USA > Massachusetts > History of the Fifth Massachusetts Battery : organized October 3, 1861, mustered out June 12, 1865, v.1 > Part 9
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Saturday Jan'y 4th: The ground is just covered with show, and it has frozen and it is quite slippery.
9 a. m .; It is snowing quite hard.
3 p. m .: About 30 more horses have just come in. We have now 46 horses in all.
Sunday Jan'y 3th : Got a 'pass' from & past to till 4 in the afternoon, to go to the city, the Sergeant and myself. First we.went to the Treasury Building, a very large build- ing of granite on Pennsylvania avenue. The celebrated
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Washington monument is close to the building. It is about 175 or 200 feet high at the present time. Long Bridge is close to the monument. This part of the city is quite hand- some. At every other corner on this avenue you will see mounted patrols, and on the sidewalks you will be stopped very often by the street patrol. If you have a 'pass' it is all right. If not you will be arrested and put to work white-washing or cutting wood, and you will be kept in prison until relieved by your Captain. Lieutenants have, to have a 'pass' when they go out, just the same as privates. In the rear of the Treasury Building and bearing to the left, is the White House, a very handsome building. I had the pleasure of seeing 'Old Abe' (The President) a pleasant looking man. In front of the White House about So rods, is the celebrated equestrian statue of General Jackson, in bronze, as large as life. It is a splendid thing. I stopped about half an hour, looking at it. The parks here are nothing compared to our old Boston Common. At the upper end of Pennsylvania avenue there is another large statue, of Washington, on horseback. It is not so fine as that of Jackson. About every other person you meet in the streets are soldiers, you will not see many citizens. There are about 200,000 troops encamped around Washington, and it would seem to be impossible for the rebels to attempt to take the city. I went to Arlington Heights where Follett's (Afterwards Martin's Third Mass.) Battery is encamped. From there I visited the camp of the 18th Mass., the latter killed about 60 rebels 2 days ago. The rebels are a lean looking set. About Soo are in prison here. The 18th and other regiments and batteries expect to be home for good in a very short time. I hope so. The war cannot last much longer as the rebels are giving 11/4 per cent on gold, that is, they give $1.25 of scrip for $i.oo in gold."
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LETTER OF SERG'T. PELEG W. BLAKE.
(The name of the Camp had been changed from "Duncan" to "Sumner.")
"WASHINGTON D. C. CAMP SUMNER. 5TH BATT. MASS. ART'Y. CAPT. MAX EPPENDORFF. January 5, 1862.
We are encamped about a quarter of a mile from the Capitol east. There are 20 batteries around us, three or four batteries from Fort Monroe, regulars, that I was acquainted with when I was out there last spring. The city of Washington is nothing very alarming, the Capitol looks very well, but the White House where the President lives-I have seen a good many better looking houses than that is! I have seen the noted 'Uncle Abe,' and General Geo. B. McClellan. Last Monday I went down to the Provost Marshal's Office and got a 'pass' to go across the Potomac. I went through Georgetown, and then ar- rived at the river. T got stopped every few minutes by the patrols who I had to show my 'pass.' We went across the river on flat boats, had to pull myself across by lines ex- tended across the river. I had to travel three miles to the river. After I got there I went about five miles further and arrived at Hall's Hill, where the 18th ( Mass. ) Reg't. was. The country was all lined with troops, all the way along. I stayed an hour and then I started back. I had to go about 17 miles. I think I'sha'n't go again till we move over there. We have got a fine battery, and have drawn 50 horses, and are receiving horses every day."
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FROM A LETTER OF THOMAS E. CHASE OF THE 7TH IN RELATION TO SUNDAY JAN'Y 5TH 1862 :-
"Last Sunday six of us crossed the Potomac and visited the Mass. gth, 18th, and 22d, and Follett's Battery. I saw several of my old Boston friends, with others James Vaughan Jr. with the 22d. . . They are shut in by guards, pickets, and patrols, on every side, and are just as much prisoners as though within the walls of a penitentiary. We of the 5th are not very aristocratic, in our way of living. but I think we have more privileges than the infantry havc.
