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 26
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After falling back to Harper's Ferry, at ten o'clock the same night the command crossed the Potomac, and marched to Boons- boro, Maryland, whence, after a night's rest, it moved in an irregu- lar circle, passing the field of Antietam, and recrossing the Potomac at Shepherdstown Ford, finally reaching Charlestown on' the night of the 28th. Here almost constant skirmishing was kept up with the enemy, but no serious fighting was had. Sheridan was maturing. . his plans for a vigorous campaign against the enemy ; and until he was ready to strike, the cavalry troopers were not called to any severe combat. But the season of comparative repose was brief. On the evening of the 12th (of September), General McIntosh received an order to take his brigade at an early hour the next morning and reconnoiter on the Berryville and Winchester pike,
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NEW JERSEY AND THE REBELLION.
to discover, if possible, the strength and position of the enemy, but to go only so far as to meet the enemy's infantry, when he was to retire. Accordingly, on the morning of the 13th, the Second Ohio Cavalry was thrown out as advance guard and skirmishers, the Third Jersey, now and for some time after commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Suydam, coming next in line, and the whole advancing on the road designated. The Jerseymen first met the enemy's cavalry pickets about three miles out of Berryville, and from this time on kept up a running fire for two miles, charging them whenever they attempted to make a stand, until finally they were driven across the Opequan. Here they endeavored to rally, but having become badly demoralized, the Ohioans and Jerseymen pushed right forward, charging across and up the hill against their barricade of rails (which had evidently been hastily thrown up), driving and checking them in all directions. Still pursuing, giving them no time to rest, the regiment forced them finally inside of their infantry supports. A halt was now ordered, while General McIntosh advanced to the top of a hill and examined the rebel position. Presently, an order came for a squadron of the Third Jersey to charge up the road, and on the instant, a column dashed forward, sweeping up with flashing sabers right into the midst of the enemy, one hundred and forty-three of whom were taken prisoners. This, however, was not the only result of the charge. A whole regiment of South Carolina infantry (the Eighth), cut off from their main body by the exploit of the Jerseymen, were sur. rounded and captured, with their colors and battle-flag, by the Second Ohio and Third Jersey.5 By this time, the enemy was
5 The Chaplain of the regiment, Rev. J. H. Frazee, in a'letter to the Newark Adrer. tiser, says of this affair:
"The result of our charge was the capture of the Eighth Carolina Regiment, with its Colonel and all its line officers, numbering eighteen. The companies composing the squadron that made the charge were Company G, commanded by Captain Thomas R. McClong, of Cumberland County, and Company F, recruited in Newark, and under the command of First Lieutenant M. T. Dwyer, of the same city. Lieutenant-Colonel Suydam, with the remaining battalions of the regiment, moved promptly to our sup- port when we made the charge. The accompanying congratulatory order was issued by Brigadier-General Wilson :
"HEADQUARTERS THIRD CAVALRY DIVISION, I September 15, 186-4. 1 " General Order No. 40.
"'The Brigadier-General commanding takes great pleasure in commending the dash,
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THE THIRTY-SIXTH REGIMENT.
seen marching down with heavy columns of infantry, showing that he was still in force, and McIntosh, having accomplished the object for which he was sent cut, accordingly ordered a retreat, which was accomplished in a safe and orderly manner. The affair, which was a brilliant one throughout, was conducted very expeditiously, the brigade reaching its camp in less than five hours from the time it left it. The loss of the regiment was one killed, and of the brigade three killed and one hundred and one missing.
After this affair, the regiment lay quiet until the 19th (one of the remarkable days of the war), when at two o'clock in the morning, it moved out on the Winchester pike, driving the enemy's cavalry, and charging and turning the right of his infantry. After getting into position, the command was held in hand until late in the after- noon, when, the enemy being in retreat, it charged down the pike, sweeping past Winchester and reaching Karneystown. Here it suf- fered some loss, but not sufficient to disturb the elation over the grand achievements of the day. Subsequently the regiment moved up the Valley past Stony Point, across the Shenandoah, through Front Royal .and up the Luray Valley, through which it endeav- ored to effect a passage, but without success, owing to the opposi- tion of the enemy. On the 21st, it was again engaged at Front Royal, losing some men. On the 28th, being in the cavalry ad- vance, it once more encountered the enemy at Waynesboro where it suffered a loss of ten men killed and wounded, but fought with its accustomed gallantry. In the retrograde movement which fol- lowed this advance of our forces-a movement designed to draw the enemy once more within effective striking distance-the Third Jersey once more proved its efficiency at Bridgewater, October 2d, losing nine men; at Brock's Gap on the 6th, and at Tom's Brook,
· gallantry and good conduct of the First Brigade, as well as the judicious management and promptitude of its commander, Brigadier-General McIntosh, in the recent affair on the Berryville and Winchester pike. The charge of the squadron of the Third New Jersey Cavalry, which resulted in breaking the rebel infantry line, is especially worthy of mention; it effectually opened the way for surrounding and capturing the rebel regiment encountered. * * *
"By command of
Brigadier-General WILSON.' "
The Eighth Carolina Regiment, captured in this affair, was one of the oldest in the rebel service, and had never before suffered any serious mishaps.
