USA > New Jersey > New Jersey and the rebellion : a history of the service of the troops and people of New Jersey in aid of the Union cause, Pt. 1 > Part 33
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Towards daybreak, under orders from General Carr, the Eleventh formed in line of battle, with its left resting on the plank road,. and the line at right angles with it, the Eleventh Massachusetts taking position on the right.4 Immediately in front of the Eleventh New Jersey, on the first line of battle, with its left resting on the road, was the First Massachusetts Regiment; while on the left, on the road, was Osborn's Battery, forming a rear line. The Second New Jersey Brigade, commanded by General Mott, was stationed on the left of the road. In the rear of this brigade were a number "of batteries, occupying an elevation which enabled them to fire over the infantry. All these batteries soon became actively engaged, and did fearful execution in the ranks of the enemy. As dawn approached, it became evident that another desperate contest was at hand, and very soon, the enemy, once more in massed columns, advanced to the charge, and for two terrible hours, the contending hosts fought with unexampled desperation for the coveted position. At last, the left wing of the First Massachusetts, Soon after, the enemy was on the advanced line, gave way.
discovered on the flank of the Eleventh, which wheeled into line for a charge. Subsequently, however, an assault caused its right wing to fall back, but the men were rallied, and the regiment stoutly held its position, forming a connecting link between the third line and the battery on the road, as well as with Mott's Brigade. Up to this time, therefore, the progress of the rebels
The regiment was now on the second line of battle.
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NEW JERSEY AND THE REBELLION.
had been checked, being repulsed in every charge. But, vastly outnumbered and surrounded on three sides by the enemy, our right gave way, and the position of the Eleventh became one of imminent danger. The line in its rear had retired, the horses in the protecting battery had been shot down, compelling the can- noneers to haul off their pieces by hand; the Second New Jersey Brigade was falling back, General Berry and other brave and valuable officers had been killed, and there was no alternative but to retire. But even then the men were reluctant to go. Retir- ing slowly across the road, delivering a steady fire as they went, they presently united with other Jersey troops, and then, in a grand . burst of enthusiasm, charged upon the pursuing rebels, driving them from the cannon-pits just wrested from us. These, however, could not be held, and the regiment slowly retired to another line of defense near the Headquarter's House, where it acted, for a time, as a support to the artillery. At this point, three men in one company were killed by a shot from the enemy. General Sickles here, as during the previous night, was at all times in the thickest of the fight. Colonel McAllister, upon reaching head- quarters, said to him: "Here I am with the remainder of my regiment; where my brigade is, I cannot tell." The General replied : "Fall into this line without reference to organizations- you are all my men ; we must hold this line if every man of us should fall." During all this time the battle raged without inter- mission. Many of our troops, exhausted by hours of fighting, fell prostrate to the ground; others, weary and faint, moved here and there along the line, encouraging as best they could the dispirited men, while others still less courageous, huddled in convenient nooks, or crept from the field, in search of some place of safety.3.
5 A letter of an officer referring to this part of the engagement, says :
"About this time an officer rode up to the Colonel and said : "Detail ten men, and send them to me to carry ammunition." The Colonel was making the detail, when the officer returned and said: "Don't take your meu, they are in line and doing their duty ; take those men who are doing nothing," pointing to a number of men at the end of au old ontbuilding close by. The Colonel walked up to them and gave them the order to go for ammunition. Three of them obeyed; the others hesitated. The Colonel said, "You must obey the order." They still held back. At that moment, a ball passed clear through the building, right into the squad, killing several, and wounding others. Those who escaped did not need to be told another time."
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THE ELEVENTH REGIMENT.
It soon became apparent that the line could not be held, but fresh froops coming up and forming in the rear, the progress of the enemy was stayed for a time. The Eleventh reaching its brigade, took position behind a fortified line, where it remained, having several lines in its front, until the following day, the enemy having abandoned his attempt in that part of the field, or rather failed to pursue. The Eleventh had lost heavily-twenty killed and one hundred and thirteen wounded-but its heroic deeds had made it a name which would be imperishable, and that thought lent a halo even to the hour of disaster. The corps had sustained the whole weight of Stonewall Jackson's force, had repelled five fierce charges, mainly with the bayonet, had captured eight flags, (all taken by the New Jersey troops,) had taken many prisoners without losing any ; and it was not without reason that the officers and men of the Eleventh, having shared in these achievements, felt that to them, in fact, belonged the honor of having saved the army in one of the most desperate and terrible battles of the war.6
The gallant deeds of that day-the acts of heroism performed by officers and privates alike-will never be fully told, but they were such as to illuminate for all time the story of Chancellorsville and its loss. There, as elsewhere, the loyal old Commonwealth of Massachusetts had sons worthy of their lineage. Captain Gammon, of the Eleventh Regiment of that State, after his regiment had been broken to pieces by the heavy assaults of the enemy, went to Colonel McAllister and said: "I am here with eight men and would like to fight with you." Their services were accepted, and taking position in the ranks of the Eleventh, these nine men fought like lions to the close of the combat, winning the lieartiest applause of all their heroic comrades.
