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 42
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"We remained at Cold Harbor, with severe skirmishing, until June 7th, when we moved and crossed the James River."
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3d. At sunrise on that morning the enemy's works were again assaulted, and with no other substantial result than the loss of some thousands of men who had in vain dashed themselves heroically against an impregnable position. In this assault, the Fourteenth again lost several men. General Grant, now satisfied that the rebel works could not be carried, wisely decided to pass the Chickahom- iny far to Lee's right, and thence move across the James to demon- strate against Richmond from the south; and accordingly, on the night of the 12th, the Fifth and Second Corps were put in motion, the Sixth guarding the rear and trains. Reaching Charles City Court House on the 13th, the corps crossed the James, the Third Division, forming the rear of the entire army, remaining on the banks of the river until all the troops had passed. It was then placed on transports and carried to Bermuda Hundred, whence, having disembarked, it marched to the front, uniting with Butler's army, then investing Petersburg. On the 21st, the corps was moved into position on the left with a view of finding and turning the enemy's right-cutting or holding the Weldon Railroad; the Third Division again having the advance. Crossing the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad, of which General Smith had already taken possession, the corps pushed steadily forward, reaching the Weldon road on the 23d, and tearing up the track for some distance. Here, however, a large force of the enemy suddenly appeared on the scene and struck the corps a heavy blow on the flank, inflicting considerable loss, the Fourteenth, which became actively engaged, losing some,forty men in killed and prisoners. Thus repulsed, the corps fell back to a new position, where earthworks were crected, and the troops, the rebels not pursuing, remained unmolested during the night. Meanwhile, General Wilson, who with two divisions of cavalry had moved against the enemy's communications, had struck the Weldon Railroad at Ream's Station, where he destroyed a long stretch of track, and passing thence westwardly, had reached and destroyed the track of the Lynchburg road for a distance of twenty- two miles,-reaching Dunkersville on the 23d, he had also torn up the Danville road for a considerable distance, but being confronted by a stronger force of the enemy than he could dislodge, he started
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THE FOURTEENTH REGIMENT.
on his return. By this time, the enemy was all around him, and on his striking the Weldon road at Stony Creek, assailed him with great fury, compelling him to move on the left with a view of reach- ing Ream's Station, which he supposed to be in our possession. The infantry movement, however, for that point, as we have seen, had failed, and instead of finding friends, Wilson again encountered the enemy in heavy force-being, indeed, almost entirely surrounded. Information of his perilous position reaching General Meade, the Sixth Corps was at once (June 29th,) moved out to his support, reaching a point near the station late in the afternoon. The enemy, however, now retired, and after remaining at the station for three days, during which the Fourteenth New Jersey and One Hundred and Sixth New York were engaged in destroying the railroad, the column returned to its old position.6
: While these movements were in progress around Richmond, Gen- eral Hunter with a large Union force had moved up the Shenan- doah Valley, meeting and dispersing the enemy at various points, and finally (on the 15th of June) reached Lynchburg. This being a point of great importance to the enemy, Lee promptly dispatched a considerable force to its relief, part of which arrived the day before Hunter attacked the city from the south, (June 18tb,) and the remainder during the following night. Thus menaced, and his ammunition running low, Hunter deemed it best to retire, which he did by way of the Kanawha Valley, thus laying the Shenandoah region fairly open to incursions by the enemy. Lee was not slow to improve the opportunity. Early, with all the forces he could muster, was at once sent northward, and moving rapidly, soon appeared on the Potomac, our forces at Martinsburg retreating precipitately to Harper's Ferry. Crossing the river, Early " raided" in various directions, causing great consternation in Maryland and Pennsylvania, and finally concentrated in the vicinity of Frederick. General Grant satisfied, at length, that the forces then in Maryland
" The actual losses of the Fourteenth up to this time, as reported June 27th, had been twenty-nine killed, one hundred and seven wounded and fifteen missing. Many of those who had been slightly wounded in the earlier battles of the campaign had returned to duty, and are not included in this report. The total casualties, during the whole campaign were not less, perhaps, than three hundred.
