USA > New Hampshire > History of the Twelfth regiment, New Hampshire volunteers in the war of the rebellion > Part 14
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Thus it was when " Fighting Joe Hooker," with men and mules packed with ammunition and rations, started for Richmond. His plan of the campaign was good, his combinations timely and well ordered, and his start-out in every way promising. But the history of the Army of the Potomac had been one long chapter of defeats and disasters, from Bull Run to Fredericksburg, to say nothing about the " mud march"; and General Hooker, with this dark chapter before him, and knowing that he had not only General Lee and his army in the field but General Halleck and his staff at Washington to contend with, was weighted down with fears and doubts from the hour that the great responsibility rested upon him.
Hlad he had the same confidence in the courage and ability of his men that they had of the same qualities in him, the result would have been much more satisfactory, even if the objective point of his campaign had not been reached.
When the sun of that sad Sabbath day went down, notwithstanding the ill- fortune that had compelled him to contract his lines, and yieldl a large portion of the field, he had at least seven out of ten chances still left to him.
Though several of his corps had been roughly handled, and were consequently more or less disabled, yet his army was by no means defeated.
Even the Third Corps, that had borne the brunt of the battle, was in as good a condition to renew the fight Monday morning as one half of the rebel forces. The remark has often been made, that Hooker was a good fighter, but he lacked the ability to command a great army. And such will doubtless be the verdict of history, notwithstanding the acknowledged fact, that his move against the Con- federate army - then behind its blood-cemented defenses at Fredericksburg, and separated from him by a wide and swiftly flowing river-was so ably planned and brilliantly executed, that when he halted his advance force of forty thousand men at Chancellorsville, he had more than half a victory won, without the loss of a single man or gun.
If this was not generalship of the highest order, then search history, and tell where, from Alexander to Bonaparte, you can find it.
And as a further reply, if any more is needed, to the charge of incompetency, another important fact, though not so often considered, may be presented, viz. :
Joseph Hooker was the only general of the Union army who ever proved himself to be more than a match for his great antagonist, the hoary-headed Nestor of the Rebellion, Gen. Robert E. Lee, in the great game of strategetics, from the time the latter took command of the Army of Northern Virginia to the time he surrendered it at Appomattox.
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If Hooker showed no ability in this, then was Lee greatly in want of it.
Instead of General Hooker being unable to command so large an army as the Army of the Potomac, he was probably, everything considered, the ablest com- mander it ever had, excepting General Grant.
And yet, because he failed once, and was not permitted to try again, he must take his place in history as a failure.
" So much to fortune and to fate."
The world judges its great actors by the results of their efforts, when often- times nothing could be more unjust ; and the muse of history thinks herself justified in simply recording the common opinion of the public mind, regardless of the correctness of that opinion, and only too careful to suppress any opinion of her own that may chance to run counter to it.
But was Hooker in nothing lacking? By no means, for it is only the centuries that produce a military genius.
But first, as referred to in the preceding chapter, he was sadly lacking in strong and efficient corps commanders who had the ability and courage to take command of the army even for a single hour, though that was the crisis hour of the battle, and their chief lay prostrate from the effects of a shot from the enemy's batteries.
And thus was the grand reserve of over thirty-five thousand men, that Hooker had purposely held back to decide the battle and give him a complete victory, allowed to remain inactive while the rest of the Union troops were being driven from the field.
General Hooker was also lacking in the good-will and hearty cooperation of his superior in rank, General Halleck, who was chiefly instrumental in getting him removed from the command of an army that he had so skilfully handled as to restrict and control the movement of the enemy, and compel General Lee to turn back and retrace his steps from Harrisburg, that he had hoped to capture, and fight a battle before he was ready, and upon ground not of his own chosing.
But if Hooker himself was lacking, as already admitted, it was not in ability, but in courage, the very last thing of which his bitterest enemy would have ever thought of accusing him.
But between the courage here referred to, and what is generally understood by the name, there is a very great and important difference. Courage to meet per- sonal danger, or face death on the battle-field is one, but not the only kind nec- essary for a great general to possess.
