USA > Massachusetts > The story of the Thirty-second regiment, Massachusetts infantry. Whence it came; where it went; what it saw, and what it did > Part 12
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that their posts were being reconnoitered by the enemy. After waiting some minutes and leaving orders that no aggressive movement should be made, but that in case any party should be seen to leave the opposite wood, the sentinels should order "halt," and if not obeyed should fire, the captain passed on his tour of inspection. Before the round was com- pleted he heard a shot from this direction, succeeded by perfect quiet, and when again at post nine the sentinel reported that he had done as directed, that some object had, in spite of his challenge, continued to approach, that he had fired and dropped the intruder, who or which, upon examination, proved to be a mule. Well, he ought to have halted.
It was from this camp that a night expedition was sent after deserters. Outside our lines, at distances varying from two to four miles, were several dwell- ing houses occupied by families for whose protection it was common to billet a man on the premises as a " safeguard." Such men were not subject to capture on this neutral ground, and their posts were very desirable, as they were well cared for by those under their guardianship, and had little to do, plenty of leisure, and often very pleasant society. But there were troubles connected with such arrangements. The men in camp hearing of the attractions of these places so near at hand where coffee, salt, and other supplies were exceeding scarce, and where gifts of them were acknowledged by various favors-were tempted to slip over the lines, each with little parcels saved from his abund- ant rations, supplemented, perhaps, with a spare
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jackknife and a few needles, to seek adventures among the natives. The fact that they ran the risk of capture and imprisonment probably added zest to such escapades, but was of itself a good reason why they should be prevented. In fact, it was within this very territory that Major Edmunds and his orderly were captured.
At the roll call at retreat, March 31st, 1864, it appeared that several men were "unaccounted for," and there was little doubt as to the cause of their absence. The colonel, who had previously consid- ered the propriety of some action on his part, was now at the end of his patience, and determined to put a check upon the practice. Sending for an officer who was at that time serving on a general court martial, and consequently not considered "for duty" in the Regiment, he told him of his wishes and offered him the command of the detachment which should make a detour through a portion of the neu- tral territory, and search for and, if possible, capture the missing men.
A detail of twenty-eight men was finally made from nearly twice that number who volunteered for the duty. Included in this number was one man who had been on safeguard duty in the neighbor- hood that we proposed to visit, and who could act as a guide to the party.
The party were in light marching order, each man with a day's rations and forty rounds of ammu- nition in the cartridge boxes, and it left camp an hour and a half before midnight, at which hour it
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was intended to reach the house of Colonel N -. The path was a narrow forest roadway, and for the greater part of the distance led through what was known as the "three-mile wood." The night was moonless and very dark, and the detachment filed on, mile after mile, always on the alert and sus- picious of every sound, until at last, and in good time, they reached the cleared land about Colonel N.'s "palatial mansion." Deploying an advance guard they proceeded with the utmost caution to surround the house, and but for the dogs, who chal- lenged loudly, the purpose would have been readily accomplished ; but the inmates were speedily astir, alarmed by the baying of the hounds, and lights danced about from window to window. Whether rebel soldiers were among the occupants or not could not be told, but soon men came out at the doors, and their footsteps could be heard as they ran, but no one could see ten feet away to distinguish a man from a tree.