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NEW JERSEY AND THE REBELLION.
where, on the 9th, it had a severe engagement with the now pur- suing foe. Its loss in this last affair was eight men. Finally reach- ing Cedar Creek, it went on picket, where it remained until the 13th, when it had a sharp fight at Cupp's Mills, losing ten men. In the memorable battle of the 19th, described in the narrative of the First Brigade, the regiment was early placed in position, but was only moderately engaged. In the subsequent operations in the Valley, it had an honorable part, being engaged on the " Back Road," on November 12th, and at Mount Jackson, November 22d. At the latter point, the enemy occupied a very strong position on Hood's Hill, and it was found to be impossible, after considerable skirmishing, to dislodge him. In withdrawing from the field, the Third Jersey covered the Second New York Regiment. The loss of the command in this affair was ten men killed and wounded.6 On the 28th, the enemy having attacked and carried our position, held by a small garrison, at New Creek, on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, twenty-two miles west of Cumberland, the Jersey regiment was dispatched on an expedition in that direction, pro- ceeding to Moorefield, Hardy County, West Virginia, where a day was spent in exploring the country and discovering the position of the enemy-after which it returned to its camp below Winchester- the march being one of great difficulty and suffering to the ex- hausted men.
There being now a lull in operations, the regiment went into winter quarters, where it remained until ordered to rejoin the army in front of Petersburg. Here it was variously employed until the last grand assault upon the enemy, when, at Five Forks, fighting again with the scarred veterans who had swept Early clean out of the Shenandoah, it displayed conspicuous gallantry, sharing in all the perils as well as the splendid achievements of that memora- ble and glorious day, on which the power of the rebellion was finally and forever broken. The loss of the regiment was only eight wounded, including Lieutenant-Colonel Robeson. Joining in the pursuit of the flying foe, on the 6th it had two officers wounded
. 6 About this time, Major Robeson was made Lieutenant-Colonel of the regiment.
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THE THIRTY-SIXTH REGIMENT.
in a skirmish, but was not again heavily engaged. In due time, Lee having surrendered and the rebel armies dissolved, it proceeded to Washington, and thence to Trenton, where it was mustered out.
The Third Jersey deserved a far higher place in the estimation of the people of the State than it enjoyed while in the field. Unfor- tunate in its commandant, when first entering the service, it was ever after, with singular injustice, judged in the light of this fact ; no adequate allowance being made for its subsequent improvement in efficiency and discipline. No regiment was ever more efficiently officered than this after the suspension of the original Colonel, and none ever more rapidly achieved a high reputation than did this command when once brought face to face with the foe. In the Shenandoah, it participated in some thirteen engagements, in all of which it showed the finest soldierly qualities, winning the special commendation of its commanders, as well as the confidence of all its comrades of the cavalry corps; and in the story of the war, when fairly and fully written, its deeds will have a place side by side with those of the bravest and best of that invincible army which Sheridan led always to victory.
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CHAPTER XXXI.
THE THIRTY -SEVENTH REGIMENT.
ON the 16th of May, 1864, Governor Parker issued a proclama- tion calling, " by desire of the President," the militia of the State into active service, for the period of one hundred days, to date from muster into the United States Service, to be armed, equipped, and paid as other United States Volunteers, " to serve in fortifications or wherever their services may be required, within or without the State." No bounty was to be given, nor even their services to be credited upon any draft. These troops were to be infantry exclu- sively, and the Governor urged that at least five regiments might be raised and forwarded with all convenient speed. In accordance with this proclamation, recruiting began without delay, and the nuclei of two regiments were speedily established-one in the south- ern part of the State to be called the Thirty-seventh, and another at Camp Frelinghuysen, near Newark, to be called the Thirty-eighth Regiment-the latter to be commanded by John S. Barlow, and the former by E. Burd Grubb, of Burlington, a gallant and dashing soldier of whom honorable mention is made elsewhere in this vol- ume. It was thought advisable and hoped that the different Mili- tia and Rifle Corps regiments should, if possible, embrace this opportunity to go into the movement, rank and file, in a body ; thus preserving their regimental organizations and preventing the many delays incident to and consequent upon the organization and
. officering of new regiments. This expectation, however, was not realized. Recruiting becoming languid, local bounties were offered by different cities, but notwithstanding this, and every other induce- ment offered, it began to be apparent that neither of the two regi- ments would be enabled to fill its ranks, and consolidation must be effected. This was accordingly done at Camp Delaware, Trenton,
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THE THIRTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT.
