USA > Massachusetts > History of the Thirty-seventh Regiment, Mass., Volunteers, in the civil war of 1861-1865, with a comprehensive sketch of the doings of Massachusetts as a state, and of the principal campaigns of the war > Part 18
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General Rosecrans, meanwhile, had been far from idle. His antagonist, Bragg, with his base of supplies at Chattanooga, had his field depot and a strongly intrenched camp at Tullahoma, with his advanced lines, also well fortified, a dozen miles in front. On the 23d of June Rosecrans ordered an advance of his army, pressing the front sharply with a single corps. while the bulk of his army moved around the Confederate right with the inten- tion of flanking the entire position and at the same time threat-
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ening the enemy's communications. In the midst of a terrible rain-storm this movement was carried out with perfect success. and with trifling loss to the Unionists the Southern army was forced from its advanced line. The successful Rosecrans pushed forward in battle array against the main position, but on the 1st of July received the intelligence that Bragg was in full retreat toward Chattanooga. Having pressed his fleeing antagonist as closely as practicable, the Union general finally paused to rest his army and repair communications in his rear, presently ad- vancing to the Tennessee river near Stevenson, Ala., freeing the state of Tennessee with the exception of the small corner about Chattanooga from the presence of the rival armies.
With success thus everywhere crowning the Union banners there came with midsummer a respite from the incessant thunder of actual conflict. Banks concentrated his forces at New Orleans: Grant remained at Vicksburg though his army was considerably scattered, the Thirteenth Corps going to Texas, while a consid- erable part of the remainder reinforced Rosecrans in his cam- paign against Bragg. How the armies in Virginia had settled down to watch each other across the upper Rappahannock we have already seen.
The political situation in the loval states had meantime be- come critical. Added to the great number of actual sympa- thizers with disunion, there were very many well intentioned people who from one cause or another had become dissatisfied with the administration of governmental affairs, or the slow prog- ress of the war with its immense cost of blood and treasure: while others were simply discouraged and despaired of the ability of the national government to reassert its authority over the . seceded states, feeling that the sooner the war was terminated and peace restored on the best terms possible the better it would he for all parties. Everywhere through the loyal states the feeling, of distrust and discouragement were nurtured and intensitied by the disloyal element, whose boldness and bitterness increased as the gloomy days of the great crisis wore on.
President Lincoln had issued a proclamation on the 8th of May ordering a draft in July, and as the time approached the
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opposition to this vigorous measure was shown to be organized and formidable. The draft itself had been rendered necessary through the discouragement thrown over enlistments by the " Peace .party," urged on by the activity of the "Copperheads," as the avowed Southern sympathizers were called. While this state of affairs was everywhere prevalent in varying degree, its centers seemed to be in Ohio and in New York city. In the former locality it was under the direct nurture of Clement L. Vallandigham. an ex-Congressman of Ohio, but who now loved to be called the "Apostle of Liberty." Vallandigham led all others in shameless disloyalty, his seditious utterances becoming finally so unbearable that it was decided to make an example of him. Ohio was at that time in the Military Department of the Ohio, under the command of General Burnside, with head- quarters at Cincinnati. On the 13th of April Burnside had is- sned a proclamation for the suppression of seditious speech and action, and on the 4th of May Vallandigham was arrested, tried by court-martial at Cincinnati and sentenced to close confine- ment in a fortress during the continuance of the war. President Lincoln, ever merciful, commuted the sentence to banishment within the Confederate lines. This decree was carried out May 25, and the distinguished exile was dropped in neutral ground in front of Rosecrans's lines, Bragg declining to receive him under flag of truce. Not finding life in the Confederacy to his liking. Vallandigham soon escaped through the blockade to Canada. where he found plenty of congenial spirits among the renegades and plotters who swarmed in that convenient haven.
