USA > New Hampshire > A history of the Eleventh New Hampshire Regiment, Volunteer Infantry in the rebellion war, 1861-1865, pt 1 > Part 3
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Being of the Democratic faith in politics, he had taken a prominent part in the Kansas-Nebraska strug-
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ELEVENTH NEW HAMPSHIRE.
gle in the Fremont campaign in 1856. and in the campaign of 1860, which resulted in the election of Abraham Lincoln as president. When the life of the nation was threatened, and armed traitors sought its overthrow, his patriotism rose above party. and his voice and his pen uttered earnest words for the Union cause. In August, 1862, he offered his services to Governor Berry, who immediately commissioned him as colonel of à New Hampshire regiment of volunteers. to be known as the Eleventh New Hampshire Volunteers. He imme- diately commenced the task of filling his regiment, and addressed several meetings with eloquent words, some of which have been given elsewhere. In eight days his regiment was filled, and on August 26, 1862, he was com- missioned its colonel.
His military career is largely interwoven with the history of the Eleventh. At noon of the day of the terrible slaughter at Fredericksburg. he received the order "Advance with your regiment !" with no more fear than if standing on one of the hills near his native home ; his voice in clear, clarion tones rang out with the words, "Forward, Eleventh New Hampshire !" and not a man in the regiment but heard it: and how gallantly he bore himself upon that battle-field is a part of the history of that fearful day. His regiment being on picket, neg- lected and left to its own fate when the army recrossed the river. was one of the very last to cross, and the colonel only gave the order to return upon the earnest advice of the lieutenant-colonel and major of the regi- ment, as heard by the writer of this.
June 5. 1863, the regiment then being near the Big Black river (Mississippi), Colonel Harriman resigned his commission, greatly to the regret of the men and officers of the regiment, was honorably discharged from the service, and went to his home in New Hampshire,
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WALTER HARRIMAN.
carrying with him a written indorsement signed by all the officers then with the regiment, declaring that his " brave and gallant conduct at the battle of Fredericks- burg," the only one in which the regiment had been engaged, commanded their admiration ; that in social intercourse they had found him " a pleasant and affable companion," and that by his kindness and courteous bearing to the privates of the regiment he had gained their " love and respect." The men of the regiment who carried the gun and the knapsack gave expression to their feelings in the passage unanimously of a series of resolutions highly complimentary to their late com- mander, and declaring their deep regret at his resigna- tion.
August 15, 1863, three weeks after he reached his home, he was re-commissioned colonel of the regiment, and on March 7, 1864. he rejoined it at Mossy creek, East Tennessee, receiving a royal welcome from the men who had borne themselves so bravely in the dan- gers and hardships of the previous winter, in reality the ". Valley Forge" of the Civil War. He accompanied the regiment to Annapolis, and was present with it in its brilliant charges at the Wilderness on the afternoon of the second day's fight, when he was taken prisoner (see Battle of the Wilderness). He was a prisoner for eighty-nine days, but on August 3 was exchanged. Dur- ing a portion of this time he had been exposed to the tire from the Union batteries at Charleston, S. C. He returned to his home, obtained leave of absence, and par- ticipated in the campaign for the reelection of President Lincoln, speaking from the hustings in very many of the states of the Union, and contributing greatly to the success of the campaign.
November 21, 1864, he again rejoined his regiment, then near the Weldon Railroad, remaining with the reg-
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iment until the close of the war, and accompanying it home. A portion of this time he was in command of the brigade to which his regiment was attached, and participated in the assault at Petersburg, Va., April 2, IS65.
Immediately after reaching home he was elected sec- retary of state, which position he held two years. In IS67 he was elected governor of the state, and again in 1868. In 1868 he took a prominent part in the cam- paign for the first election of Grant for president. On the 9th of June, 1869, he entered upon his duties as naval officer at Boston, which position he held for nearly eight years. In ISSI he was again a member of the legislature,-this time from Concord, which had been his home many years. In 1879 he published his History of Warner, and in ISS2 he made a journey to the Old World, visiting Palestine and the East, and on his return published his " In the Orient," a book full of interesting details.
