USA > Connecticut > The story of the Twenty-first Regiment, Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, during the Civil War. 1861-1865 > Part 9
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Thus each soldier strove to make his own abode as con- venient as possible. Yet we found the work on the fort somewhat burdensome. Shoveling was not just to the taste of very many of the men. While the farmers and laborers . among us were more or less accustomed to the use of the shovel, yet there were very many of other occupations, to whom it was a new implement of labor. However, the daily detail was made and the men alphabetically assigned to work on the fort without regard to individual preferences. Being somewhat removed from other regiments, we had to keep a strong guard and picket-force around the camp, for no one knew when the threatening army from the Blackwater would appear, neither did we know the point he might choose to attack.
The following experience of an officer in command of the picket may reveal something of what, at times, had to be endured : " Yesterday I was officer of the picket
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again. During the day it was cold and cloudy, and at night it commenced snowing very hard. My headquarters were with the reserve, numbering a dozen men, stationed about a quarter of a mile from camp. Along the line we guarded we had six picket-stations. We had gathered around the fire as best we could, and, with overcoats buttoned up to our chins, strove to keep comfortable. Some of the outer stations were not allowed to have fires. During the night till twelve o'clock the storm continued with no cessa- tion, then held up a little, and by daylight ceased altogether. Of course no one could sleep. The orders of the picket were to halt everyone approaching, and if at second command to halt, the one challenged does not stop, then fire. Under such circumstances visiting the picket is interesting work." With the excessive labor laid upon us, drill and dress parade were altogether suspended.
After a week's work on the fort, the work was pushed for- ward with increased energy, and three companies of the Thir- teenth New Hampshire Regiment relieved us of picket duty. One hundred and fifty men per day were kept at work on the fort, sometimes as late as nine o'clock at night. Evidently there was some anxiety to complete the task. Meanwhile, Lieutenant-Colonel Burpee returned to the regiment, much to the satisfaction of all the men. The stormy weather gave place to pleasant days, and as the men were off duty, they could be seen at work, adding to the comforts of their abodes or enjoying the improvements already made. There was a spirit of contentment in anticipation of the coming summer, to be spent on the banks of the Nansemond.
To afford means for meeting our wants, the always-welcome paymaster arrived and left with each man four. months' pay, being full payment up to the last of February. With the money just received, with comfortable quarters, and in antici - pation of a long stay, some of the officers sent for their wives. " I wish you could see what a delightful place we have," writes one, " I am sure you would be pleased with it." But,
.
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The Siege of Suffolk.
alas ! two hours after the above sentence was written, the long-roll sounded, and in early evening of April 11th, the regiment hastily left the camp with the fruits of all their labor, the half-finished fort, and hastened back to the camp they had left eleven days before. The enemy have appeared in heavy force upon both our flanks.
General Longstreet had not been idle. In order to weaken the forces at Suffolk, the real place of attack, he had directed Hill, in North Carolina, to threaten Newbern and Little Washington. This had been done so effectually, that Gen- eral Foster, in command in North Carolina, had become alarmed and called for re-enforcements. As there was no immediate prospect of an attack at Suffolk, one entire brigade of our division had been ordered to respond. But, just as they were embarked on the cars for Portsmouth, news was received from General Vielle, of the latter place, to the effect that Longstreet was on the point of marching against Suffolk with all his force at once. This information, received April 8th, only three days before his arrival, was taken from a Confederate emissary. Of course the order was counter- manded and the brigade remained with us during the siege. Three days after this, Longstreet arrived, expecting, perhaps, to find our forces weakened because of the aid sent to North Carolina. It was no small army that he brought against us, consisting of thirty thousand men in four divisions. But he found Suffolk well protected and any surprise was impossible.
Says the Compte de Paris: "Suffolk formed a vast en- trenched camp, consisting of redoubts and lunettes, connected by a continuous belt of about ten miles in length. Notwith- standing its extent, the belt was easily defended, about six miles of it being protected by water-courses. At the north it was bordered by the deep waters of the Nansemond, at the west by a considerable tributary flowing from the right side of the river, at the northeast by a large stream called Jericho Creek. At the southeast the belt had been extended beyond this stream in order to command the isthmus that separated it
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from Dismal Swamp. * The defenders of the place were fully prepared; they had at their head a chieftain and some leaders whose intelligence and activity compensated for their small numbers. On the one side there were from nine to fourteen thousand matched against from thirty to forty thousand on the other."
