USA > New Hampshire > A history of the Eleventh New Hampshire Regiment, Volunteer Infantry in the rebellion war, 1861-1865, pt 1 > Part 12
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 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28
148
ELEVENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE.
hand and went to the rear, assisting in taking Major Chandler, of the Ninth New Hampshire, also to the rear. He was taken to St. John's hospital, at Annapolis, Md.
He was commissioned second lieutenant July 25 fol- lowing, and rejoined his regiment again September II, near the Weldon Railroad. At the battle of Pegram Farm, September 30, he was slightly wounded in the back of the neck, and seriously wounded in his left thigh. He was sent to the hospital at City Point, Va. He rejoined his regiment again November 14 following, but was unable to perform any severe duty for some time, his wounds not having healed. small pieces of bone con- tinuing to come out from the wound in his hand. Decem- ber 5 following, he was commissioned first lieutenant, and was mustered as such in his own company, I. March 9. 1865, he was detailed acting adjutant, which position he continued to fill until mustered out of service with the regiment. Since the war he has been engaged in the manufacture of shoes, and his present residence is Haverhill, Mass. And he is still proud of the fact that he, too, was a member of a regiment full of determined, fighting men, the Eleventh New Hampshire.
LIEUT. JEREMIAH D. LYFORD.
Jeremiah D. Lyford was born in Pittsfield, June 4. 1825, the son of Dudley and Anna Lyford. He received his education in the common schools, and in the academies at Pittsfield and Stratford Ridge. For many years previous to the war he was connected with the insurance business at Manchester. Upon the forma- tion of Company C he became its first sergeant, and upon the promotion of Lieutenant Joseph B. Clark to be captain, Sergeant Lyford was promoted to a first-lieuten-
149
JOSEPH A. MODICA.
ancy, receiving his commission May 1, 1863. He was soon after taken ill, sent home on sick furlough, and was never able to return to his regiment. He died at Manchester, December 9, 1864, leaving a wife who died soon after, and one daughter, who became hopelessly insane, and died at the asylum at eight years of age.
The members of Company C presented Lieutenant Lyford with a sword, belt, and sash, which are now in the possession of his brother, Rev. F. H. Lyford, of Con- toocook, who prizes them highly as mementos "of a dearly loved brother, an honorable man, a true and loyal citizen, a perfect gentleman, and a valiant soldier." Lieutenant Lyford participated in the battle of Freder- icksburg.
-
LIEUT. JOSEPH A. MODICA.
Joseph A. Modica was the son of Joseph and Achsa Modica, and was born in Boston, May 6, 1840. His father removed to Henniker soon after, and in the acad- emy there Joseph received his education. He was engaged in mercantile business in Boston at the breaking out of the war. On August 13, IS62, he enlisted in Hen- niker as a private in Company D, Eleventh New Hamp- shire Volunteers : was promoted to first lieutenant July 1, 1863, and followed the fortunes of his regiment, brigade, and division until the close of the war. He was mus- tered out of the service June 4, 1865. At the siege of Knoxville, Lieutenant Modica had charge of a body of workmen in strengthening the water defences of the city by the erection of several dams between the main and picket line. During the last campaign he served many months upon the staff of Major-General Potter, command- ing Second Division, Ninth Army Corps, and was appointed captain of United States Volunteers, by brevet,
150
ELEVENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE.
for gallant and meritorious conduct before Petersburg, Va., April 2, 1865. Since the war he has been a resi- dent of Chicago and Peoria, Ill., and of St. Louis, Mo., and is now of Kansas City, Mo. The larger portion of the time he has been engaged in railroad service, holding responsible and influential positions.
-
LIEUT. CHARLES DAVIS, JR.
Charles Davis, Jr., was the son of Charles Davis, and was born in Warner in 1838. He enlisted as a private of Company D, Eleventh New Hampshire Volunteers, August 16, 1862 ; was promoted to orderly sergeant of Company D, September 2, 1862 ; promoted to second lieutenant February 27, 1863 ; promoted to first lieuten- ant July 25, 1864, and assigned to Company B; after- ward transferred to Company A, promoted to captain of Company D. September 20, 1864. but not mustered for lack of men in the company : was severely wounded at Poplar Spring church September 30, 1864; and was honorably discharged from the service January 20, 1865.
After the war he became a resident of Chicago, Ill .. where he was for many years engaged in the express business. Lieutenant Davis died in Chicago in 18SS.
-
LIEUT. WILLIAM C. WOOD.
