USA > Massachusetts > History of the Fifth Regiment, M. V. M > Part 14
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The camp was always kept in the best condition, by regularly detailed men, and often delinquents at drill, and other transgressors were added to the force. During the early part of our service, we were terribly annoyed during the night by the continuous baying of the blood-hounds. being penned on the outskirts of the city, and they only ceased their bowls with the gray light of morning.
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The mortality of the regiment was smaller than that of any other in the department, and the fine situation of our camp, and the stringent enforcement of sanitary rules doubtless was the cause ; Surgeon Ingalls is to be credit- ed for his careful attention, and uniform kindness to the men, always having a smile and cheerful word for those who were obliged to visit his tent at surgeon's call, in the morning.
OUR FIRST TRAMP.
"Fall in boys," came the orderlies' call before we had had a decent southern hour's sleep, " fall in and get your rations," and we did, the same consisting of as much hard tack as was needed, a pound of salt pork, a small quantity of sugar and coffee, salt junk, (old hoss), an onion, etc., and when the' regiment was in line we looked and felt more like recruits of war, than ever before during our en- listment. The cooks worked hard, and everything being in readiness, we started for the transports, which without special incident landed us in Washington, N. C., on the morning of Obtober 30th.
We were assigned quarters in a dilapidated barn, and were put through the various required company, and regi- mental evolutions. Sunday at 7 o'clock, A. M., the regiment was ordered to join the expedition to Tarboro', and the line of march was taken up in the direction of Williamstown. Towards sundown, the advance encountered the enemy, posted behind entrenchments, at a place called Rawles' Mills, who disputed their passage ; but our forces soon com- pelled them to beat a retreat, and the following morning we continued our advance towards Williamstown, which place the column reached at noon, having marched a dis- tance of twenty-three miles from Washington.
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There were sights to be seen along our route the re- membrance of which, makes one's heart sick. The North knew nothing of the effects of the war ; but there, war appeared in its fiercest aspect, and stared one in the face. Utter ruin and desolation was found on every hand, hamlet and town and city witnessed the devastating effect of civil war. Houses along our route were pillaged of everything, families fleeing in every direction ; foraging parties scouring the country and seizing all available property ; magnificent gardens and plantations trampled under foot, and woe to the man who lifted his hand in de- fense of his home and property. When we reached Wil- liamstown, the place was given over to pillage. The town was beautifully laid out, with cottage houses on either side of a broad street, many had homelike gardens in front. But the town was silent, the citizens with their flocks had fled precipitately, upon the approach of their foe, and in many places had left the table set for dinner. It was a pity. to see the splendid furniture, pianos, crock- ery ware and everything turned topsy turvy. Civilized thieves we were, searching for relics and valuables, every one abandoned himself to pilfering whatever he could lay his hands on. I bring that scene to my mind, and 1 behold a town being sacked by Massachusetts troops, Cav- alry charging on valuable pianos ; the streets strewn with French china, with here and there a swallow tail coat ripped up the back, women's clothes, etc., laying loosely about, and the peaceful columbines that grew over the porches of those pleasant houses, torn down and trampled under foot. When we left the town there was not an en- tire article to be found.
The sick and footsore were sent on board gun-boats in the river, and we bivouacked that night about three miles
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from the town. Next morning, November 4th, we pressed on to Hamilton, within two miles of which, we were forced to build a bridge near a deserted breastwork, which extended from the woods across the main road to a fort on the river bank. Hamilton was reached near sundown, and like Williamstown, was found entirely de- serted.
