USA > New Jersey > The New Jersey coast in three centuries; history of the New Jersey coast with genealogical and historic-biographical appendix, Vol. I > Part 23
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The arduous campaign in which the regiment now engaged led up to the battle of Chancellorsville, in which the first desperate onslaught fell upon the Eleventh ( Howard's) Corps, of which it was a part. This was the first engagement for this regiment, but it acquitted itself most gal- lantly, and amid all the chaos of the hour its organization was maintained intact, and it only fell back when so ordered. Towards night it made a counter-charge and took some prisoners. The regimental loss in the bat- tle was one hundred and seven men. Throughout the engagement Lieu- tenant Colonel Arrowsmith bore himself with great intrepidity, and he won for himself the admiration of his men and the commendation of his superiors.
The regiment subsequently marched into Maryland and thence to meet Lee at Gettysburg. Arrowsmith was in frail condition from a recent illness, but he persisted in keeping his saddle. On the first day of the great battle, while marching in the direction of the cannonading on the front of the First Corps, Surgeon Hendrick remarked to him, "You must not go into the fight; you are not strong enough;" but Arrowsmith jested away the friendly advice and remarked, "I have come to feel that the bullet is not moulded which is to kill me." The regiment soon came under fire. In the execution of a maneuver it fell into some confusion, from which it was extricated on the instant by the timely and proper order of Arrow- smith, and of which was said by one of the men, "How glad we were to
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hear that voice, for then we knew that our beloved Lieutenant Colonel, who had been ill, was with us."
The Eleventh Corps came into action at an opportune moment, and stayed the tide of battle which had well nigh overwhelmed the First Corps. But the enemy soon brought fresh troops into action, and the regiment, whose movements we note, was in danger of being cut off by a flank at- tack, which it was ordered to repel. It advanced to within fifty yards of the oncoming column. Arrowsmith was on the right of his regimental line, a superb figure, his voice heard in encouragement above the din of battle. A few moments later, and the gallant soldier fell, struck by a rifle ball full in the forehead. One near by said he never stirred after his fall. His personal effects were secured for his friends, with the exception of a ring and about one hundred and sixty dollars taken by a thieving soldier. The greater part of this sum and the ring were subsequently recovered.
In the desperate engagement in which the splendid soldier came to his death, the regiment was almost annihilated, its loss in killed, wounded and prisoners being three hundred and seven out of an aggregate of about three hundred and fifty who went into action. Of this number one hun- dred and fourteen were prisoners, so closely were the opposing forces in- termingled.
The body of Lieutenant Colonel Arrowsmith was buried on the field. It was afterward exhumed by Dr. Joseph E. Arrowsmith, a brother of the fallen soldier, and conveyed to Middletown, New Jersey, where funeral services took place in the Baptist Church, Sunday, July 26, 1863, in the presence of a large and deeply affected assemblage of friends and neigh- bors. An impressive sermon was delivered by the Rev. David B. Stout, and an obituary paper was read by the Rev. Dr. Samuel Lockwood.
On Decoration Day, 1891, at Red Bank, New Jersey, Hon. John S. Applegate delivered, at the request of Arrowsmith Post, No. 61, Grand Army of the Republic, an address presenting the life and character of Lieutenant Colonel Arrowsmith, who had been his playmate in boyhood and his roommate at Colgate University. In 1893, with this address as a foundation, Mr. Applegate published a volume of two hundred and fifty-four pages under the title "Reminiscences and Letters of George Ar- rowsmith," with an appendix containing the funeral discourse delivered by the Rev. David B. Stout, the resolutions of condolence adopted by the Brigade Board of the Monmouth and Ocean Brigade, and by the class of 1859 of Madison University, and other tributes to the memory of the fallen soldier.
From the pages of this volume have been derived the facts presented
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in the foregoing narrative, and from it is also taken the following tribute from the pen of the author :
"Thus lived and died Lieutenant Colonel George Arrowsmith at the early age of twenty-four years. While full maturity of character had not been attained, yet there was exhibited a sound and vigorous growth, beau- tiful in its symmetry, and towering in its aspirations. Though falling in the springtime of life, he did not live in vain. The principle for which he grasped his sword was vindicated. The rebellion was crushed, and constitutional liberty was preserved. It was he, in common with other brave hearts and strong arms, who accomplished this great result. He lived long enough to share in the glorious work and to render brilliantly conspicuous the virtues of his noble character.
