USA > New Jersey > New Jersey troops in the Gettysburg campaign from June 5 to July 31, 1863 > Part 4
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" The name and character of Colonel Wyndham are known throughout the country; Broderick and Shelmire were known to few beyond their own immediate sphere of duty. Within that sphere they were valued, and their loss was severely felt."
General Gregg, in his report of the fight, says:
" Coming thus upon the enemy, and having at hand only the Third Division (total strength 2,400), I had either to decline the fight in the face of the enemy or throw upon him at once the entire division. Not doubting but that the Second Division was near, and delay not being admissible, I directed the commanders of my advance brigade to charge the enemy formed in columns about Brandy House. The whole brigade charged with drawn sabres, fell upon the masses of the enemy, and after a brief but severe contest, drove them
52
NEW JERSEY TROOPS
back, killing and wounding many and taking a large number of prisoners. Other columns of the enemy coming up charged this brigade before it could reform and it was driven back. Seeing this, I ordered the First Brigade to charge the enemy upon the right. This brigade came forth gallantly through the open fields, dashed upon the enemy, drove him away and occupied the hill. Now that my entire division was engaged, the fight was everywhere most fierce. Fresh columns of the enemy arriving upon the ground received the vigorous charges of my regiments, and under the heavy blows of our sabres were in every instance driven back. Martin's battery of horse artil- lery, divided between the two brigades, poured load after load of canister upon the rebel regiments. Assailed on all sides, the men stood to the guns nobly. Thus, for an hour and a-half, was the contest continued, not in skirmishing but in determined charges. The contest was too unequal to be longer continued. The Second Division had not come up, there was no support at hand and the enemy's number were three times my own. I ordered the withdrawal of my brigades. In good order they left the field, the enemy not choosing to follow.
* * * * ×
" The Third Division behaved nobly, and where every officer and man did his duty it is difficult to par- ticularize. I would, however, mention Colonel Percy Wyndham, First New Jersey Cavalry, commanding Second Brigade, and Colonel Judson Kilpatrick,
MAJOR-GENERAL H. JUDSON KILPATRICK, Brigadier-General Commanding Cavalry Brigade.
55 .
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN.
Second New York, commanding First Brigade, who gallantly led their brigades to the charge, and through- out the entire engagement handled them with consum- mate skill. Colonel Wyndham, although wounded, remained on the field and covered with a portion of his command the withdrawal of the division. Captain J. W. Martin, commanding Sixth New York Battery of Horse Artillery, did most excellent service. His sections were charged by the enemy's regiments on all sides. Two of his pieces disabled and one serviceable fell into the hands of the enemy, but not until twenty- one of his men were cut down, fighting stubbornly, and nearly all of the horses killed. Although the loss of these pieces is to be regretted, still the magnificent defense of them establishes in the highest degree the soldierly character of the officers and men of the bat- tery. The serviceable gun was spiked before the enemy got it.""
It will be noticed that the men so honorably men- tioned, Colonel Wyndhan, Colonel Kilpatrick, and the men of the Sixth New York Battery, were all Jersey- men. The latter command, while credited to New York, was raised almost wholly within the city of Rahway, this State. Of thirty-six men who went into the fight but six came out safely, and every one received some wound that he will carry through life. The charge by the First New Jersey was led by Colo- nel Wyndham in person, aided by Lieutenant-Colonel Broderick. At the first onset the enemy were driven from their guns, the support coming up were met and
. 56
NEW JERSEY TROOPS
in a few minutes were driven back. Reinforced, it returned and was again repulsed.
