USA > New Hampshire > A history of the Eleventh New Hampshire Regiment, Volunteer Infantry in the rebellion war, 1861-1865, pt 1 > Part 22
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
19
290
ELEVENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE.
defended the capital were seen in an almost unbroken circle around the city, with the old flag floating from their parapets in the golden sunlight. The city lay quiet in the broad valley, hugging the river, while the great white dome of the capitol glistened in the morn- ing's sheen, above the broad Potomac that washed the great valley, traces of which could be seen far away, shining like a mirror hemmed in by groves of pine. Below Long Bridge it flowed lazily along, its surface ruffled here and there by a steamboat or a slow trans- port.
Who of the veterans of that terrible war will ever for- get the name Potomac? I venture to say, Not one : there seems to be no word so deeply associated with the war, nor one that will live longer in the soldier's memory. When the eyes of the veteran, dim with years, shall chance to rest upon that name in newspaper, book. or map, his thoughts will most assuredly go back to the days when he soldiered in defence of his country near that hill made historic by the war.
Never will the veteran see the names Fredericksburg, Vicksburg. Rappahannock. Rapidan, and Wilderness without recalling memories of war days fresh to mind ; nor will the name Potomac ever appear in print, or be heard from the lips of orators. without bringing to mind those terrible days of the civil strife he experienced. when for four long years hostile armies encamped on either shore along the winding course of that noted river. Yes. we all remember that river .- as though it were but yesterday that our feet measured the miles of the shore when on the march ; when bristling bayonets gleamed in the sunlight, glaring camp-tires lighted the heavens at night, and great redoubts were thrown up through which black cannon and brass howitzers looked boldly and saucily. War letters have become household treasures,
291
ALEXANDRIA TO FAIRFAX.
and children love to listen to the story, and have even themselves learned to recount the exploits on the Potomac in the long ago. The green fields dotted with white tents. the troops on drill and parade. the clat- ter of horsemen, the roll of the drum, the screech of the fife that even now sets us all on fire, the dead silence of the night broken only by the sharp voice of the senti- nel on the lonely picket post. and the rush of the river over its rocky bed, are all reminders of those days which will remain forever in our memories. There, as on the Rappahannock. Rapidan, and Mississippi, upon grassy knolls under the trees, were made the graves of either army, and there they remain to-day, decorated each year by an unseen hand with the choicest flowers of spring. In countless homes " away back in the sixties " there were partings and tears : patriotic mothers kissed their boys. buckled on their armor, and with swimming eyes and aching hearts watched them out of sight to join the ranks of blue. Many of these noble mothers have long since passed away, but we can still hear their last pray- ers to God for the salvation of the country.
" He has gone, and I have sent him ! I have buckled on his sword. I have bidden him strike for Freedom, For his country,-for the Lord. Life itself is but a lending : He that gave perchance may take. If it be so. I will bear it Meekly for my country's sake."
Not far distant, and through the woodlands at our left on the banks of the broad river, was Mount Vernon, the only place in the state that escaped the ravages of war. Out of respect to the silent dust which reposed there. neither tomb nor mansion was defaced by vandal hands. not a tree, shrub or flower destroyed during the long
-
292
ELEVENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE.
and terrible conflict. The hero who was resting there. free from war's alarms, once drew his sword to establish the principles we were then battling to maintain.
On the heights just south from Alexandria, as the bri- gade was halted for a few minutes, I looked back, as far as the eye could reach, upon the mountains and plains of the free North, made free by our ancestors, who long before fought for liberty and right. Memories of Bun- ker Hill, Lexington. Ticonderoga, Yorktown, and Val- ley Forge, names of glory, deeds which once stirred the hearts of men, appeared before my vision. Long ago did our noble forefathers meet the foe on those historic fields : their names are written on Fame's glowing por- tal. In dying they bequeathed those liberties to our vilgiance and protection. As I turned from the inspiring view, the long line again moving forward, the beautiful, patriotic lines of our own dear poet flashed through my mind :
" Is this the land our fathers loved? The freedom which they toiled to win? Is this the soil whereon they moved? Are these the graves they slumber in? Are we the sons by whom are borne The mantles which the dead have won?"
