between Yorktown and Williamsburg, and was to
occupy and hold the narrow dividing ridge near the " Halfway
House," so as to prevent the escape of the garrison at York-
town by land, and prevent reinforcements from being thrown
in. Keyes was unable to carry out these instructions in detail.
The rain had been falling in torrents all the morning making
the roads almost impassable for artillery, and it was not until
about noon that the advance under Keyes struck the enemy's
skirmishers.
The enemy interposed a determined front to Keyes at Lee's
Mills, and finding the march thus seriously obstructed, he
encamped for the night. Heintzelman's advance was also
stopped, being upon Yorktown itself, and was therefore
expected. McClellan had therefore failed to occupy the posi-
tions contemplated in his forward movement of the 5th, and it
was at this point that the delay of one month at Yorktown
began.
Yorktown was the base of operations of the Confederates,
with outposts thrown out several miles in advance. As early
as March 1st, 1862, three defensive lines across the Peninsula
from Williamsburg down to Fortress Monroe had been laid out
and partially completed by the Confederate General J. Bank-
head Magruder. His real line of defense was at the front,
seven miles below Yorktown, at a point between Howard's and
Young's Mills, where the setting back of the Poquoson River
112 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
from the York and the mouths of the Warwick and Deep
Creek, on the James, contracted the intervening solid ground to
the short distance of three miles. In describing his position
here, Magruder says :
" Both flanks of this line were defended by boggy and
difficult streams and swamps. In addition, the left flank was
defended by elaborate fortifications at Ship Point, connected by
a broken line of redoubts crossing the heads of the various
ravines emptying into York River and Wormley's Creek, and
terminating at Fort Grafton, nearly in front of Yorktown. The
right flank was defended by the fortifications at the mouth of
the Warwick River and at Mulberry Island Point, and the
redoubts extending from the Warwick to James River. Inter-
vening between the two mills was a wooded country, about two
miles in extent. This wooded line forming the center, needed
the defense of infantry in a sufficient force to prevent any
attempt on the part of the enemy to break through it. In
my opinion this advanced line with its flank defenses might
have been held by 20,000 troops."
These works were pronounced by General Barnard, chief
engineer of the Potomac Army, too strong to be carried by
assault. General McClellan therefore decided to lay regular
siege to them. For nearly a month the troops toiled, building
batteries and redoubts, and digging trenches. Many were dis-
abled by sickness, and the continual fire which was kept up by
the enemy rendered the situation of the working details dan-
gerous. Preparations were made to open fire on Yorktown on
May 6th, but the rebel General Johnston, who had now assumed
command of the opposing forces, frustrated this plan. Learn-
ing that General McClellan was mounting heavy rifled guns to
bombard his works, and having only old-fashioned smooth-bore
guns to defend them, he evacuated Yorktown on the night of
May 3d, the United States troops entering the next morning.
During the siege of Yorktown, General Berry was very
often called upon to move his command to the extreme front,
LETTERS. 113
either to act as working parties, or to support them and the
batteries on outpost duty ; and it was at this place that he won
the confidence and respect of his superior officers and of his
entire command, which continued to increase during his service
with them. It was here that he also won that high reputation for
valor which on many occasions afterward was so conspicuously
displayed. General Berry writes :
Headquarters Berry's Brigade,
Hamilton's Division,
Near Yorktown, Va.
I was assigned to this brigade on Thursday night and assumed
duty next morning. I am under General Heintzelman as usual, he
having been promoted to chief of our Army Corps. Hamilton
commands his old division, and I the brigade formerly commanded
by General Richardson. It is composed of three Michigan and one
New York regiments. It is one of the largest and best brigades in
the army. I had my choice and chose this one, and was placed in
command of it immediately. We are now before Yorktown in
immense strength. The enemy are strong. We have a fleet of
gunboats co-operating with the land forces. Some fighting has
taken place between the artillery forces. I am well located. The
brigade is perfectly satisfied and so am I. I hope all will go
smoothly and well. I think we shall close this campaign in Vir-
ginia very soon. McClellan is with us. McDowell is on the
Potomac line, advancing on the enemy's front, and we are attacking
their right flank. In a few days you will hear of stirring events.
Headquarters Berry's Brigade, )
April 12, 1862. j
I am now located with my brigade in front of Yorktown. We
came in here a week ago, since which time we have had an occa-
sional shell, and also some picket shooting going on most of the
time. Nothing of moment has transpired. We are getting ready
for a siege and an assault. They are doubtless prepared for a vig-
orous defense. I think this battle will in a great measure decide
the contest. I have a fine command and am pleased with the
officers. They are, I think, pleased with me, and I see no reason
114 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
why I may not be as well located as I could wish. The old regi-
ment [4th Maine] is near by me; all quite well, and in good spirits.
I hope they will continue to prosper and have no doubt they will,
as Walker [Colonel Elijah Walker] will strain every nerve to keep
the command up to its good condition.
My health is first-rate. I have the full confidence of Generals
Hamilton and Heintzelman. They have both been to see me today.
I never appreciated home as I shall hereafter. My way of living
here is not that which any one would court ; sometimes we eat, and
some days we eat not at all. We sleep on the ground, but all are
cheerful. In has rained three days at a time, during which we were
all drenched to the skin, but all feel willing to go through anything
to assist in closing this cursed war.
April 20, 1862.
I received a letter yesterday from Governor Washburn that
was just thirty days on the way. I am quite well, have a tent to
sleep in and my cares are not half what they were in the regiment.
I now have some one (all the colonels) between me and the men,
so all I have to do is to give orders ; it is the colonel's duty to
see them executed, and all the care of men, clothing, provisions,
drill, etc., etc., I get rid of, except simply to see that the proper
officers attend to it. I therefore shall be less likely to get sick
in consequence of severe duties. We are still before Yorktown and
hard at work, building roads, getting up siege guns, establishing
pickets and doing all that is to be done preparatory to a siege. This
place is strongly fortified, still I have no doubt of our ultimate suc-
cess. It may be weeks before we accomplish the task before us,
still it will be done. The war in the Southwest is rapidly drawing
to a close ; another fight and victory will end the battles there. A
victory here will do the same and will end all the hard fighting here.
I think by July 1st the rebellion will be about played out. The loss of
Johnson [Albert Sidney] is great to the rebels. His place cannot be
filled. I do not think a hard battle will be fought here, but think the
strategy of our plans when developed will cause an evacuation of this
place. The outpost duty here is arduous ; we have heavy guards and
they are commanded by generals, who go out by turns and stay twenty-
four hours. We have some fighting. I was out on Wednesday last and
FALL OF NEW ORLEANS. 1 1 5
had quite a time; had twelve pieces of artillery and shelled the rebel
troops twelve hours. My men were covered and the enemy the same.
Our loss, one killed and one wounded. The enemy lost as near as
we could judge some forty killed and wounded. Our gunners fire
with fearful accuracy.
April 27, 1862.
Mr. Farwell is now here and has been staying with me for
the past three days. I am well yet, although we are having a very
hard time. We are encamped in a swamp and work day ami night.
I like my brigade very much, and hope to get along pretty well. We
are all doing our best to carry out the plans of the general-in-chief
and feel confident that we shall succeed in our efforts against the
enemy. We are now at work preparing for active operations. If
we are successful at Yorktown, it seems to me, and also to all, to be
the last stand the enemy can make in Virginia. Halleck will finish
Beauregard at Corinth, and the news has just arrived of the fall of
New Orleans.
CHAPTER XIV.
BATTLE OF WILLIAMSBURG.
Versatility of Volunteers. — Confederates Evacuate York-
town. — Slow Pursuit of the Retreating Confederates. —
Hooker Opens the Battle. — Fort Magruder. — Long-
street's Vigorous Attack. — Hooker's Perilous Position. —
Berry Hastens to the Rescue. — Pushes Past Lagging
Columns. -Heintzelman Weeps for Joy. — Orders Bands
to Play. — Berry Gallantly Charges the Enemy. — Poe's
2d Michigan. — The "Fighting" 5th Michigan. — 37th
New York. — Colonel Terry Wounded. — Berry Saves
Hooker from Defeat.
AT the siege of Yorktown, General Berry furnished an illus-
tration of the versatility of the character of volunteers.
With the men of his brigade he repaired and put in oper-
ation two steam saw-mills, nearly destroyed and abandoned by
the Confederates, took beef cattle from the cars which supplied
the army, extemporized yokes and bows and wheels, hauled
timber from the forests, and sawed many thousand feet of lum-
ber, accomplishing all within twenty-four hours. These mills
furnished nearly all the lumber used in the fortifications built
in the siege of Yorktown.
The evacuation of Yorktown by the Confederates was a
surprise to General McClellan, who had made preparation for a
long stay in camp, hence the troops were slow in starting in
pursuit. Several hours were consumed in supplying the troops
with rations for the march, and although the retreat of the
WILLIAMSBURG. 117
Confederates was discovered at dawn, the infantry and cavalry
did not start in pursuit until noon.
That it was the purpose of the enemy to delay as much as
possible the advance of McClellan up the Peninsula is apparent,
but it was never their intention to hold Yorktown longer than
was necessary for this purpose. They had held the Union army
before the intrenchments of Yorktown for a month, and effected
their escape before serious injury could be inflicted upon them.
The Confederate General Johnston says:
" It seemed to me that there were but two objects in
remaining on the Peninsula — the possibility of an advance upon
us by the enemy, and in gaining time in which arms might be
received and troops organized. I determined, therefore, to
hold the position as long as it could be done without exposing
our troops to the fire of the powerful artillery, which, I doubted
not, would be brought to bear upon them. I believed that
after silencing our batteries on the York River, the enemy
would attempt to turn us by moving up to West Point by water.
* * * * Circumstances indicating that the enemy's batteries
were nearly ready, I directed the troops to move toward
Williamsburg on the night of the 3d."
Having fairly got started in pursuit, the Union troops were
pushed forward with vigor. The troops detailed for the pursu-
ing force were Stoneman's cavalry, which was to be supported
by the divisions of Hooker of the 3d Corps, and Smith of the
4th Corps, Hooker taking the direct and shorter road on the right
from Yorktown to Williamsburg and Smith filing from his posi-
tion opposite Dam No. 1 into the Lee's Mills road on the left.
Kearny was to follow Hooker, and the divisions of Couch and
Casey were to follow Smith. The divisions of Sedgwick and
Richardson of Sumner's Corps were set in motion late on the
following day, while Franklin and Porter were to go up the river
in transports.
General McClellan did not go in person with the pursuing
columns, but left the command to General Sumner, the next
118 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
officer in rank. He regarded the advance of Franklin by water
as of more importance, and remained behind to superintend it.
General Kearny, who had now succeeded to the command
of the division of which Berry's brigade formed a part, did not
move in pursuit of the enemy until 9 o'clock on the morning
of the 5th of May. Between the divisions of Hooker and
Kearny was Sumner's corps. After daylight of the 5th the rain
fell in torrents, making the roads almost impassable, and the
progress of the troops was therefore slow. The different com-
mands also became intermingled, and the state of affairs between
the divisions of Kearny and Hooker, who had the advance of
the infantry, was decidedly mixed. Heintzelman and Sumner
were both ordered by McClellan to assume command at the
front, a fact which did not improve the complicated condition of
affairs.
Smith's division was moving on a road parallel with Hooker,
and was making greater progress, when he was stopped at the
head of Skiff Creek by the burning of the bridge. Acting
under orders from Sumner, Smith turned from the right and
entered the road Hooker was following, thus compelling the
latter to halt for over three hours.
As Hooker now could not act as the immediate support of
the cavalry, he asked permission of his corps commander, Gen-
eral Heintzelman, to cross over to the road Smith had left and
to pursue or attack from that direction. This request was
readily granted, and after advancing three miles, Hooker's
division made the change to the other road.
Hancock's brigade of Smith's division came up with the
cavalry about half-past five in the afternoon. Sumner deter-
mined to attack the enemy at once and Smith formed his
division in line of battle, but being unable to preserve his
formations in the increasing darkness and tangled undergrowth,
the troops bivouacked for the night without making the attack.
Hooker continued his march until eleven o'clock at night,
when he halted within attacking distance of the enemy.
THE BATTLE. 110
The following morning the battle of Williamsburg opened.
General Alex. S. Webb, in his work on the Peninsula campaign,
says it was "a battle without a plan, with inadequate numbers,
and at a serious sacrifice without compensating results. The
responsibility has been laid by some upon the shoulders of
McClellan because of his absence from the field ; and by others
upon Sumner, who seems to have directed the movements of
the day without method. Whatever may have prev*
McClellan's presence with the advance, one might at least
expect that his senior corps commander should have been com-
petent to fight a battle of moderate proportion^."
At 7.30 o'clock the next morning Hooker began the attack
by throwing forward his skirmishers. In his official report of
this affair Hooker says : "Being in pursuit of a retreating army
I deemed it my duty to lose no time in making the disposition
of my forces to attack, regardless of their number and position,
except to accomplish the result with the least possible sacrifice
of life. By so doing, my division, if it did not capture the
army before me, would at least hold them, in order that others
might. Besides, I knew of the presence of more than 30,000
troops not two miles distant from me, and that within twelve
miles — four hours march — was the bulk of the Army of the
Potomac."
In Hooker's immediate front at the junction of the York-
town and Hampton roads was Fort Magruder, and on each side
was a cordon of redoubts, thirteen in number, extending entirely
across the Peninsula, the right and left of them resting on the
waters of the York and James Rivers. Approaching them from
the south they were concealed by a dense forest until within less
than a mile of their locality. Where the forest trees had been
standing nearer than this distance, the trees had been felled in
order that the defenders of the redoubts might have timely
notice of the approach of an enemy. In this manner the trees
had been felled on both sides of the road on which Hooker had
advanced, for a breadth of almost half a mile. This had also
120 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
been done on the Yorktown road, giving the enemy an unob-
structed view of the approaches of Fort Magruder and the
redoubts, and affording them every opportunity to use their
artillery upon columns attacking by these roads. Between the
edge of the felled timber and the fort was a belt of clear arable
land, 600 or 700 yards in width, which was dotted all over with
rifle pits. The redoubts themselves were advantageously located
near the eastern and southern verge of a slightly elevated plain,
the slopes of which were furrowed with winding ravines, with
an almost boundless and gently undulating plain reaching across
the Peninsula and extending to the north and west as far as the
eye could reach. Two miles distant could be seen the spires of
Williamsburg. Fort Magruder was the largest of the redoubts,
its crest measuring half a mile, with substantial parapets, ditches
and magazines. It was located to command the Yorktown and
Hampton roads, while the redoubts in its vicinity commanded
the ravines which the guns of Fort Magruder could not sweep.
The skirmishers thrown out by Hooker advanced into the
felled timber to the left and right of the road by which he had
advanced. Grover's brigade was soon engaged, and Webber's
and Bramhall's batteries were brought into action on the right,
some 700 yards from Fort Magruder. By nine o'clock the fort
was silenced and all the enemy's troops in sight on the plain
dispersed. Two regiments that had been directed by Hooker
to open communication with Sumner on the Yorktown road
found no enemy in the roads between the two commands, and
this being reported to Hooker, he now fek that he was not fight-
ing in an isolated position, but on the right of a general line
which could be l<ept connected under the control of his
superior.
The close pursuit by the Union cavalry the previous after-
noon and Hooker's attack early the next morning had halted
the rear divisions of the enemy in their retreat. Longstreet
was the Confederate commander at Williamsburg on the 5th,
and he speedily put his entire division into action, to resist
Brevet Major-General Davis Tillson,
Formerly Drill .Master, Rockland Citv Guards.
hooker's perilous situation. 121
Hooker's attack. As brigade after brigade of Confederate
troops went into action, it increased in intensity, and at eleven
o'clock Hooker found himself warmly engaged. The right and
left of the enemy's line of battle was formed by the brigades
of R. H. Anderson and Pryor. Wilcox reinforced Anderson,
with A. P. Hill in supporting distance, and at ten o'clock
Pickett's brigade was also added. Longstreet directed this force
against Hooker's center and left, and endeavored to turn his
position. This attack was made with vigor and fell heaviest on
Patterson's New Jersey brigade, who fought manfully against
superior numbers. Grover promptly sent part of his brigade to
Patterson's support, but so fierce was the enemy's attack and so
overwhelming their numbers that Patterson was driven back
and the batteries of Webber and Bramhall were captured.
Bramhall's battery was recovered later in the day.
Hooker was now in a perilous situation. At twenty
minutes past eleven he sent the following note to General
Heintzelman, his corps commander: " I have had a hard con-
test all the morning, but do not despair of success. My men
are hard at work, but a good deal exhausted. It is reported to
me that my communication with you by the Yorktown road is
clear of the enemy. Batteries, cavalry and infantry can take
post by the side of mine to whip the enemy." This note was
delivered to General Sumner, who was in command, who
returned the note with the endorsement, " opened and read."
Just before that he had sent word to Kearny to hurry to
Hooker's support.
From seven in the morning till twelve, Hooker had been
left to do all the fighting, being attacked by overwhelming
numbers commanded by the best generals the Confederate
army possessed.
During the fight of the morning the brigade of Brigadier-
General Berry, as the leading brigade of Kearny's division, was
pushing on toward the front. When within seven miles of the
battlefield he heard the cannonading, and became convinced
122 MAJOR-GEISTERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
from the direction of the sound that Hooker was engaged. He
hurried on his brigade and when within five miles of the front
overtook Sumner's troops entirely blocking the road which had
now become a "sea of mud." Enquiring what troops were
engaged he was told by an officer of Sumner's staff that they
were Hooker's. His quick military instinct told him that the
brave officer was in peril. His orders would seem to require
him to keep in the line of march, and before him was an entire
division filling the road. He determined it would be safe to
depart from instructions, if that would take him toward the
enemy in battle, to the rescue of a brave division. It was rain-
ing hard, but keeping along his artillery and ammunition train,
and taking the side of the road with his troops, he pushed his
brigade past the troops before him, amidst the imprecations
and threats of those who were jostled by his unceremonious
haste. After a mile and a half of this kind of marching he
reached a by-road leading to the left in the direction of the
firing. Taking this road, instead of that pursued by the other
troops, he pushed on until the road seemed to lead him too far
to the left. Ordering his men to lay aside their knapsacks and
everything cumbersome, he permitted them to rest for a few
moments, then leaving the road he shaped his course through
fields and forests, over morasses and ravines, toward the fight.
He reached Hooker at a very critical moment. Hooker's
unflinching ranks had stood from early morning till three o'clock
in the afternoon. But one brigade had begun to give way,
having exhausted their ammunition. They had been rallied,
and now the troops of Hooker's division " were maintaining
their ground with empty guns and not a cartridge in their
boxes, relying upon their bayonets." At this moment General
Berry came upon the field with his brigade. General Heintzel-
man was there, having hastened to the front. He had seen
how nearly the day was lost, and when Berry with his fresh
troops appeared, the old hero fairly cried with joy. He
ordered the bands to play a patriotic air, and Berry's men,
ARRIVAL AT THE FRONT. 123
answering with a cheer, deployed at double-quick and poured
volley after volley into the masses of the enemy, recapturing
lost artillery, taking rifle pits and a large number of prisoners.
General Berry arrived on the battlefield at 2.30 o'clock
P. M., and under the direction of General Kearny at once put
his command in action. The 5th Michigan, Colonel Terry,
took the left of the road in the timber, supported on the left
by the 37th New York, Colonel Hayman. General Berry
formed these regiments in loose order, the left extending far
into the timber for the purpose of outflanking the enemy on
that side. One company was placed in the rear of the extreme
left as a support. The 2d Michigan, Colonel O. M. Poe, was
placed part on either side of the road.
As soon as these formations had been made, General Berry
gave the order to charge, and the troops pressed forward, wildly
cheering, and sweeping everything before them. The other
regiment belonging to Berry's brigade, the 3d Michigan, was
detached to act as a reserve and support on the left, and was
not engaged.
On receiving the order to attack from General Berry, Poe's
2d Michigan promptly made its formation and went into action
in splendid style. Two companies deployed as skirmishers
on the right of a battery, which had then ceased firing. At
the same time two of the companies on the left of the regi-
mental line also deployed as skirmishers, the road thus dividing
the line equally. The remaining six companies were held in
reserve. These skirmishers were soon hotly engaged, and the
line was strengthened an hour later by two companies, that
were thrown to the right and left in support. A sharp fire was
maintained until about 5.30 P. M., when the remaining four
companies went forward to relieve those who had been engaged,
and whose ammunition had become nearly exhausted. Placing
the regiment in position, Colonel Poe was ordered to maintain
his ground at all hazards, which he did most gallantly, the right
wing being under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Williams,
124 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
and the left under Major Dillman. During the desperate con-
flict in which this regiment was engaged many acts of individual
bravery were performed. The ground over which the regiment
advanced was so broken, that the fight resolved itself into per-
sonal encounters in which the courage of the men was severely
tested. Both officers and men acquitted themselves most
gallantly and did their part in snatching victory from the jaws
of defeat.
The 5th Michigan, Colonel Terry, went into action about
2.30 o'clock, deploying in line of battle in the woods to the left
of the road leading to Williamsburg, the right resting on the
road. In the front the enemy appeared in strong force, pre-
ceded by a cloud of skirmishers. Having made its formation
in line of battle, the Fifth moved forward under a severe fire.
A charge was now ordered and the men sprang forward,
sweeping everything before them, but the enemy soon rallied
and poured murderous volleys into the ranks of the Fifth.
Again the Fifth charged, wildly cheering, and compelling the
enemy to seek shelter in a rifle pit in the edge of the woods,
where a determined stand was made. Here the fighting became
most desperate. The enemy maintained their position with
dogged determination and their fire was severely felt in the
thinned ranks of the gallant Fifth. They must be driven out of
their sheltered position, or the Fifth must yield the ground so
dearly bought. " Charge ! charge ! " and making the welkin
ring with their shouts the long line of bristling steel pressed
forward on the run. In vain did the enemy pour in a deadly
fire, leaving wrde gaps in the advancing line after each discharge.
No human power could stop that impetuous charge. Over the
rifle pits swarmed the men of the Fifth and the day was theirs.
The enemy fled in confusion, leaving them in possession of the
rifle pits. During this engagement Colonel Terry was wounded
but gallantly remained on the field until the battle was over.
The 37th New York, Colonel Hayman, formed its line of
battle on the left of the 5th Michigan and shared with that
THE THIRTY-SEVENTH NEW YORK IN ACTION. 125
regiment the dangers and glory of the contest. On completing
its formation, Company B deployed as skirmishers to pro-
tect the regimental left flank. The enemy soon opened a
murderous fire on the Thirty-Seventh, which was returned with
spirit for about an hour, when Colonel Hayman ordered it to
cease, to avoid an unnecessary loss of ammunition. A scout
was sent to the front to observe the movements of the enemy,
who were concealed by the thick undergrowth. He soon
returned and reported the enemy moving to the left This
report was confirmed by their fire, which was delivered in front
and on the left flank of the regiment. To meet this movement,
the whole regiment was now moved some distance to the left
and six companies deployed in extended order at right angles
to the previous position of the regiment. The enemy now
made a determined effort to break through the line of these six
companies and for more than an hour they maintained a desper-
ate conflict, which resulted in the enemy being driven out of
the woods. In the meantime the companies on the right were
doing their part and were sweeping all before them in their
irresistible attack. In their retreat the enemy carried off
most of their wounded, but a large number of the dead and
some of the wounded were left, and three parties of the enemy
sent to gather up the dead were captured by the pickets of the
Thirty-Seventh during the night.
After the enemy had retired, eight companies of the
Thirty-Seventh were deployed as skirmishers to the left as far
as the plain in front of Williamsburg. General Berry detached
the other two companies to man and defend the artillery that
had been abandoned earlier in the day. This regiment suffered
severely and acquitted itself most gallantly. Colonel Hayman
superintended the fighting of his command in a cool and quiet
manner that inspired officers and men with confidence and
determination.
CHAPTER XV.
HERO OF WILLIAMSBURG.
What General Heintzelman Says of Berry. — The New York
Herald's Tribute.— What the New York Tribune Says.
— General Kearny. — Berry's Congratulatory Order. —
Kearny's Letter to Governor Washburn. — The Gover-
nor's Reply. — Congratulates Berry. — His Modest Reply.
— Berry's Admiration for his Brigade. — Heintzelman's
Letter to Vice President Hamlin. — Captain Edwin M.
Smith. — Berry's Official Report. — Commendation for
Colonel Terry of the 5th Michigan. — Other Officers
Mentioned. — Casualties in the Brigade. — "Proud of
Our General."
AN hour after General Berry arrived, General Birney with
his brigade came up, followed immediately by General
Jameson, and with this force the ground lost by General
Hooker was recovered by nightfall. Berry's timely arrival had
saved General Hooker from being overwhelmed by superior
numbers, and from this time General Hooker conceived the
strongest admiration for General Berry and was ever after his
constant and steadfast friend.
General Heintzelman in his official report says: "General
Berry is entitled to great credit for the energy he displayed in
passing the obstructions on the road, and for the gallant man-
ner in which he brought his brigade into action at the turning
point of the battle."
The press of the country joined in doing honor to General
Berry and his gallant brigade for the conspicuous service ren-
SAVES THE DAY. 127
dered on the field of Williamsburg. The New York Herald
of that day says: "The particular brigade which rendered the
eminent service was that of General Berry, which that officer
brought to the front in spite of the obstacles which seemed
insurmountable, and which he handled, when he got them up,
with consummate skill. He was under fire four hours, and
many of his officers were shot close to him."
The New York Tribune says: " But now Brigadier Berry
of the stout State of Maine, wading through the mud and rain
at such speed that he actually overtook and passed three other
brigades — came in sight. Heintzelman shouted with gratitude.
He ran to the nearest band and ordered it to meet the coming
regiments with ' Yankee Doodle,' and to give them marching
time into the field with the ' Star Spangled Banner.' A wild
hurrah went up from the army, and with a yell that was electric
three regiments of Berry's brigade went to the front, formed a
line nearly half a mile long, and commenced a volley firing that
no troops on earth could stand before, then at the double-quick
dashed with the bayonet at the rebel army, and sent them flying
from the field into their breastworks, pursued them into the
largest of them, and drove them out behind with the pure steel,
and then invited them to retake it. The attempt was repeatedly
made and repeatedly repulsed. The count of the rebel dead
in that battery at the close of the fight was sixty-three. They
were principally Michigan men that did this work.
"The equilibrium of the battle was restored. It was now
four o'clock and Jameson and Birney came up with their
brigades, covered with mud and steaming with the rain, but
eager for a share in the blessed work. They went to the front
and soon the tide of the fight turned backward. But Berry's
timely arrival, for which he is entitled to both gratitude and
honor, saved the day."
In his report of this battle General Kearny says : " General
Berry was ever on the alert, and by good arrangements and
personal example influenced the ardor of all around him. His
128 MAJOR-GENERAL SIRAM G. BERRY.
regiments fought most desperately." After the successful
repulse of the enemy at Williamsburg by his gallant troops,
General Berry issued the following congratulatory order:
Hdqrs. 3D Brigade, Kearny's Division,
On Williamsburg Battlefield,
May 8, 1862.
The commander of the brigade takes great pains in making this
official communication to his command : That they, by heroic forti-
tude, on Monday last, by making a forced march through mud and
rain, each vying with the other to see who could most cheerfully
stand the hardships the time called for, making thereby a march that
others shrank from, coming into a fight at double-quick, made
doubtful to our side by the overwhelming mass of the enemy poured
upon our center ; by a rapid deploy and quick formation, and by
coolness, precision and energy, beat back the enemy, recapturing
our lost position and artillery, and also by a heroic charge took a
stronghold of the enemy, and thereby dislodged him and drove him
on the plain below his well-chosen position — have done themselves
great honor, have honored the States of Michigan and New York,
and have won a name in history that the most ambitious might be
proud of. Our loss of brave comrades has indeed been large. We
mourn the departed. " Green be the turf above them." They
have a place in our heart's memory, and in the history of our com-
mon country.
Soldiers ! You have won by your bravery the hearts of all
your commanders — brigade, division, corps, and even those higher
in command. Soldiers ! I thank you ; my superiors thank you ;
your country thanks you, and will remember you in history.
Our labors are not yet over ; the insolent rebels who have
endeavored to destroy, and have laid to ruin and waste portions of
the best Government and the finest land of earth, are still in force,
and to be conquered in our fights. I have pledged you, men of the
3d Brigade, in all future trials. I know my men ; they are not
pledged in vain. Commanders of regiments will have this order
read at the head of their respective regiments this afternoon.
H. G. Berry,
Official : Brigadier-General, Com'ding 3d Brigade.
Edwin M. Smith, A. A. A. G.
Kearny's commendation. 129
That General Kearny was deeply sensible of the important
service rendered by General Berry is evident from his letter of
commendation written to Governor Washburn. He says :
As the commanding general of this division of which two of
the generals commanding brigades [General Jameson and General
Berry] as well as two regiments, the 3d Maine, Colonel Staples, and
4th Maine, Colonel Walker, form a part, I take this opportunity of
calling to your notice their meritorious conduct in the late fight, and
to display the fact that although these regiments were not sufferers
in the late engagement at Williamsburg, having been detached by
General Heintzelman to guard the left flank, yet by their steady and
imposing attitude, they contributed to the success of those more
immediately engaged. And I assure you, sir, that with such mate-
rial, commanded by such sterling officers, nothing but success can
crown our efforts when the occasion requires. * * *
It is peculiarly appropriate, after having rendered justice to the
regiments and colonels, to bring Generals Jameson and Berry to the
especial attention of yourself and citizens at home, who look to
them for noble deeds, to illustrate their annals; and I am proud to
state that they have amply filled the full measure of anticipated
distinction.
General Berry charged with the left wing of our line of battle,
evinced a courage that might have been expected from him, (when
as colonel of the 4th Regiment of Maine Volunteers, he nearly
saved the day at Bull Run,) and also a genius for war, and a per-
tinacity in the fight that proved him fit for high command, for he
was most severely assailed on the left, and had most difficult rifle
pits and abattis to face and carry.
**** ****
I have the honor, sir, to be,
Your obedient servant,
P. Kearny,
Brig. -Gen., Com'ding 3d Division, Heintzelman's Corps.
To the above letter Governor Washburn sent the following
characteristic reply :
'■}
i30 MAJOR-GENERAL flIRAM G. BERRY.
State of Maine,
Executive Department
Augusta, May 22, 1862
General P. Kearny, Com'ding 3d Division, Heintzelman's Corps :
Sir : It is with feelings of pride and gratitude that I acknowl-
edge the receipt of your letter of the 10th instant, in which you
make honorable mention of General Jameson and General Berry,
and of the 3d and 4th Regiments of Volunteers from this State. It
was received while at my home at Orono, and I take the earliest
opportunity to make its contents known to the good people of this
State, who will thank you in their hearts, as I do, for so noble and
emphatic testimony to the gallantry and good conduct of these(now,
if not before) distinguished generals, whose fame is a part of the
truest wealth of their State ; of the other brave and meritorious
officers, and of the courageous and patriotic men of whom you have
spoken, and of whom we are justly proud.
General, accept my thanks in behalf of the people I represent,
for your letter, which is doubly gratifying as fulfilling their most
cherished hopes in regard to their brethren in the field, and as
coming from an officer of the army, for whom they entertain so
sincere respect as they do for yourself.
Very truly,
Your obedient servant,
Israel Washburn, Jr.
Governor Washburn voiced the sentiments of the people
of Maine, in the following ringing and patriotic letter to General
Berry :
Augusta, May 23, 1862.
Dear General : You have made the State of Maine proud
and happy, and I rejoice in being her organ to tell you so. On two
memorable battlefields you have won distinguished honor.
In reply to General Kearny's letter, a copy of which I enclose,
I told him that the good people of Maine would thank him in their
hearts as I did, for his noble and emphatic testimony to the gallantry
and brilliant services of the distinguished generals whose fame was
a part of the truest wealth of the State, and for his gratifying men-
Letters. 131
tion of the officers and men of the 3d and 4th Regiments of Maine
Volunteers.
General, accept my warmest congratulations, and believe me,
Yours truly,
I. Washburn, Jr.
Brig.-Gen. H. G. Berry,
Kearny's Division.
Brigadier-General Berry received these commendations
with the modest deprecation that was characteristic of him.
Conscious only of a sense of duty, whose imperative demands
precluded every personal consideration, he could not believe
himself entitled to special consideration for performing that
duty faithfully and well. Witness his modest reply :
Headquarters 3D Brigade, ")
Kearny's Division, June 8, 1862. j
To His Excellency, the Hon. I.Washburn, Jr., Governor of Maine :
Sir : Yours of May 22d reached me the first inst. In conse-
quence of pressing duties I have until this time deferred acknowl-
edging the receipt of same. I feel deeply the kindness of General
Kearny in bringing my poor services at the battle of Williamsburg
before the people of my native State through its patriotic Governor.
I can for myself only say I endeavored to do my duty, and if I
succeeded in a measure in rendering valuable service to my country,
it was no more than the good people of Maine had a right to expect,
not only of myself, but of all her sons engaged in this contest. I
need not say to you that I cordially endorse every word of General
Kearny's letter that has reference to one of Maine's distinguished
sons now commanding the 1st Brigade (Brigadier-General C. D.
Jameson) in this division, as well as the steady, manly and soldier-
like bearing of the officers and men of the two regiments of our
State referred to therein.
Accept, Governor, my cordial thanks for the very warm sup-
port you have ever given me in the discharge of my military duties.
I am, sir, with very much respect,
Your obedient servant,
H. G. Berry,
Brig.-Gen. Vols., Com'ding 3d Brigade, Kearny's Division.
132 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Berry's generosity did not stop here. Ever mindful of the
gallant troops serving under his command, he did not fail to
grasp every opportunity to pay tribute to their courage and
skill. Already they had won his esteem and admiration.
Speaking of the Michigan and New York troops in his brigade,
General Berry pays them the following generous tribute in a
letter to a friend in Washington :
" To all my sick and wounded in hospital you chance to
visit give my warmest regards for their welfare. May they
speedily recover. So gallant a set of men should not suffer for
want of anything. I trust they will be amply provided for as
you intimate they are. A nobler set of men never lived. Any
man can win fights with such material. I have received ten
times more credit than I am entitled to for the part performed
by my poor self in the late bloody battle. Such troops as I
lead are bound to conquer, no matter who leads them.
" Please give my compliments to all those Michigan men
in Washington who take such interest in this brigade. Say to
them they are fortunate to hail from a State that has such gal-
lant sons. God bless the State and people of Michigan for the
part it and they have taken to crush out this most unholy of
all rebellions."
Thus did Rockland's gallant son, with a modesty that
the brave and valiant alone possess, belittle his own valuable
services, and freely accord to his associates their fullest meed
of praise. It was this modesty and generosity, as well as his
valor and skill, that made General Berry the invincible leader
of men. His men were ready to follow wherever he might
lead, and full well they knew he would not require them to go
where he would not go himself. General Heintzelman tells of
General Berry's valuable services in the following letter :
Headquarters 3D Corps, ")
Barhamsville, Va., May n, 1862. j
Hon. H. Hamlin, Vice President U. S., Washington:
My Dear Sir : We fought a severe battle on Monday, the 5th,
against a very superior force of rebels. The battle lasted from
HEINTZELMAN TO HAMLIN. 133
7.30 a.m., until after dark, when the enemy commenced their retreat.
They abandoned twelve earthworks, one being Fort Magruder, a
bastioned fieldwork. The next morning we occupied their works
and I sent General Jameson's brigade in pursuit. In Williamsburg
we found all their severely wounded and took in all near 1,000 pris-
oners, with many small arms. We also got five siege and two
field pieces, that they were compelled to abandon.
At 2.30 p. m., our first reinforcements of General Kearny's
division arrived, led by General Berry, who pressed forward most
gallantly at the head of his brigade. He arrived at the critical
moment, when General Hooker's division began to give way, having
expended all their ammunition. No troops ever fought better than
the troops I had the honor to command. Our loss is, in killed,
wounded and missing, 2,046 in the two divisions or 1,575 in General
Hooker's alone. They held their ground alone (Soo of them) for
five long hours. The position of the enemy was such that I could
not make much use of my artillery. Three batteries never fired a
gun. We lost three Parrotts and one twelve-pounder Howitzer,
during the five minutes the enemy had possession of our batteries,
just before General Berry's opportune arrival. I think that we have
satisfied the rebels that our Northern troops will fight.
There was not the least cessation of the musketry fire from the
time it commenced in the morning, until after dark, and at times it
was very heavy. The battle was fought in a dense woods, with a
thick undergrowth. You could not see a man until he came to
within from forty to sixty yards. This accounts for our heavy loss.
We are now in communication with the troops landed near West
Point.
I have this moment heard of the taking possession of Norfolk
by our troops and the blowing up of the Merrimac.
I wrote this knowing the special interest you feel in many of the
troops engaged. We got in Fort Magruder one little silk flag
inscribed " Picken's Guards" and presented them by the ladies.
I remain truly yours,
S. P. Heintzelman, Brigadier-General.
At the battle of Williamsburg none rendered more conspic-
uous service than General Berry's young and brilliant assistant
134 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
adjutant-general, Captain Edwin M. Smith of Wiscasset,
Maine. Refusing the commission of major of the 4th Maine,
he accepted an appointment on General Berry's staff, and with
great recklessness and courage led the troops in the brilliant
charge at Williamsburg. General Kearny in his report says of
him : " I especially notice Captain Smith, assistant adjutant-
general of General Berry, and predict for him a career of
usefulness and glory." General Berry also gives him special
mention in his report. This report succinctly describes the part
his brigade took in the desperate fighting of that day, and is
one of the best official documents of General Berry now extant.
It is as follows :
Headquarters 3D Brigade, »
Kearny's Division, >
Third Corps, May 6, 1862. )
1 have the honor to report that I moved my brigade from camp
in advance of Yorktown yesterday morning in conformity to orders,
my brigade taking the lead of the column. Nothing of interest
occurred until near 10 a. m., when I found the road blockaded by
troops and trains in advance. Hearing heavy firing at the front and
seeing that the troops that immediately preceded me moved very
slowly — or at least it seemed slow to me — I resolved to push my
brigade through to the front at all hazards. I have the gratification
of knowing that my course in this respect met with the approval of
the General, who was pleased to instruct me to continue to move
rapidly, keeping along the artillery and ammunition train. I at
once dispatched Lieutenant Sturgis, of my staff, to the rear, with
instructions to push forward all the regular artillery of the division,
and also to do anything requisite and necessary for the rapid advance
of the troops and ammunition. I am happy to say that Lieutenant
Sturgis was successful in his efforts and contributed much to the
advance.
I pushed forward with my brigade to the rebel earthworks to
the left and in rear of the Brick Church, and there ordered my men
to lay aside their knapsacks and everything cumbersome. After
halting a few moments for rest, I ordered my command forward.
Arriving within two miles of the field, I turned over to Captain
HIS REPORT. 135
McKeever, assistant adjutant-general 3d Corps, the 3d Regiment
Michigan Volunteers, Colonel Champlin, to act as reserve and
support on our left ; consequently they were not engaged in the
action. I advanced with the three remaining regiments and arrived
at the scene of action at about 2.30 o'clock p. m., and at once put
my command into action under the eye and supervision of the
General ; the 5th Michigan, Colonel Terry, taking the left side of the
road in timber, supported on the left by the 37th New York, Colonel
Hayman. I formed these regiments in loose order, the left extend-
ing far into the timber, for the purpose of outflanking the enemy on
that side. I placed one company in rear of the extreme left as a
support. The 2d Michigan Volunteers was placed part on either
side of the road, six companies being held as a reserve and located
on the left side.
As soon as these hurried arrangements were completed (and no
time was to be lost, as all our artillery was in jeopardy) I ordered
the troops on the left to advance and charge. Thev nobly responded
and charged with much enthusiasm, driving the enemy entirelv out
of the timber and into and partly through the fallen timber, causing
him to leave a large number of his killed and wounded on the
ground. The enemy was strongly posted in an old rifle pit, and
caused the previous (General Hooker's) troops much annoyance in
the forenoon. In the rifle pit in front of the 5th Michigan, sixty-
three of the enemy's dead were found, the majority of whom were
shot through the head. The 5th Michigan held possession of the
rifle pits until the close of the action, and remained in them till
morning. The 37th New York, still farther to the left, was con-
tinually engaged. The enemy made frequent attempts to turn our
left at this point, and was as often repulsed, and always gallantly
and quickly. The 2d Michigan operated mostly under the immedi-
ate eye of the General, and I saw only those on the left side of the
road. They behaved gallantlv and prudently, always making sure
of their aim when firing. Those companies held as reserve were
ordered into action by the General, and most nobly did they acquit
themselves.
I take great pleasure in noticing the gallant conduct of Colonel
Terry, of the 5th Michigan. He was injured in the early part of
the engagement by a spent ball, but continued in the battle to the
136 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
end and conducted his men gallantly. Colonel Hayman, 37th New
York, led his men in fine style, always being where most needed,
and by his cool, quiet manner, assured his officers and men around
him. Colonel Poe, 2d Michigan, brought up his men gallantly, not
unnecessarily exposing any of his command, but when the time
came all were brought into action in a soldierly manner. We cap-
tured some twenty prisoners, who informed us they were from
different regiments, numbering 1,600 men, and were posted in front
of our left. It was this number that some 800 of our men charged
and forced to return at the point of the bayonet.
I am pleased to make favorable mention of the conduct of Lieu-
tenant-Colonel S. E. Beach, wounded in the thigh; Major J. D.
Fairbanks, who had his horse shot under him ; and Lieutenant C.
H. Hutchins, acting adjutant, all of the Michigan 5th ; and am glad
to learn from Colonel Poe, 2d Michigan, that all his officers bore
themselves throughout in a soldierly and brave manner.
Colonel Hayman, 37th New York, reports the conduct of all
his officers worthy of commendation, particularly those of the six
left companies, commanded by Captains Maguire, Clark, De Lacy,
O'Beirne, Diegnan, and First Lieutenant Havs ; also deems worthy
of special notice First Sergeant Lawrence Murphy, Company K,
and Sergeant Martin Conboy, Company B ; also to favorable con-
sideration Corporal Patrick Kiggan, Company C, Corporal James
Bo) le, Company C, Private Charles O'Brien, Company C, and
Private Henry Brady, Company F.
I would also call your attention to the conduct of my aides,
Lieutenants Sturgis and Ladue, both of whom by their coolness and
bravery were able to render me important service during the day ;
and I wish to make particular mention of my acting assistant
adjutant-general, Captain Smith, 4th Maine Volunteers, who was
continually under fire during the engagement and rendered me great
aid in leading and directing the troops. His conduct was, indeed,
most gallant and noble. The casualties of the day have been many,
comprising some of the finest officers and best men in my brigade,
the names of whom will be furnished as soon as can be correctly
ascertained. The number is as follows :
Fifth Michigan. — Lieutenant James A. Gunning, killed ; Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Beach, severely wounded ; Captain E. T. Sherlock,
CASUALTIES. 137
Company A ; Captain Heber Le Favour, Company F ; Lieutenant
Tillotson, Company H ; twenty-nine non-commissioned officers and
privates killed ; ninety-nine non-commissioned officers and privates,
wounded ; fifty-four non-commissioned officers and privates missing,
most of whom will come in.
