USA > Massachusetts > History of the Fifth Massachusetts Battery : organized October 3, 1861, mustered out June 12, 1865, v.1 > Part 23
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Grows' Journal : "Wednesday, June 4, 1862. We are only 5 miles from Richmond, and we will have to fight, I expect, every foot of the ground, before we can get into the place which is expected to be the winding up place of this war.
Thursday, June 5. An order came this morning about 8 o'clock to go on pickct. About noon the firing on the rebel works by our Battery and four others began."
On June 5, 1862, Captain Allen went home sick, on leave
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of absence, and the Battery left camp with pieces only, about 7 a. m., and went down to the clover field to protect the bridge. Carlisle's regular batteries 20 pdr. Parrotts, were on a hill in the rear, and a Maryland battery was on the right of the Fifth Mass. Battery, guarding New Bridge.
At 8.15 a. m. the Marylanders commenced firing at a rebel battery on the other shore and unmasked the battery. The Fifth Massachusetts from its position could not see the enemy, and only fired two test shots. These were fired by the First Detachment. They both fell short as did the solid shot of the enemy.
At 9 a. m., a brisk fire was kept up on both sides, which lasted about two hours. Carlisle's batteries threw an oc- casional shell over the river [ This was the Fifth Brigade of the Artillery Reserve, Capt. J. Howard Carlisle com- manding. composed of Battery E, 2d U. S., and Batteries F, and K, 3d U. S.]
Shortly after dinner a light battery on the other shore supposed to belong to Sumner's Corps, which crossed lower down the river, commenced operations.
In the latter part of the afternoon a few shells were fired from the twelve 32 pdrs. brought down on the left to guard against contingencies.
LETTER OF LIEUT. PHU.LIPS.
"June 6, 1862 : Lately I have had a chance here to witness the practical effects of confiscation. Near by the position of our Battery is a tobacco store house belonging to Dr. Gaines. . When we first came here this contained several tons of tobacco, but now it has all disappeared, and I am afraid Dr. G. will have some difficulty in finding any one to pay for it. Yesterday, as if not content with this, the engineer officer building the bridge came up for material, and with the help of four men tore the boards off one side and end and took out a lot of the joists. We told
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him if he wanted the whole we would soon have it down for him, but he had got all he wanted, so the building still stands, though I think its existence will terminate within a few days. Dr. G. will begin to experience some of the suffering which he and those like him have brought upon the country, but not so much as I would like. His clover is all being eaten by Union horses, and pretty much every- thing growing on his farm will be consumed or trodden down by Porter's Division. Fence rails have long since disappeared from our vicinity, and the oak woods have lost much of their beauty: 15000 men of the Army of the Potomac will do a great deal of mischief."
GENERAL ORDERS JUNE 7, 1862.
WAR DEPARTMENT ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE
WASHINGTON, June 7. 1862.
General Orders No. 61
The great number of officers absent from their regiments without sufficient cause, is a serious evil which calls for immediate correction. By paragraph 177. General Regulations, the power of commanding of- ficers to grant leaves of absence is limited to a "time of peace." In time of war, leaves of absence will only be granted by the Secretary of War. except when the certificate of a medical officer shall show. beyond doubt. that a change of location "is necessary to save life, or prevent permanent disability." [Paragraph 186, General Regulations.] In such case, the Commander of an Army, a Department, or District, may grant not exceeding twenty days. At the expiration of that time. if the officer be not able to travel, he must make application to the Adjutant General of the Army for an extension, accompanied by the certificate of a medical officer of the army, in the usual form, and that he is not able to travel. If it be not practicable to procure such a cer- tificate, in consequence of there being no army physician in the place where the officer resides, the certificate of a citizen physician. 'attested by a civil magistrate, may be substituted.
All officers of the regulars and volunteers, except those on parole. now absent from duty with leave, will be considered "absent without leave" [paragraph 1326, General Regulations, ] unless they are found at their post, within fifteen days from the date of this order, or are
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authorized by orders from the Adjutant General to be absent, which or- ders will in all cases be based on a certificate as above described, and must be exhibited to the paymaster before payment is made them.
All invalid and wounded officers who are able to travel, although their disability may not have been removed [paragraph 187, General Regulations] will repair. without delay-those from the East to An- napolis, to report to the General Commanding the Camp of Instruc- tion: those from the West to report to the commanding officer of Camp Chase, Ohio. At those points they will remain until able to pro- ceed to their regiments, or until an examining board may decide ad- versely on their ability to return to duty within a reasonable time, and orders may be given by the President for their discharge.
