USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > New Bedford > History of New Bedford and its vicinity, 1620-1892 > Part 31
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The city authorities were active in giving all possible aid in the en- listments for the army, and were lavish in their financial support of all war measures. On September 5 Mayor Isaac C. Taber was authorized
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HISTORY OF NEW BEDFORD.
to organize companies for the national army with bounties for each member of $15. November 20 $1,500 were appropriated for State aid to soldiers' families, and December 15 $5,000 for the payment of sol- diers' bounties.
In October, 1861, Company D, Twenty-third Massachusetts Infantry was raised in this city for three years' service. It was largely composed of New Bedford men. The following officers were in command when the company departed for service : Captain, Cornelius Howland, jr .; first lieutenant, Samuel C. Hart ; second lieutenant, Anthony Lang. The regiment left Lynnfield, November 11, 1861, and embarked in steamers State of Maine and Metropolis for New York. They arrived and went into camp at Annapolis, November 16, 1861. On January 9, 1862, the regiment embarked on board the gunboat Huzzar and schooner Highlander for Fortress Monroe. A violent gale on January 12 sepa- rated the vessels, and with much difficulty and danger the regiment reached Pamlico Sound, where the vessels remained at anchor nearly two weeks. The furious winds made it unsafe to send boats to the shore, and the men were placed on short allowance of both food and water. They joined the fleet of sixty vessels to accomplish the reduction of Roanoke Island. On the 7th the gunboats began their attack on the rebel fleet and on the forts of Roanoke Island. Later in the day the Union forces commenced landing, the Twenty-third Regiment being the first to reach the shore. The engagement lasted several hours, when the enemy capitulated at 4 o'clock. Three thousand persons, 2,000 stand of arms, and three shore batteries with forty guns were captured. General Burnside, in his order issued February 14, thanked the Massa- chusetts troops for their gallant conduct and "Roanoke, February 8," was authorized to be inscribed on their banners. Thus early in the war did the New Bedford soldiers of this regiment receive their first baptism of fire.
The regiment took part in the capture of Newbern, March 16, 1862, in which it lost seven men killed in action and forty-seven wounded. October 30, 1862, Company I), the New Bedford company, with four others of the regiment, took part in a raid up the Neuse River. At Swift's River, the cavalry, artillery and baggage trains, the whole force under the command of Major-General Foster, marched' through a sec- tion of North Carolina, embracing Washington, Rawles Mills, Williams-
Yours Truly Samle. Han
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TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT.
ton, Hamilton, Tarboro, and Plymouth. The expedition was gone thir- teen days and captured fifty prisoners, four hundred horses and mules, and a hundred wagons. November 14, 1862, the regiment participated in the battle of Kinston, in which it took sixty prisoners belonging to the Twenty-third South Carolina Volunteers. November 16 it en- countered the enemy at Whitehall. This proved a serious affair, for, says the account, " the enemy poured the lead and iron into us like rain." The regiment was under steady fire for two hours and lost thirteen killed and fifty-four wounded. On the march back to Newbern, " owing to the bad quality of shoes, a great many marched part of the time bare- footed over the frozen and icy roads." During the year 1863 the Twenty-third Regiment was doing loyal service, frequently changing camp, and participating in occasional expeditions. June 26 the New Bedford company was sent to Fort Spinola, near Newbern, for garrison duty. The regiment did service in defending Wilcox Bridge, and en- countered the brisk fire of the enemy at this point. In the latter part of October the regiment left Newbern and sailed for Fortress Monroe, where it went into camp and spent the early winter months.
In 1864 the Twenty- third Regiment took part in the battle of Arrow- field Church, and in the ill-fated movement towards Richmond that ended so disastrously at Drury's Bluff. It suffered severely in this en- gagement, having thirteen killed, twenty six wounded, and fifty-one made prisoners, thirty-seven of whom died in prison. In 1865 it partic- ipated in several engagements before Richmond. The full time of serv- ice expired June 15, and the Twenty-third Regiment was mustered out of service at Readville, July 12, 1865. Colonel Raymond, who com- manded the regiment, said of the men : "Their excellent conduct while in camp or garrison, their coolness and bravery under fire, their vigilance and fidelity at all times displayed, entitle them to the highest praise." Inscribed on their regimental flag are the battles of Roanoke, Newbern, Rawles Mills, Kinston, Goldsboro, Wilcox Bridge, Winton, Smithfield, Heckman's Farm, Arrowfield Church, Drury's Bluff, and Cold Harbor.
