USA > New York > The Ninth New York heavy artillery : a history of its organization, services in the defe battles, and muster-out, with accounts of life in a rebel prison, personal experiences, names and addresses of surviving members, personal sketches and a complete roster, pt 1 > Part 1
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Gc 973. 74 Ni42roe pt. 1 1757799
REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01757 0117
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THE
NINTH NEW YORK
HEAVY ARTILLERY
pt:1
A HISTORY OF ITS ORGANIZATION, SERVICES IN THE DEFENSES OF WASHINGTON, MARCHES, CAMPS, BATTLES, AND MUS- TER-OUT, WITH ACCOUNTS OF LIFE IN A REBEL PRIS- ON, PERSONAL EXPERIENCES, NAMES AND AD- DRESSES OF SURVIVING MEMBERS, PER- SONAL SKETCHES, AND A COM- PLETE ROSTER OF THE REGIMENT.
BY ALFRED SEELYE ROE of Company A.
" For freedom's battle, once begun, Bequeathed by bleeding sire to son, Though baffled oft, is ever won." -- Byron.
PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR, WORCESTER, MASS. 1899.
563
1757799
F 8349
.524
Roe, Alfred Seclye, 1844-1917.
The Ninth New York heavy artillery. A history of its or- ganization, services in the defenses of Washington, marches, camps, battles, and muster-out ... and a complete roster of the regiment. By Alfred Seelye Roe ... Worcester, Mass., The author, 1899.
615 p. front., illus. (incl. plans) plates, ports. 24c.
1. U. S. -- Hist. - Civil war - Regimental histories - N. Y. art .- 9th. 2. New York artillery. 9th regt., 1852-1865.
Library of Congress
E523.7.9th
Copyright 1800: 50-173
EHELP CARO 23501)
26471
-
-
Lt. Col. Wm. H. Seward, Jr.
Surgeon S. A. Sabin.
FIELD AND STAFF. Chaplain Warham Mudge. Major E. P. Taft. Colonel Joseph Welling. Q. M. H. P. Knowles. Asst. Surgeon D. S. Chamberlain.
Copyright. 1899, by ALFRED SEELYE ROE.
---
PRESS OF F. S. BLANCHARD & CO., WORCESTER, MASS.
PREFACE.
This book is in no way a history of the Rebellion. Not the slightest effort has been made to generalize, but throughout, the . story is confined to the career of one regiment of soldiers. Dur- ing the war more than 2,000 similar organizations did similar service, but what our regiment did, what our boys suffered, where they went, what they saw,-all these items make up the matter of this compilation, for such it is in the most thorough acceptance of the word.
General Sherman said that no two men ever saw the same battle in the same light; that their stories, both true, would differ in essential features; granting this to be so, how much more diverse must be the recitals of the nearly 3,000 men who constitute the vast aggregate of the Ninth? While the infantry regiment, as a rule, was kept together and moved compactly, our body was divided into three battalions, and these again were subdivided, oftentimes, into more parts than companies, till we had squads scattered seemingly over a large part of the District of Columbia. Even when our departure from the de- fenses came, and for a few days we marched together, we were soon separated, and an observer for each division was desirable. Under such eircumstances it became necessary to call on all surviving members of the regiment for such data as they might possess. Many responded nobly. Some who promised much, failed to send anything. However, those who did comply sent enough to occupy the possible time of nearly four years in read- ing and copying.
