USA > New Hampshire > A history of the Eleventh New Hampshire Regiment, Volunteer Infantry in the rebellion war, 1861-1865, pt 1 > Part 27
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" Be ready to fall in for a night's march" was the order received by the Eleventh at 4 p. m. on Saturday, the 7th, and shortly afterward it filed out of the woods and went down the road to near the "Lacey house," where the men stacked arms and got some coffee. The entire army was in motion by the flank.
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At this point the regiment was met by the Ninth New Hampshire, which had just come up from guarding the railroad below. It gave the men of the Eleventh a warm greeting, and had many good words for the splendid manner in which we did our duty the day before. At dusk the regiment filed up the road half a mile, and stacked arms in successive lines of battle with the other regiments of the brigade, under orders to be ready to " move at a moment's notice." Here the regiment rested until five o'clock the next morning, with the thundering rattle of artillery and the tramping of soldiers passing by during this whole time. The Second Brigade, sup- ported by some cavalry. brought up the rear of the army, and, marching some five miles, lay in line of battle until 2 p. m., when it changed front to repel a threatened attack in its rear by some rebel cavalry. Three lines of battle were formed and remained in position until about dark, when an orderly dashed up with the welcome order, " Bivouac, and get some sleep if possible ; every- thing is working lovely." It hadn't been very lovely for the men of the Second Brigade, who had been lying in the broiling sun upon a sandy plain for several hours.
The next day, the 9th. the Third Division of the Ninth Corps, under General Willcox, was ordered to move to the ford of the Ny river, on the Fredericksburg and Spottsylvania road. A sharp skirmish took place, but the enemy were forced back and a lodgment was made by Willcox on the opposite bank. The rebels made a desperate attempt to dislodge the Union troops, but large reinforcements were sent. among them the Eleventh, and the enemy were forced to retire. "The enemy is obsti- nate," Grant said : and most truly they were.
Lee had by this time divined Grant's purpose of get- ting in his rear, if possible, and he undertook to foil him at every prominent point. He hurried his forces to
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Spottsylvania Court House, and there, with strong forti- fications, stood directly in the Union general's path. The fighting was incessant, both by night and day or nearly so, upon some part of the lines. Every inch of the ground was disputed by Lee. He had momentous interests at stake. In Grant he had met his match as a strategist, who, with a perfect bull-dog tenacity at the Wilderness, said to Lee and to the country, in so many words, "We are not going back across the Rapidan this time. I am going to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer." Lee had found out that he meant what he said. Consequently he threw himself into the terri- ble struggle with all the brilliant ability of which he was the possessor. Grant had sent his teams to the rear. All communication with his base of supplies was broken up and abandoned. "Forward by the left flank!" was the clarion order, and the officers and men of the Army of the Potomac turned their faces to the front with a certainty of terrific fighting and with only partially filled haversacks, trusting in Providence to give them success in the former, certain that then the latter would be well filled.
With the spirit of its intrepid commander this grand army heroically took up the task imposed upon it. On the 10th of May there was much heavy fighting pre- paratory to the final conflict, which could not be delayed long. The Ninth Corps held the extreme left of the army, and during the afternoon of this day an attack was made upon the enemy's lines, and the Eleventh, together with the other regiments of the Second Brigade, advanced under a heavy fire and gained a position only a short distance from the court-house. This position was aban- doned later in the day by order of Grant, notwithstanding the remonstrance of Burnside. The abandonment of this advanced position proved a mistake.
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On the IIth there was but little fighting. Both armies were apparently girding up their loins for the great struggle. During the afternoon the Second Brigade was ordered on the double-quick to a point where the rebels threatened an attack, and in a few minutes after reach- ing it was ordered back to its old position. Infantry, and battery after battery, vied with each other as to who should come out ahead in the race,-and all this in the midst of a heavy rain, with the roads and fields filled with splashing mud.
