History of Litchfield county, Connecticut, Part 17

Author: J.W. Lewis & Company (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1532

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HISTORY OF LITCHFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT.

armies upou Petersburg greatly tightened. At mid- night the brigade returned to camp, leaving a strong picket. The picket detail from our own regiment, which had been on duty all day in front of our own camp, had its share in the work and success of the day, occupying the rebel rifle-pits that night, and cap- turing more than their number in prisoners.

" The Fort Fisher picket was relieved about noon of the next day, and returned to camp. All hands were compelled to come out on inspection and dress parade that afternoon ; and immediately afterwards a detail of one hundred and fifty men relieved our regular pickets in front, who had been out since the morning before,-i.e., thirty-six hours. At midnight a working-party was also sent out to move forward our picket abatis to the new line. At three o'clock on the morning of the 27th, mounted Orderly Keith .came with orders to have the regiment fall in at four and stand by the breastworks. Lively firing was going on all along, but nothing momentons oc- curred, and at sunrise the line broke ranks and fell to cooking coffee.

"The experience of the regiment for the next six days cannot be set forth in a more readable manner than as it stands recorded in the spicy diary of Lieut. Homer S. Curtis, who became acting adjutant after the affair at Fort Fisher, although still retained as ordnance officer.

"March 27. Brisk skirmish and a charge just before light on Second Division picket-liue. Some movement near the lookout to-day that looked like n charge; but none came off. Picket firing all day. Our picket not relieved. Got four thousand E. B. cartridges from division ordnance officer. Charley Gusley rune the adjutant's department pretty mnch. Cupt. Woodman (A. A. A. G.) ordered detail of five officere and two hundred men for night fatigue. Battalion drill one hour P.M.

"March 28. Spring-like, hazy, fair. Fatigue detail came into camp at three A.M., and the entire force was called up and got under arme ot four. Some officere not very punctual. Tuttle, Fenn, etc., got rats from the colonel. We stood till sunrise, and returned to quarters. Very funny, especially for the boys that have not had any sleep in three nights. Plenty of ewearing. I went over to brigade guard-miount, end made a bull of it considerable. Johnny a very showy sergeant-major, but just a bit careless or so. l'arte of Sheridan's cavalry-Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Corps-moving by to the left. Good news. Occupation of Goldsboro' by Sherman, and junction of Terry, Schofield, and Sherman. Our luss on the 25th is found to have been five hundred ; rebel loss, six thousand.

" March 29. Orderly camo from brigade bendquarters at one A.M. with orders for detail of five officers and two hundred mien for reserve picket, and orders for regiment to be under arms from four o'clock till sunrise. I got up and made the details, and had just lain down when Maj. Feun came riding up and ordered the regiment out instanter. So we got out and stood in line until broad daylight. Capt. Redway, brigade officer of the day. Very quiet all along the lines through the day. Troops and traine moving to left all day. Geu. Mackenzie with his cavalry corps, two thousand strong, went by. Johnny Wheeler called at brigade hend- quartere. We were ordered and re-ordered to pack up and be all ready to move, but stayed the day out in camp finally. Tremendone cnouonade after tape, evening. We hustled ont into line double quick, stood an bour or so, then went in.

"March 30. Got out about five o'clock A.M., and stood io line about an hour, in a right smart rain. Post guard-mount. Swept out huttie, built fire, and took a doze. The adjutant's teut is a leaky old concern, and so cribbed up that one cannot move at all. Col. H. say's we are to make a charge at daylight.

" March 31. Rained all last night, and until ten A.M. Orders came at eleven o'clock last night to pack up everything, shelters and all, for a march. This was accomplished in a few minutes, and we stood ready to

form line some time, when Capt, Gordon came over to advise us that the movement was temporarily suspended, and that the men might lie down to sleep, but not unpack knapsacke. Got orders soon after for picket detail of four officers and one hundred and forty-eeven men. Also to form line at three o'clock A.M. We got out and stood shivering in the rain until day- light, when we went iu and put up canvas. Heavy firing on left all A.M. At two P.M. orders came to pack upeverything all ready for a move. We go this time, sure, to see what the racket is down on the left. Moved out as per order, formed line, stacked orme, unslung knapsacke, and went back to quarters to wait orders to move, and to draw rations. Waited patiently until retreat, until tattoo, and then got orders to take in gune and packa, and sleep in clothes, all convenient for getting out quickly. One thousand rumors around,-all lies, of course, except the une about the strengthening of the reb lines in our front. Stories of the Fifth Corps swinging across the S. S. R. road and occupying it, besides also threatening the reb, right flank. Bosh ! If there were anything in it we should have official despatches a plenty. Good-night.

