USA > Delaware > Four years in the war. The history of the First Regiment of Delaware Veteran Volunteers, (Infantry,) containing an account of marches, battles, incidents, promotions. The names of all the officers and men who have been connected with the regiment from its organization in 1861, to the close of the war in 1865 > Part 10
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At dark the Fourteenth Connecticut, Eighth Ohio, and Twelfth New Jersey Volunteers, were formed in an interval between the First and Second Brigade. Soon after dark the Eighth Ohio Volunteers was relieved and returned to its original position. At 12:25 P. M., June 1st, I was ordered by General Gibbons to be in readiness to march at once. This order was subsequently countermanded, and the brigade threw up entrenchments.
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At dark I was directed to occupy the earthworks, an !! relieve the First Brigade. At 9 P. M., the brigade marched taking the road to Coal Harbor, which place it reached Jun3 2nd. At 2.20 P. M., June 2, my brigade was deployed in line of battle, and by order of General Gibbons advanced to a vacated line of rifle-pits, where it took position under a severe fire from the enemy's skirmishers, who were concealed in rifle-pits within short range of my right. At 5 P. M. I was ordered to attack the enemy's position, but the attack was subsequently deferred. The One-hundred and Eighty-fourth Pennsylvania Volunteers reported to me and was placed on the extreme right of my line.
During the night sharp skirmishing occured on my right. At 4:30 A. M., June 3d, I was ordered to attack the enemy I formed my brigade in line of battle and at 4:30 A. M. advanced and charged the enemy's works. When the command arrived at from sixty to one hundred yards from the enemy's works, the ranks had become so thinred. and the fire from the enemy's artillery and musketry was so destructive that the men were compelled to halt and seek such shelter as presented itself. In this position the command soon erected a rude breastwork. At 9 A. M. Berdan's Sharpshooters and a battalion of the First Massachusetts Heavy Artillery reported to me. I deployed part of the sharpshooters in front as skirmishers, and held the battalion of First Massachusetts Heavy Artillery in reserve. At 4 P. M. the One Hundred and Sixty-fourth New York Volunteers and the remaining battalion of First Massachusetts Heavy Artillery reported to me, which regiments I formed on the opposite side of the ravine on my extreme right. My line strengthened their works, and was arranged from right to left as follows: First Massachusetts Heavy Artillery, One Hundred and Sixty-
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Fourth New York, Fourteenth Connecticut, Eighth Ohio, Fourth Ohio, Seventh Virginia, Twelfth New Jersey, Tenth New York, First Delaware and Fourteenth Indiana Volunteers.
About 8 P. M. the enemy opened upon us a terrible artillery fire which lasted about thirty minutes. After which he charged along my whole line. He was repulsed with considerable loss. . During the night one half the command were kept awake and under arms. In this action Lieutenant Benjamin Y. Draper, A. A. D. C. on my staff-a brave and gallant young officer -- was killed. At 10:30 A. M., June 4th, the enemy opened on us a heavy artillery fire which continued until 11.35, doing but little injury. Sharp skirmishing was kept up all day. At 840 P. M. the brisk skirmish changed to a very heavy mus- ketry fire on both sides, followed by a short artillery duel, which did no damage to my brigade except the wounding of one of my staff orderlies, private James Kay, Tenth New York Volunteers. Severe skirmishing continued all day.
June 5th in the afternoon my standard bearer, Private Elliott, Tenth New York Volunteers, was mortally wounded whilst carrying an order.
At 8:30 P. M. the enemy commenced a vigorous attack with artillery and musketry, which lasted twenty-four minutes without doing injury. Heavy skirmishing continued during June 6th and until 4 P. M., June 7th, when a cessation of hostilities was ordered to give opportunity to bury the dead. During the 8th and 9th of June there was very little skirmishing and on the 10th my command was relieved from duty in the entrenchments. There was skirmishing all day June 11th. At dark, June 12th, the command marched to the left.
. IV. The brigade marched all day, June 13th, and encamped
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near Wilcox's Landing on James River. About dark, Juno 14th, we crossed James River on transports and encamped at Windmill Point. At 10:30 A. M., June 15th, the brigade moved towards Petersburg, and about 10 P. M. relieved the troops of the Eighteenth Army Corps: skirmishing during the 19th.
