USA > Massachusetts > Massachusetts in the war, 1861-1865 Pt. 1 > Part 35
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THIE WAR.
Late in the evening of the 7th the command began its march toward Spottsylvania and during the following day took part in the battle of Laurel Hill, where it distinguished itself by again sup- porting Martin's Battery, when that organization was in danger of capture, losing 10 killed and wounded. As the line of battle devel- oped the Twenty-second took position near Po Run and intrenched. During this time there was severe sharp-shooting and it was by this means that the regiment lost on the 9th one of its bravest officers, Captain Benjamin Davis of Charlestown, who was mortally wounded while viewing the Confederate position. At night of the 9th the Confederates captured some of the outer rifle pits nearly .in front of the Twenty-second, and next day that organization with the Fourth Michigan was ordered to attempt their recapture. This was done by the regiment deployed as skirmishers under command of Major Burt, but at a heavy loss of life, since the works when gained afforded little protection, the captors being obliged to lie close upon the ground under fire all day, being relieved after dark when the survivors returned to their position of the morning, the regiment having lost during the day 74, 17 of whom were killed.
For the ten days which followed while the armies confronted each other before Spottsylvania, what were left of the Twenty-second, now less than one-half the number that had started on the campaign, were constantly active, skirmishing, maneuvering, or on duty in the works. When on its southward movement the Union army reached the North Anna on the 23d, the regiment at the head of its brigade was first to cross at Jericho Ford. It was at once deployed as skir- mishers and led the movement against the enemy until a strong fire was encountered and a desperate action ensued, in which the Union lines were considerably shattered. The regiment had four killed and seven wounded. No general action resulted at this place; the troops across the river were withdrawn after a few days of skirmish- ing and the movement southward was continued, crossing the Pamun- key on the 27th and the Totopotomy on the 29th, Griffin's Division taking position on the Mechanicsville Road in line of battle. An advance was ordered next morning, the Twenty-second again on the skirmish line which was commanded by Colonel Tilton, and an ob- stinate engagement ensued in which the enemy were pushed steadily back for nearly three miles, but both sides retired from the field during the night. The regiment took into this action 106 muskets
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TIIE TWENTY-SECOND REGIMENT.
and a few officers ; its loss was three killed and 12 wounded ; it won high praise, as it had so often done for efficiency in like positions.
Sweitzer's Brigade rested during the 1st of June in the vicinity of Bethesda Church, and that night and the following day moved hither and thither without being seriously engaged. The morning of the 3d found the division massed near the Church in preparation for the general attack upon the Confederate lines which had been ordered. Sweitzer's Brigade was deployed to the right to connect with the Ninth Corps and at once advanced, with the Twenty-second as usual on the skirmish line ; a magnificent charge was made across an open field and the enemy was forced back to his second line of works, but when this was done the power of the Union soldiers was exhausted. In the margin of the wood, a hundred yards from the Confederate works, the line of blue clung to what had been gained, lying under heavy fire all day and being relieved after dark. The Twenty-second came out of this trial with less than a hundred mem- bers, having lost 11 killed and 11 wounded, among the slain being Captain Joseph HI .. Baxter of Milton. The following day Lieuten- ant Colonel Sherwin, who had been disabled by an accident just be- fore the opening of the campaign, rejoined the regiment. The 5th proved another day of severe trial, the command being sent out in the afternoon on the Shady Grove Church road as skirmishers and having a sharp fight until night, losing two killed and five wounded.
This encounter ended the active work of the regiment in connec- tion with Cold Harbor; before light on the morning of the 7th it marched in the rear of the Union line to the vicinity of Gaines Mills, near Sumner's Lower Bridge on the Chickahominy, where strong fortifications were built near the scene of the regiment's ter- rible experience of two years previous. This position was occupied till the night of the 12th, when orders were received for a further movement by the left flank. This time it was across the James river and to the vicinity of Petersburg, where the Twenty-second arrived early on the 17th ; it was not till the morning of the 18th, however, that the regiment was engaged. At that time, again on the skirmish line, it led the desperate charge of its division against the Confederate works. The ordeal was an especially trying one. Not only was the ground broken and difficult, but in every portion it was swept by a terrible fire. After several attempts the regiment finally reached the railroad, the enemy being pressed back to their
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE WAR.
main defenses and the Union soldiers holding what they had gained. Another attempt was made late in the afternoon to break the hostile lines, but it was in vain-only more dead and wounded were left on the field. Most of the division moved back at dark, but the Twenty- second remained all night on the picket line and dug rifle pits. Near morning the regiment was relieved, having lost of the few taken into action seven killed and 14 wounded.