FIFTH BATTERY.
The artillery company organized for coast defense at New Bed- ford in the summer of 1861 was the nucleus of this battery. A large
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HISTORY OF NEW BEDFORD.
proportion of its officers and members were New Bedford citizens. At the time when it left Camp Massasoit, Readville, December 25, 1861, its officers were: Captain, Max Eppendorf, New Bedford ; first lieuten- ants, George D. Allen, Malden, John B. Hyde, New Bedford; second lieutenants, Robert A. Dillingham, New Bedford, Charles A, Phillips, Salem ; quartermaster-sergeant, Timothy W. Terry, New Bedford. Its armament consisted of four rifled six-pounders and two twelve-pounder howitzers. These were exchanged for three inch guns during the win- ter of 1862.
The battery went into Camp Duncan, Washington, December 27. In January, 1862, many changes were made in its officers. Captain Eppen- dorf resigned, Lieutenant Allen took command, and the other officers were promoted in succession. Sergt. Henry D. Scott was advanced to second lieutenant.
In February the battery marched to Hall's Hill, Va., and was as- signed to Gen. Fitz John Porter's division. In March it went into camp near Fortress Monroe, where it awaited the movement of the army against Richmond. In April it took part with Gen. Fitz John Porter's division in the advance on Yorktown. It performed picket duty on the Chickahominy during the month of June, and took part in the battle of Gaines's Mills June 27. In this battle the Fifth Battery was attached to General Butterfield's Brigade. James T. Bowen, author of " Massachu- setts in the War," says: "About the middle of the afternoon it took position on a hill, where it assisted in repulsing several advances of the enemy, and then changed location to serve with the brigade in covering the retreat of the Union army across the Chickahominy. This it did faithfully, checking the pursuit with discharges of canister, but in with- drawing could only bring off two guns, the horses of the others being killed. The loss in men was two killed and three wounded. With the two guns the battery was engaged in the battle of Malvern Hill, July 1, being placed first at the left, and afterwards on the right. The effect- iveness of the battery in this engagement may be estimated from the fact that with these two pieces 250 rounds were fired."
In July the battery was temporarily dissolved, and the men were dis tributed among other organizations. In October, 1862, it was re-or- ganized, under the command of the following officers: Captain, Charles
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THE FIFTH BATTERY.
A. Phillips ; first lieutenants, Henry D. Scott, New Bedford, Frederick A. Hull, Cambridge; second lieutenants, Peleg W. Blake, New Bed- ford, Joseph E. Spear, Quincy. In was attached to the Fifth Corps, and in December participated in the unsuccessful attack on Fredricks- burg. It shared in the " mud march" in January, 1863, and in the bat- tle at Chancellorsville in May. With the artillery reserve, it was sum- moned to Gettysburg in July, and assisted in repulsing the great attack of the Confederate forces. During the two days' fight it lost seven men killed (or died from wounds), and thirteen were wounded, including Lieut. H. D. Scott, who was shot through the face while directing the removal of a gun from the field. He was again wounded in the Mine Run campaign in November.
The battery went into winter quarters at Rappahannock Station, where it remained till the opening of the spring of 1864. It took part in the battle of the Wilderness on May 5, in the battle of Bethesda Church, June 3, and in an attack on Petersburg, June 18. In the last engage- ment Lieutenant Blake was killed. In August this battery took part in repulsing the enemy in their attempt to regain the Weldon Railroad. At the final assault on Petersburg, the Fifth Battery, under command of Captain Phillips, had a part in the fiercest of the battle. Lieutenant Page was detailed to take possession of the guns of Battery B, Sumter Artillery, of Georgia, consisting of six twelve-pounders. The record says: "These were worked by the brave men under Lieutenant Page all day, though exposed to a fire of artillery and musketry, by which Page and three of his little band were wounded." That day saw the last shots fired by the Fifth Battery. It was mustered out of service June 12, 1865. By orders from headquarters of the Army of the Poto- mac, the battery was authorized to emblazon on its flag : Yorktown, Hanover Court House, Mechanicsville, Gaines's Mills, Malvern Hill, Second Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Rappa- hannock Station, Mine Run, Wilderness, Spottsylvania, North Anna, Bethesda Church, Petersburg, Weldon Railroad, and Hatcher's Run.
THE STONE FLEET.