William Converse Wood, son of Moses, Jr., and Mary Porter (Converse) Wood, was born in Boston. January 24, 1839 ; fitted for college in the schools of Boston, and was graduated at Harvard college, A. M., in 1860. Engaged as a private tutor at Four Mile Branch. S. C.,
151
WILLIAM C. WOOD.
October 31, 1860. On his way he was arrested by a vigilance committee at Blackville, S. C., but was released. At Barnwell he was again arrested, and advised to leave the state, which he did. He enlisted as a private in Company H. in the Eleventh New Hamp- shire Volunteers, from Lyme, that being his mother's native place, and was made sergeant August 12, 1862. He was promoted to second lieutenant July 25, 1864, and on January S, 1865, to first lieutenant, and assigned to Company C, and was mustered out with the regiment June 4, 1865. He participated in all the campaigns of the regiment, was in some fifteen engagements, was wounded in the right shoulder in the charge at Peters- burg, Va., June 17, 1864, and was sent to the hospital at Annapolis, Md., where he received a furlough and visited his home. Returning to Annapolis, he rejoined his regi- ment September 5 following, and remained with it until the close of the war, ever ready to respond to the call of duty.
He entered Andover Theological Seminary in Septem- ber, 1865, and was graduated from it in IS68; was or- dained October 15, 1868, at Lanesville, Mass., where he was settled until April, IS70. He was then settled at Wenham, Mass., six years, until October 13, 1876, and at Assonet in 1877 ; was then two years at East Marshfield, four and a half years at Scituate, and then at Stan- stead, Canada, and Derby. Vt. for the year ISS4, and was three months at Washington, N. H. In 1889 he was appointed Instructor in Homiletics and Chapel Min- ister in Crescent Bay lay college. Most of his time for several years past has been devoted to literary work. In IS85 he received the second prize. two hundred and fifty dollars, out of 240 competitors. from Edinburgh, Scotland, for a Sabbath essay, "Heaven once a week." Some others of his works are " Jesus in the Talmud," "The
152
ELEVENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE.
Day of Heaven," " Five Problems of State and Religion," " Hymns and Hymn Singing." etc.
1
He has been chaplain in the G. A. R., of which he is a valued member, and also chaplain of the Massachusetts Association of New Hampshire Volunteers in Boston. and is an honorary member of the American Sabbath Union.
-
LIEUT. FRANK S. BEAN. -
Frank S. Bean was born in Kirby, Vt., in 1843. He enlisted from Enfield, August 12, 1862, as a private in Company H. Upon the organization of the company he was commissioned third sergeant. June 30, 1864, he was promoted to second lieutenant, and promoted to first lieutenant July 25, 1864; was assigned to Company I, September 23, 1864. He participated in very many of the battles of the war; and at Poplar Spring church, September 30, 1864, he was severely wounded, con- veyed to the general hospital, and thence to his home in Enfield, where he died of his wounds November 25, IS64, deeply lamented by the entire regiment.
LIEUT. SOLOMON DODGE.
Solomon Dodge was born in New Boston, May 28, 1836, where he resided, following the occupation of a farmer, until his enlistment into the service of the United States as a member of Company C. He followed the fortunes of the regiment, able for duty most of the time, until June, 1864, when he was for some months in the Division and City Point hospitals. He was promoted to first sergeant of his company, and on March 25, 1865, was commissioned first lieutenant and assigned to Com-
153
WILLIAM A. NASON.
pany E, being mustered out with the regiment June 4, 1865. He participated in all the campaigns, sieges, and battles in which his regiment bore a part, save the bat- tles of the Crater and Pegram Farm. Lieutenant Dodge was one of three who succeeded in capturing a large number of rebels at the Shand House on the morning of June 17, IS64.
After the war he became a resident of Vineland, N. J., where he remained seven years, engaged in fruit rais- ing. He then removed to Andover, where he has since resided, following the business of farming and lumber- ing.
LIEUT. WILLIAM A. NASON.
William A. Nason was born in Monmouth, Me. In early childhood he removed to New London, where he attended school until eighteen years of age. For sev- eral years he worked at farming, teaching school in the winter. In 1856 he went to western New York, where he remained three years. He went from there down the Alleghany and Ohio rivers on a raft of lumber to Cincin- nati, Ohio, where he engaged in the lumber business as salesman on the river between Cincinnati and Car- rollton, Ky., remaining winters in Cincinnati. In April. 1861, he enlisted in the Sixth Ohio for three months, but saw no service because the regiment was reorganized for three years. He remained with his old employers until autumn. He then returned to New Hampshire, where, in August, 1862, he enlisted in the Eleventh New Hampshire Volunteers, from New London, and was mustered into the service on the 29th day of that month. He received a warrant as third sergeant in October, 1862 ; as first sergeant, May, 1863 ; was commissioned first lieutenant November 22, 1864 ; and was promoted
154
ELEVENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE.
to adjutant of the regiment December 1, 1864, in accord- ance with the following recommendation :
HEAD-QUARTERS 11TH N. H. VOLS., PEGRAM FARM, VA., Nov. 23, 1864.
