USA > New York > Camp and field life of the Fifth New York volunteer infantry. (Duryee zouaves.) > Part 12
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The days passed on in the usual manner, when a rumor was
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heard, at the close of the month, that the regiment had been ordered to Fortress Monroe, and all appearances indicated a move in some direction. The detachment from Fort Marshall returned on the afternoon of Thursday, the 27th, and all were on the alert. The rumor was confirmed. It was announced officially that the regiment was destined for Fortress Monroe, to join General McClellan's army, now moving by vessels to Old Point Comfort. There was much joy and excitement occasioned by the tidings.
All was bustle and confusion ; the men talked like bed- lamites, and a spectator would think, from the pleasure ex- pressed by their countenances, that they were ordered to New York, instead of to the front, to enter on an active cam- paign, where they could expect nothing but hard usage, privations, and dangers. Officers and privates all felt a pride in their regiment, and were determined to keep up its good name in whatever position it might be placed.
It was determined to give a farewell entertainment, to be held in the fort, the preparations for which had been in the hands of a committee for some time, in anticipation of a change of base. The programme was as follows :
THE GRAND FAREWELL FESTIVAL BY THE FIFTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK ZOUAVES, AT FORT FEDERAL HILL,
On Friday Evening, March 28, 1862. CONSISTING OF A FIRST-CLASS
CONCERT OF CHORUSES, GLEES, AND SOLOS, COMIC AND SENTIMENTAL.
Choice Selections from the Standard and Local Drama-toth Tragic and Comic, together with a variety of Select and Instrumental Music by the
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Life at Baltimore.
BAND OF THE REGIMENT. The whole under the direction of MR. FREDERICK ROUSE, COMPANY F.
STAGE MANAGER . W. R. Bailey, Co. A.
SCENIC ARTIST Wm. McIlvaine, Co. A.
MUSICAL DIRECTOR E. N. Bull, Co. E.
TREASURER. J. H. Pierce, Co. D.
ADMITTANCE FREE.
PROGRAMME.
PART I.
GRAND OVERTURE 5th Regt. Band.
OPENING CHORUS. 5th Regt. Glee Club.
COMIC SONG. Brown, Co. F.
BALLAD . Carroll, Co. E.
DANCE Tucker, Co. H.
SONG. Bailey, Co. A.
SCENE FROM TOODLES .. Dobbs, Co. H.
BALLAD .Collins, Co. B.
DRAMATIC READINGS. Southwick, Co. F.
MOCKING-BIRD SONG, with Imitations. Bull & Hern, Co. E.
COMIC SONG Sapher, Co. B.
BALLAD Tierney, Co. A.
GROUND AND LOFTY TUMBLING Leddy, Drum Corps.
SONG Matthews, Co. D.
DANCE Murphy, Co. F.
BALLAD Mulligan, Co. I.
PART II.
OPERATIC SELECTION 5th Regt. Band. FAVORITE GLEE 5th Regt. Glee Club. COMIC DI ET Carroll & Mathews, Co. E. BALLAD. Verney, Drum Corps. DRAMATIC READINGS Southwick & Rouse, Co. F.
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COMIC SONG. Bailey, Co. A.
BALLAD Williams, Drum Corps.
DANCE Clark, Drum Corps.
COMIC SONG Sapher, Co. B.
DRAMATIC READINGS. Sheffrey, Co. K.
COMIC SONG . Brown, Co. F.
BALLAD Tierney, Co. A.
COMIC SONG Carroll, Co. E.
BALLAD. Bull, Co. E.
COMIC SONG. Rouse, Co. F.
BALLAD Mulligan, Co. I.
DONNYBROOK SCENE. Company.
During the intermission between the parts, by particular request, the
GLADIATORIAL AND SCIENTIFIC DISPLAY OF MUSCLE
will be repeated.
To conclude with the National Song and Chorus of the
"RED, WHITE, AND BLUE."
By the entire Company and Audience.
The performance passed off with great éclat, notwithstand- ing some things occurred that were not down on the bills, but they rather added to the enjoyment instead of marring it. At one time, when one of the men was performing on a banjo, the floor of the staging gave way, but the performer was undisturbed, landed erect on his feet, and continned his playing amid the wreck, which elicited much applause and laughter, for the break-down was occasioned by the mis -. chievous " Butch " Sapher, who had crawled under the stag- ing and upset one of the wooden horses on which it was supported.