The troops at Hall's Hill make their quarters in this way, viz., they drive slabs of wood down endwise around a circle, which makes a fence about three feet high, then the crevices are plastered up with mud, so that it is quite tight. On top of this circular fence the tent is set just as it would set on the ground. By this arrangement much more room is gained, and instead of having a part of the tent open all the time, they have a small wooden door. All the furniture of the tent is painted as follows :- The ground work is a smoke color, then on this three different shades. viz. dirty, more dirty, most dirty. I do not say this of one company or reg't. alone for camp life is about the same with all of us, it cannot be otherwise. . . I wish I could write some news to you, but all I can write until we have a fight, -- an awkward way of saying never,-are trifling things that the press will not notice. You get more war news than we do, for a Boston paper is better for news than any of the one-horse concerns here. Give my thanks to Mrs. T, and Fred for writing to me, and for the mending materials, which I find indispensable, especially the yarn."
He closes his letter with an expression which shows how little these very young men were inclined to engage, of
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their own accord, in warlike pursuits :- "If this govern- ment should become a monarchy and your humble servant crowned King of it, I should not be more surprised than to have known a year and a half ago, that I was to be in the Army this year of our Lord, 1862."
Journal of D. H. Grows: "Monday, January 6th. There has been quite a snow storm during the night. When I went out to breakfast there was about two inches of snow on the ground. The air is quite warm. Our stove broke down in the night.
I am detailed for Guard on the 2d relief. I went on at II o'clock and came off at 1 o'clock, then 5 to 7, then II to 1 at night, 5 to 7 in the morning. The water we drink here . makes a person sick.
Tuesday, January 7th. Fourteen more horses have come in this morning. I went this afternoon with the Captain's elerk to the Senate Chamber in the Capitol. Six- teen more horses have come. We have now about 70 horses. This forenoon I, with five others, went out on a foraging party. We went about 4 miles from camp. It was a splen- did sight to see so many camps. There are about 30 bat- teries around here.
Thursday, Jan'y 9. Was awakened this morning about 5 o'clock by hearing it rain very hard, got up and found about an inch of water all over the bottom of the tent. It had run in by the door. We dug two large holes in the ground, and took out five pails full of water. Our beds were wet. I got my blankets dried and got some straw, and spread down in the tent, and it has dried up the mud con- siderably. The mind is from about 3 to 5 inches deep, and the travelling is very hard as the soil is elayey. The bugle will soon sound 'Lights out.'"
Private Grows went to Washington to send some money by Adains' Express ,and being detained four minutes over the time, four o'clock, allowed by his "pass," he was arrested within a short distance of the Battery guard line
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by the provost guard, a beardless youth, and sent to the Louisiana Avenue jail.
"I was taken," he writes, "into a large room, where there were about seventy men, some for desertion, drunkenness &c. I was immediately saluted with the cry of 'fresh fish, meaning I was a new comer. I was detained till morning, when I was called into the office and given a 'pass' for twenty-four hours, also a line to my Captain not to have me punished, for had he been on the street he would not have arrested me, when I was so near my camp, and such a short time over my 'pass' viz. four minutes. I was a green and fresh soldier, and it taught me a lesson, not to look at the man, but to notice the uniform he wore, and to respect that, if I did not the man."
Resuming the Journal. "Jan'y 10, 1862. Word has just been received in camp, of the sailing of the 'Burnside Secret Expedition.' If it is successful, -- and we all hope it will be,-this war will be settled in a very short time. (See p. 116).
The Pensacola sailed yesterday to run the blockade (of rebel batteries) on the Potomac. There is considerable excitement here at present in regard to her success.
The Roll Call was called in the tents tonight, it was co muddy outside, and this pleased the men very much."
THE BLOCKADE OF THE POTOMAC.
Preparations for the blockade of the Lower Potomac were commenced previous to the Battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861.
From Alexandria the Potomac runs almost directly south to the mouth of Acquia Creek, a distance of 30 miles; then it runs directly east for 15 miles where it rounds Matthias Point, a very prominent projection northward into the stream, and almost entirely separated from the main land by Gamble's Creek.
In a letter addressed to the Secretary of the Navy.
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McClellan expressed his apprehension that the Potomac might be rendered impassible to Federal vessels, and recommended the strongest possible naval force to be stationed in that stream, but it was found that new batteries interfering with the navigation of the stream could be built as rapidly as the old ones were destroyed, and that nothing could effectually protect the navigation of the Potomac except the military occupation of its entire right bank by our army, and this did not form a part of the plan of opera- tions.
