History of Sussex and Warren counties, New Jersey, with Illustration and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers, Part 23

Author: Snell, James P; Clayton, W. W. (W. Woodford)
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1140

USA > New Jersey > Sussex County > History of Sussex and Warren counties, New Jersey, with Illustration and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers > Part 23
USA > New Jersey > Warren County > History of Sussex and Warren counties, New Jersey, with Illustration and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers > Part 23

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Some more substantial promotions occurred to the men from Sussex. Lient. Grinton was made captain of Company G, and Sergt. Mattison was promoted second lieutenant of Company K, having been pre- viously made sergeant-major of the regiment.

The Harris Light Cavalry had been announced in general orders by Secretary Cameron as the Seventh Regiment of United States Cavalry. This aroused a storm of opposition from regular officers, and was found to be illegal. Another order rescinded the first, and ordered the regiment credited to New York. Finally, after a long controversy, the Governor re- stored the rightful number, which ever after continued to be the Second. Gen. McDowell, now having com- mand of a military dopartment, with the full rank of major-general, selected Duffie's battalion to be his body-guard, and for months after the Sussex squadron and Companies I and K scarcely ever came in sight of the regiment, which then belonged to Bayard's brigade. Meanwhile, Col. J. M. Davies having re- signed on account of ill hoalth, Kilpatrick became colonel.

The Sussex squadron performed much scouting duty while at headquarters, marched with the command- ing general across the mountains into the Shenandoah

SUSSEX AND WARREN IN THE WAR OF THE REBELLION.

valley in pursuit of "Stonewall" Jackson; thence back to Manassas; thence followed Pope in the Northern Virginia campaign to Culpeper ; was under fire at the battle of Cedar Mountain; got inside the enemy's lines by mistake in the night following, and raised a commotion which set both armies to fighting; escaped without loss, and a few days after formed the skirmish-line which discovered the enemy had retreated and were well on the way to reinforce Lee and raise Mcclellan's siege of Richmond.

When Lee commenced his movement against Pope, the Sussex squadron was called upon for incessant duty in watching and retarding the advance of the enemy. The battalion held the Rappahannock on either side of the railroad bridge for two or three days, during which time its supply-wagons, with all the headquarters train, was captured in the rear at Catlett's Station.

The Sussex squadron then accompanied Pope and McDowell to Warrenton ; thence to Groveton, where it was the first to discover Jackson's corps on the Sudley Springs road. Escorting the general around to Manassas, it was almost in a starving con lition without its supply-wagons or any commissary to draw supplies from. It followed McDowell and Fitz John Porter from the large brick house at Manassas, called army headquarters, to the front, where Fitz John Porter established his line of battle. Then, leaving Lient. Griggs and twenty of his men to aet as mes- sengers for Gen. Porter, the battalion escorted Me- Dowell to the right, where the battle was commencing. It remained on the field throughout the battle of the 29th almost famished for food and even for water, and the morning of the 30th killed a young cow and ate it before the battle was renewed. When the first sign of wavering was seen, MeDowell ordered the battalion to deploy and stop stragglers, while he gal- loped down to the battery where the battle raged the hottest. He used superhuman courage to stay the invincible advance of the enemy, and was said to be the last man to leave the battery. The Sussex squadron and Kane's " Buektails" exerted every effort to check our retreating lines, but to no purpose ; the day was lost. The battalion followed McDowell and Pope to the defenses of Washington, where MeClellan ap- peared and assumed command.

Everything now seemed moving across the Poto- mac. C'apt. Naylor had suceceded Duthie in command of the battalion. The latter, through the influence of Gen. McDowell, had been appointed colonel of the First Rhode Island Cavalry by Governor William Sprague. Capt. Naylor received orders to report in Maryland to Gen. Joseph Hooker, who had sue- ceeded to the command of MeDowell's corps-the First-in Mcclellan's reorganization of the Army of the Potomac.

sex squadron, therefore, witnessed the battle without participating in it. Ilooker was wounded, Reynolds had gone to organize a new corps of defense in Penn- sylvania ; so Gen. Meade, but lately commanding a brigade, suddenly found himself at the head of the First Army Corps. With him the battalion remained until tien. Reynolds returned and took command of the First Corps. After serving with Reynolds for a time the battalion was ordered to rejoin the regiment, which had remained in the defenses of Washington, and which was found at Ball's Cross-Roads.