Orders had been given not to fire without command, and to give chase in the darkness would risk the loss of men without any good result. The party there- fore went on cautiously to surround the house, and men were posted in such manner as to command all approaches to the mansion, with orders to halt and arrest whoever attempted to enter or to leave. After these guards were posted, the remainder, under a sergeant, were marched away for a half mile up the road, making considerable noise as they went, and then halted to await orders. In the meantime
N
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the squad about the house was kept quiet in the darkness, out of the way of any light from the win- dows. After ten minutes had elapsed the door of the mansion was opened and some one looked out, thinking, no doubt, that the disturbers were well away. Then, as if the door opening had been a signal, the sound of footsteps was heard approaching slowly through the dry leaves and twigs in the woods ; then a whispered conversation, and again the steps approached. A moment later two men came on, until, when within five feet of the commander, they were halted with the order, "Surrender, or I fire." At first they turned, evidently with the intention of escaping, but changed their minds, saying, "Don't fire, we surrender." These proved to be two of the men of whom the expedition was in search. They had been in the house, and had started at the alarm, thinking that the troops were from the rebel lines ; had waited until, as they supposed, the detachment had passed on its way, and then were going back to the house. Leaving these men under guard the house itself was summoned. The door being opened by a woman, and the lady of the house called for, four of the party entered and were referred to a beautiful and accomplished young lady of perhaps twenty years. Miss N. received them courteously, but declared upon her honor that no men from our camp had been in the house that day or evening. She was informed as politely as possible that there was an error in this statement-that two such men had already been secured, and that search would be
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made for more. This resulted in the arrest of a third man, and having bagged him and apologized for the disturbance that had been caused, the party moved away.
"While life lasts," says the captain, who com- manded, "I shall not forget the flash of the young lady's eyes when I questioned her assertion. I have often thought that if every southern soldier had to look for approval or disapproval into such a pair of eyes, it was no wonder victory often perched on their banners when the odds were against them."
At half past two in the morning the party was back again in camp with three prisoners, and found that two others who ran from the house had returned of their own accord. All of these were of course technically deserters, but none were severely pun- ished. The result of this expedition was to put a stop to a practice by means of which valuable infor- mation, no doubt, reached the enemy.
XV.
OUT ON PICKET.
PICKET duty may be the most agreeable or it may be the most disagreeable of all the duties of a soldier, but it is always an important, and is often a dangerous one.
Picket-guards are formed by details on orders from headquarters. Sometimes the guard will include the entire regiment, or details from several regiments, but if the orders are from the battalion headquarters, it is usually composed of detach- ments from several companies. The officers are detailed from the adjutant's roster and the des- ignation of the enlisted men from each company devolves upon the first or orderly sergeants. The officers, non-commissioned officers and men, are supposed to be taken for duty in rotation, and woe befall the unfortunate orderly who designates one of the confirmed growlers out of what he considers his turn, as laid down on his own time-table, and many are the threats heaped on the head of the ser- geants, which happily are never executed.
Under command of the ranking officer, the detachment is marched out and posted to guard the line assigned to its protection-usually there is
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merely a chain of sentinels who are relieved at reg- ular intervals of time from the main body; but sometimes, and always in the case of detached out- posts, the men are divided into groups of three or more, under the supervision of the non-commis- sioned officers of the guard, while the commander of the whole line establishes reserves at points con- venient for reinforcing it in case of need, and assigns to the subalterns the command of various portions.
Relieved from the wearisome round of camp duties and parades, and placed where each man has his own responsibilities, and must exercise his own judgment, picket duty often becomes an acceptable change, both for officers and men. In the warm season the men make a sort of picnic of their tour, and out on the front edge of the occupying army they can frequently obtain articles of food, which, although common enough in civil life, are real lux- uries to those who have been limited in their diet to the rations issued in the army. They bask in the sunshine, or loiter in the shade-and when it is their turn for repose, the jacknives are busy and the chat is lively.
Sometimes our picket-line would be on a river, the opposite bank of which was guarded by the enemy, and there would be times of unofficial truce when we traded over the stream coffee for tobacco, etc., and when we even made visits to each other, and talked as freely as if we might not at a moment's notice be enemies again.
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But it is one of the unfortunate facts in a soldier's life, that picket duty is not confined to quiet times or pleasant weather. The growlers usually main- tained that it was always stormy when they were out on picket, and in three winters that we dwelt in tents within the boundaries of Virginia, there were many rough times on the picket lines when the rain poured down continuously, saturating the ground, clinging to the grass in the open, and to the undergrowth in the forests, and streaming down from the boughs-wet, wet-water, water, every- where ; on the ground where we slept, on the stone or log which was the only seat; dribbling through a corner of the tent, usually down the neck of its occupant, or making a little rill off one's overcoat and into one's boot top.