Colonel Tilton took command of the brigade next day, and on the 20th the Twenty-second with other troops were ordered to the rear, but not to rest. On the day following a movement was made toward the left, reaching the Jerusalem Plank road and intending to strike the Weldon railroad, but the latter portion of the pro- gramme failed. The Confederates delivered a severe counter at- tack at night of the 22d, and the regiment, called on to assist its endangered comrades, was engaged more or less through the night, losing three wounded. During the next few days it had a peculiarly trying experience, being marched back and forth to different points, the ground being intolerably dry and dusty. About the close of the month, however, it was assigned to duty in the trenches and on the picket line, and this continued with little interruption for six weeks.
The regiment was selected on the 8th of August for guard duty at City Point, and remained thus employed until the expiration of its term of service. On the 23d of September, news was received of the death from wounds of Captain Robert T. Bourne of Boston, as inspector general on the brigade staff at the front,-the last loss of the regiment in battle. Orders were received on the 3d of October to prepare for the return to Massachusetts for muster out, the mem- bers of the regiment on detached service were called in, the 181 re- enlisted men and recruits transferred to the Thirty-second Massa- chusetts Regiment, and with a total of about 125 enlisted men the command embarked on the transport Kennebec for Washington. Landing there on the following day, cars were taken for Boston, and soon after midnight on the morning of the 10th the regiment marched through the familiar streets. During the day it received a warm reception, after which the members were furloughed for a week, reassembling on the 17th for muster out. No regiment liad a prouder record ; and it is claimed that its percentage of killed in action was the largest of any regiment from the state.
THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT.
T HE Twenty-third Regiment was organized at Lynnfield, the first muster of the enlisted men taking place on the 28th of September, 1861, and detachments being added from time to time during the following month. The line officers were commis- sioned from the 8th of October, and the organization of the field and staff was completed on the 24th, with this roster :-
Colonel, John Kurtz of Boston ; lieutenant colonel, Henry Merritt of Salem ; major, Andrew Elwell of Gloucester; surgeon, George Derby of Boston ; assistant surgeon, Silas E. Stone of Walpole; chap- lain, Jonas Bowen Clark of Swampscott; adjutant, John G. Cham- bers of Medford ; quartermaster, Joseph A. Goldthwait ; sergeant major, Daniel H. Johnson, Jr .; quartermaster sergeant, Stephen P. Driver ; commissary sergeant, Joshua C. Goodale, all of Salem; hos- pital steward, J. M. Tourtelotte of Worcester; leader of band, Henry C. Brown of Boston.
Company A-Captain, Ethan A. P. Brewster ; first lieutenant, . Charles S. Emmerton; second lieutenant, George A. Fisher, all of Salem.
Company B-Captain, Knott V. Martin; first lieutenant, Thomas Russell; second lieutenant, John Goodwin, Jr., all of Marblehead.
Company C, Gloucester-Captain, Addison Center; first lieutenant, Edward A. Story; second lieutenant, Fitz J. Babson.
Company D, New Bedford-Captain, Cornelius Howland, Jr .; first lieutenant, Samuel C. Hart; second lieutenant, Anthony Lang.
Company E, Davis Guards-Captain, William B. Alexander: first lieutenant, Otis Rogers, both of Plymouth; second lieutenant, Thomas B. Atwood of Abington.
Company F, Salem-Captain, George M. Whipple; first lieutenant, Charles II. Bates; second lieutenant, George R. Emmerton.
Company G, Beverly-Captain, John W. Raymond; first lieutenant, Henry P. Woodbury; second lieutenant, Daniel W. Hammond.
Company H -- Captain, Wesley C. Sawyer of Harvard; first lieutenant, William L. Kent; second lieutenant, Peter II. Niles, both of Boston.
Company I-Captain, John Hobbs of Ipswich; first lieutenant, William I. Creasey of Newburyport; second lieutenant, David P. Muzzey of Cambridge.
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MASSACHUSETTS IN TIIE WAR.
Company K-Captain, Carlos A. Hart; first lieutenant, John Little- field, both of Foxboro; second lieutenant, Benjamin F. Barnard of South Reading.