Second Michigan. — Lieutenant R. D. Johnson, Company A,
wounded ; Captain W. R. Morse, Company F, severely wounded ;
Captain W. B. McCreery, Company G, wounded ; fourteen non-
commissioned officers and privates killed ; thirty-seven non-com-
missioned officers and privates wounded ; fourteen non-commissioned
officers and privates missing.
Thirty-Seventh New York. — First Lieutenant Patrick H. Hays,
and First Lieutenant Jeremiah O'Leary, killed ; Captain James T.
Maguire, Captain William De Lacy, Second Lieutenant John Mas-
sey. Second Lieutenant Edmund VV. Brown and Second Lieuten-
ant James Smith, wounded ; twenty non-commissioned officers and
privates killed ; sixty-four non-commissioned officers and privates
wounded ; five non-commissioned officers and privates missing.
Aggregate killed, sixty-five ; aggregate wounded, 208 ; aggregate
missing, seventy-three. Total aggregate, 346.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
H. G. Berry,
Brig. -Gen. Vols., Com'ding 3d Brigade.
Lieutenant W. E. Sturgis,
Act. Asst. Adjt.-Gen., Kearny's Division.
General Berry's revised statement of casualties gives the
loss of the 2d Michigan as seventeen men killed, three officers
and thirty-five men wounded, and five missing, making an aggre-
gate of sixty. The 5th Michigan lost one officer and twenty-
eight men killed, five officers and 1 10 men wounded, making an
aggregate of 144 officers and men killed and wounded. The
loss of the 37th New York was two officers and twenty-one men
killed, five officers and sixty-five m " wounded, two men miss-
ing, making a total of ninety-five. The loss in Berry's brigade
in killed, wounded and missing at the battle of Williamsburg
was therefore 299 officers and men.
138 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Major H. L. Thayer of Michigan, who served at General
Berry's headquarters as clerk to the assistant adjutant-general
until appointed provost marshal after the battle of Fair Oaks,
says of General Berry's conduct at the battle of Williamsburg:
" When darkness stopped the dreadful carnage of that memor-
able 5th of May, there was not a man who was left alive in our
brigade who was not proud of our general, and the confidence
he then and ever after expressed in the 'Michigan Brigade' was
fully reciprocated."
CHAPTER XVI.
BERRY'S ACCOUNT OF WILLIAMSBURG.
An Attempt to Rob him of his Hard Earned Glory. — Spirited
Protest to Vice President Hamlin. — That Statesman's
Reply. — Berry Writes Home. — Sent for by McClellan
and Thanked for his Gallantry. — Heroic Conduct of
Captain Edwin M. Smith. — Berry's Clothes Riddled
with Bullets. — Terrible Scenes After the Battle. — Wil-
liam and Mary College. — Kindness to Confederate Pris-
oners.— Camp Life at Cumberland. — Residence of
Tazewell Tyler, Son of Ex-President Tyler. — Church
Where Washington Was Married.
ATTEMPTS had been made to rob the gallant troops who
saved the day at Williamsburg of the credit due their
heroic conduct, the dispatches that were first sent broad-
cast over the country giving to another brigade the honors of
these achievements. But General McClellan on discovering the
mistake promptly made the truth known, and gave to Berry's
brigade the public commendation it deserved.
Before this had been done, however, General Berry wrote
a spirited letter to Vice President Hamlin protesting against the
injustice done him and his men by those in authority. The
relations between these two men were most intimate and cordial,
and General Berry freely expressed his mind to the Vice
President.
The Vice President replied in his characteristic vein and
assured General Berry of his constant faith in his ability and
patriotism.
140 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Washington, May 23, 1862.
Dear General : I returned here yesterday and received your
letter by General Heintzelman and also yours of the nth. I need
not assure you that your gallant conduct at Williamsburg, and the
signal service which you performed is gratifying to all of your friends
and particularly so to me. I feel proud of it for yourself, and for
our State. It was what I had faith you would do. I want to see
General Heintzelman a major-general, and if I can do it he shall be.
I have faith in him as you well know.
In haste, yours truly,
H. Hamlin.
Brig. -Gen. H. G. Berry.
In a letter home after the Williamsburg fight, General Berry
says under date of May 9th, 1862 : " I am safe and telegraphed
you yesterday of the fact. Monday morning we broke camp
about three miles in advance of Yorktown at 4.30 A. M., march-
ing on this place over one of the most muddy roads you ever
saw, and in a bad rain storm. Our division was the second of
Heintzelman's on the road, the first being some six or eight
miles in advance in the vicinity of this town and immediately
in front of the enemy.
" The corps of Keyes advanced on the right by another
road, and Sumner on our left by also another road. The divi-
sion of our corps [Hooker's] in advance engaged the enemy
about the time we broke camp. The roads were full of wagons
and artillery, and many of them stuck in the mud. I passed all
the troops on the road, some thousand who had to march by
our road to reach their respective positions on the right and
left, as they changed places relatively from that occupied in the
old camp, and also all the baggage trains, ammunition trains and
artillery. I had off all the knapsacks of my men, and rushed
forward to support Hooker's division, which was fighting the
whole force of the enemy, General Heintzelman being with it
and fighting the ground inch by inch, the fight being in felled
timber and thick woods. All of the horses and nearly all of
m'clellan's congratulations. 141
the men of the artillery and the infantry were either killed,
wounded or exhausted. I arrived at 2.30 P. M., and immedi-
ately went into the fight, fired three volleys on the enemy, and
charged bayonets, recaptured all the artillery, drove the enemy
from the woods into the plain field and held full possession of
the ground, manned the artillery again with my own men, and
served it until the close of the day. At six, other troops
arrived, the fight ceased for the day, we in possession of the
field. I took one of the enemy's rifle pits from which they had
dealt destruction to all. * * * Have taken some hundreds of
prisoners, besides killing and wounding some 800 of the enemy.
" General McClellan sent for me today. I went to his
headquarters, and there in the presence of Heintzelman received
his thanks and congratulations. It is conceded by him and by
all that my brigade won the fight. My clothes are somewhat
torn with bullets ; other than that I am all right. Captain
Smith of Wiscasset, my assistant adjutant-general, led a
charge most gallantly. He had two caps shot off his head,
besides bullets through his clothes. Our horses are scratched
with balls but are not disabled. I was mounted throughout the
entire fight. My brigade is a splendid one and I am much
attached to it, and I trust beloved by it. I have lost many
valuable officers and men, but have rendered the country a
service by a forced march and hard fight, and I trust will be
appreciated by it. I have no doubt of it. The 4th Maine was
held in reserve after it arrived to support me if I wanted help.
I did not call for it as I could get along without exposing
them. The enemy has lost in killed and wounded at least
2,500 men, many thousand prisoners, thousands of muskets,
six cannon, and the roads for miles are strewed with knapsacks
and everything that appertains to an army.
" Now imagine me after dark setting pickets, amidst a terri-
ble storm, dead and dying all around me ; horses in their last
agonies, men calling for help, some on God in prayer, others
groaning, friend and foe side by side.
142 major-general siram g. berr^.
" We worked all night, bringing the wounded to the camp
fires. We could do nothing except give them water, as we had
no food, no covering. I had eaten nothing since early morning;
had no overcoat. My men, many of them, were in shirt sleeves.
Well, we passed away the night, morning came, the enemy were
just in sight (their rear guard). We took possession of the
works and town. We found every house, church and building
full of wounded. The battlefield next morning was an awful
sight. We have now got the wounded together, and the dead
mostly buried. I am somewhat worn down, as I was under fire
in front of Yorktown for some eight days. This town is the
site of William and Mary College, the oldest and most historic
in the country. 'Tis a fine old place and looks like a town of
refinement and prosperity in times of peace."
Again General Berry writes under date of May iith:
"We are now encamped in advance of the battlefield of Wil-
liamsburg. My command is getting recruited again. We move
tomorrow in the direction of Richmond. I have the credit of
saving the troops engaged from defeat and shall be handsomely
reported by my division commander, my corps commander, and
also the commander of the army. All the officers acknowledge
it, and when the mist which always obscures the facts in
every fight blows away, and you get the official reports, then
you will see my name made honorable mention of. As my
command has been in, I shall not be likely to have the burdens
of a hard fight again, unless all are brought into action. I lost
one-fourth of all the men I took into action, either killed or
wounded, but I saved the day by a dashing bayonet charge of
the left wing, on the enemy's right. I think the war is on its
last legs and that the enemy will soon give up, as they cannot
keep their army out of our reach. The killed and wounded on
our side in some 12,000 men engaged was 2,063, tnat °f
the enemy much larger. I have seen the dead and dying,
have lain among them and heard their prayers and groans.
'Tis indeed awful, friend and foe alike, side by side. Enough of
LETTERS 143
this, however. I will say we take all the care of the poor mis-
guided men we take prisoners who are wounded that we do of
our own, and a more grateful set of men I never saw. I have
walked through all the hospitals and talked with scores and find
but few who show disposition to continue the fight. They,
however, are taught to believe us demons and do not find their
mistake until we take them prisoners. The leaders, however,
know better; the rank and file are the dupes."
Again General Berry writes under date of May 17th: " I
have been moving my brigade hither and thither. We are
now at a place called Cumberland. We are in the rear and I
suppose according to military usage will not have much to do
in the next fight unless it is a general engagement. Many
think there will not be a general fight, as McClellan may turn
the flank of the enemy and thereby avoid it. I am here in a
canvas tent six feet wide, eight feet long, a small table on one
side and my camp bed on the other, a single chair and one
tallow candle. My floor is the earth, and of course when the
weather is wet, that is wet and damp enough. I have to eat as
follows: For breakfast, coffee, (sometimes with, sometimes
without sugar,) hardbread and salt beef, occasionally a piece of
tough fresh beef. I have not seen a potato or any other vege-
table for many weeks, or a chicken or hen. Beef, pork and
hardbread is our fare when we can get it, which is not always.
Still the soldiers do not complain ; they are willing to bear any
kind of hardships, providing they can render service to their
country. The particulars of the battle of Williamsburg will
gradually be known. I lost one-fourth of all the men I carried
into the fight. It almost made my heart bleed to see them fall
right and left by my side, by dozens, at every volley of the
enemy. Still the object in view had to be accomplished, and
by God's providence I was selected as the one to lead on the
men, who saved our forces from defeat on that day. I now think
that we shall be in Richmond in a few days ; if by a fight or not,
you will have the intelligence before you get news from me."
144 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Again under date of May 21 : "I write this from a point
some twenty miles from Richmond, at a place called Baltimore
Cross Roads, and some three miles in advance of Kent Court
House. I visited on Sunday the place where Washington first
met Martha Custis. The house I visited (now the headquarters
of General McClellan) is on the site of the one history refers to ;
it is a plain house, two stories high with a portico, bay windows,
etc., flanked on either side by outbuildings, all in good repair,
and very well arranged. The plantation is on both sides of the
Pamunky River, contains about 2,000 acres, and is worked by
over 300 slaves. It is now owned by General Lee of the rebel
army, descendant of ' Light Horse Harry ' of the Revolu-
tion, who you will remember was a son of Washington's first
love, the lowland beauty, who afterwards married Richard
Henry Lee, of Revolutionary fame also. The whole country
about here wears an ancient look ; the soil is good and to
all appearances it has been well worked, up to the time of this
trouble taking place.
" My camp is just opposite the house of Tazewell Tyler, a
son of ex-President Tyler. He is a doctor in the rebel army.
I learn from the slaves that he is not well liked, being rather
dissipated. I am quartered in a house owned by a Mr.
Tally, who left, it seems, everything on the approach of our
forces. The retreating rebels have broken everything to pieces
here as elsewhere on the line of their retreat. Our men inter-
fere with nothing, protect everybody, and the inhabitants say
they are much better treated by us than by the rebels."
Continuing in the same reminiscent vein, General Berry
writes home under date of May 22d : "We are encamped at
same place, ' Baltimore Cross Roads.' The entire army has
passed on to the front, leaving our corps to get rest. We have
heretofore done all the work and fighting, others are now in
front building roads and bridges. We shall move tomorrow or
next day and shall set ourselves down before Richmond prepar-
atory to the assault or siege as the case may be. I don't think
SLOW ADVANCE TOWARD RICHMOND. 145
the rebels will meet us. They were so terribly whipped at
Williamsburg that their soldiers have contracted a dread of our
troops, so say all contrabands and deserters who have come
into our lines of late. I have had a few days' illness and am
not well today. I was out riding today with General Heintzel-
man to the White House as it is termed, where I wrote you that
Washington first met his wife, and we passed the little church
in which Washington was married. It stands in a grove of very
large oak trees, is quite small, of ancient appearance, and is
built of imported brick, one story high, sufficiently wide for
two rows of benches, one on either side of the entrance, which
is as usual in the end. The building is about fifty feet long, a
small dingy affair indeed, but of much interest to the stranger
for its history. The building is evidently very old — I should
say something over ioo years, perhaps 125."
Lieutenant J. B. Greenhalgh, the adjutant of the 4th Maine,
who had been home on recruiting service, now joined General
Berry's staff as senior aide-de-camp and continued in that
capacity until the General's death.
After the battle of Williamsburg a rapid pursuit of the
retreating Confederates was prevented by the wretched condi-
tion of the roads. In two weeks the army had not marched
more than forty miles from Williamsburg, and the prospect of a
rapid advance was despaired of. But by the 2 1st of May the
Army of the Potomac had concentrated and was in line once
more, with Richmond from seven to twelve miles distant.
Between it and the Union forces lay the formidable army which
the Confederates, profiting by the slow advance, had collected.
The Chickahominy River was also to prove a difficult obstacle
to overcome and served as a strong natural defense to the
Confederate capital. McClellan was calling for reinforcements,
believing that he did not have a sufficient force to make decisive
the result of any victory he might gain over the opposing
forces. The President turned a favorable ear to all of General
McClellan's requests for troops, and an endeavor was made to
146 MAJOR-GENERAL SlRAM G. BERRY.
strengthen the forces under his immediate command. In the
meantime Heintzelman's corps, in which was General Berry's
brigade, was acting as a reserve force to the Army of the
Potomac and was therefore relieved of much of the hard labor
and responsibility which fall to the forces at the front.
May 26th, 1862, General Berry writes home: "We are
now encamped only ten miles from Richmond. We are under
marching orders for tomorrow morning. The battle will come
off tomorrow or next day. I trust our arms will be successful
and that the fall of Richmond will virtually end the war."
Again he writes under date of May 30th: "The sword
you have [presented by the sergeants of the 4th Maine] was in
the battle of Williamsburg, so it becomes a relic, as well as a
keepsake and present. I have been very unwell of late, I got
a dreadful cold the day and night of the battle [Williamsburg].
I had no overcoat with me and was drenched with rain for
thirty-six hours and had nothing to eat, so I got pretty badly
used up in consequence of that, and the care and anxiety of a
fight. I am now mending fast. We shall not attack Richmond
for some days, not until we have the corps of McDowell and
Wool to co-operate with us, then we shall take Richmond and
bag, I trust, a large portion of their army."
CHAPTER XVII.
BATTLE OF FAIR OAKS OR SEVEN PINES.
The Confederate Position. — Chickahominy Divides the
Army of the Potomac. — Confederate Attack. — Casey
and Couch Meet the Enemy. — Forced Back. — Berry Six
Miles in Rear at Opening of the Battle. — He Hastens to
the Front. — Ordered to Turn the Confederate Left
Flank. — Brilliant Attack by the 3d and 5th Michi-
gan.— Colonel Champlin Severely Wounded. — Enemy
Driven Back and Lost Ground Recovered. — Threatened
by a Flank Movement. — Promptly Met by the 37th New
York. — General Kearny Leads the Charge. — Colonel
Poe and the 2d Michigan.
UNDOUBTEDLY Johnston, the rebel commander, believed
that McDowell would attempt to form a junction with
McClellan, and to prevent this, he determined to assume
the offensive and attack McClellan before he could be reinforced.
Accordingly he made disposition of his forces with this idea in
view. Huger's division was ordered up from Petersburg. Hill
was stationed on the north side of the Chickahominy at Meadows
Bridge. Smith was ordered to take position on the left of
Magruder on the Mechanicsville Turnpike, while Longstreet was
placed on the left of D. H. Hill's division, and Huger in the
rear of the interval between these divisions. Hill supported by
Longstreet was to advance by the Williamsburg road to attack
the Union troops in front. Huger with his division was to
move down the Charles City road in order to attack in flank
the troops who might be engaged with Hill and Longstreet,
148 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
unless he found in his front force enough to occupy his division.
Smith was to march to the junction of the New Bridge road
and Nine Mile road, to be in readiness either to fall on Keyes'
right flank or to cover Longstreet's left.
Keyes with his entire corps had crossed the Chickahominy
and on the 25th of May had taken up a position at the Seven
Pines, on the main turnpike leading to Richmond, about five
miles from the city. Heintzelman's corps had also crossed on
that date, while Hooker moved northward to guard the White
Oak Swamp bridge, and Kearny's division, including General
Berry's brigade, took position in advance of Savage's Station.
On the left bank of the Chickahominy were the corps of Sum-
ner, Franklin and Porter ; thus did the river divide the Potomac
Army, which numbered May 31st, according to the official
returns, 126,089 officers and men and 280 pieces of field
artillery.
Under direction of General McClellan, a position a mile
and a half in advance of Seven Pines had been selected and
the work of fortifying had commenced. This position was
considered important as it was at this point that the Williams-
burg road made a junction with the Nine Mile road. The work
of fortifying had not been completed when the Confederate
attack was made upon this position. The advance of the left
wing of the Army of the Potomac was composed of the
brigades of General Casey's division, and occupied the unfin-
ished works at Seven Pines. Couch's division was also
encamped at Seven Pines about half a mile in the rear of
Casey. General Keyes, to whose corps these divisions belonged,
expected a battle and was preparing for it by sending his
wagons to the north side of the river. On the 29th there was
heavy skirmishing along Casey's front, and large bodies of the
enemy threatened both flanks of Keyes' corps. This skirmish-
ing became so severe on the 30th, that Casey called for rein-
forcements, and Peck's brigade was sent to him. This was a
reconnaissance made by the Confederate General Johnston to
PREPARING FOR BATTLE. 149
determine the time and manner of his attack. Heavy and
protracted rains during the afternoon and night of the 30th of
May had swelled the Chickahominy so that it appeared to the
Confederate commander that the corps of General Keyes was
cut off from the Army of the Potomac by the raging torrent,
and he determined to throw his whole force upon Keyes and
crush him. But the roads were in bad condition and the Con-
federate troops did not get into position for attack as soon as
expected by General Johnston. This attack was looked for by
General Keyes, and he gave orders for the troops to be under
arms at 1 1 o'clock, and had the artillery put in readiness
for action. Heavy columns of the enemy appearing on his
right, Keyes anticipated the weight of attack from that quarter.
During the forenoon the firing in front of Casey became
severe and as a precaution Keyes ordered up the brigade of
Peck to his support. In his account of this attack, General
Casey says :
" On the morning of the 31st my pickets toward the right
of my line succeeded in capturing Lieutenant Washington, an
aide of General Johnston, of the rebel service. This circum-
stance, in connection with the fact that Colonel Hunt, my
general officer of the day. had reported to me that his outer
pickets had heard cars running nearly all night on the Rich-
mond end of the railroad, led me to exercise increased diligence.
Between 1 1 and 12 o'clock a mounted vidette was sent in from
the advanced pickets to report that a body of the enemy was
in sight, approaching on the Richmond road. I immediately
ordered the 103d Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers to advance
to the front for the purpose of supporting the pickets. It was
soon after reported to me by a mounted vidette that the enemy
was advancing in force, and about the same time two shells
were thrown over my camp. I was led to believe that a serious
attack was contemplated, and immediately ordered the division
under arms, the men at work on the rifle pits and abattis to be
recalled and to join their regiments, the artillery to be harnessed
150 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
up at once, and made my dispositions to repel the enemy.
While these were in progress the pickets commenced firing.
" The enemy now attacked me in large force on the center
and both wings, and a brisk fire of musketry commenced along
the two opposing lines, my artillery in the meantime throwing
canister into their ranks with great effect. Perceiving at length
that the enemy were threatening me upon both wings, for want
of reinforcements, which had been repeatedly asked for, and
that his column still pressed on, I then, in order to save my
artillery, ordered a charge of bayonets by the four supporting
regiments at the center, which was executed in a most gallant
and successful manner under the immediate direction of Briga-
dier-General Naglee, commanding ist Brigade, the enemy being
driven back. When the charge had ceased, but not until the
troops had reached the edge of the wood, the most terrible fire
of musketry commenced that I have ever witnessed. The
enemy again advanced in force, and the flank being again
severely threatened, a retreat to the works became necessary.
To be brief, the rifle pits were retained until they were almost
enveloped by the enemy, the troops with some exceptions
fighting with spirit and gallantry." The troops then retreated
to the second line in possession of General Couch's division.
So fierce was the Confederate attack upon Casey that his troops
were thrown back in confusion upon Couch's division who was
in line a half mile in the rear. All this time the men had been
fighting in front of the intrenchments, but as the Union line fell
back an opportunity was afforded the artillery, which opened
with good effect with grape and canister upon the rebels as
they pressed forward in pursuit. This checked for a time the
advance of the enemy.
Casey's division having been driven from the field, the
brunt of the Confederate attack was now upon Couch whose
division constituted the second line of defense. Here by the
most desperate fighting did Couch endeavor to stem the rebel
advance. Casey succeeded in rallying a portion of his troops
couch's desperate struggle. 1.51
and brought them into line with Couch. The Confederates now
occupied Casey's camp, and flushed with success attacked with
renewed vigor this second line of defense. Couch with a
portion of his command was cut off from his division and
endeavored to force his way through the rebel lines, but finding
the odds against him, he withdrew toward the Grape Vine
Bridge on the Chickahominy, and took a position facing Fair
Oaks.
In the meantime Berry's brigade had been encamped six
miles in the rear, on the night previous to the attack upon
Casey. The next morning he was ordered up to support the
front. When halting for dinner, the firing on Casey's troops
commenced. Hastening forward, General Berry met large
masses of troops straggling to the rear. Already had Casey
been driven in and now Couch was struggling desperately
against an overwhelming force of the enemy. Hastening the
march of his brigade, General Berry soon met large numbers
of Couch's troops, who cried that they were defeated ; still the
little brigade of 2,500 men, with General Berry at their head,
pushed on toward the front with unbroken ranks, through the
masses of disordered fugitives.
At this point General Kearny overtook Berry.
"Are you not afraid to take your troops through this crowd
of flying men?" he said.
" No, sir," replied Berry, "not with such men as I have !"
And through them he forced his brigade to the front, forming
them in the open space and in the woods, and held the enemy
in check until the arrival of reinforcements ; then concentrating
his brigade on its left flank he advanced and retook that portion
of Casey's camp which the enemy had taken on the left of the
road.
On receiving orders to turn the flank of the enemy,
General Berry sent out the 3d Michigan, Colonel Champlin,
to take position in the woods on the left of the Williamsburg
road. Colonel Champlin executed this order in a most gallant
152 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
manner. His regiment advanced into the woods, preceded by-
fifty sharpshooters detailed from this regiment and under com-
mand of Captain Judd. The 5th Michigan, Colonel Terry,
under orders of General Berry, followed the 3d Michigan and
supported it, while the 37th New York, Colonel Hayman,
followed the 5th Michigan. Thus General Berry advanced his
brigade to the attack in three lines of battle. The other regi-
ment of his brigade, the 2d Michigan, Colonel Poe, was on
picket duty when the order to attack in force was given.
General Berry promptly concentrated this regiment on the
right flank and held it in readiness to move to the front. To
protect the flank of the 37th New York, General Berry detached
two companies from the 2d Michigan, under Major Dillman, who
formed on the flank of the New York regiment and did excel-
lent service throughout the engagement. In the meantime the
3d Michigan, which constituted the advance line of battle,
attacked the foe vigorously. It had advanced but about a
mile and a half when it encountered the enemy. Colonel
Champlin promptly deployed his regiment in line of battle upon
the left of the road, his right resting upon an abattis, while the
left advanced at double-quick into a thicket of pines. Here
the troops found it difficult to advance because of the mass of
fallen timber, but Captain Judd's sharpshooters soon began
their deadly work and the engagement now became general.
The sharp crack of the sharpshooters' rifles was mingled with
the deep-toned volleys of the enemy, and the clouds of smoke
soon filled the woods, rendering obscure the embattled lines of
the opposing forces. The dense woods, the din of battle and
the shower of leaden hail were enough to shake the courage of
less dauntless men than those of the 3d Michigan, but the men
remained cool and steady, and each discharge of their rifles
was delivered with telling effect. Colonel Champlin now
ordered the regiment to charge. Leveling their bayonets they
sprang forward with a yell that carried consternation to the
hearts of their foes. A deadly volley was poured into their
FAIR OAKS. 153
advancing ranks and the gallant Champlin fell, severely wounded
in the hip. Captain Judd was also killed by the enemy's fire.
Lieutenant-Colonel Stevens now took command and pressed
forward the long line of glittering steel. This formidable array
was too much for the courage of the enemy, and they fell back
some eighty rods beyond the fence in the rear of the camp of
General Palmer's brigade, where they rallied and made another
stand. General Berry now brought forward in person the 5th
Michigan to relieve the Third which had borne the brunt of
the fight up to this time. After getting into the woods, Colonel
Terry formed the Fifth in line of battle and promptly moved to
the front, where he found the Third at a halt awaiting orders.
Colonel Terry ordered his men forward, passing the 3d Michi-
gan, two companies of which joined the Fifth in the forward
movement. Soon the advancing line came upon the enemy,
and a severe fire was opened on him, which soon compelled
him to fall back. The 5th Michigan moved steadily forward,
supported by the Third, halting and firing until the standing
woods in front were clear of the enemy, who retired somewhat
to the right into a slashing or abattis of fallen timber, adjoining
to and between General Berry's men and a camp which had
been occupied by Union troops. From this cover the enemy
poured deadly volleys on the steady ranks of the Fifth. Twice
was the enemy reinforced, but Colonel Terry steadily maintained
his advanced position. But his cartridges were now gone ; the
enemy kept up his merciless fire and the ranks of the Fifth were
rapidly thinned under the shower of leaden hail. Lieutenant-
Colonel Stevens brought the 3d Michigan into line with the
Fifth, and together the two regiments presented a stubborn
front to the foe. The cartridge boxes of the dead and wounded
were now opened and furnished a limited supply of ammuni-
tion, which enabled the men to continue the fire until about
sundown.
About an hour after General Berry became engaged, por-
tions of regiments of other brigades came up and these General
154 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Berry formed on the left of the troops of his brigade, where
they rendered conspicuous service. General Berry had now
driven the enemy back so far that he had serious fears of being
flanked by the heavy masses of infantry opposing him.
Already they were driving the troops of other brigades down
the road and plain, as well as those on the right of the road.
General Berry, however, determined to hold his advanced
position as long as possible. His troops were posted in such a
manner as to command with their rifles the old camping
ground of General Casey's division, which was now in possession
of the enemy. A galling fire could also be maintained on the
earthworks which Casey had abandoned early in the fight.
General Berry now passed down through the slashings
some one hundred and fifty yards and found the 37th New
York, and two companies of the 2d Michigan, under Major
Dillman, in position and at work. This regiment had consti-
tuted the third line of battle of Berry's brigade and had
followed the Richmond road to a point near a farm house,
located in a clearing. During this movement it had been sub-
jected to a heavy fire of artillery, which it withstood most
gallantly. Colonel Hayman was unable to determine the pre-
cise locality of the 3d and 5th Michigan regiments, which
were fighting in the timber, and which he had been ordered to
support. Having advanced to the farm house, he then pro-
ceeded to the left until he found that the 3d and 5th Michigan
regiments were in his front. He endeavored to find a
position to co-operate with these regiments, which were now
heavily engaged. While getting into position a heavy musketry
fire was opened upon his right flank, and it appearing that the
enemy was attempting to turn the right flank of the brigade
and get in its rear, Colonel Hayman promptly disposed his
regiment to meet this new danger. While he was personally
conducting the leading company, in the movement then being
made to get into the new position, and before it was completed,
Colonel Hayman observed that his left wing was moving to the
major pierce's hazardous service. 155
front. He soon learned that this change of front had been
ordered by General Kearny, the division commander, who had
put himself at the head of the troops and was leading them in
the charge. Colonel Hayman then faced his right wing to the
left and followed the movement General Kearny was leading.
This demonstration of the 37th New York effectually checked
the enemy, who recrossed the road, where he was strongly
reinforced, and opened a terrible fire on the Thirty-Seventh,
which engaged in the unequal strife with spirit. The enemy
was still moving a strong force to the right and rear. The reg-
iment retained its position, however, until General Kearny
ordered it to file to the rear and incline to the right, which it
did in good order, taking its wounded with it.
General Berry, finding that the Thirty-Seventh was moving
to the rear under orders of the general of the division, ordered
the other regiments to fall back also.
In the meantime the advanced regiments of the brigade,
the 3d and 5th Michigan, had steadily and courageously kept
up the fight. When the ammunition of the Fifth gave out,
Major Pierce of that regiment volunteered to procure cartridges
and further orders. This was a hazardous service as the enemy
now enveloped both flanks, and these regiments were in an
isolated position, by reason of the falling back of the troops
upon their right. Colonel Terry of the 5th Michigan was the
senior officer present on this part of the line. Hearing rapid
discharges of musketry nearly a mile in the rear, at the point
where he had entered the woods, and his ammunition having
been exhausted, with no troops to support him, and daylight
fast disappearing in the gloom of night, he gave orders for the
line to retire, which it did in good order, the regiments getting
into camp about nine o'clock.
Colonel Poe's 2d Michigan had in the meantime been doing
good service on the right. He promptly obeyed General
Berry's order to concentrate his regiment. Three companies
were deployed across the road by order of General Heintzel-
156 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
man with orders to stop all stragglers from passing to the rear.
The other five companies as soon as concentrated were con-
ducted by Colonel Poe to the scene of action, where they were
assigned a position to support a line which was then being
formed on the right of the road. This front line when ordered
forward, did not number more than sixty men, who broke and
passed to the rear of the 2d Michigan without firing more than
five or six rounds.
At this moment Colonel Hays, of the 62d Pennsylvania,
urged Colonel Poe to advance, but seeing the forces on the left
of the road in full retreat, he declined to do so, believing such
a course would needlessly sacrifice his small command. Colonel
Poe then fell back about five hundred yards, and took position
in a wooded ravine which he was confident he could hold, as
the ground over which the enemy would have been compelled
to attack was clear, while he had the advantage of cover. At
this time the enemy occupied the woods nearest him, with no
troops in his front or on his flanks. Upon representations made
by Colonel Hays, General Jameson gave Colonel Poe an order
to move forward, which was obeyed with alacrity. The solid
line of blue had no sooner emerged from cover into the open
space than the enemy poured in a murderous fire from both
sides of the road. With men dropping in the ranks like
autumn leaves before a gale, the 2d Michigan continued to
advance until within fifty yards of the enemy, when finding it
impossible to hold such an exposed position, Colonel Poe
received the assent of General Jameson to retreat, which was
done in line of battle and in good order. This regiment was
the last to leave the field on this part of the line.
CHAPTER XVIII.
BERRY COVERED WITH GLORY.
His Recklessness at Fair Oaks. — Death of his Assistant
Adjutant-General Edwin M. Smith. — Care of his Body.
— His History. — The Prince De Joinville Compliments
Berry's Brigade. — McClellan, Heintzelman, Kearny and
Hooker Acknowledge his Services. — Glowing Tribute
from the New York Tribune. — Losses in Berry's Bri-
gade.— Berry's Official Report. — Gallantry of Father
Peter Tissot of the 37th New York. — Zeal of the Sur-
geons of Berry's Brigade. — Berry's Tribute to his Dead
Assistant Adjutant-General. — Great Credit Due Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Stevens of 3d Michigan.
GENERAL BERRY'S brigade suffered severely in the
desperate engagement at Fair Oaks and came out of it
much reduced. The ground fought over was swampy and
thickly wooded and it was almost impossible to keep the lines
connected. General Berry remained mounted throughout the
entire engagement, a conspicuous mark for the foe. Here as at
Williamsburg his intrepidity and manly bearing inspired every
man to do his best. It was during this engagement that General
Berry's assistant adjutant-general, Captain Edwin M. Smith of
Wiscasset, Maine, was killed while gallantly leading troops to
the charge. Major H. L. Thayer, one of General Berry's staff
officers, says :
" I met the General shortly after Captain Smith was killed.
He was mounted, bare-headed, having lost his hat in the slash-
ing, his face blackened with the smoke of powder, his eyes
158 MAJOR-GENERAL SIRAM G. BERR¥.
filled with tears, and his chin quivering with deep emotion as
he told me the Captain's death was a great personal loss to
him. He then directed me to mark the spot, and as soon as
the firing had ceased so that men could be spared to assist me,
to take the body to Corps Headquarters and remain with it
until I either delivered the body at Rockland, Maine, or trans-
ferred it to some one whom I knew would do so. After dark,
with the help of three soldiers, we carried the body in an army
blanket through the wet swamp and out of the timber about
three miles, where, at midnight, Captain McKeever of the corps
staff told me the orders just received from Washington were to
send only the wounded, and that we must bury the body at
once. We obeyed his order, but found a sandy spot in the
orchard and made the grave shallow, as I still hoped to carry
out my original instructions. Early the next morning, Mr. Z. F.
French, sutler of the 4th Maine, came with his ambulance, in
which we placed our friend's remains, and French hastened
away with them to his vessel at some point on the river. As
the advance pickets from the enemy were already firing on us
from the farther side of the orchard, this spot was hurriedly
abandoned, except by some surgeons and their assistants, who
volunteered to remain with the wounded who had been brought
to this point during the night."
Captain Edwin M. Smith was the son of Hon. Samuel E.
Smith, ex-Governor of Maine. He was born in Wiscasset, and
completed a full course at Bowdoin College, after which he
studied law, and then finished his education by travel in Europe.
Shortly after his return from abroad, the war broke out, and
with all the ardor of a youthful nature he enlisted in the conflict.
He was the first volunteer from his native town. His company
unanimously elected him captain, and with it he joined the
4th Maine, and fought his first battle at Bull Run. Captain
Smith is said to have been one of the last officers in his regi-
ment to leave the battlefield, and then barely escaped with
his life by the use of his revolver. Soon after he was
CAPTAIN EDWIN M. SMITH. 159
commissioned major of his regiment, but declined the office,
preferring to follow his colonel, then made a brigadier-general,
as assistant adjutant-general upon his staff. At Williamsburg
Smith led the 5th Michigan in the charge upon the enemy's
works, and carried them with a storm of fire. Four bullet
holes through his clothes proved the risks he run. After the
battle he was introduced by General Kearny to other officers as
" the hero of the day." In his official dispatches, the same
general spoke most flatteringly of Smith's bravery and predicted
for him " a career of usefulness and glory." At the battle of
Fair Oaks, Smith again led the 5th Michigan in a charge, but
it was his last, for a rifle bullet striking him in the temple
quenched at once his gallant young life. His body was brought
safely home for burial and committed to earth with military,
Masonic and civic honors.
On the night before the attack on Yorktown, in the noise
of camp and the bustle of preparations for the morrow, he
made his will of which this is the closing paragraph : "And
now, having arranged for the disposition of my worldly estate,
I will say, possessing a full confidence in the Christian religion,
and believing in the righteousness of the cause in which I am
engaged, I am ready to offer my poor life in vindication of that
cause, and in sustaining a government, the mildest and most
beneficial the world has ever known."
As night fell, shrouding in gloom that terrible field of blood
and carnage, the rebel advance had been stopped and the
Army of the Potomac was again saved from disaster. None
contributed more to this result than General Berry and his
gallant brigade. In the words of their intrepid division com-
mander, "They accomplished all that I hoped for." The fury
of the fight may be understood by the fact that on the field of
battle fought by Berry's brigade, there were counted 537 dead
rebels, and upon a spot sixteen feet square lay twenty-five of the
enemy's dead. Of Berry's brigade at Fair Oaks, the Prince de
Joinville says: " Meanwhile Heintzelman rushes to the rescue.
160 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
As at Williamsburg, Kearny arrives in good time to re-establish
the fight. Berry's brigade of this division, composed of three
Michigan regiments and an Irish battalion, [37th New York,]
advances firm as a wall into the midst of the disordered mass,
which wanders over the battlefield, and does more by its exam-
ple than the most powerful reinforcements ; about a mile of
the ground has been lost, fifteen pieces of cannon, the camp of
the division of the advance guard, that of General Casey; but
now we hold our own."
Other portions of the Federal lines were broken, but Berry's
brigade was not driven one foot. Of them General Heintzel-
man says : " These troops, however, most gallantly kept their
position on the rebels' right flank and kept up such a deadly
fire that no effort the enemy made could dislodge them. They
remained until dark, firing away sixty rounds of ammunition to
each man, and then supplying themselves with cartridges from
the dead and wounded. Their fire completely commanded the
open space in their front, and not a mounted man succeeded
in passing under their fire."
At the battle of Fair Oaks, Generals McClellan, Heintzel-
man, Kearny and Hooker personally complimented General
Berry for his skill and bravery. General McClellan in his
official report, says : " General Berry was ordered to take pos-
session of the woods on the left, and pushed forward so as to
have a flank fire on the enemy's lines. This movement was
executed brilliantly, General Berry pushing his regiments for-
ward through the woods until their rifles commanded the left
of the camp and works occupied by General Casey's division in
the morning. Their fire on the pursuing columns of the
enemy was very destructive, and assisted materially in checking
the pursuit in that part of the field. He held his position in
these woods against several attacks of superior numbers, and
after dark, being cut off by the enemy from the main body, he
fell back toward White Oak Swamp, and by a circuit brought
his men into our lines in good order."
FRESH LAURELS. 161
General Heintzelman says in his report: "Our reinforce-
ments now began to arrive. General Berry's brigade was sent
into the woods on our left and ordered to outflank the enemy,
who occupied in force General Casey's camp, and had a battery
of artillery near a large woodpile in rear of the unfinished
redoubt. This position General Berry held till dark. * * * *
When the troops on the right of the road near the Seven Pines
gave way, the enemy pushed several regiments across the main
road, placing them between General Berry's brigade, part of
Jameson's and the portion of our troops who gave way from
the right of the road. * * * * When night came on they fell
back about a mile, took the Saw Mill road, and by 8 p. M. joined
their division. When we reoccupied their ground again the
rebel dead covering their front attested their coolness and accu-
racy of fire."
General Phil Kearny, who commanded the division to
which General Berry's brigade belonged, says in his report:
" On arriving at the field of battle we found certain zigzag rifle
pits sheltering crowds of men and the enemy firing from abattis
and timber in their front. General Casey remarked to me on
coming up, 'If you will regain our late camp the day will still
be ours.' I had but the 3d Michigan up, but they moved for-
ward with alacrity dashing into the felled timber and commenced
a desperate but determined contest, heedless of the shell and
ball which rained upon them. This regiment, the only one of
Berry's brigade not engaged at Williamsburg, at the price of a
severe loss, has nearly outvied all competitors. Its work this
day was complete. The next regiment that came up, the 5th
Michigan, again won laurels as fresh as those due them from
Williamsburg. Its noble officers did their duty. I directed
General Berry with this regiment to turn the slashings, and,
fighting, gain the open ground on the enemy's right flank.
This was perfectly accomplished. The 37th New York was
arranged in column to support the attack. Its services in the
sequel proved invaluable. This was perhaps near six o'clock,
162 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY .
when our center and right defended by troops of other divisions,
with all their willingness, could no longer resist the enemy's
right central flank attacks, pushed on with determined discipline
and with the impulsion of numerous concentrated masses.
Once broken, our troops fled incontinently, and a dense body
of the enemy pursuing rapidly, yet in order, occupied the
Williamsburg road, the entire open ground, and penetrating
deep into the woods on either side interposed between my
division and my line of retreat. It was on this occasion that,
seeing myself cut off, and relying on the high discipline and
determined valor of the 37th New York Volunteers, I faced
them to the rear against the enemy, and held the ground,
although so critically placed, and despite the masses that gath-
ered on and had passed us, checked the enemy in his intent of
cutting us off against the White Oak Swamp. This enabled
the advance regiments, averted by orders and this contest in
their rear, to return from their hitherto victorious career, and
to retire by a remaining wood path known to our scouts (the
Saw Mill road) until they once more arrived at and remanned
the impregnable position we had left at noon at our own forti-
fied division camp. The loss of the 37th New York is severe.
Colonel Hayman, its colonel, has ever been most distinguished.
He revived this day his reputation gained in Mexico."
The New York Tribune, of June 4th, 1862, pays a glowing
tribute to General Berry's men. It says : " My veneration of
the fighting done by the warriors of Berry's brigade, and by
the men whom Kearny led up, and by all the others who stood
by Peck and Couch and Keyes, and who rallied under the
fluttering cloak of the fiery Heintzelman, is glowing. Com-
panionship in arms with such men would to me be the most
satisfactory distinction. I would covet the honor, if usage
could confer it, of adoption into either of the Michigan regi-
ments whom I saw on the leap through shot and shell infested
wood — on the leap to the ruin advancing upon us from the
front to take in flank and stay it — an adoption with a visible
" CHARGE." 163
sign, so that when asked, ' To what service do you belong?' I
could proudly reply, ' I belong to Berry's brigade.'
" Cromwell never had better troops than those, who, under
command of this good officer, swept with fire and steel the
whole rebel force from Casey's camping ground and earthworks,
piling it with monuments of their terrible marksmanship. A
North Carolina regiment sent against the 3d Michigan had its
front file wholly knocked down by a volley. The next file
turned and run. A line of bayonets depressed behind them
held them fast. ' Charge ! ' ordered the Michigan colonel.
Over the rail fence leaped our men, with a yell that ever smites
terror. Their bayonet points were not waited for. The Caro-
linians broke and ran."
The losses in Berry's brigade at the battle of Fair Oaks in
killed, wounded and missing, were 463 officers and men. Of
this number the 37th New York lost in killed one officer and
eleven men, wounded six officers and sixty-two men, missing
two men, making a total loss of eighty-two officers and men.
The 2d Michigan, ten men killed, two officers and forty-five
men wounded, making an aggregate loss of fifty-seven officers
and men. The 3d Michigan had one officer and twenty-nine
men killed, nine officers and 1 15 men wounded, and fifteen men
missing, making a total loss of 169. The 5th Michigan, lost
and killed two officers and twenty-nine men, wounded five
officers and 100 men, and nineteen men missing, making a total
loss of 155 in this regiment. These figures will give an idea of
the desperate fighting done by this brigade. General Berry
graphically relates the part his brigade took in the fight at Fair
Oaks in his official report written at thet ime. It is as follows :
Headquarters Berry's Brigade,
Kearny's Division,
June 1, 1862.
