USA > New Hampshire > History of the Twelfth regiment, New Hampshire volunteers in the war of the rebellion > Part 13
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At daylight on Sunday morning I received orders from the general-in-chief in person to withdraw from my position on the plank road and march my command by the most practical route to Fairview, and there occupy the line of intrench- ments along the skirt of the woods, on both sides of and perpendicular to the plank road ; my artillery to occupy the field-works on the crest of the hill in the rear of the lines of battle. Major-General Berry I found already in position in the front line with the Second Division connecting on his left with Williams's division - Twelfth Corps.
An examination of his disposition left me nothing to desire.
General Whipple commenced his movement from the Wilderness (the place it occupied Saturday night) by the left flank, preceded by the artillery of his own and Birney's division, except Huntington's battery, which was well posted on the right flank to cover the withdrawal of the columns.
Birney followed in good order. When the rear of his column (Graham's brigade) had descended into the ravine, the enemy fiercely assailed Graham and Huntington's battery, but were handsomely repulsed. Directing a battery to
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New Hampshire Volunteers.
open fire from the crest of a hill to the left of the Fairview house (meaning the Chancellor Ilouse) and a brigade to be formed in column of regiments within supporting distance of Graham, he was withdrawn in good order, though not without considerable loss.
Huntington's battery, of Whipple's division, swept with a most destructive fire the plain upon which the rebels deployed for their attack on Graham. In withdrawing over the branches of Scott's Run, this battery lost some of its horses and material. Along the heights in front of Fairview, commencing near the plank road on the right, were Dimick's and Osburn's batteries; near the dwell- ing Randolph's and Clarke's were posted ; on the extreme left of the crest Seeley, Lewis, Livingstone, and Puttkammer in reserve. Huntington was sent to the ford. The Third (Mott's) Brigade, Second Division, after the retreat of the Third Maryland, moved forward to the breastworks by the command of General Mott, and drove the enemy back upon himself with incalculable slaughter.
The Fifth New Jersey advanced into the woods, beyond the line of breast- works, capturing many prisoners and colors. The Seventh New Jersey vied with the Fifth in repelling the rebel masses. Graham's brigade (the One Hundred and Fourteenth, Fifty-seventh, Sixty-third, Sixty-eighth, One Hundred and Fifth, and One Hundred and Forty-first Pennsylvania Infantry) was almost immediately sent to the front to relieve one of General Slocum's brigades which was reported to me to be out of ammunition.
The First Brigade (General Franklin commanding) of Whipple's division, in two lines -the One Hundred and Twenty-fourth and Eighty-sixth New York and One Hundred and Twenty-second Pennsylvania-supported Berry on the right of the plank road most gallantly.
The battery on the left of the road and in the rear of the line having been withdrawn, these regiments relieved the front line on the left of the road, and by a brilliant charge drove back the enemy who was coming down the road and over our breastworks.
It was in this charge that the intrepid Lieutenant-Colonel Chapin and Major Higgins were wounded, the former mortally.
The Second Brigade, Colonel Bowman commanding -the Twelfth New Hampshire, Colonel Potter commanding; One Hundred and Tenth Pennsyl- vania, Lieutenant-Colonel Crowther commanding ; and the Eighty-fourth Penn- sylvania, Lieutenant-Colonel Opp commanding - formed the third line in front and to the left of the batteries at Fairview.
These troops behaved with the utmost gallantry and were boldly led, main- taining their ground to the last, under the most adverse circumstances.
Their loss was necessarily severe. Besides Lieutenant-Colonel Crowther, who was killed, Colonel Potter, Lieutenant-Colonel Marsh, and Major Savage, of the Twelfth New Hampshire, and Major Jones, of the One Hundred and Tenth Pennsylvania, were all dangerously wounded.
The sharpshooters, under Colonel Berdan, supported the First Brigade, throw- ing out a strong line of skirmishers to the front in the woods. These splendid light troops rendered the most efficient service.
Major Hastings was severely wounded while upon duty with his battalion.
The vigor and tenacity of the enemy's attack seemed to concentrate more and more upon my lines near the plank road and on my left flank .* As fast as their
* It will be remembered that the Twelfth fought on the left of and close to the plank road.
