History of Sussex and Warren counties, New Jersey, with Illustration and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers, Part 24

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 24
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 24

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President Lincoln and Secretary Stanton, was ap- proved by them, and the necessary authority issued direct from the War Department, placing the troops under Kilpatrick's orders for the purposes of the raid. Gen. Custer had been sent to the extreme opposite flank of the enemy to make a demonstration towards Madison Court-House to draw the enemy's cavalry in that direction.

It was dark when, on that Sunday night, a party of scouts swam the Rapidan, and, coming down upon the rebel outpost, captured the picket without firing a shot and cleared the ford, by which Dahlgren's command silently crossed to the hostile side and moved to Spottsylvania Court-house. Early Monday morning, the 29th of February, the expedition crept around the right of Lee's army, and at noon was at Frederick Hall, in full sight of the camp of Lee's re- serve artillery, near which a general court-martial was in session at a farmhouse, which was surrounded by our men and the officers, witnesses, and attendants taken prisoners and carried along with the column.

The South Anna was crossed at dusk, and the ex- pedition reached Goochland Court-house soon after midnight. In the rain and darkness many of the court-martial prisoners escaped. Dahlgren halted at Goochland and allowed the tired men to cook coffee and rest for a couple of hours, when the march was resumed. Dahlgren's guide-a negro sent to him from Gen. Meade's headquarters on Sunday night- had volunteered to lead him to a ferry on the JJames River, and through his assurances Dahlgren had eal- culated to he at the crossing by or before midnight, instead of which he was no farther at that time than Goochland Court-house. The negro, however, de- elnred he would lead him to a ferry within five miles. Upon his assurances the march was again re- sumed, and continued for five hours without finding a crossing to the river. Dahlgren's suspicions of the negro's treachery had been growing very strong, and he threatened to hang him. The negro pleaded pit- eously for another hour, promising to find a crossing by that time. Dahlgren gave the respite, but the negro failed to find a crossing. Moreover, Dahlgren's scouts reported nothing but a scow-ferry, and that many miles from where Dahlgren had supposed him- self to be. Dahlgren, convinced that the negro had designedly misled him, sternly gave orders to hang him to a tree by the roadside. Protesting his inno- cence to the last, the poor negro was strung up to a tree by a halter from one of the horses, and was left dangling in the air, to the horror of the passing col- umn. The Harris Light Cavalry detachment, which had been moving down the canal, destroying mills, locks, and bridges, came into the road near by while his body was yet warm and eut him down at once, but life was extinct. The mystery of his conduct has never been cleared away, but from the hour of his execution the men declared " that no good would come of it."

Burning with his purpose to win imperishable fame as the deliverer of the Union prisoners, Dahlgren determined to attack Richmond at dark that night from the north side of the James River. A captured picket of two troopers belonging to a city battalion had disclosed the fact that only city militia, made up chiefly of clerks in the government departments, guarded that approach to the rebel capital. The colonel therefore hoped that by throwing these troops into a panic he might penetrate the city, no matter at what hazard to his own command or to himself. He therefore moved onward until within six miles of the city, when he encountered a regiment of in- fantry, which he literally rode over, leaving the won- der-stricken young city militiamen behind him ; they obediently threw down their arms at the command of the Yankee troopers, and started for the rear to get out of the way. In three miles Dahlgren's men charged and captured perhaps more than three times their own number of these city troops, who threw down their arms and marched back in charge of a mere handful of guards. Indeed, those captured towards the last were left unguarded.

Within three miles of the city the raiders were met by a deadly fire which covered their entire front and extended far beyond their flanks, revealing a heavy line far too strong for so small a force to contend with. Then Dahlgren, who had been previously urged by Lient .- Col. Cooke to abandon the enterprise, con- sented to withdraw. In doing so his command be- came divided, and he marched off in the darkness with only a portion of his column. Turning into a by-road, he moved towards Hungary Station, which was to have been Kilpatrick's halting-place before attacking Richmond from the east. Col. Cooke first discovered the absence of a part of the command, and desired to go back after it; but Dahlgren objected, and pushed on to Hungary, thinking, no doubt, the broken column would close up. Unfortunately, the rear portion of the column passed the by-road in the darkness without turning into it, and thus lost Dahl- gren's trail. At Hungary Station, finding no trace of Kilpatrick, Dahlgren destroyed his two ambulances and moved on to the Pamunkey, which he crossed without waiting for news of his broken column.