Captain : Yesterday morning^ in obedience to orders, I moved
my brigade from its camping ground, some three miles below, to
the vicinity of these works, where we bivouacked at 12 m. I placed
164 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
the 37th New York Volunteers, Lieutenant-Colonel Riordan com-
manding (Colonel Hayman having been previously detailed by
yourself as division officer of the day), in the works along the sides
(west and north). At one o'clock I received an order from your
headquarters to place my entire command in rear of the intrench-
ments. I had scarcely got my men into their several positions when
I received an order from your headquarters to have one regiment
placed in the woods on the left of the Williamsburg road on our
front. I ordered out the 3d Michigan, Colonel Champlin, for that
purpose, preceded by fifty sharpshooters detailed from the regiment,
and under the command of Captain Judd. This regiment I moved
across the plain, when I received an order to move the balance of
my brigade to the front ; also to send for all my men then on other
duties in the field to report to their commander at the front. The
5th Michigan, Colonel Terry, followed the 3d Michigan, the
37th New York following the 5th Michigan.
The 2d Michigan, Colonel Poe, was on picket duty. I ordered
the colonel to concentrate his regiment on the right flank and hold
it in readiness to move to the front. On my order Colonel Poe sent
forward two companies, under the command of Major Dillman,
who took position on the flank of the 37th New York and did
excellent service. The 3d Michigan moved into the woods about
one mile in advance of this camp on the left of the road, and by
gallant fighting drove the enemy for more than a mile along the left
of the woods into and through the slashings.
At this time the 5th Michigan came into the field and was
conducted forward by myself, and with it I relieved the 3d Michigan
and placed the Third in reserve to the Fifth. About one hour later
a portion of regiments of other brigades came up. I formed these
on the left of the troops of my brigade into the timber. We steadily
drove the enemy forward so far that I had serious fears of being
flanked by the enemy, as they were driving our troops down the
road and plain as well as on the right of the road.
We were at this time in the woods, extending from the edge of
the slashings below, up the woods, and on the left of the camping
ground of General Casey's division, completely commanding his
old camp and the earthworks with our rifles. I then passed down
through the slashings some 150 yards, and found the 37th New York
OFFICIAL REPORT. 165
Volunteers and Colonel Poe's two companies, under Major Dillman,
in position and at work. On my return to the front I learned that
Captain Smith, my assistant adjutant-general, had been killed. We
held the enemy in check, and could have driven them back farther
had the center and right of our line been able to hold their
position. About 5.30 p. m. I discovered the 37th New York moving
to the rear. On inquiry I found they had been ordered to fall back
by the general of division to prevent being flanked and captured.
I then gave orders to the other regiments to fall back also, some
portions of which did not get the order in consequence of the thick
woods, but all did make good their movement to the rear and came
into camp in order.
The brigade has suffered severely and is much reduced. The
ground we fought on was swampy and thicklv wooded. It was
almost impossible to keep our lines connected. The enemy repeat-
edly attempted to turn our left, but by the exertions of Lieutenant-
Colonel Stevens, and Majors Fairbanks and Pierce, were as often
handsomely repulsed. Colonel Poe's three companies, first concen-
trated, were sent by order of General Heintzelman, to form a guard
line across the rear of our army to prevent straggling. The balance,
five companies, were reported to General Heintzelman, and went
into action on the main road, under command of Colonel Poe in
person. These last named companies suffered severely, as they
fought largely superior numbers, for the particulars of which I
respectfully refer you to Colonel Poe's report.
I have to say that the regiments of this command fought a hard
fight in a most difficult and trying position under great disadvantages
and against fearful odds. They fully sustained their former reputa-
tion as good soldiers and gallant men, and I am constrained to say
did their part to secure a victory to our arms.
I have to make honorable mention of Colonel Champlin, of the
3d Michigan Volunteers, who was wounded in the fight. Lieutenant-
Colonel Stevens and Major Pierce, of the same regiment, did their
duty nobly. I am pleased to add that Colonel Champlin's wound is
not dangerous, though severe. I have to report the loss of Captain
Judd, of this regiment. He commanded the body of sharpshooters.
He fell at their head. This regiment's fire told fearfully on the
enemy. The sharpshooters raked the road and field with their fire.
166 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Colonel Terry and Major Fairbanks, of the 5th Michigan, both
displayed their accustomed bravery. Their regiment fought well and
gallantly, and fully maintained their previous reputation gained at
Williamsburg. Colonel Poe makes honorable mention of Lieutenant-
Colonel Williams and Adjutant R. H. Mahon, and I wish to add
Major Dillman, who it will be remembered commanded two compa-
nies on the flank of the 37th New York. Colonel Hayman fought
his regiment mostly under the eye of the division general. I would
therefore refer you to Colonel Hayman's official report. Colonel Hay-
man mentions as worthy of special notice Lieutenant James Henry,
adjutant ; also Captain J. R. O'Beirne, Lieutenant W. C. Green and
P. J. Smith. It will be seen that the list of missing in my brigade is
ver) small. The withdrawal of my men under the circumstances was
accomplished without much loss. I wish to accord great credit to
Lieutenant-Colonel Stevens, of 3d Michigan, for valuable services
rendered in getting a portion of the men of the 3d and 5th Regiments
well off the ground after our retreat was made difficult. The men
of these regiments were unwilling to leave the ground they won, and
it was not until they had fired their last cartridges, and all they could
obtain from the boxes of the killed and wounded, that they were
willing to fall back. Being accustomed to the woods, they came into
the camp in order and without losing any men as prisoners. Father
Peter Tissot, chaplain of the 37th New York Volunteers, was in
the engagement and rendered valuable service to his regiment. He
had his horse killed under him. He was also in the thickest of the
engagement at Williamsburg. I take great pleasure in commending
him to the general of the division as in every way a worthy and
model chaplain. I would call the attention of the general of the divi-
sion to the uniform good conduct of the surgeons of this brigade.
They have been very attentive and industrious in rendering to those of
my command who were wounded the aid so necessary. The brigade
is indeed fortunate in having the services of so good a board of
surgeons. 1 feel particularly the loss of my accomplished and brave
assistant adjutant-general, Captain Smith. A more gallant man did
not exist. He fell while nobly discharging his duty.
H. G. Berry,
Captain W. E. Sturgis, Brig. -Gen., Com'ding 3d Brigade.
Asst. Adjt. Gen.
CHAPTER XIX.
RETREAT TO THE JAMES.
Changes on Berry's Staff.— Letter from the Vice President.
—His Command Much Reduced.— Tribute to Colonel
Elijah Walker and the 4th Maine.— Terrible Losses —
The 1st New York Assigned to Berry's Brigade.—
Colonel Dyckman.— Pickets Attacked.— Major H. L.
Thayer Relates an Important Incident.— Kearny Seeks
Permission to Enter Richmond and Release Union Pris-
oners.—McClellan Refuses.— Kearny Denounces him
in Severe Terms.— Excitement and Fatigue.— Berry
Shares Hardships with his Men.
AFTER the death of Captain Smith, General Berry's assist-
ant adjutant-general, Lieutenant E. H. Shook of the
Michigan Volunteers, acted in that capacity, until Captain
George W. Wilson of the 5th Michigan was promoted to that
position. Other changes were made in the staff, Lieutenants
George W. Freeman of the 2d Michigan and S. S. Huntley of
the 37th New York being appointed aides-de-camp in the place
of Ladue and Sturgis. Lieutenant H. L Thayer of the 3d
Michigan, who had served as clerk at General Berry's headquar-
ters up to this time, was also appointed provost marshal of the
brigade, and instructed to select forty picked men to remain at
headquarters for such special duties as might be required.
Vice President Hamlin wrote General Berry after the battle
of Fair Oaks, condoling him on the death of Assistant Adjutant-
General Smith. His letter follows :
168 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Washington, June 8, 1862.
Dear General : It made me feel sad to receive your letter
of the 3d, for only two days before receiving it I had written you of
the appointment and confirmation of your assistant adjutant-general.
Let me know who you may want in his place, and I will attend to
it for you at once. * * * * You had a most desperate fight on
Saturday and Sunday, and I have no doubt the rebels expected to
annihilate you all. And it was the valiant officers and men who alone
prevented it. You must have been outnumbered two or three to"
one. And we all leel proud of the gallant officers and noble men
from our Pine Tree State.
Yours faithfully,
H. Hamlin.
Brig. -Gen. H. G. Berry.
Under date of June 3d, 1862, General Berry writes home:
" I am yet in health, and so far unhurt. That is, I have not
been injured by ball or bullet although somewhat bruised by
tumbling over logs, etc. On Saturday, the enemy, 30,000
strong, attacked the most advanced divisions, some two miles
ahead of ours. They drove our people in on our lines. We
were ordered to the front, my brigade being under arms on my
own order. Having taken this precaution, I moved out to
check the enemy in the advance. I took the left, and the
enemy were handsomely checked at my command. Jameson
took the center, (of Kearny's division,) Birney the right.
They did not succeed so well in keeping the enemy at bay.
So night closed in. My loss was 463 killed and wounded.
Poor Smith is no more [Captain Edwin M. Smith]. He was
shot through the head. He was my best man and I cannot
replace him ; he died while nobly doing his duty. Jabez
Greenhalgh is with me now. I have Mr. Tallman of Bath also,
as quartermaster [James H. Tallman]. On Sunday the enemy
attacked our lines again and were whipped terribly. The 4th
Maine had a hand in the fight and behaved nobly. Walker
[Colonel Elijah Walker] handled his men well and has great
CL^^^d^L Z&^t^L
The War Vice-President.
LETTERS. 160
credit for it. The Commander-in-Chief McCIellan, Heintzel-
man, Kearny, Prince de Joinville and the Count of Paris have
all acknowledged my services of Saturday last. My brigade is
much reduced. I have not one-half a command left, as many
who escaped are sick by constant excitement and exposure.
The last fight is named Battle of Seven Pines (or Fair Oaks)."
Again he writes, June 5th: "Probably ere this you have
full accounts of the fight, or Battle of Fair Oaks. Casey's
division was in advance of that portion of the forces that we
had got over the Chickahominy, some 40,000. Kearny came
next. On Saturday Casey was attacked by the entire rebel
army and driven back. My brigade was placed under arms as
soon as it was evident that Casey was retreating. When the
fact was evident, General Heintzelman ordered me to go forward
and take the left of our line, push the enemy back and recover
the lost ground. I brought my brigade to the front at double
quick, and succeeded in first checking, and then driving, the
enemy back over the ground they had advanced upon. The
right, which was composed of two other brigades, did not suc-
ceed so well; in consequence the enemy held a portion of our
ground during the night. We reinforced our right and next
morning drove the enemy at the point of the bayonet out of
all the ground of our old position. I am well although suffering
great privations. The old regiment [4th Maine] did finely,
and is one of the best in the service. Walker [Colonel Elijah
Walker] is one of the bravest of men. Poor Smith [Captain
E. M. Smith] was killed instantly. A more gallant and prom-
ising officer was not in the army. We shall push on to Rich-
mond in a day or two, and I shall write all about that hot-bed of
secession. I have only 1,560 men left out of 3,400 that I took
to Hampton, near Fortress Monroe. I have had about 900
killed and wounded, and about 1,000 broken down by sickness
and fatigue. My brigade has fought more than any other and
has done its work to the entire satisfaction of all. I under-
stand I am to have more fresh regiments ; of that, however, I
170 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
do not know. I shall have a chance at new regiments, as all
are friendly."
Again General Berry writes home under date of June 8th :
"The smoke and excitement of the battle of May 31st and
June 1st have just died away. On summing up we find our
army has lost 7,000 men; the rebels admit a loss of 10,000 — a
terrible battle indeed. God only knows how many more of the
kind we are to fight. We are now close in to Richmond, being
but four miles from there with our advance. We are now await-
ing reinforcements which are coming in daily, and we judge the
fight will not come off for days yet. I have had a new regi-
ment assigned to me, the 1st New York, Colonel Dyckman,
which makes my command quite large again. I am quite well,
having got over in a measure my sickness, and I am quite
black and hard looking. I do not think you would know me.
The 4th Maine was engaged and did splendidly. They fought
mostly from cover, which accounts for their small loss. Walker
[Colonel Elijah] did splendidly; none could do better. The
regiment is in fine condition."
June 14th, General Berry writes: "Since the battle [Fair
Oaks] I have had the 1st New York assigned to me, Colonel
Dyckman, the officer to whom the committee awarded the
' gold snuff box ' of General Jackson, as being the bravest man
in the Mexican War from New York State. I have the sole
charge of the front (our front). It makes it pretty hard, and
it is wearing on me somewhat. I shall do all I can and if my
health fails me I cannot help it. At the present time I am
pretty well, but greatly careworn. The army is receiving
reinforcements daily. How long we shall remain here none can
tell, nor do we know how or where the battle is to commence
before Richmond. I have just come in from the front and
have passed over a portion of my fighting ground in the last
battle. Many are yet unburied ; we are at work covering up
rebel bodies daily. I have no news. One thing certain, I
never in all my eventful life endured so many sufferings and
AN IMPORTANT INCIDENT. 171
privations as I have the past ten months. I hope, however,
to come out all right. I have done all my duty here. The
fight of my brigade in the late battle was a success."
June 15th, he wrote as follows: "I was obliged to stop
writing, owing to pressing duties. I resume at this moment —
7 P. M. I have just come in from the front. My pickets were
attacked by a rebel regiment, one of my men shot; we killed
two rebels, wounded others and took six prisoners. The 4th
Maine was on picket and did the work. I now have charge of
the outposts, and, consequently, all regiments detailed for that
duty are under my immediate charge. We are reinforcing
quite rapidly. I suppose the enemy is doing the same, and we
shall finish the war here, as the strength of the two armies will
be concentrated here."
Major H. L. Thayer, of General Berry's staff, relates the
following incident which is of historical importance: " My pro-
motion to provost marshal on the staff of General Berry gave
me still better opportunities for knowing our general and his
personal opinions on many subjects which, as soldiers, were
only discussed among ourselves, as members of one family.
Of one incident, which seemed of great importance to all of
us then, I will speak. When the plans of the commanding
general for the retreat from the Peninsula were made known to
the general officers, our corps [Heintzelman's] still comprised
the two divisions under Kearny and Hooker. We were on the
extreme left and facing toward Richmond, whose church spires
could be seen from our picket lines and only three and one-
half to four miles away. These plans were earnestly discussed
and so strongly opposed, that Generals Kearny and Hooker,
accompanied by Heintzelman, together with General Berry and
some other brigade commanders, rode to General McClellan's
headquarters, where General Kearny, as principal speaker, ear-
nestly insisted that he should be granted permission to march
our division at once into Richmond to liberate the 14,000 of
our men known to be held there in Libby as prisoners, and, if
172 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
not deemed best to hold possession of the city, to return; that
as there was only a small force of the enemy between us and
the city, the main part of General Lee's army being opposite
our extreme right where the fighting was then going on at
Gaines Mills, nearly fourteen miles away, he believed this
could be done successfully. It would also tend to divert the
enemy and possibly make our retreat unnecessary. General
Hooker also heartily approved of the plan, saying that in his
opinion one division could alone do all that Kearny had pro-
posed, but, for safety, suggested that one division should
advance into the city while the other should remain in reserve
guarding the flank. General Heintzelman's views coincided,
but all their united arguments having no effect in changing
General McClellan's plans, General Kearny denounced him in
language so strong, that all who heard it expected he would be
placed under arrest until a general court-martial could be held,
or at least he would be relieved from his command.
" On their return in the evening, General Berry with a
heavy heart detailed the exciting incidents of that conference
to us, and while little of the occurrences of that particular
event was then allowed to be generally known to the Army of
the Potomac, our two divisions were never afterward as enthusi-
astic for * Little Mac ' as we had been while fighting our way
up the Peninsula."
After Sumner had thrown his corps across the Chicka-
hominy to the assistance of Keyes and Heintzelman, and hurled
back in defeat the exultant enemy, whose advance had been
so gallantly stopped by Berry's brigade and other troops the
preceding day at Seven Pines, the Army of the Potomac
supinely sat itself down to ponder on the victory and permit
the Confederates to escape. Why the retreating enemy were
not vigorously pursued after the battle of Fair Oaks has never
yet been explained to the satisfaction of military men.
After the battle of Fair Oaks, General Berry was assigned
a position on the extreme front and left, a most dangerous and
CHANGE OP BASE. 173
exacting position, as the Union pickets were daily attacked with
greater or less force. For more than two weeks this state of
affairs continued to exist. From this time till the completion
of the " change of base " to Harrison's Landing, General
Berry's brigade, and the entire army, was in a state of great
and continual excitement and anxiety, the effect of which was
most fatiguing and disheartening to officers and men alike.
Indeed, from the ist to the 27th of June, there was hardly a
day or night, and scarcely an hour, when it was not necessary
to be constantly on the alert. General Berry shared with the
men the danger and fatigue, but his anxiety for the welfare of
those under his command much exceeded that of the men
themselves. He was constantly among them, solicitous for
their well-being and zealous in promoting their efficiency. The
knowledge that he shared their perils and fatigue enabled his
command to endure every danger and trial with the most
heroic fortitude, and they looked upon their general with a fond
regard which the survivors of the gallant old brigade cherish
to this day.
General Berry writes under date of June 17th, 1862:
" It is just one year today since I left you — the saddest, or one
of the saddest of my life — a year that has indeed been eventful
in more ways than one to me. That it has brought with it
hardships and perils is even so, but perhaps I should have met
them at home or elsewhere by sickness or accident. Enough
it is to know that so far I have passed through all, have fair
health and a good position. I trust that the worst has passed
and that the power of the rebellion is broken by the downfall
of Beauregard and the loss to the enemy of the Mississippi
River. They have no natural boundary left; their country is
divided by our occupancy of the great river, and the same can
never be retaken. Richmond is sure to fall, and I feel that
its fall will end the war. Now one word of encouragement : I
shall try to be with you at our birthdays in August. Our
daughter will be sixteen. I feel I must be at home in that
174 MAJOR-GEttERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
month. I go home at peace with all mankind. I have sought
the front in the two battles, and Providence has seen fit to spare
my life, though many have fallen by my side, even whilst I have
been giving them orders. I shall seek no more exposed
places. All say (Heintzelman, Hooker, Keyes, Kearny, De Join-
ville and many others) that I have done enough. I trust when
Richmond falls the war closes. I shall then be with you. I
have accomplished my object, and shall feel ready, willing, yes,
anxious to retire at the earliest moment. I want nothing ; no
place, no position that takes me from home. I hold the left
of the front towards Richmond. The division is under my
charge, as Kearny has given me control of the same for all
purposes needed in the carrying out of orders. This post (the
left) is a post of honor. Michigan men say I must hereafter
live in their State. It is flattering, but I shall live in Rockland
to the end."
CHAPTER XX.
SEVEN DAYS' FIGHT.
Battle of Oak Grove or the Peach Orchard. — 2d and 3d
Michigan Move to Support the Pickets. — The 1st and
37th New York at the Post of Danger. — Saves Beam's
Battery. — General Berry's Report. — Gaines Mills. — Strat-
egy of Magruder. — Berry Ordered to Fall Back. — 4th
Maine Repair Fisher's and Jordon's Fords. — Passage of
Fisher's Ford. — White Oak Swamp. — Battle of Charles
City Cross Roads. — Battle of Glendale or Nelson's
Farm. — Battle of Malvern Hill. — Lieutenant J. B. Green-
halgh Leads Charge of 24th New York. — Major Fair-
banks Badly Wounded. — Retreat to Harrison's Landing.
— Casualties.
AFTER Fair Oaks the Potomac Army was engaged in that
most arduous of tasks in inclement weather, intrenching.
The line laid out beyond Seven Pines was strengthened
and completed from Golding's to White Oak Swamp. Changes
were also made in the positions of the troops, the front at Seven
Pines being heavily reinforced. Heintzelman's corps was on
the left, his line extending toward the White Oak Swamp, with
Sumner on his right and Keyes in reserve. Franklin's corps,
which had crossed the Chickahominy, held the right of the line.
In the meantime Lee had been heavily reinforced, and had
opposed to the Potomac Army during the Seven Days' Fight
80,762 men. McClellan had 92,500. McClellan now decided
to advance his lines in front of Seven Pines to a large clearing,
on the other side of a stretch of country heavily timbered, and
176 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERR¥.
divided by a small stream, which up to this time had served as
a defense to the picket lines of both armies. The attempt to
occupy this clearing resulted in an engagement known as the
battle of Oak Grove or the Peach Orchard. This was the first
of those desperate and hotly contested conflicts known as the
" Seven Days' Battles." The force engaged in this battle was
the corps of Heintzelman, Palmer's brigade of Keyes' corps,
and a part of Sumner's. The Union troops advanced in good
order through the timber, and repulsed a strong force of the
enemy, occupying in force the clearing which was the objective
of the attack, and throwing out pickets within four miles of
Richmond.
General Webb in his " Peninsular Campaign," says : " This
advance makes manifest the fact that while General McClellan
may, and doubtless did, entertain the plan of moving his base
of supplies from the White House to the James, he was induced
to make this latter move by Stewart's cavalry raid on the i ith,
rather than with any intention of changing his line of attack or
transferring his army to that point."
Although General Berry was not so heavily engaged as at
Williamsburg and Fair Oaks, yet the regiments of his brigade
did their part in winning the victory at Oak Grove. The brunt
of the attack, however, fell upon the brigade of General Robin-
son, who sustained the contest most gallantly, and hurled the
enemy back defeated.
At 7 o'clock on the morning of June 25th, when this battle
was fought, General Berry was ordered to advance his picket
line and support it with the remaining regiments of his brigade.
The 37th New York and ten companies of the 1st New York
were on outpost duty when General Berry was ordered to
advance. Taking the 2d and 3d Michigan, General Berry
promptly moved to their support, and the 2d Michigan, Major
Dillman, was directed to relieve them.
After it was relieved from picket duty, the 37th New York
was assigned the post of danger on the direct road to the
OAK GKOVE. 177
Charles City road, with the ten companies of the 1st New York
about 1,000 yards in advance. General Berry posted the 3d
Michigan in an advantageous position near the road, and then
threw out skirmishers along the front. After these dispositions
had been made, the order to advance was given, the enemy's
pickets retiring as General Berry's troops came up. In the
meantime the brigade of General Robinson had become heavily
engaged, and General Berry sent the 37th New York to his
assistance, the 5th Michigan taking its place in line.
General Berry held his position until about 3 o'clock in the
afternoon, when the fire of the enemy became quite heavy.
Believing that an attempt was about to be made to take Beam's
battery, the right wing of the 1st New York was ordered to
advance and hold the road at all hazards. This was done, and
when the 87th New York was driven back, later in the day, the
First held its advanced position most gallantly, and, together
with the 5th Michigan, prevented the brigade line from being
broken by this partial success of the enemy.
General Berry personally conducted the 5th Michigan to a
position in reserve in the rear of the 3d Maine, which was then
on picket duty. Here the regiment remained until 5 o'clock,
when the enemy succeeded in breaking through the lines in
front, and troops rushed by in disorder, calling out that the
enemy were attacking in great force. Colonel Dyckman of the
1st New York promptly advanced four of his companies and
formed on the right of the 5th Michigan, and together this
force advanced upon the enemy. A few well-directed volleys
were sufficient to check the enemy, and the line was halted in a
clearing, where it maintained its position to the end. This
demonstration saved Beam's battery from capture and closed
the engagement for Berry's brigade. At dark the regi-
ments of the brigade were put on outpost duty, having
held during the day all the ground gained, and advanced
about one-half mile. General Berry's report of this affair is as
follows :
178 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Headquarters 3D Brigade, \
June 27, 1862. j
Captain : At 7 o'clock, morning of the 25th instant, in compli-
ance with orders from your headquarters, I moved forward to support
and advance mv picket line, the 2d and 3d Michigan Volunteers, the
37th New York, and ten companies of the 1st New York, being
then on outpost duty. I immediately relieved the 37th New York
and the ten companies of the 1st New York with the 2d Michigan,
Major Dillman commanding.
I placed the Thirty-Seventh after it was relieved, at the danger-
ous road (direct road to Charles City road), and the ten companies
of the 1st New York in advance, some 1,000 yards on said road. I
placed the 3d Michigan between the dangerous road and the pine
tree, some 1,000 yards in advance of the road, and had skirmishers
out here along my front 100 yards. I advanced the line, keeping the
connection on the right. The enemy's pickets were driven in by
my right at the same time that they were met by the forces of
General Robinson, the enemy supporting on the left of General
Robinson in foixe.
At this time you called on me for a regiment to support on the
left of the 1st Brigade. I sent the 37th New York, and immediately
ordered over the 5th Michigan to take its place. On its arrival I
changed and placed the Fifth in position on my right, and placed
the 37th New York down the dangerous road 500 yards, in line
with the 3d Michigan, but some hundred yards from it. At 3 p. m.
the firing was heavy for a time. The two pieces of artillery of
Beam's battery were now at work. The enemy seemed to be arrang-
ing for something. I judged it to be to make a dash for the road in
rear of the field pieces. I placed the right wing of the 1st New
York Regiment on my extreme right, with orders to advance and
hold the road at all hazards. This regiment, together with the
5th Michigan, contributed much to sustain our lines when the
87th New York broke.
It now became dark, and in accordance with orders from the
general of division I kept the regiments of my brigade on outpost
duty; also ten companies of the 1st New York. We held all the
ground gained during the day, having advanced our right about
one-half mile.
GAINES MILLS. 179
I will send you a detailed report, together with a list of casual-
ties of the day, as soon as my regimental reports are in.
Very respectfully,
H. G. Berry,
Captain Sturgis, Brigadier-General Volunteers.
Assistant Adjutant-General.
Note. — I had out during the day the 2d, 3d, and 5th Michigan,
the 37th and 1st New York. I had to guard a line of two and one-
half miles long, and as my left is the dangerous point, my attention
was particularly directed to that point. All my men behaved hand-
somely. At night I established my picket line on my line of skir-
mishers, having advanced it on the right more than one-half a mile.
H. G. Berry,
Captain Sturgis, • Brigadier-General Volunteers.
Assistant Adjutant-General.
Again we quote from Webb's " Peninsular Campaign : "
" It is to be noticed here that McClellan's base of supplies at
the White House had become a source of anxiety, since he
seemed to doubt his ability to keep his connection with it
secure, and because the rain and mud had rendered the roads
almost impassable for wagons. Some time in June, the General
called General Porter to a meeting with himself alone, half" way
between their respective headquarters, to discuss the advantages
of the James River as a base. The conclusion reached was
that necessity and necessity only would warrant such a move-
ment; that it was dangerous and difficult in the face of such a
vigilant foe as General Lee, and a disaster would endanger our
cause at home and abroad. The necessity of keeping a con-
stant threat upon Richmond itself for the purpose of showing
our confidence in our strength, was then felt. However, it was
considered that the necessity might come, and it was determined
that we should be prepared for the emergency."
June 27th, the battle of Gaines Mills was fought by the
troops of Porter's corps. General Berry's brigade, being in
Heintzelman's corps, took no part in the engagement.
180 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
While the battle of Gaines Mills was in progress, the
Confederate General Magruder, with a force of 25,000 men,
was making a succession of demonstrations at different parts
of the Union line south of the Chickahominy. This was done
for the double purpose of preventing the sending of reinforce-
ments to the hard-pressed troops of Porter's corps, who were
fighting superior numbers at Gaines Mills, and, also to frustrate
any attempt to advance on Richmond, which was now exposed
by the concentration of the main body of the Confederate army
at Gaines Mills. Kearny, Heintzelman and Hooker were quick
to observe this advantage, and hastened to McClellan to get his
permission to advance Kearny's division into Richmond, but
their arguments were without avail, as has already been detailed.
In these feints, Magruder was repeating the tactics of the siege
of Yorktown with the same success. He was in constant fear
of being swept away by the advance of McClellan's left, and
that Richmond would fall into the Federal Commander's hands.
Magruder says: " I received instructions enjoining the utmost
vigilance. I passed the night without sleep. Had McClellan
massed his whole force in column and advanced it against any
point in our line of battle — as was done at Austerlitz under
similar circumstances, by the greatest captain of any age —
though the head of his column would have suffered greatly, its
momentum would have insured him success, and the occupation
of our works about Richmond, and, consequently, of the city,
might have been his reward."
After the battle of Gaines Mills arrangements were made
to transfer the base of supplies to the James. Casey's troops,
who were at the White House, were ordered to the new base, and
all the material that could not be put on board the transports
was burned. The rolling stock, loaded with supplies, was run
into the river. Five thousand wagons, laden with everything
portable, were sent to the James by the way of White Oak
Swamp. The reserve artillery was also moved by this road.
Twenty-five hundred head of cattle made a part of the long
RETREAT. 181
column. What could not be carried was destroyed, and blazing
bonfires marked the camps and depots of the Union troops.
Webb says: "Millions of rations, hundreds of tons of fixed
ammunition and shells for the siege guns were thus lost. Lee's
uncertainty as to the movements of McClellan gave the latter
twenty-four hours to perfect and carry out his arrangements,
and when Lee saw the intention of the Union general, the
retreat was well advanced, and the roads across the swamps
guarded to protect the passage of the trains from attack by way
of the New Market, Charles City and Williamsburg roads."
About midnight of the 29th of June, General Berry received
orders to fall back from his advanced position at Seven Fines.
After the 1st and 2d Brigades had moved, General Berry com-
menced the retreat at 4 o'clock in the morning, taking with him
a section of Thompson's battery. The 3d Michigan covered
the retreat. The brigade soon reached the second line of
defenses, by the way of the Saw Mill road, and took position.
By direction of the division commander, General Berry person-
ally inspected the fords and found one of them (Jordon's) in
bad condition. Fisher's Ford was found available, and by the
energy of Colonel Walker and the 4th Maine this latter ford
was soon made passable for infantry. General Berry then rode
to division headquarters to report. On his return he met his
brigade on the march under command of Colonel Hayman,
who informed him that they were ordered to cross the swamp
at Jordon's Ford, and that the division as well as the army was
on the move. General Berry again rode to division headquar-
ters for instructions, but as General Kearny was absent, he
returned to his brigade. Being satisfied that it was not possible
to pass a large body of men over Jordon's Ford with rapidity,
and knowing that Fisher's Ford had been put in good condition
by the 4th Maine, General Berry made the passage at this point,
taking the Charles City road to the left, and joined the com-
mand of General Sykes. The next morning General Berry
reported to General Kearny, who stationed his brigade on the
182 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
left of the Charles City road, his left flank being protected by
a swamp, and his right resting upon that road. Orders soon
arrived for General Berry to move his brigade to the rear to act
as support to the other brigades of the division. This order
was executed on the double-quick, the men laying aside their
knapsacks. McClellan's retreat soon became known to Lee,
and Longstreet and A. P. Hill started in pursuit, moving by the
Darbytown road to the Long Bridge road, and coming upon
the Union troops strongly posted about a mile from the inter-
section of the Long Bridge and Charles City roads. General
Kearny being sick from exhaustion and exposure, the command
of the division was given to General Berry, who directed its
movements during the latter part of the battle of Glendale.
McCall's division halted on the New Market road and
formed line of battle. Slocum formed to the right of the
Charles City road, and General Kearny's division was posted so
as to guard the space between the Charles City road and the
New Market road. Robinson's brigade formed the left of his
line, and also supported Thompson's battery. General Birney
was on the right, and, as previously stated, General Berry was
in reserve.
By 5 o'clock in the afternoon, Robinson's brigade and
Thompson's battery became engaged with the enemy and were
subjected to a severe fire. So determined was the attack upon
troops to the left of Berry's brigade, that they gave way. Gen-
eral Berry ordered the ist New York to the support of Thomp-
son's battery, and at the request of General Robinson, the 2d
Michigan was sent to his assistance. The 3d Michigan was also
ordered forward to support General Birney. The enemy made
a desperate attempt to capture Thompson's battery, but were
mowed down by showers of canister. The supporting line of
infantry also poured in deadly volleys, and this determined
resistance prevented the enemy from gaining ground.
It was now apparent that a strong column of the enemy
was about to make a desperate attempt to pierce the Union
GREENHALGH LEADS THE CHARGE. 183
lines. General Berry promptly formed the 5th Michigan, which
had in line but 200 men, and the 24th New York, of General
Burns' brigade, which had been sent to his assistance. Lieuten-
ant J. B. Greenhalgh, one of Berry's aides, gallantly led the
charge which was now ordered, the troops bravely advancing
upon the strong force of the enemy, who could not resist so
determined an attack and fled instantly, leaving a stand of
colors in the hands of the victorious troops. For his courageous
conduct in leading this charge and driving back the enemy at
one of the most critical periods of the battle, Lieutenant
Greenhalgh received special mention in official reports. The
ground gained by this charge was held. General Berry was
reinforced, and with the troops now at his disposal, he success-
fully resisted every effort of the enemy to retrieve the disasters
that had come upon them.
General Berry maintained his formation until midnight,
when orders came to continue the retreat to Malvern Hill. So
near were the opposing lines of the enemy that strict silence
was enjoined, that the retreat might not be discovered by the
rebel pickets. With cautious tread and at whispered command
the brigade withdrew from the front, leaving behind in the
darkness the dead and dying, the stern exigencies of war
making it impossible to succor the injured or bury the slain.
In this engagement General Berry was slightly wounded by a
musket ball which severed his sword belt.
General Berry had followed the retreating army to Malvern
Hill and took position on the right of the advanced general
line, supporting the 2d Brigade. At 10 o'clock the enemy
commenced shelling from the plateau opposite the position
occupied by General Berry's brigade, and although many men
were struck, the line maintained its position all day without
wavering. In his report of this battle General Kearny says :
" The 4th Maine particularly distinguished itself for its coolness
in holding the ravine in our front and daringly engaging the
skirmishers of the enemy's attacking columns. Their loss was
184 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
considerable." As the brigade of General Berry was held in
reserve it did not become engaged, although under a severe fire
all day. General Berry's ofhcial report of these battles is as
follows :
Headquarters 3D Brigade, )
July 5, 1862. j
Captain: At 12.30 at night of 29th June I received orders to
be prepared to fall back from the position that my brigade occupied
on the left of the line, to the second line of defenses, and to pass to
the same by the Saw Mill road, my pickets to be kept to the front
and my brigade to fall back after the 1st and 2d Brigades. I made
the necessary preparations, and at 3 a. m. the 1st and 2d Brigades
moved, together with two sections of Thompson's battery, which
was in the redoubt on my immediate front. At 4 A. m. I filed my
command to the rear by regiments, the 3d Michigan covering our
rear, taking with them the remaining section of Thompson's battery.
We passed to the second line of defenses by way of the Saw Mill,
having succeeded in withdrawing our pickets without confusion or
loss. We took position on the left of the earthwork in the skirt of the
woods fronting the plain, the 2d Michigan Volunteers, Major Dill-
man, guarding the approaches via Saw Mill, as well as picketing
our front to connect with those of the 1st Brigade, which together
covered our front from the Saw Mill to the Williamsburg road.
At 2.30 p. M. the general of division sent for me to pass down
and examine the fords, in conformity to an order from corps
headquarters. I immediately did so. I found Jordon's Ford in a
bad condidon, requiring some considerable labor to finish the cross-
ing, and I ordered it done by the 4th Maine Regiment, there on
fatigue duty. I also passed down to Fisher's Ford, and found that
a little labor would put that in good condition for infantry. I also
ordered that work commenced immediately. Colonel Walker put on
extra men, and I am happy to state the ford was in an hour made
passable.
At this time, say 3.45 p. m., an orderlv came for me, ordering
me to report to division headquarters. I returned as rapidly as
possible, and when within a mile of camp met my brigade, under
command of Colonel Hayman, moving toward the ford. Colonel
OFFICIAL REPORT. 185
Hayman informed me that we were to cross the swamp at Jordon's
Ford, and that the division as well as the army was on the move.
I passed on to headquarters of division for instructions, and when
I reached there the general of division was absent. I immediately
returned to my brigade. I passed down the road and when I reached
Jordon's Ford I examined it again, and concluded it was not possible
to pass a large body of men over it with any rapidity, and know-
ing the next ford was in good condition I pushed on for that. I
passed over it with my command, except the 2d Michigan, which
had been on picket and was in the rear of troops of our corps.
After passing the ford I took the Charles City road to the left and
joined General Sykes' command, and took position on his front.
At 3 A. m., June 30th, I reported my command to the general
of division. We were moved, by order of the general of divi-
sion, forward to a position on the left of the Charles City road, my
right resting upon it and my left on a swamp. We arrived in this
position at 5 a. m. At 11.30 A. m. I received orders to move my
command to a new line to the left, and while making arrangements
to get my pickets relieved, an order came to hurry at double-quick.
My men laid aside their knapsacks, placing a guard over them, and
moved as ordered. We took up a position to the rear and in reserve
to the two brigades. At 4 p. M. I received orders to place my
brigade on the right of the central road, in the skirt of the woods,
directly in the front of division headquarters.
At 5 A. M. the action in front of Robinson's brigade and
Thompson's battery opened severely. It was evident that the troops
on the left of the road (McCall's division) were giving way. At
this time I placed the 1st New York, Colonel Dyckman, in support
of Thompson's battery. General Robinson called on me for a regi-
ment to sustain his line, and I sent him the 2d Michigan, Major
Dillman. Captain Sturgis, acting assistant adjutant-general, took
the 3d Michigan Volunteers, Major Pierce, to support General
Birney. Thompson's battery was severely assailed, and by the use
that gallant officer made of canister, and the support rendered by
General Robinson's brigade, together with that rendered by the
1st New York, and afterward by the 37th New York and 5th
Michigan, Major Fairbanks, of my own, prevented them from
advancing their lines toward us. This regiment operated in front
186 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
of General McCall's line and the road. The enemy were pressing
in that direction very hard, and I thought it my duty to check them
to save our left flank.
At 7.30 A. m. it was evident that the enemy was preparing a
column to make a strong effort to pierce our lines. I made known
the fact to General Burns, who was forming a second line to McCall's.
That officer gave me the 24th Regiment New York Volunteers,
Colonel . I marched up to the road and placed the 5th
Michigan, of less than 200 men, and they, the remaining one, on its
right ; filed by the right across our front, and in rear of Thomp-
son's battery and ordered to charge the enemy, who had appeared
in a strong column. Lieutenant Greenhalgh, one of my aides,
gallantly led the regiment, drove back the enemy, and captured a
stand of colors belonging to the regiment, of . Other
reinforcements arrived, and we held our line without falling back an
inch.
At 12 m. I received orders to draw off my men immediately
and to follow General Robinson's brigade. I did so without loss of
any pickets, leaving my dead and wounded on the ground. My loss
in this engagement was considerable, including Major Fairbanks,
badly wounded.
We followed the retreating army to Malvern Hill, and after
having collected stragglers, took position under orders from your
headquarters on the right of the advanced general line, supporting
the 2d Brigade. At 10 A. m. the enemy commenced shelling us
from the plateau opposite with considerable effect. My men, how-
ever, kept their position all day without flinching, although some
fifty men were hit; among others Captain Pulford, of the 5th
Michigan Volunteers. At 1 A. m. of the 2d we were ordered to fall
back and follow the 2d Brigade. We did so in order, arriving at
this locality at 10 A. M. of the 2d instant.
I have to mention that my brigade behaved admirably at the
battle of Charles City. The position was strongly contested.
Night closed in upon us in possession of our own ground. The 1st
New York Volunteers, Colonel Dyckman, behaved handsomely.
This regiment received a charge of a rebel regiment, and charged
in turn and broke the enemy in confusion. The 37th New York
Volunteers, Colonel Hayman, charged a rebel regiment and broke
OFFICIAL KEPORT. 187
it into confusion. The 5th Michigan again fought as usual. Major
Fairbanks, its only field officer, was here badly wounded. The
3d Michigan was with the 2d Brigade and the 2d Michigan was
with the rst Brigade. They behaved as Michigan soldiers always
do — well. None flinched. At the battle of Malvern Hill my brigade
was exposed to the shot and shell from morning till night. Notwith-
standing many were killed and wounded, the regiments maintained
the most perfect order.
I have to make honorable mention of Captain Wilson, my
acting assistant adjutant-general ; also Lieutenants Freeman and
Greenhalgh. They were active in carrying out my wishes during
the battles mentioned. Lieutenant Greenhalgh led the 24th Regi-
ment New York Volunteers, of General Burns' command, gallantly
into the fight, repulsing the enemy, and capturing a stand of rebel
colors at one of the most critical periods of the fight. All my com-
pany officers behaved well. I have no fault to find with any. For
the particular ones who distinguished themselves more than others I
respectfully refer you to the regimental reports.
Respectfully, your obedient servant,
H. G. Berry,
Captain W. E. Sturgis. Brig. -Gen., Com'ding Brigade.
During the night of the battle of Malvern Hill, the Union
troops were withdrawn and continued their retreat to Harrison's
Landing, seven miles distant. On the arrival of the army at
this place, General Berry was assigned a position on the center
of the front line, and by reason of the great losses his brigade
had sustained, and the large amount of service it had performed
during the retrograde movement, it was excused from fatigue
duty.
The casualties of the brigade during the Seven Days' Bat-
tles were as follows : 2d Michigan, two men killed, nineteen men
wounded, total twenty-one ; 3d Michigan, one man killed, four
men wounded, twenty-seven captured or missing, total thirty-
two ; 5th Michigan, one officer and two men killed, four officers
and twenty-nine men wounded, and one officer and twenty-two
men captured or missing, total fifty-nine; 1st New York,
188 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
twenty-two men killed, five officers and 122 men wounded, two
officers and eighty-five men missing, total 236; 37th New York,
forty-two men wounded, thirty-nine men missing, total eighty-
one ; making a total loss in the brigade of 429 officers and
men.
CHAPTER XXI.
berry's sickness.
General R. de Trobriand. — Berry Worn Out by Fatigue and
Malaria. — General Berry's Wound. — Letters from Vice
President Hamlin. — Communications Cut Oft*. — Desper-
ate Fighting of Confederate Soldiers. — Whiskey and
Gunpowder. — General Adelbert Ames. — Berry's Dilapi-
dated Condition. — His Horsemanship. — Describes his
Quarters. — Urging the Use of the Draft. — On Furlough.
AMONG the new regiments now assigned to Berry's brigade,
which had become reduced by the severe fighting of the
Peninsula, was the 55th New York, commanded by that
gallant French officer and cultivated gentleman Colonel (now
Brevet Major-General) R. de Trobriand. In his "Four Years
with the Army of the Potomac," General de Trobriand describes
General Berry as he appeared after passing through the perils
and privations of the Seven Days' Fight. He says : " I called
on General Berry with the order assigning the Fifty-fifth to his
command. He was a plain, straight-forward man, tall and
broad-shouldered. His blue flannel blouse and his whole dress
gave him very little of a military air. But whoever judged him
from his appearance would have judged badly, for, although he
had rather the appearance of an honest farmer than that of a
brigadier-general, he was not the less a good officer, as faithful
to his duty as he was devoted to his soldiers. The Peninsular
campaign, and that of the North of Virginia, had already
sensibly affected the health of General Berry, but in him the
moral energy strove against physical weakness, and it was only
190 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
when it could not be avoided that he consented to take leave
of absence, to re-establish his exhausted strength."