The rebels were terribly punished. By their own confession they lost many more than their adversaries, and in the First New Jersey almost every soldier must have killed his man. Sergeant Craig, of Company K, is credited with three; Slate, of the same company, had several hand-to-hand combats with the enemy, and the instances of individual bravery and pluck were numerous. Every soldier had an exciting story to tell, and Adjutant Kitchen, who was in the thickest of the fray, thus describes what befell himself :
" The crowd with whom Broderick was engaged was a little distance from me, and I had just wheeled to ride up to his help when two fellows put at me. The first one fired at me and missed ; before he could again cock his revolver I succeeded in closing with him. My sabre took him just in the neck, and must have cut the jugular. The blood gushed out in a black looking stream ; he gave a horrible yell and fell over the side of his horse, which galloped away. Then I gathered up my reins, spurred my horse, and went at the other one. I was riding the old black horse that used to belong to the signal sergeant, and it was in fine condition. As I drove in the spurs it gave a leap high in the air. That plunge saved my life. The rebel had a steady aim at me; but the ball went through the black horse's brain. His feet never touched ground again. With a terrible convulsive contraction of all his muscles, the black turned over in
57
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN.
the air, and fell on his head and side stone dead, pitch- ing me twenty feet. I lighted on my pistol, the butt forcing itself far into my side. My sabre sprang out of my hand, and I lay, with arms and legs abroad, stretched out like a dead man. Everybody had some- thing else to do than to attend to me, and there I lay where I had fallen.
" It seemed to me to have been an age before I began painfully to come to myself; but it could not have been many minutes. Every nerve was shaking ; there was a terrible pain in my head, and a numbness through my side which was even worse. Fighting was still going on around me, and my first impulse was to get hold of my sword. I crawled to it, and sank down as I grasped it once more. That was only for a moment; for a rebel soldier, seeing me move, rode at me. The presence of danger roused me, and I managed to get to my horse, behind which I sank, rest- ing my pistol on the saddle, and so contriving to get an aim. As soon as the man saw that, he turned off without attacking me. I was now able to stand and walk; and holding my pistol in one hand and my sabre in the other, I made my way across the fields to where our battery was posted, scaring some with my pistol and shooting others. Nobody managed to hit me through the whole fight. When I got up to
the battery I found Wood there. He sang out to me to wait and he would get me a horse. One of the men, who had just taken one, was going past, so Wood stopped him and got it for me.
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NEW JERSEY TROOPS
"Just at that moment White's battalion and some other troops came charging at the battery. The squadron of the First Maryland, who were supporting it, met the charge well as far as their numbers went; but were, of course, flanked on both sides by the heavy odds. All of our men who were free came swarming up the hill, and the cavalry were fighting over and around the guns. In spite of the confusion, and even while their comrades at the same place were being sabred, the men at that battery kept to their duty. They did not even look up or around, but kept up their fire with unwavering steadiness.
" There was one rebel, on a splendid horse, who sabred three gunners while I was chasing him. He wheeled in and out, would dart away, and then come sweeping back and cut down another man in a manner that seemed almost supernatural. We at last succeeded in driving him away, but we could not catch or shoot him, and he got off without a scratch."
Adjutant Kitchen was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel of the Second New Jersey Cavalry the following August, and served until June 30, 1864, when he resigned.
The First New Jersey Cavalry in this, as in every engagement in which it took part, was noted for the bravery of its men and the thoroughness with which they performed their duty. Its record is a noble and brilliant one, and no command shed greater honor upon its native State than this. The casualties in the
COLONEL HUGH H. JANEWAY, Major Com'd'g Ist N. J. Cav. (From a War-time Photograph.)
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IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN.
fight at Brandy Station were 52, of whom 6 were officers and 46 enlisted men as follows :
Killed.
Lieutenant-Colonel Virgil Broderick.
Major John H. Shelmire.
Company A-John Black.
B-Joseph Howard.
E-Sergeant James H. Palmatier ; George T. Poulson.
F-Sergeant Samuel Rainear.
66 G-Augustus Ringleb.
Wounded and Missing.
Colonel Percy Wyndham, gunshot wound through fleshy part of leg.
Captain Henry W. Sawyer, wounded and prisoner.
Second Lieutenant Hyde Crocker, prisoner.
First Lieutenant Joseph Brooks, wounded, sabre cut of left arm.
Company A-Henry Cash, Ephraim Croasdale, Charles E. Wilson, missing.