When near King and Queen Court-house the fol- lowing night, Wednesday, the 2d of March, he was surrounded by the rapidly-augmenting bands of cav- alry which had harassed him all day. Fighting to the last, he was killed at the head of his men, nearly all of whom fell into the hands of the enemy. Cooke escaped on foot in the darkness, but was hunted down by blood-hounds and captured the following Fri- day. He was taken to Richmond, refused the priv- ileges of a prisoner of war, east into a dark cell with negro prisoners, poorly fed, and deprived of the ne- cessaries of life. His health gave way under his cruel treatment, but his glorious spirit enabled him bravely to endure his unnatural privations.

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SUSSEX AND WARREN COUNTIES, NEW JERSEY.

The other part of this column was more fortunate. Failing to find Dalilgren, Capt. John F. B. Mitchell, of the Harris Light Cavalry, assumed command and moved back on the main road until, running into a line of rebel troops, who opened a strong fire, they were forced to countermarch. Marching back again towards Richmond, the road being full of the strag- gling militia that had surrendered to them in the previous action, the party found the broad road run- ning to Hungary Station. Pursuing this road for some miles, Mitchell discovered that a body of rebel cavalry was following his detachment. 'He therefore turned into a lane, marched across a field, and turned into a swamp. The pursuers passed on, and not far off turned into bivouac, built fires, and settled down for the night. A volunteer scout named Campbell (of the Harris Light) ventured to penetrate the strange camp, and in due time returned and reported that the strangers were the Fourth Virginia Cavalry, of Wade Hampton's division. Meantime, it was learned there were no traces of the Union cavalry about Hungary.

A negro was procured, who carefully led Mitchell's column around the rebel camp and through lanes and by-paths around to the south of Hungary Station, at which it was reported Wade Hampton's cavalry were arriving in strong force. Daylight found the party upon the Brooke Pike, going towards Richmond, but another body of the enemy soon opened fire in the face of the wanderers and compelled them to turn about. Ladies appeared on the portico of a large white mansion and besought the party not to fight before their eyes. They were in a high state of ex- citement, and told the Yankee invaders that Wade Hampton's cavalry were upon that road and would surely confront them in a few moments. They further gave them the information that Kilpatrick had at- tacked Richmond the previous night (Tuesday), but had been beaten and driven off down the James River. This made the party doubly anxious to find a line of escape southward, and by a pure piece of good luck, after passing a narrow lane, Lieut. Mattison rode back to a little house near by and learned that it led to a ford on the Chickahominy. Mitchell quickly turned the head of his column back to the lane, which, sure enough, led to an obscure ford, across which the weary party passed to the Peninsula, ever famons as the scene of MeClellan's movements upon Richmond.

Coming upon a party of laborers clearing away the smoking débris of a burnt train of cars, Mitchell learned that Kilpatrick had destroyed the train the previous day, marching towards Richmond, that he had thrown everybody into a panic, had nearly en- tered the city, but had finally been repulsed by Pickett's division, which had arrived from North Carolina in the evening, and had been rushed to the fortifications barely in time to confront him. Kil- patrick, they stated, had retreated towards the James.

Mitchell aud his officers decided to strike for Wil- liamsburg. Avoiding several bodies of the enemy, which opened fire on the fugitives, but which were not large enough to compel them to fight, they finally reached the broad highway leading from Williams- burg to Richmond. A rebel outpost held the cross- roads, but a smart little attack cleared the way; when the broad trail of a large cavalry column coming from towards the James River and turning into the Williamsburg road was discovered. A lady soon told Capt. Mitchell that Kilpatrick had passed down in the forenoon on his retreat, and that the Confederate soldiers had followed him and had brought back a large number of his men prisoners, who had but just gone up to Richmond.

Waiting for no further information, Mitehell and his men forced their worn-out horses to a faster walk and hurried on. Burning fences on each side were taken to be Kilpatrick's signals to Dahlgren to fol- low. Fearing a pursuing column, every effort was made to close up the long distance yet intervening between Mitchell and Kilpatrick. Well on in the afternoon, when all inquiries of the citizens were an- swered with the cheering news that the Yankee cav- alry had passed only a very short time ago, Mitchell's column suddenly encountered a strong fire from a piece of woods lying across the road. Recoiling from this unexpected attack from an enemy whose pres- ence the wily citizens had concealed, the poor tired fellows summoned their energies for a last grand effort. Fortunately, the road towards the enemy was descending, so that as the jaded horses proceeded under the spurs and the wild shouts of men who were determined to go through or die in the attempt their speed increased. Each man grasped liis Colt's re- volver as he neared the woods, and with deadly pur- pose the command dashed against the foe so furiously that they broke and fled through the woods in all di- rections, leaving the road to the Yankees.

