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Gc 975.1 D377p no.53 1971255
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REYNOLDS HISTORICAL ENEALOGY COLLECTION
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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 02254 3919
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PAPERS OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF DELAWARE. LIll.
no. 53
A Brief Account of the Services Rendered BY THE Second Regiment Delaware Volunteers IN THE War of the Rebellion
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BY ROBERT G. SMITH SECOND LIEUTENANT CO. A, SECOND DELAWARE REGIMENT Read before the Historical Society of Delaware, April 19, 1909
THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF DELAWARE WILMINGTON 1909
THE STAR PRINTING CO. 309 SHIPLEY STREET WILMINGTON, DELAWARE
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LIEUT. ROBERT G. SMITH
A Brief Account of the Services Rendered BY THE Second Regiment Delaware Volunteers in the War of the Rebellion.
Mr. President and Members of the Historical Society of Delaware:
On the 24th of December, 1908, an article, written by me, appeared in the "National Tribune," of Washington, D. C., giving a partial account of the services of the Second Regi- ment, Delaware Volunteers, in the Civil War. I mailed a copy to your Society hoping that it would be read by some of your members, and would prove of interest. Your presi- dent, Mr. Conrad, read it, and wrote me a letter asking if I would not add somewhat to the article, and read it before your Society. With many misgivings as to my ability to do justice to the subject before your learned Society, I con- sented to comply with his request.
I was handicapped in my preparation of the article for the "Tribune" by the lack of material to prepare it properly. In my hunt for the documents to make a readable and au- thentic narrative, I wrote to the Adjutant General of the State, and was informed by him that he had no records of the Regiment except the muster out rolls, which, he said, were very meagre, and did not contain the information de-
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sired by me; and referred me to the Adjutant General of the United States to whom I wrote for information. He re- ferred me to the Newtown Library, which contained about 150 volumes of the "Official Records of the Rebellion," and I obtained access to them. The statistics that I obtained from these records are correct, although I did not write them out elaborately.
Col. Fox wrote a book, the title of which was "300 Fight- ing Regiments;" but its title should have been "300 Among the Fighting Regiments;" and to be listed with the "300" it was required that a regiment should have suffered a loss of 100 killed,-being 10 per cent. The Second Delaware lost in killed, and those who died of wounds, ninety-nine officers and enlisted men during its three years of service in the field.
When in 1861 the Southern States seceded from the Union, and commenced hostilities by firing on the "Star of the West," a steamer sent to relieve the garrison at Fort Sumter, the dark cloud of rebellion against the national au- thorities spread as a pall over the Northern States, and struck terror to the hearts of all loyal citizens; and well it might, for the North was unprepared for war. The ships of our navy had been ordered into Southern waters, the arsenals in the North had been depleted of their guns and ammunition; the treasury robbed and the North wholly un- prepared for the conflict. After the first shock was over, the loyal people of the country rose in their might to crush out the rebellion.
While the regiment was encamped at Camp Wilkes, Drummondtown, Va., the printers in the command started a paper, called The Regimental Flag, after taking possession
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of a rebel printing office in that town. Capt. Joseph M. Barr, of your city, was the editor, and in an editorial in the issue of January 23rd, 1862, appeared the following, which I think may be of enough interest to you to quote entire. It is entitled : The Confusion of Regiments-"In connection with the regiments furnished by Delaware for the present war, there is a very important matter that ought to be con- sidered by all Delawareans, and the War Department at Washington. It is the confusion that the designations of these regiments has been allowed to fall into by those per- sons who had them in charge. When the rebellion first broke out President Lincoln issued his proclamation calling upon the different States for troops. Delaware was directed to furnish one regiment of volunteers to serve for three months. This regiment was furnished. It was known as, and was, in reality, the First Regiment Delaware Volun- teers. It served out the campaign for which it was called out, and was honorably discharged from the service. While the First Regiment was in the field, another regiment was raised in Delaware, which was the Second Regiment Dela- ware Volunteers; and is at present on duty at this camp. Delaware had thus far then furnished two regiments. After the First was discharged, the Second being then in the field, a Third Regiment was started in Delaware and filled up, and when organized was designated by its offi- cers as the First Regiment Delaware Volunteers. This regiment is now stationed at, or near Fortress Monroe. Now, how can this regiment be properly designated as the First seeing that it was raised subsequent to the time that the true First Regiment had been organized, served out its term of service and had been disbanded; and a second
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regiment being then actually in the field? It cannot be con- tended that it was a reorganization of the First; for scarcely any of the officers and few of the men who composed the original first regiment are now in the so-called First. For the Colonel of the true First Regiment is now General of the brigade stationed here, and there is no less than four Captains, five or six Lieutenants and a large number of Sergeants, Corporals, Musicians and Privates who be- longed to the First Regiment, now in this; so that, in this behalf, our Second Regiment has a better claim to be known as a reorganization than that known at present as the First, for there is not above three of the original Cap- tains at present in that regiment. It may be said, also, that by designating the regiment now at Fortress Monroe as the First instead of the Third, it is made to appear that Dela- ware has sent only two regiments to the war, when, in reality, it has sent three. Again it will create great con- fusion when the history of Delaware in regard to this war comes to be written by this matter of two First Regiments; and so it deprives those officers, who, on the breaking out of the rebellion, so promptly stepped forward to the assist- ance of the Government, of all the credit to which they are so justly entitled and consigns them, as far as their official military capacity is concerned, to everlasting oblivion.