Sunday, March 30th, the regiment fell into line on the parade-ground inside of the fort. It was raining hard, and every one looked sad. The men felt as if they were leaving
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home, as they had made many acquaintances and won many friends in Baltimore. We were relieved by the 3d New York, who were to take the place of the Fifth, and to them we cheerfully surrendered our lofty position. Notwithstand- ing the rain, the fort was crowded with friends, all looking very sorrowful, and some of them pressed the men to take money for future wants. Finally the order to march was given, and the men stepped off. They had buckled on their armor, and were marching forth to join that immense armed host which had been assembling and preparing for months to hurl themselves against the enemies who would disunite a free and happy people, and deluge our fair land in blood.
As the Zouaves marched through Baltimore Street in the rain, the band playing "The girl I left behind me," they received an ovation at every step ; the street was crowded with men, women, and children ; the windows of the houses were full, the men cheered, and the ladies waved handker- chiefs and flags. But the hearts of the men told them it was no holiday parade; for many of them were bidding farewell not only to a friend, but to one where there was a stronger tie, for some had found partners for life among the fair sex ; and there were others to whom the plighted troth had been given, and they were leaving those they should, perchance, never see again.
The scene was an impressive one ; the Zouaves ever and anon kissed their hand to some fair friend, or nodded adieu to some male acquaintance, who were recognized in the crowd of spectators, and were saluted in return ; the women wept, and the men cried, "Good-bye ! good-bye ! God bless you !" Eight months before they had made their entrance among strangers, with the mailed hand, to stand guard at their very doors ; they were now taking their departure as friends, bound with ties which should be surrendered only by death.
Thus they marched, about nine hundred strong, through
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the crowded streets to the wharf, and embarked on the steamship S. R. Spaulding at 4 P.M., and bore away amid the applause of thousands ; the Zouaves mounted the rigging and highest spars, and waved their turbans with wild huzzas. The rain had ceased, and the sun shone brilliantly on the scene ; the piers were full of people, many of whom were ladies, who stood wherever they could obtain a foothold, waving their handkerchiefs, and there were countless num- bers of small boats, with their living freight, gliding about in the stream. The 3d New York. on Federal Hill, mounted the ramparts of the fort, and added their cheers to the general leave-taking. The sailors on the United States gun- boats and sloops of war in the harbor manned the rigging and united their cheers with the rest. As they steamed by Fort McHenry they received their last cheers from the 4th Regiment (Scott Life-Guard) and the regulars ; beyond lay the broad Chesapeake Bay.
The following verses on the occasion were written by MIRON WINSLOW, of Company E :
FAREWELL TO BALTIMORE.
Farewell, Queenly City ! Before we depart, I would bid thee farewell From the depths of my heart ; With gratitude fervent, Our bosoms expand At thought of the kindness Received from thy hand.
With our ardent desire To join in the strife, And our longing to live A more soldierly life, Is blended the sadness That parting still lends ;
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Life at Baltimore.
We came to thee strangers, You received us as friends.
Our country is calling ; We eagerly go, To meet with new vigor The traitorous foe ; But where'er we may be, Whatever our lot, Thy kindness and friendship Shall ne'er be forgot.
Farewell, Queenly City ! Thou'rt lost to our sight ; Thy dim shores are wrapped In the mantle of night ; But memory still Weaves its magical spell, And our hearts beat response As we bid thee farewell !
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CHAPTER VIII.
THE PENINSULAR CAMPAIGN-YORKTOWN.
THE TRIP TO VIRGINIA -- SCENE AT HAMPTON ROADS-CHANGES -- CAMP MISERY -PEEP AT BIG HETHEL-PRIME RATIONS FOR SIX -- N. Y. Times CORRE- SPONDENT-GEN. MCLELLAN'S REPORT -- CAMP SCOTT-CORDUROY AND DITCH -HEADQUARTERS-CALIFORNIA JACK -- THE 4TH MICHIGAN -- FIRST DEATH BY SICKNESS-GEN. MCCLELLAN'S HEADQUARTERS-AN OFFICER'S LETTER- LETTER FROM A PRIVATE-FIRE AND FUN IN THE DARK-A STRATEGIC PIG -SIEGE PREPARATIONS -- BATTERY NO. I-GEN. BARRY'S LETTER -- CAMP WAR- REN-AFTER THE BATTLE-CAMP BUCHANAN -- A PROMISE OF BATTLE -- MARCH IN THE SHADOWS-MAGNIFICENT SPECTACLE-A NIGHT VIEW OF THE CAMP AT PAMUNKEY RIVER-DROOPING SKIES AND A DRIPPING ARMY -- REVIEW BY HON. WML. II. SEWARD-DESERTED TERRITORY-NEARING THE WHITE HOUSE-STRAGGLERS-" DR." WARREN AND HIS ". PILLS " -- THE SICK- LIST-THE COLONEL'S ORDER AND A DONKEY'S REPLY.
