USA > Maine > The story of one regiment; the Eleventh Maine infantry volunteers in the war of the rebellion > Part 17
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After marching from point to point during the day, towards night we halted in a piece of pine woods and made supper. About dark we fell in again, and marched forward about three-quarters of a mile, then went on picket, part of the regiment standing post, and part acting as a reserve. The only sound of the enemy we heard during the day was towards snuset, when we heard cannon- ading and musketry-firing far on our left, in the direction of the Appomattox. During the night there was desultory picket-firing. When the morning of the 7th of May broke, Newcomb found that the reserve was bivouacking in a beautiful grove of tall, slender pines, interspersed with oaks and other umbrageous trees. "It is a treat to behold such scenery after passing seven months on the verdureless and treeless sand stretch of Morris Island," he wrote.
The foragers were out as soon as a halt was made, with the result that our regimental larder was quickly stocked with plenty of pigs, fowls, eggs, and other catable things. As the section of coun- try we were now in had not been occupied by a hostile army, its pens, coops, and storehouses were rich with pigs, poultry, and bacon. And we held the advance. First come, first served, is the rule in foraging, as in everything else in this world. We helped ourselves with a thoroughness that left little for those coming after us. Strange were the dishes that resulted from these forays. I particularly remember a " plum duff" our fellows made out of
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OPERATIONS BEFORE BERMUDA HUNDRED.
plundered flour and raisins. They boiled these, with a seasoning of sugar, in a camp kettle, making a sort of hasty pudding. It would have been better than it was had we not been ordered to march away before it was thoroughly cooked ; but, such as it was, it went with tolerable palatableness.
Abont nine o'clock in the forenoon of May 7th, we were relieved by the Eighty-fifth Pennsylvania. We marched back towards the rear until we came to where trees were felled along the road, across which was a rifle pit. Here we halted, and remained until about half-past two o'clock, when orders came for us to get into light marching order. We piled our knapsacks and detailed a guard for them, but did not march until after sundown. In the meantime we heard heavy cannonading and musketry-firing towards the front. When we moved we went but a short distance, taking posi- tion behind another rifle pit, where we remained for the night, sleeping on our arms.
On the morning of the 8th of May, seven companies of the regiment went on fatigue duty, felling trees. Nowcomb noted that we seemed to be already preparing a line of extensive forti- fications, and shrewdly remarks that " things do not seem to be in a very prosperous condition when two corps, numbering 40,000 men, are obliged to act on the defensive so carly in the cam- paign." The intrenchments now begun finally extended all the way across the neck of the Bermuda Hundred peninsula, from river to river, a distance of three miles. Beyond these works, com- posed of heavy parapets connecting formidable batteries, all behind strong abatis, the outposts occupied a lightly intrenched line. In the afternoon of the 8th a canip was laid ont in the rear of the works by the companies with the colors, and, the fatigue com- panics coming in, tents were pitched. This camp ground was occupied by us while we remained at Bermuda Hundred.
We were turned out at three o'clock in the morning of the 9th of May, and received light marching orders. We left camp at daybreak, and, marching outside the works, halted and stacked arms. About seven o'clock we fell in again, and marched four miles towards the front, when we reached the railroad, and re- ported to Colonel Howell, of the Eighty-fifth Pennsylvania, to whose brigade we were attached for the day. We marched with this command towards Chester Station. Arriving at the station, we found other troops already there, and a company of engineers
12
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engaged in taking up the rails, burning the ties, and destroying the telegraph. After marching hither and yon, we recrossed the turnpike and marched back towards our intrenchments, reaching the picket lines at Warebottom Church about four o'clock in the afternoon. Here we halted and rested for a while, finding springs of excellent water in the ravine by the church-a ravine that extends from this point to the James River, deepening and widen- ing as it flows. Part of the return march had been made at a greater pace than the great heat of the day (Maxfield's diary notes it as 110° in the shade) warranted, with the consequence that many men were overcome by heat and exhaustion, and that all of us were thoroughly tired out. At sundown we moved to the left of the church, and went into bivouac as a picket reserve, sleeping on our arms. There was an alarm in the night, and the men fell into line without orders ; but nothing came of it, although there was some firing on our left.
