USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Spencer > Historical sketches relating to Spencer, Mass., Volume III > Part 5
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Sept. 21st. Reinforcements came up last night but they were not needed as the rebels went back into Virginia.
Sept. 22nd. Everything quiet today. The boys are having a good time.
Sept. 28th. We are encamped near the town of Downsville and about three miles from Williamsport, and five or six from Hagerstown. We are having a kind of resting spell now. We
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are doing a little drilling under our new Col. Eustis. He is a fine drill-master.
Oct. 5th. The 37th Mass. regt. joined our brigade today. It is commanded by Col. Oliver Edwards, formerly adjutant of our regiment. We were reviewed the other day by President Lincoln, Gen. McClellan and Gen. Franklin. We are in Gen. Franklin's corps now.
Oct. 6th. We do not have much of anything to do now-a little drilling and a little guard duty, but it don't amount to much.
HENRY G. CHICKERING Copy by Currin Co. E, 34th Mass. Vols. Born at Pomfret, Conn., Jan'y 4, IS40 Lost off transport May 2, 1865.
Oct. 10th. Gorham, one of our boys who was wounded and taken prisoner at Malvern Hill, returned to us today. We have had marching orders today but they are countermanded now. They were caused by the pickets getting up a little brush amongst themselves.
Oct. 12th. The boys are all pretty well now except Geo. Howard; he has a cold and his head is all swelled up and he can't eat anything but spoon victuals.
Oct. 13th. Went on guard today.
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DIARY OF THEODORE SARGENT
Oct. 14th. Our express came today. I had a box sent by mother; the stuff was most of it in good order-a jar of jelly got broken and a cake got somewhat mouldy. The rest was all right. The Spencer folks sent a large box to Mason for the hospital but
Good Things From Spencer.
there was a great deal more than they wanted and it was divided by lot among the Spencer boys. I drew a pair of socks, two handkerchiefs, two towels, a bottle of cider wine and a jar of currant jelly.
Oct. 15th. Had marching orders again today but they were countermanded.
Oct. 17th. Went on guard again today.
Oct. 18th. Marching orders. We are to march at sundown.
Oct. 19th. We marched through Downsville, Williamsport, and Clear Springs. We halted here at half past one this morn- ing. We laid here until 7 A. M, then we started again and marched through Fair View, Indian Springs and Pond Point to within half a mile of Hancock.
Oct. 20th. Laid here at Hancock all day. The reason of our coming up here was that it was reported the rebels were in the neighborhood and contemplated crossing the river into Mary- land. Hancock is right on the bank of the river. We have orders to march at dark.
Oct. 21st. We did not get started on our march until half past one this morning. We then marched back about ten miles to a place called Cherry Run. Reached here about sunrise. We then formed a camp and I am detailed for picket.
Oct. 22nd. I had to cross the river to get on to the picket line. The river is about an eighth of a mile wide and about knee deep. We had to ford the river and it was not a very pleasant job. We were a reserve to support the rest of the pickets. This morning we drove in the enemy's pickets, they falling back to Hedgesville. This afternoon our cavalry went out in the direc- tion of Hedgesville and we went out to support them. They charged into the place and captured 24 of the rebels before they had time to fire a shot. Among them was a Capt. and a Lieut. We crossed the river and went back to camp tonight about dark.
Oct. 23rd. Broke camp and started off in the direction of Clear Spring. We did not march more than a mile before we halted to await further orders. We laid there until nearly night. Then we were ordered back to our old camp at Cherry Run.
Oct. 24th. Laid in camp all day and rested.
Nov. 2nd. Well, here we are in Berlin near to Harper's Ferry. Since I last wrote from here, we have done considerable
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SKETCHES OF SPENCER HISTORY.
marching. We left Cherry Run and marched back to Fair View and from there to our old camp at Downsville, and from there to this place. Fair View is the most beautiful place I ever saw. It is on Fair View Mountain, and it is a fair view and no mistake. We are ordered to be ready to march at 10 A. M. to cross the river into Virginia. We left Berlin at noon and crossed into Vir- ginia. We stopped for the night at a place called Unionville.
Nov. 3rd. We did not march a great ways today, but stop- ped in the woods and had a pretty good time.
Nov. 4th. We marched near to Ashby's Gap today. At night we are to go on picket.
