USA > Massachusetts > Wearing the blue in the Twenty-fifth Mass. volunteer infantry, with Burnside's coast division, 18th army corps, and Army of the James > Part 29
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In the Petersburg trenches, commenced the practice of ex- changing papers between men of the two armies. One of our men would make known to the enemy that he wanted to change papers, and word was sent along our line that no shots were to be fired. The man then waved a paper upon a ramrod above the breastwork, until it was seen by the enemy, when, from the other side a paper would be waved in the same manner. Our man would then boldly raise himself, head and shoulders above the works, still waving his paper, the enemy doing the same. Our man would then jump over the breastwork, and the rebel would do the same, cach advancing until they met half way between the lines. Meeting, they would shake hands, ex- change papers, some times a little coffee for tobacco, say a few friendly words, and return each to his place, and the instant they were in their respective shelter, firing was again opened, and it would have been instant death to any man who had the temerity to raise his head for an instant, above the parapet.
The cool manner in which these exchanges of papers were made, reminds us of an incident during this summer campaign upon the Bermuda Hundreds front. A spring of water was located upon the picket line occupied by our army, and our
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soldiers were in the habit of permitting the "Johnnies" to come there and fill their canteens. This practice had con- tinued for some time, but one day there happened along, a Pennsylvania officer who was on his rounds as officer of the day. Seeing a rebel soldier filling his canteen at this spring, he ordered his arrest, and the "Johnnie" went to the rear under a guard. His " taking off" was immediately followed by a demand for his surrender from the rebel authorities. His arrest under the circumstances, was considered as extra official, and he was immediately conducted to the spring and allowed to return to his own lines.
Not quite so sober an incident was that which occurred at Mine Run, where the armies of Meade and Lee were looking at each other from either side. One bitter cold morning when the two armies seemed to be ready to spring upon each other in deadly strife, a rebel picket near the Run, which separated the piekets of the two armies, shot and killed a sheep. Drop- ping his gun, he advanced to remove the prize. In an instant he was covered by a gun in the hands of a Union picket, who said : " Divide is the word, or you are a dead Johnny." This proposition was assented to, and there, between the two lines, Mr. Rebel skinned the sheep, took one-half and moved back with it to his post, when his challenger, dropping his gun, crossed the run, took possession of the other half of the sheep, and resumed the duties of his post, receiving the cheers of his comrades, who expected to help him eat it. .
The affair of June 18th, which we have described as taking place near the bank of the river, was a general assault along the entire line. Grant thought it very probable that the larger part of Lee's army was in Richmond. However that might be, the result of the assault was, that the enemy was dis- covered occupying a stronger position on an inner line, and in the attack, our forces were repulsed with heavy loss, and only the Second Division of the Eighteenth Corps, in which was the Twenty-fifth Massachusetts and all that was left of
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the " Star" Brigade, had any success. This division carried the enemy's line in its front, and captured a number of prison- ers. The Second Division, having the right of the army, occupied at this time the post of honor, the line to the left being, in the order named, the Sixth, Second, Ninth and Fifth Corps. The total Federal loss on the 18th was ten thousand men. The conduct of Martindale's Division was warmly applauded by all. Major-General Smith considered this a proper time to issue the following congratulatory address to the Eighteenth Corps : -
To the Eighteenth Army Corps : ---
The General commanding desires to express to his command his appreciation of the soldierly qualities displayed during the campaign of the last seventeen days.
Within that time they have been constantly called upon to undergo the hard- ships of a soldier's life and be exposed to all of its dangers.
Marches under a hot sun, have ended in severe battle; after the battle, watch- ful nights in the trenches. gallantly taken from the enemy : but the crowning point of the honor they are entitled to has been won since the 15th instant when a series of earthworks, on most commanding positions, and of formidable strengthi have been carried, with all the guns and material of war of the enemy, including prisoners and colors. The works have all been held and the trophies remain in our hands.
The victory is all the more important to us, as the troops have never been regularly organized in camp, with time to learn the discipline necessary to a well organized corps d'ornce, but they have been hastily concentrated and sud- denly summoned to take part in the trying campaign in which they have engaged. Such honor as they have won will remain imperishable.
To the colored troops, comprising the Division of General Hineks, the General commanding would call the attention of the veterans of the Eighteenth Corps : they have stormed the works of the enemy and carried them; taken guns and prisoners, and in the whole affair, they have displayed the qualities of good soldiers.
