USA > New Hampshire > History of the Twelfth regiment, New Hampshire volunteers in the war of the rebellion > Part 27
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To give anything like a detailed account of the part taken by the Twelfth Regiment in this long and memorable struggle, would be much like writing a history of the siege itself, not because it did or suffered any more than many other regiments, but because the experience of one was very largely the experience of all. It was one contined routine of hardship and danger day and night, whether lying in the trenches- over- heated by the scorching sun or half filled by drenching rains - or trying to get a little comfort and rest beneath a shower of shells when lying in reserve. In fact most of the troops were quite as much or more exposed when out of the trenches than in, though the advance works were close into the face and eyes of the enemy, the front lines in many places being only a few yards apart.
A siege, to the soldiers of both the investing and defending armies, is hard and hazardous, even beyond the hardships and dangers of the aver- age service of the march and the battlefield, for it is a continuous wear of muscle and strain of nerve that soon break down or seriously affect the strongest constitution. No soldier who has once experienced it for any length of time, cares to again be counted in on either side. The living heroes of Port Hudson and Vicksburg, as well as of Petersburg, whether
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then wearing the blue or the gray, will not be inclined to dispute this statement. The unavoidable exposure to nature's elements lengthens the death list, from disease alone, far beyond the average rate in camp or field. No matter how cold and wet the night, or hot and dry the day, the trenches though half filled with mud and water, or blistering hot beneath a torrid sun, must be manned.
Then the men are not only constantly under fire, whether asleep or awake, and exposed to dangers on every side, but from the earth beneath and the heavens above come engines and missiles of destruction - explod- ing mines and torpedoes under foot, and hand grenades and coehorn mortar shells overhead - to wound and kill.
Along the front line of trenches on either side the crack of the sharp- shooter's rifle is constantly heard through the day and not unfrequently during the night, and the soldier that shows his head above the works, does it in reckless defiance of his unerring aim. Men in the outer lines or in the rear of the works are also being shot down almost every hour by the long range riflemen who from behind some tree. stump, or rock, or from salient angle that commands the enemy's front are constantly on the watch for a human target and especially for one wearing the uniform of an officer.
To protect the men from these sharpshooters as well as from an enfilad- ing fire from the enemy's salients, traverse trenches and covered ways are constructed, and notwithstanding these, reliefs are obliged to go into and out of the works under cover of darkness.
If a line is to be straightened or a near approach made, a dark cloudy night is selected - if stormy all the better- when the men, each with gun and spade, go out over the works and lying down, so many paces from the front line and three or five from each other, commence digging, often times using at first their bayonets and dippers, so as not to make any noise until they have dug a hole big and deep enough to lie down in, and then with their shovels slowly and cautiously sink themselves deep enough to work upon their knees until they can stand up, when by lateral excavation to the right and left a continuous trench four or five feet deep is soon dug which, with the dirt all thrown out toward the enemy, affords temporary protection for more men that are sent in to work in widening the ditch and at the same time strengthening the mound, so that when daylight appears the enemy is surprised to find himself confronted by a new line of works which is quite sure to prove of no particular advantage to him.
In the same way vedette holes for the infantry pickets are dug, except that the spade or shovel is more often absent than present, and when. either on picket or fatigue duty, the silent moving and working soldier is fortunate enough to get himself . covered " without hearing the " zip " or feeling the wind of a minie bullet he thinks himself lucky indeed, for he works in constant expectation of a flying visit from one of these unwel- come messengers .*
* See anecdote.
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Having given the reader a brief reference to some of the general fea- tures of a siege, that he may better understand and appreciate the sol- dier's duty and danger in the work, the author will now proceed to give a skeleton sketch of that part taken by the Twelfth Regiment in the siege of Petersburg : and to break the tiresome monotony of historic narrative in the usual form, he has thought it advisable to write it in the form and style of a diary. And, indeed, much of it will be but a copy of daily memoranda made by himself and other members of the regiment during the seventy-two days it was in the immediate front of the city and its fortifications.
June 15. 1864. Not as we hoped. do we find ourselves in our old pleasant camping ground that we left a little more than two weeks ago on the Bermuda front. It would seem as if the Twelfth had seen enough of toil and danger. and suffered loss enough for this month to have a short rest. But here we are in front of the enemy again, and from the way they hurried us here it looks as if a fight for the possession of Petersburg is close at hand. Line of battle formed by our brigade about six o'clock near the outer works, exposed to the enemy's shells. Two men wounded in Com- pany B. It is reported this evening that our advance of colored troops have taken the outer works of the enemy and have captured sixteen guns.