While we were thus behind our breastworks, awaiting his coming, Longstreet, with his large force, reached Suffolk two days after we left the camp where we were building Fort Connecticut. With two divisions on each side of the Nanse- mond he hoped to take the place by a sudden attack, but found that any surprise was impossible, for General Peck was well informed of his movements. Then his plan was to cross the river and attack from the north. With the two divisions of French and Hood on the north side, he matured his plans for crossing. But just here he found an unexpected obstacle in the gun-boats, six of which were above Hill's Point and two below, soon to be re-enforced with four others from Norfolk. To clear the river of these boats, Longstreet planted many guns along the left bank, and as the flotilla guarding the river was approaching the lower Nansemond, the concealed battery of the enemy opened upon them, doing much damage.
The defense of our line along the river was intrusted to General Getty in command of our division, who now comes to the aid of the navy. The battery at Hill's Point must be silenced. To accomplish this General Getty, with three hundred picked men from the Eighty-ninth New York and Eighth Connecticut, being conveyed by gun-boats on the evening of the nineteenth, landed near the battery, and before the enemy were aware of what was going on they found our men in their works. One hundred and sixty-one rebels were captured with five guns. A strong detachment of our men was left in the redoubt, the capture of which cost us only four killed and ten wounded. The river now seemed secure for our gun-boats, and Longstreet began preparations for a sicge,
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The Siege of Suffolk.
while he awaited the coming of General Hill from North Carolina with re-enforcements.
Meanwhile there was for us a period of close watching and arduous picket-duty. To many of us there was little appre- ciation of our real danger. One poor soldier wrote home : " To-day the orders were about the same as before, but I do not see anything of the enemy. If they are going to attack us I wish they would do it. I am inclined to think it is only a scare, and that the general commanding is more frightened than hurt." Perhaps this feeling was shared by very many in the regiment, and General Peck, an efficient officer, suffered, in our estimation, as being unnecessarily particular and cautious.
Our position after leaving Fort Connecticut till we went on the Chuckatuck raid may be learned from the report of Lieutenant-Colonel Burpee. "We remained in support of the Irish legion on the Edenton road until Tuesday, the four- teenth. On the fifteenth, in accordance with orders from Colonel Dutton commanding the brigade, I moved the regi- ment to occupy and strengthen that portion of the line of defense on the opposite side of the town, extending from Fort Jericho on the right to Battery Onondagna on the left. We remained on this line until the twentieth. On the twenty-first we were ordered to relieve the Thirteenth New Hampshire Volunteers on the line of pickets extending along the river from the mouth of Jericho creek on the left, to Battery Morris on the right, throwing one company over the island in front of and to the right of that battery. This line the regiment de- fended until Saturday evening, May 2d, and during that time there was much firing between our pickets and those of our enemy, but the only casualty to this regiment was one man wounded."
During this time our duties were wholly confined to picket- duty ; dress parade was held only once during the entire month. The wives of the officers who had reached Norfolk, in anticipation of a peaceful sojourn at Fort Connecticut,
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returned without having seen the regiment. We were heavily re-enforced, so that we had over twenty thousand men. Among those who came to our aid was the Twenty-second Connecticut, nine months' men. In this regiment were not a few well known to our own men, and camp courtesies were cordially interchanged.
On April 21st, Generals Halleck and Dix visited Suffolk and the surrounding works. While on picket duty on the Nan- semond below Jericho creek, which was continued with but little interruption, there was at the first, frequent picket firing. The following is from a diary : " April 25th. Have to work nights digging rifle pits ; cannot work in the daytime, rebel. bullets too thick humming by our cars. April 26th, Sunday. No firing on either side. April 27th. Last night the rebels dug some new pits, and this morning opened on us. We kept low. E. D. W. wounded in the shoulder. April 29th. Rebels opened on us from across the river ; bullets humming in the air, and we giving them as good as they send." After awhile this ceased by mutual consent. While the firing was kept up, hardly any of the enemy were to be seen, and if we caught sight of one, he dodged promptly behind some tree. After the firing ceased we could see them in great numbers.
