USA > Maine > The story of the Maine Fifteenth; being a brief narrative of the more important events in the history of the Fifteenth Maine regiment; together with a complete roster of the regiment , embracing the name of every officer and enlisted man serving > Part 10
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But Gen. Lee's brave cavalrymen bivonacked in line-of-battle in the enemy's immediate front -the wagons in the road and faced to the rear, as there was no clearing near by in which they could be " parked." Lee then again very clearly reported the situation to Franklin by a special staff-officer, to which, however, Franklin only mile response in the following very extraordinary messages : " Must crowd the enemy vigor- ously !" --- " Will send the 16th Ind. ! " (cavalry) -.. Will send Goodwin's Brigade!" (also cavalry) -" Artillery and all are up in good order; if wanted will reach Mansfield tomorrow !" (twenty miles away !) --. Will
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send infantry at any time if certain enemy is in force !"-" Smith is coming ou Grand Ecore road ; must help ration him !"-" Keep your train well up!" Lee had asked for bread and Franklin had returned a juiceless stone ! Nevertheless, late in the evening, Lee again and even more earnestly and formally, reported the situation, urging that infantry support be furnished, and also renewing the request that the wagous be taken to the rear. This urgent request reached Franklin's headquarters at about midnight, aud soon after this important reply was returned: "Gen. Franklin is in re- ceipt of your dispatch. He directs me to say that Gen. Banks is here, and by his orders a brigade of infantry will move to your support at 3 a. m. on the morrow."
The early morning of that memorable and fateful eighth of April found at Gen. Lee's temporary bivouac, Landrum's infantry brigade of the 18th corps, which had reported at about sun-rise. Lee at once threw out a strong cavalry skirmish line, placed the entire infantry brigade in line of battle, and at once opened upon the enemy, driving him from his position. and slowly pressing him back, about half a mile an hour, until noon, making five or six miles, and reaching a position within five miles of Mansfield and just beyond the clearing known as Sabine Cross Roads. The enemy con- tested every hill and were only dislodged by shelling with the artillery and flanking with cavalry and infantry. Lee's loss, as well as that of the enemy, was severe. The troops soon became utterly exhausted, and at noon Lan- drum sent word to Gen. Ransom: " My men have skirmished and marched through the bushes and thickets for eight or nine miles, making, in all, a march of fifteen or sixteen miles. They have no water and are literally worn out. Can you have them relieved soon ? Gen. Lee insists upon pushing ahead."
Gen. Franklin, it was evident, had made no plans for fighting on the 8th. if indeed he seriously contemplated engaging the enemy at all. He had assigned an eight-mile march as the work of the day for the infantry and their trains, the column starting out at 8 a. m. and going into camp before noon. Gen. Ransom's camp-and Franklin's headquarters at noon -were two miles in advance of Emory's. The Fifteenth went into camp in a shady grove by the road-side six or eight miles from the position held by the cavalry. But, from the reports coming from the front by special messengers riding at reckless speed, it was evident that the season of rest was to be very brief. At noon Gen. Banks and staff overtook Franklin on the road, and. after a hurried conference, he decided to push on to the front and view the situation for himself. About this time came Col. Landrum's appeal for relief, and Gen. Ranson: obtained permission to accompany the brigade to the front and see that it was used to relieve the exhausted troops of Landrum's brigade rather than to increase the infantry support. Ransom
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arrived on the field at about half past one to find that our forces had just driven the enemy across an open field and were shelling him from a fine position on a ridge occupied by the infantry and Nim's battery, and where it was thought best to await the coming of reinforcements, hourly expected.
Upon riding to the front Gen. Ransom was able to perceive two batteries and a large force of infantry in line of battle in the edge of the woods from one-half to three-fourths of a mile in front, with considerable bodies of in- fantry moving down the road leading to our right and rear. Gen. Banks and staff soon after appeared upon the field, and when made acquainted with the situation gave instructions as to the disposition of the troops, and hurriedly dispatched orders to Franklin to hurry forward reinforcements as rapidly as possible and to himself accompany them to the front.