June 16. Early in line : advance by edge of woods and halt until noon. Our brigade in reserve, but we are more exposed to the enemy's artillery than if at the front where they are partially protected. At 2 r. M. the regiment was sent out on picket near the river opposite Fort Clifton. Quiet with us but fighting in the woods on the left. Sergeant Clarke and six men ordered to scout the front ; they found our gunboats shelling the fort. Why was not our success of last night followed up before now? Hancock's corps has arrived. Fighting all night on our left.
June 17. Relieved from picket by the Eighth Maine and return to the edge of the woods and lay all night. Sharp firing in direction of fort after sundown, many sick ; only one sergeant fit for duty in Company C. Orders to be ready to move. A very hot day.
June 18. Move toward the city : form line of battle and advance some distance. Again sent on picket near the river and within full view of Petersburg which ought to have been in our possession before now. Another attack. our division engaged. Lucky for us to be on picket : but this evening finds us in the front line as skirmishers. Timothy Larey. Company H, wounded by one of our own shells.
June 19. On the skirmish line all day. Cloudy but hot. .. The boys fired away forty rounds of cartridges a piece to-day. popping away at the Johnnies : do not think they ever enjoyed a day in front better. The Twelfth advanced thirty yards nearer the rebel works than any other regi- ment up to this time." (Captain Barker.) Relieved from the fort after dark ; march about three miles toward Bermuda Hundred and bivouac for the night. Sergeant Lane, Company G, John P. Clay, of Company I,
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and three more men wounded and sent to the hospital. Clay thought to be mortally wounded. While on the skirmish line some of our men got into an old barn from which they kept up a brisk fire until the rebels opened upon it with their artillery when it was soon vacated.
June 20. March back across the Appomattox and pitch tents about noon in regular order; what does it mean? About midnight we are awakened from our dreams of special duty. " soft job," etc., by orders to draw four days rations, take sixty rounds of cartridges and be ready to move at 4 P. M.
June 21. Strike tents and march back again to front of Petersburg. Rest in field until dark, and then go into second line of works and remain there all night.
June 22. Lie in trenches all day.
June 23. The Johnnies made an attempt to drive us out last night about 12 o'clock. but were glad to get back behind their works. The balls came thick and fast. Lieutenant Ricker slightly wounded in face. Regiment in trenches until evening, then relieved and bivouac in ravine. Sanitary stores distributed. The enemy attacked Hinks's colored troop in the night but was repulsed. Shells flying about us " right smart" to-day but we mind but little about them. A very hot day. Captain Bar- ker has to-day drawn this pen picture of the quarters and their exposure to the enemy's fire. .. A hole in the ground eight feet by nine and four feet deep with a parapet on three sides two feet above the surface. A carpet of cedar sprigs and a roof covering of locust, cedar, and oak boughs, and green cornstocks, supported by poles laid across the top of the parapet and through which the bullets are constantly rattling, some with a low hum and some with a spiteful hiss. * * I will ven- ture to say that not less than twenty shells have been thrown by and over my quarters since writing this letter." Sergeant Clarke, of Company C, acting as lieutenant writes under this date: "The regiment has been under fire twenty-six days and nights and in five pitched battles since leaving Williamsburg about a month and a half ago." John P. Clay, wounded on the 19th, died to-day in hospital.
June 24. .. Just as we were hoping to get a little rest the enemy opened upon us and we were subjected to a tremendous shelling, but almost mi- raculously only one or two of the Twelfth injured." (Captain Barker.) Enemy attempts to turn our right but were repulsed with a loss of five prisoners beside the killed and wounded. John A. Wiggin, Company K, wounded to-day and one or two others. Awfully hot day ; lucky not to be in rifle pits.
June 25. Still in the ravine. Clothing drawn and issued. At night go into front line of works again. Man in Company A wounded. Orders to move last night countermanded.
June 26. In trenches. Rebel battery in a redan right in front of us. Another advance of the enemy repulsed. Isaac Strunk, a recruit of Com- pany A. killed to-day.
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June 27. In trenches to-day, in ravine at night. Oppressively hot.