6 Colonel McAllister, Adjutant Schoonover and Lieutenant Colonel Moore were among the last to leave the field, and at one time, fighting alone, were almost surrounded by the enemy. As to the general bearing and audacity of the regiment, in the very face of disaster, a letter written at the time says: " When the regiments of our bri- gade were forming, away back in the rear, some officer asked for the Eleventh New Jersey; another officer replied, "Oh, they are fighting on their own hook, and still hard at it with the rebels." The same letter refers to the fact that by holding its posi- tion, and fighting desperately against odds, the Eleventh saved the Second New Jersey Brigade from being flanked, and enabled the Fifth Regiment of that Brigade to take the colors, whose capture gave them so much distinction.
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NEW JERSEY AND THE REBELLION.
The enemy being now repulsed, our troops commenced the erec- tion of breastworks, but they were not destined to be of much ser- vice. General Sedgwick, who, with the Sixth Corps, had been expected to cross at Fredericksburg and advance against Lee's rear at Chancellorsville, had, indeed, crossed and advanced some miles on his way, but his progress was then suddenly arrested by an overwhelming force of the enemy, and he was pushed over the river with heavy loss, thus again leaving the main army exposed to the enemy's assaults. But Lee, by this time, was in no condition to fight another battle. He had sustained a loss of fifteen thousand men, had lost heavily in material, and his troops were even more exhausted, owing to their heavy marches, than our own. Beyond, therefore, spurts of picket-firing, there was no further fighting between the hostile armies. Hooker, unaccountably as it appeared to many, determined to withdraw and re-cross the Rappahannock, and this was done on the night of the 5th. During Monday, the Eleventh, while on picket-duty, had twenty-three men wounded, having been exposed to a heavy fire of grape and canister from a battery of the enemy. Subsequently, late at night, an attack was made on their picket-line, but was easily repulsed. On Tuesday night, the retrograde movement having commenced, the regiment was withdrawn from its position, and marching to the river, crossed and proceeded directly to its old camp, where it found rest from the labors of the fruitless campaign."
" The following is Colonel McAllister's report of this battle, as rendered to the Adju- tant-General of the State :
"I have the honor to report to you the movements of my command, as connected with the First Brigade, Second Division, Third Corps, during the recent battle of Chan- cellorsville, Virginia. The regiment numbering five hundred men, left camp with the corps, on the afternoon of April 28th, and marched towards the river, at a point two miles south of Fredericksburg, and halted within a mile of the place where General Burnside crossed the left wing of his command. At ten o'clock, p. m., April 30th, he moved by a circuitous route up the river, and bivouacked at eleven p. m., within fonr miles of United States Ford, where we crossed the river at noon the next day ; marched two miles, and halted until late in the afternoon, when we moved to a point near Gen- cral Hooker's Headquarters at the junction of the river and plank roads, where we bivouacked for the night. During the forenoon of Saturday May 2d, the enemy shelled the woods in which we were stationed. Our loss was one man badly wounded. In the afternoon heavy firing was heard on our right, which gradually drew nearer, when our corps was ordered up the road double-quick to cheek the advance of the enemy, who was then driving General Howard's Corps before him. We soon met our troops, who
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THE ELEVENTH REGIMENT.
