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. 2 > Part 16
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"E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War."
On the morning of the 18th, the regiment reached Bridgeport, opposite Wheeling, West Virginia. Wheeling at this time was filled with excitement, and Colonel Mindil deemed it wise to remain there for a day or two, but the danger having passed, the regiment, on the morning of the 20th, under orders from General Brooks, again took cars for Pittsburg, where, upon its arrival, it was enter- tained by the loyal women of the city, who had spread tables in the City Hall and Market-House. The hills surrounding Pittsburg were at this time being fortified, and the citizens and militia were
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THE TWENTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT.
performing garrison duty. The valleys of the Monongahela and Youghiogeny being the key to the city, the Twenty-seventh was ordered to proceed to Uniontown, in Fayette County, where the old National road is intersected by the road from Morgantown, Virginia, for the purpose of resisting and holding in check any parties of "raiders" who might venture in this direction from Cumberland, Maryland, where the rebels, under Echols, Imboden and others were known to be. Uniontown was reached in four hours on the cars of the Connelsville Railroad, the loyal inhabitants along the route turning out in great numbers to welcome the troops and shower upon them provisions of all descriptions. At Union- town, the entire population flocked into the streets to honor the regiment, and for the night every spare room in the Court House and Market-House was placed at its disposal. The next morning, June 21st, after a dress-parade, five companies were sent out to a good strategic position about five miles distant, on the Morgantown road-Major H. F. Willis, who was in command of the detach- ment, being instructed to picket well all approaches and to resist the enemy, should he appear. At the same time, the six companies constituting the right wing of the regiment, under Lieutenant- Colonel E. S. Babcock, were ordered to a strong position on the National road, near the village of Monroe, where a strong picket was thrown out into the gap of the "Chestnut Ridge." Colonel Mindil established his headquarters in the town, in order that he might act promptly with either wing, as the emergency might require. Here the regiment remained for three days, but no enemy appearing, and the main column under Lec having moved more to the east, the regiment, on the morning of the 24th, was again con- solidated, and proceeded by rail to Turtle Creek, a station on the Pennsylvania Central Railroad, twelve miles east of Pittsburg, with instructions to guard against a rebel advance from the direc- tion of Bedford and Somerset, and to be available for transfer to any point on the line of the road. The regiment remained at this point until noon of the 26th, when it proceeded to Harrisburg, reaching there at noon of the following day. The danger to the capital of Pennsylvania having passed, and fresh troops having
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arrived, Colonel Mindil considered his duty accomplished, and accordingly cars were at once taken via the Allentown and New Jersey Central Railroads for. home. The morning of the 28th found the regiment bivouacked at Elizabethport, whence they marched to Elizabeth, and early in the afternoon reached Newark. Their arrival in that city was unexpected, but they nevertheless . received a hearty, spontaneous welcome, the populace greeting them with peals of applause as they marched through the thronged streets to Camp Frelinghuysen. On the 2d of July the regiment was mustered out, and the men scattered to their homes, proud in the thought that in the darkest hour of the nation's struggle they had given the government a full month of extra, voluntary service.
Colonel Mindil at once proceeded to Washington, where he again offered his services, and at the request of Mr. Lincoln, personally made, soon after returned to Newark to re-organize his gallant regi- ment, afterwards known as the Thirty-third, whose history will be found elsewhere.
CHAPTER XXII.
THE TWENTY-EIGHTH REGIMENT.