But signs came to him that his busy and useful life was soon to end : these precursors were dizziness of the head and sinking spells, from each one of which he rallied, until July 17, 1883. when he was prostrated by a fearful stroke. From this he never fully recovered. and on July 25, 1884, he passed away. His remains were bur- ied at Warner by Sturtevant Post, G. A. R., of which he was a member. His biographer says of his burial,- "There the tall shaft of granite. product of his own beloved state. appropriately stands, sacred to the mem- ory of that other characteristic and more precious prod- uct of New Hampshire, the true. self-ennobled man, and gifted and gallant, wise and patriotic, eloquent and honored son of the Granite State, who acted well his part in all relations, public and private, and whose life and character the mother shall count among her jewels."
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MOSES N. COLLINS.
He was appointed brigadier-general by brevet, for gallant and meritorious conduct during the war, to date from March 13, 1865.
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL MOSES N. COLLINS.
Moses N. Collins was born at Brentwood, N. H., in-April, 1820, received his academic education at Gil- manton academy and at Hampton Falls, and subse- quently taught school several years in Maryland. He returned to New Hampshire and commenced the study of law in the office of Murphy & Bartlett, at Epping, and completed it in the office of General Gilman Marston, at Exeter. He was admitted to the bar in 1857, and opened an office in Exeter. He was a member of the legislature from Brentwood in 1855, and from Exeter in 1861 and 1862. When the Eleventh Regiment New Hampshire Volunteers was being raised, he was tendered. and accepted, the position of major of the regiment. and was commissioned as such August 26, 1862. On September 9. 1862, he was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the regiment. which position he retained until his death. He was ambitious in his profession as a lawyer, and had a bright future before him ; but his country was in dan- ger. and he at once enlisted in its defence.
Upon joining the regiment. he immediately set about informing himself as to the duties of his new position. Every leisure moment was occupied in fitting himself for the task before him. At Fredericksburg, he. like thou- sands of others, saw at a glance the great odds against a Union victory there ; but in the midst of the terrible slaughter of December 13, 1862. he bore a conspicuous part. cheering on his men to daring deeds, and subse- quently was proud that he was second in command of a regiment that stood up so well to its work, as to win
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encomiums from all who witnessed its valor. He followed the fortunes of the regiment in its Kentucky campaign in the spring of IS63, and then in the Mississippi campaign. After Colonel Harriman's resignation he was in com- mand of the regiment. performing his duties with great acceptance to the regiment, and to his superior officers in the brigade and division to which the Eleventh was attached.
Upon the return to Kentucky, after Vicksburg and Jackson had surrendered. he received a furlough on account of ill health. and returned to his home. He rejoined his regiment in Tennessee shortly after the siege of Knoxville was raised, received a warm welcome from officers and men, and was immediately placed in command of the brigade to which his regiment was attached, which position he held until relieved by Colo- nel Carruth, of the Thirty-fifth Massachusetts, who rejoined his regiment after a long absence, having been a portion of the time a prisoner in the hands of the enemy. Colonel Collins then resumed command of his regiment, filling the place until Colonel Harriman's return. He marched back over the mountains to Nicho- lasville with the regiment, on foot. carrying his own pack with the men of the Eleventh.
Daylight on the morning of May 6, 1864, found the regiment engaged with the enemy in the dense woods of the Wilderness. During the forenoon Colonel Collins was conspicuous along his regiment, he and Colonel Harriman both being untiring in their vigilance. When the brigade was placed in its new position just after noon of this day, and had advanced over several lines of men lying on the ground and refusing to advance, so terrific was the fire from the enemy . so terrible the storm of iron hail. that the earth fairly trembled with the roar of the horrible, deadly battle. At this moment, and just as the
Svarts W. tarr
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EVARTS W. FARR.
order was given to " Charge the enemy's lines !" Colonel Collins, who had exhibited a coolness and bravery excelled by no one, received a bullet through his head, and fell to the ground. dead. He gave his valuable life for his country. and he gave it fighting bravely. His regiment lost a beloved officer and the state one of its most worthy citizens. His last command, just before the bullet went crashing through his brain, was an assuring one to his men, as he said, " Steady, men ! Steady !" His body was found and buried by some men of the Eleventh belonging to the Ambulance Corps, but was not sent home at any time. In 1867. Chaplain Lyford and Lieutenant Goodall visited the Wilderness battle- field, and found where the bodies of Colonel Collins and Lieutenant A. E. Hutchins were buried. The latter's body was brought to his home for interment, and a head- stone tablet placed at the grave of the former, who lies buried on the farm of a Mr. Ross.