" Rest upon your arms and be ready to advance at 3 a. m.," was the order given when the old position was reached. With anxious hearts the men stood around their camp-fires in the pitiless storm, speculating as to the chances of the morrow, and with sad but heroic hearts wondering if they should survive the terrible carnage which they knew full well was before them. The men of different regiments mingled together-for many pleasant friendships had been formed-and many hasty but earnest good-byes were spoken as the order " Fall in, Second Brigade !" was received. Grant had determined to attack Lee near his right centre, and for this purpose Hancock, who with his Second Corps was to make the attack, moved to the left about midnight unobserved by the enemy, a dense fog covering his movement. When the first gray light of the morning appeared he moved four divisions of his corps swiftly forward and engaged General Bushrod Johnson. The fighting was severe, and was hand to hand at some points. Johnson was soon captured with 3,000 prisoners and twenty-five guns. Among the prisoners was General George H. Stewart, a noted rebel of Baltimore, and an old army friend of Hancock's. It was reported at the time that at his capture Hancock, extending his hand, said, " How are you, Stewart?" Stewart very haugh-
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tily replied, "I am General Stewart of the Confederate army, and under the circumstances I decline to take your hand." Hancock replied, " And under any other circumstances, general, I should not have offered it."
When Hancock made this attack the Ninth Corps began its movement, and the Second Brigade, with the Ninth New Hampshire largely deployed as skirmishers, went into its work in fine style. Jumping a wide ditch, onward it went with wild cheers and the greatest enthu- siasm, and joined Hancock as he was in the midst of his attack. A line was formed close under the enemy's lines. A regiment of the enemy, dressed in Union over- coats as a ruse, came up in front of the Second Brigade, but on the supposition that they were Union troops, the word was passed along the line, " Don't fire : they are our men." Just as they came to the Eleventh Regiment, they seemed to have discovered the little gap existing between the Ninth and Second Corps, and they com- menced making a right half-wheel with the evident pur- pose of doubling up and taking the Eleventh prisoners. But their movement was discovered, and the officer1 in command of the left wing, gave the command to "Fire !" and what were not killed or wounded of that rebel line of men quickly disappeared. The fighting was terrific. Again and again the enemy dashed against our line, to be as often hurled back ; and for several hours the men of both armies surged back and forth, the rebels vainly endeavoring to break the Union line and avenge them- selves for the severe drubbing they were receiving. Hancock's surprise was something they could not well overlook. The Eleventh stood like a wall of adamant. More than 125 of the brave and gallant men of the regiment fell dead or wounded, yet the surviving men quailed not. Near midday the Eleventh were notified that they would
1Captain Cogswell.
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be relieved by the Fifty-first New York, and receive orders to fall back and replenish their ammunition. They did so, but the first fire. the Fifty-first received was all they wanted. Away they went, men and officers, to the rear, and the Eleventh immediately took up its old posi- tion.
And so, amid the terrible roar and crash of hundreds of pieces of artillery belching forth deadly missiles from their brazen throats, amid the incessant rattling of an hun- dred thousand muskets filling the air with their leaden hail, and with red hot shells and solid shot and grape and canister, screaming. shrieking, plunging, and bursting on all sides, amid the most pitiful cries and groans of the maimed and dying, and in a terrific storm, accompa- nied with vivid flashes of lightning and the bellowing of thunder, peal after peal, the great battle raged, present- ing a scene of awful, majestic grandeur, such as no one . can comprehend, much less describe, who was not a witness thereof.
Lee, having found to his great loss that he had at last met a foeman worthy of his master abilities, and being unable to break the Union lines and recover his lost ground, slackened his fire somewhat, and only occa- sional dashes were made. A serious attempt was made shortly after noon to dislodge the first division of the Ninth Corps, which was on the left of the Second Corps ; but Lieutenant Benjamin was again on hand with his artillery, and the rebels were hurled back with great loss. The sun went down that day on one of the blood- iest battle-fields of the whole war. The Eleventh lost heavily, among the wounded being Adjutant Morrison and Lieutenant J. E. Cram of Company B, who had the colors in his hands1 at the time he was wounded, and Captain J. LeRoy Bell of Company G. Six color
1 See Colors and Color Guard.
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bearers were shot. Rev. Mr. Woodbury, in his history of the Ninth Corps, says, in part, this of this day's fight, --
"The battles of the week culminated on the 12th,. when the fighting was resumed with redoubled energy. General Hancock's Corps in the early dawn made a par- ticularly gallant attack upon a salient of the enemy's works, striking them upon his right centre and com- pletely surprising the foe in that quarter, capturing and sending to the rear General Johnson's division almost entire, with its commanding general.
