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 30
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42
. 1
-
341
GETTING INTO CLOSER QUARTERS.
division. Then a few miles more brought the troops in front of the fortifications which had checked Gillmore, strengthened and better manned in apprehension of the movement which had now begun, but not yet occupied by the veterans of Lee's army. The approach to the works was found to be across a wide valley, difficult to pass on account of ditches and ravines, while the ene- my's perfect artillery fire drove away all Union batteries that at- tempted to take position in front. It was therefore decided to send across heavy skirmish lines, and in this manner the colored division actually captured some redans with the connecting rifle-pits in the first line of works. This done and the ground gained occu- pied in force, the attack ceased for the night.
By this time General Hancock's corps had arrived on the scene and proceeded to relieve Smith, while not long after the advance of Lee's army came pouring through Petersburg for its defense. During the following day Hancock gained some ground and. more on the 17th in conjunction with the other troops which had come up; but the possession of the outer line, obtained at se- rious cost, simply revealed a stronger inner line, which Lee's army was busy in extending and strengthening. The Sixth Corps on reaching the vicinity had relieved most of the troops of Smith's command, which returned to Bermuda Hundred. .
The tired members of the Thirty-seventh were sleeping sound- ly at 9 o'clock on the evening of the 17th, after their arrival within sight of the spires of Petersburg, when the bugle sounded the unwelcome call to "Fall in!" and as soon as the column could be formed it trudged away to the vicinity of the Jordan house, near the City Point railroad, to support the Vermont Brigade, and in the orchard and grounds surrounding the fine mansion the rest of the night was passed. Next morning the command moved to the right across the railroad and toward the AAppomattox to develop the position of the enemy, but as it proved the latter had abandoned his front line and retreated to the inner and stronger one, so that the order for a general attack all along the line was postponed till afternoon. About 11 o'clock the brigade recrossed the railroad, occupied the varated works near the railroad bridge and threw out a skirmish line, after
342
GOING TO MEET EARLY.
which Colonel Edwards was directed to connect with the right of General Wheaton's brigade, move forward and attack at 1 o'clock. The connection was made and the advance took place. but the troops on the left obliqued so much to the right that Wheaton's brigade was forced in front of Edwards's, and the latter on reaching the crest of the hill formed under cover of it in two lines. Meantime the skirmish line of the Thirty- seventh found itself in especially hot quarters. Not only was it exposed to the fire of the enemy in front, but Wheaton's men through some misunderstanding were directing their fire upon the brave fellows from the rear. At this juncture occurred one of those instances of quiet heroism which live long in story. " Will any one volunteer to go back and stop that fire?" asked Lieutenant Gray. The only way to reach the source of danger was by a direct climb up the slope across a plowed field, exposed all the way to the bullets of both armies. "Yes, I'll go," said Sergeant Edwin Leonard of Company I; "I'd just as lief go as not!" and throwing his musket to a right shoulder shift he sprang away on his noble mission. Half way up he was noticed to fall to the earth, and more than one exclamation of pity for his supposed fate was uttered. But he had only thrown himself upon the ground for a moment to escape the myriad of flying bullets: when the fire slackened a little he was up and on again, reach- ing his destination and averting the fire of the brigade.
At 3 o'clock another advance was ordered and Neill's division of the Sixth Corps pushed forward along the railroad some 400 yards. (General Wright with his First and Third Divisions was at this time co-operating with Butler north of Petersburg. ) The Second Corps on the left did not advance, and the men of the Greek cross were thus exposed to a severe enfilading fire ; but they would not retreat. Rifle-pits were hastily thrown up and the ground was heldl. Nowhere else was any progress made ex- cept by Martindale's division across the railroad, which seize !! and held the enemy's skirmish line. The Second, Fifth ani Ninth Corps attacked later in the day with heavy columns, losing severely, but everywhere the story was the same.
The loss of the Thirty-seventh in killed consisted of Florence
--------
...
-
-
السـ
.
343
FAREWELL TO THE TENTH REGIMENT.
Burke of Company A, Paschal Janes of Company G, Corporal William C. Stockwell of Company I and Christopher Harding of the Seventh attachment. The list was increased the following day by the killing of Michael Keyes of Company B.