Our infantry on the right of the road was posted in a narrow belt of timber dividing two large plantations, having open though broken ground in front, and in the rear cultivated fields which descended to a small creek and thence rose to the edge of the timber one-half mile to the rear of our line. Nim's battery was placed on a hill near the road, about two hun- dred vards to the left of the belt of timber, supported by infantry on the left and behind the erest of the hill, with open fiells in front. The bat- tery was supported on the right by seven infantry regiments and a section of mounted artillery. The cavalry and mounted infantry were posted on the flanks and rear with cavalry skirmishers deployed in front of the infantry. There were twenty-five hundred infantry in line besides the cav- alry, perhaps six thousand being the combined force. The kirmishing was quite lively, but there appeared no other indications of an immediate attack on the part of the enemy than that he seemed busily engaged in moving his troops on a cross-road, strengthening his left and enveloping our right. He evidently had from fifteen to twenty thousand troops. While quietly awaiting developments -- at about 4 p. m .- Gen. Lec was amazed by an order from Banks to so dispose his force as to move inne- diately upou Mansfield ! He rode to Gen. Banks and proteste l that he could not move ten minutes without bringing on a general engagement, in which we were sure to be overpowered. Banks reluctantly withdrew the order and again dispatched a staff officer to hurry forward the infantry.
Some fifteen minutes later the picket-firing became very brisk, and " the entire line of the enemy," says Gen. Lee, " advanced on our front and on our flanks and marched straight up to our line." Our forces at once opened with artillery, with cannister, and with musketry, and fought in line perhaps twenty minutes. The right of our line, five regiments, was advanced, bringing the enemy into good range, and rendering our firing much more effective. The enemy's first line was driven back in confusion upon his second line. but he recovered and again advanced, and so heroic-
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ally contested the position that when unable to endure our galling fire, the rebels halted two hundred yards away, dropped to the ground, and in that posture continned firing. Our line was unyielding on the right, but the enemy pounced upon our left with great force in a desperate assault, turn- ing our flank and soon crumbling our line at all points. Many of the battery-men and their horses were killed. Lee losing three guns of one of his batteries on that account. Having captured Nims' Battery the enemy were soon in strong force on the hill it occupied, and began pouring a most destructive fire upon the batteries and infantry of the 13th corps. Ran- som promptly ordered the batteries to the rear and to a new position, and dispatched Capt. Dickey, his assistant adjutant-general, to commun cate the order for the withdrawal of the infantry to the edge of the timber in the rear. But before that gallant officer could execute the mission he fell senseless from his horse, mortally wounded. Gen. Ransom. too, while as- sisting Col. Landrum in the re-formation of his shattered lines, under cover of the woods, was severely wounded and carried to the rear. Our line became thoroughly disorganized and broken into fragments in all directions. The rebels were now clearly the masters of the situation, very persistently following up their advantage, and crowding our forces back perhaps three- fourths of a mile, capturing many prisoners, and wounding and killing a large number of our men. At about the time Gen. Ransom was carried to the rear, Gen. Cameron brought the remnant of the 13th corps upon the field, Gen. Franklin coming with him. These officers ably assisted in rallying the troops for another desperate effort to turn the tide of battle, bat, unfortunately, they were too late to offer effective resistance to the exultant and victorious chemy, who. charging across the clearing with great impetuosity, and attacking in front and on either flank, carried ev- erything before them. A rash and bloody struggle of half an hour's du- ration ensued, Cameron's force temporarily checking the enemy's advance beyond the inner edge of the woods, and, with such as could be rallied of those previously driven in, putting in some very gallant work-until. com- pletely overwhelmed by largely superior numbers, they were all swept away in confusion and crowded back upon the impassable jam of wagons of the cavalry train, which so blockaded the road and woods that it was impossible to move the artillery or extricate mules, horses or wagons, from the perilous situation. All of the 13th corps artillery, the remaining guns of the famous Nins' Battery, the ambulances containing the wounded, and one hundred and fifty-six wagons Haded with rations and forage, here fell into the hands of the enemy.