When passing two or three of the forts that formed the outer line of defence at the extreme southern part of the heights, the troops stationed there came out and cheered us heartily ; they wished us good success in the great work before us. and earnestly hoped that our cry of " On to Richmond" might be more successful than the many which had preceded it. As they scanned the long, moving column, their faces seemed to betray the wish of their hearts, that they might go into active service in the field where they could experience something of a soldier's life, than remain there and guard the forts
293
ALEXANDRIA TO FAIRFAX.
which at that time were in no imminent danger ; never- theless, if they were left behind to guard forts, they did their duty as well as those who marched and fought in the field. Before summer was ended these troops, or most of them, were ordered to the front, where they very soon " saw the elephant" with all his fierceness, and, before September's sun arose, they doubtless wished from the bottom of their hearts that they were back on Arlington Heights guarding forts. In our front. and a little to the left of our line of march, stood Fairfax Sem- inary, then occupied as a hospital, and which from its high position could be seen for many miles : standing there as it did, it appeared to be the last outpost of civil- ization. Behind us the stars and stripes were floating as of old, while in our front hostility was arrayed against everything pertaining to the preservation of the Union, and even the ground upon which we marched seemed hostile : every person was an enemy. We moved on- ward with a steady step that meant business. The march was not rapid by any means : it was slow and sure. It was a little faster than that between Annapolis and Washington, but was not to be compared to our former marches, nor to those we were soon to see again. We were fast " closing up" on the army of the Potomac, then lying near the Rapidan.
This slow and steady march soon took us from the sight and sound of anything having the semblance of patriotism, and in three hours' time the spire of Fairfax Seminary was the last object which I saw within the U'nion lines as I looked back over the road whence we came. Ah! thought I, just what awaits us away in our front we do not fully know; but in the dim dis- tance we saw the first black clouds of the coming storm gathering, which ere long were to culminate in an inde- scribable cyclone of shot and shell, crossing of swords,
. .
294
ELEVENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE.
death at the cannon's mouth, and a general lighting of the torch of war. Let it come, said we; that's just what we enlisted for ;- and very soon all thoughts of war were forgotten. The day was one of the best. The sun shone quite warmly, although it was not oppressive. and halts were occasionally made that somehow gave the impres- sion that they would be less frequent and the marching more rapid as we neared the enemy. We passed many farm-houses occupied by women only, just as we had often seen them at other places in the state, especially in the fall of 1862. and as we had found them " away down Souf in de land ob cotton." From their windows they gazed upon us with a sour, unfriendly look, as much as to say, "You 'uns will catch it when you meet our army"-an expression often used by Southern ladies, and which many times contained more truth than poe- try.
As the tide of war in all its horrid forms had rolled past their doors ever since the beginning of the strife- first the Confederate and then the Federal army-the desolation it had wrought beggared all description. What the poor mortals subsisted upon from day to day God only knew, unless it was the air they breathed. The hen-roosts had long been a stranger to fowls of every kind; geese and turkeys had long before taken their departure ; cattle. sheep. and hogs had been driven before the bayonet to satisfy the hunger of both armies, until there were none left ; and as for raising any crops. that was certainly out of the question. as they would have been trampled under foot by both of the great armies. A little tobacco growing near the houses, and the Virginia creeper and morning-glory climbing beside the doors and windows, were about the only things I saw under cultivation. In many places the dwellings had been burned, and the owners were living in the negro cabins,
.
295
ALEXANDRIA TO FAIRFAX.
the darkies making their homes in the barns and what there was left of the out-buildings, or else had left . Ole Virginny" for the North. Words are inadequate to express the devastation we saw in the South, especially in Virginia. The sufferings and privations which the peo- ple of that state endured for four long years are terrible to think of. How they lived through it is more than I can tell. "Their country desolate and overthrown by strangers, her gates lamented and mourned, and she, being desolate, sat upon the ground."
