USA > New Hampshire > A history of the Second regiment, New Hampshire volunteer infantry, in the war of the rebellion > Part 16
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July 20. Reveille at 2 in the morning, and marched at 4, following the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge. At 3 p. m. arrived at Upperville, about a mile from Ashby's Gap. The debris of many
13
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a cavalry fight is scattered about, and directly in front of the Second's camp, by the roadside, are four fresh graves.
July 21. Inspection of arms, in the forenoon, by Colonel Burling. An order was read relative to details to be sent home to drill drafted men-three commissioned officers and six enlisted men from each regiment.
July 22. The corps marched at 3 p. m., taking the Manassas Gap road. Passed through Piedmont, where we crossed the rail- road, and camped about a mile beyond, by the side of Goose Creek.
July 23. At 5 a. m. marched to Manassas Gap, where the cavalry have been skirmishing with the enemy for the past three days. In the afternoon the corps attacked the rebels, and after a fight of three hours drove them from the heights at the west end of the gap.
This movement through Manassas Gap, with its resultant battle of Wapping Heights, was a reconnoissance in force, made with the hope of cutting in upon and crippling Lee on his line of retreat up the valley of the Shenandoah. The First Divis- ion, then commanded by General Ward, entered the gap on the night of July 22, and relieved Buford's cavalry, while the Second and Third Divisions came up on the following morning, joining the First at Linden Station at about 9 o'clock.
The gap is several miles in length, and varies in width from a quarter of a mile to a mile. Its western end is Corpl. Darius K. Bean, Co. F. blocked by a steep, rocky transverse Was severely wounded at Gettys- burg, July 2, 1863, and after being discharged from the Second enlisted in the Veteran Reserve Corps, from which he was discharged after four months' service, on account of his wounds. Resides at Bedford, Mass. ridge, known as Wapping Heights. This strong position was occupied by a heavy flank guard sent by Lee to cover his movements, the rebel force consisting of Rodes' division of Ewell's corps and Wright's brigade of Anderson's division.
The Third Corps proceeded to dislodge the enemy. The First
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Division advanced up the heights in line of battle, preceded by skirmishers, and followed by the Second and Third Divisions formed in brigade columns in mass. The ground, although very rough and broken, was open, and the movements of every man of the corps in plain view. The skirmishers, from Berdan's Sharpshooters, did the work and carried the heights. Crawling up the steep slopes, through the tall grass and under cover of the scattered bowlders, the deadly accuracy of their fire at length broke the nerve of the rebels, who fled down the other side of the crest, leaving several of their dead behind the stone fence which had served them as a breastwork. Sedley A. Lowd, Co. K.
Born in Portsmouth, April 21, 1841. After his discharge from the Second, he served a term in the First N. H. H. A. Since the war he has resided in Londonderry; P. O. address, Derry Depot.
From the crest the ground fell away more gradually to the west, and there was an extensive view, covering miles of the Shenandoah valley. The corps had hardly gained the position when General Meade rode up and took a long survey of the country to the west. Then the Second Division was thrown forward, the Second Brigade (Excel- siors) in advance, with Burling's following in support.
A ragged gulch, in which a wild tangle of dewberry vines treacherously concealed the pitfalls among masses of bowlders, cut the slope down which the advance was made. Upon the opposite side was a swarm of the enemy's sharpshooters and skirmishers. The column plunged into this ravine, and when the Excelsiors went scrambling up the opposite side, the rebels left. But, two hundred yards beyond, there was another crest, upon which a rebel battle line suddenly arose and opened a sharp fire. But as soon as they were well clear of the gulch the Excelsiors went
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for this line with a rush and swept it into and across an open ravine to its rear.
Burling's brigade, deploying as it advanced, crossed the ravine, and halted just under cover of its western lip, within easy support- ing distance of the Excelsiors. A rebel battery did a little firing from a distance, and their infantry ostentatiously displayed itself at various points ; but night was coming on, and the fighting was over for the day. Meade had accomplished his purpose in forcing the gap, and Lee had accomplished his by making Meade take a whole day to do it in. But a small portion of the force present on either side was actually engaged, and the losses were not heavy. Rodes reported the rebel loss as about ninety-five. The Union loss was one hundred and five -- twenty-four in the First Division and eighty- one in the Second.
