USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Woodbury > History of ancient Woodbury, Connecticut : from the first Indian dead in 1659 to 1872, Vol. II > Part 38
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73
" Early ! my God! without delay, We haste to scek thy face !"
1242
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
From this time till the date of the battle of Winchester, there was not much of incident that occurred in our regiment. There was drilling, reorganization, skirmishing, marching and counter- marching, Gen. Sheridan being now in command, till the 19th of September, when the bloody battle of Westchester was fought.
Adjutant Vaill's account is given entire :-
" At three o'clock on the morning of the 19th of September, the advance was in motion. Our brigade started from Clifton about daylight, and having struck the Berryville pike, moved five or six miles towards Winchester, and halted for an hour about two miles east of the Opequan, while the 19th Corps was crossing. The Cavalry had previously moved to secure all the crossings, and firing was now heard all along the front, and continually increas- ing. The 6th and 19th Corps, following Wilson's Cavalry, which fought the way, crossed at and near the pike bridge, our brigade wading the stream a few rods north of it. West of the creek, . the pike passed through a gorge over a mile long, from which the rebels had been driven by the cavalry. The 19th Corps and a por- tion of our own had moved through and formed a line of battle some distance beyond, under a heavy artillery fire, when our di- vision emerged from the gorge and filed to the left into a ravine that ran across the pike, where it was held in readiness as a re- serve. This was about half past nine. The fighting now waxed hotter, louder, nearer: nevertheless, some of the men found time, while their muskets were stacked in this ravine, to dig potatoes from a neighboring field. At length the enemy made a vigorous charge upon the center of the front line, at the point where the 3d Brigade of the 2d Division joined the left of the 19th Corps. The line broke, and retreated in complete disorder, each broken flank doubling and crowding back on itself, and making for the rear. The enemy pushed his advantage and came rolling into the breach. It was the critical moment of the day,-for if he had succeeded in permanently separating the two parts of the line, there would have been no possible escape from utter defeat for Sheridan's army. At this juncture Gen. Russell, who was watch- ing from the rise of ground just in front of the ravine, where his division lay, exclaimed, 'Look here! it is about time to do some- thing ! Upton, bring on your brigade.' The brigade was at once moved out of the ravine, passed through a narrow strip of woods, crossed the pike, halted for a moment in order to close and dress
1243
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
up compactly, then went at a double-quick by the right flank into the gap that had been made in the first line, and made a short halt, just in rear of a piece of woods out of which the remnants of the 2d and 3d Divisions were still retreating, and on the other side of which was the advancing line of Rodes' and Gordon's rebel divisions. The first fire that struck our brigade and regiment during the day, was while coming to this position. General Rus- sell was killed by a shell at the same time, having been previously wounded and refused to leave the field. It was this movement of our brigade that checked the enemy, until the lines were restored and the two or three thousand fugitives brought back. Some of our men began to fire, but were quickly ordered to desist. After a very few minutes the brigade was pushed forward, the left half of it being somewhat covered by woods, from which position it instantly opened a terrific fire, while the 2d Connecticut, which constituted the right half, passed to the right of the woods into an open field of uneven surface, and halted on a spot where the ground was depressed enough to afford a little protection, and only a little ; for several men were hit while getting there. In three minutes the regiment again advanced, passed over a knoll, lost several more men, and halted in another hollow spot sim- ilar to the first. The enemy's advance had now been pushed well back, and here a stay was made of perhaps two hours Colonel Mackenzie rode slowly back and forth along the rise of ground, in front of this position, in a very reckless manner, in plain sight and easy range of the enemy, who kept up a fire from a piece of woods in front, which elicited from him the remark, 'I guess these fellows will get tired of firing at me by and by' But the ground where the regiment lay was very slightly depressed, and although the shots missed Mackenzie, they killed and wounded a large number of both officers and men behind him. Lieut Candee merely raised himself from the ground on his elbow to look at his watch, but it was enough to bring his head in range of a sharp. shooter's ball, and he was instantly killed. About three o'clock, an advance of the whole line having been ordered by Sheridan, the regiment charged across the field, Mackenzie riding some ten rods ahead, holding his hat aloft on the point of his saber. The distance to the woods was at least a quarter of a mile, and was traversed under a fire that carried off its victims at nearly every step. The enemy abandoned the woods, however, as the regiment approached, in consequence of which the line obliqued to the left,