They came down to the bank of the river and freely con- versed with our men on friendly terms. They say they would like to hang both Jeff Davis and Abe Lincoln and then close the war. In their estimation the war is continued by the officers and " big men." For themselves, they are sick of it. Some more venturesome than the rest cross the river on a raft and exchange their tobacco for our coffee.
When opportunity offered on picket duty, there was very general courtesy manifested between the opposing lines. Sometimes unlooked-for developments occurred.
The " Johnnies " across the little river were too well pro- tected or at too great a distance to be in much danger from our bullets, so even the pastime of shooting at them was
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denied us, and after various expedients to improve the situ- ation, the time still hung heavy.
One morning a few of the members of Company I resolved that, inasmuch as they could not get near enough to the rebels to shoot them, they would make their acquaintance in another manner, and a plan was matured to hold a " council of war " through a rank and file flag of truce. The inevitable handkerchief on a stick was quickly prepared, and from behind a protected spot at the extremity of the point of wood- land that extended into the swamp between us and the enemy, it waved for a few moments and was answered by the rebels in a similar manner. The veterans from both armies promptly stepped out from "cover " and advanced with that confidence which has always distinguished the American soldier, that the little emblem of peace was a pro- tector, and that the truce would not be broken by either friend or foe.
It was a long stretch of swamp that the six or eight men of Company I had to pick their way over before arriving at the margin of the narrow Nansemond, that divided the two squads, but they got there, and speeches were imme- diately in order.
" Billy " Patterson (who does not remember " Billy," with his fund of stories and songs and rich Irish wit) was loaded for the rebels, and he was soon giving Yankee taffy to the dozen graybacks from the Twenty-ninth Alabama, who had leisurely come down from behind their earthworks to meet us.
In the midst of the talk and advice given and received, a shell from our own Fort Connecticut, just around the bend of the river, burst so near that the fragments made anything but sweet music as they clipped through the air about us and resulted in an immediate adjournment of the " private " coun- cil of war.
The boys from the Twenty-first, not knowing at first where the shell came from, supposed the rebels had broken the truce, and started for shelter at a Bull Run pace, expecting to
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be shot at every leap. One of the boys who led the retreat on the home stretch, says : " I glanced over my shoulder to see who were still safe and the sight was indeed a ludicrous one. The ground was marshy, and while some went down to quickly rise again, the rest were pushing forward with wild leaps towards the friendly shelter that seemed so far away. They all reached the cover of the woods at last badly blow !! but congratulated themselves that they had come safely out from the " jaws of death," and were covered only with mud.
Those in the rear heard some of the rebels say, "Don't run, boys ; we won't shoot." But the panic was on, and there was no stopping until safety was assured. The friendly and private communication thus opened with the rebels continued for a day or two with the exchange of coffee and tobacco ; but as soon as the flag of truce affair reached headquarters, strict orders were issued, and there were no more " hello, Yank, or Johnny Reb " while picketing the Nansemond.
For three weeks General Longstreet had been maturing his plans for an attack. Siege guns had arrived from Rich- mond and General Hill's division came to re-enforce him. He seemed about ready to try his strength against our thirty thousand men, when he received word from Richmond hastily to re-enforce General Lee. Threatening movements had developed between the armies of the Potomac and North Virginia, and what promised to be a severe contest for us, was suddenly abandoned. At three o'clock in the morning Gen- eral Peck was informed of a Confederate withdrawal. To verify the report, General Getty with seven thousand men crossed the Nansemond in pursuit, while two detachments hurried over the river below the village. It was left to the Twenty-first to constitute one of these forces, Major Crosby commanding, accompanied by two pieces of artillery and a small force of cavalry. This raid is known in history as the expedition against Chuckatuck.
We quote from the official report of Major Crosby : " My orders were to march to Chuckatuck and from thence to
.