July 24. At an early hour this morning it was learned that the rebels had withdrawn from our front, and the Second Division was ordered to advance to Front Royal. The Second Regiment were deployed as skirmishers, and sweeping a wide range on either side of the road, picked up quite a number of footsore and discouraged rebel stragglers. The rebels made no opposition to speak of, their liveliest demonstration being a few shots from a battery at Front Royal, as the skirmish line approached the village. One of our batteries was at once brought up to the line, and put in position in the fields to the left of the road. But the rebel battery quickly decamped, and a few of our cavalry scouts, dashing into the town, found it entirely clear of rebels, excepting a few sick and wounded unfortunates. The object of the movement being accomplished, the skirmish line was withdrawn, and the division marched back as far as Markham Station, in the gap, where it camped for the night.
July 25. Made a march of about fifteen miles, passing through the village of Salem. The footsore and barefoot fellows got a ride today on an empty supply train. There was a big thunder shower during the night.
July 26. Took an early morning start and marched to Warren- ton. As the regiment marched down the main street, General Marston was sighted, standing in front of a house, and answering the greetings of his old boys with nods and smiles of satisfaction.
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It was soon noised about that his mission was to have the Second, Fifth and Twelfth New Hampshire regiments detached from the Army of the Potomac for the formation of a brigade to serve under him on the Lower Potomac. And when, after our next halt, the rest of the corps marched on and left the Second still resting, it began to look like business. Then we marched back to Warrenton and went into camp close by General Meade's headquarters, for guard duty at which a detail was at once made from the regiment.
General Marston was acting under the following authority :
WASHINGTON, D. C., July 23, 1863.
Maj .- Gen. GEORGE G. MEADE,
Army of the Potomac :
GENERAL: Brig .- Gen. G. Marston has been assigned by the Secretary of War to the command of Saint Mary's District, Maryland, where he is to establish a camp for prisoners of war. You will assign to him a guard of about 300 men from New Hampshire regiments. It is reported that there are only about that number in the Second, Fifth and Twelfth New Hamp- shire Volunteers. If more convenient, any other New Hampshire troops may be taken. It is intended to return these troops to the Army of the Potomac as soon as they can be filled up with drafted men from that State.
Any prisoners of war you may have will be turned over to General Marston, who is directed to show you his instructions.
Very respectfully, &c., H. W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief.
July 27. Marston's new brigade left Warrenton at 10 a. m. on a train of flat cars, and arrived in Alexandria at 9 p. m. By some accident the train here broke apart, and the rear section, on which was the Second, was left standing at the depot. After waiting until half-past II o'clock, the forsaken troops left the train and started to march to Washington, but went into bivouac for the rest of the night about half-way between Alexandria and Long Bridge.
July 28. Marched to Washington in the morning and took up quarters at the Soldiers' Rest. Received our company property from the government storehouses. One of the barracks is occupied by the rebel prisoners we are taking along, of which there are about three hundred. Among the number is an Irishman who formerly lived in Manchester. There are two or three whose homes are right here in Washington, and whose friends were permitted to bring them articles which they will need in their captivity. One female enthusiast abused her privilege as a visitor by bombastic exhortations to one of the prisoners to fight the
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Yankees to the death. He knew she was making an ass of herself, and looked bored and humiliated.
July 29. Drew clothing, and none too soon, as some of the men were getting pretty ragged. Dress parade at 5 o'clock, when an order was read breaking a sergeant for drunkenness. Company clerks are busy making out pay rolls.
July 30. Companies G and I on guard over rebel prisoners. At 6 p. m. the Second and Twelfth Regiments, with the prisoners, embarked on the steamer " John Brooks," for Point Lookout. The boat proceeded as far as Budd's Ferry, where it anchored for the night. The Fifth Regiment was left at Washington, and is going to New Hampshire to recruit.
Dana S. Jaquith, Co. A.
CHAPTER XIII.