"He gave his all to his country, cultivated talents, alluring prospects in civil pursuits, a young life; as a patriot he could have done no more. Of his courage I need not speak. It is attested by heroic deeds on sev- eral battle-fields, which are at once his monuments and his eulogies.
"In manhood he was the soul of honor, with an innate contempt for whatever was mean or intriguing. He possessed a high sense of duty which characterized his whole life, a steady purpose to do what he be- lieved to be right. He honored his father and mother, and in the sacred precincts of his own home he was the light and joy of their hearts.
"There was no gulf between him and others of less favored position. He had no snobbish pride or silly vanity. Hence he was the idol of the volunteer soldier. He possessed a dignity in bearing and a gravity in repose, but when approached his genial salutation relieved all uncertainty. Ile was proud, but it was the honorable pride born of true nobility of character. He was ambitious, but it was the laudable ambition to excell in good works and deeds.
"In conversation and social intercourse he was refined and courteous. A coarse or profane expression never fell from his lips. It was a strong point made in one of the testimonials presented to Governor Morgan recommending his promotion, that he was an officer who never used pro- fane language.
"His knowledge of history and general English literature was ex- tensive. He had a good memory, keen perceptions and a pleasant vein of humor. To these he united gifts of soul that enabled him to bind to his heart all who knew him with bands of steel.
"His patriotism was not the enthusiasm of the hour to be chilled by the first reverse or defeat. It was a settled determination, a firm con- viction, that underlying the contest was a great moral principle. Scenes of peril, of exposure, of exertion, he encountered without a murmur. Nor did he entertain a thought of terminating his military career before the end of the war. To the advice of a friend that he should limit his term of service, his reply was that 'as long as the war lasts, I will serve my country.'
"His natural qualities were conspicuously manifested in his army life.
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From the patient and painstaking student he became a thorough instructor and tactician in camp. From a genial companion in society he passed as the type of good fellowship by the camp-fire. His gentle and sympathetic nature endeared him to the victims of pain and suffering. Favored with a strong physical organization, he could endure hardships without ex- haustion. Possessed of great moral pride, he was a lion in danger, and his natural impetuosity made him a thunderbolt in battle.
"It is idle to speculate upon what he might have been had his life been spared. We accept him with admiration and gratitude for what he was. Enlisting as a mere boy, without rank, he was at once unanimously chosen by his fellow volunteers as the commandant of the company. In one year, for merit, he was promoted to the office of Assistant Adjutant- General upon the staff of General Tower, upon the recommendation of the Division Commander, General Ricketts. Without leaving the army, he was elevated to the field office of Lieutenant Colonel by the Governor of New York, who was thus prompted by the fame of the soldier, and was only restrained from appointing him Colonel by his generous refusal to ac- cept the position over a friend. On the eve of Gettysburg his comrades urged his higher promotion, with flattering testimonials from persons of distinguished military rank, but here was ended his rising career. It was an honorable death, and his epitaph is briefly written: a sterling soldier, a true patriot, and a brave man."
Ocean county was unrepresented by any organization under the early calls for troops, but some individuals enlisted in companies recruited else- where. In later days, however, it bore a full part and contributed to the ranks of various notable regiments.
April 25, 1861, the board of freeholders made an appropriation of $2,000 to defray the expense of recruiting and to supply the needs of the families of volunteers suddenly called from their accustomed labors.
Company D, Ninth Regiment, was mustered into service September 23, 1861, and served until July 12, 1865. The first Captain was Thomas W. Middleton, who was wounded during Burnside's campaign in North Carolina, and was succeeded by Edward Kissam, who was discharged in February, 1865, on account of disability, and was succeeded by Amos H. Evans, who commanded the company during the remainder of the war. The First Lieutenants were, in turn, George G. Irons, Charles Huffy, who became Captain of Company C, and Joseph C. Bowker. The Second Lieu- tenants, in turn, were Andrew J. Elberson, J. Madison Drake and Ed- ward H. Green. The company comprised two hundred and sixteen men from first to last, and of this number twenty-nine died, thirty-six were transferred to other companies, and twenty-three were discharged for disability.