Company B-First Sergeant Smighton P. Crossman, Private Aaron H. Rake, wounded ; Jacob Casler, John Tynon, missing.
Company D-Octave Antonio, wounded and miss- ing; Isaiah Buchanan, wounded in shoulder; Joseph Crane, missing.
Company E-First Sergeant Joseph Killey, slightly
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NEW JERSEY TROOPS
wounded in head; Sergeant George W. Steward, gunshot wound in hip; Theodore L. Clement, Daniel McCormick, missing. (The last named deserted.)
Company F-Corporal Amos L. Poinsett, severely wounded in face and neck ; Charles Cadott, wounded in leg ; Daniel Cliver, wounded and missing; Sergeant Joseph F. Thibeaudeau, Corporal Ridgway S. Asy, Nathan Moore, John C. Dantz, missing.
Company G-First Sergeant Jeremiah P. Brower, Private James H. Stubbs, wounded and missing ; Richard Darmstadt, wounded; Borden G. Joline, Marshall Summers, missing.
Company H-Timothy Mahoney, wounded in leg ; Corporal John A. Schaffer, Privates William H. Jack- son, Douglas E. Grey, missing.
Company I-Sergeant Frederick Schaal, gunshot wound left wrist ; Sergeant Charles Earley, wounded and missing ; Philip Hann, missing.
Company K-Sergeant Robert Tuthill, wounded in thigh; Sergeant Richard Decker, rib broken; John M. Hendershot, wounded in foot ; * Henry Heater, severely wounded in the back, ball passing through and out at the abdomen ; John Hanley, missing.
Company M-James Linley, Horace Van Order, missing.
*Heater recovered from his wound, was promoted Corporal July I, 1863, Sergeant, January I, 1864, and served his full term, being mustered out September 16, 1864.
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IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN.
RECAPITULATION.
Killed.
Wounded.
Missing.
Total.
Officers
2
4
-
6
Enlisted Men
6
I9
2I
46
-
-
-
-
Total
8
23
21
52
Among the Jerseymen of Martin's Independent Battery (Sixth New York) who did such heroic service the following casualties are reported :
Wounded .- Frank H. Bliss, William Bishop, Augustus B. Crane, Alfred T. Freeman, Robert H. Fowle, John Jordon .- 6.
Captured by the Enemy .- Thomas Crane, Daniel C. Cripps, James Horton, Jonathan Hand, Daniel A. High, *Cornelius H. Miller, Rufus M. Miller, Thomp- son Thorn .- 8. Total, 14.
*Recaptured at same fight.
CHAPTER IV.
EWELL'S DASHING ADVANCE THROUGH THE VALLEY- MILROY SURPRISED AT WINCHESTER-THE FOUR- TEENTH NEW JERSEY ON MARYLAND HEIGHTS- HISTORY OF THE CORPS BADGE-THE NEW JERSEY TROOPS AND THEIR COMMANDERS-AN EXHAUST- IVE MARCH.
O N the tenth of June General Ewell advanced his troops through the Blue Ridge to Chester Gap, then pushed on to Front Royal, where he crossed the Shenandoah river, and by rapid marching through the Valley reached Winchester on the even- ing of June 13th, making seventy miles in three days. Lee's line of battle thus stretched over an interval of a hundred miles, from Fredericksburg to Winchester. This rapid marching had for its object the clearing of the Valley of whatever Union forces might have been established there, the most important point being Winchester, which was held by Milroy with about seven thousand men. Ewell had so skillfully per- formed his mission that Milroy was completely sur- prised.
Winchester is a railroad station about thirty miles southeast from Harper's Ferry. It was considered a
65
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN.
good point for observation and not particularly valua- ble as a strategic position. General Milroy had con- structed a stout line of intrenchments about the town, and he had a force of men sufficiently large for any ordinary defence of the place. In the neighborhood were many Union families who naturally relied upon the military forces for protection, and to whom they also were of great service. Berryville, southeast of Winchester, was occupied by Colonel McReynolds with a brigade, and Major Morris, with two hundred men, was stationed at another outpost, Bunker Hill.
