USA > Maine > The story of one regiment; the Eleventh Maine infantry volunteers in the war of the rebellion > Part 4
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CHAPTER IV.
TO THE CHICKAHOMINY.
The Pursuit of the Confederate Army --- Battle of Williamsburg-A Ter- rible Night-Going over the Battlefield-Colonel Plaisted --- The Chickahominy at Last-General Naglee's Reconnoissance to the James -Crossing the Chickahominy-Established at Fair Oaks.
IT was a fine May morning, that of the 4th, when we learned that Magruder had evacuated Yorktown the night before. We of the rank and file considered Magruder the commander of the rebels before us, though really General Joseph E. Johnston bad been in command of the Confederate defense since about the 14th of April.
Our army was in quick pursuit, Hooker, Smith, Kearney, Couch, and Casey following Stoneman's cavalry and horse artillery in direct pursuit, while the commands of Franklin, Sedgwick, Porter, and Richardson went on board transports and moved to a point on the right bank of the Pamunkey, in the neighborhood of White House Landing. The idea was that the other divisions should press on the heels of the cing rebels, and force them to turn and fight, while Franklin's & Amand should hurry to a position that would enable them to cat the rebel army off from Richmond. Franklin reached near the White House after some delay, landing the morning of the 7th, but for various reasons this flanking movement was not productive of the anticipated results, failing to disturb the Confederate retreat to any considerable degree.
In the early morning, of the 4th of May our brigade crossed the rebel line at Lee's Mills. Maxfield's diary : " Went across a creek in a ravine, both sides of the ravine covered with fallen trees, then we came to the rebel earthworks, which were strong." Newcomb's diary : "One man in the Fifty-second Pennsylvania was killed by the explosion of an infernal machine. We passed several in the road that were guarded. In passing one Confederate encampment, we saw several scarecrows that had been put up by the rebels." Morton's diary : " The rebels are retreating from before Yorktown and we are advancing, finding shells buried in
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TO THE CHICKAHOMINY.
the road to blow us up. One killed and five wounded of the Fifty- second Pennsylvania by this means."
As the different commands of our army moved forward, they converged on the road leading from Yorktown to Williamsburg, with the result that this road was soon packed with horse, foot, and artillery, all pushing eagerly forward, and without overmuch regard for rights of way. Company D held the right of the regi- ment, so that its members were pleased auditors to a conversation between Colonel Caldwell and the irate commander of a regiment. the Eleventh had unceremoniously displaced. The commander of the displaced regiment was evidently, by his manner and seat in the saddle, a regular officer, which then meant, among other things, an officer with large ideas of his own importance as a trained military man, and small ones of all volunteer officers.
" Sir," roared he, riding up to Colonel Caldwell, " how dare you march across the head of my command ?"
Without answering him, the colonel looked at him in his large, placid way, much as a mastiff looks at a snarling terrier.
"Do you know who I am, sir ?" yelled the angry com- mander, now doubly enraged at the elaborate indifference and the apparently studiul silence of our colonel. " I am Major So and So of such and \ "\h a regiment."
" And I," answerd Colonel Caldwell, smiling blandly, touch- ing his cap with military courtesy as he spoke --- "and I am Colonel John C. Caldwell, commanding the Eleventh Regiment of Maine Infantry Volunteers, and am quite at your service, sir."
Speechless with rage, and fairly gasping at the approving haw- haw we country bumpkins gave at the Colonel's answer, Major So and So backed his horse a little, turned him, and galloped away in as fnrions a state of mind as any gallant major ever rode in.
. The whole of this bright May day was spent by the infantry in marching and halting, while the cavalry pressed forward on the heels of the fleeing enemy. Towards night the regiments went into bivouac. Then the men scattered for foraging purposes. The inhabitants had mainly fled to Richmond, perhaps naturally, they consisting of women, children, and male antiquities generally. Mcclellan's report states that every able-bodied male of the Penin- sula was in the ranks of the rebel army. The refugees went hastily, evidently. I remember one honse from which the occu- pants had fled just as they were about to scat themselves to a
F
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THE STORY OF ONE REGIMENT.
meal, apparently, for the table was spread with dishes and un- touched victuals. Loading themselves with food and furniture from the deserted houses, the boys returned to camp. Maxfield's diary : " We stopped for the night eight or nine miles from our starting-point. Having left our shelter-tenis, blankets, overcoats, and knapsacks in camp, we had nothing but fence rails for shelter, and the night being rainy, we passed a somewhat sleepless night. Had it not been for our fires we must have suffered greatly."