By command of Major-General SMITH. WMr. RUSSELL, Assistant Adjutant-General.
[OFFICIAL.] IV. HI. ABEL, A. A. G.
[OFFICIAL.] S. LOUIS BRADY, A. A. A. G.
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On the 20th day of June, General Stannard left the com- mand of Heckman's Brigade and issued the following order to the troops : -
Headquarters First Brigade, Second Division, Eighteenth Army Corps, In the field near Bermuda Hundreds, Va., June 20th, 1864. General Orders, No. 15.
Having been assigned to another command, the General com- manding desires in taking leave of his brigade, to convey to them his pride and satisfaction, in approval of the uniform courage, endurance and ready obedience, which have characterized the entire command during his short, but eventful connection with it.
The record of the memorable 3rd of June, when at Cold Harbor, Colonel Pickett with the Twenty-fifth Massachusetts, Major Walker with the Twenty- seventh Massachusetts, Colonel Elwell with the Twenty-third Massachusetts and Captain Nesbett with the Fifty-fifth Pennsylvania, so gallantly charged the eneny's almost impreguable works, and again during the more trying cam- paign in front of Petersburg, when the Eighty-ninth New York under Colonel Fairchild, the Twenty-fifth Massachusetts under Captain Parkhurst, the Twenty- seventh Massachusetts under Captain Moore, and the Fifty-fifth Pennsylvania under Captain Hill, have so unflinchingly, during the 15th, 16th and 18th days of June pressed the enemy to his last earthworks, will remain forever engraven on my heart. To whatever sphere of duty I may hereafter be called, I shall always carry with me, the proud recollection of the deeds of the First Brigade, and the calm reflection that they will never disgrace the laurels which they have so nobly won by their blood.
By command of . Brigadier-General GEo. J. STANNARD, Commanding Brigade. W. L. KENT, Captain and A. A. A. G.
It was with deep regret that the Twenty-fifth Massachusetts and, we may add, the entire brigade, parted with General Stannard. He was every inch a soldier, brave, fearless, and as firm as a rock. His heart was always in the right place, and though to some he appeared like a rough and unfinished ashler just from the quarries, it needed but a little knowledge of the man to convince any one, that he was a true gentleman in whatever position placed. The author writes thus, not from any personal acquaintance with the General, but upon the expressed judgment of many officers and men who served in his brigade.
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The Twenty-fifth Massachusetts was now brigaded under command of Colonel Fry of the Fifth Maryland Volunteers, and occupied trenches upon the "Race Course." For some weeks, the regiment remained forty-eight hours in the trenches, and then had forty-eight hours of relief, occupy- ing a gully in the rear of the lines. In the trenches, the orders were, that half the men must be awake at all times, but at three o'clock, A. M., all the men must be awake and ready for duty. (The corps staff was also mounted at the same time every morning.) The excessive heat and multitude of flies, to say nothing of other insects, prevented sleep in the day time, unless men became so exhausted as to be insensible to all annoyances. The distance between our lines and those of the enemy was only about fifteen rods, and deaths and wounds were of daily occurrence. During the summer, the wounded of the Eighteenth Corps averaged thirty per day.
Fifteen ambulances were parked near the front, in readiness to answer any call to remove the wounded and sick. From June 1Sth to August 25th, the loss of the Twenty-fifth Massachu- setts was six killed, one officer and twenty-four men wounded.
On the 30th of June, at about five o'clock, P. M., the enemy opened a terrific fire upon our lines, from their batteries across the river. An attack was designed on our part at six o'clock that night, and the enemy probably discovered our intention in consequence of a movement of troops in our lines. During this bombardment, a four-inch shell struck in the trench where the Twenty-fifth Massachusetts were lying, wounding privates George Burr and Charles F. Stowe, of Company K, (both died in hospital) and so wounding Private Thayer, of Company D, that he died after reaching the hospital. The latter's wound was very singular. The shell struck his leg just below the knee, passing up the leg, inside the skin, lodging in the upper part of the thigh, from where it was removed by the surgeons. Of course, the shell did not explode. . Had it exploded, the result would have been more disastrous.
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C. A. GARLAND.
Serg't E. A. MOODY.
Major J. W. DAVIS.
SAM'I. P. JONES
JOHN R. HIL.L.
COMPANY C.