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Reed's Ferry, opening communication with the Fourth Rhode Island on my left. The troops were. under way for Chuck- atuck at half-past four o'clock Sunday morning, the distance being two and a half miles. My skirmishers came upon the line of rebel pickets about half a mile from the Nansemond, their fires still burning. The rebel pickets fell back to Chuckatuck as we advanced. When within half a mile of the village, we saw a company of rebel cavalry drawn up in the main street leading into the village. I ordered Lieutenant McDavitt to open fire upon them with artillery, and the rebels, after a few rounds, retired to the further side of the village at the juction of the Reed's Ferry and Isle of Wight roads. I advanced the skirmishers to the village and moved up the column. Appearances indicated that the enemy would make a stand at that point, but they again retired, a portion of their force taking the Isle of Wight road, but the greater number retiring by the Reed's Ferry road.
" As soon as my command were in the village, I sent Sergeant Trowbridge of the Mounted Rifles, and his detach- ment of cavalry, to reconnoiter the road leading to the Isle of Wight, and also ordered Captain Spittle, Acting-Major of the Twenty-first, with Companies A and K, to skirmish along the Reed's Ferry road. From the accounts given by contrabands at the point, the enemy's cavalry were estimated at about three hundred strong, and that they had a camp at Isle of Wight and also on the Reed's Ferry road. I ordered Lieutenant McDavitt to put the artillery in position to com- mand both roads until they could be reconnoitered. On dis- covering that the enemy intended to make no resistance at this point, the column was moved ahead on the Reed's Ferry road. Captain Spittle came upon the camp on this road, about half a mile beyond Chuckatuck,-the enemy had just left, their camp fires still burning.
"About a mile beyond Chuckatuck, the roads branch off, one leading to Reed's Ferry, the other to Everett's Bridge. The footprints indicated that the enemy's cavalry had retired
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Twenty-first Regiment Connecticut Volunteers.
by the latter road, but as the two roads ran near together for a time, I halted the column at this point, put the guns in position commanding both roads and ordered Captain Spittle to reconnoiter them. The enemy were then reported nowhere in sight. The column was at once set in motion along the Reed's Ferry road, with the exception that Lieutenant Mc- Davitt, with one piece of artillery and a sufficient support, was left behind to command the Everett's Bridge road until an advance was secured. The column had moved but an eighth of a mile in advance, when I ordered Sergeant Trow- bridge to make a reconnoissance on the Everett's Bridge road, for about fifty rods, passing over the same ground which our skirmishers had previously gone over. The cavalry had gone but a short distance when the enemy, who had suddenly returned, opened fire upon them, killing one and wounding two of their number. Lieutenant McDavitt opened upon them at once and shelled them back towards Everett's Bridge. The column was delayed at this point about half an hour, but, there being no sign of the enemy's returning. I advanced the skirmishers rapidly on the Reed's Ferry road, and again set the column in motion. Our march was necessarily slow, owing to the thick underbrush through which the skirmishers were obliged to make their way.
"On approaching the west branch we again discovered the enemy's pickets. The skirmishers, under Captain Spittle. Captain Shepard, and Captain Belden advanced gallantly and were soon engaged. The artillery was moved up with sup- ports and opened fire at once, commanding the opposite bank of the creek, where the enemy had two companies of sharp- shooters as a support. The skirmish at this point was short and spirited, resulting in our capturing one lieutenant, three sergeants, two corporals, and ten privates of the enemy. Our loss was three wounded, one of whom died some two hours afterwards, as we were without surgical aid.
" We encamped Sunday night on the Nansemond near the ferry and under protection of the gun-boats. On the next
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morning Captain Spittle was sent out with Companies A and K to reconnoiter, and returned, bringing two deserters, who were dispatched to the general commanding. He further reported that the enemy on the opposite side of the west branch from us commenced their retreat on the evening previous at eight o'clock, and that the most of their forces had retired before midnight, burning behind them the bridge at Page's mill.