My particular group of D slept that night on a captured feather bed, which we spread on the ground and fitted ont with sheets, quilts, pillows-all the accompaniments. But, alas ! the heavens opened and the rain descended, so that before morning our downy nest of the evening before was about as comfortable a sleeping place as a bed-tick filled with mush and milk would have been-a soaked, oozing, nasty mess.
In the morning we pushed forward in a heavy rain, marching over roads cut up by artillery wheels, and punched full of holes by the hoofs of innumerable horses. We very soon heard the Battle of Williamsburg progressing in front, while we, wet to the skin, plodded on our miserable way.
Let us see what Maxfield's diary tells of this day : " Leaving our camping place quite Early in the morning, we advanced two or three miles toward Aroaring cannon. We then halted in the woods, where we remake Al until in the afternoon, when our brigade was ordered to reinforce General Hancock. We arrived near enough to his brigade to hear it charge at about five o'clock. We marched three or four miles from where we had stopped in the woods, passing through fields, woods, and a deep ravine, above which was a strong, deserted earthwork. We stacked arms in the open field for the night."
As it is no part of our purpose to describe events in which we did not actually participate, we will briefly state that the Battle of Williamsburg was fought by Hooker's division of the Third (Heintzelman's) Corps, assisted later in the day by Kearney's division of the same corps, and by Hancock's brigade of Smith's division, and by Peck's brigade of Couch's division of the Fourth (Keyes's) Corps. Longstreet commanded the Confederate de- fense.
Ilooker attacked on the left in the morning, fighting against heavy odds until about noon, when Kearney reenforced him, and.
----
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later in the day Couch, who sent Peck's brigade into action. Hancock moved on the right, and finding the works on Cub Dam Creek entirely unoccupied (you remember the slippery pathway of slime leading through them-Maxfield's "deep ravine, above which was a strong, deserted earthwork "), and relying on Smith's promise of a brigade to support his movement, pushed forward into action. But for one reason and another, all immaterial here, Hancock was not reenforced until towards night, when General McClellan arrived on the ground, and ordered General Smith and General Naglee-three brigades-to push forward to Hancock's support, who was now heavily pressed. We moved forward rapidly and zealously, but before we could reach Hancock that brilliant commander had, by feigning a retreat, led the opposing enemy from their intrenchments into the open field, where with a few heavy volleys he stopped them, then charging with the bayonet routed and dispersed their column, capturing some five hundred men. We arrived only in time to witness the overthrow of the enemy and to give the victors generous cheers.
Taking position in line, we stood to our arms through a cold, wet night entirely without fire and ahnost without food, our nearly empty haversacks (furnishing us a very scanty supper. Maxfield wrote of this night " We stacked arms and stood by them all night. It rained & Almidnight, then the stars came out. We were wet to the sky, without blankets, tents, or overcoats, and were obliged to run about to keep warmn ; a hard thing to do, as the mud was several inches deep."
It was a night to remember ; but in the morning, the dreaded morning, when all that long line of earthworks, beyond which lay the old city of Williamsburg, must be carried -- in the morning our chilled blood was not only warmned by a brilliant sun, but by the knowledge that the Confederates had evacuated these intrench- ments too, and were still falling back towards Richmond.
The supply trains had been left behind when leaving the lines before Yorktown, and when enterprising wagon-masters did get their trains towards the front, they were compelled to give way to hurrying troops and artillery. It now became necessary to await the coming of these but lately despised trains ; for soldiers, to march and fight, must be fed, and you might as well try to get fight out of empty cartridge boxes as out of empty haversacks. A few days then were of necessity spent before Williamsburg by the
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THE STORY OF ONE REGIMENT.
Army of the Potomac, to rest the exhausted troops and to replen- ish empty cartridge boxes and haversacks. These few days were mainly passed by our men in taking a first sight of the horrors of war.
Not only our own wounded were there, but the enemy's as well, left behind in the care of their surgeons in the hurried flight of the rear guard, that had made the stand for delay at Williams- burg. Cut, hacked, shot-dead and dying-a sorry sight there was in the barracks Confederate troops had occupied during the winter, now used for hospital purposes. And out on the field was a worse one. Dead bodies lay where they had fallen, and as they fell ; some in the act of loading, some as if firing-those that. had been shot dead in their tracks. Others lay flat on their backs or were curled into tortuous shapes, staring stonily. How- ever hardened we became afterwards, the most indifferent by nature were visibly affected by the grewsome sights of the bloody field of Williamsburg.
