USA > Massachusetts > Massachusetts in the war, 1861-1865 Pt. 1 > Part 25
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THE FIFTEENTH REGIMENT.
T HE Fifteenth Regiment was a Worcester county organization, composed of three companies of state militia, supplemented by volunteer companies. It was on the 28th of June, 1861, ordered to Camp Scott, two miles from Woreester, and placed under command of Brigadier General George HI. Ward of the Massachu- setts Militia, the coloneley being offered to Major Charles Devens, Jr., then in command of the Third Battalion of Rifles at Fort Mc- Henry, near Baltimore. Returning on the 20th of July he accepted the proffer and the organization of the regiment was rapidly com- pleted. Company K had been mustered on the 1st, the other com- panies on the 12th, and the line officers followed on the 1st of August, the roster being as follows :-
Colonel, Charles Devens, Jr .; lieutenant colonel, George II. Ward, both of Worcester; major, John W. Kimball of Fitchburg; surgeon, Joseph N. Bates; assistant surgeon, S. Foster Haven, Jr., both of Worcester; chaplain, William G. Scanlan of Grafton; adjutant, George A. IIicks; quartermaster, Church Howe, both of Princeton; sergeant major, Francis A. Walker of North Brookfield; quartermaster sergeant, William R. Steele of Worcester; commissary sergeant, William G. Waters of Gorham, Me .; hospital steward, Henry L. Dearing of Bos- ton; leader of band, II. P. Goddard of Worcester.
Company A, Leominster-Captain, George W. Rockwood; first lieu- tenant, Leonard Wood; second lieutenant, Frank W. Polley.
Company B, Fitchburg Fusileers-Captain, Clark S. Simonds; first lieutenant, Joseph M. Goddard ; second lieutenant, Charles H. Eager.
Company C, Clinton Light Guard-Captain, Henry Bowman; first lieutenant, Andrew L. Fuller, both of Clinton; second lieutenant, James N. Johnson of Northboro.
Company D, Worcester-Captain, John M. Studley; first lieuten- ant, Edwin P. Woodward; second lieutenant, J. William Grout.
Company E, De Witt Guards of Oxford-Captain, Charles H. Wat- son; first lieutenant, Nelson Bartholomew; second lieutenant, Barnard B. Vassell.
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Company F, Brookfield-Captain, Sardus S. Sloan; first lieutenant, Jeremiah E. Green; second lieutenant, Lyman E. Ellingwood.
Company G, Grafton-Captain, Walter Forehand; first lieutenant, Newell K. Holden; second lieutenant, Stephen L. Kearney.
Company H-Captain, Charles Philbrick; first lieutenant, Henry S. Taft, both of Northbridge ; second lieutenant, Richard Derby of Boston.
Company I, Slater Guards of Webster-Captain, George C. Joslin of Worcester ; first lieutenant, Amos Bartlett; second lieutenant, Frank S. Corbin, both of Webster.
Company K, Blackstone-Captain, Moses W. Gatchell; first lieuten- ant, Edwin B. Staples. (Second lieutenant, I. Harris Hooper of Bos- ton, commissioned October 8.)
The ladies of Worcester presented the regiment with a fine stand of colors on the 7th of August, and the following day the journey to Washington was begun, Baltimore being passed through with loaded muskets on the 10th and the capital was reached the follow- ing day. The command was at once directed to Camp Kalorama on Meridian. Hill, where without being brigaded it remained under the orders of General Rufus King for two weeks, doing guard duty and drilling. It then marched to Poolesville, Md., starting on the afternoon of the 25th and reaching its destination the 27th, when it encamped near the town on a large field, forming part of General Charles P. Stone's Corps of Observation, the location being chris- tened Camp Foster, in honor of the attorney general of Massachu- setts. The Potomac was at that time the dividing line between the Federal and Confederate forces, and the Fifteenth were assigned to guard a section of the northern bank some three miles in length from Conrad's Ferry to the lower end of Harrison Island.