A wild and utterly indescribable panie here ensued-a veritable " Bull-Run-stampede," excepting that here was infinitely better excuse for such demoralization than at the memorable - skedaddle " alluded to. Es-
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ery man seemed to strike out for himself, eager to reach a safe place in the rear as rapidly as possible ; and what with the riderless horses and mules, the overturned wagons, the wagons faced to the rear, to the front, and but partially turned abont, the fleeing cavalrymen, the frantic and riderless horses, the dead and wounded encumbering the way, the hatless officers, with drawn sabres, endeavoring to check the stampede, and the advancing and jubilant rebel hordes, pouring their hot shot into the panic-stricken crowd and rushing upon the "jam " with their glistening bayonets poised at a " charge,"-it was one of those very frequent occasions encountered in active service, when the bravest of soldiers might have been very glad to have exchanged places with the inoffensive babies at home-" and the girl babies at that !" ¥
It is but just to say, in passing, that at every point of this unfor- tunate and disastrous affair, Gen. Banks and staff and all the subordinate commanders most gallantly acquitted themselves. Gen. Banks, especially, was ever in the thickest of the fight, personally directing every movement, utterly reckless as to personal danger ; and when the line crumbled away finally he first haplored the soldiers to remain, and then, hatless and with drawn sabre, he made a desperate effort to rally the disorganized crowd for another determined effort to check the stampede. Lee and Ransom and Landrum were brave as lions. These officers commanded the forces which bore the brunt of the attack. Franklin and Cameron were at the front but a short time before the breaking of the lines, but did excellent service du- ring the brief but gallant resistance made by Cameron's Division, and also during the stampede; while Gen. Stone and other officers of Gen. Banks' staff. early on the field and actively engaged, are deserving of the highest praise. The brigade of cavalry guarding the trains also perpetrated an act of gallantry deserving of mention. Hearing the rapidly-approaching firing the commander, with most of his brigade, rode rapidly to the front, and, wheeling into line in excellent order, delivered a most destructive volley into the ranks of the rebels swarming the road. and afterwards falling back in as good order as was possible under the circumstances.
The " masterly retreat" was continued for more than a mile from
An eye-witness of this remarkable scene, writing to a Philadelphia paper at the time of its occurence, thus graphically describes this utterly indescrible affair :- " Suddenly there was a rush, a shout, the crashing of trees, the breaking down of rails, the rush and scamper of men. It was as sudden as though a thunderbolt had fallen among us and set the pines on fire. What caused it, or when it commenced, no one knew. We found ourselves swallowed up, as it were, in a hissing, seething, babbling whirlpool of agitated men. We could not avoid the current ; we could not stem it : and, if we hoped to live in that mad company, we must ride with the crowd. . Behind the rebels were shouting and advancing. Their musket * balls filled the air with that strange, file-rasping sound that war has made so familiar to our fighting men. The teams were abandoned by the drivers, the traces cut, and the animals rid- den off by the frightened men. Barcheaded riders rode with agony in their faces ; and, for at least ten minutes, it seemed as if we were going to destruction together."
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the point where the line of Cameron's Division was broken : the rebels following closely upon the heels of our retreating forces with a continuous and destructive fire, taking prisoners by scores and by hundreds, and easily " scooping in " artillery, wagons, horses, and other valuable property within their icach. to say nothing of the more serious damage inflicted in the way of the fearful harvest of dead and wounded left in the track of the pursu- ing army.
But, happily, the end was not yet! Though every detachment of the army that had preceded Emory's Division on the march (on the morn- ing of the Sth) had been separately and successively moved up to the battle-line, whipped, routed, and hurled back upon the wagon-trains hope- lessly demoralized, the veterans of the Nineteenth Corps were yet to put in their work !
CHAPTER XVIII.
EMORY'S DIVISION MEETS THE ENEMY AT " PLEASANT GROVE" AND GALLANTLY CHECKS THE STAMPEDE AND TURNS THE TIDE OF. BATTLE.
EMORY'S DIVISION TAKES A HAND. - HURRYING TO THE FRONT THROUGH A PANIC- STRICKEN MOB. - WE FORM LINE OF BATTLE AT PLEASANT GROVE. - A DESPERATE FIGHT OF AN HOUR AND A HALE'S DURATION. -- WE HOLD THE ENEMY IN CHECK. TURN THE TIDE OF BATTLE, AND ARE CREDITED WITH SAVING THE ARMY FROM DESTRUCTION. -- THE PART OF THE MAINE FIFTEENTH. - THE ARMY QUIETLY RE- TIRES AT MIDNIGHT AND TAKES THE ROAD FOR PLEASANT HILL TO SEEK A MORE FAVORABLE POSITION.
LTHOUGH the battle of " Sabine Cross Roads " had been " on" since early morning, and by noon the enemy had taken a position in Gien. Lee's front in great force and was clearly making his dis- positions preparatory to a general engagement, very little seems to have been done by our commanding generals in the way of meeting the emergency. As early as two o'clock in the afternoon-as will be seen in the preceding chapter-the rebels confronted Gen. Lee's five thousand men with an army of from ten to fifteen thousand -- and with Cameron's force but five and Emory's eight miles away ! Cameron's Division was not sum-
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moned to the front until the middle of the afternoon, while no word came to Emory's Division until after the enemy had attacked with his whole force and our little army at the front had been overwhelmed, as set forth in the preceding chapter. In other words, as Gen. Dwight states the situation, " our army stood dormant in the presence of the enemy " several hours, supinely allowing a force three times its strength "to completely envelope our little army," and finally to attack with crushing force, with no preparation to meet the assault.