The board of freeholders expended $900 in recruiting Company F
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of the Fourteenth Regiment. The company went into service August 15, 1862, and was mustered out June 18, 1865. Of its total of one hundred and thirty-five men, twenty-seven died, eighteen were transferred to other companies, and twelve were discharged on account of disability. The first Captain, Ralph B. Gowdy, was succeeded by John C. Patterson, who was promoted in turn to Major, Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel, and was succeeded in the captaincy by Vincent R. Marsh. The First Lieutenants were Samuel C. Bailey, who rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel ; Jarvis Wanser and Barton Applegate. The Second Lieutenants were Benjamin F. Patterson, Charles H. White, who became Captain of Company G, and William S. Conover. Sergeant James Chaffey became a Lieutenant in Company K, and Sergeant Samuel G. Hill a Lieutenant in Company A.
Company H, Twenty-ninth Regiment, was called into service in Aug- ust, 1862, and served until June 30, 1863. Its officers were Albert S. Cloke, Captain; Charles L. Kimball, First Lieutenant; and M. Perrine Gravatt, Second Lieutenant. It numbered ninety-nine men, of whom three died, eleven were discharged for disability, and one transferred.
Among other commands in which Ocean county was represented was the famous First Cavalry Regiment.
Owing to its sparse population, and the fact that the naval service was particularly inviting as well as necessitous, Atlantic county contrib- uted no considerable number of troops in one body. It was well repre- sented, however, in the First, Sccond, Third and Fourth New Jersey Reg- iments of Volunteers, both in the three months and three years service, and subsequently in the Sixth, Seventh and Tenth Regiments. All these served in the Army of the Potomac.
Beniah L. Stevens, who is now a business man of Atlantic City, who served in the Navy, rendered conspicuous service at a most opportune time. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps January 13, 1858, and was assigned to the United States ship "Pawnee," Commander H. J. Hartstene, in which he cruised about the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. until 1861. On January 9, 1861, he personally hoisted the United States flag over Fort McHenry. He was engaged in the destruction of the Nor- folk Navy Yard (made necessary to keep it from falling into the hands of the Rebels), on April 21st, when he was promoted for gallant services and ordered to the United States steamer "Mississippi."
This ship was one of Farragut's squadron during the blockade of New Orleans, and it was there that Stevens distinguished himself by a remarkable and reckless act of daring, which, for cool conception, has been rarely equalled. On April 24th, during Farragut's attack upon Forts Jack- son and St. Philip, the "Mississippi" was in mid-stream protecting the
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remainder of the fleet from the Rebel rams. So effective was the old ship's work that the commander of the Confederate ram "Manassas" determined to sink her, and he made for the Union vessel at full speed. He struck her about midship, and the force of the impact caused the "Manassas" to keel half over. On the upper deck of the "Mississippi" was Stevens, in command of a six-gun battery, which was exposed to the fire of the Con- federates. He saw an opportunity, at great risk, of effectually disabling the Rebel ram, and, without considering the danger to himself, and with :- out orders from his superiors, he sprang to one of his guns, which was somewhat shattered with a sixty-eight pound shell, and, quickly depress- ing the muzzle, he sighted almost through the enemy's smokestack, and pulled the lanyard. The shell penetrated to the engine room of the ram, where it exploded and wrecked the machinery, rendering the vessel hors de combat. The "Manassas," wrecked and shattered, drifted helplessly down the stream beyond the power of doing further harm. Before Ste- vens fired the shot he was wounded in the knee by a Rebel minie-ball, which caused him to fall, but only for a moment, as he again sprang to his task. His greatest injuries, however, were received from the terrific recoil of the gun, which in his crippled condition he could not avoid. His hurt proved so great that shortly after he was honorably discharged.
Joe Hooker Post, No. 32, Grand Army of the Republic, at Atlantic City, honors the memory of the patriot dead by maintaining a Memorial Hall, which is its own property.
A resident of Cape May county (Mr. W. B. Miller) rendered pe- culiarly useful service to the government at a most opportune time. A telegraph line connecting Philadelphia and Cape Island had been aban- doned by its owners. So early as April 21, 1861, not more than a week after Fort Sumter was fired upon, Mr. Miller suggested to Governor Ol- den the desirability of reopening the line in order to admit of the War and Navy departments communicating with government vessels off the Capes. Governor Olden was quick to perceive the necessity, and he in- structed Mr. Miller to repair the line, which was speedily done, at an ex- pense of nearly eight hundred dollars.