As is stated by General de Trobriand, the health of General
Berry had become very much impaired. He had put forth
superhuman efforts during the campaign just closed and his
physical being now uttered its protest. For nearly a month he
did not sleep in his tent, but usually on the ground with his
horse's reins in his hands. It was this incessant labor and
anxiety that induced an attack of fever which threatened his
life; but he continued at his post until it was impossible for
him to longer remain and perform the duties of his station.
General Berry writes :
Headquarters Opposite City Point, )
Berkley Wharf Landing. j
I am here — that is, what is left. Since I last wrote you we
have had five battles ; three of them were in great force. Our right
wing was turned, and our communications cut off. We had to
cross the White Oak Swamp, then fought and whipped the enemy
and retreated at night. Next day we fought the battle of Charles
City, drove the enemy four miles with great slaughter, and at night
retreated to this place. We were obliged to do this, as our com-
munication by way of railroad to the Pamunky river was cut off,
and we could get nothing to eat. Our men have had but very little
for the past two days. We are now at a point where supplies can
reach us, and we are in conjunction with our gunboats. I have
been in the thickest of three of the fights since I last wrote you. I
am slightly wounded in the arm by a piece of shell. Greenhalgh
[Lieutenant J. B.] is wounded in the shoulder slightly, also by
a piece of shell. I am also somewhat bruised by my horse falling
on me when he was shot, but am not injured so badly but that I can
do my daily duty. Out of some 4,400 men that I have had in my
command since I joined the brigade, I now have less than 1,500.
They are scattered, some 1,200 are killed and wounded. The dead
lie on six different battlefields and some half-dozen places where we
have had skirmishes. This army is now much reduced. We are
getting reinforcements daily, and will soon be right again. I am
not well tonight. 1 shall try to recruit my health if possible.
VICE PRESIDENT HAMLIN'S LETTERS. 19l
Harrison Cowing is dead ; was killed instantly. Charley Wood
[Charles F. Wood of Rockland] is dangerously, probably mortally,
wounded. My new assistant adjutant-general is also wounded,
[Captain Geo. W. Wilson of Michigan]. To give you an idea of
the losses, I will state that in my opinion the army is not half so
numerous as when we landed at Fortress Monroe, and the rebels
have suffered nearly twice as much as we.
Touching the Seven Days' Fight and the policy of the
Government in the conduct of the war, the Vice President
writes General Berry as follows :
Bangor, July 17, 1862.
My Dear General: I received your letter of the 5th two
days ago at this place where I have been for two weeks. We all feel
sad at the disaster before Richmond, but are still of good cheer.
We think we can see a new policy laid down such as will meet your
views, I am sure, and upon which the war must be conducted. We
cannot longer afford to protect rebel property with loyal arms. It
should be used in all cases where it will give comfort to our men,
and all means should be used to relieve our men. It must come to
this and the sooner the better. We are all at work like beavers to
raise men, and while it is the worst time in the year, still we will
have our quota, and I think by enlistment and not by draft.
I have been speaking some, and I do not fail to do full justice to
our noble officers and men. Our people shall know their valor and
worth, I assure you. The North will be equal to the crisis, you
may be sure of that. H. Hamlin.
Bangor, July 18, 1862.
Dear General : We had a very large meeting here last night.
General Howard and others addressed it. I think it will do good.
It was all for more promptness in action and demanding the use of
all means within the reach of Government.
I endorse every word you say in relation to what should be
done. Oh, how I wish the same spirit would animate all in control
of affairs, from the President down to the lowest official, then we
would begin to see the end. Out of this sad reverse I gather fresh
hope ; it will, it must, compel another policy, a policy of action and
192 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
not delay. It will compel Government to seize on all means to
relieve our noble soldiers, and no longer compel them to guard rebel
property, while the rebel is hurling his blows at the heart of the
Republic. Let the loyal colored man be used in all possible ways
to relieve our soldiers, and all rebel property be taken to make our
troops comfortable. Then will we end this unholy and wicked war.
That course is coming and in that I have faith in our success.
Yours faithfully,
Brig.-Gen. H. G. Berry. H. Hamlin.
Under date of July 4th, 1862, General Berry writes home:
" For the past week our communication has been cut off, and
we neither have sent nor received letters. I am not well — have
been so much exposed and have worked so hard. I hope for and
must be able to get some rest and recover somewhat. I wrote
you that Charles Wood was badly wounded, but I have not yet
been able to find out how badly, or where the poor boy is. All
is excitement on the battlefield, and but little attention is paid
to anyone. As we fell back that night, all our wounded were
left on the battlefield. I have sent to the regiment [4th Maine]
repeatedly to find out about Charley, and all I learn is that he
is very badly wounded by a shell. Nothing but woods inside
our lines — outside, the enemy."
Again he writes under date of July 5th: "Well, I have
passed through five more battles, and although wounded by a
shell on my right arm, I am comparatively uninjured. My
wound is merely a flesh one and is already healing. I think in
a week it will be almost well. My poor horse is getting better.
In a few days he too will be all right. My poor brigade now
numbers 1 ,500 men left of the 4,400 placed under my command.
The balance are wounded, sick in hospitals, or their bones lie
mouldering at Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, White Oak Swamp,
Charles City and Malvern Hill battlefields. Over 50,000 have
fallen on the battlefields of this locality within the past week.
I am spared, for what purpose God only knows. My cap has
been twice shot from my head, my clothes are riddled with
LETTERS. 193
bullets, still I am here. I shall never be killed by cannon or
musket shot, I sincerely think, as I have faced the deadliest fire
for hours when all have been hit but myself. Greenhalgh
[Lieutenant J. B.] is slightly wounded but is all right. He
distinguished himself, having led a regiment in a charge at the
crisis of the battle and captured a stand of colors. We have
had a bloody time, but for every one of our men injured the
enemy have lost two. We have fought on empty stomachs.
The men fight splendidly, the enemy desperately. All their
canteens are found with whiskey in them and mixed with
gunpowder. All the prisoners we take on the battlefield are
intoxicated ; made so to make them fight desperately. All our
retreats have been well conducted — not a cannon lost, men
behaved splendidly, no panic, all were cool and bound to turn
and fight if attacked, as we have been twice. We are now in a
safe place waiting for reinforcements. The North will have to
stir itself. Now is the time for all patriotic men to come here.
Men are wanted ; men we must have. I am off duty, being
too unwell for active service. I shall resume again in a day or
two. Keep the dear old home in good order. I hope to visit
it soon."
He writes again under date of July 8th: " I am in much
better health than for the past month. The air is good here
and the men improving rapidly. The army is in good condi-
tion ; we are receiving reinforcements. The battle of the
Seven Days was most destructive to human life; not less than
50,000 fell on both sides. We repulsed the enemy in every
battle on our retirement from the White Oak Swamp. I cannot
learn about Charley Wood. That he is badly wounded is a fact,
still I think it is not a mortal wound. He must be a prisoner,
yet I hope he will have care, as many surgeons of our army
are left behind with stores for the wounded. I know the boy
was hurt on the battlefield, as young Spear [Josiah C] asked
me where there was a surgeon. I could only answer, to take the
boy to the rear out of range of fire. It seems he was so taken,
194 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
a surgeon found and his wounds dressed. He was taken on
towards this point and left in a house used as a hospital —
where, I cannot learn. Poor boy ! My heart bleeds for him.
If it is possible to find him when we again advance I shall do
so. On the retreat across the White Oak Swamp I took my
command across at a point over which none others passed, and
nearer Richmond than any troops, passed the swamp and got
into position on the other side four hours ahead of General
Kearny, who took the other two brigades. It is considered here
a good thing among military men, as my men were compara-
tively fresh, whilst others were exhausted."
Under date of July ioth, he writes: "It is very dull;
nothing doing. Report says the enemy have retired from our
front to Richmond and that they are in bad condition, etc.
Lieutenant Ames, [now Major-General Adelbert Ames] is in
the tent with me. He is well. He fought his battery splen-
didly at Malvern Hill." Again, July nth: " I am tanned so
that I look about as black as a mulatto. I wear a blouse and
black wide-rimmed felt hat, an old leather belt, cavalry sword
and large pistols. I have another iron-gray horse that jumps
fences or ditches, high and wide, so that I go over fields, pas-
tures, through woods, or anywhere in regular Dick Turpin style.
I have ridden so much that my legs are getting almost useless. It
seems strange, too ; I used to walk so much, now I cannot walk
without tiring myself excessively." Again, July 12th: "Today
is Sunday. We are now quiet, the enemy not very near us.
They have been repulsed so severely they grow cautious. We
shall move in a few days and shall commence active operations
I have no doubt."
He writes July 17th, as follows: " Imagine me seated under
a shade made of small trees in front of a small canvas tent, in
which is a small table. On one side is my bed of oak leaves
covered by a rubber blanket, and on that a woolen one. On
the other side is the bed of Lieutenant Greenhalgh. A passage-
way between of two feet is covered by a piece of woolen carpet,
DRAFT NECESSARY. 195
obtained in a clandestine manner. I am dressed in pants with-
out suspenders, as I have done away with them long since. My
head is crowned with an ugly felt hat, my feet encased in heavy
military boots and spurs, large enough for a church vane. I
am now quite well and engaged in drilling and disciplining my
brigade. I have got everything about completed to my mind.
In a few days more I shall have everything fit for active opera-
tions. My brigade is in good condition. It is small compared
with what it was, but is now composed of veterans. I have no
news to communicate. I look for news from home. It now
depends on the people to save the Government, as we can do
but little unless strongly reinforced. My own opinion is that a
draft is necessary. Action is wanted now and a draft would
give us all the men we want in a day. That's what we want
done, and any man who is unwilling to stand his draft is not
the man for whom to spend money or blood to sustain the
Government."
July 23d, he writes : " I have been quite ill, but I am now
able to sit up. My system was completely poisoned by the
malaria of the White Oak Swamp region, which has lost so
many thousands of lives. The army still lies here. We are drill-
ing, arranging and bringing our men up to the standard they
were at when before Washington. I understand we are getting
some reinforcements. How many I do not know. I usually get all
these things at General 's, but as I have been unable to
visit him for some days I have no news. If the North is to
send us men, the sooner the better. Drafting is the only fair
way. The army can be filled quickly in that way."
Again, July 24th : " I am now on the right center. At
Malvern Hill we were on the center of the outer front; we were
in action all day. My position at Charles City road, as I wrote
you, was on the right center. We shall have no fighting at
this point; we are too strong. Our position is one of immense
strength. We shall leave here in a few days, and then work
will commence again. I see that the Government is out with a
196 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRtf.
proclamation for volunteers. Tis of no use. Men must be
drafted, and that too immediately, if we are to have aid and
expect to put down the rebellion. It must be no longer ' my
neighbor can go and I cannot.' The strong arm of military
law will have to take hold and compel men to fight for that
Government that gives them protection and a home. Facts are
stubborn things, and this war is a stubborn fact, as all will yet
find out. The North can no longer play with it, it must meet
force by force. We have fought two to one, long enough."
July 28th, he writes : " I am on duty again but quite weak.
My flesh is all gone. I don't think I was ever so thin. I see
no end to this war at present. The South seems determined
to fight to the bitter end, and we have made no progress in the
Campaign of Virginia, and have lost in killed, wounded and
disabled by sickness more than 60,000 men, besides at least
20,000 more at home on sick furloughs who may or may not
return. * * * * I have a most thorough contempt for anything
that smacks of politics. I shall in my future keep clear of it.
I should like a chance somewhere, where I could honestly make
some money. Other than that, and to be once again in my
own home, I have no earthly ambition. I shall have a commis-
sion for Charles Sawyer soon. I know all about the boy. No
better lad lives. He does his duty handsomely. I have had
him advanced just as fast as I thought it for his interest, no
faster. He is now sergeant-major of his regiment and has risen
to that position from the ranks. He will soon be lieutenant.
" * * * We leave for home tomorrow. Shall not see you
till first of the week as I have to travel slowly. I shall be well
again, after a few days at home where I can get good air and
careful nursing. I am worn out and must get rid of care."
CHAPTER XXII.
RECEPTION IN ROCKLAND.
Starts for Home. — Lieutenant J. B. Greenhalgh Accompanies
Him. —Cavalcade of Citizens Meet Him at Thomaston.
— Received by the City Government Near the City Line.
— Mayor Wiggin's Stirring Address of Welcome. — Gen-
eral Berry Responds. — Enthusiastic Reception as he
Passes Through the Streets. — Kind Expressions from his
Comrades in the Field. — Letter from Assistant Adjutant-
General George W. Wilson. — Colonel Adelbert Ames.
— Colonel O. M. Poe. — Congressman F. A. Pike. —
Senator Lot M. Morrill.
REGARDLESS of the ravages of a fever which had wasted
his stalwart frame and stripped his face and head of the
luxuriant growth of chestnut-brown hair that had been
the crowning glory of a once vigorous and beautiful manhood,
General Berry remained at his post of duty until he placed his
command once more in a high state of efficiency. Not until
then did he regard with favor the solicitation of friends at home,
and the importunities of brother officers, to accept a leave of
absence, that his wasted energies might be revivified by the rest
of home life and the care of loved ones.
The following telegram was received by Mrs. Berry :
New York, August 4, 1862.
I leave tonight, Fall River boat. At Adams House tomorrow
morning. H. G. Berry.
198 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
His reception in Rockland was most enthusiastic, and the
demonstrations in his honor were imposing, as befitted the high
rank and distinguished services of him whom his neighbors and
friends thus delighted to honor. For an account of this recep-
tion we quote from the Rockland Gazette of August 9th, 1862 :
" Our distinguished fellow-citizen, Brigadier-General H. G.
Berry, arrived at his home in this city on Wednesday evening,
on a brief furlough, it being his first visit since he left us as
Colonel of the 4th Regiment. General Berry, who was accom-
panied by Lieutenant Greenhalgh of his staff, left Bath at about
nine o'clock on Wednesday morning, and was received with
hearty and enthusiastic demonstrations of the public regard and
approval at every point on the route to this city. At Wiscasset
he was welcomed by the firing of a military salute of the num-
ber of guns with which an officer of his rank is honored, and
other demonstrations of the public feeling, and at Damariscotta,
Waldoboro and Warren he also met with a warm public recep-
tion. On his arrival at Thomaston, General Berry was met and
welcomed by a cavalcade of our citizens, and accompanied to
the junction of the New County road with Pleasant street,
near the city line, where the members of the City Government
and a concourse of citizens, with the fire companies, and the
Rockland Band, were waiting to receive him. He was greeted
with enthusiastic cheers and the music of the band, and after
receiving the usual honors from the fire companies, General
Berry rode up to the carriage containing the members of the
City Government, where he received a hearty welcome from
Mayor George W. Wiggin, who addressed him in eloquent
terms, to which General Berry briefly responded.
" The fire companies, led by the band, then formed as an
escort and moved towards the city, General Berry riding next,
attended by the cavalcade of citizens and followed by the mem-
bers of the City Government and large numbers of private
citizens in carriages. Throughout the city flags were displayed
at various points, and the streets were crowded by our citizens,
RECEPTION IN ROCKLAND. 199
to give a warm and earnest ' welcome home ' to the man who had
done himself and his fellow-citizens so much honor, and who
had rendered his country such brave and efficient service.
After the procession had passed on towards Middle street, the
throng immediately proceeded to General Berry's residence,
whither he was being escorted, and there welcomed him with
three times three hearty cheers. General Berry appeared much
fatigued and enfeebled, and at his request it was announced that
in his present condition, he was unable to address his fellow-
citizens, as he desired.
" The reception given General Berry was but the expres-
sion of the universal appreciation and respect in which he is
held by his fellow-citizens and their united testimony to the
bravery and merit of the services which he has rendered to his
country. He left us as colonel of the 4th Maine regiment, a
band of men to whom he was earnestly devoted, and who were
most ardently attached to him. His present brigade is com-
posed of the 2d, 3d and 5th Michigan, and the 1st and 37th
New York. Of this brigade the General speaks in most enthu-
siastic terms, and its record is written deeply in the hearts of
their countrymen. Rockland is grateful to and proud of Gen-
eral Berry, and it will be the heartfelt prayer of his fellow-
citizens that this brief respite from his arduous duties in the
field may give him new health and strength for the service of
the noble cause to which he has so efficiently devoted himself."
During General Berry's furlough he kept in touch with
affairs at the front through letters written by members of his
staff and others. Some of these follow.
Captain G. W. Wilson, of Berry's staff, thus gives the
events transpiring in the brigade :
Headquarters Berry's Brigade, )
August 1, 1862. J
My Dear General : By this morning's mail quite a bundle
of letters was received here for yourself and Lieutenant Greenhalgh,
which I herewith enclose.
200 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
I am very glad that you were able to leave yesterday morning,
for I fear the excitement in camp might have had a very bad effect on
your health. The rebels got several guns in position on the oppo-
site side of the river, among them two heavy pieces, and at about
one o'clock opened a rapid fire on our shipping and army camp.
They fired one shot through the ordnance ship, and report says
damaged one or two others more seriously. Several men were killed
and wounded, but the statements of the number are very conflicting.
The 4th Michigan and 16th Michigan (Stockton's regiment) lost
some in wounded, not exceeding six.
Most of this brigade heard the firing about half an hour, but
nothing was done. It sounded quite natural to hear the cannon once
more at night. The siege guns and gunboats did not get into posi-
tion very promptly. But when they did they soon put an end to the
imprudent movements of the enemy. Today our side of the river
bristles with heavy guns frowning upon the opposite bank, and if
the enemy again open on us they will get dearly paid for their
trouble.
Everything thus far has moved on smoothly here. But we miss
you very, very much. General Kearny received notice today
(official) of his appointment as major-general. His commission is
dated 4th July, 1862. He says it is an insult to him and his division
to date it on that day ; that it should have been dated on the day of
some one of our battles. I admire his taste in that respect. Our
rulers are not half military in that regard yet, and probably won't be
during the war.
Colonel Adelbert Ames of the 20th Maine, expresses his
appreciation :
Headquarters 20th Regiment Maine Vols., \
Camp near the mouth of the Antietam Creek, Md., >
October 9, 1862. )
My Dear General : I was disappointed while in Maine in not
seeing you and thanking you for what you did for me. I now thank
you with all my heart, and I assure you that what I can do in my
position to repay you for your confidence and kindness I will most
readily do. You know where we are. It is not necessary to tell you
how I like. We have discussed this point before. We are in General
Brevet Major-General Adelbert Ames.
(A war-time photograph. )
NEWS FROM THE FRONT. 201
Morell's division. Of course you know his value. I should like to
be in your command. Situated as we are that idea had to be aban-
doned. I can form no idea of what we are to do.
Colonel O. M. Poe, of the 2d Michigan, who was com-
manding Berry's brigade in his absence, writes :
Edward's Ferry, Oct. 21, 1862.
My Dear General: Everything here is in very good condi-
tion. We have eight miles of picket, which requires two regiments,
but the ground is such that a small force answers just about as well
as a large one. The escape of Stuart was a most disgraceful arlair.
I am not prepared to say who is to blame, but certainly some one is,
and I don't believe it was General Stoneman. I have a theory of
my own concerning the matter, and when I see you will talk with
you about it. One thing is certain, if this brigade had come within
reach of Stuart there would have been some fighting, and somebody
would have been hurt. The list of killed and wounded would not
have been a perfect blank. Freeman brought me your kind message,
and I hasten to tender you my thanks for your interest in my behalf.
Believe me, sir, I am not one to forget a kindness done, or a favor
shown. I hope when you rejoin us that you will find everything in
good condition. The health of the brigade is good, and the men
appear to be contented and cheerful.
Congressman F. A. Pike, of Maine, writes to General Berry-
on current matters as follows:
Washington, D. C, July 12, 1862.
My Dear General : Yours was received just before I went
down into Maine and for that reason I have not yet answered. I
saw your Rockland people at Ellsworth, the Farwells, Colonel
Williams, etc , and wherever else it maybe otherwise, if anywhere, I
can assure you your brilliant military successes are fully appreciated
at home. I told the convention I reckoned you our hero, and this
reminds me of a little incident: In the Senate the other day, while
they were in secret session, a case of confirming an officer came up,
and Chandler of Michigan got up and objected because he wanted
to put his man ahead, and gave as a reason that he had served under
Berry of Maine and was as brave as Berry and that was brave
202 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
enough ! There was considerable more of the same sort, but this
part of it struck me with force and I thought you would like to
know it.
The President has got back and it is generally understood that
he finds the army in better care than he supposed he should. It is
quite evident that your great fights lately are to have a decided effect
about the manner of carrying on the war. The plan of taking such
excessive care of rebel property will undoubtedly be abandoned
hereafter. It seems so absurd to detail a force of a captain and nine
men to watch Fitzhugh Lee's "White House " and keep it from use
even for hospital purposes, when Lee was leading a force to fire into
our railroad trains. McDowell, I understand, has been acting in an
equally foolish manner, saying he would detail a man to protect
every line of fence rail rather than have them destroyed. I have no
idea of being ruthless or barbarian in this warfare, but there is a
just medium about the matter, and hereafter I don't believe we shall
make fools of ourselves. And the blacks are discussed again in
full force. Lew Wallace of Indiana was serenaded here the other
evening (when you come up we will do the same thing) and Wallace
made a sensible talk about the negro question. He is an old Demo-
crat and spoke of the employment of the negro as a military measure,
using him just so much as he would be found valuable. You have
the Tribune, I presume, and have noticed it. In the Senate, such
Democrats as Wright of Indiana, and Rice of Minnesota, have been
speaking in favor of using the negro. So we go. There has been
a good deal of talk about changing the commander of your army,
and I don't know what the President's notions are since he got back.
I have not supposed it would be done. We have not yet been able
to get at any details regarding our Maine troops except what we get
in our New York papers. Elliot of Brunswick, who is on the
Governor's staff, was down there but came back at once and did not
seem to know much about our regiment. Of course we have all
been anxious to know.
We adjourn next Wednesday, and shall have to go home to aid
in getting up recruits. I have a notion of going into it, and if I do,
shall go into the ranks. There will be plenty of officers to be had
but soldiers may be scanty. There is talk of drafting, and that
would be well enough, only it might be complained that rich people
SBNATOB LOT M. MORRILL. 203
could buy substitutes but the poor would have to go anyway. We
must raise the troops anyhow. There are no two ways about that.
There was a good deal of despondency for a while after the late
fights, but it is pretty much got over now and the usual state of
feeling prevails. With a good smart reinforcement at once we ought
to have Richmond early in the fall. Write me.
Below are the views of Senator Lot M. Morrill, of Maine:
Washington, 1). C, July S. 1S62.
My Dear General: Your Eavor is received. I am thankful
to hear from you in person after the terrible ordeal through which
you have passed. I had heard of your safety and also of the peril
in which you had been during the engagements of the army. I want
to sav to vou — to assure you — that although you may not get what
so rightly belongs to you — what your heroic conduct in many fields
merits from those who are in a position over you — your countrymen
will not fail to award it. Be assured your friends and fellow-citizens
of your own State appreciate your services and sacrifices, and will
honor vou and render you the thanks of grateful hearts. God only
knows what is in store for our beloved country. I hope and trust
that it will triumph over all its foes, and am sure if all had served
it as faithfully and heroicallv as you. its day of triumph would not
have been so long postponed. The people. I am confident, will fill
up your ranks without delay and put vou in position to avenge your
countrv's wrongs and vindicate her cause. We are sad at the dis-
comfiture of our army— its retreat when we were hoping for a
victorious advance upon the rebels. I do not stop to criticise. I do
not know that I am possessed of (acts to authorize a criticism. I
only hope that we are to be more successful in the future. I have
o-reat faith in the army and through it I have faith that we are to
prevail. I want to go down and see our troops but am told there is
no way to get down ; can't get permission. I hope to be able to get
Mr. Abbott appointed, but such has been the rush of business that
it has been difficult to get a hearing. I wish you would write me as
often as you have time, and freely, feeling assured that I am in
deepest sympathy with you in your great peril, and will always be
glad to serve you. I have a nephew in the Massachusetts nth,
named Blackwell. Can you tell me if he is safe?
CHAPTER XXIII.
REJOINS HIS BRIGADE.
The Pope Campaign. — Kearny's Death. — Poem by Stedman.
— Movements of Berry's Brigade. — Berry Narrowly
Escapes Capture. — Confederate Women. — Berry Pro-
tects Their Property. — Their Discourteous Conduct. —
Berry Brings Them to Terms. — More Letters. — The
Branding of a Deserter. — Berry's Keen Sympathy. —
The Brigade in Maryland and Virginia. — Guarding
White's Ford. — Search for Concealed Powder. — Discov-
ery of Artillery Harnesses and Cavalry Equipments. —
The "Buckwheat Seed."— " Stop ! It is Powder."—
Changes in the Brigade. — Letters.
DURING General Berry's absence on leave, his brigade took
part in the Pope campaign and was engaged at Groveton
and Second Bull Run, August 29th, and at Chantilly>
September 1st, where the gallant Kearny gave up his life.
General Kearny was one of those rare specimens of manhood
to whom fear was an unknown quantity. He had served in the
Mexican War where he suffered the loss of an arm in a desper-
ate cavalry charge. Again, in the French army, he rendered
conspicuous service, and at the breaking out of the Civil War
he promptly tendered his services to the Government. His
brilliant career during the Peninsular campaign made him a
prominent figure in the stirring events of those days, and his
untimely end deprived the Union cause of a brave and skillful
general. Edmund Clarence Stedman in his poem, " Kearny at
Seven Pines," makes this allusion :
ESCAPES CAPTURE. 205
So that soldierly legend is still on its journey,
That story of Kearny who knew not to yield ;
'Twas the day when with Jameson, fierce Berry and Birney,
Against twenty thousand he rallied the field.
Where the red volleys poured when the clamor rose highest;
Where the dead lay in clumps through the dwarf oak ami pine;
Where the aim from the thicket was surest and nighest,
No charge like Phil Kearny's along the whole line!
Returning from the disastrous Pope campaign, Berry's
brigade was encamped for a few days at Hunting Creek, Fort
Lyon, Fort Ward and Upton's Hill. In September General
Berry resumed his command. He was not in the best condi-
tion for the field, but the rest and quiet of home had improved
his health, and he longed to be with his troops and share with
them the perils to which they were exposed.
On his journey to join his brigade, General Berry and his
aide, Lieutenant J. B. Greenhalgh, had a narrow escape from
capture. They had forded the Potomac and reached the west-
ern side. Continuing their journey for four or five miles they
stopped at a tavern in a small town. There was much excite-
ment, the Union troops having left but a short time before
General Berry's arrival, and the place was swarming with Con-
federate sympathizers. Lieutenant Greenhalgh was feeding his
horses, when General Berry came out of the tavern, and said
that he did not like the appearance of things— that he had
overheard that Confederate troops were expected. Directing
Lieutenant Greenhalgh to take the horses to a point a mile
away, General Berry quietly returned to the tavern and in an
unconcerned manner remarked that he must rejoin his brigade
at once. He succeeded in getting away without arousing sus-
picion, and joining Lieutenant Greenhalgh the two hastily
retraced their way to Washington. Three hours after their
departure the town they had left was raided by Confederate
cavalry.
September 12th, 1862, General Berry writes home: " I am
now with my brigade in front of Alexandria, in the vicinity
206 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
of the spot occupied by us about one year since. The officers
and men of my command were very glad to see me and gave
me a warm reception. My health is improving, but I am very
weak and cannot bear much exertion. The old 4th Maine has
had severe fights and acquitted itself handsomely. Their loss
was quite heavy, much more so than I supposed. I have little
to write except it be that many of the troops require rest,
especially my poor brigade. Will they have it? I hope so.
We are now located with a view to guarding Alexandria and
its approaches."
Soon after rejoining the brigade the following little incident
occurred, which Major Thayer of General Berry's staff relates :
" At this time my wife who was stopping with friends in Alex-
adria wished to visit me in camp, and as our headquarters were
established in the yard of a house occupied by two middle-aged
ladies, I engaged a room in the house which Mrs. Thayer could
use in rainy weather. The two ladies asked protection from
General Berry for their property, consisting of a span of horses,
carriage, some poultry and a large flower garden, which was
about all there was left of value outside of their house. The
General directed guards to be placed, as was usually done over
such property near our camp. On Sunday morning, learning
from the colored boy who drove the carriage that the ladies
would attend church at Alexandria, and that there would be a
vacant seat in their carriage, I asked them to call for Mrs.
Thayer after church to ride back with them, which they flatly
refused to do. I stated the case to General Berry, who said,
' Say to them, it is my orders that the carriage shall bring the
Lieutenant's wife, if she desires to come, and if you object to
riding with the wife of a Northern soldier you can stay at
home, and your carriage will go after her.' This brought them
to terms, and the three returned together after church. The
next day Mrs. Thayer, while walking in their garden, picked a
few flowers, of which there was a profusion, and while arrang-
ing a bouquet was met by a little colored girl with a note from
blSCOtJRTEOtJS CONDUCT. 207
the ladies, on a silver tray, in which they objected emphatically
to her trespassing by picking any flowers on their premises.
She carried the bouquet and note to General Berry, who said in
a quaint way he often had, ' Tell your husband that as we will
probably move from here in a day or two, the soldiers need all
the rest they can get, and that any guards now doing duty
around these premises or elsewhere, who are not needed for pro-
tecting public property, can be relieved and go to their quarters.'
The following day Mrs. Thayer received from the soldiers more
bouquets than she could supply with vases, and very possibly
some of them came from this same garden."
General Berry writes under date of September nth:
"Today is my first Sunday in camp since my return, and not-
withstanding the crowd, how lonely ! I feel more inclined to
murmur than when I first came into service, when I had many
things to drive me everywhere and keep my mind employed.
Things have somewhat changed since then, I hope and trust for
the better, so I find myself wishing to be at home rather than
here sleeping on the ground again and living poorly enough for
a hungry dog. The army under Pope got a tremendous thrash-
ing at Bull Run. It is a fact, and no efforts will avail to keep
it from leaking out. McClellan's forces, particularly Heint-
zelman's corps, opened the way to the rear by the battle
of Chantilly, which was a victory, in which poor Kearny was
killed, and made an open road for Pope to fall back. McClellan
is again in command, and all seem to feel easier, thinking that
no great blunder will be committed, if no decisive victories are
obtained. This corps is still in front of Alexandria for the
defense of that city. How long we will remain no one knows,
but think for the next two weeks at least, perhaps longer. I go
to Washington tomorrow to see about some matters concerning
my brigade. Shall return in the afternoon. The boys of the
4th Maine have indeed had a hard fight. The regiment has
lost over one hundred in killed and wounded. Company B took
into the fight on Monday at Centerville twenty-four men;
208 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. RERRY.
sixteen were killed and wounded and four others had holes shot
through their clothes. Company C and also A suffered severely.
They behaved splendidly ; in fact their conduct was unexcep-
tionable. They have won honors for themselves that will be a
lasting monument to their bravery. Colonel Elijah Walker
handled his regiment in a manner that shows him to be a brave
soldier."
September 16th he writes : "Well! McClellan has whipped
the enemy severely [at Antietam] and I trust decisively, so much
so that his retreat in Virginia will be as much as he can attend
to at present. Thus ends the invasion of the North. The new
troops are pouring in rapidly. I. trust that in a few days we
shall have an army large enough to warrant our moving onward
towards Richmond in pursuit of the enemy. I hope that this
campaign may be decisive in its character, sufficiently so to end
the war. I send you two copies of a photograph of the lamented
Kearny. I prize them more than money. I wish them kept
sacredly. He was my friend and I had a great love for him, as
I well know' he had for me. We are under orders to march at
a moment's notice, I do not know when, but probably in a few
hours, within at least two days. My health is improving."
September 20th he writes : " We are still watching the
front of Alexandria. How long we are to remain is a matter
of doubt. The rebels, it seems, have left Maryland, and are
again on Virginia soil. They found invasion a different affair
from what they supposed. I had hoped that the battles would
have been attended with more decisive results than they seem
to have been, but so it is, and it is no use to complain. It is
very lonely here, more so than before I went home. Kearny is
dead, Hooker is in command of an army corps, and many
others have left or been promoted. I feel discontented, and
camp life seems tiresome enough. I suppose you know all
about the 4th Maine boys that are wounded. George Redlan
has lost an arm, Charles Sawyer wounded in the foot, George
Wall wounded, and so on. Oliver Blackington is uninjured. I am
Litchfield's bravery. 209
glad it is no worse. Julius Litchfield is one of the bravest men
in the army, and one of the best of officers in an engagement.
He is entitled to the respect and good-will of all his friends for
his heroic conduct under fire. No man more distinguished him-
self in that noble regiment than Julius. He was in the front
and cheered on his men continually. So, too, with the Abbott
boy of Thomaston, also Captain Davis, one of the best of officers,
and so with very many others. Walker's horse was hit, but
he escaped unhurt."
September 23d he writes: "I am still in front of Alex-
andria. The 4th Maine is now up the river near Potsville, the
precise locality I know not. I do not hear that they have had
any fight, but infer that they have moved around considerably.
I may go with General Hooker ; he has applied for me. I
should like him much better than any man I have seen.
I consider him the best man in the army."
October 5th he writes : "I am still with my brigade at
the outposts in front of Alexandria. How long I shall remain
here I know not. I shall try to get away to more active service
as soon as possible, as I dislike this kind of life very much. My
health is not so good as I wish it were. I find myself weak and
easily overthrown by the least exposure. I fear it will be some
time ere I am as well as I was last winter."
October iithhe writes: "My health is better. I have
had a relapse of my old fever of Harrison's Landing. I came
back too soon ; it would have been better had I stayed till now,
but under the stringent orders of the War Department I did
not feel at liberty to remain longer. I have now nine regiments
in my brigade, one of the largest brigades in the army. I have
it in most thorough drill and discipline and it is the pride of all
who belong to it."
In speaking of General Berry, Major Thayer, his provost
marshal, whom we have quoted before, says : " As a disciplina-
rian General Berry was firm but with a heart as tender as a
woman's. While in camp at Alexandria, one of our men was
210 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. RERRY.
iound guilty by a court martial held some distance away, on
the charge of desertion, the sentence being to have his head
shaved, to be branded with the letter ' D ' on the left hip, and
then drummed out of camp, the brigade to be formed in a
hollow square to witness the execution of the sentence, under
the direction of the provost marshal of the brigade. General
Berry handed me the order, saying, ' I see no way of evading
the order. Have it done as quickly as possible, and caution
your men neither to shave close, nor burn deep.' He felt it
was a disgrace to his brigade as well as to the soldier. When
we returned to our quarters he said to his staff that he would
rather lead his men into battle than to be compelled to degrade
another soldier for desertion."
Continuing, Major Thayer says : " In October the 3d Corps
was sent as a corps of observation up the Potomac. Our
brigade marched on October 11th across Chain bridge, up the
river road, through Tenallytown, Rockville and Darnestown to
Edward's Ferry, Maryland, doing picket duty until the 28th,
when we moved via Poolsville to White's Ford, and again cross-
ing the Potomac into Virginia. While guarding the ford and
watching for a return of Stuart's cavalry, our headquarters was
near a house where we suspected powder was stored to be used
in destroying the Monocacy stone bridge in Maryland. The
owner of the premises and his wife both protested stoutly that
there was nothing of the kind, that they were Union people,
and that the rebels knew better than to seek their assistance in
any way. Notwithstanding their assertions, I searched the
house, finding only an overcoat with Confederate buttons, which
they explained had been left there by a Confederate officer,
who stopped for dinner, and had left hurriedly when some of
our men were approaching. Our forage running short we
began using hay from the barn, giving receipts for which the
owners could be paid on proof of loyalty. When two or three
loads had been removed we found, hidden beneath the hay,
artillery harness and cavalry equipments enough for supplying
CONCEALED POWDER. 211
several hundred men, and as it all bore the unmistakable marks
of the ' C. S. A.' we gave the couple no more hay vouchers.
General Berry then directed me to make a more minute search
for powder. The owner followed me, and when I found in a
dark attic an open keg, and asked what it contained, he said it
was buckwheat saved for seed, but when I struck a match he
said ' Stop ! it is powder,' and sure enough there were three
kegs of blasting powder. This was reported at once to General
Berry, who directed me to take some men and assist the family
in removing everything of value from the house to some other
place, and find out with fire whether we had found all the muni-
tions of war stored there by the enemy. In less than an hour
several distinct explosions demonstrated that we had been
advised correctly. The overcoat belonged to their son, as
admitted to me by his mother, while the house and barn arsenals
were being purified by fire."
The next movement of the brigade was by the way of Lees-
burg, Millville, Waterloo and Warrenton, camping October 23d at
Falmouth. About this time the 2d Michigan was transferred to
the 9th Corps, and the 1st and 101st New York and 17th Maine
regiments were added to the brigade.
General Berry writes under date of November 12th: "I
am now in command of my brigade, under General Stoneman,
he being in command of the division. My health is better, the
weather cooler, and I hope to get rid of my long-continued
sickness. General Stoneman is a good officer and a gentleman.
I am pleasantly situated. This is a fine, mountainous region,
the air is bracing, the country furnishing in times of peace
many of the comforts of life. Now all is swept away by the
armies advancing and falling back as the case may be. You
will probably next hear from me by the way of the Lower
Rappahannock."
November 17th he writes: "I have not written for some
days, owing to my having been for the past ten days continually
on the move. We are now encamped in advance of Warrenton,
212 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Va., in a country seemingly very long under cultivation, and of
most picturesque appearance. High hills, sweeping valleys,
dotted over with old-fashioned Virginia farm houses, at least a
century behind the times, inhabited only by old men and women
and a few blacks, make up all that is worthy of note in this
part of the ' Old Dominion.' My health is somewhat better.
I am very lame in my legs and right shoulder, so much so in
my legs that I can scarcely walk. My shoulder is lame also,
and my arm is almost useless at this time. Still I think I am
improving, and believe that the cold weather will end my attacks
of intermittent fever, but I have to take medicine daily to guard
against a return of it. We shall move again soon."
November 20th General Berry writes : " We shall go to
the immediate vicinity of Fredericksburg tomorrow. We are
now ten miles distant at the Rappahannock River."
Writing from near Falmouth, November 24th : " We now
confront Fredericksburg, and shall doubtless storm the place in
a day or two. The city will most likely be destroyed, as we
shall burn it if opposition is made therefrom to our crossing.
Entirely destitute of news."
Near Falmouth, November 30th : " I am now quite smart,
having got better of my troubles. Although thin in flesh I am
comparatively well. My command is in fine condition. I am
complimented on all sides in relation thereto. The President
was here in consultation with General Burnside a few days since,
and doubtless made known to the General the future plan of
operations. Of that, however, none know the particulars and
will not till the moves actually commence."
CHAPTER XXIV.
FREDERICKSBURG.
General Burnside in Command. — Proposes to Attack Rich-
mond by way of Fredericksburg. — Delay. — Positions of
the Opposing Forces. — Opening of the Battle. — An
Unsuccessful Attack. — Slaughter at Marye's Hill. — The
17th Maine. — Berry's Love for It. — Berry Crosses the
Rappahannock and Prepares for Battle. — His Brilliant
Generalship. — "Steady the 17th Maine! The State of
Maine is Looking at You To-day." — Berry and the
Backwoods Boy. — "Keep Those Heads Down." — Fierce
Attack on Berry's Brigade. — "What Shall I Do with the
Knapsacks?" — Berry Drives Back Ihe Enemy. — Confed-
erate General A. P. Hill Compliments Him. — Lieutenant-
Colonel Gilluly. — General De Lacy. — A Bad Scrape. —
Berry's Official Report. — His Grief.
M'CLELLAN was now relieved of the command of the
Army of the Potomac and General Burnside had assumed
his place. Promptness of action was of the utmost
importance to insure success to the Union army ; but instead
of attacking the enemy at once, Burnside spent several days in
reorganizing his force. His plan of attack was to move on
Richmond by the way of Fredericksburg, a design that Lee
speedily fathomed and disposed his troops to disconcert; and
while the Union army marched toward Fredericksburg on the
upper side of the Rappahannock, the Confederates moved in
the same direction on the other side. Burnside reached Fal-
mouth, nearly opposite Fredericksburg, on the 17th of Novem-
214 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
ber, several days in advance of Lee. The town was then
occupied by a small garrison of Confederate troops, and Sumner
sought permission to cross the river with his corps and occupy
the heights behind the town, which would have resulted in its
fall. Burnside, however, withheld his consent, and before the
Union commander was ready to act, Lee had possession of the
hills and had strongly fortified them, so that desperate fighting
and heavy losses must ensue before the Stars and Stripes could
float over them.
Fredericksburg at this time was a small town of but little
importance, except as a point of military operations. It is
located on the bank of the Rappahannock, on a plain which
stretches away to a line of hills that curve to the river banks,
a short distance above the village of Falmouth. Below Fred-
ericksburg these hills, broken by the intersection of a broad
ravine, make a wide sweep away from the river to a point where
they terminate abruptly to give passage to Massaponax Creek,
a stream which crosses the plain at its widest point, to empty
into the Rappahannock.
The heights along the north bank of the river completely
command Fredericksburg and the plain beyond, and it was here
that the Union army was encamped. The little city was thus
in a perilous position between the two armies, and could be
destroyed by the artillery fire of either. Sharpshooters were
also posted by the enemy in the houses along the river bank,
to oppose the crossing of the Union forces, by preventing the
rebuilding of the bridges.
By the ioth of December Burnside was ready to attempt
the passage of the river. The weather was very cold and the
poorly clad troops suffered severely. Snow fell to the depth of
several inches on the 5th, bending the pines under the weight
until the curving trunks formed arcades above the tents of the
sleeping men, while the sentinels under their mantle of snow
looked like statues half confounded with the trees.
One hundred and fifty cannon were posted on Stafford's
FREDERICKSBURG. 215
Hills to protect the Union troops who were to lay the pontoon
bridges. Work began on the iith under cover of a heavy fog,
but the Confederate sharpshooters soon got in their deadly
work, compelling the engineers to desist from their labors. It
was evident that these sharpshooters must be driven away
before the passage of the river could be effected, and the Union
artillery opened fire upon the city. Columns of smoke arising
above the mist showed that Fredericksburg had been set on
fire by the shells, but neither the shelling nor the conflagration
dislodged the tenacious sharpshooters. Another attempt to
rebuild the bridges failed, and volunteers were called for to
cross the river in boats and attack the riflemen. This was a
most desperate undertaking, but the volunteers were soon forth-
coming, and the attack upon the sharpshooters resulted in the
capture of many of them and the driving away of the remainder.
On the iith and 12th the Union army crossed the river on
the bridges and prepared to give battle to the enemy. The
morning was foggy and did not clear until about eleven o'clock.
The battle opened by General Meade attacking Jackson, who
occupied the right of the enemy's line, posted on the hills back
of Fredericksburg. Meade succeeded in driving back the first
lines of the enemy and reaching the top of the hills, but not
being reinforced in time, was driven back with great loss.
Sumner on the right had attacked the enemy vigorously.
Marye's Hill just back of the town was crowned by strong
batteries of the enemy. Along its base is a sunken road with
a stone wall bordering the side nearest the city. The existence
of this road was unknown to the Union generals, and it served
as a place of concealment for a strong body of Confederate
riflemen, whom the stone wall, which was four feet high, com-
pletely sheltered. The Union troops made several attempts to
carry this height by storm, but in vain. Finally, the lines were
formed for a desperate assault and the troops advanced across
the plain in front of the hill in the face of a terrible fire from
the Confederate batteries. The stone wall was reached, and in an
216 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
instant a fringe of flame leaped from the rifles from behind it,
while batteries at the ends poured grape and canister into the
surging mass in front. This was too much for human nature to
endure, and the broken Union lines came reeling back, the dead
and dying lying in piles along their course.