On June 17th I was ordered to report with my command to General Barlow. On June 18th I took position at daylight and at 4 A. M. advanced upon the enemy's position and discovered that he had fallen back about half-a-mile. During the day the brigade charged twice. After skirmisbing during the 19th and 20th, the command was relieved and marched to the left about three miles and encamped. At 8 A. M., June 21st, the brigade marched and took position on the left of Jerusalem Plank-road where the enemy was found entrenched. In this position wo threw up breastworks.
At 3 P. M., June 22d, the enemy attacked the troops on our left, turned the flank of the first line and captured a battery and many prisoners. On the 23d the enemy vacated the line of works they had captured. On June 24th my command moved to the rear and relieved some of the Fifth Corps. We remained in this position until June 27th, when the brigado was deployed to picket the rear of the army; remaining on picket until June 29th, when I was ordered to move to the entrenchments of the Sixth Corps.
On July 2d the command moved to the right and on the 11th commenced tearing down the breastworks in front of them. On July 12th my brigade was on picket and continued on that duty until the morning of July 15th, when they were Ilieved by troops of the Fifth Corps, and went into the rear of the Southball House. In the evening of the 15th the com-
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mand marched to Haines House and commenced to tear down the old Rebel works in the vicinity, returning to camp on the morning of. the 16th. The brigade remained in camp until July 21st when they were set to work making a covered way in the rear of the Fifth Corps entrenchments.
On July the 22d the brigade moved into the entrench- ments previously occupied by Feno's Division of Colored Troops, remaining in these works until July 26th, when at 3.30 P. M. the command was massed near Corps Headquarters and at 4:25 moved off towards the Appattomax, which river we crossed on pontoons during the night. At daylight on the 27th the brigade crossed the James River and were soon engaged in skirmishing with the enemy. On July 2Sth my command marched to support the cavalry and at dark took up a new position and entrenched. During the night of the 29th we marched back to the vicinity of Petersburg, and at daylight were massed in the rear of the Fifth Corps. After the explo- sion of the mine and the failure of the assault on the enemy's works the command returned to camp near the Southhall. House.
The loss of the brigade during the campaign, including the battle of the Wilderness, when Colonel Carroll was in command, is as follows :
Commissioned officers killed
22
=
wounded. 12
missing. 9
251
Enlisted men killed.
wounded. 1320
= missing. 259
Total number of casualties :
103
Commissioned officers.
1.52
Enlisted men
Grand total
1.355
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The conduct of both officers and men during the campaign has been in every respect unexceptionable. It is a source of extreme gratification to me to be able to recommend to the Major-General commanding the division the gentlemen of my staff for the prompt and efficient manner in which they executed all my orders. Their gallantry on the field of battle has seldom been surpassed.
Very respectfully, Your obedient servant, THOMAS A. SMYTH,
Colonel Commanding Third Brigade, Second Division, Second Army Corps.
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FIRST DELAWARE REGIMENT.
CHAPTER XVI.
SECOND DEEP BOTTOM.
ON the 12th of August our corps marched to City Point where we bivouacked. On the next day we embarked on transports to go, as we supposed, to Washington and defend it against the Rebels, who were then in Maryland plundering, and burning, and threatening our capital. We sailed down the river a few miles and then anchored. At 10 o'clock P. M. we turned our prow up stream and sailed to Turkey Bend where we arrived about daylight.
Sunday, the 14th, while lying in the stream wait- ing orders to disembark, we were saluted by two shots from a Rebel battery. The first passed a little above the boat, and the second fell short into the river. The captain, not choosing to stand for a mark, steamed under the bluff where we were hid from view, otherwise it is probable that the next shell would have torn us to pieces.
Having remained skirmishing and throwing up breastworks till Saturday the 20th we recrossed the
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James, and marched to our former position. O. the next day, Sunday, we marched to support the Fifth Corps, who were fighting for the Weldon Rail- road.