The conditions in the county were peculiar. The moment hostilities began, military companies were formed in various towns, but they were not brought into service. At the general election in 1860 a large majority of the votes cast were for Mr. Lincoln, but at the time the war began the board of freeholders was not in sympathy with the administration, and that body manifested its hostility by refusing to make repairs on the car- riage of "Long Tom," a cannon which had been in service during the war of 1812, and also by declining to render any assistance to Captain
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West's Cape Island Home Guards. During the summer, Samuel R. Magonagle, editor of the "Ocean Wave," formed a company which was not mustered into the service, but the greater number of its members sub- sequently enlisted in various commands. In the autumn of 1861 Captain Joseph E. Corson organized the Seaville Rangers (Company B, Atlantic Brigade), which was armed by the State, and rendered efficient duty in guarding the telegraph line and in other ways.
In August, 1861, the board of freeholders appointed a relief commit- tee to care for the families of volunteers, and its members served until May, 1862, when their successors were appointed.
Company A, Seventh Regiment, mustered into service August 23, 1861, was composed largely of men from Cape May county. Among its members was George W. Smith, who at the organization became First Sergeant. He was successively promoted to Sergeant Major, Second Lieu- tenant of the company, First Lieutenant of Company H, and Captain of Company C. At the battle of Malvern Hill, as the senior officer present, he commanded the regiment. He was wounded in action at Chancellors- ville, May 3, 1863, and this caused his resignation January 7, 1864. He returned home and became prominent in civil and military life. He was elected to the City Council, and in 1872 he was Sergeant-at-arms of the New Jersey Senate. In 1875 he organized Company H, Sixth Regiment, New Jersey State Guards, was elected to the captaincy, and was promoted to Major in 1882, and to Lieutenant Colonel in 1885. He resigned in 1887.
The Seventh Regiment participated in the various campaigns of the Army of the Potomac, and suffered great loss at Gettysburg.
The Twelfth Regiment went into service July 7, 1862, and fought at Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and in various other engagements. Among its officers was J. Howard Willetts, who had been a Captain in the Sev- enth Regiment; he was Lieutenant Colonel of the Twelfth at its organi- zation, was promoted to the colonelcy February 27, 1863, and resigned December 19, 1864, on account of wounds received in the battle of Chan- cellorsville. Richard S. Thompson, also of Cape May, was originally Captain of Company F, and was promoted through the various grades to the Lieutenant Colonelcy. He commanded the regiment in the battle of Ream's Station, where he was so severely wounded that he was obliged to retire from service February 17, 1865, having in the meantime, and while on crutches, served as president of a general court martial. Lieu- tenant Richard H. Townsend, another Cape May soldier, fell in the bat- tle of Gettysburg, shot through the heart. He had been promoted from the Tenth Regiment, and had been with his new command only three days when he met his death.
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The Twenty-fifth Regiment, mustered into service September 26, 1862, for a period of nine months, was first assigned to the defence of Washington, and participated in the battle of Fredericksburg and in some minor engagements. Three companies, F, G and I, were principally made up of Cape May County men.
Company F was recruited in greater part in Dennis and Lower town- ships and Cape Island. Of the commissioned officers, First Lieutenant Nicholas W. Godfrey and Second Lieutenant Henry Y. Willetts were residents of the county. The former named resigned and was succeeded by Willetts, and Reuben Foster succeeded the latter named.
Company G was principally composed of upper Cape May County men, and of men from Tuckahoe, on the Atlantic County side, with a few from Marshallville, then in Cumberland County. The officers were Charles R. Powell, Captain; and Ewing W. Tibbles and Nicholas Corson, First and Second Lieutenants, respectively.
Two-thirds of the members of Company I were from Cape May County, and the remainder from Atlantic County. The First Lieutenant was John F. Tomlin, who was promoted to Captain when Samuel E. Douglass (Second Lieutenant) was promoted to First Lieutenant, and J. Granville Leach (Sergeant Major) became Second Lieutenant. Lieuten- ant Leach received his promotion for gallant conduct in the battle of Fred- ericksburg. In 1865 he founded the "Cape May Daily Wave." He after- ward removed to Philadelphia, and was elected to the legislature of Penn- sylvania. From 1887 to 1891 he was Commissary General of the Na- tional Guard of Pennsylvania. He served under President Harrison as appraiser at the port of Philadelphia. For many years he closely followed literary pursuits, and his contributions to "Appleton's Cyclopedia of Amer- ican Biography" have been more numerous than those of any other con- tributor aside from the editorial staff.