Or perhaps it was snow or sleet that stung our faces and chilled us to the marrow; or perhaps, worst of all, the clear cold of winter which our little picket fires, when they were permitted, did but little to overcome.
There was one occasion while we were at Liberty, on which we were indulged with all of these in turn. It was early in the spring of '64, the day had been warm and rainy, unseasonably warm and quite seasonably rainy, the rain continuing into the night and the wind rising to a gale that made all manner of noises in the wood in which our line was posted. The men all soaked through, had hard work to keep their ammunition dry and their rifles in condition for use, and all of us, uncomfortable as mortals
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could be, feeling as if the night would never pass and morning never come, wished more heartily than ever "that this cruel war was over," that we might have a chance to get in out of the rain.
All of a sudden the wind shifted to the northwest, and we had first hail, then snow, and finally clear cold weather, the gale all the time continuing ; the men themselves, almost chilled to icicles, were soon clothed in armor of ice, which cracked and rustled as they tramped along their beat, beneath a clear sky and stars that shone with winter brilliancy.
The morning came at last, and with the rising sun there was exhibited one of those marvels of beauty which can come only from such a preparation. Every twig and branch of tree or shrub, and every spear of grass or tuft of herbage clad in a coating of ice, blazed with the hue of the rainbow. The trees in the forest seemed loaded with jewels, and the meadows were strewn with them.
But the power of the spring sunshine dissolved the gorgeous display, and thawed out the sentinels from their encasements of ice; the wind ceased, the mildness of the balmy Southern spring returned, and soon from every man a cloud of steam rose in the quiet air, and as their clothing dried and their bodies warmed, the spirits of the men thawed out, and they who, in the previous twenty-four hours, had passed through various stages of discomfort, were cheerily chaffing one another as they made their breakfast of hot coffee and soaked cakes of what had once been hard-tack, and very likely wrote
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home the next day about the charms of the Southern climate, which gave them such delicious spring weather in what was at home the winter month of March.
Whether it is summer or winter, hot or cold, sun- shine or rain, day or night, and however peaceful or stormy the scene may be, the picket guard must keep their eyes open and their powder dry. Con- stituting the outposts of an army which trusts to them, they must be always alert against surprise. And although we may have been accustomed for weeks to exchange friendly civilities with the pickets over the river, the time would come when each would do his best to kill the other. When some change was contemplated, or some movement began which it was desirable to conceal from our adver- sary, orders would be sent to the pickets to open fire on those of the enemy.
Such orders were of course first notified to the other side, and no advantage was taken by either of existing truce relations. After that warning, whoever showed out of cover was a target for the enemy's picket, and frequently no fires were allowed, because the light or smoke would aid the aim of the foe.
If the movement was a direct advance from our front, the first order would be announced by shouts of "Look out, Johnnie, we're coming," and some shots sent purposely in the air, and then came the driving in of the enemy's pickets.
Or possibly the boot was on the other leg and it was we that were driven in, in which case it was
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our duty to cause all possible delay to the attacking force. The reserves were added to the line, and as we fell back the whole would be relieved by other troops sent forward at the alarm and interposed between us and the rebels, whereupon we were marched to join our respective regiments and com- panies.
Sometimes it is desirable to capture some men from the pickets of the opposing army, in order or in hopes of obtaining information, and sometimes a picket is captured for a lark, or because of a favor- able chance-a chance which generally implies neglect of duty on the part of the captured men.
In one instance an outpost party of five men, believing themselves to be at a safe distance from the enemy, ventured to indulge in the luxury of a game of cards, for which purpose they placed their arms in a stack, and soon became deeply interested in the game, from which they were aroused by a summons to surrender. Upon looking up they dis- covered a single man of the enemy, standing between them and the stack, his rifle trained on the group, and himself so posted as that he could supply himself with their rifles after discharging his own. Thus he could put two or three of his opponents hors de combat, while, all unarmed, they could not possibly harm him ; and so the five surrendered to the one, who marched them before him to his own lines.