June 28. In reserve. Two days in and two days out is the order of duty and relief now. Little cooler to-day, thank God.
June 29. Cool and pleasant morning. Ten men detailed as sharp- shooters. Corporal William S. Gray and John Dow, of Company F : C. F. Davis, Company A : A. B. Locke, Company B: H. S. Blake, Com- pany E; J. Patterson, Company D : D. W. Bogart, Company C; A. G. Farrer, Company II; C. S. Gilman, Company G. and E. II. Nudd, Company I.
June 30. Charge made on rebel works at 4 P. M. After our repulse the enemy shell us most unmercifully ; they evidently mean to learn the " Yanks" better than to try and break their ranks again. Heavy mus- ketry and artillery fire for two hours. Thomas Dalton, drummer of Com- pany D. killed, and Frank Glancy, Company G, severely wounded in arm. Dalton had just been playing cards with some of his comrades. He lived but a few minutes after his thigh was shattered by a shell. When asked if he wanted to send any word to his mother, who lived in Man- chester, N. H., he said : "Tell her I am dead," and immediately ex- pired. He died and was buried near where he received the fatal wound.
July 1. Rebels getting familiar : they open three six-gun batteries across the Appomattox to-day for our amusement. This, probably, is in retaliation for some siege-gun practice we have been giving them for the last day or two. .. Petersburg Express" running all night. About midnight one of the shells set fire to a house in the city causing quite a commotion, could plainly hear the bells ringing, etc. John Gorman. Company G, wounded in leg.
July 2. Move reserve camp farther up the ravine to partially avoid the enemy's artillery. To-night go back into trenches. Captain Barker's horse killed by a shell .*
July 3. Quite quiet this Sabbath day. Occupy third and then second line of works and are severely shelled during the night. Several wounded by shells in the regiment.
July 4. In the first and second lines to-day. Quiet day followed by another shell storm during the night. John Emerson, of Company F. wounded to-day.
July 5. Regiment in second line of works all day. From trenches to ravine at night. Brave Dennis Kelley, of Company F. shot by a rebel sharpshooter, died this morning. He was cleaning his gun only a few feet from Lieutenant Ricker when the ball struck him in the head. Com- pany F boys will greatly miss him.
July 6. A good rest in reserve to-day. Cool breeze, but very dry and dusty.
July 7. Grateful for a slight shower this morning. Return to rifle pits at night. Sergeant Wallace, color bearer, sick and little Sergeant Taylor, of Company C. takes his place.
* See anecdote.
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July 8. In third line of intrenchments all day. Sharp firing toward night but soon died away. One man in Company D wounded. Com- pany F draws rations for only seven men to-day.
July 9. In the works until dark. Several wounded. Another very welcome supply of much needed articles of food and medicines from the Sanitary and Christian Commissions. God bless them. Isaac Stevens, Company K, wounded by spent ball. Caleb H. Holt, Company C, severely and as feared mortally wounded in trenches.
July 10. Very hot and dry : roads like an ash heap. Regiment in reserve, many sick and some discouraged ; dark days about this time. Captain Barker writes home : " During the thirty-eight months I have been in the service Richmond never looked so far away as now."
July 11. Heavy thunder - not from rebel guns but from the heavens above, a welcome change indeed, for it promises a shower of refreshing rain instead of iron hail, but we get only a slight sprinkling. Company G has boiled pork and cabbage (?) for dinner ! The missiles of death are constantly flying. Colonel Davis, Thirty-ninth Massachusetts, in- stantly killed by a shell while sitting in his tent.
July 12. Pretty quiet all along the line to-day. Sixth Army Corps going or gone to Washington. If the " rebs" get our capital before we do theirs, good bye to Uncle Sam. Lying here in the trenches is wear- ing the very life out of the men. Give us anything but a summer siege in Dixie.
July 13. Chaplain Ambrose, may his life be spared us, is building a temporary hospital of boughs and vines. He has been away from the regi- ment awhile at corps headquarters. General inspection of brigade this afternoon. Picket and artillery firing still kept up. Brisk shelling at nine this morning.
July 14. In ravine. Second and Fifth corps drawn in from the left. Leveling down the captured works.
July 15. In reserve during the day, go into third line of trenches at night. Comfortable day.
July 16. Move up to first line after dark. Less firing than usual.