"I am under great obligations to Flag Officer Captain Cush- ing and also to Captain Lamson. Acting Master's Mate Lawrence rendered me great assistance in giving information where to post the artillery, so as to be of service to our troops engaged with the enemy on the other side of the creek. My thanks are due to the officers of the regiment for their prompt and hearty cooperation. The patience and cour- age of the men after the fatigues of the past ten days are deserving of special praise. I take pleasure in mentioning the gallant conduct of Lieutenant McDavitt of the Fourth Wisconsin Battery, and the prompt and efficient manner in which both he and his men performed their duty. The de- tachment of New York Mounted Rifles under Sergeant Trow- bridge are also deserving of great praise, for though a few in number, they were of the greatest assistance. The casual- ties are as follows: Company K, killed, Private Alfred J. Freeman ; Company A, wounded, Private Hiram Loomis ; Company K, Private Lyndes C. Bushnell."
The following is from an order issued from Division Head- quarters :
HEADQUARTERS 3D DIVISION, 9TH A. C. NEAR SUFFOLK, VA. May 4th, 1863.
General Orders, No. 28.
(EXTRACT.) Nor will he (the commanding General) suffer to pass unnoticed the services of those who crossed the Nansemond, at Sleepy Hole, who drove the enemy's cavalry fromn Chuckatuck and seized Reed's Ferry, capturing an officer and fifteen men.
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Such deeds prove the mettle of the men and show that, when well led, they need fear no enemy.
By Command,
BRIGADIER-GENERAL GEORGE W. GETTY.
The prisoners captured were members of the Fourth Texas Regiment and good-looking men. They seemed to think that neither party in the war would conquer, that General Hooker would "play out" quicker than Burnside or Mc- Clellan, and that the last mentioned was our best general. We encamped for the night on the north bank of the river near where we captured the prisoners.
One of the exciting incidents of this expedition was the " Battle of the Hogs," which afforded quite an excitement for the time, and, as it took place in the enemy's country, might have been attended with serious results to the expedition. It will be remembered that we had effected a crossing of the Nansemond River, and were to work our way back some eight or ten miles into the enemy's country and then to make a detour and join General Getty's troops, which were to force their way across the river at Suffolk. General Getty, how- ever, failed to effect a crossing on account of the strength of the opposing forces, so that we finally fell back to the river. In doing so we surprised and captured some eighteen or twenty rebels. On our arrival at the river we threw up breastworks and also posted a line of pickets about a mile in front of our position. It was while lying here, waiting transportation across the river, that the battle occurred. After posting the pickets, it was discovered that the light growth of bushes and wood was alive with hogs, and in a short time the battle opened. Some of the officers of the expedition opened the engagement and soon re-enforcements had aug- mented the force engaged and the fight became general. Men running back and forth along the picket line, firing their guns and shouting, attracted the attention of the ex- pedition ; fearing that the pickets were being attacked,
BREVET-MAJOR JEREMIAH M. SHEPARD.
1
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the men were ordered to fall in and the battery was trained on them and waited for the pickets to fall back. And mean- while the battle raged, and the slaughter went bravely on, and the firing increased, and the hogs charged, and the men charged, and the field was soon strewn with the dead and dying. "Well! well !" says the commander of the expedi- tion, " I don't see why those pickets don't fall back." All this time the men stood in line awaiting the attack and the gunners stood by their guns ready for the orders to fire. Fresh pork was falling and bade fair to become a drug on the market. Finally the commander could stand the suspense no longer, and calling the officer-of-the-day, ordered him to . ride out there and see what was the matter. The officer-of- the-day at once procceded to the front, where he soon " sensed " the situation and returned to report that the enemy (the hogs) had made an attack on the picket line and were being repulsed with great slaughter. There being no doubt but the men already engaged would be sufficient to dispose of the enemy, orders were given to break ranks, amid much laughter and applause. Pork was for a while the principal ration of the Chucatuck expedition and their friends.
Our stay on the north bank of the Nansemond was of short duration. On the fifth of May we crossed the river and re-occupied our old camp. On the following day we moved our camp to a new location near Battery Stevens. Before reaching our camp night came on and a thunder-shower overtook us. As our route lay in part through pine forests we were enveloped in dense darkness, relieved only by the electric lights from the clouds. Thus in darkness and in the midst of a severe shower we halted for the night, but the light of the next day revealed a fine place for a camp. Here we spent a week in making baskets, which, when filled with soil, were used to complete the breastworks. With this work there came an end to our stay at Suffolk, which had occupied just two months to a day. It had been a period of unusual activity though of little fighting. Our escape from
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