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MAJOR EVARTS W. FARR.
Evarts W. Farr was the son of John and Tryphena (Morse) Farr, and was born in Littleton, N. H., Octo- ber 10, 1840. At the age of twelve years he began to earn his own support and to secure means for an educa- · tion. In the autumn of 1856 he entered the academy at · Thetford, Vt .. leaving the same in 1859 with valedictory honors. He entered Dartmouth college in 1859. In April, IS61. he was one of the first men to enlist under the call of President Lincoln for volunteers, and his name so stands enrolled. June 4. 1861, he received the commission of first lieutenant of Company G, Second New Hampshire Volunteers. During the year he was seriously ill for a portion of the time. but. recovering his
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health, on January 1. IS62, he was commissioned cap- tain of Company G.
On the 5th day of May, at Williamsburg, while in the act of firing, his right arm was shattered by a Minie ball ; but coolly picking up his revolver he passed to the rear, where he remained with wet clothing for forty-eight hours. He was then conveyed to Fortress Monroe, and thence to his home, which he reached in fifteen days from the time of his being wounded. his right arm in the meantime having been amputated at the shoulder. In six weeks he returned to the front. On the 4th of the fol- lowing September, he resigned his commission as cap- tain to accept a position in the Eleventh New Hampshire Volunteers tendered him by Governor Berry and his council, and on the 9th of the same month he was com- missioned major of the Eleventh ; and shortly after, on December 13, 1862. he participated in the battle of Fred- ericksburg, having command of the left wing of the regi- ment. Major Farr was with his regiment in Mississippi, but upon the return of the regiment to Kentucky he was granted a furlough. Upon its expiration. he reported to General Burnside at Cincinnati, and was placed on de- tached service, serving most of the time until the war closed as judge advocate on court-martial duty.
After the war he practised law in his native town, Lit- tleton, and took high rank as a lawyer. He was assist- · ant assessor and assessor of his internal revenue district, was solicitor for Grafton county, and was at one time a member of the governor's council. He was elected to the forty-sixth congress of the United States by a hand- some plurality and majority, and served with great fidel- ity upon the Committee on Pensions. He was reelected to the forty-seventh congress in November, ISSO. Shortly after his reelection, he took a violent cold. resulting in pneumonia. from which he died November 30, ISSO.
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CHARLES R. MORRISON.
Eloquent eulogies were paid to his worth by his fellow- members in congress.
When the Eleventh Regiment in its advance on the battle-field of Fredericksburg first received the terrific fire of the enemy, Major Farr, in command of the left wing, raised his sword and shouted loudly, " Boys, we've got to go up there, and the sooner we get there the better it will be for us : Come on !" And he started at once on the double-quick, as did everybody else.
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ADJUTANT CHARLES R. MORRISON.
Charles R. Morrison, third son of William S. and Stira (Young) Morrison, was born in Bath, N. H., Jan- uary 22, 1819. He married, December 22, 1842, Susan Fitch, of Littleton. In the autumn of IS36 he entered the Newbury (Vt.) seminary, where he continued his attendance both spring and fall for three years, teaching school in the winter, and going into the hay-field in the summer, and thus fitted for college. He entered the office of Goodall & Woods as a student at law July, 1839. In July, 1842, he was admitted to the bar and be- came an equal partner of Mr. Goodall ; removed to Hav- erhill in March. I845 ; and on August 4, 1851, he was commissioned by Gov. Samuel Dinsmore " Circuit Justice of the Court of Common Pleas," and held the office until 1855. He continued the practice of law until Fort Sum- ter was fired upon, when he tendered his services to Gov- ernor Goodwin and afterwards to Governor Berry, but for some reason these were not accepted. In 1850 he was Division Inspector 4th Div. N. H. Militia, and upon the formation of the Eleventh Regiment he solicited of Colonel Harriman the position of adjutant, and was com- missioned September 1, 1862, " Lieutenant Adjutant."
