USA > New Hampshire > A history of the Eleventh New Hampshire Regiment, Volunteer Infantry in the rebellion war, 1861-1865, pt 1 > Part 28
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The men of the old Ninth Corps fought with heroic bravery, and, had the order for the second assault been given, they would have done their best to win. But the enemy were still in front, and Grant, atter pon- dering upon the matter, quickly decided to throw his army across the James and approach Richmond from the south. The rebels were still detiant. and firing was almost continual. day and night. A desperate charge was made upon the Ninth Corps about midnight of the 6th, and there was a terrific shelling. The charge was gallantly repulsed. and the new dispositions of the army were made. as Grant was manœuvring to get his army across the James .- a very difficult and dangerous feat in the presence of an army on the alert, as was the rebel army. The Confederates were under the impression that the Union army was " whipped," an impression that
The Eleventh Regiment gained control of a rebel battery, killing every gunner and most of the horses.
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ON THE MOVE.
they got rid of a few days later; when they found that Grant was still alive.
The Ninth Corps now occupied the extreme right of the army, and with the Fifth Corps was alternately mov- ing by the flank and rear, moving all the time to the left, to gain a position from which the whole army could again be put on the march. A hill in our front changed hands several times, but General Potter determined to secure it once for all. and after several fights succeeded in forcing the enemy to abandon it. It was then strongly fortified by our troops. On the 7th the dead and wounded were cared for under a flag of truce, and that notwith- standing the enemy in front of the Ninth Corps kept up their firing and took no notice of the flag.
There was much excitement in the evening of the 9th over a report that Ewell and 1.500 of his men had been captured by the Ninth Corps. but. as that corps had not been engaged in a fight that day, the men took no stock in the report. However, it served a good purpose : it was taken up by the entire army ; bands played, there was great cheering, and the spirits of the men rose correspondingly.
But the sick have been sent away. our baggage is on board of transports at the " White House." ammunition and rations are being issued. and an order has been received, "Be ready to move at a moment's notice." During the night of the 12th of June the Ninth Corps was very secretly and silently withdrawn from the enemy's front. and put upon its march. So well was this accomplished that the enemy did not know for an hour after the departure of the corps that our pickets had been withdrawn, and during this time they kept up their firing. by both artillery and musketry. About daylight it reached Tunstall's station. From here, after a short halt. it marched by way of Olive church, and at night
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ELEVENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE.
bivouacked near Sloane's crossing. on the Chickahominy. Early the next morning it crossed the Chickahominy at Jones's bridge, following the Sixth Corps, and, march- ing by way of Tyler's mills, reached the James river that evening. The next evening it crossed the James near Fort Powhatan, on a pontoon bridge in which there were 105 boats, the distance being nearly three fifths of a mile. This bridge was one of the longest ever laid during the war. Then a forced march was made towards Petersburg, and at sunrise we filed into a field and stacked arms for coffee.
The night was very warm, and the dust from marching very blinding and suffocating ; so the men fell out badly. The distance was twenty-five miles. For three hours of the march only one rest of fifteen minutes was had. Men straggled in the rear for miles. Some companies of different regiments stacked arms with less than ten men present. The Eleventh showed the most endurance of any regiment in the Second Brigade, two thirds of the regiment being present when coffee was made. After a short rest the march was resumed, and a little past noon the Ninth Corps was in position on the extreme left of the army, ready for an assault upon the enemy's works, which were the outposts for the defence of Petersburg. The Second Corps was to make the assault, assisted by the Second Division of the Ninth Corps. General Grif- fin with his brigade reported to General Barlow of the Second Corps, and at 6 p. m. the advance was made in the face of a murderous fire. The Eleventh and Second Maryland succeeded in getting close under a rebel bat- tery. They were soon after joined by the Sixth and Ninth New Hampshire, and later by the remainder of the brigade. The firing was continuous for several hours, and many men were wounded and a few killed.