Along with these letters, written home in war-times, and the daily record so carefully kept at the time, and preserved since, access should have been had to the regimental and company books, along with the pay-rolls now in the keeping of the War Department in Washington. Some organizations did not com- ply with the demands of the government at the end of the war, and retained their documents, to this day open to any one car- ing to read: but the great majority of the regiments obediently
4
NINTH NEW YORK HEAVY ARTILLERY.
turned in their books, and now when they humbly ask the priv- ilege of referring to the record that they themselves made, they are told that the books are too precious for ordinary eyes, and moreover the custodians say they will not even answer ques- tions. They tell us that transcripts have been sent, in our case, to Albany, and that there these records are accessible; but these same transcriptions are full of errors, which might be obviated by comparison with the Washington data, but we are refused the opportunity. That these Washington records might be examined, a request was forwarded to the secretary of war, endorsed by General William H. Seward, Colonel Anson S. Wood, at the time commander of the New York department of the Grand Army of the Republic, and by the Hon. Sereno E. Payne, member of Congress from the 2Sth District, and also by Governor Roger Wolcott of Massachusetts. To this seem- ingly reasonable request came the reply that the books referred to are in the custody of the office, but they can not be consulted for historical purposes, nor can access to the records be given to persons not officially connected with the department. A very long letter accompanied the rufusal, which at the best is only a dog-in-the-manger proposition. At once the query rises, "Why are men who have reason to be interested in this record thus refused?" There is no good answer, but it has been surmised that the department contemplates a continuation of the Re- bellion Record, already printed at an expense of two and one- half millions of dollars. picking out what may be supposed to interest the public. Then there is a possibility that they will be kept sealed, till the men most interested in them have passed away; they will become fair fields for the discoverers and ex- plorers of the next century to roam through. Colonel Ains- worth, the officer in charge of the archives, has intimated that such publication, as indicated above, may come some day, but it will be like the Revolutionary rolls now issuing from the state of Massachusetts years after those who made the record have ceased to care. An extract from the letter written by the acting secretary of war to the Hon. Mr. Payne follows:
It is proper to remark, further, that there is no necessity that Mr. Roe should have access to the records on file here for the purpose described in the communication of Mr. Kenyon, which accompanied your letter. A complete record of all the officers and men of the 9th New York Artillery, as shown by the rolls
5
PREFACE.
on file in this department, was furnished to the adjutant general of the state of New York in 1888, and it is understood that that official has already published, or is about to publish, the record of the regiment. At any rate, nothing additional can be ob- tained from the rolls on file here.
And there is no necessity that he should have access to the regimental books "so as to note the different orders issued cov- ering the movements of the regiment." Such movements can not be ascertained with any degree of accuracy from those books; but all the important operations in which any regiment was engaged can be readily ascertained by consulting the vol- umes of the Rebellion Records, which have been published and widely distributed by this department. .
To the foregoing I make this reply, that it is just the matter not deemed of sufficient importance to be printed that the regi- mental history needs. The world is not concerned about the 9th New York Heavy Artillery in the ' . t. The general history of the war, with its great leaders and battles, gives what the reading world desires; we wish to know what the indi- vidual accomplished. The history of a regiment becomes to that of the war what a local history is to that of the country. The people of the section from which the regiment was raised are interested in what their friends did, and it is for the com- piler of the narrative to judge what will entertain them; he is better qualified to decide than a man though high in office, to whom the whole collection in his bureau is just an array of facts and nothing more. It is to be hoped that this unfair condition. at no distant day, though too late to be of service to us, will cease to exist, and the men whose deeds are recorded there may. with their mortal eyes, have the privilege of looking upon the papers. A campaign to this effect should be inaugurated.
Without the co-operation of many this history had been an impossibility. Fortunately, there was a long list of whole- souled, devoted men who said, "Go in and give the project a start, and we will back you up." To all such my thanks are due. and they are hereby rendered. An enumeration of all those thus connected would be difficult, but I must name General William HI. Seward, who has helped in many ways from the start; Col- onels Anson S. Wood, William Wood, and S. B. Lamoreaux, who by recollection, correction and suggestion have speeded the task; Major Chauncey Fish, whose untiring zeal has been an inspiration; Major George W. Brinkerhoff, Captains J. H. Hyde,
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NINTH NEW YORK HEAVY ARTILLERY.
