USA > Maine > History of the Thirteenth Maine regiment from its organization in 1861 to its muster-out in 1865 > Part 8
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
Owing to the darkness and the need of making the movement quietly. the march was slow, and we did not reach Pleasant Hill till about 9 A. M. Just before we reached the village, the rear-guard was attacked by the enemy's cavalry, which had discovered our retreat soon after daylight and followed as fast as possible, picking up a few stragglers. Emory's division was immediately placed in position ; McMillan's brigade being across the road, with Dwight's to the right and Benedict's to the left.
The Thirteenth was a short distance south of the road in the edge of a strip of small trees and underbrush. The ground was then dry but appeared as if it would be swampy in a wet season. In our front the ground rose gently for thirty or forty rods, and apparently had for- merly been a cleared field, but at that time had many elmaps of bushes and scrubby pines. The two flank companies, A and B, were sent some distance to the
84
STORY OF THE MAINE THIRTEENTH.
front and deployed as skirmishers ; then, as all seemed quiet, the regiment improved the opportunity to make a hasty breakfast.
In about half an hour our brigade was relieved by Shaw's brigade of the 16th Corps, moved to the rear and to the north side of the road, then formed in the rear of Dwight's brigade in two lines ; the 13th Maine, and 47th Pennsylvania in the first line; and the 15th Maine and 160th New York, in the second. Here the brigade remained with muskets stacked till after 4 P. M .; the larger part of the men improving the opportunity to get a little sleep. This delay on the part of the enemy was necessary in order to reconnoiter our line and get their men into position, also to allow some rest to their rein- forcements, the divisions of Churchill and Parsons, who were exhausted by the severe marches which they had made in the past two days. During all this time skir- mishing was going on, but there was no fighting worth notice till well into the afternoon. Then the Confeder- ate artillery near the Mansfield road opened, a shell oc- casionally reaching our position but doing no harm.
About half past four P.M. the enemy began the attack in earnest. As the Texan General, Tom. Green, with his cavalry, was maneuvering to turn the right flank of Dwight's brigade, the Thirteenth was ordered to that point to strengthen the exposed flank. Knapsacks were hastily piled and left in charge of some of the men who were sick or slightly wounded, and the regiment was soon in motion. We had nearly reached our assigned position, when it becoming certain that the main attack was further to the left, we were hurriedly ordered back to rejoin our brigade. Shaw's and Benedict's brigades, overpowered by Churchill's, Parson's and Walker's di- visions, were giving way; Benedict's brigade in much confusion. [Gen. McMillan says that the regiment had been placed in position when he sent for it to rejoin the
85
STORY OF THE MAINE THIRTEENTH.
brigade; but that is certainly a mistake, for I remember positively that we were still moving. ]
When the Thirteenth was ordered to rejoin the bri- gade it was moving by the right flank; and, through some misunderstanding of orders, some of the companies on the right countermarched while the rest of the regi- ment "about-faced." Marching in this irregular forma- tion, the regiment reached the Mansfield road at a place where there were two small wooden houses, through which the bullets were crashing so thickly that they sounded like a fire in the top of a dead fir tree. The air seemed all alive with the sounds of various projectiles : from the spiteful, cat-like spit of the buckshot, the "pouf" of the old-fashioned musket-ball and the "pec-ee-zing" of the minic bullet, to the roar of the ordinary shell and the "whoot-er-whoot-er-whoot " of the Whitworth" mor- tar-pestle"; while the shrieks of wounded men and horses and the yells of the apparently victorious rebels added to the uproar.
Just at this critical point two artillery teams, which had shamefully deserted their guns, were coming down the Mansfield road at a gallop; and the drivers, insane with terror and furiously lashing their horses, drove di- agonally through the regiment, completely breaking up its organization and knocking down some of the men who were not quick enough in getting out of the way ; but, fortunately, not running over any. No regiment conkl re-form under such a fire as was then coming from three directions, and the noise was such that no order could be understood. The Thirteenth, therefore, very justifiably fell back a few rods into a ravine where they were somewhat sheltered from the cross-fire. Here we quickly re-formed and in two minutes were again mov- ing forward to rejoin the brigade.