26
1244
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
and halted. Companies F and D were here detached and taken off to the right, on a small reconnoisance, but were soon brought back, and the regiment proceeded to the right of the woods and partly through them, and advanced to a rail fence which ran along the side of an extensive field. Here, for the first time during the whole of this bloody day, did the regiment have orders to fire ; and for ten minutes they had the privilege of pouring an effective fire into the rebels, who were thick in front. Then a flank move- ment was made along the fence to the right, followed by a direct advance of forty rods into the field. Here was the deadliest spot of the day. The enemy's artillery, on a rise of ground in front, plowed the field with canister and shells, and tore the ranks in a frightful manner. Major Rice was struck by a shell, his left arm torn off, and his body eut almost asunder. Major Skinnner was struck on the top of the head by a shell, knocked nearly a rod, with his face to the earth, and was carried to the rear insensible. General Upton had a good quarter pound of flesh taken out of his thigh by a shell, and was laid up for some weeks. Colonel Mackenzie's horse was cut in two by a solid shot, which just grazed the rider's leg, and let him down to the ground very abruptly. Several other officers were also struck : and from these instances, as well as from the appended list of casualties, some idea may be gained of the havoc among the enlisted men at this point. Although the regiment had been under fire and losing con- tinually, from the middle of the forenoon until now, it was almost sunset, yet the losses during ten minutes in this last field, were probably equal to those of all the rest of the day. It was doubt- less the spot referred to by the rebel historian, Pollard, when he says, ' Early's artillery was fought to the muzzle of the guns.' Mackenzie gave the order to move by the left flank, and a start was made; but there was no enduring such a fire, and the men ran back and lay down. Another attempt was soon made, and after passing a large oak tree a sheltered position was seenred. The next move was directly into the enemy's breastwork. They had just been driven from it by a cavalry charge from the right, and were in full retreat through the streets of Winchester; and some of their abandoned art llery, which had done so much dam- age, stood yet in position, hissing hot with action, with their mis- erable, rac-a-bone horses attached. The brigade, numbering less than half of the muskets it had in the morning, was now got into shape, and after marching to a field in the eastern edge
1245
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
of the city, bivonaced for the night, while the pursuit rolled miles away up the valley pike.
Roll call revealed the fact that the regiment had lost one hun- dred and thirty-six in killed and wounded,-fourteen of whom were officers. Company A, out of its entire list of officers and non-conmissioned officers, had left only Ist Sergeant Henry Wil- liams,-who had command of the Company during nearly the whole of the fight,-and two corporals. Company H had three noble officers killed, including Captain Frederick M. Berry, of whom Colonel Kellogg once said, that he was the most perfect officer, gentleman, and man, all things considered, in the regiment. Companies A, B, and E, suffered heavily, C and G still more ; and D, F, and I, most of all.
"But, unlike Cold Harbor or Petersburg, there was victory to show for this fearful outlay. And it was the first cup of palpable, unquestionable, unmistakable VICTORY that the 2d Connecticut, with all its marching and fighting, had ever tasted."
. In summing up his operations in the Valley, Sheridan after- wards adds :-
" At Winchester, for a moment, the contest was uncertain, but the gallant attack of General Upton's brigade of the 6th Corps, restored the line of battle. until the turning column of Crook, and Merritt's and Averill's divisions of cavalry; under Torbert, 'sent the enemy whirling through Winchester.""
On the morning of the 20th of September, the army moved rap- idly up the valley in pursuit of the enemy, who had continued his retreat, during the night, to Fisher's Hill, south of Strasburg, which Early considered the very Gibralter of the Valley.
