USA > Massachusetts > Record of the service of the Forty-fourth Massachusetts volunteer militia in North Carolina, August 1862 to May 1863 > Part 7
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29
In response to this request General Dix made preparations to send assistance, and had actually embarked a portion of his com- mand on transports for that purpose, when General Longstreet made an attack on his front, which necessitated the withdrawal of the troops from the transports, and their detention in that department.
An attempt was made to relieve Washington by a force sent overland from New Berne, which was unsuccessful. On the 8th of April an expedition left New Berne for the purpose of relieving Washington, under the command of General Spinola. They had gone but a short distance when they found themselves confronted by a large force of the enemy, with batteries arranged to command the roads approaching in that direction. The bridges had been cut away, and breastworks erected command- ing every approach. Finding the contest so unequal, and the possibility of advancing so small, General Spinola ordered his command to fall back, and returned to New Berne. At mid- night of the 14th of April the transport " Escort," with the Fifth Rhode Island Regiment on board, ran the blockade on the Tar
68
FORTY-FOURTHI MASSACHUSETTS INFANTRY.
River, and passed the batteries, reaching Washington. On the following day General Foster left Washington on the " Escort," passed the batteries, and, reaching New Berne, collected his force and marched to Washington, to the successful relief of that town.
FIELD AND STAI? QUARTERS
CAISTE
G
NOSPITALIA
OFFICERS'
BARRACKS
A
COMPANY
O
QUARTERS ..
QR MASTER
SURGEON
LT. COLONEL
m
coax
ECook
ADJUTANT
COLONEL
ADJ. OFFICE
MAJOR ASST. SURG
CHAPLAIN C
PARADE.
HOU ...
O WELL
so' x 38'
C
COMPANY
COON
HOUSES.
K
H
-
F
SUTLET
SENTRY
COMPANY
BARRACKS, 50'x38
ROAD TO NEW GERNE 2MILL
₭
H
1
8
TENTS.
OO
GUARD
REDUCED FROM A PLAN DRAWN BY CHAS. D. WODOBERRY. COM SOT. 1865.
DRILL GROUND
OFFICERL' BARRACKS,
J. B. GARDNER.
₦
W
$
is
W.
APOLLO
O BAND
-
REGIMENTAL
COMPANY
.
00000000
BARRACKS.
HOUSE
Q.M. COM. ARMURER
G
THEXM-
CAMP OF THE 44TH REGIMENT MASS. VOLS. NEW BERNE, N. C.
NALISTITE PRINTING CO VOITON
CHAPTER V.
CAMP LIFE.
ATTLE is merely an incident in the life of a soldier. The larger part of his service is spent in preparing for it. His experience might be compared with that of the professional athlete who devotes months to training for a contest which a few seconds will decide. In foreign nations which maintain large standing armies most of this preliminary work is accom- plished in time of peace, but in ours it had to be done while in actual conflict. Undue haste in forcing battle subjected us to the disastrous defeat of Bull Run, - a defeat which was not an actual misfortune, as it taught the nation that the soldier's profession demanded capacity and experience, and that armies could not be made effective until they had attained a certain homogeneity which time and dis- cipline alone could give. For this reason, among others, much of the time of most regiments, at least in the early part of the war, was passed in camp.
On our main lines of operation there was more or less con- stant fighting: but at many places along the coast held by us mainly as bases for future operations our forces were not large
70
FORTY-FOURTH MASSACHUSETTS INFANTRY.
enough to take the offensive on any extended scale, and there- fore a few days of active, hard, spirited work were followed by longer periods of inaction. This was the case in our depart- ment; and although not the most important part of our service, our life in camp was not the least interesting.
Our barracks not being completed at the time we reached New Berne, some of the companies were quartered in tents for a few days, and almost as soon as we had removed to the bar- racks were sent off on the Tarboro' expedition. Part of the regiment returned to New Berne on the night of Thursday, November 13; but the rest did not land till the following noon, as their steamer had been delayed. We went immediately to our barracks, and our camp life in the South fairly began. On the 17th Colonel Lee issued Special Order No. 6: -
" As a slight demonstration of the affection and esteem we have all learned by our recent experiences to feel for our present commanding officer, it is ordered that the present regimental camp be hereafter known and denoted as Camp Stevenson, and all letters and orders shall hereafter be so dated."
The name "Camp Stevenson " was retained as long as we remained on the old "Fair Ground."