"Twenty pieces of artillery also fell into our hands. Our whole line was closed up. The Ninth Corps dashed into the fight with the utmost enthusiasm, and speedily joined General Hancock's troops in their daring vent- ure. For an hour or two it seemed as though our men would carry everything before them. But at nine o'clock the enemy had become fully alive to the necessity of resistance and made a counter attack against our lines. For three hours longer the fight continued with exhibi- tions of the most desperate valor and with terrible car- nage. The rebel columns of attack dashed in vain against our lines, advancing with unflinching resolution and retiring only when broken up by the withering and destructive fire which was brought to bear against them. At noon the enemy gave up his attempts to force back our troops, but he had succeeded in preventing our further advance.
" General Grant was not yet ready to stop the conflict. He determined, if possible, to turn and double up the enemy's right flank. It was a desperate enterprise. The enemy's right was resting on marshy and difficult ground. But after a temporary lull to afford a little rest to the tired troops the battle was renewed in the after- noon.
"Our troops were massed upon our left, the Ninth
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Corps occupying a conspicuous position. Rain had commenced falling in the morning, and the field of battle became a mass of gory mud. Still the struggle was once more entered upon with unflagging courage. Again and again did our troops press forward. to be met with a most stubborn resistance. The rebels fought with remarkable obstinacy, and our men were not inferior in pertinacity to the determined foe. Step by step the ground was disputed with resolute courage. The fight was deadly. The slain and disabled covered the ground. The frightful carnage was only closed by the darkness of the night, so desperate was rebel hate, so persistent was patriot valor.
" During the entire day the Ninth Corps was effect- ively engaged and lost heavily. At the outset it had promptly moved up to General Hancock's support, and through the forenoon had been most active in the fight. The corps had been posted across the Fredericksburg turnpike, upon the extreme left of the army, with dense thickets in front. The opposing corps of the enemy, protected by rifle-pits and timber breastworks, was under the command of General A. P. Hill.
" In this movement Colonel Griffin's brigade. of Gen- eral Potter's division, had the advance, and, connecting with General Hancock's left, shared in the glory and danger of the attack. The brigade succeeded in carry- ing a portion of the enemy's works, including a battery of two guns. In the successful result of that attack Gen- eral Hancock's command became somewhat disturbed. and was in turn the object of assault. Colonel Griffin's position enabled him at this moment to be of effectual service ; the enemy was handsomely met, and Hancock was saved.
"So prominent had been the gallantry of the brigade commander upon this and former occasions, that General
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Burnside recommended him for instant promotion. The remainder of General Potter's division was equally for- ward both in attack and defence. The fruits of the move- ment were the capture of two lines of detached rifle-pits, a number of prisoners, and a part of the enemy's main line. The rupture of the connection with the Second Corps enabled the enemy to check our progress, but he could not retake his lost ground.
"The Corps had advanced about a mile, had suc- cessfully charged the enemy's first line, had repulsed his attack inflicting heavy loss upon him, and ended the day with entrenching immediately in front of his works. The losses had been very severe,-over a thousand killed, wounded, and missing in the Third Division alone. Again the day closed upon a bloody field, and the enemy was still unsubdued."
That night entrenchments were thrown up, and there was but little sleep ;- and still the rain continued, and the air grew warmer .- and well it was so, for the clothing · upon the men was perfectly saturated and dripping with the incessant rain. There were large numbers of rebel dead lying in front of the Second Brigade, and the air soon became sickening. The dead of the Ninth New Hampshire, who lay near the " bloody angle," were brought out during the night of the 13th, and in the morning the dead of that regiment and the Sixth and the Eleventh New Hampshire were buried together in a long trench upon a little knoll just in the rear of the Union lines.