"To all these consequences we enter our protest; for as an officer of the original First Regiment we feel deeply in- terested, as well for ourselves as the honor and glory of our gallant little State. We think it is due to history as well as the officers, who composed the First Delaware Regiment, that the proper authorites should take the matter in hand,
COL. WILLIAM P. BAILEY
LIEUT. COL. DAVID L. STRICKER
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and have the proper designations applied to the several regiments.
"In closing, we will mention this fact, viz: That if this (the Second) Regiment and the so-called First Regiment were thrown together in brigade, the strange anomaly-in military affairs-would be presented of the officers of the Second Regiment ranking those of the First, and the Sec- ond taking the precedence of the First on all occasions."
The Second Delaware Regiment was the first body of volunteer infantry in the State to form under the call for three years' men. Its regimental organization dated from May 21st, 1861, but its ranks were not entirely filled up until five months later on account of lack of State aid in this work. This cause also led to the taking of com- panies from outside of the State in order that its organiza- tion might be more speedily completed. Companies B, D, and G, were from Philadelphia, and Company C, from Elk- ton, Maryland. The remainder of the companies were filled up at Wilmington, where headquarters had been estab- lished by the organizer of the regiment, Capt. Henry W. Wharton, of the United States Army. The men rendez- voused at Camp Brandywine, near Wilmington, in the sum- mer of 1861, and when the roster was completed the fol- lowing were the officers:
Colonel-Henry W. Wharton.
Lieutenant Colonel-William P. Bailey. Major-Robert Andrews.
Adjutant-Samuel Canby.
Quartermaster-George Plunket.
Surgeon-David H. Houston.
Assistant Surgeon-William Babb.
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Sergeant Major-William H. Brady. Hospital Steward-John Claypool. Quartermaster Sergeant-Benj. F. Hedges. Commissary Sergeant-Henry C. Nelson.
COMPANY A.
Captain-David L. Stricker.
First Lieutenant-Thomas M. Wenie.
Second Lieutenant-John Evans.
COMPANY B.
Captain-Charles H. Christman. First Lieutenant-Theo. Geyer.
Second Lieutenant-William Fennimore.
COMPANY C.
Captain-Benj. F. Rickets.
First Lieutenant-W. F. A. Torbert.
Second Lieutenant-John G. Simpers.
COMPANY D. Captain-John Perry. First Lieutenant-Wm. H. Helmbold. Second Lieutenant-Andrew J. Krause. COMPANY E.
Captain-Robert E. Moorehouse. First Lieutenant-George Helmbold. Second Lieutenant-John Bogia.
COMPANY F. Captain-Peter Mccullough. First Lieutenant-Chas. Reynolds. Second Lieutenant-Frank K. Duke.
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COMPANY G.
Captain-John Heishley.
First Lieutenant-Chas. D. Foy.
Second Lieutenant-Thomas I. Moore.
COMPANY H.
Captain-James Plunkett.
First Lieutenant-Lewis Nolen.
Second Lieutenant-John Devinie.
COMPANY I.
Captain-Samuel Wood. First Lieutenant-Gideon B. Todd. Second Lieutenant-John Kelsey.
COMPANY K.