On the 23d our (Second) Division marched to the left, and bivouacked for the night near Ream's Station on the Weldon Railroad. The next day our Regiment were on picket duty, and supporting, with the rest of the Division, the First Division whilst they destroyed the road. At night we were withdrawn preparatory to returning to camp; but on the morning of the 25th the enemy came up threatening to give battle, and General Hancock is not the man to decline a challenge. The fighting commenced early in the morning and lasted till night. We fought superior numbers, and resisted every assault until about sun-down, when one of the regiments in the works gave way and we were obliged to withdraw, which we did at night, with the loss of a battery, and a large number of killed, wounded, and missing. Dur- ing the engagement our hospital, which was at the station and near to the breastworks, was ordered to be removed to the rear, but whilst making arrange- ments at a house about a mile from the front the enemy's cavalry came in between us and the troops, and thus left us out in the cold. Our infantry, how-
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ever, soon drove them back, and we returned to the station. Just as we were about to get to work again with the wounded a charge was made upon our line a few rods from our hospital which proved successful. Thus many of our wounded and hospital attendants were left in their hands. Having with- drawn during the night, we went into camp near the Williams, House on the 26th.
On the 16th of September our brigade was ordered to "pack up, strike tents, and fall in," and in a few minutes we were marching to Prince George Court House. The Rebels had come round to our rear near army headquarters, and, after surprising and capturing our cavalry pickets, drove off about twenty- five hundred head of cattle. We were sent to sup- port the cavalry who had been sent in pursuit of the missing herd; but the beeves were driven within the lines of the enemy before they could be overtaken, and the next day, after feasting on Yankee beef, the Rebel pickets bellowed to ours like bullocks. They thought it, no doubt, a good joke; we thought it too much like twitting on facts to enjoy it.
We remained a week at the Court House, and during the time tore down the county buildings and constructed a large fort on their site. We were quartered on the farm of Mr. Findley, who lived on
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it with his family, among whom were two s' .: young sons. They were Union men, of cour. , opposed to secession, and had never been in the army.(?) When told that Mr. Lincoln would pr .. bably be re-elected, he said, "My God! then t !.... war is to be continued four years more."
On the 24th (September) we were "relieved " ... ] sent into the entrenchments in the rear of Fort Morton to relieve the Tenth Corps. To do this .: was necessary to move very quietly, and under ti. . cover of night. The Confederates appeared to have a great aversion to moving columns of Federal troops, and we, not because we were afraid of min- nies, cannon balls, or mortar shells, be it suppose !, but because we would not provoke them, were par- ticular to move at night, under covered ways, through ravines, or behind woods. We had seen a colored column, neglecting these precautions, very much demoralized by a few shells from a Rebel luit- tery thrown into their midst. We reached our position without a casualty, and each man, and officer too, imitating the example of the corps whem we relieved, and availing ourselves of the works they' had erected, made himself as secure and comfortable as circumstances would permit in riffe-pits, gopher holes, and covered ways. The position was a good
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one, and quite near enough to witness the nightly exhibition of fire-works when the gunners of the opposing forts were engaged in mortar practice. The sight would have been beautiful at a greater distance. The soldiers said it was not healthy for shells to explode in the camps. The minnie balls plugged the trees on all sides of us, but, fortunately, over six feet from the ground. Behind our entrench- ments we were safe from minnie balls, but upon any knoll or open space the billet-doux sent by Rebel sharp-shooters from tree-tops were sure to reach their destination, and many a man was killed or wounded far enough in the rear, one might suppose, from danger. Our surgeon and chaplain were "driven in" with precipitate haste on one occasion. They had just ascended the hill between brigade and regimental headquarters when a sharp crack, in- Etantly followed by the buzzing sound of a bullet as it passed, warned them they were "in range." With- out stopping to ask who fired they plunged their rollers into their horses' sides, and flew to camp.
Near to our hospital, on a little field, was the cabin of an old colored man, who described to me the first skirmish before Petersburg, and the scenes con- nected with it. Ile told me that when it was known that our army were crossing the James thero
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was a great stampede of both whites and blank. . the north side of the Appomattox. He asked :.. colored people who they left. "Oh," said t! " the Yankees are coming! They have horns! a! ! only one eye, right on the top of their heads!" 1 asked him if he believed that. "No, massa," he said; "I told them I should stay. If they had ba: one eye they would not see me, for they had to shu: one eye to shoot."