Chase's Diary. "Jan'y II, 1862. Fifth Detachment hitched up today for drill for the first time."
Grows' Journal Jan'y 12. "Was called at I o'clock this morning. Stationed over the guns. Relieved at 3 o'clock this morning."
FROM SEVERAL LETTERS OF LIEUT. PHILLIPS.
DATE "CAMP SUMNER
Jan'y 12, 1862.
We have now 86 horses, -- IIO being our full number, --- and shall get the rest this week. I have taken the horses out to exercise two or three times, and so far we have got dong without accident, though a man occasionally gets thrown off and we have a loose horse to chase. We take our meals now in our tents, using a box cover for table. We bought a set of crockery &c. the other day, and now live in great style. We have roast beef, eggs, cranberry sauce, bread, crackers, coffee. with milk and sugar, eake &e. Our principal trouble is that we have no floors to our tents, and only a few loose boards to stand on, but then we have quite a field of grass growing inside, which is quite orna- mental.
معا حد سيد
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At present we have no stables, and the horses stand at the picket rope out of doors. . . We are living now in camp style. We have a boy to look after our things, and we i. e. the four lieutenants, take our meals in our tent. The Captain takes his meals with the officers of the Dutch batteries. . . Our carpenter is now busy making us a mess chest. . . encamped . . south of East Capitol street and east of North Carolina Avenue."
Grows' Journal. "Jan'y 13, 1862. It is blowing quite hard, and the mud is almost dried up. At 9 o'clock this forenoon took all our bedding, carried it out of the tent and left it out till noon, so the clothes would have a good airing. We always make it a practice every Monday when it is pleasant to air our bedding and examine our clothes.
Tuesday Jan'y 14. Two inches of snow on the ground. 9 o'clock in the evening: Have just come off guard, went on at 7. It is now hailing, a perfect gale. It is very hard for the horses to be picketed out in such weather, but it cannot be helped until we get the other side of the river. One of the men got a quart of oysters, some milk and crackers, and I cooked them in a stew style, and we sat down and eat them. I must now turn in for I will be called at one o'clock tomorrow morning to go on guard till 3 o'clock. " The gale has not abated any as yet, and it will be an awful night.
Wednesday Jan'y 15. Got up and dressed at I o'clock this morning, put my rubber blanket over my overcoat, and went out into the storm. It is not blowing quite as hard as it has been, but it is hailing very bad. I am provided with tip-top underclothing, so I do not care much for the storm. Was relieved at 3 o'clock, came into the tent, sat down on my bed and took a smoke, and while sitting in this way I fell asleep. It is cold in the tent for the men let the fire go out. I had a good breakfast this morning. I went to the cook house and asked one of the cooks to give mie some beef. I cut off about two lbs. of steak. broiled it
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and went into it with bread and coffee. Milk is so high that ! seldom buy any. so I drink my coffee without it, but we have plenty of sugar. Milk is worth 10 cts. a qt., butter 28 to 30 cis. a lb., so we give up these luxuries. Three times a week we get potatoes, twice a week we get rice with molasses.
It is raining quite hard, five o'clock p. m. Our tent is afloat and we are digging holes to drain the water off. We will have a wet and muddy floor to lay on tonight.
9 o'clock p. m. : I am going to turn in. I went out and took some rails off a fence and have laid them down on the ground so I can lay my rubber blanket on thein, and then my bedding, and by this means keep out of the mud. We have a good fire in the stove and hope to have the mud dried up by morning. It does not look much like home with good bed and bedding, but as it will not last long we make the best of it.
Thursday Jan'y 16, 1862. Got a pass' this forenoon to go down to the city, and visited the Patent Office. Among the curiosities we saw General Washington's tent, his suit of clothes he wore when he resigned his commis- sion at Annapolis in 1783, and most of his camp utensils; also fifteen silk robes presented by the Emperor of Japan to President Buchanan.
The health of our camp is very good. I was never in better health. We have heard this afternoon of the arrival of Burnside's expedition at Fortress Monroc."
FORTRESS MONROE.
The Fortress encloses 75 acres of ground. It had in 1861, two tiers of guns, casemates and barbettes, and it was thought there were over three hundred guns within its walls.