While thus located, the regiment took the initiative in the dis- astrous battle of Ball's Bluff. During the evening of October 20, Captain Philbrick crossed from the island where his company was posted to the Virginia shore and some little distance from the river discovered what was supposed to be a Confederate camp. The news being sent to General Stone, that officer ordered Colonel Devens with five of his companies to cross the river for the sake of breaking up the camp, the crossing being made that night. The rest of the regiment followed as far as the island, and next morn- ing, when skirmishing began, crossed to the support of their com- rades on the south side of the river. Colonel Devens on advancing found that no camp existed, but while exploring the vicinity small
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THE FIFTEENTII REGIMENT.
bodies of the enemy appeared at various points and some fighting followed, the companies of the Fifteenth finally moving back toward the bluff and awaiting reinforcements. Colonel Baker having crossed the river with the California Regiment took command of the field and formed his line with the Fifteenth on the right, his own regiment, a portion of the Twentieth Massachusetts and the Seventy-first Pennsylvania being present. The Confederates at- tacked in force about 3 o'clock, and after making a desperate de- fense for two or three hours Colonel Baker's command was utterly routed, he being killed and the scattered detachments making the best retreat possible, many being drowned or shot in attempting to swim the river. Of the 625 of the Fifteenth taken into action only about half succeeded in reaching the Maryland side. Two officers-Captain Gatchell and Lieutenant Grout -- and 12 men were killed, 61 wounded and 227 missing, most of the latter prisoners, among them Captain Rockwood and Lieutenant Green. Lieutenant Colonel Ward was severely wounded, his left leg being amputated on the island before he was taken back to camp, and he was for a long time unable to resume active duty in the field.
The remnant of the regiment returned to duty at once, its sad loss somewhat compensated by the knowledge that its trial had been bravely borne,-as was recognized by the commander-in-chief in a deserved compliment. It now became part of the First Brigade of General Stone's Division, the other regiments being the First Minnesota, Thirty-fourth, Forty-second and Eighty-second New York, and the brigade commander General Willis A. Gorman, pro- moted from the colonelcy of the First. Many recruits were re- ceived during the fall and winter, filling the ranks once more; but the exposure along the Potomac induced much sickness, among the deathis being that of Lietenant Bartholomew at Philadelphia, No- vember 21. During this time the Forty-second New York was de- tached from the brigade, but no other change in organization occur- red till the opening of the spring campaign of 1862.
Marching orders came to the regiment on the 25th of February, when camp was broken and the command marched to Adamstown the following day, whence cars were taken for Harper's Ferry, and there the command remained till the 2d of March. Leaving one company on provost duty, the others marched to Bolivar Hights, stopped there till the 7th, advanced to Charlestown, and from there
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on the 10th to Berryville, where some skirmishing took place, but without casualty to the Fifteenth. Two or three days later a move- ment toward Winchester was made, but as the place had been occu- pied by General Banks the column retraced its steps and on the 15th went into camp again at Bolivar, resting there for a week. On the 22d the command took cars from Harper's Ferry for Washing- ton, passing on to Alexandria, whence on the 29th transports were taken for Hampton. Disembarking on the 1st of April, the regi- ment went into camp till the Army of the Potomac should be ready for the movement up the Peninsula toward Richmond. The Fif- teenth at this time formed part of the First Brigade, First Division, Second Corps. The regiments associated with it in the brigade were the First Minnesota, Thirty-fourth and Eighty-second New York, with the First Company of Andrew Sharpshooters. General Gorman was the brigadier, General John Sedgwick in command of the division and General Edwin V. Sumner of the corps.
The advance began on the 4th of April, but came to a pause the following day, when the Confederate works in the vicinity of York- town were encountered. During the siege operations, which lasted for a month, the Fifteenth Regiment was not especially engaged, and suffered the loss of but a few wounded, most of whom were in the sharpshooter company which was nominally attached to the regiment. During this time Colonel Devens was promoted to bri- gadier general, Lieutenant Colonel Ward and Major Kimball were each advanced to the next rank, and Captain Philbrick was com- missioned major. Colonel Ward being still absent on account of his wound, Lieutenant Colonel Kimball took command of the regi- ment. After the evacuation of Yorktown, the flag of the Fifteenth was among the first planted on the works, and two days later the regiment landed from transports at West Point, forming in support of General Franklin's division, then engaged with the enemy, but not being called into action. Going into camp a few miles away, Sumner's Corps remained for a week or more, then made its way slowly across the country toward the Chickahominy river, near which it halted on the 22d.