At midnight General Griffin received an order to carry
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THE SHAND HOUSE ASSAULT.
the works by assault, the troops to be ready to move at 3 a. m. The Eleventh New Hampshire. the Seventeenth Vermont, and the Thirty-first Maine were detailed to make the charge, supported by the Sixth and Ninth New Hampshire, the Second Maryland, and the Thirty-second Maine. The men were divested of everything that would make unnecessary noise, and as the watch ticked three o'clock, with a bright dawn in the east, the order was silently given to advance. Forward the men went with a stealthy, quick step. The top of the little knoll was gained, and with a rush the little plain was crossed. The men jumped upon the intrenchments before the enemy had time even to discharge their guns already loaded. " Surrender, you d-d rebels !" shouted Lieu- tenant Frost, in the face of twenty guns levelled at him. In five minutes from the time the advance was begun the fort was ours, with its four guns, four stands of col- ors, twenty-four horses, six hundred men, and fifteen hundred stands of small arms. It was one of the finest assaults of the whole war. Lieutenant Dimick, of Com- pany H, was taken prisoner, and several were wounded, among them Sergeant Will C. Wood, of Company H.
As soon as the works had been taken, the brigade pushed on for the crest of a hill a short distance away ; but, just as the open plain near it was reached, a terrific fire was opened from masked batteries, and the troops fell back to the line that had been captured. The fight- ing this day was mostly done by the Ninth Corps, assisted by a portion of the Fifth and Second corps. All the lines captured in the early morning were held and intrenched.
We give the following graphic account of this brilliant charge by the well known war correspondent, Charles C. Coffin :
"On the night of the 16th, Burnside arrived with the Ninth Corps. Neill's division of the Sixth also arrived.
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Burnside attacked the rebels, but was repulsed. The lines were reconnoitred, and it was determined to make a second assault. About half a mile south of the house of Mr. Dunn was the residence of Mr. Shand, held by the rebels. During the cannonade which preceded the assault, a rebel officer entered the house and sat down to play a piano. Suddenly he found himself sitting on the floor, the stool having been knocked away by a solid shot, without injury to himself.
"The house was a large two-story structure, fronting east, painted white, with great chimneys at either end. shaded by buttonwoods and gum trees, with a peach orchard in rear. Fifty paces from the front door was a narrow ravine, fifteen or twenty feet deep, with a brook, fed by springs, trickling northward. West of the house, about the same distance, was another brook, the two joining about twenty rods north of the house. A Rebel brigade held this tongue of land with four guns beneath the peach-trees. Their main line of breastworks was along the edge of the ravine east of the house. South, and on higher ground, was a redan-a strong work with two guns, which enfiladed the ravine. Yet General Burnside thought that if he could get his troops into posi- tion unperceived, he could take the tongue of land, which would break the Rebel line and compel them to evacuate the redan. Several attempts had been made by the Sec- ond Corps to break the line farther, but withont avail. This movement. if not successful, would be attended with great loss. Nevertheless it was determined to make the assault.
" It was past midnight when General Potter led his divi- sion of the Ninth into the ravine. The soldiers threw aside their knapsacks, haversacks. tin plates, and cups, and moved stealthily. Not a word was spoken. The watches of the officers in command had been set to a
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CHARLES CARLETON COFFIN'S ACCOUNT.
second. They reached the ravine where the pickets had been stationed, and moved south, keeping close under the bank. Above them, not fifteen paces distant, were the rebel pickets. lying behind a bank of sand. If their listening ears caught the sound of a movement in the ravine they gave no alarm, and the troops took their position, undisturbed. The moon was full. Light clouds floated in the sky. Not a sound, save the distant rumble of a wagon or an occasional shot from the pickets, broke the silence of the night. The attacking column was composed of Griffin's and Curtin's brigades, with Griffin on the right. He had the Seventeenth Vermont and the Eleventh New Hampshire in his front line, and the Sixth and Ninth New Hampshire and the Thirty-second Maine in the second. Curtin had six regiments .- the Thirty- sixth Massachusetts, and the Forty-fifth and Forty- eighth Pennsylvania in his front line, and the Seventh Rhode Island, the Twelfth New York and the Fifty-eighth Massachusetts in his second. The soldiers were worn with hard marching and constant fighting, and had but just arrived from City Point, yet they took their position without flinching.
"The officers looked at the hands of their watches, in the moonlight, and saw them move on to the appointed time. Fifteen minutes past three ! Twenty paces ! A spring up the steep bank would carry the men to the rebel pickets ! Fifty paces to the muzzles of the enemy's guns.