It is situated a mile and a half from the main land, and completely commands Hampton Roads and the
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entrance to the James River. It is of great importance in a military point of view. The peninsula on which it stands is about 100 yards in width and is commanded by the guns of the Fortress. It is surrounded by an outside wall of granite. Between this wall and the walls of the fort is a moat fivelve feet deep, and 125 feet in width.
The garrison of 300 men was increased to 1Too by the reinforcements conveyed from Massachusetts by the steamers "S. R. Spaulding" and "State of Maine."
Grows' Journal. "January 17, 1862. I am detailed on the quarter guard that is over the Powder Magazine. The mud is almost ankle deep. The horses for our Detachment were matched off this forenoon and the drivers took them out this afternoon for exercise. I turned in at 9 o'clock and was awakened at Io o'clock by the heavy firing of cannon, which lasted till 12 o'clock. It sounded in the direction of the Potomac and we have supposed it was an engagement with one of the rebel batteries. We shall hear in the course of a few days what it was for.
Word was received here by one of our men, Mr. Estee of Malden Mass., by his brother who is in the Treasurer's Office in this city, that this Battery would be at home in a few months, as the trouble would be over in a short time.
The mud is awful, owing to the clay which is from two to four inches below the surface of the ground, and it stops the water from soaking down."
SIGNALS.
OFFICE OF CHIEF OF ARTILLERY, ARMY OF THE POTOMAC. WASHINGTON D. C. January 17, 1862.
COMMANDING OFFICER
BATTERY E. MASS. ART'Y. Sir.
I am instructed by Brig. Gen'l Barry, to direct you to send to the office of the Signal Dept. of the U. S. Army, No. 158 F. st. between 19th and 20th streets, on Monday morning the 20th inst. at HI o'clock, a
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commissioned and a non-commissioned officer, for the purpose of re- ceiving instruction in day and night signals.
I am, sir,
Very respectfully yr obt. serv't ALEX. T. WEBB. Maj. and ass't to Chief of Artillery.
Grows' Journal. "Jan'y 20, 1862, Monday: On guard at 7 o'clock p. m. and came off at 9. While on guard I felt hungry, so I went to the quartermaster's tent and got some potatoes, and dug a hole in the ashes of our camp fire and baked them. They tasted good although we eat them with- out salt or gravy.
Word was brought into camp this morning that the army on the other side of the river had made an advance today, and it was good news to us, for the sooner we ad- vance the sooner the struggle will be over.
Turned in at half past nine but did not go to sleep on account of Joe Knox and D. McVey, for they commenced snoring, so I got up and took a piece of twine and tied their great toes together, for they sleep in the same bed. I then laid down and waited for the result. In about half an hour Knox went to turn over, when the twine on his toe brought him up, and then-they wanted to know who did it. but no one knew anything about it, for I had blown out the candle, and it was as dark as the grave. Some way they managed to get at the candle and light it and untie the twine. About half past ten I went to sleep to be called at I o'clock tomorrow morning."
LETTER OF LIEUT. PHILLIPS. "CAMP SUMNER Jan'y 21, 1862.
The arrival of the mail has already come to be an event in our life. Our Quartermaster Sergeant leaves here every morning, and gets back about two o'clock with the letters,
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and the men are generally so impatient that he has to deliver the mail before he can get off his horse. . . We were troubled at first with the water running in, forming mud puddles, but we have found a remedy for that. We dug a hole in the lowest part of the tent, so that the water collects in this hole, and when it gets full we bail out and start again. . . The men are very much exposed, some of the tents are very wet, the water standing in puddles all over the floor. Then the government boots leak like a sponge so that they have wet feet constantly, but still they keep in good health and spirits. Our horses too are very much exposed, only protected by a hedge of cedars to keep off the wind. . . Lieut. Dillingham and I went out with them today and I had rather a gay time of it. I happened to get on a horse of rather high spirits, commonly known as the 'peacock,' a very good horse in his way, but having some unpleasant peculiarities. If I touched him with the spur he stood on his foreleg's, if I checked him with the rein he stood on his hind legs, if I did both together he went off sideways in the most unaccountable style. I expected every five minutes to take a seat in the niud, but luckily I managed to keep on during the hour's ride and arrived home safely. I made a mental resolution, however, to try a different horse next time. Our stable duties liave already got to be a little burdensome. There are three feed calls during the day, at each of which the officer of the day is expected to be at the stable to oversee the feeding; one feed call comes at six in the morning, -- then the officer of the day is cx- pected to visit the stable during the night after twelve o'clock --. .