To add to the horrors of the scene, the woods in which the greater part of Hooker's fighting had been done caught fire, blazing magnificently in the night, and every now and then the roar of an unexploded shell told us when the fire had reached it, and often the fusil ale of the cartridges of some castaway cartridge box would be heart It was rumored that many wounded were still lying in the reg h of the fire, and there were whisperings of the terrors of their position, but it became known later that the careful search of the ground the rescuing parties had made during the day had made it impossible for any wounded men to be left on the field of battle.
The 9th of May we were again on the march, but moved slowly, the roads being few and narrow. Of this day's march I find the following in Maxfieet's diary : " May 9th .-- Left our camp ground before Fort Magruder at half-past seven o'clock in the morning. We passed through Williamsburg about two miles from Magruder, where we had the distinguished honor of seeing General McClel- lan, and the pleasure of giving him three cheers. We advanced. ten miles farther, and stopped for the night in a beautiful wheat- field, and found plenty of water in a ravine near by. It was a pleasant day, and the road was good, running through a beautiful country. We had fifty-five in our company (C) when we started in the morning, and only twenty-eight at night; the rest had
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TO THE CHICKAHOMINY.
straggled." And in Newcomb's : " May 9th .- The day was a very hot one, and we marched very rapidly, halting but once, and then but for a short time. Many fell out and did not join us until the next morning."
Maxfield : "May 10th .- Still pleasant. We marched about . twelve miles and stopped for the night in a wheat-field."
The brigade did not move again until the 13th. Maxfield's diary : " May 13th. - Colonel Caldwell left us, having been made a brigadier-general. Lieutenant-Colonel Plaisted assumes com- mand of the regiment. We started at seven o'clock in the morn- ing, but as a great number of troops were marching it became necessary for us to lie by the roadside most of the time, so that it was two o'clock in the morning of May 14th before we reached New Kent Court House, a distance of only ten miles."
Our line of march was now about parallel with the course of the lower Chickahominy, something of which the marching column were not aware, we supposing that our objective point, which we knew to be Bottom's Bridge, was the nearest point on the Chicka- hominy. Through this ignorance much undeserved wrath was expended on the seemingly elusive stream. "How many miles to gaping negroes. miles, sah," would be the answer-the
the Chickahominy ?? would be the cry to a roadside party of "How many miles to
distance from the an ering darky to its nearest cat-fish hole. le Chickahominy ?" would be the cry to another wayside African, after an hour of marching. "Six miles, sah!" And then there would rise a yell of profane dis- gust, for how we could march steadily towards a river for an hour, supposing we were marching towards it, and yet be two miles farther from it than we were at the beginning of the hour stumped our arithmetic. The brigade remained at New Kent Court House during&May 14th, 15th, and 16th, it raining nearly all the time.
Newcomb's diary : " May 15th .- The companies were addressed by the new colonel, and told what was expected of each grade of officers." (As Maxfield was taken sick with a fever, and had to be sent to a hospital, his diary will not serve us for some time now.) Morton tells us that on the 17th of May we marched six or seven miles, bivouacking near Baltimore Cross Roads. He states, for May 19th, that we " camped near the woods," presumably at Balti- more Cross Roads. He notes for the 20th that a detachment went
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THE STORY OF ONE REGIMENT.
out from camp on an expedition in the forenoon, and for the 21st that the regiment moved forward about two miles.
General Mcclellan states that his advance reached the Chicka- hominy May 20th, finding that both Bottom's Bridge and the rail- road bridge a mile above Bottom's had been destroyed by the enemy, and that Casey's division immediately forded the river, occupying the opposite heights. McClellan also states that on the 20th of May General Naglee pushed a reconnoissance to within two miles of the James River.
My recollection is, that it was a reconnaissance of D Company and a piece of artillery that showed that the railroad bridge had been burned, and that we had a merry exchange of grape with the enemy's artillery across the river, here about forty feet wide, fringed with a dense growth of forest trees, and bordered by low, marshy bottomlands, varying from half a mile to a mile in width. Then, when Gent Naglee crossed Bottom's Bridge, D, with another company c. niantry and a squadron of cavalry, followed General Naglee for gome miles along a road that led through White Oak Swamp t. the James River.