After holding their intrenchments through the day of the 19th Edwards's command was relieved by the Vermont Brigade at dark and retired to a position near the railroad bridge where the night. was passed. The time of service of the Tenth Massachu- setts having now expired after three years of faithful and credit- able service, they bade adieu to their comrades in arms and marched to City Point on their homeward way. The re-enlisted men and recruits, nominally numbering 160, were, like the vet- erans of the Seventh, attached to the Thirty-seventh as an inde- pendent detachment awaiting further orders. Early in the morning the brigade was shelled out of its camp, one or two men being killed in the Tenth just as they were in the act of setting out for home. Shelter was taken in a ravine where rations were drawn, letters received and written, and a day of rest enjoyed.
At night-fall the brigade-now reduced to the Thirty-seventh regiment with its attachments and the Second Rhode Island bat- talion-again went to the front and with the Ninety-third Penn- sylvania of Wheaton's brigade occupied a part of the line held by Gibbon's division of the Second Corps, running from the railroad to the left along a sunken road. At this point the two lines of works were separated by scarcely more than a hun- dred yards in some parts, the opposing lines grimly watching each other through the following day with an occasional out- break of sharp-shooting,-the Thirty-seventh losing Frederick B. Crocker of Company F killed.
Evening brought marching orders, the line being relieved by troops from Martindale's division, and a monotonous night march ensued, the column feeling its way slowly to the left. That being the second night that the regiment had been without sleep, it was difficult to prevent the men from lapsing into utter insensibility at each of the frequent temporary halts. The object of this expedition was to reach and cut off effectnally the Weldon railroad. With this purpose in view General Birney,
344
GOING TO MEET EARLY.
commanding the Second Corps in the absence of General Han- cock, (again disabled by the wound which he had received at Gettysburg,) was directed to throw his corps to the left of the Union line, connecting with General Warren's left and going into position as near the enemy's main works as circumstances would permit. General Wright was then to take up the pro- longation, and it was expected that the Sixth Corps would reach and hold the railroad. The scheme signally failed. . The two corps were ordered to proceed without reference to each other, Birney swinging forward toward the Confederate intrenchments while Wright pushed straight on toward the Weldon railroad. A gap was thus formed between the left of the Second and the right of the Sixth Corps through which two divisions of Hill's corps moved quickly and skillfully and fell in overwhelming force upon the flank and rear of Gibbon's division of the Second Corps. A considerable portion of this division was captured, while the Sixth Corps suffered less severely. Apparently satis- fied with the advantage gained, the Confederates finally with- drew, taking their prisoners and the captured artillery. The Union lines were then adjusted and fortified, the Second Corps extending to the Jerusalem plank road and the Sixth running to the rear along the highway.
At daylight of the 22d the Thirty-seventh halted a short time for breakfast, after which they marched again and at 7 o'clock went into position on the extreme left of the corps. Companies F and G were sent to guard a bridge across a swamp a little distance in advance, while the remainder of the regiment divided its attention between supporting a battery and building works across the road. The sound of battle from Hill's assault at the right gave evidence that a severe confliet was raging not far away, but such sounds had become too familiar to elicit more than passing remark. The day and the night passed without event, and other days and nights of quiet followed. The army was simply too exhausted, broken and disorganized to do more than face the enemy, holl its intrenched position and seek to regain its ener- gies. In the latter direction remarkable efforts were put forth. Everything in the way of rations and supplies that could minis-
----
--
345
EXPEDITION TO REAMS STATION.
ter to the comfort and health of the men was furnished, the Sanitary and Christian Commissions co-operating heartily with the Commissary Department of the army. There was need of all these kind provisions. The drought still continued, the heat was frightfully oppressive and the dust which rose at the slightest provocation was unbearable, though not to be escaped.
