USA > Illinois > History of the 112th Regiment of Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in the great war of the rebellion, 1862-1865 > Part 25
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But one serious accident happened to the regiment on the journey. John Johnson, of Co. H, was run over by a railroad car in Washington, on the evening of the 25th, and had his right arm taken off. He was taken to the hospital, where he died on the 16th of February from the effects of the injury.
While at Alexandria passes were granted liberally, and the men improved the opportunity to visit Washington. Large squads visited the city daily, and probably every man in the regiment spent at least one day in the capital.
A large mail had followed the corps to Washington : but the corps postmaster had neglected to inform the postmaster at Washington of the whereabouts of the corps, and the mail had been sent back to Nashville. This exasperated the men when they heard of it, and curses loud and deep were heaped upon the head of the corps postmaster for his neglect of duty.
Next to rations, a soldier's mail is most necessary for his welfare. The people at home hardly realized the actual ne- cessity of writing frequently to their relatives and friends in the army. Give a soldier his rations and frequent letters from home, and he will defy hardships, disease, homesickness, and will be jolly. contented and ready and willing for duty. Cut off his mail, and he becomes morose, sullen, homesick, and this induces actual sickness ; and he goes to the hospital, and perhaps dies. Many a poor fellow lies buried in southern hos- pital cemeteries whose disease and death can be traced to the neglect and carelessness of his friends at home in not writing
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HISTORY OF THE 112TH ILLINOIS.
to him. It may have been a weakness ; but many brave men who feared neither southern bullets nor the southern climate succumbed to this weakness. They could stand fire, bat not neglect.
Col. Henderson had been compelled to relinquish bis com- mand while at Nashville, and go north on account of ill health. He was in fact too ill to be on duty from the time the anny lett Pulaski until it reached Nashville, but he refused to leave his command while it was being pressed by the enemy. He arrived at Alexandria on the 29th of January and at 0.19: 7p- sumed command of the brigade. He had been recommend for promotion to Brigadier General of Volunteers for gil at conduct upon the Atlanta campaign and at the battle of Frank- lin, by both General Cox and General Schofiel l, but as there were no vacancies in that grade, President Lincoln nominat ed him Brigadier General, by brevet, on the 6th of January, and he was confirmed by the Senate and entered upon the du- ties of the office ; but by some mistake his commission was ent issued until after the death of President Lincoln, and was sign- ed by President Johnson.
By the first of February the 23d Corps was ready to more south ; but the extreme cold weather had frozen the Potomac, and boats could not run until the river was clear of ice.
Gen. Schofield visited Gen. Grant at Fortress Monroe, and together they went to Fort Fisher, at the mouth of Cape Fear River. to consult with Gen. Terry and Admiral Porter, in com- mand of the naval forces, with regard to future operations.
A new department was created, designated as the Depart- ment of North Carolina, and Gen. Schofield assigned to its command. Gen. Cox was placed in command of the 23.1 Corps, and Gon. Reilly commanded the 3d Division. Gen. Reilly lett the service near the close of the war, and after that time the division was commanded by Gen. S. P Carter. The co.ps was reorganized, and the 1st Division reconstructed, il com- mand of Brig. Gen. Ruger.
Gen. Schofield returned to Alexandria, and the ice having broken up, he embarked, with Cox's division, on the 4th of February, leaving the other divisions to follow as soon as transportation could be obtained. Gen. Schofield and his
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ARRIVE IN NORTH CAROLINA.
staff, Gen. Cox and his staff, and Gen. Henderson with his brigade went aboard the steamship Atlantic. The brigade went aboard late in the afternoon of the 3d, and at 8 o'clock on the morning of the 4th the steamship swung from the pier and steamed down the Potomac. Passed Mount Vernon in the afternoon, and at dark the fleet anchored at Kettel's Shoals, near Matthew's Point, and lay by during the night. Got un- der way at 7 o clock the next morning, steamed down Chesa- peake Bay and reached Fortress Monroe at 7 o'clock in the ev ening, where a mail wasleft and ammunition taken on. Got under way again at 3 o'clock in the morning of the 6th, and under full sail and steam steered toward Cape Hatteras. The ship rolled and pitched tremendously, and many of the men were very sea-sick. A dense fog covered the sea, and nothing could be seen. It was a new experience to many of our west- ern "land-lubbers," but they stood it bravely
We arrived opposite the mouth of Cape Fear River on the morning of the 7th, but by reason of the dense fog and high sea could not make a landing, and stood out to sea until five o'clock in the evening, when the ship ran in toward the shore and anchored. At 8 o'clock the next morning the troops com - menced landing. A small steamer ran out. and the men were rowed from the steamship to the steamer in small boats, and the steamer carried them to the landing on Federal Point. The 140th Indiana regiment was the first to land and the 112th Il- linois the last, but by 9 o clock in the evening all were landed, and the brigade moved up through Fort Fisher and bivouack- ed about two miles above the fort.