Soon after daylight of May 10th, heavy firing began on our right, increasing in intensity until batteries to the rear and right opened ; then the 'musketry died away. By one o'clock in the afternoon all was still again. During this affair the four left com- panics were ordered to the extreme front, but soon returned to the colors. At sundown we returned to camp, and slept until three o'clock in the morning, when we were turned out to stand in line until daylight.
About noon of May 11th we went on picket at Warebottom Church, and along the ravine. The rebel cavalry hung on our flank and front all day, occasioning some skirmishing. It rained in the afternoon, and all night. There was considerable picket firing during the night. The rebels were so near our picket line that they could be heard shouting and talking. The orders " Halt !" "Front !" were clearly heard, and so often as to give us the idea that they were massing near us. We expected an attack at daybreak surely, and were all on the alert long before that, but 'reveille sounded in the camps without any movement having been made against us.
About seven o'clock in the morning of May 12th troops of the Eighteenth Corps-infantry, artillery, aud cavalry -- began to pass from the left across our front. We held our position during the day. There were several heavy showers. We were relieved at dark in the midst of a heavy downpour by the Sixty-seventh
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Ohio, and, returning to camp, turned in, wet as we were, to sleep as we could.
The first stage of our movement against Richmond was now completed, with Petersburg yet untaken. Indeed, we had not yet made anything like an attempt to capture it. The second stage was about to begin-the attempt on the works extending from Drury's Bluff. On the 9th of May Generals Gillmore and Smith proposed to General Butler that a ponton bridge be thrown across the Appomattox at night, and Petersburg be taken by assault in the early morning. But General Butler was anxious to move directly on Richmond, apparently not doubting his ability to capture the great prize. Arranging to leave General Ames at Port Walthall Junction to keep the Confederates in Petersburg from sallying out and falling on his rear, he began a forward movement on the 12th of May.
Smith's corps moved out and crossed the front of our picket line to take position on the right, Gillmore's corps holding the left. The movement, virtually unopposed by the enemy, was com- pleted at night, the right of Smith's corps resting on the James and under cover of the gunboats, while the left of Gillmore's rested on Proctor's Creek, and was covered by Kautz's cavalry force. As soon as the advance should be made, Kautz was to cut loose from the infantry and raid the Confederate southern com- munications, to prevent reinforcements reaching Beauregard (who commanded in our front) before he should be crushed, as it was confidently expected he could be.
When we landed at Bermuda Hundred the morning of the 6th of May, the Confederate forces available to oppose us consisted of but one infantry regiment, with some artillery, statioued in Petersburg, and a part of Clingman's brigade that was stationed on the Blackwater to oppose any raid that might be made from Norfolk or Suffolk. These troops were under command of Gen- eral Pickett, whose headquarters were in Petersburg. On hearing from his scouts that Butler's transports were moving up the James River, Pickett immediately telegraphed General Beaure- gard, and hastily drew all his outlying force into Petersburg, leaving Kautz's cavalry advance by way of the Blackwater unop- posed. This cavalry officer made a circuit and cut the Confeder- ate communications so far as he could, and rejoined the army at City Point.
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Some time before we landed at Bermuda Hundred, General Beauregard had been transferred from South Carolina, and given command of the Department of North Carolina and Virginia, comprising the State of North Carolina and that part of Virginia that lies south of the Jantes and the Appomattox. At the time of our landing he was at Weldon, N. C., where he was observing, rather than directing, a Confederate movement against Newbern, under General Hoke. He says that he had no faith in this movement, which was a War Department one, nor did he believe that the Union troops concentrating at Yorktown and Gloucester Point were to be moved up the peninsula, he having the possi- bilities of a movement by way of the James in his mind. Receiv- ing Pickett's telegram, he hastened to Petersburg, after sending telegrams in all directions to concentrate bis scattered forces at that point. Fortunately for the Confederates, Hagood's South Carolina brigade had been ordered to Richmond, and was en route, and part of it was halted at Petersburg in time to aid Pickett in opposing our movement of the 6th of May on Port Walthall Junction. The firing we heard on our left toward sun- set of that day, cannonading and musketry, was the sound of this little engagement. The other regiments of Plaisted's brigade were engaged in the affair, the Hundredth New York losing sev- eral men killed and wounded. And on the 7th of May it was Hagood's brigade that hold the ground against our troops. By another day reinforcements were pouring into Petersburg from North Carolina, others following from even so far south as Florida. But the Confederate force was not strong enough vet to prevent our moving out on the 9th and destroying the railroad from Swift Creek to Chester Station, a distance of about six miles. It was in this movement that we were attached to How- ell's brigade.