The surgeon who has the courage and nerve to bravely stand, and cooly act at his post of duty, while the shells of the enemy are bursting over his head and all around him, may not, at the same time, have the courage to cut the mangled limb from the wounded body of the poor suffering soldier, although he knows it is the only chance to save him, but fears that he will die upon the amputation table, with the warm blood of his victim upon his hands, if he undertakes it.
" How dare you take such a risk "? said one of Cromwell's officers to him as he was about to order his soldiers to enter the halls of the King's Parliament. "I dare do anything to attain my object " was the reply of the lion-hearted leader of the Iron Sides, and, instead of being hung for treason, he became Lord Protector of the Realm, and, when he died, was buried with the greatest honors in Westminster Abbey.
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Had Hooker been as willing to take the risk and the responsibility as Lee was in ordering the last desperate charge at Gettysburg, or as Grant was in swinging his whole army south of the James, after his bloody repulse at Cold Harbor, leaving Washington and the whole North almost entirely unprotected, the end of his campaign, so brilliantly entered upon, would probably have been as glorious as its beginning was propitious, and Richmond his reward.
It was the courage of his convictions that would have prompted him to act, regardless of all consequences, that was chiefly wanting.
A good general, it is said, will look out for his lines of retreat, but he is a better one who, when the exigency demands, dares, like Cortez, to burn his bridges behind him, determined to go through or go down, but never to go back.
Had the rising waters of the Rappahannock swept away, as they threatened to, the pontoon bridges at United States Ford, after the great rain of Tuesday afternoon, it would have been of the greatest advantage to the Union commander, for the new and neccessary kind of courage, born of desperation, that it would have inspired in him, was all that was needed.
Advance or surrender would then have been the stern alternative, and who that was there can doubt which it would have been, or what would have been the result ?
In technical terms his strategeties were most admirable, and his tactics, though they have been severely criticised, were in the main good, and would have suc- ceeded, despite the crippling of his right wing by the unexpected attack of Jack- son's army, had they been tenaciously adhered to and vigorously carried out to the end. And it would not be claiming very much to say that he was the supe- rior of General Halleck, even in logistics.
Had he supplemented his encouraging and somewhat boastful announcement made to his army three days before the battle, by another the next day after, stat- ing, in substance, that he had started for Richmond, and was going there in spite of anything the enemy had done, or could do to prevent him; that although the Rappahannock was behind him, and what was left of the rebel army in front, he proposed to move forward again at once, with nearly forty thousand fresh troops to take the advance ; and called upon his troops for one more effort to make his words of promise good, Chancellorsville would not now be found recorded in history as a Confederate victory.
But it must be admitted, even by his most enthusiastic admirers, that in stub- bornistics, that part which though not found in the books of military science, nor taught at West Point, is none the less essential, for it made Grant invincible, he was again somewhat lacking.
But what has seemed strange to many was his neglect to carry out his original plan of battle to keep a heavy force in reserve, by forcing a desperate fight from those engaged, and then, when the enemy was well nigh exhausted, letting that reserve sweep clean the field.
This, as will be remembered, was the kind of battle-plan that, with the eye of genius to direct and the " Old Guard" to execute, made Napoleon Bonaparte the greatest military chieftain of modern times, and would as surely have given another star of rank to Hooker, and been another step toward that lofty summit of enduring fame later reached by the less brilliant but more determined hero of Vicksburg and Appomattox, had the thirty-five thousand fresh troops been ordered
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in. But those who wonder at this fatal neglect upon that day, and think because only a part of his army was engaged when the whole of it was so badly needed, that he had more men under his command than he had the capacity to well han- dle, forget, or never knew what has already been referred to, that at this critical and decisive moment he was lying prostrate and senseless inside the Chancellor House, with no one who dared to act in his place, and that before he had suffi- ciently recovered to again take command it was too late to retrieve the day.
This very important fact is not, it seems, sufficiently considered in discussing the causes of Hooker's failure at Chancellorsville, and especially as bearing upon the final result of his campaign in retreating from the battle-field.