With Bayard's brigade the reunited battalions of the Harris Light Cavalry moved towards AAldie, where a severe battle was fought late in Octoher. When Burnside relieved MeClellan the Harris Light marched down the river to Fredericksburg, but too late to save the bridge MeDowell had rebuilt the preceding summer.

About the 1st of December, Bayard's command moved to Dumfries to clear out a force threatening the rear, but returned in time to cross the pontoons at the battle of Fredericksburg and take position on the plain in front of Franklin's headquarters, where that most promising young Jerseyman, Gen. George D. Bayard, was struck by a bursting shell, and died as calmly and coolly as he would have faced the rebels in the strength of his noble manhood. After the battle the Harris Light was sent down the north bank of the Rappahannock as a corps of observation.

Excepting a raid of fifty miles down the Rappa- hannock and the famous Burnside "mud march," there were no great deeds to record during this win- ter. C'apt. Cooke was promoted major; First Lieut. Griggs was promoted captain, and Second Lieut. Mat- tison first lieutenant of Company K. Lieut. Downing was promote l captain of Company B.

In the spring the Harris Light went on the famous Kilpatrick raid around the rebel army, approaching within two miles of Richmond, destroying bridges, railways, etc., crossing the t'hickahominy, and, re- treating to the Pamunkey, crossed that river on flat- boats and made their escape to Yorktown. Seizing a favorable time, they recrossed the rebel country at great peril, and reached the Federal transports at Ur- hanna, upon which they crossed the Rappahannock, and regained their place in the Army of the Potomac with a loss of about fifty men throughout the expedi- tion, On the 9th of June the Harris Light took part in the great cavalry battle of the war at Brandy Station, wherein all the cavalry of the contending armies were joined in mortal combat. In conse- quence of the Richmond raid, the Harris Light Cav- alry was perhaps the most famous regiment in the world at this time.

At Brandy Station, however, a mistake with regard to orders lost the golden opportunity to strike the enemy a decisive blow. When the Harris Light

The battalion joined Hooker on the battle-field of Antietam. That officer did not want it, and ordered Cavalry realized its mistake the most gallant efforts it to remain near the ammunition-wagons. The Sus- ' were made to rede 'in the false movement, and the

SUSSEX AND WARREN COUNTIES, NEW JERSEY.

regiment fought hard throughout the battle. In at- tempting to reform the broken line Col. Davies was the first to dash across the railroad embankment, expect- ing his regiment to follow. His horse fell dead at the very feet of the rebels, who closed in around Davies and ent him off from the few who attempted to follow him. Standing by the carcase of "Back- skin," Davies faced his assailants, and, sternly watch- ing every sabre-thrust, skillfully parried every blade drawn against him, sending some whirling over the heads of the foe. He coolly maintained his position for several minutes, until some of the Sussex boys succeeded in driving off the eager rebel officers, some twenty or thirty of whom were each striving to cut him down. At night the exhausted cavalrymen of each side drew off, and both sides claimed the victory.

On the 17th of June, Kilpatrick fought Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry at Aldie, and the Harris Light Cavalry more than redeemed its reputation. The squadron which led the false charge at Brandy Station asked for the post of honor in this battle. Kilpatrick told them to charge the haystacks from which a galling fire was poured into his lines on the hill. The squad- ron (Raymond's) charged at once; only nineteen men came out unharmed. Grinton was ordered to go to their relief. He took Company K, Griggs having " borrowed" Grinton's company of carbineers to dislodge a force on the opposite flank. Company K was officered by Lieuts. Mattison and A. C. Shafer (of Stillwater, Sussex Co., N. J.), both promoted from the Sussex squadron. Company K charged, with Grinton leading, directly towards the haystacks, but Mattison, discovering that the destruction of Ray- mond's squadron proceeded from the fire of sharp- shooters intrenched in a deep ditch to the right, urged his men upon them. Grinton cried out to fol- low him, but the men kept on with Mattison to the ditch, and, the Sixth Ohio Cavalry crossing the ditch farther to the left, about one hundred sharpshooters fell into the hands of the Harris Light. The battle ended for the day with our troops in possession of the field.

From Aldie, via Middleburg and Upperville, to Ashby's Gap, the next few days witnessed constant fighting between the Union cavalry and Stuart's en- tire cavalry corps, the latter being eventually driven through the Gap, with considerable loss in every encounter.