We touched the enemy's cavalry but once in the reconnaissance, and quickly formed at a bridge to receive the anticipated charge. It not coming, General Naglee crossed the bridge with his cavalry, and charged the enemy, the General at the head of his little force, scattering the enemy in every direction but ours. We then marched on again for some miles, when the infantry went into position at a big farmhouse on a commanding hill, and General Naglee and the cavalry rode away towards the James River. It was said that they watered their horses in that river before return- ing to us, which they did in about an hour. We then made a rapid retrograde movement for Bottom's Bridge, marching back by another road ghan that we had taken in advancing, by this sharp maneuver escaping the attentions of a body of gray-coated gentlemen who had assembled at a point on our line of advance to give us a taste of Southern hospitality on our return march.
For May 23d Morton set down that the regiment crossed Bottom's Bridge near night.
McClellan states : " The rest of the Fourth Corps (Casey's divi- sion having crossed the river the 20th, according to his report) crossed the Chickahominy the 23d of May, under command of General Keyes." He telegraphed the War Department on the
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TO THE CHICKAHOMINY.
"Ist : "I have three regiments on the other bank [the Richmond bank] of the river, guarding the rebuilding of the bridge." As MeClellan seems to have given our brigade the advance, probably the regiments of our brigade, other than our own, were across the river, and were the ones referred to.
Our regiment was left encamped before the railroad bridge until the 23d, detachments of it crossing and recrossing the Chicka- hominy, on such service-fatigue, guard, or reconnoitering duty- as was placed upon them, as were detachments from the other regiments of our division not already encamped across the Chicka- hominy.
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General Mcclellan states that on the 24th of May General Naglee's brigade dislodged the enemy from the vicinity of Seven Pines, securing a strong position for our advance. The credit of the day belongs to the One Hundred and Fourth Pennsylvania, and to General Nonlee, who had a horse killed under him in the action. He gaint great credit for his intrepidity. I remember the pride with whi } we listened to the encomiums of the mem- bers of a Pennsylve fia regiment of Couch's division on the gal- lantry and daring with which Naglee led his men into the action.
McClellan also states that on the 25th of May, under cover of a movement by General Naglee, the whole Fourth Corps took up and began to fortify a position at Seven Pines. On the 28th his record shows that Casey's division was moved forward to Fair Oaks, threc-quarters of a mile in advance of Seven Pines, leaving General Couch at the works at Seven Pines. General Casey immediately began a new line of rifle pits and a small redoubt for six field guns to cover the new position.
We were engaged in constant skirmishing and picket service until May 31st, when the Battle of Fair Oaks was fought.
While the left wing had been crossing the Chickahominy, and advancing to Fair Oaks Station, the right wing had been pushing up the Peninsula by way of White House, reaching Hanover Court House on the same day we reached Fair Oaks. The extreme right was swung so far forward, as a contemplated feature of the campaign was that MeDowell should move from before Washington, cross the Rappahannock at Fredericksburg, and march to Hanover Court House, where a junction could be made with MeClellan's army ; doing, in fact, for MeClellan what Jackson did for Lee by about the same road a few weeks later. McDowell
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THE STORY OF ONE REGIMENT.
4
was at Fredericksburg, and had actually taken up his line of march for Hanover Court House, when the bold movements of " Stone- wall " Jackson in the valley occurred. Jackson swooped down on Schenck and Miles, of Fremont's corps, and beat them before Fremont could reach them with reinforcements, then united with Ewell to pounce on Banks, driving him to the Potomac. The result of this bold movement was that McDowell was turned back by the War Department, and Mcclellan was advised by a telegram from President Lincoln that he must not look for help from McDowell.
CHAPTER V.
THE BATTLE OF FAIR OAKS.
The Situation of the Divisions of the Army of the Potomac-The Rising of the Chickahominy-The First Day of the Battle-The Pickets- The Second Day of the Battle -- Colonel Plaisted's Report -- List of Casualties.
THE positions of the Union divisions on our side of the Chicka- hominy the morning of May 31st were as follows : Cascy's, extend- ing from the right of the Williamsburg Road, and at right angles to it, its center at Fair Oaks ; Conch's, at Seven Pines, to the rear and right of Casey's, supporting it ; Kearney's, along the railroad from Savage Station to the railroad bridge ; and Hooker's, on the border of White Oak Swamp. Those were the only divisions of our army that had vet crossed the Chickahominy.