Their. Excellencies, the Governors of States are requested to make known this order, and to contribute to its execution, as may be in their power. Mustering and Recruiting Officers are directed to do the same. Extra copies of the order will be furnished them for distribution.
Failure to comply with the above regulations will be reported to the Adjutant General by Regimental Commanders.
By Order of the Secretary of War.
Official :
L. THOMAS Adjutant General.
Assistant Adjutant General.
Sunday. June 8, 1862, the Battery was in camp all day : Lieut. Dillingham with the Right Section going down to New Bridge at sunset to be relieved the next evening.
June 9th, in the afternoon, the Fifth Corps was reviewed by General McClellan and General Fitz John Porter, ac- companied by General Prim [Gen. Juan Prim, Count de Reuss] commander of Spanish forces in Mexico, who was on a visit to the Army of the Potomac: a host of officers of lesser rank being attached to the reviewing party.
The review took place in an open field on the right of the road from Gaines Mills to Mechanicsville.
"We hitched up four pieces" wrote Lieut. Phillips, "two (the Right section ) being out on picket, and marched out into a large field where the rest of the Division were drawn up. We formed in line with the other batteries, and waited for the great individual for whose satisfaction we were there.
-----
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Pretty soon-'Attention. Present sabre!' -- and we pre- sented sabre, while General Porter and General Prim rode by. General Prim had on a smoking cap very much like the royal diadem which you see on the stage. What it was made of I cannot say : otherwise he was dressed in a plain, dark coat, with one cross and star on his breast. In the crowd following came some more Spanish officers, with the same style of caps, made out of plaided material, and with coats befrogged in every possible place and style."
THE ARMY .- STRUCTURAL UTILITY.
Still the confiding army, in ignorance of the suspension of McDowell's orders, were looking for his reinforcements. Lieut. Phillips wrote in this letter of the 9th of June :--- "I have just heard that General MeDowell has landed at White House with reinforcements, and though we need them, it will not do to wait long in this swamp for more men. when the men we have are dropping off like dead leaves in autumn. The popular idea is that soldiers even when suffering the most are provided with good tents, but our soldiers have not seen the inside of a tent since we left the Potomac. The infantry have shelter tents,-the French tentes d'abri,-and our men make tents for the oc- casion out of tarpaulins and rubber blankets. The shelter tents are three feet high and some of our tarpaulin tents four or five feet high, but they are all low and consequently dark and wet. Add to this the natural carelessness of a soldier, the hardships, and hard fare, and a swamp full of miasma, and you will be able to understand the sickness which prevails here. We have our share of it. This morn- ing 23 men were reported unfit for duty. Captain Allen is home on sick leave, and Lieut. Dillingham temporarily laid up with a cramp, which came on this forenoon while he was out on picket, owing probably to the coldness of last night. I hear of companies who turn out twelve or fifteen men on
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parade, and the Doctor of the N. Y. 44th told me that he thought half this army were unfit for duty. Our numbers are fast diminishing, and it will not do to wait much longer. Not that I think numbers make much difference, for the rebels suffer as much or more than we do, and I will risk our men against any reasonable odds, but I like to spare our men. I do not know but it is more terrible to read of 500 killed in battle than of 2000 dying of disease, but as this is somewhat a matter of taste. I had rather, for my part, have my head shot off by a cannon ball, than shake to death with fever and ague. It is more glorious, besides being more comfortable."
In relation to organization he wrote June 10th, 1862. Tuesday evening :- "It seems to me that we have enough regimental organizations and officers, and the best plan is to recruit up to the maximum standard the regiments now in service; and to discharge as fast as possible the sick and disabled men who increase our strength only on paper. . . .