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The regiment, with others being recruited in the state at that time, was intended for the "Burnside Expedition," then being organized, and on the 11th of November left its camp at Lynnfield for the rendezvous at Annapolis, going by rail via Boston to Fall River, where it embarked on the steamers State of Maine and Metropolis for New York. Then cars were again taken, and the journey was continued by Philadelphia to Perryville, where there was a wait for transportation. That was finally supplied in the form of small steamers by which the right wing of the regiment was taken to Annapolis, being quartered at first in the Naval Academy and then in St. John's College. The left wing followed in a day or two, and the command being reunited on the 16th went into Camp John A. Andrew on the outskirts of the city. It was mustered into the United States service on the 5th of December and was made a part of the First Brigade under General John G. Foster, its fellow-regiments being the Twenty-fourth, Twenty-fifth and Twenty-seventh Massachusetts and Tenth Connecticut.
The regiment left its camp on the morning of the 6th of Janu- ary, 1862, embarking during the day on the schooner Highlander and the steamer Hussar, one man being accidentally killed while waiting for embarkation. The command remained crowded on the transports till the 9th, when sail was made for Fortress Monroe under convoy of gun-boats, and after a short stop in Hampton Roads the fleet proceeded toward its destination on the North Caro- . lina coast. Adverse winds and storms delayed the passage. The Highlander was forced to cut loose from the Hussar on the 12th, and it was not till the 15th that the two wings were reunited within Hatteras Inlet, and not till the 22d that the " Swash " was crossed into Pamlico Sound. Two weeks passed before the preparations were completed for the movement against Roanoke Island, but on the 5th of February the transports and gun-boats destined for the enterprise set sail, and on the afternoon of the 7th the troops landed without opposition, the Twenty-third-with the exception of Com- pany E, detailed to assist in working the gun-boat Hussar-being aniong the first on shore.
That night the regiment bivouacked in the mud near the shore,
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THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT.
a storm prevailing, and next morning began the advance. Coming under fire, it at first assisted in the support of the few pieces of Union artillery engaged, suffering most of its loss while in that position. Later it was moved by the right flank into a dense swamp and made its way with great difficulty, practically every man for him- self, through a tangle which the Confederates had considered utterly impenetrable, till at length detached squads made their appearance on the left flank of the rebel position and opened fire, completing the demoralization of the enemy, who began to retreat. The Twenty-third took part in the pursuit, and when it was over, the Confederates having been cut off and surrendering, bivouacked in the captured barracks, which were rechristened Camp Foster, in honor of the brigadier whose command had done so much for the success of the day. The loss of the Twenty-third had been Lieu- tenant Goodwin killed and two members of his company mortally wounded, with eight others less severely hurt.
After four weeks of comparative inactivity the orders for em- barkation came and the regiment went aboard the Highlander and the Gideon, though it was not till the 11th of March that the fleet set sail for the Neuse river. The men landed at Slocum's Creek, 15 miles from Newbern, on the 13th, the Twenty-third get- ting ashore about noon and at once marching inland. This proved very trying, as a heavy rain set in and the roads were very bad ; but by dint of great exertion the regiment bivouacked within about a mile and a half of the enemy's works. The storm continued dur- ing the night and next morning was still raging when the advance began. The enemy's fire was soon encountered, when line of battle was formed, the Twenty-third taking a position to the left of the Twenty-seventh in the woods which they held with slight changes to avoid an enfilading fire till a charge was ordered, in which they took part. The Confederates being speedily routed, the regiment was soon after taken across the Trent river and encamped on the Fair Grounds, formerly occupied by a North Carolina regiment. During the battle a 12-pounder howitzer commanded by Captain Dayton of the Highlander was ably manned by volunteers from the Twenty-third, who had dragged it through the mud from the land- ing to the scene of the battle. The regiment lost seven killed in the action, including Lieutenant Colonel Merritt who was struck by a cannon shot, and 47 wounded, five fatally. Captain Sawyer lost a leg.
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THIE WAR.
