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 13
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But at last we had generals who had come to stay, and Grant's obstinate pluck, assisted by Meade's tactical ability, well supported by the political powers at Washington, were to give us final success.
April 30th, 1864, we broke camp at Liberty, and with the army led by our new General-in-Chief Grant, advanced to meet the enemy. The first day's march was only five miles. Our division, gathering near Rappahannock Station, encamped for the night. The next morning we crossed the river for the fifteenth time, making another short march to Brandy Station.
May 3d we marched leisurely to Culpepper (dis- tance six miles), and halted there several hours. Marched all the night following, crossing the Rapidan at Germania Ford at eight o'clock in the morning, where we halted for breakfast. During the day we pushed steadily forward into the Wilder- ness, marching till dark, when we bivouacked near Wilderness Tavern, in close proximity to the enemy.
May 5th .- Early in the morning we were in line of battle, with orders to fortify our position. We had an abundance of material with which to build breastworks, and axes, spades, and picks were freely used by willing hands. In a few hours we built a formidable line of defense, behind which we expected to fight, but were disappointed (as we had often been before) when the order "forward " was sounded. About noon we advanced, leaving our entrenched position for other troops to occupy. Our
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division, which had the honor of opening the cam- paign, moved cautiously forward to attack the enemy. Soon we encountered their skirmishers and drove them back to their lines. As we approached the enemy the Regiment made quick time in crossing a road along which poured a shower of grape and canister. Scarcely had we reached the shelter of the woods on the opposite side of this road when we came under fire of infantry, who gave us a warm reception, but were pushed back before our steady advance to their second line, where we engaged them until dark.
In this our first engagement in the Wilderness campaign our Regiment suffered little, owing to the favorable lay of the ground over which we advanced. We lost none killed, and but thirteen wounded.
That night we lay on our arms. There was, how- ever, but little chance for sleep, as we were in the extreme front, and almost within speaking distance of the enemy. Early the following morning the fighting was renewed on our right and left, and was then very severe. The rattle of musketry and the roar of artillery, as it reverberated through the forest, was terrific. Although we were under the fire of artillery, with the din of battle thundering in our ears, many of us slept, unable longer to resist nature's demand for repose.
A pine tree standing just in the rear of our line of battle was severed about midway by a cannon ball, and the top fell to the ground and stood there erect beside the trunk.
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THE WILDERNESS CAMPAIGN.
Towards midnight we were suddenly withdrawn, and after marching (or rather stumbling) through the woods in the darkness for about a mile, we halted near where we were on the morning of the 5th. There we laid down our arms and unconditionally surrendered to an overwhelming force -" nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep."
As it was quite dark when we arrived, we did not know that a twelve-pound battery was in position behind us and only a few rods distant, until about daylight, when it opened fire and brought us to our feet in quick time. The occasion was quickly ascer- tained. The enemy had assumed the offensive, and was advancing in force against our works. They were handsomely repulsed, however, and with this exception we were not disturbed that day. Several times the enemy shelled us, but being protected by- breastworks, we suffered no loss. The line behind us was less fortunate, several shells exploding there, killing and wounding a number of men. Thus we passed the third day of the battle of the Wilder- ness.
At night the location of both armies was plainly indicated by blazing camp-fires, as well as by the cheers of the l'anks and the yells of the Rebs- demonstrations that were intended by each to blind the other in regard to their contemplated movements.
About nine o'clock we began our first flank move- ment towards Richmond. Neither tongue nor pen would do justice to our experience of night marches such as this. 'All night we marched and halted (but
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halted more than we marched). We did not often stop to rest, but jogged along at a snail-like pace. When our column moved we marched route step, arms at will, and when it halted we came to order arms and leaned upon our guns, keeping our places in the ranks, so as to be on the alert to prevent a suprise, ready for any emergency.
About midnight we had just emerged from the woods and, halting in the road, stood leaning on our guns. It has been said that soldiers can sleep while marching. Whether this be so or not, it is certain that at this time three quarters of the men were three quarters asleep, and the other quarter more so, as we waited there for the column to start.