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He was mustered September 2, 1862, and served in that capacity until September 19, 1864, when he resigned and was honorably discharged from the service. He par- ticipated in the battles of Fredericksburg, Vicksburg, Jackson. East Tennessee, Wilderness. and Spottsylvania. At Fredericksburg he was twice wounded,-first, upon the left forearm by a piece of shell; and second, a contusion upon the left leg below the knee. as he was on his way from the head of the regiment to Colonel Harriman to deliver him an order to hold his men in readiness to charge. Again. at Spottsylvania, May 12, 1864. while fighting bravely. he was dangerously wound- ed in the abdomen by a Minie ball, which he picked from his wound, and preserves as a memento of that terrific battle. In consequence of this wound he was carried to Fredericksburg, thence to Washington and Annapolis, and, when well enough. received a leave of absence of twenty days, and went home. Hle reported back to the hospital July 26, and to his regiment the morning of July 31, 1864, the day after the mine explosion. He was four weeks in hospital at Knoxville after the termination of the siege because of sickness and prostration.
After his discharge he resumed the practice of law in Manchester. where he remained till November, 1886, when he removed to Concord where he still resides. His brother. Captain James Swan Morrison, became a civil engineer, and. having been in the South for several years before the war broke out. joined his sym- pathies with the cause of the Confederacy. Upon the arrival of the Eleventh Regiment in East Tennessee. Adjutant Morrison made inquiries for his brother, he having been employed at one time as engineer on the Greenville & French Broad Railroad. When last heard from he was residing at Morristown, Tennessee, and thither Adjutant Morrison went : there he learned that
2.
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JAMES F. BRIGGS.
James was acting as first lieutenant in Company A, Third Regiment. Engineer Troops, generally under General Bragg. Adjutant Morrison visited his brother's place of residence when the Eleventh reached Morris- town, but found that he had left the day before. The adjutant wrote him a note asking, " What did you leave for, just as I was coming?" and left it. In a few days Morristown was again in the hands of the rebels, and his brother answered saying, " I left because I did not like the company you were in. If you have any boots to spare, and they are not contraband of war. leave them for me." The brothers did not meet during the war, although several times they were only a few hours' march apart.
Adjutant Morrison since the war has published the following works: "Digest of the N. H. Reports ;" "Town Officer ;" "Probate Laws and Directory ;" "Justice and Sheriff and Attorney's Assistant ; " .. Di- gest of the Laws relating to Common Schools ; " " Proofs of Christ's Resurrection from the Lawyer's Stand-point."
As adjutant, he was very faithful in the discharge of his duties, his morning reports usually being the first received at head-quarters, and all other reports were promptly furnished.
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MAJOR JAMES F. BRIGGS.
. James F. Briggs, son of John and Nancy ( Franklin) Briggs, was born in Bury, Lancashire, England, October 23d, 1827. At the age of fourteen months he came to New England with his parents, who resided first in Andover, then in Saugus and Amesbury, Mass., until 1836, when they removed to Holderness ( now Ash- land), and the father became a manufacturer of woollen cloths. At the age of fourteen. the son attended school at Newbury, Vt .. and later at Tilton, working in his 3
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father's factory a portion of the time to gain means for his education. He arranged to read law with Hon. . William C. Thompson, at Plymouth, but the death of his father changed his plans, and one year later he entered the office of Ilon. Joseph C. Burrows, at Holder- ness. In 1850 his family removed to Fisherville (now Penacook), and he finished his law studies in the office of Judge Butler, from which he was admitted to the bar in I851. A month later he settled at Hillsborough Bridge, and commenced the practice of his profession. He was one of the representatives to the legislature from Hillsborough in 1856 and 1857. and the latter year he was the Democratic candidate for speaker of the house. Upon the formation of the Eleventh Regiment, Mr. Briggs was commissioned its quartermaster, August 22, 1862, and was with the regiment at the battle of Fredericks- burg ; but on the 29th of December following he resigned his position and returned to his home. January 28, 1863, he was reappointed quartermaster of the regiment, and accompanied it on its Mississippi campaign until August 1, 1863, when he again resigned his position and was honorably discharged from the service. In 1871 he removed from Hillsborough to Manchester.
He was one of the representatives from Manchester in the legislature in 1874, and was a state senator in 1876. He was a member of congress six years, in the forty- fifth, forty-sixth, and forty-seventh congresses, holding important positions upon committees. Since then he has several times been one of the representatives in the legis- lature of the state from Manchester. He married Rox- anna Smith, of New Hampton. whom he survives. Although from his position a non-combatant in time of battle, yet at the battle of Fredericksburg Major Briggs was in the thickest of the fight. passing along the regi- ment cheering on the men to heroic duty.
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CHAPTER II.
