USA > Massachusetts > History of the Thirty-sixth regiment Massachusetts volunteers. 1862-1865 > Part 23
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Such was the situation in the trenches at Petersburg ju-t before dawn on that eventful April day. Only a few hun-
285
FINAL ASSAULT AT PETERSBURG.
1865.
dred yards in our front, veiled partly by darkness and partly by the morning mist, stood the grim fortifications which had so long defied us that they had begun to seem impregnable. Behind them lay the left wing of that army whose right had been driven the day before, reeling and bleeding, from the field of Five Forks. Upon the valor of this unscathed remnant depended the salvation of Lee, and, knowing the quality of that valor, there were few in Fort Rice whose hearts did not heat anxiously for the columns in blue out there in front of Fort Hell, silently awaiting the signal to advance. Along the opposing line our chief of artillery counted ninety-one guns, ranging from six-pounders to eight-inch columbiads (one of which we remember as making some very poor practice at our signal station in the rear of Fort Riee), and thirty-five mor- tars, from Coehorns to ten-inch. Against them we had four four and one-half inch Parrotts, eleven thirty-pounder Par- rotts, forty-two light twelve-pounders, thirty-four three-inch Rodmans, four ten-inch, fourteen eight-inch, and twenty-two Coehorn mortars. - in all ninety-one guns and forty mortars. Just what troops were in our front it is impossible to tell. The prisoners brought into Fort Rice during the day were Alabamians ; and a rebel colonel, who was interviewed at Farmville by a member of the Thirty-sixth, said he commanded an Alabama brigade occupying the line opposite Fort Rice. The salient opposite us (Miller's or Reeves') appears to have been manned by a battery from Mobile. Our old friends of the Thirty-fourth Virginia ( Bushrod Johnson's division) were relieved several days before the assault, and were at Five Forks. The difficulty is that the rebels made no official reports of the closing engagements of the war, and such unofficial accounts as are accessible are meagre in details.
At four o'clock the artillery opened and fired vigorously for several minutes. Then Willcox made his demonstrations on the right. The Fifty-first Pennsylvania captured some of the pickets at the Crater, and Ely's brigade carried about two
2
286
THIRTY-SIXTHI REGIMENT.
April,
hundred yards of the enemy's main line ; but were finally compelled to fall back. At half-past four the main attack began. The columns moved at quick time and very little cheering. The picket line was broken instantly. As we stood at the parapet in Fort Rice, peering into the mist, we could see little or nothing of the assault ; but we could hear the blows of the pioneers' axes on the chevaux-de-frise, and the shouts of command. The musketry fire of the enemy increased, and following the flash of their cannon we could distinguish the " whish " of the double charges of canister. Presently new sounds came over the field. Exultant Yankee cheers told us our boys were inside the works. Then we heard short, sharp summons to surrender, coupled with epithets and riffe-shots. as the " Johnnies " took the chances of flight. The first gray- baek we saw was a short. jaunty chap, who trudged across the field, toward the fort, alone and quite unconcerned, passed through a little gap in the abatis, climbed the parapet, and. coolly bidding us good-morning, asked if we had some hard bread and coffee. As he sat in the bomb-proof and regaled himself he told us he belonged to a Mobile battery in position opposite us, and that when he heard the Yanks coming he prudently retired to the magazine, only to emerge after his battery had been cleaned out, and the Yanks were in full possession. Afterward a considerable party of prisoners were brought in, - Alabamians, a sullen, indomitable-looking crowd, boasting of how they would have whipped us if they had had nearer our numbers. The captures in this charge were twelve guns and eight hundred prisoners. Describing the assault, General Parke says in his official report : -
"The stormers and pioneers rushed on, and under a mo-t galling fire eut away and made openings in the enemy's abatis and cheraux-de-frise. They. now closely followed by the a- saulting columns, which, undeterred by an exceedingly severe fire of cannon, mortar, and musketry from the now aroused main line, pressed gallantly on, capturing the enemy's works
287
-
1865.
FINAL ASSAULT AT PETERSBURG.
in their front. Colonel Harriman's column, reinforced by the two reserve regiments, swept up to the right until the whole of what was called by the enemy ' Miller's salient ' was in our possession. Potter's column swept down to the left. This part of the enemy's line was heavily traversed, affording him a strong foothold, and he fought from traverse to traverse with great tenacity. We drove him slowly back for about a quar- ter of a mile, when, being reinforced and aided by strong positions in the rear, he checked our further progress in that direction. A most gallant, but unsuccessful, attempt was made to carry his rear line. The captured guns were at once turned upon the enemy, served at first by Infantry volunteers, and then by details from the First Connectient Heavy Artil- lery volunteers from the batteries in the rear.