General Burnside's command was on the 5th of April reorgan- ized as an Army Corps (afterward known as the Ninth) of three divisions, the Twenty-third Regiment forming part of the First Bri- gade, First Division. The Brigade was commanded by Colonel T. J. C. Amory of the Seventeenth Massachusetts, and was composed in addition to his own regiment and the Twenty-third of the Twenty- fifth Massachusetts and Sixth New Hampshire; General Foster commanded the division. The health of the regiment having suf- fered severely, it was ordered to encamp at Batchelder's Creek, eight miles from Newbern, which it did on the 11th of April, forming an outpost. The Confederate cavalry lurked in the neighborhood, and there was scarcely a day without more or less skirmishing on the picket line, while the main part of the regiment was engaged in rebuilding the railroad bridge at the Creek ; a picket post of Company E being surprised by a large force of hostile cavalry on the 29th, one was killed and his three comrades were captured, the enemy disappearing before the reserves could reach the scene. On the 4th of May the regiment was advanced some four miles to Red House, where it remained till the 7th, when it marched by wings to Newbern to relieve the Twenty-fifth as provost guard. This position it maintained during the summer, and till early in November of that year, details from its members taking part in various minor expeditions during the time.
Many changes occurred in the roster of officers during this period. Following the death of Lieutenant Colonel Merritt, Major Elwell was promoted to the vacancy and Adjutant Chambers became major. Besides the commissioned officers lost in battle, two died of disease during 1862-Captain Thomas Russell December 8 and Second Lientenant Westover Greenleaf of Gloucester August 11. Five companies of the regiment took part in the raid by way of Williams- ton and Hamilton to near Tarboro, from October 30 to November 11, gathering in about 50 prisoners and a quantity of horses, mules and other supplies, but meeting no serious opposition. Colonel Kurtz commanded the garrison of Newbern during the absence of the expedition, and on its return much excitement was found over the report that the Confederates were approaching the city in force. A column of which the other five companies of the Twenty-third formed part was moved out to Batchelder's Creek next morning, Major Chambers in command, but no foe being discovered it returned
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THIE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT.
to Newbern the same day. On the 22d the regiment was relieved as provost guard by the Seventeenth and next day Colonel Kurtz resigned, leaving the regiment under command of Major Chambers, Lieutenant Colonel Elwell being temporarily disabled by an accident. These two officers were each promoted one grade in due time, Cap- tain Brewster being made major. Camp Pendleton was established some two miles south of Newbern and three companies were sent out for picket duty at different points, though rejoining the regi- ment in time for the Goldsboro expedition which began on the 10th of December.
On that movement the Twenty-third first met the enemy at Southwest Creek on the 13th and were slightly engaged, though without other loss than one or two wounded. After the fighting liad ended the regiment was sent on to within three miles of Kins- ton, being attached to General Wessells's Brigade. It bivouacked without fires near the enemy's lines, and next morning the battle of Kinston began. The part taken by the Twenty-third was prin- cipally that of supporting the Eighty-fifth Pennsylvania at the left of the Union line and receiving the surrender of 63 members of the Twenty-third South Carolina, the loss being but two wounded, one fatally. That night the regiment crossed the Neuse river to Kinston, but returned to the right bank next morning and led the column in its advance toward Goldsboro. It was at the rear of its brigade next day, when the sharp action at Whitehall occurred, but as it came upon the ground was directed to support the skirmish line which was firing across the river-a narrow but deep stream. Coming into line at the edge of an open field the regiment marched across it with the precision of a review movement, to the fringe of forest on the edge of the stream, opened fire and maintained it for an hour till the cartridge-boxes were empty ; then marched com- posedly back, leaving on the field or in the surgeons' hands 10 killed and 52 wounded, six of the latter mortally.
The march was continued after the battle, and next day the vicin- ity of Goldsboro was reached, where some sharp fighting took place and the railroad bridge was burned-the main object of the expedi- tion ; which having been accomplished the column retraced its steps toward Newbern. That place was reached on the 21st, after an absence of 12 days, many of the men being barefoot on account of scarcity of shoes. No further movement occurred till the 13th of
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE WAR.
January, 1863, when the regiment was ordered to Carolina City by rail and encamped on Bogue Sound, the location being named Camp Heckman in honor of the brigade commander, Brigadier General C. A. Heckman. This brigade consisted in addition of the Ninth New Jersey, Eighty-first and Ninety-eighth New York, and was des- tined for the South Carolina coast.