From Fort Morton we removed, in the night, about a mile to the left to Fort Davis ; thence, to a picket duty for a night to Fort Sedgwick, which was regarded as the hottest point along the line, au ..! for that reason was called by the soldiers and m : generally known as Fort Hell. The Rebels had fort near to this which they called Fort Damnation .. From Fort Sedgwick we returned to the right alo the line of entrenchments near our former position, and just opposite to the crater formed by the explo- sion of the mine on the 30th of July.
On the 25th of October we were withdrawn from the fortifications to the rear, and the next morning, our corps leading the advance, marched to the leit beyond our fortified lines. We crossed the Wellen Railroad south of the Yellow Tavern, and Livous. : at night near Gravelly Run. Again our Reginwent
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was thrown to the front, and placed on picket on the enemy's ground.
On the 27th we encountered the enemy at Gravelly Run, when they attempted to resist our progress. The fight which ensued was a spirited one though short, and our loss was considerable for so short an engagement. It was here that Major William F. Smith, commanding the Regiment, was mortally wounded whilst pressing the men up to the enemy's line.
No officer or soldier of the First Delaware will think it a disparagement of himself, for me to say, that a braver officer or better soldier was not among them than Major Smith. In anticipation of a battle, I have seen him turn pale-this is said to have been a characteristic of one of Napoleon's bravest mar- shals -- but in a fight, it is the testimony of all who saw him, he was among the bravest of the brave. Circumstances develop the characters of men. Major Smith's character as a man was brought out in his last suffering. He was patient and resigned, said his surgeons, beyond that of any man they had ever served in the hospitals. Conscious of his sinfulness, he had the candor and grace to confess it, and the humanity to seek forgiveness. An order having been received for the Regiment to return to our State that
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we might have the opportunity to vote at the Presidential election-I offered to remain with him --- fearing, indeed, almost assured by his sur- geons, that he could not live till we returned, but he said,
"No, Chaplain, go home, you can do more good there than by staying with me."
He was an unselfish man. He died of his wounds on the 6th of November, 1864, at the hospital of the Second Division, Second Corps. He had been twice wounded before in action-once at Fredericksburg, and again at Gettysburg.
From Gravelly Run the enemy fell back, and we pursued them rapidly to Hatcher's Run where it crosses the Boydton plank road. At that point we were within six miles of the South Side Railroad -- the objective point we hoped to reach and hold. But we had not yet reached the end of the enemy's en- trenched lines. Two divisions of the Fifth Corps, under General Warren, followed the Second, but, in- stead of closing up with General Hancock, a gap between the two corps was left, through which the enemy rushed and made a violent assault on our right and rear. General Hancock faced his men ! meet it, and, after a bloody combat, drove him with .-
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in his works, and in the night we withdrew to our old position.
At Hatcher's Run our hospital department was in the closest place we had ever been. The ambulances halted in an old field and were arranged to receive the wounded. Whilst loading them, the firing com- menced in our rear, and we had but just time enough to get them all into the ambulances when a portion of our troops fell back through the woods near us. One of our batteries was getting into position, pre- paratory to raking the corner of the field and woods where we were, and scarcely had we withdrawn to go to the farm house, which the surgeons had selected for a hospital, when they opened a brisk fire upon the enemy emerging from the woods, and drove them back. Before all the ambulances had reached the hospital, shells began to burst over and around it, and we moved from one point to another to avoid them. Wherever we went there seemed to be the point of attack. Yet the shots were not fired at the hospital but at the troops who were on all sides of us. The enemy had formed a line across the road by which we had in the morning gone up, and until General Hancock drove them back to their werks, there was no way of retreat for us.
We had more wounded than could be removed and
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many were left, with a detail of surgeons to attend to them, in the hands of the enemy. Among the wounded was a lad, apparently not more than fifteen years old. In form he was slender and delicate. His face was pleasant, and his voice as sweet as a girl's. He had been struck by a piece of a shell in the groin, and the flesh as large as two hands of a inan was torn off to the bone. He looked im- ploringly to one and another as they came up to see his ghastly wound. When I approached him, addressing words of sympathy, and asked him if I should pray for him, his eyes became like wells of water. We knelt by the side of the stretcher and implored God to receive his soul washed in the atoning blood of the Lamb, when he had done and suffered all that was appointed for him here. To pray for his recovery seemed like asking for that which it was not God's will to grant. Yet we know that all things are possible with him. We have known those to recover whom the surgeons thought skill could not save. At Gettysburg a member of the Seventh Union Regiment of Virginia* was wounded in the thigh by a fragment of a shell which broke the bone. The place and nature of the frac-
* This soldier's father belonged to the Seventh Rebel Regiment of Virginia, and they had met and fought in seven battles.