In the fall of 1861 the United States Government purchased a large number of old vessels, principally whalers, loaded them with stone, and
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HISTORY OF NEW BEDFORD.
sank them in the channels of Charleston and Savannah, important ports of the Southern Confederacy on the Atlantic coast. Many of the inlets on the coast of North Carolina were closed to ocean traffic by this novel method. Twenty-one Baltimore schooners were used in this case. The principal operations of this so-called "Rat- hole Squadron " were, how- ever, directed to the harbors of Charleston and Savannah. This work supplemented that of the blockade squadron, and resulted, for a time, in the practical closing of the southern coast against blockade-running.
The whaling vessel, from its peculiar model, seemed well adapted for this enterprise, and so it happened that twenty-four of the forty-five vessels of the fleet were bought and fitted at this port. The prepara- tion of the ships was under the supervision of Messrs. Ivory H. Bartlett & Sons. Capt. Rodolphus N. Swift was the general agent, and Capts. James B. Wood and Fred A. Stall assistant agents.
The first fleet consisted of the following vessels: Barks Garland, Commodore Rodney French, 243 tons; Harvest, Capt. W. W. Taylor, 400 tons; Leonidas, Capt. Joseph W. Howland, 200 tons; Amazon, Capt. J. S. Tripp, 336 tons; Cossack, Capt. John D. Childs, 350 tons ; Frances Henrietta, Capt. Michael Cumisky, 381 tons, and the Herald, Capt. A. H. Gifford, 346 tons. Ships Maria Theresa, Capt. T. S. Bailey, 425 tons; Archer, Captain Worth, 380 tons ; South America, Capt. David G. Chadwick, 550 tons; Courier, Capt. Shubael F. Brayton, 350 tons ; Kensington, Capt. B. F. Tilton, 350 tons ; Potomac, Capt. Thomas Brown, 350 tons ; L. C. Richmond, Capt. Martin Mallory, 306 tons ; Rebecca Simms, Capt. J. M. Wells, 425 tons ; and American, Capt. W. A. Beard.
. The wharves were alive with gangs of workmen engaged in fitting the vessels for their southern voyage. As about 7,500 tons of stone were required, for which a price of fifty cents a ton was paid, the farmers in the suburbs found a profitable use for their stone walls, and many were pulled down and sold for this purpose. The highways were gleaned of cobble stones and refuse granite; and constant processions of loaded carts found their way to the river front with their contributions toward paving the channel of Charleston harbor. Loads of provisions were stowed in the ships, and everything hastened to completion, so that the
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THE STONE FLEET.
fleet might be in readiness to sail when orders were received from the Navy Department. By November 15, 1861, the "Stone Fleet" was at anchor in the lower harbor, with crews on board. The captains of the vessels reported every morning to the agent, and the expedition was fully ready to sail for Dixie Land. Plump Thanksgiving turkeys had been sent aboard for the officers of each vessel, a generous donation from Messrs. Bartlett & Sons.
At 7 o'clock on Wednesday morning, November 20, sealed instructions were received by Commodore French, with orders to proceed to sea.
AGENTS AND CAPTAINS OF THE STONE FLEET THAT SAILED NOVEMBER 20, 1861.
The signal gun was fired, anchors weighed, and the fleet passed down into the bay. The garrison at Fort Taber saluted with thirty- four guns, and the fleet replied gun for gun. Clark's Point was crowded with citi- zens, who sped the parting fleet with cheers and waving handkerchiefs. The patriotic keeper of the lighthouse on Dumpling Rock fired a signal gun. The revenue cutter Varina, with a large company on board, escorted the fleet out of the bay. At 10 o'clock Pilot William O. Rus- sell was discharged, and the vessels, under full sail, headed for the south.
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HISTORY OF NEW BEDFORD.
The sealed instructions were opened on the 2Ist, and it was found that the fleet was ordered to Savannah, and to report to the commodore of the blockade squadron.
Space forbids a detailed account of the voyage, which was favored with good weather, except a lively gale on December 2 and 3. The wind being from a favorable quarter, its violence only sent the vessels at a booming pace toward their destination. The crews evidently en- joyed the greatest liberty, and were free from the usual discipline which characterizes government vessels. There were, however, one or two exceptions. One captain insisted that the daily "washing decks" should be observed, and so the crew was obliged to perform this duty, much against their will. There being no sand on board, the captain had blocks of granite brought on deck and pulverized into powder, for a substitute. Another captain put his crew on limited rations, and though an abundant supply was provided by the government, the jolly sailors were put on regulation diet. Quantities of potatoes and other vegetables were thrown overboard at the end of the voyage. Commo- dore French, to give an appearance of dignity to flagship Garland, mounted a formidable " Quaker " gun. It was made of a section of a spar, painted black, and mounted 'midships. Just how much the presence of this gun served to protect the fleet from attack is not re- corded but the following significant memorandum was found in the commodore's diary : " December 7, 1861. Passed a schooner which eyed our big gun attentively, and kept off."