On the afternoon of June 29 intelligence came to General Meade that General Wilson with his cavalry division, which had been engaged in an extensive raid against the enemy's railroad communications to the westward, had been cut off and hemmed in at Reams Station on the Weldon road by a superior force of the enemy. The Sixth Corps was immediately ordered to march to his relief. The companies at the bridge were hastily recalled and at 3 o'clock the regiment set forth upon its dusty march of some ten miles. With the waning light the destination was reached, but Wilson was not there to need their aid. With con- siderable loss he had succeeded in freeing his command, and the Confederate forces, consisting of cavalry and infantry, did not await the onset of the Sixth Corps. The Thirty-seventh crossed the railroad near the Station, formed a line of battle and in- trenched parallel to the road, passing the night with no further disturbance than occasional picket firing. Before the soldiers settled down to sleep, however, a considerable portion of the railroad had been destroyed, though some of the buildings were reserved for occupation by the officers.
Next morning what had been spared over night was given to the flames and details moved out several miles destroying the road and whatever could give comfort to the enemy, but meeting no opposition. Toward evening the commands gathered at the rendezvous and at 6 o'clock started on the return march. After several hours plodding through the darkness, there being no moon, bivouac was made in a plowed field where the dust seemed of fathomless depth ; but the men, having had little rest since the start, were too weary to be critical. Moving a short distance in the morning to more favorable ground the regiment remained through the day and night, setting out in the morning of July 2 for the position on the Jerusalem plank road which had been
-------
.
J
346
GOING TO MEET EARLY.
quitted when starting upon the expedition. It was fortunate that the distance was but a few miles, for the day proved dread- fully hot and oppressive. The destination being gained, con- pany streets were laid out and the encampment made as neat as circumstances would permit. Then followed a few days more of quiet.
The brigade was now reduced to but a trifle over 500 officers and men, a report of this period showing the following returned for duty: Thirty-seventh proper, 14 officers and 285 enlisted men; Seventh attachment, 1 officer and 21 men; Tenth attach- ment, 50 men; Second Rhode Island, 2 officers and 139 men: total, 512. On the 6th of July the Fourth Brigade, Second Division was discontinued and the troops under command of Lieutenant Colonel Montague were transferred to the Third Brigade, First Division, of which Colonel Edwards took con- mand. The other regiments of the brigade were the Forty- ninth, Eighty-second and One Hundred and Nineteenth Penn- sylvania, the Fifth Wisconsin Battalion and a detachment of Twenty-third Pennsylvania veterans. The waste of the cam- paign thus far will be realized when it is stated that with the exception of three New York regiments transferred to ,other brigades, Colonel Edwards now commanded all that were left to the service of three brigades composed of 13 regiments that had started out from the camp at Brandy Station two months and two days before, the Fourth Brigade, First Division, having also been included in the consolidation. As in the case of the old brigade, the time of several regiments had expired and their or- ganizations had disappeared, while in other cases a handful only remained to guard the torn and shreded colors.
Meantime events were transpiring of great importance to the Sixth Corps, as they were to call it to a new field of duty. In fact the Third Division had already taken transportation to Bal- timore to guard against a threatened raid into Maryland by a strong Confederate force under General Early, and in the even- ing of the 9th orders were received for the remainder of the corps to march at once to City Point, en route for Washington. It was scarcely a welcome order. The new dispositions had just
داود
£
347
SUMMONED TO A NEW FIELD.
been made-the red crosses had taken the places of the white on the soldiers' caps, satisfactory camps had been secured, the offi- cers were comfortably settled in their new quarters, there was no appearance of an immediate serious movement. These thoughts flitted through the minds of many and were then dis- missed, the few essential preparations were made, and in a re- markably short time the well-tried corps had turned its face toward the.James River, 15 miles away. And by such roads! For six weeks no rain had fallen; for one-half that time the roads had been incessantly traversed by columns of cavalry and infantry, by artillery and wagons and vehicles of every descrip- tion. Marching as rapidly as they well could, it seemed that the men must suffocate in the terrible clouds of dust which filled all space. But they had learned to endure all things, and morning found them at the wharf; but the transportation was not ready, nor was it provided till near night, and all day through the ter- rible heat of the sun the men remained packed on the bare sand with no relief save to watch the lazy flow of the broad river.