Well we have got rid of going on picket after all and it hap- pened in this way. There was a long fence near where our brigade stopped for the night and soldiers always like to find a good dry- fence, the rails make such a beautiful fire to cook coffee by.
Fuel Fight Over a Rail Fence.
Well, the 2d R. I. and 37th Mass. got into trouble over them and from words they came to blows, and had quite a little time for a few minutes. Our regiment had just got started for picket and the General sent for us to come back and sent the 2d R. I., instead, to pay for fighting.
Nov. 5th. It is pretty cold today; a good day to march but I guess it will be rather cold laying out tonight. Nothing very especial happened today.
Nov. 6th. We had a little fun on the march today. We halted about noon to rest a while opposite a house where there was a lot of turkeys and chickens. Some of the boys tried to buy some of the woman but she would not sell one. She said that "our soldiers took all that she had to spare." She was Sesech to the backbone. Her husband and two sons were in the rebel army. The boys thought they would have some of the poultry anyway and began to chase after them. The old woman cried, swore and threw stones but it was all of no use. The boys wanted. them and they had them. After a while the provost marshal, Lieut. Ecleston, rode up to the house and ordered the boys back, but they knew him and as long as there was any of the chickens in sight they stayed. The provost marshal had chicken for supper that niglit. We got to White Plains today, all out of provision.
Nov. 7th. It snows today quite hard. The boys were all out last night to see what they would find. They found a whis- key distillery and some hogs and a few sheep. This morning the- boys who were on picket came in and reported a large flock of sheep just outside of the pickets and as we were very short of
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food we thought that we could not do any better than to have a little fresh mutton, so the boys went and every man in the regi- ment before night had all the mutton he could eat. We had notli- ing to eat with it, not even salt, but it tasted good for all that.
Nov. 22nd. Well, here we are at Stafford courthouse, 12 miles from Fredericksburg, 5 miles from Acquia Creek and 34 mile from the Potomac river. We marched from White Plains or Camp Mutton as the boys call it now, to New Baltimore. While here we were drawn up in line to be reviewed by Gen. McClellan and Gen. Burnside. The latter has taken command of the army now. We have all got out of tobacco and the sutlers have not come up and we are feeling pretty cross over it. We left New Baltimore and marched here to this place. We were. all out of rations and had to live pretty short for a few days. All that I ate one day was some persimmons and for smoking tobacco I had to get some moss off the trees in the woods. But we are all right now, plenty of food and tobacco, too. The sutler lias come up and the boys made a raid on him and took about one half of his stock to pay him for not coming up sooner.
The persimmons are plentiful here now and are very nice .. They are in shape and size about like an egg and taste very- much like a very nice plum only they are much sweeter. They have seeds in them shaped very much like a watermelon seed, three or four, more or less, according to the size of the fruit .. They grow on trees that grow as large as cherry trees though they commence to bear before they are as high as a mom's. head. They do not get ripe until after the frosts come. When green they are very bitter and will pucker any one's mouth as. much worse than alum as alum would worse than sugar.
Nov. 28th. Thanksgiving Day. We were called into line- today and had the Governor's proclamation read to us and a few remarks and prayer by the Chaplain. We have got a new one. now; our old one, Barton, left us at Camp Brightwood. There- is not much of anything to write now. All we have to do is a. little camp guard. The other night there was a sutler's wagon. going up the road about half a mile from our camp, past Battery C commanded by Capt. McCarthy, when some of the boys made a raid on it, tipped the wagon over and appropriated the con- tents, among which was some whiskey. They all got jolly tight. and then they thought they could not do any better than to fire a salute, so loaded up one of their guns with a double charge of. blank cartridge and fired it off. It was about 9 o'clock then and it sounded off loudly as the night was so still. The battery is under arrest now. The officers are trying to find out who fired the gun, but the men won't tell on each other so they have all been put under arrest. Being Thanksgiving Day doesn't bring: us any better food this time.
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SKETCHES OF SPENCER HISTORY.
Dec. 2d. Received a letter from Annie. The folks are all well.
Dec. 3rd. We had a company drill today.
Dec. 4th. Marching orders. We are all packed up ready to go. We are ordered to be ready to march at a moment's notice.
Dec. 5th. We left Stafford Courthouse this morning and after marching hard all day stopped for the night at Brook's Station just six miles from where we started in the morning. That is the way with half of our marches. We go four times as far as there is any need of to get to a certain place.