While every one, who knows anything of the history of this battle, acknowl- edges the damaging if not fatal effect of this accident to him, as determining the battle on Sunday, few or none seem to give it any serious thought as connected with his decision to retreat the following day. And yet it needs no physician's certificate to convince any reasonable person that from such a severe concussion of the brain as prostrated and paralyzed him on Sunday noon, he could not have so fully recovered on Monday night as to have his mind as clear and his nerves as strong as if nothing had happened to him.
The great French captain, whose name was once the terror of Europe, and is still the wonder of the world, said that in battle five minutes may decide the fate of empires ; and if it is the five-minute acts that decide great battles, what shall he said of the loss of a full hour at the very crisis point of the contest? Certainly there was a fate in this, if in all else Hooker was at fault.
Moreover, he had been driven from the field for not being able to do the very thing that Lincoln had suggested to him, to put in all his men; should he now disobey his written injunction, twice repeated, to "beware of rashness?" The safety of the nation was in his hands, the responsibility a great and grave one, and he in no physical or mental condition to either decide or act.
And so we end this second chapter on this great battle and the part taken in it by the Twelfth Regiment, as we commenced the first, and say that He, who in His wise providence so often contravenes the ablest plans and strongest purposes of man, can alone answer the question why Hooker failed at Chancellorsville.
CHAPTER VII.
THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN.
This chapter commences with the first movement of the regiment in that severe campaign that culminated in the great and decisive battle of Gettysburg.
On the tenth hour of the Ioth day of June, 1863, but little more than a month after the bloody field of Chancellorsville, marching orders were received, and the next day the Twelfth broke camp, about 3 o'clock P. M., and marched to General Birney's Headquarters, where it, and the Eighty-fourth Pennsylvania joined the First Brigade of the Second Divis- ion, commanded respectively by Gen. Joseph B. Carr and Gen. Andrew A. Humphreys.
The Third Division of the Third Corps had been so broken up and cut to pieces at Chancellorsville -its commander being killed, its brigades reduced to regiments, its regiments to companies, and the companies to mere squads of ten or fifteen men -that it was disorganized, and the remaining fragments of it put into the First and Second Divisions.
It was supposed from this that the move was only for a change of camps : and the men loaded themselves up with everything that might possibly be of some use to them in the new quarters which they expected they were to establish, but half a mile away.
No sooner was this pleasing delusion of only a change of camping ground, so far dispelled as to indicate, instead, a change of base for the whole army, than the work of unloading commenced, and continued through the long hours of that hot afternoon, until, when the welcome bivouac gave rest to weary limbs at Hartwood Church, late in the even- ing, little or nothing, save gun, equipments, and blanket roll - the soldier's absolute necessities on the march - remained of the pack-mule load with which they started.
" We are in for it again, and God only knows when and where we shall come out," was the remark of one member of the Twelfth, and he simply expressed the serious thought of all. Yet though speculation was rife, and the cause and purpose of the sudden movement was freely discussed, not one in the whole army, including General Hooker himself, knew enough of the plan or design of the enemy to enable him to any more than guess what would be the objective point.
Certain it is, that no member of the Twelfth, when he left camp on that day at Falmouth, Va., had the faintest idea that his next permanent
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camping ground would be at Point Lookout, Md. And it is equally cer- tain, that some of the most brave and patriotic, had they known the terrible marches but just ahead of them, would never have started, but took the advice of Dr. Fowler, and went to the Potomac Creek Hospital.
Though sick and unable even for light duty in camp, they wanted to keep with the regiment as long as possible. But every day left one or more of them behind to die or to be taken along on teams or in ambu- lances, until they could be sent to some general hospital, or left at some place on the march where they would be cared for. And a few, with pluck and nerve remarkable, were enabled by the assistance of their comrades and the kindness of officers, who let them ride in their own saddles or got them a chance to ride on the teams, to keep along with the regiment, either holding their own, or even gaining strength when strong men failed, and fought for victory and peace on the field of Gettys- burg, where some of them sealed their heroic record of fortitude and patriotism with their life's blood.
