USA > Connecticut > The "Twenty-seventh." A regimental history > Part 3
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But one of those strange events beyond man's power
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to avert disconcerts the whole plan. Instead of the roar of artillery, the unwelcome sound of rain salutes our cars the next morning, and continues for several days. Impassable roads, guus and pontoons fast in the mud, men toiling slowly along, or pulling at the boats, add a new page to the chapter of misfortune which had followed the noble Army of the Potomac. The rebels briefly summed up this last advance in these laconic words, " Burnside stuck in the mud !" which they im- pudently displayed from their picket-line, derisively in- quiring when the "auspicious moment " would arrive. The rainy season had now set in in good earnest, and the wearied troops returned to their camps to await the ad- vent of spring.
The progress of events had already foreshadowed a change of commanders, and on the twenty-ninth of Jan- uary general orders were read announcing that General Burnside had been relieved, and the accession of. Joe Hooker. The brief two months of Burnside's command had secured for him the sincere respect of the whole army. His honesty of purpose could not be impeached, and none felt more keenly than himself the ill success which had attended him. History, in summing up his campaign, will assign no small significance to the fact that Burnside did not receive the hearty cooperation of his subordinate commanders. He possessed an excessive self-distrust, and it was creditable to his candor to con- fess it; yet it is a question whether this distrust did not react unfavorably upon the officers and men of his command. Condemn it as we may, the 'boastful self-con- fillence of Hooker had no little influence in roinspiring the army with that self-reliance which forms an impor- tant item in the calculations of success.
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The advent of General Hooker was signalized by the abolition of the grand divisions, and a return to the sim- pler organization of Corps d'Armee. And what was of more consequence to the soldiers, an order was published . directing the issue of four rations of fresh bread and fresh beef, and two rations of potatoes per week, with an occasional supply of other vegetables. This measure went right to the hearts of the army, for it must be con- fessed, and it is nothing to their disgrace, that the hearts of soldiers are very near, if not actually in, their stom- achs. For an army is a great physical machine, expend- ing a vast amount of animal power, and requiring care- ful attention to its animal wants to secure the highest moral efficiency.
From the battle of Fredericksburg to Hooker's move in the spring of 1863, the Twenty-seventh was engaged in picket duty along the Rappahannock, whose banks are as familiar to the men almost as the walks of child- hood. Every other day, at seven in the morning, our quota of the division picket, equipped with blankets and one day's rations, formed in front of the Colonel's tent, and, after inspection, marched a mile to General Han- cock's headquarters to undergo another inspection, after which a march of two or three miles brought them to the line of the river. The fact that three fourths of the time it was either rainy, or snowing, or cold and blus- tering, will give some idea of the arduous character of picket duty. By mutual agreement, the custom of picket firing, so annoying and useless, was discontinued, and friendly intercourse was no uncommon event ; which latter practice, though harmless in itself, was yet so liable to make trouble that it was prohibited by special order. Frequently the rebels launched out on the river their
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diminutive craft, laden with tobacco and the latest Rich- inond papers, and bearing a note to "Gentlemen of the United States," requesting an interchange of commodities.
February twenty-second, we experienced the severest show-storm of the season. At noon, through the thick mit of snow-flakes, came the deep boom of cannon, swell- ing into a loud chorus, from the adjacent batteries, an- sered by the low, muffled murmur of the distant dis- charge. In every direction salutes were being fired in honor of Washington's birthday. The time and place gave additional interest to this demonstration of respect for the Father of his Country, for this region is inti- mately connected with his history. Here he lived, and here are his descendants to this day, while on the other side of the Rappahannock a simple tomb marks his mother's resting-place.
March fifth, General Hooker reviewed the Second Army Corps, on a large plain, near Hancock's headquar- tore. The corps was drawn up in nine lines by brigade, in all nearly fifteen thousand men. General Hooker and General Couch, the then corps commander, with their bril- liant and numerous staffs, rode rapidly up and down the several lines, while the men presented arms. Then tak- ing position in front, the brigades marched by in column by company. Nothing was more impressive than the sight of the many regiments reduced to a mere fragment of their former strength-a silently eloquent commentary upon the inscriptions on their banners.