It has now become quite useless to estimate the strength of an army by the number of regiments. In our Division the strength varies very much. The 22d Mass. Soo men; 9th Mass. [infantry] as much or more; 18th Mass. 700 men; 25th N. Y. 200 men; 44th N. Y. 350 men &c., the average being perhaps 450 effective men to a regiment. Massachusetts, you see, comes out ahead. So this Division, which numbered 15000 men is really reduced to an effective 6000 or 7000. The situation and weather here are very bad, the ground is damp and miasmatic, and it rains as a general thing. Luckily our tent is water proof and an elaborate system of outside drainage constructed under the pressure of a former storm, keeps the floor dry. Then I have an elegant bedstead constructed of four crotches, two fence rails and a secession bed sacking, -- confiscated. Scott has a regular camp bedstead, but it is not half so warm and comfortable as mine. The principal trouble about this
with
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kind of living is that you have to get on the bed to un- dress, and hang up your clothes on top of you after you have got to bed. In fact the bed is a universal repository for everything, saddle, sabre, pistol, spurs, newspapers, and everything else which it will not do to put on the ground."
June II, 1862, the Centre Section was on picket at New Bridge; on the 12th, the Left Section.
It was understood that the rebels on the opposite shore were firing the guns they captured May 31st at Fair Oaks. When they did any good shooting they were always using . our guns. Their practice was to bring a gun down into the woods. fire a few shots, and as soon as our batteries replied they would limber up and retire or open in some new position. Whenever they made their appearance they met with a lively reception. Every day a balloon went up and it was supposed the occupant kept a good lookout.
With the pleasant weather the flood in the Chickahominy was rapidly falling, and about half a mile below the bridge the Battery had been guarding, Smith's Division, by the 13th, had thrown up a very respectable earthwork, much stronger than a mere parallel or rifle pit and as strong in the estimation of Lieut. Phillips as many of the defenses of Yorktown. "From a tall flagstaff," he wrote, "in the centre of the work a large American flag floats defiantly, in sight, I should think, of Richmond."
IN THE EARTHWORKS.
McClellan's Head Quarters crossed to the left bank of the river. Our pickets were over on that side, and Berdan's Sharpshooters in front of them within, in some cases, 25 yards of the rebel pickets. Lieut. Phillips was ordered Saturday morning, June 14th, to take his section down to New Bridge to reinforce Lieut. Scott and the Right Section. The route, as described, followed various turnings and twistings until out of the field, when the Battery moved
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down a hill. across a brool:, up a hill by Dr. Gaines's "gate posts," the fence and gate having disappeared some time since, on a half mile, then a turn to the left and straight ahead for a mile. Lieut. Scott's two pieces were in a new earthwork a little above New Bridge close by the edge of the swamp.
The line was 120 ft. long, 2 ft. 6 inches high, 20 ft. thick. There were beds for four pieces, on each side of which was a depression 3 ft. deep, into which the limbers were backed.
The swamp was full of trees, so that nothing could be seen from their position.
Instructions came from General Porter to be very careful and wide awake. The enemy had made a demonstration in the rear-a cavalry attack-cutting off a wagon train, and fears were entertained for one of the wagons with George Shaw. They had also driven in the pickets at one bridge. The Division was in great excitement all day and night. Martin's Battery starts out of camp three times and re- mains harnessed, ready to move. Lieut. Phillips was relieved at 9 p. m. on the 13th by Captain Weeden and returned to camp, but was ready to move all night.
Lieut. Hyde with the Right Section stayed in the earth- works.
Captain Griffin had been promoted. He was now Briga- dier General.
THE FIRST DEATH IN CAMP.
Saturday, June 14, 1862, Corporal Henry C. Parsons died in the hospital, in the afternoon, of typhoid fever. Grows helped bring him into camp. He left a wife and three children.
The next morning there were funeral services for the first time, and the body was sent to White House Landing on the way home to Malden. Mass. The camp had grown
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dreary and disagreeable. The grass was all worn off. and old boxes, barrels and the other debris of a camp were strewn around. The place was called Gaines Hill and the owner Dr. Gaines was under arrest in one of the buildings. He owned about 150 slaves. George Shaw, who started from White House just in time to meet the rebels on their raid, and who ought to have arrived with his wagon load of horse shoes &c., besides provisions for the officers' mess. was detained, and the officers' diet was salt junk and hard bread and hasty pudding, with on one occasion a few cherries, and at others a glass of lemonade, but on Sunday afternoon the 15th, George Shaw with the wagon rolled into camp. He left White House all right, and had got seven miles out on the road when he met a company of cavalry retreating full gallop, so he turned and kept his horse on the gallop till he reached his point of departure. Then he took a new start and came through safely. There was a train of 50 other teams and only 5 men escaped with their lives. Infantry and cavalry were ordered out in pur- suit. The officers that night dined on boiled ham and string beans.