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NEW JERSEY AND THE REBELLION.
were not sufficient to cope with Early, resolved to send relief, and accordingly, on the 6th of July, the Third Division of the Sixth Corps was detached from the army in front of Petersburg and hurried to Locust Point near Baltimore, where it arrived on the morning of the 8th, General Ricketts being in command. From this point the division, numbering some five thousand men, proceeded by rail to Monocacy-the Fourteenth New Jersey being the first regiment to reach that familiar ground. By this time the rebels were in force at Frederick City, but were closely watched by General Wallace in command of our forces, who, on the night of the Sth, took position on the left bank of the Monocacy, which afforded a fair defensive position. Early on the 9th, the dispositions for battle were com- pleted, the division of General Ricketts having the left and holding the high road to Washington. At nine o'clock the rebel skirmish- ers appeared in front and soon drove our skirmish line across the river, thereupon planting guns and opening the battle. The dis- parity of artillery was great, the enemy having sixteen Napoleons. while we had only six smaller pieces; and the superiority of his fire was soon apparent. Gradually the skirmishing grew warmer and more general, and soon the fighting became serious. At length a body of the rebel army, moving out of range of our guns, and flanking our left, forced a passage of the Monocacy two miles below the bridge on the Washington road-at once advancing in battle- array upon Ricketts, who had changed front to the left to meet their advance on his flank, his right resting on the river, steadily the rebel columns advanced to the assault, but they were met by a steadiness as inflexible as their own. The brave division, fighting with a desperation rarely matched, again and again repelled the rebel assaults, strewing the ground with dead-for six hours main- taining the unequal contest, waiting in vain for reinforcements that did not come. At length, the enemy, gathering all his strength for a final blow, again moved from our left in two massive lines to the charge, and gradually enveloping our lines, nothing was left but to retreat. The Fourteenth, being on the extreme left of the line. had suffered severely, but it had stood manfully to its work, and only retired when General Wallace, seeing that further fighting was
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THE FOURTEENTH REGIMENT.
useless, ordered it to do so. During the engagement Lieutenant- Colonel Hall, Adjutant Buckalew and several officers had been wounded ; Captains Stults, Kanine and Conover were killed, while every remaining officer of the line was either killed or wounded except Captain J. J. Janeway, of Company K. The command of the regiment devolving upon him, he led it bravely, but success was impossible, and at length the line gradually fell back, the men still disputing every inch of ground. But now, the enemy pressing in, poured a terrible fire of grape and canister into the retiring ranks, cutting down the defiant veterans by scores and fifties. Hap- pily, however, the pursuit was not persistant, and at length the weary division, extricated from its peril, found pause and safety six miles distant at New Market. The whole number of casualties in the Fourteenth as returned to the Adjutant General, was ten killed, sixty-nine wounded and five missing." (Another and earlier report
" This report was not made up until several days after the battle, when many of the missing had come in. It was at first supposed that the loss was much greater. Ser- geant Terrill says in his history of the regiment: "Captain Harris, of Company C, was twice wounded, and was again struck while being helped in an ambulance; several staff officers were also wounded, among them Captain King, Adjutant-General of the division. Captain Janeway was wounded in the shoulder shortly after taking com- mand, and was forced to leave; the regiment was now without a commander. Several recruits had arrived after the battle of Cold Harbor, and the regiment was partly filled, entering the fight with three hundred and fifty men; but ninety-five came out, two hundred and fifty-five being killed, wounded and captured in that terrible battle. Of the nine hundred and fifty men that left New Jersey, but ninety-five were left for duty, on the night of July 9th, without an officer to command them."