Everything tended steadily toward a crisis. With the draft at hand, with Lee's army in Pennsylvania and Morgan's cavalry raiding through Indiana and Ohio, with the ignorant and vicious classes in many of the larger cities ripe for open revolt, and urged on by unscrupulous foes of the government, open and secret, the closing days of June were portentous indeed to those who loved their country. But a great mistake was made by the Confed- erates in their armed invasion of the loyal states. Especially the raid of Morgan to plunder and destroy awoke many an indiffer- ent citizen to active patriotism. The militia of the threatened
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states gathered in swarms about his path, cutting off his retreat when he sought to regain his own soil, driving him wildly from point to point till his force was utterly scattered and himself be- came a prisoner, with most of his men.
Through all this reign of foreboding and despair the sullen roar of the artillery at Gettysburg fell on the strained ears of the nation. How the people listened and hoped and prayed! How on that pregnant night of the 3d of July hearts true to the old Union dared to hope when the electric wire flashed the news that Lee's great attack was repulsed and the Loyal lines stood uushaken on Cemetery Ridge. Great was the joy on the following day-the Nation's Anniversary-when the intelligence was confirmed; while succeeding days heard the glad news from Vicksburg, with confirmation of the reported flight of Bragg from before the victorious Union forces in Tennessee. Surely that was joy enough for one week. A riotous uprising had been expected on the Fourth in New York city, but it did not come- the tidings were not congenial to disloyal demonstrations: it was delayed, not averted. Yet on that potent day, mixed with the rejoicings and the renewed consecrations to the service of the common country, were many covert or open denunciations of the government at Washington, many an insinuation cloaked in spe- cious language, many a bold declaration that the war was a failure, was unjust, was wicked; many an exhortation to aban- don the struggle for the life of the Union: and these came not from pot-house politicians or nameless demagogues seeking for notoriety, but from men enjoying high places in the confidener of the people, and wearing noble titles of honor. The seed thus sown bore fruit.
The draft was appointed to begin in New York city July 13. and on the morning of that day the officials having the matter in charge assembled and quietly proceeded to their unwelcome task in an office on the corner of Forty-sixth Street and Third Avenue. Almost simultaneously with the first revolution of the fateful wheel a pistol shot was heard in the street outside, a howling mob burst into the building, driving out the officers and their assistants, destroying everything on which they could lay
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hands and firing the building. The police were powerless to quell the disturbance, and the superintendent, Mr. Kennedy, who sought to restore order, was beaten almost to death. The firemen were not allowed to extinguish the flames which the in- sane rioters had kindled. and building after building was swept away. The telegraph lines leading from the city had already been cut, and in a moment the metropolis of America passed under the full control of a blood-thirsty, brutal mob, composed of emissaries, refugees, and the lowest and vilest of its own res- idents. The scenes which followed transcend description. 'The mob spread rapidly through the city, breaking into the man- ufacturing establishments and forcing the employes to swell its ranks, stopping railroad trains to search for soldiers, wounding and plundering the passengers, and finally destroying the Har- lem bridge. The residence of Postmaster Wakeman was pillaged and burned. while that of the mayor was stripped of everything which could be carried away or destroyed. Plunder, violence. lust and murder rioted everywhere. Its most devilish fury. however, was wreaked upon the inoffensive colored people of the city, who were hunted down. maimed. mutilated and murdered with a fiendishness which even at this lapse of time makes the blood run cold. The poor creatures were hanged to lamp-posts. tortured, and in some cases fires were built into which they were thrown and kicked till they were burned to death. The Colored Orphan Asylum on Fifth Avenue, containing some 200 homeless negro children, was plundered and given to the flames, while the wretched inmates were hunted about the streets by the howling. drunken demons as though they had been so many dangerous wild beasts.
Thus Monday, Monday night and the forenoon of Tuesday wore away. At noon of the latter day, while the rioters, led by a Virginian emissary, were gathered in front of the Tribune office -the entrances to which were barricaded by bundles of printing paper. while the occupants were thoroughly armed for its de- fense, as was also the condition in the office of the Times and other loyal papers-contemplating its destruction, word was eir- culated that Governor Seymour was at the City Hall and would
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address them. At once the crowd surged that way, and the Governor stated that he had sent his Adjutant-General to Wash- ington to have the draft suspended and stopped. In closing he said :-
I now ask you, as good citizens, to wait for his return, and I assure you that I will do all that I can to see that there is no inequality and no wrong done any one. I wish you to take good care of all property, as good citizens, and see that every person is safe. The safe keeping of property and persons rests with you, and I charge you to disturb neither. It is your duty to maintain the good order of the city, and I know you will do it. I wish you now to separate as good citizens, and you can as- semble again whenever you wish to do so. I ask you to leave all to me now, and I will see to your rights. Wait till my Adjutant returns from Washington, and you shall be satisfied.