The camp was very pleasantly located. It was situated on the southerly side of the Neuse, very nearly on the river-bank, a short distance westerly from the town. After passing the rail- road station we came to the quartermaster's stables and cavalry corral on the right and the Government wood-yard on the left; then the camp of the Twenty-fourth Massachusetts on the right; crossed a small stream spanned by a light wooden bridge, and our camp-ground was reached. Our line of sentries extended from the river along the stream to the bridge, near which our guard-house was placed, then at right angles to the stream: and parallel to the river for quite a distance, again turning at right angles and thence running northerly to the river.
Beyond us were the camps of the Third and Forty-sixth Massachusetts. Opposite to ours, but farther from the river, and reached by the same bridge we have mentioned, was that of the Tenth Connecticut, one of the best regiments in the service. It might be appropriate to mention here that the
71
CAMP LIFE.
young lady, a resident of Stamford, who presented a standard to this regiment just before it left for the seat of war, afterwards became the wife of Charles H. Demeritt, of Company D, Forty- fourth Massachusetts. The drill-ground, which was used in common by all the regiments of our brigade, was west of the camp of the Tenth, and southwesterly from our own.
The barracks were situated nearly equidistant from the easterly and westerly boundaries, but much nearer the road than they were the river. They consisted of a long wooden building, one half of which was parallel to the river and the other half at right angles to it, each part being divided into five apartments about fifty feet front by thirty-eight feet deep, an apartment being assigned to each company. Those at right angles to the river
were occupied by the companies of the right wing, and those parallel to the river by the companies of the left wing. The line officer's quarters were in separate buildings erected at either end of the barracks, a room being assigned to each company, and the tents of the field and staff were pitched in front of the wing occupied by the right flank and parallel to it. The cook- houses - one to each company and one to its officers - were built on to the rear of the barracks and officers' quarters, and the quartermaster and commissary building was in the re-entrant angle formed by the two wings of the barracks. The guard-tent was pitched close by the bridge, and the sutler's quarters-a structure about the size of a company barrack - was built a short distance easterly of the end of the building occupied by the left wing.
72
FORTY-FOURTH MASSACHUSETTS INFANTRY.
The right flank is the post of honor in regimental line; next in importance comes the left flank; then the right centre, the position of the color company, etc. Usually these positions are determined by the sen ority of the captains; but where the com- missions bear the same date they are arbitrarily assigned by the colonel. Beginning at the right, the company whose captain held the oldest commission would naturally be number one; the captain who was sixth in rank would be second in line, etc .; the order being as follows : -
Position in line 1-2 -- 3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10
Position in rank 1-6-4-9-3-8-5-10-7-2
Soon after we went into camp at Readville the companies were assigned positions in the following order : -
H-C-E-I-F-D-B-K-C-A
On November 21 this order was changed, Company A being given the right flank, and the new order was -
A-D-E-G-C-K-H-I-B-F
This arrangement lasted for some time. December 28, Cap- tain Reynolds resigned on account of ill health, and for the same reason Captain Jacob Lombard followed his example January 14. There were not many changes in our roster, but such as there were it may be well to particularize here. Dr. Ware died April 10, and Assistant-Surgeon Fisher was promoted to Surgeon on the same day. March 26, Daniel McPhee was commissioned assistant-surgeon. May 29, our youthful and popular adjutant, Wallace Hinckley, was transferred to the corresponding position in the Second Heavy Artillery, and was succeeded by E. C. John- son, first lieutenant of Company H. In Company B, First Lieu- tenant F. H. Forbes resigned Oct. 13, 1862, before we left Readville. Second Lieutenant J. A. Kenrick was promoted to the first lientenancy, and Charles C. Soule, at that time serving as a private in Company F, appointed second lieutenant.1 On the acceptance of the resignation of Captain Jacob Lombard, George Lombard was commissioned captain of Company C, and William Hedge, formerly sergeant in the same company, elected first lieutenant. Second Lieutenant Briggs of that company was
1 Lieutenant Soule had been adjutant of the Fourth Battalion. See page 18.
73
CAMP LIFE.
away from the regiment on permanent detail. Alfred S. Hart- well, first lieutenant of Company F, having resigned to accept a commission in the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts, Second Lieutenant Theodore E. Taylor was promoted, and First Sergeant Horace S. Stebbins appointed second lieutenant. Captain Reynolds's resig- nation was followed by the promotion of Lieutenant Weld to be captain, Second Lieutenant Brown to be first lieutenant, and Sergeant Jolin Parkinson, Jr., to be second lieutenant. These were the only changes among the commissioned officers. After Lieutenant Johnson's promotion to the adjutancy, Lieutenant Howe acted as first, and Sergeant Mulliken as second lieutenant, but no record can be found of their having been commissioned. These changes made necessary a readjustment of the line and on -' the companies took position as follows : -
A-G-H-K-E-I-D-C-B-F
This was their order at the time the regiment was mustered out of service.
