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 20
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"It is a consolation to know, however, that the officers and men have fallen in a noble cause, and while bravely performing their duty.
"The Colonel commanding trusts that the renown gained by the brigade during the expedition, will be an incentive to both officers and men to further efforts in the same direction. By a continued display of such bravery, endurance and discipline, they will obtain an immortal name in the history of the war.
"Where (with but two exceptions) all have done well, it would seem invidious to designate particular persons as meriting special notice. The Colonel commanding, however, cannot refrain from mentioning, as worthy of special approbation, Lieuten- ant-Colonel Yorke, commanding Second New Jersey Cavalry, Captain Elliott, Seventh Indiana, and Captain Heneke, Fourth Missouri Cavalry Volunteers.
" JOSEPH KARGE,
"Colonel Commanding First Brigade."
607
THE THIRTY-SECOND REGIMENT-(SECOND CAVALRY).
the First Brigade, Seventh Division, Cavalry Corps. On the 5th of April, the Second Jersey was directed to proceed to Mobile, which it did, part of the men being transferred by way of the Gulf, and the remainder over Lake Pontchartrain-only a portion of the command, however, reaching its destination in time to parti- cipate in the capture of Forts Blakely and Spanish. While at Mobile, Major Vroom, of the Second, was appointed Inspector General of the cavalry, and Major Van Renssalaer, being obliged to return to New Orleans on account of sickness, was there appoin- ted Assistant Provost Marshal of the city. From this point the regiment marched to Eufala, Alabama, where it received informa- tion of the truce between Sherman and Johnson, and the assassi- nation of President Lincoln. On the 11th of May, the war having practically ended, it passed through Montgomery, and on the 21st reached Columbus, Mississippi-Captain R. D. Mitchell being appointed (on the following day,) Provost Marshal of the town, with Captain Fernald and Company M, as provost guard, and Cap- tain Scudder with Company E, being placed in charge of the freed- men's camp. At this time part of Company A, which had been left in Mobile, rejoined the regiment by rail. On the 28th, General Grierson and staff left for New Orleans, when Colonel Karge was placed in command of the District, and Colonel Yorke in command of the Second Cavalry Brigade. On the 7th of June, the regiment, under command of Colonel Karge, marched for Vicksburg, Colo- nel Yorke, with Captain Scudder, Lieutenants Burns, Smith, Hoff- man, and Quartermaster Baldwin and Assistant Surgeon Todd, being ordered to proceed to Mobile, and thence to New Orleans and up the river with the dismounted men and stores. On the 16th, the regiment was again united in camp, outside of Vicksburg, on the Big Black River, where, on the 30th, 550 of the one year men were mustered out and dispatched to Trenton, New Jersey, by way of New Orleans. On the 10th of July, Colonel Yorke was sent with the third battalion to assume command of a sub-division of Mississippi, with headquarters at Rodney's, where he remained until the 28th, when he received orders to move his headquarters to Port Gibson, the remainder of the regiment about the same
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NEW JERSEY AND THE REBELLION.
time being ordered to Natchez. The regiment, from this time, was stationed as follows: Colonel Joseph Karge, commanding post of Natchez, with six companies ; Colonel Yorke, commanding post of Port Gibson, with four companies; Colonel N. S. Gilson, commanding post of Brookhaven, with two companies.
In the latter part of August, Colonel Karge received the brevet of Brigadier-General, and General Davidson receiving a leave of absence, he was placed in the command of the Southern District of Mississippi. He at once ordered all the Second New Jersey to report in Natchez, Mississippi, where they were placed under the command of Colonel Yorke. Attempts were now made to con- solidate and retain the regiment in service, but this being frustrated, the order was received for muster out of service, and proceeding to Trenton, the command was duly disbanded. From first to last the regiment had exhibited a courage and discipline which justly ranked it among the best cavalry commands in the service, and its record, covering a field of peculiar hardship as well as of vital importance, will shine with honest lustre in the annals of the nation long after the men who fought in its ranks have gone down to the last sleep.