The mob applauded the Governor uproariously and promptly resumed their work of devastation and murder. During the day Governor Seymour issued a proclamation forbidding rioting, but the brutal wretches cared nothing for mere words.
By some unaccountable neglect no precaution whatever seemed to have been taken to guard against the riot, which had certain- ly given abundant notice of its probability. No military force was within reach, but when it became evident to the tardily awakened authorities that nothing else would suffice to restore peace such detachments as could be gathered were collected and directed to disperse the insurgents. Colonel F. H. O'Brien of the Eleventh New York Militia offered the services of his regiment, which were gladly accepted; but the gallant colonel. venturing far in advance of his command on his mission of peace. was brutally murdered. his body subjected to every indignity and finally hanged to a lamp-post by the human fiends. \t first the troops, reluctant to resort to sterner measures, fired over the heads of the mob or used blank cartridges, but these dis- charges were greeted with howls of rage and desperate assaults upon the troops till in self-defense the volleys were sent home with a will. Gradually the bullet and the bayonet .broke the ranks of the marauders, and by Thursday a measure of quie. was restored. Important points near the river fronts were pro- teeted by armed vessels whose guns commanded the streets, and
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the state militia which had been dispatched to Pennsylvania was by that time returning in such numbers as to insure efficiency .*
The number of lives lost during this wild carnival can never be known. Governor Seymour himself estimated it at 1000, but it it quite possible that these figures may be too high. Fifty buildings were wholly destroyed, in addition to many that were sacked and plundered, the city being obliged to pay $2,000,000 in damages.
The Governor demanded that the President should suspend the draft on account of its inequality of operation, and also that it should be postponed till the matter of its legality could be passed upon by the proper tribunals. On the former ground the President conceded an adjournment till the justice of its operation could be decided; but declined to commit the matter to the courts, since that course would utterly paralyze the efforts of the government to reinforce its armies to meet the exigencies of the occasion. The 19th of August was designated as the day for the resumption of the draft, and General John A. Dix suc- ceeded General Wool in command of the Department. The well-known energy of the new commander left no doubt that whatever measures might be necessary to the public peace and the support of the authority of the general government would be vigorously adopted. Evidently the disturbing elements looked to New York as the center from which the cue for other cities was to be taken. In many of the cities there had been more or less disorder, notably at Boston, where a single volley at the critical moment saved the city from further turmoil; but nowhere else had open riot occurred to merit the name.
One of the first acts of the new commandant, General Dix,
*The writer, with a train full of wounded from the battle of Gettysburg, reached Jersey City on the morning of the 13th, destined for New York. As the steamer on which North River was crossed drew near the pier intelligence was received of the outbreak which rendered the landing of wounded soldiers in the streets impossible, since they would undoubtedly be murdered by the rioters. After a long delay the helpless cargo was taken to a nearly vacant convalescent camp on Bedloe's Island, where under the guns of Fort Wood they would at least be safe, though owing to the absence of provision for their coming many suffered .severely for the want of proper care. From the island, by day and night, the smoke and glare of fires kindled by the mob could be seen and often the wild yells of the crowd came over the waters. Such of the wounded on the island as were capable of doing wrvice were taken over to the city during the day, returning at night accompanied by others who had been hurt during the various conflicts. As the horrible scenes witnessed by the delegation were discussed in the wards during the evening, the vain wish broke from many tips for the presence of the speaker's "oid regiment " from the Army of the Potomac to mete out proper punishment.