The march during the latter part of the afternoon was on the road leading from Washington to Fairfax, over which, in ante-bellum days, the reigning belles of Vir- ginia rode in gay attire, with their dashing escorts, on fine saddle-horses. . The road was broad and smooth, very much like the Kentucky turnpikes, and was shaded for a long distance by maples, elms, and a few grand old oaks, which had escaped the battle-axe; and now and then a huge pine towered its dark green dome above its forest companions.
About six o'clock we reached Fairfax Court House, a village truly typical of Virginia, presenting a very untidy appearance. and which, like all villages in the state, had long been in the embraces of war. The ancient court- house, of curious architecture and where General Wash- ington once attended court. was the only object of inter- est that I saw. The few remaining inhabitants rushed to the doors, eager to see a corps of .. Old Grant's" army pass. They stood like so many stone posts, and gazed upon us with a cold, indifferent look ; but somehow to me their appearance indicated that they were consid- erably alarmed for the safety of the Confederacy. We made no halt in the gloomy, melancholy town nearly trampled into the dust by the feet of contending armies, but marched on a few miles farther, and encamped for
296
ELEVENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE.
the night to the left of the road upon the most uneven piece of ground that could possibly be found. There, with tents hastily put up but sufficient to protect us from the heavy dews, we rested from that day's march of the campaign.
PART V. FROM FAIRFAX TO BRISTOE.
The morning of April 28 dawned clear and pleasant, and the troops were early astir. Knapsacks were packed. and everything was put in readiness for the day's march. Coffee was made, and the few hardtacks that consti- tuted breakfast.1 disposed of. As we sat picking our teeth and speculating on the day's march, Colonel Har- riman passed along. and, bidding us good-morning, cheerfully said. in that familiar way of his which so well characterized him, " Boys. we shall see before noon that somewhat famous stream known as Bull Run." We all had a great desire. at least I had, to see that stream, made so famous by the first battle of the war and whose name that will long survive. The corps was very soon in line again, and. like an immense serpent, was seen moving rapidly along the winding, uneven roads, over which the Juggernaut of war had so often passed, while the changing light produced a fine effect all along the column. Guns. bayonets, and the still brilliant uniforms and equipments for a moment glistened in the sun,-then all was obscured by the shadows.
We were not long in reaching Centreville, a small collection of poor-looking houses, which. like Bull Run. became somewhat historic in the early part of the war. and later had grown very dilapidated by the almost con- stant passing of both armies and by much encamping in
1 Breakfast in the army is called " pease on a trencher."
297
FAIRFAX TO BRISTOE.
its vicinage. We, however, passed a little to the left of the war-worn burgh. Long lines of grass-grown rifle-pits, and great redoubts much larger than the little town ever was, were to be seen on every hand, the most of which had been made by the Confederates in the early part of the war. It was over this road that the Federal army marched when on their way to the battle of Bull Run, and it was also the one over which they . skedaddled " for Washington in their hasty and disorderly retreat. If the stones by the wayside could have told their story of the march to and the retreat from the battle-field,-soldiers, as well as citizens and congressmen who went down to that little creek to spend Sunday and have some sport,- it would have been a remarkable one indeed.
The battle of Bull Run was without a parallel in the whole war. Yet. great fiasco as it was, it did accom- plish a few things. all of which proved beneficial in the end, perhaps. It brought the Southern officers to the front, and indicated who their greatest generals in the war were to be; it told the North, in very plain words, that the Southern army was in the field for the purpose of fighting. just as they had declared again and again ; and it also taught the Northern army that war was no boys' play, neither a school let out, nor a grand frolic. gotten up for the purpose of letting them travel about and see a portion of this great and glorious country at " Uncle Sam's" expense, as many, or the most of them, had anticipated it was to be.
Near Centreville an old colored man approached us as we were halting by the roadside, and addressed us thus : " I spects ye's going fur de rebels now!" We informed him that we were on that mission, when he said with considerable emphasis, " It's about de last chance. I reckon !" The old man was right : there was a good deal of truth in those words just at that time. It
298
ELEVENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE.
was the last chance for either Grant or Lee: "it was now or never."