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ture was such that his recovery was thought to be impossible, and not till all others had been attended to-some ten days after he was wounded-was any effort made to extract the shell. Yet it was "done, and he finally recovered and returned to his friends.
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CHAPTER XVII.
THE LAST CAMPAIGN.
AFTER the 27th of October, until the opening of the spring campaign in 1865, the operations of our army were principally confined to the defence and extension of our lines. A good part of the winter months was spent by the soldiers in building quarters, for scarcely had they finished their quar- tors, and prepared their camps in one place, before they were removed to another farther to the left, and by the 7th of February our lines extended to Hatcher's Run.
General Hancock having become commander of the First Veteran Reserve Corps, with his head- quarters in Washington, D. C., General Humphrey was assigned to the command of the Second Corps.
The last campaign of the Army of the Potomac, commenced on March 29th, 1865. About this time, Lieutenant-General Grant says, "he spent days of anxiety, lest each morning should bring the report that the enemy had retreated the night before.
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Everything looked favorable to the defeat of the enemy, and the capture of Petersburg and Rich- mond." On the night of the 27th General Ord brought from the north side of the James portions of the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Corps, and Mckenzie's Cavalry, and joined the Army of the Potomac at Hatcher's Run, on the morning of the 28th.
On the 29th the Second Corps, commanded by General Humphreys, was at Dabney's Mill, pushing forward. In a despatch to General Sheridan, Gene- ral Grant said, "I now feel like ending the matter, if it is possible to do so before going back."
On the 30th the rain fell in torrents, and the roads became almost impassable. It was with the utmost difficulty that we moved our hospital a mile to the left and front to the "Three Chimneys."
On the 31st General Warren, with the First Divis- ion of the Fifth Corps, attempted to gain possession of the White Oak road, but, being attacked by a superior force, they were driven back upon the Second, and they in turn upon the Third, before the enemy could be checked. A division of our corps was sent to their support, and the enemy driven back with heavy loss, and possession of the road was gained. General Sheridan, at this time,
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was operating upon our extreme left, and got possession of Five Forks, but the enemy reinforced his cavalry, defending that point, with infantry, and forced him back towards Dinwiddie Court House. Sheridan dismounted his whole command, except enough mounted men to take charge of the horses, and thus was enabled to keep the enemy at bay until reinforced by General Mckenzie's cavalry and the Fifth Corps. Thus reinforced, he, on the next day, April 1st, attacked the enemy and carried his strongly fortified position, and captured all his artillery and between 5000 and 6000 prisoners, who were the next day (April 2d) marched past our (Second) Division Hospital. Some whom we supposed were officers seemed chagrined, but others were as jolly as schoolboys, whose tasks were over. Some showed considerable regard for the claims of the inner man, by carrying beef-bones which they had picked up and on which was some fresh meat. They made themselves merry upon seeing the ofli- cers of the hospital with white paper collars. We, however, had the best of the joke at seeing them without guns marching to our rear under guard.
The wounded in the cavalry engagement were sent back from the Five Forks, with instructions to report to the first infantry hospital they should come
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to; and between midnight and day of the 2d, a long train of loaded ambulances halted in our yard. Surgeon Brinton, in charge of the hospital, with characteristic kindness and generosity received them, and immediately aroused his assistants, cooks, and attendants who gave the necessary attention. Among the wounded were a few "Johnnies," one of whom was an officer, who, according to his own account, had sprained his ankle, though our surgeons could find no evidence of injury. Lest he might be " plav- ing opossum" the surgeon in charge stationed a guard with a fixed bayonet in his tent, who gave him special attention. In one of the ambulances, there was a soldier who needed nothing done for him, except the few last things -- such as we do for those who have finished their course and fought their last battle. He died on the way and we buried him with religious services in the field, in an enclosure which our working squad put up.
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