Captain-Joseph M. Barr. First Lieutenant-Robert J. Holt. Second Lieutenant-Charles E. Evans.
On the 17th of September, 1861, eight companies of the regiment left Camp Brandywine and marched to Cam- bridge, Maryland, where they went into camp of instruc- tion under Brigadier General H. H. Lockwood. Com- panies I and K joined the command in October and No- vember, 1861, and also prepared for service in the field. The regiment moved with the brigade of General Lock- wood to Accomac County, Virginia, December Ist, 1861, and remained in that locality until March Ist, 1862, when it was transferred to Baltimore to do garrison duty. In May, the same year, it joined the Army of the Potomac, under General McClellan, and at the battle of Fair Oaks was as- signed to the brigade of General W. H. French. Here the
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first active field service of the regiment began and con- tinued almost incessantly during the siege of Richmond, participating in the general engagements of Gaines' Mill, Savage Station, Peach Orchard, White Oak Swamp and Malvern Hill, from June 27th to July Ist, 1862. In the battle of Antietam, September 17th, 1862, the regiment held an advanced position and was warmly commended for its bravery.
In relation to this battle I will read a letter from Capt. Wm. H. Helmbold, Company D, written to Capt. Chas. Weiss in relation to a meeting to be held by the Survivors' Association of the Regiment. The subject to be discussed was a visit to that field. It is dated July 23rd, 1890; omit- ting some personal matters, the letter says: "Antietam battlefield is the one field, above all others, that the Second Delaware should in some way mark. Our work there, in its consequences and effects, was simply tremendous. Very few of us know fully the real consequences and effect of that charge. As individual soldiers we glory in what we did there, but very few understand the condition of things pending just before we made that charge. Hooker, on the right, had been terribly handled; he was wounded, and of- ficial reports state that not 500 of his command were to- gether. Burnside, on the left, had been repulsed twice in trying to get over the bridge, and after he succeeded, he was so badly cut up he could make no advance, and was calling for reinforcements. Sumner's, our own corps, had been standing up all day but could make no progress for- ward. Our whole army appears to have been badly cut up and every available fighting regiment had been put in, and things hung in the balance. Old Dick Richardson, our
CAPT. WM. H. HELMBOLD
LIEUT. WM. H. BRADY
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brave old division commander, led us in, not merely to fill up a gap but to make gaps. We smashed everything in our front, we practically cut Lee's line in two. We killed, wounded and captured pretty nearly all there was left of A. P. Hill's Corps, that included on our front the rebel brigade of O. Branch, Mat Prior's and a brigade the general of which I cannot learn. In fact, we had swept our front and there was nothing left of the enemy on that front, but about 150 men supporting the four guns of the Washington Artil- lery of New Orleans, which we were just on the point of charging, when we got the peremptory order from Adju- tant Hatch, of the brigade staff, to come back to the line. We would have had those guns as sure as fate had not this order come. I have read the narrative of the officer who commanded those guns at that time. He had seen our charge and how it had swept everything, and he sent urgent requests for reinforcements for support of his guns, but none came; and as he had seen that nothing had stop- ped our progress, he made up his mind that he and his guns would be captured. He describes how near we came to him, and then to use his own words, 'How astonished and relieved he was to see us halt and deliberately survey his position, and then, for some unaccountable reason, shoulder arms and march back to our lines.' We hereto- fore only know of these things simply as a brilliant charge, but know very little of their effect. McClellan had had near three days of the most anxious of his whole military experience. In vain had he attempted to gain advantages in every part of the field without the least success. The Rebs were fighting a defensive fight, and if they succeeded in holding their lines, the victory was to be theirs. As I
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have said before our army had been terribly cut up, and every available fighting regiment had been put in but with- out any substantial success, and unquestionably things be- gan to look dubious, but we went in and made that charge, and when it was completed the entire aspect of this battle had changed. McClellan then saw that he had his enemy exhausted, and had he had any fresh fighting troops at hand he would have rushed them in. Our success was seen from various points in our army and gave a renewed vigor and courage to our badly cut up forces. Lee, Longstreet and the other principal Reb generals had seen or heard of it, and Lee at once commenced to concentrate on points that were important to hold and to enable him to get away. Longstreet, in particular, was deeply impressed with the effect of what might be the consequences resulting from the gap we had cut out of their lines, for had we been per- mitted to press but a little further