. The following from an officer narrates some incidents in the experience of the regi- ment subsequent to its arrival in the vicinity of Monocacy : " Reaching Frederick, July Sth, we formed line west of the city, facing the Katodan mountains. Captain John C. Patterson was placed in command of the picket line, about two miles long. At eight o'clock in the evening, the troops were ordered by General Wallace to re-cross the Monocacy River by moving down the Baltimore pike and thence south, to take up a position on our old camp ground (Camp Hooker). The pickets were left until a quar- ter-past ten o'clock, when we were ordered to rejoin the main column at Monochey Bridge. We had to move very quietly, owing to the closeness of the rebel pickets. The commandant cantioned the piekets (who were stationed about fifteen steps apart) to be very still and to each move back some distance before assembling on the pike. One poor fellow, overpowered by sleep, remained on the line, his post being in corn about knee high. Ile remained asleep until daylight next morning; as soon as it was light enough to discern objects at any distance he began to look around, raising to his fect. His rising was the signal for a hundred rebels to fire upon him. Strange to say he was unhurt, and dashed away in the direction of Frederick. But three rebel cavalry- men at once started to cut him off. As he was running across the field, he was joined by a citizen armed with a rifle. The latter told him (Minton) to continue on and he would attend to the three cavalrymen. Then stepping behind a tree, he leveled his
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NEW JERSEY AND THE REBELLION.
puts the figures at fourteen killed, one hundred and five wounded and thirty-nine missing.)
This engagement, while disastrous to our arms, was nevertheless beneficial, delaying as it did the enemy's movement against Wash- ington, and enabling the other divisions of the Sixth Corps, with other troops, to reach the Capitol before Early appeared before it on the 12th. But for this battle, indeed, Washington, had Early pushed rapidly forward, might have fallen, and incalculable disaster been inflicted upon our cause. Let that thought blend with the recol- lections of that bloody day in the memory of all who there faced the shock of overwhelming numbers, and fought with steady faith and unfailing endurance in the very shadow of disaster.
The division remained at Ellicott's Mills, whither it retired after the battle, until the 11th, stragglers coming in every hour, then it proceeded to Baltimore, where it remained until the 13th, when it was carried by rail to Washington, to join in the pursuit of Early, who was now retreating. On the 15th, it moved out by way of Tenallytown, and proceeding to Edward's Ferry, crossed the
rifle and fired ; one of the rebels reeled from his saddle, the other two dismounted and the pursuit ended. Minton continued on and rejoined the regiment just as the battle commenced, and took part in the fight. The battle lasted nearly all day. Before our regiment was ordered out, we lost all our officers killed or wounded but three-Captain Patterson being one of the three, he being hit in the groin with a spent ball, but not disabled."
We have been supplied also with the following incident of this battle by an officer of the Fourteenth :
" When the enemy at Monocaey first struck us, three lines deep against our single line, his fire was terrific. Our Color-Sergeant (William B. Cottrell) while bravely waving his colors in front of his regiment, received a ball which before striking him passed through and severed the flag-staff just below his left hand. He fell forward and died upon the flag, his life-blood staining its folds. Our colors were immediately raised by one of the color-guards; he, also, was almost instantly shot down. Then another raised it up : he was badly wounded and turned it over to the next Corporal, who was mortally wounded. These four were killed and disabled in almost the time it has taken me to write it, showing the terrible fire we were exposed to at the battle of Monocacy.
"Our Lieutenant-Colonel was at the first badly wounded, his arm being broken. Captain Conover, Company D, the next ranking officer, was mortally wounded. The command then devolved upon Captain Harris, who was shot through the lungs and carried from the field. The next in rank, Captain Stults, Company H, was shot a few moments after and died almost instantly.' The next in rank, Captain Janeway, Con- pany K, was wounded and left the field, the command devolving on Captain John C. Patterson. In the meantime, Lieutenant Craig, Company D, was badly wounded and Captain Conine, Company A, was killed, leaving our regiment with only three officers. the Adjutant, Lemuel F. Buckalew, First Lieutenant Samuel C. Bailey, Company F. and Captain Patterson."
