USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Spencer > Historical sketches relating to Spencer, Mass., Volume III > Part 4
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May 6th. Came off from picket this morning. It cleared off last night about twelve. Everything quiet today; the rebs have fallen back and we can't follow them up right off as we have got to wait for the wagons to come up and the roads are in such condition that it will be a day or two before they can get
NATHAN S. DICKINSON
Co. C. 25 Mass. Vol. born at Barre, Aug. 31, 1836. Died in hospital at Washington (not Philadelphia) Aug. 17, 1864.
here. The surgeons are all busy taking care of the wounded to- day. Dr. Chamberlain is busy amputating limbs. He looks more like a butcher than anything else, he is all covered with blood, but he is a very careful and skillful surgeon.
May 7th. Wrote to mother. They are still bringing in wounded from the woods and are busy burying the dead. It is impossible to tell what the loss is yet as they are finding dead and wounded all the time in the woods where Hooker and Kear- ney had their fight.
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DIARY OF THEODORE SARGENT
May 9th. Left Williamsburg at seven a. m. Marched to James City and stopped for the night. James City is a very populous place. I saw as many as a dozen negroes I guess. I did not see a white person there. There were three houses, two barns and a lot of negro huts.
May 10th. Marclied a few miles further. We are 110W twenty miles from Williamsburg and thirty-eight from Rich- inond.
May 12th. Marched to New Kent Court House.
May 13th. Went on picket. Everything is quiet.
May 14th. We stay as picket for another day. There is a little trouble this afternoon. There is a Co. of Peit11. Cavalry on
Those Pennsylvania Cowards.
picket in front of us and they are a pack of cowards, afraid of their own shadows. The reb pickets are in front of them and every time a reb points his gun at them they get up, go to the rear lively and we would fall in thinking that the rebs were ad- vancing and would find that they had not left their post. After a while we got sick of that kind of business and we went to the front ourselves. When the rebs saw us they tried to play the same game on us but instead of running we just gave them the contents of our Enfield rifles and they soon quieted down and be- haved themselves. We did not any of us get hurt. Sergt. Gardner had a ball go through his knapsack. Somebody went through my knapsack yesterday and took all that was good for anything to them.
May 15th. Relieved from picket and advanced a few miles. We have to advance very carefully now as we are getting to be quite neighborly with the rebs.
May 16th. Marched about three miles and encamped in an old rebel camp. One of the boys found a sword belonging to one of the officers and I found a pipe and we all found more live stock than we knew how to pasture.
May 24th. Had a little skirmish today but it did not amount to a great deal as it was mostly artillery and we had or- ders not to bring on a general engagement.
May 25th. Went on picket. We are now six miles from Richmond.
May 26th. We are in for a week's job on picket but tlie duty is not hard and the rebs are not troublesome at all. Nice weather, but a little warm.
May 31st We had an awful thunder shower last niglit. I think I never knew it to rain so hard. The rebels under Gen. Johnson thought that it would be a nice chance to gobble up a
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SKETCHES OF SPENCER HISTORY
few Yanks as there was but two divisions on the south side of the river-Gen. Casey's and Gen. Couch's to which I belong. Johnson thought the rain would fill up the Chickahominy so that we could not cross when we were attacked or so that the other troops could not cross to our assistance. Gen. Casey's division was in front and our division was in the rear of his. The rebels made the attack just at noon when the inen were at dinner. They succeeded in surprising Caseys' division. The pickets were strangely negligent of their duty and did not give any alarm. In fact they were all taken prisoners or were too thoroughly fright- ened to give any alarm. Casey's division, the most of it, did not stop to see what the trouble was but put for the rear as fast as their cowardly legs would carry them. A few of his regiment stood firm or only fell back to our division. Our division fought the rebels till nearly night when Sumner and Heintzleman came up with their troops, having crossed the river with the water breast high. Our regiment was driven back three times and went to the front again in as good spirits as though they were going on picket. There were three companies of our regiment on
The First Great Battle.
picket A, E and K. Our regiment lost twenty-seven killed, eighty-four wounded and fourteen missing out of the seven com- panies. Col. Briggs has three or four very severe wounds; Cap- tain Day, Captain Smart and Lieut. Leland were killed. Captain Parsons is dangerously wounded. Sylvester Johnson of Spencer is killed. D. F. Munroe and Waldo Luther are pretty severely wounded; John Bigelow, Lorenzo Livermore and Tom Murphy are slightly wounded. The rebels got rather the best of us but did not succeed in taking us all prisoners as they intended to. They drove us altogether about a mile and held our camp grounds, and they captured all our camp equipage, tents, blank- ets, knapsacks, and cooking utensils.