The same scenes were here enacted as at Williamstown, houses were turned inside out, hens, pigs and geese were bayoneted, cattle slaughtered, and to complete the ruin the Hawkin's Zouaves, in revenge for being fired upon, set fire to the town, and our line of march was lighted for several miles by the flames of the vast fire. The sick were sent aboard the gun-boats, and the column moved several miles out of Hamilton and bivouacked for the night. Nov. 5th, we started carly, the boys feeling somewhat rested. and after lighting our pipes with cotton wads taken from the pods growing in the fields right and left, we journeyed on, taking the road to Tarboro'. We marched until night, when a halt was ordered, and the boys broke ranks and made for the rail fences, which were a blessing to our troops all through the war, and without which we should have taken many a cold dinner; we were at this time within about nine miles of Tarboro'. The following morn- ing we commenced our return march, General Foster hav- ing learned from reliable sources that the enemy with their various communications open, and receiving large re-inforcements, were strongly posted behind carth-works at Tarboro'. We took a different road back to Hamilton, and what few deserted buildings remained standing were used as barracks that night. Next morning, (the 7th), we started in a violent snow-storm, which however, did not delay our march, although it continued all through the
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day. We followed a road near the river to Williamstown, which we had not travelled before, We remained in Wil- liamstown until Sunday morning, the 9th, when the march was resumed, and we reached Plymouth Monday morn- ing, the 10th. The regiment left this beautiful town after foraging, and obtaining plenty of tobacco, and such valu- able things, and taking transports, reached New Berne on the 13th.
The expedition captured fifty prisoners, four hundred horse and mules, and one hundred teams. Many of the boys were without shoes, and were forced to march the entire distance, 160 miles, with stockings only as cover- ings to the feet. This was our first " frog," and " we want- ed to go home," but we didn't.
IN CAMP AGAIN.
For several weeks we took a rest from marching, but were required to drill regularly. In our spare time we perfected our habitation, by driving slabs into the sand, and raising our tents about two feet. This was luxurious enough, and with one exception answered our purpose, that exception was that on windy days the sand would drift through into our butter, if we had any, and on our food, which consisted of "soft tack" three times a week when in camp, stewed and baked beans, hashed fish, hashed meat, and other peculiar hashes. Many of the boys learned to play simple (?) games of cards to pass away the time, most- ly on rubber blankets, by candle-light, using a bayonet for a candle-stick, as there was no lack of originality in the regiment, many amusements were continually occurring. "Sam" the adjutant's colored man, was a big wrestler, and threw every one except the adjutant and Henry Hardy of Company H. "Sam " was a queer fellow, and we often
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plagued the poor fellow's life out of him, getting him "riled" at times so that he would suddenly turn on us, and striking us on the breast with the back of his hand, would say at the same moment, "See yer ! boy, I'll break yer breastbone !"
The monotony of camp life was frequently dispelled by the arrival from home of letters and great boxes, the latter containing all the home delicacies as well as solid food. When a box arrived by the Dudley Buck, there was fun in each tent, and generally the contents were divided, sol- diers being notoriously generous. Who will ever forget the smile that ever lurked on the pale face of our beloved chap- lain Snow, as he delivered the mail to the anxious ones who stood listening and waiting for the sound of their name? Poor Snow, he was a man of tender heart and most cheerful character, but the life of a soldier was not for him, he being too frail to endure much hardship. Wooden cook-houses were built, and many important local events transpired, and all the while rumors would be sent the rounds that we would soon receive orders for another march, and they came in good time.
THE " FROG" TO GOLDSBORO'.
The following narrative of the famous march to Golds- boro' will be most interesting to those who participated in its hardships, and is made up from letters and memory. On the morning of Dec. 11th, 1862, at about four o'clock, we were routed out, and after an early breakfast, got ready, and formed the regimental line in front of camp to join the Third Brigade, then being formed on the Trent road. At 7 A. M., the entire available force of the 18th ar- my corps under command of General Foster, started at five o'clock in the afternoon, our regiment was one mile from
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our point of departure, although the advance was some ten or twelve miles off, well, we-"polywogged" along more than half the night, when we succumbed about 4, A. M., in a cornfield six miles out of New Berne. Here we slept on the ground after building camp fires and get- ting supper.
When morning dawned, we were almost frozen, and hugged the bright, warm fires, made our coffee in dippers, and enjoyed coffee and hardtack. Some of the boys made "scouse" which is done by crumbling hardtack into a dipper, cutting up pork, salt junk, and, in fact, almost ev- erything that is fit to cut up, then adding a little water. in order not to burn it, and stew until soft, very nice. After breakfast we took up our line of march and " frogged it " all day, and at night halted in an open corn- field, and were soon slumbering sweetly.