When an army is in motion and rarely bivouacs two successive nights on the same ground, it is impossible to carry routine and red tape to such an extent as when occupying a camp that is relatively permanent. Camp duty does not vary much; and the following order, which was put in force soon after our return from Tar- borough, describes essentially the routine of most regiments : -
Reveille
6 a. m.
Breakfast . 7 a. m.
Morning report
7.15 a. m.
Surgeon's call 7.30 a. m.
Guard mounting . 8 a. m.
Squad drill under sergeants 8.30 to 10 a. m.
Drill for commissioned officers under lieutenant-colonel 10 to II a. m.
Rifle drill for sergeants under major
IO to II a. m.
Company drills, corporals acting sergeants II to 12 a. m.
Block drill for sergeants under captains II to 12 a. m.
Dinner
12 a. m.
First sergeant's call
I p. m.
Company drill
1.30 to 2.30 p. m.
Battalion drill
3 to 4 p. m.
Company parade
4.30 p. m.
1 Have been unable to ascertain the date.
74
FORTY-FOURTH MASSACHUSETTS INFANTRY.
Dress parade 5 p. m.
Supper
6 p. m.
Tattoo and roll-call
7.30 p. m.
Taps .
8.30 p. m.
Few of our men were used to carly rising, and having to turn out before daylight was a new and not altogether welcome expe- rience to most of them. To be sure, we were obliged to retire early, but that was merely aggravating the matter. After reveille came a trip to the river, where the men could enjoy a good swim or wade as preferred, and then they returned to the barracks, where breakfast was served. However much some of us might have been disposed to shirk drill and guard duty, it was very
seldom that one attempted to shirk his rations. The food fur- nished was ample in quantity and generally of excellent quality, although our cooks would have scarcely found favor at Del- monico's, Young's, or Parker's. The army ration consisted of twelve ounces of pork or bacon, or one pound and four ounces of salt or fresh beef; one pound and six ounces of bread or flour, or one pound of hard bread, or one pound and four ounces of corn meal to each man. To each one hundred rations, fifteen pounds of beans or peas and ten pounds of rice or hominy; ten pounds of green coffee, or eight pounds of roasted (or roasted
75
CAMP LIFE.
and ground) coffee, or one pound and eight ounces of tea; fifteen pounds of sugar; four quarts of vinegar; one pound and four ounces of adamantine or star candles; four pounds of soap; three pounds and four ounces of salt; four ounces of pepper; one quart of molasses ; and when practicable, thirty pounds of potatoes.
The bill of fare was not in all respects such as most of us had been used to, but the food was wholesome, and our exercise in the open air gave us appetites to which many had heretofore
been strangers. Hunger proved an excellent sauce ; but in spite of this appetizer there was some growling because we were not furnished with butter for our bread or milk for coffee. All of us tried to eke out the Government rations with private supplies ; and " goodies" from home were devoured with far greater relish than when as children we assisted at the surreptitious disappear- ances of pie or cake or jam from our mothers' pantries.
Among the native delicacies to which we took very kindly from the start were sweet-potato pies. The negroes were adepts at this kind of cookery, and many of them made a comfortable income by supplying the boys. There was a " white nigger"
76
FORTY-FOURTH MASSACHUSETTS INFANTRY.
who was an especial favorite, and no matter how large his stock, it was always disposed of before he left camp. The darkies must have thought that " the day of jubilee" had actually arrived, as we are sure that the money they received from our regiment exceeded in amount the wildest expectations of their dreams, - that is, provided they were imaginative enough to indulge in dreams.