€
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On the 4th of July, when in the trenches, Lieutenant J. W. Davis, wishing a moment's conversation with Sergeant Putnam, advanced for that purpose in a stooping posture, to avoid the observation of the enemy. After a moment's talk, he unconsciously raised himself for an instant, when a bullet struck him in the left shoulder, passing through his body and lodged in the ground. The Lieutenant exclaimed -- "Sergeant, I'm a dead man!" and fell to the ground. He was removed to the hospital and survived the wound two years. He resided in Worcester and died there August 2nd, 1866, universally respected by those who knew him.
On the 20th of July, General Smith who had been some days absent from the army, was relieved of the command of the Eighteenth Corps. The loss of Smith was a matter of deep regret to the officers and men of the corps.
Upon retiring, General Smith issued the following farewell to the troops : -
Headquarters Eighteenth Army Corps. July 20th, 1864.
To the Officers and Soldiers of the Eighteenth Army Corps : --
I part from you in accordance with Orders from the Lieutenant- General commanding the armies of the United States, with great regret, and iny highest pride is that you will share my feelings. Since I have been your commander, I have tried to share with you your dangers, and have rejoiced with you in your gallant deeds.
During this time, your record has been bright and unsullied. Whatever in it has not been all that you could wish, I assure you, has been for no fault or short-coming of yours, and I trust you will believe that I have been no more culpable than yourselves. May God bless and always crown your efforts with victory.
W. F. SMITH, Major-General.
(OFFICIAL.)
W. F. RUSSELL, Major and A. A. G.
On the 22nd day of July, Major-General E. O. C. Ord arrived and assumed command of the Eighteenth Corps.
On the 26th of July, the writer spent an hour with his comrades of the Twenty-fifth Massachusetts. Parkhurst was
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- in command, though he had every appearance of being worn out. The other officers present were Captains Emery and Harrington, Lieutenants Burr, Tew, Stratton, Pratt and Ken- dall. The men of the regiment were thoroughly worn down- the " continuous hammering " and "force of attrition " seemed to work both ways, like an old Continental musket. Jaded, as the officers and men appeared to be, they were in wonderful good spirits and full of pluck. The regiment had less than one hundred men for duty, and some of the companies really had no organization. Company A was reduced to one sergeant, one corporal and three privates, with no commissioned officer.
Up to this time, no rain had fallen for several weeks, but suddenly great showers descended and deluged the earth, filling the pits and trenches, much to the discomfort of the occupants. A great flood of water came down the "gully," washing away commissary stores, tents, etc. Several soldiers were drowned before they could make their escape. Except in front of the Ninth Corps and the constant mutterings of the " Petersburg Express," a thirty-two-pounder battery in rear of corps headquarters, the firing of pickets had lessened very much, as if the men were heartily tired of shooting at each other.
LIST OF KILLED AND WOUNDED OF THE TWENTY-FIFTH MASSACHUSETTS VOLUNTEERS IN FRONT OF PETERSBURG, VA., AFTER JUNE ISTH, 1864.
June 19th, 1864.
Killed :- Privates-Charles A. McFarland, Company B; John D. Pierce, Company D.
Wounded :- Privates -- David Casey (shoulder), Company C; Thomas Mc- Clarence (arm fractured), Company E.
June 22nd, 1864. Wounded : - Private James Lanergan (head), Company E. June 23rd, 1864. Killed : - Private Silas H. MeKay, Company C.
Wounded : - Private Win. C. Hemenway, Company C.
June 24th, 1864.
Wounded :-- Private Cornelius Conner, Company E.
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June 25th, 1864.
Wounded : - Private Herman Holman, Company G.
June 26th, 1864.
Wounded : - Private Michael Fitzgibbon, Company F.
June 27th, 1864. Wounded: - Private Alonzo E. Newton (head, loss of eye), Company G. June 30th, 1864.
Wounded : - Privates-B. D. Thayer (thigh) ; Heury J. Locke (head), Company D; George Burr (foot amputated, died) ; Charles R. Stowe (foot amputated, died) ; Charles A. Poland, Company K.
July 4th, 1864.
Wounded :-- First-Lieutenant John W. Davis (lung), Company C.
Losses of Twenty-fifth Massachusetts Volunteers since May Ist, to
Killed. .
July 4th, 1864. Wounded. Captured.
3 officers, 31 men. 20 officers, 286 men. 2 officers, 93 men.
Total loss.
435.