To His Excellency the Governor and the Hon. Council, State of N. H. :
I would respectfully and earnestly recommend Sergeant William A. Nason, of my regiment, to be appointed as adjutant of the same. There are now papers on file in your chamber in his behalf.
There is no vacancy in any company officers, and not only myself, but the officers and men of the regiment, desire that he be appointed as above. Sergeant Nason has for some time performed the duties of adjutant of the regiment, and has done them to the entire satisfaction of all. I hope you will take up his case immediately, and give it a favorable consideration.
I have the honor to be
Your ob't serv't, WALTER HARRIMAN, Col. 11th N. H. Vols.
On April 2, 1865. he was detailed acting aide-de- camp on brigade staff, and was mustered out of the service June 4, 1865. Lieutenant Nason died at East Cambridge, Mass .. August 18. 1890. He rendered much valuable service in the compilation of this history of the regiment. The following beautiful tribute is from his comrades, the surviving members of Company F :
The death of Comrade Lieutenant William Augustus Nason occurred August 18, 1890, a few days after his patriotic effort to attend the national encampment of the G. A. R. in Boston. The surviving mem- bers of Co. F, 11th N. H. Vols .. through their committee appointed Nov. 4, 1890, prepared and published the following
MEMORIAL TRIBUTE.
As comrades, we gratefully record our appreciation of his patriotic devotion to country while serving in extended campaigns and in posts of danger; his soldierly and gentlemanly bearing; his alertness and capacity in duty : his genial nature ; his brotherly kindness ; his ser-
155
FRANCIS H. GOODALL.
vices in preserving and publishing important military records ; and his patience and fortitude while bearing sufferings which hastened a prema- ture death.
We also kindly offer to the members of his afflicted family circle our hearty sympathy, and this tribute of our fraternal regard.
DURA P. MORGAN, CHARLES WOODWARD, RANSOM F. SARGENT, Committee.
New London, N. H., Nov. 4, 1890.
SERGEANT FRANCIS H. GOODALL.
Francis H. Goodall was born at Bath in IS3S. He entered Dartmouth college in 1853, from which he graduated in 1857; commenced reading law with his brother-in-law, Hon. A. P. Carpenter ; was admit- ted to the bar, and began its practice at Beloit, Wis .. with Judge Mills. At the breaking out of the war. he enlisted in the Second Wisconsin as a three months man, and was honorably discharged at the expiration of his term of enlistment. In August, 1862, he returned to his home in New Hampshire, and enlisted as a private in Company G, Eleventh New Hampshire Volunteers, of which company he was commissioned first sergeant. He participated in the battle of Fredericksburg. His health failing, he received, on May 10, 1863, a furlough, and returned to his home. He did not rejoin the regi- ment, but was honorably discharged from the service May 23, 1864, because of chronic diarrhea. He has been in the government service at Washington, D. C., since September, 1864, and for many years has been chief of a division in the Second Auditor's office, treasury department, fulfilling his duties in a very able and faith- ful manner.
In January, 1863, Sergeant Goodall was recommended
156
ELEVENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE.
by Lieutenant-Colonel Collins for promotion, and the fol- lowing recommendation was filed in his behalf :
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: This may certify that while the under- signed was in command of Co. G, 11th N. H. Vols., Francis H. Goodall was First Sergeant of the company, and, from the knowledge then gained of his character and attainments, I most cordially recommend him as honest, industrious, discreet, and absolutely reliable. As a sol- dier he was always ready to act, prompt to obey, attentive to duty, and gallant in action.
At the battle of Fredericksburg, both of my lieutenants being absent from sickness, I directed Sergt. Goodall to act as lieutenant, and in that position he fought through that terrible struggle with conspicuous cool- ness, ability, and bravery. As a soldier he always won my warmest approval, and was a prominent example of sober, intelligent, courteous manhood. Always, under all circumstances, he was a perfect gentleman.
[Signed] GEO. E. PINGREE.
Captain Co. G, 11th N. H. Vols.
SERGEANT JAMES H. MCALLISTER.