THE Twenty-eighth Regiment, recruited in Middlesex, Mon- mouth, Ocean, Camden and Gloucester Counties, was mustered into service at Frechold, on the 22d of September, 1862, its field officers being as follows: Colonel, Moses N. Wisewell; Lieutenant Colo- nel, E. A. L. Roberts; Major, S. K. Wilson; Adjutant, William A. Gulick; Chaplain, C. J. Page; Surgeon, William D. Newell ; Assistant Surgeon, Benjamin N. Baker. Colonel Wisewell, who took charge of the regiment at its organization, was a man of fine intellectual capacity, and soon acquired a marked hold on the con- fidence of the men, which he retained until November following, when, obtruding upon his command, in a public address, certain offensive avowals in reference to the war and the Gubernatorial con- test then in progress in New Jersey, he became obnoxious to a large portion of the regiment. His courage, however, was undoubted, and at the battle of Fredericksburg he led his regiment with great gallantry, falling severely wounded and being carried from the field, to which he was unable to return until June, 1863. Lieuten- ant-Colonel Roberts came from New York, and commanded the regiment from the 14th of December, 1862, until the 2d of Janu- ary ensuing, when he was discharged for tendering his resignation in the face of the enemy. Lieutenant-Colonel John A. Wildrick, who had been a Captain in the Second Regiment, then assumed command, and by his sound judgment and wise exercise of author- ity, soon made the regiment one of the most effective in the brigade to which it belonged. He led the command with great bravery in the battle of Chancellorsville, where he was taken prisoner, but being exchanged, returned to the field shortly after and was dis- charged with the regiment. Major Wilson commanded the regi-
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ment for a short time in January, 1863, and also in the following May, and was discharged with it upon the expiration of its term of service. Surgeon Newell, during the whole term of service, performed the duties of his position with admirable efficiency and skill, and was ably seconded, in all his efforts to promote the com- fort of the men, by his assistant, Doctor Baker. Adjutant Gulick acquitted himself with great credit in the battle of Fredericksburg, and was, throughout, capable and faithful, exercising a controling influence in the regiment. Resigning his position, he was succeeded in March, 1863, by Adjutant B. A. Robbins, who also proved a capable officer. The Chaplain of the regiment, who, at the time he entered the service, was pastor of a Baptist Church in Piscata- way, Middlesex County, was at all times prompt, earnest and effi- cient, enjoying the fullest confidence of the men, and proving at once a guide and friend to all who needed counsel or assistance.
The regiment, nine hundred and forty strong, left Freehold on the 4th of October, 1862, and reaching Washington on the night of the 5th, encamped on Capitol Hill, being furnished, a few days afterwards, with Springfield muskets. On the 13th, it marched into Virginia, and was attached to General Abercrombie's com- mand. On the 1st of December, it again broke camp, and crossing into Maryland, marched to Liverpool Point on the Lower Potomac, where, on the 5th, it crossed to Aquia Creek, and, in the midst of a driving snow-storm, went into camp until the 8th, when it pro- ceeded to Falmouth. Here it was attached to the First Brigade (General Kimball), Third Division (General French), Second Army Corps. The plans for the demonstration against Fredericksburg having been matured, and the movement of the army commenced, on the 11th the regiment marched into position near the river, where it remained until night-crossing into the town at sunrise on the morning of the 12th, but not becoming engaged until the fol- lowing morning. About ten o'clock on that morning, it was ordered into line and at once advanced upon the enemy occupying the Heights. The advance was made in the face of a murderous fire, but the men of the 28th, unused as they were to the perils of desperate combat, pressed steadily forward until the plain was
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THE TWENTY-EIGHTH REGIMENT.
crossed and the foot of the first ridge was reached. But their ranks, as they reached that position, were terribly thinned, not less than one-fifth of the whole regiment having been wounded or killed. Still, however, the command stood firm, deliberately opening fire upon the enemy from the shelter of a ravine, and holding the position tenaciously until night put an end to the conflict. So rapid and accurate was the fire of the rebels, that withdrawal from the shelter of the friendly ravine would have involved, perhaps, as serious a loss as the advance; but only the very highest courage could have held the Twenty-eighth in the perilous position it occu- pied, exposed to all the fury of the enemy's attack. Darkness coming on, the regiment withdrew to the town, leaving nearly two hundred of the six hundred who advanced in the morning, on the bloody field, but with its standards lustrous with the halo of brave achievements. From first to last the men fought with the same heroism, the same cool determination, as the veteran troops around them. Unfortunately, the men being taken into battle with their knapsacks, and subsequently ordered to leave them on the field, many of them lost everything they possessed, and afterwards experienced much inconvenience and suffering from the want of supplies and comforts thus abandoned.1
During the 14th, when only two hundred and seventy men could be found for duty, the regiment occupied its old position in the town, re-crossing late on the following day. For several days the men were without tents or blankets, and their condition was pitiable in the extreme, a large number being sick. At length,
1 Upon moving to the front, General Kimball, as if fearful that the Twenty-eighth would falter in its duty, appealed to it not to fall behind the veterans of his brigade. He had the satisfaction of seeing before he fell on the field, that Jerseymen knew how to do their duty as bravely as the bravest.
A letter, published in the Newark Advertiser, says of this engagement: "The Twenty-fourth and Twenty-eighth New Jersey Regiments did splendidly. Their loss is greater than any other regiments in the division. Colonel Wisewell conducted his . men to the charge with honor and courage. The following is the loss of the Twenty- eighth : Killed, twelve men; wounded, ten officers and one hundred and forty-seven men; missing, thirty-one men."
The official report of the engagement, furnished at a later date than the above, places the killed at fourteen, the wounded at one hundred and forty-seven, and the missing at twenty-nine.