The brigade was ready to move, and as soon as the Thirteenth took its place in the line, moved forward to recover the ground lost by the giving way of Benedict's
86
STORY OF THE MAINE THIRTEENTH.
brigade ; while the roar of cannon as well as musketry to the left showed that A. J. Smith's men were putting in some heavy work upon the force which turned Ben- ediet's left flank. Many of the scattered men of Bene- dict's brigade fell in with MeMillan's as it swept the enemy away from the rear of Shaw's brigade and moved forward to restore the broken line. The struggle was fierce; charge was followed by countercharge, the Union cheer answered the Rebel yell, and cannon were taken and retaken; but the lost ground was at last regained. Then, after but a short pause, the line again swept for- ward, steadily forcing back the enemy, till just as dark- ness prevented any effectual pursuit, his whole line, de- feated and disl.cartened, almost simultaneously gave way in confusion.
After waiting a time to make sure that the enemy would not renew the attack the position of the troops were somewhat changed, the Thirteenth being posted near the right flank of Dwight's brigade and of the army. The loss of the regiment, as officially reported at the time. was three killed, twenty-one wounded and twenty- one missing ; but this does not fully show the amount of the loss. At least seven of the wounded died of their wounds, while many of the missing have never been heard from. and no doubt rest in graves marked with the word .. unknown."
The enemy had put in their last man in vain. With a much superior force they had made their attack and had been soundly whipped. It was thought by a large part of the Union army that if the victory had been fol- lowed up it might have been a decisive one and the cani- paign a success : but Gen. Banks gave peremptory or- ders to again fall back. After a few hours of rest, about one o'clock the next morning the Thirteenth was ordered to fall in and take the road to Grand Ecore. Many of the dead remained unburied and the seriously wounded were left to fall into the hands of the enemy.
87
STORY OF THE MAINE THIRTEENTII.
It was a hard march. The road was bad, the dark- ness for several miles almost absolute, the retreat after a victory most unwelcome, and, worst of all, the men, seeing plainly how the campaign had been mismanaged, had lost confidence in their commander. That day the army marched about twenty miles, and on the 11th, about the middle of the afternoon, reached Grand Ecore, which is on Red River, about four miles from Natchi- toches. of which town it is the shipping port. The Thirteenth camped that night close to the Pleasant Hill road, but the next day was moved to a position some- what nearer the river.
Here we remained in camp nine days waiting for the fleet to get down over the bars in the river near Grand Ecore. Lines were laid out by the engineers, and the troops went to work with all the tools that could be pro- cured building solid breastworks of logs and earth. The trees for many rods in front of the breastworks were slashed, thus making the works absolutely impregna- ble against a front attack ; but it was soon learned that the enemy had passed around the place with a heavy force for the purpose of either interrupting our com- munications or capturing Alexandria. So on April 21st, orders were issued to fall back to Alexandria, and, as the fleet was at last ready, part of the army started that night. Orders were given to destroy all property which could not be carried ; but a serious mistake was made in allowing it to be burned, for the light of the fires gave the enemy as certain information of the movement as if a courier had been sent into their camp.
The Thirteenth was kept awake and ready to move at a moment's notice, but did not receive orders to march till one o'clock A. M. of the 22nd, when we fell in and marched with our brigade. For some time the march was steadily continued; but by the middle of the fore- noon the enemy began to be troublesome. both in front and rear ; and for that reason quite a long halt was
SS
STORY OF THE MAINE THIRTEENTH.
made in the middle of the day. In the afternoon the march was resumed, and at eleven P. M. the regiment went into bivouac, near the village of Cloutierville, after a march of nearly forty miles. With the long march and the loss of the previous night's sleep, the men were extremely tired; and during the last two hours many of them fell asleep while marching. No one thought of supper, but cach man spread his blankets and lay down as quickly as possible.
At five next morning we started again, moved through Cloutierville and a short distance beyond, when a heavy force of the enemy was found posted on the bluffs at Monett's Ferry, commonly known as Cane River Cross- ing, in a very strong position for disputing our passage of the ferry. As this was the only practicable route to Alexandria, it was necessary to get possession of the Crossing; the infantry was therefore halted by the road- side to let the artillery pass to the front.