Sergeant James H. McAllister was an original member of Company F, and was with the regiment until the battle at the Pegram Farm. September 30, 1864, when he was taken prisoner. The following from his pen will be read with much interest :
"I remember foraging at one time in Virginia with Henry Nelson and Abraham Richards. We went to a farm-house, and were catching chickens in the yard when the woman of the house and her two daughters came to the door. They were all chewing snuff, and commenced calling us nasty blue-bellied Yankees, and said we had no regard for ' nothin' and nobody.' Nelson said . Yes, we have : I have a particular regard for that old hen, and I am bound to have her ; '-and we and our chickens went into camp very happy. I was in every battle with the
157
JAMES H. MCALLISTER.
regiment from Fredericksburg to Pegram Farm, where I was captured. At the blowing up of the fort in front of Petersburg, Va., July 30, 1864, Captain Locke was in command of the regiment after Captain Tilton was wounded, and, it being very warm and we suffering for water, I went to Captain Locke and told him I wanted to go for water. He said several had gone, but none had come back, and thought I had better not go. I replied that I wanted water very badly, and he said I might go. So I started with six or seven canteens. I took one from General Griffin and one from General Hartranft, and ran the gauntlet down to our old lines, got the water, and started back. The bullets were whizzing pretty lively. I had got about half way to the Crater, when some kind of a missile hit one of my canteens and knock- ed me down, but did not hurt me.
"So I reached the Crater all right with the water, and General Griffin said, . Sergeant, you ought to have a commission !' but on the 30th of September follow- ing I was captured, and was a prisoner five months. We were driving the rebels in front of us, but they came in on our flank and captured us near a house there, some from Companies K and G, and perhaps others of our regiment. There were about 800 captured that day from different regiments. We were taken to the rear about two miles, and guarded for the night. The next morning a rebel officer came riding out to us on horseback, half drunk. As he rode up he said, 'You are all foreigners; I would like to see a genuine Yan- kee! I said, .I am right from hum' [home] ; and he said, 'Yes, you are a Yankee,' and he added that he could see the blue stripe under my chin.
" We were taken to Petersburg, and were counted as we crossed a small streamn upon a plank, one behind the other, and were placed in an old stone building. I was
158
ELEVENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE.
placed up-stairs with a number of others. A window was up, and I tapped upon it. when a piece of glass from a broken pane fell down and struck the guard under the window. He immediately raised his gun and shot up through the window, but no harm was done. We remained in Petersburg a few days, then were taken by rail to Richmond and placed in Libby prison. After we had been there a short time, one hundred of us at a time were marched into a room where there were three rebel officers at a desk. We fell in in two ranks, and one of the officers called ' Attention "' and said ' All you men having money come forward and hand it over to me, with your name, company, and regiment, and when you are paroled or exchanged it will be given back to you.' A few of the men had given up their money when he said, ' You had all better come forward and hand over your money, for you will all be searched, and if any money is found on you you will be bucked and gagged and pun- ished.' He again called ' Attention "' and said, ' Prepare to open ranks to the rear : Open order-march "' and then said, ' Every one of you take off your clothes and lay them in front of you "' Then two men commenced at our right and searched our clothes, and took what money they could. find. When about half through, an orderly came run- ning up-stairs and handed a paper to one of the officers, and we were ordered to put on our clothes as soon as possible, and were then hurried out of the building, put on the train very quickly, and started for that hell on carth, Salisbury, where we were turned into a stockade in which were about ten thousand men.
" There were several brick buildings in the enclosure, but they were occupied by citizen prisoners from Ken- tucky and East Tennessee. We had one Sibley tent for 100 men. A great many of us dug holes in the ground for shelter : I was one of that number. One comrade
159
JAMES H. McALLISTER.
from Company K and one from Company G, and my- self, dug, with half of a canteen, a round hole about four feet deep, then ran off two drifts about six feet in length ; and these were our quarters for the winter of 1864-'65. We had no blankets at all. The soil was a red clay. There we slept, breathing that damp air all winter. When we had been there a few days we were divided into squads of 100 each, and one man of the number was appointed to draw rations for the squad. I had charge of one squad. The clerks would come into the garrison about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and make us fall in in two ranks ; then they would count us, and give me a ticket with the number of men in the squad. I would go to the cook-house the next morning and draw our rations. We drew meat just five times in the five months I had charge of the squad.