While the movements of General Lee were in pro- . gress the authorities at Washington, on the IIth of June, ordered General Milroy to remove his armament and supplies to Harper's Ferry. Milroy at this time was ignorant of the advance of Lee's army to the north side of the Rappahannock river, though the fact was known to the government authorities. He was reluc- tant to obey the order, as he felt able to cope success- fully with any force of the enemy likely, in his opinion, to attack his position, and he was permitted to remain, subject to conditions which would enable him to avoid an engagement with superior numbers.
General Hooker, ignorant of the designs of the enemy, had not yet made a general movement of his army. On the Ioth of June, after the cavalry fight at Brandy Station, Generals Russell and Ames, with their detachments of infantry, had been ordered to join their commands, and the cavalry rendezvoused in the vicin- ity of Warrenton Junction. When Ewell's movement
5
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NEW JERSEY TROOPS
was observed, General Hooker, on the 11th, ordered the Third Corps to move from its camps in the vicinity of Falmouth to Hartwood Church, in close proximity to Kelly and Beverly Fords, which crossings they were to watch carefully, while the Fifth Corps, stationed in the neighborhood of Banks and United States Fords were to perform a like service there. On the 12th the lines were still further extended, the First Corps mov- ing from the vicinity of White Oak Church to Deep Run, the Third Corps taking a new position at Bealton, . Humphrey's division moving to the Rappahannock, · while the Eleventh Corps moved from Brook's Station to the place vacated by the First Corps at Hartwood Church. The next day, June 13th, when Ewell was at Winchester, General Hooker had only begun to put his army earnestly in motion. Milroy was in exceed- ing great peril. Without any knowledge of the move- ments of either army he was undecided for a time what to do, but on the 12th he sent word to Colonel McReynolds, at Berryville, to keep a sharp lookout as a reconnoissance ordered by him had discovered that a large force of the enemy were moving on the Front Royal road, and to be prepared to fall back on Winchester should he be attacked by superior num- bers. On the following day McReynolds fell back, his rear guard engaging the enemy, and succeeded in reaching Winchester before midnight, after a severe march of thirty miles. The detachment under com- mand of Major Morris was also compelled, after a severe engagement, to rejoin the main body at Win-
LIEUT. ROCHUS HEINISCH, Co. A, 26th Reg. N. J. Vols., Inf. (From Recent Photograph.)
6g
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN.
chester. Milroy's forces were being hemmed in on all sides by the superior numbers of Ewell, and these accessions to the troops at Winchester produced great embarrassment. Their presence augmented the diffi- culties which beset Milroy, and they were so exhausted after their arduous labors that Milroy was compelled to postpone action until they recovered sufficiently to endure further marching. Meanwhile Ewell was mak- ing the best use of his time and organized his forces for attack. The eastern side of the town was ap- proached first, but the attack there was gallantly repulsed. The enemy, reinforced, made a more deter- mined effort and succeeded in getting possession of part of the town, but they were driven out by artil- lery. Milroy then attempted to steal his way out, but every avenue of escape seemed to be cut off and as a last resort he determined to fight his way through the rebel lines. The enemy outnumbered him two to one, but a desperate charge upon their lines enabled the troops to break through. In the darkness the column became divided and Milroy succeeded in bringing safe to Harper's Ferry the greater part of his command. Colonel Ely's and Colonel McReynolds' brigades were, however, captured .* This cleared the Valley of all Union troops and made the further progress of Lee's army to Williamsport an easy matter.
* Milroy's losses were severe. General Lee reported that his troops captured "more than 4,000 prisoners, 29 guns, 277 wagons and 400 horses." These no doubt included seven hundred prisoners and five guns captured by General Rodes at Martinsburg.