General Burnside, when he saw the result of the assault,
went to Hooker, whose division had not yet crossed the river,
and ordered him to carry the hill. On examination Hooker
became satisfied that such an attack would only be sending the
men to certain death without accomplishing the result sought
for. He therefore returned to General Burnside and tried to
persuade him to countermand his order, but without avail.
Hooker opened with artillery, and about sunset ordered
General Humphrey to assault the hill. Laying aside knapsacks
and relying on the bayonet, the troops gallantly rushed to the
attack, but on reaching the stone wall they were met with such
a fire that they were driven back, leaving 1,700 of their number
behind. Night ended the conflict, which had resulted in a loss
of more than 12,000 men to the Union army. Nor was the
struggle renewed the following day, General Burnside yielding
to the entreaties of his principal generals, who were unanimous
in their opinion that the enemy's position was too strong to be
taken.
At this time Berry's brigade consisted of the 17th Maine,
3d and 5th Michigan, 1st and 37th New York. December 23d,
1862, the 55th New York was consolidated with the 37th, which
increased its effective strength.
The 17th Maine, which had just arrived from home, was
among the new regiments added to Berry's brigade. It was a
magnificent body of men and gave evidence even at that early
date of the brilliant career it was juit entering upon. General
Berry was in Washington when this regiment reported at the
front for duty in his brigade. On his arrival at headquarters,
he immediately ordered the 17th Maine to parade for inspec-
tion, desiring in this manner to become familiar with the men,
INSPECTING NEW REGIMENTS. 217
and to give the regiment a " sizing up." The regiment was drawn
up in an open field and the ranks opened. Dismounting, Gen-
eral Berry commenced a thorough examination of the men and
equipments, nothing escaping his practiced eye. As he came
slowly down the line he suddenly stopped opposite Captain
George W. Verrill, who was then an orderly sergeant, and asked
his name and where he was from. Unconscious of having
committed any offense, other than partaking of some unpur-
chased morsels that others had given him, yet the sergeant was
quaking with apprehension lest he was about to be severely
disciplined. For what other reason could he be singled out of
this line of 600 men and thus addressed by this general of
brigade? Summoning what remained of his vanishing courage
for one supreme effort, Verrill blurted out his name and resi-
dence.
"Where is your sergeant's sash?" asked General Berry,
with a merry twinkle in his eye.
Alas, he had it not, and in a few words he explained that
when the regiment was ordered from the defenses of Washing-
ton to take the field for active service, the sash had been packed
up and left behind.
General Berry laughed with delight at some humor in the
situation ; told the sergeant that he " guessed he would do,"
and moved on. Verrill was not court martialed.
Berry continued his searching inspection, and noticing that
the men of one company were of small average height, he
called the captain to him, and said that they would make good
skirmishers and advised the captain to drill them thoroughly in
skirmishing. Never before nor since was this regiment sub-
jected to such a rigid examination, but it came out of the ordeal
crowned by the confidence and esteem of its brigade com-
mander, who ever after spoke with pride of the 17th Maine.
On the morning of the 13th of December Berry's brigade
left its camp and with the other brigades of Birney's division
moved to the bank of the Rappahannock below Falmouth.
218 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Here Berry crossed over the upper bridge and took position on
the left of the 2d Brigade, remaining in this position until
12 o'clock. The division to which Berry's brigade was attached
was deployed in a field in the rear of General Meade's division,
as a support to the intended movement by that division. The
road bounding the rear of the field was edged with high
embankments, with ditches next to the road some six feet deep.
Through these embankments were two narrow wagon-ways,
making it possible to retire from the field only by the flank of a
regiment. The brigades of Ward and Berry were deployed
in two lines, leaving Robinson's brigade, which had not then
reached the field, as a reserve.
The enemy's batteries commanded the open field, and in
order to get into position under the brow of the hill, General
Berry was obliged to advance over ground that had been staked
by the enemy in order to gauge their guns, that is, lines of
stakes had been driven into the ground at certain intervals so
that the rebel artillerymen would know at what elevation to fire
their pieces, in order to make their shots effective upon the
attacking force. General Berry resorted to strategy to protect
his men from the shells that rained upon them. Ordering them
forward at the double-quick, the line would advance at a run
for eight or ten rods amid the storm of shot and shell, then lie
down, whereupon the firing would stop. Again the troops
would rise, rush forward until the fire became too hot, then
drop to the ground. These tactics were repeated four times
before the brigade got into position under the brow of the hill.
The significance of the stakes being now discovered, they were
removed by General Berry's order.
The severe shelling that the 17th Maine received was quite
a test to the nerves of the new troops, who were receiving their
first baptism of fire and blood. As the regiment was forming
line of battle in front of the enemy, with the bullets whistling
merrily about their heads, General Berry rode along the line
accompanied by his staff. Glancing down the long line of men,
THE SEVENTEENTH MAINE IN ACTION. 219
he cried: "Steady, 17th Maine! The State of Maine is look-
ing at you today ! " whereupon the men cheered lustily, took
new courage, and as the records show acquitted themselves
well, then and ever thereafter.
It is related of General Berry that at the time the troops
were lying flat to escape the shells that were hissing over them,
he noticed that several men had sought shelter in a deep ditch
a few yards in the rear of the line of battle. Addressing a
tall backwoods boy he said :
" Get out of that and join your company ! "
The soldier straightened up, bowed to the General, and
replied in a drawling tone of voice:
" Ya-as, Gineral, I will, jest as soon as them fellers quit
throwin' railroad iron at us."
The General rode along.
In another position of the 17th Maine, when General Berry
desired to conceal the exact location of his line, and the enemy
was vainly trying to shell him out, the orders were to " keep
down out of sight," but the men were curious to know what
was going on and would raise their heads to take a look.
Observing this, General Berry galloped up at a furious pace,
swinging his sword and shouting in stentorian tones, " Keep
those heads down or I'll cut them off! "
The owners of the heads obeyed, fearing the General more
than the shells of the enemy.
In the meantime General Meade's division was being sorely
pressed ; Ward's brigade was detached by General Birney and
sent to his assistance, and Berry's brigade was returned to its
position on the left.
Meade's troops were now in full retreat, and no efforts of
the officers could rally them. The enemy appeared in force in
front of Birney's division and charged upon the four batteries
in the front. General Berry promptly sent forward the 5th
Michigan to support the batteries, and advanced his remaining
regiments to the front and right, filling the gap in the Union
220 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
lines caused by sending forward a part of Ward's brigade. On
came the rebel line at a charge, flushed by the victorious
encounter with the troops of General Meade. The brunt of
this attack fell upon General Berry, who met it with the 5th
Michigan, Lieutenant Colonel Gilluly ; 37th New York, Colonel
Hayman ; 101st New York, Colonel Chester; and the 17th
Maine, Colonel Roberts. The 1st New York and 3d Michigan
acted as a reserve.
Volley after volley did the steady ranks of Berry's infantry
pour into the masses of the enemy, until the lines were obscured
by the sulphurous smoke and the rattling volleys blended in
one continuous roar. Before this terrific fire the enemy melted
like chaff before the wind. The men lay in ranks just as they
fell, and wide gaps were left in the advancing line after each
discharge. It was too much for human endurance. The
shattered line of the enemy halted, then wavered, then went
reeling back, broken and defeated.
A member of the 17th Maine relates an incident that
occurred during this fight. He says: "The men, being raw
when we started for that engagement, were encumbered with
their knapsacks, loaded with clothing, testaments and other
books, playing cards, etc. When the critical moment arrived
that General Berry concluded to put in our large regiment to
meet an advance of General Hill, he rode up to our Colonel
Roberts and ordered him to move forward. [General Berry
had the good habit, lacking in many other generals, of giving
orders in person when possible.] It was a muddy place we
were in. Colonel Roberts was uncertain whether to unsling
knapsacks or have the men wear them, so he asked the General
what he should do with the knapsacks. The General replied,
' I don't care what you do with the knapsacks, if you will only
go forward.' Thus he taught us how to behave in action."
The action had now ended for the day, so far as Berry's
brigade was concerned, although the men were subjected until
night to a severe artillery fire. Sunday and Monday the
Incidents of the battle. 221
brigade lay on the ground under the enemy's batteries, during
which time they conducted themselves in a courageous manner
The next day Lieutenant J. B. Greenhalgh was sent under a
flag of truce to the rebel lines to make arrangements for the
removal of the wounded who were lying between the two lines
of battle. Meeting an aide of General A. P. Hill, he inquired
of Greenhalgh what brigade came up after their heavy artillery
fire.
" General Berry's brigade," responded Lieutenant Green-
halgh.
" General A. P. Hill sends his compliments to General
Berry," said the Confederate officer, " and say to him that it
was the best behaved brigade that he ever saw under fire."
Lieutenant-Colonel Gilluly of the 5th Michigan was killed
in the charge of the enemy upon his command. It is said of
him that having a most sensitive nature he was under the
impression that his courage had been misrepresented to General
Berry, and he went into this action with a determination to
refute any such representation by a display of bravery most
convincing. He led his regiment mounted, and knowing it was
a most hazardous undertaking, he arranged with his quarter-
master, Lieutenant H. B. Blackman, that should he fall, every
effort should be put forth to recover his body and have it
buried in Michigan. Gilluly fell during the bloody fight of that
day and the Union army had fallen back, rendering any attempt
to recover the body a difficult and perilous undertaking. True
to his promise, and caring not for the dangers of the quest,
Blackman secured an ambulance and a (ew men, and in the
darkness of night returned to the battlefield, secured the body
and returned with it to the regiment. Subsequently the body
of the gallant lieutenant-colonel was taken to Michigan and
given burial. General Berry says of this officer in his report:
" I have again, as upon every field where this brigade has
fought under my command, to make honorable mention of the
5th Michigan. Its brave chief, the gallant Lieutenant-Colonel
222 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Gilluly, fell at the head of his regiment in repelling a charge
of the enemy upon the battery which his regiment was support-
ing. The conduct of this war-worn regiment was, indeed, most
noble."
General William De Lacy, formerly major of the 37th New
York, says that he had been appointed brigade officer of the
day on the morning of the battle. Anxious to participate in
the conflict with his regiment, he hastened to General Berry
and asked permission to remain with it during the impending
battle. At first he denied the request, but in a few moments
smiling at the impetuosity of the Major, he said, "All right;
do as you please."
Major De Lacy galloped back and rejoined his command,
as it was leaving the road to form line of battle on the brow
of the hill. The formation had not been completed when back
came a portion of the Pennsylvania reserves, defeated and panic
stricken. Colonel Hayman of the 37th New York and Major
De Lacy attempted to rally them about the latter regiment, but
without success. At this time General Berry appeared on the
scene and addressing the regiment said :
" Men of the 37th, this position has been abandoned. I
expect you to hold it as long as I deem it necessary, and I feel
sure you will do it."
The men greeted these words with cheers and successfully
resisted every attempt of the enemy to drive them from this
position.
General De Lacy adds : " I never remember seeing General
Berry after that day, but I shall never forget him, how fine
and powerful he looked — always calm, unruffled, with a genial
smile, never a harsh word, and never theatrical, but he was, as
he looked, always reliable, ready at all times for any emergency.
All the soldiers loved him. I remember saying often that the
men never waited for orders to cheer Kearny, Sickles or Berry.
Their applause came from their hearts involuntarily."
The following Monday, at 10 P. M., Berry was ordered to
SOLICITUDE FOR HIS MEN. 223
form his brigade in the rear of the road and be prepared to
move at a moment's notice. Soon after orders came to recross
the Rappahannock and go into camp. Speaking of this retreat,
William Hobson, captain in the 17th Maine, says: "We
retreated to the north bank of the Rappahannock on the night
of the 15th, having been on the front line for more than fifty-
six hours. Our regiment was the rear of the brigade, and as
we climbed the bank we passed General Berry sitting on his
horse, anxiously watching for the safety of his beloved brigade.
As I passed him he said, ' Ah, boys, I've got you out of a bad
scrape.' He did not leave until the last man was across the
river."
As a further illustration of General Berry's solicitude for
the welfare of his men, the following incident is given : "On a
bleak night in December, when the guard around his quarters
were nearly frozen as they paced the beat, each for a long two
hours, one of the 17th Maine men as he went past the door
of the General's tent was surprised to see the tent-flap open and
the General appear. He came out to the beat and held out a
dipper, saying to the astonished private, ' Drink this, it will do
you good.' He drank it obediently and it did him good. It
was whiskey."
In his report of the battle of Fredericksburg, General
Stoneman, commander of the 3d Army Corps, and General
Birney, his division commander, gave General Berry honorable
mention for his conduct during the fight.
General Berry's official report of this battle is as follows :
,j
Headquarters 3D Brigade,
Camp below Fredericksburg, Va.
December 14, 1862.
Sir : In conformity to orders from your headquarters we broke
up camp yesterday morning at 4 A. M., and moved, with the other
brigades of this division, to the bank of the Rappahannock, just
below Falmouth, where we were halted until 10.30 A. m. At this
time we moved to the river to cross.
224 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
In obedience to orders from corps headquarters I crossed this
brigade over the upper bridge, and connected with the ist [2d] Brig-
ade, General Ward, upon this side, arriving on our present ground
about n.30 o'clock, and took up a position on the left of the ist
[2d] Brigade.
At 12 o'clock I was ordered by General Birney to take one reg-
iment over to the right of our first line, and to sustain the rifle
batteries ; also to guard our left flank with the other regiments of
my brigade. I sent the 5th Michigan, Lieutenant-Colonel Gilluly
in command, to the ridge, and placed the 37th New York, Colonel
Hayman, 101st New York Volunteers, Colonel Chester, and 17th
Maine, Colonel Roberts, in support of the batteries, keeping as a
reserve the ist New York and 3d Michigan. These dispositions
being made, I awaited the result of the attack then going on in front.
I received orders about this time (1.30 p. m.) from the general of
the division to be prepared fully to sustain a charge on our batteries
should our forces then engaged be driven back.
At 2 p. m. it was evident that our forces were being driven in.
I extended my left by moving the 17th Maine to my extreme left.
At this time the charge took place on the batteries in my front.
The disordered troops, who had been driven in, by passing my front
to the rear, did not dampen the ardor of my command, and when
the enemy came within range, the 5th Michigan, 37th New York,
101st New York and 17th Maine poured a withering fire into their
ranks, which sent them to the right-about, they having met with a
bloody repulse. This ended the infantry fight, as far as my brigade
was concerned. We were subject, until night, to a heavy artillery
fire, during which my men behaved handsomely. We lay on the
ground under the enemy's batteries Sunday and Monday.
Monday at 10 p. m. I received orders from the division general
to form my brigade on a third line in rear of the road, and to be
prepared to move at a moment's notice. A half-hour later I received
orders from General Stoneman, commanding the corps, to move my
brigade by its left flank to the rear, and form a line of battle, the
left resting on the river, and the right resting on General Sickles'
left flank. Captain Sumner, of the corps staff, was sent with me to
place the brigade in position. As I was about forming my line, I
received a second order from corps headquarters, through Captain
REPORT OF THE BATTLE. 225
Livingston, of the artillery, to march my brigade directly to the
lower bridge, to cross and go into camp near corps headquarters. I
proceeded on with my brigade, crossed the lower bridge, and went
into camp within 400 yards of corps headquarters at 1 a. m.
At daylight I reported in person to General Stoneman, and sent
Lieutenant Freeman, of my staff, to report to division headquarters.
At 8 A. M. I received orders from division headquarters to join the
division, and place my brigade in rear of the 1st Brigade. I did so,
and followed it to its camp and then, under direction of the general
of the division, I placed my brigade in its present camp.
This brigade has sustained in this battle its former good reputa-
tion; forming as it did on the plains of Fredericksburg, under fire
of the enemy's batteries from the heights in front, and from their
batteries on our flank, without any signs of wavering, is proof of
its reliability. I have to again, as upon every field where this
brigade has fought under my command, make honorable mention of
the 5th Michigan Volunteers. Its brave chief, the gallant Lieuten-
ant-Colonel Gilluly, fell at the head of his regiment in repelling a
charge of the enemy upon the battery which his regiment was
supporting. The conduct of this war-worn regiment was, indeed,
most noble.
The 37th New York Volunteers was no less conspicuous.
Colonel Hayman was ever on the alert. His regiment was in sup-
port of a battery, and always ready. It contributed largely in
repulsing the enemy. It has won new laurels in the fight, which,
added to its very many old ones, makes this organization one of the
most noted in the volunteer service.
I have also to mention the good conduct of the 101st New
York Volunteers, Colonel Chester commanding. They nobly per-
formed their duty during the fight ; also as picket on the night of
the retreat. This regiment, though small in numbers, did good
service, and its conduct, together with all its officers, was unexcep-
tionable. The 3d Michigan Volunteers and the 1st New York
Volunteers formed my second line. They were not actively engaged,
but by their steady bearing and devotion to duty have again won my
admiration. The conduct of these two regiments could not be
bettered.
Next, I have to mention the 17th Maine Volunteers. This was
226 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
its first engagement ; but very few of its members were ever before
under fire. Officers and men alike nobly performed their duty ; no
one would have known but they were veterans. Colonel Roberts,
Lieutenant-Colonel Merrill and Major West acted nobly, and per-
formed their duties in a most satisfactory manner. This regiment
assisted in the repulse of the enemy's attack on our batteries.
I cannot close this report without making honorable mention of
Captain G. W. Wilson, my acting assistant adjutant-general, and
my aides, Lieutenants J. B. Greenhalgh, George Freeman and S. S.
Huntly. They were active in the performance of their duties, and
rendered the most efficient service.
I also feel it my duty to mention Father Tissot, chaplain of the
37th New York Volunteers. He was with his regiment during the
engagement, and by his bearing and teachings rendered valuable
service. He is, indeed, a model chaplain.
The several surgeons of this brigade were on the field, and
were very active in the performance of their duties.
Herewith please find a complete list of killed and wounded.
You will observe we have no missing. I am happy to be able to
state that I have not a straggler in the whole brigade.
Respectfully, your obedient servant,
H. G. Berry,
Captain F. Birney, Brigadier-General of Volunteers.
Asst. Adjt.-Gen., 1st Div., 3d Corps.
General Berry writes his daughter December 17th, 1862:
" Your last two letters, my child, were handed to me by the
brigade mail-boy on the field of battle on Saturday. I read
them with much pleasure, under the most murderous artillery
fire I have ever been subjected to. My brigade thought it very
queer that I should read letters at such a time, but as I was not
to move for a few moments I thought I would know what was
in the letters, as I might not have the privilege an hour after-
wards. I am pretty well, although very much exhausted,
having slept on the ground for seven nights, and part of the
time in wet places. My hair is all out of my head and I have
had it shaved. I hope it will grow again, as I look queer enough."
CASUALTIES AT FREDERICKSBURG. 227
He writes again under date of December 26th : " I have
been confined to my tent of late. I am now improving slowly
but am indeed a frightful looking chap. The battle of Fred-
ericksburg was a bloody affair and without results, except they
be unfavorable ones so far as we are concerned. My brigade
lost 180 killed and wounded. I lost one colonel killed. The
artillery fire was very heavy and plenty of iron flew through
our ranks. I escaped unhurt, although in the midst of the fray
from Saturday at ten till the recrossing of the river. I got
cold sleeping on the ground and getting wet and chilled."
The casualties of Berry's brigade at the battle of Freder-
icksburg as given in the official returns are as follows: 17th
Maine, one man killed, nineteen wounded ; 3d Michigan, six
men wounded and one officer captured ; 5th Michigan, one
officer and nine men killed, one officer and seventy-two men
wounded; 1st New York, seven men wounded; 37th New
York, seven men killed, twenty-seven wounded, one captured ;
101st New York, one man killed, twelve wounded. Total loss
in the brigade of killed, wounded and missing, 165.
In speaking of General Berry's love for his old regiment,
Colonel Walker says : " The next morning after the battle of
Fredericksburg, where the 4th Maine met with such fearful
disaster, the General walked to my side, laid his head on one of
my shoulders and his hand on the other and wept bitterly,
refusing to be comforted, until two of his staff officers led him
away. Thus we parted without uttering a word. One hour
later he was in his saddle, directing his brigade, as cool and
calm as though nothing had happened."
January 8th, 1863, General Berry was temporarily in com-
mand of the division during the absence of General Birney, and
on the 15th, having secured a leave of absence, he hastened to
New York to join his family, who were then in that city. But
his vacation was of short duration, as in response to a tele-
gram from his superiors summoning him to the field he returned
to his command next day.
CHAPTER XXV.
BERRY A MAJOR-GENERAL.
General Charles Hamlin Relates How Berry was Promoted.
— Meets Berry for the First Time. — Visit to Major-Gen-
eral Hooker. — The Latter's Glowing Tribute. — Expresses
Wish that Berry Command his Old Division. — General
Heintzelman Interviewed. — His Letter. — President Lin-
coln's Words of Praise for Berry. — Delay in Making the
Appointment. — General Hamlin's Call on General Hal-
leck. — The Latter's Boorishness. — Anecdote of Senator
Zach Chandler. — Berry Appointed Major-General. —
Letters. — Assigned to Hooker's Old Division. — Farewell
Address to the Brigade. — The 37th New York's Address.
— Berry's Affection for his Old Brigade — General Hooker
Assigned to the Command of the Army of the Potomac. —
His Great Admiration for Berry. — Assigns him to the
Command of the 2d Division, 3d Corps.
GENERAL BERRY'S qualities as a leader of men had
long since brought him to the favorable notice of his
superiors. His friends now took it upon themselves to
see that his patriotic services received the reward that their
importance merited, and urged his promotion to major-general.
General Charles Hamlin, son of the War Vice President, gives
the following account of General Berry's promotion :
" Soon after Antietam I learned that General Berry, at the
close of the Peninsular campaign, had been ordered to his home
in Rockland in consequence of severe sickness. About the
middle of October the Vice President came to Washington and I
hooker's endorsement. 220
found him at the National Hotel in consultation and conference
with the General. I had never met the General and as I entered
his room I was met by him in a most cordial manner. Although
showing the effects of malaria, he possessed a fine, martial
spirit which seemed to sit natural and easy upon a powerful
form. I knew very well the confidence that was reposed in
General Berry for his soldierly qualities by the Vice President
and the personal interest the latter took in his success; so that
when the conversation turned upon the General's promotion to
the command of a division with the rank of major-general, I
was not surprised and was much pleased with an invitation of
both to go with them to see General Hooker whose advice and
recommendation could be relied upon to bring about the desired
end.
" General Hooker, who had been wounded in his foot at
Antietam, was then under the care of Dr. Nichols, at the Insane
Asylum, where we found him lying upon a lounge in a room
assigned to him which afforded cool and pure air to his wound.
His greeting of our party was as hearty as his criticism of the
handling of the army at Antietam was severe. As he was not
an admirer of General McClellan — not even a believer in him
as an army commander — he found a good listener in the Vice
President, who prophesied that McClellan would not retain his
position at the head of the army much longer. When General
Hooker was informed of the special object of the visrt, he at
once expressed his willingness to do all in his power to aid
General Berry's promotion, adding that he had earned it, and
that he desired above all things to see him in command of his
old division which, wearing the White Diamond, was composed
of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New Jersey troops and the
Excelsior Brigade that had been raised by General Sickles.
I was prepared for his declaration of confidence and interest in
General Berry ; and he having promised to give him a strong
letter recommending his promotion, we sat there prolonging our
visit while listening to this recital of General Berry's valuable
230 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
services and fine conduct as it had fallen under his eye on the
Peninsula.
" He gave many details of the battle of Williamsburg,
especially, naming General Berry's opportune arrival with his
brigade, from the Kearny division, which enabled him to hold
his position and save the day. General Hooker endorsed him
without reserve. He says :
Headquarters Insane Asylum, D. C, )
October 19, 1862. j
Major-General H. W. Halleck, Commanding the Army:
General: The friends of Brigadier-General H. G. Berry
desire that he should be promoted to the rank of Major-General of
Volunteers, and have applied to me fur a testimonial in his behalf.
He commanded a brigade in Kearny's division, and it was in that
position I had an opportunity to witness his services through several
eventful months. He led his brigade with great judgment and gal-
lantry at Williamsburg and Fair Oaks, and I was informed by his
late division commander [General Kearny] that his conduct was no
less conspicuous in the subsequent engagements of his division on
the Peninsula. But it was not in the presence of the enemy alone
that my attention was attracted to this officer, but in the preparation
of his brigade for active service, and in his arrangements for the
defense of his position while encamped on mv left at Fair Oaks,
and the soldierly manner in which he held his command, when the
driving in of a picket by the enemy or a false move in the disposi-
tion of his brigade would have endangered our whole line. He
enjoyed the entire confidence of his division and corps commanders.
I am not informed of his early opportunities for acquiring
information in his profession, and only know that I regard him as
an accomplished officer, and well qualified to fill the place he aspires
to. He is practical, intelligent, enterprising, intrepid and devoted.
In my own mind I have classed him among the promising officers
who have grown up during the Rebellion, and from whom I have
learned to expect great deeds before it is ended. Of this class, I
know of no superior to General Berry, and but few, if any, equals.
In consideration of the many recommendations you must have
presented to you, General, it may not be necessary to add that I
heintzelman's letter. 231
shall commend no one to your favorable consideration, whose
services I should not desire, were it admissible, in my own
command. In view of the great responsibilities which belong to
those high stations I have adopted this as an inflexible rule for my
government.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
Joseph Hooker,
Major-Genera 1.
" Upon returning to the hotel I was excused for the day
and requested to return in the afternoon of the next day. I
did so, and with a note of introduction to General Heintzelman
called upon him at Arlington to obtain the second letter of
recommendation that was filed. Riding over the Georgetown
bridge with a friend who knew the way, we reached Arlington
in the evening and were ushered into the house at once, as soon
as I had sent in my note of introduction. I found General
Heintzelman with several members of his family sitting in a
large room before an open wood fire, where he kindly received
us. I recall with pleasure how soon the gray-bearded veteran,
looking at us with his keen eye, put us at ease ; and as soon as
he learned the object of our call spoke in the strongest terms of
his admiration of General Berry and promised to send a letter
in his behalf to the President the next day; and he did so.
Here is the letter :
Headquarters Defenses of Washington, i
South of the Potomac, Arlington, Va., >
October 15, 1862. )
His Excellency, A. Lincoln, President of the United States,
Washington :
Sir: I have the honor to recommend to your notice Brigadier-
General H. G. Berry who served under my command first as colonel
near Fort Lyon, afterwards as brigadier-general during the campaign
on the Peninsula.
He has always performed his duties with energy and good
judgment. On the Peninsula he was highly distinguished for his
232 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
gallantry and activity in the various battles, and more particularly at
Williamsburg and Fair Oaks.
At the former place he commanded the leading brigade that
relieved the troops who were then engaged and almost out of ammu-
nition, thereby saving the day. At Fair Oaks he held our left wing
until after dark.
I have the honor to be, sir, Very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
S. P. Heintzelman,
Major-General.
" These letters were placed in the President's hands. He
expressed his satisfaction with the gallantry, efficiency and
merits of General Berry and remarked that it would be a pleas-
ure to make this promotion. It was understood that the letters
were to be sent to General Halleck to be placed in his office
and the nomination already agreed on to go to the Senate in a
few days. The Vice President returned to his home and
General Berry went to the front, shortly afterward.
"After the lapse of a fortnight, the appointment not having
been made, I received a letter from the Vice President asking
me to inquire into the cause of the delay. I called upon the Pres-
ident, who informed me that it should be made as soon as the
Senate convened, and, to insure against mistake, gave me a card
to General Halleck requesting him to see me. I went to
General Haileck's office and waited in his ante-room during the
afternoon until he closed his office for the day. Coming out
with the card in his hand, and on being informed who was the
bearer of it, he very haughtily said, before I could tell him I
was there only in the capacity of a messenger from the Presi-
dent : ' Young man, I am too busy to attend to such matters.
You better go to your regiment.' I always thought that
General Kelton, his adjutant-general, was more annoyed than
was the President's messenger with the boorish action of
General Halleck toward the President. The appointment
came, however, as soon as the Senate convened, and Berry
SENATOR ZACH CHANDLER. 233
was confirmed without delay, to date from November 29th,
1862."
It is said of Zach Chandler, the War Senator from Michigan,
that when asked for his endorsement to papers requesting the
promotion of General Berry from the rank of brigadier- to that
of major-general, and it was suggested that Berry's political
faith was not the same as his, he exclaimed in his bluff way:
" D — n his politics ; his military record is good enough," and
seizing a pen he signed the documents.
Vice President Hamlin notified Berry of his promotion in
the following terms :
Washington, January 22, 1863.
Brigadier-General H. G. Berry :
Dear Sir : I am directed by Mr. Hamlin to avail myself of
the honor to inform you that you have been today nominated by the
President as Major-Genera 1 of Volunteers in the United States Army.
You may be sure your friends and all who know you will
rejoice in an event which confers so well-earned and well-merited
honor upon you, and secures in a wider sphere the skill which will,
we think, be used most earnestly and successfully for your country.
Truly yours, N. Butler,
Private Secretary to Vice President.
Thus at the early age of 38 years did General Berry attain
this high rank in military life solely because of superior service
and ability. The press of business was so great in the Senate,
however, that General Berry's nomination, with others, was not
then acted upon; but on March 7th, 1863, he was renominated
by the President and two days afterwards the nomination was
confirmed by the Senate, to rank as Major-General of Volun-
teers in the service of the United States from the 29th day of
November, 1862.
January 23d, 1863, General Berry writes home: "We have
just got back to our old camp again, having been out for seven
days. I passed from the cars at Washington immediately to
234 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
the boat for Aquia Creek and thence by rail to this point. On
my arrival I found my brigade had moved up river. I started
at once and overtook it and have been with it ever since.
"Tuesday it commenced raining and continued through the
night and Wednesday and Wednesday night. Our wagons and
artillery all stuck fast in the roads and we have been obliged to
build corduroy roads to get back to camp again. I have had a
dreadful attack of earache again, and I am well-nigh used up.
This move has been a most miserable failure."
Under date of Sunday, January 25th, 1863, General Berry
writes: "I received notice last evening from Mr. Hamlin
that I had been appointed by the President as Major-General
of Volunteers."
We quote from the diary of one of General Berry's staff
officers: "January 21st, 1863. Called at 5 A. M. and at day-
light brigade ready to move. Waited for orders till 10 A. M.,
when we made ourselves as comfortable as possible for the day.
Still raining. Sent orderly on horseback, and we were allowed
fires and got along very comfortably. About 1 1 A. M. General
Berry arrived, and such another shout was never heard from one
brigade, as at this time. The officers flocked around him as
though he were their saviour.
General Berry writes, February 2d : "I am now at my old
camp, but not in command, having turned it over to the senior
colonel. I shall be assigned another place in a day or two."
On the 25th day of January General Burnside was
relieved of the command of the Army of the Potomac, and
Major-General Joseph Hooker (Fighting Joe) was assigned as
its commander. We have had occasion many times to refer
to the warm friendship existing between Hooker and Berry,
since the latter saved Hooker from disaster at Williamsburg.
The admiration Hooker cherished for the judgment and
military skill of the subject of this biography he had expressed
in unlimited terms in his letter to General Halleck recommend-
ing his promotion, and in his often expressed wish to have
ASSIGNED TO HOOKER'S OLD DIVISION. 235
General Berry assigned to his command. Now as commander
of the Army of the Potomac he was in a position to demon-
strate the sincerity of his regard. Nor was Hooker slow to
avail himself of the opportunity. Among his first official acts on
assuming command of the army was that of assigning General
Berry to the command of his (Hooker's) old division. This
he did in the following order:
Headquarters Arm? oi the Potom.u ,
Camp near Falmouth, Va.,
February 5, 1863.
Special Orders, )
No. 36. j
I. Brigadier-General H. G. Berry is assigned to the command
of the 2d Division, 3d Corps, and will report accordingly.
By command of Major-General Hooker.
Jos. Dickinson,
Assistant Adjutant-General.
General Berry writes home of his assignment to the
2d Division as follows :
Headquarters 2d Division, 3D Corps, j
February 8, 1863. j
I am located again, having been assigned to the command of
this division. I have the assignment as a matter of compliment.
This is the Hooker Division, the largest in the army and the best.
I have three good brigadier-generals and five batteries of artillery
and some seventeen regiments of infantry, and am well satisfied
with my command.
General Berry was not now in good health. During Febru-
ary he had suffered severely from chills and fever, and ague in
the face. However, at 11 o'clock A. M. on the 8th day of
February he arrived at the headquarters of his new command
and assumed control of the division. His headquarters were in
the Thomas Fitzhue house, an ancient colonial residence, built
236 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
in 1752. Prior to leaving his old brigade, General Berry issued
the following farewell order :
Hdqrs. 3D Brig., ist Div., 3D Corps,
Army of the Potomac, Camp near Falmouth, Va.,
January 29, 1863.
Having received an order to report to the War Department for
orders I hereby turn over the command of this brigade to Colonel
Roberts, 17th Maine Volunteers.
I cannot part with my old comrades in arms without specially
thanking them for the handsome manner in which they have always
conducted themselves, both in camp and in the field. Their triumphs
have been many. They have won by their heroism a name that will
live as long as the history of this rebellion and they have the proud
satisfaction of knowing that they have never yet been driven a rod
on any field. This gallantry is acknowledged not only by this army,
but by the enemy himself. Continue thus to demean yourself, and I
assure you, that when your several terms of enlistment expire you
will be welcomed home by your friends as brave and gallant men
ever are; and besides, you will individually have the proud con-
sciousness of knowing that you have sincerely endeavored to perform
your duties and that you deserve well of your country.
Parting with you is indeed painful to me. How can it be
otherwise ? I came among you a stranger, and to fill a place before
occupied by a brave and gallant officer [Major-General I. B.
Richardson] who has since given his life to his country. You at
once determined to give the same support to me that you gave to
him and I have to thank you for it. I shall watch your future with
great interest and I trust it will be as brilliant as the past.
I now take my leave of you imploring Heaven's blessing on my
old brigade.
H. G. Berry,
Lieutenant G. W. Freeman, Major-General Volunteers.
Aide-de-camp and A.A.A.-G.
The 37th New York, one of the regiments of Berry's
brigade, in an address to him said : " We feel as though we
were losing in you a father and a protector who has watched
over us in moments of danger, but we hope and trust you will
AFFECTION FOR THE SEVENTEENTH MAINE. 237
have a command commensurate with your abilities, and a posi-
tion worthy of your devotion to the cause which you serve, and
we sincerely trust that this regiment will be a portion of that
command. Rest assured, dear General, that wherever you are,
or in whatever position you are placed, the heartfelt gratitude
of the officers and men of the 37th New York Volunteers
[Irish Rifles] will be with you."
An officer of the brigade, in a letter to the author, says :
"While there is a warm spot in our hearts for Generals Rich-
ardson, Pierce, De Trobriand, Poe, Mays, and others who
subsequently commanded, ours will always be known as ' Berry's
Brigade.' "
A member of the 17th Maine says: "I did not see
General Berry again until the grand review of the Army of the
Potomac by President Lincoln in April, 1863. In the meantime
he had been made Major-General and assigned to the command
of the 2d Division of the 3d Corps. While we were waiting
for the review he said to his staff, ' Come with me down to my
old brigade and I will show you some boys who know how to
fight.'
" Although we had no warning of his coming, it is needless
to say that he was received in a manner which showed the
place he held in the hearts of his old brigade. On Sunday, the
19th of April, just two weeks before he was killed, he again
visited the brigade in its camp at Potomac Creek. He called
at the headquarters of the other regiments, but when he came to
the 17th Maine he requested Colonel Roberts to call out the reg-
iment as he wished to talk to the boys. The assembly sounded
and the regiment was drawn up in double column closed in mass
without arms, in front of the Colonel's quarters. The General
made an eloquent and patriotic speech. He said that he wished
to speak to us in particular because we were from Maine, and
were the only troops from his own State which had ever been
under his command, excepting the 4th Maine. He spoke of
his sorrow at leaving his old brigade, and said that arrange-
238 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
ments'were in progress by which he hoped to have it again with
him. He said that a great battle was at hand, that he knew
something of General Hooker's plans, and hoped and predicted
a glorious victory for the Union Army.
" Speaking of the magnitude of the issues involved in the
coming battle, he expected the regiment to maintain the repu-
tation of the brigade, ' for,' said he, ' it is a fact that this brigade
has never been driven a foot on any battlefield whatever.' Con-
tinuing, he said, ' And now, boys, let us give three cheers for old
Joe and the next fight.' They were given with a will, and then
three more were given for General Berry. We never saw him
but once after: on the first day of May, as our division had
halted for a rest he passed us at the head of his division. As
soon as the boys recognized him they rose and cheered him
and he returned their salute. Words cannot express the sorrow
which not only we of his old brigade, but the whole army felt,
when on the following Sunday we learned that he had been
killed. It is safe to say that the loss of no general officer
could have been more deeply felt. He had improved his rare
military genius both by study and by the experience of actual
warfare, and at the time of his death was competent to com-
mand a corps or even an army. No emergency ever found him
unprepared, and no general ever received in higher degree the
love and the confidence of those who served under him.
" Entirely free from the petty jealousies which disgraced
the record of so many officers, his only aim was to give his
best and highest services to his country. If he had lived we
know not to what higher honors he might have attained, but he
could not have added to his reputation as a soldier satis peur et
sans reproche."
CHAPTER XXVI.
BERRY COMMANDS HOOKER'S OLD DIVISION.
Berry's Staff Officers. — His Brigade and Regimental Com-
manders.— The Regiments and Batteries in his Division.
— An Army Wedding. — Ball at General Sickles' Head-
quarters. — Mrs. Le Grand Benedict Relates an
Anecdote of General Berry. — His Love of Fun. — His
Splendid Horsemanship. — St. Patrick's Day in the Army.
— Review by President Lincoln. — He Compliments Gen-
eral Berry's Command. — Annie Etheridge.
THE gallantry of this 2d Division had earned for
General Hooker the sobriquet of Fighting Joe. He had
commanded it through the entire Peninsular campaign,
and at Williamsburg from early morning until the middle of the
afternoon it had sustained the attack of the rebel army until
General Berry relieved it from its desperate situation. Its
brigades and regiments were ably commanded, and many of its
subordinate officers attained high rank and national prominence
later in the war. Hooker had infused into it much of his spirit
and daring, and it had the dash and elan which that officer alone
could impart to those under his command. In no better way
could Hooker have manifested his regard and confidence in
General Berry than in making him the chief of this magnificent
organization of fighting men.
On assuming command of the 2d Division, General Berry
appointed the following staff officers : Captain J. S. Poland,
chief of staff and assistant inspector-general ; Captain Le Grand
Benedict, assistant adjutant-general ; Captain James D. Earle,
240 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
commissary of subsistence ; Captain James A. Cross, provost
marshal; Captain Charles W. Squier, engineer officer; Captain
William H. Chester, judge advocate; Captain Thomas W.
Osborn, chief of artillery ; Captain Benj. W. Hoxsey, ordnance
officer; Major J. Theodore Calhoun, medical director ; Captain
James F. Rusling, chief quartermaster; Lieutenant Seth
Cushman, commissary of musters; Lieutenant William J.
Rusling, chief of ambulance corps ; Captain Jabez B. Green-
halgh, senior aide ; Lieutenant George W. Freeman, aide-de-
camp ; Lieutenant I. Henry Washburn, aide-de-camp.
The division of Major-General Berry consisted of the
following troops :
ist Brigade — Brigadier-General Joseph B. Carr; ist Mass-
achusetts, Colonel Napoleon B. McLaughlen ; iith Massachu-
setts, Colonel William Blaisdell ; 16th Massachusetts, Lieutenant-
Colonel Waldo Merriam ; nth New Jersey, Colonel Robert
McAllister; 26th Pennsylvania, Colonel Benj. C. Tilghman.
2d Brigade — Brigadier-General Joseph W. Revere ; 70th
New York, Colonel J. Egbert Farnum ; 71st New York, Colonel
Henry L. Potter ; 72d New York, Colonel Wm. O. Stevens ;
73d New York, Major Michael W. Burns; 74th New York,
Lieutenant-Colonel Wm. H. Lounsbury; 120th New York,
Lieutenant-Colonel Cornelius D. Westbrook.
3d Brigade — Brigadier-General Gershom Mott; 5th New
Jersey, Colonel Wm. J. Sewell ; 6th New Jersey, Colonel
George C. Burling; 7th New Jersey, Colonel Louis R. Fran-
cine; 8th New Jersey, Colonel John Ramsey; 2d New York,
Colonel Sidney W. Park; 115th Pennsylvania, Colonel Francis
A. Lancaster.
Artillery — Captain Thomas W. Osborn, chief; ist New
York Light, Battery D, Lieutenant Geo. B. Winslow ; New
York Light, 4th Battery, Lieutenant Geo. F. Barstow ; ist
United States, Battery H, Lieutenant Justin E. Dimick ; 4th
United States, Battery K, Lieutenant Francis W. Seeley.
As above organized the division entered upon the cam-
AN ARMY WEDDING. 241
paign that ended with the battle of Chancellorsville. At one
time, prior to this battle, the 1st New Jersey, Battery B, Captain
J. A. Clark, was also attached to Berry's division.
With his characteristic energy Major-General Berry began
at once to drill and discipline his large command, and when the
movement on Chancellorsville began, it never had been in
better heart and trim.
Among the pleasant incidents of camp life was a wedding
in the division. The ceremony took place under a tent and
was enlivened by every kind of festivity. The groom was a
captain in the 7th New Jersey, and if he had been of higher
rank he could not have had a more imposing demonstration.
The bride had brought with her from Washington ten grooms-
men and ten bridemaids, a retinue fit for a queen. Generals
were present in great number, General Hooker being among
them, full of gayety and life. There was dancing, drinking and
banqueting, succeeded by a ball at General Sickles' headquar-
ters— a grand affair indeed.
The monotony of camp life at the headquarters of Berry's
division was also enlivened by the advent of the charming and
vivacious young bride of the assistant adjutant-general, Captain
Le Grand Benedict, who courageously came to share the discom-
forts of army life with her husband. Her presence was hailed
with delight by the chivalrous young officers of Berry's staff,
who racked their ingenious brains to devise contrivances that
would add to the comfort of her habitation and the pleasure of
her novel experience. In " Outing" for December, 1887, she
relates in an entertaining way her experiences with the army,
and gives an incident that is illustrative of another side of
General Berry's nature, namely, his inordinate love of fun :
" It was dusk when she, accompanied by her husband, was
quietly proceeding homeward. A deep gulch separated the
camp from the main road, through which flowed a lazy stream,
where the horses regularly expected a drink. Laying the
bridle on the neck of her steed to permit this indulgence, she
242 MAJOR-GENERAL flIRAM G. BERRY.
rested indolently in her saddle, reviewing the events of the day.