The rapid advance of spring, and Hooker's known determination to move on the enemy at the earliest pos- -i'de moment, led to much speculation as to the plan of the new campaign. Before the close of March, intima- tions were thrown out that the army must expect soon to
1
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take the field. Daily balloon ascensions were made at several points on the river, in order to ascertain the po- sition of the rebels. As an illustration of "Fighting Joe's" cool assurance, it was currently reported that one day he sent his balloon directly over the city of Freder- icksburg, having previously notified the commandant that any molestation would meet with condign punish- ment from his batteries. The comparative nearness of our camp to the river afforded good opportunities for observing any change on the rebel side, and the proba- bility that we should have to cross in front of the city in any future movement, whetted our curiosity. The reb- els had been actively engaged all winter in strengthen- ing their position, and now dark lines of riffe-pits and earthworks frowned from the bluffs for miles up and down the banks, commanding every available crossing. As may well be imagined, the prospect was by no means inviting.
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CHAPTER V.
CHANCELLORSVILLE.
APRIL eighth, the Twenty-seventh participated in the grand review of the Army of the Potomac by Presi- dent Lincoln, preparatory to opening the spring campaign. Fifty or sixty thousand men were in line, and probably the army was never in better condition than at that time.
One week later, orders were received to supply the men with eight days' rations, five to be carried in their knapsacks, and three in their haversacks. Over- coats, dress coats, and everything which could pos- sibly be dispensed with, were to be turned in to the Quartermaster. Each day company inspections were held, to see that the men were prepared as the orders directed. About this time the regiment was transferred to the Fourth Brigade, under the command of Colonel J. R. Brooke, of the Fifty-third Pennsylvania. A storm of two days'. duration postponed the forward move- ment a short time, but by the twenty-seventh of the month the weather became tolerably settled, and now began a campaign which it was fondly hoped would re- sult in the capture of Richmond. In the morning we sent out an additional picket of over three hundred men,
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leaving hardly a corporal's guard in camp. All day artillery and cavalry, pack-mules and wagon-trains, were passing camp, on their way to the right. Late in the evening, orders came to strike tents, pack up as quietly as possible, and report on the division parade at day- break. Our pickets returned at two o'clock the next morning. The camp was now full of bustling prepa- ration. The huts all illuminated ; the eager hum of voices ; men hurrying to and fro; the decided tones of command, combined to form a scene of excitement no- where found but in the army. At daybreak the regi- ment fell in, and bade farewell to the dismantled camp, to enter upon an experience none of us had ever contem- plated as likely to fall to our lot.
Camp near Falmouth will linger vividly in memory, when other more startling scenes of army life have faded into oblivion. Our four months' residence witnessed a complete change in the face of the country. A few stumps, or a solitary tree, were all that was left of the forests which, four months before, waved over a hundred square miles of territory. Here and there a house, tenantless, fenceless, and dingy, or a blackened ruin, with only a bare chimney standing, loomed above the naked landscape, a picture of complete desolation.
The division having assembled near General Hancock's headquarters, began the march for United States Ford, at seven in the morning. We passed many deserted encampments, whose late occupants, like ourselves, were on the move. Instead of following the direct course of the river up to the Ford, which was 'only ten miles above Falmouth, we pursued a very circuitous route, and, after an easy march, halted in a strip of woods, where we encamped for the night. The next day, at
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evening, we had just pitched our tents and built fires, and were in the act of making coffee, and frying a bit of pork or beef, when the order came for the Twenty- seventh to fall in with all possible dispatch. Suppers were thrust into haversacks, without much regard to order, and in a few moments the regiment marched off about a mile, to picket in the woods. This duty occu- pied us until the next afternoon, when we were relieved, and hastened on to overtake the rest of the brigade, which had already broken camp. During the night previous a light fall of rain took place, just enough, however, to put the roads in bad condition. All along the route, pioneers were thrown out in advance, to cor- duroy the worst places for the passage of the trains. As far as the eye could reach, a continuous line of army wagons filled the road, urging their way forward with the greatest difficulty. The woods on either hand rang with the sharp crack of the teamsters' whips, and simul- tanconsly a chorus of wild shouts burst from the driver and the men pushing at the wheels, while high above the din rose shrill cries, resembling the notes of the screech-owl. Then, with a quick, jerking jump, the nimble mules landed the team in the next rut, to await the reception of the same magical sounds.