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NEW JERSEY TROOPS
The alarm that was felt in Washington by Ewell's presence in the Valley led to the receiving of marching orders by the Fourteenth New Jersey Regiment, Colonel William Truex, then stationed at the Monocacy river. Hurriedly, in light marching order, the regi- ment moved to the cars in waiting to carry them to Harper's Ferry, one company remaining behind to guard the bridge at the river. The regiment went into camp on Maryland Heights, with the troops of General Tyler, who had escaped from Martinsburg after a fierce encounter with Rodes' division of Ewell's corps. The Fourteenth encamped on the. Heights for about two weeks. General Tyler was superseded by General French, who at once proceeded to fortify his position and make it impregnable from. attack. At this arduous and fatiguing duty the Four- teenth were kept busily engaged and suffered great. hardship and exposure.
On June 13th, General Hooker abandoned his posi- tion opposite Fredericksburg, the First Corps moving from Deep Run to Bealton, the Fifth from the fords on the Rappahannock toward Morrisville, Wright and Newton's divisions of the Sixth Corps from Frank- lin's Crossing to Potomac Creek, the Eleventh Corps to Catlett's Station, while the Twelfth Corps moved from Stafford Court House and Aquia Creek Landing to Dumfries, marching all night long. The store- houses and supply depots at Aquia Creek were burned. As soon as the Federal army disappeared from his front, General A. P. Hill broke camp at Fredericks-
71
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN.
burg and started to join Longstreet and Lee at Cul- pepper.
The New Jersey troops were distributed as follows in the several corps :*
* Each of the corps of the Army of the Potomac were designated by a badge, the First Division color being red, the Second Division white, and the Third Division blue. The flags of each division headquarters were designated as follows: First Division, a square flag, white, with red emblem in centre; Second Division, blue flag, white emblem in centre; Third Division, white flag, with blue emblem in centre. Bri- gade headquarter flags were triangular, the colors being arranged in the same manner. This method of distinguishing the various corps emanated from the simple device employed by General Kearny, while in command of a division on the Peninsula campaign, under General McClellan. Just before the battle of Williamsburg General Kearny caused the officers and men of his division to be supplied with a patch of flannel cut in the shape of a square (diamond) or lozenge, and in a general order directed that all the field and staff officers should wear a red diamond on the top of their caps, and the line officers the same in front, the enlisted men wearing it on the left sleeve of the coat. It was devised as a means of better distinguishing the officers and men, as the uniforms of both were so much alike at the time as to cause confusion. After the death of General Kearny, at Chantilly, General Birney, his successor, ordered that these patches should be worn in memory of their gallant old commander, but none were entitled to wear the badge but those who had been in action with the divsion. General Hooker, when he was placed in command of the Army of the Potomac, utilized the idea and caused each of his seven corps to be designated by a badge. The badges worn by the New Jersey troops were as follows :
2
3
6
12
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NEW JERSEY TROOPS
SECOND CORPS-Third Division, Second Brigade. Twelfth Regiment, Major John T. Hill.
THIRD CORPS-Second Division, First Brigade. Elev- enth Regiment, Colonel Robert McAllister.
Third Brigade. Fifth Regiment, Colonel William J. Sewell. Sixth Regiment, Colonel George C. Burling. Seventh Regiment, Colonel L. R. Francine.
Eighth Regiment, Colonel John Ramsey.
Second Army Corps Badge-Trefoil. Twelfth New Jersey, Second Division: Blue.
Third Army Corps Badge - (Kearny's) Diamond, First Division: Red. Fifth. Sixth, Seventh, Eighth and Eleventh New Jersey Infantry. Artillery Brigade: Battery "B," First New Jersey Artillery.
Sixth Army Corps Badge-Greek Cross. First Division: Red. First, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifteenth New Jersey Regiments. Battery " A," First New Jersey Artillery.
Twelfth Army Corps Badge-Five Pointed Star. First Division: Red. Thirteenth New Jersey Regiment.
The designs for the other three corps were as follows:
1
5
11
First Army Corps-Disc, or lozenge. Fifth Army Corps-Maltese Cross. Eleventh Army Corps-Crescent.