The Eleventh remained at Fitzhugh Farm until the 11th of June, when orders were received by the entire army to prepare for an
were falling back in great confusion. After passing about a quarter of a mile beyond General Hooker's Headquarters, our brigade filed into the woods on the right and formed line of battle. . The enemy made two attacks during the night, but did not forec our lines. With some changes at dawn of day, we awaited the attack of the enemy as follows : On the right of the road, Eighteenth Massachusetts of our brigade, and the Excelsior brigade of the division composed the first line, with my regiment on the left with its left resting on the road. In our rear General Hays' Brigade of Couch's Corps, formed a line in which was the Twelfth New Jersey. On the left of the road, the Second New Jersey Brigade composed a line of battle in our advance. General Birney's Division was posted in rear, and also on left of this line. The attack was made at half past four, a. m., and increased in severity until eight and a half, a. m., when the line in our front gave way ; also, the regiments of our brigade on my right. I then changed the front of the regiment slightly, and returned the fire of the enemy briskly. The battle was now raging with great fierceness ; many of the officers were wounded; two had been killed; large numbers of our wounded inen had gone to the rear, and both flag-staffs had been completely severed by the bullets of the enemy. The enemy now pressed my right so heavily, that I was compelled to change front, and form a line with the Second New Jersey Brigade on my left, and General Hays' Brigade on my right. We sustained this position for some time, losing heavily, when the line on our left gave way, and we fell slowly back, under a withering fire of grape and canister. I formed the regiment on the hill in rear of the battalions, and soon afterwards, with the corps in that vicinity, charged across the fields towards our earthworks which the enemy lad just entered. They were driven out, and a large number of prisoners taken, mostly of the Second New Jersey Brigade; our forces could hold it but a short time, when we fell back with the remainder of the troops, and joined our brigade which had fallen back some time before. With the brigade we came within the entrenehments. Our loss in the engagement was twenty killed, one hundred and fifteen wounded and eleven mis- sing. Two officers, Lieutenants Bloomfield and Kelly, Company B, were killed, and ten wounded. Both men and officers of my Regiment acted nobly, stood well, and fought well ; to praise some, might do injustice to others ; but I cannot pass without personally mentioning Lieutenant-Colonel Moore, who was of great assistance, and ac- quitted himself with honor; also, the heroic conduct of Captain Kearney and Adjutant Schoonover, who were of incalculable advantage in leading and bringing the men for- ward. The color-bearer, Sergeant Albert DuPuget, displayed unusual coolness and bravery. They all deserve promotion for meritorious conduet.
"On Monday afternoon, my regiment was placed in an exposed position, as a support to Berdan's Sharpshooters, where the enemy opened upon us with grape and canister, wounding twenty men, many of them severely. We were under a continued fire from the enemy's sharpshooters, wounding three of our men Tuesday afternoon, making our total loss twenty killed, one hundred and forty-eight wounded and eleven missing. Tues- day night, at two o'clock, we took up a line of march for the river, which we crossed early in the morning. We did not reach our "old quarters" until six o'clock, p. m., the roads being very muddy, and marching hard. Our colors were unfit for service; both staffs are completely severed, and badly shattered."
Lieutenant Lott Bloomfield, a young officer of great promise, was killed in the early part of this battle, while nobly performing his duty in encouraging his men to stand firm ; and again urging them forward amidst the storm of battle, rendering valu- able assistance in the great struggle of that day.
Lieutenant-Colonel Schoonover, in a letter, dated at Buttahatchie, Lowndes County, Mississippi, October 17, 1866, in reply to a note of inquiry, says : "I think the regiment made one of its best fights at Chancellorsville, taking into consideration the mass of
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NEW JERSEY AND THE REBELLION.
immediate movement. General Lee, impelled by considerations which he could not well resist, had determined upon a bold and vigorous offensive policy, and had already commenced to mass his forces on our right in the vicinity of Culpepper Court House. Detachments of our troops, for purposes of observation, had been promptly dispatched by Hooker, and on the 9th, a severe cavalry engagement had taken place at Beverly Ford, on the Rappahannock, resulting in the enemy being pushed back to Brandy Station.8 Our troops, however, not being properly sup- ported, were obliged to re-cross, but it was now clear that the entire rebel army was in that vicinity, and that it was tend- ing westward towards the Shenandoah Valley. Such a move- ment could have but one meaning, and in the conviction that a blow was meditated on the line of the Potomac, Hooker ordered his troops, as we have seen, to prepare for action. Breaking camp on the 11th, the Eleventh (with the Third Corps,) marched by way of Bealton and Warrenton Junction to Manassas Junction, reaching that point at midnight on the 15th. Thence, it moved to Centre- ville, whence-the enemy having, meanwhile, invaded Maryland and Pennsylvania in force, and their cavalry advanced as far as
fugitives it met from the Eleventhi Corps while going into position; its coolness de- serves special mention."
While all the officers of the Regiment behaved with the utmost gallantry, Captains P. J. Kearney and William Lloyd are especially named for cool and uniform bravery, by all who participated in the battle.