On the 10th the Confederate General Ransom, commanding their advance line before Drury's Bluff, moved down to support Beauregard with two brigades, but, meeting our troops, was repulsed after a sharp engagement. This occasioned the firing we heard during the forenoon of the 10th. The 11th of May there was little aggressive work on either side, our forces making ready for the advance, and Beauregard, anticipating it, moving his forces into the Drury's Bluff intrenchments, leaving General Whiting with a force at Petersburg. On the 12th, as we have seen,
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OPERATIONS BEFORE BERMUDA HUNDRED.
our army moved out and took an unopposed position before the Confederate line of defenses.
At about nine o'clock in the morning of the 13th of May our · regiment fell in, and marched to the front in company with the Sixth Connecticut. We marched by a road near the James that finally brought us to the turnpike. Here we halted, and Gen- eral Butler and staff passed us. Butler gave orders for our regi- ment to move up the pike to the front, and report to General Burnham. When we reached the front we found the skirmishers engaged, and we were soon under fire. Reporting to General Burnham, he ordered us to take position in a piece of wood. We did so, and remained there for the day, all the time under a heavy fire. During the day the rebels charged to our left, driving the skirmishers in, but were easily repulsed. They did not attack our immediate front. Companies K and I, with volunteers from other companies, went out as skirmishers. Lieutenant Brannen, of Company I, was soon mortally wounded. Newcomb reports of Brannen that "he was pushing his line forward, and had reached a clearing in which there was a house that was occupied by the rebels. In urging bis men against this position he exposed himself and was shot down, dying a few hours later. Private Charles P. Milton, of Company B, a volunteer skirmisher, was killed at the same time that Brannen fell." Lieutenant William Brannen was a brave and enterprising officer, and his loss was a serious one to his company and regiment. Sharp fighting was kept up all day.
We lay on our arms all night in our position with Burnham's brigade. Heavy firing continued on the picket lines. About midnight this picket fighting grew to such dimensions that the regiments were roused in anticipation of an attack.
The official record of this day, the 13th, is that Smith crossed Proctor's Creek and advanced along the pike to within cight hun- dred yards of the enemy's lines of intrenchments, which were here in the open ground. and held by infantry and artillery. So strong was the line that Smith reported to General Butler that if held in force it could not be carried by assault. General Gill- more in the meantime had, as directed by General Butler, marched to the left, to turn the right of the intrenehments on the head of Proctor's Creek. The enemy was in force there, their right on Wooldridge Hill, a commanding position half a mile beyond the
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railroad. Terry attacked unsuccessfully, and while preparing for a second attack the enemy abandoned their line, pushing down towards Drury's Bluff. Gillmore pressed them until dark and took a mile of their works.
In the early morning of the 14th of May the pickets were called · in, and about eight o'clock our regiment moved a mile or so to the left, passing through the lines of rebel works they had abau- doned the day before. We were shelled by a rebel battery during this march. We finally halted in the edge of a strip of woods, and found ourselves attached to Barton's brigade of Turner's divi- sion for the day. It rained quite hard in the forenoon, and the regiment lay inactive in such shelter as it could find. There was heavy musketry-firing on the skirmish line, which was nearly as strong as a line of battle. In the afternoon Company B went on the skirmish line. Lieutenant Newcomb, of C, went with it by request of Lieutenant-Colonel Spofford. He found that most of the firing came from troops on the right of B, and says that they seemed to load and fire as fast as possible, without stopping to take aim. Captain Baldwin ordered the men of B to reserve their fire until they could see something to aim at. The rebels soon began to shell the woods our skirmishers were engaged in, and finally made a weak charge on the line to the left of B, which was met and repulsed by the Third New York with a counter charge that gained several rods of ground, and enabled the skir- mish line to move forward. Late in the afternoon B was relieved by K. Soon after B had returned to the regiment, Companies C, E, F, and HI were ordered to the skirmish line. After a desultory skirmish fight which lasted until nine o'clock in the evening, the skirmishing companies returned to the regiment, and it went into bivouac for the night. We now held about two and one half miles of the enemy's outer line of works.