THE MINE EXPLOSION.
After dark on the evening of July 29th, the Twenty-fifth Massachusetts, with the Eighteenth Corps, were relieved from the trenches, and, moving with noiseless tread to the " gully," received rations and twenty extra rounds of ammunition. At midnight, the corps marched to the left, reaching the position occupied by the Ninth Corps commanded by General Burnside. The object of the movement was to act in support of the Ninth Corps in a contemplated attack upon the enemy, which included the explosion of a mine under one of the strongest rebel forts in front of that command. The men of the Forty-eighth Penn- sylvania Volunteers had performed the work of sapping, under direction of Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Pleasants. There was removed in wheelbarrows cighteen thousand cubic feet of earth The magazines under the fort being completed, were charged with three hundred and twenty kegs of powder weighing eight thousand pounds. The Eighteenth Corps moved to the rear of the Ninth Corps, as stated, being relieved in front by the Second Corps. The Eighteenth acted in reserve, only one brigade was brought into action, though all were under fire.
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TWENTY-FIFTH MASSACHUSETTS.
We do not purpose going into the details of this affair. Time was lost in the morning by the failure to ignite the fuse at the proper time-this remedied, the powder exploded, throwing men, guns. caissons, earth-two hundred feet into the air, leaving a wide, deep chasm. Then there was an unaccountable delay -finally a charge-men tumbled into the chasm, where most of them remained until killed or captured. The Colored Division was put in-charged-broke, and that ended it. The division, we thought, was not well led. We were with them until they broke. It was a terribly hot place, and that division ought not to have been put to the work. We wished the Eighteenth Corps had been in its place. That corps would have gone into Petersburg. But it was held in reserve. Burn- side ordered well-the plan was good, but he was unfortunate in one or two division commanders - terribly unfortunate. There was a fearful loss of life-fearful wounds, and the long list of suffering captives was greatly increased.
A court of inquiry, after investigating the causes of the failure, stated the reasons why the attack ought to have been successful, as follows : ----
1. The evident surprise of the enemy at the time of the explosion of the mine, and for some time after.
2. The comparatively small force in the enemy's works.
3. The ineffective fire of the enemy's artillery and musketry, there being scarcely any for about thirty minutes after the explosion, and our artillery being just the reverse as to time and power.
1. The fact that some of our troops were able to get two hundred yards beyond the crater, towards the crest, but could not remain there or proceed further for want of supports, or because they were not properly formed or led.
Our loss was, killed, forty-seven officers, three hundred and seventy-two men ; wounded, one hundred and twenty-four offi- cers, one thousand five hundred and fifty-five men ; prisoners, ninety-one officers and one thousand eight hundred and nineteen men, making a total of four thousand and eight.
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WEARING THE BLUE.
About noon, the Eighteenth Corps returned to the trenches, but the Massachusetts Twenty-fifth had a new position, the lines being very near together. A sap had been run from our lines now occupied by the Twenty-fifth Massachusetts, ending about fifty feet from the rebel works. Sergeant Putnam in speaking of this, says :-
" In looking through the loop-holes left for the riflemen. we could see the enemy peering at us through their rifle-holes, and a riffe barrel would often be introduced in these apertures in the endeavor to obtain a shot. August 1st, an arrangement was made under flag of truce to bury the dead, and parties were sent out from both white and colored regiments to do the work. This truce lasted from six to eleven o'clock in the forenoon, during which time there was no firing on either side along the whole length of the line. In our immediate front, the enemy displayed a white flag, and a truce took place be- tween onr regiment and the enemy directly opposed to us. This. was done because the lines were so near together, that both parties feared to show themselves under the general truce. Each party then mounted their respective breastworks and coolly sat gazing each upon the other. Then we talked together like old friends. The distance was so short that small shells had frequently been thrown from one line to the other, as hand grenades. There was consider- able fun passed between us and ' the Johunies,' and some twitting upon facts. One Union soldier asked a rebel, . how do you like that style of going to heaven, Johnny ?' alluding to the mine explosion. Except- ing some close hits. the talk was generally good natured. The burial of the dead was a dreadful business. Bodies had remained upon the ground since the day of the explosion, and being exposed to the hot sun during the day, and the cold and dampness of the night, were in an awful condition. Pits were dug, and the bodies thrown in hur- riedly, and when the work was completed, a signal gun was fired and the troops hastened back to their respective intrenchments, and woe to the man who dared to show his head above the works. While occupying this position in the trenches. the rebels tried to serve us the same trick we successfully played upon them, that of blowing up, but it proved a miserable failure. The Twenty-fifth had been re- lieved by the Twenty-third Massachusetts, and we had fallen back to our regular place of rest, when, about six o'clock, p. M .. we were
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startled by a sudden explosion, followed by volleys of musketry and our batteries commenced firing. We quickly fell into line and marched to the scene of trouble. We found the rebels had attempted to blow up that portion of the line which we had just vacated, and which was occupied by the Twenty-third Massachusetts. We had expected this attempt, having heard the enemy digging for a couple of days previously. They must have miscalculated the dis- tance, as the explosion took place just outside of our line, doing no harm, excepting to throw a few gabions out of place and burying for a few moments, some half-dozen men. Several men were wounded by the rebel guns which commenced firing directly the explosion occurred, and Colonel Steadman who commanded our brigade, was killed."