After breakfast the first sergeants made their morning reports, and then came the surgeon's call. This was a general invitation to "the lame, the halt, and the blind " to appear before the doctor. We are glad to believe that as a rule few of our men answered this call unless they were actually ill ; but the knowledge that the surgeons had power to excuse men from duty was a great temptation to some when they felt lazy, as all do at times. It was amusing to watch those who reported; to see the different expressions of countenance and hear the different stories each would tell. The stereotyped formula of the surgeon was: "Let me see your tongue. Barnaby, give this man some C. C. drops." " Barnaby, give this man half dozen compound cathartic pills." " Barnaby, give this man a dose of castor-oil." "What do you mean by coming here? There's nothing the matter with you. Go to your quarters." Occasionally a case would require more attention than could be given in barracks, when the man would be sent to the regimental hospital; and if the accounts of those who went are reliable, nowhere could one have received better care or kinder treatment than was given by our surgeons and their assistants. Some who never reported at surgeon's call but once or twice, thought the surgeons were unnecessarily severe ; but it was often difficult to discriminate. Among one thousand men there must always be a percentage under medical treatment, but we think the general health of our regiment compared favor- ably with that of any in the department.
Then came guard mounting. The detail was usually announced at tattoo roll-call the previous evening. The ceremony was a dress parade in miniature, with some additions and a few sub- tractions. Generally, quite an audience assembled to witness it. After the ritual as laid down in the Army Regulations had been fully complied with, the old guard was relieved and dismissed.
-------
77
CAMP LIFE.
and the care of the camp placed in charge of the new guard for the succeeding twenty-four hours.
Guard duty was in some respects very pleasant. The turn was two hours on and four off, although the men were not allowed to leave the vicinity of the guard-tent without permis- sion when off duty. Some of the posts were very desirable. In stormy weather the colonel was always considerate, and sentries that could be spared were relieved from their posts and allowed to return to their quarters. At least once during the twenty-four hours they were called out to receive the " grand rounds." When- ever a general officer, the commandant of the camp, or the officer of the day, approached the guard-house it was expected that the guard would be turned out; but the colonel, and generally the officer of the day, were satisfied with receiving this honor once from each guard, and left word not to turn it out a second time. Before reporting for duty each man was required to don his dress suit, have his boots nicely polished, his brasses bright, his gun clean, his gloves of spotless white, etc. If a soldier trans- gressed in any particular he received some very fatherly advice given in a very paternal manner. Sentries were required to carry their pieces as prescribed in the Army Regulations, to salute all commissioned officers passing near their beats, to prevent un- authorized persons from entering the confines of the camp, and to preserve order generally. If a sentry wished to be relieved for any purpose he had to call for the corporal of the guard and give the number of his post. Some of our men could not get this idea, and none of us will ever forget the call of " Corporal of the Guard, Post Nagle." The soldier who instituted this call was, by the way, one of the best men in the regiment, and whatever orders he received were always obeyed to the letter. After being on duty the men were excused from the time they were relieved in the morning until dress parade that afternoon.
Camp guard was pleasant enough, but few if any of the men enjoyed being detailed for police guard. The duties of the latter were that of cleaning up camp, for which many thought a force of contrabands should have been regularly engaged ; and there were few in the regiment who would not willingly have paid any reasonable assessment to provide a substitute. There was
78
FORTY-FOURTH MASSACHUSETTS INFANTRY.
nothing especially fascinating in sweeping up the camp-grounds, particularly when as large as ours, in emptying swill-pails, digging sinks, etc .; but the work had to be done, and some one had to do it. There was one satisfaction, however, -- we could wear our old clothes and did not wear our equipments; and from guard mounting in the morning to dress parade in the afternoon, except when actually engaged in work - a period rarely exceeding three hours - our time was our own.
As soon as guard mounting was finished, all the men excepting those on guard or who had just come off, the detailed men, and those on sick leave, were taken out for company drill. The number was rarely more than half the effective strength of the company. The length and severity of drill varied materially, some of the officers keeping their men hard at work during the whole of the time assigned, while others gave frequent "rests," and brought their companies into camp long before its expiration.
After dinner came company drill again, and then battalion drill. Occasionally the programme was diversified by a brigade drill under General Stevenson. The labor of preparing for the dress
79
CAMP LIFE.
parade which followed was not inconsiderable, as we usually re- turned from drill hot, tired, and dusty, and it was essential that on parade we should appear in apple-pie order. A regiment of bootblacks would have found business excellent had they visited us about that time in the day. Apropos of dress parade. On leaving Readville we thought the regiment was well drilled, and probably it was, compared with the militia generally; but the first time we saw the Tenth Connecticut go through the Manual, it was a revelation to us; and although before being mustered out we had undoubtedly attained nearly or quite as great pro- ficiency, none will ever forget the feeling of despair which came over us at the idea of ever being able to equal such pre- cision. Supper immediately followed dress parade. Later came tattoo and roll-call and finally taps, at which sound all lights in the quarters of enlisted men were extinguished and the day was ended.
