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 8
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THE ADVANCE TO FALMOUTHI.
private house!" The honest fellow had no knowledge of the Massachusetts institution which forms the unit of local govern- ment and gives its name to the foundation-stone of democracy, the town-meeting, but supposed the mansion to be mistaken for some characteristic Virginia " city."
On the afternoon of that 3d of November, a march of some 13 miles was made after crossing the river, and the following day 15 miles were added, bringing the command to the vicinity of Union-a name decidedly out of keeping with the spirit mani- fested by the few inhabitants that were to be seen. The weather, which had been cool and comfortable, now became sharp and threatening, and though only about five miles were covered on the 5th, the soldiers were glad to reach their stopping-place. Nor were they sorry to leave it on the following morning, for the bivouac had been made on a hill where the chilling wind swept with penetrating force, and even tolerable comfort was out of the question. But this was only the beginning of discom- fort. The march of the 6th covered some 18 miles, to White Plains, and was very trying, the cold wind being so keen that in crossing the hills the men could scarcely hold their guns in their benumbed hands.
Camp was reached just before dusk, and bright fires were built, but there remained one serious want. The supply of rations had given out, and the disheartening word came from the rear that the wagons were impeded by the bad condition of the roads, and could not come up for a day or two. What were men to do with a mild form of starvation staring them in the face? They were not in a friendly country where appeal could be made to the inhabitants for help-of that fact they had had many a forcible reminder. Their logie was sharp and decisive: seces- sionists were not entitled to protection in property while Union soldiers suffered with hunger, and they would help themselves. Very early in the evening, there was a general strolling ont by the men from the immediate scene of the bivouac, and shortly thereafter smells of suspicious savoriness began to permeate the air. It transpired later that a large flock of sheep had been dis- covered in a pasture near the camp, and when the naturally
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MUTTON RATIONS AT WHITE PLAINS.
incensed owner went out the following morning to inspect his herd, he found some 300 pelts and fragments of carcasses await- ing collection.
Of course, this wholesale foraging met with official disapproval u soon as it was known, but before guards could be posted and in control of the situation, there were few hungry men in the brigade. This incident was the more noteworthy, as it was probably the only occasion in his experience as a regimental commander when Colonel Edwards allowed himself an official jest, but on this occasion an order for regimental inspection the Allowing day was accompanied with the request that the mus- kets should be " well greased with mutton tallow!" But the 7th witnessed a severe snow-storm, following the rain of the previous evening, and the proposed inspection did not take place. Great discomfort was suffered as a result of the storm. Several inches of snow had fallen, but no sooner was it on the ground than the temperature rose and it began to melt. During the Sth it quite disappeared, .leaving a sea of mud, through which the unfortu- nate men floundered, and in the midst of which they existed as best they could.
On the morning of the 9th, the regiment was again on the road-still without rations-and during the day marched as far A New Baltimore, where at last the wagon trains were found and food supplied. This journey, though not long, was very ilious and difficult. The roads were in execrable condition from the recent storm, and the men in poor condition from their exposure and want of food. But there was a feeling that their condition could not well be worse than it had been at White Plains, and they made the best of their way through the wow and over the difficult roads. Those who were unable to keep in the ranks found assistance from their comrades, and wany an officer lent a hand to the help of some member of his enmand. On all such marches, Chaplain Morse gave the best -ible exposition of the spirit of the Master by his compassion :" the suffering. Nothing was more common than to see him walking beside his faithful horse " Billy," carrying a gun or ¡wo, while the saddle was piled with the blanket bundles of men
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THE ADVANCE TO FALMOUTH.
who were in need of help. In extreme cases, the soldier himself would be assisted to mount, but usually the lightening of the load would enable the man to recover his place in the ranks and finish the march with his fellows.