The battle of Fair Oaks, on the 31st of May, called a portion of Sumner's Corps across the Chickahominy to the assistance of the troops engaged on the other side of the stream, Gorman's Brigade leading. On reaching the scene of action, about 5 o'clock in the
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afternoon, the Fifteenth Regiment was at first placed in support of other portions of the brigade, but was almost immediately changed to the vicinity of Kirby's Battery, where it rendered valuable ser- vice, relieving the Seventh Massachusetts Regiment, and three times extricating the guns from the mud into which they were forced at each discharge. The regiment was finally moved by thie flank till it uncovered the troops in its front, when a charge was ordered and gallantly executed, other regiments of the brigade joining and driving the enemy back in a manner to win high commendation. Taking position in the edge of the woods formerly occupied by the Confederates, the Fifteenth threw out a picket line and awaited during the night and next day a renewal of the conflict; but the fighting of the 1st of June was confined to other portions of the field, and at its close the Union troops encamped in the positions they then occupied. The loss of the Fifteenth in the battle was five killed and 17 wounded.
From this time till the beginning of the "change of base " to the James river the command was engaged in the various duties of the encampment, the fatigue details being heavy and a constant ap- prehension prevailing of an intention on the part of the enemy to renew the fighting. This took place on the 27th and 28th of June, the regiment being moved from point to point in support and fre- quently under fire, but with slight loss. At night of the 28th it was ordered to Savage's Station to destroy supplies in anticipation of the retreat of the Union forces, and gave the following day to that disagreeable employ, taking part late in the afternoon in the repulse of the Confederate attack, though not actively engaged. At Glendale on the following day and at Malvern Hill on the 1st of July the record was similar, the regiment doing much exhausting marching and maneuvering, being under fire and in line of battle facing the foe repeatedly, frequently by its presence contributing to the favorable result of the engagement, but fortunately escaping with but slight loss, the record during the entire series of actions being 11 wounded and 27 missing. Falling back early in the morn- ing of the 2d of July to the vicinity of Harrison's Landing, the Fifteenth, with the entire army, went into camp, and for six weeks little occurred to break the monotony. They took part in the recon- naissance to Harrison's Landing on the 4th and 5th of August, but not in the skirmishing which took place.
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THIE WAR.
Camp was broken on the 15th and the Army of the Potomac marched to Newport News, where on the 22d the Fifteenth embarked on the transport Mississippi for Alexandria, landing there on the 28th and marching for Chain Bridge, where an opportunity for still further recuperation was expected. But the Army of Virginia under General Pope was then fighting at Manassas, and the weary 'column at once turned in that direction, reaching Centerville on the 30th in time to assist in covering the retreat of the discomfited Union army toward Washington. Some prisoners were taken from the regiment in the operations of the day or two succeeding, but with no further loss it crossed the Potomac on the 2d and estab- lished eamp at Tennallytown. Three days later began the move- ment northward, which was to culminate at Antietam, when the corps marched as far as Rockville.
The march was resumed on the 8th, and another halt was made at Frederick City from evening of the 9th till the 14th, when the corps advanced to South Mountain, and that night the Fifteenth re- lieved some of the troops which had been engaged in the battle. Finding next morning that the enemy had retired during the night, the march was continued to Keedysville. The 16th was spent in preparation for the battle of the Antietam, and the day following the regiment was called to the most dreadful ordeal during its his- tory, in the terrible repulse of General Sedgwick's Division on the morning of the 17th of September. This division was taken into action about 9 o'clock in close column of brigades, in such manner that it was outflanked and almost surrounded by more than three times its own number in a very few minutes, the Confederates being advantageously disposed for the use of their entire force, while only the front line of the Federals could deliver their fire. The brief struggle which resulted was practically a contest between a single brigade on the Union side and ten brigades of Confederates, Sedg- wick's second and third lines being slaughtered without being able even to return the fire of the enemy. The Fifteenth were in the front line, and made the best of their opportunities, but in 20 minutes after the opening of the fire the division had been forced from the field, leaving half its number killed or wounded. In the case of this regiment the loss was even greater. It had taken into action 606 officers and men, including the company of sharpshooters, of whom 343 were killed, wounded or missing. The loss of the regi-
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ment proper was 58 killed or dying during the day of their wounds, 234 wounded and 24 missing. Among the killed were Captains Clark S. Simonds and Richard Derby and First Lieutenant Frank S. Corbin, while First Lieutenant Thomas J. Spurr of Worcester received wounds from which he died on the 27th of September.