Shortly after noon of the 16th, the Eleventh received an order to make a reconnoissance for the purpose of as- certaining the position of the rebels in its immediate front. Batteries were opened on the right and on the left, and at a given signal the regiment went out over the works in fine style, and amid a severe fire gained a slight eleva-
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tion in its front and reconnoitred the enemy's works ; but the fire made it impossible to remain, and it was ordered back. The regiment was gone twenty-two min- utes from its works, and lost two killed and twelve wounded, one of whom, belonging to the color guard, died three days later.1 The boys received many good words for their bravery from Brigadier-General Griffin.
Following is General Griffin's reason for this recon- noissance, and why and how the Eleventh New Hamp- shire was selected for the task :
" The battle was fought on the 12th. Both armies were pretty well crippled, and lay facing each other for three days, like two exhausted tigers. Then Grant, fear- ing that Lee might slip away from him as Beauregard did from Halleck at Shiloh, sent word to Burnside, or possibly told him personally, to feel the enemy's line and see if he was still there. Burnside always consid- ered Potter to be his best fighting division commander ; and Potter was always friendly to me, I suppose because I was always ready to do any amount of hard work. Burnside turned the order over to Potter for execution, and Potter to me. I was left to make my own disposi- tion, select my own troops, and I took the Eleventh New Hampshire as a matter of convenience, and because I considered it one of my best regiments,-one that could be relied upon. The moment we showed a force in front of our lines, as moving towards them, they met us with a deadly fire of musketry, proving that they were still there. I immediately withdrew my troops and reported the facts through the proper channel. Then 'Grant knew that Lee was not to be driven out of that place, and he decided to make his flank movement to the left."
Another move was made on the ISth, when nearly one half of the army was in motion. An attempt was made
1 Jonathan B. Rowe, Company I.
24
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to capture the enemy's works in a wood opposite the Ninth Corps. Among other troops engaged in the attempt were the First and Second Divisions of the Ninth Corps. The Sixth, Ninth, and Eleventh New Hamp- shire, and the Seventeenth Vermont, advanced over the broad plain towards the enemy's works, and were met by thousands of troops running back and away from the deadly fire like so many cowards. A portion of the Ninth New Hampshire was swept along with them but quickly returned, and the four regiments finally succeeded in gaining a position close under the enemy's works, and these four regiments were the only ones who succeeded in reaching this point, where, amidst a terrific shelling, they threw up intrenchments. and remained until near night, when they were withdrawn by the left flank through a narrow defile. The troops during this day were commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Pearson, of the Sixth New Hampshire, a brave and accomplished officer, who was killed at North Anna a few days later.
The men were relieved from this perilous position in single file, a strong picket line under Captain Tilton keeping up an incessant firing, while one man at a time fell back until all were fairly out of the woods. On the day following the army was again in motion, with the North Anna river as the objective point. On Saturday morning, the zoth. the picket line of the Second Brigade was advanced and established close to that of the enemy. A little past noon the rebels made a furious dash upon our pickets, an entire regiment taking part in the charge. They were handsomely repulsed at every point, and at 4 p. m. the pickets were relieved and ordered to join the brigade, which, with the entire army, was again on the move. They did so a little before midnight, and an all night march was made, everybody inquiring, .. Where are we going now?" At 5 a. m. the brigade stacked
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arms and rested until noon, when the march was resumed. We passed by Bowling Green, thence turning westerly to near Salem Court House, where we bivouacked for the night-a most welcome rest to men who had marched thirty miles within the last twenty-four hours, skirmish- ing a good deal of the way.
The next day's march of sixteen miles brought the troops near New Bethel church. The rebels had a strong position at this point. but were driven out of it, and the Ninth Corps rested on the north bank of the North Anna river. When the army was put in motion on the 20th. the Ninth Corps marched down the north bank of the Po, and during the afternoon the enemy was met near Stannard's mill and driven across the river. In this engagement the Second Brigade was hastened forward to assist, but the enemy retired after a short time, and the march was resumed. We made a night of it: halting in the early morning for a short rest, and during the day reached the North Anna.