July 17. Return to third line before light this morning. Can only move here with any safety under the cover of night, and then very silently as every sound brings a bullet or a shower of them.
July 18. Lying in reserve all day ; on fatigue duty all night, leveling forts in rear of General Smith's headquarters. W. O. Little, musician, died of disease to-day.
July 19. Raining hard all day ; the first of any account for several weeks, and is gladly welcomed. General Ord assigned to the command of the Eighteenth Army Corps in place of General " Baldy " Smith who has been relieved from command and sent home to New York. That's the way the generals go, but the boys are left to fight on.
July 20. In second line of riffe-pits. Thomas Edwards, of Company
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K, wounded in neck. "Petersburg Express" making its regular trips every fifteen minutes to-day again.
July 21. Fine day. cool and refreshing. Captain Smith and Lieuten- ant Miliken return to regiment to-day.
July 22. Only one hundred and fifteen guns in regiment. Company G has one sergeant, four corporals. and eight privates for duty ; other com- panies in like proportion. From nearly one thousand three hundred and fifty to little over one hundred. in an average time of less than twenty months, is reduction descending at so rapid a ratio as to be startling at first thought and sad to contemplate.
July 23. Nothing out of the tiresome old routine to-day.
July 24. Sad. sad indeed this Sabbath day: Chaplain Ambrose wounded and carried away. He was shot by a sharpshooter while up to the front attending the sick. We pray that his wound may not prove fatal. for heaven can wait better than earth can spare.
July 25. Rained here part of the night, but clears up this forenoon. Regiment in the intrenchments all day.
July 26. Nothing new, but enough of the old boom and " zip." With no sound from cannon or musket for half an hour the sleeping would wake up for want of a lul-la-by : and half a day's silence would frighten both armies. Night and day here is .. Shriek of shot and scream of shell and bellowing of the mortar."
July 27. In reserve until dark and then into front line as usual. A rainy night, but we manage to keep our powder dry. There are low whispers of a great assault in the air which are listened to with ears and mouth open. for the boys are ready for anything for a change though it be " from the frying pan into the fire."
July 28. At work all night widening ditches and strengthening works. A fire seen and bells heard in Petersburg to-night. In front line again. " An oldish man and a staff officer came into the trenches to-day and took several looks through the port holes. While looking through one not far from me. a rebel bullet struck close by at which he dodged back and smiled. I asked the staff officer who he was and he told me it was General Meade. He had no stars on." (Sergeant Lawler.)
July 29. Relieved from the trenches about 10 P. M. by Second Corps and no sooner reach our reserve camp than we start with two days rations and sixty rounds of cartridges for the left, halting near General Burn- side's headquarters about midnight. where we rest until about 4 A. M.
July 30. This has been a terrible day in more respects than one. Rebel fort blown up at 4.40 this morning followed by terrific cannonade from our side. Then the assaulting column - part of the Ninth Corps - charges into the breach but is driven back and the whole thing is a sad failure. There has evidently been a blunder somewhere and a big one. Thousands slaughtered for nothing ; and oh ! the dreadful suffering of the wounded men lying nearly all day under a scorching sun in that crater of
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death. Our corps, the Eighteenth, held in reserve and the regiment conse- quently not engaged, but exposed to the rebel artillery. Adjutant Heath slightly wounded. Colonel Barker gets up on tip-toe in his stirrups when forming the brigade line .* At 5 P. M. return to reserve camp.
July 31. Go into trenches this morning at 3 o'clock, relieving the Tenth Corps. Moved in the night into a fort. Johnnies pretty waspish, because we gave them a "blowing up" yesterday. One of them said to have been actually blown into our lines.
August 1. Lay in fort to-day lately occupied by Tenth Corps. Flag of truce from 9 to II A. M. to bury the dead and remove some of the badly wounded whom the cruel rebels left there to die. Eight or ten were found still living, having lain on the field uncovered and uncared for ever since the battle Saturday morning. " Man's inhumanity to man makes countless millions mourn." We are beginning to believe with the other fellow that "hell is a military necessity." Tremendous hot.
August 2. In second line of trenches all day. Another hot day. How gladly the men would swap their duties here for the labors of the hay-fields at home, but how few will ever live to experience the change.