June 1st. They began again this morning but they found that there were a few too many Yanks around and they thought they were wanted in Richmond and went in a hurry as- sisted by Gen. Hooker. He followed them to within two miles of Richmond and would have followed into the city and taken it if he had not been recalled by McClellan. We occupy our old camp again.
June 5th. Gen. Casey was in camp last night and compli- mented our regiment very highly on their conduct in the late battle. I saw a piece in the N. Y. Herald that claims for the 10th regiment the honor of doing what never has been done by
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DIARY OF THEODORE SARGENT
Unusual Honor.
volunteers and is seldom done by the oldest regulars after being driven and scattered all over the field, then to fall back, form on the colors, and go into the fight again as steadily as if they were on dress parade, and this they did three times, then formed in line the fourth time and held their line until the rest of the troops fell back when they were relieved by the fresh troops of Gen. Heintzleman. Then they went to the rear but they held the front line through the night.
June 6th. Wrote to mother and the girls. Went on picket for five days.
June 15th. Major Marsh has been dishonorably discharged from the service for cowardice in the battle of Fair Oaks, May 31st.
June 17th. Heavy firing in the direction of Fort Darling. We don't know what it has amounted to. Murray Lovett is dead. He has been on the pioneer corps since the first of April. He took cold, had a fever, went to the hospital and died.
June 21st. There is a man here today to take home the body of Sylvester Johnson. Pat Kelly and Win. Conway are both sick but neither of thein very dangerously.
June 23rd. Heavy skirmishing all the afternoon and eve- ning. We are acting as a reserve.
June 24th. We had to keep awake all night last night and for company we had one of the most severe storms of rain, hail, thunder and lightning that I ever experienced. We were re- lieved about three o'clock this after110011.
June 25th. Wrote to mother today but spent most of the time resting. We have to get up every morning at three o'clock and stand in line until after daylight so that the rebs shan't catch us napping. We have had to follow this up ever since the battle of Fair Oaks. Shortly after sunrise they com- menced fighting up in front, and our brigade was ordered up as a support but by that time Genls. Hooker and Kearney had given the rebs a dose and they fell back to digest it and we went on picket.
June 26th. Well, we had a pretty gay time on picket last night. The rebs were pretty close to us and had found out our position and they kept tossing shell and shot over amongst us and every little while they would come down an old road there was through the woods with the most confounded yelling I ever
That Rebel Yell.
heard and give us a volley. Sometimes they would drive us back and sometimes they wouldn't. Once when we were trying to get
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SKETCHES OF SPENCER HISTORY
back to our posts after being driven off by the rebs, Sergt. Young and myself came very near being taken prisoners. We came to a fence and on the other side of it was an open field and some rebs were encamped there. Their camp was so close that we could hear the men talking as plainly as could be. We were not a great while getting out of that locality and we did not make much noise about it either. We got to our posts all right at last and kept them until daylight. There has been some sharpshooting but nobody hurt today. Henry Furrow was wounded in the
OTIS M. HUNTER
Co E. 34 Mass. Vol. Born at Spencer, May 25. 1837. Drowned at Harper's Ferry, Va., Apr. 9, 1864.
hand last night. There were two or three quite narrow escapes today. Karl Kalfor was seated with his back against a stump when a cannon bail struck under the stump on the other side, passing under the stump and coming out between his legs. It did not hurt him any and as for frightening him he was too thoroughly Dutch for that. Tom Moore was on the safe side on a pine tree when a shell struck it about six feet above Tom's head. It gave him a headache. We were relieved about dark and went back to camp.
June 27th. Packed our knapsacks and marched as far as Savage Station and laid all the afternoon and heard heavy firing
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DIARY OF THEODORE SARGENT
in the direction of Gaines Hill. I presume we shall have to go up there. We always do have to go everywhere.
June 28th. We did have to march up to Gaines Hill last night but we did not have to do any fighting. We were in line all ready to fight and keeping the stragglers back. We stood in line till twelve o'clock when the fighting ceased. As we re- treated, I guess that we got the worst of the fight. We started about one o'clock and never halted till eight o'clock. We marched towards the James river but where we are I don't know. They are fighting up to Savage Station today.
