USA > New Hampshire > The Third New Hampshire and all about it, pt 2 > Part 20
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Co. D : Capt. John S. James, Ist Lient. J. W. Plaisted. 2d Lient. (none), 1 st Sergt. G. W. Odiorne, Serets. G. T. Crane, Robert Williams, Nath'I Shorey and Thos. Entwistle, Corpls. W. R. Knowles. G. A. Whittaker and G. E. Watson. Musicians F. E. Gerald and G. H. Mills, Wagoner John A. Tucker, 24 privates.
674
THIRD NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
[July '65.
Co. E: Capt. M. P. Donley, Ist Lieut. (none), 2d Lieut. (none), 1st Sergt. A. York, Sergts. R. Scales, Jr., H. G. Brown, H. J. Pettigrew and R. W. Burdick, Corpls. Samuel Small, J. M. Dickey and Alfred E. Frydenland, Musicians C. H. Gove and J. A. Flanders, Wagoner D. W. Shaw, 25 privates.
Co. F: Capt. J. Homer Edgerly, Ist Lieut. Fred H. Tuttle, 2d Lieut. James Quinlan, Ist Sergt. Thos. Price, Sergts. J. E. Day, P. Courtney, James Davis and C. Armstrong. Corpls. J. D. Butler, J. Gleeson, J. O'Brien. H. McTavish, A. J. Austin, J. Reilly, H. Ingram and J. Jones, Musicians J. B. F. Towns and R. Bernasconi, Wagoner F. J. Grimes. 42 privates.
Co. G: Capt. Chas. 1. White, Ist Lieut. A. S. Atherton, 2d Lieut. (none), 1st Sergt. W. HI. Burbank, Sergts. Albert Van Munster, J. F. Brown and J. H. Cameron, Corpls. W. H. Emery and W. J. McCaffrey, Wagoner H. Joslin, 30 privates.
Co. II: Capt. James E. McCoy, Ist Lient. Walter H. Mellish, 2d Lieut. Wm. Hammett, Ist Sergt. Walter J. Richards, Sergts. L. McDuffee, D. A. Page, J. Real and G. R. Clifton, Corpls. J. Roberts, David N. Bush, Donald Smith, Win. Hern. F. Thomas, James Norton, James Weed and D. N. Atwood, Musicians J. H. Griggs and Wm. Gracey, Wagoner Lanson Blake, 48 privates.
Co. I: Capt. (none), Ist Lieut. J. C. Pushee, 2d Lient. Geo. R. James, Ist Sergt. H. P. Murphy, Sergts. G. H. Davis, W. H. Wright, D. S. Rice and A. Hammond, Corpls. Geo. French, Wm. Williams, E. F. Hall, A. A. Lewis, D. McLeod, James Smith and Otis J. Ricker, Musician E. W. Richardson, Wagoner D. G. Blaisdell, 54 privates.
Co. K: Capt. Geo. H. Giddings, 1st Lient. E. N. Bowen, 2d Lieut. (none), Ist Sergt. Geo. II. Way, Sergts. Woodbury Blye, Chas. Gammon, C. W. Moulton and C. J. Parker, Corpls. Edgar Clifford, Edwin Brackett, E. T. Rooney, Thos. Smith, E. W. Newbold and Jeremiah Hall, Musician C. W. Fanton, Wagoner Wm. Brock, 36 privates.
Co. F is the only company with full complement of officers, non- commissioned officers, musicians and wagoner. All the companies save C have a wagoner. As to musicians, A, C, I and K have only one each, and B and G none. Only F and H have three officers, while Cos. A, B and E have only one each, and the others (C, D, G, I and K) have two each. Co. I has the largest number of privates (54), and Co. \ boasts of the smallest number (15). The average number of privates to a company is exactly 34. Having examined the rolls for muster-out, which includes all who were to be mustered out, we find that several of the men were absent for various reasons. and were therefore not present to be mustered out, but were mustered out wherever they chanced to be, whether in hospital. or on detached service or otherwise. Therefore it follows that our investigation reveals the fact that the actual number present for muster-out was far less than the number borne upon the rolls, probably by 10 to 15 per cent.
Speeches were made, the flags turned over to the State, and there was much rejoicing and congratulating. As we were the first to arrive, of the returning troops, it is fair to assume that we received fully as much attention as any subsequent arrivals. Col. Bedel and Lieut .- Col. Randlett responded to the speeches for the regiment, and did themselves and the regiment great eredit, both in the manner of delivery and the matter of which their responses were composed.