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lines were broken by the terrible fire of artillery and musketry, fresh columns were deployed.
My last reserve - Wood's brigade of Birney's division - had been sent to sup- port Berry on the right of the plank road, but the heroic commander had fallen in the thickest of the fight, while Wood was on his way, who failed to get into position before the enemy had turned Berry's left flank, which was held by the Third Maryland, of the Twelfth Corps.
Thirty cannon, in commanding position and admirably served, inflicted ter- rible blows upon the enemy. Often repulsed by the concentration of this fire and by repeated charges of infantry, his exhausted resources enabled him to press forward rather in crowds than in any regular formation.
Colonel Bowman, in his very brief and somewhat indefinite report of the battle, after referring in a few words to the advance of his brigade and its position Saturday afternoon and night, continues as follows :
In the evening we fell back and lay on our arms until daylight, when the entire brigade-the One Hundred and Tenth Pennsylvania had rejoined it on its retreat from the woods in the afternoon- was directed to march in the direction of the brick house (meaning the Chancellor House), and to form the third line of battle in front our batteries, placed on a hill.
I had no special orders from General Whipple, excepting that it would be expected of me to support the batteries. But I had hardly made the proper dis- positions of my command, when (the enemy having made a vigorous attack against our left) I saw our troops on both sides of the creek break and run, without giving the enemy a single volley. Under these circumstances it was obvious that unless this calamity could be repaired instantly our left would be turned at the very beginning of the engagement. I could not at that moment obtain the advice of either my division, or corps commander. The enemy was seeking the very cover abandoned by our troops to be used against us. There was no time for delay, and I ordered the One Hundred and Tenth and Eighty- fourth Pennsylvania Volunteers (these being nearest thereto) into the position abandoned as above stated.
For a moment it was doubtful if we could get there before the enemy, but just then General Whipple appeared, and urging us on, we secured the position, and held it.
By this circumstance my command was divided. The Twelfth New Hampshire Volunteers became engaged subsequently, and lost heavily. Colonel Potter, Lieu- tenant-Colonel Marsh, and Major Savage were all badly wounded, and of twenty-one officers and five hundred and thirty-seven enlisted men of this regi- ment who went into the fight, there remain only five officers and two hundre l and twelve men now present for duty. The One Hundred and Tenth and Eighty-fourth Pennsylvania Volunteers held their position for nearly two hours, and until our artillery on the hill had been withdrawn. *
My command having been separated by the circumstance alluded to, and anticipating my inability to be present constantly with all portions of it, I in- structed Colonel Crowther, the senior officer, to hold the position at all hazards until it became absolutely impossible and then to retreat, but unfortunately he
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did not discover in time our line broken on his right, and that he was flanked ou his left, and before he was aware of it he was called upon to surrender by an overwhelming force of the enemy. This proposition was responded to only by a hand to hand encounter, in which he bravely fell, and out of which about one half of the command at that point escaped, bringing many prisoners with them. The fate of the balance is unknown.
From this report it is seen why and how the Twelfth became separated from the rest of the brigade, and had to fight its battle alone ; but it does not so clearly appear where Colonel Bowman and his staff officers were after he left Colonel Crowther in command of his two Pennsylvania reg- iments. He says : " Anticipating my inability to be constantly present with all portions of it (the brigade), I instructed Colonel Crowther," etc. Now the Twelfth was the only portion left of the brigade, for there were but three regiments in it, and if Colonel Crowther, as senior officer, took command of and was looking after two regiments, what hindered Colonel Bowman from looking after the other?
Or, if he could not possibly do so himself, where were all his staff offi- cers and aides-de-camp? It is safe enough to presume, that had the Twelfth been at that time as far to the rear as it was in front of the main line of battle - meaning the front line of intrenchments, to hold which the Pennsylvania regiments had been ordered to the left - it would have had no reason to complain for lack of attention from either general or staff officers.
Assistant Adjutant-General Dalton, of Whipple's staff, refers in his report to Bowman's brigade as follows :
The second brigade was placed in position supporting the batteries on the left and front of the white house (meaning, as presumed, the Chancellor House).