DWIGHT CHICKERING Copy by Currin
Co. E, 34th Mass Vols. Born at Pomfret. Conn., Aug. 6, 1841. Killed in batt'e at Snicker's Ferry, Va., July 18, 1864.
Dec. 6th. Marched five miles this morning in a drenching rain. It has rained all day. We are now near White Oak Church, but a little ways from Bell Plain. I built me a hut today.
Sunday, Dec. 7th. The rain changed to snow last night, but I don't care. I have got a good house for either rain or snow.
Dec. 10th. We have orders to be ready to march at day- light tomorrow morning.
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Dec. 11th. We started before light this morning and halted on the banks of the river Rappahannock about ten a. m. I guess we are going to make some trouble for the Johnnys by the appearance of things. We are about a mile below the City of Fredericksburg. There are two pontoor bridges across the river at this point and they have been trying all day to lay an- other one opposite the city, but there are too many rebel pickets in the houses near the river and they keep firing on the bridge- makers so that they can't lay the bridge. About a quarter of a mile back from the river on our side is a range of hills and they are covered with artillery, about 200 pieces, and when the Gen- eral saw that the engineers could not lay the bridge he gave or- ders for the batteries to open on the houses in the city near the river, and there was music for a while. Then they stopped and tried the bridge again but it was no use. Then he called for some volunteers to go over the river in boats and drive the rebels out of the houses. Some from the 20th Mass. and one other regiment either from Wisconsin or Michigan immediately went over and drove them out and the bridge was soon built. It was 110w almost night and too late to do any fighting, but it was thought best to send some troops over where we were on the left. General Devens volunteered to go over with his brigade. He commands our brigade now. The 2d R. I. were to go over as skirmishers and our regiment next. We went over, drove the rebel pickets back and formed a line without much trouble. They fired at us a little but did no harm. We formed a line of our brigade and two regiments from General Cochran's brigade. They say that one-half of us can sleep at a time tonight and the rest must stand in line to guard against a surprise. The river at this place runs nearly due east. The city of Fredericksburg is on the south side of the river. Above the city is a range of hills called St. Mary's Heights. From these there is a range of hills running in the form of a half circle to the river again some three or four miles below the city, the bend of the circle being away from the river. The hills are mostly covered with woods, or were rather, for the rebels have cut down a large portion of them. These hills are covered with rifle pits, redoubts and forts. From the foot of the hills to the river is a large open plain which our troops must cross in order to get to the rebs, and this whole plain is commanded by the rebel batteries in such a way that they can get a cross fire on any part of it and tomorrow our troops must cross this plain. It will be death to a good many.
Fears the Morrow.
Dec. 12th. This morning early the troops began to cross and take up their position. Our brigade was kept back near
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SKETCHES OF SPENCER HISTORY.
the bridge all day. There was heavy firing on the right and left. of us but none in our vicinity. There was a very heavy fog from the river this morning and it settled down over the plain and the troops could get into position without being fired on by the rebels.
Dec. 13th. This has been a terrible day to the army of the Potomac. We have been fighting all day and have accomplished nothing except to lose thousands of inen, killed, wounded and prisoners. General Sumner commanded on the right. His troops charged the works on St. Mary's Heights four times only to be driven back each time with fearful slaughter. General Frank- lin commanded on the left and part of his troops and General Meade's division from the center (commanded by Hooker) was fighting on the left. Meade's division was in front and charged so furiously that the rebels fell back and if Meade had been pro- perly supported history might have had a different story to tell. There was not much fighting in the center. About three o'clock in the afternoon our brigade was sent down to the left to support some batteries down there. The rebels had a beautiful range on our batteries, both in front and on the left flank. Their shells burst over us, in front, and all around us and struck in the ground all around us without bursting, yet we only lost two men in our regiment, no one in our Co. General Bayard was killed and General Birney is either killed or wounded. I hear reports both ways. About nine o'clock the firing ceased and our brigade fell back and got a good night's rest.
Dec. 14th. Everything is quiet today. We have lain down by the bridges all day.