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however, through the intervention of Mr. Marcus L. Ward, who visited the camp, they were supplied with proper shelter, and, although the season was still inclement, soon forgot their sufferings in reviving health and a restoration of former comforts. The regiment remained in camp, engaged in ordinary routine duties until the 28th of April, when, Hooker's movement against the enemy having commenced, it marched to the United States Ford, where it was detailed for picket service. On the 30th, with the brigade to which it was attached-composed of the Twenty-fourth New Jersey, Fourth and Eighth Ohio, Fourteenth Indiana, and Seventh Virginia-it led the advance in crossing the river at that point, and pushed forward immediately to the Chancellor House. On the 2d of May it formed in line of battle and sent out skir- mishers, but was not engaged until the next day, when it was detached from the brigade and posted in the woods, some three or four hundred yards distant. Here a reconnoissance of the enemy's position was at once made, when it was discovered that the regiment was close upon the rebel line. Soon after, before proper dispositions could be made, the enemy struck the command on both the front and right flank with great force, causing the line to give way and emerge in some confusion from the woods, the enemy pressing closely in pursuit. The men of the Twenty-eighth, although vastly outnumbered, behaved with characteristic gallantry, delivering a vigorous fire as they retired and took position with the brigade. The loss of the regiment in the action was some thirty in killed, wounded and missing. During the 4th and 5th, the brigade, commanded by Colonel Carrol, remained in line of battle, but was not again engaged, the fighting having shifted to another part of the line. On the 6th, the regiment withdrew from its position and returned, with the army, to the camp near Fal- mouth, where it remained until the 14th of June. Lee having started towards the Upper Potomac, Hooker's army now moved out in pursuit, the Twenty-eighth marching by way of Stafford Court House and Dumfries to Fairfax Station. Here, its term of service having expired, it was diverted from the route pursued by the army, and proceeded to Washington. Thence it proceeded by
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THE TWENTY-EIGHTH REGIMENT.
rail to Freehold, where it arrived on the 20th, and on the 6th of July was mustered out of the service.
During the whole time that the 28th was connected with the Army of the Potomac, it held a position on the immediate front, within a short distance of the Rappahannock, and was, conse- quently, at all times exposed to attack by "raiding" parties of the enemy. Extraordinary vigilance and activity were thus constantly required, as every alarm, whether trifling or otherwise, summoned the men into line, there to remain for hours, and sometimes for a day and a night at a time, exposed to all the inclemency of mid- winter, as well as many privations which regiments in the rear never experienced. It is simple truth to say of the regiment that wherever placed, it did its duty courageously and efficiently, and that though serving in the dark hours of the war, it never lost its faith in the Republic."
: The following statistics exhibit the localities in which the several companies of the regiment were raised, with other facts of interest :
Company A was recruited from the counties of Middlesex and Monmouth. Captain, B. F. Lloyd; First Lieutenant, J. R. Appleby; Second Lieutenant, Wesley Stoney. Captain Lloyd was taken sick while the regiment lay near Washington, and died soon after in hospital. Lieutenant Appleby then took command of the company, but did not hold the position, being discharged soon after the battle of Fredericksburg. Licu- tenant Stoney saw service with the three months' men, and was a brave and efficient officer ; was promoted to the Captainey after the death of Captain Lloyd, and the dis- charge of Appleby. J. Dobson and HI. D. B. Lefferts were appointed First and Second Lieutenants after the promotion of Stoney.
Company B was recruited in Middlesex County. Captain, H. S. Disbrow; First Lieutenant, J. H. Guliek; Second Lieutenant, Alexander Laird. Captain Disbrow was . a gallant officer, with rare aptitude for command, and always shared with his men the hardships to which they were exposed. IIe led his company with conspicuous bravery at Fredericksburg, and after the dismissal of Lieutenant-Colonel Roberts was for a time in command of the regiment. Lieutenant Gulick had seen service with the Ells- worth Zouaves, and was among the bravest of the brave. Generous to a fault, and ever ready for duty, he was universally esteemed in the regiment.
Company C was raised in Middlesex County. Captain, Joseph C. Letson; First Lieutenant, William W. Stelle; Second Lieutenant, S. K. Conovor. Captain Letson - was an accomplished officer, and led his men gallantly at Fredericksburg in the position of acting Major, being wounded in the carly part of the day by a rifle-ball through the arm, but still holding his position until the elose of the engagement. When his com- pany broke camp to move on Chancellorsville, he was at home on furlough, but at once hurried forward and joined his command before the battle, being again severely wounded. Lieutenant Stelle, a genuine Christian soldier, fought heroically at Chan- cellorsville, and was at all times found prepared for duty, however arduous or perilous. Lieutenant Conover, also a brave and faithful officer, was severely wounded at Chan- cellorsville, and did not return to the regiment.