JULY 31, 1863, TO APRIL 7, 1864 .- POINT LOOKOUT-DEPOT FOR PRISONERS OF WAR ESTABLISHED-THE PRISON CAMP AND DISCI- PLINE-PLANS AND EFFORTS TO ESCAPE-THE SECOND REGIMENT FILLED UP WITH "BOUNTY JUMPERS"-A CITY OF REFUGE FOR CONTRABANDS-RAID INTO THE NORTHERN NECK-THE SECOND JOINS BUTLER'S ARMY OF THE JAMES.
A T nine o'clock on the morning of Friday, July 3Ist, the "John Brooks" was at the Point Lookout wharf, and before night the prisoners and their guards were installed in comfortable camps, with A tents for shelter. Point Lookout is a long, low spit of sand at the mouth of the Potomac, about a mile in length, and varying in width from a mere point, at the lighthouse, to a third of a mile at its northern limit. At the latter point it is nearly separated from the mainland by a water basin several acres in extent, fed by a small stream from the country above, and flooded at every tide through its outlet on the river side. The salubrious sur- roundings had led to the establishment here of the Hammond General Hospital, which was located near the southerly end of the point, and had accommodations for many thousand patients. It was also an excellent location for a prison camp, being commanded at all points by the gunboat flotilla, and requiring but a compara- tively small force as a prison guard.
The camps of the Second and Twelfth were pitched by the river side, well up toward the northerly end of the point, with the prison camp just across the way, on the Chesapeake Bay shore.
At dress parade, August 2, General Orders, No. 1, were read
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in which (1) General Marston assumed command of the District of Saint Mary's ; (2) routine of duty for the troops was established ; (3) detail of twenty men from the Second and Twelfth to serve as mounted scouts. This troop of improvised cavalry served an important purpose, until relieved by a detachment of regulars in September, in patrolling the coun- try above, apprehending escaped prisoners and deserters, and ferret- ing out the smugglers, with whom the lower Potomac had been a favorite point for crossing over into Dixie with contraband goods. Captain J. N. Patterson was appointed provost marshal of the district, with Captain George E. Sides as commandant of the prison camp.
The men enjoyed to the utmost the good things which went with Point Lookout-the bathing and fishing and boating, the oysters William W. Wood, Co. I. and the crabs. The river front of Resides at Richford, Vermont. The above picture shows him as a booted and spurred wagon master. the Second's camp was soon lined with a fleet of dugouts which had been gathered in from up the river. When off duty the men were given every privilege consistent with military discipline ; Marston knew his old men, and they were at liberty to roam at their own sweet will.
Large detachments of prisoners began to arrive almost as soon as the camp was established. They came by boatloads, from New York, from Baltimore, from Washington. The hundreds at first gathered swelled to thousands, and as the prison camp expanded, more and more guards were required, until half of Marston's force were on duty each day, the men often standing a beat twelve hours out of the twenty-four.
Years after the war, stung by the civilized world's condemnation
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THE PRISON CAMP.
of the atrocities of Andersonville and other rebel prison pens, some apologists of the Lost Cause attempted to set a back fire by alleging similar abuses at Point Lookout. The effort fell flat, however, having no foundation to stand upon. The arrangements for the reception and care of the prisoners at Point Lookout, and the administration of the affairs of the camp, were upon as humane and liberal lines as was possible for the control of large bodies of men in enforced confinement. The prisoners had proper and sufficient shelter, both tents and blankets. They had the same rations as their guards, and far better conveniences for cook- ing them, and there was a plentiful supply of excellent drinking water. The sanitary arrangements of their camp were perfect, the sinks being upon piles out over the waters of Chesapeake Bay. When sick they received as good care as did the men of the Second.