" Just after we broke through the enemy's lines, and at a most critical time, I was deprived of the valuable services of Brevet Major-General Potter, who was severely and danger- ously wounded. I directed Brigadier-General S. G. Griffin to assume command of his division, and by him the division was ably and gallantly commanded during the rest of the day. It being by this time fully daylight, no further attempt was made to advance ; but attention was turned to securing what we had gained, and restoring the organiza- tion of the troops, unavoidably much shattered by the heavy fighting and the advance over broken ground in the darkness.
"This was rendered the more difficult by the great loss we had sustained in officers, especially field officers, and by the very exposed position occupied by our troops. The captured line was promptly recovered, and made tenable as possible, the difficulty being increased by the forts and batteries on that line being open in the rear.
" By reason of these untoward circumstances much time elapsed before I considered the troops in sufficiently good shape for another forward movement, and in the meantime I received, at 7.30 A.M., the following despatch : -
:
288
THIRTY-SIXTH REGIMENT.
April,
". HEAD-QUARTERS ARMY POTOMAC. 7.26 A.M., April 2d, 1865.
"' Maj. Gen. Parke, - General Meade sends for information the following from the Lieut. Gen.
"' As I understand it, Parke is attacking the main line of works around Petersburg, whilst the others are only attacking an outer line which the enemy might give up without giving up Petersburg. Parke should either advance rapidly, or cover his men and hold all he gets.
' ALEX. S. WEBB. But. Maj. Gen. and Chief of Staff.'
" At 7.45 I received the following despatch : -
" ' HEAD-QUARTERS ARMY POTOMAC, · April 2d, 1865, 7.40.
"'Maj. Gen. Parke,-The General Commanding directs that you hold on to all you have got, and not to advance unless you see your way clear.
' ALEX. S. WEBB, But. Maj. Gen. and Chief of Staff.'
" About this time the enemy made an attempt to get up a charge on us, but our fire was so hot that they did not get many men outside their lines.
" We then held a distance of about four hundred yards on each side of the Jerusalem Plank road, including several forts and redans. The enemy made no further movements, with the exception of being very busy, planting more guns, and keeping up an incessant and murderous fire of sharp-shoot- ers, until just before eleven o'clock, when he made a heavy and determined assault on the captured line ; but we repulsed him at all points, with much loss. It being evident to me that the enemy was resolved to regain, at all hazards, the portion of their lines held by us, and nearly all my reserve being in, and learning from General Wright that he was moving toward Hatcher's Run, leaving a wide gap between us, I deemed it advisable to report the state of affairs to army head-quarters, and request reinforcements.
289
1865.
FINAL ASSAULT AT PETERSBURG.
"The request was promptly complied with, and Benham's and Collis' brigade from City Point, and Hamlin's brigade of the Sixth Corps, were ordered to my support. The enemy continued to make heavy and desperate attempts to recapture his lost works, but without success. But, though my men stood up nobly to their work, this long and wearisome struggle was beginning to tell upon them.
At about three P. M. the enemy succeeded in regaining a few of the traverses on the left. which gave them a flank fire upon a small detached work on the left of Plank road, held by one of the regiments of Curtin's brigade, and occasioned its tem- porary abandonment ; but, General Collis reporting to me with his brigade about this time, I at once put him in under direction of General Griffin, and the enemy was again driven from the portion of the line he had just retaken.
Between four and five o'clock P. M. General Hamlin arrived, with his brigade from the Sixth Corps, and I directed him to report to General Hartranft, by whom he was placed in support of the left of his line. These reinforcements having rendered my line secure I was disposed to make another ef- fort to drive the enemy from his position in the rear, but the exhausted condition of my troops forced me to reluctantly abandon the idea.
"We accordingly strengthened ourselves as much as pos- sible, whenever practicable transferring the enemy's cheraux- de-frise to the front of the reversed line and on the right, con- necting by a cross-line the extreme point we held with our main line."