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NEW JERSEY AND THE REBELLION.
Company D was recruited in Middlesex County. Captain, William H. Dunham; First Lientenant, Augustus Hatfield; Second Lieutenant, William J. Cook. Licu- tenant Hatfield displayed throughout true soldierly qualities, and was engaged in all the actions in which his company took a part. He for a time filled the post of Quar- termaster with zeal and fidelity. Lieutenant Cook failed to make a record worthy of commendation.
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Company E was raised mainly in Ocean County. Captain, William Hawkins; First Lieutenant, M. C. Stricklin; Second Lieutenant, George B. Hendrickson. Captain Hawkins was dismissed the service in disgrace, in consequence of a letter in which he stigmatized imprudently the officers of the government. Lieutenant Stricklin died during the winter of 1862-3. Lieutenant Hendrickson was made Captain after the dis- missal of Hawkins and the death of the First Lieutenant.
Company F was raised in Middlesex County. Captain, Isaac Inslee, Jr .; First Lieutenant, Benjamin A. Robbins; Second Lieutenant, J. W. Westerfield. Captain Inslee was a man of ardent patriotism, and entered with his whole soul upon the soldier's work. He studied closely the welfare of his men, and was universally respected. Always at his post, proud of his command, and solicitous to promote its efficiency, no officer in the regiment has a better record, either as a disciplinarian or a fighter. Lieutenant Robbins, who was promoted to the Adjutancy, was a capable officer, and discharged promptly every duty imposed upon him. Lieutenant Wester- field being compelled, on account of sickness, to leave the service some two months after the regiment entered the field, private S. Marsh was appointed Second Lieuten- ant from the ranks.
Company G was recruited principally in Gloucester County. Lewis Schoch, Captain ; Jesse C. Chew, First Lieutenant ; Charles F. Lukens, Second Lieutenant. Captain Schoch commanded his company creditably at Fredericksburg, but being soon after prostrated by sickness, did not participate in the subsequent experiences of the regi- ment. Lieutenant Lukens was an exemplary officer; he fought bravely, and was wounded at Fredericksburg; was then made First Lieutenant, and commanded the company at Chancellorsville. T. Appleget, who succeeded him as Second Lieutenant, entered the service as a private in Company B, was then selected Adjutant's Clerk, and afterwards to take the place of Lieutenant Laird, in Company B; subsequent to the battle of Fredericksburg, had charge of the Adjutant's department until February 11, 1863, when he was commissioned as Lieutenant in Company G, and served as Acting Adjutant until the appointment of Lieutenant Robbins to that position, on March 30th. He was with Company G, at Chancellorsville, and acquitted himself with great credit.
Company H was recruited chiefly in Camden County. M. S. Peacock, Captain ; Benjamin C. Rulon, First Lieutenant; John T. Smith, Second Lieutenant. Captain Peacock was physically unfit for service during a great part of the time he was in command. Lieutenant Rulon commanded the company at the battle of Chancellors- ville, and was made Captain prior to his discharge. Lieutenant Smith was with his company during its whole period of service, and participated in all the actions in which it was engaged.
Company I was raised in Middlesex County. Captain, Joseph L. Crowell ; First Lieutenant, James O. Willett ; Second Lieutenant, James Fothergill. Captain Crowell led his company at Fredericksburg, and was slightly wounded. Sergeant John H. Tyrrill, of this company, fought with great bravery at Fredericksburg, losing a foot ; he was afterwards made Lieutenant, but never returned to the field.
Company K was raised in Middlesex County. Captain, George Storrer ; First Lieu- tenant, James Bresnahan ; Second Lieutenant, Thomas Conk. Sergeant J. T. Bolton, of this company, displaying great gallantry at Fredericksburg, was made a Lieutenant, and did much to promote the efficiency of the company.
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CHAPTER XXIII.
THE TWENTY-NINTH REGIMENT.
THE Twenty-ninth regiment, as we have already seen, was raised in Monmouth County,1 and rendezvoused at Camp Vredenburg, located on the old battle-ground near Freehold. The regiment was inustered into the service on the 20th of September, 1862, and left for Washington on the 28th, with thirty-nine officers and eight hundred and sixty-six enlisted men. Reaching Washington on the 30th, it went into camp on East Capitol Hill, where it was per- manently brigaded with the Twenty-first, Twenty-fourth and Thirty-first New Jersey Regiments, under command of Colonel
1 All the companies of this regiment, with a single exception, were recruited and fostered by the care of the various township committees of the county-Company A being from Ocean, B from Raritan, C from Manalapan and Millstone, D from Middle- town, E from Freehold and Marlboro, F, from Shrewsbury, G from Holmdel and Atlantic, I from Matawan, and K from Wall. Company H was raised in Oecan county, which, having originally been a part of Monmouth, was still felt to be identified with the latter.