But at about four o'clock mounted aides, riding at break-neck speed, reached Emory's head-quarters, with orders for us to " hurry to the front with all possible dispatch ;" the Division then being in bivouac in a pleas- ant grove some eight miles from the battle-front. Instructions accompa- nied the order to " take, if practicable, two days' rations and cooking uten- sils." We hastily gathered in a limited supply of " hard-tack," leaving the " utensils" and other useless appendages behind, with the wagons of the com- missary department ; and, in a surprisingly short space of time, the Divis- ion line bad been formed and we were " humping it." at a " double-quick" pace, for the scene of the conflict, making rapid progress so long as the road was free of obstructions. The Division at this time comprised three full brigades, aggregating about five thousand mon. Gen. Emory com- manded the Division, with Gens. Dwight and McMillan and Col. Bene- dict as brigade commanders. The order of march was in single column and by the flank ; our (McMillan's) brigade having the right of the Divis- ion line --- the Fifteenth being the third regiment of the brigade-line.
Only a few minutes after starting out excited aides-de-camp were encountered frantically appealing to us to " fly to the rescue :"-(though no swings were provided) alittle later the ambulance passed us, under cavalry escort, carrying the gallant Gen. Ransom* to the rear, severely wounded ; while some four miles out we met the advance-guard of the fugitives, gal- lantly leading the " masterly retreat " before referred to. And such a med- ley ! The crowd comprised a commingling of every variety conceivable -- negro servants and camp-followers of both sexes and of all ages and condi- tions, some mounted on horses or mules and others on foot, intermixed with the cavalrymen, artillery soldiers and carriages ant infantry of the army -- all combining in frantic efforts not only to reach the rear, or any
. Gen. T. E. G. Ransom, here referred to, never returned to duty in the Gulf Depart-
ment. He was severely wounded and at once procee led North, sending a report of his part in the battle from New York. He died soon after at Chattanooga, Ten. Though quite young he was really a brilliant officer, and universally beloved. Gen. Ransom distinguished himself to such an extent in Grant's Vicksburg campaigns, that in making up his estimate of his subordinate officers, in his " Memoirs," Gen. Grant says of Ransom : " Most of the briga le-comman lers (at Vicksburg) were equal to the command of a division, and one, Ran- som, would have been e qual to the command of a corps at least." The officers and soldiers of the Thirteenth and Fifteenth Maine were among Gen. Rans un's most ardent a imirers.
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place of safety, but also to benevolently share their demoralization and fren- zy with the advancing troops! Closely following the first " jam " came another crowd composed of disorganized soldiers of the cavalry and artil- lery, with wagons of various descriptions, ambulances, artillery appliances, loose and infuriated animals, etc .- all swooping, in a heterogenous mass, down the road and through the woods bordering the narrow highway on either side, completely obstructing the only thoroughfare, and of course rendering the march of our Division extremely difficult. Every inch of the ground was contested, and " right of way " for the advancing column was only secured by the most decisive measures-the fugitives, meanwhile, seeming very anxious to convince our soldiers that in pressing forward, un- der the circumstances, they were surely rushing to certain destruction !
To say that Gen. Emory became desperately cross at this critical juncture is stating it very mildly. He was as savage as an infuriated bear, and his conversation was quite sulphurous if not really profane ! But he grandly met the emergency. Ordering his " flankers " and the leading reg- iments to " fix bayonets" while yet on the march, and to use violence where necessary to open up a path for his advancing column, he very ex- peditiously worked his way through the " jam. " Officers vigorously bran- dished their sabres in beating the fugitives out of the road ; while the sol- diers firmly held their muskets, with fixed-bayonets, poised at a " charge ;" and by scolding and pleading at turns and a persistency and perseverance rarely excelled, we were finally enabled to push on, though frequently step- ping aside to allow an irresistible jumble to pass to the rear. As the " path-finders, " from our position in line, the brunt of this attack fell upon our brigade.
Soon, however, there was a more serious annoyance. The minnie- balls of the rapidly advancing rebels commenced to whistle by our cars and to drop about us, with quite disastrous effects. It was evident that no time was to be lost in getting into line of battle ! Indeed, under orders from Franklin, Gen. Emory had been for some time anxiously watching for a favorable position in which to form the Division line, and had really ad- vanced half a mile or more after being warned by the surroundings of the rashness of such a course, from sheer lack of territory upon which to make his change of front. But the rebel hordes were upon us, and further de- lay would have been fool-hardy.