Advancing to within a short distance of the Ford, the corps halted to await the completion of the preparations for crossing. The sun now burst forth from the canopy of clouds as if in glad sympathy with the exhilaration which pervaded all hearts in consequence of the en- couraging news from the front. A dispatch from Gen- etal Hooker announced that the success of the Fifth. Eleventh, and Twelfth Corps was all that could be desired, and that the rebels were retiring. These corps
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broke camp early on Monday morning, April twenty- seventh, and took the route to Kelly's Ford, twenty- five miles above Fredericksburg. The pontoons were laid and a crossing effected on the following day, with very little opposition, and the troops pushed forward rapidly to Germania Ford, on the Rapidan, for the purpose of concentrating at Chancellorsville. General Stoneman, with his cavalry, crossed on Wednesday, to enter upon the grand raid which the Richmond Ex- aminer characterized as the "most audacious enterprise of the war." The diversion from Germania cansed the rebels to evacuate their works in front of the United States Ford, so that no molestation was offered when the pontoons were laid for the passage of the Second Corps. Late in the afternoon of April thirtieth, we moved rapidly down the abrupt, woody bank, and once more set foot on the south side of the Rappahannock. A line of well-constructed riffe-pits, with more elaborate works for cannon, at intervals of several hundred yards, commanded the crossing. In their hasty retreat the rebels left behind two pieces of artillery spiked. Only a few miles now separated us from the scene of opera- tions, and after marching through woods, and over muddy roads, rendered infinitely worse by the constant passage of troops, we bivouacked for the night a short distance from the Chancellor House, a large brick man- sion, so called from its occupant, V. Chancellor. This resi- dence was situated about five miles from United States Ford, and about ten miles southwest of Fredericksburg, at the junction of the plank road to Gordonsville and the Orange County turnpike. A shapeless mass of ruins is all that now remains of what gave name to one of the most remarkable battles of the war.
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Save an occasional discharge of cannon, the forenoon of May first was spent in comparative quiet, neither party seeming disposed to inaugurate the conflict. Movements, however, were in progress with a view to ascertain the enemy's position. In the afternoon the Twenty-seventh participated in a recounoissance for this purpose, which came very near proving an affair of no little importance. Leaving our bivouack in the woods, we advanced down the road by the Chancellor House, and ascending a gentle elevation, turned aside into an open lot on the left, near a small dwelling, afterward occupied by General Lee as his headquarters. Here a section of artillery was exchanging compliments in a lively manner with a rebel battery, a short distance up the road. Several companies were immediately de- Moved as skirmishers, with the remainder as a support, and advanced through the woods to feel the enemy's position, and develop his strength. Suddenly the artil- Jery limbered up, the skirmishers were called in, and the reconnoitering force retired to the rear at double-quick. This movement was rendered necessary by an advance of the enemy, seriously threatening our right flank; but they were foiled in the attempt, and fell back before a stub- born fire of musketry and artillery. For a few moments we remained in line of battle in the open ground near the Chancellor House, then, moving down the road a short distance, deployed through the thick and tangled woods on the left. Appearances indicated that the rebels were about to charge down from the ridge from which we had just retired, but they contented themselves with Telling us furiously with their batteries. Long before the cannonade ceased, the mellow twilight of a May evening had passed into the darkness of night, adding
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to the fearful sublimity of the scene, as the rebel guns woke the sleeping forest echoes, and shells careered wildly through the air, and crashed among the trees. Quietly resting on the ground, we wait for the iron storm to pass. No sooner has the last shell swept over our heads and burst into numberless fragments, than we enter upon the night's work, of intrenching our position against the anticipated attack of the morrow. The rebels were apparently engaged in similar work just across the ravine. It was a busy and exciting scene along the lines of the army that night. The rapid strokes of axe- men, followed by the dull sound of falling trees, rang through the woods in every direction. Details of men were at hand to put the logs in position, while others dug a trench in the rear, and heaped the soil upon them. `For some distance in front of the breastworks, trees were cut down for the purpose of obstructing the enemy's advance. After the completion of our intrenchments, we rested under arms, and at daybreak, May second, as silently as possible, marched out into the road, and past the Chancellor House, and took a new position in Hooker's line of battle. The rebels soon entered the place we had just left, which, however, was of very little value to them, and could easily be reoccupied when circumstances required. We spent the forenoon in building breastworks, while on the other parts of the line there was much skirmishing, and several sharp fights. At intervals during the day the enemy opened upon us with shot and shell, discovering our position by the smoke curling above the trees from the camp fires. At noon, when rations were being dealt ont to the com- panies, the rebel gunners, doubtless tantalized by the
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lisplay, seemed determined to involve commissaries and rations in one common ruin.