. " April 1. Lovely day. We got out at threo o'clock A.M., and got up all the men. Sent one hundred and fifty out as picket reserve; formed line with the remaining three companies, but soon a staff-officer came over and ordered them out to the line. So every man but the guard went ont. Col. Hubbard had the camp patrolled for bummers, but got only a lean haul Companies returned atter sunrise. New picket went out at nine A.M.,-one hundred and fifty men under Lucas, Anderson, Hoyt, and Griswold. Smart firing in the morning on the left, but it soon died away, and it remained very quiet all the rest of the day. At two P.M. I rode out to new picket-line, which is one-half mile in advance of the old one. Fonud everything lovely,-boye gay, reha civil. Saw Rich- mond Sentinel of this morning,-exchanged by Feun of 'G' for Herald, -no news in it. We had a dress parade, and the day altogether has seemed like one of the old fort days, but it cannot last long, and even as I write the quartermaster hne orders to pack up all his stores.

" Ten o'clock P.M. Colonel has just had all the commandants of compa- nies up at his quartere, giving them instructions for the morrow. We are to move out by the left flank some time in the night, and form line near Fort Fisher, by brigades, in two lines. Our brigade is on the right of the corps, our regiment on the right of the brigade, in the front line. The whole army is to charge simultaneously at four o'clock in the morn- ing, and colouel says we are to take Petersburg. I am very hopeful.

" The events of the next twenty-four hours justified the hopefulness of Lieut. Curtis.

"On the 1st of April, Sheridan, with cavalry and infantry, won a great victory at Five Forks over the divisions of Pickett and Bushrod Johnson. Mr. Pol- lard tells us that on that occasion five thousand rebels, 'having got the idea that they were entrapped, threw down their arms and surrendered themselves as pris- oners.' Indeed, the rebels all along the line seemed about this time to have 'got the idea' badly; and Gen. Grant determined to strengthen their hold upon it by a shotted salute in honor of Sheridan's victory at Five Forks. It was about eleven o'clock on the evening of the 1st of April, and all quiet, when bang! went a gun from Fort Wadsworth. Heavy firing at a distance of three miles or more will not start soldiers from their bunks. Every shot may destroy a regiment or sink a ship : it will not destroy their repose. But Fort Wadsworth was too near camp,-only fifty paces off,-and the men were constrained to look out and see the cannonading of which that shot was the open- ing guu. Waterloo's opening roar and Hohenlinden's far flashes were but the work of pop-guns in compari- son with the artificial earthquakes that shook Peters- burg and its bristling environs, and the lightnings which came in such quick succession that the jaws of darkness were not able to devour them up. Mr. Pol- lard says of it,-

MILITARY HISTORY.

"' Oa the night of the 1st April, Grant celebrated the victory of Five Forks, and performed the prelude of what was yet to come by a fierce and continuous bombardment along his lines in front of Petersburg. Every piece of artillery in the thickly-studded forts, batteries, and mor- tar-beds joined in the prodigious clamor; reports, savagely, terrifically crashing through the narrow streets and lanes of Petersburg, echoed np- wards ; it appeared as if the fiends of air were engaged ia a sulphurous conflict.'

" At about midnight the regiment was ealled up and ordered to pack up everything. Knapsacks, however, were to be left behind ; and, to secure greater silence, canteens were to be worn on the right side. Six companies and a half fell in (the rest being on pieket), and proceeded to brigade headquarters, and thence to the neighborhood of Patrick's Station. All mounted officers were ordered to leave their horses inside the earthworks; and the division moved out in front, a little to the left of the lookout. A heavy pieket-fire was opened, under cover of which the lines were formed, three or four deep in all except our brigade, which had only two, although on the right of the division, and our regiment (of course) in the front line. The charge was expected to come off at four o'clock, but day began to dawn before the sig- nal-gun was fired. Skinner had command of the right wing of the battalion, Jones of the left wing, Hub- bard of the whole. The advance was made en echelon by brigades, with a great rush and yell, although a part of the First Brigade (the Jerseys) broke and ran in- gloriously. The advance was over precisely the same ground as on the 25th of March, and the firing came from the same battery and breastworks, although not quite so heavy. Lieut .- Col. Skinner and seven enlisted men were wounded,-none of them mortally.