They had just descended one precipitous bank, while another
equally steep rose before them. Bucephalus stood knee-deep
in the water, enjoying the draught, when suddenly from the rear
came a frightful roar, a rushing tramp as of the approach of
the whole Confederate army. Oh ! what a moment of conster-
nation ! One to test the spirit and bravery of a northern
woman, a would-be heroine, a soldier's wife ! She had not
even time to collect her bridle reins, when the sharp sound of
horses' feet clattered about her, a confused mass of flying cav-
alry surrounded her, and she was conscious that this was the
most trying moment of her life. Should she ever again see
home and friends? Bucephalus made a desperate bound for
freedom, and dashed up the hill with fury, his bewildered mis-
tress, grasping his mane, his neck, and feeling that she was
flying through space on the wings of a whirlwind. At this
moment a strong hand caught at the curb of the animal, there
was a firm and powerful grasp about her waist, while a voice in
trumpet tones shouted closely in her ear the awful, awful com-
mand, ' Surrender ! ' She had not a moment to think more
than that she would sell her freedom as dearly as possible ; her
life was at stake, and having about her no other weapon of
defense, with her slender riding whip she struck one noble,
terrible blow at rebellion, and then burst into cowardly tears.
Next she felt her feet upon the ground, her husband's arm
supporting her, the enormous body of cavalry vanquished and
vanished, save for one peaceable orderly soothing her stamping
charger, while a firm, loving, tender-hearted general, big and
impulsive, stood before her in abject remorse, overwhelming
her with apologies. He explained that returning with his
mounted staff to his quarters, at their usual break-neck speed,
he had jestingly thought to lift her from her saddle, transfer
her to his own and bear her captive to camp."
The officer mentioned in this narrative was General Berry,
and it was related of him that one of his favorite pastimes was
THE PRESIDENT VISITS CAMP. 243
to seize a staff officer, when going at full gallop, and transfer
the hapless victim to the pommel of his own saddle, bearing
him off in triumph, in spite of his desperate struggle to get
free.
General Berry writes under date of March 5th: "No
news other than ' all is quiet along the Rappahannock.' I like
my command very much. I shall get along with them nicely."
Under date of March 18th, he writes : "We had a wedding
in the camp of one of my regiments followed by a dinner and
ball in the evening. Next night a ball was given by General
Sickles in honor of the party. All the ladies in camp were
present. I went, took supper, did not dance, returned to my
camp at 11.30 in the evening. Yesterday (St. Patrick's day)
we had a hurdle race, a regular Irish affair. Everything was
conducted in Kilkenney style. All the ladies in camp were in
attendance. The horses were jumped over fences and ditches
to the amusement of all, particularly the foreign part of the
army. Result: Large lot of whiskey punch drank, mass was
said by the priests, the races commenced, stakes of money large,
accidents not a few, one man and two horses killed, two nearly
so, many with arms broken, and much horse-flesh used up. So
you see we have our amusements."
He writes April 8th: "We had a review of the
infantry of four army corps today. The President is here. I
have got pretty well acquainted with him, and like him very
much." Again, April 15th: " I am well and have a fair pros-
pect of good health. I sincerely hope so, as the duties of an
active campaign are arduous for even a well person. We shall
move soon. I have a fine command. The President compli-
mented my division very much. I was with him three days,
most of the time." Again, April 20th : " The army is under
marching orders, and has been for some days. It is uncertain
what day we shall move." Again, April 24th : " No news to
write. I am well and have a fair prospect of good health. I
shall go into the field better prepared to live comfortably than
244 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
last year ; besides I have more help and no more work, if as
much."
There was a very remarkable personage connected with
Berry's old brigade. This was Miss Annie Etheridge, a young
lady who was serving with the Michigan contingent as a nurse.
She was to be seen on the march accompanying the staff of
General Berry, riding her horse with ease and grace, and when
in camp quartered with the medical department of the brigade.
She was looked upon by officers and men as a noble, high-minded,
honorable young lady, whose disinterested service for the sick
and wounded will long be remembered by the soldiers of
Berry's brigade. Her present address is 115 Sixth street S. E.,
Washington, D. C.
Under date of July 20th, 1895, Miss Etheridge furnishes
the following interesting account of her services with General
Berry :
" I remember better than anything else, all that is associated
with General Berry, because I was so deeply attached to him, in
common with all the soldiers — for we all worshipped him for his
bravery, and for all that goes in the highest degree to make an
ideal soldier and perfect gentleman. Although I knew General
Berry as one of the prominent officers at headquarters, I really
became acquainted with him at a private house, which had been
turned into a temporary hospital, on what was called Upton's Hill,
not very far from Washington. He had been taken there from
camp very ill with fever. This was before I was seventeen
years old, and he must have looked upon me as a child, for at
that time I had not attained my full stature. I recall bathing
his head very often, and doing everything for him as directed
by the surgeon, until he recovered sufficiently to get a ' leave '
and go home. I remember he lost a great deal of his hair after
the fever, and his saying ' You did it, Annie, bathing my head
so much.'
" I recall that when we were in winter quarters near
Falmouth he decided to give a dinner party in camp. I
ANNIE ETHERIDGE. 245
remember that he inquired : ' Annie, will you cook the
dinner?' I thought I could do anything for the soldiers in
those days and I replied, ' Of course, I can cook the dinner ! '
So my tent was turned into a kitchen. I had a mud fireplace
with a barrel for the chimney, and a tin contrivance that I
could set up before the fire where I could bake the pies and
other things. I hung up the turkey and basted it. There was
no cook but myself. There was a ' bill-of-fare,' and the com-
pany would have me in to be thanked, though I begged hard
to be let alone. I felt ashamed of my army shoes, but I had
no others, and all I could do to ' fix up ' was to polish the metal
on my soldier-belt. General Berry's guests were Vice President
Hamlin, two Senators, and the members of Congress from
Maine, and his staff. I cannot recall the names of all the com-
pany that day. With all my experience I could not begin to
do now what I did then. I look back upon it all with perfect
amazement, but the officers, and indeed all of us, felt that we
must do everything expected of us; that we must not fail.
" I do not recall any incidents, except those usually con-
nected with marches and the routine of army life, prior to the
awful battle of Chancellorsville where General Berry lost his
life. I recall it was May 3d, my birthday. I was always with
headquarters, marching with it. The night before, I had filled my
canteens with hot coffee and started down the Chancellorsville
road in company with the surgeon of the regiment. I knew
that General Berry was stationed at the right. When we were
seen coming we were met by an artillery officer, who told the
surgeon that we were on the line of battle within the rebel
lines, and he must take me back. I knew General Berry was
on the right and I said he must take me to him — I must see
him ! The officer wheeled his horse, rode back and reported.
General Berry said : ' It is Annie ; bring her here, I would risk
my life for her ! ' This the officer told me after Berry was gone.
When I reached the General, who was on the line of battle, he
drank the coffee and said : ' We are going to have a midnight
246 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
charge,' at the same time pointing to a white house in the dis-
tance. ' Go there, where you can attend to the wounded, and
if I get killed I want you to go home with my body.' He was
killed, as near as I can learn, the morning of the midnight
charge, and before I knew it his body was carried off the field
and sent away. I remember the bitter tears I shed that day,
for I felt at the time that if he had been my own father, my
grief could not have been deeper. Two years ago I visited the
battlefield and stood on the very spot where he fell. I have no
words to express the sorrow of the regiment [5th Michigan] at
his early death. He had the power to inspire the highest
qualities in friend or foe ; and he was a man — a great and noble
soldier, whose deeds will never die."
CHAPTER XXVII.
CHANCELLORSVILLE.
Hooker's Brilliant Plan — Description of Chancellorsville.—
Slocum, Howard and Meade Make Passage of the Rappa-
hannock.— Sedgwick and Reynolds Make a Demonstra-
tion below Fredericksburg. — Sickles Supports Sedgwick
and Reynolds. — Concentration at Chancellorsville. — Bat-
tle Commences. — Hooker Withdraws to Chancellorsville.
— Jackson's Brilliant Flank Movement. — Crushes the
nth Corps. — Disaster Threatens the Army of the
Potomac.
THE Army of the Potomac rested on the left bank of the
Rappahannock when the Chancellorsville campaign com-
menced. It was still opposite Fredericksburg, in a
position among the Stafford Hills, a position that was regarded
as almost impregnable. It numbered 124,500, and of these
1 1,500 were cavalry. Lee had 62,000 men and 3,000 cavalry.
It is stated, however, on reliable authority, that Hooker did not
have over 1 13,000 men for actual combat, as it is a well estab-
lished fact that 100,000 men on the rolls are equivalent to about
80,000 muskets in action.
The difference in the actual strength of the two armies was
amply compensated by the wide river in front of the enemy
with its well fortified fords and strongly guarded approaches.
Stonewall Jackson kept under his watchful eye the line of
defense below Hamilton's Crossing to Port Royal. One ol
Longstreet's divisions under McLaws held the line from Ham-
ilton's Crossing to Banks' Ford. The fords of the Rappahan-
248 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
nock for miles above the position of both armies were narrowly
watched by the eagle-eyed Confederate cavalry leader, J. E. B.
Stuart, and his fleet-footed horsemen, supported by Anderson's
division of Longstreet's corps. Indeed, every precaution that
a skillful general like Lee could devise to prevent the Union
forces from crossing the river and surprising his camp was
taken, until the Confederate generals were led to believe that
Hooker's slightest move could be quickly discerned and
promptly thwarted.
Both armies had secured a much needed rest, and Hooker
had brought the Army of the Potomac to such a high state of
discipline, that it would be difficult to find a finer body of fight-
ing men than made up the various organizations of this vast
army. Hooker inspired the utmost confidence as a commander,
and there was dissatisfaction in but one part of the army.
General Franz Sigel had been removed from the command of
the iith Corps, composed mostly of German troops, and Gen-
eral O. O. Howard was given his place. This quenched the
enthusiasm of this corps, who regarded the removal of Sigel
as a blow to their nationality.
In his plan of campaign Hooker displayed the high quali-
ties of a strategist. Major-General Sedgwick was to cross
the Rappahannock and make a demonstration below Freder-
icksburg, while four corps under Major-General Slocum made
a detour and crossed twenty-seven miles above at Kelley's
Ford. Slocum was then to proceed down the river and fall
upon the left flank of the rebel army, and reopen Banks' Ford,
which would accomplish the double object of reuniting the two
wings of the Union army and giving a safe line of retreat in
the event of disaster. This accomplished, it was Hooker's
purpose to give battle in the open country near the ford, taking
the whole rebel works on the heights of Fredericksburg in
reverse. As the Union encampment at Falmouth was in full
view of the Confederate forces on the opposite bank of the
river, Gibbon's division was left behind as a blind to the move-
Majok-General Joseph Hooker.
From portrait by J. Harvey Young.
CHANCELLORSVILLE. 249
merits of the troops, that the surprise of the enemy might be
complete. Stoneman with 10,000 cavalry was to start about
two weeks in advance of the main body, cross the river by the
upper fords, and cut Lee's communications with Richmond.
Averill with one column of cavalry was to attack Culpeper
and Gordonsville ; the other under Buford wai to move to Louisa
Court House and thence to the Fredericksburg railroad, both
uniting behind the Pamunky. Should success crown the efforts
of the main body of the Potomac Army, Stoneman was to take
an advantageous position behind a river on Lee's line of retreat,
and hold him in check until Hooker could attack and compel
the surrender of the Confederate forces. A nicely devised
plan, truly, worthy of the brain of a Napoleon !
But a severe storm of rain that converted the roads into a
sea of mud, every ravine into an impassable river and rendered
the Rappahannock unfordable, prevented Stoneman from start-
ing on his expedition until the 28th. This was too much for
Hooker's impatient nature, and his troops were over the river
and the battle ended before Stoneman got fairly at work.
Chancellorsville is a solitary house in a cultivated clearing
surrounded on all sides by a forest, which is correctly named
" the Wilderness." The dense growth and tangled underbrush
made the deploying and quick maneuvering of an army
extremely difficult, if not quite impossible. Hooker had never
dreamed of giving battle here, but thought it a favorable point
to concentrate his forces that he might the more effectively take
the enemy in reverse, or force him to come out of his strong
position.
On the 28th the corps of Slocum, Howard and Meade
made the passage of the Rappahannock at Kelley's Ford, under
cover of darkness, and on the 29th, having successfully crossed
the Rapidan, the columns stretched away in a rapid march
toward Chancellorsville, which was reached the afternoon of the
30th of April. This successful movement of the three corps
opened United States Ford and prepared the way for Couch's
250 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
corps, which promptly crossed at this point and joined the
troops at Chancellorsville that night. Hooker himself came
to Chancellorsville to give personal direction to the contem-
plated movements.
Meanwhile Sedgwick's and Reynolds' corps had moved
three or four miles below Fredericksburg and bivouacked,
Sickles' corps, in which was the division of Major-General
Berry, taking up a position in the rear of these two corps as a
reserve. The next day Sedgwick and Reynolds crossed the
Rappahannock in the face of vigorous opposition from the
enemy, but as it became evident that the enemy would not
continue the attack, Sickles' corps was withdrawn and ordered
to Chancellorsville.
Notwithstanding the fact that Sedgwick so disposed and
marched his forces as to give to the enemy the impression that
the real attack was to come from him, Lee was soon undeceived,
and on discovering Hooker's movements, he promptly started
for Chancellorsville with the main body of the Confederate
army. Early's division and Barksdale's brigade were left to
defend the heights of Fredericksburg against Sedgwick's attack.
Hooker planned to give battle to the enemy in the open
country about half-way from Chancellorsville to Fredericksburg.
It was of the utmost importance to reach this coveted position
at the earliest possible moment. This position could be
reached by two excellent roads which formed a junction near
the Tabernacle, while a third ran near the river and came out
at Banks' Ford. After concentrating five corps of the Army of
the Potomac at Chancellorsville, Hooker had 64,000 men at his
command. For some unaccountable reason he delayed action
all that night and until 1 1 o'clock the next day.
Before Hooker advanced from Chancellorsville Lee had
started to meet him, and between 10 and 1 1 o'clock his advance
guard encountered our cavalry skirmishers and drove them in.
At 1 1 o'clock on the first day of May, Hooker moved
from Chancellorsville in four columns. The corps of Slocum
THE BATTLE. 251
and Howard took the Plank road, the divisions of Sykes and
Hancock advanced by the turnpike, and Griffin's division,
followed by that of Humphrey, took the river road. French
was to turn off and march to Todd's Tavern with his division.
In the meantime Sickles' corps, consisting of the divisions of
Birney, Berry, and Whipple, had arrived at Chancellorsville and
were posted as a reserve in the rear of the Chancellor house.
Sykes moved forward to the support of the cavalry pickets,
which were being driven in, and deploying his division charged
the enemy, driving him back for more than a mile and occupy-
ing the position assigned him by his instructions. On the right
Slocum moved forward without opposition, while Meade on the
left arrived in full view of Banks' Ford without encountering
the enemy, and had only to form promptly his line of battle.
Indeed everything was favorable to the Union forces. The
general line of battle was a good one, as the army was mostly
in the clear country and the chance to maneuver artillery was
excellent.
But now occurs the inexplicable. Instead of continuing
the advance of his troops and supporting Sykes strongly,
Hooker ordered the three columns back to the positions they
had occupied the night before. Couch protested against the
order, and Warren hastened to expostulate with Hooker on a
course that certainly was suicidal. Hooker turned a deaf ear
to all arguments and entreaties, until it was too late to regain
the advantage he had voluntarily surrendered to the enemy.
When the order was finally countermanded the enemy was in
possession of the field and would not be driven. The Confed-
erates followed our retreating columns closely, but Hooker
resumed the positions occupied by his army the night before in
good order.
Meade held the left of this new line of battle, his flank
resting on the Rappahannock near Scott's Dam. Couch's corps
continued the line to a point near to and east of Chancellors-
ville. Slocum's corps was next, facing south, and west of him
252 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
and some distance away was the nth Corps, formed en echelon
to the rear along the Plank road. Sickles' corps, in which was
Berry's division, formed the reserve, and was stationed in the
rear of the mansion.
The right flank of the Union lines, held by the iith Corps,
was, according to military parlance, "in the air;" that is, it
rested on no obstacle. Here the Union lines were the weakest, a
fact that the Confederate commander was not slow to discover.
Lee began his attack with artillery before darkness set in, but
as the thick undergrowth concealed the position of the Union
troops, he devoted the rest of the day to a series of attacks
designed to disclose the strength and location of our troops.
The next day the enemy made an attack upon Hancock's
pickets, but did not advance in force. Hooker was in a state
of uncertainty as to what was transpiring beyond the curtain
of woods in his front, and the 12th Corps was sent forward to
uncover the enemy's movements. These troops were met by
such a deadly fire that they were compelled to fall back, leaving
Hooker in the same uncertainty as before. However, through
openings in the forest, heavy columns of the enemy were seen
rapidly marching from the left to the right, presenting their
flanks to the whole Union line.
On discovering the defenseless condition of the right flank
of the Union army, Stonewall Jackson asked and obtained
permission to take his corps of 26,000 muskets, traverse the
front of Hooker's forces, depending on the thick forest to
conceal his hazardous maneuver and secure him from a flank
attack, and fall upon the defenseless right flank of the Union
army, thereby bringing about the defeat and probable annihila-
tion of the Army of the Potomac. It was a bold plan, boldly
executed. When this movement was begun by Jackson, Lee
opened with artillery and musketry against our centre and left,
to divert attention from the real attack. As has already been
stated, Jackson's column had been observed and its numbers
accurately estimated. Hooker believed this movement to be a
THE ELEVENTH CORPS DRIVEN BACK. 253
retreat of the Confederate army on Gordonsville, and neglected
to take precaution against surprise.
Sickles ordered out a battery to shell the Confederate col-
umn passing along the front, which resulted in driving him on
to another road, running in the same direction, but farther back
in the forest and less exposed to attack. Sickles then started
with the divisions of Birney and Whipple to attack Jackson and
cut him off from the main body. Woods and swamps delayed
the advance, however, but these detentions afforded Berry's
division, which had been in reserve, an opportunity to support
the movement. Sickles captured some prisoners and met with
resistance, but was not permitted to attack McLaws in force as
he desired.
Jackson was now separated from Lee by nearly six miles
of pathless forest. On reaching the turnpike, he halted his
command and ascended a high hill to reconnoitre. Finding no
preparations had been made to meet his attack, he formed line
of battle overlapping the iith Corps in front and rear for long
distances. The first notice the Union troops had of his attack
was from the wild animals of the forest driven from their coverts
by his advance. The surprise of the I ith Corps was complete.
Doubleday, in his work on " Chancellorsville and Gettysburg,"
says : " An officer of the I ith Corps, who was present, informed
General Wainwright, formerly colonel of the 76th New York,
that he was playing cards in a ditch, and the first notice he had
of the enemy was seeing them looking down on him from
the parapet above."
A distinguished officer of the 3d Corps says that when
this attack occurred, Sickles' troops were at a halt, the officers
laughing and relating different episodes of their advance. Sud-
denly in the distance came the crash of musketry. All are
silent as if by magic, and each listening ear is turned toward
Chancellorsville. The volleys of musketry increase and soon
the boom of cannon adds to the din, at first by a volley of
batteries, then by shots hurried and furious.
254 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
" Jackson has crushed our right ! " is the appalling cry.
Sickles' men swiftly returned on the road over which they
had just advanced. The nth Corps, taken by surprise, and
overwhelmed by superior numbers, was driven back in confusion.
Wagons, ambulances, horses, mules and fleeing men were min-
gled in the wildest disorder. In vain did the officers endeavor
to stop the flight. Here and there a regiment or parts of
divisions heroically endeavored to hold together and make a
stand, but all to no purpose. Dire disaster seemed to have
overtaken the Union army.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
BERRY AT CHANCELLORSVILLE.
Berry Moves to Franklin Bridge with 3d Corps. — Supports
Demonstration of Sedgwick and Reynolds. — Ordered to
Chancellorsville. — Bivouacs at United States Ford. —
Berry Crosses the Rappahannock. — Heavy Firing in
Front. — Berry Takes Position near the United States
Ford. — Advances to Chancellor House with Two Bri-
gades.— Mott Left Behind to Guard United States Ford.
— Reconnaissances. — Berry's Presentiment of Impending
Death. — Anxious About Wife and Daughter. — Panic of
the nth Corps. — Hooker Orders Berry to the Rescue. —
"General, Throw Your Men into the Breach." — Berry
Forms in Woods. — Meeting of Howard and Berry. —
Hill Attacks Berry.
WE will now return to General Berry and follow his move-
ments from the time of breaking camp before Freder-
icksburg, until he appears upon the scene of action at
Chancellorsville.
At 5 o'clock on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 28th,
Berry's division was under arms in its position at Fredericksburg,
and with the 3d Corps to which it was attached it moved down
the river to Franklin's bridge to act as a support to the 1st and
6th Corps that were to make a demonstration at this point.
Arriving at the bridge on the morning of the 29th, it went into
position on the heights covering the bridge. The 1st and 6th
Corps now attempted the passage of the Rappahannock, which
was successfully accomplished, after which the 3d Corps was
256 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
withdrawn from the heights and took up its march for Chancel-
lorsville. On Thursday, at 1 1 o'clock in the forenoon, Berry's
division again broke camp and started with the 3d Corps
toward the United States Ford, which it reached too late to
cross that night. Having bivouacked about three miles from
the ford during the night, Berry succeeded in crossing his large
division Friday forenoon and at 1 o'clock of that day he took
up position by brigades, with the object of connecting Whip-
ple's division of the 3d Corps with the ford. This he succeeded
in doing, his pickets being thrown out on the right flank of the
division. Two regiments of Mott's brigade were detached and
sent to the north side of the Rappahannock to guard the supply
trains. Berry did not remain in this position long, for about
4 o'clock in the afternoon he received orders to march to
Chancellorsville, some two and a half miles distant. Mott's
brigade was left behind with orders to guard the ford, supported
by Seeley's battery. By 7 o'clock Carr's and Revere's
brigades were in position, resting in the woods to the left of
the Chancellor house and adjoining the cleared space west of
the Banks' Ford road. The heavy firing in front indicated that
a portion of the Union troops were hotly engaged. Berry
formed his troops in mass as a reserve and in this position
bivouacked for the night.
On Saturday, the 26th Pennsylvania, Lieutenant-Colonel
Tilghman, was ordered to make a reconnaissance on the Plank
road. At the same time the nth Massachusetts, Colonel Wm.
Blaisdell, was to make a reconnaissance to the left on the Banks'
Ford road. In execution of this order, Colonel Blaisdell moved
at 8 o'clock A. M. as far as the batteries stationed in front of
General Hooker's headquarters. He entered the Plank road
and had advanced about a mile when the enemy's sharpshooters
were encountered. The detachment of sharpshooters that
accompanied Colonel Blaisdell were thrown forward as skir-
mishers, and the regiment commenced to feel the enemy's
position. The sharpshooters who were acting as skirmishers
Reconnaissance. 257
broke before the enemy's fire, and Lieutenant-Colonel Tripp,
commanding the advanced skirmishers of the regiment, was
obliged to advance his own men, armed only with smooth-bore
Springfield muskets, to take their places. Colonel Blaisdell
was now attacked by a Confederate brigade, that made stren-
uous attempts to drive him back. After nearly two hours of
desperate fighting the enemy gave up the contest. Having
obtained much valuable information, Colonel Blaisdell returned
to camp, and for the services rendered received the commenda-
tions of General Hancock, commanding the lines to the left of
the Chancellor house.
Colonel Tilghman and the 26th Pennsylvania had in the
meantime successfully performed the duty assigned them. The
enemy's pickets retreated before the advance of the regiment.
About a mile to the front, Colonel Tilghman came upon the
enemy in force, drawn up in two lines of battle, with a battery
of artillery. General Hooker sent orders for the regiment to
retire, which it did, with a loss of two killed and four wounded.
Up to this time Berry's division had been held in reserve at the
Chancellor house. Desperate fighting had occurred along the
front of the Union lines, but the veterans of this division had
not yet been permitted to share in the conflict.
At the time the movement on Chancellorsville had com-
menced, General Berry received his orders to march, with
gloomy foreboding. About 9 o'clock at night he sent for his
chief quartermaster (now Brevet Brigadier-General) James F.
Rusling, told him of the impending battle and of the present-
iment that he would not survive it. He committed to Captain
Rusling's care certain papers and valuables, and got his pledge
that, should he fall, the captain would use every endeavor to
recover his body and send it home to Maine. Captain Rusling
tried to dissipate the foreboding from Berry's mind but without
success.
Captain James D. Earle, Berry's commissary of subsist-
ence, on his arrival at headquarters that night, found the
258 MAJOR-GENERAL fllRAM G. BERRY.
General greatly depressed. He seemed anxious to hear once
more from his wife and daughter, and Earle volunteered to
return to Stoneman's Switch, a ride of eighteen miles, and bring
him the mail. At first Berry refused to permit the young
officer to take the journey, but as he persisted, asking only for
a fresh horse, Berry consented and gave him one of his own
horses for the trip. As Earle galloped into camp at 2 o'clock
the next morning the General came out to meet him, eagerly
seizing the package of letters which was handed to him, and
hastening to the camp-fire to devour their contents. After car-
ing for his horse, Earle returned to the camp-fire, where Berry
was still reading the letters, and on his approach the General
thanked him warmly for his kindness, showed him photographs
of his daughter which the mail had brought and read extracts
from the letters. " Now," said Berry, " I will try to get some
sleep, as I look for warm work in the morning."
When the 11th Corps was attacked by Jackson, Berry was
still near the Chancellor house acting as a reserve. The noise
of the rapid flight of the panic-stricken fugitives and the close
pursuit of Jackson's victorious troops was borne to the ears of
his men, first in faint, indistinct murmurs, constantly increasing
in volume until it seemed as though pandemonium had broken
loose. Then came the fugitives, frantic and terror-stricken,
blindly pushing their way through the steady ranks of Berry's
division. In the midst of the rout and tumult Hooker hurried
up. Near by was his old division under command of his true
and trusted friend, Major-General Berry.
" General," he shouted, " throw your men into the breach
— receive the enemy on your bayonets — don't fire a shot — they
can't see you ! "
Berry at once advanced with his 1st and 2d Brigades. In
the meantime, General Pleasonton, with twenty-two pieces of
artillery, double-shotted with canister, had poured a well-directed
fire at short range into masses of the enemy. (Hamlin in his
" Battle of Chancellorsville," questions Pleasonton's part in this
ehemy^s advance checked. 259
encounter.) This, together with a desperate charge of a small
cavalry detachment, checked the advance for a time until Berry
could get into position. Berry's orders were to form perpen-
dicular to the Plank road. In the execution of this movement,
Captain Poland, Berry's chief of staff, led the Excelsior brigade
into the woods to the right of the road, the 4th Excelsior being
placed on the edge of the timber to the left. The 1st Massa-
chusetts, Colonel McLaughlen, was detached from Carr's brigade
and posted to the left of the Excelsior brigade, prolonging the
line to the Plank road ; the remainder of Carr's brigade formed
a second line of battle 150 paces to the rear. Sickles says
these dispositions were made without the steadiness of these
veteran troops being in the least disturbed by the torrents of
fugitives breaking through their intervals. The regiments of
the first line, covered by their skirmishers, immediately threw
up a strong breastwork of logs and abattis. Osborn, Berry's
chief of artillery, during these .dispositions of the infantry,
placed Dimick's and Winslow's batteries on the crest of the hill,
perpendicular to the road and 300 or 400 yards in the rear of
the line of battle. In this position the guns could fire over the
heads of the infantry of Berry's division, and be effective
against the enemy.
At Berry's suggestion, Osborn advanced two guns of
Dimick's battery to the line of battle and went into position on
the Plank road in line with the infantry. After the guns were
in position, General Berry stated to Osborn that as his head-
quarters were in the woods a little to the right, he was unable
to see the movements of the enemy in front of the guns. He
then directed Osborn to use his own judgment as to the neces-
sity of opening fire on the enemy and to govern the length of
time the fire should continue. He also ordered the batteries on
the ridge to govern their fire by Osborn's, on the Plank road,
and the same instructions were given to the infantry. This
placed the government of the fire that night solely in Osborn's
charge on that line, a most fortunate circumstance.
260 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Berry had now formed his division in two lines of battle,
Revere's brigade and a portion of Carr's brigade constituting
the first line, and the remaining regiments of Carr's brigade act-
ing as the second line. Acting on information that a line of Union
troops was in his front, and to verify this information, Captain
Poland, his chief of staff, was sent forward to reconnoitre. It
was now 9 o'clock at night and the darkness made it difficult to
locate the enemy. Poland went to the skirmish line, where he
found a prisoner who had just been captured, and who gave him
the information that the enemy's line of battle was but two hun-
dred yards distant. In his anxiety to be promptly informed as
to what was transpiring in his front, General Berry rode forward
to the skirmish line and joined his chief of staff. Just at this
moment the pickets brought in prisoners, who proved to be an
aide to the Confederate General Stuart, and his orderly. They
had been ordered to draw off a caisson left by the 1 ith Corps
between the lines, and being unaware of the proximity of
Berry's division had stumbled on our pickets.
As soon as the first line of battle had been formed, scouts
were sent out and skirmishers deployed, who reported the
enemy's pickets in front supported by heavy masses of infantry.
Alarms were now frequent and several times Berry's pickets
were driven in. Twenty soldiers of the enemy were captured,
all of whom agreed that General A. P. Hill of Jackson's com-
mand was in Berry's front, with a large force, and was massing
on the right and left flanks of Berry's line of battle, with a view
to gaining possession of the cross roads and thereby cutting
off his communications with the river.
General Berry personally attended to the final disposition
of his troops to resist the attack that was soon to come. He
was in a critical position and the fate of the Army of the
Potomac depended upon him at this hour, yet he faced danger
calmly and with a confident manner, inspiring his men by his
presence and reassuring his anxious subordinates by a few
quietly spoken sentences.
MEETING OF HOWARD AND BERRY. 261
General Howard had come up and the two officers cordially
greeted each other. Howard was despondent and downcast,
and is said to have referred bitterly to the disaster that had
overtaken his command, the iith Corps. General Berry
responded cheerfully. Asking General Howard where the line
would be hardest pressed, and learning that the point of danger
was at the right, he said to Howard: "Well, General, if you
will take care of the left, here, I will go to the right."
Berry's division was now in position on the Plank road.
Twice before midnight, in obedience to General Berry's order,
did Captain Osborn open fire on the enemy, which was the
prearranged signal for the whole line of infantry and artillery to
pour in their volleys.
At sunset a rebel battery had opened fire on the batteries
of Berry's division stationed on the brow of the hill. A
portion of Dimick's battery promptly replied and quickly
silenced the enemy. The silence that followed the cannonade
was only broken by the sounds from the enemy's lines as they
massed their troops and moved their artillery under cover of
the woods. It was now evident that their force was large, as
the voices of their officers, swearing and shouting orders,
sounded like the chattering of a multitude. This continued
until 9.30 o'clock P. M., during which time several rebel officers
rode within Berry's line of pickets and were captured. Now by
the light of the moon the head of a column moving down the road
could be distinctly discerned. It seemed to cover the entire
breadth of the road and stealthily approached until within 150
yards of Berry's batteries, when it began to deploy in line of
battle. Dimick opened with canister which swept the road clear
of troops. At the same time the batteries on the crest opened
fire upon the road beyond, making havoc in the rebel lines, and
together with the infantry fire effectually checking the advance.
This attack lasted thirty minutes.
General Berry's prompt disposition of his troops at a crit-
ical moment, the severe fire of his artillery, and the imposing
262 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
attitude of his infantry had effectually stopped the advance of
Hill's troops, flushed as they were with their victorious encounter
with the nth Corps. The magnitude of this service can better
be comprehended when the fact is considered that Berry's
division numbered but 460 commissioned officers and 7,183
enlisted men present for duty. Then, too, he was compelled to
advance his line of battle through the panic-stricken mob of
the 1 ith Corps.
Doubleday says : " Few people appreciate the steadiness
and courage required, when all around is flight and confusion,
for a force to make its way through crowds of fugitives, advance
steadily to the post of danger in front and meet the exulting
enemy, while others are seeking safety in the rear. Such men
are heroes, and far more worthy of honor than those who fight
in the full blaze of successful warfare."
General Robert McAllister, then colonel of the nth New
Jersey, in a letter home after the battle, says of General Berry:
" As I filed my regiment into the line, General Berry rode up
to me and said : ' Now, Colonel, do your very best.' ' Yes,
General, I shall,' was my reply. I knew I had the boys who
would fight, and felt confident that we would make a good one.
That noble and brave man rode along the lines of battle that
night wherever there were points of danger, and words of com-
fort and encouragement fell from his lips. He knew well the
responsibility resting upon him, and like Leonidas with his
brave band, was ready to do or die. The last night he spent on
earth was a night of toil, trouble, danger and watchfulness for
our army and our country. These scenes I shall never forget.
The night was beautiful and clear, the moon shone brightly, but
the heavy forest shade above cast a gloom around us. All
would be still and calm one moment, then crack ! would go a
gun, followed by many others, tejling us we were again attacked
and our pickets engaged, soon followed by a tremendous roar of
musketry. The enemy marched in front of us and were deter-
mined to break our lines."
CHAPTER XXIX.
DEATH OF BERRY.
Hill's Second Attack. — Skill of Berry's Artillerymen. —
Revere's Brigade Drives Back the Enemy. — General
Mott Comes up from United States Ford. — General Berry
and Captain Rusling and the "Presentiment." — Hill's
Third Attack. — Withdrawal of the 3d Maryland. — Berry
Attacked in the Flank. — His First Line of Battle Forced
to Retire. — Death of Lieutenant Dimick. — Confederate
General A. P. Hill Wounded by the Fire of Berry's
Guns. — Mott Reinforces Berry's Second Line of Battle.
— Berry Attempts to Close the Breach in his Line. — Killed
by a Sharpshooter near the Plank Road. — Grief of Gen-
eral Hooker.
THE enemy made a second attack on Berry's position at
10.30, moving their troops through the woods to escape
the fire of the artillery. The first notice given of the
impending attack was the volley poured into the Union lines by
the advancing foe. Berry's troops responded with vigor and
then began a desperate struggle for the mastery. The enemy
used his artillery but his guns were badly served, and he suc-
ceeded in wounding but a few artillerymen and killing a few
horses. Berry's guns, however, were admirably served, and
although the lines of battle several times became closely
engaged, the batteries on the crest poured a steady fire over
the heads of our infantry into the ranks of the foe, with such
precision that not a Federal soldier was struck, while the
Confederate line was torn and shattered by the iron hail.
264 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Revere's brigade sustained the brunt of this attack with great
gallantry, and the deadly volleys of the infantry, together with
the artillery fire, was too much for Jackson's veterans, who again
fell back, shattered and broken.
About 12 o'clock, midnight, the I ith Massachusetts arrived
from its position on the left, occupied in the morning, and was
placed on the left of the second line. At 2 P. M. the 4th Excel-
sior Regiment was relieved by the 3d Maryland, of General
Williams' troops, which was placed on the left of the road,
in reserve to the second line. At 2 o'clock the next morning,
General Mott also came up from the ford with the other brigade
of Berry's division, which had been left behind to guard the
ford when Berry started for Chancellorsville. Seeley's battery
also came with this brigade. During the night Captain Charles
W. Squier, Berry's chief engineer, threw up small works in
front of the guns on the crest, which were of much service in
protecting the artillerymen from the fire of sharpshooters.
On the morning of May 3d, as Captain James F. Rusling,
Berry's chief quartermaster, rode to the front, he found the
division in line of battle, as it had fought the evening previous.
General Berry was seated on a stump by the roadside, an
eighth of a mile in front of the Chancellor house, superintending
the planting of a battery. As Berry had passed through the
engagement of the previous day unhurt, Captain Rusling, during
the conversation, joked him about his " presentiment;" but the
General was still grave of manner and remarked :
" Rusling, the battle is not over yet."
After spending a half hour with the General and lunching
with him and the staff, Rusling rejoined the trains on the other
side of the Rappahannock, and when he again saw his chief it
was when the dead body was brought back to Falmouth in an
ambulance, and there he wrapped it in the large garrison flag
that flew at Division Headquarters.
At daylight, on the morning of the 3d of May, the enemy
advanced again on the front line of Berry's division, held by
-^ filUaJL ^W^
1899.
LIEUTENANT DIMICK. 265
General Revere's brigade and the ist Massachusetts and 26th
Pennsylvania regiments, driving in the pickets and opening with
a terrific fire of artillery and musketry, while his sharpshooters
were also actively engaged. Our gallant soldiers undauntedly
returned their fire from behind their low defenses, and defiantly
answered savage yells by lustily cheering. The single line of
battle, aided by its rude defense, successfully resisted the
onslaught of the heavy columns which the enemy sent against
it, until the withdrawal of the 3d Maryland, which exposed the
left of the line to an enfilading fire, obliging it to retire, but
reluctantly.
Osborn with his artillery played upon the enemy with tell-
ing effect. The section in the Plank road under Lieutenant
Dimick was of special service, notwithstanding its exposed
position. A galling fire was maintained upon this section by
the Confederate sharpshooters and line of battle. Lieutenant
Dimick held this position for an hour, his men fighting bravely
but falling rapidly around him. His horse was shot under
him. The infantry crowded back until his flanks were exposed.
Not until then was the order given him to limber up and
fall back. In doing this his horses became entangled in their
harness, and in freeing them Lieutenant Dimick received a shot
in the foot. This wound he hid from his men, but in a moment
he received another in the spine, and died two days after from
its effects. He was an educated and accomplished officer, just
rising into the full vigor of manhood. He had shown superior
ability as an officer of artillery, and on the battlefield was
unsurpassed for gallantry.
Speaking of the service of his batteries, Captain Osborn,
chief of artillery of Berry's division, says : " Our artillery fire
about 10 o'clock upon Jackson's troops, which we could locate
only by the general topography of the country, was very severe.
Colonel Augustus C. Hamlin in his investigations learned from
the several Confederate generals that our fire was exceedingly
destructive, and had it been continued twenty minutes longer
266 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Jackson's troops would have been driven from the field. Many
of Jackson's officers confirm this statement. How destructive
our fire was, of course we could not know. When we thought
we had quieted them for the night we ceased our fire. General
A. P. Hill was wounded just in front of Dimick's battery, say 200
yards. It was my order to open fire on him and his staff, who
were then in sight, which brought on the heavy fire I speak of."
Mott's brigade was placed in position in Berry's second
line of battle, its right resting on the Plank road and connect-
ing with Carr's brigade. The retreat of the Maryland regiment
exposed Revere's brigade to a flank attack, which the enemy
was not slow to take advantage of, turning Berry's left flank
and enfilading the breastworks. Slowly Revere's brigade retired
to the second line of battle, breaking off gradually, regiment
after regiment, from the left, reluctantly yielding their ground
to a vastly superior force. This brigade lost all its knapsacks,
shelter-blankets and rations, which were left at the bivouac near
the cross-roads during the enemy's terrific assault upon its left
flank.
General Berry, with characteristic energy and coolness,
attempted to meet and repel this flank attack of the enemy. It
was now 7 o'clock in the morning and Captain Poland, his chief
of staff, was vainly attempting to bring a regiment forward to
replace the one that had fled. The battle had now ceased for
a few moments, and turning to Captain J. B. Greenhalgh, his
senior aide, General Berry told him to ride to General Hooker's
headquarters and inquire if he were to continue to hold his
position. Greenhalgh galloped away and the General and his
staff dismounted.
General Mott's brigade of his division was then in position
a few rods away across the Plank road. General Berry had the
habit, rarely found in a division commander, and before referred
to in this biography, of communicating orders in person when
it was possible to do so. Following out this custom, he told
his staff to remain where they were, while he crossed the
DEATH OF BBRRY. 267
Plank road to communicate with General Mott. His officers
remonstrated and offered to go in his stead, pointing out to
Berry that the rebel sharpshooters were posted in the trees
and sweeping the Plank road with their unerring rifles. The
General replied that he preferred to communicate the order
in person and started on his way, crossing the Plank road in
safety. Reaching General Mott, they conversed for a short
time ; then the General started to return. He had gained the
Plank road, crossed it, and had nearly reached the place where
his staff officers were standing, when from the trees in which
the North Carolina sharpshooters were posted came a wreath of
smoke, followed by the sharp crack of a rifle, and Major-
General Hiram G. Berry had fought his last battle. The minie-
ball struck him in the arm close to the shoulder, passing down-
ward through his vitals and lodging in his hip.
" Poland ! Poland ! " he called to his chief of staff, who
was but a short distance away.
Seeing their General prostrate upon the ground, Poland,
Benedict, Freeman, Earle, and others hastened to his assistance.
" My wife and child ! " he murmured, as he was raised in
the arms of Captain Benedict. " Carry me off the field," he
added, as the staff officers gathered anxiously about him. A
tremor passed over his body, then calmly, peacefully, at 7:26
o'clock, the heart ceased its throbbing and the warrior was at
rest. Thus on that beautiful Sabbath morning, the 3d of May,
at the early age of 38, with the embattled lines of his division
all about him, perished one of the most promising young
generals the Civil War had produced.
His body was carried back to the road and covered with a
cloak. Just then General Hooker rode up, and seeing the
group of staff officers, asked :
"Whom have you there, gentlemen?"
At the reply: " Major-General Berry," he sprang from his
horse and approached the prostrate form, weeping bitterly.
Kneeling reverently he kissed the cold forehead, murmuring sadly :
268 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
" My God, Berry, why was this to happen? Why was the
man on whom I relied so much to be taken away in this
manner? "
Then turning to the sympathetic group of officers, he said
that he had lost one of his best officers and warmest friends.
When General Hooker had paid his tribute to the lifeless form
of General Berry, he ordered it carried to the rear at once.
After the fall of their commander, confusion reigned for a
time in Berry's division. General Mott, the senior brigade
commander, had been severely wounded, and General Joseph
B. Carr was notified by Lieutenant Freeman, of Berry's staff,
that he was in command of the division. The other brigade
commander, Brigadier-General Revere, believing himself to be
the senior officer, had already assumed command, and heedless
of their murmurs, led to the rear the whole of the 2d Brigade
and portions of two others, thus subjecting these proud soldiers
for the first time to the humiliation of being marched to the
rear while their comrades were under fire. For this conduct,
in an officer who had hitherto proved brave and efficient,
General Revere was convicted by court martial and sentenced
to be dismissed. By direction of the President this dismissal
was revoked and General Revere's resignation accepted. This
officer's explanation of his conduct was that the ammunition
of the troops was exhausted and they were without rations,
hence he considered further resistance useless.
Notwithstanding the break in the line of battle caused
by the withdrawal of these troops, the remainder of Berry's
division, under the lead of the gallant Carr, continued to resist
the overwhelming forces of the enemy until night closed the
scene of carnage. Hooker had been checkmated in the execu-
tion of his brilliant plan, and Lee added another chapter to his
great record of military achievements.
In his report of the operations of Berry's division, Briga-
dier-General Carr says of the lamented commander: "It is
with pain I close this report with the record of the death of
TRIBUTES. 269
Major-General Hiram G. Berry, late commander of this division.