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Potomac-the army now numbering over thirty thousand men, all commanded by General Wright. Pushing through Leesburg and Snicker's Gap, the force, on the 18th, reached the Shenandoah, tinding the enemy on the opposite side. Wright at once determined to force the river, and for that purpose a heavy skirmish line was advanced and succeeded in crossing, but being assailed by the enemy in strong force, was soon driven back in confusion, many being drowned. During the following day nothing was done on either side. On the morning of the 20th, it was discovered that the enemy had left our immediate front, and a portion of our troops forded the river, but almost immediately re-crossed, when the column was again put in motion for Washington, which was reached on the 23d. Four days after, Early again threatening an invasion, General Wright once more moved to the rescue, proceed- ing by rapid marches to Harper's Ferry, where he crossed the river and halted on Bolivar Heights on the 29th. Early, meanwhile, had sent a "raiding " party into Pennsylvania, which, on the 30th, burned Chambersburg, and then retreated towards Cumberland, where they were met and worsted by General Kelley, and with diminished numbers escaped across the Potomac. These and other operations of the enemy having occasioned wide-spread alarm, Wright's troops were again ordered to march, and, re-crossing the river, hurried to Frederick City, and thence to Monocacy, where General Grant, with a view of learning what was going on, on the 4th of August joined Generals Hunter and Wright. In obedience to his orders,& the troops were two days after returned to Harper's Ferry, where General Sheridan, arriving, took command, the force
. "Concentrate all your available force without delay, in the vicinity of Harper's Ferry, leaving only such railroad guards and garrisons for public property as may be necessary. Use in this concentrating the railroads; if so doing, time can be saved from Harper's Ferry; if it is found that the enemy has moved north of the Potomac in Isrze force, push north, follow them and attack them wherever found; follow them if riven south of the Potomac as long as it is safe to do so. If it is ascertained that the enemy has but a small force north of the Potomac, then push south with the main force, detaching under a competent commander, a sufficient force to look after the ralders and drive them to their homes. In detaching such a force, the brigade of car- a'ry now en route from Washington, via Rockville, may be taken into account.
*. There are now on the way to join you three other brigades of cavalry, numbering ": least five thousand men and horse. These will be instructed in absence of further orders to join you by the south side of the Potomac ; one brigade will start to-morrow.
47
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NEW JERSEY AND THE REBELLION.
now numbering nearly thirty thousand men, including two divisions of cavalry.
On the 10th of August the column moved out against the enemy, coming up with his rear-guard at Cedar Creek on the afternoon of the 12th, the main body of the rebels being strongly entrenched on Fisher's Hill. Sheridan decided not to risk an attack, but to fall back, with a view of drawing Early from his position. Accordingly the army countermarched, being sharply pursued, and took posi. tion at Charlestown, the enemy occupying the west bank of Opequan Creek, covering Winchester. About this time, the Four- teenth Regiment was again recruited, swelling the number to about three hundred men. From this time forward until early in Septem- ber, both armies were vigilant and active, sending out reconnoiter- ing expeditions and engaging in other movements looking to the improvement of their respective positions, but no general engage- ment was brought on. At length Sheridan deemed the fitting opportunity for a formidable movement had arrived, and accord- ingly, having on the 16th discovered the enemy's exact position by a reconnoissance in force, at two o'clock on the morning of the 19th he set his army in motion, determined to carry the enemy's position That position was naturally strong and had been thoroughly forti- fied. To assail it our army had to advance through a narrow ravine, shut in by steep, thickly-wooded hills ; to form in an irre- gular, undulating valley in the enemy's front, and then, advancing through a wood, attack desperately his center, while flanking and crushing in his left. The undertaking was a difficult one, but the men moved to its performance with alacrity and resolution. Emerging from the ravine at ten o'clock, the Sixth Corps took ground on our left, Rickett's Division pushing forward through thick wood and over steep hills, where musketry only could be used, right against the rebel front. Clearing the woods; the ad-
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In pushing up the Shenandoah Valley, where it is expected you will have to go first of last, it is desirable that nothing should be left to invite the enemy to return. Take an provisions, forage and stock wanted for your command, and such as cannot be con- sumed destroy. It is not desirable that the buildings should be destroyed ; they should rather be protected, but the people should be informed that as long as an arts can subsist among them, recurrences of these raids must be expected, and we are dete: mined to stop them at all hazards."-Extract from Grant's orders to General Wright.