Fort Fisher was battered and broken. the effect of the re- cent bombardment, and its interior and the sandy beach in front were covered with great shells. strewn so thickly that one could walk on them.
The whole cape was a vast body of white sand, with no trees or shrubs to break the monotonous landscape. The gunboats lay off the coast and in the mouth of the Cape Fear River, and threw frequent shells into the rebel lines. The continuous roar of the sea, as the huge waves rolled in upon the sandy shore, was new music to our western ears, and amid these new
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HISTORY OF THE 112TH ILLINOIS.
surroundings the men spread their blankets upon the sand and lay down to sleep.
The 3d Division remained in its position on Federal Point until the 9th of February, waiting for tents and camp equipage to be landed, and for the men to recover from the effects of sea-sickness, incident to the voyage around Cape Hatteras.
The weather was cold, and the sea breezes cut to the mar- row, but in the afternoon of the 10th the tents were brought up and pitched, and all were made as comfortable as the cir- cumstances would permit.
The horses of the division had been shipped on the steamer "Nereus," a much smaller vessel than the Atlantic. and consid- erable anxiety had been felt for its safety It weathered the storm, however, though with the loss of a number of horses, and in the afternoon of the 10th came steaming into the harbor.
The Cape Fear River, for several miles near its mouth, runs nearly parallel with the coast. Between the river and the sea coast is a sandy tongue called Federal Point. Fort Fisher was situated near the southern point of this narrow tongue. Myr- tle Sound is a long, narrow, shallow bay, extending from a point about two miles north of Fort Fisher to Masonboro In- let, several miles further north, where it connects with the sea. It is nearly parallel to the coast, and only a few hundred yards away from it, and the land between the sound and coast is a mere key of sand. Federal Point. from Fort Fisher north to Myrtle Sound, is not more than half a mile wide-the broad Atlantic on the east and the Cape Fear River on the west --- a barren, desolate strip of sand.
The Confederate forces, in command of Gen. Hoke, were in- trenched about two miles north of the southern end of Myrtle Sound, on a line extending from the west side of the sound west to the Cape Fear River. Nearly opposite the right of Hoke s line, on the west side of the river, on a projecting point commanding the approaches up the river. was a strong tort, called Fort Anderson, containing several heavy guns and a considerable force of Confederate soldiers, and from this point the river was planted with torpedoes to prevent the passage of the fleet up the river.
CHAPTER XXV
THE CAMPAIGN IN NORTH CAROLINA- CAPTURE OF FORT ANDERSON. THE FALL OF WILMINGTON- THE MARCH TO GOLDSBORO. REUNITED WITH SHERMAN'S ARMY.
PREPARATIONS FOR A FINAL CAMPAIGN-BEGINNING OF THE END.
At 8 o'clock on the morning of the 11th of February Gen. Cox moved his division about a mile up the cape and relieved Gen. Terry's reserves in his second line of works, and the lat- ter were moved forward to reinforce his first line. Terry then advanced his line, drove in the enemy's skirmishers, and gain- ed and held a position close up to the enemy's line of intrench- ments.
At the same time the navy opened fire upon the enemy's po- sition ; and the gunboats and monitors on the river opened on Fort Anderson, but without eliciting a reply.
At noon the gun-boats advanced to a position near the fort, when the latter opened a vigorous fire with solid shot, and they were compelled to retire ; but a little monitor ran close up to the fort and poured shot and shell into it with a vigor that elicited cheers from the infantry. The fort replied with its heavy guns at short range, but the monitor held its own until ordered to retire.