This position was a critical one, the troops on either flank having fallen back, and the batteries having been withdrawn; but the brigade held its ground suc- cessfully until nearly flanked, when it retreated to the lines of the army. In this movement the brigade was constantly engaged in fighting and suffered heavily, losing more than half of the command. Out of seven field officers, five fell, either killed or wounded.
This report of Captain Dalton's, dated May roth, shows how little he knew of the action of the brigade after it had taken its position in the morning, and how little was known of the position and action of one of its regiments as late as seven days after the battle. What he says, ex- cepting as to position first taken by the brigade and loss of field officers, applies only to the two Pennsylvania regiments, and does not touch the Twelfth at all. Yet it is of some importance here, as cumulative evidence, because, when taken in connection with Colonel Hall's letter and Colonel Bowman's report, it proves conclusively the correctness of the author's pen picture of the situation at the time the Twelfth was ordered into the fight, viz. : that the regiment, after the detachment of the other two bat-
History of the Twelfth Regiment
talions, was left substantially alone to stem the tide that was rolling in upon them from a broad unguarded front. " This position," he says, " was a critical one, the troops on either flank having fallen back and the batteries having been withdrawn."
But if that position was a critical one, as indeed it was, what shall be said of the position of the Twelfth more than two hours afterward - if the Colonel is correct in his time- when it stood fighting seventy-live rods at least in advance of its first line of battle, with both its flanks firmly held by rebel troops! The part of the brigade of which he speaks fell back long before the remaining and most tenacious part did, and no infer- ence intended that any part of it did not fight well, either.
GENERAL SICKLES'S TESTIMONY.
General Sickles, when asked at the time of the Third Corps reunion in Boston, if he remembered anything about the Twelfth New Hampshire Volunteers at Chancellorsville, responded as follows :
" Yes, sir, I do; I know that it was the last regiment that left the field that day. When I had formed my last line near the Chancellor House, and my artillery was just about to open on the rebel lines that came pressing out of the woods at the foot of Fairview, I noticed a little squad of blue emerge in sight over the hill on our left front ; and putting spurs to my horse, I rode in front of my batteries and ordered the gunners to hold their fire as there were some of my men between us and the rebels. I was interested to know what regiment the men belonged to, as I supposed all my troops had fallen back some time before that, and when they came up I found they belonged to the Twelfth New Hamp- shire Volunteers."
Hle was then told that his statement explained what some of the Twelfth boys who were in that squad had said about him at the time.
" What was that? " inquired the general.
" They said, and have often since referred to it, that you were riding up and down in front of your line, bare-headed and swinging your hat, and crying out : .Fall in, fall in here, men ! These are my guns !' Understanding you to mean for them to fall in and help support your batteries."
" No," laughingly replied the general, " that wasn't my object, nor quite my words, though I can see how they could easily have understood me so. What } did say was, ' Hold on there, gunners! Hold your fire! Those are MY men !'
" The little squad (for as I remember it there wasn't much more than a baker's dozen left of them, was there?) sprang into sight all at once and entirely unex- pected to me, and, if I hadn't seen them just as I did, there wouldn't have been anything left of them. But such is war, and its losses and dangers. O, yes, 1 certainly know and shall never forget so much about your regiment at Chancel lorsville."
THE CHANCELLOR ESTATE,
upon which the main battle was fought, and from which it took its name, was formerly owned by George Chancellor who settled there about eighty-five years ago. He was a rich planter, owning a large number of slaves, and built the
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large and imposing structure standing there until consumed by the flames at the time of the battle, and long known as the " Chancellor House." The place itself with its surroundings, was called Chancellorsville ; but this name was not usually applied to the house until after the war.
This house was situated at the intersection of the old turnpike and the plank road, both leading to Fredericksburg, and on the direct route from that city to Orange Court House and Gordonsville. It was a great resort for planters and business men who lived in or between those places, though never used as a regu- lar hotel. It was built mostly of brick, and was one of the largest and best fin- ished " F. F. V."* mansions in the State.