F. A. Sinclair, and S. A. Howe, whose readiness to respond to questions has been exceedingly helpful; Adjutant V. A. Ken- yon for invaluable suggestions and data; Lieutenants S. F. Harris, E. L. Huntington, and J. D. Knapp, who furnished valu- able data from their diaries; G. H. Alpeter, John Colligan, J. H. De Voe, W. G. Duckett, E. P. Dunning, C. A. Ford, O. J. Frost, H. P. Howard, S. E. Hurtubise, A. K. Long, Charles McDowell, J. H. Marvin, R. Morehouse, F. N. Parish, L. B. Rice, Steph. Reeves, C. L. Shergur, A. E. Stacey, Frank Tallman. F. A. Tall- man, all of whom by diaries, letters, or memory supplied much of the matter herein recorded; the families of Surgeon S. A. Sabin, Captain P. R. Freeoff, Chaplain Warham Mudge, Lieutenant B. J. Yard, Sergeant N. G. York, Sergeant H. K. Austin, and Walter Deuel, for painstaking compilations and answers to questions; outside of the regiment and its immediate connec- tions thanks arew reby tendered to Captain George E. Davis of the 10th Vermont for valuable suggestions; to Chaplain E. M. Haynes of the same regiment for the use of maps of Win- chester and Cedar Creek battlefields; to Major E. Y. Golds- borough of Frederick. Md., for assistance; to Colonel Frederick Phisterer, assistant adjutant general of New York, with Mr. W. A. Saxton of his staff for most courteous and cordial attention and aid, and, finally, my obligations are acknowledged to Col- onel John D. Billings of Cambridge, Mass., author of "Hard- tack and Coffee," for the use of numerous cuts from that valu- able publication.
Anticipating the criticism of some that no set rule has been followed in the size of portraits, I would state that the rule of necessity has been the only one heeded. Where a cut was al- ready in existence. as those of myself and sundry others, the same has been used. Where new ones were made, only the best results possible were desired. A later portrait of Colonel Snyder was diligently but unsuccessfully sought. Should one ever be obtained I pledge myself to send an engraved copy to every pur- chaser of this book.
Comrades! The History, such as it is, is now yours. Its prep- aration has taken the time of nearly five years. I am not sorry that I have done the work, but I would not undertake such a task again. Read it carefully and. if it pleases you, give me the benefit of your approbation. If you find faults, as you must inevitably, criticise as sparingly as possible. remembering that
7
PREFACE.
I have written with no axe to grind, no debts to pay, with no malice to satisfy, having one object only, viz., the perpetuation of the memory of our regiment, the 9th New York Heavy Ar- tillery.
ALFRED S. ROE.
Worcester, Mass., September, 1899.
CORRECTIONS.
Page 58, 19th line, Surgeon Dwight S., not D. W. Chamber- lain.
Page 76, 2d line, for Frank W., read Frank A. Sinclair.
Page 79, 5th line, read Ninth, not North.
Page 120, 23d line, Colonel Tompkins, not Thompson.
Page 124, 1st line, for Colonel Harvey, read Henry.
Page 129, 2d line, R., not R. E. Burton.
Page 248, 1st line, Andrew S., not John S. Hall.
Page 320, Lieutenant Burton did not escape.
Page 459, C. W. Blanchard enlisted in 1863.
CONTENTS.
PAGE.
Chapter I. Second Wayne and Cayuga Regiment,
9
Chapter II. From Auburn to Washington, 19
Chapter III. Through Washington, 25
Chapter IV. Camp Life and Road-making,
31
Chapter V. Camp Nellie Seward and Fort Kearney,
36
Chapter VI. Camp Morris and the 9th Heavy Artillery,
44
Chapter VII. Life in the Forts,
50
Chapter VIII. Fort Foote,
57
Chapter IX. Soldiering in the Defenses,
66
Chapter X. A General Shaking-up,
77
Chapter XI. Reaching the Front.