On the arrival of the fleet at Port Royal, December II, it was found that the authorities had changed their plans somewhat, and it was neces- sary to alter the instructions. The vessels lay at anchor for nearly a week, the crews spending their leisure time visiting one another and making excursions on shore. Commodore Dupont, U. S. S. Washburn, received the officers with great courtesy and showed them marked attention.
The second fleet of New Bedford vessels sailed December 9. The following is the list: Ships America, Capt. Henry B. Chase; William Lee, Capt. Horace A. Lake; barks India, Capt. Avery F. Parker ; Me- chanic, Capt. Archibald Baker, jr .; Valparaiso, Capt. William Wood ; Margaret Scott, Capt. Henry F. Tobey ; Majestic, Capt. Joseph Dim-
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THE STONE FLEET.
mick. They arrived at Port Royal in due season, and joined the first squadron.
The ships Harvest and Valparaiso were retained at Port Royal as store ships. Most of the vessels found their way to Charleston harbor. On Friday morning, December 20, the ships were towed to their various stations by steamers Ottawa and Pocahontas.
" The sinking of the fleet was entrusted to Capt. Charles H. Davis, U. S N., whose plan for closing the harbor was to place the obstructions on both sides of the crest of the bar, so that the same forces which cre- ated the bar might be relied upon to keep them in their places ; also, to place the vessels checkerwise, and at some distance from each other, so s to create an artificial unevenness of bottom, resembling Wood's Holl. This unevenness would give rise to eddies, counter currents and whirl- pools, thus making navigation extremely dangerous. The placing of the vessels in the desired position proved a difficult undertaking. Many of them sat very deep in the water, and much skill was required to keep them from swinging away while being sunk. By ten o'clock the plugs were all drawn, and every ship had sunk or was sinking. None disap- peared wholly from sight, and the scene is described as a novel one when the work was finished. Some were on their beam ends, some down by the head, others by the stern, and masts, spars and rigging of the thickly crowded ships were mingled and tangled in the greatest con- fusion. They did not long remain so. The boats which had been swarming about the wrecks, picking up stores, sails, and whatever was to be got, returning heavily laden, were ordered back to cut away the masts. As they fell, the sound of heavy cannon echoed down the bay, and for the next two hours the crash of falling masts was accompanied by the same salute. The guns of Sumter were the requiem of the fleet. I have frequently heard of masts going by the board on ships at sea in a gale of wind, but never saw the deed performed till to- day. It is certainly worth witnessing, where you have not the accom- paniments of a howling gale, a wild mountainous sea, and a groaning ship, leaking at every point beneath you. Under the circumstances the cutting away of masts may afford a sense of relief, but none of grati- fication or pleasure. But with a fleet of ships sunk across and block- ading an important channel, leading to what was once a thriving city,
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HISTORY OF NEW BEDFORD.
but what is now the seat of the rebellion, and an object of just revenge, the dismantling of the hulks, within sight of rebel flags and rebel guns, is really an unalloyed pleasure. One feels that at least one cursed rat- hole has been closed, and one avenue of supplies cut off by the hulks, and anything that adds to efficiency of the work affords additional pleasure.
" Most of the ships in sinking had listed to one side, and the masts, of course, stood at an angle over their sides. The braces and shrouds on the weather side were cut by the sharp axes of the whalemen, and the tall masts, swaying for an instant, fell together with a loud crash, the sticks snapping like brittle pipe-stems, close to the decks, and strik- ing the water like an avalanche, beat it into a foam, throwing the spray high into the air. For an hour or two this crashing, smashing sound was heard on every side, and one after another the ships became mere hulks upon the water.
" The scene presented in the harbor, when the work was done, was novel and interesting. Here were sixteen dismasted hulks in every position, lying across the channel-some on the port, others on their starboard sides. Some were under water forward, others aft. The sea swept over some of them, others stood upright on their keels and spouted water from their sides, as the heavy swells raised them and dropped them heavily down upon the sands again."1 The work was finally accomplished, and the sixteen vessels formed, at least for a while, an impassable barrier to navigation. Here is the list ; Amazon, America, American, Archer, Courier, Herald, Kensington, Leonidas, Maria Theresa, Potomac, Rebecca Simms, L. C. Richmond, and Will- iam Lee, all belonging to New Bedford, and the Fortune and Leonidas, of New London. The remaining vessels from New Bedford were dis- posed of at various points, a number of them being used for store ships and temporary wharves. On January 8, 1862, the officers and crews of the New Bedford ships were taken on board the Ocean Queen and sailed for home.