For a table we have a bureau with two drawers and an extension leaf. . . Milk is abundant and crowds of milk- men, women and boys visit us every day."
In this letter Phillips speaks of "a few cedar boughs in front of the door to wipe our feet on."
From Letter of January 22d .- "Visiting the stables is
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rather the worst job, as the horses are kicking and splashing the mud round all the time. . . The men have had great sport lately with the cows round the camp. Quite a number vi these animals are straying round eating what they can up, and getting rather a scanty living. To their hungry appetites the hay which we have piled up for the horses presents quite an attraction, and our men have great diffi- culty in keeping it for our own use. So they think they might as well make something out of the cows in return, and most of them manage to have fresh milk for breakfast. Besides this they get a little amusement. Not content with horseback riding, they have taken to riding cows, and the result has been a series of ludicrous catastrophes.
The process is as follows : as soon as a cow is discovered in the vicinity, she is surrounded and captured by half a dozen men, some holding on to her horns and some on to her tail. Then somebody mounts the animal and off she goes; the length of time that her rider sticks on varying very much. The final result, however, is the same in all cases. The rider is pitched into the mud more or less summarily, and the animal leaves camp rapidly. . . Every day we take the horses out and exercise for an hour or so. We generally go over to the parade ground which begins a short distance from our camp, and extends to the shores of the East Branch. The Parade contains 40 or 50 acres, and the troops, mostly artillery, are encamped all around it. Eight or nine batteries of the Ist N. Y. Artillery are encamped on our side. Close to us are 4 German batteries, then there are two or three regular batteries, and in the farther side near the cemetery there is a regiment of cavalry,-regulars I believe, --- so you see we have quite a force in our vicinity, and besides what I have mentioned several regiments of infantry, 57th Penn. and roth N. J. among them, are encamped on the hills to the Northward. From our camp we can see our large encampment on the rther shore, and several forts."
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Grows' Journal "Jan'y 22, 1862. In conversation, one of the best informed officers we have on the grounds told me today that we could not be south long. for Massachu- setts was the first to answer the call to arms, and therefore her troops will be sent home first. Word was received here today that as soon as the ground hardens up some, we will cross the river and go into winter quarters.
Friday Jan'y 24. Went to the Arsenal with the limber and caisson to have them filled with shot and shell. Was gonc about three hours. It is now about It o'clock a. m., and 1 must stop to take an examination of the powder boxes, so I can report to the Commissary.
After dinner I was called into the Captain's quarters, and was shown how to cut the fuze of shell and spherical case shot, it being my place after doing the carpenter's work of fitting the boxes containing the shell and shot, to prepare them ready for the No. 5 man of the gun Detachment.
It is performed in this manner: On the outside of the shell there is a small dial about 2 inches in diameter, and marked from right to left (Like the dial of a clock) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, for a five second shell. For instance, if you wish the shell to explode in three seconds after it leaves the gun, you take a small chiscl and cut the thin Icad covering off at the figure marked '3' and then remove all the covering to the right, but never cut to the left. Under this thin cover- ing of lead is a deposit of fine meal powder which is ignited by the firing of the gun.
In a spherical case shot it is filled with musket balls and sulphur, and is used to fire into infantry and is capable of doing great cxecution. In a shell it is filled with powder. and the bursting of it causes the fragments to do a great deal of hurt. in a limber, that is the part to which the gun is attached. there are 39 rounds. In the left part are spherical case, in the centre are canister, and on the right are shell. In the caisson, that is the team that follows each gun, are three boxes, each one containing the same number
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of rounds as there are in the limber. This kind of shot and shell is used only on the howitzers, as they can fire only shell and canister. We have two howitzers and four rifled guns. The riffe guns can only use rifle and solid shot. A part of the solid shot is composed of twine and grease so to fill the grooves in the gun, and they are capable of going a great distance.
There has been a change in the War Department in regard to artificers. They now only allow two regular ones, the blacksmith and harnessmaker, their pay is $15 a month, and they must work about all the time. The car- penter and wheelwright receive $13 a month for their regu- lar pay, and every day they work they receive extra pay, so I shall do better than the two who get $15 a monthi. This month so far I have not had anything of importance to do, but will soon have enough, I think.
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