85
Chapter XII. From the North Anna Through Cold Harbor,
91
Chapter XIII. From Cold Harbor to Petersburg,
107
Chapter XIV. To and Through Monocacy, 121
Chapter XV. Retreat and Pursuit,
135
Chapter XVI. The Valley and Winchester,
142
Chapter XVII. The 3d Battalion from Petersburg to Harrisonburg, 157
Chapter XVIII. The Valley and Cedar Creek,
163
Chapter XIX. From Cedar Creek to Petersburg,
194
Chapter XX. Petersburg, Through March, 1865,
206
Chapter XXI. Breaking the Lines, and Sailor's Creek, 223
Chapter XXII. The Danville Raid,
240
Chapter XXIII. Richmond, Washington, and Home,
251
Chapter XXIV. Those Who Were Left Behind, 261
Chapter XXV. Miscellaneous.
273
Chapter XXVI. Prisoners of War,
307
Chapter XXVII. Veteran Association,
367
Chapter XXVIII. Personal Experiences of the Civil War, 390
Chapter XXIX. Personal Sketches, 409
Chapter XXX. Regimental Roster, 453
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NINTH NEW YORK HEAVY ARTILLERY. -
CHAPTER I.
SECOND CAYUGA AND WAYNE REGIMENT.
What happy fate was it that associated these two melodi- ously named counties in the 25th Senatorial District, and thus made them parents of two as devoted organizations as from 1861 to 1865 went forth from the Empire State? Of the sixty- one names that make up the county appellations of New York we, who were fortunate enough to have lived among the drift hills and in the fertile valleys of this part of the state, count Cayuga and Wayne, if not the most beautiful, at least as lovely as any of the list which, from Albany to Yates, we were wont to repeat concertedly in our schoolboy days.
The first word recalls the lake of the same name-Auburn. erer loveliest village of the plain; the Indians whose tribal ap- pellation was taken for that of the county, and above all the chief of the same tribe, whose melancholy epitaph every one who has visited Fort Hill cemetery readily calls to mind. "Who is there left to mourn for Logan?" hallows all the sur- roundings; the second name, covering territory once a part of the first, reminds us of that brave Revolutionary soldier who proclaimed himself ready to storm h-1 if Washington would but plan the attack. From Stony Point to his final resting-place on the shores of Erie, was a weary march for Mad Anthony Wayne, but those who live under the sound of his great name falter not in their admiration for his vigor and courage. .
To these regions came, after the Revolution, people of kin- dred birth and rearing, and for a similar purpose. Prosperity attended them. Free and independent themselves, they had little respect for a system that proposed to enrich one class at the expense of another. Nowhere in this broad land were there more or more willing laborers on the Underground Rail- road. In Auburn lived for many years William H. Seward, the author of the Irrepressible Conflict, who, at a latter date.
9
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NINTH NEW YORK HEAVY ARTILLERY.
through an assassin's knife, was to seal his devotion to his prin- ciples with his blood. and whose son, bearing his own honored name, was to be the esteemed leader of one of the regiments raised in this favored locality. Thus placed and thus reared, what wonder that the sons of Cayuga and Wayne early re- sponded to the tocsin of battle! Indeed, it is claimed that men were enrolled in Auburn. eager for the fray. long before the first gun had been fired upon Sumter. The first call for troops found our fathers and brothers ready, and while no regiment at first hailed entirely from this section, yet by com- panies, squads and individuals they found their way very early into the ranks of war. Cayuga sent her earliest enlisted men into the 19th Infantry, afterwards the 3d [Light] Artillery, and the 75th; into the 8th, 10th and 11th Cavalry; the 1st Independent Battery, the 3d and 4th Artillery and the 50th Engineers; those from Wayne were more widely scattered. through the 13th, 17th, 27th, 33d, 67th, 98th and 105th In- fantry; Sth, 10th and 15th Cavalry and the 3d Artillery. The 75th was called the "Cayuga Regiment," but Wayne and Seneca made up a part of its numbers.