we would have gained the Sharpsburg road, and if our line had been strengthened we would have had Lee cut in two. Unfortunately we had no field officer with us that day by whom the name of our regiment and the work we had done could have been re- ported; consequently the country knows nothing of the regiment whose work that day brought about such a tre- mendous change in this battle. Writers of magazine arti- cles and for newspapers, who were on the high ground back of us at McClellan's headquarters, have described this charge as the most gallant and effective of any battle, and they testify how it, in its palpable effect, gave the first as- surance at McClellan's anxious headquarters, that, notwith- standing the Union Army was terribly cut up, victory was at last ours. But these writers did not know the name of
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the regiment that had wrought this great change in the battle in its very darkest hour, and so they have described this charge of ours as a splendid charge 'by several regi- ments of Union troops,' and thus, though our work has re- ceived the utmost credit as a feat of arms, yet historically our name is not mentioned; therefore, it is most fitting that we should go to Antietam and put tablets, even if they are but those that we can scratch out ourselves, that will serve to show.the important work we did that day-not in foolish egotism; but that a proper pride may be satisfied and that interesting historical facts may be made known; no matter how crude we may make our tablets and markers, distin- guished people, or people of influence, are frequently visit- ing this battleground and they can thus learn what regi- ment it was that made that charge over the 'Bloody Road' up the hill beyond, and clean out to near 'Pipers House' a long distance beyond our front lines and capturing every- thing in its front, cutting Lee's army in two. And besides, we can state that this is not the unverified boast of our regi- ment, but that we have as witnesses an immense portion of the army on our right who saw us break forward from the main line and watched us as we went forward clear over the fields in front, and that when we came in so impressed were they with the gallant work we had done that on enter- ing in our lines again they received us with cheers and clap- ping of hands. There is not another regiment of that army which, had they participated in that charge, and now know- ing its important results, but what long ago would have had that portion of the Antietam battlefield planted with tablets of their own work; and who will say that they should not do so? Why, then, should we not do so?"
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In the charge referred to above, the regiment captured the colors of the 16th Mississippi Confederate Regiment. Scharf's History gives the loss of the Second Delaware as 77 killed and wounded out of 350 men taken into action.
The battle of Fredericksburg was the most eventful inci- dent in the history of the regiment, and here, too, it was in the forward part of the fray, and covered the retreat from that hotly contested field so ably that it attracted the atten- tion of the army. Soon after a contemporary writer spoke of the regiment as follows: "The regiment designated upon the army register as the 'Second Delaware,' but more familiarly known among the veterans of the Army of the Potomac as the 'Crazy Delawares,' was the first regiment raised in the State for three years or during the war. It has been prominent in the Grand Army of the Potomac. It is commanded by Col. W. P. Bailey, a cool, brave and ex- perienced officer, who possesses the confidence and affec- tion of his men, and will never disappoint the hopes of his country. At the battle of Gaines' Mill, (White) Oak Swamp, Peach Orchard, Savage Station, Antietam and Fredericksburg, this gallant regiment, now reduced to about two hundred and fifty effective men, fought with a valor and self-sacrificing devotion that won the applause of the whole army. It was the last to leave the field at the Bloody Fight at Gaines' Mill, and at Fredericksburg, it led the charge of Zook's Brigade and laid its dead nearer the rebel works than any other regiment."-New York Times, January 13th, 1863.
In the charge at Fredericksburg, above mentioned, Col. Bailey was wounded by a fragment of shell, but was soon again able to lead the "Crazy Delawares" to further deeds
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of glory. The regiment was at Chancellorsville, May 2d, and performed its full share in the sanguinary struggle at Gettysburg. The division to which it belonged met and turned back the advancing Confederates, driving them be- yond the base of Little Round Top, when it was in turn forced to retreat. On the third day of July, a line of the Second Delawares, led by Capt. John Evans, of Company A, took more prisoners than the number of men under his command, and the regiment was in advance of the Union forces which pursued the stricken enemy. This disposition to lead the advance upon the foes of the Union was con- tinued in the campaign of the fall and winter of 1863, the regiment especially distinguishing itself at Bristoe Station and Mine Run. In the later campaign it was in all the gen- eral engagements of the Second Army Corps, of which it was a part until the expiration of its service in the summer of 1864.
