USA > Massachusetts > Massachusetts in the war, 1861-1865 Pt. 1 > Part 47
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With the rest of the brigade, it remained at that point to and through the night, in support of a battery which was but slightly engaged ; the next morning the corps started toward Centerville, Griffin's Brigade being detailed as train guard. The direction of the rest of the corps was soon changed toward the battle-field, but the rear brigade was overlooked; so it plodded on to Centerville, where during most of the day it listened with apprehension to the approaching roar of battle and at 4 o'clock was ordered to the front. Pressing through the disordered throng of fugitives in the rear of the disastrous conflict, the regiment reached the firmer lines next the enemy after the cessation of the fight, and presently retired again to Centerville.
Next morning, Sunday, the 31st, the broken Union army was brought into a semblance of order, and General Griffin with his command was moved out some distance on the Gainesville pike to receive the first shock of the enemy's attack, should one be made. But a front attack was not hazarded, Jackson creeping around to Chantilly to attempt the Federal flank ; so the regiment laid on its arms, drenched by the storm, cold and hungry, till near daylight of September 2. Then, as the army behind it had made good its re- treat to the Washington defenses, it quietly withdrew, looking back to see the Confederates swarming into Centerville almost as soon as the Union troops had quitted it. During the day a march of 28 miles was made-a great distance considering the condition of the troops- passing Fairfax Court House, Vienna and Levinsville, bivouacking
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THIE THIRTY-SECOND REGIMENT.
at Langley's. Next day an easier stage was made to Miners Hill, near Falls Church, where the Fifth Corps found itself again on the ground it had quitted to enter upon the Peninsular movement. Here Companies HI, I and K, which had for some time been searching for Porter's command, found and joined the regiment, and the organi- zation was completed.
While the shattered Army of the Potomac, again under General McClellan's command, was pushing through Maryland in search of the Confederates, Morell's Division remained in camp till the 12th of September, when it followed in the wake of the main body. Till and during the 16th it marched incessantly, and the trial was very severe, especially to the three new companies, who were unused to such heroic demands. The close of the march on the afternoon of the 16th brought the regiment into place with the rest of the corps, in the center of MeClellan's line of battle, but during the contest which opened on the following morning it was not engaged, though from its position enabled to overlook much of the fight. On the 18th Porter's Corps relieved Burnside's at the left, expecting a re- newal of the battle, but during the night the Confederates retreated.
Leaving Company C on detached service with the reserve artillery, the Thirty-second followed the retiring invaders, witnessing the en- gagement at the fords of the Potomac in which General Griffin led a column across the river and recaptured some of the guns which he had lost on the Peninsula. Then the army settled down about Sharpsburg while the general commanding prepared for another movement into Virginia. It was not till the 30th of October that the movement began, and on the 10th of November the army, con- centrated near Warrenton, finally parted with General MeClellan as a commander, he being succeeded by General Burnside. When the latter was ready to move, a week later, the regiment proceeded by casy marches to "Stoneman's Switch," near Potomac Creek, which was reached on the 22d. There the first Thanksgiving passed in the service found the Thirty-second, and it was not cheering to the men that the Massachusetts holiday should find them with ab- solutely nothing to eat till noon, owing to the scarcity of supplies, and then only a few boxes of hard bread were obtained by borrowing.
During the three weeks previous to the battle of Fredericksburg the regiment was occupied in drill, picket and fatigue duty, the weather much of the time being very uncomfortable, while the men
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were but poorly provided to encounter it. General Griffin had now taken command of the division, that of the brigade being vested in Colonel Sweitzer of the Sixty-second Pennsylvania.