Leaving the Thirty-seventh and detachments under Lieuten- ant-Colonel Montague to embark at length, to creep down the river during the night, next day passing Fortress Monroe and its famous surroundings, encountering something of a storm in Chesapeake Bay, anchoring during the following night, then steaming up the Potomac past Mount Vernon-sacred to every American, -- reaching Washington about noon of the 12th, let us see what had been transpiring in the region of the Upper Potomac.
At the opening of the campaign General Sigel, commanding a force in the Shenandoah valley and a co-operating column under General Crook in the Kanawha region, was directed to begin active operations in common with all the other Union armies. The movement of General Crook was measurably successful. He defeated an opposing force under General W. E. Jones at Cloyd Mountain, pushed on to Newbern, where he destroyed an important bridge on the Richmond and Tennessee railroad and retreated safely, though an expedition of his cavalry under Gen- eral Averell was not able to destroy the salt works at Saltville against which it was sent. Sigel himself was less fortunate.
-
IT
348
GOING TO MEET EARLY. -
Advancing as far as New Market, he was attacked on the 15th of May and signally defeated, by General Breckinridge, retreating some 30 miles down the Valley. He was at once removed from command by General Grant, and General David Hunter was ap- pointed his successor. Hunter at once began to move toward Lynchburg, subsisting his army on the country through which he passed. At Piedmont he encountered a force under General W. E. Jones which he thoroughly defeated, the Confederate com- mander being killed and a large part of his troops captured.
Hunter was now joined by the forces of Crook and Averell, with which he moved toward Lynchburg, meeting with some success on the way but also encountering delays which prevented his arrival at the point of destination in time to occupy it. Mention has been made of Lee's having received reinforcements from the Shenandoah Valley at the North Anna. These consisted of two brigades which he had called down from Breckinridge's command after the latter had defeated Sigel, supposing that a period of quiet would follow in that region. The disaster at Piedmont showed how much of an error had been committed. and not only were those brigades returned but the veteran corps of Stonewall Jackson, now commanded by General Jubal 1. Early during the disability of General Ewell, was dispatched to the scene to operate against Hunter. As the latter approached Lynchburg on the evening of June 17 from the north Early came up from the south and hurried his troops through the town to the redoubts in front of Hunter. Sharp fighting ensued the following day which, though giving no decided advantage to either army, convinced Hunter that he was thwarted, and he at once retreated to the westward through Buford's Gap. A sharp pursuit was made for a time, inflicting no serious damage, after which the retreating column was left to make the best of it: way to the Kanawha valley. Hunter was now in a very deplor- able condition, having but a partial supply of ammunition. no food except some beef driven on the hoof, and being at least six days' march from any available supplies. As a factor in the pending struggle, therefore, he had ceased to be of the least account.
------
--------
349
THE BATTLE OF THE MONOCACY.
Early's original instructions had contemplated the defeat of the Union army and an advance into Maryland; Hunter by get- ting into his unfortunate predicament had rendered the former unnecessary and threw open wide the doors of the latter. Early had now four infantry divisions commanded by Rodes, Gordon, Ramseur and Echols, Ranson's division of cavalry, comprising four brigades, and an artillery force of over 50 guns. General Sigel was at Martinsburg with a small force protecting a quantity of government supplies, and an attempt was made to surround and capture the post; but Sigel, ably assisted by Colonel Mulligan at Leetown, who drove back the Confederate advance and gained valuable time, removed much of his property, destroyed the rest and with his garrison retired to the strong works on Maryland Hlights where, though unable to take the offensive, he could defy attack from the enemy while his artillery and sharp-shooters prevented Early from occupying Harper's Ferry and making it his starting point for Maryland. Meantime the Southern horsemen had been raiding, plundering, levying contributions and destroying railroad, canal, bridges and other structures wherever they could penetrate, and on the 5th of July Early with two of his divisions crossed the Potomac at Shepherdstown.