The opposing force proved to be Bradley T. John- son's Legion, which had been harassing Kilpatrick's rear. Recovering from their panic, they rallied and fell upon the rear of the charging column as it thun- dered on through the timber, but the Yankees emp- tied their revolvers into their ranks and held them off. Confederate papers claimed that Johnson's Le- gion inflicted a loss of twenty-one upon the charging party. Their own estimate was about fifteen, and those mostly from falling horses too weak to keep up the burst of speed.

An hour later the party reached Kilpatrick's divi- sion, having marched about two hundred and twenty- five miles since the preceding Sunday night,-scarcely three days. A count showed that two hundred and thirty-six men were brought in from the Dahlgren column, which left the Army of the Potomac with about five hundred and fifty mon.

Kilpatrick, with the main column, reached the front of Richmond on Tuesday morning. Waiting in

SUSSEX AND WARREN IN THE WAR OF THE REBELLION.

vain to hear Dahlgren in the city, he opened fire with his battery, which threw shell into the city limits and created the wildest consternation among the people. Troops were coming to the rescue of the rebel capi- tal, and after un ineffectual attack in the evening Kilpatrick drew off' aeross the Chickahominy, but delayed his retreat as long as possible in the hope of saving Dahlgren's column. Upon the arrival of Mit- chell's detachment the fate of the others became of still more concern to the commanding general, who encamped his division near the White House and re- mained there from Wednesday afternoon until Thurs- day morning, trying to get news of the missing party. Nothing definite could be learned, however, save that such a party had crossed the Pamunkey farther up the river, and Kilpatrick was obliged to resume his retreat.

On Thursday a relieving brigade of colored troops from Butler's department reached Kilpatrick, and were greeted by the cavalrymen with hearty cheers. The combined Union force proceeded down the Penin- sula, and arrived at Yorktown vin Williamsburg. Meantime, a refugee sergeant from Dahlgren's party found his way to Kilpatrick with the news of the col- onel's death and the dispersion of his men.

Straightway upon reaching Yorktown the general selected two thousand of his strongest horses, crossed the York River, and moved up into King and Queen County, where he learned the fate of the Dahlgren party, and for the cruelties practiced towards them by the hard-hearted captors Kilpatrick laid waste the country which had been the scene of their torture.

Lient .- Col. Cooke remained a prisoner at Richmond for many months, when he was transferred to North Carolina. Making his escape, he was in the monn- tains fed and concealed by negroes for some two weeks, but was recaptured by the aid of bloodhounds, and was then sent to Charleston, S. C., to be placed under the fire of Gilmore's batteries, along with many Union officers, to deter the Federal general from shelling the city. Released from captivity after a year of suffer- ing bravely endured, he arrived in New Jersey just in time to witness the death of his young wife, for whom he had so hopefully borne up under every torture to which his proud spirit had been subjected. Broken in health, he accompanied Gen. Kilpatrick to Chili, after the war, as secretary of legation, and died there from disease contracted in Libby Prison. He was brevetted brigadier-general before leaving the United States.

Upon the return of the expedition to the Army of the Potomae, Gen, Kilpatrick was transferred to Gen. Sherman's army in the Southwest, where he earned increased distinction as a cavalry-leader. On the " March to the Sea" he was of the greatest assistance to Gen. Sherman, and won the lasting regard of that officer for his ability and untiring energy.

Gen. James 11. Wilson sneceeded Kilpatrick in the command of the Third Cavalry Division. Gen. Henry

E. Davies was transferred to a brigade in Gregg's (Second) division. Gen. Custer and the Michigan brigade went to the First Division, exchanging places with Chapman's brigade, which became the Second Brigade of the Third Division. Col. John B. M.In- tosh, a Jerseyman, became the commander of the First Brigade.

The Third Division participated in the battles of the Wilderness and Spottsylvania, and then went on the first raid of fen. Sheridan to break the Confeder- ate connections with Richmond. It was in resisting this expedition that the gallant Gen. J. E. B. Stuart, chief of the rebel cavalry, was killed. It is honorable to him to say that in Sheridan's cavalry corps he had many admirers for his ability, courage, and personal kindness to captured prisoners. Had his ideas of the treatment of prisoners of war prevailed among the rebel generals, less bitterness would have been left by the war.