Our rolls and records and all that pertained to the recorded his- tory of the regiment, by companies or otherwise, were duly turned over to Maj. A. B. Thompson, U. S. A., Mustering Officer, by Capt.
July'65.]
THIRD NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
675
C.' A. White, who had special charge of them from time of leaving North Carolina to place of final discharge. A small guard had the boxes in charge all the way home. We then marched to the Draft Rendezvous camp at the south end of the city, where we were to nominally stay till final discharge. Here we deposited what little baggage we didn't wish to encumber ourselves with in the bar- racks, and were then given permission (verbal) to go home. "Go home!" Could it be true we were so near and yet so far? Why, some of the boys actually dropped a silent tear as they departed from the camp, and no grass grew beneath their feet ere the depot was reached ; and the several departing trains of that after- noon conveyed the boys - none too rapidly, however - to their vari- ous homes.
The Third New Hampshire had arrived, and it had gone - none knew whither. All this was on Friday, 28 July 1865. By Monday, the 31st, the men began to return to Concord; but the Paymaster was not quite ready to pay us off.
G
FROM THE FROM
$1862+ TO
WE DRANK
+1865+
SAME. CANTEEN
676
THIRD NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
COMMANDERS UNITED STATES ARMY.
NAME.
TIME OF SERVICE.
RANK.
Geo. Washington,
1775 to
1783
Henry Knox,
1783
1784
Josiah Harner, *
Sept.
1788
+ March 1791
Arthur St. Clair,
4 March 1791
5 March 1792
Major-General.
Anthony Wayne,
5 March 1792
15 Dec. 1796
Major-General.
James Wilkinson,
15 Dec.
1796
3 July
1798
Brigadier-General.
Geo .. Washington,
3 July
1798
14 Dec.
1799
Lieut .- Gen. and Gen.
James Wilkinson,
15 June
1800
27 Jan.
1812
Brigadier-General.
Henry Dearborn,
27 Jan.
1812
15 June
1815
Major-General.
Jacob Brown,
15 June
1815
24 Feb.
1828
Major-General.
Alexr. Macomb,
24 May
1828
25 June
1841
Major-General.
Winfield Scott,
25 June
1841
1 Nov.
1861
Major-General. Major-General.
Henry W. Halleck,
11 JJuly
1862
12 March 1864
Major-General.
Ulysses S. Grant,
12 March 1864
4 March 1869
Lient .- Gen. and Gen.
Wm. T. Sherman,
4 March 1869
8 Feb.
1884
General.
Philip H. Sheridan,
8 Feb.
1884
5 Aug.
1888
Lieut .- Gen. and Gen.
John M. Schofield,
1888 (present incumbent) Major-General.
* Was General-in-Chief by brevet.
ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY, 1892.
OFFICERS.
ENLISTED MEN. AGGREGATE.
10 Cavalry Regiments
428
5,645
6,073
5 Artillery
287
3,310
3,597
25 Infantry
867
11,356
12,223
Engineer Batalion, recruiting par- ties, Ordnance Department, Hos- pital Service, Indian Scouts, West Point, Signal Department, and general service
557
4,399
4,956
Totals
2,139
24,710
26,849
.
.
-
Geo. B. McClellan,
1 Nov.
1861
11 March 1862
Major-General. Major-General. Lieut .- Col. Infantry.
AUGUST, 1865.
W E were yet nominally in the service, though mustered out the 20th of the previous month, and were waiting for our final discharge and payment. We had not been paid for a long time, and there was considerable money due us, not only of our pay proper, but the final instalment of bounty.
On Wednesday, the 2d day of August, the men had all returned. The paying off was begun on that day at about 11.30 A.M., at the office of Paymaster Maj. C. O. Benedict, on Main Street, and continued all day and on the 3d, and was finished, so far as the men were concerned, shortly before noon. Each departed his way (first having his discharge delivered to him), but not without grasping his comrades' hands in farewell. The payment of the officers began about 3 p.M. and was completed same day.
The Third New Hampshire: where is it? Scattered to the four winds of heaven, residing in every quarter of the globe - largely in New England, however. Very many are located in the towns and cities in the State they went to represent, assimilated to the walks and methods of peace. The many strong friendships formed at the front will continue on and on, till the great Captain shall sever them, so far as earthly friendships go. in a final muster-out.