The remnants of Sedgwick's Division were not further engaged during the battle, and after remaining in occupation of the field till the 22d the regiment marched to Harper's Ferry, going into camp near the site occupied in the early spring. It was not till the 30th of October that the advance into Virginia began, when the column moved down the east side of the Blue Ridge, the Fifteenth entering Warrenton on the 9th of November. Here another halt was made till the Army of the Potomac, having passed under the command of General Burnside about the time of reaching Warrenton, was ready for the forward movement to Fredericksburg. Many changes had naturally taken place in commanders during this time. The Second Corps was commanded by General D. N. Couch, the Second Division by General O. O. Howard, and the First Brigade (to which the Nineteenth Maine Regiment had been added) by General Alfred Sully. Lieutenant Colonel Kimball, who had commanded the Fif- teenth from the opening of the campaign before Yorktown, was dis- charged on the 12th of November to become colonel of the Fifty- third Massachusetts Regiment, the command of the Fifteenth pass- ing to Major Philbrick, who was in turn promoted to the lieutenant colonelcy, Captain George C. Joslin being made major.
The Second and Ninth Corps, forming the right grand division, arrived opposite Fredericksburg on the 17th of November, but it was not till the 13th of the following month that the preparations had been completed for the fighting of the battle. In this engage- ment, disastrous as it was to a large part of the Second Corps, which bore the brunt of the attack on the Confederate works, the Fif- teenth Regiment met with comparatively slight loss. It crossed the river to the city toward night of the 11th, and was active during the four days and nights which followed, being much of the time on the picket line or in support. Its loss was four killed, including Surgeon Samuel Foster Haven, Jr., while accompanying the com- mand to the skirmish line, 26 were wounded and two missing. Among the wounded were Major Philbrick and Adjutant I. Harris Hooper. Following the battle the command went into camp on the
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE WAR.
Falmouth side of the river, where it remained during the winter, Colonel Ward returning to duty and resuming the command on the 5th of February, 1863. During the Chancellorsville campaign, the Second Division, then commanded by General Gibbon, crossed the river to Fredericksburg carly in the morning of the 3d of May, and co-operated with the Sixth Corps in the movements of that day, but was not closely engaged, and the Fifteenth Regiment, though exposed to considerable artillery fire, had but two men slightly wounded. It then went into camp again, where it remained till the opening of the Gettysburg campaign.
The movement northward began on the 14th of June. The term of service of the Thirty-fourth New York expiring about this time reduced the brigade to four regiments under the command of General William Harrow-General Hancock being in command of the corps. The regiment was on the march most of the time till the 20th, when it halted at Thoroughfare Gap for five days, march- ing on the 25th toward Edwards Ferry with the right wing deployed as flankers to protect the column from the enemy's cavalry. Some skirmishing ensued during the day, in the course of which the regi- ment had one man wounded. It crossed the Potomac on the 26th, reached Frederick City on the 28th, and Taneytown on the 1st of July, after one day's rest at Uniontown. With but a brief respite the col- umn started again, hearing the sounds of the fighting at Gettysburg, and bivouacked at night in support of the Union line on that famous battle-field. Colonel Ward was at this time in command of the bri- gade, but was relieved by General Harrow next morning and re- sumed command of the regiment. The brigade advanced early on the 2d and took position in support near what was then the left of the Union line, and remained there till afternoon, when with the Eighty-second New-York the Fifteenth Regiment was advanced to a position some distance in front of the left of the Second Corps, in order to partially fill a gap between that corps and the Third, which had taken a position far in front on the Emmittsburg road. The latter corps was soon forced back, exposing the two regiments to the full fury of the Confederate onslaught. The Eighty-second, being struek in the flank, was broken, and its disaster necessitated the withdrawal of the Fifteenth. This was effected under a heavy fire, which did not all come from the front, for the Federal batteries in the rear, in their anxiety to check the Confederate triumph, mis-
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THE FIFTEENTH REGIMENT.
judged or misunderstood and sent much of their fire through the line of the Fifteenth. The loss of the regiment was severe, but the most lamentable of all was the fall of Colonel Ward with a mortal wound from which he died a few hours later.