Early on the morning of December 11 the regiment marched to the hights near Falmouth, from which during the day it watched the efforts to lay bridges across the river at the city, remaining in the vicinity till near noon of the 13th, when Humphrey's and Grif- fin's Divisions were sent across the river to the support of Sumner. The Thirty-second were among the last troops thrown forward in the futile attempt to carry the hights that afternoon. Emerging from the partial cover under which it had been lying, the regiment went at a double-quick across the exposed plain, relieving the Sixty. second Pennsylvania, which with ammunition exhausted was lying prone within some 40 yards of the deadly stone-wall which sheltered the enemy. By a sharp fire the regiment kept the foe well under cover till darkness' came on and the fusilade along the lines ceased ; during the night the men received a fresh supply of ammunition, but were also ordered not to renew the engagement in the morning. All of the following day was passed in that uncomfortable position, the main line so far advanced that it could not be reached by the hostile artillery and a trifling rise of ground giving partial protec- tion from infantry fire; while the skirmishers were still nearer, being scarcely ten yards from the Confederate lines. The Thirty- second were relieved the following night, and after passing another day in suspense on the streets of Fredericksburg withdrew across the river, having lost during the battle 35 killed and wounded, among the dead being Captain Dearborn.
The battle being ended the command returned to its camping ground near Stoneman's Switch, which it occupied during the win- ter. Colonel Parker resigned his commission the 27th of Decem- ber; Lieutenant Colonel Prescott and Major Stephenson were each promoted one grade in consequence, and Captain Edmands became major. At the close of the year the regiment took part in a recon- naissance to Morrisville and the resulting skirmish. The weather being quite cold, the command turning out in "light marching order," and the movements being very rapid, the many who were obliged to fall from the ranks suffered severely. Three weeks later came the " Mud March," after which the regiment returned again to its camp. There, engaged in routine duties, it remained till under
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THE THIRTY-SECOND REGIMENT.
the command of General Hooker the Army of the Potomac set forth upon the Chancellorsville campaign. Lieutenant Wheelwright died of disease on the 18th of January, 1863.
The Thirty-second, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Stephenson, broke camp the 27th of April, marching that day to Hartwood Church and the next to Kelly's Ford on the Rappahan- nock. The river was crossed on the morning of the 29th by ponton bridge, and that afternoon the Rapidan, the water waist deep, was waded at Ely's Ford. After bivouacking on the bank of the stream, the regiment proceeded on the 30th to Chancellorsville, where the main portion of General Hooker's force was concentrated. Next morning the Fifth Corps was moved far to the left, Griffin's Division in advance, the Thirty-second leading .. With flankers and skirmish- ers out the column pushed on toward Banks Ford till within some four miles of Fredericksburg, when it was found that the Second Division-the regulars-had been attacked and forced back, cutting off the other two divisions from connection with the rest of the Union army. There was at once an about face and a rapid with- drawal from the dangerous position; but so difficult was move- ment through the forests that it was not till morning that the corps was reunited on the left of the Union line of battle. Though the men were seriously exhausted, they were at once set to fortifying the position, and before night it was well prepared to resist attack.
These intrenchments were given up on the morning of the 3d of May to what remained of the Eleventh Corps, so badly shattered the previous evening, and the Fifth Corps moved to the right, Sweit- zer's Brigade being posted near the edge of a wide field to the right of the Chancellor house, where fresh earthworks were thrown up, but in the fierce fighting which raged about it the regiment fort- unately had no part. About noon of the 4th the brigade was ordered to advance and draw the fire of the enemy, to determine his position, which was done in a fine manner, the command retir- ing to its works as soon as the fire was received.
The driving rain storm of the day and night of the 5th were favorable to the retreat of Hooker's army across the river, though unpleasant enough for the Thirty-second, who, crouching behind their works, remained till almost morning of the 6th before the rear guard, of which they formed a part, could be safely withdrawn. Then they hurried through the slippery mud across the bridges,
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE WAR.
which were taken up behind them, and the battle of Chancellors- ville was ended, with a loss to the regiment of but one man killed and four wounded. Returning to its former camp, the command was soon after detailed for guard duty along the railroad above and below the Switch, on which duty it remained till the beginning of the Gettysburg campaign.
It was ordered to march on the 29th of May, the left wing under Lieutenant Colonel Stephenson, on duty near the bridge at Potomac Creek, starting in the afternoon and the right under Colonel Pres- cott quitting its station south of the Switch in the evening. The detachments united at Hartwood Church during the night, and next day moved on to Kemper's Ford, where a guard was established and pickets were extended along the river bank, watching the enemy on the opposite shore. At the time of the cavalry fight at Brandy Sta- tion, on the 9th of June, the regiment crossed the river and advanced some three miles toward Culpeper, to cover the ford, but without finding the foe in force. The northward movement reached the Thirty-second on the 13th, and that night they marched toward Morrisville, reaching Catlett's the next night, General Griffin's Divis- ion being the rear guard. Manassas was reached on the 16th, and the following day, which was intensely sultry, the command marched to Gum Spring, suffering much on the way. It is recorded of the Thirty-second that of 230 men who started in the morning, 107 were in the ranks at the close of the march, the best showing made by any regiment in the division.