General Hooker, while visiting the hospital of the Eleventh, some days after the battle, said to Doctor Welling, the Surgeon : "This is a gallant regiment ; it fought splendidly ; officers and men alike deserve credit." General Carr, who temporarily succeeded to the command of the division, upon the death of General Berry, in a letter to Adjutant-General of the State, under date of May 15, 1863, said : "# * The regi- ment greatly distinguished itself at the battle of Chancellorsville, and is one of which the State of New Jersey has reason to feel proud, without a single exception, the officers and men of this regiment acted in the most gallant and heroic manner, losing one hundred and fifty-seven in killed and wounded.
A letter written by General Carr, on the 1Sth of May, to Adjutant-General Stockton, has the following :
"By giving this matter your carliest attention, you will confer a great favor -upon Colonel McAllister and his command, a regiment which greatly distin- guished itself at the battle of Chancellorsville, and of which the State of New Jersey has reason to feel proud. Without a single exception the officers and men of this regiment acted in the most gallant and heroic manner."
8 A detailed account of this magnificent cavalry fight is given in the narrative of the services of the first New Jersey Cavalry.
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THE ELEVENTH REGIMENT.
Chambersburg-it marched (early on the 25th,) to Edward's Ferry, crossed the Potomac, and advanced to the Monocacy, where a part of the regiment arrived shortly after midnight. This was one of the most rapid and fatiguing marches ever made by the division to which the Eleventh was attached, and many of the men fell out by the way completely exhausted. Early on the 26th, however, . the laggards came up, and the column advanced to Point of Rocks, whence, after some delays, it hurried on to Taneytown, Maryland, arriving there on the 29tb. The march through Maryland had been marked by the most cordial demonstrations of good will from the inhabitants, and the men, thus stimulated and encouraged, moved forward with renewed vigor and elasticity of mind.' Resuming its march, on the morning of July 1st the regiment halted within about two miles of Gettysburg, where fighting had already commenced, Lee having concentrated his forces and deliberately prepared to deliver battle at that point. General Hooker, meanwhile, had been relieved, and General Meade placed
9 A letter written at the time by one who participated in this march, says : "There can be no doubt of the loyalty of the inhabitants of this part of Maryland. They receive us with waving flags, and make every possible demonstration of joy at our approach,- collecting at the forks of the roads, along the roadsides and in the villages, to cheer us on our way. We seem to breathe a new atmosphere, and the men are full of hope and courage."
While in bivouae on the road leading from Taneytown to Gettysburg, an order was received from General Meade, who had just assumed command of the army, which was read to each regiment separately. A letter written by an officer a few hours after the receipt of this order, says :
"The order says that the enemy are on the soil of Pennsylvania ; a great battle must be fought; if we are true to ourselves and our country it may be the turning point of the war, and all may yet be well. Each regimental commander must address his men after the reading of the order-urging them to stand firm, &c. The order was read to Colonel Bodine's Regiment, which was beside us-the Twenty-sixth Pennsylvania Vol- unteers-after which he appealed to his men to make a good fight, not only for our country, but their own homes and firesides, for the soil of Pennsylvania was invaded, - at the close of which three hearty cheers were given for Pennsylvania. The order was then read to the Eleventh Regiment, after which the Colonel said to them: 'Sons of New Jersey, the hour of battle is at hand; the soil of Pennsylvania is the contested field. We must stand shoulder to shoulder with her sons and drive the enemy from her borders, cost what it may. Your past bright record is a guaranty to me that you will not falter. In the dark days of the Revolution, when the gallant Jersey Blues were fighting for liberty upon their own soil, their Pennsylvania brothers rushed to their assistance and helped them triumph. We are now called on to do for Pennsylva- via what she did for us. Now with hearts filled with a love of country and a firm reli- ance on God, let us go forward. Are you ready for the march and the fight ?' ' Yes, yes,' was the answer, with three hearty cheers."