December 14th, carly in the morning, our regiment was ordered to throw out pickets on the different roads, and guard the luggage train. Company C, (Capt. Daniels), was posted on the road leading towards Wilmington. About HI P. M., they saw the enemy's cavalry coming up the road, but the boys were wide-awake, and a few shots dispersed the enemy. Upon examination, and in- quiry, the next morning, it was found that there was about two hundred of them, undoubtedly on a scouting expedition.
Companies G, (Capt. Grammar), and F, (Capt. Currier), were posted on the main road to Kinston, to guard the bridge over Southwest Creek. Company D, (Lieut. Marden commanding.) was posted to the rear, Companies B. K. and I guarded the baggage train ; Company A at this time was on detailed service at Washington, N. C. Companies H and E were detailed to go ahead and assist
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the pioneers in building a bridge, or to protect them while they worked. They started, taking the army road, trav- elled about four miles, under the direction of Adjutant Eustis, when suddenly they heard heavy firing in their front. A little further on, they found one company of New York Cavalry posted at a bend in the road. By this time the firing had ceased. The captain of the company informed them that a short distance in their front, a rebel force was posted, with two mounted guns, and if they could capture them, it would be a fine thing for them. They then filed into a field at the side of the road, threw off their overcoats, blankets and dippers ; one platoon of Com- pany H, marched to the front, with the cavalry, while the other platoon with Company E, filed to the left into a corn-field, and laid down to await the action of the cav- alry and first platoon of Co. H. The cavalry had one howitzer with which they played into the rebels to such effect, that they thought them the main army, and suddenly took " French leave." Obtaining their overcoats, they marched to the bridge, and found it torn down, and every- thing in a state of chaos, even the blunderbuss gun which they could occasionally hear, when the rebels fired, was gone. The bridge was rebuilt in a couple of hours. The enemy's force consisted of upwards of six hundred men, while ours was but one hundred and seventy-five, all told.
The companies pushed on to Kinston to join the rest of the army, the second platoon of Co. H, acting as skir- mishers, and they had advanced but a short distance be- fore the cavalry men came flying back, shouting, " Kins- ton is ours," whereupon the Glee Club of the Charles- town City Guard gave " Rally Round the Flag Boys," in fine style, a thing for which they were noted in the Eighteenth corps. After plundering an old farm house.
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and getting the aged couple, who owned the place, rather intoxicated, by compelling them to taste the whiskey before they would drink it, for fear of poison, they journeyed on, and after an hour's march reached Kinston long after dark. The men were conscious that a great fight had occurred at Kinston, from the fact that the roads right and left, were filled with the bodies of the dead, and they would often stumble over them in their march. "The noble six hundred," I said to myself, "were driven into the jaws of death," for they came into the hands of our forces at Kinston.
The field of battle was a new sight to my eyes, and one never to be forgotten, as I stood gazing upon it the next morning. Everywhere was rack and ruin ; the roads and fields were covered with everything of a warlike nature, shell, shot, bullets, knapsacks, cartridge boxes, and the dead of both armies. In the woods, trees were literally torn to shreds, here a giant tree bore the scars of some shell as it flew screeching by, there a tree shattered to splinters ; on one side you see a house with a hole as big as a window in the side, and on the other you behold the place where a house had been, and of which there was here and there a timber pointing silently like fingers of fate at the sad ruin. The sight that made my heart bleed was of a soldier lying on his back behind a tree ; in his left hand was a cartridge, in his right the ramrod, and across his breast his musket lay. There was a pleasant expression on his face in spite of the end of the cartridge paper heid between his teeth. He belonged to the For- ty-fifth Regiment, and did not seem to me to be dead, but upon examination. I found the fatal wound, which was a half inch below the eagle and right in the centre of his cross belt. I assisted Chaplain Stone to carry him to
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the school-house, where were found many dead and dying of both armies. The Hundred and Third Pennsylvania suffered a considerable loss, in one place there were ten of them, side by side, with bullet holes in their forcheads : the firing must have been hot and quick.