Vaill thus describes the part taken by the 2d Conn. H. A. in this battle :--
" But Sheridan's report merely considers the affair as a whole ; and it will therefore be necessary for us to review it from a regi- mental stand-point. The regiment moved from bivonac near Winchester before daylight on the 20th, and by the middle of the afternoon, encamped just south of Cedar Creek, remaining until the afternoon of the next day, when it moved off to the right of the pike, taking a circuitous route through wooded ravines and over wooded hills, and at length came out upon open fields about
1246
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
a mile and a half west, or southwest of Strasburg. This was on the evening of the 21st. Here lines of battle were formed, and a stay was made of about two hours; after which the march was continued by the right flank, up a steep and winding hill-side, un- til midnight, when the regiment halted under arms until daylight, on the very top of a hill fully as high as Fisher's hill and sepa- rated from it by Tumbling River. The enemy's strong ho d was on the top of the opposite hill, directly across the stream. In the morning, breast works were commenced, part of the men building, while the rest remained in line of battle. Lively skirmishing was going on all day, and once or twice things were hastily put in readiness to meet an anticipated charge,-which, however, did not come. About three o'clock in the afternoon, orders were given to pitch tents,-but while the men were at it, a general advance was ordered. The regiment had but just commenced to move directly forward, when the rebels, (who knew every inch of the ground, and could tell where our lines ought to be, whether visi- ble or not,) began to drop shells into their new breastworks, and upon the very spot where they had begun to pitch tents. The regiment moved down the steep hill, waded the stream, and moved up the rocky front of the rebel Gibraltar. How they ever got up there is a mystery,-for the ascent of that rocky declivity would now seem an impossibility to an unburdened traveler, even though there were no deadly enemy at the top. But up they went, clinging to rocks and bushes. The main rebel breastwork, which they were so confident of holding, was about fifteen rods back from the top of the bluff, with brush piled in front of it. Just as the top was reached, the 8th Corps struck the enemy on the right, and their flight was very disordered and precipitate. The 2d Connecticut was the first regiment that reached and planted colors on the works from the direct front. After firing until the rebels were so far off that it was a waste of powder, the pursuit was resumed, and kept up all night ; although but little progress was made, on account of the blockade of the road, both by the pursuing army, and the property abandoned by the enemy."
It was supposed that this defeat would satisfy the rebel gov - ernment as to the prospects of success in the Shenandoah Valley,. and the 6th Corps started for Petersburgh again, but were now ordered to " right about," and encamped along the northern bank of a tributary of the Shenandoah, called CEDAR CREEK. Here
.
US
M.C. CURTIS DEL SC.
BATTLE OF CEDAR CREEK.
.
1247
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
they remained till the surprise and battle of Cedar Creek, which was, in many of its aspects, the most remarkable battle of the war, and in it the 2d C. H. A. was conspicuous, and among the brave men of that decisive day, none were more conspicuous than the men of Woodbury.
The battle was begun by the rebels, and was to us, in the first instance, a surprise and a defeat. Pollard, in his " History of the Lost Cause," says :-
"The surprise was complete. The 8th Corps was unable to - form a line of battle, and in five minutes was a herd of fugi- tives. Many of the men awoke only to find themselves prisoners. The 19th Corps were soon involved in the rout. The valorous Confederates pressed on, driving the whole Federal left and cen- ter, slaying many of the enemy in their camps, capturing eighteen pieces of artillery, fifteen hundred prisoners, small arms without number, wagons, camps, everything on the ground.
" The retreat of the army was now a general one, the 6th Corps doing what it could to cover it. At Middletown an attempt was made to form a line of battle; but the Confederates threatened a flank movement, got possession of the town, and put the enemy on what was supposed to be his final retreat to Winchester."
Greeley, in his " American Conflict," says :
"On our side, all was amazement and confusion ; on theirs, thorough wakefullness and perfect comprehension. In fifteen min- utes, the army of West Virginia was a flying mob; one battalion of its picket-line had lost 100 killed and wounded, and 700 pris- oners. The enemy, knowing every foot of ground as familiarly as their own door-yards, never stopped to reconnoiter or consider, but rushed on with incredible celerity." .
An extract from Adjutant Vaill's account of the part taken in this conflict, which was, in its results, the salvation of Washington, and perhaps the first turning-point in the war, follows :-
" The 2d Connecticut had its full share of the varied fortunes of that wondrous day. The number of the regiment present can- not be exactly ascertained, but was probably about 700, officers and men. Our losses in this battle were greater, in proportion to the number engaged, than in any other fight, not even excepting Cold Harbor.