Monday, March 31, 1862 .-- Out of Maryland and into the waters of the Old Dominion. The steamer was a staunch vessel, and sailed well, and our passage was made in good time, and would have been much more pleasant but for the inconvenience to which men are subject in an overcrowded ship. We were closely packed in the holds and on deck, without sufficient room ; only a part could lie down, those who enjoyed that luxury being obliged to use the decks, and sandwiching themselves between cordage and comrades, and remain in one position until they were satis- fied. The darkness between decks added to the discomfort of the trip.
As the ship sailed into Hampton Roads the scene was en- livening in the extreme; it seemed to us that we were near- ing a large seaport. The offing was crowded with transports, thronged with soldiers, horses, stores, artillery, and every- thing that is required for a large army. The Monitor was pointed out, but one could scarcely believe that such an in-
(15.1)
--
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significant-looking affair-for vessel it could hardly be called -caused the rebel monster, the Merrimac, to skulk back into the port from which she had sailed so defiantly.
The regiment landed in the afternoon of Tuesday, April Ist, and marched about two miles beyond Hampton and bivou- acked. It was almost impossible to recognize this locality as the same which the command had left eight months be- fore. There was not a tree, fence, or landmark left, with the exception of the seminary, and stretching miles beyond was an immense camp. There appeared to be no limit to the artillery, cavalry, and infantry, moving day and night. We remained in this camp five days, bivouacking at night, not yet being supplied with tents. The men called this stopping-place " Camp Misery," for the reason that the ra- tions were very short, while a cold north-east rain-storm, which continued day and night, during the second, third, and fourth days, made it impossible to keep our clothing dry. The fires would not burn, and the smoke hung close to the ground like a thick cloud, affecting the eyes, and sur- rounding us with a suffocating atmosphere. ' On the fifth day the sky cleared, and the air was warm, but the roads were in a very bad condition.
We left camp at 6.30 A.M. on Tuesday, April 6th, without any regret, and marched through mud a distance of twenty miles toward Yorktown, passing through Big Bethel, which was an interesting spot to the old members of the regiment, as the various objects reminded them of their previous en- counter with the enemy. We remained in " Camp Starva- tion " the 7th, 8th, 9th, and roth, living on one or two crackers a day. Heavy details were sent out every day to work on the roads, and help the wagons along the muddy highway.
The sojourn here was very disagreeable, as it rained the greater part of the time, and we had no shelter except such as could be improvised from "ponchos," or branches of trees plastered over with mud. There were, however, about
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half a dozen men, composing two messes, that had an abun- dance to eat and to spare ; one of each having dropped out from a fatigue party, and hidden in the woods until the coast was clear, and then went on a foraging expedition and struck a placer. They returned to the vicinity of the camp, and hid their spoils in the bushes until night, when they brought in to their starving messmates one pail of molasses, about two pounds of sugar, haversacks full of the best of pilot biscuit, half a pig, one sugar-cured ham, two pounds of the best smoking tobacco, some fresh beef, and a canteen of peach brandy ! It was a royal banquet ! How and where they made their levy it would take too long to relate; suffice it to say that they came very near being ambushed by guerrillas and losing their lives.
The regiment was singled out while in this camp from the rest of the volunteers, and attached to General Sykes' brigade of regulars, with which corps they remained through their term of service. It may be of interest to the reader to know how this was brought about. The Fifth not being en- camped in a situation favorable for exercise in drill, Colonel Warren asked permission of General Sykes to give his regi- ment a drill on the field used by the regulars. The request was granted, and they marched out and went through all the most complicated battalion movements in quick and double- . quick with so much spirit and precision, that we soon had a large audience of the regulars, upon whom it made a very favorable impression. General Sykes himself was viewing it from his tent. Subsequently Colonel Warren's request to move his camp nearer the regulars, which had been pre- viously denied, was allowed, and we were permitted to draw rations from his Commissary.