" A shot, which, judging from the hole it made, was something smaller than a minic-ball, struck Skinner on the side, under the right arm, went through an overcoat, wadded blouse, and vest, pierced the skin and traveled seven inches on the ribs, then came out and sped on, and may have wounded another man, for aught that is known to the contrary. There was but little firing on our side, but with bayonets fixed the boys went in,-not in a very mathematical right line, but strongly and surely,-on, on, until the first line was carried. Then invigorated and greatly encour- aged by sueeess, they pressed on,-the opposing fire slaekening every moment,-on, on, through the nbatis and ditch, up the steep bank, over the parapet, into the rebel camp that had but just been deserted. Then, and there, the long-tried and ever-faithful soldiers of the Republic SAW DAYLIGHT! and such a shout as tore the concave of that morning sky it were worth dying to hear. On the ground where so long the rebels had formed and drilled their battalions our line was now reformed, and then pushed on, over the hills and far away, across a pike and past a telegraph, which was quickly cut, then on, until at length Col. Hubbard found himself and his half battalion alone on the Boydtown plank road. After cutting off and burning a small wagon-train loaded with medical

stores, we marched back to the rebel camp, where we found the remainder of our brigade holding the right of the captured line. The rest of the corps was in line two miles farther to the left, where it had some sharp fighting. Our skirmishers took several works and guns, but for want of support had to relinquish them, and the rebels, following up their slight advan- tage, turned the guns on us, making it very uneom- fortable for a few minutes,-our flank being quite uncovered,-when, suddenly, hurrah ! a column of reinforcements come over the hill by Fort Fisher. The rebels turn their guns in that direction, but to no purpose; for the Twenty-fourth Corps marches steadily forward, goes into line by regiments, ad- vanees a heavy skirmish-line, and then a superb line of battle, whereupon the enemy abandon their works and flee. This advance of the Twenty-fourth Corps was one of the most magnificent sights our soldiers ever saw: it drove the Rebellion before it as the hurricane drives dead leaves. Our men watched the charge until the line was a mile to the right, then moved inside of our own works and rested an hour.

" The corps followed the Second Corps,-all except our brigade, which was detached and ordered to re- port to Gen. Parke, commanding the Ninth Corps. We marched to the right, by the old eamp near War- ren's Station, and up the corduroy to the rear of Fort Hell, where a rest of an hour was made, in a fiercely hot sun. Then the brigade advanced through a covered way, past Fort Hlell, and out in front to the works that had been captured early that morning by Hartranft's division of the. Ninth Corps. There the men lay down in muddy trenches, among the dying and the dead, under a most murderous fire of sharp- shooters. There had been charges and counter- charges, but our troops held all they had gained. At length the hot day gave place to chilly night, and the extreme change brought much suffering. The men had lung awny whatever was flingawayable during the charge of the morning and the subsequent hot march,-as men always will under like circumstances, -and now they found themselves blanketless, stock- ingless, overcoatless, in coll and damp trenches, and compelled by the steady firing to lie still or adopt a horizontal, crawling mode of locomotion which did not admit of speed enough to quicken the circulation of the blood. Indeed, it was very cold. Some took the clothing from the dead and wrapped themselves in it; others, who were fortunate enough to procure spades, dug gopher holes and burrowed. At day- light, Col. Fiske and the Sixty-fifth New York clam- bered over the huge earthwork, took possession of Fort llell, opened a picket fire, and fired one of the guns in the fort, eliciting no reply. Just then a huge fire in the direction of the city, followed by several explosions, convinced our side that Lee's army had indeed left. The regiment was hastily got together, ninety muskets being all that could be produced, and sent out on picket to relieve the Two Hundredth

HISTORY OF LITCHFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT.

Pennsylvania. The pieket-line advanced, and, meet- ing with no resistance, pushed on into the city. What regiment was the first to enter the city is, and probably ever will be, a disputed question. The Second Connecticut claims to have been in first, but Col. Hubbard had ordered the colors to remain be- hind when the regiment went out on the skirmish line, and consequently the Stars and Stripes that first floated over captured Petersburg belonged to some other regiment. Col. Hubbard was, however, made provost-marshal of the city, and for a brief while dispensed government and law in that capacity. But city life was not conducive to good order and mili- tary discipline, and the brigade shortly moved out and marched gayly down to the old camp, four miles away. After remaining there two hours everything of a portable nature was packed up, a farewell leave taken of the camp near Warren's Station, and the line of march taken up due west. The brigade now furnished a striking illustration of the difference be- tween the marching and fighting strength of an army. It had come down from Petersburg to camp number- ing three hundred ; now nearly two thousand men, all of the Second Brigade, started in pursuit of the retreating Rebellion.