At this moment the troops ahead came suddenly to the front to meet, as they supposed, an attack of the enemy in ambush, which proved to be only a squad of stragglers who had stolen away into the bushes by the roadside, and turned in for a good night's rest, but had been awakened at our approach. The sudden alarm created a panic which ran like an electric flash through the entire column, sweep- ing the soldiers from the road as quickly and effec- tually as though a battalion of cavalry had charged upon us unawares. Lieutenant-Colonel Stephenson was on his horse, but availed himself of the momentary halt to drop off into a gentle slumber. Suddenly he was awakened to find his horse whirl- ing around and himself apparently alone.
Our double-quick movement in the dark from the road to 'cover effectually awakened us, and we
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resumed our places in line, to laugh over our expe- rience and continue our tramp till daylight, when we halted near Spottsylvania. One would suppose that we needed rest and sleep by that time, but instead of that our Regiment was ordered to support a bat- tery, and we remained during the day (Sunday), spending most of the time fortifying the position. There was considerable fighting during the day, and at its close we moved to a new line of battle, which we occupied during the 9th, 10th, and IIth of May. This was within easy rifle range from the enemy, and being able only partially to protect our- selves behind the breastworks, several casualties occurred in the Regiment.
Sergeant Spalding was hit in the neck by a spent ball, which he carefully saved. A man by his side was struck in the forehead by a bullet which knocked off his hat, made an ugly scalp wound, and finally left him stunned and bleeding ; the first symptoms of his revival were a hand outstretched and a " Good-bye, boys," to those around him; but he soon recovered enough to go to the rear for repairs.
On the morning of the 11th, General Grant sent to Washington that memorable dispatch which was characteristic of our leader and meant success, although at a terrible sacrifice of life, limb and treas- ure : " We have ended the sixth day of heavy fighting, and expect to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer."
Captain Dana had been on detached service, act- ing as aide-de-camp to General Dana, who was in
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command somewhere out West. Having obtained a leave of absence of sixty days he returned to the Regiment, which he joined here in the Wilderness, and resumed command of his company. Early in the campaign he " captured" a wooden chair from some house as we passed, which he persistently carried wherever he went. At every halt the captain brought his chair to the ground and sat himself down in it comfortably and complacently. In every fight his "private chair," as he called it, shared his dangers and rode upon his shoulder. In one of our scrimmages a rifle shot struck the chair, and the captain returned, among his casualties that day as wounded, "Private Chair in the leg-badly."
The 12th of May, 1864, is a date never to be forgotten by any of the 32d who were present in the attack on Laurel Hill that day. Brief as was the action, the loss of the Regiment in proportion to the numbers engaged, was greater than in any battle of the war.
That morning found us where we had been for two or three days, in front of Laurel Hill, and dis- tant hardly more than a quarter of a mile from the works of the enemy. Between us and them were two swells of land, which afforded us some protec- tion from the enemy's missiles. The summit of one of these was occupied by our pickets, and the other by the pickets of the rebels.
About nine o'clock A. M. we received orders to attack the position of the enemy on Laurel Hill, and the brigade, commanded by Colonel Prescott, advanced with a rush across the intervening space.
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As the line of battle started, it overran the picket line-dashed down the little depression in their front, over the next rise of ground, but at the foot of Laurel Hill the men, whose momentum had carried them thus far, faltered under the terrible fire, and laid down within a short distance of the enemy's line of works. Here the ground did not cover the left of the Regiment, and while Colonel Stephenson was trying to draw his left under shelter, he saw that the regi- ment on his right had broken and was falling back in great disorder, and at once ordered the men to save themselves.