1248
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
" On the day preceding this battle, by a recent law of Connec. tient, the soldiers had received commissioners to take their votes for President and Vice President of the United States, and had enjoyed what, under the circumstances, was a great Inxury to them. The Commissioners, enamored of army life, expressed re- gret that they could not see a battle before they returned to Con- necticut.
" Most of the regiment were up next morning long before Re- veille, and many had begun to cook their coffee, on account of that ominous popping and cracking which had been going on for half an hour off to the right. They did not exactly suppose it meant anything, but they had learned wisdom, by many a sudden march on an empty stomach, and did not propose to be caught mapping. The clatter on the right increased. The musket shots reverberated through the fog, and at last, 'Whang! ng-ng-ng went a piece of artillery. And then a smart cannonading, and more musketry. It began to be the wonder why no orders came. But suddenly every man seemed to lose interest in the right, and turned his inquiring eyes and ears to the left. Rapid volleys and a vague tumult told that there was trouble there. 'Fall in !' said Mackenzie. The 'Commissioners' looked wildly to the right, then toward the left, then turned pale, and then advanced vigo- rously toward the rear. Shoulder Arms! Battalion, left face! File left! March ! Double-Quick ! March !' The brigade moved briskly on toward the east, crossing the track of other troops and batteries of artillery, which were hurriedly swinging into position, while ambulances, orderlies, staff officers, camp fol- lowers, pack horses, cavalrymen, sutlers' wagons, hospital wagons and six-mule teams of every description came tumbling and gal- loping pell-mell toward the right and rear, and making off toward Winchester. It was not a hundred rods from our own camp to the place where we went into position, on a road running north. General Wright, the temporary commander of the army, bare- headed, and with blood trickling from his beard, sat on his horse near by, as if bewildered, or in a brown study. The 65th New York was on our left, and then came the 2d Division. The Ist Brigade, (Penrose's,) was on the right of ours, and then came the 3d Division. The ground was eleared in front of the road, and sloped off some thirty rods, to a stream, on the opposite side of which it rose for about an equal distance, to a piece of woods, in which the advance rebel line had already taken position. Truly
1249
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
does Pollard say that 'a heavy fog favored them' The newly risen sun, huge and bloody, was on their side in more senses than one. Our line faced directly to the east, and we could see nothing but that enormous disc, rising out of the fog, while they could see every man in our line, and could take good aim. The battalion lay down, and part of the men began to fire,-but the shape of the ground afforded little protection, and large numbers were kil- led and wounded. Four fifths of our loss for the entire day oc- curred during the time we lay here-which conld not have been over five minutes ;- by the end of which time the 2d Connecticut found itself in an isolated position, not unlike that of Cold Har- bor. 'Go and ask Penrose where he's going with the Brigade,'- said Colonel Mackenzie to the writer hereof. (The Jerseys had withdrawn from our right, and were moving across our rear to the left, with Penrose on foot, some distance ahead of his line.) ' Colonel Penrose! Mackenzie wants to know where you are go- ing with that Brigade.' 'I'm not going anywhere. I'm wound- ed !'-was the energetic reply,-which was carried to Colonel Mackenzie. Just then Lieut. Cleveland rode up on a keen jump, and said, 'Colonel Mackenzie! General Wheaton wants you to move directly to the rear by right of companies !' Mackenzie re- plied, 'My God ! I cannot! This line will break if I do.' 'Well,' said Cleveland, pointing to the left,-' there goes the 65th, and the Ist Brigade is gone.' A few seconds later, Mackenzie's horse, ' old Pop,' was struck square in the head, and after spinning around two or three times on his hind legs, went down-dead as a stone ; and the Colonel, who had previously got a shot through the heel went off over his head. The fog had now thinned away some- what, and a firm rebel line, with colors full high advanced, came rolling over a knoll just in front of our left, nor more than three hundred yards distant. 'Rise up! Retreat !' said Mackenzie, --- and the battalion began to move back. For a little distance the retreat was made in very good order, but it soon degenerated in_ to a rout. Men from a score of regiments were mixed up in flight, and the whole corps was scattered over acres and acres, with no more organization than a herd of Buffaloes. Some of the wound- ed were carried for a distance by their comrades who were at length compelled to leave them to their fate, in order to escape being shot.