Dec. 15th. We were called up at half past two and ordered to get our breakfast and be ready to move at four o'clock. W'e started at that time for the front and took our position in line in an old road. In front of us were our skirmishers and their sup- ports. We could see the rebels plainly. They had a brass bat- tery near their picket line. It was polished up brightly and when the sun shone upon it it looked rather saucy. There was but very little firing today, some on the left and a little on the right, but none in the center where we were. About nine o'clock we could see columns of troops moving off to the rear in silence and we began to think that the army was going to retreat across the river, and we began to feel pretty scary as we were in the front line and if the rebels suspected the movement they would be right down on to us. Towards morning we had orders to fall back to the bridges and form a line. We knew then that we were all that was left except the 20th N. Y. They were the skirmishers in front of us. We fell back and formed a line as we were or- dered. Then the skirmishers all came back, crossed the
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DIARY OF THEODORE SARGENT
river and then we faced to the rear and crossed also. The engineer corps was on the bridge and as the last of the brigade passed over, they began taking up the bridge. We did not go but a little way from the river, and stopped for the rest of the night.
Dec. 16th. Wrote to mother giving her an account of the battle. It is reported that we lost 13,000 men in the fight, killed,
Where Sergt. Plunkett and Corp. Barr Were Wounded.
wounded and prisoners. Sergt. Plunkett of the 21st Mass. had both arms shattered by a shell while carrying the flag, and Corp. Barr of the same regiment lost one arm while carrying the state colors. The report is we have got to move again Well, I am glad of it as I don't like this place. It is most too near the rebels. We are right in range and they toss us over a shell once in a while.
Dec. 17th. We moved our camp to a little better location. Dec. 18th. We are at work building us some houses to live 111.
Dec. 21st. Matt. Webster of the 21st Mass. was here to see the boys yesterday. He says that his regiment lost severely in the battle of Fredericksburg, thirteen killed and over fifty wounded.
Dec. 22nd. Wrote a letter to Annie. We have got our house all done. There are four of us in it, Amasa Bullard, John Worthington, John Beaumont and myself.
Dec. 23rd. Went on guard today.
Dec. 25th, Christmas day. Wrote a letter to mother. We celebrated a little today. Amasa Bullard bought some fresh meat and flour, and Collier made us a pudding out of hard bread. With the flour we made flapjacks and made out to have quite a Christmas dinner. The boys are all well now, I believe.
Dec. 27th. Received orders to be ready to march at twelve hours' notice.
Dec. 31st. Received a letter from home. David Moore of
our Co. has been promoted to be 2nd Lieut., also Alf. Midgely of Co. H.
Jan. 9th, 1863. Went on picket today. We are to stay four days. The picket lines are on the bank of the river, just about a mile from our camp. The rebs picket one side of the river, and we the other. The river is about twenty yards wide at this point. We do not have any trouble with the rebels. As soon as we get on picket we put our bayonet on the gun and stick it in the ground, fix up a little fire and sit down and enjoy it. The rebs do the same. The headquarters of our portion of the line is an old grist mill and there are so many of us that we do not
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have to stand but twice in twenty-four hours. My turn is from six to eight in the morning and from six to eight at night so I have the whole night to myself and the day also. South Caro- lina troops are the pickets on the other side of the river.
Jan. 12th. We were relieved from picket.
Jan. 16th. Rained very hard last night and it has cleared off cold.
Jan. 20th. Burnside is going to try and get across the river again. We started at noon today and after marching hard all
LUCIEN FOGG Copy by Currin
Co. H, 10th Mass. Vols. Boin at Thomaston, Maine, May 1, 1843. Killed in battle of the Wilderness, Va., May 12, 1864.
the afternoon we got to a place called Murray's Church, some seven miles above our old camp ground.
Jan. 21st. It commenced to rain last night about dark and it is raining now. We started at six o'clock and marched till noon, when we reached the banks of the river. The roads have got so soft that the pontoon wagons, artillery and supply trains are all fast in the mud. We are in a piece of woods sheltered from the rain. Just outside the woods is an open field where the troops have marched through, and the cavalry and a few of the teams have come up through it and the mud is certainly a
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foot and a half to two feet deep. I have seen today a hundred men with a rope hitched on in front of six mules trying to draw a pontoon wagon that had got stuck in the mud, but could make no impression on it. We had just got our tents up good and comfortable when the order came to pack up and move. As it was still raining we felt rather grouty but luck was on our side
Men Instead of Mules.
this time. We did not go but about a mile when we went into camp again for the night and it was in a much better place, with one little exception-we had to sleep standing up or pretty nearly that. We were on a side hill and the only way we could do was to drive down some sticks, lay a log against them and lay with our feet against the log. It is raining yet.