June 29th. About 400 rebels made a charge on us this morning while we were getting our breakfast, but before they could get to us they had to run over the 7th Mass. hidden behind a fence and a masked battery in the woods. The 7th gave them a volley and the battery some grape and canister and they went back quicker than they came with from 80 to 100 less than they had when they started. We have got orders to march at sun-
Midnight March Through Nine Miles of Swamp.
down to the James river if it is possible to get there. We have got to go through the Nine-Mile swamp. There are rebels all around us and we must go very quietly indeed and must not speak a loud word. It begins to look kind of dusty for us.
June 30th. Arrived at Haxall's landing this morning about sunrise. We got through the swamp all right but we had to come very slowly and very still. We laid down after we had our breakfast and got a little sleep. There was a little bit of a muss yesterday at White Oak swamp, mostly artillery. There is heavy firing in the rear today and we are ordered back to support them if needed. It was dark when we got to the battlefield, a place called Glen Dale. The firing had all ceased and we took the front line and held it while the troops that had been fighting were be- ing relieved by fresh ones. We then fell back a couple of miles and took up a position on Malvern Hill.
July 1st. We were sent onto the picket line or skirmish line ratlier early this morning. Berdan's sharpshooters were in front of us but they did not stop long as the rebels were too many for them. We could see them come down from where they had the fight yesterday and take up their positions right on the right of us. Our company was at the extreme right and had to keep guard in front and on the flank both. We were stationed about half way down the slope of the hill. Directly in front of us was a stone wall behind which the rebels secreted themselves; to our right and front was woods full of rebels, both artillery and infantry. We were in an oat field. The oats were from twelve to
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SKETCHES OF SPENCER HISTORY.
eighteen inches high and by laying perfectly flat we were toler- ably well hidden from the rebels but they were just as well hidden from us and as it was necessary for us to keep watching the reb- els we had to keep dodging our heads up to look and every time we did so, we had some bullets to dodge and that was a kind of dodging that was not so funny. Our artillery was stationed on the hill behind us and threw shells over our heads at the rebs and they returned the compliment in kind. Some of the shells burst uncomfortably near us, scattering their pieces in rather danger- ous proximity but there was no one hurt by them. We had nothing to eat and nothing to drink and we were all tired out any way and the sun shone dreadfully hot. We suffered a great deal. The rebs charged on us three times that day. The first time they drove us back killed Jimmy Day and wounded Sergt. Gardner. We did not let them brag over us long before we drove them back. The next time they tried it they didn't do it, not much, but went back with less men than they started with. There were none of our men injured this time. The third time they tried it it was about four o'clock in the afternoon. They had just commenced fighting in earnest on the left and it did not worry us at all to be driven back as we had much rather be fight- ing in line of battle than to be skirmishing. We joined the reg- iment just as a North Carolina brigade was making a charge on our regiment and the 36th N. Y., but they found the Yanks had
The Yankees Capture Colors.
got their mad up. We gave them a volley, then charged them and gobbled their colors, most all their officers and a good many of the privates. The 36th regiment suffered a heavier loss than we did. Our company did not lose a man. The fight now be- gun in real earnest. The rebels were under command of Gen. Magruder. He would man a heavy force of infantry, hurl them onto our lines, but we were bound to do or die and they did not drive us an inch. We would give them grape and canister from our batteries and volley after volley from the infantry until it was not in the power of mortal man to stand such a fire. When they would go back out of range it was only to find that the gun- boats were throwing their 60 and 100 pound shells among them. No men ever fought better than the rebs did, but we had the ad- vantage of position and the gunboats laying in the river were a great help to us as the rebels had a mortal terror of their shells and well they might have as one of them bursting near a body of men would kill and maim a great many of them. We fought un- til nearly nine o'clock. We had then got out of ammunition and were relieved by troops that had some, but there was not any more fighting. The rebs had got enough of it. They were very
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DIARY OF THEODORE SARGENT
badly whipped. The loss to the regiment was not so severe as it was at Fair Oaks. Quite a good many of our wounded fell into the hands of the rebels as we fell back to Harrison's Landing and we could not take all of the wounded. The regiment lost two killed and eighty wounded. Our company lost two killed and twelve wounded-Isaiah Crosby mortally. Jimmy Day and "'Mahogany" Day were killed. Major Miller was wounded and taken prisoner. He died in Richmond. Sergt. Hemenway of Co. D and Corliss, more familiarly known as "Bloody 'ell" of D was killed and Lieut. Wheeler also of D lost an arm by the premature explosion of one of our own shells. Lieut. Shurtleif got a bad wound in the throat, Lieut. Pierce was wounded in the hand. Sergt. Worthington had a ball pass thro' his cap, taking some of the hair off of his head. Capt. Fred Barton is in com- mand of the regiment. The Lieut Col. is at the rear sick.