The encampment of the Thirty-seventh at New Baltimore was on a hillside some four or five miles northwest of Warrenton. beside the turnpike leading from the latter place by the way of Gainesville, Centerville and Fairfax Court House to Alexandria. Northward rose the Bull Run Mountains, with no break till Thoroughfare Gap was reached; but toward the other points of the compass the view was far-reaching, embracing many popu- lous camps, with columns of soldiers and trains of all kind: constantly passing by day, and the whole vast area lighted up with hundreds of fires at night. At the foot of the slope flowel an unnamed creek, which presently joined a twin stream from the Gap above, and then made its tortuous way to Occaquan Creek, which it joined near Brentville, passing Bristoe Station on its way. The position was admirably adapted to a tempo- rary camp, and under the influence of good rations and rest the morale of the troops rapidly improved.
In the mean time, an event of great importance to the entire army had transpired. On the night of November 7, while Gen- eral MeClellan was sitting in his tent at Rectortown in the rear of the storm-bound Sixth Corps at White Plains, a messenger from Washington entered and handed him General Orders, No. 182, which read as follows :-
WAR DEPARTMENT, ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, WASHINGTON, November 5, 1862.
By direction of the President of the United States, it is ordered that Major-General MeClellan be relieved from the command of the Army .: the Potomac, and that Major-General Burnside take the command of that army.
By order of the Secretary of War.
E. D. TOWNSEND, Assistant Adjutant-General.
It is not within the scope of this record, which aims simp; to tell the story of a single regiment, to criticise men o: measures, The President, long dissatisfied with the slowness ":
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EXIT MCCLELLAN-ENTER BURNSIDE.
McClellan's movements, had at last decided upon his removal. The history of the army was almost identical with the history of the deposed commander. Under his direction it had grown into existence, and under his command it had met the foe on a dozen bloody fields. That his was a great and just pride in the creation of his organizing genius, was entirely natural, and in a wonderful degree he had won the enthusiastic admiration of the men of his· command-a degree which no subsequent com- mander ever approached. With a reorganized army, inspirited by the success at Antietam, stronger in spirit and in military experience than ever before, and already moving against the foe with a definite plan of campaign, the transfer of the command to another at that time was a serious blow both to the young commander and the men who loved him. Many an indignant discussion and denunciation might have been heard in the vari- ous camps when the fact became generally known. "The army will never fight so well under any other commander as it has under him," said many men of sound judgment; but the mis- take of all such predictions was convincingly shown within a few weeks at Fredericksburg, where the intrepid bravery of the Army of the Potomac, under its new commander, fighting a battle almost hopeless from the first, won the admiration even of those fought against.
To General Burnside the order was far from welcome. His success in North Carolina had given him great popularity through the country, and made him many friends in military circles. Twice before had the command of the army been offered him and declined, his own feeling, which he did not hesitate freely to express, being that he was incapable of the proper handling of so great a force.
The Confederate army at this time was considerably divided, about half of it having been sent forward to Culpeper, to check MeClellan's advance, while the remainder was still held on the west side of the Blue Ridge, in a scattered condition. The plan of the retiring general had been to move sharply from Warren- tun to the southwest, interpose between the divided wings of the Southern army and attempt their defeat in detail, This plan
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THE ADVANCE TO FALMOUTII.
General Burnside did not choose to follow out, but decided to move by way of Fredericksburg in the direction of Richmond. though his plan seems never to have been defined farther than to seize the hights beyond Fredericksburg-a change of purpose to which the authorities at Washington assented.
On Monday, November 10, MeClellan took formal leave of his late command. Riding slowly with bared head past the long lines, he received an ovation of which any commander might well carry proud memories through all his remaining life. Hc was accompanied by his successor, whom many saw for the first time, and when the procession had passed the soldiers returned to their camps, as true in their loyalty to the new as they had been to the old, even if less enthusiastic.