The story of the Third New Hampshire is told - not in elo- quent language, not with pathos, not with the language of the silver- tongued orator, but in a simple, modest manner, which it is earnestly hoped will inspire the reader with patriotic impulses, and engage his attention from cover to cover.
Third New Hampshire, and reader, adieu !
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678
THIRD NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
WEST POINT GENERALS (UNION AND CONFEDERATE).
1822. David Hunter.
1823.
Lorenzo Thomas.
1825. § Robert Anderson.
1826. Silas Casey.
1841. H. G. Wright.
Jas. Totten.
D. C. Buell. W. T. H. Brooks. 1842. W. S. Rosecrans. § Abner Doubleday. Jas. Longstreet.
1843. W. B. Franklin.
J. J. Reynolds.
C. C. Augur.
U. S. Grant. Rufus Ingalls.
Egbert L. Viele.
1833.
J. G. Barnard.
1835. Geo. G. Meade.
1836. M. C. Meigs. * Thos. W. Sherman.
1837.
1844. W. S. Hancock. Alexr. Hayes. 1845. t Wm. F. Smith. Gordon Granger. 1846. Geo. B. MeClellan. § John G. Foster. Jesse L. Reno.
H. W. Benham. Braxton Bragg. E. D. Townsend.
# Thos. J. Jackson. 1847. Jas. B. Fry.
Jubal A. Early. Jos. Hooker.
1838.
P. G. T. Beauregard.
I. McDowell.
A. E. Burnside. 1849. § Q. A. Gillmore. Jolin G. Parke. Rufus Saxton, Jr.
* Port Royal Exp. t " Baldy." # "Stonewall." § Fort Sumter.
NOTE .- The above list is not a complete one.
1839.
* Isaac I. Stevens. H. W. Halleck. E. O. C. Ord. E. R. S. Canby.
1840. Wm. T. Sherman. Geo. H. Thomas.
1828. Jeff. Davis. 1829. Robt. E. Lee. J. E. Johnston. O. M. Mitchel.
1830. W. N. Pendleton. J. B. Magruder.
1831. Henry Clay, Jr. A. A. Humphrey. W. H. Emory.
-
CALENDAR, 1865.
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JULY
١
1865
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
(NAMES ARRANGED ALPHABETICALLY.)
HENRY H. AYER.
Henry H. Ayer was a character in the Third New Hampshire. He was active in getting matters into shape, enlisting eleven men at Fisherville (now Penacook), and bringing them early to camp. Commissioned as Lieutenant in Co. B, with Capt. Wilbur and 2d Lient. Fogg. He was not only peculiar, but eccentric; and his eccentricity showed itself in numerous ways, and largely in individuality. There could be but one Ayer, and that was Henry H., Third New Hampshire. He was punctilious, exacting; and to one not thoroughly acquainted with him, he appeared cruel and overbear- ing. These latter disappeared as one became better acquainted with him; and the nearer one got to him the more he was liked. He did not suffer many to approach closely : i.e., he did not take a promiscuous lot into his confidence. He boasted - not unseemly - of his previous service: and this gave him more or less prestige in the regiment. His bravery, his honesty, and his patriotism, were never questioned. Whenever he got in earnest, - and these occasions were not infrequent, -he would begin thus : "Simply - by the gods, man : what are you doing ?"
He was, like other lieutenants, sent from one company to another as occasion required. On the Steamer .Itlantic, Capt. Wilbur being sick almost the entire voyage, Lieut. Ayer was in command of Co. B. He did efficient service in the unloading of vessels and in the building of our fortifications, as he had more influence over a squad of men than many a younger officer, because of his age, firmness and sternness, with all that goes therewith. He was ordered to Co. D. 13 Jan. 1862, Capt. Dunbar being detached tempo- rarily and Lient. Cornelius being sick. On 12 Feb, he was sent to Co. I, and on 18 March back to his own company ( Capt. Wilbur was then in arrest for some naughtiness). On 5 April ( regiment going to Edisto) he was relieved from command of B and apparently sick : for on 19 May, Sergi. Head, of his company, wrote a letter saying that "Lieut. Aver was attacked last Thes- day with pleurisy, and today went to regimental hospital." The 27th May finds him there at Bailey's Wharf. Edisto, and also Sergeant Head, both sick. The hospital had been moved to this point, preparatory to removing altogether from Edisto to James Island. Ayer continued sick, and got leave of absence for 40 days by S. O. 116, D. S. He returned from leave 30 July, by Star of the South.