Several days had now passed in the usual prelimi- naries to a battle. Hooker had succeeded in drawing the main force of the rebels from their works in the rear of Fredericksburg, and was himself well intrenched in the dense woods skirting the plank road, and most ap- propriately called the Wilderness. The line of battle of the Union forces formed a broad wedge, whose base rested on the Rappahannock, the apex terminating at the extreme front beyond the Chancellor House. The Eleventh Corps held the extreme right, and next in order were the Third, Twelfth, and Second, while the Fifth occupied the left.
Lee is said to have issued orders to his troops to break this line at all hazards. A brief calm followed the des- ultory movements of the day. The men stood in their places behind the breastworks, gazing into the woods in front, eagerly listening to hear the first sound which should tell where the rebel blow would strike. . At four o'clock in the afternoon, the enemy advanced in heavy Force down the plank road, and began the attack in the neighborhood of the intrenchments we had thrown up the night before. The rapid fire of musketry on our right indicated a serious attempt to pierce the centre of the Union line. Under cover of this movement, the in- domitable Jackson advanced his hordes through the woods, and hurled their solid array on Hooker's right wing, directly in rear of our present position. Let the Eleventh Corps stand firm, and victory will rest on our biners ere the close of day. The current history of the hour tells us how the crisis was met. But more expres- sive than history itself was the wild shout of triumph
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that burst from one end of the rebel line to the other, as it swept over the earthworks, and saw the panic-stricken corps dashing madly to the rear. Who can describe the almost breathless interest with which we listened to the fluctuations of the conflict ? Now the avalanche of the enemy is stayed a moment in its course ; then nearer and nearer approaches the sound of battle, and it seems as if' the next instant the foe will dash. in upon our rear. A portion of the Second Corps hurries away to the scene of strife, and General Hancock, every nerve strung to the highest pitch of excitement, rides up to inform the Colonel that probably we should not be called into action, but were to hold our position, and that in case of necessity we could fight on either side of our breast- works, plainly pointing to the possibility that the enemy may attack in the rear. Through the woods behind us we can see batteries of artillery rushing into position . near Hooker's headquarters, and in a few moments the forest trembles with the terrific cannonade, vying with the thunders of heaven in the compass of its sound. In the distance the deep, prolonged boom of a hundred- pounder swells the bass notes of the chorus. Double- shotted with grape and canister, the field-pieces sweep the rebel line with murderous effect. At length dark- ness put an end to this sublime exhibition of human power. The frightened whippoorwills ceased their plaintive eries ; the quiet moon rose over the bloody field, and Nature sank into a silence fairly oppressive. We remained under arms most of the night, frequently changing our position as the emergency required.
At eleven o'clock occurred one of those episodes of warfare which, in startling grandeur and terrible mag- uificence, well-nigh border on the supernatural. The
.
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forces of Hooker and Lec were resting on their arms, renewing their energies with an hour of broken slum- ber, and ready to rush to battle at the first flash of dawn. The air was perfectly still and serene, transmit- ting the rays of the moon with unusual brilliancy. Scarcely a sound disturbed the painful silence of the almost interminable woods. All at once the artillery, massed on the ridge hardly half a mile behind us, with one tremendous crash poured in its fire upon the enemy's position, covering the charge of a division of infantry. The thunder of musketry and artillery reverberated through the forest with an effect inconceivable grand.