When, July 2d, 1862, President Lincoln called for 300,000 additional men, the yeasty or frothy days of soldier making had passed. Bull Run, Ball's Bluff and the Seven Days' Fight had sent home object lessons to disillusion any and all who had thought that war was all glory. The South had evidenced sufficient strength to warrant the calling for three years of service. Under such circumstances, men knew that they were not entering upon a holiday picnic. Apparently the majority counted the cost, and with open eyes took the momentous step which entered them in a race with death.
Up to this date, individual effort had seemed sufficient to raise the regiments required, but now regular, systematic work was necessary. The senatorial district appeared to be a good basis of organization. and for the 25th a War Committee was appointed whose chairman was Major William C. Beardsley, and William H. Seward. Jr., was secretary. Already talk of a draft was heard, and it was dreaded alike by two classes, viz .: those who feared they themselves might be chosen, and those who thought the necessity an aspersion on patriotism. To ward off this infliction, New York struggled zealously. Her quota of 59,705 men was exceeded by 18,199 recruits. The proud
THE WM. H. SEWARD MONUMENT, AUBURN, N. Y. SEWARD HOMESTEAD IN BACKGROUND.
11
SECOND CAYUGA AND WAYNE REGIMENT.
distinction of sending nearly half a million soldiers into the War of the Rebellion was not gained without arduous labor. Eloquent speakers descanted upon love of country, saying, "Go to defend it." But the newly enlisted man more effectively said to his neighbor, "Come, go with me." It was a never-to- be-forgotten whirlwind of patriotism which swept through our counties in July and August of 1862. Special meetings of the respective boards of supervisors were held to further the cause. The Hon. E. B. Morgan of Auburn, a recent member of Congress, and ever a devoted friend of humanity, was con- spicuous in his efforts to start the enlistment ball in motion. The Hon. T. M. Pomeroy, also of Auburn, then member of Con- gress, gave his entire time to furthering this object. Througli- out both counties, every public hall and school-house resounded with pleas to help save the country by immediate enlistment. Flags floated in every breeze, as they had never done before, and the air was vibrant with the words, sung to "Patsey" Gilmore's music :
"We are coming, Father Abraham, three hundred thousand more,"
Enlistments were not the results of sudden freaks, nor spasms of love of country, but with a full sense of the peril incurred, men of all vocations thronged to the enrollment stations and entered their names. That they took their lives in their hands they knew full well, and the sequel showed how deep was their devotion. Better material never essaved the soldier role than that which went out in the summer and fall of 1862.
The meeting of interested citizens, held in Port Byron July 12th, took action which resulted in the formation of the two regiments, the 111th and the 138th, that look to Cayuga and Wayne for paternity. To Joseph Welling, Esq., of Lyons, was proffered the honor of calling public meetings to stimulate re- cruiting, and, on his declination, the same was offered to Jesse Segoine, who became the first colonel of the 111th, or the first Cayuga and Wayne regiment. Had the offer to our Colonel Welling been accepted. in what changed relations might the names upon the Roll of Honor appear!
East and west of us, in Syracuse and Rochester, there had been regimental headquarters to whose numbers our counties had contributed, and distinguished honors had come to those who had led the organizations there formed. Now the happy
12
NINTH NEW YORK HEAVY ARTILLERY.
thought of raising regiments by senatorial districts was to give to us similar distinction. Henceforth, the two counties, be- tween Onondaga and Monroe, were to claim and to hold their own.
.Colonel Segoine received his authority to raise a regiment July 19th, and before the month was ended it was evident that the district would readily fill another. Accordingly, Auburn parties visited Albany and obtained from Governor Edwin D. Morgan authority to organize a second regiment. The order is as follows:
GENERAL HEADQUARTERS, STATE OF NEW YORK, ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE. ALBANY, August 8, 1862. Special Orders No. 419.