There were some colored troops in Terry's corps, and in ad- vancing his lines one of his colored soldiers captured a prison- er, who proved to be the negro's former owner. As the color- ed soldier, in his blue uniform-an emblem of his freedom- with bayonet fixed and gun at right shoulder shift, marched proudly to the rear in charge of his prisoner, his black face fairly glistened with delight, and as he passed through our lines he exclaimed, "I'se got 'im boys-I done got 'im." "Got
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who ?" inquired some one. "I'se got my old massa, boys. I tuk im in, I did. He's my prisoner, ole massa is." "Yes" said the prisoner. "Sam has the advantage of me just now." And ex-master and slave passed to the rear, the face of each reflecting his feelings beyond the power of words to express or pen to describe.
At two o'clock in the afternoon of the 12th (Sunday) Gen. Cox's division of the 23d Corps, and Gen. Ames' division of the 10th (Gen. Terry's) Corps received orders to be ready to move at dark with three days rations and seventy rounds of cartridg- es per man, on a secret night expedition.
The object of the expedition was to lay a pontoon bridge across Myrtle Sound at a narrow place above Hoke's position, and cross the sound and gain a position in his rear. The navy was to convey the boats up the coast and land them at the designated rendezvous, where the infantry was to receive them, and drag them across the sands to the sound, and lay the bridge. The divisions moved out a little after dark and marched down to the beach, and, keeping near the water's edge, proceeded up the coast about four miles to the designat- ed point. The wind blew a gale from the north east, and the sea ran so high that the boats could not be landed. The weath- er was intensely cold, the night very dark, and as the men were loaded down with extra rations and ammunition, the march in the soft sand was extremely tiresome. The infantry returned to its former position, and at midnight went into camp, weary and cold.
On the night of the 14th another attempt was made to lav the pontoons across the sound. The command moved at 7 o'clock, each man loaded with three days rations and seventy rounds of ammunition, and proceeded to the same place as be- fore. This time the pontoons were loaded upon wagons and an effort made to haul them forward along the beach; but it was found almost impossible to do so, on account of the high tide and surf. When it was not washed by the sea, the sand was too deep and soft for the teams ; and nearer the water, the sea washed them off their feet. They made slow progress : and before the teams had reached half way to the ren- dezvous, the moon rose and revealed the troops and naval
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AROUND FORT ANDERSON.
squadron to the enemy, and again the expedition was aban- doned and the men returned to their quarters, reaching camp about 3 o'clock on the morning of the 15th.
A severe storm swept the coast on the 15th, commencing at 6 o'clock in the morning and continuing until afternoon. The wind blew furiously from the south of east, and the rain fell in torrents. Tents were blown down, and for a time it seemed as if the whole camp would be blown into the river, but the storm ceased as suddenly as it had commenced, and the af- ternoon was warin and pleasant. At 9 o'clock in the evening orders were received at division headquarters to be ready to move at 7 o'clock the following morning. The next day Gen. Cox's division and Gen. Ames' division moved down to the ex- treme southern point of the cape, and were ferried across to Smithville, on the right bank of Cape Fear River. Here they were joined by Col. Moore's brigade of the 2nd Division of the 23d Corps, which had just landed ; and Gen. Cox was directed to take command of the whole force, and advance upon Fort Anderson and capture or turn it. The command camped on the night of the 16th half a mile above Smithville.
Cox's division and Moore's brigade marched at 9 o'clock on the 17th, the 112th Illinois in the advance. with companies A, F, D and I deployed as skirmishers. At Governor's Creek, three miles above Smithville, the enemy's cavalry were met and pressed back, by a continuous skirmish, to within two miles of the fort. A line was established, Henderson's brigade on the right, its right flank near the river, and communication opened with the navy, which was cooperating with the land forces. The only casualty in the 112th was James A. Chase, of Co. D, slightly wounded on the skirmish line. The distance marched during the day was ten miles, through a country nev- er before invaded by Union troops. The people had never seen any Union soldiers ; and as the command marched along the road, the negroes, old and young, men, women and chil- dren, some as black as tar, others scarcely brown, and a few as white as their masters, came running out from the planta- tions, singing and shouting with joy and thanksgiving at the presence of "Massa Linkin's sogers." Some of them kneeled upon the ground and offered up their simple prayers of praise
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HISTORY OF THE 112TH ILLINOIS.
and thanksgiving to Him who is the God of the slave as well as of the master; others rolled in the dust and gave vent to their feelings in wild yells of deliglit ; while the younger por- tion of them ran and kicked and jumped about like a lot of young colts ; and some of the women actually rushed into the ranks and wanted to embrace and kiss some of "Massa Lin- kin's sogers." It was both an affecting and a laughable scene -a prayer meeting and a circus combined-the sublime and the ridiculous in one act.