The following is the roster of the Thirty-second as it entered the service :
Colonel, Joseph Karge; Lieutenant-Colonel, Marcus L. W. Kitchen; Majors, Fred- erick B. Revere, P. Jones Yorke, and Peter D. Vroom, Jr. ; Adjutant, J. Lacey Pier- son ; Quartermaster, James M. Baldwin; Commissary, Wolfgang Mosse; Surgeon, Ferdinand V. Dayton ; Assistant Surgeons, William W. Bowlby, Lawrence O. Morgan ; Chaplain, Company A-Captain, Frank B. Allibone ; First Lieutenant, Charles C. Reiley ; Second Lieutenant, Joseph L. Topham. Company B-Captain, Peter G. Van Winkle; First Lieutenant, Theodore Vandergrift; Second Lieutenant, Samuel Swayze. Company C-Captain, Edward P. Mount; First Lieutenant, Ebe- nezer Montgomery; Second Lieutenant, Adrian S. Appleget. Company D-Captain, Charles N. Pelouze; First Lieutenant, Alfred Haines; Second Lieutenant, Albert H. Crump. Company E-Captain, William V. Seudder; First Lieutenant, Lewis Rai- near; Second Lieutenant, Lemuel Fisher. Company P-Captain, Philip L. Van Rensselaer ; First Lieutenant, Charles H. Dod; Second Lieutenant, L. Henry Smith. Company G-Captain, Gustave A. von Brausen; First Lieutenant, Clarence Linden ; Second Lieutenant, Carnot B. Meeker. Company HI-Captain, Michael Gallagher ; First Lieutenant, John Madigan ; Second Lieutenant, Jonathan Goble. Company 1- Captain, P. Penn Gaskell; First Lieutenant, Richard D. Mitchell ; Second Lieutenant, Alexander A. Yard. Company K-Captain, Morris H. Stratton; First Lientenant, Frederick von Klitzing; Second Lientenant, Lambert L. Mulford. Company L-Cap- tain, Ebrich von Pannwitz ; First Lieutenant, Julius von Rudolphi; Second Lieuten- ant, Sigismund von Braida. Company M-Captain, Charles F. Fernald; First Lieu- tenant, John N. Givens ; Second Lieutenant, Frank T. Adams.
609
CHAPTER XXVII.
THE THIRTY- THIRD REGIMENT.
THE Thirty-third regiment was raised in the summer of 1863, under an authorization issued to Colonel Mindil, formerly of the Twenty-seventh, being the first veteran regiment raised in con- formity to the conditions of the new system, permitting the recruit- ing of " Veteran Volunteers." A call for extra troops being made about the same time, Colonel Mindil was directed to recruit mainly in the northern part of the State, and when completed, the regi- ment represented almost exclusively the counties of Essex, Morris, Passaic and Hudson-fully three-fourths of the men being credited to the quota of Newark.1 Liberal bounties being offered at this
1 As originally ordered, four companies, A, B, C and F, were to be recruited exclu- sively from Newark; one company, D, in Paterson; one company, H, in Hoboken ; one company, K, in Jersey City ; one company, G, in Morris, Hudson and Essex; one company, E, in Camden and Essex; one company, I, in Essex, Hudson and Morris. But few men were obtained from Camden, the regimeuts under organization at Beverly and Trenton taking the men from that quarter.