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was to ask of the War Department a detail of four of the most efficient regiments in the Army of the Potomac for service in and about the city pending the draft, the preference to be given to New England and Western troops. The request having been granted and duly forwarded, selection was made of the Thirty- seventh Massachusetts and Fifth Wisconsin from the Sixth Corps, the Fifth New Hampshire from the Second Corps and the Twentieth Indiana from the Third Corps. The energy manifest- ed in forwarding these troops to their destination was something quite ont of the usual line, as we shall see by following the move- ments of the Thirty-seventh, with which alone this narrative will be concerned.
At midnight of July 30 the regiment with the exception of the few camp guards was soundly sleeping, when Lieutenant-Colonel Montague rode into camp. Following the battle of Gettysburg that officer had been detailed as inspector general on the staff of Brigadier General J. J. Bartlett. temporarily commanding the division, where he had just been notified of the detail and given permission to accompany the regiment. Colonel Edwards being thus informed of the selection, ordered the men aroused. and when an hour or two later the official notification came it found the command about ready for the march to Warrenton Junction, ten miles away, to take the ears for New York. At first the half-awakened men could scarcely realize that they were not being hoaxed, but the vigor of the preparations going on at regimental head-quarters and all through the camp dispelled the doubts. Coffee was made and a hasty breakfast, for which the unexpected good news left little appetite, was swallowed, after which the few possessions that the soldiers had been able to re- tain during their recent trying experiences were gathered in the most compact form possible, and the order for marching impa- tiently awaited. The line was formed at dawn, and with a glee such as they seldom before or afterward experienced the men obeyed the order to " March!" Already they had come to un- derstand that the present favor was due to the high standing of the regiment in discipline. its reputation for excellence in drill. subordination and general morale, and many a kind word was
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JOURNEYING TO THE METROPOLIS.
spoken for the officers that morning by men who were not ac -. customed to the use of such expressions.
The Junetion was reached about 11 o'clock, and cars were taken for Washington. The ride was a memorable one. Every foot of the ground traversed was historic, and about each insig- nificant station clustered the recollections of daring deeds per- formed by Blue or Gray. Back and forth over the region the tides of war had ebbed and flowed, leaving their traces every- where in blackened ruins and desolated fields. There would have been no surprise if at any moment the train had come to an abrupt halt, and the fusillade of some marauding party had broken upon the ears of the passengers; but the ride was made without interruption, Alexandria was passed through near evening, and at ? o'clock the Capital was reached. It was 3 o'clock before the train which was to continue the journey northward was ready, yet little sleep was had during the long hours of the wait; the men were too much elated, and had too keen a realization of the difference between their present journey by rail and the long, terrible marches recently endured, to give much heed to ordinary weariness or one or two nights of broken rest.
Baltimore was reached early next morning, August 1, and there another wait for transportation detained the regiment till about noon, but it was not an unpleasant halt. The name of the city had up to this time had a hateful sound in the ears of Massachusetts soldiers. It was not forgotten that more than two years before her streets had been consecrated by the blood of the first martyrs in the great contest; but the spirit-which had demanded that sacrifice was no longer manifest. The streets were not filled with a riotous mob as in 1861, nor did the people wear the cold look of suppressed hatred which had been manifest in 1862 when the Thirty-seventh passed through on its way to the front: instead there was a cordial greeting and an earnest manifestation of loyalty quite surprising and very + gratifying. In fact, everywhere on the trip the regiment as representatives of the " grand old Army of the Potomae " were received with the utmost enthusiasm, and this greeting was
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doubly grateful to the recipients. It assured them not only of the fact that they were among friends, but that the loyal people of the great North were appreciative of the faithful but so often unfortunate work which the army that they represented was doing for the perpetuity of the government.
It was late in the evening when Philadelphia was reached, but the hospitality of that noble city was never wanting. at whatever hour of the day or night loyal soldiers could be ministered to. and the passage of the Thirty-seventh proved no exception to the general rule. A bounteons supper was provided, well seasoned with those kind words of cheer which the sons and daughters of Philadelphia so loved to bestow. At its conclusion the journey was resumed. As the Steamer Belknap bearing the regiment steamed up New York harbor toward noon of the fol- lowing day, which was Sunday, August 2, the command was formed on deck and Colonel Edwards, as his keen glance ran proudly down the line, exclaimed in his most impressive tones: " We are going among friends-friends who may have to be treated as enemies! Battalion load at will-load!"