That morning we waited until our regiment came up, and joined it, burning the bridge behind us, a thing the rebels tried to do, and the attempt cost one man his life, he being burned to death. On the way to Goldsboro' we fell in with a large force of the enemy at Whitehall. The Fifth were drawn up on a road supporting a battery, and as this was an artillery battle, our troops found little to do save dodging shot, or to feel humiliated at the sound of a shell bursting in too close proximity to us. Only three of our regiment were wounded in this engagement. The noisy affair of one hundred or more guns firing simultaneously being over, and after a night's rest, we started for Goldsboro', our brigade having the advance, thus giving up the guarding of three hundred baggage wagons, and lifting them out of ruts, and working hard day and night, which was a great relief. When we arrived within two and a half miles of a place called Everett's Mills, on the morning of the 17th, we again smelled powder, and our brigade took a full band in the final action. Co. H was detailed to protect the negroes who tore up the rails for about a mile, while a company of cavalry kept them on the watch by continually threatening them. They soon returned to their regiment, which being on the left of the line, was the last to leave the field, we gave cheer upon cheer, knowing that the object of our expedition had been accomplished, but while thus happy we were startled by the wild yell of the rebels who had come from the cover of the woods and appeared desirous of surrendering themselves.
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Our regiment and the New York Cavalry were ordered to support Morrison's battery, assisted by the Fifth Rhode Island, and Seventeenth Massachusetts. Some of the battery boys shouted, "they don't mean fight, they want to surrender." Just then the rebel flag rose above their ranks, the battery commander shouted, "I've got the range of that flag, let her rip! The guns responded quickly, and down went the flag, the shell exploding right in front of the color bearer. The rebels then advanced with a yell, but they were mowed down with the shot, shell and cannister that was hurled amongst them. We never saw such work before. Every discharge of the guns laid the rebels out in terrible confusion, and hundreds of them were stretched on the field never to tell the story of their grand charge .* The cavalry, seeing all the enemy waver, brandished their sabres in defiance, and our warriors gave three ringing cheers, fixed bayonets, and sprang to the right of the battery, where they were ordered to lie down. The enemy paid dear for his efforts to draw us into the line of fire from his ambushed guns ; as it was, we suffered by having several men wounded and our flag and staff torn by shell. After a while quiet reigned, and we turned to go back. But a new trial came upon us, either the rebels' or our own shells broke a mill-dam, and we were obliged to ford the rushing stream.1
* During the one hundred days' service of the Fifth Regiment in Mary- land, in 1864, a detachment of three companies garrisoned Fort Meffeny, and frequently prisoners of war were brought there for safe keeping. Among them, at one time, was a squad of North Carolina Infantry, and it was ascertained from them, that they were a part of the forces engaged in .the battle of Goldsboro', Dec. 1862, that their loss on the last change was over four hundred men killed, and two hundred wownied.
t The same prisoners stated that their regiment cut the mill dam, after our forces first left the field.
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One poor fellow, private R-, of Co. H, who thought to gain an advantage over his less fortunate companions, by striding a caisson wheel and thus ride safely through the stream; had his hopes doomed to dis- appointment, for the wheel was not keyed, and when in the middle of the stream it rolled off, and poor R got a thorough soaking. We travelled all night in our wet clothing and cold as Greenland. What is the need of further detail of this march? suffice it to say, that our return was more rapid than our advance, our marches being always forced, and, being on the left, we got very little rest. Sore heels, chafing, colds and other ills, were noticeable among the boys ; provisions were scarce, five hardtacks for two days being the order of rations, a fel- low could starve on this sort of food in a short time, but we had lots of sweet potatoes, and would occasionally " strike a pig," so that considering all things, we did not suffer as much as the thousand or more poor stragglers. I might tell of the blackened faces of our troops, caused by the smoke from the pine trees, of the sights that would thrill one when beholding 20,000 troops bivouacking on the sides of and between two hills ; the thousands of fires looking like stars twinkling here and there, with an impenetrable background of blackness, with the moving forms of soldiers, the flashing bayonets of the guards, ---- well, one who is not much of a hand at description, cannot adequately express himself, but it is a sight never to be for- gotten. We finally reached our camp Sunday morning, and bodily repairs immediately began. " Aunt Susie " with her dumplings was a welcome guest that day, and sweet potato pies made an excellent " top off" to our coarse meal. We had marched over one hundred and eighty miles in eleven days, and lost only one man, and ten wounded. Pioneer
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"Beesum " came out all right, despite the fact that he was frequently called into use, and often had to stand waist deep in water. There was one man, I remember, who probably gained more enemies in those eleven days' march than any other man could possibly gain in the same time. His name was Frankle, a major, and a German. His duty was to look after stragglers and keep the boys in line. "Go back to your regiment," he would shout fiercely in the ears of some unfortunate soldier, plodding along slowly, with sore heels or some like trouble. In one instance, the major made a mistake, he accosted a poor, dirty looking soldier, belonging to the Twenty-fifth Mass., yelling at him in this wise, " Here, you soldier, vat regiment do you belong to?" the fellow'did not turn or make answer in any way. The major, infuriated, wheeled his horse in front of the soldier, and, bringing the flat of his sword down smartly on the poor fellow's back, shouted again " Vat regiment do you belong to?" The man cooly took off his hat, put it on his bayonet, with the figure 25 outward, capped his piece, and raised it into the major's face, saying severely, "Damn you, do you see ?" The major saw, and quietly rode off, amid the howls of the moving troops.