The Ninth Corps took up a position on the north bank opposite the angle in the enemy's line of works. These formed nearly two sides of a triangle. The Second Di- vision crossed the next day at Chesterfield bridge and engaged the enemy. Intrenchments were thrown up,' and everything made ready for an attack of the enemy. The next day was one full of expectations, but no demon- stration was made by either side. On the 27th a sharp fight took place, and the lines of the Second Brigade were advanced quite a distance. Here the brigade lost one of its bravest and best men.1
But Grant ordered another move by the left flank, and the troops recrossed the river that night, the Eleventh bringing up the rear. The bridge had been muffled with branches of trees to deaden the sound of
1 Lieutenant-Colonel Henry HI. Pearson, Sixth New Hampshire.
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artillery crossing it, and it was burned as soon as the Eleventh had passed over it. The shelling to which we were exposed at North Anna was one of the most severe experiences of the campaign. The march was slow, the roads and every passable place being filled with artillery, teams, and troops. The Pamunky river was crossed at Hanover Town ford, eighteen miles from Richmond, on the 29th, and on the 30th took position in line of battle and drove the enemy out of two lines of works. Cold Harbor was near at hand ! The army was fighting and digging its way into Richmond !
Ominous signs of a great battle were to be heard and seen. Grant and Lee were manœuvring for position. On the 25th Grant issued an order incorporating the Ninth Army Corps with the Army of the Potomac, Burn- side receiving his orders from Meade as its commander. Burnside's cheerful acquiescence is a notable instance of his patriotism. for Meade was his inferior in rank. On the 27th the army was again in motion, and the Second Brigade had the advance of the Ninth Corps. We crossed the Pamunky river about 10 p. m., the whole corps taking position between the Fifth and Sixth Corps, and immediately began to intrench. The next day the corps crossed Tolopotomoy creek, the enemy disputing every inch of the way. There was heavy skir- mishing all day. and the rebels were routed at every point. On the 3Ist a still further advance was made under a sharp fire. several rifle-pits were carried, and the men pushed close up to the enemy's lines. There was continual fighting, charging, and countercharging during June 1 and 2, and during this time the Ninth Corps was moved from the centre of the army to the right.
During the afternoon of the 2d, the main line of the Ninth Corps ran parallel with the Mechanicsville road,
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the left resting near Bethesda church. As this move- ment was being miade, a strong force of the enemy struck the corps in the rear, a very heavy thunder- shower being in progress at the time. Lines of battle were formed in all directions, and shot and shell and bullets were poured into the enemy's ranks without stint, and they returned as good as they received. The Sec- ond Brigade was on the extreme right of the corps, with a heavy skirmish line in front. Just before dark this line was attacked with great vigor by the enemy, and the result was the severest skirmish the Eleventh had ever taken part in to this date. But the boys on the picket line held their ground firmly, and captured a great many prisoners. Lieutenant Morrison captured three, and was himself shortly after severely wounded, as was also Lieutenant Shepard. Lines were changed and new intrenchments thrown up during the night, and everybody was busy in anticipation of the terrible assault which was expected the next day.
At sunrise of the 3d of June an assault was made along the whole Union line most bravely and swiftly, but was as swiftly repulsed. Charge after charge was made- by regiments, by brigades, and by divisions. Missiles of death filled the air. Strong, brave, daring men did all that men could do, rushing close up to the lines of the enemy and almost breaking them ; but at the critical time the reserves failed to come to our support, as was intended, and the enemy's lines remained unbroken. In half an hour from the time the first assault was made, fully ten thousand men lay dead and wounded. Still later in the day Meade resolved upon another assault, made his dispositions accordingly, and issued orders to his corps commanders ; but the men who did the fight- ing had had their fill for one day, and refused to advance again in such a useless slaughter.
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The Eleventh was the first regiment of its brigade to open the attack in the morning, and shortly after the brigade advanced in fine manner (the Sixth and Ninth New Hampshire. with the Eleventh, being conspicuous ), and soon encountered the enemy in strong intrenchments. For three hours the fighting was desperate. Division after division was brought up until the entire Ninth Corps was brought face to face with the enemy at the closest range. ready for the order to make a second assault.1 The assaults upon the left of the army hav- ing closed, Burnside received orders to desist from further operations. And thus ended the great historic battle of Cold Harbor. Greeley, in his "American Conflict," says,-" Had not Burnside been ordered to desist, and had his corps made the assault for which he had made his dispositions, Burnside must have worsted the enemy ;" and this was the verdict of eminent military men.
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