The grim smile with which the commander watched the exe- cution of his order was reflected from the features of the men as the ramrods rattled merrily in the musket barrels, and when the steamer swung up to the pier every man was prepared for whatever might be demanded of him. But there was no call to duty of an unpleasant nature. The streets were filled, but as the regiment debarked near Castle Garden and stacked arms on the adjacent streets it experienced only a kindly greeting. What real sentiments lurked under the friendly exterior it might not in every case be easy to determine, and there were sullen faces in the background of which glimpses were sometimes caught, but these the sons of Massachusetts little heeded.
Colonel Edwards, on reporting the arrival of his command. was directed to proceed to Fort Hamilton, one of the defenses of the harbor. located on the Long Island shore at the Narrow .. The regiment accordingly re-embarked during the afternoon. reaching its destination after a pleasant trip down the harbor which had all the best of a holiday excursion. A satisfactory
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THE CAMP AT FORT HAMILTON.
camping ground was selected a short distance from the grim walls of the fort, and immediate preparations were made for the comfort and creditable appearance of the regiment. An issue was promptly made of A tents for the entire command, and re- quisitions were filled for new dress suits, -the uniforms then worn giving unmistakable evidence of the severity of their recent ex- periences in march and storm and battle. During the evening most of the men seized the opportunity to bathe in the abundant waters of the harbor, and the beach presented an interesting picture as the scores of bathers plunged in and out of the water, the evening air echoing their fragments of langh and jest and song.
The following day was devoted to settling the regiment com- fortably in the new quarters and the pitching of the tents, which in comparison with what the Thirty-seventh had recently ex- perienced seemed quite palatial. If any additional evidence of the changed order of things was needed it came that afternoon when rations were drawn, consisting of soft bread, fresh meat, vegetables in plenty, and many an unwonted article. While these provisions were being made for the immediate needs of the regiment the men had been making themselves acquainted with their surroundings. The entire force at the post was found to consist of a detachment of the Fifth United States and a bat- talion of the Twelfth Regulars under Captain Putnam. the " permanent guard, " with two volunteer regiments, the Eleventh and Thirteenth New York Heavy Artillery. Colonel Edwards had on arrival at New York been assigned to the command of the post, succeeding Major Bruen, whose staff he retained, with First Lieutenant II. M. Stacey of the Twelfth Regulars as post adjutant. The Thirty-seventh were thus placed under the in- mediate command of Lieutenant-Colonel Montague, this being the first occasion when for any considerable time the regiment as such received its orders from any save its organizer and orig- inal commander. The relations of commander and command. then for the first time assumed. which were afterward to be ce- mented in bonds of enduring esteem on both sides by many a fierce trial by fire, seem to have been mutually pleasant, though
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rendered far different and more complicated by the changed sur- roundings than they would have been in the field.
The ensuing two weeks brought little of especial note to the organization, beyond the sharp change from the life the men had temporarily left to that upon which they had now entered. The carelessness inseparable from life at the front gave way to the most exact military discipline, the utmost neatness in quarters and dress, with faithful devotion to drill. Four hours daily were given to the latter whenever weather permitted,-company drills coming in the morning from 6.15 to ".45 and from 9 to 10, with battalion drill for an hour and a half in the afternoon, followed by dress parade.
With this thorough practice following upon its previous etti- ciency, it is needless to say that the Thirty-seventh rapidly ae- quired fame for its excellence in drill, and many visitors from the city came down to the fort at the hour of dress parade to watch the Massachusetts regiment of whose skill they had heard wonderful accounts. No such were ever known to go away dis- appointed, while many a hearty compliment was left behind. all of which very speedily found their way to the ears of the men and officers, inciting to still further endeavor. Even the pro- fessional prejudice of the Regulars who formed part of the gar- rison at the fort gave way, and they were forced to admit that there was at least one volunteer regiment whose discipline, drill and general soldierly qualities were unexceptionable.
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