One day, on the same march, "Beesum " the pioneer of Co. F, had been hard at work in the road removing ob- structions, and as a matter of course, his regiment got considerably in the advance, insomuch that he was obliged to hurry to catch up. "Beesum " was a droll fellow, and furnished the regiment with many jokes and sayings, and his replies to questions from superior officers would have made much trouble, if he had not been well known. Well. " Beesum " was swinging along in good order by the roadside, humming an original Te Deum, when of a sudden he heard the shrill voice of the " Major" from behind,
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shouting. "Say you big fellow, vat regiment do you be- long to? go back to your regiment, or I'll shoot you." "Beesum" straightened up to his full length, six foot three, and half opening his mouth, his face looking like a frightened lamb, gazed at the "little man on the horse" for a moment, then slowly drawled out with a deep bass voice, "Where do you bury your dead." The " Major" rapidly cooled off, said something about " superior officers" and " that ish a bad soldier," and galloped off, much to the amusement of those who witnessed the incident. The " Major" was a necessary evil, however, and performed his duty faithfully ; at any rate he is forgiven now.
Commissary Clarke was the cause of one incident that for the time being made considerable talk. It occurred the night before reaching Goldsboro'. It seems that Ser- geant Clark had made a trade with an old woman, whom he found in a cabin, giving her a quantity of salt for an old nuck of ham. Late in the evening, he foraged some on- ions, and with other fixings made a big soup. The boys could not help smelling the savory compound, and when it was cooked, the demand for it was so great, that he was obliged to serve those who came first, regardless of rank or regiment, and by the time it was all dished out, taking not over five minutes, it was noised all through the camp. and the sergeant was besieged by about two thousand hungry warriors, who finding they could obtain nothing, swore that he was saving it for his favorites; which was rather rough on his benevolence, he not getting a taste of it himself.
Archer's fiddle caused considerable comment on the Goldsboro' battle-field. It appears that one of the foragers had captured it, and presented it to Private Archer, just before reaching Goldsboro', and as the regiment lay in
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waiting behind the batteries for the rebels to advance, some one asked Archer to strike up a tune. Unfortu- nately, there were but two strings to the instrument, but the musical nature of the soldiers would not rest, so he commenced that inspiring melody, " Yankee Doodle," and put the boys in good humor, so much so, that Gen. Lee, overhearing it, asked Col. Peirson "where the fiddler was." The Colonel, half suspecting the source of the lively air, rode toward Company H and said, "Stop that fiddle," orders were obeyed, and the violin was placed in its case, a haversack. The same instrument is used by the vet- eran on all occasions, even to this day.
LIFE IN CAMP.
January 9th, 1863, was full of incidents, and the follow- ing is a memorandum of that date. Major Jameson fin- ished paying off the regiment to October 31st, 1862 ; Sergeant B. S. Houghton, of Co. K, died in the hospital of typhoid fever ; the Thirty-ninth Illinois and One Hun- dred and Seventy-sixth Pennsylvania regiments arrived in New Berne; and the Dudley Buck came in with boxes and letters from home.
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