Saturday afternoon we often had inspection of barracks, and Sunday morning came the regular weekly inspection. Saturday was " cleaning-up day." The officers were very particular about the condition of camp and barracks. The least thing amiss was quickly noticed. One plan adopted soon after our arrival at New Berne to promote good order and cleanliness, which proved very successful, was to detail a corporal in charge of each com- pany barrack for a week at a time. The officer of the day would send in a detailed report to headquarters, and the company that he reported " best " was excused from guard duty for the follow- ing day, the men who would otherwise have gone on guard were furloughed, and the company he reported " worst " had to furnish double its allotted number of men. The competition between the companies was very keen and often it was difficult to decide. On Sunday morning each company was mustered in its own street; it formed in two ranks, and the inspecting officer made a careful examination of the condition of the uniforms, muskets, cartridge-boxes, knapsacks, etc. Woe unto the unlucky private who displayed anything contraband among his possessions or whose equipments were not up to the standard of brilliancy ! As the officer passed down the ranks he would step in front of each soldier, examine his appearance carefully, take his musket,
80
FORTY-FOURTH MASSACHUSETTS INFANTRY.
look scrutinizingh, at the polished work, test the action of the lock, and then drawing out the ramrod, which had been previously placed in the barrel, rub the end of it across his immaculate white glove. If i- left a mark, be it never so slight, the soldier was in a state of fear and trembling till his doom was announced. One week a non-commissioned officer who had a constitutional aversion to house-cleaning was detailed as " corporal of the bar- racks." The man was disposed to decline the honor, but in the army, resignations from the rank and file are not in order; he
accordingly resolved if possible to win new laurels in this posi- tion, albeit in opposition to his natural instincts, and succeeded so well that his company was relieved from guard duty at least once if not twice during the week that he was in charge. En- couraged by success, he was tempted to still higher effort; and on Saturday, after having attended to his duties relating to the barracks, he turned his attention to his own equipment. The labor spent in brightening and cleaning his musket, belt, car- tridge-box, and clothes, the expense of rags, tripoli, and soap was simply enormous. Sunday morning dawned bright and sunny. The company was ordered out for the regular weekly inspection. The corporal took his place in the front rank,
81
CAMP LIFE.
confident that he would pass with flying colors. The inspecting officer wiped the musket with a clean handkerchief or a pair of white gloves. He gazed at the corporal with a look of great interest. The surgeon reached the spot .- He looked at the young man's clothes and then at him. The corporal was de- lighted. He felt sure that he was to be publicly complimented ; and his intuition was correct, for the surgeon, after a silent look at the inspecting officer as if for corroboration, exclaimed, "Cor- poral -,1 you're the dirtiest man in the regiment !"
One of the boys, in writing home under date of November 16, says: " At 3 P. M. yesterday (Saturday) had inspection by Gen- eral Foster, who complimented us highly. Said he never saw a better-looking set of men, - men who conducted themselves bet- ter, or kept their persons, equipments, and muskets in better con- dition. One of the boys in Company E,- John Wyeth, -in the skirmish a fortnight ago to-day had a bullet pass through the stock of his musket, partially shattering it. General Foster in- quired the cause, and being told the circumstances, said: 'Keep that musket, and send it honie as a trophy by which to remem- ber your first fight. I will see that you are provided with an- other, and as good a one as Uncle Sam can make.' That fellow grew half an inch while the general was talking to him."
Soon after reaching New Berne, one by one our comrades would disappear from daily drill or roll-call, and on making in- quiries regarding the cause, we would learn that they had been detailed. The administration of an army corps, or even of a brigade, requires quite a force of clerks at headquarters and in the various departments, few of whom are civilians; and details were made for duty not only in our own camp, but at brigade, division, and corps headquarters. A part of the time the regi- ment was without its colonel, as he was commanding the brigade, his place being supplied by Lieutenant-Colonel Cabot. One of the first men we lost from this cause was Lieutenant J. H. Blake, Jr., of Company D, who was on the staff of General Stevenson during the time we were in North Carolina. His detail was dated October 27. Licutenants Briggs, of Company C, and Field, of Company I, were most of the time on the signal corps,
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.