Happily, and just in the nick of time, a clearing was reached-which af- terwards became known in the literature of the campaign as " PLEASANT GROVE, " and which, in the annals of Emory's Division, very soon became historic ! It extended to cither side of the main road, and on the whole proved a very favorable position. With keen perception of its possibil- ities and under a very severe fire from the enemy's advance, Emory skilful-
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ly brought his splendid Division into line, and with great celerity of move- ment. Himself posting the 161st New York across the road deployed as skirmishers some distance in advance of the position selected, the First Brig- ade was placed directly across the road, at right angles, leaving a gap, or " sluice-way." for the escape of that portion of the 13th corps which con- stituted the rear-guard of that detachment of our army and which had not. already gone to the rear. The Second Brigade (in which was the Fif- teenth) was posted on the right and a little in reserve, with the Third Brig- ade on the left. During the time occupied in the formation Gen. Emory was on the skirmish line with the 161st New York ; indeed, he remained there so long that when the formation of his line was completed and it was in order for the skirmish line.to be withdrawn, the feat was only accom- plished with great difficulty and with severe loss. The rear-guard of Cam- eron's Division-cavalry, artillery and infantry -- had barely passed through the " gap" in the line left for their accommodation, and the aperture closed, when, close upon the heels of the fugitives, and in large forec, came the jubilant and victorious rebel army. Our skirmish-line was quick- ly driven back upon the main line, and the rebels rushed on, apparently without the slightest expectation of meeting any more formidable resistance than that heretofore encountered since the line of Cameron's Division had crumbled to fragments and detachments, but which, however, had gallantly rallied and made occasional spirited stands all along the road.
The rebels were moving in three distinct columns ; and when within from eighty to one hundred yards of our line, Dwight's Brigade opened upon them a most terrific fire, which was steadily maintained until the rebels were overwhelmed and compelled to break and fall back. They ap- peared to be "t. under-struck " no less than bullet-riddled at their un- expectedly warm reception. Something had transpired not down on their programme ! Such vollies of musketry as they had just encountered could not have come from the retreating and demoralized army which they had số long had " upon the run," and still were rapidly pursuing ! Evi- dently fresh troops had come upon the scene, and here the enemy seem to have obtained their first intimation of that fact. Just at this juncture-a very fortunate coincidence -- Maj. Gen Banks appeared upon the scene. He was in full uniform, finely mounted, and, hat in hand, and sitting very erect, appeared as cool and self-possessed as if on a Massachusetts muster- field. He gracefully rode along the front of our line, in a very exposed condition. exclaiming, in his rich, eloquent voice: " The victory is ours ; the enemy is exhausted ; remember Port Hadson!" This episode of course in- spired great enthusiasm among the soldiers and evoked most hearty cheers all along the line, the fugitives lining the road, and, even far to the rear, ta- king up the refrain-an incident proving as inspiring to ourselves as it was
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unaccountable and suggestive of disaster on the confederate side of the line.
After the enemy's repulse in Gen. Dwight's immediate front and a brief pause in which to confer as to the changed situation of affairs, the reb- els re-formed their line and moved around towards the right flank of our position, where they were received with the well-directed and incessant fire from that quarter, and again repulsed with heavy loss. They then pounced down upon the left of the position, making three distinct and des- perate efforts to gain the erest of the ravine held by us, and which, carried, would have given them the roadl leading to Pleasant Hill and a position in the rear of our forces, which must have resulted most disastrously. Our brigade line ran along the crest of this ravine. with a sloping hill-side in our front and a valley beyond. The 13th Me. and 47th Penn. were on the Fifteenth's right and the 160th New York on its left. The enemy's assault upon this portion of the line was met by a concentrated and most galling fire from our entire Division line, the 160th New York being in a position to pour a most withering cross-fire into the enemy's ranks, with most effective results. The rebels' fire was sharp and incessant from the moment of formation, gradually increasing in volume as they begun to re- alize that they were now encountering " foemen worthy of their steel. " They fought gallantly, heroically, desperately ; but, though having a force largely superior to our own, they were unable to force back the line of Em- ory's Division a single inch from the position it had first taken ! The tide of battle had been gallantly turned, and the veterans of Emory's Division had clearly saved the army from destruction and capture ! * In killed and wounded this desperate assault had been very disastrous to the rebels --- the casualties on their side being at least double those sustained by us.
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