On 26 Ang. he was assigned to the command of Co. H. This was immediately after it had been decimated at Pinckney Island by the gobbling process. He took especial pride, on parade and drill and inspection, in be- ing the observed of all observers; for he had but a mere handful of men in line -a squad, in fact.
On the Pocotaligo expedition he had command of Co. B, and presumably H, too, as the regiment was arranged in six companies while at the fight, and Co. It was very small ( reduced by capture of many). To show evidence
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680
THIRD NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
of his punctiliousness, he, on the eve of going to Pocotaligo, with no knowl- edge of where we were going or what for, but that we were going forth to battle, wrote this letter : -
HILTON HEAD, 20 Oct. 1862.
Chaplain HILL.
Dear Sir: This envelope contains $135.00, $114.18 of which belongs to my company as its Company Fund; $4.75 belongs to the heirs of Frank Halliday, late of Co. H; and the balance, $16.07, belongs to me. If I should not return, I want you to send to Mrs. Jane B. Ayer, Medfield, Mass., my two trunks, containing all iny effects. Subtract the pay for your trouble fromn money enclosed. H. H. AYER.
The writer will here remark that Ayer was a good and faithful cor- respondent, as his letters will show. He made up his budget of items, keeping the letters unsealed to add a postscript if necessary, as a final act before consigning it to the mail, just prior to some (really, every) move- ment. Many of these letters were kindly loaned to the writer. As to the battle of Pocotaligo, and to show how scrupulously honest our hero was. it may be here related that sometime after the battle he learned that Capt. Wilbur had " sworn off" several rifles'on that battle. It ronsed his ire : for he could not "endure" such people; and he at once (17 Jan. 1863) wrote to the War Department, asking for certified copies of Wilbur's returns to be sent him, that he might see whether the rumors were true, and stating in language plain : " Wilbur wasn't there, and no rifles were lost from his company ; because I commanded it, and know whereof I assert." Whether the War Department sent certified copies is not known. A letter of his shows that he was on the Steamer Burnside while sick (June - July). as he wrote 7 Nov. 1862, thanking Capt. Wilcox for his great kindness while on board.
In February, 1863, when a squad of Co. H (captured previous August) returned, exchanged, Capt. Aver had quite a circus with some of them. be- cause they didn't come down handsomely to the regulation discipline. Since their capture, they had done no duty whatever and bad been having a free and easy time generally; and Capt. Ayer had hard work to induce the proper anthorities to order them back to their company. " But now you are here," says C'apt. Ayer, " yon must come down." Coercion had to be resorted to in some cases ; but this is not an opportune place to minutely detail all the little annoyances to which our friend Ayer was subjected to. After the first brush. those men would have died for Capt. Ayer. When the regiment was separated. immediately after, Cos. G and II were left on the old camp-ground; and when that famous night alarm came, these two companies fell in, and formed upon another regiment encamped to their left, and stood there in line long after we at Pinckney Island (the fore- front) had turned in. When the regiment reunited in April, and went to Edisto Inlet, finally landing at Botany Bay Island, Ayer was ou hand. He participated in the lumber expeditions from that point inland, notably all over Edisto Island. and did valiant service in the matter of producing Inmber, etc., even borrowing lighters from Capt. Hutchins, Quartermaster of another brigade across the river, to transport it upon.
It was at Botany Bay that something happened to our hero; and though the writer has been unable to obtain the partienlars, he is satisfied it was a frivolons case that brought Capt. Ayer into temporary trouble. Somebody complained of something to the Colonel Commanding, and Ayer was the party complained of. The shape it took left the commanding of- fleer where he could not evade his duty; and he directed the Adjutant to take Capt. Ayer's sword. This was humiliating; but Capt Ayer never finched. Four officers were detailed at once to investigate; and they did so, reporting that a gentle reprimand was sufficient to satisfy all parties. The Colonel gave him the reprimand and his sword at the same time; and the whole ocenpled not much more time than is required to write it.
About this time, Capt. Ayer resigned; but there is no apparent con- nection between that and the reprimand. It was not accepted. He wrote, 5 May 1863, prior to the case noted, to his wife, saying : " I am glad you
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681
THIRD NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
take a common-sense view of the matter of my resigning. I shall not re- sign at present if my health continues good; but if I am sick I may be obliged to in order to get home."