August 18th, Warren's Corps took possession of the Weldon railroad, and held it at a cost of one thousand men, killed, wounded and missing. This important line of communication, was, from this time lost to the Confederates. The next day, . Lee made a strong effort to repossess the road but was repulsed. On the 21st Lee made another effort, and was repulsed with a loss of one thousand two hundred men. Warren captured five hundred prisoners.
August 25th, Hancock had a severe fight north of Reams' station, and at night he withdrew with a loss of two thousand four hundred men, (out of eight thousand,) and five guns. ITill who led the Confederates, also withdrew with about the same loss.
Mendar's 25th Mass. Vols. V. P. P.
CHAPTER XVIII.
ANDERSONVILLE AND OTHER PRISONS - FACTS AND INCIDENTS CONCERNING PRISONERS OF WAR - PRISONERS OF THE MASSACHUSETTS TWENTY-FIFTH - RESPONSIBILITY FOR CRU- ELTY - DEATHS OF MASSACHUSETTS TWENTY-FIFTH IN REBEL, PRISONS.
common with other regiments, the Twenty-fifth Massa -. chusetts has its record of those who suffered and died at Andersonville and other prison-pens of the rebellion. We shall speak particularly of Andersonville-a place where many of our regiment endured for a long time, inexpressible agony, and gave up their lives.
What has become and will always remain notorious in . history, as Andersonville, is a little hamlet on the South- western railroad, about fifty miles south of Macon in Georgia, and about one hundred and fifty miles north of the Gulf of Mexico. Not far west of the railroad station at that place, twenty-seven acres were selected in the fall of 1863, at the suggestion of Howell Cobb, by Captain Winder, son of the Confederate commissary of prisoners, as a location for a prison for Federal soldiers unfortunately falling into their hands. The land was covered with heavy timber which was felled by slaves, and a palisade erected, within which en- closure, from thirty to forty thousand human beings could be crowded without shelter. Not a tree was left standing, and no prisoner could even find protection from the heat of
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the sun, which, much of the year, ranged from ninety to one hundred and five degrees in the shade. When Winder gave orders to cut down all the trees, a spectator who felt some generous impulses, suggested that a shade would alleviate the sufferings of the captives, whereupon Winder replied -" that is just what I am not going to do! I will make a pen here for the damned Yankees, where they will rot faster than they can be sent." [Spenser's narrative.]
Another stockade about eighteen feet high -was erected around this first enclosure, and about a dozen paces from the inner palisade was a little fence of rails, known as the " dead line," over which no Yankee could step, and live. Through the centre of this prison pen, a little sluggish stream of almost dead water, made its way. Within a rifle-shot dis- tance of this prison-pen flowed a large brook, fifteen feet wide and three feet deep, of pure, delicious water. Had this been inclosed within the prison walls, the captives might have washed and bathed as much as they pleased. [Miss Clara Barton.] It was not the policy of Cobb or Winder to permit any such comfort to Yankee prisoners. And it was there, in that unhealthy location, on the side of a red-clay hill, aided by a pack of fierce blood-hounds, with fifty-two sentinels standing guard upon the top of the stockade, and cannon pointed from the front and flanks, that Winder and his son, and the miser- able Wirtz, performed their murderous work as the trusted agents of the tyrannical oligarchy at Richmond. The lexico- graphers of our language, have not yet invented the words of proper strength, to express condemnation of the studied inhu- manities of Andersonville.
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