" And now came the day of the last fight for the Second Connecticut. It was the 6th of April, 1865. Reveille sounded at 4.30, and at 5.30 the lines were formed for an advance upon the enemy, who were in force immediately in front. The affair is thus de- scribed by Lieut. Curtis :

" After marching back two miles on the road by which we came on the previous evening, we halted for half an hour, and were then ordered back to the ground from which we had just come. We had just halted there, after a muddy, slippery march, and were mourning that Lee had outwitted and escaped us, when, hark! Firing in advance and to the right. All right. We'll have him yet. We moved on and struck the Danville Railroad at Amelia Court-House, marching alongside of it for two miles, and on it for a mile more, toward Burkesville. Here we met Johnny Wheeler, wounded, and Mackenzie and his cavalry. We struck off' west-northwest from the railroad and marched steadily forward, hour after hour, toward a distant cannonade. At four o'clock we began to over- take the cavalry, who reported everything going on well. We passed fifteen hundred prisoners just taken from Messrs. R. E. Lee & Co. The firing grew heavier and nearer, and at five o'clock we reached the cavalry battle-field of the morning. Although tired and 'played out,' there was no halt for us, but we moved forward into position, advancing beyond our batteries, which were playing a lively tune from a hill close by. When formed, the line was advanced-sometimes by · brigade front and sometimes by a flank, but always on, until we crossed Sailor's Creek* and came to a

halt under a steep bank, from the crest of which the rebels poured down a murderons fire. Two lines were formed, the Second Connecticut Volunteer Artillery and Sixty-fifth New York in the second line. Every- thing being ready, . Forward !' sounded along the whole line, and away we went up the hill, under a very hot fire. It was tough work to get over the crest, but at last we got the Johnnies started, and made good time after them. The Second Heavies captured Mahone's headquarters train and many pris- oners, besides one battle-flag. We were badly broken, but after running on for some distance were finally halted and reformed. Col. Hubbard and Maj. Jones came up in time to present us to Gens. Sheridan, Wright, Wheaton, and Hamblin, who all rode along to the front. We also advanced soon after, and found things in a promising condition. Gen. Ewell and staff and several thousand other prisoners had been taken, together with wagon-trains, guns, caissons, and small-arms without number. One of the prisoners told us that they had but three guns left. Our loss in the charge was seven wounded, three of them mor- tally,-viz., Emory W. Castle and Erastus W. Con- verse, of D, and Charles Griswold, of F. At ten o'clock we moved up a mile further to the front, and bivouacked for the night.

"When the long and firmly treading battalion of the Nineteenth Connectient moved from Camp Dutton to Litchfield Station, on the 15th of September, 1862, followed by hundreds of relatives and friends, none but God knew what was to be its history. We have now found out. The regiment has fonght its last bat- tle, and made up its Roll of Honor."

LEVERTTE WARD WESSELLS.

Leverette Ward Wessells, youngest son of Dr. Ash- bel and Grace (Ward) Wessells, was born in the town of Litchfield, Conn., July 28, 1819, where he contin- ued to reside till he was twenty years of age, receiving an academical education. In his twentieth year, in consequence of serious hemorrhages of the lungs, he went to Florida and remained two years with his brother, H. W. Wessells (then lieutenant Second U. S. Iufantry), during the progress of the Seminole war.

After his return to Litchfield he entered upon the study of medicine with Dr. John S. Wolcott, but was obliged to abandon it at the end of two years on ac- count of ill health. In 1842 he was appointed deputy sheriff, performing the duties of that office for nine years. Upon the death of Reuben M. Woodruff, in 1849, he was appointed postmaster of Litchfield, Conn., retaining that position during President Fill- more's administration.

In 1854 he was elected high sheriff of Litchfield County, and continued to hold the office by re-election for twelve consecutive years.

In 1862, at the earnest solicitation of Governor Buckingham, he organized the Nineteenth Regiment Connecticut Volunteers, or the Litchfield County

* A small tributary of the Appomattox.

- --

MILITARY HISTORY.

Regiment, as it was termed (afterwards known as the Second Heavy Artillery), and was commissioned colonel of the same July 28, 1862. The flower of the county was enrolled in the "Old Nineteenth," and no regiment achieved a more honorable record. In September, 1862, Col. Wessells was ordered to Alex- andria, Va., with his regiment, where it performed provost duty until the following winter, when it moved to Fort Worth and became a part of Gen. R. O. Tyler's brigade. In April, 1863, Col. Wessells assumed com- mand of the "Second Brigade, defenses south of the Potomac," occupying Forts Williams, Ellsworth, Lyon, and A, B, C, and D redoubts, in which he continued until the following September, when ill health obliged him to resign. In December of the same year he was sent to Virginia by Governor Buckingham to procure re-enlistments in the First Regiment Heavy Artillery, and on the 9th of Febru- ary, 1864, was appointed provost-marshal of the Fourth District of Connecticut, with headquarters at Bridgeport, where he remained until the close of the war, since which time he has been engaged in the drug business at Litchfield, Conn.