The advance had been disastrous, but as usual the retreat was far more so. In the 32d five bearers fell before the colors reached the old position behind our works; of the 190 men who advanced in the regimental line, 103 were killed or wounded, and from the time that they left the works until the remnant had returned, less than thirty minutes had elapsed. Among our wounded were Lieutenants Lauriat, Hudson, and Farnsworth, Adjutant Kings- bury, and Captains Bancroft and Hamilton ; the latter of whom died two months later of his wounds.
From that day until the 23d, the Regiment was almost constantly in position in front of the enemy at Spottsylvania Court House and other localities, the service varied by repeated change of location all in the direction of the left, the building of new breastworks. picket duty, etc.
At the commencement of the war, the shovel was derided by a considerable portion of the people of
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the North, and even by the inexperienced and over- reckless men in the army, but the soldiers of the Army of the Potomac learned from experience the value and advantage of the utensil. After long and weary marches, the tired soldiers, if placed in positions confronting the enemy, would almost invariably, and often without orders, throw up earthworks before they wrapped themselves in their blankets for sleep.
On the morning of the 23d we resumed our march in the direction of the North Anna River, Craw- ford's division of our corps, which was composed almost entirely of Pennsylvania troops, taking the advance.
Our destination was Jericho Ford on the North Anna. When within a mile or two of the ford, at a fork in the road, General Cawford by mistake took the wrong way, and had advanced some distance in that direction before his error was discovered. Without waiting for that division to countermarch, General Warren, our corps commander, directed General Griffin with his division to cross the ford. Our brigade took the advance and forded the stream, which was about four feet deep. Reforming at once upon a plain, the brigade advanced in line of battle into a piece of woods, preceded by the 22d Massa- chusetts as skirmishers, under the command of Major Burt, one of the most skilful officers in command of a skirmish line in the army. We had barely entered the woods when our skirmishers drew the fire from the enemy's picket line, and the bullets came whistling over our heads quite freely.
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The enemy soon fell back, and after gaining some ground we were directed to fell trees and erect another line of works. The men worked with great zeal, but had not finished when the enemy came upon us in full force, General Hill's corps essaying to drive us from our position into the river. The attack fell upon our division, which received the impetuous charge with a steady fire, and the enemy retired. Yet, notwithstanding the merciless reception which was given them, the Confederates pushed forward again about 5 P. M., and finally the line of the 9th Massachusetts broke under the pressure, rendering our position critical. The enemy poured through the interval, thus endangering our whole line ; but their headlong course was checked by a well- directed fire from a battery hastily placed in posi- tion, and served under the eye of General Warren.
Unable to sustain this raking fire of canister, the Confederates gave way, and our line was reformed and strengthened. During this time the 32d, which formed the left flank of our battle line, maintained a continuous fire, the men loading and discharging their rifles with great rapidity. It is impossible to tell how long this action was in progress, as in the excitement of battle one can make but little note of the passage of time, but after a sharp, quick struggle, which seemed to last but a few minutes, and yet probably consumed more than an hour's time, the enemy withdrew, baffled in his attempt to force our position.
If such a thing could well be, this was the most enjoyable fight in which we participated during the
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pounding process we were obliged to undergo from the Wilderness to Petersburg. It was the only engagement in which we had the advantage of remaining under the cover of our works and receiv- ing the attack of the enemy. In every other action during this campaign these conditions were reversed, and our comparatively trifling loss demonstrated the disadvantage under which we had habitually been placed.
This engagement proved that the enemy was on our front in force, that he had again divined his adversary's plan of flanking his army, and that any further advance in this direction must be gained by hard fighting. We remained in our position during the night, receiving no further annoyance from the enemy. The next day we were moved to the right, and on the 25th again moved a short distance in the direction of Hanover Junction, where we threw up works and did picket duty until night- fall of the 26th, when we received orders to retire, which we did silently, leaving our pickets to face the enemy until the army had recrossed the North Anna. Our division crossed at Quarles' Ford, and marched all night and the next day in the direction of the Pamunkey River.