Those enterprising fellows who exercised their unques- tionable right of attempting to get away, took their chances, and had no reason for com- Capt. George E. Sides, Co. K. plaint if disaster overtook The original second sergeant of Company K. He received rapid promotion, and his selection by General Marston for commandant of the Point Lookout prison camp was a high tribute to his energy and executive ability. After the war, he resided many years in California, but has now returned to his old Portsmouth home. them. Some escaped, more were recaptured, and two or three were drowned. " Why, d-n'em," said Marston one day, when a party of runaways was brought in ; "they won't stay and let us treat 'em well when we want to." Only one of the prisoners, during the entire period of . General Marston's administration, lost his life at the hands of the guards. He was fatally shot, on the night of October 31st, under circumstances given as follows in the Hammond Gazette, a little camp paper published on the point :
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" On Saturday night five of the rebel prisoners at the camp attempted to break the bonds of confinement by escaping from the custody of the guard, but the attempt proved a signal failure, and we trust will be a warning to all the prisoners who may have a longing desire to reach Dixie in that way. The facts of the case as near as we can learn upon reliable authority are these : The pris- oners succeeded, previous to the attempted escape, in making a subterraneous passage from one of their huts to the outside of the fence which incloses their camp, and through this they passed to the outside of the inclosure, thus avoiding a collision with the guard posted on the walk attached to the fence. After escaping thus far, they had not proceeded but a short distance when they came in contact with a patrol party which was out for the occasion-for it seems that the authorities had warning that such an attempt would be made- and were commanded to halt, which they refused to do, whereupon several rounds from the navy revolvers of the patrol were discharged at them, severely wounding two of the party, Sergt. Alonzo M, Hannaford, Co. G. and causing them all to Severely wounded at Gettysburg, July 2, 1863. Present residence, Roodhouse, Ill. surrender. One of the men was so severely wounded that he is not expected to live. The affair created considerable excitement on the point, and many different stories were afloat concerning it, but the above version is from a reliable source, and we presume correct."
Infractions of camp discipline and defiance of authority-which it was inevitable should occasionally crop out in such a crowd-
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A STRIKE THAT FAILED.
were punished, of course, but never by unusual or excessive penalties. Once, when details were made from the prisoners to dig wells in their camp and assist in the erection of cook houses, some of them "struck." They were not going to do any
Lyman M. Aldrich, Co. I.
Portraits taken at the time of his enlist- ment and in 1895. He was severely wounded at Gettysburg. Enlisted from Manchester, where he still resides, doing a large business as carpenter and builder.
work for the United States-not they ! They thought better of it, however, after the walking dele- gates who had engineered them into the scrape were strung up by the wrists, and made haste to declare the strike off. This was the most serious revolt during General Marston's command of the district. All in all, the Rebs and Yanks got along very well together at Point Lookout.
For two months after the establishment of the prison camp, it was without any inclosure, the prisoners being restrained only by a cordon of sentinels ; but early in September a substantial board fence was erected, inclosing three sides of a tract covering twelve or fifteen acres. The water front was left open until about the middle of October, when the fence was extended to also cover that, although the prisoners were still given access to the water from sunrise to sunset. This fence was about twelve feet high, with a platform for sentries extending around the outside, about nine feet
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from the ground. The main entrance to the camp, at the south- west corner, was commanded by a log blockhouse pierced for musketry and mounting two howitzers. A second camp, much smaller than the first, was established, later, exclusively for rebel officers.
The prisoners would not have been human, and but very poor specimen Americans, had their brains not been actively at work devising means of escape. Not one in fifty, probably, ] of these schemes was crowned with success, although some, for their extreme novelty and caring, certainly deserved to be. The most extensive conspiracy was unearthed in February, 1864. A large number of men were in it, and great preparations had been made. But "a little bird whispered" concerning the intended break, and prompt measures were taken to prevent it. The Second and Twelfth were paraded under arms, and the prisoners having been turned out of Thomas M. Lang, Co. B. their quarters, a thorough Was severely wounded at the battle of Oak Grove, leading to his discharge for disability. He resides in Concord. examination was made of every tent. Several muskets were discovered, and a num- ber of bunks were found to be in fact quite serviceable boats, with oarlocks cut in their sides, and tightly calked with tallow and hard soap. Oars and paddles were also discovered. The only reasonable hope there could have been of an opportunity to use these must have been based on the connivance of sentries upon the water front of the camp. It was believed at the time that there was a conspir- acy to overpower the guard and so clear the way for a general exodus. Whatever the plans of the prisoners may have been, it
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" GALVANIZED YANKS."
was their good fortune more than anybody's else that their quixotic scheme was discovered in season to prevent any serious attempt to carry it out.