The Thirty-eighth Regiment was mustered into service September 30, 1864, and was assigned to a provisional brigade of the Army of the James, and it took part in the operations in front of Petersburg. It was commanded by Colonel William J. Sewell, who afterward twice became United States Senator. In this regiment were many Cape May County men in Companies H and K. In Company K were First Lieutenant Al- bert E. Hand and Sergeant Samuel E. Douglass, the latter named of whom was promoted to Second Lieutenant.
The First Cavalry Regiment made a splendid record. It was organ- ized under the name of Halstead's Cavalry, in the summer of 1861, and arrived September I at Washington City. It was attached, in turn, to the Cavalry Division of the Army of the Potomac, the Military District of
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Washington, the Department of the Rappahannock, the Army of Virginia, the defenses of Washington, the Army of the Potomac, and again to the defenses of Washington. In point of service, rapid marches and number of engagements fought, ninety-seven in number, its record is unsurpass- able, and is equalled by but few mounted organizations of the war period. It was one of the first regiments to receive uniforms of the regular army pattern, and the novelty of blue cape-overcoats with yellow linings brought them the designation of the "Butterfly Regiment."
In this regiment perhaps every county on the New Jersey coast was represented. Middlesex county contributed nearly all the members of Company H. In Company B were a number of men from Cape May coun- ty, one of whom passed through experiences unexampled in the annals of war.
Henry Washington Sawyer, a native of Pennsylvania, at the age of nineteen years came in 1848 to Cape Island, where he engaged in his trade as a carpenter. He was among the first to respond to President Lincoln's call for the first army of seventy-five thousand men, in April, 1861. As there was no probability of a company being organized in Cape May, he went to Trenton and saw Governor Olden, who gave him im- portant letters to Secretary of War Cameron. There were then (April 19) but a handful of soldiers in the national capital, and Sawyer was de- tailed as one of a company of guards organized to protect the government buildings. Later he became a private in a Pennsylvania regiment, and soon afterward he was appointed Sergeant, and a month later he was com- missioned as Second Lieutenant. The term of service of the regiment having expired, he was discharged. February 19, 1862, he was commis- sioned Second Lieutenant in Company D, First Cavalry Regiment, and he was promoted to First Lieutenant April 7, and to Captain of Company K on October 8.
June 9, 1863, Captain Sawyer commanded his company in the battle of Brandy Station, one of the most desperate cavalry engagements of the' war. Well toward its close, he received two pistol bullets-one passed through his thigh, and the other struck his right cheek, passing out at the back of his neck near the spinal column. Despite his wounds, he kept his saddle until his horse was shot under him and fell with him to the ground, his senses leaving him with the concussion. On recovering con- sciousness, he found himself a prisoner. His wounds were pronounced very dangerous, if not mortal. Recovering sufficiently to admit of his removal, he was conveyed to Richmond, where he was committed to the famous Libby Prison.
July 6th, without preparation, he was called to face an ordeal which
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might well appal the stoutest heart. With other captives of the rank of captain, he was called into the presence of General Winder, commandant of the Prison. They entered with hope, anticipating release by exchange, but to their horror were informed that two of their number were to be- selected to be shot in retaliation for the execution by General Burnside- of two Confederate officers who had been taken while engaged in recruit- ing within the federal lines.
The little company were formed in a hollow square to witness the. lottery of death. The name of each was written on a separate slip of paper, and these slips were placed in a box, the commander giving notice that the first two slips drawn would designate the men to be executed. To those- from whom the victims were to be taken was granted permission to select those who should conduct the drawing.
At the suggestion of Captain Sawyer, who maintained a marvelous self-possession, the pitiful task was committed to Chaplain Brown, of the Sixth Maryland Regiment. Amid the most awesome silence the chaplain drew a slip, that bearing the name of Captain Sawyer, and another, bear- ing that of Captain Flynn, of the Fifty-first Indiana Regiment. Testimony to the splendid fortitude of Captain Sawyer is afforded by one of the first rebel journals of the day, the "Richmond Dispatch," which said, "Sawyer heard it with no apparent emotion, remarking that some one had to be drawn, and he could stand it as well as any one else."
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