From Hartwood Church the march was resumed at 6 o'clock the next morning ; and, though the day was exceedingly hot, twenty-six miles were marched, through clouds of dust, on the Warrington and Alexan- dria turnpike, without halting, except for a few moments at a time.
The regiment passed Kelley's Ford about 5 o'clock P. M., and crossed the Orange & Alexandria railroad, near where it spans the north branch of the Rappahannock, just as it was getting dark.
An hour or two later the brigade filed off into a field and stacked arms, as it was supposed for the night. But hardly had the men stretched themselves out upon the ground to rest, before they were called up. ordered into line again, and obliged to march about three miles further before making a final halt, near the middle of the night, at Beverly Ford.
This was one of the hardest marches ever made by the Army of the Potomac.
A day's halt here was absolutely necessary to allow time for the men, who were obliged to fall out. to come up and get sufficiently rested to proceed. A cavalry engagement had occurred at this place a few days before, and wounded horses, left to their fate, were found near the battle- field.
In the afternoon a part of the Twelfth went out near the river on picket, and at night there was a detail from the regiment, and others in the brigade, to throw up a redoubt.
The next day was the Sabbath, and it proved, unexpectedly, to be what it was designed for - a day of rest. But when evening came, at the hour of 9. another start was made, and a night's march ended at 7 o'clock the next morning at a place about half way between Rappahannock Junction and Catlett's Station.
A few hours of rest and sleep were given the troops here, and then
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twelve more long miles to Manassas Junction were painfully measured out by weary limbs and blistered feet, with only a short stop at Bristoe Station for " hard-tack" and coffee refreshments. This was a harder march even than that of the 12th, for the men were not in so good a con- dition to make it, their feet being so badly blistered that some left blood in their tracks through the hot sand.
The heat was intense, and the dust almost suffocating ; and but for the use of handkerchiefs, wet as often as possible, and worn over the faces of the men, the number that were obliged to fall out would have been greatly increased.
It was past midnight before guns were stacked, and their weary bearers allowed the restful sleep of the bivouac.
From 9 o'clock Sunday evening to the hour of this last halt, the regi- ment had marched between thirty and forty miles, with little rest by day or sleep at night, and " tired nature's sweet restorer" was never a more welcome guest.
General Ilumphreys, commanding the division, referring to this march says :
" It was painful in the extreme, for owing to the continued drought streams, usually of considerable magnitude, were dried up, the dust lay some inches deep on the road-way, and the fields were equally uncom- fortable. The suffering from heat, dust, thirst, fatigue, and exhaustion was very great. It was near midnight when the division reached Man- assas Junction, after a march varying in the different brigades from twenty-five to twenty-nine miles."
General Carr, the brigade commander, writes about it as follows :
" This march was one of the most severe in my experience ; the air being almost suffocating, the dust blinding, and the heat intolerable. Many men suffered from coup de solicl, and a large number sank by the wayside utterly exhausted."
It was now not only evident, but beyond dispute, that however urgent the call the infantry could not much longer respond, at the exhaustive rate of the last few days.
The great military train was being propelled at a dangerously high mark on the gauge, and it became absolutely necessary, to keep it longer united on the track, to " slow up."
If the river fords and mountain passes must be guarded and defended, to insure the safety of Washington or other northern cities, the cavalry must be depended upon to do it, until the slow but stubborn musketeers could get up. So Tuesday was a day of rest, the only move by the Twelfth being a change of camping ground to get nearer water.
On Wednesday, the 17th, the division moved slowly forward, cross- ing Bull Run at Blackburn's Ford about noon, where a short halt was made, and the rich pleasure of a cool, cleansing bath was greatly enjoyed. It was an ablution long to be remembered, and its effect, sup-
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plemented by a haversack lunch, was so refreshing and invigorating that the afternoon march to Centreville seemed but a pastime as compared with some of the days just past.
Remaining near Centreville until nearly dark the next day (for which all were thankful, for it was extremely hot), the regiment moved a mile or two nearer the village during a severe thunder shower which commenced before starting, the water running in brooklets under the shelter-tents.