The cavalry of the Army of the Potomac gave up the pursuit of Stuart, and countermarched to Aldie and prepared to follow the army into Maryland. The companies of Griggs and Grinton were here ordered to Washington with condemned and captured property, surplus baggage, etc. They were scarcely aware that Stuart's cavalry, passing down the valley and through Thoroughfare Gap, were hard upon their licels at Fairfax Court-house. The march was pushed forward towards the close with unusual haste, and not far from Alexandria a regiment of Federal cavalry

passing out towards Fairfax was warned by Griggs that a large force of the enemy was approaching Fairfax, and that the utmost caution should be used. The commanding officer haughtily rejected the idea of any heavy body of hostile troops being so near Washington, and impatiently moved on. This entire command was surrounded that night, and nearly all fell into Stuart's hands.

In the short Gettysburg campaign, Kilpatrick, un- able to get the Harris Light regularly transferred to his new command, "borrowed" the regiment from Gen. Gregg and worked it incessantly. It participated in all his glorious operations, and in fifteen days he fought nearly as many battles, capturing four thou- sand five hundred prisoners, nine pieces of artillery, and eleven battle-flags.

Constant changes had been going on among the Jerseymen of the Harris Light: Kilpatrick, first lieutenant-colonel, then colonel, was now brigadier- general: Cooke was a major; Griggs and Grinton were captains; and several of the sergeants were lieutenants, The men who originally went out in the Sussex squadron had become scattered over the whole regiment, and only the full details of the oper- ations of the organization can do justice to all of its Sussex members.

Kilpatrick subsequently succeeded in getting the Harris Light into his division,-the Third of the cavalry corps,-and in this incomparable division the regiment remained throughout the war.

In September following, Kilpatrick marched down the Rappahannock and destroyed the two gunboats captured from our navy a short time before. Return- ing to the Army of the Potomac, he crossed the river and drove the enemy back over the plains of Brandy Station to Culpeper Court-house. While Buford's division advanced from the Sperryville road, Kil- patrick, in front, attacked the corps of Stuart, drawn up in splendid array around Culpeper. As the sev- eral regiments of Davies' brigade galloped into posi- tion, the band playing the " Star-Spangled Banner," a battalion of the Harris Light was seen to leave our line and dash madly down the hill, across a creek, and up the other side, directly upon the rebel battery which swept the hills where the Third Division was massing. This battalion was led by Capt. George V. Griggs. Gen. George A. Custer, whose brigade was forming to the rear of Davies', rode forward to learn what was going on. Perceiving Griggs charging the battery, he put spurs to his horse and dashed ahead, nor drew rein till he was in the midst of the chargers, who made straight for the guns and captured three of them, with nearly all the men and officers of the bat- tery, which proved to be the famous Baltimore artil- lery company which early entered the Confederate service. Buford's division, charging the northwest side of the town, had compelled Stuart to weaken liis front. Almost as soon as Griggs had possession of the battery the balance of the regiment was upon the

SUSSEX AND WARREN IN THE WAR OF THE REBELLION.

ground, and the charge was kept up through and be- youd the town.

Later in the month the same two Federal divisions met Fitzhugh Lee's division six miles north of Orange Court-house, far away from our lines. Buford this time moved directly upon the enemy, while Kil- patrick, marching by way of Madison Court-house, attempted to get on the rebels' line of retreat, The latter, discovering Kilpatrick's purpose, hastened his retrograde movement ; so that only the Harris Light, in the advance, got upon his road, and against this regiment he opened his battery at shortest range and charged his whole command, cutting a pathway through it and carrying off a number of the Harris Light as prisoners, while many were left dead or wounded on the field.

Early in October, Gen. Lee commenced a flanking movement designed to force Meade back of the Rap- pahannock. Kilpatrick's division was pushed out towards Madison Court-house to watch the enemy's manœuvres and to cover the movements of the Army of the Potomac, which was drawing out of Culpeper towards the Rappahannock. On the morning of the memorable HIth of October, Kilpatrick drew in his pickets and fell back to Culpeper. The Harris Light was on the rear-guard, and halted southwest of the town. Pleasonton, the chief of the cavalry corps, sent an order to Kilpatrick to dispatch a squadron to the rear to penetrate the enemy's lines and discover what they were doing. The order came down through brigade headquarters to Capt. Griggs to take his squadron and perform the perilous duty. The dullest soldier of the Harris Light Cavalry knew that along the picket-line of the Hazel River the preceding night the Confederate cavalry was pushing north- ward. The silence which prevailed at this moment was deeply ominous. Griggs declared it was murder to obey the order, but, like the good soldier that he was, he turned southward and marched sternly away from the division, which he was nevermore to behohl. A quarter of an hour later a hurried call was made for volunteers to go after him and call him back, but between his squadron and the division the enemy had steadily marched, und was closing up every road. When Griggs emerged into open ground from the deep woods south of Culpeper he discovered A. P. Hill's corps of Confederate infantry marching straight towards the Court-house. Griggs turned back, but dis- covered a barricade of trees that he had left in his road had been cut away. Kilpatrick had promised to halt at Culpeper till the squadron returned. Griggs turned off into a grove just back of the town, halted the squadron, and rode out, with a single trooper be- hind him, to reconnoitre. A picket in a blue over- coat was seen just out of the town, but the trooper behind called out to Griggs that he wore gray pants. The captain had evidently made the same discovery for he suddenly wheeled and shouted, "To the right ! Save yourselves !" and that instant a bullet struck