Of the original officers Col. Wharton resigned in August, 1862, when Lieut. Col. Bailey was promoted to the Colo- nelcy, serving in that office until May 12th, 1864. In No- vember, 1863, Major Stricker was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of the regiment, and Capt. Ricketts became Major. Capt. Peter Mccullough, of your city, was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel after the battle of Spottsylvania, and was wounded at Cold Harbor. At Petersburg he was wounded so badly as to be taken from the field for dead and was sent home. For three months he lay between life and death, during which time the term of the regiment expired.
I am indebted to "Scharf's History of Delaware" for part of the information contained in the foregoing account of the regiment. A matter that I wish to speak of can be found
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on Page 151 of the History of the First Delaware Regi- ment, written by Capt. Wm. P. Seville of that regiment. I quote as follows: "By order of the War Department the following were announced as the battles in which the First Delaware Regiment was engaged: Fair Oaks, Gaines' Mill, Peach Orchard, Savage Station, White Oak Swamp, Malvern Hill, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettys- burg, Bristoe Station, Mine Run, Wilderness, Spottsyl- vania, North Anna, Polopotomy, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Deep Bottom, Ream's Station and Boydtown Road. To this list should be added Auburn, Locust Grove, Po River, Morton's Ford, Strawberry Plains, Hatcher's Run, High Bridge, and Lee's Surrender. The first six battles mentioned in official orders are accredited to the First Delaware by reason of the consolidation with it, July 1, 1864, of a portion of the Second Delaware Regiment, which bore an honorable share in those engagements."
The above quotation strikes me as being very cool! But I can assure you that the six engagements mentioned were very hot!
The First Delaware did good service on many fields, and is entitled to all honor, but I hardly think it is a Square Deal to have the six battles mentioned above credited to them.
The different companies of the Second Regiment were mustered out of service as follows: Co. A, at Wilmington, Del., July Ist, 1864. Co. B, at Wilmington, Del., July Ist, 1864, by O. G. Swain, Captain and A. A. G. Co. C, at City Point, Va., June 23rd, 1864, by Thomas B. Hizar, Captain First Delaware Volunteers and A. C. M. Co. D, at camp near City Point, Va., July Ist, 1864, by Thomas B. Hizar, Captain First Delaware Volunteers and A. C. M. Co. E,
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CAPT. THOS. M. WENIE
CAPT. JOHN EVANS
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July Ist, 1864. Co. F, at camp near City Point, Va., July Ist, 1864, by Thomas B. Hizar, Captain First Delaware Volunteers and A. C. M. Co. G, at City Point, Va., July Ist, 1864, by Thomas B. Hizar, Captain First Delaware Volunteers and A. C. M. Co. H, near Petersburg, Va., August 12th, 1864, by R. C. Embler, Captain 59th New York Volunteers and A. C. M. of Second Div., Second A. C. Co. I, near Petersburg, Va., September 14th, 1864, by A. C. Embler, Captain 59th New York Volunteers and A. C. M. of Second Div., Second A. C. Co. K, near Peters- burg, Va., October Ist, 1864, by F. B. Doter, Captain 14th C. V. and A. C. M. Second Div., Second A. C.
I will now read the article above referred to as published in "The National Tribune," entitled "A Regiment to be Proud of." I was limited in space, and was compelled to condense many points that, no doubt, would have been of interest. One thing can be said of it-that it is truthful.
I have had it in contemplation for several months to write a sketch of the Second Delaware Regiment and in reading your interesting and valuable paper (which I thor- oughly peruse every week), the article under the caption of "Not a Fighting Regiment," under date of October 8th, 1908, written by Comrade C. E. Stevens, Captain of the 77th N. Y., of Westport, N. Y., it deeply impressed me, as I had intended to write in the same vein about "Fox's 300 Fighting Regiments."
I began to fear that many people will think there were only 300 fighting regiments in the whole army, during the war of the rebellion, if one not mentioned in Col. Fox's book don't come to the front and make a claim that there
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were others, and many of them, who had a share in the sup- pression of the rebellion, and fought just as bravely and un- derwent the same hardships in defense of the flag of our Union. I do not wish to deprive the gallant "300" of one iota of the glory and honor they won and are justly entitled to, but there were others in the army, who fought just as valiantly in defense of our Union, and I think it is no more than right that they should share in the glory and honor.
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