After leaving the North Anna our next encounter with the enemy was in the vicinity of Mechanics- ville. On the morning of the 30th our brigade advanced in line of battle through the Tolopotomy Swamp, driving the enemy's skirmish line, which ade but little resistance, until we came to open
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fields around Shady Grove Church, where we found him in force, protected by earthworks. This advance through the woods was very toilsome ; briars, fallen trees, and similar obstructions impeding our progress, made it difficult to preserve the line of battle. Many of the men were badly shod ; some had no covering for the feet, yet were compelled to march over briars and stumps which abounded.
The men had started on the campaign well pro- vided with shoes-not new, perhaps, but in good condition - and twenty-five days' constant service, in rain and sun, dust and mud, had left them in a pitiable condition. Yet there was no help for it, no supplies upon which to draw, for it was the 6th of June before we saw our baggage and supply trains. During this period of thirty days, neither men nor officers could obtain any change of clothing ; the best that could be done was to catch a few hours, while at rest, for washing, wait for the sun to do the drying, and meantime go without.
During the afternoon there was considerable desultory firing, and our loss for the day amounted to twenty-one killed or wounded, among them Lieutenant George W. Bibby, killed.
About midnight we were relieved by a brigade of the 9th Corps, and went into camp. June Ist and 2d we were in the reserve, but on the `3d were aroused before daybreak to take part in the battle of Cold Harbor.
Our part consisted of a charge across an open field under a severe fire of grape and canister. We
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drove the enemy out of one line of earthworks and into another, where he made a stand. The real battle of Cold Harbor, probably, did not occupy more than twenty minutes. It was the same along the whole line as with us-a rapid charge under a galling fire from the enemy, who, protected by earthworks of great strength, easily repelled our attacks. Our brigade was, perhaps, as successful as any, for we did drive the enemy from his most advanced position, but he retired to one of greater strength. This attack was made before five o'clock in the morning. During the remainder of the day we laid quiet, within the redoubt we had captured, the enemy occupying his interior line not more than two hundred yards away. We kept up a constant fire, watching for every man who had the courage to show himself, thus hindering as far as was possible the working of the Confederate guns. The defences on our front were well constructed, and evidently laid out under the supervision of an experienced engineer. Indeed we learned from a prisoner that they were begun two weeks before we reached the place, by order of General Lee, who, it appears, foresaw that General Grant would necessarily be brought to this point if he continued "to fight it out on that line."
Between the lines of works occupied by our brigade and the enemy, the ground was covered with pine-trees felled and slashed across each other, making the passage through exceedingly difficult for troops, even had they been unopposed. But, in addi- tion, the enemy had posted a battery in such a
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. position that he could sweep the field with the fire of his guns, from which there was no shelter.
In view of all this we were not much elated when we received an order that at six o'clock P. M. we were to attack the enemy in our front, without regard to the movements of the troops on either flank. Lieuten- ant-Colonel Stephenson, believing that, under the circumstances, the movement could not be success- ful, sent to General Griffin, the division commander, a description and sketch of the position of the enemy and the ground before us, whereupon the order was so changed that we were not to advance until the 9th Corps, which joined our right, should move. It can be imagined how anxiously we watched the movements of the 9th, but the hour came, and the artillery signal for the charge was unnoticed by the troops on our right, who did not budge, and we were glad indeed when darkness came on and we knew that we had, at least for the time, escaped the terrible ordeal we had expected. We know now that the order to charge was given to the commanders of every corps, but was disregarded by every one ; feeling that, after the experiences of the morning, another charge would result in fearful loss of life, with no effect upon the enemy's position. Our loss during the day was ten killed and twenty-one wounded. The loss to the Union army was over thirteen thousand killed and wounded ; that of the Confederates, less than one thousand.
For a few days after the battle of Cold Harbor there seemed to be an intention on the part of Gen- eral Grant to commence siege operations. We were
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then about twelve miles from Richmond, and on the same ground where, nearly two years before, was fought the action of Gaines' Mill-the first of McClellan's seven days' battle in 1862. The prospect of another campaign in the swamps of the Chicka- hominy was not attractive, and no regrets were expressed when on the 12th of June, General Grant abandoned his attempt to attack Richmond directly, and headed his columns for the James River.