At the earliest moment on Sabbath morning, May third, the battle was renewed, but apparently with less vigor than on the preceding day, and yet, as brigade after brigade became engaged, and the almost unexam- pled roar of musketry rolled along the line, it was evi- dent that the enemy were about to follow up, with even greater desperation, the advantage already gained. Im- mediately after breakfast, the Twenty-seventh, with the exception of two companies-D and F, engaged in other duty-was ordered down into the intrenchments we had thrown up, near the apex of the wedge, the Friday night previous. These works now formed a part of the picket- line of the army, and from the nature of the position and its relation to the movements of the enemy, a large force was required in order to hold it. As is usual in such cases, when a picket in force is ordered, the colors did not accompany the column. As the regiment advanced, at double-quick, down the hill into the ravine, it was met by a heavy fire of musketry. A number were wounded. suul several shot through the head, just as they entered the breastworks. One or two regiments whose ammu-
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nition was exhausted, were gradually drawn off in small squads. Not succeeding in their first attempt, the rebels made no further attack in force upon our part of the line, but, concealed in the thick woods, continually annoyed us with a scattering fire. The meu replied as they had opportunity, and with considerable effect, as the rebels themselves afterward acknowledged. Colonel Bostwick was particularly noticeable for the almost reckless ex- posure of himself to the enemy's fire, while attending to his duties at different points in the line. Lieutenant- Colonel Merwin reminded him several times of the great danger he incurred, as he stood on a slightly rising ground to the rear of the rifle-pits, a conspicuous object for some rebel bullet.
While the conflict was culminating in other parts of the field, the enemy in our immediate front were not so idle as appearances indicated. Looking through the woods, we could indistinctly see a large body of infantry making a wide circuit to the right, seemingly with a view to attack some remote part of the line. A similar movement took place also to the left. "Look out on the right !" " Look out on the left!" passed up and down the line, and every man was on the alert, ready to meet them should they attempt to carry our intrenehments.
Suddenly, from unseen batteries behind us, comes a deep roar, and the next moment shell after shell shrieks through the trees and bursts almost in the rifle-pits. The thought flashes upon us that the rebels are in our rear, but is dismissed with the reflection that it is only a Union battery firing too low, and will soon correct its false range. Meanwhile our little band had been reduced to less than four hundred men, embracing two hundred and seventy of the Twenty-seventh, with small portions of
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the One Hundred and Forty-fifth Pennsylvania and Sec- ond Delaware; and this force being entirely inadequate to hold the extended line, Colonel Bostwick dispatched Major Coburn to General Hancock for reinforcements. In a few moments the shelling ceased, and far up the road in front appeared a rebel officer waving a flag of truce, and slowly advancing, waiting for a recognition. The men stopped firing in the immediate vicinity of the road, while for a moment the musketry became more brisk on the left flank. At length the rebel officer arrived within a few paces of the works, where he was halted, to await the presence of Colonel Morris, of the Sixty-sixth New- York, commanding the whole line. This officer was not to be found, and the responsibility of receiving the com- munication from the flag of truce devolved upon Colonel Bostwick, of the Twenty-seventh. The rebel-a tall, rough specimen, and yet with the manner of a gentle- man -- announced himself as Lieutenant Bailey, of : Georgia regiment; that he had been sent to inform us that we were entirely surrounded ; that there was no pos- sible avenue of escape, and therefore he summoned us to surrender, and thus avoid the loss of life which would inevitably follow any resistance to the overwhelming force in front and rear. The Colonel replied that he did not "see" it, and proceeded to investigate the actual state of affairs. Meanwhile Lieutenant-Colonel Merwin went up through the woods in the rear only to find it too true that the rebels were posted in strong force, to bar any escape in that direction. Masses of the enemy pour- ing in on the right and left, revealed at once the desper- ate position in which we were placed, while the singing bullets from the woods behind as well as in front, indi- cated that the foe were closing in upon us. The first
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