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in command of the Army of the Potomac. Early on the morning of the 2d, having been without food during the previous night, the Third Corps was marched into position on the left of the line, opposite Longstreet's command, the First Brigade forming in column of regiments, the Eleventh in rear. At this time a heavy fog hung over the field, and an ominous silence prevailed, which, however, as the fog lifted, was broken by cannonading at different points along the lines. Meanwhile, Sickles, eager for a fight, advanced his corps 10 to the crest of the hill on which he had been ordered to take position-the right of the Eleventh resting on the edge of an apple-orchard, opposite a small farm-house and garden. This position of the corps was commanded by the rebel batteries posted on Seminary Ridge in its front, scarcely half a mile dis- tant, and its occupation seems to have been regarded as vital by General Lee, who ordered Longstreet to attack Sickles with all his might. Soon the cannonading became general, and under cover of the guns on the ridge, General Barksdale advanced in line of battle to the assault of the menacing Third. Gradually our pickets gave way, and soon came rushing in, followed by the elated rebels, who at once took possession of the house and garden already named. Up to this time, the men of the Eleventh had not fired a single shot, but as the enemy pressed forward upon our lines, Colonel McAllister gave the order, and, at the same moment, fell severely wounded by a Minie ball in his left leg, 'and a piece of shell in the right foot. He was carried to the rear, but the fire of the regiment did not slacken. Still the enemy's infantry pressed forward, and at length the corps was crushed back to the position from which it had advanced, Longstreet having Round Top, apparently, within his grasp. But the struggle was not yet ended. As Sickles was graduatly forced back, other troops were thrown in on the enemy's front, and they in turn, after a desperate combat, were repulsed with heavy loss, and our exhausted troops were left
10 "Sickles (who was very eager to fight, and seems to have suspected that Meade weg not,) had thrown forward his corps from half to three-quarters of a mile; so that, instead of resting his right on Hancock and his left on Round Top, as he had been directed to do, his advance was in fact across the Emmettsburg road and in the woods beyond, in the immediate presence of half the rebel army."-Greeley's American Conflit.
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THE ELEVENTH REGIMENT.
for a time unmolested. No part of the field was more fiercely fought than this, and no regiment behaved with greater steadiness than the Eleventh. In addition to the loss of its Colonel, Captains Kearney, Martin. Logan and Ackerman were killed, and nearly all the remaining officers were either severely or slightly wounded, while the ranks had been terribly thinned by the fire of the enemy, its losses being, commissioned officers, three killed and ten wounded ; enlisted men, twenty-one killed and one hundred and twenty wounded, making a total of one hundred and fifty-four.11
11 The report of Adjutant Schoonover, covering that part of the engagement subse- quent to the fall .of Colonel MeAllister, says :
"CAPTAIN: In continuation of the enclosed report of Colonel McAllister, I have the honor to submit the following : A few minutes previous to the command 'fire,' spoken of in the accompanying report, Major Kearney, then standing near me, on the left of the line, was struck by a Minnie ball and mortally wounded in the knee, and immediately carried to the rear; at this moment, Battery K, United States Artillery, then stationed a short distance to the left and front of the regiment, opened a rapid fire. I then passed rapidly to the right of the regiment, in order to inform the Colonel of the absence of the Major, and learned that he, too, had been wounded and taken to . the rear. I immediately notified Captain Martin, the senior officer present, that he was in command of the regiment, and again passed to the left of the line, when an order was received from Brigadier-General Carr, to slightly change the front by bringing the left to the rear; this being executed, the entire regiment opened an effective fire upon the advancing line of the enemy. At this point, word was conveyed to me that both Captains Martin and Logan were wounded and being carried to the rear. A moment later, and Captain Ackerman fell dead by my side. The two former were killed before they reached a place of safety ; and in justice to the memory of these three officers, permit me to bear witness to their unexceptional good conduet. Ever to the front, distinguished for personal bravery, they leave behind them a spotless record. By this time, Captain Lloyd had also been wounded, and Captain Dunning being absent, assisting the Colonel to the rear, I assumed command of the regiment. The fire of the enemy at this time was perfectly terrific; men were falling on every side; it seemed as if but a few minutes could elapse before the entire line would be shot down, yet the galling fire was returned with equal vigor. Slowly and stubbornly the regiment fell back, keeping up a continual fire upon the line of the enemy which was still advancing, until more than one-half its number had been either killed or wounded. Up to this time, both officers and men nobly did their duty, but the ranks becoming so decimated, and mingled with wounded men, and the line in the rear, and having a short time previous been struck with a piece of shell in the breast, I found it impossible, under the circumstances, to longer keep the line together. At this time we neared the caissons, which were in line across the field to the left, when I was struck a second time, with a buckshot, and being nearly exhausted in my efforts to rally the men, and from the wound in my breast, was com- pelled to go to the rear. A portion of the regiment was rallied some distance to the rear by Captain Lloyd-with the flag-and charged in line with the remainder of the brigade to a point near that occupied during the hottest of the action. Remaining there a short time, it marched some distance to the rear and bivouacked."
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