To cover this change of plan, the 5th Corps crossed the Chickahominy at Long Bridge, and threatened to force a passage through White Oak Swamp, but as soon as the rest of the army had crossed the James, we took up our march southward, and followed to a point a little below Wilcox Land- ing, where we were ferried over the river, and on the 16th the whole army was on the right bank pre- paring for a new campaign.
XVIII.
THE BOMB PROOFS.
A FTER the long marches of the spring cam- paign of 1864, through the Wilderness to Spottsylvania Court House, across the North Anna, through the Tolopotomy Swamp to Bethesda Church, thence via the Chickahominy, White Oak Swamp, and Charles City Court House to the James River, the 32d Regiment crossed the James and marched to a point on the Norfolk Railroad, about three miles from Petersburg, where, on the 18th of June, they took part in the charge which drove the enemy into their last line of intrenchments. It was in this action that Colonel George L. Pres- cott fell, mortally wounded. While the engage- ment was not an entire success, it gave us the vantage ground of the crest of a hill, which we retained, and whereon we established our line of entrenchments ; and this was the position from which the Burnside mine was afterwards made and exploded. After this line was established, our Brigade was ordered to the rear, into camp along the Jerusalem plank road, where we were held as reserves for special duty ; and this was not, as might be supposed, light duty, for while there we were
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busy day and night, building a large earthwork fort, which was named Fort Prescott in honor of our colonel. Here Lieutenant-Colonel Stephenson, suf- fering from his wounds, resigned and left us, to return to civil life, and Major Edmunds was appointed Colonel, Captain Cunningham, Lieuten- ant Colonel, and Captain Shepard, Major.
On the 12th of July, after being in reserve some- what over three weeks, during which we had been called upon twice to reinforce the 2d and 6th Corps lines, we were ordered into the trenches, and began our life in the bomb proofs. Our first term of service there extended from July 12th to August 16th, a continuous period of five weeks, and must have been experienced to be fully realized.
In order to give the reader an idea of what a bomb proof is, we will describe the method of its construction. First, a hole is dug in the ground, which, of necessity, when in front of an active enemy, must be done under cover of darkness ; this hole is perhaps four or five feet deep, providing the ground is not too wet; then the top is roofed over with logs of wood held up by cross timbers ; then the earth which has been dug out is thrown over the logs, which makes the whole comparatively water- tight and proof against solid shot or shells, such as the enemy seemed to delight in tossing over into our lines in season and out of season, giving us frequent surprises and placing some of us hors du combat. There were, of course, openings to these subter- ranean caverns so that those who were to occupy
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them could crawl in and out. The openings were usually not much larger than was needed for a man comfortably to get in and out, and had an adjustable log to cover the major portion of the aperture, so arranged that it could be moved on and off at pleasure. This entrance was left on the side oppo- site the enemy, so that direct shots could not pene- trate it, the only danger on that side being from shells exploded among the bomb proofs casting their fragments through the doorways into our under- ground domiciles. This would, after all, occasion- ally occur, sometimes arousing a sleeping soldier with a summons to another world. If one could choose the ground where he would locate such an underground mansion, he might make it a dry and comfortable abode, and one that would be compara- tively healthy ; but the ground assigned to the 32d was a clay soil, rather springy, where in many places two feet of excavation brought us to water, there- fore a part of the domicile had to be above ground ; and this was protected by inclined timbers, built like a lean-to, with a palisade front to make it proof against the ordinary shot and shell.
There were many exciting scenes and occurrences among the bomb proofs. Occasionally, in the middle of the night, a solid shot or a shell would come singing through the air and pounce down on one of the huts where half-a-dozen soldiers were dozing away, and the shock would startle them so that for a short time they would hardly know whether it was an earthquake or an attack by the enemy. but
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