The negroes were as ignorant as cattle ; they had never seen a Union soldier ; yet, instinctively perliaps, they knew that the presence of the boys in blue meant freedom to them. Their days of slavery were ended ; they knew not how nor why ; they did not care ; it was enough for them to know that the "day of jubilee" had come, without asking or caring for the cause. They were supremely happy-happier in anticipation of future freedom than they have been in its realization.
At 8 o'clock on the morning of the 18th the command again advanced, in line of battle, skirmisliing sharply with the ene- my, and driving them within the fortifications. A position was gained within half a mile of the fort, and Gen. Hender- son's and Col. Moore's brigades intrenched, the right of the former resting on the river, to invest the fort on that side ; while Gen. Cox, with the 1st and 2nd brigades of liis division, made a detour to the left to turn the position. A line of trench- es, protected by abattis, ran at right angles from the fort to the foot of Orton's Pond, a lake several miles in length ; and sending orders to Gen. Ames to follow him with his division, Gen. Cox marched with liis two brigades fifteen miles around and to tlie head of the pond. In the meantime the two brig- ades in position kept up active demonstrations upon the fort, and the navy continued to cannonade it during the day, and at intervals during the following night.
Corporal James Stitt, of Co. D, 112th Illinois, was wounded in the advance upon Fort Anderson on the 18th-the only cas- ualty in the regiment. A musket ball struck his watch, pass- ed through both cases, then dropped down and passed through the groin. The watch saved his life. It was a narrow escape. Corporal Stitt has never regretted the loss of his watch, how-
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WAS THERE FOR BUSINESS.
ever. He still has the bullet, which he has preserved as a sou- venir of the war, and as a reminder of his "close call."
The men of Henderson's and Moore's brigades lay on their arms the night of the 18th, under orders to make a bold dem- onstration upon the fort at daylight on the following morning, while Gen. Cox, at the same time, moved rapidly upon the en- emy's flank, to turn the position.
Gen. Schofield's headquarters were on a small steamer on the river, where he could communicate with greater facility with either Cox or Terry ; and after Gen. Cox had commenced his movement towards the head of Orton's Pond, Schofield recognized Gen. Henderson as being in command of the two remaining brigades, and directed his orders to him accordingly.
A strong skirmish line was detailed from Henderson's bri- gade, and posted in position by Capt. S. F Otman, Brigade Inspector General, in command of Major Wilcox of the 63d Indiana ; and, under instructions from Gen. Schofield, Gen. Henderson directed Major Wilcox to be watchful and vigilant -- as it was feared the enemy might attempt to evade Cox by making a sortie upon Henderson's line, and endeavor to break through and make their escape down the coast.
But now a new question arose. Col. Moore claimed that his commission as colonel ante-dated Henderson's, and that con- sequently he outranked Henderson, and was entitled to the command. Gen. Schofield sent for Gen. Henderson and in- formed him of Moore's claim. Gen. Henderson promptly waived the point ; and informed Schofield that he was not there to quibble about rank, but to assist in taking Fort An- derson and capturing Wilmington. The disposition of the troops for the night had already been made by Gen. Hender- son, and he returned to his headquarters, prepared to yield the command to Col. Moore whenever the latter was ready to assume it.
The gun-boats on the river threw an occasional shell into the fort during the night ; and about 3 o'clock on the morning of the 19th Major Wilcox discovered signs of an evacuation of the fort. He immediately ordered an advance of the skirmish line, and firing one volley as they advanced, the skirmishers pushed forward, scaled the walls of the fort, and found that
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HISTORY OF THE 112TH ILLINOIS.
both the fort and the line of trenches extending towards the foot of Orton's Pond had been abandoned. The rebel rear guard was just leaving the fort as the skirmishers climbed ov- er the walls, and about forty prisoners were captured. The garrison flag, which was rolled up and had evidently fallen off a wagon, was also found and taken possession of. When the firing on the skirmish line was heard, Gen. Henderson ordered his brigade to stand to arms, and it remained in that posi- tion, awaiting developments, until daylight. At day-break the navy opened a vigorous fire upon the fort. Of course there was no reply ; but the fire was continued until Major Wilcox ran up the stars and stripes. That seemed to satisfy the na- vy that the fort had surrendered, or was ready to surrender, and a boat manned with marines, with a naval officer, put off from the fleet and rowed up to the fort. The officer landed and took formal possession of the fort, "in the name of the United States Navy"; and the next day the New York papers announced in glaring head-lines that Fort Anderson had been captured by the naval forces on Cape Fear River.