" Our rations were a small loaf of corn bread, the corn ground up cob and all, one loaf for every two men. At the start I used to divide the loaf between them, and if I happened to give one the least bit more than the other, I got a terrible cursing for it. But I soon fixed that. I called out the names of two men, and gave them a loaf to divide themselves. I lived on half a loaf of bread a day for about one week. I would take my oath that very many of the men were starved to death. The men soon began to get sick and die; and when the clerks came in to count the men for rations, I would have every man in the ranks if they had to be carried there; then I would lie to the clerks, and tell them so many men were gone to the rear, and so many were sick in their tents and holes, thus drawing from six to twenty extra rations daily after the first two weeks ; and these rations I divided among the three men who were in the hole with me, so the most of the time we had from three to five rations each per day. We were allowed but four sticks of cord-
160
ELEVENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE.
wood to each 100 men per day for fire ;- and to show how hunger will bring out the brute part of men, I must say that I have seen a poor fellow, sick and hungry, starved nearly to death on one ration per day, hovering over the fire, and have seen a fellow who was getting two or three rations come up and push the sick man over, and say, ' Get out of the way, and give a live man a chance to warm : you will croak [die] in a day or two anyway." Over one half of the men put in there when I was, died in the five months of our stay.
" About 400 of the men in the garrison enlisted into the rebel army while I was there, hoping to get something to eat and perhaps get back into our lines. The rebels would . take them out when too weak to stand it, and on putting them back again into the stockade, our own men would beat and kick them, and say, . Enlist in the rebel army, will you, you dirty dogs !' When we were exchanged, only about 2,000 of us were able to march the forty miles to Goldsborough : the rest were sent around via Rich- mond. We came through the lines at Wilmingon, N. C."
CHAPTER VI.
FROM DECEMBER 7. 1863, TO APRIL 7, 1864-KNOXVILLE TO ANNAP- OLIS-A WAR CORRESPONDENT'S COMMENDATION OF THE NINTHI CORPS-EXTRACTS FROM THE DIARIES OF LIEUT. PAIGE AND COL. HARRIMAN-BIOGRAPHIC SKETCHES OF COMPANY OFFICERS.
Monday, December 7, the Eleventh. in light marching order, together with the brigade, marched for Rutledge, thirty-four miles distant. On the 9th it arrived there, and remained ready for an advance or retreat until the 15th, when a retreat of twelve miles was made. The Eleventh skirmished its way into a gap near Lee's Springs, with orders to hold it at all events. The rebels made a sharp attack the next morning, but were repulsed. The weather here was bitter cold. Water froze in the canteens by the side of the men, and the men lived on cob meal, raw corn, and cabbage-stalks. At Rutledge, Lieutenant-Colonel Collins, Captain Locke, and Lieuten- ant Davis rejoined the regiment. Colonel Collins was immediately placed in command of the brigade. The regiment remained at Lee's Springs until January 16, 1864. The weather continued cold during all of this time, and the men suffered severely on picket : they- were hungry, ragged, and some of them shoeless, but they bore it all bravely, and even talked of joining in the movement for reënlisting at this time. Captain Tilton joined the regiment again on December 25. and assumed command of it, relieving Captain Cogswell who had been in command nearly three months.
On the 16th of January, 1863, the regiment broke camp at Lee's Springs and marched to Strawberry Plains, where a brisk engagement occurred on the 21st.
II
162
ELEVENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE.
About midnight of this day General Ferrero, commanding the brigade, notified his men that the Fourth Corps, in their haste to get out of the enemy's reach, had left two twelve-pound howitzers, and, thinking it would be a dis- grace to abandon them, asked his men if they would haul them to McMillan's station, a distance of four miles. The boys readily assented, the Eleventh having one and the Thirty-fifth Massachusetts and the Second Maryland the other. It was a heavy task, the travelling being very muddy and the night exceedingly cold. Seventy-five men were required to man the ropes by which each was drawn. The bridge across the creek just before reaching the station had been burned, and the guns were drawn down a steep bank and across the creek, the men wading through the cold, icy water. As soon as the deed was done, General Ferrero at his own expense had 100 pairs of shoes and six dozen overcoats distributed, as a reward for hauling the guns, to those of his men who needed them most. At the station the guns were loaded upon a car, and it was drawn three miles by hand. They were taken thence to Knoxville by horses.
But the rebels were close at hand. Several hundred of their cavalry were behind us, and on the right. The Eleventh brought up the rear. Some sharp skirmishing was had, and the troops fell back in fine style. It was the first time the men had seen a retreat in perfect order. They retreated in echelon. and for several hours held the enemy at bay until reinforcements were met. This was the hardest day's work the Eleventh had yet seen. It had been several days without much rest, and its severe night's work hauling guns, and an almost continuous marching and skirmishing all day long, told heavily upon them. For two days previous their entire rations had been four ounces of flour per man, and nothing whatever for the last twenty-four hours.
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.