FROM LETTERS OF LIEUT. PHILLIPS. 1
"June 16 1862, Monday, at 6 p. m. the Battery left camp with the six guns only. The Right section under Lieut. Scott and the Centre section under Lieut. Phillips in the earthwork at New Bridge, Lieut. Hyde and the Left section at the bridge above. Fourteen hundred yards in front of our earthworks was Lewis Hill covered with trees from which we were fired upon, our men in response aim- ing at the flash of their guns which alone was visible.
Four of Griffin's pieces were in the battery and the Fifth Mass. delayed its approach while they limbered up and came out, then ran the guns behind the breastworks, the enemy's shot and shell flying at them; the fragments of the
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shells striking under the horses which were hurried out of the way. Their guns were one 12 pdr. and one 3 inch Rifled Gun. For two hours the firing was incessant with no casualties on our side. One piece of shell broke the sponge staff on the 4th piece and another rofled over the parapet on to Leach's back, but did no harm."
"We used." [ Chase's Diary] "4° elevation, and 34 sec- ond fuze while firing.".
Phillips wrote "Corporal Nye, 3d piece, made some very pretty shots. The rebels had the range perfectly. As far as the proximity of shells was concerned it beat Yorktown all to pieces, but there was in reality almost no danger, as we were sheltered completely by the friendly pile of dirt in front of us. The rebels fired first rate, but if we had had as fair a sight at them as they had at us, somebody would have got hurt at their guns."
In the night the rebels cut down the trees that masked their earthwork, and all the next day our men could hear the music in the enemy's camp.
Grows of Charlestown celebrated the anniversary by buying some lemons and making some lemonade.
At eight o'clock, after dark, on the 17th, the Battery was relieved by Captain John R. Smead, Battery K, 5th U. S. artillery, and it went back to camp, leaving it after supper for a position on the hill by Dr. Gaines's house, where were two 20 pdr. Parrotts: sending the horses back to camp.
In the morning of the 18th, Martindale's Brigade and Griffin's Battery had marched to Mechanicsville and re- turned in the evening. Throwing up earthworks was the order of the day on both sides: the rebels shovelling dirt on Lewis Hill, and the Union soldiers piling it up on their side of the river.
The Battery was in position on Gaines Hill where it had been since the evening of the 17th, Lieuts. Phillips and
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Scott in charge of the guns, "turning in" under a tent fly. when at noon of the 18th. General Fitz John Porter desired to have some 3 inch Schenkle percussion shell of a new pattern tested, which process Lt. Phillips thus describes :-- "We aimed one piece at a pile of dirt which the rebels were at work on, close by Mrs. Price's house; distance 2400 yards, elevation 7 1-20, and blazed away. The shots went first rate, all bursting.
The first shot fell a little short, the second struck right in the earthworks, burst beautifully, and five more gave a similar good account of themselves.
When we stopped, the rebels commenced firing at us with a ten pounder Parrott, using no fuzes. Their shots
. went first rate, one striking just eighteen yards in front of the Right piece-for I paced off the distance .- Another struck about 20 feet in front of a large crowd, who had gathered to witness the sport, whereupon they 'skedaddled' in lively style. but before General Porter and his attendant crowd could get off the hill, they sent a dozen shots whiz- zing round our heads from one of our own ten pdr. Parrotts captured at Fair Oaks.
During the afternoon General McClellan and staff rode up to our Battery, took a look at things and rode off. [ See p. 310 McClellan's new base. ] Toward sunset a lively engagement commenced between the rebels and our battery at New Bridge and I thought the rebels had rather the best of it, putting every shell just where they wanted it. but our 20 pdr. Parrotts on the hill in the rear of the New Bridge battery, took it up and made some great shots.
The balloon went up to do the observing, and the enemy fired two shots at it from their ro pdr. Parrotts. One went sailing over our heads into the woods near our horses and ricocheted into the infantry camp, and the other, fired while the balloon was descending, passed close to it and
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struck the bank between the balloon and Captain Griffin's camp. The distance must have been 5000 yards."
REINFORCEMENTS.
On June 19, 1862, the Fifth Corps, still on the north bank of the Chickahominy, was reinforced by the roth N. Y., the Ist Michigan, McCall's Division, and the cavalry commands of Generals Cooke and Stoneman.