Our brigade then moved forward and supported the artillery, which for several hours was engaged in shell- ing the enemy's position ; while Dwight's brigade held the left flank, and Fessenden's brigade, formerly Bene- diet's, with Birge's brigade of Grover's division (which had joined us at Grand Ecore) and some of the 13th Corps, made a flank movement and carried the position by assault. Our brigade was not exposed to musketry fire during this battle but had a few men wounded by fragments of shell.
While the 19th Corps was fighting this battle with the force under Gen. Bec, the 16th Corps, a few miles to the rear, were fighting another battle with Gen. Dick Taylor's army, and gave it a decided repulse. Just be- fore dark the pontoon bridge was laid and the brigade crossed the stream, marched about seven miles, and went into bivonac in the edge of a small clearing in the pine woods. Next day we marched about seventeen miles and camped near Bayou Rapides, and in the afternoon
89
STORY OF THE MAINE THIRTEENTHI.
of the 25th reached Alexandria. Our first camp at that place was just above the town and near the river, where we remained three nights. About the middle of the forenoon of the 28th the enemy made a demon- stration against the 13th Corps, and at ten o'clock our brigade was ordered into line and remained under arms till noon. Then, as no real attack had been made, we were allowed to break ranks and eat dinner, but were cautioned to be ready to fall in at a moment's notice. After dinner the brigade broke camp, marched through the town and formed a line on the lower side where we remained through the night. Some general was evi- dently in a condition of extreme nervousness, for we were ordered to sleep in line-of-battle with arms in our hands. The next day we went into camp again very near the spot where we camped when we first reached Alexandria on our way up river ; and, as it was decided that the army must remain at Alexandria several days. while measures were taken to get the fleet down over the falls. substantial carth breastworks were thrown up all along the hne.
May 6th the brigade went ont four miles to the june- tion of the Opelousas and Rapides roads, where we re- mained two days. This was to guard against an attack which was thought to be threatened from that direction : but events proved that the demonstrations against Al- cxandria were only to draw the attention of the army while the principal force of the enemy passed around the town to obstruct the navigation of the river below. May 11th the whole regiment worked all day loading captured cotton and sugar upon transports to be carried down river. The duty of the regiment while at Alex- andria, besides what has been mentioned, consisted of the ordinary routine of guard, fatigue and picket.
In the morning of May 9th, the fleet began to come over the falls and continued passing as fast as possible, till on the 13th the last vessel came over and both fleet
90
STORY OF THE MAINE THIRTEENTH.
and army left Alexandria. In the morning the 19th Corps took the advance on the river road, followed by the train. We marched at an easy rate and halted for the night on a sugar plantation, about fifteen miles from the town. The advance gunboats tied up at night close to our brigade. During the most of the day heavy columns of smoke had been rising in the direction of Alexandria ; the place having been set on fire, either through carelessness or malicc, before the rear-guard, the 16th Corps, left it.
Next morning we started early but made slow prog- ress, as the enemy showed just sufficient force in our front to delay our march but not to seriously obstruct it. The gunboats kept as nearly as possible abreast of our Division, frequently shelling the woods on the north side of the river. That night our brigade halted at Bird's Plantation. As there was known to be a con- siderable force of the enemy in the vicinity, the Thir- teenthi was deployed as skirmishers and moved quite a distance into the woods, to make sure of the ground be- ing clear for the establishment of the picket line. None of the enemy were found, and the regiment soon re- turned to its position with the brigade.
An carly start was made in the morning of the 15th, and our first halt was at Wilson's Plantation, where the Red River makes a very sharp bend around what is known as Snaggy Point. Here the enemy, about ten days before, had established a battery and destroyed the gunboats Covington and Signal, and the transports Em- ma, City Belle and John Warner. It so happened that the Thirteenth halted on the spot where the rebels had destroyed the mail which they captured on the John Warner ; and the ground was covered with letters which they had torn open hoping to find money. Of course we looked over the letters ; and we found among them many which members of the regiment had written at Alexandria, telling their friends of our adventures
.
91
STORY OF THE MAINE THIRTEENTH.
while up river. I feel confident that the recording an- gel, while noting the language used by the men of the Thirteenth on that occasion, added as a comment, these words, " sufficient provocation."