The New York Times correspondent said :
" The 5th New York Regiment, Duryee's Zouaves, are con- sidered the finest drilled regiment in the army of Yorktown, and
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have been assigned the post of honor, being the only volunteer regiment with the regulars."*
Another journal spoke as follows :
"Constant drill at the artillery, bayonet, and rifle, together with recitations for officers and soldiers in the regulations of the army tactics-both artillery and infantry-soon brought this body of soldiers to the highest state of perfection, so that on the 30th day of March, 1862, when leaving Baltimore and joining the Army of the Potomac, on the Peninsula, the honor of being assigned to duty with the regulars was granted to this regiment, and the 'red legs,' as they were called, were not slow in con- vincing the regular infantry that they were not to be outdone by them, either in drill, marching, or under fire. This reputa- tion gained has always been maintained by them while in the field."
The Prince de Joinville,t in his comments on the volun- teer organizations, makes special mention of the regiment as follows :
"Thus, a young Lieutenant of Engineers, named Warren, was marvelously successful with the 5th New York Regiment, of which he was Colonel. This regiment served as engineers and artillery at the siege of Yorktown, and having again become infan- try, conducted itself like the most veteran troops at the battles of the Chickahominy, where it lost half of its force. And yet these
* " Mcclellan's Report and Campaigns" (p 54). Regulars-" The advantage of such a body of troops at a critical moment, especially in an army constituted mainly of new levies, imperfectly disciplined, has been frequently illustrated in military his- tory, and was brought to the attention of the country at the first battle of Manassas. I have not been disappointed in the estimate formed of the value of these troops-I have always found them to be relied on ; whenever they have been brought under fire, they have shown the utmost gallantry and tenacity. On the 30th of April, 18(2, they numbered 4.603 men. On the 17th of May they were assigned to General Porter's corps for organization as a division, with the 5th Regiment of New York Volunteers, which joined May 4th, and the moth New York Volunteers, which joined subsequently. They remained from the commencement under the command c! Brigadier-General George Sykes, Major 3d Infantry, United States Army."
+ " The Army of the Potomac, its Organization, its Commander, and its Cam- paign." By the Prince de Joinville. Translated from the French, with Notes by William Henry Hurlbert.
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Fifth New York Volunteer Infantry.
were volunteers, but they felt the knowledge and superiority of their chief."
We left camp about 10 A. M. on Friday, the 11th of April, marched three miles over very bad roads toward Yorktown, and went into bivouac at Camp Winfield Scott, within two miles and a half of that historical place. It is proper to give the reason why the army did not move faster after as- sembling at Old Point. The only road was in a very bad state, in consequence of the frequent rains, and the numer- ons ditches and pits, men sometimes being obliged to wade up to their knees in mud and water. It was necessary to re- pair and corduroy it in many places, to enable the miles of wagons, ambulances, and artillery to pass over it. It should also be remembered that each man carried about fifty pounds weight in addition to the clothing they had on their persons, as they were in heavy marching order. Then, after a day's march, where were the means, not to say comforts, which would give a soldier the necessary rest and recupera- tion ? If not ordered off on guard, a soldier will make his bed on the wet ground, his knapsack his pillow, and a blanket for his covering ; his supper is a hard cracker or two and a piece of fat salt pork, often eaten without being cooked, and thankful oftentimes to get that. If he needs a fire he must go to the woods and cut down the timber ; or, if al- ready cut, haul it for some distance over ditches and fields, to his stopping place. Then, after considerable perseverance, he may succeed in getting his fire to burn, when he can have a cup of coffee, which he boils himself in his tin cup ; after which he smokes his pipe and is as happy as the case will al- low. On such roads as those just passed over by the army, the procession of wagons, miles in length, could not make more than six or eight miles a day, and the men were obliged to lie by occasionally for them to come up ; hence the delay. "Citizens" and "Home Guards" thought we ought to move
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faster, but the "citizens" who had become soldiers knew the reasons and the roads too well.
On Saturday, the 12th, we were detached temporarily from the brigade under a special order, and reported to General W. F. Barry, Chief of Artillery. The officers and men were employed in building siege-works, and some of the com- panies placed on duty in the batteries to work the heavy guns, and at the landing on York River, transporting and mounting the siege guns and mortars. This duty was all performed under the heavy fire of the enemy's artillery, and required nerve as well as experience to perfect the work.
While staying in this camp we had liberal supplies, pleas- ant weather, and good tents. The troops built a good road to Shipping Point, the extremity of which was about eight miles from camp, where the stores were landed when brought up the York River from Old Point Comfort. The men had no idle time ; they were constantly employed on fatigue duty of some kind. making corduroy roads, etc., and gibions to fill with earth for siege-batteries. A detail of the Fifth put up General Mcclellan's tents and laid out the grounds about them, and a detail was made up every day for guard duty over his quarters, which were near the regimental headquarters.