As the invaders moved steadily toward and through Fred- erick, threatening equally Baltimore and Washington, the alarm became general. President Lincoln called upon some of the loyal governors for troops to serve for 100 days; General Lew Wallace, in command at Baltimore, gathered all the disciplined troops which were available or which could be relieved by Home Gnards or the 100-days' men and formed a brigade under com- mand of General E. B. Tyler, with which he took post at the crossing of the Monocacy, a few miles east of Frederick, where the roads to Washington and Baltimore diverge and where also he covered the railroad. On the 6th of July General Grant dispatched Ricketts's division of the Sixth Corps with some dis- mounted cavalry by way of Baltimore, which they reached the evening of the 7th and were at once hurried forward to Wallace's assistance. These went into position on the left, covering the railroad and the road to Washington, while Tyler's command
£
350
GOING TO MEET EARLY.
was posted to hold the Baltimore turnpike, two or three mile to the northward. The Union position was in no sense a strong one, since the river was everywhere fordable, the flanks could not be protected, and Wallace had but eight pieces of artillery and less than 6,000 men all told.
Yet the battle of the Monocacy, July 9, was a stubbornly con- tested little engagement. Early advanced from Frederick in the morning, the divisions of Rodes and Ramseur against Tyler and Ricketts respectively, while Gordon crossed the Monocacy a mile below the Union left and struck the defending line in the flank. Yet the two brave brigades from the trenches in front of Petersburg held on tenaciously against the double attack till over one-half their numbers were killed, wounded or missing. The force of the blow had fallen upon Ricketts, since Early was prin- cipally concerned to clear the road to Washington, and about the middle of the afternoon, when it was evident that no further successful resistance could be made, Wallace concentrated his defeated forces on the Baltimore turnpike, along which he re- treated. Pursuit was made for a little distance, but was aban- doned before night-fall, and next morning the victors pressed on toward Washington. Their cavalry was very busy; scouting parties rode far and wide, seizing everything which could be made useful to the Confederacy. Hagerstown had been made to pay $20,000 in cash and Frederick ten times that amount, while cattle, horses, forage and provisions were seized and dispatched by the various fords into Virginia, all the crossings of the river being held by strong detachments. The telegraph lines from Washington in all directions were ent and many railroad trains stopped, on one of which General Franklin was found and made prisoner, but he managed to escape soon after through the neg- ligence of his guards.
On the morning of the 11th Early's advance marched fromi Rockville toward Washington, coming down the Seventh Street road on the north side of the city. The day was fearfully het and oppressive and the Confederates. worn out by their recen' severe marching, fell out and straggled to such an extent that i' was well toward night before the lines in front of the defense
3
..
351
EARLY THREATENS WASHINGTON.
began to show much solidity. Earlier in the campaign Wash- ington had been surrounded by a circle of detached forts, usually connected by strong lines of rifle-pits and so arranged that even should one be captured it would be commanded by its neighbors on either flank and so be practically of no value to the captors. Early's advance brought him in front of Fort Stevens, to the east of which was Fort Slocum ; on the west was Fort De Russy, beyond which was Fort Reno, its guns commanding the George- town road. Between Stevens and De Russy ran Rock Creek, through a ravine which seemed to promise something of a shelter for storming parties in case an attack should be decided on.
General Augur, commanding the defenses of Washington, had gathered in the fortifications such troops as were available for the service, but they were few in numbers and chiefly raw, be- ing poorly adapted to withstand such veterans as Early would hurl against them. At half-past 1 in the afternoon of the 11th the fight opened by an artillery fire from the fort upon the Con- federate skirmishers, driving them back, and half an hour later the glad news ran quickly through the city that the advance of the Sixth Corps was debarking at the wharves. At the same time came a steamer load of the troops of the Nineteenth Corps, a division of which had been ordered to Washington from the Department of the Gulf. These troops were met at the wharf by President Lincoln, and through a cheering throng they made their way at once toward the booming guns north of the city. Early and his officers through their glasses saw the reinforcements tiling into position behind the works and realized that the tide of their success was to go no further.
It was near noon of the following day, the 12th, when the Thirty-seventh and its attachments debarked from the propeller Perit and took their way through Pennsylvania avenue and Ser- enth Street to the front. They were met at the wharf by Cap- tain Colt of Colonel Edwards's staff, who informed them of the presence of the enemy near Fort Stevens. The men had been glad to begin the voyage as a relief from the heat and dust of the Petersburg trenches ; they were now glad to stand upon the firm earth once more as a relief from the close quarters of the
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.