In Grant's flanking movements from Spottsylvania to the Peninsula the Third Cavalry Division per- formed arduous and constant duty. After crossing the Pamunkey River the division took the right of the army, and drove the principal part of the rebel cav- alry corps back to Hanover Court-house after a stub- born resistance. When Wilson had well cleared his front, MeIntosh, with three regiments and a battery, proceeded to Ashland Station, where his command was surrounded by the entire rebel cavalry force that had opposed Wilson at Hanover. This dauntless Jerseyman formed his three regiments around the battery, and fought the rebels all the afternoon with- out assistance, drawing off after dark, without moles- tation, by the river-road, upon which Gen. Wilson had sent a regiment to open a line of retreat. The Wilson raid was perhaps the most remarkable service which marked the history of the Harris Light Cavalry in the summer of 1864. About the 20th of June, Gen. Wilson started out rie Ream's Station, having with him the Third Division and a smaller division belonging to Butler's Army of the James, commanded by Gen. 1. V. Kautz. Desultory fighting commenced, soon after the destruction of Ream's Station, between the Harris Light Cavalry, forming the rear-guard of the expedi- tion, and Gen. W. I. F. Lee's cavalry. While the rear-guard held the pursuing force in check, the main command was bu-ily engaged in tearing up and de- stroying the railroad. Finally, Wilson decided to bring on an action with the rebel cavalry, and while the Third Division i .. terlocked with the enemy in a hard and stubborn battle tien. Kautz moved around to Burkesville Junction and destroyed the immense stores of army supplies collected there for Lee's army, together with the railroad works and property of in- calenlable value to the Confederacy.

When the work of destruction was complete and Kautz had moved away southward, Wilson drew out the Third Division from the fight and proceeded down the Danville Railroad, tearing up the track and burn-

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SUSSEX AND WARREN COUNTIES, NEW JERSEY.

ing bridges in the most thorough manner. When he reached the Staunton River it was estimated that not less than fifty miles of railroad had been torn up, the iron heated and twisted by the fires from the ties gathered in piles at short intervals.

The expedition met with its first reverse at the Roanoke bridge across the Staunton River. All efforts to dislodge the enemy failed, and, with W. H. F. Lee's division still harassing his rear, Wilson's po- sition became critical. He therefore turned down the river and commenced his retrograde movement in the dark. Unforeseen difficulties so delayed the column that it had only reached Lawrenceville at daylight, from whence it took the Petersburg plank road, and mnoved more rapidly throughout that and the follow- ing day. Meanwhile, Wade Hampton's division had joined the pursuit, and was reported to be marching in parallel column but a mile or two to the right of the Third Division. W. H. F. Lee's division renewed its attacks with increased energy, and fully occupied Kautz' division, compelling the column to stretch out along the road for ten miles or more.

Gen. Wilson sent off scouts at various times to make their way to Gen. Grant and inform him of his home- ward march and its environments. In the afternoon of the second day's retreat the advance-guard of Mc- Intosh's brigade reached Stony Creek, on the Weldon Railroad, and was met by a determined musketry-fire. One after another of the regiments was dismounted and sent into the fight, but the enemy received con- stant reinforcements by train from Petersburg (the track having been repaired at Ream's Station), and was too strong for all the troops Wilson could bring into action. By night the whole of the Third Divi- sion was under fire, and Kautz was fighting the pur- suing cavalry, endeavoring to hold it back. All night a lively rattle of musketry was kept up, and at dawn of day Wilson attempted to draw out towards Ream's Station, the Nottoway River southward being guarded by the rebel cavalry. At the moment the rebel infan- try discovered Wilson's desperate effort to move by his left flank they sprang upon Chapman's brigade with a wild yell, and succeeded in cutting them off from their horses. But the rebels were not prepared for the awful burst of courage with which the Second Brigade turned upon them and, regardless of death, ent their way back to their beloved horses and retook them.

It was well on in the forenoon before Wilson could extricate his command and close up on Ream's Sta- tion. Everything was placed on the line of battle. Even the ambulance- and ammunition-wagons were but poorly protected in a hollow near the fighting troops. The ambulances were already full of wounded, and large numbers had been left behind, with sur- geons and medicines. After a fruitless encounter, in which the enemy was found to be too strongly posted to admit of a hope of breaking through, Wilson, des- pairing, ordered his wagons destroyed and the troops

divested of everything that would impede a hasty movement. The enemy discovered his purpose at once, and as the first flame arose from his burning wagons they dashed into his ranks from all sides, both cavalry and infantry. The retreat, which had already begun, at once became a wild rout. In the confusion Kautz charged across the railroad and escaped with a part of his command to the Army of the Potomac, but the masses rushed southward towards the ground of the previous night's battle. Providentially, the main timbers of the Nottoway bridge had not been destroyed, and a few planks made a passage suffi- cient for a single file of horsemen to cross. Thou- sands, however, swam the river, including the swarms of negro slaves that had persisted in joining the col- umn from every plantation by which the expedition had passed. These poor refugees received the princi- pal attention of the rebel cavalry, which cut them down mercilessly with their sabres when nobler and manlier fighting against armed men was within a few yards of them 1