The house now standing on the same spot, a printed engraving of which is here seen, was built up from the old walls of the west wing that were left stand- ing, and is about one third the size of the original one. The estate included about eight hundred and fifty acres, and had remained in the Chancellor family about fifty years, being sold just before the war. It is now, unless recently sold, owned by W. N. Wyeth, of Baltimore, Md., but is under the care and super- vision of Vespacian Chancellor, grandson of the original owner, and nephew of Maj. Sanford Chancellor, whose widow, Fanny E., and family resided there at the time of the battle.
After the war she resided for several years with her husband's nephew, above named, where the author had the pleasure of seeing and conversing with her October 3, 1888, and where she continued to reside until her death a few years later, when almost eighty-three years old. In answer to the question, " I suppose you still very vividly remember that day and its terrors?" she replied with a voice tremulous with emotion as well as age, " I guess, indeed, I do!" placing such a forcible but sad and shuddering emphasis upon the last word, as to almost make the listener think he was on that field again, and could see the flames consum- ing the house above her head.
There had been so many different stories told and published about the burning of the building, and of whom and how many were in it beside the wounded sol- diers at the time it caught fire from the rebel shells that were raining upon it, that it had become doubtful if any of them were true.
It appears, however, upon investigation, that not one half the truth has ever been told. When the battle commenced on Sunday morning there were thirteen or fourteen persons in the house that were living there and in houses near by, and all females but two - a boy and a baby. These were Mrs. Chancellor, her six grown up daughters, her son about sixteen years old, two of the neighbors - one with a baby in her arms - and two or three colored servants.
When the fire of the enemy was directed against the house, these helpless non- combatants went down into the cellar, where they remained until driven out by the flames.
At the time the house caught fire the Union lines had been pushed back across Fairview, and the building was exposed to a most destructive fire from the enemy's guns, some of which were now occupying the very ridge in the woods where the Twelfth but a short time before had been fighting. More than this, it was within the sweep of the rebel musketry, bullets constantly striking the house or flying swiftly past it.
* First Families in Virginia.
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History of the Twelfth Regiment
They were advised therefore by Colonel Dickinson, of Hooker's staff, to wait awhile and see if the fire inside could not be put out or kept under control before taking the chances of what, as yet, was a more dangerous, if not hotter fire out- side. But soon the flames had made such progress that it was evident they must leave the house or be burned to death and buried in its ruins. The wounded, among whom were Colonel Potter and several of his men, had been all removed, and now the women, assisted and encouraged by Colonel Dickinson and a brave and kind hearted drummer boy (who has visited the family two or three times since the war, but whose name cannot now be recalled) ascended from the cellar and made ready for their fiery exodus. Fortunately the rebel artillerists, seeing the house in flames, had ceased to make it a target for their guns, and the mus- ketry fire had considerably diminished. Now, then, was their time if ever, for the flames were now fiercely raging above and around them, except the side toward which they hastened for egress, and pieces of the burning ruins were already falling upon their heads.
As the mother at the head of the family reaches the door, she takes one wild look and hesitates ; and though the scorching flames are making every moment's delay perilous, it is no wonder that she pauses. The terrible fear of herself and children being burned to death, that was impelling her swiftly on, is, for the instant, forgotten at the awful scene of destruction, carnage, and death that now presents itself before her. What a situation for innocent, inoffensive, and help- less humanity was this ! What a picture for a master artist's brush ! The terror- stricken mother, standing on the threshold of her own home, that is fast crumbling into fiery ruins above her head, with her six daughters and youthful son clinging to or clustering about her, and her servants and neighbors pressing close behind, needs but the smiling face of the baby that, all unconscious of danger, is securely covered and closely hugged to its mother's bosom, to com- plete the group. But this is but the centre-piece of the picture, and we leave the rest for the imagination of the reader; for the whole scene no pencil can sketch, no brush can paint, and no pen describe.