Early on the morning of the 15th of May the regiment marched to the left, and halted in a field, and near General Terry's head- quarters. We had now returned to our brigade. An assault of the enemy's intrenchments had been ordered for the morning, but was abandoned for the want of disposable troops to form a column of attack. There were showers during the day. There was skir- mishing along the front of the lines, with now and then a heavy artillery fire. We lay in the fieldl until dusk, when we fell in and marched a mile to the left, crossing the railroad. We took posi-
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tion on a hill, where were abandoned rebel rifle pits around a house. The regiment stacked arms in the rear of these pits, and during the night the companies relieved each other in digging rifle pits on the crest of the hill. The idea we had gained was that we were on the extreme left, were covering the railroad, and that we were probably to be attacked in the early morning. We determined that the enemy should find us occupying a strong and well-fortified position. Little picket firing was heard during the night.
The Confederate authorities in Richmond were so thoroughly frightened by Butler's proximity to the city that they gave Gen- cral Beauregard all possible assistance in mustering an army to its defense. All the troops that could be spared from North and South Carolina had been rushed through by rail, and were now under his command. The result was that, while we had been slowly moving out from our landing place, Beauregard had gathered 17,000 men into the Drury's Bluff intrenchments, leav- ing at Petersburg, for its defense, 6,000 men, cavalry and infau- try. Butler's force before the Drury's Bluff lines consisted of about the same number, 17,000 men, and he had left 3,000 men in the Bermuda Hundred intrenchments, 5,000 at Port Walthall with Ames, and 5,000 at City Point with Hinks, while the cavalry under Kautz had now been let loose from the left and was raiding through the Confederate communications to the south of us.
It was understood in Butler's army that a determined advance was to be made on the morning of the 16th of May. But Beau- regard did not propose to keep on the defensive, and had made his plans to attack Butler on that very morning. At an carly hour he launched Ransom's division against the weakest part of Butler's line, that held by Hockman's brigade near the extreme right. His plan was to secure such a position on our right flank, and in our rear, as would cut us off from Bermuda Hundred, while General Whiting should move out from Petersburg with 5,000 mon, and fall on our connections. The attack on Heck- man was eminently successful, a heavy fog, though embarrassing to the Confederate movement, hiding it from Heckman until they were facing his front. This surprise took place a little after five o'clock in the morning. The result of it was the capture of Gen- eral Heckman, of his position, of several hundred of his men, and. five stands of colors.
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It was half-past six o'clock before General Hoke, who had been ordered by Beauregard to have his brigades assault our front lines at the same time Ransom's fell on Heckman, began his attacks on Smith's and Gillmore's fronts. He had been delayed by the fog in deploying his troops. He attacked Gillmore twice in quick succession, but was easily repulsed. A few minutes before the first attack was made, General Gillmore was notified by General Butler of the attack on Smith, and, as a countercharge, was ordered to carry the enemy's line in his front. Notifying Gen- eral Butler of Hoke's attacks on his front, and that his judgment was against trying to carry the enemy's intrenchments, General Gillmore was authorized to use his discretion in the matter. He contented himself with holding his ground for the time, and finding that General Smith needed support, he sent him what troops he could spare-four regiments, of which the Eleventh was onc.
After Ransom's column had crushed Heckman's brigade, the Confederate commander halted his line to readjust it somewhat before moving on. While he was doing this, attacks were made on Smith's front by Hoke, as on Gillmore's, and so threatening did the situation seem to Smith that he ordered all his advanced artillery, now nearly useless by reason of the fog, to be withdrawn. All the guns were successfully taken to the rear, with the excep- tion of "three twenty-pound Parrott guns and iwo fine Napo- leons." These fell into the enemy's hands, as the sergeant who was carrying the order for their withdrawal was killed before reaching their position.