In 1868, Col. Wessells was nominated for treasurer on the State ticket, with Marshall Jewell as nominee for Governor. He was also tendered the nomination the following year, but declined it.

In politics he is a staunch Republican and as such represented Litchfield in the State Legislature in 1879, though the town was strongly Democratic. In January of the same year he was appointed quarter- master-general by Governor Andrews, and performed the duties of that office during his administration. He married Mary M. Parks, of Litchfield, Conn., November, 1840, and to them have been born two children, viz. : Grace, wife of Dr. Howard E. Gates, of Litchfield (they have one daughter, Annie IToward), and Harry Walton Wessells, a merchant of Litchfield.

ENGAGEMENTS.

The regiment participated in the following battles : North Anna, near Mechanicsville, Cold Harbor, Pe- tersburg, Winchester, Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek, Hatcher's Run, Fort Fisher, Petersburg, and Sailor's Creek.

The following is a list of the colonels who at differ- ent times had command of the regiment : Leverette W. Wessells, resigned Sept. 15, 1863; Elisha S. Kel- logg, killed at Cold Harbor, June 1, 1864; James Hubbard, declined commission ; Ranald S. Macken- zie, promoted brigadier-general Dec. 28, 1864; James .

Hubbard, brevet brigadier general, must. out Aug. 18, 1865.

CASUALTIES.

Killed in action, 134 ;* died of wounds, 100; died of disease, 152;t missing, 24; died in prison, 21 ; total, 431.

* The adjntant-general's report places the number nt one hundred and forty-three.

t Adjutant-general's report, one hundred and elghty-lx. 0

The regiment was mustered out Aug. 18, 1865, and on the 20th reached New Haven, "and passed up Chapel Street amid welcoming crowds of people, the clangor of bells, and a shower of rockets and red lights that made the field and staff horses prance with the belief that battle had come again. After par- taking of a bounteous entertainment prepared in the basement of the State-House, the regiment proceeded to Grapevine Point, where, September 5th, they re- ceived their pay and discharge, and the Second Con- necticut Heavy Artillery passed into history."

THE DEAD OF THIE REGIMENT.

FIELD AND STAFF.

Killed at Cold Harbor .- Col. Elishn S. Kellogg.

At Winchester .- Maj. James Q. Rice.

Al Fort Fisher .- Sergt .- Maj. E. Goodwin Osborne.

COMPANY A.

Killed at Cold Harbor .- Ist Sergt. Joseph P. Parks, Corp. Albert A. Jones, Corp. Benjamin Meeker, Lyman J. Smith, Jr., Robert Watt, Johu Iffand, Willard 11. Parmelee, Almon D. Bradley, Oliver Ilitch- cock, William Barton, William Brashing, George Everett, Stephen Fallen, Patrick Ryan, Robert Scull, Homer F. Tilford, James Brad- ley.

At Winchester .- Joseph Gardner.

Died ef Wounds Received at Cold Harbor .- Capt. Luman Wadhams, Corp. George Wilson Potter, Corp. Charles Adam, Jr., Corp. Apollos C. Morse, Andrew J. Brooker, Truman Mallory, George Savnge, Amos H. Stillson, Ranson E. Wood, John Benedict.

At Winchester .- Iloratio P. Bennett, Corp. Fraukliu M. Bunnell.

At Cedar Creek .- Corp. John L. Wilcox.

Died in Rebel Prisons .- David M. Candee, Benjamin II. Ruthbun.

Died of Disonse .- Wutson Parmelee, William S. Wilson, Henry MI. Miner, Nelbert P. Newberry, Corp. Joseph E. Coo, Norman L. Burber, Julius Winship, Edward F. Perkins, Lewis Ludington, Sylvester Lampson, Simeon W. Loud.

COMPANY B.

Killed at Cold Harbor .- Corp. Walter C. Sparks, Corp. Monroe Whlteman, Corp. Myron R. Sterry, Robert W. Bragg, Francis Burger, Daniel O. Page, Samuel V. Benedict, James Caul, John Handel, Ezra B. Mor- ris, Adam O'Strander, Franklin D. Stevens, John B. Stohl, George A. Skiff, Ellas P. Scott, Charles 11. Segur, Henry Voelker, Henry Wie- sing.

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History of Litchfield county, Connecticut, Part 17

Author: J.W. Lewis & Company (Philadelphia, Pa.) Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1532

Author: J.W. Lewis & Company (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1532