Jan. 22nd. Were ordered to pack up this morning and after we had got all ready the order was countermanded and as it was still raining we put up our tents again. Cleared off this after- 110011.
Jan. 23rd. We were called up at four p. m. but did not march until ten. I supposed that the pontoons had arrived and that we were going to cross the river. Instead of that I found that the movement was knocked in the head and that we were ordered back to camp. The mud was too many for us this time. Our regiment was detailed to attend Capt. McCarthy's battery back to help it out if it got stuck in the mud, but it got along all right and we got home about the middle of the after- noon pretty tired. So ends the mud march.
Jan. 26th. We had an inspection today.
Feb. 3rd. Received a box from home. In it were boots, a comforter, mittens, towels, handkerchiefs, pins, needles, thread, butter, tea, red pepper and other articles.
Feb. 4th. Wrote a letter to Annie today. We are to have roast turkey for dinner Amasa Bullard had one in his box that came last night. It weighs twelve pounds. I guess that will furnish our bunk and one or two invited guests a meal with the other stuff that we can furnish.
Feb. 5th. There has been some changing going on here in the army lately. General Hooker has relieved General Burnside and instead of three grand divisions there are now six corps. We are in the 6th, commanded by General Sedgwick.
Feb. 9th. Went on picket. The rebs are friendly and when the officers are not around we have quite a time trading with the
Trading With the Rebels.
rebels. We exchange papers and swap coffee for tobacco. We float the stuff across on little boats.
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Feb. 24th. It snows today and it is quite cold. It is about all we can do to keep warm. We have to bring our wood about half a mile on our backs and it is not a very pleasant job. We have cut down some black walnuts here that would be worth a pile of money if they were up north.
March 7th. Went on picket. The rebels on the other side of the river belong to the 5th La. regiment. They are friendly and sick of the war.
March 10th. Came in from picket today. Found a letter in camp from a man in the 8th Ohio regiment. He said he had been home on a furlough and saw some of my friends and they sent some things by him to me and as he had overstayed his fur- lough he was under arrest and could not bring them to me.
March 11th. Went to the camp of the 8th Ohio today. They are in the 2d corps, General Couche's. They lay about four miles from here. I found the man that had seen my Aunt Em and she had sent me a letter and a box of stuff. The mud was very deep and it was a hard day's work to walk four miles and back.
March 13th. We had a brigade drill and review today.
March 14th. Were inspected by the brigade inspector, Capt. Reed, and Lieut. Plunkett, aid-de-camp to Gen. Devens. The weather is pretty cold here now. I wrote to mother today. March 20th. Gen. Stuart made a raid onto the rear of our lines the other day but did not make out much. He got badly whipped and we took seven companies of one regiment prison- ers. Jim Noble, one of our boys who was wounded at Malvern Hill, taken prisoner and discharged, has come out here again and joined our Co. for the unexpired term of service of the regiment. The boys were all glad to see him back again.
March 30th. Our Co. is on guard today. It snowed last night and today it rains.
April 7th. We have been having several reviews lately , the first time by Col. Brown of the 36th N. Y. commanding the brigade; the next time by Gen. Newton, the division com- mander ; the next time by Gen. Sedgwick, the corps commander ; the next time Gen. Hooker commanding the army and we were to have been reviewed today by the president but it has been postponed and we were reviewed and inspected by Gen. Devens, our brigade commander.
Abraham Lincoln.
April 8th. We were reviewed today by the president. He looks as though he was having a hard time, poor man.
April 11th. We had a battalion drill and review by a Swedish general.
DIARY OF THEODORE SARGENT 65
April 12th. We went on picket today. Last night two of the rebels attempted to swim across the river. One of them suc- ceeded in doing so, the other one was drowned. He had $100 in gold in his pocket so this one says that got across.
April 20th. Matched games of baseball are all the go now. Our boys played the 36th N. Y. today. It was a draw game.
April 26th. Mason started for home yesterday on a fur- lough. I weigh now 160 pounds. I am detailed to guard the balloons and assist in making ascensions. It is a very good job. I don't know how long it will last.
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