Next day the corps marched to Aldie Gap, where an artillery skirmish was in progress, and at sunset deployed in line of battle, but no engagement resulted. Very early in the morning of the 21st the regiment led the corps through the Gap, in support of a cavalry fight beyond, and the following day, when the engagement was over, it formed the rear of the retiring column. It remained in the vicin- ity of the Gap till the 26th, when early in the morning the march was resumed and continued daily till the 1st of July, when in the early afternoon the regiment halted in a pleasant field near Hanover, Pa. But the stop there was not of long duration, for in the even- in : the command to pack up and fall in was received, and a march of ten miles that night brought the column within a short distance of the battle-field of Gettysburg.
A : upporting line of battle was formed on the morning of the
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THIE THIRTY-SECOND REGIMENT.
2d by the Fifth Corps in the vicinity of the Round Tops, and the day passed in quiet so far as the regiment was concerned till the attack by Longstreet and the giving away of the Third Corps in its front late in the afternoon. General Sykes was then called upon for as- sistance and formed line to resist the Confederates along the west- ern slope of the ridge. At the enemy's advance a sharp fire drove him back from that part of the line, but to the right he gained some advantage, so that the Second Brigade was obliged to fall back and take a position to the rear and left. This done it formed line of battle and advanced across a wheat field, taking position behind the wall surrounding the field, on the side next the foe.
The Thirty-second formed the left of the brigade, the Fourth Michigan the right, with the Pennsylvanians in the center; but the brigade was isolated, having advanced beyond the First Brigade at the right, and before the error could be corrected the keen-eyed Confederates rushed forward and enveloped the exposed flanks. Receiving from an aide the command to fall back, the Thirty-second were doing so in good order when they were commanded to face about and renew the fight. This they did, hand to hand, till a second order to retire was given and they fought their way out, los- ing heavily till they reached the woods in rear of the field, where Lieutenant Colonel Stephenson was badly wounded through the face. General Crawford's Division of Pennsylvania Reserves now charged and drove back the disorganized enemy, when the Thirty- second again advanced to its position at the stone-wall, which it thenceforth maintained without serious contest. Of 227 taken into action, the regiment had lost 81 killed and wounded, among the dead being Second Lieutenant William HI. Barrows of Carver.
Then followed the pursuit by the Union army, closing in about the Confederates at Williamsport, with dreams of the annihilation of Lee's army-from which all awoke to find the arena again trans- ferred to the desolated fields of Virginia. Thither the Thirty-second followed, crossing the Potomae on the 17th near Berlin, watched the fighting of the Third Corps at Manassas Gap on the 23d, and reached Warrenton on the 26th. There a stop was made till the 8th of August, when the regiment went to Beverly Ford for five weeks, and while there Company C returned to the command from its detail of nearly a year before. On the 15th of September a change, accompanied with some skirmishing, was made to Culpeper,
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE WAR.
followed by another halt of nearly a month. During that time the regiment was reinforced by the arrival of 180 drafted men, of whom, the regimental historian says, good soldiers were made.
The Thirty-second took part in the subsequent maneuvers of the Army of the Potomac, including the frosty experiences of the Mine Run campaign. Following this fiasco, the army went into winter quarters, the regimental camp occupying a favorable position near Bealton Station on the Orange and Alexandria railroad, at the little village of Liberty. During the carly part of the winter most of the regiment re-enlisted for three years, so that a furlough of 30 days was obtained for the organization, and on the 17th of January, 1864, it reached Boston, where it received an enthusiastic greeting, as well as at the homes of the various companies. The return trip was begin on the 17th of February, and a few days later the old camp at Liberty was reoccupied, the regiment proud of the fact that it had been the first from Massachusetts to earn the title of "veteran" by its re-enlistment as a body. In the reorganization of the army for the spring campaign of 1864 the only change in Sweitzer's Bri- gade was the addition to it of the Twenty-second Massachusetts Regiment, though the corps generally was much changed, General Warren becoming its commander and General Griffin retaining the First Division.