General Hartranft speaks in his report of three rebel charges to retake the works, -one at quarter past eleven A.M., one at five minutes past one P.M., and one at three P.M. These charges were delivered from the line of works in the rear of and commanding the captured line. The assault at three o'clock was in plain view from Fort Rice, and seemed to us the most formidable. Collis' brigade, consisting of the Sixty-eighth and One hundred and fourteenth Pennsyl-
19
290
THIRTY-SIXTH REGIMENT.
April,
vania, the Twentieth New York State Militia, and the Sixty-first Massachusetts, was just going up to the line, when the rebels emerged from their works and came on with such steadiness and determination that a portion of our line wavered, as we could plainly see, and many men broke precipitately to the rear. Collis' line appeared to waver too. as if undetermined whether to go forward to the line or fall back. It was a critical moment. General Parke and his staff watched, with evident anxiety. All day long the boys had laid along that line under a galling tire from front and flank. A heavy mortar, planted at our right, between the enemy's first and second line, in a pit fifteen or twenty feet deep, as we afterward discovered, had kept up a fatal prac- tice upon them in spite of all our gunners' efforts to silence it. Traverse by traverse they had driven the " Johnnies " down the line, paying for every foot of ground with their blood ; and now it looked as if all might be lost. But no ! Where one man quailed, a dozen stood undaunted, answering the rebel yell with Yankee cheers and bullet. We saw some of our color-bearers leap upon the works and wave the flags. It was like an inspiration. The line became firm. Collis' bri- gade wavered but for a moment, and then swept forward magnificently and opened fire. The gallant Connecticut Heavies, who were serving the guns in the captured works. stuck to business unflinchingly, only piling in the canister a little faster when the infantry line showed signs of weaken- ing. There was a mighty cheer as we saw the column of gray break and surge back whence it came. We could hardly have been more exultant, indeed, had we known then that the last armed rebel we were destined to behold had disappeared forever from our view.
Although the Thirty-sixth took no active part in this engagement. as a regiment, many of the men performed la- borious and dangerous service in carrying ammunition up to the captured line. Major Raymond, of General Potter's staff, Major Hodgkins, of General Hartranft's, and Captain
291
FINAL ASSAULT AT PETERSBURG.
1805.
Ames, of General Curtin's, were of course actively engaged. As a matter of general interest, a tabular statement of the losses in the corps are appended : -
Killed.
Wounded.
Missing.
Total.
Command.
C. O. E. M. C. O. E. M.
C. O. E. M. C. O. E. M.
First Division
1
28
22
206
1
22
24
256
280
Second Division
10
110
37
564
3
94
50
731
781 .
Third Division
7
91
25
430
1
40
35
561
594
Artillery Brigade
6
1
20
1
26
27
Total
18
235
85
1,210|
5
156
110
1,574| 1,682
Aggregate.
292
THIRTY-SIXTH REGIMENT.
April,
CHAPTER XXVII.
CLOSING SCENES.
HEAVY skirmishing was kept up during the night along the Ninth-Corps line, and the batteries on our right opened at short intervals, according to orders. The regiments of our brigade which had borne the brunt of the fighting the day before were relieved, and returned to their former positions in the main line about midnight. The evacuation of Peters- burg was anticipated, and General Parke instructed the troops to exercise the greatest vigilance, in order to detect at the earliest possible moment any movement of the enemy. Soon after midnight the skirmishers advanced, but found the enemy's piekets still out in strong force. Explosions occurred in the city, and all indications pointed to a speedy retreat.
After an anxious, wakeful night to the garrison of Fort Rice, the morning of the 3d of April dawned clear and beautiful. With the first approach of day the troops in front advanced, found the enemy's works deserted save by a few pickets, who were captured, and pushed forward toward the city only to find that it had already been abandoned. The first sound that greeted our ears was the glad cry, " Our flag waves over Petersburg !" It was, indeed, true. The sound of battle had died away. The enemy, who had with- stood our advance for so many months, had vanished from our view. Ely's brigade of the First Division was the first to enter Petersburg. The formal surrender was made to Colonel Ely at twenty-eight minutes past four A. M., and the flag of the Second Michigan was hoisted over the Court- House. Great cheering followed, which was renewed later
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1865.
CLOSING .SCENES. 293
by the receipt of the glorious tidings that our army was in possession of Richmond, and that the enemy was in full retreat.