General Kane in command of the divisions of Casey and Couch, Heiteremman directly of those of Kearney and Hooker (divi- sions of his own corps) ; but, as the senior officer present, Heintzel- man had command of all the troops on our side of the river.
Casey's line was covered by a six-gun redoubt and a line of riflo pits, both in an unfinished condition. Naglee's brigade, when in position, was in advance of this redoubt, its line extending from the Williamsburg road to the Garnett field. Spratt's bat- tery took position with Naglee's brigade. General Wessels's brigade lay in the rifle pits to the right and rear of the redoubt, and Gen- eral Palmer's in the rear of Wessels's. One battery was in rear of the rifle pits to the right of the redoubt, one battery in rear of the redoubt, and another battery was unharnessed in the redoubt.
During the day and night of the 30th of May a very violent storm occurred. The rain, falling in torrents, rendered work on the rifle pits and redoubts impossible, made the roads practically impassable, and threatened the destruction of all the bridges across the Chickahominy. So rapidly did the Chickahominy -- the drain of a vast territory - rise under the influence of the storm that on the morning of the 31st it was alinost impassable to troops
a Place
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THE STORY OF ONE REGIMENT.
and artillery. Its fords were flooded, and those of its bridges not swept away were submerged. The knowledge of this, and that the wings of our army were separated by the swollen torrent, led the rebels to advance with confidence to the assault that General Johnston had the day before ordered to be made upon our posi- tions in the morning of the 31st-ordered after a forced reconnois- sance had given him a fair idea of the positions we occupied, and the force with which we held them. Although their attack was intended to begin early in the morning of the 31st, the rebel troops were not in position until some hours of the day had passed, and it was nearly noon when the divisions of D. H. Hill, Huger, and Longstreet swept down on Casey's position " with a fury new to war."
The only companies of the Eleventh Maine in camp when the battle began were A, O; and F. The other companies were on the picket line, as was Colonel Plaisted, who was acting as General Officer of the Day. The companies of the regiment remaining in camp ( A, Captain Libby ; O, Lieutenant West ; F, Captain Hill) were led into action by Major (soon Lieutenant-Colonel) Campbell, a braveand intelligent officer. Colonel Plaisted reached the fio m the picket line soon after the battle began. and took com rand of the battalion.
The movements of the enemy, as reported by the officers of the picket line, for a day or two had shown that the rebels were mak- ing ready to attack, the picket fighting increasing steadily in in- tensity until, this day, it sounded almost as if a general engagement was in progress. And early in the morning of the 31st, men of D Company had captured Lieutenant Washington, of General John- ston's staff, at a point indicating that the anticipated movement was now on foot. So threatening were all the signs that General Keyes gave orders to have all his troops under arms and in posi- tion by eleven o'clock, directing Colonel Bailey, his Chief of Artillery, to have his batteries fully manned.
Scareely had the troops and batteries moved into position, when the Jeft of the picket line was forced back, and though imme- diately reenforced by the One Hundred and Fourth Pennsylvania, the pickets on the left broke, and fell to the rear of the One HIun- dred and Fourth ; and, the rebels pressing forward against the brigades of Palmer and Wessels. these troops soon melted away, leaving the left and rear of our brigade open to attack. Mean-
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THE BATTLE OF FAIR OAKS.
while General Naglee was holding his ground before the redoubt with all the vigor of his stubborn nature. He was everywhere, his gray eyes blazing with excitement, his strident voice heard above the roar of battle, begging, ordering, imploring his men to stand up to the support of the battery, which was hurling grape and canister into the advancing masses of the enemy. Nor was he alone in his efforts, for General Casey rode up and down his lines that day, bare-headed, his long gray hair floating over his shoulders, encouraging his men by voice and example to a heroic resistance.
About one o'clock General Casey ordered the One Hundredth New York, One Hundred and Fourth Pennsylvania, and the little battalion of the Eleventh Maine to charge. Dashing into the open field, these regiments pressed forward so vigorously as to force the first line of the enemy back, Spratt's battery aiding then by hurling shells over their heads into the rebel ranks. But it was of no use ; the left of the division line, with the reën- forcements sent by Couch, had now fallen away. Colonel Brown of the One Hundredth New York was killed, Colonel Davis of the One Hundred and Fourth Pennsylvania was wounded, half the men in action Hled or wounded, and the charging line fell back, pressed prosely by the enemy that Sergeant Porter, the left guide of the One Hundred and Fourth Pennsylvania, was struck across the neck by a musket in the hands of one of the rebel pursuers.
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