The week of rest which followed the arrival at New Baltimore, whatever the effect on the military fortunes of the army may have been, was very grateful to the weary soldiers. They were now well supplied with rations, the sanitary conditions were good, and health and spirits rapidly improved. On the march at all times, and often in the more temporary camps, each man was his own cook. Receiving his rations of hard bread, raw mea: and tea or coffee and sugar, with such variable minor articles as were furnished, he cooked and ate at such times and in such manner as his fancy and appetite prompted His " kit" was not an extensive one. In addition to the canteen and haversack, for holding water and solid food, respectively, each man had gener- ally a tin cup holding about a quart, a plate of the same material, a knife, fork and spoon-the three latter in some in- stances combining into a single article adapted to the pocket. Here and there a mess were the joint owners of a frying-pan. which they took turns in carrying upon short marches, bu :: when the journey became tedious it was usually cast aside, to le replaced by purchase or some happy find in the future. Usually the office of the frying-pan was delegated to the tin plate, t which a split stick had been affixed by way of handle, and mat .. and laughable were the mishaps which resulted from the bura- ing away of the improvised handle, a momentary inattention, “: the want of skill in fitting. The frying accomplished and th:
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THE CULINARY DEPARTMENT.
handle removed, the plate returned to its normal duties, and not infrequently many an undreamed of use fell to its share. The cup, in addition to its legitimate functions, served for the boil- ing of coffee, potatoes, beans or meat, for heating water, and, in case of necessity, for an intrenching tool. In fact, it was won- derful to how many uses and how efficiently these two articles could be applied.
It was fascinating to watch the preparation of a hasty meal when bivouac was reached at the close of a march, or when a halt was made for the purpose. Naturally the men were divided into squads of two to five-usually four-who tented together, and in other ways felt a community of interests. No sooner were the ranks broken than a scramble ensued for fuel. If hap- pily a "Virginia rail fence" could be espied, how rapidly it disappeared, and how quickly the bright blaze shot into the air from myriad points. Unless the canteens had been filled at some spring or creek on the way, in anticipation, a part of the squad bounded off in search of water, while the remainder pre- pared the fire. By the time the first clear jet of flame leaped into view it was hidden beneath a cluster of cups; some with a bit of wire serving for a bail were suspended from sticks, oth- ers placed in some convenient position on the blazing wood and closely watched, while if the facilities were limited, and many obliged to utilize the same fire, still others might be supported by the fingers in a manner to be " warming," till there should be opportunity to secure more favorable quarters. As the coffee boiled and was withdrawn, it would be replaced by meat broiling on the end of a sharpened stick, or frying on a swaying plate, to be followed by whatever variety of cookery the culinary skill, the fancy or the resources of the soldier might decide; and truer zest never flavored the repast of epicure than seasoned many of those simple meals caten beside the dying embers of the disused camp-fire.
The routine of camp life gave promise of becoming monoto- lus, and on Saturday, November 15, drill was resumed by the Thirty-seventh, only to be followed the same evening by march- ing orders for the morrow. In accordance with the programme,
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THE ADVANCE TO FALMOUTH.
camp was broken next morning, and three days of continuous tramping followed, of the most wearisome sort. The route lay through one of the most desolate portions of Virginia. The in- habitants were few and, as a rule, wretchedly poor and ignorant. The roads, or it were more proper to say the ways, were barely tracks through brush and trees, narrow, muddy and difficult. especially when torn to pieces by the passage of wagons and artillery. Again there was a scarcity of food, and this time it is but just to say that the severest want was felt by some of the officers. Accustomed to depend largely upon the inhabitants for their supplies, and in that way faring almost sumptuously while in a loyal region, it proved quite different now that the boundary had been crossed. The few people to be met with had very little to spare, and what they had was zealously conserved. Their blind devotion to the Confederacy would not allow them to feed its enemies, if it could be avoided, and as for the worth- less greenbacks issued by the Lincoln administration, they would not think of receiving them for anything. Coin or Con- federate scrip only was acceptable, and it is to be feared that some of the latter which changed hands in this way saw its origin no farther south than Philadelphia or New York, though in the end it proved just as valuable as the issues made at Richmond.
No feature was more noticeable to the New England men than the entire absence of school-houses in the region through which they were marching. At home no by-ways could have been found so obscure that they would not have passed every few miles structures devoted to the free education of every child resi- dent in the community. Here nothing of the sort was to be -seen in hundreds of miles of travel, and the absence did not go unre- marked. It was easier to realize now how the common people of the South had been swayed by the will of a few reckless demagogues. Naturally chivalrous and patriotic, these people had lived in a narrow world, and knew little of the great national government of which they had formed a part. With common schools and general information among the mass of the Southern people, the slave-holders' rebellion would have been an impos-
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THANKSGIVING IN THE CAMP.
ability. Thank God! out from the ruins of that wicked struc- ture the enduring twin temples of universal freedom and universal education have now arisen!