On Sunday, the 3d instant, at 7 A. M., he fell, mortally wounded,
and at 7.26 A. M. he died, peacefully, heroically. I cannot
describe the vacancy his absence creates, not only in the hearts
of his command but in the army with which he has served in so
distinguished a manner. He had become endeared to all under
him, around him, and to many above, through his honest kind-
ness, amiability and steady friendship. Gentleness and courage
undaunted marked him as commander and leader. Endowed
with sound judgment, actuated by a burning patriotism, impelled
by a fiery ardor, his military career has appeared a success."
Captain Osborn, Berry's chief of artillery, in a letter written
immediately after the General's death, says : " The death of
General Berry, our division commander, was not only a severe
loss in itself, but the occasion of special sadness to those who
knew him well. His reputation was that of an exceptionally
brave and reckless officer. He was exceedingly ambitious and
was gaining prominence rapidly. He was fully aware of the
desperate position in which his division was placed, and was
determined to carry it through its work successfully. When
the enemy attacked in the morning he ordered his officers and
men to cover themselves as much as possible by the earthworks
the men had made during the night. These were about eighteen
inches high and gave good protection to the troops lying on
the ground. He however refused to make any effort to screen
himself, but walked to and fro along the line, encouraging all to
hold the line and keep themselves well covered. In this way
he was exposed to the fire of the sharpshooters, and four-fifths
of his person to the general fire of the enemy. He had escaped
a considerable time and was confident he would not be struck.
While standing close to me, and near the section (of a battery)
on the road he was hit by a bullet and in a few minutes after
died. His body was at once carried to the rear and a few
hours later staff officers were detailed to proceed with it at
once to Washington."
270 major-generAl hirAm g. berr¥.
Upon the same subject Colonel Robert McAllister, com-
manding the nth New Jersey in Berry's division, writes on
May ioth, 1863: "Saturday afternoon we lay in mass column
near Chancellorsville. Our corps (the 3d) was lying as a
reserve. Though we had been almost twenty-four hours in that
position we were not to remain much longer. The enemy
made an attack on our right and left and forced our first lines
hard. The firing became hard and harder and the enemy
seemed to approach. Our left stood firm but the right fell
back. In a moment we were to arms and moved rapidly for-
ward to the Plank road, past General Hooker's headquarters.
As I looked up the road I beheld the nth Army Corps coming
down it, wagons, ambulances, horses, soldiers armed and
unarmed, pell-mell, real Bull Run style. We now had to throw
ourselves into the breach or all was lost. It was a trying
moment. Good generals and brave hearts only were equal to
the task. It was do or die with us. A few moments lost and
all would be gone. The gallant Hooker, the brave Sickles, the
noble Berry, to say nothing of General Carr and other brave
officers, rode at the head of our gallant division. The order
came down the line, ' double-quick ! ' Three times three cheers
rent the air. Our boys were ready and willing for the fight. The
flying soldiers of the 1 ith Army Corps heeded not our orders to
halt and fall in with us. They were panic-stricken and perfectly
worthless. But our brave boys heeded them not, treating them
with perfect contempt. On, on we went, regiment after regiment
filed into line of battle to the right and left of the road. ' Charge !
charge ! ' resounded through the wood. The roar of musketry,
the booming of cannon was terrific. The tide of battle was turned,
the rebels stopped, their onward progress stayed — the day was
ours, and the Army of the Potomac saved from utter destruction.
I am told that General Sickles was in advance of our lines among
the enemy for fifteen minutes. The wonder is how he got out.
Several rebel aides rode out with our officers thinking they were
their own. Great credit is due Generals Sickles and Berry."
CHAPTER XXX.
THE REMAINS BORNE TO ROCKLAND.
In State at Falmouth. — Grief of a Squad of the 4th Maine. —
Governor Coburn Visits the Remains. — President Lin-
coln's Wish. — Reception of the Dead in Portland. —
Lying in State at City Hall. — 7th Regiment a Guard of
Honor. — News of his Death Received in Rockland
with Profound Sorrow. — Action of the City Council. —
Thirty-four Prominent Citizens Chosen to Arrange
Reception. — Minute Guns and a Sorrowing Multitude
Greet the Steamer. — Lying in State at Rockland.
THE remains of Major-General Berry were conveyed to
the old camp at Falmouth, accompanied by his aides-de-
camp, Captain Jabez B. Greenhalgh, Lieutenant George
W. Freeman and Lieutenant I. H. Washburn. There it rested,
draped in the headquarters flag, in the room which the General
had occupied previous to the late movement of the army.
While on the way, a squad of the 4th Maine, learning that the
body of their former commander was being carried by, desired
to have it laid down, and each one of the brave fellows came
forward, kissed the cold brow of the man they had loved and
had first followed into battle, and then silently and tearfully
took their places in the ranks. At Falmouth the remains were
visited by Governor Coburn of Maine. On Monday morning
Captain Greenhalgh and Lieutenants Freeman and Washburn
started for Aquia Creek with the body. Arriving there Chief
Quartermaster Ingalls ordered a special boat to convey them
and their mournful charge to Washington, and by noon they
272 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERR^T.
were in the city and had deposited the body at the undertaker's
where it was embalmed. No burial case could be furnished
in Washington large enough for the body and one had to
be obtained in Baltimore. President Lincoln, learning that
the remains were in Washington, sent for the officers having it
in charge, and he and General Halleck expressed their desire
that funeral ceremonies should be performed there, but the
officers did not feel authorized to grant their request. Before
they left the city President Lincoln sent down a beautiful wreath
to be placed upon the body, and at the funeral it could be seen
resting upon the right shoulder of the fallen warrior.
It is said that on the arrival of the officers with the remains in
Washington, an officer from General Halleck waited upon them,
and seeing Lieutenant Freeman, directed him to report to Gen-
eral Halleck. Freeman did not at once comply with this order,
but remained to assist Captain Greenhalgh in the preparation
of the body for embalming, and when at length he did make
his appearance at the War Department, he found President
Lincoln and General Halleck in consultation. Upon reporting
to General Halleck, the latter turned to him in an angry manner
and broke out in a severe reprimand, asking Freeman if he
knew the penalty for disobedience of orders. Freeman replied
that he did, and was quite ready to be dismissed from the serv-
ice as he had no further disposition to remain, and turning on
his heel he started to leave the office, when the President, who
had remained silent during the angry colloquy, interposed.
Requesting General Halleck to desist, he recalled Lieutenant
Freeman, saying that no messenger had as yet arrived from the
battlefield and they were ignorant of the state of affairs at the
front and were very anxious about the army. He then
requested Freeman to give them such information as he pos-
sessed. This Freeman did, and as he was an observant officer,
was able to give the President a faithful account of the battle so
far as it had progressed when he left the field. General Halleck
joined in the conversation, which lasted some little time, and
IN PORTLAND. 273
after Freeman had imparted all the information he possessed
upon the state of affairs the President permitted him to go.
But for Mr. Lincoln's presence, Halleck would have without
doubt dismissed the lieutenant from the army by special order
for his tardy response to the order of the general-in-chief.
Nothing special occurred in the passage home until reach-
ing Portland, the first stopping place within the limits of Berry's
native State. In relation to the proceedings there we copy
from the Argus of that date :
" The telegraph announced yesterday forenoon that the
body of Major-General Berry would arrive in this city on the
noon train from Boston, and preparations were made to
receive it. A hearse bearing the body and covered with the
American flag was followed by two carriages containing the
friends of the deceased, from the depot to the City Hall, the
bells tolling as the procession, slow and solemn, passed through
the streets. Arrived at City Hall, the body was taken to the
City Council room, where it lay in state throughout the day,
and was visited by hundreds of our citizens, notwithstanding
that no notice was given of the fact except as word was passed
from one to another. A guard of honor was volunteered by
Colonel Mason, of the 7th Regiment, and also an escort from
City Hall to the boat. Accordingly, at 6 o'clock, the remains
were taken from the Council room, placed in a hearse, and
escorted to the steamer Harvest Moon by a detachment of the
7th Regiment, the Mayor and Board of Aldermen and Council,
and a large representation of the Masonic fraternity. * * * A
guard of honor, consisting of Colonel Mason and his officers
and the officers of the 10th Maine, accompanied the hearse.
The Portland Band and the band of the 7th Regiment furnished
music for the solemn occasion. Thus has Portland done what
she could, in the short time allowed, to do honor to the brave
defender of his country."
The news of the untimely end of Major-General Berry
was received with profound sorrow in Rockland, the city of
274
MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
his birth and residence. On Wednesday evening his death
was announced in the City Council, and the following gentle-
men were appointed a committee of arrangements, to make
all necessary preparations for the reception of the body and
the obsequies of the deceased :
George S. Wiggin
John S. Case
Wm. H. Titcomb
Joseph Farwell
George Thorndike
Timothy Williams
Freeman Harden
William Wilson
O. P. Mitchell
Joseph Kalloch
O. J. Conant
E. A. Snow
George W. White
S. C. Fessenden
A. T. Low
Francis Cobb
Thomas Frye
N. A. Burpee
Charles Crockett
James Wight
Philo Thurston
H. M. Brown
O. H. Perry
Benj. Litchfield, Jr.
C. L. Allen
Calvin Hall
Wm. McLoon
Robert Crockett
Alden Sprague
T. W. Hix
C. G. Moffitt
Ira B. Ellems
Jonathan Spear
J. T. Young
At the same meeting the following were appointed a com-
mittee on resolutions for the City Council: Joseph Kalloch,
G. W. White, Edwin Sprague. The pall-bearers were selected
from the survivors of the old Rockland City Guards, and were
as follows: O. J. Conant, O. P. Mitchell, J. L. Giofray, John
T. Berry, 2d, Jesse Richardson, M. C. Andrews, H. M. Brown,
Charles Greenhalgh. At a subsequent meeting of the City
Council, May nth, resolutions of respect were passed.
On Friday, at noon, a committee of citizens, chosen to go
to Portland to receive the body of General Berry, went aboard
the steamer bound for that place, which they reached in the
evening. There they met Adjutant-General Hodsdon on the
wharf awaiting their coming, with whom they made arrange-
Deception rsr rockland. 275
merits for the funeral, and in a short time received the remains
of General Berry on board the steamer. On Saturday morning
at 7 o'clock the boat left Portland, and at about noon reached
Owl's Head, at the mouth of Rockland harbor. As soon as
the boat came in sight a cannon was fired from the city, and
minute guns were continued until she reached the wharf. All
the colors on the shipping and throughout the city were at half-
mast. The stores and offices were closed, and all business and
labor suspended. The buildings on Main street were dressed
in funeral colors, presenting an appearance of mourning never
before witnessed in the city. The day was beautiful, the sun
bright, the air bland, and not a cloud flecked the sky. At an
early hour crowds began to pour toward Atlantic wharf. When
the steamer arrived, the buildings and streets adjacent were
covered with people. The committee of arrangements and
some other citizens formed in procession in front of City Hall,
and preceded by the hearse, marched to the landing place in
silence. The long wharf had been kept completely clear by
the police early stationed there, and reserved for carriages for
the mourners, and for the formation of a procession. When
the boat touched the wharf the Guard of Honor, a detachment
of the 7th Maine, Captain Warren, marched ashore and formed
in rear of the hearse. The pall-bearers immediately stepped
forward from the procession — men who had once belonged in
the Rockland City Guards — and removed their former com-
mander's lifeless remains from the steamer to the wharf.
The wife, daughter and brother of General Berry, with
Captain Greenhalgh and other friends who had accompanied
them from New York, took seats in the carriages for the mourn-
ers. The multitude that covered the space in front were silent
as death. Joseph Farwell, Esq., chairman of the committee
sent to Portland, then came forward to the head of the burial
case, and in a voice choked with emotion, formally tendered the
remains to the Mayor of Rockland. Hon. S. C. Fessenden
responded eloquently in behalf of the Mayor.
276 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
The remarks of Mr. Fessenden concluded, the coffin was
lifted into the hearse, the escort wheeled into the rear with arms
reversed, and the procession, led by a large body of Masons,
took its way through the crowded streets, nothing disturbing
the quiet of the solemn scene except the tolling of the bells
and the occasional boom of the minute guns. Along the route
of the procession the streets were full of spectators, and in every
alley and window were sober faces peering at the strange, sad
sight. Arrived at the residence, late the abode of the deceased,
the mourners alighted. The entrance to the house was tastefully
draped with two large national flags, which, parting in the middle,
made a passage similar to the entrance of a soldier's tent. The
remains were then carried into the parlor, where they lay in
state. The procession was dismissed, the crowd dispersed, and
sentinels from the guard of honor were posted in front of the
house, where alternately they kept their beat until the final
ceremonies.
The scene at the General's residence on the following Mon-
day is thus graphically described by an eye-witness : " On a
little grass plat a few rods in front of the house, two soldiers'
tents were erected, and near by the soldiers were going through
their morning drill and inspection. On the lawn at the right
and left of the front door, sentinels were pacing to and fro,
their polished rifles glistening like silver. Entering the door,
a brother of the General received us, and we passed into the
parlor where the body lay in state. Two sentinels in uniform
were marching backward and forward, guarding their trust with
soldierly care and devotion. The body lay in one of Weaver's
patent burial cases. The case was lined with white satin, and
covered outside with black silk velvet. The lid of the case
bore a silver plate, with the following inscription :
MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY,
Killed at Chancellorsville, Virginia, May 3, 1863.
Aged 38 Years, 8 Months, 6 Days.
LYING IN STATE. 277
" Inside of this lid was another lid of glass, through which
appeared the whole form of the body, clad in the uniform of a
major-general, as became a man who, ten days ago, commanded
seven thousand men, and at whose word thirty pieces of
artillery spoke in thunder. At the feet was a bouquet and on
the body another. Around the neck and under one arm was
the wreath which President Lincoln sent with the remains. On
the breast was the Kearny Badge, presented by Major De Lacy,
37th New York Volunteers. Photographs on a small table at
the head showed the features as they were in life. On the same
table lay the sword Berry used in battle and a sword presented
to him by the non-commissioned officers of the 4th Maine Regi-
ment. In one corner of the parlor stood the tattered colors
of the 4th Maine, presented to the regiment in New York.
They have outlived the hand of him who received them in
behalf of his men, but they show that they have been where
the bullets flew. In another place I noticed the picture of
General Kearny. All was in keeping with the character of the
deceased and the occasion. The place of burial will be in the
cemetery near Blackington's Corner. There lie the remains
of the father and mother of the General. He will rest at their
side. A grave has been prepared, bricked over at the bottom,
sides and ends, so as to make it as close as a tomb, and
covered with a slab of marble."
CHAPTER XXXI.
THE OBSEQUIES.
A Cloudy Day. — Order of Arrangements. — Arrival of the
Artillery. — Distinguished Guests. — Vice President Ham-
lin a Private in the Ranks of Co. A, State Guards. —
Large Concourse of Masons. — Services at the Residence
of the Deceased. — Horses of the General and Grief of
his Orderly. — Masonic Ceremonies at the Grave. —
Requiem by Z. Pope Vose.
THE obsequies of General Berry took place on Thursday,
and were performed in a manner befitting his rank and
the place which he held in the hearts of his fellow-citizens.
The morning was wet and portended a rainy day, but the atmos-
phere grew drier, and though a cold wind prevailed and the sky
continued clouded, no rain fell. The order of arrangements for
the obsequies which had been previously issued by the com-
mittee, were as follows :
One gun to be fired at sunrise
Half-hour guns from sunrise till the procession starts for the grave
Minute guns from the time the procession starts till it halts
Half-hour guns until sunset
Flags to be set at half-mast at sunrise
Bells to be tolled from 7 to 8 a. m.
Buildings to be draped in mourning by 10 a. m.
Order of Procession
Major-General Win, H. Titcomb, Marshal of the Day
Aides, Major Charles A. Miller, Major E. W. Stetson, Major G. W. Kimball, Jr.,
and Lieutenant-Colonel John S. Case
Bangor Cornet Band and Drum Corps
THE FUNERAL CEREMONIES. 279
Masonic Fraternity
Military Escort
Rockland Band
Major-General Butler and Staff
Adjutant-General Hodsdon, Colonel Harding and Lieutenant-Colonel Osgood
of the Governor's Staff
Guard of Honor
Bearers
Pall Bearers Funeral Car Pall Bearers
The General's War Horses
Family and Relatives in Carriages
General's Military Staff
Vice President of the United States and Governor of Maine
Ex-Governors and Members of Congress
Justices of Supreme Court
Members of Legislature
Officiating Clergymen
Disabled Soldiers
Tnvited Guests
Mayor and City Council of the City of Rockland
Committee of Arrangements
Citizens and Strangers
Half-hour guns were fired during the morning, commencing
at sunrise, and the bells of the churches were tolled. Flags
were displayed at half-mast throughout the city and on the
shipping, and nearly all the stores and blocks on Main street,
and many of the residences of citizens, were hung in mourning.
All places of business were closed, and Rockland citizens and
hundreds from other towns filled the streets in waiting for the
beginning of the solemn pageant of the day.
The military escort consisted of a detachment from the 7th
Maine, Captain L. J. Morse's Company A, State Guards, and a
detachment of Captain R. H. Tucker, Jr.'s, company of artillery,
Coast Guards.
The squad of artillerymen who were detailed from the
Wiscasset company, for ordnance service, arrived in the city on
Wednesday. They were men of sturdy appearance, and per-
formed their duty well. The Bangor Fusileers (Company A,
State Guards), Captain Morse, arrived at about half-past ten
280 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM Q. BERRY.
o'clock, on the steam tug Terror, accompanied by the Bangor
Cornet Band. They marched in full numbers, and with their
bright uniforms and military bearing presented a very fine and
soldierly appearance. The company marched to the City Hall,
where the city authorities had prepared a collation for them,
and where also they made their quarters for the night. Adju-
tant-General Hodsdon, with Colonel Harding and Lieutenant-
Colonel Osgood of the Governor's staff, as well as Major-General
Butler and staff of Bangor, were present at the obsequies, and
the Portland steamer brought Lieutenant Nickerson, post adju-
tant at Camp Lincoln, Portland, Captain Freeze and Lieutenant
Bachelder of the 7th Regiment, and Lieutenant Clarke of the
5th Maine Battery. Lieutenant I. H. Washburn of General
Berry's staff was also present. The Vice President of the
United States was a member of the Bangor company, and per-
formed duty as a private in its ranks during the day. " We
have heard," says the Rockland Gazette of the time, " that this
course of Mr. Hamlin was unfavorably remarked upon by some,
who thought he should have appeared in his official character
as Vice President, on this occasion ; but those who know the
regard in which the Vice President held General Berry, the
great estimation which he set upon his services, and the depth
and sincerity of the sorrow with which he mourned him, will be
furthest from criticising the manner in which he paid the tribute
of honor to his memory. Mr. Hamlin felt that his mere
appearance at the obsequies as Vice President of the United
States would be a representation of official character which
might be borne by any man upon whom that position might
have devolved, but would fail to express the deep feeling with
which he mourned, and desired to honor, the memory of General
Berry; that he could not speak to the mourning widow any
words of formal consolation that would mitigate her grief or
express his own. He desired to render the highest honor in
his power to the memory of General Berry, and he felt that he
could best do this by serving in his place in the ranks of this
.ielt.-Col. L. D. Carver
4th Maine Infantry.
DISTINGUISHED G [JESTS. 281
company, in performing the last sad duties with which the
soldier pays his farewell tribute to a fallen commander. To
perform this duty, the Vice President would have marched
leagues, with gun and knapsack, if necessary, and those who
saw him, standing unmarked in the ranks of his company, and
paying the tribute of his tears at the obsequies of the man he
loved and honored, must have felt that in no other way could
he have more deeply honored the fallen brave."
The Masonic ceremonies were under the direction of
Aurora Lodge, of which General Berry was a member, although
in the arrangements for the entertainment of the brethren from
abroad, and in all expenses connected with the preparations,
equal share was borne with Aurora Lodge by Rockland Lodge
and King Solomon Chapter of Royal Arch Masons. A large
number of the fraternity were brought to the city in the
steamer which conveyed the Guards, and many others arrived
by other means of conveyance. Lodges were present from
Thomaston, Warren, Rockport, Camden, Union, Belfast, Bucks-
port, Orland and Ellsworth. A collation was prepared in
Atlantic Hall by the Lodges of the city, of which the members
of the fraternity partook at noon, and where they also returned
for supper. Those from abroad who remained over night were
entertained at the houses of the brethren. The number in the
Masonic procession was about three hundred.
The military, Masonic and civic processions were formed
between I and 2 o'clock, and the united bodies proceeded to
the late residence of General Berry. A vast concourse of peo-
ple had collected in the small field opposite the house and in
the streets in the vicinity, and the windows and balconies of all
the houses near were crowded. The number of persons in the
vicinity was estimated at 5,000 to 6,000, while large numbers
were waiting at points which the procession was expected to
pass, and many others had already gathered at the cemetery.
A platform had been erected in front of the house, covered
by an awning, from which the funeral address was given. The
282 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
platform was occupied by Rev. Nathaniel Butler, of Auburn, the
officiating clergyman, and the clergymen of the city, and by
Governor Coburn, Ex-Governor Washburn, Senator Morrill,
Judge Rice, of the Supreme Judicial Court, Hon. S. C.
Fessenden and others. The Scriptures were read by Rev.
H. A. Hart, of Rockland, pastor of the First Baptist Church.
Prayer was offered by Rev. Mr. Butler, who then delivered an
able and fitting address, after which the benediction was pro-
nounced by Rev. Joseph Kalloch.
At the conclusion of these services the body of General
Berry was borne reverently and mournfully out, to the solemn
music of the band, and deposited in the funeral car which was
to bear it to its last resting place. The procession was formed
and moved in order, proceeding down Limerock and up Main
and North Main streets, to the Achorn cemetery at Blackington's
Corner, there to rest in the family lot beside the dead warrior's
parents. The funeral car was tastefully draped with national
flags, two flags rising and crossing each other in the center, and
with heavy black plumes at the corners of the car. The burial
case was visible within, wrapped in the flag which had floated
over the General's headquarters. The car was drawn by four
white horses, with funeral trappings, and led by grooms. The
horses of General Berry (three in number) were led immediately
behind the car. The horse which he rode in battle, equipped
as when the General dismounted from him a few minutes before
his death, was led by a young man who had long been in
General Berry's service.
When the procession arrived at the burial place the ceme-
tery was lined with a large throng of people, who pressed as
near as they were allowed to approach. The Masonic ceremo-
nies were impressively performed by Past Grand Master Hiram
Chase of Belfast. The sacred scroll and the lambskin were
deposited in the grave, with the usual ceremonies, and the
brethren sadly and silently dropped upon the hero's coffin the
evergreen emblems of immortality. The flag which had been
REQUIEM. 283
wrapped about the burial case was also deposited upon it. The
Masonic ceremonies being concluded, the State Guards were
ordered forward, and in three divisions fired separate volleys
over the grave, and the last sad duties of love and respect to
the honored dead were concluded.
Z. Pope Vose of Minneapolis, at that time editor of the
Rockland Gazette, offered the following poetical tribute :
REQUIEM
In memory of Major-General Hiram G. Berry.
Boom ! brazen cannon, boom !
Low in the silent tomb
Our gallant warrior lies !
Dust unto dust goes down,
Spirit, to wear its crown
Of life, ascends the skies !
Bravely, his ranks beside,
He stemmed the battle's tide;
Nobly he fought and well,
But in the strife he fell;
Stricken, he fell and died.
Boom ! Boom !
Speak from each brazen throat,
Grief in each measured note, —
Boom ! brazen cannon, boom !
Toll ! bells, in sadness, toll !
Your solemn anthem roll !
City that gave him, weep !
Claiming this mournful trust,
Take back his lifeless dust,
Safely to guard and keep.
When Sumter's cannons spoke,
And at that summons woke
Thousands to Freedom's call,
He came, to win or fall,
Where treason's fire outbroke.
Toll! toll!
Speak from each iron tongue,
Grief that our hearts has wrung, —
Toll ! bells, in sadness, toll !
284 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Droop ! starry banner, droop !
Your blazoned glories stoop
Low o'er the hero's grave !
From the embracing sky,
Waft downward Freedom's sigh —
Freedom, he died to save !
Freeman, revere his name !
Honor the patriot's aim.
One in the noble band
Dying for native land,
His is his country's fame !
Droop ! Droop !
Flag of the brave and free,
He gave his life for thee !
Droop ! starry banner, droop !
Write ! pen of history, write !
In words of burning light,
Deeds of this mighty day !
And to the brave and free,
Saviors of liberty,
Millions shall praises pay !
Tell how the Wrong assailed;
Tell how the Right prevailed;
And on thy deathless page,
Bright'ning from age to age,
Be its Defenders hailed !
Write! write!
High on the roll of fame,
Blazon our hero's name !
Write ! pen of history, write !
CHAPTER XXXII.
berry's character and services.
A Self-Made Man. — Never Made a Military Blunder. —
Hooker's Quick Insight into his Character. — Lincoln's
Tribute. — Mentioned as Commander of the Army of the
Potomac. — General Charles Hamlin's Interesting Narra-
tive.— His Interview with Stanton. — Hamlin Appointed
Adjutant-General to Berry. — News of Berry's Death. —
His Devotion to Duty. — Politics Give Way to Patriotism.
— His Courage — His Gentle Nature. — The Devotion of
his Troops. — Love of the Old Fag. — The End.
GENERAL BERRY was one of those remarkable products
that is only possible under a free government. Springing
from a humble origin and compelled to rely solely upon
the latent forces of his own nature, he surprised men by what
he accomplished and never disappointed them by failure. As
a carpenter toiling with his hands for his daily bread, as a
contractor and builder, as a Representative to the Legislature,
as a bank director and president, as the Mayor of his native city,
as an officer of militia and as a Major-General of Volunteers,
he displays the same untiring energy, the same great resources,
strength of will and power of execution, which were never
measured by what other men could do.
Elevated to high command when a novice in the science
of war, and when faulty generalship was the rule, yet no single
blunder can be charged to him. His dispositions for defense
were always admirable, and his attacks were made with the
dash and vigor of a trained veteran, never bordering on rash-
286 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
ness, nor needlessly sacrificing precious lives. Rare military-
genius lay concealed beneath a modest and unassuming exterior.
Hooker with his keen perception was quick to note the possi-
bilities of such a nature. Had Berry survived the Chancellors-
ville battle, Hooker would have made him a corps commander,
for we have his own words to that effect before that battle took
place. Already had he attracted the attention of the powers
at Washington. President Lincoln speaks of him as one of
the best officers in the service, and Lincoln was a man who
weighed his words, Indeed, Berry's ability as a military com-
mander was so marked that already his name was being discussed
as commander of the Army of the Potomac.
Here is what General Charles Hamlin says, and no living
man is better able to speak with authority upon this point than
he : "I accepted General Berry's invitation to join his staff as
adjutant-general. Upon going to the War Department with his
nomination, I called upon Mr. Stanton, Secretary of War, who
ordered the appointment to be made and spoke of General
Berry in the highest terms. I recall his words : ' He is one
of the most reliable officers in the field. He never gives us
any trouble, and can always be counted on to do his whole
duty without being urged. He belongs to that class of volun-
teer generals destined, if I live, to have the command of an
army.' Mr. Stanton afterwards told the Vice President that he
intended to give General Berry the command of the Army of
the Potomac. This was Friday morning, May I, 1863, and as
I was desirous to reach the General without delay, for rumors
were afloat that the Army of the Potomac was crossing the
Rappahannock, I asked Senator Ramsay, of Minnesota, to
take me with him past the guard into the Secretary's private
office. He did so, and kindly permitted me to state my
business first. While waiting for his son to bring back my
appointment from the Adjutant-General, the Secretary used the
words I have quoted.
" Having bade farewell to my regiment, I took the steam-
GENERAL HAMLIN *S NARRATIVE. 287
boat for Aquia Creek, Sunday morning, May 3d, to join the
2d Division, 3d Corps. The steamboat had hardly left the
pier in Washington before I heard a group of officers, returning
to the front, speaking of the recent movement that had taken
place. Drawing near to learn what I could, I was asked to
what command I belonged. Upon replying that I was adjutant-
general for Major-General Berry, one of them informed me that
as he left the War Department, it was reported that General
Berry was killed at Chancellorsville that morning. There was
no means of verifying this distressing and painful news except
by proceeding to the front. Upon reaching Falmouth I found
that the depot quartermaster was Luther H. Pierce, a Bangor
friend, and learned from him that my information was correct.
My grief was profound and my situation perplexing. The first
thought was to return to my regiment ; the next, that I
belonged to the division as a department officer, differing in
this respect from a personal aide-de-camp. There were reports
that our army was falling back across the river. There was no
one to guide me to the command, and, night coming on, I
remained with my friend, Captain Pierce, who hospitably shared
his tent with me that night. The next day I joined the divi-
sion, reporting to General J. B. Carr, commanding, and with it
returned to its former camp ground, having witnessed the
6th Corps resist a final attack south of Banks' Ford, where it
rejoined the main army.
" I have thus given some facts relating to the military
history of General Berry — the most of them occurring within
my own knowledge — and mainly such as cannot be found in
the official records. It is due to his memory and patriotism
that those who come after us should know not only how he
served so well the country he loved, but also how he acquired
the strong friendship and active interest of those under whom
he served and those who, recognizing his inestimable valor as a
soldier and officer, were ready at all times to assist in procuring
just recognition and reward for his brave deeds."
I
288 MAJOR-GENERAL HlRAM G. BERRlr.
To those who did not know the man, his conduct in the
battle in which he lost his life may seem like rashness, but he
could not commit to another what he felt could be done better
by himself. His soldiers fought immediately under his eye and
by his side, and by his personal presence he held them to their
position.
A Democrat in politics, he buried party prejudices and
political preferences when he entered the service of his country,
and permitted his patriotic zeal alone to dominate every act of
his eventful military career. His was a courageous nature.
Calmly did he face the battle's fiercest storm. Shot and shell
whirled about his head, the smoke of battle enveloped him in
sulphurous embrace, his faithful chargers sank beneath him done
unto death, men fell at his side like the leaves of autumn before
the gale, but he faltered not. Death had no terrors for such
as he.
With undaunted courage he also possessed a heart of great
tenderness. We behold him bitterly weeping over his fallen
comrades with a grief so profound that it can not be assuaged.
His first care was the comfort and welfare of his men. " Just
a little further, boys, and I will throw you into some green
meadows with plenty of rails at hand," rang out his cheery
voice over that long dusty column of weary troops as they
toiled up the Peninsula. And he always kept faith with his
men. Again do we behold him at the midnight hour of a
bitter cold winter's night, issuing from his quarters to administer
to the wants of the surprised sentry pacing the lonely beat in
front of his tent. It is not therefore a matter of surprise that
his soldiers loved him with a warmth of affection that has stood
the test of many years, and that despite the many able and
worthy officers who succeeded him in command, his troops to
this day call their organization " Berry's Brigade."
He loved the flag of his country and all that it represents
with a fervor and zeal that consumed all other impulses. He
followed wherever it might lead. He saw its lustre dimmed
love for the flag. 289
by the smoke of many battles, yet he faltered not in his stead-
fast faith. He beheld it torn and rent and storm-tossed, its
bright emblems obscured in the darkness of defeat; yet he
clung to it still — clung to it until its starry folds wrapped him
in eternal slumber. Thus we will leave him until that time
when the touch of the wand in angel hands shall endow death
with glorious life, and give for the lethargy of sleep the bright-
ness and exhilaration of the morning.
APPENDIX
INAUGURATION OF BERRY'S STATUE.
THE relatives of the deceased General had caused to be
made a colossal statue to mark the last resting place
of the departed. The services attending its unveiling
occurred October 31st, 1865.
This magnificent marble statue of Major-General Berry is
the work of Simmons, the celebrated sculptor, and represents
the General standing in a martial attitude, gazing into the dis-
tance, contemplating as it were the sullen ranks of foemen. It
now stands above the grave of the General in Achorn cemetery,
Rockland. The services attending its inauguration were
impressive. They were conducted under the auspices of King
Solomon's Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, and Aurora and
Rockland Lodges of Free Masons, General Berry having been
a member of the Chapter and Aurora Lodge. The committee
of arrangements were Charles N. Germaine, G. W. Frost and
Leander Weeks on the part of the Chapter ; E. E. Wortman
of Aurora and Eli Hall of Rockland Lodges. General Wm.
H. Titcomb was chief marshal of the procession, which con-
sisted of the Masonic bodies, city officials, fire companies, and
citizens.
For an account of this event we quote from the Rockland
Gazette of that day : " The statue of Major-General H. G.
Berry was inaugurated with appropriate ceremonies, by the
Masonic fraternity, on Tuesday afternoon, in accordance with
the programme arranged for the occasion. The weather was not
unfavorable, for though cloudy it was not too cold, and the
Photo by Davies, Rockland, Me.
The General Berry Statue.
Achorn Cemetery, Rockland, Maine.
ttNVElLlNG THE STATttE. 291
roads were in good condition for the walk to the cemetery.
The Masonic and civic procession was formed at about half-
past one o'clock, led by the Rockland Band and escorted by
Defiance Engine Company No. 4, in uniform. Following the
band and escort came Rockland and Aurora Lodges, members
of neighboring lodges, and King Solomon's Chapter. Then
came the members and past members of the City Council, on
foot, and after them the relatives of General Berry in carriages,
followed by a long line of citizens in carriages, which closed
the procession.
" Besides those in the procession, hundreds more gathered
in the cemetery at Blackington's Corner, to witness the ceremo-
nies, and it was estimated that perhaps 3,000 persons were
present. When the procession arrived at the cemetery it was
formed on three sides of a hollow square around the grave of
the General, the relatives of General Berry occupying the
remaining side of the square. The large concourse of spec-
tators gathered around outside this square. The statue was
draped in the American flag as the procession came into the
cemetery, but was uncovered as the ceremonies proceeded, and
the work of the sculptor was received with as much approval
by the large assembly as by the few who had before looked
upon it.
" The exercises were introduced with a dirge by the band,
followed by a fervent and appropriate prayer by Rev. J. Riley
Bowler, chaplain of King Solomon's Chapter. The band then
performed ' God Save America,' after which Rev. Nathaniel
Butler, of Camden, delivered the dedicatory and commemora-
tive address. This address was an able, feeling and eloquent
production. At the close of Mr. Butler's address, the band
played ' Star Spangled Banner,' after which an appropriate
address to the Masonic fraternity was delivered by D. D. G. M.
Dr. C. N. Germaine. A dirge by the band closed the exercises,
and the procession then formed again and returned in the order
in which it came.
292 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
" The statue of General Berry has thus been fittingly and
publicly inaugurated, in a manner creditable to his native city,
for which fact much credit is due to the Masonic fraternity, who
undertook and carried out the arrangements so successfully.
These ceremonies were fitting and appropriate, not only as a
tribute to the patriotism and gallant services of General Berry,
but as an expression of the public gratitude to all who, with
him, have fallen for their country."
TRIBUTES.
[Letter from John Neal.]
Portland, October 17, 1863.
Madam : Though personally a stranger to your late husband,
Major-General Berry, I am no stranger to his character and great
worth as a soldier and as a man. And I take the liberty now of
expressing my sympathy for you and your daughter, and my
unqualified admiration of your gallant husband, because I have just
understood that the family have it in view to perpetuate the memory
of that brave man by a marble or bronze statue, life-size, to be
executed here in Maine, by a native of Maine, who was never
abroad, and who, like General Berry, is a self-educated man in the
truest sense of the word.
Allow me to congratulate you on your determination, and to
say that from my knowledge of sculpture, and of this young man
Simmons, I feel myself entirely justified in saying that I am sure of
his work being not only a comfort and consolation to the family,
but an honor to the State and to the country.
Allow me to add that if the original plaster model should be
properly preserved, or reproduced, it may lead to a bronze statue by
order of the State, with comparatively small expense.
[Letter from General Joseph Hooker.]
Major-General Hooker in a letter to the 17th Maine Regi-
mental Association, written many years after the war, pays a
TRIBUTES. 293
worthy tribute to the deceased. Hooker was evidently under
the impression that Berry had been Colonel of the 17th instead
of the 4th Maine, as many expressions in this letter indicate:
Glen House, N. H., \
August 14, 1879. j
Wm. H. Green, Esq., President 17th Maine Regiment Association.
My Dear Mr. Presidp:nt : * * * I was prepared to be an
admirer of General Berry long before it was his fortune to belong
to my command, from frequent conversations in regard to him with
his former commandant, and all that I now have time to say is that
he grew in my esteem from the day I made his acquaintance to the
end of his brief, but very brilliant career. Your state furnished the
army with manv noble soldiers, but I am sure I never met with one
more deserving the love and admiration of his associates, and indeed
I may almost add, of the whole country, than him who is the subject
of these lines.
But I cannot tell the members of his old regiment anything new
of General Berry. They each felt his humanity and often had
occasion to witness his valor. In my estimation these are the must
conspicuous qualities in a great commander in a republican army,
and it was in these qualities of character your old Colonel shone
brightly. In the field at Chancellorsville where he fell he com-
manded my reserve, as it were, and when the emergency of the
battle presented itself at the time Howard's corps gave way, Berry
was thrown forward to arrest the advance of the rebel army in
overwhelming fprce, threatening to sever my army, and probably
insuring defeat if not disaster; but the enemy's rush was arrested,
the army saved, but Berry fell.
The history of the battle is yet to be published, when, I trust,
full justice will be done to the character and services of our beloved
comrade. It was for these and other reasons that I particularly
desired to meet the surviving members of his glorious old regiment,
but prior to coming into the mountains and during my sojourn here
I have entered into so many engagements that I find it utterly
impracticable for me to join you in your reunion on its seventeenth
anniversary. If you should again honor me with an invitation, I
shall make every effort in my power to be with you.
294 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
[Letter from General D. E. Sickles.]
House of Representatives, U. S.,
Washington, D. C,
January 30, 1895.
Edward K. Gould, Esq_., Rockland, Maine:
Dear Sir : In reply to your inquiry of the 29th instant, I have
to state that Major-General Hiram G. Berry succeeded me in the
command of the 2d Division of the 3d Army Corps, when I was
promoted to the command of the corps. He was killed at the battle
of Chancellorsville on his line of battle. A moment before he fell,
mortally wounded, I was in conversation with him, and having
made a suggestion to him, touching a contemplated movement, was
proceeding to another part of the field, when an aide-de-camp con-
veyed to me the sad news that General Berry had fallen an instant
after I had left him. He was an intelligent, capable and zealous
officer, beloved by all of his command, and his associates and his
comrades of the 3d Army Corps. I felt his loss most sensibly, for
he was a gallant and efficient commanding officer.
[Letter from General Oliver O. Howard.]
Portland, Oregon, j
February 8, 1895. j
Edward K. Gould, Esq,., Rockland, Maine:
My Dear Sir : I am glad to hear that you are preparing a
biographical sketch of Major-General Hiram G. Berry. I saw him
a few moments before he deployed his brigade [division] and
marched into the woods to catch the Confederates under Stonewall
Jackson. He was very happy and sympathetic at the time. We
shook hands cordially and he asked me what he could do. I do not
remember my reply, but his gallant action, ending in his death,
showed what he undertook.
He was but a short time under my command and then when
we both knew little of actual warfare. I remember that I thought
him a man of quick intelligence and an excellent administrator ; he
organized well and commanded well, was a true man and patriot
and gave his life for his country. Who could do more?
TRIBUTES. 295
[Letter from L. G. Benedict, Assistant Adjutant-General.]
Headquarters 2d Division, 3D Corps,
Camp at Chancellors ville, Va.,
May 4, 1863.
My Dear Greenhalgh : I sent by one of my orderlies a
leave of absence for fifteen days for yourself and Lieutenant Wash-
burn, also the effects which I took from the poor General's uniform
after his death, viz. : one silver watch, one pocket-book containing
$21.25 in money and a lot of papers, one knife and the General's
commission. The General died in my arms at twenty-six minutes
past seven on yesterday morning. His last words were: " Take me
from the field, Benedict." This loss is severely felt in our division.
[Letter from J. S. Poland, Chief of Staff.]
Headquarters 2d Division, 3D Army Corps, )
May 20, 1863. )
Mrs. General Berry and Daughter : It is my duty (so I
regard it), but approached reluctantly, for fear that reference to the
sad bereavement with which it has pleased God to afflict you will
open anew the heart springs of sorrow, but it is for your cheer that
I dare to write.
When the General fell he called me. I was by his side imme-
diately, in time to hear: "Poland — my wife and child." He
remained silent, sinking calmly and placidly for ten or fifteen min-
utes. The emergencies of the battle then raging fearfully compelled
me, despite a longing desire to stay with him to the last, to leave
him in the excellent and tender care of Captain Benedict, assistant
adjutant-general. The General's last words were addressed to the
Captain: " Take me off the field, Benedict."
Peacefully as a saint he yielded his life for his country. His
last words uttered all that was dear to him on earth — " My wife and
child." His last thoughts embraced you with tender devotion.
Though dying a hero's death, for you he would have asked yet a
little while. Though dying like a hopeful Christian, for you he
would stay the parting hour, but God called him.
It is written, " I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." I send
you the memorial of " Our General's Staff," whose sorrow, though
296 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
nearly obscured by the busy scenes of ruthless war, is deeply felt.
They beg to be remembered, and are earnest in their prayer that
God will ever watch over you.
[Letter from General O. O. Howard.]
Headquarters iith Corps,
's, |
Near Brooks Station, Va., >
May 14, 1863.
Dear Sir : My relations with the late General Berry have been
such as to induce me to give some public testimonial to his merits
as a patriot and a soldier.
At the first battle of Bull Run he was in command of the 4th
Maine Regiment, which was in my brigade. While under my com-
mand he showed himself to be an energetic and efficient officer. He
was always gentlemanly in his bearing and ready to co-operate
heartily in any measure for the good of his regiment or the advan-
tage of the service. Upon the Peninsula he commanded a brigade
in Kearny's division. I remember that I met with General Kearny
soon after the battle of Williamsburg, who spoke in the highest
terms of Berry's bravery, and said that his own success was owing in
great measure to General Berry's skillful and vigorous co-operation.
Attempting no enumeration of his distinguished services, I
desire to record one more instance of personal contact with General
Berry. I met him close to his line of battle on Saturday evening,
May 2d, near the Plank road, south of Chancellorsville. He had
drawn up his division of veteran troops, perpendicular to and upon
both sides of the road, to cover the retreat of the nth Corps, and
check any further advance of the enemy in that direction. He met
me with great cordiality, consulted as to where the line would be
hardest pressed, and in answer to my suggestion that the chief diffi-
culty would be upon his right said :
" Well, General, if you will take care of the left here, I will
go to the right."
And he went in that direction. I afterward saw him during
the night at General Hooker's headquarters. He fell in the morning
when his line was attacked with great fury, and died a hero and a
soldier at the post of duty. As a brother officer I most heartily
deplore his death. He has met me of late with the most frank
TRIBUTES. 297
demeanor and cordiality, and I could not help remarking after we
had parted Saturday night, " How noble was the bearing of General
Berry."