At about noon we reached Bull Run at a point known as Mitchell's ford. We removed our boots and stockings and waded through the stream, which was from two to three feet deep : so famous had that creek become, we felt that we were wading through Jordan. We then passed over a part of the field which was held by the Union forces at the time of the battle on that memorable July day. It was then almost three years since the bat- tle, and scattered upon the ground were broken guns, wagon and artillery wheels, pieces of caissons, rusty canteens. cartridge-boxes, partly decayed equipments. and the whitened bones of the once fleet war-horse, all of which marked the lonely scene of conflict and hate. The field at our right was covered with a growth of scrub oak and pine, the most of which had sprung up since the battle. The ground was very uneven, and, like so many other places in that state, was made to fight great battles upon.
A halt of one hour for dinner1 was made near the McLean house. a large brick structure of Virginia archi- tecture, standing upon an elevation of land, from the up- per windows of which a part of the battle-field was easily seen. This building had been General Beauregard's head- quarters at the time of the battle. We filled our canteens from a nice spring near the house, and proceeded on our way southward. A march of one hour brought us to the Orange &' Alexandria Railroad, which was closely guarded by troops, as all the supplies for the Army of the Potomac had been sent over that road during the fall and winter of 1863 and 1864. The troops guarding the road cheered us heartily as we passed, and earnestly inquired where we were going. .. That's what all would
1 Dinner in the army is called " roast beef."
-
299
FAIRFAX TO BRISTOE.
like to know," was the only answer we could give them. About three o'clock we arrived at Manassas, which is only a few miles south of the battle-field. The name of Manassas was so long before the minds of everybody in the days of 1861 that the name will never fade from the memories of the war. Earthworks of immense size were to be seen all around on the old encampment. . But Gen- eral Grant had no desire whatever for the Ninth Corps to halt and plant the old flag upon those old evacuated works of the enemy as we marched past. His ambition was to plant the national colors on the elevation south of the dismal Wilderness, then in possession of the enemy.
It was no wonder that the old colored woman, who had seen many thousands of Federal troops pass her lowly cabin, one day asked one of the soldiers in the marching column, " Did all you'uns hab mudders?"
After a steady march of two hours from Manassas Junction, over a country once prosperous but then devas- tated by war, we were halted at Bristoe Station on the Occuquan river, sometimes called Broad Run. The corps remained in camp there for five days, and during the time did considerable target practice, preparatory for what was soon to come. Our encampment was on the north side of the river, and upon the ground where a good deal of skirmishing and fighting had taken place at different times since 1861, as that part of the state was almost constantly being fought over during the long years of the war. The camp was one continual hum and bustle, as is usual just before an engagement. pre- senting an appearance vastly different from that of ordi- nary camp life, and one that I cannot well describe. But my old comrades will recall it very vividly, I dare say, and, in musing over those days of long ago. will again hear and see the noise and activity of the camp, the waters of the Occuquan as they foamed over the
300
ELEVENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE.
rocky bed while we sat by our tents at eventide under the starry canopy, enjoying a smoke from the briar or laurel pipe, and discussing coming events. What work remained to be done in the way of preparation for the forward movement was attended to. The general ap- pearance of the camp indicated that we were nearing the day of action ; the finishing touches were put on, and everything was in readiness to strike the blow. From generals' down to privates'. no hand was idle there.
"From the smoky night encampment bore the banner of the rampant unicorn,
And grummer, grummer, grummer rolled the roll of the drummer Through the morn."
Our next march would in all probability bring the opposing armies in conflict, and the clash of resound- ing arms would again shake the hills of old Virginia. Well could we say with blind old Homer,
" Black fate hangs o'er thee, and thy hour draws nigh, Even now on life's last verge I see thee stand."
We washed our faces and drank from Occuquan, arrang- ing our toilets upon the grassy bank, and in the shade of the maple, elm, and ash trees wrote the last missives to our homes that we were permitted to write for some time. Many were the letters sent to fathers and moth- ers, telling them that we were waiting, just waiting, for the order to advance, and asking them to .
"Pray, oh ! pray most earnestly. that Heaven may for us care."
It was the last time that many of my comrades were per- mitted to write, for ere there was another day of rest they had paid a soldier's debt, and passed beyond the tide of battle, beyond the smiling and the weeping.