Soon after daylight the troops returned from the city to their former positions, to prepare for a forward movement. Orders were received to break camp, and be ready to march at a moment's notice. Haversacks were filled, and everything was prepared for an immediate advance. Never were march- ing orders more cheerfully obeyed. The day, for which we had toiled. and fought. and prayed so long, had dawned upon us, and few, indeed, of that garrison resisted the impulse to ascribe all the glory to the God of battles. Soon after sun- rise the regiment partook of its last breakfast in the bomb- proofs of Fort Rice, which had been its home for four months. At nine o'clock orders were received to move in the direction of Petersburg, and in a short time the command moved over the breastworks, across the picket line, through the enemy's defenees which had been the scene of the sanguinary battle of the day before, and marched to Cemetery Hill, where a halt was ordered. While resting here a cavalcade ap- proached. It was the escort of Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States. As the men recognized Mr. Lincoln their enthusiasm could not be restrained. and amid the thundering cheers which he graciously acknowledged, the President rode on toward the city, where he received a grand ovation.
At eleven o'clock the colunm marched into the city, by the main street, and we were soon surrounded by the colored people, who gave expression to their joy in tears and smiles and shouts of welcome. Hundreds of children thronged around the soldiers. and many asked for bread, which was freely given to them by the happy men. Many of the soldiers divided their substance with the poor whites remaining in the town, and one of our men was seen feeding five little children at one time with the rations which he carried, leaving him a short supply for the next three days. We were soon in- formed that the reason of this keen desire for food was owing to the fact that for some time previous the price of flour had
294
THIRTY-SIXTH REGIMENT. April,
been $1,050 a barrel! At such a price, with searcity of Confederate scrip, it is not to be wondered at that many poor people were made happy at the sight and taste of bread.
At noon the corps was concentrated in the city proper. The remainder of the Army of the Potomac. without even entering the city which it had besieged for ten weary months, had hurried westward, to intercept the retreating enemy, and was marching on the river road. General Parke was or- dered to leave one division to guard Petersburg and the rail- road, and move with the rest of his corps, as guard for the wagon-trains, on the Cox road. At one o'clock the prepara- tions were completed, and the Second and Third Divisions resumed the march, the Second having the right, leaving the First Division to guard the city. About a mile and a half west of the city the road forks : the northern road (nearest the Appomattox) being called the river road ; the southern, which runs parallel with the Southside Railroad and erosses it many times, being called the Cox road. Just west of Suth- erland Station, where Sheridan's force struck the railroad, the river road forks, the southern fork being known as the Na- mozine road, named from the stream whose course it follows. The regiment marched all the afternoon. and at night biv- ouacked beyond Sutherland Station, twelve miles from Pe- tersburg, on the Southside Railroad. Generals Grant and Meade slept there that night.
On the 4th the march was resumed. The roads were badly cut up, and the enormous trains, with the reserve artillery, moved slowly, rendering the march difficult and tedious, The country improved in appearance as we advanced west- ward. The peach-trees were in full blossom, and everything about us tended to inspire hope and courage. We passed several hospitals filled with the enemy's wounded, and during the day many rebel prisoners passed to our rear en route for Petersburg under guard. Nearly all of them were worn down with hard fighting and hunger, and many were fed from the commissary supply train. At night the regiment bivouacked
295
CLOSING SCENES.
1865.
near Beasley's, - a great tobacco plantation, -about twenty- five miles from Petersburg, the division occupying a line seventeen miles in extent, covering an extended front, and picketing all the roads leading south.
On the 5th the march was resumed. The movement was from left to right, covering the entire line of road occupied by the moving trains. The division on the left of the line moved first to the right, and extended the line in that direc- tion, covering the Southside Railroad. At night the regiment bivouacked at Black's and White's Station, thirty-five miles from Petersburg. On the sixth, at noon, the regiment left camp and marched ten miles, to Nottaway Court-house, where corps head-quarters had been established. Here the regiment was detailed to guard a supply train to army head-quarters, which were supposed to be at or near Jetersville, a station on the Richmond and Danville Railroad, about fifteen miles north of Nottaway Court-house. We marched all night over a rough road, and reached Jetersville at eight o'clock, on the morning of the 7th, to find that army head-quarters had moved during the night to High Bridge, on the Southside Railroad, and were still some fifteen miles in advance of us.