The original roster of the regiment was as follows :
Colonel, Edwin F. Applegate; Lieutenant-Colonel, William R. Taylor ; Major, Joseph K. Davison ; Adjutant, Edgar Whitaker; Surgeon, Henry G. Cooke; Assistant Surgeons, Ezra M. Hunt, Judson G. Shackleton; Chaplain, Rev. L. C. Rogers ; Quar- termaster, Peter J. Hendrickson; Quartermaster-Sergeant, Jacob R. Sehenck ; Com- missary-Sergeant, Peter J. Annaek; Hospital Stewart, M. M. Cook; Sergeant-Major, Burk E. Stout; Adjutant's Clerk, J. Conover Morfort. Company A-Captain, G. H. Green ; First Lieutenant, C. H. Emmons; Second Lieutenant, William Aumick. Com- pany B-Captain, Thomas Robinson ; First Lieutenant, William Warner; Second Lieutenant, George W. Taylor. Company C-Captain, Thomas A. Slack; First Lieu- tenant, Hiram HI. Mount; Second Lieutenant, Jolin T. Rowell. Company D-Cap- tain, Joseph T. Field; First Lieutenant, Charles Sufburrow; Second Lieutenant, Larue N. White. Company E-Captain, Joseph T. Lake; First Lieutenant, William H. Conk; Second Lieutenant, George S. Vanderhoof. Company F-Captain, Robert R. Mount; First Lieutenant, David S. Stevens; Second Lieutenant, Joseph P. Jones. Company G-Captain, John H. Heyers ; First Lieutenant, James II. Magee; Second Lieutenant, Charles S. Vanmater. Company HI-Captain, Albert S. Cloke; First Lieu- tenant, Charles H. Kimble; Second Lieutenant, M. Perrine Gravatt. Company I-Cap- tain, Jeremiah V. Spader; First Lieutenant, Charles Smith; Second Lieutenant, John N. Cuttrell. Company K-Captain, Joseph G. Staunton; First Lieutenant, Joseph L. Allen ; Second Lieutenant, David W. Emmons.
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Robertson of the 24th. Here the regiment remained, awaiting orders, until October 5th, when it was moved to the line of defences near Tenallytown, where it was attached to the Military Construc- tion Corps under Colonel L. O. Morris, of the Fourth New York Artillery, with headquarters at Fort Pennsylvania. In this ser- vice, the men of the regiment exhibited great endurance and effi- ciency, and won the cordial approbation of the officers in charge. Forts Mansfield and Reno, and the contiguous covered-ways, bat- teries and rifle-pits being at last completed, the regiment anxiously awaited orders for more active service; and these were not long delayed. On the 30th of November, it was moved to Fort Carrol, where it was brigaded with the Twenty-second, Thirtieth, and Thirty-first New Jersey, and One Hundred and Thirty-seventh Pennsylvania Regiments, under command of Colonel Bossert, of the latter, and proceeded a distance of eighty miles down the Poto- mac shore, through Piscataway and Port Tobacco, to Liverpool Point, whence the command was crossed to Aquia 'Creek, on De- cember 5th. Here the men were exposed to a severe storm, con- tinuing for two days, from which, being without tents, they suffered greatly. To add to their troubles, wood was scarce, and fires could only be maintained with great difficulty. On the 7th, however, the storm somewhat abated, and the regiment was detailed for picket-duty on the Aquia Creek and Fredericksburg Railroad at Potomac Creek Bridge. A day or two subsequently, the regiment (with the brigade) was transferred to the command of General Patrick, then commanding the Provost Guard of the Army of the Potomac, and was ordered to guard the entire line of the railroad from Aquia Creek to Stoneman's Switch, a reserve of two compa- nies, however, remaining at the Bridge. On the 11th, Major Davi- son was ordered with four companies to Falmouth, there to assume the duties of Provost Marshal, and companies A, F, D and I, being despatched, were engaged for some time in perilous service, such as guarding bridges, patroling the streets of Fredericksburg, and the like. While engaged in this service, the assault upon Frede- ricksburg was in progress, and the men, patroling the city while the conflict raged along the slopes, were exposed not only to shells
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