The camp at Liberty was quitted on the 30th of April, the corps gathering at Rappahannock Station, where the river was crossed the next day and an advance made to Brandy Station, the winter quar- ters of the Sixth Corps. On the 3d of May the corps sauntered along to Culpeper, but late that afternoon the march was taken up in earnest and continued all through the night; in the morning the Rapidan was crossed at Germania Ford, and at night General War- ren made bivouac near Wilderness Tavern. Line of battle was formed on the morning of the 5th and the men were directed to fortify their position, which was well done, when an advance was ordered. General Griffin's Division opened the battle of the Wilder- ness, and was sharply engaged, but the Thirty-second, though in the front till midnight of the 6th, was fortunate in having none killed and but about a dozen wounded. Retiring in the night to the works from which they had first advanced, a day's rest was obtained, and the succeeding evening the movement southward was begun. Reach- ing Spottsylvania the regiment took part in many of the preliminary
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TIIE THIRTY-SECOND REGIMENT.
engagements and maneuvers ; but it was on the morning of the 12th, at Laurel Hill, that it received its severest and most deadly test.
Hancock had assaulted and surprised the salient known as "the Angle " that morning, and Burnside was fighting to the left. It seemed that the Confederate line must be weakened somewhere, and General Warren was ordered to attack. His assault proved that the works in his front were strongly held, and he was unable to make any impression. In this short, sharp encounter no regiment in the Fifth Corps took a more heroic part than the Thirty-second. It formed the left of the brigade, which was in single line, and for two days had been lying not more than a quarter of a mile from the enemy's line on Laurel Hill, from which it was separated by two rises of ground occupied by the respective picket lines. Colonel Prescott commanded the brigade. At the signal the line dashed forward over the two swells, but at the foot of the last ascent the fire became too hot for a single line to endure and the men threw themselves upon the ground within 25 yards of the hostile works. Immediately the line on the right crumbled away, and the Thirty- second, unable to obtain shelter, were ordered to make the best of their way to the rear. Of 190 men taken into action the regiment had lost 103 killed and wounded, including five color bearers; Captain Robert Hamilton was among the mortally wounded, dying on the 19th of July.
During the night of the 13th the Fifth Corps, through darkness, rain and mud, marched to the left, in the hope of finding a vulner- able point in the enemy's lines ; being disappointed in that, they ad- vanced well up toward the hostile pickets and intrenched, in which position the command remained till the southward flank movement of the army was resumed on the 21st. That day the regiment marched to Edge Hill, where it enjoyed the first unbroken night's rest since the opening of the campaign, 17 days before. The bri- gade led the advance across the North Anna river at Jericho Ford on the afternoon of the 23d, wading the river four feet in depth and advancing about a mile in line of battle, the Thirty-second on the left. There the brigade was ordered to intrench and hold the posi- tion at all hazards, but had not made much progress when an attack was made by the rebels, which was easily repulsed, but was followed by a more determined assault an hour or two later, which for a time endangered the Union line. The prompt service of a battery placed
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THE WAR.
under the direction of General Warren and the steady rifle fire of the Thirty-second drove the assailants back at length with heavy loss, while the casualties in the regiment, fighting on the defensive, were very few. It was changed from point to point during the three days that followed, recrossed the river at night of the 26th, and marched during the 27th to the Pamunkey at Hanover Town.
Early next morning that river was crossed, an advance of two miles was made and the regiment halted in line of battle and in- trenched. A movement was made on the 29th toward Mechanics- ville till the enemy's outposts were discovered, and the day follow- ing the brigade in line of battle advanced through Totopotomy swamp, driving the Confederate skirmishers back to their main line at Shady Grove Church, a distance of some three miles. The regi- ment lost First Lientenant George A. Bibby of Hingham and two others killed and 18 wounded.
in the battle of Cold Harbor, on the 3d of June, the Thirty-second joined in the general assault of the early morning, charging across a wide plain in the face of a deadly fire, and succeeded in driving the enemy out of his first line of works. These were occupied and held, though the defenders only retired a short distance to a stronger line. In this assault the regiment lost 10 killed and 21 wounded.