July 2nd. We were roused at one a. m. and ordered to Har- rison's Landing. It began to rain about sunrise and it rained as if it had a good deal of raining to do and but a short time to do it in, yet it rained all day. We got to our stopping place about two p. m. and we were tired, wet, hungry and sleepy. June 27 we had three days rations issued to us and this is the sixth day since we have been here. Some of the boys have been out and foraged a little and we have made out to get a little din- ner. While we were eating it the rebs threw a few shells into the camp.
Tired and Homesick.
I was home-sick then. I thought that if we had to get up and march or fight again I did not care but precious little what became of the Union or myself either, but Gen. Kearney took a regiment of lancers that had always been round headquar- ters doing nothing and told them he was going to see what they were made of. He found a battery of light artillery and a regi- ment supporting it. He charged on them, took the battery and about 400 prisoners. We were not troubled any more.
July 3rd. We changed our position a little today.
July 4th. McClellan rode through our camp today. The men are not quite so enthusiastic over him as they used to be. They think things might have been managed a little better in some instances.
July 7th. Laid out our camp today. Guess we are going to stop here awhile.
July 8th. Were reviewed by President Lincoln and Gen. McClellan.
July 13th. Lieut. Col. Vial is in command of the regiment He belongs to the 2d R. I. regiment. "Biney" Jones is 10W.
4
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SKETCHES OF SPENCER HISTORY.
in the hospital at Washington wounded in the hand so the report is.
July 18th. Wrote to mother today. There has been a severe thunder shower here for the last three nights. Wm. Conway is dead ; he died in hospital at Philadelphia. Ed. Toomey died here in this hospital. A good many of the boys are sick, but my health continues good. 1
July 22d. Have heard too that Joe Tinkham [and Hugh Graham, two of our boys that were wounded at Malvern Hill,
OSCAR R. BEMIS
Co. K, roth Mass. Vols. and Co. E, 34th Mass. Vols. Born at Spencer, Mass., Jan'y 23, 1834. Died in hospital July 31, 1863.
were taken prisoners and are in Richmond. James Noble, another of our boys, is in Richmond wounded.
July 30th. Wrote to mother. Capt. Walkley has resigned on the plea of ill health, and also Lieut. Chase. The cannon fever has been troubling our officers some. A discharge seems to be a certain cure for this disease.
Aug. 1st. The rebels came down on the opposite side of the river last night about midnight and tried to destroy some of our transports but they did not do them any damage. They killed a few horses and mules. Our men returned the fire and one or two of the gunboats came down from near Fort Darling and tossed
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DIARY OF THEODORE SARGENT
a few shells over amongst them and they got out of range in a hurry. They are afraid of those gunboats.
Aug. 2nd. Wrote to mother, and went on fatigue. Aug. 5th. Went on guard for the first time in three
months. The regiment had orders to march with two days' ra- tions. The whole corps is going on a reconnaisance towards Malvern Hill. I get out of this march as I am on guard.
Aug. 6th. On guard again today. Lost my pocketbook and contents in the guard tent.
Aug. 7th. The regiment came back from Malvern Hill this morning about half past three, cross and sleepy. We that were on guard stayed until night to give the boys a chance to rest a little. They did not see any rebels while they were gone.
Aug. 15th. Left Harrison Landing as guard for the wagon
Guarding the Wagon Train.
train. Where we are bound I don't know. We sent our knapsacks off on board the transports. We did not get more than two miles today as it took so long to get the wagon train straightened out.
Aug. 16th. Made pretty good time today. Passed Charles City Court House and laid in the woods side of the road for the night. The wagons did not leave the road nor unhitch only long enough to feed.
Aug. 17th. Crossed the Chickahominy river on a pontoon bridge and went into camp about 10 o'clock A. M. as we found we had got ahead of the troops. They were on another road and had not got up and it was hardly safe to go any further unless they went in front. The regiment crossed the river about dark
and gained on us. They came across plenty of tobacco during the day, which was very acceptable to me as I was out. My chum, Johnny Beaumont, gave me enough for present needs and I felt that "Richard was himself again."
Aug. 18th. Started on with the wagons and went about three miles east of the town of Williamsburg and halted. We are on the old battlefield.
Aug. 19th. The mules are getting tired and we did not get but four miles today.