August 3. In trenches until night when part of the regiment go on picket in charge of Captain Johnston. Ordered up at 3 A. M. expecting the " rebs " would blow up the fort. Nothing talked about but a blow- up now and many of the soldiers in the forts actually live in fear.
August 4. Picket detail comes in this morning and joins the rest of the regiment in reserve camp. This is National Fast Day, but bullets instead of pulpits is what is needed most to secure success. If many who attend church at home would attend roll-call here at the front, they would be doing much more to deserve Divine favor for " faith without works is dead."
August 5. A loud explosion this afternoon, thought at first to have been another fort blown up but proved to be the explosion of a rebel magazine. It created a great commotion and was followed by a heavy cannonade from both sides with considerable musketry. We thought it was one of our forts that had been mined and probably the rebels thought it was one of theirs, and so the men on both sides sprung to their guns and gave us a lively artillery chorus indeed. Our brigade was at once ordered to the front under a shower of shells, losing many men, among whom was its gallant commander, General Steadman. Our regiment, though equally exposed with the rest, providentially escaped without the loss of a single man and none were seriously wounded. A shell burst between Colonel Barker and Captain Bedee standing not over twenty feet apart, but neither was hit by a single piece. Go into front line of works this evening.
August 6. Colonel Steadman breathed his last this morning from wound received last night from rebel sharpshooter. " He won the respect of all who knew him and the announcement that Steadman is dead
* Incident at the end of this chapter.
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carries sorrow to every heart in the brigade." (Captain Barker.) Colonel Murray, One Hundred and Forty-eighth New York, in command of brigade now. All day roasting in rifle pits.
August 7. In front line praying for night when we can be released. Captain Barker brigade officer of the day : Captain Bedee sick and goes to hospital ; and Captain Sanborn in command of regiment.
August S. Again in reserve and thankful for it, even a short respite is appreciated. George Pitman, drummer of Company B, had just stepped out of a bomb-proof this forenoon, to stretch his legs, when a bullet passed close to his side and buried itself in a bank of dirt. He commenced to dig it out when the thought occurred to him that if the bullet came from the rifle of " Johnny Sharp" another might soon follow and it would be dangerous digging much longer in that spot. He had just taken a step toward the bomb-proof as another bullet struck so close to the first that it must have hit him if he had not moved. But this is only one of many similar close shaves that the boys are having almost every day.
August 9. Noticeably quiet along the lines this morning -hope it will last till night. Slight shower at sunset, first rain for a long time, except a few drops one night about a week ago. The average mercury mark has not been less than eighty-five degrees for the last two weeks and many days from ten to twenty degrees higher. A great explosion of some kind at or near City Point.
August 10. In the trenches swapping minies with the rebel sharp- shooters. Out of two hundred and five men " present or accounted for." only one hundred and eighteen for duty, according to this day's report of Lieutenant Ricker, Acting Adjutant. Many sick and excused from duty, and no wonder either. The explosion at City Point yesterday, proves to have been two barges loaded with ammunition. Many killed and wounded.
August 11. In first line again to-day. The customary artillery duel is being fought between the opposing armies. The amount of powder harm- lessly burned by both sides can be reckoned by the ton. If a man was killed or disabled for every shell or projectile thrown, since this siege commenced, there would be not a single " Yank " or " Johnny " left now to continue the fight, to say nothing about musket balls.
August 12. Another sharp artillery duel early this morning. Regi- ment in reserve. Very hot day.
August 13. In camp until dark then forty men detailed for picket, the rest go into trenches. The enemy gives us a double dose of his shells this afternoon ; some of our guns respond, and there is cannon thunder enough to shake the skies and frighten all the buzzards out of Virginia.
August 14. In trenches ; removal to the right in the night. Captain Johnston in command of regiment to-day. Hot this morning, showery this afternoon, raining at night.
August 15. Hot and sultry in forenoon and a tremendous shower this
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afternoon - a real deluge converting the ravine in a short time into a rushing torrent of water several feet deep. Great damage done to Com- missary and sutler stores and several men reported drowned. according to reports as many as seventeen. Lucky for once to be in the trenches as being much the safer place of the two, and lucky again in being relieved this evening, for the trenches are half full of water. News to-day of the fight between the Alabama and Kearsarge: hurrah for our side ! Daniel II. Webber, Company G, wounded early this morning. It is feared his wound will prove fatal. Few better boys ever in the regiment than he.
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