In the transfer of the Army of the Potomac from the Cold Har- bor fields to the south of Petersburg, the Fifth Corps first crossed the Chickahominy, advanced toward Richmond and deployed like a vast curtain, behind which the rest of the army hurried across the peninsula; then General Warren followed and on the 16th the Thirty-second crossed the James river at Wilcox Landing and marched toward Petersburg. The attack by Warren's troops on the 18th was only partly successful, the enemy being merely driven to 'an inner line of works of greater strength ; but some ground was gained, including the hill from which the famous " Burnside Mine" was constructed. During the charge of that day Colonel Prescott was wounded and died soon after. A few days later Lieutenant Colonel Stephenson resigned on account of the wounds received at Gettysburg; in consequence of which Major Edmands was advanced to the coloneley, while Captains Cunningham and Shepard became lieutenant colonel and major respectively. The regiment had pre- viously been increased in numbers by the transfer to it of 170 veter- ans and recruits from the Ninth Massachusetts.
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THIE THIRTY-SECOND REGIMENT.
The Fifth Corps being relieved by the Ninth, the regiment with other troops moved to the rear near the Jerusalem plank road as a reserve on the 21st. The next day it was sent at the double- quick to assist the Second Corps in its sharp fight, taking position in the front and holding it till the next morning, with a loss of three killed and seven wounded. That afternoon it went to aid the Sixth Corps in establishing its line in the direction of the Weldon Railroad, returning on the morning of the 24th to its camp on the Jerusalem road, where it remained till the 12th of July. It then went into the trenches at the front, staying there till the 16th of August, when the corps was withdrawn in pursuance of a plan to make a lodgment further to the left.
In the advance of the 18th, which reached and held the Weldon Railroad at Globe Tavern, the Thirty-second were deployed as skir- mishers and advanced for several miles, passing on a half-mile be- yond the railroad, which the rest of the division at once hastened to destroy. This skirmish line was maintained by the regiment till the evening of the 21st. On that afternoon the Confederates made an assault driving the skirmishers back upon the works near the railroad, but being quickly repulsed by the fire of the main line. The Thirty-second lost 13 in killed, wounded and missing. From this time till the last of September the regiment remained on duty in and about the works, much of the time being devoted to the con- struction of the strong fortifications which in an unbroken cordon were being extended mile after mile through fields and forests. In this work the command had now become proficient, having earlier in the summer built the strong carthwork named for their fallen colonel Fort Prescott.
On the 30th of September part was taken in the expedition to Poplar Grove Church and the resulting battle of Peeble's Farm. At that point the enemy had a fort, called Fort McRae, and other works, covering the junction of two roads. In the arrangement of the column of attack the Thirty-second were placed directly in front of the fort, with the Fourth Michigan on the right, and at the signal charged across a wide plain and carried the fort, capturing one can- non and 60 prisoners. The enemy being now demoralized, an ad- vance was soon made to the second line, which was also speedily carried and held. The Ninth Corps, which had co-operated in the attack, pushed forward still farther, but meeting the Confederates
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MASSACHUSETTS IN THIE WAR.
in force was driven back, and the condition of affairs looked critical for a time till General Griffin moved his division into position and delivered a few decisive volleys. By that time it was dark, and the Federals were not further annoyed. The ground gained was held, and Fort McRae, being strengthened and equipped, was re-christened Fort Welch, in honor of the brave colonel of the Fourth Michigan, who was killed in the assault. The loss of the Thirty-second in the engagement was four killed and 20 wounded, Colonel Edmands being among the latter.
The division was reorganized on the 26th of October, and among other changes the Thirty-second were transferred to the Third Bri- gade, commanded by Brigadier General Joseph J. Bartlett, which was composed of the eight old regiments of the division. At the same time the veterans and recruits of the Eighteenth and Twenty- second Massachusetts Regiments were consolidated with the Thirty- second, increasing that command to such an extent that two ad- ditional companies-L and M-were formed, officers for which had been transferred with the men composing them.
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