"'All ready" was whispered from man to man. They rose from the ground erect. Not a gun, not a lock clicked. The bayonet was to do the work. 'HURRAH!' The lines rise like waves of the sea. There are strag- gling shots from the rebel pickets ; four flashes of light from the rebel cannon by the house ; two more from the redan ; one volley from the infantry, wildly aimed. doing
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little damage. On, up to the breastworks ! Over them, seizing the guns ! A minute has passed !
"Four guns, six hundred and fifty prisoners, fifteen hundred muskets, and four stands of colors are the trophies. The rebel line is broken. The great point is gained, compelling Lee to abandon the ground which he has held so tenaciously."
General Griffin, in a paper contributed to the Massa- chusetts Historical Society, says that General Potter entrusted him with the direction of the assault, assigning Curtin's Brigade to his support. He says, -
"I then spent the entire night, moving my troops through the felled timber, getting them in proper posi- tion, and preparing for the attack. I placed my brigade on the left of the Second Corps in a ravine, immediately in front of the Shand House, which the enemy held, and within one hundred yards of their lines. Curtin was on my left, and a little farther to the rear on account of the conformation of the ground. We were so near the enemy that all our movements had to be made with the utmost care and caution. Canteens were placed in knapsacks to prevent rattling, and all commands were given in whispers. I formed my brigade in two lines. Colonel Curtin formed his in the same manner. My orders were not to fire a shot, but to depend wholly on the bayonet in carrying the lines.
" Just as the dawn began to light up the east, I gave the command, 'Forward !' It was passed along the lines in whispers. The men sprang to their feet, and both brigades moved forward at once in well formed lines, sweeping directly over the enemy's works, taking them completely by surprise, and carrying all before them.
" One gunner saw us approaching, and fired his piece. That was all we heard from them, and almost the only shot fired on either side. The rebels were asleep, with
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GENERAL HUMPHREYS ACCOUNT.
their arms in their hands, and many of them sprang up and ran away, as we came over. Others surrendered without resistance. We swept their lines for a mile from where my right rested, gathering in prisoners and abandoned arms and equipments all the way. Four pieces of artillery with caissons and horses, a stand of colors, six hundred prisoners, fifteen hundred stand of arms, and some ammunition fell into our hands."
General Humphreys, in his ."Virginia Campaign," says this of the assault at the Shand House :
" The Petersburg intrenchments ran from the Appo- mattox river east a mile to the City Point Railroad, then south three miles to the Norfolk Railroad, then west four miles to a point west of the Weldon Railroad, then north two miles to the Appomattox river. The length of the intrenchment from the Norfolk Railroad west to the Jerusalem plank-road was a mile and a half. On the morning of the 16th, General Hancock, who was placed in command of all the troops that were up, made recon- noissances in his front, in the course of which, as he says, General Egan's brigade made a spirited attack upon a redoubt on Birney's left (Redan No. 12), and carried it in his (Egan's) usual intrepid manner. General Hancock was now ordered to attack in his front at six p. m., General Meade having arrived on the ground.
"This programme was carried out, and a spirited assault was made by the Second Corps, supported by two bri- gades of the Eighteenth on the right and two of the Ninth on the left, which resulted in the capture of Redan No. 4 on the right, and Redans Nos. 13 and 14 on the left, together with their connecting lines, and in driving back the enemy along the whole line. The attacking party suffered severely. The heavy fighting ceased at dark, but several vigorous attempts were made by the enemy during the night to retake the ground. The
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gallant commander of the Irish Brigade of the Second Corps, Colonel Patrick Kelly of the Eighty-eighth New York, was killed while leading his command, and Colonel Beaver of the One Hundred and Forty-eighth Pennsylvania was severely wounded.