When things were lively on the picket lines and the men alert, it was wearing business. The strain of constant watchfulness, especially at night,
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peering into the gloom and imagining that you see forms or hear movements-the knowledge that your own life may depend upon the keenness of your vision-the fear of mistaking friend for foe-the need of quick intelligence and rapid reasoning-all make up an exhausting kind of duty.
At one such time, one of our officers, a brave fel- low, but one whose experience of picket duty was insufficient, thinking to ascertain the origin of sus- picious sounds outside our lines, went out on a scout, expecting to return at the point where he left, but mistaking his way in the night, he came upon our chain of pickets at another post which he had neg- lected to warn of his doings. As he continued to approach when challenged, the sentinel fired, and next day among the casualties reported was, "One officer wounded on the picket line, arm, severely." No one was to blame but himself.
That same night the men, nervous from the fre- quent firing along the line, one of the posts became aware of the sound of steps out in the bush field on their front, evidently approaching nearer and nearer ; then one of the men could see what seemed to be a man crouching near the earth and creeping through the brush with frequent hesitation ; finally the sentinel challenged, and receiving no reply, fired. The crack of his rifle was followed by the agonizing grunts and dying squeals of a stray Southern porker who had yielded up his life for the lost cause.
It may be that accidents of this last type were more frequent than was necessary (there were three
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pigs killed that night), but vigilance on the part of the guards is always praiseworthy, and the orders against marauding could not apply to such a case, even if the result was a good supply of fresh pork- chops along the picket lines next day.
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XVI. ON FURLOUGH.
IN the winter of 1863-4, the great majority of the men of the 32d reenlisted for a term of three years, under an order which in such cases gave the entire reënlisting body a furlough of thirty days. It was only after much struggling with bumbledom that everything was smoothed out and the furlough granted, so that the Regiment could return as one body.
Leaving the camp and the remainder of the men under command of Captain Fuller of Company C, the Regiment left for Massachusetts to enjoy its vacation. It was a little before noon on Sunday, the 17th of January, 1864, a bright and mild winter day, that we arrived in Boston, and our first impres- sion upon arrival was that all the people of Boston were gathered about the Old Colony station, but there were enough of them left to line the whole route through the city, as we marched first to the State House to pay our respects to Governor Andrew, and as we moved thence to Faneuil Hall, where a bounteous collation awaited us. Notwith- standing the day the troops were saluted along the line by the cheers of the people, and the salvos of artillery.
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ON FURLOUGH.
At Faneuil Hall, after all had been satisfied with the repast, Governor Andrew arose to address them and was greeted with hearty cheers. He spoke in substance as follows :
Soldiers :- In the name and in behalf of the Common- wealth and of the people of Massachusetts, I greet your return once more to your homes and to the soil of the venerable Bay State. The cordial voices of the people who have welcomed your procession through the streets of Boston, these waving banners, these booming cannon breaking the stillness of our Sabbath day with voices echoing the sounds of battle- all, all bid you welcome - welcome home. The grateful hospitality of Boston beneath the venerable arches of Faneuil Hall welcomes you. Our hearts, speaking the eloquence of affection, admira- tion, and pride no words of mortal lips can utter, with beating throbs bid you welcome. Hail then, soldiers of our cause, returning for brief relaxation from the toils, the conflicts, the perils of war, hail to your homes. Here let the war-worn soldier-boy rest for a while, and rejuvenate his spirits, refresh his heart, and re-erect his frame. Here, too, I trust, shall your ranks be filled by fresh recruits of brave and patriotic hearts, imitating your zeal. vieing with your courage, and following your example. I cannot, soldiers of the Union Army, by words, by eloquence of speech, in fitting measure repeat your praise. This battle flag, riddled with shot and torn with shell, is more eloquent than human voice, more speaking than language. more inspiring, more pathetic than music or song. This banner tells what you have done; it reveals what you have borne. And it shall be preserved so long as the last thread remains, so long as time shall leave a splinter of its staff-a memorial of your heroism, your patriot- ism and your valor.