the back of his head and he reeled and fell to the ground. His horse followed the squadron, which rushed wildly to the right and came out upon familiar ground near its old camp when previously stationed at Culpeper. Swarms of rebel cavalry pursued them, but, circling around a piece of wet, marshy ground, across which the Confederates vainly essayed to gal- lop, the men of the Harris Light soon distinguished Kilpatrick's battle-line, which, forced to evacuate Culpeper, was thrown across the very hills from which that same squadron the previous month had started to charge the rebel battery. With desperate energy those men spurred their tired horses forward, and Kilpatrick, looking anxiously upon their gallant race, pushed his skirmishers towards them. Down by an old mill they crossed the creek, and came in sufely ; but Griggs was lost. In the lull before the battle a deep and solemn lament came from nearly every one over his fate. All his men who escaped-there were several missing, among them Lieut. A. C. Shafer- declared that, from the way Capt. Griggs dropped off his horse, they believed he was shot dead. It may be stated here that when the Army of the Potomac again occupied that country, Capt. Grinton and Lieut. Mat- tison, with an escort, went over the ground, and at a house near by learned that two Confederate soldiers brought poor Griggs to the door alive but insensible, and he died that night. His body was exhumed, fully identified, and sent North, and is buried in the old cemetery of Newton. He was a patriot of wonderful energy and zeal, an honor to his native town, and an invaluable officer in his regiment.

Quickly following the escaped squadron, the legions of the enemy closed upon the skirmish-line, com- manded in person by Gen. H. E. Davies, Jr., who re- tired front and rear rank in tactical order after each volley with all the precision of a brigade drill. The extreme coolness of his manœuvres inspired the men with confidence and astonished the advancing line of the enemy. Meantime, Kilpatrick, with all the rest of the division, was hurrying back to Brandy Station. West of Brandy Station, in plain sight, Fitzhugh Lee's rebel cavalry division was marching in haste for the same position. On the opposite flank of Kil- patrick, Wade Hampton's division, approaching ria Stephensburg, closed in to cut off his retreat. Davies drew in his skirmishers and closed up the gap between him and the main column, but had hardly reached the division when Wade Hampton's men burst through the thin woods which had concealed the head of his column, with which Davies' two regiments of the rear- guard now became interlocked in deadly coutliet. With wild curses and shouts Davies' men threw them- selves upon the enemy and hurled him back. Covered by a cloud of dust, a regiment galloped in from the rear, into which the rear-guard poured a volley which unhorsed many of them, only to discover the next mo- ment they were firing into a regiment of our own reg- ulurs, which, in falling back from Stephensburg, had

SUSSEX AND WARREN COUNTIES, NEW JERSEY.

become separated from Buford's division, and, envel- oped by the hordes of advancing Confederates, made direct for Kilpatrick's line, guided by the sound of his guns. Thus two unfortunate mistakes caused the unnecessary loss of valuable lives to our side that day,-mistakes which were absorbed in the terrific combat which followed. The heads of Kilpatrick's and Fitzhugh Lee's columns met a little westward of the railroad station, and the shock at first staggered both. Around the 3-inch iron guns of his two regular horse-batteries Kilpatrick massed his regiments as fast as they came up, and at closest range poured shot and shell into the rallying Confederates, who came on grandly in the face of the deadly fire. Wild yells, curses, and hurrahs mingled with the clash of arms as the storm went on from midday to far in the after- noon, neither side yielding, and Kilpatrick's thin division grappling with more than double its num- bers.