On the 18th of November, after a wearying march as " wagon guard," the Thirty-seventh reached temporary camp near Staf- ford Court House, and on the following day, changing location somewhat, they proceeded to make themselves as comfortable as possible till further orders. The degree of comfort attained was not great. The weather had now become disagreeable, with frequent rain and cold, the location of the encampment was in a low region illy adapted for the purpose, and the only tents for the enlisted men were, as previously, such as they could construct from their rubber blankets. " I hope you uns don't have to stop here this winter," said a native with a showing of humanity, as time passed and there were no indications of a further move- ment of the army. "I have often seen this whole region where your camp is flowed over and frozen into one sheet of ice-it is a very bad place for a camp." But Thanksgiving came and passed, and the same ground was occupied.
The great New England holiday was not allowed to go by without observance, and as it was the first occasion of the kind in the history of the regiment, it had an unusual interest. By strenuous exertions many of the boxes of home comforts sent for the purpose by friends of the soldiers reached camp, accompanied by Mr. William Birnie of Springfield, and at 10 o'clock the especial exercises began. The command formed into a hollow square, inclosing the field and staff officers mounted, who dis- mounted and all uncovered while the chaplain offered prayer. Colonel Edwards then read the Thanksgiving proclamation of Governor Andrew, after which a detail from each company superintended the distribution of the boxes, from the contents of which the fortunate recipients prepared a dinner appropriate to the anniversary; the only drawback to the general enjoyment bring the realization, as attested by here and there sad faces. that all had not received the kindly bounty, and even while the peasant exercises were taking place, a detail were engaged in 'he construction of a more roomy regimental hospital to accom-
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modate the increasing number of victims who came under the care of the medical staff. As though to round out the features of the day, the long-delayed knapsacks which the men had parted with on leaving Washington two months before were, through the efforts of Quartermaster Dodge, received and distri- buted, and the supplies of extra clothing and comforts which they contained proved very acceptable at that time. Two days later the pleasing intelligence went forth that the paymaster had arrived, and no detail ever went to its work more cheerfully than those who were allotted to prepare a tent for his use. On Sunday, the last day of November, the first payment of the regi- ment in the field was made, and the money then received enabled many of the men to procure gloves and other articles much needed for comfort during the cold weather and dis- agreeable storms that had become prevalent. Yet, in most instances, a large percentage of the amount received was sent home to assist the dependent ones there, if arrangements had not previously been made assigning a part of the soldier's pay to be deducted and appropriated for this purpose direct. In yet other cases the funds received formed a capital for speculative purposes, and not a few enterprising individuals might have been seen stealing far out into the country in search of anything which could be made merchandise of and sold to their associates at a profit. Doubtless every regiment had such enterprising members, and the make-shifts to which they resorted, and the often ludicrous termination of apparently promising ventures, will be recalled by every one ;- such as one unfortunate specu- lator from the Thirty-seventh experienced when, after pursuing a bovine for several miles in the expectation of obtaining a sup- ply of milk, he discovered at last that the animal was of the wrong gender, and returned to the marching column to endure the endless chatting of his comrades.
At length, as the army finally moved into position along the Rappahannock, the Sixth Corps was ordered to take position on the extreme left and front, and on the 4th of December, after the men had received a fresh supply of clothing, the command marched leisurely to Belle Plain, where a halt was made for
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CAMP MISERY ON SMOKY HILL.
the night. At an early hour next morning the movement was resumed, the column proceeding slowly and halting before noon, with every indication of a permanent stop. The threatening look of the morning had already changed to a cold, drizzling rain, and the men hastened to put up their customary blanket tents and prepare dinner. The location was in a pleasant wood, in favorable contrast with the disagreeable camp at Stafford, and many an exclamation of satisfaction was indulged. But the en- joyment was short-lived. By some mistake a wrong position had been reached, and the command to " Pack up and fall in!" destroyed in a moment the pleasant bivouac. It was obeyed, and the column crept slowly forth through the chilling storm and the resultant mud, moving a little distance and then halt- ing, so that the march of a mile occupied not less than two hours.