" At the first dawn of day on the morning of the 17th, the division of General Potter (Ninth Corps) carried, in the most gallant manner, the redans and lines on the .. ridge where the Shand House stood, capturing four guns, five colors, six hundred prisoners, and fifteen hundred stands of small arms. The troops (Grif- fin's and Curtin's brigades of Potter's Division) were formed in two lines in a deep ravine with precipitous slopes, close up to the works they were to attack. The command " Forward !" was passed along the lines in whispers, and the line, without firing a shot, at once swept over the enemy's works, taking them completely by surprise, and carrying everything before them. The Confederate troops were asleep, with their arms in their hands. The ground in the ravine from which General Potter made his attack was covered thickly with slashed timber, making it difficult to get up Ledlie's Division to follow up Potter's success. Potter, however, pushed for- ward until he found the enemy in a new intrenched position on the west slope of Harrison's creek, which extended from Redan No. 3. near the Appomattox, to the works at and in the vicinity of the Norfolk Railroad.
"On the ISth an advance was ordered along the whole line. The Ninth Corps, on the left of the Second, had to advance a mile or more, when it found itself in front of a heavy force of the enemy occupying a cut in the Norfolk Railroad .- a large ravine running parallel with the enemy's main line. General Burnside found it necessary to drive the enemy from this cut in order to get close enough to the intrenchments to assault them.
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MR. WOODBURY'S DESCRIPTION.
General Meade again ordered a general assault by all the corps, and after some heavy fighting Burnside suc- ceeded in establishing his men within a hundred yards of the enemy's main line. He gave the men of Potter's Division, in which the Eleventh New Hampshire bore a prominent part. great praise for their work."
Rev. Mr. Woodbury, in his " Ninth Army Corps," thus vividly describes this attack :
" General Potter's Division was selected from the Ninth Corps for the assaulting column. General Ledlie was to support the attack with the First Division. To General Griffin's Brigade was assigned the field of honor and danger, and to General Griffin himself was given the duty of planning and executing the immediate attack. Colonel Curtin's Brigade was to support. General Grif- fin arranged the movement with great daring and skill. Under cover of the night he led his troops to a ravine within one hundred yards of the enemy's position, and there formed his column of attack. his brigade in two lines, the Seventeenth Vermont, the Eleventh New Hamp- shire, and the Thirty-first Maine in front, and the Sixth and Ninth New Hampshire, the Thirty-second Maine. and the Second Maryland in support. Colonel Curtin formed his brigade with the Forty-fifth and Forty-eighth Penn- sylvania and the Thirty-sixth Massachusetts in front, sup- ported by the Seventh Rhode Island, the Second New York Rifles. and the Fifty-eighth Massachusetts.
"The enemy occupied an estate at the head of the ravine belonging to a Mr. Shand. and had his head- quarters in the house, his artillery commanding the ap- proaches.
"So near were the enemy's lines, that only in whis- pers could the necessary orders be communicated. Gen- eral Griffin enjoined the strictest silence upon his men. and ordered them. when advancing. not to fire a shot, but
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ELEVENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE.
to depend upon the bayonet for clearing the works. Even the canteens were placed inside the haversacks to pre- vent their rattling. At the first blush of the morning the word " Forward !" was passed quietly along the column. The men sprang to their feet, and noiselessly. rapidly, vigorously moved upon the enemy, Griffin to the right, Curtin to the left. They burst upon him with the fury of a tornado. They took him completely by surprise. They swept his lines for a mile, gathering up arms, flags, cannon, and prisoners all along their victorious pathway. A stand of colors, four pieces of artillery with their caissons and horses, fifteen hundred stands of small arms, a quantity of ammunition, and six hundred prison- ers were the fruits of this splendid charge."
Rev. Mr. Woodbury, in another place in the same book, has these earnest, truthful words for the Army of the Potomac, of which the Ninth Corps was a prominent part :
"In reviewing these grand movements, extending over more than five weeks. of time, almost every hour of which witnessed a combat at some point, it is impossible not to admire the wonderful resolution and bravery dis- played on both sides. General Grant, in one of his dis- patches, says that the enemy seemed " to have found the last ditch." But if General Lee exhibited great capacity for defence, he soon discovered that he had met with more than his match in the tenacity, the determination, and the skill with which Grant pushed on his aggressive operations. General Lee was greatly aided by the pecul- iar formation of the country .- rivers crossing the lines of march at almost right angles ; forests of vast extent, which afforded concealment for the movements of an army on its defence, or retreating ; marshes, which could be used for the protection of positions selected for a stand ; hills, each one of which could speedily be made
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