The Regimental Camp established in the 25th Senatorial Distric is hereby continued, and a second Regiment of Infantry is hereby authorized to be raised in said district. General Jesse Segoine, Colonel of the Regiment now quartered there, will act as Commandan of the Camp.
By order of the Commander-in-Chief. (Not signed.) Adjutant General.
Of the original 101 men of Company A, more than three- fourths had put down their names before the date of this order. Subsequent Captain, then First Sergeant, Chauncey B. Fish of Company B had enrolled himself August 1st. Even while this delegation from the War Committee was on its way to Albany, August 7th, Captain James W. Snyder, from the town of Wolcott, drove into Auburn with his would-be soldiers, re- ceiving such an ovation as was afterwards paid to those who came home from the war. That was before the days of electric railways and cross-country railroads, so the trip was made in wagons, drawn for the most part by four-horse teams, and, though the way was long and dusty, it was memorable alike to those who rode and to those who beheld. The array was escorted through the principal streets, and citizens vied with each other to make the reception what Cayuga ought to offer to Wayne. However, for their own convenience their coming was a trifle previous, since the 111th was still in camp, and
-------- -
13
SECOND CAYUGA AND WAYNE REGIMENT.
temporary quarters were sought in hotels, private houses, un- occupied floors of business blocks, and, on the authority of General Seward, one or two patriots slept in empty dry goods boxes in the street. At any other time than this, other reasons than crowded quarters, very likely, would be assigned for the latter lodgings.
Either pure patriotism or fear of the draft was doing excel- lent work in central New York. At a single meeting in Red Creek, forty men signed the roll, and in two weeks, from July 25th, 143 enlisted in this village. The future Colonel Snyder did telling work. At a war meeting in Rose July 27th, ad- dressed by the Rev. A. M. Roe, then of Oneida county, but formerly of Rose, the assembled farmers subscribed $100 to help on the cause.
As the 111th did not depart for the front till August 21, it will be seen that for some time furloughs home were not very diffi- cult to obtain. To go home and to remain there till directed to report in Auburn, was the welcome order to many a boy to whom enlistment began to have a serious flavor. It is safe to say that never in his life had that same home seemed dearer than when he contemplated the possibilities of an everlasting fare- well. One young man's story may serve as a picture of many experiences: "I enlisted Sunday, about 5 o'clock in the after- noon. I hitched the bay horse to my sulky at 9 P. M. and started for Auburn, which place I reached at 1 A. M. the next morning. That twenty-seven miles' ride in the night can never be forgotten. The leaving of wife and little boys and parents. with all that I had held dear, made me, several times, pull the reins and say, 'I can't go,' then the thoughts of rebels, march- ing northward towards those same loved ones, would come into my head and I shouted, 'Go on, Jack,' and I was duly mustered in."
Had all the fervid words uttered in Cayuga and Wayne, dur- ing these enlistment months of July and August, been pre- served, while they would be found freighted with intensest loyalty, readers of to-day would be vastly more interested in what the soldiers did than in what their prompters said. Every township and almost every calling had its representatives, thus confirming the words of Count de Rochambeau, our French ally in the Revolution: "In America, men of every trade are soldiers, but none are soldiers by trade."
14
NINTH NEW YORK HEAVY ARTILLERY.
On the departure of the 111th August 21st, Camp Halleck was immediately organized, and the men were called in. Col- onel Welling assumed command in accordance with the fol. lowing order from Albany; -
GENERAL HEADQUARTERS, STATE OF NEW YORK,
ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, ALBANY, August 12, 1862.
Special Orders No. 425.
Captain Joseph Welling is hereby appointed Colonel of an additional Regiment of Volunteers to be organized in the 25th Senatorial Dis- trict of this State under the call of July 2d, 1862. The Commission to be issued on the completion of the regiment.
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