To complete the farce, Col. Moore, as soon as he had dis- covered the situation of affairs, ordered his brigade into line and actually went through the form of making an assault up- on the abandoned rebel works; and some of our men, who were returning from the fort, met his brigade advancing in line of battle, with fixed bayonets, upon the empty fort and line of trenches. Col. Moore and the naval squadron may have succeeded in "dividing the honors ;" but the fact remains that Major Wilcox and his skirmishers were the first to take possession of the fort, and captured all the prisoners that were taken. The garrison flag was found by some of the skirmish- ers belonging to the 140th Indiana, and it was afterwards pre- sented to Gov. Morton of Indiana, by Col. Brady, in a glowing speech about the captured flag, in front of the National Hotel, in Washington, on the 17th of March, 1865. A large crowd was in attendance and after Gov. Morton had replied to Col. Brady's presentation speech, President Lincoln, who was present, also made a speech. This was another farce-the flag was not captured, it was found.
Ten pieces of heavy ordnance and a considerable quantity
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AT TOWN CREEK.
of ordnance stores, which the rebels had been unable to move, were captured in the fort.
Henderson's brigade immediately drew three days rations and started in pursuit of the retreating rebels. Marched three miles on the Wilmington road, when orders were received from Gen. Schofield to halt and await the arrival of Gen. Cox with the other brigades. At two o'clock in the afternoon Gen. Cox arrived and the command again moved forward, and driv- ing the enemy's rear guard before it, marched to Town Creek, a narrow, deep, unfordable stream emptying into the Cape Fear River. The enemy retreated to the north bank of the creek, to a strong line of earthworks and a fort which had been previously built on a bluff twenty feet above the water, and re- moved the planking from the bridge, and with a Whitworth rifled cannon and two smooth twelve-pounder field pieces sweeping the approaches to the bridge, awaited our advance. The rebel forces consisted of Hagood's brigade of Hoke's divis- ion, and one other regiment, numbering about eighteen hun- dred men ; but their position was a strong one, with a deep river in their front, and it required skill and courage to dis- lodge them. On the east side of the river the enemy retreated to a strong position opposite the mouth of Town Creek, closely pursued by Gen. Terry ; and as the principal force of the en- emy appeared to be on that side, Gen. Ames division recross- ed the river on the 19th and reinforced Terry
Henderson's brigade gained a position well up to Town Creek, and a strong line of skirmishers worked their way through the sandy marsh to the edge of the stream, within easy range of the enemy's works, and dug rifle pits for protec- tion against the enemy's guns. An old negro informed Gen. Henderson of a small flat-boat two miles down the river, and he sent a squad of men to secure and guard the boat.
Early on the morning of the 20th the rebel artillery opened fire on Henderson's line, but the Union artillery replied with telling effect, and their Whitworth gun was soon disabled. The skirmish line was strengthened, and from the rifle pits on the bank of the creek covered the enemy's works so completely that none dared show themselves above the parapet. Their
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two remaining guns were also silenced. Several attempts were made to withdraw them, but every man who approached the guns fell beneath the deadly fire of the Union sharpshooters. Jabez Bath, of Co. D, was injured in the head by the concus- sion of an exploding shell-the only casualty in the 112th Illi- nois during the day.
In the meantime Gen. Cox had proceeded down the river with the three other brigades, and they were being ferried across in the old flat-boat. The boat would carry only fifty men, and it was late in the afternoon when the whole force had crossed. Here a new difficulty met them. The country was covered with swamps and dykes, impassable for horses ; but the men succeeded in wading them, and Gen. Cox march- ed the two brigades of his division rapidly for the Wilmington road, sending Col. Moore with his brigade to intercept the reb- el forces on another road further west, and prevent their re- treat in that direction. Gen. Cox fell upon the Confederate flank and rear and after a short, sharp fight, captured the commanding officer and four hundred men and both pieces of artillery. The remainder of the Confederate forces made their escape by the west road-Col. Moore having failed to reach it in time to cut off their retreat-and retreated to Wilmington. The bridge was repaired, and Henderson's brigade crossed and occupied the enemy's works.
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