.
30I
BRISTOE TO BEALTON.
Letters were received from our homes, just before we left Bristoe. containing loving and cheering words, and assuring us that in the great work then lying in our front
"Mothers shall pray for you, fathers shall bless you ; Maidens shall weep for you when you are gone."
-
PART VI. FROM BRISTOE TO BEALTON.
Thence marching southward, smooth and free, They mustered their host at Nertherly, Full sixteen thousand fair to see.
The choicest warriors of the North.
-White Doe of Rylstone.
Now for the rebels .- Richard II.
From the day that the Ninth Corps left Bristoe to the day that General Lee surrendered, it was nothing but war, red war, with all its fury, in which life and property were ruthlessly wasted, and neither tongue nor pen can tell the story. At 1 : 15 on the morning of May 4. Gen- eral Grant telegraphed to General Burnside from Ger- mania ford to make a forced march until he reached that place. The Army of the Potomac, which had passed the winter in the vicinity of Bealton, Rappahannock, and Brandy stations, about twenty miles in our front, having received marching orders the day before, was already moving. This was the first general movement of troops : it was the first order issued by General Grant on the war- beaten and blood-stained soil of Virginia, where the Fed- eral army had so often been repulsed. The order in a concise point of view was this one word " Forward !"- short, decisive, and characteristic of the cool head of the silent man who issued it. From that very day, while
302
ELEVENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE.
forcing our way with ball and blade over every foot of the ground between the Rapidan and the James, every order Grant issued for the movements of troops was this one word "Forward !" and short though it was, it surely contained volumes of power ; the echo rolled far away, and, like the first shot fired at Concord in the early days of the Revolution, was "heard 'round the world." It was the inextinguishable spark which fired the souls of patriotic soldiers, nerving them for the coming onset ; it caused a feeling of restlessness and apprehension to pervade the enemy's camp, for a forward movement of the Federal forces under General Grant, who had been victorious on many fields and had never lost a gun. and who had his army thoroughly organized for the coming campaign with only a few weeks' preparation, was like the explosion of a mighty bomb within the enemy's lines.
The enemy, within their intrenchments just south of the Rapidan, were alert and watchful, yet they seemed at a loss to know just when and where their adversary would make his first move, while the rank and file made sport over the campaign very much at their own expense. The jest in their camp at that time was, "Boys, there's no more easy times for us ; 'pears like old Grant is after us." The Confederate commanders considered them- selves masters of the situation, as they had had things about their own way in Virginia from the first, and after three years of fighting did not propose to be baffled by the .. Illinois tanner," as their Northern allies called him. Their different army corps were thoroughly reorgan- ized, and were considered in good fighting condition, as they afterwards proved themselves to be. their command- ers being confident that they could easily play their old- time movements on Grant and cut him all to pieces. General Lee was their tower of strength, and. after rest-
303
BRISTOE TO BEALTON.
ing all winter. the corps commanders appeared upon the scene like giants refreshed. and made a bold declara- tion (or the Richmond papers did for them) that "A sword, a sword is sharpened and also furbished; it is sharpened to make a sore slaughter ; it is furbished that it may glitter ;" and again they reminded the .. Yanks " that both the Rappahannock and the Rapidan were gap- ing to swallow them up. The chivalrous Lee, standing upon the ramparts of his mighty camp, and facing the invincible Grant. his flashing sword in hand, thus voiced the sentiments of the warrior,-
.. So, Trojan ! these the fields, this the Italy-which thou hast sought in war, which at last
Thou measurest with thy length! this the reward- They win, who dare cross swords with me."
Did General Grant make any reply to all this? There is no record of any whatever. but had he been pressed for a reply, he would. in all probability. have knocked the ashes from his cigar, and coolly have said. " Very likely." Everything was done that could be done within the enemy's lines. to inspire their soldiers and spur them on to victory. The commanding officers addressed the ranks of the butternut and gray, urging them to stand fast, be of good courage, and ยทยท Let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people and our homes." The Southern ladies, who were brimful of fight. sent cheering words to the troops, begging them to " be strong and coura- geous."
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.