The original roster of the regiment was as follows :
Colonel, George W. Mindil; Lieutenant-Colonel, Enos Fouratt; Major, David A. Peloubet ; Adjutant, William H. Lambert; Quartermaster, James B. Titman; Sur- geon, James Reiley ; Assistant-Surgeons, J. Henry Stiger, Charles W. Stickney; Chap- lain, John Faull. Company A-Captain, William G. Boggs; First Lieutenant, George M. Harris; Second Lieutenant, William L. Shaw. Company B-Captain, James R. Sandford ; First Lieutenant, James A. Somerville; Second Lieutenant, James Warner. Company C-Captain, Amzi S. Taylor; First Lientenant, Henry F. Sherwood; Second Lieutenant, Charles A. Sutton. Company D-Captain, Charles Courtois; First Lieu- tenant, James T. Gibson ; Second Lieutenant, William A. Miller. Company E-Cap- lain, Jolin Sandford ; First Lieutenant, Charles J. Field; Second Lieutenant, Joseph L. Miller. Company F-Captain, Thomas O'Connor; First Lieutenant, George I. Begbie; Second Lieutenant, Alexander Eason. Company G-Captain, Henry C. Bart- lett; First Lieutenant, John J. Toffey; Second Lieutenant, William H. Harrison. Company HI-Captain, Barent Frazer, Jr. ; First Lieutenant, Thomas H. Lee; Second Lieutenant, Josephi P. Conse. Company I-Captain, Samuel F. Waldron ; First Lieu - tenant, J. Warren Kitchell; Second Lieutenant, Frank Childs. Company K-Captain, William McCoy ; First Lieutenant, William H. Cochran ; Second Lieutenant, Franeis Tully.
77
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NEW JERSEY AND THE REBELLION.
time, the work of recruitment made rapid progress, the regiment being mustered into the service of the United States on the 3d of September-only fifty-five days after the rendezvous at Newark was opened. The command was in all respects a superior one, seven-eighths of the officers and three-fourths of the men having already seen service in the field. Lieutenant-Colonel Enos Fouratt had participated in all the battles of the First New Jersey Brigade ; the Adjutant had served acceptably with the Twenty-seventh, while the entire field and staff, and most of the officers of the line, had previously held commands equal in importance and responsi- bility to those now filled. The regiment was uniformed in the Zouave dress, and armed with the best Springfield rifles.
On the 8th of September the regiment, under orders from the War Department, broke camp, and the next morning embarking on transports lying in the Passaic, proceeded to Washington, crossing on the 13th into Virginia, and two days after marching for War- renton, having in charge a train of thirty wagons loaded with sup- plies and ammunition. Upon approaching Warrenton it was found that General Meade had advanced to Culpepper, and that a body of rebel cavalry had occupied the abandoned town. Showing, how- ever, a formidable front, the regiment boldly advanced, and, the enemy retiring, promptly occupied the place, going into camp in a strong position just outside of the village limits. Here the com- mand remained until the 19th, when it proceeded to Warrenton Junction, Colonel Mindil hoping at that point to open communica- tion with General Meade and procure orders as to his subsequent movements. In this he was successful, the regiment being ordered to report to General Howard of the Eleventh Corps, which, in con- nection with the Twelfth Corps, was guarding the line of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. Here, with a view of preparing the regiment for action, which was regarded as imminent, four drills daily, of one hour each, were ordered, and the men rapidly increased in efficiency. The command, however, was not to measure strength with the enemy on that field. On the 24th, orders were received to prepare immediately for a movement. Inquiry at headquarters developed the fact that in view of the reverse at Chickamauga,
611
THE THIRTY-THIRD REGIMENT.
it was deemed necessary to immediately reinforce the Army of the Cumberland, then holding the defenses of Chattanooga, and that for this purpose the Eleventh and Twelfth Corps, under General Hooker, were to be dispatched to the West. This was a surprise to the men of the Thirty-third, but they promptly acquiesced, and on the morning of the 25th, the regiment set out for Washington, whence, the same night, it departed by rail for the West. Orders from General Meade to stop the regiment and return it to the Army of the Potomac, had been received by General Howard at Manassas, and by General Hooker at Washington, but in each case the regi- ment had departed before the dispatches came to hand. The regi- ment had been recruited with a view to service in the West, and it seemed destined to go there in spite of everything.