The camp was quitted on the afternoon of the 19th, and passing one night in unoccupied houses at Morehead City the regiment em- barked on the transport James Morton, a heavy-draught sailing vessel. The bar was finally crossed on the 31st, and an eventless sail brought the command to Port Royal, whence on the 10th of February the ship was towed across to St. Helena Island and the regiment debarked the next day, establishing Camp Russell, named in honor of Captain Russell who had recently died. General Heck- man being temporarily placed in command of a division, the brigade was for a time commanded by Colonel De Forrest and afterward by General T. G. Stevenson. While quartered at Camp Russell the regiment suffered somewhat from insubordination, but by prompt measures the usual good discipline was re-established.
On the 3d and 4th of April the brigade re-embarked under com- mand of General Heckman, two companies of the Twenty-third on the Morton and the remainder on the steamer United States, and on the 5th set sail again for North Carolina, going at that time no farther than the mouth of the Edisto river, where the fleet lay till the 11th, when it was ordered back to Hilton Head. Most of the men debarked and encamped on shore, but were soon embarked again, and on the 14th set sail for Morehead City. The voyage was rough and its termination especially so, but at midnight of the 17th the brigade was ashore, the detachment on the Morton having been blown out to sea and being the last to land. The main part of the Twenty-third had already gone by rail to Newbern, and after resting there one night set off with the brigade for the relief of Little Washington. Finding the siege raised, the column returned by the steamer Phoenix to Newbern on the 21st, where the two missing companies were found, and on the 25th the regiment went by rail to Carolina City and reoccupied Camp Heckman, renaming it Camp Dale in honor of the surgeon general of Massachusetts.
This camp was occupied till the early days of July, various de- tails, mostly of companies, being made from the regiment for picket
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THIE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT.
and garrison duty during the time. With the exception of Com- pany D, which was garrisoning Fort Spinola near Newbern, the regiment gathered at that city July 2, and on the 4th joined the expedition under General Heckman to Trenton, which place was reached on the 5th. There the infantry halted while the cavalry felt the country in advance, and on the 7th the Twenty-third were ordered with two pieces of artillery to Wilcox Bridge, three miles in advance. On reaching the place a party of Confederate cavalry was encountered and a lively skirmish ensued, during which Lieu- tenant Colonel Chambers and one enlisted man of the Twenty-third were wounded. The enemy was soon driven out of sight, and the Union cavalry presently appearing the expedition returned to New- bern, where the regiment remained during the summer and autumn, with no movement of importance, though detached parties were frequently sent forth to scour the outlying country.
The regiment left Newbern October 16, going by rail to Morehead City where it embarked on the steamer Maple Leaf and next day sailed for Fortress Monroe, landing there on the 19th and establish- ing Camp Derby-named in honor of the regimental surgeon-near Newport News. There the early winter passed. Re-enlistments began late in November; over 200 members of the regiment re- enlisted and about the middle of January, 1864, left for Massachu- setts on a month's furlough under command of Captain Raymond. About this time General Heckman was ordered to Getty's Line near Portsmouth, Va., and the Twenty-third were soon ordered to report to him there. Embarking on the steamer Escort late in the evening of the 22d, the regiment landed at Portsmouth next day and occu- pied a camp just vacated and burned by the Sixteenth Connecticut, located about three miles from the town, which when reconstructed was appropriately designated Camp Phoenix. The infantry force at that point was known as the Third Brigade and consisted in addition to the Twenty-third of the Tenth and Thirteenth New Hampshire, Fourth Rhode Island and Ninth New Jersey, and was commanded by Colonel Steere of the Rhode Island regiment. In the early part of March, after the re-enlisted men had returned from their fur- lough, there was a week of frequent alarms and some skirmishing occurred about the outposts, but nothing of importance transpired till the 13th of April.
On that day Colonel Elwell, complying with a special order, took
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THIE WAR.
his regiment by rail to Portsmouth, embarked on the steamer John W. D. Pentz and convoyed by a gun-boat sailed up the James river, landing next morning nine miles above Smithfield and marching toward the town. Three miles out the enemy was encountered but speedily gave way, and two miles further on was found in a stronger position, but again driven back. Half a mile beyond a hostile force in rear of a mill-pond disputed the further advance of the'column, but Captain Raymond with a platoon of Company G charged across the narrow roadway and drove out the foe, capturing a few prison- ers. Colonel Elwell decided to press the expedition no further and withdrew the column, making his way back to the river at Fort Boykin, closely followed by the Confederate cavalry. By the aid of a gun-boat, the regiment was taken to its steamer and next morn- ing returned to Portsmouth, having lost five wounded, two mortally, one of whom was captured and died at Libby Prison.
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