Grows' Journal: "June 19, 1862. About 10 this fore- noon some new shell of Schenkle patent came, and we were ordered to fire on the rebels who are in easy sight. Throw- ing up breastworks we fired five rounds, which caused them to 'skedaddle' and then they commenced firing at us, but did not do any hurt or good, and they soon 'dried up.'
After dinner Harry Simonds and I went into one of the slave cabins to get some water, and had quite a chat with the old woman of the shanty. They are a very peculiar class, and make a great deal of money by this war, selling hot cakes, and such things, to the soldiers."
On the 20th, one shell fired by the rebels struck in Captain Weeden's camp, and others went an indefinite distance over the woods. Some were fired at the 20 pdr. Parrotts on the hill, in the rear of New Bridge, but missed the mark.
Eleven bridges had now been built across the Chicka- hominy and seven were available, viz., Bottom's Bridge, the Railroad Bridge, the Foot Bridge, Duane's Bridge, Woodbury's Infantry Bridge, Woodbury and Alexander's Bridge, and Sumner's Upper Bridge or the Grapevine Bridge, the one over which Sumner had crossed to win the battle of Fair Oaks.
All of the Army of 100,000 men had passed over to the . south side, except Porter's Corps and McCall's Division. While Mcclellan built bridges the enemy constructed earthworks.
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LETTER OF LIEUT. PHILLIPS.
"Friday morning, June 20, 1862, the picket relief, return- ing, waked up the rebel io purs., and they banged away in our direction. At the first shot, which fell short, the men looked a little astonished, not knowing what to make of it. At the second shot which went over their heads a loud laugh went up from the whole picket. The third shot struck close to them, and instantly came the order .Double Quick. March!' and off they went. The rebels have at present two guns mounted in this battery of 4 and 5 inches calibre respectively, throwing shot weighing 30 and 40 pounds. The 40 pdr. is the heaviest rifled gun they have, and is the same as the guns which burst at Yorktown.
A deserter who came in, says, I am told, that they have four or five more 40 pdrs. which they are going to mount, and that the 30 pdr. is a Parrott gun which they took at Bull Run.
Our position is a splendid one for artillery practice. The meadows on the banks of the Chickahominy run back with- out rising much on each side about half a mile. A narrow belt of trees lines the banks of the river, and beyond the low plain on each side rises a line of wooded hills, with clearings and openings here and there. These hills are from 1500 to 4000 yds. apart, and batterics are planted along their whole length.
The rebel guns that I know of are as follows :---
First a 10 pdr. Parrott near Mrs. Price's house, then comes a long, wooded hill, stretching a mile perhaps to the westward. Hidden in this we can just discern the outlines of a breastwork apparently running the whole length of the hill in a continuous line. How many guns they have here we do not know, but as yet they have fired only three, a 12 pdr., a three inch Rifled Gun and one gun near the western limit of the hill, whose calibre I do not know. Then
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still farther to the west comes their large gun battery situ- ated on the top of a bare. sandy hill, and sweeping the whole valley of the Chickahominy from Mechanicsville to Gaines Hill.
These comprise the rebel defenses of the Chickahominy. but only a short distance from the end of our bridge lies Smith's Division and the right of our intrenchments. whose high parapet and deep embrasures give warning of what is coming. And on our side we are not idle. Our light guns, placed as a temporary protection to bridges. have been withdrawn, and the rebels may console them- selves with the empty satisfaction of having driven us out of sight : but to do it they have disclosed to us their own strength, told us the calibre and position of their guns, and wasted their precious ammunition in a useless game of random shots. We are shovelling dirt diligently and when we .open, the rebels will find that they have something more than light field batteries to contend against.
When it comes to artillery practice the odds are so tremendously in our favor, that the result will not long be doubtful. In nothing have the rebels shown themselves so inferior as in their management of artillery. They have good gunners, but their artillery officers show a frivolity altogether inconsistent with the gravity of this arm of the service. Here, as at Yorktown, instead of husbanding their resources in order to be ready at the decisive moment with that concentration and continuity of fire which alone makes artillery useful, they use up their ammunition in a kind of worrying game, which might be useful in a gue- rilla war, but is not likely to have much effect upon a large army. It is very irritating for a solitary individual to find himself a target for a 40 pdr. gun, merely because he walks across a field in front of the enemy, but, inasmuch as it is next to impossible to hit him, it is rather a waste of powder and shot, and will not be likely to drive us away from Richmond.
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