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THE FOURTEENTH REGIMENT.
vance found a broad, open valley before them, with the rebel army sheltered by woods and rocks beyond, whence a terrific fire was at once poured into our ranks. But with impetuous gallantry the column moved forward, carrying the first line of the enemy, being, however, assailed in turn by fresh troops and pushed back in disorder and with heavy loss. Additional guns, however, com- ing up, and our line being strengthened, the enemy was sent staggering back to his cover, where he again showed obstinate resistance, and for three hours the fighting raged with desperate fury. Meanwhile, on the far right, our cavalry had struck the enemy's left in flank and driven it with heavy loss, and this being almost instantly discovered by our men in our central front, they swept forward with a shout, plunging into the woods and putting the enemy everywhere to flight-the cavalry soon coming in on our right, and rapidly pursuing the fugitives for miles, capturing hun- dreds of prisoners as, in utter rout and disintegration, they fled from the disastrous field. The victory was complete; three thousand prisoners and five guns were among its fruits; but it had not been achieved without serious loss. The Third Division of the Sixth Corps lost very heavily, the Fourteenth Regiment alone losing seven killed, sixty-two wounded and one missing. Its greatest loss, however, was Major Vredenburg, who, while at the head of the regiment ordering a charge upon a rebel battery, was struck by a shell in the breast and instantly killed. A brave and faithful officer, he was widely estcemed, and his death saddened the whole command, darkening with a mournful shadow all the shining record of that glorious day. But they nobly avenged his death. Charging the battery which had thrown the fatal shell, they captured it with resistless impetuosity, and thus, even when he was dead, the last order of the brave officer was executed. Among the killed was Lieutenant Green, commanding Company I, while Captain Bodwell, of Company E, was wounded.
On the following morning, Early having again taken position at Fisher's Hill, Sheridan rapidly advanced his forces, and crossing Cedar Creek, formed in position for attack. On the 22d, an ad- vance was ordered, and the bulk of the Sixth Corps again moved
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NEW JERSEY AND THE REBELLION.
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straight against the rebel front, while the Nineteenth moved on the left of their stronghold, and the Eighth, with the Third Division of the Sixth, passed by a long circuit around on the right, striking heavily on flank and rear. The battle lasted some three hours, when the enemy was driven pell-mell from his fortified position and retreated in confusion, followed by our victorious columns. During the day, the Third Division captured six pieces of artillery, two being taken by the Fourteenth Regiment. In all sixteen pieces of artillery were taken, together with fifteen stand of colors and one thousand one hundred prisoners. The casualties in the Four- teenth in this engagement, numbered but ten killed and thirty wounded. The pursuit was kept up for several days, until Early disappeared in the mountains, when the Sixth Corps went into camp at Harrisonburg, where it remained until the 6th of October, when the return march was commenced, the troops finally halting at Strasburg. Early having now received reinforcements, and stung by his repeated defeats, resolved upon a fresh adventure in the Val- ley, and accordingly, pushing forward his cavalry, they encountered our force near Strasburg, the fight at first going in their favor, but resulting finally in a handsome victory for our arms. Early, how- ever, held to his position near Fisher's Hill, carefully re-organizing his forces, and preparing for the movement by which he hoped to drive us clear out of the Valley. Meanwhile, our forces held the line of Cedar Creek, the Eighth Corps on the extreme left, the Nineteenth Corps next, and the Sixth on the right, and although the enemy was known to be in force only six miles distant, every- thing was felt to be secure, even Sheridan supposing that his adver- sary had no stomach for further fighting, and leaving the Valley for a hurried visit to Washington. But Early was more wily than he seemed. On the night of October 18th, moving out his entire army, he crossed the mountain separating the branches of the Shenandoah, forded the north fork, and early on the following morning, under cover of the fog and darkness, surprised our camps, turning both flanks and crushing back our astonished troops with terrible loss, including one thousand two hundred prisoners, twen- ty-four guns and all our equipage. So silently did the enemy ad-
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