Here was the first opportunity since leaving Falmouth of mailing let- ters home.
It rained hard during the night, and the next day's march of twelve miles to Gum Springs was through mud and water instead of heat and dust. During the day the mercury fell thirty or forty degrees, and so great and sudden a change of temperature in a few hours, followed by a cold storm that set in just as the troops had pitched their tents, caused much suffering during the night among the rank and file, who, like most of the Twelfth, had nothing but a rubber blanket and piece of shelter-tent to serve as both bed and covering. Sadly, indeed, did they now need the overcoats and woolen blankets they had thrown away.
But let no one censure them for their seeming folly or imprudence, for the want of them now, great as it was, could not half compensate for the burden of them through the terrible days of their march hither. Men are not often so wisely prudent as to save for a future contingency that which is a source of present misery. The crew of the sinking ship do not hesi- tate to throw overboard the cargo, because some part of it may be needed before the voyage is ended.
The whole region of country along the line of the last few days' march was marked by sad evidences of war's desolating hand. All along the railroad were the ruins of houses, mills, cars, stations, and bridges that had been burned. and old soldiers pointed out several fields of sanguinary encounter.
The Third Corps remained in camp at Gum Springs for several days. It was a dreary, dismal, swamp-like place to stop in, but the stop was now of much greater importance to man and beast than the place. The woods around were filled with guerillas, and several Union soldiers who had straggled from the line or encampment, were found lying dead in the woods with a bullet hole through their heads or bodies, or hanging from the limbs of trees. Had they never been found, they would have been recorded as " absent without leave," and their children, if any, and relatives would always have had to bear the stigma of their being desert- ers. Such is war, and so little is it known, in some instances, of the actual facts in accounting for the men.
The second day at Gum Springs artillery firing was heard at Snicker's Gap or Aldie, and soon the whole division was ordered out, and a line of battle formed all around the open ground of the encampment ; and every day thereafter, the Twelfth, with other regiments, stood to arms, ready to
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repel an expected attack of Stuart's cavalry. Hundreds of sick, from the different commands, were sent off to general hospitals from this place, a number of whom were from the Twelfth.
On the 25th the division moved northward again, and for the next few days marched with greater rapidity, if possible, than before. Space and time were now important factors in General Hooker's calculations, for the whole rebel army was on the north side of the Potomac before midnight of the 26th ; and close following, as well as watching, on the part of the Union commander, had become a vital necessity, since upon his vigi- lance and activity, as well as ability, depended the future destiny of his country.
From Gum Springs to Edward's Ferry, a distance of fifteen miles, the troops were hurried forward. with only a few five-minute halts to take breath. Immediately crossing the Potomac at 5 P. M. on a pontoon bridge, without stopping long enough even for a sip of coffee, the division at once entered upon the famous " tow-path march," following the Ohio and Chesapeake canal ten or twelve miles further to somewhere near the mouth of the Monocacy river, where the troops bivouacked between 12 and I o'clock the next morning.
The adverb " somewhere," above used, has a special signification in this connection, which will be better understood a little further on. About dark it began to rain, and soon the path was but a narrow stretch of mud, trodden by many thousand feet into mortar-like consistency.
After marching all day, with no time to rest or eat, a slow march on a moonlight night and on a hard and wide road would have been severe enough, to say nothing about nature's urgent call for sleep, when the toil- some day has passed and pitying night is not allowed to give relief ; but when the long march ends not with the day but continues mile after mile and hour after hour, through rain and mud and enveloped in Cimmerian darkness, with no time or place to rest, and no prospect of soon getting a chance to, while the mud that clogs and burdens the already overtaxed limbs gets deeper and deeper on the earth beneath, and the rain pours down incessantly from the heavens above, human patience and endurance become exhausted, reason and mercy remonstrate, and the end, however near or desirable, must wait the necessary time and means. Such, most decidedly, was the conclusion of the suffering veterans of General Hum- phreys's command on that terrible night's march.
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