From the Relay House, the regiment travelled by rail by way of Harper's Ferry, Grafton and Benwood, through the States of Ohio and Indiana to Indianapolis, and thence to Jeffersonville, where the Ohio River was crossed, and cars were taken from Louisville to Nashville, Tennessee, reaching the latter early on the morning of the 30th (September). Bridgeport, a military station on the Tennes- see River, in the northeastern part of Alabama, and distant about two days march from Chattanooga, was reached the same evening, the regiment bivouacking for the night, and the following day establishing a regular encampment. Here, the command once more engaged in active drill, making such satisfactory progress as to elicit not only the warmest expressions of approbation from General Howard, but also a request for a permanent detail from the regiment for guard duty at Corps Headquarters. On the 18th of October, Colonel Mindil was ordered to proceed with three regiments to the mouth of Battle Creek, about six miles distant on the wagon road to Chattanooga, for the purpose of relieving General Morgan's Brigade of Western troops, then hold- ing the place. The designated point was reached on the following day, and General Morgan's Brigade moving forward to Chatta- nooga, his quarters were at once occupied by the relieving brigade. This temporary brigade, to the command of which Colonel Mindil had been assigned, consisted of the Thirty-third New Jersey,
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NEW JERSEY AND THE REBELLION.
Twenty-seventh and Seventy-third Pennsylvania, and Eightieth Illinois Volunteers, and their duty was to protect the pontoon bridge across Battle Creek, on the only wagon road to Chattanooga then in our possession, as well as to picket the surrounding country and assist the heavy trains of supplies in moving over the muddy and worn-out roads, which required frequent repairs, by new drain- age, corduroy, &c. The Thirty-third regiment was assigned to the camp lately occupied by the Thirty-fourth Illinois, consisting . mostly of small frame structures, which were welcome, indeed, as a protection against the heavy rains then prevailing. On the 24th of October, the three regiments were ordered back to Bridgeport to rejoin the corps, which had been ordered to advance, and Mindil was left alone with the Thirty-third regiment in this isolated position, to do the heavy labor formerly assigned to a brigade. On the 25th, he ordered forward to Jasper (a small village some five miles distant), two companies of about one hundred and twenty men, under Captain Boggs, to occupy the town and to send still further forward to the Sequatchie River a permanent picket of . twenty men and one officer, to guard the bridge on the wagon road over that stream. Thus the roads, for a distance of six miles, were under the immediate care of the Thirty-third, and the men were constantly employed in guarding and repairing them. In the meantime (on the 26th), the Eleventh Corps, with Geary's Division of the Twelfth Corps, all under Hooker, had been ordered across the Tennessee to open the road to Chattanooga on that side of the river, it having been found impossible to supply General Thomas' army by the road held by the Thirty-third, and by the few steamers plying on the river between Bridgeport and " the front." Hooker moved forward and fought the successful battles of Lookout Valley and Wauhatchie-being the first victories achieved on Western ground by Eastern troops-driving the rebels from the valley up the sides of the mountain, and thus opening the road from Kelly's Ferry to Brown's, by which supplies could be forwarded direct to Chattanooga, by steamer, from Bridgeport to Kelly's Ferry, and thence by wagons to Brown's, where the Tennessee was crossed by a pontoon bridge. Had Hooker failed in this movement, directed
613
THE THIRTY-THIRD REGIMENT.
by Grant, the consequences could not have been otherwise than most serious ; Chattanooga would probably have been abandoned, since it was impossible to keep the army there in supplies; and the whole current of the war in that quarter would, almost inevitably, have been changed.