" Abont a mile from the place where the retreat commenced, there was a road running directly across the valley. Here the
1250
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
troops were rallied, and a slight defence of rails thrown up. The regimental and brigade flags were set up as beacons, to direct each man how to steer through the mob, and in a very few minutes there was an effective line of battle established. A few round shot ricocheted over head, making about an eighth of a mile at a jump,-and a few grape were dropped into a ditch just behind our line, quickly clearing out some soldiers who had crawled in there; but this was the extent of the pursuit. Mackenzie and Hamblin now left for the hospital, to have their wounds dressed, and the whole brigade, (and a very small brigade it was !) was deployed as skirmishers, under Colonel Olcott, of the 121st New York. Three lines of skirmishers were formed, and each in turn consti- tuted the front line, while the other two passed through and halt- ed ; and so the retreat was continned for abont three miles, until a halt was made upon high ground, from which we could plainly see the Johnnies sauntering around on the very ground where we had slept.
" It must have been after noon when we left that position, and moved eastward through the wood, by Sheridan's order, to join the 2d Division, and meet the enemy. There has always been so much dispute as to whether Sheridan really had anything to do with the afternoon formations, that it is best to give his own tes- timony in the matter. He says :--
" At about 7 o'clock on the morning of the 19th October, an officer on picket at Winchester, reported artillery firing, but, sup- posing it resulted from a reconnoisance which had been ordered for this morning, I paid no attention to it, and was unconscions of the true condition of affairs until about nine o'clock, when, having ridden through the town of Winchester, the sound of the artil- lery made a battle unmistakable, and on reaching Mill Creek, one- half a mile south of Winchester, the head of the fugitives appear- ed in sight, trains and men coming to the rear with appalling rapidity.
"I immediately gave directions to halt, and park the trains at Mill Creek, and ordered the brigade at Winchester to stretch across the country, and stop all stragglers. Taking twenty. men from my escort, I pushed on to the front, leaving the balance, un- der General Forsyth, and Colonels Thom and Alexander, to do what they could in stemming the torrent of fugitives.
"I am happy to say that hundreds of the men, who on reflec-
1251 .
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
tion found that they had not done themselves justice, came back with cheers."
From a careful examination of all the accounts of this battle, the writer is convinced, that to the hurried return to the front, (after the repulse, and utter defeat of the morning,) and efficient generalship of Sheridan, was this glorious and decisive victory due. And this can be said without detracting from the praise due the brilliant deeds of the other glorious men who fought that day. There is an irresistible magnetism and fascination exerted over the men in the ranks, by the bravery and skillful daring of a loved, and trusted, and successful leader. Such is Sheridan.
In the quiet routine of civil life, we can little imagine what an electric and irresistible impulse would be given to brave men, who had voluntarily ceased to retreat, and were making a noble stand, to see a beloved leader, whom they supposed to be twenty miles away, riding in mad haste into their midst, with the cheer- ing and thrilling words, " Steady, Boys! You are going back to your old Camps! Charge bayonet! Forward, March !" Does any one doubt that some such inspiration as this turned the sad disaster of the early morning; into the glorious victory that proved the salvation of Washington ?
" About two o'clock we were posted, in two lines, in the south- western edge of a piece of woods, in front of which was an open, side hill field, at the top of which along a stone wall, was the rebel skirmish line, while the main line was not a great distance back of it. Their assault had already been made, and repulsed by the 19th Corps. About three o'clock, we could hear the cheering to the right, as Sheridan rode along the line,-but that personage did not get within sight of our regiment. By this time Hamblin and Mackenzie had returned to take part in the 'left half-wheel,' which had been ordered. The lines moved forward over the as- (cending ground, under a galling, but not very destructive fire from the rebel skirmishers, who soon gave up the stone wall to ns, and retreated to their main line. A square musketry fight was kept up for ten minutes, when the enemy left :- not, however, before inflicting considerable damage on us. Here Colonel Mackenzie was again struck by a solid shot or shell, which just grazed his shoulder. A remarkably large number of our officers were wound- ed at this point, but none fatally, nor even severely. (In the morn-
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.