While I greet the return of these brave and stalwart men to the homes of Massachusetts, I remember those com- rades in arms whose forms you have left behind. Yield- ing to the shock of battle, many of those brave soldier-boys to whom, in behalf of the Commonwealth, I bade farewell
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some months ago, fighting for that flag, defending the rights and honor of our common country, maintaining the liberties of her people, the traditions of the fathers, and the rights of humanity -have been laid low. They sleep beneath the sod that covers the rude grave of the soldier. Oh, rest in peace. ye hero martyrs, until the resurrec- tion summons shall call you to that other Home! No longer obedient to any earthly voice or any human leader, you have made your last report. and in the spirit have already ascended to join the Great Commander! The humblest soldiers who have given their lives away, will be remembered so long as our country shall preseve a his- tory. Their fame will be acknowledged with grateful affection when ten thousand prouder names shall have been forgot.
" While thousand as absurd as I. Cling to their skirts, they still shall fly, And spring to immortality."
I give you praise from the bottom of a grateful heart, in behalf of a grateful and patriotic people. for all that you have suffered and for all that you have attempted. And now on this holy sabbath day. let us remember with the filial thankfulness of sons. with the devoted piety of Christians. as well as the exulting confidence of patriots what the God of our fathers has done for us. from the beginning. Unto Him and not unto us be all the praise and the glory. Unto Him who sitteth upon the throne and ruleth the nations let us give everlasting ascriptions of praise, that through the trials of many a defeat. through the despondency of many a temporary repulse. our arms have been conducted to many a triumph. and our minds to still loftier heights of moral victory. You are fighting now for the cause of your country, and also-for Wash- ington used to love to declare he drew his sword-" for the rights of human nature." And now let all of us. living men. on this holy day and on this sacred spot where our fathers were wont to meet in the dark hours of earlier history -let all of us living men. consecrate ourselves anew, by the vows of a new obedience, to our country, to humanity, and to God.
1
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ON FURLOUGH.
At the hall the Regiment was dismissed, but only to meet renewed evidences of cordial hospitality. Company I was entertained the same day by the civic authorities of Charlestown, and Company K the next day at Newton. The officers breakfasted with Colonel Parker at the Parker House on Mon- day, and on the 16th of February, on the eve of their return, dined with him at the Revere House, on which latter occasion Governor Andrew was present and expressed, as no one could do more more heartily or more genially, his appreciation of the past service of the Regiment, and his good wishes for their future.
Besides these there were balls and dinners and entertainments to occupy all the time that the soldiers were willing to spare from their home enjoyments, until their departure February 17th, and on the Monday ensuing the Regiment was again in camp at Liberty, with its new title of "Veteran," which the 32d was the first, from Massachusetts, to assume.
XVII. THE WILDERNESS CAMPAIGN.
W HEN one of the many interviewers of Presi- dent Lincoln introduced the subject of the election of his successor, the President is reported to have declared, with his wonted quaintness of expression, that "it wasn't a good plan to swap horses while crossing a stream," by which he was understood to argue in favor of his own reelection.
Unfortunately he limited in practice the force of this pithy saying to his own office and his own con- tinuance therein. He showed little hesitation in " swapping" one general for another, and often selected the middle of a very rapid stream as the place for the swap.
The last of these changes-that which placed General Grant in command of all the armies in place of Halleck- was certainly no injury to the service. Perhaps the greatest mistake of all, in a military point of view, was that which took General McClellan from the same position. It was the long- continued service of Lee which made him what he proved to be-the ablest of the Confederate gen- erals. Such a mistake as he made in attacking Meade at Gettysburg would, or should have, proved the ruin of any Union general.
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