There being no longer a necessity for the retention of troops at Battle Creek, the Thirty-third moved forward, on the 4th of November, to rejoin its corps in Lookout Valley, reaching the brigade camp on the morning of the 6th. This camp was situated behind earthworks, which had been constructed on the summit of the lower series of ridges separating the valley from the mountain held by the rebels. The Thirty-third was assigned a position in support of the first line of the brigade behind and at the foot of the ridge, but still partially in view of the enemy's position on the crest of Lookout. In this new encampment, the regiment renewed its drills, reviews and parades, and attained still higher efficiency- acquiring steadiness especially in the performance of actual picket duty in sight of the foe. The rebels amused themselves by con- tinually shelling either the passing trains in the valley or the position of our forces on the surrounding, but lower hills, but their shots inflicted little damage, owing to the height of their position and depression of the guns."
? When the regiment left Battle Creek, wagon transportation for the necessary bag- gage could not be obtained, and it was left behind in charge of the Quartermaster, Lieutenant Libman, with a small guard of convalescents, who were unable to march, to be brought up by water to Kelley's Ferry. This guard, together with the regimen- tal stores, officers' baggage and records of the Adjutant's office, were placed upon a large barge, or flat-boat, and on the evening of the 7th of November were taken in tow by one of the regular steamboats en route from Bridgeport to the Ferry-the guard of rick men being in charge of Lieutenant Somerville; the baggage under the care of
the Quartermaster. But neither was destined to reach the destination in safety. The incidents of the trip are thus recorded by the correspondent of the Newark Daily Advertiser : "Until within about six miles of the ferry, and until about two o'clock Sunday morning, the steamboat's furnace had been fed with mixed green and dried wood. At that time, the fireman being out of green wood was compelled to use alto. gether dry, principally rails. The rate of speed was thereby suddenly and considera- My increased, and soon proved too rapid for the broad-bowed barge in tow, and its bow was dragged and finally dipped under water, when the swift and strong current of the Tennessee swept off all save the heaviest articles of her cargo, and floated them down the stream. The barge being lightened soon righted, although filled with water. For- tunately the majority of the men, with the Quartermaster and the Lieutenant, had gone on board of the steamboat; only ten or twelve who had comfortably stowed them-
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NEW JERSEY AND THE REBELLION.
At length, on the 22d of November, the regiment again moved out on active service, marching to Brown's Ferry, and thence, through the camps of Sherman's forces, who had arrived from the Mississippi, to and beyond the town of Chattanooga, where it bivouacked in front of Fort Wood. Grant had at this time arrived at Chattanooga, and his presence, with that of his faithful Lieu- tenant, Sherman, and the heroes of Donelson and Vicksburg, gave promise of hot work at no distant day. The morning dawned, but beyond an occasional discharge of ordnance, there was nothing indicative of preparations for battle. Indeed, our army spread out along the plain seemed more ready for grand review than for engagement, and so the enemy thought, as Bragg afterwards con- fessed. Noon came, but still no orders reached the Thirty-third, although on the extreme right the western troops had already com-
selves away amidst the canvass remained. These were all floated off the moment the barge dipped. The instant she righted the Quartermaster jumped upon her, and assisted by some few others, made strenuous efforts to rescue the men who had been thrown into the river. The Quartermaster succeeded in pulling out three; a few saved themselves, but despite all the efforts, four men sank to rise no more alive. Theodore Drake and Oscar C. Lathrop, of Company C, Patrick Delany, of Company F, and Louis Wilte, of Company I, were the names of the men thus suddenly and unexpectedly rushed from life into the mystery of death. After having backed water and going down stream with the intention of affording aid to the men overboard, the barge was cut loose and the steamboat kept on to the ferry, on arrival at which the Quartermas- ter procured a pontoon boat, and with a volunteer crew of three others, went down" the river to secure what might be saved from the wreck. Some of the baggage floated down the stream, some drifted ashore, sunk, and very little remained on board the barge. Part of that which floated down the river was broken open and the contents scattered over the waters ; part of that which drifted ashore was found by citizens or soldiers, who after taking therefrom all they considered convenient or useful, to prove their honesty restored the balance: that which sunk was lost; that which remained in the barge was recovered. The Quartermaster returned after an absence of ten days, having secured a considerable quantity of baggage, and yet in proportion to the whole, . comparatively small."