and, on the 23d of June the consolidated regiment, under the name of the Thirty-seventh New Jersey Volunteers, was mustered into the service of the United States. The following were the officers :
Colonel, E. Burd Grubb ; Lieutenant-Colonel, John S. Barlow; Major, John Dan- forth ; Quartermaster, J. W. Kinsey; Surgeon, Henry C. Clark ; Assistant Surgeons, M. Robinson and E. P. Hancock; Adjutant, Parker Grubb. Company A-Captain, Roderick B. Seymour ; First Lieutenant, C. Holt; Second Lieutenant, William Muir- heid. Company B-Captain, D. J. Pierman; First Lieutenant, H. H. Walters ; Second Lieutenant, Theodore Douglass. Company C-Captain, James Withington; First Lieutenant, Peter Wilkes; Second Lieutenant, Jolin Farrell. Company D-Captain, M. Devinney ; First Lieutenant, C. Goldenburg; Second Lieutenant, M. C. Stafford. Company E-Captain, W. F. Riker; First Lieutenant, John Kelt; Second Lieutenant, L. C. Grover, Jr. Company F-Captain, N. N. Hancock; First Lieutenant, J. Schrei- ner; Second Lieutenant, T. P. Munn. Company G-Captain, G. Eggers ; First Lieu- tenant, J. T. Crane; Second Lieutenant, J. Kraus. Company H-Captain, G. Smith ; First Lieutenant, J. Maguire; Second Lieutenant, W. H. Stiles. Company I-Captain, L. A. Rites; First Lieutenant, H. C. Woodward; Second Lieutenant, N. H. Johnson. 1
The regiment left Trenton on the 28th of June, seven hundred strong, direct for Baltimore, where steamer was taken for City Point. Upon reporting to General Grant, the regiment was ordered to report to General Butler, at Bermuda Hundred. Landing at Point of Rocks, July 1st, they went into camp about three miles from that landing. Here the regiment furnished detachments for fatigue duty of various kinds, such as unloading vessels, working on fortifications, &c., being assigned to Berry's Brigade, Third Division, Tenth Army Corps (General Q. A. Gilmore's), and brigaded with other one hundred days' regiments from Ohio. From this last camp, the regiment was ordered to Redoubt Converse, on Spring Hill, near the Appomattox River, where, for another month, the regiment was scattered-one detachment at Broadway Landing, loading and unloading vessels; another at Corps Headquarters,
1 The personnel of the regiment was not altogether encouraging. The medical exam- ination was by no means searching, and as a result there were many with only one eye ; several with less fingers than the regulations allowed; a few, long since past the age at which military service terminates; and scores of mere boys from fifteen years of age .upwards. As a detachment were working in the woods, near Bermuda Hundred. sev-
· erel huge Vermonters passing by, stopped ; and, after looking at the youthful faces with some amazement as well as amusement, inquired who they were, to which the response was given, "Thirty-seventh New Jersey." "Oh !" said the questioner, "I thought it was some school-house broke loose"-to the disgust and mortification of the "boys." It was found, however, that these mere striplings were quite as serviceable as any in the regiment. They endured longer and harder work, felt less fatigue on the march and at "fatigue duty," and took to their various duties as soldiers as well, if not better, than the older, stronger and apparently more able men.
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NEW JERSEY AND THE REBELLION.
doing duty in the ambulance corps; another at Point of Rocks, in charge of a commissary station ; a fourth doing picket duty, and the remainder garrisoning the fort. While in this fort, occurred, on the 11th of August, the death of the Adjutant, Parker Grubb, from malarious fever, and September 12th, that of Lieutenant- Colonel Barlow, from consumption. William Muirheid was after- wards promoted to the position of Adjutant, and Major Danforth to be Lieutenant-Colonel. At length, August 28th, the regiment was again gathered together, and marched to the extreme front at Petersburg, being brigaded with the Twenty-second United States colored troops and the Eighth United States colored troops, under the command of Colonel J. B. Kiddoo, of the former regiment. Here the command encamped in the rear of the " Hare House Battery," so called from the ruins of " Hare House," near by. [This was formerly a fashionable place of resort for the elite of Richmond and Petersburg.] The regiment remained here until their term of service had nearly expired, doing duty in the trenches in "the front," and contributing their quota to the fatigue parties working on the fortifications in that vicinity. On the 25th of September, the Tenth Corps retired from the front, being relieved by the Second Corps, and moved towards Deep Bottom, to take part in the movement upon Chapin's Bluff, which took place a short time afterwards. The same day, the following highly flattering general order was promulgated :
"HEADQUARTERS TENTH ARMY CORPS, ARMY OF THE JAMES, BEFORE PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA, September 25, 1864. " General Order No. 34.