FROM NOVEMBER 10, 1862, TO DECEMBER 16, 1862-ON THE MARCH- AT FREDERICKSBURG-COLONEL HARRIMAN'S ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE-HERMAN J. EATON'S DESCRIPTION-CHARGES OF THE ELEVENTH-CAPTAIN PINGREE'S REMINISCENCES.
Monday morning, November 10, the regiment was ordered to "Fall in !" with rifles and ammunition only, as a battery supported by the Twenty-first Massachusetts Regiment was shelling the enemy just in our advance, and the order came to " Hurry up the Eleventh New Hampshire to the rescue!" Down the road the boys went in fine style, every gun loaded and every man with his eyes and ears open, only to receive an order in a few minutes to "About face !" as the rebs had skedaddled. The regiment rested under arms during the day, and at night Company D was detailed for the advanced picket- line, where it remained until Wednesday morning, November 12. At three o'clock the regiment marched toward Warrenton. Company D having the advance guarding the supply train, and before noon the Second Brigade was in camp at White Sulphur Springs. And it was just in time, for its old camp at Jeffersonville was occupied by the enemy in force before it had fairly got away. The Second Brigade of the Second Division of the Ninth Corps had the advance to and from Jefferson- ville, and the division commander. General Sturgis. said the Eleventh New Hampshire Regiment had the honor of having encamped farther into Virginia than any other regiment since the advance commenced. The halt here was a very welcome one to the boys, as the marching and bivouacking in the cold, stormy weather, together
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with short rations, had told severely upon very many of them.
On Saturday the regiment broke camp and were fairly on the road, when the enemy opened fire upon our troops. with the evident purpose of securing some supply trains, of which they very plainly stood in need. Some rebel cavalry attempted to ford the river and head off the trains, but a company of the Seventh Rhode Island emptied a few saddles for them. and they retreated. This was the first time the regiment was under fire, and for two hours shot. shell, and railroad iron flew over the heads of the men in a lively manner. Two pioneers belonging to the regiment were slightly wounded. Four baggage-wagons in the train were burned to prevent their falling into the enemy's hands. The march was resumed about noon, and several miles made before the regiment encamped for the night. The next day, November 16. it marched to Warrenton Junction, on the Orange Railroad, remaining there until Monday. November 17. when a march of eight miles was made through a poor, sandy country. It then bivouacked, and the next day, after a march of twelve miles, went into camp at Hartwood, eight miles from Fredericksburg. This last march was made mostly through the fields and woods, in order to give the roads to the artillery. ambulance, supply, and baggage trains. The sight was an inspiring one. with all of these . trains and tens of thousands of troops hurrying, rushing onward .- and whither?
Wednesday morning. November 19. the regiment broke camp at six o'clock, and commenced its day's march. which it was hoped would end in Fredericks- burg ; but after a march of some nine miles a halt was made on the bank of the river opposite Fredericksburg. in full view of the city, and there the officers and men of the Eleventh Regiment came together under the
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branches of a large oak tree, and grew eloquent and enthusiastic over the prospect of an easy capture of the city : .. But few of the enemy were over there. The river could be forded at Falmouth, and thousands of brave men were ready to do it." But no, pontoons must be laid before we could cross,-and where were they? Official records show that General Burnside was promised pon- toons for his bridges to cross the river into Fredericks- burg. and that he expected to find them there on or about the time of the arrival of his army at Falmouth. Official records also show that on Wednesday, November 19. 1862 (the day the army began to arrive at Falmouth expecting to cross over into Fredericksburg), Captain Spaulding, in charge of the pontoons,-for they were the same that composed the bridge upon which the army crossed at Berlin at the commencement of the advance,- acting under orders from General Woodbury, engineer officer in charge, started from Washington to haul his pontoons overland to Fredericksburg. A series of mis- fortunes befell him. Some of the pontoons had been dis- patched by water to Acquia Creek. Precious time was wasted, and when the pontoons arrived Fredericksburg heights were bristling with cannon and bayonet, bidding defiance to the Union commander and his brave army of an hundred thousand men. Who was responsible for all this?
General Sumner, who had led the advance on the 19th of November. and who demanded the surrender of Fred- ericksburg on the 21st, testified that he was positive if he had had the pontoons within three days after his arrival at Falmouth, he could have occupied the heights in the rear of Fredericksburg without material opposi- tion.
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