Cololonel Mindil writes of this sad affair: "The Quartermaster was much blamed by the officers for this mishap, many of them asking for his trial. I was convinced, however, by the testimony of the Captain of the boat and of other disinterested wit- nesses, not only of Lieutenant Libman's innocence of these charges, but of his cool- ness and bravery in rescuing some of the drowning men, and of his indefatigable exer- tions in recovering that portion of the baggage which was found and restored. But for his coolness and courage, three more lives would have been lost, and had he not been an indefatigable, faithful officer, nothing would have been recovered. Instead of censure, Lieutenant James D. Libman deserves praise for his gallant behavior. The cause of the accident was beyond control, and there is no one who should receive the least blame. These being my views then, I deemed a Court of Inquiry useless, and the matter passed over without a regular official inquiry."
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THE THIRTY-THIRD REGIMENT.
menced to advance. Soon a few rifle shots were heard, then brisk skirmishing, then volleys of musketry and rapid discharges of heavy artillery. Looking to the right, our gallant veterans were seen pressing bravely forward, steadily gaining ground. And now orders came to the Thirty-third "to unsling and pile knapsacks," and move diagonally forward to the left. Moving the short dis- tance the corps was formed for action in two lines, the sounds of battle on the right growing momentarily louder. Soon, an aid from Howard having delivered orders, the brigade moved into the plain beneath and towards a clump of woods skirting Citico Creek, at a point where the Atlanta Railroad crossed a small stone bridge -the Thirty-third New Jersey and the One Hundred and Thirty- fourth New York forming the first line, and the Twenty-seventh and Seventy-third Pennsylvania and One Hundred and Fifty-fourth New York, a second line in support. The regiments of the first line at once sent out skirmishers to feel for the enemy and under their cover the advance was made. Captain Boggs, with Company A, deployed along the front of the Thirty-third, and about one hundred and fifty yards in advance, proceeded some twenty paces, when a heavy fire was opened upon him and the regiment from every side-from the woods in front, from under the stone bridge and from behind several small buildings in possession of the foe. Our object being to gain possession of these buildings and of the bridge in order to hold the line of the creek, the extreme left of General Thomas' army, the Thirty-third, for the first time in action, continued to advance, despite the heavy fire. Company A not being strong enough to push back the enemy's sharpshooters, who were well posted, Captain O'Connor, Company F, was advanced as a reinforcement, when Colonel Mindil led both companies to the attack. Under a brisk fire, the men still continued to gain ground, and the enemy soon retired behind the creek, still holding, how- ever, the buildings and the bridge. But the advance was not made without loss. The brave Captain Boggs, while gallantly encour- aging his men, was shot in the arm by a sharpshooter, and was obliged to leave the field, while several other casualties were suffered. The regiment now halted, awaiting the arrival of the
1
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NEW JERSEY AND THE REBELLION.
troops on the right, but the fire from behind the buildings proving a serious annoyance to the men in the second line, Colonel Mindil was soon ordered to charge forward with his whole command and dislodge the enemy-which was done at once, the regiment, with a cheer, rushing to the assault. The enemy fired rapidly and wildly, and unable to resist our assault, the buildings were soon in posses- sion of the assailants. But in this movement also the regiment suffered a severe loss, Captain Waldron, while bravely moving forward on the right of his company (I), on the extreme right of the regiment, falling dead, shot through the head by a sharpshooter from behind the very house which his company, only a few moments later, occupied. He had just received the order to take this building when the fatal bullet struck him. Brave and cool, in all respects an accomplished officer, the regiment in his death sus- tained a loss which could not easily be repaired. Lieutenant Toffey, of Company G, who had been directed to assume command of Company A after Captain Boggs was wounded, was likewise severely wounded before he had time to give an order. Thus far the regiment had acted nobly and gained several advantages of position, but its success was won at a costly price in the loss of these efficient officers.
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