Aug. 20th. Well, here we are within three miles of York- town and are wondering what the next thing will be. A good many troops have gone off on transports down the York river bound for Washington. I guess it is reported that the rebels are fighting Gen. Pope back toward Centreville. I am with the wagons yet, but expect to join the regiment in a day or two.
Aug. 24th. Wrote to mother today. I am with the com- pany now. The boys are all well I believe.
Aug. 29th. We are having some pretty good times here now.
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SKETCHES OF SPENCER HISTORY.
"The boys are all fishing and catching oysters, clams and crabs. They are plentiful here in the river.
Aug. 30th. Left Yorktown this morning bound up the Potomac.
Aug. 31st. Arrived at Alexandria today.
Sept. 1st. Heavy firing in the direction of Bull Run. We have orders to hold ourselves in readiness to march at a moment's notice. The 34th Mass. Regt. is encamped near here. Some of the boys have been down to see us. I saw Ed. Boynes, Joe Ward, John Lyndes and a few others whom I knew.
Fight at Chantilly.
Sept. 2nd. There was a heavy fight last night at Chantilly between Burnsides' corps and the rebs. The 21st Mass. suffered very heavy. Fred Bemis was killed there. We had to march almost up to the fight in one of the most severe thunder showers I ever experienced, but before we could get there the fight was over and we laid down side of the road for the night. Today we had to march back to Arlington Heights ; laid here a good part of the day, then we had to march up the river to Chain bridge and went into camp. Gen. Pope has been licked.
Sept. 4th. The orders are to march at 4 P. M. The story is that we are going back to camp Brightwood. Instead of go- ing to camp Brightwood, when we got to Tenolytown the order was "file left" and here we are about six miles above Tenoly- town. The story tonight is the rebs are crossing at Edwards' Ferry and that we are going to Poolsville, but there are always stories enough in camp.
Sept. 5th. Marched till noon today and reached a place called Bursville Cross Roads, 18 miles from Poolsville and six miles from Rackville. It is reported that rebels are at both of these places.
Sept. 10th. We are now within a mile of the town of Pools- ville. There are no rebels there now.
Sept. 15th. Passed through the town of Berketsville at the foot of South mountain. Gen. Slocum had a fight here yester- day with the Johnnys and drove them out of the town into the mountain, then he charged up the side of the mountain and drove them over the mountain and off the other side, but he did not kill or take prisoners. The General found his own cousin among the wounded rebels. He had him well taken care of.
Sept. 17th. We had orders to report to Harper's Ferry to the relief of the garrison there. It was about 20 miles down there. After we got started we heard firing in the direction of the ferry and we marched about as fast as we could. When we got within about one-half a mile of the ferry we heard that the place was surrendered to Stonewall Jackson. We stopped side
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DIARY OF THEODORE SARGENT
of the road to rest awhile when an order came from Gen. Mc- Clellan to report to him on the battle field of Antietam. We got to within a mile of the field and halted for the night as it was after 10 o'clock and no chance to fight.
Sept. 18th. We went onto the field early this morning and took up our positions in line. The skirmishing was going on right smart in front and we were expecting to have fun enough before night, but we did not seem to get engaged as the General did not care to fight much today but was calculating on a grand affair tomorrow.
After Antietam.
Sept. 19th. When we got up this morning we found out that there was something missing and we were not long in finding out that the rebels had retreated across the river. In the afternoon we started on after them through the town of Sharpsburg. There was hardly a house left whole in the place. It looks as though that there had been some shells thrown in here. We did not march but a little ways beyond Sharpsburg and turned into the woods side of the road.
Sept. 20th. Were ordered about 1 A. M. this morning to make a forced march to Williamsport as it was reported the rebels were crossing the river into Maryland at that place. When we got to within three miles of the place our cavalry found their pickets and drove them in. Our division came up and sent out skirmishers. The rest of us formed a line and advanced through the woods about a mile, over fences, rocks and brush, and took up a position as favorably as we could, but we soon found out that we could not stay there long as there were rebels in front of us and rebels to the right and left of us, and we about faced and marched to the rear and took up another position where they could not flank us, and sent for reinforcements. The rebels sent a few shells over to us, but they did no damage. We lost a few men. The skirmish wounded them; there were none killed. We found a nice field of potatoes near where we were in line and as we were very fond of new potatoes we thought we would take a few and as there were a good many of us and not a very large field of potatoes I am afraid that the man who owned the field did not get a great many of them.
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