After a short halt, for the men to make coffee and the teams to be fed, we moved forward, following the line of the Dan- ville Railroad in the direction of Burkesville. Arriving within five miles of the latter place, our direction was again changed to the north-west, and the regiment proceeded across the com- try to Rice's Station. on the Southside Railroad, which place was reached about eight o'clock on the morning of the Sth. The regiment had now been marching two days and nights in search of army head-quarters, without sleep, having halted for refreshment but twice since leaving Black's and White's,and then only long enough to make coffee. At Rice's Station the regiment was relieved from further guard duty with the train, and went into camp. In the meantime the remainder of the brigade had moved forward to Burkesville, about eight miles in our rear. A despatch was at once sent to General Cur-
-
296
THIRTY-SIXTHI REGIMENT.
April,
tin, commanding the brigade, informing him of our position. and asking for orders ; in reply to which we received orders to proceed to Farmville, ten miles in advance. on the South- side Railroad, and relieve the provost-guard at that place.
On the morning of the 9th, the regiment marched to Farmville, a town situated on the Appomattox river, five miles west of High Bridge, and fifteen miles north-west of Burkesville. We reached this place about noon. The regi- ment was at once detailed as provost-guard, and Lieutenant- Colonel Barker was appointed provost-marshal. The town contained a population of about two thousand ; and here we found a large number of wounded Confederate soldiers, and many prisoners captured in the movement to this place a day or two before. The troops relieved by our regiment moved westward, to join their commands in the pursuit of Lee's army. This was the ever memorable day when, at half-past three o'clock in the afternoon, General Lee, at Appomattox Court-House, twenty miles distant, surrendered the remnant of the army of Northern Virginia to General Grant.
Intelligence of the surrender was quickly transmitted to head-quarters, and no pen can portray the effect upon the men as the glorious news spread from camp to camp like a conflagration. Men who in the stern hour of battle had been unmoved and undaunted; in gloom and disaster cheerful and hopeful; in hunger, privation, weariness, and sickness calm and unruffled, - now shouted and wept in turns like children, and gave expression to their feelings in vells of de- light. The goal had at length been won: the trials and hardships and sufferings of weary years had culminated in victory. Some of the men of our regiment, on duty at the church, entered it for the purpose of ringing the bell, but could find no bell-rope. Not to be baffled in his purpose. Michael Sullivan, of Company F. climbed up through a seuttle- hole over the gallery, and found a ladder under the seats, by which he ascended into the belfry. There remained about six inches of rope attached to the tongue of the bell, which
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1865.
CLOSING SCENES.
297
he seized and struck with all his force, his head meanwhile being inside the bell. He rang the bell as long as his strength would permit, and its joyful peal was heard with astonishment by the town's people, and great delight by the troops. At night bonfires were blazing everywhere, and a long time elapsed before quiet was restored.
The next day the remainder of the brigade moved to Farmville, and encamped south-west of the town. General Curtin was assigned to duty as post commander. Division and corps head-quarters remained at Burkesville. Lieuten- ant-Colonel Barker. as provost-marshal, established his head- quarters in a large building formerly used as a store, sitnated on the main street, in the central part of the town. The regiment was quartered in the town, and furnished safe- guards of from one to five men to protect the property of the citizens in various places in the surrounding country. Guard duty in the town was also performed by the regiment. The duty was arduous and wearisome, as it included not only the regular guard duty, but the labor of issuing rations to the impoverished citizens, who poured into the town from all di- rections for food. A careful record was preserved of all to whom relief was afforded, with the quantity of rations issued to each, involving a vast amount of clerical labor. In addi- tion to this duty paroles were made out for all the Confed- erate prisoners found in the place, and for hundreds of others who came to the village from Appomattox Court-House. During the stay of the regiment at this place the following number of Confederate soldiers were paroled by the provost- marshal : -
Officers and men in the General Hospital . 582
Officers in the Institute ·
22
Detailed Hospital Attendants .
34
Hospital Stewards . 4
From the field of Appomattox . 1,742
Total .
· 2,384
298
THIRTY-SIXTH REGIMENT.
April,
On Saturday, April 15th, Captain Henry S. Burrage, who had been absent since November 1st, when he was captured in front of Petersburg, returned to the regiment, and on the following day he was appointed Acting Assistant Adjutant- General on General Curtin's staff. Late in the afternoon of that day a telegram was received from Washington, announe- ing the assassination of President Lincoln. At first this information was regarded as a hoax or a camp rumor ; but all doubt was soon banished, and the sad intelligence was con- firmed in the formal announcement of his death by General Meade.
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