We soon left the river road, and taking the most di- rect route for the crossing of the Atchafalaya at Sims- port, marched in a narrow road through the woods tow- ards Marksville. Slow progress was made, as the cav- alry in advance were constantly skirmishing with the enemy. In the afternoon the road became somewhat hilly, and gradually rising, we came out just before dark upon the Avovelles Prairie, a tract of several square miles of gently rolling upland in the almost endless swamps of Central Louisiana. We slept that night in line-of-battle near the village of Marksville, at the point where the road by which we marched strikes the road from Fort De Russey.
May 16th we marched soon after daylight ; and, as there was no water where we spent the night, and all the wells near Marksville had been exhausted by our cavalry, we had to start with empty canteens. We soon passed through Marksville and out upon the open prairie where a vigorous skirmish was already going on. The force of the enemy drawn up to obstruct the march of Banks' army, according to the Confederate official reports, was Bagsby's and Major's divisions of cavalry, with nineteen cannon, on their right; Polignac's division of infantry and Debray's brigade of cavalry, with thir- teen cannon, on their loft.
The Union artillery, numbering twice as many guns as the Confederate, was soon put into position, the in- fantry lines were formed, and then, with cavalry on each flank, the army moved forward. Then commenced an artillery fight which lasted all the way from Marksville to Mansura, a distance of about twelve miles. The en- emy would put their guns in position, supported by their whole force, and commence shelling ; our artillery would
99
STORY OF THE MAINE THIRTEENTH.
go into position against them, with our infantry in sup- port, and return their fire; then our cavalry would commence working around their fianks and they would fall back to a new position. These movements, many times repeated, tell the whole story of the battle.
It was a magnificent spectacle, showing all the grand- eur of war with but little of its danger. The ground was so open, that, most of the time, the larger part of both armies could be seen from almost any point and every movement watched ; while, as the fighting was mostly with artillery, the casualties were very few. The evolutions of the artillery and its almost continuous roar : the jets of smoke shooting out horizontally from the mouths of the guns, then slowly rising in the motionless air ; the long lines of infantry moving forward as if on parade, with their thousands of glittering bayonets re- Hecting the rays of the unclouded sun ; the manœuver- ing of the cavalry upon the flanks; all united to form a battle scene which only the torments of an almost un- endurable thirst prevented us from enjoying.
Toward the middle of the afternoon we reached Man- sura, where the enemy finally gave way and retreated. Shortly after passing Mansura, we descended a bluff in- to the Atchafalaya bottoms, and soon reached the banks of Bayou De Glaize, when the soldiers, crazy with thirst, without waiting for an order to halt, broke ranks, rushed to the water and drank their fill. After march- ing a few miles further we encamped for the night in a small opening near the bayou.
May 17th we continued our march towards Simsport, our road following the general course of the Bayou De Glaize. At noon our brigade halted very near a set of plantation buildings, one of which was a large tobacco shed containing most of the previous year's crop of to- bacco, still on the stalk. It was, of course, soon discov- ered, and as most of the smokers in the Thirteenth had but a small stock of the weed, they improved the op-
93
STORY OF THE MAINE THIRTEENTH.
portunity to renew their supply. The two lines of sol- diers going into and out of the shed bore a striking re- semblance to a colony of ants robbing a sugar-bowl ; each man bringing out an armful of the tobacco which was soon stripped from the stalks and wrapped up for future use. In one of the buildings of the same planta- tion were found hidden about twenty barrels of salt meat. From the amount, and from its being concealed, the soldiers thought it must be Confederate commissary stores ; but how it was disposed of I am unable to say.
About the middle of the afternoon we came to Yel- low Bayou ; on the west side of which was a very heavy breastwork, which the rebels had built facing towards the bayou, but which had just been turned by a regi- ment of colored engineers so as to face the other way. We crossed the bayou on a short pontoon bridge, and in about an hour reached the Atchafalava at Simsport and went into camp. The next day the Thirteenth re- mained in camp ; but most of the day we were kept ready to fall in at a moment's notice, as A. J. Smith's men and the cavalry were having a sharp fight with the en- emy at Yellow Bayou ; but they repulsed them without our assistance. May 19th the regiment was ferried across the Atchafalva on the steamer Marmora, marched about half a mile and went into camp again. Near where we crossed was one of the largest pontoon bridges built during the war. It was composed of twenty-two Mississippi steamers placed side by side and connected by their gang planks. This and an ordinary pontoon bridge were used for crossing the cavalry, artillery and trains, while the infantry were ferried across by other steamers.