On 11 June (from St. Helena), he wrote he had been defeated in his attempts to resign, but didn't care very much about it, for his health was improving.
On 23 June, at St. Helena Island, he entertained some of the officers of the Weehawken (monitor). When the regiment was on board at St. Helena, morning of 4 July, for Folly Island, Capt. Ayer ventured ashore to look after his company property, and got left behind. Those who know him can imagine how excited he must have been at seeing the steamer move off. He succeeded in getting on board the Cossack, with the Seventy-sixth Pennsylvania, and finally reached the regiment about 11 P.M., 5 July, finding Lieut. Place in charge and everything all right.
Capt. Ayer did good service at the taking of Morris Island, and in the charge and subsequent operations, up to date of his ugly wound. In the charge on Wagner, 18 July, he was struck with a spent ball. He says he and his company succeeded in reaching the inner works of the fort (he was mistaken) ; and in a letter he describes going over a small work close to the fort : which probably means that he descended to the moat or ditch.
On 26 Ang., while the Twenty-fourth Massachusetts was making its grand sortie, supported by the Third New Hampshire, and while Capt. Ayer was in the trenches, in passing a loop-hole a bullet (probably from a sharp- shooter) came whizzing through and struck Capt. Ayer in the side of the neck, passing completely through. An inch, or perhaps half an inch, varia- tion would probably have ended his career. He was at first thought to be killed; but was carried back tenderly to the rear, and every attention shown him by the surgeons and his comrades. Capt. Ayer didn't propose to die then, and so stated it, and in his emphatic way, too. The bullet passed near the spinal cord and below the base of the brain. He went to the regimental hospital till 3 Sept., and then back to his company. On the 19th he went North on the Fulton, on leave of absence, per S. O. 534, D. S., after turning over the company to 2d Lieut. Morrill.
On 10 Sept his company made up a purse and bought a sword and belt for their gallant Captain ($80.00). It is related that on the Steamer Fulton were several rebel prisoners, taken at Morris Island, going North. One day, when they were ont for an airing, Capt. Ayer strode among them, as only Capt. Ayer could stride, and said with a tierce look before which they quailed, " Which of yon d-d rascals was it shot me?" The answers were all negative. He returned to his company 9 Nov., relieving Lieut. Edgerly, who had taken the company from Lieut. Morrill, the 10th.
About the first of December, when the regiment was paid off, Capt. Ayer received another wound : but this time it affected his pocket-book : for by some unaccountable mistake of omission or otherwise, the pay-roll was n't satisfactory to the paymaster, and he declined to lavish any of the desirable Treasury notes on our friend Ayer. As a sequel to this, the fol- lowing letter is found from the Adjutant-General of the Army to the Com- manding Officer, Third New Hampshire Volunteers, dated 27 Feb. 1864 : " The proceedings of a Military Commission, instituted by S. O. 350, D. S., in case of Capt. H. H. Ayer, have been approved by the Secretary of War. and removes the bar to his pay." There is no doubt that this apparent em- bargo on his pay was caused by a technical violation of his leave of absence - in overstaying.
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Capt. Ayer, on the return of the regiment to Hilton Head, went with it, and was one of the active participants in the beautiful movements which transformed the men into " mounted infantry." He went to Jacksonville in April, 1864, and, with his company, to Palatka ( four companies).
On arriving in Virginia (28 April), Capt. Ayer was sick, very sick ; and when the troops started, early in May, he was left behind, at a house say one and one-half miles from Gloucester Point ( i.e., the landing and fort). There he remained three nights, when he got alarmed and took quarters with the Provost Marshal at the landing.
682
THIRD NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
About the 6th of May, he took the Steamer Fanny for Fort Monroe ; but before reaching there, and near the Rip Raps, was run into by the iron Steamer Cambria; and the Fanny sunk in about ten minutes. This was about 9 P.M., and dark. "The crash," says Capt. Ayer, " was terrible." The Cambria had army stores and officers' baggage of many regiments, also about 200 men, mostly Thirteenth New Hampshire. Prof. Grant, the in- ventor of the calcium light, was on board : and he and Capt. Ayer rescued Col. J. D. Rust of the Eighth Maine, who was on his way to Chesapeake Hospital, sick. Capt. Ayer was put on shore by a naval officer, near Fort Monroe, and took quarters in the Chief Quartermaster's office, on the floor. He took passage next day, by a steamer going up the river, and walked to the regiment, say eight or nine miles.
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