A Confederate brigade trotted across the fields to- wards the railroad station, and took up the charge against a weak place on Davies' front. That superb sol- dier turned, almost alone, to face the onset, when Grin- ton ordered the regimental colors of the Harris Light to take post directly to the front of the approaching column. Around the flags of the Harris Light, Grin- ton and Mattison speedily rallied near a hundred men, who delivered a volley from their carbines and pistols into the advancing foe, whose general tottered in his saddle and fell to the ground, dead or badly wounded. The enemy could not get beyond their fallen chief, and shrank back under the steady fire which continued to pour into their ranks. One of Elders' guns, disabled, was hauled off by hand, while the others became so hot that the men had to pause to cool them. Around them and in between them dashed Confederate cavalrymen, to be met by Kilpat- rick's men and forced back ; but Elder grimly held his pistol over his own men and swore to shoot any man who deserted his post.

Away up the rising hills westward towards Sperry- ville a little regiment of infantry was seen making its way on a run towards the Rappahannock, fre- quently turning and forming a hollow square against cavalry and delivering a withering fire into a pur- sning column, then again drawing out on a run, only to be again charged by the pursuers. Gallantly the regiment struggled forward, with its colors flying and every now and then facing to the rear and delivering an effective volley at the persistent enemy.

Eventually the regiment escaped and passed to the rear of Kilpatrick's battle-ground, but the sight was immensely encouraging to the Third Division, and they renewed their efforts to repel their assailants ; but still the battle raged without intermission, and the rapidly-thinning ranks of the Third Division gave the rebels hope of success, when the wild shriek of howitzer guns louder than any of Kilpatrick's, was borne through the air as the shells burst over the

rebel ranks. Turning their eyes, the weary troopers of the Third Division beheld a sight which filled their hearts with the wildest joy. Across the wide plain in their rear a dozen regiments of cavalry were advancing to their relief in line of battle, with colors flying and bands playing as gayly as on any review - day. In front of this host, which was the entire First Cavalry Division, rode Gen. John Buford with a few staff-officers, never halting until he was in the midst of Davies' men, still firing into the brigade whose' chief lay between the two forces. Buford, neatly dressed and smoking a cigar, appeared alto- gether unconcerned about the rebels. In the coolest manner-for which he was famous-he gave quiet orders to his staff-officers, who galloped back to the First Division, proudly sweeping up the hill in mag- nificent order. The rebel fire slackened as by magic ; orders quickly passed along for the Third Division to fall back behind the hill and give place to the First Division. Cheers were exchanged by the two divi- sions ; Buford's Napoleon guns kept up their fire, but the roll of small-arms slacked, and the Third Divi- sion was "out of the fight," but with the loss of many valuable men.

Two corps of infantry recrossed the Rappahannock and marched to the relief of the cavalry, and the tired and blood-stained soldiers of the Third Cavalry Division were withdrawn to the north side of the river to rest and refresh themselves after their des- perate work of the 11th of October, 1863.

Towards the close of October, Kilpatrick was sur- rounded and cut off at Buckland Mills, near War- renton, by the whole of Stuart's cavalry, but by consummate coolness he forced a mill-race and es- caped with his entire command. This affair was facetionsly called in the army "The Buckland Races," but it was one of the most successful retreats ever made from a perilous environment.

Not long after this brilliant exploit the Army of the Potomac passed to the south of the Rappahan- nock, and after many skirmishes along the line of the Rapidan the Third Division settled down into winter camp at Stephensburg, from whence the ex- pedition started which recovered the body of Capt. Griggs

On Sunday, the 28th of February, 1864, four thou- sand of the best cavalry of the corps reported to Kil- patrick for the great Richmond raid. A selected party of five hundred-really about five hundred and fifty-under Col. Ulric Dahlgren and Lieut .- Col. Ed- win F. Cooke, moved upon an independent line, and with the special purpose of reaching the south side of the James River; and, while Kilpatrick's four thou- sand thundered at the front of Richmond, this com- mand at daylight of Tuesday, the 1st of March, was to make a sudden dash through Manchester into the rebel capital and release the thousands of our brave soldiers who were languishing in Libby Prison and on Belle Isle. The plan had been considered by

SUSSEX AND WARREN IN THE WAR OF THE REBELLION.

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History of Sussex and Warren counties, New Jersey, with Illustration and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers, Part 23

Author: Snell, James P; Clayton, W. W. (W. Woodford) Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck Number of Pages: 1140

Author: Snell, James P; Clayton, W. W. (W. Woodford)
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1140