"The Thirty-seventh New Jersey Volunteers, on the 26th instant will leave for Tren- ton, New Jersey, reporting to the Superintendent of Recruiting Service of the State, to be mustered out of service, at the expiration of its enlistment.
"The Major-General commanding cannot part with this regiment of one hundred days' men without expressing his gratification and satisfaction with their conduct. They have endured fatigue, encountered the rebel foe like good soldiers, and have gained the esteem of the veterans of this corps.
"He is confident that, when they return to New Jersey, a State that has furnished such soldiers as Kearney, Mott and Torbert, they will continue to sustain the veterans they have left at the front, doing what Sherman advised, " fighting this out like men."
" The Major-General commanding will be pleased to assist the commanding officer of this regiment in re-organizing it to aid in the finale of the rebellion in conjunction with this corps.
"The Quartermaster's Department will furnish transportation.
"By command of
"EDWARD W. SMITH, Assistant Adjutant-General.
Major-General D. B. BIRNEY.
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THE THIRTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT. 673
It was an unusual occurrence for the commandant of a corps to issue a general order so complimentary in its tone, upon the muster out of a single regiment which had done nothing more than this one had to distinguish itself. But, remembering that this was a perfectly raw regiment-composed of men of all ages and degrees of imperfection, and in no small degree of mere boys-that it arrived, in three days after leaving its camp at Trenton, within the range of rebel cannon, and there remained until its return home- the men going into the "glory holes" in the immediate front at Petersburg, and there doing their duty like veterans -- with very few opportunities for drill or improvement-it is not remarkable that the Major-General commanding the corps should deem them worthy of the compliment which he bestowed upon them. The regiment was engaged in no battles, but, in the dangerous duty of the trenches and rifle-pits, five were killed and twenty-nine wounded. In addition, there were thirteen other deaths, mostly from typhoid fever. Thirty-two were left in hospital, sick, and twenty-seven re-enlisted and remained behind. The regiment was mustered out on the 1st of October, 1864. Many of the officers and men afterwards re-enlisted in the volunteer and regular service. Some were killed in the last hours of the rebellion, in Virginia and Texas, and some in Indian fights, on the Plains.
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CHAPTER XXXII.
THE THIRTY-EIGHTH REGIMENT.
THE Thirty-eighth Regiment was raised in the summer and fall of 1864', Colonel William J. Sewell accepting its command on the 30th of September, and completing its organization in fifteen days thereafter. Colonel Sewell had served with distinguished credit in the Second Brigade, but had been compelled to quit the service during the Wilderness campaign, owing to prostration resulting from exposure. Partially recovering, however, and with his patri- otic ardor unabated, he gladly embraced the opportunity afforded by the formation of the Thirty-eighth to return to the field, employ- ing all his energies to make it an organization worthy of the State. Upon leaving the State, the regiment was ordered to City Point and thence to Bermuda Hundred, whence it was sent to Fort Powhatan, on the James river, some fifteen miles below City Point. The troops at this point consisted of the Thirty-eighth, a squadron of
1 The original roster of the regiment was as follows :
Colonel, William J. Sewell; Lieutenant Colonel, Ashbel W. Angel; Major, William H. Tantum ; Adjutant, Edwin G. Smith; Quartermaster, Israel Wells ; Surgeon, Rich- ard Thomas, Jr. ; Assistant Surgeons, Israel Hart, William S. Combs; Chaplain, Charles R. Hartranft. Company A-Captain, Thomas J. Swannell; First Lieutenant, Joseph E. Jones ; Sceond Lieutenant, John Grant. Company B-Captain, George W. Day; First Lieutenant, Charles W. Kitchen; Second Lieutenant, Henry Dubs. Com- pany C-Captain, Henry S. Spaulding; First Lieutenant, L. Clinton McMahon : Sec- ond Lieutenant, William D. Jackson. Company D-Captain, Jacob D. Wilson; First Lieutenant, Jolin N. Cottrell; Second Lieutenant, Joseph T. Hayes. Company E-Cap- tain, William W. Abbott; First Lieutenant, William M. Craft; Second Lieutenant, Green Vanderbilt. Company F-Captain, George Gilson ; First Lieutenant, Andrew Brown ; Second Lieutenant, John N. Anderson. Company G-Captain, James B. Minturn ; First Lieutenant, Luzerne Bartholomew; Second Lieutenant, Sylvester J. Shuck. Company HI-Captain, Abraham M. Browning; First Lieutenant, Daniel P. Yates; Second Lieutenant, Joseph N. Stanford. Company I-Captain, George W. Cubberly; First Lieutenant, John Worthley; Second Lieutenant, George B. Bergen. Campany K-Captain, Thomas Cunningham; First Lieutenant, Albert E. Hand ; See- ond Lieutenant, Isaac Wooliver.