The city government was constantly active in rendering all possible aid to the prosecution of the war. July 10, 1862, it appropriated $7,500 to establish a general hospital for sick and wounded soldiers, provided
I Correspondent New York Tribune.
Savoy C Hathaway
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THIRTY-THIRD REGIMENT.
the general government should " decide to locate one in the city." It voted a bounty of $100 to each volunteer for three years' military ser- vice, and appropriated $26,000 for this purpose. The city alms house was offered to the government for a hospital, and was considered capable of accommodating 350 patients. This offer was not accepted. August 15 the bounty money for volunteers was increased to $250, and $20,000 was set apart for its payment. August 29, $200 bounty money was offered to all volunteers for nine months' service. Twenty-five thou- sand dollars was appropriated for this work. October 21 it made further appropriations of $5,000 for the continued maintenance of the home and coast guard and $20,000 for military bounties, which amount was increased to $26,000, December 13.
THE THIRTY-THIRD REGIMENT M. V.
The Thirty-third regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was mustered into serviee August 5, 1862. It had several commissioned officers and one company (I) from New Bedford. Col. A. G. Maggi, in command, was from New Bedford. The officers of Company I, at the time when it left the State for the seat of war, were: Captain, Elisha Doane ; first lieutenant, Jas. F. Chapman ; second lieutenant, Charles H. Nye.
The regimental band attached to the Thirty-third was under the leadership of Israel Smith, of New Bedford. It had attained a national reputation for its excellent music, and was frequently called upon to per- form on state occasions. The band was composed entirely of enlisted men of the regiment, and so the members received no special remunera- tion for their services.
The regiment left the State August 14, 1862, marched through Bal- timore on the 16th and reached Washington the same day. It was joined to General Siegel's Corps, and went into camp at Alexandria. It shared in the weary march in November to Thoroughfare Gap. A heavy snow storm prevailed, and the men were thoroughly exhausted when the regiment returned to camp. November 22 Siegel's Corps marched toward Fredericksburg, over roads that were in wretched con- dition, and aside from being poorly supplied with provisions, the men were exhausted and worn out. These troops did not reach the vicinity
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of the engagement until after the unfortunate attack on Fredericksburg. The wearing and exhaustive service required of the Twenty-third at so early a stage in their military life was severe, but it was bravely en- dured and served to prepare the men for their widely extended canı - paigns. In February, 1863, the regiment moved to Brooks Station and went into more permanent quarters.
The first battle of this regiment was at Chancellorsville, where the casualties were five men wounded and two missing. The Thirty third was honored in being one of the Massachusetts regiments selected to support General Pleasanton's cavalry at the battle of Beverly Ford on June 9, 1863. It shared in the Gettysburg campaign in July, and sup- ported the Union batteries on Cemetery Hill. During July 2 and 3 it was constantly under heavy artillery fire, and suffered the loss of seven men killed and thirty-eight wounded. It gained praise from regular army officers for the " unflinching steadiness with which it maintained its position. Through the remainder of the fight it was constantly in the front, and took a prominent part in repulsing the rebel attack on the center." It took part in storming the rifle pits on Lookout Moun - tain, October 28. The account says: " For this desperate work, the brigade commander selected his own regiment and the Twenty-third Massachusetts, the two numbering altogether but some 400 effective men. At the word of command, the lines, in the best order possible under the circumstances, clambered up the steep slope, through and over the obstructions, until finally they stood facing the hostile works. ' Don't fire on your friends,' said some one through the darkness, and the men of the Thirty- third, deceived, were led to give their regimental number. The response was a terrible volley, delivered almost in their faces, which killed and wounded nearly one-half their number. Tem- porarily stunned and shocked, they retreated to the foot of the hill. Adjutant Mudge fell dead at the first fire. Col. Underwood, with a terribly shattered thigh, had fallen fatally wounded, it was supposed, close to the hostile works, and among the dead lay many of the regi- ment's bravest and best ; but the survivors were only momentarily re- pulsed. As soon as possible the shattered line was re-formed, and then, knowing what was before them, the undaunted men climbed once more the deadly steep. This time it was the silent bayonet which did
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