In a short time the badge was universally adopted by the corps in all the armies of the Union, and became one of the most popular features of soldier life.
73
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN.
Artillery Brigade. Battery "B," First New Jersey
Artillery, Captain A. Judson Clark.
SIXTH CORPS-First Division, First Brigade. General A. T. A. Torbert, commanding.
First Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel Wm. Henry, Jr. Second Regiment, Colonel Samuel L. Buck.
Third Regiment, Colonel Henry W. Brown.
*Fourth Regiment, Major Charles Ewing.
Fifteenth Regiment, Colonel William H. Penrose.
Cavalry Detachment. Company "L," First New Jersey.
TWELFTH CORPS-First Division, Third Brigade. Thirteenth Regiment, Colonel Ezra A. Carman.
CAVALRY CORPS-Second Division, First Brigade. First Regiment, Major M. H. Beaumont.
Third Division. Brigadier-General Judson Kilpatrick, commanding.
ARTILLERY RESERVE-Fourth Volunteer Brigade. Battery " A," First New Jersey, Lieutenant Augustin N. Parsons.
General Lee's plan of operations comprised, among other things, the drawing away of the Federal army from the Defences of Washington, thus to enable him to administer a severe blow to Hooker on Virginia territory. After Ewell had successfully driven Milroy from the Shenandoah Valley Hill moved to Culpepper,
* The Fourth Regiment on this campaign was detailed as guard to division trains, and at division headquarters.
74
NEW JERSEY TROOPS
and Longstreet, moving east of the Blue Ridge, occu- pied Ashby's and Snicker's Gaps, hoping by this manœuvre to entice Hooker to move against him at these points. General Hooker, however, did not bite at the bait thus temptingly held out, but skillfully covered the Capital from any likelihood of attack and moved his army to checkmate any possible designs Lee might have in that direction. On June 14th he had advanced his army in the following order: The First and Third Corps to Manassas Junction, the Fifth Corps to Catlett's Station, the First and Third Divisions of the Sixth Corps to Stafford Court House, the Eleventh Corps to Centreville, which place it reached next day. The Twelfth Corps arrived at Dumfries on the morn- ing of the 14th, and remained there during the day. On the 15th, the day of Milroy's defeat, the Army of the Potomac moved rapidly to more advanced posi- tions. The Second Corps, which had remained at Falmouth, moved to Aquia, the Fifth Corps joined the First and Third at Manassas Junction, the Sixth Corps moved to Dumfries, just as the Twelfth was moving out for Fairfax Court House. The Cavalry Corps, which had been rendezvousing at Warrenton Junction, moved to Union Mills and Bristoe Station.
The march of the Twelfth Corps, from Stafford Court House to Dumfries, on the 15th of June, was a memorable one to the Thirteenth New Jersey Regi- ment. Orders for a change of camp had been received on the morning of the 13th, and the Third Brigade broke camp at Stafford and moved to Brook's Station,
MAJOR-GENERAL GEORGE GORDON MEADE, Commander Army of the Potomac.
77
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN.
where the rest of the day was spent in erecting new quarters. About seven o'clock in the evening orders to move were again received, and in a short time the column was on the road, passing through Stafford about nine o'clock and continuing on all through the night until Dumfries was reached the next morning. The night was very dark, but for a good part of the way the road was illumined by the bright reflection which came from the burning buildings at Aquia Creek Station. The march to Fairfax on the 15th of June was also a severe one. The heat of the sun was intense, there was little water to be found anywhere on the route, and whenever the column halted for a brief rest, men would search in vain for a stream of water to quench their thirst. Occasionally a feeble stream would be found, but the sudden rush for water soon converted it into a mud-puddle, and thus the misery of thirst was only aggravated. The distance marched was about twenty-five miles, and so overpowering was the heat that three men of the Third Brigade-Charles E. Somerville, of the Thirteenth New Jersey, and two men of the One Hundred and Seventh New York- died from the exhaustion it caused.
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