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THE THIRTY-EIGHTH REGIMENT. 1
cavalry and a battery of artillery-the duty consisting in keeping open the river and protecting a line of land telegraph for a distance of some forty miles. In the performance of this duty, skirmishes with guerillas were of frequent occurrence, but no general engagement was brought on. The regiment remained at this point until the surrender of Lee, when it was ordered to City Point, whence it was mustered out, reaching Trenton on the 4th of July, 1865.
Though never called upon to grapple in stern encounter with the foe, or to face the deadly perils of the field, the Thirty-eighth faithfully performed all the duties laid upon it in more peaceful spheres, and, doubtless, had occasion offered, would have acquitted itself in actual combat with the same efficiency and courage as more famous commands.
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CHAPTER XXXIII.
THE THIRTY-NINTH REGIMENT.
THE Thirty-ninth Regiment, recruited under the call of July, 1864, for five hundred thousand men, left Newark early in October of the same year-five companies leaving on the 4th, and the others a few days subsequently.1 Arriving at City Point, it was temporarily employed on the breastworks, moving thence to Poplar Grove Church, on the left of the Weldon Railroad, a few miles south of Petersburg, where it was attached to the First Brigade, Second Division, Ninth Army Corps. While here, it participated with the brigade in the expedition against the Southside Railroad, but was not actually engaged. Returning to camp, it remained until the last day of November, when, the corps relieving the Second, then holding the center of our line,
1 The original roster of the regiment was as follows :
Colonel, Abram C. Wildrick; Lieutenant-Colonel, James H. Close ; Major, William D. Cornish ; Adjutant, George S. Smith; Quartermaster, Corra Drake; Surgeon, George R. Sullivan ; Assistant Surgeon, George W. Douglass; Chaplain, Edward D. Crane Company A-Captain, Herman Reutter; First Lieutenant, Sedgwick R. Bennett; Sec- ond Lieutenant, Charles Sidel. Company B-Captain, Charles Bruere ; Lirst Lieuten- ant, William H. Ogden; Second Lieutenant, Sigmond Gnam. Company C-Captain, Edwin W. Hedges; First Lieutenant, Joseph H. Jenkins; Second Lieutenant, Albert R. Marsh. Company D-Captain, Fowler Merrill; First Lieutenant, Charles C. Mc- Coy; Second Lieutenant, Alasco C. White. Company E-Captain, Peter F. Rogers: First Lieutenant, Henry M. Heinold ; Second Lieutenant, John J. Sloate. Company F-Captain, John Hunkele; First Lieutenant, William H. Behrens; Second Lieuten- ant, Charles Sange. Company G-Captain, James Peters; First Lieutenant, Henry Reynolds ; Second Lieutenant, Charles Marsh. Company II-Captain, George W. Harrison; First Lieutenant, Joseph W. Nason ; Second Lieutenant, Peter Clute. Com- pany I-Captain, Gustavus Dupins; First Lieutenant, Richard M. Johnston; Second Lieutenant, Andrew J. McManus. Company K-Captain, David S. Allen; First Lieu- tenant, Jacob McConnell ; Second Lieutenant, John Shippee.
Colonel Wildrick had been an officer in the Regular Army, and was peculiarly qual- ified for the position of commandant. From first to last, his record was that of a thorough soldier, and the efficiency of the regiment when finally brought to the test, was in a very large degree owing to the influence of his example and careful teaching.
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THE THIRTY-NINTH REGIMENT.
the Thirty-ninth moved into position before Petersburg, sending one hundred men on picket on the first night of its arrival. On the day following, the command went into open camp in the rear of Fort Sedgwick, and here it remained until the middle of Febru- ary. It was then placed in Fort Davis, which it garrisoned until the night preceding the 2d of April.
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