On the 20th we remained in camp till 7 P. M. when. the army having all crossed, we broke camp and march- ed about twelve miles, going into bivouac about one o'clock the next morning. About half past six A. M .. we started again, and after marching about twenty
94
STORY OF THE MAINE THIRTEENTH.
miles, encamped near the bank of the Mississippi. Dur- ing most of the day our route was along the bank of Old River, an ancient channel of the Mississippi, now a long, narrow, crooked lake. May 22nd we marched four miles down the river and went into camp at Morgauzia, where we remained until the 19th Corps was ordered to Virginia.
Since leaving Berwick, March 7th, the regiment had been on the march forty days, and had marched en route considerably over five hundred miles, besides all its travel on picket and other detached service ; it had tak- en an active and honorable part in the battles of Sabine Cross-roads and Pleasant Hill, and had been under ar- tillery fire at Cane River Crossing and Mansura. It had endured its full share of the hardships, exposures and dangers of the campaign. and at all times had per- formed its duty to the satisfaction of its brigade and di- vision commanders. General Orders, dated Nov. 22nd, 1864, gave the regiment permission to inscribe the names of the first three of the above battles on its col- ons ; but, for some reason, Mansura was not put on the flag of any of our infantry regiments, although they were under fire for several hours.
At Morganzia the troops were mostly encamped be- tween the levee and the river, the camp extending along the river a distance of over two miles. The camp of the Thirteenth being located where a growth of heavy timber had been cut and the stumps were standing thickly over the ground, an immense amount of labor was performed during the first few days, clearing out the stumps and smoothing the ground, but it was at last finished ; then the tents were placed in line and the whole camp arranged in regular order. The shelter tents were placed on stakes high enough from the ground to make room for bunks; a large part of our camp was shaded with boughs, and in all ways the men tried to make themselves as comfortable as possible.
·
95
STORY OF THE MAINE THIRTEENTH.
Danger being over, the sutlers came to the front with heavy stocks, and the soldiers, extravagantly in some cases, indulged in fancy cakes, canned goods and other rarities. A surprising number of empty tin cans ac- cumulated near our camp and were frequently used as substitutes for snowballs, making a great amount of noise but hurting no one. Bathing in the river became the daily practice of most of the men.
New clothing was issued, the damages of the cam- paign were repaired as fast as possible, and the army put in condition for other service. Drilling was renew- ed to some extent, but as the heat was excessive, the movements most practiced by the Thirteenth were those which required but little active exertion. There were several reviews and general inspections ; the Thirteenth not being excelled by any other regiment in accuracy of marching, and skill in the manual of arms. Some fatigue duty had to be done, but after the camp-ground had been put in good order, the amount was not large
The health of the regiment while at Morganzia was generally good. Soon after our arrival there was one case of small-pox in the regiment, but it was so quickly discovered and isolated, the disease did not spread. Only a few times during the six weeks of our stay was there any service to vary the monotony of camp-life. In one instance the regiment want out as infantry sup- port of some cavalry making a reconnoisance ; being gone from camp two days, but doing nothing except marching. At another time we went as guard for a for- age train to Fansee Riviere, a little French village sit- uated a few miles back of Point Coupee on the shore of a lake, once the channel of the Mississippi, returning to camp before night. Toward the last of June there be- gan to be rumors of some movement, and July Ist. the regiment received orders to prepare to embark for New Orleans.
96
STORY OF THE MAINE THIRTEENTHI.
CHAPTER VIII.
"Down in Old Virginny."
Oh country, marvel of the earth! Oh realm to sudden greatness grown! The age that gloried in thy birth, Shall it behold thee overthrown? Shall traitors lay that greatness low? No, land of Hope and Blessing, No!
* * *
And they who founded, in our land, The power that rules from sea to sea, Bled they in vain, or vainly planned . To leave their country great and free? Their sleeping ashes, from below, Send up the thrilling murmur, No!
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.