All of Wilson's artillery-twelve pieces-had to be abandoned, and the last piece was left in the road near the river. This the rebels at once turned upon the bridge, and speedily cleared it of its refugees. Across the river the pursuit slackened somewhat, but the retreat was kept up all night and all the next day, until, far down the Blackwater, the refugees found safety, and then moved more orderly towards the James, eventually reaching the Army of the Potomac with the loss of twelve hundred men and all their artillery, ambulances, and wagon-train.

Resting and recuperating for some weeks, the Third Division, following the First, was loaded on transports at City Point and transferred to Washington, where it was thoroughly refitted, and then marched to Win- chester, arriving at that city just as Gen. Sheridan was retreating from it back towards Harper's Ferry. Gen. Wilson at once advanced to the relief of Sheri- dan's rear-gnard, the First New Jersey Brigade, and became engaged in a considerable fight, of which the Third New Jersey Cavalry bore the brunt, and lost heavily.

Another fight occurred at Summit Point the 21st of August, and still another the day following, at Charlestown, all in protecting the retreating army while falling back to Harper's Ferry ; and in all of these the Harris Light Cavalry behaved nobly, though many of the veterans claimed that their three years' enlistment had expired.

On the 29th of August those who had enlisted at the organization of the regiment and had not subse- quently re-enlisted were mustered out of service and sent home. The re-enlisted veterans and those who had not yet served three years were formed into a battalion of four companies, or two squadrons, Maj. Walter Clarke Hull commanding, and the two senior line-officers, Glover and Mattison, acting as captains of squadrons.

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SUSSEX AND WARREN IN THE WAR OF THE REBELLION.

There was much fighting for this battalion, for it embraced the finest body of men (according to the opinion of Gen. Wilson) in the Third Division,-so compact, so thoroughly experienced and drilled, that it was constantly called upon for the most delicate and hazardous duty. While escorting Gen. Sheridan from the celebrated council with Grant at Charlestown, after the army had advanced to Berryville, it had the good fortune to chase after Mosby and recapture an am- bulance-train just previoudy captured on the Berry- ville road. This neat affair was managed by Lieut. William B. Shafer, of Sussex County. On another occasion Mattison's squadron made a night-scout clear up to the Opequan, causing the long roll to be sounded in the enemy's camps on the other side.

On the 19th of September, at 1 A.M., the battalion of the Harris Light Cavalry broke camp at Berry- ville and marched out on the Winchester road, threading its way through masses of infantry and batteries of artillery all faced towards the enemy. Gen. McIntosh ordered Glover's squadron to advance as a flanking column on the left of the road, and sent a guide with Mattison's squadron to move across the fields about a half-mile and then head directly for the Opequan, keeping up with the head of column in the road, and, crossing simultaneously with it by a ford known to the guide, to rush up the hill beyond and form skirmish-line connecting with the brigade. These instructions were carried out. At the first crack of musketry in the wood near the Opequan, Mattison's squadron rushed into the creek and forded to the other side in the face of a picket-fire, which receded as the squadron advanced clear to the crest of the hill, and then engaged in a conflict with the enemy which, but for its serious and fatal results, would have seemed grotesque to a disinterested spec- tator. First, the Federal squadron charged beyond the hill across stony, uneven ground nearly to a rebel camp, the troops of which, but hastily prepared for action, turned and rushed them back to the crest, whence, again rallying, the Yankee squadron drove the rebels back to their camp, only to meet a cavalry force which in turn chased them back. This irregu- lar light continued well on in the morning, the fight- ing along the whole line, but especially to the left of Mattison's squadron, growing more determined. Be- hind Mattison's squadron, which completely concealed it from the enemy, Chapman's Second Brigade had silently formed, but taking then no part in the fight. Next steadily and silently advanced the Sixth Army Corps, coming up the bill behind the centre and left of MeIntosh's brigade, which by this time was hold- ing the wrest against a fearful fire of musketry. Spreading out like a fan, Russell's division of the Sixth Corps was soon in line directly behind Meln- tosh's dismounted cavalry, which at a given signal fell back, uncovering the line of battle of the Sixth Corps, which immediately became engaged in a ter- rific conflict. The battle of the Opequan was joined.

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History of Sussex and Warren counties, New Jersey, with Illustration and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers, Part 24

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