Leaving the house, conducted by the gallant colonel, and assisted by the drummer and other soldiers, the pitiful group, hurrying rapidly forward and keeping the burning house between them and the bullets that were still coming from the enemy's front, at last reached the protection of the woods, all untouched by the flying missiles of death, but by no means unharmed. One of the daughters was so greatly excited and frightened that the blood ran from her nose and mouth, and it was feared she would bleed to death before it could be stopped ; and one of the old family servants was so terrified that she lost her reason, and never recovered it to the day of her death, that occurred a few years later.
This house was occupied by General Hooker as his Headquarters, and where he was disabled for some time from holding the command of his army. He was struck by a piece of wood that was split off by a solid shot or shell from one of the posts of the piazza, near which he was standing, and while just about to mount his horse. He was picked up by some of his staff and carried into the house, where for a time he lay in a semi-conscious condition, from which it was feared he would never recover. But soon rallying, he called for his horse, as the idea of what he was about to do when hit, came back to his mind; and, in spite of every remonstrance, mounted, with the assistance of his officers, into the
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THE CHANCELLOR HOUSE.
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saddle, and rode a piece into the field. The pain from reaction of the shock was so severe, however, that he had to return to the house again.
Colonels Potter and Marsh and several other wounded officers and men of the Twelfth were in the house about the time it caught fire, and when one of the chimneys was knocked down, the fire-place tumbling into the room where they lay, making such a jar and noise that it seemed as if the whole house were falling down upon them. It was in this house, also, that Chaplain Ambrose and Surgeon Hunt worked so bravely and nobly for the suffering wounded, not leav- ing it until forced to by the flames.
It has been stated upon the authority of Surgeon Jamison, of Whipple's division, that Captain Angle and three other commissioned officers of the Eighty- seventh New York Regiment were burned to death in this house. This, as hoped, was not correctly reported, although, in the hurry and confusion, it is not altogether improbable that some of the living wounded might have been left there to be consumed by the flames.
The picture of the building here seen is from a photograph taken at the time of the visit of the survivors of the Twelfth Regiment and others to the battle-field, October 3, ISSS, and shows upon the staging and roofs, the workmen who were then shingling the house, the team of Vespasian Chancellor, superintendent of the estate, with Mr. Chancellor and Reuben T. Leavitt of the Twelfth in the carriage, and two other ex-members of the regiment - Frank L. Hughes and the writer hereof-sitting on the fence.
The brick end of the building, shown in the picture, is the part of the old building left standing at the time of the battle; and the dark spots thereon are solid shot thrown by the Confederates, and that are still to be seen sticking into brick walls.
JACKSON MONUMENT.
It stands within a few feet of the plank road, about a mile west from the Chan- cellor House, and less than eighty rods from where the Twelfth New Hampshire Volunteers fought on the morning of the third day of May, 1863.
It is built of Virginia granite, stands about twelve feet high, and has upon it the following inscriptions :
On the side of the pedestal facing the road, in large capitals, is the name "Jackson," and on the die above are the words, "On this spot fell, mortally wounded, Thomas J. Jackson, Lt. Gen., C. S. A., May 2d, 1863." On the east side, "' There is Jackson standing like a stone wall.'- Bee at Manassas." North side, "'Could I have directed events, I should have chosen, for the good of the country, to have been disabled in your stead ; I congratulate you on the victory which is due to your skill and energy.'-Gen. R. E. Lee." West side, " 'Let us pass over the river and rest under the shade of the trees'-his last words."
There has been considerable dispute, even by the Confederate soldiers, as to the exact spot where Jackson fell, many claiming it was thirty or forty rods west from where the monument stands, and nearly opposite where the Twelfth lay in support of the batteries Saturday night. It is also a question that can never be answered with certainty, whether he was killed by Federal troops or his own men, but probably by the latter.
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AFTER THOUGHTS OF CHANCELLORSVILLE.
"Can I go to Haverhill on this train?" the writer once hastily inquired of a ticket master just as a train was about starting from the depot, meaning simply if it was the Haverhill bound train.
"Well, I don't know," replied the ticket agent, smiling at the way the ques- tion was put, "we can start you in about two minutes, but getting there, you know, is quite another thing."
It was just after two or three serious accidents on that and connecting roads, and the long, uncertain answer to the question was easy to understand, even without the special emphasis that was given to the above italicized words.
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