General De Peyster, in his " Biography of Major-General
Philip Kearny," says of Berry : "Always reliable, always a
grand specimen of a natural born soldier, his brigade was the
first which, under Kearny, brought relief to Hooker. He
distinguished himself in almost every battle in 1862, and fell at
Chancellorsville crowned with glory. * * * On May 3d,
1863, when the nth Corps had given way on the right of
Chancellorsville, broken and driven by the furious practical
strategy of Stonewall Jackson, Hooker selected Berry's division,
formerly his own, to stem the seemingly irresistible flood.
" 'Go in, General ! ' said Fighting Joe, ' throw your men
into the breach; don't fire a shot; they can't see you, but
charge home with the bayonet.'
" Berry's boys did charge home, and held for three hours
all that their bayonets so boldly won. The next day the
struggle was renewed, and the brunt fell again on Berry, who
again and again headed the charge of his division, and, first to
meet the foe, received a bullet which ended his grand career.
Thus, in the arms of victory, as far as his division was con-
cerned, Berry fell and died, another one of the purest and
noblest of the type of volunteer generals of our war — a finer
West Point has never produced."
FUNERAL ADDRESS BY REV. NATH'L BUTLER.
" There is a grief too profound to find utterance in words,
a sorrow which is best indulged in by folding the mantle about
the head, and sitting upon the earth in sackcloth and ashes.
Such is ours today and were it not that the glorious dead have
solemn demands upon us, and that to the living there is left a
298 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
life real and earnest, which will be made more noble and more
real by the memories which the dead have bequeathed to us,
we would sit silent in the august presence of the hero's lifeless
form, and with silence, broken only by sighs, lay him to his rest.
It is only in the lifetime of but one of many generations that
men witness the combinations of events like those which have
a consummation in such a scene as transpires before us today.
The nation is rising up to honor its brave and living sons, and,
ah ! it is part of its passion, too, to rise up to mourn its dead.
To this sad duty we now address ourselves, and among the
duties belonging to the hour, there are none more fitting than
a review of the eventful life which has now found its close and
a record of the characteristics which have made it renowned.
"General Berry was a man of marked ability. The suc-
cesses of his life have shown it. Under the guidance of a
benignant Providence he was the architect of his own fortune-
His own ability and industry raised him from the more humble
position of his early life to the eminence which he reached. In
all the greater efforts of his life it may be truly said he never
failed. He surprised men by what he did accomplish, never by
what he failed in doing. Although he possessed advantages
for literary training not at all beyond what is possessed by
nearly every young man in the State, yet he acquired a degree
of culture that characterized him as an educated man, and those
who have a right to judge affirm that his official reports and
his correspondence were rarely excelled, in perspicuity and
accuracy, by the most gifted among our public men. He never
spent a day in a military school, and yet, when he entered the
army, he was versed in the art of war so far as military reading
could make him so. He knew his own strength, and was
confident in it. He quietly formed his own plans, and depend-
ing on himself, he entered upon their performance, and men
knew little of them till their completion announced them.
" He was a man of untiring energy. During the latter
years of his life he maintained a constant and almost ceaseless
MR. butler's address. 299
struggle with disease, and yet his record is what could be
expected only of a man of iron frame and perfect health.
While in the army, he often issued his orders from a sick bed
or rose from that sick bed to lead his soldiers. When friends
and superior officers urged him to suspend his active labors, he
remained performing the duties of camp and field when he
seemed more properly a subject for the surgeon's care. The
siege of Yorktown, the battles of Williamsburg and Fair Oaks,
and the thirty days' duty along that fatal White Oak Swamp,
attest the energy of his character. The world knows already
how at Williamsburg he outstripped the ablest generals of the
army, and with his little brigade pressed on through the blind-
ing storm and a sea of mud, to the front, where weary troops
were giving way, and how, at the last, the only moment to save
the wavering army, to the music of the glorious airs of the
Union, he hurled his brave band upon the foe, and snatched
victory from the jaws of defeat. And the world knows, for the
highest military authorities have told it, how, at Fair Oaks,
he led his small but firm band of twenty-five hundred men,
through the flying, frightened crowd of defeated Federal troops,
till he reached the enemy, and then stood with them, firm as a
rock, till ten thousand sent against him fled in disgraceful
defeat ; and for his daring energy the great men of the nation
delighted to do him honor. His whole military career attested
the strength of will, and power of execution, which were never
measured by what other men could do.
" General Berry was always faithful to the trust committed
to him by the country. He was a leader and a favorite in the
political party that opposed the present administration. But
when he had girded on his sword in his country's cause, he
buried all party prejudices, and sectional ties and political
preferences, and he knew his country first and only his country.
He never indulged the cavilling spirit which swayed smaller and
weaker minds. No man more heartily than he condemned that
political bitterness which weakened the hands of the friends of
300 MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
the Union, and seemed to have more sympathy with foes than
with friends. He loved the glorious flag of his country. He
followed, with all who loved it, wherever it led. He fought
beneath it, and though it were tattered and rent by the storms
of a hundred battles, he clung to it still — clung to it unto death.
Well may ye wrap the glorious stars and stripes around his life-
less form. He loved it in life, let it be his shroud in death, and
let the precious memory of his fidelity be as immortal as the
stars which are emblazoned there.
" With the lion's heart, General Berry joined the utmost
gentleness and consideration. He would never ask a soldier to
go where he feared to go himself. He could weep over a fallen
comrade, but his eagle eye never quailed before a foe. He had
a tender regard for human life and suffering, and while other
officers sought the comforts and luxuries of the metropolis,
from the day he left yonder pier with his regiment till his last
battle was fought, he shared the camp, the watch, the painful
march, the deadly struggle, with his men. His brave heart
never refused to bear all his duty demanded. And so it was to
the closing scene. A weaker nature might have been living
today. But his was one that could not accept life at the price
of falling back one step from his post. Whatever imperfection
may have marked his life, whatever weakness an enemy might
boast over, of this no man can deny him : he died without the
stain of cowardice upon him. His meed of praise, here, is full ;
and without a breath of reproach upon his valor, his work is
done.
" While he must have been conscious of his unusual ability
and extraordinary success, he possessed the unassuming mod-
esty which is always a part of true greatness. It may not be
improper that I should here bear the testimony of a somewhat
intimate friendship with General Berry during the last years
of his life. Although always characterized by a serious earnest-
ness through life, this character appeared with peculiar strength
after the commencement of his military career. Remembering
MR. botler's address. 301
now his demeanor, he had the bearing of a man who had a
great work to do, and a brief time in which to perform it, and
who addressed himself to it with a solemn earnestness becoming
the magnitude of his mission. Those months were spent as no
pastime of war, no holiday of recreation, but conscious of his
lofty trust he seriously gave himself to it, as the last commission
to be held on earth. Who shall say that omniscient Providence
did not prepare him for his work, and then prepare him for its
glorious consummation?
" And shall not the memories bequeathed to us soften the
sorrows and alleviate the grief which this event brings? I see
around me the pageant of a mighty grief — I witness the
mourning of a great sorrow. And well may it be so. It is the
nation's second birth, and its agonies are greater than at the
first. Ah ! at what a price are our liberties retained ! God
asks for them life, and that, too, the most precious. It would
seem that the noblest, bravest, best must die. No mean sacri-
fice must lie on Freedom's altar. Read the roll of the dead
heroes of the land : Ellsworth, and Lyon, and Mitchell, and
Kearny, and Mansfield, and Berry. Truly only priceless treas-
ures could demand such sacrifice as this, and most unworthy
must a people be who shall not cherish the purchase of such
blood. But is it a mourning over unmitigated calamity? A
widowed heart is smitten to the earth in unutterable desolation,
and youth, when most needing the protection of a father's
strong arm, sees that cherished trust torn away. But in addition
to that greatest of all consolations, the promise of the widow's
God, and of the Father of the fatherless, what a legacy of
comfort and of joy has the departed bequeathed to this smitten
flock ! To the name he bore he has given imperishable honor,
and in distant generations men will be honored as belonging to
his race. Then not to a cold and bitter world is this stricken
household given. The dead hero's country shall be protector
of this widowhood and guardian of this childhood. To that
country he has left them, and well will it keep the holy trust.
302 MAJOR-GEttERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
" It is manifestly true that a definite value cannot be set on
human life, but will it not, in part, at least, compensate for the
loss of one so precious as this, to know that, in the best human
judgment, by his industry, skill and bravery, he twice saved the
Federal army from disastrous defeat, and that, too, under
circumstances that warrant the belief that no other man in the
army would have done it? He entered the army to lose his
life, but is it too much to believe that he entered the army and
lost his life to save the army of his country?
" In addition to this, it is not hard to say this life was
finished — its work was done, and well done. This is no untimely
death. Future generations will not ask his age. They will
only ask to know how he lived, and what he did, and when they
know, they will account his life as among heroes, most complete.
It is glorious to live in such a day as this, if one so fully
meets the demands of his day. It is sweet to die when such a
price is given for life.
" By the benignant dispensations of a merciful Providence,
General Berry is brought to the home of his fathers, to find
sepulchre. No traitor's hand shall touch his hallowed dust.
No rebellious soil shall furnish him a grave. Then carry him
to his rest, citizens of Maine, and of his native city. Let the
hoary-headed come to do him honor, for he bled that you might
bequeath to your children the sacred liberties you have so many
years enjoyed. Let the strong men come, for he has shown
you how to fight for the land you live to defend. Let woman
and childhood bedew his grave with their tears, for he died to
preserve inviolate your happy homes. Bear him to his rest.
Tears are bedewing the path as he goes, but blessings shall be
on his memory, and the nation's songs shall perpetuate his
fame. Rear high the monument above his dust, till its morning
shadow shall lie far over the land for whose honor he gave his
blood, and its shadow at evening is flung far out upon the sea,
for he died for the honor of that flag which proudly floats o'er
every ocean; and at morning and at evening bring the little
MR. butler's address. 303
children of the land to the foot of that lofty pile to teach them
how to be patriots and heroes.
" He is Freedom's now, and Fame's;
One of the few, the immortal names
That were not born to die.
" As it was said of another, we say of him, we had prayed
God that he might long live, for greater deed and service, and
to enjoy the well-earned consciousness of heroic deeds hero-
ically done. That prayer has not been answered as we would
have had it; but who, save God, knows what is best? He has
gone in the fullness of his young renown, from the lavish
admiration and love of those who knew him best. Farewell
from him to all who loved him, and they are many ! Farewell
from them to him ! But his thrilling story, his fidelity, his
patriotism and his precious memory are our imperishable inher-
itance, and we will guard them well, and emulate them as we
may. We will enshrine them in the deepest thoughts of our
affection, even as, with tender veneration, we soon shall lay in
our soil his hallowed form, just borne through the land on the
sobbing bier of a people's heart, the wreaths that cover him
sparkling beneath the smiles of God with the spray of the
nation's tears."
INDEX.
Abbott, Captain Isaac C, 203.
Alexandria, 52, 53.
Allen, C. L., 274.
Ames, General Adelbert, 34, 194, 200.
Anderson, E. W., 65.
Andrews, M. C, 274.
Atwood, Adjutant-General G. M., 26.
Aurora Lodge, F. & A. M., 281, 290, 291.
Bachelder, Lieutenant John A., 280.
Baker, Mrs. Walter, 41, 42.
Baltimore, 46.
Banks, Surgeon Wm. A., 30.
Bangor Fusileers, 279.
Bangor Company, 4th Maine, 85.
Bangor Cornet Band, 280.
Bailey, James, 65.
Barstow, Lieutenant George F., 240.
Bath Greys, 27.
Battery D, 1st New York, 240, 259.
Battery, 4th, New York Light, 240.
Battery H, 1st U. S., 240, 259, 261, 266.
Battery K, 4th U. S., 240, 264.
Battery B, 1st New Jersey, 241.
Bean, Captain Andrew D., 36, 59, 66, 91.
Beaumont, Captain Ralph, 79.
Beach, Lieutenant-Colonel S. E., 136.
Belfast Muster, 28.
Belfast Companies, 4th Maine, 34.
Benedict, Captain Le Grand, 239, 267,
295-
Benedict, Mrs. Le Grand, 241.
Berry, Jeremiah, 9, 10.
Berry, Frances Gregory, 9.
Berry, Thomas, 9.
Berry, Jeremiah, 2d, 10.
Berry, John T., 10, 33.
Berry, Wm. G., 10.
Berry, Frances E., 10.
Berry, George W., 10, 59, 275.
Berry, Mrs. Hiram G., 13.
Berry, Lucy F., 14.
Berry, Major-General Hiram G., birth and
parentage, 9; his brothers and sister,
io; love for military affairs, 11; learns
carpenter's trade, 12; becomes con-
tractor and builder; director and presi-
dent of Limerock National Bank; his
marriage, 13; his daughter, 14; elected
representative to the legislature, 15; his
legislative associates, 17; nominated as
candidate for Mayor of Rockland; des-
perate and protracted struggle at the
polls, 18; his triumphant election, 20;
organizes Rockland City Guards, 23;
elected captain, 24; his company
escorts Jefferson Davis, 28; his pros-
perous condition at opening of Civil
War, 32; organizes 4th Maine Infantry,
33; elected colonel, 34; strict disci-
pline at Camp Knox; mustered into U.
S. service, 36; starts for Washington,
37; presentation of flags at New York,
43; preparing for trouble at Baltimore,
46; at Washington in camp on Meri-
dian Hill, 47; letters descriptive of
camp life, 48; regimental band gives
serenade, 51 ; camp changed to Alex-
andria, 52; letter describing reconnais-
sance, 53; advance to Bull Run, 55;
first prisoners, 56; letters, 57; enemy's
breastworks, 58; incident showing
Berry's devotion to duty, 59; battle of
Bull Run, 62; ordered to support a
battery, 63; he carries the flag, 64;
letter describing the battle of Bull Run,
65; official report of the battle, 66;
letter giving incidents of Bull Run, 67;
he complains of the brigade quarter-
master, 68; General McDowell calls on
him; encamped near Fort Ellsworth;
confidence in McClellan, 70; regimen-
tal revolt; his tender heart, 71; de-
INDEX.
305
General Berry
scribes his camp, 72; commends Lieu-
tenant Gray, 73; did not enlist for
political effect, 75; letter descriptive of
camp life, 79; visitors from Rockland,
80; his tribute to Colonel Thomas H.
Marshall, 81 ; ordered to make recon-
naissance to the Accotink, 82; his
report of the affair, 83; high state of
discipline in his command, 85; letter
describing reconnaissance, 86; visits
Mt. Vernon, 88; visited by Vice Presi-
dent Hamlin and others, 90; he writes
about the anxiety of parents to obtain
discharges for their boys, 91 ; his views
of the condition of the country, 92;
the Berry Quartet Choir, 93; his plan
of campaign, 94; his progress in the
art of war, 96; promoted to brigadier-
general, 97; letter of congratulation
from Governor I. Washburn, Jr., 98;
presented with a sword by the sergeants
of the 4th Maine, 99; silver plate pre-
sented by the officers, 100; his letters
on current events, ioi; letter telling
of his promotion to brigadier-general,
1 02; writes of his balloon ascension,
103; his political sentiments, 104;
farewell order to the 4th Maine, 105;
assigned to Michigan brigade, 106; his
staff appointments; anecdote relative
to McClellan's assignment of him to
the Michigan brigade, 107; his mod-
esty as told by Captain Earle, 108; let-
ters giving his first impressions of his
new command, 113; battle of Wil-
liamsburg, Berry's push for the front,
121; his valor and skill in battle, 122,
123; Heintzelman's commendation,
126; was under fire four hours; Kear-
ny praises him, 127; his congratulatory
order, 128; Kearny's letter to Gov-
ernor Washburn concerning Berry's
part in the fight, 129; Governor Wash-
burn's reply and letter to Berry, 130;
General Berry
his modest response; his tribute to
Michigan soldiers, 132; his letter to
Vice President Hamlin, 133; his official
report of the battle of Williamsburg,
134; his brigade was proud of him,
138; the attempt to rob him of his
honors, 139; Vice President Hamlin's
spirited defense, 140; his letters de-
scribing the battle of Williamsburg, 140,
141, 142, 143; his visit to house where
Washington first met Martha Custis,
144; his sword that he carried at Wil-
liamsburg, 146; battle of Fair Oaks,
his march of six miles; incident con-
cerning him and Kearny, 151 ; his
brilliant attack, 152; brings forward in
person the 5th Michigan, 153; his
grief at Captain Smith's death, 157;
distinguished generals acknowledge his
services, 160; the New York Tribune's
commendation, 162; his official report
of Fair Oaks, 163; additions to his
staff, 167; Vice President Hamlin's let-
ter of condolence, 168; his letters
descriptive of the battle of Fair Oaks,
168,169; his commendation of Colonel
Dyckman, 1st New York, 170; Major
Thayer's incident concerning release of
prisoners in Libby Prison, 171 ; his
zeal for the comfort of his command;
his letters, 173; the Seven Days' Battles,
176; his official report, 178; his retreat
from Fair Oaks; skillful passage of
Fisher's Ford, 181; his victorious
attack, 183; his official report of retreat
to the James, 184; he is described by
General de Trobriand, 189; his letters
describing Seven Days' Battles, 190;
letters from the Vice President on pol-
icy of the Government, 191; his letters
concerning the retreat to the James,
192, 193; he describes his personal
appearance after the campaign, 194;
is ill, 195; commends Lieutenant
306
MAJOR-GENERAL- HIRAM G. BERRY.
General Berry
Charles F. Sawyer, 196; ravages of a
fever, 197; home on furlough; enthu-
siastic reception in Rockland, 198;
letter of Assistant Adjutant-General
Geo. W. Wilson, 199; letter from Gen-
eral Adelbert Ames, 200; Colonel O.
M. Poe writes concerning escape of
Stuart; letter from Congressman F. A.
Pike, 201; Senator L. M. Morrill also
gives his views, 203; Stedman's poem
" Kearny at Seven Pines," 205; Berry's
narrow escape from capture, 205 ; his
treatment of discourteous southrons,
206; his letters on battle of Chantilly
and other events, 207, 208, 209; brand-
ing a deserter, 210; search for con-
cealed munitions of war, 210; his
opinions of General Stoneman, 211;
describes condition of the people in
Virginia, 212; searching inspection of
17th Maine; incident of the sergeant's
sash, 217; battle of Fredericksburg,
Berry's strategy to protect his men,
218; his enthusiastic reception by the
17th Maine on the battlefield; incident
of Berry and the backwoods boy;
orders troops to " keep heads down,"
219; incident of Berry and the knap-
sacks, 220; he is complimented by
Confederate General A. P. Hill, 221;
he touches Colonel Gilluly's sensitive
nature, 221; his consideration for the
impetuous Major De Lacy; his appeal
to the 37th New York; his men always
cheered him without orders, 222; gets
his brigade out of a bad scrape, 223;
his official report of the battle of Fred-
ericksburg, 223; his letter to his daugh-
ter, 226; his grief over the terrible
losses of the 4th Maine, 227; pro-
moted to major-general; the account
of General Charles Hamlin, 228;
Hooker's glowing praise, 229, 230;
Heintzelman's unqualified endorsement,
General Berry
231; Senator Zach Chandler's compli-
mentary allusion to Berry, 233; con-
firmed as major-general, 233; his
letters concerning the promotion, 234;
friendship of Hooker for Berry; his
assignment to the 2d Division, 3d
Corps, 235; farewell order to his old
brigade, 236; address to him of the
37th New York, 236; affection for him
of the old brigade, 237; appoints his
division staff, 239; regiments and bat-
teries in his division, 240; wedding in
the camp, 241 ; incident related by
Mrs. Le Grand Benedict, 241 ; his let-
ter describing the wedding; review by
President Lincoln, and Sickles' ball,
243; the army nurse, Annie Etheridge,
gives incidents concerning Berry, 244;
battle of Chancellorsville, 250; his
arrival at Chancellorsville, 25 1; recon-
naissance, 256; his presentiment of
death, 257; Captain Earle gets his
mail; photographs of daughter, 258;
battle commences, rout of the nth
Corps; Hooker orders Berry to the
rescue, 258; his line of battle formed,
259 ; Osborn ordered to govern fire, 259 ;
he inspects skirmish line, 260 ; meet-
ing of Generals Howard and Berry,
261 ; letter of General Robert McAllister
describing Berry's part in the battle,
262; practice of Berry's artillery, 263;
Captain Rusling writes of the presenti-
ment,264; coolness in repelling assault;
directs his aide to get orders, 266; goes
to Mott to give orders; staff caution
him against sharpshooters, 267 ; is killed
by a bullet; grief of General Hooker,
267; General J. B. Carr's tribute in
official report; Osborn's account of
Berry's death written at the time, 269;
Colonel Robert McAllister's description
of Berry, 270; aides-de-camp convey
remains to Falmouth; grief of squad
INDEX.
307
General Berry
of 4th Maine, 271 : President Lincoln's
request, 272; reception of remains in
Portland, Me., 273; names of committee
of reception, Rockland, 274; arrival
home, 275; lying in state, 276; order
of arrangements of obsequies, 278;
military escort, 279; Vice President
Hamlin a private in the ranks, 280 ;
Masonic bodies in line, 281 ; distin-
guished mourners; funeral cortege; his
chargers, 282; poetical tribute by Z.
Pope Vose, 283; Berry's character and
services, 285 ; probable commander of
the Army of the Potomac ; General Chas.
Hamlin's reminiscences, 286; coura-
geous but not rash; Democrat in poli-
tics; kindness to his soldiers, 288; his
statue and the ceremonies of inaugura-
tion, 290; tribute from: John Neal,
292; General Hooker, 293; General
D. E. Sickles, General O. O. Howard,
294, 296; Assistant Adjutant-General
Le Grand Benedict; Captain J. S.
Poland, 295 ; tribute in De Peyster's
Life of General Kearny, 297; funeral
address by Rev. Nathaniel Butler, 297-
3°3-
Berry's Division, 235, 239, 252, 253; at
Chancellorsville, 255, 257, 258, 260,
261, 263, 264, 268, 270, 287, 294.
Berry, John T., 2d, 274.
Berry's Brigade, 106-115; at Williams-
burg, 1 16-138; at Fair Oaks, 147, 166;
at Seven Days' Fight, 175, 188, 189,
204; at Fredericksburg, 213-227, 236.
Bickmore, Colonel Chas. S., 86.
Bird, John, 18.
Birney, General David B., 106, 107, 182,
223, 224.
Blanchard, D., 64.
Blackington, Sergeant Oliver N., 208.
Blackman, Lieutenant H. B., 221.
Blaisdell, Colonel William, 240, 256.
Bodfish, Colonel C. N., 27.
Bowler, Rev. J. Riley, 291.
Boyle, Corporal James, 136.
Bradbury, Hon. James W., 17.
Brady, Henry, 136.
Brockman, H., 44.
Brooks Company, 4th Maine, 36.
Brown, John, 14.
Brown, Almira M., 13.
Brown, S. P., 90.
Brown, Lieutenant Edmund W., 137.
Brown, H. M , 274.
Bull Run, battle of, 62-68.
Burling, Colonel George C, 240.
Burns, Colonel G. J., 23, 24, 26, 28, 33.
Burns, Major Michael, 240.
Burgin, Lieutenant W. E., 63, 74.
Burpee, Sergeant H. H., 99.
Burpee, N. A., 274.
Butler, Rev. Nathaniel, 233, 282, 291.
Butler, Major-General James II., 279, 280.
Calhoun, Surgeon J. Theodore, 240.
Camp Knox, 26, 34, 36.
Camden Rifles, 25.
Canning, Dennis, 65.
Carver, Lieutenant-Colonel L. D., 27, 23,
34. 52> 53. 59. 9*> 93-
Carr, General Joseph B., 240, 268,270,287.
Carr's Brigade, at Chancellorsville, 256,
258, 259, 260, 266.
Case, Hon. John S., 13, 274, 278.
Casey, General Silas, 149, 169.
Chase, Past Grand Master Hiram, 282.
Chancellorsville, battle of, 245, 247.
Champlin, Colonel Stephen C, 107, 135,
151, 152, 165.
Chandler, Hon. Zach, 201, 233.
Chase, Chaplain B. A., 90.
Chapman, Sergeant-Major Stephen H.,
63, 66, 67.
Chester, Captain William H., 240.
Clark, Captain Wm. IL, 63, 66, 77.
Clark, Captain, 37th N. V., 136.
Clark, Captain J. A., 241.
Clark, Lieutenant Ezra, 280.
Cobb, Hon. Francis, 12, 274.
308
MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Coburn, Governor Abner, 271, 282.
Cochran, General Wm. S., 26, 35.
Conboy, Sergeant Martin, 136.
Conant, Captain O. J., 24, 30, 33, 34, 55,
63. 274-
Cook, West W., 65.
Cowing, Harrison, 19 1.
Crockett, Charles, 18, 20, 22, 274.
Crockett, Knott, 13, 24.
Crockett, Robert, 274.
Crosby, Governor William G, 16.
Cross, Captain James A., 240.
Crowell, Captain Oliver, 33.
Crowell, Quartermaster John, 86.
Cunningham, Captain H. W., 33.
Cunningham, G. F., 65.
Cushman, Major-General G. G, 28, 29.
Cushman, Lieutenant Seth, 240.
Damariscotta Company, 4th Maine, 33,34.
35. 5°-
Davis, Jefferson, 28, 29, 92.
Davis, Captain George G, 209.
De Lacy, General Wm., 136, 137, 222,
277.
De Peyster, General J. Watts, 297.
De Trobriand, General P. R., 189.
Diegnan, Captain, 37th New York, 136.
Dillman, Major Lewis, 124, 152, 154,
166, 176, 185.
Dimick, Lieutenant Justin E., 240, 259,
261, 265, 266.
Dingley, Hon. Nelson, 18.
Doubleday, General Abner, 262.
Dyckman, Colonel Garrett, 170, 177, 185.
Dyer, Lieutenant A. S., 24.
Earle, Captain Edward S., 107.
Earle, Captain James D., 108, 239, 257,
258, 267.
Ellems, Ira B., 274.
Ellsworth Zouaves, 52.
Etheridge, Annie, 244.
Excelsior Brigade, 259.
Excelsior, 4th, 259, 264.
Fales, Waterman, 25.
Fair Oaks, battle of, 147-169.
Fairfax Court House, 53, 56, 58.
Fairbanks, Major J. D., 136, 166, 185, 186.
Farwell, Nathan A., 18.
Farrand, G. L., 9.
Farwell, Joseph, 18, 19, 274, 275.
Farnum, Colonel J. Egbert, 240.
Fernald, Chas. O., 65.
Fessenden, Hon. Wm. Pitt, 17.
Fessenden, Hon. S. C, 274, 275, 282.
Fiquet, D. D., 56.
Fitzhue, Mrs., 55, 56.
Fletcher, B. W., 63, 65.
Fosdick, Edward H, 10.
Foss, Wm. B., 65.
Francine, Colonel Louis R., 240.
Fredericksburg, battle of, 213.
French, Z. F., 158.
Freeman, Lieutenant Geo. W., 167, 187,
201, 225, 226, 240, 267, 268, 271, 272.
Freeze, Captain John W., 280.
Frost, G. W., 290.
Frye, Thomas, 274.
Gaines Mills, battle of, 179.
Garcelon, Governor Alonzo, 17.
Germaine, Charles N., 290, 291.
Gilluly, Lieutenant-Colonel John, 221,
225.
Giofray, J. L., 274.
Glendale, battle of, 182.
Glover, Lieutenant Thomas B , 30, 93.
Grant, Jarvis B., 65.
Gray, Major R. H., 73, 74, 75, 86.
Green, Lieutenant W. C, 166.
Greenhalgh, Adjutant J. B., 36, 37, 81,
145, 183, 186, 187, 190, 193, 194, 198,
205, 221, 226, 240, 266, 271, 272, 275,
295.
Greenhalgh, Captain Charles, 274.
Grendell, Miss, 90.
Guards, Rockland City, 23-30, 275.
Gunning, Lieutenant James A., 136.
Hall, Eli, 290.
Hall, Calvin, 274.
Halleck, General H. W., 94, 232, 234,
272.
INDEX.
300
Hamlin, Hannibal, 90, 91, 102, 132, 139,
140, 167, 191, 228, 232, 233, 234, 245,
280, 286.
Hamilton, General Chas. S., 106, 114.
Hamlin, General Chas., 228, 232, 286.
Hamlin, Colonel Aug. C, 265.
Hancock, General W. S., 11S.
Harding, Colonel Edward K., 27, 279, 280
Harden, Freeman, 274.
Hart, Rev. H. A., 282.
Hatch, Joseph L., 50.
Hays, Lieutenant Patrick H., 136, 137.
Hayman, General S. £-., 107, 123, 124,
I25. *35> I36> I52. 154, 162, 184, 222
Heintzelman, General S. P., 52, 53, 56,
59,61,79,81,82,104,107, in, 114,
118, 121, 122, 126, 132, 140, 160, 161,
169, 180, 231.
Henry, Adjutant James, 166.
Hight, Captain Thomas, 36.
Hill, General A. P., 221, 260, 266.
Hitchcock, Rev. Dr., 44.
Hix, Warden Maine State Prison, 24.
II ix, T. W. 274.
Hobson, Capt. Wm., 223.
Hodsdon, Adjutant-General John L.,274,
279, 280.
Hooker, Gen. Joseph, 117, 118, 119, 120,
121, 122, 133, 140, 160, 171, 180, 209,
216, 229, 230, 234, 235, 239, 241, 248,
257, 266, 270, 293, 297.
Howard, Gen. O. O., 53, 66, 191, 248,
261, 294, 296.
Hoxsey, Captain Benj. W., 240.
Hubbard, Governor John, 16.
Hunter, General David M., 61.
Huntley, Lieutenant S. S., 167, 226.
Hutchins, Adjutant C. H., 136.
Huxford, Lieutenant James S., 66.
Ingalls, General Rufus, 271.
Irish Rifles, 237.
Jameson, General Chas. D., 106, 107, 129,
I3°» !3i< !56-
Joinville, Prince de, 159.
Johnson, H. H., 29.
Johnston, General Joseph E., no, 1 1 1»
112, 117, 148, 149.
Johnson, General Albert Sidney, 114.
Johnson, Lieutenant R. D., 137.
Judd, Captain Samuel A., 152, 153, 165.
Kalloch, Corporal John L., 41.
Kalloch, Rev. Isaac S., 43, 44, 86, 88.
Kalloch, Joseph, 274, 282.
Kearny, General Philip, 106, 117, 118,
121, 122, 123, 127, 129, 133, 151, 155,
159, 161, 171, 174, 180, 182, 183, 200,
204, 208, 222, 277, 296.
Kelton, General J. C, 232.
Keyes, General E. D., Ill, 148, 149.
Kiggan, Corporal Patrick, 136.
Kimball, I. K., 13, 30.
Kimball, A. H., 13.
Kimball, Major G. W., Jr., 278.
King Solomon's Chapter, 281, 290, 291.
Kirby, Lieutenant, 63.
Ladue, Lieutenant Wm. \., 107, 136.
La Favour, Captain Heber, 137.
Lancaster, Colonel Francis A., 240.
Libby, Judge Artemus, 1 7.
Libby, Joseph C, 13.
Libby, Captain Arthur, 87.
Libby, Surgeon Abial, 93.
Libby Prison, 171.
Lincoln, Abraham, 50, 51, 97, 243,272,
273, 277.
Litchfield, Captain Julius B., 55, 56, 87,
209.
Litchfield, Benjamin, 80, 274.
Livingston, Captain, 224.
Longstreet, General James, 120, 1 21.
Lounsbury, Lieutenant-Colonel Wm. H.,
240.
Low, A. T., 274.
Magruder, General J. B., in.
Maguire, Captain James T., 136, 137.
Mahon, Adjutant R. II., 166.
Maine, 1st, 48.
Maine, 2d, 48, 70.
Maine, ^\, 27, 47, 48, 50, 52, 177, 181.
Maine, 7th, 273, 275, 279, 280.
310
MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Maine, loth, 273.
Maine, 17th, 211,216, 217,219,220,223,
224, 225, 227, 237.
Maine, 5th, 48, 52.
Maine, 4th, 31; at Rockland, 33; start
for the front, 37; at Boston, 40 ; Mrs.
Baker's generosity, 42; flag presenta-
tion at New York, 44; at Philadelphia,
45; march through Baltimore, 46;
Washington, 47; regimental band, 51;
Alexandria, 51 ; first prisoners, 56, at
Bull Run, 62-68; at Fort Ellsworth,
70; building earthworks, 75; recon-
naissance to the Accotink, 82; Bangor
Company arrives, 85; sword presented
to Berry, 100, 105, 169, 170, 171, 183,
184, 192, 206, 207, 227, 271, 277.
Malvern Hill, battle of, 183.
Marshall, Colonel Thomas II., 34, 80, 81.
Mason, Colonel Edwin C, 273.
Maryland, 3d, 264, 265, 266.
Massey, Lieutenant John, 137.
Massachusetts, 1st, 240, 259, 265.
Massachusetts, 5th, 59.
Massachusetts, nth, 240, 256.
Massachusetts, 16th, 240.
McAllister, Colonel Robert, 240, 262.
McClellan, General Geo. B., 70, 72, 75, 76,
77, 85, 102, 103, 107, 109, 112, 113,
116, 117, 119, 139, 141, 145, 148, 160,
171, 175, 180, 213, 229.
McCobb, Charles S., 93.
McCreery, Captain W. B., 137.
McDowell, General Irwin, 59, 60, 65, 70,
202.
McKeever, General Chauncey, 135, 158.
McLaughlen, Colonel Napoleon B., 240.
McLoon, Wm., 274.
Merrill, Lieutenant-Colonel Chas. B.,|226.
Merriam, Lieutenant-Colonel Waldo, 240.
Michigan, 2d, at Williamsburg, 135, 137;
at Fair Oaks, 152, 154, 155, 162, 164;
at Oak Grove, 176, 178; Seven Days'
Battles, 182, 184, 185, 187, 199, 211,
227.
Michigan, 3d, at Williamsburg, 135; at
Fair Oaks, 151, 153, 161, 162, 164; at
Oak Grove, 176, 178; Seven Days'
Battles, 181, 182, 184, 185, 187, 199; at
Fredericksburg, 220, 224, 225, 227.
Michigan, 5th, at Williamsburg, 124, 135,
137; at Fair Oaks, 152, 153, 159, 161,
162, 164; at Oak Grove, 177, 178;
Seven Days' Battles, 183, 185, 186,
187, 199; at Fredericksburg, 219, 220,
221, 224, 225, 227, 246.
Miller, Major Chas. A., 278.
Miner, Ab., 56.
Mitchell, Captain O. P., 30, 87, 274.
Moffitt, C. G., 274.
Morrill, Hon. Lot M., 90, 91, 203, 282.
Morrell, Hon. A. P., 90.
Morse, Captain W. R., 137.
Morse, Captain L. J., 279.
Mott, General Gershom, 240, 264, 267,268.
Mott's Brigade, at Chancellorsville, 256,
264, 266.
Murphy, Sergeant Lawrence, 136.
Naglee, General H. M., 150.
Neal, John, 292.
New Jersey, 5th, 240.
New Jersey, 6th, 240.
New Jersey, 7th, 240, 241.
New Jersey, 8th, 240.
New Jersey, nth, 240.
New Jersey, 1st, Battery B, 241.
New York, 1st, 170; at Oak Grove, 176,
177; Seven Days' Battles, 182, 185,
186, 187; at Fredericksburg, 220, 224,
225, 227.
New York, 1 st Light Artillery,BatteryD,240
New York Light Artillery,4th Battery, 240.
New York, 2d, 240.
New York, 24th, 183, 186, 187.
New York, 37th, at Williamsburg, 124,
135, 137; at Fair Oaks, 152, 154, 161,
165; at Oak Grove, 176, 177, 185, 186,
188, 199, 216; at Fredericksburg, 220,
222, 224, 225, 227; farewell address to
Berry, 236, 277.
INDEX.
311
New York, 38th, 71, 72.
New York, 39th, 101.
New York, 55th, 189, 216.
New York, 70th, 240.
New York, 71st, 240.
New York, 72c!, 240.
New York, 73d, 240.
New York, 74th, 240.
New York, 87th, 177, 178.
New York, ioist, 211; at Fredericksburg,
220, 224, 225, 227.
New York, 1 20th, 240.
New York, Sons and Daughters of Maine,
43-
New York Fire Zouaves, 53, 59.
Nickerson, General Frank S., 34, 52, 53,
85, 86.
Nichols, A. D., 80.
Nickerson, Lieutenant, 280.
Oak Grove, battle of, 176.
O'Beirne, Captain J. R., 136, 166.
O'Brien, Charles, 136.
O'Leary, Lieutenant Jeremiah, 137.
Osborn, Captain Thomas \V., 240, 259,
261, 265.
Osgood, Lieutenant-Colonel Henry L.,
279, 280.
Park, Colonel Sidney \V., 240.
Peach Orchard, battle of, 176.
Pennsylvania, 26th, 240, 256, 265.
Pennsylvania, 115th, 240.
Perry, O. H., 274.
Pierce, Major Byron R., 155, 165, 185.
Pierce, Captain Luther H., 287.
Pike, Hon. F. A., 201.
Pitcher, Major Wm. L., 85.
Pleasonton, General Alfred, 258.
Poe, General Orlando M., 106, 123, 136,
152, 201.
Poland, Captain J. S., 239, 259, 260, 266,
267, 295.
Portland Muster, 27.
Potter, Colonel Henry L., 240.
Pulford, Captain John, 186.
Ramsey, Colonel John, 240.
Ramsey, Senator Alexander, 286.
Redlan, George, 208.
Revere, General Joseph W., 240, 268.
Revere's Brigade, at Chancellorsville, 256,
258, 260, 264, 265, 266, 268.
Rice, Hon. Mr., 90, 91.
Rice, Judge Richard D., 282.
Richardson, General I. B., 107, 113, 236.
Richardson, Jesse, 274.
Roberts, Colonel Thomas A., 220, 236,237.
Robinson, General John C, 176, 178,
182, 185, 218.
Rockland Brass Band, 26, 29, 36, 37.
Rockland Muster, 26.
Rockland City < iuards, 23-30, 275.
Rockland Lodge of Masons, 281, 290,291.
Rusling, Captain James F., 240, 257, 264.
Rusling, Lieutenant Wm. J., 240.
Sawyer, Adjutant Charles F., 196, 208.
Scott, General Winfield, 50, 51, 56.
Scott Life Guards, 52.
Searsport Company, 4th Maine, 34, 47, 74.
Sedgwick, General John, 72, 79, 81, 82, 90.
Sedgwick, Wm. L)., 82, 85.
Seeley, Lieutenant Francis \\\, 240,256,264.
Seven Pines, battle of, 147, 169.
Seven Days' Battles, 175, 176.
Sewell, Colonel Wm. J., 240.
Sherman, General W. T., 61.
Sherlock, Captain E. T., 136.
Shook, Lieutenant E. H., 167.
Sickles, General Daniel E., 222, 241, 243,
259, 270, 294.
Sigel, General Franz, 248.
Simmons, Franklin, 290.
Singhi, John F., 51.
Smith, Captain Edwin M., ^, 91, 107,
134, 136, 141, 157, 158, 166, 168, 169.
Smith, Elkanah, 15, 16.
Smith, Noah, 25.
Smith, Lieutenant James, 137.
Snow, Albert D., 14.
Snow, Lieutenant Edward A., 30, 274.
Sparlock, J. A., 65.
Spear, Jonathan, 15, 16, 24, 274.
312
MAJOR-GENERAL HIRAM G. BERRY.
Spear, Harvey H., 18, 19.
Spear, Josiah C, 193.
Sprague, Edwin, 274.
Sprague, Alden, 274.
Squier, Captain Charles W., 240, 264.
Starbird, Geo. C, 65.
Staple-, Colonel H. G., 90, 129.
State of Maine Fire Co., 25.
Stanton, Edwin M., 286.
Stedman, Clarence Edmund, 204.
Stevens, Lieutenant-Colonel A. A., 153,
165, 166.
Stevens, Colonel Wm. O., 240.
Stetson, Major E. W., 278.
Stoneman, General George, 201, 211, 223,
224, 225.
Sturgis,Lieutenant Henry H., 107, 134, 136.
Sumner, General Edwin V., 117, 172.
Talbot, John C, 18.
Tallman, Captain James H., 107, 168.
Terry, Colonel H. G., 107, 123, 124, 135,
I52> 153. *55. l66-
Thayer, Major H. L., 138, 157, 167, 171,
206, 209.
Thayer, Mrs. H. L., 206.
Thorndike, George, 274.
Thompson's Battery, 182, 184, 185, 186.
Thurston, Philo, 274.
Tibbetts, H. G, 93.
Tilghman, Colonel Benj. C, 240, 256.
Tillotson, Lieutenant Wm. K., 137.
Tillson, General Davis, 23, 24, 26, 29.
Tillson, P. Henry, 64, 65.
Titcomb, General Wm. H., 23, 24, 28, 34,
37. 38. 65, 76, 274, 278, 290.
Tissot, Father Peter, 166, 226.
Todd, Captain, 83, 84.
Tolman, Lieutenant Orin P., 30.
Town, Asahel, 63, 65.
Tripp, Lieutenant-Colonel Porter D., 257.
Tucker, Captain R. H, Ji., 279.
Tyler, General, 60, 61.
United States Art., 1st, Battery H., 240.
United States Art., 4th, Battery K., 240.
Verrill, Captain Geo. W., 217.
Vermont, 2d, 53, 63.
Vose, S. P., 65.
Vose, Z. Pope, 283.
Wall, George E., 208.
Wallace, General Lew, 202.
Walker, Colonel Elijah, 12, 23, 34. 52, 53,
55. 58> 59, 63, 7L 87, 91. 99, KM, 103,
105, 114, 129, 168, 169, 170, 181, 184,
208, 209, 227.
Warren, Captain Henry, 275.
Ward, General J. H. Hobart, 71, 218,
219, 224.
Washington, Lieutenant, 149.
Washburn, Gov. Israel, Jr., 35, 98, 129,
130, 131, 282.
Washburn, Lieutenant I. Henry, 240, 271,
280, 295.
Webb, General Alex. S., 1 19.
Webster, Adjutant-General Sam'l U., 28.
Weeks, Leander, 290.
Westbrook, Lieutenant-Colonel Cornelius
D., 240.
West, Major Geo. W., 226.
White, George W., 274.
Whitcomb, Major E., 91.
Whitehouse, Captain Stephen C, 23, °4-
Whiting, S. K., 87, 93.
Wight, James, 274.
Wiggin, George S., 18, 19, 198, 274.
Wilcox, Colonel O. B., 53.
Wildes, Colonel A. W., 99.
Wilson, Wm., 274.
Wilson, Captain Geo. W., 167, 187, 191,
199, 226, 259.
Williams, Colonel Timothy, 274.
Williamsburg, battle of, 116.
Williams, Lieutenant-Colonel A. W., 123,
166.
Winterport Company, 4th Maine, 34, 36.
Winslow, Lieutenant Geo. B., 240.
Wiscasset Company, 4th Maine, 22, 34, 35.
Wiswell, Sergeant J. H, 86.
Wood, Charles F., 191, 192, 193.
Wortman, E. E., 290.
Yorktown, 111. li
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