Having resumed its former position near the rest of its division, the regiment remained without notable experience till the famous charge of Pickett's Division on the following afternoon. It then, in common with other commands on that part of the field, moved toward the right to plant itself in the path of the oncoming foe, and while the fierce contest went on it fought nobly, though at heavy loss of officers and men. Finally, in the critical moment when the fortune of the battle seemed to hang in the balance, the colors of the regiment were advanced, the whole line pressed for- ward and the discomfiture of the enemy was completed. Hostili- ties having ceased, the Fifteenth were thrown forward to picket the field, and the following morning before being relieved indulged in some skirmishing with the pickets of the enemy, suffering a few additional casualties. The regiment took into the battle a total of 239 officers and men ; of this small force, 26 were killed or received wounds from which they died during the battle, and 89 were wounded-a loss of almost 50 per cent. Among the killed in action on the second day were Captains John Murkland of Fitch- burg and Hans Peter Jorgensen of Leominster; while First Licu- tenant Elisha G. Buss of Clinton died of wounds on the 12th and Second Lieutenant Caleb H. Arnold of Blackstone on the 20th. Lieutenant Colonel George C. Joslin commanded the regiment after the fall of Colonel Ward, he having been promoted from major to date from April 17, succeeding Lieutenant Colonel Philbrick, who had resigned on account of ill-health. First Lieutenant I. Harris Hooper had at the same time been commissioned major.
Leaving the battle-field of Gettysburg on the afternoon of the 5th of July, the regiment in the various movements which followed shared the general fortunes of the Army of the Potomac. It reached Frederick City on the 8th, the Antietam battle-field on the 10th, and in the front lines of the army behind strong breastworks confronted the enemy near Williamsport on the 12th. But no battle occurred, and when the Confederates had crossed to the Virginia side the Union army dropped down the river to the vicinity of Harper's Ferry and followed suit, the regiment crossing the river on the 18th
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and beginning the march down the east side of the Blue Ridge, which was almost a counterpart of that made after the Antietam campaign of the previous fall. Warrenton Junction was reached on the 26th, and there a halt was made, but four days later the corps marched to Morrisville, where it made a longer stop. With the exception of an expedition to Banks Ford in support of a cavalry movement about the first of September, when the command was away from camp for four or five days, no movement of note took place till the 12th of that month. In the mean time the strength of the regiment had been increased by the arrival of 179 recruits, most of whom were conscripts.
Marching orders came on the 12th of September, the regiment with the rest of the corps crossed the Rappahannock at Rappahan- nock Station the next day, in support of a cavalry force, and went into camp near Culpeper Court House. On the 17th an advance was made to the Rapidan, the Second Corps picketing the north bank of that river while the Confederates occupied the other, sharp picket firing going on much of the time. The corps was relieved on the 5th of October and went back to its bivouac near Culpeper, but only remained there till the 10th when it was suddenly called to arms. It was the beginning of the strategic movement which took the two armies northward to the defenses of Washington, fol- lowed by their return to practically the same ground from which they had set out, with no more important engagement than a sharp skirmish. The most serious action was at Bristoe Station on the 14th, in which the Fifteenth shared. The Second Corps being at- tacked in the flank as it marched, with a view of cutting the Federal army in two, the First Brigade, with others, took position behind the railroad embankment and quickly repulsed the Confederates, the Union loss being comparatively slight-that of the Fifteenth Regiment being two killed, ten wounded and two missing. Among the wounded was Second Lieutenant Charles II. Stevens of Leomin- ster, who died the following day, having been commissioned but not mustered as first lieutenant and captain. During the 15th the regi- ment went into position near Centerville, and remained there till the 19th, when the return movement southward was begun.
Following the course of the railroad to near Warrenton, the regiment encamped there on the 23d and remained till the 7th of November, during which time many of the men had com-
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pleted comfortable log huts for winter quarters ; but on that day the movement occurred which resulted in the capture of Rappa- hannock Station by a portion of the Union army while the remain- der operated against Kelly's Ford and crossed the river there. In the latter column was the Second Corps, and during the succeeding day it moved forward in order of battle to near Brandy Station, where another encampment was made. This was broken on the 26th of the month for the Mine Run campaign, the regiment cross- ing the Rapidan that afternoon at Germania Ford and bivouacking for the night some two miles beyond. Next morning it made a sharp march to Robertson's Tavern, where the enemy had been en- countered by the head of the column, and on arriving was at once deployed on the skirmish line. Being presently ordered to advance, it encountered sharp opposition, and was forced back by a Confeder- ate line of battle, though the latter was in turn checked by the Federal supporting lines and finally driven back. In this engage- ment the loss of the regiment was considerable, Lieutenant Colonel Joslin, its commander, being taken prisoner; two officers were wounded, including First Lieutenant Dwight Newbury of Worcester mortally, he dying a few hours later ; while nine enlisted men were wounded and six captured. During the remainder of the opera- tions of the campaign the regiment was not engaged in actual con- flict, though moving from point to point during the few days which succeeded, suffering much from the inclement weather, and finally on the night of the 1st of December setting out for the winter camps north of the Rapidan.
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