Individual enterprises were numerous, some attempting to tunnel out, some to bribe the guards, and some to secrete themselves while outside the camp for wood or with working parties. Two of the latter class were observed to crawl under a storehouse one evening when their party was returning to camp. The officer of the guard quietly posted half a dozen men near by with instruc- tions to give the concealed fellows a good scare when they came out, but not to hurt them. When, after long waiting, the heads of the two adventurers appeared, cautiously reconnoitering the ground, they were greeted with an unexpected - and hair-raising volley, which did no harm except to fairly paralyze them with fright.
Applications began to pour in upon the provost marshal to take the oath of allegiance and go north. This was not surprising, considering the manner in which Sergt. Joseph B. Read, Co. H. the rebels had filled up their ranks Was wounded at Second Bull Run, and severely at Gettysburg. Appointed cap- tain in 28th U. S. C. T., and promoted to major. Now resides at Stoneham, Mass. by a merciless conscription, sweep- ing in many who had but little sympathy with the Confederate cause. There were also many who wished to enlist and fight for the Union. Two full regiments of " Galvanized Yanks"-the First and Second United States Volun- teers-were organized from these, and sent to fight Indians in the West, where they did good service without danger of being cap- tured and shot as deserters by their former associates. Many also enlisted into the navy, and quite a little detachment were received into the Second, where, without exception, they made a record as brave and true soldiers second to none.
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The Fifth Regiment arrived from New Hampshire on the afternoon of November 13. On the following day they disem- barked, and made their camp on the Chesapeake side of the point, just north of the prison camp. The regiment had been recruited up, very largely with that execrable class of substitutes known as " bounty jumpers." A big proportion of these were only awaiting an opportunity to desert, and some got in their work very soon. As early as the 17th, the following entry appears in the writer's diary : "Several of the Fifth Regi- ment's subs. attempted to get away today. Two boarded a schooner, and gave the negro captain fifty dollars to take them up the river. A gun- boat got onto the racket and gave chase, overhauling and bringing back the whole outfit. Another party pad- dred up the river in a canoe. A mounted party pursued up the beach, but they landed at a point outside the guards and escaped to the woods. To prevent these attempts in the future, the small boats Van Buren Glazier, Co. G. from which we have derived From a portrait taken just prior to his enlist- ment. He now resides at Lisbon. so much pleasure are all taken away. Cuss the subs !"
November 30th, the Second received its first dose of the same material-one hundred and seventy-five-and on the 19th of December another installment of three hundred and fifty came along. Quite a number had found opportunities to desert while en route. There was a little good material mixed in with these recruits, but it is no credit to New Hampshire that she turned such a mass of rubbish loose into her old veteran regiments. The old men of the Second, the true New Hampshire boys, who for more than two years had faced death fearlessly to make a record which
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should be the pride of their state for ages, keenly felt the change which had come. For them the "Old Second" of glorious memory and heroic achievements had ceased to exist. This feeling was a serious blow to the veteranizing, or re-enlistment, of the old men, which was invited about this time.
In spite of all precautions, a number of these rascals got away. December 3d, a party made off with a boat in which an officer had come ashore from one of the gunboats. Later, one who had been made a corporal rowed away, sometime between sunset and sunrise, with his entire squad posted at the wharf.
Contrabands came in in great numbers, from both Maryland and Virginia, fleeing to Point Lookout as their city of refuge. Some took great risks in crossing from the Virginia shore, five or six miles distant. One morning, in one of the wildest gales of the season, a sturdy young black man landed with his wife and three little children from a little dug- out canoe barely large enough for the five to crowd themselves Charles E. Mclntire, Co. G. into. How they ever got across " Resides in Lancaster, where he has been a figure in public affairs, having been Register of Deeds for Coos County. was the wonder of the men. On the last day of the year, seven boats came across, one of which was loaded with thirty-two men, women and children, to say nothing of household truck and furniture. There was evidently a widespread determination where they came from to start the new year on a sound basis.
The institution of slavery was now in such general disrepute that even the Marylanders had their labor for their pains in attempting to recover their slaves who fled to the point. A planter of the neighborhood, named Coan, came into camp and complained that about forty of his slaves had come within Marston's lines. He
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