A continual bombardment was kept up, and at almost any time of the night or day, the shell of the enemy could be seen bursting in the air, sometimes appearing to be directly overhead. Pickets were shot hourly, and skirmishes between the outposts were continually occurring, by which additions were made to the list of killed or wounded. At night it was grand to hear the roar of the heavy siege-guns, and listen to the rushing shell as they died away in the distance, and carried destruction into the enemy's stronghold. California Juk, the famous sharp-shooter, who was out at the front all the time picking off the enemy's gunners, made a visit to unp, being out of ammunition. Capt. Winslow furnished him with a liberal supply of cartridges for his Sharp's rifle,
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two of the companies being armed with the same weapon. He thanked him and said he wouldn't waste them, "you bet."
On the night of the 17th, the infantry firing was quite sharp. It appeared that the enemy came out and attacked one of the new intrenchments, and the 4th Michigan, one of the finest regiments in the service, drove them back and took three hundred prisoners. The men were ordered to have their canteens filled with water every night, and always one day's rations on hand, so as to be ready at a moment's notice.
A private of Company E died of typhoid fever in the hos- pital. It was the first death from disease that has occurred in the regiment since its organization, which was remarkable, although many had been discharged for physical disability, some of whom bad subsequently died.
The following is an extract from a letter written to, and published in, the New York Times by an officer of the 5th Regiment :
CAMP WINFIELD SCOTT, before Yorktown, Va, { Monday, April 21, 1862.
We are constantly occupied in military exercises, in studying the tactics, in enforcing or submitting to the discipline, and in performing the daily duties incident to our connection with the present movement ; and we see the officers and men of other regiments encamped near us engaged diligently in the same kind of labors. We hear the booming of cannon daily on our right and on our left ; we see bombs bursting in air, and varicolored rockets shooting across the sky; we see artillery, cavalry, in- fantry proceeding hither and thither ; we see aides-de-camp gal- loping by ; we see balloons ascend and descend ; we see baggage- wagons and ambulances on the road ; rumors come to us of a fight in this or that part of the lines, and beyond this we know nothing of the progress that is making. We lie down on the ground at night prepared to respond to the first summons. Sometimes we are awakened by the thunders of artillery and the rattling of small arms, and lie listening to the noises of a deadly
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conflict somewhere. We endeavor to conjecture what corps are engaged, and picture to ourselves, as we follow with the ear, the fluctuations of the strife, "now high, now low, like the sound of music which the wind still alters," the scene and inci- dents of the fray. Now there is a lull, and now the combat thickens. For a while all is still as death ; doubtless our brave fellows are advancing to the charge, and we strain to catch the clash of steel. Suddenly again comes the roar of cannon ; the battle evidently now is fiercely raging. Now the discharges are less frequent ; a solitary shot is heard, and now all again is quiet. Which has won the victory? Who of our dearest friends has fallen ? We might not go forth to seek him if we knew he was gasping on the field. But we are warriors, not women. Let the dead be buried, and lead us against the foe ! And so the soldier gathers his blanket around him, and in a moment is asleep again. And with all this disturbance in the distance, no alarm is sounded in the camps near by. No one thinks of obeying the impulse to rush forth and join in the fight. All await orders, and when they come, the battalions that are called for quietly form in line and are marched to the point where one mind decides that they are needed. Such is the dis- cipline in the Army of the Potomac, attained by much training during the season of "inactivity," which they who knew not its value were inclined so much to complain of.
The 5th New York Zouaves, whose friends at home will read this, are undergoing no unendurable hardships here, and are much happier just where they are than any individual of them could possibly have been had he endeavored to content himself at home in a season in which his country called for his services in the field. And here we are, just where we want to be, with a Indler in whom we have confidence to conduct us against a foe that lies immediately before us. We occupy a beautiful camp- ing-ground near the marquee of the Commander-in-Chief. Our regiment has been complimented by being brigaded with the ryulars-the only volunteer regiment so honored-and with then it constitutes the chosen corps which General Mcclellan b. eps always with him. Brigadier-General Sykes is its com- mander, the same who, with 1,300 regulars, covered the retreat
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of the army at the first Bull Run. Lieutenant J. Howard Wells, the Quartermaster of the Fifth, has been transferred to the regu- lar service. He now holds the position of United States Com- missary with the rank of Captain, and is. stationed at Baltimore. Lieutenant A. L. Thomas is his successor, and a very worthy one he is.
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