General Smith, learning of the movement Ransom was develop- ing in the obscurity [of the fog, saw that it was calculated to threaten Butler's and his own poorly guarded artillery and ammu- Dition trains, and the Bermuda Hundred intrenchments, which he knew were feebly defended. He immediately ordered a retreat of his whole line. While falling back the fog lifted, and enabled him to observe his right, when he ordered the line forward again ; but the changes that had already taken place obliged him to recall his last order and move by his right flank to cover the roads leading to the rear. Thereafter all Smith's efforts were confined to preventing the enemy from getting into his rear, he falling back to cover his trains and the Bermuda Hundred intrenchments. General Gillmore having shaken off his assailants, and finding
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that Smith's troops were moving to the right and being informed by General Butler that the enemy was attempting to turn Smith's right, and that Smith's movement was to resist the attack, moved his troops along the intrenchments in the same direction, and ordered Terry's and Turner's divisions to attack the force that was pressing Smith back. These divisions were in motion to carry out the order, when General Gillmore was instructed to send all possible reinforcements to the right, as Brooks and Weitzel were falling back. And at ten o'clock he was ordered by General Butler to fall back with his troops, to move to the right and get in the rear of Smith's corps, now near the Half-way House, and clear the way back to the Bermuda Hundred intrench- ments.
The movements of the Army of the James after this were those of a slow retreat, the Confederates failing to follow up their suc- cess vigorously, partly owing to the disorganization of their forces and partly to an expectation of hearing Whiting's guus open on our rear. This officer failing to carry out his part of the plan of attack, no further concerted movement was made by the Confed- crates, and our divisions moved leisurely to the Bermuda Hundred intrenchments, easily beating off the desultory attacks of Confed- erate regiments and brigades.
Our share in this day's work was one of legs. When day broke, the world around us was all enveloped in fog ; but it hung low, a fine sky showing overhead. Shortly after daybreak firing was beard on the right. It increased to a rapid file-firing, and then the roar of a heavy assault was heard. We were now ordered to abandon our position and hurry back to the one we held near General Terry's headquarters the day before. We had barely reached it, when General Terry was seen running towards us, bare- headed and greatly excited. He called out, in a loud and unsteady voice, "What regiment is that ?" Being answered, he cried, " Go over to the turnpike, for Heaven's sake." We started along at a rate of speed only a little less than double quick. The firing was now very heavy, and the stragglers and wounded were moving and being moved to the rear. The regiments along the line of which we were hurrying were pouring in volleys. A rebel battery opened on our flying column. Regardless of its heavy fire. we reached a field near General Butler's headquarters, and reported to General Brooks, who placed us in position behind a gap in the
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line. We lay down behind a swell of ground, and waited the enemy's onset. But, as we know, he did not follow up his success. Before us, the remnants of Heckman's brigade were sullenly hold- ing the position they had fallen back to. On our Jeft front a regiment (Ninth New Jersey) of about three hundred men were retreating from the woods, but in good order and without haste, turning from time to time to deliberately pour a fire into the pur- suing rebels. On our left a regiment lay behind a fence in the edge of the woods. It suddenly moved back as if retreating, when the rebels rushed forward with a yell, whereupon the ap- parently retreating line turned and hurried back to the edge of the woods, and fired a heavy volley into the very faces of the charging enemy. As the last regiments of the retreating Union line came out of the woods, and began to fall into position along the line we were occupying, a battery in our immediate rear opened a furious fire into the woods before us, and the advancing rebels retreated to cover.
Our regiment was now ordered to move down the turnpike towards Petersburg, to reenforce the small force guarding our rear. We hastened down the turnpike, and, reaching our rear line, re- ported to General Ames, who placed us in position. But we were moved from one position to another until about four o'clock, when we lay in the woods along a creek, just beyond which was Whit- ing's advance. There was some smart firing on our left, but no advance was made along our front. We could hear the rebels shout and yell along it, but they did not advance, fortunately ; for, with our weak line, long front, and lack of support, we could not have held our ground against a determined assault. At dark our regiment was ordered to draw in the skirmish line and retreat to Bermuda Hundred, as the whole army was now safely bestowed behind the fortifications. Moving through the woods in a bright moonlight, weaving in and out of ravines, we finally reached the fortifications at about ten o'clock. We were informed the next day that twenty minutes after we had moved off the ground we had held during the latter part of the afternoon two strong bod- ies of rebel cavalry had joined forces on it, one coming from the left and one from the right. Ours was the last regiment inside the works, and tired enough were we when we reached our camp ground, having been on duty since Wednesday morning, and this was Monday night.
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