Finally, the regiment paused at the foot of a considerable hill, covered with a growth of small pines, so dense that it was neces -. sary for the pioneers to cut a way by which the column could enter the thicket. Crowding and climbing for a short distance through the dripping, uninviting tangle, up the rocky, slippery hill-side, the command halted and the men were invited to make themselves comfortable! A more cheerless bivouac it would be hard to imagine. The rain had now changed to snow, which loaded the tree-tops and dripped dismally upon everything below. The ground was like a soaked sponge, and not a splinter of wood was to be had save from the standing green pines. The men were wet through long before, and chilled to the marrow; while the officers were even more uncomfortable, as the wagons containing their tents were somewhere in the rear and did not arrive till long after dark, so that they were forced to stand about such fires as could be maintained with the heavy storm beating upon them. With plenty of fuel the situation might have been made in some sort tolerable; but the only supply was to be obtained by felling one of the larger of the small pine trees, cutting out a portion of the heart, and in the most shel- tured nook to be found seeking to coax it into flame. As only two or three dull axes to a company could be obtained, supple- mented with an occasional light hatchet, the procuring of any-
NEW BERRY
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THE ADVANCE TO FALMOUTH.
thing like an adequate supply was out of the question. Fortunate indeed were the squad who could develop combustion enough to boil a few cups of coffee, for the most strennous efforts could do no more. All through the night the storm continued, and dismal enough were the long hours, with sleep, in most cases, out of the question, and the constant storm wrapping everything in its disheartening chill. Men who up to that moment would never have confessed to a thought of homesickness, could not quite repress their feelings as the night wore away, while the more impulsive were lond and emphatic in their expressions of disgust. To add to the general gloom, intelligence was received that a member of Company K, J. Elliot Bliss of Longmeadow, who had been obliged to fall from the ranks during the march of the morning, had been found later in the day by the wayside fatally wounded and robbed by some unknown assassin.
The following day proved cold and stormy, and as the location occupied by the Thirty-seventh could by no possibility be made endurable, they moved a few rods, over rocks and fallen trees, to a somewhat more favorable position on the summit of the hill, where in the midst of the snow which had fallen to a depth of some inches the officers' tents were pitched and the men impro- vised such shelters as they could from their blankets. Whatever the official name bestowed upon that encampment, it will live in the memory of all who suffered its discomforts as "Camp Misery on Smoky Hill." The large fires necessary to be made from the green pine wood filled the atmosphere with an acrid smoke terribly irritating to the eyes and lungs of the men, and a great many were obliged to sit in their apologies for tents with handkerchiefs wrapped about their heads, utterly unable to bear the light of day. In a day or two more the weather moderated somewhat, the snow disappeared, a limited supply of hard wood was found at a considerable distance from camp, which the men were only too glad to bring in on their shoulders, and when on the 9th of December marching orders were received for the fol- lowing morning-to be countermanded later and repented for the 11th-they found the command once more in tolerable physical condition.
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THE FIRST DEATHS AND CHANGES.
With such experiences it scareely needs be said that the health of the regiment suffered severely. The report of October showed but 15 men in hospital-that for November gave 43, while those who remained in their quarters or under medical treatment outside the hospital had increased in even larger pro- portion. In many cases no doubt greater pains in the enforce- ment of sanitary measures might have prevented illness and saved valuable lives; but at the same time it must be rement- bered how new and strange to the participants was camp life, and under how many disadvantages the regiment had been placed in its experiences thus far-disadvantages which it had shared in common with others and which were no fault of its officers or those in immediate command. On the day of the opening of the battle at Fredericksburg, December 11, the deaths from disease had reached eight, of which five were from typhoid fever, with one each from brain fever, diphtheria and congestion of the liver. Thus early and sadly was the truth being demonstrated that disease was more to be feared than the bullets of the enemy.
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